"War" reduced to PG-13 after Fox trims sexual content (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 27 (TheWrap.com) ? When "This Means War" hits theaters on Valentine's Day, the Reese Witherspoon action comedy will arrive with a PG-13 rating, TheWrap has confirmed.

Fox, the studio behind the McG film, has trimmed sexual content in the film, and in return the Motion Picture Association of America has removed the R-rating, a spokeswoman for the ratings board said.

In addition to Witherspoon, "This Means War" stars Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. It centers on two CIA agents who compete for the same woman.

Fox lost its appeal on Thursday of the MPAA's rating.

After hearing statements from Ted Gagliano, president of feature post production for Twentieth Century Fox and from Joan Graves, who chairs the Classification and Rating Administration, the board upheld the R rating due to sexual content.

"This Means War" will now apparently arrive in theaters with a little less steam heat -- or at least with the sensuality and sex jokes dialed down a notch or two.

For an appeal to be successful, two-thirds of the board must vote that the rating is "clearly erroneous."

The board reviews between 800 and 900 movies each year. Usually, fewer than 12 are appealed.

(Editing By Zorianna Kit)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/film_nm/us_thismeanswar_rating

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China says EU ban on Iran oil not "constructive" (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China on Thursday criticized the European Union for banning oil imports from Iran, Beijing's third biggest crude supplier and a major trading partner.

The European Union agreed on Monday to ban imports of oil from Iran and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at pushing Iran into reining in its nuclear activities that Tehran says are for peaceful purposes.

China, the world's second largest crude consumer, has long opposed unilateral sanctions that target Iran's energy sector and has tried to reduce tensions that could threaten its oil supply.

Last week, Beijing told a visiting Iranian delegation that returning to nuclear talks was a "top priority." During a tour to Arab states earlier this month, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao also made a strong statement opposing Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons, but defended China's right to buy Iranian crude oil as normal trade activity.

Asked about the EU embargo, China's Foreign Ministry said in a faxed statement: "It is not a constructive approach to simply pile up the pressure and impose sanctions."

"China hopes relevant parties to resort to measures conducive to regional peace and stability," the statement added.

China is the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil, importing 30 percent more from Iran in 2011 compared to the previous year. But China halved its purchases from Iran in January and February, following a dispute over the terms of payment.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Tracy Zheng; editing by Miral Fahmy)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120126/wl_nm/us_china_iran

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NFL extends Goodell's contract through 2018 season

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2011 file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell smiles during a new conference after the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas. Goodell has had his contract extended through the 2018 season. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2011 file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell smiles during a new conference after the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas. Goodell has had his contract extended through the 2018 season. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

(AP) ? Now that the NFL has labor peace for the next decade, Commissioner Roger Goodell has job security through the 2018 season.

Not only did Goodell get through one of the league's most contentious and troubling periods ? a 4 ?-month lockout of the players ? but he oversaw a highly successful season once a 10-year collective bargaining agreement was reached. On Wednesday, he reaped some rewards himself with a contract extension through March 2019.

"It is the only place I have ever wanted to work," Goodell said after the league's compensation committee approved the extension.

The 52-year-old Goodell took over for Paul Tagliabue in 2006. His original five-year contract was extended in 2009. He earned about $10 million, including bonuses, under that contract. During the lockout, he had a $1 salary.

No terms were disclosed for the new contract.

"I am grateful for the contributions and counsel of NFL owners in managing our league, the talented staff that supports us, and the players and coaches that perform their magic on the field. It is truly a team effort," Goodell said. "I am eagerly looking ahead to the challenge of building on our momentum and doing all we can to improve our game for the fans and everyone that is part of our league."

In 2011, he negotiated long-term contract extensions of the NFL's television contracts. The nine-year agreements with CBS, Fox, and NBC are the longest for the league and could net as much as $3.1 billion in 2022.

Twenty-three of the top 25 rated TV programs during the football season were NFL games.

Goodell has made player safety and discipline his main focal points, and the league has ramped up fines and even suspensions for illegal hits. He also has been criticized for how the league dealt with retired players and with post-career health issues such as brain trauma; both issues have become priorities for Goodell and the league in recent years.

"I speak on behalf of 32 NFL club owners in saying we are fortunate to have Roger Goodell as our commissioner," said Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, chairman of the compensation committee, which also includes owners Tom Benson (New Orleans), Pat Bowlen (Denver), Robert Kraft (New England), Jerry Richardson (Carolina), and Steve Ross (Miami). "Since becoming commissioner in 2006, the NFL - already the leader in professional sports - has gotten even stronger.

"As evidenced by this contract extension, we have great confidence in Roger's vision and leadership of the NFL. Our clubs, players and fans could not ask for a better CEO."

The Sports Business Journal first reported the extension.

Goodell began his career in pro football as an intern at the NFL office in 1982, then worked in the public relations department of the Jets in 1983. He returned to the league office in 1984 in the public relations department, and at one point was in charge of handing out media credentials for postseason games.

Goodell worked his way through the ranks and was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer by Tagliabue in 2001. He oversaw the league's football operations and officiating departments, and supervised all league business functions.

When Tagliabue retired in 2006, Goodell beat out a handful of other candidates for the job.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-25-Goodell-Contract/id-ad58591861bd4cdaabc0e81638fb53f8

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Pelosi hints, then denies she has Gingrich secrets (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Does House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi know some dark secrets about GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich? Twice, she offered tantalizing hints that she does. And then said she doesn't. Gingrich said Wednesday that the House Democratic leader should come out with it or shut up.

The latest back-and-forth in the contest of two former House speakers came in a CNN interview Tuesday night, when host John King suggested to Pelosi that she "could come back here next January or next February with a President Gingrich?"

"Let me just say this. That will never happen," Pelosi said.

When King asked, "Why are you so sure?" Pelosi responded: "There's something I know. The Republicans, if they choose to nominate him, that's their prerogative. I don't even think that's going to happen."

On Wednesday, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said: "The `something' leader Pelosi knows is that Newt Gingrich will not be president of the United States. She made that clear last night."

Hammill's statement, however, acknowledged that this wasn't the first time that Pelosi hinted that she knows something about Gingrich that she hasn't revealed.

In December, Pelosi reminded an interviewer that she served on the ethics panel that investigated Gingrich's use of tax-exempt organizations. That case ended with a reprimand by the House and a $300,000 penalty against the then-speaker for misleading the committee and prolonging its investigation.

Pelosi said last month: "One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich. I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

Hammill repeated the explanation provided after those comments.

"Leader Pelosi previously made a reference to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware," the spokesman said.

Gingrich said Wednesday that Pelosi should come out with her information or stop talking.

"Look, I think if she knows something she ought to say it. If she doesn't know something she ought to quit saying it. But this is baloney. I don't think any Republican is going to be threatened by Nancy Pelosi. Frankly, I'd rather have her threaten me than endorse me. So I feel pretty good about it. If she has something, bring it out," he said.

Mitt Romney, Gingrich's chief rival for the GOP presidential nomination, has asked that all records from Gingrich's ethics investigation be released. In January 1997, when the case ended, the committee did make public its final report as well as exhibits ? which amounted to a comprehensive account of the committee's findings.

The chairman of the ethics committee during the Gingrich investigation, former Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson, said the committee traditionally does not publicly release investigative documents.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_el_pr/us_pelosi_gingrich

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Police: 185 killed in north Nigeria sect attack (AP)

KANO, Nigeria ? Police say 185 people were killed in an attack by a radical Islamist sect on the northern Nigeria city of Kano.

In a statement issued late Monday, the department said 150 of the dead were civilians, 29 were police officers, three were secret police officers, two were immigration officers and one was a customs officer.

The announcement comes as police say they have found 10 unexploded car bombs in the city.

Friday's attack in Kano saw Boko Haram members hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police, leaving corpses in the streets across the city.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

KANO, Nigeria (AP) ? A police spokesman says authorities have found 10 unexploded car bombs in a northern Nigeria city where an attack by a radical Islamist sect killed more than 150 people.

Kano state police spokesman Magaji Musa Majiya said Monday that officers found one near a police station in the state capital of Kano, which was attacked by the sect known as Boko Haram. Majiya said officers have disarmed the explosive.

Majiya also said officers have found other locally made explosives.

The Nigerian Red Cross estimates more than 150 people died in Friday's attack in Kano after at least two Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden cars. The attack hit police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria's secret police, leaving corpses in the streets across the city.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_af/af_nigeria_violence

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Jet slides off Iowa taxiway; no injuries reported

No injuries have been reported after a jet partially slid off a taxiway following a landing at the airport in Fort Dodge.

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Pinnacle Airlines spokesman Joe Williams says the accident occurred after the plane landed a little after 4:30 p.m. Monday. The plane carried 32 passengers and a crew of three.

The CRJ-200 jet was listed as Flight 3441 and is part of the Delta connection to and from Minneapolis.

Williams says the plane's nose gear ended up in the grass next to the taxiway pavement. Buses took the passengers and crew members to the airport terminal.

Williams said Tuesday morning that he didn't have a report from the crew about the accident cause, but he says the airport reported thin ice conditions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46117469/ns/travel-news/

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Oscar prospects span the century as noms near (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. ? Prospective Academy Awards nominees have pretty much every decade of the last century covered, from the World War I epic "War Horse" through modern times with the family drama "The Descendants."

In between at Tuesday morning's nominations are such contenders as the 1920s and `30s tales "The Artist" and "Hugo," the 1950s movie-making story "My Week with Marilyn," the 1960s Deep South drama "The Help," the 1970s Cold War thriller "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and the Margaret Thatcher chronicle "The Iron Lady," spanning decades from her youth in World War II through her 1980s and `90s career as Britain's prime minister.

The Oscar nominations will be announced by Jennifer Lawrence at a 10-minute, predawn ceremony at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The best-picture prize on Oscar night could become a tussle between the top films at the Golden Globes: best drama recipient "The Descendants," starring George Clooney as a Hawaii father trying to keep his family together after a boating accident puts his wife in a coma; and best musical or comedy winner "The Artist," with Jean Dujardin as a silent-movie star whose career crumbles as talking pictures take over.

Clooney and Dujardin, who won the lead-actor Globes in their respective categories, are likely best-actor nominees at the Oscars.

Another performer with strong prospects is Globe dramatic actress winner Meryl Streep as Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." Two-time Oscar winner Streep would pad her record as the most-nominated actress, raising her total to 17 nominations, five more than Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, who are tied for second-place.

Also in the running: Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as Mississippi maids in "The Help"; Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn"; Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover in "J. Edgar"; Glenn Close as a woman masquerading as a male butler in "Albert Nobbs"; Brad Pitt as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball"; and Michael Fassbender as a sex addict in "Shame."

Winners of the 84th annual Oscars will be announced at a Feb. 26 ceremony aired live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, with Billy Crystal returning as host for the first time in eight years.

The most-beloved Oscar host of the last two decades, Crystal agreed to lead the show for the ninth time after Eddie Murphy bowed out in support of his pal, filmmaker Brett Ratner, who quit as Oscar producer amid the uproar over a gay slur he uttered in front of an audience at a screening of his and Murphy's comedy "Tower Heist."

Crystal's return could bump up the TV ratings for the show, which have been on a general decline over the last couple of decades.

What usually results in big TV ratings, though, is a blockbuster such as eventual Oscar champs "Titanic" or "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in the thick of the best-picture contest. More fans tune in because they have a stake in the outcome.

But there are no colossal films such as that in the mix this time. "The Help" and best-picture longshot "Bridesmaids" are solid hits, both taking in about $170 million domestically, while "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is closing on the $100 million mark. So far, other best-picture prospects are well under that level, ranging from $75 million for "Moneyball" to $12 million for "The Artist."

___

David Germain reported from Park City, Utah.

___

Online:

http://www.oscars.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_en_mo/us_oscar_nominations

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Mitt Romney's Stance On Dream Act Threatens To Turn Off Hispanic Voters In Florida

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI--Mitt Romney's promise to veto a measure that would create a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants threatens to turn off some Hispanic voters, whose support could be critical in a general election match-up against President Barack Obama.

The issue is gaining prominence as the GOP front-runner heads toward the Jan. 31 primary in Florida, even though most of the state's Hispanics are Puerto Rican or Cuban-American and, thus, aren't affected by U.S. immigration law, nor view it as a priority. Still, it's a state where 13 percent of registered voters are Hispanic, where the nation's largest Spanish-language TV networks are based, and where the nation's third-largest number of undocumented immigrants live--intensifying the focus on Romney's position.

"Latino voters, like all voters in this country, are interested in America being an opportunity nation," Romney said Monday night during a debate in South Carolina, when asked if his promise to veto the so-called Dream Act was alienating voters. "In my view, as long as we communicate to the people of all backgrounds in this country that it can be better, and that America is a land of opportunity, we will get those votes."

Maybe not.

His veto promise ? first made in the days before the Iowa caucuses--has hit a nerve with prominent Hispanics, and some Republicans worry that the position will turn off the growing number of Latino voters in swing-voting states, particularly in the west, who are now on the fence after backing Obama in 2008. These Republicans suggest that Romney was trying to curry favor with hardline Republican primary voters at the expense of Hispanics whose support he would need come the fall.

"If Romney's the nominee, he's going to have to come to the center and make some decisions about how to resolve that issue," said Republican Herman Echevarria, a Cuban-American who is the CEO of a Miami-based bilingual advertising agency and a longtime local political player. "He's trying to be a conservative candidate. And if you don't become a conservative candidate, you cannot be the candidate of the Republicans. But you cannot be elected president just as a conservative candidate."

Already, there are signs of backlash.

For Colombia native Ana Rodriguez, a Miami-based graphic designer who received political asylum and will become a U.S. citizen this year, Romney's comments are precisely what motivated her to vote--against him. "Because of what I went through," Rodriguez said, "I want more people (elected) who are interested in supporting immigrants and want a more equal and fair system of immigration."

Florida Dream Act activists, who have been among the most visible in the nation, also are promising to keep the heat on Romney as his campaign comes to the state.

And last week, at El Tropical restaurant in Miami, Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who has endorsed Romney, told a group of mostly Cuban-American GOP primary voters that the former Massachusetts governor was the only candidate who could fix the economy and protect U.S. security interests. Then, a young Colombian immigrant stepped forward and asked Diaz-Balart, who has championed immigrants' rights including the Dream Act, how the congressman could support Romney.

"You have been such a friend to us, I just don't understand," said Juan Rodriguez, a student at Florida International University who was among a half-dozen students who walked from Miami to Washington in the winter to raise awareness of the legislation.

The exchange was caught on tape by several Spanish-language media outlets that reach viewers around the world.

Romney has arguably the toughest immigration position of any of the Republican candidates. Newt Gingrich would give legal status to undocumented immigrants who have deep roots in the U.S. and lived otherwise lawfully.

Conversely, Romney has been adamantly opposed to any type of amnesty for undocumented immigrants since his first White House run in 2008. Previously, he called reasonable a bipartisan proposal to allow immigrants to seek green cards in exchange for certain penalties, though he says he never officially supported such legislation.

Last year, Romney objected to the Dream Act. But he went further in the days before the Iowa caucuses when asked if he would veto the measure.

"The answer is yes," Romney told voters then.

While he said he does not oppose creating a path for those who serve in the U.S. military to become permanent residents, he also said he doesn't believe such individuals should be able to adjust their status by attending school, nor should they receive in-state tuition.

Since narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, Romney has been sending Hispanics mixed messages.

He's working to woo Hispanics and convince them he's sincere in fighting their causes, recently launching TV commercials in Florida featuring Cuban-Americans Diaz-Balart and fellow U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, as well as his son Craig speaking in Spanish.

But, in South Carolina, he's also been campaigning with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the leading architect behind the tough Arizona-style immigration laws. Even many Latinos who support tougher immigration laws worry such measures will lead to racial profiling because they give broad leeway to law enforcement to stop anyone whom they suspect of being in the country without documents.

"This is all about his primary right now," said Benjamin Bishin, a University of California, Riverside political science professor who has long studied Cuban-American and other Latino political attitudes.

Jennifer Korn of the center-right group the Hispanic Leadership Network, which is co-hosting a GOP primary debate and Latino conference this month in Florida, said Romney took a risk in alienating Hispanic voters. But, she added, he's also made clear he wants to fix the broader immigration system.

"If he explains it correctly, he definitely has a chance to have the Hispanic community listen to what he has to say," she said.

He seemed to try to do just that during recent debates, saying: "I love legal immigration," but that "to protect our legal immigration system we have got to protect our borders and stop the flood of illegal immigration."

That appeared to be enough for Peter Gonzalez, a Cuban-American commercial attorney and fiscally conservative Democrat.

"It's nice to hear a guy who the media has said is taking a harsh turn to the right on immigration say they love legal immigration," he said.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/mitt-romney-dream-act_n_1220624.html

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How Do I Quit a Job I Just Started? [Ask Lifehacker]

How Do I Quit a Job I Just Started?Dear Lifehacker,
I started a new job a month ago and now realize it's not really a good fit for me. Even after a month I'm still not comfortable and I dread going in every morning. Can I quit without looking like a total jerk?

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski.

Sincerely,
Anxious About Quitting

Dear Anxious,
Ouch. We've all had that sinking feeling. You get home from work and realize you're unhappy and it dawns on you: You may have made a bad job decision. It is possible to leave without screwing everyone over, but you should consider a few things before you make your choice.

How to Know It's Time to Quit

How Do I Quit a Job I Just Started?Starting a new job is jarring. Your schedule changes, your workday is mixed around, and you're bombarded with new information around every corner. You have to learn the politics, people's names, your boss' quirks, and new systems for everything. For the first few days or weeks, you might be anxious and confused. If a month or two pass and you still don't feel comfortable, it might be time to think about leaving. Career coach Jeanne Knight suggests asking yourself a few questions first.

  • Is it just the newness of the job?
  • What will I learn if I stay in this job?
  • If the scope of the job has changed, can it be renegotiated?

Answering these questions can shed some light on why you feel the need to leave. If the workload is more than you expected, you can try to renegotiate your pay or benefits accordingly. Think about the schedule change and the newness of the job as well. Did you go from waiting tables to a 9 to 5 office job? It might take longer to grow accustomed to a new routine.

Sometimes, though, you just know in your gut a job isn't right for you. I once worked at a Papa John's restaurant for a single evening and knew within the first hour I was never going back. My solution? Like the pompous teenage jerk I was, I no-called, no-showed. Don't do that. Instead, let's look at a few of the best ways to make a respectable exit. Photo by Rusty Haskell.

How to Give Your Notice

How Do I Quit a Job I Just Started?If you answered the questions above and decided your new job isn't right for you, it's time to give your notice. It's easy to just stop showing up (it's not like you've formed any lasting bonds), but it will burn the bridges you made with the company and your coworkers, and, frankly, it's just poor form.

I talked with Julia Nelson, lead recruiter at First Western Trust Bank to see how a human resources department prefers to handle a situation like this. She has two suggestions for two different types of circumstances:

Once you start, if something about the job, your manager, or the company comes as a surprise and clashes with your moral or other values (for example, they're asking you to steal puppies, never mentioned puppy stealing before, and stealing puppies makes you feel terrible), give a courtesy two week notice, but mention that you would feel more comfortable quitting right now.

The above advice can also be applied if you're feeling overwhelmed at a position where you're relied on for the safety of others. Whether it's caring for senior citizens or teaching snowboarding to children, if you don't feel like you can do the job right, ask to leave immediately. But what about when you just think the job sucks and it's not what you want? Julia offers this advice:

If it is something more than boredom and uncertainty, speak to your manager openly about your concerns. Maybe you can unearth why they weren't brought up in the interview process and move forward on better footing. Maybe you will mutually decide this is just not a good fit. In this instance you can offer two weeks notice, but they may ask you to leave sooner. I suggest offering two weeks notice because you don't want to burn any bridges, but exhaust all options before you come to the conclusion to leave.

Finally, if it's absolutely time to drop the position, job search engine Monster adds that you should be completely honest and apologetic when giving your notice in person. Don't lie about the reasons or make excuses, just tell your employer how it is. Leaving is beneficial for them in the long run if you're not a good fit, so don't feel guilty or make excuses. Photo by CedarBendDrive.

Don't Forget to Sweat the Small Stuff

No matter how rough a job is, don't forget to factor in the income and benefits you lose when you leave. If you don't have another job lined up, make sure you have enough cash tucked away to cover your living expenses before you put in your notice. Even if you leave because you found a better job, benefits can take anywhere from a month to a year to set in. If you're reliant on health insurance consider the time you won't be covered. We've looked at how to find health insurance on your own before, but the options, unfortunately, aren't great. The same goes for other benefits you're leaving behind, including retirement plans, flex plans, or other investments. Check with your boss or human resources department for how to transfer your plans into a new or personal account.

Prevent it from Happening Again

How Do I Quit a Job I Just Started?Hopefully you learned from your mistake, but if you decide to leave, chances are you're already planning on interviewing again. Julia has one simple suggestion for preventing the situation from happening again:

As a job seeker, you have the right to ask many, many questions of the hiring manager and HR team before you decide if you would like to take a position. You are interviewing a company just as much as they are interviewing you. Before you accept a position you should be able to envision yourself in the office, know some of the team you would be working with, understand what is expected of you in the role, and have a good "gut" feeling about going to that job everyday.

It's good advice regardless of when you're interviewing, but if you're coming hot off the heels of a poor job choice, it's a solid technique to assure yourself you're making the right decision. Hopefully you're comfortable with your decision to leave (or stay), and good luck in your next job search! Photo by Samuel Mann.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Have you walked out of a job right after starting? We'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/L9TGruJ7-dM/how-do-i-quit-a-job-i-just-started

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Epic clash: Silicon Valley blindsides Hollywood on piracy (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The massive online protest last Wednesday, in which Wikipedia and thousands of other websites closed down or otherwise protested and helped to kill controversial online piracy legislation, was widely heralded as an unprecedented case of a grassroots uprising overcoming backroom lobbying.

Yet a close look at how the debate unfolded suggests that traditional means of influencing policy in Washington had its place too. The technology industry has ramped up its political activities dramatically in recent years, and in fact, has spent more than the entertainment industry -- $1.2 billion between 1998 and 2011, compared with $906.4 million spent by entertainment companies.

The latest chapter in what has become an epic, decades-long battle between the two industries over copyrighted digital content began innocuously enough. Hollywood movie studios, frustrated by online theft that they claim already costs them billions of dollars a year and will only get worse, in 2010 started pushing for a law that would make it possible to block access and cut off payments to foreign websites offering pirated material.

In 2010, longtime industry friend Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, introduced a bill, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously but never went further.

In May last year, Leahy tried again, introducing his Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act. In October, Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, introduced a similar bill. The last major piece of copyright law, the Pro-IP Act of 2008, moved through Congress with little controversy, so the industry felt hopeful.

Through the end of September, Hollywood had outspent the tech industry 2-to-1 in donations to key supporters of measures it was backing. More than $950,000 from the TV, music and movie industries has gone to original sponsors of the House and Senate bills in the 2012 election cycle, compared with about $400,000 from computer and Internet companies, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Tech companies preferred backers of a narrower alternative bill. The computer and Internet industries gave more than $291,000 to supporters of that measure vs. about $185,000 from the content makers.

"They're both very powerful. They're all big players. They give a lot of money to politicians. This has to be a tough choice for many members of Congress," said Larry Sabato, a campaign finance expert who teaches at the University of Virginia.

PAY ATTENTION

The bills had attracted no public attention, but in early September, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman wrote to senators to oppose the bill. Later that month, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce marshaled a group of 350 companies to write in supporting it.

The introduction of the House bill in late October prompted more scrutiny. Critics including the Consumer Electronics Association fretted over issues such as whether U.S. websites could be shut down under the bill, and security risks to Internet infrastructure that they said may arise.

By mid November, technology executives were paying close attention. Many watched online as Google copyright counsel Katherine Oyama testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing November 16. Another, Ben Huh, chief executive of the online media network Cheezburger Inc, would eventually help organize the Web blackout.

Members of Congress "basically beat up Google," said Huh, who tuned in from the office. "We were watching it going, 'This is incredibly unfair.'"

Later that day, he talked over the testimony with Erik Martin, general manager of the social news site Reddit.com. The two would later help lead the online blackout efforts, along with others such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.

Meanwhile, the White House was taking meetings from both sides. The first week of December, Motion Picture Association of America chief and former Senator Chris Dodd moved the MPAA's board meeting from its traditional site of Los Angeles to Washington, in part so executives could lobby on the issues.

Dodd, along with movie executives including Warner Bros Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer and Fox Filmed Entertainment co-Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman, met with White House officials including chief of staff Bill Daley and Vice President Joe Biden, according to a person familiar with the situation. They hammered home why the law was needed to go after foreign sites.

TAKING TURNS

The following week, it was the tech companies' turn. Executives including LinkedIn's Hoffman, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, and venture capitalists Brad Burnham and Paul Maeder met with the same officials to press their case.

Major tech companies then took out advertisements in newspapers including the Washington Post and The New York Times, saying the bills would allow U.S. government censorship of the Internet. The ads ran December 14 in the form of an open letter to Washington, signed by heavyweights such as Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

The ads ran as the House Judiciary Committee was turning back the bill. The proceedings streamed live over the Internet, allowing the public to watch many members struggling to fully understand terms such as IP address and DNS server.

North Carolina Rep. Mel Watt, for example, professed that he was "not a nerd and didn't understand a lot of the technological stuff." That opened them up to mockery in the blogosphere, with commentators questioning their ability to craft law around the Internet. "Dear Congress, It's No Longer OK To Not Know How the Internet Works," Motherboard blogger Joshua Kopstein wrote in a widely circulated post.

The weekend after the committee adjourned its hearing, opponents started an online petition to veto SOPA at the White House's "We the People" website. Within days, the petition had acquired 38,500 signatures, far exceeding the 25,000 required for review by the administration. An separate petition started in late October had already gathered more than 52,000 signatures.

A few days before Christmas, the House Judiciary Committee released the names of the many companies that supported SOPA. But that succeeded only in galvanizing further opposition: influential Silicon Valley investor Paul Graham took the unusual step of saying that any company that supported SOPA would be barred from Demo Day, an industry showcase.

People posting to the social-news site Reddit then suggested a boycott of one of the bill's supporters, the domain-name registrar GoDaddy, asking people to transfer their domains to another registrar. Many sites, among them Huh's Cheezburger, said they would switch. Just before New Year's Day, GoDaddy dropped its support for the bill amid widespread publicity.

Meanwhile, the White House was crafting its response to the online petitions. Three top aides to President Barack Obama, who won election in 2008 supported by online organizing and who has long been friendly to Internet industry concerns, weighed in on the issue in mid-January just as Hollywood was preparing to celebrate the Golden Globe Awards. The officials posted a response to the online petition and voiced concerns about the bills, while calling for improved antipiracy legislation.

That sparked a flood of media coverage and helped expand the Internet blackout to more sites. One popular protest, the brainchild of Instagram engineer Greg Hochmuth and YouTube Product Management Director Hunter Wall, allowed people to add black "Stop SOPA" banners to their Twitter and Facebook profile photos. On Wednesday, some 30 people a minute were adding the banners to their photos, Hochmuth told Reuters.

A FORMIDABLE COMBO

The combination of White House concerns, the impending online protest and the intense pressure on legislators from high-profile Internet industry leaders abruptly changed the dynamic on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, as the blackout unfolded, support for the bills quickly crumbled.

Some Hollywood executives acknowledge their own flat-footedness in trying to marshal public opinion as opposition mounted. While technology companies brandished the power of the Internet, Hollywood relied on old-media weapons such as television commercials and a billboard in New York's Times Square. It proved to be too little, too late.

One entertainment-company lawyer complained that opposing arguments were often inaccurate but spread like wildfire anyway on the Internet, leaving supporters scrambling to correct the information without the benefit of a strong online network.

"We do some of that (online) stuff, but it has to go through a committee of 14 people," he said. "The other side doesn't have conference calls. They just put stuff out there."

Both friends and foes of SOPA and PIPA do not think they have seen the end of this battle.

"Bills are a lot like zombies," said Cheezburger's Huh. "You never know if they're dead or going to come back."

When it comes around again, lobbyists on both sides will have learned some valuable lessons.

(Reporting by Sarah McBride in San Francisco and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles, with additional reporting by Jasmin Melvin and Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/en_nm/us_congress_piracy

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