Black Friday draws crowds, but spending in doubt (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Retailers were hoping for more shoppers like Shawn Elzia as the annual Black Friday bargain stampede marked the unofficial start of what is widely expected to be a middling holiday shopping season.

The Brooklyn, New York teacher, one of hundreds of thousands of shoppers jostling for deals around the country, said he ended up spending about 25 percent more than he planned, even while worrying about the state of the economy.

"I did not expect such deals," the 33-year old said as he left a Macy's store in Jersey City, New Jersey clutching bags full of clothing for himself and his family.

"It's slashed down to the bones," he said. "There were some great discounts if you showed up early."

Deals are always part of the picture on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year was notable for an earlier opening for some retailers and possibly for the one shopper using pepper spray to make sure she could get a popular video game system.

The early start by stores brought out younger shoppers such as Alina Ybarra, who spent the wee hours of the morning with her friends as they all looked for items for themselves.

"It's really chaotic," Ybarra, 17, said of her first Black Friday outing as she finished her shopping in Santa Monica, California. She said that she liked the deals at stores such as Gap Inc's Old Navy and Urban Outfitters.

"It seems like a lot of teenagers were the primary shoppers, maybe because of the hour, but I think net-net it's not really going to result in an incremental positive for retailers," Ed Yruma, senior equity analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, said after checking out crowds at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. He said shoppers were not carrying a lot of shopping bags.

Leon Clare, 24, and Shawn Sykes, 27, both U.S. Navy Corpsmen, drove about 125 miles from 29 Palms Marine Base to Santa Monica so they each could spend close to $175 on a pair of Air Jordan Retro 3 shoes in "Black Cement," popular new sneakers from Nike Inc.

"This is for me," said Clare, who plans to spend more on holiday gifts later on in the season.

"I'm leaving for Afghanistan in March. I'm getting something for everyone, just in case I don't come back."

WORRIED... AGAIN

More than 120 stores at the Mall of America opened at midnight. The crowd at that point was about 15,000 people. Mall operators estimated that it was the largest crowd ever at the mall, which is big enough to hold seven Yankee Stadiums.

While eager shoppers emerged from stores around the country lugging big-screen TVs and bags full of video games and toys, it was far from certain that people will pull out their wallets for much more than the best deals this year. Shoppers with limited budgets started using layaway at chains such as Walmart as early as October.

Retail shares fell more than the overall market on Friday.

"Americans are still worried about jobs, still worried about the economy," said Mike Thielmann, group executive vice president at J.C. Penney, who noted that shoppers were buying gifts and for themselves, and said jewelry was selling well.

In Houston, Rico Salvosa, 60, bought two cameras at Best Buy and said he had saved about $170.

"It's worse than before because business is slow," Salvosa, who wholesales stone countertops, said as he left the store with his daughters. "I don't have a lot of savings for holiday shopping. I told them, 'I cannot buy everything that you'd like.'"

Competition among the retailers was fierce as it was among shoppers, as some stores opened hours earlier than before.

Outside Macy's flagship store in New York, some Occupy Wall Street activists chanted "boycott Macy's" and "stop supporting big corporations" even as about 9,000 people lined up to shop when the store opened at midnight.

Opening early appeared to work, judging from the long lines at stores such as Macy's, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Walmart and Target.

"It was crazy around midnight and one in the morning," said a Target employee at the chain's East Harlem, New York store, where the crowd thinned out later on Friday morning.

Even after a Toys R Us in New Jersey had been open for nearly an hour, at 9:50 p.m. EST on Thursday night, there was still a line of about 300 people waiting to get inside.

The 24 hours that started at 9 p.m. Thursday will be the biggest in retail history, with sales estimated at $27 billion, according to Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners, one of the few experts predicting a strong season.

The term "Black Friday" commonly refers to the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of the busy holiday shopping season when retailers do brisk business. (See related story: Spirited 'Black Friday' has dark roots.

While it is the busiest day of the year in terms of store traffic, it does not always mean that sales will soar for the season.

Despite brisk sales right after Thanksgiving in 2008 and 2009, total holiday season sales fell as the recession gripped the country.

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, expects 152 million people to hit stores this weekend, up 10.1 percent from last year. Yet it expects sales for the full November-December holiday season to rise just 2.8 percent, well below the pace of last year when sales rose 5.2 percent.

Luxury chains such as Saks Inc and those catering to lower-income shoppers, such as dollar stores, are expected to do well this shopping season.

"For our products that are $25,000 and up, growth is phenomenal," said Mark Vadon, founder of online jewelry retailer Blue Nile. "Price points under $100 are also doing really well. For the mass part of the market, consumers are strapped and being a lot more wary."

Overall, retail executives and analysts expect a more competitive shopping season than in 2010. Unemployment remains at 9 percent, European debt woes are weighing on the stock market, and consumer confidence remains spotty.

Online sales on Thursday and Friday surpassed last year, and more shoppers used their mobile devices to buy, according to IBM data. The amount U.S. shoppers spent via eBay Mobile more than doubled on Thanksgiving, while eBay's PayPal Mobile unit saw a five-fold increase in global mobile payment volume versus last Thanksgiving.

The online push put pressure on some companies. Walmart.com saw some very high traffic, so some customers may have experienced delays as they tried to check out, it said.

Even Apple Inc gets into the Christmas spirit on Black Friday, the only day that it usually offers discounts. This year it offered its typical $101 discount on its $900-plus Mac laptops and $41 or more off its $499-plus iPads.

(Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan, Liana B. Baker and Phil Wahba in New York, Mihir Dalal in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jessica Wohl in Chicago, Diane Bartz in Hyattsville, Maryland, Lisa Baertlein and Edwin Chan in Los Angeles, Alistair Barr in San Francisco and Bruce Nichols in Houston. Editing by Jon Loades-Carter, Phil Berlowitz and Robert MacMillan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/bs_nm/us_usa_retail_thanksgiving

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UN calls for restraint on eve of Congo vote (Reuters)

KINSHASA (Reuters) ? International organizations appealed for calm on the eve of Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, after a run-up tainted by violent street clashes and delayed poll preparations.

Concerns have been mounting about the central African country's readiness for its second post-war presidential contest, and what impact a troubled vote might have on efforts to stabilize the giant minerals-producing nation.

The European Union, the African Union and the United Nations called for restraint after several people were killed in clashes Saturday, the last day of campaigning.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday Congo's election was "crucial for the country's progress," and called on "all political leaders and the people ... to exercise restraint throughout the process to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful and secure environment."

The EU observer mission accused police of denying President Joseph Kabila's main rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, his right to campaign in the capital after he was blocked by security forces at the airport Saturday.

Police had earlier banned rallies after violence erupted in the sprawling capital Kinshasa. The confirmed death toll for Saturday's violence has risen to three, according to U.N. sources, though Human Rights Watch said eight had been killed and about 70 wounded.

Tshisekedi Sunday accused international actors, including the head of the United Nations mission in Congo, of being against him, and said that, as his rally was blocked on Saturday, he would hold one later Sunday.

"The international community has (in Congo) supported Africa's worst dictatorships for 51 years," he said, adding he wanted UN mission chief Roger Meece, a former U.S. ambassador to Congo during the last election, to step down.

U.N. spokesman Mounoubai Madnodje dismissed the accusations.

The streets of Kinshasa were mostly quiet Sunday after the clashes the day before. Churches held regular Sunday services, street kiosks did brisk trade and residents sat drinking in the city's street bars.

By mid-afternoon, there was no sign of Tshisekedi's rally call being heeded though riot police were deployed at Kinshasa's main stadium where the rally was to be held, and there was a heavy police presence near Tshisekedi's residence.

SHOWDOWN

Enjoying the powers of incumbency, Kabila is seen as the favorite in the vote. But Tshisekedi, a veteran opposition leader who appeals to many poor Congolese that have not see any progress despite eight years of relative peace, has drawn large crowds as his campaign gathered momentum.

Tshisekedi said he would accept results if he lost in a free election but would call on people to "take their responsibility" if the poll was flawed, a reference to likely further street protests.

Human Rights Watch said Congo's Republican Guard had wounded dozens of people after opening fire on them Saturday, and at least eight people were killed. "We're still confirming, and the number of dead might be higher," Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer said.

Sawyer added that security forces had taken four bodies from the UDPS opposition headquarters where they had been brought following clashes. An eyewitness told Reuters police arrived at the UDPS offices in the early hours of Sunday morning, threatening supporters and taking away bodies.

Police officials were not available to comment.

Election workers were scrambling Sunday to get remaining ballots to polling stations after delays at all stages of the process. But the head of the electoral body said he expected the election to go ahead as planned.

"We would like to assure you 99 percent of things are working perfectly, that's our commitment to you," electoral commission chief Daniel Ngoy Mulunda said.

Congo's last war, in which millions died mainly of famine and disease, ended eight years ago. But the peace is fragile, with pockets of clashes across much of its east while ordinary Congolese complain of rampant corruption and slow development.

Resource firms like Freeport McMoRan and ENRC operate in Congo, a big copper and cobalt producer with ambitions of developing an oil industry, but the country is seen as one of the world's riskiest in which to do business.

(Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111127/wl_nm/us_congo_democratic_election

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Taking healthcare to students

As soon as the school day ended, the rush at the health clinic began.

Two high school seniors asked for sports physicals. A group of teenagers lined up for free condoms. A girl told a counselor she needed a pregnancy test.

The clinic, at Belmont High School near downtown Los Angeles, is part of a rapidly expanding network of school-based centers around the nation offering free or low-cost medical care to students and their families.

In California, there are 183 school health centers, up from 121 in 2004. Twelve more are expected to open by next summer, according to the California School Health Centers Assn.

The centers have become a small but important part of the nation's healthcare safety net, experts say, treating low-income patients who might otherwise not have regular medical care. Now, they add, campus clinics are serving as a model for health officials trying to reduce costs.

Academic research has shown that school-based health clinics, which typically promote prevention and provide comprehensive services, reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations. They also improve students' school attendance, reduce Medicaid costs and promote more healthful eating, according to studies.

Recently, school-based health centers got a fiscal boost from the healthcare reform law, which allocated $200 million nationwide. California won $14 million in grants this summer to open new clinics and expand existing ones. Los Angeles County received about $4.3 million of that.

Most centers are based in low-income neighborhoods and staffed by doctors and nurse practitioners. They offer a range of healthcare services, including checkups, physicals, immunizations, mental health treatment, dental care and drug counseling. The clinics also monitor students' chronic diseases, such as asthma, and treat their illnesses so they don't miss school.

"There are so many reasons why students are not really ready to learn," said Serena Clayton, executive director of the California School Health Centers Assn. "Teachers, principals and staff members are recognizing they are not going to be successful with kids if they don't address these underlying health issues."

Clinics on school grounds are uniquely placed to find and treat those health issues. There may be a shortage of food in the house that causes stress and physical problems, or drug use that leads to frequent absences.

"You just cannot ignore the reality of the patients' lives," said Julia Lear, senior advisor for the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools at George Washington University. "You step out into the hallways and there it is."

On a recent afternoon at Belmont Health Services, Henry Quiroz, a senior at nearby Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, wanted a physical for soccer. "I need it as soon as possible," he said. "The season has already started."

Marco Perez, 18, walked into the clinic to get free condoms. On the wall were containers with brochures on anxiety, sexually transmitted diseases and alcohol.

Perez said that friends told him about the center and that he liked the privacy of it. "The parents don't have to know," he said.

Belmont Health Services opened to students in 2009 and to the community last year. Though it is operating out of a portable classroom and a mobile van, the L.A. Unified School District plans to open a new center on campus next year, with five exam rooms and space for counseling and recreation.

There are 35 clinics on L.A. Unified campuses, which opened its first more than two decades ago. The district plans to build 14 new centers, using school construction bond money.

For many youths, the centers fill a gap in care, said Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, the school district's director of medical services. "Adolescents are notorious for not receiving timely healthcare," she said.

Generally, school districts provide the facilities and community clinics or hospitals run the centers, paying for care with a mix of Medi-Cal, private insurance and government funds.

But even with the extra federal dollars, clinics still struggle to recoup their costs because many of the patients are uninsured and some of the services aren't covered. That partly explains why there aren't more centers, given that there are more than 6 million students in California.

"The challenge overall is funding," said Adolfo Lagomasino, spokesman for the Northeast Valley Health Corp., which operates four health centers in the county. "With these kind of tumultuous political times, to put it lightly, there is sort of an ongoing battle to maintain the safety net."

One of the most recent clinics to open is at Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy. Students can see a doctor on their own to be treated for such ailments as pink eye or a sore throat, as long as they have a consent form. That way, parents don't have to take a day off work, said clinic manager Sandy Wooten.

Elizabeth Madrigal, 18, a senior at the school, said she takes her 1-year-old daughter, Ezra, to the clinic regularly. After school one afternoon, Madrigal, still wearing her backpack, brought Ezra for her shots and a checkup.

Madrigal said the clinic is convenient. "The school is right there, so if I ever need anything, I can come over," she said.

Since opening in May, the Elizabeth Health Center, run by Northeast Community Clinics, has also reached out to parents and community members, and word is starting to spread.

On a Wednesday afternoon, Phillip Zamudio, 23, a restaurant worker who lives nearby, brought his two sons in to check on their anemia. And Rocio Cetina, 39, who attends the adjacent adult school, came in with her daughter, who had been coughing and sniffling.

"It's a one-stop shop for everybody," Wooten said.

anna.gorman@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/deZKFiqbzOI/la-me-school-health-20111128,0,4608252.story

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DualShockers: Akihabara Shopping: Cool Releases In Japan 28 November ? 4 December 2011 ? Cheap Yakuza? http://t.co/bfiupbjk

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Health Insurance Companies of Florida | Find Dental Health Insurance

Posted on 25 November 2011. Tags: aetna health insurance, health insurance companies, health insurance companies in florida, humana one, insurance companies in florida, student health insurance, united health care

The US government is working hard to get its citizens covered by the several health insurances so as to safeguard its citizens against all odds. There are innumerable health insurance companies in Florida and other parts of the US who work day and night to simplify the lives of its citizens. These companies carry out many policies to give maximum coverage to people from all walks of life. With the active support of the US government you can now apply for health insurance through online channels as well. You need not pay any extra premium if you are applying online.

Health insurance companies of Florida

The health insurance companies of Florida cover up the entire US. So now, you need not worry of the change of places. There are many small and large companies working within the US of which we can count upon big names as Aetna Health Insurance, United Health Care, Humana One, Time Insurance, Standard Security Life Health Insurance, World Insurance- Brokerage Health Insurance, etc. All these cover up vast areas of the health sectors. You can get insured for individual or family or short term or student health insurance or dental health insurance and many more. These plans cover up nearly all aspects of life. You can get a plan for children or else pregnancy or if you want coverage for temporary basis.

Details about these plans

The plans can be accessed through the several schemes that are been run by the health insurance companies. These plans differ as per the rates of premiums applied. The more the premium you give the more coverage you will get in a particular plan. You can apply through any channel whether be online or through your local agent. With the US government?s strict rule you won?t have to pay a penny extra as premium rates for the particular scheme you are applying. So, online mediums have now become more popular among the mass.

How can you buy the plans online?

There are many websites who pool up all the schemes of reputed health insurance companies of Florida and other parts of the US in their websites in complete details. Now you can go through the entire clause and compare prices of the same schemes for different companies and at the end apply online for these schemes. Online transactions have made life easier for people. So now, what are you waiting for? Go and check about the companies online and apply through mere a click of a button.

Source: http://www.projektgenerika.org/health-insurance-companies-of-florida.html

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Movie Scores: How the critics rated the new movies (AP)

A silent film has critics shouting their praises in its opening weekend. The black-and-white "The Artist" was the best-reviewed new movie of the crowded Thanksgiving holiday.

French director Michel Hazanavicius' nearly wordless homage to the end of silent pictures stars Jean Dujardin as an actor who sees his career dwindle as the talkies become popular. AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle gave the movie three stars out of four, calling it "a loving, irresistibly charming ode to a long-ago movie era that not only summons the dormant conventions of silent moviemaking, but makes them dance again."

Another tribute to classic cinema, Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," was also earning strong reviews. Scorsese's first film in 3-D, the family friendly adventure stars Asa Butterfield as an orphan who secretly lives inside the walls of a 1930s Paris train station and keeps all the clocks running on time. AP Movie Critic Christy Lemire gave the film three stars, saying: "Scorsese doesn't just tinker with this newfangled technology, he embraces it fully. This is the most dazzling use of 3-D yet ? more so than the vaunted `Avatar.'"

Families could also enjoy "The Muppets," which reunites Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the gang for their first movie in over a decade. Jason Segel co-wrote the script and stars as a human who helps the Muppets get back together to restore their old theater. AP Movie Writer David Germain wrote: "From start to finish, the movie is a healthy, dizzy dose of childlike bliss, the songs campy but catchy, the humor corny but clever, the cast ? both human and Muppet ? one of the most lovable gangs you'll ever spend time with at the pictures." He gave it three stars out of four.

Here's a look at how these movies and others fared on the top review websites as of Friday afternoon. Each score is the percentage of positive reviews for the film:

? "The Artist": Metacritic, 87; Movie Review Intelligence, 90.9; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 91.6

? "Hugo": Metacritic, 85; Movie Review Intelligence, 81.2; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 87.7.

? "The Muppets": Metacritic, 76; Movie Review Intelligence, 78.8; Rotten Tomatoes, 97. Average: 83.9.

? "Arthur Christmas": Metacritic, 68; Movie Review Intelligence, 76.6; Rotten Tomatoes, 91. Average: 78.5.

? "A Dangerous Method": Metacritic, 74; Movie Review Intelligence, 74; Rotten Tomatoes, 80. Average: 76.

? "My Week With Marilyn": Metacritic, 66; Movie Review Intelligence, 68.1; Rotten Tomatoes, 82. Average: 72.

___

Online:

http://www.metacritic.com/

http://moviereviewintelligence.com/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_en_ot/us_movie_scores

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Oil rises above $97 a barrel

NEW YORK (AP) ? Oil continued its up and down week Friday.

Benchmark crude oil rose $1.07 to $97.24 a barrel in morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, tracking the rise in U.S. stock markets. The contract closed Wednesday in New York at $96.17, down $1.84.

Markets in the U.S. were closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, and will close early Friday on what is expected to be a light trading day.

Oil had fallen earlier as Europe's debt crisis continues to undermine confidence the continent will avoid recession next year.

In London, Brent crude for January delivery fell 50 cents to $106.80 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Investor concern that fiscal austerity measures aimed at lowering Europe's debt levels will hurt global economic growth and oil demand has helped pull crude back from above $103 last week.

Uncertainty about contagion spreading from Greece to Portugal, Italy, Spain and Ireland has begun to undermine confidence in Germany and France. The yield on Germany's 10-year bond rose above the 10-year UK government bond for the first time since 2009. And late Thursday, Moody's downgraded Hungary's bonds to junk status.

"The eurozone sovereign crisis is starting to threaten the bond markets of even the most solid European economy ? Germany," Barclays Capital said in a report.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil was flat at $2.97 per gallon and gasoline futures lost half a cent to $2.5165 per gallon. Natural gas added 4.2 cents to $3.65 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-25-Oil%20Prices/id-72f2c175618b42a6a4d06a3077d4e71b

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Scientists say fish hooks go back 42,000 years

LOS ANGELES?? Humans were expert deep-sea fishermen as far back as 42,000 years ago, hauling in tuna, sharks and barracudas, new research suggests.

Fish appeared in the human diet about 1.9 million years ago. Early catchers waded into freshwater lakes and streams without the need for boats or complex tools. It wasn't until later that humans decided to ply the ocean in search of fish.

The latest evidence comes from an excavation on the southeast Asian island of East Timor where remains of tuna and other deep-water fish were uncovered inside a cave. Using dating techniques, a team led by archaeologist Sue O'Connor of Australian National University determined the age to be 42,000 years old ? making it the earliest evidence for ocean fishing.

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The findings were reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

Since catching tuna and marine fish requires tools and advance planning, this meant people must have developed the mental and technological know-how to exploit the sea.

"It increases our insight into the developing abilities of early modern people," Eric Delson, an anthropologist at Lehman College of the City University of New York who had no role in the research, said in an email.

Early anglers probably fashioned boats by tying logs together and used nets and sharpened pieces of wood or shells as hooks, said Kathlyn Stewart, a research scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, who was not part of the study.

"These people were smart," she said. They knew "there were fish out there."

It's unclear how far the early mariners ventured. Once the bounty was caught, they likely ate it raw or went back to camp to cook it, Stewart said.

Along with the fish remains, researchers also unearthed fragments of fish hooks made out of bone from the same East Timor site including one that dated to between 16,000 and 23,000 years ago.

"The hooks were definitely used for ocean fishing but we can't be sure which species," O'Connor said in an email.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45438821/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Miley Cyrus, Adele on board for Bob Dylan cover set (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? What do Bob Dylan and Miley Cyrus have in common -- besides their perpetually chipper demeanor, of course?

They're both doing their part to benefit human rights organization Amnesty International on its 50th anniversary.

The human-rights organization is releasing a sprawling, four-CD collection, "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International," on January 24, with the proceeds going to AI, according to numerous news reports.

The collection, which primarily consists of cover versions of tunes from the Dylan catalog, encompasses 80 artists. Among those taking a crack at Mr. Zimmerman's songbook: Adele, Sting, Elvis Costello, My Chemical Romance, Ke$ha and, yes, "Party in the USA" songbird Cyrus, who will contribute her take on Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go."

On the other end of the age spectrum, 92-year-old folk icon Pete Seeger will offer his version of "Forever Young," accompanied by a children's chorus.

Aside from Dylan's original 1964 rendition of "Chimes of Freedom," all of the songs will be new recordings.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/people_nm/us_dylan

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Romney Tries to Cut Out Middlemen (WSJ)

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Pie-Polooza at White House Thanksgiving (ABC News)

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Review + Giveaway: Golla Pouches for iPhone 4S

If you're the type of person that doesn't like to put a physical case on their iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, the Golla line of pouches may be more up your alley. While you aren't using your iPhone they'll do a great job of protecting it as well as giving you a bit of storage space for things such as credit cards or an ID.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/c3mzkuZhqzQ/story01.htm

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Is the EPA really a 'jobs killer'? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Newt Gingrich and Michele Bach?mann want to abolish it. Rick Perry vows that he would declare a moratorium on all its activities the moment he becomes president. Herman Cain wants it replaced by an independent commission.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), clearly, is not on many Republicans' Christmas card list. In their debates and in speeches, the GOP presidential candidates have crystallized conservatives' charge against the agency: Its regulations kill jobs.

Under a Democratic president ? and at a time of economic turbulence ? the EPA faces harsh criticism from the political right for being heavy-handed. But unraveling its actual impact on the economy suggests that its influence is more nuanced, according to several economic analyses.

RELATED: What can Congress do to create jobs? Five Republican proposals

To be sure, President Obama's EPA has undertaken several key environmental initiatives, such as ozone and greenhouse-gas regulation. But attempts to paint these new rules as economic game changers often overstate their importance, say several independent economists.

"There's certainly a lot of use of this phrase that 'new environmental regulations are job killers' or the flip side: We can 'grow the economy by focusing on green jobs,' " says Wayne Gray, an economist at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. "But either perspective misses the scale of the cost of environmental regulations, which just are not a very large scale of costs for most in the economy."

Among the moves by the Obama EPA that businesses say are most damaging:

?It proposed in January 2010 to tighten standards for smog-forming ozone, though Mr. Obama backed off on Sept. 3, bowing to the "importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover." The proposal could be reimplemented in 2013 if Obama is reelected.

?It is expected to unveil next month a "toxics rule" under the Clean Air Act that would require power plant operators to filter out mercury and other pollutants.

?Its studies found that greenhouse gases were a danger to public health, meaning that it must regulate them, according to a US Supreme Court ruling.

?It revised a rule put in place by the George W. Bush EPA but overturned by the courts that reduces permissible smokestack emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in Eastern states. The rules are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

Scores of power plants and as many as 1.6 million jobs would be lost between 2012 and 2020 if the EPA proceeds with air- and water-quality regulations, according to a recent study by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

"In the area of energy, EPA has been very, very aggressive, much of this based on their global-warming campaign, and the effect is troubling on the energy sector," says Diane Katz, a research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "If coal plants are closing down because they can't meet standards EPA is setting, well, those are jobs lost."

That could be true, some economists say. But others say that industry-paid studies (as is the one cited above) often include questionable assumptions and economic models not validated by broad peer review. They also note that jobs could also be created, not just destroyed, by regulation. The EPA's rules are required to undergo a transparent cost-benefit analysis that is peer reviewed by others. But business groups, like the US Chamber of Commerce, say the EPA analysis is flawed.

An economic analysis of the "toxics rule" by the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank that studies policy effects on low- and middle-income workers, suggests that it "would have a modest positive net impact on overall employment, likely leading to the creation of 28,000 to 158,000 jobs between now and 2015."

A February report by University of Massachusetts economists came to similar conclusions. Investments driven by the EPA's new air-quality rules on ozone and toxics "will create nearly 1.5 million jobs, or nearly 300,000 jobs a year on average, over the next five years."

Some business executives acknowledge that regulations can spur hiring. "We have to hire plumbers, electricians, painters, folks who do that kind of work when you retrofit a plant. Jobs are created in the process ? no question about that," Mike Morris, chief executive officer of American Electric Power, recently told The Washington Post.

But most business leaders reject the notion that EPA regulations have benefits. John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable, said that "establishing these new ozone standards would be tantamount to putting 'not open for business' signs in counties across the country at precisely the wrong moment, when unemployment is high and on the rise."

Republicans in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives agree, seeking to undo the actions of the Obama EPA. Since 2010, the House has weighed 17 measures to reduce or restrict environmental controls, approving 10, according to the League of Conservation Voters.

Most will have no effect because the Senate won't pass them. But the trend shows Republican fervor. In the Senate on Nov. 10, a resolution to roll back the EPA's smokestack emissions regulations failed, 41 to 56. Its sponsor was Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, whose state produces a lot of coal. The EPA, he argued, was issuing "radical, extremist regulations" that kill jobs.

Many economists reject such language as overstatement. Though environmental regulation has become more stringent, US manufacturers have faced only a moderate increase in their spending on pollution controls, says Dr. Gray of Clark University. Those costs, for instance, have risen from roughly 0.3 percent of total manufacturing shipments in 1973 to 0.4 percent in 2005.

Some highly polluting and highly regulated industries do face higher pollution-control costs. But even oil refining spent only about 1 percent of its shipments to comply with environmental regulations in 2005, Gray explains.

The numbers aren't big enough to cause serious economic hardship. "The idea that environmental regulations would wipe out an industry or have a serious impact is implausible," Gray says. "Early estimates of cleanup costs are invariably wildly overstated."

RELATED: What can Congress do to create jobs? Five democratic proposals

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111122/ts_csm/426464

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DMV office in nation's capital offers HIV testing (AP)

WASHINGTON ? At one Department of Motor Vehicles' office in the nation's capital, motorists can get a driver's license, temporary tags and something wholly unrelated to the road: a free HIV test.

In a city with one of the highest percentages of residents living with HIV or AIDS, health officials have now test-driven the in-DMV testing and are finding that it works. So far, more than 5,000 people have been screened and gotten results while they wait.

Now officials are expanding the program, offering testing at an office where Washington residents register for food stamps, Medicaid and other government assistance. On Monday, the first day of the program, 60 people got tested, officials said. As an incentive they're being offered a $5 gift card to a local grocery store.

"You have to meet people where they are," explained Sheila Brockington, who oversees HIV testing at the DMV office in southeast Washington. "You're waiting anyway. You might as well."

The testing project, which began last October, isn't run by the DMV but instead by a nonprofit group, Family and Medical Counseling Service Inc., which uses an office inside the site. To ensure confidentiality, residents get tested and receive their results in the office, out of earshot of those going about their usual DMV business. The nonprofit got a $250,000 grant to do the testing and secured the support of the city's Health Department and the DMV. Now a second, similar grant is funding expansion.

Government statistics released in June show about 1.1 million Americans were living with the AIDS virus in 2008, and other studies show that about 10 percent to 20 percent of U.S. adults are tested annually. But those involved in HIV/AIDS work recognize that more needs to be done to identify people living with HIV, said Chris Collins, the vice president and director of public policy for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.

"We need to be looking for creative ways to reach people who haven't tested in the past," said Collins, who hasn't studied Washington's program but said innovation and creativity by cities is important.

In Washington, not everyone was sold on the idea when it was proposed by the head of the Family and Medical Counseling Service, Angela Wood. She came up with the idea after sitting at a DMV office herself. Initially, some officials doubted many people would test. Now, however, between 25 and 35 people get tested every day at the DMV location. Anyone who agrees gets $7 off their bill.

For those who test positive, the nonprofit offers a free ride to its nearby office where they can arrange counseling and an appointment with a doctor. So far, less than 1 percent of those screened have tested positive, though some already knew their status. That's below the city's infection rate of 3 percent.

By now, the four people who run the program at the DMV office have their pitch for testing down. When people are on line, one of the testers approaches with the offer: free tests, money off your bill, and the promise that it won't hurt.

"We don't do blood. We do swabs," tester Karen Johnson tells patrons, explaining that the test of their saliva takes 20 minutes and that participants will not lose their place in the DMV line.

For patrons, the offer is generally a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.

Bus driver Nat Jordan, 35, was at the DMV office one day to get his car registered. He said he accepted because he gets tested once a year anyway. Colleen Russell, 28, a newly married nurse who was at the DMV to change her name on her driver's license, said she knew she was negative. But she said she got tested because she comes in contact with patients every day who could be infected.

Not all residents are sure of their status, though. One man who got tested and spoke on the condition that his name not be used said his wife is HIV positive. Though he'd had a negative HIV test before, it reassured him to have a second one at the DMV.

Wood, the person who proposed the unconventional testing sites, said she understands they aren't right for everyone. That's fine, she said. The message: "It's important for you to take the test, whether you take it here or at another site."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/aids/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_go_ot/us_dmv_aids_tests

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Judge denies request for retest in Murray case

LOS ANGELES?? A judge denied a request Monday by lawyers for the doctor convicted of causing Michael Jackson's death to have an independent laboratory test the contents of a key vial of evidence.

Just days before the scheduled sentencing of Dr. Conrad Murray, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said defense attorneys could have sought the testing months ago or even during the doctor's six-week trial but chose not to.

"You're not involved in fishing, you're involved in foraging," Pastor said.

Murray's attorneys wanted a lab to test a small amount of liquid found in a vial of the anesthetic propofol that authorities contend was used to help Jackson sleep on the day he died.

Defense lawyer J. Michael Flanagan argued the results would reveal the accuracy of a theory by a prosecution expert who testified that Murray left Jackson's bedside while the singer was on an IV drip of propofol and the painkiller lidocaine.

Murray had been giving Jackson nightly doses of propofol to help the singer sleep as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren contended there was no legal basis for the testing and said Murray received a fair trial.

Pastor examined the propofol vial, which was found in the closet of Jackson's bedroom, before issuing his ruling.

Flanagan said it didn't occur to him that the contents of the vial should be tested until after the conclusion of Murray's trial, which ended Nov. 7 with the conviction of the cardiologist on an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Flanagan said if prosecution expert Dr. Steven Shafer's theory is correct, the small amount of liquid that remained in the vial should contain lidocaine. In that case, "that's the ballgame" and would prove Murray did leave the singer alone on an IV drip, Flanagan said.

Flanagan also argued that Shafer didn't tell jurors that he believed Murray injected lidocaine into the propofol vial until Shafer was called as a rebuttal witness in the final moments of testimony.

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Walgren said Shafer and other witnesses acknowledged that they didn't know exactly what happened in Jackson's bedroom before the singer's death on June 25, 2009. Shafer was one of several experts who told jurors that he could only theorize on events based on toxicology results, Murray's statements to police and evidence found at the scene.

"Whether there was lidocaine in that bottle or not is completely irrelevant," Walgren said.

Murray is set to be sentenced on Nov. 29. Walgren said he is finalizing work on a sentencing memorandum and several people may speak during the hearing. He did not say whether members of Jackson's family, several of whom attended the trial daily, would offer statements.

Murray remains jailed and faces a possible sentence ranging from probation to up to four years.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45388852/ns/today-entertainment/

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Medicare chief steps aside in political impasse (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The point man for carrying out President Barack Obama's health care law will be stepping down after Republicans succeeded in blocking his confirmation by the Senate, the White House announced Wednesday.

Medicare chief Don Berwick, a Harvard professor widely respected for his ideas on how to improve the health care system, became the most prominent casualty of the political wars over a health care overhaul whose constitutionality will be now decided by the Supreme Court.

Praising Berwick for "outstanding work," White House deputy press secretary Jamie Smith criticized Republicans for "putting political interests above the best interests of the American people."

Berwick will be replaced by his principal deputy, Marilyn Tavenner, formerly Virginia's top health care official. The White House said Obama will submit Tavenner's nomination to the Senate.

Tavenner has been at Medicare since early last year, earning a reputation as a problem solver with years of real-world experience and an extensive network of industry contacts. A nurse by training, the 60-year-old Tavenner worked her way up to the senior executive ranks of a major hospital chain. She ran Virginia's health department under former Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine.

Berwick's fate was sealed early this year when 42 GOP senators ? more than enough to derail his confirmation ? asked Obama to withdraw his nomination. His resignation takes effect Dec. 2.

Berwick's statements as an academic praising Britain's government-run health care had become a source of controversy in politically polarized Washington. Although he later told Congress that "the American system needs its own solution" and Britain's shouldn't be copied here, his critics were not swayed.

In an email to his staff, Berwick said he leaves with "bittersweet emotions."

"Our work has been challenging, and the journey is not complete, but we are now well on our way to achieving a whole new level of security and quality for health care in America, helping not just the millions of Americans affected directly by our programs, but truly health care as a whole in our nation," Berwick wrote.

A pediatrician before becoming a Harvard professor, Berwick has many admirers in the medical community, including some former Republican administrators of Medicare. His self-styled "three-part aim" for the health care system includes providing a better overall experience for individual patients, improving the health of groups in the population such as seniors and African-Americans, and lowering costs through efficiency.

But some of his professorial ruminations dogged him in Washington. Republicans accused him of advocating health care rationing, which Berwick denies.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Berwick's past record of controversial statements and his lack of experience managing complex bureaucracies disqualified him from the Medicare job. Hatch, the ranking Republican on the Senate panel that oversees Medicare, led the opposition to his nomination. Hatch said Wednesday the Senate must "thoroughly examine" and "carefully scrutinize" Tavenner's nomination.

Berwick oversaw the drafting and rollout of major regulations that will begin to reshape the health care system, steering Medicare away from paying for sheer volume of services and procedures and instead putting a premium on quality care that keeps patients healthier and avoids costly hospitalizations. He also presided over significant improvements for Medicare beneficiaries, including better coverage for preventive care and relief for seniors with high prescription drug costs.

Berwick turned 65 this year, making him the first Medicare chief eligible to be enrolled in the program. He told The Associated Press in an earlier interview that he was putting in his application, but doesn't plan to retire any time soon. Instead he plans to keep working as an advocate for change in the nation's health care system.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_medicare_chief

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Allen, Farrow's son named Rhodes scholar

Ronan Farrow, the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow who works as a State Department special adviser on global youth issues, has been named a Rhodes Scholar.

Farrow, 23, a Yale Law School graduate and Washington resident, is one of 32 Rhodes Scholars representing the United States announced by the Rhodes Trust at the weekend.

The former child prodigy entered Bard College at age 11, and was accepted by Yale Law at 16. He works as Special Advisor for Global Youth Issues for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He is also a political commentator on U.S. television and has written about human rights issues for newspapers.

Farrow was named Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow at birth, and became the subject of a high-profile custody suit between his parents after Allen's relationship with Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, was revealed.

Allen and Farrow separated in 1992 and Farrow won custody.

Rhodes Scholarships, created in 1902, provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. The latest scholars will enter in October 2012.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45388368/ns/today-entertainment/

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Democrats, Republicans trade blame over stalled deficit pact (tbo)

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Odysseas Papadimitriou: Strategic Use of 'Plastics' Can Save You Hundreds This Holiday Season

Watching movies like A Christmas Story or It's a Wonderful Life has become a holiday tradition for many families. If you're familiar with the latter, you know that getting in on the "ground floor" of the "plastics" industry is one of the many things on which George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) missed out in making sure the family business stayed afloat throughout tough times. Oddly enough, this particular aspect of the classic Christmas movie is applicable to this year's holiday shopping season. You see, many of us are searching for ways to save in an uncertain economic environment, and strategically using plastics (i.e. credit cards and gift cards) could be part of the answer.

More specifically, opening the right credit card could be worth up to $500, and in light of the fact that the average U.S. household has $300 in unused gift cards, unlocking their value could prove pretty darn lucrative, as well. The question of the hour is, therefore: How does one go about realizing the monetary potential of plastic this holiday season?

Credit Cards

Starting with credit cards, the first thing you need to know is that the Great Recession has actually resulted in particularly attractive offers for people with above-average credit. Credit card companies are competing so fiercely for the most stable consumers that they're offering better and better initial rewards bonuses as well as longer and longer 0 percent introductory interest rates. By opening the right card, you could therefore score some extra cash to pay for presents, give yourself extra time to pay for upcoming purchases before interest becomes a factor, or lower the cost of debt remaining from last year. Even if you don't want to open a credit card with just the holidays in mind, offers are available that can provide year-round benefit.

With that being said, after comparing over 1,000 credit card offers, the following cards were chosen as the best for holiday shopping:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred (Best Initial Bonus): The 50,000 bonus points this card provides after you spend $3,000 during the first three months are redeemable for a $500 check or statement credit. There is no annual fee during the first year.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (Best Overall Rewards): The mixture of a good initial bonus ($100) and lucrative rewards across all purchases (2 miles/$1 spent) makes the Venture Card a good option for the holiday season and beyond, especially since miles can be redeemed for any travel-related expenses.
• Citi Dividend World MasterCard (Best 0 percent Purchase APR): Hearing that this card offers 0 percent on new purchases for 15 months should be music to the ears of the 29 percent of consumers who, according to an American Express survey, are planning to revolve balances on their credit cards in order to finance holiday gift giving this year. Add to the equation a $100 initial bonus and 5 percent cash back on purchases made at department stores, toy stores, electronics retailers, and clothing stores through the end of the year and that music starts sounding even sweeter.
• Citi Platinum Select MasterCard (Best Balance Transfer): While this card does have a 3 percent balance transfer fee, the fact that it offers 0 percent on transfers for 21 months makes it a valuable tool for fighting existing debt.

Gift Cards

Twenty-five percent of the consumers who participated in a recent Consumer Reports Holiday Poll reported having at least one unused gift card left over from last year. If you are in such a situation, you can forget sunk costs because there are a number of ways to make use of these holiday leftovers:

• Re-gift: Most stores will allow you to buy new gift cards with old ones, so even if your card has accumulated some scratches during the year, the person you give it to never has to know.

• Turn Back the Clock on Expired Gift Cards: Many states have unclaimed property programs, through which you can recoup funds from expired gift cards.

Final Thoughts

Like George Bailey, you might decide that plastics aren't for you, and that's fine. You simply don't want to have regrets like George, so it's important to understand exactly how credit cards and gift cards can make the holidays more affordable. After all, the average consumer will spend $831 on gifts this year, according to Amex, and we could all use as many money-saving ideas as possible.

Odysseas Papadimitriou is the founder and CEO of Card Hub, a leading credit card and gift card marketplace.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/odysseas-papadimitriou/holiday-shopping-credit-cards_b_1101531.html

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Regeneration after a stroke requires intact communication channels between brain hemispheres

ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2011) ? The structure of the corpus callosum, a thick band of nerve fibres that connects the two halves of the brain with each other and in this way enables the rapid exchange of information between the left and right hemispheres, plays an important role in the regaining of motor skills following a stroke. A study currently published in the journal Human Brain Mapping has shown that in stroke patients with particularly severely impaired hand movement, this communication channel between the two brain hemispheres in particular was badly damaged.

In order to relate brain function and anatomical structure with each other, in this study the scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research and the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital of Cologne combined two imaging methods. They asked stroke patients to make a simple tapping movement using the hand affected by the stroke and recorded their brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The data obtained in this way were then compared with data from healthy subjects. As expected from previous test results, compared with the control group, the stroke patients recorded a lower tapping speed and increased brain activity on both sides of the brain. "The increased activity in the healthy brain hemisphere, in particular, points to the impaired processing of motor programs between the two brain hemispheres," explains Christian Grefkes, head of the research study.

In order to demonstrate the structural connection between brain areas, the Cologne researchers used diffusion-based magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), which can be used to reconstruct longer stretches of nerve fibres. dMRI is based on the principle that cell elements, such as the membrane or extensions, inhibit the spread of water molecules thereby preventing them from diffusing randomly in all directions. Consequently, parallel nerve fibres can be clearly identified using dMRI. Compared to the healthy control group, the stroke patients had lower diffusion values in the corpus callosum region. This would indicate that this interhemispheric communications connection was damaged by the stroke. The most significant deviations from the values of the control group were observed in patients with more severe motor defects and increased activity in the healthy brain hemisphere.

Therefore, in addition to cell death in the actual stroke area, damage to a very distant connection structure plays a crucial role in the inability of stroke patients to fully regain their original motor capacities. "This is why, we are currently examining whether we can regenerate the communication between the brain hemispheres through early and regular stimulation treatment. Our long-term aim is to improve motor deficits in stroke patients," says Grefkes.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Ling E. Wang, Marc Tittgemeyer, Davide Imperati, Svenja Diekhoff, Mitra Ameli, Gereon R. Fink, Christian Grefkes. Degeneration of corpus callosum and recovery of motor function after stroke: A multimodal magnetic resonance imaging study. Human Brain Mapping, 2011; DOI: 10.1002/hbm.21417

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://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121104058.htm

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