Golden Globe nominees warm up with rooftop party (AP)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. ? The glittery, Champagne-soaked vibe of the Golden Globes spreads through Hollywood days before the ceremony, and the Dom Perignon was definitely flowing at W magazine's pre-Globes party.

On a patio overlooking the Sunset Strip at the storied Chateau Marmont, Golden Globe nominees Charlize Theron and Tilda Swinton and stars Emma Stone, Jessica Biel and Patrick Stewart mixed it up Friday night with fellow actors, filmmakers and fashionistas. The soiree honored W magazine's February movie issue.

Swinton, nominated for best actress in a drama for "We Need to Talk About Kevin," lit up the party in a white pantsuit, short platinum hair and bright smile. Theron, who's up for best actress in a comedy or musical for "Young Adult," looked every inch the star in a slinky black dress, her hair in old-Hollywood waves. She talked beauty and fashion with Biel, who dazzled in a white beaded gown.

Orlando Bloom and his wife, model Miranda Kerr, charmed partygoers together, while model Agyness Deyn posed for iPhone photos with a friend.

Also enjoying the view from the patio: Actress Rose McGowan, "Modern Family" star Eric Stonestreet, director Sofia Coppola and Rodarte design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy.

The pre-Globe festivities continue Saturday with various gift suites and galas.

The 69th annual Golden Globes will be presented Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and broadcast live on NBC.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_en_ce/us_golden_globes_w_party

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Personal Finance Calendar for 2012

January 13, 2012

Key Points

  • Just as financial planning is not a one-time event, it's not a once-a-year event either. Spreading out tasks throughout the year can make them more manageable.
  • Following our month-by-month guide can help get your finances in tip-top shape.
  • There's action you can take each month?such as obtaining your credit report or reviewing your estate plan?to keep your finances on track throughout the year.


Do you spend more time planning your annual vacation than you do thinking about your personal finances? And when you finally do get around to thinking about your finances, do you usually end up waiting until the last minute? If so, you're not alone. Admittedly, it is a lot more fun to make plans for that next big summer trip or the upcoming holidays than it is to review your health insurance options, plan for your estate, or make sure your retirement is on track. But, the effort is well worth it and can pay huge dividends for you and your loved ones over time.

At Schwab, we view personal financial planning as an ongoing, lifelong process, not a one-time event. Of course, monitoring your progress on an ongoing basis doesn?t mean you should obsess over your finances daily. You have better things to do (like planning your next vacation). On the other hand, it doesn't mean you just pull out the statements and spreadsheets once a year for an hour or two to see how you're doing and then forget about it until next year.

Just as financial planning is not a one-time event, it's not a once-a-year event either. Ideally, financial planning is a year-round exercise. After all, it doesn?t do much good to procrastinate on your tax planning until New Year's Eve rolls around and your options are severely limited (let alone, until right before the April 15 due date when it's too late to do anything but pay whatever Uncle Sam tells you to pay). If you spread things out throughout the year, it's manageable. And, with a little organization, it shouldn't be too much hassle either. Hopefully, the following personal finance calendar will help you get started:?

January ?

  • Resolve to make yourself financially fit in 2012:?
    • Manage your debt. Start by paying off all of your high-cost, non-deductible credit cards, and then establish an emergency fund equal to 3-6 months of expenses, if you haven't already.
    • Create (or update) your cash flow statement (income minus expenses) and statement of personal net worth as you monitor your progress toward your long-term financial goals.
    • Give your portfolio a checkup?review the performance of your stocks, bonds and mutual funds as you rebalance back to your target asset allocation mix. If you're retired and drawing down income from your portfolio, combine your portfolio rebalancing with your cash flow planning for the next 12 months.
  • Double-check your employer retirement plan contribution percentage. If you're at least 50 years old (or will be by December 31), consider making an additional catch-up contribution. At the very least, try to contribute up to the point where you take advantage of any available employer match.
  • If you don't pay enough income tax through regular payroll withholding, file your fourth-quarter estimated income tax payment by January 15. (You have until January 17 in 2012, since January 15 falls on Sunday and January 16 is a holiday. See the for other federal tax items due throughout the year).
  • Annual tax forms 1099, 1098 and W-2 should be mailed to you by your various providers no later than January 31 (February 15 for some 1099s).

February

  • Check your insurance policies (property and casualty, liability, health, disability, life) to be sure you're not paying too much for the wrong kind of coverage.
  • It's possible certain mutual funds could restate their distribution information after your initial Form 1099 is mailed to you at the end of January. Though not common, when such fixes are necessary a corrected 1099 is usually mailed sometime in the month of February, so this shouldn't stop you from getting a head start preparing your income tax forms. Schwab clients can access tax tools and resources on schwab.com.

March

  • If you turned 70??last year and didn't take your first-year required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA by December 31, you have until April 1 to do so.
  • Get a ?of your credit report from one of the three major reporting agencies on a rotating basis.

?April

  • File your income tax return by April 15. If you're requesting an automatic six-month extension, you still need to pay any taxes due by April 15?(April 17 in 2012 because April 15 falls on a Sunday and April 16 is a Washington, D.C. holiday).
  • April 15 is also the last day to make a contribution to your IRA or Coverdell Education Savings Account for the prior year.
  • If applicable, first-quarter estimated income tax payments are due by April15.

May

  • Create (or update) an inventory of your home and personal property. Use a video camera to make a record of your valuable possessions for insurance (and/or estate) purposes, and then store the tape (or DVD) in a secure, remote location.
  • Create (or review) your financial disaster plan.

June

  • Perform a mid-year review of your finances to be sure you're on track:
    • Double check your actual year-to-date income and expenses against your cash flow projections.
    • Are you on track with your retirement contributions and other savings?
    • Run a projection of your income taxes to be sure you are not paying too much or too little income tax (either through withholding or quarterly payments).
  • Planning a June wedding? Don't forget to update your financial plan accordingly.
  • If applicable, second-quarter estimated income tax payments are due by June 15.

?July

  • Get a ?of your credit report from one of the three major reporting agencies on a rotating basis.
  • Keep learning?add at least one good book on personal finance or investing to your summer reading list. Meanwhile, consider signing up for an?.

August

  • Compare what you actually spent on vacation to the amount you projected in your annual cash flow plan. Start thinking about your holiday budget.
  • As the kids or grandkids get ready for school, think about establishing or contributing to a Coverdell Education Savings Account and/or 529 College Savings Plan on their behalf.?

September

  • Review your estate plan.
  • If applicable, third-quarter estimated income tax payments are due by September 15 (September 17 in 2012, because September 15 falls on a Saturday).
  • If you want to establish a SIMPLE IRA this year for your small business, the account must be opened by October 1.
  • You have until October 15 to recharacterize a 2011 Roth IRA conversion. If you already filed your 2011 federal income tax return, you will need to file an amended return along with (check the rules for your state if you already filed a state income tax return).?

October

  • File your income tax return by October 15 if you requested a six-month extension back in April.
  • Run a projection of your current-year income tax liability to get a head start on your year-end tax planning.
  • As open enrollment season rolls around at work, take the time to review your health insurance coverage and other employer benefits.

November

  • Get a ?of your credit report from one of the three major reporting agencies on a rotating basis.
  • Don't charge more for holiday gifts than you can comfortably pay for in full when the January credit card statements come around.
  • Take time to give thanks for another year of financial success. Review your charitable giving program.

December

  • Check your portfolio again for loss-harvesting candidates, as you rebalance back to your strategic, long-term asset allocation.
  • If applicable, don't forget to take the annual required minimum distribution from your IRA by December 31.
  • If you want to establish an Individual 401(k) or other QRP (qualified retirement plan) this year for your small business, the account must be opened by December 31.
  • If you didn't receive your annual Social Security benefit statement on or around your birthday this year, request one from . Compare your earnings record against your old tax return info for accuracy.

As always, if you have questions or need help, please contact your Schwab consultant. If you're not yet a Schwab client but would like to learn more, a Schwab consultant can help. Call 800-435-4000 to get started.?

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax, legal or investment planning advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, Schwab recommends consultation with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, financial planner or investment manager.

The Schwab Center for Financial Research is a division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Source: http://www.schwab.com/public/schwab/resource_center/expert_insight/personal_finance/financial_planning/personal_finance_calendar.html

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Obama takes on big government: `It has to change' (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Seeking more power to shrink the government, President Barack Obama on Friday suggested smashing six economic agencies into one, an election-year idea intended to halt bureaucratic nightmares and force Republicans to back him on one of their own favorite issues.

"The government we have is not the government we need," Obama told business owners he'd gathered at the White House. Lawmakers seemed willing to at least consider his ideas.

Sounding like a manager of a disorganized company, and looking like one by pointing to slides as he spoke, Obama asked Congress to give him a kind of reorganization power no president has had since Ronald Reagan. It would guarantee Obama a vote, within 90 days, on any idea he offers to consolidate agencies, provided it saves money and cuts the government.

His first potential target: Merging six major trade and commerce agencies into a one-stop-shopping department for American businesses. The Commerce Department would be among those that would cease to exist.

Attacking senseless duplication across the executive branch he runs, Obama said: "Why is it OK for our government? It's not. It has to change."

Politically, Obama is seeking advantage on the turf often owned by Republicans: Smaller government.

He is attempting to directly counter Republican arguments that he has presided over the kind of regulation, spending and debt that can undermine the economy ? a dominant theme of this year's debate and one often cited by his potential re-election rival, Republican Mitt Romney.

Obama said he would use his expanded authority to recommend the collapsing of other agencies across the government, not just in the business field, without getting specific. Congress would keep the final say over any proposal. But fast-track power would give Obama a stronger hand to skip much of the outside lobbying and turf battles and get right to a vote.

Congressional reaction was mixed, but generally followed a pattern from both parties ? support for making government more efficient, and wariness about how Obama's plan could upend the trade American trade agenda or undermine the prerogatives of Congress.

Republicans skeptically pointed to Obama's past promises as the size of the nation's debt keeps growing.

"It's not often that we see real proposals from this administration to make government smaller," said Rep. Fred Upton, the Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I look forward to reviewing the proposal and hope that it will be the first of many to unravel the red tape."

Indeed, Obama promised more plans to shrink things if given more power, citing inefficiencies all across the government.

In an unusual united front that underscored some bipartisan skepticism, the chairmen of two of Congress' most powerful committees joined in a statement that questioned the president's desire to wrap the U.S. Trade Representative office into a new agency. The House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont, said government cannot be reduced "at the expense of programs that are helping businesses, ranchers and farmers create jobs."

For Obama, it was all about common sense.

He spoke of business people who deal with the government as part of their daily life and are exasperated by a maze of agencies, permits and websites.

"We can do this better," he told them. "So much of the argument out there all the time is up in 40,000 feet, these abstract arguments about who's conservative or who's liberal. ...You guys are just trying to figure out, how do we make things work? How do we apply common sense? And that's what this is about."

Obama had an imperative to deliver. He made the promise to come up with a smart reorganization of the government in his State of the Union speech last January.

Not in decades has the government undergone a sustained reorganization of itself. Presidents have tried from time to time, but each part of the bureaucracy has its own defenders inside and outside the government, which can make merger ideas politically impossible. That's particularly true because "efficiency" is often another way of saying people will lose their jobs.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she hoped Congress would quickly approve Obama's proposal, which she said tracked with worries Democrats have been hearing from small business owners.

Beyond the politics, the merger Obama offered would have big implications for trade and commerce in America.

Presidents held a fast-track reorganizational authority for about 50 years until it ran out during Reagan's presidency in 1984, the White House argued.

Obama wants to merge: the Commerce Department's core business and trade functions; the Small Business Administration; the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; the Export-Import Bank; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; and the Trade and Development Agency.

The White House says 1,000 to 2,000 jobs would be cut, but the administration would do so through attrition. The administration says the consolidation would save $3 billion over 10 years by getting rid of duplicative overhead and programs, although it has yet to spell out any plan in detail.

Obama's announcement treads on ground that Romney, the Republican front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, frequently stakes out on the campaign trail. Romney often says he would try to shrink government by eliminating offices that duplicate functions performed somewhere else, citing as examples more than 80 different workforce training programs.

Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said streamlining government was always a potentially good idea but expressed suspicion about whether the plan by Obama would really help business. Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, pledged Obama's plan would get a careful review.

But he added: "It's interesting to see the president finally acknowledge that Washington is out of control."

__

Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt, Alan Fram, Erica Werner and Ken Thomas contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_trimming_government

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Internet revolution dawns with .yournamehere domains (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? A quiet Internet revolution begins on Thursday. Organizations can begin applying to name and run their own domains instead of entrusting them to the operators of .com, .org, .gov and others.

Up to 2,000 applications are expected to be made to ICANN, the body that oversees the Internet's naming system for so-called "top-level" international domains. The window to grab some virtual real estate will close in three months' time, probably for years.

The most radical move in U.S.-based ICANN's 13-year history is designed to foster competition and innovation, allowing the new domain owners to build new communities, strengthen ties with customers and give consumers more power.

"It's a fascinating new chapter in the Internet's history," says Jonathan Robinson, non-executive director of Afilias, which is helping with applications and already provides key infrastructure for .org, .info and .mobi.

"It's opening up new fronts of Internet real estate and that brings opportunity and threat."

Most of the first wave of applications is expected to come from leading brand owners who see an opportunity to boost their visibility online, or simply fear that others will grab "their" space if they do not do so themselves.

At $185,000 per application, estimated start-up costs of $500,000 and annual running costs of about $100,000, a .yournamehere domain will be out of reach of the smallest companies and Organizations.

But applications are expected from cities or regions with strong identities, such as .london and .mumbai, from companies aiming to build a business based on new domains, and from community identifiers like .eco or .gay.

Melbourne IT, a leading consultancy firm that is preparing about 100 applications for customers, says most interest has come from the financial services and consumer goods sectors.

"They're looking at it as something they can use as an additional weapon." says the firm's European sales director Stuart Durham.

"Banks are looking at it for online authentication, to prevent fraud and build trust, while consumer goods makers believe they can use this to become more effective in their online marketing and consumer engagement," he says.

For example, a customer on a site ending .hsbc could be certain it was genuinely operated by the bank, or a consumer goods maker like Canon might give each customer their own .canon domain to keep details of their purchases and for communication.

SECRECY

Camera maker Canon is one of just a handful of companies to have acknowledged they are applying to operate their own brand domains -- Deloitte and Hitachi are others. Others are more secretive, fearing unwanted competition, and ICANN will publish details of applicants only after the window closes in April.

In cases where more than one applicant has a legitimate claim to operate a domain - for example, .apple could be contested by the iPod maker and the record label -- ICANN will hold an auction.

The trademark lobby in the United States has some issues with this process. It argues that brand owners will be forced to mount expensive and unnecessary bids to protect their brands online, and has mounted a last-minute offensive to change the rules.

But ICANN says strict criteria are already in place to protect interests.

Applicants have to demonstrate that they have relevant intellectual property rights, and detail how they will operate the domain. The aim here is to prevent cybersquatters from buying up valuable ones and then leaving them inactive while they negotiate a profitable sale to a more legitimate claimant.

The $185,000 application fee is a far cry from the $10 or so needed to register a .com site. Applicants have to fill in a lengthy and complex application form, around which a whole consultancy industry has sprung up.

"It's not something you can just complete in five minutes online using a credit card, like you can for a .com domain name today," says Melbourne IT's Durham.

Jeff Ernst, principal analyst at technology analysis firm Forrester, says he is advising customers against a knee-jerk application.

"I'm not an evangelist for the program myself. I've talked to about 50 companies now in the last six months. There were only about five or six that we found had reason to apply," he says. I'm advising against just doing a defensive registration."

ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY

Beyond the big brands, the revolution in Internet naming could give smaller businesses the chance to increase their visibility online.

With the introduction of geographical top-level domains, a bicycles firm, for example, might boost its profile by winning bicycles.london or bicycles.mumbai, whereas bicycles.com could be prohibitively expensive to acquire from the owner.

"There's tremendous artificial scarcity that's been caused by the delay in the development of these new domains," says Jacob Malthouse, co-founder of Big Room, a Canadian company which is applying to run the new top-level domain .eco.

Malthouse believes the changes mean global communities such as the environmental movement will be better able to unite and work together in future. His organization is backed by some of the world's biggest environmental groups, including Greenpeace, WWF International and the Green Cross.

Malthouse argues that with such backers, .eco would have the authority to certify genuine environmental Organizations and individuals, allowing only them to register a .eco address, and screening out much of the "greenwash" that exists.

"The environmental community has never had a home on the Internet before," he says.

"We see .eco as an opportunity for smaller Organizations or smaller businesses. Maybe a .org doesn't really communicate what they do, or .com doesn't communicate it."

Malthouse says he has been open about his bid to gather the most broad-based and authoritative support possible, to prevent commercial interests from grabbing the domain.

"I think there's a real risk that private groups will try to force .eco to auction. The way we manage that is by demonstrating environmental community support. That's why we've been so public about the bid," he says.

CANDY FLOSS

A handful of potential new domains such as .eco seem likely to succeed but many may turn out to be little used, as was the experience for .jobs, .museum .travel and others in previous, experimental rounds of liberalization.

The .com domain remains dominant for companies, Tim Freeborn, technology and media analyst at London-based brokerage Xcap points out.

"The .mobis were a bit of a washout even though people made money selling addresses," he said. "There may be lots of addresses but they just may not catch anyone's imagination."

Freeborn follows Top Level Domain Holdings, a London-listed company set up to exploit the possibilities of the program, and which is applying for 20 domains on behalf of customers and 30-50 for itself.

Peter Dengate Thrush, TLDH's executive chairman and a former chairman of ICANN, says the process has been protracted -- six years in the planning -- and skepticism widespread, but interest is belatedly gathering momentum.

"A lot of people are waking up to domain names in general. The availability of .xxx (for pornographic sites) has alerted a lot of people," says Thrush.

Some investors are buying TLDH shares as a pure-play bet on the value of the new domains. Its share price has risen 41 percent since the end of November, as fears that the U.S. trademark lobby might derail ICANN's plans have faded.

Still, the model has yet to be proven. ICANN is likely to take until the end of 2012 to award the first new top-level domains, and in the case of hotly contested ones it may be years before they come online.

"The main risk is that people and companies will still gravitate towards .com, and the second risk is that the process of sorting out some of the major generics will be protracted," says Mike Jeremy, analyst at London brokerage Daniel Stewart, who also covers TLDH.

Xcap's Freeborn says: "It feels like candy floss. It's very hard to get a grip on it at the moment. A year from now it should be a lot clearer."

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Andrew Callus)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120112/wr_nm/us_internet_domains

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Video: Romney, the inevitable?

>>> mitt romney is highlighting the positives that he said came from his days at bain capital putting the messages on air waves in southern state .

>> this is a business mitt romney helped start and this one, and this steel mill . mitt romney ran a company that investigated in struggling businesses, grew in ones and rebuilt old ones.

>> romney is taking that message on the road with south carolina governor . good afternoon to you, sir.

>> good afternoon.

>> we seep mitt romn mitt romney trying to take a nasty message and spin it as a positive. is this something that's starting to work?

>> he had to come out with it because maybe you could argue some of this has started to tick away at romney 's support. we've been saying if you look back on new hampshire , if romney loses to barack obama in the fall if he becomes the nominee, we're going to look back at new hampshire and say this is the first place we saw some chinks in the armor. this ad hits at the republican candidates pretty strongly. this comes after a lot of conservatives said guys you need to stop this attack to rick perry , to newt gingrich . you feel like the aircraft carrier as turned but it's taken a few days.

>> starting to shift his attacks to more social issues saying that mr. romney can't be trusted on issues like abortion in south carolina . we know south carolina , perhaps the most evangelical. messages like that, are those likely to resonate with voters?

>> if issue is that in south carolina , 60% of gop primary voters considered themselves born again or evangelical christians . if they could rally around person, then you could see someone knock off mitt romney . if they split the vote, mitt romney could win with something in the low 30s or mid-30s. that's why you're seeing a lot of push back now in this texas conference too where some social conservatives getting together to talk about whether they can rally around one person. never been has a nonincumbent won new hampshire and mitt romney did it. if he were to win south carolina , it's almost impossible to see how he would be knocked off.

>> a lot of money and a good ground game. amazing what that can do. this sunday on "meet the press" david gregory will talk to newt gingrich . that is next saturday. you can check your local listings for times.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/45989645/

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Union threatens oil production shutdown in Nigeria (AP)

LAGOS, Nigeria ? A major union threatened Thursday to stop the beating heart of Nigeria's economy ? crude oil production ? as part of a nationwide strike and protests gripping Africa's most populous nation.

World oil prices climbed on the news. Nigeria is the fifth-largest oil exporter to the U.S., and a shutdown would force American refineries to replace 630,000 barrels per day of crude.

The union's ability to enforce a shutdown, beginning Sunday, across the swamps of Nigeria's southern delta to its massive offshore oil fields, remains in question. But the threat of a strike caused jitters on global oil markets as traders worldwide worried about supply.

Nigeria has been paralyzed by a strike that began Monday after President Goodluck Jonathan's government abandoned subsidies that kept gasoline prices low. Overnight, prices at the pump more than doubled, from $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter) to at least $3.50 per gallon (94 cents per liter). The costs of food and transportation also doubled in a nation where most people live on less than $2 a day.

Anger over losing one of the few benefits average Nigerians see from being an oil-rich country, as well as disgust over government corruption, have led to demonstrations across this nation of 160 million people and violence that has killed at least 12 people.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, which represents about 20,000 workers, said it would be forced to "apply the bitter option" of closing down all oil and gas production if the government refused to reinstate the gasoline subsidies.

Union president Babatunde Ogun said if fields are shut down, it could take six months to a year to restart them.

"We ... believe that if everything comes to a standstill, the government will budge," Ogun told reporters in Lagos. Petrol dollars dominate Nigeria's economy and represent the majority of its government revenues.

Ogun also said a natural gas shutdown would turn off the nation's power grid, which is already in shambles.

So far, Nigeria's oil industry hasn't felt the effects of the national strike. Many of its operations are automated, both for efficiency and to avoid having staff work in the Niger Delta's maze of creeks, where criminal gangs and militants target workers for high-dollar kidnappings.

Foreign companies also run large offshore fields, far from the chaos of growing demonstrations across the country. Shipments from offshore platforms move immediately to market.

But if something breaks, if the pressure in the wells fluctuate, or if countless other problems occur that cause an automatic system shutdown, there wouldn't be anyone there to get production running again.

When pressed about how the threatened shutdown could affect the automated parts of the industry, Ogun did not offer an answer.

Most oil firms, including the dominant Royal Dutch Shell PLC, say they are monitoring the situation.

Kenneth Arnold, an independent petroleum consultant and former Shell engineer, said it "would be very easy to shut down" Nigeria's oil fields. Bringing in replacement workers to run the fields raises dangers, he said.

"It may not be safe to stay there," Arnold said. "In Nigeria, people get killed in the oil fields. There are local bad guys who want a share of the action."

Other companies with subsidiaries in Nigeria include Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Italy's Eni SpA and French firm Total SA, which operate in tandem with the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.

Levi Ajuonoma, a spokesman for the state-run oil firm, said it had not adjusted its production and shipping forecasts over the strike. It will take time for Nigeria's government coffers to feel the impact of the lost revenue, as oil and natural gas cargoes go out months ahead. That means, at least in the short term, supply to the U.S. would not be affected.

However, a shutdown could impact futures oil prices on global stock markets ? potentially raising the cost of gasoline for U.S. consumers. Global oil prices rose when militants began several years of attacks on oil companies and crude oil pipelines in 2006.

Prices rose Thursday on concerns about the impact of a shutdown on global supplies. Benchmark crude jumped by $1.38 to $102.25 per barrel in New York. Brent crude rose by $1.57 to $113.63 per barrel in London.

"As long as the government is selling crude ... the impact to them will not be that significant," University of Ibadan economics professor Adeola Adenikinju said. "The fiscal nerve center of the economy has not really been touched."

The growing protests and attacks from a radical Islamist sect have also put additional pressure on a government already facing popular dissent following the removal of the fuel subsidies. Analysts warn that could raise political risks in a nation with a young democracy and a history of military rulers.

"The subsidy issue provokes such strong emotions because it is viewed as one of the few benefits that Nigerians receive from living in an oil-producing nation," Barclays Capital said. "If the protests continue or gain momentum, they will pose a major challenge to the Jonathan government and potentially exhaust the capacity of an administration already facing a sustained security threat."

___

AP Energy Writer Chris Kahn in New York contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_bi_ge/af_nigeria_fuel_subsidy_oil

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Jolie, Pitt pay a visit to the White House

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

Actress Angelina Jolie, left, and Brad Pitt are seen in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

By The Associated Press

President Barack Obama might be powerful and well-known, but the White House got some Hollywood star power Wednesday: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stopped by for a chat with the chief executive.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Brad Pitt was spotted using the cane he's been sporting since an accident while carrying his daughter.

The actors were spotted in the Oval Office by photographers waiting outside for the president to take off for a trip to Chicago.

The White House confirmed Pitt and Jolie were in town to screen Jolie's movie about Bosnian war crimes at the Holocaust museum. They dropped by so the president could talk with Jolie about her work on preventing mass atrocities and combating sexual violence against women.

Pitt was seen sporting a cane, which he's been using following a recent injury.

It's not the first time Obama's met with one of the pair. In 2009 the president met with Pitt to discuss his work rebuilding New Orleans' 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

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Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/11/10119988-jolie-pitt-pay-a-visit-to-the-white-house

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Hands-on with the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note

Android Central

The Samsung Galaxy Note is something we have seen before, heck we even reviewed it, but today AT&T announced that they will be releasing the device, and it will run on their 4G LTE network. Naturally we had to check it out, again, and see what it was all about. The device is huge, like really really big, and super thin to the point we wonder where they put the internals. Sporting a 5.3-inch HD SuperAMOLED display with quality that is out of this world. Samsung has of course gone ahead and skinned it with TouchWiz, but that does not seem to affect the performance or slow the device down.

A really cool feature here is the S Pen which is included with the device and is similar to a stylus but not to be mistaken for just a stylus. The pen also has a button on it which basically takes a screen cap of what is on the screen and allows you to then edit it and have some fun. If you like big things, and have big hands, and big pockets, the Samsung Galaxy Note may just be your very own next AT&T device. Hit the break for some more images, and check back later for some hands on video!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/I5pPbtAUiWg/story01.htm

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OT: All-Purpose Sports Talk I (NFL, MLB, CFL, NCAA, NBA, Etc.)

Ottawa Senators Prospects:? ? David Rundblad, D? ?? Jared Cowen, D? ?? Mika Zibanejad, C? ?? Robin Lehner, G? ?? Jakob Silfverberg, C? ?? Matt Puempel, LW? ?? Nikita Filatov, LW? ?? Bobby Butler, RW? ?? Patrick Wiercioch, D? ?? Colin Greening, C? ??

Old

12-06-2011, 11:59 PM

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All-Purpose Sports Talk I (NFL, MLB, CFL, NCAA, NBA, Etc.)


Hey,

If Mods don't approve of this thread, just delete, but I'd love to find a better place than the regular OT Lounge to discuss NFL Football WITH SENS FANS, and I know some people (Shanny) are into the NFL here.


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12-07-2011, 12:20 AM

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Will my Packers go undefeated in the regular season?

That's the only real question left to ask... I say yes.


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12-07-2011, 12:22 AM

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Will my Packers go undefeated in the regular season?

That's the only real question left to ask... I say yes.

Yes, but Week 16 and 17 could be tough if they sit their starters...
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12-07-2011, 12:23 AM

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I want Barkley.

Signed,
Dolphins fan.


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12-07-2011, 12:25 AM

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I want Barkley.

Signed,
Dolphins fan.

Dolphins?!?!

At least they aren't as sucky anymore...


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12-07-2011, 12:25 AM

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Yes, but Week 16 and 17 could be tough if they sit their starters...

I have a feeling that they're going to play their starters pretty consistently, if only because they know they have the bye week in the 1st round of the playoffs pretty much sealed up.

Nothing good an come from 2 weeks of no game action (ie: sitting them out week 17 and not playing in the 1st round). Rust will kill you against a hungry team who have already had a taste of playoff football.

Also: totally approve of this thread. Well done.


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12-07-2011, 12:28 AM

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I have a feeling that they're going to play their starters pretty consistently, if only because they know they have the bye week in the 1st round of the playoffs pretty much sealed up.

Nothing good an come from 2 weeks of no game action (ie: sitting them out week 17 and not playing in the 1st round). Rust will kill you against a hungry team who have already had a taste of playoff football.

Also: totally approve of this thread. Well done.

Yah, it's a good point.

And the thread is much needed IMO. There's never any legitimate discussion in the OT threads, and I think this thread will heat up in the playoffs.


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12-07-2011, 12:32 AM

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There's a rumour that Brett Favre is interested in playing for the Bears ...

If that happens, he needs to sign with the Lions so he can say he played with every team in the NFC North...


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12-07-2011, 12:37 AM

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He'll sign a one-day contract in Detroit and retire (AGAIN) a Lion to complete the embarrassment of playing for Green Bay's 3 main rivals within a span of 2 years.

It's like he's purposely trying to piss off Packer fans. I've never seen a 1st ballot Hall of Famer completely disregard the team that made him like Farve seems hellbent on doing.


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12-07-2011, 12:40 AM

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He'll sign a one-day contract in Detroit and retire (AGAIN) a Lion to complete the embarrassment of playing for Green Bay's 3 main rivals within a span of 2 years.

It's like he's purposely trying to piss off Packer fans. I've never seen a 1st ballot Hall of Famer completely disregard the team that made him like Farve seems hellbent on doing.

Honest to God, it would be similar to Alfie playing for the Leafs, and then rumours going around that he'll sign with the Habs.

It must be horrifying for Packers fans.


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12-07-2011, 12:57 AM

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Bears said they're not interested in Favre (thank god)


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12-07-2011, 01:02 AM

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Honest to God, it would be similar to Alfie playing for the Leafs, and then rumours going around that he'll sign with the Habs.

It must be horrifying for Packers fans.

Meh, I don't think they mind too much.


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12-07-2011, 01:30 AM

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I wish I could just press fast forward till next season. Colts are useless without Manning, only benefit is that the Colts look like they will draft Andrew Luck this year.


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12-07-2011, 03:27 AM

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Mostly every season there's a missed call in the end zone. Last year it was Calvin Johnson when he had the ball in his hands and they didn't count the touchdown. **** happens in every sport.

Edit: I didn't catch the Packers vs Giants game but those pictures don't do any justice as they don't show when his other knee hit the floor.



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12-07-2011, 04:55 AM

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Ravens control their own fate, if they win out they get home field advantage and a bye week . They went to the post-season every year since 2008,though they have yet to play one playoff game in their own barn(7 games on the road).


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12-07-2011, 05:16 AM

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Mostly every season there's a missed call in the end zone. Last year it was Calvin Johnson when he had the ball in his hands and they didn't count the touchdown. **** happens in every sport.

Edit: I didn't catch the Packers vs Giants game but those pictures don't do any justice as they don't show when his other knee hit the floor.

His other knee is irrelevant.
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12-07-2011, 07:00 AM

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My Titans likely control their own fate down the stretch for the last wildcard spot, but with tough games against the Texans and Saints things are looking dicey as of now. Everyone kind of assumed the worst after last season though, so anything more than 8-8 is gravy.


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12-07-2011, 07:28 AM

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My Titans likely control their own fate down the stretch for the last wildcard spot, but with tough games against the Texans and Saints things are looking dicey as of now. Everyone kind of assumed the worst after last season though, so anything more than 8-8 is gravy.

Go Texans!!!
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12-07-2011, 07:35 AM

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Caleb Hanie is ruining my NFL season.


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12-07-2011, 07:50 AM

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Niners for life! Finally have something to cheer about after decade of futility.


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12-07-2011, 08:03 AM

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His other knee is irrelevant.

No, it's very relevant.

Both feet or knees have to be inbounds for a reception to be considered complete. One knee down only counts as "down" once a player has possession of the ball, and to have possession in the endzone without being out of bounds, you need either two feet or two knees down inbounds before "taking the knee" so to speak.

*EDIT*
Coughlin believes it was a TD, but I'm fairly sure the rule for TD completions is as I described above. I admit I could be wrong, though, but I'm like 90% sure the rule is two feet/knees in bounds.

I'm too lazy to look it up in the NFL rule book.

*EDIT 2*
Wait, I'm not that lazy:

"A forward pass is complete when a receiver clearly possesses the pass and touches the ground with both feet inbounds while in possession of the ball. If a receiver would have landed inbounds with both feet but is carried or pushed out of bounds while maintaining possession of the ball, pass is complete at the out-of-bounds spot. "
and
"An official shall declare the ball dead and the down ended:
(a) when a runner is contacted by a defensive player and touches the ground with any part of his body
other than his hands or feet. The ball is dead the instant the runner touches the ground. A runner
touching the ground with his hands or feet while in the grasp of an opponent may continue to
advance"
... However, for the receiver to become a runner, he must establish possession first by having two feet inbounds when making the catch.

Also: in 2008, they eliminated the "forceout rule"
"The forceout rule has been eliminated. A player who receives or intercepts a ball must land with both feet inbounds. This affords the receiver and defender equal opportunity to complete the play.

"We feel that with so many levels of judgment that go into the force-out call it creates a more consistent play when either you get your feet down for a complete pass or you do not," says co-chairman of the NFL Competition Committee Rick McKay."



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12-07-2011, 08:06 AM

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Haha, after the Shaub & Leinert injuries, that's like going for the Banana in a Grapefruit vs. Orange race.

Go Banana!

*EDIT*
I'm a big Schaub & Johnson fan, I really enjoy watching the Texans when healthy. I wasn't trying to rub in the injuries, "Go Banana" was just the first thing I thought of, haha...



Last edited by sensjersey11: 12-07-2011 at 08:13 AM.
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12-07-2011, 08:15 AM

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..That is all.


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12-07-2011, 08:34 AM

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