Venezuelan cops rescue Ramos

Ramos 'safe and sound' after Wednesday abduction; three suspects arrested

BREAKING NEWS

updated 2:11 a.m. ET Nov. 12, 2011

CARACAS, Venezuela - The kidnapping ordeal of Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos ended after two days when Venezuelan police commandos swooped in to rescue him in a remote mountainous area and arrested three alleged abductors.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said on state television Friday night that Ramos was "safe and sound" and that he was rescued by police and the National Guard.

Ramos had not been seen or heard from since he was seized at gunpoint outside his home Wednesday night and whisked away in an SUV. It was the first known kidnapping of a Major League Baseball player in Venezuela, and the abduction set off an outpouring of candlelight vigils and public prayers at stadiums as well as outside Ramos' home.

Information Minister Andres Izarra said on Twitter that Ramos was "found alive by security forces in mountainous zone," in the area of Montalban in central Carabobo state. Izarra said it was "a rescue operation by air," which was authorized earlier in the day by President Hugo Chavez.

"Ramos free!" Izarra said in one message on his account.

Three men were arrested in the kidnapping, including a Colombian "linked to paramilitary groups and to kidnapping groups," El Aissami said.

He gave few details of the rescue but said police were taking Ramos to his hometown of Valencia, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) west of Caracas. He said Ramos would first undergo medical checks at the police station and then be reunited with his family.

Ramos' mother Maria Campos de Ramos celebrated, exclaiming on television: "Thanks to God!"

"Thanks to my country, to my neighbors and to my family, who were supporting us," she said. Shortly afterward, she spoke with her son by phone and said jubilantly: "He's fine."

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo hailed the news.

"Though details are limited and we have not yet talked directly with Wilson, we are thrilled with reports that he has been rescued," Rizzo said in a statement. "We greatly appreciate all the prayers and thoughts of all who have joined us in wishing for this conclusion to what has been a nightmarish 48 hours. We are eager to see Wilson and let him know just how many all over the world have been waiting for this news."

Ramos had recently returned to his homeland after his rookie year with the Nationals to play during the offseason in the Venezuelan league.

Armed men seized Ramos outside his home in a working-class neighborhood in Valencia. Authorities said Thursday that they had found the kidnappers' stolen SUV abandoned in a nearby town.

El Aissami said Friday night that while three were arrested in the kidnapping, police were still searching for evidence in the mountainous area "to see if we can find others who were responsible."

Security has increasingly become a concern for Venezuelan players and their families as a wave of kidnappings has hit the wealthy as well as the middle class. Relatives of several Venezuelan major leaguers have previously been kidnapped for ransom, and in two cases have been killed.

Bodyguards typically shadow major leaguers when they return to their homeland to play in Venezuela's baseball league.

Some kidnappings in Venezuela have previously been carried out by highly organized criminal groups that demand ransom. In Ramos' case, however, there were no reports of the abductors demanding money.

Polls consistently say rampant crime is the top worry of Venezuelans. The country has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, and the vast majority of crimes go unsolved. The number of kidnappings has soared in recent years.

Major League Baseball officials said it was the first kidnapping of a major leaguer that they could recall.

Izarra praised the authorities' handling of the rescue, saying on Twitter that the police "hit a tremendous home run."

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

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45264722/ns/sports-baseball/

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Starbucks tries to juice up its profits

Bob Strong / Reuters

Starbucks is ramping up the competition with juice bars like Jamba Juice. The coffee chain has purchased a juice company as part of a major push into the field.

From msnbc.com wire reports

Starbucks Corp. hopes to do for juice what it's done for coffee.

Starbucks, which changed the way Americans drink coffee, acquired juice maker Evolution Fresh Inc. for $30 million as part of a larger effort to move beyond coffee and focus on health and wellness.

The Seattle-based coffee giant said Thursday that it plans to "reinvent" the $1.6 billion super-premium juice segment with its acquisition of Evolution, which is based in San Bernadino, Calif. It plans to open new health and wellness stores in the coming year, although it did not disclose how many of these stores it will open, their location or the name.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the moves were the first of many things the company planned for the so-called health and wellness market.

"We think we can build a major business," he told reporters on a conference call.

Starbucks said the stores will emphasize Evolution juice and carry wholesome, simple foods. The company also plans to upgrade some of its existing stores to make room for the Evolution products and plans to distribute Evolution's products to other retailers.

Evolution, started by the founder of Naked juice, makes fresh fruit and vegetable juices. Its products are currently sold at Whole Foods, Safeway, Costco and other select retailers on the West Coast.

Starbucks said the acquisition is part of a larger shift of its business to focus on health and wellness. The company has made several changes to its business to reflect consumer demands for healthier products such as introducing lower-calorie and lower-fat food options, sugar-free syrups and switching from whole milk to 2 percent milk as the default in its drinks a few years ago.

Shares of the company rose 58 cents to $43.53 in afternoon trading.?

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/10/8740389-starbucks-tries-to-juice-up-profits

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Protesters: Veteran shoots self at Vt. encampment

Paramedics rush a shooting victim from the Occupy Burlington, Vt., encampment at City Hall Park to an ambulance Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

Paramedics rush a shooting victim from the Occupy Burlington, Vt., encampment at City Hall Park to an ambulance Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

A Burlington, Vt., police officer questions a witness at the Occupy Burlington encampment in City Hall Park after a man suffered a gun shot wound Thursday afternoon, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

People react to news that a man was shot at the Occupy Burlington, Vt., encampment at City Hall Park Thursday afternoon, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

Police investigate the tent where a man was found with a gun shot wound at the Occupy Burlington, Vt, encampment in City Hall Park Thursday afternoon, Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Ryan Mercer) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

Burlington Police respond after a shooting at the Occupy Burlington encampment at City Hall Park on Thursday Nov. 10, 2011. The public was not believed to be at risk after the afternoon shooting at City Hall Park in Burlington, but the circumstances are still being investigated, said Burlington Police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee. (AP Photo/Burlington Free Press, Emily McManamy) NO SALES, MAGS OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) ? Police said preliminary investigations show a 35-year-old military veteran fatally shot himself in the head Thursday at an Occupy Wall Street encampment in Vermont's largest city.

Burlington police said the name of the Chittenden County resident is being withheld because his family has not been fully notified.

The man shot himself inside a tent in City Hall Park on Thursday afternoon. Mike Noble, a spokesman for the Fletcher Allen Health Care hospital in Burlington, confirmed that the man had died. Noble said he could provide no other details.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Occupy Burlington said, "We mourn the loss of a great friend tonight, while discovering an ever-deeper resolve to stand with our most vulnerable citizens."

Protesters at the Occupy encampment say the man was a victim of inadequate mental health services being offered to veterans.

"This person has clearly needed more help than we were capable of giving him here at this park," said Emily Reynolds, a University of Vermont student and a leader in the local Occupy movement.

If government provided better mental health services, she said, "this probably wouldn't have happened."

Deputy Chief Andi Higbee told reporters the shooting raised questions about whether the protest would be allowed to continue.

"Our responsibility is to keep the public safe. When there is a discharge of a firearm in a public place like this it's good cause to be concerned, greatly concerned," Higbee said.

The encampment has been in the park since Oct. 28. The city had threatened to evict the protesters because the park is closed from midnight until 6 a.m., but city officials made special accommodation for the protesters.

Almost two dozen tents have remained in the park, and the number of protesters has varied.

The first Occupy encampment sprang up in New York in September, and the movement has since spread to cities around the country and world. Protesters object to corporate influence on politics and what they call an unequal distribution of wealth.

Burlington is a community of just under 40,000 people on the shores of Lake Champlain known for its left-leaning politics.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-11-Occupy%20Vermont-Shooting/id-bf4fb7a745af4190a78503953772198d

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Putin return ends hope of Russian reform: economist (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? Vladimir Putin's plan to return to the Kremlin increases the chances of a 'grave political crisis' in Russia and scuppers hopes of genuine economic reform, one of the architects of his first presidential economic program said.

Mikhail Dmitriyev said Prime Minister Putin's planned job swap with President Dmitry Medvedev after a presidential election next March would cement an inflexible political system that leaves little room for a reform of the economy.

His comments highlight the fears of many free-market economists that Putin's return, announced at a party congress in September, increases the long-term risks of Arab Spring-style turmoil in the world's biggest energy producer.

"The prospect of a grave political crisis has become more likely after what happened in September," Dmitriyev, a 50-year-old economist who heads the Center for Strategic Research, told Reuters in an interview.

"In this situation, it is hard to expect any purposeful efforts at institutional structural reform."

With German Gref, now chief executive of state bank Sberbank, Dmitriyev crafted Putin's economic program in 2000. His institute provides research for the government.

Dmitriyev said Russia's economy was likely to grow at about 3 to 4 percent a year if prices of oil -- its main export - remained high.

A sharp and sustained fall in oil prices was unlikely but the dismissal of Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin in September after a public disagreement with Medvedev had increased the risks to Russian fiscal stability, he said.

"Without Kudrin it is difficult to imagine a figure who could counter the wave of populism so the risks of budgetary irresponsibility and instability rise significantly," he said.

RUSSIAN TURMOIL

Dmitriyev said Russia's economy had the potential to grow 6 percent a year if the authorities introduced major reforms of regulation, infrastructure and property rights.

"This would be a possible scenario if there was a political window for carrying out structural reforms. But no such window is in sight yet," he said.

The authorities would continue to tinker with what he said were ultimately unsustainable social policies for fear of undermining popular support.

Some investors fear Putin could be repeating the mistakes of European leaders now engulfed in the euro zone crisis by putting off much-needed reforms for fear of upsetting voters.

Putin, 59, helped steer Medvedev into the Kremlin in 2008 and became prime minister himself to get round a constitutional limit on two successive terms as president.

Putin remains Russia's most influential and popular leader, crafting an image of a macho leader who has brought economic and political stability after the chaos brought by the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

But the Kremlin is sensitive to Putin's popularity rating which an opinion poll released this week put at its lowest level in more than a decade.

Kremlin supporters dismiss concerns about instability, citing gold and foreign exchange reserves worth more than $500 billion and sovereign debt of just 10 percent of gross domestic product as evidence of Russia's strength.

But Dmitriyev said discontent was rising.

"If this trend is maintained, then the risk of conflictual political turmoil increases," he said. "Although this is by far not the only likely scenario, the authorities understand that it is possible."

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Alexei Kalmykov, Editing by Robert Woodward)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111109/wl_nm/us_russia_politics_reform

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Trade war looms over Europe's aircraft carbon tax

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114983/Trade_war_looms_over_Europe_s_aircraft_carbon_tax

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Obama urges Congress to pass veterans' tax credits

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Embracing veterans, President Barack Obama on Monday urged Republicans in Congress to "put country before party" and support new ways of helping former members of the military find jobs in a sluggish economy.

"Our veterans did their jobs. It's time for Congress to do theirs. It's time for them to put country before party," Obama said in the Rose Garden, flanked by leaders of veterans' groups.

Ahead of Veterans' Day, Obama pressed lawmakers to approve tax credits for businesses to hire unemployed veterans or injured veterans who have been out of work. The Senate is expected to consider the measures this week.

The actions are part of a larger effort by the White House to draw contrasts with congressional Republicans who have opposed Obama's jobs legislation a year before the 2012 election. Obama has signed executive orders aimed at spurring job growth and helping homeowners and college students in recent weeks, saying he does not want to wait for Congress to act.

Obama said the administration would act unilaterally to help veterans match their skills to job openings and access job banks. He said veterans could download a "Veteran Gold Card" issued by the Labor Department that allows former military members to get six months of personalized case management, assessment and counseling at career centers.

The White House estimates the gold card could help more than 200,000 unemployed veterans who served after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"Just as you fought for us we are going to keep fighting for you," Obama said.

Obama pushed anew for the package of tax credits of up to $5,600 to businesses that hire a veteran who has been unemployed for six months or more. Another tax credit would provide $9,600 for companies that hire an injured vet who has been unemployed that long.

The Senate is expected to take up the tax credits in combination with a measure to repeal a proposed requirement to withhold 3 percent of payments to federal, state and some local government contractors with unpaid taxes.

The tax incentives cleared the House last month and are not expected to be paid for through Obama's proposed tax on millionaires, raising hopes that could win Republican support.

Obama noted that when he proposed the tax incentives for veterans during his jobs speech before Congress, lawmakers from both sides stood and applauded. "I expect both sides of the aisle to stand up for our veterans and vote in the affirmative," he said.

Soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan face a challenging job market. The Labor Department estimated that 12.1 percent of veterans who served in the military since 9/11 were unemployed in October, higher than the national rate of 9 percent.

With American soldiers leaving Iraq and Afghanistan, about 1 million service members are expected to depart the military by 2016 and enter the job market. Advocates for veterans say many returning soldiers struggle to translate their skills into the civilian work force and some companies are reluctant to hire veterans due to fears about mental health issues.

"Without using every option available to assist them, unemployment for veterans will only rise with the drawdown of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Bob Wallace, executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

___

Online:

White House veterans initiatives: http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces/resources

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-07-Obama-Veterans/id-cb5427734eb44b518c2b201a88949b43

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Michael Vick Nude Photo: Shopped Around By Some Shameless Chick!

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick may soon be caught up in a naked photo scandal, if a woman trying to hawk a “full frontal” picture of him has her way.

According to reports, the unnamed female is shopping around a pic of Michael Vick naked to various media outlets in an attempt to secure a big payday. Wonderful.

Vick’s camp dismissed the story, saying he has better things to worry about - like losing to the Bears 30-24 last night - but doesn’t outright deny the photo exists.

"The only thing Mike has on his mind is his date with the Chicago Bears this evening,” his rep said. “The rest of what this woman is claiming isn't worth dignifying."

According to one website the woman contacted, the pic is clearly Vick due to the tats “that appear all over his body including his signature super man tattoo [sic].”

The woman claims the photo of Vick, whose NFL comeback after a two-year prison term for running a dogfighting ring is the stuff of legend, is less than a year old.

“He is in the bathroom of the hotel room the night before the game taking the photos of himself,” she claims.  “It is from the neck down with all tattoos visible.”

So ... his face isn't visible. How convenient.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/michael-vick-nude-photo-shopped-around-by-some-shameless-chick/

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Texas delays action on stem cell therapy rules

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? The Texas State Medical Board voted Friday to delay until next year final approval of new stem cell therapy rules that could restrict ? or even block ? procedures such as the one Gov. Rick Perry recently underwent on his aching back.

Its 19 members, including a dozen physicians, voiced support for greater oversight but opted to tweak the proposed rules and take them up again at their next meeting in February. If the reworked rules are satisfactory, formal approval could come as early as April.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved using adult stem cells to help people heal from surgery, but experimentation is common. Some scientists tout the possible benefits, including treatment for heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Others argue adult stem cell experimentation actually increases the risk of cancer and can cause blood clots.

Perry, 61, a Republican presidential candidate, had stem cells taken from fat in his own body that were then grown in a lab. They were injected into his back and his bloodstream during an operation in July to fuse part of his spine.

The proposed rules would require an independent panel to conduct a comprehensive safety review of any procedure involving stem cells before it is carried out. Without that review, procedures such as the one Perry underwent would not be allowed.

Some noted that new stem cell regulations could have unintended consequences, however, such as limiting the ability of tissue banks to collect genetic material for transplants. As a result, the board asked its staff to modify the rules.

"My sense is, this 80, 85 percent ready for primetime and they're just adding some material," said Leigh Hopper, a board spokeswoman.

Perry, who appoints the board, sent it a letter in July saying he appreciated the responsibility to protect patients. But he also urged members to "recognize the sound science and good work that is already being done, and will continue to be done in the future, in this field."

"We need to ensure that physicians in this state can continue to pursue new technologies and treatments that will benefit all Texans," Perry wrote. "Texas is a leader in innovation in many fields. It is critical that we continue to foster an environment that encourages technological advancement in the health care arena."

Following his surgery, Perry has worn a back brace but maintained his hectic campaign schedule ? though he has begun wearing orthopedic shoes, foregoing his trademark cowboy boots. Adult stem cell therapy is different from using embryonic cells, a controversial technology that the governor opposes.

Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Friday that he "expects the Texas Medical Board to review all the facts and make the appropriate decision regarding the use of this promising technology in Texas."

At least 10 states ? including California, Illinois and New York ? have enacted rules governing stem cell research, according to the Interstate Alliance on Stem Cell Research.

The impetus for Texas' proposed rules did not grow out of Perry's procedure but did involve the physician who performed it, Dr. Stanley Jones. The Houston-based orthopedist, who is Perry's doctor and friend, touted the benefits of stem cell therapies at the medical board's June meeting. He said many Americans pay thousands of dollars to undergo treatment abroad and that it is a shame that Texans can't access the treatment in their home state.

Perry also helped push an amendment to a larger health care bill through the Texas Legislature in June creating a state bank to store and cultivate adult stem cells for treatment purposes.

NBC reported in September that the first bank approved by the state ? Celltex Therapeutics Corp. of Houston ? is co-owned by Jones and David G. Eller, the former chairman of the board of Texas A&M University, and a top Perry donor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2011-11-04-Texas-Stem%20Cell%20Therapy/id-0a7dd019886c41b08c0de4a82738d7a8

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Insurance claims to exceed Bt600 billion - The Nation

Home ? business ? Insurance claims to exceed Bt600 billion

Insurance

Achara Pongvutitham
The Nation November 7, 2011 12:07 pm

The greatest damage is in seven industrial estates: Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate, Rojana Industrial Park, Hi-Tech Industrial Estate, Factory Land, Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate, Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, and Bangkadi Industrial Park. Combined damage was assessed by the IOC recently at more than Bt600 billion, on a total insured amount of Bt456.79 billion. Insurance companies will have to pay Bt200 billion for claims, accounting for about 30 per cent of the total loss.

The Federation of Thai Industries said the losses from those seven industrial estates would be Bt300 billion to Bt400 billion, covering 891 factories and 460,000 workers.

About 90 per cent of the total flood losses are reinsured, with the remaining sum also reinsured for another time. As a result, Thai insurers will not be hit too badly. Anon Vangvasu, senior vice president of the non-motor claims department of Bangkok Insurance, said BKI would take on only 5 per cent of the total losses. Affected companies are mainly Japanese manufacturers, and they had purchased risk coverage from Japanese insurers in Bangkok.

Japanese insurance companies operating in Thailand include Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and Tokio Marine Srimuang Insurance.

Anon said claims would cost Thai insurance companies Bt3 billion to Bt4 billion.

He said the losses of companies in the seven flood-affected industrial estates would be classified into three groups: buildings and construction, stockpiles, and machinery. The initial assessment by insurers indicates that buildings will account for 10-15 per cent of the losses, stockpiles 40-50 per cent and machinery about 50 per cent.

"The floods have mostly damaged machines," Anon said, noting that the worst-case prediction was that machinery would account for 70 per cent of losses.

After the flood has receded, insurance companies will send assessors to the factories to determine the damage to machinery, then technicians will be allowed entry for maintenance before repairs, for instance applying moisture protection. The final process will be handled by technicians who restore the machines.

"Insurers should closely cooperate with affected companies to minimise losses by strictly abiding by those three after-flood processes," Anon said.

However, BKI's customers are mainly supply-chain manufacturers who want to resume operations as fast as they can. According to a survey by the General Insurance Association, affected companies bought only Bt7 billion worth of business-disruption insurance, so such firms want to repair their damaged machinery very quickly.

The biggest problem facing insurance companies is low numbers of staff and assessors. The OIC is considering easing some regulations to allow technicians to enter factories and make some repairs before insurance assessment starts in order to minimise losses.

"Those technicians will help reduce damage to heavy machinery and prepare plans for maintenance and repairs in advance. Moreover, they can report to parts suppliers whether any parts have to be imported," Anon said.

Nobody knows yet how many machines have been damaged by the floods but at least 100 engineers will be needed to manage the assessment. Insurers will compensate policyholders only after their damage claims have been validated.

Late last week, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised its outlook on the Thai non-life insurance sector to negative, as insurance losses could reach US$6 billion (Bt183 billion) against the industry's gross premiums of about $4.7 billion.

It said in a statement that significant flood-related losses could weaken the performance of Thailand's non-life insurers in 2011 and S&P now considers them susceptible to natural-catastrophe risks.

"The financial profile of some non-life insurers in Thailand will likely deteriorate significantly in 2011. A potential decline in underwriting profits stemming from flood-related claims and investment earnings because of equity market-related losses will contribute to the deterioration," it said.

S&P also pointed out that foreign insurers, especially Japanese firms, and foreign reinsurers currently appear to have to bear the bulk of the known losses in the industrial parks. But local insurers and reinsurers will be affected as well, despite bearing a smaller share of the losses.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Insurance-claims-to-exceed-Bt600-billion-30169330.html

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Instant View: Greece seals deal on new coalition (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and conservative opposition leader Antonis Samaras agreed on Sunday on a new coalition government to approve a euro zone bailout deal before calling elections, the office of the president said.

COMMENTS:

MARC CHANDLER, GLOBAL HEAD OF CURRENCY STRATEGY AT BROWN BROTHERS HARRIMAN IN NEW YORK

"The unity government as is suggested...means the European package will be ratified and this is good for the euro on first blush. Problems are already spinning, though, beyond Greece, toward Italy and France. I do not think we get much but a brief reprieve to euro selling."

MICHAEL YOSHIKAMI, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST AT YCMNET ADVISORS IN WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA

"The resignation of some of the Greek leadership could be seen as a positive for the market. What we had been afraid of was a stalemate. Now it seems the hard cuts will be made. I think equity markets will cheer this, and that it will increase the odds the IMF will provide the next round of bailout funds."

BOB ANDRES, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, MERION WEALTH PARTNERS LLC, BERWYN, PENNSYLVANIA

"The markets don't understand the depth of the problem. These are 'baby steps' that are good on the surface, but cannot lead to a solution that avoids a default.

"I would not expect the markets to react much to this news. Papandreou had no option other than to back down. This is basically a vote of no confidence but allows him to fade away more graciously. I don't think it will have a material impact on the final solution."

COSTAS PANAGOPOULOS, HEAD OF ALCO POLLING AGENCY, ATHENS

"I'm relieved. It's a very positive development. It was imposed by society and the need to stay in the euro zone, and it will not be overturned."

ELIAS NIKOLAKOPOULOS, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, ATHENS UNIVERSITY

"The two leaders had no other choice. If elections were held now, nobody would turn out to vote for them."

"New elections will probably be held at the end of February or early March. They have no time to implement the EU bailout deal before then."

ITALO LOMBARDI, LATIN AMERICA ECONOMIST, STANDARD CHARTERED BANK, NEW YORK

"It is more uncertainty. There is a lot to be determined here. It means they will have access to the money, which is good news, but at the same time this story never seems to end and I would expect continued volatility in the markets."

JERRY WEBMAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST AND SENIOR INVESTMENT OFFICER WITH OPPENHEIMERFUNDS, NEW YORK

"This is what we've been expecting. I'm not sure that there's a big policy change here or that we're sweeping with a new broom. This news suggests there is a significant parliamentary coalition in place to continue supporting the deal. There's some reassurance here that the deal is still active. In the short-term, this vote holds the agreement together, which is what we needed to move forward. But then we come back to whether this deal is sufficient to solve the problem. I think it is a reasonable step in the right direction, but in my opinion the answer is no."

WILLIAM LARKIN, PORTFOLIO MANAGER WITH CABOT MONEY MANAGEMENT IN SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS

"I think it is somewhat expected. A lot of people were talking about an unruly default and if they started rationing the funding, that would have been worse. The leadership knew that and so it seems there were some games being played to get to this conclusion.

"Greece has this political structure to deal with and that is alarming a lot of investors. For now we don't have to worry about it, but that could last two weeks. There's going to be a lot of political bantering.

"There is a lot of posturing there. Similar to what we went through with the debt ceiling. The sound bites might be negative, but the most important part out of this is the reduction of tail risks. We are focusing on the big storm and that is a positive in that it keeps the contagion low and the U.S. economy likely on a slow growth path but still going in the right direction. From a bond perspective that is important because we are getting better but it is very slow."

"We could be another quarter or two away from consistently good job growth, which is what the market has really been waiting for. It is just a matter of getting the big geopolitical risks settled.

"I would think that it would be seen as a positive from the U.S. stock market point of view and as a slight negative for bonds because the level of geopolitical risk has been slightly diminished."

"The yields on U.S. Treasuries are still negative in real terms. That means you need the geopolitical risk to keep them low and we now seem slowly eking our way toward the 2.30 percent range."

ALAN RUSKIN, HEAD OF G10 CURRENCY STRATEGY AT DEUTSCHE BANK IN NEW YORK

"It's the best case scenario and may spark a brief relief rally. But it won't last and we will soon go back to focusing on Italy."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111106/wl_nm/us_greece_coalition_agreement

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Nebraska Democrat wavering on whether to retire (AP)

WASHINGTON ? All the pieces are in place for a re-election bid, but Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson is wavering on whether he'll seek a third term in 2012 or retire ? a decision that could have a big effect on Democrats' chances of holding their Senate majority.

Nelson told The Associated Press on Thursday that he'll make a decision over the holiday season. In the meantime, he's piled up campaign cash, hired a campaign manager and watched his party spend more than $1 million on ads supporting him.

But Nelson, a conservative Democrat, has told friends and supporters he's not a lock for another run and has expressed frustration with the inability of a divided Congress to pass meaningful legislation.

"He's alluded to a lot of frustration back in Washington," said former Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, a Nelson supporter. "There's a lot of frustration with him and independent-minded senators about the ability to get things done."

Fahey said he expected Nelson's happiness on the job, as well as family concerns, to factor heavily in his decision.

Nelson's decision will have important consequences for Democratic hopes of maintaining control of the Senate. Republicans need to net four seats in 2012 to take back the upper chamber.

Republicans see his seat as a pickup opportunity either way: They believe the state has tilted further to the right in recent years and think Nelson's vote for President Barack Obama's signature health care legislation will weigh him down.

But Nelson, a two-term governor before winning a Senate seat, would give Democrats a fighting chance. Nelson dipped in polls after the health care debate, but he has shown an ability to rebound after being down in statewide races before.

Guy Cecil, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Thursday his organization is still planning for Nelson to run but will await his announcement.

For his part, Nelson said he'll act as if he's running until he decides he's not.

"The campaign is moving as planned," Nelson said. "We are raising money, hiring staff."

Nelson's preparation has left him with a healthy cash advantage should he decide to go for a third term. He has more than $3 million cash on hand, about twice his nearest competitor, and has the luxury of stockpiling money while Republicans have a crowded primary that includes Don Stenberg, the state's treasurer, Jon Bruning, the attorney general, and Deb Fischer, a state senator.

Nelson said he is not making his intentions clear, in part, because "campaigns are too long," he said.

"I don't want everything I say or do viewed through the prism of re-election," he said. "Perhaps this is the norm for my colleagues, but it is not the way I have operated in the past."

Fahey said Nelson's kept close counsel on his decision. But he said he believes Nelson is leaning more toward running than not and said Nelson is behaving the same way he has when he's run in past elections.

"I think he's absolutely prepared himself to run," Fahey said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111104/ap_on_el_se/us_senate_nelson

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Iran dismisses reported UN claims of nuclear work (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that evidence which the U.N. reportedly plans to release showing alleged Iranian work on nuclear weapons is a fabrication.

Diplomats have told The Associated Press that the U.N. atomic agency plans to reveal intelligence next week suggesting Iran made computer models of a nuclear warhead, as well as other previously undisclosed details on alleged secret work by Tehran on nuclear arms.

But Salehi during a press conference in Tehran Saturday said that the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency had given in to U.S. pressure to level accusations against Tehran.

"The Americans raised documents like this in the past: the Niger scandal", he said, in reference to claims made prior to the 2003 Iraq war, based on a forgery, that Baghdad had sought uranium from Niger.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_nuclear

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Along With Humans, Who Else Is In The 7 Billion Club?

Gurinder Osan/AP

Animal Kings: Ants, like these workers carrying eggs to a plant's leaf after rain flooded their nest, have a combined biomass estimated in the billions of tons.

The revelation this week that the Earth now holds 7 billion people, according to the U.N.'s population division, prompted a question: Who else is in the 7 Billion Club? To find out which other animals had reached that plateau, we asked wildlife experts ? and they patiently explained why our innocent question was nearly impossible to answer.

But then the experts gave us some best guesses. And the consensus was that humans are the largest animals on the planet to have a population numbering at least 7 billion ? but they're certainly not the only ones to reach that mark.

More on that in a minute ? but first, let's start with the basic premise.

?

It's very difficult to say with certainty, "Right now, there are 7 billion humans living on Earth." Because, as our colleague Adam Cole explained in his video and audio report, for every new drop in the bucket, there's always a drop or two leaking out of it.

In fact, the U.N.'s choice of Oct. 31 as The Day We Hit 7 Billion comes with some caveats ? as Mark reported, the margin of error on the estimate totaled around 56 million.

And the date announced by the U.N. doesn't match up with what the U.S. Census Bureau predicts. On its own version of a World Population tracker, the U.S. agency estimates that humans won't hit the 7 billion mark until March 2012.

So, there's some unavoidable uncertainty here ? questions of scale and logistics make it impossible to count 7 billion people who are all alive at the same instant.

And if you can't count humans, then how could you expect to count rodents or birds? The most challenging of all may be the fish. Because if a fish holds still long enough for you to count it, that might be because it has just died ? and can no longer be counted. You see where this is going.

So, the experts do what they do better than anyone: They estimate ? and they calculate biomass.

For those of you who are rusty on your ecology, biomass is determined by multiplying an estimated population by its members' average weight. So, for humans, our experts settled on approximately 350 million tons ? or 7 billion x 50 kg (110 pounds). And if that number seems lighter than you'd think, consider that the estimate must take children's lighter weights into account.

After contacting several experts from the World Wildlife Fund and David Kidd at London's Global Population Dynamics Database, here's the rough consensus that we came up with:

Among land-based vertebrates, humanity's closest rivals in terms of sheer numbers are probably the brown rat (which, everyone agrees, outnumber us ? but no one seems eager to count) and the domestic chicken (which numbered 18.6 billion in 2009, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization).

And in terms of animals whose bodies are around the size of a human's, WWF International consultant Jonathan Loh, an honorary research associate at the Zoological Society of London, wrote us to say:

"No other large mammal comes close to us in terms of numbers. According to the FAO, there are around 1.4 billion cattle in the world and about 1.1 billion sheep (in 2009). The total cattle biomass would be greater than ours (more than 500 million tons), but sheep biomass would be considerably less (below 100 million tons)."

Loh was kind enough to provide data for a chart. While it doesn't pretend to be an exhaustive survey of species with large populations, it does give a sense of the range of life on Earth ? and how different populations compare to one another.

Species	Population	Biomass (million tons)
Bacteria total	4 quadrillion quadrillion	1,000,000
Ants (many species)	10 billion billion	3,000
Marine fish (many species)		800-2,000
Cattle (Bos taurus)	1.4 billion	520
Termites (many species)		445
Humans (Homo sapiens)	7 billion	350
Antarctic krill (Euphausia suberba)	500 trillion	150
Sheep (Ovis aries)	1.1 billion	65
Domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus)	18.6 billion	40
Great whales (10 species)	3 million	20
Elephants (2 species)	0.5 million	2

Update at 12:40 p.m. ET: We've adjusted the chart for clarity, because the totals we found for plants and animals were measured by dry carbon weight. Unlike the above measurements, they did not include water and other elements. Here are those totals, in units of million tons:

• Terrestrial plants: 560,000
• Marine plants: 5-10,000
• Terrestrial animals: 5,000

Thank you to the alert readers who pointed out this potential cause for confusion. Our original post continues:

Among all animals, ants outweigh us in biomass ? putting billions and billions of tons up against humans' fewer than 500 million. And while they're both tiny and lacking a backbone, krill are the champs among animals worldwide, in terms of numbers, with a population estimated at 500 trillion.

We asked researchers at the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C., for their opinion ? and for details about animals with large populations. The WWF scientists said that among birds, the most populous species is believed to be the red-billed Quelea; among fish, the Peruvian Anchoveta gets at least one expert's vote.

"Elephants don't come close to us: There are about half a million of them, so they would weigh in at a couple of million tons" of biomass, Loh says.

So, we've got the elephants beat. But lest we humans start getting full of ourselves for numbering 7 billion, one WWF expert reminds us, "The passenger pigeon used to number an estimated 3-5 billion, and look what happened ... that should send us all a warning!"

And to be sure we got the point, another added, "Of course, within each human there are animals. So, our own parasites must outnumber us."

Enlarge Janice Haney Carr/AP

Oh, The Bacteria: A colorized electron micrograph image from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large grouping of Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria. There are quadrillions of bacteria in the world, far surpassing humanity's 7 billion.

Janice Haney Carr/AP

Oh, The Bacteria: A colorized electron micrograph image from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large grouping of Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria. There are quadrillions of bacteria in the world, far surpassing humanity's 7 billion.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/03/141946751/along-with-humans-who-else-is-in-the-7-billion-club?ft=1&f=1007

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CenturyLink 3Q net income falls as expenses rise (AP)

MONROE, La. ? Phone company CenturyLink Inc. reported lower third-quarter net income Wednesday as operating expenses related to its April acquisition of larger phone company Qwest overshadowed increased revenue.

In the July-September quarter, CenturyLink earned $140 million, or 23 cents per share. This is 40 percent lower than the $232 million, or 76 cents per share, it earned a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned 34 cents per share, matching estimates of analysts polled by FactSet.

Revenue rose to $4.6 billion from $1.75 billion, also in line with what analysts expected. Of this, $2.7 billion came from Qwest and $223 million came from data-center operator Savvis Inc., which CenturyLink bought for $2.5 billion in July.

The company, which is based in Monroe, La., reported a net gain of more than 57,000 broadband subscribers in the quarter to end with 5.5 million. Had CenturyLink owned Qwest a year ago, it would have had 5.3 million broadband customers at that time.

With its $12.2 billion purchase of Qwest, CenturyLink became the country's third-largest phone company by number of lines. It currently has 14.8 million access lines, down from 15.9 million that the two companies had a year earlier.

After excluding special items, operating expenses rose more than three times to $3.9 billion, from $1.2 billion a year earlier. The increase was largely the result of operating the new businesses ? $2.5 billion for Qwest and $222 million for Savvis. The company also cited "significant costs" related to storms and other natural disasters.

Looking at the current quarter, CenturyLink expects adjusted net income of 58 to 62 cents per share on revenue of $4.6 to $4.65 billion.

Analysts expect adjusted earnings of 34 cents per share on $4.6 billion in revenue.

CenturyLink's stock was unchanged in extended trading after the release of results after finishing regular trading up a penny at $34.55.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111102/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_earns_centurylink

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Brain cells responsible for keeping us awake identified

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2011) ? Bright light arouses us. Bright light makes it easier to stay awake. Very bright light not only arouses us but is known to have antidepressant effects. Conversely, dark rooms can make us sleepy. It's the reason some people use masks to make sure light doesn't wake them while they sleep.

Now researchers at UCLA have identified the group of neurons that mediates whether light arouses us -- or not. Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and colleagues report in the current online edition of the Journal of Neuroscience that the cells necessary for a light-induced arousal response are located in the hypothalamus, an area at the base of the brain responsible for, among other things, control of the autonomic nervous system, body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue -- and sleep.

These cells release a neurotransmitter called hypocretin, Siegel said. The researchers compared mice with and without hypocretin and found that those who didn't have it were unable to stay awake in the light, while those who had it showed intense activation of these cells in the light but not while they were awake in the dark.

This same UCLA research group earlier determined that the loss of hypocretin was responsible for narcolepsy and the sleepiness associated with Parkinson's disease. But the neurotransmitter's role in normal behavior was, until now, unclear.

"This current finding explains prior work in humans that found that narcoleptics lack the arousing response to light, unlike other equally sleepy individuals, and that both narcoleptics and Parkinson's patients have an increased tendency to be depressed compared to others with chronic illnesses," said Siegel, who is also a member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute and chief of neurobiology research at the Sepulveda Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Mission Hills, Calif.

Prior studies of the behavioral role of hypocretin in rodents had examined the neurotransmitter's function during only light phases (normal sleep time for mice) or dark phases (their normal wake time), but not both. And the studies only examined the rodents when they were performing a single task.

In the current study, researchers examined the behavioral capabilities of mice that had their hypocretin genetically "knocked-out" (KO mice) and compared them with the activities of normal, wild-type mice (WT) that still had their hypocretin neurons. The researchers tested the two groups while they performed a variety of tasks during both light and dark phases.

Surprisingly, they found that the KO mice were only deficient at working for positive rewards during the light phase. During the dark phase, however, these mice learned at the same rate as their WT littermates and were completely unimpaired in working for the same rewards.

Consistent with the data in the KO mice, the activity of hypocretin neurons in their WT littermates was maximized when working for positive rewards during the light phase, but the cells were not activated when performing the same tasks in the dark phase.

"The findings suggest that administering hypocretin and boosting the function of hypocretin cells will increase the light-induced arousal response," Siegel said. "Conversely, blocking their function by administering hypocretin receptor blockers will reduce this response and thereby induce sleep."

Further, Siegel noted, "The administration of hypocretin may also have antidepressant properties, and blocking it may increase tendencies toward depression. So we feel this work has implications for treating sleep disorders as well as depression."

Other authors on the study included Ronald McGregor (first author), Ming-Fung Wu, Grace Barber and Lalini Ramanathan, all of UCLA, the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and the UCLA Brain Research Institute.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The authors report no conflict of interest.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Los Angeles. The original article was written by Mark Wheeler.

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. R. McGregor, M.-F. Wu, G. Barber, L. Ramanathan, J. M. Siegel. Highly Specific Role of Hypocretin (Orexin) Neurons: Differential Activation as a Function of Diurnal Phase, Operant Reinforcement versus Operant Avoidance and Light Level. Journal of Neuroscience, 2011; 31 (43): 15455 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4017-11.2011

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103143434.htm

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Video: Marathon Petroleum: Q3 Profits Soar

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45124486#45124486

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Kardashian apologizes to fans for failed marriage (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Kim Kardashian says she never meant to hurt anyone by ending her marriage after just 72 days.

The 31-year-old reality star posted a message to her fans on her website Tuesday, one day after filing for divorce from Kris Humphries, whom she married in a lavish ceremony that aired as a two-hour TV special on E!

Kardashian says that while she "married for love" and "would not have spent so much time on something just for a TV show," she admits that she "got caught up with the hoopla and the filming of the TV show."

"When I probably should have ended my relationship, I didn't know how to and I didn't want to disappoint a lot of people," she writes.

Kardashian says she takes "full responsibility for my actions and decisions," adding "it just didn't turn out to be the fairy tale I had so badly hoped for."

"I want a family and babies and a real life so badly that maybe I rushed into something too soon," she says.

Kardashian and Humphries dated for nine months before marrying in August.

She goes on to say that reports that she made millions of dollars off the wedding "are simply not true and it makes me so sad to have to even clarify this." Twitter and Facebook were filled with anti-Kardashian sentiments on Tuesday, including some photos that were reposted thousands of times.

One photo showed the happy wedding couple gazing adoringly at each other above large type that read, "If you think gay marriage cheapens the institution, two words... Kim Kardashian."

In her post, Kardashian says she plans to "donate the money for all the gifts to the Dream Foundation."

The couple's $172,000 wedding registry included such items as a $1,650 coffee pot and two $1,250 sterling silver vegetable spoons.

Kardashian does not mention Humphries in the 370-word message.

___

Online:

http://kimkardashian.celebuzz.com/2011/11/01/a-message-to-my-fans/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111102/ap_en_ce/us_people_kim_kardashian

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Can China build its own space station? A crucial test looms (VIDEO)

The China space program is set to dock two orbiting spacecraft Wednesday afternoon, moving it one step closer to orbiting a space station early next decade.

Two Chinese spacecraft are set to perform the country's first orbital docking Wednesday, perhaps as early as 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Skip to next paragraph

If successful, the event would represent a significant milestone on the country's path to orbiting a space station early next decade.

On Nov. 1, China launched an unmanned Shenzhou capsule to perform the docking. The capsule, modeled after the Russian Soyuz capsule, has carried six taikonauts into space during three missions, beginning with the country's first manned launch in 2003.

The capsule's target is China's Tiangong 1, a 9.4-ton prototype module similar in size to the docking module the Russians contributed to the International Space Station. Tiangong 1 sleeps two, and also hosts an exercise machine. The China National Space Administration launched the module Sept. 29.

The docking represents a hybrid approach, teaming maneuvers controlled from the ground with an automated system for final approach and mating.

The mission calls for controllers to guide Shenzhou 8, the mission's official designation, to within about 30 miles of Taingong 1. After that, the automated docking system takes over, according to China Daily.

The two craft will remain docked for 12 days. Then, as an added confidence builder, the two will separate to a distance of about 150 feet and Shenzhou 8 will perform a second docking.

Two days later, the capsule will return to Earth.

The mission also carries 17 life-science experiments designed by scientists in China and Germany.

A successful docking would open the way to two more trips to Tiangong 1 in 2012, each bringing taikonauts. When those are complete, China plans to deorbit the module in anticipation of Tiangong 2 and 3, both larger than the prototype. Current plans call for launching Tiangong 2 in 2013 and Tiangong 3 in 2015.

Each launch represents a successive technology demonstration project, with Tiangong 3's design serving as the blueprint for modules that will later form China's space station.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MX64qnaxta8/Can-China-build-its-own-space-station-A-crucial-test-looms-VIDEO

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Spurlock launches documentary sponsorship program (AP)

NEW YORK ? Morgan Spurlock is still selling out, only now he wants to help other documentary filmmakers find ad dollars, too.

The director on Monday announced the creation of Launch PAD, an initiative to help filmmakers find sponsorship and product placement deals with advertisers. The program is being launched by the DOC NYC festival and advertising company Grey New York.

Though documentarians typically avoid alliances with corporate sponsors, Spurlock made product placement the subject of his 2011 film "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."

Thom Powers, artistic director for the documentary festival, said he hopes the program will help documentaries fighting for financial support and distribution.

"We see tremendous potential for doc makers to leverage both the marketing resources and advertising expertise of these brands to gain more exposure," said Powers. "Too many times we've seen great films create really strong festival buzz but not have the means or the know-how to translate that into a meaningful release."

Launch PAD has five films for which it will seek financial assistance, and it plans to select five more films in the coming months.

The program will be led by Claudia Strauss, CEO of Grey New York's Alliance unit. Strauss, Powers and Spurlock will try to pair films with brands.

"This is a unique opportunity for both brands and filmmakers to benefit from the other's expertise," Spurlock said.

___

Online:

http://www.DOCNYC.net

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111031/ap_en_mo/us_film_launch_pad

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Dowd: Breaking the Rules of Halloween and Politics (ABC News)

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