Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Investors face more than 70 pct loss in Greek deal (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Investors participating in a deal to slash Greece's massive debt would face an overall loss on their bond holdings of more than 70 percent, a person involved in with the negotiations said early Tuesday.

European leaders at a summit in Brussels said a final debt deal could be signed off in the coming days, together with a second multibillion-euro bailout package designed to save the country from a potentially disastrous bankruptcy.

Athens and representatives of investors holding Greek government bonds over the weekend came close to a final agreement designed to bring Greece's debt down to a more manageable level. Without a restructuring, those debts would swell to around double the country's economic output by the end of the year.

If the agreement works as planned, it will help Greece remain solvent and help Europe avoid a blow to its already weakened financial system, even though banks and other bond investors will have to accept big losses.

The person involved in the talks said Monday that the more-than 70 percent loss was the result of cutting the bonds' face value in half, reducing the average interest rate to between 3.5 per cent and 4 percent and pushing repayment of the bonds 30 years into the future. A second person briefed on the talks confirmed that the loss on the so-called net present value of the bonds would be around 70 percent.

Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.

The deal, which would reduce the country's debt by about euro100 billion ($131.1 billion) and save it billions of euros in interest payments, needs to be completed quickly. Greece runs the risk of a disorderly default on March 20, when it faces a euro14.5 billion bond repayment it cannot afford without additional help.

Many investors ? banks, insurance companies and hedge funds ? who hold Greek bonds also hold debt from other countries that use the euro, which could lose value if there is a fully fledged Greek default. This is the scenario the eurozone fears most and why the currency union hopes investors will voluntarily accept a partial loss on their Greek bonds.

The agreement taking shape is a key step before Greece can get a second, euro130 billion bailout. The country has been surviving since May 2010 on an initial euro110 billion ($144.21 billion) package of rescue loans from other countries using the euro and the International Monetary Fund.

Even a deal is inked, there is no guarantee that Greece won't need more help.

"It's too early now to say whether we will need some extra public funding," Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos said after a meeting with other top European officials in Brussels early Tuesday. "Our goal is to avert such an alternative."

More public sector support could either mean more bailout loans ? something that the eurozone is reluctant to commit to ? or a deal with the European Central Bank to also give Greece a break on its debt.

The ECB holds some euro55 billion in Greek government bonds, which it purchased at around euro40 billion in the early days of the debt crisis, according to analyst estimates. One option would be to allow Greece to buy back those bonds at the price the ECB paid to buy them, slicing another euro15 billion or so off what the country owes. However, so far the ECB has ruled out participating in any debt restructuring.

On top of restructuring its debt with private investors, Greece must also take other steps to secure further aid. It must cut its deficit and boost the competitiveness of its economy through layoffs of public sector workers and the sale of several state companies, among other moves.

Papademos said the so-called troika of debt inspectors ? the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF ? were calling for further spending cuts to meet budget targets and agreements to lower labor costs.

But Greece's partners in the eurozone have grown frustrated with the country's slow implementation of austerity measures and economic reforms promised almost two years ago. In recent days, they have discussed ways of monitoring Athens' efforts even more closely, including giving the European Commission, the power to block spending decisions that threaten the country's ability to repay its debts.

Earlier Monday, Greek lenders Eurobank and Alpha Bank said a planned merger to create the country's largest bank by assets could be put on hold because of the negotiations over the bond swap.

The banks said that "an accurate timeline cannot be given" to complete the deal announced last August because of the negotiations.

Greece's finance ministry expressed surprise at the announcement, arguing that the negotiations had produced "nothing new or different" to factors already taken into account by both banks.

__

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Sarah DiLorenzo in Brussels contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_greece_financial_crisis

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Genetics study reveals how bacteria behind serious childhood disease evolve to evade vaccines

Genetics study reveals how bacteria behind serious childhood disease evolve to evade vaccines

Monday, January 30, 2012

Genetics has provided surprising insights into why vaccines used in both the UK and US to combat serious childhood infections can eventually fail. The study, published today in Nature Genetics, which investigates how bacteria change their disguise to evade the vaccines, has implications for how future vaccines can be made more effective.

Pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) causes potentially life-threatening diseases including pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal infections are thought to kill around a million young children worldwide each year, though the success of vaccination programmes has led to a dramatic fall in the number of cases in countries such as the UK and US. These vaccines recognise the bacteria by its polysaccharide, the material found on the outside of the bacterial cell. There are over ninety different kinds ? or 'serotypes' ? of the bacteria, each with a different polysaccharide coating.

In 2000, the US introduced a pneumococcal vaccine which targeted seven of the ninety serotypes. This '7-valent' vaccine was extremely effective and had a dramatic effect on reducing disease amongst the age groups targeted. Remarkably, the vaccine has also prevented transmission from young children to adults, resulting in tens of thousands fewer cases of pneumococcal disease each year. The same vaccine was introduced in the UK in 2006 and was similarly successful.

In spite of the success of the vaccine programmes, some pneumococcal strains managed to continue to cause disease by camouflaging themselves from the vaccine. In research funded by the Wellcome Trust, scientists at the University of Oxford and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta studied what happened after the introduction of this vaccine in the US. They used the latest genomic techniques combined with epidemiology to understand how different serotypes of the pneumococcus bacteria evolve to replace those targeted by the initial vaccine.

The researchers found bacteria that had evaded the vaccine by swapping the region of the genome responsible for making the polysaccharide coating with the same region from a different serotype, not targeted by the vaccine. This effectively disguised the bacteria, making it invisible to the vaccine. This exchange of genome regions occurred during a process known as recombination, whereby one of the bacteria replaces a piece of its own DNA with a piece from another bacterial type.

Dr Rory Bowden, from the University of Oxford, explains: "Imagine that each strain of the pneumococcus bacteria is a class of schoolchildren, all wearing the school uniform. If a boy steals from his corner shop, a policeman ? in this case the vaccine ? can easily identify which school he belongs to by looking at his uniform. But if the boy swaps his sweater with a friend from another school, the policemen will no longer be able to recognise him and he can escape. This is how the pneumococcus bacteria evade detection by the vaccine."

Dr Bowden and colleagues identified a number of recombined serotypes that had managed to evade the vaccine. One in particular grew in frequency and spread across the US from east to west over several years. They also showed that during recombination, the bacteria also traded a number of other parts of the genome at the same time, a phenomenon never before observed in natural populations of pneumococcus. This is of particular concern as recombination involving multiple fragments of DNA allows rapid simultaneous exchange of key regions of the genome within the bug, potentially allowing it to quickly develop antibiotic resistance.

The original 7-valent vaccine in the US has now been replaced by a 13-valent vaccine, which targets thirteen different serotypes, including the particular type which had escaped the original vaccine. In the UK, the 7-valent vaccine resulted in a substantial drop in disease overall. This overall effect was a mixture of a large drop in frequency of the serotypes targeted by the vaccine with some growth in serotypes not targeted by the vaccine. The 13-valent vaccine was introduced in the UK in 2010.

Derrick Crook, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Oxford and Infection Control Doctor at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, adds: "Childhood vaccines are very effective at reducing disease and death at a stage in our lives when we are susceptible to serious infections. Understanding what makes a vaccine successful and what can cause it to fail is important. We should now be able to understand better what happens when a pneumococcal vaccine is introduced into a new population. Our work suggests that current strategies for developing new vaccines are largely effective but may not have long term effects that are as successful as hoped."

Dr Bernard Beall, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention commented: "The current vaccine strategy of targeting predominant pneumococcal serotypes is extremely effective, however our observations indicate that the organism will continue to adapt to this strategy with some measurable success."

The Wellcome Trust, which part-funded this research, views combating infectious disease and maximising the health benefits of genetic research as two of its strategic priorities. Dr Michael Dunn, Head of Molecular and Physiological Sciences at the Wellcome Trust commented: "New technologies allow us to rapidly sequence disease-causing organisms and see how they evolve. Coupled with collaborations with epidemiologists, we can then track how they spread and monitor the potential impact this will have on vaccine efficiency. This will provide useful lessons for vaccine implementation strategies."

###

Wellcome Trust: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk

Thanks to Wellcome Trust 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/117166/Genetics_study_reveals_how_bacteria_behind_serious_childhood_disease_evolve_to_evade_vaccines

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[OOC] Shape-Shifters

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Stormwolf321

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stormwolf321
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This looks like an interesting roleplay :D I'll be sure to join.

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Greece should give up budget control: Germany (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? Greece must surrender control of its budget policy to outside institutions if it cannot implement reforms attached to euro zone rescue measures, the German economy minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

Philipp Roesler became the first German cabinet member to openly endorse a proposal for Greece to surrender budget control after Reuters quoted a European source on Friday as saying Berlin wants Athens to give up budget control.

"We need more leadership and monitoring when it comes to implementing the reform course," Roesler, also vice chancellor, told Bild newspaper, according to an advance of an interview to be published on Monday.

"If the Greeks aren't able to succeed themselves with this, then there must be stronger leadership and monitoring from abroad, for example through the EU," added Roesler, chairman of the Free Democrats (FDP) who share power with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Reuters reported on Friday that Germany wants Greece to give up control of budget policy to European institutions as part of discussions over a second rescue package.

Greece, which has repeatedly failed to meet the fiscal targets set out by its international lenders, is in talks to finalise a second 130 billion-euro ($172 billion) package.

With many Greeks blaming Germans for the austerity medicine their country has been forced to swallow, officials in Athens dismissed the idea of relinquishing budget control as out of the question.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said on Sunday Greece was perfectly capable of making good on its promises.

"Anyone who puts a nation before the dilemma of 'economic assistance or national dignity' ignores some key historical lessons," he said in a statement before heading to Brussels for a European Union summit on Monday.

The Financial Times reported on Saturday that it had obtained a copy of the proposal showing Germany wants a new euro zone "budget commissioner" to have the power to veto budget decisions taken by the Greek government if they are not in line with targets set by international lenders.

"Given the disappointing compliance so far, Greece has to accept shifting budgetary sovereignty to the European level for a certain period of time," the document said.

Under the plan, Athens would only be allowed to carry out normal state spending after servicing its debt, the paper said.

Crushed by 350 billion euros ($462 billion) of debt and running out of cash quickly, Greece is scrambling to appease the "troika" of its official lenders - the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund - and stitch up a deal with private creditors simultaneously.

Greece needs to strike a deal with creditors in the next couple of days to unlock its next aid package in order to avoid a chaotic default.

A government source in Berlin said Germany's proposal was aimed not just at Greece but also at other struggling euro zone members that receive aid and are unable to make good on their obligations.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-country bloc, said it wanted the Greek government to maintain autonomy.

(Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)

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

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Critics Consensus: The Grey is Certified Fresh

Plus, Man on a Ledge is too contrived, and guess One For the Money's Tomatometer.

Also opening this week in limited release:

  • Declaration of War, a based-on-true-events dramedy about a young couple whose child is suffering from brain cancer, is at 85 percent.
  • How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?, a documentary about unconventional British architect Norman Foster, is at 47 percent.
  • After Fall, Winter, a drama about a pair of damaged souls who find love in Paris, is at 20 percent.

And finally, mad props to RedTuna for coming the closest to guessing Underworld Awakening's 30 percent Tomatometer.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924390/news/1924390/

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

President Obama???s Mistakes Are Big News (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | There are some who would argue President Barack Obama's mistakes are old news, not big news at all. However, that he admits to them is big news.

Is that bad?

The caption is, "Obama admits to making mistakes" on a Yahoo! News blog posted Thursday. A headline denotes something newsworthy that we should pay attention to. It is a sad commentary on what is expected of American leaders to take issue with the admission of mistakes.

In this election year, everybody's mistakes are fair game. Newt Gingrich attacks Mitt Romney for his mistakes, and Romney counter-attacks. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum attack Gingrich and Romney. They all attack Obama. Each rebuttal gives lip service to mistakes or denies that they were made. Romney defends his handling of Bain Capital. Gingrich appears ashamed of his infidelity while married to his former mistress.

Obama's mistakes are available for public evaluation. His tense moments with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, described by ABC News, reveal that what he has perceived as "cordial" was not so for Brewer. The governor asserts Obama's treatment of her at a meeting that occurred in the past was condescending.

What if the president takes the time to really listen to Brewer and clear up the misperception? What if he looks at the blog post on CNN called "Obama's Five Big Mistakes," examine it for validity, then be articulate about correcting these mistakes?

What if Romney, Gingrich, Paul and Santorum took the position that they make mistakes and made public their process of examining and correcting these?

The problem with refusing to acknowledge a mistake is that as long as a mistake is defended it is not a mistake and can't be corrected. This is how leaders become committed to ideas that over time are revealed as mistakes.

If any of Romney's actions at Bain Capital were mistakes, he will repeat them unless he acknowledges them. Gingrich has acknowledged his marital mistakes in the hopes that by doing so he will convince voters that he has changed. This is good strategy, and appears to be working.

The Vietnam War was judged by many as a mistake. The question of whether it was or not was asked on Yahoo!, and voters on Yahoo! Answers judged the answer "No, it was not a good idea" as the best. Some believe it was not a mistake. Regardless of which was true, our leaders remained committed to the war for years and did not consider publicly that it was a mistake. Doing so might have meant we did it differently if at all, and perhaps the cost in human lives would not have been so appalling.

It would be extraordinary to see a headline that reads: "All the 2012 presidential candidates are admitting their mistakes."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120128/pl_ac/10891247_president_obamas_mistakes_are_big_news

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Wall Street lower at open after GDP data (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stocks fell on Friday after data showed the U.S. economy grew less than expected in the fourth quarter, while weak earnings from Ford and continued caution over Europe's debt crisis also weighed on the market.

U.S. gross domestic product expanded at its fastest pace in 1-1/2 years in the fourth quarter of 2011, the Commerce Department said, but missed forecasts. A strong rebuilding of inventories and weak spending on capital goods hinted at slower growth this year.

"Today's GDP numbers while positive indicate that the economy is not really doing all that well and (Federal Reserve) Chairman Bernanke's extreme policy may be in fact what's needed," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial, Westport, Connecticut.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see some profit-taking at any time, given the recent rally we've had."

Ford Motor Co (F.N) shares fell 5.5 percent to $12.04 after the carmaker reported a lower-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on higher commodity costs and losses in Europe and Asia.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 37.31 points, or 0.29 percent, at 12,697.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) slipped 1.47 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,316.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was up 3.55 points, or 0.13 percent, at 2,808.83.

Euro zone finance officials voiced optimism a deal to avert a disorderly Greek default was imminent and key building blocks to resolve Europe's sovereign debt crisis were gradually fitting into place. Renewed concern about the crisis has troubled markets this week.

Procter & Gamble Co (PG.N) shares fell 0.1 percent to $64.82 after its quarterly profit plunged 49 percent as it wrote down the value of its appliance and salon professional products businesses. It also said this year's profit would come in lower than previously expected due to the strong dollar.

Chevron Corp (CVX.N) reported lower earnings as increased spending on oil and gas projects and losses at its refinery business offset gains from higher crude oil prices. The shares fell 2.4 percent to $104.01.

Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N) and Riverbed Technologies Inc (RVBD.O) offered gloomy first-quarter outlooks late Thursday that were below expectations. Juniper was down 8.1 percent to $20.55.

According to Thomson Reuters data, 59 percent of 152 S&P 500 companies reporting earnings as of Thursday morning beat analysts' estimates. In recent quarters, the beat rate has been 70 percent at this stage of the earnings season.

A rally from late last year that has pushed the S&P 500 up 23 percent from lows in October has left the index facing tough resistance at around the 1,330 level, which marks a four-year downtrend line from its all-time highs in 2007.

Oliver Pursche, president at Gary Goldberg Financial Services in Suffern, New York, cautioned against reading too much into recent market strength.

He cited a "volatile environment," in which "there are plenty of global issues that can derail the global economy."

Eastman Chemical Co (EMN.N) offered to buy specialty chemical maker Solutia Inc (SOA.N) for about $3.38 billion in cash and stock to extend its reach in emerging markets, particularly the Asia-Pacific region. Solutia shares rose 41 percent to $27.59.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Paul braves snowy Maine in hunt for GOP delegates (AP)

BANGOR, Maine ? Presidential hopeful Ron Paul wants other Republicans to know that he and his supporters plan to hang around for a while longer.

The Texas congressman is on a two-day campaign swing through Maine, which holds caucuses starting Feb. 4.

Paul addressed a packed town hall meeting in Bangor on Friday and said he was braving the snowy weather to pick up delegates.

He is skipping Tuesday's presidential primary in Florida to focus on caucus states like Maine. Such states helped Barack Obama accumulate enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination in 2008.

Maine will award 24 delegates this year, compared to 12 four years ago.

Paul placed a weak fourth in South Carolina's primary last Saturday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_el_pr/us_paul

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UK police: Ritual killing possible in horse death (AP)

LONDON ? British police say the mutilation and brutal death of a horse may have been the result of a pagan ritual.

The body of a 2-year-old stallion named Erik was found earlier this month near the village of Stithians in western England.

The horse had had its genitals cut off, an eye cut out and its teeth removed.

The animal's disturbing death led to speculation in the British media that the horse had been killed as part of some kind of ritual.

Local police said Wednesday that a lot of the information about the horse's death "is unfortunately speculation."

But Inspector Chris Strickland says his force is investigating the ritual killing angle "because I can't see any other real motive for doing it."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_horse_mutilation

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

AT&T posts 4Q loss on charges, revenue increases (AP)

NEW YORK ? AT&T is reporting a fourth-quarter loss due to some hefty charges, but strong smartphone sales led to the company's best-ever quarter in activations.

Smartphone activations rose nearly 60 percent year over year, including 7.6 million iPhone activations.

The net loss amounts to $6.68 billion, or $1.12 per share, compared with year-earlier net income of $1.09 billion, or 18 cents per share. Adjusted profit was 42 cents per share.

Revenue rose 3.6 percent to $32.5 billion.

Analysts expected earnings per share of 43 cents on revenue of $31.99 billion, on average.

The Dallas company says it plans to resume share repurchases this year.

In premarket trading Thursday, shares of AT&T Inc. fell 51 cents to $29.70.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_hi_te/us_earns_at_t

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Video: Demi Moore seeks treatment for stress, exhaustion

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46129227#46129227

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Gadhafi fighters seize control of Libyan town

By msnbc.com news services

TRIPOLI - Supporters of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi seized control of the town of Bani Walid on Monday after clashes with a militia loyal to the new government in which four people were killed, witnesses told Reuters.

The violence was bad enough that authorities in Tripoli felt forced to dispatch dozens of revolutionary fighters to Bani Walid, the Guardian reported, quoting brigade commander Saddam Abdel-Zein.


A resident of Bani Walid, about 120 miles south-east of Tripoli, said the sides fought using heavy weaponry, including 106 mm anti-tank weapons, and that 20 people were wounded.

Another witness told Reuters the fighting had now stopped but that Gadhafi loyalists were in control of the town center, where they were flying green flags, a symbol of allegiance to the ousted administration.

"They control the town now. They are roaming the town," said the witness, a fighter with the 28th May militia which was fighting the Gadhafi loyalists.

Bani Walid, base of the powerful Warfallah tribe, was one of the last towns in Libya to surrender to the anti-Gadhafi rebellion last year. Many people there oppose the country's new leadership.

The uprising in Bani Walid could not come at a worse time for the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC). It is already reeling from violent protests in the eastern city of Benghazi and the resignation of its second most senior official.

An air force official told Reuters that jets were being mobilized to fly to Bani Walid. In Tripoli, there were signs of security being tightened, Reuters reporters in the city said. ?

Fighters "massacred"
The violence in Bani Walid was sparked when members of the May 28 militia arrested some Gadhafi loyalists.

That prompted other supporters of the former leader, who was captured and killed in October, to attack the militia's garrison in the town, said the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They massacred men at the doors of the militia headquarters," said the resident.

Libya's interim leaders declare independence from 42 years of rule by Moammar Gadhafi, whose cause of death remains under investigation. NBC's Adrienne Mong reports.

During Libya's nine-month civil war, anti-Gadhafi rebels fought for months to take Bani Walid.

Local tribal elders eventually agreed to let NTC fighters enter the town, but relations have been uneasy since and there have been occasional flare-ups of violence.

In November last year, several people were killed in Bani Walid when a militia group from Tripoli's Souq al-Juma district arrived in the town to try to arrest some local men.

Taking back control of the town will be challenging because it has natural defenses. Anyone approaching from the north has to descend into a deep valley and then climb up the other side, giving defenders an advantage.

It was this landscape, in part, that prevented anti-Gadhafi militias from taking the town during the civil war, despite the fact they were heavily armed and had superior numbers.

Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

?

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10217480-gadhafi-fighters-seize-control-of-libyan-town

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Boehner: State of Union speech may be `pathetic' (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/190061964?client_source=feed&format=rss

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UK police: Tabloid lied, hacked for scoops on girl (AP)

LONDON ? News of the World journalists used phone hacking, harassment and lies to secure scoops on missing British schoolgirl Milly Dowler, police reported Monday, detailing a litany of abusive press practices.

In one incident, someone impersonated the teen's mother and called a potential witness to ask for information about the 13-year-old, who was found dead months later in September 2002. British police did not specify who made the bogus call.

The new details about the News of the World's relentless pursuit of information about the Dowler case, revealed in a letter to lawmakers released Monday, illuminate one of the most sordid episodes of the British phone hacking saga.

The scandal over illegal practices at the now-defunct tabloid exploded in July after The Guardian newspaper reported that the News of the World had intercepted Dowler's voicemail messages while she was still considered missing.

The revelation that journalists had invaded a murdered girl's privacy to score scoops horrified Britons and led to a cascade of lawsuits, resignations, arrests and official inquiries.

Surrey Police Deputy Chief Constable Jerry Kirkby, whose force investigated the girl's disappearance, said in the letter that the News of the World freely admitted to police that it had broken into Dowler's voicemail, saying it had obtained her cell phone number and password from fellow schoolchildren.

Kirkby also said a potential witness called his force to complain that a News of the World reporter was harassing him for information. He said the reporter claimed to be working in "full cooperation" with police.

Kirkby said the "reporter's assertion that he was working with the police was untrue." The reporter's name was redacted from the letter.

The most troubling incident outlined in Kirkby's letter was a pair of phone calls made to a recruitment agency by someone claiming to be the teenager's mother, Sally Dowler, on April 13, 2002.

At the time, the News of the World wrongly believed Dowler had run away to find work with the agency and was staking out the premises with what one employee described as "hordes of reporters."

Dowler family attorney Mark Lewis said in an email that Sally Dowler never made the call.

"No doubt there will be current investigations as to who that was," he said.

Lewis also asked why Surrey Police did not act sooner to investigate the deception, saying that "no thought seems to have been given to the effect on the Dowler family."

In a separate development, British lawmaker Tom Watson wrote to police asking for an investigation into email hacking at Rupert Murdoch's The Times of London.

In December, Times publisher Tom Mockridge acknowledged that a former reporter had engaged in computer hacking while at the venerable title. The Guardian newspaper, citing unidentified colleagues at The Times, said last week that the reporter had hacked into the Hotmail account of a well-known anonymous police blogger in a bid to discover his identity.

The blogger, Detective Richard Horton, sued The Times in 2009 to stop the paper from exposing him but eventually lost.

Noting that no mention was made of computer hacking at the time, Watson said "it is almost certain that a judge was misled."

The opposition lawmaker, a dogged opponent of Murdoch, said he wanted police to investigate whether anyone at The Times was guilty of perjury or obstruction of justice ? allegations which, if confirmed, could have serious consequences for The Times, which is more than 225 years old.

News International, responsible both for The Times and the News of the World, reiterated that the interception of Dowler's phone was "shocking and unacceptable" and that those who sanctioned or carried out the hacking should be held accountable for their actions.

Police confirmed that they'd received Watson's letter and said they were in contact with the lawmaker over the allegations.

___

Online:

Kirkby's letter: http://bit.ly/wX8Nhn (PDF)

Watson's letter: http://bit.ly/xEFcne

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Big Tokyo quake is 'likely soon'

The chance of a big earthquake hitting the Japanese capital in the next few years is much greater than official predictions suggest, researchers say.

The team, from the University of Tokyo, said there was a 75% probability that a magnitude seven quake would strike the region in the next four years.

The government says the chances of such an event are 70% in the next 30 years.

The warning comes less than a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan's north-eastern coast.

The last time Tokyo was hit by a big earthquake was in 1923, when a 7.9 magnitude quake killed more than 100,000 people, many of them in fires.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo's earthquake research institute based their figures on data from the growing number of tremors in the capital since the 11 March 2011 quake.

They say that compared with normal years, there has been a five-fold increase in the number of quakes in the Tokyo metropolitan area since the March disaster.

They based their calculations on data from Japan's Meteorological Agency, They said their results show that seismic activity had increased in the area around the capital, which in turn leads to a higher probability of a major quake.

The researchers say that while it is "hard to predict" the casualty impact of a major quake on Tokyo, the government and individuals should be prepared for it.

Correspondents say that while the university calculations take account of greater seismic activity since March, government calculations may use different or less up-to-date data and different modelling techniques.

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake last year also crippled the cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear power station, causing meltdowns in some of its reactors.

Japan is located on a tectonic crossroads dubbed the "Pacific Ring of Fire" which is why its is commonly regarded as one of the world's most quake-prone countries, with Tokyo located in one of the most dangerous areas.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/16681136

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Obama's State of the Union: Jobs, re-election time

President Barack Obama sings before speaking at a campaign event, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at the Apollo Theatre in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama sings before speaking at a campaign event, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at the Apollo Theatre in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama pauses before shaking hands at a campaign event, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at the Apollo Theatre in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, at the Apollo Theatre in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

(AP) ? Vilified by the Republicans who want his job, President Barack Obama will stand before the nation Tuesday night determined to frame the election-year debate on his terms, using his State of the Union address to outline a lasting economic recovery that will "work for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

As his most powerful chance to make a case for a second term, the prime-time speech carries enormous political stakes for the Democratic incumbent who presides over a country divided about his performance and pessimistic about the nation's direction. He will try to offer a stark contrast with his opponents by offering a vision of fairness and opportunity for everyone.

In a preview Saturday, Obama said in a video to supporters that the speech will be an economic blueprint built around manufacturing, energy, education and American values.

He is expected to announce ideas to make college more affordable and to address the housing crisis still hampering the economy three years into his term, people familiar with the speech said. Obama will also propose fresh ideas to ensure that the wealthy pay more in taxes, reiterating what he considers a matter of basic fairness, the officials said.

His policy proposals will be less important than what Obama hopes they all add up to: a narrative of renewed American security with him at the center, leading the fight.

"We can go in two directions," Obama said in the campaign video. "One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

That line of argument is intended to tap directly into concerns of voters who think America has become a nation of income inequality, with rules rigged to help the rich. The degree to which Obama or his eventual Republican opponent can better connect with millions of hurting Americans is expected to determine November's presidential election.

Obama released his video hours ahead of the South Carolina primary, where Republican candidates fought in the latest fierce contest to become his general election rival.

The White House knows Obama is about to get his own stage to outline a re-election vision, but carefully. The speech is supposed to an American moment, not a campaign event.

Obama didn't mention national security or foreign policy in his preview, and he is not expected to break ground on either one in his speech.

He will focus on the economy and is expected to promote unfinished parts of his jobs plan, including the extension of a payroll tax cut that is soon to expire.

Whatever Obama proposes is likely to face long odds in a deeply divided Congress.

More people than not disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy, and he is showing real vulnerability among the independent voters who could swing the election. Yet he will step into the moment just as the economy is showing life. The unemployment rate is still at a troubling 8.5 percent, but at its lowest rate in nearly three years. Consumer confidence is up.

By giving a sneak peek to millions of supporters on his email list, Obama played to his Democratic base and sought to generate an even larger audience for Tuesday's address. He is unlikely to getter a bigger stage all year.

More people watched last year's State of the Union than tuned in to see Obama accept the Democratic presidential nomination in Denver in 2008.

The foundation of Obama's speech is the one he gave in Kansas last month, when he declared that the middle class was at a make-or-break moment and he railed against "you're on your own" economics of the Republican Party. His theme then was about a government that ensures people get a fair shot to succeed.

The State of the Union will be the details to back that up.

But even so, the speech will still be a framework ? part governing, part inspiration.

The details will be rolled out in full over the next several weeks, as part of Obama's next budget proposal and during his travels, which will allow him more media coverage.

On national security, Obama will ask the nation to reflect with him on a momentous year of change, including the end of the war in Iraq, the killing of al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and the Arab Spring protests, with people clamoring for freedom. He is expected to note the troubles posed by Iran and Syria without offering new positions about them.

Despite low expectations for legislation this year, Obama will offer short-term ideas that would require action from Congress. For now, the main looming to-do item is an extension of a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, both due to expire by March.

His travel schedule following his speech, to politically important regions, offers clues to the policies he was expected to unveil.

Both Phoenix and Las Vegas have been hard hit by foreclosures. Denver is where Obama outlined ways of helping college students deal with school loan debt. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Detroit are home to a number of manufacturers. And Michigan was a major beneficiary of the president's decision to intervene to rescue the American auto industry.

Republican leaders in Congress say Obama has made the chances of cooperation even dimmer just over the last several days. He enraged Republicans by installing a consumer watchdog chief by going around the Senate, which had blocked him, and then rejected a major oil pipeline project the GOP has embraced.

Obama is likely, once again, to offer ways in which a broken Washington must work together. Yet that theme seems but a dream given the gridlock he has been unable to change.

The address remains an old-fashioned moment of national attention; 43 million people watched it on TV last year. The White House website will offer a live stream of the speech, promising extra wrinkles for people who watch it there, and then invite people to send in questions to administration officials through social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Obama's campaign is also organizing and promoting parties around the nation for people to watch the speech.

__

AP deputy director of polling Jennifer Agiesta and Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

__

Online:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

___

Follow Ben Feller at http://twitter.com/BenFellerDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-21-US-Obama-State-of-the-Union/id-9e76772ecfda4f1f98a4521a7392509a

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Turks march in Paris to denounce genocide bill (AP)

PARIS ? Thousands of Turks have marched through Paris denouncing a bill that would make it a crime to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide.

Turks waving their country's red flag marched on Saturday to the Senate, where the bill will be debated on Monday after passage in December in the lower house.

They carried banners reading "No to Sarkozy Shame Law" and "History for Historians."

The measure would make it a crime to deny that mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks constitute genocide.

Critics claim its real aim is ensuring votes for President Nicolas Sarkozy from French Armenians in the two-round presidential elections in April and May.

Ankara, irate over the bill, has suspended military and economic cooperation with Paris.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_turkey_genocide

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Legal Theory Blog: Legal Theory Bookworm

The Legal Theory Bookworm?recommends?Configuring the Networked Self: Law, Code, and the Play of Everyday Practice by Julie E. Cohen. Here is a description:

    The legal and technical rules governing flows of information are out of balance, argues Julie E. Cohen in this original analysis of information law and policy. Flows of cultural and technical information are overly restricted, while flows of personal information often are not restricted at all. The author investigates the institutional forces shaping the emerging information society and the contradictions between those forces and the ways that people use information and information technologies in their everyday lives. She then proposes legal principles to ensure that people have ample room for cultural and material participation as well as greater control over the boundary conditions that govern flows of information to, from, and about them.

Source: http://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2012/01/legal-theory-bookworm-2.html

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Colo. girl escapes apparent kidnapper, calls 911 (AP)

DENVER ? A missing 9-year-old girl escaped from an apparent kidnapper and called 911 herself from a convenience store in Colorado Springs on Friday.

The Pueblo girl was reported missing Thursday night after she didn't return home from school.

The suspect, Jose Garcia, 29, is also a suspect in an alleged molestation involving a different girl, Pueblo police Capt. Eric Bravo said.

The car of the man accused of kidnapping the girl broke down Friday morning in Colorado Springs, and a passerby gave them a ride to a Circle K, police said.

The girl ran into the convenience store and asked to use the phone to call her uncle but instead called 911, which prompted the man to take off, authorities said.

"Once she realized she had that window of opportunity, she became a hero and rescued herself by calling 911," Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Barbara Miller said in a statement.

Efren Vialpando told The Gazette he saw the girl come in the Circle K with two black eyes and a bruise on her lip and face. She had refused to leave the store with the man, saying, "I ain't going nowhere. I'm waiting for my momma." He said the suspect fled after that.

A Circle K employee declined to comment, citing store policy.

Police immediately began a search for Garcia when they arrived at the store and notified transportation hubs. An employee at a bus terminal recognized Garcia and notified police, who quickly arrested the man without incident.

The girl was taken to a hospital Friday morning. Miller said details of the girl's condition won't be released because of her age.

Garcia was in custody Friday. Pueblo police haven't said how they connected him to the kidnapping and where Garcia was with the girl for more than 15 hours overnight. Pueblo police Sgt. Darren Velarde said Garcia is being held on suspicion of kidnapping and could face a charge of sexual assault on a child.

The FBI helped with the investigation.

Pueblo County court records said Garcia was wanted for suspicion of kidnapping and sex assault on a child, and Bravo said allegations in that case involved Garcia's 9-year-old former stepdaughter. Both the former stepdaughter and the girl who escaped Friday attended Columbian Elementary School in Pueblo.

In the case involving the ex-stepdaughter, Bravo said Garcia was listed as an emergency contact at the school and told officials there he was picking the girl up for a dentist's appointment. Bravo said Garcia is suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the girl in about a half hour before he took the girl back to school.

"We don't know if there's a connection to that girl and (the girl who escaped Friday)," Bravo said.

A family member told The Associated Press by phone that Garcia worked construction in Colorado Springs and he had known his ex-stepdaughter since she was about 3 years old.

___

Follow P. Solomon Banda at http://twitter.com/psbanda.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_us/us_girl_escapes

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Romney says he doesn't expect to win every contest (AP)

GILBERT, S.C. ? Working to fend off a surging Newt Gingrich in what's become an unexpectedly tight race in South Carolina, presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Friday he expects he will lose some state contests to Gingrich during a prolonged fight for the GOP nomination.

"I expect that Newt will win some primaries and contests and I expect I will as well," Romney said on the Laura Ingraham radio show a day before voting begins in the critical South Carolina primary. "I'm not expecting to win them all."

Romney didn't directly say he expects to lose in South Carolina, and in a separate appearance Friday described the contest as "neck-and-neck." But senior aides acknowledged they wouldn't be surprised if he lost the primary.

Romney's comments were his most blunt acknowledgement yet of the trouble his campaign faced amid a reality much changed from 10 days ago when he won the New Hampshire primary in a landslide. They also recognized the possibility that Gingrich could take a South Carolina victory on to other states and win again.

Romney's campaign appeared visibly rattled the day before voting began. His standing in polls had tumbled after a week of constant attack ads and self-made problems. Senior advisers and campaign hands were preparing for a long fight.

"He will win. It's a question of when," said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who campaigned with Romney on Friday.

Romney came to South Carolina after twin victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, only to see his Iowa victory thrown into question because of problems with the count. He then spent a week trying to answer questions about his personal wealth and when he will release his tax returns.

Romney tried to change the subject from his unreleased tax returns to the ethics investigation Gingrich faced 15 years ago.

Gingrich's House reprimand in 1997 presented an opportunity to talk about something else. When asked if Gingrich should release the Ethics Committee report that resulted in the first such action against a House speaker, Romney replied, "Of course he should."

"Nancy Pelosi has the full record of that ethics investigation," he said. "You know it's going to get out ahead of the general election."

In fact, the 1,280-page committee report on Gingrich is already public. Campaign officials said Romney was referring to other documents that Gingrich has referenced and that Pelosi has also mentioned.

"Given Speaker Gingrich's newfound interest in disclosure and transparency, and his concern about an `October surprise,' he should authorize the release of the complete record of the ethics proceedings against him," Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.

Romney's campaign was calling South Carolina voters with a recording attacking Gingrich's ethics record and calling on him to release any documents related to the inquiry.

In December, Pelosi told Talking Points Memo that she had served on the committee that conducted the investigation and implied that more information about the investigation could come to light. At the time Gingrich said the House should retaliate against Pelosi if she released any additional information.

"We turned over 1 million pages of material," Gingrich said then. "We had a huge report."

Gingrich's campaign said Romney's criticism represented a "panic attack" on the part of his campaign.

Romney on Friday said again that he wouldn't release his tax returns until April, which would probably be after Republicans choose their nominee.

"I realize that I had a lot of ground to make up and Speaker Gingrich is from a neighboring state, well-known, popular in the state," Romney said as he campaigned in Gilbert. "Frankly, to be in a neck-and-neck race at this last moment is kind of exciting."

Romney's campaign has rolled out endorsement after endorsement this week as he has tried to build a case that he is the most electable nominee. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman joined him on Thursday and McDonnell was with Romney on Friday.

McDonnell said he had been in touch with Romney's campaign for several weeks as they discussed the timing for the endorsement and decided it was most needed now, even as Romney looks ahead to a long campaign.

"It's the first Southern primary. I'm a Southern governor. I thought I could help," McDonnell said.

The campaign's attack message jumped from rival to rival and topic to topic as Romney fought to stay afloat here.

At the beginning of the week, Romney attacked rival Rick Santorum over voting rights for felons. Then he went after Gingrich's claims that he created jobs under President Ronald Reagan, saying Gingrich was living in "fantasyland." Meanwhile, his surrogates held a series of conference calls attacking his rivals, first calling Gingrich an unreliable leader and then pivoting to attack his ethics record.

In Thursday night's GOP debate, Romney continued his string of off-message remarks about his wealth, saying he has lived "in the real streets of America." A multimillionaire, he has three homes, one each in Massachusetts, California and New Hampshire.

Romney held three campaign events Friday in his last-ditch push to stem Gingrich's momentum. After stopping in Gilbert, he held a rally in North Charleston and flew to Greenville in the conservative upstate for a nighttime rally and a stop at his campaign headquarters before an evening event in Columbia, the state capital.

On a plane between events Friday night, Romney was outwardly cheerful in spite of a difficult day ahead, gamely bantering with reporters as he served pastries from Panera Bread.

"Pain au chocolat, smart move!" he said to one, proferring the box and a pair of tongs to take the desserts.

As he moved farther back into the plane, though, he dispensed with the tongs.

"Just use your fingers," he said. "To heck with it!"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney

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Libya had undeclared chemical weapon stockpile (AP)

AMSTERDAM ? International inspectors have confirmed that late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had an undeclared stockpile of chemical weapons, the organization that oversees a global ban on such armaments announced Friday.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said inspectors who visited Libya this week found sulfur mustard and artillery shells "which they determined are chemical munitions," meaning the shells were not filled with chemicals, but were designed specifically to be loaded with chemical weapons.

"They are not ready to use, because they are not loaded with agents," OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan said.

He would not divulge the amounts of chemicals in the previously unknown stockpile, except to call it "a fraction" of what Gadhafi disclosed in the past.

Libya's new rulers told the Hague-based organization about the chemicals last year after toppling Gadhafi from power. The longtime Libyan strongman was killed in October after being captured by rebel fighters.

The newly confirmed chemical armaments are stored at the Ruwagha depot in southeastern Libya together with chemical weapons that Gadhafi had declared to international authorities in 2004 as he tried to shake off his image as an international pariah and rebuild relations with the West.

He declared his regime had 25 metric tons (27.6 tons) of sulfur mustard and 1,400 metric tons (1,543 tons) of precursor chemicals used to make chemical weapons. His regime also declared more than 3,500 unfilled aerial bombs designed for use with chemical warfare agents such as sulfur mustard, and three chemical weapons production facilities.

Those stockpiles were being destroyed until a technical problem halted destruction last year at the same time as the popular uprising began that led to Gadhafi's ouster and death.

Libya was to have completed destruction of its chemical weapons by April 29 of this year, but can no longer meet the deadline after the turmoil that roiled the country last year. The country's new government now has until that date to file a plan and proposed completion date for destroying its entire chemical weapon stockpile.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_eu/eu_libya_chemical_weapons

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Friday, January 20, 2012

'Red Tails' Cast Learned From Real Tuskegee Airmen

'They were there to validate and chastise our decisions at the same time,' Elijah Kelley said of airmen's role.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


David Oyelowo in "Red Tails"
Photo: Jiri Hanzl

There was a lot of pressure on the cast of the upcoming true-life World War II drama, "Red Tails." Not only did they have to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American air regimen in the U.S., but they also had to appease the actual airmen who worked as consultants on the film.

MTV News sat down with Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley and Ne-Yo to discuss the relationship between the actors and the real-life historical figures.

Wilds explained that having some of the real Tuskegee Airmen on the set of "Red Tails" made things both easier and harder. With the added pressure came a real sense of insurance.

"It's hard. It definitely is pressure because you're holding the historical importance of these guys basically in your hands while you're creating this film," Wilds said. "But I think having them on set and being there with us and helping us with everything, it kind of made everything so much easier."

Kelley summarized the airmen's dual role on the film, saying, "they were there to validate and chastise our decisions at the same time."

Ne-Yo learned the hard way that when you want to portray real-life figures, you're responsible to them for even the smallest of details. "A few of the existing Tuskegee Airmen were on set making sure that everything was as genuine and authentic as possible to the point where they would grab you and shake you and straighten your tie and pull your pants up and pull your belt," Ne-Yo said. "They would go that far, and you basically just had to take it."

All the men agreed that when it came to taking orders from the real deal, you had little choice but to accept their tips. "An 80-plus-year-old man grabs you and fixes your belt, you might just want to let him do it," Ne-Yo said.

Wilds agreed, saying, "It's a lot of years of strength." Are you planning on seeing "Red Tails"? Let us know in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677553/red-tails-movie-tuskegee-airmen.jhtml

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