U.S. Embassy shelters Americans amid Egypt NGO crackdown (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Several American citizens have taken refuge in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo amid a sharpening dispute between Washington and Egypt's military-led authorities over U.S.-funded pro-democracy groups in the country, the State Department said on Monday.

"We can confirm that a handful of U.S. citizens have opted to stay in the embassy compound in Cairo while waiting for permission to depart Egypt," State Department spokeswoman Kate Starr said.

The unusual step of offering U.S. citizens diplomatic refuge follows Cairo's crackdown on non-governmental organizations, including several funded by the U.S. government, which saw travel bans imposed on six American staffers including a son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Egyptian police first raided the groups in late December as part of an investigation into foreign funding of 17 pro-democracy and human rights groups, part of what civil society groups say has been a broader crackdown on critics of the army's heavy-handed tactics in dealing with street unrest.

Washington has strongly criticized the Egyptian move, which has cast a pall over U.S.-Egypt relations as the most populous Arab nation reaches a critical stage in its uncertain transition away from authoritarian rule.

Leading U.S. lawmakers have also voiced outrage over the incident, and American officials have repeatedly warned that Washington may have to take a fresh look at U.S. aid to Egypt's military, which now runs about $1.3 billion per year.

The six U.S. citizens hit with travel bans work with the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute. Both receive U.S. public funding and are loosely affiliated with the two major political parties in Washington.

The State Department did not provide details on the Americans sheltering in the embassy, although officials at the NDI said none of their staff had been relocated.

U.S. officials said an Egyptian military delegation was expected in Washington this week for regular talks which are nevertheless expected to focus in large part on the impasse over the NGOs.

President Barack Obama spoke with the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, on January 20 and stressed the importance of the NGOs, as well as Egypt's request for $3.2 billion in support from the International Monetary Fund.

In a weekend call to Tantawi, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged the Egyptians to take steps to lift the travel ban on Americans wishing to leave the country, and expressed concern over restrictions placed on NGOs, the Pentagon said.

The Obama administration is finalizing its budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which will be presented on February 13 and is expected to include continued assistance for Egypt's military, albeit subject to new conditions imposed by U.S. lawmakers.

Those include evidence that Egyptian military authorities are committed to holding free and fair elections and implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association, and religion, and due process of law.

(Reporting By Andrew Quinn; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/ts_nm/us_egypt_usa

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Video: Experts reveal how to land a job

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46188867#46188867

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The 10 Best Cars That Still Offer a Manual Transmission

Since the summer of 1989, the reasonably priced Mazda MX-5 Miata has been thrilling sports car fans with its featherweight rear-drive chassis (just over 2000 pounds) and drop-top fun-in-the-sun persona. The Miata's organically responsive handling, mixed with a large dollop of 1960s British roadster, drew buyers by the tens of thousands. But it's no stretch to say that it was Mazda's brilliant five-speed manual transmission that created much of the trill. The stubby little shifter was so effortless that it moved with just a modest flick of the wrist. The second generation Miata in 1999 got one more gear for the 10th anniversary models; that six-speed remained optional (the five-speed was standard) well into the third generation and was equally great to use.

Miata's sports car formula has lasted for more than two decades, and it's no surprise. For 20-plus years Mazda has offered one of the best manual transmissions available on any car at any price.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/pictures/the-10-best-cars-that-still-offer-a-manual-transmission?src=rss

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Colicky Edinburgh Zoo pandas removed from display (AP)

LONDON ? Two giant pandas on loan to a Scottish zoo have been removed from display while being treated for colic.

Edinburgh Zoo officials say female panda Tian Tian was treated by a veterinarian for the illness on Saturday, just as her male companion Yang Guang is recovering from a bout diagnosed earlier this month.

Officials say the illness is not serious, but can cause discomfort and requires medication.

The zoo said Tian Tian would be allowed "to relax privately away from public view" over the weekend.

Yang Guang is expected to be back on view Monday.

The 8-year-old pair are the first pandas to live in Britain in nearly two decades. They arrived from China in December and are expected to draw huge crowds of visitors to the zoo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_sick_pandas

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300 arrested in daylong Occupy Oakland protests

Occupy Oakland protestors burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during an Occupy Oakland protest on the steps of City Hall, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

Occupy Oakland protestors burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during an Occupy Oakland protest on the steps of City Hall, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

A woman pleads with Occupy Oakland protestors to not burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during an Occupy Oakland protest, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. Police were in the process of arresting about 100 Occupy protesters for failing to disperse Saturday night, hours after officers used tear gas on a rowdy group of demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them and tore down fences. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

Oakland Police block the entrance to City Hall after Occupy Oakland protestors gained access into the building during an Occupy Oakland protest, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. Oakland officials say police are in the process of arresting about 100 Occupy protesters for failing to disperse on Saturday. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

Oakland police block off a street in downtown Oakland during an Occupy Oakland protest, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. Police were in the process of arresting about 100 Occupy protesters for failing to disperse Saturday night, hours after officers used tear gas on a rowdy group of demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them and tore down fences. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

An Oakland City police officer stomps out a burning American flag after Occupy Oakland protestors set City Hall's flag on fire during an Occupy Oakland protest, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ? About 300 people were arrested Saturday during a chaotic day of Occupy protests that saw demonstrators break into City Hall and burn an American flag, as police earlier fired tear gas and bean bags to disperse hundreds of people after some threw rocks and bottles and tore down fencing outside a nearby convention center.

Dozens of police officers remained on guard outside City Hall around midnight following the most turbulent day of protests since November, when Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment. An exasperated Mayor Jean Quan, who faced heavy criticism for the police action last fall, called on the Occupy movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," Quan said.

Protesters clashed with police throughout the day, at times throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at officers. And police responded by deploying smoke, tear gas and bean bag rounds, City Administrator Deanna Santanta said.

"These demonstrators stated their intention was to provoke officers and engage in illegal activity and that's exactly what has occurred today," Santana said.

Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said about 300 arrests were made.

The group assembled outside City Hall late Saturday morning and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center.

The protesters walked to the vacant convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said.

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people.

A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through the city's downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, said Sgt. Jeff Thomason, a police spokesman.

Around the same time police were taking people into custody near the YMCA, about dozens of officers surrounded City Hall, while others swept the inside of the building looking for protesters who had broken into the building, then ran out of the building with American flags before officers arrived.

The protest group issued an email criticizing police, saying "Occupy Oakland's building occupation, an act of constitutionally protected civil disobedience was disrupted by a brutal police response today."

Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Saturday was a very hectic day that originally started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."

"It was very emotional. I thought it was a very good day for the movement because it brought us back together," Davis said. "We all were here in spirit and everybody actually helped everyone today.

"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."

Quan blamed the destruction on a small "very radical, violent" splinter group within Occupy Oakland.

"This is not a situation where we had a 1,000 peaceful people and a few violent people. If you look at what's happening today in terms of destructing property, throwing at and charging the police, it's almost like they are begging for attention and hoping that the police will make an error."

Quan said that at one point, many forced their way into City Hall, where they burned flags, broke an electrical box and damaged several art structures, including a recycled art exhibit created by children.

"City Hall is closed for the weekend. There is no excuse for behavior we've witnessed this evening," City Council President Larry Reid said during a news briefing Saturday. "It's just unacceptable and makes absolutely no sense for the type of behavior we've seen on the streets in the city of Oakland today."

Oakland Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, echoed Reid's sentiments and said that what was going on amounts to "domestic terrorism."

"This is domestic terrorism and we cannot allow this to continue because something even more worse could really happen," De La Fuente said.

The demonstration comes after Occupy protesters said earlier this week that they planned to move into a vacant building and turn it into a social center and political hub. They also threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

Oakland officials said Friday that since the Occupy Oakland encampment was first established in late October, police have arrested about 300 people.

The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately.

Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities.

In Oakland, the police department received heavy criticism for using force to break up earlier protests. Among the critics was Mayor Jean Quan, who said she wasn't briefed on the department's plans.

On Saturday, Quan seemed to have changed her tune on how police have been handling the demonstrations and protests.

"Our officers have been very measured," Quan said. "Were there some mistakes made? There may be. I would say the Oakland police and our allies, so far a small percentage of mistakes. "But quite frankly, a majority of protesters who were charging the police were clearly not being peaceful.

Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests.

Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said late Saturday that he was in "close contact" with the federal monitor during the protests.

Quan added, "If the demonstrators think that because we are working more closely with the monitor now that we won't do what we have to do to uphold the law and try keep people safe in this city, they're wrong."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-29-Occupy%20Oakland/id-9b72d1b0b9954fbfa2dc86fe47dd9c35

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Jay-Z, Beyonce make Billboard industry power list (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce joined a list of top music executives, led by Live Nation Entertainment chairman Irving Azoff, on Billboard magazine's first Power 100 chart on Friday.

Only a handful of artists broke onto the list that sought to name the recording industry's most influential people and was dominated by businessmen and women. The selection was determined by a combination of money, market share, Billboard chart data and other information, and a team of 15 magazine editors analyzed the results to produce the list.

Both Jay-Z and Beyonce made it due to numerous ventures outside their singing careers including Jay-Z's Roc Nation music, management and entertainment company and Beyonce's sponsorship deals with brands such as L'Oreal. Collectively, they were placed at No. 13 on the Power 100 list.

Azoff has been at the helm of Live Nation Entertainment, a ticket sales and concert company, since 2008 and previously represented artists such as Christina Aguilera and Van Halen.

Just behind Azoff at No. 2 was Coran Capshaw, the founder and partner of Red Light Management, who helps run the careers of groups such as the Dave Matthews Band. Rounding out the top three was Universal Music Group's chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge.

Others on the list included Creative Artists Agency's managing partner and head of music Rob Light at No. 7 and Interscope Geffen A&M Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine at No. 10.

Rock band U2 came in at No. 27 along with their manager Paul McGuinness based on their ability to sell more than 7 million tickets to their last tour along with their prolific chart career. Fellow rocker Jon Bon Jovi clocked in at No. 50.

Country music star Taylor Swift, 22, made the list at No. 78 for being a "branding powerhouse" with her own management company and lucrative contracts with companies such as CoverGirl. Pop sensation Lady Gaga followed Swift at No. 84, picked for the sway she holds over millions of loyal followers on Facebook and Twitter.

The list held some surprises as "The X Factor" creator and television mogul Simon Cowell ranked last at No. 100, beaten by his former "American Idol" colleague, host Ryan Seacrest, who ranked No. 64.

Seacrest was placed higher due to his numerous ventures including his syndicated daily radio show, "American Idol" hosting gig, production company at NBC Universal and his newest venture to reshape HDNet as a pop culture TV network in collaboration with billionaire Mark Cuban, Creative Artists Agency and live entertainment company, AEG.

The full list can be viewed at Billboard.biz and in the upcoming issue of Billboard Magazine, on newsstands January 30.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/en_nm/us_billboard_powerlist

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Acupuncture May Boost Pregnancy Success Rates (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- When a couple is trying to have a baby and can't, it can be emotionally and financially draining. But help may be available in an unexpected form: acupuncture.

Medical experts believe that this ancient therapy from China, which involves placing numerous thin needles at certain points in the body, can help improve fertility in both men and women.

"Acupuncture has been around for almost 3,000 years. It's safe and there are no bad side effects from it," explained Dr. Lisa Lilienfield, a family practice and pain management specialist at the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine in McLean, Va. "It may not be the only thing that is done in isolation to treat infertility, but it helps get the body primed and maximizes the potential effects of fertility treatments."

Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of the New York University Fertility Center and director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said that "it's not a panacea, but acupuncture does help some patients have better success."

"It's one non-traditional modality to help manage the stress of infertility, and it does improve pregnancy rates and quality of life in some people," he said.

In addition to relieving stress, Lilienfield said that acupuncture can help increase a woman's fertility by improving blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. This improved blood flow can help thicken the lining of the uterus, increasing the chances of conception.

It may also help correct problems with the body's neuroendocrine system. Acupuncture can help activate the brain to release hormones that will stimulate the ovaries, adrenal glands and other organs that are involved in reproduction, according to Lilienfield. Acupuncture's effect on the neuroendocrine system may also help infertile men by stimulating sperm production, she said.

Studies that have been done on acupuncture and fertility have had mixed results, with some showing benefits and others showing none. Grifo said the differing results may have something to do with the design of the studies. Two areas that appear to be more consistently helped by acupuncture treatments are in vitro fertilization and women who are infertile due to polycystic ovary syndrome.

Two studies -- one in Acupuncture in Medicine and the other in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation -- found a benefit when acupuncture was used on the day an embryo was transferred into a woman's uterus.

The study from the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation also found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome and men who had infertility issues with no known cause also benefitted from acupuncture.

The actual treatment session involves placing very thin needles at specific points in the body. In Chinese medicine, these points are believed to be areas where a person's "qi" (pronounced chee), or life force, is blocked, according to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In Western medicine, it's believed that the needle placement may release the body's natural painkillers.

Acupuncture is commonly used to treat pain, such as back pain, headache and menstrual cramps, according to the center.

Lilienfield said that acupuncture treatment costs vary, depending on where someone lives and the training of the practitioner. In her center, a treatment costs about $135, and most people receive six to eight treatments for infertility, she said. Insurance reimbursement also varies, she noted, though many insurance companies will pay for acupuncture.

In general, someone younger than 35 is often advised to try to get pregnant for about a year before seeking treatment for infertility. "But, if you're anxious to get going, six months is a reasonable time to wait," Lilienfield said. And women older than 35 probably shouldn't wait more than six months, she added.

Grifo said he doesn't favor waiting that long to seek treatment. "If you are trying to get pregnant and struggling with it, you don't need to wait a year," he said. "And, if you're over 35, don't wait six months to get worked up if it's causing you distress."

More information

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more on acupuncture.

Publication Date: Oct. 31, 2011

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120128/hl_hsn/acupuncturemayboostpregnancysuccessrates

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'The Grey' Survival Guide: Do's And Don'ts In Wilderness Movies

Surviving a plane crash is no easy feat. Outrunning mythical wolves can prove even trickier, and not everyone can do it with as much ease as Liam Neeson in "The Grey." The survival thriller hits theaters today, and before you go off trying to rough it in the arctic yourself, do yourself a kindness by [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/01/27/the-grey-survival-guide/

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Cops: Woman set up fight for daughter, another girl

Orange County Corrections Department

Sandra Padilla Miranda is seen in a booking shot provided by law enforcement authorities.

By WESH TV

ORLANDO, Fla -- Police have arrested a mother after WESH 2 News aired video of a fight between her daughter and another teen.

Video sent to WESH?shows two teen girls walking to the middle of a field. The girls then swing at each other and pull one another's hair. They eventually fall to the ground and continue fighting.

Throughout the fight, they are egged on by several teenagers and an adult.

WESH 2 News showed the video to Orlando police, who said the adult woman in the video is Sandra Padilla Miranda.

Police believe she is the parent of one of the girls. She was arrested Thursday afternoon.

'Bite her'
"(She) basically set up a fight for her daughter,? said Sgt. Vince Ogburn of the Orlando Police Department. ?The mother arranged the fight. Unfortunately the girls agreed to have this fight." Ogburn said Padilla Miranda could be heard on the video in Spanish telling her daughter to "hit harder" and "bite her."

Ogburn said Padilla Miranda told investigators she had no way of stopping the fight.

"Someone was holding her back as the reason why she couldn't stop the fight, and clearly you can see in your video, that no one was attempting to hold her back at all," Ogburn said.

Padilla Miranda told investigators that she set up the fight to stop the girls from fighting at Boone High School.

Neighbor talks
While there was no answer at Padilla Miranda's house Thursday, a friend of the family, Cely Bruno, shared her thoughts about the fight.

"I got a kid myself, you feel me? And if I see my kid on the floor getting beat while there's mad kids out there, God knows what could happen to my daughter. I would have been like, 'Go ahead, do your thing,'" Bruno said.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10250622-cops-woman-arranged-for-daughter-to-fight-with-another-girl-cheered-her-on

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Vienna Girardi and Lee Smith: Back Together!

With ex-boyfriend Kasey Kahl arrested and accused of bashing a woman's face, Vienna Girardi posed for not-at-all-staged bikini pics with her ex in Miami this week.

No, not Jake Pavelka. Jake precursor Lee Smith.

Vienna stormed off Relationship Rehab - where she was trying to work it out with Kasey - last month when producers blindsided her with a surprise visit from Lee.

But now, things are different apparently.

Vienna shows off her new/old BF and her only best assets.

Sources close to the couple say Vienna Girardi and Lee Smith have since been talking and working on their relationship (re: boning non-stop) since then.

Bachelor fans may recall that Lee was also the guy allegedly sending Vienna flirty emails - and tapping that ass - while she was still engaged to Jake.

She has an interesting history with men, that's for sure.

[Photos: Pacific Coast News]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/vienna-girardi-and-lee-smith-back-together/

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Annie Leibovitz opens new art show at Smithsonian (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Photographer Annie Leibovitz says she has come back from some dark days and revived her creativity with a new photography project now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that marks a departure from her popular celebrity portraits.

Two years ago, Leibovitz was facing millions in debt and a mismanaged fortune that nearly cost her legal rights to some of pop culture's most memorable images she created. The ordeal was a good lesson in managing her business, Leibovitz said, but left her "emotionally and mentally depleted."

On Tuesday, she led a tour through the photographs she says renewed her inspiration with a few road trips through U.S. history. The idea grew out of a book she had wanted to make with her partner, Susan Sontag, with a list of destinations and an excuse to visit them. After Sontag died, she eventually revived the idea with her young children.

It began with a six-hour drive to Niagara Falls during her financial troubles only to find out her credit card had been rejected at a hotel and their rooms had been given away. While they found another place to stay, Leibovitz was upset wanted to go home. But she agreed to go to a lookout point over the waterfalls with her kids.

"I was sitting off to the side, feeling a little down, and I saw my children mesmerized, studying the falls," she said. "And I walked over, stood behind them ... and I took this picture."

It's a snapshot anyone could have taken, she said: an image that captures the blue-green water before it plunges over the falls. Soon she began thinking of other places to visit.

The images that would become "Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage" include depictions of landscapes and people, but no faces. Instead, Leibovitz photographed historic objects and scenes, including the homes of "Little Women" author Louisa May Alcott, essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, entertainer Elvis Presley and others.

"I was swept away when I walked into these places," she said. "I found myself taking pictures and not thinking about any consequences. I was seduced."

There were obstacles, though. One was coming to terms with photographing objects, she said, and finding a way to give them some emotion. She began creating close-up images, as with a nightdress worn by Emily Dickinson when she was known for roaming around her house in a nightgown. Leibovitz zoomed in on the intricate detail.

"That is not my kind of picture. I mean, I don't ever come in tight like that," Leibovitz said. "It's not me."

It's also her first all-digital photography show. Leibovitz said she is still learning about new technology and about herself.

"This is an amazing time to be a photographer," she said. "I discovered things about myself which were really comforting, that the work had a deep well, that it wasn't going to go away."

She also learned it was a mistake to leave her business affairs to others to manage.

"I mean, I had a great ride," she said. "I was like a girl who went out and took pictures, and everyone else took care of everything else. Now I really do need to take care of everything."

Leibovitz didn't discuss the status of her debt but said she has good business advisers. "I'm back, for all intents and purposes," she said.

Her travels for "Pilgrimage" produced images of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud's couch, sharpshooter Annie Oakley's heart-shaped shooting target, Presley's Harley-Davidson and a TV he once shot with a gun at Graceland.

As a nod to Sontag, Leibovitz visited the home of Virginia Woolf, one of her partner's favorite writers, where she was happy to learn such a brilliant person could have such a messy studio, she said.

Andy Grundberg, guest curator for the show and a dean at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, said Leibovitz is presenting cultural history in a new way.

"She's trying to convey a sense of people without the people actually being there in front of the camera," he said of Leibovitz' travels. "She was kind of bushwhacking through our cultural legacy and figuring it out as she went along."

In some cases, one destination would lead to several others. Leibovitz was fascinated with the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, which led her to find Lincoln's top hat at the Smithsonian, models for Lincoln's statue in the studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French, and to a concert gown of Marian Anderson, who sang at the memorial when she was shut out of a segregated concert hall.

Leibovitz eventually compiled the project into a book that evolved into the new exhibit. The show is on view in Washington through May 20 and then will travel to U.S. museums through 2014.

Leibovitz said she pursued her new project to protect her lucrative portrait work and to go back to it revived.

"It's a project I did for myself. I wanted to be seduced into a photograph and not make it up," she said. "And I wanted to take my time."

___

Smithsonian American Art Museum: http://americanart.si.edu

___

Brett Zongker can be reached at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_ot/us_art_annie_leibovitz

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Researchers use lasers to supercool semiconductor membranes, blow your mind

Ah, lasers. Those wonderful, super intense beams of light that we've seen used in headlights, projectors, and naturally, death rays. Like us, researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen figure there's nothing lasers can't do, and have figured out a way to use them to cool a bit of semiconducting material. This bit of black magic works using a membrane made of gallium arsenide and is based upon principles of quantum physics and optomechanics (the interaction between light and mechanical motion).

Turns out, when a one millimeter square membrane of gallium arsenide is placed parallel to a mirror in a vacuum chamber and bombarded with a laser beam, an optical resonator is created between them that oscillates the membrane. As the distance between the gallium arsenide and the mirror changes, so do the membrane's oscillations. And, at a certain frequency, the membrane is cooled to minus 269 degrees Celsius -- despite the fact that the membrane itself is being heated by the laser. So, lasers can both heat things up and cool them down simultaneously, and if that confuses you as much as it does us, feel free to dig into the science behind this paradoxical bit of research at the source below. In other news, left is right, up is down, and Eli Manning is a beloved folk hero to all Bostonians.

Researchers use lasers to supercool semiconductor membranes, blow your mind originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/researchers-use-lasers-to-supercool-semiconductor-membranes-blo/

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Review: McGraw sounds fresh on new album (AP)

Tim McGraw, "Emotional Traffic" (Curb)

Tim McGraw never has lacked ambition, as illustrated by the country star's film acting and self-named cologne.

That ambition comes across most clearly in his music. On "Emotional Traffic," his 11th studio album, McGraw continues to expand country music's boundaries. That's why, 20 years into his career, his music still sounds so fresh, even though a legal dispute with label Curb Records delayed the release of these songs, recorded in 2010.

But there's no dust on these tracks, as McGraw and longtime co-producer Byron Gallimore create a sound marinated in modern rock yet crisp with catchy melodies and real-life, country-music themes.

McGraw's range shows on the album's first two hits. "Felt Good On My Lips" ? also released against the singer's wishes as a bonus track on last year's two-CD Curb compilation "Number One Hits" ? is buoyed by an infectious chorus and dynamic musical twists. Meanwhile, the thoughtful ballad "Better Than I Used To Be" finds a man pressing to become more responsible. It starts with quiet piano, and then builds to a crescendo that underscores the emotion of the lyrics.

McGraw's progressive artistry also comes through on "Only Human," a duet with sweet-voiced R&B singer Ne-Yo, and the cover of "One Part, Two Part," originally written by Georgia soul singer Dee Ervin.

"Emotional Traffic" may contain two-year-old recordings, but for McGraw's fans, it will shine like tomorrow's sunrise.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "The One That Got Away" counteracts country music's usual small-town romanticism with a story about the successful person who "got away" ? and drew the admiration and jealousy of those left behind. The dreamy, layered arrangement breaks country's conventions just as imaginatively as the lyrics.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_en_mu/us_music_review_tim_mcgraw

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Romney defends investments, readies tax returns (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A day before Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney planned to release his income tax returns, his old investments in two controversial government-backed housing lenders stirred up new questions at the same time his campaign targeted rival Newt Gingrich for earning more than $1.6 million in consulting fees from one of the lenders.

Romney's latest financial disclosure report listed several investments, worth as much as $500,000, in U.S.-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Romney, Gingrich and other GOP critics repeatedly have singled out the two quasi-government entities as prime villains in the housing crisis that played a central role in the nation's long and deep recession.

While continuing to hammer Gingrich for his consulting work for Freddie Mac, the Romney campaign sought to deflect questions about the former Massachusetts governor's investments. They include a mutual fund worth up to $500,000 that includes assets from both lenders among other government income, and separate investments in each of the lenders in Romney's individual retirement account, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000.

Romney campaign officials said Monday that a trustee handles the investments and that Romney had no role in choosing or managing them.

The dimensions and the sources of Romney's wealth, which he has estimated to be as much as $250 million, have become a central issue in the roiling GOP primary campaign. For months, Romney dismissed calls to release his personal income tax records. But after mounting criticism from his rivals and others, coupled with his stinging weekend loss to Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, Romney agreed to release his 2010 return and 2011 estimate. Both sets of records could provide new details about his investments and his annual take as founder of the Bain Capital private equity firm.

Romney's tax returns are likely to sketch out critical information about the tax strategies he employs. Tax experts said these likely include his use of a low 15 percent capital gains rate to reduce the taxes he pays on dozens of large investments that flow into his blind trust, charitable donation strategies that benefit philanthropies but also further reduce his tax burden and investments routed through offshore affiliates that could help him defer some tax payments.

Romney already has acknowledged that his current tax rate is about 15 percent, a level far lower than standard rates for high-income earners and similar to the capital gains rate. But some tax law and tax policy experts suggest that Romney likely has paid similarly low rates throughout his Bain years, continuing through the 13 years since he left the firm.

Joseph Bankman, a Stanford University business and law professor who has testified before Congress on the taxes paid by private equity firms like Bain, said Romney's background as a financier, coupled with his growing wealth and ability to use sophisticated tax tactics, makes it highly likely that he has paid taxes at the going capital gains rate for most of his career.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_s_wealth

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Child's Play Communications Announces Addition of RRKidz and ...

By PR Newswire

Article Rating:

January 23, 2012 01:40 PM EST

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?

NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Child's Play Communications, the award-winning public relations agency specializing in reaching moms, is thrilled to announce the addition of LeVar Burton's RRKidz to the agency's client roster. Child's Play will launch RRKidz, re-launch the company's much loved Reading Rainbow brand, promote the Reading Rainbow classic library of episodes (DVD and streaming) and announce the Reading Rainbow Kidz App, the first of RRKidz' many innovative products and services to debut starting in 2012.

Originally a TV series designed to inspire a love of reading among young children, the Peabody Award-winning Reading Rainbow ran for 26 years on PBS (1983-2009) and was co-produced and hosted by actor LeVar Burton. RRKidz, a trans-media entity bringing enrichment products to the children's digital space, is run by Burton, Co-Founder, entertainment veteran Mark Wolfe and CEO Asra Rasheed. RRKidz will bring Reading Rainbow to today's digitally connected children beginning with a reading and book discovery app initially launching for iPad in early 2012. Child's Play Communications will generate awareness for the return of Reading Rainbow and the Reading Rainbow Kidz app through an extensive traditional and social media campaign, kicked off with a major New York City event.

RRKidz' goal is to become not only the leader in digital publishing for children, but also a major, multi-platform, kids' educational and enrichment brand?- one that delights children while maintaining parents' devotion and trust. The company is located in Los Angeles, CA.

"As major Reading Rainbow fans, we can't wait to help introduce Reading Rainbow to a new generation of children, and re-introduce it to their parents, who grew up watching the show," said Stephanie Azzarone, president, Child's Play Communications. "Today's moms and dads will now have the opportunity to share those special memories and that feel-good Reading Rainbow experience with their own youngsters."

"Child's Play Communications, with its powerhouse experience in reaching moms and their children, is the ideal partner to help us re-launch Reading Rainbow and develop the RRKidz brand," said Wolfe. "We're looking forward to a very productive relationship with this innovative and exciting company."

Located in New York City, Child's Play Communications specializes in public relations, social media and word-of-mouth communications for products and services targeted to moms.

Child's Play Communications
Child's Play Communications?specializes exclusively in public relations, social media and word-of-mouth communications for products and services targeted to moms. Based in New York City, the agency has launched an exciting array of proprietary services to engage this influential market through traditional media, online and in-person, including the award-winning Team Mom?, the agency's own network of mom review-bloggers. Recent company awards have included Bulldog's PR Innovation of the Year and Social Media Innovator of the Year. For additional information, please visit our Web site, our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

RRKidz
RRKidz?(www.RRKidz.com) provides an enriching interactive platform for children to discover and explore exceptional digital media content that is both educational and entertaining. Headquartered in Los Angeles with an office in San Francisco, RRKidz?holds global rights to the trusted Reading Rainbow brand through a partnership with series creator, WNED-TV, a premier PBS station, based in Buffalo, NY. The?Reading Rainbow Kidz?subscription app, designed to instill a lifelong love of reading, will be available via the iPad and select Android operating system devices.

SOURCE Child's Play Communications

Source: http://buyersteps.ulitzer.com/node/2138071

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Arianna Addresses U.S. Mayors: Country's Solutions To 'Come At Local Level'

Arianna and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi addressed the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Jan 18, challenging the nation's local leaders to become a voice for the people they represent.

In her speech, Arianna called on American mayors to become active members of their communities and address the growing gaps between the nation's rich and poor. She hit at the heart of what many consider to be an astounding trend in the US: the increasing downward-mobility of the American middle-class.

With an emphasis on Aol's Patch network of hyper-local sites, Arianna also told the conference of the growing need to address and cover the nation's often neglected poorest citizens.

In her blog post prior to the conference, Arianna explained why she feels the recovery of America's economy begins at the local level.

That's why I believe the solutions the country is so desperately looking for are going to come at the local level -- from our mayors and engaged citizens working with their communities. It's our cities, not the nation's capital, that are the real idea factory of our country. It's the Mayor's Mansion not the White House from which bold decision-making is likely to originate. It's from any house on your street not the House of Representatives where projects that will make your community a better place to live in are more likely to surface.

You can read her post in full, here.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/arianna-huffington-nancy-pelosi-mayors_n_1221594.html

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Wealthy hit the skids in Sundance doc 'Versailles'

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, left, and documentary subject Jacqueline Siegel, right, pose together at the opening night premiere of "The Queen of Versailles" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, left, and documentary subject Jacqueline Siegel, right, pose together at the opening night premiere of "The Queen of Versailles" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

In this image released by Sundance Film Festival, Jackie Siegel is shown with her children during the filming of a documentary, "The Queen of Versailles," being shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival begins Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Sundance Film Festival, Lauren Greenfield)

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield is interviewed as she arrives for the opening night premiere of "The Queen of Versailles" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield arrives for the opening night premiere of "The Queen of Versailles" at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? Lauren Greenfield's Sundance Film Festival entry "The Queen of Versailles" tells the story of every American in danger of losing a home amid the economic crisis.

The difference is that the home in question was a 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by the excesses of France's Palace of Versailles.

Greenfield's documentary chronicles the financial success of Florida time-share condominium entrepreneur David Siegel and his wife, Jackie, who set out to build the largest house in America at the height of the real-estate bubble.

When the bubble burst, the Siegels had the same rude awakening as millions of others: They had been living easy on borrowed money they now could not repay.

One of the opening-night films Thursday at the Sundance showcase for independent cinema, "Queen of Versailles" presents an intimate portrait of the Siegels' extreme wealth and the hard fall they took as the markets crashed and money dried up in 2008.

"It is a metaphor for what we have all gone through in the economic crisis, and that's what was really compelling to me about the story," Greenfield said in an interview Friday. "It's not a reality show, it's not a gotcha on the 1 percent. It's really looking at their life in the big, kind of epic size that it is, and having that be a window in which to kind of think about what happened to us all."

Greenfield, a photographer whose debut documentary "Thin" premiered at Sundance in 2006, met Jackie Siegel at a photo shoot for fashion designer Donatella Versace. Siegel, who says in the film that she used to spend $1 million a year on clothes, was one of Versace's best customers, and she and Greenfield hit it off right away.

As Siegel described her life ? flying with her eight children on a private jet, building the biggest home in the country ? Greenfield realized the family was an ideal subject for her long-term photographic project on wealth. Greenfield visited the Siegels to shoot photographs and eventually convinced them to let her document their lives and the construction of the house on film.

The documentary starts out like a twist on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," revealing the splendor of the 26,000-square-foot home the Siegels occupied and the gaudy grandeur of the palace they were building that would be nearly four times bigger. Greenfield examines the family business, including its crown jewel, a new time-share tower in Las Vegas, and traces the self-made couple's humble origins before rising to wealth.

When the economy went sour, the Siegels allowed Greenfield to continue her shoot. The film follows them down as they are forced to sell assets, fire employees, fight to avoid foreclosure on their unfinished mansion and struggle to hold onto the Vegas tower.

The marriage grows shaky as the Siegels fight over money. Jackie is unable to rein herself in on a colossal Wal-Mart spending spree, while David balls out the family for leaving all the lights on and threatens to let the power company cut off their electricity.

Jackie Siegel attended the Sundance premiere, but her husband did not. David Siegel is suing Greenfield and the Sundance festival, claiming materials used to promote the documentary are defamatory. Greenfield said she could not comment about the lawsuit.

The indulgence of the Siegels' lives seems absurd, sparking hearty laughter at times from the Sundance audience at the film's premiere. David Siegel proudly proclaims that his reason for building his immense house is simply "because I can," while Jackie Siegel is shown dutifully trying to cut back on expenses by flying commercial and renting her own car, then learning to her surprise at the Hertz leasing counter that the vehicle doesn't come with a driver.

Yet despite their wealth and privilege, the Siegels are sympathetic figures. The strain of trying to hold his empire together becomes apparent on David Siegel's face as his interviews with Greenfield progress. Jackie Siegel visits an old friend in danger of losing her own modest house to foreclosure and sends her $5,000 to help fend off the bankers.

"It's got a human element that I think is unexpected for the viewers going in. I think they thought it was going to be a look at the rich or this kind of reality-show craziness about the building of the biggest house in America, and it starts that way and takes you in, and then takes you on this other path that's really about looking at the American dream ? both its virtues and its flaws, and how we all got caught up in that," Greenfield said.

"I remember David said to me in one of the interviews ? I keep thinking about this, and maybe I should have put it in the movie ? he said, 'Money doesn't make you happy. You just can be miserable in a better part of town.'"

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-20-Film-Sundance-Queen%20of%20Versailles/id-2b96d7cfd6c9499d92677cbb62c06f3a

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The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

The calm after the storm? No sir. CES may be over, but the tech news is still flowing like sweet, sweet strawberry wine. Tim and Darren are both in town for that little Apple event that unfolded earlier today, so they'll be doing a live, in-studio throw down with Brian, Engadget Podcast-style. Follow along in the chat, after the jump.

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/the-engadget-podcast-is-live-tonight-at-5pm/

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Apple announces free iBooks Author OS X app for publishing books to the App Store

We're here at Apple's education-themed event at the Guggenheim museum in New York City, and the company's just followed up its long-awaited textbook announcement with something unexpected: iBooks Author, a free OS X program for creating books. The intent is really for teachers and other educators to produce educational materials, but Apple says the format can apply to any genre. Aside from the free part, the real story here is ease of use, with the ability to drag and drop photos, videos and even Microsoft Word files into various templates. If you use Apple's own suite of office apps, in particular, you can drag and drop a Keynote presentation into the doc, and it'll live on as an interactive widget. (You can whip up other widgets, too, though you'll need to know Javascript or HTML.) Moving beyond the main text, authors can also arrange glossaries by highlighting and clicking words, and clicking again to add a definition. In a surprise move, Apple also said authors can publish straight to the store, though we're waiting for clarification that textbook writers and other scribes are actually exempt from Cupertino's notorious App Store approval process. In any case, the app is available now in the App Store so by all means, get cracking on that definitive Kurt Vonnegut glossary you never knew you had in you.

Gallery: iBooks Author

Apple announces free iBooks Author OS X app for publishing books to the App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/apple-announces-ibooks-author-app-for-os-x/

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Reunited Haiti family carries on 2 yrs after quake (AP)

CALEBASSE, Haiti ? The American missionaries arrived in a beige bus in the days after the earthquake, promising a better life for the children of this village in the mountains above Haiti's capital.

The Idaho-based Baptist volunteers said they wanted to rescue the boys and girls they believed were orphaned by the Jan. 12, 2010, quake. But their effort to spirit away 33 children to the neighboring Dominican Republic failed when they were stopped by police and then jailed on kidnapping charges. It later came out that all the children had parents.

Two years on, residents of Calebasse describe a tempered sense of hope for their returned children even as they struggle against hardship. A humanitarian group has provided the families modest aid, and UNICEF has helped the children by building new schools.

"We still have problems but the children are able to eat and go to school," said Lelly Laurentus, 29, a computer repairman who's been unable to find work except as an occasional cab driver.

Laurentus, whose two daughters boarded the beige bus late that morning in January 2010, thought he was sending them to a better life.

A U.S. missionary accompanied by a Haitian translator had circulated among the homes of Calebasse, offering to bus children across the border following the quake, which officials said killed 314,000 people and left more than a million homeless. In the Dominican Republic, the children would find shelter and a school, the missionary promised.

Laurentus couldn't resist the offer. His home had just collapsed in the earthquake and he was forced to sleep outside. Many Haitians of humble origins believe in lougarou, mythical werewolves that prey on children, and Laurentus is among them. He was terrified that in the dark, the shape-shifting beasts would fly from the mountaintops and attack his children as they slept.

"We had to confront the devils of night," Laurentus said, standing outside his concrete house Tuesday as he waited for his daughters to walk home from school.

Everybody wanted a seat on the bus, a ready-made escape from the desperation that followed the quake, he said.

"If all the kids didn't leave, it was because there wasn't enough room on the bus," said Laurentus.

Nevertheless, Laurentus felt ashamed for sending away his daughters, Leila, now 6, and Soraya, 5. A man should be able to support his family, yet he was powerless in the aftermath of the quake.

But the children never made it to the Dominican Republic. Police took them into custody and handed them over to SOS Children's Villages International, a global group that aims to keep families together by providing support.

The Haitian government and foreign relief groups reunited the children with their natural-born parents in March 2010, a month after the "orphan rescue" grabbed international headlines amid an outpouring of legitimate efforts to help quake survivors.

The 33 were among more than 2,770 children returned to their families after the quake. At the time, UNICEF and other groups feared that child traffickers were taking advantage of the chaos and smuggling children out of the country.

Charges against all but one of the missionaries were dropped and they returned to the United States. Laura Silsby, the group's leader, was convicted of arranging illegal travel under a 32-year-old statute restricting movement out of Haiti, but was later released and returned to Idaho.

SOS housed the children for a month as the government sought to locate their parents.

When their daughters were returned to them, Laurentus and his wife, Manette Ricot, 29, were given money from the organization to pay this year's school tuition along with food like spaghetti, rice, oil, milk and sardines.

The leg up amounts to about $1,400 total, said Karl Foster Candio, a Haiti spokesman for SOS.

"I know this doesn't resolve their problems but it allows them to strengthen themselves so they can have better lives," Candio said.

Ricot earns some money as a tailor when she can find the work, and her husband drives a cab part-time.

"Even though the tuition is paid for, life is still heavy for us," she said. "After two years, we're fighting to survive, because everything was destroyed. It's like we're starting over."

Ricot and her husband use that extra money to feed the girls breakfast and buy school uniforms. But even now, they would still welcome the chance to send the girls abroad, legally, if the opportunity presented itself. They face a harsh reality in Haiti, a country where about 60 percent of the population is either unemployed or underemployed.

"I'm the one who should be working, to help them," said Laurentus, who was forced to close his shed-housed cybercafe. He sold his three computers to pay for construction materials to rebuild his home.

Despite a multibillion dollar reconstruction effort, most Haitians remain hostage to the country's relentless poverty. But the nation has made key advances in school reconstruction since the earthquake, which crippled an already fragile education system, damaging or destroying almost 4,000 schools, according to UNICEF.

Now more than 80,000 children in this country of 10 million people have been able to return to hundreds of repaired and newly built schools, the aid agency says.

Just before dusk, the girls stepped foot in the dusty courtyard. They wore royal blue uniforms and white ribbons in their pigtailed hair.

"Ca va?" Leila whispered in French, planting cheek kisses on her father, mother and their friends.

Laurentus rubbed Leila's chin and she eased her way under his arm. Soraya held onto his leg.

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

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Oil rig blaze off Nigeria rages for fifth day

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Chevron Corp. says it is still trying to extinguish a five-day old fire on its rig off Nigeria's coast after presuming two foreign workers dead.

Chevron said Friday it is preparing to drill a relief well to fight the fire.

Chevron via AP

The Chevron oil rig on fire in the Niger delta in Nigeria.

Ian Laidlaw, an official from FODE Drilling Ltd., which was operating the rig on Chevron's behalf and employed the two foreign workers, declined to give their nationalities.

Chevron announced Thursday that a search for the missing workers had been called off. Andrew Fawthrop, managing director, Chevron's Nigeria/Mid-Africa Strategic Business Unit, told Offshore Magazine: ?After three days of intensive search and rescue activities for our missing colleagues, I am saddened to report that our efforts have proven unsuccessful and, therefore, we have made the difficult decision to transition to a recovery operation. On behalf of Chevron, we extend our sincere condolences to the families of the missing individuals."

The San Ramon, California-based energy company says 152 other workers were rescued from the rig and a nearby barge after the fire broke out early Monday. Nigeria's state-run oil company blamed it on a buildup of gas pressure.

The Associated Press reported that a coastal community said the fire is killing the fish and tinting the sky "orange-red."

The news website Upstream said some community leaders in the state of Bayelsa have complained of pollution reaching the coast following the fire.

The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10198959-oil-rig-blaze-off-nigeria-rages-for-fifth-day

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Arab League considers extension of Syria mission

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, anti-Syrian regime protesters chant slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, anti-Syrian regime protesters chant slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuedsay, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, a young anti-Syrian regime protester shows bullet casings, said by protesters to be left by Syrian army soldiers, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, an anti-Syrian regime protester flashes the victory sign as he waves the Syrian revolution flag during a demonstration, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the Lebanese border. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

In this photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, anti-Syrian regime protesters shout slogans and flash the victory sign as they march during a demonstration, at the mountain resort town of Zabadani, Syria, near the border with Lebanon. As diplomats debated, opposition activists said Syrian troops shelled the mountain resort town of Zabadani, which has come under the control of army defectors. Syria's powerful ally Russia said Wednesday it would block any attempt by the West to secure U.N. support for the use of force against the regime in Damascus, which is under intense international pressure to end its deadly crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian government tanks and armored vehicles have pulled back from an embattled mountain town near Damascus, activists and witnesses said Thursday, but at least 16 people were killed by security forces elsewhere as a monthlong Arab League fact-finding mission expired.

The pullback from Zabadani left the town under the control of the opposition, activists said. The besieged town of Zabadani has witnessed heavy exchanges of fire between army troops and anti-government military defectors over the past six days.

The 10-month uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad has turned increasingly militarized and chaotic as more frustrated regime opponents and army defectors arm themselves and fight back against government forces. The capital has seen three suicide bombings since late December which the government blamed on terrorist extremists.

Arab League foreign ministers will consider extending the League's observer mission in Syria in a meeting Sunday in Cairo, officials said Thursday.

Although the mission expired Thursday, Adnan al-Khudeir, head of Cairo operations room that handles reports by the monitors, told The Associated Press that observers will remain in Syria until a decision is made on Sunday.

According to al-Khudeir, the meeting chaired by the Qatari foreign minister will discuss a report by the head of the mission Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi who is arriving in Cairo from Syria on Thursday.

The monitors will remain in 17 different places around Syria until the Arab League makes a final decision, he says.

"If there is a decision to extend the mission of the observers, we are ready to send more monitors after training them in three days," he said, adding that the total number of monitors might reach 300.

The mission has been mired in controversy, with the opposition claiming it served as a cover for the regime to continue its brutal crackdown against protesters.

Rejecting charges that the observers have been ineffective in reducing violence, another official said extending the mission would help the opposition more than the regime.

"The killings are less, the protests increase," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made. "The mission's presence offers assurance to the people because the observers can spot any violations. There is a conviction even among Syria opponents that the extension is better than withdrawal."

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday the monitors have had a "mixed picture" of results, enabling some protests and some media coverage, but violence continues.

"We believe that we've got to increase the economic pressure on the Assad regime to change course," she said.

More than 5,400 people have been killed since the uprising erupted last March.

Activists reported continued violence Thursday. In Damascus, a Syrian security agent was wounded when a small explosive device tore through his car in the Tadamon neighborhood, a Syrian official said. No other damages were reported from the morning explosion, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements.

A military security brigadier, Adel Mustafa, also was killed by soldiers who had defected and refused his orders to shoot at civilians in the Bab Qibli area of Homs, according to the Local Coordination Committees, an umbrella group of activists. The officer had previously overseen many killing and arrest operations, according to the LCC.

In Zabadani, activist Fares Mohammad said Syrian forces withdrew Wednesday night to two military barracks on the outskirts.

"There is a cautious calm, but fear of another major assault being prepared against Zabadani," he told The Associated Press by telephone from the resort town, located alongside the Lebanese border 17 miles (27 kilometers) west of Damascus.

The Syrian opposition has on several occasions throughout the uprising gained control of a town or city, but ultimately forces loyal to Assad retook them. It is unusual however for the army to take so long to recapture a town so close to the capital.

The activist said the siege had eased, although heating oil has not been allowed into the town, where it snowed earlier this week. Military checkpoints surrounding the Zabadani were still in place, he said, while about 100 armed defectors were "protecting" it.

Residents said government mortars had shelled the town on Wednesday, but that too had stopped.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the pullout from Zabadani, saying only two armored personnel carriers were left behind at one of the checkpoints near the town.

Syrian officials issued no comment about the fighting in Zabadani.

Activists said at least 16 people were killed by security forces across Syria on Thursday, including four activists who were ambushed in the northern Jabal al-Zawiya region.

___

Michael reported from Cairo. Additional reporting by Bradley Klapper in Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-19-ML-Syria/id-dd8dd87cbb87473fb96056f317d2c83f

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