On selfish genes and human behaviour

I?m safely back from my honeymoon, and I was catching up on the Scientific American articles when I found one that quite disturbed me. I don?t usually use this blog as a forum for thoughts about things that aren?t bacteria, but this is something I found important, particularly as I?ve spent most of the holiday reading Mary?Midgely books.

The article is by Michael Shermer, and you can read it here. It?s about human deception and deception-deception (the process by which we?deceive?ourselves into believing our deceptions). Called ?the lies we tell ourselves? I?ll do a quick summary here:

It starts off the main argument with the quote: ?A selfish gene model of evolution dictates that we should maximise our reproductive success through cunning and deceit?. It then points out that due to game theory we are aware that everyone else is also using cunning and deceit, which means the best way to go is to ?feign transparency and honesty and lure them into complacency before ?you defect and grab the spoils?. He finishes off with the idea that this is where morality comes from: ?It is not enough to fake being a good person ? you actually have to be a good person by believing it yourself and acting accordingly.?

So that is how human?behaviour?works. If you?re a cunning, sneaky, nasty person it?s because that?s how your genes tell you to be. If you?re a good, honest and truthful person it?s because you?ve successfully managed to buy your ?own con.

Is this way of thinking justified?

No.

Starting at the beginning then with that wonderful ?selfish-gene model of evolution?. The ?selfish gene? was a?metaphor?used by Dawkins to explain gene-based evolution. Genes are not literally selfish any more than rocks are. And selfish was just one word, ?opportunistic? might have been a better one, because genes don?t work alone. Many of them need other genes, or entire gene clusters in order to function. They need proteins, and the study of protein evolution and epigenetics is an exciting subject in its own right. There?s been some interesting work as well into lipid evolution and how the composition of the cell membrane when cells divide can determine their fate. No gene is an island.

And even if ?selfish? is a useful metaphor to explain genetic behavour, why on earth is it a sensible idea to abstract that up to human behaviour? Sure our genes help to determine our behavour, but so do our proteins, our neurons, our cells, our social surroundings and a whole host of other factors. Individual cells in the human body are not selfish, they are in fact highly cooperative and communist. Each cell must obey orders exactly, and if it doesn?t it must commit suicide instantly. There are some cells that break away into an individualist life of freedom but these are cancer cells.

Why must the selfish-gene model predict human behavour, why not the communist-cell one?

In fact, why not go further down? Why not look at the way atoms, or quarks behave, and then say that humans must behave like that!

Two glances around in any human society will tell you that humans are manifestly not selfish individuals all waiting for a change to ?defect and grab the spoils?. Human society doesn?t work like that. If you break down society, people don?t just scatter to the selfish winds, they form new little societies to survive within. Look at the internet ? a great anarchic gathering of people from all societies, with no rules thrust upon them, and what are the most popular sites (disregarding pornography)? Social networks, social forums and online communities. People like being social, they like being with others. Sure they exhibit selfish?behaviour?within those societies, but they also show?behaviour?which is loving, altruistic, angry, excited, and a whole range of emotions that the ?selfish-gene? model does not abstract too. There is no reason to?arbitrarily?decide that any?conventionally??Good? emotion is a deception-deception.

Human societies evolve by human cooperation. By the sharing of knowledge and resources, by the protecting of those more vulnerable, and the slow and shaky development of general morals. These morals are decisions made by the society (or occasionally by the one tyrant in charge of the society, but nothing is perfect) about what?behaviours?are?acceptable. Looking at society this way isn?t it just as justifiable that cooperation and sharing are the ?natural? human?behaviours? That people who cheat are somehow?deceiving?themselves into believing that they don?t need society, and have?deceived?themselves so well that they believe it?

These ?aren?t identical to the way our genes behave because people are not genes.?Behaviours?are?emergent?properties of humanity, not dictated attributes of our component parts. People are largely made up of water, yet no-one suggests that lying down and sort of sloshing around is natural human?behaviour.

If you want to study human morality, you really need to start asking philosophers. That?s what they?re there for. Historians, anthropologists, even literature students and?theologians?are?equipped?with the understanding and the tools used to discuss human society, emotions and?behaviour. This is an area that scientists can find interesting, and even contribute too, but in studies of?behaviour?and morality science is simply not the major player.

I?m sure there are great ways to build a secular civil society. But basing your foundations on the unjustified abstraction of a dodgy metaphor is not a good way to go about it.

?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a40d9f89a12e91172dc733a16cebdf08

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DoCoMo to ask for changes in Android -Nikkei (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T) will ask Google Inc (GOOG.O) to modify its Android operating system so that smartphones using it would put less pressure on networks, a move that could spark wider protests against the leading mobile software platform, the Nikkei reported.

The leading Japanese mobile phone service provider identified an Android application, which enables free-of-charge voice communication, as a major cause behind a service disruption that occurred on Wednesday, the business daily said.

Some Android applications send out control signals once every three to five minutes even when not in use. This translates to ten times that of a conventional mobile phone, placing additional strain on the network, the newspaper said.

A sharp rise in data consumption puts more pressure on wireless operators to speed up capacity investments, as they are struggling with clogged telecom networks to keep up with growing demand for data services on the go.

DoCoMo intends to request that Google make Android transmit control signals less often, since frequent service disruptions could hurt the popularity of Android phones, the Nikkei reported.

"Other operators have complained, some publicly, about the pressure Android apps in particular are putting on their networks," said John Jackson, analyst at British wireless consultancy CCS Insight.

The Japanese paper said that DoCoMo also hopes to team up with other mobile service providers, along with Google, to ask Android application developers to limit the frequency of control signals.

"I expect that at the very least operators worldwide will watch this dispute closely to see what remedy might be in the offing," Jackson said.

Other operators may use the dispute as an occasion to demand similar modifications, he said.

"Either way, DoCoMo's move comes at a challenging time for Google with the Android ecosystem failing to generate Apple-like (AAPL.O) revenue and OEM licensees coming under legal pressure from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in particular," he added

(Reporting by Meenakshi Iyer in Bangalore and Tarmo Virki in Helsinki; Editing by Joyjeet Das, Gary Hill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/tc_nm/us_docomo

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Need for court artists fades as cameras move in

This Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, photo, shows courtroom sketch artist Carol Renaud in her Chicago home studio. Artists have drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera ban. Just 14 states still have prohibitions in place, amd three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

This Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, photo, shows courtroom sketch artist Carol Renaud in her Chicago home studio. Artists have drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera ban. Just 14 states still have prohibitions in place, amd three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

This 2009 sketch of Bolingbrook police officer Drew Peterson by courtroom artist Carol Renaud is seen at her Chicago home on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. Artists have drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera ban. Just 14 states still have prohibitions in place, and three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs. (AP Photo/Carol Renaud)

This Dec. 7, 2011 file courtroom sketch by artist Tom Gianni shows former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, left, speaking before U.S. District Judge James Zagel at his sentencing hearing at federal court in Chicago. Sketch artists have been drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera ban. Just 14 states still have prohibitions in place, and three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs. (AP Photo/Tom Gianni, File)

FILE - In this May 14, 2008 file photo, courtroom sketch artist Andy Austin poses at Chicago's Federal Plaza with one of her works from the corruption trial of Conrad Black. Austin has worked as a court artist for 40 years. Artists have been drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera bans. Just 14 states still have the prohibitions in place, though three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

This May 20, 2008 file courtroom sketch by artist Lou Chukman shows R&B singer R. Kelly, right, watching in court as prosecutors played the sex tape at the center of his child pornography trial in open court in Chicago. Artists have drawing legal proceedings since the Salem witch trials to the recent corruption trial of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but their ranks are thinning as states lift courtroom camera bans. Just 14 states still have prohibitions in place, and three of those states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois, recently moved to end theirs. (AP Photo/Lou Chukman, File)

CHICAGO (AP) ? One marker in hand and one in his mouth, Lou Chukman glances up and down from a sketchpad to a reputed Chicago mobster across the courtroom ? drawing feverishly to capture the drama of the judge's verdict before the moment passes.

Sketch artists have been the public's eyes at high-profile trials for decades ? a remnant of an age when drawings in broadsheet papers, school books or travel chronicles were how people glimpsed the world beyond their own.

Today, their ranks are thinning swiftly as states move to lift longstanding bans on cameras in courtrooms. As of a year ago, 14 states still had them ? but at least three, including Illinois this month, have taken steps since then to end the prohibitions.

"When people say to me, 'Wow, you are a courtroom artist' ? I always say, 'One day, you can tell your grandchildren you met a Stegosaurus," Chukman, 56, explained outside court. "We're an anachronism now, like blacksmiths."

Cutbacks in news budgets and shifts in aesthetic sensibilities toward digitized graphics have all contributed to the form's decline, said Maryland-based sketch artist Art Lien.

While the erosion of the job may not be much noticed by people reading and watching the news, Lien says something significant is being lost. Video or photos can't do what sketch artists can, he said, such as compressing hours of court action onto a single drawing that crystallizes the events.

The best courtroom drawings hang in museums or sell to collectors for thousands of dollars.

"I think people should lament the passing of this art form," Lien said.

But while courtroom drawing has a long history ? artists did illustrations of the Salem witch trials in 1692 ? the artistry can sometimes be sketchy. A bald lawyer ends up with a full head of hair. A defendant has two left hands. A portly judge is drawn rail-thin.

Subjects often complain as they see the drawings during court recesses, said Chicago artist Carol Renaud.

"They'll say, 'Hey! My nose is too big.' And sometimes they're right," she conceded. "We do the drawings so fast."

Courtroom drawing doesn't attract most aspiring artists because it doesn't afford the luxury of laboring over a work for days until it's just right, said Andy Austin, who has drawn Chicago's biggest trials over 40 years, including that of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

"You have to put your work on the air or in a newspaper whether you like it or not," she said.

The job also involves long stretches of tedium punctuated by bursts of action as a witness sobs or defendant faints. It can also get downright creepy.

At Gacy's trial, a client asked Austin for an image of him smiling. So, she sought to catch the eye of the man accused of killing 33 people. When she finally did, she beamed. He beamed back.

"The two of us smiled at each other like the two happiest people in the world until the sketch was finished," Austin recalled in her memoirs, titled "Rule 53," after the directive that bars cameras in U.S. courts.

There's no school specifically for courtroom artists. Many slipped or were nudged into it by circumstance.

Renaud drew fashion illustrations for Marshall Field's commercials into the '90s but lost that job when the department store starting relying on photographers. That led her to courtroom drawing.

Artists sometime get to court early and sketch the empty room. But coming in with a drawing fully finished in advance is seen as unethical.

Some artists use charcoal, water colors or pungent markers, which can leave those sitting nearby queasy. Most start with a quick pencil sketch, then fill it in. Austin draws right off the bat with her color pencils.

"If I overthink it, I get lost," she said. "I have a visceral reaction. I just hope what I feel is conveyed to my pen."

These days, Chukman and Renaud fear for their livelihoods. They make the bulk of their annual income off their court work. Working for a TV station or a newspaper can bring in about $300 a day. A trial lasting a month can mean a $6,000 paycheck. Chukman does other work on the side, including drawing caricatures as gifts.

Austin is semiretired and so she says she worries less. She also notes that federal courts ? where some of the most notorious trials take place, like the two corruption trials of impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich ? seem more adamant about not allowing cameras.

Still, though Rule 53 remains in place, federal courts are experimenting with cameras in very limited cases.

"If federal courts do follow, that will be the end of us," Austin said.

Renaud holds out hope that, even if the worst happens, there will still be demand from lawyers for courtroom drawings they can hang in their offices. Lien plans to bolster his income by launching a website selling work from historic trials he covered, including of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Chukman, a courtroom artist for around 30 years, jokes that if asked for his opinion, he'd have told state-court authorities to keep the ban in place a few more years until he retires.

"I recognize my profession exists simply because of gaps in the law ? and I've been grateful for them," he said wistfully. "This line of work has been good to me."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-28-Camera%20in%20Courts-Sketch%20Artist/id-c2c434de348a463d9533990ad5e8b464

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Overgrazed grasslands tied to locust outbreaks

ScienceDaily (Jan. 26, 2012) ? While residents of the United States and much of Europe think of locust plagues as biblical references, locust swarms still have devastating effects on agriculture today, especially in developing countries in Asia and Africa. In a study to be released in the journal Science on Jan. 27, scientists from Arizona State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences show that insect nutrition and agricultural land management practices may partially explain modern day locust outbreaks.

During an outbreak year, locusts can populate over 20 percent of Earth's land surface, negatively affecting more than 60 countries and the livelihood of one out of every 10 people. In this study undertaken at the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station in China, researchers examined Oedaleus asiaticus, one of the two swarming locusts of Asia. A closely related species, Oedaleus senegalensis, is a major pest in Africa.

Led by Arianne Cease, a doctoral student, in concert with scientists Jon Harrison and James Elser, and undergraduate student Colleen Ford from the School of Life Sciences in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the collaborative team also included Chinese researchers Shuguang Hao and Le Kang. Funding for their work was provided by the National Science Foundation.

The team's initial experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that locusts form swarms partly to escape deteriorating conditions or to seek out better food sources. Most herbivores, including insects, are thought to be limited by obtaining sufficient protein. The researchers began, therefore, by fertilizing grassland plots with nitrogen. Their expectation was that the added nitrogen would raise the plants' protein levels, enhance locusts' survival and growth and stop locusts from swarming.

They couldn't have been more wrong. Locusts fed on nitrogen-fertilized plots either died or grew more slowly. Puzzled, the scientists took a step back, examining which host plants these locusts preferred. The results showed that these locusts ate plants lower in nitrogen; not higher.

It had been known for some time that overgrazing in Inner Mongolia caused soil erosion, leading to nitrogen depletion from the soil, and reductions in the protein levels in plants. The team's surveys had showed that heavily grazed plots were populated by much higher numbers of locusts, so the scientists compared the preferences and performances of locusts for plants from grazed versus ungrazed plots. Remarkably, the locusts preferred to consume the low-nitrogen plants from the heavily grazed plots.

Moving the study into the laboratory and using chemically-defined diets, the scientists next tested the effect of different protein and carbohydrate levels on the locusts' growth rates. These experiments confirmed their field studies: Oedaleus locusts strongly preferred low protein, high carbohydrate diets. This ratio was about one part protein to two parts carbohydrate -- lower than any grasshopper previously studied. "These experiments confirmed that consuming foods with too much protein is deleterious for this locust, explaining why heavy grazing promotes populations of Oedaleus," said Harrison.

"Our results fit with an emerging paradigm that animal species can vary dramatically in their nutritional responses," said Cease. "The particularly low protein: carbohydrate preference of Oedaleus may explain their success in a heavily-grazed world."

Besides revealing new understanding about an age-old plaguing question, the authors' findings offer new possibilities for improving land management strategies. "Our study also showed that nitrogen fertilizer may be an inexpensive, environmentally less-damaging alternative pest control solution for this species," noted Cease, with a sidenote from Elser, who added, "Who knows? With the large global increases in atmospheric nitrogen from air pollution, we might find, at least in this limited way, some 'good news.' That is, that the airborne nitrogen deposited on grasslands may interfere with future locust outbreaks."

The scientist's work on the grasslands was also groundbreaking in one other way. Ford, Cease's undergraduate co-author, who is now a Phoenix Teaching Fellow at Yuma High School, said of her experience: "Being in the field surrounded by nothing but hoppers, grass, and fellow scientists made me realize the amount of patience, dedication, and passion research pulled out of me. At the end of the experiment, when questions became answers that led to further research, the days in the sun and rain were worth it. Not only did I enjoy the field research, but the collaboration between Chinese and U.S. citizens made me more deeply understand the ability of individuals to work together towards one goal that may have the potential to bring about 'real world' impacts throughout the globe."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Arizona State University.

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Journal Reference:

1. A. J. Cease, J. J. Elser, C. F. Ford, S. Hao, L. Kang, J. F. Harrison. Heavy Livestock Grazing Promotes Locust Outbreaks by Lowering Plant Nitrogen Content. Science, 2012; 335 (6067): 467 DOI: 10.1126/science.1214433

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126152127.htm

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Fitch downgrades credit ratings for 5 EU nations (AP)

LONDON ? U.S. ratings agency Fitch says it is downgrading the credit ratings for five European nations including leading economic heavyweights Italy and Spain.

The agency on Friday lowered credit ratings for the five nations by one notch and placed a negative outlook on all of them, as well as on Ireland. Those nations downgraded included Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain.

Italy went down to A- credit rating while Spain was downgraded to A. Ireland's BBB+ rating was affirmed but it also received a negative outlook.

Fitch Ratings blamed the revisions on "the marked deterioration in the economic outlook" in Europe and "the absence of a credible financial firewall against contagion and self-fulfilling liquidity crises."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_credit_ratings

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Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama (AP)

MESA, Ariz. ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says President Barack Obama complained to her about how she depicted him in her book.

It happened when Obama landed in Air Force One Wednesday at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, where Brewer met him on the tarmac.

Reporters observed the two leaders in intense conversation.

Brewer is a Republican. She later told reporters that Obama raised the treatment he received in her political memoir, "Scorpions for Breakfast." She describes him in the book as lecturing her about immigration. Obama opposes Arizona's strict immigration law.

She said she told him she's sorry he felt that way and that she respects the office of president.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_el_pr/us_obama_arizona_governor

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Shaping a New Communications Model ? Silence is Golden ...

This post was first published on CNBC.com.

It might sound heretical for a leader of a communications firm to suggest it, but lately I?ve been thinking that a lot of big brands and companies should take a vow of silence.

Not forever, but at key moments in time.

In this era of radical transparency, rather than trying to explain what you?re doing to fix a problem or poor performance or disappointing service, put all of that energy into fixing it first. Let people see the difference, then call in the communicators to amplify the actions you?ve taken.

Fortunately I?ve seen more and more companies coming to this realization: actions trump words and actions must precede words to have credibility.

The theme this week at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, is ?The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models.? The delegates at the meeting will discuss new models for multi-stakeholder action on everything from sustainability to world peace.

Moving closer to home, I hope that corporate leaders and those of us in communications can agree that our best model is one that puts action on the front end of the process, followed by communication with customers inviting them to experience again the service or product and then use communications to amplify that experience and build advocacy at scale. Particularly at a time of high unemployment and economic divides, the public has little to no patience for companies that try to talk their way out of a mess before taking real action. It?s time to do the right thing and then, with humility, communicate about it.

Only real change will stand the test of time.

And real action is sustainable action that takes into consideration all of a company?s stakeholders: communities, employees, customers, and investors. It?s also not a time to expect to get off cheap with fixes to problems that come at little cost.

Echoing this perspective is Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, in an opinion paper he released last week in the run-up to Davos. Professor Schwab wrote, ?Growing inequities within and between countries and rising unemployment are no longer sustainable and are triggering social protests, as witnessed throughout the world. We must rethink our traditional notions of economic growth and global competitiveness, not only by focusing on growth rates and market penetration, but also, equally ? if not more importantly ? by assessing the quality of economic growth. How is growth to be achieved in the future? How sustainable is it and at what cost to the environment? How are the gains distributed?? Acting in this way adds a complexity to decision making that not all leaders are ready to embrace, but it?s a critical evolution in this era in which ?a brand is what a brand does.?

I still believe that companies need to fill the vacuum of information after a crisis or misstep, but it?s more important than ever to keep the initial focus on real action if you really want to silence your critics.

Want to learn key insights from the World Economic Forum? Click here to register for our complimentary webinar on January 30.

Source: http://blog.ketchum.com/shaping-a-new-communications-model-silence-is-golden/

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Yahoo delivers another listless performance in 4Q (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Yahoo slipped further behind in the online advertising race during the fourth quarter as the Internet company entered the fourth year of a revenue slump.

The results announced Tuesday marked the latest in a succession of disappointing performances. The persisting malaise led to the firing of Carol Bartz as CEO four months ago.

Yahoo Inc. recently replaced Bartz with PayPal executive Scott Thompson, anointing him as the fourth CEO in less than five years to try to snap the company out of a funk that has depressed its stock. Thompson, who was hired just three weeks ago, promised to move quickly to fix the problems.

"There is no question we need to do better and we will," Thompson assured analysts in a Tuesday conference call.

The company earned $296 million, or 24 cents per share, in the October-to-December period. That is down 5 percent from $312 million, or 24 cents per share, a year earlier.

The earnings matched analysts' estimates, but the company missed Wall Street's revenue target.

Fourth-quarter revenue dropped 13 percent from the previous year to $1.32 billion. After subtracting advertising commissions, Yahoo's revenue totaled $1.17 billion, or $20 million below analyst projections. It's the 13th straight quarter that Yahoo's net revenue has declined from the prior year.

Although Thompson said it was still too early to share precise details about his turnaround strategy, he said he will close some Yahoo services. That could mean layoffs. Yahoo added 400 employees in the fourth quarter to end the year with 14,100 workers. It lost one of its co-founders last week when Jerry Yang resigned from the company's board and gave up his role as "Chief Yahoo."

Bartz had also closed or sold some of Yahoo's less popular services while jettisoning jobs to cut costs and sharpen the company's focus. Those moves, though, didn't increase Yahoo's revenue or stock price, leading the company's board to fire her in September with more than 15 months remaining on her contract.

"This company has been through such a rotating cast of characters that it's reached the point where it needs action, not words," BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis said.

Besides closing services, Thompson said Yahoo will expand into some fields where he sees opportunities to make money. He didn't elaborate on that or on which services to close.

Thompson also pledged to develop more innovative products to keep Yahoo's audience of 700 million users on its websites for longer periods. Accomplishing that could make Yahoo more attractive to online advertisers. Thompson said he hopes to harness the data that Yahoo collects about its audience to help advertisers do a better job of putting their marketing messages in front of the people most likely to buy their products.

"I'll always ask a lot of questions and I'll immerse myself in the details but when it comes to making decisions, I make them quickly and then push to move fast, fast, fast," Thompson said.

But Yahoo isn't promising a quick start under Thompson's leadership. Yahoo predicted its net revenue in the current quarter will range from $1.02 billion to $1.1 billion. The mid-point of that target works out to $1.06 billion, unchanged from last year's first quarter.

Investors appear to be taking a wait-and-see attitude with Thompson. Yahoo's stock shed 14 cents to $15.55 in extended trading after the report came out. The stock price has fallen by about 40 percent from five years ago.

Yahoo's downturn in revenue has occurred as advertisers are shifting more of their budgets to the Internet as people spend more of their time on the Web. The biggest beneficiaries of this boom so far have been Internet search leader Google Inc. and Facebook, the owner of the largest online social network.

While Yahoo continued to struggle during the final three months of last year, Google's revenue rose 25 percent from the same period in 2010. As a privately held company, Facebook doesn't disclose its financial results, but data compiled by independent research firms show that its website has been luring advertisers away from Yahoo.

Google has become so dominant in Internet search that Yahoo teamed up with another rival, Microsoft Corp., in an effort to become more competitive and save money. Yahoo's search engine now relies on Microsoft's technology to handle most requests. The alliance, forged in mid-2009, hasn't generated as much revenue so far as Yahoo had hoped, although there were signs of progress in the fourth quarter.

Net revenue from search totaled $376 million in the fourth quarter, a 3 percent decrease from a year earlier. The company, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., had been suffering year-over-year declines of more than 10 percent in previous quarters.

As it tries to boost its revenue and lift its stock price, Yahoo is considering selling its stakes in China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan. Yahoo is pursuing those negotiations with "great enthusiasm," according to Tim Morse, the company's chief financial officer. Neither Morse nor Thompson elaborated on when a deal might be reached.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_hi_te/us_earns_yahoo

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Web music revenue growth stuck in single figures

LONDON (AP) ? A report by the global music industry lobbying group says the growth in digital revenues remains stuck in the single figures.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry blames piracy and government sluggishness for the failure of online business to take off.

While a report out Monday says that digital revenue has risen by 8 percent over the past year one analyst says that isn't nearly enough to make up for the decline in sales elsewhere.

Independent media analyst Mark Mulligan says that in Britain and the United States "we've already lost half of the music market in the past 10 years."

IFPI chief Frances Moore acknowledged that digital growth "should be much higher" but said that widespread piracy still posed a challenge to the industry.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-23-EU-Digital-Music/id-3be9ba98bebb421a8a7c97d53fc9620c

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Romney slams Gingrich on slew of issues (AP)

TAMPA, Fla. ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is slamming Newt Gingrich on a slew of issues, labeling him a failed leader.

The two rivals are part of Monday night's presidential debate in Tampa, Fla.

Asked about the former House speaker's electability, Romney says Gingrich led Republicans to historic losses and that Gingrich resigned in disgrace. Romney says members of Gingrich's own team voted to reprimand him.

Romney is also highlighting Gingrich's ties to mortgage lender Freddie Mac. He says Gingrich was hired directly by a lobbyist for Freddie Mac and says it's a liability that would cost Republicans the general election.

In response, Gingrich says Romney is engaging in "disinformation" and he promises to dispute charges on his website. He says Romney is engaging in trivial politics.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_debate_romney_attack

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Harrisburg receiver plans meeting Monday with school's finance ...

City receiver David Unkovic will meet with the Harrisburg School Board?s finance committee at 5:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the school district?s debt and to gather input on the fiscal recovery plan he is drafting.

Unkovic is not addressing the school dis?trict?s debt in the fiscal recovery plan he must submit to the city by Feb. 6, but the district?s taxpayers are the same people who will be affected by the receiver?s plans, which creates parallels, said Steve Kratz, spokesman for the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
?
?It?s just an informative session to find out if they have any concerns about what
could be potentially included in the plan that could affect them,? Kratz said.

The meeting will be held in the school board?s meeting space in Build?ing No. 2, 2101 N. Front St.

Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/harrisburg_receiver_plans_meet.html

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What is a recommended company for homeowners insurance?

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We are buying our first house, and would like to know if anybody has any recommendations on the best homeowners insurance for our money. Thank you!

Chosen Answer:

There is no way around needing Homeowners insurance if you are about to embark on the journey of purchasing a home. Depending on the size of the home, Homeowners insurance can cost as little as 0 a year to as much as 00 a year, if not more in some parts of the country. The amount of Homeowners insurance you receive will also be determined by the value of the interior property, including the upkeep of remodeling on the home, as well as whether your policy will include valuable electronics and jewelry.

Once you have determined what type of policy you would like to implement, you can begin discussing yearly and monthly costs with insurance agents. One thing to keep in mind while you are searching for Homeowners insurance is that the rates won?t vary that much between each company, but there are small ways to save a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, simply by finding some Homeowners insurance discounts that are available.

One of the easiest ways to receive a discount on Homeowners insurance is to install a home security system, and not the type that barks and growls. Many insurance companies are actually paired up with security companies like ADT or Brink?s and will give you a discount for using that insurance company and that security company as well.

Even if you get Homeowners insurance and decide to go back later and install a security system, don?t forget to go back and call your Homeowners insurance company once the system is installed so that you can receive a discount on your insurance. Further discounts may be given for motion sensors or even for video surveillance cameras installed on the home.

Another great way to receive a small discount on your Homeowners insurance is through fire and carbon monoxide detectors and fire resistant doors, brick and even walls. Remember that not all companies will offer the same discount for fire resistance and fire protection, so it is best to do research on how much of a discount can be received before diving in to remodeling the entire house for fire resistance.

Keeping up with newer appliances is another excellent way to help receive a Homeowners insurance discount. Older appliances are more likely to develop bad electrical connections, which can make the home susceptible to fire.

The first place to begin updating appliances is in the kitchen because kitchens are on the top of the list for places where fires begin. Many other insurance companies will offer a discount for new plumbing and electrical systems, or simply for a home that is less than ten years old altogether.

While some homeowners aren?t willing to consider a higher insurance deductible, or the price they will pay before the insurance will begin paying for loss or damages, asking for price quotes with higher deductibles is an excellent way to receive a discount on your insurance.

Most Homeowners insurance companies start out with a minimum deductible of 0 to 0 dollars, but try raising the deductible by 0 and see how much this will save you a year. Often times, this can make a difference of nearly 0-0 a year on the total insurance bill.

Remember, though, that if you choose this route, you may end up paying more than that 0 savings a year if something happens to your home and you have to pay the higher deductible. Simply weight the negatives and positives and decide if a higher deductible is right for you.

The final sure fire way to receive a Homeowners insurance benefit is to belong to a club or certain group. This could simply mean being in the ?65 and older? club and receiving a senior citizens discount, or it could also mean already being a member of the bank where you are looking to purchase Homeowners insurance. Some insurance companies also give a discount if you plan on having both your car insurance and Homeowners insurance with that company.

Before settling for the first set of numbers thrown at you by the insurance company, be sure to ask about these discounts and make your assets work for you when shopping for Homeowners insurance.
by: sprott88
on: 17th January 10

Source: http://unoccupied-propertyinsurance.com/what-is-a-recommended-company-for-homeowners-insurance/

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Sundance Today: Snow, Snow And More Snow

Snow. I hate snow.
Perhaps hate is a strong word, but make no mistake, the blizzard like conditions that have afflicted Park City in the past two days have made the Sundance Film Festival an unwieldy beast to tame. Bus operations have been wrecked. Traveling on foot without boots has become damn near impossible ? a [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/22/sundance-today-snow-snow-and-more-snow/

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HBT: Posada to formally announce retirement

From the?New York Daily News? Andy Martino:

Jorge Posada is expected to hold a news conference at Yankee Stadium early this week, likely Tuesday, to formally announce his retirement, according to a person familiar with the plans.

The news comes as no surprise. Posada headed into this offseason with the intention of continuing his career, but his mind seemed to change as interest in him failed to grow and he confirmed to?MLB.com?s Adam Berry?last week that he was done for good.

Posada, 40, finishes with a .273/.374/.474 career batting line, 1,664 career hits and 275 career home runs.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/22/jorge-posada-to-formally-announce-retirement-this-week/related/

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Yemen officials: Saleh to depart for Oman

FILE - In this Friday, April 8, 2011 file photo, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh reacts while looking at his supporters, not pictured, during a rally supporting him, in Sanaa,Yemen. Yemeni officials say outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States. Washington has been trying to get Saleh out of Yemen _ though not to settle in the U.S. _ to allow a peaceful transition from his rule. However, there appear to be differences whether Saleh would remain in exile. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File)

FILE - In this Friday, April 8, 2011 file photo, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh reacts while looking at his supporters, not pictured, during a rally supporting him, in Sanaa,Yemen. Yemeni officials say outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States. Washington has been trying to get Saleh out of Yemen _ though not to settle in the U.S. _ to allow a peaceful transition from his rule. However, there appear to be differences whether Saleh would remain in exile. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File)

Members of Yemen's parliament raise their hands to vote on the immunity law for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the House of Representatives in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Yemen's parliament approved on Saturday a law that it said would limit immunity for officials who worked under President Ali Abdullah Saleh to "political" crimes they committed in an official capacity. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Members of Yemen's parliament raise their hands to vote on the immunity law for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the House of Representatives in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Yemen's parliament approved on Saturday a law that it said would limit immunity for officials who worked under President Ali Abdullah Saleh to "political" crimes they committed in an official capacity. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Yemen Minister of Defense Mohammed Nasser Ali, center, attends a session on an immunity law for President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the House of Representatives in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Yemen's parliament approved on Saturday a law that it said would limit immunity for officials who worked under President Ali Abdullah Saleh to "political" crimes they committed in an official capacity. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011 file image made from video, Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh speaks on Yemen State Television. Yemeni officials say outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States. Washington has been trying to get Saleh out of Yemen _ though not to settle in the U.S. _ to allow a peaceful transition from his rule. However, there appear to be differences whether Saleh would remain in exile.(AP Photo/Yemen State TV, File)

SANAA, Yemen (AP) ? Outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave soon to Oman, en route to medical treatment in the United States, Yemeni officials said on Saturday, part of an American effort to get the embattled strongman out of the country to allow a peaceful transition from his rule.

Washington has been trying for weeks to find a country where Saleh can live in exile, since it does not want him to settle permanently in the United States. The mercurial president, who has ruled for more than 33 years, has repeatedly gone back and forth on whether he would leave.

The officials' comments Saturday suggested Oman, Yemen's neighbor, could be a potential home for him. Three officials said he would go, but they were divided on whether he would remain in exile in Oman or return to Yemen after treatment. His return, even if he no longer holds the post of president, could mean continued turmoil for the impoverished nation at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

After nearly a year of protests demanding his ouster, Saleh in November handed his powers over to his vice president and agreed to step down. A unity government between his party and the opposition has since been created. However, Saleh ? still formally the president ? has continued to influence politics from behind the scenes through his family and loyalists in power positions.

The U.S. does not want to take him in, concerned it would be seen by Yemenis as harboring a leader they say has blood on his hands for the killings of protesters. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already have rejected Saleh, American officials said.

Senior ruling party figure Mohammed al-Shayef told The Associated Press that Saleh would travel "in the coming days" to Oman, then head to the United States for treatment of wounds he suffered in an June assassination attempt.

After treatment, Saleh would return to Yemen to head his People's Congress Party, said al-Shayef, who is also a prominent tribal leader. Another top party official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk of the plans, gave the same itinerary, though he said Saleh would pass through Ethiopia en route from Oman to the U.S.

Saleh himself has spoken in recent weeks of working as an opposition politician after he leaves the presidency.

However, an official in the prime minister's office said Saleh "is supposed" to return to Oman to stay after his U.S. treatment is completed.

The official said Saleh's powerful son Ahmed was currently in Oman, arranging a residence for his father. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk the press. It did not seem that Ahmed, who commands the elite Republican Guard that has been at the forefront of the crackdown on protests, would remain in Oman.

The unity government has been struggling to establish its authority in the face of Saleh's continuing strength in the country. Like Saleh's son Ahmed, Saleh's nephew also commands one of Yemen's best trained and equipped security forces, and the president's loyalists remain in place in the government and bureaucracy.

Saleh agreed to step down under a U.S.-approved and Gulf-mediated accord with the opposition in return for immunity for prosecution.

Yemen's parliament on Saturday approved the immunity law, a key step toward Saleh's formal retirement from his post. Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi signed it into law later in the day.

Saleh is scheduled to hand over the presidency to his vice president on Feb. 21.

The law grants Saleh complete immunity for any crimes committed during his rule, including the killing of protesters during the uprising against his regime. However, parliament limited the scope of immunity for other regime officials and excluded immunity for terrorism-related crimes.

Initially, the law would have similarly given complete immunity to everyone who served Saleh's governments throughout his rule, sparking a public outcry and a new wave of protests. In response, the law was changed to grant them immunity only on "politically motivated" criminal acts. That apparently would not cover corruption charges.

Most protesters have rejected the accord entirely, saying Saleh should not be given immunity and demanding he be prosecuted.

Human Rights Watch said Saturday in a statement that the law allows senior officials to "get away with murder" and "sends the disgraceful message that there is no consequence for killing those who express dissent."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-21-ML-Yemen/id-c884e174bbb44b298b73930180e9549e

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Creighton Fraker, Original American Idol Song: Hollywood Bound!

When in doubt, just make it up!

That was the approach taken by Creighton Fraker on American Idol last night, as the aspiring singer took a bus ride from New York City to Pittsburgh and used that time to come up with his own material.

Was it the most creative song? No. It mostly just mentioned the judges' names a few times. But the panelists were impressed with the vocals and Steven Tyler went as far as to give Creighton a "3 gazillion percent yes" vote, while Jennifer Lopez said he was kind of like Jamiroquai and Justin Timberlake's baby. Even odder? It sort of applies...

Creighton Fraker American Idol Audition

Fraker wasn't the only original contestant on the air last night. Reed Grimm actually received a Golden Ticket thanks to a sitcom theme song!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/creighton-fraker-original-american-idol-song-hollywood-bound/

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Investorideas.com Newswire - GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FINANCE ...

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY FINANCE FORUM CONCLUDES WITH CALL FOR NEW APPROACHES TO EXPANDING GEOTHERMAL POWER PRODUCTION

Category: Investment, Renewable Energy

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News about Geothermal Energy Association

SAN FRANCISCO - January 20, 2012 (Investorideas.com renewable energy/green newswire) Two hundred leaders from the geothermal industry, the finance community and government agencies met yesterday at the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) fourth annual Finance Forum, held at the Marriott Marquis San Francisco. The event focused discussions on the issues and opportunities in geothermal including how to accelerate the slow growth of the industry, whether Congress will extend tax incentives, how to improve project economics, and more. "While analysts projected continued growth for the industry in the US and worldwide, the industry still struggles with the overall poor economy and federal and state policies that don't match industry development needs," said GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell.

Keynote presenters included Karen Douglas, Commissioner, California Energy Commission (CEC); Michael Picker, Senior Advisor to the Governor for Renewable Energy Facilities, State of California; Anne Simpson, Senior Portfolio Manager for Corporate Governance, California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers); industry panels featured Gevan Reeves, Director, Strategic Origination, Calpine Corporation; Luka Erceg, President and CEO, Simbol Materials; Halley Dickey, Director Geothermal Business Development, TAS Energy; Mike Ranz, President, SNC-Lavalin Thermal Power; and Jonathan Weisgall, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company.

The GEA Finance Forum was made possible in part by Gold Level sponsor SNC Lavalin, a company with a team that has successfully completed over 60,000 MW of thermal power projects worldwide, while also committed to achieving a superior financial return for its shareholders. "The involvement of leading global companies, like SNC Lavalin, in the geothermal industry is a positive sign for its future outlook," Gawell noted.

An overarching theme at the event was the mismatch with government policies. While California state energy goals will require significant new renewable energy production in coming years, utility procurement and transmission processes did not account for the long-lead times of geothermal projects. And, for project finance, federal tax credits expiring at the end of 2013 mean that many new power plants cannot count on federal help. A geothermal project may have at least 4 to 8 years of lead time before the resource is on tap, and with the credit expiring in two years many new projects hang in the balance as Washington debates whether or not to extend renewable energy tax incentives, several speakers noted.

"While our technologies are not literally at their tax incentive cliff they have until December 21, 2013 to put new projects into production -- for all practical purposes the production tax incentive is having declining effect. A utility scale project starting today would find it nearly impossible to be completed by the end of 2013. To spur continued growth in geothermal, and build on the success of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, we would urge Congress to extending tax credits through at least 2016 for geothermal," Gawell said.

Important conversations at the GEA Finance Forum covered technological advancements, as well as challenges in siting and transmission. There was also spirited discussion of approaches to reduce industry risk, including possible new insurance schemes and feed-in tariffs.

California is a policy leader in the United States with one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in the country. The state's landmark renewable energy standard legislation was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown this year, and will require California utilities to provide at least a third of their electricity from clean and safe renewable sources like geothermal by the year 2020, and the state's climate law will require even more by 2030 and beyond.

The need for new geothermal power in California was underscored by CEC Commissioner Douglas. She explained that in the coming decades California would not just need to meet increasing RPS and climate goals, but also replace its nuclear power plants and imported coal power. She remarked: "As we move toward our long term goals, we can't think about renewable energy as all being the same, because a system that has a balanced mix of geothermal, biomass, solar thermal, PV and wind will function very differently and will be able to fill the needs we see in our infrastructure in a much different way than a system that's covered by intermittent resources alone. We need to think about how we meet the needs of our electricity that allows us to deliver reliable electricity and this is where geothermal power is our bread and butter."

"We intend to fully engage the California Energy Commission and the Governor's office to ensure the policies and programs that allow us to tap the full potential of the state's geothermal resource base to help meet the renewable goals set by the state are adopted," Gawell said. "GEA's last Industry Update identified more than 34 projects with over 1,400 MWs under development now in California , and this is only a fraction of the resource potential."

Gawell also called on California to convene a Geothermal Task Force, similar to the one recently initiated in Hawaii , to re-assess the full resource potential of the state using today's knowledge and technology. Hawaii 's Task Force has recently proposed that the state set a goal of being 100% geothermal powered.

"To support moving the geothermal agenda in California forward, we intend to build on the dialogue started at the Forum and convene a geothermal policy summit in Sacramento this summer," Gawell announced. "The summit will focus on the critical issues the Forum identified and seek to find new approaches to expanding geothermal power production to help meet California 's energy needs," he added.

The Geothermal Energy Association will return to California for the GEA National Geothermal Summit 2012 in Sacramento August 7-8, 2012. For more information about this and other GEA events, please visit http://geo-energy.org/events.aspx. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kathy Kent at 202 454 5263 or kathy@geo-energy.org. To schedule an interview with GEA Executive Director Karl Gawell, please contact Shawna Seldon at 212 255 7541 or Shawna@rosengrouppr.com.

About the Geothermal Energy Association:

The Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) is a trade association composed of U.S. companies who support the expanded use of geothermal energy and are developing geothermal Resources worldwide for electrical power generation and direct-heat uses. GEA advocates for public policies that will promote the development and utilization of geothermal Resources, provides a forum for the industry to discuss issues and problems, encourages research and development to improve geothermal technologies, presents industry views to governmental organizations, provides assistance or the export of geothermal goods and services, compiles statistical data about the geothermal industry, and conducts education and outreach projects. For more information, please visit http://www.geo-energy.org/. Check out GEA's YouTube Channel. Follow GEA on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook.

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BC Residents and Investor Disclaimer: Effective September 15 2008 - all BC investors should review all OTC and Pink sheet listed companies for adherence in new disclosure filings and filing appropriate documents with Sedar. Read for more info: http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/release.aspx?id=6894

Source: http://www.investorideas.com/news/2012/renewable-energy/01201.asp

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High court throws out Texas electoral maps

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court handed Texas Republicans a partial victory Friday, tossing a court-drawn electoral redistricting plan that favored minorities and Democrats but leaving the future of the state's political maps - and possibly control of the U.S. House - in the hands of two federal courts with Texas' April primaries looming.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ordered a three-judge court in San Antonio to craft a new map that pays more deference to one originally drawn up by Texas' GOP-led Legislature. The immediate effect was to scrap the interim map the San Antonio court drafted that would have favored Democrats to pick up four new congressional seats Texas will add in 2012.

Republicans, led by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, heralded the ruling as a clear victory for the state.

"The Court made clear in a strongly worded opinion that the district court must give deference to elected leaders of this state, and it's clear by the Supreme Court ruling that the district court abandoned these guiding principles," he said in statement.

But the Supreme Court didn't go as far as Texas wanted, which was to implement the maps the Legislature drew for this year's election. Doing so would have rewritten existing election law as well as the Voting Rights Act. Only Justice Clarence Thomas said he would have gone that far.

Still, the outcome appeared to favor Republicans by instructing the judges to stick more closely to what the Legislature did, said election law expert Richard Hasen, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, law school.

After the 2012 election, Texas will have 36 seats in the next Congress, a gain of four seats. Under the map initially drawn by the San Antonio court and thrown out on Friday, Democrats would have been favored in three or four new seats. The GOP holds 23 of the current 32 seats.

In its decision, the Supreme Court said the San Antonio judges particularly erred in altering the borders of legislative and congressional districts in areas of the state where the allegation that the Legislature's map discriminated doesn't apply.

Although Republicans were quick to say Friday's decision will benefit them, Democrats and minority groups said that's not so.

Jose Garza, who argued on behalf of minority groups and Texas Democrats at the Supreme Court, said Abbott, the Texas attorney general, is "celebrating too early." Garza said he expects the new maps drawn by the San Antonio court to look very similar to the ones rejected Friday.

Garza said he interpreted the Supreme Court's ruling, in part, as a call for the San Antonio court to better explain its decisions.

Others involved in legal efforts opposing the Legislature's map echoed Garza.

"This is not a victory for Texas," said Nina Perales, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, one of several groups involved in legal efforts to throw out the Legislature's map. "They wanted their unprecedented maps in place, and Texas hasn't been allowed to do that."

Perales said she expected the Supreme Court to remand a decision on the maps to the San Antonio court and said she was confident that minority groups would be protected even if the new baseline for creating a map was the Legislature's original draft.

Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, said Friday that she saw the decision bolstering the judge's decision to make changes to her Fort Worth-based district. Davis filed a lawsuit against the state Senate plan after her district was carved into three pieces, splitting Latino and African-American voters.

Beyond the jousting about how to interpret Friday's ruling was a reality that the electoral battlegrounds in Texas will remain hazy for the foreseeable future. Both Democrats and Republicans see Texas as potentially key for control of the U.S. House, but until the new maps are in place, neither side will have a clear sense of how it might fair in the state.

The Supreme Court didn't set a deadline for the San Antonio court to produce an acceptable map, but the clock is ticking toward Texas' scheduled April 3 primaries. The primaries have already been pushed back from March 6, and both parties expect the date to be pushed back again ? a prospect causing consternation among Republican leaders who worry the GOP presidential race will be decided before Texas votes.

Meanwhile, a separate three-judge federal court panel in Washington heard testimony this week about whether the map drawn by the Texas Legislature violated the federal Voting Rights Act, which requires states with a history of discrimination to get advance approval before changing the way they conduct elections. That proceeding will continue next week, with closing arguments set for February. With thousands of documents and dozens of hours of testimony to consider, a decision from that panel could be months away but could also affect the composition of Texas' maps.

The legal battle over Texas' maps was prompted by the results of the 2010 census, which found that Texas added more than 4 million residents since 2000, most of them Latinos and African-Americans. Minority groups and Democrats have maintained that they are being denied deserved voting power by GOP lawmakers seeking maximize electoral gains.

___

Associated Press writer Mark Sherman in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-20-Supreme%20Court-Texas%20Redistricting/id-dd49122bf9ae4a47baddd690e28d7e10

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Nigeria strike a flashback to the military era (AP)

LAGOS, Nigeria ? The music blared through Nigeria's streets, calling for a revolution of the people against a heavy-handed government fueled by oil money and blinded by greed. It called for change for a people being suppressed by soldiers in the streets.

It also came out 25 years ago.

"Dem-o-cr-azy be the deal," late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang then.

Older Nigerians may have experienced a flashback this week as soldiers took to the streets again to stop protests over a hike in fuel prices as nationwide strikes paralyzed Africa's most populous nation. Back then, the military ruled country. Today, a civilian president does, but he now faces criticism for turning his back on the same impoverished class he came from, and for using troops to suppress dissent.

Gasoline stations opened for business on Tuesday throughout Nigeria, posting a newly compromised price at the pump of about $2.27 a gallon (60 cents a liter). Fuel prices sparked the six-day strike by labor unions who were angered by an increase in gas price from the previous subsidized price of $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter).

Car owners, shopkeepers and residents who need small generators to power light bulbs in a nation with a failed electrical grid relied on the subsidized gas price, as most Nigerians make only $2 a day. The subsidy was removed on Jan. 1.

Other protesters joined growing demonstrations across the country, upset over institutionalized corruption in a nation where kleptocratic military rulers were replaced in 1999 with greedy politicians who control state budgets larger than neighboring nations. Opaque budgets allow billions of dollars to be stolen while roads remain riddled with potholes in some areas and cement-block hospitals in President Goodluck Jonathan's Niger Delta homeland lack lifesaving malaria medications.

The government tried to persuade the nation to its side, promising that the estimated $8 billion saved a year by ending the fuel subsidies would go toward needed public work projects. That failed to win popular support with many Nigerians suspecting that much of the savings would instead be pocketed by corrupt politicians. Tens of thousands joined the demonstrations ? including Fela's musician sons Femi and Seun.

Jonathan campaigned on a promise of providing Nigeria a leader who could relate to daily struggles, who grew up in poverty, and who didn't come from a military background. But his administration ultimately borrowed from the playbook of military rulers by deploying soldiers into the streets of major cities in a show of force to stop protests unseen since the country became a democracy.

The administration also warned anyone continuing to protest they would be committing a treasonable offense, another threat used by the late military dictator Sani Abacha against dissidents during his rule.

Labor unions ultimately said they abandoned the strike on Monday "in order to save lives and in the interest of national survival," but the demonstrations surrounding the work stoppage had been largely peaceful. Soldiers fired assault rifles and used tear gas to disperse one peaceful crowd in Lagos just before the strike was called off.

For the most part, even Nigerians protesting the high gas prices acknowledged the flaws of the subsidy program that kept the price low. The payments allowed fuel marketers to earn huge markups by importing already refined gasoline back into a country that has seen its own refineries sabotaged and mismanaged into largely derelict operations.

Officers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission searched the offices of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency on Monday, looking for records to show collusion with marketers to commit what many believe to be widespread fraud. Anti-graft agency spokesman Wilson Uwujaren said agents made no arrests.

"Why should Nigerians trust you and your government to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates and improve the country's infrastructure when you can't handle the simple task of identifying a handful of leeches who've been stealing from fuel subsidy funds?" wrote columnist Okey Ndibe in Tuesday's edition of The Daily Sun newspaper. "Why should the rest of us endure inhuman, serf-worthy privation while you and your inept team live like emperors and unconscionable conquerors?"

___

Associated Press writer Yinka Ibukun in Lagos, Nigeria contributed to this report.

___

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

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_rewind_nation

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