25 EU nations to sign treaty to stop overspending

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, left, speaks with Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Necas during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, walks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

BRUSSELS (AP) ? All European Union countries except Britain and the Czech Republic agreed Monday to sign a new treaty designed to stop overspending in the eurozone and put an end to the bloc's crippling debt crisis, while EU leaders also pledged to stimulate growth and employment.

The new treaty, known as the fiscal compact, was agreed at a summit of European leaders in Brussels on Monday. It includes strict debt brakes and makes it more difficult for deficit sinners to escape sanctions. The 17 countries in the eurozone hope the tighter rules will restore confidence in their joint currency and convince investors that all of them will get their debts under control.

"We have a majority of 25 that will now sign up to the fiscal compact," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Monday night after the summit of European heads of government in Brussels.

Although the new rules only apply to the 17 euro states, the currency union wants to get broad support from the other EU states, in hopes the accord will eventually be integrated into the main EU treaty.

Britain had said in December it wouldn't sign the new treaty. Reinfeldt said the Czech Republic didn't sign because of parliamentary procedural problems.

"I don't want to stand in the way of what they think they should do," British Prime Minister David Cameron said of the other countries. "But this is not an EU treaty because I vetoed that."

Leaders at the summit also promised to stimulate growth and create jobs across the region, an acknowledgment that their exclusive focus on austerity has had painful side effects.

"Yes we need discipline, but we also need growth," said Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm.

The leaders pledged to offer more training for young people to ease their transition into the work force, to deploy unused development funds to create jobs, to reduce barriers to doing business across the EU's 27 countries and ensure that small businesses have access to credit.

However there was no offer of any new financial stimulus.

"We must do more to get Europe out of the crisis," the leaders said in a statement.

Barroso said that there is still euro82 billion ($107.5 billion) in development funds that have yet to be allocated that small and medium businesses can use for various purposes, including as guarantees to get funding from banks.

He also said the Commission will dispatch action teams to the eight countries where youth unemployment is the highest and help fund apprenticeships and young startups.

Europe's debt crisis has put the continent and its leaders in an almost impossible situation. While they have to slash their deficits to reassure the financial markets and investors, the crisis has also sent unemployment soaring. Many analysts, politicians and trade unions think that only government spending can restart growth.

Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population. In Spain, unemployment has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people out of work as the country slides toward recession.

Even the most influential countries in Europe, which are generally better off, are suffering. The French government was forced Monday to revise its growth forecast for the year from 1 percent down to just 0.5 percent.

Many now fear that Europe is on the verge of another recession, and the leaders in Brussels said that, while austerity is important, more needs to be done for growth. Economists often note that cutting spending is just one way to slash deficits; an equally important method is to boost growth, which increases the amount of money pouring into government coffers.

While the leaders focused on walking the line between reining in spending and stimulating growth, the elephant in the room was Greece.

Greece and its bondholders have come closer to a deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday he hoped a final agreement on Greece would be achieved "in the coming days," either at a special meeting of eurozone finance ministers or leaders.

Negotiators for Greece's private creditors said Saturday that a debt-reduction deal could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it could help Greece avoid a catastrophic default, which would be a blow to Europe's already weak financial system.

But European officials are afraid that even that deal may not be enough to fix Greece's finances, with some blaming Athens for dithering on its promise to cut spending and introduce austerity measures.

___

Associated Press writers Don Melvin, Robert Wielaard and Raf Casert contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis/id-1c840caa7b1d4a3891fc5817779a293f

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Heard and seen backstage and on red carpet at SAG (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? It was admiration at first sight when Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson met up on the red carpet at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, with Tyson approaching Davis from behind as she was being interviewed.

"I said, `That's my Viola.' I could tell her from the back," Tyson said after "The Help" co-stars embraced and posed for photos together.

Tyson said she was pleasantly surprised by the reaction she got to her small role in "The Help."

"I did not expect this reaction my character would have that put it, for me, on a whole other level," the 78-year-old former Oscar nominee said. "Oprah (Winfrey) said to me, `You blew me away.'"

Davis, an Oscar nominee for her role in the movie, described herself as "a little brown-skinned girl in an Afro who had a big dream."

She was living the dream Sunday, working the carpet with her husband, Julius Tennon.

"It's her show. I'm just here to support her and make her feel comfortable," Tennon said.

"I'm shy," Davis added.

___

Armie Hammer, nominated as supporting actor for his role in "J. Edgar," stopped on the SAG Awards red carpet long enough to make light of being on the wrong side of the law in West Texas after a drug-sniffing dog discovered marijuana in his car.

"Be more aware of your surroundings next time you're traveling with contraband," quipped Hammer, who played FBI director Hoover's friend and fellow lawman, Clyde Tolson, in the film.

The 25-year-old actor spent about a day in jail before paying a $1,000 bond after his Nov. 20 arrest in Sierra Blanca, Texas.

___

Christopher Plummer, the winner of this year's supporting actor SAG award, gave much of the credit for his win, not to mention his long life, to his "long-suffering wife Elaine who 43 years ago came to my rescue."

Plummer had a well-known fondness for drinking when he met Elaine Taylor, who eventually became his third wife.

"She said, `Listen, if you're serious about getting together in life, you've got to stop drinking,'" Plummer said backstage. "She was dead right and she was quite vicious about it. She did save my life because I was really going downhill."

Plummer won for his role in "Beginners," portraying an elderly dad who comes out as gay after his wife's death. If he repeats that triumph at this year's Academy Awards he would become the oldest actor to win an Oscar at age 82.

"I can't talk about that because it's miles down the road," he said.

Asked if he would like to win, Plummer said jokingly, "No, I think it's frightfully boring.

"We don't go into this business preoccupied by awards. If we did, we wouldn't last five minutes."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_en_ot/us_sag_awards_vignettes

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Man says Nigeria kidnapping like 'an action movie'

Greg Ock recounts how he was kidnapped and held hostage in Nigeria during an interview at his home in Bowdon, Ga., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Ock was on his way to a clinic about an hour?s drive from the Nigerian plant where he worked as a contractor when a gunman ran up to the car he was driving in, shot his security guard about five times and forced him into a tiny red Audi. Ock was released and returned home Sunday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) ? ?

Greg Ock recounts how he was kidnapped and held hostage in Nigeria during an interview at his home in Bowdon, Ga., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Ock was on his way to a clinic about an hour?s drive from the Nigerian plant where he worked as a contractor when a gunman ran up to the car he was driving in, shot his security guard about five times and forced him into a tiny red Audi. Ock was released and returned home Sunday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) ? ?

Greg Ock recounts how he was kidnapped and held hostage in Nigeria during an interview at his home in Bowdon, Ga., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Ock was on his way to a clinic about an hour?s drive from the Nigerian plant where he worked as a contractor when a gunman ran up to the car he was driving in, shot his security guard about five times and forced him into a tiny red Audi. Ock was released and returned home Sunday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) ? ?

Greg Ock recounts how he was kidnapped and held hostage in Nigeria during an interview at his home in Bowdon, Ga., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. Ock was on his way to a clinic about an hour?s drive from the Nigerian plant where he worked as a contractor when a gunman ran up to the car he was driving in, shot his security guard about five times and forced him into a tiny red Audi. Ock was released and returned home Sunday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) ? ?

BOWDON, Ga. (AP) ? Two men came out of nowhere as Greg Ock's car idled in traffic in a remote Nigerian town. One shot his security guard five times and stole the dead man's gun, while the other ushered Ock into a tiny getaway car, where a waiting driver sped away.

The car weaved through traffic on side roads and then sped to a main road, where police, known there as "mopols," had erected a roadblock. Ock's captors crashed through the barricade and traded fire with a truck of police officers, who narrowly missed Ock.

"I felt like I was in an action movie," Ock told The Associated Press at his west Georgia home on Monday, a day after he returned to his family. As they were speeding away from the police, he said he told his guards: "I was more afraid of mopols than you guys."

Ock, 50, was held seven days and then released Friday after he was kidnapped Jan. 20 in Warri, a main city in the Niger Delta, an oil-rich area where foreign firms pump 2.4 million barrels of crude oil a day.

Ock worked in construction for decades, landing gigs all over the U.S. and as far away as Abu Dhabi. He loved the work, the camaraderie and the pay, which helped him support a wife and four daughters.

He landed in the Nigerian town of Sapele in September 2010 to begin one of his more adventurous assignments, maintaining gas turbines and other heavy machinery for Marubeni Corp.

It was tough work and the perks weren't enticing. The food was bad, he said, and the heat was unbearable. But he had chances to leave the "little prison" of the company's base camp, often going on Sundays with co-workers and a security guard to a golf course, or to neighboring Benin to eat at a Chinese restaurant.

His journey the day he was ambushed wasn't nearly as adventurous. He went with a driver, a security guard and a company secretary to a clinic in Warri, where he would get a checkup for a recent bout with malaria.

He took out some cash from an ATM, hopped in the car and tuned his iPod to Don Henley as the driver idled in traffic. What happened next seemed to unfold in a flash.

A gunman ran up to his vehicle and yelled "die, mopol, die" as he fired five bullets into the guard. The other gunman ordered Ock out of the car and pushed him toward a tiny red Audi.

"They told me we were an easy target. We didn't have tinted windows and only one mopol," he said. "They told me they wanted a white guy anyways."

They escaped the city, and one of the kidnappers then called Ock's boss and demanded about $330,000 for his safe return.

They drove about an hour, arriving at a squat shack where he was forced into a small room. He shared the room with two or three guards, a plastic chair, piles of dirty dishes, some scattered clothes and a mattress blocking the window.

The men dulled his senses by forcing him to smoke marijuana and drink Baron Del Valle red wine at all hours. He didn't have many food options, either. Early in his captivity, Ock said he asked for boiled eggs. From then on, he got four eggs in the morning and four at night. As a snack, he got apples.

He was told few details about the negotiations his captors were working with his company, adding to his unease. When he was able to sleep, his captors often woke him by cranking an odd mix of local music and Dolly Parton classics from a stereo.

"I was on the edge all the time," he said.

After a few days, he decided to escape. He found a butcher knife resting in a bowl and reached for it when he thought his captors were sleeping. They weren't. One alerted the others, who "slapped me around a bit" and chained him tighter to his chair. Despite the beating, Ock said he wasn't tortured.

The next morning, a guard pulled out a gun and threatened to kill his captive. Ock called his bluff.

"I told them I didn't care," he said. "I've had a good life."

On Thursday, Ock could tell the negotiations were heating up. His captors were celebrating and drinking moonshine. Two of the men left the house around noon, returning five hours later with wide smiles.

Around 3:30 Friday morning, the men dumped Ock in a desolate area with about $12 to hail a scooter to the nearest police station. Once there, he called his boss and his wife to let them know he was OK.

Ock said he wasn't told by either his captors or his company whether a ransom was paid.

"But they seemed happy," he said. "They let me go for a reason ? and I don't think it was because they were out of eggs."

He returned home on Sunday morning, arriving at Atlanta's airport to a rapturous greeting from family and friends. There, a limousine drove him the 60-mile route to rural Bowdon. Someone told Ock to peek out the sunroof as they approached, and when he did he saw about 500 people gathered to celebrate.

Among the gifts he received was a plastic bag with only an egg and an apple. The friend who offered it to him joked that she didn't know if he wanted breakfast or summer, so she brought both.

Ock has no plans to return to Nigeria, instead looking for work closer to home. But his wife Teresa said she doubts his kidnapping will scare him from working another faraway gig.

"It's in his blood to travel," she said. "He may work here for a while. But I know him. He'll get to itching to leave."

For now, Ock is catching up on sleep and making up for lost time.

"It's taken a while to process it all. For us, too," Teresa Ock said. "We're just so thankful for the prayers, from our church, from our community, from everyone who prayed for him."

She glanced at her husband, who summoned an impish smile.

"I guess I've got to go to church now," he said.

___

Follow Bluestein at http://www.twitter.com/bluestein

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-Nigeria-Kidnapping/id-34d4f0f69b274b0cb542770f6caefa39

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SUMO-snipping protein plays crucial role in T and B cell development

Saturday, January 28, 2012

When SUMO grips STAT5, a protein that activates genes, it blocks the healthy embryonic development of immune B cells and T cells unless its nemesis breaks the hold, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports today in Molecular Cell.

"This research extends the activity of SUMO and the Sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) to the field of immunology, in particular the early lymphoid development of T and B cells," said the study's senior author, Edward T. H. Yeh, M.D., professor and chair of MD Anderson's Department of Cardiology.

SUMO proteins, also known as the small ubiquitin-like modifiers or Sentrin, attach to other proteins in cells to modify their function or to move them within a cell. SENP1 is one of a family of six proteins that snips SUMO off of SUMO-modified proteins. SUMOylation (SUMO modification) of proteins has been implicated in development of cancer, heart and neurodegenerative diseases, among others.

The team first analyzed the role of SENP1 in the development of lymphoids in mice and found it is heavily expressed in precursor cells, the early stages of B and T cell development.

Working with genetically modified mice they developed that lack SENP1 gene expression, Yeh and colleagues found the mouse embryos had severe defects in their T and B cells, white blood cell lymphocytes that identify and fight infection.

SUMO pins STAT5 in the nucleus

Subsequent experiments led them to STAT5, a transcription factor known to play critical roles in the development and function of immune cells. Transcription factors work in the cell nucleus, activating gene expression by connecting to a gene's promoter region.

"STAT5 works in a cycle, moving from the cytosol of a cell into the nucleus to activate genes and then back out to the cytosol," Yeh said. "We found that when STAT5 is SUMOylated in the nucleus it gets trapped there when there's no SENP1 to remove SUMO."

The team found that SUMO muscles in on two other signaling events that govern STAT5 activity - phosphorylation and acetylation.

SUMO inhibits STAT5 signaling

STAT5 is activated in the cell cytosol when the JAK tyrosine kinase attaches a phosphate group at a specific site on the STAT5 protein. This transformed STAT5 crosses the nuclear membrane into the nucleus to transcribe genes.

The team found that SUMO attaches to STAT5 close to its phosphorylation site and that cells lacking SENP1 have increased SUMOylation and decreased phosphorylation.

SUMOylation vs. acetylation

In addition to phosphorylation, acetylation of STAT5 has been shown to be essential for STAT5 to cross the nuclear membrane into the nucleus to enhance gene transcription. Yeh and colleagues found that SUMO competes directly with acetyl groups for the same binding site, inhibiting acetylation.

"Without SENP1 to remove SUMO, STAT5 can't be acetylated or phosphorylated and can't be recycled for use again," Yeh said. "We discovered that SENP1 controls lymphoid development through regulation of SUMOylation of STAT5."

Since Yeh's lab discovered SUMOylation in 1996, SUMO has been found to alter the function of thousands of proteins.

Yeh is hosting the 6th International Conference SUMO, Ubiquitin, UBL Proteins: Implications for Human Diseases Feb. 8-11 in the Dan L. Duncan Building at MD Anderson. Yeh organizes the meeting every other year.

"There used to be so little known about SUMO. Now, a protein is assumed to be SUMOylated until proved otherwise," Yeh said.

###

University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.mdanderson.org

Thanks to University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117155/SUMO_snipping_protein_plays_crucial_role_in_T_and_B_cell_development

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Video: Michigan town for sale

>>> we learned today the u.s. economy continuing to grow now, though it's a slower pace than expected. gross domestic product bumped up 2.8% in the final three months of 2011 . that's disappointing some economis economists who have been looking for 3% growth. when companies have large inventories, they produce less in the feature, which could mean slower growth and fewer american jobs .

>>> the city of pontiac , michigan , used to stand for american manufacturing. so much so, it gave its name to a great line of automobiles. well, they don't make pontiacs any more, and tonight we'll show you what has become of pontiac , michigan , where the gm plants there are gone and the city is taking extreme measures to stay afloat, selling everything down to and including the walls. we get our report from nbc's kevin tibbles.

>> reporter: in a struggling city synonymous with the american car , a fire sale .

>> this building is for sale, the parking lot .

>> reporter: today in pontiac , michigan , you can buy the police station , library, golf course , cemetery, even city hall .

>> so far, nothing's sold.

>> nothing's sold so far.

>> this is the great one.

>> reporter: in its heyday, the city and the car that bore its name swaggered with the brawn and muscle of the post war boom in america.

>> built for you by pontiac , of course.

>> reporter: now, the fabled brand is gone and the city barely hanging on is forced to slash and down size. they don't make things here any more. even the silver dome, home of the 198 super bowl was unloaded. since vacant say for the occasional tractor pull.

>> we used to be a boom down.

>> reporter: what are you now?

>> getting close to be a ghost town .

>> reporter: former auto workers gather at the avon donuts as the last of the plant falls to the wreckers. what happened to your city?

>> gone. my city's gone.

>> it's like tearing part of me down, too.

>> reporter: in his garage near ann arbor , former gm vice chairman bob lutz shows part of his prized collection, including a solstace coup, one of the last made.

>> it's a tragic thing to see. i'm hoping that that trend is reverse i reversing.

>> reporter: but will any turnaround come in time for places like pontiac ?

>> i know we have a of good assets here and a lot of good people this. place will come back.

>> reporter: the mayor will entertain any offer. back at avon donuts, the owner works seven days a week. he wants the american dream for 3-year-old daughter annabelle.

>> what everybody hopes for, college, good job. education.

>> reporter: will you find it hooer in pontiac ?

>> probably not.

>> reporter: for the people in this company town , not many options, hoping anything or anyone can turn things around. kevin tibbles, nbc news, pontiac , michigan .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46169922/

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Bill Gates Gives $750M To AIDS Fund

GATES: Well, the most exciting thing I learned when I was just getting into philanthropy was that, if you reduce childhood deaths, if you improve health in a society, that, surprisingly, population growth goes down. And that's because a parent needs to have some children survive into adulthood to take care of them when they're old.

And so, if they think having six children is what they need to do to have at least two survive, that's what they'll do. And amazingly, across the entire world, as health improves, then the population growth actually is reduced.

And there's a miracle intervention, which is vaccines. In 1960, over 20 million children died. In 2005, less than 10 million died. And that's despite much larger global population.

That is huge progress. And a lot of that is because these vaccinations are being given broadly, over half of that improvement. Another part is from economic development.

And so, even in the poorest countries, we should go in and give them a malaria vaccine, and give them vaccines for diarrheal diseases. And if a mother wants to limit her family size, give her the tools that let her have that possibility.

So, I think we owe it even to the poorest billion to give them a chance.

That's not to say I agree with his population growth bit, or even that his apparently somewhat paradoxical reasoning works out if you run the numbers, but it seems that his motivation to improve people's lives is good, whether or not a larger anti-population-growth rationale makes any sense.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/S_YXly7r-3A/bill-gates-gives-750m-to-aids-fund

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Robert Reich: Why No Responsible Democrat Should Want Newt Gingrich to Get the GOP Nomination (Huffington post)

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Egyptian protesters plan sit-in until army leaves (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egyptian youths camped out on Thursday in Cairo's Tahrir Square and vowed to stay put until the army hands power to civilians, a day after a mass demonstration marked a year since an uprising which brought down Hosni Mubarak.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians poured into the square and onto streets of other cities for the January 25 anniversary of the day the revolt began. Although good-natured, the demonstration exposed rifts in the Arab world's most populous nation.

The Tahrir crowds were broadly split between youths demanding the army cede control to civilians immediately and Islamists celebrating a political transformation that has handed them sweeping gains in parliament after decades of repression.

Sit-ins have in the past sparked violence when the police and army have sought to clear protesters out, but on Thursday the scene was peaceful.

Scores of youths occupied the square surrounded by dozens of tents pitched on traffic islands. Vendors sold hot drinks and some activists huddled round open fires to keep warm in the morning air.

"The military council commits the same abuses Mubarak committed. I don't feel any change. The military council is leading a counter-revolution. We will protest until the military council goes," said 23-year-old student Samer Qabil.

The army council took over when Mubarak was ousted and is led by his defense minister for two decades, Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi. It has insisted it will hand power to civilians after a presidential election in June.

But many activists say they fear it wants to hold onto power behind the scenes.

Although troops were cheered when they were ordered onto the streets in the uprising, they have since drawn the wrath of many for heavy-handed tactics against protests demanding they go back to barracks.

"There will be a sit-in until they leave," said Alaa Abdel Fattah, a blogger and activist who was detained by the army after clashes outside state media offices killed 25 protesters in October.

In Alexandria, a Mediterranean port that is Egypt's second-biggest city, about 100 protesters had also set up tents late on Wednesday near police headquarters, demanding the army hand over power immediately.

Mubarak, 83, is on trial for his life and a new parliament was installed this week that is dominated by his Islamist adversaries. But many youthful activists who launched last year's revolt are weary of army rule and worry that Islamists may stifle their hopes of a deep purge of the old order.

The activists fear Islamists will make political concessions to the army as they seek to secure their new gains in mainstream politics.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which now has the biggest bloc in parliament after the first free election in decades, and other Islamists deny any deals with the military.

The once banned Brotherhood had warned against a sit-in but said some of its members stayed in the square to help it stay peaceful.

The army and police kept their distance from the square during Wednesday's demonstration in an apparent effort to ensure there was no cause for friction.

(Additional reporting by Marwa Awad in Cairo and Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Edited by Richard Meares)

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

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How the major stock indexes fared on Thursday (AP)

A brief morning rally pushed the Dow Jones industrial average above its highest closing price since the financial crisis Thursday, but stocks closed lower after mixed economic data tempered traders' optimism.

Solid news on factory orders and strong earnings from U.S. manufacturers highlighted one of the economy's bright spots before the market opened. The Dow and broader indexes turned negative after weaker reports on home sales and future economic growth were released in the late morning.

The Dow closed down 22.33 points, or 0.2 percent, at 12,734.63.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 7.63 points, or 0.6 percent, at 1,318.43.

The Nasdaq shed 13.03 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 2,805.28.

For the week so far:

The Dow is up 14.15 points, or 0.1 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 3.05 points, or 0.2 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 18.58 points, or 0.7 percent.

For the month and year so far:

The Dow is up 517.07 points, or 4.2 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 60.83 points, or 4.8 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 200.13 points, or 7.7 percent.

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

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Ohio orangutan gets newer birth control device

In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 photo, Dr. Judith Volkar of the Cleveland Clinic, left and Dr. Mike Selig of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, right, work together as an contraceptive implant is put into Kitra, a 10-year-old Bornean orangutan at the Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland. An orangutan at a Cleveland zoo has become the first such animal in North America to receive an implanted birth control device. (AP Photo/The Plain Dealer, Chuck Crow) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; ONLINE OUT

In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012 photo, Dr. Judith Volkar of the Cleveland Clinic, left and Dr. Mike Selig of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, right, work together as an contraceptive implant is put into Kitra, a 10-year-old Bornean orangutan at the Metroparks Zoo in Cleveland. An orangutan at a Cleveland zoo has become the first such animal in North America to receive an implanted birth control device. (AP Photo/The Plain Dealer, Chuck Crow) MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; ONLINE OUT

CLEVELAND (AP) ? A Cleveland Clinic women's health specialist has made a house call at the zoo to demonstrate how to fit an orangutan with a newer brand of implanted birth-control device.

The Plain Dealer reports (http://bit.ly/xTqClI ) the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Kitra is the first orangutan in North America to get the device called Implanon. It's about 1 ? inches long, slightly thicker than pencil lead and meant for humans.

General Curator Geoffrey Hall says the zoo doesn't want the Bornean orangutan to breed, at least not now. The procedure by Dr. Judith Volkar went well and the animal was back on her feet within hours.

A spokesman says Kitra had previously been fitted with an implanted device commonly used by the zoo, but developed a negative reaction.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-01-25-Orangutan%20Birth%20Control/id-eab771ba58304a7f88ba2db8fba7ae8d

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Penguins' Neal replaces Ovechkin for all-star game (AP)

NEW YORK ? Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal will replace Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin in the NHL All-Star game on Sunday.

Ovechkin backed out of the game after he was issued a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent.

Neal leads the Penguins with 27 goals and is second on the team with 47 points. Neal leads the NHL with 210 shots and is tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals. The Penguins have won nine consecutive games and are 17-3-2 overall when Neal scores a goal.

The All-Star fantasy draft will be held on Thursday in Ottawa. It will divide the All-Stars into two teams: Team Alfredsson, led by Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Team Chara, featuring Boston captain Zdeno Chara.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_sp_ho_ne/hkn_all_star_replacement

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Paul says no intention of third-party bid

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Ron Paul says he has no intention of running for president as a third-party candidate, though he's continuing to keep the door open a crack.

The Texas congressman is stopping short of saying no -- because he says he's not an absolutist. Paul notes that he once left Congress vowing not to return, only to run again.

But Paul says he doesn't have any plans to run outside the GOP and that he might even be able to endorse rival Newt Gingrich if he's the nominee. Paul says he is happy that Gingrich keeps hinting at attacking the Federal Reserve and jokes that if he could get Gingrich to listen to him on foreign policy, as Paul puts it, "we might just be able to talk business."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-23-GOP-Debate-Paul-Third%20Party/id-5f6a730958ce4f7d83293db12c095890

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Study finds tablet, e-book ownership soared (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Tablets and e-readers were a popular gift over the holidays, so much so that the number of people who own them nearly doubled between mid-December and January, a new study finds.

A report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project set to be released Monday found that 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader as of the beginning of this month. That's up from 18 percent who said the same in December.

The iPad from Apple Inc. is perhaps the best-known example of these gadgets, along with Amazon.com's various Kindle devices and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. The iPad put tablets on the map and the cheaper Kindle Fire and Nook devices helped get them in the hands of more people.

The percentage of people who own a tablet jumped to 19 from 10 between mid-December and early January. E-book reader ownership also rose to 19 percent from 10 percent of U.S. adults.

Men and women were equally likely to own tablets, and the likelihood of tablet ownership was higher for people with higher household incomes, the report found. Those with higher levels of education were also more likely to own tablets than those who completed fewer years of school.

E-readers, meanwhile, were slightly more common among women.

The figures are from ongoing surveys conducted by Pew about tablet and e-reader ownership. They were conducted between November 2011 and January 2012. The first, pre-holiday survey was conducted among 2,986 Americans 16 and older. Two post-holiday surveys were conducted among about 2,000 adults in January.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_pew_tablets

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Identity theft insurance not always worth the cost ? Maine Business ...

The phrase ?identity theft? has become one of those terms that makes one?s blood run cold. We?ve heard so many stories of financial losses, ruined credit and related horrors that we react emotionally to the subject.

That emotional response has prompted many consumers to buy insurance that kicks in if some form of identity theft strikes the insured. The question before us is, is such insurance worth the cost?

There?s no simple answer, as is usually the case in consumer matters. The quick historical view back to 2006 finds Consumer Reports said such coverage was ?typically not worth the money.? The magazine notes more than half of ID theft protection is sold by banks, and that those premiums amount to a consumer subsidy for federally required loss protection through credit card and bank account fraud. The passing of time hasn?t changed CR?s opinion that you can ? and should ? take more effective steps yourself to protect your credit and good name.

ID theft insurance typically costs $120 to $300 a year. That?s more than victims often incur through the theft and misuse of their credit card numbers, the most frequent type of ID theft. Federal law limits liability in such cases to $50 per card.

Those who sell the coverage point to the time-consuming process of restoring credit and correcting information on their credit histories. The insurers say their policies can help consumers cope with what can be a trying and frustrating process.

Most people in the insurance industry give the same advice they would when buying other types of coverage. Find out what the policy limits are; the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says most ID theft policies have policy limits of $10,000 to $15,000. If the policy covers lost wages, find out how the coverage is triggered and what limits apply. Know if there is a deductible; some policies require the holder to pay as much as $500 toward the cost of reclaiming your financial identity before the insurer pays a penny.

Before buying, check your homeowner?s insurance policy. It may include ID theft coverage, or you might be able to add coverage more affordably than buying separate coverage. If you decide to buy a separate policy, compare the coverage of several companies.

The insurance commissioners warn against becoming a victim of insurance fraud by making sure the agent and company you?re dealing with are licensed to do business in Maine. Find the Bureau of Insurance online ( http://www.maine.gov/pfr/insurance), by phone (207-624-8475 or TTY 888-577-6690) or by writing to the Bureau at 34 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333.

David Leach, principal consumer credit examiner for the Maine?s Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, advises people to be their own advocates. Leach says it?s critical for each of us to get one free credit report from one of the reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) every four months. Do this by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com and only that site. That, plus keeping a close watch on all credit card activity, will help keep identity thieves at bay.

As to separate insurance, Leach says, ?Consumers who sign up for these types of services are paying close to $250.00 a year for a service they can essentially run themselves.? He notes that most financial institutions that issue credit cards will waive all losses in cases of identity theft or fraud. Visit the bureau?s website at www.credit.maine.gov.

For a rundown on federal ID theft laws and tips to protect yourself, visit the Federal Trade Commission website, www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast CONTACT, Maine?s membership-funded, nonprofit consumer organization. Individual and business memberships are available at modest rates. For assistance with consumer-related issues, including consumer fraud and identity theft, or for information, write: Consumer Forum, P.O. Box 486, Brewer 04412, or go to necontact.wordpress.com, or email atcontacexdir@live.com.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/22/business/identity-theft-insurance-not-always-worth-the-cost/

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Sun hurls strong geomagnetic storm toward Earth (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than six years was forecast to hit Earth's magnetic field on Tuesday, and it could affect airline routes, power grids and satellites, the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center said.

A coronal mass ejection - a big chunk of the Sun's atmosphere - was hurled toward Earth on Sunday, driving energized solar particles at about 5 million miles an hour (2,000 km per second), about five times faster than solar particles normally travel, the center's Terry Onsager said.

"When it hits us, it's like a big battering ram that pushes into Earth's magnetic field," Onsager said from Boulder, Colorado. "That energy causes Earth's magnetic field to fluctuate."

This energy can interfere with high frequency radio communications used by airlines to navigate close to the North Pole in flights between North America, Europe and Asia, so some routes may need to be shifted, Onsager said.

It could also affect power grids and satellite operations, the center said in a statement. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may be advised to shield themselves in specific parts of the spacecraft to avoid a heightened dose of solar radiation, Onsager said.

The space weather center said the geomagnetic storm's intensity would probably be moderate or strong, levels two and three on a five-level scale, five being the most extreme.

(Reporting By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/sc_nm/us_sun_storm

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Bonobos' unusual success story

Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Tobias Deschner
deschner@eva.mpg.de
49-341-355-0207
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Max Planck researchers reveal the structure of the cellular protein degradation machinery

This release is available in German.

Mate competition by males over females is common in many animal species. During mating season male testosterone levels rise, resulting in an increase in aggressive behavior and masculine features. Male bonobos, however, invest much more into friendly relationships with females. Elevated testosterone and aggression levels would collide with this increased tendency towards forming pair-relationships.

Bonobos are among the closest living relatives of humans. Like other great apes they live in groups made up of several males and females. Contrary to other ape species however, male bonobos do not, in general, outrank female individuals and do not dominate them in mating contexts. This constellation suggests that the selection for typically masculine behavioral patterns like aggression, dominance and intrasexual competition are met with antagonistic forces: On one hand it is advantageous if a male outcompetes a fellow male. This, however, implies that there is increased aggression and an elevated level of testosterone in high-ranking males. On the other hand as dominance relations between the sexes are rather balanced in bonobos it is likely that males benefit from having friendly pair-relationships with female individuals. Studies with birds and rodents show that a tendency towards forming pair-relationships correlates with lower male aggression rates and testosterone levels.

In a current study, Martin Surbeck, Gottfried Hohmann, Tobias Deschner and colleagues of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, found that in wild bonobos high-ranking males were more aggressive and their mating success was higher when compared to lower-ranking males. Contrary to other species in which males compete fiercely over access to females, there was no correlation between dominance status or aggression with testosterone levels. In addition, the researchers found that high-ranking males invested more often than lower-ranking group members into friendly relationships with females. This suggests that these friendly relationships between the sexes are associated with lower male testosterone levels.

"Our study suggests that in bonobos as in in humans intersexual friendships result in hormonal patterns that we know from species in which male individuals are actively participating in raising their young and in which the two sexes enter lasting pair-relationships", says Martin Surbeck.

###

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Tobias Deschner
deschner@eva.mpg.de
49-341-355-0207
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Max Planck researchers reveal the structure of the cellular protein degradation machinery

This release is available in German.

Mate competition by males over females is common in many animal species. During mating season male testosterone levels rise, resulting in an increase in aggressive behavior and masculine features. Male bonobos, however, invest much more into friendly relationships with females. Elevated testosterone and aggression levels would collide with this increased tendency towards forming pair-relationships.

Bonobos are among the closest living relatives of humans. Like other great apes they live in groups made up of several males and females. Contrary to other ape species however, male bonobos do not, in general, outrank female individuals and do not dominate them in mating contexts. This constellation suggests that the selection for typically masculine behavioral patterns like aggression, dominance and intrasexual competition are met with antagonistic forces: On one hand it is advantageous if a male outcompetes a fellow male. This, however, implies that there is increased aggression and an elevated level of testosterone in high-ranking males. On the other hand as dominance relations between the sexes are rather balanced in bonobos it is likely that males benefit from having friendly pair-relationships with female individuals. Studies with birds and rodents show that a tendency towards forming pair-relationships correlates with lower male aggression rates and testosterone levels.

In a current study, Martin Surbeck, Gottfried Hohmann, Tobias Deschner and colleagues of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, found that in wild bonobos high-ranking males were more aggressive and their mating success was higher when compared to lower-ranking males. Contrary to other species in which males compete fiercely over access to females, there was no correlation between dominance status or aggression with testosterone levels. In addition, the researchers found that high-ranking males invested more often than lower-ranking group members into friendly relationships with females. This suggests that these friendly relationships between the sexes are associated with lower male testosterone levels.

"Our study suggests that in bonobos as in in humans intersexual friendships result in hormonal patterns that we know from species in which male individuals are actively participating in raising their young and in which the two sexes enter lasting pair-relationships", says Martin Surbeck.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/m-bus012312.php

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NeowinCast Gaming 005 - Jan 20: SOPA and Razer edition ...

Neowin.net presents NeowinCast Gaming 005, the fifth in a new series of bi-weekly podcasts relating to the latest gaming news, hosted by John Callaham, Larry "DirtyLarry" Cooney and Tim Schiesser.?

NeowinCast Gaming 005 clocks in at just under 53 minutes in length as we discuss the aftermath on the SOPA blackout on gaming, the Razer "Project Fiona" tablet reveal, the announcements of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Resident Evil 6 and more.

• 00:00-01:09 | Introductions
• 01:09-11:48 | Aftermath of SOPA demonstrations discussion
• 11:48-19:18 | Our thoughts on Razer's Project Fiona gaming tablet
• 19:18-24:16 | XCOM: Enemy Unknown announced & discussed
• 24:16-31:56 | Resident Evil 6 announced & discussed
• 31:56-34:00 | Tim recommends a mobile game
• 34:00-37:15 | Short discussion of XBLA game Deadlight
• 37:15-40:03 | Diablo III for February 1 rumor discussion
• 40:03-47:54 | Checking in with a live demo of some upcoming EA Sports games
• 47:54-52:48 | Extended conclusions

News stories mentioned in the podcast:

As always we are looking for feedback for the podcast shows so feel free to post your comments, suggestions and more on how we can improve in the news comments boards or in our forums.

Download: NeowinCAST Gamers Edition Jan 20 (Right click, Save As; Size: 19.6MB)
Subscribe: RSS | iTunes (not yet updated)
View: NeowinCast Gamer Edition: Forum Discussion

John Callaham

John began his journalism career writing for print newspapers but 11 years ago moved on to write mostly for online outlets, particularly PC gaming sites. He has worked for a variety of sites including Firing Squad and most recently AOL's Big Download web site.

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/neowincast-gaming-005---jan-20-sopa-and-razer-edition

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Greek bond deal won't fix Athens' debt woes

(Associated Press)

Poul Thomsen, the International Monetary Fund mission chief in Greece, met with Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos in Athens, Friday. European Union and International Monetary Fund representatives start new round of talks with officials in the Greek capital on the course of Greece's austerity program and pledged reforms.

By John W. Schoen, Senior Producer

?

Though a long-awaited deal between Greece and its investors might buy Athens some time, it will do little to fix the financially crippled government's problems.

Representatives for Greek bond holders were reported to have made progress Friday toward a deal that would cut the value of their holdings by as much as 70 percent as part of a "voluntary" debt swap aimed at?avoiding a disorderly default.

The deal reportedly involves swapping existing bonds for a new package of cash and paper worth about half the face value of the outstanding debt. Bondholders are also being asked to accept a lower interest rate on the new bonds, possibly tied to Greece's future economic growth, which would cut the value of the offer even further.

The pressure to finalize the agreement increases with every passing day. The European Union and International Monetary Fund are insisting on a bondholder "haircut" before releasing the next round of bailout payments from a 130 billion euro ($167 billion) rescue fund set up in October. Without those funds, Greece won't have enough money to meet a 14.5 billion euro ($18.7 billion) bond payment due March 20.

Because the paperwork for a bond swap is expected to take weeks to process, time is rapidly running out. Without a bondholder agreement, failure to make full payment would produce a disorderly default, with what could be dire consequences for the global economy just as the U.S. recovery is picking up.

A deal would buy the Greek government some time to try to right its listing financial ship. A successful bond swap would cut some 100 billion euros ($129 billion) off Greece's total debt load of more than 350 billion euros ($452 billion). That would help Athens steer a course toward a debt load of 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2020, down from the current level of 160 percent.

But the financial lifeline from European officials comes with painful conditions that include more?spending cuts and tax increases. That will likely plunge the Greek economy even deeper into recession. Greece's?economy has already shrunk 13 percent from its pre-crisis peak. Unemployment is at record highs. Frequent protests and strikes against austerity measures have further deepened the economic contraction.

The shrinking Greek economy is cutting further into the tax base, forcing more spending cuts and tax hikes in downward spiral. Over the long term, the current rescue plan isn't sustainable, according to Ben May, an economist at Capital Insight who has been following the debt talks.

"Sooner or later we expect Greece to conclude that the conditions attached to the bail-out deal are simply too onerous and that its best option may be to terminate any rescue package, carry out another debt restructuring deal and abandon the single currency," he said in a note to clients.

Even if Greece and the banks reach a deal, it remains to be seen just how many bondholders will go along with the "voluntary" swap for new paper. If too few investors agree to take losses, the savings may not be large enough to stop the clock on Greece's debt bomb.

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos has threatened to introduce a new law to force holdouts to take the deal. Some of those investors have threatened to sue if the government tries to force them to take losses, arguing the change in the bonds' terms?violates property rights.

Other investors, who bought so-called credit default swaps, are hoping Greece can't reach a deal and doesn't pay bondholders. Some $70 billion worth of those investments, which pay off like an insurance policy if Greece defaults, are outstanding.

The potential impact of such a?disorderly default is difficult to predict, much like the chain reaction that swept through the global financial system in 2008 in the wake of?Lehman Brothers' collapse. European regulators have told eurozone bankers they need to raise more capital to withstand such a financial shock, but the ongoing debt crisis has made that?difficult for many of them.

Even if they reach a deal and?enough investors accept it, the precedent will likely spook investors in other debt-burdened countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal, further raising their borrowing costs. ?

"Portugal is obviously the next in the line of fire," said Michael Cirami, a portfolio manager at U.S. investment managers Eaton Vance. "Portugal is unlikely to go unnoticed whether they strike a deal or not (on Greek debt restructuring)."

Lowering Greece's debt burden with a bond swap could avoid the financial chaos of an outright default. But it wouldn't blunt the impact on its bond rating and its future cost of borrowing.

"Greece is insolvent so it will default," Edward Parker, head of bond rater Fitch's sovereign debt group for Europe, told Reuters this week.

"We have said for a long time that we don't think this (swap agreement) is the way to go, and we would treat it as a default," Parker added. "It clearly is a default, however they try to spin it."

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has the latest details on Greece closing in on a debt deal and whether it could trigger a credit event.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10200251-greek-bond-deal-wont-fix-athens-debt-woes

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The best new Android tablets: Do they stand a chance?

By Rosa Golijan

At each Consumer Electronics Show, there seems to be at least one gadget type which just plain takes over the place. Two years ago it was e-ink readers, now practically invisible on the show floor. Last year it was the 3-D TV. This year, Android tablets are all the rage.?Yes, there were so many Android tablets this year that some of us started to become slightly queasy each time yet another such device was announced.

Was the revulsion justified? Or does this latest batch of Android devices stand a chance to succeed? Let's talk tablets!

Pantech

Pantech Element
The Pantech Element?is a fun (not-so-little) 8-inch tablet. It has a 1.5GHz processor, 16GB of memory, (which can be expanded up to 32GB thanks to a microSD slot), a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2MP front-facing camera.?It'll run on AT&T's 4G LTE network, so it should be pretty darn speedy.

Oh, and did I mention that the Element is waterproof??The gadget can apparently be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes without any troubles. In theory, this means that you wouldn't have to worry if you ever spill coffee onto the tablet.

Toshiba

Toshiba Excite X10
One of my favorites?in the latest Android tablet batch ? appearance-wise, at least???is the Toshiba Excite X10.?This particular gadget has been available in other countries for a while, but it's finally coming to the U.S. soon. It's an eye-catching 10-inch beauty which measures in with a thickness of only 0.3 inches.

The X10's display is covered in super tough Corning Gorilla Glass and behind it there's a?Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor (that's 1.2 GHz of horsepower), 16GB or 32GB of storage (depending on your choice of configuration), a 2MP front-facing camera, a 5MP rear-facing camera (with an LED flash), and an assortment of ports including Micro USB and Micro HDMI. There?are also a gyroscope, an accelerometer and GPS capabilities as well as eCompass and ambient light sensors.

The Toshiba Excite X10 will set you back $530 if you're getting the 16GB model and $600 if you opt for the 32GB version. It should become available in the first quarter of 2012.

Asus

Asus Eee Pad MeMO 370T
With its rather reasonable $249 pricetag, the Asus Eee Pad MeMO 370T ? try wrapping your tongue around that name???is far too tempting of a device.?It's a 7-inch gadget, has a 1.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor on the inside, pen-input on the outside, and a 5MP camera in the back.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
As its name might suggest, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the big brother of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.?It's a ???wait for it ???7.7-inch device and it?has a 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED display, a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, a 3MP rear-facing camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, and the usual assortment of ports.

It's very much worth noting that the Tab 7.7 is?going to offer 4G LTE connectivity through Verizon Wireless. (Oh, yes! That's speedy.)

Matt Rivera/msnbc.com

The next-generation Iconia Tab
Oh, what a tease Acer can be! The company briefly showed off the?next-generation Iconia Tab tablet during a CES press conference and it certainly caught my attention.?The gadget is a quad-core device with a lovely 1080p screen and a?Nvidia Tegra 3 processor.

Not too much is known about this particular tablet at the time, but it's definitely a powerful little beast.

Wait! What's the problem here?
The trouble with most of the tablets presented lately is not the hardware but the software. Time after time the same lines keep appearing in press releases. The devices are "ready" for Android 4.0, but shipping with Honeycomb 3.2, in other words "last year's OS." Their makers promise that the hardware will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich shortly after launch, software updates are coming, pinky swear, cross our hearts and hope to die, but even the manufacturers don't necessarily have a firm grasp of the upgrade timing.

The reality is that customers are often left waiting for their new toys to actually feel new?? to receive the latest and greatest in Android software. And perhaps I'm simply a spoiled iPad user, but to me that seems unacceptable. Many Android tablet makers have the hardware handled and are handing out mind-blowing spec sheets ??but until they give their devices brains to match their guts, I'm saying "no dice."

The moment Android tablets take a page from the Apple manual and start selling the experience and the?? get ready to cringe?? magic of software and apps, the moment that developers feel that the time is right to launch an all-out Android tablet software assault, the moment that together, both hardware makers and software developers showcase what you can do with these things, rather than just throw around spec sheets, that's when these new tablets will succeed.

Related stories:

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts, or circling her?on?Google+.

Source: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10149335-the-best-new-android-tablets-do-they-stand-a-chance

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