Hawaii tsunami: Smaller waves than predicted after Canada quake

Hawaii tsunami: Initial tsunami waves are small. But Hawaii residents got a good test of tsunami preparedness in the wake of Saturday's magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Canada.

By Mark Thiessen and Oskar Garcia,?Associated Press / October 28, 2012

US Geological Survey map of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck near the Queen Charlotte Islands Saturday evening.

USGS

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The first waves of a tsunami hitting Hawaii on Saturday night were smaller than expected, roughly three hours after evacuations were ordered for coastal areas threatened after a powerful earthquake struck off Canada.

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Gerard Fryer, a geologist tracking the tsunami for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said the largest wave in the first 45 minutes of the tsunami was measured in Maui at more than 5 feet, about 2 feet higher than normal sea levels.

State and local officials warned residents and tourists not to go back to inundation zones until an all-clear is given, though no major damage was reported.

RELATED: Five biggest tsunamis

At first, officials said Hawaii wasn't in any danger of a tsunami after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake rattled the western coast of North America Saturday night, sparking tsunami warnings for southern Alaska and western Canada.

Later, officials issued a warning for Hawaii as well, saying there had been a change in sea readings. About the same time, a tsunami advisory was issued for a 450-mile stretch of U.S. coast running from north of San Francisco to central Oregon.

A small tsunami created by the quake was barely noticeable in Craig, Alaska, where the first wave or surge was recorded Saturday night.

Fryer said it could take several hours for the danger to pass in Hawaii, especially if the waves get bigger.

"It's beginning to look like the evacuation may not have been necessary," Fryer said.

The National Weather Service said there were reports of water quickly receding in bays, including Hilo Bay on the Big Island.

The warning in Hawaii spurred residents to stock up on essentials at gas stations and grocery stores and sent tourists in beachside hotels to higher floors in their buildings. Bus service into Waikiki was cut off an hour before the first waves, and police in downtown Honolulu shut down a Halloween block party.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie proclaimed an emergency, mobilizing extra safety measures.

While television traffic cameras showed onlookers at the beach in Waikiki, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle warned people to stay away from the surf for several days.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Xez5EApAKiw/Hawaii-tsunami-Smaller-waves-than-predicted-after-Canada-quake

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Inside Naomi Campbell's New Spaceship House

Naomi Campbell's new spaceship is almost done. The stunning 28,524-square-foot (2,650-square-meter) mansion feels like a smoothed Star Destroyer, with two 65-foot (20-meter) towers as the ship's bridge overlooking lush hills covered with birch and pine forests. The photos and the scale is nothing short of stunning. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/nl4hhJxp0h8/inside-naomi-campbells-new-spaceship-house

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XCOM: Enemy Unknown

2K Games and Firaxis have succeeded in rekindling a long-dead franchise with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This turn-based strategy?game?is a reimagining of 1994's X-COM: UFO Defense, a long-beloved game that last saw a sequel in 2001 with the ill-received X-COM: Enforcer, a shooter that didn't have any of the first game's strategy. XCOM: Enemy Unknown feels like a straight remake of the original, bringing almost everything gamers loved about it to the PC, Xbox 360?, and PlayStation 3?, with updated graphics, streamlined gameplay, and plenty of challenge. I reviewed the PC version.

Aliens Attack
The premise of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is simple. Aliens are invading. They're starting with abductions, but as the game progresses it becomes all-out war against Earth. That's where you come in. You command XCOM, a global team that has to fight the aliens. You alternate between the strategic organization level and the tactical combat level, winning battles and building your forces to be ready for new threats.

Half of the game takes place in XCOM headquarters, where you have to manage a large underground installation with multiple types of facilities and uses. Scientists research alien equipment you bring back and let you equip your squads with newer and better weapons and armor. Engineers build the new equipment and excavate and construct new facilities in your headquarters. Soldiers can be given different types of equipment and assigned different skills based on their randomly-assigned class (Assault, Heavy, Support, and Sniper) and their rank, which acts as a level system that rewards soldiers you keep alive and in missions. The Situation Room lets you monitor levels of panic around the world and deploy satellites to improve your cash flow and ability to track threats. These are are important because new equipment and facilities cost money and if too many countries and areas panic and leave the XCOM alliance, the shadowy council will pull the plug on it. Finally, Mission Control lets you scan the planet for threats, respond to requests for aid, and scramble interceptors to shoot down UFOs. Time slowly ticks by in the headquarters unless you speed it up by scanning the world, and those hours and days that pass mean you can research new equipment and build new facilities. The more time that passes, the more time the aliens have to send bigger threats your way, so you have to balance between focusing on shoring up your equipment and taking the fight to them.

Future Warfare
The other half of the game takes place on the ground in different combat missions. You control a squad of up to six soldiers who kill aliens, rescue civilians, defuse bombs, and perform other tasks in large, tile-based, multi-level maps. Each turn, your soldiers can perform up to two actions: move and shoot, move twice as far, move and use items, and perform special attacks like fire rocket launchers (for heavy soldiers) and deal extra damage with head shots (for snipers). As soldiers grow by killing aliens and surviving missions, they get new skills. However, if they die in combat, they're gone and you have to replace them with a less experienced soldier. Since each soldier can be given unique names and looks, it's easy to become attached to them as you walk them through multiple missions, and it makes it that much harder to see them get disintegrated by an alien laser pistol. You'll constantly? weigh the merits of aggressively moving forward to complete the mission and trying to keep all your squad alive. The soldier customization isn't quite as robust as in the original XCOM, but it has enough options to give you control over your squad and make you feel attached to your soldiers.

Cover and maneuvering are every bit as important as skills and equipment in battle. Each map is covered in a fog of war, and you need to carefully move your squad forward while keeping them out of the open to find the aliens without getting everyone killed in a few moves. Cover like cars, walls, and wreckage afford your soldiers protection and can mean the difference between an alien winging a soldier and putting him in the infirmary for a week and outright blowing his head off. It's a simple, vital element that is easy enough to use (move your soldiers to objects on the battlefield that show shields or half-shields, depending on how much cover they give in different directions) and keeps the game from becoming a question of loading up heavy weapons and rushing the enemy.

Each playthrough randomizes events, and missions are randomly generated from a pool of maps and objectives (most involving killing all the aliens). It gives the game some variety, but the maps and missions tend to feel similar as you play a full game. Like Diablo III?, XCOM: Enemy Unknown would have benefitted from a more granular, tile-based system that procedurally generates maps instead of taking huge, familiar game chunks and bringing them together. It feels less random than the original X-Com, like Diablo III feels less random than Diablo II.

PC Gameplay
I played the PC version, which uses a mouse and keyboard to control the game. Since the action is tile-based, moving soldiers and making them fire is as easily as right-clicking on a location and left-clicking on an enemy. The gamepad controls of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are about as accessible, using the analog stick instead of a mouse but otherwise offering the same tactical control.

A multiplayer mode lets you face off against friends, but it's fairly limited. Multiplayer games are squad-based with point limits, giving each unit both human (based on equipment) and alien a point value. Players can have small squads of a few very powerful units or a full squad of weak or modest units, and there's no single right way to do it. It's a fun way to play the alien units, but there isn't much depth to it.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the return of a beloved and forgotten sci-fi franchise that will entertain tactics fans and satisfy classic gaming fans.?More randomized maps and more online options would have been great, but as it stands XCOM: Enemy Unknown is already an excellent strategy game, despite the features it lacks.

More Video Game Reviews:
??? XCOM: Enemy Unknown
??? Infamous Collection (PS3)
??? Pokemon Black Version 2
??? Pokemon White Version 2
??? NBA 2K13 (PC, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii)
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/cwAk6vT_cO0/0,2817,2411179,00.asp

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Sony launches new range of installation projectors

Sony launches a new range of projectors aimed at the fixed installation market and for use in auditoriums, lecture theatres, large meeting rooms or conference rooms.

The new VPL-CW275 and VPL-FH31, VPL-FH36 models come with Sony's BrightEra 3LCD Inorganic Panel technology, energy efficient features, installation flexibility and a low total cost of ownership.

The new Sony VPL-CW275

The new VPL-CW275 model extends Sony's existing CW255 installation projector line-up, and features light output levels of up to 5,100 lm (on high lamp mode), making it one of the brightest WXGA (1280x800) models in its class.

The new model features a contrast ratio of 3,000:1, and variety of inputs/outputs such as RGB video and audio, HDMI, RJ45 or RS232C connectors, and LAN connectivity.

The projector includes an 'ECO MODE' which enables the projector to be operated with a customisable combination of energy efficiency settings including an auto lamp dimming function. Sony claims this can reduce lamp power consumption by approximately 15% and a 'Power Saving Mode' automatic switch-off after a set time period.

The projector also includes a new 'Picture Muting' feature which can turn the picture off when necessary by a single button-press on the remote control. Lamp power consumption is reduced down to approximately 30% (in blank image muting mode), and there is no need to power completely off and turn back on, saving precious time, costs and lamp hours.

Edge Blending allows multiple projectors to create one large image

VPL-FH31 and VPL-FH36

The new VPL-FH31 and VPL-FH36 projectors are enhanced replacements for Sony's existing VPL-FH30 and VPL-FH35 models. Both projectors are capable of extreme lens shift of vertical +60% and horizontal ?32%, plus an Image Warping function allows adjustment of the corners and sides of the projected image to any convex or concave surfaces for dynamic signage displays.

The VPL-FH31 also includes a new Portrait Mode capability, where the installation position can be flipped counter clock-wise. And Edge Blending enables the installation of multiple projectors to create one large image.

Both projectors are capable of 1920x1200 and have Full HD compatibility with manual zoom of approximately 1.6x that allows for high magnification of up to 40" to 600" screen size. The VPL-FH31 has a light output of 4,300 lm (in high lamp mode), while the VPL-FH36 has a light output of 5,200 lm (in high lamp mode).

A powerful AV asset management software tool also lets users monitor and control their projectors across different rooms, and displays system and projector power status, lamp replacement time, alerts and other vital statistics.

The VPL-CW275 model will be available in Europe from the end of November 2012 onwards. The VPL-FH31 and VPL-FH36 models will be available in January 2013.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techradar/world-of-tech/~3/BKdK0HyvJxw/story01.htm

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Ford C-Max Energi qualifies for California tax credits, HOV lane

Autoweek loves passionate comments and debate, but remember that you're part of a diverse community. Above all: be respectful. Critique statements, not people; talk about the automotive world, but skip the political rhetoric, hate speech, and obscenities. While we can't read every post, this site is moderated and Autoweek will remove comments as we see fit. Questions? Read our Terms of Use or email moderator@autoweek.com.

Source: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20121023/CARNEWS/121029947

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Automatic spending cuts are issue in some races

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) ? In many ways, it's an odd topic to make a central campaign issue: sequestration.

Many voters greet the word with a blank stare or slightly glazed eyes, and when Republican George Allen brings up the issue in his Senate campaign, he first has to explain what he's talking about.

What's more, the issue will come to a head before either he or his opponent, Democrat Tim Kaine, will be sworn in.

Still, in a state like Virginia where a big chunk of the economy is dependent on government spending and military dollars in particular, the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration are a critical issue. Whether it's a political issue that connects with voters remains to be seen.

"I think Virginians are well aware of it," said Allen, who perhaps more than any other candidate has latched on to sequestration as a campaign issue. "People in northern Virginia and Hampton Roads (parts of the state with large populations of military workers and contractors) are really aware of it."

In the last of the presidential debates Monday night, President Barack Obama said flatly that sequestration "will not occur." But the White House also has made clear that Obama hasn't given up making any alternative include higher taxes on the wealthy.

In a nutshell, sequestration was put into play as part of a budget compromise in August 2011 that averted a default on the federal debt. Under the compromise, which had bipartisan support, Congress would have to come up with $1.2 trillion in alternative budget cuts by the end of this year.

If it were to fail, automatic cuts of $1.2 trillion over nine years would begin on Jan. 2, 2012, with half coming from defense. The sequester cuts were designed to be so painful that Congress would be compelled to act. They are a big part of the so-called fiscal cliff, from which the country could plunge back into recession, economists warn, if Congress also lets all of the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the first of the year.

Obama signed the budget deal. The Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, voted for it. So did House Speaker John Boehner. Neither Allen nor Kaine was a member of Congress at the time.

The looming, one-year defense cuts of about $55 billion also have popped up in House races in California and Colorado, where Democratic challengers have criticized incumbent Republicans for jeopardizing military dollars and jobs. In key states and districts, the obscure deal is a pocketbook issue with voters still jittery over jobs and bills in the wake of recession.

In a newly redrawn San Diego-area district, Democratic challenger Scott Peters has criticized GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray for voting for the budget plan, warning of the potential loss of 30,000 jobs in the region. Bilbray insisted that it wasn't ideal, but it was the best bipartisan solution available.

In a suburban Denver district that is home to Buckley Air Force Base, Democratic challenger Joe Miklosi assails Republican Rep. Mike Coffman, arguing that the congressman and other House Republicans have forced the crisis by refusing to compromise on a budget deal.

"Some of these people are going to get a pink slip because Congress didn't do its job," said Miklosi. "We're playing with people's lives here. They're nervous, they're concerned."

Coffman, who served in Iraq with the Marines, said most voters are broadly concerned about the national budget but aren't yet attuned to the latest fiscal deadline and what it would mean. He believes a spending deal will be reached in time to avoid the cuts, saying he gets questions about sequestration mostly from business executives in military industries.

"They're very worried about it, but it hasn't filtered down to the rank-and-file employees in those same businesses," Coffman said.

Kaine, a former governor and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a debate in July that he supported the default-avoiding budget compromise. Allen seized on the remark and has run ads accusing Kaine of supporting a deal that holds the military hostage. He cites studies that have shown that as many as 200,000 jobs in Virginia could be lost if sequestration takes effect.

Kaine, for his part, makes clear that he opposes sequestration and the defense cuts associated with it. He has offered an alternative that would mix other spending cuts with higher taxes on those making above $500,000 a year.

His spokeswoman, Brandi Hoffine, said the issue shows a difference in the candidates' philosophies: Kaine was willing to accept an imperfect compromise to prevent the potential catastrophe of default, while Allen would have shunned compromise and risked default to pursue an all-or-nothing agenda.

"Business people know that a default would have had a very serious impact on the entire economy, including defense," Hoffine said.

In Loudoun County, an outer suburb of Washington and home to some tech companies and defense contractors, the issue of sequestration is not pervasive, said Tony Howard, president of the county's Chamber of Commerce.

"Inside the Beltway it dominates the conversation." Howard said. "Here, I don't think it's something that a lot of the rank-and-file business owners are focused on."

Business owners, Howard said, more generally see the sequestration dilemma as a broader symptom of the general dysfunction in Washington.

"A lot of the business people I talk to, they don't get it. They don't understand why compromise is a dirty word," he said. "In business, you have to compromise."

At a rally last week for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney in Chesapeake, Va., part of the Hampton Roads region that has a large military presence, the issue was important for some voters but not others.

"It's a big issue, not only because I work in the shipyard, because if the federal government is going to spend money, it should spend money to protect and defend the country," said Vitor Maruues, a retired Air Force maintenance officer and now an engineering analyst at Newport News Shipbuilding. "I'd rather have paid workers in the shipyard and other defense contractors that are scientists, engineers, metal cutters, pipe fitters, plumbers than provide for people on unemployment, on food stamps and on welfare."

___

Associated Press writers Brock Vergakis in Chesapeake, Va., Kristen Wyatt in Denver and Henry C. Jackson in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-24-Sequestration%20Politics/id-bc07c17677094d808efe7ff36e23f5b7

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Northern Calif. walloped by early wintry weather

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) ? A storm from the Gulf of Alaska stalled for a second day over Northern California, blanketing mountains with snow, spawning a tornado near the state capital and drenching fans and players at the deciding seventh game of the National League Championship Series.

The tornado touched down 40 miles north of Sacramento on Monday afternoon. Only minor damage was reported when it hit near Yuba City.

There were several other reports of funnel clouds north of Sacramento, but no others touched down, said National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth.

Forecasters called for up to 2 feet of snow at the highest elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, a good sign for a state dependent on snow accumulation for its water supply.

"It looks like Mother Nature threw us our first snowball," said Rochelle Jenkins of Caltrans, which was enforcing chain controls above 4,300 feet on I-80, the state's main highway from San Francisco to Reno, Nev.

Those at AT&T Park in San Francisco watching the Giants claim the NLCS pennant were less pleased with the weather. Heavy showers and a brief cloudburst earlier in the day threatened to call off the game, though it went on without delay. By the ninth inning, however, the rain returned and the teams were forced to play in a torrential downpour that made visibility difficult.

Fans bundled up in ponchos, baseball caps and hooded clothing to stay dry, though with little effect. After the win, they streamed onto San Francisco streets to celebrate, telling television news crews that they were so pleased that they didn't care how wet they were.

Earlier in the day, chain controls were in effect on U.S. Highway 50 southwest of Lake Tahoe. By late morning, nearly an inch of rain had fallen on Sacramento. On Highway 20 east of Nevada City, five big rigs jackknifed after at least 6 inches of snow had accumulated by midmorning.

A winter storm warning above 5,500 feet was in effect until early Tuesday, and snow showers were expected into Tuesday night, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the weather service in Sacramento.

Showers were in the forecast across Northern California through Wednesday ? the day of the first game of the World Series, in San Francisco.

The storm system came from the Gulf of Alaska and stalled over the Pacific Northwest, bringing colder temperatures and gusty winds of 80 mph at the crests of the Sierra Nevada.

___

Don Thompson contributed to this report from Sacramento, Calif.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/northern-calif-walloped-early-wintry-weather-071355160.html

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Great Tips For Making a Home Remodel More Energy Efficient

Carl Seville, author of Green Building: Principles and Practices in Residential Construction, shared some simple, inexpensive ways to make remodels and additions more energy efficient from the standpoint of energy usage and conservation of resources.

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Try these eight tips from Seville:

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1. Check for water intrusion, condensation, and excess moisture before you begin the project. Fixing those issues during remodeling can improve your home?s indoor air quality (excess moisture encourages mold).

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2. Use the least amount of framing allowed by your building code when adding walls. Not only will you have to pay for less lumber and fewer nails, the contractor will have more room to put insulation in your walls, making your home more energy efficient.

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3. Resist the urge to splurge on multiple shower heads. Opt for a single low-flow shower head rather than installing a car wash-style plethora of shower heads.

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4. If possible, add new HVAC ducts to parts of your home that are heated and cooled, rather than placing them in a space with unconditioned air (like the attic). If that?s not possible, insulate the ducts. Have an HVAC diagnostician analyze your system to make sure it?s sized correctly and balanced to properly exchange old and new air.

?

5. Be sure to insulate around recessed lights that protrude into un-insulated attic spaces ? these are major sources of air leaks.

?

6. If you?re wasting water, you?re wasting energy. Look at high-efficiency or solar water heaters, and insulate your water pipes. If you want hot water faster, move the water heater closer to the faucet or install demand pumps to drive hot water to the fixture.

?

7. Install wall-mounted efficiency toggle switch plates for the outlets where you plug in your televisions and computers to make it easy to cut off the power to electronics you?re not using.

?

8. A humidistat that automatically turns on the bathroom fan when moisture rises beats depending on teenagers or tenants remembering to use the fan. Reducing bathroom moisture reduces the chances you?ll have mold.

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3487560/great-tips-for-making-a-home-remodel-more-energy-efficient

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Charter Fitness of Mokena, Illinois Opens New 13,000 Square Foot ...

CHICAGO, Oct. 22, 2012 // PRNewswire // - Charter Fitness of Mokena, IL has moved to a new state-of-the-art facility located at 19816 LaGrange Road, next to Brookhaven Marketplace. The 13,000-square-foot location has a spacious interior, over 75 pieces of cardio equipment, a private personal training studio, a large free weight area, big locker rooms and plenty of parking.

"We're very happy to open the new Charter Fitness of Mokena. The new club is an awesome facility with more space and equipment and upgraded amenities. We invite everyone to come see what Charter Fitness has to offer," said Dan Collins, Charter Fitness' Director of Sales.

Charter Fitness of Mokena is offering a Grand Opening special of $0 to join and just $10 a month. For more information, visit http://www.CharterFitness.com.

About Charter Fitness Franchising LLC

Based in Orland Park, IL, Charter Fitness Franchising LLC is a health club franchise with over 40 locations. Charter Fitness health clubs offer members a clean, comfortable and convenient workout experience with best-in-class fitness equipment for as low as $10 per month. The Company is now the largest health club business in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area, and expects to hire 200 employees over the coming months. Charter Fitness strongly believes in community involvement and is a member of the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). For franchising information or to find a club near you, visit http://www.CharterFitness.com

SOURCE Charter Fitness

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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20121022_charter_fitness_of_mokena_illinois_opens_new_13000.html

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THE RACE: After final debate, a mad rush to home

After Monday's final debate, just two weeks remain. Expect President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to supercharge their ground games in a last-ditch effort to close the deal with voters.

Tightening polls suggest neither one has been able to complete the job yet.

Polls often shrink just before a presidential election as undecided voters jump off the fence. And late-deciders often break for the challenger when an incumbent is running.

Debates have played an outsized role this year ? both in deciding the Republican primaries and now in bringing the presidential choice into sharper focus for many Americans.

But with no further debates and barring an unforeseen "October surprise," one of the few remaining uncertainties is the government's release of this month's jobs report just four days before the election.

The September report showed a sharp unemployment rate drop to 7.8 percent, dipping under 8 percent for the first time since the start of Obama's presidency. Was that an aberration or is the jobs picture really improving?

The October report could tell us ? although it won't matter to the many who have already voted early.

Romney joked that Obama's latest campaign slogan is "you're better off than you were four weeks ago."

Falling jobless rates helped both Presidents Ronald Reagan and Franklin D. Roosevelt win reelection, even though unemployment rates were still high ? but dropping. Momentum counts for a lot in politics.

Unemployment declined over the past year in eight of nine battleground states. Ohio added the most jobs. Wisconsin was the only battleground state to lose jobs.

But Romney's selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate is helping to make the state more competitive for Republicans.

Vice President Joe Biden campaigned Monday in Ohio and Ryan in Colorado ? both essential battlegrounds.

___

Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum. For more AP political coverage, look for the 2012 Presidential Race in AP Mobile's Big Stories section. Also follow https://twitter.com/APcampaign and AP journalists covering the campaign: https://twitter.com/AP/ap-campaign-2

Eds: With 15 days left until Election Day, here are insights into today's highlights in U.S. politics

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/race-final-debate-mad-rush-home-154009956--election.html

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Yahoo Interested In Buying Open Table - Business Insider

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Marissa Mayer, who earned a reputation for decisive action and intensity during her 13-year stint at Google Inc, has spent her first months as Yahoo Inc CEO quietly moving the Internet pioneer back to its roots in technology.

Long torn between whether it should focus on media content or on tools and technologies, Yahoo under Mayer is being positioned firmly in the latter camp, according to sources inside and outside the company.

Her hires, acquisition musings, and other early moves hint at an ambitious, technology-driven comeback plan designed to revitalize aging but well-trafficked properties such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Sports.

Yahoo has been criticized for allowing these sites to stagnate - they look very much like they did five years ago, and do not have many bells and whistles to encourage users to spend more time on them.

Mayer, 37, wants to make Yahoo's properties much more interactive, on PCs and on mobile devices, using social media tools to personalize the user experience and new technology to boost advertising sales. Her well-known focus on user design is expected to result in a simpler, less-cluttered email and home page, one source said.

Yahoo declined to comment for this article. Mayer, who gave birth to her first child weeks ago, will unveil details of her comeback plan when Yahoo reports quarterly results on Monday.

Mayer's focus on technology in many ways reverses a course set by her predecessors, who had concentrated on media content deals, such as those that gave prime billing to Walt Disney Co's ABC News or CNBC, or to bring an original program starring actor Tom Hanks to its website.

The new strategy is not without risks: it positions Yahoo squarely against Facebook Inc and Google. It also risks alienating a large, media-focused contingent that is already weakened by the departure of Ross Levinsohn, who had championed a media-centric approach when he was interim CEO before Mayer's arrival in July.

Mayer has been meeting with Internet gurus including AOL Inc CEO Tim Armstrong, another ex-Googler; Silicon Valley lawyer Larry Sonsini; and Wall Street investment bankers, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bankers have pitched Mayer and her team on a slew of potential acquisitions, and they appeared to show interest in restaurant reservation site OpenTable Inc and advertising technology companies PubMatic, Turn and Millennial Media, one of the people said.

Caterva, a small start-up whose technology analyzes social media activity, has also been in low-level talks with Yahoo, said another source familiar with the situation.

OpenTable and PubMatic declined comment. Millennial Media and Caterva did not respond to requests for comment.

With more than $2 billion in cash and short-term securities, Yahoo has the money to acquire engineering talent or bolt-on services. Two types of deals are under consideration: companies that will increase user engagement, including on mobile, and those that will boost advertising returns, source said.

"What they've signaled so far is that the deals will be more niche in nature, smaller deals that maybe have a lot of promise," said Ken Allen, a director at Blackstone Advisory Partners.

TALENT HUNT

Many industry insiders believe Mayer is Yahoo's final hope for reversing a years-long decline from the pinnacle it once attained as the leading gateway to the Internet. Four of her predecessors have tried in vain to right the ship - Yahoo's market value of $19 billion, is less than half its $44 billion value in 2005.

Mayer, who earned a masters degree in computer science from Stanford University specializing in artificial intelligence, has moved quickly on the personnel front, shelling out rich pay packages to attract ex-colleagues from Google and elsewhere.

She brought in ad technology systems guru Henrique de Castro as chief operating officer; a new finance chief in Ken Goldman, who also has tech chops, to replace Tim Morse; and Jacqueline Reese to assume the dual role of hiring and acquisitions, suggesting the start of a train of "acqui-hires" or buying small companies for their engineering talent.

"She's spending almost all her time with the product folks. She's spending it on technology. She's talking about engineering hires," a person close to Yahoo said about Mayer's early days.

Yahoo's advertising technology products, headed for the auction block before Mayer's arrival, are back in favor. De Castro, her highest-profile hire, is known for a deep-understanding of the complex advertising landscape, where dozens of businesses and technology providers are interlinked.

Mayer has also shown an interest in the company's ad tech platform, including Right Media, an automated exchange that allows marketers to blast ads across a network of websites.

The group has been a long-standing source of division among Yahoo's management, including with Levinsohn, who was keen on divesting the unit, according to two sources close to the matter. But shortly after Mayer's arrival, Yahoo told AdAge that it had no intention of selling Right Media.

Yahoo's advertising salesforce, responsible for signing splashy home-page ad deals and premium marketing campaigns, has received scant attention from the new CEO, say people close to the company. Michael Barrett, Yahoo's chief revenue officer hired by Levinsohn shortly before Mayer's arrival, recently announced his resignation, according to a source familiar with the matter.

FOCUS ON MOBILE

Roughly 700 million users visit a Yahoo website every month - putting it in the top ranks globally. But the amount of activity people engage in on many sites is steadily declining, and its smartphone offerings are deemed lackluster.

"The largest change is to be deadly serious about mobile," said a former Yahoo manager who remains in touch with people at the company.

Yahoo faces tough competition from Facebook and Google, two companies that have taken consumers' time, engineering talent and market value from Yahoo. They are also trying to make the transition to mobile, but it has been difficult.

Some say the direction signaled by Mayer is not so different than strategies espoused by previous CEOs that Yahoo has consistently struggled to implement. A fragmented culture in which short-term finances usually trump product plans is to blame, according to those who know the company.

The recent departure of CFO Tim Morse could signal a change in approach, said several former Yahoo employees.

Morse was considered the force behind Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group and Yahoo's $7.6 billion deal over the summer, which saw Yahoo sell about half of its 40 percent stake in Alibaba after years of wrangling over terms.

But now Yahoo's Asian partners, including Yahoo Japan Corp, are not on the front burner for Mayer, one source familiar with the situation said.

Whether Wall Street has the patience for yet another Yahoo revival plan remains to be seen.

"Every CEO needs time to have their full vision articulated and understood," said Dan Rosensweig, a former Yahoo chief operating officer, who now serves as CEO of online textbook rental company Chegg.com. "To count Yahoo out would be an enormous mistake, because the users have not counted Yahoo out," he said. "It's not like MySpace, where all the users went away."

(Reporting By Nadia Damouni in New York and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Edwin Chan, Jonathan Weber and Tiffany Wu)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-in-talks-to-buy-open-table-2012-10

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Free Legal Question: Real Estate Law | California | I leased an ...

I leased an apartment in California where no one under 18 is allowed to live. The apartments have been sold to a new owner who is now allowing children to live here. My lease does not end until The new owners took over my existing lease as is. Is this a breach of my lease on their part and if so, what can I do about it if anything? Can I move out without waiting until my lease ends without repurcussion?

Source: http://www.lawguru.com/legal-questions/-/leased-apartment-california-allowed-live-788323701/

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Morocco denies pagan rock carving destroyed

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Romney ups criticism of Obama's second-term plans

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Heading into the campaign's final weeks, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is upping his criticism of President Barack Obama's plans for a second term, accusing the Democrat of failing to tell Americans what he would do with four more years. The Obama campaign is aggressively disputing the notion, claiming it's Romney who hasn't provided specific details to voters.

At campaign events, in a new ad and fundraising appeal out Saturday, Romney is setting up the closing weeks as a choice between what he says is a "small" campaign that's offering little new policy and his own ambitious plan to fundamentally change America's tax code and entitlement programs.

The new Romney ad criticizes the president's policies on debt, health care, taxes, energy and Medicare, arguing that Obama is simply offering more of the same. The campaign did not say where the spot would air. The fundraising appeal hits Obama for raising taxes and increasing the debt by $5.5 trillion, repeating the lack-of-agenda criticism.

"Although President Obama won't lay out his plan for a second term, we already know what it will be ? a repeat of the last four years. We can't afford four more years of crushing debt and wasteful spending," Romney says in the letter, adding he has a clear plan to put America on a path to prosperity.

Both Obama and Romney retreated from the campaign trail Saturday to bone up on foreign policy, leaving the work of courting voters to their running mates.

Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan on Saturday continued the no-agenda theme against Obama at campaign stops near Pittsburgh and in Belmont, Ohio.

"He's not even telling you what he plans on doing," Ryan told a rain-soaked crowd of about 1,100 people at a campground in coal-rich eastern Ohio.

Obama's campaign disputes the notion that the president hasn't outlined a detailed second-term agenda, pointing to his calls for immigration reform, ending tax breaks for upper income earners, fully implementing his health care overhaul and ending the war in Afghanistan.

In a statement sent after Romney's Friday night event, Obama campaign spokesman Danny Kanner ticked through a series of policy items, calling them "just part of President Obama's agenda for a second term."

Obama, at the Democratic National Convention, called for creating 1 million manufacturing jobs over the next four years with a mix of corporate tax rate cuts and innovation and training programs. He has set a goal of cutting the growth of college tuition in half over the next 10 years. He also has called for Congress to pass proposals he made last year that include includes tax credits for companies that hire new workers and funding for local municipalities to hire more teachers, police officers and firefighters.

As for why Republicans would back the same proposals they have already voted against, Obama has told supporters he expects his re-election would "break the fever" on Capitol Hill that led to gridlock during his first term.

Vice President Joe Biden made a diagnosis of his own on Saturday, saying Ryan had caught "Romnesia," the word Obama used the day before to describe what he calls Romney's changing polices.

"That man is contagious," Biden said of Romney, to loud cheers at a campaign stop in St. Augustine, Fla. "Congressman Ryan caught it as well."

He said the Wisconsin Congressman is now giving a new explanation for cuts in the budget he oversaw and passed in the House.

The president's aides are particularly irked by the questions about Obama's second-term agenda, because they say it's Romney who has failed to provide voters with details. They point to his refusal to provide specifics about his tax plan or outline what he would replace the president's health care overhaul with if he makes good on his promise to repeal the federal law.

An independent group backing Obama, though, is trying to renew attention on Romney's tenure at the helm of the private equity firm Bain Capital. The group, Priorities USA Action, is re-airing an ad about an AMPAD plant in Marion, Ind. That spot features former employee Mike Earnest recalling being told to build a stage from which officials of the office supply company later announced mass layoffs.

He says, "It was like building my own coffin." That ad first aired in battleground states in the summer.

Romney aides have said AMPAD was a struggling business to begin with, and Bain overall created many more jobs than were lost.

That ad will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin. The new campaign will be in addition to a $30 million effort against Romney policy proposals, the group said.

Monday's debate in Boca Raton, Fla., with its focus on international affairs, is the third and final between the two rivals and comes just 15 days before the election.

Obama left Friday for Camp David, the presidential hideaway in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains, where he is huddled with advisers preparing for the debate. Among those with him are White House senior adviser David Plouffe and senior campaign strategist David Axelrod. Aides say Obama was also being assisted by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and former Obama aide Karen Dunn.

Romney was also with aides preparing for the debate, spending the weekend in Florida.

Both campaigns are heavily targeting Florida and its 29 electoral votes ? the most of any tossup state. It was the second day of a two-day Florida swing for Biden, which overlapped a two-day swing by Ryan. Romney's wife, Ann, was also in Florida Saturday and First Lady Michelle Obama planned a visit Monday, ahead of the presidential debate that night in Boca Raton. The president is planning at least two days of campaigning in Florida after the debate.

Monday's 90-minute debate will be moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News. It will be similar to the first debate, with both men standing at lecterns on a stage. Schieffer has listed five subject areas, with more time devoted to the Middle East and terrorism than any other topic.

While the economy has been the dominant theme of the election, foreign policy has attracted renewed media attention in the aftermath of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Obama had ranked well with the public on his handling of international issues and in fighting terrorism, especially following the death of Osama bin Laden. But the administration's response to the Libya attack and questions over levels of security at the consulate have given Romney and his Republican allies an issue with which to raise doubts about Obama's foreign policy leadership.

Romney has spent large amounts of time off the campaign trail to prepare for the upcoming foreign policy debate. Aides say the additional time preparing is well-spent even if it comes at the expense of public events.

___

Kuhnhenn reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Ken Thomas in Washington and Ann Sanner in Belmont, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-ups-criticism-obamas-second-term-plans-154532730--election.html

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Strong connection found between death of child and mortality of mother

ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2012) ? The death of a child is a tragic event for a family, bringing with it feelings of numbness, anger, guilt and denial. And, unfortunately, for many families, the loss becomes too much to bear.

A new study co-conducted by a researcher at Rochester Institute of Technology uncovers the strong connection between the death of a child and the mortality of the mother, regardless of cause of death, gender of the child, marital status, family size, income or education level of the mother.

Javier Espinosa, assistant professor in RIT's College of Liberal Arts and an expert in health and labor economics, compiled results from nine years of research after studying more than 69,000 mothers, ages 20 to 50. According to Espinosa, the impact to mother mortality is strongest in the two years immediately following the child's death. In fact, Espinosa's research suggests that mother mortality increases 133 percent after the death of a child.

"To my knowledge, this is the first study to empirically analyze this issue with a large, nationally represented U.S. data set," Espinosa says. "The evidence of a heightened mortality rate for the mother, particularly in the first two years of the child's passing, is especially relevant to public health policy and the timing of interventions that aim to improve the adverse health outcomes mothers experience after the death of a child."

Espinosa's results, "Maternal bereavement: The heightened mortality of mothers after the death of a child," co-written by William Evans from the University of Notre Dame, were recently published in the journal Economics and Human Biology.

Espinosa has also conducted extensive research on spousal mortality in which his studies lead to the conclusion that men who are grieving from a wife's death experience a 30 percent increase in mortality. For women, there is no heightened mortality due to the death of a spouse, but there remains a correlation between the timing of the wife's and husband's deaths. Espinosa believes he understands why this happens, given the data are based on a sample of married people born between 1910 and 1930.

"When a wife dies, men are often unprepared. They have often lost their caregiver -- someone who cares for them physically and emotionally, and the loss directly impacts the husband's health," he says. "This same mechanism is likely weaker for most women when a husband dies. Therefore, the connection in mortalities for wives may be a reflection of how similar mates' lives become over time."

Espinosa, who earned his doctorate in economics from University of Maryland at College Park, is an expert in health economics -- the sub-discipline of economics that deals with the efficient allocation of health-care resources.?

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Rochester Institute of Technology.

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Journal Reference:

1. Javier Espinosa, William N. Evans. Maternal bereavement: The heightened mortality of mothers after the death of a child. Economics & Human Biology, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.06.002

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/nJ5rMMBOA7U/121020162641.htm

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Bears vs Lions - 5 Questions with Side Lion Report - Bear Goggles On

Home ? Bears ? Bears vs Lions ? 5 Questions with Side Lion Report

Oct 10, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; A Monday Night Football sign before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears and Lions are set to restore their rivalry at Soldier Field on Monday night.? It?s been 15 days since the Bears last played and almost a full month since they graced the lakefront. It ought to be rocking under the lights.

The Lions bring the #2 offense in yards per game to face the Bears? top scoring defense.? The Lions may have saved their season last week when they rallied to beat the Eagles in overtime.? Meanwhile, the Bears come off a bye week sitting alone atop the NFC Nroth.? To help us get ready for this showdown, we reached out to Zac Snyder, editor of Side Lion Report, to get his take on the game.? Here are my questions and Zac?s answers:

1. A lot of buzz around Chicago and the NFL is how the Lions are an undisciplined team. We saw it through the offseason and many believe it?s carried over to the field so far in 2012. Are the Lions undisciplined on the field? Is that about coaching or personnel?

Are there times you wonder what they?re thinking? Yeah, that still happens. The unanswered question is whether or not the undisciplined moments are a systemic issue or just growing pains. I?m not sure that can be answered right now. Either the Lions clean it up and take the next step or they don?t and continue to be held back by penalties on the field and a general lack of discipline. The question about who is responsible is interesting. There is certainly some blame due to players whether it be for youthful exuberance or a lack of focus but the coaching staff deserves some blame as well. The Lions are a rising team led by a first time head coach so it is fair to say this is a group learning project.

August 10, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) ? wide receiver Nate Burleson (13) and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

2. Fantasy owners need to know ? what the heck is going on with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson? Can they get it going against the Bears defense that is ranked #1 in points allowed?

The frustrating thing about Stafford and Johnson this year is that it seems to take them three quarters before they get going. Look at their total numbers so far or at the end of each game and there doesn?t seem to be much cause for concern. However, watching them over the course of four full quarters paints a different picture. Their early struggles in each game is a big topic in Detroit that spreads well beyond Stafford and Johnson. Some of it is play calling, some of it based on tempo. The biggest concern with Stafford is his drop off in touchdown passes and that has affected CJ too. Calvin is actually averaging a handful more yards per game this year than he did last season. The Lions just aren?t doing a good job in scoring touchdowns in general and I?m not sure facing the Bears defense bodes well for breaking out of that funk.

3. The Bears and Lions get to see each other twice a season, so there?s a lot of familiarity between the teams. Since they met last, the Bears have added wide receiver Brandon Marshall. How does the addition of Marshall change the Lions? defensive approach? Do they have an answer in their secondary to shut him down?

Forget Marshall, the Lions might have trouble covering anyone in this game due to the health of their corners. Chris Houston is healthy but it is possible that Jonte Green gets the start opposite him. Green (sixth round) was the last of three corners drafted by the Lions last April. They re-signed Alphonso Smith this week after cutting him in training camp and there is a good chance he sees significant playing time. Jacob Lacy is likely out after suffering a concussion last week and Bill Bentley?s availability is up in the air. The Lions would be wise to give Marshall the Megatron treatment and keep a safety shaded his way all day. Keep the pressure on him and he?s bound to drop a few passes, right?

Nov 13, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester (23) is tackled by Detroit Lions kicker Robert Malone (2) in the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

4. The Lions special teams unit is off to a rough start this season. Devin Hester?s last return touchdown came against the Lions at Soldier Field last season. See where I?m going with this? Do the Lions even give Hester a chance on Monday night?

I smell what you?re cooking. I certainly wouldn?t give him a chance at a return and the Lions would be smart to kick it where he can?t get it. His return in last year?s game in Chicago was the result of a poorly placed punt. It just so happened that was Robert Malone?s only game as the Lions punter. Funny how that works out sometimes.

5. What?s your prediction for the game? Please predict a final score.

On the surface this strikes me as a perfect opportunity to rise up and surprise the Bears but their injuries at corner worry me. It will help if they can pressure Jay Cutler like they got after Michael Vick last week but there might just be too many big play opportunities available. I fear things could get ugly like last year if the Bears jump out to an early lead, a distinct possibility considering the Lions haven?t had a halftime lead all year. Still, the Lions are coming off a big come from behind win on the road last week and could make it interesting. Final score: Bears 27, Lions 23

Be sure to head over to Side Lion Report to check out my answers to Zac?s questions.? For a Lions fan, he?s good people, so give him a chance.

Tags: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Monday Night Football

Source: http://beargoggleson.com/2012/10/20/bears-vs-lions-5-questions-with-side-lion-report-2/

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Project Runway Results: Who Won?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/10/project-runway-results-who-won/

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GOP pounces after news of CIA cable on Libya raid

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of last month?s deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate that there was evidence it was carried out by militants, not a mob upset about an American-made, anti-Muslim movie. It is unclear whether anyone outside the CIA saw the cable at that point or how high up in the CIA the information went. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of last month?s deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate that there was evidence it was carried out by militants, not a mob upset about an American-made, anti-Muslim movie. It is unclear whether anyone outside the CIA saw the cable at that point or how high up in the CIA the information went. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Sensing a moment of political vulnerability on national security, Republicans pounced Friday on disclosures that President Barack Obama's administration could have known early on that militants, not angry protesters, launched the attack on U.S. diplomats in Libya.

Within 24 hours of the deadly attack, the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington that there were eyewitness reports that the attack was carried out by militants, officials told The Associated Press. But for days, the Obama administration blamed it on an out-of-control demonstration over an American-made video ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee, led Friday's charge.

"Look around the world, turn on your TV," Ryan said in an interview with WTAQ radio in the election battleground state of Wisconsin. "And what we see in front of us is the absolute unraveling of the Obama administration's foreign policy."

As a security matter, how the Obama administration immediately described the attack has little effect on broader counterterrorism strategies or on the hunt for those responsible for the incident, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. And Republicans have offered no explanation for why the president would want to conceal the nature of the attack.

But the issue has given Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney an opportunity to question Obama on foreign policy and national security, two areas that have received little attention in an election dominated by the U.S. economy. Obama's signature national security accomplishment is the military's killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

Ryan was teeing up the issue for Monday's presidential debate on foreign policy.

"I'm excited we're going to have a chance to talk about that on Monday," Ryan said.

Obama, speaking Thursday on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," insisted that information was shared with the American people as it came in. The attack is under investigation, Obama said, and "the picture eventually gets filled in."

"What happens, during the course of a presidency, is that the government is a big operation and any given time something screws up," Obama said. "And you make sure that you find out what's broken and you fix it."

The report from the station chief was written late Wednesday, Sept. 12, and reached intelligence agencies in Washington the next day, intelligence officials said. It is not clear how widely the information from the CIA station chief was circulated.

U.S. intelligence officials have said the information was just one of many widely conflicting accounts, which became clearer by the following week.

But former CIA station chief Fred Rustmann Jr. says the White House would have been aware of it.

"When things go down like that, there is no analysis in between," said Rustmann, who has separately accused the Obama administration of sharing too many details about the raid that killed bin Laden. "You report this raw information as you receive it in Sitrep (situation report) format, from the CIA station to concerned worldwide (CIA) stations and bases and to the White House, Pentagon and State Department."

Only afterward would those initial reports be compiled and cross-checked by analysts with other information, he said.

Democrats have spent the past week explaining the administration's handling of the attack. On Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said a period of uncertainty typically follows attacks.

"In the wake of an attack like this, in the fog of war, there's always going to be confusion," Clinton said. "And I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence. Everyone who spoke tried to give the information that they had."

On Tuesday, Obama and Romney argued over when the president first called it a terrorist attack. In his Rose Garden address the morning after the killings, Obama said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for."

But Republicans said he was speaking generally and didn't specifically call the Benghazi event a terror attack until weeks later. Until then, key members of the administration were blaming an anti-Muslim movie circulating on the Internet as a precipitating event.

This Wednesday, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., put the blame on the director of national intelligence James Clapper.

"I think what happened was the director of intelligence, who is a very good individual, put out some speaking points on the initial intelligence assessment," Feinstein said in an interview with news channel CBS 5 in California. "I think that was possibly a mistake."

Congress is asking the administration for documents about the attack, in hopes of building a timeline of what the government knew and when.

"The early sense from the intelligence community differs from what we are hearing now," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said. "It ended up being pretty far afield, so we want to figure out why."

Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, R-Texas, a member of the House Intelligence and Armed Services committees, said: "How could they be so certain immediately after such events, I just don't know. That raises suspicions that there was political motivation."

Obama has weathered similar criticisms before. After both the failed bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009 and the attempted car bombing in Times Square in 2010, the Obama administration initially said there were no indications of wider terrorist plots. The Christmas Day bomber turned out to be linked to al-Qaida and the Times Square bomber was trained by the Pakistani Taliban.

Nevertheless, polls have consistently showed voters trust Obama over Romney to handle terrorism. If Obama was worried that Monday's debate would change that, he showed no signs of it Thursday night.

Speaking at a charity dinner, he offered this preview of the debate: "Spoiler alert: We got bin Laden."

___

Dozier can be followed on Twitter (at)kimberlydozier, and Apuzzo on (at)mattapuzzo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-19-US-Libya/id-b419cf18fcaf41edbc601411f0541d86

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Social gaming study: 85% of social gamers quit after first day

Despite many hits in the genre, social gaming is a relatively risky business. A company can have a hit one day and then the next day it?s suddenly worth nothing as bored users flee en masse. OMGPOP?s Draw Something?is a textbook example of how a social game rose to popularity literally overnight and then became the anchor?to Zynga?s?(ZNGA) sinking ship. Audience management firm?Playnomics?released some interesting data on social gaming that reveals the major nail in the coffin for most social games: 85% of social gamers do not return after their first day.

Playnomics? study of millions of U.S. social gamers in the third quarter of 2012 also reveals that ?almost 95% of all US players acquired in the first part of Q3 were inactive by the end of Q3? and ?US females churn at slightly higher rates than US males but tend to play longer before doing so.? Comparatively, women play an average of 4.5 days before they bounce for good versus the the four days men play before quitting a game.

The study also reveals that most social gamers play the longest on Mondays and are more likely to play on Saturdays. Surprisingly, Oregon has the most engaged segment of social gamers in the U.S. For more interesting data, you can check out Playnomics??entire report here.

So is social gaming dead or not? It?s still hard to tell. Some reports peg it as becoming the primary model for the gaming business moving forward and some reports like this one paint an ominous future. One conclusion that can be drawn is that for social games to succeed, they need to find ways to keep players coming back for more. The games need to go beyond a simple act of gameplay that?s initially exciting but quickly becomes dull and repetitive.

[Via GamesIndustry]

Read

Image credit: Jimmy Li/FarmvilleFreak

Raymond Wong is a technology reporter with a passion for cutting-edge gadgets and clean design. He first realized his love for technology when he burned through so many AA batteries on the original Game Boy that scraping battery acid off it became the norm.

MORE ARTICLES FROM RAYMOND ?

Source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/10/18/social-gaming-study-reveals-85-bounce-rate-on-first-day-playnomics/

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