Making Money With Website

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

Non-profit organizations and passionate individuals have found a slew of creative ways to leverage social media and the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to make the world a better place. Online campaigns help provide clean drinking water, food and malaria-preventing bed nets to people who need them.

Creative uses of the web are helping to provide and enhance education. These four projects, for instance, found innovative ways to help build schools through digital campaigns.

1. Epic Change

Epic Change has become a model for raising money using social media. Since 2008, its annual TweetsGiving has asked people to tweet about what they’re thankful for while making a donation. The strategy was so successful that #tweetsgiving became a trending topic on Twitter during the first year’s campaign.

Starting out, the benefactor of TweetsGiving was a school in Tanzania that was founded by Mama Lucky Kamptoni, a passionate local woman who started the school using money she earned from her poultry business (now there are two more benefactors). Epic Change wanted to help her rebuild and expand the school.

The organization also launched To Mama With Love, a website where users can make a donation by creating a “heart space” for a mother they care about. The “heart space” is a collection of photos, videos and words dedicated to that mother. Other people who care about that mother are invited to donate in her honor.

From one of the classrooms that was built using donations from these campaigns, the students now tweet and connect with the rest of the world.

“So often, we hear the stories of children in the so-called ‘developing’ world from the perspective of the media, non-profits or friends who have traveled or volunteered,” explains the Epic Change Blog. “What happens now – when these students can share their own stories, and build relationships with the rest of the world, for themselves? How will the world be different when these children, who live so geographically far away, move into our virtual backyard? What difference will it make in their lives to know that their voices will be heard?”

2. Stillerstrong

When Ben Sitller launched the Stillerstrong campaign on YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube, Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter and a branded website, he did it with a video that poked fun at Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign. It was hard to tell if he was kidding.

But the campaign, which sells Stillerstrong headbands and accepts donations by text message and credit card, has raised about $300,000 to help provide temporary schools for Haitians displaced by January’s earthquake. At the time the campaign was announced, the organization and its partners Causecast and the Global Philanthropy Group were expecting each school to cost between $45,000 and $55,000.

3. TwitChange

Instead of auctioning off celebrity memorabilia to support a charity, TwitChange hosts eBay auctions for celebrity Twitter interaction. The donation’s bidders put down to have a celebrity follow them, retweet their tweet, or mention them in an update. The proceeds go to aHomeInHaiti.org, which will use them to build a home and school for children with disabilities in Haiti.

The first auction in September raised $531,640.25. The website instructs us to “stay tuned for the celebrity tweet auction coming this holiday season.”

4. University of the People

Less of a “campaign” than a full-blown effort to democratize education, University of the People provides tuition-free higher education through an online campus.

Since launching last year, the university has accepted about 700 students from 100 different countries to its three- to four-year programs for business and computer science. Recently the university opened computer centers in Haiti so that students with limited Internet access could enroll in its courses.

“I do believe that if we take the millions of people around the world who could not afford going to university and teach them tuition free, we’re not only changing their lives, and their family’s lives, we also change their communities, their countries,” founder Shai Shai Reshef says. “And if we have a lot of them, we will change the world for a better world.”

Series Supported by Dell The Power To Do More/>

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

More Social Good Resources from Mashable:

- How Online Classrooms Are Helping Haiti Rebuild Its Education System/> - Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism/> - 5 Creative Social Good Campaigns for the Holiday Season/> - 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good/> - 9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, urbancow

For more Social Good coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Goodclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Good channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com

CNN: Homeland Security chief Napolitano arrives in Afghanistan

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Afghanistan Friday and planned to spend New Year's Eve with U.S. troops in the region. Napolitano is scheduled to meet with senior U.S. and Afghan officials during her weeklong trip that also includes stops in Qatar, Israel and Belgium.



CNNMoney: Former auto czar pays $10 million fine

Quadrangle investment group founding partner and former Obama "auto czar" Steven Rattner agreed Thursday to pay a $10 million fine in a settlement with the New York attorney general's office over a pension fund scheme. Rattner was accused of a "pay-to-play" scheme involving New York's pension fund, in which Rattner's Quadrangle allegedly gave kickbacks to officials if they directed state pension money to the fund.

New York Times: E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress

With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides. While only the first phase of regulation takes effect on Sunday, the administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years.

Washington Post: Maine seeks exemption from provision of health-care law

Days before a key and controversial provision of the health-care law is set to take effect, Maine is the only state to have asked the Obama administration for an exemption, despite concerns expressed by at least a dozen states.

CNN: Alaska certifies Sen. Murkowski's re-election

Alaska's top two elected officials on Thursday certified Sen. Lisa Murkowski's re-election in November as a write-in candidate, clearing the way for Murkowski to be sworn in on time for the new congressional session that starts next week.

CNN: Well-known governors prepare to leave office

Beginning Saturday and continuing over the next few weeks, some of the nation's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in.

CNN Poll: CNN Poll: WikiLeaks has few fans in U.S.

It appears the website WikiLeaks has few fans in the United States. A just-released CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 77 percent of Americans disapprove of the online organization's release of thousands of confidential U.S. government documents concerning U.S. diplomatic and military policies. Only 20 percent approved of the action.

Washington Post: WikiLeaks cable dump reveals flaws of State Department's information-sharing tool

Millions of people around the world now know that the State Department's secret cables became the property of WikiLeaks. But only recently have investigators understood the critical role played by Net-Centric Diplomacy, a computer initiative that became the conduit for what was perhaps the biggest heist of sensitive U.S. government documents in modern times.

CNN Poll: Opposition to Afghanistan war remains high

More than six in ten Americans oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll. And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday also indicates that 56 percent of the public believes that things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Las Vegas Sun: GOP presidential hopefuls paying attention to Nevada

Nevada was a political afterthought for Republicans in the 2008 presidential election. Caucus votes were nonbinding, meaning delegates could change their minds about whom to support, so candidates focused on other more influential states rather than risk wasting time and money in Nevada. But that strategy seems to be changing, with the state GOP deciding to make caucus votes binding. Now that Nevada can boast real political juice, Republicans toying with the idea of presidential bids are scoping out the Silver State.

Chicago Sun-Times: Andy Martin, self-proclaimed 'king of the birthers,' says he'll run for president

Andy Martin, a political gadfly who ran for President Obama's former Senate seat in 2010, announced Wednesday in New Hampshire that he will run for the Republican nomination for president on a "birther" platform.

Politico: GOP pals could be 2012 rivals

Should both Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels seek the White House in 2012, Americans would glimpse a rare sight in the annals of presidential campaigns: actual friends competing against one another for the nomination. Not "friends" in the political sense, the way fellow senators disingenuously refer to one another during floor debate, but pals who truly like each other, and have a long-standing, personal relationship. It’s a nontransactional friendship that’s uncommon in the rarefied air of national politics.

St. Petersburg Times: Records in GOP fraud case reveal more of Jim Greer's business dealings

Delmar Johnson, former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, was president, secretary and treasurer of Victory Strategies, which prosecutors say was a "shell company" created to skim off GOP contributions. But most of the cash went to former state party Chairman Jim Greer, newly released documents show. …GOP finance committee officials began questioning Greer about the company in December 2009, and he resigned as party chairman in January.

Politico: Morning Joe to run again?

Former Florida Rep. Joe Scarborough says he would consider running for office again but, for the time being, thinks he’s better off right where he is. …But that could change. “An absence of leadership” could draw him back to elective office, he said in an interview with Parade magazine published Thursday. “The same thing that had me run the first time, in 1994, when I felt the country was veering off dangerously in the wrong direction.”

NATIONAL

For the latest national news: www.CNN.com

Los Angeles Times: Holiday anti-terrorism focus is on 'soft targets'

After arrests in Europe and sting operations in the U.S., intelligence agencies have been on edge this holiday season over concerns that terrorist organizations are setting their sights on easier-to-hit targets such as subways, trains and large public gatherings. Federal and local authorities have responded with demonstrations of force and high-profile arrests to deter would-be plotters.

CNN: NYC mayor to probe claims that workers delayed snow cleanup

Four days after a monster blizzard blanketed much of the northeastern U.S., New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will investigate whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed cleanup efforts over frustrations regarding citywide budget cuts.

Washington Post: As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA

Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com

CNN: Ban 'deeply alarmed' over call for violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, distressed over a call to attack the hotel where Ivory Coast's president-elect and U.N. security forces are based, said Thursday that the forces are "authorized to use all necessary means to protect its personnel" and any others at the location.

The Guardian: Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault

A study examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja has for the first time concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults that took place six years ago.

The Daily Telegraph: Chinese military aircraft more aggressive since September, Japan claims

Defence officials in Tokyo told the Asahi newspaper that in addition to the harassment of Japanese aircraft, China has stepped up its probing of air defences in the region and the monitoring of military exercises involving units from the United States and Japan. In the last nine months, Japanese fighters have been scrambled to intercept Chinese intruders on 44 occasions, the highest figure in the last five years and more than double the number for the whole of fiscal 2006, the defence ministry officials said.

NPR: Dubai Restaurant Offers A Taste Of North Korea

North Korea's best-known exports tend to be conventional weapons and nuclear technology. But now, curious diners can add to noodles to that list, thanks to a chain of North Korean restaurants in China, Nepal, Thailand and Dubai. Analysts say the restaurants are a prominent source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang, which struggles under economic sanctions for its nuclear program — and for its sometimes belligerent behavior toward South Korea.

CNN: Russia's Mikhail Khodorkovsky faces another 6 years in prison

A judge in Moscow sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Russia's Yukos oil company, and his business partner to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Estonia Prepares to Join the Euro Zone

When the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia rings in the new year, it will become the latest addition to the euro zone—and the poorest member of a currency bloc that is struggling to restore financial stability.

Der Spiegel: The Underbelly of Ukrainian Gas Dealings

The agreement in early 2009 which restarted gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine to Western Europe, was hailed as a success. But since Viktor Yanukovych became Ukrainian president in February, many of those involved in the deal have been arrested. Furthermore, the president's friends have profited handsomely while the state has lost a fortune.

Wall Street Jouranl: IMF Chides Pakistan on Budget Gap

The International Monetary Fund issued a stern warning to Pakistan to take steps to cut its spiraling budget deficit, said a senior Pakistani government official. In an official letter to the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, the IMF warned that the state of the nation's economy is far worse than previously realized and urged immediate fiscal belt-tightening measures, according to the official, who has seen the missive.

CNN: Vatican Bank to reform banking standards

The Vatican Bank will adapt to meet international standards on money-laundering and other illegal activities, Pope Benedict XVI decreed Thursday, after some of the bank's assets were ordered frozen in Italy.

CNN: South Korea works to contain foot-and-mouth, bird flu

South Korea confirmed an outbreak of bird flu Friday as it struggles to contain foot-and-mouth disease, which has rapidly spread across the country. A duck and a chicken have tested positive for the deadly bird flu virus, authorities said. The government has culled 119,000 birds and set up a quarantine zone around the affected farms.

CNN: Residents evacuated in Australia amid lengthy flood forecast

Thirteen townships in Australia's flooded Queensland state were evacuated Thursday as forecasters warned it may be weeks before river levels start to drop. …Over the entire month of December, Queensland has seen 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) of rain - most of which fell during the past four or five days, said Tony Auden, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology.

BUSINESS

For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com

CNN: Ford, Chrysler recalling thousands of vehicles

Ford Motor Co. is recalling 19,600 2011 model year trucks and crossover SUVs over concerns that an electrical short could cause a fire, the manufacturer said Thursday. Chrysler Group LLC also is recalling nearly 145,000 trucks and crossover wagons in three separate campaigns for steering, stalling and airbag concerns, according to letters posted this week on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CNNMoney: Jobless claims drop below 400,000 mark

For the first time in more than two years, the number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week - a ray of hope in the one of the longest job droughts in U.S. history. The number of initial claims fell to 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25, down 34,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Fortune: Goldman bonus pool looking shallower

The days of the $500,000 average paycheck are long gone, even at Wall Street's most gilded firm. So predicts a report issued Thursday by Credit Suisse analyst Howard Chen. He slashed his fourth-quarter earnings estimate on Goldman Sachs (GS) to $3.70 a share from $5.08, citing its latest soft trading quarter and higher non-compensation expenses.

In Case You Missed It

CNN's Jill Dougherty explores why the public admires Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports on recent terrorism incidents around the world.

Subscribe to the CNN=Politics DAILY podcast at http://www.cnn.com/politicalpodcast

And now stay posted on the latest from the campaign trail by downloading the CNN=Politics SCREENSAVER at http://www.CNN.com/situationroom

robert shumake

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake detroit

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

Non-profit organizations and passionate individuals have found a slew of creative ways to leverage social media and the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to make the world a better place. Online campaigns help provide clean drinking water, food and malaria-preventing bed nets to people who need them.

Creative uses of the web are helping to provide and enhance education. These four projects, for instance, found innovative ways to help build schools through digital campaigns.

1. Epic Change

Epic Change has become a model for raising money using social media. Since 2008, its annual TweetsGiving has asked people to tweet about what they’re thankful for while making a donation. The strategy was so successful that #tweetsgiving became a trending topic on Twitter during the first year’s campaign.

Starting out, the benefactor of TweetsGiving was a school in Tanzania that was founded by Mama Lucky Kamptoni, a passionate local woman who started the school using money she earned from her poultry business (now there are two more benefactors). Epic Change wanted to help her rebuild and expand the school.

The organization also launched To Mama With Love, a website where users can make a donation by creating a “heart space” for a mother they care about. The “heart space” is a collection of photos, videos and words dedicated to that mother. Other people who care about that mother are invited to donate in her honor.

From one of the classrooms that was built using donations from these campaigns, the students now tweet and connect with the rest of the world.

“So often, we hear the stories of children in the so-called ‘developing’ world from the perspective of the media, non-profits or friends who have traveled or volunteered,” explains the Epic Change Blog. “What happens now – when these students can share their own stories, and build relationships with the rest of the world, for themselves? How will the world be different when these children, who live so geographically far away, move into our virtual backyard? What difference will it make in their lives to know that their voices will be heard?”

2. Stillerstrong

When Ben Sitller launched the Stillerstrong campaign on YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube, Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter and a branded website, he did it with a video that poked fun at Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign. It was hard to tell if he was kidding.

But the campaign, which sells Stillerstrong headbands and accepts donations by text message and credit card, has raised about $300,000 to help provide temporary schools for Haitians displaced by January’s earthquake. At the time the campaign was announced, the organization and its partners Causecast and the Global Philanthropy Group were expecting each school to cost between $45,000 and $55,000.

3. TwitChange

Instead of auctioning off celebrity memorabilia to support a charity, TwitChange hosts eBay auctions for celebrity Twitter interaction. The donation’s bidders put down to have a celebrity follow them, retweet their tweet, or mention them in an update. The proceeds go to aHomeInHaiti.org, which will use them to build a home and school for children with disabilities in Haiti.

The first auction in September raised $531,640.25. The website instructs us to “stay tuned for the celebrity tweet auction coming this holiday season.”

4. University of the People

Less of a “campaign” than a full-blown effort to democratize education, University of the People provides tuition-free higher education through an online campus.

Since launching last year, the university has accepted about 700 students from 100 different countries to its three- to four-year programs for business and computer science. Recently the university opened computer centers in Haiti so that students with limited Internet access could enroll in its courses.

“I do believe that if we take the millions of people around the world who could not afford going to university and teach them tuition free, we’re not only changing their lives, and their family’s lives, we also change their communities, their countries,” founder Shai Shai Reshef says. “And if we have a lot of them, we will change the world for a better world.”

Series Supported by Dell The Power To Do More/>

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

More Social Good Resources from Mashable:

- How Online Classrooms Are Helping Haiti Rebuild Its Education System/> - Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism/> - 5 Creative Social Good Campaigns for the Holiday Season/> - 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good/> - 9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, urbancow

For more Social Good coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Goodclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Good channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com

CNN: Homeland Security chief Napolitano arrives in Afghanistan

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Afghanistan Friday and planned to spend New Year's Eve with U.S. troops in the region. Napolitano is scheduled to meet with senior U.S. and Afghan officials during her weeklong trip that also includes stops in Qatar, Israel and Belgium.



CNNMoney: Former auto czar pays $10 million fine

Quadrangle investment group founding partner and former Obama "auto czar" Steven Rattner agreed Thursday to pay a $10 million fine in a settlement with the New York attorney general's office over a pension fund scheme. Rattner was accused of a "pay-to-play" scheme involving New York's pension fund, in which Rattner's Quadrangle allegedly gave kickbacks to officials if they directed state pension money to the fund.

New York Times: E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress

With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides. While only the first phase of regulation takes effect on Sunday, the administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years.

Washington Post: Maine seeks exemption from provision of health-care law

Days before a key and controversial provision of the health-care law is set to take effect, Maine is the only state to have asked the Obama administration for an exemption, despite concerns expressed by at least a dozen states.

CNN: Alaska certifies Sen. Murkowski's re-election

Alaska's top two elected officials on Thursday certified Sen. Lisa Murkowski's re-election in November as a write-in candidate, clearing the way for Murkowski to be sworn in on time for the new congressional session that starts next week.

CNN: Well-known governors prepare to leave office

Beginning Saturday and continuing over the next few weeks, some of the nation's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in.

CNN Poll: CNN Poll: WikiLeaks has few fans in U.S.

It appears the website WikiLeaks has few fans in the United States. A just-released CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 77 percent of Americans disapprove of the online organization's release of thousands of confidential U.S. government documents concerning U.S. diplomatic and military policies. Only 20 percent approved of the action.

Washington Post: WikiLeaks cable dump reveals flaws of State Department's information-sharing tool

Millions of people around the world now know that the State Department's secret cables became the property of WikiLeaks. But only recently have investigators understood the critical role played by Net-Centric Diplomacy, a computer initiative that became the conduit for what was perhaps the biggest heist of sensitive U.S. government documents in modern times.

CNN Poll: Opposition to Afghanistan war remains high

More than six in ten Americans oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll. And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday also indicates that 56 percent of the public believes that things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Las Vegas Sun: GOP presidential hopefuls paying attention to Nevada

Nevada was a political afterthought for Republicans in the 2008 presidential election. Caucus votes were nonbinding, meaning delegates could change their minds about whom to support, so candidates focused on other more influential states rather than risk wasting time and money in Nevada. But that strategy seems to be changing, with the state GOP deciding to make caucus votes binding. Now that Nevada can boast real political juice, Republicans toying with the idea of presidential bids are scoping out the Silver State.

Chicago Sun-Times: Andy Martin, self-proclaimed 'king of the birthers,' says he'll run for president

Andy Martin, a political gadfly who ran for President Obama's former Senate seat in 2010, announced Wednesday in New Hampshire that he will run for the Republican nomination for president on a "birther" platform.

Politico: GOP pals could be 2012 rivals

Should both Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels seek the White House in 2012, Americans would glimpse a rare sight in the annals of presidential campaigns: actual friends competing against one another for the nomination. Not "friends" in the political sense, the way fellow senators disingenuously refer to one another during floor debate, but pals who truly like each other, and have a long-standing, personal relationship. It’s a nontransactional friendship that’s uncommon in the rarefied air of national politics.

St. Petersburg Times: Records in GOP fraud case reveal more of Jim Greer's business dealings

Delmar Johnson, former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, was president, secretary and treasurer of Victory Strategies, which prosecutors say was a "shell company" created to skim off GOP contributions. But most of the cash went to former state party Chairman Jim Greer, newly released documents show. …GOP finance committee officials began questioning Greer about the company in December 2009, and he resigned as party chairman in January.

Politico: Morning Joe to run again?

Former Florida Rep. Joe Scarborough says he would consider running for office again but, for the time being, thinks he’s better off right where he is. …But that could change. “An absence of leadership” could draw him back to elective office, he said in an interview with Parade magazine published Thursday. “The same thing that had me run the first time, in 1994, when I felt the country was veering off dangerously in the wrong direction.”

NATIONAL

For the latest national news: www.CNN.com

Los Angeles Times: Holiday anti-terrorism focus is on 'soft targets'

After arrests in Europe and sting operations in the U.S., intelligence agencies have been on edge this holiday season over concerns that terrorist organizations are setting their sights on easier-to-hit targets such as subways, trains and large public gatherings. Federal and local authorities have responded with demonstrations of force and high-profile arrests to deter would-be plotters.

CNN: NYC mayor to probe claims that workers delayed snow cleanup

Four days after a monster blizzard blanketed much of the northeastern U.S., New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will investigate whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed cleanup efforts over frustrations regarding citywide budget cuts.

Washington Post: As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA

Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com

CNN: Ban 'deeply alarmed' over call for violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, distressed over a call to attack the hotel where Ivory Coast's president-elect and U.N. security forces are based, said Thursday that the forces are "authorized to use all necessary means to protect its personnel" and any others at the location.

The Guardian: Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault

A study examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja has for the first time concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults that took place six years ago.

The Daily Telegraph: Chinese military aircraft more aggressive since September, Japan claims

Defence officials in Tokyo told the Asahi newspaper that in addition to the harassment of Japanese aircraft, China has stepped up its probing of air defences in the region and the monitoring of military exercises involving units from the United States and Japan. In the last nine months, Japanese fighters have been scrambled to intercept Chinese intruders on 44 occasions, the highest figure in the last five years and more than double the number for the whole of fiscal 2006, the defence ministry officials said.

NPR: Dubai Restaurant Offers A Taste Of North Korea

North Korea's best-known exports tend to be conventional weapons and nuclear technology. But now, curious diners can add to noodles to that list, thanks to a chain of North Korean restaurants in China, Nepal, Thailand and Dubai. Analysts say the restaurants are a prominent source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang, which struggles under economic sanctions for its nuclear program — and for its sometimes belligerent behavior toward South Korea.

CNN: Russia's Mikhail Khodorkovsky faces another 6 years in prison

A judge in Moscow sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Russia's Yukos oil company, and his business partner to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Estonia Prepares to Join the Euro Zone

When the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia rings in the new year, it will become the latest addition to the euro zone—and the poorest member of a currency bloc that is struggling to restore financial stability.

Der Spiegel: The Underbelly of Ukrainian Gas Dealings

The agreement in early 2009 which restarted gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine to Western Europe, was hailed as a success. But since Viktor Yanukovych became Ukrainian president in February, many of those involved in the deal have been arrested. Furthermore, the president's friends have profited handsomely while the state has lost a fortune.

Wall Street Jouranl: IMF Chides Pakistan on Budget Gap

The International Monetary Fund issued a stern warning to Pakistan to take steps to cut its spiraling budget deficit, said a senior Pakistani government official. In an official letter to the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, the IMF warned that the state of the nation's economy is far worse than previously realized and urged immediate fiscal belt-tightening measures, according to the official, who has seen the missive.

CNN: Vatican Bank to reform banking standards

The Vatican Bank will adapt to meet international standards on money-laundering and other illegal activities, Pope Benedict XVI decreed Thursday, after some of the bank's assets were ordered frozen in Italy.

CNN: South Korea works to contain foot-and-mouth, bird flu

South Korea confirmed an outbreak of bird flu Friday as it struggles to contain foot-and-mouth disease, which has rapidly spread across the country. A duck and a chicken have tested positive for the deadly bird flu virus, authorities said. The government has culled 119,000 birds and set up a quarantine zone around the affected farms.

CNN: Residents evacuated in Australia amid lengthy flood forecast

Thirteen townships in Australia's flooded Queensland state were evacuated Thursday as forecasters warned it may be weeks before river levels start to drop. …Over the entire month of December, Queensland has seen 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) of rain - most of which fell during the past four or five days, said Tony Auden, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology.

BUSINESS

For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com

CNN: Ford, Chrysler recalling thousands of vehicles

Ford Motor Co. is recalling 19,600 2011 model year trucks and crossover SUVs over concerns that an electrical short could cause a fire, the manufacturer said Thursday. Chrysler Group LLC also is recalling nearly 145,000 trucks and crossover wagons in three separate campaigns for steering, stalling and airbag concerns, according to letters posted this week on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CNNMoney: Jobless claims drop below 400,000 mark

For the first time in more than two years, the number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week - a ray of hope in the one of the longest job droughts in U.S. history. The number of initial claims fell to 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25, down 34,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Fortune: Goldman bonus pool looking shallower

The days of the $500,000 average paycheck are long gone, even at Wall Street's most gilded firm. So predicts a report issued Thursday by Credit Suisse analyst Howard Chen. He slashed his fourth-quarter earnings estimate on Goldman Sachs (GS) to $3.70 a share from $5.08, citing its latest soft trading quarter and higher non-compensation expenses.

In Case You Missed It

CNN's Jill Dougherty explores why the public admires Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports on recent terrorism incidents around the world.

Subscribe to the CNN=Politics DAILY podcast at http://www.cnn.com/politicalpodcast

And now stay posted on the latest from the campaign trail by downloading the CNN=Politics SCREENSAVER at http://www.CNN.com/situationroom

robert shumake

robert shumake

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake

The number one easiest way to make money with a blog is through Google Adsense advertising network. In order to maximize profits from the increasingly popular blogging community, you need the best Adsense tips for blogger. You can build a definite web presence without a website and make money without an actual product.

Google Adsense is a contextual advertising network. That means that Google will automatically put advertisements on your website or blog that match the theme, topic, or keywords of your own articles. The fact that you can easily add content to a blog every day makes the Google spiders happy. They will crawl your site more frequently and thus Adsense will be able to deliver ads that are more specific. The more specific the advertisements in your Adsense block, the more likely your visitors will click on the ads and earn you money.

Not only will frequently updated content help your Google Adsense profits, but keyword rich copy will help too. Your blog should be focused on a particular topic or niche for maximum effectiveness. Writing keyword-rich articles will improve search engine ranking and your inclusion on tagging and directory sites dedicated to blogs.

Keyword rich blog articles will also encourage more people to visit your blog and to come back more often. Getting individual visitors is important in getting Google Adsense revenue, but establishing repeat visitors to your blog will skyrocket your profits.

In order to choose appropriate keywords for your blog, you should do some keyword research. There are multiple free keyword research tools on the internet. One popular one is Google’s own Keyword Sandbox service in the Google Adword’s account.

Once you know the basic topics you wish to post about on your blog, you should visit the keyword research tool and find keywords for your basic topic. You want to find keywords with high bid amounts. In order to make the most with Google Adsense, you want to write blog articles that include those high-paying keywords.

The most important thing to Google Adsense profits is traffic. Choosing high-paying keywords to include in your articles will mean nothing if people do not want to read them. Brush up on your article writing skills, and make sure to write informative yet entertaining articles in your blog. Include graphics that will catch a visitor’s eye.

Of course, when you prepare to use Google Adsense on your blog, you must read the Adsense terms of service carefully. You are only allowed to use three Google Adsense ad blocks on any page. Choosing where to place those ads is important.

Perhaps the easiest way to insert Google Adsense ad blocks into your blog is to copy and paste the code directly into the blog template. In order to do this, you must have some knowledge of HTML so that you know where you are putting the Adsense block on your blog page. You can also copy and paste the Adsense code directly into your blog posts.

After you have inserted the Google Adsense code into your blog and have commenced writing daily keyword-rich articles, you must track your results. Google Adsense provides channels that you can assign to different ad blocks to see which are drawing the clicks. If, after a certain amount of time, the Google Adsense ad block on your blog is not making you money, switch it around to a different location, color scheme, or try a new keyword target.

These Google Adsense tips for bloggers should help you begin to make money with your blog quickly and easily. Writing frequently, including high-paying keywords, and testing your Adsense ad block placement are all important steps to creating a profitable blog.


robert shumake

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake detroit

robert shumake

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

Non-profit organizations and passionate individuals have found a slew of creative ways to leverage social media and the class='blippr-nobr'>Internetclass="blippr-nobr">Internet to make the world a better place. Online campaigns help provide clean drinking water, food and malaria-preventing bed nets to people who need them.

Creative uses of the web are helping to provide and enhance education. These four projects, for instance, found innovative ways to help build schools through digital campaigns.

1. Epic Change

Epic Change has become a model for raising money using social media. Since 2008, its annual TweetsGiving has asked people to tweet about what they’re thankful for while making a donation. The strategy was so successful that #tweetsgiving became a trending topic on Twitter during the first year’s campaign.

Starting out, the benefactor of TweetsGiving was a school in Tanzania that was founded by Mama Lucky Kamptoni, a passionate local woman who started the school using money she earned from her poultry business (now there are two more benefactors). Epic Change wanted to help her rebuild and expand the school.

The organization also launched To Mama With Love, a website where users can make a donation by creating a “heart space” for a mother they care about. The “heart space” is a collection of photos, videos and words dedicated to that mother. Other people who care about that mother are invited to donate in her honor.

From one of the classrooms that was built using donations from these campaigns, the students now tweet and connect with the rest of the world.

“So often, we hear the stories of children in the so-called ‘developing’ world from the perspective of the media, non-profits or friends who have traveled or volunteered,” explains the Epic Change Blog. “What happens now – when these students can share their own stories, and build relationships with the rest of the world, for themselves? How will the world be different when these children, who live so geographically far away, move into our virtual backyard? What difference will it make in their lives to know that their voices will be heard?”

2. Stillerstrong

When Ben Sitller launched the Stillerstrong campaign on YouTubeclass="blippr-nobr">YouTube, Twitterclass="blippr-nobr">Twitter and a branded website, he did it with a video that poked fun at Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong campaign. It was hard to tell if he was kidding.

But the campaign, which sells Stillerstrong headbands and accepts donations by text message and credit card, has raised about $300,000 to help provide temporary schools for Haitians displaced by January’s earthquake. At the time the campaign was announced, the organization and its partners Causecast and the Global Philanthropy Group were expecting each school to cost between $45,000 and $55,000.

3. TwitChange

Instead of auctioning off celebrity memorabilia to support a charity, TwitChange hosts eBay auctions for celebrity Twitter interaction. The donation’s bidders put down to have a celebrity follow them, retweet their tweet, or mention them in an update. The proceeds go to aHomeInHaiti.org, which will use them to build a home and school for children with disabilities in Haiti.

The first auction in September raised $531,640.25. The website instructs us to “stay tuned for the celebrity tweet auction coming this holiday season.”

4. University of the People

Less of a “campaign” than a full-blown effort to democratize education, University of the People provides tuition-free higher education through an online campus.

Since launching last year, the university has accepted about 700 students from 100 different countries to its three- to four-year programs for business and computer science. Recently the university opened computer centers in Haiti so that students with limited Internet access could enroll in its courses.

“I do believe that if we take the millions of people around the world who could not afford going to university and teach them tuition free, we’re not only changing their lives, and their family’s lives, we also change their communities, their countries,” founder Shai Shai Reshef says. “And if we have a lot of them, we will change the world for a better world.”

Series Supported by Dell The Power To Do More/>

The Education Tech Series is supported by Dell The Power To Do More, where you’ll find perspectives, trends and stories that inspire Dell to create technology solutions that work harder for its customers so they can do and achieve more.

More Social Good Resources from Mashable:

- How Online Classrooms Are Helping Haiti Rebuild Its Education System/> - Why Social Media Is Reinventing Activism/> - 5 Creative Social Good Campaigns for the Holiday Season/> - 4 Real Challenges to Crowdsourcing for Social Good/> - 9 Creative Social Good Campaigns Worth Recognizing

Image courtesy of iStockphotoclass="blippr-nobr">iStockphoto, urbancow

For more Social Good coverage:

class="f-el">class="cov-twit">Follow Mashable Social Goodclass="s-el">class="cov-rss">Subscribe to the Social Good channelclass="f-el">class="cov-fb">Become a Fan on Facebookclass="s-el">class="cov-apple">Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad

The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

For the latest political news: www.CNNPolitics.com

CNN: Homeland Security chief Napolitano arrives in Afghanistan

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Afghanistan Friday and planned to spend New Year's Eve with U.S. troops in the region. Napolitano is scheduled to meet with senior U.S. and Afghan officials during her weeklong trip that also includes stops in Qatar, Israel and Belgium.



CNNMoney: Former auto czar pays $10 million fine

Quadrangle investment group founding partner and former Obama "auto czar" Steven Rattner agreed Thursday to pay a $10 million fine in a settlement with the New York attorney general's office over a pension fund scheme. Rattner was accused of a "pay-to-play" scheme involving New York's pension fund, in which Rattner's Quadrangle allegedly gave kickbacks to officials if they directed state pension money to the fund.

New York Times: E.P.A. Limit on Gases to Pose Risk to Obama and Congress

With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides. While only the first phase of regulation takes effect on Sunday, the administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years.

Washington Post: Maine seeks exemption from provision of health-care law

Days before a key and controversial provision of the health-care law is set to take effect, Maine is the only state to have asked the Obama administration for an exemption, despite concerns expressed by at least a dozen states.

CNN: Alaska certifies Sen. Murkowski's re-election

Alaska's top two elected officials on Thursday certified Sen. Lisa Murkowski's re-election in November as a write-in candidate, clearing the way for Murkowski to be sworn in on time for the new congressional session that starts next week.

CNN: Well-known governors prepare to leave office

Beginning Saturday and continuing over the next few weeks, some of the nation's most prominent governors will be leaving office as a new crop of state chief executives are sworn in.

CNN Poll: CNN Poll: WikiLeaks has few fans in U.S.

It appears the website WikiLeaks has few fans in the United States. A just-released CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 77 percent of Americans disapprove of the online organization's release of thousands of confidential U.S. government documents concerning U.S. diplomatic and military policies. Only 20 percent approved of the action.

Washington Post: WikiLeaks cable dump reveals flaws of State Department's information-sharing tool

Millions of people around the world now know that the State Department's secret cables became the property of WikiLeaks. But only recently have investigators understood the critical role played by Net-Centric Diplomacy, a computer initiative that became the conduit for what was perhaps the biggest heist of sensitive U.S. government documents in modern times.

CNN Poll: Opposition to Afghanistan war remains high

More than six in ten Americans oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan, according to a new national poll. And a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday also indicates that 56 percent of the public believes that things are going badly for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Las Vegas Sun: GOP presidential hopefuls paying attention to Nevada

Nevada was a political afterthought for Republicans in the 2008 presidential election. Caucus votes were nonbinding, meaning delegates could change their minds about whom to support, so candidates focused on other more influential states rather than risk wasting time and money in Nevada. But that strategy seems to be changing, with the state GOP deciding to make caucus votes binding. Now that Nevada can boast real political juice, Republicans toying with the idea of presidential bids are scoping out the Silver State.

Chicago Sun-Times: Andy Martin, self-proclaimed 'king of the birthers,' says he'll run for president

Andy Martin, a political gadfly who ran for President Obama's former Senate seat in 2010, announced Wednesday in New Hampshire that he will run for the Republican nomination for president on a "birther" platform.

Politico: GOP pals could be 2012 rivals

Should both Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels seek the White House in 2012, Americans would glimpse a rare sight in the annals of presidential campaigns: actual friends competing against one another for the nomination. Not "friends" in the political sense, the way fellow senators disingenuously refer to one another during floor debate, but pals who truly like each other, and have a long-standing, personal relationship. It’s a nontransactional friendship that’s uncommon in the rarefied air of national politics.

St. Petersburg Times: Records in GOP fraud case reveal more of Jim Greer's business dealings

Delmar Johnson, former executive director of the Florida Republican Party, was president, secretary and treasurer of Victory Strategies, which prosecutors say was a "shell company" created to skim off GOP contributions. But most of the cash went to former state party Chairman Jim Greer, newly released documents show. …GOP finance committee officials began questioning Greer about the company in December 2009, and he resigned as party chairman in January.

Politico: Morning Joe to run again?

Former Florida Rep. Joe Scarborough says he would consider running for office again but, for the time being, thinks he’s better off right where he is. …But that could change. “An absence of leadership” could draw him back to elective office, he said in an interview with Parade magazine published Thursday. “The same thing that had me run the first time, in 1994, when I felt the country was veering off dangerously in the wrong direction.”

NATIONAL

For the latest national news: www.CNN.com

Los Angeles Times: Holiday anti-terrorism focus is on 'soft targets'

After arrests in Europe and sting operations in the U.S., intelligence agencies have been on edge this holiday season over concerns that terrorist organizations are setting their sights on easier-to-hit targets such as subways, trains and large public gatherings. Federal and local authorities have responded with demonstrations of force and high-profile arrests to deter would-be plotters.

CNN: NYC mayor to probe claims that workers delayed snow cleanup

Four days after a monster blizzard blanketed much of the northeastern U.S., New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he will investigate whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed cleanup efforts over frustrations regarding citywide budget cuts.

Washington Post: As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA

Some of the nation's biggest airports are responding to recent public outrage over security screening by weighing whether they should hire private firms such as Covenant to replace the Transportation Security Administration. Sixteen airports, including San Francisco and Kansas City International Airport, have made the switch since 2002. One Orlando airport has approved the change but needs to select a contractor, and several others are seriously considering it.

INTERNATIONAL

For the latest international news: http://edition.cnn.com

CNN: Ban 'deeply alarmed' over call for violence

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, distressed over a call to attack the hotel where Ivory Coast's president-elect and U.N. security forces are based, said Thursday that the forces are "authorized to use all necessary means to protect its personnel" and any others at the location.

The Guardian: Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault

A study examining the causes of a dramatic spike in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja has for the first time concluded that genetic damage could have been caused by weaponry used in US assaults that took place six years ago.

The Daily Telegraph: Chinese military aircraft more aggressive since September, Japan claims

Defence officials in Tokyo told the Asahi newspaper that in addition to the harassment of Japanese aircraft, China has stepped up its probing of air defences in the region and the monitoring of military exercises involving units from the United States and Japan. In the last nine months, Japanese fighters have been scrambled to intercept Chinese intruders on 44 occasions, the highest figure in the last five years and more than double the number for the whole of fiscal 2006, the defence ministry officials said.

NPR: Dubai Restaurant Offers A Taste Of North Korea

North Korea's best-known exports tend to be conventional weapons and nuclear technology. But now, curious diners can add to noodles to that list, thanks to a chain of North Korean restaurants in China, Nepal, Thailand and Dubai. Analysts say the restaurants are a prominent source of foreign exchange for Pyongyang, which struggles under economic sanctions for its nuclear program — and for its sometimes belligerent behavior toward South Korea.

CNN: Russia's Mikhail Khodorkovsky faces another 6 years in prison

A judge in Moscow sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of Russia's Yukos oil company, and his business partner to 14 years in prison on corruption charges Thursday.

Wall Street Journal: Estonia Prepares to Join the Euro Zone

When the tiny Baltic nation of Estonia rings in the new year, it will become the latest addition to the euro zone—and the poorest member of a currency bloc that is struggling to restore financial stability.

Der Spiegel: The Underbelly of Ukrainian Gas Dealings

The agreement in early 2009 which restarted gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine to Western Europe, was hailed as a success. But since Viktor Yanukovych became Ukrainian president in February, many of those involved in the deal have been arrested. Furthermore, the president's friends have profited handsomely while the state has lost a fortune.

Wall Street Jouranl: IMF Chides Pakistan on Budget Gap

The International Monetary Fund issued a stern warning to Pakistan to take steps to cut its spiraling budget deficit, said a senior Pakistani government official. In an official letter to the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, the IMF warned that the state of the nation's economy is far worse than previously realized and urged immediate fiscal belt-tightening measures, according to the official, who has seen the missive.

CNN: Vatican Bank to reform banking standards

The Vatican Bank will adapt to meet international standards on money-laundering and other illegal activities, Pope Benedict XVI decreed Thursday, after some of the bank's assets were ordered frozen in Italy.

CNN: South Korea works to contain foot-and-mouth, bird flu

South Korea confirmed an outbreak of bird flu Friday as it struggles to contain foot-and-mouth disease, which has rapidly spread across the country. A duck and a chicken have tested positive for the deadly bird flu virus, authorities said. The government has culled 119,000 birds and set up a quarantine zone around the affected farms.

CNN: Residents evacuated in Australia amid lengthy flood forecast

Thirteen townships in Australia's flooded Queensland state were evacuated Thursday as forecasters warned it may be weeks before river levels start to drop. …Over the entire month of December, Queensland has seen 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) of rain - most of which fell during the past four or five days, said Tony Auden, a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology.

BUSINESS

For the latest business news: www.CNNMoney.com

CNN: Ford, Chrysler recalling thousands of vehicles

Ford Motor Co. is recalling 19,600 2011 model year trucks and crossover SUVs over concerns that an electrical short could cause a fire, the manufacturer said Thursday. Chrysler Group LLC also is recalling nearly 145,000 trucks and crossover wagons in three separate campaigns for steering, stalling and airbag concerns, according to letters posted this week on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CNNMoney: Jobless claims drop below 400,000 mark

For the first time in more than two years, the number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week - a ray of hope in the one of the longest job droughts in U.S. history. The number of initial claims fell to 388,000 in the week ended Dec. 25, down 34,000 from the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Fortune: Goldman bonus pool looking shallower

The days of the $500,000 average paycheck are long gone, even at Wall Street's most gilded firm. So predicts a report issued Thursday by Credit Suisse analyst Howard Chen. He slashed his fourth-quarter earnings estimate on Goldman Sachs (GS) to $3.70 a share from $5.08, citing its latest soft trading quarter and higher non-compensation expenses.

In Case You Missed It

CNN's Jill Dougherty explores why the public admires Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports on recent terrorism incidents around the world.

Subscribe to the CNN=Politics DAILY podcast at http://www.cnn.com/politicalpodcast

And now stay posted on the latest from the campaign trail by downloading the CNN=Politics SCREENSAVER at http://www.CNN.com/situationroom

robert shumake detroit

500 More Red-Wing Blackbirds Found Dead in - AOL <b>News</b>

Days after 100000 fish and approximately 4000 red-winged blackbirds were found dead in Arkansas, 500 deceased blackbirds and starlings were discovered on a Louisiana highway.

Are Korea&#39;s “Bending” away from Bluster? « Liveshots

LONDON After a 2010 that saw the Korean peninsula edge towards the brink of nuclear Armageddon,

John Roberts switches to FOX <b>News</b> | Inside TV | EW.com

John Roberts, the veteran newsman who co-hosted CNN's American Morning for three years, is joining the competition. “We are excited to welcome Jo...

robert shumake

robert shumake