Early Walt Disney drawing up for auction in Nevada

RENO, Nev. (AP) ? An original, autographed drawing by Walt Disney, believed to have been made about 1920 before he hit it big in the entertainment world, will go up for auction in Reno this week.

The whimsical drawing of a cigar-chomping man wearing a derby hat will be among 1,400 items up for sale at the two-day auction set to begin Tuesday at the Atlantis Casino Resort.

Titled "Fill Up My Can," the illustration has an estimated value of $35,000 to $50,000. It's believed to predate Disney's Mickey Mouse, which made its cartoon debut in 1928.

"Real pieces signed by him (Disney) are really rare," said Fred Holabird of Reno-based Holabird-Kagin Americana, which is staging the auction. "This is one of the earliest known signed Disney pieces, if not the earliest."

The drawing was once owned by Disney's sister, Ruth Disney.

Also up for auction is what's billed as the "first and possibly only known copy" in private hands of the original Nevada Black Book, which features names, information and photos of about a dozen people barred from entering Nevada casinos.

The 11-page book includes mobster Sam Giancana, whose presence at Frank Sinatra's Cal-Neva hotel-casino at Lake Tahoe prompted revocation of the singer's gambling license in the early 1960s.

The book was made by the Nevada Gaming Commission about 1960, and was owned by the state's first gambling officer.

"It represents the first effort to keep illegal people out of Nevada casinos. It's a big step in the way we did business in Nevada," Holabird said, adding the book is expected to fetch up to $5,000.

Also drawing interest is a unique $50 gold coin struck during the California Gold Rush. It's estimated to be worth from $135,000 to $175,000.

"It's the best piece in the auction," Holabird said. "It's one of the first $50 gold coins Augustus Humbert struck when he was appointed U.S. assayer in San Francisco in 1851."

Also up for auction are collections of Old West photos and Mustang Ranch brothel memorabilia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-27-US-Auction-Disney/id-cbc64c11e5854b1c9487eebbc38d54b3

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'Apology communications' the way to go in solving business crisis ...

MANILA, Philippines - Say goodbye to corporate secrecy and censorship, sincere apology is the way to go, according to the latest Asia-Pacific Corporate Social Media Study 2011.

The study, conducted by global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, showed that Asia is now leading the so-called "apology communication" practice in the corporate world when dealing with a business crisis and it proved to be an effective strategy.

Compared to the 2010 APAC corporate social media study, the present findings revealed that the practice of holding secrets or statements by companies experiencing crises is now "outdated" since it only looks weak and defensive, projecting a very negative image in social media.

"Holding statements today by companies is like hiding behind a shield," said Bob Pickard, president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller in APAC.

He adviced that apologies nowadays by companies must be "sincere and genuine" taking into consideration an organization's reputation in today's digital or cloud era.

Pickard shared everything that famously goes wrong is now called a "PR disaster", citing the BP oil spill, Toyota recall, and the Tiger Woods spectacle as few examples. He said that companies, whether they like it or not, will sooner or later experience a crisis as depicted in the study.

Since the study has proven time and again that "crisis is part of a business" Pickard said there is a need to plan sufficiently on how to deal with it especially in communicating through social media.

?To reach and persuade stakeholders today, it is not just the vocabulary and tone of corporate marketing and communications that must evolve,? Pickard said. ?More important, companies must adopt a mindset that puts listening and acting genuinely and transparently front and centre. And, they must understand how to deal with negative feedback expressed publicly that could resonate and escalate.?

Pickard added that visits in corporate websites continue to decline yearly and it is now essential for businesses to embrace the new media to be able to deal well a business crisis.

The study showed Asia has dramatically improved its engagement in social media since last year. Figures revealed 80% of global companies went digital in 2010 compared to only 40% in Asia.

However, the 2011 figures showed a double increase in size of Asian companies that went digital, now pegged at 80% compared to 84% by global firms.

Pickard said almost any corporation or NGO now can become a media company and so there is now a dire need for more "professional story-tellers" or journalists within firms that could serve as members of a dedicated digital team.

This, as the sheer size of communities has become a communications management challenge and the key is to simplify the complexity of digital story-telling.

An exclusive affiliate of local PR firm Strategic Edge Inc., Burson-Marsteller's APAC social media study 2011 is a review and analysis of social media activity by 120 major companies across 12 markets in APAC, composed of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=752250&publicationSubCategoryId=200

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Russians to cut Putin's party majority in vote: poll (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? Russians will strip Vladimir Putin's ruling party of its huge majority in parliament at the December 4 election, narrowing the paramount leader's room for legislative maneuver when he returns to the Kremlin, a leading pollster predicted on Friday.

Based on its last major opinion survey before the election, Russia's biggest independent pollster said the United Russia party would win about 252-253 places in the 450-seat lower house of parliament, down from the 315 it has now.

If the party's majority is cut to 28 seats, Putin could still push through laws after the March 4 presidential vote he is almost certain to win, but he would have to enlist other parties' support for big changes like constitutional amendments.

The decline in support reflects what pollsters say is a sense of fatigue with the entrenched party and even with Putin, whose approval ratings remain high but who was jeered in public at a martial arts fight in Moscow last Sunday.

"The feeling is rising that the elections are being manipulated, are dishonest, and that is delegitimizing the entire system of power," said Lev Gudkov, director of Levada-Center which carried out the poll.

"United Russia is conducting quite a weak electoral campaign," Gudkov told reporters in Moscow.

"It doesn't really have much of a program."

Putin has tasked President Dmitry Medvedev with leading United Russia into the parliamentary election, and has hinted a poor showing by the party could affect his plan to appoint Medvedev as prime minister in a job swap announced in September.

United Russia could cede 50 seats to the Communist Party and the nationalist LDPR, the Levada poll showed.

"Campaign-wise, I don't see much of it actually," said Vitaly, a 30-year-old driver in Moscow who said he supported Putin.

"They give out calendars with the United Russia logo on them, but calendars are not enough. I don't see any party going and talking to people. There needs to be more campaigning."

PUTIN RATING

An outburst of boos and whistling at Putin by fans at a martial arts fight last Sunday, and a sharp fall in opinion poll ratings earlier this month, had raised concerns Putin may be losing his legendary political touch.

Signs of disenchantment with Putin, who ruled as president from 2000-08, are extremely worrying for the Kremlin's political managers: Putin's self-portrayal as the anchor of Russian stability depends on his popularity.

But in Levada's November 18-21 poll, Putin's approval rating rose to 67 percent from a decade low of 61 percent recorded at the beginning of the month. Medvedev's was flat at 62 percent.

"Putin will easily win in the first round because the political field is managed and opponents have been sidelined," Gudkov said of the presidential election, which the upper house of parliament said on Friday would take place on March 4.

Supporters say Putin is popular because he brought order after the chaos which accompanied the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, though opponents say he has crafted a brittle political system too dependent on his own patronage.

Levada predicted the Communist Party would come second in the parliamentary election with about 94 seats, followed by LDPR, winning 59 seats, and the Just Russia party with 44 seats.

"There are a range of polls which show fatigue with this party," said Boris Dubin, an expert at Levada, said of United Russia.

He said there was a perception among voters that United Russia had not "achieved earth-shattering successes in either cementing stability or increasing living standards."

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Alexei Kalmykov and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Steve Gutterman and Sophie Hares)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/wl_nm/us_russia_election_poll

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CHC chair Gonzalez to retire (Politico)

Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will forego reelection in 2012, he announced Friday.

"I still find the job hugely rewarding, but the demands pull me somewhere else," Gonzalez told the San Antonio Express-News on Friday. "I've been in Congress for 14 years and I want to do something else ? what that is I really don't know. But financially I would like to be productive and have the resources to make a better life."

Continue Reading

Gonzalez, a seven-term Democrat, is slated to hold a Saturday press conference in San Antonio to discuss his decision, according to his office.

Gonzalez becomes the 17th House Democrat to announce he will not seek reelection. Seven House Republicans will not seek another term in 2012.

His exit marks the end of an era: a Gonzalez family member has held a seat in the House for more than five decades, and the Gonzalez name is a staple in the San Antonio political world. In 1999, Gonzalez, a former district court judge, succeeded his father, former Rep. Henry Gonzalez, who began his congressional tenure in 1961.

Democrats familiar with Gonzalez's decision say they expect the retirement will have an electoral ripple effect. State Rep. Joaquin Castro will likely run for the seat and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez is expected to run for a nearby district. The filing period for candidates to declare their intentions to run for Congress in Texas opens on Monday.

Gonzalez's decision comes amid high tensions surrounding the state's redistricting process. On Wednesday, a San Antonio-based federal court released a proposed interim congressional map that would position Democrats to gain as many as three seats in the state. The court was tasked with drawing an interim congressional map while a Republican-drawn plan, approved by the state Legislature earlier this year, is in limbo in a Washington, D.C. court over whether it dilutes minority voting strength.

Republicans have complained bitterly about the proposed map, alleging it favors Democrats. On Friday, the San Antonio court denied a request from state Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, to stay the interim plan. Abbott immediately announced that he would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Under the court's proposed map, Gonzalez would have been able to run for an eighth term in a San Antonio-area district that strongly favored a Democrat.

His decision might come as a surprise to some. Gonzalez raised more than $136,000 in the third quarter ? a decent sum that does not typically indicate an impending retirement.

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1111_69117_html/43717282/SIG=11mpkgign/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69117.html

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Putin warns West as he launches presidential bid

MOSCOW?? Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sternly warned the West not to interfere in Russia's elections, as he formally launched his campaign to reclaim the presidency in a speech Sunday before thousands of flag-waving supporters.

Putin stepped down in 2008 after two presidential terms, but kept his hold on power. He announced in September that he intended to return to the top job next year and on Sunday was formally nominated by his United Russia party.

"All our foreign partners need to understand this: Russia is a democratic country, it's a reliable and predictable partner with which they can and must reach agreement but on which they cannot impose anything from the outside," Putin told his audience.

The boisterous party congress, which was televised live, was aimed at boosting support for Putin and his party ahead of parliamentary elections one week away.

Increasingly seen as representing the interests of a corrupt bureaucracy, United Russia has watched its public approval ratings plummet in recent months. The party is still certain to win the Dec. 4 election, but is expected to lose the current two-thirds majority that has allowed it to change the constitution at will.

Putin's decision to swap jobs with President Dmitry Medvedev after the presidential vote in March, presented as a done deal at the party congress in September, also has soured the public mood. Many Russians are afraid that Putin will strengthen his authoritarian tendencies and remain in power for 12 more years to become the longest-serving leader since Communist times.

Sunday's congress began with a steel worker, a businessman, a farmer, a decorated special services officer and a noted film director standing up one after another to praise Putin as the only man capable of leading the country. The 11,000 delegates filling the Moscow sports arena chanted "Putin, Putin" and "The people trust Putin!"

Putin promised Russians stability, a word he repeated often throughout his speech. In countering criticism that he has tightened his control at the expense of democracy, Putin insisted that Russia needs a "stable political system" to guarantee "stable development" for decades to come.

"This is an extremely important task for Russia with its history of upheavals and revolutions," he said.

He used the occasion to lash out at opposition leaders, saying they had brought the country to ruin when they served in the government in the 1990s.

"They killed industry, agriculture and the social sphere," Putin said. "They stabbed the knife of civil war in the very heart of Russia by allowing bloodshed in the North Caucasus. In fact, they led the country to the brink of catastrophe, the edge of a precipice."

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He said Russia wants to develop cooperation with the West, but strongly warned the United States and Europe against paying too much attention to the Kremlin's critics and providing them with financial support.

"We know that ... representatives of some countries meet with those whom they pay money, the so-called grant receivers, give them instructions and guidance for what 'work' they need to do to influence the election campaign in our country," Putin said.

"That's a wasted effort, like throwing money to the winds," he said.

He said those who provide grants to Russian non-governmental organizations "would do better using this money to pay back their domestic debt and stop conducting such a costly and inefficient foreign policy."

Putin promised his countrymen that by maintaining a steady course they would build "a strong, rich and prosperous Russia." Offering something for everyone, he pledged to make it easier to do business, to improve the educational system and health care, to raise taxes on the rich and to bolster the military.

"In the next five to 10 years we must take our armed forces to a qualitatively new level. Of course, this will require big spending .... but we must do this if we want to defend the dignity of our country, if we want to protect our sovereignty and independence, protect Russian citizens."

Putin also said he would pursue his project of forming a Eurasian Union to boost integration between Russia and its neighbors, restoring some of the links that were destroyed when the Soviet Union collapsed 20 years ago.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45452562/ns/world_news-europe/

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NASA rover launched to see if Mars can sustain life (Reuters)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) ? An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Saturday, launching a $2.5 billion nuclear-powered NASA rover toward Mars to look for life habitats there.

The 20-story-tall booster built by United Launch Alliance lifted off from its seaside launch pad at 10:02 a.m. EST (1502 GMT), soaring through partly cloudy skies as it headed into space to send NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on a 354-million mile (556 million km), nearly nine-month journey to the 'Red Planet.'

"It has 'phoned home', and it's on the way to Mars," said NASA launch commentator George Diller, describing how tracking stations successfully picked up the traveling probe's signal after launch.

The car-sized rover nicknamed Curiosity is expected to touch down on Aug. 6, 2012, to begin two years of detailed analysis of a 96-mile (154-km) wide impact basin near the Martian equator called Gale Crater.

The mission's goal is to determine if Mars has or ever had environments to support life. It is the first astrobiology mission to Mars since the 1970s-era Viking probes.

Scientists chose the landing site because it has a three-mile (4.8-km) high mountain of what appears from orbital imagery and mineral analysis to be layers of rock piled up like the Grand Canyon, each layer testifying to a different period in Mars' history.

The rover has 17 cameras and 10 science instruments, including chemistry labs, to identify elements in soil and rock samples to be dug up by the probe's drill-tipped robotic arm.

'LONG SHOT'

The base of the crater's mountain has clays, evidence of a prolonged wet environment, said planetary scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology and the mission's lead scientist.

Water is considered to be a key element for life, but not the only one.

Previous Mars probes, including the rovers Spirit and Opportunity, searched for signs of past surface water.

With Curiosity, which is twice as long and three times heavier than its predecessors, NASA shifts its focus to look for other ingredients for life, including possibly organic carbon, the building block for life on Earth.

"It's a long shot, but we're going to try," Grotzinger told reporters before launch.

Launch is generally considered the riskiest part of a mission, but Curiosity's landing on Mars will not be without drama.

The 1,980-pound (898 kg) rover is too big for the airbag or thruster-rocket landings used on previous Mars probes, so engineers designed a rocket-powered "sky-crane" to gently lower Curiosity to the crater's floor via a 43-foot (13-meter) long cable.

"We call it the 'six-minutes of terror,'" said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, referring to the risky landing. "It is pretty scary, but my confidence level is really high."

Curiosity is powered by heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium. It is designed to last one Martian year, or 687 Earth days.

United Launch Alliance is a partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin .

(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/india_nm/india607439

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Olympus ex-CEO Woodford faces tense showdown (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is set for a tense boardroom showdown on Friday when its former chief executive confronts the men who sacked him a month ago with his own call for their resignations over a huge accounting scandal.

Michael Woodford, still an Olympus director despite being fired as CEO and blowing the whistle over the scandal, plans to attend the firm's scheduled board meeting in Tokyo, his first return to the boardroom since it unanimously dumped him on October 14.

Backed by some big shareholders, he says he is willing to reclaim the top job and clean up the once-proud maker of cameras and endoscopes.

"I want to take the opportunity to look the directors in the eye and tell them what I think is best for the company," Woodford told reporters on the eve of the meeting, having flown back to Japan from a month of self-exile in his native Britain.

Woodford, who says he was sacked for questioning a string of unusual payments to obscure firms, had fled Japan immediately after his dismissal, citing fears for his safety amid speculation the scandal could somehow involve organized crime.

But this week he returned to the eye of the storm, flying back to meet police, prosecutors and regulators investigating the scandal, which has wiped out more than half of Olympus's market value and raised the prospect that it could be delisted from the Tokyo stock market and forced to sell core businesses.

Olympus initially denied any wrongdoing after sacking Woodford, a rare foreign CEO in Japan, but later admitted it had hidden investment losses from investors for two decades and used some of $1.3 billion in M&A payments to aid the cover-up.

Late on Thursday, three directors blamed for the concealment quit their directorships, including former President and Chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, which promised to ease at least some of the worst boardroom tension Woodford could face on Friday.

But the CEO-turned-whistleblower still wants the rest of the board to go, including the new president, Shuichi Takayama, who has said that the current management team is ready to quit only once "the path to Olympus's revival became clear."

Some major foreign shareholders have called for Woodford to be immediately reinstated as CEO, but the 51-year-old himself says he does not believe that will happen at Friday's meeting.

"I just hope they understand the game is up and do the decent thing, stop damaging the company. Don't look for self-interest, look for the 45,000 people (who work for Olympus)," Woodford told reporters on Thursday.

"Have some shame, have some dignity, that's what I want to tell them."

Olympus has until December 14 to straighten out its accounts and report its half-year results to the stock market. If it misses that deadline, it will be automatically delisted.

(Writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/bs_nm/us_olympus

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When investing, use care, seek balance

by Caiti Currey - Nov. 24, 2011 06:43 PM
Special for The Republic

People who are new to financial investing often put themselves at a high risk for big losses. But two financial planners say it's critical to do some homework -- or get professional help -- before diving headfirst into turbulent waters.

"There are opportunities out there, but few and far between," said certified financial planner Jacob Gold, president of Jacob Gold and Associates Inc. of Scottsdale.

Even with the current economic times, he doesn't mean to forgo investing. Gold just means it is important to invest more wisely.

He recommends that new investors enter the market with a long-term objective -- a goal to accomplish over two or more years. Anything less than that is inefficient, he said.

In addition, Gold said new investors should "err on the side of caution." The No. 1 mistake he sees with beginning investors is entering too aggressively.

People tend to go too heavy and strong right off the bat, he said, and in doing so are more susceptible to getting frustrated and reaching their breaking point early on.

Robert Jackson, certified financial planner and president of Scottsdale-based Jackson Financial Advisors Inc., agreed with Gold. Being too aggressive early on "may have irreversible effects," he said.

But how cautious new investors are in their approach may depend on their time horizon.

"If you are overly cautious in your early investing years, you may lose out over time," Jackson said.

For example, if retirement is years away, an investor can take more risks. However, if someone is planning for retirement in the near future, it is best to play things safe, Jackson said.

There is no manual for investing, and the outcome is unpredictable. Both financial planners emphasize that taking appropriate measures to handle your assets responsibly can help minimize your risk.

It is not uncommon for someone to begin investing for the wrong reasons, Gold said; often people do so to make a quick buck.

In the 1990s, this may have been easier to achieve because it was a prosperous economic climate and the stock market was making gains.

It was typical then for average yearly returns to be in the double digits. But times have changed, and in today's market if people are managing and diversifying their assets well, "they are lucky to see between 5 and 6 percent (growth)," Gold said.

For someone starting out, the best way to diversify assets in order to see maximum profit is by investing in mutual funds, Gold said.

"If someone has three or four different mutual funds, they would be better diversifying their money than buying a single stock in corporations like Google or Apple," Gold says.

Diversifying your assets also makes it easier to avoid ripple effects from situations like the Enron scandal a few years back, Jackson said. When that company collapsed, investors who had a lot of stock in Enron lost nearly everything.

Jackson said that it is important to have no more than 10 to 20 percent of your assets in one bucket. It is not a bad thing to invest where you are most familiar, he said, but don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Gold also said that if your company gives you the opportunity to buy its stock at a discounted rate, do so, but don't put all of your assets into the company.

Today, high-flying gold and precious metals also are a hot topic among people looking to invest.

According to Jackson, it is important to look at commodities in the same way and not invest more than 10 to 20 percent of your assets.

Another important thing to consider if you are a first-time investor is whether you are in a position to do so.

Gold said two important things to have when going into investing are no outstanding credit-card debt and cash in a savings account to cover three to six months of living expenses.

"You don't want to try and get 5 percent on the market when you are paying 15 percent interest on a credit card," Gold said.

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/11/23/20111123when-investing-use-care-seek-balance.html

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London theater turns England's riots into a drama (AP)

LONDON ? It sounds like a tough sell for an evening out: Come relive the London riots.

But that is the offer currently packing audiences into London's Tricycle Theatre, a small venue that has built a big reputation with fact-based plays about divisive issues, from Guantanamo Bay to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Riots," which opened this week, vividly recreates the mayhem that raged for four nights in August through the testimony of real people ? residents, police, politicians, community workers and the rioters themselves.

Director Nicholas Kent said the play was intended to take the place of a public inquiry into the riots, which the government has declined to hold.

"It didn't have to happen," Kent said. "That's the thing I totally took away from our work on the play.

"It seemed to us important to explore the reasons for the riots and people's motivations and what happened and what our response was to it as Londoners ? and how we could prevent something like that happening again."

The riots were triggered by the fatal police shooting, in disputed circumstances, of 29-year-old Mark Duggan in the working-class London district of Tottenham on Aug. 4. The play shows how Duggan's death led, partly through accidents and missteps, to Britain's worst civil unrest in a generation. The mayhem across London and other English cities left hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of property damage, as well as pain and questions, in its wake.

Writer Gillian Slovo and her researchers taped 56 hours of interviews with everyone from police officers on duty in Tottenham that night to community leaders, young looters and a man left homeless by arson. They even heard from two people imprisoned for rioting, who wrote to the theater with their stories after the Tricycle put an ad in a prison newspaper.

The conservative Daily Mail newspaper criticized the company for giving criminals a voice, but Slovo said the rioters' viewpoint was vital.

"I do think it's important for us to listen and to see how they got caught up, what they think about it afterwards and what provoked them to do it," she told BBC radio. "Because otherwise how can you make sure that this won't happen again?"

Although a few senior politicians ? including London Mayor Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May ? declined to participate, many agreed to give interviews, as did top police officers. Kent said many police and politicians were as shocked by the riots as most Britons, and wanted to learn the lessons.

Kent, who has led the Tricycle since 1984, plans to step down next year. Under his leadership, the 250-seat venue in a scruffy part of north London has gained international acclaim with documentary dramas and verbatim plays which mold real people's words into compelling theater.

In 2003, "Justifying War" recreated the legal inquiry into the death of David Kelly, a weapons expert caught up in a storm about the British government's case for war with Iraq. The next year, "Guantanamo ? Honor Bound to Defend Freedom" drew on the testimony of terrorist suspects detained at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The play transferred to London's West End and ran off-Broadway in New York.

Although the theater has a left-wing reputation, it has won fans in high places. Earlier this year "The Great Game," its cycle of short plays covering 200 years of Afghan history, was summoned by The Pentagon for a command performance for senior U.S. defense officials and military brass.

London critics were enthusiastic about "The Riots." The Independent called it a "taut, illuminating two-hour show," while the generally conservative Daily Telegraph praised it as "thought provoking and admirably evenhanded."

The play is a patchwork that asks more questions than it answers: Was it a race riot? Was it protest or criminality? Were street gangs or government cuts to blame? Could it happen again?

There are no comfortable or easy answers, but plenty of striking details that have the ring of truth ? and often humor as well.

The play conveys how different the experience of the riots felt, depending on vantage point. It captures the distress of victims, the fear of police officers holding the line against a mob, and the excitement of participants caught up in the mayhem.

"It looked like Hollywood had come down, set up everything to look like a mad war zone," says one anonymous rioter, wide-eyed with excitement.

Another boasts of his haul from looting: shoes, electronics and a Harry Potter DVD box set. "I don't even like Harry Potter."

The emotional heart of the play is provided by Tottenham resident Mohamed Hammoudan, who fled his apartment with his two young sons after rioters set the store below it ablaze. Compellingly played by Selva Rasalingham, he is reflective and wry, describing the surreal experience of standing amid rioters watching his home burn to the ground.

He also gets the last word, when he is asked for three words to sum up the rioters.

After a long pause, he replies: "Just angry people."

"The Riots" is at London's Tricycle Theatre until Dec. 10.

___

Online: http://www.tricycle.co.uk

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_en_ot/eu_britain_riots_onstage

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Global supermarkets wary of fine print on India invite (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? Global supermarket chains welcomed a long-awaited invitation from India to invest in the country's $450 billion retail market, but they fear the small print may keep a lid on investment in the short term.

The government on Thursday approved 51 percent foreign direct investment in supermarkets, paving the way for firms such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Tesco and Carrefour to enter one of the world's largest untapped markets.

Shares in Indian retailers jumped -- bucking the weaker stock market trend -- in anticipation of interest from those big foreign retailers.

The move may breathe new life into the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who ushered in free market reforms 20 years ago but has been bogged down by corruption scandals and was starting to be seen as a lame duck.

As well as appealing to India's burgeoning urban middle class the reform will draw in much-needed new investment to a sputtering economy. Policymakers say spending on cold-storage and warehousing will ease supply-side pressures that have driven inflation close to a double-digit clip.

"It's important not only for raising overall growth, but also for containing inflation and improving the quality of life for over 50 percent of the population," said central bank Governor Duvvuri Subbarao.

Investment could exceed $5 billion in the next 5-7 years as hundreds of hypermarkets are opened, said Vijay Karwal, head of retail at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

"There may be a degree of 'catch up' with foreign flows into India retail possibly starting to match, if not exceed, those into China as development picks up pace," he said.

The move carries risk for Prime Minister Singh, whose party must contest five state elections next year. It is opposed by millions of small shop owners who fear for their livelihoods, and prompted an uproar in India's parliament, which was forced to close until Monday.

Some politicians threatened extreme action to prevent supermarkets opening.

"If Wal-Mart tries to open its mall anywhere, I will burn it myself," said Uma Bharti, a former state chief minister from

the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), local media reported.

An India-wide group representing small traders said it was planning protests for next week.

"They should have worked on some kind of protectionist mechanism for smaller traders," said Praveen Khandelwa, the head of the confederation of all India traders.

RIDERS

To appease its opponents, the government insisted foreign retailers source almost a third of their produce from small industries, invest a minimum of $100 million in India and spend half of that on "back end" infrastructure.

An official at one major international retailer said the company was concerned about the numbers the government had mentioned.

"Some of the conditions look quite stringent. The investment in particular -- it's all quite big money. We'd need to know the details, and how that would be accounted for," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Foreign stores will only be permitted in cities of more than 1 million people, and individual states will decide whether to allow the global giants on to their patch. [ID:nD8E7LL01S]

That could, for example, exclude investor-favorite states like Gujarat, which is run by the Hindu nationalist BJP that opposes new foreign supermarkets.

Sharma said new investment would create 10 million jobs in the next three years and would not affect small shops, a claim scorned by parties on both the left and right who predict that millions of jobs will be lost.

"We are sitting on a time bomb in terms of employment," said economist Jayati Ghosh. She said India should upgrade public and cooperative supply infrastructure, not rely on corporations.

The head of Wal-Mart's local cash-and-carry joint venture praised the move, but also struck a note of caution.

"We will need to study the conditions and the finer details of the new policy and the impact that it will have on our ability to do business in India," said Raj Jain, CEO of Bharti Wal-Mart.

TOUGH GOING

Domestic retail chains have operated in India for years but have struggled to expand due to funding difficulties, a lack of expertise and poor roads and cold storage facilities.

If political opposition mounts, foreign firms could find the going tough.

India's biggest listed company, Reliance Industries, was forced to backtrack on plans in 2007 to open Western-style supermarkets in the state of Uttar Pradesh after huge protests from small traders and political parties.

Bijou Kurien, a senior executive at Reliance Retail, said the mood had changed.

"The regulatory and non-regulatory pressures in India are the way of life," he said. "So any person running a business in India has to be able to figure out how to steer their way through all the obstacles that can be in their path."

He said the back-end and sourcing rules may stop big-box electronics stores from coming into India for now, but said the rules would likely soften in the medium term.

The conditions could also deter smaller international retail chains, said Himanshu Pal, global data manager at consultants Kantar Retail. However he said India should appeal to budget chains.

"The Indian shopper is at the moment starved of a discounted, value product offer. A Lidl or an Aldi could be very successful in India."

Thomas Varghese, CEO of another Indian retailer, Aditya Birla, said the power given to states could be a short-term hurdle, but he predicted most would say yes to supermarkets.

"It most definitely will have an impact and reduce the number of places where foreign retailers can set up shop, but it will still not reduce the interest because 51 cities have a million-plus population," he said.

In the past, big-ticket reforms have been held back by the devil in the detail.

In 2008, the government passed the U.S. civilian nuclear deal aimed at opening up India's nuclear power market to foreign players, hailed as the cornerstone of India's warming ties with the United States.

But investments have since languished due to stringent accident liability clauses that U.S. companies say make it too risky to invest.

(Additional reporting by Henry Foy and Nandita Bose in Mumbai and Mark Potter in London; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by John Chalmers and Nick Macfie)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/ts_nm/us_india_retailers

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Michele Bachmann's Hair, Mila Kunis' Marine Corps Date and Angelina's Trip to Vietnam

Plus, the debate over pepper spraying protesters at Occupy UC Davis, how Jessica Simpson could become the new Weight Watchers' spokeswoman and what we're thankful for at iVillage 5.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/michele-bachmanns-hair-mila-kunis-marine-corps-date-and-angelina-jolies-trip-vietnam/1-h-405447?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Amichele-bachmanns-hair-mila-kunis-marine-corps-date-and-angelina-jolies-trip-vietnam-405447

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How the Original Facebook Phone Failed [Facebook]

Facebook is working on a phone! But Facebook has been working on a phone. What's new? Well, it's a completely different project because their first top secret effort crashed and burned. It's a sordid history of employee jealousy, secret plans, power struggles and just plain failure. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8hYywgEssN8/how-the-original-facebook-phone-failed

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A Push To Make Gasoline Engines More Efficient

Courtesy Automotive Research Center

Professor Anna Stefanopoulou (left) examines an internal combustion engine test with engineers Jacob Larimore and Xinfan Lin at the University of Michigan's Automotive Research Center. The researchers model engine performance to improve efficiency.

Third in a three-part series

The auto industry has work ahead to meet ambitious fuel efficiency goals of 55 miles per gallon by 2025 ? nearly twice the current average required. Hybrid and electric cars will play a role, but the plain old internal combustion engine can't be overlooked.

Gasoline-Powered Cars Dominate

Automakers recently agreed to a new fuel economy initiative proposed by the Obama administration that will double Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to a fleetwide average of 54.5 mpg by 2025. Hybrid and electric cars can potentially help automakers meet that goal. But the vast majority of consumers currently purchase vehicles that operate on gasoline, diesel, ethanol and other fuel sources.

Notes

Registration data for January-September 2011

To find out where the new technology is being developed to make more gas engines more efficient, I went on a tour of an engine lab with professor Anna Stefanopoulou, director of the Automotive Research Center at the University of Michigan. I was expecting cams and pistons, but she first showed me computers screens.

"It's hard to see, since a lot of the work we do is not necessarily only hardware [but] software," Stefanopoulou says. "If you really need to meet the [55 mpg standard] and to do it cost-effectively, you have to do it sometimes through strategy."

Eventually Stefanopoulou and I wound up looking at one of the dozen engines that they test here. She says they test it once a week, sometimes once a day.

"We don't run durability tests here: We run tests to model the engine and then be able to understand what's going on with running different fuels," she says.

This particular engine can run on a variety of fuels, and Stefanopoulou and her students are working to perfect every part and function in the engine. You can now put computers or even tiny crystals right into an engine.

"[It] can monitor in real time what's happening inside the cylinder, and [communicate] this to a mathematical formula, that ... says, 'Now I want you to be a little bit to the left, a little bit to the right, when it comes to [picking] the pressure.' " Stefanopoulou explains.

When was the last time you actually took your hand and rolled down a window? ... There's an expectation that every vehicle, even if it's an entry-level vehicle, will have that kind of creature comfort [power windows].

- Margaret Wooldridge, professor at the University of Michigan's Department of Mechanical Engineering

The Fuel Cost Of 'Creature Comforts'

The researchers don't just work on engines but also with how drivers perceive the driving, with the help of psychologists and statisticians. Stefanopoulou and her colleagues say the barriers to getting to 55 mpg aren't scientific.

"When we talk about 55 mpg, we had that technology, criminy, 20 years ago," says Margaret Wooldridge, who's also a professor at the University of Michigan in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She says there's a but ? in this case, the car driver.

"Like when was the last time you actually took your hand and rolled down a window?" she asks. "But now there's an expectation that every vehicle, even if it's an entry-level vehicle, will have that kind of creature comfort [power windows]."

Wooldridge says we expect our cars to heat faster in winter, to cool faster in summer, have seat warmers and be able to plug in two cell phones, maybe a DVD player and ? of course ? a radio.

"I personally owned a vehicle that had over 45 mpg fuel economy when I was in college," Wooldridge says. "And it had a manual transmission, manual windows; it was a great car, [it] lasted forever. It was light-weight, kind of chilly to heat in the winter and all that good stuff."

Wooldridge says all those extras can reduce the fuel economy by up to 50 percent ? and that it's a fat chance people are going to give up plugging in their cell phones or running the air conditioner or cranking NPR.

"Expecting people to make good choices at a cost premium isn't going to work," she says. "So if we're trying to effect positive change, if we're trying to change behaviors and change emissions and things like that, you're not going to get people to do that unless you can do it cost competitively."

Wooldridge says there are many regular inexpensive gas-powered cars that get more than 40 miles a gallon. The real race is to do that with all kinds of cars, from the showy luxury cars to economy cars.

"You need it all, you have to have it all," she says. "You're not going to get there exclusively on one engine technology or one powertrain technology. You need to have a variety of powertrain technologies. So hybrids have a role to play, they absolutely do. Electric vehicles have a role to play."

Wooldridge says that regular gas engines are going to be on the road for quite some time to come, and that the science exists to make cars vastly more fuel efficient.

The limits, she says, are cost and our desire to get there.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/11/23/142662849/a-push-to-make-gasoline-engines-more-efficient?ft=1&f=1007

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Consumer spending up slight 0.1 percent in October (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Consumers barely increased their spending in October but their incomes rose by the most in seven months. The rise in take-home pay could boost spending during the upcoming holiday shopping season.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that spending increased 0.1 percent last month, the poorest gain in four months. But incomes increased 0.4 percent, the best showing since March.

Private wages and salaries drove the income gain.

The slight October gain in consumer spending represented a big slowdown from a 0.7 percent September increase. Spending on durable goods such as autos showed a solid increase but spending on nondurable goods such as food and clothing fell.

Some economists predicted spending would slow because consumers spent more over the summer while earning less. Consumer spending is important because it makes up 70 percent of economic activity.

After-tax, inflation-adjusted incomes fell at a 2.1 percent rate over the summer, the biggest drop since the third quarter of 2009, just as the recession was ending.

At the same time, the economy grew at a rate of 2 percent in the July-September quarter because consumers increased their spending at three times the rate of the previous quarter.

Economists predict growth will strengthen to an annual growth rate of 3 percent in the final three months of the year, based on more encouraging data on retail sales and factory output.

The modest third-quarter growth is not nearly enough to lower the unemployment rate, which has been stuck near 9 percent for more than two years.

The rise in earnings may boost spending during the critical holiday shopping season, which is the busiest time of year for most retailers.

But many Americans could take home less next year if Congress doesn't extend a Social Security tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits. Both expire at the end of this year.

The Social Security tax cut gave most Americans an extra $1,000 to $2,000 this year. If long-term unemployment benefits expire, roughly 6 million families could lose an average of $300 per week. For some, that's their only source of income.

Both changes would leave Americans with an estimated $165 billion less to spend. The Federal Reserve expects the economy to grow only 2.7 percent next year, and economists say the expiration of the two programs could reduce growth by a full percentage point.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_consumer_spending

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U.N. Panel Finds Climate Change Behind Some Extreme Weather Events

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The report predicted that certain types of weather extremes would grow more numerous and more intense as human-induced global warming proceeds in coming decades.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9eb8ac7ff261f5710340890299f6f805

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Seminal RPG 'Chrono Trigger' Coming to iPhone (Mashable)

Game publisher Square Enix iPhone and iPod touch next month. Originally released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, Chrono Trigger is hailed by many as a landmark game for its unique story and mechanics. Players travel through time via mysterious portals, gathering a party of memorable characters across different epochs and learning of their mysterious interconnections -- all in a bid to save the world from a future of destruction.

[More from Mashable: Hands-on With Infinity Blade 2: The iPhone 4S?s First Graphics Test]

Members of your party develop new skills as they fight together in combinations of three, and the deeds you do in one time period (e.g. the Middle Ages) affect circumstances in others (e.g. 2300 A.D.). With surprising plot twists and multiple endings, the game has heart and depth seen in few of its contemporary titles.

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Role-Playing Games for iPhone

[More from Mashable: 10 Best iPhone Action Games]

The game has been re-released previously on the Sony Playstation, the Nintendo DS, and most recently on the Wii's virtual console. The journey to iOS is one more step in the very gradual opening of Square's illustrious back catalog.

Square released some images showing the game's new touch interface. Besides a necessarily revamped UI, the original graphics appear to be intact.

The price and a specific release date have yet to be announced, though Square writes that fans will be able to get their thumbs on it "before the end of December." If you haven't experienced Chrono Trigger (or want to relive its 16-bit glory), mark your calendar and check the App Store. If the port is true to the original, you won't be disappointed.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/internet/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20111121/tc_mashable/seminal_rpg_chrono_trigger_coming_to_iphone

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Dancing With the Stars Finals: Who's the Favorite?

The last two weeks of Dancing With the Stars haven't surprised us. Nancy Grace lasted longer than people expected, and Hope Solo couldn't hang with the top three.

Going into the finals, it really is anyone's game. J.R. Martinez, Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake all deserve to be there, and have decent shots at the Mirror Ball.

Who's technically the biggest favorite, though?

According to Bodog, an online gambling site, J.R. Martinez has the best odds to win at 1 to 2. Ricki Lake holds 3 to 1 odds, while Rob has a 4 to 1 chance of winning.

That's right, even after an ankle injury left him in a distant third last week, the Iraq War vet, motivational speaker and actor is considered the top dog right now.

Says a lot about his fan support, but Ricki and Rob are no slouches in that department, either. If they all perform well Monday, the results will be very interesting.

Fan votes account for 50 percent of the aggregate score, with the judges' scoring making up the rest. So if no one has a big lead, anyone could take this thing.

The finals for DWTS on Monday include four dances from each finalist, so that can also change a lot. What do you think? Who's your pick to win Season 13?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/dancing-with-the-stars-finals-whos-the-favorite/

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Egypt police clash with protesters ahead of vote

Protesters help a wounded man during clashes with Egyptian riot police in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters help a wounded man during clashes with Egyptian riot police in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester sits in a police truck destroyed during clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters throw stones at Egyptian riot police during clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Tear gas surrounds Egyptian riot police as they stand guard during clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters gather around a police truck damaged during clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011. Thousands of police clashed with protesters for control of downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday after security forces tried to stop activists from staging a long-term sit-in there. The violence took place just nine days before Egypt's first elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets stormed into Cairo's Tahrir Square Saturday to dismantle a protest tent camp, setting off clashes that injured at least 507 people and raising tensions days before the first elections since Hosni Mubarak's ouster.

The scenes of protesters fighting with black-clad police forces were reminiscent of the 18-day uprising that forced an end to Mubarak's rule in February. Hundreds of protesters fought back, hurling stones and setting an armored police vehicle ablaze.

The violence raised fears of new unrest surrounding the parliamentary elections that are due to begin in nine days' time. Public anger has risen over the slow pace of reforms and apparent attempts by Egypt's ruling generals to retain power over a future civilian government.

Witnesses said the clashes began when riot police dismantled a small tent camp set up to commemorate the hundreds of protesters killed in the uprising and attacked around 200 peaceful demonstrators who had camped in the square overnight in an attempt to restart a long-term sit-in there.

"Violence breeds violence," said Sahar Abdel-Mohsen, an engineer who joined in the protest after a call went out on Twitter urging people to come to Tahrir to defend against the police attacks. "We are tired of this and we are not leaving the square."

Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and beat protesters with batons, clearing the square at one point and pushing the fighting into surrounding side streets of downtown Cairo. State TV, quoting the Health Ministry, reported that 507 people were injured, including 19 policemen.

Abdel-Mohsen said a friend was wounded by a rubber bullet that struck his head and that she saw another protester wounded by a pellet in his neck.

Crowds swarmed an armored police truck, rocking it back and forth and setting it ablaze. Black smoke rose over the crowd.

After nightfall, protesters swarmed back into the square in the thousands, setting tires ablaze in the street and filling the area with an acrid, black smoke screen. Police appeared to retreat to surrounding areas, leaving protesters free to retake and barricade themselves inside the square. The air was still thick with stinging tear gas.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf urged the protesters to clear the square.

Saturday's confrontation was one of the few since the uprising to involve police forces, which have largely stayed in the background while the military takes charge of security. There was no military presence in and around the square on Saturday.

The black-clad police were a hated symbol of Mubarak's regime.

"The people want to topple the regime," shouted enraged crowds, reviving the chant from the early days of the uprising. Crowds also screamed: "Riot police are thugs and thieves" and "Down with the Marshal," referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's military ruler.

Some of the wounded had blood streaming down their faces and many had to be carried out of the square by fellow protesters to waiting ambulances.

Human rights activists accused police of using excessive force.

One prominent activist, Malek Mostafa, lost his right eye from a rubber bullet, said Ghada Shahbender, a member of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.

At least four protesters were injured in the eyes as a result of what Shahbender said were orders to target protesters' heads.

"It is a crime," she said. "They were shooting rubber bullets directly at the heads. ... I heard an officer ordering his soldiers to aim for the head."

Police arrested 18 people, state TV reported, describing the protesters as rioters.

A day earlier, tens of thousands of Islamists and young activists had massed in Tahrir Square to protest Egypt's ruling military council, which took control of the country after Mubarak's ouster and has been harshly criticized for its oversight of the bumpy transition period.

Friday's crowd, the largest in months, was mobilized by the Muslim Brotherhood and focused its anger on a document drafted by the military that spells out guiding principles for a new constitution.

Under those guidelines, the military and its budget would be shielded from civilian oversight. An early version of it also said the military would appoint 80 members of the 100-person constitutional committee ? a move that would vastly diminish the new parliament's role.

Groups across the political spectrum rejected the document, calling it an attempt by the military to perpetuate its rule past the post-Mubarak transition. Back in February, the military had promised it would return to the country to civilian rule within six months. Now, there is deep uncertainty over the timeline, and presidential elections might not be held until 2013.

Friday's demonstration dispersed peacefully, but several hundred people remained in the square overnight in an attempt to re-establish a semi-permanent presence in the square to pressure the military council.

Violence began Saturday morning, as police moved in to clear them.

The number of protesters swelled to several thousand as news of the fighting spread in the city, and thousands more riot police streamed into Tahrir Square, blocking entrances and clashing with protesters before disappearing after nightfall.

The Interior Ministry, which runs the country's police forces, accused people of trying to escalate tensions ahead of the parliamentary elections, which begin on Nov. 28 and will be held in stages continuing through March.

Activists say they just want to guard the outcome of their revolution.

Unemployed graduate student Nasser Ezzat said he traveled from southern Egypt to Tahrir because he wanted to help finish the revolution that people died for. He came to the square on Friday, leaving behind his a pregnant wife in the city of Sohag.

"I dream of a fairer Egypt for my unborn daughter, one without police harassment and corruption," he said on Saturday.

Crowds also directed their anger at the police, which were the muscle behind Mubarak's heavy handed rule.

"This violence is the same as the old regime," activist Mona Seif said. "Police are telling us they are carrying out orders to beat us until we leave."

Seif is the sister of prominent blogger and activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who is in jail after refusing to answer questions over his alleged role in sectarian clashes. He leads a campaign to end the trials of civilians in military courts.

Rights groups estimate that up to 12,000 people have been tried in military courts since Mubarak was ousted.

___

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS spelling of activist's last name in paragraphs 15 and 16).)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-19-ML-Egypt/id-0b22fe6c122845fc9a2dd2c034819a45

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88% Into The Abyss

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (6)

An inquiry into fundamental moral, philosophical, and religious issues, and an examination of humankind's capacity for violence - individual and institutional.

Watching Into the Abyss, I had the overwhelming sense that, somewhere along the way, Werner Herzog lost his way.

It's like a TV crime reality show made by an alien.

What could have been a well-aimed examination of the most troubling contradictions of capital punishment instead becomes a maudlin, unrestrained wallow.

Werner Herzog looks at the death penalty in "Into the Abyss," and as is almost always the case, to look through his eyes is to marvel.

Any subject Werner Herzog wants to explore is surely worthy of our interest. And his latest documentary is a characteristically insightful study of human nature.

Into the Abyss is both affecting and frustrating, the work of a smart and sensitive filmmaker who, much like the justice system he confronts, mistakes half-formed ideas for profound truth.

Presented with a humanist respect for the people in the movie that is both rare and heart-wrenching.

It's an uneven movie, but a heartfelt and honest one.

Herzog takes a startlingly clear-eyed look at crime and capital punishment in Texas. . . He just seeks to shine a light on the facts for the viewer to soberly decide.

A disturbing profile of a rural Texas community where disintegrated families produce a culture dominated by substance abuse, violence, illiteracy and other problems.

Get lost in Herzog's 'Abyss'

Powerful and profoundly moving. You'll never look at the death penalty the same way again.

Easily one of the best documentaries of the year, this riveting, haunting piece of work fits perfectly into Herzog's resume as one of our most important living filmmakers.

A film that will make anyone who sees it actually sit and contemplate their position at length, regardless of their current stance on the subject.

The subject matter in Into the Abyss is harrowing stuff, and though Herzog has never shied away from harrowing, he also presents it with respect and curiosity, making it easily palatable.

Haunting and urgent.Herzog's tough-minded film takes an uncompromising stand against the death penalty,but goes beyond to look at the larger issue of crime and blighted lives

The film demonstrates Werner Herzog's unparalleled knack for drawing out the harmony and discord in nature.

Herzog might have an opinion, but he does not take a side.

Herzog's film examines the taking of life, whether the person who is dying is a criminal...or a woman interrupted while making cookies, as Stotler was, but it does so in an oddly distanced manner.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_abyss_2011/

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Magnetic fields set stage for birth of new stars

ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2011) ? Astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have, for the first time, measured the alignment of magnetic fields in gigantic clouds of gas and dust in a distant galaxy. Their results suggest that such magnetic fields play a key role in channeling matter to form denser clouds, and thus in setting the stage for the birth of new stars.

The work is being published in the journal Nature.

Stars and their planets are born when giant clouds of interstellar gas and dust collapse. You've probably seen the resulting stellar nurseries in beautiful astronomical images: Colorful nebulae, lit by the bright young stars they have brought forth.

Astronomers know quite a bit about these so-called molecular clouds: They consist mainly of hydrogen molecules -- unusual in a cosmos where conditions are rarely right for hydrogen atoms to bond together into molecules. And if one traces the distribution of clouds in a spiral galaxy like our own Milky Way galaxy, one finds that they are lined up along the spiral arms.

But how do those clouds come into being? What makes matter congregate in regions a hundred or even a thousand times more dense than the surrounding interstellar gas?

One candidate mechanism involves the galaxy's magnetic fields. Everyone who has seen a magnet act on iron filings in the classic classroom experiment knows that magnetic fields can be used to impose order. Some researchers have argued that something similar goes on in the case of molecular clouds: that galaxies' magnetic fields guide and direct the condensation of interstellar matter to form denser clouds and facilitate their further collapse.

Some astronomer see this as the key mechanism enabling star formation. Others contend that the cloud matter's gravitational attraction and turbulent motion of gas within the cloud are so strong as to cancel any influence of an outside magnetic field.

If we were to restrict attention to our own galaxy, it would be difficult to find out who is right. We would need to see our galaxy's disk from above to make the appropriate measurements; in reality, our Solar System sits within the galactic disk. That is why Hua-bai Li and Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy chose a different target: the Triangulum galaxy, 3 million light-years from Earth and also known as M 33, which is oriented in just the right way (cf. image).

Using a telescope known as the Submillimeter Array (SMA), which is located at Mauna Kea Observatory on Mauna Kea Island, Hawai'i, Li and Henning measured specific properties of radiation received from different regions of the galaxy which are correlated with the orientation of these region's magnetic fields. They found that the magnetic fields associated with the galaxy's six most massive giant molecular clouds were orderly, and well aligned with the galaxy's spiral arms.

If turbulence played a more important role in these clouds than the ordering influence of the galaxy's magnetic field, the magnetic field associated with the cloud would be random and disordered.

Thus, Li and Henning's observations are a strong indication that magnetic fields indeed play an important role when it comes to the formation of dense molecular clouds -- and to setting the stage for the birth of stars and planetary systems like our own.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute for Astronomy/Max-Planck-Institut f?r Astronomie.

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Journal Reference:

1. Hua-bai Li, Thomas Henning. The alignment of molecular cloud magnetic fields with the spiral arms in M33. Nature, 2011; DOI: 10.1038/nature10551

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116132119.htm

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