Taking the long view on the world's energy supplies

Read more: "Power paradox: Clean might not be green forever "

BACK in 1896, the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius realised that by burning coal we were adding carbon dioxide to the air, and that this would warm the Earth. But he mentioned the issue only in passing, for his calculations suggested it would not become a problem for thousands of years. Others thought that the oceans would soak up any extra CO₂, so there was nothing much to worry about.

That this latter argument has persisted to this day in some quarters highlights our species' propensity to underestimate the scale of our impact on the planet. Even the Earth's vast oceans cannot suck up CO₂ as quickly as we can produce it, and we now know the stored CO₂ is acidifying the oceans, a problem in itself.

Now a handful of researchers are warning that energy sources we normally think of as innocuous could affect the planet's climate too. If we start to extract immense amounts of power from the wind, for instance, it will have an impact on how warmth and water move around the planet, and thus on temperatures and rainfall (see "How clean is green?").

Just to be clear, no one is suggesting we should stop building wind farms on the basis of this risk. Aside from the huge uncertainties about the climatic effects of extracting power from the wind, our present and near-term usage is far too tiny to make any difference. For the moment, any negative consequences on the climate are massively outweighed by the effects of pumping out ever more CO₂. That poses by far the greater environmental threat; weaning ourselves off fossil fuels should remain the priority.

Even so, now is the time to start thinking about the long-term effects of the alternative energy sources we are turning to. Those who have already started to look at these issues report weary, indifferent or even hostile reactions to their work.

That's understandable, but disappointing. These effects may be inconsequential, in which case all that will have been wasted is some research time that may well yield interesting insights anyway. Or they may turn out to be sharply negative, in which case the more notice we have, the better. It would be unfortunate, to put it mildly, to spend countless trillions replacing fossil-fuel energy infrastructure only to discover that its successor is also more damaging than it need be.

These climatic effects may even be beneficial. The first, tentative models suggest that extracting large amounts of energy from high-altitude jet streams would cool the planet, counteracting the effects of rising greenhouse gases. It might even be possible to build an energy infrastructure that gives us a degree of control over the weather: turning off wind turbines here, capturing more of the sun's energy there.

We may also need to rethink our long-term research priorities. The sun is ultimately the only source of energy that doesn't end up altering the planet's energy balance. So the best bet might be to invest heavily in improving solar technology and and energy storage - rather than in efforts to harness, say, nuclear fusion.

For the moment, all of this remains supposition. But our species has a tendency to myopia. We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by taking the long view for a change.

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Divorce hurts health more at earlier ages

Monday, January 30, 2012

Divorce at a younger age hurts people's health more than divorce later in life, according to a new study by a Michigan State University sociologist.

Hui Liu said the findings, which appear in the research journal Social Science & Medicine, suggest older people have more coping skills to deal with the stress of divorce.

"It's clear to me that we need more social and family support for the younger divorced groups," said Liu, assistant professor of sociology. "This could include divorce counseling to help people handle the stress, or offering marital therapy or prevention programs to maintain marital satisfaction."

Liu analyzed the self-reported health of 1,282 participants in Americans' Changing Lives, a long-term national survey. She measured the gap in health status between those who remained married during the 15-year study period and those who transitioned from marriage to divorce, at certain ages and among different birth cohorts, or generations.

Liu found the gap was wider at younger ages. For example, among people born in the 1950s, those who got divorced between the ages of 35 and 41 reported more health problems in relation to their continuously married counterparts than those who got divorced in the 44 to 50 age range.

From a generational perspective, the negative health impact was stronger for baby boomers than it was for older generations ? a finding that surprised Liu.

"I would have expected divorce to carry less stress for the younger generation, since divorce is more prevalent for them," she said.

Liu said this may be because the pressure to marry and stay married was stronger for older generations, and so those who did divorce may have been among the most unhappily married ? and thus felt a certain degree of relief when they did divorce.

Overall, the study found that those who transition from marriage to divorce experience a more rapid health decline than those who remain married. However, those who remained divorced during the entire study period showed no difference than those who remained married.

"This suggests it is not the status of being married or divorced, per se, that affects health, but instead is the process of transitioning from marriage to divorce that is stressful and hurts health," Liu said.

###

Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu

Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117180/Divorce_hurts_health_more_at_earlier_ages

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Zimbabwe doctors report 800 typhoid cases (AP)

HARARE,Zimbabwe ? An independent doctors' group in Zimbabwe is reporting 800 cases of the bacterial disease typhoid in a recent outbreak.

No deaths have been reported in the past three weeks. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said Sunday that the nation's troubled coalition government lacked urgency in dealing with public health woes.

In a statement, the group said that amid heavy rains clean water supplies were still irregular or "completely absent" in most impoverished townships in Harare. It said burst sewers were left unattended and meat and fish were sold on streets nearby.

A cholera outbreak in 2009 blamed on the collapse of water, sanitation and prevention services in Zimbabwe killed more than 4,000 people.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_he_me/af_zimbabwe_typhoid

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Blues singer Etta James remembered in Los Angeles (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Los Angeles-area church on Saturday to remember rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James, saying she overcame great personal and professional hurdles to sing "the times that she lived."

During a two-hour service that featured performances by pop stars Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, the Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized James as a woman who rose from a tough childhood and poured her pain into her music.

Aguilera performed a version of "At Last," James' show-stopping hit and best-known song.

James died at 73 at a Riverside, California, hospital on January 20 from complications of leukemia, prompting numerous tributes from artists and musicians who were influenced by her work, including Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin.

"People need to understand that when they hear the music Etta James sang, she sang the times that she lived," Sharpton told friends and family at Greater Bethany Church City of Refuge church in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena.

"She put our pain and our dreams and our love and our need for one another in her vocal chords, but the difference between her and other artists is somehow you felt she meant what she was saying."

James, who was born to a teenage single mother, won wide acclaim and three Grammys, but saw numerous ups-and-downs in her career and personal life. She struggled with obesity and heroin addiction, ran a hot-check scheme and had troubled relationships with men.

But, Sharpton said, James should be remembered for blazing a trail for the entertainers who followed her.

"Etta was the one that brought class ... generations behind will try but never quite have the strut and swagger and talent of Etta James," he said.

"At last you (Etta) can get the gratitude of the savior now. Go on home Etta. Get your reward now ... you beat them Etta. You won Etta. Get your reward Etta. At last. At last. At last."

James won her first Grammy in 1995 for her album, "Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday." She also won Grammys in 2003 and 2005, and a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammys.

James is survived by her husband, Artis Mills, two sons Donto and Sametto who played in James' backing band, and four grandchildren.

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by David Bailey)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/music_nm/us_ettajames

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Twitter censorship policy leads to boycott

Twitter

By Suzanne Choney

Anger over Twitter's new policy to censor messages on a country-by-country basis is resulting in protests by some Twitter users who say they will refuse to tweet on Saturday.

Using the hashtags of #TwitterBlackout and #TwitterProtest, some of the short-messaging blog's 100 million users are finding each other on the site to spread the word about the boycott.

Twitter said Thursday it would begin restricting tweets, which are limited to 140 characters, in certain countries around the world?? which came as upsetting news to many who used Twitter as a means of communication to help start revolutions in the Middle East in the past year, and to those in other countries where dissidence is discouraged.

"We urge you to reverse this decision, which restricts freedom of expression and runs counter to the movements opposed to censorship that have been linked to the Arab Spring, in which Twitter served as a sounding board," the Reporters Without Borders group said in a letter Friday to Twitter. "By finally choosing to align itself with the censors, Twitter is depriving cyberdissidents in repressive countries of a crucial tool for information and organization."

Twitter

A sampling of some of the comments on Twitter.

Some civil liberties organizations and news sites asked Twitter users to try to understand the site's new policy before protesting it.

"Twitter's increasing need to remove content comes as a byproduct of its growth into new countries, with different laws that they must follow or risk that their local employees will be arrested or held in contempt, or similar sanctions," said the U.S.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation on Friday.

"By opening offices and moving employees into other countries, Twitter increases the risks to its commitment to freedom of expression. Like all companies (and all people) Twitter is bound by the laws of the countries in which it operates, which results both in more laws to comply with and also laws that inevitably contradict one another."

The EFF also said that Twitter "has not yet blocked a tweet using this new system, but when it does, that tweet will not simply disappear ? there will be a message informing you that content has been blocked due to your geographical location. Fortunately, your geographical location is easy to change on the Internet. You can use a proxy or a Tor exit node located in another country."

Social media news website Mashable told Twitter users to "relax," and reminded them that "Twitter?s technology appears to be easy to circumvent. And further, Twitter appears to clearly be telling users how to get around its censors." (That's something that msnbc.com's Rosa Golijan wrote about as well).

Despite the furor, as of Friday evening ET, "TwitterBlackout" and "TwitterProtest" were not trending high on Twitter itself. Instead, the top-trending phrases referred to subjects such as "The Grey," a newly released movie, and "Happy National Chocolate Cake Day."

Related stories:

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10254091-twitter-censorship-policy-leads-to-boycott

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LMFAO Joining Madonna At Super Bowl?

Will.i.am says party rockers will perform with Queen of Pop for halftime show on February 5.
By Gil Kaufman

LMFAO
Photo: Steven Lawton/ FilmMagic

It's a good thing the Super Bowl provides its halftime performer with the biggest platform in television, because according to the latest rumors Madonna is going to need a seriously massive stage to hold all her guests at the February 5 game.

Following reports that Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. as well as "The Voice" coach Cee Lo Green may make appearances comes news that LMFAO could be called off the bench also.

A year after his group, the on-hiatus Black Eyed Peas, played the big game,
 will.i.am told English radio station Capital FM that his party-rocking homies will be in the mix. "I'm going to the Super Bowl this year to see my group LMFAO perform with Madonna," he said. "Check that out, Will.i.am Music Group is pretty freaking two for two! One year the Super Bowl, the next year another group part of the Super Bowl in collaboration with Madonna. That's still happening."

According to sources, Madonna asked Green to perform with her at the showdown in Indianapolis between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, which is traditionally the most-watched TV event of the year. TheInsider.com reports that he's been flying to New York to rehearse with the pop icon. The sources add that he will contribute his signature flair to some of her classic tunes.

The pairing would make sense given that the new season of "The Voice" premieres right after the Super Bowl next month. MTV News caught up with the Queen of Pop at her "W.E." premiere earlier this week in New York, and the singer only had one tease about the Super Bowl gig. "I am not saying 'Yes,' and "I am not saying yes and I am not saying no," she replied when asked whether Minaj and M.I.A. will join her onstage, adding, "Pom-poms. That's all I can tell you."

As if the pom-poms and all the alleged guests aren't enough, the halftime show will be "imagined" by trippy Canadian circus troupe Cirque du Soleil and Madonna's longtime choreographer and creative director Jamie King. According to reports, the set list could include Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin," as well as such classics as "Ray of Light," "Vogue" and "Music."

In addition to her Super Bowl performance, Madonna's fans are awaiting the release of her next studio album, M.D.N.A., out later this year.

Related Artists

• Lmfao
• Madonna

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678014/lmfao-madonna-super-bowl-halftime.jhtml

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[OOC] order of the hawk: the edge of time

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Monster Worldwide cautious on 2012 (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Online recruitment firm Monster Worldwide Inc forecast a weak start to the year and said it will cut jobs, as it does not expect the global job market to improve drastically in the near term.

Shares of the company, which will reduce its global workforce by about 7 percent or 400 jobs, fell 15 percent on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

"The progress we saw in the fourth quarter was much slower than what we saw earlier in the year," Monster CEO Sal Iannuzzi told Reuters in an interview. "But the situation is not similar to 2008."

The uncertainty in Europe and the United States is making companies hold back and not commit as much as they normally would, he said.

Iannuzzi said the company, whose revenue mix is split evenly between the United States and the rest of the world, also saw some sluggishness in India and Korea. That will continue in to the first quarter, he said.

The staffing sector -- seen as a barometer of economic health -- has been hit by a slowdown in Europe and an uncertain recovery in the United States, where the unemployment rate currently stands at 8.5 percent.

WEAK FORECAST

The company, which runs the Monster.com recruiting website, expects first-quarter bookings -- an indicator of future revenue -- to drop 6 to 10 percent, and profit to be breakeven to 4 cents a share.

Analysts were estimating 9 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

It also expects to record a pre-tax charge of $30 million to $40 million mostly in the first quarter due to the job cuts and consolidation of some office facilities.

The company expects the restructuring to result in annual savings of about $100 million.

New York-based Monster's fourth-quarter profit was 11 cents a share and revenue was $250 million. Analysts were expecting 12 cents a share and $258.9 million.

Monster's shares, which have lost about a third of their value in the last 12 months, were trading down 14 percent at $7.77 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange. They touched a low of $7.67 earlier in the session.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel, Supriya Kurane)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wr_nm/us_monsterworldwide

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Avastin May Be Helpful Before Breast Cancer Surgery (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of the cancer-fighting medication Avastin to chemotherapy prior to breast cancer surgery increases the chance that all of the cancer will be removed, according to new research.

However, when looking at which patients might benefit the most from this therapy, two recent studies found conflicting results, and neither study was yet able to address whether or not the addition of Avastin (bevacizumab) early in the treatment process would improve survival rates.

Information on survival will be especially important for defining Avastin's role in early breast cancer treatment. That's because in November 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked Avastin's approval for the treatment of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. With metastatic breast cancers, the agency felt the survival benefits were lacking, and the drug carries significant risks. Avastin is, however, still FDA-approved as a treatment for some metastatic colon, brain, kidney and lung cancers.

"The bevacizumab story is not done. The addition of Avastin to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with operable breast cancer increased the rate of women having the disappearance of their breast cancer at the time of surgery," said Dr. Harry Bear, lead author of one of the new studies.

"With more follow-up of these trials and several others, we may find that bevacizumab actually does increase the cure rate. But, it may not be for all breast cancers; it may just be for some," said Bear, a professor and chairman of the division of surgical oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University's Massey Cancer Center in Richmond.

Results of the studies are published in the Jan. 26 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bear's study included more than 1,200 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. None of the women had yet had surgery to remove their tumors. All of the women had tumors that were at least 2 centimeters (about 0.8 inches) in diameter, and none had metastatic cancer.

The women received chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy). They were randomly assigned to treatment groups that included the chemotherapy drugs docetaxel, capecitabine and gemcitabine in various doses and combinations. They were also randomly assigned to receive Avastin or not during their first six cycles of chemotherapy.

The study found that adding capecitabine or gemcitabine to docetaxel therapy didn't improve response rates. But the addition of Avastin increased the rate of "pathological complete response" -- meaning the tumor disappeared before surgery -- from 28.2 percent to 34.5 percent, according to the study.

However, the addition of Avastin also increased the risk of serious side effects, such as high blood pressure and heart problems.

The second study, conducted in Germany, included almost 2,000 women with an average tumor size of 4 centimeters (about 1.6 inches). As in Bear's study, the women were randomly assigned to several neoadjuvant chemotherapy groups. In this study, however, treatment was with docetaxel, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. They were also randomly assigned to receive Avastin or not.

Overall, the odds of pathological complete response were increased by 29 percent with the addition of Avastin. However, when the researchers looked at tumors by hormone receptor status, they found that it was primarily women with triple-negative cancers who showed a significant response to Avastin. Having a triple-negative breast cancer means that a cancer's growth isn't influenced by hormones such as estrogen or progesterone. If a tumor is called hormone receptor-positive, it means that hormones, such as estrogen, can help fuel that cancer's growth.

In Bear's study, the investigators found Avastin had an effect on both hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative cancers, but there appeared to be slightly more benefit for the hormone receptor-positive women.

Bear said a number of factors could explain these seemingly conflicting findings. The differences may have something to do with the women involved in each study, he said. Some of the women in the German study had more advanced cancers. And, the chemotherapy regimens weren't the same, he explained.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said that "these studies suggest that for certain patients, there may be a benefit to using Avastin prior to surgery for breast cancer."

However, Lichtenfeld added, "what we don't know from these studies is which women would benefit the most, and we don't have the long-term follow-up on these women to see if the survival or the course of the disease is improved."

Both Lichtenfeld and Bear acknowledged that because Avastin isn't FDA-approved for the treatment of breast cancers, insurance companies may be reluctant to pay for these treatments outside of a clinical trial setting.

"There still remain significant questions about the benefits of using Avastin in breast cancer," Lichtenfeld pointed out. "There is an increased risk of side effects, and there's a cost to adding this treatment. Based on these two studies, it's difficult to say whether any particular women should consider this treatment. As with many similar research findings, it's important to talk to your own doctor to get a better understanding of your potential risks and benefits," he added.

More information

To learn more about Avastin, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120126/hl_hsn/avastinmaybehelpfulbeforebreastcancersurgery

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Mitt Romney, Hero of Finance

?Creative destruction? is Mitt Romney?s best defense for his career in private equity and the trail of displaced workers some of his ventures left behind. The idea comes from the economist Joseph Schumpeter, who argued that capitalism generates economic growth through ?gales of creative destruction? that sweep away obsolete technologies and products. As Romney?s advocates have it, that?s what his firm, Bain Capital, has advanced?painful economic changes that are essential to a rising standard of living.?

If Romney made his fortune that way, he deserves the praise that some conservatives have lavished on him for contributing to American competitiveness. But that isn?t the whole story. Much of the work of Bain and other private?equity firms has little to do with the kind of wrenching Schumpeterian change that contributes to growth, still less to the job creation for which Romney claims credit.

?

Technological innovation was at the heart of Schumpeter?s vision, and no one today objects to the role of venture capital in financing tech start-ups or to the re-engineering of businesses to take advantage of new technology. Reorganizing firms to exploit special provisions in tax, securities, and bankruptcy laws is a different proposition. That kind of restructuring can be immensely profitable, transferring wealth to investors while making no positive contribution to growth and employment.

?

The standard operating procedure for private equity has been to buy firms, take them private, and load them up with debt. By taking them private, the new owners escape from the securities laws, which apply only to publicly traded companies. By loading them with debt, they cut the companies? taxes because the interest is fully deductible from profits, and they use those tax savings to pay themselves generous fees and dividends. If an overleveraged enterprise then fails, they take it into bankruptcy, firing workers and stiffing creditors even though their own firm has already pocketed large gains. And because private-equity partners can receive those gains as ?carried interest? (taxed only at 15 percent), they benefit from special legal advantages in yet one more way.

?

This kind of restructuring doesn?t just siphon off wealth; it can also interfere with genuine innovation because debt-burdened companies are sometimes starved for capital to invest in new technologies and products. Private equity has generally sought a high return with a quick exit instead of providing patient capital for long-term gains. That?s great for those who are in on the deal, but not for the national economy.

?

Private equity has also contributed to a broader change related to rising economic inequality. Instead of corporations serving a complex of interests?owners, workers, and communities?they have increasingly become wholly dedicated to maximizing returns to owners. This ?shareholder-value revolution? has helped to drive the overexpansion of the financial sector and to funnel the gains from economic growth into fewer hands?Romney?s, for example.

?

That Romney served investors well at Bain, no one doubts. That?s not a credential, however, for solving the nation?s problems. We ought to be reducing the incentives for the maneuvers that enriched Romney?for example, by cutting the deductibility of interest on debt incurred in acquiring companies and raising taxes on ?carried interest? so that financiers pay no lower a tax rate than the rest of us. Good luck with that in a Romney presidency.

?

There is a larger point about Romney?s career and good public policy. The turmoil in the private economy, whether generated by creative destruction or financial manipulation, is a reason we need progressive government. Individual firms cannot be counted on to retrain workers for new jobs or to provide them with long-term security; the very instability of private employment is why workers need to be able to count on government when they get displaced to help them obtain the education and skills to adapt. The best ?national innovation systems? minimize the harms to workers while advancing technological progress.

?

Schumpeter?s 1942 classic, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, was a dour book. A true believer in capitalism, Schumpeter nonetheless thought it was doomed because people wouldn?t put up with creative destruction, and businessmen lacked the heroic qualities to become effective political leaders. He was wrong on both counts. Instead of resisting innovation, we welcome it, and some business leaders, like Steve Jobs, have become popular heroes.?

?

But Romney is no Jobs, and even his most successful investments?Domino?s Pizza, Staples, and Sports Authority?don?t quite make him a Schumpeterian hero. There is one good thing about his candidacy, though. It highlights the inequities that have helped make people like Romney so wealthy and powerful.?

?

Source: http://prospect.org/article/mitt-romney-hero-finance

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Egyptians gather in Cairo to mark uprising

An Egyptian man chants slogans as thousands gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

An Egyptian man chants slogans as thousands gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Egyptian protesters wave the national flag as thousands gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

An Egyptian man holds a newspaper with a photo of the opening session of parliament as thousands gather in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

An Egyptian man wears face paint in the colors of the national flag in Tahrir Square as thousands gather to mark the one year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

CAIRO (AP) ? Tens of thousands of Egyptians rallied Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the country's 2011 uprising, with liberals and Islamists gathering on different sides of Cairo's Tahrir Square in a reflection of the deep political divides that emerged in the year since the downfall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

Groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and their liberal and secular rivals differ over the goals of the revolution and the strategy to achieve them, in particular the relationship with the country's interim military leaders.

Military generals led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi took over from Mubarak when he stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011. The ousted president is now on trial for his life on charges of complicity in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising.

Volunteers from the Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that won just under half of parliament's seats in recent elections, were checking IDs and conducting searches of the thousands flocking to join the protests.

Other Brotherhood followers formed a human chain around a large podium set up overnight by the group. The Brotherhood loyalists were chanting religious songs and shouting, "Allahu Akbar," or God is great.

In contrast, liberals on the other side of the square were chanting, "Down, down with military rule," and demanding that Tantawi, Mubarak's defense minister for nearly 20 years, be executed.

"Tantawi, come and kill more revolutionaries, we want your execution," they chanted, alluding to the more than 80 protesters killed by army troops since October. Thousands of civilians, many of them protesters, have been hauled before military tribunals for trial since Mubarak's ouster.

"We are not here to celebrate. We are here to bring down military rule. They have failed the revolution and met none of its goals," said Iman Fahmy, a 27-year- old pharmacist who wore a paper eye-patch in solidarity with protesters shot in the eye by security forces during recent protests.

Fahmy was among several thousand protesters led by pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei who were marching toward Tahrir Square from a neighborhood on the west bank of the river Nile. Several other marches were proceeding toward Tahrir, raising the possibility of a massive turnout at the square.

Unlike many of the demonstrators, ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate, said that the immediate return of the military to the barracks was not a top priority.

"I don't think that is the issue right now. What we need to agree on is how to exactly achieve the revolution's goals starting by putting down a proper democratic constitution, fixing the economy, security and independent judiciary and media and making sure the people who have killed those people are prosecuted," he told The Associated Press.

There were no army troops or police in Tahrir Square, birthplace of the 18-day, anti-Mubarak uprising that began on Jan. 25, 2011.

Liberal and left-leaning groups behind Mubarak's ouster say that, except for putting Mubarak on trial, the generals have left the old regime largely in place. They say that the Brotherhood has tacitly accepted this, concentrating its efforts on winning parliamentary seats rather than working for the realization of the uprising's goals ? social justice, democracy and freedom.

"You have the parliament, the marshal (Tantawi) is in power and the revolutionaries are in prison," a man shouted at a Brotherhood supporter carrying the blue flag of the group's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party.

The Brotherhood is the largest single bloc in the new, 508-seat parliament, which held its inaugural session on Monday. The group's supporters have mostly stayed away from recent protests demanding the military immediately step down, arguing that it was time for elections rather than street protests.

But the liberal and leftist groups maintain that the revolution must continue until remnants of Mubarak's 29-year regime are removed from public life and government, and until those responsible for the killing of protesters are brought to justice.

"I am not here to celebrate. I am here for a second revolution," said Attiya Mohammed Attiya, a 35-year-old father of four children who is unemployed. "The military council is made of remnants of the Mubarak regime. We will only succeed when we remove them from power," said Attiya.

The Brotherhood's election win came in the nation's freest election in decades, held in stages over a six-week period starting Nov. 28. Another Islamist group, the ultraconservative Salafis, won about a quarter of the seats, while liberals and independents could only garner under 10 percent of the seats.

The Brotherhood was outlawed for most of the 84 years since its inception, subjected to repeated crackdowns by successive governments. Under Mubarak, hundreds of them were jailed on trumped-up charges.

"We are the political force that paid the heaviest price," said Alaa Mohammed, a teacher and Brotherhood supporter. "Thanks to the military council, we had the cleanest elections ever, and the military protected the revolution."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-25-ML-Egypt/id-52dd3645f38a4587a1d2d458fdaa6641

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Global Update: Abortion: Worldwide Rate Stopped Falling After 2003

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The world?s abortion rate, which began declining steadily in the 1990s, has stopped falling, according to a new study.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=102959e646820b5323a2275137e9ec78

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Romney: Gingrich 'failed leader' (Politico)

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. ? Mitt Romney landed here Sunday with a simple message: Newt Gingrich is a failure and a fraud. And a disgrace. And a hapless showman.

Standing under a brilliant orange Florida sunset, Romney delivered his longest sustained critique of the South Carolina primary winner to date ? ticking through a list as if he were reading off Gingrich?s Wikipedia page, and undercutting each item as he got to it.

Continue Reading

?Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader,? the former Massachusetts governor said. ?He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don?t know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace.

Romney continued: ?He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership.?

Then Romney got into Gingrich?s post-congressional career.

?Over the last 15 years since he left the House, he talks about great bold movements and ideas,? he told the crowd of several hundred people gathered at a building materials company here. ?Well, what?s he been doing for 15 years? He?s been working as a lobbyist, yeah, he?s been working as a lobbyist and selling influence around Washington.?

To cap the riff, Romney brought it back to Florida?s depressed housing market, and the role Freddie Mac, for which Gingrich worked, played in the real estate crash here. And he renewed his demand that Gingrich release records of the work he did for the housing lender.

?What was his work product there? What was he doing at Freddie Mac? Because Freddie Mac figures in very prominently in the fact that people in Florida have seen home values go down ? it?s time to turn that around!?

But he wasn?t done: Romney laid into Gingrich?s bombastic stage presence that?s helped him so much on the stump and in the campaign?s many debates ? the next of which is coming up Monday night.

?We?re not choosing a talk show host, all right? We?re choosing a leader, we?re choosing the person who should be the leader of the free world,? Romney said.

Romney kicked off his campaign for Florida?s Jan. 31 primary here at an outdoor rally on the site of a home building materials supply company. The change in tone comes after one of the candidate?s South Carolina drubbing, losing to Gingrich by more than 12 points and 75,000 votes.

Romney?s anti-Gingrich tear was the latest iteration of a change in focus that began in the waning days of the South Carolina contest. No longer is he laser-focused on President Barack Obama and a general election argument. Though Romney?s boilerplate critiques of the president remained in his 15-minute address, the whoops and cheers from the crowd and the energy in Romney voice peaked when he spoke about Gingrich, who handed him a 12-point loss Saturday in South Carolina.

Romney had some help ripping into his again-surging rival. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, in her introduction, referred to Romney as ?not arrogant.? She then touted his family life ? and though she didn?t mention Gingrich by name, the contrast she was making was hardly subtle.

?Before I became attorney general, I got to know Mitt and Ann Romney,? Bondi said. ?And they are good people of the highest integrity and the highest morals and they are a good, strong family.?

That idea was then picked up by Ann Romney, as she made the evening?s lone mention of the criticism Romney faced for refusing to release his tax returns last week ? he changed course on ?Fox News Sunday? and pledged a Tuesday release for his 2010 returns and an estimate of his 2011 filings.

?I understand Mitt?s going to release his tax forms this week,? she said. ?I want to remind you where we know our riches are. Our riches are with our families. It is the American way, and I am proud of my husband and I am proud of all the accomplishments he?s made in his life.?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71802_html/44267761/SIG=11mtq1dbe/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71802.html

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Aretha Franklin Calls Off Engagement After Only 3 Weeks!

Aretha Franklin Calls Off Engagement After Only 3 Weeks!

Aretha Franklin, 69, has canceled her upcoming wedding to longtime friend Willie Wilkerson. The singer confirms the engagement is off, just three weeks after announcing [...]

Aretha Franklin Calls Off Engagement After Only 3 Weeks! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/gitblsOLJAQ/

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European LG Optimus Black Gingerbread update rolling out now

It's been a long time coming, but European owners of the LG Optimus Black should finally be starting to see some Gingerbread. Optimus Blackl owners in India also should be seeing this update.

We first heard about the updates for the Optimus range way back in October, and now it's the turn of the Black to be pushed up to Gingerbread. The 2.3.4 update is rolling out as version V20N. 

New features touted include improved power management, support for new media formats, shortcuts, widgets, better auto-focus on the camera and Google+ pre-installed. 

The update is reported to be available currently via LG's software update tool right now. It still hurts a little that updates to Gingerbread are still rolling out, but LG has made no secret of its ICS plans.

Sources: AndroidOS.in; HDBlog.it; thanks to everone who sent this in

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/5GOPtJnhyPE/story01.htm

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The nation's weather (AP)

Wet and snowy weather will persist in the West as snow returns Sunday to the Northern Plains and upper Midwest. A strong low pressure system spinning over the Pacific will push another cold front onshore throughout the day. This system will bring rain showers to the Pacific Northwest and northern California, with heavy snow showers expected in the mountains. The Cascades may see 3 to 7 inches of new snow, and the Sierra Nevadas another 7 to 9 inches of snow.

Strong winds will develop ahead of this front, with gusts from 35 to 45 mph, up to 75 mph at the highest mountain peaks. High wind and winter weather advisories remain in effect in these areas.

Elsewhere, a low pressure system over the central and northern Rockies will advance eastward into the Plains, producing 1 to 3 inches of snow across the Dakotas and upper Midwest. Late Sunday, a cold front will develop south of this system, bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms to the Mississippi River Valley. There is a slight chance storms will turn severe in the Tennessee Valley and mid-Mississippi River valley. The back side of this system will spread lingering snow showers over the Rockies.

The East Coast will see a break in wet weather as a low pressure system and associated frontal boundary moves offshore into the Atlantic. High pressure will build over the Northeast and extend down the East Coast, allowing for a dry and mild day before another system quickly approaches from the central U.S.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states ranged Saturday from a morning low of -25 degrees at Land O' Lakes, Wis., to a high of 91 degrees at Bonifay, Fla.

___

Online:

Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com

National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov

Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_us/us_weatherpage_weather

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Coordinated sect attack kills 143 in north Nigeria

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks is transported in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

A victim of Friday's bomb blast and gun attacks lies in Murtala Muhammad specialist hospital in Kano, Nigeria Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Coordinated attacks claimed by a radical Islamist sect killed at least 120 people in north Nigeria's largest city, hospital records seen Saturday show, as gunfire still echoed around some areas of the sprawling city. (AP Photo/Salisu Rabiu)

KANO, Nigeria (AP) ? A coordinated attack by a radical Islamist sect in north Nigeria's largest city killed at least 143 people, a hospital official said Saturday, representing the extremist group's deadliest assault since beginning its campaign of terror in Africa's most populous nation.

Soldiers and police officers swarmed Kano's streets as Nigeria's president again promised the sect known as Boko Haram would "face the full wrath of the law." But the uniformed bodies of security agents that filled a Kano hospital mortuary again showed the sect can strike at will against the country's weak central government.

Friday's attacks hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police in Kano, a city of more than 9 million people that remains an important political and religious center in the country's Muslim north. A suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with powerful explosives outside a regional police headquarters, tearing its roof away and blowing out windows in a blast felt miles away as its members escaped jail cells there.

Authorities largely refused to offer casualty statistics as mourners began claiming the bodies of their loved ones to bury before sundown, following Islamic tradition. However, a hospital official told The Associated Press at least 143 people were killed in the attack.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the death toll to journalists. The toll could still rise, since other bodies could be held at other clinics and hospitals in the sprawling city.

State authorities enforced a 24-hour curfew in the city, with many remaining home as soldiers and police patrolled the streets and setup roadblocks. Gunshots echoed through some areas of the city into Saturday morning.

Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, a spokesman for the Nigerian Red Cross, said volunteers offered first aid to the wounded, and evacuated those seriously injured to local hospitals. A survey of two hospitals by the Red Cross showed at least 50 people were injured in Friday's attack, he said.

A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in a message to journalists Friday. He said the attack came because the state government refused to release Boko Haram members held by the police.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Saturday that he was "shocked and appalled" by the attacks in the former colony.

"The full horror of last night's events is still unfolding, but we know that a great many people have died and many more have been injured," Hague said in a statement. "The nature of these attacks has sickened people around the world and I send my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of those killed and to those injured."

The U.S. Embassy said it had canceled all staff travel to northern Nigeria after Friday's attacks.

President Goodluck Jonathan also condemned an attack he said saw innocent people "brutally and recklessly cut down by agents of terror."

"As a responsible government, we will not fold our hands and watch enemies of democracy, for that is what these mindless killers are, perpetrate unprecedented evil in our land," Jonathan said in a statement. "I want to reassure Nigerians ... that all those involved in that dastardly act would be made to face the full wrath of the law."

But Jonathan's government has repeatedly been unable to stop attacks by Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa language of Nigeria's north. The group has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people.

Authorities blamed Boko Haram for at least 510 killings last year alone, according to an AP count, including an August suicide bombing on the U.N. headquarters in the country's capital Abuja. So far this year, the group has been blamed for at least 219 killings, according to an AP count.

Boko Haram recently said it specifically would target Christians living in Nigeria's north, but Friday's attack saw its gunmen kill many Muslims. In a recent video posted to the Internet, Imam Abubakar Shekau, a Boko Harm leader, warned it would kill anyone who "betrays the religion" by being part of or sympathizing with Nigeria's government.

"I swear by Allah we will kill them and their killing will be nothing to us," Shekau said. "It will be like going to prayers at 5 a.m."

Friday's attacks also could cause more unrest, as violence in Kano has set off attacks throughout the north in the past, including postelection violence in April that saw 800 people killed. Kano, an ancient city, remains important in the history of Islam in Nigeria and has important religious figures there today.

Amid the recent unrest and attacks, at least two journalists have been killed in Nigeria. Journalist Enenche Akogwu, who worked as a correspondent in Kano for private news station Channels Television, was shot Friday while reporting on the attacks, colleagues said. In central Nigeria's city of Jos, Nansok Sallah, a news editor for a government-owned radio station called Highland FM, was found dead in a shallow stream Thursday, the victim of an apparent murder, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

___

Salisu Rabiu in Kano, Nigeria, and Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report.

___

Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-21-AF-Nigeria-Violence/id-0892dda1a87142b086049ca3d579798e

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GOP race turns to new terrain in Florida (The Arizona Republic)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190117383?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Nevada brush fire leaves 26 homes in ruins (Reuters)

RENO, Nevada (Reuters) ? A fierce brush fire on the outskirts of northern Nevada's largest city left 26 houses in ruins, but most of the thousands of people chased from their homes were allowed to return even as a major freeway remained closed on Friday, officials said.

By morning, a team of 400 firefighters working with hand tools and bulldozers had managed to carve containment lines around half of the blaze's perimeter, said Mark Regan, a spokesman for the Sierra Fire Protection District.

Authorities said one person was found dead in the fire zone, but it was not immediately clear whether the individual was a victim of the blaze. No further details of the death were given, and no other fatalities or major injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire, which erupted on Thursday afternoon in the Pleasant Valley area south of Reno, remained under investigation, and assessment teams were assembling to survey the damage, Regan said, adding that 26 homes had been confirmed as lost.

At least 2,000 people remained under evacuation as of noon local time on Friday, down from 10,000 residents urged to leave their homes in Washoe County at the height of the fire threat on Thursday, he told Reuters.

The blaze, driven by gale-force wind gusts through parched scrubland, has scorched more than 3,800 acres, prompting the evacuation of 14 communities as it burned north toward the city.

In their haste to save farm animals, authorities opened gates of livestock pens to release horses and cattle onto nearby roads so they could roam out of harm's way on their own.

But by evening, firefighters had managed to halt the forward advance of the blaze at the southern outskirts of Reno, keeping the fire from reaching a metropolitan area of about 420,000 people.

In an added twist, the fire also forced Vice President Joe Biden to cut short a visit to Reno on Thursday. A high school where he spoke to students and parents about college affordability was later evacuated as flames crept to within 500 yards of the building.

Reduced visibility from heavy smoke, along with fallen power lines and debris, prompted authorities to close a 16-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 395, the main route linking Reno to Nevada's capital, Carson City, to the south.

The Nevada State Patrol said the highway remained closed on Friday until further notice, forcing motorists trying to reach Carson City or Lake Tahoe from Reno to take lengthy detours.

The fire was the latest in a string of disasters to strike in and around Reno in recent months. A deadly Amtrak collision 70 miles east of the city killed six people in June of last year.

In September, a gunman opened fire in a Carson City pancake house, killing four people before committing suicide. Also in September, a vintage plane nose-dived near the grandstand at a Reno air race, killing 11 people.

A fire on the edge of Reno in November blackened at least 2,000 acres of suburban scrubland, damaged dozens of homes and was blamed for the death of an elderly man who suffered a heart attack and lost control of his car while fleeing with his wife.

"It is inconceivable that this community has been struck by tragedy once again," Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval told reporters Thursday night. He declared a state of emergency for the fire.

(Additional reporting and writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120120/us_nm/us_fire_nevada

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Gas pump prices at record high on supply concerns (AP)

Americans aren't likely to find much relief from high prices at the gas pump as they go about paying their post-holiday bills.

Retail gas prices are at their highest levels ever for this time of year despite ample supplies and declining demand. That's because tension in the Persian Gulf has kept crude oil prices around $100 per barrel for most of the month.

Analysts say oil prices are likely to remain at those levels until there is more clarity about what will happen in the Gulf, where Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. and other countries impose more sanctions on its nuclear program.

Iranian imports are banned in the U.S., but Iran supplies 2.2 million barrels per day to the rest of the world, mainly Asia and Europe.

Both oil and gasoline futures have moved in a narrow range for most of the month. In addition to the Iranian situation, investors are concerned about the European debt crisis and whether it will impact the global economy.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to discuss possible sanctions against Iran, including an oil embargo, at a Monday meeting. Many analysts doubt that Iran could set up a blockade without swift military intervention from the U.S., but any supply shortages would cause oil supplies to tighten.

The national average for gasoline was $3.382 per gallon Friday, which was about 17 cents more than it was a month ago and nearly 27 cents more than a year ago, according to AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. Drivers in California, Illinois and parts of the Northeast paid the highest prices while the lowest prices were in the Rocky Mountains and parts of the Midwest.

Gas prices will go up or down based on what happens with Iran, PFGBest analsyt Phil Flynn said. If the situation calms down, retail gas prices could fall from 25 cents to 50 cents a gallon. If the situation intensifies, prices could increase by the same amount.

"It's that much of a wild card," Flynn said. "I think it's a very volatile situation and I think we could go either way."

High gas prices have been affected in previous years by a stronger economy because consumers have more to spend on filling their tanks. Although the U.S. economy is improving slowly, Flynn said many consumers still have habits that they picked up during the recession ? such as watching how much they spend on gas and finding ways to combine trips in the car.

The Energy Department said this week that crude supplies fell slightly last week but remain above the average level for this time of year. Gasoline supplies rose with demand for gasoline over the four weeks ended Jan. 13 about 6 percent lower than a year ago.

In a sign of weaker demand for oil and gas, Hovensa LLC this week announced plans to close a major refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands next month that produced about 350,000 barrels per day. The company has incurred losses of $1.3 billion over the past three years and expected losses to continue in the slower global economy. That could lead to tighter supplies in the months ahead, Flynn said.

Flynn and other analysts have speculated that the national average for gas could reach $4 per gallon by spring, ahead of the summer driving season. Refiners will switch to more expensive anti-smog blends during the warmer summer months. The average price of gas was almost $4 a gallon last May when oil hit $114 a barrel.

Benchmark oil fell $2.21 to end at $98.33 per barrel Friday in New York. The price has ranged from about $98 per barrel to around $103 per barrel this month. Brent crude fell $1.69 to finish at $109.86 per barrel in London.

In other trading, natural gas fell 2 cents to finish at $2.34 per 1,000 cubic feet. The price remains near a 10-year low because a mild winter for much of the U.S. has cut demand and supplies are plentiful. Heating oil fell 5 cents to end at $2.99 per gallon. Gasoline futures fell 3 cents to finish at $2.78 per gallon.

___(equals)

AP Energy Writer Chris Kahn contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gasoline_prices

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