Bill Cosby muses on life in latest book (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Media icon Bill Cosby at 74 still looms larger than life over the American psyche.

Emerging from a Philadelphia housing project, ultimately success followed success as a comedian, actor, producer, author, educator, musician and activist.

Breaking U.S. television's racial barrier with "I Spy" as the first African American to costar on a television series in the 1960s, he won three consecutive Emmys. Later he enjoyed even more success as Cliff Huxtable on one of the defining TV sitcoms of the 1980s, "The Cosby Show".

In his book, "I DIDN'T ASK TO BE BORN (But I'm Glad I Was)," Cosby reveals more of the anecdotes and musings on the human condition that have made him a global name.

What is it to be normal, a husband, a father, a grandfather or just a man in today's America?

"The mind still clicks on things I think and see as interesting and funny and I write it," said Cosby.

Describing the voice mail hell known to everyone globally with a phone, Cosby writes the self evident truth. "You see, that's the problem with technology. You can have a conversation with a person who isn't a person. And be interviewed by a friend of yours who isn't there."

Commenting on the state of television advertising he recounts his wife's wisdom on erectile dysfunction commercials.

"It's not nice to talk about the living dead."

And if Native Americans had known then what they know now, Cosby is certain they would have used slot machines and casinos to bankrupt the early European settlers rather than fight a losing war.

Moving from topic to topic, he reveals the answer to a child's defiant declaration: "I didn't ask to be born."

Along the way, the reader gets a glimpse of Cosby the man and perhaps some of the defining events of his life.

Cosby writes about his upbringing, his success. He mentions, in passing, his alcoholic father.

"I don't want people to think he was anything other than what he was at the time," said Cosby of his father. "It's the truth. I want to say it because it's the truth."

Cosby retains a jovial love of people and the personal standards that set him apart from many of his peers in comedy. He long ago disavowed profanity, sexual innuendo or citing race for audience amusement.

"I still enjoy going out and having something to connect with and doing it without the profanity," he explained. "I stayed with what I felt to be a great philosophy."

Cosby is also relevant to today's generation, including QR, or Quick Response codes, the series of squares, lines and dots scanned by smart phones, at the end of each chapter.

"I have to acknowledge my eight-, nine- and six-year-old grandchildren," said Cosby. "These are the things to get to these people."

Married for 48 years Cosby lives in Shelburne, Massachusetts, a far cry from the neighborhood where he grew up and a place he describes in some detail early in the book. A place where he and his friends played softball on a tar and gravel lot, mixed with broken glass, and skate boards were cobbled together from a piece of wood and street skates.

But even in moving from that place to another, Cosby makes clear in his writing that he still finds inspiration in one of life's simple pleasures, "the joy of being with human beings you call your friends."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120112/stage_nm/us_billcosby

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UK spies won't face criminal charges for torture (AP)

LONDON ? Agents working for Britain's spy agencies won't face criminal charges over their alleged complicity in the mistreatment of former Guantanamo detainees, the country's top prosecutor said Thursday.

They may, however, still face civil action from victims who say the British government passed on information about them to their foreign captors accused in their mistreatment. None of the British agents were accused of directly torturing or mistreating detainees.

Prosecutors have been investigating allegations of ill treatment of detainees who eventually were sent to the U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. Most of the torture allegations come from terror suspects who were either initially held in Pakistan and Afghanistan, or sent to other countries such as Morocco for interrogation.

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service said if more evidence came to light, criminal investigations could be reopened.

A separate inquiry into British complicity in torture, intelligence sharing and the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects is set to begin now that the police and prosecutors have said there is insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.

Britain has already made payouts to 16 former detainees at Guantanamo. Among those alleged to have been part of the settlements were Binyam Mohamed, Bishar Al Rawi, Jamil El Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Moazzam Begg and Martin Mubanga.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_torture_charges

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French journalist, several others killed in Syria

A French journalist was among several people killed in Syria's central city of Homs on Wednesday, becoming the first Western reporter to have died in 10 months of unrest in the country.

Gilles Jacquier, of France 2 TV, was on a rare Western reporting trip authorized by Syria's embattled government amid a 10-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad. Another France-2 reporter was uninjured.

News director Thierry Thullier of France Televisions, the parent station of France-2, told French TV BFM that Jacquier appeared to have been killed by a mortar or rocket as part of a series of attacks.

Attacks in Syria kill western journalist and?several others
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A report on Addounia TV said eight people were killed and at least 25 people wounded, but the circumstances were unclear.

'Odious act'
A witness in Homs, who asked not to be named, said the casualties were caused by rocket-propelled grenades fired during a pro-Assad rally. The witness said he had seen three bodies.

It was the first known instance of a Western journalist dying in Syria amid the unrest. Syrian authorities have denied many efforts by Western journalists to enter the country since the uprising began.

Video: Syrian president vows to use ?iron fist? (on this page)

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said in a statement that Jacquier, who had previously reported from Iraq and Afghanistan, had been killed "in an attack" in Homs.

He called it an "odious act" and demanding an investigation into the killing.

"It's up to Syrian authorities to ensure the security of international journalists on their territory, and to protect this fundamental liberty which is the freedom of information."

"France 2 television has just learned with a great deal of sorrow the death of reporter Gilles Jacquier in Homs," France 2 said in a statement, adding it did not have details of the circumstances of his death.

In a live blog about events in Syria Wednesday, The Guardian newspaper posted a video in French about Jacquier, which was taken in 2009 when he won an award for a piece on girls attending school in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The chief judge described his report as "un reportage de verite" or "a work of truth."

The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have been killed in the uprising.

Earlier, Assad joined thousands of his supporters Wednesday in an extremely rare public appearance, telling a pro-regime rally in the capital that the "conspiracy" against his country will fail.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has blamed the revolt on foreign-backed terrorists and conspirators. On Tuesday, he gave his first speech since June and said he would strike back at those who threaten his regime with an "iron hand."

On Tuesday, Arab League monitor said he had resigned because the mission was powerless to prevent what he said were the "scenes of horror" he had seen in the Homs.

"The mission was a farce and the observers have been fooled," the Algerian told Al Jazeera English television. "The regime orchestrated it and fabricated most of what we saw to stop the Arab League from taking action against the regime...

"The regime isn't committing one war crime but a series of crimes against its people," he added.

Malek's resignation was the latest blow to a mission already criticized for inefficiency and whose members have come under attack this week from both Assad supporters and protesters.

Syria has barred most independent media, making it difficult to verify conflicting accounts of events on the ground.

There was no immediate comment on Malek's remarks from the Arab League, which decided on Sunday to keep monitors in place at least until they report again on their mission on Jan. 19

Opposition groups have been deeply critical of the Arab League mission, saying it is giving Assad cover for his ongoing crackdown. The observer mission's Sudanese chief has raised particular concern because he served in key security positions under Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45957075/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Bang & Olufsen debuts BeoVision 12-65 plasma TV, BeoLab 12 speakers

Bang & Olufsen's TVs aren't exactly for everyone, but those willing to spare no expense to turn a few heads now have yet another impressive model to consider from the company. It's just announced its new BeoVision 12-65, a plasma TV that makes use of a so-called NeoPDP panel and some clever design touches that make the 65-inch set appear as thin as possible. It's also naturally full HD and 3D compatible, and it packs an integrated center channel speaker that can be paired with a surround sound setup. Alongside it, B&O has also debuted its new BeoLab 12 loudspeakers, which pack a total of 480W and once again place a heavy emphasis on style. No word on pricing for either just yet, but the TV will be available this March, with the speakers rolling out in "early spring."

Bang & Olufsen debuts BeoVision 12-65 plasma TV, BeoLab 12 speakers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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America hits the brakes on health care spending (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Is health-care relief finally in sight? Health spending stabilized as a share of the nation's economy in 2010 after two back-to-back years of historically low growth, the government reported Monday.

Experts debated whether it's a fleeting consequence of the sluggish economy, or a real sign that cost controls by private employers and government at all levels are starting to work.

The answers will be vital for Medicare's sustainability, as well as for workplace coverage.

U.S. health care spending grew by 3.9 percent in 2010, reaching $2.6 trillion, according to the report by the Health and Human Services department.

That's an average of $8,402 per person ? far more than any other economically advanced country.

Still, the increases for 2010 and 2009 were the lowest measured in 51 years. And health care as a share of the economy leveled off at 17.9 percent, the first time in a decade there's been no growth.

The main reason for the slowdown was that Americans were more frugal in their use of health care, from postponing elective surgery to using generic drugs and thinking twice about that late-night visit to the emergency room.

"Although medical goods and services are generally viewed as necessities, the latest recession has had a dramatic effect on their utilization," said the report published in the journal Health Affairs. "Though the recession officially ended in 2009, its impact on the health care sector appears to have continued into 2010."

Independent economists issued conflicting assessments.

"I think it could signal slower growth in the future," said Ken Thorpe, professor of health policy at Emory University in Atlanta. "Any discussion about reducing the deficit is going to focus on how we reduce the growth in health-care costs. And employers are adopting more effective tools to keep putting downward pressure on health-care cost increases."

But his counterpart Len Nichols at George Mason University in Virginia said people are getting less medical care because too many have lost jobs and insurance, and they just can't afford to pay.

"The slowdown is mostly due to postponement of care, due to anticipated inability to pay," said Nichols. If he's right, that could mean costs will spike once the economy is on solid footing.

The report provided relief for a jittery White House facing a 2012 reelection campaign in which President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is a top target for Republicans.

The nonpartisan number crunchers at HHS found that the health care law barely contributed to cost increases in 2010 ? just one-tenth of 1 percentage point. Major provisions expanding coverage to more than 30 million uninsured don't take effect until 2014, well after the presidential election.

The federal government's share of the total health care tab ? another issue in this year's political debate ? grew to 29 percent in 2010, up from 23 percent as recently as 2007. Counting state and local spending, the overall government share stood at 45 percent of the total.

Medicare spending grew by 5 percent in 2010. That was slower growth than in 2009, due mainly to reductions in what the government paid private Medicare Advantage insurance plans. Medicaid spending increased by 7.2 percent, less than the 2009 rate because of fewer people covered by the program.

However, the main finding of the report was a continued slowdown in the use of services across major health-care categories, one its authors termed "dramatic." Higher copayments for those with private insurance are part of the reason.

Hospital care, which accounts for just over 30 percent of what Americans spend, grew more slowly because of a decline in a key measure of inpatient admissions, and slower growth in emergency room visits, outpatient appointments, and outpatient surgery.

Spending on doctor visits and related care ? about 20 percent of the total ? grew at a historically low rate of 2.5 percent, due to an overall drop in visits and a milder 2010 flu season. But spending on dental care increased faster than in 2009.

Prescription drugs, about 10 percent of overall spending, also saw a slower increase ? just 1.2 percent in 2010. That was not only due to the continuing shift to generic drugs, but also slower growth in the overall volume of medications that Americans took.

Will less health care hurt consumers?

That remains to be seen, but current evidence suggests it won't. Americans are no healthier than their counterparts in other developed countries, which spend far less. And research suggests that as much as 30 percent of tests and treatments for U.S. patients may be of little or no benefit.

The HHS experts refused to speculate about the implications of the slowdown, although their report stressed the connection to a weak economy. More may be known by the summer, when another team in the same HHS unit will update projections for future health care spending.

___

Online:

HHS report in Health Affairs: http://tinyurl.com/6nyuzrr

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120110/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_spending

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Oregon Scientific at CES 2012: new weather monitoring and a Qi charging stations, an action cam and more

As usual, the folks at Oregon Scientific are rolling out a bundle of products at CES. First up, there's the $129 Time and Wireless Charging Station+ that uses the power of Qi to juice up your Qi-enabled devices while providing in- and outdoor temperature and barometric readings. Next, the Remote Weather Access Platform syncs with any Oregon Scientific weather station to provide remote access to its meteorological data from your smartphone or personal website for $149. When the weather gets bad, the company's new Portable Emergency Alert Radio can come to your rescue to keep you updated as the world ends (it is 2012, after all) for $79. It can tune into AM/FM radio, NOAA weather radio, and Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) location-based alerts, plus it can be charged via its solar panel or hand crank -- and a USB port's on board to keep all your other devices in the juice, too.

Lastly, there's the ATCMini action video camera that joins the company's other, action cam offerings. The ATCMini weighs a scant 2.3 ounces and records 720p video at 30fps, shoot 1.3 megapixel stills and is waterproof up to 65 feet (20m). It stores all your pics and vids on a MicroSD card, and you can show off your extreme exploits on the big screen via a TV-out jack. The action cam comes with a helmet mount, but there are handlebar, surfboard, and skateboard mounts sold separately as well. PR and a gallery of the devices awaits you below, and stay tuned for our hands-on impressions later today.

Continue reading Oregon Scientific at CES 2012: new weather monitoring and a Qi charging stations, an action cam and more

Oregon Scientific at CES 2012: new weather monitoring and a Qi charging stations, an action cam and more originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese police question human rights activist (AP)

BEIJING ? A prominent Chinese human rights activist released from prison last year said Thursday that police seized two of his computers and warned him to tone down his activism and online comments or face detention.

China has become increasingly diligent about quashing critical voices, apparently fearful that they could spark protests like those that unseated autocrats in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya last year. The crackdown has alarmed activists and outspoken intellectuals, with some resorting to exile.

On Wednesday, a well-known dissident writer who has been frequently threatened with jail time for his writing departed China for the United States, possibly for good.

In Beijing, activist Hu Jia said police questioned him for about 7 hours Thursday, criticizing him for his frequent comments on Twitter about sensitive subjects, including the denial of visitors to prominent rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who is serving a three-year jail sentence in China's remote Xinjiang region, and the failure of U.S. lawmaker Chris Smith to visit a blind activist in eastern China in November because he could not get a visa.

Hu said police were most concerned however about a letter he wrote last month to the Nobel Peace Prize committee, appealing for greater attention to the plight of jailed Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, and his wife Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest for more than a year.

"It was a very official warning," Hu said. "They said if I continue this way, they will seize my computers and I could be detained for up to 15 days."

Hu's and his wife's computers were taken from his home Wednesday night by police and have yet to be returned, he said.

A major figure in China's dissident community, Hu, 38, last year completed a 3 1/2-year sentence for inciting subversion. He was awarded of the European Parliament's top human rights award, the 50,000-euro ($72,000) Sakharov Prize.

Phelim Kine, a researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the raid on Hu's house was linked to government anxiety over potential unrest ahead of a coming leadership transition.

Kine said Chinese rights activists were likely to face "heightened police surveillance, harassment and detention" in the run-up to the Communist Party congress that will inaugurate new leaders in the second half of the year.

"Human, electronic and Internet surveillance will only tighten this year as the Chinese government seeks to identify, target and neutralize any potential public challenges to its grip on power," Kine said in an email.

Meanwhile, a friend of well-known author Yu Jie said the writer left China on Wednesday after planning his exit for half a year, though it wasn't clear if the move was permanent.

Shen Quan, the pastor of an underground Beijing church where Yu worshipped, said Yu sold his home in Beijing recently.

Shen said he didn't feel comfortable speculating on why Yu left but said it was "probably because of the difficult time he had in China."

"We all know sometimes he was prevented from leaving his house and was taken away during sensitive periods," Shen said.

Chinese dissidents are often put under house arrest or detained by authorities ahead of important political meetings and around sensitive dates such as the anniversary of the June 4, 1989, military crackdown on democracy protesters.

A Voice of America video report posted online showed Yu arriving in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night with his wife and young son.

Yu helped found the Independent PEN Center in China, which fights for freedom of expression, and is a vocal Christian who has angered authorities by outspokenly advocating religious freedom. He is also author of "China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao," a critical appraisal of China's premier that was published in Hong Kong in 2010 despite police threats that he could be put in prison.

In a 2010 interview with The Associated Press, Yu said he was anxious about being a writer in China and feared he would end up serving time in jail for things he'd published. He said writers in China "live with a sword that could fall on our heads at any moment."

In July, another outspoken Chinese writer, Liao Yiwu, fled China for Germany after police repeatedly threatened him with imprisonment to prevent him from publishing any more of his controversial works overseas. Liao, best known for "The Corpse Walker," a series of interviews with people on the margins of Chinese society, said after arriving in Berlin that he was happy to move to a place where he could "speak and publish freely."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said he was unaware of Yu and reports of his departure.

"The Chinese population is so large I don't know every one of them," Liu said. "I don't know this person and I don't know how many people regard him as a famous writer."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120112/ap_on_re_as/as_china_human_rights

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Bear spray empties Baptist church in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Authorities in Alaska say a church congregation in Anchorage evacuated Sunday morning services because of a carbon monoxide scare that turned out to be bear spray someone shot off in the basement.

KTUU reports ( http://bit.ly/AzN6Y2 ) 200 people fled Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church due to the strange smell and irritated throats.

Firefighters ventilated the church with fans. Anchorage police are investigating.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_BEAR_SPRAY_CHURCH?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook: IT-friendly, 128GB SSD and backlit keyboard standard, arrives in February for $999

You didn't think Dell was going to sit out the Ultrabook fad, did you? We'll never know exactly what the hold-up was, but whatever the company's excuse it finally has something to compete with the likes of the MacBook Air and ASUS Zenbook UX31. The company just announced the XPS 13, which weighs in at a shade less than three pounds (2.99, to be exact) and has a wedge profile that tapers from .71 inches to .24 (18 to 6mm). With a starting price of $1,000, it sports an aluminum lid and carbon fiber chassis -- a material we wish more Ultrabook makers would incorporate. Though it has a 13-inch screen, it's the kind of panel with bezels so narrow that Dell was able to build a chassis small enough for a 12-inch system. Put bluntly, expect this to be one of the most compact Ultrabooks around (though not the lightest).

What's that? You want technical details too? At the entry level, it'll come with a Core i3 processor, 128GB SSD, 4GB of RAM and backlit keyboard, though you'll also be able to upgrade to a 256SSD and either a Core i5 or i7 CPU (Sandy Bridge at launch, with Ivy Bridge to follow in a refresh later this year). Other specs include a 300-nit, 1366 x 768, Gorilla Glass display; Intel HD 3000 graphics; a 47Wh battery rated for up to eight hours; Bluetooth 3.0; and Intel's Smart Connect and Rapid Start technologies. As HP is doing with the Folio 13, Dell plans to sell this in both its consumer and business channels; accordingly, the machine will be offered with TPM, asset tagging, corporate images and custom BIOS to keep the IT guys happy. It'll be available at the end of February, but if you need to know as much as you can now, we've got hands-on photos below, along with impressions after the break.

Continue reading Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook: IT-friendly, 128GB SSD and backlit keyboard standard, arrives in February for $999

Dell's XPS 13 Ultrabook: IT-friendly, 128GB SSD and backlit keyboard standard, arrives in February for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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