Tax break extensions lose momentum before election (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Congress is unlikely to renew before November elections 67 temporary tax measures that expired at the end of 2011, Senator Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, told Reuters on Tuesday.

"I doubt it," he said of the possibility of restoring the breaks - known as tax extenders - as part of an expected renewal of payroll tax cuts before those cuts expire at the end of February.

Groups interested in extending the tax breaks, ranging from blue-chip companies to small businesses in poor communities, hope to revive the 67 tax breaks that expired at the end of 2011, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation in Congress.

The interest groups are pushing to get the costly tax provisions attached to the payroll tax extension for the rest of 2012. That bill is currently in a conference committee between the Republican-led House and the Democratic-led Senate.

Some lawmakers are worried that knitting tax extenders into the payroll tax cut bill is politically risky and are wary of doing anything that might hurt them and their parties in the run-up to the November elections.

A Senate staff source said House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, was unlikely to attach the tax extenders to the payroll tax extension. A spokesperson for Boehner did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, are pushing for the tax breaks to be part of the payroll tax bill. Republicans, including House Ways and Means chairman Dave Camp, are leery of that approach.

Baucus and Camp are both payroll tax conference members.

Many of the tax extenders can be revived retroactively. But some, such as a tax exclusion for mass transit and a work opportunity tax credit, are more difficult to renew retroactively.

No estimate for their collective value was immediately available.

The last two tax extender bills were passed almost a year after the tax breaks expired.

Lobbyists said they saw the payroll tax cut bill as the only tax bill with a chance of passage before the general election on November 6. A new Congress will take office in January 2013.

BUDGET CONCERNS

Lobbyists vying for a quick extension are trying to work together to get the tax extenders passed en masse.

"We are all trying to pull with the same oar at this point," said Bob Rapoza, who is leading a coalition that supports a new markets tax credit designed to promote investment in low-income communities.

Without a clear way to pay for the tax breaks, coalitions may splinter, leaving some tax breaks behind.

"This time around, some Republicans may say, 'I'd like to see some spending cuts,'" said Ken Kies, a tax lobbyist and managing director of the Federal Policy Group. "That could make this more complicated," he said.

A full year extension of the payroll tax cut alone is estimated to add $99.5 billion to the budget deficit, according to the Congressional Research Service.

(Reporting By Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120131/pl_nm/us_usa_tax_extensions

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Japan population to shrink by one-third by 2060

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2011 file photo, a kimono-clad elderly woman walks across a street in Tokyo. Japan's rapid aging means the national population of 128 million will shrink by one-third by 2060 and seniors will account for 40 percent of people, placing a greater burden on the shrinking work force population to support the social security and tax systems. The population estimate released Monday, Jan. 30 by the Health and Welfare Ministry paints a grim future. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2011 file photo, a kimono-clad elderly woman walks across a street in Tokyo. Japan's rapid aging means the national population of 128 million will shrink by one-third by 2060 and seniors will account for 40 percent of people, placing a greater burden on the shrinking work force population to support the social security and tax systems. The population estimate released Monday, Jan. 30 by the Health and Welfare Ministry paints a grim future. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2012 file photo, worshippers pack the compound of Sensoji temple to pray in the hope of receiving a New Year's blessing in the Asakusa district in Tokyo. Japan's rapid aging means the national population of 128 million will shrink by one-third by 2060 and seniors will account for 40 percent of people, placing a greater burden on the shrinking work force population to support the social security and tax systems. The population estimate released Monday, Jan. 30 by the Health and Welfare Ministry paints a grim future. The sign reads, "Please advance in good order." (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's population of 128 million will shrink by one-third and seniors will account for 40 percent of people by 2060, placing a greater burden on a smaller working-age population to support the social security and tax systems.

The grim estimate of how rapid aging will shrink Japan's population was released Monday by the Health and Welfare Ministry.

In year 2060, Japan will have 87 million people. The number of people 65 or older will nearly double to 40 percent, while the national work force of people between ages 15 and 65 will shrink to about half of the total population, according to the estimate, made by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

The total fertility rate, or the expected number of children born per woman during lifetime, in 2060 is estimated at 1.35, down from 1.39 in 2010 ? well below more than 2 needed to keep the country's population from declining. But the average Japanese will continue to live longer. The average life expectancy for 2060 is projected at 90.93 for women, up from 86.39 in 2010, and 84.19 years for men, up from 79.64 years.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has pledged to push for social security and tax reforms this year. A bill he promised to submit by the end of March would raise the 5 percent sales tax in two stages to 8 percent in 2014 and 10 percent by 2015, although opposition lawmakers and the public pose challenges to its approval.

The institute says Japan has been the world's fastest aging country, and with its birthrate among the lowest, its population decline would be among the deepest globally in coming decades.

Experts say that Japan's population will keep losing 1 million every year in coming decades and the country urgently needs to overhaul its social security and tax system to reflect the demographic shift.

"Pension programs, employment and labor policy and social security system in this country is not designed to reflect such rapidly progressing population decline or aging," Noriko Tsuya, a demography expert at Keio University, said on public broadcaster NHK. "The government needs to urgently revise the system and implement new measures based on the estimate."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-30-AS-Japan-Population/id-25860afc89a847f4a4ab5b37d26ccca3

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Wasserman Schultz: Priebus ?cossed the line? comparing Obama to Costa Concordia captain (Washington Post)

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Kirk's Condition Improving (TIME)

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BayAreaTech ? Blog Archive ? International Wireless ...

The pre-eminent communications systems event for the working world.
International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE)
- February 20-24, 2012 ? ? - Las Vegas Convention Center
- Courses Feb 20-21 ? - Expo Feb. 22-234 ? - Over 330 Exhibitors
College of Technology: 25 courses, including: ? - Land Mobile Radio for the IT Professional ? - Spectrum Opportunities in a Narrowbanded Environment ? - Wireless Surveillance Ecosystem ? - Software Applications over IP ? - LTE Voice Options and Operations ? - NIMS/ICS 400 ? - 4G, LTE and Broadband Overview ? - TETRA for North America ? - Mobile Data and Multimedia Fundamentals ? - Smart Grid 101 ? and more!
55 Sessions: ? - Optimizing the 4G Cloud for Interoperable Communications ? - IP in an LMR World ? - Future Planning for Legacy Networks ? - Interference Analysis: Theory and Practice ? - Case Studies on Next-Gen Communications in Airports ? - Deploying LTE and Broadband Wireless in a Rural Setting ? - Analog or Digital? How to Make the Decision ? and more!
For information and to register, visit www.iwceexpo.com

Source: http://www.e-grid.net/BayAreaTech/?p=2607

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Davis, Dujardin win lead honors at SAG awards (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The Deep South drama "The Help" has won three prizes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, including best actress for Viola Davis and supporting actress for Octavia Spencer.

"The Help" also claimed the guild's ensemble award, the show's equivalent of a best-picture prize.

Davis and Spencer won Sunday as black maids going public with uneasy truths about their white employers in 1960s Mississippi.

Jean Dujardin won the lead-actor honor for "The Artist" as a silent-film superstar whose career crumbles when the sound era arrives. Christopher Plummer won for supporting actor as an elderly dad who comes out as gay in "Beginners"

___

Online:

http://www.sagawards.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_en_mo/us_sag_awards

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Video: Yemeni president on way to US

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is heading to the United States to seek medical treatment after stops in Oman and London. NBC?s Kate Snow reports.

>>> leader of yemen has arrived in the united states for medical treatment a week after leaving his country under a u.s.-backed plan to end his 30-year reign of power. he was injured during an attack and he'll be treated here

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46176616/

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Connecticut Car Insurance | Cheapest Car Insurance

The state of Connecticut makes sure that they implement their car insurance laws in the state very strictly. And that would mean that drivers should have liability insurance with them whenever they hit the road. Failing to do this would result to penalties which could have been avoided if the driver just followed the rules obediently. This is clearly stated in the Connecticut car insurance law and drivers and people get into a lot of hassle by not abiding this.

The minimum of coverage that the state requires is 20/40/10. That means that $20,000 for a person that is injured in the accident, $40,000 of there are multiple injured persons in the accident, and then $10,000 for the properties like walls and fences that got damaged. The authorities in Connecticut also make sure that a driver would be able to submit a valid proof of insurance before getting their car registered. If the driver fails to present this document, he would pay a fine of $200 and the registration of the vehicle would be put on hold until the owner would be able to present a valid proof of insurance. They also do routine stops to every vehicle on the highway to check if the driver has a proof of insurance with him. If the authorities find out that you are on the road without any proof that you are insured with the minimum liability coverage you will be paying a fine depending on the rules that you broke and there is also a great possibility that your registration would be suspended for a considerable amount of time.

Regarding insurances that have already lapsed, Connecticut has a Mandatory Insurance reporting law that requires insurance companies to inform DMV if an insurance policy has already been cancelled or expired. If this is the case the driver would be sent a notice informing him of the said predicament and then advising him of the actions that he has to take. Inaction to these types of notices would lead to a considerable amount of fines or suspension of driver?s license. Connecticut is one of the states in the county that takes traffic laws really seriously. This is not just a way for them to ensure you safety but the safety of other motorists and public properties as well.

If you are wondering where to find the best car insurance companies in the state, it would be best for you to use the internet in looking for one. You can find a lot of well established companies in the state that have used the internet as a tool to reach other customers. You can find cheap quotes through websites that offer this type of information to interested buyers. The good thing is that the process would be very quick and you don?t have to go through dealing with paper works just to get a quote. Sometimes all you need to do is give out your zip code and some basic information and then you will already see your best options. It would be a great trick if you would collect as many quotes as you can, compare the rate of the premiums, make a little research about the company that you like, and then contact them to buy the insurance.

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Source: http://cheapestcarautoinsurance.com/car-insurance-by-state/connecticut-car-insurance/

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Peru: 26 killed in fire at rehabilitation center (AP)

LIMA, Peru ? A fire swept through a two-story private rehabilitation center for addicts in a poor part of Peru's capital Saturday, killing 26 people and critically injuring six as firefighters punched holes through walls to rescue residents locked inside.

The "Christ is Love" center for drug and alcohol addicts was unlicensed and overcrowded and its residents were apparently kept inside "like prisoners," Health Minister Alberto Tejada told The Associated Press.

Six men rescued from the building were hospitalized in critical condition, said Peru's fire chief, Antonio Zavala, adding that most of the victims died of asphyxiation. All the victims appeared to be male.

The local police chief, Clever Zegarra, said the cause of the 9 a.m. fire was under investigation.

"There has been talk of the burning of an object, of a mattress, but also of a fight that resulted in a fire. All of this is speculation," he told the AP. "I've been here at the scene from morning to evening but for the moment the exact cause of the fire is not known."

One resident of the center on a narrow dead-end street in Lima's teeming San Juan de Lurigancho district said he was eating breakfast on the second floor of the center when he saw flames coming from the first floor, where the blaze apparently began.

Gianfranco Huerta told local RPP news radio station that he leaped from a window to safety.

"The doors were locked; there was no way to get out," he told the station.

AP journalists at scene said all the windows of the building they were able to see were barred. Journalists were not allowed inside as police cordoned off the block. By early afternoon, all the dead had been removed from the center.

Most of the bodies seen by reporters were shirtless, their faces blackened. Many were also shoeless.

"This rehabilitation center wasn't authorized. It was a house that they had taken over ... for patients with addictions and they had the habit of leaving people locked up with no medical supervision," Tejada, the health minister, said.

Authorities said they did not know how many people were inside the center at the time of the fire. They said they were looking for the center's owners and staff, some of whom apparently fled the scene.

The local police chief, Zegarra, identified the owner as Raul Garcia.

Zoila Chea, an aunt of one victim, said families paid Garcia $37 to treat an addicted relative and $15 a week thereafter.

She said that neighbors had constantly complained about the center and that it had been closed twice by authorities.

Chea, 45, said relatives were prohibited from seeing interned patients during the first three months of treatment, which she added consisted mainly of reading the Bible.

Her nephew, Luis Chea, was at the center for a month, she said.

Zavala, the national fire chief, said the blaze was of "Dantesque proportions." Firefighters had to punch a hole through a wall with an adjoining building to help people trapped inside the rehabilitation center.

"We've had to use electric saws to cut through the metal bars of the doors to be able to work," Zavala said.

Relatives of residents of the center gathered near the building weeping and seeking word of their loved ones. As the day wore on, nearby sidewalks filled with relatives mourning and trying to console one another.

One of them was Maria Benitez, aunt of 18-year-old Carlos Benitez, who she said was being treated at the center.

"I want to know if he is OK or not," she told ATV television.

___

Associated Press journalists Mauricio Munoz, Cesar Barreto and Frank Bajak contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_peru_fire

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Fetal Armor: How the Placenta Shapes Brain Development (preview)

Feature Articles | Mind & Brain See Inside

Scientists are finding that the placenta is far more than a passive filter

By Claudia Kalb ?| January 28, 2012?|

Image: Norman Barker

The placenta is unique among organs?critical to human life yet fleeting. In its short time of duty, it serves as a vital protective barrier to the fetus. The organ?s blood vessels?which resemble tree roots in this image by Norman Barker, associate professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine?also deliver essential oxygen and nutrients from the mother to her developing baby. Still, the placenta has been vastly underappreciated. Scientists are taking a closer look and finding that it is much more than a simple conduit: it actively protects the fetus and shapes neurological development.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Claudia Kalb, a former senior writer for Newsweek, is a freelance science journalist based in Washington, D.C.

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Thailand elephants now poached for their meat

BANGKOK?? A new taste for eating elephant meat ? everything from trunks to sex organs ? has emerged in Thailand and could pose a new threat to the survival of the species.

Wildlife officials told The Associated Press that they were alerted to the practice after finding two elephants slaughtered last month in a national park in western Thailand.

"The poachers took away the elephants' sex organs and trunks ... for human consumption," Damrong Phidet, director-general of Thailand's wildlife agency, said in a telephone interview. Some meat was to be consumed without cooking, like "elephant sashimi," he said.

Poachers typically just remove tusks, which are most commonly found on Asian male elephants and fetch thousands of dollars on the black market. A market for elephant meat, however, could lead to killing of the wider elephant population, Damrong said.

"If you keep hunting elephants for this, then they'll become extinct," he said.

Consuming elephant meat is not common in Thailand, but some Asian cultures believe consuming animals' reproductive organs can boost sexual prowess.

Damrong said the elephant meat was ordered by restaurants in Phuket, a popular travel destination in the country's south. It wasn't clear if the diners were foreigners.

The accusation drew a quick rebuttal from Phuket Governor Tri Akradecha, who told Thai media that he had never heard of such restaurants but ordered officials to look into the matter.

Poachers seek 'big money'
Poaching elephants is banned, and trafficking or possessing poached animal parts also is illegal. Elephant tusks are sought in the illegal ivory trade, and baby wild elephants are sometimes poached to be trained for talent shows.

"The situation has come to a crisis point. The longer we allow these cruel acts to happen, the sooner they will become extinct," Damrong said.

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The quest for ivory remains the top reason poachers kill elephants in Thailand, other environmentalists say.

Soraida Salwala, the founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant foundation, said a full grown pair of tusks could be sold from 1 million to 2 million baht ($31,600 to $63,300), while the estimated value of an elephant's penis is more than 30,000 baht ($950).

"There's only a handful of people who like to eat elephant meat, but once there's demand, poachers will find it hard to resist the big money," she cautioned.

Thailand has fewer than 3,000 wild elephants and about 4,000 domesticated elephants, according to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

The pachyderms were a mainstay of the logging industry in the northern and western parts of the country until logging contracts were revoked in the late 1980s.

Domesticated animals today are used mainly for heavy lifting and entertainment.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46159448/ns/us_news-environment/

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UN nuclear team arrives in Iran (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? A U.N. nuclear team arrived in Tehran early Sunday for a mission expected to focus on Iran's alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

The U.N. nuclear agency delegation includes two senior weapons experts ? Jacques Baute of France and Neville Whiting of South Africa ? suggesting that Iran may be prepared to address some issues related to the allegations.

The delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency is led by Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts, who is in charge of the Iran nuclear file. Also on the team is Rafael Grossi, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano's right-hand man.

In unusually blunt comments ahead of his arrival in Tehran, Nackaerts urged Iran to work with his mission on probing the allegations about Iran's alleged attempts to develop nuclear weapons, reflecting the importance the IAEA is attaching to the issue.

Tehran has refused to discuss the alleged weapons experiments for three years, saying they are based on "fabricated documents" provided by a "few arrogant countries" ? a phrase authorities in Iran often use to refer to the United States and its allies.

Ahead of his departure, Nackaerts told reporters at Vienna airport he hopes Iran "will engage with us on all concerns."

"So we're looking forward to the start of a dialogue," he said: "A dialogue that is overdue since very long."

In a sign of the difficulties the team faces and the tensions that surround Iran's disputed nuclear program, a dozen Iranian hard-liners carrying photos of slain nuclear expert Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan were waiting at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport early Sunday to challenge the team upon arrival.

That prompted security officials to whisk the IAEA team away from the tarmac to avoid any confrontation with the hard-liners.

Iran's official IRNA news agency confirmed the team's arrival and said the IAEA experts are likely to visit the underground Fordo uranium enrichment site near the holy city of Qom, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the capital, Tehran.

During their three-day visit, the IAEA team will be looking for permission to talk to key Iranian scientists suspected of working on a weapons program, inspect documents related to such suspected work and secure commitments from Iranian authorities to allow future visits to sites linked to such allegations. But even a decision to enter a discussion over the allegations would be a major departure from Iran's frequent simple refusal to talk about them.

The United States and its allies want Iran to halt its enrichment of uranium, which they worry could eventually lead to weapons-grade material and the production of nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes, such as generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

Iran has accused the IAEA in the past of security leaks that expose its scientists and their families to the threat of assassination by the U.S. and Israel.

Iranian state media say Roshan, a chemistry expert and director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, was interviewed by IAEA inspectors before being killed in a brazen bomb attack in Tehran earlier this month.

Iranian media have urged the government to be vigil, saying some IAEA inspectors are "spies," reflecting the deep suspicion many in Iran have for the U.N. experts sent to inspect Iran's nuclear sites.

___

AP writer George Jahn contributed to this report from Vienna.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

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Washington beats Arizona State, 60-54

Washington guard Tony Wroten, right, congratulates Darnell Gant following the Huskies' 60-54 victory over Arizona State on Thursday. (Paul Connors / Associated Press / January 26, 2012)

Associated Press

January 26, 2012, 9:56 p.m.

Tony Wroten scored 22 points and ended a pair of rallies with three-point plays, lifting Washington to a 60-54 win over Arizona State on Thursday night in Tempe, Ariz.

Washington, 13-7 overall and 6-2 in the Pac-12 Conference, labored offensively in the first half and struggled from the perimeter all game, making only one of eight shots from three-point range.

Wroten provided the spark by hitting nine of 12 shots, including a second-half dunk over Jonathan Gilling for a three-point play that put the Huskies up seven. He added another three-point play to make it 53-46 with just over a minute left.

Arizona State (6-14, 2-6) never fully recovered after going scoreless for more than six minutes to open the second half.

Gilling hit five three-pointers and had 20 points to lead the Sun Devils, who lost their third straight without leading scorer Trent Lockett, who is out with a right ankle sprain.

at Arizona 79, Washington State 53: Kyle Fogg scored 20 points and Solomon Hill added 17 for the Wildcats, who made 15 of 26 three-point shots. Fogg scored 18 points in the first half as Arizona (14-7, 5-3) built a 42-27 lead..

Faisal Aden, the reigning Pac-12 player of the week after scoring 33 against Stanford and 24 against California ? both Washington State victories ? left the game with what appeared to be a serious left knee injury with 4 minues 2 seconds left in the first half. Brock Motum scored 18 for the Cougars (11-9, 3-5).

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/sports/college/basketball/~3/lTSfYCbUJeA/la-sp-pac-12-basketball-20120127,0,6471875.story

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Immigration Limbo (Theagitator)

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Marine reservist pleads guilty to firing on Pentagon (Reuters)

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (Reuters) ? A former Marine Corps reservist pleaded guilty to reduced charges of shooting at the Pentagon and attempting to desecrate graves at Arlington National Cemetery in a plea deal on Thursday and agreed to a 25-year prison sentence.

Yonathan Melaku, 23, had been charged in connection with a total of five shootings at the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, and Marine Corps recruiting stations in late 2010.

Melaku, of Alexandria, Va., had raised concerns among federal authorities at the time of his arrest in June over the possibility that a "lone wolf" could have been planning a more serious attack in the United States.

Four shooting charges and destruction of property chargers were dropped in the plea deal before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, who will formally sentence Melaku at a later date.

His defense lawyer requested a mental exam for Melaku before sentencing.

Dressed in green prison jumpsuit, he responded "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" to questions from the judge and when asked declared himself "Guilty."

No one was injured in the shootings, which took place late at night or early in the morning, and there was an estimated $111,000 in property damage.

Melaku shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is great) after the shootings and literature about the Taliban, al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden was found in his home, authorities said.

His motive was to "create fear and terror and that is what he did," Dana Boente, a federal prosecutor, told reporters after the hearing.

Melaku, who never served overseas, was arrested several months after the shootings near Arlington National Cemetery. In his backpack authorities found bullet casings and small bags of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used homemade bombs. Prosecutors said he aimed to use the material to desecrate graves.

A search of his home turned up documents on his computer about bombmaking and explosives, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed with charges in June.

Agents found a notebook that referred to the Taliban, al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and to "The Path to Jihad."

They also found a video in his home that showed him firing a handgun repeatedly at what appeared to be the Marine Corps museum from a vehicle. After the shots, Melaku repeatedly shouted, "Allahu akbar", which means "God is great" in Arabic, the affidavit said.

(Editing by Daniel Trotta)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/us_nm/us_security_virginia

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Fla. primary's 2-man fight on stage in 2nd debate (AP)

COCOA, Fla. ? A two-man fight for Florida is emerging ahead of the state's final Republican presidential debate, with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich pounding each other over personal and professional vulnerabilities.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul will take their places on the stage for Thursday night's debate but have their sights set elsewhere and have largely stayed away from the Romney-Gingrich drama.

Public opinion polls had Romney and Gingrich in a tight race. The winner of Tuesday's primary will score something no one has yet claimed in a tumultuous primary season: a second victory. The first three nominating contest have gone to three different candidates; only Paul has not topped a primary or caucus vote.

Sharp exchanges Wednesday highlighted the stakes in the battle to determine President Barack Obama's fall challenger. Gingrich, a former House speaker, tried to paint Romney as out-of-touch by noting his Swiss bank account and another in the Cayman Islands. Romney, a businessman-turned-politician, couldn't escape questions about his wealth from others.

At a forum at the Spanish-language Univision Network, Romney was asked point-blank how much money he had.

"Well, it's ? it's between a $150 and about $200 and some odd million," he responded after trying to turn the question back on the forum's moderator. "I think that's what the estimates are, and ? and, by the way, I didn't inherit that."

Gingrich faced uncomfortable questions of his own during his turn at Univision. He dismissed suggestions that he lacked standing in the mid-1990s to criticize President Bill Clinton's infidelity when he was carrying on an affair of his own, arguing that Clinton had lied under oath and that was the real issue in the impeachment of the president.

The hits for both Romney and Gingrich were coming from many directions.

The "super" political action committees backing the two leading GOP candidates have spent more than $10 million combined on ads so far in Florida, far more than their respective campaigns. The Romney-leaning Restore Our Future has spent $8.8 million in ads as of late Tuesday, bringing the total of ads supporting Romney in the state to $14 million, not counting the cash already spent on radio and Internet advertising.

As of late Tuesday, the Gingrich-backing Winning Our Future had booked $1.8 million in television ads in Florida, a check made possible by a new donation from Miriam Adelson. She and her husband, Sheldon, this month gave $5 million apiece to the group, which supports Gingrich but legally must remain independent.

Elected officials backing Romney, including 2008 GOP nominee John McCain, sought to keep the focus on Gingrich's turbulent time in Congress and lucrative consulting work after he left. Gingrich, whose crowds consistently reached into the thousands, cast the stepped-up critiques as a sign of his momentum.

"What you have right now is the entire establishment in panic mode running around saying whatever comes into their mind next," Gingrich told reporters. He amplified the sentiment a few minutes later, saying a Gingrich win in Florida would allow the news media to watch "distinguished people melt down at the thought that we would actually change Washington and they would have to learn new games."

Obama was amid a campaign-style swing of his own, pressing a populist theme of tax fairness. Republicans said Obama's call was little more than code for tax increases and charged those would hinder the economic recovery.

Back in Florida, Santorum was recognizing that he stood almost no chance to win the primary. Santorum and his advisers didn't plan any advertising in Florida and instead were emphasizing raising money and calling potential supporters in upcoming primary states. He all but gave up trying to woo a network of pastors and was scaling back his events in the state.

Chuck Laudner, an influential adviser who helped Santorum score an upset victory in the Iowa caucuses, was headed back to the Midwest to start piecing together coalitions in Missouri and Minnesota. Both states have media markets that overlap with Iowa, where Santorum proved to be the big story.

Paul has been virtually absent from Florida except for appearances built around the two debates. He was concentrating instead on caucus states where his loyal backers can carry a louder voice.

___

Associated Press writers Philip Elliott, David Espo and Kasie Hunt contributed to this report from Florida. Jack Gillum contributed from Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Czechs sign deal to host EU's satellite navigation

PRAGUE (AP) ? The Czech government has signed a deal for Prague to host the headquarters of an ambitious satellite navigation system that is meant to become the main rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System.

The deal was signed Friday in Prague by Czech Transport Minister Pavel Dobes and Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the European GNSS Agency.

The EU wants to dominate the future with a system known as Galileo that is more precise and more reliable than GPS, while controlled by civil authorities.

It foresees applications ranging from precision seeding on farmland to pinpoint positioning for search-and-rescue missions. On top of that, the EU hopes it will reap a financial windfall.

The system with a network of 30 satellites is expected to become operational in 2014.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-01-27-EU-Czech-Satellite-Navigation/id-4503963cd0164ddd9a6d7546feedaa3d

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North Korea's new nuclear plant a safety worry: expert (Reuters)

SEOUL (Reuters) ? Secretive North Korea is making rapid progress in building a uranium-fuelled reactor that poses an alarming safety risk, a nuclear expert said on Thursday.

Siegfried Hecker, who has visited the North's main Yongbyon nuclear facility four times since 2004 and was the last foreign expert to visit the site in late 2010, said he was very concerned the reactor could be technically flawed.

"In spite of their industrial difficulties they have continued to build it at a good pace," he told Reuters in a telephone interview from Stanford University in the United States.

"What alarms me is that I have never had the sense they had the sufficient regulatory oversight in order to be able to build this thing safely, and operate it safely," he said, adding the lightwater reactor could be operational in two years.

"From a technical standpoint, they should not proceed with the completion of the reactor and operate it on the basis of lack of connection with the international safety community. That is just too high of a risk."

A series of satellite images taken over the past year were proof that the impoverished state was serious about finishing the reactor, Hecker said, even as it struggled to feed millions of its undernourished population.

Analysts say the North's new young leader, Kim Jong-un, will continue with his father's militaristic policy, conscious that the support of the powerful army is vital to a third generation of Kim-family rule.

The United States and South Korea say the uranium enrichment facility and reactor are in breach of agreements reached with North Korea, and demand that it halt all nuclear activities before they will consider a resumption of aid.

DILEMMA

The reactor appeared to be designed for generating electricity, Hecker said, but coupled with a nearby uranium enrichment facility, the complex could be converted for use in making an atomic bomb along with its plutonium program.

North Korea has tested nuclear devices twice and experts say it has enough fissile material to make six to eight nuclear bombs.

Pyongyang expelled international nuclear inspectors in 2009, a few months after aid-for-denuclearization talks broke down.

Hecker said the United States and South Korea found themselves in the dilemma of do they try force the North to stop construction of the experimental reactor, or do they allow North Korea to proceed and offer to help to avert a nuclear disaster?

"The international and political community has another couple of years to come to a resolution," said Hecker, who previously directed the Los Alamos National Laboratory where the atomic bomb was developed.

He said one solution, although difficult to swallow for the United States and South Korea, was to allow experts from China, the North's main ally and benefactor, to assess the facility's safety.

Hecker said the biggest concern was that a seismic event could trigger a power cut at Yongbyon, drawing a comparison to the meltdown at the Fukushima plant in Japan last year.

Although the Korean peninsula is not prone to major earthquakes, minor tremors are frequent. There is also concern about volcanic activity in the North.

The Yongbyon nuclear complex is little more than 100 km (60 miles) from China and about 200 km (120 miles) from South Korea.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_korea_north_nuclear

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American Public School Teacher Tenure Rights Weakening As States Seek To Fire Underperforming Educators

WASHINGTON -- America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing. A few states have essentially nullified tenure protections altogether, according to an analysis being released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The changes are occurring as states replace virtually automatic "satisfactory" teacher evaluations with those linked to teacher performance and base teacher layoffs on performance instead of seniority. Politically powerful teachers' unions are fighting back, arguing the changes lower morale, deny teachers due process, and unfairly target older teachers.

The debate is so intense that in Idaho, for example, state superintendent Tom Luna's truck was spray painted and its tires slashed. An opponent appeared at his mother's house and he was interrupted during a live TV interview by an agitated man. Why? The Idaho legislature last year ended "continuing contracts" ? essentially equivalent to tenure ? for new teachers and said performance, not seniority, would determine layoffs. Other changes include up to $8,000 in annual bonuses given to teachers for good performance, and parent input on evaluations. Opponents gathered enough signatures to put a referendum that would overturn the changes on the November ballot.

Luna says good teachers shouldn't be worried.

"We had a system where it was almost impossible to financially reward great teachers and very difficult to deal with ineffective teachers. If you want an education system that truly puts students first, you have to have both," Luna said.

On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama weighed in on the issue during his State of the Union address. He said schools should be given the resources to keep and reward good teachers along with the flexibility to teach with creativity and to "replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn."

Tenure protections were created in the early 20th century to protect teachers from arbitrary or discriminatory firings based on factors such as gender, nationality or political beliefs by spelling out rules under which they could be dismissed after a probationary period.

Critics say teachers too often get tenure by just showing up for work ? typically for three years, but sometimes less, and that once they earned it, bad teachers are almost impossible or too expensive to fire. The latest statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, dating to the 2007-2008 school year, show about 2 percent of teachers dismissed for poor performance, although the numbers vary widely by school district.

The analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy group that seeks to improve the quality of teaching, documents the shift in laws. In 2009, no state required student performance to be central to whether a teacher is awarded tenure; today, eight states do. The analysis also says four states now want evidence that students are learning before awarding tenure.

Other changes:

_ In Florida, tenure protections were essentially made null and void with policy changes such as eliminating tenure-like benefits altogether for new teachers, but also spelling out requirements under which all teachers with multiple poor evaluations face dismissal.

_ Rhode Island policies say teachers with two years of ineffective evaluations will be dismissed.

_ Colorado and Nevada passed laws saying tenure can be taken away after multiple "ineffective" ratings.

_ Eleven states now require districts to consider teacher performance when deciding who to let go.

_ About half of all states have policies that require classroom effectiveness be considered in teacher evaluations.

_ Florida, Indiana and Michigan adopted policies that require performance to be factored in teacher salaries.

A growing body of research demonstrates the dramatic difference effective teachers can play in student lives, from reducing teenage pregnancies to increasing a student's lifetime earnings. Meanwhile, while controversial, teacher evaluations have evolved in a way that proponents say allows better accounting of students' growth and of factors out of a teacher's control, like attendance.

The Obama administration has helped nudge the changes with its Race to the Top competition, which allowed states to compete for billions of education dollars, and offering states waivers around unpopular proficiency requirements in the No Child Left Behind education law. To participate in either, states have to promise changes such as tying teacher evaluations to performance.

"There's a real shift to saying all kids, especially our most disadvantaged kids, have access to really high quality and effective teachers. And, that's it's not OK for kids to have ... an ineffective teacher year after year," said Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Jacobs said tenure should be meaningful, but that in 39 states it's automatic.

"That's the problem with tenure, everybody gets it," she said. "If you're held to a high bar where you've really demonstrated that you are effective in the classroom, then there's nothing wrong with that as long as the due process rights that you do get are reasonable."

But many teachers feel under siege. They argue the evaluation systems are too dependent on standardized tests. While teachers' unions have gotten more on board with strengthening teacher evaluations, they often question the systems' fairness and want them designed with local teachers' input.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said unions understand the tenure process needs change, but that too often, school administrators have used it as an excuse to mismanage. "They want teachers to basically do exactly what they say, give them no resources and then blame them if they don't in a time of tremendous fiscal instability and fiscal pressures," Weingarten said.

In Boise, Idaho, Lane Brown, 56, a biology and horticulture teacher who moved from a private school a few years ago to a public alternative high school to seek new challenges after three decades of teaching, said her school's climate has dramatically changed.

"There's nobody in this building that doesn't understand it could be one of us, not just the newest teacher or the teacher with the fewest number of students. It could be anybody, ... which is scary. Every teacher here is saying, `I don't know if I'm going to have a job next year,'" Brown said.

In Florida, teachers fear expressing what they feel is best for students, said Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association.

"Teachers see positions not being filled, class sizes increasing, more demands, more testing, and you add all that together with their economic uncertainty about continued employment and it certainly doesn't allow you to go out and plan for long term investments like a home," Ford said.

Kathy Hebda, the deputy chancellor for education quality in Florida, said the contract-related changes were not done in "isolation," but as part of broader changes that improve accountability and provide teachers feedback.

Michelle Rhee, the former schools chancellor in Washington, D.C., acknowledged widespread mistrust among teachers about evaluations, but she said once teachers are brought into discussions, many are won over.

"If we know who the effective teachers are, if we know what kind of an impact effective teachers can have on individual kids and on our society overall, then why wouldn't we take the obvious step of utilizing the information on who are the most effective teachers to make our staffing decisions?" said Rhee, whose education advocacy group StudentsFirst is pushing for changes to layoff policies based on seniority.

Coming up, Missouri legislators appear poised to take up the contentious topic of teacher tenure. In Connecticut, the Connecticut Education Association launched a TV advertising campaign after Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative leaders said education reform ? and possibly tenure ? will be the major focus of this legislative session. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie, both Republicans, are eyeing tenure law changes.

"Tenure laws will be under assault for many years to come," said Marjorie Murphy, a professor of history at Swarthmore College who wrote a book about the teacher labor movement. Murphy said ending tenure protections will "take over any sense of fair play between employer and employee. All of that will be gone."

_____

____

Chris Blank in Jefferson City, Mo., and Jessie Bonner in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/american-public-school-te_n_1230026.html

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Amid tears, Giffords bids her farewell to Congress

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., accompanied by Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

This video image provided by House Television shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. on the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Giffords resigned from the House on Wednesday amid tears, tributes and standing ovations, more than a year after she was gravely wounded by a would-be assassin. (AP Photo/House Television)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The applause rolled through the big chamber, growing ever louder as hundreds of Republicans and Democrats suddenly realized Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was back in the House.

But this time she had come to say goodbye.

Fellow lawmakers gave her a fitting send-off: cheers, hugs, a cascade of tributes and plenty of tears in a rare moment of political unity.

A year since that fateful Saturday morning when Giffords was severely wounded during a shooting rampage in her home district, the Arizona congresswoman resigned on Wednesday with a plea for civility ? and a hint that she'll be back on the national stage. For now, the 41-year-old said, her movements and speech still halting, she needs to focus on her recovery.

For all the kind words showered on her, Giffords reflected in her resignation letter about a level of respect that seems like an aberration these days in a bitterly divided Washington.

In her five years in Congress, she said, "Always I fought for what I thought was right. But never did I question the character of those with whom I disagreed. Never did I let pass an opportunity to join hands with someone just because he or she held different ideals."

Said Republican Rep. Ted Poe of Texas in the first of many tributes: "Gabby is the spirit of bipartisanship that we should all learn from."

Giffords' friend Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., became emotional before reading Giffords' resignation letter in the well of the House. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., held Giffords' hand. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, cried after Giffords slowly made her way to the podium and handed him the envelope with her resignation letter.

Last January, a gunman opened fire at Giffords' "Congress on Your Corner" event in Tucson, killing six people, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge and wounding 13, including Giffords who suffered a gunshot wound to her head. She has spent the past year recovering, showing up in the House just once last August to vote on raising the nation's borrowing authority.

That appearance stirred speculation about her political future and whether she would seek another term or even pursue an open Senate seat.

Giffords put that talk to rest on Sunday, announcing in a Web video that she would resign this week. On Monday, she met with survivors of the shootings in Arizona, , finishing the event that she had started outside a supermarket. On Tuesday night, she received thunderous applause and a hug from President Barack Obama at his State of the Union address.

Colleagues and friends stood with her, Flake by her side. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., had her back.

On Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats turned a morning debate over Giffords' last bill into a forum to praise her work and perseverance.

"We haven't seen the last of Gabby Giffords," said Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas. "I believe ... whatever the future holds for her she has made this a better place."

Around 10 a.m., Giffords entered the chamber through the main door, the same one Obama used the previous night. Wasserman Schultz assisted her as she made her way down the aisle, greeted warmly by colleagues with kisses and hugs. She sat in the front row for a flurry of tributes. In the gallery sat her mother, Gloria, and husband, retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, the former astronaut.

"All of us come to the floor today ... to salute her as the brightest star among us, the brightest star Congress has ever seen," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said he received a call from Kelly on Sunday informing him of Giffords' plans to resign. He said Giffords' "strength against all odds serves and will continue to serve as a daily inspiration to all of us."

Said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., "The House of Representative has been made proud by this extraordinary daughter of the House. Gabby, we love you, we have missed you."

Prolonged standing ovations and spontaneous whoops marked the tributes. Giffords briefly waved at Kelly and her mother when their names were mentioned.

Surrounded by colleagues and friends, Giffords stood in the well of the chamber to resign. Wasserman Schultz read her two-page letter to Boehner.

"Everyday, I am working hard," Giffords wrote. "I will recover and will return, and we will work together again, for Arizona and for all Americans."

She purposefully made it to the podium to deliver the letter to Boehner.

Moments later, the House, including Giffords, voted for her final piece of legislation ? a bill that would impose tougher penalties on smugglers who use small, low-flying aircraft to avoid radar detection and bring drugs across the Mexican border.

The vote was 408-0. The Senate, which recently passed a version of the bill, is expected to vote Thursday on the measure and send it to Obama for his signature.

Giffords submitted resignation letters to both Boehner and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. It falls to Brewer to set a date for a special primary and general election to fill the Arizona seat. That will probably happen in the spring or early summer. In November, voters will choose someone for the full two-year term.

After the tribute, Kelly said his wife realized stepping down was the right thing to do.

"But I'm more optimistic than anybody else about her future. She just needs some more time, whether it's a year or two years or three years, I'm very confident she's going to have a long and effective career as a public servant," he said.

Asked about her daughter's future, Gloria Giffords said, "I kind of think she's transcended Congress. I don't know where she's going to end up."

"She's remembered every boy she's ever kissed, every song she's ever sang, every bill she's ever passed," she said. "So upward and onward."

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Jim Abrams contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-25-US-Giffords-Resignation/id-b641f7c0cbb9460da95bc443134657cc

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US says East Africa famine easing but not over (AP)

WASHINGTON ? U.S. officials say the famine in Somalia has eased but 13.3 million people across the Horn of Africa still need emergency food, shelter or other aid.

The State Department says there has been significant improvement in the 1 1/2-year-long emergency, still one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

David Robinson, acting assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration, told reporters Tuesday the flow of refugees out of Somalia into neighboring countries has diminished, but thousands are still trying to get out and new camps are opening in Ethiopia and Kenya.

The crisis was triggered by crop failures tied to a regional drought, but officials said it has been aggravated by the fighting between Somalia's U.N.-backed government and al-Qaida linked insurgents.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_re_us/us_us_horn_of_africa_famine

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Oscar 2012 Predictions: Best Picture

'The Artist' and 'The Descendants' lead MTV News' nominee picks for the Academy Awards' top prize.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Bérénice Bejo and Malcolm McDowell in The Artist
Photo: The Weinstein Company

In a few short hours, the conversation that has captivated film writers for months — "Who will be nominated for Best Picture?" — will become "Who will win the Academy Award for Best Picture?"

A new Academy rule once again changed the possible number of nominations for the top prize. What used to be a set number of 10 nominees now depends on the specifics of the Oscar ballots, and now the number of nominees can range from five to 10.

If it wasn't for that new stipulation, the announcement of Best Picture nominees might not have provided any surprises or drama, since five films are essentially guaranteed locks. Thankfully, the new rule adds an extra element of intrigue to an otherwise boring race.

MTV News' predictions for the Academy Awards' Best Picture nominees are:

"The Artist"
This is the name that should be read first, not just because it starts with "A," but because it will be the least surprising of the nominees. The silent throwback charmer "The Artist" has led the pack throughout awards season, and with its recent big wins at the Globes and the Producers Guild, things will only start to get interesting after this nominee is read.

"The Descendants"
Alexander Payne's drama about a family coping with the impending death of a mother and wife currently stands as the only real competition for "The Artist." A Best Picture (Drama) win at the Globes coupled with George Clooney's Best Actor win guarantee "The Descendants" will be in the running come Oscar night.

"The Help"
Though the film as a whole has not fared well with the guilds and critic circles, "The Help" is bolstered by its crowd-pleasing nature and two nomination-worthy performances by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Despite an underwhelming win record, it's presence on shortlists should continue with the Oscars.

"Hugo"
Martin Scorsese's 3-D family-friendly ode to filmmaking, "Hugo" swept up a surprising number of critics and guild awards and is the only movie that realistically could steal Best Picture glory away from "The Artist" or "The Descendants." Scorsese's win for Best Director at the Golden Globes could mean a big last-minute push for the legend's latest film.

"Midnight in Paris"
This past summer's surprise indie hit went on to become Woody Allen's most financially successful movie of all time. "Midnight in Paris" stayed in the minds of many voters despite its release date outside the awards-heavy fall movie season, and it falls nicely in line with the most feel-good set of nominees in recent memory.

"Moneyball"
Call it the "Social Network" effect. This Aaron Sorkin co-scripted drama about an ostensibly boring subject matter went on to become a critical and box-office success story. Strong performances from Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill certainly helped the baseball drama, but its excellent script and assured direction by Bennett Miller earned "Moneyball" a spot on the nominees list.

"Tinker Tailor Solider Spy"
This seventh spot is the most fluid of all, with "War Horse" or "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" as potential substitutes. Many Oscar experts, however, have felt that the surprise resurgence of the British spy drama "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" will be the story of tomorrow's nominations. (Here's to hoping for Gary Oldman's first nod.) Strong critical reception, combined with modest financial success and the Academy's British vote could make for the category's only surprise.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677773/oscar-predictions-best-picture-2012.jhtml

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