Jon Huntsman Gave Criticism to Mitt Romney in His Political Campaign

"You're going to have a choice this election cycle. The establishment is going to tee up Mitt Romney and they’re going to say there’s your guy," Huntsman said at a town hall meeting at Manchester's public service utility. "But you know what? This nation can’t afford a status quo president."
Hours after Romney appeared elsewhere in Manchester with 2008 GOP nominee and two-time New Hampshire primary winner John McCain, Huntsman said his rival's support from dozens of Washington lawmakers showed he was not the candidate of change.
Source: Jon Huntsman says Mitt Romney would be 'status quo president', By Michael A. Memoli
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-huntsman-manchester-20120104,0,7582764.story

McCain is no darling of the right, but at this point Romney is concerned about two things: winning convincingly in New Hampshire, and making sure he faces in South Carolina a divided field of conservatives and no real competition for moderate voters. In other words, he wants to bury Jon Huntsman in New Hampshire, and if possible, to slow down the Rick Santorum train.
The first of these aims seems doable. The Suffolk University tracking poll of likely voters in New Hampshire’s primary reports: “Huntsman dropped three points, from 10 percent yesterday to 7 percent today. [Ron] Paul dropped two points, from 16 percent to 14 percent, despite a third-place finish in Iowa last night. The poll showed Romney maintaining his lead with 43 percent of the vote, followed by Paul (14 percent), Newt Gingrich (9 percent), Jon Huntsman (7 percent), while Rick Santorum (6 percent), fresh off an impressive Iowa Caucus second-place showing, managed to climb another point and is now within striking distance of third place.”
Source: Mitt Romney’s plan for New Hampshire: Burying Jon Huntsman, By Jennifer Rubin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/mitt-romneys-plan-for-new-hampshire-burying-jon-huntsman/2012/01/04/gIQADMutaP_blog.html

Mr. Huntsman's strategy relies on New Hampshire voters who are unaligned with either party, who make up 43% of the electorate, said Andrew Smith, associate professor of political science who directs the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.
But while these voters are called "undeclared," most of them vote Republican, he said. So by failing to sound conservative themes, Mr. Huntsman "didn't define himself as a mainstream Republican and pitched his campaign to a bloc of voters which isn't large enough to get him a win in New Hampshire," Mr. Smith said.
Source: Clock Ticks for Huntsman in New Hampshire, By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204331304577141152281667404.html

Hoping to establish a competitive position once the Republican presidential primary contest shifts its focus from Iowa to New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman sharply criticized Mitt Romney on Tuesday, saying the frontrunner would be an agent for Wall Street and protector of the status quo if elected.
In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post, the former Utah governor challenged Romney to prove his independence from the financial sector's biggest players.
Source: Jon Huntsman: Mitt Romney Would Be An Agent For The Big Banks, by Sam Stein
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/jon-huntsman-mitt-romney-wall-street-banks_n_1182005.html

DASH Diet, Favourite Diet Plan for 2012

A 2008 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that among 88,517 women who were followed for 24 years, the DASH diet was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in middle age.
Weight Watchers ranked high as well, voted best weight-loss diet, best commercial diet plan and easiest diet to follow. Weight Watchers also came out ahead in a September 2011 study in the journal the Lancet, in which 772 overweight and obese adults were randomly assigned to be treated by a doctor, or to Weight Watchers. Those in the Weight Watchers program lost about twice as much as those under a doctor's care.
Source: The DASH diet ranks best overall in U.S. News Best Diets 2012, By Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-diet-rankings-us-news-20120104,0,7350402.story

The diet is not new among doctors. In fact, they have been studying the results of this diet since 2008 and they have discovered that it brings numerous benefits to its practitioners. According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 88,517 women who were followed for 24 years managed to lower the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in middle age thanks to the DASH diet.
The diet is good for many other reasons not just healthy ones. It was also voted the best weight-loss diet, best commercial diet plan and easiest diet to follow. Weight Watchers have also provided many examples of people who have lost considerable weight thanks to DASH. In September 2011, Weight Watchers published a report showing that obese adults who have followed DASH have lost twice as much as those under a doctor's care.
Source: The DASH diet – the best U.S. diet of 2012, by Angel Libby
http://www.dailygossip.org/the-dash-diet-the-best-u-s-diet-of-2012-2135

The Dash Diet took the prize for best overall again this year, while Weight Watchers earned best weight-loss category status.
The panel of 22 experts ranked 25 popular diets overall, based on seven categories: short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, easy to follow, nutrition, safety, diabetes and heart health. The fruit- and veggie-heavy Dash Diet contains many of the components nutrition experts have been telling people to focus on for years: eat whole grains and nuts, avoid sugars, fats and red meat.
Source: Dash Diet, Weight Watchers, named top diets, By Cara Kelly
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/dash-diet-weight-watchers-named-top-diets/2012/01/04/gIQA8Iv6aP_blog.html

The DASH Diet book has been praised by dieticians and everyday calorie counters as an easy program to understand.
"The DASH Diet is sensible, healthy and effective," one dieter gushed on the web site's reader feedback section. "The book is easy to read, understand and follow."
Another reviewer praised the book for showing portion sizes for different calorie levels, something she'd struggled with in the past. "This was the first diet that made any sense," she wrote.
Source: DASH Diet: 5 Things to Know About No. 1 Diet Plan of 2012, By Melanie Jones
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/276570/20120104/dash-diet-best-plan-2012-things-know.htm

Rick Santorum Fight Against Gay Marriage

In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd at his campaign headquarters in Iowa, Santorum said there needs to be one marriage law for all 50 states. When asked if he would make same-sex couples get divorced, he responded, "Well their marriage would be invalid. If the constitution says 'marriage is this,' then people whose marriages are not consistent with the constitution ... (shrug.) I'd love to think that there was another way of doing it."
Santorum said he has hesitations about the Supreme Court taking the decision about marriage away from the people. "32 times marriage has been voted on, in 32 different states from Maine to California, and 32 times marriage has won," he said. But later in the interview Santorum acknowledged that "just because public opinion says something, doesn't mean something's right if it's not right."
(Rick Santorum Would 'Invalidate' Gay Marriages)

When Chuck Todd asked, “Do you think marriage is going to be a state issue?” Santorum answered: “I think marriage has to be one thing for everybody. We can't have 50 different marriage laws in this country, you have to have one marriage law.”
“What would you do with same-sex couples who got married?” Todd asked. “Would you make them get divorced?”
“Well, their marriages would be invalid. I think if the constitution says, 'Marriage is this,' then people whose marriage is not consistent with the constitution.”
Santorum added that he wanted to be “tolerant” but he could not ignore the “real consequences” of marriage equality.
(Rick Santorum Would Annul All Marriages Of Gay Couples, By On Top Magazine)

"Well, their marriage would be invalid," Santorum said. "If the constitution says 'marriage is this,' then people whose marriages are not consistent with the constitution...I'd love to think that there was another way of doing it."
Santorum pointed out that people in 32 states have voted against allowing gay marriage, even though courts and lawmakers have approved it.
When asked whether "the people" were always right, Santorum said: "Just because public opinion says something, doesn't mean something's right if it's not right."
(Rick Santorum pulls ahead in Iowa polls, threatens to 'invalidate' gay marriages, by GoPride)

The Family Leader, a conservative group that Mr. Vander Plaats formed after losing the Republican governor’s race in Iowa last year, narrowed its choices last month to Mr. Santorum, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former House speaker Newt Gingrich.
Bob Vander Plaats and all the other people associated with The Family Leader are obviously people who, not care deeply about repressing the all-encompassing encroachment of secularism, but also spend a lot of time and energy studying and ultimately becoming fearful the effects of the homosexual lifestyle on the American family. So, it makes perfect sense that they would want to throw their weight behind a candidate who shared their worldview.
And, I'm sorry, but for my money, there's no candidate who screams "fearful" "repressed" and "homosexual" like Rick Santorum.
(Anti-Gay Candidate Rick Santorum Somehow Nabs Valuable Anti-Gay Endorsement)

Obama Signed a Wide-ranging Defense Bill into Law

Those provisions raise serious about the patriotism, judgment and dedication to democracy of Congress and the President, according to many critics because they have forsaken commitment to protecting the individual liberties guaranteed in the Constitution.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch said: “By signing this defense spending bill, President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law.”
Congressman Ron Paul, the leading Republican presidential contender in Iowa, told voters there that sanctions against Iran are “acts of war” that are likely to lead to an actual war.
(Obama Stokes War vs. Iran & American Ideals)

In a statement accompanying his signature, the president chastised some lawmakers for what he contended was their attempts to use the bill to restrict the ability of counterterrorism officials to protect the country.
Administration officials said Obama was only signing the measure because Congress made minimally acceptable changes that no longer challenged the president's terrorism-fighting ability.
"Moving forward, my administration will interpret and implement the provisions described below in a manner that best preserves the flexibility on which our safety depends and upholds the values on which this country was founded," Obama said in the signing statement.
Signing statements allow presidents to raise constitutional objections to circumvent Congress' intent. During his campaign for the White House, Obama criticized President George W. Bush's use of signing statements and promised to make his application of the tool more transparent.
(Obama signs defense bill despite 'serious reservations', By Julie Pace)

“The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it,” the president said in a prepared statement. “I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.”
Such provisions in NDAA extend to detainment of U.S. citizens who are members of al-Qaeda or “associated factions.”
The NDAA also seeks to suspend 60 percent of $1.1 billion in counterinsurgency aid to Pakistan, as the State and Defense departments reassess the country’s effectiveness in counterterrorism, specifically the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IED).
The bill authorizes $662 billion in spending to fund the military through 2012. It also provides for sanctions against foreign financial firms that purchase Iranian oil, and penalize Iran’s central bank as part of an effort to toughen sanctions against the country in response to its expansion of nuclear development
(President Signs Controversial Defense Act, By Jim Fogarty)

U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd R) arrives back at the White House, on December 20, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama signed into law the controversial National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Saturday. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Hunt Bigfoot, Legendary Creatures

“Even though this area of the Hudson River Valley is fairly populated and not terribly far from the urban New York City, there is still a lot of forest here,” BFRO founder Matt Moneymaker said in a press release announcing the new season. “And a lot of vegetation to support something like a sasquatch.”
In the episode, the team heads to the Catskills Mountains to provide analysis of video footage from 1997 indicating that perhaps a young sasquatch had been in the area. They interview locals for possible tips and hold a night mission in an attempt to find the baby bigfoot under cloak of darkness — think of it as Paranormal Activity 3 with primates (sorta). During the rest of the season, the crew will visit New Mexico, Minnesota’s Moose Lake, rural Rhode Island, Virginia and state parks in Ohio and Indiana, all in the name of sasquatch science.
(Finding Bigfoot Scours New York for Sasquatch, By Angela Watercutter)

From left, Cliff Barackman, James Fay, Ranae Holland and Matt Moneymaker in a scene from “Finding Bigfoot.”

For those who have missed the back story, Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a legendary large apelike creature who some believe lives in woodlands all around the world, but is so secretive and clever that no human has ever captured a specimen.
Or touched one. Or found a corpse. Or taken a clear picture.
Yet the BFRO, and other believers, have put together an FBI-style profile of Bigfoot, detailing pretty much his whole life.
Bigfoot is curious, for instance. If you make a certain kind of sound, Bigfoot will come around to investigate.
Just not when you can actually see him.
So this program, like countless other documentation on the hunt for Bigfoot, is really about the process, or, more to the point, the strength of the faith among Bigfoot believers.
They have long since stopped discussing whether he exists. That’s a given. Finding him at this stage feels like it would be a nice bonus, but long ago stopped being necessary.
The Bigfoot expedition documented in the first of this second season’s 10 episodes follows a familiar pattern.
(‘Finding Bigfoot’: Believing in Sasquatch may be more vital than finding him, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS )

The crew also convenes a town meeting across the Hudson in Pawling, N.Y., in Dutchess County, where residents, Mr. Barackman explains, “are exactly the kind of people who might be encountering sasquatches every once in a while on their own property.”
The investigators invite those who attend to relate their sightings of Bigfoot or Bigfoot tracks, and quite a few do. By plotting the locations of these sightings, the investigators determine that the beasts seem to hang out in the vicinity of the Appalachian Trail.
“We think the Bigfoots use that as their highway,” Mr. Moneymaker says.
The team sets up nighttime surveillance in the woods in hopes of meeting some Bigfoots, bellowing an occasional sasquatch call — a cross between a police siren and an ill baby — through the hills to try to get the creatures interested in a rendezvous. As is usual for this absurd but delightfully addictive show, Mr. Moneymaker’s crew does not capture a Bigfoot, either on film or in the flesh. But the investigators nonetheless amass almost irrefutable evidence that the Catskills and Dutchess County are crawling with the critters: ¶When Mr. Pridgen appears on camera, the identifying label under his name says, “New York Bigfoot Witness.” Same thing for a couple of Pawling residents who describe sightings. Would Animal Planet, which has brought us rigorously scientific shows like “Hillbilly Handfishin’ ” and “Rat Busters NYC,” allow someone to be called a “Bigfoot Witness” on TV if he had not witnessed a Bigfoot? Seems unlikely.
(Finding Bigfoot, Be Wary of Bobo, Sasquatch, By NEIL GENZLINGER)

A Russian government official also confirmed a live female Yeti had been captured after the footage showed the beast attacking a sheep and then running away.
But as news of the incredible sighting spread across Russia and the video went viral on internet – including YouTube — the story was exposed as a hoax.
The Federal Security Bureau was forced to investigate the claims but denied it had caught the beast. An FSB official said: "News agencies distributed the information without checking the facts. It's a hoax.
"No such creature has been found here."
(Proof of Bigfoot? Not Yeti)

Exxon accept around 908 Million from Venezuela

"They must be elated that they got off so cheap. It's certainly a happy new year for Venezuela," said Russ Dallen, head bond trader at investment bank Caracas Capital Markets.
"But what gives Exxon hope is that it's only the first of two arbitration proceedings."
An Exxon spokesman said in an e-mail on Sunday that the International Chamber of Commerce, or ICC, had ruled that Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, "does have a contractual liability to Exxon Mobil. The ICC award is for $907,588,000."
(Exxon wins less than expected from Venezuela dispute)

Exxon Mobil said the International Chamber Of Commerce had determined that the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA "does have a contractual liability to Exxon Mobil.”
The company said the award is for $907,588,000.
Exxon Mobil has not publicly revealed how much it was seeking in compensation from Venezuela for the 2007 nationalization of a crude oil project in Venezuela’s Orinoco belt.
The Reuters news agency said Exxon Mobil had sought as much as $10 billion, and Venezuela had earlier offered $1 billion.
(Exxon Mobil Awarded $908 Million)

Exxon has said that it invested around $750 million into the Cerro Negro facility. The company reduced its claim to $7 billion from an initial claim of $12 billion.
Despite the smaller-than-expected compensation for Exxon, the money is still a substantial chunk of change for PdVSA, which posted a net profit of $4 billion during the first six months of 2011. The Venezuelan oil monopoly has faced declining oil production and cash flow problems in recent years as Chavez diverts large portions of revenue toward social projects, which critics say has resulted in insufficient investments into maintenance.
Earlier this year, Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said his government planned to pay no more than a total of $2.5 billion between its arbitration cases with Exxon and ConocoPhillips. Fellow oil major Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. oil company, decided to accept PdVSA's majority stake and remained in Venezuela.
(Venezuela Seen Getting Off 'Lightly' In $908 Million Exxon Payment)

“Exxon took a risk when they went in. I’m sure they were expecting more than just making their money back,” Dallen said, adding that it will be hard to reach a definitive conclusion about what the decision means until more details are released.
The Exxon spokesman told ­Reuters that the company was still reviewing the more-than-400-page ruling.
In 2007, Venezuela bought back $630 million in bonds issued to finance the Cerro Negro project, which Dallen said may have figured into the calculation of the award.
Local analyst Asdrubal Oliveros of Ecoanalitica estimated the value of Exxon assets in Venezuela at $4.5 billion.
Conoco Phillips was an investor in two of the four Orinoco upgrader projects. Exxon and Conoco, which had in total asked for as much as $40 billion in compensation, both left the country after the nationalizations.
(Exxon awarded $908 million to compensate for Venezuelan nationalization)