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Android Central Contest Winners

If you're a registered member here at Android Central then you know our blogs and forums always have a contest happening. And if you're not registered, well -- now is as good a time as any. This week's winners are as posted after the break, and if you were chosen watch your email as we'll be following up shortly. Stay tuned for more upcoming contests folks. Congrats to this week's winners!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/j3Ep7QG1Jg8/story01.htm

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Defense asks ElBaradei to testify in Mubarak trial (AP)

CAIRO ? A lawyer for Egypt's former interior minister asked the court on Saturday to have Nobel Peace Prize laureate and pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei testify as a witness in his client's defense.

Mohammed el-Gendi, an attorney for Habib el-Adly, said ElBaradei could testify that security forces from the Interior Ministry protected him and ensured he arrived home safely during the most violent day of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

ElBaradei, an outspoken critic of the Mubarak regime as well as Egypt's current military rulers, could not be immediately reached for comment.

El-Adly is charged along with Mubarak and four police commanders of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 18-day revolt last January and February. They could face the death penalty if convicted. Mubarak and his two sons are facing separate charges of corruption in the same case.

El-Gendi, who has five days to present his arguments, was addressing the court on the one-year anniversary of Egypt's "Day of Rage," in which hundreds of protesters were killed and wounded in clashes with police.

Several hundred protesters prayed on Cairo's Qasr al-Nil bridge Saturday, which spans the Nile River, for those killed a year ago. The bridge was the scene of some of the most violent confrontations with security forces as protesters pushed their way to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the anti-Mubarak revolt. The gathering was one of a number of rallies and protests this week marking the year anniverary ? and pushing demands for the ruling military to cede power.

Police used live ammunition, fired water cannons and rammed people with armored police vehicles on the bridge a year ago before the security forces, which were run by el-Adly, collapsed and disappeared from the streets.

Adel Abdullah, a 31-year old, was in tears. He said he lost his friend on the bridge last year. "I am sad for those who died and what is happening now. So long as the military council is in power, nothing will change in this country."

At the trial Saturday, el-Gendi compared Mubarak to former U.S. President George W. Bush, saying that the U.S. leader was responsible for wars that led to the deaths of thousands of people in Iraq and Afghanistan and was never tried in court.

"Mubarak is being tried even though he never said he ordered the shootings," el-Gendi said.

Earlier this week, el-Gendi claimed the U.S. and Israel plotted the killings of protesters and accused security guards at the American University in Cairo of opening fire on the demonstrations. The university, which has a building that borders Tahrir Square, immediately issued a denial.

Only one policeman has been convicted in more than a dozen court cases over the death of at least 846 people killed in the government crackdown on protesters. He was tried in absentia, and upon his return to Egypt recently, he was granted a retrial.

El-Adly's defense team has until Wednesday to present its arguments to the court. Mubarak's lawyer wrapped up his defense earlier, while other defendants have until Feb. 16. Verdicts are not expected soon.

A year after the anti-Mubarak uprising, the activists who led it are now leading protests against the military, which they say is balking at real reform and is as dictatorial as Mubarak. They demand that the generals hand power immediately to civilians, but they have struggled to propose a solid alternative to the military's timetable.

The generals say they will cede power by the end of June, but many fear they will try to keep some form of political influence.

In an attempt to present a unified position, nearly 40 youth groups Saturday put forward a new initiative pressing for presidential elections by April 11 so the military can hand power to the winner.

The proposal calls on the newly elected parliament to manage and organize the presidential elections, and not leave it in the hands of a military-appointed commission.

The groups said they will not accept a constitution to be written or a president to be elected under the watch of the military rule. Under the current timetable, parliament is to form a panel to write the constitution and the presidential vote is to be held before the end-of-June handover.

"The real danger for the revolution today is to have the first constitution for the country after the revolution in the shadow of military rule," the groups said. It said the military wants to ensure the constitution puts it "above the law and above accountability" and preserves its "huge economic empire."

___

AP correspondent Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_mubarak_trial

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Obama urges Congress to act in election year (AP)

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ? President Barack Obama rallied House Democrats for an election-year fight, urging them to work with Republicans if they show some willingness to put politics aside but telling the rank and file to call them out if they stand in the way.

Addressing Democrats on the final day of their three-day annual retreat, Obama outlined the political stakes over the next few months as congressional Democrats try to push his agenda in the face of Republican opposition, the GOP choses its nominee and signs of recovery in a fragile economy go a long way to determining his re-election chances and the party's fate.

Obama said Democrats should seize the opportunity "whenever there is a possibility that the other side is putting some politics aside for just a nanosecond in order to get something done for the American people, we've got to be right there ready to meet them," the president told the sometimes raucous crowd.

However, "where they obstruct, where they're unwilling to act, where they're more interested in party than they are in country, more interested in the next election than the next generation, then we've got to call them out on it," the president said. "We've got to push. We can't wait; we can't be held back."

Coming off a three-day tour to promote his State of the Union message, Obama promised a "robust debate about whose vision is more promising" when Republicans choose their nominee.

On a day when reports showed the economy picking up late in 2011 but still considered "fragile" by the White House, Obama told Democrats wondering about their re-election prospects: "It's going to be a tough election because a lot of people are still hurting out there and a lot of people have lost faith generally about the capacity of Washington to get anything done."

House Republicans, who held their retreat in Baltimore last week, have repeatedly said the election will be a referendum on Obama's policies, especially his handling of the economy.

The president acknowledged that Democrats have embraced parts of his agenda when it was politically difficult and in some cases costly. The party took a drubbing in the midterm elections, losing control of the House and seeing their ranks diminished in the Senate.

And despite some past clashes with House Democrats over his willingness to compromise with Republicans, Obama was warmly received and was introduced as "our champion" by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.

The president returned the warmth with a vote of confidence that Democrats would win back the House in November, making a nod to their leader as "soon-to-be once-again Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi."

"I believe in you guys. You guys have had my back through some very tough times," said the president, who received a small gift ? a DVD of House Democrats singing Rev. Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

Last week, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York, Obama stood on the stage and crooned a line from the Green classic.

Democrats were upbeat at their three-day session, energized by Obama's State of the Union address and its populist themes as well as recent polls showing more Americans say the country is on the right track and approve of Obama's handling of the economy. Divisions in the Republican ranks that were on full display last year in the fight over extending the payroll tax cut and the bitter battle between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for the GOP presidential nomination also lifted Democratic spirits.

But the relationship with the White House hasn't always been cordial. Vice President Joe Biden, who addressed the Democrats prior to Obama's speech, described some of the rough patches.

He noted that several members in the room were mad at him in December 2010 after Obama negotiated an extension of President George W. Bush's tax cuts over the objections of some House Democrats. Last year, frustrated Democrats complained the Obama gave away too much in negotiating a spending bill and an agreement to raise the government's borrowing authority.

Biden said Pelosi told him at the last conference to "get tough. Enough is enough." He said the "message was heard. The message was heard. And I think we've delivered."

The vice president was more pointed in his political remarks than Obama and called out some Republicans by name. He said the American people will reject GOP unwillingness to compromise and its blatant determination to make Obama a one-term president.

Of the presidential candidates, Biden said Romney's criticism of the auto bailout and a host of positions stated by rival Newt Gingrich on government intervention will create a clear contrast for voters.

"These guys are helping us by saying what they believe," Biden said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_go_co/us_house_democrats

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Romney Packed Debate Hall With Supporters, Gingrich Aide Says

WASHINGTON -- Members of Newt Gingrich's campaign accused Mitt Romney's campaign of packing the audience for the Republican presidential candidate debate on Thursday night in Jacksonville, Fla., with its own supporters to ensure that the dynamics would be favorable to Romney.

"They definitely packed the room," Kevin Kellems, one of Gingrich's senior advisers, told The Huffington Post early Friday morning. "The problem for them is their candidate, at several junctures, couldn't remember what he had said before on an issue or what the fundamental truth is on a given topic. TV viewers tend to notice and remember things like that."

A more junior member of the Gingrich campaign said in an email that it was "obvious" that the Romney campaign had worked to make sure the audience was overly favorable toward the former Massachusetts governor.

"I was getting calls and emails from all over saying this," the junior aide said. "Just average people saying, 'Wait a minute.'"

The campaign staffer noted that the Florida Republican Party had "picked 900 plus seats."

Florida Republican Party spokesman Brian Hughes told HuffPost in a phone interview late Thursday that the state party controlled who got roughly 900 of the 1,200 tickets issued to the debate. But he took issue with charges that the crowd was tilted toward any one candidate.

"The vast majority of [the tickets] went to rank and file. We did a very thorough job of getting them to the rank and file, vetting them to make sure they went to registered Republicans and then making sure they went out to people that were not knowingly affiliated" with any of the candidates, Hughes said.

"We worked very hard to ensure that the room was rank-and-file folks who represent the electorate that these guys are trying to speak to," Hughes said.

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom was asked after the debate if the campaign had worked to get supporters in the crowd. Fehrnstrom said he had invited his parents, who live in Jacksonville, but no one else.

"The campaign was given an allotment of tickets," Fehrnstrom said. "I don't know how many tickets they received. I assume it's the same as every other campaign."

After the debate ended, Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, wrote on Twitter: "Hidden story of this debate: Why was audience more pro-Mitt & less pro-Newt than others? JAX was pro-Mitt '08, but must be more to it."

Raucous debate crowds in South Carolina, who roared their approval for Gingrich last week on two separate evenings, helped the former House speaker score a huge win in the Palmetto State on Saturday. Gingrich stormed into Florida with momentum on his side.

But on Monday night, instructions by NBC's Brian Williams to a debate crowd in Tampa, Fla., that the audience should withhold applause until the end of the event resulted in a different dynamic. Romney was on the attack against Gingrich, and Gingrich could not summon the same energy that he had in South Carolina with the help of supportive audiences.

After the Monday debate, Gingrich complained about Williams' instructions.

"We're going to serve notice on future debates," Gingrich said. "We're just not going to allow that to happen. That?s wrong. The media doesn?t control free speech. People ought to be allowed to applaud if they want to."

On Thursday night in Jacksonville, Romney again went on offense against Gingrich from the very beginning of the two-hour debate and was buoyed by a supportive audience.

It was a crucial debate for both Gingrich and Romney. Gingrich's lead in the polls has disappeared quickly over the past day or two, and it was widely thought that he needed another breakout performance to regain an edge. Most of the commentary after the debate, even from supporters, judged Gingrich's performance as flat, finding that he did not have a strong night.

"Live by the debate, die by the debate," Erick Erickson, founder of conservative blog RedState.com, wrote on Twitter. "Romney got the better of Gingrich and Gingrich is probably locked out of a FL win. Will be tough."

And though the Romney campaign denied any effort to fill the room with supporters, Romney told everyone at a rally in Jacksonville on Thursday morning to come to the debate.

"If you all can get there, we'd love to see you there, cheering and being part of that," Romney said.

A man in the crowd yelled out that there were no tickets.

"No tickets, huh?" Romney said. "Just storm in."

Amanda Terkel and Elise Foley contributed reporting from Jacksonville.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/gingrich-romney_n_1235715.html

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Arizona Gov. Brewer gets book critique from Obama

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer points at President Barack Obama after he arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer points at President Barack Obama after he arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama arrives at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

President Barack Obama talks with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. Brewer greeted Obama and what she got was a book critique. Of her book. The two leaders engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One?s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time. Asked what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book." Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir that describes her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona?s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes. Brewer also handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation for Obama to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

President Barack Obama arrives at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

President Barack Obama signs autographs after arriving at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP) ? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.

The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One's steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.

Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said, "He was a little disturbed about my book."

Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir of her years growing up, and defends her signing of Arizona's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.

Obama was objecting to Brewer's description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. "He did blow me off at ASU," she said in the television interview in November.

She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. "I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least."

On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.

"I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is," she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.

"I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we're glad he's here, and we'll regroup."

A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that after their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-26-Obama-Arizona%20Governor/id-01e9ab874faf4525ac97bb921e612ce5

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Fed set to push back timing of eventual rate hike (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The Federal Reserve looks set to keep monetary policy on hold on Wednesday, even as it releases forecasts expected to show interest rates will be near zero for at least two more years.

Given recent improvement in the U.S. economy, the central bank will probably remain non-committal regarding the prospect for additional bond purchases, but will leave the door open to further action if Europe's banking problems spill over into the United States.

As part of an effort to provide more insight on its thinking to financial markets and the public, the Fed will begin publishing individual policymakers' projections for the appropriate path of the benchmark federal funds rate.

In so doing, the Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank's policy-setting arm, will probably reveal that it does not expect to begin raising rates until at least early 2014. Since August, it has only said after every policy session that it expected to keep rates ultra-low until at least mid-2013.

If the Fed can convince financial markets it will be on hold longer than they had anticipated, long-term interest rates could drop as investors price in the new information.

"A significant contingent of the committee views this exercise not so much as a process improvement but more as an opportunity to ease again via the forward rate communications channel," said Stephen Stanley, economist at Pierpoint Securities.

There is also the possibility that officials will announce an explicit inflation target, perhaps a hard marker of 2 percent or a range of 2 percent or a bit below. The Fed has been debating a statement on its long-run goals, but whether one will be released on Wednesday is unclear.

The Fed will release a statement outlining its views on the economy and monetary policy at about 12:30 p.m. The rate projections, along with regular quarterly economic forecasts, will be issued at 2 p.m.

While forecasters expect the U.S. economy grew at a 3 percent annual rate in the last three months of 2011, Fed officials will probably shy away from any explicit hints on the likelihood of further unconventional monetary easing.

However, many analysts think the recent momentum in the U.S. recovery will wane as Europe's economy falters, potentially prompting another spurt of Fed bond buying - probably one focused on mortgage debt.

Since December 2008, in response to the deepest recession in generations, the Fed slashed rates to effectively zero and also more than tripled the size of its balance sheet to around $2.9 trillion through two separate bond purchase programs.

The policy is credited with having prevented an even longer downturn, but has been insufficient to bring down unemployment to levels considered normal during good economic times.

In December, the U.S. jobless rate stood at 8.5 percent, and some 13 million Americans were still actively looking for work but could not find it.

Analysts note that the Fed's shift in communications, which has led to considerable confusion about just what exactly will be announced, will put an even greater emphasis on a post-meting news conference by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke at 2:15 p.m.

"The chairman is likely to remain non-committal to any additional policy easing, but he is likely to reinforce the Fed's commitment to 'review the size and composition of its securities holdings' and be 'prepared to adjust those holdings as appropriate,'" said Millan Mulraine, senior macro strategist at TD Securities.

(Editing by Tim Ahmann)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120125/bs_nm/us_usa_fed

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Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus, wife expect 2nd child (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus and his wife Allison are expecting their second child.

Jay DeMarcus calls the pregnancy "a huge surprise" in a Wednesday news release. The baby is due this summer and the couple is unsure whether daughter Madeline Leigh, born in December 2010, will have a little brother or sister.

Allison, a former Miss Tennessee who is an on-air personality at CMT, says they are preparing for "many sleepless nights ahead."

Rascal Flatts is currently on tour and recently announced the release of its next album, "Changed," on April 3.

___

Online:

http://www.rascalflatts.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120125/ap_en_mu/us_people_rascal_flatts

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Theatrhythm Final Fantasy box points to first paid DLC for Nintendo 3DS

3DS owners have been waiting (and waiting) for a chance to take advantage of a downloadable content market, and while Nintendo already accomplished the tough part (read: launching it) a few days back, there's still been no word on when paid content would make an appearance. Pushing those freebies aside is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which is seemingly destined to be the first 3DS title in existence to offer up enhancements in exchange for a few yen. The box here is actually an "early retail dummy unit," though the verbiage on the back makes quite clear that downloadable material will be available at a cost. Furthermore, there's a heretofore unseen Nintendo Network badge on the front, which may be a new look for the existing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. At any rate, the game is scheduled to ship on February 16th in Japan, after which all of this will-it-won't-it drama will presumably be cleared up.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy box points to first paid DLC for Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/theatrhythm-final-fantasy-box-first-paid-dlc-for-nintendo-3ds/

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