Copyright (c) 2012 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/opinion opinion Opinion en-us Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:37:00 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/opinion http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120214/cm_theweek/224386 theweek/20120214/224386 The Week opinion Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:37:00 GMT The Week - The president knows the tax hikes in his spending plan have no chance of passing the GOP House. But that could still give him a great campaign argumentHere's a Barack Obama sound bite, from February 23, 2009, that you're likely to hear oh, about a zillion times this fall — but not from the Obama team: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120214/cm_theweek/224390 theweek/20120214/224390 The Week opinion Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:30:00 GMT The Week - Houston's death investigated, Iran blamed for Israeli embassy bombings, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion.1. POLICE SAY HOUSTON FOUND UNDERWATERThe Beverly Hills Police Department says Whitney Houston was found underwater and unconscious in the bathtub of her hotel room. There were prescription drugs in the room, but officials say it's too early to say if they played a part in her death. Late Monday, Houston's body arrived in New Jersey, her home state. A memorial is expected to be held later this week. [Los Angeles Times] http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120214/cm_theweek/224379 theweek/20120214/224379 The Week opinion Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:15:00 GMT The Week - There's a reason the Grammy-winner's "Someone Like You" has such an "uncanny" power to induce sobs, says Michaeleen Doucleff at The Wall Street JournalIf you haven't shed a tear to Adele's bone-chilling ballad "Someone Like You" you might want to check your pulse. The chart-topping tune is so "famously sob-inducing" that it was even the focal point of a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch. But there's actually a method to the sadness, says Michaeleen Doucleff at The Wall Street Journal. The British songstress' "perfect tear-jerker" hits on "a formula for commercial success" that psychologists have been studying for 20 years. The Grammy-award winner's smoky voice and heartfelt lyrics are just part of an equation that, according to a 2007 study co-written by psychologist Martin Guhn, can be traced in the DNA of Barber's "Adagio for Strings" and Mendelssohn's "Trio for Piano" — pieces of music that elicit reactions including an increased heart rate, sweating, and yes, even goose bumps. "What explains the magic of Adele's song?" asks Doucleff. Here, an excerpt: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224358 theweek/20120213/224358 The Week opinion Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:30:00 GMT The Week - SEE MORE: Google's Android tablet: A Kindle Fire rival? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224383 theweek/20120213/224383 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:14:00 GMT The Week - Martha Stewart's dog triumphs at Westminster, while young Grammy viewers fail to ID Paul McCartney — and more winners and losers of today's news cycleGOOD DAY FOR: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224380 theweek/20120213/224380 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:56:00 GMT The Week - Houston deserved better: "One song simply wasn't enough of a tribute for this singer who defined a generation," says Jarrett Wieselman at The Insider. Chris Brown and the Foo Fighters each performed twice. One of those slots could easily have been sacrificed for another Whitney cover. Lady Gaga was already on hand, and could have "slayed 'The Greatest Love of All.'" Presenter Reba McEntire would have done a brilliant "Saving All My Love For You." "And don't even get me started on the fact that Alicia Keys, Alison Krauss, Cyndi Lauper, and Diana Ross were in the building" and weren't drafted for a "magical medley of 'I'm Every Woman!'""Was the Grammys short on Whitney tributes?" http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224365 theweek/20120213/224365 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:39:00 GMT The Week - Obama's deal will help him politically: "Most Catholics will be fine with this compromise," says Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast. Studies suggest that 98 percent of Catholic women not only believe in birth control but have used it." By opposing contraception anyway, the bishops have "gone out on a very long limb" and helped Obama "more firmly identify the religious right with opposition to contraception, its weakest issue by far." That helps Obama win over independent women."How Obama set a contraception trap for the right" http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224364 theweek/20120213/224364 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT The Week - Adele brings the audience to their feet, Jennifer Hudson brings them to tears, and more highlights from Sunday's performance-packed telecastSunday night's Grammy Awards was all about two women: Adele and Whitney Houston. The former was the night's big winner, emerging victorious in all six of the categories she competed in, including the Big Three: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. And Houston's death on Saturday permeated the event's entire proceedings. The music industry's big night opened with a prayer in honor of the late singer, and mourning stars honored her memory throughout the ceremony. Here are six of the performances from Grammy night that critics are buzzing about: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224363 theweek/20120213/224363 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:39:00 GMT The Week - The FBI wants to mine social media for data it hopes can predict future terrorist attacks. But that's not the only way to use Facebook and Twitter as crystal ballsThe FBI, the Pentagon, and U.S. foreign intelligence agencies are asking outside programmers to design software that will let them sift through the billions of Facebook posts, tweets, and the rest of the universe of social media to get a better, real-time fix on what's going on in the world — and what could happen next. But spy shops are hardly the only ones trying to harness the power of social media to predict the future. Here, six ways data miners are trying to turn Facebook and other social networks into digital crystal balls: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224362 theweek/20120213/224362 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:42:00 GMT The Week - With the Kindle Fire making major inroads in the tablet market, some think Apple would be wise to take on Amazon with a cheaper 7-inch iPadApple is reportedly working on a 7-inch tablet to take on Amazon's Kindle Fire. Technology analyst Ezra Gottheil told Computerworld that a smaller version of the 9.7-inch iPad has always "been in the plan" for the Cupertino-based company, and could see store shelves as soon as this year. But late founder Steve Jobs was vehemently opposed to a smaller iPad, saying the screen would be too small to "express the software." All things considered, would producing a smaller, more portable $200 tablet be in Apple's best interest? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224360 theweek/20120213/224360 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:13:00 GMT The Week - Regional leaders call for a ceasefire and a U.N.-Arab peacekeeping force in Syria. Can they make it happen?Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday called on the U.N. Security Council to approve a joint United Nations-Arab League peacekeeping force for Syria, and urged Arab states to cut off diplomatic ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. The bloodshed in Syria "is a disgrace for us as Muslims and Arabs to accept," says Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal. Assad's government immediately rejected any form of foreign intervention. What should be the Arab League's next step? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224357 theweek/20120213/224357 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:45:00 GMT The Week - The popular Broadway musical hit a new milestone on Saturday, celebrating its 10,000th performance. Here's how that success breaks downMost Broadway productions are lucky to run for a year. On Saturday, The Phantom of the Opera celebrated its 10,000th Broadway performance, setting a record as the longest-running show ever on the Great White Way. Not only that, the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical is still among Broadway's top earners. Here, a look at its blockbuster run, by the numbers: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224353 theweek/20120213/224353 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:24:00 GMT The Week - In an interview with Ebony, Jackson shares his views on the American political system. Not everyone is appreciativeAmid grumbling from some black intellectuals and media personalities about Obama's record on tackling poverty, says Newsweek's Allison Samuels, Black Hollywood is weighing how much to support President Obama's reelection campaign. When Ebony asked actor Samuel L. Jackson where he stood, his answer raised some eyebrows. Obama's "message didn't mean sh*t to me," Jackson said, according to the New York Post. "I just hoped he would do some of what he said he was gonna do." Implying that Obama has not yet been able to behave like a "scary" "n*gga," Jackson said he hopes Obama will be more "scary" in his second term, "cuz he ain't gotta worry about getting re-elected." "I voted for Barack because he was black," Jackson said. "Cuz that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them." Is this an honest insight, or gross intolerance? http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224352 theweek/20120213/224352 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:20:00 GMT The Week - Two nights before she died, the one-time queen of the pop charts gave her final bow after an impromptu verse of "Yes, Jesus Loves Me"The video: Whitney Houston was found dead in her Beverley Hills hotel room on Saturday, shortly before she was scheduled to sing at a pre-Grammy Awards gala thrown by music mogul Clive Davis. Her impromptu final performance came two nights earlier at another Grammy-related party hosted by R&B singer Kelly Price. Houston, 48, took the stage briefly Thursday night for a surprise duet with Price, singing part of the gospel standard "Yes, Jesus Loves Me." (Watch below) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20120213/cm_theweek/224354 theweek/20120213/224354 The Week opinion Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT The Week - ………………………………………………………………………………