Manchester City turn to Parma's McDonald Mariga after move for Real's Fernando Gago breaks down

Manchester City have made a £7million move for Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga. Roberto Mancini has moved in to head off interest from former club Inter Milan and will offer City striker Valeri Bojinov as part of the deal.
Bojinov has been on loan at Parma and has proved a relative hit. City value him at around £4m and Parma

Hot property: Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga

are happy to accept.
City have moved for the 22-year-old Kenyan after growing frustrated in their bid for Real Madrid's Fernando Gago. Mariga is more combative than Gago.
He is 6ft 2ins tall and has more than 20 caps for Kenya after playing in Scandinavia. Parma are also in the process of signing Luis Jimenez permanently from Inter.
City's move for Roma right-back Marco Motta is on hold though as talks have hit a hitch over his dual ownership with Udinese.
City striker Benjani, meanwhile, will complete his £500,000 move to Sunderland today as revealed by Sportsmail.

Gates To Spend $10bn On Life-Saving Jabs

Bill and Melinda Gates have announced they are pledging $10bn (£6.2bn) over 10 years to provide vaccines for the world's poorest countries.

Melinda Gates, spouse of US IT mogul Bill Gates, speaks with sick people during a visit to Auberge de l'Amour Redempteur hospital

Bill Gates' wife Melinda visits hospital patients in Benin, north Africa

Child mortality could be significantly reduced if governments and the private sector spent more money developing vaccines, the couple said at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.
"We must make this the decade of vaccines," Mr Gates said.
"Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before."
Delivering 90% more vaccines - including new ones to prevent severe diarrhoea and pneumonia - could prevent the deaths of some 7.6 million children under five over the next 10 years, according to the Gates Foundation.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda

The Foundation also estimates that an additional 1.1 million children could be saved by introducing a malaria vaccine from 2014.
Mrs Gates described vaccines as a miracle.
She said: "With just a few doses, they can prevent deadly diseases for a lifetime.
"We've made vaccines our number-one priority at the Gates Foundation because we've seen first hand their incredible impact on children's lives."
If additional vaccines are developed and introduced in this decade - such as for tuberculosis - even more lives could be saved.
The new funding announced is in addition to the $4.5bn (£2.8bn) that the Gates Foundation has already committed to vaccines since its inception.

Osama bin Laden lends unwelcome support in fight against climate change

Drudge, Fox News and other right-wing media seize on al-Qaida leader's taped comments reportedly sent to al-Jazeera

Osama Bin Laden Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images

Climate science is under assault, progress towards a treaty to end global warming is shuddering to a halt, and Barack Obama is struggling to press on with his clean energy agenda.
This was the last conversion to the environmental cause that anybody would have wanted.
In a new audiotape that surfaced today on the al-Jazeera network, Osama bin Laden has pronounced himself a believer in climate change and blames America and other industrialised economies for failing to rein in greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the atmosphere.
"Speaking about climate change is not a matter of intellectual luxury — the phenomenon is an actual fact," the tape says according to al-Jazeera. "All of the industrialized countries, especially the big ones, bear responsibility for the global warming crisis."
The utterance immediately got star billing on the right-wing blog Drudge Report as well as a mention on Fox News - both repositories of opposition to action on global warming. And the Conservative RedState website asked, "What is the difference between Bin Laden and Al Gore?"
The tape whose authenticity has yet to be confirmed by intelligence agencies, is the second purported message from the al-Qaida leader in a week. In the latest recording, he calls out developed world economies for continuing to produce global warming pollution even after signing on to the Kyoto protocol. America stayed outside Kyoto, which Osama noted.
"George Bush junior, preceded by [the US] congress, dismissed the agreement to placate giant corporations. And they are themselves standing behind speculation, monopoly and soaring living costs."
"They are also behind 'globalisation and its tragic implications'. And whenever the perpetrators are found guilty, the heads of state rush to rescue them using public money."
The al-Qaida leaders also calls on the global economy to stop using the US dollar, and praises the political analysis of Noam Chomsky.
Osama's concern for the environment is not exactly new-found, but it is intermittent. In a 2002 letter to the American people, Bin Ladenwrote: "You have destroyed nature with your industrial waste and gases more than any other nation in history. Despite this, you refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement so that you can secure the profit of your greedy companies and industries."
His latest pronouncement comes at a time when the Obama administration might be compelled to retreat on its pledge to bring the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks to trial in a Manhattan courtroom, which has run into intense opposition.
The administration is also trying to find ways of moving ahead on its climate change and energy agenda despite paralysis in Congress.
Obama, in his state of the union address this week, promised to incorporate two cherished Republican energy options — expanding offshore drilling and building more nuclear plants — into his energy plan.
Meanwhile, the White House is doing what it can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — even if Congress fails to bring in climate change legislation.
The White House today announced that it had directed all federal government departments to reduce emissions by 28% over 2008 levels by 2020. That is a more ambitious target than America's official position in the global climate change negotiations — a reduction of 17% over 2005 levels by 2020.
The White House said the action would save 205 million barrels of oil and was the equivalent of taking 17 million cars off the road for one year.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is set to formally declare on Monday that it will take climate change into account in its long-term strategic thinking. The new focus on climate change comes as part of the quadrennial defence review, which is presented to Congress every four years.

Nigeria militants end truce in Niger Delta oil region

The main rebel group in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta says it is ending the ceasefire it declared last October.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Delta (Mend) said it did not believe the government would restore control of resources to local people.
Mend has demanded that residents be given a greater share in profits from oil resources and land.
It warned oil companies to prepare for what it called an all-out onslaught against installations and personnel.
In a statement announcing the end of the ceasefire, Mend said that the decision had been taken "after careful consideration and extensive consultation".
"All companies related to the oil industry in the Niger Delta should prepare for an all-out onslaught," it went on.
"Nothing will be spared," it added.
Militants have carried out a series of attacks which have cost Nigeria millions in lost revenue over the years.
The attacks have meant that facilities in the area have been unable to work beyond two-thirds capacity, costing $1bn a month in lost revenue.
Despite the ceasefire, one Mend faction attacked a pipeline in December, saying it was a "warning strike" over what it called government delays in progressing with peace talks.
Talks have been held up by the long absence of President Umaru Yar'Adua in Saudi Arabia, where he has been undergoing medical treatment.

Ipad, what is it good for?

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Steve Jobs demonstrates how to use the iPad.

WHILE APPLE'S IPAD announcement yesterday hardly came as a shock, what was surprising was its rather lacklustre feature set.
Many industry watchers were predicting a quantum leap from the Iphone and its current user interface, with massively improved multi-touch and gesture support.
Instead we've been shown a large Ipod Touch. Really, that's the Ipad in a nutshell - a larger screened version of a product first released in 2007.
With the extra screen real-estate, simply put, the Ipad is a highly constrained netbook from Apple. It's a cheap netbook without a keyboard - except as an added-cost option - that you can use for browsing the web and to play a variety of media.
But it has serious flaws.
If it's designed for media playback, why doesn't the screen have a wide-screen format? Instead users have to suffer intolerable black bands while viewing movies, which wastes part of the already limited screen area.
The lack of any multi-tasking removes any notion that this is a serious tool for productivity and is a major let-down. Surely in this day and age people will want to annotate an email whilst viewing a document. This can't be too much to ask for a $499 (and up) device with a 1GHz processor in 2010.
Not that there's anything you'll be able to run on it except for what's supplied at the App Store. Apple's closed software environment means there's little possibility of your favourite office tools being made available any time soon.
Fortunately for purchasers, its WiFi access - and 3G, if you pay the extra for it - allows all the wonders of the cloud, including Apple's own new Iwork 2010, however otherwise you might be completely stuck.
But don't expect all web applications to work. Unbelievably Apple still doesn't have a working Flash client available for the Ipad. This is almost acceptable on an Iphone, but for a net-centric tablet, the lack of Flash support is just unforgivable.
Maybe the Ipad could at least be used as a video conferencing device, but no, Apple didn't see fit to include a camera on the back, let alone a front-facing webcam.
Even the micro SIM support left people wondering exactly who else on the planet uses the new diminutive standard. At least there's a slot for this - you won't find any SD or USB connections on the Ipad.
Sure, the added Ibooks application will appeal to a select few who want to peruse a book for up to a maximum of 10 hours before being tethered to a wall, but this is hardly a killer feature. Competing e-book readers are readily available, and there are already e-book apps on other Apple devices such as the Iphone.
Plenty of Mac zealots have already brushed all of these concerns aside, saying they're unimportant and people should not presume to judge the Ipad until after they've used it.
But these are not minor issues - they're critical. People expect limited functionality and features on a phone, but they don't expect it on a $499-plus device, especially when competitors are offering much more for substantial discounts to the Ipad's price.
And let's face it - anyone who's used an Iphone or Itouch has already used this device. They're all the same thing. This is nothing new.
We can't gauge what the actual target market is for Apple's Ipad.
Apple has massive support from designer types, yet it's too underpowered for any reasonable design use, and without mouse or stylus support little in the way of graphics designs can be produced.
Office types won't want to drag around a separate keyboard, either. Though Apple has been touting the virtual keyboard, the immediate option of the additional keyboard doesn't fill us with confidence. And the majority of people won't want to be constrained to use only web-based Iwork applications.
Gamers were allegedly targeted by Apple in the run-up to the event, inviting the likes of Kotaku, yet few other than Iphone games have been demonstrated.
It's also doubtful that the Ipad has enough CPU and graphics processing power to handle current PC games at playable frame rates.
No one yet knows how Apple's proprietary CPU/GPU combination will perform. Presumably it won't be up to the likes of Nvidia's Tegra 2, which allegedly will be utilised in many other tablets.
So exactly who is the tablet aimed at? We can't understand who's going to want it, let alone buy it. We realise there's a segment of die-hard Apple fans who've been holding out for an Apple-branded netbook, and this might fit the bill, if not perfectly then at least well enough to make the fanbase happy for awhile.
But for the mass market, unlike some others, we simply can't see the appeal.
The reaction to the iPad has been far less positive than what we've become used to when new Apple products debut.
Many took to Twitter, Facebook, and tech blogs, including here at CNET, to voice dissatisfaction with everything from the size, the price, the specs, and the content available, to the usage model--what do we use this for and what does it replace?
Here at CNET, we saw something similar in the reader response to a poll we ran immediately after Apple's event Wednesday. Though it's far from being scientific, it does illustrate a consensus among our readers. We asked "Would you buy the iPad?," and more than 22,000 people chimed in.
Just over half, or 11,649 respondents, said "No way. It's not what I hoped/expected." A quarter of respondents, or 5,741, said "Haven't decided yet," while 20 percent or 4,653 said "Definitely! My credit card is already out." Three percent said "Other," and left comments, which you can read here.
Many serious lovers of technology sound disappointed that Apple did not surpass or even meet the outsized expectations they placed on this new device. The thinking goes: The iPad is not quite a computer, and doesn't make phone calls, and costs more than an iPod Touch. So why should I buy it?
True, the device does seem a bit mysterious from that perspective. But it's less so if you step back and look at where Apple has come from and where it wants to go.
If you look at it from the perspective of someone who's not super technical, but does enjoy consuming media, the iPad could actually work. As previously mentioned, I keep thinking of my mom as the perfect use case for this device. She knows how to use an iPod, and really only uses her laptop to check her e-mail and go online to read the news. And it's not her first choice to take her laptop anywhere because it's "too heavy" for what she would actually use it for.
However, she does travel fairly often and is an avid reader. Having what is essentially a color e-book reader with the ability to quickly check e-mail and download some movies and TV shows from iTunes is probably good enough. She could care less that there's no Flash support, in other words.
That will not be compelling enough for everyone to spend $500 to $830 for one, and this may not be a huge hit the way the iPhone has been. However, I really don't think the example of my mom is unique. John Gruber made an excellent point Wednesday: "Apple doesn't talk much about the technical details of the iPhone. They never talk about CPU speed or the name of the chip being used. They don't tell you how much RAM is in there. Part of their vision for moving computers from technical culture to popular culture is about getting away from defining these things by their technical specs."
There's much more that could be done with the iPad, and it's not hard to imagine there's more to come with subsequent product updates. But Apple's not being upfront with the technical details and having the latest and greatest technology, while it seems to infuriate/disappoint people with technical chops, might mean this device is not for them. At least not yet.
The manner in which Steve Jobs demonstrated the iPad Wednesday illustrated this. I don't think it was because he was feeling like kicking back during an exhausting presentation that he walked us through how to use the iPad while seated in a cushy low-slung chair. He was not seated at a desk or table the way you would use a computer. And he wasn't standing up the way he's demonstrated the iPod or iPhone, which is meant to be used on the go. He was using it in the way he envisions people using it: in a casual setting, like a living room, a bedroom, or perhaps an airport lounge. If you watch the person using the iPad in Apple's marketing video, they too are casually dressed and reclining while using the device. Apple clearly wants potential buyers to think of the iPad as a casual entertainment device.
But who will Apple market this to? It's not a laptop and it's not a phone or a music player. So what is it, and how exactly will they explain it to potential buyers? We'll find out in less than 60 days.

Microsoft sells 60m copies of Windows 7, gets record revenue

Microsoft this afternoon claimed its best-ever quarter for revenue courtesy of Windows 7. The company's revenue jumped 14 percent year-over-year to just over $19.02 billion owing directly to selling 60 million copies of the new OS release and helped it bounce back from three consecutive drops in revenue during the other quarters of 2009. Its net income also jumped 60 percent versus late 2008 to top $6.66 billion.
The number was partly padded by $1.71 billion in deferred revenues, as pre-sales of Windows 7 both to upgraders and to PC builders weren't counted as part of the summer results. Even transferring the difference, however, the quarter would still have represented a significant increase versus the prior season.
Microsoft touts the 60 million copies as the highest-ever for any operating system in a single quarter and significantly outpaces Windows Vista. The earlier release took four months to reach 40 million from its late January 2007 debut and continued slowing down for much of its lifespan as Vista developed a reputation for poor hardware support, incompatibility and overly frequent security prompts.
The performance was also clouded by poor results in a pair of categories. Although Microsoft estimates Windows PC sales to home users were up 20 percent, business sales were almost flat as many companies took a wait-and-see approach or had compatibility problems that wouldn't be solved by Windows 7. Also, the Entertainment and Devices group that handles the Xbox and Zune dropped in revenues by almost 11 percent as it shipped only 5.2 million Xbox 360s, a 13 percent drop compared to the end of 2008.
It's not known how many Zune HD players were sold. The fall was the first full quarter of sales for the touchscreen device.
Microsoft's Windows 7 sales don't reflect the entire PC industry as some of its sales were still copies of Windows XP attached to older netbooks and nettops.

3 Financial Dangers of Social Media

Anyone who doubts the power of social media to affect finances need look no further than the example of Kansas City Chiefs football player Larry Johnson.
The all-pro running back cost himself $213,000, and ultimately a job, by posting anti-gay slurs on the micro-blogging service Twitter -- in 140 characters or less, of course.

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Career trouble is just one way a badly managed social media presence can hit your pocketbook. Following are three areas where social media could damage your financial life, and how to avoid such pitfalls.
Employment
Andy Beal, CEO of the social media monitoring platform Trackur.com, says jobseekers should assume potential employers will do a Google search of candidates' names. Social media profiles typically appear near the top of the search page.
If you have questionable pictures or posts on a public profile, take them down or make the profile private to avoid trouble.
Also, steer clear of negative talk about a prospective employer on any social media platform, Beal says. Many companies monitor mentions of their brand throughout the Web, he says.

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He cites the case of a Twitter user who posted about a new job offer from Cisco, but expressed doubt about "the daily commute" and "hating the work." A Cisco employee noticed the tweet and demanded to know the name of the user's hiring manager.
Even employees who think their jobs are safe can sabotage themselves by being too honest online about their personal lives, or by posting feelings regarding a boss, client, co-worker or company for whom they work.
"We've seen a lot of cases of people publishing status updates that have gotten them in trouble," says Justin Smith, founder and editor in chief of Inside Facebook. "People have said things that have caused problems with their boss because of what they said about their work or because they've shared some other kind of private information about work online."
Caroline McCarthy, a staff writer at CNET News, says the best defense against such mistakes is to use plain old common sense. Remember, anything that appears on the Web is just a screenshot away from spreading quickly, despite the best efforts of social media users to keep it private.
Debt Collection
Social media has become a key tool for collection agencies trying to track down debtors, says Michelle Dunn, CEO of the American Credit and Collections Association and author of "Do's and Don'ts of Online Collections Techniques."
"If they don't have a good phone number or the mail's being returned, a lot of them use Facebook to find out if they have a different address or their employment information," Dunn says.
Many bill collectors who think they've found a debtor on a social media site will keep an eye on that individual's online presence, Dunn says.

"They don't necessarily have to post anything to them; they just watch what that person is posting," she says.
Setting a social media profile to allow anyone -- not just friends -- to look at postings can make your profile a particularly rich source of information, she says.
"People post things about if they've gotten a new home or a new vehicle," Dunn says. "People just post such private things about their lives, and the whole world is watching."
Privacy laws should preclude a collections professional from contacting and humiliating you on your social media page, Dunn says. However, some debt collectors violate those legal and ethical boundaries and assume false identities as a means of getting information, she says.
Scams
Social media sites ask for, and often get, a large amount of personal information from users. Unfortunately, identity thieves may use that information to perpetuate scams, especially if you use personal information when creating security passwords, McCarthy says.
"If you have a public Facebook profile that gives your birth date and your parents' names and that kind of thing, they can provide the answers to security questions that your bank might have on its Web site," she says.
Even if your profile is private, identity thieves may find other ways to get your information, Beal says.
"We see spammers, we see hackers, we see people trying to sell products using fictitious profiles," he says. "There was a study done a few years ago where one group created a specific fictitious profile and the number of people that accepted their friend request ... was pretty high."
For this reason, be careful about adding social networking "friends" you don't know in real life, says Beal.
"Social networking is not a popularity contest," says Beal. "I don't add anyone to Facebook or LinkedIn unless I know them."
And remember, just because a social media site asks for information doesn't mean you have to give it, Beal says.
Finally, McCarthy recommends never sending money to someone who asks for it over a social media service. Smith says that there have been reports of scammers hijacking accounts and posing as friends.

Shaun White needs a new nickname. Let's help him!

Taking a page out of the Boston Celtics' Glen 'Large Infant' Davis's playbook, Shaun White wants a new nickname. After years of being called 'The Flying Tomato,' White has spoken out about the moniker saying, "Whoever was on the mic had some dead air to fill — and the name came out of his mouth." Not a ringing endorsement.
He has a suggestion for his alias: 'The Animal.'
Purportedly uttered by "someone" for his resemblance to the Muppets drummer, White fully supports this new nom de guerre, calling it "kind of rad." Sure...
But everyone knows you can't pick your own nickname. Here's some other ideas, courtesy of Fourth-Place Medal:
- Shaun 'Red Blue and' White
- Shaun 'Joan Holloway' White
- 'Shaunagranate' White
- Shaun 'Of the Red' White
- Shaun 'Shawn Sean Chone Shonn' White

Caught With His "Pants" Down! Is General Larry Platt A Plagiarist?

General Larry Platt has been one of the breakout stars of American Idol this season, with his instantly viral audition of "Pants On The Ground" generating far more buzz than any Idol contestant who actually received a golden ticket to Hollywood. The 62-year-old's "Pants On The Ground"--a wacky rap rant against baggy, draggy gangsta trousers--has even been performed by everyone from season 8 Idol semi-finalists Jackie Tohn and Alex Wagner-Trugman to Jimmy Fallon and Brett Favre. Platt recently reprised the song himself on an episode of The View, and reportedly has plans to record and release an official single of his overnight pop-culture smash.
But this week a new viral video surfaced courtesy of the Green Brothers, a hip-hop duo from Michigan, called "Back Pockets On The Floor"--which the Green Brothers claim was recorded in 1996, 13 years before General Platt's Idol audition was taped. "Back Pockets On The Floor" suspiciously tackles the same subject matter, and also features an elderly rapper:
The "Pockets" video was posted on YouTube on January 23 by a user called "greenbrothers71," with the following description:
"This is in regards to the General Larry Platt 'Pants on The Ground.' His song is a take off of the Green Brothers song 'Back Pockets On The Floor.' 'Back Pockets On The Floor' was written by G. Green and was copyrighted and recorded by the Green Brothers in 1996. The General's song have the same intent, idea and in part the same message. YOU BE THE JUDGE AMERICA!!"
Honestly, I'm not sure if General Platt deliberately ripped off the Greens, or if he--like many other concerned senior citizens, probably--just coincidentally shared a similar desire to rid the nation's youth of saggy pants. But obviously there is only ONE way to settle this "Pants" vs. "Pockets" matter: With an 8 Mile-style rap battle.

Matthews' remark exposes complexity of 'transcending race'

Five little words — "I forgot he was black" — have exposed a contradiction in the idea of a post-racial nation.
The comment came from MSNBC host Chris Matthews after President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech Wednesday.
"He is post-racial, by all appearances," the liberal host said on the air. "I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. You know, he's gone a long way to become a leader of this country, and past so much history, in just a year or two. I mean, it's something we don't even think about."
The staunch Obama supporter meant it as praise, but it caused a rapid furor, with many calling the quote a troubling sign that blackness is viewed — perhaps unconsciously — as a handicap that still needs to be overcome.
Apparently, Matthews forgot to ask black people if they WANT to be de-raced.
"As a black American I want people to remember who I am and where I come from without attaching assumptions about deficiency to it," said Dr. Imani Perry, a professor at Princeton's Center for African American Studies.
Although she thought Matthews was well-intentioned, she found his statement troubling, because "it suggests that if he had remembered Obama's blackness, that awareness would be a barrier to seeing him as a competent or able leader."
"The ideal is to be able to see and acknowledge everything that person is, including the history that he or she comes from, as well as his or her competencies and qualities, and respect all of those things," Perry said.
That's a very different vision of "transcending race" — a consistent theme of Obama's political history — than one in which race has disappeared altogether.
"It's important for us to remember that everyone has a race," Blair L.M. Kelley, an associate professor of history at North Carolina State University. "When you say we're going to transcend race, are white people called on to transcend their whiteness?"
"When (black people) transcend it, what do we become? Do we become white?" she asked. "Why would we have to stop being our race in order to solve a problem?"
Matthews didn't get that far down the post-racial road on Wednesday night. But his comments instantly exploded online, especially on Twitter. Ninety minutes later, he clarified his comments on the air.
"I'm very proud I did it and I hope I said it the right way," Matthews said, noting that he grew up in the racially fraught 1960s.
"I walked into the room tonight, you could feel (racial tension) wasn't there tonight and that takes leadership on his part, to get us beyond those divisions, really national leadership," Matthews said.
"I felt it wonderfully tonight, almost like an epiphany. I think he's done something wonderful. I think he's taken us beyond black and white in our politics."
Plenty of people supported Matthews on Thursday, saying his sentiments, although poorly worded, reflected the view that all Americans are now equal.
But for many blacks, it was hard to forget the word "forgot."
Kevin Jackson, a black conservative and author of "The BIG Black Lie," hews to the same philosophy as the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck — that people should be judged on their merits, not their color.
Yet Jackson does not want his blackness to be forgotten.
"Absolutely not," he said. "Because we have an amazing history."
He pointed out that if Don Imus had made the same comment as Matthews, "everybody on God's green earth would be out to hang him by his you-know-what."
Sophia Nelson, a black attorney, former lobbyist and founder of PoliticalIntersection.com, which focuses on politics, race and gender, said she has been offended by people calling her articulate and intelligent: "That's saying that people who look like me normally aren't those things."
She said Matthews' comment showed the same unconscious bias as those by Vice President Joe Biden when he was still a senator that Obama was "clean" and "articulate," and Sen. Harry Reid's saying that Obama was more electable because he was light-skinned and lacking a "Negro dialect."
"Matthews was saying exactly what he meant," Nelson said. "He forgot he was black because he's so articulate and so compelling."
Another common interpretation of Matthews' comment was that if he forgot Obama was black during his speech, it must be part of his thinking the other 23 hours of the day.
Which is not necessarily a bad thing, said Kelley, the North Carolina State professor.
"Obama is forcing people to see blackness," she said, "in a way they haven't had to in the past."

Bill Gates Funds Research Into Climate Hacking

Bill Gates has sunk at least $4.5 million of his personal wealth into geoengineering research.
While it's a small chunk of Gates' vast personal fortune, it's a sign that the founder of Microsoft thinks we should at least be looking into the controversial practice of intentionally altering the Earth's climate on a global scale.
"[Gates] views geoengineering as a way to buy time, but it's not a solution to the problem" of climate change, Gates' spokesperson John Pinette told Science Insider. "Bill views this as an important avenue for research — among many others, including new forms of clean energy."

On Alito's State of the Union head wag, you're all wrong

You're all wrong. And I mean those of you who claim that Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s "not true" during the State of the Union Wednesday night constitutes a "Joe Wilson moment."
And I'm also talking about those of you who argue that the president was out of line with his in-your-face (almost literally) criticism of the Supreme Court's decision last week that wiped away long-standing prohibitions against certain types of corporate political expenditures.
Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald is the most off-base when he argues that Alito's behavior is worse -- that's right, worse -- than the "you lie" outburst of South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson during the president's address to a joint session of Congress last year. Wilson's shocking breach of decorum interrupted the president mid-sentence and was clearly heard by most people in the chamber and watching on TV. Remember the death-ray glare shot by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?
Contrast that with Alito's head shake and his mouthing of what appeared to be "not true" when Obama asserted that the Supreme Court had wiped away "a century of law" that "will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections." No one except those sitting immediately behind Alito likely would have been aware of the justice's response had TV cameras not focused on him at that moment. (So much for cameras in the courtroom!)

Greenwald gives Wilson some slack because he's a politician and is expected to engage in the rough and tumble world of politics; by "flamboyantly insinuating himself into a pure political event, in a highly politicized manner," Greenwald says, Alito has damaged his credibility and that of the court.
Should Alito have refrained from even this modest display? Yes. Should he have been savvy enough to know that cameras would turn to the justices when the president addressed the recent decision? Absolutely. But does this lapse, as Greenwald argues, amount to "a serious and substantive breach of protocol" and prove that Alito is a "politicized and intemperate Republican" partisan? Of course not -- except in the eyes of those so hopelessly stuck in their partisanship that a sneeze would have been interpreted as "blowing off" the president.
I don't know which part of the president's explanation Alito was objecting to, but as Linda Greenhouse rightly notes in The New York Times, the president was less than precise in his description the decision. It did not, as the president asserted, throw out a century's worth of precedent, and it did not disturb a law on the books since the early 1900's that prohibits corporations from directly contributing to a candidate's coffers. It's at least plausible -- I'd say probable -- that Alito wasn't expressing partisan rancor as much as intellectual disagreement with how the president characterized the opinion.
Nevertheless, the president was well within his rights to refer to and slam a decision he believes -- and I agree -- could further corrode and corrupt politics by giving more opportunity to corporate and union behemoths. I'm sure it wasn't the most pleasant moment for the Supreme Court justices who voted to strike down the campaign finance regulations, but I strongly disagree with Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett -- with whom I often agree -- when he writes that the president engaged in a "truly shocking lack of decorum and disrespect towards the Supreme Court for which an apology is in order." An apology? I don't think so.
Obama expressed disagreement and outrage with the decision when it was issued. What the justices and the country heard on Wednesday night was nothing new. I also did not hear the president call for Congress or the states to disregard the case; I heard him challenging his base to come up with other legislative approaches to address concerns about the corrupting influence of big money in the political system. And guess what? The justices would ultimately have the last word on whether this new plan would pass constitutional muster.

Penpix of Australian Open women’s finalists

MELBOURNE, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Brief biographies of the women’s finalists at the 2010 Australian Open (prefix number denotes seeding): 1-Serena Williams (U.S.) Age: 28 Grand Slam titles: 11 (Australian Open 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, French Open 2002, Wimbledon 2002, 2003, 2009, U.S. Open 1999, 2002, 2008)
Has already won the title four times but only in alternate years, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. Can she end that sequence this time? The omens are already good after she teamed up with her sister Venus to successfully defend their doubles title on Friday, which they had also only ever won in odd years. Williams started this tournament with her usual injury concerns and is finishing it with her thighs, ankles and wrists heavily bandaged but don’t let that fool you. After sailing through her early matches she shows she remains as determined as ever by winning two tight matches against Victoria Azarenka and Li Na.
Path to the final: beat Urszula Radwanska (Poland) 6-1 6-1 beat Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-1 beat 32-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain) 6-0 6-3 beat 13-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-4 6-2 beat 7-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 4-6 7-6 6-2 beat 16-Li Na (China) 7-6 7-6 - - Justine Henin (Belgium) Age: 27 Grand Slam titles: Seven (Australian Open 2004, French Open 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, U.S. Open 2003, 2007)
Has been the story of this year’s championship after coming out of retirement earlier this month. Never even thought about winning the title but is starting to dream about it now after the draw opened for her when she beat Elena Dementieva in the second round. Still not quite as sharp as she was at her peak but has lost none of her steely determination and remains an expert at winning the tight matches. She survived a tough quarter-final against Nadia Petrova then steamrolled Zheng Jie in the semis to kill off China’s hopes of a first grand slam finalist.
Path to the final: beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) 6-4 6-3 beat 5-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 7-5 7-6 beat 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Russia) 3-6 6-4 6-2 beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 7-6 1-6 6-3 beat 19-Nadia Petrova (Russia) 7-6 7-5 beat Zheng Jie (China) 6-1 6-0 (Compiled by Julian Linden; Editing by Alastair Himmer)

Vote For Will Smith

Look out Arnold - another celebrity may be vying for your job! And after that, he's coming for you Barack!
Will Smith has expressed an interest in getting involved in politics to his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith and she thinks there is a good chance he will go through with a campaign.
She explains that both she and Will wish to leave behind some mark more substantial than just films, and for Will, that means getting involved in the political system. Jada says:

“Will is thinking about going into politics. He once said he could imagine becoming a US president. He wasn’t joking, he was quite serious about it.”

Crazier things have happen. He'll have the support of the entire Scientology community. So right there he has like, 27 votes!
Be looking for you on the campaign trails, Will!

Read More: Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton http://perezhilton.com/#ixzz0dysQPgN8
Celebrity Juice, Not from Concentrate

Zero Carbon schools to be piloted across UK

Ed Balls announces plan to tighten building standards and provide smart meters to every school

Tom Young, BusinessGreen, 29 Jan 2010

The government yesterday announced ambitious plans to slash carbon emissions from the nation's schools, promising to cut emissions from new schools by 80 per cent compared to a decade ago and ensure that all schools publish information on their energy use.
Unveiling the new plans, schools secretary Ed Balls said that the government will introduce a target to reduce CO2 emissions from new school buildings by around 80 per cent on 2002 building standards by 2013 – marking a 20 per cent increase on current standards.
He also outlined plans to build four completely zero-carbon schools by 2016 and introduce measures to ensure the energy and carbon performances of schools are monitored and published.
Balls said the schools estate in England contributes around 15 per cent of the country's public sector carbon emissions, making it an ideal forum in which to deliver deep cuts in emissions. "With the schools estate emitting around 9.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide – about two per cent of total UK greenhouse gases – for the first time ever we have looked at the ambition of making schools zero carbon," he said.
Central to the new strategy will be a £12m investment programme to encourage schools across England to install free smart meters to display a school's energy use in real time.
Research by the Carbon Trust shows that smart meters and wider behavioural changes in using energy can result in 10 to 15 per cent cuts in fuel bills – saving the average 900-pupil secondary school more than £3,000 a year on fuel bills.
Kanat Emiroglu, managing director of British Gas Business, which will supply the smart meters, said they can also be used as an effective teaching tool.
"These 'dashboard' displays will provide the opportunity for teachers and pupils to learn about climate change, energy efficiency and carbon budgeting in an exciting and interactive way, whilst also allowing schools to manage and reduce their energy costs," he said.
The smart meters will be supported by a year-long communications campaign from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) designed to help schools reduce their overall energy costs.
The government said that practical advice, support and case studies will be made available for school heads, teachers and governors to help them curb carbon emissions from their operations.
The new strategy accompanies the release of a report from an independent Zero Carbon Taskforce appointed by Balls, which recommended that public awareness campaigns within schools represent one of the most effective ways of curbing emissions in the short term.
"Schools are crucial in achieving lower energy ambitions, not least because of so many students' enthusiasm for helping to protect the future of the planet, " said taskforce chair Robin Nicholson. "And it is not just the students; it is their families, their homes and their communities that surround the schools."

Egypt crush eight-man Algeria, reach Cup of Nations final

BENGUELA, Angola (AFP) - Defending champions Egypt thrashed bitter rivals Algeria 4-0 to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final on Thursday and stay on course for an unprecedented seventh title.
In a stormy semi-final clash, Algeria ended the game with just eight players as Egypt avenged their painful World Cup qualifying defeat against their North African rivals last November.
Victory also extended Egypt's unbeaten run in the championship to 18 games.
On Sunday, the Pharaohs will on Ghana, who pipped Nigeria 1-0 in the other semi-final.
Egypt took the lead in the 39th minute through a penalty by Hosni Abdrabou after Emad Motaeb was brought down by Rafik Halliche inside the box.
The big Algeria defender saw red for his second booking of the night.
Mohamed Zidan extended Egypt's lead in the 65th minute when he let fly from 15 metres beyond a diving goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi.
Soon after Nadir Belhadj became the second Algerian player to be sent off after a vicious two-footed tackle on Ahmed Al-Muhammadi.
Substitute Mohamed Abdel Shafi put the game beyond the Desert Foxes of Algeria on 81 minutes when he found the back of the net from a very tight angle on the left.
Algeria's woes were compounded in the 86th minute when goalkeeper Chaouchi was also sent off after he launched a wild kick at a goal-bound Mohamed 'Gedo' Nagy.
Supersub Nagy made it 4-0 in stoppage when he slammed the ball past replacement goalkeeper Lamine Zemmamouche.
Egypt assistant coach, Shawki Gharib, said they deserved to reach their third consecutive Nations Cup final.
"We are a great team and deserved to be in the final again because we defeated three World Cup finalists (Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Algeria) to get there. We also scored 10 goals in three matches," he said.
Gharib dismissed suggestions that Benin referee Koffi Codjia decided the outcome of this much-anticipated clash.
"Refereeing mistakes are part of the game and it is because of these mistakes that we are not going to the World Cup. We have suffered from mistakes by referees in the past," he argued.
However, Algeria coach, Rabah Saadane, blasted the referee's performance.
"The referee decided the outcome. There was a plan against us when he gave our best defender (Rafik Halliche) a red card for what was not a penalty," said Saadane.
"And when we had to play with three men down, it was impossible to come back against a team like Egypt, who play the ball around very well."
Saadane added he was consoled by the fact that his team improved as they progressed in the tournament and this experience will stand them in good stead at the World Cup in June.
"This is a young team. Experience here will prepare us very well for the World Cup," he said.
After a rather cautious first half, Algeria tried to come out of their defensive shell and attack Egypt.
Belhadj now began to attack from the left but it was Egypt who came close to doubling their first-half lead when Sayed Moawad got to the end of a loose ball, raced into the box only to be denied by a timely tackle by an Algerian defender.
On the hour mark, Essam El-Hadary pulled off a splendid save off Mourad Meghni, whose free kick was heading into the top corner before the veteran goalkeeper stretched full length to push it away for a corner.
Egypt's response was quick as three minutes later, several players including Ahmed Hassan, failed to connect home from inside the 18-yard box, before Zidan broke his goal scoring duck at this tournament with a superb effort from just inside the box.
In the 76th minute skipper Ahmed Hassan would have got his name on the scoresheet in his 171st international, but his shot from inside the box missed its target with the Algerian goal at his mercy.

After Egypt?s humiliating defeat by Algeria in Khartoum less than three months ago, the National Football team has exacted revenge by beating their old enemies 4-0 in Angola on Thursday night. Egyptians everywhere have taken to streets to express their joy at this unexpected victory.

Ghana 1-0 Nigeria

Asamoah Gyan scored the only goal to help a well-organised Ghana book their place in the Africa Cup of Nations final with a battling victory over regional rivals Nigeria.
The only goal came midway through the first half when a Kwadwo Asamoah corner caught out the napping Super Eagles defence and the in-form Rennes striker applied the finishing touches.
It was one-way traffic thereafter as wasteful finishing from their opponents, coupled with some dogged defending and some especially solid goalkeeping from Wigan goalkeeper Richard Kingston, helped the four-time former winners seal a place in the final for the first time since 1992.

Milovan Rajevac's team, without more than five of their regular players through injury, were cautious throughout the 90 minutes, though.
Nigeria were guilty of some poor finishing with Obafemi Martins, starting for the first time in the competition, one of the main culprits.
He almost handed his side the perfect start after playing a neat one-two with Peter Odemwingie on the left, but defender Hans Sarpei did just enough to put the Wolfsburg striker off his stride.
After the fast start, the pace then slowed as the Black Stars struggled to force their way into the game against their more experienced opponents.
However, they stunned the Super Eagles into silence in the 21st minute with a goal that came completely against the run of play - Gyan's run to the near post catching the defenders off guard as he met Asamoah's corner with a powerful headed finish.
The Rennes striker almost doubled the advantage shortly after with a cleverly attempted 20-yard lob that flew inches over Vincent Enyeama's goal.
Just before the half-hour mark Martins had the best opening for his side when Odemwingie's shot from outside the box deflected into his path, but the final 12-yard shot was too close to goalkeeper Kingston, who did excellently to push the ball wide.
The Lokomotiv Moscow forward should then have done better after finding himself with a free six-yard header created by Uwa Echiejile's pin-point pass from the left, which was nodded wide.
And Odemwingie was guilty of another wasted chance on the stroke of half time when the ball came to him inside the box, but was mis-hit woefully off target.
It remained 1-0 to Ghana at the break and the Nigerians continued to pile on the pressure after the restart.
And Shaibu Amodu's men were almost gifted an instant way back in when Odemwingie's attempted pass was almost deflected into his own goal by Lee Addy, but for the intervention of Kingston.
They continued to press but failed to make the most of half-chances with Chinedu Obasi and John Obi Mikel both coming close through half-chances, before Martins missed another excellent chance - he was played into the box by a splendidly weighted pass from his Chelsea team-mate, only for Kingston's right hand this time to come to the rescue.
With 20 minutes to go, Amodu decided to throw in Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who had an instant chance to score when he was put in six-yards out by another substitute Victor Obinna - the ball, though, which came quickly was skied into the crowd.
Martins again found himself in on goal seconds later, but for third time in the game the real chance went before it actually came.
With 10 minutes to go, the anxiety began to show amongst the Nigerians as Ghana looked happy to sit back on their one-goal lead.
They tried desperately to draw level, but it was not to be - the best chance of the closing stages coming when Sani Kaita fired wide - as Ghana claimed the bragging rights from west Africa.

Apple Unveils New Tablet Computer - The iPad

9:08am UK, Thursday January 28, 2010

Adam Arnold, Sky News Online

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has unveiled his new touchscreen computer called the iPad.

He said it was a "revolutionary" product that was between a laptop computer and a smartphone and was "awesome" for watching films and TV shows.
The device will be available to buy worldwide from late March, with prices starting from $499 (£308) for the 16GB model, Apple said.
But the Wi-Fi and 3G models of the iPad will cost about a fifth more, and will be delivered in the US and "selected countries" in April.
Speaking at a news conference in San Francisco, Mr Jobs said: "We want to kick off 2010 by introducing a truly magical and revolutionary product.
"All of us use laptops and smartphones now.
"The question has arisen lately - is there room for a third category of device in the middle, something between the laptop and the smartphone?"
And then, to a round of applause, he showed off the new iPad, which has an on-screen keyboard, is half an inch thick (1.3cm) and weighs 1.5lb (0.7kg).

A Look At Apple’s New iPad

Mr Jobs said the device, which has a 25cm colour screen, is "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone."
Dressed in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck, Mr Jobs demonstrated some of the features of the iPad.
He said they include browsing the internet, playing games, listening to music and watching high-definition video.
"We've got movies, videos, TV shows," the chief executive added.
"We have been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life," he said. "I can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole way on one charge."

A Closer Look At Apple’s Evolution

The 32GB model is set to cost $599 (£370) and $699 (£431) for the 64GB model.
An Apple statement added: "The Wi-Fi + 3G models of iPad will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model."
Website Mashable reported the iPad: "Can be held in any direction you want. It looks like a giant iPod."
Also at the event, Mr Jobs announced the launch of an online bookstore dubbed "iBooks" for the iPad and is set to take on Amazon's Kindle device.
"We've got five of the biggest publishers in the world supporting us and will open the floodgates for the rest of the publishers starting this afternoon," Mr Jobs went on.
Earlier in the day, Sky News revealed that an official prototype of the device has been used by a UK design company to develop software.

Brandwidth were given the device to help them develop applications for Guinness World Records using some of the confirmed software features.

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Comments to the story

Too big to be truly portable and too small to be a usable laptop. A total waste of time and I predict it will flop big time.
Posted By :David Report This
i think its a great technological advance. i suspect the people who bemoan it are those stuck in the dark ages or those with no money to afford one. I can afford it and I have 3 lap tops and 3 descktops.
Its just a big expensive I pod with no where near enough memory
and will eat power like a Russian submarie.
I was really sorry to see Steve jobs in such a rough state,rally sad

Posted By :GMKOMD Report This
If it is half as good as the iphone, then it will be great! I would buy one of these over a laptop anytime.What I am laughing about though is all the muppets who were bleating yesterday morning that it was a fake.

Posted By :Jon Report This