Summary Box: Chevron 4Q profit down 3 pct. (AP)

STRUGGLING REFINERIES: Rising crude prices cut into fourth-quarter profits at Chevron Corp.'s refineries, which must buy crude to make gasoline and other fuels.

WEAKER PRODUCTION: The San Ramon, Calif., company also had a tougher time pumping more oil, with production declines across its global operation. One of the biggest concerns for the company is its operation in Brazil, where an offshore oil leak put Chevron in the crosshairs of the Brazilian government. Regulators there forced Chevron to shut down one of its offshore production wells in December, and prosecutors are seeking $10.6 billion in damages.

BOTTOM LINE: Chevron reported a 3 percent drop in fourth-quarter profits. Net income was $5.12 billion, or $2.58 per share, compared with $5.3 billion, or $2.64 per share, in the same part of 2010. Revenue increased 11.9 percent to $60 billion.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_chevron_summary_box

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Video: Twitter to censor some tweets

Some Twitter users are outraged and planning to boycott the social networking site after it announced some tweets will be censored. NewsNation?s Tamron Hall reports.

>>> welcome back to "news natio nation". twitters big announcement that it will sensor tweets in some countries. the company says it can block tweets from individual users and specific countries. twitter says it may use the feature to comply can governments that want to sensor information. some users are planning to boycott. they plan to boycott tomorrow.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46166806/

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Iran won't move toward nuclear weapon in 2012: ISIS report (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Iran is unlikely to move toward building a nuclear weapon this year because it does not yet have the capability to produce enough weapon-grade uranium, a draft report by the Institute for Science and International Security said on Wednesday.

The report by the institute founded by nuclear expert David Albright offered a more temperate view of Iran's nuclear program than some of the heated rhetoric that has surfaced since the United States and its allies stepped up sanctions on Tehran.

"Iran is unlikely to decide to dash toward making nuclear weapons as long as its uranium enrichment capability remains as limited as it is today," the report said.

The United States and Iran are engaged in a war of words over sanctions, with Iran threatening to retaliate by blocking oil shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States said it would not allow that to happen.

The escalating rhetoric and tensions have led to concerns about the potential for missteps between the adversaries that might spiral into a military confrontation that neither wants.

But the report, financed by a grant from the United States Institute of Peace, said Iran had not made a decision to build a nuclear bomb. The USIP is an independent, non-partisan center created by the U.S. Congress in 1984 that receives federal government funding.

"Iran is unlikely to break out in 2012, in great part because it is deterred from doing so," said the ISIS report, which has not yet been publicly released.

The report turns down the temperature, saying that sanctions and the fear of a military strike by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities have worked as a deterrent.

The institute has advised U.S. and foreign governments about Iran's nuclear capabilities and Albright is considered a respected expert on the issue. The report tracks closely with what is known of official U.S. government assessments.

U.S. officials say Iran has not made the decision to build a nuclear weapon and that Iranian leaders haven't made the decision because they have to weigh the cost and benefits of building a nuclear weapon.

Much of what the Iranians are doing with their nuclear program has civilian uses, but they are keeping their options open, which significantly adds to the air of ambiguity, U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Some conservative and Israeli analysts in the past have challenged these types of assessments, asserting that Iranian nuclear efforts are sufficiently advanced that they could build a bomb in a year or less.

But according to the institute's report: "Although Iran is engaged in nuclear hedging, no evidence has emerged that the regime has decided to build nuclear weapons."

"Such a decision may be unlikely to occur until Iran is first able to augment its enrichment capability to a point where it would have the ability to make weapon-grade uranium quickly and secretly," the report obtained by Reuters said.

It added that despite a report last November by the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency alleging that Iran had made significant progress on nuclear weaponization, "Iran's essential challenge remains developing a secure capability to make enough weapon-grade uranium, likely for at least several nuclear weapons."

Some European intelligence officials have disputed a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate published in 2003 which said that Iran had stopped working on a program it had launched earlier to design and build a bomb.

The Europeans maintain that Iran never stopped research and scientific development efforts which could be bomb-related.

Tensions spiked after Iran announced earlier this month that it had begun to enrich uranium deep inside an underground facility near the holy city of Qom. The secretly built facility was publicly revealed by the United States in 2009.

AIRSTRIKES 'OVERSOLD'

Among possible policy options for halting Iran's nuclear program, one of the least likely to be successful is a military attack on its nuclear program, according to the institute's report.

Limited military options, such as airstrikes against nuclear facilities, are "oversold as to their ability to end or even significantly delay Iran's nuclear program," the report said. Limited bombing campaigns would be "unlikely to destroy Iran's main capability" to produce weapon-grade uranium, it said.

Iran has taken precautions by dispersing the centrifuges it uses for enrichment to multiple locations, has mastered the construction of centrifuges, and has probably stockpiled extra centrifuges, the institute said.

A bombing campaign that did not totally eliminate these capabilities would leave Iran "able to quickly rebuild" its nuclear program and even motivate it to set up a Manhattan Project-style crash program to build a bomb, which would only make the region more dangerous and unstable, according to the institute.

The report said that clandestine intelligence operations aimed at detecting secret Iranian nuclear activities, including the construction of new underground sites, are "vitally important." Known methods used by spy agencies include the recruitment of secret agents, cyber spying operations, overhead surveillance by satellites and drones, and bugging of equipment which Iran buys from foreign suppliers.

The report says another "well known tactic" used by Western spy agencies against Iran has been to infiltrate Iranian networks that smuggle nuclear-related equipment and supply them with plans or items which are faulty or sabotaged. The report says this tactic has helped the West to uncover at least one of Iran's secret nuclear sites and, according to official statements by the Iranians, has caused enrichment centrifuges to break.

Other more violent covert operations strategies, particularly the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists and engineers, have "serious downsides and implications," such as high risks of Iranian retaliation through militant attacks which could be directed against civilian targets. The United States has emphatically denied any involvement in the assassinations.

The report said that since thousands of specialists are involved in the Iranian nuclear program, assassinations were unlikely to be effective in slowing it down. It also warned that Iran could construe assassinations as acts of war and use them to justify retaliation.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_usa_iran_nuclear

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Gardening Map Of Warming U.S. Has Plant Zones Moving North

The new version of the map includes 13 zones, with the addition for the first time of zones 12 (50-60 degrees F) and 13 (60-70 degrees F). U.S. Department of Agriculture

The new version of the map includes 13 zones, with the addition for the first time of zones 12 (50-60 degrees F) and 13 (60-70 degrees F).

It's official: Gardeners and farmers can count on warmer weather. If that's you, it might be a good time to rethink those flower and vegetable beds for this year's growing season.

That's the word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released a new version of its "Plant Hardiness Zone Map" this week, the first update since 1990. The color-coded zones on this map of the United States are widely used as a guide for what perennial flowers will survive in a particular area, or when to plant your vegetables.

Here's how it works: The higher the zone number, the warmer your average low temperature during wintertime.

Now the zones have shifted northward. The new map shows that in much of the country, winters aren't as cold as they used to be, and spring planting comes earlier.

?

So if you're thinking of planting a White Dogwood tree in your front yard, for instance, you may have read that it will thrive in zones 5-8, which covers most of the southern half of the country.

But if you live in northern Iowa ? good news ? you can now plant that tree! You are now in zone 5, instead of 4.

Gardeners in Manhattan, Kansas, may also rejoice over new options now that the town has moved from zone 5 to zone 6. The new version of the map also includes two new zones at the warmed end of the spectrum: zone 12 (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit) and 13 (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit).

The nationwide shift in the planting season begs the question of just how much to attribute to climate change. USDA officials, while introducing their new map to reporters, insisted that they were making no claims about global warming.

The last iteration of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, from 1990. In the 2012 map, many zone boundaries have shifted significantly. U.S. Department of Agriculture

The last iteration of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, from 1990. In the 2012 map, many zone boundaries have shifted significantly.

Some of the shifting zone boundaries, they said, were the result of more sophisticated mapping. For the first time, the new map takes into account the effects of elevation, large lakes, and whether a place is located in a valley or on top of a ridge. They admitted, however, that most of the changes were due to using temperature data from recent years, which have been relatively toasty.

Unlike previous hardiness maps, the USDA won't sell poster-sized versions of this one. But there's an interactive version, available on the web, where you can explore the map in exquisite detail.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/25/145855948/gardening-map-of-warming-u-s-has-plant-zones-moving-north?ft=1&f=1007

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Bus Rampage: Driver Goes 'Berserk,' Kills 9 In Central India

NEW DELHI -- An on-duty bus driver went on a rampage on the crowded streets of a central Indian city Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen as he mowed down pedestrians and rammed other vehicles.

Police chased the bus for an hour through the streets of Pune, with traffic officers firing on it in an attempt to stop it, before they managed to arrest the 30-year-old driver. He is being held on murder charges.

The licensed bus driver reported for duty Wednesday morning and then "just went berserk," going off his normal route and slamming into people, cars, school buses, scooters and vegetable stands, Pune Police Commissioner Meeran Borwankar said.

Pedestrians tried to flee, with some throwing children out of the way of the oncoming bus, she said.

"He went on ramming vehicles, hitting pedestrians. He was in such a dangerous mood," Borwankar said.

Food stalls were reduced to piles of squashed produce and broken beams, while at least 40 cars were crushed.

The injured were being treated in three hospitals.

Officials have said nothing about a possible motive. The driver had no complaints against him before Wednesday, Borwankar said. Bus service officials are investigating.

The mayor of Pune, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Mumbai, appealed for calm.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/bus-rampage-pune-india_n_1230128.html

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Video: Egypt marks anniversary of uprising

Thousands of Egyptians gather in Cairo to mark the beginning of the revolt that led to the ousting of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. NBC?s Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

>> with thousands of egyptians gathering in cairo 's tahrir square to mark the first anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled hosni mubarak . ayman mohyeldin is in cairo with the latest.

>> reporter: thousands have descended on the streets but they are not as unite as last year. some are here to celebrate new democratic guidance. others are here to renew sustained protests against a ruling military council . they want them to hand over power. the military council today announced the end of a 30-year emergency law in certain exceptions. nonetheless people want a democratic transition faster. the military says it won't happen until june of this year. back to you.

>> ayman mohyeldin in cairo . thank

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46129032/

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Olympus turns to Sony to help it get its feet back on the ground

Olympus might have some good news soon: it might have found a hero to rescue it from its woes. The "troubled" (read: it hid $1.7 billion worth of accounting losses, was nearly de-listed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is currently suing its leadership team for fraud) company is reportedly about to negotiate a capital-and-business alliance with Sony. The TSE gave the optics-maker three years to clean up its act, which it's hoping Big S (that already owns a 0.03 percent stake in the company) will assist with some know-how, a big pot of cash, and maybe loaning them a competent accountant, or something. Whatever happens, the rumors are that all will be revealed at a press conference next week, we're just hoping Will Smith turns up to announce it.

Olympus turns to Sony to help it get its feet back on the ground originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/23/olympus-sony-talks/

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Florida Primary Election Facts and Figures (ContributorNetwork)

Newsmax refers to the Jan. 31 Florida primary as "Armageddon." Whereas Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have plenty of Super PAC money to get out their messages, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul lack matching funds. What does the Florida election landscape look like? How the Sunshine State vote in the 2008 primaries?

Who is on the ballot?

The Florida Division of Elections reports that the Republican candidates listed on the Presidential Preference Primary ballot for Jan. 31 are Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Since President Barack Obama is the only Democratic candidate listed, there will be no Democratic Party Presidential Preference Primary in 2012.

What is the electorate's makeup in the Sunshine State?

Election officials highlight that -- as of Jan. 23 -- there are 4,071,185 registered Republican voters. Additionally, there are 4,559,918 registered Democrats and 2,633,521 voters without party affiliation. To vote in the Republican primary, a voter must be a registered Republican. Registered Democrats or unaffiliated voters may not vote for a Republican candidate vying for the party nomination in this primary election.

When does voting start?

The 2012 Elections Calendar details that early voting already started on Jan. 21. It will continue until Jan. 28. The deadline to register for voting in the presidential primary was Jan. 3. Election Day is Jan. 31. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Is early voting popular in Florida?

MSNBC notes that already in excess of 143,000 registered voters have cast their ballots for the Florida primary. This figure is the sum total of absentee ballots received as well as early voter turnout. Palm Beach County's Supervisor of Elections has released an unofficial tally of local early voters. It shows that as of Jan 23, in this vicinity already 3,659 individuals have cast their ballots at various libraries and city halls.

How did Florida vote in the 2008 primaries?

The CNN Election Center highlights that in 2008, 36 percent of voters voted cast their ballots for John McCain. Romney was a close second with 31 percent. Paul came in with 3 percent. Of Democratic primary voters, 50 percent chose Hillary Clinton. Only 33 percent of voters picked then-candidate Obama. On both sides of the aisle, the majority of voters were 60 years of age or older. The next biggest demographic was comprised of the

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120125/pl_ac/10880607_florida_primary_election_facts_and_figures

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Bed Bug Confidential: An Expert Explains How to Defend against the Dreaded Pests

Image: Armed Forces Pest Management Board

Chances are, you or someone you know has had a run-in with bed bugs. It might have happened in a scrupulously clean bedroom. Or maybe it was a hotel room, office or college dorm. In the February issue of Scientific American entomologist Kenneth Haynes of the University of Kentucky explains how, after a lengthy absence, bed bugs are staging a comeback. The good news is scientists are intensively studying these insects, and their insights suggest novel ways of detecting the bugs and eradicating infestations. Some of those potential solutions are a long way off, however. In the meantime the best bet is to avoid bringing bed bugs home in the first place. I called Haynes to ask him how to do that and what to do if one suspects an infestation (eek!), among a bunch of other practical-minded questions.

Do bed bugs only feed on humans?
No. Bed bugs are also pests in poultry operations, and they're known to parasitize bats. Some labs that study bed bugs rear them on guinea pigs and mice. The bugs might feed on cats and dogs. Fur is probably a barrier to them, but they could feed at any place on the body without fur. Bed bugs are not specific to humans, but they are adapted to parasitizing us.

Could you have a bed bug infestation in your home and not know it?

That's very possible. I have heard of couples reporting that only one partner is getting bitten. The truth is that both are getting bitten, but only one has a reaction to the bites. Thirty percent of people or more don't react to bed bug bites at all, and the elderly are less reactive than the rest of the population. Among those people who do react to the bites, most of them don't respond to early bites, but develop a sensitivity to subsequent ones. Those individuals who are not sensitive to bed bug bites may not know they have an infestation. Because bed bugs are nocturnally active, it's hard to see other signs of their presence?unless you're accustomed to waking up at 3 A.M. and taking a census. With a huge infestation, bed bugs start to move away from the bed, so you're more likely to see one in an exposed place during the day. In very severe infestations people can become anemic. That takes a lot of bugs though?maybe 100,000 feeding once a week or more.

Another clue to infestation is odor. Like many species of bugs, bed bugs release odors called alarm pheromones. When a group of bed bugs gets disturbed, you may get a whiff of that odor, which is similar to the odor stink bugs give off. At higher concentrations the odor is unpleasant. Some people say at low concentrations it's a pleasant smell?like coriander. In fact, older literature refers to the bed bug as the coriander bug. I've tried to smell the coriander scent in bed bug alarm pheromones and have not been able to make the connection, however.

What can one do to avoid getting bed bugs?
The first thing is you have to be able to recognize and distinguish a bed bug from any other insect. Everything starts to look like a bed bug if you start to worry about them.?An adult bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple seed. If it has not fed recently it will be flattened and brown. If it has fed it will be round in circumference and reddish. Immature bed bugs have a similar appearance to adults, with the smallest being the size of the head of a pin.?You can then learn to look for their fecal spots, which can be easier to detect than the bugs themselves. Check your hotel rooms when you travel. And think twice before bringing home used furniture. If you are purchasing used furniture, ask the furniture store how they deal with bed bugs. If they have no plan whatsoever, that's probably not a good sign. If you purchase used clothing, put it through a clothes dryer on a medium to high setting for a cycle as soon as you bring it home. And before you move into an apartment, ask the landlord whether there has been a bed bug infestation, or whether the building has ever been treated for bed bugs.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9bc86ed375e53de0f6c769d660afa506

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Giants top 49ers 20-17 in OT to reach Super Bowl (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? The New York Giants have their own Super Bowl formula: in overtime and on the road.

And with Lawrence Tynes' foot.

Five plays after the 49ers' Kyle Williams fumbled a punt, Tynes kicked a game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime, sending the Giants to the Super Bowl with a 20-17 victory over San Francisco in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

In another tight one in this decades-old postseason rivalry, both defenses made key stops before New York capitalized on a rare mistake in San Francisco's resurgent season. Williams' blunder put the Giants in perfect position for another sensational finish in a season full of them.

"That was a tough game. We had to fight for every yard that we got," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "Defense was outstanding, special teams getting us two turnovers was huge. That led to 10 points."

The first three overtime series ended in punts before Williams fumbled. The Giants won it moments later and silenced ? for good this time ? the towel-waving, poncho-wearing sellout crowd at cold, rainy Candlestick Park.

"It was one of those situations where I tried to turn it upfield and it just didn't work out," Williams said.

Manning and the Giants (12-7) will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis as 3 1/2-point underdogs. The last time the teams met for the NFL title, 2008, the Giants ended the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.

Tynes had a hand, er, foot in getting the Giants to that one, too, kicking the game-winning field goal in overtime at Green Bay.

Devin Thomas put the Giants in position by recovering his second fumble of the game after Jacquian Williams stripped the ball from fill-in return man Kyle Williams, who also fumbled earlier to set up a New York touchdown.

"It's my second NFC championship game, my second game-winner," Tynes said of his kick 7:54 into overtime. "It's amazing. I had dreams about this last night. It was from 42, not 31, but I was so nervous today before the game just anticipating this kind of game. I'm usually pretty cool, but there was something about tonight where I knew I was going to have to make a kick. Hats off to Eli, offense, defense. Great win."

Manning went 32 of 58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns and overcame six sacks in his record fifth road playoff win, New York's fifth in a row overall.

Manning threw a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with 8:34 remaining after Kyle Williams fumbled for the first time.

The Giants challenged that the ball touched Williams' right knee and Thomas recovered with 11:06 left and coach Tom Coughlin won, giving the Giants the ball back at the 29.

"That was a tremendous football game for those that really enjoy football at it's very basic element," said Coughlin, who matched former Cowboys coach Tom Landry for most road playoff wins with seven. "Just a classic football game that just seemed like no one was going to put themselves into position to win it. Fortunately we were able to do that."

A 12-point underdog in the 2008 title game, the Giants battered Brady and got a last-minute TD pass from Manning to Plaxico Burress to win their third Super Bowl. Five months ago, Manning declared he was in the same class as Tom Brady. Now, he'll get another chance to outdo him on the NFL's biggest stage.

During this playoff run, he's already outplayed Aaron Rodgers and the defending champion Packers, and fellow former No. 1 pick Alex Smith.

Victor Cruz set the tone Sunday with eight of his 10 receptions in the first half and finished with 142 yards.

"It's just been a tremendous effort by all of us, man," Cruz said. "We understand that any one of us can get hot at any moment. As long as we're all on the same page and just playing together, man, we've got a great group of guys."

Vernon Davis caught touchdown passes of 73 and 28 yards and wound up with three catches for 112 yards for the NFC West champions (14-4), who went from 6-10 a year ago to a contender and ended an eight-year playoff drought.

"It will be a tough one. It will take a while to get over," Harbaugh said.

The only other time these two franchises faced off in the conference championship the game finished in memorable fashion. On Jan. 20, 1991, Roger Craig fumbled with the 49ers leading 13-12 late in the fourth quarter and the Giants went on to win 15-13 to deny San Francisco a chance at a third straight Super Bowl title. New York then beat the Bills to capture its second Super Bowl.

These teams met six times in the playoffs between the 1981 and `94 seasons with the winner going on to win the Super Bowl four times.

Smith went 12 for 26 for 196 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked three times. San Francisco converted only one third down, coming on the final play of regulation as the offense was unable to overcome Williams' blunders.

"We all know him. We know how committed he is to winning," Smith said. "It's not on him. I look at the 1-for-13 on third downs. I know he's going to feel bad, but he's still part of our team. We didn't lose the game there. We lost it across the board offensively. We just couldn't get it done."

The Giants appeared on the verge of collapsing and Coughlin's job status in jeopardy just a month ago, when they fell to 7-7 with an embarrassing loss to the Washington Redskins on Dec. 18.

They were facing elimination the following week against the Jets and Rex Ryan, but the Giants won 29-14. They followed with a 31-14 win over Dallas in the regular-season finale to win the NFC East and get to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

New York dominated Atlanta at home in the opening round, and then came another stunner: a 37-20 victory at Green Bay.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_sp_fo_ga_su/fbn_nfc_championship

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