Archive for January, 2012

College Tuition Controversy Highlights Challenges (ContributorNetwork)

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Jan 30

COMMENTARY | According to the Associated Press, President Barack Obama is upset with colleges and universities that have been raising their tuition rates, forcing an increasing number of students into debt as college degrees are worth less in a down economy. He has threatened to cut federal dollars for these schools and transfer the money to schools that offer good education for a reasonable price.

That rising tuition is a problem is undeniable. With the weak job market oversaturated with college graduates, degrees are worth less and less while remaining indispensable — twentysomethings cannot hope for a shot at a middle class lifestyle unless they nab a diploma. Knowing that high school graduates cannot hope for middle class security without a term of stay at college, colleges have teens by the short hairs: They can charge more each semester, and everyone has no choice but to pay.

And if all colleges raise their prices similarly, it makes no point to contemplate a transfer. Students might as well grin and bear it as they write checks, grimly hoping the economy improves and their degree is worth something by the time they walk across the graduation stage.

Despite being able to engage in abusive tuition-raising at will, institutions of higher education are consistently protected by the fact that hurting schools will hurt students. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., a critic of Obama’s tough talk, said shifting federal dollars from universities hurts the students it is meant to help.

Aye, the old rock-and-a-hard-place dilemma: You can’t put the squeeze on universities today to get them to change their tuition-raising ways so nothing changes tomorrow. Every time you get ready to teach a well-deserved lesson to those in corrupt ivory towers, you are lambasted as a tyrant who is harming innocent kids. To avoid looking like an anti-education Neanderthal you must spare the fiscal rod and spoil the college president child.

The catch-22 scenario afflicting attempts to rein in tuition abuse at colleges and universities is also seen in other areas, particularly military spending. If you try to cut military spending you risk being attacked as an unpatriotic coward who is risking the lives of brave American soldiers by denying young men sufficient body armor and weaponry. Therefore, you can never deny the Pentagon the funds it desires, lest you be seen as willing to send young Americans to their deaths.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120129/pl_ac/10898175_college_tuition_controversy_highlights_challenges

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Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room?

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Jan 30

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Ellio, who fancies switching up his home entertainment kit with a HD LED projector. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“I’m looking to buy a small HD LED projector to use at home for movies and games etc. I’d prefer it to be small to avoid having another large black box cluttering up the place and LED because of the decent lifetime compared to traditional projectors. I’d be happy with a 720p resolution device, but a lot of pico projectors are under 30 lumens, is this level sufficient for a decent size-display in a dim room? Thanks a bunch!”

So, what’s it gonna be dear friends? If you don’t know the drill: it’s a jump to your left, a step to your right, put your hands on your hips and leave a comment below.

Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9pYb1OBGnPU/

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Gingrich says space exploration in US tradition (AP)

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Jan 29

STUART, Fla. ? Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich says critics of his call to ramp up U.S. space exploration don’t understand the power of science, technology and entrepreneurship to change the future.

Campaign rival Mitt Romney was referring to Gingrich earlier this week when he said that if any business executive recommended spending huge sums on colonizing the moon, he’d fire him.

But Gingrich said Abraham Lincoln recommended building a transcontinental railroad at a time necessary technology didn’t exist, and a decade later the job was done. And that when President Kennedy started a program to put a man on the moon in the early 1960s the same thing happened.

Gingrich spoke on the 26th anniversary of the explosion that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven aboard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_sc/us_gingrich_space

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Danny Boyle offers glimpse of opening ceremony

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Jan 29

LONDON (AP) ? Director Danny Boyle offered a sneak peek of 2012 London opening ceremony that would include the ringing of a massive bell and one of the U.K.’s most maligned institutions, the National Health Service.

Boyle told reporters Friday at an event marking six months until the games that the opening ceremony was “an enormous bloody thing.”

Boyle said that he was aware of the pressures to produce the first Summer Games ceremony since Beijing, but his point of comparison will be the 2000 Sydney Games because of its emphasis on individuals.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-27-London%202012-Olympics/id-84f07bb53e28456296271f59ce7281a8

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NZ court bails two associates of Megaupload founder (Reuters)

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Jan 28

WELLINGTON (Reuters) ? A New Zealand court granted bail on Thursday to two associates of the founder of online file-sharing website Megaupload, accused of being involved in a scheme that allegedly made more than $175 million from Internet piracy and illegal file sharing.

Dutchman Bram van der Kolk, 29, and Finn Batato, a 38-year-old German, who were arrested last Friday along with Megaupload’s founder, Kim Dotcom, were freed on bail. A decision on another accused, Mathias Ortman, was put off until Friday pending further submissions on his bail application.

“I am satisfied that the risk of flight here is minimal and such risk as remains can be met by the imposition of strict bail conditions including electronic monitoring,” Judge David McNaughton said in a written judgment.

A lawyer for the men had argued their role in the company was different from that of Dotcom, and they did not have secret sources of funds or multiple identities.

The United States wants to extradite all four on charges of Internet piracy, copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering.

Dotcom, 38, was refused bail on Wednesday because the judge believed there was a significant risk he could try to flee New Zealand. He will reappear in court on February 22. His lawyer is preparing to appeal that decision, maintaining that Dotcom does not have the means to leave the country.

The defendants have said they are innocent of the piracy and other charges, asserting the company simply offered online storage.

An extradition application must be lodged within 45 days of an arrest, and the U.S. must show the alleged offences would be crimes in New Zealand punishable by at least 12 months in jail.

Legal experts have said the extradition process is likely to be long and complex.

(Reporting by Gyles Beckford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wr_nm/us_internet_piracy_megaupload_bail

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Colts owner wishes Manning kept comments in-house

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Jan 28

FILE – In this Jan. 1, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla. Shortly after introducing Chuck Pagano as Indianapolis’ new coach, team owner Jim Irsay responded to the comments Manning made earlier this week about the Colts by referring to the only four-time league MVP as a “politician.” (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE – In this Jan. 1, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Fla. Shortly after introducing Chuck Pagano as Indianapolis’ new coach, team owner Jim Irsay responded to the comments Manning made earlier this week about the Colts by referring to the only four-time league MVP as a “politician.” (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano, left, and owner Jim Irsay greet each after Pagano was introduced during a news conference at the NFL football team’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano talks about joking with Colts wide receiver Reggie Wanye during a game at a news conference at the NFL football team’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts new head coach Chuck Pagano speaks during a news conference at the NFL football team’s headquarters in Indianapolis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? The Indianapolis Colts are a long, long way from being healed.

Two days after Peyton Manning publicly complained about the dour atmosphere at team headquarters following a 2-14 season and a rash of firings, Colts owner Jim Irsay introduced his new head coach and then stunned everyone by calling his franchise player a “politician” who had decided to air dirty laundry.

“I don’t think it’s in the best interest to paint the horseshoe in a negative light, I really don’t,” Irsay told reporters, referring to the team’s longtime logo. “The horseshoe always comes first, and I think one thing he’s always known, because he’s been around it so long, is that, you know, you keep it in the family. If you’ve got a problem you talk to each other, it’s not about campaigning or anything like that.”

The comments suggest there is a rift between Manning and Irsay, who is just six weeks from a deadline to pay the four-time league MVP a $28 million bonus or risk losing him as a free agent. And it all blew up in public on a day the team desperately wanted attention focused on Chuck Pagano, the Ravens’ defensive coordinator who takes over as head coach with a host of problems to address.

The biggest question mark is Manning, the face of the franchise and the primary reason for its run of success over the past decade. He is clearly upset with the fallout of the Colts’ dismal season in which he never played a down after Sept. 8 neck surgery ? his third such procedure in a span of 19 months.

In the past three weeks, the Colts have fired vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian, coach Jim Caldwell and most of Caldwell’s assistants. Irsay hired 39-year-old Ryan Grigson as the new general manager and on Wednesday chose Pagano as Caldwell’s replacement.

Last week, actor Rob Lowe caused a media frenzy by writing on Twitter that Manning was about to retire. The story got so much attention that even Pagano, who was preparing for the Ravens’ AFC championship game against New England, apparently took notice.

“You know, I’ve got a text or a call out to Rob Lowe and I haven’t heard back yet, so I’m going to have to get back to you on that one,” Pagano said when asked if he expected to be coaching Manning next season.

But the saga has taken an even more dramatic twist in the last 48 hours.

Manning told The Indianapolis Star that his only real conversation with Grigson, a first-time GM, had come in passing and that the vast overhaul at team headquarters had everyone “walking around on eggshells.” He said it wasn’t healthy for his healing, and then said that he had no idea where Irsay stood on the question of whether he was going to play again for the Colts.

Many analysts believe Manning’s comments indicated that he was unhappy in Indianapolis and may be looking for a way out.

Whatever the explanation, Irsay didn’t like it one bit.

“I have so much affection and appreciation for Peyton. I mean we’re family. We always will be and we are,” Irsay said. “He’s a politician. I mean look at, when it comes to being competitive, let’s just say on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, we’re both 11s, OK? So there’s been plenty of eggshells scattered around this building by him with his competitive desire to win.”

Manning quickly began on a quest to mend fences.

Within hours of Irsay’s comments, Manning told The Star he didn’t intend to start a public feud.

“At this point, Mr. Irsay and I owe it to each other and to the fans of the organization to handle this appropriately and professionally, and I think we will. I’ve already reached out to Mr. Irsay,” Manning said. “I wasn’t trying to paint the Colts in a bad light, but it’s tough when so many people you’ve known for so long are suddenly leaving. I feel very close to a lot of these guys and we’ve done great things together. It’s hard to watch an old friend clean out his office. That’s all I was trying to say.

“I just want to keep rehabbing and working hard, and when the time is right for Mr. Irsay and I to sit down, I look forward to a healthy conversation about my future. I’ve worked too hard and have such great respect and have so many great relationships inside the building and out, and it’s incredibly important that those remain.”

The drama may be just beginning.

Now that Irsay has his people in place in the front office, Pagano can focus his attention on selecting a staff. Grigson said Pagano will make those choices.

Irsay’s decisions will be much more difficult.

Indy’s horrendous season means the Colts landed the No. 1 overall pick, which Irsay has said they will use for their quarterback of the future ? presumably Stanford’s Andrew Luck.

If so, Irsay must decide how much money he wants to invest in one position. Manning signed a five-year, $90 million contract in July and is due that bonus in March. The perennial Pro Bowler is said to be recovering well from his latest surgery, but he will also turn 36 on March 24 ? a little more than two weeks after the March 8 deadline to pay that bonus.

Irsay reiterated Thursday that his choice will come down to Manning’s health, not money.

“I think fans already understand that,” Irsay said when asked whether Manning may have played his final game in Colts’ blue. “This isn’t an ankle, it isn’t a shoulder. Often times the NFL is criticized for putting someone out there at risk, and I’m not going to doing that. I think he and I just need to see where his health is because this isn’t about money or anything else. It’s about his life and his long-term health.”

That’s only the start of the Colts’ questions.

Grigson and Irsay must figure out how to free up salary cap space and what to do with a group of high-priced veterans such as Gary Brackett and Melvin Bullitt, and whether they want to bring back some of their key free agents such as Robert Mathis, Jeff Saturday and Reggie Wayne.

Not surprisingly, Pagano wants as many of those guys back as he can get, including Manning.

“I just came from a great organization and just spent some time with one of the greatest leaders (Ray Lewis) to ever play this game,” Pagano said. “And there’s one of those leaders right here (Manning) and those are the types of individuals and people that you have to surround yourself with.”

But it’s Irsay who must make that decision, and it’s obvious that the two haven’t been talking much lately ? something Irsay acknowledged will change between now and March 8.

“It’s a very simple issue, it’s a health issue,” Irsay said.

“It’s one of those things where just when you think it’s going in the right direction, things change,” he said, explaining later there was no indication Manning has had a setback over the last month. “It’s been very hard on everyone around here, and it’s been very hard on Peyton, too.”

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-26-Colts-Manning/id-f347889272784b6f8bde6c5afff8648e

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TurboTax Premier Online (2011)

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Jan 28

As much as personal tax preparation software and Web sites have evolved over the last 20-plus years, they still can’t anticipate every possible user question or accommodate every imaginable tax scenario.

But Intuit’s TurboTax family of sites comes closer than anyone.

The big takeaway this year is not what’s in TurboTax. It’s where it’s available: everywhere. Intuit’s new mobile offerings make it possible for you to sweat every detail of your 1040 while you’re in your home office, riding the train to work, sitting in a restaurant?anywhere. The entire TurboTax line has been optimized for the Apple iPad, and additional apps are available for the iPhone and Android operating systems.

The other significant piece of news for the 2011 tax year is the availability of tax professionals (CPAs, Enrolled Agents, and tax lawyers) for questions from taxpayers. Unlike in the past, these phone calls and online chats are free, and you can request as many as you’d like.

Little has been done to the core site itself, with one big exception: It’s faster. All of those pretty fonts and icons and graphics have had impact on performance in previous years, but I was pleased to see that speed was improved this go-round.

Versions Galore
I reviewed TurboTax Premier Online 2011. As always, you don’t have to pay until you print or e-file, and pricing remains the same as the 2010 versions: $49.95 for the federal version, and still a whopping $36.95 for state. Though the state version imports the data you so carefully prepare in the federal edition, there’s not nearly as much to it. Granted, every state has different tax laws and they change every year, but this still seems excessive. No other online tax product is as expensive as TurboTax, all things considered.

Each TurboTax site looks and works much like the ones a step lower on the Intuit food chain. But as you go up the chain, each level adds on its own extras and is increasingly sophisticated. Conveniently, you can start your prep on one and transfer your work to another if you find the first one lacking. Competitors also offer multi-tier product lines with in-place upgrading.

A free e-file is included with each of these products:

  • TurboTax Federal Free Edition Online. Actually contains many major forms and schedules, including the 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ; Schedules A and B; several 1099s; and a whole host of others, but it lacks the powerhouse Schedules C-F and step-by-step guidance. State version, $27.95.

  • TurboTax Basic Online. Adds step-by-step help. Federal, $19.95; state $36.95.

  • TurboTax Deluxe Online. Handles more complex deductions, like home mortgages, medical expenses, charitable donations and childcare expenses. Also hunts down those you may have missed. Federal, $29.95; state, $36.95.

  • TurboTax Premier Online. Comes with special guidance and resources for taxpayers who have investments and/or rental property. Federal, $49.95; state, $36.95.

  • TurboTax Home & Business Online. Basic, Deluxe and Premiere include the Schedule C/EZ (a simplified version of the Schedule C), but this top-of-the-line personal tax prep site is the best choice for sole proprietors, consultants, 1099 contractors or single-member LLCs who want extra guidance on entering business income and expenses. Also lets you prepare unlimited W-2 and 1099-MISC forms. Federal, $74.95; state, $36.95.

CD-based desktop versions are still available, but they’re significantly more expensive. H&R Block and TaxACT, too, have desktop versions, but CompleteTax is online-only. For example Premier costs $89.95 direct for the CD or download version.

Guiding You Through
Intuit likes to call TurboTax a GPS for your taxes. It’s an apt description. Thanks to a clear navigational system and a plethora of help resources, you always know where you are, how to get where you’re going, and you can ask questions if you’re lost or don’t understand the freeway signs.

The opening screens ask for your personal information (address, Social Security number, etc.), providing blank fields, check boxes and drop-down lists here and throughout the site (if you’re missing information as you proceed through the site, you can flag it with the tool provided and come back to it later). The program divides the 1040 into its assorted forms and schedules, taking your answers and doing any calculations necessary, and then dropping them into the correct fields in the background.

Moving on, you’ll visit each of four more sections: Federal Taxes, State Taxes, Wrap-Up and Print & File. You’ll do the lion’s share of your work in the first, as it’s divided into:

  • Wages & Income (salaries, interest and dividends, investments, retirement funds, etc.)

  • Deductions & Credits (mortgage interest and property taxes, home energy credits, child and dependent care, charitable donations, medical expenses, estimated taxes, etc.)

  • Other Tax Situations (Alternative Minimum Tax, Underpayment Penalties, Nanny and Household Employee Tax, etc.)

  • Federal Review (list of topics you may have missed; TurboTax will take you to the appropriate screen and bring you back to the review if you’ve forgotten something)

  • Error Check (TurboTax examines your return for errors and opens a small window displaying the related area of the form, so you can fix it)

The Wrap-Up section does a final review, estimates your risk of an audit (no guarantees, of course, but you can pay $39.95 for representation in case the worst happens) and provides some suggestions for next year’s tax planning. Every site offers its own version of these tasks, and while I’ve never found this follow-up to be particularly enlightening, TurboTax does it as well as anyone.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/OlS4nUc5m1A/0,2817,2379132,00.asp

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France to cut Afghan combat role, leave 2013 (Reuters)

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Jan 28

PARIS (Reuters) ? French troops will start handing over security to the Afghan army in March and focus on training until pulling out of Afghanistan completely at the end of 2013, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday.

Sarkozy suspended training and support operations on the ground last week and sent his defense minister and armed forces chief to Kabul after four of their soldiers were killed by a rogue Afghan soldier.

While the French decision was not an outright retreat, the move effectively brings an end to Paris’ frontline military operations, a decision that could prove a boost to Sarkozy ahead of a presidential election.

Paris has 3,600 troops in Afghanistan as part of the 130,000-strong NATO-led force. French troops mainly patrol Kapisa, a mountainous province near Kabul.

Speaking after talks with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in Paris, Sarkozy said France would only have a training-and-support role once Kapisa is handed over.

“President Karzai has assured us that Kapisa province where the French contingent is based will pass under Afghan responsibility from March,” Sarkozy said.

One thousand French troops were due to leave by the end of 2012 and the rest by 2014.

“From that point on France will engage in training and support activities,” Karzai said.

“It is right that Afghanistan has to provide for its own security and protection of its own people and provision of law and order. Afghanistan is now ready to take more of this responsibility.”

In Washington, the State Department gave a measured response to Sarkozy’s decision, which it said had been thoroughly discussed both with NATO and with the Afghan government.

“What we are gratified by is that this was not precipitous, that this was worked through carefully with NATO, with the Afghans and in consultation with all of us,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

“This was a national decision of France. It was done in a managed way. We will all work with it,” Nuland said, referring any questions on the operational impact of the French pullout.

Sarkozy said he would speak with U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday and Paris was preparing a plan to present to NATO at a defense ministers meeting on February 2-3 proposing the handover of all foreign combat operations in Afghanistan next year.

“It’s important that you understand that this agreement was done with President Karzai and with our allies in an organized and reasonable manner,” Sarkozy said. “Our soldiers have done a tremendous job in Kapisa. We are not an occupying force.”

ELECTION BOOST

Sarkozy said French troops would resume training operations tomorrow after receiving security guarantees from Karzai and the two leaders would also ask NATO to look deeper into the problem of Taliban infiltrators in the Afghan army and police.

Sarkozy’s Socialist rival Francois Hollande, who is comfortably ahead in the polls, has pledged to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of this year if he wins the election held in two rounds in April and May.

In a CSA survey published on Thursday, 84 percent of people said they were in favor of troops leaving by the end of 2012.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has ruled out a “hasty” retreat and most analysts believe it will technically be difficult for Paris to drop out of the NATO-led coalition so quickly.

“Announcing a French withdrawal could set off panic among other European countries in Afghanistan,” said military analyst Jean-Dominique Merchet.

The killings in the Taghab valley of Afghanistan’s eastern Kapisa province were the latest in a series of incidents in which Afghan troops have turned on Western allies.

More than 2,500 foreign soldiers have died in Afghanistan since 2001. The latest killings take the French toll to 82.

NATO has been rapidly expanding the Afghan security forces so that they will be able to take over all responsibility for security when Western combat forces leave in 2014.

Kabul and Paris also signed a cooperation treaty for post- 2014. The agreement will see several hundred French military advisers stay to continue training Afghan soldiers and police. It will also set out several scientific, cultural, technical and infrastructure accords for various sectors ranging over agriculture, health and transport.

(Reporting By John Irish)

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

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Health Tip: Manage Pain During Childbirth (HealthDay)

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Jan 27

(HealthDay News) — Pain is a virtual certainty during childbirth, but there are ways to ease the discomfort without medication.

The womenshealth.gov website mentions these no-medication possibilities:

  • Practicing relaxation and breathing techniques.
  • Relaxing in a warm shower or bath, or getting a gentle massage.
  • Receiving hot and cold therapy, including placing a cool washcloth on the forehead or a heating pad on the lower back.
  • Seeking the care and support of a doula, nurse or loved one.
  • Trying various positions to get more comfortable, from crouching to walking.
  • Listening to soothing music.
  • Using a labor ball.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120127/hl_hsn/healthtipmanagepainduringchildbirth

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Daniel Radcliffe dishes on post `Potter’ life (AP)

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Jan 27

NEW YORK ? Daniel Radcliffe had to decide what his first starring film role would be after the “Harry Potter” franchise ended in 2011, and he didn’t make that decision lightly.

Despite demonstrating his acting range by starring in “Equus” and “How to Succeed in Business” on Broadway, the pressure was on for Radcliffe to prove he could play more than Potter on the big screen.

He chose “The Woman in Black,” a dark thriller about a recently widowed father who is haunted by his wife’s death. The movie will be in theaters Feb. 3.

“I never expected the first thing I did after `Potter’ to be a horror film or anything like that. That was one of the reasons it was intriguing to me as well because it was so unexpected,” Radcliffe said in a recent interview. He also talked about growing up fast, getting praise from actor Sean Connery, who starred in James Bond films, and why he isn’t ready to marry his longtime girlfriend.

AP: You knew the world was watching to see what movie you picked after “Harry Potter” ended. Why did you decide on “The Woman in Black”?

Radcliffe: This film is a film that has a great story but it is driven by characters at the heart of it. It fit in perfectly. It was going to be filming when I was on break from finishing “Potter” and starring in “How to Succeed,” so it was perfectly timed out. Also, when I was reading the script, I was surprised to be enjoying a horror film because I have never gravitated towards that in my own life.

AP: Did any former child stars, or people who have made the transition from doing iconic roles to having diverse careers give you advice about how to avoid being typecast?

Radcliffe: Not particularly, but I did hear the other day from a friend of mine who is friends with Sean Connery and apparently Sean Connery asked him to pass along to me how well he thought I was doing and how well I seem to be handling everything and making good choices. For me, that was great because he is a great actor. He had this amazing start to his career in Bond and managed to create a fantastic career for himself outside that, so to hear that from him was very flattering.

AP: You play a father in this role. Did you feel that was a stretch?

Radcliffe: It is very hard to create that chemistry with a 4-year-old boy who you have never met before and who is stepping onto a film set going, “What in the hell is all of this?” That was one of the reasons that I suggested (director) James (Watkins) audition my real-life godson who auditioned and was great and is great in the film. At the time when we were filming, I was so obsessed with him having a good time and making sure he wasn’t cold or wasn’t freaking out that I didn’t really pay attention to the fact that he is actually quite a good little actor.

AP: This movie is dark, but it is also about love. Did you think about the love you have for your longtime girlfriend, Rosanne Coker, for inspiration?

Radcliffe: At the time we had been filming this we had only been going out for a couple of months. There is actually one shot in the film where Rosie had to play the woman in black because we didn’t have a double for her that day so she is actually in one of the reveal shots in the film. She is going to kill me for telling you that. I don’t think I probably drew on things at that time, but I am sure now I will probably use ? the fear of losing her will be a very good motivating tool.

AP: Are you thinking of marriage?

Radcliffe: Who knows. God, I am not even thinking about that for a long time.

___

Online:

http://danradcliffe.com/

___

Alicia Quarles is the AP’s global entertainment editor. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/aliciaquarles

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_en_mo/us_film_q_a_daniel_radcliffe

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