'I can't stand Beyonce,' James says during Seattle concert.Well, apparently the good vibes have dissipated. James unleashed a verbal beat-down on B last week during a concert in which she, believe it or not, threatened to whip the "Single Ladies" singer's butt.
Though she wasn't the first singer to perform it, the 71-year-old James has made the smoldering ballad "At Last" her signature song since it became a hit for her in 1961. Beyoncé sang for President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama's first dance at the Neighborhood Ball two weeks ago. For some reason, that seems to have angered James, who put Beyoncé, and the president, for that matter, on blast during a show at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on January 28.
During the gig, she criticized the singer's performance at the inauguration. "You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears?" began her rant, a recording of which was obtained by TMZ. "Wait a minute, he ain't my president. He might be yours; he ain't my president. But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song — she's going to get her a-- whipped.
"The great Beyoncé," James went on. "Like I said, she ain't mine. ... I can't stand Beyoncé. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."
A review of the show in the Seattle Times noted James' reputation as a bawdy performer, adding that she made "lewd facial and hand gestures" during her opening song, "Come to Mama."
Beyoncé won critical acclaim for portraying James in "Cadillac Records," and has performed "At Last" several times since the movie was released, including in front of James, who has not made this kind of public fuss over it previously. A spokesperson for Beyoncé could not be reached for comment at press time. Beyoncé got in hot water with another icon last year at the Grammys, when soul legend Aretha Franklin ripped into B for introducing Tina Turner as "the queen," a title Franklin has claimed as her own.
Some TV stations to end analog signal on Feb. 17 (AP)
Television viewers who use antennas and were expecting a few more months to prepare for digital TV may not have much time left before their sets go dark: Many stations still plan to drop analog broadcasts in less than two weeks.
When Congress postponed the mandatory transition to digital TV until June, it also gave stations the option to stick to the originally scheduled date of Feb. 17.
That means the shutdown of analog signals, which broadcasters had hoped would happen at nearly the same time nationwide, could now unfold in a confusing patchwork of different schedules.
Lawmakers wanted to address concerns that many households that receive TV signals through an antenna are not prepared for the switch. They were also mindful that a government fund has run out of money to subsidize digital converter boxes for older TVs.
Dozens of stations around the country now say they are going to take advantage of the option to drop analog broadcasts this month.
Many others are on the fence. The total number is likely to be in the hundreds, a substantial chunk and maybe even a majority of the country's 1,796 full-power TV stations.
The House voted Wednesday to delay the mandatory shutdown until June 12. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week, and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The legislation means analog signals could vanish entirely in some areas but persist in neighboring regions. In rural areas, low-power stations will continue to broadcast in analog even beyond June 12.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered stations that still plan to turn off analog signals on Feb. 17 to notify the FCC by Monday.
Acting Chairman Michael Copps said the commission could prohibit stations from making the switch if doing so is not in the public interest. For instance, if all stations in a market want to turn off early, that would draw FCC scrutiny, he said at a commission meeting.
For many broadcasters, delaying the shutdown is inconvenient and expensive. Many of them have scheduled engineering work on their equipment to make the transition on Feb. 17.
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, the public broadcasting network in the state, said Thursday that it planned to cease analog transmission from its full-power antennas at 1 p.m. on Feb. 17.
"We have four full-power stations all with 30-year-old-plus analog transmitters that are costly to maintain, putting out less than a quality signal," said Mark Norman, deputy director of technology at OETA.
"Sitting right alongside them are brand-new digital transmitters that have been running now for a few years. We just think it's counterproductive to continue to put money into the old ones."
Keeping the analog equipment in operation until June would cost the station about $200,000 at a time when the state is considering cutting its contribution to the budget, Norman said.
PBS spokeswoman Lea Sloan said about half of the 356 public broadcasting stations across the country will make the switch on Feb. 17. Many will do it for financial reasons. PBS said last month that if all its stations had to delay the switch, it would cost an estimated $22 million.
The Utah Broadcasters Association said the commercial stations in the state still plan to shut down analog on Feb. 17, while the public ones will wait until June.
In Wisconsin, at least two stations in Madison and five in the La Cross-Eau Claire plan to flip the switch on Feb. 17. In Minnesota, at least four stations plan to keep that date, along with five in Iowa.
Copps, the acting FCC chairman, said CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC and Telemundo had committed to keeping the stations they own broadcasting analog until June 12.
Together, they own 85 full-power stations, mainly in large cities. The rest of the stations that carry these networks are affiliates not owned by the network. ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said some of its stations may still go early if all other stations in their market do so.
Gannett Co. and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. also pledged to maintain the vast majority of their stations on analog, Copps said. They own or operate 52 stations.
"These broadcasters deserve our gratitude. I encourage other broadcasters to join them," Copps said.
The transition to digital TV is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.
In a few areas, including Hawaii, stations have already abandoned analog broadcasting.
TVs connected to cable or satellite services are not affected by the analog shutdown. But that still leaves a lot of people who could see channels go dark on Feb. 17. According to research firm MRI, 17.7 percent of Americans live in households with only over-the-air TV.
Most of them are ready for the analog shutdown, according to the National Association of Broadcasters and analysts at the Nielsen Co. Nielsen said Thursday that more than 5.8 million U.S. households, or 5.1 percent of all homes, are not ready.
At the Oklahoma public broadcasting association, Norman believes viewers are ready for the switch. The network has invited viewers to call in with transition questions on several nights. Each time, the number of callers has been smaller, Norman said.
"We really don't think it's going be as major of an issue as people anticipated," he said.
When Congress postponed the mandatory transition to digital TV until June, it also gave stations the option to stick to the originally scheduled date of Feb. 17.
That means the shutdown of analog signals, which broadcasters had hoped would happen at nearly the same time nationwide, could now unfold in a confusing patchwork of different schedules.
Lawmakers wanted to address concerns that many households that receive TV signals through an antenna are not prepared for the switch. They were also mindful that a government fund has run out of money to subsidize digital converter boxes for older TVs.
Dozens of stations around the country now say they are going to take advantage of the option to drop analog broadcasts this month.
Many others are on the fence. The total number is likely to be in the hundreds, a substantial chunk and maybe even a majority of the country's 1,796 full-power TV stations.
The House voted Wednesday to delay the mandatory shutdown until June 12. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week, and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.
The legislation means analog signals could vanish entirely in some areas but persist in neighboring regions. In rural areas, low-power stations will continue to broadcast in analog even beyond June 12.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered stations that still plan to turn off analog signals on Feb. 17 to notify the FCC by Monday.
Acting Chairman Michael Copps said the commission could prohibit stations from making the switch if doing so is not in the public interest. For instance, if all stations in a market want to turn off early, that would draw FCC scrutiny, he said at a commission meeting.
For many broadcasters, delaying the shutdown is inconvenient and expensive. Many of them have scheduled engineering work on their equipment to make the transition on Feb. 17.
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, the public broadcasting network in the state, said Thursday that it planned to cease analog transmission from its full-power antennas at 1 p.m. on Feb. 17.
"We have four full-power stations all with 30-year-old-plus analog transmitters that are costly to maintain, putting out less than a quality signal," said Mark Norman, deputy director of technology at OETA.
"Sitting right alongside them are brand-new digital transmitters that have been running now for a few years. We just think it's counterproductive to continue to put money into the old ones."
Keeping the analog equipment in operation until June would cost the station about $200,000 at a time when the state is considering cutting its contribution to the budget, Norman said.
PBS spokeswoman Lea Sloan said about half of the 356 public broadcasting stations across the country will make the switch on Feb. 17. Many will do it for financial reasons. PBS said last month that if all its stations had to delay the switch, it would cost an estimated $22 million.
The Utah Broadcasters Association said the commercial stations in the state still plan to shut down analog on Feb. 17, while the public ones will wait until June.
In Wisconsin, at least two stations in Madison and five in the La Cross-Eau Claire plan to flip the switch on Feb. 17. In Minnesota, at least four stations plan to keep that date, along with five in Iowa.
Copps, the acting FCC chairman, said CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC and Telemundo had committed to keeping the stations they own broadcasting analog until June 12.
Together, they own 85 full-power stations, mainly in large cities. The rest of the stations that carry these networks are affiliates not owned by the network. ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said some of its stations may still go early if all other stations in their market do so.
Gannett Co. and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. also pledged to maintain the vast majority of their stations on analog, Copps said. They own or operate 52 stations.
"These broadcasters deserve our gratitude. I encourage other broadcasters to join them," Copps said.
The transition to digital TV is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.
In a few areas, including Hawaii, stations have already abandoned analog broadcasting.
TVs connected to cable or satellite services are not affected by the analog shutdown. But that still leaves a lot of people who could see channels go dark on Feb. 17. According to research firm MRI, 17.7 percent of Americans live in households with only over-the-air TV.
Most of them are ready for the analog shutdown, according to the National Association of Broadcasters and analysts at the Nielsen Co. Nielsen said Thursday that more than 5.8 million U.S. households, or 5.1 percent of all homes, are not ready.
At the Oklahoma public broadcasting association, Norman believes viewers are ready for the switch. The network has invited viewers to call in with transition questions on several nights. Each time, the number of callers has been smaller, Norman said.
"We really don't think it's going be as major of an issue as people anticipated," he said.
Obesity can complicate teen pregnancy
Obesity has been linked to higher odds of several pregnancy complications, and a new study shows that the risks apply to teenagers as well as adults.
In a study of teenage first-time mothers who gave birth at one urban hospital, researchers found that obese girls were at greater risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy or requiring a cesarean section during delivery.
In the past, some of the main concerns with teenage expectant mothers have been their tendency toward poor nutrition and inadequate weight gain during pregnancy.
However, the increasing rate of teen obesity may "warrant a change in our focus to include risks associated specifically with obesity," the researchers report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
For the study, Dr. Sina Haeri of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues reviewed the records of 458 teenagers who gave birth at one Washington, D.C., hospital over four years. Most of the mothers were African American.
Overall, the study found, girls who were obese before pregnancy were four times more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to develop gestational diabetes -- a form of diabetes that arises during pregnancy and raises a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on.
Obese girls were also about four times more likely to need a C-section delivery, which echoes findings from studies of adult women. The high C-section rate is particularly concerning in young girls, Haeri and her colleagues note, given their higher risk of post-operative problems, such as infection.
The findings, according to the researchers, underscore the importance of preventing teen obesity, and highlight a need for research into the optimal weight range for pregnant teenagers.
In a study of teenage first-time mothers who gave birth at one urban hospital, researchers found that obese girls were at greater risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy or requiring a cesarean section during delivery.
In the past, some of the main concerns with teenage expectant mothers have been their tendency toward poor nutrition and inadequate weight gain during pregnancy.
However, the increasing rate of teen obesity may "warrant a change in our focus to include risks associated specifically with obesity," the researchers report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
For the study, Dr. Sina Haeri of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues reviewed the records of 458 teenagers who gave birth at one Washington, D.C., hospital over four years. Most of the mothers were African American.
Overall, the study found, girls who were obese before pregnancy were four times more likely than their normal-weight counterparts to develop gestational diabetes -- a form of diabetes that arises during pregnancy and raises a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes later on.
Obese girls were also about four times more likely to need a C-section delivery, which echoes findings from studies of adult women. The high C-section rate is particularly concerning in young girls, Haeri and her colleagues note, given their higher risk of post-operative problems, such as infection.
The findings, according to the researchers, underscore the importance of preventing teen obesity, and highlight a need for research into the optimal weight range for pregnant teenagers.
IT managers finally looking to roll out Vista
Microsoft Windows users are finally starting to move in numbers from XP to Vista, according to analyst Forrester Research.
The firm surveyed 962 IT decision-makers at North American and European companies, and found that Vista deployments could "dethrone XP as the operating system of choice in the enterprise."
Forrester's study shows Vista running on nearly 10 per cent of North American and European corporate desktop systems. But when asked about plans to roll out Vista, a third of those surveyed said they had already started, with 26 per cent citing plans to deploy this year or later.
the initial analyst recommendations on Vista deployments were that organisations would wait until service pack 1 was released, but the issues Microsoft had with Vista's perceived problems with application and driver compatibility appears to have pushed major deployments closer to the release of service pack 2 (SP2).
However, SP2's release to manufacture, appears to have slipped to late in the first half of the year, with speculation rising that Microsoft was trying to give would-be deployers another reason to move to Vista, before releasing its next operating system, Windows 7.
Forrester reported that enterprise interest in Apple's Mac OS X had also increased markedly, even if it only accounts for three per cent of the market.
"Over the past three months, we've fielded an increased number of client enquiries on the impact [of Apple] on the client and the consumerisation of IT's effect on client management and client security processes and technologies," said Forrester's report.
Other findings from the survey are that, XP still powers 71 per cent of PCs within North American and European enterprises, Windows 2000 is now limited to 10 per cent of enterprise PCs, and Linux adoption is flat at two per cent.
The firm surveyed 962 IT decision-makers at North American and European companies, and found that Vista deployments could "dethrone XP as the operating system of choice in the enterprise."
Forrester's study shows Vista running on nearly 10 per cent of North American and European corporate desktop systems. But when asked about plans to roll out Vista, a third of those surveyed said they had already started, with 26 per cent citing plans to deploy this year or later.
the initial analyst recommendations on Vista deployments were that organisations would wait until service pack 1 was released, but the issues Microsoft had with Vista's perceived problems with application and driver compatibility appears to have pushed major deployments closer to the release of service pack 2 (SP2).
However, SP2's release to manufacture, appears to have slipped to late in the first half of the year, with speculation rising that Microsoft was trying to give would-be deployers another reason to move to Vista, before releasing its next operating system, Windows 7.
Forrester reported that enterprise interest in Apple's Mac OS X had also increased markedly, even if it only accounts for three per cent of the market.
"Over the past three months, we've fielded an increased number of client enquiries on the impact [of Apple] on the client and the consumerisation of IT's effect on client management and client security processes and technologies," said Forrester's report.
Other findings from the survey are that, XP still powers 71 per cent of PCs within North American and European enterprises, Windows 2000 is now limited to 10 per cent of enterprise PCs, and Linux adoption is flat at two per cent.
Women's low sex drive tied to poor quality of life
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Postmenopausal women who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) - a low level of sexual desire -- have a worse health-related quality of life than their counterparts who are happy with their sex lives, according to a new study.
In fact, the researchers say, HSDD can cause in impairments in well-being on par with those seen in chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and asthma.
HSDD, the "persistent lack of sexual desire causing 'marked stress or interpersonal difficulties,'" is included in the Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which lists and defines mental illnesses widely accepted by the psychiatric establishment.
But questions remain about whether HSDD is a real problem for women or "represents a disorder that has become 'medicalised' because of its pharmaceutical market potential,'" Dr. Andrea K. Biddle of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues write in Value of Health, a journal published by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research.
One member of Biddle's research team works for Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which also funded the research and provided consultation for the survey. Procter & Gamble makes a testosterone patch, Intrinsa, which is approved for treating HSDD in Europe. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted against approving Intrinsa in December 2004, citing lack of evidence for its long-term safety.
In the current study, Biddle and her team looked at data for 1,189 women who had gone through natural menopause or surgical menopause, in which their ovaries were removed, to test the impact of HSDD on women's health and well-being. All of the women, who ranged in age from 30 to 70 years, were in a stable relationship for at least 3 months.
Among women who underwent natural menopause, 6.6 percent met the criteria for HSDD, while 12.5 percent of women who had surgical menopause met the criteria.
Women considered to have HSDD were less satisfied with their home life and their emotional and physical relationship with their sexual partner, and were also more likely to be depressed, the researchers found.
They were also about twice as likely to have back pain, fatigue, problems with memory, and depression.
The women with HSDD scored lower on several measures of health-related quality of life including mental health, vitality, social function and bodily pain.
Overall, the researchers conclude that their findings "suggest that HSDD represents a significant and clinically relevant problem."
SOURCE: Value in Health, online.
In fact, the researchers say, HSDD can cause in impairments in well-being on par with those seen in chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and asthma.
HSDD, the "persistent lack of sexual desire causing 'marked stress or interpersonal difficulties,'" is included in the Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which lists and defines mental illnesses widely accepted by the psychiatric establishment.
But questions remain about whether HSDD is a real problem for women or "represents a disorder that has become 'medicalised' because of its pharmaceutical market potential,'" Dr. Andrea K. Biddle of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and colleagues write in Value of Health, a journal published by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research.
One member of Biddle's research team works for Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which also funded the research and provided consultation for the survey. Procter & Gamble makes a testosterone patch, Intrinsa, which is approved for treating HSDD in Europe. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted against approving Intrinsa in December 2004, citing lack of evidence for its long-term safety.
In the current study, Biddle and her team looked at data for 1,189 women who had gone through natural menopause or surgical menopause, in which their ovaries were removed, to test the impact of HSDD on women's health and well-being. All of the women, who ranged in age from 30 to 70 years, were in a stable relationship for at least 3 months.
Among women who underwent natural menopause, 6.6 percent met the criteria for HSDD, while 12.5 percent of women who had surgical menopause met the criteria.
Women considered to have HSDD were less satisfied with their home life and their emotional and physical relationship with their sexual partner, and were also more likely to be depressed, the researchers found.
They were also about twice as likely to have back pain, fatigue, problems with memory, and depression.
The women with HSDD scored lower on several measures of health-related quality of life including mental health, vitality, social function and bodily pain.
Overall, the researchers conclude that their findings "suggest that HSDD represents a significant and clinically relevant problem."
SOURCE: Value in Health, online.
Obama: US Facing 'Catastrophe'
US President Barack Obama has warned that the economic crisis facing the country will turn into a "catastrophe" if lawmakers block his £640bn rescue plan.Mr Obama wants to pass a bill that would see about a third of the cash spent on tax cuts, with the rest devoted to spending on projects such as rebuilding roads, bridges and schools, to help stimulate the economy and end the recession.
However, the package has proved unpopular among some Republicans, who would like to see more tax relief and less spending.
They complain some projects would do little to stimulate the economy or create jobs.
Democrats, however, say the spending Republicans describe as wasteful amounts to less than 1% of the package.
A group of about 18 moderate Senate Republicans and Democrats are seeking an agreement of their own to trim the package by roughly £70bn.
Mr Obama warned that the consequences of inaction would be severe.
"If we do not move swiftly to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, an economy that is already in crisis will be faced with catastrophe," he said during a meeting with House Democrats in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In a speech at the Energy Department, he seized on data that showed new jobless claims at a 26-year high as evidence that time was of the essence.
"These numbers that we're seeing are sending an unmistakable message, and so are the American people, that time for talk is over," he said.
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid remained upbeat the measure would pass.
He said if there were no Senate progress on Friday, he would file a motion to set up a showdown procedural vote for Sunday.
"Our number one goal is to pass this bill," he said.
"They (the Republicans) cannot hold the president of the United States hostage."
Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Mr Obama in the November presidential election, criticised what he called a Democratic rush to pass the bill.
"They are establishing a very partisan approach to the greatest domestic challenge we face," he said.
However, the package has proved unpopular among some Republicans, who would like to see more tax relief and less spending.
They complain some projects would do little to stimulate the economy or create jobs.
Democrats, however, say the spending Republicans describe as wasteful amounts to less than 1% of the package.
A group of about 18 moderate Senate Republicans and Democrats are seeking an agreement of their own to trim the package by roughly £70bn.
Mr Obama warned that the consequences of inaction would be severe.
"If we do not move swiftly to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, an economy that is already in crisis will be faced with catastrophe," he said during a meeting with House Democrats in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In a speech at the Energy Department, he seized on data that showed new jobless claims at a 26-year high as evidence that time was of the essence.
"These numbers that we're seeing are sending an unmistakable message, and so are the American people, that time for talk is over," he said.
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid remained upbeat the measure would pass.
He said if there were no Senate progress on Friday, he would file a motion to set up a showdown procedural vote for Sunday.
"Our number one goal is to pass this bill," he said.
"They (the Republicans) cannot hold the president of the United States hostage."
Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Mr Obama in the November presidential election, criticised what he called a Democratic rush to pass the bill.
"They are establishing a very partisan approach to the greatest domestic challenge we face," he said.
Gmail gives users 'Multiple Inboxes'
Google late Thursday unveiled a new Gmail Labs feature that allows users to have more than one inbox in their default Gmail view.
The new feature--called Multiple Inboxes--allows users to have multiple viewing panes open simultaneously without having to open another browser window. The upgrade gives users a quick view at important labels as well as saved searches.
Google software engineer Octavian "Vivi" Costache explained in a company blog post why he used his "20 percent time" to develop the feature:
I'm seriously into filters and labels. All the email I get related to Flash goes under my "flash" label, everything about paragliding goes under "flying," and they all skip my inbox because that's how I like to stay organized. But when new email arrives I have to switch to the "flash" label first, then click on "paragliding," etc. I wanted a way to see it all at once.
For those who use their Gmail accounts for multiple personal e-mail lists, as well as for work, this is a huge step up.
The new feature--called Multiple Inboxes--allows users to have multiple viewing panes open simultaneously without having to open another browser window. The upgrade gives users a quick view at important labels as well as saved searches.
Google software engineer Octavian "Vivi" Costache explained in a company blog post why he used his "20 percent time" to develop the feature:
I'm seriously into filters and labels. All the email I get related to Flash goes under my "flash" label, everything about paragliding goes under "flying," and they all skip my inbox because that's how I like to stay organized. But when new email arrives I have to switch to the "flash" label first, then click on "paragliding," etc. I wanted a way to see it all at once.
For those who use their Gmail accounts for multiple personal e-mail lists, as well as for work, this is a huge step up.
Torres strikes late to sink 10-man Chelsea
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Fernando Torres struck twice in the dying minutes against 10-man Chelsea to keep Liverpool's title dream alive in a dramatic finale at Anfield on Sunday.Rafa Benitez's side looked to be heading for another frustrating draw as Chelsea held out after Frank Lampard's second half dismissal for a lunge on Xabi Alonso.
But Torres struck in the 89th minute when he latched on to a cross by Fabio Aurelio before cementing the points deep into stoppage time after being teed-up by Yossi Benayoun.
They were the Spanish international's first Premier League goals since October and put Liverpool two points behind leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
More importantly, the result almost certainly ended Chelsea's title challenge for another season as Luiz Felipe Scolari's side self-destructed.
The Blues are five points behind United and have yet to beat any of their 'big four' rivals this season.
While Scolari opted to keep faith with the 11 who started the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in midweek, Benitez made three changes from the side which stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Wigan.
Robbie Keane's omission only fuelled speculation that the out-of-favour Republic of Ireland striker could be on his way out of Anfield before Monday's transfer deadline with his former club Tottenham touted as a possible destination for the frustrated 28-year-old.
With Manchester United having pulled five points clear at the summit the previous day, nothing but a win would do for either side.
Yet with the stakes so high, chances were few and far between in a cagey first half which saw Liverpool carve out the better chances without causing any damage.
Alonso marked his return to the side by bringing a scrappy opening to life with a missile of a shot from 25-yard which Petr Cech was forced to turn over his bar in the 12th minute.
Chelsea struggled to create a noteworthy chance and they were fortunate to escape in the 18th minute when Cech spilled Javier Mascherano's long range effort, but there was no red shirt following up.
Mascherano, who has been involved in a niggling battle with Michael Ballack, became the first player to enter referee Mike Riley's notebook and he was quickly followed by Chelsea defender Ashley Cole during a bruising first half.
The temperature at sub-zero Anfield increased dramatically on the half hour mark as Torres, without a Premier League goal for four months, had a goal-bound effort blocked by Brazilian defender Alex inside the Chelsea area following a super cross by Jamie Carragher.
A tame header by John Terry was all Chelsea could offer in reply yet Liverpool lacked a killer instinct.
The deadlock was almost broken five minutes before half time when Cech, who was having a poor game, spilled another effort, this time from Albert Riera, and the ball cannoned off Cole just past the corner.
If Chelsea had trouble unlocking the Liverpool defence in the first half then their task was made twice as hard when they were reduced to 10 men in the 60th minute following Lampard's crunching challenge on Alonso.
The England midfielder could have few complaints after leaving Alonso in a heap in the centre circle and his team a man short with half an hour to play.
Liverpool spent the final half an hour bombarding the Chelsea defence but to no avail.
The busy Alonso went close close with a stinging effort which deflected off Alex, who was outstanding in the visitors defence, and crashed against the bar.
And 11 minutes from time, Cech made amends for his first half spills with a belting save to thwart substitute Benayoun before Torres had the final say.
The Spanish striker was in the right place at the right time to nod Aurelio's cross past Cech and give Liverpool the three points they craved.
Then deep into stoppage time, the Chelsea defence capitulated, Torres cementing the points after being teed-up by Benayoun following a mistake by Cole.
How Ya Doing? Facebook Wants to Know
Facebook may be at it again.
Efforts by the popular social networking site to better leverage the enormous amount of data it has on its users' interests haven't always gone over well. But with the privacy flap over its Beacon ad program now in its wake, Facebook may be next studying how to tap users' information for a new purpose: to make their online experience more in sync with their mood.
Tech blogger Robert Scoble mentioned the plan in a blog post from a discussion he said he had this week with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
According to Scoble, Zuckerberg said Facebook is studying "sentiment" behavior: Based on users' posts, the site can tell when bad news has hit, like stock prices tumbling.
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While Zuckerberg admitted to Scoble that Facebook hasn't figured out how to turn this data into new or improved services, Scoble thought it could lead to a new kind of news feed on the site, tailored to users' interests or mood. He also imagined that Facebook might even be able to let users choose, for example, whether they only want to receive "happy" news.
Facebook did not return requests for comment by press time.
The speculation comes as Facebook continues seeking ways to parlay its staggering traffic into advertising revenue and to develop new business models. Thus far, the site's success in either has proven limited.
Privacy, security and advertising
It's unclear how much of this plan -- if any of it -- will make it into a live feature on the social networking site. It's also uncertain whether it's even a good idea, considering some of the problems Facebook has encountered in the past when it's explored other ways to monetize user data.
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For instance, its Beacon advertising effort -- which sought to create product and service recommendations on the basis of users' behavior -- was met with a chorus of complaints.
As a result, Jupiter Research analyst Barry Parr said anything new Facebook does to tap personal information should be done on an experimental basis first.
"Google releases crazy stuff all the time via its Labs," Parr told InternetNews.com. "A lot of it doesn't go anywhere, but some of it does. When you consider Facebook is still trying to figure out its business model, the right approach for them is to experiment and do it lightly."
Special ReportMaking Money Off The Social WebCompanies have capitalized on the interest in social networking with search, advertising and user-generated content. Now platform advances are giving developers a piece of the fast-growing pie.Yet industry observers also note that Facebook's ad business continues to need pumping up. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin said Facebook needs to find ways to keep users on the site longer to make it more appealing to potential advertisers.
"New users spend a lot of time Facebook, and then there's a drop-off where a lot of them just update their status and don't stay as long," Bajarin told InternetNews.com. "They want to be able to bring that quasi-portal experience to Facebook and make it the first place you go to in the morning."
In addition to getting a handle on user's mood, Bajarin said the company could cross-reference location and friend information and provide tailored information such as where to go for lunch.
"Whatever they end up doing, privacy and security has to be their foremost responsibility," Bajarin said.
Efforts by the popular social networking site to better leverage the enormous amount of data it has on its users' interests haven't always gone over well. But with the privacy flap over its Beacon ad program now in its wake, Facebook may be next studying how to tap users' information for a new purpose: to make their online experience more in sync with their mood.
Tech blogger Robert Scoble mentioned the plan in a blog post from a discussion he said he had this week with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
According to Scoble, Zuckerberg said Facebook is studying "sentiment" behavior: Based on users' posts, the site can tell when bad news has hit, like stock prices tumbling.
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While Zuckerberg admitted to Scoble that Facebook hasn't figured out how to turn this data into new or improved services, Scoble thought it could lead to a new kind of news feed on the site, tailored to users' interests or mood. He also imagined that Facebook might even be able to let users choose, for example, whether they only want to receive "happy" news.
Facebook did not return requests for comment by press time.
The speculation comes as Facebook continues seeking ways to parlay its staggering traffic into advertising revenue and to develop new business models. Thus far, the site's success in either has proven limited.
Privacy, security and advertising
It's unclear how much of this plan -- if any of it -- will make it into a live feature on the social networking site. It's also uncertain whether it's even a good idea, considering some of the problems Facebook has encountered in the past when it's explored other ways to monetize user data.
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For instance, its Beacon advertising effort -- which sought to create product and service recommendations on the basis of users' behavior -- was met with a chorus of complaints.
As a result, Jupiter Research analyst Barry Parr said anything new Facebook does to tap personal information should be done on an experimental basis first.
"Google releases crazy stuff all the time via its Labs," Parr told InternetNews.com. "A lot of it doesn't go anywhere, but some of it does. When you consider Facebook is still trying to figure out its business model, the right approach for them is to experiment and do it lightly."
Special ReportMaking Money Off The Social WebCompanies have capitalized on the interest in social networking with search, advertising and user-generated content. Now platform advances are giving developers a piece of the fast-growing pie.Yet industry observers also note that Facebook's ad business continues to need pumping up. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin said Facebook needs to find ways to keep users on the site longer to make it more appealing to potential advertisers.
"New users spend a lot of time Facebook, and then there's a drop-off where a lot of them just update their status and don't stay as long," Bajarin told InternetNews.com. "They want to be able to bring that quasi-portal experience to Facebook and make it the first place you go to in the morning."
In addition to getting a handle on user's mood, Bajarin said the company could cross-reference location and friend information and provide tailored information such as where to go for lunch.
"Whatever they end up doing, privacy and security has to be their foremost responsibility," Bajarin said.
The US Dances To A Different Tune
After dancing the night away at a string of inaugural balls, President Barack Obama has already got down to business.With a wealth of expectation upon him and the eyes of the world watching, America's first black president has hit the ground running - moving to halt tribunals at Guantanamo Bay.
President Obama has long called for the closure of the controversial Guantanamo base in Cuba and this morning he asked prosecutors to seek a 120-day halt in tribunals. However, Mr Obama has signalled it could take time to shut the camp down.
America's New President
Read foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall's take on Barack Obama.
Here are some of the other issues Mr Obama has pledged to tackle as priorities:
:: IRAQ - on his first day in office, Mr Obama will meet high-ranking military officials. As far back as July - long before he was elected - he vowed: "I intend to end this war. My first day in office, I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission - to end this war responsibly and deliberately, but decisively."
The Obamas head to the White House
:: ECONOMY - During his inaugural address, Mr Obama pledged "bold and swift" action on the economy "not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation of growth". Work will now turn towards getting Congress to pass his proposed £600bn economic stimulus package.
Video: See President Obama's full speech.
:: GAZA - Another "Day One" promise by Mr Obama was to address the violence in Gaza and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. According to reports, the president will appoint former senator George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy today. Mr Mitchell has knowledge of brokering peace agreements. As special envoy to Northern Ireland he helped usher in the Good Friday Agreement.
President Obama's USA
America's new President takes office. All our coverage in one place.
:: ABORTION - It has been suggested that one of Mr Obama's first moves as president will be to overturn the Bush administration's ban on funding overseas organisations involved with abortion programmes. At present, no money can be distributed through the US Agency for International Development to charities and NGOs that promote, or provide information or advice about termination services.
Around a million people went to Washington's Capitol Hill to see the inauguration - and millions more watched it on televisions across the world
Mr Obama, 47, is now the nation’s 44th leader - his oath of office sparked a massive roar from the crowd and a 21-gun salute.
Mr Obama said: "We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."
President Obama has long called for the closure of the controversial Guantanamo base in Cuba and this morning he asked prosecutors to seek a 120-day halt in tribunals. However, Mr Obama has signalled it could take time to shut the camp down.
America's New President
Read foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall's take on Barack Obama.
Here are some of the other issues Mr Obama has pledged to tackle as priorities:
:: IRAQ - on his first day in office, Mr Obama will meet high-ranking military officials. As far back as July - long before he was elected - he vowed: "I intend to end this war. My first day in office, I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission - to end this war responsibly and deliberately, but decisively."
The Obamas head to the White House
:: ECONOMY - During his inaugural address, Mr Obama pledged "bold and swift" action on the economy "not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation of growth". Work will now turn towards getting Congress to pass his proposed £600bn economic stimulus package.
Video: See President Obama's full speech.
:: GAZA - Another "Day One" promise by Mr Obama was to address the violence in Gaza and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. According to reports, the president will appoint former senator George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy today. Mr Mitchell has knowledge of brokering peace agreements. As special envoy to Northern Ireland he helped usher in the Good Friday Agreement.
President Obama's USA
America's new President takes office. All our coverage in one place.
:: ABORTION - It has been suggested that one of Mr Obama's first moves as president will be to overturn the Bush administration's ban on funding overseas organisations involved with abortion programmes. At present, no money can be distributed through the US Agency for International Development to charities and NGOs that promote, or provide information or advice about termination services.
Around a million people went to Washington's Capitol Hill to see the inauguration - and millions more watched it on televisions across the world
Mr Obama, 47, is now the nation’s 44th leader - his oath of office sparked a massive roar from the crowd and a 21-gun salute.
Mr Obama said: "We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."
Barack Obama Tells Youth Ball His Dance Was 'What's Called Old School'
First couple mixes up their dance moves a bit at 'Be the Change' event.The Obamas are doing a lot of dancing tonight.
The couple, who were serenaded by Beyoncé to "At Last" at the Neighborhood Ball earlier in the evening (and critiqued by "America's Best Dance Crew" judge Shane Sparks), took the stage for a more formal instrumental version of the song at the Youth Ball.
Obama transitioned from his speech to the dance, as usual, with style and grace. "I promise you, America will get stronger and more united," he said. "You are going to make it happen, and [we] thank you from the bottom our hearts. God bless America. Hit it, band!"
The couple then gently broke into a slow dance that was more formal, yet showed a bit more character than the Neighborhood Ball dance, showing off a few more fancy dance moves while laughing and joking with each other before the exuberant crowd. At the end, Obama kissed his wife on the cheek and gave a nod to the crowd before proclaiming, presumably in reference to their more formal dance, "That's what's called 'old school.' Have a great night, guys. Love you."
"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" is live on MTV right now! Stick with us for wall-to-wall coverage of the inauguration and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya tonight and in the days that follow.
The couple, who were serenaded by Beyoncé to "At Last" at the Neighborhood Ball earlier in the evening (and critiqued by "America's Best Dance Crew" judge Shane Sparks), took the stage for a more formal instrumental version of the song at the Youth Ball.
Obama transitioned from his speech to the dance, as usual, with style and grace. "I promise you, America will get stronger and more united," he said. "You are going to make it happen, and [we] thank you from the bottom our hearts. God bless America. Hit it, band!"
The couple then gently broke into a slow dance that was more formal, yet showed a bit more character than the Neighborhood Ball dance, showing off a few more fancy dance moves while laughing and joking with each other before the exuberant crowd. At the end, Obama kissed his wife on the cheek and gave a nod to the crowd before proclaiming, presumably in reference to their more formal dance, "That's what's called 'old school.' Have a great night, guys. Love you."
"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" is live on MTV right now! Stick with us for wall-to-wall coverage of the inauguration and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya tonight and in the days that follow.
Kenyans toast Obama presidency with beer, parties
NAIROBI, Kenya (Map, News) - From the shantytowns of Kenya's capital to the rural homestead of Barack Obama's relatives, thousands of Kenyans slaughtered goats, hoisted American flags and partied into the night Tuesday as a man they see as one of their own ascended to the world's most powerful office.
In Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum, residents raised a U.S. flag and declared Kenya to be America's 51st state. In the village of Kogelo, where Obama's father was born and some family members still live, 5,000 people gathered as 10 bulls and six goats were slaughtered for a luxurious feast at a time when the country is enduring a crippling food crisis. Women dressed in colorful print cloths performed traditional dances to the rhythms of cowhide drums.
"Yes, yes, yes!" shouted Maurice Odoyo, 34, joining hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of Obama's speech on a 12-inch television set up in a clearing in Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums. "His father comes from this country. Obama will remember us, how we are suffering."
The election of a black American president with African roots stands as a powerful symbol on a continent where so many people's hopes are hobbled by crushing poverty and corruption. And in Kenya, a struggling country of 38 million riven a year ago by a deadly postelection crisis, Obama's presidency was a source of pride and inspiration.
In Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum, residents raised a U.S. flag and declared Kenya to be America's 51st state. In the village of Kogelo, where Obama's father was born and some family members still live, 5,000 people gathered as 10 bulls and six goats were slaughtered for a luxurious feast at a time when the country is enduring a crippling food crisis. Women dressed in colorful print cloths performed traditional dances to the rhythms of cowhide drums.
"Yes, yes, yes!" shouted Maurice Odoyo, 34, joining hundreds of people trying to catch a glimpse of Obama's speech on a 12-inch television set up in a clearing in Kibera, one of Africa's largest slums. "His father comes from this country. Obama will remember us, how we are suffering."
The election of a black American president with African roots stands as a powerful symbol on a continent where so many people's hopes are hobbled by crushing poverty and corruption. And in Kenya, a struggling country of 38 million riven a year ago by a deadly postelection crisis, Obama's presidency was a source of pride and inspiration.
Obama Inauguration Protected by Windows XP
Now that Obama is the 44th President of the U.S., the security measures that were in place to ensure a smooth inauguration will still continue to be in force for some time.
Although all the security agencies involved in today's event won't be out in full force every day, the security for Obama's new presidency still demands a certain level of awareness.
What better way to ensure that everything goes smoothly than to use Windows XP on FBI intelligence machines.
It looks like the FBI is reluctant to move to Windows Vista for laptops.
The FBI was out in force today, with a list of high-tech anti-threat technologies, including a bomb vessel designed to contain a live bomb, and even allow it to explode if necessary. The FBI also had a mobile command center on site, where it coordinates and organizes on-site agents. Able to execute all commands and observations, the mobile FBI command center is a big armored trailer with laptops and other computer equipment inside.
If you wanted to build a secure setup? What would you personally use for the ultimate security? Would Windows XP suffice? Or would you use something along the lines of Linux or BSD, or even Mac OS X Leopard? Do you think you can lock down a Windows system as hard as one based on *nix?
Although all the security agencies involved in today's event won't be out in full force every day, the security for Obama's new presidency still demands a certain level of awareness.
What better way to ensure that everything goes smoothly than to use Windows XP on FBI intelligence machines.
It looks like the FBI is reluctant to move to Windows Vista for laptops.
The FBI was out in force today, with a list of high-tech anti-threat technologies, including a bomb vessel designed to contain a live bomb, and even allow it to explode if necessary. The FBI also had a mobile command center on site, where it coordinates and organizes on-site agents. Able to execute all commands and observations, the mobile FBI command center is a big armored trailer with laptops and other computer equipment inside.
If you wanted to build a secure setup? What would you personally use for the ultimate security? Would Windows XP suffice? Or would you use something along the lines of Linux or BSD, or even Mac OS X Leopard? Do you think you can lock down a Windows system as hard as one based on *nix?
Obama takes power, urges unity vs. 'raging storms'
Before a jubilant crowd of more than a million, Barack Hussein Obama claimed his place in history as America's first black president, summoning a dispirited nation to unite in hope against the "gathering clouds and raging storms" of war and economic woe.
On an extraordinary day in the life of America, people of all colors and ages waited for hours Tuesday in frigid temperatures to witness a young black man with a foreign-sounding name take command of a nation founded by slaveholders. It was a scene watched in fascination by many millions — perhaps billions — around the world.
"We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord," the nation's 44th president said.
The presidency passed to Democrat Obama from Republican George W. Bush at the stroke of noon, marking one of democracy's greatest gifts: the peaceful transfer of power.
But a stark transfer all the same. In one of the new administration's first acts, Obama ordered federal agencies to halt all pending regulations until further review — this after Bush's final weeks raised heated debate over rushing new rules into effect on the way out the door.
And even though new White House aides struggled to find offices and work intercoms, an overhauled http://www.whitehouse.gov Web site was running under Obama's banner within minutes of his swearing-in. "Change has come to America," it declared.
Obama plunges into his new job in earnest on Wednesday after capping inaugural festivities at a national prayer service in the morning, meeting with his economic team and Iraq advisers and welcoming a stream of public visitors into the White House while Congress gives his economic revival plan a going-over and takes up the nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state. Her confirmation has been held up for now by Republican concern over the foundation fundraising of her husband, the former president.
The new president had been buoyant and relaxed through the three days of preinaugural festivities. But he seemed somber as he stood on the Capitol steps, placed his left hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln and repeated the inaugural oath "to preserve, protect and defend" a Constitution that originally defined blacks as three-fifths of a person. A deafening cheer went up.
"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly," Obama said. "This is the price and the promise of citizenship."
The day's high spirits were jarred by sudden concern about the health of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The legendary Democrat, suffering from brain cancer, and was rushed from a Capitol luncheon in Obama's honor to a hospital. "My prayers are with him and his family," Obama said. Later, fellow Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said Kennedy was laughing and joking at the hospital and itching to get back to work.
On the inaugural parade route, Obama and his wife, Michelle, climbed out of the heavily armored presidential limousine and walked a few blocks along famed Pennsylvania Avenue, waving to adoring crowds under the watchful eyes of security agents.
Hours later, they put the day's formality behind them to swirl through 10 inaugural balls. With the president in white tie and the first lady in a white one-shouldered gown by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu, their first dance was to Beyonce singing the Etta James classic "At Last." "Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins," Obama said at the Commander in Chief Ball.
Throughout his inaugural address, an 18-minute sermon on civic duty, Obama wove a thread of personal responsibility and accountability. A liberal Democrat proposing billions of dollars in new spending, Obama nonetheless spoke of the limits of government.
"It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours," he said. "It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."
Obama's 10-year-old daughter, Malia, aimed a camera at her father as he spoke. Michelle leaned onto the edge of her seat, body tensed and brow knitted.
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America," Obama said.
He placed blame for the recent economic collapse not just on greed and irresponsibility "on the part of some" but also on the inability or unwillingness of everyone to move the country beyond an industrial-based economy — what he called "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age." With that, the 47-year-old former Illinois senator transformed himself — from a candidate claiming his campaign is about the voters to a president promising to put the nation in the people's hands.
Unlike most predecessors, Obama takes office with his agenda in many ways set for him.
An economy that seems more foreboding than at any inauguration since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, with some 11 million people now out of work, and trillions of dollars of stock market investments lost. Two wars, one in Iraq that most of the country has long wanted over and another in Afghanistan that is spiraling downward and needs an overhaul. The continuing fear that another calamitous terrorist attack is not out of the question.
More inspirational than prescriptive, Obama's inaugural address only glancingly mentioned a series of promises from his campaign: to get the U.S. out of Iraq, stabilize Afghanistan, create jobs, "restore science to its rightful place," boost the use of alternative energy, address climate change, transform schools, manage government spending wisely and oversee a more bipartisan, less-divisive approach to policy-making.
To allies overseas eager for his leadership to replace Bush's, Obama had welcome words: "We are ready to lead once more."
His ascension to the White House was cheered around the world as a sign that America will be more embracing, more open to change. "To the Muslim world," Obama said, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
Still, he bluntly warned, "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."
The day began well before dawn as people made their way downtown to secure spots from which to witness history, and it was extending well past midnight through the official balls and many more unofficial galas.
The drama exceeded even the breathless buildup of recent days' nearly nonstop discussion on TV, blogs, podcasts and text messages. Not only heavily policed and barricaded Washington but much of the country virtually halted in its tracks — even, albeit briefly, inside the casinos of Las Vegas.
The nation had celebrated 55 inaugurations before, but none like the one that made a president out of the son of Kenya and Kansas, a man who rose to America's highest office largely untested at executive leadership, his political experience encompassing only four years in the U.S. Senate and eight in the state legislature of his home state of Illinois.
Blacks especially powered the jubilation that was thick in the chilly air. Even though Obama didn't give the topic of race, his or others, much treatment in either his campaign nor his inaugural, blacks poured into Washington from all over to watch firsthand as one of their own at last shattered a painful racial barrier.
"It almost leaves me speechless," said 69-year-old Tony Avelino, who traveled from Brea, Calif. "This situation is so emotional it's basically an unreal experience," added 56-year-old Cleveland Wesley, on the Mall from Houston with his wife as the sun rose.
Many others also see in Obama fresh reason for optimism at a time of great national insecurity. Or a chance for rest from the eight acrimonious years of the Bush presidency. Or even a turn toward modernity, as a country hurtling into new ways of communicating, connecting and conducting business chose a man more comfortable in that world than any leader before him.
Excitement over Obama's young, camera-ready family and the thought of Malia Obama and her sister, 7-year-old Sasha, turning the stately White House into a children's playroom also figured prominently in the day.
Among the feverishly discussed questions: What would fashion-forward Michelle Obama wear, information kept as a closely held secret? The shimmering gold brocade sheath dress and matching coat that she chose for the daytime sparked immediate water-cooler discussion, especially when she paired the outfit with green gloves against the cold.
In a country nearly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, it was notable that protests were nearly unseen, a remarkable shift from the two Bush inaugurations that were marked by boisterous demonstrations. One group of about 20 people from a Baptist church in Kansas demonstrated with anti-gay slogans.
With his White House campaign and landslide November victory built in part on his rhetorical gifts, Obama sought to provide reassurance for the future while compelling listeners to sacrifice.
He articulated eloquently the deeper effect on the American psyche of the problems of war and recession: "a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights."
Not so, said Obama. But he cautioned that the effort will require all citizens, no matter party, age, skin color, or status, to get to work.
"The time has come to set aside childish things," he said, invoking the Bible. "Greatness is never a given. It must be earned."
Bush, the man who has led the nation the past eight years, hosted the Obamas for coffee in the morning, accompanied them to the Capitol and sat tightlipped in the front row for Obama's swearing-in and speech.
Obama thanked Bush for his service as president and never directly criticized him. But he also repeatedly talked of the need to abandon current practices, whether "the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics," the lack of a watchful enough eye on financial markets, or what he called a false choice between safety and ideals — a reference to brutal interrogation practices and other actions taken by the Bush administration in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come," Obama said.
Afterward, he escorted his predecessor to a helicopter and Bush flew with his family first to Andrews Air Force Base for a private departure ceremony, then on to a welcome rally in Midland, Texas and finally, by nightfall, his ranch near Crawford, Texas. As the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity, the now ex-president left Washington under the cloud of approval ratings hovering at historic lows. People in the crowd booed when Bush's image was flashed on jumbotrons and one contingent near the Capitol sang "Na-na-na-na, hey, hey, goodbye" in a jeering farewell.
For all the new president's call to joint effort, it is political reality that it will largely be up to Obama himself to meet soaring expectations — both those he has created for himself and those others have placed on him unbidden.
In the Oval Office awaits the workaday, hard-nosed business of the daily governance of a nation of 304 million. And while Washington celebrated, events kept moving: Wall Street slid, news surfaced that U.S. carmaker Chrysler could be purchased in part by Italian auto giant Fiat, and prosecutors at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sought to suspend all war-crimes trials pending Obama's guidance.
Congress already has given Obama $350 billion in new financial-industry bailout money and is fast-tracking a massive economic stimulus bill to be worth $825 billion or more. And Bush has ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops to go to Afghanistan this year, adding to 32,000 already there. But these moves are hardly the last word on the big issues of the day.
And some of Obama's attention to even those things will undoubtedly be deferred to crises — a natural disaster, an overseas conflagration — that can pop onto the scene unexpectedly and consume enormous amounts of White House energy.
His transition also produced some missteps that raised questions about whether Obama's highly disciplined, perfectionist organization that proved brilliant at winning an election will be equally brilliant at governing.
Obama's team overlooked known problems in the backgrounds of two Cabinet nominees — Bill Richardson for Commerce and Timothy Geithner for Treasury. They also flubbed the introduction to Congress of Leon Panetta as CIA director. Obama also was tripped up by controversy surrounding the appointment of his successor in the Senate.
On an extraordinary day in the life of America, people of all colors and ages waited for hours Tuesday in frigid temperatures to witness a young black man with a foreign-sounding name take command of a nation founded by slaveholders. It was a scene watched in fascination by many millions — perhaps billions — around the world.
"We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord," the nation's 44th president said.
The presidency passed to Democrat Obama from Republican George W. Bush at the stroke of noon, marking one of democracy's greatest gifts: the peaceful transfer of power.
But a stark transfer all the same. In one of the new administration's first acts, Obama ordered federal agencies to halt all pending regulations until further review — this after Bush's final weeks raised heated debate over rushing new rules into effect on the way out the door.
And even though new White House aides struggled to find offices and work intercoms, an overhauled http://www.whitehouse.gov Web site was running under Obama's banner within minutes of his swearing-in. "Change has come to America," it declared.
Obama plunges into his new job in earnest on Wednesday after capping inaugural festivities at a national prayer service in the morning, meeting with his economic team and Iraq advisers and welcoming a stream of public visitors into the White House while Congress gives his economic revival plan a going-over and takes up the nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state. Her confirmation has been held up for now by Republican concern over the foundation fundraising of her husband, the former president.
The new president had been buoyant and relaxed through the three days of preinaugural festivities. But he seemed somber as he stood on the Capitol steps, placed his left hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln and repeated the inaugural oath "to preserve, protect and defend" a Constitution that originally defined blacks as three-fifths of a person. A deafening cheer went up.
"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly," Obama said. "This is the price and the promise of citizenship."
The day's high spirits were jarred by sudden concern about the health of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The legendary Democrat, suffering from brain cancer, and was rushed from a Capitol luncheon in Obama's honor to a hospital. "My prayers are with him and his family," Obama said. Later, fellow Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts said Kennedy was laughing and joking at the hospital and itching to get back to work.
On the inaugural parade route, Obama and his wife, Michelle, climbed out of the heavily armored presidential limousine and walked a few blocks along famed Pennsylvania Avenue, waving to adoring crowds under the watchful eyes of security agents.
Hours later, they put the day's formality behind them to swirl through 10 inaugural balls. With the president in white tie and the first lady in a white one-shouldered gown by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu, their first dance was to Beyonce singing the Etta James classic "At Last." "Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins," Obama said at the Commander in Chief Ball.
Throughout his inaugural address, an 18-minute sermon on civic duty, Obama wove a thread of personal responsibility and accountability. A liberal Democrat proposing billions of dollars in new spending, Obama nonetheless spoke of the limits of government.
"It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours," he said. "It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate."
Obama's 10-year-old daughter, Malia, aimed a camera at her father as he spoke. Michelle leaned onto the edge of her seat, body tensed and brow knitted.
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America," Obama said.
He placed blame for the recent economic collapse not just on greed and irresponsibility "on the part of some" but also on the inability or unwillingness of everyone to move the country beyond an industrial-based economy — what he called "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age." With that, the 47-year-old former Illinois senator transformed himself — from a candidate claiming his campaign is about the voters to a president promising to put the nation in the people's hands.
Unlike most predecessors, Obama takes office with his agenda in many ways set for him.
An economy that seems more foreboding than at any inauguration since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, with some 11 million people now out of work, and trillions of dollars of stock market investments lost. Two wars, one in Iraq that most of the country has long wanted over and another in Afghanistan that is spiraling downward and needs an overhaul. The continuing fear that another calamitous terrorist attack is not out of the question.
More inspirational than prescriptive, Obama's inaugural address only glancingly mentioned a series of promises from his campaign: to get the U.S. out of Iraq, stabilize Afghanistan, create jobs, "restore science to its rightful place," boost the use of alternative energy, address climate change, transform schools, manage government spending wisely and oversee a more bipartisan, less-divisive approach to policy-making.
To allies overseas eager for his leadership to replace Bush's, Obama had welcome words: "We are ready to lead once more."
His ascension to the White House was cheered around the world as a sign that America will be more embracing, more open to change. "To the Muslim world," Obama said, "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
Still, he bluntly warned, "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."
The day began well before dawn as people made their way downtown to secure spots from which to witness history, and it was extending well past midnight through the official balls and many more unofficial galas.
The drama exceeded even the breathless buildup of recent days' nearly nonstop discussion on TV, blogs, podcasts and text messages. Not only heavily policed and barricaded Washington but much of the country virtually halted in its tracks — even, albeit briefly, inside the casinos of Las Vegas.
The nation had celebrated 55 inaugurations before, but none like the one that made a president out of the son of Kenya and Kansas, a man who rose to America's highest office largely untested at executive leadership, his political experience encompassing only four years in the U.S. Senate and eight in the state legislature of his home state of Illinois.
Blacks especially powered the jubilation that was thick in the chilly air. Even though Obama didn't give the topic of race, his or others, much treatment in either his campaign nor his inaugural, blacks poured into Washington from all over to watch firsthand as one of their own at last shattered a painful racial barrier.
"It almost leaves me speechless," said 69-year-old Tony Avelino, who traveled from Brea, Calif. "This situation is so emotional it's basically an unreal experience," added 56-year-old Cleveland Wesley, on the Mall from Houston with his wife as the sun rose.
Many others also see in Obama fresh reason for optimism at a time of great national insecurity. Or a chance for rest from the eight acrimonious years of the Bush presidency. Or even a turn toward modernity, as a country hurtling into new ways of communicating, connecting and conducting business chose a man more comfortable in that world than any leader before him.
Excitement over Obama's young, camera-ready family and the thought of Malia Obama and her sister, 7-year-old Sasha, turning the stately White House into a children's playroom also figured prominently in the day.
Among the feverishly discussed questions: What would fashion-forward Michelle Obama wear, information kept as a closely held secret? The shimmering gold brocade sheath dress and matching coat that she chose for the daytime sparked immediate water-cooler discussion, especially when she paired the outfit with green gloves against the cold.
In a country nearly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, it was notable that protests were nearly unseen, a remarkable shift from the two Bush inaugurations that were marked by boisterous demonstrations. One group of about 20 people from a Baptist church in Kansas demonstrated with anti-gay slogans.
With his White House campaign and landslide November victory built in part on his rhetorical gifts, Obama sought to provide reassurance for the future while compelling listeners to sacrifice.
He articulated eloquently the deeper effect on the American psyche of the problems of war and recession: "a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights."
Not so, said Obama. But he cautioned that the effort will require all citizens, no matter party, age, skin color, or status, to get to work.
"The time has come to set aside childish things," he said, invoking the Bible. "Greatness is never a given. It must be earned."
Bush, the man who has led the nation the past eight years, hosted the Obamas for coffee in the morning, accompanied them to the Capitol and sat tightlipped in the front row for Obama's swearing-in and speech.
Obama thanked Bush for his service as president and never directly criticized him. But he also repeatedly talked of the need to abandon current practices, whether "the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics," the lack of a watchful enough eye on financial markets, or what he called a false choice between safety and ideals — a reference to brutal interrogation practices and other actions taken by the Bush administration in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come," Obama said.
Afterward, he escorted his predecessor to a helicopter and Bush flew with his family first to Andrews Air Force Base for a private departure ceremony, then on to a welcome rally in Midland, Texas and finally, by nightfall, his ranch near Crawford, Texas. As the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity, the now ex-president left Washington under the cloud of approval ratings hovering at historic lows. People in the crowd booed when Bush's image was flashed on jumbotrons and one contingent near the Capitol sang "Na-na-na-na, hey, hey, goodbye" in a jeering farewell.
For all the new president's call to joint effort, it is political reality that it will largely be up to Obama himself to meet soaring expectations — both those he has created for himself and those others have placed on him unbidden.
In the Oval Office awaits the workaday, hard-nosed business of the daily governance of a nation of 304 million. And while Washington celebrated, events kept moving: Wall Street slid, news surfaced that U.S. carmaker Chrysler could be purchased in part by Italian auto giant Fiat, and prosecutors at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sought to suspend all war-crimes trials pending Obama's guidance.
Congress already has given Obama $350 billion in new financial-industry bailout money and is fast-tracking a massive economic stimulus bill to be worth $825 billion or more. And Bush has ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops to go to Afghanistan this year, adding to 32,000 already there. But these moves are hardly the last word on the big issues of the day.
And some of Obama's attention to even those things will undoubtedly be deferred to crises — a natural disaster, an overseas conflagration — that can pop onto the scene unexpectedly and consume enormous amounts of White House energy.
His transition also produced some missteps that raised questions about whether Obama's highly disciplined, perfectionist organization that proved brilliant at winning an election will be equally brilliant at governing.
Obama's team overlooked known problems in the backgrounds of two Cabinet nominees — Bill Richardson for Commerce and Timothy Geithner for Treasury. They also flubbed the introduction to Congress of Leon Panetta as CIA director. Obama also was tripped up by controversy surrounding the appointment of his successor in the Senate.
Obama To Make History In 35 Words
Barack Obama is preparing to become the United States' first black president, bringing a message of hope to a nation battered by recession, weary of war and hungry for change.Millions of spectators from across America and around the world have travelled to Washington to see history being made.
Only a few men in the annals of American history have ever got to utter the 35 transformative words which take an ordinary citizen to the highest post in the land.
Barack Obama will join their ranks today, swearing the oath which will turn him into the 44th President of the US.
As he does, his hand will rest on the bible used by the 16th President Abraham Lincoln, who ultimately gave his life in the battle to end slavery.
That link will add poignancy to what is always a moving occasion, according to historian Don Ritchie.
"It's a very important day. People really do get very emotional about it. Historians wax eloquent when they write about those moments," he said.
The inaugural events have begun
"They tend to look for a sign. If the sky opens up and a ray of sunshine comes through it is a good omen. If there is a blizzard they see trouble coming in the process."
Mr Obama's famous gift of oratory will be tested like never before today as he delivers a speech which will be viewed by milllions around the world.
He has scrutinised the words of his forebears - including the President who he is so often compared to - John F Kennedy.
The words "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country", which Kennedy uttered in 1961, are still seared into the minds of a generation here.
The speechwriter who helped craft Kennedy's address has high expectations for President Obama.
Ted Sorensen said that like JFK, Mr Obama should return to the themes he established during his campaign.
Barack Obama inauguration: world waits for the 17 minute speech
Twenty-four hours before being inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama picked up a brush yesterday and painted a wall. “This is good practice, ’cause I’m moving to a new house tomorrow,” he told fellow volunteers.
A volunteer at the teenage homeless shelter in this run-down black part of Washington asked if he had worked up a sweat. “Nah, I don’t sweat,” replied the shirt-sleeved President-elect. “You ever see me sweat?”
For all the apparent absence of perspiration, there was still plenty of inspiration for Mr Obama. He called on America to commemorate the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth by joining him in a day of service, saying: “Don’t underestimate the power for people to pull together and to accomplish amazing things.”
Times Archive, 1963: Let freedom ring
All this will end one day. We will hew hope out of the mountain of despair
Related Links
Keeping Barack Obama alive
ANALYSIS: words to define history
Addressing The World
Multimedia
IN PICTURES: the inauguration build-up-->
The national holiday fell the day before an inauguration which is inevitably being seen as the fulfilment of Dr King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in Washington in 1963.
Although Mr Obama has acknowledged that the prospect of a black president is a “remarkable moment”, yesterday he sought to put it into a wider context of national, as well as racial, reconciliation.
“Tomorrow, we will come together as one people on the same Mall where Dr King’s dream echoes still. As we do, we recognise that here in America, our destinies are inextricably linked,” said Mr Obama. “We resolve that as we walk, we must walk together. And as we go forward in the work of renewing the promise of this nation, let’s remember King’s lesson – that our separate dreams are really one.”
Mr Obama knows that not all his tasks over the coming weeks will be as easy as painting a wall. In recent days he has emphasised that supporters will need to show patience as he seeks to tackle economic crisis at home and conflict abroad.
“It will take more than a month or a year, and it will likely take many,” he told a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. “Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts.”
At a visit to a Washington high school later, Mr Obama once more emphasised the need for service and a spirit of self-help. “I am making a commitment to you as the next president, that we are going to make government work,” he said. “But I can’t do it by myself. Governments can only do so much,” he said. “If we’re waiting for someone else to do something, it never gets done.”
Today, when he delivers one of the most eagerly anticipated inaugural speeches of modern times, Mr Obama is expected to urge his country to unite behind a common resolve for “renewing America’s promise”.
Aides say that he will stress the need for more responsibility to be shown by all Americans, as well as government and financial institutions, in getting the country “back on track”.
Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff, said that Mr Obama would ask the nation to reject the “culture of anything goes”.
At 17 minutes long, Mr Obama’s inaugural address is expected to be shorter than many of those that have come before. “My job in this speech is just to remind people of the road we’ve travelled and the extraordinary odds that we’ve already overcome. We’ve been through tougher times before and we are going to get through these,” he said.
His task is to temper optimism with a recognition of tough times ahead – and balance the historic charge and emotions surrounding his election with his core message that what binds America together matters more than that which for so long drove it apart.
Some, however, are not heeding the message of national unity. While Washington will be filled with celebrating Democrats today, many Republicans are leaving town to lick their wounds and look for jobs.
The switch of administrations has put about 8,000 Republicans out of work. Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, is making a speech in Montreal. Charlie Spies, who worked on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, is hosting a party in Las Vegas. Others are heading to the Caribbean.
“It’s a sort of custom,” said David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter who is hosting an alternative inauguration party tonight. “If the other side has won, you don’t want to deal with the traffic.”
President Bush yesterday made one of his final decisions in office, commuting two former Texas border guards’ sentence for shooting a drug dealer, as he packed his bags to head home to the Lone Star state.
A volunteer at the teenage homeless shelter in this run-down black part of Washington asked if he had worked up a sweat. “Nah, I don’t sweat,” replied the shirt-sleeved President-elect. “You ever see me sweat?”
For all the apparent absence of perspiration, there was still plenty of inspiration for Mr Obama. He called on America to commemorate the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s birth by joining him in a day of service, saying: “Don’t underestimate the power for people to pull together and to accomplish amazing things.”
Times Archive, 1963: Let freedom ring
All this will end one day. We will hew hope out of the mountain of despair
Related Links
Keeping Barack Obama alive
ANALYSIS: words to define history
Addressing The World
Multimedia
IN PICTURES: the inauguration build-up-->
The national holiday fell the day before an inauguration which is inevitably being seen as the fulfilment of Dr King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in Washington in 1963.
Although Mr Obama has acknowledged that the prospect of a black president is a “remarkable moment”, yesterday he sought to put it into a wider context of national, as well as racial, reconciliation.
“Tomorrow, we will come together as one people on the same Mall where Dr King’s dream echoes still. As we do, we recognise that here in America, our destinies are inextricably linked,” said Mr Obama. “We resolve that as we walk, we must walk together. And as we go forward in the work of renewing the promise of this nation, let’s remember King’s lesson – that our separate dreams are really one.”
Mr Obama knows that not all his tasks over the coming weeks will be as easy as painting a wall. In recent days he has emphasised that supporters will need to show patience as he seeks to tackle economic crisis at home and conflict abroad.
“It will take more than a month or a year, and it will likely take many,” he told a rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. “Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts.”
At a visit to a Washington high school later, Mr Obama once more emphasised the need for service and a spirit of self-help. “I am making a commitment to you as the next president, that we are going to make government work,” he said. “But I can’t do it by myself. Governments can only do so much,” he said. “If we’re waiting for someone else to do something, it never gets done.”
Today, when he delivers one of the most eagerly anticipated inaugural speeches of modern times, Mr Obama is expected to urge his country to unite behind a common resolve for “renewing America’s promise”.
Aides say that he will stress the need for more responsibility to be shown by all Americans, as well as government and financial institutions, in getting the country “back on track”.
Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff, said that Mr Obama would ask the nation to reject the “culture of anything goes”.
At 17 minutes long, Mr Obama’s inaugural address is expected to be shorter than many of those that have come before. “My job in this speech is just to remind people of the road we’ve travelled and the extraordinary odds that we’ve already overcome. We’ve been through tougher times before and we are going to get through these,” he said.
His task is to temper optimism with a recognition of tough times ahead – and balance the historic charge and emotions surrounding his election with his core message that what binds America together matters more than that which for so long drove it apart.
Some, however, are not heeding the message of national unity. While Washington will be filled with celebrating Democrats today, many Republicans are leaving town to lick their wounds and look for jobs.
The switch of administrations has put about 8,000 Republicans out of work. Bill Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, is making a speech in Montreal. Charlie Spies, who worked on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, is hosting a party in Las Vegas. Others are heading to the Caribbean.
“It’s a sort of custom,” said David Frum, a former Bush speechwriter who is hosting an alternative inauguration party tonight. “If the other side has won, you don’t want to deal with the traffic.”
President Bush yesterday made one of his final decisions in office, commuting two former Texas border guards’ sentence for shooting a drug dealer, as he packed his bags to head home to the Lone Star state.
Barack Obama's Inauguration Schedule
It's an event that Washington, D.C., sees every four years — but it's never seen an inauguration like this one. The entire city is practically under lockdown in preparation for Barack Obama's historic inauguration on Tuesday.
While exact figures are uncertain, CNN reports that 1 million to 2 million attendees are expected for the inauguration, and tens of thousands of police officers, federal agents and National Guardsmen are being deployed in an unprecedented effort to ensure that the inauguration of the 44th president runs safely and smoothly. Similarly, the cost of the event has been disputed — up to $150 million but generally estimated at around $50 million — but it is reported to be the most expensive in history.
Cameras will be following the president-elect and his family every step of the way during the day — and you'll be able to watch it live streaming on MTV.com. Here's a look at where they'll be for the ceremony, the parades — and of course the Youth Inaugural Ball and other balls throughout the evening.
» 8:25 a.m.: Obamas leave Blair House for prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church
» 8:35 a.m.: Prayer service
» 9:45 a.m.: Church service ends; Obamas depart for the White House
» 10:05 a.m.: Obamas arrive at White House for coffee with the Bushes
» 11 a.m.: Motorcade departs for the Capitol
» 11:30 a.m.: Bushes and Obamas proceed to platform on the West Front; California Senator Dianne Feinstein will issue the call to order and deliver brief welcoming remarks, followed by an invocation from Dr. Rick Warren and a performance from Aretha Franklin (who also sang at Bill Clinton's first inauguration)
» 11:50 a.m.: Joe Biden is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice John Stevens
» 12 p.m.: Barack Obama is sworn in as president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama, with his hand on Abraham Lincoln's inaugural Bible, will recite the same oath as his predecessors: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Musical performance from John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill, followed by "Hail to the Chief" and a 21-gun salute
» 12:05 p.m.: Inaugural address, followed by a poem written and recited by Elizabeth Alexander and a benediction from Dr. Joseph Lowery. The national anthem will be performed by the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters
» 12:30 p.m.: Ceremony concludes
» 12:35 p.m.: Bush departs via helicopter; Cheney departs by limo
» 12:45 p.m.: Obama signs inauguration papers in the President's Room
» 1:00 p.m.: Obama attends congressional luncheon
» 2:15 p.m.: Obama and Biden review troops at Capitol
» 2:30 p.m.: President Obama leads the parade from the Capitol along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House
» 3:15 p.m.: Arrival at the White House
» 3:45 p.m.: Obamas and Bidens proceed to the reviewing stand; inaugural parade continues until 6 p.m.
» 7 p.m.: The official inaugural balls begin with the Neighborhood Ball at the Washington Convention Center, with performers scheduled to include Beyoncé. Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder and others. Nick Cannon will DJ.
The event, expected to include the president and first lady's first dance of the night, will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. From there, it's on to other celebrations, including MTV's Youth Ball.
"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow.
While exact figures are uncertain, CNN reports that 1 million to 2 million attendees are expected for the inauguration, and tens of thousands of police officers, federal agents and National Guardsmen are being deployed in an unprecedented effort to ensure that the inauguration of the 44th president runs safely and smoothly. Similarly, the cost of the event has been disputed — up to $150 million but generally estimated at around $50 million — but it is reported to be the most expensive in history.
Cameras will be following the president-elect and his family every step of the way during the day — and you'll be able to watch it live streaming on MTV.com. Here's a look at where they'll be for the ceremony, the parades — and of course the Youth Inaugural Ball and other balls throughout the evening.
» 8:25 a.m.: Obamas leave Blair House for prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church
» 8:35 a.m.: Prayer service
» 9:45 a.m.: Church service ends; Obamas depart for the White House
» 10:05 a.m.: Obamas arrive at White House for coffee with the Bushes
» 11 a.m.: Motorcade departs for the Capitol
» 11:30 a.m.: Bushes and Obamas proceed to platform on the West Front; California Senator Dianne Feinstein will issue the call to order and deliver brief welcoming remarks, followed by an invocation from Dr. Rick Warren and a performance from Aretha Franklin (who also sang at Bill Clinton's first inauguration)
» 11:50 a.m.: Joe Biden is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice John Stevens
» 12 p.m.: Barack Obama is sworn in as president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama, with his hand on Abraham Lincoln's inaugural Bible, will recite the same oath as his predecessors: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Musical performance from John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill, followed by "Hail to the Chief" and a 21-gun salute
» 12:05 p.m.: Inaugural address, followed by a poem written and recited by Elizabeth Alexander and a benediction from Dr. Joseph Lowery. The national anthem will be performed by the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters
» 12:30 p.m.: Ceremony concludes
» 12:35 p.m.: Bush departs via helicopter; Cheney departs by limo
» 12:45 p.m.: Obama signs inauguration papers in the President's Room
» 1:00 p.m.: Obama attends congressional luncheon
» 2:15 p.m.: Obama and Biden review troops at Capitol
» 2:30 p.m.: President Obama leads the parade from the Capitol along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House
» 3:15 p.m.: Arrival at the White House
» 3:45 p.m.: Obamas and Bidens proceed to the reviewing stand; inaugural parade continues until 6 p.m.
» 7 p.m.: The official inaugural balls begin with the Neighborhood Ball at the Washington Convention Center, with performers scheduled to include Beyoncé. Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Stevie Wonder and others. Nick Cannon will DJ.
The event, expected to include the president and first lady's first dance of the night, will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. From there, it's on to other celebrations, including MTV's Youth Ball.
"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow.
'Men in Black' head Obama's ring of steel
WASHINGTON DC is going into lockdown today for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, the biggest single-day security operation the world has ever seen.
With crowds of up to four million predicted and most of the world tuning in, a 3.5sq mile area of the city will be sealed off, with entry possible only via airport-style metal detectors.Further security cordons extend in concentric rings out from the Capitol building, with all bridges sealed off within an even larger area. Some 50,000 security personnel from 58 services will flood the city, in an operation costing $80 million (£55 million)."It will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration's had," the homeland security chief, Michael Chertoff, said.Drawing on the experience of the 2005 London Tube bombings, when the bombers used outlying stations as staging points, 1,000 plainclothes FBI officers in 155 teams will mingle with crowds at subway stations across Washington, hoping to spot would-be terrorists.At the tip of the security spear are the so-called "Men in Black", a 100-strong unit of snipers from the Secret Service.Armed with a customised weapon, the snipers are able to hit a target the size of a saucer at 1,000 yards.From early this morning, they will be deployed in teams of two on rooftops along Pennsylvania Avenue to watch over the presidential motorcade.When one of the team spots a threat, the other trains his rifle on the target while the spotter takes the role of "wind caller", advising on corrections for wind based on flags and chimney smoke – one reason the Secret Service says the more flags on display the better.Pictures from Washington's 5,265 surveillance cameras will be fed into a central security command centre.More than 8,000 state and federal police are in the city, with attention centred on the 1.9-mile Mall, where more than a million will gather to watch the swearing-in on giant TV screens.An additional 10,000 part-time National Guard troops will be deployed, with 20,000 in reserve, along with an undisclosed number of regular troops.Hoteliers, meanwhile, have received training on how to spot a terrorist threat, with the authorities mindful that the Mumbai attackers in November singled out hotels as "soft" targets.Chemical, biological and radiological detectors, installed after 9/11, are already in place, and public buildings will be closed.Coast Guard craft will patrol the Potomac river, and F-16 fighters will roam the skies, with all civil air traffic banned. "I think we are ready," Mr Chertoff said. "Part of my job is to hope for the best and plan for the worst."For today, the "worst" includes not just the risk of a terrorist attack, but managing huge crowds and guarding against stampedes or injury during and after the noon ceremony.Much of the security effort is focused on the internet, with unprecedented attention being paid both to al-Qaeda cyber traffic and messages sent by so-called white supremacists.In August, a group of white neo-Nazis with sniper rifles were arrested at the Democratic Party's Denver convention.The only public airing of neo-Nazi views has been the declaration by the National Knights, a faction of the Ku Klux Klan, that they will wear black armbands and display the US flag upside down to protest at the inauguration of the first mixed-race president.'We should learn from King's vision'THE president-elect yesterday brought a whole new level of interest to "watching paint dry".Barack Obama helped paint a wall at a shelter for homeless teenagers in south-east Washington, an area marred by poverty and deprivation, to mark the public holiday celebrating the birth of the assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King.The shelter provides training for the youngsters and places an emphasis on self-reliance, a virtue that Mr Obama extolled during his election campaign."Dr Martin Luther King's was a life lived in loving service to others," said Mr Obama, who, in earlier years, worked in similar projects for the unemployed of Chicago's South Side. "His was a vision that all Americans might share the freedom to make of our lives what we will."He appealed to the nation to remember King through service to others."As we honour that legacy, it's not a day just to pause and reflect – it's a day to act," he said."I ask the American people to turn today's efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others in their communities, their cities and their country."
With crowds of up to four million predicted and most of the world tuning in, a 3.5sq mile area of the city will be sealed off, with entry possible only via airport-style metal detectors.Further security cordons extend in concentric rings out from the Capitol building, with all bridges sealed off within an even larger area. Some 50,000 security personnel from 58 services will flood the city, in an operation costing $80 million (£55 million)."It will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration's had," the homeland security chief, Michael Chertoff, said.Drawing on the experience of the 2005 London Tube bombings, when the bombers used outlying stations as staging points, 1,000 plainclothes FBI officers in 155 teams will mingle with crowds at subway stations across Washington, hoping to spot would-be terrorists.At the tip of the security spear are the so-called "Men in Black", a 100-strong unit of snipers from the Secret Service.Armed with a customised weapon, the snipers are able to hit a target the size of a saucer at 1,000 yards.From early this morning, they will be deployed in teams of two on rooftops along Pennsylvania Avenue to watch over the presidential motorcade.When one of the team spots a threat, the other trains his rifle on the target while the spotter takes the role of "wind caller", advising on corrections for wind based on flags and chimney smoke – one reason the Secret Service says the more flags on display the better.Pictures from Washington's 5,265 surveillance cameras will be fed into a central security command centre.More than 8,000 state and federal police are in the city, with attention centred on the 1.9-mile Mall, where more than a million will gather to watch the swearing-in on giant TV screens.An additional 10,000 part-time National Guard troops will be deployed, with 20,000 in reserve, along with an undisclosed number of regular troops.Hoteliers, meanwhile, have received training on how to spot a terrorist threat, with the authorities mindful that the Mumbai attackers in November singled out hotels as "soft" targets.Chemical, biological and radiological detectors, installed after 9/11, are already in place, and public buildings will be closed.Coast Guard craft will patrol the Potomac river, and F-16 fighters will roam the skies, with all civil air traffic banned. "I think we are ready," Mr Chertoff said. "Part of my job is to hope for the best and plan for the worst."For today, the "worst" includes not just the risk of a terrorist attack, but managing huge crowds and guarding against stampedes or injury during and after the noon ceremony.Much of the security effort is focused on the internet, with unprecedented attention being paid both to al-Qaeda cyber traffic and messages sent by so-called white supremacists.In August, a group of white neo-Nazis with sniper rifles were arrested at the Democratic Party's Denver convention.The only public airing of neo-Nazi views has been the declaration by the National Knights, a faction of the Ku Klux Klan, that they will wear black armbands and display the US flag upside down to protest at the inauguration of the first mixed-race president.'We should learn from King's vision'THE president-elect yesterday brought a whole new level of interest to "watching paint dry".Barack Obama helped paint a wall at a shelter for homeless teenagers in south-east Washington, an area marred by poverty and deprivation, to mark the public holiday celebrating the birth of the assassinated civil rights icon Martin Luther King.The shelter provides training for the youngsters and places an emphasis on self-reliance, a virtue that Mr Obama extolled during his election campaign."Dr Martin Luther King's was a life lived in loving service to others," said Mr Obama, who, in earlier years, worked in similar projects for the unemployed of Chicago's South Side. "His was a vision that all Americans might share the freedom to make of our lives what we will."He appealed to the nation to remember King through service to others."As we honour that legacy, it's not a day just to pause and reflect – it's a day to act," he said."I ask the American people to turn today's efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others in their communities, their cities and their country."
Ronaldo named Fifa player of 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the Fifa World Player of the Year for 2008.The Portugal and Manchester United winger becomes the first Premier League player to win the award.
Ronaldo, 23, beat AC Milan's Kaka, Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Xavi to the prestigious title.
"It's an overwhelming moment in my career and I'd like to dedicate this award to my family, friends and colleagues," said the United star.
His 42 goals for Manchester United last season helped the Old Trafford club clinch the Premier League and Champions League double.
Ronaldo, who also picked up the European Player of the Year crown in December and the FifPro World Footballer of the Year honour in October, paid special tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
606: DEBATE
Did Ronaldo deserve the title?
"It's also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him," he added.
"His experience over so many years is of paramount importance - it's a privilege to have such a great club manager.
"This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won.
"I am lucky to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United."
The coaches and captains of 155 national teams took part in the voting for the award, with Messi finishing second ahead of Torres, Kaka and Xavi.
Ronaldo is only the second Portuguese player to pick up the Fifa honour following Luis Figo's triumph in 2001.
Meanwhile, Brazil forward Marta, who is joining Los Angeles Sol in the new women's professional league in the United States, collected her third successive women's award - equalling the record set by German Birgit Prinz.
"This is an amazing achievement for me," said the 22-year-old, who has spent five years at Swedish club Umea and who was part of the Brazil team that finished as runners-up to the United States in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"This game has given me so many great moments of joy. This award is fantastic and I'd like to thank you all very much."
England and Arsenal Ladies striker Kelly Smith was one of the five nominees for the title.
Minor outage at Facebook Monday
Users were reporting performance and availability issues with Facebook Monday. Some complained on Twitter of slowness and pages that didn't load. Others said that third-party desktop apps that connect to Facebook (such as Digsby) lost their access to the service.
The outage did not appear to be widespread. A spokesperson for Facebook said in an e-mail to CNET:
As a result of a network device failure, a very small percentage of users lost access to Facebook for a short period of time earlier today. The site has now been restored and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
The outage did not appear to be widespread. A spokesperson for Facebook said in an e-mail to CNET:
As a result of a network device failure, a very small percentage of users lost access to Facebook for a short period of time earlier today. The site has now been restored and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
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