Richard Dunne has been ruled out for a month after picking up a shoulder injury in Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The center back had to be replaced in stoppage time after falling awkwardly following an aerial challenge inside the City area with goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Villa boss Alex McLeish confirmed the extent of the injury after the match, telling reporters: “He’s not going to be back for the next game, that’s for sure. I don’t know at this moment exactly what’s happened but he’s definitely damaged his shoulder.
“I do believe he is going to be out for at least a month.”
McLeish went on to defend his tactics against Roberto Mancini’s side, which moved back to the top of the table thanks to a second-half goal from Joleon Lescott.
The hosts’ best chances at Villa Park came in the closing stages in a match which City dominated, but the Scot believes his team was unlucky not to take anything from the game.
He added: “We had a game plan and I thought the players did really well in executing that. If you open up early and you leave yourself wide open against City they will destroy you.
“You saw Everton’s tactics a couple of weeks ago, very similar to what we deployed tonight. And you’ve got to keep City at nil to have a chance to win the game.
“I think we were the unluckiest team in the league this weekend.”
McLeish also confirmed that defender Ciaran Clark will be out for “a few weeks” with a knee ligament
2012年2月12日星期日
Zambia wins African Cup after penalty shootout
LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Stophira Sunzu scored the deciding sudden-death penalty after Gervinho missed his kick for Ivory Coast.
Zambia earned its first African title in the same city where 18 Zambian internationals died in a plane crash in 1993 in the country's worst sporting disaster.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba missed a 70th-minute penalty.
Stophira Sunzu scored the deciding sudden-death penalty after Gervinho missed his kick for Ivory Coast.
Zambia earned its first African title in the same city where 18 Zambian internationals died in a plane crash in 1993 in the country's worst sporting disaster.
Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba missed a 70th-minute penalty.
Sun arrests pile pressure on Murdoch media empire
LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch is under pressure over his Sun tabloid after the arrests of several senior staff in a corruption probe, but whistleblowers inside his media empire may pose more of a threat than the public outrage that forced the closure of its sister paper.
Murdoch closed his News of the World weekly after allegations last year it hacked the phone of a murdered schoolgirl prompted a public outcry. Advertisers cancelled contracts and Prime Minister David Cameron set up a inquiry into media practices.
News Corporation boss Murdoch closed the newspaper and flew to London to handle the crisis, which triggered such hostility in Britain's parliament bid that he was forced to give up his bid to take over lucrative pay-TV operator BSkyB .
The veteran media mogul is due to fly to London later this week as another scandal engulfs one of his British newspapers, but he is likely to handle the Sun crisis differently given the public response to the paper's alleged actions is muted.
Police have arrested nine current and former Sun staff in the past two weeks, including the deputy editor and other senior employees, as part of an investigation into the bribing of police and other public officials for information.
The arrests came after News Corp passed information to police, angering employees, some of whom are already briefing against Murdoch.
But while the News of the World (NoW) scandal led to a chorus of condemnation from the public and politicians of all stripes, there has been a low-key response to the Sun arrests.
In a sharp contrast to the mood that prevailed at the height of the NoW scandal last summer, the British minister responsible for the media on Sunday praised Murdoch for increasing British media plurality through his Sky satellite broadcasting network.
"Rupert Murdoch, through the investment he made in Sky for example, has massively increased choice in the UK and given us one of the most competitive broadcasting markets in Europe," Jeremy Hunt told the BBC.
He also praised newspapers, including the News of the World, for uncovering criminals and holding politicians to account.
"People remember how important our newspapers are. I think about the MP (member of parliament) expenses scandal .... People are realizing how important a free press is in our democracy," he added.
Last year, Cameron labeled allegations that the News of the World hacked into the phone of murdered school girl Milly Dowler as "really appalling," "truly dreadful" and called for a "vigorous investigation."
PUBLIC INTEREST DEFENCE?
"The backlash on bribing policemen is not going to be on the same scale as hacking into private phone messages," said Ivor Gaber, political journalism professor at City University London.
"The Sun is a bigger proposition than the News of the World. It makes more money. It has more clout and it's six days a week," he added.
Gaber said possible payments to police or other officials may be covered by a public interest defense that was not available in the News of the World hacking case.
"I think there's more of a debate to be had. It's less black and white," he said.
Hunt praised the Daily Telegraph for its stories about MP expenses even though it had paid a mole for the information on leaked computer disks.
In a statement late on Saturday, the chief executive of News Corp's British newspaper division News International Tom Mockridge indicated Murdoch was far from throwing in the towel.
"Some of the individuals arrested have been instrumental in breaking important stories about public bodies, for example the scandal of our under resourced troops in Iraq .... We must take care not to pre-judge the outcome of the police interviews," he said.
Two of those arrested along with the Sun employees on Saturday in connection with illegal journalist payments were a defense ministry employee and a member of the armed forces, a source said.
THREAT FROM WITHIN
Nevertheless, Murdoch critics say the pressure on News Corp should not be underestimated, especially as some disgruntled News International staff are briefing against him.
The arrest of Sun staff in the last fortnight was the result of information supplied to the police by News Corp's Management and Standards Committee (MSC), a fact-finding group the firm set up in a bid to rescue its reputation.
A source at News International's Wapping office in London said staff were in uproar at what they feel is News Corp sacrificing ordinary employees to protect top executives.
Many staff during the NoW episode said Murdoch was trying to protect his News Corp executive son and presumptive heir James, and Murdoch confidante and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks.
"The company has turned against the staff," said the Wapping source on condition of anonymity.
Lawmaker Tom Watson, one of Murdoch's most trenchant critics who last year questioned him and his executive son James over phone-hacking at a parliamentary committee hearing, said a number of News International staff had asked him for help, including two since the arrest of Sun employees.
"A number of staff within News International are talking to me privately .... What you're seeing now is greater willingness of staff on the frontline .... to talk about the conditions they worked under and it's not pleasant listening," he told Reuters.
He said they told him of a culture of bullying by senior staff and a high pressure office culture that led to journalists doing things they were extremely uncomfortable with.
"We are now seeing three of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers investigated for different things ranging from phone hacking to email hacking to potentially bribing public officials," he said, referring to email hacking at Murdoch's highbrow daily The Times.
"There comes a point where you have to say 'How has this institution potentially allowed these things to go on for so long?'. And that's down to the leadership of Rupert Murdoch."
(Additional reporting by Kate Holton and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Murdoch closed his News of the World weekly after allegations last year it hacked the phone of a murdered schoolgirl prompted a public outcry. Advertisers cancelled contracts and Prime Minister David Cameron set up a inquiry into media practices.
News Corporation boss Murdoch closed the newspaper and flew to London to handle the crisis, which triggered such hostility in Britain's parliament bid that he was forced to give up his bid to take over lucrative pay-TV operator BSkyB .
The veteran media mogul is due to fly to London later this week as another scandal engulfs one of his British newspapers, but he is likely to handle the Sun crisis differently given the public response to the paper's alleged actions is muted.
Police have arrested nine current and former Sun staff in the past two weeks, including the deputy editor and other senior employees, as part of an investigation into the bribing of police and other public officials for information.
The arrests came after News Corp passed information to police, angering employees, some of whom are already briefing against Murdoch.
But while the News of the World (NoW) scandal led to a chorus of condemnation from the public and politicians of all stripes, there has been a low-key response to the Sun arrests.
In a sharp contrast to the mood that prevailed at the height of the NoW scandal last summer, the British minister responsible for the media on Sunday praised Murdoch for increasing British media plurality through his Sky satellite broadcasting network.
"Rupert Murdoch, through the investment he made in Sky for example, has massively increased choice in the UK and given us one of the most competitive broadcasting markets in Europe," Jeremy Hunt told the BBC.
He also praised newspapers, including the News of the World, for uncovering criminals and holding politicians to account.
"People remember how important our newspapers are. I think about the MP (member of parliament) expenses scandal .... People are realizing how important a free press is in our democracy," he added.
Last year, Cameron labeled allegations that the News of the World hacked into the phone of murdered school girl Milly Dowler as "really appalling," "truly dreadful" and called for a "vigorous investigation."
PUBLIC INTEREST DEFENCE?
"The backlash on bribing policemen is not going to be on the same scale as hacking into private phone messages," said Ivor Gaber, political journalism professor at City University London.
"The Sun is a bigger proposition than the News of the World. It makes more money. It has more clout and it's six days a week," he added.
Gaber said possible payments to police or other officials may be covered by a public interest defense that was not available in the News of the World hacking case.
"I think there's more of a debate to be had. It's less black and white," he said.
Hunt praised the Daily Telegraph for its stories about MP expenses even though it had paid a mole for the information on leaked computer disks.
In a statement late on Saturday, the chief executive of News Corp's British newspaper division News International Tom Mockridge indicated Murdoch was far from throwing in the towel.
"Some of the individuals arrested have been instrumental in breaking important stories about public bodies, for example the scandal of our under resourced troops in Iraq .... We must take care not to pre-judge the outcome of the police interviews," he said.
Two of those arrested along with the Sun employees on Saturday in connection with illegal journalist payments were a defense ministry employee and a member of the armed forces, a source said.
THREAT FROM WITHIN
Nevertheless, Murdoch critics say the pressure on News Corp should not be underestimated, especially as some disgruntled News International staff are briefing against him.
The arrest of Sun staff in the last fortnight was the result of information supplied to the police by News Corp's Management and Standards Committee (MSC), a fact-finding group the firm set up in a bid to rescue its reputation.
A source at News International's Wapping office in London said staff were in uproar at what they feel is News Corp sacrificing ordinary employees to protect top executives.
Many staff during the NoW episode said Murdoch was trying to protect his News Corp executive son and presumptive heir James, and Murdoch confidante and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks.
"The company has turned against the staff," said the Wapping source on condition of anonymity.
Lawmaker Tom Watson, one of Murdoch's most trenchant critics who last year questioned him and his executive son James over phone-hacking at a parliamentary committee hearing, said a number of News International staff had asked him for help, including two since the arrest of Sun employees.
"A number of staff within News International are talking to me privately .... What you're seeing now is greater willingness of staff on the frontline .... to talk about the conditions they worked under and it's not pleasant listening," he told Reuters.
He said they told him of a culture of bullying by senior staff and a high pressure office culture that led to journalists doing things they were extremely uncomfortable with.
"We are now seeing three of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers investigated for different things ranging from phone hacking to email hacking to potentially bribing public officials," he said, referring to email hacking at Murdoch's highbrow daily The Times.
"There comes a point where you have to say 'How has this institution potentially allowed these things to go on for so long?'. And that's down to the leadership of Rupert Murdoch."
(Additional reporting by Kate Holton and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Streep and 'The Artist' triumph at Britain's BAFTA awards
Silent movie "The Artist" and US actress Meryl Streep continued their march towards Oscar glory on Sunday after scooping top awards at the BAFTAs, the biggest night of the British film industry.
At a celebrity-packed ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London, "The Artist" won seven gongs including best film, best director and best original screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius and best actor for Frenchman Jean Dujardin.
Dujardin -- who is also nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a silent film star threatened by the arrival of the 'talkies' -- paid tribute to his director, saying: "Michel, what have you done to me? It's all your fault".
Brushing shoulders on the red carpet earlier with Hollywood stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt, a clearly excited Dujardin told AFP that he was overwhelmed at being ranked alongside such top actors.
"To be here -- it's an honour to be nominated with such great actors, with Gary Oldman, (Michael) Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Clooney, pinch me, please!" he said, moments before beating all those named to the best actor award.
True to predictions, Streep was named best actress, although she lost her shoe on the way to collect her award and had to be rescued by Colin Firth.
The American has already won a clutch of gongs for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", and is tipped to take the third Oscar of her career on February 26.
The film has not been without controversy, but Streep said it intended "to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful in the life of someone we've all decided we know everything about already".
There were few surprises in the best supporting actor and actress categories, as BAFTA echoed last month's Golden Globes and awarded them to Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" and Octavia Spencer for "The Help".
At the age of 82, Plummer, who like Spencer is also nominated for an Oscar, becomes the oldest recipient of a British Academy Film Award.
Veteran British actor Gary Oldman missed out in his bid for a BAFTA for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", although the Cold War thriller won awards for outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Long a highlight of the British film industry calendar, the BAFTAs have been growing in stature over the years and are now seen as one of the key indicators of Oscar success in a fortnight's time.
The guest list has grown with their importance, with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Penelope Cruz, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter among those presenting awards this year.
John Hurt, the star of films as diverse as "The Elephant Man" and the Harry Potter films, was recognised with the BAFTA for outstanding contribution to cinema, an accolade he said was "fabulous".
"Senna", Asif Kapadia's film about Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash in 1994, won best documentary, while Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In" was named the best non-English language film.
Paddy Considine and Diarmid Scrimshaw won the outstanding debut BAFTA for "Tyrannosaur", while "Rango" won the award for best animated film.
Adam Deacon, the London actor who starred in gritty British teen drama "Kidulthood", was given the Rising Star Award after a public vote.
At a celebrity-packed ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London, "The Artist" won seven gongs including best film, best director and best original screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius and best actor for Frenchman Jean Dujardin.
Dujardin -- who is also nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a silent film star threatened by the arrival of the 'talkies' -- paid tribute to his director, saying: "Michel, what have you done to me? It's all your fault".
Brushing shoulders on the red carpet earlier with Hollywood stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt, a clearly excited Dujardin told AFP that he was overwhelmed at being ranked alongside such top actors.
"To be here -- it's an honour to be nominated with such great actors, with Gary Oldman, (Michael) Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Clooney, pinch me, please!" he said, moments before beating all those named to the best actor award.
True to predictions, Streep was named best actress, although she lost her shoe on the way to collect her award and had to be rescued by Colin Firth.
The American has already won a clutch of gongs for her portrayal of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", and is tipped to take the third Oscar of her career on February 26.
The film has not been without controversy, but Streep said it intended "to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful in the life of someone we've all decided we know everything about already".
There were few surprises in the best supporting actor and actress categories, as BAFTA echoed last month's Golden Globes and awarded them to Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" and Octavia Spencer for "The Help".
At the age of 82, Plummer, who like Spencer is also nominated for an Oscar, becomes the oldest recipient of a British Academy Film Award.
Veteran British actor Gary Oldman missed out in his bid for a BAFTA for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", although the Cold War thriller won awards for outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Long a highlight of the British film industry calendar, the BAFTAs have been growing in stature over the years and are now seen as one of the key indicators of Oscar success in a fortnight's time.
The guest list has grown with their importance, with Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Penelope Cruz, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter among those presenting awards this year.
John Hurt, the star of films as diverse as "The Elephant Man" and the Harry Potter films, was recognised with the BAFTA for outstanding contribution to cinema, an accolade he said was "fabulous".
"Senna", Asif Kapadia's film about Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash in 1994, won best documentary, while Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In" was named the best non-English language film.
Paddy Considine and Diarmid Scrimshaw won the outstanding debut BAFTA for "Tyrannosaur", while "Rango" won the award for best animated film.
Adam Deacon, the London actor who starred in gritty British teen drama "Kidulthood", was given the Rising Star Award after a public vote.
Greek lawmakers begin crucial debt vote
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Lawmakers in Greece have begun voting for a crucial austerity and debt-relief bill needed to avoid bankruptcy, after riots raged in Athens.
The latest harsh cuts are a requirement by rescue lenders to grant a euro130 billion ($171 billion) second bailout and a related deal with private creditors to slash the national debt by euro100 billion ($132 billion) off the national debt.
The vote occurred after at least 10 buildings were burnt down and dozens of shops looted across central Athens. More than 100,000 demonstrated outside parliament. Dozens of people have been injured and police detained more than 20 suspected rioters.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators set buildings ablaze and fireballs lit up the night sky in Greece's capital on Sunday amid widespread rioting before a historic parliamentary vote on harsh austerity measures designed to prevent the country from going bankrupt.
The clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched to the parliament to rally against the drastic cuts, which will ax one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than a fifth.
At least 10 buildings were on fire, including a movie theater, bank and cafeteria, and looters smashed dozens of shops in the worst riot damage in years. Dozens of police officers and at least 37 protesters were injured, and more than 20 suspected rioters were detained.
"I've had it! I can't take it any more. There's no point in living in this country any more," said a distraught shopowner walking through his smashed and looted optician store.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos urged calm, pointing to the country's dire financial straits.
"Vandalism and destruction have no place in a democracy and will not be tolerated," Papademos told Parliament. "I call on the public to show calm. At these crucial times, we do not have the luxury of this type of protest. I think everyone is aware of how serious the situation is."
Since May 2010, Greece has survived on a $145 billion (euro110 billion) bailout from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund. When that proved insufficient, a new rescue package worth a further $171 billion (euro130 billion) was approved — combined with a massive bond swap deal that will write off half the country's privately held debt.
But for both deals to materialize, Greece has to persuade its deeply skeptical creditors that it has the will to implement spending cuts and public sector reforms that will end years of fiscal profligacy and tame gaping budget deficits.
As protests raged Sunday, demonstrators set bonfires in front of parliament and dozens of riot police formed lines to keep them from making a run on the building. Security forces fired dozens of tear gas volleys at rioters, who attacked them with firebombs and chunks of marble broken off the fronts of luxury hotels, banks and department stores.
Clouds of tear gas drifted across the square, and many in the crowd wore gas masks or had their faces covered, while others carried Greek flags and banners.
A three-story building was completely consumed by flames as firefighters struggled to douse the blaze. Streets were strewn with stones, smashed glass and burnt wreckage, while terrified passers-by sought refuge in hotel lounges and cafeterias.
Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said rioters tried to storm the City Hall building, but were repelled. "Once again, the city is being used as a lever to try to destabilize the country," he said.
Conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said the rioting "hurts the entire country."
"We are seeing scenes from a future that we must do our utmost to avert," he said.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos' government — an unlikely coalition of the majority Socialists and their main foes, New Democracy — was expected to carry the austerity vote, even by a narrow margin.
Combined, they control 236 of Parliament's 300 seats, although at least 20 lawmakers from both main parties said they would not back the private sector wage cuts, pension reductions and civil service layoffs dictated by the draft austerity program.
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the measures were vital to the country's very economic survival.
"The question is not whether some salaries and pensions will be curtailed, but whether we will be able to pay even these reduced wages and pensions," he said. "When you have to choose between bad and worse, you will pick what is bad to avoid what is worse."
The new cutbacks, which follow two years of harsh income losses and tax hikes amid a deep recession and record high unemployment have been demanded by Greece's bailout creditors in return for a new batch of vital rescue loans.
"By Wednesday, finance ministers from eurozone countries must finally approve the financing and support program for Greece," Venizelos said. "If that doesn't happen, the country will go bankrupt."
"By midnight today, before markets open, parliament must send the message that our nation is both willing and able," Venizelos aid. "Unfortunately, the markets have subjugated states."
Greece's eurozone partners, meanwhile, kept up the pressure for real reform
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted as telling the Welt am Sonntag newspaper Sunday that Greece "cannot be a bottomless pit."
Highlighting previous promises he said weren't kept, Schaeuble said "that is why Greece's promises aren't enough for us any more."
Asked whether Greece has a long-term future in the eurozone, Germany's Vice Chancellor Philip Roesler said "that is now in the hands of the Greeks alone."
"We want ... the Greek parliament also to approve laws and, as far as possible, take the first steps to implement what has been agreed," he told ARD television
"Only when that happens, only then can there be new aid — and Greece urgently needs that," said Roesler, who is also Germany's economy minister.
Roesler acknowledged that Greece faces "difficult decisions" but stressed that Germany wants it to be able to get out of trouble.
"It is not enough just to give financial aid — they must tackle the second cause of the crisis, the lack of economic competitiveness," he said. "For that, they need ... massive structural reforms. Otherwise Greece will not get out of the crisis."
Introducing the legislation Sunday, Socialist lawmaker Sofia Yiannaka said the intense pressure from Greece's EU partners to pass the measures was the result of delays in implementing already agreed reforms.
"The delays have our imprint. We should not blame foreigners for them," she said.
"We have finally found out that you have to pay back what you have borrowed ... We used to say 'poor state, but rich citizens' because we tolerated tax evasion for populist reasons. Is this the country we want?" Yiannaka added.
Leftist parties and the small rightist LAOS — a former junior coalition partner — have vowed to vote against the new austerity.
"You are not trying to save Greece, but a handful of industrialists," Communist Party spokesman Thanassis Pafilis said. "And you disgracefully blame the struggling people who created the wealth we have. You are trying to send them back to the Middle Ages. We will not allow it."
The latest harsh cuts are a requirement by rescue lenders to grant a euro130 billion ($171 billion) second bailout and a related deal with private creditors to slash the national debt by euro100 billion ($132 billion) off the national debt.
The vote occurred after at least 10 buildings were burnt down and dozens of shops looted across central Athens. More than 100,000 demonstrated outside parliament. Dozens of people have been injured and police detained more than 20 suspected rioters.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Demonstrators set buildings ablaze and fireballs lit up the night sky in Greece's capital on Sunday amid widespread rioting before a historic parliamentary vote on harsh austerity measures designed to prevent the country from going bankrupt.
The clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched to the parliament to rally against the drastic cuts, which will ax one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than a fifth.
At least 10 buildings were on fire, including a movie theater, bank and cafeteria, and looters smashed dozens of shops in the worst riot damage in years. Dozens of police officers and at least 37 protesters were injured, and more than 20 suspected rioters were detained.
"I've had it! I can't take it any more. There's no point in living in this country any more," said a distraught shopowner walking through his smashed and looted optician store.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos urged calm, pointing to the country's dire financial straits.
"Vandalism and destruction have no place in a democracy and will not be tolerated," Papademos told Parliament. "I call on the public to show calm. At these crucial times, we do not have the luxury of this type of protest. I think everyone is aware of how serious the situation is."
Since May 2010, Greece has survived on a $145 billion (euro110 billion) bailout from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund. When that proved insufficient, a new rescue package worth a further $171 billion (euro130 billion) was approved — combined with a massive bond swap deal that will write off half the country's privately held debt.
But for both deals to materialize, Greece has to persuade its deeply skeptical creditors that it has the will to implement spending cuts and public sector reforms that will end years of fiscal profligacy and tame gaping budget deficits.
As protests raged Sunday, demonstrators set bonfires in front of parliament and dozens of riot police formed lines to keep them from making a run on the building. Security forces fired dozens of tear gas volleys at rioters, who attacked them with firebombs and chunks of marble broken off the fronts of luxury hotels, banks and department stores.
Clouds of tear gas drifted across the square, and many in the crowd wore gas masks or had their faces covered, while others carried Greek flags and banners.
A three-story building was completely consumed by flames as firefighters struggled to douse the blaze. Streets were strewn with stones, smashed glass and burnt wreckage, while terrified passers-by sought refuge in hotel lounges and cafeterias.
Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis said rioters tried to storm the City Hall building, but were repelled. "Once again, the city is being used as a lever to try to destabilize the country," he said.
Conservative New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said the rioting "hurts the entire country."
"We are seeing scenes from a future that we must do our utmost to avert," he said.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos' government — an unlikely coalition of the majority Socialists and their main foes, New Democracy — was expected to carry the austerity vote, even by a narrow margin.
Combined, they control 236 of Parliament's 300 seats, although at least 20 lawmakers from both main parties said they would not back the private sector wage cuts, pension reductions and civil service layoffs dictated by the draft austerity program.
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the measures were vital to the country's very economic survival.
"The question is not whether some salaries and pensions will be curtailed, but whether we will be able to pay even these reduced wages and pensions," he said. "When you have to choose between bad and worse, you will pick what is bad to avoid what is worse."
The new cutbacks, which follow two years of harsh income losses and tax hikes amid a deep recession and record high unemployment have been demanded by Greece's bailout creditors in return for a new batch of vital rescue loans.
"By Wednesday, finance ministers from eurozone countries must finally approve the financing and support program for Greece," Venizelos said. "If that doesn't happen, the country will go bankrupt."
"By midnight today, before markets open, parliament must send the message that our nation is both willing and able," Venizelos aid. "Unfortunately, the markets have subjugated states."
Greece's eurozone partners, meanwhile, kept up the pressure for real reform
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was quoted as telling the Welt am Sonntag newspaper Sunday that Greece "cannot be a bottomless pit."
Highlighting previous promises he said weren't kept, Schaeuble said "that is why Greece's promises aren't enough for us any more."
Asked whether Greece has a long-term future in the eurozone, Germany's Vice Chancellor Philip Roesler said "that is now in the hands of the Greeks alone."
"We want ... the Greek parliament also to approve laws and, as far as possible, take the first steps to implement what has been agreed," he told ARD television
"Only when that happens, only then can there be new aid — and Greece urgently needs that," said Roesler, who is also Germany's economy minister.
Roesler acknowledged that Greece faces "difficult decisions" but stressed that Germany wants it to be able to get out of trouble.
"It is not enough just to give financial aid — they must tackle the second cause of the crisis, the lack of economic competitiveness," he said. "For that, they need ... massive structural reforms. Otherwise Greece will not get out of the crisis."
Introducing the legislation Sunday, Socialist lawmaker Sofia Yiannaka said the intense pressure from Greece's EU partners to pass the measures was the result of delays in implementing already agreed reforms.
"The delays have our imprint. We should not blame foreigners for them," she said.
"We have finally found out that you have to pay back what you have borrowed ... We used to say 'poor state, but rich citizens' because we tolerated tax evasion for populist reasons. Is this the country we want?" Yiannaka added.
Leftist parties and the small rightist LAOS — a former junior coalition partner — have vowed to vote against the new austerity.
"You are not trying to save Greece, but a handful of industrialists," Communist Party spokesman Thanassis Pafilis said. "And you disgracefully blame the struggling people who created the wealth we have. You are trying to send them back to the Middle Ages. We will not allow it."
Silence is golden as "The Artist" scoops 7 BAFTAs
Black-and-white turned to gold as silent movie "The Artist" won seven BAFTA awards including best film at a ceremony in London on Sunday, raising expectations of a strong showing at the Academy Awards.
Meryl Streep clinched the leading actress prize for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher both as a politician at the height of her power and as a frail elderly lady suffering from dementia, in "The Iron Lady."
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards are not always an accurate predictor of what is to come at the Oscars, but they are the most coveted film honors outside of the United States.
Streep, looking regal in a sparkling black gown with her hair piled high in an elaborate style, lost a shoe on her way up to the stage to collect her award.
"That couldn't be worse," she said, having recovered her shoe, to laughter and cheers from the audience at the Royal Opera House in the popular Covent Garden area of London.
Apart from Streep, the undisputed star of the night was The Artist, a French-made romance set in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. It had been nominated for 12 awards and walked away with the prizes for best film, leading actor, director, original screenplay, costumes, cinematography and music.
The film, which tells the story of a star of silent movies whose career is destroyed by the advent of "talkies," had already done well at the Golden Globes and now has further momentum ahead of Oscar night in two weeks.
"I'm so proud that Brad Pitt pronounced my name so well," said Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, as he accepted his award from the Hollywood heart-throb.
The film's star, Jean Dujardin, was a surprise winner in the leading actor category. George Clooney had been the bookmakers' favorite for his part as a man steering his family through troubled times while his wife is in a coma in "The Descendants."
"SOMETHING REAL" ABOUT MRS THATCHER
The Artist overshadowed the Cold War espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which picked up only two prizes out of the 11 for which it had been nominated, outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Peter Straughan, who created the script from a classic John Le Carre novel, brought both humor and emotion to the ceremony in his acceptance speech.
"I'd just like to thank The Artist for not being adapted from a book," he said to laughter from the audience.
Straughan went on to pay homage to the co-winner of the award, his wife Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film was made.
"She wrote all the good bits and I made the coffee. So Bridget, I love you, I miss you, this is for you," he said.
Streep, who has already won a Golden Globe for her turn as Thatcher, is heavily favored to bag an Oscar for the role.
"The ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the iron lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful, in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already," she said in her acceptance speech.
It was a second BAFTA win for Streep, who had received the 1981 leading actress prize for "The French Lieutenant's Woman."
While her performance in The Iron Lady has been well-received in Thatcher's home country, the overall film has had lukewarm reviews.
The choice to dwell on the subject of Thatcher's dementia has been criticized, not least by current British Prime Minister David Cameron, who like Thatcher is a Conservative.
Martin Scorsese had a mixed night at the BAFTAs. His first family film, "Hugo," a 3-D adventure exploring the magic of movie-making in its early days, had been nominated for nine awards but went home with just two, for sound and production design.
Scorsese was also nominated in the documentary category for his film "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," but there too he lost out, to "Senna," a film about the life of the formula one champion Ayrton Senna.
Meryl Streep clinched the leading actress prize for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher both as a politician at the height of her power and as a frail elderly lady suffering from dementia, in "The Iron Lady."
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards are not always an accurate predictor of what is to come at the Oscars, but they are the most coveted film honors outside of the United States.
Streep, looking regal in a sparkling black gown with her hair piled high in an elaborate style, lost a shoe on her way up to the stage to collect her award.
"That couldn't be worse," she said, having recovered her shoe, to laughter and cheers from the audience at the Royal Opera House in the popular Covent Garden area of London.
Apart from Streep, the undisputed star of the night was The Artist, a French-made romance set in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. It had been nominated for 12 awards and walked away with the prizes for best film, leading actor, director, original screenplay, costumes, cinematography and music.
The film, which tells the story of a star of silent movies whose career is destroyed by the advent of "talkies," had already done well at the Golden Globes and now has further momentum ahead of Oscar night in two weeks.
"I'm so proud that Brad Pitt pronounced my name so well," said Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, as he accepted his award from the Hollywood heart-throb.
The film's star, Jean Dujardin, was a surprise winner in the leading actor category. George Clooney had been the bookmakers' favorite for his part as a man steering his family through troubled times while his wife is in a coma in "The Descendants."
"SOMETHING REAL" ABOUT MRS THATCHER
The Artist overshadowed the Cold War espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which picked up only two prizes out of the 11 for which it had been nominated, outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Peter Straughan, who created the script from a classic John Le Carre novel, brought both humor and emotion to the ceremony in his acceptance speech.
"I'd just like to thank The Artist for not being adapted from a book," he said to laughter from the audience.
Straughan went on to pay homage to the co-winner of the award, his wife Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film was made.
"She wrote all the good bits and I made the coffee. So Bridget, I love you, I miss you, this is for you," he said.
Streep, who has already won a Golden Globe for her turn as Thatcher, is heavily favored to bag an Oscar for the role.
"The ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the iron lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful, in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already," she said in her acceptance speech.
It was a second BAFTA win for Streep, who had received the 1981 leading actress prize for "The French Lieutenant's Woman."
While her performance in The Iron Lady has been well-received in Thatcher's home country, the overall film has had lukewarm reviews.
The choice to dwell on the subject of Thatcher's dementia has been criticized, not least by current British Prime Minister David Cameron, who like Thatcher is a Conservative.
Martin Scorsese had a mixed night at the BAFTAs. His first family film, "Hugo," a 3-D adventure exploring the magic of movie-making in its early days, had been nominated for nine awards but went home with just two, for sound and production design.
Scorsese was also nominated in the documentary category for his film "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," but there too he lost out, to "Senna," a film about the life of the formula one champion Ayrton Senna.
Silence is golden as "The Artist" scoops 7 BAFTAs
LONDON (Reuters) - Black-and-white turned to gold as silent movie "The Artist" won seven BAFTA awards including best film at a ceremony in London on Sunday, raising expectations of a strong showing at the Academy Awards.
Meryl Streep clinched the leading actress prize for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher both as a politician at the height of her power and as a frail elderly lady suffering from dementia, in "The Iron Lady."
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards are not always an accurate predictor of what is to come at the Oscars, but they are the most coveted film honors outside of the United States.
Streep, looking regal in a sparkling black gown with her hair piled high in an elaborate style, lost a shoe on her way up to the stage to collect her award.
"That couldn't be worse," she said, having recovered her shoe, to laughter and cheers from the audience at the Royal Opera House in the popular Covent Garden area of London.
Apart from Streep, the undisputed star of the night was The Artist, a French-made romance set in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. It had been nominated for 12 awards and walked away with the prizes for best film, leading actor, director, original screenplay, costumes, cinematography and music.
The film, which tells the story of a star of silent movies whose career is destroyed by the advent of "talkies," had already done well at the Golden Globes and now has further momentum ahead of Oscar night in two weeks.
"I'm so proud that Brad Pitt pronounced my name so well," said Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, as he accepted his award from the Hollywood heart-throb.
The film's star, Jean Dujardin, was a surprise winner in the leading actor category. George Clooney had been the bookmakers' favorite for his part as a man steering his family through troubled times while his wife is in a coma in "The Descendants."
"SOMETHING REAL" ABOUT MRS THATCHER
The Artist overshadowed the Cold War espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which picked up only two prizes out of the 11 for which it had been nominated, outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Peter Straughan, who created the script from a classic John Le Carre novel, brought both humor and emotion to the ceremony in his acceptance speech.
"I'd just like to thank The Artist for not being adapted from a book," he said to laughter from the audience.
Straughan went on to pay homage to the co-winner of the award, his wife Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film was made.
"She wrote all the good bits and I made the coffee. So Bridget, I love you, I miss you, this is for you," he said.
Streep, who has already won a Golden Globe for her turn as Thatcher, is heavily favored to bag an Oscar for the role.
"The ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the iron lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful, in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already," she said in her acceptance speech.
It was a second BAFTA win for Streep, who had received the 1981 leading actress prize for "The French Lieutenant's Woman."
While her performance in The Iron Lady has been well-received in Thatcher's home country, the overall film has had lukewarm reviews.
The choice to dwell on the subject of Thatcher's dementia has been criticized, not least by current British Prime Minister David Cameron, who like Thatcher is a Conservative.
Martin Scorsese had a mixed night at the BAFTAs. His first family film, "Hugo," a 3-D adventure exploring the magic of movie-making in its early days, had been nominated for nine awards but went home with just two, for sound and production design.
Scorsese was also nominated in the documentary category for his film "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," but there too he lost out, to "Senna," a film about the life of the formula one champion Ayrton Senna.
However, the "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" director went home with a BAFTA Fellowship celebrating his life in cinema.
Meryl Streep clinched the leading actress prize for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher both as a politician at the height of her power and as a frail elderly lady suffering from dementia, in "The Iron Lady."
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards are not always an accurate predictor of what is to come at the Oscars, but they are the most coveted film honors outside of the United States.
Streep, looking regal in a sparkling black gown with her hair piled high in an elaborate style, lost a shoe on her way up to the stage to collect her award.
"That couldn't be worse," she said, having recovered her shoe, to laughter and cheers from the audience at the Royal Opera House in the popular Covent Garden area of London.
Apart from Streep, the undisputed star of the night was The Artist, a French-made romance set in Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. It had been nominated for 12 awards and walked away with the prizes for best film, leading actor, director, original screenplay, costumes, cinematography and music.
The film, which tells the story of a star of silent movies whose career is destroyed by the advent of "talkies," had already done well at the Golden Globes and now has further momentum ahead of Oscar night in two weeks.
"I'm so proud that Brad Pitt pronounced my name so well," said Michel Hazanavicius, the film's director, as he accepted his award from the Hollywood heart-throb.
The film's star, Jean Dujardin, was a surprise winner in the leading actor category. George Clooney had been the bookmakers' favorite for his part as a man steering his family through troubled times while his wife is in a coma in "The Descendants."
"SOMETHING REAL" ABOUT MRS THATCHER
The Artist overshadowed the Cold War espionage thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," which picked up only two prizes out of the 11 for which it had been nominated, outstanding British film and best adapted screenplay.
Peter Straughan, who created the script from a classic John Le Carre novel, brought both humor and emotion to the ceremony in his acceptance speech.
"I'd just like to thank The Artist for not being adapted from a book," he said to laughter from the audience.
Straughan went on to pay homage to the co-winner of the award, his wife Bridget O'Connor, who died before the film was made.
"She wrote all the good bits and I made the coffee. So Bridget, I love you, I miss you, this is for you," he said.
Streep, who has already won a Golden Globe for her turn as Thatcher, is heavily favored to bag an Oscar for the role.
"The ambition of this film, The Iron Lady, was to look at the life of the iron lady from the inside out and to locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful, in the life of someone that we've all decided we all know everything about already," she said in her acceptance speech.
It was a second BAFTA win for Streep, who had received the 1981 leading actress prize for "The French Lieutenant's Woman."
While her performance in The Iron Lady has been well-received in Thatcher's home country, the overall film has had lukewarm reviews.
The choice to dwell on the subject of Thatcher's dementia has been criticized, not least by current British Prime Minister David Cameron, who like Thatcher is a Conservative.
Martin Scorsese had a mixed night at the BAFTAs. His first family film, "Hugo," a 3-D adventure exploring the magic of movie-making in its early days, had been nominated for nine awards but went home with just two, for sound and production design.
Scorsese was also nominated in the documentary category for his film "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," but there too he lost out, to "Senna," a film about the life of the formula one champion Ayrton Senna.
However, the "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" director went home with a BAFTA Fellowship celebrating his life in cinema.
Body Discovered Near Battleship New Jersey In Camden
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - The body of a female, believed to be in her late teens or early twenties, was discovered Sunday morning in the Delaware River, according to authorities in Camden County.
Police say the body was found near Battleship New Jersey by an employee at about 10 a.m. Camden Police and the Camden County Park Police were called out to the location and discovered the body of an African American woman.
Authorities have identified the victim, but they are not releasing her name pending notification of her family.
There is no word on the exact cause of death at this time. Police continue to investigate.
Police say the body was found near Battleship New Jersey by an employee at about 10 a.m. Camden Police and the Camden County Park Police were called out to the location and discovered the body of an African American woman.
Authorities have identified the victim, but they are not releasing her name pending notification of her family.
There is no word on the exact cause of death at this time. Police continue to investigate.
Ballack to miss Barcelona clash
BERLIN, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Former Germany captain Michael Ballack has been ruled out of Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League last-16 tie at home to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Leverkusen said on their website (http://www.bayer04.de) that the 35-year-old had suffered a calf muscle problem during a training session on Sunday.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Ed Osmond; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Leverkusen said on their website (http://www.bayer04.de) that the 35-year-old had suffered a calf muscle problem during a training session on Sunday.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Ed Osmond; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
Roberto Mancini hopes for Carlos Tevez return as he praises Manchester City players following 1-0 win over Aston Villa
Roberto Mancini has once again opened the door for Carlos Tevez to return to Manchester City after admitting that the striker could be back in training next week.
The Argentine has been a controversial figure since apparently refusing to enter the field of play in a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and has since been the center of constant transfer speculation, with Inter, AC Milan and Paris Saint-German interested.
Mancini said after the Bayern defeat that Tevez would never play for the club again but has since softened his stance and will offer him another chance to resume his City career.
“It’s up to him, Carlos knows everything. We are here, we didn’t change in this three months. Carlos is a City player,” he told reporters.
“I spoke to Carlos a week after [the Bayern Munich match]. Carlos knows everything. This is normal and after he can play and train if his condition is good.
“I forgive all the people every time.”
When asked whether Tevez could be in Manchester next week, he added: “I don’t know, I hope so.”
Mancini was speaking after City’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa which returned it to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool.
Joleon Lescott struck in the second half, turning home in the six-yard box after Gareth Barry had headed James Milner’s corner back across goal.
Afterwards, Mancini praised his players for delivering an important victory as he looks forward to the return of established players such as Kolo and Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli to the side.
“I was very pleased with all the players because I think that they did a very good performance, they played very well,” he said.
“We conceded only one chance. We played very well, we had a lot of possession, we had many chances to score. It is not easy to play against Aston Villa because they are a good team, but if you do not score two goals then you take some risk."
Mancini was indebted to Joe Hart for a wonderful save at the end as he denied Darren Bent from point-blank range with Villa pushing for a late equaliser.
It was the England goalkeeper’s only meaningful contribution in a match which City dominated, but despite his heroics at the death, the Italian claimed that he still has some way to go before he can be seen as world class.
“It is important to have a good goalkeeper," he said. "I think that Joe is a good keeper. He is young, he needs to improve but he can become one of the best keepers in the world.”
When questioned whether he was world class now, Mancini added: “No. He played three seasons in the Premier League. When one is a young player he needs to work a lot, needs to improve every day. I think that he improved a lot in the last three years but he’s only 24. He needs time. If you say he’s now already one of the best keepers then it’s bad for him.”
The Argentine has been a controversial figure since apparently refusing to enter the field of play in a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and has since been the center of constant transfer speculation, with Inter, AC Milan and Paris Saint-German interested.
Mancini said after the Bayern defeat that Tevez would never play for the club again but has since softened his stance and will offer him another chance to resume his City career.
“It’s up to him, Carlos knows everything. We are here, we didn’t change in this three months. Carlos is a City player,” he told reporters.
“I spoke to Carlos a week after [the Bayern Munich match]. Carlos knows everything. This is normal and after he can play and train if his condition is good.
“I forgive all the people every time.”
When asked whether Tevez could be in Manchester next week, he added: “I don’t know, I hope so.”
Mancini was speaking after City’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa which returned it to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool.
Joleon Lescott struck in the second half, turning home in the six-yard box after Gareth Barry had headed James Milner’s corner back across goal.
Afterwards, Mancini praised his players for delivering an important victory as he looks forward to the return of established players such as Kolo and Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli to the side.
“I was very pleased with all the players because I think that they did a very good performance, they played very well,” he said.
“We conceded only one chance. We played very well, we had a lot of possession, we had many chances to score. It is not easy to play against Aston Villa because they are a good team, but if you do not score two goals then you take some risk."
Mancini was indebted to Joe Hart for a wonderful save at the end as he denied Darren Bent from point-blank range with Villa pushing for a late equaliser.
It was the England goalkeeper’s only meaningful contribution in a match which City dominated, but despite his heroics at the death, the Italian claimed that he still has some way to go before he can be seen as world class.
“It is important to have a good goalkeeper," he said. "I think that Joe is a good keeper. He is young, he needs to improve but he can become one of the best keepers in the world.”
When questioned whether he was world class now, Mancini added: “No. He played three seasons in the Premier League. When one is a young player he needs to work a lot, needs to improve every day. I think that he improved a lot in the last three years but he’s only 24. He needs time. If you say he’s now already one of the best keepers then it’s bad for him.”
Prince Philip Remains in Hospital, Expected to Miss Boxing Day Shoot
ABC News' Kelly Cobiella reports:
The royal Christmas at Sandringham went on as planned without Prince Philip, who remains in the hospital and is expected to miss the traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot. But the royal family wanted everything to remain as normal as possible despite the health scare.
The queen's Christmas message to the country, which the family traditionally views together, seemed to take on special significance this year.
"The importance of family has, of course, come home to Prince Philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the God given love that binds a family together," she said in the message, which was recorded Dec. 9.
In addition to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips married rugby player Mike Tindall in August.
Prince Philip, 90, spent a third night in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery Friday at Papworth Hospital to repair a blocked coronary artery. He was admitted with chest pain, and doctors have kept him for observation after inserting a stent. The length of his expected stay is still unknown.
The royal Christmas includes the exchange of gifts on Christmas Eve and a lunchtime feast on Christmas Day. The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her first Christmas with the family, and was reportedly a natural in her role. Prince William seemed genuinely surprised to find his new wife entertaining the record crowds who had come out early to catch a glimpse of her outside St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The duchess stunned in a plum coat and hat, one of five outfits she was set to wear on Christmas Day.
After the traditional lunch, William, Harry and four of the queen's other grandchildren made the 50-mile trek to the hospital in Cambridgeshire to bring their grandfather some Christmas cheer.
The queen may be the head of state, but her Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, most definitely runs the home. Christmas without him was no doubt difficult.
"All too often I fear Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking but he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years," she has said.
Prince Philip is the patriarch of the family and heads the Christmas celebrations. He is reportedly in good spirits and eager to be released but will likely miss the annual pheasant shoot, an event he usually leads. It's is expected to go on without him, but will Kate participate? She has been seen practicing her skills but will likely leave the shooting to others and observe, along with sister Pippa Middleton, who was invited to attend.
The royal Christmas at Sandringham went on as planned without Prince Philip, who remains in the hospital and is expected to miss the traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot. But the royal family wanted everything to remain as normal as possible despite the health scare.
The queen's Christmas message to the country, which the family traditionally views together, seemed to take on special significance this year.
"The importance of family has, of course, come home to Prince Philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the God given love that binds a family together," she said in the message, which was recorded Dec. 9.
In addition to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips married rugby player Mike Tindall in August.
Prince Philip, 90, spent a third night in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery Friday at Papworth Hospital to repair a blocked coronary artery. He was admitted with chest pain, and doctors have kept him for observation after inserting a stent. The length of his expected stay is still unknown.
The royal Christmas includes the exchange of gifts on Christmas Eve and a lunchtime feast on Christmas Day. The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her first Christmas with the family, and was reportedly a natural in her role. Prince William seemed genuinely surprised to find his new wife entertaining the record crowds who had come out early to catch a glimpse of her outside St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The duchess stunned in a plum coat and hat, one of five outfits she was set to wear on Christmas Day.
After the traditional lunch, William, Harry and four of the queen's other grandchildren made the 50-mile trek to the hospital in Cambridgeshire to bring their grandfather some Christmas cheer.
The queen may be the head of state, but her Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, most definitely runs the home. Christmas without him was no doubt difficult.
"All too often I fear Prince Philip has had to listen to me speaking but he has quite simply been my strength and stay all these years," she has said.
Prince Philip is the patriarch of the family and heads the Christmas celebrations. He is reportedly in good spirits and eager to be released but will likely miss the annual pheasant shoot, an event he usually leads. It's is expected to go on without him, but will Kate participate? She has been seen practicing her skills but will likely leave the shooting to others and observe, along with sister Pippa Middleton, who was invited to attend.
5 Best After-Christmas Sales
ABC News' Technology Contributor Becky Worley reports:
Want to exchange those bad Christmas gifts for something better, or just treat yourself to something new on this "Mega Monday"? Here are the five best deals shoppers will find as they return to the stores and malls on this day after Christmas.
Deal #1: Gaming Console
Kinect and XBox 4GB: Buy it at Target for $299 and you get a $75 Target gift card (regularly selling for $375).
Plus games are on sale:
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? is $39 (regularly $59) at Best Buy, Target and Amazon.
Deal #2: Laptop
Acer Aspire Core i5 17? screen $425 (regularly $560) at Walmart.
Deal #3: Tech Accessories:
HP glossy photo paper just $2 (regularly $8) at Best Buy and an iPad2 case with Bluetooth keyboard is $49 (regularly $69) at Radio Shack.
Deal #4: Tech Basics
Get an iTunes gift card for 15 percent off at Best Buy.
Deal #5: Clothing Basics
Women's tights and stockings and men's underwear are 25 percent off at Macy's. Also at Macy's, kids Levi's for $22 (regularly $38). Plus, get an extra 15 percent off if you have the weekend ad from the paper, or text "CPN" to Macy's (that's 62297).
Storewide Deals
There are also some outstanding storewide discounts:
Eddie Bauer is offering 50 percent off entire store: http://bit.ly/shHTbk
The Home Depot is taking 10 percent off appliances, and offering free delivery: http://bit.ly/svZR8T
JC Penney has a coupon online for $10 off all purchases of $25 or more: http://bit.ly/nxZw9M
And you'll find 30 to 50 percent off all clothing at Abercrombie & Fitch - just not on fragrances: http://bit.ly/gNocHX
CLICK HERE for tips on stores' return policies.
Want to exchange those bad Christmas gifts for something better, or just treat yourself to something new on this "Mega Monday"? Here are the five best deals shoppers will find as they return to the stores and malls on this day after Christmas.
Deal #1: Gaming Console
Kinect and XBox 4GB: Buy it at Target for $299 and you get a $75 Target gift card (regularly selling for $375).
Plus games are on sale:
"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? is $39 (regularly $59) at Best Buy, Target and Amazon.
Deal #2: Laptop
Acer Aspire Core i5 17? screen $425 (regularly $560) at Walmart.
Deal #3: Tech Accessories:
HP glossy photo paper just $2 (regularly $8) at Best Buy and an iPad2 case with Bluetooth keyboard is $49 (regularly $69) at Radio Shack.
Deal #4: Tech Basics
Get an iTunes gift card for 15 percent off at Best Buy.
Deal #5: Clothing Basics
Women's tights and stockings and men's underwear are 25 percent off at Macy's. Also at Macy's, kids Levi's for $22 (regularly $38). Plus, get an extra 15 percent off if you have the weekend ad from the paper, or text "CPN" to Macy's (that's 62297).
Storewide Deals
There are also some outstanding storewide discounts:
Eddie Bauer is offering 50 percent off entire store: http://bit.ly/shHTbk
The Home Depot is taking 10 percent off appliances, and offering free delivery: http://bit.ly/svZR8T
JC Penney has a coupon online for $10 off all purchases of $25 or more: http://bit.ly/nxZw9M
And you'll find 30 to 50 percent off all clothing at Abercrombie & Fitch - just not on fragrances: http://bit.ly/gNocHX
CLICK HERE for tips on stores' return policies.
The Benefits of Video Games
High-tech parenting writer Scott Steinberg, a professional keynote speaker and business consultant, is launching a new book series, "The Modern Parent's Guide," and a companion video show, "Family Tech: Technology for Parents and Kids." The following is excerpted from "The Modern Parent's Guide to Kids and Video Games," which will be free to download at www.ParentsGuideBooks.com in February 2012.)
Opinion by Scott Steinberg:
In addition to understanding the many real concerns that today's parents have with video games, it's also worth considering the benefits and positive aspects that contemporary interactive entertainment choices provide.
Certainly, many popular titles today are M-rated and intended for discerning adults, given the average age of today's gaming audience. But the vast majority of games can be played by a broad range of ages and still manage to be fun and engaging without resorting to foul language or violence.
"Games can definitely be good for the family," says the ESRB's Patricia Vance. "There's plenty of selection. Oftentimes I think parents feel that they're not because video games in the media are portrayed as violent, and hardcore games tend to get the lion's share of publicity. But parents also need to be comforted knowing that E for Everyone is by far largest category [of software]. Nearly 60 percent of the almost 1,700 ratings we assigned last year were E for Everyone, which means there's a huge selection of games available that are appropriate for all ages."
In fact, most video games do have quite a few redeeming qualities - even those with violent content. All games can and do have benefits for players, and in a number of different and sometimes surprising ways.
Educational Benefits for Students
A recent study from the Education Development Center and the U.S. Congress-supported Ready To Learn (RTL) Initiative found that a curriculum that involved digital media such as video games could improve early literacy skills when coupled with strong parental and teacher involvement. Interestingly, the study focused on young children, and 4- and 5-year-olds who participated showed increases in letter recognition, sounds association with letters, and understanding basic concepts about stories and print.
The key for this study was having high-quality educational titles, along with parents and teachers who were equally invested in the subject matter. That way kids could discuss and examine the concepts that they were exposed to in the games. Also interesting is the value that video games are proven to have even for very young players. A study by the Education Department Center further found that low-income children are "better prepared for success in kindergarten when their preschool teachers incorporate educational video and games from the Ready to Learn Initiative."
Older children such as teens and tweens can benefit from gameplay as well. Even traditional games teach kids basic everyday skills, according to Ian Bogost, associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and founder of software maker Persuasive Games. "Look at 'World of Warcraft': You've got 11-year-olds who are learning to delegate responsibility, promote teamwork and steer groups of people toward a common goal."
Games that are designed to help teach are having an impact on college-age pupils as well. Following a recent 3D virtual simulation of a US/Canadian border crossing, wherein students assumed the role of guards, Loyalist College in Ontario reported that the number of successful test scores increased from 56 percent to 95 percent.
Educational Benefits for Adults
Surprise: Adults can learn something and benefit from video games, too.
As mentioned earlier, research underway by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) indicates that video games can help adults process information much faster and improve their fundamental abilities to reason and solve problems in novel contexts. In fact, results from the ONR study show that video game players perform 10 percent to 20 percent higher in terms of perceptual and cognitive ability than non-game players.
As Dr. Ezriel Kornel explains on WebMD.com, playing certain video games (e.g. Brain Age or Guitar Hero) can also improve hand-eye coordination, enhance split-second decision making and even, potentially, boost auditory perception. Just playing isn't enough, though, says Dr. Kornel. The key is that you have to be improving each time you play, because in order to improve you have to be learning.
"Anytime the brain is in learning mode," Kornel says, "there are new synapses forming between the neurons. So you're creating thousands of connections that can then be applied to other tasks as well."
Someday, a video game might even save your life, as games are already benefiting students and practitioners in the medical field too. A study published in the February edition of Archives of Surgery says that surgeons who regularly play video games are generally more skilled at performing laparoscopic surgery. In addition, according to Dr. Jeffrey Taekman, the director of Duke University's Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, "serious games and virtual environments are the future of education."
Besides offering medical students the ability to practice on patients (which is much safer in the digital world), simulations offer health care providers several upsides. Chief among them, Taekman says, are the abilities to make choices, see results and apply information immediately.
Beyond allowing for greater scalability and group collaboration than traditional classrooms, every decision made in a virtual world, he continues, can be tracked and benchmarked against best practices, then standardized or archived for others' review. "The traditional textbook will soon become passé," he suggests. "Gaming platforms will offer an interactive way for students to learn and apply information in context."
Improved Multitasking
Other carefully-designed studies have also shown that action video games can improve several aspects of brain activity, including multitasking. According to studies by Daphne Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, video gamers show real-world improvements on tests of attention, accuracy, vision and multitasking after playing certain titles.
"If you think about it, the attentional and working memory demands of video games can be much greater than other tasks," says Michael Stroud, a professor of psychology at Merrimack College. "Consider Pac-Man as an example. In Pac-Man, you must navigate your character through a spatial layout while monitoring the separate paths of four additional objects (the ghosts), while keeping the overall goal of clearing the small pellets in memory, as well as keeping track of the remaining large pellets."
"Think about how this may apply to skills such as driving," he continues. "When you drive your car, you are faced with a constantly changing environment in the road, not to mention several other distractions that compete for attention that reside in the car. At the same time, you are attempting to navigate through the environment to reach a goal."
Social Benefits
Games with broad appeal that are easy to grasp can additionally help many families play together, and better bridge the gap between generations. Consider a title like hip-wiggling simulation Just Dance, which can have young kids dancing alongside their grandparents.
There are also many games that have positive social messages that encourage families to be a force for good. In a series of experiments published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that participants who had just played a "pro-social" game in which characters must work together to help each other out as compared to those who had just played a "neutral" game (e.g. Tetris) were more likely to engage in helpful behaviors. Examples included assisting in a situation involving an abusive boyfriend, picking up a box of pencils or even volunteering to participate in more research.
So-called "serious games," specifically designed to teach and inform, are also having an impact on the world. Titles like the United Nations' Food Force teach kids about real-life issues, humanitarianism and the practical challenges facing governments and private organizations today. In the game, children must complete six different missions that reflect the real-life obstacles faced by the World Food Programme in its emergency responses. Other games, like Nourish Interactive's online Chef Solus and the Food Pyramid Adventure, teach kids about the benefits of healthy eating habits, while still more highlight pressing geopolitical and social issues, e.g. the Global Conflicts series.
Upsides can even extend into the physical world. Consider Facebook game Ecotopia. In summer 2011, players of the popular social game met a challenge from its creators and planted 25,000 trees in the game world in 25 days, leading the game's developer to plant 25,000 trees in real life.
Career Benefits
Future career choices for today's tots will no doubt be influenced by technology in a way that is difficult for many parents to imagine too. Skills learned and honed playing home console and video games, as well as mobile gaming apps, will undoubtedly be very valuable to students in the workforce of 2025.
As mentioned earlier, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has proclaimed that kids need more, not less, video game play. They argue that video games hold the potential to help address one of America's most pressing problems - preparing students for an increasingly competitive global market.
"The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change," the Federation announced in a 2010 report. "These are the skills U.S. employers increasingly seek in workers and new workforce entrants."
Games are increasingly being used to educate and instruct workers around the globe by governments, trade bodies and the world's largest corporations as well. From Cisco Systems' The Cisco Mind Share Game, which facilitates network certification, to the US Department of Justice's Incident Commander, in which emergency responders practice coordinating disaster relief efforts, the number of practical examples continues to grow. In fact, a recent study by the Entertainment Software Association found that 70 percent of major domestic employers have utilized interactive software and games for training purposes, and nearly eight out of 10 plan on doing so by 2013.
Going forward, in addition to polishing your resume and interview skills, who knows? You may even want to brush up on your button-mashing abilities.
Encouraging Cooperation and Teamwork
Many games today also emphasize the cooperative aspects of game play, in which two or more players need to work together in order to reach a common goal. For instance, games like Lego Star Wars or Kirby's Epic Yarn are enhanced by having players cooperate to solve in-game puzzles.
Massively multiplayer games such as LEGO Universe and Lord of the Rings Online further offer added depth, atmosphere and enjoyment by allowing players to band together and work as a team in order to complete certain quests or defeat especially tricky opponents. Game industry analysts such as DFC Intelligence actually predict that video game revenue will reach nearly $70 billion by 2015, thanks in large part to these online, cooperative, subscription-based games that can be played together. Small wonder top titles like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Titan (the next MMO from Blizzard, the company that created World of Warcraft) continue to resonate so strongly with millions worldwide.
Even the way that games are made can encourage teamwork. At Washburn University in Kansas, students study the game development process as a way to build teamwork and collaborative skills.
"It taught me to work in a group," said Washburn student Adam Bideau of the program in a recent interview with the Washburn Review. "Video games are not created by just one person and they require you to work well with others. You have to pool everyone's talents together in order to produce the required product."
Opinion by Scott Steinberg:
In addition to understanding the many real concerns that today's parents have with video games, it's also worth considering the benefits and positive aspects that contemporary interactive entertainment choices provide.
Certainly, many popular titles today are M-rated and intended for discerning adults, given the average age of today's gaming audience. But the vast majority of games can be played by a broad range of ages and still manage to be fun and engaging without resorting to foul language or violence.
"Games can definitely be good for the family," says the ESRB's Patricia Vance. "There's plenty of selection. Oftentimes I think parents feel that they're not because video games in the media are portrayed as violent, and hardcore games tend to get the lion's share of publicity. But parents also need to be comforted knowing that E for Everyone is by far largest category [of software]. Nearly 60 percent of the almost 1,700 ratings we assigned last year were E for Everyone, which means there's a huge selection of games available that are appropriate for all ages."
In fact, most video games do have quite a few redeeming qualities - even those with violent content. All games can and do have benefits for players, and in a number of different and sometimes surprising ways.
Educational Benefits for Students
A recent study from the Education Development Center and the U.S. Congress-supported Ready To Learn (RTL) Initiative found that a curriculum that involved digital media such as video games could improve early literacy skills when coupled with strong parental and teacher involvement. Interestingly, the study focused on young children, and 4- and 5-year-olds who participated showed increases in letter recognition, sounds association with letters, and understanding basic concepts about stories and print.
The key for this study was having high-quality educational titles, along with parents and teachers who were equally invested in the subject matter. That way kids could discuss and examine the concepts that they were exposed to in the games. Also interesting is the value that video games are proven to have even for very young players. A study by the Education Department Center further found that low-income children are "better prepared for success in kindergarten when their preschool teachers incorporate educational video and games from the Ready to Learn Initiative."
Older children such as teens and tweens can benefit from gameplay as well. Even traditional games teach kids basic everyday skills, according to Ian Bogost, associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and founder of software maker Persuasive Games. "Look at 'World of Warcraft': You've got 11-year-olds who are learning to delegate responsibility, promote teamwork and steer groups of people toward a common goal."
Games that are designed to help teach are having an impact on college-age pupils as well. Following a recent 3D virtual simulation of a US/Canadian border crossing, wherein students assumed the role of guards, Loyalist College in Ontario reported that the number of successful test scores increased from 56 percent to 95 percent.
Educational Benefits for Adults
Surprise: Adults can learn something and benefit from video games, too.
As mentioned earlier, research underway by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) indicates that video games can help adults process information much faster and improve their fundamental abilities to reason and solve problems in novel contexts. In fact, results from the ONR study show that video game players perform 10 percent to 20 percent higher in terms of perceptual and cognitive ability than non-game players.
As Dr. Ezriel Kornel explains on WebMD.com, playing certain video games (e.g. Brain Age or Guitar Hero) can also improve hand-eye coordination, enhance split-second decision making and even, potentially, boost auditory perception. Just playing isn't enough, though, says Dr. Kornel. The key is that you have to be improving each time you play, because in order to improve you have to be learning.
"Anytime the brain is in learning mode," Kornel says, "there are new synapses forming between the neurons. So you're creating thousands of connections that can then be applied to other tasks as well."
Someday, a video game might even save your life, as games are already benefiting students and practitioners in the medical field too. A study published in the February edition of Archives of Surgery says that surgeons who regularly play video games are generally more skilled at performing laparoscopic surgery. In addition, according to Dr. Jeffrey Taekman, the director of Duke University's Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, "serious games and virtual environments are the future of education."
Besides offering medical students the ability to practice on patients (which is much safer in the digital world), simulations offer health care providers several upsides. Chief among them, Taekman says, are the abilities to make choices, see results and apply information immediately.
Beyond allowing for greater scalability and group collaboration than traditional classrooms, every decision made in a virtual world, he continues, can be tracked and benchmarked against best practices, then standardized or archived for others' review. "The traditional textbook will soon become passé," he suggests. "Gaming platforms will offer an interactive way for students to learn and apply information in context."
Improved Multitasking
Other carefully-designed studies have also shown that action video games can improve several aspects of brain activity, including multitasking. According to studies by Daphne Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, video gamers show real-world improvements on tests of attention, accuracy, vision and multitasking after playing certain titles.
"If you think about it, the attentional and working memory demands of video games can be much greater than other tasks," says Michael Stroud, a professor of psychology at Merrimack College. "Consider Pac-Man as an example. In Pac-Man, you must navigate your character through a spatial layout while monitoring the separate paths of four additional objects (the ghosts), while keeping the overall goal of clearing the small pellets in memory, as well as keeping track of the remaining large pellets."
"Think about how this may apply to skills such as driving," he continues. "When you drive your car, you are faced with a constantly changing environment in the road, not to mention several other distractions that compete for attention that reside in the car. At the same time, you are attempting to navigate through the environment to reach a goal."
Social Benefits
Games with broad appeal that are easy to grasp can additionally help many families play together, and better bridge the gap between generations. Consider a title like hip-wiggling simulation Just Dance, which can have young kids dancing alongside their grandparents.
There are also many games that have positive social messages that encourage families to be a force for good. In a series of experiments published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that participants who had just played a "pro-social" game in which characters must work together to help each other out as compared to those who had just played a "neutral" game (e.g. Tetris) were more likely to engage in helpful behaviors. Examples included assisting in a situation involving an abusive boyfriend, picking up a box of pencils or even volunteering to participate in more research.
So-called "serious games," specifically designed to teach and inform, are also having an impact on the world. Titles like the United Nations' Food Force teach kids about real-life issues, humanitarianism and the practical challenges facing governments and private organizations today. In the game, children must complete six different missions that reflect the real-life obstacles faced by the World Food Programme in its emergency responses. Other games, like Nourish Interactive's online Chef Solus and the Food Pyramid Adventure, teach kids about the benefits of healthy eating habits, while still more highlight pressing geopolitical and social issues, e.g. the Global Conflicts series.
Upsides can even extend into the physical world. Consider Facebook game Ecotopia. In summer 2011, players of the popular social game met a challenge from its creators and planted 25,000 trees in the game world in 25 days, leading the game's developer to plant 25,000 trees in real life.
Career Benefits
Future career choices for today's tots will no doubt be influenced by technology in a way that is difficult for many parents to imagine too. Skills learned and honed playing home console and video games, as well as mobile gaming apps, will undoubtedly be very valuable to students in the workforce of 2025.
As mentioned earlier, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has proclaimed that kids need more, not less, video game play. They argue that video games hold the potential to help address one of America's most pressing problems - preparing students for an increasingly competitive global market.
"The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change," the Federation announced in a 2010 report. "These are the skills U.S. employers increasingly seek in workers and new workforce entrants."
Games are increasingly being used to educate and instruct workers around the globe by governments, trade bodies and the world's largest corporations as well. From Cisco Systems' The Cisco Mind Share Game, which facilitates network certification, to the US Department of Justice's Incident Commander, in which emergency responders practice coordinating disaster relief efforts, the number of practical examples continues to grow. In fact, a recent study by the Entertainment Software Association found that 70 percent of major domestic employers have utilized interactive software and games for training purposes, and nearly eight out of 10 plan on doing so by 2013.
Going forward, in addition to polishing your resume and interview skills, who knows? You may even want to brush up on your button-mashing abilities.
Encouraging Cooperation and Teamwork
Many games today also emphasize the cooperative aspects of game play, in which two or more players need to work together in order to reach a common goal. For instance, games like Lego Star Wars or Kirby's Epic Yarn are enhanced by having players cooperate to solve in-game puzzles.
Massively multiplayer games such as LEGO Universe and Lord of the Rings Online further offer added depth, atmosphere and enjoyment by allowing players to band together and work as a team in order to complete certain quests or defeat especially tricky opponents. Game industry analysts such as DFC Intelligence actually predict that video game revenue will reach nearly $70 billion by 2015, thanks in large part to these online, cooperative, subscription-based games that can be played together. Small wonder top titles like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Titan (the next MMO from Blizzard, the company that created World of Warcraft) continue to resonate so strongly with millions worldwide.
Even the way that games are made can encourage teamwork. At Washburn University in Kansas, students study the game development process as a way to build teamwork and collaborative skills.
"It taught me to work in a group," said Washburn student Adam Bideau of the program in a recent interview with the Washburn Review. "Video games are not created by just one person and they require you to work well with others. You have to pool everyone's talents together in order to produce the required product."
Rick Perry's Security Costs Texas Taxpayers up to $400,000 a Month
Rick Perry's security costs have risen since he entered the presidential campaign in August, costing Texas taxpayers as much as $400,000 a month, according to a report by the Texas Tribune.
An examination of Texas public safety department records found that the agency spent more than $1.4 million on out-of-state trips between September to mid-December, including more than $397,000 between Sept. 5 and Sept. 28 this year.
According to the Texas Tribune, this amount included "$161,786 for airfare, $8,140 for baggage fees, $50,648.84 for food, $6,442.24 for fuel, $112,111.81 for lodging, $54,356.65 for rentals, $2,990.26 for parking and $1,238.57 in an unspecified "other" category."
In 2011, the Texas public safety department spent $1.1 million for the entire fiscal year on out-of-state security costs.
The Texas Tribune noted George W. Bush amassed a hefty tab for Texas taxpayers when he ran for president in 2000 while he sat as the governor of Texas. The state spent at least $400,000 per month in the first quarter of the year when he ran for president in 2000, and Texas taxpayers paid $3.9 million for his security costs between January 1999 and March 2000 when Secret Service took over security detail.
Perry is the only candidate, other than President Obama, whose security is funded by taxpayers.
An examination of Texas public safety department records found that the agency spent more than $1.4 million on out-of-state trips between September to mid-December, including more than $397,000 between Sept. 5 and Sept. 28 this year.
According to the Texas Tribune, this amount included "$161,786 for airfare, $8,140 for baggage fees, $50,648.84 for food, $6,442.24 for fuel, $112,111.81 for lodging, $54,356.65 for rentals, $2,990.26 for parking and $1,238.57 in an unspecified "other" category."
In 2011, the Texas public safety department spent $1.1 million for the entire fiscal year on out-of-state security costs.
The Texas Tribune noted George W. Bush amassed a hefty tab for Texas taxpayers when he ran for president in 2000 while he sat as the governor of Texas. The state spent at least $400,000 per month in the first quarter of the year when he ran for president in 2000, and Texas taxpayers paid $3.9 million for his security costs between January 1999 and March 2000 when Secret Service took over security detail.
Perry is the only candidate, other than President Obama, whose security is funded by taxpayers.
Baby Polar Bear Cub Nursed by Humans When Mother Couldn't Feed It
A month-old polar bear cub is being raised by humans at a Danish zoo after his mother failed to produce enough milk to feed him, the Associated Press reported.
The cub, Siku, is doing "really fine," Scandinavian Wildlife Park manager Frank Vigh-Larsen said.
The cub was 3 pounds at birth, and now weighs 7 pounds.
Siku was taken from his mother when he was two days old, because he was "moaning and being unruly all the time."
Siku is being touted as the new Knut, a polar bear who was born in the Berlin Zoological Garden and rejected by his mother.
To see more baby animals, click here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The cub, Siku, is doing "really fine," Scandinavian Wildlife Park manager Frank Vigh-Larsen said.
The cub was 3 pounds at birth, and now weighs 7 pounds.
Siku was taken from his mother when he was two days old, because he was "moaning and being unruly all the time."
Siku is being touted as the new Knut, a polar bear who was born in the Berlin Zoological Garden and rejected by his mother.
To see more baby animals, click here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Christmas Miracle for Dad Locked in Custody Battle
It's a very Merry Christmas for one Wisconsin man, whose four year battle to regain custody of his daughter from his wife, who had taken her to Japan, ended when he returned to the United States with the 9-year-old girl.
Moises Garcia, whose story was part of an ABC News series on fathers engaged in international custody battles, returned Friday with his daughter Karina.
"She's nervous in the beginning. She told me she was overwhelmed from the, so many people around. But now, with me and my sister, she is actually sleeping. So she's doing OK," the Fox Point doctor told ABC News affiliate WISN-TV in Milwaukee as he was coming home from the airport in Chicago.
Garcia's case was unusual among fathers who have fought their ex-wives in Japanese courts, because Japan made the rare move of recognizing U.S. court orders that granted him custody of his daughter.
Despite that recognition, he was still granted little access to Karina. He visited Japan numerous times each year, but was often only allowed to see his daughter for short, court-monitored visits in a room with a two-way mirror.
The break in Garcia's case came eight months ago, when Garcia's wife, Emiko Inoue, was arrested in Hawaii on charges of abducting her child.
In November she pleaded guilty to lesser charges, as long as she returned Karina to Garcia. She was ordered to remain in jail until the little girl was back in her father's home.
"She loves her like any mother would love a child, and she wants the best for her daughter, and the problem is that, the question is is she going to spend a couple more weeks in jail, or potentially a decade plus in jail," Inoue's defense attorney Bridget Boyle said said at the time.
Inoue will continue to fight for custody, her lawyer said.
Patrick Braden of California, the founder of Global Frontier, a group that advocates for father's in custody battles over children who have been taken to Japan, told WISN Garcia's case is a landmark.
"This is the first time a Japanese citizen who kidnapped an American child from the United States soil in violation of previously established jurisdiction and laws has been held accountable for the criminal act here in a US court," Braden said Braden.
Moises Garcia, whose story was part of an ABC News series on fathers engaged in international custody battles, returned Friday with his daughter Karina.
"She's nervous in the beginning. She told me she was overwhelmed from the, so many people around. But now, with me and my sister, she is actually sleeping. So she's doing OK," the Fox Point doctor told ABC News affiliate WISN-TV in Milwaukee as he was coming home from the airport in Chicago.
Garcia's case was unusual among fathers who have fought their ex-wives in Japanese courts, because Japan made the rare move of recognizing U.S. court orders that granted him custody of his daughter.
Despite that recognition, he was still granted little access to Karina. He visited Japan numerous times each year, but was often only allowed to see his daughter for short, court-monitored visits in a room with a two-way mirror.
The break in Garcia's case came eight months ago, when Garcia's wife, Emiko Inoue, was arrested in Hawaii on charges of abducting her child.
In November she pleaded guilty to lesser charges, as long as she returned Karina to Garcia. She was ordered to remain in jail until the little girl was back in her father's home.
"She loves her like any mother would love a child, and she wants the best for her daughter, and the problem is that, the question is is she going to spend a couple more weeks in jail, or potentially a decade plus in jail," Inoue's defense attorney Bridget Boyle said said at the time.
Inoue will continue to fight for custody, her lawyer said.
Patrick Braden of California, the founder of Global Frontier, a group that advocates for father's in custody battles over children who have been taken to Japan, told WISN Garcia's case is a landmark.
"This is the first time a Japanese citizen who kidnapped an American child from the United States soil in violation of previously established jurisdiction and laws has been held accountable for the criminal act here in a US court," Braden said Braden.
Five Killed in Christmas Day House Fire in Connecticut
Tina Fineberg/AP Photo
Three young girls and their grandparents were killed in a three-alarm house fire in Stamford, Conn., early Christmas morning, as the girls' mother desperately tried to save them, authorities said.
The mother of the girls is fashion consultant Madonna Badger, who created the Mark Wahlberg Calvin Klein underwear ads. Stamford Police said Badger and her "male acquaintance" are in the hospital, but she didn't appear to be severely physically injured.
"Mom and her male friend were trying desperately to get to the children's bedrooms," Stamford Police Sgt. Paul Guzda told ABC News on Sunday. "They were trying to break windows. Mom was actually up on a roof that extends from the house, trying to break the window."
Two of the girls were seven years old and their older sister was 10-years-old, according to police.
"I've been doing this for a long time and I tell you - to get that call in the early morning hours, to hear that there's a fatal fire, that's bad enough. But then when you hear it on Christmas morning, that three little children like this perished in a fire…it's beyond words," Guzda said.
"To say it's tragic," he said, "is an understatement."
"There probably has not been a worse Christmas Day in the city of Stamford," said Mayor Michael Pavia.
Officials said the fire started at about 5 a.m. and that smoke was still present at the scene as firefighters surveyed the area at 9:30 a.m.
A neighbor said he woke up to the sound of screaming, only to see the house engulfed by flames, ABC News New York station WABC-TV reported.
"It was a male voice, and it was just, 'help, help me,'" neighbor Charles Mangano said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Also Read
Three young girls and their grandparents were killed in a three-alarm house fire in Stamford, Conn., early Christmas morning, as the girls' mother desperately tried to save them, authorities said.
The mother of the girls is fashion consultant Madonna Badger, who created the Mark Wahlberg Calvin Klein underwear ads. Stamford Police said Badger and her "male acquaintance" are in the hospital, but she didn't appear to be severely physically injured.
"Mom and her male friend were trying desperately to get to the children's bedrooms," Stamford Police Sgt. Paul Guzda told ABC News on Sunday. "They were trying to break windows. Mom was actually up on a roof that extends from the house, trying to break the window."
Two of the girls were seven years old and their older sister was 10-years-old, according to police.
"I've been doing this for a long time and I tell you - to get that call in the early morning hours, to hear that there's a fatal fire, that's bad enough. But then when you hear it on Christmas morning, that three little children like this perished in a fire…it's beyond words," Guzda said.
"To say it's tragic," he said, "is an understatement."
"There probably has not been a worse Christmas Day in the city of Stamford," said Mayor Michael Pavia.
Officials said the fire started at about 5 a.m. and that smoke was still present at the scene as firefighters surveyed the area at 9:30 a.m.
A neighbor said he woke up to the sound of screaming, only to see the house engulfed by flames, ABC News New York station WABC-TV reported.
"It was a male voice, and it was just, 'help, help me,'" neighbor Charles Mangano said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Also Read
Soldier Christopher Sullivan Shot at His Homecoming Party in California
The San Bernardino Sun, Gabriel Luis Acosta/AP Photo
An Army soldier from San Bernardino, Calif., who survived a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, was shot at his homecoming party Friday night, leaving him paralyzed, authorities said.
Christopher Sullivan, 22, of the 101st Infantry Division, was at a party held in his honor when one of the attendees got into a fight with his brother.
"Supposedly started over just a minor argument over whose football team was better," said San Bernardino Police Lt. Rich Lawhead.
Lawhead said Sullivan moved in to break up the fight, someone pulled out a handgun, and two bullets hit Sullivan in the back and neck.
Police said the gunman fled the scene on foot before they arrived. He is still at large.
"There's a lot of sadness over the shooting. Obviously, we are getting a lot of help from the family and a lot of help from the community, in order to solve the crime and get a suspect in custody," said Lawhead.
Sullivan was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition awaiting surgery.
"They said he was going to be a paraplegic, he will never walk again," Sullivan's mother Suzanne told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC.
This Christmas, his family is praying for his survival and recovery.
"They're very distraught, very upset and you know, this is the time of year, any time of year is difficult, but this heightens it even more," said Lawhead.
While on tour in Afghanistan, Sullivan received a purple heart after being wounded in a suicide bomb attack last December, his mother said.
Five of his friends were killed in the attack.
An Army soldier from San Bernardino, Calif., who survived a suicide bombing in Afghanistan, was shot at his homecoming party Friday night, leaving him paralyzed, authorities said.
Christopher Sullivan, 22, of the 101st Infantry Division, was at a party held in his honor when one of the attendees got into a fight with his brother.
"Supposedly started over just a minor argument over whose football team was better," said San Bernardino Police Lt. Rich Lawhead.
Lawhead said Sullivan moved in to break up the fight, someone pulled out a handgun, and two bullets hit Sullivan in the back and neck.
Police said the gunman fled the scene on foot before they arrived. He is still at large.
"There's a lot of sadness over the shooting. Obviously, we are getting a lot of help from the family and a lot of help from the community, in order to solve the crime and get a suspect in custody," said Lawhead.
Sullivan was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition awaiting surgery.
"They said he was going to be a paraplegic, he will never walk again," Sullivan's mother Suzanne told ABC News Los Angeles station KABC.
This Christmas, his family is praying for his survival and recovery.
"They're very distraught, very upset and you know, this is the time of year, any time of year is difficult, but this heightens it even more," said Lawhead.
While on tour in Afghanistan, Sullivan received a purple heart after being wounded in a suicide bomb attack last December, his mother said.
Five of his friends were killed in the attack.
Singer Etta James Hospitalized 'in Pretty Bad Shape'
Singer Etta James has been hospitalized after experiencing trouble breathing, and her manager said the blues legend is "in pretty bad shape."
Lupe De Leon, who has been James' manager for 30 years, told The Associated Press that the singer was taken to a hospital in Southern California Wednesday evening and put on a breathing apparatus.
James' family is with her at the hospital.
James, who has been suffering from chronic leukemia, is terminally ill, her doctor said.
Dr. Elaine James, who is unrelated to the singer and has been living with her since March 2010, is now asking James' fans to pray for her.
"I am Southern and Christian and would just ask for the prayers of her fans and friends," Elaine James said, according to the Press-Enterprise.
"They know she's been sick, but not how sick," Elaine James said.
According to court documents filed in a dispute between family members over the singer's medical care, James also suffers from dementia and kidney failure.
The 73-year-old entertainer, who is most famous for the hit song "At Last," has been under the 24-hour care of Elaine James since 2001, when the doctor was hired by the singer's husband, Artis Mills.
In the 1960s and 1970s, James was in and out of rehab programs for a heroin addiction. In 1974, she spent 17 months in the hospital after she was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to drug treatment instead of prison time.
James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008. She has won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards, and was named number 22 on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Lupe De Leon, who has been James' manager for 30 years, told The Associated Press that the singer was taken to a hospital in Southern California Wednesday evening and put on a breathing apparatus.
James' family is with her at the hospital.
James, who has been suffering from chronic leukemia, is terminally ill, her doctor said.
Dr. Elaine James, who is unrelated to the singer and has been living with her since March 2010, is now asking James' fans to pray for her.
"I am Southern and Christian and would just ask for the prayers of her fans and friends," Elaine James said, according to the Press-Enterprise.
"They know she's been sick, but not how sick," Elaine James said.
According to court documents filed in a dispute between family members over the singer's medical care, James also suffers from dementia and kidney failure.
The 73-year-old entertainer, who is most famous for the hit song "At Last," has been under the 24-hour care of Elaine James since 2001, when the doctor was hired by the singer's husband, Artis Mills.
In the 1960s and 1970s, James was in and out of rehab programs for a heroin addiction. In 1974, she spent 17 months in the hospital after she was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to drug treatment instead of prison time.
James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008. She has won six Grammy Awards and 17 Blues Music Awards, and was named number 22 on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Etta James, 73, Dies from Leukemia Complications
Blues singer Etta James, who is most famous for the hit song "At Last," has died from complications of leukemia, her friend and manager Lupe De Leon confirmed. She had been diagnosed with chronic leukemia in January 2011.
James died this morning at Riverside Community Hospital with her husband and two sons by her side, De Leon said.
Click here to see photos of Etta James through the years.
Court records show the 73-year-old entertainer also suffered from dementia and kidney failure. She had been under the 24-hour care of Dr. Elaine James, who is unrelated.
James was born in Los Angeles to a 14-year-old mother and an unknown father. She was brought up by a series of caregivers and began taking vocal lessons at the age of five through her local Baptist church.
James became a gospel prodigy and began singing with two other girls in a doo-wop trio called The Peaches in San Francisco. At 14, James met bandleader Johnny Otis, known today as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues." Otis produced James' first hit with The Peaches, called "Roll With Me, Henry" (which was later renamed "The Wallflower"). The song was released in 1955 and soon reached No. 1 on the R&B charts.
Following the success of "Roll With Me, Henry," James left The Peaches and toured with singer Little Richard and guitarist and singer Johnny Watson. Her first major solo hit, "All I Could Do is Cry," reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1960.
In 1960, James signed with Chess Records and recorded "At Last" a year later. In 1968, she released the album "Tell Mama," which included the song "I'd Rather Go Blind." It became an instant hit, as did the album's title track. In 1962, James recorded the hit song "Something's Got A Hold of Me," sections of which were used this year in rapper Flo Rida's song "Good Feeling."
The singer battled a heroin addiction in the 1960's and 1970's. James had several legal problems relating to her addiction, including being accused of heroin possession, cashing bad checks and forgery. In 1974, after being in and out of rehab for over a decade, James was sentenced to drug treatment instead of serving time in prison and spent 17 months in the hospital. In 1988, at the age of 50, James returned to treatment at the Betty Ford Center in California.
James' career made a comeback in 1989 with the album "Seven Year Itch." Four years later, she released "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday" as a tribute to her idol. James was awarded her first Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, for that album in 1994.
Throughout her career, James has released 30 albums and 58 singles. She has explored the musical genres of gospel, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and jazz.
"In concert, Etta James is a sassy, no-holds-barred performer whose suggestive stage antics sometimes border on the obscene," wrote All Music Guide's Bill Dahl.
James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008. In 2003, James received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was awarded six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards, and was named No. 22 on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Beyonce Knowles played James in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records. After Knowles sang "At Last" for President Barack Obama's inaugural ball in 2009, James said Knowles was going to "get her ass whooped" for singing her song.
James died this morning at Riverside Community Hospital with her husband and two sons by her side, De Leon said.
Click here to see photos of Etta James through the years.
Court records show the 73-year-old entertainer also suffered from dementia and kidney failure. She had been under the 24-hour care of Dr. Elaine James, who is unrelated.
James was born in Los Angeles to a 14-year-old mother and an unknown father. She was brought up by a series of caregivers and began taking vocal lessons at the age of five through her local Baptist church.
James became a gospel prodigy and began singing with two other girls in a doo-wop trio called The Peaches in San Francisco. At 14, James met bandleader Johnny Otis, known today as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues." Otis produced James' first hit with The Peaches, called "Roll With Me, Henry" (which was later renamed "The Wallflower"). The song was released in 1955 and soon reached No. 1 on the R&B charts.
Following the success of "Roll With Me, Henry," James left The Peaches and toured with singer Little Richard and guitarist and singer Johnny Watson. Her first major solo hit, "All I Could Do is Cry," reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1960.
In 1960, James signed with Chess Records and recorded "At Last" a year later. In 1968, she released the album "Tell Mama," which included the song "I'd Rather Go Blind." It became an instant hit, as did the album's title track. In 1962, James recorded the hit song "Something's Got A Hold of Me," sections of which were used this year in rapper Flo Rida's song "Good Feeling."
The singer battled a heroin addiction in the 1960's and 1970's. James had several legal problems relating to her addiction, including being accused of heroin possession, cashing bad checks and forgery. In 1974, after being in and out of rehab for over a decade, James was sentenced to drug treatment instead of serving time in prison and spent 17 months in the hospital. In 1988, at the age of 50, James returned to treatment at the Betty Ford Center in California.
James' career made a comeback in 1989 with the album "Seven Year Itch." Four years later, she released "Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday" as a tribute to her idol. James was awarded her first Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, for that album in 1994.
Throughout her career, James has released 30 albums and 58 singles. She has explored the musical genres of gospel, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and jazz.
"In concert, Etta James is a sassy, no-holds-barred performer whose suggestive stage antics sometimes border on the obscene," wrote All Music Guide's Bill Dahl.
James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2008. In 2003, James received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was awarded six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards, and was named No. 22 on Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Beyonce Knowles played James in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records. After Knowles sang "At Last" for President Barack Obama's inaugural ball in 2009, James said Knowles was going to "get her ass whooped" for singing her song.
2012年2月11日星期六
Louisiana Toddler Who Battled Disease Dies in Mother's Arms
The tiny toddler whose struggle against a devastating disease inspired thousands has died.
Tripp Roth, who was diagnosed with junctional epidermolysis bullosa at birth, died Saturday in the arms of his mother, Courtney Roth, who had chronicled her life with Tripp in the popular blog, "EBing a Mommy."
"He was exactly 2 years and 8 months old," Roth wrote. "It happened within minutes of me picking him up out of bed and rocking him. He took his last peaceful breaths in my arms, in his most favorite spot. My heart literally hurts more than I ever thought was possible."
Despite her grief, the Ponchatoula, La., mom asked readers to be grateful that her son is now at peace.
"I know he's flying high, pain free, and talking Jesus' ear off," she wrote.
In a recent interview, Roth said Tripp was "absolutely gorgeous" when he was born, with just a small blister on his head, a few on his back and deformed fingernails. Doctors diagnosed him immediately with epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 50,000. He had the most severe form of EB, junctional epidermolysis bullosa, and was missing a protein the binds one layer of skin to another.
Though in early pictures Tripp appeared no different from any other newborn, eventually blisters would cover much of his body and his health deteriorated in other ways. He had to be fitted with a gastronomy tube and then a tracheotomy tube. He endured multiple eye surgeries but, despite the surgeries, Tripp lost his sight after multiple corneal abrasions and tissue growth that ultimately fused his eyelids shut.
There was no effective treatment for Tripp other than bandages and antibiotics to avoid trauma and infections. Roth, a 26-year old divorcee, gave up her nursing career to care for her son with the help of her mother, Anita Hotard.
"We were given a little angel and we have to take care of him," Hotard, 51, said last month. "If he can do it, I can do it ... I don't have near the agony and stress he has."
In a blog post last month, Roth wrote that his condition had grown so serious that his days consisted solely of being in bed, then being held in a rocking chair and then going back to bed.
It wasn't always that way.
"Before he was confined to the rocker, he would play every day, he could drum to the tune of a song like NO OTHER. He would smile, laugh, and melt your heart," Roth wrote.
Tripp, she said, astounded his doctors.
"He is just amazing. I have always said that from the beginning," Roth told ABCNews.com last month. "I have never been sad around him and I try not to cry around him. We've made it to where he is in the happiest environment possible. His spirit and personality are what keep me going."
Roth said she was inspired by her son's strength -- and so were many others.
As of last month, Roth's blog, which Roth began three months after Tripp was born, had nearly 2,000 subscribers and 3 million page views. This past summer, hundreds attended a prayer vigil for Tripp in Louisiana and last month, dozens wrote in to ABCNews.com asking that Roth and Tripp be named one of the site's "Heroes of 2011."
Kevin Clash, who is the voice of Sesame Street's "Elmo," was so impressed, he wrote a special song for the boy.
Roth said last month that she was touched by the outpouring of support.
There are "incredible people who pray for Tripp and our family every night," she said. "They say things like, 'He has touched our lives,' "We hug our children a little tighter,' and, 'I have more faith and pray more.'"
Roth's readers have been leaving condolence messages on her blog.
Tripp Roth, who was diagnosed with junctional epidermolysis bullosa at birth, died Saturday in the arms of his mother, Courtney Roth, who had chronicled her life with Tripp in the popular blog, "EBing a Mommy."
"He was exactly 2 years and 8 months old," Roth wrote. "It happened within minutes of me picking him up out of bed and rocking him. He took his last peaceful breaths in my arms, in his most favorite spot. My heart literally hurts more than I ever thought was possible."
Despite her grief, the Ponchatoula, La., mom asked readers to be grateful that her son is now at peace.
"I know he's flying high, pain free, and talking Jesus' ear off," she wrote.
In a recent interview, Roth said Tripp was "absolutely gorgeous" when he was born, with just a small blister on his head, a few on his back and deformed fingernails. Doctors diagnosed him immediately with epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic disorder that affects 1 in 50,000. He had the most severe form of EB, junctional epidermolysis bullosa, and was missing a protein the binds one layer of skin to another.
Though in early pictures Tripp appeared no different from any other newborn, eventually blisters would cover much of his body and his health deteriorated in other ways. He had to be fitted with a gastronomy tube and then a tracheotomy tube. He endured multiple eye surgeries but, despite the surgeries, Tripp lost his sight after multiple corneal abrasions and tissue growth that ultimately fused his eyelids shut.
There was no effective treatment for Tripp other than bandages and antibiotics to avoid trauma and infections. Roth, a 26-year old divorcee, gave up her nursing career to care for her son with the help of her mother, Anita Hotard.
"We were given a little angel and we have to take care of him," Hotard, 51, said last month. "If he can do it, I can do it ... I don't have near the agony and stress he has."
In a blog post last month, Roth wrote that his condition had grown so serious that his days consisted solely of being in bed, then being held in a rocking chair and then going back to bed.
It wasn't always that way.
"Before he was confined to the rocker, he would play every day, he could drum to the tune of a song like NO OTHER. He would smile, laugh, and melt your heart," Roth wrote.
Tripp, she said, astounded his doctors.
"He is just amazing. I have always said that from the beginning," Roth told ABCNews.com last month. "I have never been sad around him and I try not to cry around him. We've made it to where he is in the happiest environment possible. His spirit and personality are what keep me going."
Roth said she was inspired by her son's strength -- and so were many others.
As of last month, Roth's blog, which Roth began three months after Tripp was born, had nearly 2,000 subscribers and 3 million page views. This past summer, hundreds attended a prayer vigil for Tripp in Louisiana and last month, dozens wrote in to ABCNews.com asking that Roth and Tripp be named one of the site's "Heroes of 2011."
Kevin Clash, who is the voice of Sesame Street's "Elmo," was so impressed, he wrote a special song for the boy.
Roth said last month that she was touched by the outpouring of support.
There are "incredible people who pray for Tripp and our family every night," she said. "They say things like, 'He has touched our lives,' "We hug our children a little tighter,' and, 'I have more faith and pray more.'"
Roth's readers have been leaving condolence messages on her blog.
Sherry Arnold: 2 Men Charged With Aggravated Kidnapping in Montana Teacher Case
Two men have been charged with aggravated kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of Sherry Arnold, a Montana teacher and mother of five.
Authorities say the 43-year-old Arnold is dead, but have given no details on how she died or the names of the two men arrested.
"They still want information out of the two people that were arrested," said Brad Garrett, former FBI agent and ABC News consultant. "They don't want to compromise that until they get all of the information."
Arnold, a married mother of two and stepmother of three, disappeared last Saturday around 6:30 a.m. while jogging near her home in Sidney, Mont. A single running shoe was the only trace left behind.
Hundreds of community members turned out to help the Sidney Police Department and the FBI search for Arnold, who was a beloved math teacher at Sidney Public School. But it was an anonymous call to a tip line that gave investigators the break they needed.
One of the two men arrested is a 47-year-old man being held in nearby Williston, N.D. The other is a 22-year-old man found several miles away in Rapid City, S.D. Authorities have not revealed whether Arnold was targeted or the victim of a hit-and-run.
"The scary thing is it maybe just be random," said Garrett. "It may be that she was hit by accident, or that she was abducted."
Arnold's friends and family gathered to remember her at a memorial service Friday night.
"We would like to thank police, FBI, people of Sidney, the people around who have turned out to help, and the role they played in bringing Sherry back home," Arnold's husband, Gary Arnold, told ABC News. "It wasn't how we wanted her to come home, but she came home to us."
Sidney, a small town of roughly 5,000 people, has experienced an influx of out-of-town oil workers following the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota. Crime rates in the area have also swelled, with a rise in bar fights, domestic violence and drunk driving.
Authorities say the 43-year-old Arnold is dead, but have given no details on how she died or the names of the two men arrested.
"They still want information out of the two people that were arrested," said Brad Garrett, former FBI agent and ABC News consultant. "They don't want to compromise that until they get all of the information."
Arnold, a married mother of two and stepmother of three, disappeared last Saturday around 6:30 a.m. while jogging near her home in Sidney, Mont. A single running shoe was the only trace left behind.
Hundreds of community members turned out to help the Sidney Police Department and the FBI search for Arnold, who was a beloved math teacher at Sidney Public School. But it was an anonymous call to a tip line that gave investigators the break they needed.
One of the two men arrested is a 47-year-old man being held in nearby Williston, N.D. The other is a 22-year-old man found several miles away in Rapid City, S.D. Authorities have not revealed whether Arnold was targeted or the victim of a hit-and-run.
"The scary thing is it maybe just be random," said Garrett. "It may be that she was hit by accident, or that she was abducted."
Arnold's friends and family gathered to remember her at a memorial service Friday night.
"We would like to thank police, FBI, people of Sidney, the people around who have turned out to help, and the role they played in bringing Sherry back home," Arnold's husband, Gary Arnold, told ABC News. "It wasn't how we wanted her to come home, but she came home to us."
Sidney, a small town of roughly 5,000 people, has experienced an influx of out-of-town oil workers following the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota. Crime rates in the area have also swelled, with a rise in bar fights, domestic violence and drunk driving.
Sinking Cruise Ship Raises Safety Questions
The sinking of the Costa Concordia, the luxury liner that struck rocks off Italy's west coast Saturday, has raised questions about the safety of cruise ships.
The ship was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew on its weekly route when investigators say it got dangerously close to the shore. The rocks tore a 160-foot long gash in the hull, causing the ship to tip and sending passengers scrambling to the deck.
Like a scene from the movie "Titanic," vacationers reported forcing their way onto lifeboats and jumping into the icy waters to swim to safety -- a far cry from the carefree cruises advertised on TV. But experts say cruise ships have a good track record, and that failsafes and emergency plans should keep everyone aboard safe, even in the event of a mishap.
"Cruise ships have a redundancy of back-up systems," Aaron Vanhuysen of the U.S. Coast Guard told ABC News. "If they lose one of their generators, they have a back-up emergency generator. If they lose a fire pump, they have another fire pump they can access as well."
Cruise ships are designed with their hulls divided into watertight sections. Even if two sections are breached, the ship will stay afloat. They also have sophisticated navigation systems: sonar; radar; and GPS to guide the crew. And in the event of an emergency -- whether it's a rogue wave, a sudden steering problem or a fire on board -- cruise ships are required to have enough life jackets and lifeboat space for everyone. They're also required to hold an evacuation drill within 24 hours of setting sail. For those on the Costa Concordia, the drill was scheduled for the following day.
The Costa Concordia was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew when it hit the rocks near Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany. Investigators say the ship was an "incredibly close" 150 meters (roughly 500 feet) from the shore.
Scuba divers reportedly found two more bodies in the submerged part of the ship today, bringing the death toll to five. Before the bodies were found, 17 people remained unaccounted for -- 11 passengers and six crew members.
Experts are still analyzing the ship's black box, which has already revealed a one-hour lag between the time of the impact on the rocks at 9:45 p.m. local time and the ship's alarm call to the coast guard at about 10:43 p.m.
Investigators suspect the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, tried to maneuver the ship before alerting coast guard, the Italian news outlet Ansa reported.
Schettino was in custody today, facing possible charges of manslaughter and abandoning his ship. Schettino reportedly left the stricken vessel at approximately 12:30 a.m., while many passengers didn't get safely off the ship until 6 a.m., Ansa reported.
The Costa Concordia crash is one of the worst cruise line disasters in recent years. In 2005, a 70-foot wave tore through the Norwegian Dawn -- an ocean liner en route from the Bahamas to New York City. Four passengers were treated for minor injuries. And in 2010, three large waves struck the Louis Majesty off the coast of Spain, shattering windows and flooding several floors of the ship. Two passengers were killed.
The ship was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew on its weekly route when investigators say it got dangerously close to the shore. The rocks tore a 160-foot long gash in the hull, causing the ship to tip and sending passengers scrambling to the deck.
Like a scene from the movie "Titanic," vacationers reported forcing their way onto lifeboats and jumping into the icy waters to swim to safety -- a far cry from the carefree cruises advertised on TV. But experts say cruise ships have a good track record, and that failsafes and emergency plans should keep everyone aboard safe, even in the event of a mishap.
"Cruise ships have a redundancy of back-up systems," Aaron Vanhuysen of the U.S. Coast Guard told ABC News. "If they lose one of their generators, they have a back-up emergency generator. If they lose a fire pump, they have another fire pump they can access as well."
Cruise ships are designed with their hulls divided into watertight sections. Even if two sections are breached, the ship will stay afloat. They also have sophisticated navigation systems: sonar; radar; and GPS to guide the crew. And in the event of an emergency -- whether it's a rogue wave, a sudden steering problem or a fire on board -- cruise ships are required to have enough life jackets and lifeboat space for everyone. They're also required to hold an evacuation drill within 24 hours of setting sail. For those on the Costa Concordia, the drill was scheduled for the following day.
The Costa Concordia was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew when it hit the rocks near Giglio, a small island off the coast of Tuscany. Investigators say the ship was an "incredibly close" 150 meters (roughly 500 feet) from the shore.
Scuba divers reportedly found two more bodies in the submerged part of the ship today, bringing the death toll to five. Before the bodies were found, 17 people remained unaccounted for -- 11 passengers and six crew members.
Experts are still analyzing the ship's black box, which has already revealed a one-hour lag between the time of the impact on the rocks at 9:45 p.m. local time and the ship's alarm call to the coast guard at about 10:43 p.m.
Investigators suspect the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, tried to maneuver the ship before alerting coast guard, the Italian news outlet Ansa reported.
Schettino was in custody today, facing possible charges of manslaughter and abandoning his ship. Schettino reportedly left the stricken vessel at approximately 12:30 a.m., while many passengers didn't get safely off the ship until 6 a.m., Ansa reported.
The Costa Concordia crash is one of the worst cruise line disasters in recent years. In 2005, a 70-foot wave tore through the Norwegian Dawn -- an ocean liner en route from the Bahamas to New York City. Four passengers were treated for minor injuries. And in 2010, three large waves struck the Louis Majesty off the coast of Spain, shattering windows and flooding several floors of the ship. Two passengers were killed.
Phobos-Grunt: Failed Russian Mars Probe Falls to Earth
Somewhere, probably in the southern Pacific between New Zealand and South America, the failed Russian Phobos-Grunt Mars probe returned ignominiously to Earth today, said the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the U.S. Space Command.
The agencies said they believed the ship reentered the atmosphere around 1 p.m. ET.
They could not say with precision where the spacecraft might have fallen from orbit. Its orbital track during the likely reentry period went over the southern Pacific, South America, parts of Europe and southern Asia. But in a sense, it had already crashed -- at least figuratively -- on Roscosmos.
Phobos-Grunt was launched toward Mars in November, but radio contact was lost and it never got beyond low Earth orbit. Worried attempts to get it to fire its booster engines to head to Mars -- or at least into higher orbit -- all failed.
Roscosmos predicted in November that most of ship would burn up in the atmosphere, but 20 to 30 chunks of charred debris, weighing about 450 lbs., could make it to the surface.
The world's space agencies agreed that any one person's chances of getting hit by debris were tiny -- something like 1 in 20 trillion, based on the spacecraft's orbit and the amount of debris that might survive re-entry. The chances that of the 7 billion people on Earth, one of them, somewhere, could be hit were something like 1 in 3,000.
If this sounds familiar, it should. Spent satellites fall from orbit all the time, though most burn up completely before anything reaches Earth's surface. There have been a few recent -- but harmless -- exceptions: NASA's UARS satellite sent debris crashing into the Pacific in September, and the German ROSAT space telescope scattered debris in the Indian Ocean in October.
The worst known damage caused by Phobos-Grunt was to Russian pride. Roscosmos chief, Vladimir Popovkin, went so far as to suggest that someone had sabotaged the probe.
"It would not be desirable to accuse anybody, but today there are very powerful means of influence for space vehicles which cannot be excluded," he said in an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia, translated by ABC News.
He gave no specifics, and sources said the U.S. government, mildly offended, stopped helping the Russians track their errant probe in its final days.
More likely, said space analysts, it was the Russians' own fault.
"Certainly, the quality control was lacking," said Charles Vick, who follows Russian space efforts for GlobalSecurity.org, "and testing the spacecraft ... was never done due to lack of funds."
Phobos-Grunt (Phobos is one of Mars' two moons; Grunt is Russian for ground) had an ambitious mission -- to orbit Mars, land on Phobos, scoop up a soil sample, and bring it home for study. Astronauts have brought back moon rocks, and an American probe returned minute samples from the tail of a comet in 2006, but Mars has been seen as the next destination in space.
The agencies said they believed the ship reentered the atmosphere around 1 p.m. ET.
They could not say with precision where the spacecraft might have fallen from orbit. Its orbital track during the likely reentry period went over the southern Pacific, South America, parts of Europe and southern Asia. But in a sense, it had already crashed -- at least figuratively -- on Roscosmos.
Phobos-Grunt was launched toward Mars in November, but radio contact was lost and it never got beyond low Earth orbit. Worried attempts to get it to fire its booster engines to head to Mars -- or at least into higher orbit -- all failed.
Roscosmos predicted in November that most of ship would burn up in the atmosphere, but 20 to 30 chunks of charred debris, weighing about 450 lbs., could make it to the surface.
The world's space agencies agreed that any one person's chances of getting hit by debris were tiny -- something like 1 in 20 trillion, based on the spacecraft's orbit and the amount of debris that might survive re-entry. The chances that of the 7 billion people on Earth, one of them, somewhere, could be hit were something like 1 in 3,000.
If this sounds familiar, it should. Spent satellites fall from orbit all the time, though most burn up completely before anything reaches Earth's surface. There have been a few recent -- but harmless -- exceptions: NASA's UARS satellite sent debris crashing into the Pacific in September, and the German ROSAT space telescope scattered debris in the Indian Ocean in October.
The worst known damage caused by Phobos-Grunt was to Russian pride. Roscosmos chief, Vladimir Popovkin, went so far as to suggest that someone had sabotaged the probe.
"It would not be desirable to accuse anybody, but today there are very powerful means of influence for space vehicles which cannot be excluded," he said in an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia, translated by ABC News.
He gave no specifics, and sources said the U.S. government, mildly offended, stopped helping the Russians track their errant probe in its final days.
More likely, said space analysts, it was the Russians' own fault.
"Certainly, the quality control was lacking," said Charles Vick, who follows Russian space efforts for GlobalSecurity.org, "and testing the spacecraft ... was never done due to lack of funds."
Phobos-Grunt (Phobos is one of Mars' two moons; Grunt is Russian for ground) had an ambitious mission -- to orbit Mars, land on Phobos, scoop up a soil sample, and bring it home for study. Astronauts have brought back moon rocks, and an American probe returned minute samples from the tail of a comet in 2006, but Mars has been seen as the next destination in space.
Rick Santorum Plans Offensive Against Mitt Romney, Ron Paul In South Carolina
ABC News' Shushannah Walshe and Michael Falcone report:
FLORENCE, S.C. - Presidential candidate Rick Santorum plans to open the final week of campaigning before voters go to the polls in South Carolina with his strongest assault yet on rivals Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
Aides to Santorum told ABC News on Sunday that the former Pennsylvania senator is fed up with the negative attacks coming from the campaigns of those two opponents and from their allies. He will hold a press conference to make his displeasure known after his first campaign event of the day on Monday.
"It's time for these negative, false attacks to stop - enough is enough," Santorum's communications director Hogan Gidley said in an interview with ABC News. "Mitt Romney and Ron Paul both tried these kinds of tactics in other states and they tried these same type of tactics four years ago. It's time for Rick to set the record straight and tomorrow he will."
Gidley complained specifically about mailers and robocalls "bashing Rick and distorting his record" on a variety of issues. He said his candidate will deal with those attacks "head on" following a town hall meeting he will hold early Monday morning at Lizard's Thicket restaurant in Columbia, S.C.
Santorum previewed the fresh offensive at his second and final campaign stop on Sunday, criticizing the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, for running an ad that hits him on earmarks and accuses the former senator of voting to give convicted felons the right to vote. (The ad also began running in Florida this week.)
He told a crowd of about 200 at a restaurant in Florence, S.C. that he expects those kind of campaign tactics from President Obama, but "I don't expect that from a Republican running for president." He added that purposely misleading the voters of South Carolina" is "just yuck."
"There is enough that Barack Obama has done that we don't have to make up things," he said. "I know a lot of candidates have been very upset about Governor Romney and his PAC and what he's doing attacking."
He accused both Romney and Paul of running "a pretty hard negative campaign, which I think tells you a little bit about what they think of their ability to appeal to people's better sides that they have to go out there and just hammer everybody out there."
He called the Restore Our Future ad's portrayal of his support for giving felons the right to vote a "lie." He said he only supported the right for felons "who served their time, came out of jail, had served their parole and probation."
"We are better than that," Santorum said to those gathered Sunday afternoon at Percy & Willie's Food & Spirit in Florence.
In offering his pitch to South Carolina voters, he jabbed Romney for his health care plan in Massachusetts saying that it renders Romney unqualified to be the nominee.
"Why would the people of South Carolina put out there someone who we lose that issue with?" Santorum asked the audience. "For all the things that Governor Romney has flip-flopped on the one he should have is this one - and it's not the contrast we need, folks."
Although he focused much of his fire on Romney, he also went after President Obama with some of his strongest language yet. He said the president "encourages the division" in this country and that was "beneath the dignity" of his office.
"The 99 versus the one, this class against this class, this ethnic group against this ethnic group, this racial group, this labor group," Santorum said."It's constantly pitting one group against another all for someone political purpose. It's disgusting."
After receiving the backing of key evangelical leaders this weekend, Santorum is tailoring his closing argument to appeal to social conservative voters in the Palmetto State in an attempt to draw the majority of their support to his candidacy, an approach that is likely his only chance to either catch up or overtake Romney.
"What I hear all the time, even from our side of the aisle, some on the Republican side, 'Well we need to put these social issues aside. All we need to worry about is economics, cutting taxes, cutting spending and everything will be fine,'" Santorum complained. "They don't know America. If all you think we need to do to get this economy going and get this country on the right track is to cut government, and reduce taxes, you don'
FLORENCE, S.C. - Presidential candidate Rick Santorum plans to open the final week of campaigning before voters go to the polls in South Carolina with his strongest assault yet on rivals Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
Aides to Santorum told ABC News on Sunday that the former Pennsylvania senator is fed up with the negative attacks coming from the campaigns of those two opponents and from their allies. He will hold a press conference to make his displeasure known after his first campaign event of the day on Monday.
"It's time for these negative, false attacks to stop - enough is enough," Santorum's communications director Hogan Gidley said in an interview with ABC News. "Mitt Romney and Ron Paul both tried these kinds of tactics in other states and they tried these same type of tactics four years ago. It's time for Rick to set the record straight and tomorrow he will."
Gidley complained specifically about mailers and robocalls "bashing Rick and distorting his record" on a variety of issues. He said his candidate will deal with those attacks "head on" following a town hall meeting he will hold early Monday morning at Lizard's Thicket restaurant in Columbia, S.C.
Santorum previewed the fresh offensive at his second and final campaign stop on Sunday, criticizing the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, for running an ad that hits him on earmarks and accuses the former senator of voting to give convicted felons the right to vote. (The ad also began running in Florida this week.)
He told a crowd of about 200 at a restaurant in Florence, S.C. that he expects those kind of campaign tactics from President Obama, but "I don't expect that from a Republican running for president." He added that purposely misleading the voters of South Carolina" is "just yuck."
"There is enough that Barack Obama has done that we don't have to make up things," he said. "I know a lot of candidates have been very upset about Governor Romney and his PAC and what he's doing attacking."
He accused both Romney and Paul of running "a pretty hard negative campaign, which I think tells you a little bit about what they think of their ability to appeal to people's better sides that they have to go out there and just hammer everybody out there."
He called the Restore Our Future ad's portrayal of his support for giving felons the right to vote a "lie." He said he only supported the right for felons "who served their time, came out of jail, had served their parole and probation."
"We are better than that," Santorum said to those gathered Sunday afternoon at Percy & Willie's Food & Spirit in Florence.
In offering his pitch to South Carolina voters, he jabbed Romney for his health care plan in Massachusetts saying that it renders Romney unqualified to be the nominee.
"Why would the people of South Carolina put out there someone who we lose that issue with?" Santorum asked the audience. "For all the things that Governor Romney has flip-flopped on the one he should have is this one - and it's not the contrast we need, folks."
Although he focused much of his fire on Romney, he also went after President Obama with some of his strongest language yet. He said the president "encourages the division" in this country and that was "beneath the dignity" of his office.
"The 99 versus the one, this class against this class, this ethnic group against this ethnic group, this racial group, this labor group," Santorum said."It's constantly pitting one group against another all for someone political purpose. It's disgusting."
After receiving the backing of key evangelical leaders this weekend, Santorum is tailoring his closing argument to appeal to social conservative voters in the Palmetto State in an attempt to draw the majority of their support to his candidacy, an approach that is likely his only chance to either catch up or overtake Romney.
"What I hear all the time, even from our side of the aisle, some on the Republican side, 'Well we need to put these social issues aside. All we need to worry about is economics, cutting taxes, cutting spending and everything will be fine,'" Santorum complained. "They don't know America. If all you think we need to do to get this economy going and get this country on the right track is to cut government, and reduce taxes, you don'
Man in Stable Condition After $44 Million Hospital Bill
ABC News' Ben Waldron reports:
A Bronx man says he nearly had an asthma attack after opening his mail to find a $44 million medical bill from a local hospital.
Unemployed doorman Alexis Rodriguez, 28, received the astronomical bill after receiving successful treatment for pneumonia at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital last week, The New York Daily News reports.
"I almost had an asthma attack," said Rodriguez, who apparently is not the only patient to receive an outsized bill. The firm responsible for the botched billing, PHY Services, was reportedly inundated with complaints and has since apologized.
"If you are calling with respect the billing statement for services provided at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, please disregard the statement," said a recording for concerned callers, "you will be receiving a new statement shortly."
PHY is blaming the mistake on a "system error" that resulted in the bill's invoice number being mistakenly placed in the "amount due" field.
As for Rodriguez, he owes no more than $300 for outpatient services.
A Bronx man says he nearly had an asthma attack after opening his mail to find a $44 million medical bill from a local hospital.
Unemployed doorman Alexis Rodriguez, 28, received the astronomical bill after receiving successful treatment for pneumonia at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital last week, The New York Daily News reports.
"I almost had an asthma attack," said Rodriguez, who apparently is not the only patient to receive an outsized bill. The firm responsible for the botched billing, PHY Services, was reportedly inundated with complaints and has since apologized.
"If you are calling with respect the billing statement for services provided at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, please disregard the statement," said a recording for concerned callers, "you will be receiving a new statement shortly."
PHY is blaming the mistake on a "system error" that resulted in the bill's invoice number being mistakenly placed in the "amount due" field.
As for Rodriguez, he owes no more than $300 for outpatient services.
Golden Globes 2012: A List of the Winners
FILM CATERGORIES
Motion Picture, Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse
Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight In Paris
My Week With Marilyn
CLICK HERE for the Top 10 Golden Globes Quotes
Best Director – Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanvicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides Of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Best Foreign Language Film
A Separation (Iran)
The Flowers of War (China)
Motion Picture, Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse
Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight In Paris
My Week With Marilyn
CLICK HERE for the Top 10 Golden Globes Quotes
Best Director – Motion Picture
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanvicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides Of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris
Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Best Foreign Language Film
A Separation (Iran)
The Flowers of War (China)
Huntsman to Drop Out of GOP Race; Will Endorse Romney
Jon Huntsman will drop out of the Republican presidential race on Monday, a campaign spokesman told ABC News.
A source close to the Huntsman campaign said the former ambassador to China and Utah Governor was "proud of the race that he ran" but "did not want to stand in the way" of rival Mitt Romney, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Huntsman plans to endorse Romney at an 11 a.m. press conference Monday in Myrtle Beach, SC.
After a disappointing third place finish in New Hampshire - a contest on which he had staked his candidacy - Huntsman vowed to fight on. In his concession speech in New Hampshire, he told his supporters: "I say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentleman! Hello, South Carolina!"
But just six days from the South Carolina primary, Huntsman has said goodbye to the Palmetto state after all.
A Huntsman aide tells ABC News that the decision came in the wake of the results in the New Hampshire primary.
"He has been discussing with his family after they woke up after a successful evening in New Hampshire. They felt good about their performance in New Hampshire, but he and his family had a discussion and this is the decision came to," the aide said. "At the end of the day he decided he did not want to hurt the best chance of beating Barack Obama and that's Mitt Romney. By continuing into South Carolina and Florida, that's what he would have been doing."
While Huntsman will be throwing his support to Romney on Monday, it was only a week ago that he told ABC's John Berman just the opposite.
When asked if he trusts Governor Romney, Huntsman replied, "He has not put forth reason to give us a reason for us to trust him."
Earlier this month, he told another ABC reporter that Romney is "completely out of touch."
And as recently as Saturday, Huntsman was questioning Romney's electability.
Reporters asked Huntsman if any of the Republican establishment had reached out to him and asked him to tone down his criticism of Romney and his work with Bain Capital. Huntsman explained: "Nope. And listen. I have said what I have said. My problem is really a political issue. And that is, when you have a candidate that talks about enjoyment in firing people, talks about pink-slips, who makes comment that seem to be so detached from the problems that Americans are facing today. that makes you pretty much unelectable. And I say, we want a nominee who can actually go on to win. That's the issue…. the bigger issue is one of electability."
Huntsman, 51, entered the race last summer to high expectations, but he struggled from the start to win over conservative Republican voters.
Huntsman is now the fourth Republican candidate to drop out of the campaign. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor Minnesota, dropped out last summer after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota dropped out just after the Iowa Caucus and businesman Herman Cain left the race in a storm of sexual harassment allegations. With Huntsman's endorsement of Romney on Monday as well as Pawlenty's endorsement of Romney last summer, two of the f
A source close to the Huntsman campaign said the former ambassador to China and Utah Governor was "proud of the race that he ran" but "did not want to stand in the way" of rival Mitt Romney, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Huntsman plans to endorse Romney at an 11 a.m. press conference Monday in Myrtle Beach, SC.
After a disappointing third place finish in New Hampshire - a contest on which he had staked his candidacy - Huntsman vowed to fight on. In his concession speech in New Hampshire, he told his supporters: "I say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentleman! Hello, South Carolina!"
But just six days from the South Carolina primary, Huntsman has said goodbye to the Palmetto state after all.
A Huntsman aide tells ABC News that the decision came in the wake of the results in the New Hampshire primary.
"He has been discussing with his family after they woke up after a successful evening in New Hampshire. They felt good about their performance in New Hampshire, but he and his family had a discussion and this is the decision came to," the aide said. "At the end of the day he decided he did not want to hurt the best chance of beating Barack Obama and that's Mitt Romney. By continuing into South Carolina and Florida, that's what he would have been doing."
While Huntsman will be throwing his support to Romney on Monday, it was only a week ago that he told ABC's John Berman just the opposite.
When asked if he trusts Governor Romney, Huntsman replied, "He has not put forth reason to give us a reason for us to trust him."
Earlier this month, he told another ABC reporter that Romney is "completely out of touch."
And as recently as Saturday, Huntsman was questioning Romney's electability.
Reporters asked Huntsman if any of the Republican establishment had reached out to him and asked him to tone down his criticism of Romney and his work with Bain Capital. Huntsman explained: "Nope. And listen. I have said what I have said. My problem is really a political issue. And that is, when you have a candidate that talks about enjoyment in firing people, talks about pink-slips, who makes comment that seem to be so detached from the problems that Americans are facing today. that makes you pretty much unelectable. And I say, we want a nominee who can actually go on to win. That's the issue…. the bigger issue is one of electability."
Huntsman, 51, entered the race last summer to high expectations, but he struggled from the start to win over conservative Republican voters.
Huntsman is now the fourth Republican candidate to drop out of the campaign. Tim Pawlenty, the former governor Minnesota, dropped out last summer after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota dropped out just after the Iowa Caucus and businesman Herman Cain left the race in a storm of sexual harassment allegations. With Huntsman's endorsement of Romney on Monday as well as Pawlenty's endorsement of Romney last summer, two of the f
13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You
"GMA" is teaming up with Reader's Digest on a special series of "13 Things Your ____ Won't Tell You." We're kicking it off with a peek inside the world of professional housecleaners: "13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You."
1. My best clients are people who work for their money, like teachers, bartenders and cops. Rich people think they're doing you a favor by allowing you to scrub their toilets. Working people understand you are doing them a service by making their lives easier.
2. I wish you wouldn't insist on bleach and other harsh cleaners. For almost every situation, there's an eco-friendly option that's just as effective.
3. After I leave, check the base of the toilet and the top of the fridge. If they're clean, you know I'm thorough.
4. Many cleaning companies do not run any sort of background check or even check references. I answered an ad, I was on time and presentable, and I was willing to take the job. That is all most companies care about.
5. Even though I smile and act interested, don't use me as your therapist, gossip buddy or friend. Frankly, most of us have a lot less than you, and we can't fathom why you're complaining. Plus, you slow me down.
6. Want to save money on high-priced maid services? Instead of booking a regular appointment, ask to be on our on-call list to fill last-minute slots at a discount. Or see if you can be a "training home" for new cleaners.
7. If you use a service instead of an individual, ask for the same people every time. Your cleanings will be more consistent, with fewer strangers in your home.
8. When using a new maid service, leave a few dollars hanging out of a pants pocket or lying on the counter. If we take a dollar or two, you'll know we're probably going to take other things.
9. Make sure we're bonded and have liability insurance. Otherwise, you're on the hook if we break something or get hurt on the job.
10. Pick your clothes up off the floor, get your dishes out of the sink, and clean up your kids' toys. Your house will end up a lot cleaner.
11. If you leave your personal life out for us to see, we most definitely will talk about you. We may even send pictures to our friends and relatives.
12. Recommend us to your friends. We may give you $25 to $50 off a cleaning for each referral—if you ask.
1. My best clients are people who work for their money, like teachers, bartenders and cops. Rich people think they're doing you a favor by allowing you to scrub their toilets. Working people understand you are doing them a service by making their lives easier.
2. I wish you wouldn't insist on bleach and other harsh cleaners. For almost every situation, there's an eco-friendly option that's just as effective.
3. After I leave, check the base of the toilet and the top of the fridge. If they're clean, you know I'm thorough.
4. Many cleaning companies do not run any sort of background check or even check references. I answered an ad, I was on time and presentable, and I was willing to take the job. That is all most companies care about.
5. Even though I smile and act interested, don't use me as your therapist, gossip buddy or friend. Frankly, most of us have a lot less than you, and we can't fathom why you're complaining. Plus, you slow me down.
6. Want to save money on high-priced maid services? Instead of booking a regular appointment, ask to be on our on-call list to fill last-minute slots at a discount. Or see if you can be a "training home" for new cleaners.
7. If you use a service instead of an individual, ask for the same people every time. Your cleanings will be more consistent, with fewer strangers in your home.
8. When using a new maid service, leave a few dollars hanging out of a pants pocket or lying on the counter. If we take a dollar or two, you'll know we're probably going to take other things.
9. Make sure we're bonded and have liability insurance. Otherwise, you're on the hook if we break something or get hurt on the job.
10. Pick your clothes up off the floor, get your dishes out of the sink, and clean up your kids' toys. Your house will end up a lot cleaner.
11. If you leave your personal life out for us to see, we most definitely will talk about you. We may even send pictures to our friends and relatives.
12. Recommend us to your friends. We may give you $25 to $50 off a cleaning for each referral—if you ask.
Ron Paul Returns to SC, Picks Up Endorsement
onight received the endorsement of South Carolina state Sen. Tom Davis, a state lawmaker popular with tea party activists.
Speaking at a rally in Myrtle Beach, Davis praised Paul's "drastic and radical" efforts to reign in government spending.
"There is only one candidate that is talking about this problem to the degree, at the scale, and with the scope that it needs to be talked about," Davis said. "You can't nibble around the edges anymore."
Davis blamed lobbyists and loopholes for "rotting out our republic to the core."
"That's what's happening in South Carolina and that's what's happening to our nation," he said.
The Paul campaign describes the announcement as "consequential" and "game-changing," adding in a statement that it "virtually assures" that Paul will get the support of fiscal conservatives in the "First in the South" primary.
Davis wrote on his Facebook page that he would back "the one candidate in the race for president who has consistently stood for taxpayers."
Davis served as chief of staff to former Gov. Mark Sanford, who disappeared for several days in June 2009 and later resigned after admitting to an affair with another woman.
Paul returns to the campaign trail in South Carolina after taking a three-d
Speaking at a rally in Myrtle Beach, Davis praised Paul's "drastic and radical" efforts to reign in government spending.
"There is only one candidate that is talking about this problem to the degree, at the scale, and with the scope that it needs to be talked about," Davis said. "You can't nibble around the edges anymore."
Davis blamed lobbyists and loopholes for "rotting out our republic to the core."
"That's what's happening in South Carolina and that's what's happening to our nation," he said.
The Paul campaign describes the announcement as "consequential" and "game-changing," adding in a statement that it "virtually assures" that Paul will get the support of fiscal conservatives in the "First in the South" primary.
Davis wrote on his Facebook page that he would back "the one candidate in the race for president who has consistently stood for taxpayers."
Davis served as chief of staff to former Gov. Mark Sanford, who disappeared for several days in June 2009 and later resigned after admitting to an affair with another woman.
Paul returns to the campaign trail in South Carolina after taking a three-d
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