Patients with balance disorders benefit from integrative therapy

Public release date: 28-Nov-2011
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Contact: Daphne Watrin
d.watrin@iospress.nl
31-206-883-355
IOS Press

State-of-the-art in vestibular rehabilitation presented in a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation

Amsterdam, NL, November 28, 2011 Over the last 25 years, intensive efforts by physicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists have developed integrative rehabilitation regimens that can alleviate balance disorders associated with neurological disease, trauma or weightlessness. A special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Journal provides an up-to-date review of the underlying scientific principles and latest clinical advances in the treatment of vestibular problems commonly encountered in neurorehabilitation. The journal is celebrating its 20th anniversary of publication this year.

"Clinical advances have been facilitated by three major developments," explains Michael E. Hoffer, MD, FACS, of the Spatial Orientation Center in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Guest Editor of this issue along with Carey D. Balaban, PhD, Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology, and Communications Sciences and Disorders, and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. "First, more sensitive and sophisticated quantitative tools for measuring balance function provide validated and robust metrics to assess and document clinical outcomes. A second development was the recognition that balance rehabilitation does not 'belong' to a single group of practitioners in medicine or in the allied health professions. A better result is achieved by a team to ameliorate the physical, neurological, perceptual, and psychiatric features of balance disorders. A third development has been the spread of specialized training in the theory and practice of vestibular rehabilitation in physical therapy and allied health degree programs around the world."

The issue covers such topics as the neurophysiology underlying vestibular rehabilitation; application and interpretation of vestibular tests; "prehabilitation" to ameliorate the effects of sudden vestibular loss; principles of physical therapy rehabilitation; vestibular rehabilitation after MTBI; assessment of functional outcomes in patients after rehabilitation; behavioral aspects of vestibular rehabilitation; and sensorimotor reconditioning before and after space flight.

"It is safe to say, at this point, vestibular rehabilitation is recognized as one of the most valuable techniques in treating patients with balance disorders," concludes Dr. Hoffer.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 28-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Daphne Watrin
d.watrin@iospress.nl
31-206-883-355
IOS Press

State-of-the-art in vestibular rehabilitation presented in a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation

Amsterdam, NL, November 28, 2011 Over the last 25 years, intensive efforts by physicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists have developed integrative rehabilitation regimens that can alleviate balance disorders associated with neurological disease, trauma or weightlessness. A special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Journal provides an up-to-date review of the underlying scientific principles and latest clinical advances in the treatment of vestibular problems commonly encountered in neurorehabilitation. The journal is celebrating its 20th anniversary of publication this year.

"Clinical advances have been facilitated by three major developments," explains Michael E. Hoffer, MD, FACS, of the Spatial Orientation Center in the Department of Otolaryngology at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Guest Editor of this issue along with Carey D. Balaban, PhD, Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology, and Communications Sciences and Disorders, and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. "First, more sensitive and sophisticated quantitative tools for measuring balance function provide validated and robust metrics to assess and document clinical outcomes. A second development was the recognition that balance rehabilitation does not 'belong' to a single group of practitioners in medicine or in the allied health professions. A better result is achieved by a team to ameliorate the physical, neurological, perceptual, and psychiatric features of balance disorders. A third development has been the spread of specialized training in the theory and practice of vestibular rehabilitation in physical therapy and allied health degree programs around the world."

The issue covers such topics as the neurophysiology underlying vestibular rehabilitation; application and interpretation of vestibular tests; "prehabilitation" to ameliorate the effects of sudden vestibular loss; principles of physical therapy rehabilitation; vestibular rehabilitation after MTBI; assessment of functional outcomes in patients after rehabilitation; behavioral aspects of vestibular rehabilitation; and sensorimotor reconditioning before and after space flight.

"It is safe to say, at this point, vestibular rehabilitation is recognized as one of the most valuable techniques in treating patients with balance disorders," concludes Dr. Hoffer.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/ip-pwb112811.php

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Ask Engadget: best over-the-ear headphones?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Simon, who seems interested in something a bit more... substantial than in-ear monitors, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I'm looking for a quality piece of over-the-ear headphones to go with my continuously growing iTunes library. That means I'm also looking for a set that comes with an inline mic / control akin to the official pair of Apple bundles in with the iPhone. I've been looking at the Marshall FX cans but as this is my first real foray into audio equipment I'm more hesitant than usual."

Loving your cans? Not so much? Let us know your experience either way in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best over-the-ear headphones? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/26/ask-engadget-best-over-the-ear-headphones/

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Egyptian court orders release of 3 US students (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? A court in Egypt has ordered the release of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.

Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

Attorney Theodore Simon, who represents Porter, a 19-year-old student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said his client remained in custody at a police station as of Thursday afternoon Eastern time.

But Simon said he was able to speak by phone with Porter, describing the student's demeanor as "calm and measured, demonstrating a maturity well beyond his 19 years."

"He was extremely thankful and appreciative for our efforts and the unconditional support of his mother and father," Simon said.

Porter is from Glenside, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.

Sweeney's mother, Joy Sweeney, said she is "absolutely elated" at the news of her 19-year-old son's release.

"I can't wait to give him a huge hug and tell him how much I love him," she said, adding that the news of the court order was the best Thanksgiving gift.

The 21-year-old Gates is a student of Indiana University.

The State Department released a statement saying it was trying to independently confirm the reports of the students' release.

Earlier Thursday, Egypt officials said the Abdeen Court in Cairo had ordered their release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. They did not say when the students would be released.

In Bloomington, Ind., a spokesman for Indiana University, said he could not confirm that Gates and the other has already been freed. Mark Land earlier said he had spoken to Gates' parents and that they had been told by the State Department that their son has been released.

Joy Sweeney said she wasn't sure when her son, a student at Georgetown University, would be returning to their home in Jefferson City, Mo.

"If he can find his passport (then he'll leave) tomorrow, if not, it won't be until Monday," she said.

She said the U.S. consul general in Egypt, Roberto Powers, recommended that her son leave Egypt as soon as possible.

"He also conveyed that that was what Derrik had conveyed to him that he wanted to do. He was enjoying his experience but (was) ready to be done with it," Sweeney said.

Derrik Sweeney interned for U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., earlier this year. Luetkemeyer's spokesman Paul Sloca, said the congressman is "extremely pleased that he's safe and coming home, especially on Thanksgiving."

Sweeney said she had not prepared for a Thanksgiving celebration, although a friend had taken her some food. She said the idea of a Thanksgiving feast had seemed "absolutely irrelevant" before the news of her son's pending freedom.

Asked what she thought her son would take away from his arrest, Sweeney said she thought he would make something useful of it.

"I'm sure that he'll put a life-lesson learning experience into a positive story," Sweeney said. "He's a writer, he will write about this experience."

___

Associated Press reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this report. Maggie Michael reported from Cairo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_us/egypt_american_students

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HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx

The HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx ($699.99 list at Best Buy), a budget desktop replacement laptop, has a battery capable of lasting over nine hours and several wireless technologies working under its sleek aluminum body. Its Core i5 processor offered solid performance in day-to-day, and considering its price point, this laptop can compete with the best of them.

Design
The dv7-6b55dx has the same brushed, dark umber aluminum lid and palm rest as the Editors' Choice HP Pavilion dv7-6163cl ($949.99 list, 4 stars). A small HP logo sits in the lower-left hand corner, and illuminates when the laptop is turned on. A silver band lines the edge of the laptop, breaking up the deep brown design. The entire system weighs 6.94 pounds, and 1.05 pounds of that total weight can be attributed to its 9-cell 100Wh battery. The battery is so big that it actually raises the laptop up at a slight angle in the back. The HP dv7-6163cl has the same battery, but weights slightly more (7.4 pounds) than the dv7-6b55dx.

The 17.3-inch screen is framed by a glossy black bezel and displays in 1,600-by-900 resolution, which translates to 720p HD. If you're looking for a true 1080p HD viewing experience, you'll have to start looking at laptops like the Acer Aspire AS8950G-9839 ($1,499.99 street, 4 stars), which come at a premium. However, you can export video on the laptop to an external display in 1080p through the HDMI port or built-in WiDi 2.0 streaming technology, which allows you to wirelessly display your computer's content (provided you have a Netgear Push2TV adapter to receive the signal).

Its chiclet-style keyboard is full-size and has a numeric keypad to boot. The trackpad has a light texture, and provided a comfortable surface to navigate on. The separate mouse buttons where easy to click, providing little resistance to register a tap. The entire touchpad is framed by a white light, which will help users that like to work late nights.

Features
The dv7-6b55dx comes equipped with several standout features such as two USB 3.0 ports and WiMAX 4G broadband. Topping off the feature list are two USB 2.0 ports, a tray-loading DVD+-RW drive, VGA video output, media card reader (SD, MMC), two headphone and one mic jack, Ethernet port, fingerprint reader, and a Webcam above the screen. The Pavilion dv7-6b55dx also features the sexy Beats Audio software, which allows you to ramp up the bass and tailor your listening experience depending on if you're watching a movie, listening to a podcast, or playing music. The Beats Audio software ultimately helps output better sound whether you're listening through headphones or through HP's laptop speakers. The built-in HP triple bass subwoofers certainly helped create more depth in sound.

Its 750GB hard drive should be sufficient to hold all your digital content with room to spare. However, it does come loaded with some bloatware. Bing Bar, Blio ereader, Evernote, and a desktop shortcut to eBay top off the list.

Best Buy offers an extended warranty program, which gives customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than four repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new PC purchased through Best Buy.

Performance
The dv7-6b55dx is equipped with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M processor and 8GB of RAM. In day-to-day tasks, the dv7-6b55dx is a solid performer, as shown in our PCMark 7 test (2,406). A Core i5 processor in the sub-$700 price range is fairly standard, so there wasn't a huge variation in performance scores among laptops like the Asus U56E-BBL6 ($699.99 list, 4 stars) (2,255) and Dell Inspiron i17R-6434DBK ($749.99 list, 3.5 stars) (2,240). In more CPU-intensive tasks, there weren't any major differences in scores. For instance, it took the dv7-6b55dx 4 minutes 2 seconds to run through our Photoshop CS5 script, while it took the Asus U56E-BBL6 the same amount of time (4:02) and the Dell i17-6434DBK 4:09. Likewise, in Cinebench R11.5, a 3D rendering test, the dv7-6b55dx scored 2.71 points where the Asus U56E-BBL6 scored 2.68.

The dv7-6b55dx doesn't come equipped with a discrete graphics card, like the HP dv7-6163cl (AMD Radeon HD 6770M). Rather it has Intel integrated graphics, which won't get you as far as a dedicated chip would on the gaming grid. The dv7-6b55dx wasn't able to garner a playable frame rate average (30fps is considered playble) in either DirectX 10 Crysis (13.6 frames per second) or DirectX 9 Lost Planet 2 (20 fps); whereas the HP dv7-6163cl tore through Crysis (53fps) on Medium quality settings and 1,024-by-768 resolution. So if you want to play anything beyond World of Warcraft, you'll have to start considering laptops in the $900 price range.

In our MobileMark 2007 battery test, the dv7-6b55dx's 100Wh battery lasted 9 hours 33 minutes, longer than the HP dv7-6163cl's same-size (100Wh)battery (8:24) and Dell XPS 15z (Microsoft)'s ($999 direct, 4 stars) smaller 54Wh battery (7:13).

The HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx has a lot of features to recommend it, like WiDi 2.0, WiMAX 4G, and USB 3.0. However, the Editors' Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 offers the same features at the same price, but in a slightly more portable 15.6-inch package. If your work/life requires a bigger screen, longer battery life (2 hours more than Asus), better audio quality (though not by much), and more security out of its fingerprint reader, then the dv7-6b55dx might be the better option. But it's not quite enough to usurp the Asus U56E-BBL6 as the current Editors' Choice, if only because it got there first.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx with several other laptops side by side.

More laptop reviews:
??? Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8
??? HP ProBook 4430s
??? HP Pavilion dv7-6b55dx
??? Sony VAIO VPC-F237FX/B
??? Samsung Series 9 (NP900X3A-B01UB)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/8u38JUQ5MS8/0,2817,2396822,00.asp

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Libya vows to work with ICC in case of Gadhafi son (AP)

TRIPOLI, Libya ? Libya's transitional leaders have vowed to work with the International Criminal Court and with the United Nations in investigating alleged crimes committed by Moammar Gadhafi's recently captured son and one-time heir apparent, the court's prosecutor said Thursday.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told The Associated Press that the court received the formal pledge in a letter from National Transitional Council chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil. He gave the AP a copy of the letter in an English translation.

Moreno-Ocampo said he was satisfied with that move, which appears to settle a dispute between the international court and Libyan authorities over which body should try Seif al-Islam Gadhafi with crimes against humanity.

Libya is obliged by a UN Security Council resolution to work with the ICC, but that does not necessarily preclude a trial in Libya. If the court determines that the country has a functioning legal system that will give Seif al-Islam a fair trial on substantially the same charges as were filed before it, it can leave the case with Libya.

Moreno-Ocampo said the most important thing is for Seif al-Islam, whom he called the "face of the old regime," to face justice.

It "is very important for the world and for Libya to understand what happened here, how they attacked these people, how they killed these people," Moreno-Ocampo said.

The ICC has charged both Seif al-Islam and the Gadhafi-era intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi with crimes against humanity for unleashing the brutal crackdown on an uprising that began in February and spiraled into a civil war.

Moreno-Ocampo said he understood that it's "a matter of national pride" for Libya's leaders to try Gadhafi's son themselves because they want to prove to the world that they are capable of holding a fair trial.

He said investigations are under way into the alleged crimes committed by Gadhafi's son and that he believed it would be ready for trial "in a few months."

In his letter to the court, Libya's Abdul-Jalil pledged to "fully cooperate" with the ICC and the UN Security Council.

But he asserts that the Libyan judiciary has "primary responsibility" to try Seif al-Islam, the only Gadhafi family member in Libyan custody.

The letter is addressed to a presiding judge at the court in The Hague, Sanji Mmasenono Monageng.

Seif al-Islam is being held by fighters from the Libyan town of Zintan, who flew him there after his capture in southern Libya on Saturday. The International Committee of the Red Cross visited Seif al-Islam there on Tuesday and said he appeared to be in good health.

Officials with the governing National Transitional Council also had reported that former intelligence chief al-Senoussi, who also is wanted by France over the 1989 bombing of French airliner, was captured over the weekend in the southern city of Sabha and was being held in a secret location.

However, senior Libyan officials have cast doubt on the claim.

Moreno-Ocampo said Libyan authorities told him they could not confirm that al-Senoussi was really arrested.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/un/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_libya

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Bahrain report: excessive force in crackdowns (AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain ? With Bahrain's king watching, the chief investigator asked to probe his government's crackdowns gave a blow-by-blow reckoning Wednesday of torture, excessive force and fast-track justice in attempts to crush the largest Arab spring uprising in the Gulf.

The investigator, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, also said there was no evidence of Iranian links to Bahrain's Shiite-led protests. That was a clear rebuke Gulf leaders, who accuse Tehran of playing a role in the 10-month-old showdown in the Western-allied kingdom.

The 500-page study ? authorized by Bahrain's Sunni rulers in a bid to ease tensions ? marks the most comprehensive document on security force actions during any of the revolts that have flared across the Arab world this year. It also displayed a stunning image of a powerful Arab monarch facing a harsh public reckoning, as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa listened somberly to a bullet-point summary of the report's conclusions.

Bassiouni's summary read like a checklist of complaints by rights groups since February: Middle-of-the-night raids to "create fear," purges from workplaces and universities, jail house abuses including electric shocks and beatings and destruction of Shiite mosques that "gave the impression of collective punishment."

At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.

It appeared unlikely that even the strong criticism would satisfy opposition forces, who accused the Sunni monarchy of using all methods at its disposal to avoid sharing power with the nation's Shiite majority. Just hours before the long-awaited report was released, security forces used tear gas and stun grenades in the latest of nearly daily clashes on the strategic island, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

"What is really needed is to hold the perpetrators responsible and bring them to justice," said Khalil al-Marzooq, a senior official with the biggest Shiite opposition party, Al Wefaq, which pulled out of parliament this spring to protest the harsh tactics against protesters.

There were no immediate signs of escalating street protests after the report was issued. In one area, protesters blocked roads and chanted slogans against the ruling family.

In Wahington, the White House commended the king for appointing the commission and said in a statement that it is "incumbent upon the government of Bahrain to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and put in place institutional changes to ensure that such abuses do not happen again."

The inquest was seen as a bold step in a region of monarchs and sheiks who rarely acknowledge shortcomings or face uncomfortable criticism in public.

Bahrain's government promised "no immunity" for anyone suspected of abuses and said it would propose creating a permanent human rights commission.

"All those who have broken the law or ignored lawful orders and instructions will be held accountable," said a government statement, adding that the report notes that the "systematic practice of mistreatment" ended shortly after martial law was repealed on June 1.

Bahrain's Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000 citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination such as being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has offered some concessions, but refused to bow to protest demands to surrender control of all top positions and main policies.

"A number of detainees were tortured ... which proved there was a deliberate practice by some," said Bassiouni, whose report covered the period between Feb. 14 and March 30.

The report also was highly critical of a special security court created under martial law that "overtook the national system of justice" and issued harsh sentences ? including life in prison and death row rulings ? that "denied most defendants elementary fair trial guarantees."

The document spotlighted abuses at the island's main hospital, the state-run Salmaniya Medical Center. The authorities saw its mostly Shiite staff as opposition sympathizers. Dozens of doctors and nurses who treated injured protesters were detained during crackdown. Many were sentenced to five to 15 year prison sentences. Their appeal will be heard in a civilian court.

"All reports indicated that there were protests, and indeed chaos, in the SMC," the report says. It adds, "The hospital generally continued to function normally" through the unrest.

Bahrain has abolished the security court. Bassiouni urged Bahrain to review all the security court verdicts and drop charges against all those accused of nonviolent acts such as joining or supporting the protests.

"You found real shortcomings from some government institutions," Bahrain's king told Bassiouni, an Egyptian-born professor of international criminal law and a former member of U.N. human rights panels.

But the king lashed back at finding that Iran did not influence the uprising, saying his government could not provide clear evidence but insisting Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."

Bahrain is a critical U.S. all,y and Washington has taken a cautious line because of what's at stake: urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.

In a statement Wednesday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said the report is an important moment for Bahrain that has lived through a year of events that were "highly traumatic."

"Political reform in Bahrain will not come easily, but it is critical for the healing process," Kerry said.

For Gulf leaders, led by powerful Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is seen as a firewall to keep pro-reform protests from spreading further across the region. Sunni Gulf rulers have rallied behind the kingdom's embattled monarchy and sent in military reinforcements during the height of the crackdowns and Saudi-led units still remain.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai.

Online: http://files.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

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Palestinian PM, Norway decry Israeli fund freeze (Reuters)

OSLO (Reuters) ? The Palestinian Authority is "fast approaching the point of being completely incapacitated" by Israel's refusal to hand over tax revenues belonging to the authority, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said.

Israel's freeze on the taxes and fees it collects for the Palestinian Authority at borders has deprived the government of two-thirds of its normal revenue since November 1, making it hard to pay salaries and fix infrastructure, Fayyad said.

"This is our money," he said. "It has nothing to do with donor assistance or anything like that."

He spoke at a press conference alongside Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who demanded an end to the policy that Israel imposed a day after the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO granted full membership to the Palestinians.

"It amounts to waterboarding an economy," Stoere said, "because you almost kill it while allowing a small amount of air to come in."

Israel has called the withholding of funds "temporary" and complained the Palestinians were unwilling to open direct peace talks, while Palestinian leaders have said they would talk only if Israel halts settlement activity in areas it occupies.

Fayyad said the frozen funds amount to some $100 million per month, or two-thirds of the Palestinian Authority's revenue stream excluding international aid.

He spoke shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Cairo with Khaled Meshaal, exiled leader of the radical Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza strip.

Fayyad reiterated that he was willing to step down if it would help heal divisions between the rival factions and pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections. Hamas has rejected him as head of a joint government.

Norway chairs a committee of aid donors to the Palestinian Authority, including the United States, Israel and the European Union.

(Reporting by Walter Gibbs; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/wl_nm/us_palestinians_funds

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Bahrain report: excessive force in crackdowns

A Bahraini woman walks down a narrow street in the western Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, painted and repainted with anti-government graffiti and hung with religious banners for the Islamic month of Muharram, a time of Shiite mourning for Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's founding prophet Mohamed. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

A Bahraini woman walks down a narrow street in the western Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, painted and repainted with anti-government graffiti and hung with religious banners for the Islamic month of Muharram, a time of Shiite mourning for Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's founding prophet Mohamed. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

A Bahraini boy plays in a narrow street in the western Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, painted with graffiti urging political prisoners to be freed. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

A Bahraini child peers from a home in the western Shiite village of Malkiya, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. Graffiti on the side of the building reads: "For sure, victory is coming." (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) ? In a stinging blow to Bahrain's leaders, a special commission that investigated the kingdom's unrest charged Wednesday that authorities used torture, excessive force and fast-track justice in crackdowns on the largest Arab Spring uprising in the Gulf.

The head of the panel, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, also said there was no evidence of Iranian links to Bahrain's Shiite-led protests. That was a clear rebuke Gulf leaders, who accuse Tehran of playing a role in the 10-month-old showdown in the Western-allied kingdom.

The 500-page study ? authorized by Bahrain's Sunni rulers in a bid to ease tensions ? marks the most comprehensive document on security force actions during any of the revolts that have flared across the Arab world this year. It also displayed a stunning image of a powerful Arab monarch facing a harsh public reckoning, as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa listened to a bullet-point summary of the report's conclusions.

Bassiouni's summary ? presented at a royal palace news conference attended by Bahrain's king and crown prince ? read like a checklist of complaints by rights groups since February: Middle-of-the-night raids to "create fear," purges from workplaces and universities, jail house abuses including electric shocks and beatings and destruction of Shiite mosques that "gave the impression of collective punishment."

At least 35 people have been killed in violence related to the uprising, including several members of the security forces.

It appeared unlikely that even the strong criticism would satisfy opposition forces, who accused the Sunni monarchy of using all methods at its disposal to avoid sharing power with the nation's Shiite majority. Just hours before the long-awaited report was released, security forces used tear gas and stun grenades in the latest of nearly daily clashes on the strategic island, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Still, the inquest was seen as a bold step in a region of monarchs and sheiks who rarely acknowledge shortcomings or face uncomfortable criticism in public.

Bahrain's government promised "no immunity" for anyone suspected of abuses and said it would propose creating a permanent human rights commission.

"All those who have broken the law or ignored lawful orders and instructions will be held accountable," said a government statement, adding that the report notes that the "systematic practice of mistreatment" ended shortly after martial law was repealed on June 1.

Bahrain's Shiites comprise about 70 percent of the island nation's 525,000 citizens. They have complained of widespread discrimination such as being blocked from top government or military posts. The monarchy has offered numerous concessions ? including more powers to the parliament ? yet have refused to bow to protest demands to surrender its command of all top positions and main policies.

"A number of detainees were tortured ... which proved there was a deliberate practice by some," said Bassiouni, whose report covered the period between Feb. 14 and March 30.

The report also was highly critical of a special security court created under martial law that "overtook the national system of justice" and issued harsh sentences ? including life in prison and death row rulings ? that "denied most defendants elementary fair trial guarantees."

Bahrain has abolished the security court and some of its decisions are under review by civilian magistrates. Bassiouni urged Bahrain to review all the security court verdicts and drop charges against all those accused of nonviolent acts such as joining or supporting the protests.

"You found real shortcomings from some government institutions," Bahrain's king told Bassiouni, an Egyptian-born professor of international criminal law and a former member of U.N. human rights panels.

But the king lashed back at finding that Iran did not influence the uprising, saying his government could not provide clear evidence but insisting Tehran's role was clear to "all who have eyes and ears."

He blamed Arabic-language outlets in Iran's state media of "inciting our population to engage in acts of violence, sabotage and insurrection. Iran's propaganda fueled the flames of sectarian strife ? an intolerable interference in our internal affairs."

Although Bahrain's bloodshed and chaos is small in comparison with the huge upheavals across the Arab world, the island's conflict resonates from Tehran to Washington.

Bahrain is a critical U.S. ally and Washington has taken a cautious line because of what's at stake: urging Bahrain's leaders to open more dialogue with the opposition, but avoiding too much public pressure.

Some U.S. lawmakers have shown signs of growing impatience with Bahrain's rulers. A $53 million arms deal with Bahrain is on hold until the upcoming report is examined.

For Gulf leaders, led by powerful Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is seen as a firewall to keep pro-reform protests from spreading further across the region. Gulf rulers have rallied behind the kingdom's embattled monarchy and sent in military reinforcements during the height of the crackdowns and Saudi-led units still remain.

Shiite-led protesters began occupying a square in the capital Manama in February ? just days after crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square celebrated the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.

Weeks later, security forces stormed Manama's Pearl Square, tore down the landmark six-pronged monument at its center and imposed martial law. Hundreds of activists, political leaders and Shiite professionals such as lawyers, doctors, nurses and athletes were jailed and tried on anti-state crimes behind closed doors in a special security court that was set up during emergency rule.

On Tuesday, a group of Bahrain rights groups issued their own report on the unrest, accusing authorities of "systematic" abuses and "unceasing human rights violations."

___

Online: http://files.bici.org.bh/BICIreportEN.pdf

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-23-ML-Bahrain/id-5589fd4081ac4740968c58d2272c33fe

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Armed man barricaded at Colorado Air Force base (Reuters)

DENVER (Reuters) ? An airman facing possible discharge barricaded himself in a building on a Colorado air force base with a gun on Monday, prompting the facility to activate "special control measures," base officials said.

The airman barricaded himself in a deployment processing building at Schriever Air Force Base at about 10 a.m. local time, and was still there about 2 hours later as negotiators spoke with him, base spokeswoman Lieutenant Marie Denson said.

"Currently they are speaking with him, our first responders, our security personnel as well as our security partners," Denson said.

Denson said the airman, whose name was not immediately released, had been facing legal action in civilian court and a possible discharge. She had no further details on that legal action.

Schriever Air Force Base spokeswoman Staff Sergeant Patrice Clarke said the airman was armed but had not fired his weapon.

"He has a personal handgun. There have not been any shots fired," Clarke said.

First responders have secured the base, south of Denver, and have evacuated the building, according to the base.

A spokesman for the El Paso County Sheriff's office, Sergeant Mike Schaller, said the office had sent a negotiator to the scene.

"The security of Schriever personnel and their families is paramount. We are taking every precaution to ensure their safety," Colonel James P. Ross, 50th Space Wing commander, said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Mary Slosson; Writing by Mary Slosson; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/us_nm/us_colorado_base_disturbance

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Google Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich"

Google's Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0, is the biggest update the popular smartphone platform has received in more than a year. It adds dozens of features, changes and improves the interface, and makes much better use of the latest smartphone hardware. It may finally make Android tablets viable, too. At launch, though, it's missing a few things, most notably Flash and Facebook support, which mean that you may do well waiting a few months before scooping out some Ice Cream for yourself.

The New UI
The new Ice Cream Sandwich UI integrates elements from the Gingerbread phone and Honeycomb tablet UIs into, hopefully, a harmonious system which will work equally well on phones and tablets.

The look employs a lot of subtle shading, a lot of compositing, and a lot of depth, especially compared to the very flat screens in Gingerbread. Powerful GPUs seem to be assumed here, as screens and images almost always have multiple layers. But a generally spare design keeps it feeling like Android: functional, not showy.

The new lock screen shows the date, time, and your wallpaper. To unlock the phone, swipe right, or swipe left to jump directly to the camera. That takes you to one of five home screens, where you can place widgets or icons at will.?You can now create folders on your home screens, and the folder layout is witty and smart: it shows the icons of various items in the folder, stacked. Four favorite icons, now customizable, stay at the bottom of every home screen.

The app drawer is still there, but now it's two-paned: you can flip between apps and a full-screen display of available widgets. Sliding between pages of apps, it looks like each one reveals the next under it.?The multitasking interface borrows from Honeycomb: press a dedicated "multitasking" soft key, and thumbnails of the last several apps you've used ghost above the display. (There's that multi-layer compositing again.)

There are a few frustrating touches. Android's old physical buttons have been replaced by virtual buttons, and they can be a little elusive. On some screens, such as the camera, all the virtual buttons go away, leaving only gray dots. The new Menu button also moves around from app to app, and sometimes you have to search for it. As a longtime Android user, I want to know where my Home and Back buttons are at all times.?

Text selection is also still an issue. To select text to copy or paste, you're supposed to long-press and then move two nicely-sized bookends, but in some apps I found the selection bookends appeared when I was just trying to drag or scroll the screen.

The Cool Features
Along with the new UI come a bunch of great, entirely necessary new features.?Improved Web browser performance is a big deal. The browser benchmarked at double the speed of the Android 2.3 browser, and it has very useful new pop-down menu options: you can easily switch between mobile and desktop views and store pages for offline reading. The browser now scores 100 on the Acid3 test of HTML5 compatibility, as opposed to 95/100 for the Gingerbread browser; font rendering, especially, has been dramatically improved.

Android's contact book got a refit as well. It's borrowed a bit of its look from Windows Phone 7, integrating Twitter, LinkedIn and some other minor social networks, with multiple-pane contact cards showing your friends' most recent status updates, plus the amusing ability to auto-block calls from any of your contacts. While you can manually join contacts from multiple sources, I would have liked to see a smarter auto-join algorithm like the one HTC uses in its HTC Sense software.

The Gmail app is much better looking. You can create new messages without having to press the menu button, there's a bit more preview text for each message in the message list, and in general the new appearance, with more grays and the new Roboto font, is more appealing.

The Camera app has been dramatically improved. It's much, much faster, to the point where I was wondering whether I'd actually taken a picture because it was so fast. That's something we've seen on some devices like the HTC Amaze but appears to be standard in ICS.?The new music player integrates with Google Music, so it has a built-in store and lets you stream from your cloud music library. It also shows a cool little VU meter when you're playing songs, and has an extensive graphic equalizer.

I really like the new data-management screen in Settings, which lets you monitor how much cellular data you've been using day by day, project your usage for the month, and issue automatic warnings. In this era of data caps and prepaid phones, this is an extremely useful utility.

Potential in APIs
ICS brings a lot of underutilized Honeycomb features to phones. They were underutilized because nobody was buying Honeycomb tablets and thus the features never had a market. But they're exciting: accelerated 2D and 3D graphics APIs (read: better games), more Bluetooth profiles and support for more input devices (read: better game controls), and enterprise-level encryption for business devices. Phone makers have been adding some of those features to Gingerbread, but now hopefully they'll have a wide enough base to actually take off.

In ICS, a new "social API" lets third-party social networks integrate into the address book. Third-party apps also get better access to the calendar, and there are a bunch of new streaming media and codec features. Let's not forget the browser, either: a more HTML5-friendly browser means better Web apps.?I'm also intrigued by Wi-Fi Direct, which lets devices connect directly to each other without a router or hotspot. That could eliminate the need for syncing cables, if it's easy enough to use.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/fahh51zKU5Y/0,2817,2396697,00.asp

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US envoy: China promises clean energy access (AP)

BEIJING ? U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson said Chinese officials promised foreign technology suppliers equal access to their booming clean energy industry in trade talks amid pressure to revive global growth.

Bryson said the officials told him Monday the country will invest $1.7 trillion over the next five years in clean energy and other emerging technologies. He said they pledged a "level playing field" for U.S. and other foreign suppliers.

Beijing is spending heavily to develop wind, solar and other clean energy, both to curb demand for imported oil and gas and to create profitable industries. But business groups complain it is improperly supporting Chinese technology suppliers in violation of free-trade pledges and trying to limit foreign access to promising fields.

Chinese officials said foreign producers of new energy vehicles will be eligible for subsidies on an equal basis with local rivals, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said in a statement. It said Beijing promised not to require them to help Chinese partners set up new brands or hand over technology ? two conditions automakers worried might be imposed as a condition of being allowed to make or sell cars in China.

Access to China's markets for high-tech goods is especially sensitive for the United States and other Western economies that want technology exports to shore up flagging economic growth and cut high unemployment.

"They intend to provide a fair and level playing field in those industries," Bryson said after the two-day meeting of the U.S.-Chinese Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

The top Chinese envoy, Vice Premier Wang Qishan, "said there would be significant opportunities to Chinese and U.S. and other foreign companies," Bryson said.

That pledge also covers high-end equipment manufacturing, energy-saving and environmental technologies, biotechnology, information technology, alternative energy and advanced materials, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

The U.S.-Chinese committee aims to defuse trade tensions by focusing on individual policy disputes. Previous meetings have produced pledges by Beijing to lower barriers to imports of American beef and to fight rampant Chinese software piracy.

This week's meeting came amid mounting demands by some American lawmakers for punitive tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing fails to ease exchange-rate controls. They say China's yuan is kept undervalued, giving its exporters an unfair trade advantage and wiping out jobs in the United States.

Also Monday, the two governments announced agreements to improve cooperation on intellectual property, technology, energy, trade statistics and business relations.

Beijing promised to take more steps to combat rampant software piracy by promoting use of legal software by local governments and companies, the U.S. statement said. It said they would launch a joint effort next year to stop online sales of counterfeit goods.

Earlier Monday, Wang appealed to U.S. envoys for cooperation to revive the global economy, emphasizing shared goals instead of disputes over currency and other irritants.

"We are facing a very serious global economic crisis," Wang said. "Ensuring economic health is the responsibility of every nation. Unbalanced progress is better than balanced decline."

Leaders of the world's biggest and second-biggest economies have pledged to work together to shore up global growth but ties have been strained by complaints about China's exchange-rate controls and access to its markets. Beijing is uneasy about Washington's moves to expand its political and military presence in Asia.

Bryson warned earlier Monday that American lawmakers and businesspeople "are moving toward a more negative view" of U.S.-Chinese trade ties.

President Barack Obama pressed Premier Wen Jiabao, China's top economic official, over Beijing's currency controls in a meeting last week on the sidelines of an Asian economic regional gathering in Indonesia.

The U.S. trade deficit with China hit a monthly high of $29 billion in August and is on track to surpass last year's $273 billion, the highest ever recorded with a single country.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_us_trade

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Singapore predicts sharp economic slowdown in 2012

SINGAPORE (AP) ? Singapore warned Monday that its economy will likely suffer a sharp slowdown next year as export demand from developed countries wanes.

Gross domestic product growth will probably drop to between 1 percent and 3 percent in 2012 from 5 percent this year, the Trade and Industry Ministry said.

"Singapore's externally oriented sectors such as electronics and wholesale trade will continue to perform poorly," the ministry said in a statement. "Although resilient domestic demand in emerging Asia will provide some support to global demand, it will not fully mitigate the effects of an economic slowdown in the advanced economies."

Singapore, an island of 5.1 million people off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, relies on exports, finance and tourism to maintain one of the world's highest levels of GDP per head.

Because of its high reliance on trade, Singapore is often a bellwether for the rest of Asia.

The economy grew 6.1 percent in the third quarter from a year ago and a seasonally-adjusted annualized 1.9 percent from the previous quarter, the ministry said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-20-AS-Singapore-Economy/id-cfa2d27dc23c41119a245c559c8c0912

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Amazon Loses $2.70 On Every Kindle Fire Sold [Amazon]

There had been rumors that the Kindle Fire cost more to build than Amazon was selling it for, and that rumor is true. According to iSuppli, every one of those tiny tablets costs 201.70 to build. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9m6oEXL-Gko/amazon-loses-170-on-every-kindle-fire-sold

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Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. children poor, Census says (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The number of children in the United States considered poor rose by 1 million in 2010, the U.S. Census said on Thursday, with nearly one in three of the youngest Americans now living in poverty.

"Children who live in poverty, especially young children, are more likely than their peers to have cognitive and behavioral difficulties, to complete fewer years of education, and, as they grow up, to experience more years of unemployment," the Census said.

In 2010, when the Census survey was conducted, 32.3 percent of children across the country were poor, compared to 30.8 percent in 2009.

That was mainly due to a rise in the number of children living below the federal poverty threshold, defined as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four, to 15.7 million from 14.7 million in 2009.

The figures reflect the overall state of the economy. The national poverty rate stands at 15.3 percent and the unemployment rate is at 9 percent some two years after the recession that began in 2007 officially ended.

The number of people living in poverty has reached an all-time high in the United States, despite the country's position as one of the wealthiest in the world. Its gross domestic product per capita of $47,184 was 3,095 percent more than India's $1,477 in 2010.

In 24 states and Washington, D.C., more than 20 percent of those up to 17 years old lived at or below the poverty threshold.

RACIAL GAPS

The Census found that the percentage of white children in poverty increased in 25 states in 2010 from the year before.

Overall, "white and Asian children had poverty rates below the national average, while black children had the highest poverty rate at 38.2 percent," it said.

"The poverty rate for Hispanic children was 32.3 percent, and children identified with two or more races had 22.7 percent living in poverty."

Children in some states fared worse than in others.

"About one of every three children in poverty lived in one of the four most populous states, each of which saw increases in the number and the percentage of children in poverty between 2009 and 2010," the Census said.

There were 2 million children in poverty in California, followed by Texas, where 1.8 million children were considered poor. Slightly less than 1 million children lived in poverty in Florida and New York.

The Census found that the number and percentage of children in poverty rose in 27 states in 2010. Utah's rate increased the most, 11.5 percent.

Among states, Mississippi had the highest proportion of children in poverty, 32.5 percent. In Washington, D.C., and in New Mexico, child poverty rates also neared one-third.

In 10 states child poverty rates are 25 percent or higher, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.

New Hampshire has the lowest child poverty rate, 10 percent.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Xavier Briand)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/ts_nm/us_usa_poverty_children

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A GOP debt plan would hit some popular tax breaks

Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., rushes through the Capitol to a closed-door meeting with other Republican members of the Supercommittee, in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., rushes through the Capitol to a closed-door meeting with other Republican members of the Supercommittee, in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Millions of taxpayers who take advantage of deductions for mortgage interest, charitable donations and state and local taxes would be targeted for potential tax hikes under a GOP plan to raise taxes by $290 billion over the next decade to help reduce the nation's deficit.

Some workers could also see their employer-provided health benefits taxed for the first time, though aides cautioned that the proposal is still fluid.

The plan by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who serves on the 12-member debt supercommittee, would raise revenue by limiting the tax breaks enjoyed by people who itemize their deductions, in exchange for lower overall tax rates for families at every income level. Taxpayers who already take the standard deduction instead of itemizing ? about two-thirds of filers ? could see tax cuts. The one-third of taxpayers who itemize their deductions might find themselves paying more.

The top income tax rate would fall from 35 percent to 28 percent, and the bottom rate would drop from 10 percent to 8 percent. The rates between would be reduced as well.

About 50 million households itemized their deductions in 2009, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. About 35 million households claimed the mortgage interest deduction, and 36 million deducted charitable donations. Nearly 41 million claimed deductions for paying state and local taxes.

A GOP congressional aide said the plan is designed to raise taxes on households in the top two tax brackets. That would affect individuals making more than $174,400 and married couples making more than $212,300.

Some Republicans say the plan offers a potential breakthrough in deficit-reduction talks that have stalled over GOP opposition to tax hikes and Democrats' objection to cuts in benefit programs without significant revenue increases.

But Republicans are becoming increasingly divided over the issue of raising taxes. A growing number of Republicans in Congress say they would support a tax reform package that increases revenues, if it is coupled with significant spending cuts, enough to reduce the deficit by about $4 trillion over the next decade.

The so-called "go big" strategy has been endorsed by a bipartisan group of about 150 lawmakers from the House and Senate. A rival group of 72 House Republicans sent a letter to the supercommittee Thursday, urging members to oppose any tax increases.

"We must recognize that increasing the tax burden on American businesses and citizens, especially during a fragile recovery, is irresponsible and dangerous to the health of the United States," said the letter, circulated by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.

Democrats, meanwhile, have panned Toomey's plan, saying the rate reductions would cut taxes for the wealthy so much that taxes on the middle class would have to be raised. They also argue that Toomey's plan would generate less revenue than advertised.

They note that Toomey's plan assumes that tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush, and extended through 2012 under President Barack Obama, would continue. Toomey's plan would then cut the tax rates even more.

The supercommittee has a Wednesday deadline to come up with a plan to reduce government borrowing by at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade. If the panel fails, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts to domestic and military programs would take effect in 2013.

Some details of Toomey's plan remain in flux, in part because he is open to changes to help forge an agreement, said the GOP aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations. The aide confirmed that Toomey's plan is closely modeled after a proposal by three experts at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private research organization perhaps best known for deciding when recessions begin and end.

The three experts are Martin Feldstein, a Harvard University professor who was President Ronald Regan's chief economic adviser; Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget; and Daniel Feenberg, a research associate at the bureau.

Under their plan, the tax benefits from itemizing deductions and excluding employer-provided health insurance from taxable income would be limited to 2 percent of taxpayer's adjusted gross income.

That means if a taxpayer has an adjusted gross income of $50,000, deductions and exemptions could reduce his or her tax bill by a maximum of $1,000.

Taxpayers who face limits on their tax breaks could opt to take the standard deduction instead. Currently, about one-third of tax filers itemize their deductions. The rest claim the standard deduction, which in 2011 is $5,800 for individuals and $11,600 for married couples filing jointly.

The plan envisions millions of additional taxpayers switching to the standard deduction, which would simplify their returns, MacGuineas said.

Policymakers across the political spectrum agree the federal tax code is too complicated, and most agree on a basic formula for simplifying it: Reduce tax breaks and use the additional revenue to lower the overall tax rates for everyone.

There is little agreement, however, on which tax breaks to target.

Toomey's plan attempts to sidestep debates over which tax breaks to target and instead proposes to limit taxpayers' overall ability to reduce their tax bills.

"This is a far more practical way to start to scale back the influence and costs of tax expenditures in the code by kind of glopping them together and capping them," MacGuineas said. "You're not picking the winners and losers."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-17-US-Debt-Supercommittee-Taxes/id-d0466383409d44f5b0ebfb3a3cd2e361

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Gmail (for iPhone)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The standalone Gmail app for iOS has better and faster search, color-coded threading, and a few other appealing features, though text size will be too small for some users.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/8ml3Hv0pD8A/0,2817,2395783,00.asp

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Baby girl born to India's Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (AP)

NEW DELHI ? Indian actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has given birth to a baby girl in a Mumbai hospital, her father-in-law superstar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted Wednesday.

"I AM DADA to the cutest baby girl," he wrote, using the Hindi word for paternal grandfather.

The 38-year-old L'Oreal spokeswoman is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan.

This is the couple's first child.

India's boisterous news channels were unusually respectful of the family's privacy after an industry group issued new guidelines instructing television journalists to cover the birth announcement with restraint. According to news reports, the Broadcast Editors Association issued the guidelines last week.

The new rules included no pre-coverage of the birth and no outdoor broadcast vans outside the hospital. The event was to be reported only after a formal announcement by the Bachchan family.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111116/ap_on_en_mo/as_india_star_baby

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Boeing says it gets its biggest order ever

By Msnbc.com staff and wire

Less than a week after saying it had landed its biggest aircraft order ever, Boeing claimed Thursday it had beaten its own record with another giant offer.

This time, the order comes from Lion Air, a private carrier in Indonesia, which has ordered 230 airplanes.

That order includes 201 of the redesigned Boeing 737 "MAX" and 29 extended-range 737s. The order was announced Thursday by the White House during President Barack Obama's trip to Bali, Indonesia.

The airplanes have a list price of $21.7 billion. Lion Air has options for 150 more, valued at $14 billion. The deal's total potential value is $35 billion.

Chicago-based Boeing Co. set the previous order record Sunday, when Dubai's Emirates ordered 50 Boeing 777s, with a total value of $18 billion.

Neither airline is likely to pay list prices. Airlines typically negotiate big discounts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8856781-boeing-says-it-gets-its-biggest-order-ever

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Steam-Powered RC Trike: The Apex of Mechanical Eye Candy [Video]

It's slow, it's pink, and it's piloted by an innocent looking stuffed animal wearing goggles. But that doesn't make YouTube user prallplatte's remote control trike any less badass. Better still: the trike is actually powered by steam, courtesy of a large boiler running down its spine. That's crazy. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pqELrF58YIM/steam+powered-rc-trike-the-apex-of-mechanical-eye-candy

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker faces recall drive. California redux? (Christian Science Monitor)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/162295533?client_source=feed&format=rss

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