Bleach:Royal Guard arc (People needed!)

Plot: The Soul King has become corrupted, tainted by an unknown assailant, leaving the Royal Guard resolving the matter by binding the King within a crystallized form and shattering it into several planes of the Bleach Universe. With no time to lose, the enigmatic Royal Guard reveal themselves for the greater good, to humans and Soul Society, in hopes of finding the shards and purifying the once great King to his former self.

Timeline: 1 year after the Fullbring arc.

Note: I'm keeping this as true to the series as I can, meaning there will be no new human force or Gotei 13, we'll still be having all the original characters and they too will be vacant for use. There will be several additions such as~
*Five Royal Guards
*Consort to the Soul King
*Royal Family

There will also be returning characters, but until this gets started, I won't spoil just yet with it all.

Info for the Royal Guard

Name:
Bio:
Zanpakuto:
Shikai:
(Abilities x2)
Bankai:
(Abilities x3)
With customs, you will have to mail me your character so it can be reviewed for it's validation and also, nothing too over-powered, want to keep it true to the series.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/dspSwNInBh4/viewtopic.php

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ARM boosts profits by 45 percent, strengthens grip on the universe

The British chip designer continued last year's growth streak with a 45 percent surge in quarterly normalized pre-tax profits compared to Q4 2010. Revenues also rose by 21 percent to £137.8 million ($217 million) -- not bad for a company that started out with twelve engineers in a barn. There's nothing complicated about CEO Warren East's explanation of the results -- he simply says that his company sold more designs to "more new customers" and also raked in more royalties from existing deals. Unless the global economies suffers badly in 2012, ARM says it expects to meet market expectations, targeting an annual profit of $860 million this year.

ARM boosts profits by 45 percent, strengthens grip on the universe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/lovAS4GKJxQ/

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EU leaders seek growth as Greece crisis looms

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, and Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti speak together prior to a meeting at the European Council in Brussels ahead of the European Union leaders summit, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders were trying Monday to come up with ways to boost economic growth and jobs, which are being squeezed by their own governments' steep budget cuts across the continent. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, pool) FRANCE MAGS OUT

Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, left, speaks with Czech Republic's Prime Minister Petr Necas during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, walks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. European leaders will try to come up with ways to boost growth despite steep budget cuts across the continent when they meet in Brussels on Monday. The 27 heads of state and government will get a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment as they try to get to the summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

BRUSSELS (AP) ? With another recession looming, European leaders on Monday met in Brussels to discuss ways to stimulate growth and create badly needed jobs, even as they drew up tighter spending limits to avoid a repeat of the crippling debt crisis.

Europe's debt crisis has put the continent and its leaders in an almost impossible situation. While they have to slash their deficits to reassure investors reluctant to lend to them, the debt crisis has also hammered the so-called "real economy," sending unemployment soaring. Many think that only government spending can restart growth.

While the 27 EU leaders meeting in Brussels will focus on walking the fine line between reining in spending and stimulating growth, the elephant in room is Greece.

Greece and its bondholders have come closer to a deal to significantly reduce the country's debt and pave the way for it to receive a much-needed euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout.

Negotiators for Greece's private creditors said Saturday that a debt-reduction deal could become final within the next week. If the agreement works as planned, it could help Greece avoid a catastrophic default, which would be a blow to Europe's already weak financial system.

But European officials are afraid that even that deal may not be enough to fix Greece's finances, with some blaming Athens for dithering in its austerity promises.

German officials over the weekend proposed that Athens temporarily cede control over tax and spending decisions to a powerful eurozone budget commissioner before it can secure further bailouts.

The idea proved immediately controversial ? both the European Commission and the Greek government refuted it ? to the point that German Chancellor Angela Merkel pulled back on the idea when she arrived in Brussels.

She said Europe had to support Greece in implementing promised austerity and reform measures, "but all that will only work if Greece and all other states discuss this together."

Luxembourg Prime Minister, and head of the group of eurozone finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters as he entered the summit that Greece couldn't be singled out.

"I'm strongly against the idea of imposing the debt commissioner only to Greece, that's just not acceptable" neither for Greece nor the rest of Europe, Juncker said.

The negotiations in Greece are crucial because it is clear that Athens will never be able to pay off all of its debts, especially as austerity measures take their toll on its anemic economy. Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, cautioned against punishing Greece too severely.

"Greece needs an economic relaunch today and not in 2016," he told reporters on the sidelines of the summit. "So why not put together a stimulus package today instead of discussing another time a reduction in spending in a country that's in an economic depression?

He said that there are European funds for that kind of stimulus, but unlocking them has always posed a challenge.

The European Commission has proposed to summit leaders that euro82 billion in existing development funds be redirected toward countries in dire need of help to fix their labor markets.

Greece is not alone in facing slow growth and high unemployment. In Spain, for example, unemployment has soared to nearly 23 percent and closed in on 50 percent for those under age 25, leaving more than 5 million people ? or almost one out of every four ? out of work as the country slides toward recession.

Even countries in the so-called European "core" ? which are generally better off ? are suffering. The French government was forced Monday to revise down its growth forecast for the year from 1 percent to just 0.5 percent.

In fact, many now fear that Europe is on the verge of another recession, and leaders gathering Brussels said that spurring growth would be the focus of their talks Monday.

A draft of the summit conclusions, obtained by The Associated Press, proposes reducing barriers to do business across the EU's 27 states and giving better training to young people, who are particularly hard-hit by unemployment.

But it does not contain any new financial stimulus to boost growth, even though turning around Europe's economy would likely require more stimulus from governments, which are currently under pressure to cut ? rather than increase ? spending.

"We have to have balanced budgets and at the same time focus on growth and jobs," said Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt of Denmark, which holds the rotating presidency of European Council. "It is possible to both at the same time and it is important to understand that these are two sides of the same coin."

The 27 heads of state and government got a taste of the popular frustration with austerity and high unemployment on their way to Monday's summit in a city paralyzed by strikes. Leaders had to fly into the military airport of Beauvechain 20 miles (30 kilometers) outside of Brussels after the city's main airport was shutdown by a 24-hour strike.

Belgium's three main unions joined forces in the walkout to protest national budgetary measures that have in part been imposed on the country by the EU. If the country hadn't met cost-cutting targets, financial sanctions would have been imposed.

Monday's strike has been mirrored in many other member states. Overall, 23 million people are jobless across the EU, 10 percent of the active population.

"Europe has to offer jobs, social protection and perspective for the future. Otherwise it risks losing the support of its citizens," said the strike manifesto of the ACV union.

___

Associated Press writers Don Melvin, Robert Wielaard and Raf Casert contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-30-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis/id-2e0a24c13814470eab68c2bc10ad5e64

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Oil near $99 in Asia amid Iran supply concerns (AP)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ? Oil fell to nearly $99 a barrel Monday in Asia as tensions in Iran offset fresh concerns that the eurozone may refuse to grant Greece a fresh bailout.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 49 cents at $99.07 a barrel at midday Kuala Lumpur time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 14 cents to finish at $99.56 on Friday.

Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, said crude prices were volatile after Germany's finance minister warned that the euro zone might not give Greece a fresh bailout unless it can overhaul its state and economy. Analysts fear this could reignite the region's debt crisis.

European leaders were to meet later Monday in Brussels to discuss austerity measures and a tentative deal reached Saturday between Greece and its private investors to avert a disastrous Greek default on its debt.

Shum said supply concerns also weighed on the market although Iran has postponed plans to immediately cut the flow of crude oil to Europe in retaliation for EU sanctions over its nuclear program.

Iran also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil passage, and the head of its national oil company warned Sunday that EU sanctions could push oil prices up to between $120 and $150 a barrel. The market is also awaiting report from an International Atomic Energy Agency team that is currently touring Tehran, Shum said.

"Trade has been flat. The geopolitical tension in Iran and concerns over Greece's debt default are driving oil in different directions. This has helped oil to hold steady," Shum added.

In other energy trading, heating oil rose 0.5 cents to $3.063 per gallon but gasoline futures fell 2.3 cents to $2.90 per gallon. Natural gas added 6.9 cents to $2.83 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_re_as/oil_prices

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911 call reveals frantic efforts to help Moore (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A 911 recording revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her.

Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording released Friday by Los Angeles fire officials.

The woman tells emergency operators that Moore, 49, had smoked something before she was rushed to the hospital on Monday night and that she had been "having issues lately."

"Is she breathing normal?" the operator asks.

"No, not so normal. More kind of shaking, convulsing, burning up," the friend says as she hurries to Moore's side, on the edge of panic.

Another woman is next to Moore as the dispatcher asks if she's responsive.

"Demi, can you hear me?" she asks. "Yes, she's squeezing hands. ... She can't speak."

When the operator asks what Moore ingested or smoked, the friend replies, but the answer was redacted.

Asked if Moore took the substance intentionally or not, the woman says Moore ingested it on purpose but the reaction was accidental.

"Whatever she took, make sure you have it out for the paramedics," the operator says.

The operator asks the friend if this has happened before.

"I don't know," she says. "There's been some stuff recently that we're all just finding out."

Moore's publicist, Carrie Gordon, said previously that the actress sought professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. She would not comment further on the emergency call or provide details about the nature or location of Moore's treatment.

The past few months have been rocky for Moore.

She released a statement in November announcing she had decided to end her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, 33, following news of alleged infidelity. The two were known to publicly share their affection for one another via Twitter.

Moore still has a Twitter account under the name mrskutcher but has not posted any messages since Jan. 7.

Meanwhile, Millennium Films announced Friday that Sarah Jessica Parker will replace Moore in the role of feminist Gloria Steinem in its production of "Lovelace," a biopic about the late porn star Linda Lovelace. A statement gave no reason for the change. The production, starring Amanda Seyfried, has been shooting in Los Angeles since Dec. 20.

During the call, the woman caller says the group of friends had turned Moore's head to the side and was holding her down. The dispatcher tells her not to hold her down but to wipe her mouth and nose and watch her closely until paramedics arrive.

"Make sure that we keep an airway open," the dispatcher says. "Even if she passes out completely, that's OK. Stay right with her."

The phone is passed around by four people, including a woman who gives directions to the gate and another who recounts details about what Moore smoked or ingested. Finally, the phone is given to a man named James, so one of the women can hold Moore's head.

There was some confusion at the beginning of the call. The emergency response was delayed by nearly two minutes as Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dispatchers sorted out which city had jurisdiction over the street where Moore lives.

As the call is transferred to Beverly Hills, the frantic woman at Moore's house raises her voice and said, "Why is an ambulance not on its way right now?"

"Ma'am, instead of arguing with me why an ambulance is not on the way, can you spell (the street name) for me?" the Beverly Hills dispatcher says.

Although the estate is located in the 90210 ZIP code above Benedict Canyon, the response was eventually handled by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

By the end of the call, Moore has improved.

"She seems to have calmed down now. She's speaking," the male caller told the operator.

Moore and Kutcher were wed in September 2005.

Kutcher became a stepfather to Moore's three daughters ? Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle ? from her 13-year marriage to actor Bruce Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000 but remained friendly.

Moore can be seen on screen in the recent films "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day." Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and a Half Men" and is part of the ensemble film "New Year's Eve."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_en_mo/us_people_demi_moore

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Selig to decide Epstein compensation

updated 8:12 p.m. ET Jan. 27, 2012

CHICAGO - Commissioner Bud Selig will decide what compensation the Boston Red Sox will receive for Theo Epstein's move to the Chicago Cubs.

Epstein left as Boston's general manager with a year left on his contract to become president of baseball operations for the Cubs.

Epstein got a five-year, $18.5 million deal in late October. But the two teams have not been able to agree on compensation and now it's up to Selig.

Selig said Friday night he'd like to have it done as quickly as possible. He said he gave the clubs more latitude in hopes they'd reach an agreement, but they couldn't. Selig said now it's his decision and that's OK, all part of the job.

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

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46170556/ns/sports-baseball/

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Five dead in poll violence in India's Manipur state (Reuters)

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) ? Five people were killed in election related violence in India's isolated, northeastern state of Manipur, police said on Saturday.

Among those who died were a woman, a security guard and three election duty staff, when suspected tribal rebels attacked a polling booth in the state's Chandel district.

"The militants are suspected to be from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland faction," a police officer said.

No group, however, has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Strife-ridden Manipur, bordering Myanmar, is the first of five Indian states to go to polls in early 2012 to elect a state legislature.

The Congress party, which leads the federal coalition government, is expected to retain office.

CorCom, an alliance of seven separatist Manipuri groups who view India as a colonial power, blamed the Congress government for "degeneration of the Manipuri society ... to the present state of social, moral, economic and political bankruptcy."

"We are fighting against the Indian occupation of Manipur. So as a part of fighting Indian occupation we ban the Congress and their agents in Manipur," the alliance said in an e-mail received by Reuters late on Friday.

The group claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on a Congress candidate's home last week.

(Additional reporting and writing by Arup Roychoudhury in NEW DELHI; Editing by Ed Lane)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/wl_nm/us_india_election_manipur

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NY inmate guilty of seeking $890M in tax refunds

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) ? A jury has convicted a New York prison inmate of falsely filing tax returns seeking $890 million in refunds.

Prosecutors say the man filed the bogus returns from 2006 to 2010 while at various state prisons. They say he even was issued a refund for $327,000 ? but prison officials intercepted the check and returned it to the Internal Revenue Service, which led the investigation.

The man was convicted Thursday of 11 counts of filing false claims and one count of helping another inmate file bogus returns.

He was serving two to four years for possession of stolen property when he was charged last February. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count when he's sentenced in May.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-01-27-Inmate-Tax%20Fraud/id-dc7d6ad7032749e484df9a85639d90f9

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Apple iPad now has 58% market share

Android powers on with added steam from the Kindle and Nook

The latest figures for the tablet market have been published by Strategy Analytics.

And the analyst firm has recorded more slippage in slate market share for Apple. The figures are for Q4 2011 market share, and show that the iPad has dropped to 58% from 68% in the final quarter of 2010.

That?s a considerable chunk of the market to lose to Android, which now holds 39%, up 10% year-on-year. The 40% mark is a figure that, earlier last year, some analysts were predicting Android would only reach in 2014.

Apparently the Kindle Fire and Nook budget Android slates represent some 40% of the Android slate share, so are currently driving the droid tablet world in the catch-up stakes, as anticipated.

Of course, these are estimates for tablets shipped, and how many are actually sold to consumers is another matter which is entirely more difficult to quantify.

Apple does tend to keep its inventory moving tightly with demand, and of course, the iPad 3 is just around the corner which could ? and very likely will ? change the market again.

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, commented: ?Android captured a record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units.?

?Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android?s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.?

Global tablet shipments were 67 million units for 2011, up 260% on the previous year. The analyst firm noted consumers were increasingly purchasing tablets rather than laptops or even entry-level desktops.

Source: http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2012/01/27/apple-ipad-now-has-58-market-share/

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Mozilla to overhaul Firefox's default home and tab pages

Despite Mozilla kicking its release schedule into overdrive, not all parts of Firefox have gotten the tender love and care they truly deserve. Take for example, the browser's default homepage, which hasn't evolved much since its humble beginnings nearly a decade ago. That'll change soon in a two pronged effort, with Mozilla first adding a function bar to version 12 (seen after the break), followed by a later and more extensive revamp (up-top) which incorporates apps, top sites and chat functionality. Also planned is a Chrome and Safari-esque Top Sites "New Tab" view and savvy URL autocompletion in the address bar. A more in-depth preview awaits at the source, or we suppose, you could live dangerously and hop aboard Mozilla's nightly release train. You decide.

Continue reading Mozilla to overhaul Firefox's default home and tab pages

Mozilla to overhaul Firefox's default home and tab pages originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/28/mozilla-to-overhaul-firefoxs-default-home-and-tab-pages/

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Drew Carey & Fiancee Split (omg!)

Drew Carey has ended his engagement to fiancee Nicole Jaracz.

According to People, the former couple has split after dating for close to five years.

PLAY IT NOW: Seal Opens Up On His Split From Heidi Klum On ?The Ellen DeGeneres Show?

"He and Nicole still have a great deal of love and affection for one another," a rep for "The Price Is Right" host said in a statement. "He will still be very involved with their son's life."

Nicole has a son, Connor, 6, from a previous relationship.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebs Who Moved To Splitsville In 2012

After losing more than 70 pounds in 2010, Drew told Parade magazine that Connor helped inspired him to shed the weight.

"I thought, I'm never going to see him graduate high school," he said at the time, noting that he would get winded while trying to keep up with active tyke.

The couple announced their engagement in October 2007.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Engaged! Stars Who Are Getting Ready To Tie The Knot

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_drew_carey_fiancee_split204743717/44318752/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/drew-carey-fiancee-split-204743717.html

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Chavez taps hardline generals for inner circle (AP)

CARACAS, Venezuela ? President Hugo Chavez has been filling top posts in Venezuela's armed forces with hardline political loyalists, raising concerns among critics that the military leaders might not accept the results of this year's election if it goes against him.

The man named defense minister this month, Gen. Henry Rangel Silva, has been the bluntest: "A hypothetical opposition government starting in 2012 would be selling out the country; the Armed Force is not going to accept that," he told a Venezuelan newspaper in 2010.

Rangel had joined Chavez in a 1992 attempt to overthrow the president of the time, as did Chavez's newly appointed Military Aviation commander, Gen. Jose Gregorio Perez Escalona. The new head of another key military branch, the National Guard, also is tightly tied to the leftist leader.

"With this maneuver, Chavez aims to consolidate loyalties within his most radical sector," said Rocio San Miguel, leader of the watchdog organization Citizen Control, which focuses on national security and defense issues.

She said Rangel's appointment seems aimed at intimidating opponents by "making it look like the most radical sector has the firepower, has the weapons of the republic and accompanies (Chavez) with absolute loyalty."

The changes in the military leadership emphasize a long-term commitment to Chavez's socialist-inspired policies at a time when some Venezuelans are wondering whether the president has fully beaten cancer, as he says he has. Chavez says tests have shown he is cancer-free following chemotherapy treatments last year.

As Chavez starts campaigning for the Oct. 7 election, a politicized military leadership allows him to reward his most loyal backers while also projecting an image of strength.

Chavez, who according to recent polls has approval ratings above 50 percent, has assured opponents he would hand over the presidency if defeated.

Yet opposition leaders have been alarmed by the open political allegiance of the newly appointed generals, and especially Rangel's outspoken support of Chavez's political movement. The opposition has urged Rangel to abide by the military's traditionally apolitical role.

The U.S. government has also accused Rangel of having ties to leftist Colombian rebels and aiding drug trafficking.

"They don't have a single bit of proof," Chavez said at Rangel's swearing-in last week, calling the accusations against him an attack on the military.

During his 13 years in office, Chavez has long promoted trusted officers and has increasingly sought to put his political stamp on the military command. Chavez survived a failed 2002 coup in which dissident military officers were involved, and has since tried to ensure tighter control.

Chavez also instituted a new official salute, "Socialist fatherland or death," which he later changed during his cancer struggle to "Independence and socialist fatherland."

Some former military officers have complained of being pushed aside and stripped of duties due to their dissent.

This month's reshuffling emphasized generals with whom Chavez has especially strong ties.

Rangel, a former chief of the country's civilian intelligence agency, participated in the failed 1992 coup led by Chavez, who was then a lieutenant colonel.

Perez Escalona, Chavez's newly appointed Military Aviation chief, also was involved in the 1992 coup, as was Gen. Euclides Amador Campos Aponte, whom Chavez appointed army chief in 2010.

The new commander of the National Guard, Gen. Juan Francisco Romero Figueroa, is a former deputy minister for citizen security who has been involved in operations to disperse opposition protests.

Last month, Chavez replaced his longtime chief of the military intelligence agency, Gen. Hugo Carvajal, choosing Gen. Wilfredo Figueroa Chacin, who had been in charge of presidential security.

San Miguel said that while the new military commanders are staunchly pro-Chavez, the bulk of the military remains apolitical and would likely favor respecting the electoral result, even if it goes against Chavez.

If the opposition were to win by a narrow margin, she said, "it could happen that this apex of the military high command leans toward the status quo, that's to say Chavez staying in power, all of which opens the floodgates to very dangerous situations."

As the campaign heats up ahead of a Feb. 12 opposition primary, Chavez's challengers have denounced the political slant in Chavez's military appointments.

"What these actions are intended to do is generate fear," opposition contender Maria Corina Machado said.

The president has stood by Rangel through a series of controversies.

In 2007, when scandal erupted over the discovery of a suitcase filled with $800,000 in cash being smuggled from Venezuela to Argentina, witnesses testified in U.S. court that Rangel had been involved in an attempted cover-up.

In 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Rangel and two other members of Chavez's inner circle of helping leftist Colombian rebels by supplying arms and aiding drug trafficking operations.

Rangel's name again surfaced in documents found on computers belonging to Raul Reyes, a leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who was killed in a 2008 Colombian bombardment of a rebel camp.

One 2007 message between the rebels, which was among files released last year, described Rangel as a "good friend" of the rebel commander Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez, who has since been named the rebels' chief. Chavez has suggested he believes the documents are politically motivated fabrications.

Chavez's ally and mentor Fidel Castro has also defended Rangel, saying in an essay published Thursday that the general is "an intelligent and sincere man, capable and at the same time modest."

The changes in military leadership have coincided with other unexpected announcements by Chavez. He said that Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and Vice President Elias Jaua will be candidates for state governors, appearing to relegate them to less-powerful roles.

Meanwhile, Diosdado Cabello, a former military officer and vice president, took over earlier this month as the new National Assembly president. Chavez said Cabello had been named due to support within his socialist party.

As for the newly promoted generals, Chavez says they lead a military that is becoming progressively "more revolutionary, socialist, committed."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_chavez_military

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Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.

This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:

"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):

"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."

There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.

Continue reading Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gov. pitching Conn. to business leaders in Davos (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says he's pitching Connecticut as a good place to do business at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Malloy told reporters during a conference call Thursday that he's spoken with financial services firms, as well as technology, energy and bio-science companies that might be interested in bringing their operations to the state. Malloy said the discussions were mostly exploratory, but he believes it's important to make sure they know more about Connecticut

The Democratic governor was invited to attend the exclusive meeting of government and business leaders and VIPs. It runs through Sunday. He's participating in several panel discussions.

The cost of the trip, estimated at $4,500, is being covered by the University of Connecticut Foundation.

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

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Archivist challenges Kremlin in Wallenberg saga (AP)

MOSCOW ? A former senior Russian archive official says he saw a file that could shed light on Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg's fate ? challenging the insistence of Russia's KGB successor agency that it has no documents regarding the man who saved tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary before disappearing into the hands of Soviet secret police.

Anatoly Prokopenko, 78, told The Associated Press that in 1991 he saw a thick dossier containing numerous references to Wallenberg that suggested he was being spied upon by a Russian aristocrat working for Soviet intelligence. Russian officials later said the file didn't exist, in line with blanket denials of having information on Wallenberg.

"That file is extremely interesting, because it could allow us to determine the reasons behind his arrest," Prokopenko said, while acknowledging he had only a few minutes to flip through hundreds of pages of documents.

As Sweden's envoy to Nazi-occupied Hungary, Wallenberg saved 20,000 Jews by giving them Swedish travel documents or moving them to safe houses, and managed to dissuade Nazi officers from massacring the 70,000 inhabitants of the city's ghetto. The 32-year-old diplomat was arrested by the Soviets in January 1945 when the Red Army stormed Budapest, and imprisoned in Moscow.

The Soviets had stubbornly denied that Wallenberg was in their custody before issuing a 1957 announcement that he had died on July 17, 1947, in his prison cell of a sudden heart attack. They stonewalled international demands for information about his fate, and rejected allegations that Wallenberg could have lived as a prisoner under a different identify as late as the 1980s.

Prokopenko said that in the fall of 1991, on an inspection tour of the main KGB archive in a tightly guarded facility outside Moscow, he came across a hefty dossier on Count Mikhail Tolstoy-Kutuzov, a Russian aristocrat who left Russia after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and worked alongside Wallenberg in Budapest.

Prokopenko said that he only had a few minutes to peek at the dossier, but he saw Wallenberg's name mentioned repeatedly in what appeared to be Tolstoy-Kutuzov's reports to his handlers in Soviet intelligence.

"I realized that he was following every step Wallenberg made," Prokopenko said.

Prokopenko was fired just over a year later and deprived of his access to the archives ? a move Prokopenko attributes to his efforts to reveal secret Soviet archives to the public.

He said he advised Guy von Dardel, Wallenberg's half-brother who spent years searching for clues to his fate, to ask the KGB successor agency for permission to see the files on Tolstoy-Kutuzov. They turned him down, saying that no such files existed.

When von Dardel said that he knew from Prokopenko that this wasn't true, officials asked him to come back in a few days and handed him a dossier that contained only a few pages lacking any reference to Wallenberg.

Prokopenko said that Stalin's secret police possibly suspected Wallenberg of being involved in secret contacts between the Western allies and the Nazis and were eager to learn about his connections.

Wallenberg had been recruited for his rescue mission in Budapest by a U.S. intelligence agent, with Swedish government approval, on behalf of the War Refugee Board created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But he is not known to have been engaged in intelligence-gathering.

Susanne Berger, a German researcher who advised a Swedish-Russian working group that conducted a 10-year investigation that ended in 2001, backs Prokopenko's view that the Soviets likely saw Wallenberg as a valuable source of intelligence.

"The Soviet leadership was particularly paranoid about what it perceived as a possible Anglo-American conspiracy against Soviet interests," she said in e-mailed comments.

Berger added that Stalin might have hoped to use Wallenberg for future bargaining with the West.

"The most likely reason for Stalin to arrest Raoul Wallenberg would have been to use him as some kind of 'asset,' to bargain or negotiate for," Berger said. "Stalin may have felt that with Raoul Wallenberg, scion of a powerful Western business family, he held a rather interesting bargaining chip."

The former archivist said KGB officers privately told him that Wallenberg was killed because his refusal to cooperate made him a liability. "They couldn't have set him free, they would have needed to liquidate him," Prokopenko said.

The chief of the archives of the FSB, the main KGB successor agency, admitted in a rare interview with the AP in September that the Soviet version that Wallenberg died of a heart attack could have been fabricated and that his captors may have "helped him die." Lt. Gen. Vasily Khristoforov said that all documents related to Wallenberg likely had been destroyed back in the 1950s and denied that his agency was withholding any information related to his case.

Prokopenko, who headed the Special Archive containing documents from 20 European countries in the waning years of the Soviet Union, allowed researchers working for an international commission investigating Wallenberg's fate to search for clues to Wallenberg's fate amid Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's openness campaign.

They quickly found a document on Wallenberg's transfer from one Soviet prison to another, but the KGB immediately learned of the effort and ordered them out.

Prokopenko lost his job soon afterward, but continued his work to open the archives under the government of Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia until he lost his post of the deputy chief of the Russian state archive agency in early 1993.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_wallenberg

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House GOP to draft bill replacing Obama health law (AP)

WASHINGTON ? House Republican leaders are drafting a bill to replace President Barack Obama's health care overhaul if the Supreme Court strikes it down this summer.

Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts, chairman of a health care panel, says the GOP leadership wants to seize the opportunity if Obama's signature legislation is ruled unconstitutional.

The Republican bill would include malpractice reform, high-risk insurance pools for people with pre-existing conditions, tax breaks for individuals and small businesses, and would allow people to buy cheaper coverage from insurers in another state.

The House voted to repeal the health care law last year, but the Democratic-led Senate refused and replacement legislation languished.

Pitts told reporters Wednesday his personal opinion is that some parts of Obama's law will survive.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_on_re_us/us_health_overhaul_house_gop

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John Travolta's stolen vintage Mercedes recovered in pieces (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Film star John Travolta's vintage Mercedes-Benz, stolen from a Los Angeles suburb, has been recovered in pieces and two men have been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

Travolta's convertible 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280-SL vanished from the street in Santa Monica while the "Pulp Fiction" star was visiting a nearby Jaguar dealership in September.

Michael Green, 58, and D.L. Rayford, 52, were taken into custody in December by members of a law enforcement task force investigating a sophisticated car-theft ring, Santa Monica police Sergeant Richard Lewis said.

"Through the collaborative efforts of investigators ... two individuals were identified as suspects relating to the theft of Mr. Travolta's Mercedes, and were arrested by investigators from the task force," Lewis said.

Lewis said leads developed following the theft led investigators to a "chop shop," where stolen vehicles were found, including parts of the actor's car.

"It was not recovered in whole, it was chopped," Lewis said. "We have numerous pieces recovered but not the entire car."

He said the arrests were not announced earlier to avoid compromising a larger investigation into the car theft ring.

Both Green and Rayford were charged with grand theft auto, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman said.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/people_nm/us_travolta_mercedes

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Sony reminds Japan that Walkmans still exist, new E series packs built-in noise cancellation

The latest addition Walkman series continues the petite styling we've seen over the years, and Sony's cheerleading that it's both thinner (9.1mm) and lighter (37g) than its predecessor. The E-series includes a 1.4-inch colour LCD display, while we're promised at around 30 hours of music playback per charge. Alongside the standard NW-E060 model (9,000 yen, $116) the NW-E060K (11,000 yen, $142) throws in a plug-in speaker. Both models offer noise-cancelling features and promise to cut surrounding noise by around 98 percent, with train, flight and indoor modes hopefully able to absorb most audio irritations.

The new music players are joined by a pair of new docks. The RDP-NWG400B (13,000 yen, $181) can connect to devices through Bluetooth, while the RDP-NWM7 (8,000 yen, $140) wants to take your music outside, bigging up the built-in handle for that very reason. Both are available now in white and black. No news on whether the player refreshes and docks will travel beyond the Land of the Rising Sun, but we'd imagine it's pretty likely. Check out the docks after the break and get the whole (Google-translated) picture at the source below.

Continue reading Sony reminds Japan that Walkmans still exist, new E series packs built-in noise cancellation

Sony reminds Japan that Walkmans still exist, new E series packs built-in noise cancellation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitt?s TPS Reports Always Have the New Cover Sheet (Balloon Juice)

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Roche plans a tender offer for DNA co Illumina

Swiss drugmaker Roche said early Wednesday that it plans to offer shareholders $5.7 billion for DNA diagnostics company Illumina.

Roche Holding AG said the deal would accelerate routine clinical use of DNA testing. And it said that buying San Diego-based Illumina Inc. will strengthen Roche's position in diagnostics because the companies' technologies are complementary.

Roche's planned tender offer of $44.50 per share would represent an 18 percent premium over Tuesday's closing price of $37.69 for Illumina shares.

Roche said the offer price also is 64 percent higher than the last closing price before speculation surfaced in December that Roche was considering acquiring Illumina.

Roche, which has more than 80,000 employees and specializes in cancer diagnosis and diabetes management, said it has tried to negotiate a deal, but Illumina has declined to participate.

The deal will depend on a majority of Illumina shareholders tendering their stock.

Illumina representatives did not return calls for comment overnight. But the company released a statement acknowledging the unsolicited offer and advising shareholders not to respond until Illumina's board issues a recommendation. Illumina said the board will thoroughly review Roche's proposal.

Roche said it plans to nominate a slate of independent candidates for a majority of the seats on Illumina's board of directors and to propose measures for shareholders to consider at their 2012 annual meeting.

Roche CEO Severin Schwan said Roche remains open to talking with Illumina and developing a joint strategy for the combined businesses.

If the buyout proceeds, Roche plans to move the headquarters for its applied science business to San Diego but maintain operations for the unit in Penzberg, Germany, where it's now based.

Roche Chairman Franz Humer said in a letter to Illumina President and CEO Jay Flatley included in Roche's statement that Roche hopes to retain Illumina's managers and employees.

Illumina's board confirmed last week that it wasn't interested in negotiating a deal, according to Humer's letter. It plans to announce its fourth-quarter results and hold a conference call with investors on Tuesday.

Illumina shares, which rose $1.38, or 3.8 percent, to close Tuesday at $37.69, didn't change with the news. They had risen 2 cents soon after U.S. stock markets closed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-25-Roche-Ilumina/id-2503667f169a4f1e83c354129c741d7d

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Vt. unemployment rate drops to 5.1 percent (AP)

MONTPELIER, Vt. ? Labor officials say Vermont's unemployment rate has dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest statewide rate since October of 2008.

The national rate is 8.5 percent.

Department of Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan said Tuesday that Vermont appears to be making headway in its economic recovery.

She says she hopes Vermont employers will continue to work with the Labor Department to recruit employees because there are many Vermonters who want to work and need a chance at a job to prove themselves.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_december_vermont

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Why 'Welfare Queen' Stories Will Never Die (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | John Blake at CNN discusses the return of Ronald Reagan's "Welfare Queen" through the current presidential campaign of the three leading Republicans. Reagan brought up the "Welfare Queen" story in 1976 during his first presidential candidacy, and today critics contend Newt Gingrich, winner of the recent South Carolina GOP primary, is trying to bring back the stereotype through his assertions that Barack Obama is a "food stamp" president and that black people should "want a job" and not a "handout."

Many people apparently think the unnamed "Welfare Queen" is a racist stereotype of a black woman. Blake discusses the allegation and insists Republicans will have to avoid "racially loaded messages" in the future, especially when nonwhite voters become the majority by the year 2050.

But is the "Welfare Queen" anecdote a racist stereotype that will erode as America becomes more diverse? No. That's because the staying power of the "Welfare Queen" is not her alleged racial background but rather human nature itself (though many would argue that racism is itself part of human nature) -- we rank, judge and place things on a spectrum.

We will always rank certain recipients of government assistance as more worthy than others. There will always be those we deem less worthy of receiving aid in the form of tax dollars. There are many things we all will inevitably use to deem an aid recipient as more of less worthy: Education, job status, number of children, relationship status, health and physical appearance, etc.

An Associated Press article about food stamp recipients, for example, includes a film school graduate who works part time at Victoria's Secret while freelancing on movie productions. Personally, this rankles me like the "Welfare Queen" story undoubtedly rankled '80s voters. "Why is a film school graduate receiving food stamps?" I ask myself. "She should have majored in something useful. She should be working full time instead of holding out hope that she will 'make it big' in Hollywood or something. She shouldn't get food stamps to pursue a frivolous dream."

I am clearly guilty of stereotyping and harsh judgment, though I take solace in knowing that I am far from alone. We all do it. And that is why we will always be suckers for good "Welfare Queen" stories.

It's not about race; it's more insidious and widespread than that. It is human nature to rank and judge.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120124/pl_ac/10875257_why_welfare_queen_stories_will_never_die

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Automotive Execs Plot Comebacks, Hype Super Bowl | CMO ...

At a major international auto show, the marketing machine is rarely on stage, even on press days. Of course, chief marketing officers might be observed wandering the show floor, eyeballing the competition or taking part in a panel. Then they're gone. Celebrities they are not -- even if they are rock stars in the marketing world.

Jim Farley, VP-global marketing, sales & service, Ford
Jim Farley is an exception. He is slick and engaging, a persuasive presenter. It was he who led the high-profile press conference introducing the Lincoln MKZ concept earlier this month.

And Mr. Farley has also been instrumental in the creation of a new advertising agency with WPP to be based in New York, temporarily called Team Lincoln. The agency will be charged with reinventing the image of the Ford subsidiary, which has languished in luxury-car limbo for more than three decades.

His message -- and his instruction to the creative agency taking the reigns -- is for Lincoln to "distinguish itself again by providing more individual, specialty motor cars, and a more personal and crafted experience to match." Lincoln plans seven new or refreshed cars by 2014, and a production version of the MKZ sedan is to be unveiled in April at the New York auto show.

A prominent strategy for Mr. Farley going forward is to emphasize vehicle prelaunch marketing efforts. The aim, he said, is "generating interest in a product before it goes on sale, [making] your media conditionally based on how much progress you make, so you don't have to blow all your money in three or four months on mainstream media."

Another part of Ford's agenda includes reducing the number of vehicle platforms worldwide to nine from 20. And instead of pouring money into developing multiple global ad campaigns, the company will limit the number of campaigns and focus on telling those stories more broadly.

"We launched the new Focus with one global campaign, and went from 15% of our entire ad budget to 5%," Mr. Farley said. "We reinvested the savings into ad buys."

Scott Keogh, CMO, Audi of America
Classy cars don't necessarily have classy ads to support them. At Audi, where 2011 sales in the U.S. set a record at 117,000 vehicles, both usually go together.

Credit in part goes to Scott Keogh, Audi's straight-shooting CMO, who is bullish on social-media marketing and determined to keep the momentum. Sure, vorsprung durch technik -- advancement through technology -- is part of the Audi equation, but leveraging the clout of online chatter with Gen Y and even among Audi's older target audience is crucial.

"This is not a bunch of teenagers hanging out in Starbucks, but real people spending real money to buy expensive cars," Mr. Keogh said at a conference hosted by Ad Age sibling Automotive News.

Mr. Keogh told Ad Age Audi will spotlight the new S7 -- its lesser cousin, the A7, won a slew of awards recently -- in the Super Bowl, where Audi has been a fixture since its famous "Godfather" send-up in 2008. Audi has been using Venables, Bell & Partners as its creative agency since 2006, and Mr. Keogh said there are no plans to change shops.

Olivier Francois, CMO, Chrysler, Fiat
The effervescent Oliver Francois says he has at least one tough act to follow from last year, and at least one tough assignment going forward. The former is the wildly successful two-minute Chrysler "Imported From Detroit" spot that broke ground in Super Bowl marketing, while the latter is making Fiat viable in the U.S.

"In the case of Fiat, the responsibility is all here," said Mr. Francois, indicating himself and Tim Kiniskis, who was recently named Fiat brand manager in the U.S. Mr. Kiniskis takes the helm following the departure of Laura Soave, and in the wake of creative missteps involving spots featuring Jennifer Lopez. Those spots didn't move much metal, but Mr. Francois continues to defend them as "hugely beneficial to the awareness of the car."

"So now in the case of Fiat North America, what do we want to do? It's very simple," Mr. Francois said. "First, we have some set objectives. We are in better shape in January 2012 than one year ago to set sales targets. Now we have dealerships."

As far as planning for spots in this year's Super Bowl, Mr. Francois hasn't outlined any detail but says product, not propaganda, is on the table. "This year, the money goes on what we make. Topping last year is just an ego thing," he said.

Steve Shannon, VP-marketing, Hyundai
Major adjustments are going on at Hyundai's global headquarters in South Korea and at its creative agency, California-based Innocean.

Recently the automaker's CMO, Wonhong Cho, hinted that Hyundai may enlist other agencies in other parts of the world to promote a new image, dubbed "modern premium," that would extend through its range. Mr. Shannon says he will continue to use Innocean for "U.S.-specific" creative work, however.

"There's a profound transition in this brand. It used to be all about price, now it's all about value," explained Mr. Shannon. The hoped-for results: higher transaction prices, a younger demographic and a more affluent customer.

"As a challenger brand in the U.S., the tone of voice and personality is key. We don't have a lot of car speak in our ads," he said. "We tend to have conversations, and Jeff Bridges [who does voice-overs] is a storyteller."

Hyundai is planning two 30-second spots and one 60-second spot in next month's Super Bowl, "in keeping with our big-voices-in-big-places media strategy," Mr. Shannon said. Hyundai also plans to air seven spots during the Academy Awards.

Source: http://adage.com/article/cmo-interviews/automotive-execs-plot-comebacks-hype-super-bowl/232258/

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