DreamWorks Animation SKG founders donate $90M

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The founders of the studio behind "Shrek," ''Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" are donating $90 million to a Hollywood charity that offers support to seniors and health services for members of the entertainment industry.

Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, whose last names represent the "SKG" in DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., said Tuesday they are donating $30 million each to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

The fund kicked off a campaign in February to raise $350 million over three years.

Other notable donors include actor Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne, who pledged $20 million, and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which pledged $20 million.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dreamworks-animation-skg-founders-donate-90m-163209947.html

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Presidential Debate Instant Polls Show Narrow Win For Obama

WASHINGTON -- After a poor performance in the first presidential debate two weeks ago, President Barack Obama came back strong in the second one, winning perceived victories over Mitt Romney in two instant-reaction polls -- one of debate-watching registered voters, the other of debate-watchers who went into the debate uncommitted to either candidate.

A CNN survey of registered voters who watched the debate found that 46 percent said Obama won the debate and 39 percent said Romney did. The survey's margin of error was four percentage points.

After a weak performance in the first debate, Obama outperformed expectations in the second: Seventy-three percent of respondents said Obama did better than they expected, 10 percent said he did worse, and 16 percent said he did about the same as expected. Romney, who had a much stronger performance than Obama did in the first debate, performed closer to expectations: 37 percent said he did better than expected, 28 percent said worse, and 33 percent said he performed the same.

Romney performed better on convincing respondents that he has a clear plan for solving the country's problems: 49 percent said Romney did and 50 percent said he did not. Only 38 percent said Obama did, and 61 percent said he did not.

Respondents favored Romney on a variety of issues, including the economy (58 percent to 40 percent over Obama), taxes (51 percent to 44 percent) and the budget deficit (59 percent to 36 percent). Romney held a narrower advantage on health care, 49 percent to 46 percent. On foreign policy, 49 percent said Obama would handle it better and 47 percent said Romney would.

Obama and Romney split the advantage on more intangible measures. Romney took a slight (49 percent to 46 percent) advantage on being a stronger leader, while Obama scored points for being more likable (47 percent to 41 percent) and caring more about the audience (44 percent to 40 percent). Forty-five percent of respondents said Romney answered questions more directly and 43 percent said Obama did, while 49 percent said Obama spent more time attacking his opponent and 35 percent said Romney did.

The debate was unlikely to change many minds among CNN's respondents: 25 percent said they were more likely to vote for Obama after the debate and 25 percent said the same about Romney. But 48 percent said they weren't more likely to vote for either one. Debate watchers generally are more likely to be paying close attention to the campaign and more likely to already be committed to a candidate than the general population.

According to CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the sample was composed of about 33 percent Democrats and 33 percent Republicans, or about 8 percentage points more Republican than the average of all CNN polls in 2012 among all adults (not registered voters specifically). CNN surveyed 457 registered voters who had participated in a poll earlier this week, said they watched the debate, and had agreed to be re-interviewed for the post-debate poll. The margin of error of the poll is 4.5 percentage points.

A CBS News poll conducted using an online panel of uncommitted voters found a 37 percent plurality said Obama won the debate, while 30 percent said Romney did and 33 percent said it was a tie.

Romney came into the debate with a big advantage on the handling the economy among the CBS respondents, and Obama was able to close that gap slightly. Before the debate, 71 percent of respondents said Romney had the edge on handling the economy and 27 percent said Obama did. After the debate, that narrowed somewhat to a 65 percent to 34 percent advantage for Romney.

Obama held the advantage on better handling the middle class, 56 percent to 43 percent. Fifty-five percent of poll respondents said Obama gave direct answers to questions, while 49 percent said the same about Romney.

The CBS News post-debate polls are conducted using the GfK KnowledgePanel, a representative Internet panel. CBS surveyed 525 uncommitted voters who watched the debate, for a four percentage point margin of error. The CBS defines uncommitted voters as those who are totally undecided before the debate or who were leaning to a candidate, but said they may still change their minds. The survey sample was composed of 56 percent who described themselves as independents, 23 percent Democrats and 21 percent Republicans.

Microsoft Xbox, working in partnership with the the polling company YouGov, conducted a live poll among more than 30,000 respondents who tuned in to watch the debate and answered survey questions via Xbox Live's election channel.

The Xbox sample was neither randomly selected nor scientifically projective of any larger population, and the adult participants skewed heavily younger and male.

However, the sheer size of the participant pool allowed the Xbox/YouGov pollsters to isolate 988 respondents who said they were completely undecided before the debate, and they judged Obama the winner by a 51 percent to 17 percent margin. After the debate, most remained undecided, but 28 percent said they now will vote or lean to Obama, while just 10 percent said they will vote for Romney.

Surveys from CBS and CNN, plus a Democracy Corps/Women's Voices Women Vote focus group, found that the first debate was a resounding victory for Romney among uncommitted voters as well as debate-watchers more generally. Since that debate, national polling has trended broadly toward Romney, and the current HuffPost Pollster estimate shows the two candidates essentially tied, with Romney at 47.1 percent and Obama at 46.9 percent.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/17/presidential-debate-polls_n_1972357.html

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Truth Wins Out - Newest NOM Video Spuriously Likens Marriage ...

Posted October 16th, 2012 by John M. Becker

The National Organization for Marriage Discrimination has uploaded a new video to its YouTube channel in which the organization makes a number of astonishingly malicious and demonstrably false claims about LGBT people and marriage equality.

Chief among them is the likening of marriage equality with incest, pedophilia, and drug use. Speaking with a British accent over slick graphics, the narrator claims that the government has three ways of dealing with the ?behavior? of its citizens: promoting it, permitting it, or prohibiting it. As an example, she notes that the state promotes police work, permits most occupations, but prohibits drug dealing because it ?harms society.? ?In the same way,? she continues, ?our government promotes ?natural marriage,? permits most relationships, but prohibits incest and pedophilia.? ?The narrator goes on to claim, ??Natural marriage? perpetuates and stabilizes society. Everyone benefits from that, even those who don?t get married. . . Same-sex marriage offers no benefit for society as a whole. In fact, it hurts us.?

Jeremy Hooper, longtime NOM-watcher and blogger extraordinaire, calls the group?s latest video ?one of the most callous things I?ve ever seen NOM endorse.? Watch it below:

A couple observations:

• The video characterizes marriage not as a commitment, a particular kind of relationship, or even a choice, but rather, a ?behavior.? Given the infinite variety found in marriages across the world and across the millenia, just what exactly does NOM define as ?marriage behavior?? Or are they just using ?behavior? to refer to the sexual acts that are presumably enjoyed within marriage?
• Just in case there?s any doubt which political party NOM has hitched its wagon to, the group adopts right-wing fiscal talking points, claiming that hetero-only marriage ?reduces government spending and deficits.?
• As usual, NOM loves to make claims without citing sources. For example, the narrator says, ?We know statistically that ?natural marriage? creates the best possible environment for children.? Leaving aside the fact that homosexuality is every bit as natural as heterosexuality, I?d like to know what ?statistics? NOM is referring to here. Perhaps they?re talking about the widely-discredited Regnerus study that, instead of comparing functional same-sex marriages with functional opposite-sex ones, defines ?anyone whose biological or adopted mother or father had a same-sex relationship that the respondent knew about by age 18? as having been raised by lesbian moms or gay dads ? even when those relationships were fleeting and/or adulterous? Sorry, no dice. Try again.
• At the 3:45 mark, the narrator claims that ?same-sex marriage and ?natural marriage? are different behaviors with different outcomes?? The words are conveniently accompanied by two handy graphs ? the one underneath ?same-sex marriage? features a jagged line pointing ominously downwards, and the one underneath ??natural marriage?? soaring blissfully upwards. The graphs, however, aren?t labeled, so it?s completely unclear what outcomes these graphs purport to illustrate.
• Finally, NOM president Brian Brown has publicly pleaded?for a ?civil debate? about marriage equality. Note to Brian: if you and your organization want to have a ?civil debate,? you?re going to have to stop lying about LGBT people and our community, correct the record on the many falsehoods you?ve spread, cite your sources from this point forward, and commit to a debate firmly rooted in reality and grounded exclusively in sound science. Unless and until the lies stop, the ?civil debate? you claim to seek just won?t happen.

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Source: http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2012/10/30688/

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Chelsea Clinton steps up to fight diarrhea deaths in Nigeria

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chelsea Clinton is taking on the discomforting issue of diarrhea, throwing her family's philanthropic heft behind a sweeping effort in Nigeria to prevent the deaths of 1 million mothers and children each year from preventable causes, including 100,000 deaths from diarrhea.

The 32-year-old daughter of President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Nigerian officials, the prime minister of Norway and other leaders on Tuesday in promoting expanded access to zinc and oral rehydration solutions or ORS, a treatment that could prevent more than 90 percent of diarrhea-related deaths in the country.

"It is unconscionable that in the 21st century, children still die of diarrhea," Clinton told Reuters in an exclusive interview by phone from Abuja, Nigeria.

The ORS and zinc work in Nigeria is in coordination with the Clinton Health Access Initiative or CHAI, on whose board Clinton serves. She has stepped up her public role in the family's global philanthropic efforts and in July took a six-day tour of Africa with her father, who founded the William J. Clinton Foundation in 2001.

The goal of the initiative in Nigeria is to help drive down the cost of high-quality ORS and zinc treatments and increase awareness for them, said Clinton, currently a doctoral candidate in international relations at the University of Oxford.

Currently, fewer than 2 percent of children in Nigeria have access to the World Health Organization-recommended treatment. Increasing the number of children with access to the therapy to 80 percent by 2015 would help prevent an estimated 220,000 deaths in Nigeria.

"I would like to see us make real, measurable progress here in Nigeria and in the other countries where we are working on ORS zinc," said Clinton, including Uganda and parts of India, as part of the Clinton Health Access Initiative's new push to improve access to essential medicines for children.

"For me, it's not complicated. We know what works and we should be doing more of it. And when we don't know what works, we should be innovating and spending time and energy on designing these solutions to solve problems that haven't been solved yet," said Clinton.

"That is what I love about the work CHAI does and the work of the foundation more broadly," she said.

BRINGING COMPANIES ON BOARD

As part of its push, CHAI is meeting with companies like Unilever, which has big distribution networks in Nigeria, to get the message out on ORS zinc, Clinton said.

The hope is to increase demand for the treatment and drive down costs, which should put the price of a single dose of the treatment at about $0.50.

CHAI began working in Nigeria in 2007 with efforts in the Niger Delta to bolster the region's HIV/AIDS infrastructure, which has helped increase pediatric HIV testing by 350 percent, and resulted in a 70 percent increase in pediatric access to powerful antiretroviral drugs.

Clinton conceded that diarrhea treatment is something many people would rather not talk about.

"It makes them feel squeamish," she said, adding, "It's important that we shine a light on these problems and then get to the business of solving them."

Clinton said it's hard to know just how much of her interest in charitable work has been influenced by the careers of her powerful parents, but in a way, it doesn't much matter.

"I couldn't imagine not doing work like this," she said. I define success in my life by how much of a difference have I made in a given day, whether that is being a good wife to my husband, a good daughter to my parents, a good friend to my friends, or helping push forward our work at CHAI or the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or any other facet of the foundation."

"I couldn't imagine it any other way, and I don't want to."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chelsea-clinton-steps-fight-diarrhea-deaths-nigeria-052153375.html

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Wisconsin's August Unemployment Rate Up to 7.5% | All About ...

Posted by William Anders on October 15th, 2012Rating 9.0 ?Outstanding

The State of Wisconsin?s unemployment rate was reporting at 7.5% in August 2012. This is a 0.2% increase over the prior month and is the 4th straight month with an increase. There were about 229,000 unemployed individuals in Wisconsin during the month. This is an increase of about 4,800 over July 2012. The number of employed workers also fell by approximately 11,500 and the total civilian workforce went down by approximately 6,700workers . The impact of these statistics is the increase in Wisconsin?s unemployment rate in August.

The current August 2012 unemployment rate is nearly back up to where it was one year ago in August 2011 (7.6%). Back in August 2011 there were around 232,000 workers unemployed in the State. This is only slightly higher than the current unemployment number by roughly 2,500. Moreover, the number of employed people in the state is only about 6,600 higher in August 2012 vs. 2011. Since last August the rate went down to a low of 6.8% in March 2012, before gradually increasing again to the current 7.5%.

Though the State as a whole saw a higher rate in August, a lot of Wisconsin?s business types saw employment gains during the month. Included in this trend were Construction, Information, Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality, Government, and a major gain in Education & Health Services. Industries that were down for the month of August included Manufacturing, Trade Transportation and Utilities, Other Services and Financial Activities. The largest 12 month gain was seen by Information ( 3.5%). The biggest 12 month decrease was experienced by Construction (-5.1%). The business types with the biggest employment numbers for Wisconsin continues to be Trade Transportation and Utilities with approximately 508,400 employed in August.

The majority of the neighboring states in the area also had increases in their unemployment rates in recent months. The State of Minnesota?s unemployment rate rose 0.1% in August to 5.9% (a high for 2012). The State of Illinois also saw it?s rate go up 0.2% to 9.1%. Both the States of Indiana (8.3%) and Iowa (5.5%) were also up in August. Lastly, the State of Michigan experienced a big gain of 0.4% to 9.4% in the month of August (which is the highest rate in that state since November 2011).

In approximately a month the employment numbers will be released for WI for September 2012. When they are available, we?ll review the statistics and see how Wisconsin measures up. Additionally remember that formerly released employment numbers can be changed at a later date.

If you need assistance with WI Unemployment please check out the Wisconsin Unemployment HQ today!

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Under Topics: business, careers, finance, job search, jobs, unemployment, unemployment rate, wi unemployment, wisconsin unemployment,

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Source: http://www.vvy.in/finance/wisconsins-august-unemployment-rate-up-to-7-5/41800/

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Shane Watson to return home early from Champions League T20 ...

Shane Watson to return home early from Champions League T20 ? Cricket News Update

Australian all-rounder Shane Watson is set to return home early from the Champions League T20 tournament in South Africa to manage workload and prepare for the longer format of the game ahead of the home Test series against the World No. 1 Proteas, commencing next month.

Watson, 31, has not played in the longest format of the game since April this year. He also missed the ODI series against Pakistan in August due to a calf injury, which he had sustained during tour of England in July.

He has been playing T20 cricket since returning to the field last month and has been key contributor for the Aussies with bat and ball. He was adjudged as the Player of the tournament in the recently concluded ICC World T20 championship in Sri Lanka, despite his side?s semi-final ouster.

Currently he is in South Africa playing for the Sydney Sixers in the latest edition of the CLT20, and scored 46 for his team during their 14-run win over the former champions Chennai Super Kings.

The champions league made him miss the start of the 2012/13 Sheffield Shield trophy, where he plays for New South Wales.

But with the crucial Test series against Australia approaching, the Cricket Australia management on Monday decided to recall the veteran all-rounder early from the CLT20, amid fears of burnout and lack of practice in the longer form of the game.

Cricket Australia?s chief executive James Sutherland on Monday said that considering Watson's injury prone body, his workload was being monitored closely and was expected to return home sometime this week.

"We're concerned about Shane. His injury record is unfortunate and what that tells us is that we need to monitor him and manage him very carefully," Sutherland told media reporters.

"The priority will be for him to get himself right as possible ... to give him a little bit of a break, then give him a little bit of therapy...give him opportunity to play a Shield game and at least play with the red ball."

"I think it's reasonably well known that it's likely he won't see the tournament out...he's the sort of player who can win series and certainly win Test matches for Australia," he added further.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Shane-Watson-to-return-home-early-from-Champions-League-T20-Cricket-News-Update-a194815

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How presidential campaigns know what you're reading online

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Jacksonville Goes To College

ImpactJAX Education Initiative?MyJax Chamber of Commerce?http://www.myjaxchamber.com/?working to mentor high school?students to focus on college?entrance and graduation.

?The strength of the United States is not the
gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass
destruction that we have, but the sum total
of the education of our people.? Claiborne Pell

The importance of a college education can be
seen in the increased demands of employers in
education, commerce, finance, law, science,
engineering and other disciplines. Careers require
more than a secondary education; higher education
is needed for professional development and
professional advancement. Higher educational
degrees provide more job stability and access to
diverse employment options.

Advances in technology, the need for critical thinking
skills, problem solving ability, management of data
and understanding statistical references are required
skills; creating the ability to be productive and
competitive in an expanding global economy.
No longer will students compete against their fellow
classmates for employment or college entrance, they
will be competing against youth from other cities,
states and countries.

High school students have the availability of Advanced
Placement Courses, STEM, access to college classes during
their Junior and Senior years even before graduating from
secondary education (Dual Enrollment), Virtual Education.
The access to grants, scholarships, fellowships and other
financial resources is very competitive for obtaining financial
aid to attend higher education.
Competing for entrance into higher education institutions is
another area that students must be prepared for. Students must
not only have high academic success, but involved in community
organizations, civic activities and even a certain level of
political participation. Students must be cautious of their
Social Local and Mobile technology usage and online content
because this is their first impression that the world will have
of them.

Students are expected to make a ?name? for themselves that
generates confidence, leadership, the ability to work well with
a team along with the ability to multitask and seek continued
educational opportunities. Learning never stops and the best
economic package for anyone is to graduate with a high school
diplomas and working to earn a higher educational degree.

?Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one
generation to another.? G. K. Chesterton

According to the Jacksonville Public Education Fund
http://www.jaxpef.org/ ?6 in 10 jobs in Florida will require
some postsecondary training by 2018,? as a teacher of over
20 years in public and higher education, this time line has
drastically decreased. In 2012 employers are requiring that in
many careers workers obtain a bachelors degree to remain
employed and advanced degrees for higher pay, higher incentives
and economic stability.

This type of information is shared with student and students are
encouraged from eight grade to seniors in high school to attend
Duval County Public Schools? Jacksonville Goes to College event.

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people
who prepare for it today." Malcolm X

The Jacksonville National College Fair, admission is FREE and
parking is FREE encourages students in grades eight to twelfth to
attend with their families. This opportunity is to provide a wealth of
information about the processes and expectations to attend college.

Duval County Public Schools and the City of Jacksonville present
Jacksonville Goes to College.
Saturday October 13, 2012
Jacksonville National College Fair
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Prime Osborn Convention Center, 1000 Water Street
For more information about the college fair, please visit:
www.duvalschools.org

Source: http://arlington.firstcoastnews.com/news/community-spirit/84265-jacksonville-goes-college

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More New Books on the Common Core | | Recent Book Acquisitions ...

October 15, 2012

The Common Core is one of the hottest topics out there.? Here are some new books the HBLL has just acquired on the standards which offer a variety of perspectives of the core and its implementation.

Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement by Lucy Calkins.? Portsmouth, NH: Heineman, 2012.? Call number: LB 3060.83 .C36 2012 ?? A practical guide designed to help teachers bridge the gap between their current practice in literacy teaching and the common core.

A Creative Approach to Common Core Standards: The DaVinci Curriculum by Harry Chaucer.? Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2012.? Call number: LB 1628.5 .C43 2012? ? Shows how teachers can help students embrace their creativity while at the same time implementing the common core.

Leading the Common Core State Standards: From Common Sense to Common Practice by Cheryl Dunkle.? Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2012.? Call number: LB 3060.83 .D87 2012 ? A practical guide for leaders who must implement the common core.

Sensible Mathematics: A Guide for School Leaders in the Era of Common Core State Standards by Steve Leinwand.? Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2012.? Call number:? QA 11 .L45 2012 ? Shows teachers how to make shifts in curriculum to implement the common core.

Source: http://lib.byu.edu/sites/education/2012/10/15/more-new-books-on-the-common-core/

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Apigian-Kessel: I Can't Walk, but I Sure Can Talk | Armenian Weekly

Perhaps I missed my readers more than they missed me. But I can tell you this: I take my responsibility of cranking out a Weekly column very seriously, so yes, the Beat will go on. I do it to honor our martyrs, coupled with my desire to inform and entertain faithful subscribers of this newspaper, which has been important to the Armenian community for so many years.

It took a terrible fall to render me unable me to write my column. My trip in an emergency vehicle to Henry Ford Fairlane Hospital and X-rays revealed a seriously sprained left ankle. And, as it was said in an old John Wayne movie, ?You can?t walk with one leg.?

Sat., Sept. 15, was going to be an afternoon full of events for my husband and I. We departed one social obligation in Dearborn some 20 miles from our home and were headed to another at St. Sarkis Church, also in Dearborn. It was called a ?Family Party,? with dinner and games for the kids. Fate determined there would be no party for me.

As usual Bob dropped me off in front of the church while he left to park the vehicle, a big red Chevy pickup. I entered through the door that leads to the church hall. I could hear the happy voices that had already filled the hall. I held the wooden railing firmly with my left hand and in the other was my cane.

But, before I knew it I soon found myself face down on the floor, having falling from the top of the several steps, tangled in my own legs. Embarrassed? Yes. My immediate thought was to right myself, but found I could not stand up. I was in severe pain and the left foot began to swell noticeably.

A crowd began to gather, offering aid as my husband entered to discover my predicament. He appeared to be in shock at the sight of me on the floor. Soon Greg Vartanian and Mike Rizzizo picked me up, setting me on a chair. Bob agreed with Greg?s suggestion that a trip in an EMS unit should be taken to determine the extent of the injury. I was overcome with pain.

My tears began to flow while Rose Mouradian tried to keep my nerves under control, instructing me to focus on her as she kept saying, ?Look at me, Betty. Look at me.? She calmed me down saying there was nothing to be embarrassed about. It was a case of a graceful entry gone bad.

Sirens roaring, they loaded me in the vehicle, and off we went to emergency. Vitals were taken and the elevated blood pressure was said to be normal because of the accident. Within a few hours and an applied ice pack, a pair of crutches, and instruction sheets in hand, two men placed me in George Krikorian?s SUV. George had been our guardian angel through the whole ordeal, volunteering to drive my husband to the hospital and remaining there with us for the duration. He was stern in his instructions to ?Stay positive? and to think pleasant thoughts. He was a Godsend.

Laying on the gurney and trying to take George?s advice, I attempted to focus on being at Grand Haven on Lake Michigan with my feet dug in the warm summer sand as I gazed out on the beautiful blue water. The pain was still too much.

I still do not know how I managed to get into George?s vehicle, but with his wife Anne and grand daughter Alli along, they drove me all the way back home to Bloomfield Township with Bob following.

I crawled up the back door stairs on my knees, and with a pillow I slid my way to the living room and my leather lounger. There was nothing graceful about all of this.

It has been a very hectic 27 days filled with much discomfort. I have never been confined this long for any reason and those who know me know I don?t take well to being shut in. I am a butterfly whose wings have been temporarily clipped.

My saving grace through all this has been my cadre of friends and loved ones who have stood by my side with endless phone calls, Get Well cards, and unbelievably delicious meals that could feed an army. You all know who you are and you have my sincere thanks for your thoughtfulness and offers of help of any kind. You must know how appreciated all of your attention is. Times like this show the character of your friends.

My allotted cell phone time of 450 minutes expired within two days of the fall. The house phone, too, was pressed into service.

I received regular medical attention from good friend and registered nurse Mary Jo Agbabian. She reported my progress and condition to her very caring husband, Dr. Vahagn Agbabian. What more could a shut-in ask for? We shared tea and sympathy. She arrived with a precious stash of northern Michigan cherry jelly, kourabia, and a rose-filled bud vase. She became, as she says, the entertainment committee.

Bob has held up quite well under the brunt of the ordeal. He has vacuumed, done the laundry and the grocery shopping, and made trips to the pharmacy. He even learned to make green bean stew, and it was just as tasty as mine.

Most of my time was spent flat on my back in bed. I still am not comfortable with even a sheet on my swollen black and blue ankle. I look forward to being back in action. So much is going on in the Armenian community and I cannot attend any of these functions. This too shall pass, but not soon enough. The emergency room physician said it could take six weeks or longer to recover and to stay off my feet. Longer? Heaven forbid. On that note, I appreciate the candles lit in church for me for a quick recovery. I hope the message got through to God.

Source: http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/10/12/apigian-kessel-i-cant-walk-but-i-sure-can-talk/

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Backers, critics of Egypt president clash in Cairo

Protesters throw stones after scuffles broke out between groups of protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, hurling stones and concrete and swinging sticks at each other in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters throw stones after scuffles broke out between groups of protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, hurling stones and concrete and swinging sticks at each other in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters help an injured man clutching a Guy Fawkes mask after scuffles broke out between groups of protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, hurling stones and concrete and swinging sticks at each other in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester throws a stone after scuffles broke out between groups of protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, hurling stones and concrete and swinging sticks at each other in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester throws a stone after scuffles broke out between groups of protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, hurling stones and concrete and swinging sticks at each other in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester throws a stone after scuffles broke out between groups of several hundred protesters in Tahrir square when chants against the new Islamist president angered some in the crowd in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Oct. 12, 2012. The scuffles between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi reflect deep political divisions among the country?s 82 million people, more than a year after the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago, as liberal and secular activists erupted with anger accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to take over the country.

The two sides hurled stones and chunks of concrete and beat each other with sticks for several hours, leaving more than 100 injured, according to the state news agency. Two buses used by the Brotherhood to bring in supporters were set aflame behind the Egyptian Museum, the repository of the country's pharaonic antiquities, and thick black smoke billowed into the sky in scenes reminiscent of last year's clashes between protesters against the regime of then-leader Hosni Mubarak and his backers.

The melee erupted between two competing rallies in Tahrir. One was by liberal and secular activists to criticize Morsi's failure to achieve promises he had made for first 100 days in power, the other had been called by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The clashes come as criticism among leftists, liberals and secularists against Morsi has been growing since he was inaugurated more than three months ago as Egypt's first freely elected president. Opponents accuse Morsi, the Brotherhood and other Islamists of trying to impose their dominance and Islamize the state, including through the writing of a new constitution.

Some Egyptians are also frustrated that Morsi, a longtime Brotherhood figure, has not done more to resolve the multiple problems facing the country ? from a faltering economy and fuel shortages to tenuous security and uncollected piles of garbage in the streets.

Morsi boasted earlier this week in a nationally televised speech that he had carried out much of what he had promised for his first 100 days, and his supporters say he needs time in the face of overwhelming difficulties inherited from Mubarak's authoritarian and corruption-riddled rule.

One anti-Brotherhood protester in Tahrir, Abdullah Waleed, said he had voted for Morsi in this year's election to prevent his opponent ? a longtime Mubarak loyalist ? from winning.

"Now I regret it because they are just two faces of the same coin," Waleed said. "Morsi has done nothing for the revolution. I want to say I am so sorry for bringing in another repressive regime."

Violence also broke out in the industrial city of Mahalla el-Kobra, a hotbed of regime opponents and labor activists in the Nile Delta renowned for its history of revolts against Mubarak. Protesters torched headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city and set fire to Morsi posters.

Days ago, liberal and leftist groups had called for Friday's protest in Tahrir to demand accountability over Morsi's three-month rule. They also demand greater diversity on the panel tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution, which is packed with Brotherhood members and other Islamists who have proposed provisions opponents say greatly suppress civil liberties.

The Brotherhood called for a separate rally to denounce the acquittals earlier this week of 24 former senior figures from Mubarak's regime who had been accused of organizing a deadly attack on protesters during last year's Jan. 25-Feb.11 wave of protests that led to Mubarak's ouster.

The Brotherhood rally was to call for judicial reforms and to support a move by Morsi on Thursday to remove the prosecutor-general, who has been widely criticized for preparing shoddy cases against Mubarak-era politicians and police. Buses organized by the Brotherhood had brought in supporters from the provinces for the rally.

But the secular camp accused the Brotherhood of holding the gathering to "hijack" the square from their anti-Morsi protest.

The violence erupted when Morsi supporters stormed a stage set up by the rival camp, angered by chants they perceived as insults to the president. The Islamist backers smashed loudspeakers and tore the wooden stage down, witnesses said.

The uproar ensued as more supporters of the liberal-secular rally poured into the square. Young men from both sides tore up chunks of concrete and paving stones to hurl while others hit each other with sticks. Gunshots were heard. Youths making V-for-victory signs with their hands set fire to two empty buses of the Brotherhood.

"My conclusion here is that Morsi is just the president of the Brotherhood, that's all. We are back to square one," since Mubarak's fall, said Sayed al-Hawari, who carried a plank of wood as a shield against the volleys of stones.

A liberal protester, Rania Mohsen, said, "We are here against turning the state to a Brotherhood state .... We do not want to replace the old regime with a new like the old one."

A Morsi supporter, in turn, accused the other camp of being "thugs" who chanted against the leader of the Brotherhood and harassed the Islamists during noon prayers in Tahrir.

"We have to give Morsi a chance," 19-year-old Moez Naggar, said. "The more protests we have, the less we can expect from him."

A schoolteacher who said he belongs to the Brotherhood expressed dismay over the violence, saying he was surprised by the other camp's anger at Morsi. Sherif Mahmoud pointed to Morsi's attempt to remove the prosecutor-general, who many across the ideological spectrum have said should be sacked.

"The prosecutor general is a corrupt man," Mahmoud said. "The president is moving step by step."

Around nightfall, fighting stopped as the Brotherhood supporters left the square in buses.

Rashad Bayoumi, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told The Associated Press that the scene around Tahrir Square "is something everyone is ashamed of."

He said Brotherhood members did not take part in the clashes and that the group was there simply to demand judicial independence. Still, the clashes stopped at the time when the Brotherhood's party ordered its members to leave the square at 6 p.m.

Morsi was in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, for Friday prayers where he pledged that former regime figures would be brought to justice despite Wednesday's verdicts.

The 24 were acquitted of organizing the so-called "Camel Battle," an incident on Feb. 2, 2011, when a crowd of Mubarak supporters ?including assailants on horses and camels ? attacked protesters holding a sit-in in Tahrir to demand his ouster. Two days of fighting ensued, leaving nearly a dozen dead.

"All segments of Egypt's society were deprived of many rights" under Mubarak, Morsi told a crowd of supporters. "And the biggest right deprived of us was the right to freedom."

Following the acquittals, Morsi on Thursday moved to dismiss the country's Mubarak-appointed prosecutor general by moving him to the position of ambassador to the Vatican. However, the prosecutor, Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud, refused to step down and vowed to remain in his post, as law gives immunity to the prosecutor general from being ousted by the president.

Morsi's move also angered judges, who held overnight an emergency meeting denouncing the attempt to remove Mahmoud.

Many blame the prosecutor for frequent acquittals of police and Mubarak-era officials over the past year, saying he put together shoddy cases. Egyptians were also disappointed in what they saw as a weak verdict in the trial against Mubarak. He is serving a life sentence for failing to stop the killing of protesters last year, but prosecutors did not prove he ordered killings and he was cleared of corruption charges.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-12-Egypt/id-a41a338247d64f2ea167d6b0e5c2dae6

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BNI Mega Meetup Group | BNI Santa Rosa, CA | Business Networking

BNI North Bay Social is a new meetup group open to all North Bay BNI members where you can meet people from other chapters. This isn?t an official BNI group, but it?s for BNI members only. You might recognize co-organizer Mickey Griffith from the Referral Institute in the member list. It?s free to join on meetup.com.

Source: http://milliondollarchapter.com/2012/10/bni-mega-meetup-group/

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Puny issues take flight in presidential campaign (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Romney: "Completely Wrong" on 47 Percent Comment

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/romney-completely-wrong-on-47-percent-comment/

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The Power of Positive Affirmations | lyricalconcepts.com

I?ve been a spiritual seeker for many years now and I?ve always been interested in reading books about spirituality, self-improvement, healing and learning as much as I could for quite some time. I feel like I?ve been blessed by aligning myself with some of the best spiritual teachers through workshops and individual counseling sessions. I?ve had to overcome a lot of obstacles in my life, due to family issues, and I needed a lot of guidance.

One of my mentors was a counselor in Houston, Texas. I spent almost ten years working with this woman who whole-heartedly believed in the power of affirmations. It was sort of like going to confession in the Catholic Church. We would have our session where we would talk about issues, and then I would be assigned my so called homework. Instead of ten ?Hail Mary?s? and five ?Our Father?s?, it would be to write this affirmation 25 times: ?I begin to bless everything that comes into my life as good, good, good.? Then I would write this affirmation in first person with ?I?, second person: ?You begin?, and third person: ?Laureen, begins to.? The reasoning is that yes, I need to affirm myself. When writing in second person, it?s as if someone that I trust is talking right to me. In third person, it?s as if it were written, and already true.

Over the course of 10 years, I have written thousands of affirmations. I?ve written affirmations of healing from past childhood traumas, healing of relationships, healing from a divorce and healing from career changes. I was basically reprogramming my conscious and subconscious negative thoughts into positive ?affirming? thoughts. Instead of believing in a ?negative belief? that no longer works for me, I worked on accepting and affirming the ?positive? experiences from the situation.

In the beginning, I would complain that my hands would get tired from all the writing, but the repetition imprints the affirmation into the subconscious mind. Also, the more times you write an affirmation, the more emotionally involved you get. How can you write ?I am healthy in mind, body and spirit? dozens of times, without believing it? Writing, helps you believe it, feel it, and reprogram your mind.

I?ve written affirmations down in journals and post-it-notes around the house. I?ve typed in affirmations on my computer and printed some of them in large type and pasted it to my wall, such as: ?The more money I spend, the more money I receive from the Universe?. I tend to like this one a lot! I?ve even taped myself speaking affirmations, so I can listen at home, while I?m doing yoga. I find there isn?t such a thing as too much. We spend so much of our lives in negative surroundings, whether that be at work, or at home, with our family, friends or even watching TV.

When I was in music school, I was a vocal performance major. I use to hear all the time from various students (some instrumentalists), ?I can?t sing.? Well, who told them they couldn?t sing, and why did they believe it? I?ve found through years of singing, performing and teaching, that very few people are actually tone deaf. So, why do so many people believe they can?t sing? It?s because someone told them to be quiet in church when they were singing, and from then on, they adopted a negative belief system about singing. Just because they may not have had a pretty voice, or a professional voice, is not the same thing as they ?can?t sing?. I found myself coaching a few of these people for my sight-singing class, and lo and behold, they could it.

Not all of us can afford coaches, or counselors, or professionals to help us. But, one thing we can do is help ourselves by working with affirmations. The one great thing about affirmations, is that there is so much information out on the Internet about affirmations. What I like to do is to search through a lot of written affirmations in healing, prosperity, health, career, relationship issues, and find the ones that I like. Then I re-word the affirmation into something that feels right to me. I always make sure that the affirmation is written in the ?present? tense and that it is positive and specific.

Some affirmations have a bit of a ?charge? let?s say. What I mean by a ?charge? is that you are stating something positive, but you?re feeling some negative emotions as you write. All this means, is that somehow, you?re not quite sure you actually believe this, and there is some healing to do in this area. As you keep writing the affirmation, there can be a whole series of emotions flowing, if you allow yourself to go through the process. The experts say that the subconscious mind doesn?t know what is real, or not real. So, why not give ourselves the best positive belief system, to replace the negative beliefs we?ve adopted through the course of life? Changing our beliefs, is like giving ourselves a new life, a new outlook and a new future that?s based on positive beliefs.

When I was going through a difficult time in my life, I use to write ?I now release all fears and resentments?, over and over again. It was difficult, because I was in fear, and I had a lot of resentments. I was tired of being depressed. I was tired of being fearful. What I had to do, was reprogram myself into releasing these negative feelings, so that I could live a joyful life. Even though, I didn?t initially believe that I could actually ?let go? of those negative emotions, the more times I wrote the affirmation, the more relaxed I became.

I love affirmations so much, that I buy CD?s and audio downloads of so many wonderful teachers and healers, and I usually play them when I meditate or go to sleep. I find that continued use of affirmations changes my outlook, my productivity, and my joy and happiness. I even subscribe to a number of e-mail subscriptions from Unity?s Daily Word and Joel Osteen. I find that immersing myself in positive affirmations has helped me to grow significantly and has healed many wounds. I am now a much more joyful and positive person than I?ve ever been in my whole life.

My new affirmation of the day is ?I choose positive words and experience positive results.? Have a great day!

Source: http://lyricalconcepts.com/?p=8

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The Expendables 2 Blu-ray ships November 20th and is the first one with 11.1 channel DTS Neo:X audio

Just when we were getting used to 7.1 channel surround sound audio tracks on our movies, our friends at High Def Disc News have pointed out Lionsgate's announcement of The Expendables 2 on Blu-ray that cranks the audio up to 11 -- 11.1 to be exact. The extra channels come courtesy of the new DTS Neo:X codec which includes support for speakers in the front mounted both high and wide to create more of a 3D audio effect that can simulate planes flying overhead or a car driving past. While those who have upgraded their receivers and added extra speakers will mostly experience the effect thanks to upmixing, it does allow for an 11.1 audio track with the extra channel info matrixed into a standard 7.1 audio track.

Of course, with a supercharged action flick like TE2 there should be plenty of explosions to give any audio system a workout, and now we have one more reason to check it out when it's released November 20th (just beating the also Neo:X ready Step Up Revolution to the punch.) Beyond the audio there's also several making-of featurettes if you need more Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme in your life, plus UltraViolet and regular Digital Copy; all of which is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $27.99. Check out a press release with all the specs plus a theatrical trailer for the movie and a video explaining DTS Neo:X audio after the break.

Continue reading The Expendables 2 Blu-ray ships November 20th and is the first one with 11.1 channel DTS Neo:X audio

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

The Expendables 2 Blu-ray ships November 20th and is the first one with 11.1 channel DTS Neo:X audio originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/the-expendables-2-blu-ray-dts-neo-x-11.1/

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Armstrong renews criticism of USADA

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? With U.S. anti-doping officials set to issue their report on the Lance Armstrong case, a lawyer for the cyclist on Tuesday again criticized the process which led to Armstrong being banned from the sport for life.

In a five-page letter to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman said the agency should send the International Cycling Union its entire evidence file in the Armstrong case, not just a limited report packaged to support the sanctions.

USADA officials have said they expect to send their "reasoned decision" report to UCI this week.

"The rules require us to provide a reasoned decision in every case and we are happy to let the evidence speak for itself," USADA spokesperson Annie Skinner said.

Herman's letter accused USADA of acting as "prosecutor, judge, jury, appellate court and executioner" in issuing a "biased, one-sided and untested version of events."

Armstrong, who insists he never cheated and points to hundreds of passed drug tests, could have challenged the evidence in a USADA arbitration hearing. But after he lost a federal lawsuit to block USADA's case, Armstrong announced Aug. 23 he would longer fight doping allegations that dogged most of his career.

The 41-year-old Armstrong retired in 2011. Armstrong won the Tour de France each year from 1999 to 2005, but USADA said those victories are now erased when it banned him.

USADA says it has strong evidence of drug use by Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teams, including steroids, blood boosters and other blood-doping techniques. The agency says as many as 10 former teammates were willing to testify against him.

Also charged and awaiting an arbitration hearing are former team director Johan Bruyneel and a member of the team's medical staff.

Among the witnesses against Armstrong are Floyd Landis, whose 2006 Tour de France title was stripped after he was caught using steroids, and Tyler Hamilton, who also was caught doping in his career. Hamilton recently wrote a book detailing his drug use and allegations that Armstrong took steroids and blood boosters when they were teammates.

"USADA will no doubt accept the stories told by Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton as gospel," Herman wrote, adding "A 'reasoned decision' would include all prior inconsistent statements by these witnesses."

Herman's letter also recounted part of Armstrong's lawsuit that was dismissed by a federal judge in August ? that USADA did not have jurisdiction to pursue the case and that it violated its own 8-year statute of limitations.

The letter also noted that the law firm hired by USADA has also done work for tobacco companies, which have fought against anti-smoking legislation that Armstrong has supported in several states, most recently in California.

The Armstrong case has caused a tug of war in the sport. The International Cycling Union challenged USADA's authority to bring the case against Armstrong. The World Anti-Doping Agency has supported USADA's authority in the case.

After receiving the report, the UCI could appeal the sanctions against Armstrong to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/armstrong-renews-criticism-usada-191342431--spt.html

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Five things to watch in the presidential debate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The debate between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Wednesday marks the first time the two candidates will be able to challenge each other directly on the economic issues that have been the focus of the presidential campaign.

Viewers should be able to determine how each candidate fares by keeping an eye on the following five factors:

* ROMNEY ON OFFENSE, OBAMA ON DEFENSE

With less than six weeks to go until the election, Romney is under pressure to deliver a performance that shifts the momentum in his direction.

Obama, on the other hand, merely needs to avoid a catastrophic performance that could cause independent voters to reassess their support.

Both are experienced and competent debaters, but neither appears to enjoy the give and take that occurs at these events.

For each candidate, the challenge will be to rattle their opponent enough to prompt an off-script outburst.

"Obama just wants to avoid any big mistakes. Typically candidates are undone more by their own mistakes than by the successes of their opponents, the witty ripostes or devastating one liners of their opponents," said George Washington University political science professor John Sides.

"For Romney, there's more pressure and he really needs the debate to change the dynamic of the race."

* EYES NEVER LIE

Television is a visual medium, and the body language of the candidates can have a bigger impact than their words.

Democratic Vice President Al Gore's repeated sighs in a 2000 debate with George W. Bush turned voters off, while Bush drew negative attention in 2004 when he scowled while his Democratic opponent John Kerry spoke. Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, looked at his watch in a 1992 debate, a move that many interpreted as impatient and aloof.

Obama and Romney want to avoid obvious missteps like these, but more subtle signals can also signal to viewers that candidates aren't on the level.

Shoulder shrugs indicate uncertainty, a wrinkled upper lip signals disgust, and eye blinking, either too much or too little, can convey stress, said body-language expert Janine Driver, author of "You Can't Lie to Me."

On the other hand, a candidate conveys confidence when he turns his body to face his opponent.

"We'll see them face each other when they think they're going to knock it out of the park," Driver said. "I call it 'navel intelligence.'"

* WHO WINS THE FIRST ROUND?

Alert viewers will be able to get a sense of how the debate will play in the news media by watching the first 30 minutes closely, although the impact of the debate probably won't register in opinion polls until several days after the event.

Candidates need to establish their themes and launch their most important attacks early in the debate, while reporters and analysts are still forming their impressions about how the debate is going, according to former Gore adviser Ron Klain.

"While you can lose a debate at any time, you can only win it in the first 30 minutes," Klain wrote in a memo for the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way.

* THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

Both candidates have charged each other with playing fast and loose with the facts, and each will try to pin their opponent down on areas where they think they are vulnerable.

Obama frequently charges that Romney's tax and budget plans "don't add up." Expect Obama to challenge Romney to explain which tax loopholes he would close in order to lower income tax rates without adding to budget deficits.

"His tax plan seems to be to just extend tax cuts for the highest income. He has 90 minutes to give specifics," Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week.

Romney, meanwhile, has indicated that he plans to press Obama when the president strays from the truth. He will have to do so without directly calling the president a liar - a move that could backfire among independent voters.

"Am I going to spend my time correcting things that aren't quite accurate? Or am I going to spend my time talking about the things I want to talk about?" Romney said earlier this month.

* WILL ROMNEY THROW BUSH UNDER THE BUS?

Romney has tried to make the election a referendum on Obama's economic stewardship, but many voters still pin the blame for the sluggish economy and high unemployment on his predecessor in the White House, Republican George W. Bush.

"Until Governor Romney can show why his policies would be different from Bush's policies, then we think it is highly unlikely that he can win," Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Brian Gardner wrote in a research note.

The conservative National Review says Romney should acknowledge that problems like the mounting national debt and the Byzantine tax code were in place long before Obama took office, but argue the current president has failed to fix them.

Taking on the Bush legacy will be tricky. The 43rd president remains an unpopular figure with the public at large, but an out-an-out repudiation could anger Romney's core Republican supporters.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/five-things-watch-presidential-debate-173637447.html

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NHL and players meet again

NEW YORK (AP) ? The NHL and the players association started meetings for the second consecutive day in an attempt to end the ongoing lockout.

The sides were not expected to discuss the core economic issues on Saturday that are at the root of the dispute that threatens the start of the regular season.

Some progress was made on Friday on secondary issues related to player safety and drug testing, areas that weren't expected to be contentious.

On Friday, the league and union held two sessions that totaled about five hours and included a private meeting between Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr.

"I wish we had spent today on what we consider to be the more meaningful issues, but it is what it is," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said on Friday. "We really need to hear from the players' association on those. We need some kind of sign that they are prepared to compromise their economic position because we haven't had that since Aug. 14.

"We'll see if we get there."

At least they got back to talking ? which hadn't happened since a few days before the NHL locked out its players on Sept. 16.

"It was a good day," Daly said. "We went through a lot of the areas we'd covered over the summer. We started closing off some agreements in some areas, and some continued areas of disagreements in others. It's part of the process."

All of the issues, big and small, must be ironed out before hockey can get out of the board room and back on the ice. So while the divisive topics still need to be tackled, the smaller ones have to be worked on, too.

That was the goal on Friday, and will continue to be this weekend when talks continued at the league's New York office.

"I don't want to use the adjective optimistic, but it was a productive discussion," NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr said on Friday. "We had a good session, and hopefully it will continue and build momentum."

A handful of players also took part in Friday's talks.

When the sides talk this weekend, they still aren't expected to dive into the splitting up of hockey-related revenue.

Players received 57 percent of the net hockey-related revenues in the previous collective bargaining agreement, and owners want to bring that number down under 50 percent.

The sides aren't moving closer to a compromise while they talk about other issues.

And that is where the frustration lies. The NHL is waiting for the players' association to make a counterproposal to one the league made in the previous bargaining session more than two weeks ago.

"We can't make them talk about what they don't want to talk about," Daly said. "In fairness, we do have to cover these issues if we're going to reach an agreement. What we're doing today is important, it's just not the most important things we can be doing.

"We've made at least two consecutive moves in significant dollars in their direction, and they haven't moved a single dollar in our direction since Aug. 4."

Former player Mathieu Schneider, now an NHLPA special assistant to the executive director, said Friday morning that there were agreements on more rigorous drug testing, expanding it to parts of the year during which testing is not currently done.

Neither side sees the use of performance-enhancing drugs as a problem in the NHL.

"We're in agreement that it's not an issue in our sport," Schneider said. "I think it's in the players' best interest as well as the sport to close off any possible time during the year where players could use."

Monetary issues are not expected to come up for discussion in this round of talks. Neither side has indicated it is prepared to make a new offer now regarding how to split up the more than $3 billion annual pot of hockey-related revenue.

"In general, when you're dealing with collective bargaining, when you start to have agreements on smaller issues, it can lead to bigger issues," Schneider said, "but it's still too early to say."

The lockout was put in place on Sept. 16 and Saturday's talks come two days after the league canceled the remaining preseason games. The regular season is to start Oct. 11.

If a deal isn't reached soon, regular-season games will be in danger of being lost. The NHL canceled the entire 2004-05 season because of a lockout that eventually led to the collective bargaining agreement that expired this month.

"The calendar continues to tick along," Daly said. "My guess is as time goes on, regular-season games are at risk. I don't think it can be any more urgent than where we are now. We've had that level of urgency for a long time. In some respects you can meet all you want, but if there is no compromise or no movement or no new proposals I am not sure at the end of the day what you're meeting over.

"There is a very high degree of urgency certainly on our side. I can't speak for their side, but I am sure they would tell you there is a degree of urgency there, too."

Steve Fehr contended that the players' association is willing to discuss any issues at any time to try to make a deal soon.

"We can discuss the core issues whenever they want to do it," he said. "Bargaining is not ping pong. There are no rules on who has to serve."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nhl-players-meet-again-151714141--nhl.html

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