Storm blankets Northeast with a few inches of snow (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? A weekend storm blanketed the Northeast with a few inches of snow Saturday, creating slippery conditions and some delays at airports, though the storm was expected to move out to sea overnight.

The National Weather Service predicted 4 to 6 inches in New York City before the snow stops in the afternoon. Early Saturday morning flurries and freezing rain showers were expected for the Washington area. Philadelphia is under a winter weather advisory and could receive up to 4 inches of snow.

Up to 7 inches was predicted for southeastern Massachusetts, not much by the standards of a New England winter but noteworthy in a season marked by a lack of snow.

The storm was just the second significant snowfall of the season for some Northeasterners, including in New York City and Philadelphia. A rare October snowstorm knocked out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses in the region.

Road conditions were fair Saturday morning, officials said. Crews in Pennsylvania and New Jersey began salting roads around midnight and plowing soon after. By midmorning, the snow had turned to sleet in Philadelphia north through central New Jersey.

Few accidents were reported on the roads, helped by the weekend's lack of rush hour traffic, but New Jersey transportation spokesman Joe Dee cautioned drivers to build in more time for trips. Though temperatures will warm up this afternoon he said, forecasters expect the wet ground to freeze again overnight.

Flights arriving at Philadelphia Airport were delayed up to two hours because of snow and ice accumulation, but most departing flights were leaving on time, a spokeswoman said.

New York City had 1,500 snow plows at the ready, each equipped with global positioning systems that will allow supervisors to see their approximate location on command maps updated every 30 seconds, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a morning news conference.

The equipment was installed last year following a disaster of a storm that struck the day after Christmas of 2010, when even the city's plows were stuck and stranded in drifts, and streets remained impassable for days. Bloomberg said the GPS system has already led to "vastly improved communication" between supervisors and plow operators.

As always, some welcomed the snow.

Enough accumulated through the week for snowmobiling and ice fishing in New Hampshire, where cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing were open at Bretton Woods and other trails.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_re_us/us_winter_weather

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The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

The calm after the storm? No sir. CES may be over, but the tech news is still flowing like sweet, sweet strawberry wine. Tim and Darren are both in town for that little Apple event that unfolded earlier today, so they'll be doing a live, in-studio throw down with Brian, Engadget Podcast-style. Follow along in the chat, after the jump.

Continue reading The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/the-engadget-podcast-is-live-tonight-at-5pm/

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California's Prison System Finally Gets Out of Jail

More than a decade after the state was brought to court for mistreating prisoners, California has exited from federal control over its prison system.

The odyssey has been both costly and politically embarrassing, but most of all it shows the extent to which the federal government can impact the destiny of the states.

At one time, three separate federal judges were overseeing administration of the state prison system for over-crowding, poor medical facilities and treatment, and an outdated process for carrying out capital punishment.

Most of the arguments were based on the 8th Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment," a concept that applies even to those who are incarcerated and about to be put to death.

Now these issues have been put to rest, or are?close enough that the last federal judge, Thelton Henderson, has released California from the federal government's grasp.

Political conservatives may wince at the thought of federal control, but in fact during the long prison
oversight period, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court upheld the actions of the lower federal courts.

Lest one trivialize the value of the 8th Amendment or any other portion of the U.S. Constitution, we must remember that this document is the supreme law of the land.

That's why the federal courts became involved in the prison issue to begin with.

Beyond the prison problems, the fight between the state and federal government underscores the preeminence of the U.S. Constitution and its guarantees over the wishes of the state.

That kind of reasoning applies to a variety of issues ranging from the state's desire to reduce spending on federally-funded welfare programs to its permissive attitude on medical marijuana to facilities for the disabled.

On these and countless other matters the federal government often has the final say.

The binding relationship between the federal government and the states also helps to explain why crafting the California state budget is not simply a matter of state leaders deciding what or what not to do.

Between the laws passed by Congress and the myriad federal programs with precise rules for implementation, the federal government is a player in the state budget process.

In 2008, for example, California received $78 billion from the feds through 43 different programs--most of which contained strict requirements for administration.

"States rights" proponents have a point when they say that federal regulations often prevent California from charting its own course.

Yet, as long as our constitutional arrangement remains in place, squabbles between the states and federal government will persist. More times than not, the disagreement will end with California crying "Uncle," as in Sam.

Let us know what you think. Comment below, send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.

Source: http://feeds.nbcbayarea.com/click.phdo?i=5521c8b145cdc739e2cd847a73858fbc

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Will Katherine Heigl Return to 'Grey's?' (omg!)

Katherine Heigl's history with Grey's Anatomy is a rocky one -- and one that there's really no need to rehash since the drama was splashed everywhere back in 2009.

So it might surprise you to hear that the actress is actually hoping to come back before the ABC medical drama ends its run!

Katherine Heigl Hates Balls

"I've told them I want to [come back]," Katherine tells E! "I really, really, really want to see where [Izzie] is. I just want to know what happened to her and where she went and what she's doing now. My idea is that she actually like figures it out, and finds some success and does really well in a different hospital. She was always floundering you know, and so she was always one step behind the eight ball and I want to see that girl take some power back."

Which Grey's Star is Pregnant Now?

But even Katherine acknowledges that this might not come to pass. "Being a showrunner and being a writer of a TV series like that is so complicated that I mean [creator Shonda Rhimes has] got how many characters are there now? There's a lot and so she's balancing about 40 different storylines, so I don't know if it fits in to their sort of vision for this season or next or however many seasons it goes."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_katherine_heigl_return_greys192200401/44234125/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/katherine-heigl-return-greys-192200401.html

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Book claims Kim's eldest fears NKorea may collapse (AP)

TOKYO ? A new book claims that the eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong Il believes the impoverished regime is in danger of collapse and that his young half-brother, chosen to lead after Kim's death, is merely a figurehead.

The book by Tokyo-based journalist Yoji Gomi went on sale Wednesday. He says it is based primarily on email exchanges he had with Kim Jong Nam over many years.

The book drew immediate attention as a rare view into the family that has led the secretive country for decades ? though Kim Jong Nam is thought to be estranged from his family and the workings of government. Since Kim Jong Il's death Dec. 17, North Korea has been led by his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

"Jong Un will just be a figurehead," the book quotes Kim Jong Nam as saying. It claims he said the collapse of North Korea's economy is likely unless it initiates reforms, which could also bring it down.

"Without reforms and libereralization, the collapse of the economy is within sight," he quoted Kim as saying. "But reforms and opening up could also invite dangers for the regime."

Gomi, a Tokyo Shimbun journalist who had assignments in Seoul and Beijing, claims he exchanged 150 emails and has spent a total of seven hours interviewing Kim Jong Nam, who was seen as a possible successor until he fell out of favor with Kim Jong Il in 2001.

Gomi says he met Kim Jong Nam in person in 2004, in Beijing, and twice last year. Gomi was not immediately available for comment on the book.

Not long after Kim Jong Il's funeral, Jong Nam suggested in an interview with a Japanese TV network that he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his young half-brother, who is believed to be in his late 20s.

That was a rare public sign of discord in the tightly choreographed succession process, but analysts said Jong Nam spends so much time outside his native land that his opinion carries little weight.

Kim Jong Nam, who did not attend the funeral, made similar comments in his communications with Gomi, the book claims.

"As a matter of common sense, a transfer to the third generation is unacceptable," Kim Jong Nam was quoted as saying in an email dated this month. "The power elite that have ruled the country will continue to be in control."

He added: "I have my doubts about whether a person with only two years of grooming as a leader can govern."

Party and military officials have moved quickly to install Kim Jong Un as "supreme leader" of the people, party and military.

But the new ruler's youth and quick ascension to power have raised questions in foreign capitals about how ready he is to inherit rule over this nation of 24 million with a nuclear program as well as chronic trouble feeding all its people.

A senior North Korean party official, however, told the AP in a recent interview that Kim Jong Un was ready to lead and had spent years working closely with his late father and helped him make key policy decisions on economic and military affairs.

Kim Jong Nam is widely believed to have dropped out of the succession race after embarrassing the government in 2001, when he was caught trying to enter Japan on a fake passport. He said he wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.

Jong Nam, the oldest of three brothers thought to be in the running, is the closest thing the country has to an international playboy and is the only one who speaks to the foreign media. He travels freely and spends much of his time in China or the country's special autonomous region of Macau ? the center of Asian gambling with its Las Vegas-style casinos.

Experts said he will most likely continue living abroad.

Kim Jong Il is known to have three sons ? one from his second wife and two from his third.

Kim often derided the middle son, Jong Chol, as "girlish," a former Kim Jong Il chef, who goes by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto, said in a 2003 memoir.

___

AP writer Foster Klug contributed to this report from Seoul.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120118/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_nkorea

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Children Born by C-Section at Slightly Higher Asthma Risk (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Children delivered by Cesarean section appear to be at a slight increased risk of developing asthma by age 3, a new study says.

The findings support the results of previous research.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 37,000 participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study in order to compare the health of children who were delivered by planned or emergency C-section with those who were born vaginally.

The results showed that children delivered by C-section had a slightly increased risk for asthma at age 3, but no increased risk for wheezing or frequent lower respiratory tract infections. The risk of asthma was highest among those whose mothers did not have allergies.

"It is unlikely that a Cesarean delivery itself would cause an increased risk of asthma, rather that children delivered this way may have an underlying vulnerability," study primary author Maria Magnus, a researcher at the department of chronic diseases at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said in an institute news release.

Possible reasons for the increased risk of asthma among children delivered by C-section include an altered bacterial flora in their intestine that affects their immune system development, or the fact that these children are more likely to have serious respiratory problems during their first weeks of life, the researchers said.

The study was recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

While the study found an association between C-section birth and asthma, it did not demonstrate a cause and effect.

More information

The American Lung Association has more about children and asthma.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120117/hl_hsn/childrenbornbycsectionatslightlyhigherasthmarisk

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Christie to Romney: Release tax return immediately

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers the annual State of the State address in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Christie used his annual State of the State address to propose a 10 percent cut in income taxes for all New Jerseyans. He said his other priorities for 2012 will be education reform and improving public safety in New Jersey's cities, in part by making it tougher for hardened criminals to get bail while awaiting trial. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers the annual State of the State address in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Christie used his annual State of the State address to propose a 10 percent cut in income taxes for all New Jerseyans. He said his other priorities for 2012 will be education reform and improving public safety in New Jersey's cities, in part by making it tougher for hardened criminals to get bail while awaiting trial. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Gov. Chris Christie is urging political ally Mitt Romney to immediately release his tax returns rather than waiting until April.

The New Jersey governor tells NBC's "Today" show Romney should "put them out sooner than later because it's always better to have full disclosure."

Romney's taxes have emerged as an issue days before the South Carolina primary. He agreed in Monday night's debate to consider making his tax returns public, and then committed to releasing them on Tuesday. But the multi-millionaire candidate now is on the defensive after acknowledging that his effective tax rate is 15 percent, saying most of his income came from investments and speeches rather than earned income. Christie says he wants to remain as governor, but he wouldn't rule out joining a Romney ticket.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-18-Christie-Romney/id-70763a7994ff45b58cbe2f1fd39337f1

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