Obama to meet with Blair, sign economic order (AP)

WASHINGTON ? President Barack Obama will meet with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a private session Monday morning.

In the afternoon, Obama will sign an executive order the White House describes as part of his "We Can't Wait" campaign to help the economy. Saying the country can't wait for Congress, Obama has begun taking unilateral steps that he says will encourage economic growth. The actions do not require congressional approval.

The stalled Middle East peace process is a likely topic for discussion between Blair and Obama. Blair is the Mideast envoy for international mediators who last week failed in their latest attempt to bring Israeli and Palestinian officials back to the bargaining table.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111031/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_preview

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Why adult health insurance is a must

Insurance is a service provided to an individual to cover any costs, which may occur in the future due to risk occurrence. Just like auto insurance, adult health insurance is a must for all people. This is because, health is important, and it should be able to be provided when needed. If an individual is ill or injured, it becomes impossible to carry out the day to day activities that are not only normal, but also essential. In these uncertain times, one cannot guarantee good health all the Healthy people are sometimes exposed due to the home environment, the nature of the job and the activities carried out.

The environment is sometimes polluted, which could lead to infectious disease and some jobs involve machinery, and accidents could occur anytime. Even with caution to all this, the people surrounding could also pass on some of the infectious disease. Secondly, the cost of health services is becoming very expensive, including consultation and check-ups. To prevent constrain adult health insurance, is the key to cover all medical expenses, the insurance company only charges a premium, and all medical expenses are covered, in the long run one saves money for quality medical services. In some states, every citizen must have a form of medical insurance; this means that even though an individual has a low income, an insurance policy is a must. For this category of people, who cannot afford private health insurance premiums, the government substitutes and offers affordable health policies.

Source: http://www.oagnepal.com/why-adult-health-insurance-is-a-must/6911/

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UFC 137 on tap: Odds update and final picks from Iole, Cofield and Trigg

Listen above to Frank Trigg and Kevin Iole analyze UFC 137 shortly after the weigh-in.

Before the fights, Iole joined me on Skype to breakdown the big fights.

UFC 137 betting odds:

Top plays in bold

Nick Diaz (+105) vs. B.J. Penn (-125) - Welterweight

Cheick Kongo (+110) vs. Matt Mitrione (-130) - Heavyweight

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (+175) vs. Roy Nelson (-220) - Heavyweight

Hatsu Hioki (-335) vs. George Roop (+275) - Featherweight

Jeff Curran (+375) vs. Scott Jorgensen (-550) - Featherweight

Donald Cerrone (-325) vs. Dennis Siver (+250) - Lightweight

Tyson Griffin (-320) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+260) - Featherweight

Eliot Marshall (+325) vs. Brandon Vera (-400) - Light heavyweight

Danny Downes (+150) vs. Ramsey Nijem (-180) - Lightweight

Chris Camozzi (-130) vs. Francis Carmont (+110) - Middleweight

Dustin Jacoby (-125) vs. Clifford Starks (-105) - Middleweight

Watch UFC 137 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-137-on-tap-Odds-update-and-final-picks-from?urn=mma-wp8690

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Localization Strategy Study of Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co ...

home > Management > Localization Strategy Study of Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd.

?Abstract? As well known, the driving force or the purpose for localization is to reduce product cost, enhance the competitiveness of products in the market, therefore for foreign multinational auto parts company?s localization strategy, it is valid as well.In this paper, it discussed Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd. localization strategy which is based on Value Analysis theory. In order to make the Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd. to better integrate into the Chinese auto market, to take effective localization strategy, it is more helpful that implement value analysis method for the localization strategy of auto parts companies in different stages. The target could be clearer to participate in market competition and it also provides a reference for similar companies, help to improve its capability of marketing and independent innovation.?Bosch Automotive Diesel System Co., Ltd?:short as ?BRCD?

Title: Localization Strategy Study of Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd.
Category: Management economics
Filename: Localization Strategy Study of Bosch Automotive Diesel Systems Co., Ltd..pdf
Pages: 138
Price: US$80.00
Buy This Paper: Download: FAVORITE: ADD TO FAVORITE
Contact: E-Mail:bizdg@126.com
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Version:zh-cn

Source: http://www.economics-papers.com/?p=46438

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Expert: Jackson likely gave self fatal propofol shot (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Michael Jackson likely injected himself with a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol after popping an extra eight sedatives without his doctor's knowledge, a Los Angeles court heard on Friday.

Dr. Paul White, the last defense witness in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the singer's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, said that self-administration was the most likely scenario to explain levels of propofol and lorazepam found in Jackson's system after his death on June 25, 2009.

White said that based on the amount of propofol found in Jackson's urine, he believed the pop star gave himself a further injection of propofol about one hour after Murray has admitted injecting the 50 year-old singer with a relatively small 25 milligram dose of the drug as a sleep aid.

"With the administration of the additional 25 milligrams that we're speculating was self-injected by Mr. Jackson, the level increases rapidly and at the time of death would be almost identical to the level found in the urine at autopsy," White told jurors.

Using a mathematical model, White also said Jackson could have swallowed eight lorazepam tablets earlier in the night as he struggled with sleeplessness, bringing the amount of the sedative found in his blood to that seen at autopsy.

"The combination effect is potentially profound," White said of the two drugs.

Authorities have ruled Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, with lorazepam playing a contributing role.

A rival expert testified for the prosecution last week that he believed Jackson died after Murray left him on an intravenous drip of propofol for a number of hours.

But White said there was no physical evidence at the scene to support the prosecution scenario. It also did not reconcile with Murray's statements about the amount of drugs he gave Jackson that night, White said.

Prosecution experts will cross examine White on Monday as the five-week trial enters its closing stages.

White on Friday questioned the mathematical modeling prepared by prosecution expert Dr. Steven Shafer to support the intravenous propofol drip theory.

In order to reach the blood level of propofol found at autopsy, Jackson would have had to stop breathing right as the last drops fell from a 1,000 milligram bottle of propofol given with an IV drip, White said.

White called Shafer's hypothesis an "incredible coincidence of circumstances."

Murray denies involuntary manslaughter but could face up to four years prison if convicted. His attorneys said earlier this week he will not testify in his own defense.

Murray told police he had been trying to wean Jackson off his dependence on propofol. But he claimed the singer begged him for the drug the day he died.

Prosecution witnesses have also testified that Murray delayed calling emergency services, failed to tell ambulance and hospital staff about the propofol, and say he should never have been giving Jackson the drug for insomnia at all.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/en_nm/us_michaeljackson

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Global warming target to stay below 2 degrees requires more action this decade, scientists say

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) ? Climate scientists say the world's target to stay below a global warming of 2 degrees, made at the United Nations conference in Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancun 2010 will require decisive action this decade.

A comprehensive review of 193 emission scenarios from scientific literature to date has been published in Nature Climate Change by University of Melbourne and international scientists.

This study found the target of 44 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (GtCO2eq) by 2020 is a feasible milestone and an economically optimal approach for countries to meet the internationally agreed 2 degree target.

Dr Malte Meinshausen from the University of Melbourne's School of Earth Sciences and a senior author on the study said the world is currently at 48 GtCO2eq and as this research suggests, to reverse the growing emission trend this decade is vital.

The study analysed feasible emissions scenarios, which included a mix of mitigation actions ranging from energy efficiency to carbon free technologies such as solar photovoltaic, wind and biomass.

"Our study revealed there are many emissions scenarios that are economically and technologically feasible pathways to a 2 degree target, but that for countries to get closer to this target they need to honour the higher end of their pledges," he said.

Using a risk-based climate model developed by Dr Meinshausen, an international team of scientists led by Joeri Rogelj from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, analyzed how global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 can be managed with a long-term 2 degree target.

By analysing the emissions scenarios in the climate model, researchers were able to generate a probabilistic projection of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and global temperature for the next hundred years.

And to determine in particular, which scenarios provided the best possible chance of reaching the global target of 2 degrees and moving to a zero carbon economy in the latter half of the century.

"As long as we keep emitting carbon dioxide, the climate will continue to warm. There is no way around a zero carbon economy sooner or later if we want to stay below 2 degrees," Dr Meinshausen said.

A previous United Nations Emissions Gap report in 2010 which summarised all comparable emissions pledges by industrialized and developing countries, found 2020 emissions would still rise well beyond 50 GtCO2eq.

By specifying the level of 44 GtCO2eq, today's study suggests that countries' current pledges made at Copenhagen and Cancun are insufficient to meet the economically optimal milestone by 2020 to reach the 2 degree target.

In terms of Australia, the Federal Government recently announced its emission trading system to reduce its emissions by 5% to 25% below 2000 levels. Targeting the 500 top polluters is the cornerstone to the policy to achieve its 5% target.

"Our study confirms that only by moving to the more ambitious end of the pledges, 25% in the case of Australia, the world would be getting closer to being on track to the 44 GtCO2eq, 2 degree milestone," he said.

"If the international community is serious about avoiding dangerous climate change, countries seem ill-advised by continuing to increase emissions, which they have done so in the last ten years, which ultimately will lead to disastrous consequences later on," he said.

"We can anticipate Australia will be one of the countries hardest hit by climate change due to recent years of droughts and floods. This is consistent with projections that we are going to expect more of these kinds of extreme conditions in the coming decades," he added.

"By our calculations, the world needs to do more this decade, as otherwise the 2 degree target to avert serious effects of climate change, is slipping out of reach," he said.

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Story Source:

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

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Joeri Rogelj, William Hare, Jason Lowe, Detlef P. van Vuuren, Keywan Riahi, Ben Matthews, Tatsuya Hanaoka, Kejun Jiang, Malte Meinshausen. Emission pathways consistent with a 2??C global temperature limit. Nature Climate Change, 2011; 1 (8): 413 DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1258

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/2011/10/111027112328.htm

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Medicare relief: premiums not as high as feared (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Medicare's basic monthly premium will be much lower than expected next year, the government announced Thursday. That could pay political dividends for President Barack Obama and for Democrats struggling to win over seniors in a close election.

The new Part B premium for outpatient care will be $99.90 a month for 2012, or about $7 less than projected as recently as May.

The bottom line: most seniors will pay an additional $3.50 a month next year, instead of $10.20, as forecast earlier.

Some younger retirees who enrolled recently will actually pay less. They have been paying up to $115.40 a month. Instead, they'll also pay $99.90 next year.

The main reason for lower-than-expected premiums has to do with the interaction between Social Security COLAs and Medicare.

But the Obama administration is hoping seniors will get a simple takeaway message: Medicare is under sound management. Older voters went for Republicans in the 2010 elections, after Obama's health care overhaul law cut Medicare spending to help finance coverage for the uninsured. Since then, the administration has doubled down to reverse any perception that Obama is steering Medicare into decline.

The Medicare news means the majority of seniors will have to fork over only a small part of a long-awaited Social Security increase next year for premiums.

Premiums have been frozen at the 2008 level of $96.40 a month for about three-fourths of beneficiaries. That was due to the lack of a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment during the depths of the economic downturn. But Social Security recently announced a COLA raise in monthly checks averaging $39 for 2012.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said it's "pretty remarkable" that premiums will stay in check. Seniors have nothing to fear from the health care law, she suggested. "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare is providing better benefits at lower cost," said Sebelius.

Earlier this year, officials had announced that premiums for Medicare's prescription benefit would remain unchanged for 2012, on average. Similarly, average premiums for popular Medicare Advantage plans will dip slightly in 2012. But those announcements do not have as much impact. Averages used by the government don't reflect individual experiences. And fewer beneficiaries are enrolled in either of those two benefits.

The Part B premium is one number that most of the 48 million people on Medicare can connect with.

Upper-income retirees pay more, and premiums for low-income beneficiaries are covered by Medicaid. But middle-class beneficiaries on tight budgets watch the Part B figure.

A leading nonpartisan expert on Medicare said she doubted election-year politics are behind the lower-than-expected premiums for 2012.

"Changes in premiums are obviously important to seniors but the numbers are based on what the law requires, and determined by independent actuaries, rather than politics," said Tricia Neuman of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Neuman said the explanation is likely due to the complicated relationship between Social Security COLAs and Medicare premiums.

By law, the Part B premium is set to cover 25 percent of the cost of Medicare's outpatient care benefit.

But premiums have been frozen for most beneficiaries in recent years because federal law also says that ? with some exceptions ? an individual's Medicare premium cannot go up more than their Social Security COLA.

That left a relatively small share of beneficiaries, including recent enrollees, bearing the brunt of higher Medicare costs. Indeed, the so-called "standard premium" for 2011 rose to $115.40.

Back in May, when government experts originally forecast a premium of $106.60 for 2012, they were also projecting a Social Security COLA of just 0.7 percent. But the final COLA increase turned out to be much bigger, a 3.6 percent raise. And that meant rising Medicare costs could be spread among many more people, resulting in smaller increases for each individual.

"More people are sharing the smaller-than-expected increase, so that is spread over a larger number of people," said Medicare chief Don Berwick. Administration officials say they've also seen a slow-down in the use of health care services throughout the economy.

HHS also said the 2012 premium figure takes into account a fix for the biggest problem hanging over Medicare. Unless Congress acts by the end of the year, doctors will be hit with a 30 percent pay cut. But the department said since Congress is almost certain to override that cut, the cost of keeping doctors whole has been factored in to the premium calculations.

Medicare's Part B annual deductible, the amount beneficiaries pay before their coverage begins, will also drop next year to $140, a decrease of $22.

The hospital deductible, however, will increase by $24 to $1,156 for those admitted as inpatients. One doesn't cancel out the other since a minority of beneficiaries are hospitalized in any given year.

___

Associated Press writer Stephen Ohlemacher contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_medicare_premiums

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Please Do Not Buy Richard Stallman a Parrot And Other Rules [Video]

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ixuz6cdEo8U/please-do-not-buy-richard-stallman-a-parrot-and-other-rules

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Google takes another shot at the TV market (Reuters)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Google Inc is making another push to bring its Web savvy to television sets, hoping to tap into a vast new market despite consumers' lukewarm reaction to its initial offering.

The Internet search engine unveiled a revamped version of its Google TV service on Friday, bringing new features aimed at making the product easier-to-use and more appealing to consumers.

The new 2.0 version of Google TV provides new tools for recommending movies, TV programs and online videos to TV viewers, and makes it easier for software developers to create new apps for the television screen.

"There's a lot of thirst for using the Web in the living room," said Google Product Management VP Mario Queiroz, who is leading the Google TV initiative.

But in a sign of the many challenges that have frustrated Google's ambitions to conquer the living room, as well as those of other tech companies including Apple Inc, Queiroz described Google TV as a "long-term bet."

"I don't know what exact month this will take off," he told Reuters during a demonstration of the new product at Google's Mountain View, California headquarters last week. "I do think there's been a lot of progress over the past year and this next year there will be a lot more progress."

Google TV -- which currently comes built-in on certain Sony Corp television models and on Logitech International set-top boxes -- allows consumers to access online videos and websites on their TVs, as well as to play with specialized apps such as video games.

Google does not disclose how many users it has for Google TV, which was launched with great fanfare last year. But some analysts say that version 1.0 of the product has been a flop.

"The fire they were trying to start never even got a spark," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey.

The $299 price for the least-expensive Google TV device was too high, said McQuivey (Logitech has since reduced the price of its device to $100). And the fact that many of the television networks, perhaps sensing a threat from Google, blocked the Web-based versions of their shows from being accessible on Google TV devices created confusion among consumers, he said.

But TV is too attractive a market for Google to ignore, say analysts.

For Google, which generated 96 percent of its revenue from advertising last year, television represents a significant opportunity for expansion. According to industry research firm IDC, television advertising in the U.S. this year is expected to be a nearly $70 billion market.

Having a foothold in the living room could also be important for Google as the lines between traditional media and the Internet blur and as Google moves to bolster the rich trove of amateur videos on its YouTube website with professionally-produced content.

Other tech powerhouses also recognize the TV opportunity, including Microsoft Corp, which has taken steps to turn its Xbox video game console into a general-purpose media player.

In the newly-released biography of Steve Jobs, author Walter Isaacson relates a conversation in which the recently-deceased Apple co-founder said he was interested in creating an "integrated television set" that seamlessly connected with the Internet and with all of a consumer's electronic devices. So far analysts say that Apple's foray into the TV market has been a rare failure for the iPhone maker.

"The reason these companies have all been eyeing this market is that there's not that many markets that are 200 million plus units a year and have an installed base of a billion plus screens," said IDC analyst Danielle Levitas, referring to global sales of TV sets. "You can't ignore markets that big, on screens that are that important in terms of hours spent and media delivered."

THE MOTOROLA FACTOR

One advantage that Google could have in the TV market is its planned $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc, which makes cable television set-top boxes as well as mobile phones.

"If I were Google, the first thing I would do is put (the Google TV software) into the next round of Motorola set-top boxes and say (to the cable providers) 'We'll give you half-off for these things, if you put Google TV in,'" said McQuivey of Forrester Research.

Google's Queiroz declined to discuss how Motorola might fit into the Google TV plans other than to note that Google has said it plans to run Motorola as a separate business after the acquisition closes.

Beginning on Sunday, Google will automatically upgrade the software on existing Sony Google TV devices that are already in consumers' homes, with software updates to Logitech coming shortly thereafter. New Google TV devices, from manufacturers including Samsung and Vizio, are expected next year.

Google has built Google TV on the new "Honeycomb" version of its Android operating system. The company has also redesigned the look of Google TV, replacing the cluttered, computer-like screen full of options with a more minimalist strip of graphical icons that sits at the bottom of the TV screen.

Google's Android Market, the central clearinghouse for the smartphone and tablet apps designed to run on the Android operating system, will now be available on Google TV. That means software developers that make smartphone applications, such as Rovio's Angry Birds, will easily be able to offer versions that run on Google TV.

But in contrast to Internet-connected smartphones, which have become incredibly popular in recent years, Web TV products from Google and other companies face a steep road as they strive to prove their worth to consumers, say some analysts.

"It's an incredibly difficult screen to figure out," said IDC's Levitas, noting that unlike with smartphones and PCs, a TV is often viewed by multiple people at the same time and has two disparate experiences -- standard television programing and Web content -- that need to be cleverly tied together.

"The TV is going to be the last frontier we crack in terms of the connected experience," said Levitas.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic, editing by Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/tc_nm/us_google_tv

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NYPD officers surrender in corruption probe

NEW YORK (AP) ? New York City officers surrendered Friday to face charges in a police corruption case following an investigation that stemmed from a low-profile wiretap of one officer suspected of having ties to a drug dealer and ballooned into a lengthy probe, union officials and people familiar with the case said.

Sixteen officers and five others will be arraigned in Bronx state Supreme Court. Hundreds of police officers swarmed the court Friday ahead of the hearing to show support for the officers.

Some of the charges allege the officers abused their authority by helping family and friends avoid paying traffic tickets, two people familiar with the case said Thursday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the allegations hadn't been made public.

Thirteen police officers, two sergeants and one lieutenant are facing charges, and some are officials within the department's largest and most powerful union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

"This has been laid on the shoulders of police officers, but when the dust settles and we have our day in court, it will be clear that this is part of the NYPD at all levels," union President Patrick Lynch said through a spokesman.

The case evolved from a 2009 internal affairs probe of a Bronx officer in the 40th Precinct, Jose Ramos, suspected of associating with a drug dealer, officials said. While listening to the officer's phone, investigators heard calls from people seeing if he could fix tickets for them, they said.

Ramos and his wife were arrested at their home Thursday night, said his lawyer, John Sandleitner. His client ? who has worked for the department nearly 18 years ? had been working up until the night he was arrested.

"If he had done any of these things that they say, they would've arrested him two months ago. Or two years ago," he said. "Why did they let him go to work, then?"

Sandleitner said he is not clear exactly what charges Ramos faces, and he tried in vain several times to arrange for his client to surrender instead of facing arrest.

"Bring the charges on. None of this slipping it out and releasing to the press," he said.

The other officers were allowed to surrender starting at about midnight Thursday. The conversation overheard on the Ramos wiretap led to more wiretaps that produced evidence of additional officers having similar conversations. An unrelated drunken driving case in the Bronx provided a window into the secret probe when prosecutors were forced to disclose to the defense that the arresting officer was among those recorded talking about ticket fixing.

According to a transcript of the tape, a union delegate tells an officer, "I'll get this taken care of" by having a ticket issued to a girlfriend of the officer's cousin pulled the next day.

The case doesn't appear to rise to the level of the more notorious corruption scandals in the nation's largest police department. But in terms of the number of officers facing criminal or internal administrative charges, the probe represents the largest crackdown on police accused of misconduct in recent memory.

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in Manhattan brought conspiracy and other charges against five current and three former officers alleging they were part of a gun-running ring. In two other recent unrelated federal cases, one officer was charged with arresting a black man without cause and using a racial slur to describe the suspect, and another with using a law enforcement database to try to trump up charges against an innocent man.

As the ticket-fixing investigation unfolded, union officials complained that the probe unfairly singled out officers for an unofficial practice ? undoing paperwork on traffic citations before they reach court ? that has been tolerated for years.

"This issue could have and should have been addressed differently," Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, has said. The union has more than 22,000 members.

Aside from those officers charged criminally, dozens more could face internal charges. In one disciplinary case already decided earlier this year, a former union financial secretary in the Bronx admitted administrative misconduct charges and was docked 40 days of vacation and suspended for five days.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has addressed the issue. Last fall, the NYPD ? which has about 35,000 officers ? installed a new computer system that tracks tickets and makes it much more difficult to tamper with the paper trail.

Kelly also recently formed a new unit within internal affairs to look into ticket fixing. Its officers sit in on traffic court testimony and comb through paperwork to ensure none of the methods is being wrongly employed.

The last serious corruption scandal for the NYPD was the so-called "Dirty 30" case from the early 1990s. More than 33 officers from Harlem's 30th Precinct were implicated in the probe, with most pleading guilty to charges including stealing cash from drug dealers, taking bribes, beating suspects and lying under oath to cover their tracks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-28-NYPD-Ticket%20Fixing/id-2b7f583f26f2426e8e6a3060be103db4

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Obama announces help for student loan borrowers (AP)

DENVER ? President Barack Obama recalled his struggles with student loan debt as he unveiled a plan Wednesday that could give millions of young people some relief on their payments. Speaking at the University of Colorado Denver, Obama said that he and his wife, Michelle, together owed more than $120,000 in law school debt that took nearly a decade to pay off. He said that sometimes he'd have to make monthly payments to multiple lenders, and the debt meant they were not only paying for their own degrees but saving for their daughters' college funds simultaneously.

"I've been in your shoes. We did not come from a wealthy family," Obama said to cheers.

Obama said it's never been more important to get a college education, but it's also never been more expensive. Obama said his plan will help not just individuals, but the nation, because graduates will have more money to spend on things like buying homes.

"Our economy needs it right now and your future could use a boost right now," Obama said.

Obama's plan will accelerate a measure passed by Congress that reduces the maximum required payment on student loans from 15 percent of discretionary income annually to 10 percent. He will put it into effect in 2012, instead of 2014. In addition, the White House says the remaining debt would be forgiven after 20 years, instead of 25. About 1.6 million borrowers could be affected.

He will also allow borrowers who have a loan from the Federal Family Education Loan Program and a direct loan from the government to consolidate them into one. The consolidated loan would carry an interest rate of up to a half percentage point less than before. This could affect 5.8 million borrowers.

Student loans are the No. 2 source of household debt. The president's announcement came on the same day as a new report on tuition costs from the College Board. It showed that average in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose $631 this fall, or 8.3 percent, compared with a year ago. Nationally, the cost of a full credit load has passed $8,000, an all-time high.

Student loan debt is a common concern voiced by Occupy Wall Street protesters. Obama's plan could help him shore up re-election support among young voters, an important voting bloc in his 2008 election. But, it might not ease all their fears.

Anna Van Pelt, 24, a graduate student in public health at the University of Colorado Denver who attended the speech, estimates she'll graduate with $40,000 in loans. She called Obama's plan a "really big deal" for her, but said she still worries about how she'll make the payments.

"By the time I graduate, my interest rate is going to be astronomical, especially when you don't have a job," Van Pelt said. "So it's not just paying the loans back. It's paying the loans back without a job."

The White House said the changes will carry no additional costs to taxpayers.

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., his party's ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement that while he supports efforts to help struggling graduates, the president's plan was crafted behind closed doors and "we are left with more questions than answers."

Last year, Congress passed a law that lowered the repayment cap and moved student loans to direct lending by eliminating banks as the middlemen. Before that, borrowers could get loans directly from the government or from the Federal Family Education Loan Program; the latter were issued by private lenders but basically insured by the government. The law was passed along with the health care overhaul with the anticipation that it could save about $60 billion over a decade.

The change in the law was opposed by many Republicans. At a hearing Tuesday, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs a subcommittee with oversight over higher education, said it had resulted in poorer customer service for borrowers. And Senate Republicans issued a news release with a compilation of headlines that showed thousands of workers in student lending, including those from Sallie Mae Inc., had been laid off because of the change.

Today, there are 23 million borrowers with $490 billion in loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. Last year, the Education Department made $102.2 billion in direct loans to 11.5 million recipients.

_____

Hefling reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report.

_____

Kimberly Hefling can be followed at http://twitter.com/khefling

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_student_loans

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Stocks end higher on reports of help for Europe (AP)

NEW YORK ? Stock indexes finished higher Wednesday following reports that China will come to the aid of Europe by investing in a financial rescue fund.

Agence France-Presse reported that China has agreed to invest in Europe's financial rescue fund, which will be used to support struggling countries and banks in the European Union. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 100 points after the report came out in the early afternoon.

Stocks had been mixed for much of the day as investors weighed stronger earnings from Boeing and Corning with uncertainty about the outcome of a key meeting among European leaders.

Top European officials met in Brussels to discuss how to contain the region's debt crisis, which has festered for two years. One consideration is increasing the power of a financial rescue fund, which Germany's parliament approved shortly before U.S. stock markets opened.

European officials announced a plan after the U.S. market closed that will require the region's banks to increase their levels of cash to better protect themselves from losses on the Greek bonds they hold. European governments have been pressing the banks to forgive significant amounts of the Greek government's debt.

"This is a total news and rumor-driven market right now, and everyone's attention is focused on Europe," said Joe Bell, an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 162.42 points, or 1.4 percent, to 11,869.04. Boeing Co. led the way. It rose 4.5 percent after it reported a bigger profit for its latest quarter than analysts expected. It also raised its forecast for 2011 earnings.

The S&P 500 index rose 12.95, or 1.1 percent, to 1,242. The Nasdaq composite added 12.25, or 0.5 percent, to 2,650.67. Amazon.com Inc. slumped 12.7 percent after reporting a 73 percent drop in income. The retailer cited higher costs for expansion.

Strong economic reports also helped send stocks higher. Businesses ordered more heavy machinery and other long-lasting manufactured goods last month, after excluding aircraft orders, which can be volatile. That indicates businesses are still spending on equipment despite worries about a weak economy and Europe's debt problems. Sales of new homes rose in September after falling for four straight months. Lower home prices enticed buyers.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.21 percent from 2.14 percent late Tuesday as demand diminished for assets perceived to be relatively safe.

Corning Inc. rose 3 percent after reporting a 3 percent increase in income last quarter on stronger sales of glass for flat-panel televisions. Its earnings and revenue beat analysts' expectations.

First Solar Inc. rose 6.6 percent. It reported results a week earlier than expected, and revenue and earnings both improved. That helped the stock recover some of its losses from Tuesday, when it fell 24 percent after the surprise departure of the company's chief executive.

Five stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was slightly above average at 4.8 billion shares.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

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Hurricane Rina threatens Canc?n and the rest of Mexico's Yucat?n Peninsula

Hurricane Rina, currently a Category 2 storm, could further mar the popular resort region, which has yet to recover from the damage Hurricane Wilma caused six years ago.

Mexico?s premier resort town, Canc?n, hunkered down Wednesday, as Hurricane Rina gathered strength and menaced the island of Cozumel and the coast of the Yucat?n Peninsula.

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It was expected to hit Cozumel Wednesday before moving toward the Caribbean coast and onwards to Canc?n, a tourist area popular across the globe, but especially for American travelers.

The tourism director of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo told the Associated Press that currently there are about 83,000 tourists in the state. There are some 1,700 in Cozumel, which could be the hardest hit.

Along the stretch of beach, authorities set up emergency shelters and soldiers and marines evacuated fishing communities, while hotel owners boarded up windows and prepared for a loss of electricity. Cruise ships were also re-routed away from this stretch of the Caribbean to avoid storm surges.

Some were unconcerned. Roberto Martinez, who works at a bank in Mexico City and was en route to Canc?n for a business trip, says the weather was not going to stop his plans. ?As I have never experienced a hurricane, I am not nervous,? he says. In fact, he moved up his trip to make sure he did not get stuck in Mexico City.

Rina is currently a Category 2 storm, with winds at 110 mph on Wednesday morning, the US National Hurricane Center reported.

Canc?n was hit with Hurricane Wilma six years ago, and the beaches have never recovered. Many beaches were washed away; hotel owners have instead built board walks that jut out from their hotels so that tourists can at least be near the water.

Heavy rains could prove problematic, not just for the resort area but further towards the Gulf. The state of Tabasco has been suffering from floods.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/_Ppo-hKMjMM/Hurricane-Rina-threatens-Cancun-and-the-rest-of-Mexico-s-Yucatan-Peninsula

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6 Diseases Back from the Dead

Plague, TB, and measles seem like illnesses of the history books or infections beaten back by modern science. But once-vanquished diseases are now reemerging all over the world. Here's why. By Stephanie Warren

1 of 6

Plague

The Black Death struck Europe in 1348. Just five years later, a third of the population?50 million people?was dead. And though plague seems like an illness of another time?that it belongs to a day when a victim was treated with a healthy bloodletting and a garlic-onion-butter poultice?it's still with us today. Small outbreaks of plague can swiftly strike a few hundred people before they can be stopped. Researchers are trying to figure out why the disease was so deadly in the Middle Ages, and how it's causing harm once again.

To answer the first part of that question, scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, recently sequenced the genome of the bacterium responsible for the Black Death. They drilled into the soft tooth tissue of four victims recovered from a London Black Death gravesite called East Smithfield, and got enough DNA fragments to map the killer's full genome for a study in Nature.

What they found was very strange. Since outbreaks of the modern plague, while scary, are nowhere near as devastating as the Black Death, researchers thought the modern plague would show significant changes in its DNA when compared to the ancient one. But instead, today's plague is barely different from its centuries-old ancestor. The factors that probably made medieval plague outbreaks so severe include the unsanitary living conditions of those days, and perhaps a population that was genetically predisposed to being more sensitive to the disease. But paper co-author Kirsten Bos says, all these years later, scientists don't have the full picture. "We can't explain why we saw that cataclysmic mortality."

Plague is primarily transmitted to humans by fleas that live on rodents. Modern plague outbreaks have occurred in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, where wild rodents carry the disease. Other hot spots for modern plague outbreaks include South American countries such as Ecuador and Peru, and parts of Africa and Asia.

Most of these outbreaks take the form of bubonic plague?a type that causes grossly swollen lymph nodes. Because it's easily treatable with antibiotics, this kind is the least deadly. But the other forms of plague?septecemic, which infects the blood, and pnemonic, which strikes the lungs?are much worse. Pnemonic plague spreads directly from person to person, and attacks so quickly that patients can die before antibiotics take effect. Without early treatment, pnemonic plague's death rate is nearly 100 percent. "If you have an outbreak of pnemonic plague, that is going to be bad news for that community," says Juan Olano, M.D., an infectious disease expert at the University of Texas.

So far authorities have been able to contain plague outbreaks. But some diseases don't stay confined.

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Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/genetics/6-diseases-back-from-the-dead?src=rss

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First-of-a-kind tension wood study broadens biofuels research

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2011) ? Taking a cue from Mother Nature, researchers at the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center have undertaken a first-of-its-kind study of a naturally occurring phenomenon in trees to spur the development of more efficient bioenergy crops.

Tension wood, which forms naturally in hardwood trees in response to bending stress, is known to possess unique features that render it desirable as a bioenergy feedstock. Although individual elements of tension wood have been studied previously, the BESC team is the first to use a comprehensive suite of techniques to systematically characterize tension wood and link the wood's properties to sugar release. Plant sugars, known as cellulose, are fermented into alcohol for use as biofuel.

"There has been no integrated study of tension stress response that relates the molecular and biochemical properties of the wood to the amount of sugar that is released," said Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Udaya Kalluri, a co-author on the study.

The work, published in Energy & Environmental Science, describes tension wood properties including an increased number of woody cells, thicker cell walls, more crystalline forms of cellulose and lower lignin levels, all of which are desired in an biofuel crop.

"Tension wood in poplar trees has a special type of cell wall that is of interest because it is composed of more than 90 percent cellulose, whereas wood is normally composed of 40 to 55 percent cellulose," Kalluri said. "If you increase the cellulose in your feedstock material, then you can potentially extract more sugars as the quality of the wood has changed. Our study confirms this phenomenon."

The study's cohesive approach also provides a new perspective on the natural plant barriers that prevent the release of sugars necessary for biofuel production, a trait scientists term as recalcitrance.

"Recalcitrance of plants is ultimately a reflection of a series of integrated plant cell walls, components, structures and how they are put together," said co-author Arthur Ragauskas of Georgia Institute of Technology. "This paper illustrates that you need to use an holistic, integrated approach to study the totality of recalcitrance."

Using the current study as a model, the researchers are extending their investigation of tension wood down to the molecular level and hope to eventually unearth the genetic basis behind its desirable physical features. Although tension wood itself is not considered to be a viable feedstock option, insight gleaned from studying its unique physical and molecular characteristics could be used to design and select more suitably tailored bioenergy crops.

"This study exemplifies how the integrated model of BESC can bring together such unique research expertise," said BESC director Paul Gilna. "The experimental design in itself is reflective of the multidisciplinary nature of a DOE Bioenergy Research Center."

The research team also includes Georgia Institute of Technology's Marcus Foston, Chris Hubbell, Reichel Sameul, Seokwon Jung and Hu Fan; National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Robert Sykes, Shi-You Ding, Yining Zeng, Erica Gjersing and Mark Davis, and ORNL's Sara Jawdy and Gerald Tuskan.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Marcus Foston, Christopher A. Hubbell, Reichel Samuel, Seokwon Jung, Hu Fan, Shi-You Ding, Yining Zeng, Sara Jawdy, Mark Davis, Robert Sykes, Erica Gjersing, Gerald A. Tuskan, Udaya Kalluri, Arthur J. Ragauskas. Chemical, ultrastructural and supramolecular analysis of tension wood in Populus tremula x alba as a model substrate for reduced recalcitrance. Energy & Environmental Science, 2011; DOI: 10.1039/C1EE02073K

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/-2_hdLXYsng/111025163121.htm

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More challenges seen for Netflix, shares drop (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Wall Street is losing confidence that Netflix Inc can quickly reverse subscriber defections and cover mounting costs with growth in streaming, pushing its shares to their largest one-day decline since 2004.

The stock nose-dived in heavy trading on Tuesday, a day after the company provided uninspiring guidance as it grapples with the fallout from an unpopular price increase and recent missteps.

CEO Reed Hastings, once viewed on the Street as a CEO who could do no wrong, is struggling to restore his and his company's tarnished credibility following a chain of strategic about-faces and unpopular moves, starting with a miscalculated price increase announced in July.

It culminated in Monday's shockingly dismal subscriber numbers and forecast, and a prediction for a loss, as the company pursues a costly global expansion.

Several analysts cut their ratings or slashed price targets, pointing to challenges such as rising costs for online movie and television content and international expansion.

"We believe the (Netflix) model is unsustainable, as the company faces rising costs that it hoped it could pass onto its (subscribers), who appear unwilling to do so," Janney Capital Markets analyst Tony Wible said in a note to clients. The brokerage cut its rating on the stock to "sell."

In the second-heaviest day of trading in the company's history, Netflix shares closed down 35 percent at $77.37 on Nasdaq -- 75 percent lower than their high of about $305 in July. It was the biggest one-day drop since October 2004, when the much smaller company lost 41 percent after it warned of growing competition. That day also saw the highest trading volume for Netflix shares.

The recent downward spiral for the shares started in July when the company that shook up Hollywood with its DVD-by-mail service announced a price increase for subscribers who wanted both DVDs and online streaming. Since then, its market value has shrunk by about $9.76 billion.

Netflix had drawn heavy short interest when its shares were on an upward tear and traded at nearly 50 times 2011 earnings.

One investor who had famously shorted Netflix shares in late 2010, Whitney Tilson, said on Tuesday he was taking a small, long position. Tilson, who had warned about the company's high valuation, had closed his short position in February as the stock kept rising.

In an email on Tuesday, Tilson said it was "frustrating to see our original investment thesis validated, yet not profit from it."

"In light of the stock's collapse, we now think it's cheap and today established a small, long position. We hope it gets cheaper so we can add to it," Tilson said.

Another investor who has shorted the stock at various times this year remained bearish on the stock. Yoni Jacobs, portfolio manager for Chart Prophet Capital, said he covered some of his short position on Tuesday but saw challenges ahead.

"I do expect Netflix's problems to continue," Jacobs said, in part because "I see them continuing to struggle with acquiring content."

As of October 14, roughly 18 percent of Netflix shares were shorted.

EXPANDING AS CONTENT COSTS RISE

On Monday, Netflix -- which is trying to recover from the roughest patch in its nearly 15-year history -- forecast a loss for the first quarter of 2012 as it spends more to expand into Europe.

"Expansion into the U.K. and Ireland -- a positive longer-term -- comes at the same time domestic growth is slowing and content costs are building," said J.P. Morgan Securities, which downgraded the stock to "neutral" from "overweight" and slashed its price target to $67 from $205.

Citigroup also downgraded the stock to "neutral."

Coming into the session options traders had been expecting positive news. In the 10 trading sessions heading into Netflix earnings beginning with October 11, investors bought 1.24 call options - an option to buy the stock by a given date at a specific price - for every put option on major U.S. options exchanges, according to Joe Bell, senior equity analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

"People were betting on a better report than what was released," Bell said.

Schaeffer's total put-to-call open interest ratio (SOIR) based on the front three months of Netflix options stood at 0.99 as of Monday. That's lower than 90 percent of the readings over the past year, which shows more calls added than puts in recent months, suggesting expectations for gains in the stock in coming months.

Netflix, in a letter to shareholders, admitted it had "hurt our hard-earned reputation" but said the company would return to profitability by "increasing our global streaming subscriber base faster than we increase our costs."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/bs_nm/us_netflix

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Yemen's Saleh welcomes U.N. resolution on power shift (Reuters)

SANAA (Reuters) ? Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, facing an increasingly entrenched uprising against his rule, on Monday welcomed a U.N. Security Council resolution urging him to adopt a Gulf-mediated plan for him to transfer power, the state news agency reported.

It was Saleh's first response to the United Nations Security Council measure last week calling on him to adopt the blueprint drafted by neighboring Gulf states for a transition to early parliamentary and presidential elections after a new opposition-led cabinet is formed and Saleh relinquishes the presidency.

Saleh has already rejected the plan three times despite escalating protests against his 33-year-long autocratic rule, saying he would only transfer power into "safe hands."

"The Yemeni president... expressed his readiness to sit down immediately at the dialogue table with the Joint Meeting Parties (opposition parties) and its partners to complete the dialogue over the operational mechanism for the (Gulf) initiative as quickly as possible and to reach the final signing of the initiative and its immediate implementation, leading to early presidential elections on a date agreed upon by all," said a statement carried by the Yemeni news agency SABA.

Ruling Yemen since 1978 through a civil war and rebel movements, Saleh has clung to power despite an assassination attempt that send him abroad for three months for medical care, defecting generals and nine months of street protests.

More than a dozen people have died in the past week, the latest wave of violence in Yemen as forces loyal to Saleh clash with soldiers siding with protesters.

Inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Yemen's loose coalition of student protesters, tribal leaders and dissident army factions has been pressing him to leave since January.

In Yemen's turbulent south, two Yemeni soldiers were shot dead on Monday and three suspected Islamist militants were killed the night before in two sets of clashes in Aden, security and tribal sources said.

"Armed groups driving a car opened fire with machine guns on a group of government troops charged with guarding commercial warehouses," a security source told Reuters.

"Security forces exchanged fire for a short period of time with the armed groups leading to the death of two and the injury of two... The armed groups fled to an unknown place," the source added. Eyewitnesses said the fighting had also involved hand grenades and that a government car had been burned.

In recent weeks armed groups linked to al Qaeda have targeted the port city of Aden, with suicide attacks on high-level officials in the army and government.

The neighboring province of Abyan has been in a state of virtual anarchy since militants suspected of ties to al Qaeda began seizing cities in the coastal region several months ago.

(Additional reporting By Mohamed Mukhashaf; Writing by Reed Stevenson; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/wl_nm/us_yemen

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Survey: Economists more bleak about US economy (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Fewer U.S. companies expect to hire new workers in coming months, as business economists grow increasingly pessimistic about the overall economy's growth in the coming year.

Nearly 85 percent of economic experts surveyed expect the economy to grow at a meager 2 percent or less over the next 12 months, according to the National Association for Business Economists. In July only 23 percent of the survey's respondents predicted such slow growth.

Additionally, the number of companies that plan to hire more workers fell from 42 percent to 30 percent, while the number of companies laying workers off rose. The group reports that 13 percent of respondents have reduced their staff, up from 8 percent in July.

One-fifth of the economists say the European debt crisis has hurt sales, with the average estimate around 10 percent, and 30 percent expect the squeeze to continue into the first quarter of 2012.

The quarterly survey includes the views of 70 economists for private companies and trade groups who are NABE members. The data are reported by broad industry group.

About one-quarter of respondents reported increased profitability since the last quarter, compared with 16 percent who reported declines. Companies that reported improved profit margins include those in the food, transportation, utilities, information and communications sectors.

On Sunday, European leaders yet again put off tough decisions which economists say are needed to save the continent from its debt crisis. Earlier in the weekend officials said the leaders were nearing agreement on slashing Greece's debts and strengthening the continent's banks, many of which are awash in Greek bonds.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_bi_ge/us_nabe_survey

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GR2011: Whisper vs Khayyam (R4)

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, Wordpress, Moodle, phpBB, AJAX Chat, Mantis, and the efforts of many dedicated writers and roleplayers. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

? RolePlayGateway, LLC

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Panetta calls NKorea 'reckless,' criticizes China

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta meets with service members at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Fussa, west of Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Panetta arrived in Japan Monday on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta meets with service members at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Fussa, west of Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Panetta arrived in Japan Monday on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speaks to service members at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Fussa, west of Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Panetta arrived in Japan Monday on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speaks to service members at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Fussa, west of Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Panetta arrived in Japan Monday on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speaks to service members at the U.S. Yokota Air Base in Fussa, west of Tokyo, Monday, Oct. 24, 2011. Panetta arrived in Japan Monday on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lashed out at North Korea on Monday for "reckless and provocative" acts and criticized China for a secretive expansion of its military power.

Panetta, who visited the U.S. Yokota Air Base on the second leg of a weeklong Asia tour, spoke out about North Korea and China in an opinion piece published Monday by Japan's Yomiuri newspaper before his arrival.

He wrote that Washington and Tokyo share common challenges in the Asia-Pacific. "These include North Korea, which continues to engage in reckless and provocative behavior and is developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, which pose a threat not just to Japan but to the entire region," he wrote.

If any changes are made to U.S. forces in the Pacific, he said, it would be to strengthen their presence.

"We are not anticipating any cutbacks in this region," he told several dozen U.S. and Japanese troops standing in front of huge side-by-side American and Japanese flags. "If anything, we're going to strengthen our presence in the Pacific ? and we will."

He offered no examples of such moves. The U.S. now has about 47,000 troops in Japan and about 28,000 in South Korea ? remnants of World War II and the Korean War. Panetta's strong language comes as U.S. and North Korean officials gather in Geneva for talks that Washington says are aimed at determining whether the North is serious about returning to nuclear disarmament talks.

Japan also worries about North Korea and is one of five countries that have jointly tried to persuade it to cap and reverse its nuclear arms program. The other four are the U.S., China, Russia and South Korea.

Panetta also criticized China.

"China is rapidly modernizing its military," he wrote in Monday's opinion piece, "but with a troubling lack of transparency, coupled with increasingly assertive activity in the East and South China Seas."

He wrote that Japan and the U.S. would work together to "encourage China to play a responsible role in the international community."

A day earlier, in Bali, Indonesia, Panetta offered more positive remarks about China. He told reporters that Beijing deserved praise for a relatively mild response to a $5.8 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan announced in September.

Panetta is not visiting China on this trip, his first to Asia since becoming Pentagon chief in July.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-10-24-Panetta-Asia/id-4d53946ebc3145f2b9bc831fed64cca5

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7.2 quake causes damage, casualties in Turkey (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck eastern Turkey Sunday, collapsing some buildings and causing a number of deaths, officials said. At least 50 people were injured.

The temblor struck eastern Van province at 1:41 p.m. (1041 GMT; 6:41 a.m. EDT), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It caused widespread panic throughout the province as well as neighboring cities.

"The quake was strongly felt in Van and neighboring towns, and caused damage and deaths based on initial assessments," the prime minister's office said.

The earthquake toppled some buildings in downtown Van as well as the neighboring town of Ercis, officials said. Several strong aftershocks also were reported.

"There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction," Zulfikar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, told NTV television. "We need urgent aid. We need medics."

NTV also said Van's airport was damaged and planes were being diverted to neighboring cities.

Terrified residents spilled into the streets in panic as rescue workers and residents using their bare hands and shovels struggled to evacuate people believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings, television footage showed.

In Van, at least two buildings collapsed, Bekir Kaya, the mayor of Van town, told NTV. One of them was a seven-story building, according to Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency.

At least 50 people were treated for injuries in the courtyard of the state hospital in Van, said the state-run Anatolia news agency.

"The telephone system is jammed due to panic, and we can't assess the entire damage immediately," Kaya said.

Several Cabinet ministers headed to the area as authorities mobilized rescue teams across the country.

The USGS originally gave the magnitude as 7.3 but later corrected it to 7.2. It said the quake had a depth of 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), which is relatively shallow and could potentially cause more damage.

Turkey's Kandilli observatory gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 6.6, but put its depth at 5 kilometers (3 miles). Several aftershocks as strong as magnitude 5.5 followed, the observatory said.

The quake's epicenter was in the village of Tabanli in eastern Van province, bordering Iran. But it was felt in several provinces across the area.

Earthquakes are frequent in Turkey, which is crossed by fault lines.

In 1999, about 18,000 people were killed by two powerful earthquakes that struck northwestern Turkey. Authorities had blamed shoddy construction for many of the deaths.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111023/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_quake

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