Obama urges Congress to act in election year (AP)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama told House Democrats Friday to be ready to work with Republicans if they show a willingness to put politics aside even "for just a nanosecond," but to stay firm and push back if the GOP stands in the way.

"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," Obama said at the annual House Democratic caucus retreat. "We've got to push. We can't wait, we can't be held back."

Coming off a three-day tour of politically important states to promote his State of the Union message of economic opportunity, Obama promised a "robust debate" with Republicans once they choose their nominee, but reminded Democrats that in the meantime, there were things they could do to help the public, including working to extend a payroll tax cut for the remainder of the year.

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. I'm going to have your back as well and together we're going to move this country forward," he said in a pep talk to the Democrats, who've gathered in Maryland for a three-day retreat.

The president spoke of rigors of the debate ahead, the cynicism in the country about Washington and the work they can all do together. He encountered a more unified group of House Democrats, who have welcomed the populist pitch and middle-class message of his State of the Union address Tuesday night. The bitter divisions among Republican White House hopefuls have helped bring them together, as well.

"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," Obama said.

"The main thing I want to urge all of you is that even as we are out there making our case, even as we push hard to persuade not just the American people but hopefully some folks on the other side about the brightness of our future, if we work together I think it's important in the course of this year not to forget that there's still work we can do right now," he said.

Obama spoke after the Democrats heard from Vice President Joe Biden, who said that Republican obstructionism will help Democrats' elections prospects in November, from the party's hopes of reclaiming the House to President Barack Obama's bid for a second term.

Biden, delivering more pointedly political remarks than Obama did and calling out some Republicans by name, said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.

Biden also said Republican presidential candidate Mitt 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.

"We need this to be rung out. Their America vs. our America," the vice president said.

Biden mentioned the disconnect that's existed between the administration and House Democrats.

At last year's conference, Biden said the message he heard from Pelosi, D-Calif., was "get tough. Enough is enough." He said several Democrats in the room were furious when the administration agreed on an end-of-the-year deal on extending President George W. Bush's tax cuts in December 2010.

"The message was heard. The message was heard," Biden said. "And I think we've delivered."

House Democrats echoed many of the themes from Obama's speech on economic fairness, boosting manufacturing and helping middle-class Americans, a reflection of campaign messaging and a recognition that their fate is inextricably linked to the president. They held a series of closed-door sessions on strategy for the coming year and later spoke to reporters.

It comes in a week in which Democrats saw some positive signs, from Obama's address to polls showing more voters think the country is on the right track, to a daring hostage rescue of an American in Somalia. Signs of an economic rebound are prevalent; Commerce Secretary John Bryson told the Democrats that of the 3 million new jobs, 300,000 were in manufacturing.

As for the Democrats' own finances, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised more than $61 million last year and has $11.6 million cash on hand. It also eliminated a lingering debt.

Democrats face a tough challenge in recapturing the House as Republicans have shored up their vulnerable lawmakers through redistricting. The GOP scoffs at the notion that Democrats can win the 25 seats necessary to take control.

Democratic leaders said Obama should run against a "do-nothing Congress" to highlight for American voters how Republicans have obstructed his agenda.

Republicans signaled they have a ready response to the White House strategy.

"The president can blame anyone he wants, but it won't change the fact that this year will be a referendum on his economic record," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

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

bob harper x factor judges x factor judges raiders news raiders news ice cream sandwich android ice cream sandwich android

Video: Exclusive: tensions flare near crucial oil chokepoint

An NBC reporter gains access to a region just a few nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world?s most strategic waterways. NBC?s Ali Arouzi reports.

>>> no place in that part of the world has people more nervous than iran and this growing war of words over that country's nuclear program. it has all focused attention on a vital choke point. 1/5 of the world's oil passes right through the strait of hormuz , right in iran 's backyard en route into the persian gulf . our tehran bureau chief ali arouzi managed to get a first hand look at those troubled waters .

>> reporter: we were given a rare opportunity to get within a few miles of the strait. it's a busy place. not just a daily parade of oil tankers , but fishing boats , cargo ships and countless unmarked iranian speed boats, making clandestined crossings every day with shoes made in china to japanese darst. iran stages war games here threatens to close the strait, shutting off the flow of oil. 17 million barrels a day. the u.s. vowed to keep the straight open. the aircraft carrier " abraham lincoln " recently passed through and is now in the persian gulf . where merchants and politicians are concerned, this is the most significant waterway in the world. it's i here in the persian gulf america and iran 's resolve will be tested if they can't come to some sort of compromise. iranians are worried about war and feeling the bite of economic sanctions. "everything is more expensive, this fish monger says. this man saw the american fifth fleet looking like a floating city and it scared him to death. not everybody is scared. this merchant, a veteran of the iran / iraq war says iran dealt with this kind of pressure before and will do so again. the pressure is going as the strait of hormuz becomes the focus of a dangerous international tug of war . nbc news, the persian gulf .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46169906/

del rio del rio das racist das racist ginger white conrad murray sentencing conrad murray sentencing

Potential Samsung Galaxy SII-sibling heads to China via the FCC

A mysteriously packaged Samsung device departed the FCC's secure zone with a few question marks over its character. We know it's got GSM/EDGE 850 - 1900 radios and can access WCDMA Bands II and V, plus the usual WiFi and Bluetooth gear, but that's about it. The folks at Wireless Goodness are staking the GT-i9070 as a China-bound variation of the Galaxy SII (assessed for roaming safety), which would seem logical, since we've clearly got enough models over here.

Potential Samsung Galaxy SII-sibling heads to China via the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wireless Goodness  |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/mbK4p1sfqlE/

nick collins cape coral fl friday night lights christina hendricks emmys emmys tom bosley

Fresh iPhone Apps for Jan. 25: Doozy update, OneSchool, Breakout Boost , Frederic (Appolicious)

Start forming good habits and watch your progress with Doozy, a today?s leading Fresh App and a to-do list manager that lets you track statistics over time. Following that, we?ve got OneSchool, a college-centric app that brings together lots of information about the universities it covers, from local restaurants to class offerings. Breakout Boost+ heads up our games offering today, bringing more brick-breaking action to the App Store, followed by Frederic ? Resurrection of Music Complete, a rhythm game inspired by the works of Chopin.

Doozy takes your standard task manager app and ups it with stat tracking and a visual element to help keep its users on task. First, you set up your list of priorities like you would in any other to-do list app, marking down the things you need to do and when. Then, you can track any kind of progress you might be making (one example is weight loss) over time, to help you keep at it.

The app can present the data you input in several different ways, including graphs and charts that let you track your progress. And a recent big update adds a lot more features as well, including Dropbox syncing, RSS feeds, notifications and reminders, new icons and lots of other enhancements.

OneSchool (iPhone, iPad) Free

College students will find a lot of useful information on-hand in OneSchool. The app is an aggregation of public information about a university ? local restaurants, class offerings, bus schedules and routes and more handy info ? combine with a bit of social networking to allow users to interact using a Wall feature and create groups to contact one another.

OneSchool is a little limited right now, with only eight colleges represented, but the developer behind the app is working to add more as demand for the app comes in. If you happen to go to one of the covered schools, however, you?ll be able to take advantage of a great deal of useful information. OneSchool is meant to be handy and searchable no matter where you are.

Following up the popularity of Breakout Boost comes Atari?s Breakout Boost+, a new version of the brick-breaker title. Like the earlier version, you control a paddle at the bottom of the screen with touch controls, sliding it around to bounce a ball up into groups of bricks at the top of the screen. The more you break, the higher your score, but if you let the ball bounce past the paddle, you?ll lose it.

Unlike its freemium counterpart, Breakout Boost+ requires an up-front payment of $0.99 to download and packs 100 additional levels that didn?t appear in the earlier title. It also has lots of power-ups that can turn the game in your favor, plus achievements and leaderboards care of Game Center.

Take on the role of a resurrected Frederic Chopin and take on musical combatants the world over in rhythm title Frederic ? Resurrection of Music Complete. In each of Frederic?s levels, you?ll need to tap away at the keys of a piano to match notes that appear on the screen. Hit lots of them in time and you?ll move a bar that measures your progress against your opponent, filling it with green. Miss too many and the bar goes red. You?ll need the bar to be more than 50 percent green in order to win each level.

Frederic contains nine levels to play through, each remixing a Chopin classic in a new and modern way. The game also features an hour of fully-voiced motion comics to tell its story, and Game Center support for leaderboards and achievements to help you measure your skill level.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10860_fresh_iphone_apps_for_jan_25_doozy_update_oneschool_breakout_boost_frederic/44298594/SIG=13shpho4s/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10860-fresh-iphone-apps-for-jan-25-doozy-update-oneschool-breakout-boost-frederic

black hawk down dennis the menace dylan ratigan dylan ratigan occupy occupy midnight madness

Long Shifts May Raise Some Nurses' Odds for Obesity (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Nurses who work long hours and have less physically demanding jobs are much more likely to be obese than other nurses, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Nursing surveyed about 2,100 female nurses and found that about 55 percent of them were obese. They determined that nursing schedules affect nurses' health and also the quality of patient care.

"Long work hours and shift work adversely affect quantity and quality of sleep, which often interferes with adherence to healthy behavior and increases obesity," said the study's lead researcher, Kihye Han, a postdoctoral fellow at the nursing school, in a university news release.

Han said the findings -- published recently in the Journal of Nursing Administration -- support the need to change the common 12-hour nursing shift. The researchers added that hospitals and other health care facilities should offer educational programs on how to adapt to work schedules, deal with sleep deprivation and reduce fatigue.

"Considering that more than half of nurses are overweight or obese, increasing availability of healthy food and providing sufficient time to consume it may reduce the risk of obesity and future health problems," Han noted.

In a previous study, the researchers found that in terms of nursing schedules, working long shifts and having too little time off were most often related to the death of patients. A separate study also suggested the 12-hour nursing shift can lead to sleep deprivation, health problems and increased risk for errors in patient care.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on obesity.

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

keri russell jesse ventura casey anthony will kopelman bill o brien portland trailblazers joseph kennedy iii

Materials on Teaching Legal Research and Writing ? Slaw

I have updated my Legal Research and Writing website with a new page on resources for teaching legal research and writing.

Included on the page are links to:

I suspect my page may not be complete, so if I have missed something, I welcome comments and suggestions for other resources.

up

Make a comment:

Note that some comments may be moderated. If you have not had an approved comment here before, your comment will be held for approval. We are glad to publish comments that address issues raised in the post or other comments on it and that contribute to a fruitful discussion. We do not publish comments that seek to promote commercial products, that make personal attacks, or that seek personal legal advice.

Although we do not require it, we ask that in making a comment you use your full name. You must supply a valid email address, which will not appear with your comment.

the count:
8168 posts | 11332 comments

?

  • Available online today are four new chapters of the publication Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, which explores the socio-demographic and economic circumstances of Canadian women in general.

  • The bill amends the Constitution Act, 1867 by readjusting the number of members and the representation of the provinces in the House of Commons.

  • Blueseed plans to buy a ship and turn it into a floating incubator anchored in international waters off the coast of California.

  • Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the flow of information out of Ottawa has slowed to a trickle.

  • "?the IPC has exclusive jurisdiction to decide whether a record is in the custody or control of a university in the context of an access request?"

  • John J.L. Hunter, Q.C. of Vancouver has been elected President for 2011-2012

  • Detailed results from 321 members.

These summaries of selected recent cases are provided each week to Slaw by Maritime Law Book.
More information.

  • Administrative Law -?Judicial review - General - Scope or standard of review

    Ten individuals complained to the Information and Privacy Commissioner that the Alberta Teachers? Association (ATA) disclosed, in contravention of the Personal Information Protection Act, their personal information between October 13 and December 2, ...

  • Civil Rights -?Property - Search and seizure - Search - What constitutes

    The accused was charged with possession of child pornography and making available child pornography. The accused brought an application, alleging several violations of his rights under the Charter.

    The Saskatchewan Court of Queen?s ...

  • Constitutional Law -?Extent of powers conferred - Double aspect doctrine - General

    In provincial references, both the Alberta Court of Appeal (510?A.R. 200; 527?W.A.C. 200) and the Quebec Court of Appeal (2011 QCCA 591), concluded that the proposed Canadian Securities Act (CSA) was unconstitutional. A ...

  • Criminal Law -?Procedure - Charge or directions - Jury or judge alone - Directions regarding evidence generally

    The accused was charged with breach of trust by a public official contrary to s. 122 of the Criminal Code. The trial judge acquitted the accused. ...

  • Civil Rights -?Trials - Due process, fundamental justice and fair hearings - Criminal and quasi-criminal proceedings - Delay (Charter, s. 7)

    MacIntosh was charged on three informations with a total of 43 counts of sexual offences against nine complainants in the 1970s. The first information ...

  • Real Property Tax -?Valuation - Business property - Considerations

    Two breweries? respective properties were assessed as special properties under the Assessment Act, 2006. They appealed their respective municipal tax assessments to the Review Commissioner. The Commissioner dismissed the appeals. The breweries each appealed. The appeals ...

  • Barristers and Solicitors -Duty to court - General principles - Duty of integrity

    The applicant (Girao) and Allstate Insurance Co. disputed entitlements to accident benefits. The respondent law firm represented Allstate. Girao complained to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (PCC) against Allstate for disclosing her ...

  • Criminal Law -?Sentencing - Sentencing procedure and rights of the accused - Plea bargain or joint submission - Effect of

    The accused was sentenced to two years? imprisonment for three breaches of a recognizance under s. 810.2 of the Criminal Code. He appealed and applied ...

  • Practice -?Persons who can sue and be sued - Individuals and corporations - Status or standing - Class actions - Members of class - General

    The plaintiffs were Inuit or M?tis persons who were forced to attend certain residential schools in Labrador and Newfoundland. They ...


This is a listing of a few upcoming events in Canada of interest to lawyers, law students, legal librarians, and others involved in the practice of law.

Clicking on any event in the list below will give you access to more information and to links allowing you to see the full entry and to add the event to your own calendar.

Click this link for a fuller version of the TalkLaw/ParLoi calendar of events and for instructions as to how to add events and calendars to your own calendar.

Source: http://www.slaw.ca/2012/01/25/teaching-lrw/

its a wonderful life rajon rondo ham recipes rex ryan yule log adrian peterson darlene love

Davos leaders look to China's investments abroad (AP)

DAVOS, Switzerland ? Chinese investors are trying to follow the rules when spending money abroad, the head of one of China's biggest private equity firms said Thursday, as global leaders increasingly look to China to prop up the world economy.

Worries that Europe's slowdown would hurt stronger economies are overshadowing discussions at this week's World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. Attention turned Thursday to how China can help, even as some remain wary about its growing dominance.

John Zhao, CEO of Hony Capital, said foreign prejudice about Chinese investments is unfair, but acknowledged that some companies are still learning a game that much of the world has been involved in for decades.

Chinese companies and government funds have been using vast reserves of cash to buy up foreign companies and invest in foreign government bonds in recent years. But with billions of dollars in Chinese investments pouring into their countries, some governments have accused China of seeking to exploit the economic weakness of others to grab valuable natural and technological resources at rock bottom prices.

The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has also repeatedly accused China of breaking global trade rules by giving unfair protection to its companies and domestic industries.

"The vast majority of Chinese companies are trying to follow the rules as they understand it," he said. "But many Chinese companies are still trying to learn the rules."

The director general of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, said China will continue to face "public perception problems" from its investments abroad.

"We will see in the years to come, as China's investments grow and grow. ... We will have the same sort of political turbulences as we have had on trade for the last 10 years," he said.

The head of the Asian Development Bank that Asia has already been affected by the ongoing European financial crisis in two ways ? through the withdrawal of credit in Asia by many European banks and financial institutions and a drop in trade, which will impact China because Europe is its largest export market.

"I really hope that the European financial crisis can be overcome," Haruhiko Kuroda said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Davos forum, where business and political leaders gather every year in an invitation-only event, is under growing criticism by those who feel it's too removed from the real world.

Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and other leaders brought things crashing back down to earth, appealing for the millions of people who do not have enough food to eat.

"The world can feed itself. Africa can feed itself. The problem is we have vulnerable populations who do not have access," Okonjo-Iweala said.

The head of the U.N. food agency, Jose Graziano da Silva, agreed. "The problem is the access ? they don't have the money to buy it or they don't have the water and land they need if they are subsistence farmers."

Malnourished people, particularly kids, are more susceptible to dying from malaria and other diseases in Africa, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose philanthropy has mainly focused on promoting health.

Gates also rode to the rescue of a beleaguered health fund by pledging $750 million to fight three of world's killer diseases. A donor backlash over losses at the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria forced it to cancel more than $1 billion in new spending last year. The fund's executive director said Tuesday he is resigning.

Leaders at the Davos forum are looking later Thursday at challenges to democratic institutions around the world, including protest movements such as Occupy Wall Street.

Activists from Occupy Davos are camping out in igloos and yurts to call attention to income inequality.

"With 50 million people going below the poverty line, and over 200 million becoming unemployed with the recent crisis, it's stopped being a question of hardship and starting to become an issue of human rights violations," said Salil Shetty, the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

"This is a man-made crisis and the people who have caused the crisis, many of whom are in Davos, should be held to account," he told The Associated Press.

___

John Heilprin and Edith M. Lederer in Davos contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_davos_forum

jessica sutta sexiest man alive 2011 ruben studdard ruben studdard black friday sales 2011 black friday sales 2011 whitney duncan

US military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows American Jessica Buchanan from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows American Jessica Buchanan from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

This undated photo taken at an unknown location and released by the Danish Refugee Council on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 shows Dane Poul Hagen Thisted from the Danish Refugee Council's de-mining unit. U.S. military forces helicoptered into Somalia in a nighttime raid Wednesday and freed two hostages, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, while killing nine pirates, officials and a pirate source said. (AP Photo/Danish Refugee Council)

(AP) ? U.S. Special Forces troops flew into Somalia on a nighttime helicopter raid early Wednesday, freed an American and a Danish hostage and killed nine of the kidnappers in a mission that President Barack Obama said he personally authorized.

The Danish Refugee Council confirmed that the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, were freed and "are on their way to be reunited with their families."

The raiders came in very quickly, catching the guards as they were sleeping after having chewed the narcotic leaf qat for much of the evening, a pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein told The Associated Press by phone. Hussein said he was not present at the site but had spoken with other pirates who were, and that they told him nine pirates had been killed in the raid and three were missing.

A second pirate who gave his name as Ahmed Hashi said two helicopters attacked at about 2 a.m. about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Somali town of Adado where the hostages were being held.

Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, were working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October.

The U.S. military's Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, confirmed that nine kidnappers were killed.

"Last night's mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation's most courageous, competent, and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command's mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa," said Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command.

Obama seemed to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington Tuesday night. By then it was already Wednesday morning in Somalia. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, Obama pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight."

"As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in a statement released by the White House Wednesday. He said he had authorized the rescue mission on Monday.

"Jessica Buchanan was selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being," Obama said. "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice."

A Western official said the helicopters and the hostages flew to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonnier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti after the raid. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly.

The timing of the raid may have been made more urgent by a medical condition. The Danish Refugee Council had been trying to work with Somali elders to win the hostages' freedom but had found little success.

"One of the hostages has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel. Soevndal did not provide any more details.

Soevndal congratulated the Americans for the raid and said he had been informed of the action.

Panetta visited Camp Lemonnier just over a month ago. A key U.S. ally in this region, Djibouti has the only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa. It hosts the military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The Danish Refugee Council said both freed hostages are unharmed "and at a safe location." The group said in a separate statement that the two "are on their way to be reunited with their families."

Ann Mary Olsen, head of the Danish Refugee Council's international department, was the one who informed the family of Hagen Thisted of the successful military operation.

"They (the family) were very happy and incredibly relieved that it is over," she said.

The two aid workers appear to have been kidnapped by criminals ? sometimes referred to as pirates ? and not by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. As large ships at sea have increased their defenses against pirate attacks, gangs have looked for other money making opportunities like land-based kidnappings.

The Danish Refugee Council had earlier enlisted traditional Somali elders and members of civil society to seek the release of the two hostages.

"We are really happy with the successful release of the innocents kidnapped by evildoers," said Mohamud Sahal, an elder in Galkayo town, by phone. "They were guests who were treated brutally. That was against Islam and our culture ... These men (pirates) have spoiled our good customs and culture, so Somalis should fight back."

Buchanan and Hagen Thisted were seized in October from the portion of Galkayo town under the control of a government-allied clan militia. The aid agency has said that Somalis held demonstrations demanding the pair's quick release.

Their Somali colleague was detained by police on suspicion of being involved in their kidnapping.

The two hostages were working in northern Somalia for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.

Several hostages are still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya, and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.

___

Associated Press reporters Jason Straziuso in Nairobi, Kenya, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. Houreld reported from Nairobi.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-25-AF-Somalia-Helicopter-Raid/id-be3bed123c714f9bae0ea093f001d235

casey anthony video recess appointment eastman kodak eastman kodak richard cordray shannon de lima joe torre

Canon EOS C300 to hit Japanese stores on the 31st, PL version coming in March

Do you have deep pockets? And do those pockets happen to be located in Japan? Well if you're also in the market for Canon's EOS C300 cinema camera, you might be in luck. The company has confirmed that its motion-picture-shooting flagship will be available in Japanese retail stores by January 31st -- exactly one week from today. As the story goes with expensive electronics in Japan, pricing is "open" at this point, meaning you might have to hit up a retailer for an amount before making two dozen trips to the ATM. But if money's no object (just that pesky release date), you should be on your way to making Cinema EOS magic before the month is out. And if your kit is best suited for the PL-mount version, expect that to ship in late March, "open" pricing in tow.

Canon EOS C300 to hit Japanese stores on the 31st, PL version coming in March originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceCanon (Japan)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/canon-eos-c300-to-hit-japanese-stores-on-the-31st-pl-version-co/

los angeles clippers charlize theron telenav telenav wade phillips wade phillips new orleans hornets