Wacky rules complicate race for GOP delegates (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Look out for some wacky results in the race for delegates in the Republican presidential primaries and caucuses. There might even be a state or two where the second-place candidate gets the most delegates, starting with Tuesday's caucuses in Iowa.

New GOP rules require states that hold nominating contests before April to award delegates proportionally. That usually means a candidate who gets 40 percent of the vote gets 40 percent of the delegates. But not always.

The rules give states a lot of leeway to define proportional, and some states have been pretty creative. For example, in Ohio, the candidate who gets the most votes in each congressional district wins three delegates. Ohio has 16 congressional districts based on the latest census, so 48 delegates will be awarded this way.

An additional 15 delegates will be awarded proportionally, based on statewide results. Candidates must get at least 20 percent of the statewide vote to qualify for these delegates. Under this system, it is possible in a close race for a candidate to narrowly win the most congressional districts ? and the most delegates ? but come in second in the overall statewide vote, said Bob Bennett, a member of the Republican National Committee from Ohio.

Early on, battles over small numbers of delegates won't get much attention because candidates are more concerned about winning contests and building momentum. But if the race continues into late spring, like the 2008 battle between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, delegate totals become much more important.

A tight race could draw a lot of scrutiny over obscure issues like this: If you qualify for 7.5 delegates under a proportional allocation, do you round up to eight or round down to seven? (In Ohio and other states you round up to eight. In Nevada, which is holding GOP caucuses Feb. 4, party officials are still working on those details.)

"All these rules are important in close races," Bennett said. "If you have a blowout, a sure winner, they don't matter as much."

In most national polls, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are the front-runners for the GOP nomination. In Iowa, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas also is polling well, raising the possibility of a split vote.

The Iowa caucuses on Tuesday begin the process in that state that will result in 25 delegates being selected for the national convention. At the caucuses, voters will cast ballots in a presidential straw poll, and those results will get the most attention on election night.

Caucus-goers also will elect delegates to county conventions, who in turn will elect delegates to congressional district conventions and the state party convention in June. These are the conventions where delegates to the GOP national convention in Tampa, Fla., are selected.

Each of the four congressional districts will elect three delegates to the national convention. They will also appoint two members to a slate committee, which will choose 13 additional delegates. The slate is voted on at the party's state convention in June.

The system puts a premium on getting the most votes in individual congressional districts. If a candidate's supporters can control a congressional district convention, they can choose national delegates and slate committee members who support their candidate.

In a tight, three-way race, it is possible for a candidate to narrowly win two of the four congressional districts ? putting him or her in position to win the most delegates ? but come in second in overall votes statewide.

"The delegates are going to reflect the division within the party itself," said John Ryder, a member of the Republican National Committee from Tennessee who chaired the panel that wrote the new proportional rule. "The end result is nobody comes out of a proportional state with a clear mandate, unless of course they do, which would only happen if a candidate generates commanding support among Republican voters."

A total of 2,286 delegates are slated to attend the Republican National Convention in August, and 1,144 will be needed to claim the nomination, according to the Republican National Committee. No candidate can reach that total before April, though a dominant front-runner could build a commanding lead by then.

In the meantime, the primary calendar is full of quirks. South Carolina (Jan. 21), and Florida (Jan. 31), will award all their delegates to the candidate who gets the most votes, even though they are holding their contests before April. Both states already lost half their delegates for holding early contests, so the state parties decided to make them winner-take-all. The RNC says there are no additional penalties for violating the proportional rules.

Michigan's plan for awarding delegates is very similar to Ohio's. But Michigan, which holds its primary Feb. 28, lost half its delegates because it scheduled its primary before March 6, also known as Super Tuesday. GOP rules allow only four states to hold nominating contests before Super Tuesday: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. And those states weren't supposed to schedule contests before February.

Michigan started with 59 delegates, but now has only 30. Nevertheless, party officials plan to award 56 delegates based on the primary (the other three will be the state's RNC members), and simply reduce each candidate's total by half. That poses several problems: Half of 56 isn't quite 30, and what if a candidate wins 25 delegates? Do they get 12 or 13? GOP rules don't allow fractions of delegates.

"We'll work that out once we get closer to choosing the delegates who will go," said Matt Frendewey, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party.

___

Lauren Johnert, Associated Press deputy manager for election research and quality control, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_delegates

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Why India pulled the welcome mat for Wal-Mart

Intense protest prompted India to shelve plans this month to allow box stores like Wal-Mart. But many say the retail sector is backward and needs the jobs and investment such stores would bring.

The Indian government's recent plans to open the retail sector to foreign big-box stores like Wal-Mart was met with such vehement pushback from people across India that the plans had to be shelved earlier this month.

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Unlike in the United States, where more than 80 percent of Americans shop at supermarkets and chain stores, most Indians still shop in kirana, or tiny mom and pop stores. The 15 million small retail outlets here employ tens of millions of people.

While India has welcomed many Western companies under two decades of economic liberalization, the move to megastores has proved to be a tough sell.

The idea of driving long distances on bad roads, battling for a parking spot, and choosing between hundreds of brands perplexes many consumers who say they are happy with the current small-and-local model. But the domestic resistance frustrates Indian technocrats and business elites who are focused on keeping India's growth rates high.

While Wal-Mart worries many shopkeepers, some are banking on customer loyalty and shopping habits to save them.

Rajiv Malik owns a kirana in the alleyway of a middle-class neighborhood in Delhi. His shop, a mini-version of Wal-Mart, offers everything from shampoo and vegetables to underwear and plastic beach balls.

"Over half of my customers buy on credit, and I will deliver anything from a loaf of bread to a few eggs," says Mr. Malik, who keeps track of purchases in a big, yellow notebook. "I don't think that Wal-Mart will be able to provide this kind of service."

Ilyas, who goes by one name, plays dual roles as a middleman buying fruits and vegetables from whole-salers and running a roadside stand. Like Malik, he thinks he can compete. "Even though big stores may be able to sell for less, they can't keep their fruits and vegetables as fresh as mine," he says. "My customers are willing to pay more for quality."

Job jitters

While Malik and Ilyas may not seem concerned about the coming of the big shops, millions of others worry that they could lose their jobs. Responding to that anxiety, opposition parties blocked the government's decision to allow foreign, multibrand retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Tesco.

"The economy as a whole can only gain if the presence of foreign retailers creates more opportunities for the manufacturing sector, as opposed to being threatened by it," says Rajeev Chandrasekhar, one of the members of Parliament who blocked the measure.

The failed resolution left economist Rajiv Kumar, the secretary-general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, fuming.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/wgx2e4bg9AM/Why-India-pulled-the-welcome-mat-for-Wal-Mart

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Frontrunners stay (mostly) positive as super PACs do dirty work (Washington Post)

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German industry mogul Werner Otto dies at 102

FILE -In this Aug. 11, 2009 file picture Werner Otto, a Hamburg merchant and entrepreneur, is photographed in Berlin, Germany. Werner Otto, founder of the mail-order company that bears his name and a prominent figure in West Germany's post-World War II economic resurgence, has died. He was 102. Otto Group said Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011 that he died in Berlin on Dec. 21. Otto opened a shoe factory in Hamburg in 1945, but it didn't last long in the face of tough competition. So in 1949, he turned to selling shoes by mail order - the start of what became Otto Group, which now has 50,000 employees and annual revenue of 11.4 billion euro (US $14.9 billion). (AP Photo/Gero Breloer,File)

FILE -In this Aug. 11, 2009 file picture Werner Otto, a Hamburg merchant and entrepreneur, is photographed in Berlin, Germany. Werner Otto, founder of the mail-order company that bears his name and a prominent figure in West Germany's post-World War II economic resurgence, has died. He was 102. Otto Group said Tuesday Dec. 27, 2011 that he died in Berlin on Dec. 21. Otto opened a shoe factory in Hamburg in 1945, but it didn't last long in the face of tough competition. So in 1949, he turned to selling shoes by mail order - the start of what became Otto Group, which now has 50,000 employees and annual revenue of 11.4 billion euro (US $14.9 billion). (AP Photo/Gero Breloer,File)

BERLIN (AP) ? Werner Otto, the founder of the mail-order company that bears his name and a prominent figure in West Germany's post-World War II economic resurgence, has died. He was 102.

The company, Otto Group, said Tuesday that he died in Berlin on Dec. 21 in the presence of his family.

Otto opened a shoe factory in Hamburg in 1945, but it didn't last long in the face of tough competition from southern Germany.

So in 1949, with four employees, he turned to selling shoes by mail order ? the start of what became Otto Group, which now employs 50,000 people and has annual revenues of euro11.4 billion ($14.9 billion).

Its first, hand-produced, catalog appeared in 1950, offering 28 styles of shoes. The business then grew rapidly during the 1950s, expanding its range and establishing itself with the help of shoppers from outside major cities who didn't have ready access to stores; in 1963, Otto introduced telephone orders and went online in 1995.

Otto handed over the company's operational management in 1965 and founded another enterprise, ECE, which builds and manages shopping malls in Europe.

He also set up Paramount Group, Inc., to invest in U.S. real estate.

Otto dedicated himself to a range of social causes, including his Werner Otto Foundation, founded in 1969, which supports medical research.

Among other projects, his company said he also donated a new museum building to Harvard University, the Werner Otto Hall, to showcase expressionist art from the German-speaking world.

Otto was born in the eastern German town of Seelow on Aug. 13, 1909, the son of a merchant.

He is survived by his third wife, Maren, and his five children. His oldest son, Michael, is now Otto Group's supervisory board chairman and his youngest son, Alexander, is the chief executive of ECE.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-27-EU-Germany-Obit-Otto/id-cd98f0bc4cde460ea256da98d891a922

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Multifamily Real Estate Investing | Inform Everyone

First things first, vertical rising real estate development can be categorized into single family, multifamily and commercial, either for sale or for lease. Among the three, the multifamily real estate investing and commercial development are closely related except that the former is primarily residential and the latter is institutional. Although this may be arbitrary, real estate investors, developers and brokers generally refer to the multifamily real estate investing in terms of units. Residential apartments with a minimum of 10 units and more are already categorized as multifamily; and so with units of duplexes and high rise condominiums taken as a whole project and not on per unit or single duplex bases. This includes the horizontal land these structures are built. Commercial real estate investing, on the other hand, generally, is malls, shopping centers, office buildings, hotels, hospitals and educational buildings. The structures could readily be converted to residential units but as they are, they serve other purposes primarily not for human abode.

Real estate marketing technically is highly capital intensive because of the lead time between the selling start up and the final negotiation for contract signing, which means, the property is certified sold. Real estate marketing, however, is a one and done transaction. Negotiate and consummate one transaction and large cash flow is created deducted with minimal expenses, net of profit is already realizable. In particular, between commercial and multifamily real estate investing, the latter is considered more alluring to invest because of its marketing differentiation and segmentation. Demand for structures of abode covers a wide market differentiation and segmentation because the entire population strata are the target. Commercial properties are limited to the niches of the business investor community when compared to residential structures. Taking everything else constant, it is easier to sell or lease apartments than a hospital or a school. Between the high rise condominiums, taken as a whole, and a mall, turnover rate is faster for the former than the latter. Then, taking into consideration the economy of scale when multifamily properties are grouped as a whole, profit in the final analysis is greater as unit cost decreases for every multifamily unit built which commercial properties do not have such advantage.

Multifamily real estate investing stakeholders are lured by this business because of the economy of scale and one and done principle. The fact that the per unit costing decreases, the spread of risks is wider as well. Leeway of defaults in multifamily property transactions is created which is unlikely in commercial or single-family properties. Multifamily marketing strategy can be subdivided into a gradated retail sales or wholesale. This is almost impossible in selling commercial properties, too, since hospitals and schools as an example cannot be sold piece by piece.

The fact that retail sales is a strategy, anecdotal reports of success stories are plenty in multifamily real estate investing. Retail selling can be done on a part time basis. Undergoing the one and done principle, cash flows are accumulated more than enough to launch the follow up deal.

Claud Pearce is an active real estate investor based in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a member of the Greater Cincinnati Real Estate Investors Association and works exclusively with investors who want to grow, learn and succeed at real estate investing. Get more information now at http://www.cincinnatireia.com.

Source: http://www.informeveryone.com/multifamily-real-estate-investing/i-n-f-o-r-m-e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e/

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Iran navy starts 10-day wargame in Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran began 10 days of naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, raising concern about a possible closure of the world's most strategic oil transit channel in the event of any outbreak of military conflict between Tehran and the West.

The military drill, dubbed "Velayat-e 90," comes as the tension between the West and Iran is escalating over the Islamic state's nuclear program.

Some analysts and diplomats believe the Islamic Republic could try to block the strait in the event of any war with the West over suspicions it is seeking atom bombs. Iran's arch-foes Israel and the United States have not ruled out military action if diplomacy and sanctions fail to rein in Iran's nuclear work.

Iran says it wants nuclear energy only for peaceful ends.

"The enforcement of the decision to close of the Strait of Hormuz is certainly within Iran's armed forces' capability, but such a decision should be made by the country's top authorities," Iranian Navy commander Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA labor news agency.

Iran has said in the past that it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests in the region and Israel, as well as closing the strait, the only access channel for eight U.S.-aligned, Gulf Arab states to foreign markets.

Iranian authorities have given no indication the strait will be closed during the exercise, and it has not been shut during previous drills.

"Displaying Iran's defensive and deterrent power as well as relaying a message of peace and friendship in the Strait of Hormuz and the free waters are the main objectives of the drill," Sayyari said.

"It will also display the country's power to control the region as well as testing new missiles, torpedoes and weapons."

"Velayat" is a Persian word for "supremacy" and it is currently used as a title of deference for the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The United States, Britain and Canada announced new measures against Iran's energy and financial sectors last month and the European Union is considering a ban - already in place in the United States - on imports of Iranian oil.

(Writing by Ramin Mostafavi; Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111224/wl_nm/us_iran_navy_wargame

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Police find 7 dead in Fort Worth-area apartment (AP)

GRAPEVINE, Texas ? Seven people believed to be related had opened their Christmas gifts and started cleaning up the wrapping paper when they were shot to death in a suburban Fort Worth apartment, police said Sunday.

Authorities said they believe the shooter is among the dead, but got a warrant before doing a full search on the small chance that it was otherwise.

Four women and three men, aged 18 to 60, were found in an adjoining kitchen and living room area when police entered the apartment around midday, said Grapevine Police Sgt. Robert Eberling. Two handguns were found near the bodies in the apartment that was decorated for the holiday with a tree, he added.

"It appears they had just celebrated Christmas. They had opened their gifts," Eberling said.

The victims have not yet been identified, but Eberling said it appears they all died of gunshot wounds. He said authorities still don't know what sparked the incident.

Grapevine Police Lt. Todd Dearing said investigators believe that all the victims were related, but that some were only visiting and didn't live in the apartment. He said police are looking for other relatives to inform.

"Seven people in one setting in Grapevine, that's never happened before. Ever," Dearing said.

He said police were performing a "meticulous" search of the apartment and he expects them to be on the scene for many hours.

Police and firefighters first rushed to the Lincoln Vineyards complex after receiving an open-ended 911 call at about 11:30 a.m., Eberling said.

"There was an open line. No one was saying anything," he explained.

So police went into the apartment, located in a middle-class, suburban neighborhood of Grapevine, not far from the upscale Fort Worth neighborhood of Colleyville. The apartment is at the back of the complex, overlooking the athletic fields of Colleyville Heritage High School.

But many of the nearby apartments are vacant, and police said no neighbors reported hearing anything on a quiet Christmas morning when many people were not around.

Jose Fernandez, a 35-year-old heavy equipment mechanic who moved to the complex with his family about six months ago, said he always felt safe in the area, but is now afraid to let his 10-year-old son play freely outside.

"This is really outrageous especially on Christmas," said Fernandez, who was visiting family for the holiday and returned to find several police cars parked outside his home.

"This has shocked everybody. It has scared everybody. I guess something like this can happen anywhere, but seven people dead. It's just very scary," he added.

Eberling agreed the area is fairly quiet, noting this would be the first homicide in Grapevine since 2010.

Christy Posch, a flight attendant who moved to the complex about six months ago so her son could attend the high school, said she lives a few buildings away and did not hear any gunshots.

"It's all families. That's why I moved here. No burglaries, no nothing," Posch said.

___

Associated Press writer Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_us/us_texas_bodies_found

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allezlesbleusca: RT @chatfootball: http://t.co/Ck4zrTRN Class 2012: Kent prep (USA) Linebacker/Tight End Pierre-Luc Caron undecided between CIS or NCAA ( ...

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Lady Gaga To Leak Unreleased Track On Christmas Day

'Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!!' singer tweeted.
By Christina Garibaldi

Lady Gaga in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday
Photo: TwitPic

It will certainly be a merry Christmas for all of Lady Gaga's Little Monsters. Mother Monster herself will play Santa to all her fans when she presents them with an unreleased song on Christmas Day.

"Been racking my brain on what to get Little Monsters for Christmas!! I finally figured it out!!" Gaga tweeted on Thursday (December 22). "On Christmas Day I will leak to you an unreleased Song off Born This Way! It was recorded live, in one take, on the tour bus. Uncensored."

Gaga is currently in Japan, where she will be spending the holiday. "Well, I'll be in Japan right up until Christmas Day," Gaga told MTV News earlier this month. "So I'll be eating with all my Japanese Little Monsters. I like shabu shabu [a form of Japanese hot pot]."

On Tuesday, Gaga tweeted, "Sipping tea in Japan with Haus. Feeling so grateful. We sold about 1 million albums a month worldwide since the release of BORN THIS WAY."

That's not the only thing Gaga has to celebrate. She revealed via Twitter that she is "so happy" that "Hello, Hello," her duet with Elton John, is one of 39 tracks on the short list for a possible Oscar nomination in the Best Original Song category.

Lady Gaga, who was MTV News' Top Newsmaker of 2011, will be ringing in the new year in her hometown of New York. The "Marry the Night" singer, along with Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and Florence and the Machine, will watch the ball drop at the 40th annual "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." The event will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest, with appearances by Fergie and Jenny McCarthy.

Are you excited for Lady Gaga's new song? Let us know in the comments.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676424/lady-gaga-christmas-day-song-xmas.jhtml

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Quote of the Day (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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Israel Release 55 But 106 Palestinian Children Remain in Jail as Shackling Continues

On Sunday, Israel released 550 Palestinian prisoners, the second and final phase of the prisoner swap which secured the release of Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in October.

Israel reserved the right to make the final decision on which Palestinian prisoners to release, and which should remain in jail. Not surprisingly then, it attracted widespread criticism when not one of the 164 Palestinians held by Israel under the age of 18 were released in the first round of the prisoner swap. This time it was different. On Sunday, 55 Palestinians aged between 14 and 17 were freed by Israel.

Whether or not it took place in response to the international pressure, Israel's change of heart is welcome. But it is no more than a start. Like many other countries, Israeli law defines under 18s as children. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires member states to uphold standards of judicial behaviour in respect of children, including only using imprisonment as a last resort. According to Defence for Children International (DCI), however, even after Sunday, 106 Palestinian children still remain in Israeli detention.

Each year around 700 Palestinian children are held by Israel. Unlike Israeli children, they are subject to military, not civil jurisdiction. Widespread concerns about their treatment have been catalogued by DCI and a range of other Israeli and international human rights organisations.
Children are frequently taken from their homes in the middle of the night, without telling their parents why they are being arrested or where they are being taken. Painful hand ties and blindfolds are used for extended periods of time. Prior to interrogation, children are often not informed of their right to silence or allowed to meet with a lawyer. Rarely are they even allowed to speak to their parents.

Threats and physical and mental abuse during arrest, transfer and interrogation are widespread, making prosecutions based on evidence regularly extracted from confessions more than worrying.

It's shocking when you hear about these things. It's worse still when you see them for yourself and meet some of the young people who have been through it. I'll certainly never forget the sight of 13-year-old boys being led into Israel's military courtrooms at Ofer prison in leg shackles and handcuffs. The leg shackles stayed on throughout the hearing. Necessary to prevent them absconding? I don't think so; the courtroom was inside the walls of a high security prison.

Last month I met half a dozen young ex-prisoners from the Hebron area of the West Bank who are now receiving support from a psychological counselling centre run by the YMCA near Bethlehem. As their answers to my questions unfolded, the sheer extent of the Israeli military's practice of shackling child prisoners became clear.

I was told how some of them would be picked up from a jail near Haifa by prison vans at around 1.00am to take them to the court at Ofer. The journey should take just a couple of hours. In practice, prisoners are regularly kept in the prison vans for eight or nine hours at a time as they travel to different parts of Israel to pick up more prisoners before arriving at Ofer. By the time the vans get there, they are often overcrowded. The 14 to 17-year-olds inside are shackled throughout the journey. Sometimes they are hand cuffed together too.

When I asked the young people about food, water or even how they go to the toilet during the journey, they shrugged. If you are lucky, they told me, you may get a break outside the van during the journey. Often you do not.

When I raise this kind of treatment with representatives of the Israeli government, I am usually cautioned to remember Israel's security concerns, and its need to be vigilant to the threat of suicide bombs. In fact, most of the children are detained for offences such as throwing stones. But that is hardly the point. Mistreatment of prisoners - especially child prisoners - does not stop being mistreatment depending on the offence they are accused of.

That is why DCI calls for Palestinian children to have the same rights as Israeli children to recognised standards of juvenile justice rather than military courts. It is why they say all children should be accompanied by a lawyer and parent during questioning, and all interrogations of children should be audio-visually recorded as a means of independent oversight.

And it is why - as we approach a new year in the 21st Century - Israel's shackling of child prisoners must stop.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/richard-burden/israel-release-55-but-106-palestian-children-remain-shackled_b_1163932.html

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Profiling lawsuit could add to sheriff's troubles

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2009 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at a news conference in Phoenix. A judge will hear arguments Thursday Dec., 22, 2011 in a lawsuit that alleges racial profiling in Arpaio's immigration patrols, a week after federal authorities accused the sheriff's office of a wide range of civil rights violations. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2009 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at a news conference in Phoenix. A judge will hear arguments Thursday Dec., 22, 2011 in a lawsuit that alleges racial profiling in Arpaio's immigration patrols, a week after federal authorities accused the sheriff's office of a wide range of civil rights violations. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

PHOENIX (AP) ? A judge heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit that alleges racial profiling in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's immigration patrols, a week after federal authorities accused the sheriff's office of a wide range of civil rights violations.

The lawsuit was filed by a handful of Latinos who claim officers based some traffic stops on the race of Hispanics in vehicles, pulling them over without probable cause to inquire about their immigration status.

U.S. District Judge Murray Snow will decide whether he will let the case go to trial or settle the dispute himself by throwing out the case or declaring that the sheriff uses racial profiling in his immigration enforcement.

The suit is among a mounting number of legal challenges against the embattled department, which faced a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report last week, then lost its federal credentials to verify the immigration status of inmates.

A lawsuit filed this week alleges county employees violated a female inmate's rights and ignored her complaints when they kept her shackled before and after her 2009 cesarean section. Meanwhile, a family said they're exploring a possible lawsuit after an inmate found unresponsive following a jail cell fight with deputies was taken off life support and died days later.

The handful of Latinos who alleged racial profiling claim officers pulled them over without probable cause to inquire about their immigration status. They are seeking a court declaration that Arpaio's office has violated their constitutional rights and must establishing protections against racial profiling.

During the patrols known as "sweeps," deputies flood an area of a city ? in some cases, heavily Latino areas ? over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders. Illegal immigrants accounted for 57 percent of the 1,500 people arrested in the 20 sweeps conducted by his office since January 2008, according to figures provided by Arpaio's office.

The Justice Department said last week that Arpaio's office has a pattern of racially profiling Latinos, basing immigration enforcement on racially charged citizen complaints and punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish. Arpaio faces a Jan. 4 deadline for saying whether he wants to work out an agreement to settle allegations. The Justice Department has said it's prepared to sue Arpaio and let a judge decide the matter if no agreement can be worked out.

Apart from the civil rights probe, a federal grand jury also has been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and is specifically examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.

Arpaio has denied the racial profiling allegations, saying people pulled over in the sweeps were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes and that it was only afterward that deputies found many of them were illegal immigrants.

Snow has previously found grounds to sanction the sheriff's office for throwing away or shredding some records of traffic stops made during the sweeps, but held off on imposing a punishment.

The judge is considering a set of possible "inferences" that either the judge or a jury would take into account as they decide the case's outcome. Under the inferences now under consideration, the judge or a jury would be able to infer that the records would have suggested officers didn't follow a zero-tolerance policy requiring them to stop all traffic offenders and that the documents would have included a higher number of immigration arrests than records documenting ordinary patrol activity.

Arpaio's lawyers have asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, arguing that those who filed the case lack standing to show they face a threat of future injury from the sweeps and people pulled over in the sweeps were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had violated a law.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-22-US-Arizona-Sheriff-Immigration/id-f74369b1357b443488bc3c73329df597

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Why the Kindle Fire Costs $199 (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The new Kindle Fire tablet has been Amazon.com's best-selling product for weeks now because of two things: It's being aggressively promoted on Amazon.com (even taking over the search results for "iPad"), and it's an iPad-style Kindle that costs less than half of the iPad's price.

Not everyone's happy with the Fire, though. In its listing on Amazon.com, nearly a third of the reviews give it 3 stars or fewer, while more than 1 in 10 give it 1 star. Judging by the complaints -- and by professional usability studies like Jakob Nielsen's -- it's clear that Amazon cut some corners when making the Fire.

So what did Amazon do, to get the Fire's price below $200?

Sold Kindles at a loss

According to IHS iSupply, the Kindle Fire costs more than $200 to make. $201.70, in fact, counting in parts and manufacturing. (Maybe it'd cost less if Amazon used underage workers like some Chinese factories apparently do, but let's not go there.)

Why would Amazon sell its tablet at a loss, though? Because the Kindle Fire is to Amazon as the Apple Store is to Apple: Its physical storefront. And with one-click ordering, plus no password or confirmation needed, you (or your kids, or a thief) can order whatever you want from Amazon.com as fast as you can push buttons. Especially books, movies, and apps that can all be used instantly on the Fire.

Rushed Kindles out the door

Reviews like the AP's Peter Svensson's -- or the customer reviews on Amazon -- make it clear: The Kindle Fire is a "beta" product. It's slow, and some features just plain don't work, or at least work poorly.

The fact that it has those features means that it seems competitive, on comparison charts like the one Amazon.com puts in your face if you search for "iPad." But as tech writer (and Instapaper developer) Marco Arment points out, the Fire doesn't compare so well if you actually take into account things like its "Infuriatingly Awful" magazine reading experience, and "Frustratingly Sluggish" overall speed.

The Upshot

Is the Kindle Fire still worth it? Maybe, to people for whom the $499 iPad is out of reach, or who are otherwise used to sacrificing quality for quantity. And with a software update on its way, which arguably should've been there to start with, some of the most frustrating issues might soon be fixed.

It's unlikely that Amazon will be able to add hardware volume controls or a faster processor in this update, however.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111220/tc_ac/10719407_why_the_kindle_fire_costs199

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Beach Boys reuniting for new album, tour in 2012 (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Iconic California surf band The Beach Boys will reunite in 2012 to release a new album and embark on a 50-date worldwide tour celebrating their 50th anniversary, the band said on Friday.

Members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks, who were all involved in early versions of The Beach Boys band in the 1960s, when their fame rose due to the popularity of songs such as "Surfin' USA," "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations," are producing a new record after a 15-year studio album hiatus.

"This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys, and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again," Wilson, 69, said in a statement.

Singer Love, 70, added "It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements."

The still untitled new album will be released in April, and be tied to a 50-date tour starting at Jazz Fest in New Orleans that is part of their 50th anniversary campaign spotlighting the band's career, music catalog with commemorative releases.

The Beach Boys struck their first chords in Hawthorne, California in 1961, with brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Love and school friend Al Jardin. Johnston and Marks joined later versions of the Beach Boys to fill in for departing members.

The band became known for their upbeat songs about California's carefree beach lifestyle, pioneering the sound for surf-rock. Their albums included "Pet Sounds" and "Smile."

The Beach Boys hold the title for America's top-selling band according to Nielsen SoundScan figures, and also hold the record for the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits with 36 songs.

Despite the deaths of Dennis and Carl Wilson in 1983 and 1998, respectively, the band have continued to tour successfully over the years. They have received numerous accolades including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/music_nm/us_beachboys

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Video: Bachmann's pants on fire

10 chilling super-nerdy snow sculptures

By Sean FallonNerd Approved? If there's one thing that I miss about living in an area that sees snowy, wintry weather, it's making snowmen. I mean, it just doesn't feel right to make a snowman out of dirt while wearing shorts.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45702883#45702883

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S&P cuts ratings of 10 Spanish banks (Reuters)

MADRID (Reuters) ? Standard & Poor's cut the credit ratings of 10 Spanish banks on Thursday and said they remained on watch for a possible further cut subject to a review of Spain's sovereign rating.

The banks include Bankia (BKIA.MC) and its holding company, CaixabankMC> and its holding company, Ibercaja, Bankinter (BKT.MC), Sabadell (SABE.MC) and Popular (POP.MC).

S&P said the cut came after it applied new ratings criteria and updated its group methodology for banks. The criteria were changed in November to increase clarity regarding hybrid capital instruments.

Spanish banks are heavily exposed to bad, and potentially bad, loans after a prolonged housing bubble burst in 2007, and risks remain even after prolonged restructuring and recapitalization.

The economy is stagnant, the banks are depending on the European Central Bank for liquidity, and many of them must raise more capital as well.

The incoming government of centre-right leader Mariano Rajoy -- due to be sworn in as prime minister on Wednesday -- is planning a fresh overhaul of the banking sector, possibly creating a holding company for toxic real estate assets.

S&P this month put sovereign debt from the entire euro zone currency bloc on review for possible downgrades due to the deepening economic and credit crisis in the region.

The agency said on Thursday that within four weeks of deciding on whether or not to downgrade Spain's government debt, it will announce decisions on possible further cuts in the ratings of Spanish banks that are on review.

Spain's sovereign debt is currently rated AA- by S&P, an investment grade that indicates a "very strong payment capacity."

(Reporting By Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Will Waterman and David Hulmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/bs_nm/us_spain_banks_sp

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Foreign investment in China down first time in 28 months (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China's economic growth could be slowing further as data on Thursday showed the first year-on-year drop in foreign direct investment in 28 months and a fresh fall in new orders signaled a further contraction in factory activity.

The data highlights increasing risks to China's growth emanating from a deterioration in developed market economies while domestic demand is being dented by government efforts to rein in rampant real estate inflation.

"Growth momentum remains weak with additional downside risks from exports and the property market not yet fully filtering through," said Qu Hongbin, chief China economist at

HSBC.

"With inflation quickly shifting to disinflation, the Chinese government can and should make more aggressive easing on both fiscal and monetary fronts to stabilize growth and jobs."

Qu's comments accompanied the release of the HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), which showed China's factory activity shrank again in December after new orders fell.

The PMI, the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, is likely to entrench views that manufacturers are struggling with waning global demand and tight domestic credit conditions.

The contraction indicated by the PMI came swiftly after Commerce Ministry data revealed the first year-on-year fall in foreign direct investment growth in China in 28 months.

November's $8.8 billion of commitments were down 9.8 percent on November 2010, the first fall since July 2009's 35.7 percent year-on-year collapse to $5.4 billion.

A sharp drop in inflows from the United States was a particular drag, slowing year-to-date growth in FDI flows to 13.2 percent from 15.9 percent in October's data.

Still, total FDI in the year to date of $103.8 billion suggest 2011 is poised to be a record-breaking year.

The slowdown in FDI growth comes after the first outflow in net capital from China in four years in October, part of a recent trend of capital flight from emerging markets largely driven by Europe's festering debt crisis.

But Hua Zhongwei, an economist with Huachuang Securities in Beijing, says the long-term allure to global investors of the world's second-biggest economy remained strong and he expected a reasonably swift rebound.

"The Chinese market is too big to be neglected for most foreign companies," Hua said. "Once the dust settles, foreign investment inflows into China are expected to rise steadily again."

Hua noted, however, that rising costs in China and a slowdown in the global economy were forcing some low-end manufacturers to relocate to other regions.

"For those that rely heavily on cheap labor as an advantage, China may seem to be an increasingly unwelcoming place," he said.

U.S. INFLOWS SINK

Data from the Commerce Ministry showed that U.S. investments in China dropped 23.1 percent from a year earlier to $2.74 billion in the first 11 months of the year.

Investments from the European Union -- China's single largest trading partner -- were $5.98 billion in the January-November period, up a tiny 0.29 percent from a year earlier.

Investments from 10 of China's Asian neighbors, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan and South Korea, however, jumped 17.98 percent to $89.6 billion in the same period.

Service-sector FDI was up 18.6 percent between January and November, more than twice the 7.6 percent rate of growth in the manufacturing sector in the same period.

Separately, China has approved 74 yuan foreign direct investment (FDI) projects since the yuan FDI rules were launched in October, with total investments of 16.53 billion yuan ($2.6 billion), Huang Feng, a foreign investment official with the Ministry of Commerce, was quoted by the local media as saying.

Investment inflows, which surged in the years after China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, have recovered strongly after being hit hard by the global economic slowdown.

EXPORT OUTLOOK SEVERE

But the darkening backdrop is clearly concerning Chinese officials, with economic growth having slowed for three straight quarters and many forecasters expecting it to dip in 2012 below 9 percent for the first time since 2001.

"The overall trade environment next year for China will be complicated, partly due to the economic uncertainties in the European countries, and I should say that the export situation in the first quarter of next year will be very severe," Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told a news conference at the release of the FDI data.

Growth in Chinese exports and imports slowed in November, fresh evidence of faltering demand abroad and at home that is pushing Beijing towards a more explicit pro-growth policy stance, data showed on December 10.

Customs data showed exports at their most sluggish in two years -- stripping out the volatile month of February, which was affected by the Lunar New Year holiday.

PMI data delivered more evidence of a further slowdown in export orders. They barely grew on the month and a sub-index of output prices signaled a further fall in the prices Chinese firms were able to charge to get goods out of the gates.

The uncertainty of the external environment saw China on Wednesday pledge to guarantee growth in the face of an "extremely grim" outlook for the global economy in 2012, rounding off its annual policy-setting conference with a series of commitments to deliver economic stability.

Economists say fine-tuning of economic policy towards a pro-growth setting is already under way. Data showed Chinese banks made 562 billion yuan of new loans in November, a shade more than forecast as Beijing gently eases tight credit conditions.

Bank lending is a focal point in China's monetary policy as it is controlled by the government to steer economic growth and control inflation.

Inflation appears to be coming off the boil, having fallen from a three-year high of 6.5 percent in July to 4.2 percent in November, but stability-obsessed Beijing is wary of any policy that might fire up prices again.

Periods of high inflation have historically been accompanied by periods of social tension, making the leaders of China's ruling Communist Party particularly sensitive to sharp price rises or a sudden erosion of consumer spending power.

However, Beijing this week also promised a tight leash on the property sector to cool housing prices and bring them back to a "reasonable level," which some investors fear could add to the risks of an economic hard landing as prices and investment fall.

(Editing by Nick Edwards and Alex Richardson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/bs_nm/us_china_economy

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Italy's Monti faces confidence vote on austerity (Reuters)

ROME (Reuters) ? Italy's government faces a confidence vote in parliament on Friday, a move to speed up approval of a 33-billion euro ($43 billion) austerity package intended to restore market confidence in the euro zone's third largest economy.

Mario Monti's government of unelected technocrats has an overwhelming majority in both houses of parliament and the vote, to be held in the Chamber of Deputies in the afternoon, should pass easily.

The austerity plan will then move to the Senate, where a similar vote is expected to be held before Christmas, marking the final passage of a decree law that went into effect on December 4 but needed parliamentary approval within 60 days.

Monti's government was appointed last month to face a collapse in market confidence that put Italy at the heart of the euro zone debt crisis. He has raced to push through the package of tax hikes, spending cuts and pension reform aimed at meeting Italy's goal of balancing its budget in 2013.

However, analysts say rising borrowing costs and the prospect of a fast-deepening recession still threaten to undermine Italy's fiscal consolidation efforts.

The government resorted to confidence votes to curtail debate on dozens of amendments to the law, many of them tabled by the opposition Northern League party.

Monti's predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, had urged a confidence vote, saying his PDL party -- the biggest in parliament -- would support the government out of a sense of responsibility, not because it agrees with all the sacrifices being asked of Italians.

RECESSION

Both Berlusconi's PDL and the centre-left Democratic Party have misgivings about parts of the bill but cannot sabotage the government for fear of unleashing an economic catastrophe that probably would lead to Italy defaulting on its debt.

Underlining the depth of the crisis, the main employers' lobby Confindustria on Thursday slashed its growth forecast for Italy next year to minus 1.6 percent from a previous estimate of plus 0.2 percent and said the country was already in recession.

It said even this forecast was based on Italian bond yields dropping to below 5 percent by April compared to around 7 percent now -- the level at which Ireland, Greece and Portugal were forced to take bailouts.

Such a rescue for the much bigger Italian economy would probably overwhelm Europe's defenses, which is why the country is in the frontline of the euro zone crisis.

The Northern League heckled Monti in parliament this week and held up placards saying, "This is not a budget, but a hold-up." They also tried to obstruct the calling of the confidence vote by filibustering in the chamber before Speaker Gianfranco Fini cut them short.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/bs_nm/us_italy_vote

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Police defuse 6 homemade bombs in Bangkok (AP)

BANGKOK ? Thai police say they have defused six homemade bombs found in Bangkok and arrested one suspect.

Police say they found the bombs early Friday in three locations in eastern Bangkok after they followed the suspect before arresting him.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung said some of the bombs were similar to one found on a traffic island in front of the Government Lottery Office on Dec. 6. Police safely disposed of that bomb.

Chalerm has ordered security tightened during the New Year's season.

On New Year's Eve in 2006, eight bombs exploded through the night in eight Bangkok locations. Three people were killed and 38 wounded. No suspects were arrested for those blasts.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_as/as_thailand_bombs

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Did walking evolve underwater? 'Walking fish' suggests that it did.

A study of the African lungfish suggests that our evolutionary ancestors first started walking before they migrated onto land.?

Air-breathing fish that can hop and walk across the floor on their fins hint that walking may have evolved underwater before such animals began migrating on to land, scientists find.

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The?distant ancestors of humans?and all mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and other four-limbed animals, or tetrapods, are fish that eventually developed the ability to breathe on land. One of the few living fish related to these ancient land-dwellers are air-breathers known as lungfish, which are found today in Africa, South America and Australia.

Now scientists find that an African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) can lift its body clear off the floor and propel itself forward using scrawny "limbs," abilities previously thought to have originated in early tetrapods.

"This shows us ? pardon the pun ? the steps that are involved in the?origin of walking," said researcher Neil Shubin at the University of Chicago. "What we're seeing in lungfish is a very nice example of how bottom-walking in fish living in water can easily come about in a very tetrapod-like pattern."

The lungfish in question has an eel-like body and a pair of flimsy hind fins.

"If you showed me the skeleton of this creature and asked me to make a bet on whether it walks or not, I would have bet it couldn't," Shubin said. "Their fins seem like the furthest thing from walking appendages possible."

The?lungfish's history?makes them popular pets among paleontologists, and anecdotes and rumors circulated among scientists for years about walking behavior allegedly seen in these strange fish. To uncover the truth behind these stories, the researchers designed a special fish tank in which they could record a lungfish's motions on camera from the side and below for in-depth analysis.

Their videos revealed the lungfish commonly used its hind or pelvic limbs to "bound," moving both limbs at once like one would hop, and to "walk," alternating limb motions. [Video of lungfish walking]

"I find it exciting and surprising that even with such small fins, this lungfish is able to not only propel itself, but lift its body clear offthe bottom as well," researcher Heather King, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Chicago, told LiveScience. "If you were to look at just the skeleton of the lungfish, you might never guess that it was capable of this behavior, especially since they don't have feet!" she wrote in an email.

The forelimbs look similar to the hind limbs, but were not involved in such bounding and walking movements. The researchers are not certain why that is, but "it is possible that if the hind limbs alone are sufficient for propelling the fish, the forelimbs would not be used," King said.

The lungfish's ability to support its body on its slim limbs might be aided by their buoyant air-filled lungs, researchers suggest.

"It shows what's possible in an aquatic medium where you don't have to?support yourself with gravity," Shubin said.

This discovery might redraw the evolutionary route scientists think life took from water to land. Many of the steps needed to adapt to surface-dwelling could have occurred millions of years before early tetrapods developed limbs with digits and took their first steps on shore, King said.

These findings might also make us rethink whether recently discovered?approximately 380-million-year-old tracks?were in fact made by early tetrapods. They could have been created by other kinds of fish instead.

King, Shubin and their colleagues detailed their findings online Dec. 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/tY-T0bJSZEE/Did-walking-evolve-underwater-Walking-fish-suggests-that-it-did.

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Chinese, US officials in risk reduction talks (AP)

BEIJING ? Chinese and U.S. defense officials met in Beijing on Wednesday to talk about reducing the risk of confrontation after recent friction over arms sales to Taiwan and a stepped-up American military presence on China's edges.

The 12th round of U.S.-China Defense Consultative Talks are a barometer of relations between China's 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army and a U.S. military that is repositioning itself in the Pacific following the winding down of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While the Chinese military has lashed out at the recent U.S. moves, Beijing's decision to proceed with the talks appears to show it is placing a new importance on regular talks between the sides, even as their rivalry sharpens.

Lead Chinese delegate Gen. Ma Xiaotian said going ahead with the meeting shows both sides are committed to improving relations.

"We attach great value to this platform to enhance communication, to expand common ground, to promote mutual understanding, to manage and control risks and to avoid miscalculation, this maintaining the stability of our military-to-military relationship," Ma, the People's Liberation Army's deputy chief of staff, said in opening remarks at the hulking Defense Ministry in downtown Beijing.

Representing the U.S., Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy said next year would be a "very significant" year for relations and "it's very important to cooperate on a number of issues that impact both of our countries," apparently referring to a looming political leadership transition in China and the U.S. presidential election.

Neither official referred to the Taiwan arms sale. Beijing says the self-ruled island is Chinese territory to be recovered by military force if necessary.

China summoned the U.S. ambassador and warned of damage to relations following an announcement in September of a decision to offer Taiwan the $5.85 billion package to upgrade the island's F-16 fleet.

In the weeks that followed, it postponed a visit by the U.S. Army Band and Adm. Robert Willard, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, along with joint anti-piracy exercises and a military medical exchange, scholars Bonnie Glaser and Brittany Billingsley said in an analysis for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

China's decision to proceed with the talks, however, appears to show that Beijing has "accepted that suspending overall bilateral military ties does not serve U.S. and Chinese interests," Glaser and Billingsley said, warning also that it wasn't clear yet whether the Chinese side is willing to restore the full range of military-to-military contacts.

Besides the U.S. military sales to Taiwan, China is also expected to complain about U.S. military surveillance missions within China's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Ma is likely to raise U.S. plans announced in late November to rotate Marines to Australia for training with Australian forces from an Australian army base in Darwin, beginning in 2012, Chinese officers quoted in state media said.

Up to 2,500 Marines, infantry units as well as aviation squadrons and combat logistic battalions, will go there from Okinawa or other Marine stations in Japan and elsewhere in the Pacific for a few months at a time.

Chinese hard-liners have called the move, along with strengthened military ties with allies Japan and the Philippines as well as former enemy Vietnam, a new U.S. containment policy that must be resisted through more active diplomacy.

"The U.S. has always asked China to be transparent about its strategy. It is the U.S. who should make its intentions clear," Maj. Gen. Luo Yuan, of the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences, was quoted as saying in the China Daily newspaper.

Flournoy is expected to raise U.S. concerns about territorial disputes in the South China Sea, North Korea, Iran, maritime security, cyber security, nuclear weapons policy, and outer space, Glaser and Billingsley said. She will also seek to reschedule postponed exchanges.

China's recent start of sea trials on its first aircraft carrier have emphasized its growing capabilities, particularly in the naval field, raising concerns it apply those to make good on its claim to the South China Sea and its island groups.

President Hu Jintao told navy officers Tuesday to extend the modernization of the force and "expand the deepening of preparations for military struggle."

Results of Wednesday's discussions will provide an indication of the overall health of military-to-military ties, including whether or not they set an agenda for exchanges next year and how extensive the list is, Glaser and Billingsley said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111207/ap_on_re_as/as_china_us

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