Islam critic's invite to West Point draws protest (AP)

WEST POINT, N.Y. ? A retired U.S. general who made comments denigrating Islam has been invited to speak to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy during a national prayer breakfast next month.

The Times Herald-Record of Middletown reports ( http://bit.ly/wyhEis) that Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin is among the speakers scheduled to attend the Feb. 8 event at West Point. Military academy officials say Boykin will speak to a gathering of Christian, Jewish and Muslim cadets.

Boykin served as an intelligence official during President George W. Bush's administration. In 2003, he made statements portraying the fight against terrorism as a Christian fight against Satan and suggesting that Muslims worship idols.

Boykin retired in 2007.

VoteVets.org, whose supporters include veterans and an Islamic group, has asked West Point's superintendent to drop Boykin from the prayer breakfast.

___

Information from: The Times Herald-Record, http://www.th-record.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_us/us_west_point_speaker_islam

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Open Thread (Balloon Juice)

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Karen Dalton-Beninato: Brad Pitt and the Business of Making it Right (PHOTOS)

"Blogger Karen Dalton-Beninato sent me this beautiful picture of the project Brad Pitt is working on..."

Five years ago, Arianna Huffington posted my husband's photo of pink tents in a planned green community in New Orleans. That was two years post Hurricane Katrina levee failures, and it often felt like New Orleans was stuck in neutral.

It was 2007 and the 9th Ward still looked like an overgrown prairie strewn with concrete slabs, all that was left of most houses near the Industrial Canal. Residents were coming back to FEMA trailers, if they could get one, and gutted out homes. In the years since then, Make It Right NOLA has assembled a living study in sustainable architecture for returning residents.

"After Hurricane Katrina, many people said the Lower 9th Ward could not be rebuilt, but the spirit of the Lower Ninth and its residents is vibrant and resilient," Brad Pitt recently said through his Foundation. "Today, the neighborhood is growing and alive with new homes, playgrounds, gardens and block parties. With the help of generous partners like Hyatt, Make It Right will fulfill our goal of building 150 sustainable homes for those in this community who lost everything in the storm." Pitt is hosting a March 10th MIR benefit at the newly reopened Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, and the Hyatt is underwriting the cost of the event so proceeds go to rebuilding. Pitt also took to Google + to announce the event.

Why the focus on New Orleans, and Pitt and Jolie's move to the French Quarter? Robert Kinney described it as well as anyone in his 1941 guidebook, The Bachelor in New Orleans: "New Orleans is the lotus land, to which all travelers return - once visited, it haunts you, calling your blood always."

"I'm from New Orleans, I love New Orleans and I love that Make It Right continues to help the people there rebuild their beautiful city," event co-chair Ellen DeGeneres said of the project. "Brad Pitt is amazing - not only for what he started, but also because, who else can make a hard hat look like a jaunty fall fashion accessory?"

DeGeneres will be joining my friend Mac Rebennack a/k/a Dr. John, and other NOLA natives Wendell Pierce, the Neville Brothers and Mayor Mitch Landrieu at the benefit. And they will be joined by Seal, Rihanna, Sheryl Crow, Randy Jackson, Josh Brolin, Chris Paul, Djimon Hounsou, Spike Lee, Blake Lively, Sean Penn, and Kevin Spacey, with dinner prepared by chefs John Besh, Giada DeLaurentiis and Emeril Lagasse. Aziz Ansari of Parks and Recreation is hosting the after-party. With all the celebrities expected, it would probably be shorter to list who's not coming.

The event will sprint the project to its final goal of 150 platinum LEED certified homes in its 16-block neighborhood, and eventually help Make it Right move into helping Pitt's home territory of Joplin, Missouri with what they've learned from rebuilding green in New Orleans.

Steve Ragan is MIR's Development Director, and he walked us through the neighborhood's homes. We started out at the one that was built to float, designed by Tom Mayne of Morphosis Architects. Modular construction was assembled at UCLA, shipped to New Orleans and reassembled as the first home in the United States permitted for a floating foundation. All the connections to utilities are flexible tubing and piping, and if the home did begin to float they would be safely cut leaving its two masts to support it, Ragan explained. "It's probably our most cutting edge design. If we opened our program up to young hipsters, it would have sold quickly." The home eventually sold to an older man who needed a smaller space than the multi-generational homes occupied by many of his neighborhood.

"The most important thing is the immediate good for people who live here," Ragan says. "Second most important is advancing construction of energy efficient homes. Third, if you can imagine, is having the final neighborhood of 150 homes designed by 21 of the greatest architects in the world. In 20 years the people who will be touring the homes hopefully won't be thinking of them as advanced technology any more, but because they're architecturally significant."

Landscaping is largely made up of indigenous plants that help soak up water. Make it Right has patented a permeable concrete with 100 percent drainage throughout the development, and Ragan pours his coffee onto the surface to show us how quickly it disappears. That drainage also helped along with gray water collected beneath the homes. One of MIR's contractor was at a funeral and thought of using concrete crypts under the residents' homes to collect gray water. It's the right size, half the cost of building a container and feels appropriate in a city where dancing at funerals is not out of the norm.

Homes are built at least 4 feet off the ground, but MIR encourages residents to go higher. Residents have skin in the game, typically paying $75,000 with the rest of the $150,000 subsidized with a forgivable mortgage. With solar panels, Energy Star appliances and every possible new green technology on hand, only two homes in the development regularly use more energy than they produce, and those are multi-generational.

"If we had not focused on one area, we would have been able to build faster but people would have been pioneers sitting on their own," Ragan said. He's seen the crawfish boils, family reunions and arrivals of other developers as the area came to life. The 9th Ward was at 80 percent home ownership before Katrina, families who had lived there before the Industrial Canal was built and passed their homes down through generations. Some former residents are now back home, with green rooftop decks offering a view across the river.

"Homeowners choose their home as long as it's something that through our assistance they can afford. They're treated with the same respect, able to make the same decisions about design as a private developer would," Ragan said. "You can see some differences between first of the homes and later. We've managed as we've gone along with every iteration of homes to increase energy efficiency and lower costs. It's great when you can get an academic architect to take pause and say, 'how did you do that?"

It's something to see, and the visitors are coming in ever-increasing numbers. "I counted tour buses one day, and we were at 48," Ragan said. That number will only grow, with the Hollywood of the South bringing even more tourists to New Orleans. The Pugh Scarpa home we walked through had far more natural light than you would expect from the exterior view. Window direction adds to passive heating and cooling technologies, much like early Creole homes in the French Quarter. In the morning, the home is flooded with light. But by afternoon, the side with fewer windows, all hurricane resistant, cools the home down. Wireless lighting systems save on wiring costs, and directed vents at the top of the wall where hot air rises help cool the house faster. The architects are clearly familiar with Louisiana summers. Floors are reclaimed pine, and all the paint in the home is VOC-free. "We haven't had hard data, but anecdotally children who suffer from asthma have fewer problems once they move in." Architects meet with stakeholders early on, and the project has focused on residents who had lived in the Lower 9th Ward. One of the main design alterations requested has been larger porch and terrace areas for neighborhood socializing.

"I just love to come out here on a Saturday," Ragan said. "You've got construction crews working, you've got homeowners socializing, this neighborhood has come back to life. Architects talk about how architecture engages people. Tourists come outside, and a homeowner will come out and start explaining the home to them. Then another will come out and say, let me tell you about mine."

Plantings and mulch are available to community members. And the Make it Right playground, made of recycled materials, has wi-fi installed so children can compete with children in a playground on the other side of the world with the same system installed. Bayou Bienvenue backs up to the development, but its original cypress trees were killed off years ago as canals brought saltwater intrusion from the Gulf to the city. An older man walks up and reminisces about the years when the bayou was fresh water and the cypress trees grew. He talks about trapping and walking through the bayou, pointing to the stumps that now exist.

We meet Robert Green, a Make it Right resident and its unofficial ambassador. "I've been fortunate enough to be here when most people come by," he said. Green asked for the Waiting for Godot sign from the 9th Ward production starring Pierce, so the front of his house greets visitors with words by Samuel Beckett. Green often takes people into his home to show them construction, which he's proud of. His was the second lot in the program, and he bought the adjacent lot through the city's Lot Next Door program. He's considered putting in a gazebo.

Green was sent back from the Superdome when they couldn't offer adequate help to his mother who had Parkinson's Disease. So the family returned home, and the next day the water started rising. Green saved two of his granddaughters, but he lost his mother and granddaughter in the floodwaters that came through the broken levee on August 29, 2005. A marker for each rests in front of his home, under his Waiting for Godot sign.

A country road. A tree. Evening.

Details on A Night to Make It Right are available at: nighttomakeitright.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-daltonbeninato/brad-pitt-and-the-busines_b_1239228.html

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Nokia loss tempered by Windows phone launch

HELSINKI (AP) ? Mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter net loss of ?1.07 billion ($1.38 billion) as sales slumped 21 percent even as the company's first Windows smartphones hit markets in Europe and Asia.

The loss, widened by a ?1 billion loss booked on Nokia's navigation systems unit, compares with a profit of ?745 million in the same period a year earlier.

Nokia said net revenue ? including both its mobile phones and its network divisions ? fell from ?12.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010 to ?10 billion, with smartphone sales plunging 23 percent.

Nokia has lost its once-dominant position in the global cell phone market, with Android phones and iPhones overtaking it in the growing smartphone segment.

The Finnish company is attempting a comeback with smartphones using Microsoft's Windows software, a struggle that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop characterized as a "war of ecosystems."

He said Nokia has sold "well over" 1 million such devices since the launch of the Lumia line in the fourth quarter, in line with expectations.

Including other models, Nokia sold 19.6 million smartphones in the quarter, down from 28 million a year earlier. By comparison, Apple sold 37 million iPhones.

The Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 hit stores in Europe and Asia in November, while T-Mobile started offering the 710 in the U.S. in January. Nokia hopes to boost its poor presence in the U.S. with the higher-end Lumia 900, which AT&T will offer later this year.

Elop said Nokia would be shipping Lumia phones to Canada next month and China and South America during the first half of this year.

"With Lumia, our specific intent has been to establish a beachhead in this war of ecosystems, and country by country that is what we are now accomplishing," Elop said in a conference call.

Nokia shares closed up 2.7 percent at ?4.16 ($5.38) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Michael Schroeder, analyst at FIM bank in Helsinki, said markets had welcomed Elop's comments on Lumia sales.

"It definitely alleviated concerns about a horror scenario, expected by some. Although a million is not a lot in the market, it was better than expected," Schroeder said.

The company said it would not provide annual targets for 2012 since it was in a "year of transition" but added that it expects operating margins in the first quarter of this year to be "about break-even, ranging either above or below by approximately 2 percentage points."

It repeated the target of cutting costs by more than ?1 billion by 2013.

Neil Mawston from Strategy Analytics in London said Nokia "was not out of the woods yet," but its quarterly result was in line with expectations.

"Nokia is not necessarily dead in the water. Profit margins were a bit higher than expected and Nokia has not lost its third position in smartphones, although it is suffering in North America and western Europe," Mawston said.

Nokia proposed a dividend of ?0.20 per share for 2011 and said that chairman and former CEO Jorma Ollila will step down at the annual meeting in May. A nomination committee proposed board member Risto Siilasmaa as the new chairman.

The average selling price of a Nokia handset rose by ?2 from the previous quarter to ?53 but was down from ?69 a year earlier, reflecting a higher proportion of cheaper mobile phones in Nokia's product mix.

The company also reported a 4 percent drop in sales for Nokia Siemens Networks, its joint network equipment unit with Siemens AG of Germany.

After selling four in 10 smartphones worldwide in 2010, Nokia has steadily lost market share to competitors, including Apple and Samsung. It didn't give any market share estimates in the report Thursday, but said its net revenue fell 9 percent to ?38.6 billion in the full year 2011, with smartphone sales plunging 27 percent and total mobile phone sales down 18 percent.

Nokia, based in Espoo near the Finnish capital, employs 130,000 people ? down from more than 132,000 a year earlier.

___

Karl Ritter reported from Stockholm.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-01-26-Finland-Earns-Nokia/id-63657fe65e4140d88b3b972153efa175

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Late-night 'Idol' guest? Jim Carrey's daughter

By Craig Berman

RECAP

The NFL is a harsh boss. It can offer opportunities for huge successes?... and also take those opportunities away with its innate unpredictability.

?American Idol? had to be hoping for more lenient treatment than it got from the Lords of Football, but its rare Sunday Night showcase turned into a late-night talk show thanks to the NFC Championship Game going into overtime. By the time the New York Giants slipped past the San Francisco 49ers and the postgame discussions were completed, it was 10:57 p.m. on the East Coast and the audience was bleary-eyed and likely headed for bed.

If they were, not much on "Idol" would have kept them awake.?

The highlight of the night was Jane Carrey, if for no other reason than it made Jennifer Lopez feel old. Carrey?s the daughter of Jim Carrey, the comedian who was a star of ?In Living Color? when J.Lo danced as one of the Fly Girls.?

?I remember you when you were little!? the judge said. ?When did this happen!?

Fortunately, J.Lo was able to interrupt the getting-old montage in her head to pass Carrey to the next round, proving that it?s never too late and it?s never too soon to get a big break. Expect more ?In Living Color? theme lyrics if Carrey lasts in the competition.?

Also noteworthy was Kyle Crews, a University of California-Berkeley student and fraternity member who will totally steal your girlfriend if you let her out of your sight. Don?t say you weren?t warned. He was the top male voice of the night, though he did have the indignity of having Steven Tyler tell him to lose his shirt. This is the same Steven Tyler who showed up last week in a purple hat best suited to a streetwalker and was in an old-school aviator hat with goggles in this USS Midway episode. It would be like Ryan Seacrest telling someone to relax every now and then and not work so many jobs.?

Speaking of jobs, don?t forget about Ashley Robles. Robles, who works at approximately five different gigs while raising her daughter, became the first contestant in recent memory to sing ?I Will Always Love You? and not cause all three judges to leap from the their seats into the ocean to make the bad noise stop. How she?ll get the time off from all of those tasks to keep auditioning is anyone?s guess.

Among the other 53 to make it was Ali Shields, who parlayed a homemade video into a chance to sing for Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show, a trip to the American Music Awards where she got her first kiss courtesy of Mike Posner and her second from Usher, and now a golden ticket to Hollywood. She?s the early favorite to be this season?s wacky comic relief who lasts much longer than expected but doesn?t make the final group. And that, my friends, is why there are so many random singing videos on YouTube.

Jason ?Wolf? Hamlin would also be a great bet to last, since he has an old-school voice and isn?t afraid to take chances, but he also has the looks and mannerisms that would scare small children. He did get to close the show, however, which is usually a good sign for long-term success.

In sadder news, there won?t be a Bikini Girl II, or at least not one from the San Diego auditions, as Jennifer Diley?s outfit got her some leers from Ryan but no love from the judges. Maybe they, like much of the sleepy ?Idol? audience, spent the preceding few hours looking at all the NFL cheerleaders and were too jaded to be impressed.

Did you stay up to watch the San Diego auditions??Tell us on Facebook!

Want more 'Idol' during 'Idol'? Follow @CraigBerman as he live tweets each show!

Related content:

Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10213396-late-night-idol-guest-jim-carreys-daughter

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Romney pressing reset after SC loss

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Allstar Building Materials in Ormond Beach, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Allstar Building Materials in Ormond Beach, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Allstar Building Materials in Ormond Beach, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, campaigns at Allstar Building Materials in Ormond Beach, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Mitt Romney is pressing reset.

After a crushing loss to Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, the former Massachusetts governor made clear Sunday that he plans to attack his chief rival's character, release his tax returns this week and try to right a campaign he acknowledged had been knocked off kilter.

"It was not a great week for me," Romney acknowledged during an interview on "Fox News Sunday."

And at a rally here, his first event in Florida after the loss to Gingrich, Romney assailed the former speaker's leadership abilities. "We're not choosing a talk show host, alright?" he said. "We're choosing a leader."

Romney now turns to Florida at what is possibly the most critical moment of his campaign, after two weeks of sustained attacks from his opponents and a series of self-inflicted errors that erased any notion that he would be able to lock up the nomination quickly by winning this state's Jan. 31 primary.

"I'm looking forward to a long campaign," Romney said on Fox News. "We are selecting the president of the United States. Someone who is going to face ups and downs and real challenges, and I hope that through this process, I can demonstrate that I can take a setback and come back strong."

Even if Romney does manage a victory here ? his Florida campaign is by far the strongest of any in the GOP field, and he and his allies have been alone on the air for weeks ? the race has become a two-way fight between him and Gingrich, the former House speaker with a huge dose of momentum.

And now Romney's team is girding for a long and costly fight that extends well beyond Florida. Saturday night's shellacking in South Carolina underscored the former Massachusetts governor's vulnerabilities and undermined his claims of becoming the inevitable Republican nominee.

Over the next 10 days, the candidates ? including former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul ? will meet twice on the debate stage, a venue where Gingrich has thrived in recent weeks and Romney has struggled some when pressed about questions about his wealth and private business experience. The debates ? Monday in Tampa and Thursday in Jacksonville ? present fresh opportunities for both breakout performances and mistakes.

Romney brought out his more aggressive posture and lines of attack toward Gingrich at the Sunday rally. "Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader. At the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader," Romney said, referring to the ethics investigation that resulted in a rare reprimand for a House speaker.

It's clear the campaign is worried voters have forgotten Gingrich's history. "He had to resign in disgrace. I don't know whether you knew that," Romney said.

"I'm asking the people of Florida to consider: what are the qualities of leadership?" he said. "What makes an effective president, a great president, even? Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower and FDR, even?"

It was an angrier, more aggressive Romney who took the stage at the rally here. He shouted back and forth with the crowd after Occupy Wall Street hecklers interrupted him and rattled off a list of leadership qualities, drawing cheers after each, in a rare back-and-forth with the crowd.

Romney attacked Gingrich's time working for the quasi-government mortgage giant Freddie Mac, calling again for him to release records related to his consulting work for them.

Behind the scenes, aides also indicated that Romney would go after Gingrich's character in Florida as a way to distinguish himself ? a father of five who has been married to the same woman for 42 years ? from his thrice-married rival. And the aides argued that the results in South Carolina don't indicate Republican primary voters everywhere are willing to overlook Gingrich's two divorces and acknowledged infidelity. Gingrich's second wife, Marianne, told ABC News in an interview aired Thursday that the former speaker asked her for an open marriage so he could continue having an affair with the House staffer who is now his third wife.

Publicly, Romney has refused to engage on the subject thus far, saying at a debate Thursday: "Let's get onto the real issues. That's all I got to say."

But Romney has started poking at Gingrich's character by raising questions about the ethics investigation against Gingrich in the 1990s, when he was House speaker, and suggested that the former Georgia lawmaker was hiding something by refusing to release reams of documents he apparently gave to investigators back then.

Asked Sunday whether character would become an issue, Romney said, "No question."

"Leadership is the key attribute that people should look for in considering a president," Romney said, "and character is a big part of leadership, as is vision, sobriety, steadiness."

Romney's team also plans to contrast his experience as a governor and businessman with Gingrich's experience in Congress and his later work with former colleagues on behalf of businesses.

Romney, meanwhile, also is working to fix a key vulnerability ? defensiveness over questions about his personal wealth, including money in funds in the Cayman Islands, a popular haven for international investment.

Under pressure to release his tax returns immediately, Romney reversed course and said he would release those documents for 2010 and an estimate for 2011 on Tuesday ? months ahead of their planned April release.

The documents will lay out just how Romney, a multimillionaire many times over, makes his money and reveal his actual tax rate, which Romney estimated at about 15 percent.

His wife, Ann Romney, addressed the issue at the Florida rally, suggesting family was more important than money.

"I understand Mitt's going to release his tax forms this week," she said as she introduced him. "I want to remind you where we know our riches are. Our riches are with our families."

"That's where we measure our wealth, is through those children," she said.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a backer who had called on Romney to immediately release his returns, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that Romney made the right decision, saying, "I'm happy he's doing it."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-22-Romney/id-36aff16416d04fcca9d680feb3702995

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The story behind SOPA?PIPA is campaign money and lots of it (Americablog)

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Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Reynolds to star in "Big Eyes" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (TheWrap.com) ? Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds will play Margaret and Walter Keane in an indie biopic about the couple whose art -- especially paintings of doe-eyed children -- became a pop phenomenon in the 1950s and 1960s.

While their art was reproduced and marketed around the country, their home life was unhappy: Margaret Keane was the artist, but her husband took credit. In fact, it carried Walter Keane's name, rather than the shy Margaret's.

When the two divorced, both claimed rights to the paintings. Ultimately -- in federal court -- Margaret Keane painted a picture to prove that she was, in fact the artist. When the judge asked Walter Keane to paint, he declined, saying his sore shoulder prevented him from painting.

The judge found for Margaret Keane.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski wrote and will direct the film. Tim Burton is producing through his Tim Burton Productions. Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricof are producing through their Electric City Entertainment.

"We are ecstatic to have this dream cast for our dream project," the directors said in a written statement. "Walter is a larger-than-life antihero -- charming, funny, dangerous and a little crazy. Ryan will knock it out of the park. As for Reese, she will be perfect as Margaret -- soulful, decent, transforming from vulnerability to learning to fight for herself."

Alexander and Karaszewski know their biopics: They wrote "Ed Wood," "The People vs. Larry Flint" and the Andy Kaufman biopic "Man on the Moon."

With Burton, they're working on a new version of "The Addams Family."

"Big Eyes" has been on Alexander and Karaszewski's to-do list since at least 2009.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120123/film_nm/us_reesewitherspoon

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Video: 'The big ask is to listen to cities more and do more for our cities'

South Carolina Analysis

High stakes in South Carolina, where Republicans there have picked the party?s eventual nominee for the last 32 years. We?ll have complete analysis of the crucial contest and breakdown the results, including what they will mean for the road ahead. Joining us: Host of MSNBC?s ?Morning Joe,? Joe Scarborough, Republican strategist Mike Murphy, the BBC?s Katty Kay, and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/46064404#46064404

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'Senior' runners never stop pushing their limits in marathons

ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2012) ? Romauld Lepers and Thomas Cattagni, researchers from Inserm Unit 1093 "Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity" at the Universit? de Bourgogone, have analysed changes in participation and performance of runners aged 20 to 80 in the New York marathon over the last 30 years. The results are largely unexpected: the best male marathon runners over 65 and the best female marathon runners over 45 have consistently improved their performance over the last 30 years. At the same time, the researchers also observed a strong increase in athletes over 40 participating in the New York marathon: from 36% of the total masculine runners between 1980-1989, to 53% between 2000-2009; and from 24 to 40% during the same periods for female runners.

Details of these descriptive analyses were published in the AGE review, The Official Journal of the American Aging Association.

Inserm researchers analysed the chronometric performances of competitors in the New York marathon in accordance with age and sex over the 1980-2009 period. They classified runners who successfully completed he race into 10 separate age categories (20-29; 30-39; then every 5 years from between 40 and 79).

Although the average times achieved by the 10 best male and female athletes in age categories below 60-64 have not changed over the last 30 years, there was a sharp decrease in times for the senior age categories: for an average marathon time achieved of 3 hours and 50 minutes, men in the 65-69 age category improved by 8 minutes between 1980-1989 and 1990-1999, and 7 minutes between 1990-1999 and 2000-2009. Similarly, the average time achieved by women in age categories above 45-49 fell significantly. For example, the average performance for the 55-59 age category improved by 33 minutes between 1980-1989 and 1990-1999 (for an average race time of 4 hours and 20 minutes), and by 8 minutes between 1990-1999 and 2000-2009.

The researchers have thus concluded that, over the last two decades, the performances of the best male marathon runners over 65 and the best female marathon runners over 45 have particularly improved, whereas their younger counterparts have remained stable.

"The improved performances can be explained by the increased number of participants in these age categories, as well as the increased interest this age population has in terms of the benefits of physical activity on health and well being" says Romuald Lepers, whose research into motor function plasticity during aging is part of the overall research of Inserm Unit 1093 "Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity," directed by Thierry Pozzo.

In recent years, the gap in performance between men and women has stabilized, in all age categories, suggesting that the decline in physiological functions with age is similar for both sexes. The mechanisms via which physical activity acts advantageously in terms of slowing down aging-related processes remain to be explored. For the researchers, this initial data on athletes over 40, combined with new physiology and sociology data, will lead to improved understanding of the role physical exercise has in "aging well."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by INSERM (Institut national de la sant? et de la recherche m?dicale).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Romuald Lepers, Thomas Cattagni. Do older athletes reach limits in their performance during marathon running? AGE, 2011; DOI: 10.1007/s11357-011-9271-z

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119102012.htm

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Romanian riots reveal growing gloom in region

An anti-government protester waves a national flag after he climbed on a building in downtown Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Bucharest, Monday as Romania's prime minister warned that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. Police on Sunday clashed with a small contingent of around 1,000 protesters in the capital, after four days of demonstrations against austerity measures turned violent. Tear gas and flares were used to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.(AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

An anti-government protester waves a national flag after he climbed on a building in downtown Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Bucharest, Monday as Romania's prime minister warned that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. Police on Sunday clashed with a small contingent of around 1,000 protesters in the capital, after four days of demonstrations against austerity measures turned violent. Tear gas and flares were used to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.(AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

Anti-government protesters gesture climbed on a statue in front of the national theatre, in downtown Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Bucharest, Monday as Romania's prime minister warned that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. Police on Sunday clashed with a small contingent of around 1,000 protesters in the capital, after four days of demonstrations against austerity measures turned violent. Tear gas and flares were used to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.(AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

Anti-government protesters hold banners that read "Leave" or "Come out of your houses if you care" climbed on a group of statues in front of the national theatre, downtown Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Bucharest, Monday as Romania's prime minister warned that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. Police on Sunday clashed with a small contingent of around 1,000 protesters in the capital, after four days of demonstrations against austerity measures turned violent. Tear gas and flares were used to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.(AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

Riot police in combat gear stand in line during a snowfall, downtown Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Bucharest, Monday as Romania's prime minister warned that violent protests that left 59 injured over the weekend could jeopardize stability and economic growth. Police on Sunday clashed with a small contingent of around 1,000 protesters in the capital, after four days of demonstrations against austerity measures turned violent. Tear gas and flares were used to repel demonstrators hurling stones and firebombs.(AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

A man walks by a fire burning in University Square, the scene of the first anti-communist protests in 1989, in Bucharest, Romania, early Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Romania's government called an emergency meeting late Sunday to discuss violent protests that show no sign of abating after demonstrators angry about austerity measures hurled stones and firebombs at police. At least six people were injured. (AP Photo/Octav Ganea)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) ? Romanian cities are gripped by the worst street violence in over a decade. Slovaks seem poised to re-elect a confrontational and divisive populist. Hungary alarms the European Union with laws that erode democratic rights.

In former Soviet bloc nations now part of the EU, frustration is mounting due to economic stagnation and worrisome governance, encouraging street protests and unpredictability that could jeopardize growth and stability in an already troubled part of the continent.

Many of the problems are common far beyond the region: indebted states hiking taxes and slashing state spending to stay solvent. But the added burdens come to a region that was already grappling with much deeper poverty and corruption than in the West before the global financial crisis hit.

In recent days, the situation has played out most dramatically in Romania, where pent-up fury with the government and an eroding standard of living exploded into days of street protests that at times turned violent. In Bucharest over the weekend, 59 people were injured in fighting that saw riot police turn tear gas on protesters who attacked them with stones and firebombs.

"What happened last weekend is only the beginning," commentator Gabriel Bejan wrote in Tuesday's Romania Libera daily paper. "We are in an important electoral year and such confrontations will be frequent. What will they lead to when nobody seems willing to take a step back?"

Much of the frustration goes back to the way Romania transitioned to democracy after its 1989 coup against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ? with many former communists keeping control of power and resources. The results, today, are seen in entrenched cronyism, a huge gap between rich and poor and a lack of government transparency that feeds a widespread sense of injustice.

"The Mafioso government stole everything we had!" protesters declared on banners at several of the rallies that have taken place in more than a dozen Romanian cities since Thursday and appear set to go on.

Hungarians have also been taking to the streets with increased frequency in recent months over a new constitution and a blizzard of new laws that concentrate power for the right-wing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Freedom House, a U.S. group that carries out a yearly global survey of political freedom and civil liberties, has observed "hints of re-emergent illiberalism" across central Europe, said Christopher Walker, the group's vice president for strategy and analysis.

This year's report, to be published Thursday, will highlight what it sees as a deteriorating climate for civil liberties in Hungary due to threats to the independence of the press and the judiciary.

"Hungary has shown a bent towards illiberalism which is really inconsistent with the European idea," Walker said.

The EU agrees. On Tuesday the EU Commission launched legal challenges against Budapest over its new constitution and other laws which took effect Jan. 1, saying they undermine the independence of the national central bank and the judiciary and do not respect data privacy principles.

Orban's tightening hold on many institutions comes thanks to an overwhelming 2010 victory for his party on the heels of near economic collapse by the previous, Socialist-led government.

But the mounting EU pressure appeared to have some effect: EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Wednesday that he received a letter from Orban promising to modify the legislation that raised EU concerns.

In Slovakia, meanwhile, opinion polls predict a probable return to power in March elections for Robert Fico, a former left-wing prime minister who has also worried Western diplomats with a sympathetic approach toward authoritarian states. Fico took Russia's side during its 2008 war with Georgia ? bucking a trend across the former Soviet bloc to express concern over Moscow's use of power. He has also celebrated Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution.

In striking contrast to trouble in much of the region, there is one relative oasis: Poland, the largest of the 10 ex-communist states that joined the EU in recent years. Its economy has seen unusual dynamism given the difficult times, thanks in some part to massive infrastructure projects in recent years as Poland prepares to co-host this summer's European football championships with Ukraine.

But economists fear that its economy, too, could lose momentum after the Euro 2012 and with far-ranging austerity measures set to start taking effect this year in an effort to keep state debt from spiraling out of control.

But for now, anger is clearly greater in Hungary and Romania, and in both places the unfolding developments are shaped greatly by the legacy of communist rule.

In Hungary, Orban has justified his upending of the country's laws by arguing that the former communists and their way of thinking were never purged entirely from democratic Hungary.

Romania sees many of its problems exacerbated by the continued rule of some former communists, including President Traian Basescu, 60, who under Ceausescu was a ship captain for the state shipping company Navrom in Antwerp. That was a position of privilege which allowed him to earn coveted hard currency.

Feeding frustration is a sense that there is too little transparency over the doings, past and present, of Romania's leaders.

More than two decades after the overthrow of Ceausescu, authorities have opened only a handful of the files of the former dreaded Securitate secret police, which had 760,000 informers in a nation of 22 million. Former agents are believed to be active in politics, business and the media ? though the public has never been given the full picture.

Also, only a handful of senior officials were ever tried for the mass shootings of unarmed civilians in the 1989 revolution, perpetuating a sense that that story, too, is being covered up.

A political analyst who has studied the revolutions of Eastern Europe, Christopher Chivvers with the RAND Corporation, sees many of today's injustices as being rooted in the overly rapid move toward a market economy in the 1990s.

When state-run industries were privatized then, it was generally only the former communist apparatchiks who knew how to maneuver the system to take hold of them and run them.

"Those who had the know-how ? the former regime officials ? were able to snatch up large amounts of former state property in ways that ultimately entrenched their position in society and in the state," said Chivvers, who is also a professor in European studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Many Romanians express deep frustration over this.

"We still have unanswered questions regarding shady privatization deals made in the 90s," said Cristina, a Romanian woman who asked that her last name not be published because she works for the government and fears retribution.

___

Vanessa Gera reported from Warsaw, Poland. Associated Press writer Karel Janicek contributed from Prague.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-19-EU-Eastern-Europe's-Gloom/id-b6697312d9e446aea81056f808fdd6e6

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Goldman beats Street; net income falls 58 percent (AP)

NEW YORK ? Goldman Sachs' net income fell 58 percent in the last three months of last year because of lower investment banking fees in a quarter marked by choppy financial markets.

The investment bank said Wednesday that it made $1 billion, or $1.84 per share, from October through December. The results beat the estimate of $1.28 per share from analysts surveyed by FactSet, a provider of financial data.

Goldman's quarterly revenue fell 30 percent to $6 billion. It set aside $2.2 billion for pay, 2 percent less than the year before.

Fear about the European debt crisis made the stock and bond markets volatile late last year, and clients of all the major banks shied away from mergers and acquisitions and public offerings of stock.

Goldman took in 43 percent less in the fourth quarter than it did in the same quarter a year earlier from advising companies on mergers and acquisitions and underwriting fees for stock and bond sales.

Goldman has a reputation for outperforming the rest of Wall Street. But its fee decline was roughly in line with Citigroup, its much weaker competitor, where fees declined 45 percent. JPMorgan Chase reported a smaller decline of 39 percent.

CEO Lloyd Blankfein said concerns about the global economy made Goldman's clients less inclined to take risks in 2011. He said the firm saw "encouraging signs" that the economy and financial markets are improving.

Goldman's typical clients are large hedge funds and multinational corporations that need to hedge their bets on foreign currencies, fluctuating interest rates and commodities.

The bumpy financial markets hurt revenue in those parts of Goldman's business. Revenue from client services fell 16 percent to $3.06 billion for the quarter. Transactions in commodities, currency and fixed income fell 17 percent.

Besides conducting large trades for those clients, Goldman has made big profits trading for its own account ? especially when the markets are volatile. But regulations taking effect this year will reduce Goldman's ability to make those trades for the firm.

Another worry is that the near future isn't looking as healthy. The firm's investment banking transaction backlog, an indicator of future revenue and profit, decreased from the quarter before, though it was slightly higher than a year earlier.

For the year, Goldman made $4.4 billion, 47 percent less than in 2010, on revenue of $28.8 billion, down 26 percent from the previous year.

Goldman's stock was up 1 percent at $98.74 in pre-market trading.

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

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US promotes democracy with suddenly important Togo (AP)

LOME, Togo ? After venturing to reclusive Myanmar, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pressed democratic reforms Tuesday in another place long dominated by dictators, becoming the first American in her post to ever visit the African nation of Togo.

Greeted by performers on stilts and sword-wielding ceremonial soldiers in red capes, Clinton visited Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe in his presidential palace, a Chinese-built construction of marble floors and sparkling Christmas-like lights strung from the ceiling. Paintings sat against the walls, the unfinished work of a hasty decoration.

The decadence on display, just beyond the destitute streets of Togo's capital, Lome, in some ways evoked the worst of post-colonial Africa and its rulers' all-too-common penchant for ceremonies and ornamentation while their people languish in poverty. Yet after six decades of dictatorship, Togo is showing signs of progress ? much like Myanmar, or Burma, before Clinton's trip last year ? and the Obama administration wanted to take a chance.

"Togo's national elections later this year will be an important milestone," Clinton said. "The United States will be a partner to the government of Togo as it builds on its recent democratic gains, brings dissenting voices to the table for an inclusive dialogue, increases the political participation of women, and carries out a successful constitutional reform process."

The choice of Togo isn't solely about goodwill. The West African country of 6.8 million people, tucked between Benin and Ghana, is as of two weeks ago a U.N. Security Council member. That means it may vote alongside the world's biggest powers on resolutions that could cover anything from a future Palestinian state to sanctions against Syria.

Clinton and Gnassingbe agreed to cooperate on both issues, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Gnassingbe backed U.S. support for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks and opposition to a premature Palestinian declaration of statehood, the official said.

Clinton visited Togo on the penultimate stop of a four-country Africa swing aimed at encouraging governments to continue with democratic and economic reforms.

She led a U.S. delegation Monday to the inauguration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female head of state. She then traveled to Ivory Coast to meet the democratically elected President Alassane Ouattara, who took office last year after his forces finally ousted predecessor Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to cede power. She will stop in Cape Verde before returning to Washington early Wednesday.

The trip to Togo was the most unexpected. Whereas Washington has championed the ascents of Sirleaf and Ouattara, respected economists with resumes that include the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the U.S. has largely ignored Togo since it gained independence from France 62 years ago.

Details of Clinton's meeting with Gnassingbe showed an attempt to U.S. interests with a new partner, along with encouragement for democracy work in Togo that still has a long way to go.

Washington is optimistic about Gnassingbe despite his history as the military-pronounced successor of his father, a dictator who crushed opponents for almost four decades. He won a flawed election seven years ago and was re-elected in 2010 in a vote that edged closer toward constituting a free and fair multiparty contest.

Despite Gnassingbe's questionable past, Johnnie Carson, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa, described the Togolese leader as one "determined to put in place a strong reform-minded government ? one that is democratic, multiparty and which opens up the country." He called the meeting an opportunity for Clinton to encourage Gnassingbe "along a reformist path, to continue to promote political reconciliation in his country and to speed on economic reforms."

The country also boasts the largest single private American investment in West Africa in over a decade: a new 100-megawatt power plant built in Lome by New York City-based Contour Global at a cost of over $200 million. Seated beside Gnassingbe, Clinton said President Barack Obama "believes as I believe that West Africa has great potential."

The message is akin to one Clinton took with her to Myanmar in November, becoming the first secretary of state to visit the Asian country in five decades. The military-led government, long among the world's most repressive and brutal, has since carried on with reforms and the release of hundreds more political prisoners. A national dialogue involving once-jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has gained momentum.

In Abidjan, Ivory Coast's biggest city, Clinton praised Ouattara's government for seeking accountability for crimes committed during the fighting that took place after the country's disputed 2010 election.

Rights groups say Ouattara hasn't done enough to prosecute members of his armed forces linked to massacres, even if he has launched an investigation and promised justice. But Clinton said the government was taking positive steps to meet the Ivorians' "need to see that the rule of law is working and that there is impartial justice."

Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have provided detailed documentation of alleged abuse by troops loyal to Ouattara. Gbagbo is being prosecuted at The Hague, and his senior officials are being pursued. But to date not a single official in Ouattara's military has been implicated despite accusations of setting villages afire, gang-raping women and executing the infirm and elderly.

"I am inspired by how quickly not only the government but the people have moved from the violence of last spring," Clinton said, praising economic recovery efforts after the war closed Abidjan's port, cut off cocoa exports and led bank accounts to be blocked.

Ivory Coast was once one of Africa's most prosperous nations, and Clinton said she recognized a "commitment that is in the air to build a better future."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_on_re_af/af_clinton_africa

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ASUS offers refunds and extended warranties to piqued Prime customers in the UK

If the Ice Cream Sandwich update, bug fixes and piles of apologies from the folks at ASUS just aren't cutting it and you happen to live in the UK, then we've got some good news for you. You are free to take your Transformer Prime back to the shop for a full refund. Don't expect turn around and pick up that updated TF700T with your haul, though, it won't be hitting shelves in merry ol' England till at least June. If you choose to keep your dockable tablet, ASUS will offer an extended warranty of 18 months, just to soothe your panicked mind that wakes you with night terrors about GPS issues and unknown serial numbers.

ASUS offers refunds and extended warranties to piqued Prime customers in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/18/asus-offers-refunds-and-extended-warranties/

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Wisconsin Recall Effort: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald Targeted For Recall

By Brendan O'Brien

MADISON, Wisconsin-- Organizers of the petition drive to recall the top Republican in the Wisconsin state Senate submitted what they said were more than enough signatures on Tuesday to force him to defend his seat in a special election later this year.

The Committee to Recall Scott Fitzgerald, which opposes the collective bargaining changes and other measures the Senate majority leader helped usher into law last year, dropped off 20,600 signatures at the offices of the Government Accountability Board on Tuesday morning -- nearly 4,000 more than the 16,742 needed.

As many as 17 Wisconsin state senators -- 11 Republicans and six Democrats -- as well as the governor and lieutenant governor could face recall this year in contests triggered by last year's fight over union rights. That could tip the balance of power in the state Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 17-16 majority.

Lori Compas, a spokeswoman for the Committee to Recall Fitzgerald, said the group was confident the signatures would be verified and that Fitzgerald, who was first elected to the state Senate in 1994, would have to fight to hold onto his seat.

"This is a proud moment," Compas said. "We worked really hard and we're really excited about what we felt on the campaign trail."

The filing of the petitions with the board will not automatically result in Fitzgerald's removal from office. But if the petitions are certified, the Juneau, Wisconsin lawmaker would face a special election later this year.

In a statement, Fitzgerald said he looked forward to defending his record, saying the reforms Republicans had championed over the past year had "balanced a massive budget deficit without raising taxes or resorting to layoffs."

Later today, organizers of the effort to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will submit what they promise will be a sufficient number of signatures to force the first-term Republican to defend his seat in a special election.

Walker and the state's Republican-controlled legislature passed a raft of highly controversial measures last year, including strict limits on the union rights of public employees.

The anti-union measure triggered mass protests in Madison and a fierce political backlash from Democrats and union supporters.

Walker defended the measures, including strict limits on plaintiffs' right to sue, as necessary to address a gaping budget gap and to make Wisconsin more attractive to employers.

After forging ahead with a conservative agenda that included the successful passage of voter ID and concealed carry legislation, six Republican senators faced recall last summer. Ultimately, two were recalled.

(Writing by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Paul Thomasch)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/wisconsin-recall-effort-scott-fitzgerald_n_1211139.html

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Nadal overcomes knee problem to win 1st match

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd following his first round match against Alex Kuznetsov of the US at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd following his first round match against Alex Kuznetsov of the US at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Spain's Rafael Nadal makes a forehand return to Alex Kuznetsov of the US during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Kim Clijsters of Belgium celebrates after winning a point against Maria Joao Koehler of Portugal during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

China's Peng Shuai returns a ball to France's Aravane Rezai during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/John Donegan)

China's Li Na wraps an ice towel around her face during her first round match against Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan play at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Rafael Nadal has a new injury ? a tendon problem in his right knee that nearly prompted him to forfeit a first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday that he went to win handily.

Roger Federer, defending champion Kim Clijsters and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, also bothered by injuries coming into the tournament, all advanced to the second round in more routine fashion and appeared as if they were over their ailments.

That wasn't the case with Nadal. Bothered by a left shoulder injury late last year, Nadal had his right knee heavily taped during his 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over Alex Kuznetsov.

"I was sitting on a chair in the hotel, I felt like a crack on the knee ... really strange," Nadal said. "I stand up. I felt the knee a little bit strange. I moved the leg like this two times to try to find the feeling. After the second time, the knee stays with an unbelievable pain completely straight. I have no movement on the knee."

"I wasn't 100 percent sure I would have a chance to play," Nadal added.

The Spaniard decided to play after an MRI exam showed no major damage, but he still had concerns going into the match.

"I started with a little bit of a scare at the beginning, and nervous because I was really disappointed yesterday," he said. "But after the first 10 games ... I started to play with normal conditions.

"The best thing is I felt the knee very well. I really don't understand why happened everything, but I am really happy that today I was ready to play and I played a fantastic match."

Federer, who pulled out of a tournament in Doha two weeks ago with back soreness, began the quest for his 17th Grand Slam title ? and first since the 2010 Australian Open ? with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win over qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev.

It was Federer's 60th win at the Australian Open, and he also has 60-plus wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The third-seeded Federer took the first two sets and was up a break in the third before the Russian rallied with a break of serve in the fifth game of the final set. Federer, however, broke Kudryavtsev in the next game with a backhand cross-court winner and sealed the match when the Russian hit a forehand wide.

"No problem, I am happy to be 100 percent fit," Federer said after his win.

Just as quickly, he batted away speculation about a possibly divisive issue with Nadal.

Nadal was critical of Federer on Sunday for not speaking out publicly in support of players who are pushing the ATP for changes in areas such as tournament scheduling and prize money.

"Things are fine between us, you know. I have no hard feelings towards him," Federer said. "It's been a difficult last few months in terms of politics within the ATP.

Nadal has "mentioned many times how he gets a bit tired and frustrated through the whole process, and I shared that with him. It's normal. But for me, obviously nothing changes in terms of our relationship. I'm completely cool and relaxed about it."

Defending women's champion Clijsters opened with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Portuguese qualifier Maria Joao Koehler, showing no signs of the hip spasms which forced her to withdraw from a tuneup event in Brisbane 10 day ago.

Wozniacki, who injured her left wrist in a quarterfinal loss at the Sydney International, showed no signs of discomfort while cruising past Australia's Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 6-1 in the last match of the evening on Rod Laver Arena.

"I got a bit nervous about my wrist in Sydney, but I am happy I could play full-out tonight," Wozniacki said.

Li Na, who lost the Australian final to Clijsters last year, earned a 6-3, 6-1 win over Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan. In the first featured match of the tournament, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka won 12 straight games to finish off Heather Watson 6-1, 6-0 in 67 minutes on center court.

The Hisense Arena crowd was solidly behind Nadal, particularly the groups of young women who screamed and whistled when he changed his shirt and yelled "We love you Rafa" and "Vamos Rafa!" between games. He didn't give them a chance to cheer for long, needing only about 30 minutes each to win the final two sets.

Clijsters similarly had an easy time in the second half of her match, breaking Koehler's serve in the deciding game of the first set and reeling off 13 straight points to start the second.

She claimed later that the win wasn't as easy as it looked.

"It was hard to really get a good rhythm out there," Clijsters said. "I did feel like I was seeing the ball probably not always as good as I would like to."

She said she'd dealt with the "emotions and stress" of her hip injury, claiming she was lucky even to get a few warmup matches in Brisbane.

Li was a trailblazer for China last year, reaching a Grand Slam singles final for the first time before losing to Clijsters at Melbourne Park. At the next major, she won the French Open to become the first player from China to win a Grand Slam singles title.

"I hope I can go one better this year," Li said of her Australian Open campaign. She had a confidence-boosting buildup that included match wins at the Hopman Cup and Sydney.

Of the six women who can reach the top ranking, eighth-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska has the biggest task, having to win the Australian title. She had a battle on her hands just to make the second round, fending off American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-2 in a three-hour match on Show Court 2.

Other women advancing included No. 16-seeded Peng Shuai of China, No. 20 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, No. 22 Julia Goerges, No. 26 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and Eleni Daniilidou of Greece beat 41-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan 6-3, 6-2.

No. 19 Flavia Pennetta, No. 23 Lucie Safarova and No. 28 Yanina Wickmayer were among the first-round losers.

Most of the local attention Monday was on 19-year-old Bernard Tomic, who rallied from two sets down to beat No. 22-seeded Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5. A five-set win over the 2009 semifinalist will no doubt give Tomic a confidence boost as he attempts to become the first Australian man since 1976 to win the national title.

"Today wasn't fun, it was torture," said Tomic, who reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year. "I don't know how I found the energy to lift, how I did it, but I thank the crowd."

Eighth-seeded Mardy Fish, the highest ranked of the U.S. men, had a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Gilles Muller to progress along with 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, No. 7 Tomas Berdych, No. 10 Nicolas Almagro, No. 13 Alexandr Dolgopolov, No. 18 Feliciano Lopez, No. 21 Stanislas Wawrinka and No. 30 Kevin Anderson.

No. 25 Juan Monaco, No. 28 Ivan Ljubicic and No. 31 Jurgen Melzer joined Verdasco as other seeded players to lose.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-16-TEN-Australian-Open/id-04ac11b33081428bb4330d2302261f5c

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