Gingrich wins NH backing as Romney plugs along (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich landed the endorsement of New Hampshire's largest newspaper on Sunday while rival Mitt Romney earned a dismissive wave, potentially resetting the race in the state with the first-in-the-nation primary.

For Gingrich, the former House speaker, the backing builds on his recent rise in the polls and quick work to build a campaign after a disastrous start in the summer. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who has a vacation home in the state and has been called a "nearly native son of New Hampshire," absorbed the blow heading into the Jan. 10 vote that's vital to his campaign strategy.

"We don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job," The New Hampshire Union Leader said in its front-page editorial, which was as much a promotion of Gingrich as a discreet rebuke of Romney.

The Union Leader's editorial telegraphed conservatives' concerns about Romney's shifts on crucial issues of abortion and gay rights were unlikely to fade. Those worries have led Romney to keep Iowa's Jan. 3 caucuses ? where conservatives hold great sway ? at arm's length.

At the same time, the endorsement boosts Gingrich's conservative credentials. He spent the week defending his immigration policies against accusations that they are a form of amnesty. On Monday, Gingrich takes a campaign swing through South Carolina, the South's first primary state.

Romney, taking a few days' break for the Thanksgiving holiday, has kept focused on a long-term strategy that doesn't lurch from one development to another. Last week, he picked up the backing of Sen. John Thune, a South Dakota conservative, to add to his impressive roster of supporters.

The Union Leader's rejection of Romney wasn't surprising despite his efforts to woo state leaders. The newspaper rejected Romney four years ago in favor of Arizona Sen. John McCain, using front-page columns and editorials to promote McCain and criticize Romney.

"It helped McCain a lot because it buttressed the time he spent there. McCain camped out in New Hampshire and was able to make good with The Union Leader," said Craig Stevens, a spokesman for Romney's 2008 bid who is not working for a presidential candidate this time.

"Now, the speaker has to spend the time there, too," Stevens said.

Since his first run, Romney courted publisher Joseph W. McQuaid. Earlier this year Romney and his wife, Ann, had dinner with the McQuaids at the Bedford Village Inn near Manchester, hoping to reset the relationship. It didn't prove enough.

Romney's advisers were quick to point out that Gingrich went into October with more than $1 million in campaign debt. Romney, meanwhile, was sitting on a pile of cash and only last week began running television ads ? a luxury Gingrich can't yet afford.

The duo's rivals, meanwhile, tried to gain traction.

Herman Cain on Sunday criticized any immigration proposal that included residency or citizenship but struggled to explain how he would deal with the millions of people estimated to be currently living illegally in the United States.

Cain, who had enjoyed a polling surge, has seen his luster fade as his seemed to have trouble articulating the nuances of his policy positions. For instance, he was unable to explain the difference between "targeted identification," which he says would determine common characteristics of people who want to harm the United States, and racial profiling.

At the same time, Cain acknowledged that accusations that he sexually harassed several women during his days running the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s have pulled him from among the front-runners. He has flatly denied the allegations repeatedly.

While Romney enjoys solid support in national polls, many Republicans have shifted from candidate to candidate in search of an alternative. That led to the rise ? and fall ? of potential challengers such as Cain, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Romney enjoys solid leads in New Hampshire polls, too. A poll released last week showed him with 42 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in the state. Gingrich followed with 15 percent in the WMUR-University of New Hampshire Granite State poll.

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas posted 12 percent support and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman found 8 percent support in that survey.

Those numbers could shift based on the backing of The Union Leader, a newspaper that proudly works to influence elections, from school boards to the White House, in the politically savvy state.

"With Newt, the endorsement alone won't get him closer to Romney. But if The Union Leader kicks the you-know-what out of Romney, that could help Gingrich," said Mike Dennehy, a Republican consultant and former McCain aide who is neutral in the presidential contest.

Huntsman, President Barack Obama's former ambassador to China, said the endorsement points to how competitive the New Hampshire contest is.

"A month ago for Newt Gingrich to have been in the running to capture The Union Leader endorsement would have been unthinkable," Huntsman said in an interview Sunday during a break in campaigning.

The endorsement, signed by McQuaid, suggested that New Hampshire's only statewide newspaper was ready to assert itself again as a player in the GOP primary ? even if the newspaper has reservations.

"We don't have to agree with them on every issue," McQuaid wrote. "We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear."

With six weeks until the primary, The Union Leader's move could again shuffle the race, further boosting Gingrich and driving a steady stream of criticism against his rivals. In recent weeks, Gingrich has seen a surge in some polls as Republicans focus more closely on deciding which candidate they consider best positioned to take on Obama.

He has also started to put together a campaign organization in New Hampshire. He brought on respected tea party leader Andrew Hemingway and his team has been contacting almost 1,000 voters each day. Gingrich hasn't begun television advertising and has refused to go negative on his opponents.

The newspaper has a decidedly mixed record of picking candidates. It backed Steve Forbes in 2000 and Pat Buchanan's 1992 and 1996 bids. Neither candidate won the Republican nomination.

Gingrich, who left the House in 1999 after disastrous midterm elections for the GOP, has faced skepticism about his personal life. He is married to his third wife and acknowledged infidelity during his first two marriages.

Even so, voters are giving Gingrich a look ? and the timing appears to be ideal for him.

"Romney is a very play-it-safe candidate. He doesn't want to offend everybody or anybody," said Drew Cline, the op-ed editor of The Union Leader. "He wants to be liked. He wants to try to reach out and be very safe, reach out to everybody, bring everybody on board."

That isn't the brand of candidate The Union Leader was looking to back, he said.

___

Cain and Cline spoke on CNN's "State of the Union." Huntsman appeared on "Fox News Sunday."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111127/ap_on_el_pr/us_campaign2012

psat psat brenda song mountain west mountain west rickross rickross

Thanksgiving Hangover

Thanksgiving Hangover

Celebrities Who Experiment with Sex–Girls Talkin Smack Scarlett Johansson to Direct New Movie–Tonic Gossip Britney Spears Opens Up About Crazy Life–Bitten & Bound Bruce Willis’ [...]

Thanksgiving Hangover Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/35tWWy1Aei8/

banana republic apple store academy barnes and noble nook bcs rankings 12 days of christmas a christmas carol

Sponsored By:

We were unable to forward you to the advertisement you clicked on.

The likely cause for this is that your browser, feed reader, or email application is configured to not accept cookies, or your reader may launch an external browser to view links without sharing cookies.

• If you're using Internet Explorer, make sure your privacy setting is at medium or below.
  • Select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser window
  • Click the Privacy tab
  • Adjust your privacy setting if necessary
    ?
• If you're using a reader that embeds Internet Explorer (examples: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Feed Demon), you'll also need to select Internet Explorer as your default web browser.
  • Open Internet Explorer
  • Select 'Internet Options' from the 'Tools' menu in your browser window
  • Click the 'Programs' tab and check the box for Internet Explorer to check if it is the default browser and save your change
  • Close your browser, re-open it, and when prompted, select Internet Explorer as your default
  • You can then click on an ad in your newsletter and visit the site you wish to view

Source: http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=cd2a2199c0c7f4d32f7b0ae2e4aa472c&p=4

premier fitness dan uggla john wayne gacy top chef just desserts jamarcus russell sister wives st louis weather

You ate 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat today (Americablog)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/166181972?client_source=feed&format=rss

dramamine dramamine bo jackson bo jackson fugazi fugazi nba lockout

Video: The Roadmap: Europe, Stress Tests & Retail

CNBC's Melissa Lee and Carl Quintanilla discuss today's market moving headlines, including a disastrous German 10-year auction, stress tests to determine whether banks will survive a global market shock and retailers gearing up for Black Friday.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45416000/

sexiest man alive kentucky basketball heather locklear bob costas krzyzewski patti labelle childish gambino

Giving thanks helps your psychological outlook (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Count your blessings this Thanksgiving. It's good for you.

While it seems pretty obvious that gratitude is a positive emotion, psychologists for decades rarely delved into the science of giving thanks. But in the last several years they have, learning in many experiments that it is one of humanity's most powerful emotions. It makes you happier and can change your attitude about life, like an emotional reset button.

Especially in hard times, like these.

Beyond proving that being grateful helps you, psychologists also are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.

"Oprah was right," said University of Miami psychology professor Michael McCullough, who has studied people who are asked to be regularly thankful. "When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system."

And he means hijacking it from out of a funk into a good place. A very good place. Research by McCullough and others finds that giving thanks is a potent emotion that feeds on itself, almost the equivalent of being victorious. It could be called a vicious circle, but it's anything but vicious.

He said psychologists used to underestimate the strength of simple gratitude: "It does make people happier ... It's that incredible feeling."

One of the reasons why gratitude works so well is that it connects us with others, McCullough said. That's why when you give thanks it should be more heartfelt and personal instead of a terse thank you note for a gift or a hastily run-through grace before dinner, psychologists say.

Chicago area psychologist and self-help book author Maryann Troiani said she starts getting clients on gratitude gradually, sometimes just by limiting their complaints to two whines a session. Then she eventually gets them to log good things that happened to them in gratitude journals: "Gratitude really changes your attitude and your outlook on life."

Gratitude journals or diaries, in which people list weekly or nightly what they are thankful for, are becoming regular therapy tools.

And in those journals, it is important to focus more on the people you are grateful for, said Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. Concentrate on what life would be without the good things ? especially people such as spouses ? in your life and how you are grateful they are there, he said.

Grateful people "feel more alert, alive, interested, enthusiastic. They also feel more connected to others," said Emmons, who has written two books on the science of gratitude and often studies the effects of those gratitude diaries.

"Gratitude also serves as a stress buffer," Emmons said in an e-mail interview. "Grateful people are less likely to experience envy, anger, resentment, regret and other unpleasant states that produce stress."

Scientists are not just looking at the emotions behind gratitude but the nuts-and-bolts physiology as well.

Preliminary theories look at the brain chemistry and hormones in the blood and neurotransmitters in the brain that are connected to feelings of gratitude, Emmons said. And the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is also associated with positive emotions like love and compassion, seems to be a key spot, especially in Buddhist monks, Emmons said.

However it works in the brain, Emmons said there is little doubt that it works.

Emmons, who has conducted several studies on people from ages 12 to 80, including those with neuromuscular disease, asked volunteers to keep daily or weekly gratitude diaries. Another group listed hassles, and others just recorded random events. He noticed a significant and consistent difference. About three-quarters of the people studied who regularly counted their blessings scored higher in happiness tests and some even showed improvements in amounts of sleep and exercise.

Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan studied different gratitude methods and found the biggest immediate improvement in happiness scores was among people who were given one week to write and deliver in person a letter of gratitude to someone who had been especially kind to them, but was never thanked. That emotional health boost was large, but it didn't last over the weeks and months to come.

Peterson also asked people to write down nightly three things that went well that day and why that went well. That took longer to show any difference in happiness scores over control groups, but after one month the results were significantly better and they stayed better through six months.

Peterson said it worked so well that he is adopted it in his daily life, writing from-the-heart thank you notes, logging his feelings of gratitude: "It was very beneficial for me. I was much more cheerful."

At the University of North Carolina, Sara Algoe studied the interaction between cancer patients and their support group, especially when acts of gratitude were made. Like Peterson, she saw the effects last well over a month and she saw the feedback cycle that McCullough described.

"It must be really powerful," Algoe said.

It has to be potent to combat gloom many may be feeling in such uncertain times.

There have been many Thanksgivings throughout history that might challenge society's ability to be grateful. The first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims came after about half of the Plymouth colony died in the first year. Thanksgiving became a national holiday in the United States when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it in 1863 during the Civil War, the deadliest war the country has ever known. And the holiday moved to the fourth Thursday in November during the tail end of the Great Depression.

Emmons actually encourages people to "think of your worst moments, your sorrows, your losses, your sadness and then remember that here you are, able to remember them. You got through the worst day of your life ... remember the bad things, then look to see where you are."

That grace amid difficulty motif may make this Thanksgiving especially meaningful, McCullough said.

"In order to be grateful for something, we have to remember that something good happened," Peterson said. "It's important to remind ourselves that the world doesn't always suck."

___

Online:

Robert Emmons: http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/PWT/index.cfm

National Association of School Psychologists' tips on fostering gratitude in children: http://bit.ly/rHlqCz

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_sc/us_sci_psychology_of_thanks

gilad shalit gilad shalit santonio holmes john edward psychic john edward psychic brandon marshall headless horseman

3 police officers found dead in Mexico border city (AP)

PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico ? Assailants kidnapped and killed three police officers in the Mexican border city of Acuna, authorities said Monday.

Acuna Public Safety Department said in a statement that the three were on patrol in the same unit when gunmen kidnapped them early Monday.

The officer's bodies were found an hour later in a residential area of Acuna, which is across the border from Del Rio, Texas. They had been shot and their hands were handcuffed, the police department said.

Authorities say the Zetas and the Sinaloa drug cartels are fighting each other to control smuggling routes in the state of Coahuila, where Acuna is located.

Last week, gunmen killed a federal prosecutor for the state of Coahuila when he was about to leave his home in the city of Torreon.

A day earlier, gunmen set a fire at the office of the Torreon newspaper El Siglo and fired shots at it. No injuries were reported.

Authorities in the neighboring state of Durango said soldiers dug up the remains of seven people from a pit.

Durango state prosecutors said troops found the remains in the town of San Juan del Rio, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state capital, the city of Durango. They gave no other details.

More than 400 bodies have been found in a series of clandestine graves in Tamaulipas and Durango states since April. They are believed to be a result of turf battles between drug cartels.

In Hidalgo, the home state of Zetas leader Heriberto Lazcano, state police chief Damian Canales said authorities detained eight local police officers for allegedly working for the Zetas.

Canales said six of those detained were officers for the town of Actopan and two for the state capital of Pachuca. He said they were detained after the arrest of the former police chief in the town of Arenal, who authorities allege was in charge of recruiting police officers to work for the Zetas.

Canales said the Pachuca city police officers told investigators the Zetas paid them about $360 a month.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mexico/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico

pumpkin carvings mcrib pumpkin seeds mark herzlich malawi malawi angela davis

TRIM or RAID 0? SSD owners will no longer have to choose

Owners of multiple SSDs will be familiar with this dilemma: do you opt for RAID 0 to put all those precious GBs to use, or do you go for AHCI mode in order to gain TRIM support and maintain performance over time? Well, the next release of Intel's RST should support TRIM for RAID 0, so switching to solid state storage will become an even smarter decision than it is right now.

[Thanks, Brian]

TRIM or RAID 0? SSD owners will no longer have to choose originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Storage Review  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/21/trim-or-raid-0-ssd-owners-will-no-longer-have-to-choose/

ed lee garmin nuvi 1450 amzn tommy john surgery colorado weather alcohol poisoning alcohol poisoning

Daily App Deals: Get Money for iPhone at 90% Off in Today's App Deals [Deals]

The Daily App Deals post is a round-up of the best app discounts of the day, as well as some notable mentions for ones that are on sale.

The Best

Money (iTunes) Previously $9.99, now $0.99 . Money 5.1 is a full featured budget and finance app for the iPhone that allows you to keep track of your income and expenditures. Track daily purchases, account balances for all of your accounts, budgets you have created, and get reports of them all in a graphical interface. Get it for $0.99. (via AppShopper)

Free

iOS

• Dermandar Panorama | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $1.99
• Aceplayer | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $2.99
• Contacts XL + Facebook sync | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $1.99
• Blue Calculator | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $0.99

• Android

• QwikList Voice Free | AppBrain | Previously $1.99

• Windows

• Corel Studio Video X4 | Newegg via LogicBuy | Previously $99.99, now Free + free shipping with mail-in rebate
• Trend Micro Maximum Security | Newegg via LogicBuy | Previously $79.99, now Free + free shipping with mail-in rebate
• Wondershare Video Converter Platinum | Giveaway of the Day via Dealnews | Previously $35.95

• Mac

• MacX DVD Ripper | MacXDVD.com via Dealnews | Previously $34.99

• Services

• Weather Underground 1 year Premium Membership | Weather Underground via Dealnews | Previously $10.00, now Free with coupon code NEH55

• The Rest

  iOS

• Delivery Status Touch | iTunes via LogicBuy | Previously $4.99, now $2.99
• PDF Reader - iPad Edition | iTunes via AppShopper | Previously $4.99, now $3.99

• Android

• Magic Hour - Camera & Unlimited Filter | Amazon Appstore via LogicBuy | Previously $1.99, now $0.99
• SafeWallet | Amazon Appstore via apps-aholic | Previously $3.99, now $1.99
• doubleTwist with AirSync | Amazon Appstore | Previously $4.99, now $2.99
• Tapatalk Forum App | Amazon Appstore | Previously $2.99, now $1.99
• Business Calendar | Amazon Appstore | Previously $4.99, now $1.99
• BITS Pro | Amazon Appstore | Previously $3.49, now $1.49

• Windows

• Intuit Quickbooks 2012 | Dell via LogicBuy | Previously [Pro$229.99, Premier $399.99], now [Pro$169.99, Premier $189.99]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/WlW16nj2uiE/daily-app-deals-get-money-for-iphone-at-90-off-in-todays-app-deals

steve mcnair brooklyn bridge lady antebellum marques colston dez bryant listeria listeria

Debt panel failure puts U.S. at risk (Politico)

Here?s a message to Washington politicians: duck.

Your failure is now complete. You were faced with a generational challenge to save Americans from the type of collapse European countries are now facing and you blinked. Actually, you did worse.

Continue Reading

Instead of eradicating a historic threat that could have been solved by simple math, you ran for cover and appointed a self-described ?supercommittee? to make all of your tough decisions. Unfortunately for your political careers, there was nothing ?super? about that feckless collection of politicians. In fact, they appeared to be even less imaginative and inspiring than the whole lot of you.

Watching them all trot their tired lines out on the Sunday talk shows made me sick. Democrats were blabbing on about hiking taxes and Republicans were prattling on about slashing spending. Both were accusing the other side of intransigence while standing in a block of ideological cement.

How pathetic.

Democrats know that spending has exploded under President Barack Obama at an unprecedented pace. They know that Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs are going to die without massive reform. They know that just taxing the 1 percent will do next to nothing over the next generation to break the cycle of debt.

But they don?t have the guts to do what is right. They don?t have the courage to risk their careers to save America.

Republicans are no better.

GOP leaders lack the guts to tackle entitlement reform. The Republican presidential frontrunner called Rep. Paul Ryan?s Medicare plan ?radical social engineering from the right? while 70 percent of self-described tea party members told pollsters they don?t want their Medicare touched. Meanwhile, the rest of the party fights the type of real tax reform that will put middle-class Americans on a level playing field with billionaires like Warren Buffett. And instead of channeling Teddy Roosevelt by breaking up the Wall Street banks that almost broke our economy, they drone on about class warfare while telling protesters to take a bath.

How about offering up a slice of cake at the same time, boys?

What it means for politicians is another chaotic campaign cycle, with one incumbent after another getting chased from power. What it means for America is much worse.

Our leaders are unworthy of our trust. They have no moral authority to lead. The president is weak and not up to the task of running the White House. Congress is even worse, with an approval rating mired in single digits.

If the cavalry is coming, it better ride in from the West quick. We?re in a hell of a mess and thanks to Washington?s bumbling, I fear it is all going to get much worse.

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_68876_html/43676388/SIG=11mih62v8/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68876.html

courageous courageous red tide red tide florida gators norman mailer steve mcnair

PSU taps ex-FBI director Freeh for investigation (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? Former FBI director Louis Freeh, tapped to lead Penn State's investigation into the child sex-abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach, said his inquiry will go as far back as 1975, a much longer period than a grand jury report issued earlier this month.

Freeh was named Monday to oversee the university board of trustees' internal investigation into the abuse allegations that ultimately led to the ouster of longtime football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier.

Freeh said his goal was to conduct a comprehensive, fair and quick review.

Penn State has faced criticism since announcing that its internal investigation would be led by two university trustees, Merck pharmaceutical company CEO Kenneth Frazier and state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis.

Faculty members on Friday called for an independent investigation of how the university handled abuse allegations, and the faculty senate endorsed a resolution asking for an investigation to be led by a committee whose chair has no links to Penn State.

In announcing Freeh's appointment, Frazier stressed the former FBI director's independence. Freeh will be empowered to investigate employees up to and including the board of trustees itself, Frazier said.

"No one is above scrutiny," Frazier said.

Retired Air Force Col. and astronaut Guion Bluford also will be part of the investigation, Frazier said. Bluford is a 1964 Penn State graduate.

Freeh's investigation firm, Group International Europe, was hired by soccer's governing body this year to look into the bribery case involving FIFA's presidential election. FIFA banned candidate Mohamed bin Hammam for life for bribing voters. The ruling body also banned 11 Caribbean soccer leaders and disciplined others in the corruption scandal.

Freeh founded Group International Europe after leading the FBI from 1993 to 2001. He previously served six years as a special agent.

Former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is accused of molesting eight boys over a 15-year period. Authorities say some assaults happened on campus and were reported to administrators but not to police.

Amid the scandal, Penn State's trustees ousted Spanier and Paterno. The trustees said Spanier and Paterno failed to act after a graduate assistant claimed he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in a campus shower in 2002.

Paterno, who has the most wins of any major college football coach, has conceded he should have done more. Spanier has said he would have reported a crime if he had suspected one had been committed.

Sandusky has said he is innocent. He has acknowledged he showered with boys but said he never molested them.

Former school administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz are charged with not properly alerting authorities to suspected abuse and with perjury. They maintain their innocence.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_abuse

corporal kelsey de santis corporal kelsey de santis ufc on fox

Hugh Grant: Non-Murdoch tabloid hacked me in 2007 (AP)

LONDON ? Actor Hugh Grant said Monday that he believes his phone was hacked by Britain's Mail on Sunday tabloid ? the first time he has implicated a newspaper not owned by Rupert Murdoch in the wrongdoing.

Grant, star of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and other movies, told an inquiry into media ethics that a 2007 story about his romantic life could only have been obtained through eavesdropping on his voice mails.

He said he could not think of any other way the newspaper could have obtained the story alleging that his romance with Jemima Khan was on the rocks because of his conversations with a "plummy voiced" woman the paper identified as a film studio executive.

Grant said there was no such woman, but he did receive voice messages from the assistant of a producer friend.

"She would leave charming, joking messages ... and she had a voice that can only be described as plummy," he said.

Grant sued the newspaper for libel and won.

Challenged as to whether he was speculating about the source of the story, Grant acknowledged that he didn't have any hard proof.

"Speculation? O.K. But ... I'd love to hear what the Daily Mail or the Sunday Mail's explanation of what that source was if it wasn't phone hacking."

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry into media ethics in the wake of a still-evolving scandal over phone hacking in Britain. Murdoch shut down the discredited News of the World tabloid in July after evidence emerged that it had routinely eavesdropped on the voice mails of public figures, celebrities and even crime victims in its search for scoops.

Grant is one of a string of high-profile witnesses, including actress Sienna Miller and author J.K. Rowling, who will testify about how they were followed, photographed, entrapped and harassed by tabloid journalists.

The first witnesses Monday were the parents of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, whose mobile phone voice mails were hacked after she disappeared in 2002.

Her mother told the inquiry that she believed her missing 13-year-old was still alive once she reached the girl's previously full voice mailbox.

Sally Dowler said when she could finally leave a message on her daughter Milly's voice mail weeks after the girl disappeared, she shouted: "She's picked up the voice mails! ... She's alive!"

In fact, messages on Milly's phone had been deleted by someone working for the News of the World tabloid while the Dowlers and the police were still searching for the girl, who was later found dead.

The Dowlers said they had been utterly shocked when police told them, much later, that Milly's phone had been hacked.

Sally Dowler said she "didn't sleep for about three nights."

"When we were given that information, it was terribly difficult to process it," she said.

Her husband Bob said he recognized immediately that the information was "dynamite." News that tabloid journalists had targeted not just celebrities but a murdered girl shocked many Britons and triggered a police investigation and media recriminations that are still unfolding.

The Dowlers took the stand together and spoke in quiet, composed voices during their 30 minutes of nationally televised testimony.

They described their shock and anger when a private walk to retrace their missing daughter's last steps was secretly photographed by the tabloid.

Sally Dowler said she and her husband Bob had no idea they were being observed as they walked near their home in May 2002, but days later saw the pictures in the News of the World.

"It just felt like such an intrusion into a really, really private grief moment," she said. The couple said they later realized that their own phone, as well as their daughter's, had been hacked.

More than a dozen News of the World journalists and editors have been arrested and several senior Murdoch executives have resigned over the still-evolving scandal. Two top London police officers also lost their jobs, along with Cameron's media adviser.

The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, could recommend major changes to the way the media in Britain are regulated.

The second witness Monday was journalist and novelist Joan Smith, whose phone was hacked while she was in a relationship with a politician, Denis MacShane. Smith said she was shocked when police said her name and details had been found in the notebooks of private eye Glenn Mulcaire, who worked for the News of the World and was jailed in 2007 for phone hacking.

"I don't think I'm somebody whose private life would be of much interest to the reading public," she said.

"This could happen to almost anybody. That's the astonishing thing. You don't have to be an incredibly famous actress or actor ... you just have to tangentially come into the orbit of somebody who is well known."

Graham Shear, a sports and media lawyer who has represented many celebrities, told the inquiry about the host of tabloid techniques he has encountered, from checkbook journalism to "kiss and tell girls" who target athletes.

Shear is suing the News of the World's parent company, alleging that his own voice mail messages, as well as those of his clients, were hacked.

He said tabloid journalism was "a business model that's become dependent and infatuated with sensationalist and titillating stories."

In that environment, he said, "the News of the World was at the front as the most effective story-gatherer."

Grant, a fierce critic of press intrusion, smiled for photographers as he arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice, where the hearings are being held.

Later this week the inquiry will hear from "Harry Potter" author Rowling, comedian Steve Coogan, actress Miller and former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley ? whose taste for sadomasochism was revealed in a widely publicized News of the World sting.

It's a courtroom lineup that Britain's celebrity-obsessed tabloids would love, if only they weren't the ones in the dock.

__

Associated Press writer Raphael G. Satter contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking

rachel uchitel amerigo vespucci julio jones elizabeth warren coptic church steve bartman columbus day

Monday Candidate Schedule (TIME)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/164537226?client_source=feed&format=rss

orioles atlanta braves national coffee day national coffee day paw paw paw paw baltimore orioles

eBay?s iPad App Now Shows Shoppers Relevant Merchandise For What They Are Watching On TV

eBay and PayPal are both pushing the term ?couch commerce,? in which consumers will be using their tablets and mobile phones from the comfort of their couches to shop this holiday shopping season. eBay is launching a new feature of its iPad app, which should help take couch commerce to another level. A new ?Watch with eBay? tab has been added to the e-commerce giant's iPad app that allows users to shop a selection of items on the marketplace related to what they are currently watching on TV.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fjM7kWvGlF8/

angus t. jones belgian malinois honey badger girl fight jacoby brissett danielle staub last of the mohicans

The nation's weather (AP)

Weather Underground Forecast for Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011.

More active weather was anticipated across the West on Saturday, while the East remained sunny and dry. A trough of low pressure over the Northern Rockies was expected to continue moving eastward through the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. This was expected to continue pushing a cold front southward, which would extend from the Great Lakes, through the Central Rockies, and into southern California. The system was expected to produce strong flow from the north and continue pulling cold air in from western Canada. Widespread scattered snow showers were expected to develop along this system, with two to four inches of snow anticipated in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains, up to eight inches of new snow over the Northern and Central Rockies. Meanwhile, behind this system, another trough of low pressure was expected to move onshore from the Pacific Northwest, allowing for rain and high elevation snow showers to persist across Oregon and Washington. Winter weather advisories were expected to remain in effect throughout the Northwestern U.S. High wind advisories were issued across the Central Rockies, due to wind gusts from 25 to 35 mph, from 50 to 60 mph at high mountain passes.

In the East, a ridge of high pressure remained the dominant weather feature across the Eastern Valleys and Eastern Seaboard. This was expected to produce more sunny skies and dry conditions. Chilly conditions were expected as overnight low temperatures were expected to dip into the 20s and 30s and daytime highs remain in the 50s. Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a morning low of 3 degrees at Havre, Mont. to a high of 86 degrees at Harlingen, Texas

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111119/ap_on_re_us/us_weatherpage_weather

beavis and butthead cardinals jennifer nicole lee jennifer nicole lee chris harris peter schiff matt holliday

Former Procter & Gamble CEO John Smale dies at 84 (Reuters)

CINCINNATI (Reuters) ? Former Procter & Gamble chief executive John G. Smale, credited with transforming the two major international companies he led during his career, died on Saturday at age 84.

Smale served as chief executive officer of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble from 1981 to 1990. Under his watch, the company doubled sales to more than $24 billion and earnings to $1.6 billion, and expanded into 15 new product categories and 23 new countries.

Smale, who also served as chairman, started with the company in 1952 working in dental products. He was credited with persuading the American Dental Association to endorse Crest, then a new product.

Crest went on to become one of the company's best-selling brands, helping catapult Smale into the limelight, according to Procter & Gamble's website.

In addition to his lauded business sense, those who worked with Smale inside the company and out remembered him as a kind, unpretentious man.

"The man's character was defined by all the things character is defined by: his wisdom, his courage, his persistent commitment to doing what's right for the longer term -- absolutely right down the line. Never compromising," said John Pepper, Procter & Gamble's CEO from 1995 to 1999.

"John was the single most inspiring leader I have ever known. Period," Pepper told Reuters.

After Smale retired from Procter & Gamble, General Motors' board picked him to lead that struggling company, and he helped get the automobile manufacturer profitable within two years, Pepper said.

Smale served as chairman of the General Motors board from 1992 to 1995, according to that company's website. He continued to serve on the GM board until 2002.

Born in Ontario, Canada, he graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, near Cincinnati, and later returned to his adopted hometown of Cincinnati to become one of its most respected business and civic leaders.

"He was one of the most decent people," said Charlie Luken, former Cincinnati mayor. "When his city asked him to, he stepped up."

In 1987, Luken asked Smale to chair a committee examining problems with the city's aging infrastructure. The resulting plan was so comprehensive and successful that it became known as the Smale Commission and continues to have a lasting effect.

"He loved his city and was he was always there," Luken said. "Any time I would ask him to do something he would say, 'Is there anything else I can do?'"

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obits/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111120/us_nm/us_procterandgamble_smale_death

nbc news donald driver donald driver koch industries dexter season 6 homeland homeland

'Extinct' frog hops back into northern Israel

In this photo made available by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, a Hula Painted Frog, a species believed to be extinct is seen in a nature reserve in northern Israel. Omri Gal of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday that the Hula Painted Frog was seen for the first time in 50 years this week. In the 1940s, a specimen ate a second frog, leading to speculation the species is cannabilistic.(AP Photo/Dror Galili) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this photo made available by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, a Hula Painted Frog, a species believed to be extinct is seen in a nature reserve in northern Israel. Omri Gal of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday that the Hula Painted Frog was seen for the first time in 50 years this week. In the 1940s, a specimen ate a second frog, leading to speculation the species is cannabilistic.(AP Photo/Dror Galili) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this photo made available by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, a Hula Painted Frog, a species believed to be extinct is seen in a nature reserve in northern Israel. Omri Gal of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday that the Hula Painted Frog was seen for the first time in 50 years this week. In the 1940s, a specimen ate a second frog, leading to speculation the species is cannabilistic.(AP Photo/Dror Galili) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

JERUSALEM (AP) ? A frog species believed to be extinct has hopped back into sight in northern Israel.

Omri Gal of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday the Hula Painted Frog was seen for the first time in 50 years this week. He said it was declared extinct.

Gal said, "It's an amazing find, now we have a second chance to preserve the species."

The frog is native to the Hula Valley, a swamp drained in the 1950s to stop malaria.

Aquatic ecologist Dana Milstein says the frog was rare even before, and little is known about it. In the 1940s, a specimen ate a second frog, leading to speculation the species is cannibalistic.

She credited rehydration of the area for the frog sighting and said more are likely in the reserve.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-11-18-ML-Israel-Frog-Comeback/id-56bb5e5b43424bfdb9852392771bf099

black hawk down dennis the menace dylan ratigan dylan ratigan occupy occupy midnight madness

NYC Occupy seeks rebound with rally

NEW YORK?? Occupy Wall Street protesters hope to rebound on Thursday with a rally at the New York Stock Exchange to show their battle against economic inequality has life after they were evicted from a downtown park.

Rallies by the two-month-old movement have numbered in the hundreds of people in New York but the protesters and city officials said they expect thousands of people to pour into the Wall Street area from 7 a.m.

It will be a test of whether Occupy Wall Street and the loosely knit global alliance it inspired will flag or get a boost after the police cleared a camp of several hundred protesters from Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

"This movement is really not about tents as much as it is about an idea and we're keeping the idea through a number of direct action things planned" for Thursday, said spokesman Ed Needham. "There's also going to be events in 100 countries around the world tomorrow."

Occupy Wall Street plans to shut down the home of the New York Stock Exchange and the heart of American capitalism with a street carnival that kicks off a day of protests.

"We are certainly anticipating tens of thousands of people protesting, aimed at significant disruption of the daily lives of people of this city," Howard Wolfson, New York's deputy mayor, told reporters.

"We take it seriously," he said. "Our forces will be deployed accordingly."

Ensuring the constitutional rights of the protesters to free speech and freedom of assembly was "critically important," Wolfson said, "but we will also ensure public safety."

Ustream star is born at Wall Street protests

After the police raid and a cleaning of Zuccotti Park, protesters were allowed to return but were banned from setting up camp again. Numbers dwindled to less than two dozen overnight on Wednesday.

"We're going to occupy this park for a long time," said Jason Holmza, 30, of Washington State. "Right now we've got to figure out where to turn our attention to."

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. PressPass: Abramoff asks if Gingrich can survive
   2. Businesses feeling the pinch of NBA lockout
   3. Facebook's porn and gore attack: Who gets the blame?
   4. Sandusky case triggers pain well beyond campus
   5. Congress takes up controversial anti-piracy legislation
   6. Wall Street not too worried by 'supercommittee'
   7. Two youths cross country to combat trash

Protesters say they are upset that billions of dollars in bailouts given to banks during the recession allowed a return to huge profits while average Americans have had no relief from high unemployment and a struggling economy.

A night of re-Occupation at Zuccotti Park

They also believe the richest 1 percent of Americans do not pay their fair share of taxes.

Protesters set up camp in Zuccotti Park on September 17 and it became the epicenter for the movement, sparking rallies and occupations of public spaces across the United States and elsewhere in the world.

The clearing of the New York park followed recent evictions in Atlanta, Portland and Salt Lake City. Unlike action in Oakland, California, where police used tear gas and stun grenades, most protesters left voluntarily.

"I was dismayed by the number of people who stayed," said Sam DeLily, 23, from the New York borough of Queens. "I was disappointed that more people didn't realize we'd need a show of support last night more than ever."

A couple of dozen protesters took refuge at two Manhattan churches that offered them a place to sleep, while Occupy Wall Street's Needham said hundreds more were put up by New Yorkers who offered their homes.

PhotoBlog: Occupy Wall Street

Story: Berkeley protesters defy authorities, pitch tents

Some of the latest developments in the Occupy protests:

SOUTH CAROLINA
Officers have begun arresting people after Gov. Nikki Haley ordered Occupy Columbia protesters to leave the lawn of the South Carolina Statehouse.

Haley gave the protesters less than two hours to leave Wednesday. Most of them packed up their mattresses, coolers and other supplies collected in a month of continuous protests.

But about 20 people decided to challenge the governor's order.

They sat by the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds, put their hands up and chanted. They were arrested shortly before 6:30 p.m. in the pouring rain without incident.

Haley says she decided to end the protest because the people sleeping and rallying at the Statehouse have cost the state more than $17,000 in property damage and overtime for police officers.

NEVADA
In a city that celebrates behaving badly, Occupy Las Vegas protesters are touting civil obedience and government cooperation as anti-Wall Street efforts elsewhere have turned to violence and police confrontations.

Las Vegas demonstrators have sought approval from government leaders and police before protesting or setting up a camp site. They called off a protest during President Barack Obama's visit to Las Vegas last month because police asked them to do so. And they have created a system of protest rules that ban, among other things, law-breaking and hate signs.

The good behavior in Las Vegas and other Occupy efforts across Nevada is even more noteworthy because Nevadans may have the most cause to rage against the machine. The state tops the nation in foreclosures and unemployment and entire neighborhoods have been overtaken by vacant homes and storefronts.

But while protesters in other cities riot and rage, the Vegas group is hosting a series of free foreclosure mediation workshops for homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages.

Organizers insist their anti-greed message has a better chance of spreading if they aren't labeled violent anarchists.

WASHINGTON STATE
An 84-year-old woman has become a face of the national Occupy Wall Street movement after she was hit with pepper spray during a Seattle march.

Video: 84-year-old pepper sprayed at ?Occupy? Seattle (on this page)

A photo of Dorli Rainey with the chemical irritant dripping from her chin quickly went viral, becoming one of the most striking images from the protests that have taken place in cities across the globe.

Rainey has been active in Seattle's liberal politics for decades and once ran for mayor. She said Wednesday that she showed up at the downtown protest the previous day to show support.

Police say demonstrators were blocking a downtown intersection.

Rainey was not among the six people arrested.

Mayor Mike McGinn is apologizing to some protesters who were pepper sprayed during a march and said he has spoken to Rainey.

LONDON
London officials attached eviction notices to protest tents outside St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday. They are asking demonstrators to remove the camp by Thursday evening or face legal action.

The notices posted by the City of London Corporation said the encampment was "an unlawful obstruction" of a sidewalk, and asked protesters to take down "all tents and other structures."

Cathedral and city officials had suspended legal action to remove the camp two weeks ago, and offered the protesters a deal to allow them to stay until the new year if they then agreed to leave. But the corporation said Tuesday that talks had failed and it was resuming legal action.

If the more than 200 tents are not removed, the corporation says it will go to court seeking an eviction notice. That process could take weeks or months.

PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia officials have told protesters camping out next to City Hall to leave because of the "imminent" start of a long-planned renovation project.

Mayor Michael Nutter's office said Wednesday the city has posted an official notice saying the $50 million renovation work at Dilworth Plaza is about to start following selection of a general contractor. Officials issued no deadline and said they would work with the protesters on finding another location for them.

"This project's commencement is imminent," the statement said. "Accordingly, you should take this opportunity to vacate Dilworth Plaza and remove all of your personal belongings immediately."

The protesters have had hundreds of tents camped in the plaza for more than a month. The group has resisted the city's call to move to another plaza across the street to clear the way for the renovation.

TEXAS
An attorney for Occupy Dallas said an agreement with the city was reached Wednesday that allows protesters to stay at a campsite near City Hall four more weeks ? as long as they obey the law.

Protesters say they will keep their campsite clean so they don't get kicked out.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has said public safety and health conditions are a "paramount concern."

The city last week alleged protesters violated an agreement allowing the campsite. The city noted reports of an alleged sexual assault of a child, the removal of a baby over possible endangerment and trespassing arrests.

MASSACHUSETTS
A Boston judge has ordered the city not to remove protesters or their tents from a downtown encampment without court approval, except in an emergency such as fire, a medical issue or an outbreak of violence.

A temporary restraining order was issued after a hearing Wednesday on the protesters' lawsuit. Fuller arguments will be heard Dec. 1, and the judge orders the sides to hold a mediation session before then.

A lawyer for the demonstrators says they are concerned they will be forced out in the middle of the night as Occupy protesters were in New York City this week.

CALIFORNIA
San Francisco police began arresting students and anti-Wall Street protesters who stormed into a downtown Bank of America, sat down and began chanting.

More than 100 demonstrators stormed the bank Wednesday chanting, "Money for schools and education, not for banks and corporations."

Riot-clad officers began putting plastic cuffs on the demonstrators, who refused to leave the bank.

The bank protest occurred after ReFund California, a coalition of student groups and university employee unions, bused in protesters from UC Berkeley, the University of California, Merced and other schools to join San Francisco's Occupy demonstrators.

Occupy San Diego protesters have once again been rousted from a downtown plaza by police.

The San Diego Union-Tribune says nine people were arrested and a 10th was cited during the confrontation early Wednesday.

Officials say most arrests were for resisting or obstructing police.

Officers used bull horns to roust sleepers at the Civic Center Plaza. A police statement says tables, sleeping bags and other items were removed so the area could be cleaned up.

It is the latest confrontation in the city where 74 people were cited or jailed since the demonstrations began last month.

INDIANA
Occupy Indy protesters have been given 24-hours to clear out their camp on the Statehouse lawn.

In a letter delivered Wednesday, the Department of Administration ordered the handful of remaining protesters to clear out. The state gave protesters until Thursday afternoon to clear out and said protesters who try to stop them will be arrested.

Protesters said the order was not about their safety but about stifling their demonstration.

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/45324194/ns/us_news-life/

minka kelly presidential debate xbox live update bloomberg tv bloomberg tv david koch the state

Giant Chinese Desert Mystery Structure Solved

Yes. I am convinced this is a bomb target for calibration of "smart bombs".

Basically, you would feed images into your bomb, showing it the path it is to follow and exactly where it is to end up.

In the event of a war, you really cannot expect your enemy to continue to broadcast GPS and homing information for you.

I would suspect all "space-based" assistance would be quickly rendered useless by a few tons of pea-gravel launched into an elliptical polar orbit.

I could see where smart bomb guidance syste

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/pY9uSeZ1Wng/giant-chinese-desert-mystery-structure-solved

earthquake in texas earthquake in texas official time news 9 tuscaloosa tuscaloosa earthquake california

Room 344

If you're reading this, you may already have read 'Of Hearts and Souls' (or at least the three or so parts I've posted). These are the same characters and this occurs around eleven months prior. So, here is Liza Covet and Johannes Rocha's second time in Room 344...

---

Room 344

?And you?re quite sure that you she would never have just? taken off?? Covet asked, valiantly attempting not to sound remotely irritated, condescending, bored or all of the above, as she sat across from the sobbing woman on the sofa. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat; the pencil skirt she wore (along with a matching suit jacket) was incredibly itchy ? no doubt from the friction between the tights and the cheap material.

?Of course not!? the woman squawked between a hiccup and a sniff. ?She?s only sixteen, she doesn?t even have a car!?

?Well, ma?am, I?m afraid that, given the situation, I?m going to advise that you take this up with your local law enforcement. As a private detective, I can?t help you as well as they can. If you like, I?ll drop off the notes I?ve made with the police and ? excuse me a moment, please.? Covet stood, vibrating mobile already fished from the gaudy purse she was carrying with her as she strode out of the room, heels clacking on the hardwood floor, and into the hallway.

The moment the door closed behind her, Covet?s friendly, soothing demeanour changed.

?What the hell do you want, Johannes?? she spat into the receiver, voice hissing with the effort in keeping her volume down. ?Johannes? ?Nes! Are you sitting on your phone again??

?God, help me?? Liza frowned; his voice was low and rough. Humourless. Entirely unlike the witch Covet had known for years. ?Covet, please.?

?Johannes? ?Nes, where are you? Tell me where you are.?

?Hotel? swings??

?Johannes!?

?Covet, please ? help me, I ? I?? The hunter looked at her phone, disbelief in her expression. The call had cut off.

Liza left without a word.

***

?So, I said to the ?psychic?,? Johannes Rocha sniggered, aloof tone and air quotations accompanying his speech charismatically, ?go ahead and tell me about my future wife. Next thing I know, she?s describing Liza Covet because she saw her picture in my wallet! When I tell Covet, she?s gonna flip out and hunt the psychic down!?

The group surrounding him at the bar dissolved into snickers, all eyeing one another knowingly. ?I cannae see Liza Covet settling down any time soon, an? certainly no? with a curly-headed runt like you!? the barman laughed, setting out another round of beers and tonics. The hunters all paused at a loud ringtone (some form of generic pop band blaring about love) coming from the witch.

?Speak of the devil,? he smiled, holding up his mobile. ?Hello, Wicked Witch of the West speaking, how may I defy your gravity?? His companions frowned at the confused expression spreading across the witch?s face. ?Liza? You there? I swear I didn?t do whatever you think I?ve done, honest.?

??Nes?? The voice is dark, tired and hoarse. ??Nes, God, help me??

?Liza?? The panic in his tone has the attention of every other being in the room. ?Where are you? Love, tell me where you are.?

?Swings? ?Nes, help me, please. Help me!?

A scream, then dead silence. The call ended.

?Annie, what?s wrong?? the bartender asked, (literally) reading the minds of the other hunters.

?Liza. They ? someone or something?s hurt her. She needs help; I?ve got to go,? he breathed out, gathering his phone and jacket to his chest.

?Where is she?? another asked, also pulling out his mobile. Johannes knew they were all going to spot-check every hunter in the area for information.

?At the hotel where we met. Off the interstate, with the swingset.? He doesn?t need to say anything else. They all know the story of When Johannes Met Liza.

?I?ll phone around to see if there?s any sign of her, okay? I?ll phone you ? don?t get yourself into a trap.?

?I won?t,? Johannes insisted, already heading towards the door. ?If? if I text you 344, you need to come get our bodies.?

Under the watchful gaze of twelve sombre hunters, the witch left the bar.

***

?I need to go ? for any sake, hurry up ? I need to go to room 344. I don?t know who?s already there, I just really ? will you bloody listen??

?Sir, I am very sorry. However, I cannot let you go up to someone else?s room,? the receptionist insisted, not for the first time in the past ten minutes. ?Sir, please, I can?t allow it at all.?

?Fine,? Johannes muttered, shaking his head and ignoring the rigorous curls that flopped across his forehead. ?Just? just let me book into another room; I have a meeting tomorrow morning. Must?ve just been some strange dream, got me spooked.?

To give the son-of-a-witch credit, he was a good actor. The receptionist smiled sympathetically.

?We all have those days, sir,? she murmured apologetically as she handed over the room key. ?Enjoy your stay!?

The transaction had passed in the blind of an eye, and the witch was soon heading upstairs, passing by the floors for rooms one-hundred through two-hundred (including his own room) to head for the third floor.

This had to be the room Liza had called from. Room 344. The room they had shared the night they met.

?Liza?? The sight that met Johannes the moment he turned the corner onto the corridor containing rooms 340 through 360 was not quite what he had expected.

Not what he had expected at all, in fact.

?Open up, you demon bitch! I know he?s fucking in there! I can smell the sulphur!?

?I?m calling security!? a frail voice replied, muffled by walls and a wooden door (346) that the irate (downright pissed off) woman was pounding on with a fist.

?Covet!? He was confused, to say the very least. She?d sounded so weak. It?d only taken him a couple of hours to get here ? there was no way that she should be this energetic, this conscious after what he heard? and who was she trying to find?

?Johannes! Oh, Christ, ?Nes, are you alright?? The woman immediately abandoned her post at the door to throw herself at the witch, muttering oaths and lifting her hands to inspect his face for injuries. ?Johannes, are you okay? What happened??

?Covet!? Johannes eventually interjected loudly, his own hands curling around her wrists to still the (incredibly steady, not a tremble within them) fingers at his throat. ?I?m fine. You called me ? Liza, you screamed and the call went dead. Are you okay? What happened to you??

The pair blinked at one another, confusion mirrored in their expressions. The witch had lowered his hands to wrap his arms around her waist, a cursory glance informing him that she didn?t appear to be injured at all ? she seemed to be perfectly healthy. Liza had lowered her hands to his shoulders, disbelief inking its way through the confusion.

?I never called you,? she stated eventually. ?I got a call from you. You said ??

?God, help me, swings.? I got the same thing ? but it was your number, Covet, your phone.?

?Same to you? Someone hijacked our lines? Mimicked our voices ? this reeks of demonic intervention, ?Nes. Only hunters and demons know we were ever here, and nothing but a demon could use our voices like that.?

?Well? This is a bit cosy for my liking,? another voice drawled behind Johannes. The witch frowned, ready to tell whatever nosey bastard present to sod off and mind his own damn business, but Liza tensed and stifled a groan.

?Good grief??

?Ah, Liza Covet. If I hadn?t seen that utterly disgusting excuse for a car outside, I wouldn?t have recognised you in a skirt??

Both Johannes and Covet moved at that point, shifting as one so that they were eye-to-eye with a tall, curly-haired man. Of course, eye-to-eye meant that the unnatural colour of the man?s sclera was all too visible.

?Hello, Nora,? Liza greeted, almost casually.

?Oh, recognise me, do you, love?? the demon giggled, lifting a hand in an oddly feminine and coquettish manner to cover his mouth. ?I thought you?d have forgotten all about little old me.?

?I?m sure we?re all enjoying this soir?e, but I don?t understand this at all,? Johannes stated. ?What is going on??

?Nora was the literal monster in my closet,? Covet said, amusement tingeing her tone as ?Nora? twitched his fingers in greeting. ?Day I turned fifteen, remember, the Father at my church told me what really goes on in this little slice of paradise we call Earth. I?d gone back to get my jacket ??

The demon coughed. ?Cigarettes.?

?In my jacket,? the hunter insisted. ?From that point on, the Father started teaching me about hunting, what to do, when to do it and how to help save as many lives as possible? One day, I?m sitting innocently on my bed and reading from the Father?s Bible ? remind me to show that to you, ?Nes ? and Nora comes slithering out of my closet in the sluttiest dress I?ve ever seen, insults my clothing and then tells me not to get into hunting.?

?Liza Covet!? Nora sounded aghast at what was coming from the woman?s mouth. ?Don?t you paint me into a monster! All I said was that doing anything to involve yourself in matters of heaven and hell would result in your untimely demise.?

?She did that every night for a month. She left when I exorcised her. At least, I thought I had.?

Johannes was torn between surprise at Liza?s first encounter with a demon (at fifteen) ending in nothing more than a bruised ego, and being angered at their situation. ?But what about today?? he asked, gesturing to Covet. ?What is all this about??

?We?re getting there, curly!? Nora chided sweetly. ?I certainly got dragged back to hell. Not by a fifteen-year-old?s poor attempt at exorcism, however. Another demon pulled me back. Apparently he was not at all pleased by my initiative to kill you before I became irritated by that salt line you placed.?

?So why are you back?? Johannes? tone is sharp and Liza?s mouth curls into a smirk. She knew that, given enough incentive and anger, Johannes could very well end up accidentally sending Nora back to hell.

?Well, I felt a little guilty afterwards. Sweet young thing, you were just scared and a bit fashion-dumb. So, I left off and kept an eye on you ? nice job meeting curly here, by the way. Hoped you might get a bit more fashion sense, which unfortunately hasn?t happened? I don?t suppose all dreams come true. Anyway,? Nora continued hastily after having caught the look on Johannes? face. ?I need to warn you. That?s why I?m here, loves. That?s why you?re both here.?

The hunter and the witch shared a momentary glance.

?The demon that stopped me killing you has had a change of heart. He wants you dead. Now, I don?t know his name, I don?t know who he was or who he?s borrowed for crawling around on your Godforsaken planet. I just know that he?s a black-eye ?? Liza pretended not to feel the way Johannes physically tensed beside her. ??And that he knows exactly where you, lover-boy and all.?

?Why are you helping?? Covet asked, brows furrowing slightly as Nora?s story grew in her mind. ?Why now??

?You never forget your first haunt, love. We make a big deal about our firsts and lasts, us demons. Nothing else to do, really. Most demons take to looking after their firsts ? assuming we haven?t accidentally killed them at the time, of course.?

Covet spent a moment considering this, but her response was cut off as the elevator door chimed loudly, revealing the two security officers, eyes alert and bodies tense, straying into the corridor.

?You loves had best run off. I booked that room there for you both ? I?ll deal with these two,? Nora smiled, strolling past the pair and intercepting the two security guards just as they turned the corner. ?Excuse me, gentlemen! I do believe you?ll want to see this.?

Johannes saw Nora?s borrowed body slump to the floor just before he closed the door quietly behind himself.

?Strange,? Covet commented idly as she observed the interior of the hotel room.

?What?? Johannes asked, heaving a sigh and turning to lean back against the door. Adrenaline had flooded through him since stepping out of his car, and the coursing in his veins hadn?t slowed at all when the demon appeared. Now, he just felt tired.

?It?s just? we?re in 344 again? and there?s still only the one bed.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/7PXKmeMxewk/viewtopic.php

yahoo sports halloween costumes steven jackson steven jackson iheartradio iheartradio rosh hashanah recipes

Can Algae Feed the World and Fuel the Planet? A Q&A with Craig Venter

Features | Energy & Sustainability

The geneticist and entrepreneur hopes to use synthetic biology to transform microscopic algae into cells that eat up carbon dioxide, spit out oil and provide meals

By David Biello ?| November 15, 2011?|

MIRACLE CELLS?: Can algae serve as the fuel and food of the future? J. Craig Venter hopes to make it so. Image: suavehouse113 on Flickr

Microbes will be the (human) food- and fuel-makers of the future, if J. Craig Venter has his way. The man responsible for one of the original sequences of the human genome as well as the team that brought you the first living cell running on human-made DNA now hopes to harness algae to make everything humanity needs. All it takes is a little genomic engineering.

"Nothing new has to be invented. We just have to combine [genes] in a way that nature has not done before. We're speeding up evolution by billions of years," Venter told an energy conference on October 18 at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. "It's hard to imagine a part of humanity not substantially impacted."

Venter turned his attention to the genetic manipulation of algae after a two-year cruise to sample DNA in the ocean. The goal was to harvest the building blocks of the future for a biology that has been converted from the bases A, C, G and T into 1's and 0's?a digitized biology. He found that most of the millions of genes collected came from algae, one of the tinier organisms on the planet but one that already has an outsized planetary impact, providing more than a third of the oxygen we breathe.

Venter is looking to boost that impact further. His reengineered photosynthetic cells would take in carbon dioxide and sunlight and spew out hydrocarbons ready for the ExxonMobil refinery (the oil giant that has provided Venter's company Synthetic Genomics with $300 million in funding to date). In the process, the algae will turn a problem?CO2 causing climate change?and transform it into a solution?renewable fuels and slowed global warming. "Trying to capture CO2 and bury it is just dumb; it's going to be the renewable feedstock for the future," he said.

His commercial enterprise, Synthetic Genomics, has now also formed a new company with Mexican investment firm Plenus dubbed Agradis. Given algae's multibillion-year track record with photosynthesis and genetic experimentation Agradis's purpose is to turn that genetic cornucopia into improvements in agricultural crops, whether corn or canola?as well as use algae as a model for testing various new genetic combinations. A similar partnership between Monsanto and algae company Sapphire Energy will "use our algae platform that we developed to mine for genes that can transfer into their core agricultural products," explained Tim Zenk, Sapphire's vice president for corporate affairs in a prior interview with Scientific American. "When you do genetic screening in algae, you get hundreds of millions of traits in the screen and that accelerates the chances of finding something that can be transferred."

If that's not enough, Venter sees a role for synthetic biology in food beyond crops and livestock?specifically the growing hunger for meat around the world. "It takes 10 kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of beef, 15 liters of water to get one kilogram of beef, and those cows produce a lot of methane," another potent greenhouse gas, Venter observed. "Why not get rid of the cows?" The replacement: meat grown in a test tube from microbes thanks to synthetic biology.

It's not likely you'll be buying microbial meat in the immediate future, but it's also clear that biology should not be overlooked as a font of solutions for that future. "The problem with existing biology is you change only one or two genes at a time," he noted of today's genetic engineering. "We're building a robot to make a million chromosomes a day and be self-learning. ? The only limitation is our knowledge of biology."

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=1fb794b25ee682fa1d37b525b917322e

ellen degeneres show ellen degeneres show david guetta david guetta work of art iphone update iphone update