Luck, No. 4 Stanford beat No. 22 ND, 28-14

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (12) smiles during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (12) smiles during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo catches a touchdown pass in front of Notre Dame cornerback Gary Gray (4) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo (11) catches a touchdown pass in front of Notre Dame cornerback Gary Gray (4) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees (11) runs to the 3-yard line as he is chased by Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas (44) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (12) passes to wide receiver Ty Montgomery (88) in the first quarter against Notre Dame in an NCAA college football game in Stanford, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) ? Andrew Luck walked back into the overcrowded home locker room at Stanford Stadium, greeted by hugs and handshakes and serenaded with a chant that suited him just perfectly.

"Macho, Macho man!" teammates bellowed, singing the lyrics to the Village People's famous song. "I want to be a Macho man!"

Only one has earned that title on The Farm.

Luck set the school record for the most career touchdown passes and eclipsed his own single-season mark, throwing for 233 yards and four scores to lead fourth-ranked Stanford past No. 22 Notre Dame 28-14 in his home finale Saturday night.

Luck topped John Elway's record of 77 touchdown passes and helped the Cardinal (11-1) build a 21-0 halftime lead. He has thrown for 80 touchdowns in three years ? while it took Elway all four ? and 35 this season.

"There's no player in America like Andrew Luck," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "Forget about the stats. Forget about the comparisons of other guys. It doesn't matter."

Luck of the Irish? Forget it.

Luck is on Stanford's side.

The victory likely vaulted the Cardinal into consideration for an at-large BCS bowl bid for the second straight year ? with the Fiesta Bowl among the leading possible destinations ? but they will not play for a major championship this season. The lone loss to Oregon put the Ducks in the Pac-12 title game out of the North Division and crushed Stanford's dreams of a national title.

"I think one loss, that's great," said Luck, who turned down a chance to be the NFL draft's top pick this year. "We've been on a 23-2 run for a while, I think it's pretty impressive. We put ourselves in position to be in a good bowl game, and that's what we wanted to do."

Notre Dame's stumbled at the finish line again.

Tommy Rees threw an interception, lost a fumble and took a bruising blow to the ribs for Notre Dame (8-4) before getting benched. Andrew Hendrix threw for 192 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in a second-half rally for the Fighting Irish that came up short.

Keeping Stanford close gave the Irish little satisfaction.

"We didn't come here for second prize," said Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, who would not name a starting quarterback for the bowl game. "We got off to a slow start and battled against it. To me, the scoreboard showed 28-14 and that's not good enough. The slow start put us in a tough position."

Stanford coach David Shaw shined the spotlight on his program and his quarterback's Heisman Trophy campaign with a calculated rip of the "flawed" BCS system this week. The Cardinal's play matched his words for 30 minutes.

A sloppy second half almost took everything else Stanford had worked for this season.

Kelly benched Rees in favor of Hendrix to start the third quarter, and the move pumped some life into a stagnant Irish offense. Notre Dame took advantage of pass interference and roughing the passer penalties for its first score.

Hendrix threw a 6-yard TD to Michael Floyd to slice Stanford's lead to 21-7 halfway through the third quarter. Floyd finished with 95 catches on the year, breaking the single-season mark of 93 set by Golden Tate in 2009.

The Irish were driving for another score when Hendrix overthrew a receiver, the ball was tipped and intercepted by Michael Thomas. When Notre Dame regained possession, Hendrix was sacked by A.J. Tarpley for a 13-yard loss that sent another drive tumbling.

"Consistency is the one thing I have struggled with the most," said Hendrix, who completed 11 of 24 passes.

Only room for one quarterback to steal the show.

Luck quickly connected with Coby Fleener for a 55-yard TD pass to extend Stanford's lead to 28-7 with 5:40 remaining to put the game out of reach. Fleener also caught a 28-yard TD in the first half that gave Luck every major school touchdown record.

Stanford's Senior Day belonged to the redshirt junior.

Luck lobbed a fade to the short corner of the end zone to complete a 3-yard score to Levine Toilolo, giving Stanford a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Even he had to hold back a smile running to the sideline to a swarm of well-wishes from teammates for the records-tying toss.

But Luck lost his rhythm when a back-side blitzer closed the pocket, and he tossed a short pass that Darius Fleming intercepted and returned 35 yards. Notre Dame took over at the Stanford 10 after a 15-yard penalty on Fleener for a horse collar.

Stanford stifled the Irish on consecutive plays and forced a 20-yard field goal that David Ruffer missed wide right.

Luck followed with a 28-yard TD pass to Fleener. The tight end dragged cornerback Robert Blanton the final 10 yards into the end zone, sealing Luck's marks in the school record book.

"I think it's something I'll be able to tell my kids and grandkids when I'm watching Andrew on TV someday," Fleener said. "He's got my Heisman vote."

___

Follow Antonio Gonzalez at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-27-FBC-T25-Notre-Dame-Stanford/id-32a3bcbac1784aef9342d7c254a8ff44

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Divergent views signal tough climate talks ahead (AP)

DURBAN, South Africa ? With heat-trapping carbon at record levels in the atmosphere, U.N. climate negotiations opened Monday with pressure building to salvage the only treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S., Europe and the developing countries laid out diverging positions at the outset, signaling tough talks ahead even as South African President Jacob Zuma called for national interests to be laid aside "for a common good and benefit of all humanity."

As if to illustrate the effects of global warming, a fierce storm on the eve of the talks flooded shack settlements and killed at least five people in the port city hosting the international gathering. In a statement, municipal officials said the toll could go as high as 10, based on unconfirmed reports. The climate talks were not affected, though the roof of the sprawling center where the conference was being held was damaged.

Scientists say such unusual weather has become more frequent and will continue to happen more often as the Earth warms, although it is impossible to attribute any individual event to climate change.

The talks face a looming one-year deadline with the expiry next December of the commitment by 37 industrial countries to cut carbon emissions, as required under the Kyoto Protocol. At issue is whether those countries would accept another period of greater emission reductions.

As the talks opened, Canadian television reported that Ottawa will announce its formal withdraw from the Kyoto accord next month. Canada, joined by Japan and Russia, said last year it will not accept new commitments, but renouncing the accord would be another setback to the treaty concluded with much fanfare in 1997.

Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent said he would neither confirm or deny the report.

"This isn't the day. This is not the time to make an announcement," he said.

"Countries are running away from the Kyoto Protocol," said Artur Runge-Metzker, the chief negotiator for the European Union.

Canada's withdrawal would not immediately affect the Durban talks, he said. But doubts about the Kyoto deal were one reason the EU was conditioning its acceptance of new commitments on an agreement in Durban from China, India and other major emitting countries that they will adopt legally binding commitments by 2015.

Developing countries say Kyoto is the only instrument that binds wealthy countries to specific targets.

The protocol was "the cornerstone of the climate regime, and its second commitment period is the essential priority for the success of the Durban conference," Chinese delegate Su Wei told the inaugural session.

U.S. chief delegate Jonathan Pershing said the United States, which shunned Kyoto as unfair, would accept legally binding emissions limits in the future as long as all major emitters took on equal legal obligations.

But the U.S. wants to know exactly what such an agreement would contain before it agreed to the principle of a legal treaty ? which would require the endorsement of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate.

"Putting the form of the action before the substance doesn't make a great deal of sense," Pershing told reporters.

Opposition in Congress, which includes outspoken climate skeptics and a Republican majority generally considered climate-unfriendly, has prompted a widespread belief that U.S. negotiators are foot-dragging on emissions issues.

Christiana Figueres, the U.N.'s top climate official, said Kyoto's future is "the defining issue of this conference." She said an extension of Kyoto targets is linked to pledges that developing countries must make to join the fight against climate change.

The task is daunting, she said, then she quoted anti-apartheid legend and former President Nelson Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it is done."

In his address opening the conference, Zuma said global warming already is causing suffering and conflict in Africa, from drought in Sudan and Somalia to flooding in South Africa.

"For most people in the developing world and Africa, climate change is a matter of life and death," said the South African leader.

Zuma said Sudan's drought is partly responsible for tribal wars there, and that drought and famine have driven people from their homes in Somalia. Floods along the South African coast have cost people their homes and jobs, he said.

"Change and solutions are always possible. In these talks, state parties will need to look beyond their national interests to find a global solution for a common good and benefit of all humanity."

One of the greatest threats of global warming is to food supplies.

In its first global assessment of the planet's resources, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that farmers will have to produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to meet the needs of the world's expected 9 billion-strong population.

But most available farmland is already being farmed, and in ways that decrease productivity through practices that lead to soil erosion and wasting of water, the FAO said in a report released Monday in Rome.

Climate change compounded problems caused by poor farming practices, it found. Adjusting to a changing world will require $1 trillion in irrigation water management alone for developing countries by 2015, the FAO said.

___

Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_bi_ge/af_climate_conference

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Defense responds, No. 12 Sooners top Cyclones 26-6

Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) looks on as Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) looks on as Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell is tackled from behind by Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones (12) passes under pressure from Iowa State's Jake Lattimer (48) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma running back Roy Finch (22) is tackled just short of the goal line by Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma tight end James Hanna (82) is stopped short of the goal line by Iowa State defensive back Jeremy Reeves (5) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) ? Landry Jones threw for 256 yards, Blake Bell punched in two short touchdown runs and No. 12 Oklahoma set up a Bedlam showdown for the Big 12 championship by beating Iowa State

Trey Franks finished with 88 yards rushing on two long reverses to set up scores for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), and Michael Hunnicutt matched his career-high with four field goals.

Rebounding after allowing a school-record 616 yards allowed last week in a 45-38 loss at Baylor, Oklahoma held Iowa State (6-5, 3-5) to a season-low 245 yards and only let the Cyclones score after James Winchester's snap sailed over the head of punter Tress Way in the first quarter.

Oklahoma will visit No. 4 Oklahoma State next week with the winner earning the Big 12 title.

The Cyclones didn't sustain a drive for longer than 35 yards and got their only points on Jared Barnett's 10-yard touchdown pass to Albert Gary one play after Oklahoma's botched punt. They got shut out the rest of the way, failing in their chance to pull off another monumental upset eight days after the biggest win in school history last week against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.

Iowa State hasn't beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks since 1974 and was trying to win for just the sixth time in 76 meetings with Oklahoma all time.

Each team turned it over four times in a game played in front of thousands of empty seats at sold-out Owen Field, with winds sustained at over 30 mph and gusting beyond 40 mph.

The Sooners were able to find enough offense to win it. Bell scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yarder, and Oklahoma settled for field goals on four other red zone possessions.

After being practically unstoppable in the scoring zone a week ago at Baylor, Bell ran into trouble early on against the Cyclones. He was stuffed on Oklahoma's first red zone possession, leading to Hunnicutt's 20-yard field goal, and then threw an interception to Jake Knott the next time.

But the Sooners kept going back to their third-string quarterback, who last week joined J.C. Watts and Jamelle Holieway as the only quarterbacks in the program's history with four rushing TDs in a game. He scored on a 3-yard keeper in the second quarterto give Oklahoma the lead to stay, then smashed his way into the end zone from a yard out on the next possession to make it 17-6.

Hunnicutt added field goals from 28 and 36 yards to push the halftime lead to 23-6, and he provided the only points of the second half on a 21-yarder. Franks set it up with a 45-yard reverse, getting tackled at the 1-yard line before the Sooners' goal line offense got stuffed.

Jones failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second straight game and had two interceptions.

Barnett finished with 125 yards on 13-for-28 passing with one interception, losing for the first time in four career starts. He also fumbled a first-quarter handoff to James White, after White had already fumbled on his first carry of the game.

The Cyclones also turned it over when linebacker Jevohn Miller muffed a kickoff that was blown around by the wind, leading to Hunnicutt's third field goal of the opening half.

Iowa State had its lowest yardage output since being held to 183 in a 52-0 shutout at Oklahoma last season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-26-FBC-T25-Iowa-St-Oklahoma/id-71c2e58cd1df4106b0df4857399bcb1a

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Encampments Now Legal: But Only Outside Big Box Stores Where ...

Submitted by yankhadenuf on Sat, 2011-11-26 03:12.

This is just another blatant example of the two-tiered US justice system, profits trump people.

If the people are exercising their ?First Amendment rights, they are beaten,?pepper-sprayed, and arrested.

But if Box Store has a sale, retail?encampments can thrive unhibited?in blatant violation of a variety of ordinances & laws that

regulate businesses and customers' actions.

?

Occupiers could set-up encampments in front of every Box Store in America now, they are apparently zoned to be free of police brutality!

Source: http://warisacrime.org/content/encampments-now-legal-only-outside-big-box-stores-where-you-plan-buy-stuff

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Kim Zolciak Unveils Third Wedding Look - A Jumpsuit! (omg!)

Kim Kardashian wasn't the only reality star to rock three different looks at her wedding - Kim Zolciak also opted for a bridal trifecta -- with a twist.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star, who wore a Baracci gown for her first look, followed by a mermaid gown adorned with Swarovski crystals and pearls, revealed her unique third wedding fashion to her Twitter followers on Friday - a lacey jumpsuit!

PLAY IT NOW: Dish Of Salt: Does Kim Zolciak Like Either Of The Two New Atlanta ?Housewives??

"Love my 3rd wedding look!!" she Tweeted, along with a photo of herself wearing the halter-necked jumpsuit by famed designer Pnina Tornai. "A big thanks to Kleinfeld Bridal. They were so good 2 me!"

The "Don't Be Tardy For The Party" singer, 33, wed Atlanta Falcons player Kroy Biermann on November 11, following their engagement announcement in October.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: I Do! Celebrities Who Got Married On TV

The couple welcomed their first child together, Kroy Jagger, back in May.

In addition to peeks at her wedding day fashion, fans of the Bravo star will soon be privy to an intimate view of Kim and Kroy's journey to the altar in a half-hour Bravo reality show, "Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding."

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Bravo?s ?Real Housewives?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_kim_zolciak_unveils_third_wedding_look_jumpsuit185740255/43720845/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/kim-zolciak-unveils-third-wedding-look-jumpsuit-185740255.html

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Diabetes drug shows promise in reducing risk of cancer

Thursday, November 24, 2011

An inexpensive drug that treats Type-2 diabetes has been shown to prevent a number of natural and man-made chemicals from stimulating the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a newly published study by a Michigan State University researcher.

The research, led by pediatrics professor James Trosko and colleagues from South Korea's Seoul National University, provides biological evidence for previously reported epidemiological surveys that long-term use of the drug metformin for Type-2 diabetes reduces the risk of diabetes-associated cancers, such as breast cancers.

The research appears in the current edition of PLoS One.

"People with Type-2 diabetes are known to be at high risk for several diabetes-associated cancers, such as breast, liver and pancreatic cancers," said Trosko, a professor in the College of Human Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and Human Development. "While metformin has been shown in population studies to reduce the risk of these cancers, there was no evidence of how it worked."

For the study, Trosko and colleagues focused on the concept that cancers originate from adult human stem cells and that there are many natural and man-made chemicals that enhance the growth of breast cancer cells.

Using culture dishes, they grew miniature human breast tumors, or mammospheres, that activated a certain stem cell gene (Oct4A). Then the mammospheres were exposed to natural estrogen ? a known growth factor and potential breast tumor promoter ? and man-made chemicals that are known to promote tumors or disrupt the endocrine system.

The team found that estrogen and the chemicals caused the mammospheres to increase in numbers and size. However, with metformin added, the numbers and size of the mammospheres were dramatically reduced. While each of the chemicals enhanced growth by different means, metformin seemed to be able to inhibit their stimulated growth in all cases.

"While future studies are needed to understand the exact mechanism by which metformin works to reduce the growth of breast cancers, this study reveals the need to determine if the drug might be used as a preventive drug and for individuals who have no indication of any existing cancers," he said.

"Though we still do not know the exact molecular mechanism by which it works, metformin seems to dramatically affect how estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemicals cause the pre-existing breast cancers to grow."

In addition, further research needs to be done with human cultures to see if metformin can reduce the risk of pancreatic and liver cancers in Type-2 diabetics as well, he said.

###

Michigan State University: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu

Thanks to Michigan State University for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115463/Diabetes_drug_shows_promise_in_reducing_risk_of_cancer

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Sarkozy, Merkel agree to stop sniping on ECB crisis (Reuters)

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) ? France and Germany agreed on Thursday to stop arguing in public over whether the European Central Bank should do more to rescue the euro zone from a deepening sovereign debt crisis.

President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel said after talks with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti that they trusted the independent central bank and would not touch its inflation-fighting mandate when they propose changes of the European Union's treaty to achieve closer fiscal union.

They also demonstrated their backing for Monti, an unelected technocrat, to surmount Italy's daunting economic challenges, in contrast to the barely concealed disdain they showed for his predecessor, media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi.

"We all stated our confidence in the ECB and its leaders and stated that in respect of the independence of this essential institution we must refrain from making positive or negative demands of it," Sarkozy told a joint news conference in the eastern French city of Strasbourg.

French ministers have called for the central bank to intervene massively to counter a market stampede out of euro zone government bonds, while Merkel and her ministers have said the EU treaty bars it from acting as a lender of last resort.

The Netherlands however moved closer to endorsing the ECB as lender of last resort, apparently breaking ranks with Germany.

Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said he would prefer that the European Financial Stability Facility, the euro zone bailout fund, should be strengthened. But if the EFSF did not succeed, other measures would have to be considered.

"In a crisis one should never exclude anything beforehand. In the end, something has to happen," he said.

Sarkozy said Paris and Berlin would circulate joint proposals before a December 9 EU summit for treaty amendments to entrench tougher budget discipline in the 17-nation euro area.

Merkel said the proposals for more intrusive powers to enforce EU budget rules, including the right to take delinquent governments to the European Court of Justice, were a first step toward deeper fiscal union.

But she said they would not modify the statute and mission of the central bank, nor soften her opposition to issuing joint euro zone bonds, except perhaps at the end of a long process of fiscal integration.

Some French and EU officials hoped Berlin would soften its resistance to a bigger crisis-fighting role for the ECB after Germany itself suffered a failed bond auction on Wednesday, showing how investors are wary even of Europe's safest haven.

"There is urgency (for ECB intervention)," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told France Inter radio before the meeting.

Sarkozy took a step toward Merkel this week by agreeing to amend the treaty to insert powers to override national budgets in euro area states that go off the rails. But there was no sign of a German concession on euro zone bonds or the ECB's role.

"This is not about give and take," Merkel said. Only when European countries reformed their economies and cut their deficits would borrowing costs converge. "To try to achieve this by compulsion would weaken us all."

With contagion spreading fast, a majority of 20 leading economists polled by Reuters predicted that the euro zone was unlikely to survive the crisis in its current form, with some envisaging a "core" group that would exclude Greece.

Analysts believe that sense of crisis will in the end force dramatic action. "I think we are moving closer to a policy response probably, which could be either more aggressive ECB action or the idea of euro bonds could gain some traction," said Rainer Guntermann, strategist at Commerzbank.

RESISTANCE

In signs of public resistance to austerity in two southern states under EU/IMF bailout programs, riot police clashed with workers at Greece's biggest power producer protesting against a new property tax, and Portuguese workers staged a 24-hour general strike.

Credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded Portugal's rating to junk status, saying a deepening recession made it "much more challenging" for the government to cut the budget deficit, highlighting a vicious circle facing Europe's debtors.

German bonds fell to their lowest level in nearly a month after Wednesday's auction, in which the German debt agency found no buyers for half of a 6 billion euro 10-year bond offering at a record low 2.0 percent interest rate.

The shortage of bids drove Germany's cost of borrowing over 10 years to 2.2 percent, above the 1.88 percent markets charge the United States and the 2.18 percent that heavily indebted Britain has to pay.

Bond investors are effectively on strike in the euro zone, interbank lending to euro area banks is freezing up, ever more banks are dependent on the ECB for funding, and depositors are withdrawing increasing amounts from southern European banks.

"It's quite telling that there has been upward pressure on yields in Germany - it might begin to change perceptions in Germany," Standard and Poor's head of sovereign ratings, David Beers, told an economic conference in Dublin.

In one possible response, people familiar with the matter said the ECB is looking at extending the term of loans it offers banks to two or even three years to try to prevent a credit crunch that chokes the bloc's economy.

Monti repeated Italy's goal of achieving a balanced budget by 2013 but said there was room for a broader discussion about how fiscal targets could be adjusted in a worse-than-expected recession.

Italian bond yields' jumped this month to levels above 7 percent widely seen as unbearable in the long term, despite stop-go intervention by the ECB to buy limited quantities, triggering Berlusconi's fall.

Keeping Italy solvent and able to borrow on capital markets is vital to the sustainability of the euro zone. Key Italian bond auctions early next week will test market confidence.

GERMAN EXPOSURE

German officials said the failed auction did not mean the government had refinancing problems and several analysts said Berlin just needed to offer a more attractive yield.

But it was a sign that, as the bloc's paymaster, Germany may face creeping pressure as the crisis deepens that may cause it to re-examine its refusal to embrace a broader solution.

Economy Minister Philipp Roesler of the Free Democratic junior coalition partner called for parliament to reject euro zone bonds "because we don't want German interest rates to rise dramatically."

But some market analysts are convinced joint debt issuance will eventually have to be part of a political solution to hold the euro zone together.

"Although it is not easy to see how the region will get to a fiscal union with Eurobonds, we believe that this is the path that will be chosen," JP Morgan economist David Mackie said in a research note.

With time running out for politicians to forge a crisis plan that is seen as credible by the markets, the European Commission presented a study on Wednesday of joint euro zone bonds as a medium-term way to stabilize debt markets alongside tougher fiscal rules for member states.

The borrowing costs of almost all euro zone states, even those previously seen as safe such as France, Austria and the Netherlands, have spiked in the last two weeks as panicky investors dumped paper no longer seen as risk-free.

(Reporting by Stephen Brown, Noah Barkin, Natalia Drozdiak, Veronica Ek, Eva Kuehnen, Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Giselda Vagnoni, Padraic Halpin; Writing by Paul Taylor, editing by Mike Peacock/Janet McBride/Giles Elgood)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/bs_nm/us_eurozone

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In "The Artist," silence is golden (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Actor Jean Dujardin won this year's best actor award at the Cannes film festival for playing a man who hardly says a word, but not because his character couldn't speak. In fact, he says quite a lot.

Dujardin stars in "The Artist," a silent movie made more than 80 years after those films gave way to "talkies," and the movie has Hollywood buzzing with Oscar talk. Directed by Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, it tells of a silent film star (Dujardin) whose career is cut short by the advent of sound.

"People think silent movies are intellectual," Hazanavicius told Reuters about his old-is-new-again creation. "It's just the opposite. It's really sensual. Instead, talking movies use dialogue in an intellectual way to tell stories."

In "The Artist," Dujardin plays George Valentin, a pompous leading man in 1920's Hollywood. French actress Berenice Bejo plays Peppy Miller, an ingenue looking for a big break.

The pair meet and fall in love, but the advent of talkies brings divergent fortunes. Valentin's career implodes, while the singing and dancing Miller rockets to stardom.

"The Artist" is, at its heart, a rather simple tale of personal redemption and love, but making a silent movie in these modern days of action, special effects and 3D was anything but easy.

"Everybody tells you that it's not do-able because nobody wants to see a silent movie," he said. "The first person I had to convince was myself."

Giving Hazanavicius and his investors confidence was his enthusiasm for the project and his success with a pair of spy spoofs, "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" and "OSS 117: Lost in Rio." Those movies mimicked early James Bond such as 1962's "Dr. No," and starred Dujardin in the lead role.

SILENT CHALLENGES

Bringing back the silent form for modern audiences was itself the obvious challenge, Hazanavicius said, noting that what appears to be a simpler storytelling form is deceptively complicated for both the filmmaker and audience.

"It's a paradox, in a way. The actors are very far from reality. You can't hear them. They are black-and-white," he explained. "But you fill the gap, as an audience, with your imagination. You create the voice, you create the sound design, you create your own dialogue."

And casting, he said, was also critical, because he needed actors who were experts at expressing ideas, thoughts and emotions with their body movements and facial expressions.

Dujardin recalled that when he first read the script, he was impressed by the director's ambition, but he admitted he was initially nervous about some of the more dramatic scenes.

"Up until then, we'd made comedies where we had a lot of fun with characters and situations," he explained. "'The Artist' was full of emotion. I was touched by all it said about cinema, its history and actors.

"I had no lines to hold on to ... But I discovered that silent film was almost an advantage. You just have to think of the feeling for it to show," Dujardin said.

The coming of sound permanently altered the language of cinema, transforming an image-focused medium into one often driven by words. But Hazanavicius feels something more was compromised.

"We lost a universal language and something which was really specific to the medium: to tell a story with moving images," he said.

It's no coincidence that many of Hollywood's greatest directors got their start in silent films: John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Raoul Walsh and Howard Hawks, to name a few.

Still, the director readily concedes that comedic filmmakers like Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges made witty and sophisticated dialogue their trademark.

"If you look at a great director like Ernst Lubitsch, his talking comedies are much better than his silent comedies."

And yet, Hazanavicius said he discovered that making a silent film gave him a better understanding of his craft.

"Watching a silent, I get the same feeling I had when I was a child looking at the movies in theaters," he confides. "I wanted to share that experience with an audience today."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Chris Michaud)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/en_nm/us_theartist

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Teach Your Pretentious Friend How To Swirl Wine Using Science [Video]

Everyone has one of those annoying friends who thinks they know everything about wine. But here's some science you can wheel out next time they come over all condescending. More »

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US court won't block its Texas redistricting map (AP)

AUSTIN, Texas ? A federal court refused late Friday to block a congressional redistricting map it drew up for Texas, rejecting a request from the state's attorney general just hours after the Republican accused the court of "undermining the democratic process."

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott had asked the San Antonio-based court to stay the implementation of its interim map, which the court drafted when minority groups challenged the original plan passed by the Republican-dominated state Legislature.

The court-drawn map would ensure minorities made up the majority in three additional Texas congressional districts. If the 2012 elections were held under the court's map, Democrats would have an advantage as they try to win back the U.S. House.

Abbott said he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the court-ordered map will remain in place until the legal fights are resolved.

In a court filing earlier Friday, Abbott accused the court of overstepping its authority.

"A court's job is to apply the law, not to make policy," he wrote. "A federal court lacks constitutional authority to interfere with the expressed will of the state Legislature unless it is compelled to remedy a specific, identifiable violation of law."

The court drew the maps after minority groups filed a lawsuit, claiming a redistricting plan devised by the Republican lawmakers didn't reflect growth in the state's Hispanic and black populations.

Abbott argued in his court filing that the "legislatively enacted plans incorporate constituents' concerns about communities of interest and proper representation." Therefore, the court's departure from the map approved by the Legislature "not only undermines the democratic process, it ignores the voice of the citizenry."

Lawmakers redraw boundaries for the state's legislative districts every 10 years to reflect changes in census data. Texas' population boom in the last decade gave it four new U.S. House seats, which will be filled in the 2012 election.

Like other states with a history of racial discrimination, Texas can't implement those new maps or other changes to voting practices without federal approval under the Voting Rights Act. No federal approval, and looming deadlines for county election officials, made it necessary for the court to issue its own plans ? which could be implemented immediately.

Minorities currently are the majority in 10 of Texas' 32 congressional districts. The new court-drawn map would raise that to 13 out of 36 districts.

Republican lawmakers insist the maps drawn by the Legislature merely reflect the Republican majority in Texas. Experts say that under the legislatively approved map, three of the new seats would likely be won by Republicans.

When drawing the interim map, the court gave priority to ensuring minority voting strength was protected in the 2012 election.

In its own filing Friday, the NAACP cheered the court-drawn interim map as a "step forward for Texas." The group said it, "recognizes the growth of the minority population and takes significant steps toward remedying some of the startling lack of proportionality in the prior plans."

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

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Watch: Obama's Pardon Saves Turkeys (ABC News)

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Chiefs claim Orton off waivers; waive WR Colbert

In this Oct. 9, 2011, photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton walks off the field after the Broncos gave up the ball on downs to the San Diego Chargers during an NFL football game in Denver. The Broncos released the 29-year-old veteran quarterback Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, six weeks after benching him following a 1-4 start. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

In this Oct. 9, 2011, photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton walks off the field after the Broncos gave up the ball on downs to the San Diego Chargers during an NFL football game in Denver. The Broncos released the 29-year-old veteran quarterback Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, six weeks after benching him following a 1-4 start. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Kyle Orton has a new home in the AFC West.

Orton was claimed off waivers Wednesday by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in the market for a veteran quarterback after losing Matt Cassel to a season-ending injury to his throwing hand.

Orton was released by the Broncos on Tuesday, six weeks after he was benched following a 1-4 start. The former Chicago Bears starter, who passed for 3,000 yards each of his first two seasons in Denver, became expendable when the Broncos opted to go with Tim Tebow as their starter.

The Chiefs will be responsible for approximately $2.5 million remaining on Orton's nearly $8.9 million salary this season, but they had plenty of space under the salary cap to make the move.

Orton can become a free agent after this season.

"We have consistently communicated that we are always looking to create competition and depth within our team," Chiefs coach Todd Haley said late Wednesday. "We feel adding Kyle to our roster reinforces that goal and we look forward to having him as a member of the Chiefs."

Several other teams were interested in Orton, including the Bears, but the Chiefs were highest in the order of waiver priority and landed him. He's expected to report to the Chiefs on Thursday, though it's unlikely that he'll be up to speed in time for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh.

If that's the case, Tyler Palko will make his second consecutive start. He was 24 of 37 for 230 yards and three interceptions in his first NFL start, a 34-3 loss to New England on Monday night.

"He never had a look that disturbed me before, after, during the game," Haley said. "I know playing that position, there's no greater test, and getting thrown in to the fire on Monday night and, oh, by the way, six days later playing Pittsburgh, it doesn't get any harder."

Now it appears that Palko will have to fend off Orton to keep the starting job.

"Todd told me after practice that they claimed Kyle, and that's really it," Palko said. "He didn't tell me either way (about starting). Just full speed ahead for Pittsburgh.

"I've been the practice squad quarterback, I've been the No. 3, the No. 2, and the starter last week," Palko added. "I prepare the same way, with the same intensity, and that hasn't changed. I've never wavered or changed my mentality."

The Chiefs waived wide receiver Keary Colbert, who surprisingly earned a job out of training camp after spending three years away from the NFL, to make room on the roster for Orton. Colbert appeared in seven games this season, making nine catches for 89 yards.

Orton, a former Purdue star, was a fourth-round draft pick and appeared on the way to stardom when he assumed the Bears' starting job for 15 games as a rookie, winning 10 of them.

Often saddled with a reputation for being moody, Orton was demoted his second season in favor of veteran Brian Griese. He earned the starting job back late in 2007 and started 15 games for the Bears in 2008, passing for 2,972 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"He was a really good player," said Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, who played with Orton in Chicago. "He's a real good teammate."

His stock never higher, Orton was traded along with a package of draft picks to Denver for Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler. In a curious twist of fate, it was an injury to Cutler that sparked Chicago's interest in claiming its former starter off waivers.

Orton excelled his first two seasons in Denver in an offense run by Josh McDaniels, throwing for 7,455 yards and 41 touchdowns with 21 interceptions.

McDaniels was fired late last season, though, and while Orton remained the starter when John Fox took over, things got off to a bumpy start. Denver lost four of its first five games, and Fox turned to Tebow as the starter, effectively demoting Orton to the third string.

Orton's career numbers bear a striking resemblance to those of Cassel, who was hurt near the end of the Chiefs' 17-10 loss to Denver two weeks ago. Orton's completed about 58 percent of his passes while making 66 career starts, with 79 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.

Cassel has started 54 games, completing 59 percent of his throws with 76 TDs and 46 picks.

The Chiefs, who are in the midst of a three-game skid that has threatened to eliminate them from contention in the AFC West, will try to get Orton up to speed quickly.

After facing the Steelers on Sunday night, they visit Chicago and the New York Jets, before returning home to face the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay. A division game against Oakland follows before wrapping up the season at Denver, a game that suddenly has a few more story lines.

"Good for him. Congratulations to him. That will be fun to play him the last game of the year," Tebow said. "Obviously he knows (Denver's offense) pretty well, so he could probably give away a few things, but I think we'll be OK."

___

AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colo., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-23-Chiefs-Orton/id-df0bdd5a2dbf4ef6a197071c3723dfe0

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Fluid Dynamics in a Cup

Image: Anthony Bradshaw/Getty Images

At a recent math conference, Rouslan Krechetnikov watched his colleagues gingerly carry cups of coffee. Why, he wondered, did the coffee sometimes spill and sometimes not? A research project was born.

Although the problem of why coffee spills might seem trivial, it actually brings together a variety of fundamental scientific issues. These include fluid mechanics, the stability of fluid surfaces, interactions between fluids and structures, and the complex biology of walking, explains Krechetnikov, a fluid dynamicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

In experiments, he and a graduate student monitored high-speed video of the complex motions of coffee-filled cups people carried, investigating the effects of walking speed and variability among those individuals. Using a frame-by-frame analysis, the researchers found that after people reached their desired walking speed, motions of the cup consisted of large, regular oscillations caused by walking, as well as smaller, irregular and more frequent motions caused by fluctuations from stride to stride, and environmental factors such as uneven floors and distractions.

Coffee spilling depends in large part on the natural oscillation frequency of the beverage?that is, the rate at which it prefers to oscillate, much as every pendulum swings at a precise frequency given its length and the gravitational pull it experiences. When the frequency of the large, regular motions that a cuppa joe experiences is comparable to this natural oscillation frequency, a state of resonance develops: the oscillations reinforce one another, much as pushing on a playground swing at the right point makes it go higher and higher, and the chances of coffee sloshing its way over the edge rise. The small, irregular movements a cup sees can also amplify liquid motion and thus spilling. These findings were to be detailed at a November meeting of the American Physical Society in Baltimore.

Once the key relations between coffee motion and human behavior are understood, it might be possible to develop strategies to control spilling, ?such as using a flexible container to act as a sloshing absorber,? Krechetnikov says. A series of rings arranged up and down the inner wall of a container might also impede the liquid oscillations.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b8086e052937e7295c16c014596f8c16

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NASA's Massive Curiosity Rover Nears Launch toward Mars

News | Space

The rover formerly known as the Mars Science Laboratory should tackle some of the biggest questions about Mars?assuming it can survive an elaborate touchdown

By John Matson ?| November 24, 2011?|

STANDING TALL: NASA's giant Curiosity rover should reach the surface of Mars in August 2012. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Don't be fooled by the innocuous name?Curiosity,?NASA's new Mars rover, is a brute.

Curiosity, which is slated to launch Saturday morning on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, is the biggest planetary rover ever built. The six-wheel-drive robot is three meters long?longer than a Smart ForTwo mini car?and its headlike mast rises 2.1 meters above the ground. With a suite of 10 science instruments, Curiosity weighs in at nearly 900 kilograms, more than NASA's last three Mars rovers combined. [Read more about Mars exploration in this special report.]

To put its size in perspective, consider that Curiosity is scheduled to touch down in August 2012, just over 15 years after NASA's first Mars rover began exploring the Red Planet. That rover, Sojourner, stood about 30 centimeters high. Curiosity is designed to roll over obstacles twice that tall.

But brute force is not everything?it's what's inside that counts. "We have our generic bigger and better answer" for what is new about the $2.5-billion Curiosity, says John Grotzinger, a planetary geologist at the California Institute of Technology and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Grotzinger, the mission's project scientist, notes that the rover's technology is simply superior to that of its predecessors?the cameras have better resolution, for instance, and can take high-definition video.

And unlike its predecessors, Curiosity will not depend on sunlight to carry out its mission. Instead its power will come from a radioisotope thermoelectric generator?a 4.8-kilogram supply of radioactive plutonium 238 that decays to produce heat. Devices called thermocouples turn some of that heat into electricity, providing about 110 watts to the rover. (The heat also keeps the rover's systems warm enough to function.) Plutonium 238 has a half-life of more than 80 years, so Curiosity may be able to exceed its 23-month nominal mission lifetime by several years.

But the real key to Curiosity's capabilities are two instruments that can make definitive chemical analyses of what the Red Planet is made of. "This is a mobile chemistry laboratory," Grotzinger says. In fact, the Curiosity moniker came along only in 2009, when a Kansas sixth grader named Clara Ma won a naming contest. Prior to that, the mission was known more straightforwardly as the Mars Science Laboratory. The rover's chemical analyses should dig into what Mars was like billions of years ago, when it was wetter and could have featured niches conducive to life.

The two key geology instruments, an x-ray diffraction unit and a multipurpose sample-analysis system, will be fed by a robotic arm that can scoop up soil or drill into a rock to collect a powdered sample from the interior. The x-ray diffraction instrument will aim a beam of x-rays at samples to reveal their structure and composition, making possible definitive identifications of specific minerals. The sample-analysis instruments, on the other hand, can taste the composition of the surrounding atmosphere or heat solid samples to 1,000 degrees Celsius to release trace compounds within.

With its chemistry tools, Curiosity may help shed some light on all-important methane. Some research indicates that methane, a molecule that has mainly biological origins on Earth, is seeping from Mars in plumes that hint at ongoing geologic?or possibly even biological?activity there. If Curiosity encounters methane in the atmosphere, the rover can make isotopic analyses of the gas to help determine the methane's origin.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=0e86601a51e54ad4ac74763fef6ccb02

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AP source: BYU, Big East end negotiations (AP)

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that negotiations between the Big East and Brigham Young have broken off and the school will not be joining the conference.

The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the conference and school have not been making their talks public.

The Big East was trying to add BYU as part of its plan to expand westward and become a 12-team football league.

At issue are television rights. The person says BYU wanted to retain the rights to its home football games and the league could not agree to that.

No other school in major college football playing in a conference has such a deal.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_big_east_byu

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Meet the parents behind the best kid apps

Duck Duck Moose

By Wilson Rothman

First came the iPhone, then (for me) came parenthood. And then came the day that my kid discovered the iPhone and I was like, "Uh oh, there goes my phone."

But while I cringed at the idea of smartphones smeared with kid germs and fingerprints, I did like the way my daughter interacted with the touchscreen device: She wanted to push things, to see what would happen. It wasn't rocket science, but it wasn't staring at the TV either.

Duck Duck Moose

A screenshot from "Wheels on the Bus"

Enter Duck Duck Moose. I first discovered this boutique developer like most iPhone-owning parents with kids a certain age do: in the Apple App Store. The app was "Wheels on the Bus." Every screen represented a verse of the classic song, and every part of the famed bus was touchable. There was a playful goofiness ? cupcake-eating monkeys, escaped goldfish, and a giant pigeon who gazed out at you when the bus' doors swung open. Best of all, there was no sign of Elmo, Winnie the Pooh or Dora.

But wait a minute, not only was the song sung in English, but you could download it in French, Spanish, Italian, German, even gibberish! And you could choose different instrumentations, such as a piano trio, duet ? or kazoo. Yes, there was something more going on here than just some fly-by-night developers trying to make a buck at the cost of desperate parents. I mean, it was a 99-cent app!

So what was going on? The developers were parents. And they were just as desperate as I was to entertain the kids without making them stupid in the process.

Duck Duck Moose

A screenshot from "Old MacDonald"

These were the early days of iPhone apps, so it wasn't clear whether anything would follow "Wheels." But soon after, "Old MacDonald" turned up, complete with cow-abducting aliens and artistic pigs. I mentioned it in an article, and soon heard from Caroline Hu Flexer who, along with her husband Michael Flexer and her friend Nicci Gabriel, made up the entire workforce of the company. (It has since contracted with some developers, but essentially Duck Duck Moose remains a trio to this day.)

The Flexers had two daughters, a.k.a. "product managers," who tested every app through its stages. As the kids grew, so did the apps, with each new title addressing a slightly older demographic, piling grammar, math and logic atop the playful, musical discovery. Both Flexers worked in software for years before embarking on their educational app startup, but decided to trade in the cubicle life for a chance to work out of their lovely home in Palo Alto, Calif.

Duck Duck Moose

A screenshot from "Peek-a-Zoo"

Caroline keeps the projects on the rails, contributing to design and handling business matters and marketing. Michael, a software whiz with a track record of successful startups, deals with programming, animation and music. It is his cello that is heard throughout the apps, and it is in the family's basement where that musical magic happens.

Nicci ? the designer who creates all of the imaginative, puckish characters that populate the world of Duck Duck Moose ? added her own product manager to the team last spring, and lo and behold, there's a new toddler app.

Yes, "Wheels on the Bus" was the first of what has become a veritable empire of kids' apps. There are now 10 titles, nine which have made it to the iPad. The original app has finally made it to Android.

We recently dropped in on Duck Duck Moose, to find out more about the trio's creative process, their impact on kids, and what the future has in store:

Duck Duck Moose has plans to build apps that could teach children new skills like languages and music. The co-founders of the company explain their design philosophy and where they hope the company will go in the future.

More stories on kids and iPhones from TODAY.com:

More on Duck Duck Moose, LeapFrog the future of kids' play from msnbc.com's Future of Tech series:

Kids' play has moved to tablets and PCs. In this new age, toy makers and researchers alike are sorting out the benefits ? and detriments ? of playful educational interaction in virtual space.

Catch up with Wilson on Twitter at @wjrothman, or on Google+. And join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8966502-meet-the-parents-behind-the-best-kid-apps

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Just Show Me: 3 great holiday shopping apps for the iPhone (Yahoo! News)

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

These apps are perfect for when you're out and about and want to be sure that you're getting the best deal possible. The apps we cover in this episode include:

• ShopSavvy
• Amazon's iPhone app
• FastMall

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

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

This article originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

• The ultimate beginner's guide to the iPhone
• Unboxing Apple's new iPhone 4S
• Is the $99 iPhone 4 a good deal?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20111122/tc_yblog_technews/just-show-me-3-great-holiday-shopping-apps-for-the-iphone

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NYC police say arrest "lone wolf" in bomb plot (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? New York police arrested a 27-year-old man they called a "lone wolf" militant on charges of plotting to build bombs to kill American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jose Pimentel, who police say was a follower of late Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was arraigned Sunday night in state court on terrorism-related charges.

A U.S. citizen born in the Dominican Republic, Pimentel was arrested Saturday in a Manhattan apartment while assembling a bomb, police said.

"We had to act quickly because he was in fact putting this bomb together," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Pimentel admitted he "took active steps to build the bomb, including shaving the match heads and drilling holes in the pipes" and was "one hour away from completing it," said the criminal complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Authorities called him a "lone wolf" who had converted to Islam and became a radical.

Pimentel, who has not been charged in federal court, faces life in prison if convicted.

He was under surveillance since May 2009 and considered New York police cars, a New Jersey police station and U.S. post office among his potential targets, officials said.

As a reader of the online magazine "Inspire" published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Pimentel took instructions from an article "How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom," Kelly said.

"We think an event that really set him off was the elimination of Anwar al-Awlaki," Kelly said. "His actions became a lot more intense after September 30."

A U.S. drone strike killed Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, in Yemen in late September, ending a two-year hunt. U.S. intelligence called him the "chief of external operations" for al Qaeda's Yemen branch and a Internet-savvy propagandist.

Kelly said Pimentel "talked about changing his name to Osama Hussein to celebrate his heroes Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein."

He also talked about killing U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the complaint said.

It said a police informant recorded meetings with Pimentel over several months and accompanied him as he bought materials for the bomb, including a drill and a clock.

Since the September 11 attacks by al Qaeda in 2001, New York City has considered itself a prime target and has developed extensive intelligence and counterterrorism divisions that employ 1,000 officers within the police department.

No suspects have yet been convicted under New York state anti-terrorism laws passed after the attacks 10 years ago.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the Pimentel case the 14th plot against the city since 2001. Most of these have been deemed "aspirational." But some, such as the failed May 2010 attempt to set off a bomb in Times Square, were closer to being carried out.

Counterterrorism officials in the United States and Europe say "lone wolf" militants are of particular concern because they can become radicalized via the Internet and prepare for an attack without leaving traces that might draw attention.

(Additional reporting by JoAnne Allen in Washington; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/ts_nm/us_usa_security_newyork

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Middle East nuke talks "positive" despite Iran boycott (Reuters)

VIENNA (Reuters) ? Middle East states showed an "open and constructive" approach in rare talks on banning nuclear arms in the region, the U.N. atomic agency chief said on Tuesday, but absent Iran dismissed the meeting as a waste of time.

Israel and its Arab neighbors took part in the November 21-22 forum hosted by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), seen as a chance to help start a dialogue on the divisive issue of nuclear weapons in the volatile Middle East.

The fact that the closed-door debate was mostly held in a calm atmosphere and did not descend into a heated verbal confrontation between adversaries was a positive sign, even if both sides largely stuck to old positions, diplomats said.

"That the meeting took place and that there is no blood on the carpet is good news," one Western envoy said.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano hailed the "positive spirit" of the discussions, which had been billed as a symbolically significant effort to bring regional foes together at the same venue even if it produced no concrete results.

Norwegian Ambassador Jan Petersen, who chaired the talks with participants from more than 90 countries, said they were conducted in a businesslike atmosphere.

But he and other officials made clear that establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) would not happen any time soon in the region, where Israel is widely believed to hold atomic arms and Iran is accused of seeking to develop them.

"I think this was a small positive step but there is a very very, long way ahead," Petersen told a news conference.

Strong support was voiced at the forum for creating a region free of nuclear arms but there was also wide recognition of the difficulties involved, an official summary said.

Iran, which said it would boycott the forum after IAEA member nations on Friday passed a resolution rebuking it over its nuclear program, said such meetings were pointless because of Israel's assumed atomic arsenal.

As long as Israel "is in possession of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, and is not a member of the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and doesn't allow inspection by the IAEA ... and Western countries simply support it, such meetings will be superficial and a waste of time," Iranians Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in Tehran.

Israel and the United States, the Islamic state's arch foes, see Iran as the region's main nuclear proliferation threat.

ISRAEL, ARABS STICK TO THEIR GUNS

Petersen said he regretted the absence of Iran, which was hit by a new wave of Western sanctions this week after an IAEA report on November 8 stoked international suspicions it was trying to develop a nuclear arms capability, a charge Tehran denies.

"I can't see that it is in any way helpful to their cause but it is their decision," Petersen said.

Israel, presumed to be the region's only nuclear power and its only country that is not part of the NPT, has said it would sign the 1970 pact and renounce nuclear weapons only as part of a broader Middle East peace deal with Arab states and Iran that guaranteed its security.

This week's talks focused on the experiences of regions which have set up zones free of nuclear arms, including Africa and Latin America, and how the Middle East can learn from them.

Participants said the meeting could send a positive signal ahead of a planned international conference hosted by Finland in 2012 to discuss establishing such a zone in the Middle East.

The idea for the conference came from Egypt, which pushed for talks among regional states on a zone free of nuclear arms.

But the content of the statements delivered by Middle East states at the discussions in Vienna underlined the depth of division that must be overcome for it to become reality.

Arab states, especially Syria, took aim at Israel during the discussions over the arsenal it is widely believed to possess but has never officially confirmed.

Israel made clear its view that the region was not yet ready to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone and cited political instability, hostilities and deep mistrust.

"It is possible to have a constructive dialogue related to the establishment of a NWFZ, despite the complexity of the issue and differences of views among states concerned," Amano, a veteran Japanese diplomat, said in his closing statement.

(Additional reporting by Robin Pomeroy in Tehran; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111122/wl_nm/us_nuclear_mideast_iran

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