South Carolina Primary Results: Newt Gingrich Upsets Mitt Romney, Shakes Up GOP Race

Mitt Romney was likely never as much of a lock as the mainstream media seems to believe, but Saturday's South Carolina primary results still came as a surprise.

Newt Gingrich rose from the political ashes for the second time with two strong debate performances this week and pulled off an unlikely win in the Palmetto State.

With 40 percent of the vote to Mitt's 27, and nearly all precincts reporting, Newt won big and turned the fluid Republican presidential race on its head once again.

Only a week ago, Romney seemed likely to win all three of the initial contests, a scenario that would have put him on a relatively clear path to the nomination.

But with Thursday’s announcement that Rick Santorum actually won Iowa, followed by today's results, Romney is now a front-runner who has lost two of three.

The result marked a swift, extraordinary turnaround in Gingrich’s fortunes, after he finished well out of the top three in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

So maligned was his candidacy that Newt himself had conceded his campaign might be over for good by tonight if he failed to turn in a strong performance.

He did turn in such a performance, and as such, the quest to represent the GOP against President Barack Obama in November is quite far from over.

This marks the first time that three different Republican candidates have won the first trio of contests in what has been an unpredictable race from the start.

Since 1980, every South Carolina GOP primary winner has gone on to win the nomination, but whether Gingrich can continue that streak is far from certain.

Romney has by far the most formidable financial resources and organization, giving him a big edge Florida, which holds its primary January 31, and beyond.

Santorum finished third and Ron Paul fourth in South Carolina. The candidates square off in a debate once again Monday night in Tampa. Stay tuned ...

Newt South Carolina Victory Speech Clip

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/south-carolina-primary-results-newt-gingrich-upsets-mitt-romney/

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Rap group 2 Live Crew to reunite, tour this summer

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? The rap group that inspired controversy in the early 1990s with songs like "Me So Horny" is reuniting and hitting the road.

Luther Campbell says 2 Live Crew is back together and will tour this summer.

The rapper and producer made the announcement Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, where he is promoting his appearance in the short film "The Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke."

Campbell describes the film as "an art piece" that he did to help young filmmakers who were inspired by his hip-hop work.

Campbell says he "just can't wait to just start practicing" with his old crew. But don't expect them to be "As Nasty As They Wanna Be."

Campbell says the group will "perform the songs and everybody's going to be excited."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-01-21-Film-Sundance-2%20Live%20Crew/id-4cb3639c299545d38579297464ce3a45

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100 Years Ago: Vickers Machine Gun

THE TRACTIONEER: A new breed of farmer-engineer ushering in the era of mechanized agriculture, 1912 Image: Scientific American

February 1962

Error Codes
?Until quite recently the engineer who wanted to improve the quality of a communication channel concentrated his attention on reducing noise, or, to be more precise, on increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. The most direct way to achieve this is to increase the power of the signal. Within the past 15 years a host of new signal-processing devices?notably the electronic computer?have stimulated a different approach for transmitting signals with a minimum of error: the use of error-detecting codes. The principle underlying such codes has a long history. What is new is (1) a body of theory that tells the engineer how close the codes come to ideal performance and (2) techniques for constructing codes.?

Hiding Nukes
?It appears increasingly doubtful that an atomic-weapons test of significant dimension can be concealed either underground or in outer space. A five-kiloton nuclear explosion in an underground salt cavern near Carlsbad, N.M., in December was clearly recorded by seismographs as far away as Tokyo, New York, Uppsala in Sweden and Sodankyla in Finland. The seismograph records included tracings of the ?first motion,? considered critical in distinguishing between earthquakes and underground explosions.?

February 1912

Machine Replaces Muscle
?Probably no agricultural development of the last decade is of more interest or greater significance than the rapid advance in the use of the traction engine. The coming of the gas tractor was the first step in making power farming universally possible. The old-time thresherman was little more than a stationary engineer. With the coming of the all-purpose tractor, his duties multiplied. Besides keeping his engine in trim, he had to learn to drive straight, avoid holes and obstructions, and above all to earn money for the owner of the outfit by keeping it eternally on the move. Out of the necessity has grown a new type?a farmer-engineer of high caliber, tersely termed a ?tractioneer.??

Vickers Machine Gun
?Recently an improved type of the familiar Vickers light automatic rifle-caliber gun has made its appearance, and commands attention owing to its greater mobility and ingenious tripod. An appreciable reduction in weight has been also effected, for whereas the older weapon ready for use weighed 69 pounds, the new gun weighs only 36 pounds. This lessening of weight has been obtained by the use of high-class steel instead of gunmetal in the construction of all the parts.?

This water-cooled machine gun was used extensively during World War I, which broke out two years later. For a look into our archives at the technology of weapons and warfare in 1912, see the slideshow at www.ScientificAmerican.com/feb2012/warfare

February 1862

Does it Work for Shrapnel Wounds?
?The Committee on Military Affairs in the house of Representatives have under consideration the expediency of intro?ducing the system of Samuel Hahnemann [homeo?pathy] into the army. It was agreed to authorize Mr. Dunn to report a bill instructing the Medical Bureau of the War Department to permit, under certain restrictions as to number and qualifi?cations, the employment of graduates of regular Homeopathic colleges as army surgeons. This measure has been fought bitterly in committee, and has for its opponents the entire present medical force of the army. We understand that Gen. McClellan, who is a firm believer in homeopathy, is anxious to have the system tested in the army. Why not try it? It has thousands of firm believers in the country, and is rapidly gaining ground.?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b4f380399d382141fe3b2522a9175149

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[OOC] Hogwarts: The Golden Years of 1942

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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I'd like to reserve a male student, please...can we choose we're sorted into or you choose it for us? 'cause if we can choose which house, please let me be in Slytherin ^^

feral gale

Member for 0 years

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Hi, yes you can choose your own house, and no need for reservations there is no limit on characters for this RP so just submit a character when your ready :)

Calvazara

Member for 1 years

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Now I know that Mcgonangal was a student at Hogwarts at this time but was Trelawney if so can I play Sybil Trelawney. I don't know if it was officially confirmed that she was. Maybe it never was but it always seemed to me that Sybil and Minerva were in school at the same time and didn't get along to well.

snipergirl24

Member for 1 years

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Hello @snipergirl24, well I have done some research and it seems Sybil was born in the late 60s, however you could play her mother? She was never mentioned but it could be an interesting concept, I am also letting people play the official characters so if you would like to take Minerva then feel free :)

Calvazara

Member for 1 years

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I would gladly play Minerva I just assumed that someone was playing her in the other roleplay.

snipergirl24

Member for 1 years

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Pakistani government bows to top court's demand

The pictures of Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, right, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with wording 'Who will save Pakistan... Zardai, alliance and people', is seen on a banner in front of the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Gilani is scheduled to make a rare appearance Thursday before the Supreme Court, which has initiated contempt proceedings against him for failing to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen the graft case against his ally, Zardari. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

The pictures of Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, right, and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with wording 'Who will save Pakistan... Zardai, alliance and people', is seen on a banner in front of the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. Gilani is scheduled to make a rare appearance Thursday before the Supreme Court, which has initiated contempt proceedings against him for failing to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen the graft case against his ally, Zardari. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

In this picture taken on Feb. 17, 2010, Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, right, shakes hand with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani prior to their meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's Supreme Court ramped up the pressure on the nation's beleaguered government Monday, Jan. 16, 2012, beginning contempt proceedings against the Gilani for failing to carry out its order to reopen a corruption case against the president. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistan's government on Thursday bowed to a long-standing Supreme Court demand to debate whether the president enjoys immunity from a past corruption case, a concession that could help defuse a crisis threatening the U.S.-backed administration.

The government agreed to the demand after the court threatened Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani with contempt charges for failing to reopen a decade-old case against his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, and forced the premier to make a rare appearance before the judges.

The court gave Gilani's attorney two weeks to prepare his argument. The period could further reduce heightened tension between the Supreme Court and the beleaguered government, which is also battling the judges and the powerful army over a secret memo sent to Washington last year seeking help in stopping a supposed military coup.

Speculation has been rampant that the combined assault could cause the government's downfall by forcing it to accept calls for early elections. But the government may be heartened by the Supreme Court's decision not to make any immediate moves to hold Gilani in contempt, a charge that could land him in prison for up to six months and disqualify him from holding office.

The government has long defied a 2009 Supreme Court order to write a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen a corruption case against Zardari that dates back to the 1990s, claiming he enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office.

It has also ignored a demand to go before the court to argue the immunity claim, probably because members of the ruling party viewed the court's actions as a partisan campaign to take down Zardari, who has clashed with Supreme Court Chief Justice Mohammad Iftikhar Chaudhry.

Gilani delivered a nearly 10-minute speech Thursday to the seven-judge bench, which did not include Chaudhry. The prime minister expressed respect for the court and said he never intended to "ridicule" the judges. He said it was his belief that Zardari "has complete immunity inside and outside the country."

Gilani's lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, did most of the talking for the prime minister during the session and agreed to formally argue for the president's immunity before the judges when the hearing resumes on Feb. 1.

"I will bow to the court order and will also speak on immunity to satisfy the court that the president has complete immunity," Ahsan told reporters.

Security was especially tight during the court session, which was also attended by several of Gilani's ministers and coalition partners. Police lined the roads in front of the Supreme Court and two helicopters hovered over the building during the hearing.

Supporters and opponents of the government competed for attention outside the court. A group of roughly a dozen women chanted, "Long live Zardari!" while several dozen lawyers shouted slogans in favor of the court chief justice and against the president.

Zardari and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, were found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003 of laundering millions of dollars in kickbacks from Swiss companies when they were in government.

They appealed, and Swiss authorities abandoned the case in 2008 at the request of the Pakistani government. The case was among thousands dropped as a result of an amnesty that allowed Bhutto to return from exile and run for election in 2008. She was assassinated in 2007 during the campaign.

The Supreme Court declared the amnesty unconstitutional in 2009, leaving those covered by it vulnerable to prosecution.

Zardari said recently that the government would never send the letter to the Swiss reopening the case because it would dishonor Bhutto.

Many legal experts agree that Zardari does enjoy immunity from the Swiss corruption case while in office, but the judges gave no indication Thursday of where they stood.

The government is also at locked in bitter conflict with the army over the secret memo scandal. The army was outraged by the memo, which was allegedly sent by the government, and pushed the Supreme Court to set up a commission to investigate. The government has denied any connection to the memo and opposed the commission, saying the matter was already being probed by the parliament.

Some observers have speculated the army is working behind the scenes with the Supreme Court to oust the government. But others believe the judges are acting independently because of the enmity between Zardari and the chief justice and the frustration with the government's refusal to obey court orders.

Since Pakistan was founded in 1947, no civilian government has ever completed a full five-year term before being toppled by a military coup, or forced to call early elections. There have been three coups over that period. A fourth coup is considered unlikely, but the government may call early elections to counter the building political pressure.

___

Associated Press writer Sebastian Abbot contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-19-AS-Pakistan/id-e500409384b74284b29dbb2916104953

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Costa Concordia cruise ship holds a big job for salvage crews

It's a disturbing sight: a massive, half-submerged cruise ship, dashed against rocks on an island off the Tuscan coast of Italy.

But as the gruesome job of searching for missing victims of the Costa Concordia tragedy winds down in the coming days, a daunting task awaits salvage workers poised to deal with the wrecked hulk itself. It's a task that may take months before the scene changes much.

Workers have begun placing booms around the ship to prevent oil spills as crews wait for the OK to start removing 2,400 tons of fuel and oil from the double-hulled vessel, which ran aground last week on the island of Giglio. The removal is estimated to take three to four weeks. Engineers, meanwhile, will gauge the structural damage to the $450-million ship. Next comes the decision on whether to repair and re-float it or cut it into pieces for parts and materials.

The work will be done by salvage companies that will inspect and assess the damage and make recommendations on how to proceed. But the job will be unusual for them: Such companies typically rescue container ships or oil tankers that run aground. Here, they must deal with a 951-foot-long, 17-deck cruise ship with 1,500 cabins.

"This one is quite difficult because you have all these compartments in the ship, which is top-heavy to begin with," said Frances Leckey, operations director for Resolve Marine Group, a Florida company that salvages wrecked ships. "This is not common at all."

Operators of the cruise ship said no decision will be made on whether the Costa Concordia can be repaired until all the missing passengers and crew members are recovered and workers remove the ship's fuel and oil to prevent a leak.

Authorities in Italy have accused the ship's captain of making a reckless maneuver that brought the cruise liner so close to shore that rocks tore holes in the side of the hull.

Of the 4,200 people aboard the ship, at least 11 were killed and 21 were still missing. Search efforts by divers continued Thursday.

"Costa's main focus remains on the search and rescue operation and on getting guests and crew home safely," said a spokesman for Costa Cruises, which operated the ship, carrying 4,200 people.

The spokesman said the cruise line company has not yet determined the cost of the rescue or future repair work. Costa Cruises' parent company, Miami-basedCarnival Corp., has said it expects to lose nearly $100 million from the loss of the use of the ship for at least 10 months. Carnival announced Thursday that in response to the accident it will review all of its safety and emergency response procedures among the 10 subsidiary cruise companies it operates.

The vessel is resting on its starboard side atop protruding rocks, in a position that salvage experts say makes inspecting and repairing the vessel complicated because any movement could drop the ship into deeper water.

"If you get it loose from the rock, there is a risk of slipping down further," said Martijn Schuttevaer, a spokesman for Royal Boskalis Westminster, the parent of Smit Salvage, the Dutch company hired to pump fuel from the Costa Concordia. Costa Cruises has yet to hire a firm to assess the damage to the ship, he said.

Pumping the fuel from the vessel could take three to four weeks and require workers to drill fist-size holes in the hull, Schuttevaer said. Smit workers must heat the fuel so it flows out faster, he said.

While the fuel is being removed, salvage specialists say, divers will probably inspect the vessel to determine the extent of the damage and produce detailed surveys of the rocks and ocean floor around the ship.

"It could take many weeks of preparation and many weeks to execute the salvage plan," said Tim Beaver, president of the American Salvage Assn. trade group.

If Costa Cruises decides to repair the ship, the first steps would be to seal the gashes in the hull and pump the water out of the vessel, salvage experts said. As water is pumped out, they said, crews probably would use cables to help pull the vessel vertical.

But pulling the ship upright could cause more damage to the hull because it rests on coastal rocks, Beaver said. Further complicating the job, he said, is that it may be impossible to position cranes on the rocks on the starboard side to lift the vessel.

"On its most basic level, it is a simple physics problem," said Beaver, who has been working in the marine salvage business for 35 years. "But it's complicated by the details."

Experts say cutting up the vessel and hauling away the pieces on barges would be a simpler task but would take much longer.

"In this case," said Schuttevaer of Smit Salvage, "so much of the ship is above water that you could remove everything above water by hand, bit by bit."

hugo.martin@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/xgt-ycVjSuE/la-fi-cruise-salvage-20120120,0,553088.story

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Growth in prekindergarten slowed in recession (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The expansion in public prekindergarten programs has slowed and even been reversed in some states as school districts cope with shrinking budgets. As a result, many 3- and 4-year-olds aren't going to preschool.

Kids from low-income families who start kindergarten without first attending a quality education program enter school an estimated 18 months behind their peers. Many never catch up, and research shows they are more likely to need special education services and to drop out. Kids in families with higher incomes also can benefit from early education, research shows.

Yet, roughly a quarter of the nation's 4-year-olds and more than half of 3-year-olds attend no preschool, either public or private. Families who earn about $40,000 to $50,000 annually face the greatest difficulties because they make too much to quality for many publicly funded programs, but can't afford private ones, said Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University.

And as more students qualify for free or reduced lunch ? often a qualifier to get into a state-funded prekindergarten program ? many families are finding that slots simply aren't available, he said.

In Arizona, a block grant that funded prekindergarten for a small percentage of kids was cut altogether, although a separate public fund still supports some programs. In Georgia, a drop in state lottery dollars meant shaving 20 days off the prekindergarten school year. Proposed cuts in such programs have led to litigation in North Carolina and legislative battles in places like Iowa.

But even in states like New York, where state funding available for prekindergarten has remained relatively steady in recent years, fewer children have access to the programs because inflation has made them more expensive or districts can't come up with the required matching dollars, said Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education in Albany, N.Y.

Today's climate contrasts with that of 2007, when then-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer promised universal, public prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds. Other governors made similar commitments when the economy was stronger.

Far from meeting Spitzer's goal, just 40 percent of 4-year-olds attend a state-funded prekindergarten program in about two-thirds of the state's school districts, according to the advocacy group Winning Beginning NY.

"I think it's a moment in time when we have to really push harder," Easton said. "Pre-K is proven to be the most effective education strategy that we can invest in. What it means is that because we failed to live up to our commitment so far to our youngest children, more of them will end up out of work or they will make less money than they would've otherwise and more of them will end up in prison."

Barnett's institute has estimated it would cost about $70 billion annually to provide full-day prekindergarten to every 3- and 4-year old in America, including before- and after-care services.

About 40 states fund prekindergarten programs, typically either in public schools or via funds paid to private grantees, for at least some children. That's in addition to the federal Head Start program, which is designed to serve extremely poor children and offers a broader range of social services. In some places, state-funded prekindergarten and Head Start programs are combined.

Typically, state-funded prekindergarten programs have a narrower focus on education and cognitive development and serve a broader population than the federal Head Start program, which serves nearly 1 million kids.

In Wisconsin, school districts that offer prekindergarten to 4-year-olds must offer it universally, and roughly 90 percent of districts do. But budget cuts mean districts are forced to make other changes like increasing the size of pre-K classes.

"Unfortunately, as the awareness and the need (for early learning) becomes more and more evident, our money gets tighter and tighter and tighter and more programs are not instituted in those areas," said Miles Turner, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators.

Three states offer prekindergarten to all 4-year-olds, according to Pre-K Now, a decade-long project of the Pew Center on the States.

The District of Columbia goes a step further, with universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. The program is viewed by many as not just a way to help low-income children in the historically low-performing district, but also as a driver to keep middle- and upper-class families in the city and the school system.

At D.C.'s Powell Elementary School, 3- and 4-year-olds sit cross-legged with whiteboards and black markers in hand as teacher Laura Amling belts out, "Up, down, up, down" over classical music. The tots scribble marks similar to an "M" at her command.

This program is not child care. The schedule is filled with Spanish and other lessons, including "buddy reading," with kids describing books to one another.

The kids eat breakfast and lunch family style, so they learn proper etiquette. Songs are sung as the children move to activities to help curb behavior problems. Teachers teach children coping skills and make home visits to bond with parents and children.

While it's too early to know the long-term impact, Principal Janeece Docal says kindergarteners with a pre-K background are writing sentences and discussing books with 3rd-grade level content.

"They trust their teachers. They love their friends," Docal said. "They are invested in their education and you can see that they own that classroom."

Added Amling, "They want to learn and they are really so happy."

Over the past decade, state dollars for prekindergarten more than doubled nationally to $5.1 billion, while at the same time access increased from a little more than 700,000 children to more than 1 million, according to Pre-K Now.

But cuts in state-funded programs began showing up in the 2009-10 school year, according to Barnett's group. He said he's concerned not just that fewer children will be served, but that the quality of the programs will also be affected.

Still, early childhood learning advocates say they are encouraged, in part, because of a recent federal emphasis on improving early childhood programs.

Nine states were awarded a collective $500 million in grants last month to improve access to and the quality of early childhood programs for kids from birth to age 5. A month earlier, President Barack Obama announced new rules under which lower-performing Head Start programs will have to compete for funding.

Not everyone is convinced it's worth the cost.

Chester E. Finn Jr., president of Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, said the government should tightly target its resources on families who really need the prekindergarten programs and otherwise aren't going to get them.

Finn, who has written a book about preschool policy, said Obama's effort on Head Start is a beginning, but more needs to be done. Finn also questioned whether the government was capable of funding universal prekindergarten at a quality level.

"What the universal programs do is they provide an unnecessary windfall for a lot of families that are otherwise doing this on their own just fine, or pretty well, and not enough for kids who really need it," Finn said.

Richard M. Clifford, senior scientist at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said other developed countries ? including much of Europe ? provide prekindergarten programs.

"Kids come into the regular school better prepared to succeed in school," Clifford said. "In the long term, eventually, I think you'll see all 4-year-olds be eligible for pre-K in this country, but it will take a long time."

___

Online:

Alliance for Quality Education: http://www.aqeny.org

FPG Child Development Institute: http://www.fpg.unc.edu

Head Start: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs

National Institute for Early Education Research: http://nieer.org

Pre-K Now: http://www.preknow.org

Thomas B. Fordham Institute: http://www.edexcellence.net

___

Kimberly Hefling can be followed at http://twitter.com/khefling

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_go_ot/us_prekindergarten_cuts

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