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It’s said that love is blind, and we’d have to agree — especially after checking out these utterly bizarre mismatched celebrity couples. Here are 15 celeb odd couples that still baffle us; some of them are from different worlds, and some of them take the concept of beauty and the beast to the next level.

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden

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Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have recently welcomed their new baby boy, and also have a 23-month old baby girl together. They’re not even married and supposedly have no plans to tie the knot, either. It looks weird enough that the Good Charlotte front man and the girly socialite do the same things together, let alone have children.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore

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Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are both very beautiful people, don’t get us wrong. What’s a bit odd about it is the 15 year age gap between the two. Think about it: her kids grew up having a crush on him, since, well, he’s practically their age.

Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman

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Who is Jordan Bratman and why did Cristina Aguilera go for him? Apparently he’s a music marketing exec — which makes a little more sense given Christina’s background. They’ve been married for four years and have a child together. He may be big in her world, but to us he just looks like some guy who hangs out at the corner store.

Sandra Bullock and Jesse James

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Sandra Bullock is a gorgeous woman and Jesse James is, well, a bit rough around the edges — to say the least. He’s the star of reality TV series Monster Garage where he plays grease monkey all day. This may be one of those Hollywood Beauty and the Beast tales with some longevity in it, as the couple has been married since 2005.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise

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Another attractive couple, stars Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise still make this list. Why? For one, Katie towers over Tom by two inches or so, without heels. He usually takes advantage of stairs, if they’re around, for photo ops. We shouldn’t have to mention the Scientologist husband tarnishing good-girl Katie’s image thing, but we will anyway. Odds are overwhelmingly against this fiasco going on for much longer; we’re all very curious as to when the whole experiment comes to an end.

Deborra-Lee Furness and Hugh Jackman

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Many women would love to have a piece, or two, of Hollywood stud Hugh Jackman. Sorry to inform though, he’s been married to Deborra-Lee Furness since 1996. She oddly got more attention than her husband when he was named Sexiest Man Alive in 2008, since there’s supposedly a great woman behind every great man. This one happens to be — and look — way older.

Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford

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Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford have been together for seven and a half years, but Harrison just recently popped the question earlier this year around Valentine’s Day. Harrison Ford is a pretty awesome guy, but he’s 22 years Calista’s senior. And it shows too — the picture above looks like it was taken at Bring Your Daughter to Work Day.

Clive Owen and Sarah-Jane Fenton

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Clive Owen is another one of those actors that everyone assumes is single, like Hugh Jackman. Maybe Sarah-Jane Fenton looked better when she was younger, but she looks like a mom now, his mom. And Clive, well he just looks as good as ever. The couple has been together since 1995 and have two children together.

Eric Mabius and Ivy Sherman

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Yet another Beauty and the Beast Hollywood story, but in reverse. Eric Mabius, Ugly Betty star, and interior designer Ivy Sherman have only been married since 2006, and now have a child together. Unlike Hugh and Clive, this marriage is fairly new. We’re thinking she looked just about the same as she does now. Maybe he married her because she was preggers.

Heidi Klum and Seal

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Heidi Klum is gorgeous. She could practically get any man in the world. It was a huge surprise when the two got together, especially because she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s child at the time, which is a lot to take on. They’ve been happily together since 2005 and have had three children, while Seal legally adopted her other child.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher

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All we can think of when we see Sacha Baron Cohen is Borat — Isla Fisher is simply too adorable for this guy. They’ve been together since 2002 and got engaged in 2004. Their wedding has since been postponed many times for reasons including Isla’s film work, we would cross our fingers that they break it off, but they’ve recently welcomed a baby boy into their lives.

Eva Longoria and Tony Parker

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Eva Longoria is another star who could have had her pick of men, even the married ones, but went for Tony Parker. The couple has had their share of drama, but finally tied the knot in 2007. Maybe he has a great personality, but we think he’s too tall and just too thuggish looking for dainty Eva.

Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn

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We don’t even know where to start with this one. Soon-Yi Previn was the adopted daughter of Woody Allen’s “domestic partner” — and he was her father figure. She denies that it’s weird, and swears that he never was her father figure, but we can’t shake that awkward feeling. That aside, there is a 34 year difference between them. They have been together though since 1997, though, so it seems to be going strong.

Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault

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Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault met back in 2006, but just tied the knot earlier this year. They recently welcomed a baby girl into their lives and finally seem happy together, despite some rocky spots. Salma is another naturally gorgeous star that could have nabbed anyone —  and the two just don’t fit. Love must conquer all in this Beauty and the Beast tale.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

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We don’t really think that Sarah Jessica Parker is the Beauty in this story. Matthew Broderick isn’t on Hugh Jackman’s level, but we like him a lot more than we like her. He’s funny, talented and handsome while she’s just all hair. Maybe one day he’ll come to his senses, but they’ve been married since 1997 and have three children together, so we’re not holding our breath.

Filed under: Software

Last month, a federal appeals court banned sales of Microsoft Word as of today, January 11th. To avoid a stoppage of sales and to comply with the court order, Microsoft is issuing a patch that will remove custom XML editing features.

In 2007, developer i4i accused Microsoft of illegally using its XML editing technology in Word 2007. On Saturday, Microsoft issued a similar patch for Word 2003. Please note that users who bought or licensed Word 2003 or Word 2007 before Jan. 10 do not have to apply the patches.

Even thought the Mac versions of Word were not mentioned in the suit, Microsoft will be patching those as well. “While Office for Mac products were not accused of infringement, we are changing the product to allay any potential concerns about compliance with the injunction,” said Microsoft spokesman Kevin Kutz. Users of Word 2004 for Mac or Word 2008 for Mac will want to keep an eye out for these patches. As usual, if you experience anything unusual after patching, let us know.

[Via Macworld UK]

TUAWMicrosoft to patch Word for Mac as per court order originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Rumors, Apple

French tech blog Nowhereelse.fr had a scoop of sorts this morning.

It turns out that Stéphane Richard, VP of France Telecom, was interviewed by Europe 1’s Jean Pierre Elkabbach today. During the interview, Elkabbach made a comment to Richard: “According to the weekly Le Point, (in) a few days your partner Apple will launch a Tablet with a webcam.”

To that, Richard simply replied, “Oui.” (”Yes”)

Elkabbach, probably sensing that French television viewers would love to know if they’d be in line for the new device, continued: “Is it that Orange users will also benefit?” This is in reference to the Orange wireless brand in France.

The long, complicated answer from Richard: “Bien Sûr!” (”Of course!”)

Our French is not the best, so it’s impossible to verify the rest of the discussion or the context in which these comments were taken, but according to the translation of the Nowhere Else page, the tablet is to at least be announced (if not sold) by the end of the month. In addition, the blog reports that the tablet will have a webcam and videophone capability built-in.

Update: TUAW reader Florian translated parts of the video and sent this to us: “They [the customers] will benefit more easily with the webcam. It will indeed be transmitted from the image real time, we will update this [use] in a way that videophone has been a few years ago and is also the network size and network quality that we put in place to serve the French will allow the new uses to develop.” While that translation obviously leaves a bit to be desired, it seems to be the source of the information about videophone capabilities.

The original video (in French) follows on Page 2 if you wish to translate for us and provide additional commentary.

TUAWVP for France Telecom verifies Apple tablet on the way? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another ad from Yahoo to people who buy ads on Yahoo: Look at all the great ads people have bought on Yahoo!

Before you snicker, bear in mind that Carol Bartz’ “B-” aside, people are still buying a lot of ads on Yahoo (YHOO), at least when it comes to display ads, where it dominates. JP Morgan (JPM) puts the company’s share of the US market for display ads at 17 percent, well ahead of #2 Microsoft (MSFT) at 11 percent and AOL (AOL) at 7 percent.

Here’s a highlight reel of some of the more interesting inventory the company has sold in the last year. From the outside, at least, a lot of the stuff seems fairly similar to other big attention-getters that marketers are running on other web sites. Apple’s (AAPL)  inventive ads, for instance, are all over the Internet.

And lots of publishers are pushing oversize ads (and I bet that Web surfers will soon develop the capability to ignore those, just like they do with conventional banner ads).

Note that not everything here is a holy-cow-wouldya-lookit-that presentation, though. One of the highlights, for instance, is simply the addition of a video to a search result for Charles Schwab (SCHW).

In any case, the clip works as pretty good survey of the Web advertising, and it’s reasonably short. Though if you’re not a huge fan of hairband guitar solos, you may want to turn the volume down.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Volkswagen

It might be cold consolation to those of us desperate for a Scirocco in the States, but the Volkswagen Compact Coupe Concept has the potential to fill that particular hatch-shaped hole in our hearts – with a bit of green cred to boot.

With a sharper, more sculpted front fascia than its Golf and Jetta siblings, a deep swage line running the length of the sides and a rather anonymous (exhaust-less) rump, the Compact Coupe – as we mentioned earlier – comes across as the poor man’s Audi A5. And the interior is something to behold.

Not only does it put the segment stalwarts to shame in both style and space, VW took pains to make the rear seats actually inhabitable. There’s ample leg room and a trick center console with independent climate controls for both passengers, a quad-zone setup we hope makes the transition to production.

Although there’s sure to be countless variants of the Coupe when it arrives in production guise (were sure a few versions of the 2.0T will find their way underhood), in the “concept” motivation is provided by a 1.4-liter TSI inline-four, putting out 150 horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque. However, when partnered with it’s hybrid system (a 20-kilowatt electric motor drawing pour from a lithium ion battery), output is boosted by 27 ponies to 177 hp and an equal amount of torque. VW estimates that U.S. mileage should average around 45 mpg and with its hybrid setup, the Concept Coupe can be driven in full electric mode for an unspecified range. With it’s seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, VW pegs the Coupe’s 0-60 time at 8.1 seconds, with a top speed of 141 mph.

Although VW claims the Coupe is only a concept at this stage, the level of detail and V-Dub’s lack of a credible coupe offering indicates that a production version should be on the way. And if VW’s smart, they’ll ditch the slow-selling Eos and offer a retractable soft-top version a few years after the Coupe hits the market. Check out all the details in our previous post.

Continue reading Detroit 2010: Volkswagen New Compact Coupe concept [w/video]

Detroit 2010: Volkswagen New Compact Coupe concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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News hit this Monday that Powered has acquired three social media agencies: crayon, Drillteam and StepChange. I just had a skype video conversation with Aaron Strout and Joseph Jaffe to learn more, here’s my take.  You can read crayon founder Joseph’s take and Aaron Strout the CMO of Powered and a quick mention in NYT.

A Solution Set of Services Bolsters a Marketing Platform
I’ve heard of crayon, and have many conversations and even podcasts with founder Joseph Jaffe, I’ve also spent time with the Powered executive team last year.  Stepchange is a 13 person team out of Portland focused on Facebook Apps and mobile, and Drillteam, from NY, has been around for 10 years and focuses on experitntial and advocacy marketing, such as connecting events to online like street teams, guerrilla, and ambassador programs. Powered isn’t just a community platform, I learned they have other marketing features that really intent to provide a suite of offerings.

Natural Evolution Of A Growing Market:

• Consolidation happens in downturned markets. As the recession starts to show signs of it lifting, now’s a great time for companies to come together and create a greater value.  We saw this type of acquisition behavior from agencies during the first boom, and we should expect similar patterns here.
• Acquisition provides key services software platforms can’t fill. It makes sense for Powered platform to partner up with a service(s) teams that have already been successful for some time, this improves the time to market to deployment.  In addition to coming with a book of business, they can quickly deploy the Powered platform, expanding the software footprint.  Joseph Jaffe has strong thought leadership, an existing marketing brand, and reach needed to the group.
• Yet, brings risk for Powered and new partners. First of all, there are some big names coming together,  the real stress will be can these cultures, and their strong willed leaders, be able to jive together.  Secondly, it’ll be interseting to see if Crayon and services teams forces stragies on their clients that involve the Powered platform.  I asked if there are any layoffs coming from consolidation, they haven’t made any plans, but when you have 4 companies coming together expect redundancy.

Impacts To Customers, Partners and Competitors:

• Social Agencies should rekindle and bolster relationships. This impacts other social agencies like Stage Two Consulting, Social Media Group, AdHoc, Ant’s Eye View, ForumOne, Community Roundtable, Shift Communications, Dachis, FutureWorks, New Marketing Labs, who may be at medium and small tier, they should quickly partner up with other firms to increase their value.
• Customers of crayon, Drillteam, and Stepchange should request agnostic recommendations. Any client of these three agencies should make sure that the strategy they are being offered includes other vendors and platforms –not just the Powered platform and Facebook platform.  Remember, first find out where your customers are online before choosing the tools to use.
• This is competition for larger agencies –yet savvy agencies will partner. This is a threat to large agencies like Organic, Razorfish, Ogilvy, and Edelman.  Yet the smart agencies won’t get defensive, they should partner with this team, and figure out what offerings they can offer that they don’t have in their portfolio.

Congrats to the Powered, crayon, Drilldteam and Stepchange team for this merger, I’m excited to see the industry emerge from small disparate startups to a larger entity going forward.

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Buick, GM

Is the Buick Regal GS the most important “maybe” of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show? It’s been more than two decades since performance enthusiasts cared about Buick in any meaningful way. The car at that time was the now legendary Buick GNX. Even if the proposed Regal GS makes production – a big if – it’s not going to be a GNX replacement, at least not in the hearts and minds of power-mad Buick enthusiasts. However, at this chapter in Buick’s story, every little performance bit counts.

That stated, here’s what we might get: Power comes from a beefed-up version of the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder making 255 horsepower and a walloping 295 pound-feet or torque. Compare that to the regular 2.0-liter DI Ecotec that we know and love in cars like the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Chevrolet Cobalt SS: 260 hp, 260 lb-ft of twist. Five horsepower less, sure (your lawnmower makes five horsepower), but we’ll gladly trade those ponies for the 35 extra torques. All that grunt gets routed through a six-speed manual before being kicked out to all four wheels. Speaking of wheels, the Regal GS rides on gorgeous 20-inch alloys that are hauled to a halt by big Brembos squeezing 14-inch cross-drilled and vented rotors.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Regal GS is its traction control system that Buick has dubbed “Interactive Drive Control.” There’s a Normal mode, a Sport mode and most enticing, a GS mode. That final setting changes the default torque split, routing most of the power to the rear wheels. Color us curious, excitedly so. The Regal GS also sits 10mm lower than the standard car and is further visually differentiated by twin intakes on the front clip and two through-fascia tailpipes. It’s even got sporty Recaros and a flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Are they going to build it? Our gut says “yes,” or something very close to it. As a brand, Buick needs a shot in the arm of something hot and bothered. Why not a hopped-up Regal? And will we eventually see an even more muscular version of the Regal GS, fitted with a 325-hp turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 from the Opel Insignia OPC, possibly called the Regal GSX? Maybe GNX fans will have something to look forward to after all. High-res shots below, official press release with full specs and video of the live reveal after the jump.

[Source: Buick]

Continue reading Detroit 2010: Regal GS concept seeks to reignite Buick’s performance fire [w/video]

Detroit 2010: Regal GS concept seeks to reignite Buick’s performance fire [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Hatchback, GM, GMC

Feast your eyes on the next Pontiac Vibe GMC Granite concept. We have to wonder if this car was originally designed to slot into Pontiac lineup before that brand was axed, as it doesn’t really seem to fit into the Professional Grade image that GMC has used as a tagline for ages. Or, it could be that General Motors really is considering expanding its GMC brand a few notches down in size.

Whatever the case, we think the Granite is a pretty neat little addition to the burgeoning boxy-but-good small car market here in the States as currently defined by the Scion xB, Kia Soul and Nissan Cube. Unlike those production machines, though, the Granite is a bit tougher in execution, kinda-sorta like the Ford Synus concept from the 2005 edition of the Detroit Auto Show.

Take a tour of the Granite via our high-res image gallery below and feel free to make the jump to view the full press release. We also have video of the live reveal of the GMC Granite concept after the jump.

Follow our coverage of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show live all day on Twitter at http://twitter.com/therealautoblog

Continue reading Detroit 2010: GMC Granite takes Professional Grade in a new direction [w/video]

Detroit 2010: GMC Granite takes Professional Grade in a new direction [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It seems nobody complains or even jokes about 20 something or even 30 something year old adults rocking out with little toy guitars and little toy drums, but god forbid someone puts on a pair of 3D shutter glasses, coolness comes to an end.

In an interview at CES last week Palm’s CEO made some eye raising remarks about his former employer that have caused more than a few industry watchers to do a double take. When asked directly about how Palm viewed the competition with Apple, Jon Rubinstein told WSJ’s Kara Swisher that he “doesn’t pay much attention to Apple” and he went on to further proclaim “I don’t have an iPhone. Actually, I’ve never used one.”

Ruby’s frank subterfuge on Apple is obviously getting the most play in the blogosphere, however he did make some other comments that reflect his current thinking on the status of Palm Inc., webOS and their overall progress. In the thirty minute interview he also talks about the plan for Palm’s resurgence and the foundations they have built with webOS. He muses about how the past two year period has been all about the company’s transition, while he looks ahead at this year as the transformational one.

If you’re considering launching your company’s product at DEMO conference this year, you’re welcome to join us at an open house at one of Silicon Valley’s most respected venture capital firms, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

On Feb. 3 and 4, at KPCB’s offices at 2750 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, we’re taking meetings with up to 20 companies considering launching products at DEMO. You may want to launch at the upcoming DEMO (March 21-23 in Palm Springs) or you may be contemplating the following DEMO (September 13-15 in Silicon Valley). Either way, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with myself (I’m DEMO Executive Producer and am in charge of selecting DEMO’s class of companies) and some of the rest of the DEMO team. Each session will be for at least a half-hour (20 minutes of presentation, and 10 minutes feedback). If you so choose, you may also be able to meet with senior partners at Kleiner Perkins (of course, we understand that if you’re really cherishing your stealth, you’ll have the option of not doing so).

We’re thrilled to be partnering with Kleiner, which offered to do this to support the entrepreneur community. This will be a lot of fun: A long line of great entrepreneurs, from Zynga, Google, Amazon and others, have pitched and won funding from KP in these offices.

To be clear, this will only be for a small group of companies (we’ve had to limit the group, for time considerations). And there’s no exclusive deal or anything with Kleiner. In fact, this is just the first in a series of informal DEMO gatherings we’ll be having over the next few weeks. In the coming days, we’ll be posting about some other planned socials — at locations other than Kleiner Perkins — that focus on the specific verticals we’re targeting for DEMO this year.

If you’re interested in coming to the open house, please fill out this form. Even if you’re not selected, we’ll strongly consider you for an invite to an intimate cocktail reception at Kleiner that will take place at the end of the second day (Feb 4.), and which will be open to more companies. We’ll have drinks and snacks, and basically hang out.

If you’re selected as one of the 20, we’ll follow up immediately with more information about the presentation, and who will be there, etc.

Look forward to seeing you!

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Continue reading Samsung and Kodak put an end to patent squabbles

Samsung and Kodak put an end to patent squabbles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Pokewalker mini-game to ship with new versions of Pokemon, Pikachu unavailable for comment

Pokewalker mini-game to ship with new versions of Pokemon, Pikachu unavailable for comment originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You didn’t think CES was over, did you? Saving a true gamer’s delight for last, we went along to meet with Microvision’s reps today and were introduced to its PicoP laser projector and gun gaming peripheral. The projection tech employed here is unique, as each pixel (848 x 480 resolution) is itself an RGB laser reflecting off a mirror which flips 60 times a second. What that results in is a permanently focused projection, no matter how much you wiggle, jiggle or maneuver the projector. The whole thing fits within 6cc and was designed to be embedded into phones. We snapped a few pics of the standalone projector and then moved on to the rifle gaming controller. Come along after the break to check out our hell-raising skills on video, as well as some more in-depth impressions of the hardware.

Continue reading Microvision laser projection gun hands-on

Microvision laser projection gun hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Edwin and Plendleton have linked up to produce a limited run shirt using Japanese Kaihara denim fabric. Some info on Kaihara: Established in 1951 with 34 machines, by 1970 the Kaihara mill had developed indigo rope dying machines and started a delivery of rope dyed denim in Japan. By the early 90s the mill introduced ring yarn spinning and vintage production by narrow width shuttle machines. Kaihara is renowned for the sanforised selvedge it’s produced for decades.

The limited run consists of 300 shirts and comes in an exclusive blue/burgundy colorwary.

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Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said today that Ben Bernanke cannot remain as chairman of the Federal Reserve if the Senate does not confirm him by January 31 when his four-year term expires. In an interview on CNBC, Dodd said Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn would take over as chairman. Sen. Judd Gregg (R., N.H.) made the same point. The comments generated some confusion on Wall Street, but the situation isn’t clear-cut.

This much is clear: A Fed chairman cannot automatically stay in his position after his four-year term as chairman expires. Members of the Fed board, in contrast, can remain in office as governors until their expired term has been filled. The Federal Reserve Act says that the Fed vice chairman acts as chair in the “absence” of the chairman. But “absence” is not defined.

The Fed has twice faced circumstances in which a chairman has not been confirmed by the Senate by the time his term expired. But in both those cases, the Fed did not have a vice chairman in place so the members of the Federal Reserve Board elected the chairman as chairman pro tempore. In 1948, Marriner Eccles served as chairman pro tempore from February 3 until April 15, when Thomas McCabe was sworn in as chairman. And in 1996, Alan Greenspan served as chairman pro tempore from March 3 to June 20, when he was confirmed by the Senate for a third term as chairman.

Bernanke’s 14-year term as a governor — one of seven positions on the Federal Reserve Board — runs through 2020. What would stop the Fed board from electing Bernanke as chairman pro tempore if he’s not confirmed by February 1?  That’s not clear.

The Fed and Sen. Dodd hope the confirmation vote will come soon after the Senate reconvenes on January 19. But at least four senators have placed holds on the nomination, forcing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to schedule a floor debate about Bernanke, invoke cloture on the nomination and prepare for an up-or-down vote. At the moment Bernanke seems to have the 60 votes he’d need to be confirmed. But if the Senate delays a full vote past January 31, the Fed’s Board could be forced to make a decision to avert worry on Wall Street.

UPDATE: Former Fed governor Larry Meyer of Macroeconomic Advisers points out that even if Bernanke had to step aside for Kohn as chairman of the Fed board, he could remain as chairman of the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee. The chairman of the FOMC, which sets interest rates, is elected to a one-year term by the committee’s members at the group’s first regular meeting of the year (January 26-27). When nominations are taken at that meeting, the chairman of the board by custom is the only one nominated.  So Bernanke could remain as FOMC chairman even if Kohn had to be nominated as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. (This wouldn’t eliminate investors’ concerns entirely, but could limit some worries about the direction of interest-rate policy in the event of a bureaucratic delay.)