Producer Chris Meledandri Talks The Lorax

Back in October, Collider was invited to Illumination Entertainment in Santa Monica, in order to preview some footage of Dr. Seuss? The Lorax. As a lifelong fan of the Dr. Seuss stories, and some of my earliest memories being connected to them, I was excited to get a glimpse of what audiences will get to see, when the film opens in theaters on March 2^nd. In an office surrounded by character merchandise and sculptures, it?s easy to see that producer Chris Meledandri is as much of a fan of the Dr. Seuss legacy as the audiences who love the work, generation after generation. Something about the stories of Dr. Seuss makes the reader or viewer feel like a kid again, and makes kids feel a sense of wonder, and The Lorax will clearly be no exception.

In case you?re not familiar with the story of The Lorax, the 3D-CG feature is an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. As a 12-year-old boy goes on a journey in search of the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams, he discovers the story of the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world. Hit the jump for 10 things to know about The Lorax, our interview with Chris Meledandri, and our thoughts on the footage we saw.

Once we were in the editing room, we got to see a collection of scenes in various stages of animation, but it was easy to imagine how beautiful the finished product will look. We got to see the look of both the young Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) and his crush Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift), who paints trees so vividly that it prompts his quest to find a real one. Described as having tufts softer than silk and a smell of butterfly milk, it is easy to see why someone would become so fascinated with them. With the vibrant, lush visuals of what things used to look like, contrasted with the bleak land outside of town, the film is clearly a character-based story of great scope, with laughs and tears, in all the right places.

Here are 10 highlights that you should know about Dr. Seuss? The Lorax:

• Producer Chris Meledandri assembled most of the same team that did Despicable Me to take on the challenge of adapting the work of Theodor Geisel for The Lorax and bringing the serious themes to life in a relatable way. In order to expand the story past what?s in the book, they looked at what happened before the book starts and after the book ends.
• The production timeline for Illumination Entertainment animated features is about 18 months, with all of the pre-production storyboarding happening about nine months prior to that.
• The characters of Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) and Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) are named after Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, and his widow.
• The story begins when a kid, who has a head-over-heals crush on his next door neighbor, sets off on a journey to find a real tree for her, in an artificial world.
• When they fleshed out the story of the young Once-ler, they made a choice to actually show him as a young man, keeping the iconic nature of the arms and eyes that readers are familiar with, but also bringing him to life.
• The 3D will not be intrusive, but rather was used to create a sense of isolation, exhilaration or hope, and will capitalize more on depth than gimmicks.
• Vegetation is generally very render-intensive, so a lot of time was spent on the visual development of the individual trees, as they ware so important to the story.
• Director Chris Renaud decided to choose actors older than their characters to voice the roles, just to get some more substance and acting in the voice, and not risk the voices changing during the recording process.
• The dialogue is not in rhyme, but there are moments where it felt like the rhyming was called for, so it emerges.
• Having now worked with Audrey Geisel for eight years, Chris Meledandri hopes their partnership will continue to make Dr. Seuss? work extremely relevant for future generations with projects spotlighting his legacy, including a live-action telling of his life story, with Johnny Depp in the lead role.

After seeing the footage, we were able to sit down in a group setting with Illumination Entertainment founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, who talked about the challenges of making The Lorax compared to Despicable Me, adapting a short book into a full-length feature, the changes made in expanding the story, why they chose to do the film in 3D, and the process of casting the voices for the characters. He also talked about the company?s relationship with Theodor Geisel?s widow, Audrey, and the live-action feature on his life that they have in development with actor Johnny Depp. Here?s the full transcript of the interview:

Question: What were the challenges in making The Lorax, as compared to the challenges you had with Despicable Me?

CHRIS MELEDANDRI: The challenge of this movie is very different from the challenge with Despicable Me because the experience of doing an adaptation of a beloved work, and really any of [Theodor] Geisel?s work, presents a very, very different challenge. But, we basically have put together almost the same team that did Despicable Me, to take on that challenge. It?s the same writers, who also worked with me on Horton Hears a Who. The one exception is that the music is being done by John Powell.

The differences really start with the challenge of doing an adaptation. At the core of the book is a story that has very serious themes, starting with how greed can seduce you into a place where you lose your sensitivity to the world around you and, in the case of this story, actually become destructive. Also, at the center of it is a story of redemption. The character of the Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms) is ultimately a character who wants to undo that which he?s done.

The challenge becomes taking a story that has these very important thematic elements and doing what Geisel did so well, which is to present the story in a way that is highly engaging, so that audiences come and enjoy it and are dazzled by the imagination, and then perhaps leave the encounter with the story somewhat influenced by the content. We?re making a movie that aspires to be highly entertaining, visually of great scope, exciting, and emotionally packed, but the core of it is undoubtedly this story. What?s exciting about that, for us, is that it allows us to go into terrain that isn?t just like the last five animated movies you?ve seen. It?s very much character-based, like Despicable Me, and the comedy comes from the personality of the characters. But, the storytelling and the experience of the movie has very distinct differences as well.

How did you go about adapting such a short book into a full-length feature?

MELEDANDRI: If you translated this book directly, it would be a movie that would probably be about 20 minutes. So, we look at what happened before the book starts, we look at what?s happening between the pages and, in this case, what happens after the book ends. It?s about how you do that while still honoring what is at the center of your movie, which is the story that?s there. We felt that it was very important that the story was more than, ?Oh, the world is a little baron. I want a tree. Where do I get a tree??

It starts off as a character journey. This kid, has absolutely got a head-over-heels crush on his next door neighbor, who is about three or four years older than he is, and he?s a romantic. They live in a world which is a wonderfully artificial world. Nature has been taken out of it, just like nature has basically been drained from a city like Las Vegas, but everybody who goes there, loves it. Everything that you might desire that was natural, has been replaced by something that?s fake, and no one is complaining about it, except for this one girl, who he has a crush on, who is just fascinated with the idea of real trees. She paints these trees, and nobody else even thinks about them.?That?s the circumstance that leads him to ask his grandmother, ?Where can I find out about trees?,? and then he goes down this path. It?s very much based on what Geisel drew.

How many changes did you make, in expanding the story?

MELEDANDRI: There are a few changes that you?ll see. The old Once-ler is depicted in the movie as arms and eyes. There?s a story within the story, which is, ?How did this get this way?? As we go into the story and we flesh out the story of the young Once-ler, we made a choice to actually see him as a character, as a young man. We keep the iconic nature of those arms and eyes, sticking out behind this wood, but when we go into the backstory, we bring him to life. What?s fun about it is that the more you read the book, the more clues you can find about where and how to expand. While not everything is based in the book ? some is pure imagination ? there are also things that are referred to in the book, that you never quite see.

Did you name the Ted character (voiced by Zac Efron) after Theodor Geisel, and Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) after Audrey Geisel?

MELEDANDRI: Yes.

How did you decide on the look of Audrey?

MELEDANDRI: Audrey is one of my favorite human CG characters that I?ve seen. She?s just got some aura about her that really worked quite wonderfully.

Why did you choose to do this in 3D?

MELEDANDRI: The general feeling about 3D and CG-animation is that it is a very organic way to express 3D animation because the films are already being made dimensionally. From the outset, there is already a lot of thought going into the utilization of space. When you?introduce the 3D aspect into it, obviously the artistic process focuses more on how you can stretch the utilization of that space to create an experience that is immersive, and how you can utilize the space to support the storytelling.

I?d say the general feeling about how the team uses 3D here is that it tends not to be intrusive, but there are sequences where, absolutely, the space is used to create a sense of isolation, exhilaration or hope. I think it?s perfectly appropriate that some audience members want to see it in 2D and some audience members want to see it in 3D. But, what we have found, going from the first movie in 3D to now the second movie in 3D, and watching how the artists? own abilities mature, in terms of how they?re thinking about that space, through all of the parts of the process, it is a very organic extension of this creative process. That?s not to say that some director may decide a movie should be more flat, and that?s fine. But, I?d say that the 3D expression of these films is something that feels quite appropriate to me. That additional focus is quite a dynamic one, watching it happen within the process.

When it comes to utilizing 3D, do you capitalize on the depth, rather than focusing on tricks?

MELEDANDRI: I think that what you find is that directors prefer to capitalize on the depth. They?re very cautious on what comes out of the screen, rightfully so. They?re concerned with popping you out of the movie, doing something that feels like a gimmick, or being intrusive. If I look at a sequence that is going to be quite dynamic in 3D, it?s also dynamic in 2D. Those tricks tend to be done more sparingly. The immersion in this world is of great value, but you?re going to get that in 2D as well. It would be interesting to hear what he would say about things, if he were alive, but he was always fairly contemporary in his thinking. He was thinking beyond the present. Just as an artist, he worked in sculpting. When we were starting Horton Hears A Who, we thought, ?How do you take his very simple, flat-line drawings into three dimensions, and is that a good thing?? But then, you find that he made three-dimensional pieces.

How much time did it take to make an individual tree for the forest?

MELEDANDRI: I don?t have a smart way of translating that into man hours. What ends up happening is that they become extremely computing intensive. There?s a fairly long period of RND, where you?re going through trial and error to get a certain effect. That happens over the course of the visual development of the film, for many, many months. It?s one of the main projects.

You identify what the major projects are within the film, where you?re not just basically calling upon things that have been done before, and the quality of those tree tufts are visually specific to this. There are a number of projects like that, that become research and development projects. Once they?re defined, they become rendering intensive and take a tremendous amount of rendering power. We had continually been expanding the render form, through the course of making Despicable, and then this film demanded an increase from there. Vegetation, in general, is very render-intensive, and when you get to something like that, it?s even more so.

Is the overall development timeline for your films less than some of the other animation studios?

MELEDANDRI: Certainly, on Despicable it was. Start to finish, from inception to completion of the film, it was a little over three years, and that was lightning fast. And that?s including the writing of the script. We got a head start here, on the writing of the script, because that was going on while Despicable was being made. Once we get into production time frames, as opposed to development time frames, we?re a little bit shorter, but not significantly. We?re still roughly making the movie in a production timeline of about 18 months, with pre-production being all of the storyboarding, about nine months prior to that. We?re basically using the same model that we used for Despicable, which allows us to achieve what I think is exceptional visual quality for a price that is an extremely smart way to be making movies today, so that every movie is not dependent on everybody in the universe going to see it, in order for you to be able to continue to make more movies. The goal is to sustain this process of bringing these people together to make movies.

Can you talk about the choice of Danny DeVito and the importance of finding the right voice for The Lorax, as well as the other characters?

MELEDANDRI: DeVito is a particularly good example of fairly specific qualities that he?s bringing to the character. The Lorax, as conceived and as described, is mossy and bossy. He?s got an edge to him. So, when we were thinking about actors to voice the character, we were thinking about actors who have the ability to be crusty and be a little irascible, but still find the place of emotional access, and can also put a sense of comedic quality to that. The first name that we talked about was Walter Matthau, who is deceased. It was that kind of embodiment of that grouchy guy, who you?re still charmed by. And, Danny DeVito has that quality.

It?s funny, when you set out to cast kids, there?s a real challenge, at that age. First of all, their voices are at risk of changing overnight, which could be a production problem. Also, a lot of kids today, at that age group, are trained to be TV actors. You listen to hundreds of kids, and they all sound the same. They?re all pitched at the same place because that?s where the jobs are. (Director) Chris Renaud was very interested in thinking older, just to get some more substance and acting in the voice. Zac Efron has this boyish quality to him, and it came through in his voice. With each one, there?s a lot of discovery that happens. There are a lot of reasons that you?re drawn to them, and there?s a lot of discovery along the way.

This phenomenon with Betty White is so wonderfully amazing. In a world where agism runs rampant, out of left field, all of a sudden, the country decides to celebrate Betty White and she becomes cool at 90. That?s remarkable. Just to have the movie be a beneficiary of her energy and that performance, it brings a lot to a role that ultimately becomes a very substantial role in the film. And, she?s Audrey Geisel?s favorite actress right now. She loves Betty White.

How old is Audrey Geisel?

MELEDANDRI: I don?t know exactly, but I?d say she?s well in her 80?s.

Are the rhyming couplets that Dr. Seuss is known for consistent throughout the film?

MELEDANDRI: It is not. It is sporadic in the film. The dialogue is not in rhyme, but there are moments where the rhyme just feels like it?s called for and emerges. So, it?s present, but it?s not consistently throughout all the dialogue.

Do you feel that there?s a really timely message to this film, for younger audiences?

MELEDANDRI: Yeah. When he started out, he was a political cartoonist first and he made the decision to write and illustrate for young thinkers because he realized that his political cartoons really didn?t change anybody?s mind. He was either preaching to the converted, or he was running up against walls. So, he realized that, if you want to have an impact on the way people think, he?d get a much bigger return on his artistic investment with a younger audience. That was the motivating factor for him to go from being very sophisticated, in terms of his presentation of ideas, to very imaginative, but still with a level of sophistication. I think that?s why these books are the ones that adults pull off the shelves so quickly. They do speak across generations.

What are you looking to do with the live-action Dr. Seuss movie that you?re developing with Johnny Depp?

MELEDANDRI: It will be a live-action story about Ted Geisel?s life and partnership, for Johnny to play Ted Geisel. When you keep digging into his life, you keep finding more and more things. There?s more that I don?t know than I do know. Every time we dive into it, we find some other little gem.

Is Geisel?s widow supportive of the project, and the choice of Johnny Depp?

MELEDANDRI: Oh, absolutely! She got a really bad rap on The Cat in the Hat. She was depicted as somebody who was trying to exploit her husband?s work. She is incredibly protective. The movie got over-merchandised and didn?t work out, but she is extremely protective. She was his second wife, and played a very different role in his life than his first wife, who was intricately involved in his entire career and the publishing, and all of that. But, she?s got a really acute sense of what the essence of the work is, and a very strong point of view about how to protect that. Without that, it just dissipates and rules start getting broken. It?s just inevitable. I think every great property that wants to endure needs somebody to be the keeper, in that way, and she plays that role. It?s a value that she?s giving to it.

Is this going to be an ongoing relationship, as far as continuing to tell Dr. Seuss stories?

MELEDANDRI: There are other things that Audrey and I are talking about. The combination of my feelings about his legacy and her comfort level, having now been working together for eight years, it just makes sense for both sides to continue to do this. With any great artist from the 20^th Century, whose work lends itself to this medium, or the film medium, in any way, there?s an opportunity and a responsibility to secure that legacy for future generations. If you?re not actively working on it, a lot of other things come into the global consciousness and things can get lost. An objective of ours is to make sure that we do what we can do to make him extremely relevant for future generations because he was talking about things that were absolutely timeless.

DR. SEUSS? THE LORAX opens in theaters on March 2nd

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924403/news/1924403/

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Mirandes to play Bilbao in Copa del Rey semifinals

By PAUL LOGOTHETIS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:35 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2012

MADRID (AP) -Third-tier club Mirandes' improbable run in the Copa del Rey reaches the semifinals against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, while Barcelona will be looking to shake off its recent woes away from home at Valencia on Wednesday.

Mirandes has already eliminated topflight clubs Villarreal, Racing Santander and Espanyol to become only the third team below the second division to reach the last four.

But now the northern club, guided by daytime banker and forward Pablo Infante, faces perhaps its toughest test yet against its Basque neighbor. Bilbao is a 23-time cup champion that has won five of its last six games, with striker Fernando Llorente scoring six goals over that stretch.

"We're filled with hope, and a lot of desire because we know we're just one step away from the final," Infante, who leads the competition with six goals, told The Associated Press. "Let's see what we're capable of."

The only other third-tier clubs to reach the semifinals were Figueres in 2002 and Deportivo Logrono, 81 years ago.

Mirandes coach Carlos Pouso said his club's chances of progressing were slim since a two-legged series favors the stronger team, but that his team would not change its approach.

"We're well prepared for the good or the bad. We're all implicated in this and the players believe in our ideas, so there's little more to say," Pouso told the AP. "Our fans have helped us very much, they are the motor that pushes us on."

The club was building an extra seating section to accommodate an extra 1,700 fans at its 6,000-capacity Anduva stadium.

Barcelona overcame Real Madrid in the quarterfinals but has slipped to seven points behind its fierce rival in the league standings after yet another draw away from home on Sunday.

Barcelona has dropped 13 league points in 10 games away from the Camp Nou this season, including the 0-0 draw at Villarreal. But in the Copa del Rey it has won all three road matches so far by a combined score of 12-1.

The record 25-time cup winner is without Andres Iniesta for the match at the Mestalla Stadium while forward Pedro Rodriguez may also miss out to injury. Defender Gerard Pique came off with a knee problem but trained with his teammates on Monday.

Lionel Messi was far from his best and failed to convert several opportunities he usually puts away.

"The message inside the locker room is of belief and confidence," said goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, who will play in place of Victor Valdes as usual in the cup. "The team isn't tired. But it is difficult for things to work out perfectly every single day."

Tuesday's game begins a rematch of the 2008 semifinals when Valencia emerged victorious.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Arsenal recovers

Roundup: Arsenal kept its bid to end a seven-year trophy drought on track Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44284319/ns/sports-soccer/

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Kelli Gail: Thank You James Dolan and Time Warner

I'd like to thank James Dolan, his evil empire and Time Warner Cable. As a New Yorker for fifteen years, this was the year I was going to become a full time Knicks fan. I was fully prepared to commit myself to watching as many games as I could. The team was poised to build upon their first-round playoff exit last season. I couldn't wait to watch the Speedball offense, the Broadway Bigs (Melo, Chandler, Amare) and B-Diddy (the combo of Baron Davis/Mike Bibby at the point) gel as a team and bring back fireworks to Madison Square Garden. I downloaded and studied the new schedule, ready to immerse myself in all things Knickerbockers. I was all in.

Then WW3 broke out between the MSG Network and Time Warner Cable over a fee dispute of a proposed whopping 53 percent fare hike for MSG subscribers. Unfortunately my building is not wired for Verizon FIOS so, along with 2.8 million other people, I now live in a perpetual Rangers and Knicks blackout. To paraphrase the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld: No Knicks for You!

Forced to get my b-ball fix from another source, I discovered that the NBA TV Network had taken the place of MSG Network on Channel 27. Thinking I would just watch for a few minutes then continue channel surfing, I was surprised when a close Cavs/Heat game pulled me in. Another night, it was a battle for LA with a Clippers vs. Lakers game. Next a magically exciting Memphis/Clips game appeared. I was hooked.

Previously a helicopter NBA playoff fan I rarely watched many games in the regular season. I usually only swooned over the superstars that littered the TV during the playoffs -- Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol, Kobe, Dirk, Dwight Howard, LeBron, D-Wade. These were the players I knew of, had seen play and rooted for.

Given the Knicks 7-13 record, James Dolan and company are actually doing me a favor. I didn't have to watch the one point Melo game or the dismal shooting performances of Iman Shumpert or Toney Douglas. I've been spared wincing through the club's attempt at playing big league defense.

Now that I have succumbed to my sports fanaticism and started watching regular season games, I have discovered many new players from the flyover states. Who knew the Grizzlies had a player on the team from Iran? Or that Kevin Love (who??) was deserving of a $60 million contract extension with Minnesota?

It's a whole new brave world out there outside of the big city. Here are five observations and questions:

1. The Memphis Grizzlies new uniforms are yellow on top and green on the bottom. Is that allowed in the Haus of David Stern? Was he too busy blocking the CP3 trade to the Lakers when someone green-lighted the unis?

2. How magnificent is the new look Clippers? I want to Occupy Lob City

3. The NBA discovered the Internet!??! Pop-up tweets pepper the screen in the down times during a game from people like Ernie Johnson in the studio or Doc Rivers' son who begged his dad to put him into the lineup when the team was losing. Does this mean the players will now be allowed to tweet during half-time or time-outs?

4. TNT has a new American Idol-Style stage where Kenny the Jet can excitedly bounce around in front of and review plays of game tape. I have a request: Can he sing 'Benny and the Jets', or 'Everyone Wang Chung Tonight' up there? I'm good with either.

5. One thing that hasn't changed: Craig Sager still has the market cornered on the ugliest blazers in the history of television

I owe a debt of gratitude to all the greedy people who wanted to exponentially up the carriage
charges for us poor suckers to watch the hometown team. If they had come to an agreement to
force me to pay more for a bad product, I would not have discovered there is life outside of the Big Apple when it comes to sports. Shhh, just don't tell Giants fans that.

?

Follow Kelli Gail on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kelligail

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelli-gail/time-warner-msg_b_1239085.html

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Gingrich brands rival Romney with `liberal' tag (AP)

LUTZ, Fla. ? Newt Gingrich is calling GOP president rival Mitt Romney a "pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase liberal."

Gingrich made the comments outside a church in Lutz., Fla., two days before the pivotal presidential primary.

Gingrich is trailing Romney in Florida and has been labeling the former governor a Massachusetts moderate. Now Gingrich is adding the liberal tag to his criticism of his 2012 rival.

Gingrich also went after Romney during two television interviews Sunday morning. He said Romney "has a basic policy of carpet bombing his opponent" and that the "old establishment" in the party is trying to block Gingrich's path to nomination.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_el_pr/us_gingrich

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US women qualify for Olympics

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - So much was on the line for the U.S. women's soccer team that maybe some jitters were understandable. When a 30-yard shot hit the frame of goalpost, leaving the ball sitting in front of an empty net, the hearts really started pounding.

"That," defender Rachel Buehler said, "was a very intense moment in the game."

Buehler motored in to save the day, knocking an opposing striker off the ball. The Americans had survived another dicey moment. It took a while, but eventually they wore down a heavy underdog and earned their spot in the Olympics.

The United States booked its way to London on Friday night with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in the semifinals of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, a game more suspenseful than most anyone expected.

"There were moments where I think Costa Rica were outplaying us, and it just shows you how important it was to all of us," forward Abby Wambach said. "Nobody wanted to make that mistake. And luckily we didn't."

Tobin Heath scored in the 16th minute to give U.S. all the offense it needed, and goals by Carli Lloyd (72nd) and Alex Morgan (89th) put the game away.

"We know that sometimes under big game circumstances players can get a little tight," Wambach said. "And you've just kind of got to deal with it. ... It was almost as if we scored that goal and nobody wanted to get stuck into a tackle. We were kind of playing a little bit soft, and we fixed that in the second half."

The top-ranked Americans were certainly not as crisp as they were when they were beating teams by a combined 31-0 in their previous three games and drawing criticism for running up the score. Sloppy passes led to giveaways in the first half, forcing goalkeeper Hope Solo to work harder than she has all tournament.

"When you play games that matter, everybody's a little bit nervous. ... We gave away the ball way too often," coach Pia Sundhage said.

Costa Rica is ranked No. 41 in the world, has never qualified for an Olympics or a World Cup and has never scored on the U.S. in eight meetings. Las Ticas proved to be scrappy opponents, however, occasionally frustrating the Americans with physical play and just missing on two solid scoring chances in the first half in the London-or-bust match. As the possibility of an upset lingered deep into the second half, the plucky team in red gained the rousing support of the Canadian fans at BC Place.

"We put together three great games in group play," said Solo, who played despite a slightly pulled right quadriceps that had been bothering her all week. "You can't play four, five, six. Not every team is going to play perfectly every single game, but we got the job done."

The U.S. will be the two-time defending champions in London, having taken gold in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008. It will be the third straight Olympics in which the Americans will be trying to make amends for World Cup disappointment from the previous year. They finished second at last year's World Cup in Germany, losing to Japan in the final.

The victory also puts the Americans into the tournament final Sunday, a bragging-rights-only game against Canada, a 3-1 winner over Mexico in the second semifinal.

The U.S. had scored so easily in the tournament that it seemed odd to see the game scoreless until the 16th minute, when a set piece produced the first goal. Lauren Cheney's corner kick was headed down at the far post by Shannon Boxx. Goalkeeper Erika Miranda made the save but deflected the ball to Heath, whose looping header was her fifth career U.S. national team goal.

Costa Rica, outscored 34-0 in the seven previous games against the U.S., nearly tied the game after a giveaway by Buehler set up Fernanda Barrantes with a clean look from 15 yards in the 20th minute, forcing Solo to the ground to make the save.

Then, in the 27th, came the play that nearly changed the game. Carol Sanchez launched the 30-yarder that clanged off the frame at the intersection of the post and the crossbar. With Solo on the ground, Buehler fought off Barrantes to keep the striker from getting the rebound with a clean shot at the net.

"I just did everything I could to get back there, get in front of that girl and just prevent the goal," Buehler said.

Costa Rica finally had its hopes deflated in the 72nd, when Wambach's chip shot was cleared off the line by Daniela Cruz and out to Lloyd, whose left-footer from the top of the 18-yard box doubled the lead.

Morgan, back in her usual role as second-half super-sub, chipped in the insurance goal shortly before the final whistle.

Even with the closer-than-expected result, the Americans have evoked the good old days at this tournament with their mostly lopsided scores. While that's hardly surprising given the slow development of women's soccer in parts of North and Central American and the Caribbean, it's also indicative the U.S. still have the deepest, most talented team in the world.

But Sundhage's team arrived in Canada with a bit of apprehension. The Americans, having become somewhat complacent from years of uncontested success in the region, were stunned in a World Cup qualifier by host Mexico in November 2010, forcing them into a home-and-away playoff with Italy just to get for the World Cup. Also, the format for Olympic qualifying is such that everything hinges on one game - the do-or-die semifinals - regardless of how a team performs in the rest of the tournament.

Determined to take nothing for granted, the Americans had been full throttle for every game. They set a U.S. team record for goals in a game in a 14-0 win over the Dominican Republic, then nearly matched the feat in a 13-0 rout of Guatemala. Then came a 4-0 win a much anticipated rematch with Mexico to set up the semifinal against Costa Rica.

And even though the vital game didn't go quite as planned, the outcome was all that mattered.

"We," Sundhage said, smiling, "are going to London."

? 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.universalsports.com/news-blogs/article/newsid=577414.html#u+s+womens+team+qualifies+olympics

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Deficit focus questioned as answer to euro crisis (AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany ? Europe is getting tougher on government debt. After more than two years struggling to rescue financially shaky governments, leaders of the 17 countries that use the euro are ready to agree on a treaty that will force member countries to put deficit limits into their national laws.

At first glance, it seems logical ? after all, the crisis erupted after too many governments spent and borrowed too much for too long.

But a number of economists ? and some politicians ? say the focus on cutting deficits is misplaced and that more fundamental problems are being left unaddressed.

It's how the euro was set up in the first place, they say ? one currency, but multiple government budgets, economies moving at different speeds and no central treasury or borrowing authority to back them up.

Until those institutional flaws are tackled, the economists say, the euro will remain vulnerable. So far, Greece, Ireland and Portugal have turned to other eurozone governments and the International Monetary Fund for emergency funds to avoid defaulting on their debts.

Nonetheless, European leaders are pushing a new anti-debt treaty as the leading edge of their effort to reassure markets. European Union leaders hope to agree on the treaty's text at a meeting starting Monday, and sign it by March.

The proposed treaty pushes countries to limit "structural" deficits ? shortfalls not caused by ups and downs of the business cycle ? to a tight 0.5 percent of gross domestic product or face a fine. That comes on top of other recent EU legislation intended to tighten observance of the eurozone's limits: overall deficits of 3 percent of GDP and national debt of 60 percent of GDP.

European leaders are also urging countries to improve growth by reducing regulation and other barriers to business.

Yet economists like Jean Pisani-Ferry, director of the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, says it's striking that governments are focusing on budget rules, given Europe's earlier experience with them. An earlier set of rules were largely ignored at the behest of France and Germany in the first years after the euro's 1999 launch.

And some of the countries that now are in the deepest trouble ? such as Spain and bailed-out Ireland ? stayed well within the debt limit for years.

"This suggests that the simplistic view ? that a thorough enforcement of the rules would have prevented the crisis ? should be treated with caution," Pisani-Ferry wrote in a recent article for Bruegel.

Some European politicians are also voicing doubts about focusing primarily on deficits. They include new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who has warned that growth is the real answer to shrinking debt in the long term. International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has urged a broader approach. She calls for a willingness to share the burden of supporting banks and other financial risks so troubles in one country don't become a crisis for the entire currency bloc.

Here are four reasons for concern cited by economists ? but not yet on the summit agendas of the eurozone's leaders.

NO COMMON BORROWING: Without a central, pan-European treasury, there's no steady central source of support for eurozone countries that run into economic or financial trouble. Many economists say issuing jointly guaranteed "eurobonds" would make sure no one country would ever default and governments would always be able to borrow. Governments would give up some of their sovereignty, allowing review of their spending and borrowing plans, to get the money.

Pisani-Ferry argues that this would protect governments from the kind of self-fulfilling bond market panic fueled by fears of default, that pushed Greece, Ireland and Portugal over the edge.

Yet the idea of more collective responsibility remains unpopular in prosperous EU countries such as Germany, Finland and the Netherlands. They can borrow cheaply due to their strong finances and would likely pay more to borrow at the rate that includes the shaky ones.

Eurobonds would also likely require a time-consuming change to the European Union's basic treaty ? which currently bans members from assuming each other's debts. There would also have to be a mechanisms in place to stop countries with shoddy finances from borrowing too much.

Opponents say that's unrealistic. "If you have mutual debt responsibility, and freedom of each country to borrow, then each country can drive the eurozone into bankruptcy," said Kai Konrad, managing director of the Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance in Munich.

BANK BAILOUTS: Europe currently has no safety mechanism that would stop a country from sinking under the weight of having to bail out banks based in that country.

At the moment, each country bears the brunt of rescuing its own banks. This can create serious problems in a crisis.

For example Ireland's loosely regulated banks borrowed heavily and loaned out money freely for speculative real estate projects. When the real estate market collapsed and the loans were not paid back, the Irish government had to step in to guarantee the bank's bonds ? and quickly went broke. Ireland had a very low debt level of only 25 percent of annual economic output in 2007. As bank losses moved to the government's balance sheet, by 2011 debt hit 106 percent of annual GDP. The country remains on EU-IMF life support.

Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform in London draws an analogy with U.S. insurer AIG, which was bailed out by the U.S. federal government in 2008. AIG was incorporated in the U.S. state of Delaware, yet Delaware did not go bankrupt handling the rescue. The central government stepped in.

TRADE IMBALANCES: Economists point out that gaps in how well countries compete and trade with one another have steadily widened since the euro was created.

Greece's current account deficit ? the broadest measure of trade ? is even worse than its budget deficit. It buys and borrows far more than it sells and earns abroad.

Normally trade imbalances are evened out by fluctuating exchange rates ? but that can't happen within the euro. Countries can improve their competitiveness by doing what Germany did in the 2000s ? cut labor costs to business by cutting general unemployment benefits. They can cut red tape and taxes. But that takes years.

Meanwhile, the region is also hampered by an inflexible pan-euro interest rate. Low interest rates ? set by the European Central Bank to see Germany and France through stagnation in the early 2000s ? were too low to control wage inflation and reckless borrowing in places like Greece and Ireland. Wage costs and debt levels rose. Competitiveness and exports declined, weakening the economy and undermining government finances.

CENTRAL BANK POWERS: Yet another structural issue is the limited power of the European Central Bank to support governments.

The bank resisted calls to buy larger amounts of government bonds. That resistance observes the spirit of the EU basic treaty, which forbids the central bank from financing governments.

But it's a constraint that central banks such as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England don't have. They can buy up their country's debt, a move that can push down government borrowing costs and reassure markets the state will always pay its debts.

The ECB remains "a limited-purpose central bank," says Tilford.

He notes that Britain has more debt than Spain, 81 percent of GDP versus 67 percent, yet borrows at just over 2 percent annual interest for its 10-year bonds, while Spanish debt for the same period has a 5 percent-plus interest rate. One difference: markets know the Bank of England has the ability to support the government in a crisis by buying bonds and driving down interest rates.

Many of these issue were raised before the currency was launched in 1999, then got less attention.

Tilford says that "the tendency has been to say the currency union needs all these things but in practice it's not necessarily the case" so long as countries obey budget rules and manage their finances well.

"It's become harder to maintain that kind of argumentation now, given how bad things have got."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_fixing_the_euro

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Video: Buried Secrets, Part 1

Dateline NBC

'Dateline NBC,' the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/vp/46166603#46166603

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Iran hits back at EU with own oil embargo threat (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Fighting sanctions with sanctions in a trial of strength with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran warned on Friday it may halt oil exports to Europe next week in a move calculated to hurt ailing European economies.

At the same time, the government in Tehran, grappling with its own economic crisis under Western trade and banking embargoes, will host a rare visit on Sunday by U.N. nuclear inspectors for talks that the ruling clergy may hope can relieve diplomatic pressure as they struggle to bolster public support.

Since the U.N. watchdog lent independent weight in November to the suspicions of Western powers that Iran is using a nuclear energy program to give itself the ability to build atomic bombs, U.S. and EU sanctions and Iranian threats of reprisal against Gulf shipping lanes have disrupted world oil markets and pushed up prices.

Amid forecasts Iran might be able to build a bomb next year, and with President Barack Obama facing re-election campaign questions on how he can make good on promises - to Americans and to Israel - not to tolerate a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic, a decade of dispute risks accelerating towards the brink of war.

Western diplomats see little immediate prospect of renewed talks between Iran and the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, scheduled from Sunday to Tuesday in Tehran, as likely to elicit much in the way of concessions to Western demands.

For all the tension, there was little clear market response to Friday's talk by members of Iran's parliament that they may vote on Sunday to stop sending oil to the European Union - its second biggest customer - as early as next week, to spite EU states that gave themselves until July to enforce an oil import embargo on Iran.

While Greek and Italian refineries which rely on Iranian crude face hardships - recession-hit Greeks bought more than half their oil from Iran lately - analysts see Arab producers satisfying some shortfall, and demand for Iranian oil from China and other Asians that do not back Western sanctions may mean world oil flows are merely diverted rather than blocked.

RHETORIC

Traders admit to wearying of rhetorical thrust and parry.

"They are the masters of bluffing," one Mediterranean crude oil trader said of remarks by Iranian lawmakers on Friday. "And they aren't very reliable when they threaten extreme measures," he said, noting the serious practical difficulties for tankers and storage plants of diverting 700,000 barrels of oil per day.

"That said, we are living in strange and difficult times," he added, as Brent crude futures gained 0.8 percent to $111.64 on the threat, while disappointing U.S. growth data prices back.

In Tehran, Hossein Ibrahimi, vice-chairman of parliament's national security committee, was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying: "On Sunday, parliament will have to approve a 'double emergency' bill calling for a halt in the export of Iranian oil to Europe starting next week."

Moayed Hosseini-Sadr, a member of the energy committee in the legislature, said there would be no delay of the kind the EU allowed to its members on Monday when it imposed a ban on oil imports from Iran that would take full effect only on July 1:

"If the deputies arrive at the conclusion that the Iranian oil exports to Europe must be halted, parliament will not delay a moment," Hosseini-Sadr said. "The Europeans will surely be taken by surprise and will understand the power of Iran."

Echoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said on Thursday that Europe would be the loser from its sanctions policy, the hardline cleric leading Friday prayers at Tehran university jibed: "Why wait six months, why not right away? The answer is clear. They are in trouble; they are grappling with crisis."

That comment from Ahmad Khatami indicated the pre-emptive export ban is backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The EU accounted for 25 percent of Iranian crude oil sales in the third quarter of 2011. But China, India and others have made clear that they are keen to soak up any spare Iranian oil, even as U.S. Treasury measures to choke Tehran's dollar trade make it harder to pay for supplies.

SANCTIONS

Highlighting the difficulties of securing international sanctions when many other governments, including Russia and China, question their value or say they will only harden Iranian defiance, Turkish state-controlled Halkbank, a key player in handling payments for Iranian oil, said it would keep on doing so.

A manager at the bank told Reuters that, as far as it was concerned, it was not in breach of U.S. financial sanctions.

The European Union's response was muted, saying only that Iran's intentions had been reported and repeating that the goal of sanctions was to pull Tehran, a signatory to treaties banning the spread of nuclear weapons, back into negotiations intended to ensure its nuclear program was transparent and peaceful.

"We want to see Iran coming back to the negotiating table, engaging in meaningful discussion on confidence-building measures and demonstrate the willingness to address concerns over its nuclear program, without preconditions," said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

In Paris, where President Nicolas Sarkozy has been vocal in criticizing Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero stressed that EU countries were already in the process of finding alternative supplies of oil and he was dismissive of the comments from Tehran:

"It's the little game of statements that they carry out artistically," Valero said.

A senior European executive for an oil company that buys Iranian crude told Reuters there could still be problems for some if Tehran cut off supplies immediately.

"We have to wait and be ready. The Iranians have been backed into a corner and it's hard to predict how they will react," he said.

Iran's conservative-dominated parliament has previously shown it is ready to force the government to take action against what it sees as hostility from the West, and oil analyst Samuel Ciszuk said it was likely the assembly would pass the EU ban.

"It makes sense to demonstrate Iranian resolve and that it is not on the back foot, particularly as the measure could hit European refiners at a time of deep economic weakness," said Ciszuk of London consultancy KBC Energy Economics.

An abrupt halt might, however, force Iran to offer discounts to other buyers in order to shift excess output, he added.

RISKS

Asian buyers might be tempted but are also wary of U.S. disfavor: "Even though China and India could take the opportunity to capitalize on Iran's weakness they currently have little appetite for the resulting international fallout," said Paul Tossetti at consultancy PFC Energy in Washington.

Iran's clerical establishment, having faced down popular protests which followed Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in 2009, is dealing with internal disagreement on policy while preparing to seek public endorsement at a closely managed parliamentary election in March.

Defending Iran's right to civilian nuclear power against the hostility of former colonial powers and Israel has been popular, but galloping inflation, which saw the rial formally devalued this week, is fuelling discontent with a ruling class that is also accused of corruption and putting its own interests first.

Meir Javedanfar, an Iran analyst based in Israel, said the parliament's threats were a potentially risky strategy: "Iran has to be careful here," he said. "If this turns out to be yet another bluff, it could damage its deterrence posture as its adversaries could stop taking its threats less seriously.

"But on the other hand if Iran does actually go through with its threat, it would reduce its own dwindling oil income even more while turning more EU countries against it. This would be a diplomatic victory for the U.S. and Israel."

INSPECTIONS

The diplomatic battleground will move to Tehran with the arrival late on Saturday or early Sunday of an IAEA delegation, expected to number about half a dozen led by inspections chief Herman Nackaerts.

The invitation by Iran could offer a way to reduce tension after a particularly harsh exchange of rhetoric and the announcement this month by Tehran that it had begun enriching uranium - material required for weapons if refined further - at a once secret and potentially bomb-proof underground site.

The IAEA director-general, Yukiya Amano, said in Davos on Friday: "I expect through this high level mission Iran tells us everything we need to know and resolve the issue."

Western officials who work with his agency view that kind of sentiment as diplomatic, but wildly unrealistic.

"Nobody is optimistic," one envoy said.

Some small concessions from Iran to demands for greater transparency might be forthcoming, if only as what they see as a familiar stalling tactic, diplomats said.

Iran rejects as forged accusations that it has coordinated efforts to process uranium, test high explosives and revamp a ballistic missile cone to accommodate a nuclear warhead.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak had little time for such assertions. Speaking to business and political leaders in Davos, he said Iran may be close to reaching a point where its nuclear technology slips "into a zone of immunity" where any weapons program could not be stopped by external forces.

Barak, whose country says it is ready to strike Iran rather than face a bomb that would threaten the Jewish state's survival, called for an "urgent culmination of sanctions" and for Europe not to wait until July to stop buying Iranian oil.

The Obama administration, which publicly condemned the most recent assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist in a hit which Tehran blamed on a Western-backed, Israeli covert war, has called on Israel to coordinate fully on policy toward Iran.

There has been concern in Washington that an Israeli strike on Iran could draw the United States into a new conflict in a region already in turmoil due to the Arab Spring uprisings, as well as to the mounting hostility between Sunni Muslim-ruled Arab powers and Shi'ite Muslim Iran and its allies.

Barak repeated the Israeli view that if Iran cannot be persuaded by sanctions to abandon alleged plans to prepare an atom bomb, then force should be applied: "Those who believe that 'Better a bomb than bombing' are totally wrong," he said.

"At least in the free world...all leaders are the same," he said, citing Obama and the EU leaders as sharing Israel's view: "We are determined to prevent Iran from turning nuclear."

(Additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Vienna and Richard Mably and Jessica Donati in London; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/wl_nm/us_iran

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Boeing 4Q profit up as plane deliveries take off (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS ? Quicker deliveries of Boeing's commercial airplanes helped it report a 20-percent jump in fourth-quarter profits, and offset sluggish growth in its defense business.

However, its shares fell because of a weaker 2012 earnings outlook than analysts expected.

Boeing Co. posted net income of $1.39 billion Wednesday, or $1.84 per share. That didn't include a tax benefit of 52 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected $1 per share. Revenue was $19.56 billion, also better than expected.

Boeing delivered 128 commercial planes during the quarter, up from 116 a year ago. Profits from commercial planes jumped 56 percent. Revenue rose 31 percent.

Profits from defense rose 6 percent. Revenue rose 4 percent. Defense contractors are just beginning to see what is expected to be a major slowdown in military spending in the U.S. and Europe. Boeing says defense revenue will fall roughly 5 percent in 2012.

Boeing predicted a 2012 profit of $4.05 to $4.25 per share. Analysts had been expecting a profit of $4.90 per share. Not counting 83 cents per share in higher-than-expected pension expense and other one-time items, Boeing expects an adjusted profit of $5.06 to $5.26 per share.

The company forecast revenue of $78 billion to $80 billion. Analysts were expecting $78.45 billion.

Boeing, based in Chicago, says it plans to deliver 585 to 600 commercial planes this year, up from 477 last year. It delivered three of its new 787s last year, and nine of its new 747-8 superjumbo jets. Boeing says revenue from commercial planes will grow at least 31 percent this year.

Shares fell $1.94, or 2.6 percent, to $73.42 in morning trading.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_boeing

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British-based all-star concert to debut in NYC (AP)

NEW YORK ? The Secret Policeman's Ball is letting America in on the party: The British-based music and comedy festival is coming to New York in March.

Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Mumford & Sons and Russell Brand are among the acts who have signed on for the event at Radio City Music Hall on March 4. The concert will benefit Amnesty International, as it has since it started back in 1976 with celebrities like John Cleese. Over the years, Bono, Sting and others have participated. This will mark the first time it's being held in New York City.

"For us, it's iconic and a very special thing, and has provided the opportunity to really celebrate the presence of freedom of expression and free speech, and how we can move people and how we can bring people together, and just how powerful that is," said Amnesty International spokesman Andy Hackman in an interview Tuesday.

The last Secret Policeman's Ball was in 2008 in London. Hackman said the organization wanted to do something different and on a grander scale this year since it's the 50th anniversary of the human rights group.

"That phrase `human rights' has lost meaning in some ways," he said. "That's why we want to demonstrate the power and the joy that free speech can bring to us all. ... It's really just using these amazing talented people to demonstrate the power, what a force of good free speech is."

David "DJ" Javerbaum, the former head writer and executive producer for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," said the show will feature sketches, music and more. He said the legacy of the Secret Policeman's Ball, which has lived on in videos, has helped it attract top talent, some of which are still to be announced.

"These are very seminal movies for anybody young in that age who wanted to get into comedy," he said.

Tickets go on sale on Monday.

___

Online:

http://www.facebook.com/secretpoliceman

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_en_mu/us_secret_policeman_s_ball

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Libyan defense minister in restive town for talks (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) ? Libya's Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali is holding talks with townsmen in Bani Walid, a former stronghold of Muammar Gaddafi the government lost control of on Tuesday after local people staged an armed uprising.

"The minister came here today and we are speaking to him to find a solution to this problem," said Abdul Azziz al-Jmaili, a council member in Bani Walid, 150 km (90 miles) from Tripoli.

"A peacekeeping force have come and set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the town," he said, adding the force consisted of armed brigades from nearby towns who are loyal to the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC).

(Reporting by Taha Zargoun, writing by Oliver Holmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/wl_nm/us_libya

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Analysis: Myanmar shows little sign of economic miracle (Reuters)

YANGON (Reuters) ? Business is booming at the Golden Sea employment agency in downtown Yangon, but that doesn't mean Myanmar's long-stagnant economy is improving. Quite the opposite.

"Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand," said manager Kyaw Thura, listing the countries where he helps the young men crowding his one-room office find jobs as laborers and cooks. "If there were opportunities in Myanmar, they would stay here."

Hopes of concrete economic reforms are running high among foreign business people now pouring into Myanmar, which has fanned optimism by pledging democratic reform, freeing political prisoners and setting the stage for an April by-election.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark visit to the country, formerly known as Burma, two months ago and multilateral lenders such as the Asian Development Bank have taken preliminary steps toward resuming activities there.

Few argue against Myanmar's potential.

As big as France and Britain combined, the resource-rich country sits strategically between India, China and Southeast Asia with ports on the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea, all of which have made it a coveted energy-security asset for Beijing's western provinces.

Bordering five countries, Myanmar offers multiple avenues of Asian engagement as U.S. President Barack Obama shifts focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan toward economic growth and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

But as tourists and investors knock on its door, the number of Burmese flowing in the opposite direction suggests that ordinary people don't expect the end of half a century of isolation to improve the economy anytime soon.

The barriers to progress are formidable: U.S. sanctions, an incoherent exchange rate regime, woeful infrastructure, weak investment laws, a crippled banking system, decades of mismanagement and a shortage of skilled Burmese.

While the European Union on Monday started unwinding sanctions, punitive U.S. measures continue to cut deep into Myanmar's economy, among Asia's most prosperous before a 1962 military coup ushered in a disastrous "Burmese Way to Socialism" that brought sweeping nationalization and global isolation.

U.S. sanctions could begin to come down if Myanmar's by-elections scheduled for April 1, contested by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, are fair and open, U.S. Senator John McCain told reporters last week in Hanoi.

U.S. sanctions, imposed in response to years of human rights abuses and steadily tightened since 1988, preclude U.S. aid and rule out financial help from International Financial Institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank, in which the United States is a big shareholder and has veto rights.

That prevents those agencies from training government staff for long-overdue work such as drawing up a national budget or writing environmental regulations.

The World Bank and Asian Development Bank ceased operations in the country in the mid-1980s and are still owed arrears, which have to be repaid before they can come back. And even when they return, their aid will require the government to respect governance standards that have eluded its leaders for decades, including budget transparency.

CURRENCY CONUNDRUM

"There's so much to be done," said Luc de Waegh, head of West Indochina, a Myanmar-focused consultancy.

"You need to rebuild the country, the roads, the infrastructure, the education system, and all this cannot be done with private money."

One of Asia's richest countries early in the 20th century, Myanmar is now one of the world's poorest after half a century of often-brutal rule by military rulers. A third of its estimated 60 million people live on less than a dollar a day.

The International Monetary Fund estimates Myanmar's gross domestic product at just over $50 billion. In contrast, neighboring Thailand, with a population of about 67 million, has GDP of $348 billion.

Among its biggest problems: a currency regime that deters investment and abets kleptocracy.

Officially, one U.S. dollar buys a little over six Myanmar kyats. Unofficially, it's more like 750 kyats.

The unofficial rate, used in most transactions, has jumped from more than 1,000 per dollar in 2009 as foreign money has flowed into the timber, energy and gem sectors. That has hurt a swathe of Burmese, from farmers and manufacturers to traders and employees of foreign firms paid in dollars.

A team of IMF advisers came in November to look at reforming the currency and unifying the rates. A two-week follow-up mission ends on Wednesday.

Myanmar is one of only 17 countries that still have dual exchange rates, and even the IMF has only three experts in the delicate task of unifying them.

The official rate is used for government revenue and for imports by some state-owned enterprises. As a result, state revenue is grossly underestimated and some critics say it is likely vast sums of that money was kept off the books and quietly smuggled out of the country into offshore banks held by cronies of the former junta.

They may also have repatriated the funds to snap up state assets that were sold off during an extremely opaque privatization boom that took place just over a year before the army's transfer of power to the civilian government.

In addition, many state firms effectively enjoy a hidden subsidy and could fail if they were forced to adopt a market rate. A wave of bankruptcies and resultant job losses could bring a backlash against much-needed reforms.

One solution might be to replace implicit subsidies with more transparent, official subsidies, said Jean-Pierre Verbiest, a former country director for the Asian Development Bank in Thailand and now an economic consultant at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

"The exchange rate, the budget, monetary policy, financial sector development -- they are all linked, and these are typically areas where IFIs can contribute and put policies in place," he said.

That is not going to happen until the West drops sanctions.

U.S. sanctions on Myanmar include visa bans on certain officials and business associates, restrictions on financial services, bans on Burmese imports, a ban on new investment and constraints on assistance to the country.

GETTING THE POOR ONSIDE

Another urgent problem is the need for reforms in the agricultural sector, which employs two-thirds of the population and suffers from low productivity and a lack of credit.

"Even on good assumptions, there will be a mess because it's very difficult to handle big changes especially in a country which is very rich but at the same time very poor," said Verbiest, meaning rich in resources and potential but also in terms of state revenue, if properly accounted for.

"So there are going to be people who will benefit much more than others," he added.

Quick reforms in agriculture could help alleviate poverty in the countryside and win support for the reform process. They could include providing credit to farmers who have to rely on money-lenders charging crippling interest rates plus investment in village infrastructure such as roads to markets, said a veteran Myanmar aid worker who asked not to be identified.

"Villagers are still driving ox carts and taking all day to go nine miles. Isolation breeds poverty," she said.

The country also badly needs better education and training.

"There's a real vacuum in capacity," the aid worker said, noting there were thousands of Burmese engineers in Singapore but engineering talent was hard to find inside Myanmar.

The brain drain has hurt the public sector, too: Myanmar lacks the technocrats that helped Indonesia, for example, move from a military dictatorship to a thriving democracy.

Much of the country's intellectual talent fled in 1988, mostly to Europe and the United States, after the army brutally crushed a student-led revolt. The government has so far made no official move to encourage them to return.

"We need 30-somethings who have MBAs and analytical skills. You're not going to find that in the generals, even if there's political will," the aid worker said.

"People have had beaten into them not to take the initiative, not to be creative, not to be innovative. In that respect I think IFIs can help. Training needs to happen on a massive scale."

(Editing by Andrew R.C. Marshall, Jason Szep and Mark Bendeich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/wl_nm/us_myanmar_economy

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TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go

If you swing past your local Best Buy and pick up one of those new-fangled LG Smart TVs, you'll find TouchTV's news-clip collection platform available inside. That way you'll be able to watch the trendiest (or at least the most watched) current-affairs clips without having to wait the twenty seconds or so before your rolling news channel of choice displays similar. TouchTV also announced today an iPad app that'll let you grab those newsy clips from your Apple-based slate of choice. The app's available gratis from the store (link below) and we've got the official words and pictures from the company about both products after the interval.

Jose Andrade contributed to this report.

Continue reading TouchTV comes to LG Smart TV, iPads: catch news clips at home, on the go

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Court won't hear arguments demanding Kagan recusal (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Supreme Court won't hear arguments from a conservative watchdog group that wants Justice Elena Kagan disqualified from deciding the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's national health care overhaul.

Freedom Watch asked the high court for time to demand Kagan's recusal or disqualification during arguments on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The law is aimed at extending health insurance coverage to more than 30 million previously uninsured people and would, by 2019, leave just 5 percent of the population uninsured, compared with about 17 percent today, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Justices, who will be hearing more than five hours of arguments on the health care overhaul, rejected the request without comment.

Kagan, who was solicitor general under Obama, did not participate in the decision.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_supreme_court_health_care

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Friend: Defendant tried to sell bloodstained rug

ALHAMBRA, California (AP) ? A man who masqueraded as a Rockefeller on the East Coast and is now accused of murder in California has been confronted in court by witnesses who say he tried to sell them an Oriental rug with a bloodstain.

Christian Gerhartsreiter is charged with murdering 27-year-old John Sohus, whose bones were unearthed in a backyard in a wealthy Los Angeles suburb in 1994, nearly 10 years after Sohus and his wife vanished.

Robert Brown testified Monday during a preliminary hearing that in 1985 the man he and his wife knew as Chris Chichester showed up with the rug among belongings he wanted to sell because he was going away.

Brown says his wife looked at the rug, pointed out the bloodstain, and Chichester quickly rolled it up and left.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-23-Rockefeller%20Mystery/id-c3f556755a14458ab3f16a6cb01a2815

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'WWE Magazine' presents: The February issue preview

Out now! "WWE Magazine?s" February issue!

The Viper returns! Randy Orton targets WrestleMania. In this exclusive "WWE Magazine" interview, The Apex Predator looks back at the first day of his decade-long career in WWE, his rise to main-event status, and who he plans on RKO-ing in 2012.

WWE Then & Now! Your favorite Superstars, including John Cena, CM Punk, Big Show and The Miz, show us what they looked like when they started in WWE through their original photos! You haven?t seen these pictures in years. ?

The WrestleMania XXVIII Countdown! The Show of Shows is still months away, but we?ve got the statistical Superstar guide that will make the days and weeks of anticipation fly buy.

?I Survived Satan?s Prison!? Triple H takes you inside the Elimination Chamber Match and reveals who?s really responsible for all these years of pain between the chains.

Bonus:

Survive the Divapocalypse! Beth Phoenix and Natalya show us why they?re ?Pin-Up Strong? and what they have in store for the Divas Division. Be scared!

Cody Rhodes helps you get lean and mean with his muscle-building, fat-burning workout.

Superstars + Masks = Luchastars!

Rey Mysterio answers all your Tweets!

A brief history of WWE trading cards!

And?everything you ever wanted to know about Eve! Hot!

For more exclusive interviews, pictures, and features get the February issue of "WWE Magazine" on sale today or SUBSCRIBE HERE and never miss an issue!

Source: http://www.wwe.com/magazine/february-2012-issue-preview

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Egypt Islamists on eve of power ease talk of Islam

Officials are seen in the People's Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, as final preparations are made for Monday's opening session of parliament. Egypt's parliament will convene Jan. 23, after three rounds of balloting for the first post-Hosni Mubarak assembly have been completed and just two days before the one-year anniversary of the start of Egypt's uprising. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

Officials are seen in the People's Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, as final preparations are made for Monday's opening session of parliament. Egypt's parliament will convene Jan. 23, after three rounds of balloting for the first post-Hosni Mubarak assembly have been completed and just two days before the one-year anniversary of the start of Egypt's uprising. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

In this Friday, Jan. 20, 2012 photo, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan listens during an interview at his home in Cairo, Egypt. After dreaming of power for decades, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood finally comes face to face with the question of how to use it as a new parliament that it dominates opens Monday. The fundamentalist group has eased off talk of Islamic-style legislation, saying it will focus on fixing Egypt's ailing economy, but it has other tools to push Egypt toward greater religious conservativism, including its role in writing the new constitution. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Officials are seen in the People's Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, as final preparations are made for Monday's opening session of parliament. Egypt's parliament will convene Jan. 23, after three rounds of balloting for the first post-Hosni Mubarak assembly have been completed and just two days before the one-year anniversary of the start of Egypt's uprising. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

A worker makes repairs to a fence outside the People's Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, as final preparations are made for Monday's opening session of parliament. Egypt's parliament will convene Jan. 23, after three rounds of balloting for the first post-Hosni Mubarak assembly have been completed and just two days before the one-year anniversary of the start of Egypt's uprising. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

Officials are seen in the People's Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, as final preparations are made for Monday's opening session of parliament. Egypt's parliament will convene Jan. 23, after three rounds of balloting for the first post-Hosni Mubarak assembly have been completed and just two days before the one-year anniversary of the start of Egypt's uprising. (AP Photo/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO (AP) ? After decades of dreaming of power, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood finally comes face to face with the question of how to use it, as a new parliament that it dominates opens Monday.

The fundamentalist group has eased off talk of Islamic-style legislation, saying it will focus on fixing Egypt's ailing economy, and it has even backed off introducing further explicit Islamic references in the new constitution it will have a major hand in writing. But it has other tools to push Egypt toward greater religious conservativism.

The Brotherhood's caution in its Islamic rhetoric and parliament agenda reflect its worries of a backlash against it at a time when Egypt's politics are still in major flux. Egyptians are eager to see quick improvements in an economy that has been battered by turmoil and mismanagement since the fall of Hosni Mubarak nearly a year ago.

They also want signs of long-term change in a system where corruption was rife, nearly half the population fell to the edge of poverty or below, young people searched in vain for jobs and for housing and neighborhoods were left to fall into dilapidation as Mubarak's regime built clean new suburbs for the few wealthy.

Moreover, how much authority the Brotherhood will have to bring changes remains unsettled. The military, which took over when Mubarak was ousted, holds ultimate power for at least six more months. The Brotherhood and ruling generals are expected to jostle and cajole each other over dividing power, and the Brotherhood is wary of moves that could cause a clash.

"We can't talk about implementing Islamic Shariah law when the country is experiencing such devastating economic problems," said Mohammed Gouda, a Brotherhood policymaker and member of the party's economic committee.

The Brotherhood feels little need to push through legislation enforcing an Islamic vision, he and other members say, especially since Egyptian society is already deeply religious and conservative. More effective, they say, is influencing the culture. Brotherhood members show a confidence that they can show a "correct" example of Islam that will bring the public into their way of life.

Indeed, Gouda said that the Egyptian public is "already convinced" and doesn't need much persuasion.

He pointed to the dramatic spread of the Muslim headscarf among women in past decades. In the past, few women wore it, but now it is nearly universal among Muslim women in Egypt as society has grown more conservative. He and others shrug off the need for laws on traditionally "Islamic " issues such as banning alcohol and encouraging or even requiring gender segregation and Islamic dress.

Critics in Egypt worry that the Brotherhood is only biding its time to bring a more Islamic agenda, and their greatest fear is of a long-term understanding between the Brotherhood and military to run the country, even after the generals step aside for a civilian president, due to take place by late June.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report Sunday that the West must recognize that Islamists are "the majority preference" in Egypt and other Arab countries and will naturally grow stronger in a democratic system.

But it said pressure must be maintained to ensure respect for human rights.

The Brotherhood has been "saying the right things" but "we have to see how they govern and how they deal with women, religious minorities. These are the big questions," said HRW's executive director Kenneth Roth.

By any measure, it will be an unprecedented moment on Monday with the convening of the first parliament since last year's dramatic wave of protests led to the Feb. 11 fall of Mubarak after nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule. The protests were led by leftist and secular youth, but the free elections that resulted ? Egypt's first in living memory ? were a prize for Islamists, particularly the Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak.

In the parliament chamber Monday, 47 percent of the 498 lawmakers will belong to the Brotherhood, including the parliament speaker. Another quarter will be Salafis, a more radical Islamic group who only a year ago shunned democracy as a violation of God's law but who now see government as the way to bring it about.

Parliament's biggest upcoming task is the writing of the new constitution. It is to form a 100-member assembly to draft the document, though the military is pressing for a say as well, and the Brotherhood is under pressure to ensure secular and liberal voices have an equal say with Islamists.

The Brotherhood says it does not intend to enshrine further Islamic structures into the new charter, beyond its current Article 2, which says principles of Islamic law are "the main basis" for legislation in Egypt.

The phrasing is broad enough to mean almost whatever those in power want it to mean. Mubarak's nominally secular regime did little to legislate Shariah beyond family laws, but future decision-makers could cite the clause to insist on expanding Shariah's scope.

Instead, the Brotherhood's priority in the constitution is, again, political more than religious. It wants to restructure Egypt's system where the president had overwhelming power ? the legal grounding for Mubarak's authoritarian rule.

For months, the Brotherhood advocated a strictly parliamentary system. That raised criticism that it seeks to concentrate power in a body that it is likely to dominate for the foreseeable future, so it has shifted to advocating a mixed system sharing powers between president and parliament.

In parliament itself, the focus will be on the economy, said Gouda.

The Brotherhood's economic platform, as much as it is spelled out, is strongly liberal capitalist, reflecting the business and professional backgrounds of many of its members, so much so that it has come under criticism from the left for neglecting "social justice."

Gouda said the group's priority is stability to encourage investment. It wants to tackle corruption by activating a consumer protection law that was introduced under Mubarak but sat idle, and by making regulatory bodies independent so they can do their work without corruption.

"We will set up a system to encourage people to report those who offer bribes, and actually make sure laws that protect consumers be applied," he said.

For spreading its conservative ideology through the culture, the Brotherhood already boasts a nationwide system of charities and social work. If it gains positions in government as well as parliament, it could have further tools, including greater influence over the powerful state television and other media ? which it has always been shut out of. Some Brotherhood figures have spoken of the Education Ministry as a key sector.

The Brotherhood, however, may face a challenge to this gradualist approach from the right.

The Salafis who form the second largest bloc in parliament espouse a far more rigid, literalist and uncompromising stance on Shariah. The two blocs were often rivals in the election campaign over the past months, and pressing for more overtly Islamic laws could help the Salafi parties with their base.

"What we may see is that each side will try to out-Muslim the other," said Mohammed Abbas, a young former Brotherhood member who left the group after being frustrated with the group for not giving youth a stronger voice.

Nathan J. Brown, a professor at George Washington University and who studies Middle Eastern Islamist parties said the Salafis "are one of the biggest issues on their mind ? almost as big as the military."

The Brothers' worry is that they would be pushed into a more radical stance. They remember the experiences of Islamic movements in Algeria and Palestine, where Islamic groups that were too aggressive brought a backlash. They also don't want to lose their focus on showing they can bring good governance.

"They would never say they are de-emphasizing religion, and I think they are being sincere," Brown said. "For them good governance providing for the needs of people, this is Islam."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-22-ML-Egypt-Brotherhood's-Parliament/id-68f96d47c02847e0ad502d780c8f009d

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