Before there was a Kindle Fire or a Nook Tablet, there were e-ink readers. This week, touch-sensitive easy-on-the-eyes e-readers from Amazon and Barnes & Noble go on sale for $99. So which one's better?
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45312689#45312689
internet censorship protect ip act sexiest man alive 2011 snow white and the huntsman trailer snow white and the huntsman trailer jerry sandusky interview lavar arrington
by Ken
It was only by accident that I stumbled onto Steve Kroft's report on tonight's edition of 60 Minutes (it's supposed to be here on the website, but I haven't been able to bring the page up -- is everybody trying to load it?). Once upon a time -- a long, long-ago time -- 60 Minutes was weekly "must" viewing, when the broadcast actually seemed focused on holding members of the political establishment to account for their deeds. Now it seems safely enmeshed in the Village media machine, seemingly aimed mostly aimed at paying tribute to that establishment, with occasional reference to wrongdoing that the system miraculously manages to self-correct.
It was just a couple of minutes after 7pm ET, and I'd just remembered to flip to channel 2 to see whether this was a week when CBS had a football game running long, thereby pushing back the network prime-time schedule and wreaking havoc on my scheduled recording of tonight's episode of The Good Wife. By the time what seemed like a 20-minute block of commercials ended, I saw that no, 60 Minutes was indeed on the air, and Steve Kroft was about to report a story that actually grabbed my attention: on what would be considered insider trading for anyone but congressmen, who are exempt from any such legal inhibitions, and other forms of more or less legal self-enriching congressional chicanery.
The clip above is from the "60 Minutes Overtime" webpage, which also features this text report:
November 13, 2011 6:46 PMQuestioning Pelosi: Steve Kroft heads to D.C.
By Overtime Staff
"Nobody would talk to us." That's what 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft says happened when he tried to get members of Congress to talk about "insider trading" on Capitol Hill.
It turns out that it is not illegal for member of Congress to make stock trades using inside information they learn while working on legislation, and Steve had some questions about some specific stock trades.
Since nobody involved would give him an interview, Steve had to find other ways to get some answers. As you'll see on Overtime this week, Steve looked for some lawmakers at their homes, attempted to track others down in their offices, and finally ended up asking questions at press conferences held by Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner.
"You don't like to do that stuff," Kroft tells Overtime producer David Rubin. "But on the other hand, if they don't want to talk to you and they don't want to give you an interview, and they are in powerful positions and play a prominent role in the story that you're doing, then you feel like sometimes you've got to do it."
Steve's 60 Minutes piece, Insiders, was produced by Ira Rosen and Gabrielle Schonder.
Which is not, let me hasten to add, to deny the extent of Democratic congressional corruption, which we have covered pretty extensively here at DWT. But let's not kid ourselves as to the affiliation of the pioneers and grand masters of the field, the visionaries who have led the way for their fellows -- of, yes, both parties. It's one of the few areas in which Congress can be seen to be functionally bipartisan.
But to get back to the 60 Minutes report, when it got down to cases my apprehension was alleviated somewhat. From what we were shown on-air, Peter Schweizer seems to have done some actual hard-headed investigating. For the record, the first subject of his investigation, and the most egregious case we were presented with, was one of the House's most expert balancers of ultra-extreme right-wing ideology and ultra-extreme personal profiteering, the singularly repellent Spencer Bachus, a longtime DWT fave, and attention was then directed to financial funny business attributed to Republican former Speaker "Planet Denny" Hastert and present Speaker "Sunny John" Boehner, before moving on to Democratic then-Speaker (now House Minority Leader) Nancy Pelosi.
IT COULD BE COINCIDENCE THAT ON THE "60 MINUTES
OVERTIME" WEBSITE THE FEATURED TARGET IS PELOSIAs you can see above, the "Overtime" Web report is headed "Questioning Pelosi: Steve Kroft heads to D.C.," and at the top only Pelosi is pictured.
Well, no, I don't think it's a coincidence at all. Yes, the text mentions "Sunny John" Boehner as well, but not Spencer Bachus or "Planet Denny" Hastert. And it sure looks like the offender "caught" by 60 Minutes is Pelosi.
Which is indeed how the Right-Wing Lie Machine is already spinning the report. (Here's the shocked "REVEALED" report on Andrew Breitbart's right-wing lie-o-rama.) And that Media Matters report I mentioned above includes a pre-air comment from Pelosi, as well as documentation of an earlier, debunked Peter Schweizer smear of Pelosi, along with a link to a YouTube version of Kroft's press-conference Q&A that's shockingly, astoundingly different, more substantive than the eviscerated version aired by 60 Minutes aired. (The aired version, by hacking out nearly all of Pelosi's answer to Kroft's question, makes it sound as if she simply ducked the question, which is an out-and-out lie. Does CBS News have an ombudsman?) Media Matters also goes into much detail about the right-wing history and associations of Peter Schweizer and his associates.
It would be a shame if the substance of the report were allowed to be overshadowed by the corrupt-wingnut spin. But I suppose it wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened. The Lie Machine knows its business. And certainly nobody who's in, or who has friends (or contacts) in, Congress has any interest in furthering the real story.
Still, it was nice to hear it surface just a bit.
#
Labels: 60 Minutes, Andrew Breitbart, Boehner, congressional ethics, Culture of Corruption, Nancy Pelosi, Planet Denny Hastert, Right-Wing Noise Machine, Spencer Bachus
Source: http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2011/11/60-minutes-goes-after-legal.html
aziz ansari corn maze icloud apple update apple update download ios 5 pokey
By TIM BOOTH
updated 10:07 p.m. ET Nov. 13, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO - A rookie quarterback, a game on the line. No better time for the Steelers' defense to get back to what it does best.
Grab the ball.
Rashard Mendenhall ran for a pair of touchdowns Sunday, and Pittsburgh intercepted Andy Dalton twice in the fourth quarter, holding on for a 24-17 victory over the upstart Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers (7-3) ended the Bengals' five-game winning streak with a little vintage defense, something missing so far this season. The Steelers had only two interceptions and two fumble recoveries heading into Sunday's game, a stunningly small statistic for these players who pride themselves on getting the ball.
They got it twice when it mattered most.
"We're a great defense because of the way we play," safety Ryan Clark said. "Turnovers tend to come in spurts. That's what separates teams from being a great defense. Today, we were able to help us win it."
It all came together in a game the Steelers badly needed. When Baltimore lost to Seattle 22-17 later Sunday, Pittsburgh was back atop the AFC North. Cincinnati and Baltimore are tied for second at 6-3.
Ben Roethlisberger led long, balanced drives while thousands of Steelers fans waved Terrible Towels amid the first sellout crowd of the season at Paul Brown Stadium. Mendenhall's 9-yard run put the Steelers' up 24-17 late in the third quarter, leaving it to the defense to finish the win off.
First, linebacker Lawrence Timmons picked off a deflected pass, ending a drive at the Pittsburgh 33. William Gay pulled off the clincher, stepping in front of Jerome Simpson for an interception at the 19-yard line with 2:27 left.
"It was two big plays that helped change the game," linebacker James Farrior said. "It was awesome. I'm especially proud of William Gay. You guys and even some of our fans really got on him this week."
Gay let Torrey Smith get behind him for a 26-yard touchdown catch with 8 seconds left in Baltimore's 23-20 win at Pittsburgh last Sunday.
Wasn't going to happen again.
Dalton handled most of what Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau threw at him until the end. He had two more touchdown passes, giving him 14 overall - the most by a rookie quarterback in his first nine games since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. He wasn't sacked even though the Steelers blitzed him every way they could.
"I felt like we had a really good grasp on what they were doing," said Dalton, who was 15 of 30 for 170 yards. "Even with all the movements and shifts that they were doing, I still thought we had a good feel."
Until the fourth quarter.
Dalton didn't have top receiver A.J. Green on the field for those pivotal moments. Green, who leads all rookie NFL receivers, twisted his right knee when he landed awkwardly on a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Green returned on the next series but was held out as a precaution after his knee tightened at halftime.
Roethlisberger was 21 of 33 for 245 yards with one touchdown and a deflected interception. He was sacked five times, matching his season high.
Roethlisberger found Jerricho Cotchery uncovered in the end zone for a 16-yard score that got thousands of Terrible Towels waving. It was the fifth time in the last six games that the Steelers reached the end zone on their opening possession.
Mendenhall ran 2 yards for a 14-0 lead on the Steelers' next possession. At that point, Pittsburgh had a 132-8 advantage in yards.
Dalton brought the Bengals back by doing what he does best - throw the ball Green's way so he can make a game-changing play. After running away from the pass rush, Dalton passed 36 yards to Green, who went up between safeties Troy Polamalu and Clark to make the catch in the end zone.
Then, the Steelers helped the Bengals keep it close.Tight end Heath Miller bobbled a pass directly to cornerback Leon Hall for an interception that set up Mike Nugent's 43-yard field goal, cutting it to 14-10. Miller had another bad moment late in the first half, wiping out an apparent touchdown with an interference penalty. Shaun Suisham's 39-yard field goal gave Pittsburgh a 17-10 halftime lead.
Hall, the Bengals' top cornerback, hurt his left Achilles tendon on that drive and didn't return. He was on crutches after the game and went for tests that indicated he had torn the tendon, which will likely land him on a season-ending injury list.
Dalton pulled the Bengals even with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Gresham on their opening drive of the second half. Pittsburgh went no-huddle and pulled off the winning drive, covering 81 yards in 11 plays.
Notes: Pittsburgh has won eight of its last nine in Cincinnati. ... Roethlisberger is 7-1 in his career in Cincinnati. ... Mike Tomlin got his 50th regular-season victory, joining former Steelers coaches Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Raymond "Buddy" Parker in that category. ... Dalton has thrown for 1,866 yards, passing Greg Cook for the franchise record by a rookie. ... Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Hall would be evaluated further to determine the extent of his Achilles injury.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
advertisement
More news??Peter King and Mike Florio the latest struggles of the Eagles and if Andy Reid will keep his job, how Denver tweaked its offense for Tim Tebow and more.
Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes, including two to Rob Gronkowski, and the New England Patriots took control of the AFC East with a convincing 37-16 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday night.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45280353/ns/sports-nfl/
facebook music daphne guinness daphne guinness mortgage rates mortgage rates kirstie alley r.e.m.
ROME ? Economist Mario Monti accepted the monumental task Sunday of trying to form a new government that can rescue Italy from financial ruin, expressing confidence that the nation can beat the crisis if its people pull together.
His selection came a day after Silvio Berlusconi reluctantly resigned as premier, bowing out after world markets pummeled Italy's borrowing ability, reflecting a loss of faith in the 75-year-old media mogul's leadership. Berlusconi quit after the Italian parliament approved new reform measures demanded by the European Union and central bank officials ? but even those are not considered enough to right Italy's ailing economy.
"There is an emergency, but we can overcome it with a common effort," Monti told the nation, shortly after Italy's president formally asked him to see if he can muster enough political support to lead the country out of one of its most trying hours since World War II.
"In a moment of particular difficulty, Italy must win the challenge to bounce back, we must be an element of strength and not weakness in the European Union, of which we are founders," he added.
Monti must now draw up a Cabinet, lay out his priorities, and see if he has enough support in Parliament to govern. Rival political parties offered various degrees of support, including one demand from Berlusconi's party ? the largest in Parliament ? that his government last only as long enough as it takes to heal Italy's finances and revive the economy.
The 68-year-old economics professor is no pushover, earning a reputation for staring down challenges as a tough EU competition commissioner. But he'll have to win a confidence vote in Parliament before he can lead the nation.
Monti told reporters he will carry out his task "with a great sense of responsibility and service toward this nation." Italy must heal its finances and resume growth because "we owe it to our children, to give them a concrete future of dignity and hope."
Berlusconi's party also demanded that only technocrats ? not politicians ? make up Monti's Cabinet in exchange for its crucial support.
Monti faces a daunting challenge ? preventing an Italian default that could tear apart the 17-nation eurozone and send Europe and the U.S. into new recessions.
Italy's economy is hampered by high wage costs, low productivity, fat government payrolls, excessive taxes, choking bureaucracy, and an educational system that produces one of the lowest levels of college graduates among rich countries.
In addition, as the third-largest economy in the eurozone, Italy is considered too big for Europe to bail out like Greece, Portugal and Ireland have been.
The next Italian government needs to push through even more painful reforms and austerity measures to deal with euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) in debt ? about 120 percent of the country's economic output. And many of those debts are coming due soon ? Italy has to roll over more than euro300 billion ($410 billion) of its debts next year alone.
Some political forces, including some from Berlusconi's ranks and that of his allies, have been clamoring for early elections. But President Giorgio Napolitano cited approaching treasury bond auctions ? one as early as Monday and other bonds maturing in the next few months ? as a main reason he decided to "avoid early elections and the consequent government vacuum" until a new one could be formed.
Asked by journalists if he thought Monti could form his government by week's end, Napolitano responded positively.
The yield on Italian 10-year bonds fell to 6.48 percent Friday, below the crisis level of 7 percent reached earlier last week, a level that forced the three other EU nations into international bailouts.
Centrist and center-left parties in the opposition during Berlusconi's rule offered their support for Monti.
"Italian parties are at fork in the road. Either they speculate on the situation, hoping that they can get some campaign capital from it, or they take up their responsibilities to save the country," said centrist opposition leader Pier Ferdinando Casini.
The leader of Italy's largest labor confedation, the left-wing CGIL, Susanna Camusso, expressed hope that Monti could pull together a government capable of "giving back the international credibility that we have lost in these years."
Union leaders, along with industrialists, have accused Berlusconi of doing virtually nothing to create jobs during his tenure.
Berlusconi's main ally in his 17 years of politics, Umberto Bossi, said his Northern League, a regional party with its power base in the affluent north, would stay in the opposition and insisted early elections are the true solution.
"We won't give him any blank check," Bossi said of Monti.
Warmly welcoming the new prime minister-designate were European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.
"We believe that it sends a further encouraging signal," following Italy's final passage Saturday of new austerity measures, they said in a statement, adding that the EU will keep monitoring Italy's implementation of the measures "with the aim of pursuing policies that foster growth."
The measures that were passed Saturday include raising the retirement age to 67 by 2026 and to 70 by 2050 and selling off state property.
Some analysts expect the return of the property tax on primary residences, a tax that Berlusconi had abolished.
A crowd of supporters applauded Berlusconi on Sunday at his private residence in Rome ? in sharp contrast to the hundreds Saturday night who heckled and jeered him and popped open bottles of sparking wine to toast his departure.
It was an ignoble end for the billionaire media mogul, who came to power for the first time in 1994 using a soccer chant "Let's Go Italy" as the name of his political party and selling Italians on a dream of prosperity with own transformation from cruise-ship crooner to Italy's richest man.
While he became Italy's longest-serving postwar premier, Berlusconi's three stints as premier were tainted by corruption trials and accusations that he used his political power to help his business interests. His last term was marred by sex scandals, "bunga bunga" parties and criminal charges he paid a 17-year-old girl to have sex ? accusations he denies.
Berlusconi appeared on TV in a recorded message Sunday, pledging to stay a vigorous political force in Parliament, where he is still a lawmaker.
"(I) resigned out of a sense of responsibility and of state, to ward off more speculative financial attacks on Italy," he said.
Looking somber, Berlusconi said he was sad that his "generous gesture" of resignation was greeted by "hoots and insults" from the crowds.
___
Gabriele Steinhauser contributed from Brussels.
drake take care tracklist dr murray trial herman cain take care drake cain accuser real housewives of atlanta aesop rock
I am here to look for a role play partner because lately I have been feeling like doing more of these.
A few things first though!
- I am a girl and usually I like to play a girl as well.
- I will double but only if you do as well.
- I am open for just about anything except science fiction and a few other things.
- My main area of expertise is Realistic and then fantasy.
- I like some romance usually twisted in the plot but I don't like the plot focused on Romance.
- Also another thing about Romance I hate when people use love at first sight because really it's no realistic.
- I will NOT do a guy x guy rp but I am open to a girl x girl pairing but depends on the plot and I have to be really interested for it to work.
- I don't mine if you swear just please don't swear and curse like a sailor and also I will never go past kissing for romance.
Now for pairings...
Blue = I like it
Purple = I love it
* = I might have an idea for it.
Realistic pairings
City boy x cowgirl
Arranged marriage
Rival x rival
Bad boy x good girl
Rich person x poor person
Movie/ book pairs
Madhatter x Alice
Alice x Tom (From the book series the last apprentice by Joesph Delaney)
Harry Potter a Next gen pair
Peter pan x Wendy
I would love you for life if we did Alice x Tom (Only if you read a few books in the series though.)
Fantasy pairs
Werewolf x Hunter
Witch x Hunter
Werewolf x human
Witch x human
Fairy x human
Doll x human *
Feel free to suggest anything oh and I prefer to do threads for rps nine times out of ten! :)
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/-PPELI86pMk/viewtopic.php
lindsey vonn triumph the insult comic dog tucson weather tucson weather peyton hillis cl p cl p
BEIJING ? A Chinese court has jailed 17 people for fighting with police over the demolition of housing in a northwestern city amid widespread tensions over rapid urban development.
The official Xinhua News Agency says the court in Lanzhou convicted the 17 of beating and throwing bricks at police who were tearing down makeshift housing. The sentences ranged from three to six months in prison.
Areas throughout China suffer frequent conflicts over government land seizures for redevelopment and demolition of unauthorized building to house migrant workers. But most confrontations are peaceful.
Xinhua said in Saturday's report that the violence in Lanzhou was "a scenario which has become all too familiar in China in recent years."
sensa sister wives season 2 kerry collins kerry collins jermichael finley diana nyad diana nyad
Dover Air Force Base mortuary employee Bill Zwicharowski reacts during an interview with The Associated Press about his and two other employees' whistleblower complaints that led to a Pentagon investigation of the nation's largest military mortuary in Wyoming, Del., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Dover Air Force Base mortuary employee Bill Zwicharowski reacts during an interview with The Associated Press about his and two other employees' whistleblower complaints that led to a Pentagon investigation of the nation's largest military mortuary in Wyoming, Del., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Dover Air Force Base mortuary employees Mary Ellen Spera, left, Bill Zwicharowski, center, and James Parsons pose for a photo after an interview with The Associated Press about their whistleblower complaints that led to a Pentagon investigation of the nation's largest military mortuary in Wyoming, Del., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Dover Air Force Base mortuary employees Mary Ellen Spera, left, Bill Zwicharowski, center, and James Parsons pose for a photo after an interview with The Associated Press about their whistleblower complaints that led to a Pentagon investigation of the nation's largest military mortuary in Wyoming, Del., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Dover Air Force Base mortuary employee Mary Ellen Spera, left, speaks alongside James Parsons, center, and Bill Zwicharowski after an interview with The Associated Press about their whistleblower complaints that led to a Pentagon investigation of the nation's largest military mortuary in Wyoming, Del., Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
WYOMING, Del. (AP) ? The body of the Marine lay on a gurney at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary, an arm bone jutting out from the torso.
Embalming technician James Parsons wondered how he would be able to get the stiffened arm back into position so that a uniform could be put on the corpse for a viewing. Parsons and a co-worker asked their supervisor, Quinton "Randy" Keel, what to do, and he told them to take the arm off, then left, according to Parsons.
"I'm thinking, 'This is just wrong. We shouldn't be doing this,'" Parsons recalled, contending that consent should have been obtained from the Marine's family first.
Parsons refused to cut off the arm and instead stood and watched as his co-worker ? a new employee still on probation ? grabbed the saw and removed the limb, which was then placed alongside the Marine's leg inside an undergarment that would be covered by his uniform.
A phone message left at a listing for Keel in Felton, Del., was not immediately returned Friday night.
After stewing for months about what happened, Parsons bypassed the military chain of command and reported the episode. He was one of three co-workers to complain about what they saw as callous or sloppy handling of remains at the main military mortuary for America's war dead.
This week, the Air Force said it had punished three top officials at the Dover mortuary for "gross mismanagement," including two instances in which body fragments from remains shipped home from Afghanistan were lost.
One of the cases involved fragments of ankle bone embedded in human tissue associated with two crew members recovered from an F-15 fighter that crashed in Afghanistan. The other involved a piece of human tissue an inch or two long.
The investigators concluded that the removal of the Marine's arm had not violated any rule or regulation. But the Air Force has changed procedures to ensure that a representative of the deceased's service, in this case the Marine Corps, has a say in whether the family should be contacted before a body is altered so significantly.
All three whistle-blowers ? Parsons, Mary Ellen Spera and William Zwicharowski ? said in an interview Friday that the problems at the mortuary have since been fixed and that the families of fallen troops can be assured that the remains of their loved ones are being treated with respect.
"Please trust us when we tell you that your loved ones are taken care of at Dover," Zwicharowski said. "Your loved ones can't speak for themselves when they come through here, but we are going to speak for them, and we're going to represent them."
Col. Robert H. Edmondson, commander of Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover at the time, received a letter of reprimand. Trevor Dean, Edmondson's top civilian deputy, and Keel, director of the mortuary, were reassigned to jobs dealing with families of the fallen and are no longer involved in mortuary operations.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has since ordered the Air Force to consider imposing even stronger punishments.
The three whistle-blowers said they went outside the chain of command after their supervisors failed to address problems there.
"In house, it was falling on deaf ears," Zwicharowski said.
All three said the Air Force retaliated against them. Parsons said he was fired in 2010 but reinstated almost immediately, while Spera and Zwicharowski said they received letters of reprimand. Zwicharowski also said he was put on administrative leave for eight months and at one point was labeled "mentally unstable."
The Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency within the federal government, is investigating the claims of retaliation.
Air Force spokesman Todd Spitler declined to respond directly to the claims of retaliation but said the actions of the whistleblowers have resulted in changes at the Mortuary Affairs Operations center.
"For the record, the employees who brought forth their concerns gave the Air Force an opportunity to make the operation at AFMAO better and stronger," Spitler said in an email. "Their initiative allowed the Air Force to bring corrective actions and long-term improvements to management of AFMAO."
The three mortuary workers said they have no regrets about what they did.
"You've got to do the right thing," Parsons said.
Associated Pressios 5 features ellen degeneres show ellen degeneres show david guetta david guetta work of art iphone update
A sonar mapping cruise taken in June to the Baltimore, Washington and Norfolk Canyons and selected regions of the continental shelf revealed steep escarpments that probably pose no tsunami hazard
?| November 10, 2011?|
High-resolution multibeam bathymetry collected in and between Baltimore and Accomac Canyons during the June 2011 cruise. Color key at left shows depths (in meters).
Image: OurAmazingPlanet.com
The East Coast of the United States isn't the first place that comes to mind as being at risk of tsunamis, but new sonar maps are now helping to show that these risks do exist.
For about the past five years, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, along with other governmental and academic partners, have been gauging the potential for tsunamis generated by landslides in submarine canyons in the mid-Atlantic to strike the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. The investigation was requested by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is concerned about the potential impact tsunamis might have on new and existing nuclear power plants, especially in light of the devastating tsunami in Japan in March that sparked the greatest nuclear disaster in years.
The research identified landslides along the submerged margin of the North American continent as the leading potential source of dangerous tsunamis to the East Coast. These landslides either originate in submarine canyons or on the continental slope.
Mapping mission
Investigators set out to map key areas of the Atlantic continental margin in high resolution, work that could uncover more about these hazards. Although this is one of the best-mapped continental margins in the world, significant gaps still remain along the upper slope and shelf where potentially dangerous submarine landslides might occur. [Natural Disasters: Top 10 U.S. Threats]
"Given the immense size of the regions in which we are working, it has taken many years of data collection and integration of existing data sets in order to produce seafloor maps with the resolution needed to identify all the features we are interested in," said U.S. Geological Survey research marine geologist Jason Chaytor.
A sonar mapping cruise taken in June to the Baltimore, Washington and Norfolk Canyons and selected regions of the continental shelf between the canyons marked the first field effort of the multiyear Deep-Water Mid-Atlantic Canyons Project. Using echosounders installed on the hull of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Nancy Foster, the science team mapped canyons and shelf regions at high resolution over more than 380 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) of seafloor from south of Cape Hatteras to Baltimore Canyon, which runs from offshore North Carolina to the eastern tip of Long Island.
"Probably the biggest challenge we faced was avoiding the ever-present fishing gear deployed around the canyons while still collecting enough data to not leave any gaps in the final maps," Chaytor told OurAmazingPlanet.
Submarine canyons and landslides
The science team's preliminary analysis of these new data revealed the presence of steep, sharp, stepped escarpments, or slopes, rimming the upper parts of each of the mapped canyons. These may be submerged ancient shorelines cut during times of lower sea level, "the most recent of which occurred during the last glacial period, which ended about 19,000 years ago," Chaytor said. Although the researchers do not at this time feel there is any connection between these features and tsunami hazards, "they may provide important insights into the development of the canyons and help us understand the role of changing sea level in the evolution of the Atlantic coast," he said.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9dc22fd7b661d8515f23f11f8e276302
alabama football 21 jump street 19 kids and counting 2011 election results 11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard
BERLIN ? German prosecutors say they have charged a German-Afghan man whose information led to terrorism warnings across Europe last year with membership in al-Qaida.
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui was captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July 2010 and while in custody provided details on alleged plots linked to the terror network that supposedly targeted European cities. No attacks materialized.
Federal prosecutors said Thursday they had charged the 37-year-old, identified only as Ahmad Wali S. in accordance with German privacy laws, with membership in the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and al-Qaida.
They say he trained with both groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region with the aim of taking part in violent jihad, or holy war.
He was turned over to German authorities in April.
matt ryan matt ryan ricky gervais golden globes real housewives of new york justified mildred pierce cam newton
WASHINGTON ? Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain says his campaign problems stem from a political machine that's working relentlessly "to keep a businessman out of the White House."
That may be so. But Republican voters have denied the presidential nomination to businessmen for 70 years. And Americans haven't elected a president with Cain's background ? that is, no prior experience in elected office or war heroism ? since 1928.
It's certainly possible that voter attitudes are changing and Cain might surprise pundits. To do so, however, the Georgia businessman will have to overcome more than the sex harassment claims dogging his campaign. He will have to defy decades of political history.
So would four other GOP contenders, for similar reasons.
Not since Republicans chose corporate lawyer Wendell Willkie in 1940 has a major party nominated someone who had never held elected office or been a top military officer. Herbert Hoover, a mining engineer and Commerce secretary, was the last such person to be elected president, in 1928.
Three other current GOP candidates, with U.S. House backgrounds, also face tough historical odds. Americans haven't elected a president directly from the House since 1880, when James Garfield was the choice.
The past doesn't dictate the future, of course. Cain or Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota might ride into history on a wave of intense public anger at government, which spawned the tea party movement in 2009. And not so long ago, the political establishment saw little chance of a black man being elected president.
But U.S. voters have followed some consistent patterns since the Great Depression. Fairly or not, these patterns help explain why many political strategists, analysts and journalists discounted Cain's chances from the start, along with those of Bachmann, who also thrived in Republican polls for a while.
And the patterns help explain why many political pros still feel the person best-positioned to challenge former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination is Texas Gov. Rick Perry, even though he trails Cain and others in various polls.
If trends from the last seven or eight decades continue, only three current contenders have realistic shots at the nomination: Romney, Perry and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Current and former governors head the list of four types of candidates who have been elected president in the 20 elections since Hoover's time. The other categories are senators; current or former vice presidents; and one military leader, Dwight Eisenhower.
All Democratic and Republican nominees since Willkie's time also came from those categories.
Garfield was the last sitting House member elected president, and few nominees have had House-only backgrounds. That doesn't bode well for Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul or former Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia. And Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvanian who lost his last Senate re-election bid in 2006, also doesn't fit the historic trends.
Governors have been especially successful in the past 100 years. Of the seven presidents who won multiple elections in that period, five started as governors: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Franklin Roosevelt (elected four times) and Woodrow Wilson.
As a rule, some Americans will applaud Ross Perot's deficit-cutting plan, Steve Forbes' flat tax, or Cain's "9-9-9" tax plan. But they haven't elected a non-politician as president in generations
Romney's catchphrase is that he knows how to create jobs because of his private-sector experience. But voters seem to value his four years as governor, and his presidential try in 2007-08.
"There is a reason why non-politicians fail to win the White House," said political scientist John J. Pitney Jr. of Claremont McKenna College in California. "Running for office is like any other complex task: It takes practice to do it well, and one is likely to make big mistakes on the first try."
Most successful politicians make early mistakes in low-profile races, and are more polished when they reach a large audience, Pitney said.
"But nonprofessional presidential candidates make their mistakes on the national stage, where everybody notices," he said. He cited Perot's surprisingly strong showing as a third-party candidate in 1992 until he began making odd comments, such as claiming that Republican operatives wanted to disrupt his daughter's wedding.
Pitney said Cain "utterly botched the first rule of crisis management: Get your story straight before going public."
At a news conference Tuesday, Cain denied allegations from four women who say he sexually harassed them in the 1990s. As for their possible motivations, he said, "the machine to keep a businessman out of the White House is going to be relentless."
He vowed to keep campaigning.
cnbc debate family circus walmart black friday 2011 walmart black friday 2011 spanier jorge posada walmart black friday ad
On Monday, Microsoft decided to build a giant 6-story Windows phone in the middle of NYC?s Herald Square. The big Windows phone replica, 150 times the size of the real thing, was a marketing ploy to herald the launch of the company?s new 4G lineup from T-mobile AT&T which includes the HTC Radar, the Samsung Focus S, the Samsung Focus Flash and the HTC Titan.
The celebration in New York City, hinted at last week as a ?big, big surprise?, kicked off around noon at Herald Square,? close to the Empire State Building. The Big Windows Phone event featured live performances and digital entertainment which was projected onto the LED screens that made up the mock Windows Phone 7 user interface. There were Plants vs Zombies and Fruit Ninjas performances, demonstrations, music and even an impromptu marriage proposal. Everyone that bought a phone was g
ive a $25 prepaid card for the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Along with the official announcement of the four new phones by Microsoft?s Andy Lees, Spotify announced that its service would finally be available for the Windows Phone 7. The Windows Phone touted the ability to browse and play friend?s playlists, top track and artists; play music and change tracks while the phone is locked or while running other apps; and pin playlists as Live titles on the Start screen for easy access.The Spotify app was promised to be available for download later on today.
There?s no word on how long the big Windows phone will stay up, though there?s been some whisper that it might be taken down tonight. If you?re in NYC check out while/if you still can; if you can?t make it you?ll have to console yourself with this video the Windows team blog released of the supersized marketing stunt being constructed. Funny how 6 stories looks like 3 on camera.
?
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
More from Digital Trends
There is no hope for Windows Phone in 2011
Samsung Focus Flash hands-on impressions ? a great phone for $50
Samsung Focus S hands-on impressions
Video: The Samsung Focus S? unofficial unveiling
harrisburg pa chynna phillips magic cube slaughterhouse cypher last man standing gary johnson
Getty ImagesEli Manning is enjoying the finest season of his career.
OPINION
updated 4:31 a.m. ET Nov. 8, 2011
|
16. Arizona Cardinals: 2-6; Predicted finish 3-13
What's gone right: Running back Beanie Wells was Arizona's biggest early-season bright spot, racking up seven touchdowns and 506 yards on 113 carries (4.48 average) in the first seven games before knee and stinger injuries caught up to him in Week 9. Though rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson has been a liability in pass coverage, he's sparked the Cardinals' special teams with three punt return touchdowns, including last week's 99-yard game-winner against the Rams.
 |
Norm Hall / Getty Images Even a talent like?Larry Fitzgerald can't keep the Cardinals from being among the NFC's worst teams. |
What's gone wrong: Arizona's defense is easy to move the ball against because it can't stop the pass. Safety Kerry Rhodes, the team's best defensive back in coverage, fractured his left foot on Oct. 9 and remains out indefinitely. No NFC team has allowed more completions of 20-plus yards. Offensively, quarterback Kevin Kolb has been a bust. Now injured, the $65 million summer addition has more turnovers than touchdowns and arguably the worst pocket presence in football.
What's next: Unless Kolb overcomes his fear of the pass rush, this team is headed nowhere fast. The defense lacks edge-rusher talent to cover up secondary deficiencies, and Wells has admitted that his knee won't be healthy the rest of the season. Unlike St. Louis, Arizona has already played the easy half of its schedule. Three wins from here on out would be an accomplishment.
15. Seattle Seahawks: 2-6; Predicted finish 3-13
 |
Julio Cortez / AP Seattle coach Pete Carroll gets his team to play hard, but it's tough with middling talent. |
What's gone right: The Seahawks play tough run defense, or at least they had been until Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray burned them last week. And that's about it. While coach Pete Carroll usually gets his team to play hard on Sundays, his roster is too talent-poor to be competitive. At 2-6, Seattle is second in the brutal NFC West, but five games behind first-place San Francisco.
What's gone wrong: The quarterback and offensive line play have been among the NFL's poorest, and wildly inconsistent week to week. The front five is the biggest culprit, surrendering the league's second most sacks and opening enough holes to generate only the third-fewest rushing yards. Defensively, Seattle is 30th in sacks and has lost top corner Marcus Trufant for the season.
What's next: The Seahawks are the NFL's least talented team. They're almost certainly looking at a top-five pick in the 2012 draft, which figures to be used on a quarterback. Carroll and G.M. John Schneider didn't take the position seriously when they signed Tarvaris Jackson in July. They also need a running back, line help, and a difference-making pass rusher. It's a long road ahead.
14. St. Louis Rams: 1-7; Predicted finish 4-12
 |
Christian Petersen / Getty Images Rams quarterback Sam Bradford is finally healthy. |
What's gone right: Since the Week 5 bye, tailback Steven Jackson is averaging over five yards a carry and 133 total yards per game. Jackson was in and out of the lineup for the first month with a quadriceps injury, but he's been St. Louis' most consistent offensive playmaker after preseason concerns that he'd lost a step. Trade-deadline acquisition Brandon Lloyd has given the Rams a receiver capable of separating from defensive backs. On defense, steady middle linebacker James Laurinaitis leads the team in tackles (61) and end Chris Long has a club-high seven sacks.
What's gone wrong: St. Louis played its first seven games against teams that have a combined 36-21 record, losing six straight to open the season before a stunning win over New Orleans. The Rams failed to build on the upset by falling 19-13 to the Cardinals in Week 9. St. Louis lost its top three cornerbacks to year-ending injuries and quarterback Sam Bradford to a high ankle sprain. But injuries aren't a viable excuse. This is a roster short on talent and still in a rebuilding phase.
What's next: Whereas their first seven opponents are 36-21, the Rams play their next five games against teams with a 16-24 record. St. Louis can make up some ground in the NFC West with five division games left. With Bradford healthy, a fast finish isn't out of the question. But coach Steve Spagnuolo will need to worry about his job security if the Rams keep losing to teams such as the Cardinals.
13. Minnesota Vikings: 2-6; Predicted finish 5-11
Adam Bettcher / Getty Images Vikings running back Adrian Peterson leads the NFC in rushing yards.
What's gone right: Tailback Adrian Peterson leads the NFC in rushing yards and defensive end Jared Allen leads the league in sacks, but those individual stats don't translate to wins when you can't pass the ball or defend it in a passing league. The lone other bright spot has been Minnesota's run defense, which ranks fifth in the NFL and allows just 3.81 yards per carry.
What's gone wrong: The Vikings' offseason trade for Donovan McNabb was a disaster, and they were forced to bench him for rookie Christian Ponder after six starts. Minnesota surrounded McNabb with the worst combination of offensive line play and outside receivers in the league, but the 34-year-old's nonexistent mobility and accuracy were his undoing. On defense, top cornerback Antoine Winfield has missed four games with a neck injury and promising No. 2 corner Chris Cook was suspended indefinitely by the team after a felony domestic assault charge.
What's next: Ponder has moved the chains far more efficiently than McNabb through two starts, and the Vikings will continue to lean on Peterson and slot receiver Percy Harvin to buoy the offense. Although Minnesota scored 24 points in just 1 of 6 games with McNabb under center, they've done so in both of Ponder?s starts. A tough second-half schedule probablky will merit the Vikings a top-10 pick in 2012, but they should at least be more competitive in the final eight games.
advertisement
More newsGetty ImagesRosenthal: Aaron Rodgers, Darrelle Revis, Cam Newton head the list, but don't overlook the Bengals and Steve Smith, either.
Getty ImagesSource: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45202764/ns/sports-nfl/
michael jackson kids michael jackson kids father of the bride father of the bride bluebeard blue angels weather miami
ROME (Reuters) ? With Silvio Berlusconi's fate resting on a group of party rebels threatening to pull the rug from under his government next week, the Italian prime minister is using carrot and stick to try to win over the doubters and pull off yet another parliamentary escape.
Estimates vary widely over how many center-right deputies will jump ship in a crunch vote on public finance in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. Berlusconi's message to potential "traitors" is clear: you have nowhere else to go and you will be rewarded if you stay.
The 75-year-old media tycoon has defied all calls to step down and is adamant that he can battle on.
"We have checked in the last few hours and the numbers are certain, we still have a majority," he told party followers on Sunday.
Newspapers have estimated the number of potential defectors at between 20 and 40, which would be more than enough to bring down the government, but in previous narrow escapes Berlusconi has proved his powers of last-minute persuasion.
He has been meeting and telephoning rebels since he returned from a humiliating international summit in France on Friday which agreed the International Monetary Fund would visit Italy quarterly to check its progress in passing long-delayed reforms.
A deputy from his ruling coalition said after meeting Berlusconi that the premier was ready to reward doubters with "well-deserved jobs" in government. Berlusconi said on Friday defectors would be "betraying the government and the country."
Italy is the third biggest economy in the euro zone and its political woes and debt worries are seen as a huge threat in the wider crisis facing the single currency.
Berlusconi's latest assurance over his majority may be bad news for Italian bonds, which sold off again on Friday to push their yield to a record euro-era high above 6.4 percent. The spread over German bunds, reflecting the higher risk premium investors place on Italy, also hit a record above 4.6 percentage points.
Bond prices would recover and the yield spread would fall by a full percentage point if the government should fall, according to a Reuters survey of 10 fund managers, market analysts and strategists last week.
Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti was forced to deny reports that he had forecast a "catastrophe" on financial markets next week unless Berlusconi stepped down.
ECB DOUBTS
European Central Bank council member Yves Mersch underscored the high stakes on Sunday, saying in a press interview that the ECB frequently debates the option of ending its purchases of Italian bonds unless Rome delivers on reforms.
Without that bond-buying program, the run on Italian bonds would probably already have spiraled way out of control.
Berlusconi on Sunday rejected talk of being succeeded by an unelected technocrat government or a political administration with the backing of all the forces in parliament, saying: "The only alternative to this government would be elections."
He also seemed to be having second thoughts over the IMF monitoring, saying the initiative for the visits "came from us and we can withdraw it whenever we want."
Commentators say the behind-the-scenes maneuvers are reminiscent of the so-called "first republic" that ruled Italy for nearly 50 years after World War Two, when new governments were constantly formed and dismantled in parliament by the many factions of the all-powerful Christian Democrat party.
Many of the center-right waverers are ex-Christian Democrats and are being tempted by offers from the small, centrist UDC party to join forces behind a new government with broad cross-party support spanning both the center-right and the opposition.
These negotiations will continue even if Berlusconi wins Tuesday's vote to ratify 2010 public accounts, with no let-up in the atmosphere of intrigue and above all uncertainty ahead of more key votes on budget measures due later this month.
Lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini, a former ally and now arch-enemy of the prime minister, made the point strongly when he appealed to Berlusconi to resign on Sunday.
"The government must understand that it is not credible even if it wins in parliament by a vote, because with a majority of one vote you can survive but you cannot govern."
(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
dr oz hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek lightsquared
I don't hate pet owners. ?But I think we too easily slip into treating other animals as means toward our own entertainment and emotional fulfillment. ?And I hate the culture of pet ownership that encourages us to do this without thinking.
We pay lip service to the needs of pets (we walk them, take them to the vet, pay exorbitantly for their upkeep). ?But not when it really matters. ?When our needs come head to head with theirs, who inevitably wins?
Instead of engaging them on their terms, we force animals to fit of the gaps in our lives. ?Like a bonsai kitty, pressed into a mold for heart-shaped sushi. ?Collared and neutered and declawed and debarked. ?In modern cities that are ill-suited for the expression of intrinsic dog-ness and cat-ness.
We can't seem to appreciate nature by simple acknowledgement. ?We have to?go there. ?We have to?own it. ?We have to own it on our own terms so it's clean and convenient and lives and dies at our behest.
But we're not honoring nature by owning pets. ?We're choosing one life at the expense of another. ?We're choosing pets above fellow humans. ?We spend more on pets in a year than the Gates Foundation has during its entire existence to eradicate poverty and disease.
Raising animals after our own image furthers their extinction in the wild. ?The more grandiose among us poach parrots and lemurs. ?More insidiously, we marvel when our children catch turtles and frogs. ?Taking them home and to slowly starve and desiccate. ?Our cats and dogs make a sport of exterminating local fauna.
Pets are not animals. ?They are our children who cannot speak and cannot grow up. ?Upon whom we can freely project our prejudices and gripes and emotional needs without being questioned. ?This is not what an animal should be.
People are cruel and neglectful and exploitative of other people too. ?But we can walk away. ?We can fight back. ?Our real children will inevitably learn to speak and think for themselves, which compels us to shield them from the worst of ourselves. ?Pets are children with no rights.
Do I believe that they should have all the rights of human beings? ?Should Spot be able to sue Bobby for emotional damage? ?I'm not that crazy.
I surely don't believe that we can or should put all pet owners under surveillance to make sure they treat their animals with respect and humanity. ?And despite my lingering idealism, I can't envision any awareness campaign that could change our attitudes enough to make pet ownership feel ok to me in this lifetime.
We haven't gotten there with people yet. ?Peter Singer's "circle of empathy" has a long way to go.
So in the absence of sufficient understanding, respect, and human kindness, and without resorting to outlandish Big Brotherhood, I'm left with only one choice. ?I have to reject the idea of pet ownership as an ethically tenable, societywide activity.
Organizations like PETA feebly succor the symptom but feed the disease. ??Instead of those horrible animal shelter commercials starring Sarah McLachlan and Youtube videos of cute cat tricks, I'd be willing to support any measure that makes pet ownership less appealing.
The best way we can love animals is to stay away from them. ?Please. ?Help me spread the word.
Source: http://econerdfood.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-dont-hate-pets-polemic.html
lion king photon plane crash plane crash lake powell reno nevada lion king 3d
Editor's Note: Product not yet tested. The following description is from the manufacturer.
SafeZone addresses a growing concern in businesses, the risk associated with the introduction of mobile devices.
The solution creates a secured, encrypted container, the SafeZone, providing secure mobile messaging and data for businesses.
Companies allow mobile devices into their own SafeZone and can restrict application and data access ensutring device integrity and compliance. A safe, sandboxed environment is created in which mobile devices can run and access network resources without compromising the internal network's safety.
With SafeZone, employees can use all the features on their iPhones and Androids while a section of those devices is secure for sensitive company data. Data within SafeZone is certified FIPS 140-2 AES 256-bit encryption and encrypted within a company's infrastructure to keep data at rest and in-transit protected.
Customers have full control over SafeZone and usage policies. Organizations can run chosen applications within the sandbox using the SafeZone SDk. APIs are available for developers to create custom applications. Legacy and third-party apps can run in the SafeZone as well.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/zo0PagtIbyM/0,2817,2395415,00.asp
lost in space yahoo sports halloween costumes steven jackson steven jackson iheartradio iheartradio
An Afghan girl who was wounded in a suicide bombing lies in a hospital bed in Baghlan, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Two suicide bombers targeted worshippers concluding prayers marking a key Muslim festival in northern Afghanistan, with one of them blowing himself up and killing seven people including two local police commanders, officials said Sunday. The second would-be bomber was captured before he could set off his explosives, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the regional police commander in the north. (AP Photo/Jawed Basharat)
An Afghan girl who was wounded in a suicide bombing lies in a hospital bed in Baghlan, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Two suicide bombers targeted worshippers concluding prayers marking a key Muslim festival in northern Afghanistan, with one of them blowing himself up and killing seven people including two local police commanders, officials said Sunday. The second would-be bomber was captured before he could set off his explosives, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the regional police commander in the north. (AP Photo/Jawed Basharat)
An Afghan police officer who was wounded in a suicide bombing lies in a hospital bed in Baghlan, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Two suicide bombers targeted worshippers concluding prayers marking a key Muslim festival in northern Afghanistan, with one of them blowing himself up and killing seven people including two local police commanders, officials said Sunday. The second would-be bomber was captured before he could set off his explosives, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the regional police commander in the north. (AP Photo/Jawed Dehsabzi)
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Two suicide bombers targeted worshippers on a key Muslim festival in northern Afghanistan, killing seven, including two local police commanders, officials said Sunday.
The bombers struck as Muslims were leaving a mosque on the outskirts of Old Baghlan City after prayers at the start of the Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice.
At least 18 other people were taken to hospitals with injuries from the attack in Hassin Tal, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of the city.
One bomber blew himself up and the second was captured before he could set off his explosives, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, spokesman for the regional police commander in the north.
The bombings raise questions about Afghan forces' ability to tackle the insurgency head-on without their NATO partners. NATO is working to handing over full security responsibilities to Afghan forces before the end of 2014, when the coalition plans to withdraw its combat troops.
NATO officials say attacks such as Sunday's bombing do little more than grab headlines and have little impact on the balance of strength between the government and the insurgents.
Kamen Khan, the police chief in Old Baghlan City, said one of the two dead local police commanders was a well-known local leader named Abdul who, like many Afghans, goes only by one name.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban, against whom NATO has waged a decade-long war, routinely target Afghan officials and security forces as well as international forces.
In his Eid message two days ago, Taliban leader Mullah Omar said his fighters must protect Afghan civilians, who are dying in rising numbers, so the insurgency can maintain good relations with the population.
U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, condemned the bombing and challenged Omar to do so, too.
"If Mullah Omar is serious about his call upon the Taliban to eliminate acts against civilians, he too should condemn this publicly," Allen said.
Separately, NATO said that two of its service members were killed, raising to 495 the number of coalition troops killed in the country so far this year. One was killed in an insurgent attack in the south on Saturday, and one died in another attack by militants Sunday in the west. NATO provided no other details.
As the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghan partners have focused their operations on Taliban strongholds in the south and east, the insurgency has carried out an increasing number of attacks in the north and west.
Shortly before the morning attack, Karzai greeted Afghans on the holiday. Breaking with past speeches marking the occasion, he made no mention of reconciliation with the Taliban and did not call on its leaders to break from the insurgency.
Ethnic minorities, who reside outside southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban are at their strongest, are the most resistant to efforts to reconcile with the insurgents.
Minorities worry that Karzai, a Pashtun, will make too many concessions to the Taliban to shore up his Pashtun base in crafting a peace deal to end the war. Assassinations of prominent northerners are likely to erode their already minimal appetite for a peace settlement.
Five leaders affiliated with the Northern Alliance, a coalition mostly composed of non-Pashtun minorities which has fought the Taliban since 1996, have been killed in a little more than a year.
Later Sunday, Karzai met with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who made an unannounced trip to the country.
Gillard's trip comes after an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire during a parade at a base in southern Kandahar province on Oct. 29, killing three Australian soldiers and wounding seven others. Australia has about 1,500 troops in Afghanistan. The attack brought Australia's death toll from the conflict to 32.
___
Associated Press writers Tarek El-Tablawy and Deb Riechmann contributed.
Associated Presstori spelling minka kelly gop debate presidential debate xbox live update bloomberg tv bloomberg tv
LAGOS, Nigeria ? Residents fearfully left their homes Saturday to bury their dead in northeast Nigeria following a series of coordinated attacks that killed at least 69 people and left a new police headquarters in ruins, government offices burned and symbols of state power destroyed.
A radical Muslim sect known locally as Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attacks in Borno and Yobe states, with the worst damage done in and around the city of Damaturu. The group also promised to continue its bloody sectarian fight against Nigeria's weak central government, with residents nervously moving through empty streets, waiting for the next attack.
"There's that fear that something might possibly happen again," Nigerian Red Cross official Ibrahim Bulama said.
In Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, a car bomb exploded Friday afternoon outside a three-story building used as a military office and barracks, killing many uniformed security agents, Bulama said.
Gunmen then went through the town, blowing up a bank and attacking at least three police stations and five churches, leaving them in rubble, officials said. Gunfire continued through the night and gunmen raided the village of Potiskum near the capital as well, witnesses said, leaving at least two people dead there.
On Saturday morning, people began hesitantly leaving their homes, seeing the destruction left behind which included military and police vehicles burned by the gunmen with the burned corpses of the drivers who died still in their seats.
Bulama spoke to The Associated Press by telephone Saturday morning from a common Muslim burial ground in the city as his family buried a relative and friend, a police officer who died after suffering a gunshot wound to the head in the fighting.
Officials anticipated a dusk-till-dawn curfew to fall over the town, though state officials repeatedly declined to comment on the violence. The violence destroyed federal offices, public buildings and an immigration office, said Aliyu Baffale Sambo, an official with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency.
Nigerian Red Cross statistics showed at least 65 people died in and around Damaturu. Four other people were killed by four bombs in Maiduguri, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east, officials said. One of those blasts detonated around noon outside an Islamic college, another alongside a road, local police commissioner Simeon Midenda said.
A short time later, suicide bombers driving a black SUV detonated their explosives outside the base for the military unit charged with protecting the city from Boko Haram fighters, military spokesman Lt. Col. Hassan Ifijeh Mohammed said. That blast injured several soldiers.
A Boko Haram spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview Saturday with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. A Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa promised that "more attacks are on the way."
"We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians," the spokesman said.
His comments come as human rights activists say soldiers have beaten and killed civilians while trying to search for the sect in Maiduguri.
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives inside vehicles in Maiduguri on Saturday night, but caused no casualties, police said.
Boko Haram wants to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of more than 160 million which has a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim north. Its name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, but instead of schooling, it rejects Western ideals like Nigeria's U.S.-styled democracy that followers believe have destroyed the country with corrupt politicians.
Boko Haram's attacks occurred ahead of Eid al-Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, when Muslims around the world slaughter sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son. Police elsewhere in the country had warned of violence ahead of the celebration in Nigeria, a country largely split between a Christian south and a Muslim north. On Wednesday, police in Maiduguri had said they broke up a plot to bomb the city over the holiday.
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian who took office amid religious and political rioting that saw at least 800 die in April, canceled a trip to Bayelsa state for his younger brother's wedding Saturday, spokesman Reuben Abati said. He said the presidency did not consider those who launched the attacks "true Muslims," as the assault came during a holy period.
Abati also promised that "every step will be taken" to arrest those responsible ? the same pledge made again and again as Jonathan has visited other sites bombed by Boko Haram.
"The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat," Abati said. "The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority (group) with a suicidal streak."
However, the Nigerian government faces an increasingly dangerous threat from Boko Haram. The group apparently has split into three factions, the AP has learned. One faction remains moderate and welcomes an end to the violence, another wants a peace agreement with rewards similar to those offered to a different militant group in 2009.
The third faction, though, refuses to negotiate and remains the most radical. This faction is in contact with al-Qaida's North Africa branch and likely the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity according to embassy orders.
That sect likely is responsible for the increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks carried out in the sect's name. In August, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital, which killed 24 people and left another 116 wounded.
An AP count shows the group has killed at least 329 people this year alone.
___
Associated Press writer Njadvara Musa in Maiduguri, Nigeria contributed to this report.
___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
new planet lisa lampanelli lisa lampanelli bobby fischer the lion king john cabot john cabot
