(Reuters) ? Twitter Chief Executive Dick Costolo said the company's recently announced online content policy was meant to be a transparent way to handle government requests for the removal of certain content and did not mean it is actively monitoring Tweets, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Twitter had said last week it would begin restricting Tweets in specific countries, renewing questions about how the social media platform will handle issues of free speech as it rapidly expands its global user base.
"There's been no change in our stance ... in respect to content on Twitter," Costolo said at the "Dive Into Media" conference hosted by the website All Things D, which is owned by News Corp, the Journal reported.
Costolo said Twitter would only block Tweets locally at a government's request and would leave the Tweet up for the rest of the world. In place of the pulled Tweet would be a message that the content was removed at the request of the local government, the Journal said.
Costolo said the policy is not meant as a means for the company to get into countries where it currently does not operate, such as China or Iran.
"I don't think the current environment in China is one in which we can operate," he added.
No-one at Twitter could immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad; Editing by David Holmes)
Forum rules This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Blood on the Thames?. Anything posted here will also show up there.
Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup. This subject is going to be of the most importance in the beginning of the RP. I am going to be requesting a lot out of the people who are desiring to head up one of the criminal groups fighting for control of London.
First off, making a gang will require quite a bit of attention to detail. There will be a lot of stuff going on within and around each gang that you'll have to be aware of. Other people will be trying to take territory from you in fights while you're trying to take territory from others. There will be other characters working for you that you will have to be willing to work with and coordinate through your territory.
The main thing that I am going to be asking: All my gang leaders will be asked to be co-moderators. This is a position that I am not taking lightly. You will be tasked to help referee fights in other territories that you don't directly influence, so that way everything stays non-biased. But you will be helping to make rulings on how territory fights end once that system is properly constructed. Anyone who is found abusing or neglecting their duties as a co-moderator for the thread will be unceremoniously removed from their position so that someone else who would want it can step in and take over. I want to do that as little as humanly possible to keep from disrupting the flow of the game and making things difficult. If you feel that you are up for the challenge and are willing to take on the responsibilities, by all means, fill out the included Group Profile Template included below and I will see about approving it.
Thank you for your time, Joker
Accepted Entities:
Code: Select all
[u][b]Entity Name:[/b][/u]
[u][b]Leader/Boss:[/b][/u] Usually you if you're filling this out.
[u][b]Type:[/b][/u] Gang, Corporation, Mafia family, etc... (I regret that I have to refuse any other Private Military Companies from these roles.)
[b][u]Starting Territory:[/u][/b] (please understand that some might be taken without prior notice. This will be a very rare case, though.)
[u][b]Typical Equipment:[/b][/u](what kinds of weapons and equipment will players/NPCs working for you tend to have?) Please make sure things are reasonable for the entity you are trying to create.
[u][b]Organization:[/b][/u] This will be used to detail any players working for you. It can be broken down into a structured list if you like like "Second in Command" "Team Leaders" etc... Or, if your organizing and unruly mob, everyone can just be thrown together. It's up to you.
[u][b]Additional Information:[/b][/u] Anything else you want to add?
BSDJoker
Member for 2 years
Post a reply
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If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.
Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett aboyle@udel.edu 302-831-1421 University of Delaware
A cheetah running in its natural environment is an elegant, fluid display of biomechanics. What if robots could run the same way, and be deployed for search and rescue operations in areas where conventional vehicles cannot go?
According to University of Delaware assistant professor Ioannis Poulakakis, a large fraction of the Earth's surface remains inaccessible to conventional wheeled or tracked vehicles, while animals and humans traverse such terrain with ease and elegance. He believes that legs have the potential to extend the mobility of robots, enabling them to become useful in real-world situations, such as search and rescue.
Poulakakis is the principal investigator of a three-year, $265,532 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a family of systematic control strategies that work together with the robot's natural dynamics to generate fast, reliable and efficient running motions.
The project, funded under NSF's Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), will focus on the running motion of quadrupeds (four-legged robots) with elastic energy storage elements such as springs.
"Biomechanics research demonstrates that springs and running are intimately related. When you run," Poulakakis explains, "the knee of the leg that is on the ground initially bends and then extends to prepare the body for take-off. During knee bending, energy is stored in elastic elements such as tendons or muscle fibers. Then, this energy is released during knee extension, pushing the body upward and forward."
In other words, when animals run, they "tune" their musculoskeletal system so that their center of mass appears to be moving as if following the motion of a pogo-stick.
Using this hypothesis as inspiration, Poulakakis suggests the same theory can be applied to robots because the pogo-stick is an example of a simple mechanical system that can be studied using the basic laws of physics. In particular, the proposed research involves developing similar systematic "energy-saving" controls that can replicate this natural, intuitive running phenomenon in robots through feedback design, rather than through hardware redundancy.
If successful, the work would enable quadrupeds to move reliably at high speeds, self-correct to prevent falls and mimic their animal counterpart's running motion.
Under the grant, Poulakakis will develop:
models of locomotion behavior;
analytical methods to rigorously characterize cyclic motion generation and stability of quadrupedal running gaits;
constructive control techniques and systematic control law design tools that minimize laborious, trial-and-error experimentation;
verification procedures to test the controllers in a variety of running gaits; and
student education and engineering research experiences for K-12 teachers designed to inspire the next generation of engineers.
Robotic quadrupeds offer unique advantages due to their enhanced stability, high-load carrying capacity and low mechanical complexity. Their ability to travel to areas deemed unsafe for humans, Poulakakis believes, may also enable legged robots to provide critical assistance in search and rescue operations, and may have potential applications in industrial, agricultural and military industries.
The fundamental results of this work, however, are expected to apply to dynamically-stable legged robots with different leg numbers and postures.
"If successful, this research effort will impact the study of many other engineered and biological systems which, like legged robots, accomplish their purpose through forceful, cyclic interactions with the environment."
###
About the researcher
Ioannis Poulakakis joined UD in 2010 as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His expertise lies in formal control synthesis for hopping robot models and on intuitive control design for quarupedal running machines. He previously served as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University.
Poulakakis earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering systems and his master of science degree in applied mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also holds a master of engineering degree from McGill University in Montreal and a master of science in robotics and automation from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, where he also earned his diploma in mechanical engineering.
He is the author of 23 journal publications, book chapters and refereed conference papers.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Andrea Boyle Tippett aboyle@udel.edu 302-831-1421 University of Delaware
A cheetah running in its natural environment is an elegant, fluid display of biomechanics. What if robots could run the same way, and be deployed for search and rescue operations in areas where conventional vehicles cannot go?
According to University of Delaware assistant professor Ioannis Poulakakis, a large fraction of the Earth's surface remains inaccessible to conventional wheeled or tracked vehicles, while animals and humans traverse such terrain with ease and elegance. He believes that legs have the potential to extend the mobility of robots, enabling them to become useful in real-world situations, such as search and rescue.
Poulakakis is the principal investigator of a three-year, $265,532 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a family of systematic control strategies that work together with the robot's natural dynamics to generate fast, reliable and efficient running motions.
The project, funded under NSF's Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), will focus on the running motion of quadrupeds (four-legged robots) with elastic energy storage elements such as springs.
"Biomechanics research demonstrates that springs and running are intimately related. When you run," Poulakakis explains, "the knee of the leg that is on the ground initially bends and then extends to prepare the body for take-off. During knee bending, energy is stored in elastic elements such as tendons or muscle fibers. Then, this energy is released during knee extension, pushing the body upward and forward."
In other words, when animals run, they "tune" their musculoskeletal system so that their center of mass appears to be moving as if following the motion of a pogo-stick.
Using this hypothesis as inspiration, Poulakakis suggests the same theory can be applied to robots because the pogo-stick is an example of a simple mechanical system that can be studied using the basic laws of physics. In particular, the proposed research involves developing similar systematic "energy-saving" controls that can replicate this natural, intuitive running phenomenon in robots through feedback design, rather than through hardware redundancy.
If successful, the work would enable quadrupeds to move reliably at high speeds, self-correct to prevent falls and mimic their animal counterpart's running motion.
Under the grant, Poulakakis will develop:
models of locomotion behavior;
analytical methods to rigorously characterize cyclic motion generation and stability of quadrupedal running gaits;
constructive control techniques and systematic control law design tools that minimize laborious, trial-and-error experimentation;
verification procedures to test the controllers in a variety of running gaits; and
student education and engineering research experiences for K-12 teachers designed to inspire the next generation of engineers.
Robotic quadrupeds offer unique advantages due to their enhanced stability, high-load carrying capacity and low mechanical complexity. Their ability to travel to areas deemed unsafe for humans, Poulakakis believes, may also enable legged robots to provide critical assistance in search and rescue operations, and may have potential applications in industrial, agricultural and military industries.
The fundamental results of this work, however, are expected to apply to dynamically-stable legged robots with different leg numbers and postures.
"If successful, this research effort will impact the study of many other engineered and biological systems which, like legged robots, accomplish their purpose through forceful, cyclic interactions with the environment."
###
About the researcher
Ioannis Poulakakis joined UD in 2010 as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His expertise lies in formal control synthesis for hopping robot models and on intuitive control design for quarupedal running machines. He previously served as a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University.
Poulakakis earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering systems and his master of science degree in applied mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also holds a master of engineering degree from McGill University in Montreal and a master of science in robotics and automation from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, where he also earned his diploma in mechanical engineering.
He is the author of 23 journal publications, book chapters and refereed conference papers.
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Many experts believed that it is important to invest you extra cash properly and securely. Let your hard earned dollars work for you to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. But when individuals get the chance to invest, many people turn this offer down since they are not fully aware if all their time and efforts will be worth it. Not everyone knows how powerful investments are and how to run and keep their money well. Experts also believed that investing and trying different kinds of investment is important and worth all the risk. Covered call is one of the many investment that you can get into.
Hearing covered call for the very first time really lets you?re thinking that of direct calls to and from the US or other countries. Well, this is not your ordinary telephones or all about making phone calls. Covered calls are one of the investment strategies that experts do. You won?t have the opportunity to make big quick cash in just a quick period of time. This investment has an income oriented approach that ensures your money will rise and increase slowly.
Things you may need when talking about writing covered calls?
The very first thing that you need is to have a brokerage account. The next thing which are required to have is a permission so that you can writing covered calls. There are accounts that automatically permits you to write and sell calls while there are some accounts that requires you to fill out forms first for formality purposes. You also have to own more than 100 stock shares or enough money to buy 100 shares. The last thing that you need is to have portfolio monitoring service and a great quality of trade selection as well.
You also need to get acquainted with terms like short and long prior to start investing. Long in this kind of investment means that you bought a specific share and you are entitled to receive some profit if the worth rises. Short in the other hand is to sell some shares that you didn?t own. Investors would short a share if they predict that the share will decrease and depreciate in value. The investors will then buy that particular share back for a lesser price. This is where investors make it big in this kind of investment.
For a covered calls investing, you get two options which are calls and puts. Call option is when the owner of the share decides to sell it and the buyer has the right to request the price which is called a strike price before the share will expire. This type of investment is just as risky as with any other investment there is. Before you go into this kind of investment, one must always know the risk and to know everything.
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Camps Breakerz crew made a video in January 2012 called "Breakdance Revolution In Gaza" that shows them making moves across the Gaza Strip.
By Yara Borgal, NBC News
GAZA STRIP, Israel ? In Hamas-ruled Gaza, where Islamic fundamentalism controls every aspect of daily life in the city that has been under an Israeli-imposed siege since June 2007, a group of eight young men from the Nuseirat refugee camp are breaking boundaries by break dancing.
The Camps Breakerz took their moves out onto the rundown streets of Gaza for the first time this month, even though members have been practicing together since 2005.
The dancers released a video on YouTube?that shows them doing elaborate dance moves ? from spinning head stands to arms stands and flips in ?I heart Gaza? t-shirts all over Gaza.?
"When I danced in the street I felt free for the first time in my life. I challenged the conservative society and mainly I challenged the Israeli siege," said Mohammed al-Ghrize, otherwise known as ?Funk,? who brought together the Camps Breakerz crew.
Challenging strict code Ghrize, a 25-year-old who works as a nurse, was introduced to the world of break dancing at the age of 16 when he lived with his family in Saudi Arabia. Since returning to his homeland in Gaza, he searched for others who shared his passion for dancing. "It took me two years to persuade seven people to establish a break dancing crew, two of which are my own brothers," he said.
Over the past five years Hamas has imposed a strict code of conduct in Gaza, forcing residents to follow strict Islamic law.? The laws have restricted women from social activities like riding on the backs of motorbikes and smoking traditional shisha pipes in public spaces.?They?have?even restricted men from working in women?s hair salons ? believing that men cutting women?s hair is immodest.
In a new attempt by the fundamentalist militant Muslim group to crack down on behavior it sees as contrary to its conservative interpretation of Islam, Hamas banned Gaza youth from participating in the Palestinian version of "American Idol."? Their reasoning was because Muslims can only sing and dance to the sound of drums ? not any modern instruments.
"Because I know it's very hard for our conservative society to accept our Westernized hobby, we introduced break dancing as a kind of sport," Ghrize explained. ?We even managed to convince Hamas to regard break dancing as a sport by performing in their sports events and dancing only to the beats of the drums.?
The group understands that in a society struggling under the ongoing Israeli blockade, break dancing can be viewed as a waste of time and seen as lacking respect for the Gazan reality. The Nuseirat refugee camp where Ghrize lives is home to 66,000 refugees, even though it was initially built to accommodate 16,000 people. And conditions are grim: According to the U.N. 90 percent of the water there is ?unfit for human consumption.?
So for the members of the group, dancing is a welcome distraction.??
"We regard our activities as another form of resistance against the occupation; all of our sketches are inspired by our people's tragedies, especially children. Break dancing for us is a way of expressing our freedom.?
Ghrize studied nursing and works at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. ?All members of our crew are very well-educated,? he said.?
At the end of video the crew recently released, the dancers names, nicknames, ages, job and special moves are listed. They range from ?Chino,? a 22-year-old cook whose specialty is ?style break beat,? to ?Dark,? a 26-year-old teacher whose specialty is ?combos,? to ?Fox,? a 15-year-old student who likes ?power moves.?
One of the many obstacles the Camps Breakerz faced was finding a place to train, especially after the Nuseirat refugee camp?s community center was destroyed by an Israeli raid during the war on Gaza in 2008.
"We have a dream," Ghrize said, "that one day we will have our own center where we can teach children to break dance and give them a stage to express their feelings."
The Camps Breakerz hope to go to the U.S., where break dancing originated, to meet other break dancers who will help them grow, excel and become an internationally recognized group. They want to eventually be able to compete internationally among the best break dancers in the world.
"I wish I lived in a free liberal country where I can practice the thing I love most without any political or fundamentalist boundaries."
Related link:?Gaza youths find escape in free running? ?
"Jett. Jettie... Jett!" the girl's mother said, the last call of her name startling the girl out of the little daze she was in. It'd actually made her jump as she finally lifted her head to look up and across the table at her mother. "Are you going to carry the cake out for me, or what?" the woman asked, earning a single nod from her daughter. "O-Oh. Yeah, I'll be out with it in a minute." Jett replied before her mom took off out the sliding glass door that lead to their backyard. The seventeen years old stood up from her chair then and made her way across the kitchen to pick up the cake decorated with all kinds of pink things (because her sister was obsessed with that color), making sure that the sleeves on her shirt were low enough to keep her wrists covered before she carried it outside.
She set on the table in front of the birthday girl and joined everyone in singing happy birthday. Jett even helped hand out the cake to all of her sisters little friends. But as soon as she was no longer needed, she was taking off again. Because she didn't exactly feel like being surrounded by people at the moment. "Don't you want any?" her sister asked when she'd caught her sneaking off. "Oh, no, not right now. But save a piece for me and I'll eat it later...okay?" the black haired girl asked, giving her best fake smile. Her sister nodded in return and went back to talking to her friends, allowing the girl to head off again. Rather than go inside again, Jett started over to the trampoline that her family had sitting just outside of the tree line behind their house. That forest was one of the biggest reasons Jett was glad that they didn't live in the city.
She struggled a bit with climbing up onto it, but made it nonetheless. She tossed her shoes down into the grass below, and made her way to the middle of the trampoline, where she started jumping. It wasn't until then that she was worried that she might draw the kids' attention and tempt them to come over...but they could wait a little while couldn't they? After just a minute or so of jumping, the girl stopped and laid down and stared up at the sky, which is what she wanted to do in the first place. But she had to pretend that she was happy first as to not raise any suspicion. A couple quiet sobs left her mouth (which she quickly covered), but no tears fell. She wouldn't let them. It was stupid to cry now...but she couldn't help it. She just got like this sometimes, fairly often lately. Sadness just would randomly overcome her, driving her to the point of tears no matter how happy she'd been or how happy she wanted to be.
So this wasn't uncommon for her lately. Secluding herself somewhere so no one would see her sad, trying to fight it away. Being outside helped a little though. The sky changing from dusk into night was surprisingly comforting...and the fireflies that'd just started to come out kind of helped in their own way too.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It was sunday afternoon, and Dahvie was waiting (somewhat impatiently) for his friend to call him back. Because if they were going to go for a walk today, he needed to get ready.She she probably did too. But he didn't know if they were actually going quite yet, since she hadn't told him so. He certainly wanted to though. Being home alone was kind of boring when there was other things to be done. Like walks with best friends.
Dahvie was honestly a little afraid that he might not get to go for walks with his best friend in a few weeks or so. Because they were both seniors in high school, and she'd been talking so much about how she was going to leave... He really didn't want her to. It would be so hard if after years of being together constantly, that she just disappeared. It wasn't fair. Sure, that was a kind of selfish thought, but how could he not think that way?She wasn't supposed to leave yet. Not when they were so young still..
So that's why he was somewhat impatient about this whole walk thing. Because if he couldn't convince her to stay for at least another year or so, this would be one of the last walks they'd take for a long time.
A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.
HAVANA (Reuters) ? President Raul Castro defended Cuba's one-party political system as a bulwark against U.S. imperialism and said it would remain as it is in a speech on Sunday to a Communist Party conference.
He also said previously announced plans to put term limits on the country's leaders were not fully official, but could gradually go ahead.
This weekend's conference, which is the first in the party's history, came amid wide-ranging reforms that have given Cubans the right to open small businesses and to buy and sell cars, but have included no promises of significant political change.
Castro held to that line in his speech when he railed against the United States, Cuba's longtime ideological foe, and its political system and said the Caribbean island 90 miles from Florida intended to remain a one-party state.
The Communist Party is the only legal political party in Cuba and, under a national constitution in effect since 1976, the supreme guiding force of the society and the state.
"In Cuba, based on its experience in the long history of the fight for independence and national sovereignty, we defend the one-party system instead of the demagoguery and commercialization of politics," Castro said.
He said permitting additional parties would open the door to U.S. interference. It "would be the equivalent of legalizing a party of imperialism on our soil," Castro said.
While the party will remain unchallenged, Castor said the country's leaders will be limited to two consecutive five-year terms, an idea he first mentioned at a party congress in April.
Castro said the party was still working out the legal measures for term limits, which will require a change to the constitution, but that implementation could begin "gradually, even before the constitution is changed."
He did not explain how that would be done or when it might start.
Term limits would be a break from the past in the Cuba, where Fidel Castro ruled for 49 years after the 1959 revolution and was succeeded by Raul Castro, his younger brother.
They also could help bring new blood into the government, whose current leaders are elderly and have no obvious replacements.
Raul Castro is 80, his vice president Jose Ramon Machado Ventura is 81 and Fidel Castro, now mostly retired but still present behind the scenes, is 85.
There was talk before the conference that the party might impose age limits on leaders and promote new, younger people into the party hierarchy, but there had been no mention of either.
Bert Hoffmann, a Cuba specialist at German Institute of Global Area Studies in Hamburg, said the message of the conference appeared to be "to downplay any expectations that economic reforms might entail political change."
(Additional reporting by Rosa Tania Valdes and Marc Frank)
CHICAGO -- It was a rough 15 minutes, but Chael Sonnen did enough to get the fight he's coveted for 17 months.
The middleweight title contender locked up a shot against UFC 185-pound champ Anderson Silva with a surprisingly tough win over Michael Bisping. In a fight, that appeared to be a toss-up for some, Sonnen took a unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28, in the co-main event of the UFC on Fox 2 card at the United Center.
Sonnen's win sets up an intriguing scenario.
UFC president Dana White guaranteed the winner of tonight's tilt a shot at Silva. The champ has been sidelined since August and the promotion is pointing towards a summer return. But Silva recently hinted that he may be out beyond the summer.
Sonnen has done everything he can to call out the champ. Tonight, he made the wise decision of not poking Silva. Instead, he delivered a hilarious speech talking about his own greatness.
He was good, not great tonight, but much of that had to do with the opponent. Bisping rubs plenty of fans and media members the wrong way and, as a result, he's a bit underrated. The common thought was that the Brit would get eaten alive by Sonnen's Olympic level wrestling, but that didn't happen in the first two rounds.
Sonnen scored two takedowns in the first, but Bisping got to his feet in less than 25 seconds on both occasions. He also stuffed three other takedown attempts. In the second, Sonnen scored a takedown with 2:58 left. Bisping was up a minute later and took minimal damage. The Brit was effective in the striking game, landing a few good combinations, but nothing really rocked the hard-charging American.
Joe Rogan was convinced Bisping had won the first two rounds. That wasn't the case on the judges' scorecard, but two of them did have things 19-19. Sonnen did what he needed to in the final round. He scored a big takedown and really dominated the position for over three minutes.
Sonnen scored that takedown just 12 seconds into the round. Bisping defended well for the next minute but got a little impatient as he was just about to rise to his feet. Bisping gave us back standing and Sonnen squashed him. Then he did a brilliant job of getting both hooks in and rolling to dominant position on the ground. He worked to lock on a rear-naked, but it didn't happen. Bisping was protecting from the choke, lost his focus and allowed Sonnen to roll the position into the mount with 2:31 left. With 1:31 left, Bisping hip escaped to full guard. Bisping eventually got to his feet with less than 20 seconds left and scored a takedown of his own. He even landed a few big elbows, but it was too little, too late.
Now the question is when will the fight everyone wants - Sonnen vs. Silva - actually go down. Sonnen turned up the heat in recent weeks, plainly stating that he'll never get to fight Silva because the champ won't accept the fight.
"I'm not going to fight Anderson either way. They can say whatever they want. Anderson is never going to do that fight," Sonnen told "The MMA Insiders" show on Las Vegas' ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "I hope he's healthy and has a good life, but I'm not buying into this mythical world that Anderson is going to some day sign a contract to fight me."
Silva beat Sonnen at UFC 117 via fifth-round submission, but that was after getting dominated for 23 minutes. He's had to hear about it ever since. This is a chance to shut Sonnen's mouth and likely do it in front of a record-sized crowd in Brazil. Why would he pass on the opportunity?
BEIJING ? Militants apparently captured 29 Chinese workers after attacking a remote worksite in a volatile region of Sudan, and Sudanese forces were increasing security for Chinese projects and personnel there, China said Sunday.
China has close political and economic relations with Sudan, especially in the energy sector.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said the militants attacked Saturday and Sudanese forces launched a rescue mission Sunday in coordination with the Chinese embassy in Khartoum.
The Ministry's head of consular affairs met with the Sudanese ambassador in Beijing and "urged him to actively conduct rescue missions under the prerequisite of ensuring the safety of the Chinese personnel," the statement said.
In Khartoum, a Chinese embassy spokesman said the northern branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement announced that 29 Chinese workers had been captured in the attack. The spokesman, who asked not be identified, gave no other details and it wasn't clear if the militants had demanded conditions for their return.
Other details weren't given. The official Xinhua News Agency cited the state governor as saying the Sudan People's Liberation Army attacked a road-building site in South Kordofan and seized the workers.
The Sudan People's Liberation Army are a guerrilla force loyal to the southern movement and hail from a minority ethnic group now in control of much of South Sudan, which became the world's newest country only six months ago in a breakaway from Sudan.
Sudan has accused South Sudan of arming pro-South Sudan groups in South Kordofan. The government of South Sudan has called such accusations a smoke screen intended to justify a future invasion of the South.
China has sent large numbers of workers to potentially unstable regions such as Sudan and last year was forced to send ships and planes to help with the emergency evacuation of 30,000 of its citizens from the fighting in Libya.
China has consistently used its clout in diplomatic forums such as the United Nations to defend Sudan and its longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. In recent years, it has also sought to build good relations with leaders from the south, where most of Sudan's oil is located.
Chinese companies have also invested heavily in Sudanese oil production, along with companies India and elsewhere.
___
Associated Press writer Mohamed Saeed contributed to this report from Khartoum.
ATHENS, Greece ? Greece and its private investors are close to a deal that will significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion bailout.
Negotiators for the investors announced the tentative agreement Saturday and said it could become final next week.
Under the agreement, the investors would take a hit of more than 60 percent on the euro206 billion of Greek debt they own.
Here's how it would work: private investors would receive new bonds whose face value is half of the existing bonds. The new bonds would have a longer maturity and pay an average interest rate of slightly less than 4 percent (compared with an estimated 5 percent on the existing bonds).
Without the deal, which would reduce Greece's debt load by at least euro120 billion, the private investors' bonds would likely become worthless. Many of these investors also hold debt from other eurozone countries, which could also lose value in the event of a Greek default.
The agreement taking shape is a key step before Greece can get a second, euro130 billion bailout from its European Union partners and the International Monetary Fund, although there are other issues involved before Greece can get that aid. This would be Greece's second bailout. The EU and the IMF signed off on a euro110 billion aid package for Greece in May 2010, most of which has already been disbursed.
Greece faces a euro14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20, which it cannot afford without additional help.
Private investors hold roughly two-thirds of Greece's debt, which has reached an unsustainable level ? nearly 200 percent of the country's economic output. By restructuring the debt held by private investors, Greece and its EU partners are hoping to bring that ratio closer to 120 percent by the end of this decade.
In return for the first bailout, Greece's public creditors ? the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank ? have unprecedented powers over Greek spending. However, austerity alone will not fix Greece's problem. The country must also find ways boost its economic output, which at the moment is shrinking.
If no debt-exchange deal is reached with private creditors and Greece is forced to default, it would very likely spook Europe's ? and possibly the world's ? financial markets. It could even lead Greece to withdraw from the euro.
The banks, insurance companies and other private holders of Greek bonds are being represented by Charles Dallara, managing director of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, and Jean Lemierre, senior adviser to the chairman of the French bank BNP Paribas.
The main creditor negotiators will leave Greece on Sunday and will remain in close consultation with Greek and other authorities.
___
Elena Becatoros in Athens and Gabriele Steinhauser in Brussels contributed.
I have never bought travel insurance before but think I should for our upcoming trip to Tanzania as most of our expenses will be pre-paid. I am already confused by looking at the various options. Our medical insurance will cover us for emergency conditions while we are abroad but my husband's parents are elderly so their health issues could possibly require us to cancel. Can anyone recommend what insurance we should purchase? I've been told the Flying Doctor's coverage will also be important to get. Thanks!
Kyle Stanley tees off on the seventh hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Kyle Stanley tees off on the seventh hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Kyle Stanley hits tee shot on the third hole during third round of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf tournament in San Diego, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Kyle Stanley waves after his first putt on the third hole during third round of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf tournament in San Diego,use thi
John Huh watches his chip on the sixth hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi )
John Huh watches his approach shot to the second green of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi )
SAN DIEGO (AP) ? Kyle Stanley overpowered Torrey Pines and opened a five-shot lead Saturday in the Farmers Insurance Open.
About the only regret for Stanley was missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have broken the 54-hole tournament record set by Tiger Woods in 1998, before Rees Jones beefed up the South Course for the 2008 U.S. Open.
Stanley still managed a 4-under 68, a spot alongside Woods in the record book at 18-under 198 and great position for his first victory.
The performance looked familiar, even if the name didn't.
Woods, playing this week in Abu Dhabi, is a seven-time winner at Torrey Pines as a pro, including that U.S. Open. He used his length on the South Course, especially on the par 5s, and holed his share of putts.
That's been the recipe for Stanley, who has a slight build and enormous speed. He build a three-shot lead with a birdie on the second hole and was never really challenged on another glorious days along the Pacific bluffs.
His lone bogey came on the 12th, when he went just over the green, chipped to 6 feet and missed the putt. On the 526-yard 13th hole, he blasted a tee shot so far down the hill that Stanley had only a soft 7-iron into the green, putting it 15 feet below the hole on the fringe for a two-putt birdie.
"Are you playing this as a par 4?" Sang-Moon Bae turned and said to him with a smile.
John Huh, a 21-year-old rookie who spent three years on the Korean Tour, and John Rollins each had 68 and were at 13-under 203. FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas (70) and Bae (72) were another shot behind. Bae was 5 over through five holes until he ran off four straight birdies to start the back nine to get his name back on the leaderboard.
The question is whether anyone else is in contention.
Stanley is no surprise to those who play with him or watch him hit balls, and he nearly joined the parade of rookie winners last year until Steve Stricker rallied with birdies on the last two holes to beat him in the John Deere Classic.
Stanley had a one-shot lead over Brandt Snedeker going into the third round at Torrey Pines, and before long had a comfortable lead, just as Woods has done on this public course.
From deep rough on the par-5 sixth, Stanley hammered a shot just short of the green and pitched up to 12 feet for birdie. He hit sand wedge to 10 feet on the 10th for another birdie, then established himself on the back nine.
Along with the easy birdie on the 13th, Stanley saved par on the 14th. The day before, his approach jumped out of the rough and over the green for a double bogey. Playing it safe this time, he hit 9-iron that went well short, into the bunker, but blasted out to 8 feet and made a tricky, downhill putt for par.
His final birdie came on a 20-foot putt at the par-3 16th. No one else could make a move.
Snedeker went to tap in a 2-foot par putt on the seventh and was shocked when it made a horseshoe around the cup. He then missed his next five greens in regulation, and when he got home in two on the 13th, he three-putted. Snedeker had a 74 and fell seven behind.
"This is something you dream about as a kid," Stanley said. "But there's still one more round."
Equipped with a big lead, he said he won't play any more conservatively.
DIVOTS: Jay Don Blake in 1991 was the last player to make Torrey Pines his first PGA Tour victory. ... Ryo Ishikawa had his third consecutive round of 69 and was tied for 11th. ... Jonas Blixt had the low round Saturday at 65. Under a "University of Farmers" campaign, that was worth a $20,000 donation to his alma mater, Florida State. Cameron Tringale (Georgia Tech) had a 66 to finish second, which was worth $10,000.
For decades, animal activists have gone undercover to take jobs inside large-scale livestock farms in order to document conditions for farm animals that they say are routinely inhumane. Their hidden camera footage has resulted in criminal charges against owners and workers, plant shutdowns, and after one at a California slaughterhouse in 2008, the largest meat recall in U.S. history.
But these images could soon be made illegal. Legislation pending in five states ? Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and New York ? would criminalize the actions of activists who covertly film farms. Proponents of the various pieces legislation say that their proposed laws would lead to beneficial consequences, including the protection of such farms from potential terrorist infiltration (preserving the integrity of the food supply) and espionage; the prevention of images that mislead consumers; as well as regulating the job application process to circumvent potential employees from lying in order to be hired. See the legal assault on animal-abuse whistleblowers.
These so-called "ag-gag" bills have ignited a national debate about undercover videos and have raised concerns about free speech and journalists' and whistleblowers' ability to report on the farming industry.
TIME traveled to Iowa, the nation's leading producer of eggs and pork and the first state to propose a ban on undercover videos, with one former investigator for a rare glimpse at how these videos are made and why they are so controversial.
LIST: Top 10 Pictures of the Year of 2011
SPECIAL: TIME's 2011 Person of the Year: The Protester
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DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? Europeans are making progress to overcome the euro zone crisis but need to do more to boost their financial firewall, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Saturday, adding that the IMF is also ready to help.
"There is work under way. There is progress as we see it," Lagarde told a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum.
"But it is critical that the euro zone members actually develop a clear, simple, firewall that can operate both to limit the contagion and to provide this sort of act of trust in the euro zone so that the financing needs of that zone can actually be met."
Lagarde, who made a strong plea in Berlin on Monday for a bigger firewall, added there would be need for IMF funds to help the euro zone.
The biggest girl group of the '90s is making a comeback!
Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown revealed the band will be reuniting this summer during a recent interview on Australian TV -- but contrary to reports, it won't be for the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
PHOTOS: Sexy British stars!
"I think the Queen's Jubilee concert is the event I'd be looking at more closely for that to happen," the 36-year-old said. Realizing she revealed too much, the singer quickly changed the subject.
According to The Sun, Brown told TV crew members backstage: "I am going to be in such strife for saying that. It's all so totally bloody top-secret still."
PHOTOS: Victoria Beckham's wildest outfits
The "Scary" musician and her bandmates -- Victoria"Posh"Beckham, 37, Geri"Ginger"Halliwell, 39, Emma "Baby" Bunton, 36, and Melanie "Sporty" Chisholm, 38 -- last performed together during a reunion tour that kicked off in 2007.
"I'm always down for a Spice Girls reunion," Brown said. "I love the Scary hair and platforms. Any time of day or night I'll be there."
PHOTOS: Victoria Beckham's posh pregnancy
To mark 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, the Diamond Jubilee will take place on June 4, 2012. The group will perform in front of the royal family, including Prince William, 29, and Kate Middleton, 30.
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Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Evelyn Solomon of Boca Raton, Fla., a supporter of Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich waits during a Republican Jewish Coalition rally at the South County Civic Center, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in Delray Beach, Fla. Romney and Gingrich square off over immigration and other issues as they look to woo Hispanics a day after a feisty, final debate before Tuesday?s Florida primary. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Audience members cheer as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Republican presidential contenders are making a pitch to voters that sounds a lot like a children's game: Follow the leader.
When Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich aren't puffing up their own leadership credentials, they're running down the leadership skills of one another and President Barack Obama.
If anyone missed Monday's conference call from the Romney campaign about Gingrich's record as a "failed leader," not to worry. They could have tuned in to Tuesday's conference call. Or Wednesday's. Or Thursday's. Or checked out the "unreliable leader" banner splashed across a Romney news release that labeled Gingrich "unhinged." Romney's political biography, meanwhile, is all about his leadership as a businessman, Massachusetts governor and savior of the 2002 Olympic Games.
It's hard to miss Gingrich's frequent broadsides at Romney, meanwhile, for failing to provide consistent, visionary leadership. Or the former House speaker's pronouncements that he, by contrast, offers "exactly the kind of bold, tough leader the American people want." Or Gingrich's muscular descriptions of all that was accomplished in his four years as speaker in the 1990s.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, lagging them in the polls, keeps trying to muscle his way into the leader palooza by offering himself as the steady bet who can be counted on to offer more reliable conservative leadership than "erratic" Gingrich or "moderate" Romney.
In a race where all the candidates are trying to out-conservative one another, stressing leadership credentials gives the GOP rivals a way to try to distinguish themselves. And in a year when Obama's own leadership skills are seen as one of his weakest qualities, it gives the Republicans another arrow in their quiver as they argue over who would be most electable in a matchup with Obama come November.
Leadership is always a part of the equation in presidential elections. In 2008, for example, the candidates all were abuzz with claims that they offered "transformational" leadership. Obama announced he was running by declaring, "I want to transform this country."
This year, leadership is getting an extra dose of attention, perhaps because of statistics such as this: The share of Americans who view Obama as a strong leader slipped from 77 percent at the start of his presidency to 52 percent in a Pew Research Center poll released this month. And among Republicans, only about a fourth of those surveyed in the most recent poll viewed Obama as a strong leader, compared with 80 percent of Democrats.
At a campaign debate last week in Tampa, Fla., Gingrich and Romney both turned a question about electability into an answer about the L-word.
"This is going to come down a question of leadership," Romney said. Then the former Massachusetts governor recited his track record as a leader in business and government and took a dig at Gingrich for having to "resign in disgrace" when he was speaker in the 1990s.
Gingrich, answering the same question, aligned himself with the leadership record of conservative hero Ronald Reagan and offered himself as someone "prepared to be controversial when necessary" to bring about great change.
The answers offer a window into how differently the two candidates define leadership ? Romney more as a manager with business school credentials, Gingrich more as a big-thinking visionary.
The leadership argument is a particularly potent campaign weapon for Romney because a number of Republicans who served in Congress with Gingrich have been happy to describe his shortcomings in running the House.
"If you were somebody trying to serve with him, you were always sort of left standing with your hands empty in terms of moving forward with an actual plan or putting a plan to paper," Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., said of Gingrich on a Romney campaign conference call on Thursday. "So for me, it's an example that he's just not an effective leader. I think Mitt has the temperament and the ability to lead."
Gingrich, who resigned after a spate of ethics problems and a poor showing for House Republicans in the 1998 elections, managed to turn even his resignation as speaker into evidence that he's a strong leader.
"I took responsibility for the fact that our results weren't as good as they should be," he said in the Tampa debate. "I think that's what a leader should do."
As for the turbulence of his tenure as speaker, Gingrich casts that, too, as evidence of his bold leadership.
"Look, I wish everybody had loved me, but I'd rather be effective representing the American people than be popular inside Washington," he said earlier in the campaign.
Stephen Wayne, a presidential scholar at Georgetown University, said the harsh judgment of Obama's presidential leadership by Republicans and even some Democrats in part is due to the high hopes that he raised during the 2008 campaign. Obama the president has been measured against the words of Obama the candidate ever since.
Now that it's campaign season again, says Wayne, "he's not competing against his own image, he's competing against a real life person that has frailties. ... In a sense, that lowers the bar for Obama."
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AP Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
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Follow Nancy Benac at http://www.twitter.com/nbenac
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Public release date: 30-Jan-2012
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CHICAGO -- It was a rough 15 minutes, but Chael Sonnen did enough to get the fight he's coveted for 17 months.
