ethiopian news: November 2011

Monday, November 28, 2011

OECD issues stark warning on global economy

PARIS (AP) ? The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Monday policy makers around the world must "be prepared to face the worst," as the economic impact of Europe's debt crisis threatens to spread around the developed world.

The Paris-based OECD said in its latest Economic Outlook that continued failure by EU leaders to stem the debt crisis that has spread from Greece to much-bigger Italy "could massively escalate economic disruption" and end in "highly devastating outcomes."

The half-yearly update also recommended urgently boosting the EU bailout fund and called on Europe's central bank to do more to stem the crisis.

"The ECB has the means to provide a credible measure to avoid further contagion in the sovereign bond markets," ECB Chief Economist Carlo Padoan said. "And if you ask me if that is the lender of last resort function, I would say yes."

Many think the ECB is the only institution capable of calming frayed market nerves and Merkel's continued dismissal of a greater ECB role knocked market sentiment and stocks all round Europe fell again after a morning rebound.

Potentially, the ECB has unlimited financial firepower through its ability to print money. However, Germany finds the idea of monetizing debts unappealing, warning that it lets the more profligate countries off the hook for their bad practices. In addition, it conjures up bad memories of hyperinflation in Germany in the 1920s.

Padoan also upped the pressure on Europe to implement the Greek debt restructuring agreed to by EU leaders in October, saying that further delay could render the plan "insufficient," just as an earlier plan unveiled in July turned out to be.

The OECD now forecasts the eurozone economy to be in a six-month recession lasting through the first quarter of 2012, followed by a slow recovery that will leave the 17-nation bloc with only 0.2 percent growth next year.

Padoan warned however that a combination of factors including continued fiscal gridlock in the U.S. and a sovereign debt default or bank failure in Europe could result in a "downside scenario" that sees the eurozone shrink by 2 percent next year and even more in 2013.

The OECD expects the U.S. to grow by 2 percent next year and 2.5 percent in 2013, while the Japanese economy is forecast to grow 2 percent next year and 1.6 percent in 2013.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-28-World-Economy/id-7fcf1fb3596f4062a3333af16c90a7ca

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NY Times writer who covered JFK assassination dies (AP)

MONTPELIER, Vt. ? On Nov. 22, 1963, Tom Wicker was in the first press bus following John F. Kennedy's motorcade when the president was assassinated. Wicker, The New York Times' White House correspondent, would later write in a memoir that the day was a turning point for the country: "The shots ringing out in Dealey Plaza marked the beginning of the end of innocence."

At that moment, however, all he knew was that he was covering one of the biggest stories in history. "I would write two pages, run down the stairs, across the waiting room, grab a phone and dictate," Wicker later wrote. "Dictating each take, I would throw in items I hadn't written, sometimes whole paragraphs."

Although Wicker didn't even have a reporter's notebook that day and scribbled all of his notes on the backs of printed itineraries of the presidential visit, his story captured the detail and color of the tragic events.

Wicker died at his home in Rochester, Vt., after an apparent heart attack Friday morning, his wife, Pamela, said. He was 85.

"He'd been ill with things that come from being 85," she said. "He died in his bedroom looking out at the countryside that he loved."

Wicker grew up in poverty in Hamlet, N.C., and wanted to be a novelist, but pursued journalism when his early books didn't catch fire. He worked at weekly and daily newspapers in North Carolina before winning a spot as a political correspondent in the Times' Washington bureau in 1960.

Three years later, he was the only Times reporter to be traveling with Kennedy when the president was shot in Dallas.

Gay Talese, author of the major history of The New York Times, wrote of Wicker's coverage: "It was a remarkable achievement in reporting and writing, in collecting facts out of confusion, in reconstructing the most deranged day in his life, the despair and bitterness and disbelief, and then getting on a telephone to New York and dictating the story in a voice that only rarely cracked with emotion."

One year later, Wicker was named Washington bureau chief of the Times, succeeding newspaper legend James Reston, who had hired Wicker and called him "one of the most able political reporters of his generation."

In 1966, Wicker began his "In the Nation" column, becoming, along with colleague Anthony Lewis, a longtime liberal voice on the Op-Ed page. Two years later, he was named associate editor of the Times, a post he held until 1985.

He ended his column and retired to Vermont in 1991 but continued to write. He published 20 books, ranging from novels about gritty, hard-scrabble life in the South to reflections on the presidents he knew.

Among his books was "A Time to Die," winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1976, which recounted Wicker's 1971 experience as an observer and mediator of a prison rebellion at New York's Attica prison.

Wicker, the son of a railroad man, started in journalism in 1949 at the weekly Sandhill Citizen in Aberdeen, N.C., where he was paid $37.50 a week to report on such local news stories as the discovery of "the first beaver dam in anyone's memory on a local creek."

He moved on to a local daily and then to the larger Winston-Salem Journal, where he worked for most of the 50s, with time out in 1957-58 to serve as a Nieman fellow at Harvard University. He went to work for the Nashville Tennessean in 1959 but then a year later was hired by Reston.

In mid-1961, when Times veteran Bill Lawrence abruptly quit his post as White House correspondent in a dispute with management, Wicker got the assignment. He said it was a dream assignment ? "sooner or later most of the government's newsworthy business passes through the White House" ? and especially covering the excitement of the Kennedy era.

After the president's assassination, he described Jackie Kennedy as she left the hospital in Dallas: "Her face was sorrowful. She looked steadily at the floor," he wrote. "She still wore the raspberry-colored suit in which she greeted welcoming crowds in Fort Worth and Dallas. But she had taken off the matching pillbox hat she had worn earlier in the day, and her dark hair was windblown and tangled. Her hand rested lightly on her husband's coffin as it was taken to a waiting hearse."

In 1966, Wicker was named a national columnist, replacing retiring Times' icon Arthur Krock, who had covered 10 presidents. Wicker's first column reported on a political rally in Montana. He would later say that it was a huge step to move from detached observer to opinion holder ? and especially in the times he was writing.

"My own transition from reporter to columnist coincided roughly with the immense American political re-evaluation that sprang in the sixties from the Vietnam War and the movement against it, from the ghetto riots in the major cities, and from the brief flowering of the counterculture," Wicker wrote in his 1978 book, "On Press."

Wicker was not lacking in opinions, though, and over the years took strong and sometimes unpredictable stands, emphasizing such issues as the nation's racial divide.

On race, he said in a 1991 interview in the Times: "I think the attitudes between the races, the fear and the animosity that exist today, are greater than, let us say, at the time of the Brown case, the famous school desegregation decision in 1954."

Although Wicker was attacked by President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew for his negative coverage during the Nixon administration, he argued in a 1991 book, "One of Us: Richard Nixon and the American Dream," that Nixon accomplished much in his presidency and deserves a high ranking in history.

In his final column, published Dec. 29, 1991, Wicker commented on the fall of the Soviet Union and urged President George H.W. Bush to "exercise in a new world a more visionary leadership" on non-military issues like the environment.

"As the U.S. did not hesitate to spend its resources to prevail in the cold war, it needs now to go forward as boldly to lead a longer, more desperate struggle to save the planet, and rescue the human race from itself," he wrote.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_wicker

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NATO attack allegedly kills 24 Pakistani troops

Pakistani protesters shout slogans against America and NATO in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters and fighter jets of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 24 soldiers. Islamabad retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the international coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. Banner reads "Terrorist NATO and America quit our country".(AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)

A Pakistani protester shouts anti-American slogans in Lahore, Pakistan on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters and fighter jets of firing on two army checkpoints in the country's northwest and killing 24 soldiers. Islamabad retaliated by closing the border crossings used by the international coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)

Pakistani security personnel stop trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan at Takhtabeg check post in Pakistani tribal area of Khyber, Pakistan, on their way to Torkham border post on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. Pakistan, on Saturday, accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the northwest and killing 25 soldiers, then retaliated by closing a key border crossing used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

Pakistani security personnel stop trucks carrying supplies for NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan at Takhtabeg check post in Pakistani tribal area of Khyber, Pakistan, on their way to Torkham border post on Saturday, Nov 26, 2011. Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the northwest and killing 25 soldiers, then retaliated by closing a key border crossing used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

ISLAMABAD (AP) ? Pakistan on Saturday blocked vital supply routes for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan and demanded Washington vacate a base used by American drones after coalition aircraft allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops at two posts along a mountainous frontier that serves as a safe haven for militants.

The incident was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a "grave infringement" of the country's sovereignty, and it could make it even more difficult for the U.S. to enlist Pakistan's help in pushing Afghan insurgents to engage in peace talks.

A NATO spokesman said it was likely that coalition airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details. If confirmed, it would be the deadliest friendly fire incident by NATO against Pakistani troops since the Afghan war began a decade ago.

A prolonged closure of Pakistan's two Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies could cause serious problems for the coalition. The U.S., which is the largest member of the NATO force in Afghanistan, ships more than 30 percent of its non-lethal supplies through Pakistan. The coalition has alternative routes through Central Asia into northern Afghanistan, but they are costlier and less efficient.

Pakistan temporarily closed one of its Afghan crossings to NATO supplies last year after U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers. Suspected militants took advantage of the impasse to launch attacks against stranded or rerouted trucks carrying NATO supplies. The government reopened the border after about 10 days when the U.S. apologized. NATO said at the time the relatively short closure did not significantly affect its ability to keep its troops supplied.

But the reported casualties are much greater this time, and the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has severely deteriorated over the last year, especially following the covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May. Islamabad was outraged it wasn't told about the operation beforehand.

The government announced it closed its border crossings to NATO in a statement issued after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet's defense committee chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

It also said that within 15 days the U.S. must vacate Shamsi Air Base, which is located in southwestern Baluchistan province. The U.S. uses the base to service drones that target al-Qaida and Taliban militants in Pakistan's tribal region when they cannot return to their bases inside Afghanistan because of weather conditions or mechanical difficulty, said U.S. and Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic matters.

The government also plans to review all diplomatic, military and intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and other NATO forces, according to the statement issued after the defense committee meeting.

The Pakistani army said Saturday that NATO helicopters and fighter jets carried out an "unprovoked" attack on two of its border posts in the Mohmand tribal area before dawn, killing 24 soldiers and wounding 13 others. The troops responded in self-defense "with all available weapons," an army statement said.

Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani condemned the attack, calling it a "blatant and unacceptable act," according to the statement.

A spokesman for NATO forces, Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, said Afghan and coalition troops were operating in the border area of eastern Afghanistan when "a tactical situation" prompted them to call in close air support. It is "highly likely" that the airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, he told BBC television.

"My most sincere and personal heartfelt condolences go out to the families and loved ones of any members of Pakistan security forces who may have been killed or injured," said Gen. John Allen, the top overall commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in a statement.

The border issue is a major source of tension between Islamabad and Washington, which is committed to withdrawing its combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Much of the violence in Afghanistan is carried out by insurgents who are based just across the border in Pakistan. Coalition forces are not allowed to cross the frontier to attack the militants. However, the militants sometimes fire artillery and rockets across the line, reportedly from locations close to Pakistani army posts.

American officials have repeatedly accused Pakistani forces of supporting ? or turning a blind eye ? to militants using its territory for cross-border attacks. But militants based in Afghanistan have also been attacking Pakistan recently, prompting complaints from Islamabad.

The two posts that were attacked Saturday were located about 1,000 feet apart on a mountain top and were set up recently to stop Pakistani Taliban militants holed up in Afghanistan from crossing the border and staging attacks, said local government and security officials.

There was no militant activity in the area when the alleged NATO attack occurred, local officials said. Some of the soldiers were standing guard, while others were asleep, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said map references of all of the force's border posts have been given to NATO several times.

Pakistan's prime minister summoned U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter to protest the alleged NATO strike, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. It said the attack was a "grave infringement of Pakistan's sovereignty" and could have serious repercussions on Pakistan's cooperation with NATO.

Munter said in a statement that he regretted any Pakistani deaths and promised to work closely with Islamabad to investigate the incident.

The U.S., Pakistan, and Afghan militaries have long wrestled with the technical difficulties of patrolling a border that in many places is disputed or poorly marked. Saturday's incident took place a day after a meeting between NATO's Gen. Allen and Pakistan army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad to discuss border operations.

The meeting tackled "coordination, communication and procedures ... aimed at enhancing border control on both sides," according to a statement from the Pakistani side.

The U.S. helicopter attack that killed two Pakistani soldiers on Sept. 30 of last year took place south of Mohmand in the Kurram tribal area. A joint U.S.-Pakistan investigation found that Pakistani soldiers fired at the two U.S. helicopters prior to the attack, a move the investigation team said was likely meant to notify the aircraft of their presence after they passed into Pakistani airspace several times.

A U.S. airstrike in June 2008 reportedly killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops during a clash between militants and coalition forces in the tribal region.

____

Associated Press writers Anwarullah Khan in Khar, Pakistan, Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, Matiullah Achakzai in Chaman and Deb Riechmann in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-26-AS-Pakistan/id-ddab357d14ad42de8b817a124578e3e7

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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Stocks slip to end the roughest week since Sept.

Traders Richard Cohen, left, and Lewis Vande-Pallen, right, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, Nov. 21, 2011. Stocks are taking a sharp fall in early trading Monday amid reports that a congressional committee will fail to agree on a plan to cut the U.S. government's budget deficit.(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The worst week for the stock market in two months ended with a whimper in thin trading Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 4.8 percent this week, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 4.7 percent. Both had their worst weeks since Sept. 23.

Major indexes wavered throughout Friday's session, which was shortened because it's the day after Thanksgiving. Worries about Europe's debt crisis flared up again after Italy had to pay 7.8 percent to borrow for two years at a debt auction. It's another sign that investors are increasingly hesitant to lend to European countries.

The euro slipped to $1.32, losing 2 percent this week against the dollar. The drop puts the euro at its lowest level since Oct. 4.

Higher interest rates on government debt of Italy, Spain and other European countries have rattled stock markets in recent weeks. When borrowing costs climb above the 7 percent threshold, it deepens investor fears about a government's ability to manage its debts. Greece, Ireland and Portugal had to seek financial lifelines when their interest rates crossed the same mark.

The Dow fell 25.77 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 11,231.78. Of the Dow's 30 stocks, Chevron Corp. lost 1.6 percent Friday, the biggest drop. Travelers Cos. Inc. added 1.2 percent, the largest gain.

The S&P 500 lost 3.12 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,158.67. The Nasdaq composite dropped 18.57, or 0.8 percent, to close at 2,441.51.

Trading volume was 1.6 billion, less than half the daily average.

Markets were battered this week as governments in Europe and the U.S. struggle to tackle their debts. The Dow lost 248 points on Monday as a Congressional committee failed to reach a deal to cut federal budget deficits. It plunged 236 points Wednesday after investors balked at buying German government debt.

Retailers traded mixed on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season and usually the busiest day of the year for retailers. Amazon.com Inc. dropped 3.5 percent. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. inched up 0.4 percent.

A record number of people were expected to show up at stores this weekend to take advantage of deep discounts. The National Retail Federation estimates that 152 million people will go shopping over the three days starting on Friday. That would be an increase of 10 percent from last year.

AT&T's stock dipped less than 1 percent. The company said Thursday that it is budgeting to pay $4 billion in break-up fees if its attempted $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom falls apart.

Four stocks fell for every three that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-25-Wall%20Street/id-b1ad8b16a15440ce8f2a9531a5166cf4

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Barbara Corcoran, Real Estate Expert, Turns Obstacles Into Opportunities (VIDEO)

Barbara Corcoran, best-selling author, real estate expert, and "Shark Tank" personality knows a lot about obstacles or as she refers to them, opportunities.

In the video above she describes how she was able to turn some of her most devastating setbacks into business opportunities.

"I've learned if you jump off the cliff, guess what? You find the confidence while you're falling through the air, you find the solution. But it's jumping off the cliff with blind faith and stupidity frankly, that makes you find the solution on the way down."

She was able to land on her feet and sold her business, The Corcoran Group, for $66 million, having started out decades prior with a thousand dollar loan.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/24/barbara-corcoran-real-estate-mogul-success-story_n_1110579.html

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Skyrim fans release all in-game books for Kindle, Nook and iOS (Digital Trends)

skyrim

Ever since Bethesda Softworks released?Skyrim on November 11, the folks over at Capane have been collecting the in-game books that are available to read within Skyrim and converting them into formats that can be downloaded onto e-readers and tablets. Within the files for the game, the books are all in plain text rather than encoded files. The people at Capane saved each book into a?separate document, added headings as well as a table of contents. These files were saved in both?.epub and MOBI formats. The?.epub files are used within the Nook as well as the iPad and the MOBI format is used within the Amazon Kindle. Capane has made these files available to download for anyone that?s legally?purchased?a copy of the game.

barnes-and-noble-nook-tablet-front In order to supplement the game, Skyrim fans over at GameBanshee have released a complete, annotated map of Skyrim available to download for free. Anyone seeking help finding a location in Skyrim can reference the high-resolution PNG version of the map or download the 9-page PDF version of the map to print out a poster-sized version of the map for printing. The map is broken into 96 grid squares which can be combined with the key on the Web version to quickly find a specific location via the alphebetical listings of the various landmarks, shipwrecks, villages, ruins, caves, farms, stables, statues and major cities around Skyrim.?

YouTube users have been flooding the social video site with tons of Skyrim videos from methods to exploit shop owners through theft by slipping a bucket over the head of the NPC to videos about the various ways to die within Skyrim. A popular video posted by YouTube user HunterNormandy details 100 ways to die within the Skyrim universe and has racked up over 250,000 views in the past ten days.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Drought puts damper on tree farmers' Christmas (AP)

NEW CANEY, Texas ? Dry, brown grass crunches underfoot as David Barfield walks through his 45-acre Christmas tree farm pointing at evergreens covered with brittle, rust-colored needles.

"Dead tree, dead tree, dead tree," he says, shaking his head at dry timber he hoped would be chopped down by parents with excited children.

Instead, Mother Nature delivered the Grinch in the form of a historic drought that has killed thousands of trees across Texas and Oklahoma. Some died of thirst. Others were destroyed by wildfires, whose breadth and intensity were magnified when wind swept the flames across parched landscape.

Most farmers plan to import trees from North Carolina to supplement any they have left, said Marshall Cathey, president of the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association. They say they aren't planning to raise prices because consumers are reluctant to pay more than $40 or $50 for a Christmas tree, especially in the poor economy.

But families hoping for a homegrown tree to cut down will have a harder time finding one, and dozens of farmers are struggling. Possibly most painful for these growers are the deaths of the youngest saplings, which guarantee the drought's effect will be felt for years to come.

"It's depressing, it really is," said Barfield, 53. "This was going to be our retirement."

He and his wife, Karen, 49, bought the farm about six years ago with dreams of retiring from Texas' oil fields and spending their final years peddling the Christmas spirit with fresh-cut trees, marshmallow roasts and hayrides in a red-and-white sleigh. They planted 20 acres of evergreen trees.

Now, barely two years after Karen Barfield retired to work the farm, she has returned full-time to her job selling explosion-proof enclosures to the oil industry. David Barfield has increased his hours doing part-time electronic work. Instead of selling some 400 homegrown trees as they do in a good year, they will be lucky to sell 100 ? nearly all Frasier firs brought in from North Carolina.

And they're not certain that will be enough to cover their property taxes. Barfield says he can only charge $50 for a North Carolina fir ? just $10 more than he pays for them.

"Eight (trees) died within the last week," Barfield said, continuing his walk through his farm in New Caney. "These were all green a week ago. The drought has been hurting us real bad."

But at least he and his wife have other income. Others have not fared as well.

"We lost probably 90 percent of our trees," said Jean Raisey, 79, who's run a 10-acre Christmas tree farm in Purcell, Okla., with her husband since 1985. The other 10 percent are dying now, she said.

"We've had to hire a contractor and pull all the dead and all the live trees," she said. "And we're out of business."

Cathey, who owns the 50-acre Elves Farm in Denison, Texas, a town about 75 miles north of Dallas, said he has spoken to many of Texas' 120 Christmas tree farmers in recent months. Long stretches of triple-degree heat, he said, harmed the trees as much as the lack of rain.

And the drought has been bad. In Texas, less than 11 inches of rain fell this year compared to an annual average of almost 24 inches. In Oklahoma, there has been about 18.7 inches of rain this year compared to a long-term average of 30 inches. All trees have been hard-hit by the lack of rain.

"There's hundreds of thousands of trees dying," said Travis Miller, a drought expert at Texas A&M University.

"We're looking at a ... one-in-a-500-year kind of drought, and so it's weeding out the ones that can't survive this kind of extreme conditions," he added.

For evergreens, which usually prefer wetter, more temperate climates, the struggle may be greater than for drought-resistant plants, such as the juniper brush, although it too is dying in Texas this year.

Farmers who planted evergreens native to Afghanistan ? and accustomed to a desert climate ? have had greater success than those who planted trees from the northeast United States. Those who irrigated also are having more modest success, although that costs ? about $1,200 a month on a midsized farm.

Jan Webb, owner of the Double Shovel Christmas Tree Farm in West Texas ? one of the driest areas of the state ? said her Afghans have done well. Of the 400 she planted last year, only about 50 died. On the other hand, none of the 400 Leyland Cypress she planted survived.

It takes three to five years to grow an evergreen to a marketable size. Webb planted her first tree about three years ago and was hoping to open for the first time next Christmas, but with the drought, it will be at least two years before she has a homegrown tree to sell.

"We can't sell what's from our farm right now because they're too small," she said.

Yet the farmers are determined children will be able to see trees cut for Christmas ? even if they're North Carolina firs liberally placed in Texas soil. There will be hayrides and picnics. Christmas carols will ring out and colorful lights will cover the bare branches.

Bah humbug to the drought, they say.

___

Ramit Plushnick-Masti can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RamitMastiAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_food_and_farm_christmas_trees

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Egypt protesters clash with police, one dead (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Protesters demanding an end to army rule clashed with police firing tear gas near Egypt's parliament building on Saturday in a flare-up that cast another shadow over a parliamentary election billed as the nation's first free vote in decades.

Protesters said one man, Ahmed Sayed, 21, died after being hit by a state security vehicle. His death was the first since a truce between police and demonstrators on Thursday calmed violence that had killed 41 people in Cairo and elsewhere.

Egypt's Interior Ministry said the vehicle had hit him by accident.

Hundreds of demonstrators camped overnight in Cairo's Tahrir Square ahead of the election, due to start on Monday in Cairo, Alexandria and some other areas.

The clash occurred after one group marched to parliament to protest against the army's appointment of 78-year-old Kamal Ganzouri, a premier under Hosni Mubarak, as new prime minister.

"Down, down with the marshal," a group chanted in the square, near tents set up on grassy patches. They were referring to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the ruling army council and was Mubarak's defense minister for 20 years.

The military council said on Friday each stage of voting would be held over two days instead of one to give everyone the chance to vote. Voting starts on Monday but will not end until early January because of the election's various stages.

Tahrir protesters have dismissed Ganzouri, premier from 1996 to 1999, as another face from the past whose appointment reflects the generals' resistance to change.

"Why are they picking Ganzouri now? This shows that the army is unwilling to let go of any power by recycling a former ally. This government won't have any powers, why else pick someone that is loyal to them?" asked protester Mohamed El Meligy, 20.

Tens of thousands gathered on Friday to demand that the army council leave power now to accelerate a transition to democracy.

Alarmed by the violence, The United States and the European Union have urged a swift handover to civilian rule in a country where prolonged political turmoil has compounded economic woes.

The generals have resisted calls to quit now. Instead, they have promised that a new president will be elected by mid-2012, sooner than previously announced, and on Friday named Ganzouri to head a "national salvation government."

Ganzouri described his task as thankless and "extremely difficult," saying his priority was to secure the streets and revive the economy. Egypt's pound has hit a seven-year low and foreign reserves have dropped by a third since December 2010.

DIVIDE

While tens of thousands packed Tahrir Square for what activists dubbed "Last Chance Friday," at least 5,000 people demonstrated in support of the army in another Cairo square, highlighting splits between youngsters bent on radical reform and more cautious Egyptians keen to restore normality.

Ganzouri's appointment has reinforced that divide.

"He is a very good man, he did a lot of good things. If he had continued in his role (in 1999) the situation would have been much better," said restaurant worker Osama Amara, 22.

Protest groups have put forward their own demands for a government they want to be headed by presidential candidate and former U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

They have also called for another mass rally on Sunday to press demands for an immediate transfer of power from the military to a civilian national salvation government.

In Tahrir, shunned by main political groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party this week, some protesters said the vote should be delayed.

The Brotherhood, Egypt's best organized political force, wants the election to go ahead as scheduled.

"Believe me, I don't know who I am going to vote for," said Hoda Ragab, a 55-year-old woman at Friday's protest in Tahrir, adding that elections should be postponed until calm returned.

(Additional reporting by Mohamed Abdellah, Marwa Awad and Reuters Television; Writing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/ts_nm/us_egypt_protests

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PFT: Perfect Packers are somehow improving

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In the past, when Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has supplied his version of an on-field incident that resulted in a penalty or a fine, he seemed persuasive.

After Thursday?s Haynesworthy performance against the Packers, Suh?s effort to talk his way out of trouble comes off as pathetic.

?What I did was remove myself from the situation the best way that I felt in me being held down in the situation that I was in,? Suh said, via NFL.com.? ?My intentions were not to kick anybody, as I did not.? [I was] removing myself, as you see, I?m walking away from the situation.? And with that I apologize to my teammates, and my fans and my coaches for putting myself to be in position to be misinterpreted and taken out of the game.?

It gets better.? Or, for Suh, worse.

?I was on top of a guy being pulled down and trying to get up off the ground, which is why you see me pushing his helmet down,? Suh said.? ?As I?m getting up, I?m getting pushed so I?m getting myself unbalanced. . . .? With that a lot of people are going to interpret it as or create their own storylines, . . . but I know what I did, and the man upstairs knows what I did.?

What Suh did requires no interpretation.? He aggressively pushed the head of Evan Dietrich-Smith into the ground, and Suh stomped on Dietrich-Smith?s arm as Suh started to walk away.

?I understand in this world because of the type of player and type of person I am, all eyes are on me,? Suh said.? ?So why would I do something to jeopardize myself, jeopardize my team, first and foremost?? I don?t do bad things.? I have no intentions to hurt someone.? If I want to hurt him, I?m going to hit his quarterback as I did throughout that game.?

He needs to quit while he?s not ahead.

?If I see a guy stepping on somebody I feel like they?re going to lean into it and forcefully step on that person or stand over that person,? Suh said.? ?I?m going in the opposite direction to where he?s at.?

It?s an amazingly flimsy, and perhaps delusional, effort to explain what was obvious to anyone with eyes.? Apart from the ultimate penalty that will be imposed on Suh by the league office ? and plenty of people believe a suspension is coming ? Suh needs to be concerned about the impact of his behavior and his lame explanation of it on his marketability.? From Subway to Chrysler to any other company that has chosen to give Suh a lot of money to endorse its products, that money could be drying up, quickly.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/24/perfect-packers-whip-lions-run-record-to-11-0/related/

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Plan ditched to revive pair of ABC soaps online

NEW YORK?? Plans have been scrapped to give a pair of doomed ABC soaps new life on the Internet.

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Prospect Park, a media company that licensed "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" for online distribution, says it's abandoning the mission to revive them.

The company said in a statement Wednesday that it was unable to secure necessary financial backing and clear other hurdles. The two programs had originally been set to anchor a new online network.

"All My Children" disappeared from ABC's daytime schedule in September, and "One Life to Live" will end its run on Jan. 13. Both had been on the air for more than four decades.

They are the latest soaps to be canceled as the longtime TV genre suffers dwindling audiences and mounting costs.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45420615/ns/today-entertainment/

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Romo rallies Cowboys past Dolphins

FG as time expires gives hot Dallas 20-19 win over Dolphins, sole possession of NFC East lead

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo celebrates?after the Cowboys defeated Miami 20-19 on Thursday.

By JAIME ARON

updated 9:29 p.m. ET Nov. 24, 2011

ARLINGTON, Texas - Win big, win small; win pretty, win ugly. Tony Romo learned a long time ago that victories are the only thing that matter in the NFL.

So on a day when he was sloppier than he'd been in months, and when his defense was giving up plenty of long drives but only one touchdown, Romo had one chance to make it pay off ? and he did. He and DeMarco Murray led an efficient final drive, setting up rookie Dan Bailey for a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give the Dallas Cowboys a 20-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.

Dallas (7-4) won its fourth straight, and fourth this season decided by a kick by Bailey in the final two minutes or in overtime.

Heck, it was the second time in five days that he ended a game with a winning field goal.

"We're just finding ways to win," said Romo, who offset a pair of interceptions with a pair of touchdown passes.

That plucky formula will send the Cowboys into December leading the NFC East. They're a half-game ahead of the New York Giants, pending their game at New Orleans on Monday night. If New York wins, the clubs would be tied; a Saints win would keep Dallas on top alone.

"There is no favorite," Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman said. "I'll tell you what happens at the end of the season. We just have to keep on plugging and get some wins."

The Dolphins (3-8) had four drives that got within 10 yards of the end zone, yet settled for field goals every time. Their only touchdown came on a 35-yard pass from Matt Moore to Brandon Marshall.

However, Miami still nearly pulled it out. In the second half, the Dolphins scored on all but their final drive, and that was all it took to end a three-game winning streak.

"When you come into somebody else's place, those (deep drives) have got to be touchdowns," Miami coach Tony Sparano said. "They've been touchdowns the last few weeks and that's why you win."

Eighteen years after these teams played another Thanksgiving game decided on a last-second field goal ? one best remembered for Leon Lett's gaffe on snow and ice ? conditions were so balmy that the glass end-zone doors at Cowboys Stadium were opened for the first time all season.

Maybe that's what caused both teams to play so sloppy for so long. TV viewers, especially anyone fresh off a huge holiday meal, might've dozed off watching the first half.

But things got plenty interesting after halftime. Moore led Miami on three straight scoring drives of at least 70 yards, the last putting the Dolphins up 19-17 with 7:14 left.

Dallas punted on its ensuing drive, then Moore was finally stopped, too. Miami punted and Dez Bryant made a rare appearance as a returner, taking it 20 yards.

Romo took over at the Cowboys 36-yard line with 2:59 left. Jason Witten went into the huddle and told teammates, "'We need this W, whatever it takes. No penalties. We've got to get it there,'" left guard Montrae Holland said.

Witten caught consecutive passes to put Dallas at the outer edge of Bailey's range. Then it was up to Murray to drive the ball closer.

With blood streaked across the white numbers on his blue jersey, Murray churned out 27 yards on the next five carries. His constant gains ? between 3 and 9 yards, including one where he went down rather than stretch for more and risk going out of bounds ? took the clock from 2:41 to :17. After a kneel-down to waste more time and center the ball between the hash marks, Bailey split the uprights.

"That's what they are paying me to do, I guess ? to go out there and make kicks," said Bailey, who has made 26 in a row, one shy of the club record.

Romo ended a streak of 128 straight passes without an interception, but he completed 22 of 34 for 226 yards. Many of those came while scrambling and some while also being hit or grabbed. He was patient waiting for a 5-yard touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson to develop, and the pair were in sync on an 18-yarder made with Romo moving to his left.

"He just kind of kept hanging in there," Garrett said. "I thought he moved in the pocket really well. In critical situations, he ... allowed us to make plays."

Murray ran 22 times for 87 yards, and caught four passes for 41 yards. Robinson caught seven passes for 79 yards. Witten had four catches for 43 yards and Bryant caught three balls for 35 yards.

Moore was 19 of 32 for 288 yards and a touchdown. He took four sacks and had trouble handling several snaps; one went through his hands and was recovered by Dallas only 5 yards from the end zone. That set up the first Romo-to-Robinson touchdown, with 55 seconds left in the half, ending Miami's streak of 13 quarters without allowing a touchdown.

Reggie Bush ran 16 times for 61 yards and had 35 more on three receptions. Marshall had 103 yards on five catches, including the TD pass hauled in while Newman had him in a headlock for about 5 yards.

"We felt like we played a good game all day, but we didn't make enough plays and they did," Miami safety Yeremiah Bell said. "That's the price you pay, so if we would have made more plays, we would have won the game."

Notes: The Cowboys improved to 28-15-1 on Thanksgiving. Romo is 5-0 on the holiday; he missed last year's game ? which Dallas lost ? with a broken collarbone. ... The Dolphins are 3-4 on Thanksgiving. ... Miami's Shayne Graham, who was among Bailey's competition for the Dallas job in the preseason, made FGs of 23, 26, 27 and 28 yards.

More news

Ravens win Harbaugh bowl

??The Baltimore Ravens sacked Alex Smith nine times and beat the San Francisco 49ers 16-6 Thursday night, giving John Harbaugh an emotional charge in the first NFL game featuring brothers as opposing head coaches.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45431645/ns/sports-nfl/

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Just Show Me: How to use Amazon?s barcode app on your iPhone (Yahoo! News)

Welcome to?Just Show Me on Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the?gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to use Amazon's barcode scanner on your iPhone.

When you're out shopping for gifts this holiday season, you'll want to be sure that you're not paying more for your purchases than you need to. Amazon's barcode scanner app (download it for the iPhone) easily lets you look up any product you find in a store on Amazon's website, showing you their online price. Sometimes it'll be cheaper to buy it on Amazon, and you might just find yourself saving a bit of money!

Looking for more?holiday shopping tips? Check out our guide to?2011's Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

For more episodes of Just Show Me, subscribe to Tecca TV's YouTube channel and check out all our Just Show Me episodes. If you have any topics you'd like to see us cover, just drop us a line in the comments.

This article originally appeared on Tecca

GOP contenders square off on immigration (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Republican presidential hopefuls are debating how to deal with the nation's illegal immigrants, differing on how to deal with millions of people already in the United States.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that he wouldn't "expel" those who have come illegally but have made lives in the U.S. He says that the GOP cannot call itself a party for family when it separates parents from their children born in the U.S.

Rep. Michele Bachmann says that allowing illegal immigrants to stay is a form of amnesty. She and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney say benefits for illegal immigrants attract others.

But Romney adds he wants to encourage immigration, especially among those educated at U.S. colleges.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry says the priority should be securing the border.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_debate_immigration

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Conn. killer objects to testimony from daughter, 9 (AP)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. ? A Connecticut man facing a possible death sentence for a home invasion that killed three people told a judge that he didn't want the jury to see a videotaped interview of his 9-year-old daughter, because he didn't want her to feel compelled to help "one of the most hated people in America." The judge, however, sided with his attorneys in allowing the video.

Joshua Komisarjevsky, speaking for the first time in his trial other than a taped confession, told a judge Wednesday that his daughter was coached, an allegation denied by an attorney for the girl's guardian.

"I've carefully come to the overwhelming opinion that I am not at all comfortable putting my daughter in a position wherein she may feel that she has to explain or justify herself to anyone who perceives her statements to somehow help one of the most hated people in America," Komisarjevsky said.

"She's 9 years old. Had this interview been her decision to make and she was old enough to understand that decision that would be one thing. However, that is not the case in this situation. The decision has been made for her," he said.

Komisarjevsky noted his life is on the line. He said the negative consequences to his daughter outweigh the benefits of helping to save his life.

"I will not beg for my life," he said. "I will humbly request in earnest that your honor please uphold the thoughtfully weighed decision of defendant over the wish of the defense team."

Komisarjevsky's lawyers sought his daughter's testimony, hoping to persuade New Haven Superior Court jurors to spare him the death penalty. New Haven Superior Court Judge Jon Blue agreed with the attorneys that they have the final say.

The attorney for the girl's guardian said the interview with the girl was done carefully in a nonconfrontational way.

Komisarjevsky said his daughter has been told by her guardian not to talk about him.

"It should also be considered how her memorialized words will affect her emotionally and psychologically in the future if she believes she's party to assisting the effort to put me to death," he said.

Komisarjevsky and his co-defendant, Steven Hayes, were convicted of murder in the killing of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters at their Cheshire home. Hayes is on death row, and the jury that convicted Komisarjevsky is now taking testimony on whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison.

Komisarjevsky also objected to planned testimony by an expert on the effect his execution would have on his daughter.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_re_us/us_home_invasion

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Analysis: Crisis casts doubt on China rebalancing plans (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China has been forced into self-help mode after a series of international crises have hollowed out its export markets and left it feeling like the only man standing.

But Beijing may not have time to administer its ideal medicine -- a project to spur domestic demand.

Instead, policymakers may be spurred to action by a sharp weakening in the domestic picture -- and the measures they choose are likely to err on the side of growth at any cost, rather than much-needed restructuring.

"My concern is that when we look at the numbers they are very reminiscent of early 2008 and that was not a good scene," said Arthur Kroeber of economics consultancy Dragonomics. He asserts that weaknesses in steel demand and construction are signs that all is not well in China.

"They see things slowing down so they will do what they can, which means all rebalancing will be kicked down the road," Kroeber said. "They are more interested in retaining growth through the channels they have."

Or, as China's vice premier Wang Qishan put it this week: "An unbalanced recovery would be better than a balanced recession."

Already, bank lending is reviving, after months of a credit crunch that starved China's private sector -- the most productive in terms of jobs and taxes -- forcing more and more companies to turn to underground banking and loan sharks for funds.

This week, China confirmed it is pressing ahead with a vast spending plan for so-called "strategic sectors."

Other measures by which China might stimulate growth include a pilot VAT tax reform and some reduction of fees to smaller firms -- both of which should help the private sector which had been left out in the cold during the past three years of emphasis on big, state-owned firms.

There are voices calling for serious structural reform -- sometimes from surprising quarters. Prominent newspapers carried an editorial from an Agricultural Bank of China economist saying that a stronger yuan would help China transform its economic model, and another editorial from a vice minister of industry saying that the overseas crises would force Chinese industry to raise its competitiveness.

Long Yongtu, the man who negotiated China's entry to the World Trade Organization, told Reuters that provincial leaders support a greater opening of the economy.

LOOK TO YOUR OWN HOUSE FIRST

Internationally, the financial crises roiling the West are expected to hit China's export sector, which still accounts for about 15 percent of GDP and employs millions in the coastal regions.

But worryingly, the latest HSBC purchasing managers' index showed that while new orders for exports held their ground, overall orders had their biggest drop in a year and a half -- implying that domestic demand is as much a concern as exports.

China's factory sector shrank the most in nearly three years in November, data released on Wednesday showed [ID:nL4E7MN0EA].

China has long said it wants to reorient the economy toward more sustainable, consumer-led growth. But the huge stimulus it launched to stave off a slowdown during the global financial crisis of 2008 -- a program totaling about $650 billion -- had the opposite effect. It transferred more of the nation's assets to the less productive state sector.

Return on investment in China is falling fast, in yet another sign that deferring restructuring can only eke out a few more years of rapid growth.

"I think it will take another 3-5 years before we see a real rebalancing. At the moment, growth is very much driven by investment," said Kevin Lai, senior economist at Daiwa Capital Markets in Hong Kong.

"If you talk about investment ratio close to 50 percent, that's too high."

But driving demand is a long-term project. Among other things, it would require structural changes to give more space to the private sector, and would include better welfare and health programs so that China's savers are willing to spend more of their cash.

"The bottleneck for GDP growth is not supply. The Chinese economy is oversupplied with goods. The shortage is demand," Li Daokui, an advisor to China's central bank, said at a conference last week.

This time around, China has confirmed it wants to see a staggering 10 trillion yuan ($1.57 trillion) put into strategic industries over the next five years, most of that through corporate spending and bank lending rather than direct government stimulus.

TARGETED SECTORS

The targeted sectors include alternative energy, biotechnology, new-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, advanced materials, alternative-fuel cars and energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies -- all buzzwords for the new, more sustainable Chinese economy.

But the details of where exactly the money would be spent remain foggy. Some of the likely big ticket items include nuclear power and rail investment, but the latter has been scaled back due to the Railway Ministry's high debt levels and a fatal crash. Even China's most ambitious nuclear investment scenario would not require that much spending.

Arguably, what China's high-tech sector needs is more competition and protection for intellectual property advances, not companies with connections being force-fed cash.

Past experiences provide a sober lesson. A few years ago, China eagerly promoted its solar power sector as a sign of its commitment to new energy and jobs at home. But what actually happened is that most of the panels produced headed overseas due to lack of domestic incentives for solar power.

Now that overseas markets have weakened, the solar power sector is reeling from overcapacity and plummeting prices.

($1 = 6.3608 Chinese yuan)

(Additional reporting by Nick Edwards and Kevin Yao in BEIJING; Editing by Don Durfee and Richard Borsuk)

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

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Cadillac seeks to regain lost luxury turf

Rebecca Cook / Reuters

Cadillac is betting that it can regain its once-lofty standing with the launch of a series of new products that includes the big XTS sedan that made its debut earlier this month at the annual Los Angeles auto show.

By Paul A. Eisenstein

Once known as the ?standard of the world,? Cadillac has been anything but a benchmark for carmakers in recent years as imported brands such as Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have dominated the U.S. luxury market.

But now Cadillac is fighting back, betting that it can regain its once-lofty standing with the launch of a series of new products that includes the big XTS sedan that made its debut earlier this month at the annual Los Angeles auto show.

Cadillac will follow up next year with the addition of the compact ATS, and it has more new models on the drawing board.

A few years ago it might have seemed ?a stretch? for Cadillac to even imagine a comeback in the U.S., admits Don Butler, general marketing manager for the?General Motors division.

In the ?new (luxury) world old formulas don?t apply, so we had to start over? with the XTS, a premium luxury sedan that replaces two slow-selling Cadillac models, the STS and DTS, Butler said.

Caddy isn?t the only upscale domestic car brand that?s hoping to convince car show visitors in Los Angeles -- the nation's largest luxury car market -- that it can become relevant again.

Slide show: Images from the 2011 Los Angeles auto show

At this year?s show, Ford?s Lincoln division showed off updates to two of its own products, the big MKS sedan and MKT crossover. The two 2013 models get revised fascias and grilles, new wheels and modest improvements in performance and fuel economy. They?re also getting the updated version of the MyLincolnTouch systems designed to address recent criticism of the brand?s infotainment technology.

?This is truly marking the beginning? of Lincoln?s design renaissance, said Max Wolff, the brand?s chief designer, although he also hinted that the big news for Lincoln won?t be revealed until January when Detroit plays host to the North American International Auto Show -- generally thought to be the most important show in the auto show calendar.

There, the automaker plans to unveil a concept version of its next-generation Lincoln MKZ, the most popular sedan in its portfolio. The concept vehicle will introduce an all-new ?face? for the luxury brand that will abandon Lincoln?s time-tested ?waterfall grille? and move to a series of horizontal slats that are almost wing-like in appearance. The show car version will also feature an all-glass roof that will be able to open like a hard-top convertible.

The revised grille will reappear on a production version of the MKZ debuting at the New York auto show next April, although it?s not clear if the glass roof idea will be carried into production.

But the dramatic changes coming to Lincoln underscore the concerns Ford has for the Lincoln division, which has become little more than an also-ran in a market where it once vied with Cadillac for dominance.

Cadillac hasn?t stumbled quite so badly, but it has been struggling in recent years after what appeared to be a significant turnaround early in the new millennium. The maker scored big with the first generation of the compact CTS sedan, which introduced Caddy?s distinctively edgy ?art and science? design theme.

In a segment of the car market where manufacturers have traditionally opted for softer designs, the ?art and science? design ?language? was a bold standout. But after hitting a market home run with the CTS, Cadillac failed to score with the next run of offerings, like the STS, the DTS and the XLR sports coupe.

The products simply fell short of the competition in terms of interior refinement, ride and features, analysts contend.

Cadillac won?t make those mistakes again, insists Mark Reuss, president of GM?s North American operations. The goal, he insists, ?is to win in the intensely competitive luxury market, not just compete.?

Besides offering a striking exterior shape and a much more refined interior, the new XTS will introduce Cadillac?s new CUE -- an infotainment system that can be programmed using normal speech rather than requiring users to learn a complex and often confusing series of rigid commands.

These high-tech features have become a critical differentiator in the luxury market, notes Derek Kuzak, Ford?s global product development czar.

Lincoln thought it had a leg up on the competition with the MyLincolnTouch infotainment system, but, underscoring the risks of relying on high technology, the Ford luxury brand was slammed for problems with the touch-sensitive system. Indeed, influential Consumer Reports magazine lifted its sought-after ?Recommended Buy? rating from several Lincoln products this year.

The carmaker hopes to win back that endorsement with the updated MyLincolnTouch, and then show that its styling and performance are also relevant with the product offensive it is kicking off in Los Angeles this month.

But both Lincoln and Cadillac won?t have an easy time of it. Even established luxury brands such as Lexus, BMW and Mercedes are ramping up their own efforts. Lexus, in particular, is expected to be especially aggressive in the months ahead, hoping to recover the momentum it lost due to product shortages caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last March.

And second-tier players such as Audi, and also Nissan?s Infiniti brand, are hoping to gain ground with their own expanding line-ups.

Then there?s the Koreans, and Hyundai in particular.

It scored an unexpected coup a few years back when its first luxury offering, the Genesis sedan, was named North American Car of the Year. The even bigger and more lavish Equus has so far this year handily beaten the company?s sales expectations, and Hyundai?s own new offering at the Los Angeles show, the big Azera, will target entry-luxury buyers who might have gone for more traditional offerings like the Lexus ES350.

Based on initial reviews, Cadillac and Lincoln are gaining visibility and credibility. But whether they can win back luxury car buyers is another matter entirely.

What is your favorite luxury nameplate?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8952609-after-losing-ground-american-luxury-carmakers-fighting-back

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Newt Gingrich won't appear on Missouri ballot (Los Angeles Times)

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Jaw size linked to diet: Could too soft a diet cause lower jaw to stay too short and cause orthodontic problems?

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2011) ? New research from the University of Kent suggests that many of the common orthodontic problems experienced by people in industrialised nations is due to their soft modern diet causing the jaw to grow too short and small relative to the size of their teeth.

The research, which was conducted by Dr Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel from the University's School of Anthropology and Conservation, tested the long-debated theory that the transition from a largely hunter-gatherer to an agricultural subsistence strategy across many parts of the world has had a knock-on effect on the growth and development of the human skull and lower jaw.

Dr von Cramon-Taubadel compared the shape of the cranium (skull) and mandible (lower jaw) of 11 globally distributed populations against models of genetic, geographic, climatic and dietary differences. She found that lower jaw shape, and to some extent the shape of the upper palate, was related to the dietary behaviour of populations, while the cranium was strongly related to the genetic relationships of the populations.

In particular, the lower jaw reflects whether populations are primarily hunter-gatherer or agriculturalist in nature, irrespective of what part of the world they come from. This therefore suggests that chewing behaviour causes the lower jaw to grow and develop differently in different subsistence groups, while the skull is not affected in the same way.

Overall, the hunter-gather groups had longer and narrower mandible, indicating more room for the teeth to erupt correctly, while the agriculturalists had generally shorter and broader mandibles, increasing the likelihood of dental crowding.

Dr von Cramon-Taubadel, a lecturer in Biological Anthropology with research interests in human and primate evolution, and in particular the causes of modern human skeletal diversity, said: 'Chewing behaviour appears to cause the lower jaw to develop differently in hunter-gatherer versus farming populations, and this holds true at a global level. What is interesting, is that the rest of the skull is not affected in the same way and seems to more closely match our genetic history.'

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Kent.

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Journal Reference:

N. von Cramon-Taubadel. Global human mandibular variation reflects differences in agricultural and hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113050108

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112032.htm

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UN condemns 'brutal' beatings in Egypt

CAIRO?? International criticism of Egypt's military rulers mounted Wednesday as police clashed for a fifth day with protesters demanding the generals relinquish power immediately. A rights group raised the death toll for the wave of violence to at least 38.

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The United Nations strongly condemned authorities for what it deemed an excessive use of force. Germany, one of Egypt's top trading partners, called for a quick transfer of power to a civilian government. The United States and the U.N. secretary general have already expressed their concern over the use of violence against mostly peaceful protesters.

Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, deplored the role of Egypt's security forces in attempting to suppress protesters.

"Some of the images coming out of Tahrir, including the brutal beating of already subdued protesters, are deeply shocking, as are the reports of unarmed protesters being shot in the head," Pillay said. "There should be a prompt, impartial and independent investigation, and accountability for those found responsible for the abuses that have taken place should be ensured."

Clashes resumed for a fifth day despite a promise by the head of the ruling military council on Tuesday to speed up a presidential election to the first half of next year, a concession swiftly rejected by tens of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square. The military previously floated late next year or early 2013 as the likely date for the vote, the last step in the process of transferring power to a civilian government.

Video: Protesters throw stones, conflict grows in Cairo (on this page)

The clashes are the longest spate of uninterrupted violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled the former regime in February.

The standoff at Tahrir and in other major cities such as Alexandria and Assiut has deepened the country's economic and security crisis less than a week before the first parliamentary elections since the ouster of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi tried to defuse tensions with his address late Tuesday, but he did not set a date for handing authority to a civilian government.

The Tahrir crowd, along with protesters in a string of other cities, want Tantawi to step down immediately in favor of an interim civilian administration to run the nation's affairs until a new parliament and president are elected.

The government offered more concessions on Wednesday, ordering the release of 312 protesters detained over the past days and instructing civilian prosecutors to take over a probe the military started into the death of 27 people, mostly Christians, in a protest on Oct. 9. The army is accused of involvement in the killings.

The military also denied that its troops around Tahrir Square used tear gas or fired at protesters, an assertion that runs against numerous witness accounts that say troops deployed outside the Interior Ministry were firing tear gas at protesters.

Street battles have been heaviest around the heavily fortified Interior Ministry, located on a side street that leads to the iconic square that was the epicenter of the uprising earlier this year. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to keep the protesters from storming the ministry, a sprawling complex that has for long been associated with the hated police and Mubarak's former regime.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said a truce negotiated by Muslim clerics briefly held in the late afternoon, after both the protesters and the police pulled back from the front line street, scene of most of the fighting. State television, meanwhile, broadcast footage from the scene of the clashes showing army soldiers forming a human chain between the protesters and the police in a bid to stop the violence.

The truce was soon breached in a barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets from police and a shower of rocks by protesters.

One of the clerics, Mohammed Fawaz, said he and others were trying to regroup and try again to stop the fighting.

"We're scattered. we are trying to from a new human chain between protesters and police. We want the army to protect us," he said as a white cloud of tear gas hung low over the crowd and shots rang out.

Protester Islam Mohammed, 22, said a friend, Shehab Abdullah, died earlier in the day from what he said was a live bullet fired by police. "I will avenge his death. We all will," he said. "We are defending Tahrir square. If we sleep, police will attack us."

Soon after the truce was shattered, Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehan Nojaim was arrested, according to her friend and co-producer Karim Amer.

He said Nojaim called from her mobile telephone to say that she was detained by military police.

"They arrested her because they don't want anyone documenting what's happening," Amer said.

Elnadeem Center, an Egyptian rights group known for its careful research of victims of police violence, said late Tuesday that the number of protesters killed in clashes nationwide since Saturday is 38, three more than the Health Ministry's death toll, which went up to 35 on Wednesday. All but four of the deaths were in Cairo.

The clashes also have left at least 2,000 protesters wounded, mostly from gas inhalation or injuries caused by rubber bullets fired by the army and the police. The police deny using live ammunition.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday cited morgue officials as saying at least 20 people have been killed by live ammunition.

Shady el-Nagar, a doctor in one of Tahrir's field hospitals, said three bodies arrived in the facility on Wednesday. All three had bullet wounds.

The turmoil broke out just days before the start of staggered parliamentary elections on Nov. 28. The votes will take place over months and conclude in March.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's strongest and best organized group, is not taking part in the ongoing protests in a move that is widely interpreted to be a reflection of its desire not to do anything that could derail the election, which it hopes win along with its allies.

Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters, however, have defied the leadership and joined the crowds in the square. Their participation is not likely to influence the Brotherhood's leadership or narrow the rift between the Islamist group and the secular organizations behind the uprising that toppled Mubarak and which are behind the latest spate of protests.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, was said by a spokesman to be following events in Egypt "with great concern."

"In the new Egypt, which wants to be free and democratic, repression and the use of force against peaceful demonstrators can have no place," spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin. "The demonstrators' demands ... for a quick transition to a civilian government are understandable from the German government's point of view," he added.

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Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo and Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45418680/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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