Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Japan population to shrink by one-third by 2060

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Associated Press

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

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Another 'American Idol' alum heading to Broadway (AP)

NEW YORK ? A former "American Idol" contestant is heading to Broadway with a character who, it's safe to say, is truly two-faced.

Constantine Maroulis will play the title dual role in a revival of the musical "Jekyll & Hyde" that's slated to come to New York in spring 2013 after a 25-week national tour that starts in San Diego on Oct. 2, Nederlander Presentations Inc. announced Sunday.

Maroulis, who was a finalist on the fourth season of "American Idol," had a three-year run in Broadway's "Rock of Ages" and received a best actor Tony nomination and a Drama League nomination for his performance. He also played the role of Roger Davis in a recent national tour of "Rent."

Maroulis made his Broadway debut in "The Wedding Singer" and is currently in the title role of "Toxic Avenger" at the Alley Theatre in Houston. His debut album, "Constantine," was released on his own label, Sixth Place Records.

"Jekyll & Hyde" features a story and lyrics by two-time Oscar winner Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn, who co-conceived the musical. It will be directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun.

Additional cast and creative team, as well as tour cities, will be announced later.

Wildhorn has had a tough time on Broadway recently, with back-to-back shows that have failed. His show this spring called "Wonderland," an updated telling of "Alice in Wonderland," was poorly reviewed and his "Bonnie & Clyde" recently closed early this season.

"Jekyll & Hyde" made its Broadway debut in 1997 with such songs as "This is the Moment," "A New Life" and "Someone Like You," earning four Tony nominations. It tells the story of a London doctor who accidentally unleashes his evil alternate personality in his quest to cure his father's mental illness.

Robert Cuccioli played the lead, and Sebastian Bach and David Hasselhoff later took over. After 1,543 performances, the production played its final performance on Jan. 7, 2001.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_en_ot/us_theater_jekyll_and_hyde

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Monday, January 30, 2012

19-year-old dies in fall from Park City chairlift

A 19-year-old University of Utah student has died after falling about 30 feet from a Park City ski resort's chairlift.

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Canyons Ski Resort spokesman Steve Pastorino says the woman may have been suffering a medical episode when she fell from the High Meadow lift just before noon on Sunday.

He says ski patrol workers arrived within one minute of the fall to give first aid. She was pronounced dead about two hours later.

Resort officials say the lift is on a slope used for beginners and has chairs with safety bars. Investigators aren't sure whether the woman was using the bar when she fell.

Her name has not yet been released.

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

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46190136/ns/travel-news/

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China: Punish Philippines (Politico)

BEIJING - An official Chinese newspaper says Beijing must punish the Philippines economically for proposing closer military ties with Washington.

The nationalist tabloid Global Times, published by the Communist Party?s People?s Daily, said Sunday that China must pressure Manila to abandon cooperation with the United States.

Continue Reading

China and the Philippines, along with other nations, are locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, and Beijing sees the United States as an unwelcome interloper in that dispute.

U.S. and Philippine officials agreed last week to increase cooperation in various areas including maritime security and defense. The Philippines said it is considering more joint military exercises and a greater presence by American troops.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_72114_html/44345580/SIG=11mgae9u3/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72114.html

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Video: Costa Concordia passengers offered $14k

The company that owns the Costa Concordia is offering $14,000 to cover the cost of cruise tickets and travel expenses but many passengers have declined the deal. NBC?s Brian Williams reports.

>>> the company that owns the costa concordia is looking to cut a deal with passengers who were forced to abandon ship before it capsized off the coast of italy, looking to lessen the wave of class action lawsuits that are likely headed its way, the company is offering passengers a $14,000 settlement rye now, in addition to a refund plus travel expenses . as you can imagine, a lot of passengers decided to take a pass on accepting the deal.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46169831/

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Fresh iPhone Apps for Jan. 27: Frequency, Steam Mobile, RAGE HD update, Baseball Superstars 2012 (Appolicious)

Start your weekend with all the best videos the Internet has to offer with Frequency, an iPad app that makes finding and organizing great videos from all over the place a snap. It?s our top Fresh App today, followed by Steam Mobile, an iOS app that ties to the popular digital video game download portal and lets you impulse-buy during Steam?s crazy game sales no matter where you are. A big update with new levels to RAGE HD tops off our games picks for this weekend, followed by a new, free edition to the Baseball Superstars series from Gamevil.

You might think of Frequency as a kind of Pandora for video. The app makes it easy to find and watch videos from a variety of sources right on your iPad, but what?s better is that it will create customized channels for you based on your preferences. You can create channels based on your favorite sites, on specific topics and trends, or even just a running list of what your friends are sharing on Facebook and Twitter.

Frequency makes it easy to group videos into channels and see everything you want quickly and easily, but it also helps you search through all that information for the best bits. The app will pull highlights from all your channels that you can flip through more quickly, keep you up to date on trends and allow you to find things you?re already following quickly with its TUNER feature. It also includes AirPlay support, which means you can watch your videos on your other iOS devices, including Apple TV.

An iOS tie-in to the uber-popular online video game distribution, Steam allows PC gamers the ability to access their accounts on the portal, talk to friends, view games and trailers ? basically everything they can do with the Steam PC app, except for the part about playing video games. But you can still shop for them and purchase them to be digitally downloaded on your computer when you return to it.

Steam lets you search for games, see new releases, read about titles and watch their trailers, all from your iOS device. You can buy games for yourself or for friends, or add them to your ?wishlist? for later (or to encourage people to give you gifts). You?ll need a Steam account to access your account through the app, and the system is currently still in beta, so you?ll need to wait for developer Valve to send you an invite. But downloading the app and signing-in puts you on Valve?s list of interested users, which might help fast-track your beta invite.

Last year, id Software released RAGE HD as an iOS title to go along with its first-person shooter, also titled RAGE. The iOS version contains some slick graphics and great shooter controls, making use of both the touchscreen and the built-in gyroscope to make aiming your weapons feel natural. A ?rail shooter,? RAGE takes care of the movement in the game (it?s as if you were on a rollercoaster), while you do the shooting.

A big update has just dropped for the title, bringing new content to iOS players. RAGE HD contains two new levels to work through, filled with pesky, murderous mutants. Those levels can be downloaded through in-app purchase, and the game now supports HDMI output so you can play on your TV and iOS 5. It?s also received a host of bug fixes to tighten up the experience.

Gamevil?s yearly update to its cartoonish home run-hitting baseball title has gone freemium in Baseball Superstars 2012, but the core of the game will keep fans of the long-running series happy. Like other titles in the Baseball Superstars series, you?ll manage your team and play against others, both computer controlled and online, where you?ll do the pitching and the hitting for your team.

Baseball Superstars 2012 features HD graphics and online play that allows you to take on other players as well as trade your baseball team members with your friends. It also features a story campaign you can work through on your own with multiple endings, and Game Center support for achievements and leaderboards.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10885_fresh_iphone_apps_for_jan_27_frequency_steam_mobile_rage_hd_update_baseball_superstars_2012/44325623/SIG=14cgk2609/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10885-fresh-iphone-apps-for-jan-27-frequency-steam-mobile-rage-hd-update-baseball-superstars-2012

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

'She wants the best for me'

Tim Ream, Cornell Glen, Ryan Johnson

By STUART CONDIE

updated 2:45 p.m. ET Jan. 26, 2012

LONDON - Sun and sand in Tahiti or the gray skies of northwest England? For Tim Ream, there was only one choice.

Contacted by English Premier League club Bolton the day after his wedding, the 24-year-old American defender canceled his honeymoon on the Pacific island and headed east instead.

Ream convinced Bolton manager Owen Coyle of his worth while training in December with Bolton's squad and completed a transfer from Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls on Thursday.

"I was married for all of 24 hours when I got the phone call," Ream said. "The manager asked if I'd be willing to cancel the honeymoon and come to Bolton and honeymoon here. As much as we were disappointed that we had to pass up the trip, I think we both knew it was in our best interests. Hopefully, it shows my commitment to being here and doing well here."

Ream's wife took a little more convincing.

"I can't really repeat what she said," Ream said. "But her and I have talked, and as long as we're together in whatever we do I think both of us will be happy. She wants the best for me, and I just want her to be happy.

"If she says tomorrow that she wants something, then I guess I'll have to give it to her."

Ream fills the gap in Bolton's roster created by the sale of Gary Cahill to Chelsea earlier in Europe's January transfer window.

Ream joins fellow American Stuart Holden, who signed with Bolton in January 2010. The midfielder, a member of the 2010 U.S. World Cup team, has been limited to one appearance since March because of a knee injury.

The transfer fee of about $2.75 million is the highest for an MLS defender and sixth overall, trailing only those for Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Stern John, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey.

Ream signed a 3?-year contract. Coyle said Arsenal wanted to sign Ream before the current English season.

"I knew there was interest in me when I came over last year and trained for a couple of weeks, and then after Christmas time things really did start to ramp up," Ream said. "Negotiations started, and that's when I knew things were getting serious. Even before that week I aimed to challenge myself in England and, if an opportunity arose, I wanted to come over and try to make it here."

Coyle is sure Ream has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League.

"He is a U.S. international ? a player that year-on-year has progressed and got better, and he will continue to do that," Coyle said. "Tim is everything that we want in the players we are bringing to the club when we spend in the transfer market. He is young, has a tremendous attitude and a winning mentality."

A finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award in 2010, Ream was selected to the MLS All-Star team last year and has played seven times for the U.S. national team.

"This was a hard decision for me considering the fact that I enjoyed playing for the Red Bulls and was looking forward to the upcoming MLS season," Ream said. "However, after consulting with those closest to me, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance that I could not pass up."

Bolton is 17th in the 20-team Premier League, just a point above the relegation zone after 22 of 38 matches.

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


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'She wants the best for me'

U.S. defender Tim Ream cancels his honeymoon in Tahiti and heads east after being contated by English Premier League club Bolton.

Solo out?

Hope Solo has an ailing leg, the result of some extra work she was putting in to get back into playing shape after "Dancing With the Stars."

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46151880/ns/sports-soccer/

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Video: Divers battle underwater debris from Costa Concordia

New video of the sunken ship shows a dining room tilted on its side, some tables still bolted to the floor. NBC?s Brian Williams reports.

>>> new underwater video tonight shows how tough it's been to recover those who perished onboard the costa concordia crew ship disaster. divers are battling poor visibility, dangerous conditions under water. they may never find the 19 souls still missing, including a retired couple from the state of minnesota.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46155805/

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Jean Smith, Junior League president and Nancy Reagan confidant, dies at 93

Jean Webb Vaughan Smith, a member of the Reagans' inner circle who championed volunteerism as national president of the Association of Junior Leagues, died Wednesday in Los Angeles of natural causes, her family said. She was 93.

Smith joined the Junior League in the 1950s, rising to president of the Los Angeles chapter in 1954 and Western regional director in 1956. She served as national president from 1958 to 1960.

Her decades of public service also included government appointments and civic roles, including serving on the boards of the Blue Ribbon, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the United Way, the American Red Cross, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the California Arts Commission.

A seasoned Washington wife, she was close to two Republican administrations. Her first husband, George William Vaughan, was assistant secretary of defense under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her second husband, William French Smith, was attorney general under President Ronald Reagan.

Nancy Reagan remembered Jean Smith in a statement Wednesday as "an incredibly kind and caring woman, and a good friend. ... When Bill was named attorney general and they moved to Washington, D.C., Jean and I found ourselves reminiscing together on more than one occasion as we shared a little bit of homesickness for California."

Born in Los Angeles on Aug. 5, 1918, Smith attended Los Angeles and Beverly Hills high schools before entering Stanford University to study Greek and Latin. She met Vaughan at Stanford, graduated in 1940 and married him two years later. After World War II service, they settled in Los Angeles, where he prospered as an auto dealer and she raised their two children.

"When I went to Stanford, you got married, and then you did volunteer work. And I ran that into the ground," she quipped in a 1984 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Noting that she "must have always wanted to run things," she quickly rose through the ranks of the Junior League, eventually overseeing 75,000 members in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

She was married to Vaughan for 21 years, until his death in 1963. She is survived by their children, Bill of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Merry Vaughan Dunn of Ojai, Calif., and five grandchildren.

After Vaughan died, Smith worked briefly in the public affairs office at San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel, where she met William French Smith. They were married in 1964.

William became Ronald Reagan's personal lawyer, confidant, business adviser and, in 1981, attorney general. Jean served on the President's Advisory Commission on White House Fellowships.

They enjoyed the Washington social scene, where Jean drew some unwelcome attention from Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen.

"The ears of Mrs. William French Smith dangle earrings that cost more than a house," Cohen wrote in a 1982 piece attacking the Reagan administration for being insensitive to the needs of ordinary citizens.

Smith fired back in a letter critical of Cohen. She said her earrings were fakes that cost about $40, just enough to buy "a small doghouse, into which he could fit."

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/26/2610629/jean-smith-junior-league-president.html

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

O2 accidentally exposes customers' phone numbers

FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2005 file photo, pedestrians walks past an O2 shop in London. An untold number of U.K. residents may have unwittingly broadcast their numbers to sites across the Web while browsing the Internet with their cellphones during the past two weeks, mobile service provider O2 said Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 31, 2005 file photo, pedestrians walks past an O2 shop in London. An untold number of U.K. residents may have unwittingly broadcast their numbers to sites across the Web while browsing the Internet with their cellphones during the past two weeks, mobile service provider O2 said Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

(AP) ? An untold number of U.K. residents may have unwittingly broadcast their numbers to sites across the Web while browsing the Internet with their cellphones during the past two weeks.

Mobile service provider O2 said Wednesday that a glitch had exposed the numbers of smartphone-toting customers who connected to the Internet over the company's network.

The company, a major subsidiary of Spain's Telefonica, S.A., has some 22 million customers in Britain. It was unclear how many of those may have been affected and a call seeking further comment from O2 was not immediately returned.

The glitch was "potentially very serious," said Matt Bath, the technology editor for British consumer watchdog Which?

"You are making private information available into the wilds of the Web," he said. "A lot of good websites won't do anything with that data at all (but) there's a potential for a rogue website to harvest the information. That is an open door when it comes to spam, which is annoying, but also outright scams."

O2 said in a blog post that the company routinely shares its customers' telephone numbers with what it described as "trusted partners" for purposes such as age-verification and billing for premium content. But because of a glitch introduced during a routine maintenance operation around January 10, "there has been the potential for disclosure of customers' mobile phone numbers to further website owners."

O2 said it had fixed the bug Wednesday and apologized for any concern caused. But Bath said the damage may already have been done.

"This genie is completely out of the bottle," he said. "Some unruly website may be rubbing their hands with glee at the data bounty that's landed on their laps."

The Information Commissioner's Office, Britain's data protection watchdog, said it was looking into the potential breach.

"When people visit a website via their mobile phone they would not expect their number to be made available to that website," the office said in a statement.

___

Online:

O2's blog: http://blog.o2.co.uk/

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-25-EU-Britain-Phone-Nos-Exposed/id-d7dfd7ac238b42708e42086245bee573

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Shoulder pain from using your ipad? Don't use it on your lap

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The sudden popularity of tablet computers such as the Apple iPad? has not allowed for the development of guidelines to optimize users' comfort and well-being. In a new study published in Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, Microsoft Corporation, and Brigham and Women's Hospital report that head and neck posture during tablet computer use can be improved by placing the tablet higher to avoid low gaze angles, and through the use of a case that provides optimal viewing angles.

"Compared to typical desktop computing scenarios, the use of media tablet computers is associated with high head and neck flexion postures, and there may be more of a concern for the development of neck and shoulder discomfort," said lead investigator Jack T. Dennerlein, PhD, of the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Fifteen experienced tablet users completed a set of simulated tasks with two media tablets, an Apple iPad2 and a Motorola Xoom. Each tablet had a proprietary case that could be adjusted to prop up or tilt the tablet computer. The Apple Smart Cover allows for tilt angles of 15? and 73?, and the Motorola Portfolio Case allows for tilt angles of 45? and 63?. Four user configurations were tested: Lap-Hand, where the tablet was placed on the lap; Lap-Case, with the tablet placed on the lap in its case set at the lower angle setting; Table-Case, with the tablet placed on a table with its case at the lower angle; and Table-Movie, with the tablet placed on a table with its case at the higher angle.

During the experiment, users completed simple computer tasks such as Internet browsing and reading, game playing, email reading and responding, and movie watching. Head and neck postures and gaze angle and distance were measured using an infrared three-dimensional motion analysis system.

Head and neck flexion varied significantly across the four configurations and across the two tablets tested. The iPad2 was associated with more flexed postures when it was placed in its case. This appeared to be driven by differences in case design, which drastically altered the tablet tilt angle and the corresponding viewing angle. For both tablets, the gaze angle changed in a similar fashion to the head flexion across all configurations, with non-perpendicular viewing angles causing increased head and neck flexion. Head and neck flexion angles were greater, in general, than reported for desktop or notebook computing.

Only when the tablets were used in the Table-Movie configuration, where the devices were set at their steepest case angle setting and at the greatest horizontal and vertical position, did posture approach neutral. This suggests that tablet users should place the tablet higher, on a table rather than a lap, to avoid low gaze angles, and use a case that provides steeper viewing angles. However, steeper angles may be detrimental for continuous input with the hands. "Further studies examining the effects of tablet and configuration on arm and wrist postures are needed to clarify and complete the postural evaluation," noted Dr. Dennerlein.

"Our results will be useful for updating ergonomic computing standards and guidelines for tablet computers. These are urgently needed as companies and health care providers weigh options to implement wide-scale adoption of tablet computers for business operations," Dr. Dennerlein concluded.

###

The study, "Touch-Screen Tablet User Configurations and Case-Supported Tilt Affect Head and Neck Flexion Angles," by Justin G. Young, Matthieu Trudeau, Dan Odell, Kim Marinelli, Jack T. Dennerlein has been made freely available at http://iospress.metapress.com/content/x668002xv6211041/fulltext.pdf.

IOS Press: http://www.iospress.com

Thanks to IOS Press 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/117037/Shoulder_pain_from_using_your_ipad___Don_t_use_it_on_your_lap

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

"Can Olive Garden be fixed?" (quit snickering foodies)

By msnbc.com staff and news services

Sometimes all-you-can-eat breadsticks just aren?t enough.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Olive Garden is losing customers and is trying to change strategy to win customers back.

We will pause while self-described foodies snark themselves silly and the chain?s defenders snark themselves silly over how self-important and fun-free said foodies can be.

Darden Restaurants Inc. owns Olive Garden, as well as Red Lobster and several smaller national chains such as The Capital Grille. The company declined to comment for the Tribune article, which reported the following major changes coming:

  • New menu focusing on lower-priced items.
  • Remodeled restaurants.
  • Getting rid of the ever-so-perky commercials.

Analysts interviewed by Tribune seemed to think Darden, which has a history of pulling off turnarounds, was up to the task.

"Can Olive Garden be fixed? Absolutely. Yes. Is it an easy fix? No," said Mark Kalinowski, a restaurant analyst who covers Darden for Janney Capital Markets.

Darden shares were off 1.16 percent in midday trading Tuesday.

It was the second negatively-themed article in a major news outlet in slightly over a month. In late December the Wall Street Journal reported on the problems the chain was having revamping its menu --?even down to the fact that the foundation of its customer base didn?t? want the company messing with type of bowls it served its all-you-can-eat salad in.

We called Olive Garden?s spokersperson for a comment and haven?t heard back from her.

The Journal article did contain this bit of self-awareness from John Caron, president of Olive Garden. ?"We don't use the word authentic," he said. The company would rather be thought of as "Italian-inspired."

?We?re not going to pile on Olive Garden. Yes, they can be accused of using way too much cheese and cooking their pasta several offramps past al dente. But we also, long ago, worked in a little California town where one opening was the talk of the community for months.

What?s your Olive Garden experience?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/24/10225794-can-olive-garden-be-fixed-quit-snickering-foodies

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Reese Witherspoon To Premiere 'This Means War' Clip On MTV

Actress will join MTV News for a sit-down airing January 31 at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com.
By Gil Kaufman


Reese Witherspoon and Tom Hardy in "This Means War"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

Reese Witherspoon will sit down with MTV News for an exclusive interview and premiere of a previously unseen clip from her upcoming film "This Means War." The special, "MTV First: Reese Witherspoon," will air on January 31 at 7:56 p.m. ET on MTV.

Following the on-air segment, Academy Award winner Witherspoon will stay for an additional 30-minute interview on MTV.com with MTV News' Josh Horowitz. Fans can be a part of the action right away by submitting video or text questions starting Monday (January 23) on MTV.com or via Twitter by using the @MTVNews hashtag #MTVFirst.

Witherspoon stars in the McG-directed comedy-action film as a seductive female dating two of the world's deadliest CIA operatives (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) whose partnership and friendship is put in jeopardy when they begin to battle for her affections. Instead of 'fessing up to her about the love triangle, they try to settle the matter using all the weapons at their disposal.

The film also stars one of Witherspoon's real-life pals, comedian and "Chelsea Lately" host Chelsea Handler, who gives Reese's character the terrible advice that she should continue dating both men.

After positive word-of-mouth during test screenings, Twentieth Century Fox pushed the movie's release date up by three days to Valentine's Day (February 14). "After all," said director McG, "everyone needs a little action on Valentine's Day."

Check out everything we've got on "This Means War."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677714/this-means-war-reese-witherspoon.jhtml

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Romney paid $3M in federal income tax in 2010 (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid about $3 million in federal income taxes in 2010, having earned more than seven times that from his investments and making him among the wealthiest of American taxpayers.

At the same time, Romney gave nearly $3 million to charity ? about half of that amount to the Mormon Church ? which helped lower his effective tax rate to a modest 14 percent, according to records his campaign released early Tuesday.

For 2011, he'll pay about $3.2 million with an effective tax rate of about 15.4 percent, the campaign said. Those returns haven't yet been filed yet with the Internal Revenue Service.

The former Massachusetts governor had been under pressure in recent weeks to release his tax returns, his GOP opponents casting him as a wealthy businessman who slashed jobs in the private sector. Rival Newt Gingrich made public his returns on Saturday, showing he paid almost $1 million in income taxes ? a tax rate of about 31 percent.

Romney's campaign confirmed the details of his tax information after several news organizations saw a preview of the documents. He had said planned to release his returns in full Tuesday morning, and campaign officials would be prepared to discuss them in detail with reporters.

"You'll see my income, how much taxes I've paid, how much I've paid to charity," Romney said during Monday night's debate in Tampa. "I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more. I don't think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes."

Romney's 2010 returns show the candidate is among the top 1 percent of taxpayers. The returns showed about $4.5 million in itemized deductions, including $1.5 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Before the tax records were released, Romney's old investments in two controversial government-backed housing lenders stirred up new questions at the same time his campaign targeted Gingrich for his work for Freddie Mac.

Gingrich earned $1.6 million in consulting fees from Freddie Mac even though Romney has as much as $500,000 invested in the U.S.-backed lender and its sister entity, Fannie Mae.

The dimensions and the sources of Romney's wealth, which he has estimated to be as much as $250 million, have become pivotal issues in the roiling GOP primary campaign. For months, Romney dismissed calls to release his personal income tax records. But after mounting criticism from his rivals and others, coupled with his stinging weekend loss to Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, Romney agreed to release his 2010 return and 2011 estimate.

Romney already has acknowledged that his current tax rate is about 15 percent, a level far lower than standard rates for high-income earners and similar to the capital gains rate. "I'm proud of the fact that I pay a lot of taxes," Romney said.

The current lowest rate for long-term capital gains is 15 percent, but a higher rate of 20 percent had been in effect since 1981 until President George W. Bush signed into law a massive tax cut program in 2001.

Romney's vast investments contain other funds than the ones he profited from as a Bain Capital executive. But it was unclear whether he had any direct role in handling the investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that appear on his 2012 presidential disclosure.

One investment, listed as a "Federated Government Obligation Fund" and worth between $250,000 and $500,000, was a mutual fund that included both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assets among a larger pool that included other government securities.

The holding was not listed in Romney's blind trust, which led some Democratic Party activists to suggest that the investment was under his direct control.

"He is relentlessly attacking Newt Gingrich over his ties to Freddie Mac despite the fact that he personally invested up to a half a million dollars in both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," said Ty Matsdorf, a senior adviser with American Bridge 21st Century, a PAC associated with Democratic Party and liberal causes.

Former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts, a Gingrich supporter, said Monday that Romney was on a slippery slope calling his opponent a lobbyist and raising doubts about Gingrich's work for Freddie Mac. But he did not directly address Romney's investments with the lender or with Fannie Mae.

"Some might see it as splitting hairs. But Newt Gingrich was not walking the halls of House and Senate," Watts said on a conference call arranged by the campaign. "He was never doing the hand-to-hand combat doing the lobbying, consulting, whatever you want to call it."

A Romney campaign official who insisted on anonymity to discuss that investment in greater detail said that Romney's trustee had bought the government investment fund in 2007, before the housing crisis broke.

The Romney official said that the government fund was purchased through a charity trust that does not appear in Romney's presidential disclosure but will show up on his income tax return for 2010. That trust, called a Charitable Remainder Unitrust, is a standard tax strategy among the wealthy that provides investors with a fixed payout each year. What remains in the account at a later date, or when the investor dies, is turned over to charity, the official said.

Romney does not directly control the investment account, Romney campaign senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said earlier on Monday. "His investments are controlled by a trustee," Fehrnstrom said.

Separately, Romney's IRA retirement account lists both a Fannie Mae and a Freddie Mac security, each worth between $100,000 and $250,000. But because those are in Romney's IRA, they also appear to be under control of the trustee.

Tax experts said Romney's income tax returns may contain other charity structures and tax strategies designed to both boost his income and charity donations, while minimizing his involvement because of his presidential ambitions.

___

Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt and Brian Bakst in Tampa contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney_s_wealth

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LG?s Quad-Core 2012 Flagship Leaks: The Poorly Code-Named X3

LGX3Other than the LG Spectrum, LG didn't have much to show off by way of phones at this year's CES show. But that doesn't mean that something special isn't in the works. In fact, Pocketnow reports that LG's 2012 flagship will run a Tegra 3 quad-core chipset and go by the name X3, at least for now. The phone likely won't show up on store shelves until spring or summer, but we should hear an announcement (including a retail name) come Mobile World Congress in February.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/JrwKy-kFfDc/

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Polish politician tries to smoke pot in parliament (AP)

WARSAW, Poland ? The leader of a new left-wing party in Poland is threatening to light up a joint in parliament.

It's part of a campaign by Janusz Palikot to get soft drugs legalized, and otherwise liberalize the conservative country.

But his attempt has put him on a collision course with the parliament speaker, who has taken swift action to stop him.

Ewa Kopacz vowed Friday not to let Palikot break the law in parliament, and said that she has reported him to prosecutors.

Palikot, head of Palikot's Movement, plans to introduce a draft law to parliament on Friday decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

He said he also planned to light up a joint in one of the rooms of the large building.

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

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

J&J to pay $158 million to settle Texas Risperdal case (Reuters)

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) ? Johnson & Johnson said on Thursday it will pay $158 million to settle a Texas lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of improperly marketing its Risperdal anti-psychotic drug to state residents on the Medicaid health program for the poor.

The settlement fully resolves all Risperdal-related claims in Texas, the company said. The agreement is specific to the state of Texas and does not involve any other ongoing state or federal Risperdal litigation.

The deal settles claims brought by Texas in 2004 and involves alleged Medicaid overpayments during the years 1994 to 2008 "and will circumvent potentially lengthy and costly appellate activities," according to a statement from J&J's Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit.

The complaint against J&J and several of its units filed in U.S. district court in Texas had alleged that company representatives "targeted every level of the Texas Medicaid Program with misrepresentations about the safety, superiority, efficacy, appropriate uses and cost effectiveness of Risperdal."

(Reporting by Corrie MacLaggan; additional reporting by Bill Berkrot and Ransdell Pierson in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Lisa Von Ahn and Gunna Dickson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120119/hl_nm/us_johnsonandjohnson

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Mortgage rates continue falling

The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped to 3.98% since last week.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) publishes the results of a weekly applications survey that covers roughly 50 percent of all residential mortgage originations and tracks the average interest rate for 30 year and 15 year fixed rate mortgages as well as the volume of both purchase and refinance applications.
The purchase application index has been highlighted as a particularly important data series as it very broadly captures the demand side of residential real estate for both new and existing home purchases.

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'SoldAtTheTop' is not a pessimist by nature but a true skeptic and realist who prefers solid and sustained evidence of fundamental economic recovery to 'Goldilocks,' 'Green Shoots,' 'Mustard Seeds,' and wholesale speculation.

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The latest data is showing that the average rate for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage (from FHA and conforming GSE data) declined 5 basis points to 3.98% since last week while the purchase application volume surged 10.3% and the refinance application jumped a whopping 26.40% over the same period.

With rates trending ever lower, the economy seemingly near recession and the FOMC members becoming more dovish by the day, it will be interesting to see how far rates on the long end can decline.? All things being equal, falling home prices, declining purchase applications and record low long lending rates all appear to indicate a deflationary for the macro-economy.

The above chart shows the average interest rate for 30 year and 15 year fixed rate mortgages since 2006 as well as the purchase, refinance and composite loan volumes (click for larger dynamic full-screen version).

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here.To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on paper-money.blogspot.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/aoBmk9gC7_g/Mortgage-rates-continue-falling

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Friday, January 20, 2012

Maldives vice president joins calls to free judge (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ? The Maldives' vice president joined calls Friday for the release of a detained senior judge, in a sign of divisions within the government of President Mohamed Nasheed.

Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan criticized the "extrajudicial arrest" this week of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed after he ordered the release of a detained government critic. Hassan told The Associated Press the detention sets a bad precedent for the country's new democracy.

Nasheed's government has been accused of using the military and police to crack down on critics and of defying court rulings.

A group of journalists accused the government Thursday of harassing media that are covering the present political crisis and the judge's arrest. They said the government has penalized television stations for broadcasting opinions expressed by opposition politicians, and an independent regulator, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission, said the country's communications minister has threatened to withdraw the frequencies of TV and radio stations if the commission does not properly monitor them.

The judge is being detained by the military despite orders by the country's Supreme Court and prosecutor general that he be released.

"When it comes to the judiciary, its head is the chief justice and the rulings of the chief justice should be obeyed by all parties," Hassan said.

"I think the government is in a very difficult situation because of this."

Maldives had 30 years of autocratic rule before Nasheed led a successful pro-democracy campaign that brought him to power in 2008. His government established free elections, an independent judiciary, and human rights and media commissions.

Hassan acknowledged there was a clear disagreement between him and Nasheed over the judiciary but insisted they could still work together.

Judge Mohamed's arrest sparked street protests in the capital, Male, which were broken up by police using tear gas.

On Friday, police arrested a prominent Muslim cleric and leader of a hard-line religious political party for allegedly inciting hatred during a protest. Several politicians including a lawmaker were also arrested.

Sheik Imran, leader of the Justice party, has been calling for strict Islamic law to be implemented in the Maldives and accused Nasheed of working against Islam, the state religion, with the support of Christians and Jews.

Following a faith other than Islam is forbidden in the Indian Ocean archipelago of 300,000 people.

Imran led a protest last month demanding the government cancel plans to allow direct flights from Israel, stop selling alcohol in the islands where Maldivians live and to dismantle monuments donated by other countries to a South Asia summit which he called idols.

The government has warned of rising fundamentalism and called for a moderate form of Islam to be practiced.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_as/as_maldives_politics

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Jury scheduled to return in war crime trial (AP)

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. ? Court proceedings were scheduled to reconvene Friday in the trial of a major Iraq war crimes case, after a military judge excused jurors for nearly two days and asked lawyers to explore their options.

The judge's actions fueled speculation that a plea deal was in the works that could end the trial of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., who led a squad that killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians.

But defense attorney Neal Puckett told The Associated Press late Thursday that he expected a full day of testimony Friday, with a squad mate and a forensic scientist with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service expected to take the stand.

Wuterich led the squad that killed 24 Iraqis during raids on homes in the town of Haditha in 2005 after a roadside bomb killed one Marine. He faces nine counts of involuntary manslaughter, among other charges.

Puckett said prosecutors also will show outtakes from an interview that Wuterich gave in 2007 to CBS's "60 Minutes." The trial was delayed for years by pre-trial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use the unaired outtakes. Prosecutors eventually won the right to view the footage.

The all-Marine jury at Camp Pendleton, Calif., was excused after a lunch break Wednesday.

The judge, Lt. Col. David Jones, told lawyers after jurors left the room to explore their options. He called for the court to be back in session at 1 p.m. Thursday. But 30 minutes before then, military officials told reporters the jury had been informed not to come back until Friday morning.

Wuterich is one of eight Marines initially charged. None has been convicted.

Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules.

Prosecutors have argued Wuterich lost control of himself after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb.

The incident still fuels anger in Iraq today and was a main reason behind the country's demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from its legal system. Those demands were the deal breaker in keeping forces there after the war ended in December.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120120/ap_on_re_us/us_marines_haditha

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Billionaire donates for Washington Monument repairs

A billionaire history buff has stepped forward to donate the $7.5 million matching gift that's needed to start repairing cracks near the top of the Washington Monument from last summer's East Coast earthquake.

Businessman David Rubenstein told The Associated Press he was inspired to help fund the repairs to the 555-foot obelisk when it became clear how severely damaged it was by a 5.8-magnitude quake on Aug. 23. The monument received about 1 million visitors a year before the famous landmark was closed to the public after the quake.

The Park Service hopes to have a contractor begin work by the end of August. The repair work is expected to take a year to complete, likely keeping the monument closed for two years.

Largest gift
Congress allocated $7.5 million in December on the condition that private donations would match that amount. The National Park Service and nonprofit Trust for the National Mall are expected to announce Rubenstein's gift Thursday morning. It will be the largest gift to the nonprofit group, which aims to raise $350 million to restore the mall's grounds and facilities.

The combined $15 million in public and private funds is expected to cover the cost of repairing damage directly caused by the quake, said National Park Service spokeswoman Carol Johnson. Repairing water damage will cost more, as would a seismic study or reinforcements to strengthen the obelisk against future earthquakes, she said.

Rubenstein, a co-founder of The Carlyle Group, began building the private equity firm's business in Washington and said he wanted to restore a symbol of the nation and hasten repairs to reopen the landmark.

"This Washington Monument is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in the United States next to the Capitol and the Empire State Building," he said. "It could use a little repair work, and I wanted people to get to see it as soon as possible."

Experts have noted the monument needs more than just a little repair work, though it has been deemed structurally sound.

Extensive repairs needed
The August quake was centered some 40 miles west of Richmond, Va., and felt from Canada to Georgia. It damaged the Washington National Cathedral, where pieces of mortar rained down from its vaulted ceiling. At the Washington Monument, panicked visitors fled down flights of stairs on the day of the big shake, but there were no known deaths or serious injuries in the region.

The earthquake caused numerous cracks to form in the obelisk, which was the tallest man-made structure in the world when it was completed in 1884.

Surveillance video taken the day of the quake and later released by the park service showed the spire shaking violently. Daylight could be seen through some of the cracks, the largest of which was reported to be at least 4 feet long and about an inch wide.

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A report in December recommended extensive repairs and reinforcements to preserve the spire. It said some marble panels were cracked all the way through near the top portion of the monument. Cracks near its peak also have left the monument vulnerable to water damage from rain, engineers noted.

Last fall, daredevil engineers on a "difficult access team" rappelled from the top to conduct a visual inspection of the exterior of the obelisk.

Officials said it's unclear whether the work will require scaffolding to be built around the monument, similar to what was erected during a restoration project from 1999 to 2001.

'A true patriot'
Caroline Cunningham, president of the Trust for the National Mall, called Rubenstein "a true patriot" and said his gift "demonstrates how much people care about this space." She said it should serve as an example for other philanthropists.

There has long been talk of sprucing up the mall at the heart of the nation's capital.

A design competition is under way to develop ways to improve the mall, including the Washington Monument grounds. Finalists will be chosen in May, and the group will seek funding for each project. The nonprofit group has targeted parts of the mall that are run down from over use and neglect as a focus for its restoration efforts.

Rubenstein has made large gifts in recent years to Washington's cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center.

The monument, which he visited recently, was built with private $1 donations eventually totaling over $1 million, Rubenstein said. Construction began in 1848, but funds ran out during the Civil War when the monument was left as an embarrassing stump for years. It was finally completed in 1884 and was the world's tallest man-made structure until it was eclipsed by the Eiffel Tower. It remains the tallest structure in Washington.

Rubenstein owns a copy of the Magna Carta, among other historical documents, and reveres George Washington.

"I like to remind people about American history," Rubenstein said. "George Washington is an incredible figure. When he was the head of the Revolutionary War Army, he could have stayed on as really the head of the government when we won the Revolutionary War, but he put down his arms."

___

Trust for the National Mall: http://www.nationalmall.org

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46050494/ns/us_news-giving/

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Call Congress. (Theagitator)

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Bachelor Recap: Shawntel Newton Resuscitated, Pronounced Dead on Arrival


The Bachelor really cranked up the absurdity this week, with girls skiing in San Francisco in bikinis, a contestant leaving voluntarily, one from last season inexplicably returning only to be rejected the same night, one fainting during the rose ceremony (!) and more.

In the end, Ben Flajnik narrowed the field to 15 women, with the rest of us wondering what lengths this awesomely terrible "reality" show will go to next.

Follow this link for The Bachelor spoilers we know so far to see what we think comes next, then join us for THG's +/- Bachelor recap of week three ...

Bikini Ski Trip

BEST SKI TRIP EVER: Kudos to the story editors for conceptualizing this one.

Lindzi, Kacie, Courtney, Emily and Jennifer get mentions when Ben talks to his nice sister Julia about the journey so far. Sorry, other dozen girls! Plus 12.

For reasons unbeknownst to human kind, Ben thinks his sis would hit it off with Courtney. Doesn't he know his own sister? Isn't Julia normal? Minus 15.

Emily gets the first date card which says that "love lifts us up." Cue obligatory climbing / skydiving / bungee jumping date and associated metaphors! Plus 5.

It actually is! They are climbing the Bay Bridge! Plus 8.

We realize sharing an intense experience is a great way to get to know someone, but they seriously recycle the same cliches every single season. Minus 4.

The girls spy on them via telescope. That's classic. Plus 7.

Ben stops to give a petrified Emily a kiss and the courage to go on. Plus 6 for the Top Gun reference ("Talk to me, Goose!") and for being a good guy.

Okay, Em. A little much with the bridge metaphor. Minus 9.

At dinner, Ben says he would love a woman who is smarter than he is, which he thinks Emily is. What a self-assured, grounded guy he's being. Plus 10.

Ben Flajnik Shirtless ImageBen Flajnik Shirtless Pic

Group date time for Blakeley, Jaclyn, Kacie, Erika, Samantha, Jamie, Monica, Rachel, Nicki, Elyse and Casey S., whose name was held back for suspense. Plus 6.

Monica is this season's Vienna Girardi. The girl is loud as hell and loves to show off her breasts. She may have even been topless in a confessional. Plus 8.

Kacie B. is super cute, even if she's terrible at skiing. Most of the rest of the girls make this date look really skanky, but she's super cute! Plus 7.

"Kacie B went down more than any of the girls," Ben says, in the most unintentionally dirty comment of the night. Plus 15 for obviousness.

Rachel attempts to inhale Ben's face at the cocktail party. Minus 9.

Kacie admits to Ben that she's jealous and that's hard for her. Aww. They kiss and are back on good terms again. She's "trouble" Ben says ... positively. Plus 5.

Blakeley whines about how people hate her. Yawn. Minus 3.

"She's the kind of the girl your boyfriend cheats on you with." - Courtney on Blakeley. Courtney, meanwhile, is the kind of girl you just want to never see again in your life. Minus 10.

Brittney gets the second date card, is pretty indifferent, then takes that as her cute to pack her stuff and peace out. Uhh, hmm? Eh, whatever. Plus 19 for Ben pretending to act surprised or as if he cares.

Somehow we don't see her returning, a la Ed. Another bet? Mike Fleiss offered 10 grand to someone who voluntarily left to make room for Shawntel.

Ben gives the rose to Rachel, because they "really connected." In the literal sense, maybe. She attempt to fuse her mouth to his throat. Minus 6.

Lindzi Cox, a.k.a. Horse Girl, gets the date instead, and what a date it is - private concert from Matt Nathanson!!! How does Ben plan such things!? Plus 8.

Minus 7, because we love Lindzi, but that Dumpsville text is so made up.

Ben Flajnik plays the piano, too? What a catch! Plus 10.

Shawntel Newton

Now the good stuff. Shawntel Newton arrives and mysteriously had Chris Harrison on speed dial. Chris tells her she has to go into the cocktail party. Plus 10.

Courtney tries to stir up trouble between Elyse and Lindzi. Minus 20, because we hate girls like that, and Ben has seemed smitten by her since the first night.

And he still is. They kiss, like a lot. Every week. Minus 12.

Shawntel finally shows up and the girls flip the f--k out. Plus 13 for the fallout, but we're still a little surprised Shawntel, who we liked, would agree to this stunt.

It's just a little over the top that they come up with ways of raising the stakes and changing the rules just to stir up drama. We eat it up, but still, Minus 20.

"Who IS SHE?!" - Elyse. Plus 40 for that soundbite alone.

Apparently Shawntel and Ben have talked before, and she wants in. She tells him she's just hoping for a rose, but if he's not feeling it, that's fine. Mature. Plus 7.

Ben hopes the women are welcoming to Shawntel. LOL. Plus 25.

Courtney, Elyse, Jaclyn and Rachel don't like the rules being changed, which is fine, but get over yourselves. It's a show, and Shawntel is not a banshee. Minus 15.

She's a "bitch," "dumpster trash," "Brad's leftovers," you name it. This show is setting women back generations with every episode. Minus 15 more, losers.

Courtney again threatens to leave. Sadly she does not. Minus 11.

At the rose ceremony, Court gets one. Weak. She says she'll accept but tonight was "a lot" and brings up "whats-her-butt." Stab us in the eye. Minus 30.

Roses do to Kacie, Elyse, Jamie, Jennifer, Casey, Blakeley, Monica, Nicki, Samantha and .... then Erika is nauseous and Jaclyn starts freaking out! Plus 12.

Erika Uhlig Picture

If laughing at Erika PASSING OUT DURING THE ROSE CEREMONY is wrong, then we apologize, because we don't ever wanna be right up in here. Plus 28.

Plus 10 for Lindzi, Kacie and Casey, who are not trashing Shawntel.

Erika, Jaclyn and Shawntel remain, with one rose on the line, and NONE OF THEM GET IT! Burn. It's probably a fair decision, but poor Shawntel. Minus 14.

On her way out, Courtney interjects, "See ya!" Eff you. Minus 50.

EPISODE TOTAL: +39! SEASON TOTAL: +121!

Eliminations: Erika Uhlig and Jaclyn Swartz; Brittney and Shawntel.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/the-bachelor-recap-shawntel-newton-returns-pronounced-dead-on-ar/

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