Motorsport was plunged into more grief and introspection on Sunday by a second death in a week amid intensified concern for safety standards in all forms of racing around the world.
Just hours before a public memorial service for IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was due to start in Indianapolis, where the Briton twice won the famous Indy 500 race, Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli died after an horrific crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang.
The 24-year-old Italian was widely admired as a rising hope and his death, confirmed at the circuit medical centre, came as a deep shock to a sport still reeling from Wheldon's accident.
Motor racing, on two wheels and four, was left facing its greatest safety inquest for a generation.
Simoncelli's fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa said: "At times, we forget how dangerous the sport is. These are things that should not happen, but this is sport."
Wheldon, 33, was killed last Sunday in a high-speed 15-car crash during the opening laps of the IndyCar season finale at Las Vegas.
His funeral took place on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Florida where family, friends and neighbours attended an emotional service.
Many gathering in Indianapolis were shocked by the news from Malaysia where Simoncelli lost control on the second lap and was hit by the bikes of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi as he slid on his Honda.
His helmet was knocked off in the incident and the season's penultimate race was stopped immediately with a red flag and then cancelled.
Casey Stoner, who won his second MotoGP title at his home Australian Grand Prix last week, said: "As soon as I saw the footage it just makes you sick inside. Whenever the helmet comes off that's not a good sign."
The loss of his helmet will be the first -- and most important -- area for immediate focus in the investigations that follow Simoncelli's death, the first in premier motorcycle racing since another Honda rider Daijiro Kato was killed at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix.
WAIVER FORMS
Shoya Tomizawa also died in a similar crash to Simoncelli in Moto2, the class below MotoGP, at last year's San Marino Grand Prix since when motorcycling bosses and riders have been working hard to improve safety.
But even on an open, modern circuit like Sepang, a purpose-built facility designed by German specialist Hermann Tilke and opened in 1999, little can be done to reduce the dangers implicit in high-speed close-proximity racing -- especially when riders, or cars, collide and are hit by others.
Even if the circuit is built to the highest levels of contemporary safety standards, racing itself remains dangerous as participants and spectators are informed when they sign their waiver forms and buy tickets.
Following Wheldon's death, drivers questioned the wisdom of running the IndyCar finale on a very fast, high-banked oval, which had not staged an event in the series for 11 years, with a 34-strong field that included several part-time drivers.
Other observers suggested that overall safety standards in IndyCar racing were 20 years behind those practiced in Formula One, in which a major revision was instigated following the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994.
Simoncelli's death was the first at Sepang. Circuit chairman Mokhzani Mahathir said: "We had our standard operating procedure ... this is one-of-a-kind freak incident where the helmet came off and I am sure FIM [International Federation of Motorcycling] and MotoGP will be looking into this."
All Italian sports events on Sunday were set to observe a minute's silence in memory of Simoncelli, who was a big fan of soccer club AC Milan.
In their Serie A fixture against Lecce, Milan wore black armbands and recovered a three-goals deficit to win 4-3.
Now motorsport has to recover from a double blow that has asked questions of its ethics and safety standards.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Motorcycling-Simoncelli dies after Sepang crash
Italy's Marco Simoncelli has died after a crash at the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang, organisers said on Sunday. He was 24.
The race was cancelled after just four minutes when Simoncelli fell and was hit by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi as he slid across the track on his Honda.
Simoncelli's helmet was knocked off in the incident and the race was immediately red-flagged.
The race was cancelled after just four minutes when Simoncelli fell and was hit by Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi as he slid across the track on his Honda.
Simoncelli's helmet was knocked off in the incident and the race was immediately red-flagged.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Computer chip giant Intel reports record earnings
The Northern California-based chip titan topped $14 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time with net income climbing to an unprecedented $3.5 billion.
"Intel delivered record-setting results again...driven largely by double-digit unit growth in notebook PCs (personal computers)," said Intel chief executive Paul Otellini.
"We also saw continued strength in the data center fueled by the ongoing growth of mobile and cloud computing."
The earnings buoyed confidence in Intel amid an overall slowdown of personal computer sales and bested the expectations of financial analysts.
Intel stock prices rose more than four percent to $24.44 per share in after-hours trading that followed release of the earnings results.
The company said revenue for the year was on track to hit $55 billion, topping last year by 26 percent.
Intel saw gains in sales of chips for business computers and data centers, but a 32 percent year-over-year drop in sales of Atom microprocessors tailored for gadgets in the booming market for smartphones and tablets.
Demand for chips in hot emerging markets such as China and Brazil was offsetting weakening US sales, Otellini said during an earnings conference call.
PlayStation Vita to hit US in February
"PlayStation Vita will redefine traditional boundaries of gaming and blur the lines between entertainment and reality," said Sony Computer Entertainment America chief executive Jack Tretton.
"Its launch will serve as a pivotal point in the history of portable gaming and create a new fan base of PlayStation gamers for generations to come," he continued, announcing the launch date at a Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.
PS Vita handsets will be priced at $245 for models that connect online using wireless Internet hotspots, while versions with 3G mobile telecom connectivity will be priced at $300 each.
Sony previously announced that it will begin selling PS Vita in Japan on December 17 as it looks to mount a fresh challenge to rivals including struggling Nintendo.
Its launch comes as both Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's gaming models are under increasing pressure from products such as powerful smartphones and tablet computers onto which cheap or free games can be quickly downloaded and played.
In Japan, the PlayStation Vita will sell for 24,980 yen ($325) for the Wi-Fi version and 29,980 for the 3G model.
Analysts say Sony has spread the Vita's global release dates in an effort to ensure a sufficient number of games are available in each country to spur hardware sales, after Nintendo's 3DS suffered from a limited catalogue.
Nintendo cut the price of its 3DS game console, which displays three-dimensional graphics without the need for special glasses, by up to 40 percent after only six months due to weak sales.
Sony said it has 100 new titles in the pipeline and promised 26 games will be available for the Vita on its Japan launch.
The successor to the popular PSP (PlayStation Portable) that has sold 71.4 million units globally since its launch in late 2004, the Vita features an array of new functions.
The PS Vita features a five-inch (12.7-centimeter) multi-touch OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen with a pad on the back for "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" finger motions. The handset also has front and rear facing cameras.
Users will be able to use the device to watch videos, listen to music and connect to Internet sites and social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Its launch comes as Sony looks to increasingly monetize a vast catalogue of film, music and gaming content and give its hardware a competitive edge, analysts said.
Samsung to launch Galaxy Nexus in Europe in November
Samsung and Google unveiled the Galaxy Nexus phone at an event in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after delaying the event while the world paid tribute to late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Samsung, the top seller of Android phones and the biggest challenger to Apple, said the latest version of Android, named Ice Cream Sandwich, was designed to unite tablet and smartphone platforms, potentially attracting more application developers and consumers to the Android camp.
The South Korean firm's new device, which touts a 4.65-inch high-definition "super" AM-OLED display and a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, features such new functions as face recognition.
The world's No.2 handset maker said it also plans to introduce a version of the Galaxy Nexus that runs on faster Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks.
Samsung's event came less than a day after Apple reported quarterly results that missed expectations for the first time in years, blaming rumors of the new iPhone for hurting demand in the September quarter.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in an acrimonious legal dispute in 10 countries involving smartphones and tablet computers as they jostle for the top spot in the fast-growing markets. Apple is also Samsung's biggest customer, buying mainly chips and displays.
Samsung said on Monday that the sales of its Galaxy S and Galaxy S 2 smartphones topped 30 million units, with the once-smartphone laggard expected to overtake Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in the third quarter.
Strong smartphone sales are expected to help Samsung's handset division report a record profit during the period, analysts said.
Motorola brings back 'Razr' name for smartphone
The phone revealed Tuesday is thin, like the old Razr. Otherwise, the new Razr is a different breed from the folding "dumb" phone that made Motorola the second-largest phone maker in the world, before Apple Inc. shook up the industry with its iPhone in 2007.
The new phone, called the Droid Razr, has a big touchscreen and runs Google Inc.'s Android operating system. Verizon Wireless will start taking pre-orders on Oct. 27 and sell it for $300 with a two-year contract. The Droid Razr will use Verizon's new LTE high-speed wireless data network.
In an interview, Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. CEO Sanjay Jha said the company's testing had revealed that the Razr name still resonates with people, and they say they're more likely to buy a phone that carries it.
"People have incredibly fond memories of using their Razrs," he said at a press event in New York.
As sold by Verizon, the phone will be called the "Droid Razr." In other countries, it will be just "Razr."
Motorola was never able to come up with a phone that could match the old Razr in popularity. As its popularity declined, the company's fortunes plummeted. The company split up in January, with Motorola Mobility taking the cellphone part of the business. It is now the world's eighth-largest maker of phones.
Motorola Mobility is based in Libertyville, Ill., and has agreed to be bought by Google for $12.5 billion. The deal is expected to close by early next year.
Motorola Mobility's stock rose 10 cents to close Tuesday at $38.92.
Jupp Heynckes: Bayern Munich deserved to beat Napoli in the Champions League
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes said his side was in control against Napoli until a Holger Badstuber own goal saw it veer off the winning path in a 1-1 Champions League draw on Tuesday night.
The German side hit the ground running in Italy and was 1-0 up after just two minutes courtesy of a Toni Kroos strike.
However, Bayern was put on the back foot after Badstuber turned a Christian Maggio cross into his own net.
Another mistake from Mario Gomez further unsettled Heynckes' men as the striker saw his second-half penalty saved by Morgan De Sanctis, the Napoli goalkeeper.
"It was a good performance from us and we were in control, so a win wouldn't have been undeserved," Heynckes is quoted as saying by UEFA.com.
"Napoli is a dangerous team and you always have to be vigilant against them but we didn't allow them a single chance until the equalizer.
"Then there was a spell of six to eight minutes where we didn't look good, but in the second half we were on top again."
Bayern is top of Group A, two points ahead of the Italian side.
Heynckes men are in action again when they play Hannover in the Bundesliga this weekend.
The German side hit the ground running in Italy and was 1-0 up after just two minutes courtesy of a Toni Kroos strike.
However, Bayern was put on the back foot after Badstuber turned a Christian Maggio cross into his own net.
Another mistake from Mario Gomez further unsettled Heynckes' men as the striker saw his second-half penalty saved by Morgan De Sanctis, the Napoli goalkeeper.
"It was a good performance from us and we were in control, so a win wouldn't have been undeserved," Heynckes is quoted as saying by UEFA.com.
"Napoli is a dangerous team and you always have to be vigilant against them but we didn't allow them a single chance until the equalizer.
"Then there was a spell of six to eight minutes where we didn't look good, but in the second half we were on top again."
Bayern is top of Group A, two points ahead of the Italian side.
Heynckes men are in action again when they play Hannover in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Pazzini strike rescues uninspired Inter
Inter, a shadow of the side that won the European trophy in 2010, secured only its third win in all competitions this season.
Midfielder Wesley Sneijder, back from a thigh injury, played a key role in the buildup to the goal in the 22nd minute. The Dutch international laid off a pass to Mauro Zarate, whose fine cross was smashed in by Pazzini, leaving no chance for Lille’s stand-in goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama.
Lille rued not having taken advantage of a sluggish Inter side which is struggling to keep its head above water in Serie A but is top of Group B with a two-point lead over CSKA Moscow and Trabzonspor.
“They decided to leave us the ball and wait for us 30 meters out from their goal,” said Lille substitute Ludovic Obraniak, who replaced former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole on 74 minutes.
Lille produced plenty of intricate of build-up play without delivering the decisive finishing touch. Too often, forward Moussa Sow was isolated and outnumbered.
“We tried a lot of things but unfortunately didn’t get pay-back for the work we put in,” said Lille coach Rudi Garcia, who led the Frenchs champion to its third league title last season.
“We’re disappointed because Inter didn’t put us in difficulty very often,” he added. “We were victims of Italian realism,”
Although just 17th in Serie A after six matches, Inter’s European experience told at Lille, with the back line of Maicon, Cristian Chivu, Lucio and Yuto Nagatomo managing the pressure that Lille built in the second half, in particular. This was Inter’s 100th match in the Champions League. But it was just the first time that it had played a competitive game against the French, who were unbeaten in 10 matches ahead of Tuesday’s encounter.
“I’m very satisfied because in our championship we aren’t doing very well,” said Inter coach Claudio Ranieri, who took over from Gian Piero Gasperini in September after the Italian side’s worst Serie A start in 28 years.
Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar made a diving save to keep out Dimitri Payet’s left-foot shot on 65 minutes, three minutes after the forward came on for midfielder Benoit Pedretti.
“They didn’t make any defensive errors,” said Pedretti. “We lacked a bit of presence in front of goal.”
Forward Eden Hazard, eyed by big European clubs, often posed the greatest threat for Lille, linking up neatly with Cole and making darting, aggressive runs.
Cole, who took the unusual step for an English player of moving to France to reinvigorate his career after an underwhelming spell at Liverpool, also saw a shot whistle over Cesar’s crossbar.
But the French champions lacked aerial menace in set pieces and it took Pazzini’s goal to sting them into action after a pedestrian start.
“We needed that electro-shock, which is sad,” said Obraniak.
Lille is now bottom of Group B, with just two points, and still has to travel to Milan and to Moscow. Inter has just one more away fixture, at Trabzonspor.
Manchester City's Vincent Kompany: Dramatic Villarreal win can be catalyst for Champions League progression
Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany has hailed the team’s dramatic victory over Villarreal in the Champions League and claimed it was fully deserved because of the chances it managed to create.
City had to wait until the last minute of injury time for the winner – scored by Sergio Aguero – to come despite having large amounts of possession and camping in the oppositions half for long periods.
Talking about the late goal to Sky Sports Kompany said: “It was amazing, we definitely deserved to win as we had enough chances [and had] self belief and I’m really happy we did it. Maybe we can take this result with us for the rest of the season.”
City has so far struggled to mirror its form from the Premier League in its first season in the Champions League and despite difficult away trips to come against Villarreal and Napoli respectively Kompany is confident this result will put it in good stead for possible qualification.
“Europe seems to be so different for us so far compared to the Premier League but it was deserved and maybe this will be the one that unlocks all of the [team’s] capabilities for the Champions League hopefully,” he added.
Despite the home team being the overwhelming favorite to win this game and to qualify from the group Kompany is adamant that any team in the competition shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Belgian continued: “You can’t underestimate any team. I’ve said it before we are by far in the toughest group. Napoli’s a great team, Bayern’s a great team and Villarreal have been in it far more than we have so it’s a great win and dramatic win that has made it such a beautiful night.”
City had to wait until the last minute of injury time for the winner – scored by Sergio Aguero – to come despite having large amounts of possession and camping in the oppositions half for long periods.
Talking about the late goal to Sky Sports Kompany said: “It was amazing, we definitely deserved to win as we had enough chances [and had] self belief and I’m really happy we did it. Maybe we can take this result with us for the rest of the season.”
City has so far struggled to mirror its form from the Premier League in its first season in the Champions League and despite difficult away trips to come against Villarreal and Napoli respectively Kompany is confident this result will put it in good stead for possible qualification.
“Europe seems to be so different for us so far compared to the Premier League but it was deserved and maybe this will be the one that unlocks all of the [team’s] capabilities for the Champions League hopefully,” he added.
Despite the home team being the overwhelming favorite to win this game and to qualify from the group Kompany is adamant that any team in the competition shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Belgian continued: “You can’t underestimate any team. I’ve said it before we are by far in the toughest group. Napoli’s a great team, Bayern’s a great team and Villarreal have been in it far more than we have so it’s a great win and dramatic win that has made it such a beautiful night.”
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney becomes highest-scoring English player in Champions League history after brace against Otelul Galati
Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has become the highest-scoring English player in Champions League history after his brace against Romanian champions Otelul Galati on Tuesday night.
The 25-year-old netted twice – both times from the penalty spot – as the Red Devils had to work hard to earn a 2-0 victory in Bucharest to move his career tally to 26 goals.
The achievement moves him past former teammate Paul Scholes in the standings, while Premier League rivals Frank Lampard of Chelsea and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard remain close behind.
The 25-year-old netted twice – both times from the penalty spot – as the Red Devils had to work hard to earn a 2-0 victory in Bucharest to move his career tally to 26 goals.
The achievement moves him past former teammate Paul Scholes in the standings, while Premier League rivals Frank Lampard of Chelsea and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard remain close behind.
| HIGHEST SCORING ENGLISHMEN IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE |
 1. Wayne Rooney - 26 2. Paul Scholes - 24 3. Frank Lampard - 20 4. Steven Gerrard - 19 |
Now in his eighth season as a United player, the England striker’s biggest goal in the competition came in last year’s final at Wembley, where he levelled the match against Barcelona before being unable to prevent a 3-1 defeat on the night.
His most successful season in Europe came in 2009-10, where he scored five times in seven matches as the Red Devils’ run was abruptly halted by Bayern Munich at the quarterfinal stage to prevent him from adding to that tally.
While he is now the highest goalscorer from his own country, Rooney still has some way to go to match some other greats of the European game.
Raul continues to lead the way when it comes to all-time Champions League goals with 71, while Ruud van Nistelrooy sits second on 56. Thierry Henry is the only other player to have reached the half-century mark.
Social Security to hand out first raises since '09
Some 55 million beneficiaries will find out for sure Wednesday when a government inflation measure that determines the annual cost-of-living adjustment is released.
Congress adopted the measure in the 1970s, and since then it has resulted in annual benefit increases averaging 4.2 percent. But there was no COLA in 2010 or 2011 because inflation was too low. That was small comfort to the millions of retirees and disabled people who have seen retirement accounts dwindle and home values drop during the period of economic weakness, said David Certner, legislative policy director for the AARP.
"People certainly feel like they are falling behind, and these are modest income folks to begin with, so every dollar counts," Certner said. "I think sometimes people forget what seniors' incomes are."
Some of the increase in January will be lost to higher Medicare premiums, which are deducted from Social Security payments. Medicare Part B premiums for 2012 are expected to be announced next week, and the trustees who oversee the program are projecting an increase.
Monthly Social Security payments average $1,082, or about $13,000 a year. A 3.5 percent increase would amount to an additional $38 a month, or about $455 a year.
Most retirees rely on Social Security for a majority of their income, according to the Social Security Administration. Many rely on it for more than 90 percent of their income.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said the COLA would give a boost to consumer spending next year, amounting to about $25 billion in government support, or 0.2 percent more economic growth, if beneficiaries spend it all. For comparison, last year's 2 percentage point cut in Social Security payroll taxes was worth $115 billion to U.S. households.
"It is not a magic bullet for the economy, but it will certainly be a positive for households on fixed incomes," he said.
Federal law requires the program to base annual payment increases on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Officials compare inflation in the third quarter of each year — the months of July, August and September — with the same months in the previous year.
If consumer prices increases from year to year, Social Security recipients automatically get higher payments, starting the next January. If price changes are negative, the payments stay unchanged.
Only twice since 1975 — the past two years — has there been no COLA.
Wednesday's COLA announcement will come as a special joint committee of Congress weighs options to reduce the federal government's $1.3 trillion budget deficit. In talks this summer, President Barack Obama floated the idea of adopting a new measure of inflation to calculate the COLA, one that would reduce the annual increases.
Advocates for seniors mounted an aggressive campaign against the proposal, and it was scrapped. But it could resurface in the ongoing talks.
"We're very concerned about that," said Web Phillips of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "I think that what this illustrates is the dangers of trying to make Social Security policy in the context of deficit reduction."
Social Security payments increased by 5.8 percent in 2009, the largest increase in 27 years, after energy prices spiked in 2008. But energy prices quickly dropped and home prices became soft in markets across the country, contributing to lower inflation the past two years.
For example, average gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008. But by January 2009, they had fallen below $2. Today, the national average is about $3.46 a gallon.
"A lot of that increase had to do with energy," Polina Vlasenko, an economist at the American Institute for Economic Research, based in Great Barrington, Mass., said of the 2009 change.
As a result, Social Security recipients got an increase that was far larger than actual overall inflation. However, they weren't to get another increase until consumer prices exceeded the levels measured in 2008.
So far this year, prices have been higher than that, Vlasenko said. Based on consumer prices in July and August, the COLA for 2012 would be about 3.5 percent. Vlasenko estimates the COLA will be from 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent.
Advocates for seniors say it's about time.
"If you've been at the grocery store lately and remember what you used to pay for things, see what you're paying for things today," Phillips said. "The cost-of-living adjustment makes sure that the Social Security benefit that you qualify for when you retire or you become disabled continues to stay current with prices so that the buying power of your benefit does not decline over time."
Senate votes to end 'Fast and Furious' gun program
The 99-0 vote would block the government from transferring guns to drug cartels unless federal agents "continuously monitor or control" the weapons. The amendment's sponsor, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called the vote "just the first step towards ensuring that such a foolish operation can never be repeated by our own law enforcement."
The Justice Department has already stopped the program.
A Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Congress did not ask the department for its views, said the amendment essentially reflects DOJ policy.
In an interview Tuesday with ABC News, President Barack Obama said "we will find out who and what happened in this situation and make sure it gets corrected."
The vote came as the Senate debated a $128 billion spending measure that would fund Justice Department operations and those of several other Cabinet agencies for the 2012 budget year already under way.
Operation Fast and Furious was a gun-smuggling investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives aimed at tracking small-time illicit gun buyers up the chain to major traffickers in an effort to take down arms networks. In the process, ATF agents lost track of many of the weapons.
Fast and Furious came to light after two assault rifles purchased by a now-indicted small-time buyer under scrutiny in the operation turned up at a shootout in Arizona where Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry was killed.
The operation has caused something of a firestorm in Washington and is the focus of an investigation by House Republicans, who have questioned whether Attorney General Eric Holder has been candid about all he knows about the botched operation.
Holder already has called a halt to the practice of allowing guns to "walk" in an effort to track them to arms traffickers, saying in a recent letter to lawmakers that "those tactics should never again be adopted in any investigation."
In the past two weeks, two gun-trafficking investigations from the Bush administration have surfaced using the same controversial tactic for which congressional Republicans have been criticizing the Obama administration on Fast and Furious.
Emails obtained by The Associated Press show how in a 2007 investigation in Phoenix, ATF agents — depending on Mexican authorities to follow up — let guns "walk" across the border in an effort to identify higher-ups in gun networks. Separately, it was disclosed that ATF agents carried out an operation in 2006 called Wide Receiver that resulted in hundreds of guns being transferred to suspected arms traffickers.
Fast and Furious was designed to respond to criticism that the agency had focused on small-time gun arrests while major traffickers had eluded prosecution.
As recently as 11 months ago, the Justice Department's inspector general criticized ATF for focusing "largely on inspections of gun dealers and investigations of straw purchasers, rather than on higher-level traffickers, smugglers and the ultimate recipients of the trafficked guns."
The IG said some ATF managers discourage agents from conducting complex conspiracy investigations that target high-level traffickers.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
'The Avengers' Trailer: What the Critics Are Saying
PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Superhero Film
"With the release of the first full trailer for Disney and Marvel's all-star 2012 superhero tentpole, fans finally get a real look at the four main heroes together -- The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor -- with some semblance of the film's narrative on display. Loki's back, so are Nick Fury and Black Widow, Hawkeye's now on the scene, and everyone's looking like they want to do some righteous ass-kicking. Cars explode, voiceovers portend, Tony Stark cracks jokes," writes The Hollywood Reporter's Jay Fernandez.
"Awesome. Or it would be if we hadn't seen all of this before and expected every single thing that we saw in the trailer. And this gets at the crux of the Avengers problem: Given the scope and impact of the individual films, how does this one deliver something bigger, better, newer?" he laments.
STORY: 'The Avengers' Trailer: Fans, Industry React
Den of Geek's James Hunt writes, "Previous Marvel Studios films have been light on iconic locations, preferring a more real-world approach. This one looks like it'll change all that, truly putting the Marvel Universe on the screen for the first time."
"Let's consider Tony Stark's penultimate line in the trailer: 'If we can't protect the Earth….' Well, that makes it sound like a global scale threat is indeed on the cards. Maybe they won't be Skrulls in the typical sense. But an attempted invasion from another world, masterminded by Loki, seems almost certain to be the threat that finally assembles the Avengers," he also notes.
"It's rare that a movie can rival the combination of comic book art and a reader's imagination, but this is very close to doing so. It's impossible to say whether the film is going to be good or bad so far in advance, but a trailer this high-octane has undoubtedly left even the most cautious of expectations raised," he goes on.
Eric Ditzian writes on MTV, "The first full trailer for The Avengers is here, though at first glance, it seemed much more like the work of Michael Bay — a little citizens-ominously-watching-the-skyline Armageddon here, a bit of city-block-destroying Transformers there — than the handiwork of Marvel and writer/director Joss Whedon.
"While the trailer didn't deliver everything we were hoping for — nor did it have the ineffable coolness we might have expected — it gave us a whole lot of Marvel goodness to unpack," adds Ditzian.
Other disappoints include: "Who are we kidding? We wanted to see the Avengers assemble — not around the boardroom table, but in action. And the trailer, in this respect, just doesn't deliver. Alas, the shot (around one minute, 11 seconds in) of our heroes in a lab is the best look at the team together. Hawkeye isn't even there. Black Widow is mostly hidden. Captain America and Iron Man aren't even in their suits. Bruce Banner is just Bruce Banner, no hint of the hidden green beast within. We appreciate that Whedon is a writer who loves to pen a witty exchange between characters — we get a lot of that in the trailer, and we're not complaining — but we also maintain Marvel missed a chance in the trailer to show off the Avengers assembling for the first time in an unforgettable way."
The Stir's Linda Sharps was a big fan of the trailer.
"Considering the level of slobbering fan expectation over this movie, it would have been all too easy for the trailer to disappoint. However, I think you'll agree that this sneak peek was custom-designed to both whet our appetites and leave us clamoring for more," she writes.
"I mean, COME ON. That's just pure unadulterated awesomeness right there. Snark from Tony Stark, a smug godlike chuckle from Thor, Hawkeye blowing shit up with his explosive arrows, and a tantalizing glimpse of The Hulk! Patented badassery from Samuel J., Thor villain Loki being all villainous, and even that stick-up-his-butt Agent Coulson! Black Widow ... wearing her little outfit!" she goes on.
"Aside from the general fun and mayhem the movie promises to deliver, I'm frankly in a bit of a lather over the male cast. I just saw Thor and so I'm officially in love with Chris Hemsworth, I've always had a thing for Robert Downey Jr., and the surprise—the sexy surprise—of Mark Ruffalo is just too much. These guys can avenge my planet anytime, is all I'm saying."
Derrick Mason traded from Jets to Texans
CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman confirms that the New York Jets agreed to trade the veteran wide receiver to the Houston Texans on Tuesday night for an undisclosed - but low - draft pick.
Mason's role was greatly diminished in New York's 30-21 loss at New England on Sunday, while rookie Jeremy Kerley mostly assumed his spot as the No. 3 receiver. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the trade.
The deal ends a quick stint in New York for the 37-year-old Mason, who spent the last six seasons with Baltimore, Ryan's former team. He signed a two-year deal with the Jets in early August, choosing them over a return with the Ravens or the Tennessee Titans. He had been released by Baltimore before training camp and was expected to fill the spot of the departed Jerricho Cotchery.
Ryan was excited by Mason joining the team, and said he expected him to have at least 80 catches as a slot receiver with the Jets. But the veteran got off to a slow start with just 13 catches for 115 yards, and had just one reception — the only pass thrown his way — on Sunday.
Freeman notes that the move has some interesting ramifications.
:Is Andre Johnson's hamstring healing slower than expected? Or are the Texans simply looking for more depth? Maybe it's a combination of the two," Freeman writes.
Ryan explained Monday that Mason saw less time because he wanted to give Kerley, a fifth-round pick, more opportunities.
"Derrick's going to still be a part of what we do," Ryan said. "I just thought we can do some things with Kerley. I think we're excited (with) the way he's out there on the practice field and we'll see going forward."
Mason made some critical comments the previous week, saying the team had "cracks" that needed to be fixed. Ryan insisted that had nothing to do with the decision to have Mason sit in favor of Kerley.
"You guys know I have an open policy with the media," Ryan said. "I don't put a muzzle on anybody."
In a radio interview Monday, Ryan acknowledged that he had met with Mason late last week, but wouldn't go into details.
"It was a private conversation," he said.
Mason, along with Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes, were also mentioned in a Daily News report that said the wide receivers had met with Ryan individually during the last few weeks to complain about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. All three denied the report, as did Ryan — and the team took the rare step of issuing a statement to also say it was untrue.
Before the Jets' game against the Ravens two weeks ago, Mason said he had no bitterness toward his former team and talked about how he wanted to play in New York and for Ryan, with the hope that he could win a Super Bowl ring. But he also acknowledged when he signed with New York that it would be tough to leave his two children back home in Nashville. He flew back home every week when the team had an off day.
Now, Mason will head to Houston, where he can help the Texans' offense while Andre Johnson recovers from a right hamstring injury. Coincidentally, if he plays this Sunday for the Texans, Mason's first game will be back in Baltimore.
With his 7-yard catch Sunday, Mason became the 18th player in NFL history to reach 12,000 yards receiving.
Obama Loses Big on Jobs Bill
Nothing quite illustrates the depth of Barack Obama's weakness in Washington better than the painfully public defeat the Senate handed him Tuesday by blocking his signature American Jobs Act.
The cleverly named bill was sold as a paid-for, bipartisan package of cures for the country's anemic job market. But the Senate soundly defeated the measure, leaving it eight votes shy of the 60 that Obama needed just to get the Senate to consider it. Worst of all for Obama were the defections of two of his fellow Democrats, which limited the bill to getting more than a bare majority, as well as the declarations from several more that they would vote against the package if the Senate ever did consider it for an up-or down vote.
The defeat was a sharp rebuke for Obama that amounted to a vote of no confidence on the economic policies of recovery spending that he’s championed for years, namely his idea that flooding the economy with public money will jump-start the private sector. But even Obama’s fellow Democrats seem to have developed sufficient spending fatigue to put the brakes on new outlays, while the most moderate Democrats say the economy will never recover as long as the deficit continues to spiral out of control.
Another handful of incumbents up for reelection in red states have the added incentive of distancing themselves from their unpopular president at every chance, with a high-priced jobs bill providing just the right opportunity. The combination of real policy differences and raw political calculations combined to sow Obama's defeat within his own party before he ever saw a fight with the Republicans.
The latest Obama plan would have spent $447 billion on infrastructure projects, teacher salaries, and an extension of a payroll tax cut that is set to expire. To pay for it, Senate Democrats last week protected a series of popular tax loopholes in favor of slapping a 5.6 percent surtax on households making more than $1 million a year. Privately, Democrats say they think the tax is a “silver bullet” that could help them heading into the 2012 elections.
Hours before Tuesday’s vote, Obama went to Pittsburgh to deliver yet another public pitch for the bill. "This is gut-check time," he said. "Any senator that votes no will have to look you in the eye and tell you what they're opposed to."
But at the very moment that Obama was warning about Republicans blocking his legislation, Jim Webb, the Democratic senator from Virginia, was explaining from the floor why he opposed the measure.
"I do not believe we should raise taxes on ordinary earned income," Webb said. "There are other ways to get there."
Although Webb voted with the Democrats to end the filibuster, Sens. Bill Nelson and Jon Tester, two moderate Democrats up for reelection, joined the GOP to block the bill. Tester said he wanted more infrastructure spending and fewer tax breaks in the package. Nelson said the half-trillion-dollar price tag was too rich for his blood.
Other Democrats voted with the White House on Tuesday, but said they'd oppose the bill if the Senate ever voted on it.
"The bottom line is, I don't believe the potential to create jobs with the Act justifies adding another half trillion to our almost $15 trillion national debt," said independent Sen. Joe Lieberman. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, told a group of local reporters that the $447 cost of the package “put the ugly" in the good, bad, and ugly of the bill.
Beyond the Democratic complaints, Republicans slammed the bill as political gamesmanship.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the legislation "a charade" and blamed Obama for making the bill less likely to pass when he agreed to the millionaires’ surtax, which congressional Republicans called a "nonstarter."
"Democrats have designed this bill to fail," McConnell said. "They have designed their own bill to fail in the hopes that anyone who votes against it will look bad for opposing” it.
"We're really not here to solve problems. Neither side is, candidly. We're here for some political stunt to take place," said Sen. Bob Corker, a freshman from Tennessee.
The White House scrambled to come up with a Plan B for the measure even before the Senate voted Tuesday night, as it became increasingly clear that it would fail, and fail badly.
Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, told MSNBC that the president would take the bill back to Congress for another vote, even if he had to chop it up into pieces and do it one portion at a time. But Pfeiffer took the chance to blame the GOP for the impasse.
"If the Republicans decide to block passage of the American Jobs Act tonight, the next step is to bring each individual piece forward and make them account for why they now oppose provisions that they used to support.”
The cleverly named bill was sold as a paid-for, bipartisan package of cures for the country's anemic job market. But the Senate soundly defeated the measure, leaving it eight votes shy of the 60 that Obama needed just to get the Senate to consider it. Worst of all for Obama were the defections of two of his fellow Democrats, which limited the bill to getting more than a bare majority, as well as the declarations from several more that they would vote against the package if the Senate ever did consider it for an up-or down vote.
The defeat was a sharp rebuke for Obama that amounted to a vote of no confidence on the economic policies of recovery spending that he’s championed for years, namely his idea that flooding the economy with public money will jump-start the private sector. But even Obama’s fellow Democrats seem to have developed sufficient spending fatigue to put the brakes on new outlays, while the most moderate Democrats say the economy will never recover as long as the deficit continues to spiral out of control.
Another handful of incumbents up for reelection in red states have the added incentive of distancing themselves from their unpopular president at every chance, with a high-priced jobs bill providing just the right opportunity. The combination of real policy differences and raw political calculations combined to sow Obama's defeat within his own party before he ever saw a fight with the Republicans.
The latest Obama plan would have spent $447 billion on infrastructure projects, teacher salaries, and an extension of a payroll tax cut that is set to expire. To pay for it, Senate Democrats last week protected a series of popular tax loopholes in favor of slapping a 5.6 percent surtax on households making more than $1 million a year. Privately, Democrats say they think the tax is a “silver bullet” that could help them heading into the 2012 elections.
Hours before Tuesday’s vote, Obama went to Pittsburgh to deliver yet another public pitch for the bill. "This is gut-check time," he said. "Any senator that votes no will have to look you in the eye and tell you what they're opposed to."
But at the very moment that Obama was warning about Republicans blocking his legislation, Jim Webb, the Democratic senator from Virginia, was explaining from the floor why he opposed the measure.
"I do not believe we should raise taxes on ordinary earned income," Webb said. "There are other ways to get there."
Although Webb voted with the Democrats to end the filibuster, Sens. Bill Nelson and Jon Tester, two moderate Democrats up for reelection, joined the GOP to block the bill. Tester said he wanted more infrastructure spending and fewer tax breaks in the package. Nelson said the half-trillion-dollar price tag was too rich for his blood.
Other Democrats voted with the White House on Tuesday, but said they'd oppose the bill if the Senate ever voted on it.
"The bottom line is, I don't believe the potential to create jobs with the Act justifies adding another half trillion to our almost $15 trillion national debt," said independent Sen. Joe Lieberman. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, told a group of local reporters that the $447 cost of the package “put the ugly" in the good, bad, and ugly of the bill.
Beyond the Democratic complaints, Republicans slammed the bill as political gamesmanship.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the legislation "a charade" and blamed Obama for making the bill less likely to pass when he agreed to the millionaires’ surtax, which congressional Republicans called a "nonstarter."
"Democrats have designed this bill to fail," McConnell said. "They have designed their own bill to fail in the hopes that anyone who votes against it will look bad for opposing” it.
"We're really not here to solve problems. Neither side is, candidly. We're here for some political stunt to take place," said Sen. Bob Corker, a freshman from Tennessee.
The White House scrambled to come up with a Plan B for the measure even before the Senate voted Tuesday night, as it became increasingly clear that it would fail, and fail badly.
Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, told MSNBC that the president would take the bill back to Congress for another vote, even if he had to chop it up into pieces and do it one portion at a time. But Pfeiffer took the chance to blame the GOP for the impasse.
"If the Republicans decide to block passage of the American Jobs Act tonight, the next step is to bring each individual piece forward and make them account for why they now oppose provisions that they used to support.”
Chrysler, United Auto Workers agree on contract
The automaker is the last of the three Detroit automakers to make a deal with the union.
Chrysler said in a statement that the deal includes $4.5 billion in new investment in retooling plants to produce new models and components by 2015. It did not offer other specifics of the deal.
The agreement covers 26,000 U.S. workers and is subject to ratification by Chrysler's workers.
"This agreement is the latest in a remarkable turnaround for Chrysler," UAW Vice President General Holiefield said in a statement. This is the first contract agreement reached since Chrysler's government bailout and bankruptcy two years ago, and the first since Chrysler has been managed by Italian automaker Fiat SpA.
The union scheduled an 11:30 a.m. EDT (1530 GMT) news conference at which it's expected to reveal more.
But the agreement is expected to be similar to deals reached earlier with General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. GM workers have already ratified their contract, but Ford workers are still voting.
Workers at those companies gave up pay raises for most union members in exchange for profit-sharing payments.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sony halts 93,000 online accounts after new breach
The attempts took place between October 7 and 10 and succeeded in verifying valid sign-in IDs and passwords of about 93,000 accounts on its PlayStation Network, Sony Entertainment Network and Sony Online Entertainment services.
Sony said credit card details associated with those accounts were not at risk as a result of the attempts.
Sony has temporarily locked these accounts and is continuing investigations into the extent of unauthorised activity. It said it would notify affected account holders to advise them to reset their passwords.
The entertainment giant has been battling to restore consumer trust after a data breach in April compromised more than 100 million online accounts, forcing it to temporarily shut down its PlayStation Network and Qriocity music services.
Analysts say such breaches threaten to further damage Sony's brand image and undermine its efforts to link its gadgets to an online "cloud-based" network of games, movies and music that relies on consumer confidence in their security.
US ties Iran to plot to assassinate Saudi diplomat
Two men, including a member of Iran's special foreign actions unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court with conspiring to kill the Saudi diplomat, Adel Al-Jubeir. Justice Department officials say the men tried to hire a purported member of a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the assassination with a bomb attack while Al-Jubeir dined at his favorite restaurant.
"The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Clinton was blunt in saying the United States would use the case as leverage with other countries that have been reluctant to apply harsh sanctions or penalties against Iran. Clinton said she and President Barack Obama called world leaders to tell them of the developments.
"This really, in the minds of many diplomats and government officials, crosses a line that Iran needs to be held to account for," Clinton said. She said she and Obama want to "enlist more countries in working together against what is becoming a clearer and clearer threat" from Iran.
The U.S. criminal complaint said the Iranian plotters hired a would-be assassin in Mexico who was a paid informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and told U.S. authorities all about their plot, which they code-named "Chevrolet."
FBI Director Robert Mueller said many lives could have been lost. But Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said no explosives were actually placed and no one was in any danger because of the informant's cooperation with authorities.
Attorney General Eric Holder, appearing at a news conference with Mueller and Bharara, declared, "The United States is committed to holding Iran responsible for its actions."
Shortly afterward, the Treasury Department announced economic penalties against Arbabsiar and four Quds Force officers it says were involved.
Asked whether the plot was blessed by the very top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation. But he said the conspiracy was conceived, sponsored and directed from Tehran. The U.S. describes the Quds Force as Iran's primary foreign action arm for supporting terrorists and extremists around the world.
The White House said Obama told al-Jubeir in a phone call that the foiled plot to assassinate him is a "flagrant" violation of U.S. and international law. Obama also told al-Jubeir he is committed to ensuring the security of diplomats in the United States, the White House said, and met with his national security team to thank them for disrupting the plot.
The Obama administration has often said that no option is off the table with Iran, a position that a U.S. official said had not changed Tuesday. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the policy publicly, said the emphasis now is on increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran.
The State Department is warning Americans around the world of the potential for terrorist attacks against U.S. interests following the exposure of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States.
The alleged target was Al-Jubeir, a commoner educated at University of North Texas and Georgetown who was foreign affairs adviser to Saudi King Abdullah when he was crown prince. A month after the 2001 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 Arab hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, Abdullah sent al-Jubeir to the United States to rebuild Saudi Arabia's image in the United States. He was appointed ambassador in 2007.
Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are the Mideast's two most powerful countries and have long vied for power and influence across the region. Saudi Arabia and other countries like Bahrain have accused Iran of trying to create dissent in their countries this year, during democracy movements across the region.
The Saudi Embassy said in a statement that it appreciated the U.S. efforts to prevent the crime. "The attempted plot is a despicable violation of international norms, standards and conventions and is not in accord with the principles of humanity," the statement read.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, who authorities said was a Quds Force member and is still at large in Iran. The Treasury Department listed addresses for Arbabsiar in two Texas cities — the Austin suburb of Round Rock and the Gulf city of Corpus Christi — and prosecutors say he frequently traveled to Mexico for business.
The complaint filed in federal court says Arbabsiar confessed that his cousin Abdul Reza Shahlai was a high-ranking member of the Quds Force who told him to hire someone in the narcotics business to target Al-Jubeir. U.S. authorities described Shakuri as Shahlai's deputy who helped provide funding for the plot. Shahlai was identified by the Treasury Department in 2008, during George W. Bush's administration, as a Quds deputy commander who planned the Jan. 20, 2007, attack in Karbala, Iraq, that killed five American soldiers and wounded three others.
Arbabsiar, Shakuri and Shahlai and two others — Qasem Soleimani, a Quds commander who allegedly oversaw the plot, and Hamed Abdollahi, a senior Quds officer who helped coordinate — were sanctioned Tuesday by the Treasury Department for their alleged involvement. The department described all except Arbabsiar as Quds officers.
The complaint alleges this past spring that Arbabsiar approached the DEA informant, who he believed was associated with a well-known Mexican drug cartel with access to military-grade weapons and explosives and has a history of assassinations. Justice Department officials say Arbabsiar initially asked the informant about his knowledge of plastic explosives for a plot to blow up a Saudi embassy. But through subsequent meetings in Mexico over the past six months in which they spoke English, secretly recorded for U.S. authorities, Arbabsiar offered $1.5 million for the death of the ambassador. He eventually wired nearly $100,000 to an account number that the informant provided, authorities said.
The DEA informant is no stranger to criminal activity — the criminal complaint reveals he was charged with violating drug laws in the United States but the charges were dismissed when the informant cooperated with several drug investigations. The complaint said the informant has continued to provide reliable information that has led to numerous drug seizures and is paid for his work.
According to transcripts of their recorded conversations cited in the complaint, the informant told Arbabsiar he would kill the ambassador however he wanted — "blow him up or shoot him" — and Arbabsiar responded he should use whatever method is easiest. The plot eventually centered on targeting Al-Jubeir in his favorite restaurant and Arbabsiar was quoted as saying killing him alone would be better, "but sometime, you know, you have no choice." Arbabsiar dismisses the possibility that 100-150 others in the restaurant could be killed along with the ambassador as "no problem" and "no big deal."
Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and was ordered held without bail during his brief first court appearance Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.
The complaint said that after his arrest, Arbabsiar made several calls to Shakuri in which they discussed the purchase of their "Chevrolet," and Shakuri urged Arbabsiar to "just do it quickly."
No one answered the door Tuesday at Arbabsiar's two-story home, decorated for Halloween, at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. A neighbor said he frequently saw Arbabsiar walking around smoking cigarettes and talking on a cellphone in a language the neighbor didn't understand. Public records show Arbabsiar has been married at least twice and has a history of arrests in Texas for offenses that include evading arrest and theft.
David Tomscha told The Associated Press in an interview that he and Arbabsiar once owned a used car lot together in Corpus Christi, Texas. Tomscha said Arbabsiar was likable, but a bit lazy, and "sort of a hustler."
Iran called the accusation both false and baseless. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-parast condemned such acts and said "such worn-out tricks which are upon old and hostile policies of the U.S. and the Zionist regime is a comic show in direction of making special scenarios with the aim of sowing discord."
Members of Congress were quick to condemn Iran over the plot. Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said if it was indeed sponsored by the Iranian government, "this would constitute an act of war not only against the Saudis and Israelis but against the United States as well."
"This is dangerous new territory for Iran," said Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. "It is the latest in a series of aggressive actions — from their nuclear program to state sponsorship of terrorism, from complicity in killing our soldiers in Iraq to now plotting hostile acts on U.S. soil."
Wall Street protesters target homes of executives
Around 500 people marched through Manhattan's Upper East Side, passing the high-rise buildings where many of the executives live. Among them are Paulson, global media mogul Rupert Murdoch, JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon and David Koch, co-founder of energy firm Koch Industries.
The protesters chanted "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out" and "Hey you billionaires, pay your fair share" and carried signs that read "Stop robbing from the middle class to pay the rich" and "We are the 99 percent," a reference to the idea that the top 1 percent of Americans have too much.
Mustafa Ibrahim, 23, an engineer marched on the "Billionaire's Tour" during a visit to New York from Cairo, where he said he was arrested during a popular uprising this year which toppled Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
"It's pretty much the same thing as Egypt," Ibrahim said. "The problem is the rich keep getting richer and the poor are getting poorer."
Since September 17 protesters have been camped out in a park in Lower Manhattan near Wall Street, rallying against bailouts for banks during the recession, which allowed them to earn huge profits while average Americans suffer high unemployment and job insecurity with little help.
As protesters took their grievances to the homes of the rich, the Paulson & Co hedge fund defended its status.
Paulson took home $5 billion in 2010, the hedge fund industry's biggest ever paycheck, but this year one of his main funds has fallen 47 percent after he mistimed a call that the economy would recover strongly.
"The top 1 percent of New Yorkers pay over 40 percent of all income taxes, providing huge benefits to everyone in our city and state," Paulson & Co said in a statement, adding that New York has the highest income taxes of any U.S. states.
"Instead of vilifying our most successful businesses, we should be supporting them and encouraging them to remain in New York City and continue to grow," it said.
The Occupy Wall Street movement is burgeoning ahead of planned global protests on Saturday. On Wednesday, the Service Employees International Union will march on New York City's financial district for good jobs, while U.S. college students plan solidarity protests on Thursday on at least 56 campuses.
According to Occupy Together, which has become an online hub for protest activity, the Occupy Wall Street movement has sparked rallies in more than 1,400 cities throughout the United States and around the world.
ARRESTS IN BOSTON, WASHINGTON D.C.
Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein canceled a talk at New York's Barnard College, and though the company -- which received and repaid a big federal bailout during the financial crisis -- said a scheduling conflict would keep him away, students from nearby Columbia University were planning to protest his appearance.
"Don't look at the Arab spring, look here because things are going to boil over," said protester Charles Evans, 62, as he marched on the "Billionaire's Tour."
Fifth Avenue resident Lorna Goldberg, 57, said she was surprised to see the protesters near her home. "But I guess they're getting their point across by coming here," she added.
Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, last week likened the growth of the protest movement to the grass-roots Tea Party, but the conservative group on Tuesday sought to distance itself from the protesters.
The Tea Party Patriots said in a statement that its supporters were "not lawbreakers, they don't hate the police, they don't even litter."
Ireland's Trapattoni happy to take chances in play-off
Trapattoni's side secured second place in Group B with a 2-1 win over Armenia at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday and now they await their fate in Thursday's draw in Krakow.
The Irish are one of eight teams, the others being Turkey, Estonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Portugal and the Czech Republic, still hoping to secure a place at next year's finals in Poland and the Ukraine.
The first legs will take place on either November 11 or 12, with the second legs on November 15.
While the play-offs have often been unkind to Ireland in the past, especially two years ago when Thierry Henry's handball played a key role in their World Cup play-off defeat against France, Trapattoni believes his team are capable of holding their own against any of their potential rivals.
Ireland's task could be easier this time as they seem likely to be seeded along with Portugal, Croatia and the Czechs, but Trapattoni is happy to accept whatever fate sends their way.
"All the second-placed teams are very important. We must accept whichever team," he said.
"The first and second teams in the table are always great teams. But I think it would be better to play the first game away and the second at home.
"We have only done 50 percent of the job because there is now the play-off.
"All opponents are not the same. Maybe the next won't be as good as Armenia."
Ireland reached the play-offs in controversial fashion with a hard-fought victory over Armenia, who caused them problems throughout despite having goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky harshly sent off after just 26 minutes.
Berezovsky was dismissed when he blocked Simon Cox's shot outside his penalty area.
Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez decided the Armenian had handled, although replays suggested he had used his chest to stop the shot and that Cox had himself controlled the ball with his arm before shooting.
While that was cruel on Armenia, the visitors shot themselves in the foot when defender Valeri Aleksanyan turned Damien Duff's driven cross into his own net in the 43rd minute.
Ireland looked to be cruising when Richard Dunne bundled home after substitute keeper Arsen Petrosyan had failed to cut out Aiden McGeady's 60th-minute cross.
But Henrik Mkhitaryan's strike two minutes later dragged the 10 men back into it and sparked a fightback which came up just short despite Kevin Doyle's 81st-minute dismissal for a second bookable offence.
Trapattoni admitted his side had been second-best before the break, but was delighted with the character they showed to pull through.
"Armenia in the first half played very, very, very well and it was very difficult to control the game," he said.
"They had more possession, yes, they played better than us, yes, in the first half, but I don't remember any particularly difficult situations for us."
Trapattoni's only disappointment was the red card which will prevent Doyle from playing in the first leg of next month's play-off.
"I want to see it again. I immediately asked the linesman and he said he had used his elbow. But that's not Kevin Doyle," Trapattoni said.
Armenia coach Vardan Minasyan added: "Congratulations to the Irish team, I wish you luck in the play-off.
"You are a very good team, but I am very proud of my team. We have done a very good job and we can be proud."
Serena Williams to play Brisbane International
Serena Williams could meet Samantha Stosur in a reprise of their U.S. Open final after signing up to play the Brisbane International in January.
The Jan. 1-8 Brisbane International, which for several years has served as a warmup for the Australian Open later in the month, has been elevated to WTA Premier level.
As well as Williams and Stosur, former top-ranked Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic will play in Brisbane.
Williams, who counts five Australian Open titles among her 13 Grand Slam wins, will be opening her 2013 season at Brisbane.
"Well, I never played in Brisbane and I've never been to Brisbane (but I've) heard great things about it," Williams said in a statement.
"It's brand new (for me) so all that is going to be really exciting and it will help me with my seeding going into the Australian Open too, so that would be good," she added.
Clijsters, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be returning to the WTA Tour after being sidelined by a torn abdominal muscle that prevented her defending her U.S. Open title this year.
The Jan. 1-8 Brisbane International, which for several years has served as a warmup for the Australian Open later in the month, has been elevated to WTA Premier level.
As well as Williams and Stosur, former top-ranked Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Ana Ivanovic will play in Brisbane.
Williams, who counts five Australian Open titles among her 13 Grand Slam wins, will be opening her 2013 season at Brisbane.
"Well, I never played in Brisbane and I've never been to Brisbane (but I've) heard great things about it," Williams said in a statement.
"It's brand new (for me) so all that is going to be really exciting and it will help me with my seeding going into the Australian Open too, so that would be good," she added.
Clijsters, the reigning Australian Open champion, will be returning to the WTA Tour after being sidelined by a torn abdominal muscle that prevented her defending her U.S. Open title this year.
Vitamin E pills linked with prostate cancer risk
There is more evidence that taking vitamin E pills can be risky. A study that followed up on men who took high doses of the vitamin for about five years found they had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer — even after they quit taking the pills.
Doctors say it's another sign that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.
"People tend to think of vitamins as innocuous substances, almost like chicken soup — take a little and it can't hurt," said lead author Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic. The study shows that is not true.
"If you have normal levels, the vitamin is probably of no benefit, and if you take too much, you can be harmed," Klein said.
Men randomly assigned to take a 400-unit capsule of vitamin E every day for about five years were 17 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than those given dummy pills. That dose, commonly found in over-the-counter supplements, is almost 20 times higher than the recommended adult amount, which is about 23 units daily.
The results mean for every 1,000 men who took vitamin E, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared with men taking dummy pills.
The study was actually launched to try to confirm less rigorous research suggesting vitamin E might protect against prostate cancer. Overall, about 160 of every 1,000 U.S. men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Risks increase as men age. Detection can be tricky since symptoms such as frequent urination can also be caused by harmless conditions, and doctors disagree about the benefits of screening tests. Treatment is also complex since some slow-growing prostate cancers are not deadly but some procedures, including surgery, can damage sexual function and cause incontinence.
Just last week, a government-convened panel of experts recommended against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer. That draft advice is open for public comment.
What should vitamin E users do, given the new study results? About 13 percent of American men take it, according to a supplement trade group.
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says they should stop taking large doses and talk to their doctors about risks and benefits from prostate cancer screening. Smaller doses, typically found in multivitamins, are probably fine, said Brawley, who was not involved in the research.
Vitamin E is found in foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. The nutrient helps nerves, muscles, blood vessels and the immune system function.
Vitamin E supplements have long been promoted for disease prevention, but scientific research has disproven many claims and suggested they might increase risks for some conditions, including heart failure.
Brawley noted that the study echoes previous thinking on beta-carotene, which once was thought to protect against cancer but more recently has been linked with increased risks for lung cancer, especially in smokers.
"There should be a global warning that ... excessive use of vitamins has not been proven to be beneficial and may be the opposite," Brawley said.
Experts generally agree that foods are the best sources for vitamins.
The new research appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The National Cancer Institute and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine paid for the multimillion-dollar study.
Joe Latina, a cabinet shop owner in Aurora, Ohio, was among study participants. He said researchers gave him pills they said "might slow down prostate cancer." Now 71 and cancer-free, he says he doesn't know whether he was given vitamins or dummy pills.
Latina said he "was kind of surprised" by the study results, but is not stressing out over the possibility that he still might get cancer.
"I'm a positive thinker," he said. "I'm not walking around saying, 'Oh my God, the other shoe is going to drop. I don't think I have any way to control it."
The study involved more than 35,000 healthy men aged 50 and older, from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. They were randomly assigned to take daily vitamin E or selenium supplements, both pills or dummy pills. The study was halted after about five years when there were signs of no benefit and a possible increased risk for prostate cancer in vitamin E users. The researchers continued tracking the men even after they stopped taking pills.
The follow-up found that a potential link between selenium and diabetes was a false alarm, but it confirmed signs of a vitamin E-prostate cancer link. Over a total of about seven years, there were 76 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed per 1,000 men, versus 65 cases in men given dummy pills.
"The implications of our observations are substantial," the study authors said.
The results suggest that extra risks associated with taking relatively high doses of vitamin E continue even after supplements are stopped. The researchers said it is unclear how vitamin E would harm the prostate.
There was no increased risk for men who took both vitamin E and selenium, suggesting that selenium might somehow counter the harmful effects of vitamin E, the study authors said.
Duffy MacKay of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement makers' trade group, said the study shouldn't be interpreted as questioning the benefits of vitamin E as an essential nutrient, and he said there is evidence that many Americans don't get enough.There is more evidence that taking vitamin E pills can be risky. A study that followed up on men who took high doses of the vitamin for about five years found they had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer — even after they quit taking the pills.
Doctors say it's another sign that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.
"People tend to think of vitamins as innocuous substances, almost like chicken soup — take a little and it can't hurt," said lead author Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic. The study shows that is not true.
"If you have normal levels, the vitamin is probably of no benefit, and if you take too much, you can be harmed," Klein said.
Men randomly assigned to take a 400-unit capsule of vitamin E every day for about five years were 17 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than those given dummy pills. That dose, commonly found in over-the-counter supplements, is almost 20 times higher than the recommended adult amount, which is about 23 units daily.
The results mean for every 1,000 men who took vitamin E, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared with men taking dummy pills.
The study was actually launched to try to confirm less rigorous research suggesting vitamin E might protect against prostate cancer. Overall, about 160 of every 1,000 U.S. men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Risks increase as men age. Detection can be tricky since symptoms such as frequent urination can also be caused by harmless conditions, and doctors disagree about the benefits of screening tests. Treatment is also complex since some slow-growing prostate cancers are not deadly but some procedures, including surgery, can damage sexual function and cause incontinence.
Just last week, a government-convened panel of experts recommended against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer. That draft advice is open for public comment.
What should vitamin E users do, given the new study results? About 13 percent of American men take it, according to a supplement trade group.
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says they should stop taking large doses and talk to their doctors about risks and benefits from prostate cancer screening. Smaller doses, typically found in multivitamins, are probably fine, said Brawley, who was not involved in the research.
Vitamin E is found in foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. The nutrient helps nerves, muscles, blood vessels and the immune system function.
Vitamin E supplements have long been promoted for disease prevention, but scientific research has disproven many claims and suggested they might increase risks for some conditions, including heart failure.
Brawley noted that the study echoes previous thinking on beta-carotene, which once was thought to protect against cancer but more recently has been linked with increased risks for lung cancer, especially in smokers.
"There should be a global warning that ... excessive use of vitamins has not been proven to be beneficial and may be the opposite," Brawley said.
Experts generally agree that foods are the best sources for vitamins.
The new research appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The National Cancer Institute and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine paid for the multimillion-dollar study.
Joe Latina, a cabinet shop owner in Aurora, Ohio, was among study participants. He said researchers gave him pills they said "might slow down prostate cancer." Now 71 and cancer-free, he says he doesn't know whether he was given vitamins or dummy pills.
Latina said he "was kind of surprised" by the study results, but is not stressing out over the possibility that he still might get cancer.
"I'm a positive thinker," he said. "I'm not walking around saying, 'Oh my God, the other shoe is going to drop. I don't think I have any way to control it."
The study involved more than 35,000 healthy men aged 50 and older, from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. They were randomly assigned to take daily vitamin E or selenium supplements, both pills or dummy pills. The study was halted after about five years when there were signs of no benefit and a possible increased risk for prostate cancer in vitamin E users. The researchers continued tracking the men even after they stopped taking pills.
The follow-up found that a potential link between selenium and diabetes was a false alarm, but it confirmed signs of a vitamin E-prostate cancer link. Over a total of about seven years, there were 76 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed per 1,000 men, versus 65 cases in men given dummy pills.
"The implications of our observations are substantial," the study authors said.
The results suggest that extra risks associated with taking relatively high doses of vitamin E continue even after supplements are stopped. The researchers said it is unclear how vitamin E would harm the prostate.
There was no increased risk for men who took both vitamin E and selenium, suggesting that selenium might somehow counter the harmful effects of vitamin E, the study authors said.
Duffy MacKay of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement makers' trade group, said the study shouldn't be interpreted as questioning the benefits of vitamin E as an essential nutrient, and he said there is evidence that many Americans don't get enough.
Doctors say it's another sign that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.
"People tend to think of vitamins as innocuous substances, almost like chicken soup — take a little and it can't hurt," said lead author Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic. The study shows that is not true.
"If you have normal levels, the vitamin is probably of no benefit, and if you take too much, you can be harmed," Klein said.
Men randomly assigned to take a 400-unit capsule of vitamin E every day for about five years were 17 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than those given dummy pills. That dose, commonly found in over-the-counter supplements, is almost 20 times higher than the recommended adult amount, which is about 23 units daily.
The results mean for every 1,000 men who took vitamin E, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared with men taking dummy pills.
The study was actually launched to try to confirm less rigorous research suggesting vitamin E might protect against prostate cancer. Overall, about 160 of every 1,000 U.S. men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Risks increase as men age. Detection can be tricky since symptoms such as frequent urination can also be caused by harmless conditions, and doctors disagree about the benefits of screening tests. Treatment is also complex since some slow-growing prostate cancers are not deadly but some procedures, including surgery, can damage sexual function and cause incontinence.
Just last week, a government-convened panel of experts recommended against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer. That draft advice is open for public comment.
What should vitamin E users do, given the new study results? About 13 percent of American men take it, according to a supplement trade group.
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says they should stop taking large doses and talk to their doctors about risks and benefits from prostate cancer screening. Smaller doses, typically found in multivitamins, are probably fine, said Brawley, who was not involved in the research.
Vitamin E is found in foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. The nutrient helps nerves, muscles, blood vessels and the immune system function.
Vitamin E supplements have long been promoted for disease prevention, but scientific research has disproven many claims and suggested they might increase risks for some conditions, including heart failure.
Brawley noted that the study echoes previous thinking on beta-carotene, which once was thought to protect against cancer but more recently has been linked with increased risks for lung cancer, especially in smokers.
"There should be a global warning that ... excessive use of vitamins has not been proven to be beneficial and may be the opposite," Brawley said.
Experts generally agree that foods are the best sources for vitamins.
The new research appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The National Cancer Institute and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine paid for the multimillion-dollar study.
Joe Latina, a cabinet shop owner in Aurora, Ohio, was among study participants. He said researchers gave him pills they said "might slow down prostate cancer." Now 71 and cancer-free, he says he doesn't know whether he was given vitamins or dummy pills.
Latina said he "was kind of surprised" by the study results, but is not stressing out over the possibility that he still might get cancer.
"I'm a positive thinker," he said. "I'm not walking around saying, 'Oh my God, the other shoe is going to drop. I don't think I have any way to control it."
The study involved more than 35,000 healthy men aged 50 and older, from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. They were randomly assigned to take daily vitamin E or selenium supplements, both pills or dummy pills. The study was halted after about five years when there were signs of no benefit and a possible increased risk for prostate cancer in vitamin E users. The researchers continued tracking the men even after they stopped taking pills.
The follow-up found that a potential link between selenium and diabetes was a false alarm, but it confirmed signs of a vitamin E-prostate cancer link. Over a total of about seven years, there were 76 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed per 1,000 men, versus 65 cases in men given dummy pills.
"The implications of our observations are substantial," the study authors said.
The results suggest that extra risks associated with taking relatively high doses of vitamin E continue even after supplements are stopped. The researchers said it is unclear how vitamin E would harm the prostate.
There was no increased risk for men who took both vitamin E and selenium, suggesting that selenium might somehow counter the harmful effects of vitamin E, the study authors said.
Duffy MacKay of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement makers' trade group, said the study shouldn't be interpreted as questioning the benefits of vitamin E as an essential nutrient, and he said there is evidence that many Americans don't get enough.There is more evidence that taking vitamin E pills can be risky. A study that followed up on men who took high doses of the vitamin for about five years found they had a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer — even after they quit taking the pills.
Doctors say it's another sign that people should be careful about using vitamins and other supplements.
"People tend to think of vitamins as innocuous substances, almost like chicken soup — take a little and it can't hurt," said lead author Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic. The study shows that is not true.
"If you have normal levels, the vitamin is probably of no benefit, and if you take too much, you can be harmed," Klein said.
Men randomly assigned to take a 400-unit capsule of vitamin E every day for about five years were 17 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than those given dummy pills. That dose, commonly found in over-the-counter supplements, is almost 20 times higher than the recommended adult amount, which is about 23 units daily.
The results mean for every 1,000 men who took vitamin E, there were 11 additional cases of prostate cancer, compared with men taking dummy pills.
The study was actually launched to try to confirm less rigorous research suggesting vitamin E might protect against prostate cancer. Overall, about 160 of every 1,000 U.S. men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Risks increase as men age. Detection can be tricky since symptoms such as frequent urination can also be caused by harmless conditions, and doctors disagree about the benefits of screening tests. Treatment is also complex since some slow-growing prostate cancers are not deadly but some procedures, including surgery, can damage sexual function and cause incontinence.
Just last week, a government-convened panel of experts recommended against routine PSA screening for prostate cancer. That draft advice is open for public comment.
What should vitamin E users do, given the new study results? About 13 percent of American men take it, according to a supplement trade group.
Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says they should stop taking large doses and talk to their doctors about risks and benefits from prostate cancer screening. Smaller doses, typically found in multivitamins, are probably fine, said Brawley, who was not involved in the research.
Vitamin E is found in foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. The nutrient helps nerves, muscles, blood vessels and the immune system function.
Vitamin E supplements have long been promoted for disease prevention, but scientific research has disproven many claims and suggested they might increase risks for some conditions, including heart failure.
Brawley noted that the study echoes previous thinking on beta-carotene, which once was thought to protect against cancer but more recently has been linked with increased risks for lung cancer, especially in smokers.
"There should be a global warning that ... excessive use of vitamins has not been proven to be beneficial and may be the opposite," Brawley said.
Experts generally agree that foods are the best sources for vitamins.
The new research appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The National Cancer Institute and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine paid for the multimillion-dollar study.
Joe Latina, a cabinet shop owner in Aurora, Ohio, was among study participants. He said researchers gave him pills they said "might slow down prostate cancer." Now 71 and cancer-free, he says he doesn't know whether he was given vitamins or dummy pills.
Latina said he "was kind of surprised" by the study results, but is not stressing out over the possibility that he still might get cancer.
"I'm a positive thinker," he said. "I'm not walking around saying, 'Oh my God, the other shoe is going to drop. I don't think I have any way to control it."
The study involved more than 35,000 healthy men aged 50 and older, from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. They were randomly assigned to take daily vitamin E or selenium supplements, both pills or dummy pills. The study was halted after about five years when there were signs of no benefit and a possible increased risk for prostate cancer in vitamin E users. The researchers continued tracking the men even after they stopped taking pills.
The follow-up found that a potential link between selenium and diabetes was a false alarm, but it confirmed signs of a vitamin E-prostate cancer link. Over a total of about seven years, there were 76 cases of prostate cancer diagnosed per 1,000 men, versus 65 cases in men given dummy pills.
"The implications of our observations are substantial," the study authors said.
The results suggest that extra risks associated with taking relatively high doses of vitamin E continue even after supplements are stopped. The researchers said it is unclear how vitamin E would harm the prostate.
There was no increased risk for men who took both vitamin E and selenium, suggesting that selenium might somehow counter the harmful effects of vitamin E, the study authors said.
Duffy MacKay of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement makers' trade group, said the study shouldn't be interpreted as questioning the benefits of vitamin E as an essential nutrient, and he said there is evidence that many Americans don't get enough.
GOP senators vote to defeat Obama's jobs bill
The $447 billion plan died on a 50-49 tally that garnered a majority of the 100-member Senate but fell well short of the 60 votes needed to keep the bill alive. The tally had been 51-48, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., switched his vote to "nay" so that he could force a future revote.
The demise of Obama's jobs package was expected, despite his campaign-style efforts to swing the public behind it. The White House and leaders in Congress were already moving on to alternative ways to address the nation's painful 9.1 percent unemployment, including breaking the legislation into smaller, more digestible pieces and approving long-stalled trade bills.
"Tonight's vote is by no means the end of this fight," Obama said in a statement after the vote. "Because with so many Americans out of work and so many families struggling, we can't take 'no' for an answer."
The White House appears most confident that it will be able to continue a 2-percentage-point Social Security payroll tax cut through 2012 and to extend emergency unemployment benefits to millions of people — if only because, in the White House view, Republicans won't want to accept the political harm of letting those provisions expire.
White House officials are also hopeful of ultimately garnering votes for the approval of infrastructure spending and tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.
"Now it's time for both parties to work together and find common ground on removing government barriers to private-sector job growth," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said after the vote.
Democrats Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jon Tester of Montana — both up for re-election next year in states where Obama figures to lose — broke with their party on Tuesday night's vote. Every Republican present opposed the plan.
Earlier in the day, Obama capped his weekslong campaign for the measure in an appearance typical of the effort — a tough-talking speech in a swing state crucial to his re-election. Like earlier appearances, it seemed aimed more at rallying his core political supporters heading into the election than changing minds on Capitol Hill.
"Any senator who votes no should have to look you in the eye and tell you what exactly they're opposed to," Obama said to a union audience in Pittsburgh. "I think they'll have a hard time explaining why they voted no on this bill — other than the fact that I proposed it."
Democrats were not wholly united behind the measure. In addition to Nelson and Tester, Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who aligns with Democrats, said they oppose the underlying measure despite voting to choke off the filibuster.
Obama's plan would combine Social Security payroll tax cuts for workers and businesses and other tax relief totaling about $270 billion with $175 billion in new spending on roads, school repairs and other infrastructure, as well as unemployment assistance and help to local governments to avoid layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police officers.
Obama said that the plan — more than half the size of his 2009 economic stimulus measure — would be an insurance policy against a double-dip recession and that continued economic intervention was essential given slower-than-hoped job growth.
"Right now, our economy needs a jolt," Obama said. "Right now."
Unlike the 2009 legislation, the current plan would be paid for with a 5.6 percent surcharge on income exceeding $1 million. That would be expected to raise about $450 billion over the coming decade.
"Democrats' sole proposal is to keep doing what hasn't worked — along with a massive tax hike that we know won't create jobs," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday, saying there are 1.5 million fewer jobs than when Obama's 2009 economic package became law. "Why on earth would you support an approach that we already know won't work?" McConnell said.
The White House and Democratic leaders, however, were pleased that the great majority of Democrats voted for the plan. Support among Democrats was shored up by replacing Obama's tax increases — particularly a proposal to limit the value of itemized deductions for families making more than $250,000 — with the surcharge on annual income over $1 million.
That millionaires proposal would hit about 392,000 households, according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank. In 2013, the first year the tax would take effect, those wealthy households would see their taxes increase by an average of $110,500, according to the analysis.
Just before the vote on Obama's jobs plan, the Senate passed legislation aimed at punishing China for keeping its currency undervalued against the dollar. Lower-valued currency helps Chinese exports at the expense, bill supporters say, of American jobs.
Next, both the House and Senate will turn Wednesday to approving trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea that could create tens of thousands of jobs, one of the few areas of agreement between Republicans and the administration on boosting the economy.
In coming weeks and months, Democrats promise further votes on jobs. But it remains to be seen how much of that effort will involve more campaign-stoked battles with Republicans and how much will include seeking common ground in hopes of passing legislation.
Leaders of the GOP-controlled House have signaled they support tax cuts for small businesses and changes to jobless insurance to allow states to use unemployment funds for on-the-job training. And they've indicated they'll be willing to accept an extension of cuts to the Social Security payroll tax. But stimulus-style spending is a nonstarter with the tea party-infused chamber.
Tuesday's vote played out as disaffected crowds continued to occupy Wall Street, a square in Washington and parts of other cities around the country in protest of income inequality and related issues.
Obama advisers said they were working with Senate Democratic leaders on how and when to break out separate aspects of the overall jobs bill for votes.
Even before Tuesday's defeat, the White House was casting the Senate vote as but the first act in what one Obama adviser called a long-term play — essentially, an autumn full of action to force Congress to take action on jobs. Senior Obama officials said it was important for the Senate to act to keep pressure on the Republican-led House.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., was recuperating from surgery and did not vote.
President Bill Clinton’s rare talent
The term gets tossed around a lot, but to actually have the ability is quite rare. According to an article from the Washington Post, Clinton "stunned a friend visiting the White House by saying, 'Let's call your parents!' and then reciting a number he hadn't dialed in more than a decade." When Clinton spoke with Oprah about his autobiography, he said had no trouble remembering "what happened to everyone's children and grandchildren," a talent that came in handy while writing his life story.
Clinton isn't the only celebrity who can boast of having a photographic memory. It has been reported that "House" star Hugh Laurie has the ability, as well. Singer/actor/reality star Meatloaf explains that he asked Laurie to help him out during an album recording. Meatloaf claims that Laurie took a quick look at the sheet music, and that was all he needed for the eight-minute piece of music.
Clinton and Laurie may have great memories, but actress Marilu Henner could be on a whole other level. Last year, the former "Taxi" star explained to "60 Minutes" that she has a "superior autobiographical memory." The rare talent allows Henner to remember in detail just about every day of her entire life. During the interview with Lesley Stahl, Henner explains that it's "like putting in a DVD and it queues up to a certain place. I'm there again, so I'm looking out from my eyes and seeing things visually as I would have that day."
Others who have been reported as having a photographic memory include Theodore Roosevelt, film director Guillermo del Toro, and former basketball star Jerry Lucas, who once "amazed a national TV audience by memorizing pages from the Manhattan phone book."
2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards Winners
Hosted by comedian Mike Epps, younger rhymers like Wale and Wiz Khalifa graced the stage with their respective hits, 'That Way' and 'Taylor Gang,' and the BET hip-hop cyphers -- seven in all -- saw Eminem, Joe Budden, Yelawolf, Estelle, Ace Hood, Blind Fury, Stalley, Pill, Nitty Scott and more newbies showing off their lyrical prowess.
LL Cool J scored the I am Hip-Hop Icon award, delivering a memorable acceptance speech, where he dropped gems like "Maintain your focus through the ups and downs" in rap form.
Though the entire categories of winners were not televised, The BoomBox has the rundown on who walked away with accolades. Chris Brown, who wasn't present but had Busta Rhymes accept on his behalf, came out on top overall, earning three awards -- Best Hip-Hop Video, Reese's Perfect Combo Award and Verizon's People's Champ -- for his 'F.A.M.E' smash 'Look At Me Now.'
Check out the full list of winners of 2011 BET Hip-Hop Awards below.
Best Hip Hop Video
Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – 'Look At Me Now'
Reese's Perfect Combo Award (Best Collab)
Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – 'Look At Me Now'
Best Live Performer
Lil Wayne
Lyricist of the Year
Lil Wayne
Video Director of the Year
Hype Williams
Producer of the Year
Lex Luger
MVP of the Year
Nicki Minaj
Track of the Year
'Black and Yellow' – Produced by Stargate (Wiz Khalifa)
CD of the Year
Kanye West – 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'
DJ of the Year
DJ Khaled
Rookie of the Year
Wiz Khalifa
Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style)
Nicki Minaj
Best Hip Hop Online Site
WorldStarHipHop.com
Best Club Banger
Waka Flocka Flame – 'No Hands' (Produced by Lex Luger)
Best Mixtape
J. Cole – 'Friday Night Lights'
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
Busta Rhymes – 'Look At Me Now' (Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes)
Hustler of the Year
Jay-Z
Verizon People's Champ Award (Viewers' Choice)
Chris Brown f/ Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – 'Look At Me Now'
In Republican debate, consensus is government is to blame
Together, they were strident in their belief that Obama-era regulations are stunting growth. Yet although the White House aspirants largely agreed on their overall visions, the two candidates whose positions at the top of the field were expected to rise or fall in Tuesday’s Washington Post-Bloomberg News debate at Dartmouth College — Texas Gov. Rick Perry and businessman Herman Cain — were short on policy specifics, even when pressed by the moderators.
Asked what his plan would be to jump-start the economy and reverse Washington’s paralysis, Perry said he would focus on domestic energy resources.
“You’ve got an administration that by and large — either by intimidation or overregulation — has put our energy industry and the rest of the economy in jeopardy,” he said. “We’ve got to have a president who’s willing to stand up and clearly pull back those regulations.”
Perry said he will announce a plan over the next three days, but would not discuss it in the debate.
“Mitt’s had six years to be working on a plan. I’ve been in this for about eight weeks,” Perry quipped, referencing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the GOP race who released a 59-point economic plan last month.
Meanwhile, Cain — who for the first time took the stage as a serious contender for the party’s nomination — talked about his “9-9-9” plan to gut the federal tax code and said he would reduce the federal debt.
“The only way we’re going to do that is the first year that I’m president and I oversee the fiscal-year budget, make sure that revenues equal spending,” Cain said. “We must grow this economy with a bold solution, which is why I proposed ‘9-9-9,’ and at the same time get serious about not creating annual deficits so that we could bring down the national debt.”
Romney cast himself as the most authoritative candidate on the economy, citing his business know-how and 25 years of experience in the private sector to say he will make the difficult decisions necessary to revive the economy.
“I’d be prepared to be a leader,” he said. “You can’t get the country to go in the right direction and get Washington to work if you don’t have a president who’s a leader.” Referring to Obama, he added: “He said he’d bring us hope and change. Instead, he’s divided the nation and tried to blame other people.”
The candidates uniformly criticized the role of the Federal Reserve — and Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke specifically — in regulating currency, interest rates and other aspects of the economy.
“If you want to understand why we have a problem, you have to understand the Fed,” said Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.). “When there are booms and they’re artificial, whether it’s the CRA [Community Reinvestment Act] or whether it’s the Fed, easy credit, when you have bubbles, whether it’s the Nasdaq or whether it’s the housing bubbles, they burst.”
The first debate devoted exclusively to the economy came as polling shows that Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the economy and torn about whether a Republican administration or a second term for Obama would improve the situation. Among Republican voters, there is no clear consensus about which GOP candidate would best handle the issue.
In a Washington Post-Bloomberg News poll released Monday, about 22 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents said Romney would do the most to improve the economy, followed by Cain at 20 percent and Perry at 12 percent, with none of the other candidates cracking double digits on the question.
Some second-tier hopefuls seeking to break out of the pack, namely Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), were the most critical of the government’s size and role.
“I think if you look at the problem with the economic meltdown, you can trace it right back to the federal government,” Bachmann said.
Gingrich, when asked who is to blame for the economic recession, said: “The fact is, in both the Bush and the Obama administrations — the fix has been in.
“And I think it’s perfectly reasonable for people to be angry. But let’s be clear who put the fix in: The fix was put in by the federal government. And if you want to put people in jail — I want to second what Michele said — you ought to start with Barney Frank and Chris Dodd and let’s look at the politicians who created the environment, the politicians who profited from the environment, and the politicians who put this country in trouble.”
Former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) said he would repeal “every regulation” the Obama administration has put into law.
“Repeal them all,” he said. “May have to replace a few. Let’s repeal them all, because they’re all antagonistic to businesses, particularly in the manufacturing sector.”
The debate’s opening hour was notable for the lack of sniping between the candidates, although former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. took a swipe at Cain, a former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza. Of his “9-9-9” plan, Huntsman said: “I thought it was a catchy phrase when I first heard it. I thought it was the price of a pizza.”
To which Cain shot back: “It didn’t come off a pizza box, no. It was well studied and well developed.”
Again and again, the campaign has been shaped by the debates, which have been filled with moments that have proved pivotal, whether by boosting the candidates’ fortunes or dashing them. A crucial mistake in June by former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty crippled his campaign, while Bachmann rode a pair of impressive performances to a victory in the Iowa straw poll. More recently, Perry’s poor performances in a trio of September debates soured voters on his candidacy.
With each debate, the expectations for the primary electorate have shifted, as they have turned their attention to the latest candidate to capture their fancy.
On Tuesday night, that was Cain, who after his own debate performances propelled him to the top of the polls this month. For him, this was a test of whether he could do what other candidates were unable to do, which is turn his center-stage moment into lasting appeal.
Meanwhile, no candidate has successfully prosecuted the conservative case against Romney, who on the strength of his political organization and strong debate performances has held steady even as he has been unable to build an insurmountable lead.
Perry, whose falling popularity enabled Cain’s rise, faced a different test. After three unsteady and unconvincing debate performances, Perry was under pressure to prove that he could stand his own through a debate and demonstrate command over the policy issues driving the race.
Romney, whom conservative voters view warily because of his history of moderate positions on social and fiscal issues, did not help his case Tuesday by defending the 2008 bailout of Wall Street banks, which has become a rallying point for the tea party movement and other fiscal conservatives who opposed the government intervention.
“Action had to be taken,” Romney said. “Was it perfect? No.”
He added: “You don’t want to bail out anybody to save a company. The idea of bailing out an institution to protect the shareholders. You do want to make sure that we don’t lose our country or the banking system or American jobs.”
But for all the candidates hoping to eclipse Romney, time seemed to be running out. The voters will begin having their say in just three months, and more and more donors and influential party figures are rallying around the front-runner.
Just hours before Tuesday’s debate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who announced last week he would not enter the race, traveled to New Hampshire to offer his official blessing to Romney.
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