Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/181424623?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Abortion doctors charged with murder after 35 fetuses found (Reuters)
BALTIMORE (Reuters) ? Two doctors have been charged with murder after an investigation into a botched abortion uncovered 35 fetuses in a Maryland clinic's freezer, authorities said on Friday, calling the case the first of its kind.
The doctors, Steven Chase Brigham, 55, and Nicola Irene Riley, 46, were both arrested on fugitive warrants on Wednesday, police in Elkton, Maryland said.
"They have been indicted based upon a fetal homicide statute. This is probably the first case that Maryland has ever seen with this factual scenario using this statute. It's a unique situation," Maryland State Attorney Ellis Rollins told Reuters in an interview.
Brigham was arrested on Wednesday in Voorhees, New Jersey, according to a statement by the Elkton Police Department.
Riley was arrested at her home in Salt Lake City without incident, according to Lt. Justin Hoyal, spokesman for the Unified Police of Greater Salt Lake.
Prosecutors were expected to seek their extradition back to Maryland.
The investigation began in August 2010, when a young woman sought an abortion from the pair.
The abortion was induced in New Jersey, and the patient was then transported across state lines into Maryland, according to the Elkton police statement.
The operation was botched with both Brigham and Riley present, Elkton police said, although the statement did not elaborate on the nature of complications.
Riley took the woman to a nearby hospital, police said. The woman, who was not identified by authorities, survived and was later moved to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Both Riley and Brigham have had their medical licenses suspended by the state of Maryland, according to the Maryland State Board of Physicians.
Brigham has performed approximately 50 such cross-state abortions, according to documents on the board's website.
Officers who searched the Elkton clinic found several fetuses in a freezer, police said.
A source who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said there were 35 fetuses found in the clinic freezer.
Brigham is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, five counts of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Riley is charged with one count each of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, police said.
An Elkton Police spokesman deferred further questions to Kerwin Miller, the assistant state's attorney for Cecil County who is prosecuting the case.
Miller could not be reached for comment.
Attorneys for Riley and Brigham also could not be reached for comment on Friday afternoon.
(Additional reporting by Mary Slosson and Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Mary Slosson; Editing by Greg McCune)
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Saudi to set bourse opening rules by January 15: source (Reuters)
DUBAI (Reuters) ? Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with a long-awaited plan to open up its stock market to foreigners and is now hoping to formalize its rules by January 15, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
"The dialogue is clearly intensifying, and they are looking at mid-January for publishing the term sheet for access," said the source, who declined to be identified.
The country has been considering a wider opening of its market for several years and, earlier this month, two industry sources revealed that it planned to offer a limited direct foreign ownership. At the time, sources expected this to happen by mid to late first quarter of 2012.
The opening up of the stock market is likely to attract considerable interest as it offers foreigners a chance to invest directly in blue chips like Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) (2010.SE), the world's most valuable chemical company. Other big players in the exchange include Samba Financial (1090.SE), the country's second-largest lender by market value, and former monopoly Saudi Telecom (7040.SE).
Foreign investors currently are allowed to invest in Saudi Arabian companies only by share swap transactions via international investment banks, who deal with local partners.
"We expect costs for trading to come down by 70-80 basis points if we're allowed direct access," said the source, who expected implementation of the guidelines to follow in the first or second quarter of the year.
He said that the main points of contention centered around rules governing the number of custodians, financial institutions that offer a range of services including arranging settlements of trade and administering dividends.
"The local banks do not want to be cut out of the deal; all the big international banks are setting up offices in Saudi and the Saudi banks are fighting the likes of HSBC," he said.
"If you take 5 percent of market cap and custodial fees thereon of 10-12 basis points, that's a lot at stake," said the source.
The Saudi Stock Exchange is the largest market in the Middle East with around 150 listed companies valued at $337 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data. By comparison, Dubai exchange's market cap is $28.5 billion while Qatar's is $97 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data.
A spokesman for the Capital Markets Authority, the country's stock market regulator, was not immediately available for comment.
STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION
According to the latest version of proposals which the CMA has circulated to investors, each qualified foreign investor (QFI) and its affiliates may own a maximum of 5 percent of any listed Saudi firm.
The maximum that all categories of foreign investors -- QFIs and those who don't qualify -- can own in any Saudi company will be 49 percent, with the portion cumulatively controlled by QFIs and QFI-approved clients capped at 20 percent.
"The draft Qualified Foreign Investor limits that are circulating are certainly a step in the right direction. It looks like a number of larger funds will be owning direct Saudi equities, rather than Swaps or P notes, sometime in 2012," said Daniel Broby, chief investment officer at Silk Invest in London.
"They will clearly want to be careful about opening capital markets from a domestic perspective, but once they go on that track, it's hoped that they won't reverse," he said.
Another source said that the Saudis' main concern appeared to be sudden inflows and outflows of portfolio money.
"They are going to be very strict on things like the Know Your Customer (KYC) document. Saudis are concerned about hot money -- they're worried about who would invest and so they would be doing as much due diligence that would not necessarily be normal for them," he said.
According to one version of the proposals that were sent around, the Saudis wanted fund investors to provide projections on returns, an unusual requirement that the first source said was unlikely to survive when the final rules were published.
There will also be rules about the size of the institutions allowed to invest. According to the proposals, the minimum assets under management will be $5 billion.
(Editing by Mike Nesbit)
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Mexican candidate sees possible Pemex listing (Reuters)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? A leading presidential candidate of Mexico's ruling conservatives raised the possibility on Thursday of listing oil company Pemex on the stock exchange to help revamp the state-owned giant.
Josefina Vazquez Mota, who is bidding to become the first woman to serve as Mexican president, told Reuters in an interview the next administration needed to examine how Brazil had managed its partly privatized state oil firm Petrobras.
"The case of Petrobras is a good reference point, not necessarily to copy it 100 percent, but it deserves particular attention," said Vazquez Mota, who is leading the race to be the candidate for President Felipe Calderon's National Action Party, or PAN, ahead of the July 1 election.
Oil production has dipped at Pemex, which has been dogged for years by allegations of inefficiency and corruption, prompting many Mexican lawmakers, particularly from the right and center of the political spectrum, to urge an overhaul.
Although many advocates of oil reform say Pemex needs private investment, they have shied away from discussing a potential listing for the company, which has been a sacred cow since Mexico nationalized the oil industry in the 1930s.
"It's one of the scenarios, not the only one," Vazquez Mota, a former education minister and ex-PAN congressional leader, said of floating Pemex on the stock exchange. "In the end, the most important thing isn't whether to list Pemex or not, that could be the result of many prior decisions."
In August, three private companies won the first contracts to operate mature oil fields in a bid to modernize the oil industry. Pemex says the number of fields operated by private firms will jump by the end of 2012.
SLAMS 'MACHO' RIVAL
Key reform projects like an overhaul of the labor market, taxation and Pemex have been stymied by the fact no ruling party in Mexico has had a congressional majority since 1997.
Vazquez Mota, 50, said she would push for the presidential candidates to seal a joint political accord before the election pledging their commitment to support the "four or five" major reform drives.
The PAN plans to pick its candidate by February 5, although the main opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, have already settled on their presidential nominees.
Leading the opinion polls is PRI candidate Enrique Pena Nieto, former governor of the state of Mexico.
But his campaign suffered a setback this month when he struggled at a book fair to name three books that influenced him, and upset a number of women with a throwaway remark.
"I'm not the woman of the house," Pena Nieto said after failing to identify the price of staple foodstuff tortillas, sparking condemnation on online social networks.
Vazquez Mota, a mother of three, called Pena Nieto's comment "embarrassing," "macho and very misogynist," saying it reflected authoritarian attitudes within the PRI, which ruled Mexico for 71 years until 2000.
Worse still, she said, was the fact that the string of gaffes showed Pena Nieto was not competent to run the country.
"If you don't have an answer to the most basic thing, or if the answer puts down your own citizens, I think we're in an extremely risky situation," Vazquez Mota said.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)
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GSM phones vulnerable to hijack scams: expert
BERLIN?? Flaws in a widely used wireless technology could allow hackers to gain remote control of phones and instruct them to send text messages or make calls, according to an expert on mobile phone security.
They could use the vulnerability in the GSM technology ? which is used by most telecom operators globally and by billions of people ? to make calls or send texts to expensive, premium phone and messaging services in scams, said Karsten Nohl, head of Berlin-based Security Research Labs.
Nohl is a well-regarded expert on mobile security who last year identified a bug in GSM technology that makes calls vulnerable to tapping. He says he is calling attention to these flaws to pressure the industry into beefing up the security of their products.
Mobile security is a hot issue because hackers are paying unprecedented attention to the devices as smartphone sales have outpaced sales of PCs.
Only a few flaws have been found in GSM technology ? which stands for Global System for Mobile Communications ? over its 20-year history. Industry lobby group GSMA said on Tuesday it did not expect the new findings to affect its views on the security of the technology.
"The GSMA and its mobile network operator members are confident in the security of existing 2G GSM networks and real attacks on real networks against real customers are most unlikely," it said in a statement, adding that newer technologies are safer and not impacted by the new research.
GSMA's statement "on anticipated GSM security announcements" did not make clear whether the industry group had actually seen Nohl's latest research.
Security experts have previously identified a small number of viruses designed to infect smartphones, allowing hackers to take control of the devices and force them to make calls or send text messages. But Nohl said he has discovered a way to leverage previously disclosed vulnerabilities in GSM technology that could potentially threaten hundreds of thousands of phones.
"We can do it to hundreds of thousands of phones in a short time frame," Nohl told Reuters ahead of a presentation on the topic at a hacking convention in Berlin on Tuesday.
Smartphone malware is popping up at an unprecedented rate as people put more and more valuable information on the devices, using them to hold corporate secrets, conduct banking and function as digital wallets.
GSM became the dominant mobile technology globally in the late 1990s and even though new, faster mobile networks have been rolled out across the world, operators have stuck to their GSM networks to support older phones and to offer service when new networks fail.
The Berlin convention takes place just days after U.S. security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc (Stratfor) said its website had been hacked and that some names of corporate subscribers had been made public. Activist hacker group Anonymous claimed responsibility.
Attacks on corporate landline phone systems are fairly common, often involving bogus premium-service phone lines that hackers set up in countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Fraudsters make calls to the numbers from hacked business phone systems or mobile phones, then collect their cash and move on before the activity is identified.
The phone users typically do not realize the problem until after they receive their bills, and telecommunications carriers often end up footing at least some of the costs.
Even though Nohl will not present all details of possible attacks at the conference, he said hackers will usually replicate the code needed for attacks within a few weeks.
Mobile networks of Germany's T-Mobile and France's SFR offer their clients the best protection against online criminals wanting to intercept their calls or track their movements, according to a new ranking Nohl will unveil at his presentation.
The new ranking, at gsmmap.org, is conducted by security researchers, who hope this will heighten the awareness of operators and consumers on the vulnerability of their mobile communications.
Researchers reviewed 32 operators in 11 countries and rated their performance based on how easy it was for them to intercept the calls, impersonate someone's device or track the device.
"None of the networks protects users very well," Nohl said.
The sample is set to grow from 32 carriers dramatically next year as the tool enables anyone to participate in data gathering by downloading measuring software to their phones.
Nohl said mobile telecom operators could easily improve their clients' security, in many cases by just updating their software.
Researchers reviewed operators in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Slovakia, Switzerland and Thailand.
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45799681/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Texas men trade same Christmas card for decades
WHITEHOUSE, Texas (AP) -- A Christmas card that crisscrossed the country as part of an old joke between two Texas men will rest this holiday for the first time in 61 years.
Acker Hanks mailed the card to his former neighbor Lee Kelley in 1950. Kelley, a prankster, mailed it back a year later.
The two continued sending the card back and forth, and when Kelley died, his widow mailed the tattered message for over a decade. Last year, it returned to Hanks unread. He believes Kelley's widow moved to a nursing home.
A list of dates and places in the worn card documents its journey. Hanks plans to frame it.
"I always looked forward to getting the card," he told the Tyler Morning Telegraph (http://bit.ly/vbaPyB ). "I don't think it'll ever leave me now."
---
Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Oil price drops below $97 a barrel (AP)
NEW YORK ? Growing concerns about the European debt crisis on Wednesday pulled oil prices down to their lowest level this month.
Benchmark crude fell $4.30, or 4.4 percent, to $95.84 per barrel in New York. Prices haven't been that low since Nov. 25. Brent crude, which is used to produce foreign oils that are imported by some U.S. refineries, lost $3.65, or 3.4 percent, at $105.43 a barrel in London.
A key indicator of Europe's debt problems, the euro, fell to its lowest level against the dollar in 11 months. The euro tumbled as economists warned that a new eurozone economic treaty won't go far enough to deal with its current troubles. New requirements for balanced budgets and more central control may keep nations from building sizable debts in the future, but they do little to chip away at the massive debts that are already on the books, experts said.
When the euro falls, it lifts the value of the dollar. Oil is priced in dollars, and it becomes more expensive ? and less attractive as an investment to foreign buyers ? as the dollar rises.
In the U.S., the government reported that oil demand fell by 5.6 percent compared to a year ago, while wholesale gasoline demand dropped by 4.5 percent. Demand for distillate fuel, which includes diesel, rose 1.8 percent and jet fuel demand fell 2.6 percent.
The Energy Information Administration report said the nation's oil supplies fell by about 2 million barrels last week. That was close to analysts' forecasts. Gasoline supplies rose by nearly twice what was expected.
Retail gasoline prices slipped by half a cent to a national average of $3.264 per gallon, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. A gallon of regular is about 15 cents cheaper than it was a month ago, but it's still nearly 29 cents higher than a year ago.
In other energy trading, heating oil lost 7 cents to $2.85 per gallon, while gasoline futures fell by 10 cents to $2.53 per gallon. Natural gas futures lost 12 cents to $3.16 per 1,000 cubic feet.
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Mint Founder?s New Project, Swift, Studies Personal Maglev Vehicles
Aaron Patzer, the founder of Mint, has a new project that he is spending half his time on (he continues to spend the other half as VP of Product Innovation at Intuit, which acquired Mint two years ago for $170 million). His new project is called Swift, and it is his vehicle (if you will) to exlore the feasibility of building a personal maglev vehicle transit system. "The goal is to see if I can develop a new transportation system to displace cars in most urban and suburban settings," he told me recently, "with the goal being 5x the speed, and bringing the cost of maglev from today's costs of $50m / mile down to $4-5m / mile, which would be the same as adding one lane of asphalt/concrete road. Not sure if it will pan out, as I'm deep in the science and simulation phase."Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/cvUohRNot1Y/
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Chinese health coverage increases with new government efforts
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 5-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Deborah Baum
deborah_baum@brown.edu
401-863-2478
Brown University
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Health care coverage increased dramatically in parts of China between 1997 and 2006, a period when government interventions were implemented to improve access to health care, with particularly striking upswings in rural areas, according to new research by Brown University sociologist Susan E. Short and Hongwei Xu of the University of Michigan. The findings appear in the December issue of Health Affairs.
Led by Xu, a former Brown graduate student, the study analyzed data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, which follows households in nine provinces that are home to more than 40 percent of China's population. Xu and Short specifically focused on patterns of coverage among rural and urban residents.
Their analysis shows that overall, the percentage of individuals in the sample with insurance increased from 24 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2004, then rose sharply to 49 percent in 2006. Furthermore, during that period, rural and urban levels of insurance coverage became more similar. Xu and Short call the increase in rural areas "nothing short of dramatic," saying that it likely benefited millions of rural Chinese residents.
"There's been great concern about increasing inequality in China, and particularly urban-rural inequalities," said Short, professor of sociology and faculty associate of Brown's Population Studies and Training Center. "This work shows that at least in one sphere health insurance coverage urban-rural inequality may be decreasing."
Location matters
The analysis revealed that levels and trends of health care coverage were significantly different depending on whether the individuals lived in urban or rural areas. In villages, the coverage rates declined from 1997 to 2000, while rates changed little in suburbs, cities, and towns during the same period. Notably, during that time, the government's efforts to establish a new rural insurance program was limited to a few pilot rural counties and did not include financial subsidies for the rural population.
However, after 2000, the coverage rate in villages began to rise, almost tripling between 2004 and 2006, from 17.9 percent to 51 percent. Rates also rose significantly in towns and suburbs during that time frame, but changed only modestly in cities. The dramatic rise in rural coverage rates coincided with the efforts to develop new insurance programs and provide increased subsidies for rural participants.
Short was surprised by the magnitude of change in rural villages. "It is especially impressive to see this pattern in data such as these, that follow the same individuals over time," she said. "We are witnessing real change in many people's lives in the way that urban, and especially rural, individuals experience health insurance coverage."
Reimbursement Rates
While the analysis shows higher rates of individual coverage, it also suggests that disparities may persist in the quality of insurance. Xu and Short found that residents of cities, suburbs, and towns experienced higher reimbursement rates for outpatient and inpatient care than insured villagers, indicating that insured urban residents continue to have an advantage over insured rural residents. However, the authors state that these results should be interpreted with caution due to incomplete self-reported reimbursement rates.
"The findings from this research highlight the recovery in health insurance coverage in general and more importantly the significant reduction in the rural-urban inequality in the coverage in particular largely due to the great efforts by the Chinese government, in a quite short time period," said Xu, a faculty fellow at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research at Michigan. "On the other hand, the suggestive finding of continued rural disadvantage in terms of health insurance benefits suggests we should not overestimate the success of the policy interventions."
Xu and Short hope that the study will further inform understanding as China strives to improve health insurance coverage for its citizens.
"The changing landscape of health and and health care in China, which is unfolding against a backdrop of rapid economic growth and growing inequalities, makes health insurance an important issue," Short said. "All families want to promote the best health they can for their loved ones. Understanding the changing landscape of health insurance is important to understanding how families accomplish this as well as the challenges that some face."
###
The research was supported in part by the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University. The PSTC receives core support from Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 5-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Deborah Baum
deborah_baum@brown.edu
401-863-2478
Brown University
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Health care coverage increased dramatically in parts of China between 1997 and 2006, a period when government interventions were implemented to improve access to health care, with particularly striking upswings in rural areas, according to new research by Brown University sociologist Susan E. Short and Hongwei Xu of the University of Michigan. The findings appear in the December issue of Health Affairs.
Led by Xu, a former Brown graduate student, the study analyzed data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, which follows households in nine provinces that are home to more than 40 percent of China's population. Xu and Short specifically focused on patterns of coverage among rural and urban residents.
Their analysis shows that overall, the percentage of individuals in the sample with insurance increased from 24 percent in 1997 to 28 percent in 2004, then rose sharply to 49 percent in 2006. Furthermore, during that period, rural and urban levels of insurance coverage became more similar. Xu and Short call the increase in rural areas "nothing short of dramatic," saying that it likely benefited millions of rural Chinese residents.
"There's been great concern about increasing inequality in China, and particularly urban-rural inequalities," said Short, professor of sociology and faculty associate of Brown's Population Studies and Training Center. "This work shows that at least in one sphere health insurance coverage urban-rural inequality may be decreasing."
Location matters
The analysis revealed that levels and trends of health care coverage were significantly different depending on whether the individuals lived in urban or rural areas. In villages, the coverage rates declined from 1997 to 2000, while rates changed little in suburbs, cities, and towns during the same period. Notably, during that time, the government's efforts to establish a new rural insurance program was limited to a few pilot rural counties and did not include financial subsidies for the rural population.
However, after 2000, the coverage rate in villages began to rise, almost tripling between 2004 and 2006, from 17.9 percent to 51 percent. Rates also rose significantly in towns and suburbs during that time frame, but changed only modestly in cities. The dramatic rise in rural coverage rates coincided with the efforts to develop new insurance programs and provide increased subsidies for rural participants.
Short was surprised by the magnitude of change in rural villages. "It is especially impressive to see this pattern in data such as these, that follow the same individuals over time," she said. "We are witnessing real change in many people's lives in the way that urban, and especially rural, individuals experience health insurance coverage."
Reimbursement Rates
While the analysis shows higher rates of individual coverage, it also suggests that disparities may persist in the quality of insurance. Xu and Short found that residents of cities, suburbs, and towns experienced higher reimbursement rates for outpatient and inpatient care than insured villagers, indicating that insured urban residents continue to have an advantage over insured rural residents. However, the authors state that these results should be interpreted with caution due to incomplete self-reported reimbursement rates.
"The findings from this research highlight the recovery in health insurance coverage in general and more importantly the significant reduction in the rural-urban inequality in the coverage in particular largely due to the great efforts by the Chinese government, in a quite short time period," said Xu, a faculty fellow at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research at Michigan. "On the other hand, the suggestive finding of continued rural disadvantage in terms of health insurance benefits suggests we should not overestimate the success of the policy interventions."
Xu and Short hope that the study will further inform understanding as China strives to improve health insurance coverage for its citizens.
"The changing landscape of health and and health care in China, which is unfolding against a backdrop of rapid economic growth and growing inequalities, makes health insurance an important issue," Short said. "All families want to promote the best health they can for their loved ones. Understanding the changing landscape of health insurance is important to understanding how families accomplish this as well as the challenges that some face."
###
The research was supported in part by the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University. The PSTC receives core support from Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/bu-chc120211.php
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
No. 3 Okla St makes BCS case in 44-10 win over OU (AP)
STILLWATER, Okla. ? A dominating performance made Oklahoma State a conference champion for the first time in decades. Now, the Cowboys want a shot at an even bigger title.
Joseph Randle ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Richetti Jones returned a fumble for a score and No. 3 Oklahoma State throttled No. 13 Oklahoma 44-10 Saturday night to win the Big 12 championship and make its case to play for the BCS national title.
The Cowboys (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) snapped an eight-game losing streak in the Bedlam rivalry and won their first outright conference title since 1948 in the three-team Missouri Valley.
Oklahoma State's defense, badmouthed much of the season while giving up big yardage but leading the nation in takeaways, forced the Sooners into five turnovers ? four of them by quarterback Landry Jones.
Fans started chanting "L-S-U!" midway through the fourth quarter with the victory well in hand, then stormed the field and tore down the goal posts when it was over.
While the top-ranked Tigers won the SEC championship Saturday to lock up a spot in the BCS title game, No. 2 Alabama sat at home idle after finishing second in its division. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, proved itself the best team in its state and its conference. But it's up to the voters, who had the Cowboys fifth in the coaches' poll and Harris poll, to decide whether Oklahoma State will play for the highest stakes.
Coach Mike Gundy proclaimed earlier this week that he considered the Crimson Tide to be the second-best team in the nation "right now" ? maybe because that's what he thought his team needed to hear that to get fired up and prove him wrong.
"Last week, I said Alabama should be there," Gundy said on the field after the game. "There's no question Oklahoma State should be No. 2 right now. No question."
For most of the 107 years of the Bedlam rivalry, the Sooners had the better team and more on the line.
But each of the past two years, Oklahoma came in with a lower ranking and still found a way to derail a couple of the best teams in Oklahoma State history ? first dashing any hopes of a BCS at-large berth two years ago and then taking away the Cowboys' shot at the Big 12 championship last season.
With all that history on their side, the Sooners came out looking to intimidate.
After coming onto the field, players ran into the west end zone for a pregame prayer and then lingered after it was over ? right outside the gate where the Cowboys were getting ready to run out. Coaches, game officials and security officers made them get out of the way.
The Sooners couldn't back up the pregame bluster, though.
Brandon Weeden's 53-yard pass to Tracy Moore set up Jeremy Smith's 9-yard touchdown run, and the Cowboys defense ? which entered the game ranked 107th out of 120 teams in the nation ? never needed any more than that.
Brodrick Brown outfought Jaz Reynolds to pick off Landry Jones' pass in the end zone and prevent an Oklahoma score, and Alex Elkins stripped the ball from the quarterback on a sack to set up a TD for the Cowboys.
Jamie Blatnick picked up the fumble and returned it 59 yards to the 1-yard line, and Randle scored on the next play to make it 17-0. Randle added a 2-yard run after Sam Proctor's holding penalty on a kickoff return backed the Sooners up, and they went three-and-out ? punting it back to Oklahoma State on a shortened field.
Richetti Jones made it 34-3 after Landry Jones reached back to pass the ball and fumbled it onto the turf, with the OSU defender bobbling it and then finally controlling it for a 5-yard return.
The Sooners got their only points on Michael Hunnicutt's 48-yard field goal at the end of the first half and Blake Bell's 28-yard TD scamper with 2:25 left in the game.
Gundy thinks there's more to the Cowboys than the nation's second-highest scoring offense, and he wants a chance to prove it against LSU and its second-ranked defense.
"We'd love to have that challenge. I think our defense is better than what other people say," Gundy said.
It ended up as Oklahoma's most lopsided defeat since losing the 2005 Orange Bowl against Southern California, and the second-biggest margin of victory for the Pokes in the series ? behind only a 47-0 shutout in 1945.
Oklahoma State's case to play against LSU in New Orleans next month will be hurt by a double-overtime loss 15 days earlier at Iowa State, which finished its season 6-6. It'll bolstered by five wins against teams in the BCS Top 25, compared to two for Alabama.
And, of course, the Cowboys will have the momentum from not only winning a conference title but doing it in dominating fashion against a team that was ranked No. 1 earlier this season.
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Gorgeous Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart ?Edward & Bella? Wedding Drawings @robartgallery
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Clinton meets Aung San Suu Kyi on Myanmar visit
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is meeting with opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) on a historic visit to Myanmar.
The two women were having a private dinner at the home of the top-ranking U.S. diplomat in Myanmar on Thursday before a more formal meeting at Suu Kyi's residence on Friday. It is the first time the pair ? two of the world's most recognized female political figures ? have met in person, though they have spoken by telephone. Clinton has often referred to Suu Kyi as a personal inspiration.
Clinton is in Myanmar to test the long isolated and repressive country's new civilian government on its commitment to reforms that have prompted Suu Kyi to participate in upcoming elections.
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Friday, December 2, 2011
AP Exclusive: Beckham visits abused kids in Manila
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham poses with former Filipino street children during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham poses with former Filipino street children during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham looks at an artwork made by former Filipino street children during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly soccer match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham plays soccer with former Filipino street children during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly soccer match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham tries his hand in sewing a pillow during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly soccer match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
In this photo released by UNICEF in Manila, British soccer player of the Los Angeles Galaxy and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham meets former Filipino street children during his visit to a UNICEF-supported government center for children rescued from the streets Friday, Dec. 2, 2011 in a suburb of Manila in the Philippines. Beckham is here for a friendly soccer match against the Philippines' Azkals team, in the second leg of his team's three-country-tour that included Indonesia and Australia. (AP Photo/UNICEF, Veejay Villafranca) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES
MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? Away from fans' prying eyes, David Beckham took time out from soccer to share his experiences and listen to Filipino children struggling to rebuild their broken lives.
"It's so important to have a dream," Beckham told the former street children Friday at a UNICEF-supported shelter in a suburb of Manila, the Philippine capital where he and his teammates from the Los Angeles Galaxy are playing an exhibition against the country's national team this weekend.
On the sidelines of the Galaxy's Manila trip, Beckham, who is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, visited the shelter for children who have been rescued from the streets. They shared tales of domestic abuse and crime ? some fell victim to drugs or were abandoned by their parents.
Wearing a black UNICEF T-shirt, the 36-year-old former England captain listened intently in a private conversation with a group of five children and told them how he started playing when he was 7 years old and eventually achieving his dream of playing for Manchester United.
UNICEF asked that the names of the children and the shelter not be disclosed to protect their privacy.
Conan, a 17-year-old who was abandoned by his parents when he was 7, told Beckham that he dreams of joining the Philippine team and later becoming a coach.
He played in the Street Children's Football World Cup last year in South Africa, where the Philippines beat South Africa 2-1.
The younger children were awe-struck while listening to one of the world's best known athletes.
One 12-year-old girl named Shaina said she wants to be a nurse to help the sick. She often held Beckham's hand as she and the other children guided him around the facility, unfazed by the tattoos that adorn his arms.
Beckham told the UNICEF staff it was incredible that the children had gone through "so much in such a short space of time in their young lives" and learned responsibility and respect.
He said he was lucky to have had the support of both his parents and it was "so sad to see so many children that don't have that support, don't have that love."
He later listened to JM, a former drug user who turned 18 on Friday, sing a rap song in the Filipino language on how drugs ruin lives. After a staff translated the song for Beckham, he gave him a double thumbs up, saying, "You're good!"
The shelter that houses 136 kids has a small soccer field surrounded by separate cottages for boys and girls, a school, a basketball court and a training facility where children learn to sew clothes and cut hair.
Beckham posed with the children for a picture wearing a blue graduation gown and cap made at the sewing room, where he also tried his hand at making a pillow case.
"What struck me the most about coming into the center was it was a real happy place, a real inspiring place," he told The Associated Press. "They are teaching kids unbelievable values. Every child I spoke to today ? they all have dreams, they all have inspirations."
A father of four children, Beckham said it was "heartbreaking to think majority of these children haven't got parents, or haven't got parents to care for them and love them."
Beckham said that because of work, it's been difficult for him "to do some of the things I would like to do ? going out into the field like I obviously have today."
"I think it is important to raise awareness to many issues around the world, many worries around the world," he said. "In my position, thankfully, I can create that kind of interest and awareness to things that are happening around the world."
A highlight of his visit was a brief practice followed by a short game in which he joined one half of the shelter's team.
The star sweated under the midday sun as he helped their shoeless goalkeeper. His side lost 1-0.
___
Online:
www.unicef.ph
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Peyton Manning Update: Doctor Says Neck Fusion Has Healed Firmly For Colts QB
INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning will increase the intensity of his workouts though he has not yet been cleared to practice.
In a statement released by the Colts on Thursday night, Dr. Robert Watkins says the fusion performed on Manning's neck has achieved "firm fixation."
When Manning last spoke to reporters about his health, a month ago, he was still waiting for that to take place.
"I am encouraged with what Doc had to say," Manning said. "I am happy that I can increase my rehabilitation program as outlined by him ... and the Colts' medical staff. I am hopeful for continued progress in this next phase of my rehab."
Manning's latest neck surgery on Sept. 8 was his third in 19 months and the most complex. He has not been able to practice since, but the Colts (0-11) have kept him on the active roster in hopes he could start throwing passes later this month.
Watkins says it's believed Manning will continue to heal.
"X-ray and CT examination of the surgical area shows that the fusion performed in September has achieved firm fixation," Watkins said. "Peyton will now be allowed to increase the intensity and breadth of his workouts as tolerated. There remains every indication that his recovery will continue.
"There still is no timetable for Peyton's return to practice, which is one of many steps in his expected return to game action. He is working hard on a rehabilitation program. ... His response to this plan in the future will dictate his return date."
The Colts have fallen apart without Manning, who had never missed a game since being drafted No. 1 overall in 1998. His streak of 227 consecutive starts, including playoffs, ended when he missed the season opener at Houston.
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Monday, November 28, 2011
US turns up pressure on Egypt's military, urges transfer to civilian rule
The White House released a statement Friday that calls for a speedy transfer to ?just and inclusive? civilian rule in Egypt. The statement came as tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo?s Tahrir Square.
The US turned up the pressure on Egypt?s interim military rulers Friday with a White House statement calling for a speedy transfer to ?just and inclusive? civilian rule.
Skip to next paragraphEven as Egyptians prepared for a new show of force by pro-democracy protesters in Cairo?s Tahrir Square, the US pivoted from its earlier veiled admonitions to the military, instead giving outright support to the latest round of protests.
?The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately,? the White House said.
?Most importantly,? the statement by press secretary Jay Carney added, ?we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible.?
The demand for an inclusive transition appeared to reflect mounting concerns among Egypt?s secular pro-democracy forces that the military leadership is fashioning a power-sharing arrangement with the country?s largest civilian political power, the Muslim Brotherhood, to the detriment of secular political parties.
The White House statement came as tens of thousands of protesters gathered Friday in Tahrir Square, the seat of Egypt?s revolution that in February deposed longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The protesters want the interim ruling power, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to make way immediately for a transitional civilian government. But at the same time, the protesters are demanding postponement of elections set to begin Monday.
The elections are supposed to deliver a parliament that will be tasked with writing a new Egyptian constitution. The deeply rooted Muslim Brotherhood is heavily favored to emerge triumphant from the elections as Egypt?s largest political force. Protesters want more time before elections for other political parties to organize and compete with the Islamists.
Not all Egyptians favor postponing the elections, however, and such a split could augur poorly for the country?s stability in coming months.
A counterdemonstration in support of Monday?s elections sprouted Friday outside Egypt?s Interior Ministry. Demonstrators at that site shouted a claim of representing the ?real Egypt,? according to Agence France-Presse.
The new US pressure on Egypt?s military is not without its potential downsides. The US could find itself alienating a key American ally and guarantor of Egypt?s stability. And it?s advocating on behalf of political forces that may be much less favorable to the US and have a more tenuous grasp on the country?s stability.
The US provides the Egyptian military with more than $1 billion a year in aid and trains many of its officers. The military has long been a pro-American force in a population less disposed to supporting US goals in the region.
Another potential source of tumult is the military?s appointment Thursday of a former Mubarak-era official, Kamal Ganzouri, as prime minister for an interim civilian cabinet. Mr. Ganzouri is considered a potential presidential candidate, but his association with the Mubarak regime has also led many Egyptians to publicly dismiss him as a ?dinosaur.?
Ganzouri?s appointment could be good news for Egypt?s economic prospects, given his past work with international financial institutions. But some cast doubt over whether he will last or indeed ever take office.
?He appears to be an ideal candidate,? says Said Hirsh, Middle East economist with Capital Economics in Toronto, noting Ganzouri?s role in improving Egypt?s relations with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the 1990s. ?However, regardless of his economic credentials, the fact that he is associated with the previous regime means that news of his appointment is unlikely to help calm protests.?
In any case, the appointment is unlikely to help Egypt ?avoid a full-blown political and economic crisis,? says Mr. Hirsh, who questions whether a Ganzouri government ?will even see the light of day.?
The White House statement Friday reflects gradually increasing pressure on the interim military rulers. That pressure began early this month when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech to democracy advocates.
?The truth is that the greatest single source of instability in today?s Middle East is not the demand for change. It is the refusal to change,? Secretary Clinton said in a Nov. 7 speech to Washington?s National Democratic Institute.
?If ? over time ? the most powerful political force in Egypt remains a roomful of unelected officials,? she went on, ?they will have planted the seeds for future unrest, and Egyptians will have missed a historic opportunity.??
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