Pentagon confirms 13 troops killed in Kabul attack are Americans

- Kabul suicide bomb kills 13 troops, civilians workers

By Hamid Shalizi

KABUL: (Reuters) ? A suicide car bomber on Saturday killed 13 troops and civilian employees of the NATO-led force in Kabul, including Americans and a Canadian, in the deadliest single ground attack against the coalition in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.

?Five International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) service members and eight ISAF civilian employees died following a suicide vehicle-born improvised explosive device attack in Kabul earlier today,? ISAF said in a statement.

A Canadian military spokesman said one of the dead was a Canadian soldier. The Pentagon said earlier all 13 of the ISAF fatalities were American. But after the Canadian death was reported, a Pentagon spokesman said Americans were among the dead but that authorities were checking the identities of those killed.

Three other civilians and a police officer were also killed in the attack on a convoy of military vehicles, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry said.

Lethal attacks are relatively rare in the heavily guarded capital, Kabul, compared with the south and east of Afghanistan, but Saturday?s killings came less than two months after insurgents launched a 20-hour assault on the U.S. Embassy in the capital.

The assault on the ISAF convoy took place late in the morning in the Darulaman area in the west of the city, near the national museum.

The former royal palace, now in ruins, is also in the area, along with several government departments and Afghan and foreign military bases.

The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it packed a four-wheel-drive vehicle with 700 kg (1,500 pounds) of explosives. ?

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Source: http://iaoj.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/pentagon-confirms-13-troops-killed-in-kabul-attack-are-americans

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China names new financial chiefs (Reuters)

SHANGHAI (Reuters) ? China named new heads to three top financial regulatory posts on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency said, the first big step in a comprehensive leadership change that will culminate when its top political leaders retire.

The personnel changes are the highest-profile yet in a broad transition of top officials that will run through the next 17 months at a time when the global economy is grappling with a debt crisis and looking to the world's second-largest economy for financial support.

China's President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao are due to retire their Communist Party posts at the 18th Congress next fall, and their presidency and premiership positions at a parliament session in March 2013.

The Xinhua announcement on Saturday marks a handing over of power to a younger generation and confirms a Reuters report citing three independent sources that a shake-up would be announced as early as this week.

A broad number of officials will retire from Communist Party, state, military and regulatory jobs in the coming months, forced out as they hit the official retirement age.

"There is going to be a major reshuffling of leadership positions in the next two years. We're going to see a big game of musical chairs as some officials retire and others move into empty slots and advance along their careers," said Patrick Chovanec, associate professor at Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management in Beijing.

HELMING REFORM

Securities regulator Shang Fulin, 54, was named chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), replacing Liu Mingkang. He has proven adept at navigating choppy financial waters, managing to introduce a raft of much-needed reforms to stock and futures markets despite investor jitters over their potential impact.

As head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), Shang oversaw a series of innovations, including the launch of a Nasdaq-style second board, index futures and margin trading, as well as the unloading of a large overhang of previously untradable shares in state companies.

Former China Construction Bank chairman Guo Shuqing, 55, will take up the post of chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Late on Friday, the bank said Guo resigned due to the need to attend to state financial work.

Xiang Junbo, 54, former chairman of Agricultural Bank of China, will take up the post of chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). AgBank also said on Friday that Xiang, a war hero-turned-banker, resigned "due to the need of state financial work."

Xiang will oversee an industry that includes the world's two biggest life insurers -- China Life and Ping An -- and is currently facing headwinds from weak investment returns.

"State financial work" will entail keeping China on its ambitious path of reform as it continues to ease controls over key sectors and prices, open up to foreign companies and promotes a fledgling offshore market for the yuan in Hong Kong.

Age limits will force out older leaders from throughout the Communist Party, local governments, military, and cabinet ministries, making way for younger leaders to move up.

Liu who headed the CBRC and Wu Dingfu, chairman of the CIRC, have both reached the compulsory retirement age of 65 for officials who hold a rank equivalent to a cabinet minister.

"It's not at all unusual for people to move from a posting with a state-owned bank to a posting with a regulatory agency or a ministry," said Tsinghua University's Chovanec.

"These are not two separate worlds in China; this is a single system where the (Communist) Party decides postings for members inside ministries and bureaucracies."

(Additional reporting by Terril Jones in Beijing; Editing by Brian Rhoads)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111029/bs_nm/us_china_financial_reshuffle

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Asia stocks lower, dollar surges against yen

A TV cameraman films monitor screens displaying abrupt surge of the U.S. dollar currency rate against the Japanese Yen traded on the Tokyo foreign exchange market at a dealing room in Tokyo Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 after Japanese monetary authorities intervened in the currency market to weaken the yen. Monday's action, confirmed by Finance Minister Jun Azumi, came after the Japanese currency had surged to a post-World War II high of 75.32 yen against the dollar earlier Monday. By 11:45 a.m., Tokyo time, the dollar has risen sharply to 79.19 yen. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

A TV cameraman films monitor screens displaying abrupt surge of the U.S. dollar currency rate against the Japanese Yen traded on the Tokyo foreign exchange market at a dealing room in Tokyo Monday, Oct. 31, 2011 after Japanese monetary authorities intervened in the currency market to weaken the yen. Monday's action, confirmed by Finance Minister Jun Azumi, came after the Japanese currency had surged to a post-World War II high of 75.32 yen against the dollar earlier Monday. By 11:45 a.m., Tokyo time, the dollar has risen sharply to 79.19 yen. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

BANGKOK (AP) ? Asian stock markets were mostly lower Monday as investors shifted their focus from Europe's debt woes to the strength of the U.S. economy. Japan sold the yen to limit its export-sapping strength.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.2 percent to 9,035.95 despite the currency intervention. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 1.2 percent to 19,782.32 and South Korea's Kospi was 0.9 percent lower at 1,912.58.

Benchmarks in Australia, mainland China, Singapore and Taiwan also fell, while those in New Zealand, India and Thailand rose.

The dollar surged about 5 percent to above 79 yen after Japan sold its currency, which had earlier hit a new post World War II high against the greenback.

The strong yen has dented earnings of Japanese corporations such as Nintendo Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. and hurt the economy's recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Finance Minister Jun Azumi said monetary authorities could continue intervening.

Last week, investors were cheered by the debt crisis deal reached by European leaders. European banks were asked to take a 50 percent loss on their holdings of Greek government bonds. They will also set aside more money to cushion against future losses. Leaders also pledged to expand the European Union's bailout fund.

But economists caution that many details in the plan still have to be worked out, including the difficult task of deciding who will pay for it.

"With more questions than answers markets will be hungry for further details over coming weeks and until then it is difficult to see risk appetite stretching too far," analysts at Credit Agricole CIB wrote in a research note.

This week, investors will likely turn their attention to the U.S.

A key jobs report for October, a Federal Reserve policy meeting and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's quarterly news conference are all due.

A report Thursday showed that the U.S. economy expanded at a solid 2.5 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter. That helped ease concerns that another recession might be nearing.

But while the economy is growing, it may not be enough to generate many jobs. The U.S. unemployment rate has been stuck 9.1 percent for three months. Analysts expect roughly 100,000 jobs to be added in October. Anything less could raise concerns that the economy may slow.

In currencies Monday, the euro fell to $1.4034 from $1.4170 on Friday in New York. The dollar sprinted to 79.18 yen from 75.76 yen.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was down 63 cents at $92.69 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 64 cents to settle at $93.32 in New York on Friday.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-31-World-Markets/id-c49393a68e884cd09d4f1469f1e1c464

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Earth-observing satellite blasts off (AP)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? An Earth-observing satellite has been launched on a dual mission to improve weather forecasts and monitor climate change.

A Delta 2 rocket carrying the NASA satellite blasted off shortly before 3 a.m. Friday from the central California coast. The space agency invited a small group of Twitter followers to watch the liftoff up close.

The path to the launch pad has been bumpy. The satellite was supposed to fly in 2006, but problems developing the instruments forced a five-year delay.

The $1.5 billion mission is intended to be a bridge between the current aging satellites and a new generation to be launched in a few years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_sc/us_sci_earth_satellite

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Cards complete miracle run, win World Series

The St. Louis Cardinals won a remarkable World Series they weren't even supposed to reach, beating the Texas Rangers 6-2 in Game 7 on Friday night with another key hit by hometown star David Freese and six gutty innings from Chris Carpenter.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45068534#45068534

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Peter Jackson working on Echols pardon

WELLINGTON, New Zealand?? Director Peter Jackson said Friday that he was working with a high-profile former American death row inmate in hopes of getting the man a complete pardon.

Jackson, best known for his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, said he received an exemption to New Zealand law to allow Damien Echols to visit him. Echols was part of a group known as the West Memphis Three who were convicted of killing three boys in Arkansas in 1993. He and the other two men were released in August after pleading guilty to lesser charges and insist they are innocent.

At a news conference Friday in which Jackson stood alongside New Zealand Prime Minister John Key at the North Island set where Jackson is filming a two-part version of "The Hobbit," the director said he'd gone through the same process open to everyone in applying for an exemption to immigration laws.

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"There are all sorts of emotive headlines about Damien Echols, killer, coming to New Zealand, but the reality is that Damien Echols is an innocent man who has spent 18 years incarcerated in a tiny cell," Jackson said.

The director told reporters that he and partner Fran Walsh had worked for seven or eight years to try and help free Echols.

Story: One boxing ring to rule them all: Two Hobbits square off

"He's come here to work with us on a couple of things," Jackson said. "We're doing investigative work, we're doing forensic work ... with the purpose of getting a complete pardon."

Jackson clarified that Echols was not taking part in work on "The Hobbit."

Echols is one of the highest-profile death row inmates to be released in the U.S. Three HBO documentaries about his case brought national attention and sparked the involvement of several celebrities, including Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder.

Echols: Without "Paradise Lost," "we would have sunk into obscurity"

Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley ? who were teenagers at the time ? were convicted of killing three 8-year-old boys who were found naked and tied in a drainage ditch in the Arkansas town of West Memphis. The case hinged on the testimony of witnesses who said they'd heard the teens talk about the killings.

Echols was the only one sentenced to death.

In 2007, lawyers representing Echols claimed that new DNA tests taken from the crime scene didn't match any of the men. In August, the men agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges and were released immediately for time served ? all the while publicly maintaining their innocence.

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

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45075208/ns/today-entertainment/

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Report: Facebook user jailed for inciting UK riots

A U.K. court has jailed a 22-year-old Facebook user who urged youths to "put Manchester on the map" by rioting during the summer?s unrest in cities across Britain, a newspaper reported.

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The judge in the case of Philip Scott Burgess ruled that the organizers of the riots shared guilt with the participants, London?s Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.

Burgess was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to publishing written material to stir up racial hatred and encouraging or assisting the commission of a riot, the paper said.

As civil disturbances engulfed Birmingham, Liverpool and London in August, Burgess exhorted others to "start riot'n" and "put Manchester on the map," the newspaper reported.

Within hours, looting began in a popular shopping area in Salford, Greater Manchester, the Telegraph said. Shortly afterward, the rioting spread to the center of Manchester.

Burgess also posted racist messages about the ethnicity of the rioters, the newspaper said.

'Public pledge'
"At the time of the disorder, we made a public pledge to our communities that we would pursue not just those involved in looting, violence or arson, but those who used social networking sites to stir up trouble and encourage others to get involved,? the Telegraph quoted Assistant Chief Constable Ian Hopkins as saying.

"The disorder brought shameful scenes to our cities and those who used social networking sites to organize what happened are just as responsible as those who physically took part,? Hopkins said, according to the newspaper.

The four days of rioting, triggered by a fatal police shooting Aug. 4 in north London?s Tottenham neighborhood, were the worst civil disturbances to hit Britain since the 1980s. Five people were killed and scores of stores were looted and buildings burned in several cities. More than 2,500 shops and businesses were targeted by the looters and vandals, with more than 230 homes being hit by burglars or vandals.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45076024/ns/world_news-europe/

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Washington praises 'Moneyball,' A's GM Beane (AP)

ST. LOUIS ? Ron Washington was on the coaching staff in Oakland when general manager Billy Beane was pioneering the Moneyball concept of building a major league team.

Beane relied heavily on advanced statistics rather than old-school scouting, a process Michael Lewis chronicled in the bestselling book, "Moneyball." The book has been turned into a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt as the A's general manager.

Given the success Washington has had with the Rangers, who can win their first World Series by beating St. Louis in Game 6 on Thursday night, perhaps they made the movie about the wrong person.

"No," Washington said flatly.

"You know," he continued, "I was in Oakland when all of that happened, and to me it was a great movie about a general manager that was hamstrung as far as dollars go, and he had to find players and put them together under a formula that he thought would work."

Washington said he's a "big fan" of Beane, who gave him a chance to be a major league coach, and later a glowing review to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels. That allowed Washington to land his first job as a big league manager.

"As I always say, the things that you accomplish in life, it always comes from other people extending themselves to help you," Washington said, "and he's certainly been a big part in my career since I finished playing baseball."

___

HOMER-LESS HAMILTON: Josh Hamilton was rifling through his bag Wednesday afternoon, trying to find the right bat to sign for a fan. Hitters are superstitious about this kind of thing, always making sure they don't give one away that has a few more hits in it.

Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson leaned over from the adjacent locker and jokingly told Hamilton that he wanted an autographed bat, too ? one that he used to hit a home run.

"It's been a while," Hamilton said. "Not sure I can find one of those."

The slugging outfielder hasn't hit a homer since going deep off the Mariners' Anthony Vasquez on Sept. 23, a stretch of 19 games and 79 at-bats. That includes all five games against St. Louis in the World Series, which Texas leads 3-2 going into Thursday night's rain-delayed Game 6.

The extra day off should give Hamilton a chance to rest his ailing groin.

Hamilton has been hampered by the injury for several months, and appeared particularly slowed by it during the first two games in St. Louis. He looked better in the warmer climate of Texas, but now the series shifts back north, where temperatures are expected to be in the 40s.

Hamilton has grown so tired of discussing the injury that he warned reporters Wednesday that he wouldn't answer any questions if the subject was broached. However, he did say the postponment allowed him to seek more treatment and that he'd be ready to go for Game 6 on Thursday night.

"I hit in the cage, threw in the outfield, got some treatment on things," he said. "We've figured out some things that will help, allow me to be able to be more aggressive and in less pain."

___

HIT-AND-RUN: The hit-and-run that Albert Pujols called for in Game 5 of the World Series was still a topic of discussion Wednesday. Pujols sent Allen Craig running and missed when he swung at the pitch in the seventh inning of a tied game, and Craig was thrown out easily.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa defended Pujols, saying the slugger has earned the authority and responsibility to call for a hit-and-run when Pujols thinks the play might work.

"That's not the first time that we've done a hit-and-run," Pujols said. "Probably in my career I've done that 200 times since I've been here, and I don't have any problems with that play.

"Part of that trust is not that I deserve special treatment," he said. "It's just the trust that the manager has given me, just like he has to so many players here."

Pujols was trying to put pressure on Texas by getting runners on first and third.

"That's something that didn't go our way," he said. "People can throw rocks and blame everybody, Tony and myself or whatever you want, but it's part of the game. If it would have worked out, like it has in the past, then we wouldn't be talking about this because I can tell you, out of those 200 or 150 hits-and-runs that Tony puts or that sometimes he gives me the opportunity to put it on, believe me, we've won a lot of games, too. It just didn't work this time."

___

SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A REPORTER: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa is a well-known animal lover.

Among other things, he established Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, Calif., has taken part in PETA campaigns and is a vegetarian.

So when a reporter asked Wednesday for the umpteenth time about Chris Carpenter's availability to pitch in a potential Game 7 of the World Series, and prefaced the question by saying, "At the risk of beating a dead horse that's probably been dead ...," La Russa was quick with a retort.

"Can we use something else besides, 'beat a dead horse,'" La Russa asked. "Can we just say, 'Beat up a writer?'"

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_world_series_notebook

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Syrians stage another pro-regime rally

Two Syrian regime women supporters hold a banner with a sarcastic caricature on it in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

Two Syrian regime women supporters hold a banner with a sarcastic caricature on it in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

Syrian regime supporters flash the V-victory sign as they hold up a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a rally at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Some thousands of Syrians packed the square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/ Bassem Tellawi)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Tens of thousands of Syrians held a mass rally Thursday in support of embattled President Bashar Assad, but the regime's crackdown on dissent continued in opposition areas as security forces killed at least four people, including a teenager, activists said.

The demonstration in the coastal city of Latakia came one day after a similar pro-regime rally in the capital, Damascus, as authorities try to galvanize supporters in the face of a seven-month uprising against Assad.

The U.N. estimates that the government crackdown on protests has killed 3,000 people.

On Thursday, a 14-year-old youth in the southern village of Dael was among at least four people killed by Syrian forces during security raids, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees, another activist group.

A video posted online by activists showed blood pouring from the teenager's head, soaking his blue T-shirt, as another boy screamed in the background.

The video could not be independently verified. Syria has banned most foreign journalists and prevented independent reporting, making witness accounts and activist groups crucial sources of information about the uprising.

It is difficult to gauge the strength of the revolt in Syria, a country of 22 million people, although the movement has been remarkably resilient.

But the regime is strong as well and in no imminent danger of collapse, setting the stage for what could be a drawn-out and bloody stalemate.

Assad's main bases of support include Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who feel they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad. For the most part, the military, a key factor, has remained loyal to Assad

The Syrian government insists the unrest is being driven by terrorists and foreign extremists looking to stir up sectarian strife.

The opposition has yet to bring out the middle and upper-middle classes in Damascus and Aleppo, the two economic powerhouses, although protests have been building.

Both sides of the conflict remain energized. Anti-regime protesters pour into the streets across the country every Friday, defying the near-certain barrage of shelling and sniper fire by regime forces.

International sanctions are chipping away at the regime's strength.

On Thursday, Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw acknowledged Damascus was having difficulty selling its oil after the European Union banned oil imports from Syria.

Syria was exporting some 140,000 barrels of oil per day, most of it bound for the European Union. The EU says that Syria earned euro 3.1 billion ($4.35 billion) by selling oil to the EU in 2010.

Allaw said discussions are under way with more than 50 international companies to export the Syrian crude oil, but finding tankers to ship the oil was a challenge.

He added that the government already has signed three contracts, but he did say which countries were involved or offer other details.

___

Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.

___

Bassem Mroue can be reached on http://twitter.com/bmroue

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-10-27-ML-Syria/id-fbc7bc03e0404595b6076fe2d210fc88

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Flip-Flopping Can Mean a Candidate Actually Thinks About the Issues (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The derogatory epitaph "flip-flopper" has been applied liberally during this presidential campaign season, primarily to describe Republican candidates, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain. But a new article by ABC News reporter Z. Byron Wolf questions the appropriateness of condemning a candidate for changing his mind.

"It's supposed to be a sign of a faulty character," Wolf writes, "But flip-flopping can be a good thing. Our best presidents did it. Our best candidates are doing it now." I'm not sure I agree with the "best candidates" comment, but Wolf has a point. Changing your mind can be a good thing.

In fact, I'd be a whole lot more concerned about a person who never examines his beliefs with a critical eye than one who's made a few revisions. We add new information and new experiences to our understanding of the world every day. If we keep our minds open we are all bound to flip-flop on some of our beliefs every now and again.

That's not to say every change of heart is pure. Romney has been accused of changing his position for political gain, rather than because he truly "saw the light." I'm not privy to his private thoughts, and I don't believe that his public behavior has been extreme enough to make that call.

However there are people who's opinions ebb and flow like the tide, pushed in one direction or another by the needs of the moment. That type of behavior is reprehensible and, most importantly, dishonest.

Cain has a completely different problem. He flat doesn't seem to know what his opinion is on a lot of issues. His confusion may in part be attributable to his lack of experience in politics.

He gets himself in trouble when he tries to write his own policy on the fly, as when Wolf Blitzer asked him whether he would free prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for an American hostage. Cain responded in the affirmative, then later realized that this is essentially the same as saying he would "negotiate with terrorists," which he opposes.

Cain is just beginning to think through all the complex issues he would face as president, which shows he isn't ready for that responsibility. But at least his flip-flops are honest. As far as I'm concerned, it's ok if he continues to change his mind.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111027/pl_ac/10305361_flipflopping_can_mean_a_candidate_actually_thinks_about_the_issues

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Review: Lepage offers eye-popping 3-D `Siegfried' (AP)

NEW YORK ? Welcome to the 3-D "Siegfried" ? and we're not just talking about the dwarfs, the dragon and Deborah Voigt.

Sure, all of them were onstage Thursday night as the Metropolitan Opera premiered the third installment of Robert Lepage's production of Wagner's "Ring" cycle.

But the Canadian director has found a new technological trick to make this latest effort unique: computerized projections that interact with the set and create an optical illusion that we are watching the singers against a living, three-dimensional backdrop.

The basic set remains the same as in "Das Rheingold" and "Die Walkuere" ? a 45-ton "Machine" composed of two dozen giant planks that rotate (still too noisily!) on a single axis and move up and down to form various shapes: a stand of trees, a mountainside, the roof of a cave.

Now the 3-D projections can lend this metallic surface an appearance of depth and movement. Thus, in the brooding opening measures of Acts 1 and 2, snakes and other creepy-crawly creatures really seem to be writhing through a thickly wooded terrain. Later, the rocks that form the dragon's lair appear to jut out in front of us. And ? most magically of all ? the forest bird who sings to Siegfried flies through the air and lands on the branches of trees.

All this with no glasses required!

Lepage has been criticized in previous installments for allowing his massive set to circumscribe the movements of the singers. That's still true to some extent, though he may be learning from his mistakes.

The Act 1 forest cave where Mime the dwarf has reared the young hero Siegfried is scrunched back on one side into a trough behind the apron (similar to Hunding's hut in Act 1 of "Die Walkuere"). It lessens the impact of the climactic sword-forging scene and means that to move between the cave and a hillside, the singers have to keep climbing up and down an awkward set of steps.

But in Acts 2 and 3, Lepage opens up the apron, giving room for more natural interplay among the characters. As a result, the final scene ? in which Siegfried climbs through a ring of magic fire to awaken the sleeping Bruennhilde on a mountaintop ? is both visually stunning and dramatically engrossing, even without any 3-D.

Musically, by far the most noteworthy ingredient of the night was the astonishing playing by the orchestra as led by Fabio Luisi, the Met's new principal conductor.

In the first two acts, Luisi wove an elegant, chamber music-like texture with brisk tempos that made clear how closely this opera resembles the scherzo of a symphony. In the final act, when Wagner's orchestration thickens, Luisi elicited magnificent waves of sound without sacrificing individual detail.

Luisi took over conducting duties for ailing music director James Levine, who has done so much to build the orchestra into one of the finest in the world. Levine still hopes to conduct three complete "Ring" cycles in the spring, but if he cannot, it's now clear the project will be in terrific hands.

Another late replacement was the singer cast in the title role ? and here the news was almost as good. American tenor Jay Hunter Morris does not possess the lung power of a true Wagnerian heldentenor, but his bright, lyrical voice and winning stage presence made him a most appealing young Siegfried. To say that he got through the long evening with little sign of vocal fatigue is high praise indeed.

As his newly awakened bride, Voigt did not fare as well. The role of Bruennhilde in "Siegfried" is brief but unforgiving: She appears only in the last scene, but then is immediately called upon to pour out waves of sound, much of it in the upper range of the soprano voice.

Voigt approached her assignment earnestly but with noticeable caution, and she struggled to reach those high Cs.

Repeating his role as Wotan (now renamed the Wanderer), bass-baritone Bryn Terfel brought a world-weary majesty to the role and successfully punched through the heavy orchestration in Act 3, though he seemed at the limit of his powers and once or twice resorted to a kind of bluster.

Tenor Gerhard Siegel was a Mime to treasure, his performance full of little grace notes (such as his turning tongue-tied when he tries to ask the Wanderer the final question in their riddle game.)

In smaller roles, bass-baritone Eric Owens reprised his incisive portrayal of Alberich, Mime's brother; bass Hans-Peter Koenig sang imposingly as Fafner, the giant-turned-dragon; and soprano Mojca Erdmann was a bright-sounding forest bird.

Mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon struggled at both ends of her register in Erda's brief scene, theatrically the weakest of the night. Lepage seemed uncertain what to make of the mystical earth goddess, and it didn't help that her metallic dress reflected blinding flashes of light into the audience.

With only one more piece to come ? "Goetterdaemmerung" premieres in January ? it's clear that Lepage has given the Met a technological marvel. What remains to be seen is whether he can end on a high note and, perhaps by some retooling of the earlier installments, shape this "Ring" into vibrant music drama as well.

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

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Google Street View Is Going Inside Buildings (Sorta) [Google]

Google Street View is a magical realm of accidental crimes in progress, fires, and other assorted serendipitous fun. Now, you'll be able to scroll around the inside of businesses! Which is cool—but here's how it could be cooler. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VQPoFoatAOc/google-streek-view-is-going-inside-buildings-sorta

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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UK scientists grow super broccoli

LONDON (AP) ? Popeye might want to consider switching to broccoli. British scientists unveiled a new breed of the vegetable that experts say packs a big nutritional punch.

The new broccoli was specially grown to contain two to three times the normal amount of glucoraphanin, a nutrient believed to help ward off heart disease.

"Vegetables are a medicine cabinet already," said Richard Mithen, who led the team of scientists at the Institute for Food Research in Norwich, England, that developed the new broccoli. "When you eat this broccoli ... you get a reduction in cholesterol in your blood stream," he told Associated Press Television.

An AP reporter who tasted the new broccoli found it was the same as the regular broccoli. Scientists, however, said it should taste slightly sweeter because it contains less sulphur.

Glucoraphanin works by breaking fat down in the body, preventing it from clogging the arteries. It is only found in broccoli in significant amounts.

To create the vegetable, sold as "super broccoli," Mithen and colleagues cross-bred a traditional British broccoli with a wild, bitter Sicilian variety that has no flowery head, and a big dose of glucoraphanin. After 14 years, the enhanced hybrid was produced, which has been granted a patent by European authorities. No genetic modification was used.

It's been on sale as Beneforte in select stores in California and Texas for the last year, and hit British shelves this month. Later this fall, the broccoli will be rolled out across the U.S.

The super vegetable is part of an increasing tendency among producers to inject extra nutrients into foods, ranging from calcium-enriched orange juice to fortified sugary cereals and milk with added omega 3 fatty acids. In Britain, the new broccoli is sold as part of a line of vegetables that includes mushrooms with extra vitamin D, and tomatoes and potatoes with added selenium.

Not enough data exists to know if anyone could overdose on glucoraphanin, but vitamin D and selenium in very high quantities can be toxic.

Mithen and colleagues are conducting human trials comparing the heart health of people eating the super broccoli to those who eat regular broccoli or no broccoli. They plan to submit the data to the European Food Safety Agency next year so they can claim in advertisements the broccoli has proven health benefits.

"There's a lot of circumstantial evidence that points to (glucoraphanin and related compounds) as the most important preventive agents for (heart attacks) and certain cancers, so it's a reasonable thing to do," said Lars Ove Dragsted, a professor in the department of human nutrition at the University of Copenhagen. He previously sat on panels at the International Agency for Research on Cancer examining the link between vegetables and cancer.

Dragsted said glucoraphanin is a mildly toxic compound used by plants to fight insects. In humans, glucoraphanin may stimulate our bodies' natural chemical defenses, potentially making the body stronger at removing dangerous compounds.

Other experts said eating foods packed with extra nutrients would probably only have a minimal impact compared with other lifestyle choices, like not smoking and exercising.

"Eating this new broccoli is not going to counteract your bad habits," said Glenys Jones, a nutritionist at Britain's Medical Research Council. She doubted whether adding the nutrients in broccoli to more popular foods would work to improve people's overall health.

"If you added this to a burger, people might think it's then a healthy food and eat more burgers, whereas this is not something they should be eating more of," Jones said. She also thought the super broccoli's U.K. price ? it costs about a third more than regular broccoli ? might discourage penny-pinching customers.

But that wasn't enough to deter Suzanne Johnson, a 43-year-old mother of two young children in London.

"I'm very concerned about the food they eat and would happily pay a bit more to buy something that has an added benefit," Johnson said.

But for her children, taste is ultimately more important than any nutritional value. "Broccoli is one of the vegetables they actually like, so I'm glad it's the one (scientists) have been working on," she said. "This wouldn't work if it had been mushrooms or asparagus."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2011-10-26-EU-MED-Food-and-Farm-Super-Broccoli/id-a7237f4270fd497b96dd78ee0e434902

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Young, apparently healthy -- and at risk of heart disease: New study pinpoints hidden thickening of the arteries in young adults

ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2011) ? Atherosclerosis -- or buildup of fat in the walls of arteries ? is thought of as a disorder of older people but it affects a large number of young men and women, according to a new Heart and Stroke Foundation study.

"The proportion of young, apparently healthy adults who are presumably 'the picture of health' who already have atherosclerosis is staggering," says Dr. Eric Larose, an interventional cardiologist at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Qu?bec and an assistant professor at Universit? Laval.

Atherosclerosis can eventually lead to serious problems including heart disease, stroke, or even death.

The study enrolled 168 young adults (age 18 to 35) -- half male and half female -- who had no known cardiovascular disease or risk factors such as family history of premature heart disease, diabetes, smoking, high blood cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

The team took complete body measurements, including height, weight, body-mass index and waist circumference. They also measured, through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), various body fat deposits including subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin that you can measure with calipers) as well as fat within and around the abdomen and chest including the amount of intra-abdominal or visceral fat. Ultimately, they measured atherosclerosis volumes of the carotid arteries by MRI.

The researchers found that although a large proportion of subjects didn't have traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, they did have discrete signs: greater waist circumference, and visceral fat covering the internal organs within the chest and abdomen. Visceral fat is difficult to detect because it surrounds the organs deep inside the body, unlike the fat under our skin than can be easily detected in the mirror or with a pinch of the fingers.

"We know obesity is a bad thing," says Dr. Larose "but we're dropping the ball on a large proportion of young adults who don't meet traditional measures of obesity such as weight and BMI."

He says their message is that beyond simple weight and BMI, measures of fat hidden within (visceral fat) are greater predictors of atherosclerosis. The people with greater visceral fat will have greater atherosclerosis, even if they are young and apparently healthy ? and could benefit from preventive lifestyle measures.

Dr. Larose adds thatdespite having normal weight and BMI, young adults with greater visceral fat have greater atherosclerosis burden, therefore greater risk for clinical events including heart attack and stroke in the long run. "We were encouraged to find that in this young and apparently healthy population, an easy way to measure risk in the doctor's office is through waist circumference," he says.

At any given BMI, an enlarged waist circumference measured with a simple tailor's ribbon was predictive of increased visceral adiposity and of premature atherosclerosis. The prediction of visceral adiposity and of atherosclerosis was almost as precise as by MRI.

Dr. Larose's study verifies earlier research that found that as many as 80 percent of young Americans killed in war or in car accidents had premature and subclinical (hidden) atherosclerosis.

The strength of the present findings is in measuring atherosclerosis in live individuals instead of waiting for an autopsy, and in finding a simple office-based solution in waist circumference.

These results may improve our ability to identify early individuals in need of more robust preventive support to slow the progression of their atherosclerosis.

Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in Canada, says Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson. "Someone in this country dies from heart disease or stroke every seven minutes," she says. "The good news is that heart disease and stroke are largely preventable by undertaking heart healthy behavior."

She says that the results of this Canadian study form a critical piece of the puzzle. Many of us have risk factors for heart disease and stroke, even if they aren't immediately evident, and it is important to start early in preventing disease.

"You can think of it as a ticking time bomb inside your body that might explode later in life," says Dr. Abramson. "There is a lot you can do to defuse the explosion."

Dr. Abramson recommends that all Canadians follow a healthy diet, be physically active, know and control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintain a healthy weight, be tobacco-free, reduce stress, manage diabetes and limit alcohol consumption. She says that Canadians can ask their healthcare providers to help them reach their goals.

"My message to young adults is that you are not superhuman, you're not immune to risk factors," says Dr. Abramson. "It's important to manage your risk factors at all ages. Lifestyle will eventual catch up with you. You are never too young to prevent heart disease."

The study was presented today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2011, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

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

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

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/xnu17FJbMDs/111025091636.htm

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Spotify comes to MeeGo to help keep your N9 company

Looking to bring the gift of song to your new, somewhat limited edition Nokia N9? Good news, Spotify is offering itself up to the MeeGo gods, bringing its music streaming services to the slick handset by way of the Nokia Store. The app is free, but requires the customary Spotify Premium account for you to get any actual enjoyment out of the thing.

Spotify comes to MeeGo to help keep your N9 company originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ANGzIcISGBg/

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Data After Death: Preparing For The Digital Afterlife

WISH-TV:

It has been said that no one escapes from this world alive as death is the great equalizer. As adults we are aware of the importance of taking care of our physical estate by preparing wills or living trusts and then designating people in whom we trust to take care of our affairs once we shuffle off this mortal coil. That is all fine and good, but have you considered what happens to your digital data once you have taken your last breath?

Read the whole story: WISH-TV

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/data-after-death_n_1031296.html

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Poland's last Battle of Britain pilot dies (AP)

WARSAW, Poland ? The last surviving Polish pilot from the Battle of Britain has died at the age of 97, says a Canadian funeral home.

Turner and Porter Funeral Directors said on its website that Brig. Gen. Tadeusz Sawicz died Oct. 19 at a nursing home in Toronto, Canada.

Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza daily on Wednesday said Sawicz was the last surviving pilot among the Poles who served in Britain's Royal Air Force during World War II, and fought in the 1940 battle. He served with the RAF until early 1947.

At the start of World War II in 1939, Sawicz fought in Poland's defense against the invading German Nazis. He flew under German fire to carry orders to troops defending Warsaw.

Following the collapse of the city's defense on Sept. 17, he joined Polish pilots fighting in France, but after Paris' surrender in July he made his way ? with tens of thousands of Polish airmen, soldiers and sailors ? to Britain, making up the largest foreign military force in the country.

Later that year, Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski, who was the head of Poland's Government in Exile in London, signed an agreement with the British Government to form a Polish Air Force in Britain, of which Sawicz was to play his part.

After training on Hurricane fighter aircraft, he was incorporated into RAF squadron 303 and later to squadrons 316 and 315. On and off, he served as a commander of the Polish wing.

Sawicz was among the 145 Polish pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, 31 of which died in action. Other foreign pilots ? from New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Czechoslovakia, South Africa, the United States and Ireland ? also flew with the RAF.

A few British pilots from the battle are still alive, but it is not known how many of the international aviators ? known collectively, after a phrase coined by Winston Churchill, as "The Few" ? are left.

During his time as an RAF pilot, Sawicz is credited with shooting down three German aircraft. He has been awarded Poland's highest military order the Virtuti Military medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross from Britain, the United States and the Netherlands.

Sawicz has lived in Canada since 1957, where he worked for aviation companies. He is survived by his wife Jadwiga.

A service is planned for him at a later date in Warsaw

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_re_eu/eu_poland_obit_sawicz

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Thermostat reinvented, and it's finally good

Nest Labs

By Wilson Rothman

At my family's home in New York's Hudson Valley, I am a thermostatic basket case. I walk around to each of the three zones, tweaking the heat in the winter and the A/C in the summer. I never program the thermostats, because I don't have patience for their antique interfaces. And when I'm not there, who knows what happens? The easiest way to check is to stare in hazy recognition at the power and gas bills at the end of the month.

If I'm sharing a confessional of inefficiency that would make a mid-1980s General Motors exec laugh out loud, I do it knowing I'm not alone. The energy bills on the other end of those inscrutable little boxes represent half the power consumption of a home, and their mismanagement is pretty much ubiquitous.

That's some heavy guilt to weigh down homeowners, but a team of engineers, many who came from Apple and Google, are arriving on the scene with absolution. It's not your fault, they say. Thermostats really are awful, and it's time for a totally new one. Enter the Nest learning thermostat.?

A statement of bold industrial design and elegant user interface, the Nest is a smart, widely compatible replacement for your old-school thermostat. Think of it as efficiency through smarter design.?Every time you adjust a heat or cooling setting, it learns. After about a week, it starts making the changes for you, and over time, smooths out the transitions in temperature for better efficiency, without you having to pound your head trying to figure out how to program it.

Nest Labs

Do-it-yourself assembly kit includes a screwdriver; but if you're scared to mess with it, Nest can connect you to an installer.

The circular screen tells you how long it will take for the zone to reach the desired temperature, so you don't overcompensate in order to get warm or cool quicker. And the Nest thermostat rewards you for thinking green ? shaving a few degrees off a temperature setting ? by displaying a glowing leaf. (Hey, it's the thought that counts.)

Besides a dial-based screen interface, Nest has two kinds of proximity sensors. One activates the screen as you approach, so it won't run down the internal battery when you're not in front of it. But a second proximity sensor detects your occasional passes through the room, in order to determine whether you're home or away. If you're away, it will automatically adjust settings to save energy. You can also tell it you're headed out the door ? something that it will factor into its learning, assuming you leave the house with a fairly predictable pattern.?

It also has built-in Wi-Fi, so it can link in to your home network, giving you the power to log into it from an iPhone, iPad or Android phone (coming soon), and do it from anywhere in the world. The learning happens the whole time, so if you're regularly adjusting the temperature on your way home from work, it will figure that out and start doing it for you.

Nest Labs

The smartphone app lets you connect to your home and adjust temperatures from anywhere in the world.

All that tech costs money, so it's no surprise that the Nest's initial price is $250. Of course, in a three-zone house, you'd need three of them, but they talk to each other, sharing auto-away readings and other data, so that they can act more efficiently than dumber, older thermostats. Will it pay for itself in money saved on the energy bill? The folks at Nest think so, though we should probably wait for some independent tests before that kind of declaration.?

Here's the thing: I get depressed thinking how much of the world's energy problem can't be solved at home. Solutions require billions of dollars in government incentives, hard-to-swallow policy shifts and substantial risks taken by corporate fat cats who'd rather be making money in other ways.

So when I have an opportunity to do something, anything, that is actually measurable ? swapping out the light bulbs, buying a more efficient car, etc. ? and scalable across millions of homes, I'm in.?

More fun gadget news from msnbc.com's Gadgetbox:?

We take a moment to chat with the iPhone 4S's Siri personal servant, and find that she's not only very helpful and surprisingly accurate, she knows how to joke around and tell off smart alecks, too.

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

Source: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/25/8474720-thermostat-reinvented-and-its-finally-good

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