Occupy LA deadline comes, many say they won't go

Protesters bang against the main entrance to City Hall as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

Protesters bang against the main entrance to City Hall as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, November 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief Charles Beck announce plans to close City Hall Park to Occupy protesters as of midnight, Sunday, Nov. 27, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Robert Gauthier) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; SAN BERNARDINO SUN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT

This Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011 photo shows an eviction notice sign posted at the Occupy LA encampment on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall. The mayor and police chief have given protesters a deadline of 12:01 a.m. Monday, Nov. 28 to vacate. (AP Photo/Andrew Dalton)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? With the clock winding down on a midnight deadline to abandon their weeks-old Occupy Los Angeles protest, hundreds of demonstrators weren't going anywhere Sunday, as they made plans instead to hold an "eviction block party."

Although city officials have told protesters they must leave and take their nearly 500 tents with them by 12:01 a.m. Monday, just a handful were seen packing up Sunday.

Instead, some passed out fliers containing the city seal and the words: "By order of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, this notice terminates your tenancy and requires you to attend the Occupy L.A. Eviction Block Party," which the fliers' said was scheduled for 12:01 a.m.

Others attended teach-ins on resistance tactics, including how to stay safe should police begin firing rubber bullets or breaking out tear gas canisters and pepper spray.

"Their plan is to resist the closure of this encampment and if that means getting arrested so be it," said Will Picard, one of the protesters. "I think they just want to make the police tear it down rather than tear it down themselves."

Police, for their part, have said little about what tactic they would take if protesters ignore the deadline.

Chief Charlie Beck told reporters Friday that officers would definitely not be sweeping through the camp and arresting everyone the minute the clock ticks past midnight.

But in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that was published Sunday, Beck indicated he expects that arrests will become inevitable at some point.

"I have no illusions that everybody is going to leave," Beck said. "We anticipate that we will have to make arrests."

When it comes to that, he said, police officers "will not be the first ones to apply force."

Meanwhile, local clergy and labor leaders implored both sides to ensure that the 2-month-old demonstration remain peaceful.

"We are grateful to the Occupy movement for refocusing the country to the issue of income inequality," Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary and treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said in a statement issued Sunday.

"We call for nonviolence in all acts of civil disobedience by Occupy LA and in professional procedures by the LAPD. We are committed to a long-term movement from the 99 percent to hold Wall Street and the banks accountable for devastating our economy," Durazo added.

Villaraigosa has expressed admiration that, at least so far, the Occupy Los Angeles movement has remained peaceful, unlike those in some other cities around the country.

But while the mayor, a former labor organizer himself, has said he sympathizes with the movement, he added it's time to close the encampment of some 500 tents that dot the lawn in front of City Hall for the sake of public health and safety.

The 2-month-old movement is also at a crossroads, Villaraigosa said, and must "move from holding a particular patch of park to spreading the message of economic justice."

Although most protesters showed no signs of moving Monday, a few did seem to support the mayor's sentiments.

"I'm going," said Luke Hagerman, who sat looking sad and resigned in the tent he's lived in for a month. "I wish we could have got more done."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-27-Occupy%20Los%20Angeles/id-61937a25c8ca4b97b9a965693ee9d89c

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HELP! Europe Cannot Service Its Foreign Debt

The UK? has? $4.36 for each $1.00 of GDP. It owes hundreds of billions to Germany and Spain? while its banks are on the hook to Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

Spain owes $2.84 for every $1.00 of GDP? including large amounts to Germany and France.? France comes close to Spain with $2.25 of debt for every $1.00 of GDP.? Germany has $1.76 of debt for each $1.00 of GDP.

So, if the IMF needs $794 billion to bail out Italy? which has only? $1.63 of debt for each dollar of GDP? it suggests the cost of stabilizing all Europe is going to be quite a few trillions.

By comparison, the U.S. looks in quite a lot less trouble, since our foreign debt is $1.01 to every $1.00 of debt? with the largest amount held by China and Japan .

Of course, Italy?s need for a transfusion ism made immediately necessary by a borrowing rate of over 7.00%. Spain and France have the next highest borrowing costs. Germany only need pay some slight amount over 2.00% to borrow 10 year money.

The quandry for Europe is the combination of sovereign debt and bank debt, which in some cases is to be able to lend to the sovereign nations.

Imagine if the dollar was in danger of collapsing. Well, that?s apparently what?s going on with the euro. Too damned murky to call.

?

Ten Year Sovereign Borrowing Rate

U.S? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1.86%

U.K???????????????? 2.14%

France??????????? 3.67%

Germany???????? 2.05%

Italy??????? ? ? ? ? 7.29%

Spain?????????????? 6.59%

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2011/11/27/help-europe-cannot-service-its-foreign-debt/?feed=rss_home

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Biden's 2012 targets: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A year from Election Day, Democrats are crafting a campaign strategy for Vice President Joe Biden that targets the big three political battlegrounds: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, states where Biden might be more of an asset to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign than the president himself.

The Biden plan underscores an uncomfortable reality for the Obama team. A shaky economy and sagging enthusiasm among Democrats could shrink the electoral map for Obama in 2012, forcing his campaign to depend on carrying the 67 electoral votes up for grabs in the three swing states.

Obama won all three states in 2008. But this time he faces challenges in each, particularly in Ohio and Florida, where voters elected Republican governors in the 2010 midterm elections.

The president sometimes struggles to connect with Ohio and Pennsylvania's white working-class voters, and Jewish voters who make up a core constituency for Florida Democrats and view him with skepticism.

Biden has built deep ties to both groups during his four decades in national politics, connections that could make a difference.

As a long-serving member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden cemented his reputation as an unyielding supporter of Israel, winning the respect of many in the Jewish community. And Biden's upbringing in a working class, Catholic family from Scranton, Pa., gives him a valuable political intangible: He empathizes with the struggles of blue-collar Americans because his family lived those struggles.

"Talking to blue-collar voters is perhaps his greatest attribute," said Dan Schnur, a Republican political analyst. "Obama provides the speeches, and Biden provides the blue-collar subtitles."

While Biden's campaign travel won't kick into high gear until next year, he's already been making stops in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida this fall, speaking at events focused on education, public safety and small businesses and raising campaign cash. Behind the scenes, he's working the phones with prominent Jewish groups and Catholic organizations in those states, a Democratic official said.

Biden is also targeting organized labor, speaking frequently with union leaders in Ohio ahead of a vote earlier this month on a state law that would have curbed collective bargaining rights for public workers. After voters struck down the measure, Biden traveled to Cleveland to celebrate the victory with union members.

The Democratic official said the vice president will also be a frequent visitor to Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming weeks, seeking to steal some of the spotlight from the Republican presidential candidates blanketing those states ahead of the January caucus and primary.

And while Obama may have declared that he won't be commenting on the Republican presidential field until there's a nominee, Biden is following no such rules. He's calling out GOP candidates by name, and in true Biden style, he appears to be relishing in doing so.

During a speech last month to the Florida Democratic Convention, Biden singled out "Romney and Rick", criticizing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for saying the government should let the foreclosure crisis hit rock bottom, and hammering Texas Gov. Rick Perry's assertion that he would send U.S. troops into Mexico.

And he took on the full GOP field during an October fundraiser in New Hampshire, saying "There is no fundamental difference among all the Republican candidates."

Democratic officials said Biden will follow in the long-standing tradition of vice presidents playing the role of attack dog, allowing Obama to stay out of the fray and appear more focused on governing than campaigning.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy. The Obama campaign has been reluctant to publically define Biden's role in the re-election bid this early in the run, though campaign manager Jim Messina did say the vice president would deliver an economic message to appeal for support.

"You'll see him in communities across the country next year laying out the choice we face: restoring economic security for the middle class or returning to the same policies that led to our economic challenges," Messina said.

Democrats say Biden will campaign for House candidates in swing states as the party tries to recapture some of the seats in Congress lost during the 2010 midterms.

And here again, the vice president's efforts in politically crucial Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida could be most important. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting 12 districts in those states that Obama and Biden carried in the 2008 presidential race but are represented by Republican representatives.

New York Rep. Steve Israel, who chairs the committee, said he believes Biden could be a "game-changer" in those districts.

"All he has to do is ask voters, has the Republican strategy of no worked for you?" Israel said.

Israel met with Obama and Biden at the White House earlier this month to discuss, among other things, their role in congressional campaigns. While Israel said he hopes Obama will actively campaign for Democratic House candidates, he said "the vice president has already volunteered."

___

Julie Pace can be reached at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/democrats/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_el_pr/us_biden2012

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Worried shoppers greet "Black Friday" sales (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Bargain hunters flocked to U.S. stores late Thursday and overnight Friday, searching for deals while fretting about their own shaky economic well-being.

Some stores, looking to grab as big a piece as possible of what is expected to be a middling holiday shopping season, pushed post-Thanksgiving openings into Thursday evening or opened at midnight for the first time in years, getting a jump start on 'Black Friday', the traditional beginning to the U.S. holiday shopping season.

The strategy appeared to be working, judging from the 300 people who were lined up at a Toys R Us store on Long Island, New York before it opened at 9 p.m. on Thursday.

Shoppers were looking for bargains, but customers like James McBreaty were just what retailers wanted -- those who will also buy things beyond the "doorbuster" deals retailers offer to entice customers.

"We came for the deals but we were just discussing if we will buy things that aren't discounted," McBreaty, 32, a paralegal who was waiting with his wife Nicole, said. "Most likely the entire store isn't discounted but we're here so we'll probably buy some crap anyway." In reality, the shopping period has been underway for some time as retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Toys R Us started early by offering layaway programs.

Retailers, from Amazon.com to Wal-Mart, were also offering online deals as Thanksgiving has become one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.

Retail executives and analysts are predicting a more competitive season than 2010. Unemployment still remains at 9 percent, European debt woes are weighing on the stock market and consumer confidence remains spotty.

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, forecast a 2.8 percent increase in sales for the November-December holiday season, down from the 5.2 percent increase in 2010.

Some shoppers even feel as though the recession has returned, even if it has not shown up in economic data.

"This year, we are going to do shopping but I don't think it is going to be as much shopping as we usually do. Because of the recession, we are not going to shop as much," Desiree Schoolfield, 49, a public service profession from Queens who was shopping at the Toys R Us in Times Square, said.

MIXED VIEWS ON EARLY START

Earlier on Thursday, a line outside a Best Buy in Union, N.J., included shoppers who had pitched a tent to stay warm until the store's midnight opening, according to Charles O'Shea, a Moody's senior retail analyst.

O'Shea said he was visiting various retailers to gauge consumer traffic. The big draws are deals, like t-shirts for $6, down from $12. Bargains like those will be a fixture for the season, he said.

"There is no question that the shopper is looking for deals," O'Shea said. "Nobody wants to feel like they're leaving money on the table, especially when they have less money now."

NRF expects 152 million people to hit stores this weekend, up 10.1 percent from last year.

Wal-Mart, Old Navy, which is part of Gap Inc and KMart, owned by Sears Holdings', were among the few retailers open on Thanksgiving.

To narrow the gap in store hours with rivals, discounter Target Corp, electronics chain Best Buy and department store chains Macy's Inc and Kohl's Corp will open at midnight - their earliest starts ever.

Those midnight openings drew online petition protests from store workers, and some shoppers also did not like the early openings.

"Tonight all the stores decided to open at midnight which is difficult when you're trying to enjoy dinner with your family," said Louis Clapper, 24, as he shopped at the Walmart in Farmingdale, New York. "Normally I leave the house at midnight, or 3-4 a.m. for a 5 a.m. opening. The stores are opening earlier and earlier."

At Macy's in Herald Square, several Occupy Wall Street activists chanted "boycott Macy's" and "stop supporting big corporations" even as 9,000 people lined up to shop at the store.

Others retailers, including J.C. Penney Co Inc, are opening early Friday morning as they did last year.

Wal-Mart started its Black Friday "doorbuster" deals on Thursday at 10 p.m. at its stores. Amazon.com Inc, not to be outdone, will offer its deals online at 9 p.m.

The knock-down-drag-out fight comes as the rebound in sales cooled in October, when many top chains like Macy's and Saks reported disappointing sales.

It will be even tougher for chains that have struggled with sales declines lately, like Gap and Penney.

Last year, after a strong Black Friday weekend, shoppers sat on their hands until closer to Christmas. (Writing by Brad Dorfman in Milwaukee. Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan, Liana B. Baker and Phil Wahba in New York; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/bs_nm/us_usa_retail_thanksgiving

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NVIDIA's Tesla GPU powers Tsubame 2.0 to green supercomputer supremacy

The Green500 might not be quite as well known as the Top500, but it's no less of an honor to be counted among the world's most energy efficient supercomputers. NVIDIA is tooting its own horn for making it on to the list for the second year in a row as part of the "greenest" petaflop machine. The Tsubame 2.0 at the Tokyo Institute of Technology's Global Scientific Information Center is powered by Intel's Xeon CPUs, but NVIDIA's Tesla general purpose GPUs do a vast majority of the number crunching, allowing it to deliver 1.19 petaflops of performance while consuming only 1.2 megawatts. That's roughly 958 megaflops per watt, a huge increase over the most efficient CPU-only super computer, the Cielo Cray, which gets only 278 megaflops per watt. The Tsubame 2.0 isn't the greenest machine on the planet though, that honor belongs to IBM's BlueGene which takes the top five spots on the Green500. Still, number ten ain't bad... right? Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA's Tesla GPU powers Tsubame 2.0 to green supercomputer supremacy

NVIDIA's Tesla GPU powers Tsubame 2.0 to green supercomputer supremacy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Bobby Flay?s tips for golden-brown turkey perfection

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45427878#45427878

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AT&T braces for T-Mobile deal collapse (Reuters)

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) ? AT&T said it would take a $4 billion charge in case its takeover of T-Mobile USA fails, a tacit recognition of the dwindling chances that the deal will get through U.S. regulators who say it would destroy jobs and curb competition.

The U.S. telecommunications group and T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telekom, said they would continue to pursue anti-trust approval for the $39 billion takeover from the U.S. Department of Justice, but withdrew applications to the industry regulator, for now at least.

"AT&T Inc and Deutsche Telekom AG are continuing to pursue the sale of Deutsche Telekom's U.S. wireless assets to AT&T," they said in a statement on Thursday, the Thanksgiving Day holiday in the United States.

The $4 billion sum includes $3 billion in cash and a book value of $1 billion for spectrum access.

Both the DOJ and telecoms watchdog the U.S. Federal Communications Commission oppose the deal, which would reduce the number of national mobile carriers to three.

A senior FCC official said on Thursday afternoon, "The record clearly shows that - in no uncertain terms - this merger would result in a massive loss of U.S. jobs and investment."

Withdrawal of the application is subject to approval by the FCC, which has the right to determine whether and how the companies could resubmit an amended application in the future.

In any event, FCC approval would be meaningless if the DOJ blocked the transaction, and AT&T and Deutsche Telekom said they would return to the FCC process if they secured approval from the DOJ.

The collapse of the merger would be a blow to AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson who offered a massive break-up fee to Deutsche Telekom as a sign of confidence the deal, announced in March, would be approved.

Analysts said the merger, badly needed by sub-scale T-Mobile USA - the smallest of the four U.S. mobile operators - looked less likely than ever to succeed.

Espirito Santo analysts said AT&T's decision to take the $4 billion charge this quarter showed that the company's own assessment of the chances of success had fallen.

"It tells us something about timing too - suggesting that AT&T may decide to walk away at the first opportunity (March 20, 2012) rather than waiting for the ultimate September 20, 2012 deadline," they wrote in a note to clients.

Deutsche Telekom shares finished the day down 0.6 percent at 8.69 euros.

The companies' advisers stand to lose a total of $150 million in fees. T-Mobile's advisers Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup, and AT&T's banks Greenhill & Co, Evercore Partners and JPMorgan Chase were on course to earn between $18 million and $36 million apiece, according to earlier estimates from Thomson Reuters/Freeman Consulting.

JOB SITUATION

Thursday's decision follows a blow earlier this week when the FCC said it would try to send the deal to an administrative law judge for review.

The DOJ has also said it would lead to higher wireless prices for consumers and businesses.

The DOJ has gone to court to block the deal and a trial in that case is due to begin on February 13. Any administrative hearing at the FCC, which is charged with evaluating the public-interest merits of the proposal, would begin after the anti-trust trial.

AllianceBernstein analysts said in a note that a pretrial settlement with the DOJ was not a "likely" prospect.

AT&T has 260,000 employees, mostly in the United States. Deutsche Telekom employs 36,000 at its U.S. unit.

AT&T argued that the T-Mobile merger could actually create tens of thousands of jobs during integration and network upgrades, and has pledged to bring back 5,000 jobs that it moved overseas -- but many observers are skeptical.

The break-up package includes $3 billion in cash as well as a commitment to give T-Mobile USA spectrum and let its customers roam on the AT&T network. Some sources have valued the total break-up package at $6 billion but AT&T has never confirmed this number.

NO 'PLAN B'

Acquiring T-Mobile would vault No. 2-ranked AT&T into the leading position in the U.S. wireless market, overtaking Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.

It would also solve a years-long problem for Deutsche Telekom, whose U.S. unit has long ceased being a source of growth and is in urgent need of investment.

At least one analyst suggested that AT&T might instead end up trying to restructure its agreement with T-Mobile USA in the hope of appeasing regulators.

It could limit its purchase to T-Mobile USA's spectrum licenses and its network so that the Deutsche Telekom unit could keep its customer base and rent space on the AT&T network, Citi analyst Michael Rollins said in a research note after the FCC announced its plan on Tuesday.

Credit rating agency Moody's said it believed Deutsche Telekom would rather exit the U.S. market than go it alone.

However, the ratings agency believes that Deutsche Telekom will fight aggressively alongside AT&T to salvage the sale process to improve its weak position in the United States.

A failure would throw Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Rene Obermann's strategy into disarray and may force him to throw money at a business he thought he was rid of.

Deutsche Telekom may be forced to sell assets closer to home and take a knife to its cost base, bankers told Reuters.

The company faces a long delay at best and may be driven back into the arms of No. 3 U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel -- a less suitable partner for whom T-Mobile USA would not be worth nearly as much now as it was to AT&T in March.

While according to sources, Sprint had also been courting T-Mobile USA before AT&T stole its thunder, there are huge questions about whether it could afford a T-Mobile USA purchase.

Sprint, which has been losing customers, recently tapped debt markets for $4 billion to help refinance maturing debts as it looks to pay for a $7 billion network upgrade of its own in the next two years and a $15.5 billion iPhone agreement with Apple Inc that spans four years.

(Additional reporting by Chris Steitz and Maria Sheahan in Frankfurt and Sinead Carew, Phil Wahba in New York and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Chris Wickham, Maureen Bavdek and Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/bs_nm/us_deutschetelekom

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Studying bat skulls, evolutionary biologists discover how species evolve

ScienceDaily (Nov. 23, 2011) ? A new study involving bat skulls, bite force measurements and scat samples collected by an international team of evolutionary biologists is helping to solve a nagging question of evolution: Why some groups of animals develop scores of different species over time while others evolve only a few. Their findings appear in the current issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

To answer this question, Elizabeth Dumont at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Liliana D?valos of Stony Brook University together with colleagues at UCLA and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, compiled large amounts of data on the diet, bite force and skull shape in a family of New World bats, and took advantage of new statistical techniques to date and document changes in the rate of evolution of these traits and the number of species over time.

They investigated why there are so many more species of New World Leaf-Nosed bats, nearly 200, while their closest relatives produced only 10 species over the same period of time. Most bats are insect feeders, while the New World Leaf-Nosed bats eat nectar, fruit, frogs, lizards and even blood.

One hypothesis is that the evolution of a trait, such as head shape, that gives access to new resources can lead to the rapid evolution of many new species. As Dumont and D?valos explain, connecting changes in body structure to an ecological opportunity requires showing that a significant increase in the number of species occurred in tandem with the appearance of new anatomical traits, and that those traits are associated with enhanced resource use.

"If the availability of fruit provided the ecological opportunity that, in the presence of anatomical innovations that allowed eating the fruit, led to a significant increase in the birth of new species, then skull morphology should predict both diet and bite force" they said. They found support for these predictions by analyzing thousands of evolutionary trees of more than 150 species, measuring over 600 individual bat skulls of 85 species, testing bite force in over 500 individual bats from 39 species in the field and examining thousands of scat samples to identify the bats' diets.

They found that the emergence of a new skull shape in New World Leaf-Nosed bats about 15 million years ago led to an explosion of many new bat species. The new shape was a low, broad skull that allowed even small bats to produce the strong bite needed to eat hard fruits. The rate of birth of new species jumped as this new shape evolved, and this group of bats quickly increased the proportion of fruit in their diet. Change in shape slowed once this new skull had evolved.

It can be difficult for evolutionary biologists to demonstrate that traits related to anatomical changes, also called "morphological innovations" such as a new skull shape, give certain groups a survival advantage when new food sources, such as hard fruits, become available.

"This study conducted during the International Year of the Bat offers a clear example of how the evolution of new traits, in this case a skull with a new shape, allowed animals to use new resources and eventually, to rapidly evolve into many new species," Dumont says. "We found that when a new ecological niche opened up with an opportunity for bats that could eat hard fruits, they shifted their diet significantly, which in turn led to the evolution of new species."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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Journal Reference:

1. Elizabeth R. Dumont, Liliana M. D?valos, Aaron Goldberg, Sharlene E. Santana, Katja Rex, and Christian C. Voigt. Morphological innovation, diversification and invasion of a new adaptive zone. Proc. R. Soc. B, November 23, 2011 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2005

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111123133520.htm

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Investing Stock Market place Fx Comparison | Estate Of ?

The Forex market place trades global currency and is one particular of the most lively and most significant markets in the world averaging around one particular trillion pounds per day. This investing medium is a way for companies, people and others to make a gain utilizing different currency charges. Traders decide which currency has the prospective to increase in worth and which currency decreases in appeal then trade in pairs to complete their investing ambitions.

Investing in industry forex provides main positive aspects to the modest and huge investors. Fx investing include investing in nations vs . investing in the market place, which bargains with businesses. Fx provides its investors 24 hour accessibility. Considering that it bargains with distinct nations, it is not affected by vacations. Therefore, if one particular marketplace closes another a single is opened, the market place on the other hand does not provide 24 hours entry and closes on major holidays.

When somebody chooses Forex trading as their investing venue, the investor should get the time to examine the state they are intrigued in investing. This is to make certain they make a consensus selection. A stock industry investor really should analysis the organization as properly. The disadvantage to investing in the Forex marketplace unlike the stock market, it is not broadly known like the markets.

Investing in the stock market place and Foreign exchange makes a great investment portfolio. The stock market place has the likely of creating dimensions-in a position gain, but it is not with out danger. Even so, the market when use as prolonged term investing instrument is 1 of the best methods to develop prosperity. Its heritage has proven double digits gain when consumers commit long expression as opposed to small phrase.

An additional difference in between Foreign exchange investing and stock market place investing Fx market enables its traders to liquidate their cash into income. This is completed with no any problems regardless to the region currency. This is a excellent benefit when you need your income right away.

No matter to what investing venue you pick, it is imperative to just take the time to investigation and familiarize your self with the pros and cons of employing either the stock industry or Foreign exchange. Because, this will ensure that you will have a productive investing portfolio.

Stock Market Holiday

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Source: http://estateof.com/2011/11/21/investing-stock-market-place-fx-comparison/

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Mariners' Halman killed, brother arrested (Reuters)

ROTTERDAM (Reuters) ? Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death in Rotterdam on Monday and his brother has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Dutch-born Halman, 24, was signed as a free agent by Seattle in 2004 and after a long spell in the minor leagues he was called up to the majors last year.

"A 24-year-old died this morning in a stabbing and we have arrested the 22-year-old brother of the victim," a Rotterdam police spokesman said.

Dutch television station NOS-TV said Halman's family had been informed.

The Dutchman helped Netherlands win the 2007 European Baseball Championship.

Halman had helped boost baseball in Europe by holding coaching clinics with youngsters when not playing for the Mariners.

He had featured in 35 games for the Mariners last season, scoring seven runs and holding a batting average of .230.

(Editing by Mark Meadows)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/sp_nm/us_baseball_halman

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Well: Patients, Too, Turn to the Internet for Fund-Raising

On Jessica Haley?s 28th birthday in June, she posted a wish on the fund-raising Web site IndieGoGo. Ms. Haley and her husband, Sean, of Melbourne, Fla., wanted a baby, but their insurance did not cover fertility treatment.

To their astonishment, donations started pouring in. Word of the couple?s plight spread on Twitter and Facebook, and a ?Help the Haleys Have a Baby? campaign raised $8,050 ? including $423 from a total stranger.

?It was miraculous ? I can barely talk about it still,? Ms. Haley said. ?It was this hidden community that lifted us up and was helping us through this really difficult time.?

Online fund-raising ? a common tactic for nonprofit groups and charity events ? is starting to spread to the world of costly health care. Although some Web sites do not accept such personal appeals (Ms. Haley?s was rejected by the first site she tried), dozens of health-oriented campaigns have appeared on IndieGoGo in recent months.

They cover a wide range of needs, from small medical expenses to extensive cancer treatments and even organ transplants. The family of a man with Parkinson?s disease is trying to raise money to offset the costs of his care. In Florida and Texas, families are trying to raise money to cover costs for two men with advanced colon cancer. Friends of a 26-year-old Brooklyn man who suffered a spinal cord injury are seeking $25,000.

Posting to IndieGoGo is free, but the site takes 4 percent of the money raised. (To encourage users to set reasonable goals, the site imposes a 9 percent fee if a campaign falls short of the fund-raising goal.) Slava Rubin, who helped found IndieGoGo in 2008, says successful health-oriented campaigns on the site now number in the ?hundreds.?

For Mr. Rubin, 33, it is a personal matter. He was just 15 when his father died of multiple myeloma. He uses the site himself for Music Against Myeloma, an annual charity event, as well as other cancer fund-raising campaigns.

?We created a funding platform that was purposefully very open, so when people used it for personal health it wasn?t shocking to us,? he said. ?I think health care issues and personal health campaigns make sense, because our health care system can be very expensive sometimes. Sometimes people just need to try a different direction to get funded what they need to get funded.?

To prevent fraud, the site requires campaign sponsors to provide information about their bank account, and it uses a fraud algorithm to detect suspicious activity. But ultimately, Mr. Rubin said, it is ?the crowd? that decides if a cause is legitimate.

Most campaigns will not get off the ground without initial support from family and friends. Most campaigns receive about 80 percent of donations from networks of friends, and friends of friends, while about 20 percent of the donations come from strangers.

?Very rarely will random strangers fund an empty campaign,? Mr. Rubin said. ?If your friends won?t fund you, chances are no one will fund you.?

Last winter, Jeffery Self, a 24-year-old actor and writer in Los Angeles, broke a tooth that later became infected and required at least $3,400 in dental surgery and repair. Lacking insurance, he feared he would lose a newly booked acting job because he could not afford to fix his tooth.

But after seeing friends raise money online to support independent films and music, Mr. Self made a humorous video for IndieGoGo, appealing for $1 and $2 donations for dental work. (?Hi, my name is Jeffery Self,? he begins with a snaggle-toothed smile, ?and I didn?t always look like this.?) To his surprise, he raised $3,650.

?I said, ?I know this is really weird crazy and strange, but I?m desperate and I need your help,? ? he explained in an interview. ?People want to use the Internet for good. We are so oversaturated with bad stuff on the Internet, when the opportunity comes to help each other out, I think it?s nice to do it.?

Daniel Weiss, a filmmaker and writer in Maui, Hawaii, has created slide shows and videos for IndieGoGo health fund-raisers to help several of his friends. It started when he heard of a friend?s 7-year-old niece with macular degeneration who wanted to see London and Paris before losing her sight. The campaign raised $5,075 toward travel costs.

Another campaign has raised $11,000 for a friend?s 2-year-old son with a congenital heart defect. Mr. Weiss is also supporting the campaign to raise at least $7,000 for the family of a man with Parkinson?s disease.

?They might lose their home, but even if we don?t meet our goal it will certainly help them in their situation,? said Mr. Weiss, who says he does not charge for his services. ?It?s astonishing and heartwarming to feel the compassion coming from a complete stranger.?

Ms. Haley says the downside of public fund-raising is the requirement to discuss her private struggles with infertility. Several women posted their own supportive stories, although a few people criticized her for not pursuing adoption. (Ms. Haley said she and her husband had not ruled it out.)

While most donors were friends or friends of friends, she said, about 20 percent appeared to be total strangers.

Recently, Ms. Haley returned to her IndieGoGo page, but not to raise more money. This time she posted news: She is pregnant. Mr. Rubin, the site?s co-founder, now refers to the event as ?the first crowd-funded baby.?

?I cried millions of times that day out of pure excitement and joy,? Ms. Haley said. ?It was amazing to get all that support through a computer.?

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=27d0cc4ce128a019b5f54cf7c5b17d08

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Rights group: Syrian troops kill kids near school

AMMAN?? Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad killed 23 civilians and five army deserters on Tuesday in a crackdown on an eight-month uprising against Assad's rule, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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Among those killed were four children shot dead by troops near a school in the central region of Houla and a 12-year-old killed at a protest in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, said the group, which is led by exiled dissident Rami Abdelrahman.

Four deserters were killed when troops stormed a farm where they were hiding near the southern city of Deraa on the Jordan border. The troops also shot dead six villagers at the farm.

A fifth deserter was killed in Qusair near the Lebanese border, the group said.

It was not possible to confirm the killings independently. The authorities, who blame the unrest on "armed terrorist groups," have barred most independent media.

A YouTube video purportedly showed one of the children, Abdelqader Maher Arslan, lying on the floor of a house in Houla with a bullet wound to the back of his head surrounded by members of his family.

Local activists said an armoured column entered the region overnight and troops erected roadblocks after a funeral for an activist turned into an anti-Assad protest. They added that tanks fired heavy machineguns and troops manning the roadblocks opened fire at random in the morning.

Four people were killed in raids on residential districts, including a disabled man in the neighborhood of Khalidiya, and firing from roadblocks in the provincial capital of Homs, 22 km (12 miles) southeast of Houla, the Observatory said.

Anti-Assad rallies were held during the evening in the district, together with protests in Bab Dreib, Bab Sbaa and al-Waar neighborhoods, activists said.

The Observatory said the other killings occurred in the northwestern province of Idlib near the border with Turkey, where two construction workers were killed by tank machinegun fire, and in the province of Hama, where protests have been growing since an assault three months ago.

Activists in Damascus said security police arrested 40 people in the capital's northeastern suburb of Harasta, adding to several hundreds of people who have been detained since an attack by deserters last week on a police complex in the suburb. In Brussels, the European Union urged the Syrian opposition on Tuesday to work closely with the Arab League towards democratic transition and said anti-government groups needed an "inclusive" political platform.

EU talks with opposition group
The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton held talks with the Syrian National Council (SNC) as part of intensifying European contacts with opposition groups.

"She welcomed the ongoing efforts by the Syrian opposition to establish a united platform and to work for a shared vision for the future of Syria and the transition to a democratic system," Ashton's spokesman, Michael Mann, said.

"She also highlighted the importance of an inclusive opposition political platform taking in all religious and ethnic communities," he said.

The EU has not yet recognized the council or any other Syrian opposition group as representative of anti-government groups contesting the rule of al-Assad.

Young and restless: Demographics fuel Mideast protests

EU diplomats have argued opposition in Syria was too fragmented and lacked the clear political platform that allowed them to engage more closely this year with Libyan rebels who eventually toppled Moammar Gadhafi. There were also concerns about participation of Islamists groups in the opposition.

But EU governments have imposed extensive sanctions such as an oil embargo to put financial pressure on Assad to halt a violent crackdown on protests and give up power. The United Nations says 3,500 people have been killed since the protests erupted in March.

Further EU measures are likely to be formally approved at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers on Dec. 1.

The Arab League has also put pressure on Assad and its deadline for him to pull the military out of urban centres, free political prisoners and start a dialogue under the 22-member group's initiative to end the bloodshed in Syria expired at the weekend.

But Assad said in an interview published on Sunday he would not bow to international pressure to stop the crackdown.

"The High Representative encouraged the SNC to continue to engage with the Arab League to support its efforts towards a successful transition," her spokesman said.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45407546/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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The Next Windows Won't Be a Nightmare to Install [Video]

More good news from Microsoft: Windows 8's upgrade process won't be like a mythological Greek hell punishment. Through clever software design, Windows 8 's setup will blow Windows 7 away—82% fewer clicks, and massively cut install times. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6LhRKOGyCB4/the-next-windows-wont-be-a-nightmare-to-install

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Man City maintains title charge

Jon Super / AP

Manchester City's Mario Balotelli, top center, celebrates with teammates after scoring from the penalty spot against Newcastle United during their English Premier League soccer match at The Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

updated 5:08 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2011

LONDON - Manchester City stands as the last unbeaten team in the Premier League after a 3-1 victory over Newcastle on Saturday handed the Magpies their first loss of the season.

Mario Balotelli's first-half penalty was followed by a goal from Micah Richards three minutes later, both the result of errors from defender Ryan Taylor.

Sergio Aguero slotted in another penalty to put the Premier League leaders 3-0 ahead before Dan Gosling's late consolation for a Newcastle side that started the day in third place.

The victory leaves City with a record of 11 wins and one draw from their opening 12 games, the day after the club announced a record loss of 194.9 million pounds for its previous fiscal year.

That marks the best start to a season in Premier League history, with City also having scored 42 goals so far.

"I hope we continue like this," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "But I think in the 26 games we have left, we will reach a time when we lose a game, I'm sure of it.

"As players, as a team, we are very strong now but the season is long and there will be difficult moments ahead. For this reason, it's important we know we can score goals and win games in a row."

City was required to withstand a couple of bright moments from Newcastle, who had arrived in Manchester with the best defensive record in the top division, but effectively killed off the game with two goals in four minutes just before the interval.

Hatem Ben Arfa's decisive 33rd minute pass played Demba Ba through on goal but the Newcastle forward succeeded only in drawing a fine reaction save from the City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

That miss looked costly after 40 minutes when Balotelli's goalbound shot struck the arm of Ryan Taylor. Balotelli showed great composure in rolling a nonchalant penalty kick into the bottom right-hand corner of the Newcastle net, his sixth goal of the season.

Four minutes later, Ryan Taylor was again culpable when he failed to control Samir Nasri's pass, laying the ball into the path of Richards who delivered an impressive left-foot finish that doubled City's lead.

Nasri and Aguero continued to create major problems for the visitors but Newcastle should have reduced the deficit on the hour when a mistake by Joleon Lescott let in Ben Arfa whose tremendous shot beat Hart but not the left-hand post, the ball rebounding to safety.

Aguero continued to be in the thick of the action, forcing goalkeeper Tim Krul into one brave block and Hart did likewise in keeping out a shot from Danny Guthrie who had been allowed too much space in the City area.

But the outcome of the game was put beyond all doubt in the 71st minute when David Silva's pass sent Richards sprinting into the area only for the impressive full-back to be hauled down by Ben Arfa.

With Balotelli having been replaced by Silva, the task of penalty taker passed to Aguero who beat Krul with another calm and collected spot kick.

Newcastle continued to show self-belief, however, and claimed a deserved last-minute consolation goal when James Perch's pass was deflected into the path of Ba by Lescott. After Hart blocked the initial attempt, Gosling rolled the ball into the vacant goal.

"City are the best side we have played by some distance, they are very very powerful," Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said. "We're a good side and how we are going to evolve, how we are going to deal with the disappointment of this is still unknown."

City now turn their attentions to Tuesday's important Champions League group qualifying game against Napoli in his homeland.

"My feeling is good about the Napoli game because I think our team has improved a lot in the Champions League," Mancini said. "But I know what we will find in Naples and Napoli this season are playing very, very well at home.

"If we want to win in Naples we will have to play better than this, in the Premier League."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Beckham looks for fantastic?finish

David Beckham will play for his first MLS championship on Sunday with the Los Angeles Galaxy, hoping to lift the Cup in vindication of his groundbreaking American experiment.

Harold Cunningham / Getty Images

Blatter?'sorry'

FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologizes, sort of, for offending people with his racism remarks but refuses to resign.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45360770/ns/sports-soccer/

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Mila Kunis Attends Marine Corps Ball!

Mila Kunis is a woman of her word. She promised Sgt. Scott Moore last summer that she would attend the Marine Corps Ball with him and last night she did just that. Last night Sgt. Scott Moore walked into the Greenville, North Carolina Convention Center with a date everyone would know, Mila Kunis. The actress was decked out is a form fitting black dress while Moore was in his dress blues for the event. According to RadarOnline another Marine at the ball said that The Friends With Benefits actress had a good time and that she was lucky to have been able to go on a date with a Marine. Kunis had previously tweeted that she was happy to be going to the ball with Scott. The whole celebs being asked to the annual ball for the Marines all began with Mila. The YouTube video in which Sgt. Scott Moore asked the lovely Kunis to be his date started a slew of videos asking celebrities to the various Marine Corps balls through out the country. If you missed Scott?s invitation to Mila you can see it in the below video. He is dressed in full combat gear looking pretty darn [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/yfYH-fU40Oo/

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Movie asst. who worked with kids is sex offender (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A newspaper report says a casting assistant who helped choose child actors for "Cheaper By The Dozen 2" and other child-friendly movies is a convicted child molester.

The Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/uwCFHp ) reports that 35-year-old Jason James Murphy has worked with children in Hollywood for a decade by using the name Jason James.

Murphy served five years in prison for the 1996 crime of kidnapping and molesting an 8-year-old boy in suburban Seattle and underwent sex-offender counseling.

Murphy registered as a sex offender in California in 2005, but worked under a different name.

California law prohibits offenders from working alone with minor children, or to have supervision or disciplinary power over children.

Los Angeles police say they're looking into whether he is in compliance with state requirements for sex offenders.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_movie_asst_worked_kids_sex_offender065208046/43641530/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/movie-asst-worked-kids-sex-offender-065208046.html

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Americans in charge Down Under at Presidents Cup

Tiger Woods of the U.S. team tees off on the 8th hole during the third round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Tiger Woods of the U.S. team tees off on the 8th hole during the third round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Tiger Woods of the U.S. team hits out of a bunker on the ninth hole during the third round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. ( AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

Tiger Woods of the U.S. team lines up a put during the third round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

U.S. team's Bubba Watson talks with teammate Webb Simpson on the 5th green during the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/David Callow)

Phil Mickelson of the U.S. team hits out of a bunker on the 9th hole during the third round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? So much about this Presidents Cup resembles the last time it was played at Royal Melbourne, from the sudden drop in temperatures to Tiger Woods winning only one point to a final day that holds so little drama.

The difference is the team on the verge of hoisting the gold cup.

The Americans built a big lead Saturday morning in the foursomes matches, with Woods finally rewarded with a point, then turned back a rally from the International team in the worst of the weather in the afternoon by capturing the final two matches.

"We needed those two points really bad," U.S. captain Fred Couples said. "And they got them for us."

Hunter Mahan delivered the most emotional moment of the week, holing a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th right after Jason Day charged up the Australian crowd with an even longer birdie putt which he celebrated as if the match would be extended. Instead, Mahan and Bill Haas had a 2-and-1 win.

Moments later, Jim Furyk finished off the wild day with a clutch bunker shot on the 16th hole, and Nick Watney secured a par on the final hole for a 1-up decision over Adam Scott and Ernie Els that changed everything.

Those last two wins gave the Americans a 13-9 lead going into the 12 singles matches Sunday, a deficit from which no team has recovered in the 17-year history of this tournament.

The largest rally in any team event was when the Americans came from four points down to win the 1999 Ryder Cup. International captain Greg Norman didn't wag his finger and say he had a good feeling about this, as Ben Crenshaw did at Brookline.

He wasn't giving up, either, nor was his team.

"It's going to have to be a remarkable day tomorrow," Scott said. "But we have a shot. That's all we can ask for. It's not over."

The only time the International side has won this event was at Royal Melbourne in 1998, when it had a nine-point lead going into the Sunday singles and the cup was won as breakfast was still being served.

Woods was 1-3 that year going into the final day, only he wasn't alone. None of the Americans played well, leading to their worst loss ever in any team competition.

Woods finally put up a point Saturday morning in foursomes with Dustin Johnson. It wasn't pretty, but they forged ahead with a few pars and Woods ended the match by rolling in a 25-foot birdie putt. In the afternoon, Woods couldn't buy a putt. Despite putting for birdie on every hole ? only one of those from off the green ? he missed nine putts from about 15 feet and closer.

That included the 18th hole, when he missed a putt for a halve, and K.T. Kim knocked in a 6-foot par to give him and Y.E. Yang their first win of the week.

"It's all about making putts in match play, and we didn't do that," Woods said. "It just one of those things where that's how it all turns out. But hey, right now we've got a nice lead. And hopefully, tomorrow we can get the four-and-a-half points we need."

Webb Simpson will lead off the singles session against Kim, with Woods in the 11th spot against Aaron Baddeley.

The International team, which has won the Presidents Cup only once since it began in 1994, was hopeful that being in Australia would lead to another win, just like in 1998. Back then, it got plenty of help from its local players. With five Australians on this year's team, it hasn't worked out that way.

Robert Allenby, a captain's pick, was the only player on either side to not win a point. Scott is 1-3, while Baddeley and Day have faltered on the back nine throughout the week. Geoff Ogilvy is the only Australian with a winning record, as he and K.J. Choi won a tight match Saturday afternoon against Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker.

The Americans continue to dominate the foursomes matches, as they have the last three years with a combined 25?-7? margin. Most peculiar about this day, however, was the weather.

It started with a warm breeze and occasional rain. It ended in a steady rain, temperatures that plunged into the high 50s and a wind out of the opposite direction from when the day started.

"I've been coming to Melbourne for quite a few years," said Els, who teamed with Ryo Ishikawa for the International's only point in the morning foursomes. "I've played the north breeze and the southwesterly. But today was quite amazing. It blew from the north, and then it turned around and came from the south. We've had it all this week.

"Yesterday it was rock hard ... and today it was almost blowing like in Scotland."

The stars of the American team have been Furyk and Phil Mickelson, who have yet to lose a match. Furyk and Mickelson were 3-0 as a team until Couples sat Mickelson out Saturday afternoon, ending his streak of 32 consecutive matches played in this event, dating to the first session in 1998.

Furyk teamed with Watney and watched the Presidents Cup rookie hole one big putt after another.

"I felt like we went through about three different seasons today," Furyk said. "It was a tough day and a long day for those who played 36, and this morning was big for us to go 4-1 in five matches. And we hung on this afternoon, getting a point in those last two matches. We put ourselves in good position and have to come out firing tomorrow."

Retief Goosen and Charl Schwartzel handed Simpson and Bubba Watson their first loss of the week in the opening foursomes match in the afternoon. Even though the Americans rallied, it was the first time they had lost a session since singles in 2007 at Royal Montreal.

It still wasn't enough for them to lose control. In wild weather, the Americans kept their big lead.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-19-GLF-Presidents-Cup/id-b506d86436d9467c8fc5360df64fad57

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Cain thumbs nose at Union Leader (Politico)

POLITICO's Reid Epstein, on the ground in Manchester, N.H., reports:

Herman Cain's campaign stuck a finger in the eye of the most powerful conservative voice in New Hampshire on Thursday, blowing off a scheduled interview with the Union Leader newspaper.

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Before Cain's no-show, the campaign had requested the 10 a.m. meeting, scheduled for 60 minutes, be shortened to 20 minutes. Cain also told the Union Leader it would not allow C-SPAN cameras to record the sit-down, as it had the paper's meetings with Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum.

The Associated Press reported Cain's meeting with the paper was canceled before Union Leader editorial page editor Drew Cline was aware that the former pizza executive was not coming.

Messing with the Union Leader could have serious consequences for Cain in New Hampshire. The paper's endorsement is the state's biggest prize for Republicans and is seen as a conservative stamp of approval elsewhere in the country.

Cline mocked Cain on Twitter, asking: "If Cain is more than 30 minutes late for our interview, is the next one free?"

Before it was clear that Cain was not coming, the paper's publisher, Joe McQuaid, said he would not conduct a 20-minute interview.

Cain forbade the C-SPAN cameras after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted footage of Cain struggling to answer a question about President Barack Obama's handling of Libya during a meeting there on Monday.

Cain's spokesman, J.D. Gordon, later explained that the former pizza executive was going on four hours sleep and said the episode was not a gaffe because Cain ultimately was able to explain his position.

Epstein adds that it's now official that the editorial board meeting is off, with this from publisher Joe McQuaid:

"I think it's crazy for a guy who want to be a major presidential candidate here in New Hampshire not to take the opportunity for a full-length interview with the state's largest newspaper. The window is drawing to a close and my guys have other things to do," he said. "Gingrich scheduled for for interview on Monday. And it will be televised on C-SPAN. Cain was here earlier but not for a full-blown interview."

McQuaid, asked whether he thought Cain was dissing the Union Leader, replied, "No. It's politics and campaigns. I don't think the guy is going anywhere now anyway."

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_68589_html/43633422/SIG=11mdbjdit/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68589.html

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AP Sources: Keselowski fined for critical comments

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Brad Keselowski has been fined by NASCAR for criticizing electronic fuel injection, The Associated Press has learned.

Multiple people familiar with the punishment told AP on Thursday about Keselowski's fine. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR did not publicize the fine.

NASCAR has been privately punishing drivers for making disparaging remarks about the series over the last two years.

The fine is believed to be $25,000.

"We're not doing this because it's better for the teams," Keselowski said last week during an appearance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame . "I don't think we're really going to save any gas. It's a media circus, trying to make you guys happy so you write good stories. It gives them something to promote. We're always looking for something to promote, but the honest answer is it does nothing for the sport except cost the team owners money.

"Cars on the street are injected with real electronics, not a throttle body (like in NASCAR). So we've managed to go from 50-year-old technology to 35-year-old technology. I don't see what the big deal is."

NASCAR has called the move to electronic fuel injection part of its green initiative and said engines should run more efficiently by controlling the fuel mixture through electronics.

NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp acknowledged there had been conversations with Keselowski.

"We did talk to Brad following his recent comments that were highly critical of the series moving to electronic fuel injection next season," Tharp said. "We made it clear to him that these kind of comments are detrimental to the sport, and we handled it accordingly with him."

In the past NASCAR has quietly fined Ryan Newman for criticizing racing at Talladega and Denny Hamlin for posts he made on Twitter.

Earlier this year, Newman was fined $50,000 for an incident with Juan Pablo Montoya. NASCAR has refused to discuss the fine or what happened with Montoya to earn Newman the penalty.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-17-NASCAR-Keselowski%20Fined/id-22d230d7f56946f4ba3ca5edd4096ec1

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Balanced Budget Vote Beckons (TIME)

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

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Obama boosts U.S. military presence in Australia (Reuters)

CANBERRA (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday unveiled plans for a deepening of the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific, starting with thousands of U.S. Marines operating out of a defacto military base in the Australian port of Darwin.

U.S. troops in Darwin, only 820 kms (500 miles) from Indonesia, would be able to react quickly to any humanitarian and security issues in Southeast Asia, where disputes over sovereignty of the South China Sea are causing rising tensions.

"With my visit to the region I am making it clear that the United States is stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific region," Obama told a joint news conference with Gillard in Canberra.

Deployment of an initial company of 200-250 Marines would begin in 2012 and expand to up to 2,500 eventually, Gillard said.

The move may be seen by Beijing as further evidence of Washington's attempt to encircle China, with U.S. bases in Japan and Korea and now troops in Australia.

"We hope that bilateral cooperation between the countries concerned will be of benefit to the peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Some Asian nations are expected to welcome the U.S. move as a counterbalance to China's growing power, especially its expanding maritime operations, and a reassurance that Washington will not scale back its engagement in the region due to a stretched U.S. military budget.

"The United States hopes to militarily strengthen alliance relations with Japan in the north and with Australia in the south, with the clear intention of counter-balancing China," Su Hao, the director of the Asia-Pacific Researcher Center at the Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, told the Global Times, a popular Chinese newspaper.

OBAMA TO RAISE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Obama's visit to Australia, greeted with a 21 gun salute, marks 60 years of the U.S.-Australia alliance which has seen their troops fight in every major war.

"To the People of Australia, with whom we have stood together for a century of progress and sacrifice. On this 60th Anniversary of our Alliance, we resolve that our bonds will never be broken, and our friendship will last for all time," he wrote in Gillard's guest book.

The winding down of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has opened the door to greater U.S. attention to simmering tension over the South China Sea, a shipping lane for more than $5 trillion in annual trade that the United States wants to keep open.

Obama plans to raise maritime security in the South China Sea at a regional summit on Bali this week, defying China's desire to keep this sensitive topic off the agenda.

China claims the entire maritime region, a vital commercial shipping route rich in oil, minerals and fishery resources.

But Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei hold rivals claims to at least parts of the sea and tension occasionally flares up into maritime stand-offs.

China has generally sought to avoid flare-ups over tensions with the United States and its allies in 2011.

Obama will make an "anchor speech" outlining the U.S. vision for the Asia-Pacific to the Australian parliament on Thursday before a whistle stop in Darwin. He then flies to the Indonesian island of Bali for the East Asia summit.

DEFACTO BASE

Darwin, nicknamed the "Pearl Harbour of Australia" after a World War Two Japanese raid dropped more bombs on the city than those on Pearl Harbour, will give the U.S. military open access to East Asia sea lanes and the Indian Ocean.

Australia says hosting U.S. troops and the pre-positioning of U.S. supplies in Darwin is not the precursor to a U.S. base, but analysts say rotating more than 2,000 U.S. marines in and out of the northern port city, and more frequent U.S. naval visits, will give Washington a defacto base.

"The Chinese have gotten used to the fact that Australia and the United States have a very close military relationship. They expect nothing different," said Australian Defense Minister Kim Beazley.

Australia and the United States jointly operate an intelligence base at Pine Gap in the Australian outback and routinely take part in military exercises. But the Darwin deployment will be the largest in Australia since World War Two when General Douglas MacArthur moved his war headquarters there.

Analysts say Australia needs to balance its military relationship with the United States with its economic dependence on China, which is a voracious buyer or coal, iron ore and other resources.

"Economic cooperation with China is increasingly important for Australia's future development," said Su from the Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.

"On the other hand, Australia is committed to maintaining its traditional alliance with the United States...That's a security challenge for Australia. I'm sure that Australia won't take this too far."

(Additional reporting by Michael Perry and Jim Regan in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oceania/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111116/ts_nm/us_usa_australia

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