Killer executed over ice-pick slaying

By Reuters

AUSTIN, Texas - A man who repeatedly stabbed a neighbor with an ice pick and strangled her with stereo wire was executed Wednesday, Texas officials said.

Bobby Lee Hines, who was aged 19 at the time of the 1991 killing, was sharing a next-door apartment with a maintenance worker who had master keys to all the units in the Dallas-area building, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Hours after neighbors heard screaming and other loud noises coming from the apartment of Michelle Wendy Haupt, 26, her body was found just inside the door of her unit, covered with about 18 puncture wounds, according to a summary of the case from the Texas attorney general's office.

Hines' fingerprint and bloody palm print were found in the apartment. Haupt's gold sand-dollar charm was found in Hines' pocket.

Hines was put to death by lethal injection at a state prison in Huntsville, Texas. He was pronounced dead at 6:28 p.m. local time, said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the criminal justice department.

Hines, 40, was the 11th person executed this year in Texas and the 33rd in the United States.

'It was wrong'
In his final statement, Hines asked Haupt's family for forgiveness, according to a copy of the statement provided by Clark.

"To the victim's family, I am sure I know that I took somebody special from y'all," Hines said. "I know it wasn't right, it was wrong."

He also said that God has forgiven him and that being locked up for the rest of his life would have been more of a punishment.

"I wish there was some other way to show I'm sorry," he said.

Hines' execution was scheduled for earlier this year, but it was postponed so that DNA testing could be conducted on fingernail clippings collected from Haupt's body. The testing did not exclude Hines as a source of the DNA, according to the attorney general's office.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/25/14686939-texas-executes-killer-who-stabbed-neighbor-18-times-with-ice-pick?lite

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Ukraine under fire in Russian activist's abduction

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) ? Ukraine's main opposition party has accused the government of allowing Russian agents to kidnap an anti-Kremlin activist in the Ukrainian capital and forcibly transport him to Moscow.

The party led by jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko claims that President Viktor Yanukovych sanctioned the abduction of Leonid Razvozzhayev in order to secure the Kremlin's backing in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

"The special services of a foreign state are operating on Ukraine's territory," said Tymoshenko ally Arseniy Yatsenyuk. "As I understand it, they will probably be taking part in tallying Ukrainians' votes."

Yanukovych, who visited Moscow earlier this week, has been courting the Kremlin to seek a rebate on Russian natural gas supplies. A lower gas price would be essential for keeping the Ukrainian economy afloat and securing public support for Yanukovych and his party.

Russian opposition activist Razvozzhayev, 39, had come to Kiev last week to seek political asylum in Ukraine, after Russian investigators accused him of being involved in plotting anti-government riots.

Razvozzhayev told Russian rights defenders, who visited him in a Moscow jail this week, that he was kidnapped on a Kiev street by masked men, who smuggled him into Russia. He said they kept him in handcuffs and leg chains in a basement for three days, denying him food, water, sleep or use of a toilet and threatened to kill his children until he "confessed" to plotting riots.

Russian authorities have said that Razvozzhayev turned himself in and confessed voluntarily.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry and the national security agency declined to comment on the matter. But Interior Ministry spokesman Volodymyr Polishchuk on Thursday allowed for the possibility that Russian security services could have been involved in Razvozzhayev's abduction.

"How did it happen? Did they ask him to (go) of his own free will? Or did they just force him? I don't know," Polishchuk told The Associated Press.

Either way, Polishchuk said, what happened to Razvozzhayev does not constitute a crime because he is "alive and well," and the Interior Minstry will not press charges. "This is not the province of the police. The police deal with criminal actions."

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday urged Kiev to thoroughly investigate Razvozzhayev's abduction.

"For an asylum seeker to simply vanish while lodging his asylum claims and then reappear in the country he fled is profoundly shocking," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "There needs to be a serious investigation to determine whether any Ukrainian officials were involved and to hold accountable any who played a role."

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees also voiced concern about Razvozzhayev's fate in a statement Thursday, emphasizing that he was protected by international refugee law as an asylum-seeker.

It said that it was seeking Russia's clarification of Razvozzhayev's condition and status and warned Ukraine that it must make sure that asylum seekers aren't exposed to risks to their personal security.

"Both Ukraine and the Russian Federation are signatories of the 1951 Refugee Convention and thus are subject to a treaty obligation to protect refugees and asylum-seekers," it said.

The incident was reminiscent of the disappearance last year of a Palestinian engineer from a Ukrainian train. He surfaced in an Israeli prison several days later to face terrorism charges. Kiev has failed to explain how that happened.

Yatsenyuk vowed that the opposition would press for a parliamentary probe into Razvozzhayev's case. He claimed that Yanukovych agreed to hand Razvozzhayev over to the Russians in order to enjoy Moscow's support in the upcoming vote.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-under-fire-russian-activists-abduction-155416997.html

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Teacher's aide fired after involvement in 1965 murder revealed

An Iowa teacher's aide has been fired from her job following the revelation that she was a member of an Indiana family notorious for torturing and killing a girl in their basement in 1965.

"A week ago today we got an anonymous report that the now Paula Pace was the previous Paula Baniszewski involved in this 1965 murder case in Indiana and it was a real attention-seeker out there, a heinous crime," Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning told ABCNews.com today.

Paula Baniszewski was 17 years old in the summer of 1965 when a 16-year-old girl names Sylvia Likens and her sister came to stay with Baniszewski's family. In the months that followed, Likens was beaten, burned, malnourished and branded with a hot needle. Her body was found in the basement of the home in October of that year.

The case became one of the most infamous crimes in Indiana and has been the subject of several books and movies.

Baniszewski's mother Gertrude Baniszewski was convicted of first degree murder and Paula Baniszewski was found guilty of second degree murder for her participation in the torture. Several other family members were also convicted.

Paula Baniszewski appealed her conviction and ultimately pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She served time and was released from prison in 1972. She completed her parole and moved to Iowa.

Baniszewski, now 64, has been going by the name Paula Pace and has worked for the BCLUW school district in Conrad, Iowa, since 1998. She had done some custodial work and was most recently working as a teacher's aide for special needs students.

Recently, information about Pace's true identity began circulating around Facebook and an anonymous tipster called police to tell them they should look into her background. Police immediately notified the school and both began doing background checks.

Pace's birth date matched Baniszewski's and a current photo of her beared a striking resemblance to the 1965 mugshot.

"The superintendent had called her in and she admitted to it, so she was suspended," Penning said.

The school called a special meeting of the school board on Tuesday and the seven-member board unanimously voted to fire Baniszewski.

"Paula Pace's employment was terminated at a board meeting yesterday," superintendent Ben Petty told ABCNews.com. "Her employment was terminated for providing false information on her application."

Petty would not comment further on how she was able to lie on her application.

Penning said that Baniszewski is not facing any criminal charges and the matter is between her and the school.

Baniszewski could not be reached for comment. An Iowa phone number listed for Pace had been disconnected.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/teachers-aide-fired-over-1965-killing-193014815--abc-news-topstories.html

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Source: http://workathomeandmakemoney.org/top-free-affiliate-programs/

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Manager - International Regulatory Affairs - Thomson Reuters Accelus

Our client is a global Insurance firm with a strong presence in over 200 countries worldwide. They are currently looking for a Technical Manager to join their International Regulatory Affairs department. The role is focused around managing key projects as well as reviewing, developing and maintaining control frameworks and processes.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Assisting management with setting and directing the teams operational objectives.
• Ensuring the teams operational objectives are consistent with the strategic objectives of the team and the business.

• Setting and working within operational priorities, ensuring the business meets its International Regulatory reporting and funding requirements.
• Compiling, reviewing and assessing the relevant international regulatory reports.

• Overseeing the successful completion of relevant reserve obligations by the appropriate staff.

• Leading, managing and participating any projects, establishing the potential implications for the team.

• Developing and maintaining relationships with the regulators and other corporation departments.
• Ensuring the department have the required data to appropriately format documented procedures, supporting key processes.
• Developing, maintaining, reviewing and amending appropriate control frameworks and key operational processes where necessary.
• Completing any changes to the control frameworks/operational processes, implementing required solutions.
• Developing staff, ensuring they acquire the necessary skills.
• Supporting the team, ensuring relevant resources and information are available and effectively used.

• Initiating, developing and supporting the management of relationships with market participants across the organisation

• Representing the business at relevant meetings, conferences, visits etc.
• Providing expert input, resolving any issues resulting from legislative, regulatory changes.
• Ensuring that market information for relevant overseas territories is accurate and up to date.
• Participating in and supporting business process/market infrastructure reform.
• Participating in and supporting team projects.
• Maintaining the Interaction system and relevant applications as appropriate, contributing to departments overall management of customer relationships.

Ideally you will have previous experience within Insurance with a strong analytical background. You will be asked to portray clear and concise oral and written communication skills when liaising with various business lines/stakeholders and managing a team. You will be joining a centralised business function in a faced paced environment that will constantly require you to maintain your awareness of any regulatory developments and articulate these to the relevant areas.

To discuss this opportunity and others within Compliance please contact Agi Heale on 02031453376 or at agi.heale@bruinfinancial.com.

Source: http://www.complinet.com/recruitment/jobs/job/details/id/42448

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ACP Internist: QD: News Every Day--Task Force continues stance ...

Members of the American College of Physicians contribute posts from their own sites to ACP Internist and ACP Hospitalist. Contributors include:

Albert Fuchs, MD
Albert Fuchs, MD, FACP, graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, where he also did his internal medicine training. Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Dr. Fuchs spent three years as a full-time faculty member at UCLA School of Medicine before opening his private practice in Beverly Hills in 2000.

And Thus, It Begins
Amanda Xi, ACP Medical Student Member, is a first-year medical student at the OUWB School of Medicine, charter class of 2015, in Rochester, Mich., from which she which chronicles her journey through medical training from day 1 of medical school.

Zackary Berger
Zackary Berger, MD, ACP Member, is a primary care doctor and general internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins. His research interests include doctor-patient communication, bioethics, and systematic reviews.

CasesBlog
Ves Dimov, MD, ACP Member, is an allergist/immunologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago, where he evaluates and treats both pediatric and adult patients.

David Katz, MD
David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACP, is an internationally renowned authority on nutrition, weight management, and the prevention of chronic disease, and an internationally recognized leader in integrative medicine and patient-centered care.

db's Medical Rants
Robert M. Centor, MD, FACP, contributes short essays contemplating medicine and the health care system.

DrDialogue
Juliet K. Mavromatis, MD, FACP, provides a conversation about health topics for patients and health professionals.

Dr. Mintz' Blog
Matthew Mintz, MD, FACP, has practiced internal medicine for more than a decade and is an Associate Professor of Medicine at an academic medical center on the East Coast. His time is split between teaching medical students and residents, and caring for patients.

Everything Health
Toni Brayer, MD, FACP, blogs about the rapid changes in science, medicine, health and healing in the 21st century.

FutureDocs
Vineet Arora, MD, FACP, is Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and Assistant Dean of Scholarship & Discovery at the Pritzker School of Medicine for the University of Chicago. Her education and research focus is on resident duty hours, patient handoffs, medical professionalism, and quality of hospital care. She is also an academic hospitalist.

Glass Hospital
John H. Schumann, MD, FACP, provides transparency on the workings of medical practice and the complexities of hospital care, illuminates the emotional and cognitive aspects of caregiving and decision-making from the perspective of an active primary care physician, and offers behind-the-scenes portraits of hospital sanctums and the people who inhabit them.

Gut Check
Ryan Madanick, MD, ACP Member, is a gastroenterologist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and the Program Director for the GI & Hepatology Fellowship Program. He specializes in diseases of the esophagus, with a strong interest in the diagnosis and treatment of patients who have difficult-to-manage esophageal problems such as refractory GERD, heartburn, and chest pain.

I'm dok
Mike Aref, MD, PhD, FACP, is an academic hospitalist with an interest in basic and clinical science and education, with interests in noninvasive monitoring and diagnostic testing using novel bedside imaging modalities, diagnostic reasoning, medical informatics, new medical education modalities, pre-code/code management, palliative care, patient-physician communication, quality improvement, and quantitative biomedical imaging.

Informatics Professor
William Hersh, MD, FACP, Professor and Chair, Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, posts his thoughts on various topics related to biomedical and health informatics.

Just Oncology
Richard Just, MD, ACP Member, has 36 years in clinical practice of hematology and medical oncology. His blog is a joint publication with Gregg Masters, MPH.

KevinMD
Kevin Pho, MD, ACP Member, offers one of the Web's definitive sites for influential health commentary.

MD Whistleblower
Michael Kirsch, MD, FACP, addresses the joys and challenges of medical practice, including controversies in the doctor-patient relationship, medical ethics and measuring medical quality. When he's not writing, he's performing colonoscopies.

Medical Lessons
Elaine Schattner, MD, ACP Member, shares her ideas on education, ethics in medicine, health care news and culture. Her views on medicine are informed by her past experiences in caring for patients, as a researcher in cancer immunology, and as a patient who's had breast cancer.

Mired in MedEd
Alexander M. Djuricich, MD, FACP, is the Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME), and a Program Director in Medicine-Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, where he blogs about medical education.

More Musings
Rob Lamberts, MD, ACP Member, a med-peds and general practice internist, returns with "volume 2" of his personal musings about medicine, life, armadillos and Sasquatch at More Musings (of a Distractible Kind).

Musing of an Internist
Justin Penn, MD, ACP Associate Member, attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine at the University of Rochester, where he is serving as Chief Resident.

Prescriptions
David M. Sack, MD, FACP, practices general gastroenterology at a small community hospital in Connecticut. His blog is a series of musings on medicine, medical care, the health care system and medical ethics, in no particular order.

Reflections of a Grady Doctor
Kimberly Manning, MD, FACP, reflects on the personal side of being a doctor in a community hospital in Atlanta.

Technology in (Medical) Education
Neil Mehta, MBBS, MS, FACP, is interested in use of technology in education, social media and networking, practice management and evidence-based medicine tools, personal information and knowledge management.

White Coat Underground
Peter A. Lipson, MD, ACP Member, is a practicing internist and teaching physician in Southeast Michigan. The blog, which has been around in various forms since 2007, offers musings on the intersection of science, medicine, and culture.

Other blogs of note:

American Journal of Medicine
Also known as the Green Journal, the American Journal of Medicine publishes original clinical articles of interest to physicians in internal medicine and its subspecialities, both in academia and community-based practice.

Clinical Correlations
A collaborative medical blog started by Neil Shapiro, MD, ACP Member, associate program director at New York University Medical Center's internal medicine residency program. Faculty, residents and students contribute case studies, mystery quizzes, news, commentary and more.

Interact MD
Michael Benjamin, MD, ACP member, doesn't accept industry money so he can create an independent, clinician-reviewed space on the Internet for physicians to report and comment on the medical news of the day.

PLoS Blog
The Public Library of Science's open access materials include a blog.

White Coat Rants
One of the most popular anonymous blogs written by an emergency room physician.

Source: http://blog.acpinternist.org/2012/10/qd-news-every-day-task-force-continues.html

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Home Free: Airbnb Raises $117M, According To SEC Filing; $2B-$3B Valuation?

In September we broke the story about how the short-term accommodation-sharing site Airbnb was in the process of raising a significant third round of around $100 million. A Form D filed with the SEC today shows that it's now raised north of that: $117 million (or $117,051,696, to be exact).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wMVeitKXI0s/

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

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Tax Changes That Could Boost Retirement - Finance and small ...

he Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced several important changes to certain limits for tax year 2013. These changes mean that you can invest more money without having to worry about paying taxes on gains until the money is withdrawn during retirement.

Continue reading.

Tagged as: 401(k) plans, 500, 529 plan, annual contribution limit

Source: http://www.periu.com/small-business/tax-changes-that-could-boost-retirement/

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Video: Facebook Turning the Corner?

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

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49538512/

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Stocks that win from U.S. housing recovery | Trading Desk | Investing ...

Lennar Corporation and KB Homes top a new list of U.S. stocks expected to benefit most from the housing recovery south of the border.

?The housing recovery is in full swing and continues moving forward at a healthy cadence, in our view,? said RBC Capital Markets in a note to clients.

U.S. builder stocks have rallied hard this year, but analysts at RBC remain bullish on the sector and believe the group is positioned to beat estimates driven by strong volumes and improved gross margin performance.

?Accordingly, we are affirming our Outperform recommendations on Lennar (Best of Breed) and KB Homes (Discount to Peer Group),? they wrote.

Other housing-related stocks with potential upside include Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc., USG Corp., Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Wells Fargo & Co., The Home Depot Inc., and The Sherwin-Williams Co.

?The need to build water/wastewater infrastructure associated with the opening of new communities is likely to benefit Mueller Water Products Inc., RBC added.

?And finally, American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., a leading tier-1 manufacturer of parts for pickup trucks, is well-positioned to experience strong volumes due to higher truck sales if our base case scenario for housing starts unfolds.?

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2012/10/22/stocks-that-win-from-u-s-housing-recovery/

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Video: Is Akin hurting the GOP brand?

Surface RT review: Microsoft tablet mixed blessing

??Surface RT, Microsoft's first foray into personal computing, is a hardware success, and the company should be proud. Windows RT, the operating system that runs on it, is less of a reason for self-back-patting, however.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/49513383#49513383

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New England Patriots preparing for trip to London

FOXBOROUGH ? Before he plays at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Patriots running back Shane Vereen wants to make a stop at Buckingham Palace.

?I just want to see the soldiers outside of the Palace that can?t smile,? a smiling Vereen said Tuesday. ?I just want to take a picture.?

And then he?ll play for usually dour coach Bill Belichick in New England?s second trip in four years to London, where they?ll face the St. Louis Rams.

?The time change, the travel ? that?s certainly different than most normal games,? Belichick said, ?but it?s not anything we haven?t dealt with before. We?ve traveled to the West Coast. We?re just going the other direction. Hopefully, we?ll be able to deal with it.?

The Patriots went to London in 2009, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7, but most players on that New England team won?t be with this one when it travels across the Atlantic Ocean on a red-eye Thursday night.

For Vereen, in his second NFL season, it will be his first trip to Europe.

?I?m excited to go, see what it?s all about and be able to play somewhere else, but at the same time we do have to go get a ?W,?? Vereen said, adding, ?I think it?s fun? more so than an inconvenient long trip in the middle of the season.

?I think it will be a good thing for us. I think it will be a good thing for St. Louis as well,? he said. ?Middle of the season, you kind of start getting into the lull, the everyday routine. So to break the routine a little bit and get to go out of the country, I think will be something fun.?

Injured safety Steve Gregory, who missed the last two games with a hip injury, visited London with the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and is looking forward to another trip.

?It was a great experience,? he said. ?Obviously I had never been there before, so to see London, the overall experience, was just amazing.?

As far as his off-field plans, Gregory joked he would see Queen Elizabeth, ?if she?ll let me.?

Running back Stevan Ridley, asked about visiting the queen, said, ?Hey man, if she calls, yeah.?

Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, who made the 2009 trip, said, ?It was a lot of fun and we got a win and hopefully it will be the same experience. It?s a long trip, but it?s not too much farther than when we went to Seattle (Oct. 14). So, it will be a good experience if we play well and can come home with a win.?

As far as what he might like to do this time, Gostkowski said, ?I doubt we?ll really have time to really enjoy ... go sightseeing, maybe take a tour bus, I don?t know. They haven?t told us the schedule yet. It will be fun if we win and we?ll have a good time.?

The Wembley Stadium field hasn?t gotten great reviews.

?Every field is different. You get used to it,? Belichick said. ?It?s a grass field. It?s not the fastest field, but we?ve played on plenty comparable to that. It?s a little different environment out there. They do the soccer cheers and the rugby cheers and all that.

?It?s a little less football-oriented.?

NOTES: Gostkowski, who kicked the tying and winning field goals Sunday in a 29-26 overtime win over the New York Jets, said, ?I got a chance to help the team and I came through. It was fun. It was a good feeling to come out with a win, a division win against a team that we like to beat? ... The Patriots have gained more than 350 yards in each of their last 16 games, tying an NFL record set by the Rams (1999-2000). ?I?m a lot more concerned about wins than yards. I don?t really care about the stats,? Belichick said. ?I just care about scoring more points than the other team.?

Source: http://www.masslive.com/patriots/index.ssf/2012/10/new_england_patriots_preparing.html

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Facebook revenue jumps 32% amid mobile gains

Rick Summer, Morningstar senior analyst, offers instant analysis of Facebook's quarter.

By CNBC.com news and wire reports

Social-networking giant?Facebook?reported its revenue jumped 32 percent in the third quarter, beating expectations, helped by gains in mobile.

---

This is only the second earnings report since the company's initial public offering in May.

Facebook shares initially fell, then erased losses to trade higher after the closing bell following the announcement.?(Click here to get the latest quotes for Facebook.)

The company reported a net loss of $59 million, or 2 cents per share, compared with net income of $227 million, or 10 cents a share a year earlier.

The most recent quarter's results include charges for share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses and income-tax adjustments.

Excluding items, the company reported a profit of $311 million, or 12 cents per share.

Revenue increased 32 percent to $1.26 billion from $954 million a year ago.

Analysts had expected the company to report earnings excluding items of 11 cents a share on $1.23 billion in revenue, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters.

?We?re still seeing stable and good growth," said Rick Summer, an analyst at Morningstar, after the release. "The question remains as to when we see that re-acceleration.?

Advertising revenue shot up 36 percent to $1.09 billion, but revenue from its payments and other businesses increased just 13 percent to $176 million.

The company said it generated 14 percent of advertising revenue from mobile.

The company also said its operating margin excluding items slid to 42 percent from 51 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Since Facebook's IPO in mid-May, its shares have shed about 50 percent from their $38 offering price, driven down by investors' concerns about how the company will be able to monetize its users' mobile usage.

In recent weeks, the company has launched?several new products?and features that could boost revenue growth including one that lets advertisers target users in real-time, based on outside websites they visit.

Because Facebook is the world's dominant social-networking company, the company's results are a gauge of the health of social media companies, as well as the overall online advertising environment.

Facebook's report comes days after online advertising rival?Google?prematurely delivered?quarterly earnings?and revenue that lagged analysts' estimates and reported a 15-percent decline in its average cost-per-click.

Information from the Associated Press and Thomson Reuters?was included in this report.

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Source: http://marketday.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/23/14649769-facebook-revenue-jumps-32-amid-gains-in-mobile?lite

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Most UK lottery winners don't quit their jobs

By Peter Jeary, NBC News

LONDON -- Less than 60 percent of millionaires who have won big in Britain?s National Lottery have immediately quit work after scooping a seven-figure sum. And, surprisingly, almost one in five continued to work, despite the life-changing cash, according to a new study.

When it comes to spending it, the most popular make of car bought by lottery winners was an Audi, almost a third of winners had a Jacuzzi installed in their home, and their favorite vacation destination was the United States, where they usually stayed in a five-star hotel.

The revelations come in an analysis of the spending and investments of the 3,000 lucky winners of ?1 million ($1.6 million) or more since Britain?s National Lottery launched in 1994.

---

The study, released Monday, was commissioned by Camelot, the company that operates the National Lottery and analyzed by the U.K. financial consultancy Oxford Economics.

'A ripple effect'
It paints a picture of generosity cascading down the family tree. The 3,000 winners have made a further 3,780 millionaires among children, other relatives and friends.

?"The effect of a win spreads much further and wider than we anticipated ... each win creates a ripple effect across this generation and very often the next," said Andy Logan of Oxford Economics.

The average win has been calculated to be ?2.8 million ($4.48 million). If paid out in ?10 bills and laid end-to-end, the sum would stretch 25 miles.

At a time when Britain?s finances are suffering from a downturn, the findings suggest a welcome infusion of cash into the country's economy. Winners spent 98 percent of their winnings in Britain, contributing almost ?750 million ($1.2 billion)? to the economy and generating over ?500 million ($800 million) in tax receipts.

Between them, the 3,000 winners have bought 7,958 homes, 17,190 new cars and 300 mobile homes in which to spend their leisure time.

Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com

But many millionaires have not opted for the easy life.

The study identified 900 British businesses that have been started or supported by winners, employing more than 3,000 people. Almost one-third have taken up unpaid voluntary work as a way of passing the time.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/22/14616656-uk-lottery-winners-reveal-preferences-audis-jacuzzis-and-vacations-in-us?lite

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Depleted Steelers beat Bengals 24-17

CINCINNATI (AP) ? The top two running backs were gone. So were two offensive linemen. Safety Troy Polamalu was sitting on the bench along with all those other injured Steelers.

So, what exactly did Pittsburgh have left? A determined defense. Some reserve running backs. And Ben Roethlisberger.

That's enough, especially in Cincinnati.

Roethlisberger threw for a touchdown, and Pittsburgh's defense clamped down on the Bengals' Dalton-to-Green connection for a 24-17 victory Sunday night that got the Steelers back into the thick of the AFC North race.

For the Steelers (3-3), it was a significant win under tough conditions. Their first road victory of the season moved them into second place behind Baltimore (5-2), which lost to Houston 43-13 earlier Sunday.

"It puts us right there in the hunt," safety Ryan Clark said.

A lot of players got them there on a tough night.

Third-year running back Jonathan Dwyer made his first career start and ran for a career-high 122 yards, including a 32-yard gain in the final minute that put it away. Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 42, 47 and 42 yards. And the defense came up with a game-turning interception.

"It was a back-against-the-wall mentality and you've got to fight your way out," said cornerback Ike Taylor, who helped limit Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green to one catch.

Cincinnati (3-4) wasted yet another chance to show it deserved to be considered up there with the division's two most successful teams. The Bengals fell to 0-6 against the Steelers and Ravens over the last two seasons, a sign they are still an also-ran in their division.

They have lost three straight, falling into third place in the division.

"It's going to be tough to sleep," Bengals cornerback Leon Hall said. "At the end of the day, we've lost three in a row and we're in a tough spot."

This was their best chance yet to break through, especially after the Steelers dropped passes, fumbled and threw an end zone interception in a self-destructive first half. They couldn't take full advantage against the team that always seems to win on their home field.

The Steelers improved to 12-2 at Paul Brown Stadium, where thousands of towel-waving fans make them feel at home. They have won their last five overall against their Ohio River rival and 10 of the last 12.

And once again, the Bengals could blame themselves.

Andy Dalton's slip-out-of-the-hand interception set up Roethlisberger's 9-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller and a tying 2-point conversion to the tight end with 24 seconds left in the half. Chris Rainey's 11-yard touchdown run put the Steelers ahead early in the fourth quarter, and the injury fill-ins finished them off.

"I'm proud of the way those young guys stepped up," said Roethlisberger, who was 27 of 37 for 278 yards. "There never was a doubt they would do that."

The Bengals got the better of it at the outset, pulling ahead 14-3 by getting their running game moving behind BenJarvus Green-Ellis and turning a fumble by Roethlisberger into a touchdown. If they were going to end that streak of futility against the Steelers, this was their chance.

Dalton's only glaring mistake made the difference.

He saw a defender waiting to make an interception and tried to stop his throwing motion. The ball slipped out of his hand, hit the helmet of Bengals lineman Kevin Zeitler and deflected to linebacker LaMarr Woodley at the Cincinnati 29-yard line with 1:23 left in the half. That set up Roethlisberger's tying TD pass and conversion.

"You can't have a thing like that happen," Dalton said. "We had a chance to go down and score points or at least keep it where it was. What you can't let happen is not just let the ball slip out of your hands, but let them get an interception and get points."

Dalton was 14 of 28 for only 105 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He threw six passes toward Green but completed only one, an 8-yard touchdown after Roethlisberger's fumble.

The Steelers' 31st-ranked running game was missing Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman, as well as center Maurkice Pouncey and right tackle Marcus Gilbert. Rookie Mike Adams made his first start in Gilbert's spot.

Plus, Polamalu was inactive for the fourth time in the last five games with a calf injury.

That put a lot on Roethlisberger, who usually does well in his home state ? 15-2 all-time in Cleveland and Cincinnati ? but has rarely been so short-handed.

Didn't matter.

"On the road, which is big for us, in this hostile environment ? I can't say enough about it," Roethlisberger said.

Notes: Steelers rookie NT Alameda Ta'amu served the first of his two-game suspension for his arrest last weekend. ... Bengals rookie CB Dre Kirkpatrick was inactive for the seventh game. He hurt his left knee over the summer and hasn't played. He's expected to be ready after the Bengals' upcoming bye week. ... Bengals C Jeff Faine injured a hamstring, forcing rookie Trevor Robinson to take over in the second half. ... The Steelers wasted a chance to score off a trick play in the first half. Roethlisberger threw a lateral to Antonio Brown, who threw a pass to uncovered running back Baron Batch. The ball went through his arms. Roethlisberger then threw an end zone interception.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/depleted-steelers-beat-bengals-24-17-033636983--spt.html

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Leeds council meeting becomes heated before voting to name sports complex after mayor's family

LEEDS, Alabama ---- Tonight's meeting of the Leeds City Council became heated during discussion about naming the city's new ballpark complex.

The council voted to name the complex off Alabama 119 after Mayor Eric Patterson and his family.

Councilman Johnny Kile left the meeting after angry exchanges with Councilwomen Susan Carswell and Charlotte Earnest.

Kile said no one on the council discussed the issue of naming the complex with him before the meeting. The resolution to name the complex, proposed by Carswell, was added to the agenda at the start of the meeting.

After Kile left the meeting and after some more discussion, the council voted to name the complex Patterson Park.

The council voted to name fields at the complex after Charles Banks, George Barber, Jones-Walker law firm and Lehigh Cement, and one field after Harry Walker and Eddie Martin.

Carswell said the Patterson family, Barber, the Jones-Walker firm and Lehigh Cement were important contributors to building the complex, which opened this year.

Some in the audience of about 40 people jeered when Carswell proposed naming the complex Patterson Park.

Patterson said he did not ask that the complex be named for him.

"I'm honored they named if after me," Patterson said. "But they also know how much work I put into it."

Patterson said the council authorized $1.5 million to build the complex and he sought support from the private sector to complete the project. He said Lehigh Cement delivered $70,000 to $80,000 in free concrete, Barber donated landscaping and Jones-Walker donated close to $10,000.

Patterson said many businesses in the community did not respond to letters he wrote asking for support for the complex. He said he thought the project was controversial because Leeds had other needs.

"It became controversial because people felt like it took money from other stuff," Patterson said. "But it didn't."

Patterson said the city had not had new baseball fields in 40 years.

Carswell and Councilman Ross Bartee said it was important for Leeds to have ballfields so families would not have to take their children to other cities.

"When my kids started playing sports, most of the families were going to Moody," Bartee said.

Carswell said she had heard much positive feedback from those who have used the park or watched games there.

"This park has definitely made a very positive impact on our city," Carswell said.

Kile noted that the bulk of the money to build the complex came from taxpayers.

"They ought to name it Citizens Park," he said.

Kile said he opposed naming the complex with a new council and mayor to be sworn in Nov. 5. Kile, Patterson, Carswell, Earnest and Bartee are all leaving office.

"Don't you think it's kinda funny they waited till the last council meeting?" he asked. "Don't you think all council members should have known it?"

Kile criticized some features of the ballpark. The electronic scoreboards are not yet working, even though the park opened this spring.

Earnest apologized to the audience after Kile left the meeting. On his way out, Kile said, "You don't have to apologize for me. I meant every damn bit of it."

Source: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/10/leeds_council_meeting_becomes.html

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World of Sighs (Private RP)

It had been four days. They had come to the settlement, looked over some of the people and gave out the one dose to one of the sick. There weren?t many here suffering from any signs of the sickness yet but where one had it others were sure to follow.

That was how it worked twenty years ago. The adults started getting sick. One in a small town, fifteen in a nearby city, until finally they were dying everywhere. Started simple, cold but with very achy joints. The joints started to swell, turn red. Then as it infected other areas the victim became disoriented, lost vision and in some case became violent. For some the pain was excruciating, nothing took it away or lessened it. Doctor?s in an effort to stave it off until they could find a vaccine, were dosing patients with everything they had. Nothing helped.

The adults started dying. Adults. Not the kids. Everyone was puzzled. Sure some kids died of it but it seemed to be quiet and painless for them. Others never showed any symptoms. Wasn?t long before areas were left devoid of people over 20.

It was happening again. Pockets of the sickness were popping up and people were getting anxious. The older population knew what was coming, they were the first generation to grow up after....they remembered. They were kids who fought to stay alive and now they were facing the same potential fate their parents had.

Four days ago though they had come through. Six people traveling together who said they had found a vaccine. The only problem, they were just doing tests. Only one dose per area with sick people. They came in to Valour Spring and were looking for one person showing symptoms that they could give the vaccine to. They would come back and see if it worked and maybe after that they?d come with more. Maybe.

Lilly wasn?t willing to take the chance on maybe. Two days before they showed up her right knee was swollen. She knew. She had watched her mother and aunt suffer with it when she was only thirteen. She didn?t need to be told what was wrong with her.

Standing there she debated offering to be the guinea pig. It was one thing if you were chosen but another all together if people found out you had it and you had no chance of being fixed. A vaccine offered hope to everyone else. Five people with symptoms stepped forward. One got the shot. Two of the others were run out of Valour Spring within the hour, one was found dead the next day, not of natural causes and the last vanished.

Her lips were dry as she watched the dose being given. ?Has to be a way....not fair...? It was all Lilly could do to stop herself from pushing the person out of the way and taking the shot for herself. The fear of the pain and suffering was almost too much to handle. She?d managed to take one of the workers aside and happened to get out of them that they were from Bright Bay, about a weeks trip from here. That there was a lab set up there and they had way more vaccine ready, they just needed to know it worked. She also found out that small areas were the last places they were going to send it. Took too long to get it there and no one really cared if these smaller communities died out. The goal was to get people to come to them, needing the vaccine and in return they?d all help rebuild. Her stomach was sick at the thought of so many small areas going without while they sat there hoarding what they made. It was worse when she thought about the pain she?d have to go through before she died and all because she couldn?t get to Bright Bay.

No vehicle, no gas, no way to get there in a week. The group had managed to get a cart and horse. She had no hope of getting either, let alone both.

Four days were already wasted as she fumed about the problem. It wasn?t till he walked by that it struck her that help might be possible. Lilly fiddled with her necklace as she watched him. She heard rumours that he built things and one of those things was a vehicle. Lilly just needed a way to convince him to help, a reason that he should help her.

She followed him when he headed back to where he lived, eager to see if the rumours were true and maybe talk to him.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/W9-ea6aRyHg/viewtopic.php

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Singer Andy Williams remembered at Mo. tribute

From left, Jay Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Jimmy Osmond sing at Andy Williams' memorial service at the Moon River Theater, in Branson, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

From left, Jay Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Jimmy Osmond sing at Andy Williams' memorial service at the Moon River Theater, in Branson, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

Patrons of Andy Williams' memorial service walk to the Moon River Theater, in Branson, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

From left, Steve Gatlin, Larry Gatlin and Rudy Gatlin of Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers sing at Andy Williams' memorial service at the Moon River Theater, in Branson, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

Patrons of Andy Williams' memorial service watch friends and family of Williams speak at the Moon River Theater, in Branson, Mo.,Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

Don Williams, brother of Andy Williams, shares words with JoDee Herschend after his brother's memorial service, at the Moon River Grill, in Branson, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. Williams, known for singing "Moon River" and his Christmas television specials, passed away Sept. 25. (AP Photo/Grant Hindsley)

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) ? Entertainer Andy Williams was remembered Sunday for a smooth voice that could soothe the soul, an inviting smile and a warmth that became synonymous with Christmas as celebrities and fans alike gathered for a memorial tribute at his Moon River Theatre in the southwest Missouri town he adopted as his home.

Williams, who died last month at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer, was serenaded in absentia by a series of musical artists who got their start with him decades ago or had performed with him over the years ? the Lennon Sisters, Osmond Brothers and Gatlin Brothers, among them. Entertainer Bob Newhart choked up with emotion as he joked of his friendship with Williams.

Others sent tributes by video, including comedian Bill Cosby and Ethel Kennedy, who recalled swooning as she once danced with Williams ? a family friend who sang at the memorial for her husband, Robert Kennedy, after his assassination in 1968.

Williams himself also appeared on the video screen as clips recalling his musical albums, TV variety show and Christmas specials were played.

More than 1,000 people attended the tribute hosted by entertainer Peter Marshall that started as an invitation-only event, but was opened to fans as word spread through Branson.

Williams had three platinum and 18 gold records, and five Grammy award nominations during a career that began at age 8 ? when he performed with his older brothers Dick, Bob and Don ? and continued nearly until his death as he performed at his Branson theater named for his signature song, "Moon River."

"For his fans, his music is the tapestry of our lives ? it can soothe life's difficult moments, help to celebrate the glorious ones," said Anthony Gigliotti, who spoke at the memorial service as a representative of Williams' fan club.

Williams became a big star in 1956, the same year as Elvis Presley, with the swing song "Canadian Sunset." He hosted "The Andy Williams Show" through the 1960s into 1971, and the show won three Emmys. His annual Christmas specials, featuring Williams dressed in colorful sweaters singing favorites such as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," continued long after his TV show ended and were renewed with live performances after Williams opened his Branson theater in 1992.

"Christmas is never going to be the same to me," Newhart said Sunday, his voice breaking up with emotion.

A cross section of people who knew Williams was seated out of the spotlight in the theater that he built. Some knew him in passing from his friendly smile and wave that graced Branson, and others in a more personal way, including the man who regularly golfed with Williams or the woman who once lived next door to him.

Former neighbor Jude Rhodes recalled Williams holding her sick dog and singing to her for a birthday.

"I could go on for days and days what a wonderful man he was ? a sweet lovely man," Rhodes said.

Williams was passionate not only about singing and entertaining, but about art, architecture, golf and virtually everything he did, his family and friends said.

His older brother Dick drew a standing ovation after singing at the service. Then the 2?-hour memorial tribute closed with a video of Williams singing "May Each Day" ? a tune he often used to close his own shows.

"May each day in the year be a good day. May each day find you happy and gay. And may all of your days be as lovely as the one you shared with me today," Williams sang. "May each day of your life be a good day, and good night."

Then the theater lights went dark. And an audience applauded one final time for Williams.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-21-Andy%20Williams-Memorial/id-53e0c921efbc4df7a431e52947d4ffd8

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Thomas Cook India appoints Abraham Alapatt as head, marketing

Alapatt was at Future Generali India as part of its original start up team.

Thomas Cook India, an integrated travel and travel-related financial services company, has announced the appointment of Abraham Alapatt as head, marketing. Alapatt joined the company last week. His mandate is to lead the group's brand building efforts and support and grow individual lines of business in line with existing and emerging opportunities.

Earlier, Alapatt was at Future Generali India (which has both life and general insurance businesses) as part of its original start up team.

Alapatt has a post graduation qualification in business administration (PGDBA) from the School of Communication and Management Studies. He joined Goldwire Communications as client services manager in 1995. There, he worked for clients such as MRF Tyres, Konica and TTK Pharma, among others. After three years, he was promoted as chief executive officer of the company.

Two years later, in 2000, he shifted to Ogilvy & Mather Advertising as client services director and practice group partner, Ogilvy Business Network. He worked for brands such as Hutch (now Vodafone) Sify, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, ITC, Nippo Batteries, Florsheim shoes, FFE Minerals, Viveks and Naidu Hall.

Later, he joined Reliance Capital as head, marketing communication, Reliance Mutual Fund in 2005. At Reliance, his responsibilities included looking after advertising, public relations, sales support, marketing support, market research and media relations.

In 2008, Alapatt joined Development Credit Bank as vice-president, marketing and communication with similar responsibilities. However, after a short stint of eight months, he moved on to join Future Generali India as senior vice-president and head, brand and corporate communication, customer service, rewards and recognition.

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South Korean activists float leaflets into NKorea

Police officers block an activist in a car carrying anti-North Korea leaflets in Paju near the demilitarized zone, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. South Korea banned the activists Monday from entering a border area where they planned to launch anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea, an unusual move that the activists likened to surrender. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers block an activist in a car carrying anti-North Korea leaflets in Paju near the demilitarized zone, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. South Korea banned the activists Monday from entering a border area where they planned to launch anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea, an unusual move that the activists likened to surrender. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

North Korean defector Park Sang-hak hurls anti-North Korea leaflets as police block his planned rally on a road in Paju near demilitarized zone, South Korea Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. South Korea has banned activists from launching propaganda leaflets to North Korea after North Korea threatened to attack.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Glyn Davies, U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea speaks to journalists at a hotel in Beijing, China, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. Davies arrived in Beijing to discuss security issues with the Chinese counterpart. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

North Korean defectors shout slogans as police officers block their planned rally on a road in Paju near demilitarized zone, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. South Korea has banned activists from launching propaganda leaflets to North Korea after North Korea threatened to attack.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Police officers block a truck containing anti-North Korea leaflets on a road in Paju near demilitarized zone, South Korea, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. South Korea has banned activists from launching propaganda leaflets to North Korea after North Korea threatened to attack.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korean activists floated balloons carrying tens of thousands of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea, eluding police who had disrupted an earlier launch attempt due to threats from North Korea.

North Korea's military warned last week that it would strike if the South Korean activists carried through with their plan, and South Korea pledged to retaliate if it was attacked.

South Korean police, citing security concerns, had sent hundreds of officers Monday to seal off roads and prevent the activists and other people from gathering at an announced launch site near the border. Residents in the area were also asked to evacuate to underground facilities, according to local official Kim Jin-a.

Later in the day, some of the activists, mostly North Korean defectors, moved to another site near the border that was not guarded by police and launched the balloons. They had described the police response as a surrender.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said there were no suspicious activities from North Korea's military.

Before acting Monday, the South Korean government had implored activists to stop their campaign but had cited freedom of speech in not making further attempts to intervene. South Korean activists have sent leaflets across the border in the past, and North Korea has issued similar threats to attack without following through.

Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported Monday that the ban on entering the border area was imposed as South Korea detected that North Korea had uncovered artillery muzzle covers and deployed troops to artillery positions in possible preparation for an attack. Yonhap cited no source for the information.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters North Korea was believed to have acted in line with carrying out its threat. He declined to elaborate on the North's army movement as that was confidential military information.

He said South Korea had bolstered its military readiness following the North's threat and would "strongly" retaliate if attacked.

The activists said they floated balloons carrying about 120,000 leaflets critical of North Korea's young leader Kim Jong Un and his country's alleged human rights abuses. They said they wanted to let North Korean people know the true nature of their country.

"We could not delay our plans to send anti-North Korea leaflets because it is our love toward our northern brothers," the activists wrote in a statement posted on the website of Seoul-based Free North Korea Radio, one of civic organizations involved in the leafleting.

Lead activist Park Sang-hak had said the ban on entering the border area was tantamount to yielding to Pyongyang's threat.

"It's surrender. It's clearly surrender," he said.

The top U.S. envoy on North Korea urged Pyongyang to stop issuing destabilizing threats.

"It is grossly disproportionate to have threatened to respond to balloons with bombs," Glyn Davies told reporters in Beijing after meeting with Chinese officials.

China, the North's main ally and biggest aid source, welcomed South Korean efforts to quash the balloon-flying and urged all parties to exercise restraint.

"As a close neighbor to the peninsula, China supports dialogue and discussions between North Korea and South Korea in resolving relevant issues, opposes any action which may heighten tension, and firmly opposes military conflicts on the peninsula," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing. "We hope the parties involved will stay calm and restrained."

Ties between the rival Koreas were badly strained after two deadly attacks blamed on North Korea killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.

The Korean Peninsula officially remains at war because an armed conflict in the 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The latest flare-up in tensions comes as almost all the regional players are consumed with domestic politics. Elections are being held or are expected soon in South Korea, the United States and Japan, while China's Communist Party is in the midst of transferring power to a younger generation of leaders.

__

Associated Press researcher Zhao Liang contributed to this report from Beijing.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-22-Koreas-Tension/id-c25281e0afc541278f2abd83e65fe033

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Rice agriculture accelerates global warming: More greenhouse gas per grain of rice

ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2012) ? More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and rising temperatures cause rice agriculture to release more of the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH₄) for each kilogram of rice it produces, new research published in this week's online edition of Nature Climate Change reveals.

"Our results show that rice agriculture becomes less climate friendly as our atmosphere continues to change. This is important, because rice paddies are one of the largest human sources of methane, and rice is the world's second-most produced staple crop," said Dr Kees Jan van Groenigen, Research Fellow at the Botany Department at the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, and lead author of the study.

Van Groenigen, along with colleagues from Northern Arizona University and the University of California in Davis, gathered all published research to date from 63 different experiments on rice paddies, mostly from Asia and North America. The common theme in the experiments was that they measured how rising temperatures and extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect rice yields and the amount of methane that is released by rice paddies.

The research team used a technique called meta-analysis, a statistical tool for finding general patterns in a large body of experimental data. "Two strong patterns emerged when we analysed all the data: first, more CO₂ boosted emissions of methane from rice paddies, and second, higher temperatures caused a decline in rice yields," explained Professor Bruce Hungate of Northern Arizona University and co-author of the study.

Methane in rice paddies is produced by microscopic organisms that respire CO₂, like humans respire oxygen. More CO₂ in the atmosphere makes rice plants grow faster, and the extra plant growth supplies soil microorganisms with extra energy, pumping up their metabolism. Increasing CO₂ levels will also boost rice yields, but to a smaller extent then CH₄ emissions. As a result, the amount of CH₄ emitted per kilogram of rice yield will increase. Rising temperatures were found to have only small effects on CH₄ emissions, but because they decrease rice yield, they also increase the amount of CH₄ emitted per kilogram of rice. "Together, higher CO₂ concentrations and warmer temperatures predicted for the end of this century will about double the amount of CH₄ emitted per kilogram of rice produced.," explained Professor Chris van Kessel of the University of California in Davis and co-author of the study.

"Because global demand for rice will increase further with a growing world population, our results suggest that without additional measures, the total CH₄ emissions from rice agriculture will strongly increase..."

However, the authors point out that there are several options available to reduce CH₄ emissions from rice agriculture. For instance, management practices such as mid-season drainage and using alternative fertilizers have been shown to reduce CH₄ emissions from rice paddies. Moreover, by switching to more heat tolerant rice cultivars and by adjusting sowing dates, yield declines due to temperature increases can largely be prevented, thereby reducing the effect of warming on CH₄ emissions per yield. "These findings, together with our own results really stress the need for mitigation and adaptation measures to secure global food supply while at the same time keeping greenhouse gas emissions in check." van Groenigen concluded.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Trinity College Dublin, via AlphaGalileo.

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. Kees Jan van Groenigen, Chris van Kessel, Bruce A. Hungate. Increased greenhouse-gas intensity of rice production under future atmospheric conditions. Nature Climate Change, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1712

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/9rvtJaY7M8g/121021154455.htm

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Lindsay Lohan Considering Restraining Order Against Her Own Dad!

Lindsay Lohan Considering Restraining Order Against Her Own Dad!

Lindsay Lohan is reportedly seeking a restraining order against her father. The “Liz & Dick” star, whose father Michael Lohan staged an extremely unsuccessful intervention [...]

Lindsay Lohan Considering Restraining Order Against Her Own Dad! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2012/10/lindsay-lohan-considering-restraining-order-against-her-own-dad/

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