Egypt military detains activist over clashes: lawyer (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egyptian military prosecutors ordered an activist be detained on Sunday for 15 days and another bailed pending investigations into accusations they incited violence, a move rights groups say is part of a crackdown by the ruling army on dissent.

A lawyer for Alaa Abd El Fattah, a high-profile blogger, said he was detained after appearing with activist Bahaa Saber before military authorities on Sunday over "inciting violence and sabotage" in connection with deadly clashes between the army and protesters in Cairo on October 9.

Saber was released on bail, said the lawyer, who said he would appeal Abd El Fattah's detention despite facing little chance of winning a case against the military prosecutor.

Abd El Fattah's sister told Reuters he was detained after both activists had refused to answer the army prosecutor's questions. She said they rejected the "legitimacy of the military prosecutor" and would only speak to a civilian official.

Egyptian military sources were not immediately available to comment on the case.

Some 25 people were killed in clashes that erupted during a demonstration by Christians over what they said was an attack on a church in southern Egypt.

Protesters said military police used excessive force, firing live ammunition and driving army vehicles into the crowds. The army defended their actions during the protest and blamed "foreign elements" and other agitators for the violence.

"They committed a massacre, a horrible crime and now they are working on framing someone else for it," Abd El Fattah earlier told Reuters on his way to the military prosecutor's office. "This whole situation is distorted."

"Instead of launching a proper investigation, they are sending activists to trial for saying the plain truth and that is that the army committed a crime in cold blood," he said, adding the military was using the "incitement" card to shift the blame away from its own officers.

MILITARY TRIALS

Authorities have detained 28 others on suspicion of attacking soldiers. Any trial will be before a military court, a move that has drawn broad criticism from politicians who want the army to use civilian courts and say the military cannot be the arbitrator when it is accused of having a role.

London-based rights group Amnesty said Saber could be charged with "verbal incitement" and said alleged videos showing Abd El Fattah throwing rocks during the protests could be used against them.

If charged, the two are also likely to face military trials, the rights group and others said.

Abd El Fattah, a well-known blogger and political activist, was previously arrested in 2006 when ousted President Hosni Mubarak was still office. Critics say the army has been using similar tactics against dissenters as Mubarak did.

Sunday's detention order was met by condemnation from activists who said the army was attacking "symbols of the revolution."

"The regime that arrested Alaa in 2006 is the same regime that is arresting him 2011, it has not yet fallen," Muhamed El-Hajj wrote on Twitter, reviving a 'Free Alaa' campaign that was used in 2006 to free the blogger.

Rights groups say over 12,000 civilians have been brought before military courts since the uprising that toppled Mubarak in February, calling into question the willingness of the army council to transform Egypt into a democracy.

"The military justice system should never be used to investigate or prosecute civilians. Military courts are fundamentally unfair, as they deprive defendants of basic fair trial guarantees," Amnesty said in a statement.

"The fact that military prosecutors are responsible for investigating the violence -- for which members of the armed forces are believed to be largely responsible -- has raised serious questions over the inquiry's independence."

(Editing by Sophie Hares)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111030/wl_nm/us_egypt_activists

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Some Fixes for the iPhone 4S Battery Drain (The Atlantic Wire)

A few weeks with the new phone under their belt, some new iPhone 4S users have figured out why the phone's battery?might?be draining too fast and found some fixes that?mostly?work.?The new phone is mostly?rad, but?all of those fancy phone features are an energy suck. While the iPhone 4S's battery life has some improvement for talk time, data and WiFi usage are less efficient, reports Geeky Gadgets. But it turns out, the phone is having bigger battery issues than that, with over a thousand upset iPhone owners taking to the Apple Forums, complaining of battery-drainage. They're not perfect, but they have some ideas to fix the problem that are the best iPhoners have for now.

Related: Xbox TV Can Put TV on Your TV Again

iCloud Syncing

The problem: One of the cooler iOS 5 features was the iCloud integration. The 4S, and really any device with the updated iOS, syncs iTunes, iWork and Photos up to the cloud. It's pretty cool, but apparently drains batter life, reports MacWorld's Christopher Breen. He noted that his phone dropped a battery percentage point every couple of minutes. That's very fast for a phone that's supposed to have up to 200 hours of standby time. After doing a little investigation, Breen deduced the problem had something to do with the iCloud sync up, which was stuck in a perpetual sync. "The iPhone appeared to be in a crashing loop ... And this was killing the battery," he explains.?

Related: A More Personalized Streamer with Google TV 2.0

The fix: Wipe the phone and resync it to iCloud. At least that's how Breen fixed things up. "On restart I chose to set it up as a new phone rather than pulling a backup from my Mac or iCloud," he writes. "When the time came, I switched on contact syncing within the iCloud screen and fired up System Activity Monitor."?

Related: What Killed the Google TV?

Setting Time Zone

The Problem: Another possible issues that iDownload Bug's Oliver Haslam diagnosed comes from a bug that causes the Setting Time Zone function to constantly track the user's location.?

Related: Apple TV Could Be Tim Cook's Downfall

The fix: Turn that setting off. To do this, go to System Services, which is under Location Services, under Settings and toggle "Setting Time Zone" off. It's not exactly a perfect fix, because it disables that feature, meaning the iPhone will no longer automatically reset the time zone as it travels. And if one forgets to do that it could lead to an alarm clock disaster. But, it's a price to pay for longer battery life. Haslam's fixed increased usage life by 3 hours and standby time by 15 hours.?

Reminders

The Problem: Another nifty add on that comes with the new phone is Reminders, which true to its name, works with Siri to set-up reminders for things we'd otherwise forget. A really tight part of Reminders is that a location can trigger a reminder. "Stop at the liquor store on the way home from the reunion," for example. To know when to send out the reminder, this the phone constantly checks GPS, thus sucking the living daylights out of your phone.

The Fix:?Chill out on the location-based reminders. It's not an ideal fix, but priorities, right??

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111028/tc_atlantic/somefixesiphone4sbatterydrain44273

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Today on New Scientist: 27 October 2011

Climate known: Sea level is going to rise many metres

Studies of past climate indicate each 1 ?C rise in the global mean temperature eventually leads to a 20-metre rise in sea level

Climate unknown: How quickly sea level will rise

Do we have time to get temperatures back down before seas rise by more than a few metres? We have little clue how much room we have for manoeuvre

Climate unknown: How serious the threat to life is

The problem for the plants, animals and people living today is that they and we have adapted to the unusually stable climate of the past few thousand years

Quantum upgrade removes need for spooky observer

A new modification to our most successful theory tackles a neglected puzzle at its heart: why observing a subatomic particle seems to change its behaviour

Dreams read by brain scanner for the first time

With the help of six rare lucid dreamers, scanners have shown that brain activity when dreaming an action is similar to that of imagining it

How to make a fat man jiggle in 3D animation

Fat is a tough ask for computer animators. Now a smart algorithm could make blobbier cartoon characters far more realistic

Eyes reveal true hypnotic state for the first time

Watch a one-word technique produce the first physical evidence of hypnosis

Zoologger: Slime killer hagfish feasts in rotten flesh

Despite not having any jaws, hagfish hunt fish, deter predators with slime, and eat rotting corpses from the inside out

Climate change in your wildest imaginings

In the short story collection I'm with the Bears, hot authors imagine what will become of us if global warming gets out of hand

As Bangkok evacuates, city could be flooded for a month

Bangkok's main river broke its banks overnight forcing thousands of residents to flee the flooding Thai capital, and more water is on its way

A stargazing tour of Earth's most extreme telescopes

Watch a narrated slide show that follows an extreme journey to the observatories in Chile's Atacama desert

Space pilot: 'You miss the shots you don't take'

More than 500 people applied to take passengers to the edge of space with Virgin Galactic - Keith Colmer is the first to be chosen

Icy start to China's first space docking mission

The spacecraft set to make China's first attempt to dock in orbit rises above a crystalline field of ice-shrouded grass ahead of its planned launch

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/492992/s/199d5c65/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A110C10A0Ctoday0Eon0Enew0Escientist0E270Eocto0E20Bhtml/story01.htm

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Hard times during adolescence point to health problems later in life

ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2011) ? Being hard up socially and financially during adolescence and early adulthood takes its toll on the body, and leads to physiological wear and tear in middle aged men and women, irrespective of how tough things have been in the interim. According to Dr. Per E. Gustafsson from Ume? University in Sweden and colleagues, experience of social and material stressors around the time of transition into adulthood is linked to a rise in disease risk factors in middle age, including higher blood pressure, body weight and cholesterol.

Their work is published online in Springer's journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

The authors looked at the influence of both social factors and material deprivation during adolescence and adulthood on the physiological wear and tear on the body that results from ongoing adaptive efforts to maintain stability in response to stressors. These adaptive efforts are known as 'allostatic load'. Allostatic load is thought to predict various health problems, including declines in physical and cognitive functioning, and cardiovascular disease and mortality.

The researchers analyzed data for 822 participants in the Northern Swedish Cohort, which follows subjects from the age of 16 for a 27-year period. They looked at measures of social adversity including parental illness and loss, social isolation, exposure to threat or violence and material adversity including parental unemployment, poor standard of living, low income and financial strain. They also examined allostatic load at age 43 based on 12 biological factors linked to cardiovascular regulation, body fat deposition, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, inflammation and neuroendocrine regulation.

They found that early adversity involved a greater risk for adverse life circumstances later in adulthood. The analyses revealed adolescence as a particularly sensitive period for women and young adulthood as a particularly sensitive period for men. Specifically, women who had experienced social adversity in adolescence, and men who had experienced it during young adulthood, suffered greater allostatic load at age 43. This was independent of overall socioeconomic disadvantage and also of later adversity exposure during adulthood.

The authors conclude: "Our results support the hypothesis that physiological wear and tear visible in mid-adulthood is influenced by the accumulation of unfavourable social exposures over the life course, but also by social adversity measured around the transition into adulthood, independent of later adversity."

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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. Per E. Gustafsson, Urban Janlert, T?res Theorell, Hugo Westerlund, Anne Hammarstr?m. Social and Material Adversity from Adolescence to Adulthood and Allostatic Load in Middle-Aged Women and Men: Results from the Northern Swedish Cohort. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2011; DOI: 10.1007/s12160-011-9309-6

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/estYQOZ7ItA/111027112517.htm

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Pink Floyd member's son loses jail term appeal (AP)

LONDON ? Judges have upheld the 16-month jail sentence given to the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour for a violent rampage during student protests last year.

Charlie Gilmour was one of thousands of students who demonstrated in December against rising university tuition fees. He was among a group that broke away from the main demonstration and attacked the convoy carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.

Gilmour also was photographed hanging from a Union flag on the Cenotaph, a memorial to British war dead.

The 21-year-old Cambridge University student pleaded guilty to violent disorder but challenged the length of his sentence.

But the Court of Appeal said Friday that the sentence was neither "manifestly excessive (nor) wrong in principle."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_en_mu/eu_britain_pink_floyd

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Rina weakens to tropical depression off Yucatan (AP)

MIAMI ? The former Hurricane Rina has weakened to a tropical depression as it moves out to sea from Mexico's Yucatan coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Friday that Rina's maximum sustained winds are down to 35 mph (55 kph).

The forecast track shows it moving away from the northeast tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and then turning south over the weekend to stay over the Caribbean.

Additional weakening is forecast in the next 48 hours and it could become a remnant low pressure area this weekend.

Rina's center is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) north-northeast of Cancun

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_re_us/tropical_weather

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Kelly Clarkson: I'm Not a Lesbian!

Singer Kelly Clarkson has never shied away from admitting she's yet to be lucky in love, but that doesn't mean she's questioning her sexuality. During an interview with The View on Thursday, the Grammy winner decided to make it perfectly clear that one rumor about her is just wrong.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kelly-clarkson-im-not-lesbian/1-a-396937?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akelly-clarkson-im-not-lesbian-396937

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New rules would keep UConn out of 2013 tourney

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? Changes in NCAA rules adopted Thursday would keep defending national champion Connecticut from participating in the 2013 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Under the rules adopted by the NCAA's Division I Board of Directors, a school cannot participate in the 2013 tournament unless it has a two-year average score of 930 or a four-year average of 900 on the NCAA's annual Academic Progress Rate, which measures the academic performance of student athletes.

Connecticut's men's basketball scored 826 for the 2009-10 school year. A UConn official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the number isn't official until next May, said the score for the 2010-11 school year would be approximately 975.

That would not be high enough. It would give Connecticut a two-year score of 900.5 and a four-year average of 888.5.

Connecticut, which lost two scholarships this season as a result of the latest APR report, sought clarification hoping the NCAA might use numbers from the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years. The 2011-12 numbers are not expected to be released until May 2013, after the tournament is played.

But NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson confirmed the governing body's position.

"For access to postseason competition in 2012-13 and 2013-14, teams must achieve a 900 multiyear APR or a 930 average over the most recent two years to be eligible," he said in an email to the AP. "For 2012-13, those years would be 2009-10 and 2010-11. For 2013-14, those years would be 2010-11 and 2011-12."

The NCAA also said the current process for collecting and reporting the data, which takes about a year to complete, would continue. But, it said the committee was interested in ways to speed up the process, and that could eventually result in more current data being used to determine eligibility. There also will be an appeals process before a team is banned from the tournament, the NCAA said.

University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst said in an email Thursday night that she endorses the NCAA changes, but believes the punishments should be applied "as soon as possible after violations are found, not two years later."

"Students who have enjoyed academic success should not suffer because of the shortcomings of individuals who played in prior seasons," she said in an email. "It is my understanding that the NCAA has already begun examining the fairest method for implementing the new rules and I encourage them to make the time frame between a violation and a punishment as short as possible."

Walter Harrison, the president of the University of Hartford and chairman of the NCAA's Committee on Academic Performance, said the changes were made to give teams a chance to change behavior, but would be implemented rapidly "so they are going to have to get on the stick," he said.

Herbst noted that Connecticut this summer implemented a new plan to improve academic performance in men's basketball.

It calls for:

? ensuring that athletes who leave early are academically eligible when they depart.

? requiring nine credit hours of summer school for returning players to ensure they are progressing toward graduation

? providing more academic support services to incoming freshmen in the summer before they enroll and that fall

? cutting down on the number of transfers

? encouraging players who leave early for a professional career to come back and finish their degrees.

"Again, we are pleased with the outcome of today's NCAA decisions and they certainly fit where I want to take this university," Herbst said. "Our newly implemented academic plan has already produced an extraordinarily high APR score for our men's basketball team in 2010-11."

Len Elmore, a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, called UConn's situation unfortunate, but said he was not surprised.

"It's a cautionary tale," he said. "But the need for again, focusing on the true mission of the university, is to graduate players and you can't fail at the most important task whether you're national champions or not."

____

AP Sports Writer Mike Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-27-APR-UConn/id-3c72843f94464136aa23541c20a2c0ff

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Spotted: Gwen Stefani?s Sweetly Shy Zuma

Gwen Stefani enjoys a day at the park with sons Zuma Nesta Rock, 3, and Kingston James McGregor, 5?, on Saturday at Primrose Hill in London.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/G7Iv1aFUohY/

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House votes to boost huge Arizona copper mine

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The House approved a federal land swap Wednesday that would clear the way for creation of North America's largest copper mine in Arizona, despite opposition from the Obama administration and complaints that the proposed mine operator had partnered with Iran and faces allegations of human rights violations.

The swap would trade 2,400 acres of federal forest land in southeastern Arizona for about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout the state controlled by a subsidiary of global mining giant Rio Tinto. The bill passed the Republican-controlled House on a 235-186 vote.

GOP lawmakers and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Mining Association, say the proposed mine, 70 miles east of Phoenix, would pump billions of dollars into the Arizona economy and help create nearly 4,000 mining-related jobs.

The Obama administration and many Democratic lawmakers opposed the land swap, saying an environmental review should be completed before the exchange is made.

Democrats also complained that the mining company will not have to pay royalties to the U.S. government for lucrative mineral rights that could be worth billions of dollars. And they said the proposed mine site contains sacred Native American artifacts and important cultural areas that would be displaced by the mine.

But their arguments were overridden by Republicans who said the mine would be a major job creator and would help reduce imports of copper used in a wide range of items, including cars, lamps and computers.

"There is no excuse for the United States to depend on foreign nations for our minerals supplies when we have ample reserves that could be developed here at home," said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Hastings and other Republicans dismissed Democratic complaints that the bill short-circuited necessary environmental reviews. The mine project cannot proceed without a battery of federal environmental reviews and consultation with Native American tribes, Hastings said.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., the bill's sponsor, said the land swap "does not pre-empt anything," such as the Antiquities Act, the National Environmental Policy Act or other laws.

But Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the environmental review should be conducted now, when the U.S. government has the most leverage over the project. Once land that now is part of the Tonto National Forest is turned over to private control, the government's ability to require changes and enforce the law "is really limited at best," he said.

Under the plan, first proposed in 2005, a Rio Tinto subsidiary would gain access to more than 2,400 acres of federal forest land thought to contain vast resources of high-grade copper, potentially worth billions of dollars.

In exchange, about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive and recreational land throughout Arizona would be transferred to federal control, including 3,000 acres on the lower San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona and 940 acres to be added to the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch southeast of Tucson. The land is controlled by Resolution Copper Co., a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, a London and Australia-based company that operates mines worldwide.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said the House vote rewarded a company that partners with Iran to mine nuclear material, a reference to a uranium mine in Namibia owned by Rio Tinto in which Iran has a minority stake.

Rio Tinto also faces a lawsuit in the U.S. claiming that it aided the government of Papua New Guinea in genocide and war crimes in the late 1980s. A decade-long civil war began after islanders sabotaged a copper mine that islanders said was fouling the environment. Many people were killed in violent clashes with the Papua New Guinea military.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed claims of racial discrimination and crimes against humanity to go forward.

Bruce Richardson, a spokesman for Rio Tinto, said Wednesday that the company will "vigorously defend ourselves against these improper claims."

Separately, Grijalva, Markey and other Democrats complained that under current law, the mining company will not have to pay any royalties to the U.S. government for mineral rights that could be worth as much as $7 billion.

"A foreign-owned company doing business on U.S. public lands is basically getting a blank check on extraction (of copper) and a green light from Congress to go ahead and begin this without any return on the money," Grijalva said.

Jon Cherry, a vice president of Resolution Copper, said the mine could generate as much as $61 billion in economic benefit for Arizona "without the need for one dollar of federal stimulus."

The legislation hasn't yet come up in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it's expected to encounter greater resistance.

___

Online:

Resolution Copper Mine: http://securearizonasfuture.com

___

Follow Matthew Daly's energy coverage at http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-26-Arizona%20Copper%20Mine/id-eea37a328a5040c78f2d5a4d8ea30321

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How Long Does A Pumpkin Last?

Enlarge Tony Dejak/AP

Pumpkin shoppers should be on the look out for a pumpkin with a firm stem, or handle, still attached. Fifteen-month-old Lucy Myers searches for a pumpkin at Patterson Fruit Farm Oct. 18, in Chesterland, Ohio.

Tony Dejak/AP

Pumpkin shoppers should be on the look out for a pumpkin with a firm stem, or handle, still attached. Fifteen-month-old Lucy Myers searches for a pumpkin at Patterson Fruit Farm Oct. 18, in Chesterland, Ohio.

It's pumpkins' moment in the limelight. They're all over the place, breaking records, getting makeovers by master carvers, moonlighting as cameras, and even ending up in the bowls of lucky dogs.

That's all fine and good, but some of us could use some pumpkin basics. For example, we were curious just how long a pumpkin can last, carved or uncarved?

?

Steve Reiners, a horticulturist at Cornell University, says it depends on the state of the pumpkin and the weather.

"If the pumpkin was healthy when picked and diseases were controlled in the field, the pumpkin can last 8 to 12 weeks," he says via email. He adds jack-o-lanterns don't fare as well: They last five to 10 days.

The best storage temperature for pumpkins ranges between 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, he says. But cold weather can cut into a pumpkin's lifespan. A little light frost might cause a little discoloration; but the pumpkin won't fare well if temperature drop below freezing.

"Freezing temperatures damage the plant cells just like they would with any living organism," he says. "If the pumpkin actually freezes, once it warms up, the skin can soften, which may open it up to ... rot."

But where freezing can come handy is preserving the pumpkin pulp. The University of Nebraska has a number of good tips on how get the nutritious meat out and what to do with it.

When searching for a pumpkin, Reiners says it's important to find one with a firm stem, or handle, still attached. "That's a great indicator of how healthy it is," he says. When the stem is rubbery and weak, "chances are rot organisms will start to soften the pumpkin quickly." But once you find a firm stem, be gentle ? it's better to carry to pumpkin around the fruit.

Once the carving begins, leave the stem on, experts say. It's still providing the pumpkin with some nutrients that will keep it pretty and orange for several more days.

Reiners says there are more than 200 varieties of Halloween-type pumpkins ? which can range from one pound to 150 pounds ? in the species Cucurbita pepo. And some squash in the related species, Cucurbita maxima, may be considered pumpkins, too. (Read more on cooking with newer kind of squash in Bonny Wolf's piece for Kitchen Window last year.)

But Reiners says he won't be buying any pumpkins, large or small, this year. One perk of knowing so much about pumpkins is that you usually find a way to get them for free.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/10/05/141094067/how-long-does-a-pumpkin-last?ft=1&f=1007

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How 'Paranormal Activity 3' Killed It At The Box Office

Industry experts say franchise succeeds by giving moviegoers what they want.
By Eric Ditzian

Photo: Paramount

The "Saw" franchise is no more. The "Scream" series didn't exactly take off when it was relaunched earlier this year. Recent reboots of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Halloween" and other classics haven't sustained consistent and lucrative runs at the box office. After its record-setting opening weekend, "Paranormal Activity" now stands as the undisputed horror-franchise champion.

The stats for "Paranormal Activity 3" are staggering. The sequel's $54 million haul is not only the biggest fall opening ever, but the largest ever for a pure horror movie, according to Box Office Mojo. It averaged an impressive $16,266 per screen, a 29 percent rise over "PA3," reports Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru, bringing the franchise's worldwide gross to $450 million "while the combined production costs have amounted to a puny $8 million."

All this box-office growth comes against the backdrop of a Hollywood reality. "Typically, when films reach the threequel stage, momentum wanes," said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "What Paramount has done so expertly with this series is stay true to the original grassroots feel of the first. They didn't try to reinvent the wheel with each successive installment. They didn't recast, reboot and retool their original formula. The creators of 'PA' and the studio know exactly what they have with 'PA,' and they are dishing out exactly what fans are craving: cheap thrills."

That "Paranormal" has even reached this point is a feat in and of itself. "The Blair Witch Project," the found-footage horror flick to which "Paranormal" is always compared, turned from a Sundance sleeper to a $250 million blockbuster in 1999. But a year later, the sequel bombed at the multiplex, grossing just 19 percent of the original. "PA2," by contrast, opened with $41.5 million a year after the first film caught on with the public, breaking the R-rated midnight record then held by "Watchmen" ($4.6 million).

This time around, filmmakers continued to heed the lesson of "Blair Witch": They didn't mess with success. "Paramount could have taken the third film and added CGI creatures or something. They didn't. Fans respond to that," said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com, adding that "Paranormal" diverges from many other horror franchises in one key way: "Less truly can be more when it comes to this genre. I think a lot of moviegoers are turned off by excessive gore. These films have a very strong understanding of one simple truth about horror: If you allow your audience to use their imagination, it'll be scarier than anything you can put o screen. That's why the 'Paranormal Activity' franchise feels like a breath of fresh air."

There's a lesson here for other franchises — not just horror ones — a lesson "The Hangover" kept in mind for its $581 million-grossing sequel earlier this year. "Give the audience what they want," Bock said. "They liked it the first time, so don't tweak it too much. Advance the story, but don't reinvent the wheel. Sometimes less is more, and audiences are very peculiar when it comes to big changes in film series that they like. Whether you agree with it or not, the general public wants the same thing, just a little different."

Now we await the inevitable announcement of "Paranormal Activity 4," wondering if the series can continue to stay true to its storytelling roots while also inventing fresh scares and unexpected ways of capturing the found-footage action. That's a fine line to keep on walking Halloween after Halloween. "The brilliance of this franchise isn't just that it's made on the cheap, but that they slowly and methodically answer questions that explore and expand the mythology of the series," Bock said. "The fact of the matter is, 'PA' will succeed wildly until a new brand of horror show is deemed worthy. The haunting will never end until something else goes bump in the dark and captures audiences' imagination."

Check out everything we've got on "Paranormal Activity 3."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Videos

• 'Paranormal Activity 3' Is 'Beyond Scary'

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673071/paranormal-activity-3-movie-box-office-analysis.jhtml

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Pakistan: Will Clinton, Kayani Talk to Haqqani Terrorists? (Time.com)

When Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad on Thursday night, Oct. 20, Pakistan's General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was wondering why the U.S. Secretary of State had even bothered to stop by and be civil. Earlier in the day, while still in Kabul, Clinton had warned Pakistan's leaders that if they were not willing to take action against Afghan insurgents operating out of Pakistani territory, then they could end up "paying a very big price." Abandoning his customary mumbling, Kayani asked, "If you're going to serve an ultimatum, then what was the point of the visit?"

But four hours later, at 2 a.m., the two fractious allies emerged with the broad outlines of a plan that could see Pakistan play a crucial role in helping the U.S. bring the decadelong war across the border to a close. After weeks of bitter recriminations, both sides say the relationship has been "stabilized" ? for the moment. "I think we've done a lot to clear the air," Clinton told reporters on Friday. Quoting Kayani, she added that the two sides are "90% to 95% on the same page." (See pictures of Pakistan's vulnerable North-West Frontier Province.)

Clinton's visit came as relations between Washington and Islamabad plunged to an all-time low. A series of high-profile terrorist attacks in and around Kabul were traced to the Haqqani network, whose leadership is believed to be hiding in a safe haven in the Pakistani tribal areas. In testimony before a U.S. Senate panel, the recently retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, described the Haqqani network as "a veritable arm" of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. In some ways, the nominal American alliance with Pakistan now hinges on the Haqqani network and what Islamabad can do to stop the group's attacks on U.S. troops.

The decision to entertain talks with the Haqqanis marks a significant shift in U.S. policy after years of deeming the group irreconcilable. During that time, Washington's calls from Islamabad to do more against the group were met with obstinate refusals. "What has been happening is a game of brinkmanship," says a Pakistani military official, explaining how Islamabad perceived events. "They've been pushing, and we've been resisting. We have leverage [when it comes to the Haqqani network], and they wanted to neutralize that leverage." Now, after an initial meeting arranged by the ISI between a member of the Haqqani network and U.S. officials, Washington wants to see if Islamabad can deliver.

In the meetings, Kayani suggested that his army could take some action against the Haqqanis that would "limit" the "space" available to the group. The North Waziristan tribal area, U.S. officials complain, is used as a safe haven and logistical base where wounded fighters return to heal and fresh cross-border attacks are plotted. In recent months, the Pakistani generals have talked among themselves of possible "surgical operations" in the main North Waziristan towns of Mir Ali, Miranshah and Datta Khel. But Pakistan is unlikely to take such action unless a fresh round of attacks by the Haqqani network leaves them with no choice. (See Pakistan's subcultures.)

Washington and Islamabad, however, remain divided on whether the Haqqani talks should carry prerequisites. On her visit, Clinton reiterated that the U.S. expects all groups involved in the so-called reconciliation talks with the Afghan government to renounce violence, disavow al-Qaeda and recognize the constitution of Afghanistan. The Pakistanis say these expectations should instead be "end conditions" for a negotiated settlement. "We know that they are not in our pocket," says the military official, referring to the ISI's murky relationship with the Haqqani network. "If you set down conditions, they'll tell us to go take a hike. They'll say that the U.S. is not winning in the field and so they're not interested." It is for this reason, according to the military official, that Pakistan has insisted it cannot "guarantee a favorable or successful outcome" of the negotiations. It also helps the Pakistanis evade blame for any potential breakdown.

The real question is whether the Pakistanis can deliver the militants to the negotiating table at all. "I have to be very candid with all of you," Clinton told one of her audiences in Islamabad. "We're not sure ? that there may be no appetite for talking on the other side, that for ideological reasons or whatever other motivations, there may be no willingness."

Nevertheless, Washington and Islamabad have at least put on an appearance of agreeing to work together ? even if the Haqqanis never make it to any negotiations. The Americans, as Clinton noted, are keeping their options open. Indeed, the U.S. is mounting a new military offensive against the group. During the meeting, U.S. officials said they would calibrate their "military tempo" ? the pace of action against the Haqqanis ? to progress in talks. If there is movement, the U.S. will be prepared to reward them with an easing of pressure.

Meanwhile, the Pakistanis feel gratified that their concerns regarding Afghanistan are being heard. The U.S., says a senior Pakistani military official who was briefed on the meeting, has "more or less accepted our stance on Afghanistan." The Pakistanis are pleased that U.S. officials like Lieut. General Douglas Lute, a special adviser to President Obama, are sensitive to their concerns about the sustainability of the Afghan National Army and police force that are being trained. The military official says Pakistan fears the creation of Afghan security forces that are too large and too pricey to maintain. Without adequate funding, the official adds, the force could break down into warring militias. And without greater Pashtun representation, the Pakistanis fear that a security force of over 400,000 could be vulnerable to Indian influence. A recent security agreement between Kabul and New Delhi heightened that alarm. (See pictures from the suicide bombings in Islamabad.)

The Pakistanis, says the military official, told their U.S. counterparts they would like to hear Washington speak with "one voice." They say they are frustrated by what they perceive as "mixed messages" on the region emanating from different arms of government in Washington. Kayani also expects "clarity" in the process. "Each side," says the military official, "should be clear on what we expect from each other, so our efforts can complement each other." Another Pakistani demand is for time lines to be drawn up, establishing when the process will begin and how long it is expected to last.

The tentative agreements were made between the two high-powered delegations at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad. On the Pakistani side, Kayani was joined by ISI head Lieut. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir. On the U.S. side, Clinton's team included General Martin Dempsey, the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; David Petraeus, the new CIA director; Mark Grossman, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Lieut. General Lute.

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Apply Plasti Dip to Furniture to Protect Your Floors [Clever Uses]

Plasti Dip, a specialty rubber coating commonly used for improving tool handles, has many other excellent uses, including fixing stripped headphone wires and rubberizing the back of your phone. Here's a new one: protecting your floor from scratches.

Martha Stewart's Crafts Department dipped Ikea stool legs into some Plasti Dip for the color as well as the floor protection. But you can instead use clear Plasti Dip if you don't need that shock of color.

The rubber coating is also much more likely to stay on than those flimsy stick-on felt pads.

Behind the Scenes: dipping | Martha Stewart via Apartment Therapy and House Beautiful

---

You can follow or contact Melanie Pinola, the author of this post, on Twitter or Google+.

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Plaque for Jewish chaplains dedicated at Arlington (AP)

ARLINGTON, Va. ? A memorial to 14 Jewish chaplains who died during active military service was dedicated Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, joining memorials to Protestant and Roman Catholic chaplains that had been in place for decades.

Monday's dedication service at the cemetery corrects an oversight that had more or less gone unnoticed until a few years ago, according to those who sponsored the memorial.

"We have long awaited this day where we can recognize the crucial work and bravery of Jewish chaplains who have died in service to our country," said Jerry Silverman, president of The Jewish Federations of North America, one of the agencies that took the lead in organizing and sponsoring the privately funded memorial.

Before Monday's dedication, three plaques stood on the cemetery's "Chaplain Hill." The first was dedicated in 1926 to all chaplains who died in World War I. A second memorial was built in 1981 to honor 134 Protestant chaplains who died in World Wars I and II. And a third was built in 1989 to memorialize 83 Catholic chaplains who died in in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The Jewish memorial lists the names of 14 Jewish chaplains who died while on active duty between 1943 and 1974.

Among those who attended Monday's dedication was Alex Fried, 41, of Glen Rock., N.J., grandson of Alexander D. Goode, an Army lieutenant. Goode was one of four chaplains who died aboard the transport ship Dorchester, which was sunk by a German torpedo off the coast of Greenland.

Goode was one of the famed "Four Chaplains" aboard the Dorchester, all of whom gave up their own life jackets to other soldiers on the ship. The last anyone saw of the four, they were standing on the ship's deck, arms locked and praying together.

Fried has been promoting the legacy of the Four Chaplains as an example of interfaith cooperation and goodwill. Monday's dedication marked the first time he was able to meet the families of the other Jewish chaplains who died in service of their country.

"You share that sense of pride, but also of loss," Fried said. "There's always that sense of, `What would our lives have been like if they were in them?'"

The oversight of the Jewish chaplains was discovered by an amateur historian who was doing research on the Four Chaplains. Kenneth Kraetzer of White Plains, N.Y., visited Chaplains Hill in 2007 and found the names of the other three chaplains ? two Protestants and a Catholic ? but nothing that honored Goode or any other Jewish chaplain. He reached out to various organizations in the Jewish community that launched an effort to build a new memorial.

The memorial moved forward with approval from the U.S. Fine Arts Commission and a joint Congressional resolution, which passed unanimously in May.

William Daroff, vice president for public policy at the Jewish Federations of North America, said the delays in establishing the memorial were not the result of any real opposition to the concept. Instead, Congress and other commissions have generally become more wary in recent years of approving new memorials in general, for fear of over-memorializing.

"Once it was identified that there was this historical omission" it became easier to garner support, though he said that getting unanimous support for anything from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate can be challenging.

According to the cemetery, this year marks the 150th anniversary of service by rabbis in the U.S. Armed Forces.

___

Online:

Arlington National Cemetery: http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/

The Jewish Federations of North America: http://www.jewishfederations.org/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_re_us/us_jewish_chaplains_arlington

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Extra Pounds Suspected in Raised Endometrial Cancer Risk (HealthDay)

SUNDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Gaining a significant amount of weight after menopause may be associated with an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer, a new study suggests.

"Fat tissue is the major source of circulating estrogen in postmenopausal women, and estrogen promotes the development of endometrial cancer," Victoria L. Stevens, strategic director of laboratory services at the National Home Office of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research.

In conducting the study, the researchers analyzed the weight history of more than 38,000 postmenopausal women who completed a survey in 1992. By 2007, 560 of the women had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer. This is a cancer of the uterus, affecting the uterine lining.

After adjusting for body mass index (a measurement that takes into account height and weight), the study revealed the women who gained 61 pounds or more were two times more likely to develop endometrial cancer than women with stable weight.

While the study found an association between weight gain after menopause and endometrial cancer risk, it did not prove a cause-and-effect.

However, Stevens concluded in the news release, "Weight gain during adulthood should be avoided to minimize risk for endometrial cancer. Women who have gained weight and are overweight or obese should continue to attempt to lose weight even though most weight loss will not be maintained."

The study authors noted that more research is needed to determine if the timing of weight gain and "yo-yo" dieting (losing and regaining weight multiple times) during adulthood play a role in women's risk for endometrial cancer and whether or not weight loss reduces this risk.

The study's findings were slated for presentation Sunday at the AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research in Boston. Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about endometrial cancer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111023/hl_hsn/extrapoundssuspectedinraisedendometrialcancerrisk

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Nice ways to trimm your pets fur with pet shaving machines ? Sale ...

There are various unpredictable risks in the middle of traveling with your pets. Most pet owners insurance policy for these but are never prepared for individuals. Runaways are one terrifying aspect for traveling with house animals and knowing how to handle the stress of losing your furry friend in an unfamiliar area may also help immensely in periods of emergency.

All the obedience training on the planet can get tossed aside inside a new and scary environment. Your pet will respond, operate, and feel otherwise in new locations. Taking all the perfect precautions will eliminate a sizable risk of runaways but will not eradicate it. But if your pet still manages to have away on everyone, here are some measures you need to take that may result in your pet?s secure return.

Tiny dogs obtain the most wonderful of domestic pets. They bring for the owner the a large number of fabulous of attributes. They work out to always be the best involving companions and ensure you find more enjoy and affection specified thickness large dogs. Also, when you find small dogs you might be assured of scaled-down space being occupied inside your home. Therefore, you will present the perfect companionship at the lower space career.

Approaches for Travelling With Your pets: What to Do In the case of Runaways

The good item about small dogs is which they take less space and work as lower maintenance options too. You will find yourself spending less money against your small dogs not you as a pet owner want to think of this expenditure. However, at the end of the month you?ll notice that small dogs might be a lower dent into your purse than each and every dogs.

If you have pets you recognize that they turn out to be just like among the list of family members. Recently ADT Protection Services teamed up with all the National Volunteer Fire Council and also the American Kennel Club to deliver pet fire safe practices tips. People need in order to plan an escape if you find a fire. The routine should include not just the family members but also the pets. Many people are actually seriously injured or possibly killed by attempting return to the home there is a fire to search for pets.

Keeping pets safe during a fire is critical. That?s why all these three organizations not long ago came together that can help consumers and professionals understand several of the basics of family dog security. There are usually approximately 500, 000 pets part of homes with fires each year. Since 88% of pet owners consider their pets to participate in the family you need to include them in complete safety plans.

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Source: http://saledigitalcamera.net/nice-ways-to-trimm-your-pets-fur-with-pet-shaving-machines

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James Murdoch to testify again to UK committee (AP)

LONDON ? British lawmakers said Monday they will grill Rupert Murdoch's son James about newspaper phone hacking for a second time next month, as Murdoch's former right-hand man denied that he knew about the scale of the wrongdoing when he paid 250,000 pounds ($400,000) to a reporter convicted of illegal eavesdropping.

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee said James Murdoch, his father's heir-apparent, will give evidence on Nov. 10.

Rupert Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old British tabloid News of the World in July after it was accused of illegally hacking into the voice mails of celebrities, politicians and crime victims in search of scoops.

Both Murdochs denied knowing about the scale of the hacking when they appeared before the panel of lawmakers the same month, and a slew of executives from Murdoch's News Corp. media empire has kept to the same line.

Les Hinton, former publisher of the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal, told the Commons committee Monday that he had had no idea hacking was rife when he personally approved a quarter of a million pound payment to Clive Goodman, the News of the World reporter jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the mobile phone voice mails of royal aides.

Hinton, who was then executive chairman of Murdoch's British newspaper division, acknowledged he had seen a letter from Goodman to the company's human resources department in which the reporter alleged phone hacking was widespread at the paper and common knowledge among editors.

Hinton said he had launched a "pretty thorough" internal investigation into Goodman's claim, but said "there was no basis found for it."

He said he fired Goodman for gross misconduct, but decided to pay him the substantial sum, almost three times the reporter's annual salary, to end an unfair dismissal claim by Goodman.

"I decided at the time that the right thing to do was to settle this and put it behind us," Hinton said, giving evidence by video link from the United States.

Hinton worked for Murdoch for 52 years until the scandal, which has convulsed Britain's media landscape. In July he resigned as publisher of the Journal and CEO of Dow Jones & Co.

Hinton said Monday that he had resigned because "although unaware, I was in charge of this company at the time of the core wrongdoing."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111024/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_phone_hacking

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GE 3Q profit rises 18 percent (AP)

NEW YORK ? General Electric Co. said Friday that a surge in its lending business lifted its profit 18 percent in the third quarter, but its stock price fell on concerns about weak contributions from its manufacturing businesses.

GE is a barometer of the economy because it reaches so many industries. It builds everything from jet engines to refrigerators, and its GE Capital lending arm is involved in a variety of businesses including credit cards and real estate.

The company's industrial orders grew 16 percent in the quarter and it has a record backlog of them. However, many of those orders came more than a year ago, and the cost of raw materials and other expenses have risen since. That could erode profits.

"Prices have gone up," said Peter Sorrentino with Huntington Asset Advisors. "It keeps them from hitting" profit targets.

Shares fell 32 cents, or 1.9 percent, to close at $16.31.

The industrial and financial giant reported net income of $2.34 billion, or 22 cents per share, for the three-month period ended Sept. 30. That compared with $1.98 billion, or 18 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue was flat at $35.4 billion.

Among GE's other businesses, aviation profit increased 7 percent to $862 million, health care grew 5 percent to $608 million and transportation increased 94 percent to $196 million. But profit declined 9 percent to $1.5 billion at its energy infrastructure business.

Meanwhile, GE's lending business is fueling earnings.

The company's overall profit has increased for four straight quarters as falling interest rates sparked a rebound at its GE Capital lending business. Airlines, railroads and other major industries have been taking out more loans for new equipment. Consumer lending is up.

The results are a big improvement from three years ago, when GE booked more than a billion dollars in charges and write downs as it quit the subprime lending market.

With its lending business increasingly healthy, GE decided in September to buy back preferred shares from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for $3.3 billion. Buffett's investment in GE stabilized the company's finances during the U.S. financial meltdown in October 2008.

Still, analysts said, investors remain concerned GE's dependence on its financing side. Nearly a third of GE Capital's portfolio comes from loans in Europe, where a banking crisis may force the company to deal with an increasing number of delayed payments and defaults.

GE says its manufacturing side will generate a larger share of company profits in the future. The company said its industrial businesses should take home bigger profits from the revenue it generates later this year. Operating income also should rise in 2012.

Immelt said he thinks China, Brazil and other developing nations will continue to buy GE equipment and services as their expanding economies require more trains, planes, power plants and factories. The European credit crisis also appears to be a "manageable" situation for the company's lending operation, he said.

Excluding the large dividend payout to Berkshire Hathaway, GE's profit was $3.22 billion or 31 cents per share, matching Wall Street expectations.

Other large industrial companies have announced mixed results. Earlier in the week, United Technologies, which makes jet engines, elevators and other aerospace and building systems components, said third-quarter profits rose 11 percent to $1.32 billion while Danaher reported a 19 percent decline to $523.4 million.

___

Chris Kahn can be reached at http://twitter.com/ChrisKahnAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111021/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_general_electric

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Clinton says US will still stand by Iraq

	Essential News from The Associated Press

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Mac Thomason, First Braves Blogger, Fights Cancer | FanGraphs ...

Probably the first blog that I ever read on a daily basis was Mac Thomason?s Braves Journal. It?s still the first blog I read every day.

When I started college in 2002, it was the first time I?d lived anywhere other than Atlanta. And I was homesick for the Braves. Then I found Thomason?s blog. I started commenting every day (which I still do) and read every word, as Mac taught me about sabermetrics, Bill James, and how to write. He?s the reason I?m here. And for the past three years, he has been fighting testicular cancer, which took a particularly bad turn a few days ago. As he wrote on his site: ?The remaining cancer has entered a virulent stage?. I was told that the best measure, if they don?t find a treatment, is months rather than years.?

I?ve never met him, never even talked to him on the phone, but we?ve been friends for the better part of a decade. And I literally can?t imagine following the Braves without him. I?ve exchanged email messages with him for years, and that?s how we conducted this interview. First, he told me what he has: ?I was diagnosed with testicular cancer which had spread to the lymph nodes in my torso, which happens pretty commonly,? he said. ?I have been treated for this but a secondary type of tumor, called a teratoma, has developed. In most cases, these can be treated surgically, but in my case they have grown back.? The reason he preferred email to the phone for the interview was physical weakness. ?Chemotherapy is poison,? he said. ?It?s just poison that you hope affects the cancer more than you.?

Braves Journal is the oldest Braves blog on the web, dating back to April 1998. The blog also is among the oldest continuously updated sports sites on the web. (It would be poetic if the oldest continuously operated baseball franchise were graced with the oldest continuously operated baseball blog, but I can?t confirm that.) Since the beginning, Mac has written daily game recaps, written occasional player, and team analyses and other columns that he tags as ?Putative Humor.? In other words, Mac is the sort of writer who puts a word like ?putative? in front of humor ??self-aware and intelligent, with an off-kilter sense of humor. He once wrote a Hamlet parody starring Jeff Francoeur called Franclet, and a parody of the Stonecutter?s Song from the Simpsons about how Braves fans tended to blame Andruw Jones for everything. Another theme was an entire series of short films about oft-injured lefthander Mike Hampton.

As Thomason has noted in other interviews, he started Braves Journal in 1998, largely because he discovered that Compuserve offered free web hosting. ?I figured I was paying for it so [I] should take advantage,? he told an interviewer. Before the word ?blog? existed ? according to Wikipedia, the term ?web log? was coined in 1997, and it was first shortened to ?blog? in 1999 ? Thomason began posting daily Braves updates. He isn?t shy about his biggest influences. ?I have never made a secret of the fact that this site is basically a rip-off of Bill James,? he once commented. ?My politics site is actually mostly just a rip-off of Dave Barry.?

That political blog, Thomason Tracts, is named after a collection of 17th century documents from the English civil war; Mac is a cataloguing librarian at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the occasional obscure reference will remind readers of his day job. Politics are banned on his baseball blog, but most everything else is fair game. Last year, he insulted each city the Braves visited on a long road trip.

Los Angeles, Spanish for ?The Angels?, is technically the nation?s second-largest city and metropolitan area, but is really more of a place where a whole lot of people happen to live than an actual municipality. The borders of the L.A. metropolitan area are indistinct and at times reach into several adjoining states and the sovereign nation of Mexico. This explains why the city?s other baseball team is in Anaheim and its football teams are in Oakland and St. Louis.
?
Philadelphia, known as ?The City of Brotherly Love? ever since Benjamin Franklin invented sarcasm in 1767, is the largest city in Pennsylvania and a suburb of New York.
?
Cincinnati?s principal sports teams are the football Bengals and the baseball Reds. The Bengals were once known for losing Super Bowls to the San Francisco 49ers, then for being comically inept, but in recent years have turned their attention to crime. The Reds sometimes claim to be the oldest team in the majors, but they?re not, it?s the Braves, and there?s nothing they can do about it.

Mac is an Alabaman and a proud ?Bama fan. During the college football season, he writes his predictions of game scores and he patriotically always picks Tennessee to lose ? but he has a nuanced view of his home state. ?The political culture of Alabama is best understood if you realize that we are working under a state constitution that was passed in 1901 by Jim Crow lawmakers whose primary goal was to make it nearly impossible for the government to do anything,? he told me. But when writing about Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, he once wrote, ?It?s not necessarily meaningful that these two dominant figures were born in my home state, I just like to point it out.?

Since writing on Monday about his latest diagnosis, Mac has been the subject of a fair amount of praise on Twitter and the blogosphere. I wrote a piece on Yahoo, and encouraged other bloggers to do the same; Craig Calcaterra wrote a touching post at NBC?s HardballTalk; JC Bradbury made a mention on Baseball Primer; and the Braves beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted encouragement. Yesterday, the Braves? director of public relations conveyed her sympathies when I talked to her on the phone. ?I have been surprised, and I appreciate the support,? Mac told me. ?Emotional support is very important to me right now.?

Mac is still fighting, and the future is far from clear. ?Maybe it?s just the drugs talking,? he wrote Monday, ?but I don?t expect to go any time soon.? We?re all pulling for him, too. I have spoken to several people in the Braves organization and asked them to consider recognizing his contributions to the team and supporting him in his fight, and we?re still waiting to hear their answer. In the meantime, we?re all sending him as much emotional support as we can.

Source: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/mac-thomason-the-first-braves-blogger-fights-cancer/

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Dispatches from the European-American Planetary Science Meeting

Web Exclusives | Space

Planetary scientists shared the latest research on worlds near and far at a recent conference in France, a joint meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences

October 22, 2011

Image: NASA

Pluto Might Be the Largest Dwarf Planet, After All
For years Pluto has appeared to rank behind its fellow dwarf planet Eris in terms of diameter. New data, however, have cut Eris down to size

Double Impact: Did 2 Giant Collisions Turn Uranus on Its Side?
A pair of giant impacts early in solar system history could reconcile the dramatic tilt of Uranus with the equatorial orbit of its satellites

Hot and Cold: Dwarf Planet Makemake Could Have Extreme Temperatures Side by Side
Makemake may well have the most exotic name of the dwarf planets, and it now looks to be just as unusual on its surface

Conjoined Comet: Hartley 2 May Have Formed from 2 Disparate Bodies
The two ends of Comet Hartley 2 seem to have different compositions, hinting that the comet formed from the gentle merger of two parent objects

Planetary Pretender: Asteroid Vesta Has Planet-Like Features
NASA's Dawn spacecraft is getting up close and personal with the giant asteroid, revealing rift valleys, mountainous uplifts and a belt of grooves near its equator

Mercury Takes Shape in Color and Monochrome Maps
The Messenger orbiter has just passed its first Mercury solar day--about 176 Earth days--on the job, an important milestone in its imaging campaign

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=d924939ff7931f3a6b85cfb6caebb305

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- Motor Vehicle Accident lawyers

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- Trademark lawyers

- Trademark Registration lawyers

- Patent lawyers

- Patent Registration lawyers

- Copyright lawyers

- Intellectual property attorneys

- Franchise lawyers

- Music lawyers

- Entertainment lawyers

- Licensing lawyers

- Contract lawyers

- Litigation lawyers

- Corporate / commercial lawyers

- Internet Defamation lawyers

- Ecommerce lawyers

With the above listed point we have come to know that it is quite easy to get legal concerns addressed via on the web commercial law firms of Toronto Ontario Canada or ecommerce law firms. But here the dilemma is not ended, it is also needed to consult the low cost, cost-effective, low price, low fee, quite moderate and cost-efficient law firms for your legal concerns, although still receiving effective, powerful and high level legal guidance and representation.

There are so several on-line law firms that are offered, but you have to choose as per your business or personnel needs and spending budget. So end your legal concerns by utilizing the availability of on the web legal service.

Source: http://www.50statesonline.org/resolve-your-legal-concerns-in-toronto-ontario-and-canada-with-corporate-litigation-and-business-law-firm.htm

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