Belgium's borrowing rates up sharply in auctions (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Belgium had to pay sharply higher interest rates to borrow money in the markets on Monday, in another sign that the country's political instability has ratcheted up concerns over its ability to deal with its debts.

Yet authorities said they were heartened that Belgium could easily raise euro2 billion ($2.67 billion) in a variety of auctions. On top of the bond auction for institutional investors, the country also counts on raising up to euro1 billion ($1.33 billion) in government bonds from private investors within Belgium.

Monday's auction followed a credit downgrade of Belgium by Standard & Poor's last week and authorities had anticipated the specter of even higher rates highlighting a lack of investor confidence. For the ten-year issue to institutional investors, for example, the yield spiked to 5.66 percent as against 4.37 percent in the equivalent auction last month.

"It was important that we could show that, as well on the international market as on the private market in Belgium, we were able to collect enough despite the downgrade," said Jean Deboutte, the spokesman for Belgium's debt agency.

"The rates are higher than last time, but it was the last opportunity of the year," he said.

Over the weekend, negotiators trying to set up a government following a record political stalemate dating back to the June 2010 election, finally agreed on a 2012 budget. They are expected to have a grand coalition in place by the end of the week.

Standard & Poor's pointedly mentioned the government stalemate in its downgrade Friday and authorities were happy that Monday's rates were somewhat lower than last week, when they closed in on 6 percent.

Also, Belgium's bond drive to private investors in Belgium has proven successful over the past days and caretaker Prime Minister Yves Leterme said he hoped "to close in on euro1 billion by the end of the week."

"Every euro that we can borrow within our country is a government saving," Leterme said. "It is purchasing power that we keep in our country. So it is good in every sense you can think of."

Belgium's slightly lower rates in the secondary bond markets came after the weekend budget agreement, which promised a deficit of no more than 2.8 percent of GDP to remain within the EU target. It listed euro11.3 billion ($14.95 billion) in austerity measures as a step toward assuring a balanced budget in 2015.

EU monetary affairs chief Olli Rehn welcomed the announcement of the breakthrough and said EU officials would soon review the budget text to see if it meets his recommendations of fiscal rigor and increased competitiveness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_belgium_financial_crisis

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Egyptian protesters clash with police, 1 dead (AP)

CAIRO ? Egyptian security forces clashed with protesters camped outside the Cabinet building Saturday, leaving one man dead, as tensions rose two days ahead of parliamentary elections being held despite mass demonstrations against military rule.

The violence occurred as a wave of protests against military rule was given extra impetus by the Egyptian military's decision on Friday to appoint a prime minister who served under deposed President Hosni Mubarak.

The Obama administration has increased pressure on Egypt's military rulers, who took over from Mubarak, to transfer power to civilian leaders throwing its support behind tens of thousands of protesters massed on Cairo's central Tahrir for more than a week.

Hundreds also had gathered outside the Cabinet building, a few blocks away, to prevent newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri from entering to take up his new post. They clashed with security forces who allegedly tried to disperse them.

An Associated Press cameraman saw three police troop carriers and an armored vehicle firing tear gas as they were being chased from the site by rock-throwing protesters.

The man who was killed was run over by one of the vehicles, but there were conflicting accounts about the circumstances surrounding the death.

The Interior Ministry expressed regret for the death of the protester, identified as Ahmed Serour, and said it was an accident.

Police didn't intend to storm the sit-in but were merely heading to the Interior Ministry headquarters, located behind the Cabinet building, when they came under attack by angry protesters throwing firebombs, it said in a statement. The ministry claimed security forces were injured and the driver of one of the vehicles panicked and ran over the protester.

One of the protesters, Mohammed Zaghloul, 21, said he saw six security vehicles heading to their site.

"It became very tense, rock throwing started and the police cars were driving like crazy," he said. "Police threw one tear gas canister and all of a sudden we saw our people carrying the body of a man who was bleeding really badly."

Video clips posted on social networking sites also showed protesters rushing to rescue a heavily bleeding man they said was killed when a police vehicle ran over him.

Officials say more than 40 people have been killed across the country since Nov. 19, when the unrest began after a small sit-in by protesters injured during the 18-day uprising that ousted Mubarak was violently broken up by security forces. That led to days of clashes, which ended with a truce on Thursday. It wasn't clear if the melee on Saturday was an isolated incident or part of new violence by security forces trying to clear the way for the new prime minister, and protesters frustrated by what they believe are the military's efforts to perpetuate the old regime.

The military's appointment of el-Ganzouri, its apology for the death of protesters and a series of partial concessions in the past two days suggest that the generals are struggling to overcome the most serious challenge to their nine-month rule, with fewer options now available to them.

The latest crisis has overshadowed Monday's start of Egypt's first parliamentary elections since Mubarak was replaced by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. The vote, which the generals say will be held on schedule despite the unrest, is now seen by many activists and protesters to be serving the military's efforts to project an image of itself as the nation's saviors and true democrats.

The next parliament is expected to be dominated by the country's most organized Muslim Brotherhood group, who decided to boycott the ongoing protests to keep from doing anything that could derail the election. However, the outcome of the vote is likely to be seen as flawed given the growing unrest and the suspension by many candidates of their campaigns in solidarity with the protesters.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt

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Mexico acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? Mexico's archaeology institute downplays theories that the ancient Mayas predicted some sort of apocalypse would occur in 2012, but on Thursday it acknowledged that a second reference to the date exists on a carved fragment found at a southern Mexico ruin site.

Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that there is in fact another apparent reference to the date at the nearby Comalcalco ruin. The inscription is on the carved or molded face of a brick. Comalcalco is unusual among Mayan temples in that it was constructed of bricks.

Arturo Mendez, a spokesman for the institute, said the fragment of inscription had been discovered years ago and has been subject to thorough study. It is not on display and is being kept in storage at the institute.

The "Comalcalco Brick," as the second fragment is known, has been discussed by experts in some online forums. Many still doubt that it is a definite reference to Dec. 21, 2012 or Dec. 23, 2012, the dates cited by proponents of the theory as the possible end of the world.

"Some have proposed it as another reference to 2012, but I remain rather unconvinced," David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a message to The Associated Press.

Stuart said the date inscribed on the brick "'is a Calendar Round,' a combination of a day and month position that will repeat every 52 years."

The brick date does coincide with the end of the 13th Baktun; Baktuns were roughly 394-year periods and 13 was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas. The Mayan Long Count calendar begins in 3114 B.C., and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012.

But the date on the brick could also correspond to similar dates in the past, Stuart said.

"There's no reason it couldn't be also a date in ancient times, describing some important historical event in the Classic period. In fact, the third glyph on the brick seems to read as the verb huli, "he/she/it arrives."

"There's no future tense marking (unlike the Tortuguero phrase), which in my mind points more to the Comalcalco date being more historical that prophetic," Stuart wrote.

Both inscriptions ? the Tortuguero tablet and the Comalcalco brick ? were probably carved about 1,300 years ago and both are cryptic in some ways.

The Tortuguero inscription describes something that is supposed to occur in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation.

However, erosion and a crack in the stone make the end of the passage almost illegible, though some read the last eroded glyphs as perhaps saying, "He will descend from the sky."

The Comalcalco brick is also odd in that the molded or inscribed faces of the bricks were probably laid facing inward or covered with stucco, suggesting they were not meant to be seen.

The Institute of Anthropology and History has long said rumors of a world-ending or world-changing event in late December 2012 are a Westernized misinterpretation of Mayan calendars.

The institute repeated Thursday that "western messianic thought has twisted the cosmovision of ancient civilizations like the Maya."

The institute's experts say the Mayas saw time as a series of cycles that began and ended with regularity, but with nothing apocalyptic at the end of a given cycle.

Given the strength of Internet rumors about impending disaster in 2012, the institute is organizing a special round table of 60 Mayan experts next week at the archaeological site of Palenque, in southern Mexico, to "dispel some of the doubts about the end of one era and the beginning of another, in the Mayan Long Count calendar."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-11-24-LT-Mexico-Apocalypse-2012?/id-9750edc7822f4c67914ff8aa3afa2e8e

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AT&T Takes Two Steps Back With Hopes To Inch Closer To T-Mo Deal

Well, this isn't the strategy I was expecting, but it seems the FCC's request to investigate the AT&T/T-Mobile deal under the lens of an administrative law judge last week just doesnt sit well with AT&T. Rather than be scrutinized, the company has instead withdrawn its application for the merger. But don't let that confuse you. Buying Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile is still big blue's end goal — the FCC just happens to be blocking the road at the moment.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/2Aa3DeUP2gU/

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Getting the picture of how someone died

CT scans of cadavers could make some autopsies unnecessary, British team suggests

Web edition : 9:57 am

By screening people who have died with full-body computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, doctors can often determine the cause of death without an autopsy, British researchers report November 22 in the Lancet. Further combining a CT scan with a quick heart test might result in a solid determination of cause of death in up to half of cases referred for autopsy, says study coauthor Ian Roberts, a pathologist at the University of Oxford.

Autopsies are invasive and sometimes inconclusive, and some people object to the procedure on cultural or religions grounds. The new data suggest that imaging may provide an alternative in some cases, adding to post-mortem accuracy and easing the burden of grieving survivors, says Roberts. Whether imaging would save money is unknown, he says.

At their essence, autopsies have changed little in the past century but remain the gold standard post-mortem exam. In recent years, some coroners and medical examiners have considered the use of medical imaging with MRI or CT scans, but few labs or hospitals have adopted the technologies because little research data existed to document their utility in this setting.

For the new study, Roberts and his colleagues examined 182 deceased people whose cause of death wasn?t known. All underwent a CT scan and MRI. Radiologists analyzed those results separately and combined, arriving at a cause of death from each set of images. The radiologists also ranked how much confidence they had in each cause-of-death conclusion ? definite, probable, possible or uncertain. Pathologists then performed autopsies on all of the bodies.

The radiologists? cause-of-death determinations based on CT scans agreed with the more definitive autopsy findings 68 percent of the time. Conclusions based on MRI were accurate 57 percent of the time.

In cases where the radiologists ranked the cause of death from a CT scan as ?definite,? the diagnosis agreed with the autopsy 84 percent of the time. But such ?definite? determinations accounted for only one-third of all CT scan results.

The CT scan wasn?t particularly effective in spotting heart problems, which are common, Roberts says. But other data suggest that performing a heart angiogram after a CT scan could enable radiologists to pinpoint the cause of death in up to half of all cases, with just a slight error rate ? less than that seen on most death certificates. An angiogram takes about 15 minutes, he says, and involves injecting a dye near the heart to visualize coronary vessels.

Some post-mortem scanning is done in Sweden and Australia, but making the procedure routine elsewhere would require labs to purchase CT scanners and train medical personnel to use them. Post-mortem scans look different from scans of live people. ?As soon as you die, the body starts to change,? says Angela Levy, a radiologist at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., who has done imaging on deceased members of the U.S. armed forces. ?There?s a steep learning curve,? she says. Radiologists must read many scan results ?to reset what they think of as normal.?

The British researchers scanned 10 cadavers and analyzed the results as training before beginning their research. ?I think this is a well-done study,? Levy says.

Found in: Body & Brain

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336414/title/Getting_the_picture_of_how_someone_died

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Prince Harry rents Harley for first visit to Vegas

FILE - In this file photo taken Saturday May 30, 2009, Britain's Prince Harry addresses guests at the second annual Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic polo match on Governor's Island in New York. The Prince sipped a Corona during a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas over the Nov. 19-20, 2011, trip and rented a Harley. The British royal made a low-key appearance at a Scottsdale, Ariz., dealership on Friday, Nov.18, 2011.The vacation came as the prince is training on helicopters at an Air Force site near Gila Bend, Ariz. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

FILE - In this file photo taken Saturday May 30, 2009, Britain's Prince Harry addresses guests at the second annual Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic polo match on Governor's Island in New York. The Prince sipped a Corona during a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas over the Nov. 19-20, 2011, trip and rented a Harley. The British royal made a low-key appearance at a Scottsdale, Ariz., dealership on Friday, Nov.18, 2011.The vacation came as the prince is training on helicopters at an Air Force site near Gila Bend, Ariz. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

FILE-- In this July 30 file photo Britain's Prince Harry leaves after the wedding between Zara Phillips and England rugby star Mike Tindall in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prince Harry sipped a Corona during a Cirque du Soleil show and rented a Harley during a weekend trip to Las Vegas. The vacation came as the prince is training on helicopters at an Air Force site near Gila Bend, Ariz. (AP Photo/Dylan Martinez, Pool, File)

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Those lucky enough to have a brush with Prince Harry during his first visit to Las Vegas say he was as down-to-earth as any other 27-year-old who appreciates a Harley, a night out with friends, and a cheap beer.

The weekend rendezvous in Sin City came as the prince is spending several weeks training on Apache helicopters at Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field in southern Arizona.

The trip started in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Harry rented a motorcycle to drive to Las Vegas, about six hours away.

Dan Dvorak of Hacienda Harley-Davidson said the royal showed up in jeans and a baseball cap when he stopped by the Scottsdale dealership Friday to rent a bike.

"He's just a regular 27-year-old guy," said Dvorak, the dealership's rental manager, in an interview with The Associated Press. "Mild-mannered. Excited to be on a Harley."

Dvorak said the prince has a motorcycle license in the U.K., but completed a test drive on a 1600cc bike before officials set him and his entourage loose on American highways.

"He definitely knew what he was doing," Dvorak said.

People magazine reported that Harry ? third in line for the British crown behind his father and older brother, William ? rented a room at the Wynn Las Vegas, a five-star, 50-story resort on the Las Vegas Strip. Wynn spokeswoman Deanna Pettit says the resort does not comment on guest visits.

The prince's itinerary took a splashy turn the following day. A Cirque du Soleil spokeswoman said Harry's party reserved prime, $178 seats for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. performance of the water-themed "O."

Show officials said they held the prince and four of his military friends in a VIP room for about 20 minutes before discreetly ushering them to their seats as the curtain rose.

Harry and his party were seen clapping enthusiastically and laughing during the show ? and also sipping a Corona apiece.

He told show staff afterward that he'd heard "O'' ? set at the Bellagio ? was the best of the seven Cirque shows in town.

Officials said the prince was impressed with the water effects and contortionists in "O," which features acrobats, synchronized swimmers and characters performing in, on and above a 1.5-million-gallon pool.

The prince was reportedly returning to Arizona Monday. He is among 20 students in the British Army participating in a two-month military helicopter training course in the U.S.

The training started at the Naval Air Facility at El Centro, Calif., where students flew Apache helicopters in the desert near the Mexican border. In Arizona, they are firing missiles, rockets and cannons from the helicopters.

___

Associated Press Writer Mark Carlson in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-22-Prince%20Harry-Vegas/id-99162e7211404ae882fe48f2debe438c

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Glenn Beck calls Bachmann 'exceptional' (Politico)

Via POLITICO's Ginger Gibson, a development that could have impact for Michele Bachmann:

While he?s not ?endorsing? anyone, Glenn Beck on his radio program Tuesday said if he were deciding who to vote for based on the individual it would be Michele Bachmann, calling her ?exceptional."

?There is somebody I think that is exceptional and truly comes the closest to embodying the spirit of Lincoln or Washington in this field. And I believe that it is Michele Bachmann,? Beck said. ?If I had to vote for someone in the primary ? I?m not a Republican so I can?t vote ? but if I to vote for one, if I had to trust one person, it would be Michele Bachmann.?

In a blog post on his website he added, ?(Of course the mainstream media is still going to take that to be an endorsement, but you know the truth.)?

Indeed.

Continue Reading

Beck was with Bachmann at an event in New York City on Sunday, and she was on his radio show yesterday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1111_68983_html/43688544/SIG=11m23mi6o/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68983.html

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Romney to run his first TV ad of presidential race (AP)

MANCHESTER, N.H. ? Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is turning President Barack Obama's own words against him in the Republican hopeful's TV first ad of his 2012 White House bid.

Romney said Monday that his first television ad would start airing in New Hampshire when the president visits the state Tuesday. He said the commercial would compare Obama's message as a candidate with Romney's credentials as a businessman.

"The contrast between what he said and what he did is so stark, people will recognize we really do need to have someone new lead this country," Romney said in an interview with Fox News Channel.

Romney's 60-second ad features clips of an Obama campaign stop in New Hampshire four years ago and fresh footage from Romney events from recent days. The ad is slated to run through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at a cost of $134,000.

Romney, who is at the top of state polls and is sitting on a mound of campaign cash, has kept his focus on Obama over the past year and largely has shied from criticizing his GOP rivals.

"I want people to remember that when he was candidate Obama, that he said he was going to get this economy going, he was going to bring people together, be a real leader for change in America," Romney said.

Obama is set to arrive in New Hampshire on Tuesday to deliver an economic speech. For months, Romney has given interviews to local reporters in states Obama had on his schedule, either pre-empting the president's message or rebutting it.

On Tuesday, Romney planned to use one-time rival Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire to make the case for Romney as a superior choice. Both have backed Romney's presidential bid.

Yet Romney elected to use his first paid television ad not to promote himself or criticize his rivals but to take on the man he hopes to face in November 2012.

"Clearly, the president can't run on his track record," Romney said. "His track record is miserable. ... So what he'll do is try and assassinate, on a character basis, his opponents and/or his opposition. I'm hoping that's me, but I'm not looking forward to those attacks."

Even in a softer interview with People magazine, Romney kept his criticism on point. Asked by the celebrity magazine to say something nice about his potential rival, Romney praised Obama's merit pay for teachers and said Obama was "a good example of a husband and father."

Then he went back to his familiar refrain.

"But the plusses are far exceeded by the places where I'd give him a minus," Romney said.

The interview included some nonpolitical questions about his Mormon faith.

"Never had drinks or tobacco," Romney told the magazine when asked if he's ever had a beer. "It's a religious thing. I tasted a beer and tried a cigarette once, as a wayward teenager, and never did it again."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_el_ge/us_romney

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Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer

The Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer ($99.99 direct) is the junior member of Kodak?s HERO line of inkjet multifunction printers (MFPs). It provides a low-priced option with solid home credentials, respectable speed and output quality for its price.

The HERO 3.1, which prints, scans, and copies, is a black machine with silver and red trim, which measures 6.8 by 16.5 by 12.3 inches and weighs 11.9 pounds, closely resembling the Editors? Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99.99 direct, 4 stars).? To the right of the lid tilt-up 2.4-inch color LCD lies behind a 4-way controller and some basic control buttons: On, Cancel, Home, Back, Zoom in/Zoom Out, and Start. The HERO 3.1 has a media-card reader that can read cards in the SD, Memory Stick, and MultiMedia Card families, though it lacks a port for a USB thumb drive, one of the features that the Kodak HERO 5.1 ($129.99, 4 stars) adds to the mix.

This MFP has a 100-sheet paper capacity, but lacks an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. It also lacks fax capabilities and an automatic document feeder (ADF), clearly making it an MFP focused on home use and setting it apart from the Editors? Choice Brother MFC-J430W ($100 street, 4 stars), a business-oriented budget MFP.

The HERO 3:1 includes built-in support for Google Cloud Print and Kodak Email Print, which is essentially an extension to Google Cloud Print. Once you assign the printer an email address through Kodak Email Print, you can print to it from any computer, smartphone, or other device that can send email. You simply create a message, attach the document you want printed, and send it. You don't even need to turn on your computer, thanks to the printer having its own email address, although the printer has to be connected to your network, with your network connected to the Internet.

The HERO 3.1 can connect to a LAN via WiFi or to a computer via USB cable. I tested it over a USB connection with the drivers installed on a PC running Windows Vista.

Printing Speed

The printer's speed on our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), was tied with the HERO 5.1, at 3.1 pages per minute (ppm), faster than the Editors? Choice Kodak ESP C310?s 2.7 ppm. (Surprisingly, both the HERO 3.1 and HERO 5.1 tested somewhat faster than the higher-end models in the HERO line.) The HP Photosmart 5510 e-All-in-One ($100 street, 3.5 stars) tested at 3.7 ppm, while the Brother MFC-J430w left them all in the dust by testing at 4.3 ppm.

Output Quality

Overall, the HERO 3:1?s output quality was very similar to the HERO 5:1, with average text, sub-par graphics, and photos of average (if inconsistent) quality.

Text quality was typical of an inkjet MFP, suitable for schoolwork and general business use but not for desktop publishing, marketing materials, or other output

Graphics quality for the HERO 3.1 was sub-par for an inkjet. Banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration) was prevalent in some illustrations, particularly ones with solid backgrounds. A couple of illustrations showed blotchiness, with slightly faded areas. Another issue was posterization, abrupt shifts in color where they should have been gradual. Also, thin colored lines did not show up at all, defaulting to gray (which made them barely visible against a black background.

Photo quality was inconsistent, with some prints looking better than what you?d expect from a drugstore and others worse. Overall, colors were rich and well saturated. A monochrome image showed a tint, and in several images detail was lost in bright areas.

Other Issues

The HERO 3:1 lets you create and print 3D images. It includes a utility that will create an anaglyphic 3D color image (the kind that needs glasses with one red lens and one blue lens to see the 3D effect). To print a 3D image, you need two photos of the same scene, and you?ll need to move the camera about three inches horizontally between snapping the two pictures. The utility overlays the images and prints them. To let you see the 3D effect, Kodak provides two pairs of glasses with the printer.

Kodak claims ?running costs for the HERO 3:1 of 3.9 cents per monochrome page and 10.7 cents per color page; the cost per color page is particularly low.

The Kodak HERO 3.1 offers decent speed for a $99 printer, and its output quality is average for an inkjet at its price. It?s slightly faster than the Editors? Choice Kodak ESP C310 but it adds little feature-wise, and the C310 edged it in photo quality. The HERO 3.1 is a good choice for a budget inkjet MFP, providing low price and low running costs, but you should also consider the C310, the extra features of the HERO 5:1, or?if you want an MFP for home-office as well as home use?the Brother MFC-J430w.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

??? Kodak HERO 5.1 All-in-One Printer
??? Kodak HERO 3.1 All-in-One Printer
??? HP PhotoSmart 5510 e-All-in-One
??? Canon imageClass MF5960dn
??? Canon imageClass MF5950dw
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/_nFRkiSlr0k/0,2817,2396618,00.asp

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Western states step up sanctions on Iran (Reuters)

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States and European Union are set to impose more sanctions on Iran, with Britain on Monday banning dealings with the central bank and France calling for measures on an "unprecedented scale" over Tehran's nuclear program.

The steps come in response to a November 8 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that presented intelligence suggesting Iran had worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be secretly carrying out related research. Iran says its nuclear work is entirely peaceful.

The range of unilateral steps planned by Western powers reflects the difficulty of persuading Russia and China not to veto further measures at the U.N. Security Council, where they have supported four previous sanctions resolutions.

While Britain ordered its financial institutions to stop all business with Iran, a source familiar with the sanctions said the steps would not directly target trade in Iranian oil.

"We believe that the Iranian regime's actions pose a significant threat to the UK's national security and the international community. Today's announcement is a further step to preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons," said British finance minister George Osborne.

The United States has not bought Iranian oil since 1995, but it appeared unlikely the U.S. Treasury would try to now cut off the Iranian banking system entirely, a move that could disrupt global energy markets and harm U.S. economic recovery.

A U.S. official said the Treasury Department planned to designate Iran as an area of "primary money laundering concern" on Monday, a move allowing it to take steps to isolate the Iranian financial sector further.

The United States is also expected to unveil sanctions against Iran's petrochemical sector on Monday, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

It was unclear exactly what steps the U.S. Treasury plans, but the measures, which the U.S. official said were to be announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, appeared designed as a warning about the risks of dealing with Iran's financial institutions.

EU governments could reach a preliminary deal on Tuesday to add about 190 Iranian people and entities to a list of those targeted by asset freezes and travel bans, diplomats said.

Canada will immediately ban the export to Iran of all goods used in the petrochemical, oil and gas industry as part of an international sanctions package, the government said on Monday.

But France called for much stronger action.

"As Iran steps up its nuclear program, refuses negotiation and condemns its people to isolation, France advocates new sanctions on an unprecedented scale to convince Iran that it must negotiate," said a statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy's office.

"France therefore proposes to the European Union and its member states, the United States, Japan and Canada and other willing countries to take the decision to immediately freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank (and) stop purchases of Iranian oil," it added.

The new EU measures will likely target industries such as shipping and will be formalized at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on December 1, but discussions on possible further steps could take place in the coming days, diplomats said.

"NOOSE TIGHTENING"

Henry Smith, Middle East analyst at the Control Risks consultancy in London, said the British move may not significantly affect Iran's major oil customers.

"It essentially de-legitimizes the country's financial system but in reality it may not make that much practical difference. The Chinese, Indians and others will continue to engage, while many Western multinationals have already pulled out," he said.

Smith said tighter sanctions had appeared more likely than any Western attack to knock out Iran's nuclear facilities. "We wouldn't regard Israel or indeed the U.S. as having the wherewithal to pursue the kind of military action required to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities," he said.

"It's going to affect trade finance which has a derivative effect on oil trade. That seems clear," said John Solomon, director of threat finance research at World-Check, a risk intelligence firm owned by Thomson Reuters.

"The proverbial noose has been tightened and the new sanctions will definitely have an unprecedented chilling effect on Iran's economic dealings globally, not just in Europe, not just in the UK, but even in the Middle East," he said.

U.S. sanctions have already made it extremely difficult for many global oil companies and traders to obtain bank financing to trade Iranian crude, of which less than a third goes to Europe with the rest flowing to China and India.

"A LOSE-LOSE GAME"

The U.S. administration suspects Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability under cover of its civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says it has no interest in nuclear arms.

In Tehran, Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said sanctions were hitting the Iranian economy but warned Western countries they were harming their own interests.

"Sanctions are a lose-lose game in which both sides make a loss. If they don't invest in our oil projects, they will lose an appealing market," Ghazanfari told a news conference before the British announcement.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often said sanctions have little effect and in some cases make the economy stronger by making Iran find domestic solutions to challenges.

Ghazanfari reiterated that Iran had found alternatives to Western imports and investments, but did not deny the downside.

"Facing hardship in a fight is inevitable. I admit projects will get harder as our trading costs will go up, delays will hit projects and money transfer will get harder," he said.

U.S. officials say there has been a debate within the Obama administration about whether to sanction Iran's central bank, which many Iranian crude importers use to clear transactions.

Despite calls for such sanctions by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, U.S. officials have been reluctant to do so because of the fear that this could cause oil prices to jump, potentially impairing the U.S. economic recovery.

There is also a concern that importers of Iranian oil, including China and India, could be hurt by such a move, thereby antagonizing nations whose support Washington needs.

(Additional reporting by Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran, Peter Apps, Yeganeh Torbati and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Leigh Thomas in Paris and Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Writing by David Stamp and Jon Hemming; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/wl_nm/us_iran_sanctions

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Chicago mayor rallies Obama support in Iowa (AP)

DES MOINES, Iowa ? Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched an ardent defense of President Barack Obama in Iowa on Saturday, telling local Democrats that in order to create security for the middle class, "we just can't cut our way to prosperity."

Obama's former chief of staff rallied about 1,300 people during the Iowa Democratic Party's largest annual fundraiser in Des Moines. Emanuel told the crowd that Republicans want to solve the nation's debt problem only through spending cuts, while Obama favors a balanced approach of cuts and tax increases.

"To create true middle-class security, we can't just cut our way to prosperity," Emanuel said. "We must out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the world."

Emanuel said Obama has made crucial, tough decisions based on his principles to help the country ? and not in an attempt to lay the groundwork for a second term in the White House. And he asked the crowd whose judgment they wanted leading the country during such a critical economic time.

"In the next four years, there will be more challenges and more crises that will determine the economic vitality of the middle class and the economic future of this country," Emanuel said. "Whose character, whose judgment do you want in that office?"

Obama has a solid history in Iowa. His surprising win in the state's precinct caucuses four years ago launched him on the road to the White House, and he easily carried the state in the 2008 general election.

Emanuel's appearance in the key early-caucus state was a chance for Democrats to grab attention from Republican presidential candidates making their case to social conservatives just across town, and he used the opportunity to criticize GOP candidate Mitt Romney.

The mayor cited the sharply different views that Obama and Romney had on rescuing the auto industry and propping up the nation's financial system. He argued that Obama's views have been proven right, while Romney's stance to not offer federal financial assistance would have destroyed the two key industries.

Emanuel also said Romney has flip-flopped in his political views, such as taking a more conservative stance on abortion and gun control.

"Mitt Romney says he's a man of steadiness and consistency. If that's true, then I'm a linebacker for the Chicago Bears," said the slim, 5-foot-8 1/2 mayor.

In an interview before the event, Emanuel said he was looking forward to the prospect of a lengthy, heated Republican primary race ? and the exposure it gives to the GOP candidates.

"I think a lot of people want to see it over quickly, and I don't think they're going to get that," he said.

Sounding the populist theme that Obama has been offering in recent weeks, Emanuel also said the president is focused less on the difficulty of his tasks as president and more on the struggles of the American middle class.

"He continues to help them try to get their feet back on the ground. That's the struggle he's worried about, not his struggle," Emanuel said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iowa_democrats_emanuel

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Inside Social Games ? Social Gaming News Roundup: Google+, Car ...

First Person Social Games on the Way from New Studio U4iA ? Former Activision vets Dusty Welch and Chris Archer have formed a new studio called U4iA that will focus on hardcore social games according to Gamasutra. The company has trademarked the term ?first-person social? and is set to release its first game in 2012.

Gigamedia Reports Third Quarter Loss, Promises to Pivot into Mobile ? Taiwan-based social game company Gigamedia reported this week that its third quarter revenues had dropped 12% quarter over quarter to $7.8 million dollars. The company also reported a loss of? $3.9 million dollars for the quarter. In a press release accompanying the results, CEO Yichin Lee said the company would change course, extending its platform to mobile devices.

Brazilian Social Gaming Market Growing Quickly ? Research firm SuperData is predicting that the Brazilian social gaming market is will?be worth $238 million by 2014. At that point more than 52 million Brazilians will play social games, up from the 35 million people who currently identify as social gamers.

Nordeus Best Social Gaming Startup of 2011 ? Serbian social game company Nordeus has been named the best gaming startup of 2011 at the annual Europas Awards. The company won the award due to the strong performance of its football game, Top Eleven, which currently has over 3.3 million MAU, according to AppData. The Europas Awards are decided by a panel of industry experts.

Brands Flock to Google+ ? Bright Edge is reporting that 61 of the world?s top 100 brands (well known household brands like Coke and McDonald?s) have set up Google+ brand pages since they?ve been available. However, according the company?s November Social Share report even the biggest brands had yet to attract a significant following on the brand new social network. According to a quick search of the social network, just 221 people have added Coca Cola to their circles.

Zynga and Best Buy Team to Offer Limited Edition FarmVille Toys - Just in time for Christmas, fans of FarmVille will be able to collect a series of 8 FarmVille plush toys. Each toy is $9.99, or $0.99 with the purchase of $25 Zynga gift card. The toys will be blind-boxed, but players who collect all 8 will be able to unlock a special in-game Super Orchard.

Car Town Teams with Nitto Tire for Yearlong Campaign - Cie Games has signed an agreement with Nitto Tire to embark on a year-long integrated advertising campaign in its Facebook game Car Town. The promotion will include in-game activities, contests, giveaways and virtual items. Car Town is no stranger to in game promotions, having previously signed deals with Walmart and Universal Pictures.

120 Million People a Week Playing Social Games according to PopCap Survey ? PopCap has funded a study conducted by Informations Solutions Group that has found the number of people playing social games has grown extensively. According to the study than 81 million people play social games at least once a day and 120 million people play social games once a week. The whole study can be found here.

Google+: Rumors of My Demise are Greatly Exaggerated ? Online analytics service Experian Hitwise is reporting that Google+ traffic continues to grow, with the site receiving 6.8 million US visits between November 5th and 12th, 5% more than it received the week before. 74% of those hits were from returning visitors.

Shanda Games Reports Record Quarterly Revenues, Sees MAU Drop - Chinese free-to-play MMO publisher Shanda Games released third quarter results that showed the company posted revenues of $212.9 million, a 23.4% increase year on year,? but had lost 3 million MAU between the second and third quarters.

GaiaX Expands With Philippines Based Subsidiary ? GaiaX, a Japanese company that provides social media monitoring and social app support services for a variety of companies, including DeNA?s Mobage network, is expanding, launching a new multi-language subsidiary that will be based in the Philippines. The subsidiary will be called GaiaX Asia Corporation.

Live Gamer Raises $8.5 Million - Online virtual goods marketplace Live Gamer has raised an additional $8.5 million in funding from a mixed securities offering.? The company, which bills itself as a combined e-commerce and advertising platform has raised more than $35 million so far.

Mobile, Social Gaming Cutting into Handheld, But Not Console Dollars ? According to a new survey from the Cowen Group, only six percent of self identified ?gamers? reported spending less on traditional console games because of time spent playing mobile and social games. However, out of people who identified themselves as ?casual gamers? 29% of them reported being less likely to use a dedicated handheld system like Sony?s PSP or Nintendo?s 3DS.

Will Wright Has a HiveMind ? Sims creator Will Wright is launching a new game and company, both called HiveMind according to an exclusive interview on Venturebeat. HiveMind?s products will be based around collecting information and then customizing the game for its player, rather than the typical model, which sees the player adapt to the game?s rules. While Wright was low on specifics, he did reveal that the company?s products could be staged on either mobile devices or Facebook.

Warren Spector on Social, Mobile Games - In an interview with IndustryGamers, Deus Ex creator and games industry veteran and Warren Spector has revealed a mixed attitude to mobile and social games. Spector was quoted as saying: ?Selfishly, I look at social and mobile games and think, ?Didn?t I just spend 20+ years of my life trying to get away from graphics and gameplay models like this?? It seems inevitable that social and mobile will be a big part of our gaming future, that?s for sure.?

[Launch] A&E Brings Storage Wars to Facebook as Social Game ? A&E?s hit reality TV show Storage Wars is now a social game on Facebook. Players in the game compete with one another to bid on storage locker auctions, just like in the TV show. The release of the game coincides with the debut of the new season of the show.

[Launch] Dungeon Overlord Makes Official Debut - Night Owl Games? Facebook MMO Dungeon Overlord has gone out of beta with 80,000 MAU, according to Appdata. At the end of October we reported that The9 Korea had acquired the exclusive Korean operating rights for the game.

Source: http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2011/11/18/social-gaming-news-roundup-google-car-town-and-nordeus/

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Gilead Sciences to buy Pharmasset for $11 billion

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? Gilead Sciences Inc. has agreed to pay about $11 billion for drug developer Pharmasset Inc. in a huge bet on its experimental hepatitis C treatments. The offer is an 89 percent premium over the stock's latest closing price.

Pharmasset, based in Princeton, N.J., currently has no products on the market, but it is developing potential treatments for a disease that is expected to become a larger public health problem as baby boomers get older.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that often has no symptoms and can lead to life-threatening liver damage. It is the primary cause of liver transplants in the United States.

Hepatitis C is spread through the blood. That can happen through needle sharing or having sex with an infected person. The disease could also be picked up from blood transfusions before 1992, when testing of the blood supply for the virus began.

Analysts note that the disease can take years to manifest, and they expect more cases of it to crop up due to the aging, large population of U.S. baby boomers, some of whom used intravenous drugs when they were younger.

Gilead, based in Foster City, Calif., said Monday it will pay $137 per share in cash for each Pharmasset share. The stock, which has more than tripled in price this year closed at $72.67 on Friday. It soared another 85 percent, or $61.95, to $134.62 as trading opened on Monday.

Gilead shares dropped 12 percent, or $4.78, to $35.10.

Gilead also is developing some oral hepatitis C treatments, but unlike Pharmasset, it has several drugs on the market. Its top sellers include the HIV drugs Atripla and Truvada. In October, Gilead reported third quarter earnings of $741.1 million, or 95 cents per share, on $2.12 billion in revenue.

Pharmasset shares had climbed earlier this month after the company said it had started late-stage clinical testing of an experimental hepatitis C drug labeled PSI-7977. The company will run a 12-week study that treats hepatitis C with a combination of PSI-7977 and ribavirin, both of which are given orally.

Pharmasset plans to start two other late-stage trials in 2012 and hopes to file for marketing approval of PSI-7977 in the United States and European Union in the second half of 2013.

Pharmasset's regimen could become a preferred option for hepatitis C if studies show it works as well as drug cocktails containing the injectable drug interferon. Dosing would be more convenient, and it could have fewer side effects because it does not include interferon.

But the market for new hepatitis C treatments is growing crowded. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s hepatitis C pill Incivek. That drug and Merck & Co.'s Victrelis, which also was approved earlier this year, are the first new breakthrough treatments for the liver disease to be approved in 20 years.

The Pharmasset board unanimously approved the deal, which will be made in the form of a tender offer for the stock.

Gilead said it will pay for the acquisition with cash on hand, bank debt and senior unsecured notes. It expects the acquisition to close in next year's first quarter.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-21-Gilead-Pharmasset-Acquisition/id-528908deddf64f8abe5c6b297e9ab82d

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Legal Sea Foods: Save the Crab | Ads of the World?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/legal_sea_foods_save_the_crab

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FOR KIDS: Digging into the Maya mystery

In a Central American jungle, archaeologists and volunteers uncover ruins of the once-powerful civilization

Web edition : Thursday, November 17th, 2011

In the jungles of Belize, near the southern border of Mexico, rise giant stone pyramids. I?ve seen deadly snakes lurk in this area, as well as venomous scorpions, tarantulas the size of a grownup?s hand and swarms of killer bees. Despite these dangers, volunteers such as myself come here to help archaeologists at the site uncover clues to a longstanding mystery. The question that we hope to answer: What caused the collapse of the ancient empire that created these monuments?

The ancient Maya civilization was an empire the size of Texas and arguably the most advanced civilization in the Americas. Then, for unknown reasons, the ancient Maya civilization collapsed more than a thousand years ago. To solve the puzzle about how the ancient Maya lived and what ended their civilization, a Maya Research Program has been investigating for two decades an area known as Blue Creek, in western Belize.

Visit the new?Science News for Kids?website?and read the full story:?Digging into the Maya mystery

Found in: Archaeology, Humans and Science News For Kids

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336215/title/FOR_KIDS_Digging_into_the_Maya_mystery

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India crush West Indies despite Bravo century (Reuters)

KOLKATA (Reuters) ? Darren Bravo's stylish 136 failed to save West Indies from a heavy defeat as India completed a series-clinching victory eight minutes before tea on the fourth day of the second test at Eden Gardens on Thursday.

Paceman Umesh Yadav took four wickets while Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin added two apiece as the hosts dismissed the tourists for 463 to win the match by an innings and 15 runs, and claim an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

The second innings total came in stark contrast to the tourists' meek surrender in the first, when they were skittled out for just 153 in response to India's 631-7 declared and asked to follow-on.

Left-hander Bravo recorded his second test hundred with some positive strokeplay and carried the West Indies close to India's total with a 132-run stand for the fifth wicket alongside Marlon Samuels (84) before the tail capitulated.

The 22-year old batsman had earlier added 108 runs for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (47), who chopped Yadav onto his stumps four overs after the new ball was taken in the morning.

Bravo survived an easy run-out chance on 54 and a strong bat-pad catch appeal on 119 before he edged left-arm spinner Ojha to lone slip Rahul Dravid as his departure instigated a dramatic collapse.

The left-hander hit 16 fours and four sixes in his innings, reaching three-figure with two boundaries in one Yadav over, the first an elegant cover drive and the second a late steer to third man.

The batsman, whose first test ton came against Bangladesh last month, ran down the pitch with his bat and helmet raised to celebrate the milestone as a sparse crowd at Eden Gardens applauded his feat.

After Bravo's dismissal, the final six wickets fell for 62 runs. The spinners claimed four of the victims, while paceman Yadav dismissed the last two in consecutive deliveries.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy briefly raised his team's hopes of making India bat again with a 32-run cameo, during which he hit one four and three huge sixes, but was cleaned up by Yadav while attempting another extravagant swipe.

Samuels, who started off with three streaky boundaries, grew in confidence as he spent time at the crease and hit 13 fours and a six before he was out lbw to off-spinner Ashwin.

India started the day with their spinners in attack but found no help from a low and slow track, prompting captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to opt to take the second new ball as soon as it became available.

Yadav responded well by picking up Chanderpaul with his second over with the new ball to earn India's only success in the morning session.

The third and final test starts in Mumbai on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by John O'Brien; To query or comment on this story, email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/india_nm/india605800

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RIM: 'We're committed to the keyboard'

With all the gossip about BBX screens becoming more tablet-like and the rumored BlackBerry 'London' being QWERTY-less, lovers of the physical keyboard can be forgiven for getting antsy. Hey, we feel it too -- after all, a BB's thumb pad is as quintessential as Québécois poutine. So, we put the question straight to one of our buddies at RIM. His unhesitating (yet not totally unambiguous) reply? That RIM will "maintain choice within its product portfolio" and is "absolutely committed to building more great keyboard-based smartphones." There you have it. Now, did someone mention cheesy fries?

RIM: 'We're committed to the keyboard' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Graphic novel CIA: Operation Ajax comes to the iPad

CIA: Operation Ajax is a new graphic novel available on the iPad that tells the true story of the CIA?s involvement in the Middle East and explores the roots of the modern American conflict with Iran. The book is filled with sounds, animation, and incredible graphics. Check out the...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Lt7cC8ObQfk/story01.htm

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Italy's new PM aims for economic growth (AP)

ROME ? Italy's new premier, Mario Monti, vowed Thursday to spur economic growth while also trying to be fair in imposing reforms urgently needed to save his country ? and the euro ? from financial disaster.

He said his new government's policies would fight tax evasion, lower costs for companies so they can hire more and help women and young people find jobs.

"The end of the euro would cause the disintegration of the united market," the economist and former European Union competition commissioner told the Senate ahead of a confidence vote on his one-day-old government. "The future of the euro also depends on what Italy will do in the next week."

Monti, laying out his priorities, said he will concentrate on reining in Italy's spending with "rigor," spur growth and work for "fairness" in applying reforms.

He said he would quickly work on lowering Italy's staggering public debt, which now stands at 120 percent of GDP.

"But we won't be credible if we don't start to grow," Monti said.

He indicated Italy would be paying new taxes. Italy's lack of a property tax on primary residences is "a peculiarity, if not an anomaly" in Europe, Monti said. Also under scrutiny would be the possibility of putting a new tax on wealth, he said.

Another priority would be combatting Italy's chronic and widespread tax evasion. "Not only would that bring in more revenues, which would hurt," Monti said. But that strategy would also help further is goal of social fairness. Hiding or underreporting income by the self-employed is rampant, and workers with paychecks have long complained they bear an unfair share of the nation's high taxes.

Monti said the government would consider reforms to lower Italy's "elevated tax." Employers say high-payroll taxes discourage them from hiring.

"Structural reform is our duty, but we must avoid the anguish it will cause" in society, he said.

He also said he would combat black market labor. To encourage more women to join the workforce -- Italy has one of Europe's lowest rates -- he said he would consider lower tax rates for women.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

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Despite progress in Europe, markets still nervous (AP)

PARIS ? European markets fell on Monday as initial relief over new governments in Greece and Italy gave way to the reality that those countries still face tremendous obstacles.

Technocrats have taken over in both Athens and Rome and have promised to institute the reforms required to keep their economies afloat. In Greece, Lucas Papademos must persuade his country's creditors to hand over the next euro8 billion installment of the bailout that will keep it from defaulting. Many Greeks have fought the reforms demanded by creditors, protesting in the streets and making the country nearly ungovernable at times.

In Italy, Mario Monti needs to convince investors that a well-managed country can slash its debts and restart growth. Monti seemed off to a good start Monday ? the morning after he was installed and before he had a chance to do anything ? when Italy's bond yields dropped significantly in early trading.

They soon edged higher, however, as investors remained cautious about the country's huge challenges ahead. The key 10-year borrowing rate was at 6.60 percent, up from Friday but still below last week's worrying highs above 7 percent.

That caution extended to stock markets, where European indexes lost early gains to trade lower by late afternoon. In France, the CAC-40 fell 1.4 percent to 3,104.92, while Germany's DAX was down 1.5 percent at 5,964.11. The FTSE index of leading British shares fell 0.6 percent to 5,512.06. The euro, meanwhile, was down 1 percent at $1.3625.

Wall Street fell on the open as well ? the Dow dropped 0.3 percent to 12,120.57 and the S&P 500 shed 0.6 percent to 1,256.75.

While investors are clearly relieved that experienced economists are in charge in two of Europe's most fragile countries, reliable leadership is only the beginning: Reducing Italy's euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 billion) mountain of debt in an era of stagnant growth is still a monumental task.

"Italy and the eurozone are still faced with an uphill battle to win back credibility," said Jane Foley, an analyst with Rabobank. "Most worrying is that some of those battle lines have crossed over into France signifying that contagion is rattling the very core of EMU (European Monetary Union)."

Corporate news was also worrying. Unicredit, Italy's largest bank, reported a huge euro10.6 billion loss in the third quarter after writing off the value of units in Ukrain and Kazakhstan as well as the value of Greek bonds. It promised to cut thousands of jobs and to raise new cash to strengthen its finances. Shares in the company dropped 6.2 percent after being halted temporarily for excessive losses.

In the U.S., shares in retailer J.C. Penney Co. fell 1 percent after the company reported a quarterly loss.

In Asia, markets enjoyed gains on early enthusiasm over the new governments in Italy and Greece. Economic data there was also upbeat ? Japan's economy grew for the first time in four quarters, at an annualized rate of 6 percent.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 1.1 percent to close at 8,603.70. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 2 percent to 19,508.18 and South Korea's Kospi climbed 2.1 percent to 1,902.81

On mainland China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.9 percent to 2,528.71 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index jumped 2.5 percent to 1,083.04. Benchmarks in Singapore, Australia, and Indonesia were also higher.

The good news about Japan's economy had buoyed energy prices earlier in the day since growth means an increase in demand for oil. But once the focus turned back to Europe's problems, oil fell $1.18 to $97.81.

___

Pamela Sampson contributed to this report from Bangkok.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_bi_ge/world_markets

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Dad accused of letting kid, 9, drive to face trial (AP)

WOODHAVEN, Mich. ? A judge has ordered a Detroit-area man to stand trial on charges alleging he allowed his 9-year-old daughter to drive him around at night because he had been drinking.

Woodhaven District Court Judge Michael McNally ruled Tuesday that 39-year-old Shawn Weimer should stand trial on a second-degree child abuse charge.

His lawyers say they're disappointed by the seriousness of the charge and will seek to have the felony count dismissed.

Weimer's daughter testified last week about driving her father's van in the wee hours of Oct. 8. She says her father had consumed half a bottle of whiskey and that she agreed to drive but felt a "little scared."

Police arrested Weimer after pulling over the van and finding his daughter behind the wheel.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_re_us/us9_year_old_driver

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Jennifer Lopez Dating Dancer Casper Smart?

The rumor mill is a buzz that Jennifer Lopez is dating smoking hot dancer Casper Smart. Is there any truth to these claims or are they merely fabricated stories about J.Lo? The answer just might surprise you. Ever since she separated from husband Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez has been the target of dating rumors. The latest one comes thanks to The Insider who broke the story that Jennfier is dating Casper, so take the rumor for what it is worth given the source. US Weekly picked up the story too. The magazine even calls the dancer Cris Judd 2.0, low blow but a funny one at that. So who the heck is this guy that has supposedly caught attention of Lopez? Well he dances at Club Boulevard in La La Land. Other than his ability to shake his thing for the ladies, he does seem to have an extensive resume in dancing, according to his own personal website anyway. He was a dancer is the very forgettable film Step Up 3D as well as was one of Beyonc??s dancers during her 2010 Grammy performance just to name a few things he has done. Oh and he was supposedly going to [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/V1xtozgBwNg/

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Fire damages historic Catholic retreat in Colorado (Reuters)

DENVER (Reuters) ? A wind-swept fire tore through a landmark Catholic retreat in the Colorado mountains on Monday, heavily damaging the site where Pope John Paul II spent an afternoon in 1993 while attending World Youth Day in Denver.

The blaze erupted in a three-story lodge at Camp St. Malo in Allenspark, Colorado, and destroyed a conference room, kitchen and workers' residences, Commander Rick Brough of the Boulder County Sheriff's Office told Reuters.

"There's at least a million dollars in damage if not more," Brough said.

No injuries were reported, he said, and a firewall prevented flames from reaching a wing of the lodge that houses guests, though none were staying there because of a power outage caused by high winds over the weekend.

Brough said 70 firefighters battled the flames, and water had to be trucked to the scene in tankers.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, but Brough said workers had been using the lodge's fireplace for heat due to the power outage.

Built in the 1930s at the foot of Mt. Meeker, 65 miles northwest of Denver, the 160-acre site was a children's summer camp for decades. The facility now hosts spiritual retreats for Catholics and other religious groups.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II spent an afternoon resting at the lodge and strolling the grounds when he attended World Youth Day, a gathering held at various locations every three years.

An iconic stone chapel, built on an outcropping east of the main building, was not damaged by the blaze.

A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Denver, which owns an operates the facility, said six people who live full time at the center lost all their belongings.

Wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour buffeted the area over the weekend. In adjacent Rocky Mountain National Park, winds uprooted numerous trees, including large ponderosa pines, a park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Bohan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111115/us_nm/us_colorado_fire_retreat

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Friday random sixteen: Yet another stupid ?greatest songs? list, part 1 (Offthekuff)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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