U.S.A.! We're No. 1! Er ... rather, we used to be No. 1?

Americans are used to the U.S. being the leader, or a top-ranked nation, in many areas. But in a number of industries and businesses, the U.S. has lost that first place, usually to China. While some, such as coal production, may not come as a surprise, other industries the U.S. has lost the market leadership might. 24/7 Wall St. looked at a large number of manufacturing, agricultural and financial businesses to find those in which China has surpassed the U.S.

For several years, economists have said that China?s GDP growth indicates that its economy will pass that of the U.S. in the next two or three decades. China?s GDP is measured at about $6.5 trillion, now second in the world. America?s GDP is over $15.2 trillion, according to the International Monetary Fund. While China certainly has much catching up to do, the two countries? rate of GDP growth is also very different. Last year, China?s economy expanded at more than 9 percent. America?s GDP grew at a little better than 2 percent.

One reason that China continues to gain so rapidly on the U.S. is the high cost of American labor and manufacturing. In fact, U.S. manufacturing costs have risen so much that they are much higher than in any developed nation with factory capacity. This includes countries like China, Mexico and South Korea ? places the U.S. and Japanese companies often contract to do their factory work. The labor price advantage has helped China become the largest steel producer in the world. China is also first place in car manufacturing.

24/7 Wall St.: The most popular U.S. companies in China

Low labor costs are not the sole reason China has become the single largest provider of many goods. China?s 1.3 trillion citizens have become voracious consumers as workers in its manufacturing sector have grown the number of its middle class. China also has decided that it is often financially better to provide its own raw material for its factories? items like cotton ? than it is to import such items from overseas.

24/7 Wall St. examined the manufacturing, agricultural and financial businesses in which China has surpassed the U.S. China likely will become the world?s largest economy based on GDP. It certainly has shown that it has the capacity to advance on that position ? one large industry at a time.

1. Steel

• China production: 627 million metric tons in 2010
• U.S. production: 80 million metric tons in 2010
• U.S. position: 3rd

In 1973, the U.S. was the largest producer of steel, making more than 136 million metric tons of crude steel, according to the International Iron and Steel Institute. Up to that point, the U.S. had enjoyed many decades of industry dominance, centered around the city of Pittsburgh. The following year, U.S. production was overtaken by the USSR, which produced 136.2 million metric tons, compared with the U.S.?s 132.2 million. Today, however, completely different players dominate the steel market. In 2010, the world?s top producer of crude steel was China, which produced approximately 627 million metric tons. Japan was a distant second-largest producer with nearly 110 million metric tons. The U.S. was third, producing approximately 80 million.

2. Cotton

• China production: 7.3 million metric tons in 2011
• U.S. production: 3.4 million metric tons in 2011
• U.S. position: 3rd

In 2000, the U.S. produced 4.2 million metric tons of cotton ? the largest amount in the world. China was not far behind, producing 3.81 million metric tons. By 2008, however, China had not only surpassed the U.S., but made nearly double the U.S.?s production amount. China produced approximately 8.1 million metric tons to the U.S.?s 4.2 million. A year earlier, the U.S. lost its second spot among top cotton producers to India, thanks in part to technological breakthroughs in seed and production practices. Between 2011 and 2012, China produced 7.3 million metric tons, India produced 6 million and the U.S. was third, producing 3.4 million.

24/7 Wall St.: The 10 most-hated companies in America

3. Initial Public Offerings

• China production: $73 billion raised in 2011
• U.S. production: $30.7 billion raised in 2011
• U.S. position: 2nd

Even in the world of finance the U.S. is losing its dominance to China. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, ?the yearly average of U.S. IPOs has decreased from 27 percent (global share) in the 1990s to 12 percent in the 2000s.? And as the U.S.?s share of IPO proceeds decreased, China?s share increased. It is now the world leader in IPOs. In 2011, companies raised a total of $73 billion through IPOs in the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets. This is nearly double the amount raised in New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, according to Dealogic. The last time the U.S. raised the most in IPO funds globally was 2008.

4. Tobacco

• China production: 3 million metric tons in 2010
• U.S. production: 0.33 million metric tons in 2010
• U.S. position: 4th

Until 1976, the U.S. produced the largest share of the world?s tobacco. Today, the U.S. only produces 6 percent of the global output, according to Stephan Richter, editor-in-chief of The Globalist, in an interview by Marketplace. The most recent data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations places the U.S. as the fourth-largest producer of tobacco in the world. China is the largest, producing more than 3 million metric tons of the crop in 2010. The U.S. produced slightly more than 326,000 metric tons that year. The other larger producers are Brazil and India, in that order.

24/7 Wall St.: The best- and worst-run companies in the U.S.

5. Autos

• China production: 18.3 million autos in 2010
• U.S. production: 7.8 million autos in 2010
• U.S. position: 3rd

Automotive manufacturing is considered one of the U.S.?s most critical industries. But in recent years, other countries have surpassed the U.S., which is now the third-largest producer of autos in the world, according to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers. The American auto industry nearly collapsed in 2008, requiring massive federal support for General Motors and Chrysler. By 2010, the U.S. manufactured 7.8 million cars and commercial vehicles. Japan, which is headquarters to major brands such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda, produced 9.6 million vehicles ? the second most ? although damage caused by the earthquake has hurt production in the country. China is the world?s largest carmaker, producing 18.3 million in 2010.

6. Beer Production

• China production: 443.8 million hectoliters in 2010
• U.S. production: 227.8 million hectoliters in 2010
• U.S. position: 2nd

The U.S. lost its top position even in beer production. In 2000, the U.S. beer industry was the greatest in the world, producing 232 million hectoliters, compared with China?s 220 million. One decade later, and China is in first place, generating 443.8 million hectoliters of beer, versus the U.S.?s 227.8 million. Not only does China have a population that is more than four times that of the U.S., but beer consumption in the country has increased dramatically in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, the average Chinese citizen drank about half a bottle of beer in 1961. By 2007, that amount had increased to 103 beers per year.

24/7 Wall St.: States losing the most jobs to China

7. High-Technology Exports

• China production: $348 billion in 2009
• U.S. production: $142 billion in 2009
• U.S. position: 2nd

High-technology exports are defined as ?products with high R&D intensity, such as in aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery,? according to the World Bank. The U.S. remains home to the largest pharmaceutical industry in the world, and the rest of industries mentioned are also huge domestically. According to the World Bank, China began earning more from high-technology exports than the U.S. as recently as 2005. In 2009, Chinese high-technology exports were worth $348 billion. High-technology exports from the U.S. were worth a more modest $142 billion.

8. Coal Production

• China production: 3.24 billion short tons produced in 2010
• U.S. production: 985 million tons produced in 2010
• U.S. position: 2nd

America led the world in coal production up until 1984, and it is now a distant second to China. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the U.S. produced just under 1 billion tons of coal in 2010. China produced more than three times that amount, generating 3.2 billion short tons. There has been exponential growth in the Chinese energy infrastructure in the past decade. Since 2005, American coal production has decreased slightly, while Chinese production has increased by nearly 38 percent. Despite the U.S.?s decline in coal production, it is still the world?s second-largest producer, and combined, the two countries account for more than half of the world?s total coal production.

Copyright ? 2012 24/7 Wall St. Republished with permission.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46181723/ns/business-world_business/

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Spartacus, Episode 1: The Things That Made Us Go "Ew!" (omg!)

Run! Spartacus and his rebels are on the loose! In the Season 2 premiere of Spartacus: Vengeance, we see that no Roman is safe ? not even those spending their hard-earned coin at a brothel!

It's war between Spartacus' unwashed gang and the Romans, mainly Gaius Claudius Glaber and new pup Seppius, whom we foresee will be equally annoying and entertaining. Also, what's with the Folgers-ad-worthy banter and chemistry between him and his sister Seppia? Meanwhile, after the rebels go on a bordello killing spree, Crixus learns that his love Naevia is being sold from dominus to dominus as a sex slave. We also see Oenomaus running around incognito in a hooded robe, Lucretia has survived her abdomen wound but isn't quite sane, and Glaber is forcing his wife Ilythia to hang out in Capua while he seeks to defeat Spartacus.

Spartacus: What to expect in Season 2 (beyond the blood and bodies)

Let's check out this week's "Ew!" moments:

The Blood - Body count*: innumerable. In the opening battle, it was Agron brutally bashing one of the Roman's heads into a stone repeatedly that had us covering our eyes (and ears!). Later, Oenomaus makes short work with some men who attack him in an alley ? breaking one assailant's arm so that the bone sticks through the skin and then splitting another guy's abdomen from bottom to top, much as one would do with a human-sized haggis. There's plenty of naked bodies getting sliced and chopped up in the brothel massacre, but two rather disturbing highlights include one large Roman voyeur getting his throat impaled from behind and then Crixus using a ruthless interrogation tactic: wiggling his finger around in the slaver Trebius' fresh sword wound. Ouch!

The Bodies - Total scenes: 2.5. There's minor nudity scattered throughout the episode, and Ilythia gets hot and bothered flashing back to her masked tryst with Spartacus, while in reality, Spartacus is having unmasked relations with Mira. But really, this episode is all about the unique tour of the whorehouse, in which we see ladies and gents alike being manhandled and abused. Although there's plenty of sex, it's not really sexy considering these slaves can't fight back and Spartacus' men are splashing blood and entrails everywhere.

Liam McIntyre takes over as Spartacus' rebel with a cause

Best Line of the Week: From one of Spartacus' men: "You had me at whores."

*It should be noted that we may have to dispense with the body count this season now that it's open season on Romans and freed slaves alike. "I tried to [keep track] this season," series star Liam McIntyre told TVGuide.com in early January, "but because they're not in an arena where it's nice and tidy one-on-one, it's just ridiculously massive."

What did you think of the premiere? How do you like McIntyre as the new Spartacus? Which scenes disturbed you the most?

Also, check out our video interview:

Twitter censorship? Posts now yanked country by country.

Twitter messages can now be censored on a per-country basis, allowing posts that are problematic in one country to still appear in others. But some worry this means Twitter has turned its back on free speech.

Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis.

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The additional flexibility announced Thursday is likely to raise fears that Twitter's commitment to free speech may be weakening as the short-messaging company expands into new countries in an attempt to broaden its audience and make more money.

But Twitter sees the censorship tool as a way to ensure individual messages, or tweets, remain available to as many people as possible while it navigates a gauntlet of different laws around the world.

Before, when Twitter erased a tweet it disappeared throughout the world. Now, a tweet containing content breaking a law in one country can be taken down there and still be seen elsewhere.

Twitter will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. That's similar to what Internet search leader Google Inc. has been doing for years when a law in a country where its service operates requires a search result to be removed.

Like Google, Twitter also plans to the share the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the chillingeffects.org website.

The similarity to Google's policy isn't coincidental. Twitter's general counsel is Alexander Macgillivray, who helped Google draw up its censorship policies while he was working at that company.

"One of our core values as a company is to defend and respect each user's voice," Twitter wrote in a blog post. "We try to keep content up wherever and whenever we can, and we will be transparent with users when we can't. The tweets must continue to flow."

Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, is tweaking its approach now that its nearly 6-year-old service has established itself as one of the world's most powerful megaphones. Daisy chains of tweets already have played instrumental roles in political protests throughout the world, including the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States and the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia and Syria.

It's a role that Twitter has embraced, but the company came up with the new filtering technology in recognition that it will likely be forced to censor more tweets as it pursues an ambitious agenda. Among other things, Twitter wants to expand its audience from about 100 million active users now to more than 1 billion.

Reaching that goal will require expanding into more countries, which will mean Twitter will be more likely to have to submit to laws that run counter to the free-expression protections guaranteed under the First Amendment in the U.S.

If Twitter defies a law in a country where it has employees, those people could be arrested. That's one reason Twitter is unlikely to try to enter China, where its service is currently block. Google for several years agreed to censor its search results in China to gain better access to the country's vast population, but stopped that practice two years after engaging in a high-profile showdown with Chain's government. Google now routes its Chinese search results through Hong Kong, where the censorship rules are less restrictive.

In its Thursday blog post, Twitter said it hadn't yet used its ability to wipe out tweets in an individual country. All the tweets it has previously censored were wiped out throughout the world. Most of those included links to child pornography.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/q9Fl285ilFk/Twitter-censorship-Posts-now-yanked-country-by-country

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Colicky Edinburgh Zoo pandas removed from display (AP)

LONDON ? Two giant pandas on loan to a Scottish zoo have been removed from display while being treated for colic.

Edinburgh Zoo officials say female panda Tian Tian was treated by a veterinarian for the illness on Saturday, just as her male companion Yang Guang is recovering from a bout diagnosed earlier this month.

Officials say the illness is not serious, but can cause discomfort and requires medication.

The zoo said Tian Tian would be allowed "to relax privately away from public view" over the weekend.

Yang Guang is expected to be back on view Monday.

The 8-year-old pair are the first pandas to live in Britain in nearly two decades. They arrived from China in December and are expected to draw huge crowds of visitors to the zoo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/pets/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_sick_pandas

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Japan prices fall, mild deflation to persist (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.

Core consumer prices declined an annual 0.1 percent, matching the median estimate, and a narrower measure that excludes both food and energy also fell in a sign that Japan continues to grapple with a strong yen, which pushes down import prices and makes exporters reluctant to raise salaries.

Retail sales fell 1.2 pct in 2011, the first fall in two years, and auto and machinery equipment sales posted record falls in the series, which dates back to 1980. But sales rose an annual 2.5 percent in December, the biggest increase in 16 months.

The Bank of Japan and the government concede that the economy is in a lull, and they could come under increasing pressure to support it with currency intervention and monetary policy easing as Europe's debt crisis weighs on external demand.

Europe's downturn could offset the economic benefits of rebuilding the country's earthquake-damaged northeast coast.

"The stagnation of other developed countries is likely to push back the timing of Japan beating deflation from the mid-2010s as originally thought to the late 2010s," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

"The BOJ will need to keep its ultra-easy stance in the meantime. If risks from the euro-zone debt crisis heighten, it could move for an additional easing in the near term."

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI) includes oil products but excludes volatile prices of fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood.

The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes food and energy prices and is similar to the core index used in the United States, fell 1.1 percent in the year to December.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, available a month before the nationwide data, fell 0.4 percent in the year to January. That compares with the median estimate for a 0.3 percent annual decline.

HARD TO EXPECT SELF-SUSTAINED RECOVERY SOON

Annual data showed the core CPI slipped 0.3 percent in 2011, the third straight yearly fall. Japan's consumer inflation has been around zero or minus for over a decade, except a 1.5 percent rise in 2008 on the back of an increase in energy prices.

"Overall consumption is relatively firm partly supported by reconstruction demand. But it is hard to expect to see a self-sustainable recovery in private spending," said Masamichi Adachi, senior economist at JPMorgan Securities Japan.

"With uncertainty about the economic outlook and lackluster wage growth, consumers are unlikely to boost spending."

Nippon Keidanren, the country's largest business lobby, cited this week uncertainty about energy, the strong yen and a manufacturing shift overseas as reasons why pay raises are out of the question in annual labor union negotiations in the spring.

Japan's economy will likely show a mild contraction in the fiscal year ending in March but is expected to rebound next fiscal year, supported by reconstruction demand after the March 2011 earthquake.

Reconstruction could help narrow the gap between supply and demand but won't be enough to inflate demand in excess of supply and bring about an end to deflation, economists say.

Some Bank of Japan board members see a slight delay in post-quake reconstruction demand, and the global slowdown is somewhat more acute than previously thought, minutes of the central bank's December 20-21 meeting showed on Friday.

(Additional reporting by Rie Ishiguro; Writing by Stanley White; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/ts_nm/us_japan_economy

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Tired and broke, Santorum heads home to do taxes

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum listens to a question at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum listens to a question at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) ? Rick Santorum is tired, almost broke ? and going home.

The former Pennsylvania senator is taking a pause from Florida campaigning just days before the Tuesday primary that even he expects to deal him a third consecutive loss.

Santorum says he would rather spend his Saturday sitting at his kitchen table doing his taxes than campaigning in a state where the race for the Republican presidential nomination has become a two-man fight between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

The cash-strapped candidate acknowledges that he simply can't keep up with the GOP front-runners in Florida.

"We're going to talk about the Constitution and talk about being a strong conservative," Santorum said at an event here this week. "And that's all we can do."

Outside advisers are urging him to pack up in Florida completely and not spend another minute in a state where he is cruising toward a loss. But Santorum insisted on Friday that he would return once he has readied his taxes for public release.

"I'm coming back within 24 hours, and I'm here through up to election day," Santorum told Fox News. "I've spent every minute here in Florida, and I'm going to work in Florida."

Santorum has yet to announce his schedule for Florida's primary day. He says it was a mistake for him to remain in South Carolina on its voting day.

"We can't let grass grow," he told reporters Thursday. "South Carolina Election Day was sort of a wasted day for us."

He pledged to continue his campaign regardless of the Florida outcome.

It's a grim period for Santorum, who just three weeks ago was riding high on a strong finish in the Iowa caucuses; after first saying the result was a virtual tie with Romney, the Iowa GOP ultimately declared Santorum the winner. The victory was short-lived. He lost big in both New Hampshire and South Carolina.

He faced an uphill battle even before the race turned to Florida. He doesn't have the money to spend on television ads in Florida's expensive media markets. He couldn't compete with the thousands-strong crowds his rivals have been drawing. And he wasn't able to find a moment here that crystalized the rationale for his candidacy.

"Other candidates tell you they need your help," Santorum told Florida Republicans this week, almost pleading. "They're lying. I really need your help."

But help didn't come ? at least in this state ? for a candidate who is visibly exhausted and running on, at most, four hours of sleep each night.

So Santorum is going home to Pennsylvania, which he represented in the Senate, and Virginia, where he lives with his wife and seven children, to get some rest and, he says, prepare his own taxes. He also plans fundraisers in both states as he works to rebuild his campaign account to pay for upcoming contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.

Santorum also is looking at Arizona and Michigan, states that vote at the end of February ? if he makes it that far.

His inner circle of advisers is looking at the campaign checkbook. They say they can keep a lean campaign rolling in case Gingrich or Romney implode.

"This race is just starting. It's a three-man race," Santorum insists. "We're going to be in this race for the long term."

For now, at least, polls show Santorum dramatically trailing in Florida, the largest and most diverse state in the early nominating schedule. And he seems to be coming up short as he tries to win over voters with his everyman persona.

"I wish he had a little more passion in the belly," said Don Waldt, a Punta Gorda retiree who attended a Santorum rally at dusk this week. "He is conservative and authentic. But he isn't on top and doesn't seem to have a clear path to the top."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-27-Santorum/id-068ddd86f1d747bbaa29c87f81879b86

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Insert Coin: Dash car stereo gives your iPhone a new home, away from the cupholder (video)

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

We're pretty fond of new ways to integrate smartphones with car stereos here at Engadget, which is why we're particularly intrigued by a new Kickstarter project called Dash. Unlike MirrorLink, which reflects a phone's interface onto a larger touchscreen, this nifty creation puts the smartphone front and center in the stereo itself. While the Dash will initially support only the iPhone 4 / 4S and iPod Touch -- which connects via the dock connector -- the company seems ambitious to target other platforms in the future.

The Dash comes in two parts, the double-DIN stereo itself, along with a detachable aluminum faceplate that's held to the main unit with neodymium magnets. The only interface element is a volume knob, as every other interaction is performed on the iPhone's 3.5-inch display -- just promise to keep your eyes on the road when you sort through your tunes. The stereo contains four 50W channels and two 2V preamps. The Dash is currently projected to ship in July for $300, but a $250 donation serves as a discounted preorder right now. It'll be available in a variety of colors, which you can peep in the gallery below, and be sure to check out the project's video after the break.

Gallery: Insert Coin: Dash car stereo

Continue reading Insert Coin: Dash car stereo gives your iPhone a new home, away from the cupholder (video)

Insert Coin: Dash car stereo gives your iPhone a new home, away from the cupholder (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/wxhZXtLh8lU/

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European Commission unveils new online privacy rules, aims to protect consumer data

As SOPA's aftershocks continue to ripple across the US, a slightly different brand of techno-political drama is unfolding over in Europe, where the European Commission today announced a new set of online privacy regulations. The new legislation, unveiled this morning, was crafted with the intent of giving consumers more control over their online data, and places more pressure upon private companies to protect user information. According to Reuters, offending firms could be fined at rates of up to two percent of their yearly turnover. The laws, designed to overhaul the 1995 Data Protection Directive, will also make it easier for users to access their data, giving them the power to demand that their personal information be deleted, as long as there are no "legitimate reasons" for a company to store it. Companies, meanwhile, will be required to inform authorities of a data breach as soon as possible, "if feasible, within 24 hours."

Though the rules have raised some concerns among web companies, EC privacy commissioner Viviane Reding wasted no time in heralding them as the foundation of a safer and more prosperous digital environment. "The protection of personal data is a fundamental right for all Europeans, but citizens do not always feel in full control of their personal data," Reding explained. "A strong, clear and uniform legal framework at EU level will help to unleash the potential of the digital single market and foster economic growth, innovation and job creation." If approved by the European Parliament and all EU member states, the laws would probably go into effect toward the end of 2013.

European Commission unveils new online privacy rules, aims to protect consumer data originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/3duJ1kIEmRk/

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Italian borrowing costs drop sharply in bond sale (AP)

MILAN ? Italy easily raised euro5 billion ($6.47 billion) in a pair of bond auctions on Thursday that saw a sharp drop in borrowing rates, a sign that investor confidence in the country is improving.

The sale was the first test of market sentiment in the country's handling of its debt since ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut Italy's credit rating by two notches on Jan. 13.

Italy paid an interest rate of 3.763 percent on euro4.5 billion in two-year bonds, compared with 4.85 percent in a comparable auction in December. The borrowing cost for a new bond expiring in September 2014 was 3.2 percent.

UniCredit analysts said the sale was "positive" and an encouraging sign for upcoming auctions.

Nicholas Spiro, who heads a sovereign debt consultancy in London, noted the market was "particularly buoyant" after the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates low until late 2014 to nurture the country's stubbornly slow economic recovery.

That will have encouraged traders to invest in riskier assets, such as bonds from economically weaker countries like Italy.

Italy has seen its borrowing costs ease in recent weeks, after yields on benchmark 10-year bonds pushed to the perilous 7 percent level last year. Following Thursday's auction, 10-year bonds were trading at 6.04 percent on the secondary market, where bonds are traded after they are sold.

The government has been trying to regain investor confidence by cutting public spending and reforming a sluggish economy.

Premier Mario Monti recently passed a euro30 billion austerity package and announced liberalization measures.

His government easily survived a confidence vote in the lower house of Parliament, by a margin of 469-74, on a series of additional measures that include an increase in tax on cigarettes and funds for Italians who have been exiled from Libya. A separate vote on the additional measures is expected by Tuesday.

Italy goes back to the bond markets on Friday, selling up to euro8 billion in six-month bonds and euro3 billion of bonds expiring in 11 months.

On Monday, Italy will try to raise another euro8 billion in the sale of longer term paper.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120126/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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Video: Guidewire Stock Jumps on IPO Debut

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46131634/

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2 dead in Ala. as storms pound South, Midwest (AP)

CLAY, Ala. ? Two people were killed in the Birmingham, Ala., area as storms pounded the South and Midwest, prompting tornado warnings in a handful of states early Monday.

At least one of the areas affected by the storms, which were part of a system that stretched from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf of Mexico, was also hit by a line of killer storms that slammed the Southeast last April.

Jefferson County sheriff's spokesman Randy Christian said a 16-year-old boy was killed in Clay and an 82-year-old man died in the community of Oak Grove.

The storm produced a possible tornado that moved across northern Jefferson County around 3:30 a.m., causing damage in Oak Grove, Graysville, Fultondale, Center Point, Clay and Trussville, Christian said. He said several homes were destroyed and numerous injuries were reported.

"Some roads are impassable, there are a number of county roads where you have either debris down, trees down, damage from homes," said Yasamie Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Jefferson County experienced "significant damage," she said.

Oak Grove was also hit during last April's tornadoes, but none of homes hit in April were hit again this time, said Allen Kniphfer of Jefferson County's Emergency Management Agency.

As day broke, rescue crews used chainsaws to clear fallen trees off roads in Clay, northeast of Birmingham. Searchers went door-to-door calling out to residents, many of whom were trapped by trees that crisscrossed their driveways.

Stevie Sanders woke up around 3:30 a.m. and realized bad weather was on the way. She, her parents and sister hid in the laundry room of their brick home as the wind howled and trees started cracking outside.

"You could feel the walls shaking and you could hear a loud crash. After that it got quiet, and the tree had fallen through my sister's roof," said Sanders, 26.

The family was OK, and her father, Greg Sanders, spent the next hours raking his roof and pulling away pieces of broken lumber.

"It could have been so much worse," he said. "It's like they say, we were just blessed."

In Clanton, about 50 miles south of Birmingham, rescuers were responding to reports of a trailer turned over with people trapped, City Clerk Debbie Orange said.

Also south of Birmingham, Maplesville town clerk Sheila Haigler said high winds damaged many buildings and knocked down several trees. One tree fell on a storm shelter, but no one was injured, Haigler said. One person was trapped in a heavily damaged home, but was rescued safely. Haigler said police had not been able to search some areas because trees and power lines were blocking roads.

In Arkansas, there were possible tornadoes in Arkansas, Dallas, Lonoke, Prairie and Cleveland counties Sunday night. The storms also brought hail and strong winds as they moved through parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois and Mississippi.

Tornado warnings were issued for parts of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

The storm also caused officials to reschedule a planned Monday meeting in Montgomery to receive a study on Alabama's response to a system of storms that raked the state last April. That storm killed more than 240 people in the state. Among the hardest hit areas then was Tuscaloosa, where 50 were killed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_re_us/us_severe_weather

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AnnaLynne McCord Laughs Off Topless Twitpic Faux Pas

'I am going to tweet myself naked all the time,' the '90210' actress jokes to MTV News at Sundance.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Annalynne McCord
Photo: MTV News

Much like a plot right out of her soapy CW show, "90210," AnnaLynne McCord made headlines when she inadvertently tweeted out a NSFW photo of herself on January 10. It quickly became clear that she took the photo as the wrong angle, exposing a bit more of herself than she had expected to.

After realizing her Twitter faux pas, she laughed off the incident. "This is for you, @meganraee You Rock! Xxx," she initially tweeted, including the nipple-baring photo. She later added, "Hahaha! Megan, you feel like sharing? Very funny I actually LOL-ed xxxA."

When MTV News had the chance to speak to McCord during her trip to the Sundance Film Festival, she had some a very amusing response to the tweet. "I am going to tweet myself naked all the time. I mean I am going to be a press whore from here on out. This is awesome," she joked about the headline-making incident. "You know what's so crazy to me, it's the sensationalism. I mean so disappointing, I'm sorry for everybody who thought I was going to be naked. You see more of me naked as Pauline in ['Excision'].

"Anyone with half of a brain knows it was an accident," she continued. "I have a very small areola and I have to get a magnifying glass to make sure that it's not in pictures in the future. That's the moral of the story."

McCord had a few more laughs at her own expense, adding, "The moral of the story is not to stop taking pictures of yourself naked. We all like being naked. Just make sure that the little bit of your areola isn't in the picture before you send it to a hundred billion people."

How did AnnaLynne McCord handle her Twitter photo faux pas? Leave your comments below!

Related Videos

• Sundance 2012: Interviews From Park City

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677724/annalynne-mccord-twitter-topless-photo.jhtml

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Fast-moving winter snowstorm hits Northeast (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Snow lovers in the northeast finally got what they have been waiting for Saturday morning, with a fast-moving storm bringing 3 to 7 inches from central Pennsylvania to Connecticut.

For many areas away from the Great Lakes, this will be the heaviest snowfall since a storm in late October, according to weather.com.

"We haven't missed it, but it's been noticeably absent," said Victoria Lupica, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia International Airport, which had 66 cancelled flights Saturday morning. Though the snow has stopped for now, the airport was still experiencing departure delays of up to two hours.

Totals could reach 3 to 5 inches in New York City, two to four inches in Philadelphia and up to 3 inches in Boston. At La Guardia International Airport in New York, arrival delays were up to 30 minutes and increasing due to snow and ice, according to the airport's website.

This late and moderate storm in the northeast is a big change from the heavy snows of last winter -- which included a post-Christmas blizzard that dumped 20 inches on New York City.

Light snow was falling again in Chicago Saturday morning. A snowfall Friday brought up to 8 inches and prompted the cancellation of more than 700 flights at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports. Flight operations were back to normal at Chicago airports Saturday, the city's aviation department said.

In parts of South Carolina, voters in the Republican presidential primary were seeing rain Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms, some with hail, were predicted for the southeastern United States.

In the West, heavy snow was predicted for mountain areas of the western states, according to weather.com. Melt from unusually heavy snowfall this week combined with heavy rain will increase the threat of flooding throughout western Washington.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120121/us_nm/us_weather

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Giffords' meeting with fellow survivors in Tucson (AP)

TUCSON, Ariz. ? In one of her last acts in office, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords met Monday with other survivors and supporters more than a year after gunfire interrupted a spontaneous meet-and-greet with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store.

As part of a bittersweet day, Giffords finished the meeting she had started on the morning of Jan. 8, 2011, by spending time at her office with others who had been at the scene of the rampage that killed six people and injured 13 others, including Giffords.

She also planned to visit a food bank that was set up after she was shot.

Giffords announced Sunday that she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from the assassination attempt that shook the country.

Gifford was upbeat in a message sent on Twitter.

"I will return & we will work together for Arizona & this great country," she wrote.

Among those who met Monday with Giffords was Pat Maisch, who was hailed as a hero for wrestling a gun magazine from the shooter.

"I thanked her for her service, wished her well, and she just looked beautiful," Maisch said.

Maisch, who was not injured herself, said it was touching that Giffords finished the meeting that had been interrupted by the attack.

"I've always said I would love for her to continue to be my congresswoman, but I want her to do what's best for her," Maisch said. "She's got to take care of herself."

The three-term Democrat's Facebook and Twitter feeds showed images of her meeting with survivors and others.

In one picture, Giffords held the hand of Suzi Hileman, who brought 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green to meet the congresswoman outside the supermarket. Green was killed in the shooting, and Hileman was shot three times.

In another picture, Giffords, wearing an olive green jacket and bright teal scarf, embraced her former intern, Daniel Hernandez, who helped save her life by trying to stop her bleeding until first responders arrived at the shooting scene.

"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," she said on a video announcing her decision to resign.

The video showed a close-up of Giffords gazing directly at the camera and speaking in a voice that is both firm and halting.

"I have more work to do on my recovery," the congresswoman said at the end of the two-minute-long "A Message from Gabby," appearing to strain to communicate. "So to do what's best for Arizona, I will step down this week."

Giffords was shot in the head as she was meeting with constituents. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.

Giffords' resignation set up a free-for-all in a competitive district.

She could have stayed in office for another year even without seeking re-election, but her decision to resign scrambles the political landscape. Arizona must hold a special primary and general election to find someone to finish out her term, as well as hold the regular primary and general election later this year.

Giffords would have been heavily favored to win re-election, since she gained immense public support as she recovered from the shooting. She was elected to her third term just two months before she was shot, winning by only about 1 percent over a tea party Republican.

Several Republicans and Democrats have been mentioned as possible candidates for her seat, with some in the GOP already forming official exploratory committees. Republicans who have expressed interest include state Sen. Frank Antenori and sports broadcaster Dave Sitton, among others.

Democratic state lawmakers have been mentioned as possible candidates, as has the name of Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, although he has publically quashed such speculation.

"That's the great `mentioner' out there, and there are going to be a lot of people mentioned," said Arizona Democratic Party chairman Andrei Cherny. "I think the best rule in situations like this is, `The folks who are talking don't know, and the folks who know aren't talking.'"

Gov. Jan Brewer will likely call the special primary election for the 8th Congressional District in April, followed by a general election in June. Before the cycle begins for the regular election, the district will be remapped and renumbered as the 2nd Congressional District.

The regular primary for the new district, which will cover most of the current district's territory, was scheduled for August.

The Republican governor acknowledged that the twin election cycles were going to create a mess, especially for potential candidates.

"I think that it's putting a lot of pressure on a lot of people awfully quick, given the fact that they're going to be filling that continuing seat that expires this year, and then we have elections coming (along) new congressional lines," Brewer said.

Giffords planned to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday in Washington. And her political career may not be over, said a state Democratic party official who was among a group that met with her Sunday.

Jim Woodbrey, a senior vice chairman of the state party, said at the meeting, Giffords strongly implied she would run again for office someday. He said the decision to resign came after much thought.

"It was Gabby's individual decision, and she was not in any condition to make that decision five months ago," he said. "So I think waiting so that she could make an informed decision on her own was the right thing to do."

___

Associated Press writers Bob Christie and Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and David Espo in Washington contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_el_ho/us_giffords

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Swag suites abound at the Sundance Film Festival (omg!)

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? Where there are celebrities, there is swag, and the Sundance Film Festival is no exception. Nearly a dozen gift suites opened their doors Friday afternoon along the city's Main Street.

Kate Bosworth, Andy Samberg, Emma Roberts and Rashida Jones are among the famous folks who stopped by the VEVO PowerStation SOREL Suite, where they could indulge in moisturizing facials and lip treatments from Fresh cosmetics and outfit their feet in snow-ready footwear.

"I think we belong here," said Kimberly Barta, global brand director for SOREL snow boots. "It just makes sense."

The company is also offering a 24-hour concierge service that will deliver boots around the clock to stars who can't stop by the suite.

At the Alive Expo Green Pavilion, guests could pick up natural skincare products and handmade handbags by Kenyan artisans from Tembo Trading Co.

The Bertolli Meal Soup Chalet served up bowls of hot soup and handed out sunglasses and Lumene skincare products to visitors. Joe Pastorkovich of Lumene said Sundance is the perfect place to introduce the European brand to an American audience.

"We're expanding into the U.S., and our brand connects well to Park City," he said. "It's a good fit because of the naturalness of the product, and we're unpretentious. This festival is about independent film, and we're an independent brand."

Italian shoe company Carlo Pazolini also exhibited (and gifted) its wares at the Sundance fest as a means of expanding its market reach.

"We're a European company launching in the U.S., so we wanted to get our name out there," company executive Jennifer Damiano said from the Miami Oasis suite, where she gave away high-end leather shoes and handbags. Guests at the suite were also treated to gluten-free snacks, hair styling by got2B, and cocktails from DiSaronno and Patron.

The Miami Oasis is just one part of the brand-heavy T-Mobile Village at the Lift, which includes McDonald's McCafe Lounge, the Puma Social Lounge and a temporary Tao nightclub.

Actress Blythe Danner stopped by the Fender Music Lodge, which offered live music and swag including Bear Paw boots and Park Lane jewelry.

Sundance sponsors HP, Acura, Chase Sapphire and the Sundance Channel also hosted suites along Main Street.

Alex Wilson, who produced the VEVO suite, said brands love Sundance because of the concentrated star power and media presence.

"In one location for five days, you can't get any bigger as far as names and exposure," he said. "With the heat of Park City, word travels fast."

And the number of branded suites keeps growing, too, much to the chagrin of Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford. He lamented that the success of the festival has attracted what he calls "leveragers" who muddle its mission of nurturing and celebrating independent film.

"They come in with their own agendas to use the festival to piggyback their agendas," he said. "It's a free country and there's nothing we can do about that ... but we have to work harder and harder to point to the fact that this is about the filmmakers. This is about their work and showing their work to you."

Many of the gift suites will close by Monday. The Sundance Film Festival continues through Jan. 29.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

Online:

http://www.sundance.org/festival

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_swag_suites_abound_sundance_film_festival044535091/44251712/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/swag-suites-abound-sundance-film-festival-044535091.html

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Hollywood body parts identified; name withheld

By msnbc.com staff

LOS ANGELES -- Authorities have identified the man whose head, hands and feet were found in the Hollywood Hills, but have not yet released his name, officials said Friday.

Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter told NBCLosAngeles.com that the name was being withheld at the request of the Los Angeles police detectives who are continuing to investigate the crime.?Officials?also want to notify?the man's family before releasing the information to the public, the television website reported.??

On Thursday evening, police?served a search warrant?in an apartment complex in Hollywood, close to Sunset Boulevard and Vine Streets, according to the Los Angeles Times. They towed a silver Honda from the building, the Times reported.

Although no arrests have been made in the case, the Times is reporting that at least one person was questioned by detectives Thursday. Sources close to the investigation said police were also looking to?talk to at least one other man.

Meanwhile, investigators in California were downplaying any possible connection between the body parts case in Los Angeles and a dismembered body found earlier this month in a rural area of Tuscon, Ariz.

Read more about the Hollywood case on NBCLosAngeles.com

"It's fairly implausible that somebody would drive parts of a dead body five hours from Arizona to our Griffith Park," Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith told Reuters.

Smith added?there was also no evidence that the?man in California was the victim of organized crime or a serial killer.

Arizona sheriff?officials say they are are awaiting DNA results, expected Tuesday, to try to definitively rule out any connection between the two cases. ?

Pima County Sheriff's Deputy Dawn Barkman said two men were cutting grass along the side of?a rural road on Jan. 6 found?a body?without a head, hands or feet. Investigators determined the body had been in that location for only 24 hours, and a search turned up none of the missing body parts, she said.

Los Angeles police?believe their victim was killed elsewhere and the body parts were buried?or hidden to deter identification, according to NBCLosAngeles.com.

?They may have been disturbed by animals, but initially they were left off trail and not intended to be found,?? Smith told the NBC website.

By early afternoon?Thursday, police ended their search in the Hollywood Hills area for the parts, after determining that major portions of the remains ? the torso, the arms and the legs ? were not in the park, NBC reported.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10199808-hollywood-body-parts-identified-name-withheld

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Swizz Beatz Is Not Megaupload's CEO, Actually [Megaupload]

According to Megaupload's attorney Ira Rothken, Professor Swizz "I Sleep With Alicia Keys Every Night" Beatz of New York University isn't CEO of the clobbered site. Rather, VentureBeat reports, he was "negotiating" for the position. Let's assume negotiations are over. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/19PMIoTbdcU/swizz-beatz-is-not-megauploads-ceo-actually

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Poorest smokers face toughest odds for kicking the habit

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Quitting smoking is never easy. However, when you're poor and uneducated, kicking the habit for good is doubly hard, according to a new study by a tobacco dependence researcher at The City College of New York (CCNY).

Christine Sheffer, associate medical professor at CCNY's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, tracked smokers from different socioeconomic backgrounds after they had completed a statewide smoking cessation program in Arkansas.

Whether rich or poor, participants managed to quit at about the same rate upon completing a program of cognitive behavioral therapy, either with or without nicotine patches. But as time went on, a disparity between the groups appeared and widened.

Those with the fewest social and financial resources had the hardest time staving off cravings over the long run. "The poorer they are, the worse it gets," said Professor Sheffer, who directed the program and was an assistant professor with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at the time.

She found that smokers on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder were 55 percent more likely than those at the upper end to start smoking again three months after treatment. By six months post-quitting, the probability of their going back to cigarettes jumped to two-and-a-half times that of the more affluent smokers. The research will be published in the March 2012 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and will appear ahead-of-print online under the journal's "First Look" section.

In their study, Professor Sheffer and her colleagues noted that overall, Americans with household incomes of $15,000 or less smoke at nearly three times the rate of those with incomes of $50,000 or greater. The consequences are bleak. "Smoking is still the greatest cause of preventable death and disease in the United States today," noted Professor Sheffer. "And it's a growing problem in developing countries."

Harder to Stay Away

Professor Sheffer suggested reasons it may be harder for some to give up tobacco forever.

Smoking relieves stress for those fighting nicotine addiction, so it is life's difficulties that often make them reach for the cigarette pack again. Unfortunately, those on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale suffer more hardships than those at the top ? in the form of financial difficulties, discrimination, and job insecurity, to name a few. And for those smokers who started as teenagers, they may have never learned other ways to manage stress, said Professor Sheffer.

For people with lower socioeconomic status (SES), it can be tougher to avoid temptation as well. "Lower SES groups, with lower paying jobs, aren't as protected by smoke-free laws," said Sheffer, so individuals who have quit can find themselves back at work and surrounded by smokers. Also fewer of them have no-smoking policies in their homes.

These factors are rarely addressed in standard treatment programs. "The evidence-based treatments that are around have been developed for middle-class patients," Professor Sheffer pointed out. "So (in therapy) we talk about middle-class problems."

Further research would help determine how the standard six sessions of therapy might be altered or augmented to help. "Our next plan is to take the results of this and other studies and apply what we learned to revise the approach, in order to better meet the needs of poor folks," she said. "Maybe there is a better arrangement, like giving 'booster sessions'. Not everybody can predict in six weeks all the stresses they will have later on down the road."

"Some people say [quitting] is the most difficult thing in their life to do," said Sheffer. "If we better prepare people with more limited resources to manage the types of stress they have in their lives, we'd get better results. "

###

City College of New York: http://www2.ccny.cuny.edu

Thanks to City College of New York for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/116914/Poorest_smokers_face_toughest_odds_for_kicking_the_habit

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Michael Bialas: Introducing the First Sweet Musical Treat of 2012: Sugar + the Hi-lows

Remember that "If They Mated" segment on Conan O'Brien's talk show?

Well, imagine what mild-mannered Nashville singer-songwriters Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup are capable of producing when they get together, though not in that way. After all, Dabbs already has a lovely wife, Kristen, and two young children, Veda and Cohen.

Dabbs and Stroup call Sugar + the Hi-lows their musical baby, and like any proud parents, they are downright giddy to watch it develop over the next few months and, perhaps, years.

While they might treat Sugar + the Hi-lows like their offspring, Dabbs and Stroup actually are embodied by these adventurous alter egos, the performing opposites of two "normal acoustic, introspective" solo artists (his words). That metamorphosis will occur when they go on tour next week to support the Feb. 14 release of their splendid self-titled debut album.

Taking on the persona of Sugar (whose father's pet name for her, Amy Sugar, has stuck "forever") allows Stroup the chance to show a playful and edgier side of herself.

"I think of it as... it's kind of like acting," Stroup said on the phone this month from Nashville, while Dabbs listened on a separate line. "It's like stepping into a different character, but you're still the same person. I feel like Sugar's a different aspect of my personality that maybe I don't get to express in the mellow folk-pop genre. ... It's 100-percent me and Trent, but yeah, in a lot of ways, we get to play old-school rock 'n' roll."

"With the right amount of whiskey," adds a chuckling Dabbs, who completes the thought by envisioning what a combustible combination Fireball and Sugar could make.

Maybe not as complementary as Dabbs and Stroup, who will put you in the proper mood, especially after repeated listens to this addictive album, which has style and substance. With eight brisk songs that they co-wrote, co-produced, and sing together, their rockabilly 'n' retro soul revue ups the ante of tamer acts such as She & Him, right down to Stroup's honey-drenched alto, Dabbs' slick guitar licks from a vintage amp, and his even cooler Carl Perkins vibe.

Though neither are originally from Nashville but were firmly entrenched in a Southern comfort culture, the two have been a successful co-writing team there since they were brought together in 2006 by a mutual friend at BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) who said, "I think you guys can hit it off."

That they did, churning out several songs their own publicist describes as "moody and subdued" that have received placement in TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Parenthood.

While that helped pay the bills, along with a series of solo albums and roles in the Ten Out of Tenn musical troupe that Dabbs co-founded with his wife, other influences from Motown soul to Chicago rhythm and blues kept summoning them. The idea of Sugar + the Hi-lows was conceived by Dabbs and presented to Stroup more than a year ago.

"I am a fan of hers to begin with as a solo artist," said Dabbs, who added Stroup to the Ten out of Tenn non-country roster, which has included diverse talents such as Gabe Dixon, Andrew Belle, Erin McCarley, Katie Herzig, and Butterfly Boucher. "And we write comfortably together. I asked her if she'd be interested in trying to write just a different style ... and just try to channel some of the old soul influences that both of us love so much. It was really easy, and the songs came really naturally. From there, we already knew the players to call."

Operating on a shoestring budget (they truly are indie artists), Dabbs (who also played acoustic and electric guitars) and Stroup did two days of live tracking, then took their time tweaking overdubs to get it right. Among a handful of studio musicians assisting were bassist Adam Popick, drummer Ian Fitchuk, Kyle Ryan (electric guitar), Eleonore Denig (whose strings contribute mightily to the lavish sound), and co-producer Jeremy Bose (horns and keyboards).

Dabbs gives credit to Bose for the water-into-wine transformation, along with mix engineer Konrad Snyder of The Brown Owl recording studio, who knew how to "take it that extra mile."

The first recorded track, "This Can't Be the Last Time," took about an hour to write in Dabbs' basement studio, called the Razor Room, and the others followed just as quickly.

"It was super ... just freeing and easy," Stroup said. "I feel like a lot of the songs just kind of came right out. Just not overthinking it."

Of course, neither were even born when black artists such as the Temptations and Marvin Gaye made their mark in the '60s. But Dabbs has vivid memories of his youth in Jackson, Miss., watching his father groove to a tape of The Big Chill soundtrack, "and he would always dance around like a white Bill Cosby. It was hilarious to me. ...

"But now that I've spent so much time away from that style of music, I wondered why, every time I heard it, it evoked certain nostalgia and happiness. ... I mean anytime I hear the Chi-Lites' 'Oh, Girl' or [Marvin Gaye's] 'Let's Get It On,' or anything that has that sound that ... I don't know, it just evokes a certain kind of happiness that I can't find in other music."

Performance was part of the package, too. His concert-going experiences began as a second-grader (Lionel Richie at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi), and ranged from James Brown to -- admittedly and unashamedly -- Rick Springfield.

"What stuck with me the most, or maybe I should say 'haunted me for a little while,' is the phrase... the blanket statement my dad would always say is, 'It's not good if you can't dance to it.' Which I never agreed with," Dabbs said. "I don't know, even now I still debate, but it's funny how much influence a song that can make you dance really has on you... on me, anyways."

About 200 miles up Interstate 55 from Jackson, Stroup's parents were raised in and around Memphis, but she was born in Boston, grew up in Abilene, Tex., lived in Muscle Shoals and Florence, Ala., and moved to Nashville to start her music career. Gospel made her soul glow, but the heart started pumping when she heard the words of Americana evangelists Lucinda Williams and Patty Griffin.

Stroup also listened to the Beatles and Elton John and even today has a certain sentimental fondness for Frank Sinatra and the Lettermen. That came this Christmas after she received an unexpected gift from her grandmother, Jo Gee -- her late granddad's record player and record collection that included some of his favorites from the Big Band Era.

A child of religious parents, Stroup started learning the piano as a second grader before taking classical training at Christian-oriented Lipscomb University in Nashville. Granny Jo, who used to play the the piano for silent movies, left Stroup with pages of sheet music. One piece remains inside the piano bench still anchored in her parents' home --?Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me."

The coincidental common bond Dabbs and Stroup just discovered they shared makes them both laugh, and it's easy to understand why they get along so well. With refined tastes and open minds, they're simply seeking to write and play good songs, no matter the genre.

Dabbs has had numerous songwriting partners, including Joy Williams of The Civil Wars. He admires what Williams and John Paul White have accomplished in the past year, saying, "It's inspiring that people really are starting to gravitate towards that [roots-based] music again."

And though Dabbs considers his latest project a group rather than a duo, he and Stroup seem to belong together. They like the same movies and books and mesh so well that they even finish each other's sentences. Example:

Question: "How do you view Sugar + the Hi-lows? Is it an experiment, a part-time hobby, or an ongoing collaboration?"

Trent: "I think, for me, it's gone from what started as a side project into a full-fledged..."

Amy, laughing: "...operation."

Trent: "Yeah. We want our fans that we have separately as solo artists to connect with this as much as we are and let them kind of dictate how far it goes. ... We're ready to keep going, you know?"

That led to creating the live act, with Nashville drummer Evan Hutchings joining Dabbs and Popick as the traveling Hi-lows. Their first show was Jan. 17 at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, then they'll go on a full-fledged tour supporting Marc Broussard beginning Jan. 27.

As far as successfully coexisting with a co-writer, Stroup remembers what she was told by veteran country songwriter Walt Aldridge, a friend of her dad's from Florence who wrote number-one hits for Ronnie Milsap and Travis Tritt, among others.

"It's like cuddling with a stranger. So if you're willing to cuddle with a stranger and write an honest song, it'll probably be good."

Sugar + the Hi-lows is filled with good songs, simple lyrics, and smooth vocals. There's the romantic "Show and Tell," the jaunty "Two Day High" (with the playful lyrics "I've been buzzing round your honey, and Babe, I want it all for me"), Dabb's dreamy take on "I've Got You Covered," and the smart and sassy "See It for Yourself," where Stroup lets loose in the second half over an explosion of electric guitars. The foot-stomping finale, "Skip the Line," leaves you craving more. With the album clocking just under 30 minutes, the throwback is just another pleasant reminder of a time when "long-playing" 33s were barely 20 minutes a side.

The rising expectations for Sugar + the Hi-lows make Stroup giggle, not quiver. "It's great for me to be able to write something with someone and then get to perform it, too. ... It's like icing on the cake," she said, later adding, "I've never been in a band, so this is a great experiment for me."

That excludes her brief but cherished participation in the communal camaraderie of Ten Out of Tenn, which Dabbs plans to continue.

"I think at the end of every year, I say, 'Aw, man, that was the greatest last tour that we'll ever have,'" Dabbs offered. "And then I just can't let it go. So we'll see what happens."

While Dabbs appreciates a group of 10 performers who are onstage "cheering each other on" and that "people can associate certain types of music other than country to Nashville now," Stroup likens it to "being on a team." And she's OK if Sugar plays on more than one.

Hmm. Sounds like another Conan bit in the making -- "If They Teammated."

Just imagine those possibilities.

See the "Making of Sugar + the Hi-Lows" video:

Images courtesy of Sugar + the Hi-Lows

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Interview with Diane Trautman (Offthekuff)

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