Kermit and Piggy Fire Back at Fox News (The Upshot)

Several weeks ago, Dan Gainor of the conservative Media Research Center told Fox Business host Eric Bolling that "The Muppets," the new movie starring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, had a liberal agenda.

"It's amazing how far the left will go ... to manipulate your kids to ... give them the anti-corporate message." Gainor went on to say that Hollywood is trying to brainwash kids. Bolling later apologized (sort of).

The film's villain is an oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) who wants to destroy the Muppet studios in order to dig for oil.

The stars of the movie, Kermit and Miss Piggy, recently responded to the accusations. As Forbes reports, at a press conference in the U.K. for the movie's premier, a reporter asked Kermit how he felt about the charge that the film is "dangerous."

A sarcastic Kermit responded, "Oh, it's so dangerous! No, it's a funny thing. They were concerned about us having some prejudice against oil companies. And I can tell you that's categorically not true. And, besides, if we have problems with oil companies, why would we have spent the entire film driving around in a gas-guzzling Rolls-Royce?"

Following Kermit's comments, Miss Piggy chimed in. "It's almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of, you know, being news."

Kermit then said, "Boy, that's going to be all over the Internet." Good call, Kermit.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20120130/en_yblog_upshot/kermit-and-piggy-fire-back-at-fox-news

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Trooper Sanders: Reinventing Unemployment Insurance

Extending unemployment benefits will soon re-enter the gladiator arena of Washington's partisan politics. And what will all of the Sturm und Drang yield for the jobless? An average weekly benefit of less than $300 this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which may rise to $387 by 2021. While this keeps many working families out of poverty, it is pin money in today's high cost society. Politicians would better serve the American people by quickly passing the extension and working together to establish a new support system for the nation's long term unemployed.

Except for the independently wealthy, no one is immune from the consequences of economic change. Forces such as greater productivity, technological innovation and globalization, however beneficial generally, are eliminating jobs, flattening wages, and transforming industries for workers rich and poor alike. Many out of work face a long road back to financial stability. In December 2011, nearly 3.9 million people had been out of work for a year or more and still looking for work. Today's measured economic recovery is not an anomaly. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, it took approximately 6 months for employment to recover to pre-recession levels after each postwar recession through the 1980s. This increased to 15 months after the 1990-91 recession and 39 months after the 2001 recession. It could take more than five years for employment to recover from the most recent recession and only under McKinsey's most optimistic scenario does the United States achieve full employment in this decade. The trend of recoveries is coupled with a shift of responsibility for essentials such as health care and retirement savings from employers to individuals. In human terms, many of today's jobless will face years without the stable income they need to survive and get ahead. It may take years to learn new skills and find new, more stable careers. Some may face multiple periods of prolonged unemployment throughout their careers. And long term unemployment creates new expenses such as returning to school, buying individual health insurance and moving to more job-rich communities that must be borne long after savings and government unemployment benefits have run out.

The last era of such turmoil, the Great Depression, beget Social Security and unemployment insurance to provide people with a basic level of income stability in retirement and during unemployment. Since then, our retirement system has evolved into a broad, albeit imperfect, system combining individual savings, government, and private sector services. In comparison, the system supporting the unemployed is threadbare: individual savings are at historic lows, government unemployment insurance looks much the same today as it did during the Roosevelt administration and there are few private income support options available.

As our nation examines the hard-learned lessons of today's economic difficulties, now is the time to bring our unemployment insurance system into the modern age. Building on the current public system for the short term unemployed, a fully scaled, market-driven long term unemployment system would, at minimal cost to taxpayers, provide workers with a new tool to prepare for episodes of prolonged joblessness. To work, this system must reduce adverse selection, ensure products are attractive and affordable to consumers, and discourage idleness.

Whether covering cars against accidents or people against ill health, one of the greatest challenges for insurers is adverse selection: the tendency of people who need coverage the most -- say, the reckless or the sick -- to buy insurance and those who feel they do not need it -- say, the cautious or the healthy -- to forgo it. This concentrates risk and makes it difficult for insurers to offer coverage profitably. That is why scale matters. Having people from all income levels and risk profiles, including independent workers and entrepreneurs who are not covered by public unemployment insurance, buy into the system will make it a more attractive business proposition and improve benefits. If a broad-based private system had existed at the height of the most recent recession, when unemployment tipped the scales at 10 percent, it would have been sustained by the vast majority of people who were working and paying premiums while providing a lifeline to those in need today.

Purchasing private coverage could be made easier through automatic workplace enrollment and access to purchasing cooperatives for independent workers and entrepreneurs. Government can boost uptake by allowing coverage to be purchased with pre-tax dollars, providing tax incentives to employers subsidizing premiums, ensuring coverage is portable, and instituting common sense regulations keeping the insurance industry's products safe, transparent and responsible.

In addition, to reduce incentives for people to stay out of the workforce, benefits could kick in after a reasonable vesting period and initial government benefits have been exhausted. Recipients could also be required to actively seek employment or be in school to continue receiving payouts.

As America's economy goes through another historic transition, tapping the power of the market to help workers avoid financial ruin is not only the right thing, it is the smart thing to do to strengthen American capitalism for all of its people.

Trooper Sanders served as a policy advisor under Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and Al and Tipper Gore.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trooper-sanders/unemployment-insurance_b_1242537.html

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Migrant trash piles up at remote U.S.-Mexico border areas (Reuters)

RIO RICO, Ariz (Reuters) ? Picking her way into the desert brush, Raquel Martinez gathered scores of plastic water bottles tossed in an Arizona desert valley near the Mexico border, often by migrants making a risky trek into the United States across increasingly remote terrain.

"We need more bags ... there's so much trash," said Martinez, one of scores of volunteers helping clean up the dry bed of the Santa Cruz River about 10 miles north of the Mexico border on Saturday.

Trash tossed by thousands of illegal immigrants as they chase the American Dream has been a persistent problem for years in the rugged Arizona borderlands that lie on a main migration and smuggling route from Mexico.

The problem was compounded as immigrants and drug traffickers responded to ramped up vigilance on the U.S.-Mexico border by taking increasingly remote routes, leaving more waste behind in out-of-the way and hard-to-clean areas, authorities say.

"Migants used to follow the washes or follow the roads or utility poles," said Robin Hoover, founder of the Tucson-based non-profit Humane Borders.

"Now they're having to move farther and farther from the middle of the valleys," he added. "They end making more camp sites and cutting more trails when they do that, and, unfortunately ... leave more trash."

Those making the punishing march carry food, water and often a change of clothes on the trek through remote desert areas that can take several days.

Most is tossed before they pile into vehicles at pickup sites like the one getting attention on the outskirts of Rio Rico, from where they head on to the U.S. interior.

"One of the problems that we are facing is that these sites are becoming more and more remote as law enforcement steps up its efforts," Henry Darwin, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said of the flourishing borderland garbage dumps.

"There's probably sites out there that we haven't encountered yet or don't know about because there's a lot of people out in those areas," added Darwin, who gave testimony on the issue to state lawmakers earlier this month.

BACKPACKS AND WATER BOTTLES

There are no numbers to show exactly how many would-be migrants or smugglers take the illegal and surreptitious trek across the border into Arizona from Mexico each year.

But in an indication of the scale of the migration, federal border police made nearly 130,000 arrests last year in Arizona, where hundreds of Border Patrol agents, miles of fencing and several unmanned surveillance drones have been added in recent years to tighten security along the porous border.

With limited funding for clean up, Arizona environmental authorities draw on volunteers to help in drives like the one near Rio Rico, where an estimated 140 volunteers including residents, community and youth groups took part on Saturday.

Clean up efforts since 2008 by the department of environmental quality have included pulling 42 tons of trash from 160 acres of Cocopah tribal lands in far western Arizona, and clean ups at least seven sites on ranches and public land in areas south of Tucson.

Signs of illegal immigrants and even drug traffickers making the circuitous foot journey abound in the mesquite-studded riverbed near Rio Rico, a vigorous day's walk north of the border.

"I've found about a trillion water bottles," said David Burkett, a lawyer from Scottsdale, who worked up a sweat as he filled his fourth 50-pound trash bag. Nearby are tossed backpacks, food containers, a blanket and a pair of shoes.

He points out that alongside the apparent migrant trash is a large amount of other waste including a couch, kitchen countertops and yard debris, likely tossed by residents and contractors. Still, it is a shock to those living locally.

"We don't realize how bad it is until we come down and see it," said Candy Lamar, a volunteer who lives in sprawling, low density Rio Rico, as she works to pick up trash.

HAZARDOUS CLEANUP

The area getting attention on Saturday lies a few miles from a remote spot where the bodies of three suspected drug traffickers were found shot to death "execution style" last November.

The area is not far from another out-of-the-way spot where Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot dead by suspected border bandits in December 2010. Volunteers working on Saturday were aware of the potential hazards.

As she stuffed a blue garbage sack with trash, retiree Sharon Christensen eyed discarded burlap sacking, blankets and cord -- the remains of a makeshift backpack of the type often used by drug traffickers walking marijuana loads up from Mexico.

"It would make me hesitant to come out here on my own, knowing that this kind of activity is going on ... It is a concern, and we need to be mindful," said Christensen, a retiree and hiking enthusiast.

Clean-up organizers liaise with Border Patrol and local police on security, in addition to warning volunteers of potential danger from snakes, scorpions or even bees that can swarm in discarded vehicle tires, and of potential hazards including medical waste and human excrement.

Equipped with gloves, volunteers such as Burkett, the Scottsdale lawyer, were glad to take part on Saturday.

"As an avid outdoors person in Arizona, I spend a lot of time using the desert," he said. "It's important to me personally to take the time to give back."

(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/us_nm/us_immigration_usa_trash

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Streep's Thatcher, Williams' Monroe star at SAG (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The "Harry Potter" finale has earned some love from Hollywood's top acting union, winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for best big-screen stunt ensemble Sunday.

The win for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" was a final triumph for the fantasy franchise that concluded last summer after a run of eight blockbusters.

Winning the TV stunt ensemble prize was "Game of Thrones." The stunt awards were announced on the arrivals red carpet before the show began.

Among the early arrivals to the cheers of enthusiastic fans on a warm afternoon were Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray of the old "Dallas" TV series, soon to be the new "Dallas" TV series on TNT.

For the main event, Sunday's 18th annual SAG ceremony is heavy on actors playing illustrious real-life figures.

Among them: Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady"; Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar"; and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in "My Week With Marilyn."

Streep won a Golden Globe for "The Iron Lady" and is considered a favorite for the SAG prize and for her third win at the Academy Awards, which are set for Feb. 26.

The front-runners for the other SAG awards are actors in fictional roles, though, among them George Clooney as a dad in crisis in "The Descendants" and Jean Dujardin as a silent-film star fallen on hard times in "The Artist." Both are up for best actor, and both won Globes ? Clooney as dramatic actor, Dujardin as musical or comedy actor.

Octavia Spencer as a brassy Mississippi maid in "The Help" and Christopher Plummer as an elderly dad who comes out as gay in "Beginners" won Globes for supporting performances and have strong prospects for the same honors at the SAG Awards.

The winners at the SAG ceremony typically go on to earn Oscars. All four acting recipients at SAG last year later took home Oscars ? Colin Firth for "The King's Speech," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo for "The Fighter."

The same generally holds true for the weekend's other big Hollywood honors, the Directors Guild of America Awards, where Michel Hazanavicius won the feature-film prize Saturday for "The Artist." The Directors Guild winner has gone on to earn the best-director Oscar 57 times in the 63-year history of the union's awards show.

SAG also presents an award for overall cast performance, a prize that's loosely considered the ceremony's equivalent of a best-picture honor. However, the cast award has a spotty record at predicting what will win best picture at the Oscars.

While "The King's Speech" won both honors a year ago, the SAG cast recipient has gone on to claim the top Oscar only eight times in the 16 years since the guild added the category.

Airing live on TNT and TBS from the Shrine Exhibition Center in downtown Los Angeles, the show features nine television categories, as well.

Receiving the guild's life-achievement award is Mary Tyler Moore. The prize was to be presented by Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the 1960s sit-com "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

http://www.sagawards.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_ot/us_sag_awards

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Lunar Base Foe Romney Endorsement by Lunar Base Supporters a Contradiction (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | According to Florida Today, former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney journeyed to Florida's space coast and delivered a speech that was less visionary than that of his rival New Gingrich. But Romney does enjoy the endorsement of a group of aerospace giants.

While laying out four principles that his space policy would follow, Romney declined to state what his space policy or goals would be. He reiterated his desire for a committee to experts from across NASA, the military, the commercial sector, and academic to determine what that policy might be. He did not reiterate his opposition to a moon colony, however.

The Romney campaign released a letter of endorsement that decried the state of the space program under President Barack Obama and also suggested Romney would be the candidate best positioned to fix it.

The people signing the letter included former NASA administrator Mike Griffin, Apollo moonwalker Gene Cernan, shuttle era astronaut Bob Crippen, space tourism entrepreneur Eric Anderson and former space officials for various Republican administrations Scott Pace, Mark Albrecht and Peter Marquez, and William Martel, an Associate Professor of International Security Studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. According to Marcia Smith at Space Policy Online, Scott Pace heads Romney's space advisory team.

The group of aerospace heavyweights supporting Romney seems to offer a contradiction. While Romney has ridiculed the idea of a moon base or colony as proposed by Gingrich, a number of his advisers have been involved in return to the moon efforts, which are understood to involve establishing a moon base or colony.

Albrecht was the executive secretary of the National Space Council under President George H.W. Bush charged with trying to keep the Space Exploration Initiative, which included a lunar base, on track. Griffin was NASA administrator charged with running the canceled Constellation program, which also included a lunar base.

Romney has inoculated himself against the charge of being anti-space by having a group of aerospace heavy hitters endorse him. Also, whatever his advisers come up with is going to be less "grandiose" that Gingrich's proposal, even if -- as one might suspect -- it includes a lunar base. The maneuver is as adroit as it is cynical. Romney does not have to offer his own vision that can be sniped at. But he does offer a group of advisers that hint at a vision to come.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker . He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120128/pl_ac/10896257_lunar_base_foe_romney_endorsement_by_lunar_base_supporters_a_contradiction

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Private investors near deal on Greek debt

Charles Dallara, left and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance leave Maximos Mansion after meeting Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Charles Dallara, left and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance leave Maximos Mansion after meeting Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leaves Maximos Mansion after a meeting with Greek Prime minister Lucas Papademos, Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, left, and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos leave Maximos Mansion after a meeting Charles Dallara and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Charles Dallara, left and Jean Lemiere from the Institute of International Finance leave Maximos Mansion after meeting Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

Charles Dallara managing director of the Institute of International Finance arrives at Maximos Mansion for a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens on Saturday Jan. 28 2012. Talks between Greece and private creditors on halving the country's privately held debt load have ended and a deal is very close, according to the creditors' representatives. (AP Photo)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? A disorderly and potentially devastating Greek debt default is looking much less likely.

Greece and investors who own its bonds have reached a tentative deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed ?130 billion bailout.

Negotiators for the investors announced the agreement Saturday and said it could become final next week. If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weak financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept multibillion-dollar losses.

Still, it doesn't resolve the weakening economic conditions in Greece and other European nations as they rein in spending to get their debts under control.

Under the agreement, investors holding ?206 billion in Greek bonds would exchange them for new bonds worth 60 percent less.

The new bonds' face value is half of the existing bonds. They would have a longer maturity and pay an average interest rate of slightly less than 4 percent. The existing bonds pay an average interest rate of 5 percent, according to the think tank Re-Define.

The deal would reduce Greece's annual interest expense on the bonds from about $10 billion to about $4 billion. And when the bonds mature, instead of paying bondholders ?206 billion, Greece will have to pay only ?103 billion.

Without the deal, which would reduce Greece's debt load by at least ?120 billion, the bonds held by banks, insurance companies and hedge funds would likely become worthless. Many of these investors also hold debt from other countries that use the euro, which could also lose value in the event of a full-fledged Greek default. This is the scenario analysts fear most and why they hope investors will voluntarily accept a partial loss on their Greek bonds.

The agreement taking shape is a key step before Greece can get a second, ?130 billion bailout from its European Union partners and the International Monetary Fund. Besides restructuring its debt with private investors, Greece must also take other steps before getting aid. It must cut its deficit and boost the competitiveness of its economy through layoffs of government employees and the sale of several state companies, among other moves.

Greece faces a ?14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20, which it cannot afford without additional help.

The country got its first bailout in May 2010 when the EU and the IMF signed off on a ?110 billion aid package, most of which has already been disbursed.

Private investors hold roughly two-thirds of Greece's debt, which has reached an unsustainable level ? nearly 160 percent of the country's annual economic output. By restructuring the debt held by private investors, Greece and its EU partners are hoping to bring that ratio closer to 120 percent by the end of this decade. Without a deal, analysts forecast that ratio ballooning to 200 percent by the end of this year as the Greek economy falters.

Meanwhile, Greece's public creditors ? ? the IMF, the EU and the European Central Bank ? are baffled by the government's repeated failure to meet deficit targets. They want more government wage cuts. That is meeting resistance by Greek politicians afraid of losing an election tentatively scheduled for the spring. But those same politicians also worry that the nation will be denied a second bailout if doesn't reduce its deficit.

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday night asked those who oppose structural changes to reconsider their stance.

"The coming days will be decisive for the next decade ... We must answer to tough dilemmas and we must do so with foresight and a sense of responsibility and not hide behind each other," he told reporters after meeting with the public creditors.

In return for the first bailout, Greece's public creditors have unprecedented powers over Greek spending. However, Greece's problems will not be fixed simply by cutting government spending. In order to bring its debts to a more manageable level, the country must also find ways boost economic output, which would enable it to collect more taxes.

If no debt-exchange deal is reached with private creditors and Greece is forced to default, it would very likely spook Europe's ? and possibly the world's ? financial markets. It could even lead Greece to withdraw from the euro.

Sarah Ketterer, co-manager of Causeway International Value Fund, a $1.4 billion mutual fund that invests in European stocks, said the region's markets have rebounded this month largely on expectations that negotiators would reach a deal along the lines of the one being finalized now.

Any last-minute breakdown in the talks could trigger a sharp decline in European markets, she said. But a rally is unlikely if negotiations succeed.

"The equity markets have ... largely already discounted this, and you can see that in the confidence that has returned in European equities since the end of December, and especially for financial stocks," Ketterer said.

She said there "really was no other option" than reaching a deal for bondholders to take a haircut of 50 percent or more.

Ketterer said a Greek deal could help restore bond market confidence. That would help Italy manage its own debt crisis ? one that Ketterer views as more critical than Greece's because of Italy's greater size.

The investors who own Greek bonds are being represented by Charles Dallara, managing director of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, and Jean Lemierre, senior adviser to the chairman of the French bank BNP Paribas.

___

AP personal finance writer Mark Jewell in Boston, Elena Becatoros in Athens and Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-Greece-Financial%20Crisis/id-9e04969c89e1476da303b3eb6e78983e

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The Evil That Men Do (Balloon Juice)

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Parent company of car battery maker that received Energy Dept. grant files for bankruptcy

MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

10:49 p.m. EST, January 26, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The parent company of an electric car battery maker that received a $118 million grant from the Obama administration has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Ener1 said it has been affected by competition from China and other countries.

Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel received a $118 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department in 2009, and Vice President Biden visited the company's new battery plant in Indiana last year.

An Energy Department spokeswoman said EnerDel had received $55 million so far. Ener1 said the restructuring would not affect EnerDel's operations.

Ener1 is the third company to seek bankruptcy protection after receiving assistance from the Energy Department under the economic stimulus law. California solar panel maker Solyndra Inc. and Beacon Power, a Massachusetts energy-storage firm, declared bankruptcy last year.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wghp-FaithNews/~3/e5xoF3A0q4M/sns-bc-us--batterymaker,0,1512352.story

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Oil price rises on Persian Gulf supply concerns

Oil prices are rising as Iran prepares to consider a ban on crude sales to European Union countries.

Benchmark crude rose 51 cents to $100.21 per barrel Friday morning in New York. Brent crude rose $1.04 to $111.83 per barrel in London.

Iranian leaders plan to debate the ban Sunday in response to EU plans to embargo Iran's oil by summer. Investors are concerned about supply disruptions.

Those concerns overshadowed a new report showing the U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace all year in the fourth quarter, although slightly less than analysts expected.

At the pump, AAA says the national average for a gallon of gasoline is $3.39. That's about 15 cents more than a month ago and nearly 29 cents more than a year ago.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-27-Oil%20Prices/id-f5148a21440f45648cd6e74602286662

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Gaultier fetes Winehouse, Givenchy goes futuristic (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? Jean Paul Gaultier delivered an ode to Amy Winehouse at his spring/summer 2012 haute couture show in Paris on Wednesday. The late pop singer's musical spirit and bad girl fashion sense were all over the runway.

"No, no, no," sang the four male Afro-American acapella singers who kicked off the show, using Winehouse's husky battle cry "Rehab" as a backdrop to 1950s and 60s-inspired looks.

Sporting pink, red, blonde and black beehives, the leggy models with thick cat-eye eyeliner sported lots of lace, sequins, peek-a-boo skin -- and even cigarettes.

A shocking canary-yellow sequined blouson was paired with an equally bright turquoise slim sequined skirt in a sexy look worthy of 50s pin-up girl Betty Page.

Another seemed tailor-made for a gal with a hangover who doesn't want to get out of bed: a satin peignoir in a printed marquetry fabric worn over a jewel-encrusted bustier.

Winehouse, who died in July from alcohol poisoning, was known for her rich voice, songs that recalled 1960s girl bands, her towering hairstyle and struggles with drugs and alcohol.

The singer's voice on her best-selling hit "Back to Black" filled the vast room at the end of the show as models with veils covering their faces filed past guests such as Catherine Deneuve and burlesque star Dita Von Teese.

At Givenchy, tough was also on the menu, but designer Riccardo Tisci used beading, heavy embroidery, and animal skins to create armor-like dresses and jackets.

The atelier showed 10 looks on Tuesday inspired by Fritz Lang's 1927 film "Metropolis." Hints of Art Deco design on collars and sleeves gave way to a hard-edged, futuristic sensibility.

A black jacket, like a suit of armor, was stitched from thousands of tiny black beads with a black crocodile overlay. Stars adorned the back of the jacket, while swirls of flowers at the cuffs were sewn from individual scales. The overall effect was a Gothic armadillo meets Mad Max.

In another look, the skin of a crocodile was literally recreated, scale by scale, on a woman's body, held in place by invisible tulle. Wrapped around the waist, resembling a Japanese obi, was the animal's spine, with two tails creating the belt.

Even the design on a flowing white skirt resembled scales, sewn via tiny transparent sequins and set off with a bold, silver chain connecting the skirt to the shoulder.

For the top, Tisci played it simple, choosing a classic white t-shirt -- a look, in fact, that Winehouse may have approved of.

(Reporting By Alexandria Sage, editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fashion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/lf_nm_life/us_fashion_france_couture

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Explain it to me: Campaign fundraising (CNN)

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Obama Used the Deficit as Excuse to End NASA Space Exploration Program (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | An article in the New Yorker purports to show why the Obama administration canceled the Constellation space exploration program, a controversial decision that haunts it to this day. The excuse was the budget deficit Obama caused.

The crucial passage of the article, which uses leaked memos to show how the Obama presidency unraveled, quotes a memo from November 2009 that was written by "advisers," states, in part, "Especially in light of our new fiscal context, it is not possible to achieve the inspiring space program goals discussed during the campaign."

The "new fiscal context" in question was a $6 trillion hole the Obama administration had blown into the deficit as a result of its spending policies. A $900 billion stimulus package had already been passed. At the time the administration was locked in a struggle to pass a health care reform proposal that has turned out to have a multitrillion-dollar price tag. The persistent economic downturn, thanks to Obama policies, has decreased tax revenues.

Obama advisers were invoking the deficit as an excuse to cancel a space exploration program initiated by the previous administration. The deficit was not invoked when selling the stimulus package, the health care reform law, or any other Obama spending that the administration actually favored. The deficit was not the reason the Obama administration tried to gut NASA's centerpiece program. It was a threadbare excuse.

The Augustine Committee, which Obama had convened the previous spring, had already come back with a number of proposals for space exploration going forward. It had proposed changing the launch vehicle architecture used by Constellation to one it thought was cheaper and simpler. Nevertheless an increase of $3 billion a year for NASA would be necessary to execute a meaningful program, whether it focused on an Earth approaching asteroid or going back to the moon.

Instead the Obama administration chose to scrap the space exploration program indefinitely. Congress rebelled and ordered the funding of the Orion Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle and the heavy lift space launch system in advance of a space exploration program to take place starting in the 2020s.

The making and rapid unmaking of Obama space policy is a study in mendacity, lack of vision and duplicity. If President John F. Kennedy proudly announced, "We chose to go to the moon!" Obama said, in effect, we chose to stay right here.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker . He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120124/sc_ac/10877141_obama_used_the_deficit_as_excuse_to_end_nasa_space_exploration_program

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Indiana state House approves right-to-work bill (Reuters)

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) ? Indiana's Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed right-to-work legislation on Wednesday, sending on to Governor Mitch Daniels a controversial measure that could hit organized labor in the pocketbook.

Once signed into law by Daniels, who gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Tuesday, the law would make Indiana the first right-to-work state in the country's traditional manufacturing belt.

The measure was passed by the state Senate on Monday and Daniels has made it a top priority of his agenda, saying it would help Indiana attract businesses and jobs to the state.

The House approved the law by a 54-to-44 margin, even though five Republicans joined Democratic lawmakers to oppose it.

The state Senate voted 28 to 22 in favor of the measure, with nine Republicans joining all 13 Democrats in voting against it.

Under the law, employees in the state cannot be forced to pay union dues -- even if they work at companies where the workforce is unionized. Such statutes are in force in 22 states, mostly in the South and West.

Supporters of the law said it would attract jobs to the state. Opponents have called it "union busting" designed to weaken a key Democratic constituency in an election year.

State House Democrats had used delaying tactics to try to thwart passage of the measure. They stayed off the House floor for several days to deny the majority Republicans a quorum. Republicans responded by imposing $1,000-a-day fines on the missing lawmakers, which the Democrats fought in court.

Democrats also sought to introduce several amendments, including an effort to put the right-to-work measure before voters in a referendum, but Republicans defeated them.

(Writing by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/us_nm/us_unions_righttowork_indiana

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Super Bowl XLVI: Latest news, features, more

McQueary, others attend viewings for Paterno

Penn State football players past and present filed past the closed casket of Joe Paterno at the campus spiritual center Tuesday, mourning the coach who helped shape the university for more than a half century. Among those paying their respects was Mike McQueary, a key figure in the events that led to Paterno's firing.

Source: http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46096311

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FM says Syria has duty to confront armed groups (AP)

BEIRUT ? Syria's foreign minister said Tuesday that "half the universe" is conspiring against his country, as Gulf Arab nations withdrew from a monitoring mission in Syria because the government has failed to stop 10 months of violence.

International pressure is building on Syria, not only from the West but increasingly from Arab nations as well. The U.N. estimates more than 5,400 people have been killed since Syria's uprising began in March, sparked by the arrest of a group of teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a wall in the country's south.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Tuesday signaled the crackdown will continue, saying in Damascus that the government will take any steps necessary to defend against chaos.

Syria has long held that armed gangs acting out a foreign conspiracy are behind the revolt, not protesters seeking change in one of the most authoritarian states in the Middle East.

"It is the duty of the Syrian government to take what it sees as necessary measures to deal with those armed groups that spread chaos," al-Moallem said during a televised news conference.

He also said it was clear that some Arab countries have joined the conspiracy against Syria ? a clear reference to the Gulf countries and to Sunday's call by the Arab League for Syria to create a national unity government in two months.

The plan also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a transitional period.

Damascus has rejected the plan as a violation of national sovereignty.

Tuesday's decision by Gulf nations to pull out their monitors is a blow to an Arab League observer mission that has been mired by controversy, but which for many represented the only hope for an Arab solution to the crisis in Syria, away from outside intervention.

Now, the Gulf Cooperation Council has called on the U.N. Security Council to take all "necessary measures" to force Syria to implement the Arab League's peace plan.

"The decision was made after careful and thorough monitoring of events in Syria and the conviction by the GCC that the bloodshed and the killing of innocent people there is continuing," the statement by the six-nation GCC said.

Al-Moallem brushed off the threat of the Security Council.

"If they go to (U.N. headquarters in) New York or the moon, as long as we don't pay their tickets, this is their business," he said.

But he acknowledged there is little hope for an Arab solution.

He said some (Gulf) Arabs have "assassinated" the role of the Arab League in ending the crisis in Syria, and went to the Security Council instead. He tried to portray confidence, however, saying Syria had the strong support of powerful allies in Iran and Russia.

An official at the Cairo-based Arab League said an emergency meeting of permanent representatives of the group's 22 members will be held later Tuesday in the Egyptian capital to "review the situation" following the GCC's decision.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The GCC ? which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates ? has long advocated referring Syria to the Security Council, putting it in conflict with other Arab states.

The Arab League's observer mission, which includes 52 monitors from the Gulf nations, has encountered heavy criticism for its failure to stop the Assad regime's crackdown. The GCC withdrawal will leave about 110 observers on the ground, League officials said.

Saudi Arabia had announced Monday that it would pull out its observers.

"This is their business," al-Moallem said. "Maybe the Saudi brothers in the mission don't want to see the realities on the ground, which don't satisfy their plots," he added.

Activists, meanwhile, reported more violence Tuesday.

Syrian troops opened fire to disperse hundreds of people in al-Barra village in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of northern Syria who had gathered for the funeral of Radwan Rabih Hamadi, a 46-year-old prominent opposition figure who was ambushed and assassinated by gunmen on Monday, activists said.

Activists say Hamadi was instrumental in the uprising against Assad in the northern Idlib province.

Six people were reported wounded in Tuesday's shooting.

___

Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue and Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Beirut, and Abdullah al-Shihri in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria

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Teen ends globe-circling voyage in St. Maarten (AP)

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten ? Laura Dekker set a steady foot aboard a dock in St. Maarten on Saturday, ending a yearlong voyage aboard a sailboat named "Guppy" that apparently made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.

Dozens of people jumped and cheered as Dekker waved, wept and then walked across the dock accompanied by her mother, father, sister and grandparents, who had greeted her at sea earlier.

Dekker arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final, 41-day leg from Cape Town, South Africa.

"There were moments where I was like, 'What the hell am I doing out here?,' but I never wanted to stop," she told reporters. "It's a dream, and I wanted to do it."

Dekker claims she is the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage, but Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.

Dutch authorities tried to block Dekker's trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials complained she should be in a classroom.

Dekker said she was born to parents living on a boat near the coast of New Zealand and said she first sailed solo at 6 years old. At 10, she said, she began dreaming about crossing the globe. She celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip, eating doughnuts for breakfast after spending time at port with her father and friends the night before in Darwin, Australia.

The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011.

"Her story is just amazing," said one of Dekker's fans, 10-year-old Jody Bell of Connecticut. "I can't imagine someone her age going out on sea all by herself."

Bell was in St. Maarten on a work trip with her mother, Deena Merlen, an attorney in Manhattan, who wanted to see Dekker complete her journey. The two wore T-shirts that read: "Guppy rocks my world."

"My daughter and I have been following Laura's story, and we think it's amazing and inspiring," Merlen said.

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat.

During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.

Dekker also complained about custom clearings, boat inspections, ripped sails, heavy squalls, a wet and salty bed, a near-collision with two cargo ships and the presence of some persistent stowaways: cockroaches.

"I became good friends with my boat," she said. "I learned a lot about myself."

Highlights of her trip include 47 days of sailing the Indian Ocean, which left her with unsteady legs when she docked in Durban, South Africa, where she walked up and down the pier several times for practice.

While in South Africa, she also saw her first whale.

"It dove right in front of my boat and got all this water on my boat, and that wasn't really nice," she said.

Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old U.S. sailor, was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16, a few months older than Dekker.

Dekker had said she planned to move to New Zealand after her voyage, but she said Saturday that she wants to finish school first. If she goes to New Zealand, she said, she'd like to sail there.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_st_maarten_young_sailor

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Megaupload boss says he's innocent, rival stops file-sharing (Reuters)

AUCKLAND (Reuters) ? The founder of file-sharing website Megaupload was ordered to be held in custody by a New Zealand court on Monday, as he denied charges of internet piracy and money laundering and said authorities were trying to portray the blackest picture of him.

Prosecutor Anne Toohey argued at a bail hearing that Kim Dotcom, a German national also known as Kim Schmitz, was a flight risk "at the extreme end of the scale" because it was believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a history of fleeing criminal charges.

"The FBI believes the sums located are unlikely to represent all the overseas bank accounts owned by Mr Dotcom," she said.

But Dotcom's lawyer said he posed no threat of absconding or restarting his businesses, arguing that his client had cooperated fully, his passports had been seized and his funds frozen, and also that he had a distinctive appearance.

"He is not the sort of person who will pass unnoticed through our customs and immigration lines and controls," said defense lawyer Paul Davison of the former hacker, reportedly 2 meters (6ft 6ins) tall and weighing more than 130 kg (285 lbs).

Judge David McNaughton said the bail application was too complicated for an immediate ruling, adding he would issue a written decision no later than Wednesday.

"Given the breadth of issues covered in this bail application and the seriousness of the issues, I am going to reserve my decision," the judge said.

U.S. authorities want to extradite Dotcom on charges he masterminded a scheme that made more than $175 million in a few short years by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorization. Megaupload's lawyer has said the company simply offered online storage.

Prosecutor Toohey said two other men sought on global warrants for involvement in Megaupload had been arrested in Europe.

The shockwaves of the case appeared to be spreading among rival websites offering lucrative file-sharing. FileSonic, a website providing online data storage, said in a statement on its website that it had halted its file-sharing services.

"All sharing functionality of FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally," it said.

BARRICADED IN SAFE ROOM

Dotcom, 38, and three others, were arrested on Friday after New Zealand police raided his country estate at the request of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Police cut Dotcom out of a safe room he had barricaded himself in, because, according to his layer, he was frightened and panicked.

Presenting the case for flight risk, the prosecutor said 45 credit cards in three wallets were found in the mansion under Dotcom's various names, while three passports were also found. But his defense lawyer said: "My client collects them (credit cards), most of them are out of date."

Dotcom smiled and waved at around 20 supporters who filled the courtroom and spoke to them after the judge's decision.

"Hey guys thanks for turning up, I appreciate it," he said, wishing a female supporter a "happy birthday."

Defense lawyer Davison said Dotcom was "realistic about what is happening."

"He would obviously prefer to be at large. He doesn't want to be there any longer than he absolutely has to be," he told reporters outside the court.

Media reported that Dotcom ordered around NZ$4 million ($3.2 million) of renovations to the sprawling mansion that he leased near Auckland, with its manicured lawns, fountains, pools, palm-lined paths and extensive security.

The case is being heard as the debate over online piracy reaches fever pitch in Washington, where Congress is trying to craft tougher legislation.

Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation on Friday, postponing a critical vote in a victory for Internet companies that staged a mass online protest against the fast-moving bills.

The movie and music industries want Congress to crack down on Internet piracy and content theft, but major Internet companies such as Google and Facebook have complained that current drafts of the legislation would lead to censorship.

Critics of the U.S. Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and Protect IP Act (PIPA), quickly showed their opposition to the shutdown of Megaupload.com, with hackers attacking the public websites of the Justice Department, the world's largest music company Universal Music, and the two big trade groups that represent the music and film industries.

Dotcom's New Zealand lawyer Davison said in court that Megaupload's business was being misrepresented and authorities were being aggressive to add drama to the case.

"His business did not reproduce or copy material as alleged," he told the court, adding that copyright holders had been given access to Megaupload to identify improper posting of material. He likened the site to the popular YouTube video site, where people "promoted their creativity."

In New Zealand, questions are being asked about how Dotcom, who moved to the country in 2010, could be given permanent residency under a business investor scheme despite criminal convictions for insider trading.

LAVISH LIFESTYLE

A legal expert said extradition arrangements between New Zealand and the United States were reasonably straightforward and standard, but there were some important factors.

"The offence for which extradition is sought must be an offence in the jurisdictions of both states," said Otago University law professor Kevin Dawkins, adding that an accused must be tried on the offence for which they are extradited.

New details emerged about Dotcom's lavish lifestyle and tastes, with reports that he had a heated lap pool built just off the master ensuite, with underwater speakers, imported spring water and a custom ladder worth around NZ$15,000.

"It's insane, and it gets more insane inside. When we were there we called it 'extreme home makeover, millionaire edition'," a source close to the teams that did renovation work the New Zealand Herald.

A film posted on the Internet shows Dotcom, surrounded by topless women and men spraying champagne on board a superyacht during a "crazy weekend" in Monaco reported to have cost $10 million.

"Fast cars, hot girls, superyachts and amazing parties. Decadence rules," said the commentary accompanying the so-called fun documentary, which Dotcom dedicated to "all my fans."

The FBI estimates that Dotcom personally made around $115,000 a day during 2010 from his empire. The list of property to be seized, includes nearly 20 luxury cars, one of them a pink Cadillac, works of art, and NZ$10 million invested in local finance companies.

($1 = 1.2433 New Zealand dollars)

(Additional reporting by Gyles Beckford in Wellington and Ed Davies in Sydney; Editing by Ed Davies and Alex Richardson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/wr_nm/us_internet_piracy_megaupload

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Sweet-Talk and Bitters: The Secret to Reimagining the Classic Cocktail [Happy Hour]

I unscrew the top of the small, clouded vial in front of me, and siphon a few drops of the smoky-smelling liquid inside into a dropper before dabbing them on my wrist. I lick, and the burning sensation strikes instantly. Just as I begin to think, "My god, what have I done?" it backs off, leaving only a subtle smolder. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xDR6WMJxDBU/

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South Carolina GOP primary races to dramatic close (AP)

COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Republicans Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are not ceding one inch of South Carolina as the unpredictable campaign for the South's first presidential primary concludes ? and certainly not Tommy's Ham House.

Romney is fighting a suddenly surging Gingrich, while rivals Rick Santorum and Ron Paul look to surprise in a four-man race that has spun wildly in its last 48 hours.

Seen as Romney's to lose just days ago, South Carolina's primary has become a close contest between Romney, the former Massachusetts governor portraying himself as the best able to beat President Barack Obama, and Gingrich, the confrontational former House speaker and former Georgia congressman.

Both were scheduled to hold dueling campaign events at Tommy's, in Republican-rich Greenville, late Saturday morning. And neither campaign was stepping back from a primary day showdown.

It's "neck and neck," Romney declared Friday, moving to lower expectations for a race he led by double digits as of midweek.

Even as Romney was touting his electability in November, he continued to try to stoke doubt about Gingrich's ethics.

Gingrich, buoyed by the endorsement of Texas Gov. Rick Perry as he left the race Thursday, called Romney's suggestion that his chief rival release documents relating to an ethics investigation from the 1990s a "panic attack" brought on by sinking poll numbers.

Romney's demand was turnabout from Gingrich's that Romney release his income tax returns before the weekend primary. Gingrich argues that GOP voters need to know whether the wealthy former venture capital executive's records contain anything that could hurt the party's chances against Obama.

The stakes were high for Saturday's vote. The primary winner has gone on to win the Republican nomination in every election since 1980. And voters were faced with stamping Romney, who has led in national polls since December, as the party's front-runner, or reshuffle the contest.

Romney won the New Hampshire primary by a wide marign on Jan. 10, and was thought to have edged Santorum in a photo-finish in Iowa's leadoff caucuses. However, the certified count from Iowa on Thursday showed Santorum had received more votes, although a handful of precincts remained uncertain and no winner was declared.

Romney, Gingrich and Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator vying to be the preferred conservative, all planned to campaign in South Carolina's conservative upstate as the voting got under way. Paul, the Texas congressman who has campaigned lightly here, had no campaign appearances scheduled but was expected to visit campaign volunteers.

Behind the flurry of public events around the state Friday, telephones and televisions crackled with attack messages. Some of South Carolina's notorious 11th-hour devilry ? fake reports in the form of emails targeting Gingrich and his ex-wife Marianne ? emerged in a race known as much for its nastiness as for its late-game twists.

"Unfortunately, we are now living up to our reputation," said South Carolina GOP strategist Chip Felkel.

State Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson ordered a preliminary review of the phony messages to see if any laws had been broken.

Gingrich's ex-wife burst into the campaign this week when she alleged in an ABC News interview that her former husband had asked her for an "open marriage," a potentially damaging claim in a state where the Republican primary electorate includes a potent segment of Christian conservatives. The thrice-married Gingrich, who has admitted to marital infidelities, angrily denied her accusation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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New Amazing Videos Show Birds Like You've Never Seen Them Before [Video]

Birds have always fascinated humans. Their flight has inspired writers, artists and engineers to create poems, legends, novels, airplanes and superheroes. The new BBC documentary Earthflight captures this fascination in a way that nobody has before. It's awesome. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/nt-RLjtpFvc/new-amazing-videos-show-birds-like-youve-never-seen-them-before

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5 great movies about airplanes (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? "Red Tails," in theaters this weekend, is about the first black fighter pilots in the United States: the Tuskegee Airmen who finally saw battle in the skies over Europe during World War II. It's a story that's very much worth telling; the film itself, however, is hokey and old-fashioned.

Still, it's a good opportunity to take a look at five movies about airplanes that really do soar:

? "Airplane!" (1980): Not just one of the best airplane movies ever, not just one of the best comedies ever. This is one of my absolute favorite movies ever, regardless of genre. When the LA Film Critics Association asked its members to fill out a questionnaire and choose one movie everyone should see, I didn't pick "Citizen Kane." I picked this. It's a dead-on spoof of all those 1970s "Airport" disaster movies, the one to which all subsequent parodies have aspired. The tone is so perfect, the cast is so great, and the script is so jammed with classic lines. And while the whole exercise is completely silly, "Airplane!" is also very precise in its language, in the details within the sight gags. This kind of comedy is really hard to do just right without going overboard; the writing-directing team of Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker found that balance.

? "Wings" (1927): This was the first film to win the Academy Award for best picture and the only silent film ever to achieve that honor. A restored print of "Wings" recently was shown to a packed house at the Motion Picture Academy with live organ accompaniment, and it was a huge treat to see it in that setting. This tale of World War I fighter pilots, starring Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen and an insanely adorable Clara Bow, was at the time the most expensive movie Paramount had ever made. The budget was set at $1.2 million but it ballooned to $2.1 million. Director William Wellman insisted that his actors take flying lessons so the aerial scenes would look more realistic, and to this day they remain thrilling. "Wings" is also notable for the presence of a young Gary Cooper, although he's only in it for about two minutes; Arlen's Boston terrier gets more screen time.

? "United 93" (2006): Paul Greengrass' reenactment of the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, which crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers foiled the terrorist plot, sounded like a daunting prospect. We know all too well how it's going to end long before it begins, and his documentary-style realism would surely add to the agony. But it is that very realism and Greengrass' respectful attention to detail that make it impossible not to feel engrossed with every fiber in your being. "United 93" provokes a rare physical reaction: It makes your muscles tense up, makes you sit straight-backed in your seat, digging your nails into the armrests. Many films purport themselves, in blurb-friendly verbiage, to be edge-of-your-seat thrillers. This one really is.

? "Top Gun" (1986): This is the 1980s in film form: all the bombast and patriotism, all the big hair and shoulder pads, with Tom Cruise at the height of his powers playing a fighter pilot named ? in all seriousness ? Maverick. Cruise was still young and sexy back then, and "Top Gun" wasn't exactly subtle in celebrating his cocky, brash screen persona. Or as his superior puts it in scolding him: "Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash." Cruise, Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer play students at an elite flying academy. Cruise wins over his instructor (Kelly McGillis) by getting an entire bar to sing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" to her. It's big and cheesy and totally irresistible.

? "North by Northwest" (1959): This is a cheat, I will acknowledge that. But the crop-duster scene is so iconic that when I think of movies about airplanes, I think of this. It isn't just one of the most famous scenes in an Alfred Hitchcock film, it's one of the most famous scenes in film history, period. Cary Grant, a victim of mistaken identity who finds himself wrongly accused of murder, goes on the run. In his hunt for clues to the mystery he's gotten himself tangled in, he winds up on a rural highway in the middle of nowhere, where he's repeatedly buzzed by an armed crop-dusting plane. Decades later, this sequence remains chilling, with the menacing whirr of the plane's engine and the crunch of Grant's feet desperately pounding the dirt providing an increasingly tense rhythm.

___

Think of any other examples? Share them with AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_en_mo/us_film_five_most

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Live-Blogging The Google Q4 2011 Earnings Call

We're live and listening....

A bunch of the execs are on. You can also follow along here....

Chief executive Larry Page (paraphrased): Good afternoon everyone. Google had a very strong quarter with revenue up 25% year over year...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/E87D_RU4yDg/

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Pope hits out at 'radical secularism'

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during a general audience he held in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during a general audience he held in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Benedict XVI says Roman Catholics in the U.S. need to understand the "grave threats" to their faith posed by what he calls radical secularism in the political and cultural arenas.

He addressed visiting U.S. bishops Thursday and used the same language in warning that attempts are being made to erode their religious freedom.

Benedict did not explicitly mention it, but the bishops have complained their religious freedom is eroding in the face of growing acceptance of gay marriage and attempts to marginalize faith. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has recently formed a committee on protecting religious liberty and hired attorneys and a lobbyist to work on the issue.

The pope said many of the bishops have complained about attempts to deny conscientious objection with regard to cooperation in "intrinsically evil practices." U.S. church leaders have been pressing for a broader religious exception to part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul that mandates private insurers pay for contraception. The Obama administration has not yet made a decision on the policy and the timing is uncertain.

Bishops also are pressing for broader religious exemptions in U.S. states that have legalized same-gender civil unions or marriage. The vast network of Catholic social services in the United States includes adoption and foster-care placement. Bishops in some states have either shut down adoption programs or have lost their government contracts after refusing to place children with same-gender couples.

Benedict also expressed appreciation that bishops have been more outspoken about American Catholic politicians who don't follow church teaching on abortion and other issues.

The pope said Catholics in political life have a "personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time."

American Catholics have bitterly debated the obligations of Catholic lawmakers to oppose government policies that go against core Catholic teaching. In recent years, a small but growing number of local bishops have publicly told Catholic lawmakers who support abortion rights not to present themselves for Holy Communion because of their stance on the issue.

The White House had no response to the pope's remarks.

Officials of Catholic-affiliated institutions that have asked for a broader conscience exception to the birth control coverage requirement are frustrated that the administration has yet to make its ruling.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-19-EU-Vatican-US/id-8503237d9ddc44e69a5eeb6537d15b92

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