Oscar voters: Your ballots are in the mail (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Academy Awards season is officially on. Nominations ballots for the 84th Oscar show have just gone in the mail.

Oscar organizers mailed ballots Tuesday to 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ballots are due back Jan. 13, and Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 24.

The Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 26, with Billy Crystal returning as host for the first time in eight years.

Among this season's best-picture prospects are the black-and-white silent film "The Artist," the Deep South drama "The Help," George Clooney's family tale "The Descendants" and Steven Spielberg's World War I epic "War Horse."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_oscar_voters_ballots_mail214648467/44014417/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/oscar-voters-ballots-mail-214648467.html

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Japan's unemployment rate unchanged in November (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's government says the unemployment rate adjusted for seasonal differences was unchanged in November from the previous month, at 4.5 percent.

The ratio of job offers to job seekers was 0.69 in November, an improvement from 0.67 in October.

Figures released Wednesday by the Ministry of Internal Affairs said there were 2.80 million people unemployed in Japan in November.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_economy

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Iraq agrees to move Iran exiles; rockets hit camp (AP)

BAGHDAD ? The United Nations and the Iraqi government agreed to relocate several thousand Iranian exiles living in a camp in northeastern Iraq, potentially averting a showdown with its residents. The dissidents, who have not said whether they would agree to move, reported a rocket attack on the camp.

The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, one-time allies of Saddam Hussein in a common fight against Iran, said Katyusha rockets struck near housing units inside the camp on Sunday night, but did not report any casualties.

A representative of the camp's residents said Monday they were still waiting to see the agreement before commenting on whether they would decide to relocate or not.

"We hope that it would officially include the minimum assurances so that it would be acceptable to Ashraf residents," said Shahin Gobadi. "Ashraf residents have repeatedly emphasized that they would in no way accept forcible relocation."

Since Saddam's overthrow, Iraq's new leaders have improved relations with Iran and have sought to shut down the camp, home to 3,400 residents and located in barren terrain northeast of Baghdad about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the Iranian border. The U.N. reported that at least 34 people were killed in a raid by Iraqi government forces in April.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq announced an agreement Sunday night that establishes a process to move the residents of Camp Ashraf to a temporary location. It did not give a timeline for the move or specify the new location.

A statement from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the residents would be moved to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near the Baghdad International Airport.

At Camp Liberty, the U.N.'s refugee agency will interview the residents to determine their eligibility to get refugee status, before they can eventually be resettled in third countries, Clinton said.

"We are encouraged by the Iraqi government's willingness to commit to this plan, and expect it to fulfill all its responsibilities," she said in the statement. "To be successful, this resettlement must also have the full support of the camp's residents, and we urge them to work with the U.N. to implement this relocation."

The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran first moved to Camp Ashraf during the regime of Saddam, who saw the group as a convenient ally against Tehran. The group is committed to the overthrow of the Iranian regime.

The group carried out a series of bombings and assassinations against Iran's clerical regime in the 1980s and fought alongside Saddam's forces in the Iran-Iraq war. But the group says it renounced violence in 2001. U.S. soldiers disarmed them during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been determined to close down the camp by the end of December. His government considers the camp as an affront to Iraq's sovereignty.

Last week, an Iraqi government spokesman said the government was working out a solution to the situation at Camp Ashraf with the U.N. and would allow the camp to stay open into January as residents are being relocated. At the time, representatives of the residents suggested they would be willing to move, as long as their security was provided for.

Under the agreement outlined by the U.N., the international organization will monitor the relocation process and then a team from the U.N.'s refugee agency will be deployed at the new location to process the refugee claims.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "believes that the agreement "lays the foundation for a peaceful and durable solution to the situation, respecting both the sovereignty of Iraq and its international humanitarian and human rights obligations," according to a statement released by his spokesperson.

"The Secretary-General reminds all concerned that any violence or attempt at a forcible solution would be unacceptable," the statement said.

Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will also visit regularly, the State Department said.

The Iraqi government will be responsible for the exiles' safety during that time, and will have a liaison officer from the Ministry of Human Rights involved in the relocation, the U.N. said.

"I would like to highlight that the government is exclusively responsible for the safety and security of the residents both during their transfer and in the new location until they leave the country," said Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Iraq.

The Iraqi government's vow to close Camp Ashraf had raised concerns that forcibly removing its residents would result in violence.

The People's Mujahedeen has been branded a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, a designation now under review by the State Department. It has been removed from similar blacklists in Europe.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_camp_ashraf

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Friday Morning Wisconsin Sports Report

Posted Friday, December 23, 2011 --- 9:40 a.m.

Here is the latest Wisconsin sports news from The Associated Press:

MILWAUKEE (AP) ? Junior Cadougan tied a career high with 15 points last night as No. 10 Marquette topped Wisconsin-Milwaukee 64-50. Darius Johnson-Odom and Davante Gardner added 12 points apiece for the Golden Eagles, who beat their cross-town rival for the 39th straight time. Ryan Allen led Milwaukee with 16 points.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) ? Brennan Cougill had 19 points and 19 rebounds yesterday to help Green Bay beat Idaho 63-61. Cougill's 19 boards fell two shy of the school record of 21, set by Nate Barnes in 1982. Steve Baker added 13 points and Kam Cerroni score 12 for the Phoenix.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) ? The Green Bay Packers are looking for more out of their receiving corps with Greg Jennings out. Jermichael Finley dropped passes and Jordy Nelson was called for offensive pass interference a couple of times in Sunday's loss at Kansas City. The Packers can wrap up home field advantage in the NFC with a win over Chicago this weekend.

MILWAUKEE (AP) ? The Milwaukee Brewers say the ball club has already sold one million tickets for the 2012 season. The Brewers say it's the earliest date in franchise history that the one million mark has been reached. The demand comes after the Brewers won the National League Central Division last season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Source: http://www.nbc15.com/sports/headlines/Friday_Morning_Wisconsin_Sports_Report_136140488.html

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Chronic School Absenteeism Linked to Mental Health Problems (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Children who miss school often are more likely to have symptoms of mental health problems as teens, a new study finds.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and colleagues compiled information on 17,000 students in grades 1 through 12.

The study found kids in second through eighth grades with mental health problems, such as antisocial behavior or depression, missed more school days than kids without those issues.

Middle and high school students who missed a lot of school were also more likely to be later diagnosed with mental health issues.

The study is in the journal Child Development.

"We've long known that students who are frequently absent from school are more likely to have symptoms of psychiatric disorders, but less clear is the reason why," said lead study author Jeffrey Wood, an associate professor of educational psychology and psychiatry at UCLA, in a Society for Research in Child Development news release. "These two aspects of youths' adjustment may at times exacerbate one another, leading over the course of time to more of each."

Because chronically missing school might influence the development of mental health issues and vice versa, researchers said programs that treat both mental health issues and school absenteeism are important.

More information

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America provides more information on childhood anxiety and depression.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111223/hl_hsn/chronicschoolabsenteeismlinkedtomentalhealthproblems

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U.S. clears another hurdle toward nuclear renaissance (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? U.S. regulators moved a step closer on Thursday toward clearing the country's first nuclear reactors since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, even as the industry struggles against plunging natural gas prices and safety fears after Japan's Fukushima disaster.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it had approved the latest version of Westinghouse Electric's AP1000 reactor.

The commission must next decide on applications by U.S. power companies Southern Co and Scana Corp to build AP1000s in the U.S. Southeast. Both firms have started limited construction on the units, which would be the first reactors built in the United States in more than 30 years.

The Obama administration has painted the resurgence of nuclear power as an important step toward cutting U.S. dependence on greenhouse-gas-emitting power sources such as coal.

However, public and political opposition over the AP1000 design and nuclear power in general has swelled following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan that resulted from a massive earthquake and tsunami in March.

But the NRC has for the most part kept fairly close to its schedule to approve the latest version of the AP1000 as a safer alternative to existing plants, and the industry remains optimistic that construction approval will come soon.

"The process has probably taken a little longer than we hoped but that is OK," Scott Shaw, a spokesman for Westinghouse, owned by Japan's Toshiba Corp, said earlier in the week.

"The NRC has to make sure everything works. We are still on schedule for Southern to get a COL (combined construction and operating license) in time to get the first reactor built by 2016," Shaw said.

Westinghouse has said the AP1000 would have withstood the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami due to its passive safety features that would cool the reactor after an accident without the need for human intervention, AC power or pumps.

The NRC said it found good cause to follow a proposal by Southern to make the rule certifying the AP1000 immediately effective once it is published in the Federal Register, which is expected within seven business days. NRC rules normally become effective 30 days after publication, and the certification will be valid for 15 years, the commission said.

The NRC certified an earlier version of the AP1000 in 2006. Westinghouse submitted an amendment request to the NRC in 2007 and later revised that request to comply with the agency's aircraft-impact rule issued in 2009.

GAS COMPETITION

In addition to environmental hurdles, the U.S. nuclear renaissance faces stiff competition from rising production of cheap natural gas now flooding the market as development of shale fields sweeps across the country.

U.S. natural gas prices have plunged to near $3 per million British thermal units this week, half of the 2010 peaks, as the healthy cushion built by higher output helped counter seasonal winter gains.

Without new rules to limit carbon emissions that would curb natural gas use, the economics of nuclear fuel face a tough competitor.

A 1,000-megawatt natural gas plant takes just a few years to develop and build and costs up to $1 billion for the most efficient, combined-cycle model. A similar-sized nuclear reactor could take more than five years to develop and build and would cost over $5 billion.

Southern and partners are spending about $14 billion to build two reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, with the first new unit expected to enter service in 2016 and the second in 2017.

Scana and partners are investing about $9.8 billion to build two reactors at the Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina. Those new units are expected to enter service in 2016 and 2019.

Southern and Scana expect the NRC to approve licenses for their proposed reactors within a month or two of certifying the AP1000 design.

Separately, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal power agency, is completing the construction of a reactor at the Watts Bar plant in Tennessee and another at the Bellefonte plant in Alabama. TVA started building the units before the Three Mile Island accident but stopped work in the 1980s.

Among U.S. utilities, the 1,100-MW AP1000 is the most popular of the proposed new reactor designs the NRC is evaluating, accounting for 16 of the 37 proposed new reactors in the United States, according to the NRC website.

(Reporting By Scott DiSavino in New York; Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Matthew Robinson and Dale Hudson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/pl_nm/us_utilities_nrc_westinghouse_ap1000

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