Report: Iranian students protest UN nuclear team (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Iranian students staged a silent gathering Tuesday to protest a visit by U.N. nuclear inspectors on their first visit in two years, the semiofficial Isna news agency reported.

The report said a group of students gathered at the gate of the country's atomic agency. It did not say how many participated in the brief protest.

The findings from the visit could influence Western efforts to enact further sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The U.S. and its allies charge that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons by using its uranium enrichment facilities to produce weapons-grade material.

Iran has declined to abandon its enrichment labs, saying it seeks to operate the reactors only for energy and medical purposes.

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported that negotiations between the inspectors and Iran ended in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and there would be more talks in the future. On Monday, Iran indicated the visit could be extended if necessary, but the Fars report indicated the three-day mission was ending Tuesday on schedule.

The demonstrating students said they're worried the visit would lead to assassination of Iranian nuclear experts.

They charged that U.S. and Israeli agents used information leaked by the U.N. agency to target Iranian nuclear scientists.

On Sunday about a dozen Iranian hard-liners carrying pictures of slain nuclear expert Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan gathered at Tehran airport to protest the visit. Roshan was killed by blast earlier in this month.

Also Tuesday, Mohammad Karamirad, a member of the influential parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, told Isna that the visit by the three-member International Atomic Energy Agency team showed Iran has had "comprehensive and honest cooperation with the agency."

Karamirad said, "The visit can be beginning of new round of talks with the West, and it proves the peacefulness of Iran's nuclear activities."

Iran has been trying to display cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency team and downplay expectations of a confrontational atmosphere during the visit, which began Sunday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

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Liam Neeson solidifies action star status with "Grey" success (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Liam Neeson may be the world's most improbable action star.

The towering 59-year-old star of "The Grey," known earlier in his career for roles in critically-lauded films such as "Schindler's List" and "Kinsey," has turned into one of the most reliable action stars. And he did it at an age when contemporaries such as Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis have become less of a sure thing in action movies.

The former forklift operator from Northern Ireland also delivers at least as well -- or better -- than younger stars such as Matt Damon, Vin Diesel and Nicolas Cage in those movies. His mid-life transformation, which began with 2008's "Taken," has continued after the 2009 death of his wife Natasha Richardson in a skiing accident.

In "The Grey," Neeson plays a man working on an oil field in Alaska who must survive the elements and a pack of wolves after a plane crash. The movie opened last weekend to $20 million at the domestic box office, exceeding expectations.

Last year, "Unknown" grossed $61.1 million domestically on a budget of $30 million.

"Taken" -- the movie that turned the Academy Award-nominated actor into an action star -- grossed $145 million domestically on a $25 million budget in 2008.

Of his recent action movies, "The A-Team" was a disappointment, grossing $77.2 million domestically on a $110 million budget in 2010. But it was a ensemble adaptation of a TV show that did not rest on Neeson's shoulders or play to his strength as middle-aged man with something to prove.

Now look at action films starring Washington, a close contemporary to Neeson at 57, and once a go-to action star. Universal is opening his next movie, "Safe House," on February 10.

His 2010 "Unstoppable" grossed $81.6 million domestically on a budget of $100 million. "The Book of Eli," in 2010, took $94.8 million on an $80 million budget. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" in 2009, grossed only $65.5 million domestically on a $100 million budget.

Willis has seen his star power diminish from his heady days heading the "Die Hard" franchise. Now 56, a few years younger than Neeson, he has an uneven record at the box office, with "Red" and "Cop Out" among his recent offerings.

Damon is a generation younger at 41. His "Bourne" movies made him an action star, but he doesn't seem to have a big appetite for such meat-and-potato roles, choosing instead to star in a diverse array of films including "We Bought a Zoo," "True Grit" and "Hereafter."

The 2007 "The Bourne Ultimatum" alone grossed $227 million domestically on a $110 million budget.

But "Contagion," in 2011, grossed $75.6 million domestically on a budget of $60 million, the 2010 "The Green Zone" took $35 million domestically on a $100 million budget and 2011's "The Adjustment Bureau" took $62.5 million domestically on a budget of $50.2 million.

It's the same for Diesel.

While he is golden in Universal's spectacularly successful "Fast and Furious" franchise, the 44-year-old otherwise doesn't seem to be a bankable action star outside that.

He had good numbers with his 2005 "The Pacifier," which grossed $113 million domestically and had a budget of $56 million. But his 2008 "Babylon A.D." grossed only $22.5 million domestically on a $70 million budget. His 2004 "The Chronicles of Riddick" took only $57.6 million on a budget of $110 million and his 2003 "A Man Apart" grossed only $26.2 million domestically on a $36 million budget.

At 59, Neeson was born the same year as David Hasselhoff, Gus Van Sant, Mandy Patinkin, Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman, Harvey Fierstein and one-time action star Mr. T.

And before he was an action star, he was an actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his role as Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's List," and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his roles in "Kinsey" and "Michael Collins."

The action roles keep coming for him: In addition to a small role in "The Dark Knight Rises," this year he stars as Admiral Shane in "Battleship" and as Zeus in "Wrath of the Titans." He will also return as Bryan Mills in a sequel to "Taken," the movie that made him an action star.

(Editing By Zorianna Kit)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/film_nm/us_liamneeson

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Uproar over rightist leader's comments about Jews (AP)

VIENNA ? Far-right Austrian politicians were widely criticized Monday for comparing protests against a fancy ball that attracts extremists to the Nazis' persecution of Jews.

Vienna's Jewish community demanded an investigation into the remarks but the Freedom Pary insisted no harm was meant.

The comments by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache and an associate were first reported Sunday on the website of the daily Der Standard, but they drew little attention until Monday.

The furor extended the controversy over Friday's far-right ball, which attracts guests who include the neo-Nazi fringe and was held this year on the same day the world pays tribute to victims of the Holocaust.

Police recorded only isolated violent incidents Friday from demonstrators outside the Viennese palace where the ball was being held. But Strache was quoted as saying the violence was "like Kristallnacht," referring to the 1938 anti-Semitic riots across Germany and parts of Austria that left streets strewn with broken glass from the windows of Jewish-owned property and synagogues. Kristallnacht was an ominous sign of the Holocaust to follow.

"We are the new Jews," Strache declared to other ball guests, according to Austrian media.

Strache associate Klaus Nittmann, meanwhile, was quoted as saying "whoever works for this ball immediately gets a Jew star pinned on him" ? a reference to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule.

Austria's Jewish community demanded that the state prosecutor investigate the comments and urged Strache to give up his parliamentary immunity from legal action.

Karl Oelligner of the opposition Green Party suggested that such comments can only come from someone who "has either lost his marbles or is trying to trivialize the horrors of Nazi rule."

Hannes Rauch, whose centrist People's Party is in the government coalition, called Strache's words "an open slap in the face for all those who were victims of the criminal National Socialist regime."

Freedom Party officials dismissed the criticism. Spokesman Harald Vilimsky spoke of "artificial and ridiculous outrage," adding that Strache only meant the denunciations of ball supporters and attacks on their property are reminiscent of "the horrible reports about the sinister era of National Socialism."

Strache, he said, did not intend to play down "the agony that was forced upon the Jews."

Austria has moved from its postwar portrayal of being Nazi Germany's first victim to acknowledging that it was Hitler's willing partner. Most young Austrians reject Nazi ideology and condemn the part their parents might have played in the Holocaust.

At the same time, the rightist-populist Freedom Party ? whose supporters range from those disillusioned with more traditional parties to Islamophobes and Holocaust deniers ? has become Austria's second-strongest political force.

Although the annual ball regularly comes under criticism, its overlap this year with worldwide commemorations of the Holocaust had increased the pressure on organizers and attendees.

Because it was listed among other champagne-laced Viennese balls, an Austrian committee reporting to UNESCO, the U.N.'s culture organization, struck all the balls from its list of Austria's noteworthy traditions earlier this month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_eu/eu_austria_rightist_ball

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Analysis: More than ever, businesses must think "what if" (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.

Caution, flexibility, nimbleness and deep knowledge of host countries are more important than ever, executives and their advisers said at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.

Fear of a major geopolitical disruption over the next 12 months has risen to 54 percent, up from 36 percent last quarter, a WEF poll showed at the start of this week's meeting.

"You have to more than at any time in recent memory think in terms of 'what ifs,'" said Vasant Prabhu, chief financial officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (HOT.N).

"This is a world in which you have to think in terms of scenarios and alternate outcomes and what you would do."

Companies are closely looking at their counterparties - their vendors, suppliers and the banks that manage their cash to assess what would happen if they run into problems.

They are worrying about their currency exposure, with one U.S. company chairman in Davos privately saying he had started converting all of his company's cash in euros into dollars since the euro zone debt crisis suddenly deepened last year.

Other risk-averse moves include companies adjusting their supply chains to build flexibility into their business should a natural disaster cause a repeat of the huge disruption which followed the Japanese earthquake and tsunami last year.

And as they enter new markets and face more uncertainty in mature ones, they are putting more effort into understanding local politics and business practices. Some are using former spies to gather intelligence on trade partners.

Behind all this is a growing sense that increased uncertainty is the new reality of doing business. Financial considerations can no longer be the sole focus, advisers and executives said in interviews before and during the WEF in Davos.

"I think fundamentally there is an acknowledgement that this volatility that we are seeing is going to be here for the foreseeable future," PricewaterhouseCoopers Chairman Dennis Nally said.

"You can't predict the solution here in Europe. You can't predict what may happen in the Middle East. You can't predict what could happen in terms of the geopolitical issues in Asia, or certainly what's coming out of Washington," Nally said.

Companies feel an imperative to be better prepared.

"Our own view right now for 2012 is, 'Yes, there are some scenarios that could be bad but we think of them as low probability," Starwood's Prabhu said. "We think 2012 would be a year where the world muddles through."

FLIGHT TO QUALITY

For bankers one consequence is closer scrutiny of the financial health of their business by corporate treasury departments. Ratings downgrades of some banks have prompted corporate treasurers to analyze their relationships and think about switching banks or spreading the risk by hiring more.

"Increasingly, we are seeing clients take a holistic view of integrating strategic capital raising and risk and cash management in this unique time of uncertainty and volatility," said Jacques Brand, global co-head of Investment Banking Coverage and Advisory at Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE).

"As a result, clients are planning accordingly and we are seeing a flight to quality."

Indeed, several major banks have seen their deposits grow, in part because companies have moved their business away from weaker institutions. JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) Treasury & Securities Services unit saw liability balances grow to $370 billion last year, an increase of more than $100 billion in one year, Mike Cavanagh, the division's chief executive said.

"Corporate clients that we talk to are very mindful that they have counterparty and currency risks, and prioritizing them more so than pre-crisis," Cavanagh said.

"To the extent a client has a portfolio of banks providing transaction banking services, they are becoming much more conscious of concentration risk," he added.

Bankers said they are also advising clients to look beyond their immediate trade partners, as what happens to the partners' counterparties could end up affecting their business as well.

"You have to think in terms of two or three degrees of separation. Your vendor, and your vendor's vendor -- when does that create a problem in your supply chain? Your banker and your banker's banker -- when does that create a problem in your financials?" said Samuel Di Piazza, vice chairman in Citigroup's (C.N) Institutional Clients Group.

"Finance departments have to deal with that this year," Piazza said. "Two years ago they didn't. Maybe in '08 they did, but in '10 we felt better about that. It's back on the agenda."

POLITICS OF BUSINESS

For many Western corporations, the euro zone crisis and the gridlock in Washington are also bringing home the fact that politics has an ever bigger role to play in business and markets.

"The euro zone crisis on the surface is a fiscal crisis or a debt crisis but it's going to be resolved as a political issue," said D.J. Peterson, director of Corporate Advisory Services practice at political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group.

Adding to the complexity is the need for companies to find growth in emerging markets, where traditionally the state has played a bigger role in the functioning of markets.

Boutique firms such as Eurasia Group, Oxford Analytica and others, which provide geopolitical advice and analysis, are seeing demand for their services grow rapidly in the last few years and are increasingly finding a role alongside traditional advisers such as investment bankers and lawyers in transactions.

Eurasia's Peterson said the group had been growing at about 20 percent a year. It employs scholars, former policy makers, former regulators and industry experts to gather intelligence and analyze geopolitical trends for clients.

Some, including Oxford Analytica, also use senior people with experience in diplomacy, intelligence and finance to put together advice for corporate clients.

Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services (ZURN.VX) said 2011 had been a rough year for natural catastrophe losses but its business of insuring against political risk is booming.

"From sovereign debt to tsunamis, the universe of enterprise risk seems broader and more consequential than ever before," said Thomas Huerlimann, head of Zurich Global Corporate.

"You need to hedge your political risk to a greater degree than you had to do, certainly in the last 20 years," said Nader Mousavizadeh, chief executive of Oxford Analytica.

(Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson and Ben Hirschler; editing by Janet McBride)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120129/bs_nm/us_davos_risk

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Syrian troops storm areas near capital of Damascus

This image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group and shot on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, purports to show a funeral in Damascus, Syria. The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus on Sunday, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at several people, activists said. (AP Photo/Ugarit News Group via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

This image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group and shot on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, purports to show a funeral in Damascus, Syria. The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus on Sunday, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at several people, activists said. (AP Photo/Ugarit News Group via APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT

BEIRUT (AP) ? In dozens of tanks and armored vehicles, Syrian troops stormed rebellious areas near the capital Sunday, shelling neighborhoods that have fallen under the control of army dissidents and clashing with fighters. At least 62 people were killed in violence nationwide, activists and residents said.

The widescale offensive near the capital suggested the regime is worried that military defectors could close in on Damascus, which has remained relatively quiet while most other Syrian cities descended into chaos after the uprising began in March.

The rising bloodshed added urgency to Arab and Western diplomatic efforts to end the 10-month conflict.

The violence has gradually approached the capital. In the past two weeks, army dissidents have become more visible, seizing several suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus and setting up checkpoints where masked men wearing military attire and wielding assault rifles stop motorists and protect anti-regime protests.

Their presence so close to the capital is astonishing in tightly controlled Syria and suggests the Assad regime may either be losing control or setting up a trap for the fighters before going on the offensive.

Residents of Damascus reported hearing clashes in the nearby suburbs, particularly at night, shattering the city's calm.

"The current battles taking place in and around Damascus may not yet lead to the unraveling of the regime, but the illusion of normalcy that the Assads have sought hard to maintain in the capital since the beginning of the revolution has surely unraveled," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a U.S.-based Syrian dissident.

"Once illusions unravel, reality soon follows," he wrote in his blog Sunday.

Soldiers riding some 50 tanks and dozens of armored vehicles stormed a belt of suburbs and villages on the eastern outskirts of Damascus known as al-Ghouta Sunday, a predominantly Sunni Muslim agricultural area where large anti-regime protests have been held.

Some of the fighting on Sunday was less than three miles (four kilometers) from Damascus, in Ein Tarma, making it the closest yet to the capital.

"There are heavy clashes going on in all of the Damascus suburbs," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who relies on a network of activists on the ground. "Troops were able to enter some areas but are still facing stiff resistance in others."

The fighting using mortars and machine guns sent entire families fleeing, some of them on foot carrying bags of belongings, to the capital.

"The shelling and bullets have not stopped since yesterday," said a man who left his home in Ein Tarma with his family Sunday. "It's terrifying, there's no electricity or water, it's a real war," he said by telephone on condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisals.

The uprising against Assad, which began with largely peaceful demonstrations, has grown increasingly militarized recently as more frustrated protesters and army defectors have taken up arms.

In a bid to stamp out resistance in the capital's outskirts, the military has responded with a withering assault on a string of suburbs, leading to a spike in violence that has killed at least 150 people since Thursday.

The United Nations says at least 5,400 people have been killed in the 10 months of violence.

The U.N. is holding talks on a new resolution on Syria and next week will discuss an Arab League peace plan aimed at ending the crisis. But the initiatives face two major obstacles: Damascus' rejection of an Arab plan that it says impinges on its sovereignty, and Russia's willingness to use its U.N. Security Council veto to protect Syria from sanctions.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby told reporters Sunday in Egypt that contacts were under way with China and Russia.

"I hope that their stand will be adjusted in line with the final drafting of the draft resolution," he told reporters before leaving for New York with Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim.

The two will seek U.N. support for the latest Arab plan to end Syria's crisis. The plan calls for a two-month transition to a unity government, with Assad giving his vice president full powers to work with the proposed government.

Because of the escalating violence, the Arab League on Saturday halted the work of its observer mission in Syria at least until the League's council can meet. Arab foreign ministers were to meet Sunday in Cairo to discuss the Syrian crisis in light of the suspension of the observers' work and Damascus' refusal to agree to the transition timetable, the League said.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "concerned" about the League's decision to suspend its monitoring mission and called on Assad to "immediately stop the bloodshed." He spoke Sunday at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

While the international community scrambles to find a resolution to the crisis, the violence on the ground in Syria has continued unabated.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 civilians were killed Sunday in Syria, most of them in fighting in the Damascus suburbs and in the central city of Homs, a hotbed of anti-regime protests. Twenty-six soldiers and nine defectors were also killed, it said. The soldiers were killed in ambushes that targeted military vehicles near the capital and in the northern province of Idlib.

The Local Coordination Committees' activist network said 50 people were killed Sunday, including 13 who were killed in the suburbs of the capital and two defectors. That count excluded soldiers killed Sunday.

The differing counts could not be reconciled, and the reports could not be independently confirmed. Syrian authorities keep tight control on the media and have banned many foreign journalists from entering the country.

Syria's state-run news agency said "terrorists" detonated a roadside bomb by remote control near a bus carrying soldiers in the Damascus suburb of Sahnaya, killing six soldiers and wounding six others. Among those killed in the attack some 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the capital were two first lieutenants, SANA said.

In Irbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, about 200 members of Syria's Kurdish parties were holding two days of meetings to explore ways of supporting efforts to topple Assad.

Abdul-Baqi Youssef, a member of the Syrian Kurdish Union Party, said representatives of 11 Kurdish parties formed the Syrian Kurdish National Council that will coordinate anti-government activities with Syria's opposition.

Kurds make up 15 percent of Syria's 23 million people and have long complained of discrimination.

___

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo; Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq; and Luc van Kemenade in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-29-ML-Syria/id-35c311d0f34243b293de37b99190c910

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Obama urges Congress to act in election year (AP)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats for an election-year fight, urging them to work with Republicans if they show some willingness to put politics aside but telling the rank and file to call them out if they stand in the way.

Addressing Democrats on the final day of their three-day annual retreat, Obama outlined the political stakes over the next few months as congressional Democrats try to push his agenda in the face of Republican opposition, the GOP choses its nominee and signs of recovery in a fragile economy go a long way to determining his re-election chances and the party's fate.

Obama said Democrats should seize the opportunity "whenever there is a possibility that the other side is putting some politics aside for just a nanosecond in order to get something done for the American people, we've got to be right there ready to meet them," the president told the sometimes raucous crowd.

However, "where they obstruct, where they're unwilling to act, where they're more interested in party than they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we've got to call them out on it," the president said. "We've got to push. We can't wait; we can't be held back."

Coming off a three-day tour to promote his State of the Union message, Obama promised a "robust debate about whose vision is more promising" when Republicans choose their nominee.

On a day when reports showed the economy picking up late in 2011 but still considered "fragile" by the White House, Obama told Democrats wondering about their re-election prospects: "It's going to be a tough election because a lot of people are still hurting out there and a lot of people have lost faith generally about the capacity of Washington to get anything done."

House Republicans, who held their retreat in Baltimore last week, have repeatedly said the election will be a referendum on Obama's policies, especially his handling of the economy.

The president acknowledged that Democrats have embraced parts of his agenda when it was politically difficult and in some cases costly. The party took a drubbing in the midterm elections, losing control of the House and seeing their ranks diminished in the Senate.

And despite some past clashes with House Democrats over his willingness to compromise with Republicans, Obama was warmly received and was introduced as "our champion" by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.

The president returned the warmth with a vote of confidence that Democrats would win back the House in November, making a nod to their leader as "soon-to-be once-again Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."

"I believe in you guys. You guys have had my back through some very tough times," said the president, who received a small gift ? a DVD of House Democrats singing Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Last week, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York, Obama stood on the stage and crooned a line from the Green classic.

Democrats were upbeat at their three-day session, energized by Obama's State of the Union address and its populist themes as well as recent polls showing more Americans say the country is on the right track and approve of Obama's handling of the economy. Divisions in the Republican ranks that were on full display last year in the fight over extending the payroll tax cut and the bitter battle between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the GOP presidential nomination also lifted Democratic spirits.

But the relationship with the White House hasn't always been cordial. Vice President Joe Biden, who addressed the Democrats prior to Obama's speech, described some of the rough patches.

He noted that several members in the room were mad at him in December 2010 after Obama negotiated an extension of President George W. Bush's tax cuts over the objections of some House Democrats. Last year, frustrated Democrats complained the Obama gave away too much in negotiating a spending bill and an agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority.

Biden said Pelosi told him at the last conference to "get tough. Enough is enough." He said the "message was heard. The message was heard. And I think we've delivered."

The vice president was more pointed in his political remarks than Obama and called out some Republicans by name. He said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.

Of the presidential candidates, Biden said Romney's criticism of the auto bailout and a host of positions stated by rival Newt Gingrich on government intervention will create a clear contrast for voters.

"These guys are helping us by saying what they believe," Biden said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_go_co/us_house_democrats

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US Supreme Court won't review Venezuela suit (AP)

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? An Ohio investment group's lawsuit seeking to collect $100 million on three-decade-old Venezuelan promissory notes is headed back to a federal judge for further deliberations.

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear the case was a setback for Venezuela, which argued that federal law protects it from U.S. lawsuits because it is a foreign state.

The high court declined on Monday to accept Venezuela's appeal of a 2010 federal appeals court decision that said the suit filed by Skye Ventures of Columbus could go forward in the U.S.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also said a lower court must determine whether the case should be tried in Venezuela, which will be the next step.

Skye seeks payment on the notes from a defunct government-sponsored bank.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_us/us_venezuela_investors_lawsuit

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Is a New Magsafe Data Cable Going To Replace Apple's 30-Pin Connector? [Rumors]

The idea of Apple moving to Magsafe charging for iOS devices has been aired before, but the lack of data transfer stymied such plans. Now, however, an Apple patent suggests that future Magsafe connectors will be able to shift data. Bye bye 30-pin connector? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/UoukgX28MUI/is-a-new-magsafe-data-cable-going-to-replace-apples-30+pin-connector

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Netflix Q4 Earnings Beat The Street, But Next Quarter May Be A Different Story

Saying 2011 was a rocky road for Netflix would be an understatement, as it split its DVD and streaming offerings into two businesses, then reneged. They also hiked their prices, only to experience a veritable customer revolt, and CEO Reed Hastings was forced to publicly say that they'd made a huge mistake. Today, Netflix has released its fourth quarter earnings from 2011, and it looks like there's at least a sliver of good news, as the company beat Wall Street's forecasts of $0.54 a share and $857 million in revenues, rising instead to $0.73 per share and $876 million in revenues.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/H69Ti8F9Dt8/

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SOTU Response: We???re Still in Bad Shape (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Tuesday night was the night of speeches. First there was the State of the Union; then there was the GOP response. While I'm not a fan of Mitch Daniels, I liked his answer. It was more factual and current then Obama's State of the Union address, and it highlighted the importance of the 2012 elections. As a country, we cannot do another four years of Obama, and the answer is electing a Republican president.

Gov. Daniels crafted an impressive response to Obama's State of the Union address. I particularly liked Daniels' speech when he stated, "The president did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight. But he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse: the percentage of Americans with a job is at the lowest in decades. One in five men of prime working age, and nearly half of all persons under 30, did not go to work today."

While I'm not in either of those demographics, I didn't go to work yesterday. In fact, I gave up looking for traditional employment in November 2011. There are no jobs out there. There are no jobs for the uneducated, and there are no jobs for the educated. I fall into the latter category. I have two degrees, and I'm thinking about getting a third degree. I shouldn't need three degrees to find a job. With two degrees I'm already overeducated, but that's the world Obama has created.

I had a job in 2008, and I still had a job in 2009 after Obama was elected. I wasn't downsized until April 2009. Supposedly, the recession ended during that summer, but a more than two years later, I'm still not traditionally employed. It's a problem, and it's not just a problem for me. It's a problem for the nation.

The United States cannot thrive with high unemployment. "The federal government now spends one of every four dollars in the entire economy; it borrows one of every three dollars it spends. No nation, no entity, large or small, public or private, can thrive, or survive intact, with debts as huge as ours," said Gov. Daniels.

It's been more than two years since the recession officially ended. Yet, the unemployment rate is still a whopping 8.5 percent. While Obama wants to take credit for the improvements no matter how marginal, I don't see enough improvement.

The answer to the economy is to elect a Republican president. We can't do another four years of Obamanomics. That means we need to pay close attention during this year's primaries. We need to scrutinize each candidate as if our lives depended on it. Then, we, as a nation, need to pick the best republican presidential candidate so we can get this nation and its jobs and its citizens back on track.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10883091_sotu_response_were_still_in_bad_shape

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Obama challenges: Shrink gap between rich, poor (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Declaring the American dream under siege, President Barack Obama delivered a populist challenge Tuesday night to shrink the gap between rich and poor, promising to tax the wealthy more and help jobless Americans get work and hang onto their homes. Seeking re-election and needing results, the president invited Republicans to join him but warned, "I intend to fight."

In an emphatic State of the Union address, Obama said ensuring a fair shot for all Americans is "the defining issue of our time." He said the economy is finally recovering from a deep and painful recession and he will fight any effort to return to policies that brought it low.

"We've come too far to turn back now," he declared.

Obama outlined a vastly different vision for fixing the country than the one pressed by the Republicans confronting him in Congress and fighting to take his job in the November election. He pleaded for an active government that ensures economic fairness for everyone, just as his opponents demand that the government back off and let the free market rule.

Obama offered steps to help students afford college, a plan for more struggling homeowners to refinance their homes and tax cuts for manufacturers. He threw in politically appealing references to accountability, including warning universities they will lose federal aid if they don't stop tuition from soaring.

Standing in front of a divided Congress, with bleak hope this election year for much of his legislative agenda, Obama spoke with voters in mind.

"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by," Obama said. "Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules."

A rare wave of unity splashed over the House chamber at the start. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, survivor of an assassination attempt one year ago, received sustained applause from her peers and cheers of "Gabby, Gabby, Gabby." She blew a kiss to the podium. Obama embraced her.

Lawmakers leapt to their feet when Obama said near the start of his speech that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, killed by a raid authorized by the president, will no longer threaten America.

At the core of Obama's address was the improving but deeply wounded economy ? the matter still driving Americans' anxiety and the one likely to determine the next presidency.

"The state of our union is getting stronger," Obama said, calibrating his words as millions remain unemployed. Implicit in his declaration that the American dream is "within our reach" was the recognition that, after three years of an Obama presidency, the country is not there yet.

He spoke of restoring basic goals: owning a home, earning enough to raise a family, putting a little money away for retirement.

"We can do this," Obama said. "I know we can." He said Americans are convinced that "Washington is broken," but he also said it wasn't too late to cooperate on important matters.

Republicans were not impressed. They applauded infrequently, though they did cheer when the president quoted "Republican Abraham Lincoln" as saying: "That government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves ? and no more."

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, offering the formal GOP response, called Obama's policies "pro-poverty" and his tactics divisive.

"No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others," Daniels said after the president's address.

In a signature swipe at the nation's growing income gap, Obama called for a new minimum tax rate of at least 30 percent on anyone making over $1 million. Many millionaires ? including one of his chief rivals, Republican Mitt Romney ? pay a rate less than that because they get most of their income from investments, which are taxed at a lower rate.

"Now you can call this class warfare all you want," Obama said, responding to a frequent criticism from the GOP presidential field. "But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense."

Obama calls this the "Buffett rule," named for billionaire Warren Buffett, who has said it's unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Emphasizing the point, Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek, attended the address in first lady Michelle Obama's box.

Obama underlined every proposal with the idea that hard work and responsibility still count. He was targeting independent voters who helped seal his election in 2008 and the frustrated masses in a nation pessimistic about its course.

In a flag-waving defense of American power and influence abroad, Obama said the U.S. will safeguard its own security "against those who threaten our citizens, our friends and our interests." On Iran, he said that while all options are on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon ? an implied threat to use military force ? "a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible."

With Congress almost universally held in low regard, Obama went after an easy target in calling for reforms to keep legislators from engaging in insider trading and holding them to the same conflict-of-interest standards as those that apply to the executive branch.

With the foreclosure crisis on ongoing sore spot despite a number of administration housing initiatives over the past three years, Obama proposed a new program to allow homeowners with privately held mortgages to refinance at lower interest rates. Administration officials offered few details but estimated savings at $3,000 a year for average borrowers.

Obama proposed steps to crack down on fraud in the financial sector and mortgage industry, with a Financial Crimes Unit to monitor bankers and financial service professionals, and a separate special unit of federal prosecutors and state attorneys general to expand investigations into abusive lending that led to the housing crisis.

At a time of tight federal budgets and heavy national debt, Obama found a ready source of money to finance his ideas: He proposed to devote half of the money no longer being spent on the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan to "do some nation-building right here at home," to help create more jobs and increase competitiveness. The other half, he said, would go to help pay down the national debt.

Obama also offered a defense of regulations that protect the American consumer ? regulations often criticized by Republicans as job-killing obstacles.

"Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that do the same," Obama said. "It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts and no cop-outs. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody."

Obama will follow up Tuesday night's address with a three-day tour of five states key to his re-election bid. On Wednesday he'll visit Iowa and Arizona to promote ideas to boost American manufacturing; on Thursday in Nevada and Colorado he'll discuss energy, and in Michigan on Friday he'll talk about college affordability, education and training.

Polling shows Americans are divided about Obama's overall job performance but unsatisfied with his handling of the economy.

The speech Tuesday night comes just one week before the Florida Republican primary that could help set the trajectory for the rest of the race.

Romney, caught up in a tight contest with a resurgent Newt Gingrich, commented in advance to Obama's speech.

"Tonight will mark another chapter in the misguided policies of the last three years ? and the failed leadership of one man," Romney said from Florida.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_state_of_the_union

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Homeless science whiz isn't contest finalist

>>> this morning on education nation today, a young woman who went from a homeless shelter to last night's state of the union address . we'll talk to her in a moment. but first, nbc's chief education correspondent rehema ellis has details. hey, good morning.

>> good morning, ann. samantha garvey is here tnear the top of her class in high school and just clal identified for a science competition, amazing for anyone, but there is much more to samantha 's story. she looks like a typical teenager. but for samantha garvey , life has been an extraordinary whirlwind since news broke that she's a semifinalist in the nation's prestigious intel science competition with a shot at the $100,000 prize.

>> i'm not sure how to put it into words. i don't know. it's amazing, wild, crazy.

>> reporter: beneath the petite frame and chipped nail polish is a story of triumph over turmoil. as word got out that the brentwood, new york, high school senior with a 3.9 grade point average was also homeless.

>> basically we were having financial trouble and we got behind on rent payments. by november/december we were notified that we had to leave the house and we were evicted on december 31.

>> reporter: samantha , her parents and her younger brother and sister were forced to leave this home and move to a nearby shelter where the family dog was not allowed.

>> on the holidays you're not celebrating the holidays. you're putting your stuff in storage and looking for a place to live. it's really not -- it's kind of -- it's bad.

>> reporter: with the help of her counselors and teachers, particularly rebecca samantha managed to stay on track with her studies in marine biology .

>> she has the intellect, the drive, the determination to succeed no matter what.

>> reporter: officials in suffolk county social services stepped in and offered the family a three-bedroom home through an affordable housing program for families in shelters.

>> we had to leave everything behind at the old place so to have everything given to us -- you know, this is completely amazing. thank you.

>> reporter: a call from the ellen degeneres show resulted in more good news.

>> a $50,000 scholarship. [ cheers and applause ]

>> i could not believe it. i have never seen that many zeroes in my life.

>> reporter: then an invitation from her local congressman to attend the president's state of the union address .

>> she has not only inspired her peers, but she has inspired her community and the nation at large.

>> my parents said, keep your head up. if you look down and mope, nothing will come out of it. i always took that to heart. i just kept a positive mentality.

>> reporter: samantha garvey is keeping that positive outlook as she waits to hear from colleges. this is a kid who told me she figured out early on that education is her ticket to a better life . she's truly a remarkable kid and it's a great story, ann?

>> it is, rehema ellis. thank you so much. samantha garvey now joins us. good morning.

>> good morning.

>> you have in your hand still a copy of the president's speech.

>> yes.

>> he's signed it for you? is that right?

>> yes.

>> want to show us the signature?

>> yes.

>> a speech from the state of the union address . you carried this, driving all night to get here. are you tired this morning?

>> definitely pretty tired.

>> what's it like for you to have been there? what's the strongest memory you have of that last night?

>> just being there. it was the craziest feeling. being behind the scenes you get a perspective you would never dream of having. this was once in a lifetime . just standing there and you see the first lady come out and you're just struck, in awe, like frozen. all you want to do is gaze at her. she's beautiful. the president comes in and you're clapping and clapping. i don't know how long i clapped. that was the longest i have ever clapped and i didn't mind. everything was so amazing. having these historical figures, people so prominent standing right in front of you.

>> a lot of people listening now are more amazed by where you started from to get to that experience. what was it that allowed you, despite the sufferings in your family -- there was a car accident, your parents losing b jobs, an illness. all kinds of issues. what allowed you despite the fact that you were homeless to still maintain such a high g.p.a., to be so good in school?

>> i would say my research, science have been my ticket out. you know? throughout all of the things i faced i have been able to go to school and get my education and do my studies. that's my way out. keep me focused, keep me from going off track.

>> you're saying it was not a crutch but it was the thing that was beautiful.

>> yes, exactly.

>> at a time when things with were not easy.

>> yes.

>> as i understand it you are getting your dog back is this.

>> we got our dog back. an anonymous person came forward and paid for our dog and took her out of the shelter. she's now happy in a little dog hotel doing much better.

>> you're still in the shelter.

>> yes.

>> when do you think you may be living at home because your father is working again.

>> hopefully very soon.

>> also hopefully is you will get accepted to a good college. you have applied to yale and brown.

>> yes.

>> you are waiting to hear as we heard from rehema who may or may not accept you. what do you want to do with your life?

>> i want to keep doing what i'm doing now. i want to work hard and continue doing my science. being at the state of the union last night i got to meet fantastic people. i thought, i kind of want to do what they do. i want to take the policy aspect and keep doing that along with the science part of it.

>> well, you have shown us all that there is great potential all over america that needs to be encouraged. thank you for showing us so much.

>> thank you.

>> such an uplifting story. samantha , thank you. good luck to

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46137244/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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'Party Down' Movie Script Is 'Almost Done,' Lizzy Caplan Says

Like the cast members of "Arrested Development," anyone and everyone that's ever been associated with the short-lived cult comedy series "Party Down" inevitably find themselves fielding the same question: when's the movie coming out?
Of course, a "Party Down" movie isn't guaranteed, but cast members Lizzy Caplan and Megan Mullally both told MTV News at the [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/24/party-down-movie-lizzy-caplan-megan-mullally/

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Bryce Dallas Howard gives birth to daughter (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Actress Bryce Dallas Howard and her husband, Seth Gabel, welcomed their second child on Thursday, with the baby girl's grandfather, filmmaker Ron Howard, announcing the happy news on Twitter.

"Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel Born Jan 19 2012 8lbs 6oz Bryce & Baby B are spectacular Daddy Seth & brother Theo are beaming ear to ear :-)," the filmmaker tweeted Saturday evening.

Bryce Howard and her actor husband who appears on the series "Fringe" also have a 4-year-old son, Theo. Howard has spoken publicly in the past about her struggles with postpartum depression after his birth in 2007.

The most recent big-screen appearances for Howard, 30, were in "50/50" and as a member of the ensemble cast of "The Help." She also appeared in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Her movie career began with uncredited bit parts in films by her director-producer father.

"Beatrice's arrival is hugely exciting for our family," Ron Howard tweeted. "Thanks for all the kind tweets folks."

(Reporting by Sheri Linden)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/people_nm/us_brycedallashoward

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That's a reason?

AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng is injured again ? on the bench for up to a month due to a thigh injury during Saturday?s 1-0 loss to Inter. And his ever-so-helpful girlfriend, Melissa Satta, thinks she knows why Boateng is on the injury list so often.

?The reason why he is always injured is because we have sex 7-10 times a week,? the 25-year-old told Vanity Fair.

Wait, in Italy, isn?t 7-10 times a week considered too little sex?

AC Milan have not commented on the matter, but they did issue a statement to validate his injury.

A statement from the Rossoneri read: ?Boateng has sustained a muscular lesion in his left thigh and the estimated time of recovery is around four weeks, unless there are complications.?

Boateng, of German and Ghanaian descent, played for Ghana in the 2010 World Cup, but retired from international soccer last year due to ?the physical demands.?

***
Sex and the Prince ? Boateng knocked out [SuperSport]
AC Milan?s Kevin-Prince Boateng is always injured because we have sex 10 times a week, claims Melissa Satta [Goal.com]

Source: http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/01/23/ac-milan-players-girlfriend-claims-hes-on-injury-list-due-to-too-much-sex/related/

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This Week's Top Downloads [Download Roundup]

Jan 21, 2012 5:00 PM 16,105 2

• Boxer is a Free DOS Game Emulator for your Mac (Mac) Computer games have come a long way since the days of Doom, Zork, Tie Fighter, and Castle Wolfenstein, but many of us who grew up with those games would like to replay them. Boxer is a free app that will let you play any DOS game on your Mac.
• iBoostUp Cleans Out Your Mac's System File Clutter in a Minute (Mac) iBoostUp cleans out the crap on your drive and fine-tunes your system for better performance. It's simple, it's quick, and it's free.
• AntiCrop "Uncrops" Your Photos by Extending the Picture's Background (iOS) If you've ever taken a hasty photo on your phone and didn't leave enough room on the outside, AntiCrop is the app can "uncrop" those photos by filling in the edges with just a few swipes.
• Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iOS 5 Is Finally Here (iOS) iPhone-hacking group Chronic Dev Team just released the first untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 running iOS 5.0.1. We've explained why a tethered jailbreak can be such a hassle, which is why we've been waiting to recommend jailbreaking your up-to-date iPhone. Luckily, that wait is over.
• Clean My Desktop Sorts Files Into Content Specific Folders (Mac) A desktop filled with hundreds of files in a variety of formats can be a headache to clean up, but Clean My Desktop makes it easy by sorting everything into content specific folders based on the file type.
• MindNode Is a Mind Mapping App that Makes Brainstorming Simple and Easy (Mac/iOS) Regardless of the type of work that you do, brainstorming is an important part of generating new ideas and new approaches to getting your work done more efficiently. Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique that helps you get all of your interconnected thoughts out in a diagram, and there are a number of complicated tools designed to help you do it. MindNode for Mac and iOS is pricey, but it's one of the best tools we've seen for the job.
• Pomodroido Is an Elegant Pomodoro Timer for Your Android Phone (Pomodroido) If you're a fan of the Pomodoro productivity technique, you know that part of the philosophy is to work in short, focused, timed bursts and then take periodic breaks to relax. To do this, you'll need a timer, and Pomodroido is a free app that turns your Android phone into one that follows you everywhere.
• Forismatic Is a Free App that Helps You Relax and Keeps You Inspired Every Day (Mac) Computers are supposed to make our work easier, but in reality they often just bring us more work and stress us out. Give your Mac the opportunity to help you relax for a change with Forismatic, a free app that sits in the menubar until you need a little inspiration to help you keep going, and will remind you to take a break now and again to relax.
• Breathing Zone Guides You Towards Slower Breathing to Help Reduce Stress and Anxiety (Mac/iOS) Breathing Zone is a simple app that helps slow your breathing rhythm to calm you down and make you feel more relaxed. If you're a bit stressed or anxious, it's a good way to help you alleviate those feelings in just a few minutes.
• WatchMe Is a Desktop Timer that Keeps Track of Multiple Alarms at Once (Windows) Unfortunately, few of us have the luxury of only keeping track of one thing at a time. There are plenty of great timers available to help you keep track of how long you've been working or when you need to take a break, but if you need to track multiple times or set more than one timer, you may be out of luck. WatchMe is a timer that allows you to set multiple alerts and multiple timers so you're alerted at different times for different things.

Related Stories

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/94J0DABeIrw/this-weeks-top-downloads

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LA detective in Simpson-Goldman murders dies at 70 (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Philip Vannatter, the Los Angeles police detective who served as a lead investigator in the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, has died.

His brother, Joe, says Vannatter died Friday in Southern California of complications from cancer. He was 70.

Vannatter spent 28 years with the LAPD, mostly as a homicide detective. He later consulted on cold-case murders.

He was among the first detectives on the scene at former football star O.J. Simpson's mansion in June 1994, following the stabbing deaths of Simpson's wife Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman. Vannatter testified at the murder trial, at which Simpson was acquitted.

In 1977, Vannatter conducted the investigation that led to the arrest of film director Roman Polanski on charges of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

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

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Romney vs Gingrich in crucial South Carolina fight (reuters)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/189171325?client_source=feed&format=rss

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AUTOMOTIVE - VIDEO: Barrett-Jackson Block Action

VIDEO: Barrett-Jackson Block Action

More videos of live action at the Scottsdale auction.

Here are some more great videos of celebrity interviews and exciting on-the-block action from Barrett-Jackson?s Scottsdale auction:

Driving champ Brad Keselowski helps auction off his race-winning NASCAR Nationwide 2010 Dodge Charger for Paralyzed Veterans of America: Keselowski Nationwide Winner.

SPEED?s Rick DeBruhl interviews Brad Keselowski and NASCAR team owner Roger Penske: Keselowski, Penske Interviewed.

Steve Saleen and Bob Bondurant help sell the special 2011 Camaro SS SMS to benefit Cox Charities and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona: Saleen Bondurant Camaro SS.

Rock star Bret Michaels psyches up the bidders for his 2004 Bentley Continental GT: Bret Michaels At the Podium.

If you always wanted to live in a Yellow Submarine, you missed your chance: Yellow Submarine.

The first 2010 Corvette ZR1 to roll off the production line hits the stage: Corvette ZR1.

A very hot ?70 Mustang Boss 302 scores serious bidding: Mustang Boss 302.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at

Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/video-barrett-jackson-block-action/

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Christie to Romney: Release tax return immediately (The Arizona Republic)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/188311227?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Washington Monument gets $7.5M for quake repairs

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2011, file photo, Dave Megerle, a member of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates (WJE) "Difficult Access Team," attaches ropes to the top of the Washington Monument, on the National Mall, in Washington, from which four people will rappel down the sides to survey the extent of damage sustained to the monument from the Aug. 23 earthquake. Congress allocated $7.5 million late in 2011 to repair the damage to the monument caused by the Aug. 23, 2011, 5.8-magnitude earthquake. Philanthropist David Rubenstein tells The Associated Press he felt inspired to help after learning about cracks and chipped stonework high up the 555-foot obelisk and on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2012, will announce he is donating the final $7.5 million needed to repairs cracks atop the monument. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2011, file photo, Dave Megerle, a member of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates (WJE) "Difficult Access Team," attaches ropes to the top of the Washington Monument, on the National Mall, in Washington, from which four people will rappel down the sides to survey the extent of damage sustained to the monument from the Aug. 23 earthquake. Congress allocated $7.5 million late in 2011 to repair the damage to the monument caused by the Aug. 23, 2011, 5.8-magnitude earthquake. Philanthropist David Rubenstein tells The Associated Press he felt inspired to help after learning about cracks and chipped stonework high up the 555-foot obelisk and on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2012, will announce he is donating the final $7.5 million needed to repairs cracks atop the monument. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2011 file photo, Dan Lemieux, manager of the Washington Monument inspection project, holds a loose chunk of marble off the monument damaged by an earthquake Aug. 23 earthquake. A billionaire history buff has stepped forward to donate a $7.5 million matching gift that's needed to start repairing cracks near the top of the Washington Monument caused by last summer's East Coast earthquake. (AP Photo/Ben Nuckols, File)

FILE - This undated file photo released by The Carlyle Group shows David M. Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group equity firm. Congress allocated $7.5 million late in 2011 to repair the damage to the Washington Monument caused by the Aug. 23, 2011, 5.8-magnitude earthquake. Rubenstein tells The Associated Press he felt inspired to help after learning about cracks and chipped stonework high up the 555-foot obelisk and on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2012, will announce he is donating the final $7.5 million needed to repairs cracks atop the monument. (AP Photo/The Carlyle Group, File ) NO SALES

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Despite a billionaire history buff's pledge of $7.5 million to speed up repairs on the Washington Monument, officials say the complex work could last until August 2013 ? two years after the landmark was damaged by an earthquake.

Businessman David Rubenstein said he was inspired to help fund the repairs to the 555-foot obelisk when it became clear how severely damaged it was by a 5.8-magnitude earthquake Aug. 23. The National Park Service and nonprofit Trust for the National Mall announced Rubenstein's gift Thursday morning. It is the largest gift to the nonprofit group that's working to restore the mall.

The repair job will be no easy task, though. A design process is under way to determine how to do the work, and federal officials hope to award a contract by August to begin construction. From there it will take about a year, according to the best estimates.

The repairs may involve building huge scaffolding around the monument, as was the case during a restoration project from 1999 to 2001. Officials said they don't yet know whether scaffolding will be necessary.

Bob Vogel, superintendent of the National Mall, said the park service is working to get the monument reopened as quickly as possible. But such an undertaking has never been done before, so the exact timeline is uncertain.

"This is a complex job," Vogel said. "This is a one-of-a-kind structure that poses challenges for repair that other buildings don't."

Rubenstein, a co-founder of the large private equity firm The Carlyle Group, has quickly become Washington's foremost philanthropist. He is among the nation's wealthiest people, joining Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in pledging to give away at least half of their wealth to charity.

In the past five years, Rubenstein has spent more than $83 million to support the capital city's cultural scene through cash donations or pledges and purchases of historic documents ? including copies of the Magna Carta and Emancipation Proclamation ? to be shown in national institutions. Just last month, he gave $4.5 million to save the National Zoo's giant panda program.

The Washington Monument caught his attention as soon as he learned how severely it was damaged. Chunks of stone were shaken loose and fell to the ground, and deep cracks formed at the top.

Rubenstein said he wanted to help make certain the monument can be reopened as quickly as possible.

"Really, this is something that was built by the American people because of their admiration and love of George Washington," he said, noting $1 donations were collected to build the structure for a little more than $1 million. With his own many donations in Washington, Rubenstein said, "I kind of want to repay a debt I have to the country."

Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said the monument will reopen sooner, thanks to Rubenstein. The Park Service wasn't given enough money this year to fund the complete restoration on its own, he said.

"I would suggest it hadn't even stopped shaking before David Rubenstein came to me and asked if he could help," Jarvis said.

Congress allocated $7.5 million in December on the condition that private donations match that amount. The combined $15 million in public and private funds is expected to cover the cost of repairing damage directly caused by the quake. Repairing water damage from when rain leaked through will cost more, as would a seismic study or reinforcements to strengthen the structure against future earthquakes.

The August quake was centered some 40 miles west of Richmond, Va., and was felt from Canada to Georgia. It damaged the Washington National Cathedral, where pieces of mortar rained down from its vaulted ceiling.

At the Washington Monument, panicked visitors fled down flights of stairs, but there were no deaths or serious injuries in the region. Daylight could later be seen through some of the cracks, the largest of which was reported to be at least 4 feet long and about an inch wide.

Last fall, daring engineers rappelled from the top to conduct a visual inspection of the exterior. They documented the damage but noted the monument is structurally sound. Their report in December recommended extensive repairs and reinforcements to preserve the structure. It said some marble panels were cracked all the way through near the top portion of the monument.

Rubenstein's gift will be delivered to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, which aims to raise $350 million privately to restore the grounds and facilities at the heart of the nation's capital. Many areas have become run down from over-use and inadequate funding for maintenance.

Caroline Cunningham, president of the group, said Rubenstein's gift "demonstrates how much people care about this space."

A design competition is under way to develop ways to improve the mall, including the Washington Monument grounds. Finalists will be chosen in May, and the group will seek funding for each project.

Construction on the monument began in 1848, but funds ran out during the Civil War, leaving just an embarrassing stump for years. It was finally completed in 1884 and was the world's tallest man-made structure until it was eclipsed by the Eiffel Tower. It remains the tallest structure in Washington.

Rubenstein recently toured the monument and saw its damage inside. Plaques from various states and groups line the walls, paying tribute to the nation's first president.

"Because of what he did, we have a terrific republic, and I think Americans and people all over the world want to come here and see this monument," he said.

Rubenstein, a Baltimore native and the son of a postal worker, has made major gifts in recent years to the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center, where he serves as chairman.

"I come from very modest circumstances, and I'm very fortunate to have achieved wealth beyond what I ever expected," he said. "I don't think that I want to be buried with my wealth. ... I'd like to have the pleasure of giving it away to things I think are good while I'm alive."

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Trust for the National Mall: http://www.nationalmall.org

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Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-19-Washington%20Monument/id-223fbef2c82b4fb48a111e2a5941b769

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