Russia lashes out at new EU sanctions on Iran (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russia's Foreign Ministry is criticizing the new European Union sanctions against Iran, saying they are a severe mistake likely to worsen tensions.

In a statement Monday, the ministry questions how the new sanctions could be seen as helping find a resolution of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

The ministry said, "It's apparent that in this case there is open pressure and diktat, aimed at 'punishing' Iran for uncooperative behavior. This is a deeply mistaken policy, as we have told our European partners more than once. Under pressure of this sort, Iran will not make any concessions or any corrections to its policies."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_iran

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Costa CEO says captain misled company, crew (AP)

ROME ? The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said Friday as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers.

CEO Pierluigi Foschi told Italian state TV that the company spoke to the captain at 10:05 p.m. (2105 GMT; 4:05 p.m. EST), some 20 minutes after the ship ran aground on Jan. 13, but could not offer proper assistance because the captain's description "did not correspond to the truth."

Capt. Francesco Schettino said only that he had "problems" on board but did not mention hitting a reef.

Likewise, Foschi said crew members were not informed of the gravity of the situation.

Passenger video shown on Italian TV indicates crew members telling passengers to go to their cabins as late as 10:25 p.m. (2125 GMT; 4:25 p.m. EST). The abandon ship alarm sounded just before 11:00 p.m. (2200 GMT; 5:00 p.m. EST).

"That's because they also did not receive correct information on the gravity of the situation," Foschi said.

The $450 million Costa Concordia was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew when it slammed into well-charted rocks off the island of Giglio a week ago. Eleven people have been confirmed dead.

The Concordia shifted again on its rocky perch Friday, forcing the suspension of diving search operations for the 21 people still missing and raising concerns about the stability of the ship's resting place. But the search in areas above the waterline resumed in the evening after the ship was deemed stable.

The remarks by Costa CEO Foschi are the latest to indicate a lack of proper communication with authorities on land as the emergency unfolded.

An audiotape of the Concordia's first contact with maritime authorities has a Concordia office repeatedly replying that the ship had experienced a blackout, even though it had hit the reef more than half an hour earlier.

Italian media reported the officer on the call was Schettino, but that could not be independently confirmed.

Costa Crociere SpA, which offered support to the captain in the hours after the emergency, has now turned its back on the man who is under investigation for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his ship. Schettino, who was jailed after he left the ship, is under house arrest near Naples.

Costa in recent days has suspended Schettino, announced it is no longer paying his legal fees and has signed on as a civil party in the prosecution, a move that positions it as an injured party and would allow it to seek damages in the case of a guilty verdict.

Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro said crews will evaluate the ship's stability Saturday morning to see if the diving operation can resume, focusing on an area where passengers would have sought lifeboats, Nicastro said.

It was not clear if the slight movements registered by sensors placed on board the Costa Concordia were just vibrations as the ship settles on the rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio or if the massive ocean liner is slowly slipping off the reef. Salvage experts suggest it could be because of pockets of air gradually escaping.

The sensors detected that the ship's bow was moving about 15 millimeters (half an inch) an hour and the stern about 7 millimeters (one-quarter inch) an hour, said Nicola Casagli of the University of Florence, who was called in by Italian authorities to monitor the ship's stability.

The Concordia's movements are being watched since any significant shift could be dangerous for divers trying to locate those missing since the Concordia ran aground Jan. 13. An additional fear is that movement could damage tanks holding a 500,000 gallons of fuel oil and lead to leaks.

The sea floor drops off sharply a few meters (yards) from where the ship is resting, and Italy's environment minister has warned it risks sinking.

On Friday, relatives of some of the 21 missing were at Giglio's port getting briefings from rescue teams.

Casagli told Sky TG24 that some movement in the Concordia was only natural given the immense weight of the steel-hulled ship, which is being held in place by two huge rocks at bow and stern.

But the latest movements indicate it isn't stable, he said. "These are small, regular movements that are being monitored because they're going in the same direction," he told Sky.

Late Thursday, Carnival Corp., the U.S.-based company that owns Costa, announced it was conducting a comprehensive audit of all 10 of its cruise lines to review safety and emergency response procedures in the wake of the Costa disaster. The evacuation was chaotic and the alarm to abandon the ship was sounded after the Concordia had capsized too much to get many life boats down.

___

Colleen Barry reported from Milan. Andrea Foa contributed from Giglio, Italy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_cruise_aground

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Poll: Would You Waterslide While Expecting Like Elsa Pataky?

While vacationing in St. Barts with Matt and Luciana Damon, the couple was spotted riding an inflatable slide off the group's yacht - prompting a few Moms & Babies readers to chime in.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/d_SyOoLsSyQ/

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Environmentalism and the Leisure Class (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Has Bruce Springsteen delivered another 'rousing political anthem'? (The Week)

New York ? The Boss captured the national zeitgeist with "Born in the USA" in the '80s and "The Rising" after 9/11. Now, he's trying again with "We Take Care of Our Own"

The audio: Bruce Springsteen has a history of giving musical voice to the anxieties of the 99 percent. "Born in the USA" tackled the struggle to achieve the American dream, while 2001's "The Rising" captured the need to build a country worth protecting in a post-9/11 world. Now, as the U.S. endures a feeble economy and a contentious election, The Boss releases another politically-themed song "We Take Care of Our Own." (Listen to it below.) With lyrics like, "Wherever this flag's flown/we take care of our own," this quintessential Springsteen track doubles as "a protest song [and]... a rousing patriotic anthem." Though typically pro-American, it's also a scathing reminder of what those in power owe the American people. "We Take Care of Our Own" is off of Springsteen's 25th studio album Wrecking Ball, which he claims is "angriest yet," and will be released March 6.

The reaction: "Could there be a more Springsteen-esque subject than" hard times in America, says Jim Farber at The Daily News. The song is so predictable that "Springsteen-phobes" will surely roll their eyes, and even fans might agree that it "comes all too close to self-satire." That said, counters Scott Mervus at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the lyrics are "passionate and powerful." Unfortunately, this may be "Born in the USA" all over again, says Chris Willman at The Wrap. The '80s hit, perhaps "the most misunderstood song of all time," was misappropriated by politicians like Ronald Reagan who seemed deaf to lyrics about "American promises unfulfilled." Expect "We Take Care of Our Own" to be misguidedly embraced "as a conservative anthem," too. Listen for yourself:

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SEE ALSO: Did Adele save the music industry in 2011?

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120120/cm_theweek/223546

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[OOC] The Revival of Gaelaceon

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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Do want mysterious creature, for some reason. If he is still available of course.

Archlkan

Member for 1 years

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Nicaraguans worry about Ortega's foreign friends (Reuters)

MANAGUA (Reuters) ? Nicaragua's left-wing President Daniel Ortega has won over many critics at home with a successful drive to cut poverty and spur business-friendly policies in Central America's poorest country.

But his choice of friends abroad makes many Nicaraguans worry that the former guerrilla and Cold War icon is dragging down the country's reputation and unnecessarily antagonizing the United States and other Western countries.

Ortega took office for a second straight term last week after winning more than 60 percent support in a landslide election victory in November. It was by far his biggest share of the vote since the mid-1980s, when he led the Sandinista government during a civil war against U.S.-backed rebels.

Voted out of office in 1990, he spent 16 years in opposition before returning to power in 2006. At home, he has recast himself as a man of peace, replaced his Marxist rhetoric with Christian messages and worked well with farmers and business leaders who were once his most bitter critics.

But Ortega's foreign policy looks very similar to the Cold War years, when Nicaragua was allied with Russia and Cuba.

Now Ortega's closest ally is Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez, who has used oil revenues to help bankroll Nicaragua's anti-poverty programs. Nicaragua remains close to Cuba and has strengthened its ties with anti-U.S. leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

When he stood to take the oath of office last week, Ortega was flanked on stage by Chavez and Ahmadinejad. He pilloried the U.S. "occupations" of Iraq and Afghanistan, lamented the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and paid his respects to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Chavez's financial aid to Nicaragua has helped power it to faster economic growth and helped to cut poverty rates from around two-thirds of the population in 2005 to 57 percent now.

Analysts estimate that Venezuela provides as much as $500 million a year to Nicaragua, a huge sum for an economy which in dollar terms was worth about $6.5 billion in 2010.

Nicaraguans like the results, and openly express their gratitude. "There's more work, and wages have really gone up," said Jaime Valverde, a 22-year-old petrol pump attendant. "Things are so much better than before."

But some believe that Ortega is not really in charge.

"If Chavez says 'sit!' Ortega sits. If he says 'get up!' then Ortega gets up," said Esau Martinez, 26, a student from Nicaragua's Atlantic coast. "Ortega does what he's told."

"Chavez has too many interests here," said 30-year-old Managua resident Juan Carlos Reyes. "There's electricity. Water. Even building houses for the poor."

NO GAIN?

Iran has also promised significant investment but hasn't yet delivered. Following Ortega's 2006 election win, Ahmadinejad pledged to help fund a new $350 million ocean port, build houses and assist on a hydroelectric project.

The lack of progress has some wondering what Nicaragua gets out of its friendship with a government that has fanned global tensions by threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial oil export route -- in retaliation for Western threats to impose new sanctions on Tehran for its nuclear program

"We're abandoning God for the Devil," said Larry Ferrey, a 38-year-old hotel worker in Managua.

Nicaraguan newspapers also noted that on his visit last week, Ahmadinejad did not answer Nicaragua's requests to write off debts to the Islamic Republic of over $160 million.

During his speech Tuesday, Ortega hailed Iran as a great civilization and urged Israel, which Ahmadinejad once said should be wiped off the map, to destroy its nuclear weapons, saying they were blocking peace in the Middle East.

That display came just days after the U.S. government said it was making it "absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran."

Ortega's finger-pointing at Washington and its allies has done little to curb widespread enthusiasm in Nicaragua for the United States, where tens of thousands of Nicaraguans live.

The CID Gallup polling firm said its research showed Nicaraguans were increasingly well disposed to the United States, despite Ortega's allegiances.

Latinobarometro, another pollster, said 65 percent of Nicaraguans viewed the United States positively and that U.S. President Barack Obama is as popular in Nicaragua as Chavez.

Another Latinobarometro poll showed that voters across Latin America ranked Ortega joint worst of 18 leaders in the Americas and Spain, down three places from the previous year.

The fact Washington froze much development aid to Nicaragua after accusing Ortega of voter fraud in local elections in 2008 has not had much impact on Nicaraguans' view of the United States, in part because non-government aid still flows.

Mauricio Toledo, 50, a former Sandinista fighter, said Ortega has isolated Nicaragua.

"Daniel Ortega has been a friend of Gaddafi. He's been a brother to (Saddam) Hussein. He's been a brother to all of these murderers," he said. "We don't need friends like that."

(Editing by Kieran Murray)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/wl_nm/us_nicaragua_ortega

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