2010 February | US News

February 2010


Closing ceremony brings upbeat end to games

By NBCSports.com on February 28, 2010

Entertainers perform during the closing ceremony Sunday.An Olympics that began with the death of a luger ended Sunday with an exuberant celebration of Canada — reflecting a determined comeback by the host country’s organizers and athletes.


Chile greets exchange student with ‘terremoto’

By msnbc.com on February 28, 2010

Chile’s monster earthquake was a rude greeting for Paige Orwin, a 19-year-old American who had arrived in Santiago just three days earlier to begin a foreign exchange program.


Curfew declared in Chilean city; looting feared

By CNN on February 28, 2010

Santiago, Chile (CNN) — Heavily populated parts of Chile still were without water service and electricity Sunday night because of Saturdays 8.8-magnitude earthquake, and reports of looting raised fears about security in some areas.

The nations hardest-hit major city, Concepcion, declared an overnight curfew. The death count from the earthquake doubled on Sunday from a day earlier, to 708 deaths.

Calling Saturday mornings quake an "unthinkable disaster," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said a state of catastrophe in the hardest-hit regions would continue, allowing for the restoration of order and speedy distribution of aid.

Looting broke out in parts of the country, including in Concepcion in central coastal Chile, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the earthquakes epicenter.

Desperate residents scrounged for water and supplies inside empty and damaged supermarkets. On Sunday morning, authorities used tear gas and water cannons to disperse looters in some areas.


Craving: Juicy Spring Brights

By glam.com on February 28, 2010

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Canadians swell streets after hockey win

By CNN on February 28, 2010

Vancouver, British Columbia (CNN) — Thousands of Canadians turned the streets of Vancouver into rivers of red on Sunday in jubilant celebration of the countrys Olympic gold-medal win in mens ice hockey.

Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime, with national hero Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal in the hard-fought game.

The win capped off a historic Winter Olympics for the host nation just hours before the closing ceremonies. The country took home a record 14 gold medals — the most in Winter Olympics history.

Fans spilled out of the exits at Canada Hockey Place after the medal ceremony, "clanging cowbells and screaming like madmen," according to Sports Illustrateds Luke Winn.

"Ill remember this day for the rest of my life as will all Canadians who are here tonight," one fan at a Vancouver viewing told CNN affiliate CTV in Canada.

Police told liquor stores in Vancouver to close early at 2 p.m. — about an hour before the game ended — ahead of the celebrations. Lines of people were seen at one store 30 minutes before the game even started.


Canadians celebrate men\’s hockey win

By CNN on February 28, 2010

Vancouver, British Columbia (CNN) — Thousands of Canadians turned the streets of Vancouver into rivers of red on Sunday in jubilant celebration of the countrys Olympic gold-medal win in mens ice hockey.

Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime, with national hero Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal in the hard-fought game.

The win capped off a historic Winter Olympics for the host nation just hours before the closing ceremonies. The country took home a record 14 gold medals — the most in Winter Olympics history.

Fans spilled out of the exits at Canada Hockey Place after the medal ceremony, "clanging cowbells and screaming like madmen," according to Sports Illustrateds Luke Winn.

"Ill remember this day for the rest of my life as will all Canadians who are here tonight," one fan at a Vancouver viewing told CNN affiliate CTV in Canada.

Police told liquor stores in Vancouver to close early at 2 p.m. — about an hour before the game ended — ahead of the celebrations. Lines of people were seen at one store 30 minutes before the game even started.


\’We will raise Chile … it will not be easy,\’ president-elect says

By CNN on February 28, 2010

(CNN) — Chiles president-elect pledged Sunday night to rebuild his earthquake-ravaged nation, announcing in nationally televised remarks that he has met with the sitting president to discuss the effort, which he said will be a centerpiece of his administration.

"We are calling the project Up With Chile," said President-elect Sebastion Pinera, moments after emerging from a meeting with current President Michelle Bachelet at her home.

Pinera is scheduled to be sworn in March 11.

"We will raise Chile," he said. "Its not going to be a short task, its not going to be easy. It will require a lot of effort, a lot of resources, and a lot of time."

Pinera said his transition team would continue coordinating with the Bachelet administration on the response effort.


Dupont: After Olympics, NHL faces frantic finish

By NBCSports.com on February 28, 2010

Could Mike Modano be on the move before Wednesday's trade deadline?Dupont: What to expect as each team will play at an exhausting pace — roughly 20 games over season’s final 40 days.


Chile minister says navy erred on tsunami

By msnbc.com on February 28, 2010

Rosa Neira, 36, stands in front of a house damaged by the tsunami that hit Pelluhue, about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile, on Sunday.Chile’s defense minister says the navy failed to immediately issue a tsunami warning after a mammoth earthquake.


Best of New York Fashion Week Fall 2010

By glam.com on February 28, 2010

A snowy and cold New York Fashion Week is over, and the designs presented there were all the more welcome for looking to be warm. Collections were, for the most part, fairly restrained in color and cut. Shoes were perhaps the most “out there” accessories, with a few medieval looking spike studded shoes and gladiator-bondage style sandals with torturous heel heights.

As for handbags, Marc Jacobs sent two down the runway that were drool-worthy. A chain handle leather bag in gray and white was the ultimate in city sophistication. Coco Chanel would have been proud. Jacobs also presented a gray crocodile skinned structured bag with a short, adjustable leather handle that prompted a lot of uptown fashion editors and a few stars to think, “Ooh! Gimme!”

But while the collections weren’t as bizarre as they sometimes can be, there were some pieces that did step outside the safe fashion zone. One example was the awesomely pieced-together Joseph Altuzarra black leather dress that some described as straight out of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Altuzarra also presented a classic black swing trench coat that would have been gorgeous atop the leather zipper dress, but which would, come to think of it, look gorgeous atop a burlap sack. It was amazing.

Rag & Bone came out with something that many thought wasn’t possible: sophisticated hooded ponchos. The classic wool fabrics and the color palette of mixed grays gave them a sophistication that you just don’t think about when you think of the word “poncho.” For evening, Jason Wu presented an amazing strapless tulle cocktail dress. What was so special about the dress was that underneath the draped and gathered tulle was an entire layer of feathers.

Not all the shoes seen on the runways were outrageous. Derek Lam showed a pair of black leather boots with roll-down tops that were gorgeous, and for straight-up glamour, the ruffled, tassled platform suede shoes by 3.1 Phillip Lim couldn’t be beat. Fashion week may be over, but it just means we’re that much closer to actually getting to wear some of the awesome styles showcased there.


Next Page »

World »

Netanyahu, Clinton talk after settlement crisis

March 18, 2010

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint news conference with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed “confidence-building steps” with Palestinians in a telephone call with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after a dispute over settlements.

Politics »

US rep: Accused ‘Jihad Jane’ has been cooperating

March 18, 2010

A Pennsylvania congressman says the U.S. terrorism suspect known as “Jihad Jane” has been cooperating in an international probe of radical Muslims.

Business »

Report: Linux Gains Ground, Windows Stumbles

January 26, 2010

Linux inched ahead in the operating-system arena during the final month of 2009, even as Windows and Mac gave up some ground. That’s according to research firm Net Applications, which recently released its Market Share report covering operating systems in December. Linux accounted for 1.02 percent of the market in December, up from an even 1 percent the month before.

Technology »

Is Digg the future of social news?

March 18, 2010

London, England (CNN) — Social voting site Digg this week unveiled plans to become a hub for sharing links on the Web. If your friends are sharing media on Facebook, Twitter and other sites, Digg wants to provide a personalized home page that filters the Web based on your friends activities. These new features will be previewed in the coming weeks.

Could it work? Might Digg help define the future of news?

Facebook, Twitter … Digg?

If youre sharing links on the Web today, chances are youre doing it on one of two sites: Facebook or Twitter. Thats a problem for Digg, which allows users to vote on news stories, pictures and videos. Digg pioneered social sharing, but these activities have moved to other venues in recent years.

But the Twitter and Facebook trend also provides an opportunity for Digg: While Twitter and Facebook are utilized to share links, ranking news stories is the core focus of neither. The sites new plan is to analyze the news stories, videos and images shared by your friends on these sites and rank them by relevance.

One-hit wonders

Getting "Dugg" was once the dream of Web publishers. When a news article gained enough votes to hit the Digg home page, tens of thousands of visitors could bombard your Web site in a matter of hours.

Publishers, however, realized this system was a lottery of sorts: Littering your Web site with "Digg this!" buttons in the faint hope of hitting Diggs home page proved far less effective than encouraging readers to share links with small groups of friends on Twitter and Facebook.

On Digg, submitted stories are either hit or miss. On social networks, however, every share drives more interest. Digg hopes to rectify the situation by offering personalized home pages for every user, making the site more relevant to individuals and referring more reliable streams of traffic to publishers.

The rise of the curation economy

"Content curation" is a major Web trend for 2010. People are creating stories, photos and other "content" at a rate that is outpacing our ability to consume it. Information overload has become an increasingly common complaint, I wrote in December 2009.

The problem is growing. In May 2009, YouTube announced that 20 hours of video content was being uploaded every minute. This week, the video sharing giant revised that statistic to 24 hours per minute. Last month, Twitter announced that users are producing 50 million Tweets per day, up from 35 million per day in 2009. Facebook, meanwhile, reports that users are posting 60 million status updates per day — in October 2009, that number stood at 45 million per day.

With this content tsunami growing faster than our ability to consume it, Digg seems perfectly positioned to solve the content consumption crisis.

Diggs vision: curated consumption

Once the clear leader in curation, Digg has become a niche community of technology enthusiasts. By aggregating activity on other social sites, it hopes once again to become the leader in social news. With content overload reaching new heights, its timing could be fortuitous.

Diggs challenge: Prove that it can cut through the content mountain, rather than contribute to it.

copyright 2009 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Health »

Health vote likely Sunday, Obama delays trip

March 18, 2010

President Barack Obama had already pushed the Asia trip back once, delaying his orginally scheduled March 18 departure until Sunday so he could help Democrats on Capitol Hill rally last-minute votes for the plan. Democrats plowed fresh billions into insurance subsidies for consumers on Thursday and added a $250 rebate for seniors facing high prescription drugs, last-minute sweeteners to sweeping $940 billion legislation headed for a climactic weekend vote.

Sports »

Butler does it in second half against UTEP

March 18, 2010

Butler guard Shelvin Mack, right, tries to get around UTEP guard Christian Polk, left, during the Bulldogs’ first-round victory Thursday.Butler overcame a six-point halftime deficit and surged into the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 77-59 blowout victory over No. 5 UTEP in a West Regional game Thursday.



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Report: Linux Gains Ground, Windows Stumbles

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American took a twisted trail to terror

March 18, 2010

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US rep: Accused ‘Jihad Jane’ has been cooperating

March 18, 2010

A Pennsylvania congressman says the U.S. terrorism suspect known ...

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March 18, 2010

London, England (CNN) -- Social voting site Digg this ...

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March 18, 2010

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March 18, 2010

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Villanova wins in OT to avoid huge early upset

March 18, 2010

Scottie Reynolds responded to his benching with a solid performance at the foul line, and second-seeded Villanova survived a scare from Robert Morris in a 73-70 overtime win Thursday in the NCAA tournament.

World »

U.N. calls for Afghans to take charge of future

March 18, 2010

The U.N. peacekeeping chief says it’s time for the international community to take “concrete steps” to allow Afghans to take charge of their future.

Opinion »

U.S. man pleads guilty in Mumbai attack

March 18, 2010

Chicago, Illinois (CNN) — A Chicago man charged in two international terror plots, including the 2008 Mumbai, India, attacks, pleaded guilty Thursday to a dozen counts against him, and now will not face a trial.

David Headley, 49, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Chicago to a dozen federal terrorism charges. Authorities said he scouted out targets for the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed more than 160 people, and planned an attack on a Danish newspaper that published cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Headley, who was born in Washington, has agreed to cooperate with the government and testify before a grand jury.

He could have faced the death penalty if convicted, but in exchange for his guilty plea and cooperation, the government has taken execution off the table.

However, he will not be sentenced until after the conclusion of his cooperation, the Justice Department said. According to sentencing guidelines included in the plea agreement released Thursday, Headley is expected to serve a life sentence in prison.

He has been cooperating with the government since he was arrested October 3 in Chicago, authorities said, although he originally pleaded not guilty to the charges last year.

Authorities said Headley attended training camps in Pakistan operated by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and received instructions in 2005 from three members of the group to travel to India to conduct surveillance. He traveled to India five times leading up to the Mumbai attacks, and took video of places including the the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station and the Chabad House, the plea agreement said.

The two luxury hotels, the train station and the Chabad House, a Jewish center, were among the places attacked with guns and grenades during the three days in November 2008. The United States blames Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which the U.S. considers a foreign terrorist organization, for the attacks.

Six Americans were killed in the attacks.

Read more about David Coleman Headley

Headley also admitted that in early November 2008, a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba member in Karachi, Pakistan, instructed him to scout the Copenhagen and Aarhus offices in Denmark of the Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten newspaper in preparation for an attack. The newspaper had published controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.

The alleged plan against the Danish newspaper was never carried out.

According to the plea agreement, Headley also took surveillance outside the newspapers offices, and went inside, on the pretext that he was seeking to place an advertisement in the paper.

The plea agreement also says that Headley met in Pakistan with Ilyas Kashmiri, an alleged leader of Harakat-ul Jihad Islami, a group the U.S. Justice Department said has "trained terrorists [and] executed attacks in the state of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian control." Kashmiri also is alleged to have links with al Qaeda.

Kashmiri told Headley he had a European contact who could provide Headley with money, weapons and manpower for the attack on the newspaper, the plea agreement says. He also told Headley that the attack should be a suicide attack, it says.

"Among other details, Kashmiri stated that the attackers should behead captives and throw their heads out of the newspaper building in order to heighten the response from Danish authorities," the plea agreement says.

Kashmiri said the "elders," which Headley understood to be al Qaeda leadership, "wanted the attack to happen as soon as possible," the plea agreement says.

An indictment released in January said that the plan was put on hold because of pressure after the Mumbai attack.

Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, or Abdur Rehman, a retired major in the Pakistani military, have also been indicted in the plot against the Danish newspaper. Chicago resident Tahawwur Rana, a Candian citizen, was indicted on three counts alleging material support of the Denmark and India plots and support of Lashkar. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to media reports.

Neither Syed nor Kashmiri are in U.S. custody.

In response to Headleys guilty plea, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Americans face "real threats from homegrown and international terrorists, and we will continue working to disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorism at home and abroad to ensure the safety and security of the American people."