Conservative wins Finland election, runoff needed (AP)

HELSINKI ? The conservative favorite easily won the first round of Finland's presidential election Sunday, setting up a runoff against an environmentalist leader who is the first openly gay candidate to run for head of state in the Nordic country.

Sauli Niinisto, a former finance minister, won 37 percent of the vote, well ahead of the other candidates but short of the majority needed to avoid a second round, official preliminary results showed.

With all votes counted, Pekka Haavisto, of the Greens party, was second with 18.8 percent, securing his place in the Feb. 5 runoff.

The result means Finns will have two pro-European candidates to choose from in the second round, contrasting with the surge in euroskeptic sentiment in last year's parliamentary election.

"Pro-Europe policies and supporting the euro have received strong support from the people," Niinisto said.

The president has a largely ceremonial role and is not involved in daily politics, but is considered an important shaper of public opinion in the small Nordic country.

Former foreign minister Paavo Vayrynen was neck and neck with Haavisto as the results trickled in, but ended up third, with 17.5 percent.

Vayrynen, a centrist, and fourth-placed populist leader Timo Soini oppose Finland's membership in the debt-ridden eurozone.

Soini's True Finns party won 19 percent of last year's parliamentary vote with demands that relatively well-off Finland ? among the few European nations to maintain top credit ratings ? stop supporting bailouts for cash-strapped eurozone members including Greece and Portugal.

However, he wasn't able to set the agenda for the presidential election, winning only 9.4 percent.

Niinisto, 63, of the conservative National Coalition Party, was narrowly defeated in the previous election in 2006 by outgoing President Tarja Halonen. This time, he had topped surveys for months in the field of eight candidates.

A smooth-talking political veteran, Niinisto is viewed by many Finns as the most statesmanlike of the candidates.

But Haavisto also has strong resume. The 53-year-old former environment minister has held several positions in EU and U.N. operations helping to solve crises in Sudan, Darfur and the Middle East.

"He's extremely cultured and civilized. We need a member of a new, educated generation who hasn't been corrupted by politics," said Laila Halme, a retired graphic artist, as she walked her dog through thick snow to vote in a Helsinki suburb.

Haavisto was overjoyed at making the second round, saying "the enthusiasm has been overwhelming and that will give us a good boost."

Political analyst Olavi Borg says Haavisto has little chance to beat Niinisto in a runoff. Large segments of Finnish voters will find it difficult to back a gay candidate, Borg said. Haavisto has been living in a registered partnership with another man for 10 years.

"Niinisto's popularity will be even clearer in the second round. Middle-aged and older people especially will not vote for Haavisto," Borg said.

An opinion poll published by YLE on Thursday showed that in a runoff, 64 percent of voters would support Niinisto against 22 percent for Haavisto. Fourteen percent were undecided.

Pollster Taloustutkimus interviewed 1,457 people between Jan. 10 and 18 for the survey. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Finland's 12th president since independence from Russia in 1917 will replace Halonen, the country's hugely popular first female head of state who has served two six-year terms.

____

Jari Tanner contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120122/ap_on_re_eu/eu_finland_presidential_election

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TiVo Premiere updates rolling out to the masses

TiVo Premiere HD guide
Knowing an update is coming and actually getting it are two different things entirely and if you were saddened that you missed out the latest build on your TiVo Premiere or Elite early, your wait is over. TiVo has announced via the official TiVo Blog that all TiVo Premieres should be a forced update away from an HD guide and other enhancements. Unlike those lucky few who only got to enjoy a few of the features, like the integrated Hulu search early, the last remaining feature has also officially been enabled, Premiere-to-Premiere streaming. Also of note is that if you pick up a new Premiere or Elite that was shipped with the older software, as soon as you complete the guided setup, your new box will proceed to download the latest and greatest Tivo has to offer.

TiVo Premiere updates rolling out to the masses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/tivo-premiere-updates-rolling-out-to-the-masses/

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For many, job loss would mean missing bills

Mark Lennihan / AP

People wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair in New York last December.

By Allison Linn

The sudden loss of a job has become, if not commonplace over the last years, at least not very surprising.

And yet, many Americans remain unprepared for not having an income. A new survey from Country Financial finds that one-third of Americans would immediately fall behind on their bills if they lost a job and were left with no income.

That?s virtually the same result that Country Financial got the last time they asked the same question, in July of 2009.

The good news: About one-quarter of Americans are well-prepared for a job loss. The January survey found that 24 percent of respondents could weather five months without an income. That?s also virtually the same percentage as in July of 2009.

Country Financial conducts the survey of 3,000 people bi-monthly.

Although the economy is consistently adding more jobs than it is shedding, some workers continue to be let go. For example, Kraft Foods said this week that it would cut 1,600 jobs as it prepares to split its business in two.

If you do lose a job, the market remains tough. The median time it takes to find a new job is 21 weeks, or about five months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There are currently about 13 million unemployed Americans who are looking for work, and the unemployment rate is at 8.5 percent.

Related:

Role reversal: Employers say they can't find workers

Few part-timers but more working multiple jobs

How long could you pay your bills if you lost your job?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10183131-for-many-job-loss-would-mean-immediately-missing-bills

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Absinthe A5 jailbreak released for iPhone 4S, Hacker Dream Team makes untethered dreams come true

Been waiting with bated breath to liberate that dual-core A5 within your shiny, white (we presume) Jony Ive-designed device? Well, you can exhale now, as a "Dream Team" of iOS hackers have just released Absinthe A5: an untethered solution for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. For the uninitiated, this particular hack will not only free your handset or tablet from Apple's controlling grasp, it'll also retain the jailbreak upon reboot. But don't just thank this hacker collective for the successful effort, you can direct some of that applause to yourselves, as over ten million users submitted crash reports which led to the discovery of the exploit. But enough of the backstory -- head on over to the source to get your download started.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Absinthe A5 jailbreak released for iPhone 4S, Hacker Dream Team makes untethered dreams come true originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/20/absinthe-a5-jailbreak-released-for-iphone-4s-hacker-dream-team/

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Etta James, a Life and Legend (ContributorNetwork)

Etta James's sultry voice provided an entire generation's worth of inspiration to modern songstresses. CNN reports major players in the music industry such as Mariah Carey and Beyonce Knowles were both influenced by her songs and style. The Associated Press reports James passed away Jan. 20 in California from complications related to leukemia.

James was a matriarch for the modern female blues singer throughout her life.

1938: Born

The Biography Channel states James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 1938. By the age of 5, she was singing gospel choir songs in church and on the radio.

1950: Moved North

When James turned 12, she and her family moved north to San Francisco. She formed a trio with two other girls and singing became an even larger part of her life. Very quickly, the girls got noticed and James turned to professional singing.

1954: Return to L.A.

In 1954, James returned to Los Angeles to get more heavily involved in the recording industry. Johnny Otis spotted her two years earlier in San Francisco and the young lady embarked on a singing career, against the will of her mother. She changed her stage name to Etta James, a re-arrangement of her first name and was given a back up group called the Peaches (James's childhood nickname).

Her first recording, and first hit, came a year later. James sang "Roll with Me Henry" with Richard Berry. The song was renamed "The Wallflower" and it topped the R&B charts in 1955.

1960: Meteoric Rise

James signed a recording deal with Chess Records in Chicago in 1960. From this point, her career took off and never looked back. Hits such as "All I Could Do Was Cry," "Somthing's Got a Hold on Me," and "Trust in Me" were all hits during her run with Chess Records in the 1960s and early 1970s.

1973: Grammy Nomination

Her self-titled album "Etta James" earned James the first of several Grammy nominations in her career.

1984: Olympic Glory

James sang "When the Saints Go Marching In" for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

1993: Hall of Fame

James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1993. At this point in her career, James was recognized for her wide-ranging vocals and styles that marked her long career.

2003: Grammy

In 2003, James was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her sassy and no-nonsense singing style was recognized for being open, honest and heart wrenching simultaneously.

2011: Last Album

James's last album entitled "The Dreamer" was released in November 2011, three months before her death. The Associated Press reports her last album was typical James fare as she even rocked out to the Guns 'N Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle."

The audacious songstress died five days short of her 74th birthday.

William Browning is a research librarian.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120121/en_ac/10862597_etta_james_a_life_and_legend

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Myanmar's Suu Kyi registers for Parliament seat (AP)

THANLYIN, Myanmar ? Ecstatic cheers of "Long Live Aung San Suu Kyi!" echoed through the streets of this impoverished Yangon suburb Wednesday as Myanmar's most iconic figure registered her candidacy for a parliamentary by-election.

Throngs of flag-waving supporters crowded the local election office to shout support and catch a glimpse of the 66-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, who became Myanmar's most recognizable face during years of house arrest under authoritarian rule.

The scene would have been unthinkable while the country was still under military rule. Suu Kyi was despised by the junta because of her popularity and any public support for her was swiftly and firmly halted.

The freedom allowed to Suu Kyi's supporters is another sign that the country's newly elected but military-backed government is following through on promises for democratic reforms ? a key condition of the West before lifting sanctions.

Since taking office in March, authorities have released hundreds of prominent political prisoners, signed cease-fires with ethnic rebels, increased press freedoms and opened a dialogue with Suu Kyi herself.

Even if Suu Kyi's party wins all 48 seats to be contested April 1, it will have minimal power. The 440-seat lower house of Parliament is heavily weighted with military appointees and allies of the former junta.

But a victory would be historic. It would give the longtime political prisoner a voice in Parliament for the first time in her decades-long role as the country's opposition leader.

Suu Kyi registered to run for a seat representing Kawhmu, a poor district south of Yangon where villagers' livelihoods were devastated by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Crowds greeted her at the local Election Commission office in Thanlyin, many wearing Suu Kyi T-shirts.

Suu Kyi paraphernalia has proliferated in recent months with vendors hawking Suu Kyi photographs, key chains and calendars, seen as another testament to the country's breakneck pace of change.

The Election Commission must still accept Suu Kyi's candidacy, a ruling expected to come next month. Her party has so far chosen 44 candidates to contest the 48 seats vacated by lawmakers who became Cabinet ministers.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in 1990 elections but was denied power by the military junta. Suu Kyi herself was under house arrest during those elections and barred from running.

In 2010, the military held another general election, but Suu Kyi's party said the rules were unfair and declined to participate.

Reforms since the election have prompted Suu Kyi to change their mind and drawn praise from the international community.

The United States announced recently it would upgrade diplomatic relations with the country and send an ambassador to Myanmar for the first time in two decades.

President Barack Obama praised the recent release of hundreds of political prisoners as "a substantial step forward for democratic reform."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_politics

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New Jersey Governor: cut income tax brackets by 10 percent (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? All New Jersey income tax brackets should be cut 10 percent, Governor Chris Christie proposed on Tuesday, saying the state was on the comeback trail due to harsh budget measures taken last year.

The Republican governor in his annual State of the State address also said the earned income tax credit that aids the working poor should be fully restored after being cut in 2010.

Echoing other governors around the nation, Christie also recommended a series of changes in education, from stiffening requirements for teacher tenure to laying off the least effective teachers instead of the most junior ones.

(Reporting By Joan Gralla; Editing by Diane Craft)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personalfinance/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/pl_nm/us

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George Lucas Brought The 'Force' To 'Red Tails,' Says Terrence Howard

Director has wanted to bring story of Tuskegee Airmen to big screen for nearly 25 years.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Terrence Howard
Photo: MTV News

George Lucas made a name for himself in the late '70s and '80s with "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," but for nearly 25 years, the director tried to bring one story to the big screen, a movie he wasn't able to make until now.

After decades in development, "Red Tails," Lucas' tale of the Tuskegee Airmen, will finally hit theaters. The story of Lucas' battle to get "Red Tails" in front of the camera only added to the significance of the story for many of the cast and crew.

Terrence Howard plays Col. A.J. Bullard, one of the commanders of the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first African-American air regimen. The actor told MTV News that Lucas' passion set the tone for the entire project.

"Well, he has complete control of the Force. As far as I understand it, he invented the Force," Howard said. "It's quite a moving inertia associated with it. You believe in him, and when he says something, he follows it all the way through."

According to Howard, having such a strong backing force changed the way the actors approached the film and their roles. "It gives us a great deal of encouragement walking into the roles," he said. "We know that we're going to be 100 percent supported."

Like any Lucas project, "Red Tails" comes with the technical wizardry that made the man a legend. "When you look at the final project and you look at these fight scenarios, you can't believe that it's not real," Howard said. "It looks tangible, and it's wonderful to be able to say 'George Lucas manned this, created this vessel that Anthony Hemingway was able to direct.' We become moving parts of this incredible armada."

Do you plan to see 'Red Tails' in theaters? Let us know in the comments!

Check out everything we've got on "Red Tails."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677477/red-tails-george-lucas-terrence-howard.jhtml

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3 shark attacks in Australia in less than 3 weeks (AP)

SYDNEY ? A 10-foot (3-meter) tiger shark has attacked a swimmer off a remote beach in Australia's third attack this month. That's as many attacks as the country generally sees in an entire year.

Western Australia Police Sgt. Gerry Cassidy says the man was swimming in a lagoon at Western Australia's Coral Bay on Thursday when the shark bit the man's arm. The attack left the swimmer with severe lacerations.

Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman Joanne Hill says a doctor was assessing the 26-year-old man, but his injuries were not life-threatening and he was in a stable condition.

The attack comes one day after a surfer was bitten by a shark at a beach off Australia's east coast. Another surfer was attacked at a beach north of Sydney on Jan. 3.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_re_as/as_australia_shark_attack

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IMF seeks up to $500 billion in new funds (AP)

BRUSSELS ? The International Monetary Fund says it aims to raise up to $500 billion to give out new loans to help to mitigate a worsening financial crisis.

The Washington-based fund said Wednesday that its staff estimates that countries around the world will need about $1 trillion in loans over the coming years.

It says $200 billion that European countries have promised to the IMF are part of the $500 billion total it expects to raise.

The IMF has put up about one third of the financing of eurozone bailouts over the past two years, but worries that non-European countries will also need more assistance amid worsening economic conditions.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_imf_resources

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