Can sanctions deter North Korea?


























Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military


Kim Jong Un and his military





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STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • N. Korea said Thursday it plans to carry out new nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches

  • It said they are part of new phase of confrontation with United States

  • George A. Lopez says North Korea's aim is to be recognized as a 'new nuclear nation by fait accompli'

  • The Security Council sanctions aim to deteriorate and disrupt N. Korea's programs, says Lopez




Editor's note: George A. Lopez holds the Hesburgh Chair in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame. He is a former member, UN Panel of Experts on DPRK.


Indiana, U.S. (CNN) -- North Korea has responded to new Security Council sanctions condemning its December 12 rocket launch with a declaration that it plans a third nuclear test and more missile launches. Politically, it has made unambiguous that its "aim" is its enemy, the United States.


In this rapid reaction to U.N. sanctions, the young government of Kim Jong Un underscores what Security Council members have long known anticipated from the DPRK. Their end-game is to create a vibrant, integrated missile and nuclear weapons program that will result - as in the cases of Pakistan and India - in their being recognized as a new nuclear nation by fait accompli.


Read more: North Korea says new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S.


In light of DPRK defiance - and a soon to occur nuclear test - the Security Council's first set of sanctions on North Korea since 2009 may seem absurd and irrelevant. These sanctions will certainly not prevent a new DPRK nuclear test. Rather, the new sanctions resolution mobilizes regional neighbors and global actors to enforce sanctions that can weaken future DPRK programs and actions.










Read more: U.N. Security Council slams North Korea, expands sanctions


The utility, if not the necessity, of these Security Council sanctions are to deteriorate and disrupt the networks that sustain North Korea's programs. Chances of this degradation of DPRK capabilities have increased as the new sanctions both embolden and empower the member states who regularly observe - but do nothing about - suspicious vessels in their adjacent waterways.


The resolution provides new guidance to states regarding ship interdiction, cargo inspections, and the seizure and disposal of prohibited materials. Regarding nuclear and missile development the sanctions expand the list of material banned for trade to DPRK, including high tech, dual-use goods which might aid missile industries.


Read more: South Korean officials: North Korean rocket could hit U.S. mainland


These new measures provide a better structure for more effective sanctions, by naming new entities, such as a bank and trading companies, as well as individuals involved in the illicit financing of prohibited materials, to the sanctions list. To the surprise of many in the diplomatic community - the Council authorizes states to expose and confiscate North Korea's rather mobile "bulk cash." Such currency stocks have been used in many regions to facilitate purchases of luxury goods and other banned items that sustain the DPRK elites.


Finally, the Security Council frees the Sanctions Committee to act more independently and in a timely manner to add entities to the list of sanctioned actors when evidence shows them to be sanctions violators. This is an extensive hunting license for states in the region that can multiply the costs of sanctions to the DPRK over time.


Read more: North Korea's rocket launches cost $1.3 billion


Whatever their initial limitations, the new round of U.N. sanctions serve as a springboard to more robust measures by various regional and global powers which may lead back to serious negotiations with DPRK.


Despite its bluster and short-term action plan, Pyongyang recognizes that the wide space of operation for its policies it assumed it had a week ago, is now closed considerably. To get this kind of slap-down via this Security Council resolution - when the launch was a month ago - predicts that any nuke test or missile launch from Pyongyang will bring a new round of stronger and more targeted sanctions.


Read more: North Korea silences doubters, raises fears with rocket launch


Although dangerous - a new game is on regarding DPRK. Tougher U.N. measures imposed on the North generated a predictable response and likely new, prohibited action. While DPRK may be enraged, these sanctions have the P5 nations, most notably China, newly engaged. A forthcoming test or launch will no doubt increase tensions on both sides.


But this may be precisely the shock needed to restart the Six Party Talks. Without this institutional framework there is little chance of influencing DPRK actions. And in the meantime, the chances of greater degrading of DPRK capabilities via sanctions, are a sensible next best action.


Read more: Huge crowds gather in North Korean capital to celebrate rocket launch


The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of George A. Lopez.






Read More..

Fox News, Palin cutting ties






NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News Channel is parting ways with former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, ending her three-year tenure as a contributor on the network.


While Palin’s time at Fox was occasionally rocky, the network’s news executive, Bill Shine, said Friday that “we have thoroughly enjoyed our association” with her.






“We wish her the best in her future endeavors,” said Shine, Fox’s executive vice president for programming.


A person familiar with discussions between Fox and Palin described the parting as amicable, saying that Fox and Palin had discussed renewing her contract but she decided to do other things. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.


Palin’s lawyer in Alaska, John Tiemessen, had no immediate comment on her exit. Palin’s last appearance on Fox News was Dec. 19 on Greta Van Susteren‘s show.


Palin signed to deliver commentary on Fox in January 2010, reportedly for $ 1 million a year. It was a coup for both sides at the time; the former Alaska governor was a little more than a year removed from her attention-getting run for the vice presidency and was considered one of the leading contenders for the 2012 presidential nomination. At Fox, she had a platform on the most popular network for conservative viewers. Fox installed equipment in Palin’s Wasilla, Alaska, home to make her regular appearances easier.


But there were some indications of tension between her and Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, who was quoted in a 2011 story by The Associated Press saying, “I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.”


When Palin announced she would not be a candidate in 2012, she said it on a conservative radio show, which didn’t sit well with the company paying her to be a contributor. Palin took to her Facebook page late last summer to complain that Fox had cancelled her appearances one night at the GOP national convention; Fox said it was simply because the GOP had to condense its speaker schedule due to a hurricane.


Four years removed from her vice presidential candidacy, Palin’s influence had waned and she was somewhat overshadowed as a contributor at Fox by Karl Rove, former President George W. Bush‘s top political aide. Rove recently renewed his contract at Fox through the 2016 election.


With four more years of a Barack Obama administration in power, Fox recently hired former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich as a contributor.


Entertainment News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Wall Street Week Ahead: Bears hibernate as stocks near record highs






NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks have been on a tear in January, moving major indexes within striking distance of all-time highs. The bearish case is a difficult one to make right now.


Earnings have exceeded expectations, the housing and labor markets have strengthened, lawmakers in Washington no longer seem to be the roadblock that they were for most of 2012, and money has returned to stock funds again.






The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.spx> has gained 5.4 percent this year and closed above 1,500 – climbing to the spot where Wall Street strategists expected it to be by mid-year. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> is 2.2 percent away from all-time highs reached in October 2007. The Dow ended Friday’s session at 13,895.98, its highest close since October 31, 2007.</.dji></.spx>


The S&P has risen for four straight weeks and eight consecutive sessions, the longest streak of days since 2004. On Friday, the benchmark S&P 500 ended at 1,502.96 – its first close above 1,500 in more than five years.


“Once we break above a resistance level at 1,510, we dramatically increase the probability that we break the highs of 2007,” said Walter Zimmermann, technical analyst at United-ICAP, in Jersey City, New Jersey. “That may be the start of a rise that could take equities near 1,800 within the next few years.”


The most recent Reuters poll of Wall Street strategists estimated the benchmark index would rise to 1,550 by year-end, a target that is 3.1 percent away from current levels. That would put the S&P 500 a stone’s throw from the index’s all-time intraday high of 1,576.09 reached on October 11, 2007.


The new year has brought a sharp increase in flows into U.S. equity mutual funds, and that has helped stocks rack up four straight weeks of gains, with strength in big- and small-caps alike.


That’s not to say there aren’t concerns. Economic growth has been steady, but not as strong as many had hoped. The household unemployment rate remains high at 7.8 percent. And more than 75 percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are above their 26-week highs, suggesting the buying has come too far, too fast.


MUTUAL FUND INVESTORS COME BACK


All 10 S&P 500 industry sectors are higher in 2013, in part because of new money flowing into equity funds. Investors in U.S.-based funds committed $ 3.66 billion to stock mutual funds in the latest week, the third straight week of big gains for the funds, data from Thomson Reuters’ Lipper service showed on Thursday.


Energy shares <.5sp10> lead the way with a gain of 6.6 percent, followed by industrials <.5sp20>, up 6.3 percent. Telecom <.5sp50>, a defensive play that underperforms in periods of growth, is the weakest sector – up 0.1 percent for the year.</.5sp50></.5sp20></.5sp10>


More than 350 stocks hit new highs on Friday alone on the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones Transportation Average <.djt> recently climbed to an all-time high, with stocks in this sector and other economic bellwethers posting strong gains almost daily.</.djt>


“If you peel back the onion a little bit, you start to look at companies like Precision Castparts , Honeywell , 3M Co and Illinois Tool Works – these are big, broad-based industrial companies in the U.S. and they are all hitting new highs, and doing very well. That is the real story,” said Mike Binger, portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, in Shoreview, Minnesota.


The gains have run across asset sizes as well. The S&P small-cap index <.spcy> has jumped 6.7 percent and the S&P mid-cap index <.mid> has shot up 7.5 percent so far this year.</.mid></.spcy>


Exchange-traded funds have seen year-to-date inflows of $ 15.6 billion, with fairly even flows across the small-, mid- and large-cap categories, according to Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group, in New York.


“Investors aren’t really differentiating among asset sizes. They just want broad equity exposure,” Colas said.


The market has shown resilience to weak news. On Thursday, the S&P 500 held steady despite a 12 percent slide in shares of Apple after the iPhone and iPad maker’s results. The tech giant is heavily weighted in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> and in the past, its drop has suffocated stocks‘ broader gains.</.ndx>


JOBS DATA MAY TEST THE RALLY


In the last few days, the ratio of stocks hitting new highs versus those hitting new lows on a daily basis has started to diminish – a potential sign that the rally is narrowing to fewer names – and could be running out of gas.


Investors have also cited sentiment surveys that indicate high levels of bullishness among newsletter writers, a contrarian indicator, and momentum indicators are starting to also suggest the rally has perhaps come too far.


The market’s resilience could be tested next week with Friday’s release of the January non-farm payrolls report. About 155,000 jobs are seen being added in the month and the unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 7.8 percent.


“Staying over 1,500 sends up a flag of profit taking,” said Jerry Harris, president of asset management at Sterne Agee, in Birmingham, Alabama. “Since recent jobless claims have made us optimistic on payrolls, if that doesn’t come through, it will be a real risk to the rally.”


A number of marquee names will report earnings next week, including bellwether companies such as Caterpillar Inc , Amazon.com Inc , Ford Motor Co and Pfizer Inc .


On a historic basis, valuations remain relatively low – the S&P 500′s current price-to-earnings ratio sits at 15.66, which is just a tad above the historic level of 15.


Worries about the U.S. stock market’s recent strength do not mean the market is in a bubble. Investors clearly don’t feel that way at the moment.


“We’re seeing more interest in equities overall, and a lot of flows from bonds into stocks,” said Paul Zemsky, who helps oversee $ 445 billion as the New York-based head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management. “We’ve been increasing our exposure to risky assets.”


For the week, the Dow climbed 1.8 percent, the S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent and the Nasdaq advanced 0.5 percent.


(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)


Business News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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REPEAT-BMO: Investing Strategies Should Vary With Age and Stage






TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Jan 26, 2013) – As the March 1st deadline approaches to contribute to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), BMO reminds Canadians to take their age, anticipated life goals and milestones into consideration when developing their investment strategies.


According to a study by BMO Financial Group:






  • Sixty per cent of Canadian investors have time frames or target dates in mind to reach their financial goals.

  • Eighty-nine per cent agree that it is important to hold investments that evolve over time to become less risky as key life events approach.

  • However, only 49 per cent currently hold investments that become less risky over time.

“Whether retirement is many years away, just around the corner or already here, there are strategies investors can implement now to make the most of their money,” said Steven Shepherd, Vice President, Investment Strategist, BMO Asset Management Inc. “By making wise choices and reviewing their financial plan regularly, investors of all ages and stages can ensure they are on track to reaching their retirement goals.”


BMO offers the following investing strategies for each life stage:


In Your 20s – Getting That First Job:


  • Though you may be just starting off your career and cannot even imagine retirement, it is not too early to think about establishing a long-term financial plan.

  • With years to your advantage, consider taking a more aggressive approach to your asset mix by diversifying with a higher mix of equities compared to fixed income instruments or cash.

  • Pay down debt and try to save as much money as possible.

In Your 30s and 40s – Family and Big Purchases:


  • You may be getting married, raising a family, saving for a child”s education and making large purchases such as a house, car or cottage.

  • Build a relatively balanced portfolio across all asset classes. Include a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help save for your child”s post-secondary education.

  • Set up a Continuous Savings Plan that automatically puts money into your RRSP. Investing smaller amounts regularly is easier than coming up with a lump sum at the end of the year, and it allows you to take advantage of dollar cost averaging for any investments that fluctuate with the market.

  • Some employers will match your RRSP contributions up to a maximum, so be sure to contribute enough to take full advantage.

In Your 50s and 60s – Serious Business:


  • Retirement is on the horizon – start strengthening your retirement savings by shifting investments from a long-term to a mid-term focus and taking a low-risk approach.

  • Consider a conservative asset mix with a good portion of fixed income instruments such as GICs. 

  • Create a snapshot of how much you own to help you understand how your assets could help fund your future. For instance, an RRSP can be a source of income during retirement while other accounts can pay for a child”s education or a major purchase.

  • Pay off outstanding debts.

In Your 60s and Older – Looking at Retirement Head-On:


  • Adjust your financial plan to achieve your ideal retirement lifestyle, whether that includes taking early retirement or an extended trip, or launching a second career.

  • Consider income-generating investments coupled with a conservative asset mix.

  • Maximize your RRSP contributions and consider an RRSP loan for making catch-up contributions, as you will only be able to contribute to your RRSP until the year you turn 71.

  • Review and update the beneficiary designations for RRSPs, Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs), TFSAs and insurance policies.

To assist Canadians in choosing investments that match their current age, life stage and risk tolerance, BMO SelectClass® Portfolios* come in four portfolios options designed to align with different client risk profiles. Whether an investor is conservative, bold or somewhere in between, or they are approaching key life events and want a portfolio that matches their risk level, there is a portfolio tailored to that investor. Additionally, investors can transfer money between SelectClass Portfolios in a tax efficient manner. This type of portfolio design can give investors confidence that they can be financially prepared for retirement.


For more information on saving for retirement, please visit www.bmo.com/retirement.


Get the latest BMO press releases via Twitter by following @BMOmedia.


Risk is generally the uncertainty of a return and the potential capital loss in your investment.


The following are general comments and do not constitute financial advice by BMO Financial Group. Investors should always seek advice from a qualified financial advisor prior to investing.


*BMO SelectClass Portfolios are offered by BMO Investments Inc., a financial services firm and separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.


Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus of the mutual fund before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.


Marketwire News Archive – Yahoo! Finance





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Wall Street Week Ahead: Bears hibernate as stocks near record highs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks have been on a tear in January, moving major indexes within striking distance of all-time highs. The bearish case is a difficult one to make right now.


Earnings have exceeded expectations, the housing and labor markets have strengthened, lawmakers in Washington no longer seem to be the roadblock that they were for most of 2012, and money has returned to stock funds again.


The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> has gained 5.4 percent this year and closed above 1,500 - climbing to the spot where Wall Street strategists expected it to be by mid-year. The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> is 2.2 percent away from all-time highs reached in October 2007. The Dow ended Friday's session at 13,895.98, its highest close since October 31, 2007.


The S&P has risen for four straight weeks and eight consecutive sessions, the longest streak of days since 2004. On Friday, the benchmark S&P 500 ended at 1,502.96 - its first close above 1,500 in more than five years.


"Once we break above a resistance level at 1,510, we dramatically increase the probability that we break the highs of 2007," said Walter Zimmermann, technical analyst at United-ICAP, in Jersey City, New Jersey. "That may be the start of a rise that could take equities near 1,800 within the next few years."


The most recent Reuters poll of Wall Street strategists estimated the benchmark index would rise to 1,550 by year-end, a target that is 3.1 percent away from current levels. That would put the S&P 500 a stone's throw from the index's all-time intraday high of 1,576.09 reached on October 11, 2007.


The new year has brought a sharp increase in flows into U.S. equity mutual funds, and that has helped stocks rack up four straight weeks of gains, with strength in big- and small-caps alike.


That's not to say there aren't concerns. Economic growth has been steady, but not as strong as many had hoped. The household unemployment rate remains high at 7.8 percent. And more than 75 percent of the stocks in the S&P 500 are above their 26-week highs, suggesting the buying has come too far, too fast.


MUTUAL FUND INVESTORS COME BACK


All 10 S&P 500 industry sectors are higher in 2013, in part because of new money flowing into equity funds. Investors in U.S.-based funds committed $3.66 billion to stock mutual funds in the latest week, the third straight week of big gains for the funds, data from Thomson Reuters' Lipper service showed on Thursday.


Energy shares <.5sp10> lead the way with a gain of 6.6 percent, followed by industrials <.5sp20>, up 6.3 percent. Telecom <.5sp50>, a defensive play that underperforms in periods of growth, is the weakest sector - up 0.1 percent for the year.


More than 350 stocks hit new highs on Friday alone on the New York Stock Exchange. The Dow Jones Transportation Average <.djt> recently climbed to an all-time high, with stocks in this sector and other economic bellwethers posting strong gains almost daily.


"If you peel back the onion a little bit, you start to look at companies like Precision Castparts , Honeywell , 3M Co and Illinois Tool Works - these are big, broad-based industrial companies in the U.S. and they are all hitting new highs, and doing very well. That is the real story," said Mike Binger, portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, in Shoreview, Minnesota.


The gains have run across asset sizes as well. The S&P small-cap index <.spcy> has jumped 6.7 percent and the S&P mid-cap index <.mid> has shot up 7.5 percent so far this year.


Exchange-traded funds have seen year-to-date inflows of $15.6 billion, with fairly even flows across the small-, mid- and large-cap categories, according to Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group, in New York.


"Investors aren't really differentiating among asset sizes. They just want broad equity exposure," Colas said.


The market has shown resilience to weak news. On Thursday, the S&P 500 held steady despite a 12 percent slide in shares of Apple after the iPhone and iPad maker's results. The tech giant is heavily weighted in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx> and in the past, its drop has suffocated stocks' broader gains.


JOBS DATA MAY TEST THE RALLY


In the last few days, the ratio of stocks hitting new highs versus those hitting new lows on a daily basis has started to diminish - a potential sign that the rally is narrowing to fewer names - and could be running out of gas.


Investors have also cited sentiment surveys that indicate high levels of bullishness among newsletter writers, a contrarian indicator, and momentum indicators are starting to also suggest the rally has perhaps come too far.


The market's resilience could be tested next week with Friday's release of the January non-farm payrolls report. About 155,000 jobs are seen being added in the month and the unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 7.8 percent.


"Staying over 1,500 sends up a flag of profit taking," said Jerry Harris, president of asset management at Sterne Agee, in Birmingham, Alabama. "Since recent jobless claims have made us optimistic on payrolls, if that doesn't come through, it will be a real risk to the rally."


A number of marquee names will report earnings next week, including bellwether companies such as Caterpillar Inc , Amazon.com Inc , Ford Motor Co and Pfizer Inc .


On a historic basis, valuations remain relatively low - the S&P 500's current price-to-earnings ratio sits at 15.66, which is just a tad above the historic level of 15.


Worries about the U.S. stock market's recent strength do not mean the market is in a bubble. Investors clearly don't feel that way at the moment.


"We're seeing more interest in equities overall, and a lot of flows from bonds into stocks," said Paul Zemsky, who helps oversee $445 billion as the New York-based head of asset allocation at ING Investment Management. "We've been increasing our exposure to risky assets."


For the week, the Dow climbed 1.8 percent, the S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent and the Nasdaq advanced 0.5 percent.


(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)



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Azarenka wins back-to-back Australian titles


MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Victoria Azarenka won her second consecutive Australian Open title, beating Li Na 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a dramatic final that contained a break for fireworks, two medical timeouts and a nasty fall to the court by Li.


The Chinese star first tumbled to the court after twisting her left ankle in the fifth game of the second set and had it taped.


On the first point after a 10-minute pause in the third set while fireworks boomed overhead from nearby Australia Day celebrations, Li fell over again and slammed the back of her head on the court. The 2011 French Open champion was treated and had another timeout before being allowed to resume the match.


Azarenka, who broke down in tears and sobbed into her towel when the match ended, won five of the next six games to claim her second major title and retain the No. 1 ranking.


"Unfortunately, you have to go through some rough patches to achieve great things. That's what makes it so special for me," she said. "I went through that, and I'm still able to kiss that beautiful trophy."


Serena Williams, who lost in the quarterfinals, will become the new No. 2 in the rankings.


The 2-hour, 40-minute match featured 16 service breaks, with Li losing her service nine times.


On a crisp Saturday night, Azarenka won the coin toss and elected to receive, a ploy that seemed to work when a nervous Li was broken to start the match. After a double fault on the first point, Li's forehand long gave Azarenka the early lead.


When she first injured her ankle, Li was trailing 3-1 in the second set. When she came back, she won three of the next four games to tie it 4-4, but Azarenka broke back and then held her serve.


Azarenka broke in the opening game of the final set, just two games before the match was suspended for the fireworks, a planned stoppage of play that both players were notified about before the match.


While Azarenka jogged around and practiced her serving motion during the 10-minute fireworks break, Li sat on her courtside chair for most of the stoppage.


It was on the first point that she again fell to the court.


Li said she went "totally black" for two seconds after her head hit the court, and when a medical official asked her to follow her finger, "I started laughing, thinking 'This is a tennis court, not like a hospital.'"


Li said the tournament doctor saw her after the match and checked out her head and neck.


"I should be OK,' Li said.


From the outset, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena was firmly behind Li, cheering loudly when she was introduced. Meanwhile, Azarenka's errors were applauded, and one spectator even mocked the loud hooting sound she makes when she hits a shot.


The chill from the crowd was a remnant of Azarenka's semifinal win over American teenager Sloane Stephens, when Azarenka was criticized for taking a questionable 10-minute medical timeout near the end of the match. She was accused of taking the time out to compose herself after she'd wasted five match points while serving for the match against Stephens. Azarenka said she needed the time out because a rib injury was making it difficult for her to breathe and she had a knee injury.


In the second set Saturday, a few fans heckled Azarenka. One man yelled, "Take a deep breath, Vicky."


By the end of the match, she appeared to have won some of the fans back. Azarenka's friend, rapper Redfoo, yelled down to her from the player box "You deserve it," and she later blew kisses to the crowd. Someone else in the crowd shouted "Victoria, we love you."


Azarekna appeared to quickly forgive the crowd, saying during the trophy presentations that she wanted to thank the fans for their support.


"I will always keep very special memories of this court and it will be in my heart forever," she said, pausing several times to find the right words. "Of course, I (almost) forgot to say congratulations to Li Na, she's had a terrific start to the year ... hope to see you in many, many more finals."


Azarenka and Li had met twice before in Grand Slam tournaments, with Li winning both times — in the fourth round of the 2011 Australian Open and quarterfinals at the French Open. Li lost the 2011 Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters but won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros a few months later, beating Francesca Schiavone.


But after failing to advance past the fourth round at any major in 2012, Li hired Carlos Rodriguez, Justine Henin's former coach. The hard training he's put her through in the past four months appears to be paying dividends.


Li won a WTA tournament in China before travelling to Australia, where she advanced to the semifinals at the Sydney International.


In the men's final on Sunday, Novak Djokovic will attempt to win his third consecutive Australian Open against U.S. Open champion Andy Murray. Djokovic has had the benefit of an extra day off after an easy three-set win over David Ferrer on Thursday night, while Murray needed a tough five-setter to defeat Roger Federer.


Murray has predicted a tough match with long rallies against Djokovic, the player he beat in the final at Flushing Meadows in September.


"I'm ready for the pain," he said. "I hope it's a painful match, that will mean it will be a good one."


In the other final Sunday to end the year's first Grand Slam, the unseeded pairs of Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden of Australia and the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak play for the mixed doubles championship.


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Cantor CEO: 'Off the fiscal cliff we go'






Part of complete coverage on















By Ramy Inocencio, for CNN


January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1453 GMT (2253 HKT)









STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • "U.S. fiscal cliff still coming" in form of failure to raise debt ceiling - Cantor Fitzgerald CEO

  • More than 25% of CEOs feel world economy will get worse in 2013, says PwC survey

  • U.S. House of Representatives passed short-term debt ceiling increase Jan. 23

  • Lutnick: "Dumb lending" caused 2008 credit crisis




Hong Kong (CNN) -- The world thought the U.S. fiscal cliff deadline was December 31, but "the fiscal cliff is (still) coming", says Howard Lutnick, CEO of global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.


"You're going to watch the U.S. do crazy, crazy things this year," Lutnick told CNN's Richard Quest at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The Republican Party that was elected to control Congress... (is) going to cross their arms and they are not going to raise the debt ceiling ultimately unless they get severe spending cuts, and the Obama administration is not going to give it to them."


If Congress fails to act, the U.S. and the world economy will have a "dreadful" 2013, Lutnick said.


Following this week's PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of global CEO confidence, Lutnick appears to be one of the more than 25% who think the world economy is more likely to deteriorate in 2013.








Despite Lutnick's concerns, on January 23 the Republican-controlled House of Representatives did pass a bill that would allow the U.S. Treasury to borrow new money through mid-May. President Barack Obama has said he would not oppose the proposal if it reaches his desk, although he prefers a long-term debt ceiling increase.


Lutnick adds that to avoid a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, regulators need to actually address issues that caused it.


"What caused the credit crisis was just dumb lending. When you lend money to people who can't pay you back, you go broke."


Looking ahead to 2013, Lutnick says the biggest risk to global growth is the U.S. hitting the debt ceiling -- whether in the short- or long-term.


"Off the fiscal cliff we go. We (the U.S.) are irrational and we are silly... we are dopey."












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Voice of Te’o prankster? Couric plays voicemails






NEW YORK (AP) — The person Manti Te’o says was pretending to be his online girlfriend told the Notre Dame linebacker “I love you” in voicemails that were played during his interview with Katie Couric.


Taped earlier this week and broadcast Thursday, the hour-long talk show featured three voicemails that Te‘o claims were left for him last year. Te’o said they were from the person he believed to be Lennay Kekua, a woman he had fallen for online but never met face-to-face.






After the first message was played, Te’o said: “It sounds like a girl, doesn’t it?”


“It does,” Couric responded.


The interview was the All-American’s first on camera since his tale of inspired play after the deaths of his grandmother and girlfriend on the same day in September unraveled as a bizarre hoax in an expose by Deadspin.com on Jan. 16.


Te’o's parents appeared with him for part of the interview and backed up his claim that he wasn’t involved in the fabrication, saying they, too, had spoken on the phone with a person they believed to be Kekua.


Couric addressed speculation that the tale was concocted by Te’o as a way to cover up his sexual orientation. Asked if he were gay, Te’o said “no” with a laugh. “Far from it. Faaaar from that.”


He also said he was “scared” and “didn’t know what to do” after receiving a call on Dec. 6 — two days before the Heisman Trophy presentation — from a person who claimed to be his “dead” girlfriend.


The first voicemail, he said, was from what was supposed to be Kekua’s first day of chemotherapy for leukemia.


“Hi, I am just letting you know I got here and I’m getting ready for my first session and, um, just want to call you to keep you posted. I miss you. I love you. Bye,” the person said.


In the second voicemail, the person was apparently upset by someone else answering Te’o's phone.


The third voicemail was left on Sept. 11, according to Te’o, the day he believed Kekua was released from the hospital and the day before she “died.”


“Hey babe, I’m just calling to say goodnight,” the person on the voicemail said. “I love you. I know that you’re probably doing homework or you’re with the boys. … But I just wanted to say I love you and goodnight and I’ll be ok tonight. I’ll do my best. Um, yeah, so get your rest and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you so much, hon. Sweet dreams.”


Couric suggested the person who left those messages might have been Ronaiah Tuisasosopo, a 22-year-old man from California, who Te’o said has apologized to him for pulling the hoax.


“Do you think that could have been a man on the other end of the phone?” she asked.


“Well, it didn’t sound like a man,” Te’o said. “It sounded like a woman. If he somehow made that voice, that’s incredible. That’s an incredible talent to do that. Especially every single day.”


Tuiasosopo has not spoken publicly since news of the hoax broke. The Associated Press has learned that a home in California where Te’o sent flowers to the Kekua family was once a residence of Tuiasosopo and has been in his family for decades.


Also on Thursday, the woman whose pictures were used in fake online accounts for Kekua said Tuiasosopo confessed to her in a 45-minute phone conversation as the scheme unraveled.


Diane O’Meara spoke with The Associated Press in a telephone interview. She said Tuiasosopo told her he’d been “stalking” her Facebook profile for five years and stealing photos.


O’Meara’s attorney, Jim Artiano, said they had not decided on whether to take any legal action.


The 23-year-old O’Meara, of Long Beach, Calif., said she knew Tuiasosopo from high school and he contacted her through Facebook on Dec. 16. She said that, over the next three weeks, Tuiasosopo got in touch with her several times, attempting to get photos and video of O’Meara. She said he made up a story about wanting them to help cheer up a cousin who was injured in a car crash.


O’Meara learned her identity had been stolen on Jan. 13 when she was contacted by Deadspin.com.


The next day she got in touch with Tuiasosopo.


“When I contacted Ronaiah I got a very bizarre vibe from him, he became very nervous, he wasn’t asking the questions I expected. He was asking ‘Who contacted you? What did they say?’” O’Meara said.


Later that day, he confessed, O’Meara said. She said she asked Tuiasosopo why he didn’t simply stop the hoax.


“He told me he wanted to end the relationship,” O’Meara said. “He said he wanted to stop the relationship between Lennay and Manti, but Manti didn’t want Lennay to break up with him … He said he tried to stop the game many times.”


When news of the hoax broke a few days later, O’Meara said she received a text from Tuiasosopo asking her to call him as soon as possible. O’Meara said she didn’t respond.


___


Associated Press writer Tami Abdollah contributed to this report from Los Angeles.


Entertainment News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Get Your Estate Plan in Gear






When Ginnie and Alan wrote me previously, they were feeling nervous about their portfolio’s ability to last through what they hoped would be a long and fruitful retirement. But this couple wasn’t thinking only about themselves. As parents of a daughter with special needs, they were seeking guidance on what to do to ensure that their child would be able to remain independent and have enough money to cover her needs. Their 20-something daughter was employed and living on her own nearby, but she relied on them for ongoing financial support.


I gave them my ideas on how to improve their portfolio, and I also suggested that they consult an attorney about setting up a special-needs trust. But I stopped short of providing them with specific guidance on their leaving a legacy for their daughter–even though I have a special-needs loved one in my life and feel knowledgeable about the topic.






While I strongly believe that you can tackle many aspects of financial planning on your own, without the assistance of a professional, estate planning–the process of distributing one’s assets after death–isn’t one of them. True, it’s not hard to find do-it-yourself wills and other estate-planning materials on the Internet. But the topic is extremely complicated, and the right solution is specific to each individual. The tax laws related to estate planning have also undergone swift changes during the past several years and may change again in the years ahead, too. If you’re creating or updating an estate plan, it’s essential that you seek the advice of an attorney who’s well-versed in the key issues. Not only can a professional ensure that your assets are distributed and that your health care proceeds in accordance with your wishes, but he or she can also do so with an eye toward reducing the tax burden on those assets.


Of course, any time you hear the word “attorney,” it’s natural to worry about the costs you’ll rack up. You might be tempted to postpone creating an estate plan, assuming that you need to have a lot of assets to make the process worthwhile. Alternatively, many individuals wait until they have children to create an estate plan. But everyone–regardless of life stage or the size of their portfolio–should think about hiring an attorney to draft the basic estate-planning documents: a will, a living will, and powers of attorney.


Before you hire an estate-planning attorney to draft or update your estate plan, it’s important to understand your role in the estate-planning process. Your estate plan will be the most effective if you spend some time at the outset finding the right attorney for your needs and thinking through what you’re trying to achieve as well as whom you trust to see your wishes through.


Here are the key steps to take:


1) Find a qualified attorney.
Because your estate plan will likely need to be updated as the years go by and your personal circumstances change, it makes sense to find an attorney who practices in the community where you live. That way, you can meet with him or her on an ongoing basis if need be.


Start by asking friends and colleagues for referrals. If you have a specific situation that is likely to affect your estate plan–for example, if you’re a small-business owner or if you have a special-needs child–it’s ideal to seek referrals from other individuals who are in a similar situation. The website for the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a nonprofit organization, allows you to search for highly qualified estate-planning attorneys in your area.


Before you select an attorney, it’s perfectly reasonable to conduct a basic informational interview. (If the attorney is unwilling to answer these questions without charging you, that should be your cue to move on.)


Ask the following:


How long have you been practicing law?
How long have you been practicing this type of law?
How many estates have you settled?
What is the typical asset level for your clients?
Do you have experience with situations like mine? (Blended/divorced family, business owner, special-needs child, child with chemical dependency, etc.)
How do you charge for your services? What is an estimate of the charges for my estate plan?
Do you have experience with tax planning? (Particularly important for large estates) As you speak with a prospective estate-planning attorney, also weigh the intangibles. Do you like this person, and would you be comfortable supplying him or her with personal information about your finances and family situation?


2) Take stock of your assets.
Before you meet with your attorney, spend some time enumerating your assets and their value: your investment accounts as well as life insurance, personal assets such as your home, and your share of any businesses that you own. Also gather current information about any debts outstanding. Your estate-planning attorney is likely to provide you with a worksheet to document your assets and liabilities, but it’s helpful to collect this information in advance.


3) Identify key individuals.
Another important aspect of estate planning is identifying the individuals you trust to ensure that your wishes are carried out once you’re gone. You’ll need individuals to fill the following key roles. (Note that the same individual can fulfill more than one role.)


Executor: A person who gathers all of your assets and makes sure that they are distributed as spelled out in your will. This person must be extremely detail-oriented and comfortable with numbers and should also be able to find the time to work on your estate. Many people call upon family members to serve as executors, but it’s also possible–and in some cases desirable–to hire a professional (such as a bank trust officer) to serve as your executor.


Durable (or Financial) Power of Attorney: A person you entrust with making financial decisions on your behalf if you should become disabled and unable to manage your own financial affairs. It’s important that this person understand your general wishes, in this case about your financial affairs. Your durable power of attorney should also be detail-oriented and adept with financial matters.


Power of Attorney for Health Care: A person you entrust with making health-care decisions on your behalf if you are disabled and unable to make them on your own. Ideally, this is a person who lives in close geographic proximity to you and who also understands your general wishes about your own health care.


Guardian: A person who would look after your children if you and your spouse were to die when your children are minors. That’s unlikely to happen, of course, but it’s still important to give the decision due consideration. You want your child’s guardian to share your and your spouse’s values and views on parenting, and it’s also important that the guardian you choose be willing to raise your kids if called upon to do so. Financial wherewithal and acumen should also be considerations.


It’s possible to designate two guardians–one to look after your children and another to look after your children’s financial assets–although that’s usually not desirable because the two guardians may disagree on various matters.


4) Know the key documents you need.
When you meet with your estate-planning attorney, he or she will make recommendations about your estate plan and that, in turn, will determine which documents you need. At a minimum, however, you should ask your attorney to draft the following:


Last Will and Testament: A legal document that tells everyone–including your heirs–how you would like your assets distributed after you’re gone.


Living Will: A document that tells your loved ones and your health-care providers how you would like to be cared for if you should become terminally ill; usually includes details about your views toward life-support equipment. (Called a “medical directive” in some states.)


Medical Power of Attorney: A document that gives an individual the power to make health-care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.


Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney: A document that gives an individual the power to make financial decisions and execute financial transactions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.


5) Manage your documents.
Once your estate-planning documents are drafted, destroy any older versions of them. You must also keep the documents in a safe place, either in a home safe, in the top drawer of a secure file cabinet in your home, or in your safe-deposit box. The downside of storing these documents in a safe-deposit box is that your loved ones may have difficulty accessing them in the event of your death or incapacity.


Notify your executor of the whereabouts of your estate-planning documents, and provide copies of the relevant documents to your executor, powers of attorney, and the guardian for your children. When you hand off these documents to your various agents, it’s also a good time to discuss your wishes with them. Creating a master directory can provide your heirs with an invaluable overview of your assets and accounts; just be sure to keep it in a safe place.


6) Plan to keep your plan current.
Last but not least, plan to keep your estate plan current. One of the biggest estate-planning pitfalls is drafting an estate plan but not bothering to keep it up to date. Plan to notify your estate-planning attorney, and possibly revise your documents, if you experience any of the following:


Change in marital or family status (for example, marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of child)
Major change in assets–either sale or purchase
Major change in financial status
Death or ill health of one of your beneficiaries
Death or ill health of executor, power of attorneys, guardianA version of this article appeared Feb. 19, 2010.


See More Articles by Christine Benz


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S&P 500 eyes best winning streak in eight years

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Friday, buoyed by sturdy corporate earnings from Procter & Gamble and Honeywell, with the S&P 500 poised for its longest winning streak in more than eight years.


The strong start for the equity market this year has been attributed to solid corporate results, agreement in Washington to extend the government's borrowing power, encouraging signs from the global economy and seasonal inflows into stocks.


Those factors helped the S&P 500 rally for a seventh day on Thursday to a five-year peak. Still, the index struggled to climb convincingly above 1,500, a level it surpassed briefly Thursday for the first time since December 2007.


If the S&P 500 rises for an eighth day on Friday it will be its longest winning streak since late 2004, when it rallied for nine straight days.


"We are seeing a very broad-based rally and the ingredients are still in place," said Steve Goldman, principal at Goldman Management in Short Hills, New Jersey. "This is the lift-off phase and it's still significant."


Procter & Gamble , the world's top household products maker, said quarterly profit soared past expectations and raised its sales and earnings outlook for the fiscal year. Shares rose 3.5 pct to $72.93.


The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> gained 27.45 points, or 0.20 percent, to 13,852.78. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> rose 4.19 points, or 0.28 percent, to 1,499.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> added 8.63 points, or 0.28 percent, to 3,139.01.


Honeywell International Inc posted fourth-quarter earnings just above Wall Street estimates, reflecting the diversified U.S. manufacturer's campaign to boost profit margins in the face of sluggish sales growth. The shares rose 0.9 percent to $68.82.


Pointing to a rotation out of bonds, U.S. 30-year Treasury bonds traded more than a point lower in price on Friday, with yields touching session highs at 3.10 percent.


"You have had more confidence from fund managers to provide more allocations to equity markets," which looked more attractive than bonds or cash, said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management.


Recent company earnings have been encouraging. Thomson Reuters data through early Thursday showed that of the 133 S&P 500 companies that have reported earnings so far, 66.9 percent exceeded expectations, more than the 65 percent average over the past four quarters.


Microsoft Corp reported lower quarterly profit on Thursday as Office software sales slowed ahead of a new launch, offsetting a solid but unspectacular start for its Windows 8 operating system and sending the company's shares down 0.2 percent to $27.51.


Apple stepped up audits of working conditions at major suppliers last year, discovering multiple cases of underage workers, discrimination and wage problems. The shares, which fell 12 percent Thursday after disappointing earnings, were little changed at around $450.93.


German business morale improved for a third consecutive month in January to its highest in more than half a year, providing further evidence that growth in Europe's largest economy was gathering speed after contracting late last year.


Echoing a more positive tone in Europe, ECB President Mario Draghi said on Friday he expects the euro zone economy to recover later this year, and that financial market improvements had not yet trickled into the general economy.


(Editing by Bernadette Baum)



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Murray edges Federer, reaches Australian final


MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Andy Murray has finally beaten Roger Federer at a Grand Slam.


The U.S. Open champion beat 17-time major winner Federer 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 Friday at the Australian Open, calling it a massive confidence boost as he attempts to win his second consecutive major.


Murray, who missed his chance to serve out the match at 6-5 in the fourth set, will play defending champion and top-seeded Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. Djokovic cruised past David Ferrer in straight sets in just under 90 minutes — 2 1/2 hours less than Murray's semifinal.


Advantage Djokovic.


There was some controversy in that 12th game of the fourth set when Federer appeared to glare and say something to Murray when the Scotsman stopped momentarily behind the baseline during the rally.


Murray ignored it after winning the point, but conceded serve in that game and lost the ensuing tiebreaker before regrouping in the fifth set.


"I mean, it wasn't a big deal," Federer said. "We just looked at each other one time. That's OK, I think. We were just checking each other out for bit. That wasn't a big deal for me — I hope not for him."


While Murray came into the match with a 10-9 career advantage, Murray had never beaten Federer in their three previous meetings at a major — the finals of the 2008 U.S. Open, 2010 Australian Open and last year at Wimbledon.


"It's always tough against him, when he plays in Slams is when he plays his best tennis," Murray said. "When his back was against the wall at 6-5 and I was serving, he came up with some unbelievable shots. I just had to keep fighting."


Federer outplayed Murray at stages of the match, but the 25-year-old Scotsman appeared to have the legs and stamina over the 31-year-old Federer in the fifth set, including a service break to clinch the tense match.


"It's big. I never beat Roger in a Slam before. It definitely will help with the confidence," Murray said. "Just knowing you can win against those guys in big matches definitely helps."


Federer said he was playing catch-up all night.


"Definitely it was more of a chase," Federer said. "I think I had my chances a little bit. Obviously, you're going to go through a five-setter with some regrets. But overall, I think Andy was a bit better than I was tonight."


With a capacity crowd of 15,000 at Rod Laver Arena watching, including the Australian legend Laver himself, Federer opened the match serving and was in trouble early, losing a 28-rally point to set up break point for Murray. But Federer held the game with a stunning cross-court forehand that just looped over the net from the baseline.


Murray, who had not lost a set through five rounds at Melbourne Park this year, had the first service break — on his fourth break point — to lead 2-1. It came in unusually cool summer conditions in Melbourne — breezy and temperatures of only 60 degrees during most of the match.


The crowd was initially evenly split between Federer and Murray supporters — and at times, they were competing to be heard. At one point in the second set, a group of Murray fans wearing white shirts with blue letters spelling his nickname "Muzza" stood to chant Murray's name, while a group of Federer supporters with Swiss flags on their cheeks and shirts chanted Federer's name.


Earlier Friday, top-seeded Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy won the first title of 2013 at Melbourne Park, beating the unseeded Australian pair of Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 for the women's doubles championship.


The 16-year-old Barty was attempting to become the youngest Grand Slam champion since Martina Hingis won the Australian Open singles title in 1997.


On Saturday, defending champion Victoria Azarenka plays sixth-seeded Li Na of China for the women's singles title. Li lost the Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters in 2011 two months before winning her first and only Grand Slam at the French Open.


"Last time was more exciting, (more) nervous because it was my first time to be in a final," Li said. "But I think this time (I'm) more calmed down, more cool."


Azarenka leads 5-4 in career matches, including the last four times they've played.


"I'm really hungry to defend my title," said Azarenka, who needs to beat Li to retain her No. 1 ranking. "I've put myself in the position to give it the best shot."


If Li win, Serena Williams will regain the No. 1 ranking.


Also on Saturday, American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan will play their fifth consecutive Australian Open doubles final and attempt to win their record 13th Grand Slam doubles championship. They'll play the Dutch pair of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling.


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Neanderthal cloning? Pure fantasy




A display of a reconstruction of a Neanderthal man and boy at the Museum for Prehistory in Eyzies-de-Tayac, France.




STORY HIGHLIGHTS


  • Arthur Caplan: It would be unethical to try and clone a Neanderthal baby

  • Caplan: Downsides include a good chance of producing a baby that is seriously deformed

  • He says the future belongs to what we can do to genetically engineer and control microbes

  • Caplan: Microbes can make clean fuel, suck up carbon dioxide, clean fat out of arteries




Editor's note: Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty professor and director of the Division of Bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center.


(CNN) -- So now we know -- there won't be a Neanderthal moving into your neighborhood.


Despite a lot of frenzied attention to the intentionally provocative suggestion by a renowned Harvard scientist that new genetic technology makes it possible to splice together a complete set of Neanderthal genes, find an adventurous surrogate mother and use cloning to gin up a Neanderthal baby -- it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.


Nor should it. But there are plenty of other things in the works involving genetic engineering that do merit serious ethical discussion at the national and international levels.



Arthur Caplan

Arthur Caplan



Some thought that the Harvard scientist, George Church, was getting ready to put out an ad seeking volunteer surrogate moms to bear a 35,000-year-old, long-extinct Neanderthal baby. Church had to walk his comments back and note that he was just speculating, not incubating.



Still cloning carries so much mystery and Hollywood glamour thanks to movies such as "Jurassic Park," "The Boys From Brazil" and "Never Let Me Go" that a two-day eruption of the pros and cons of making Neanderthals ensued. That was not necessary. It would be unethical to try and clone a Neanderthal baby.




Why? Because there is no obvious reason to do so. There is no pressing need or remarkable benefit to undertaking such a project. At best it might shed some light on the biology and behavior of a distant ancestor. At worst it would be nothing more than the ultimate reality television show exploitation: An "Octomom"-like surrogate raises a caveman child -- tune in next week to see what her new boyfriend thinks when she tells him that there is a tiny addition in her life and he carries a small club and a tiny piece of flint to sleep with him.


The downsides of trying to clone a Neanderthal include a good chance of killing it, producing a baby that is seriously deformed, producing a baby that lacks immunity to infectious diseases and foods that we have gotten used to, an inability to know what environment to create to permit the child to flourish and a complete lack of understanding of what sort of behavior is "normal" or "appropriate" for such a long-extinct cousin hominid of ours.


When weighed against the risks and the harm that most likely would be done, it would take a mighty big guarantee of benefit to justify this cloning experiment. I am willing to venture that the possible benefit will never, ever reach the point where this list of horrible likely downsides could be overcome.


Even justifying trying to resurrect a woolly mammoth, or a mastodon, or the dodo bird or any other extinct animal gets ethically thorny. How many failures would be acceptable to get one viable mastodon? Where would the animal live? What would we feed it? Who would protect it from poachers, gawkers and treasure hunters? It is not so simple to take a long dead species, make enough of them so they don't die of isolation and lack of social stimulation and then find an environment that is close enough and safe enough compared with that which they once roamed.


In any event the most interesting aspects of genetic engineering do not involve making humans or Neanderthals or mammoths. They involve ginning up microbes to do things that we really need doing such as making clean fuel, sucking up carbon dioxide, cleaning fat out of our arteries, giving us a lot more immunity to nasty bacteria and viruses and helping us make plastics and chemicals more efficiently and cheaply.


In trying to make these kinds of microbes, you can kill all you want without fear of ethical condemnation. And if the new bug does not like the environment in which it has to exist to live well, that will be just too darn bad.


The ethical challenge of this kind of synthetic biology is that it can be used by bad guys for bad purposes. Biological weapons can be ginned up and microbes created that only infect people with certain genes that commonly associate with racial or ethnic groups.


Rather than worry about what will happen to real estate values should a new crop of "Flintstones" move in down the street, our public officials, religious groups and ethicists need to get serious about how much regulation the genetic engineering of microbes needs, how can we detect what terrorists might try to use, what sort of controls do we need to prevent accidents and who is going to pay if a bug turns out to cause more harm than good.


We love to think that the key to tomorrow lies in what humanity can be designed or empowered to do. Thus, the fascination with human cloning. In reality, at least for a long time to come, the future belongs to what we can do to design and control microbes. That is admittedly duller, but it is far better to follow a story that is true than one such as Neanderthal cloning that is pure, speculative fantasy.


Follow @CNNOpinion on Twitter.


Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion.


The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Arthur Caplan.






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Country singer Gary Allan’s new album gets label’s early push






NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – The release of country music singer Gary Allan’s new album “Set You Free,” this week, his first since undergoing vocal surgery in 2010, was not meant to happen so soon.


But when his record label, MCA Nashville, saw his new song “Every Storm (Runs out of Rain),” race up the charts in September, the label pushed the album’s release up two months from March.






“I’ve been doing this forever and it usually goes the other way,” Allan told Reuters. “It’s super exciting for me.”


Now in its 20th week on Billboard’s country chart, “Every Storm (Runs out of Rain),” peaked last week at No. 4 and has been downloaded some 685,000 times, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


Allan, 45, who has scored three country chart toppers in his 17-year career, said his latest hit was the right song at the right time for a country politically divided and seemingly down on its luck.


“It’s a song about hope,” he said. “Sometimes a song really resonates with people and the public because of the timing of its release. This is a time when our country needs hope and I think that’s why it’s doing so well.”


Allan’s voice is stronger on the album and he credits surgery he underwent in 2010 to remove a polyp from his vocal cords, which made it difficult for him to sing high notes.


“I don’t think I realized it really, but there were a few years where I couldn’t hit the falsetto notes on songs like ‘Smoke Rings in the Dark.’ After the surgery, it was like I was 18 again,” he said.


Allan, a California native who often plays down-home American rodeos and state fairs, is best known as a brooding troubadour who likes to pack an emotional punch.


TEAM OF RIVALS


“I don’t want to hear songs about how sunshiny things are,” he said. “I don’t like songs that feel like radio candy … I like the ones that make you think, laugh or cry – they pull some kind of emotion out of you.”


Allan for the first time played a part in writing every song on “Set You Free” to achieve that sentiment. He also used a team of rivals to freshen up his sound on his ninth studio album.


“I think you need to do something new to keep reinventing yourself,” he said. “I used three different producers and we were all a little competitive with each other to see who could get the best songs,” he said.


“The result was we got better quality in the songs and the recording. It’s my favorite album I’ve ever done.”


Among his favorite songs on the album is “One More Time,” a song about the death of his father in 2008, written with Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren – co-writers on “Every Storm.”


“We just wanted to write an introspective song,” Allan said. “We kept thinking ‘What would you say when you got to the pearly gates?’, and what I would say is ‘I want one more time, I’m not ready to be there.’”


Another song, “Pieces,” describes Allan’s life philosophy.


“No matter who you meet in life, you take something from them, positive or negative,” Allan said. “That’s what the song is about, pieces of what I’ve been through and of the people I’ve met.”


MCA Nashville is part of Universal Music Group, a subsidiary of France’s Vivendi SA.


(Reporting by Vernell Hackett, editing by Eric Kelsey, desking by G Crosse)


Music News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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World Bank approves $500 million loan for Tunisia






Tunis (Reuters) – The World Bank has approved a $ 500 million loan to Tunisia to support its 2013 budget and help its economy after the first Arab Spring uprising that toppled its former ruler, a minister said on Thursday.


Two years after the revolution that ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, increasing numbers of Tunisians are staging street protests to demand jobs and economic development.






The new loan follows another of the same amount last November to support economic recovery by providing funds to improve the business and financial sectors and reform social services.


The World Bank approved a loan of $ 500 million to support Tunisia‘s budget in 2013,” Riadh Bettaib, minister of investment and international cooperation, said.


Tunisia, whose uprising sparked political changes across North Africa, said in November it is seeking a $ 2.5 billion loan from the IMF, and Fund officials said last Friday discussions were under way to establish what was needed.


Tunisia‘s Islamist-led government has sought to revive the economy hit by a decline in trade with Europe and by policy disputes between secularists and hardline Salafi Islamists.


Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank, said on Wednesday in Tunis he was optimistic about the future of Tunisia though it needed painful reforms to revive its economy.


Economy News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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In the Garden: The Garden in Winter






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Wall Street opens lower after Apple results


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened lower on Thursday, a day after Apple Inc reported revenue that missed expectations, tanking the stock and weighing on technology shares.


As the most valuable U.S. company and a heavy weight in both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 <.ndx>, a decline in Apple shares has an outsized impact on the broader market. Apple dropped 10.5 percent to $459.84 in early trading.


The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 21.73 points, or 0.16 percent, at 13,801.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 2.16 points, or 0.14 percent, at 1,492.65. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 24.98 points, or 0.79 percent, at 3,128.69.


(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Bernadette Baum)



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No. 1 Duke routed by No. 25 Miami 90-63


CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — With a steady din coming from the sea of orange behind the visitors' basket, No. 1 Duke had a tough time making a shot.


The Blue Devils went more than 8 minutes without a field goal in the first half Wednesday night, and a sellout became a blowout for No. 25 Miami, which delighted a boisterous crowd with a 90-63 victory.


The defeat was the third-worst ever for a No. 1 team. The last time Duke lost a regular-season game by a bigger margin was in January 1984.


"It wasn't demoralizing; they played better," Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. "I believe we have them on the schedule again."


"We expected them to be terrific, and we have to match terrific, and then you have a terrific game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "What you had was a terrific win for them, but not a terrific game. We didn't hold our end of the bargain."


Miami (14-3, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat a No. 1 team for the first time, taking control with a stunning 25-1 run midway through the opening half. The Blue Devils missed 13 consecutive shots despite numerous good looks, while four Hurricanes hit 3-pointers during the run that transformed a 14-13 deficit into a 38-15 lead.


Duke (16-2, 3-2) fell to 0-2 when playing on an opponent's court. The Blue Devils' other loss came at North Carolina State, a defeat that cost them the No. 1 ranking.


They regained the top spot this week but seemed rattled by the capacity crowd, only the 10th in 10 years at Miami's on-campus arena. Students began lining up for seats outside the arena almost 24 hours before tipoff, a rarity for the attendance-challenged Hurricanes.


"I don't know how you can sit outside for a basketball game for that long," Miami guard Durand Scott said. "That made me want to win for them even more."


The Hurricanes, who are alone atop the league standings, won their sixth consecutive game. They beat Duke for the second straight time — but only the fourth time in the 19-game series.


Miami had been 0-6 against No. 1 teams. Coach Jim Larranaga also beat a No. 1 team for the first time.


"This is a great memory," Larranaga said.


Scott scored a season-high 25 points for the Hurricanes, and Kenny Kadji added a season-high 22. Shane Larkin had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Durham, N.C. native Julian Gamble had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.


Miami senior center Reggie Johnson came off the bench in his first action since being sidelined with a broken left thumb Dec. 18. He had two points and five rebounds in 16 minutes.


The Hurricanes, ranked this week for the first time in three years, improved to 8-0 at home.


Seth Curry, Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook went a combined 1 for 29 for the Blue Devils, who shot a season-low 30 percent. Sulaimon led them with 16 points.


Duke went 4 for 23 from 3-point range, while Miami went 9 for 19 and shot 57 percent overall.


"Especially in the first couple of minutes, we got a lot of great shots," Blue Devils forward Mason Plumlee said. "You're going to miss some, but you have to keep shooting. The biggest mistake you can make is questioning your shot because you're missing open shots."


Kadji made two 3s during the Hurricanes' first-half spurt, then capped it with a three-point play. Duke shot 22 percent in the first half, including two for 11 on 3-pointers, and trailed 42-19 at halftime.


There was no letup by the Hurricanes to start the second half. They scored the first seven points for a shocking 49-19 lead, and punctuated the drubbing with five dunks in the final 10 minutes.


"Some teams come out in the second half flat and think they have the game won," Larkin said, "but we stayed with it with the same energy in the second half. We played great the whole game."


A Duke mistake — one in a long series — early in the second half had Krzyzewski red-faced and on the court, screaming at his team. But he couldn't inspire a turnaround.


"Over-rated," fans chanted with 3 minutes left. When the game ended, they poured onto the court and mobbed their team.


"The crowd I'm sure helped them some," Krzyzewski said. "But they didn't need much help."


Back in North Carolina, fans of the Tar Heels savored the loss by their rivals. When the final score of the Duke game was posted on the video board at the North Carolina-Georgia Tech game, students chanted, "Go to hell, Duke!"


___


AP Sports Writer Joedy McCreary in Chapel Hill, N.C., contributed to this report.


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