IndyCar: Wheldon killed when head hit fencing post (AP)

Dan Wheldon was killed when his head hit a post in the fencing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ? contact that created a "non-survivable injury" to the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.

The cause of death was revealed Thursday when IndyCar presented its findings of the Oct. 16 accident in the season finale. The crash collected 15 cars, including Wheldon, who came from behind the initial contact, launched over spinning cars and sailed about 325 feet into the catchfence.

Although the contact with the post killed Wheldon, the investigation determined several factors contributed to what became a "perfect storm."

"The accident was significant due to the number of race cars damaged, but more importantly due to the non-survivable injuries to Dan Wheldon," the report said. "While several factors coincided to produce a "perfect storm," none of them can be singled out as the sole cause of the accident.

"For this reason, it is impossible to determine with certainty that the result would have been any different if one or more of the factors did not exist."

The race had a season-high 34 cars, but IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said Thursday the field could have had as many as 37 drivers based on the size of both the track and the pit lane. The season finale was held on Vegas' high-banked 1.5-mile oval with multiple racing grooves, which IndyCar president Brian Barnhart said created "nearly unlimited movement on the track surface under race conditions."

That, not the construction of the fencing, played a larger role in Wheldon's death.

Barnhart admitted IndyCar was not prepared for the drivers to have free reign on a wide-open race track.

Most ovals have only one or two racing grooves, which the report said "restrict drivers' naturally aggressive racing behavior (and) make the location of other competitors' cars on the race track predictable."

Because this was IndyCar's first visit to Las Vegas since 2000, the majority of the field was not experienced on the variable banking or wide surface.

But drivers did predict racing at Las Vegas could be hairy as early as preseason testing. Marco Andretti was one of the first drivers to publicly question the track, which would "be easily wide open, which is going to create a big pack. It's going to be fun for the fans. I like those races, but it'll be dangerous."

That mantra was repeated in the buildup to Las Vegas by many top-name drivers and all weekend as speeds inched toward 220 mph in practice sessions.

Yet IndyCar was surprised when the race began.

"I don't think we were expecting it to be any different from what we'd experienced in the last decade at places like Chicagoland, Kentucky, Fontana and Texas; places like that where while there is the ability to run flat and there's multiple grooves, you couldn't run from the top of the race track to the bottom," Barnhart said.

"We were never expecting to be able to run from the top to the bottom (at Las Vegas)."

Barnhart stressed IndyCar "never" gets a chance to duplicate race conditions, so no amount of testing or practice would have prepared anyone for what happened when the race began.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway president Chris Powell said track officials will work with IndyCar in hopes "the series might return to LVMS in the future."

To do that, Barnhart said it's imperative for IndyCar to establish guidelines for the drivers to follow going future on surfaces such as Las Vegas, and the series needs to look at aerodynamic changes that make the cars "more challenging to drive."

"We need to create a limit," he said. "They have to understand there is a line they can't cross."

IndyCar also addressed the $5 million promotion that featured Wheldon.

Wheldon was making just his third start of the season and chasing the incentive offered by Bernard to any non-IndyCar regular who could drive from the back of the field to win the race. Wheldon would have split the money with a fan selected in a random drawing.

Allowing Wheldon to take the challenge was a stretch ? he won 14 races on ovals, including the Indy 500 earlier last season ? but because he sat out the season, he technically qualified for the bonus.

But Wheldon felt he was up for the challenge.

He was the in-race reporter for ABC during the event, and spoke with the announcers during the warm-up laps. In a brief interview, Wheldon defended his participation and the entire IndyCar Series.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think that I could win," he said from his car. "Certainly I am not underestimating the talent of the other drivers in the field. I think IndyCar has got a phenomenal field right now."

Wheldon was killed minutes later when the crash began ahead of him at the start of the 12th lap. He had picked his way through the field and gained at least 10 spots when he came upon the accident and had nowhere to go to avoid the spinning cars and flying debris.

The report found that although Wheldon stayed low on the race track and appeared to be attempting to avoid the cluster of cars spinning toward the top ? he had slowed from 224 mph to 165 ? his path was blocked by other cars. His first contact with another car sent him airborne and into the catchfence.

Las Vegas is owned by Speedway Motor Sports Inc., and the organization has spent considerable money on research into fencing. SMI owner Bruton Smith is adamant his fences are the strongest and safest in the business, and he makes no apologies for constructing them with the posts inside the wiring.

Barnhart said there is no indication Wheldon would have survived had the post been on the outside of the mesh wiring.

"It does not look like the position of the mesh fabric would have changed the consequences of this accident at all," Barnhart said. "Sometimes the forces are too great. The small fabric is not there to retain a car. That's the object of the post and the cables. The location of the fabric would not have changed the outcome at all, but as we've said, our preference is for it to be on the inside."

But questions remain about Las Vegas' future on the IndyCar schedule.

Bernard had a three-year lease agreement with the track to stage the season finale at Las Vegas through 2013 but came to an agreement with SMI last week to buy out next year's portion of the contract.

"I think Las Vegas is a great city, a resort destination, and our fans and sponsors ? everyone loves the city," Bernard said. "But I don't want to go back there if the conditions aren't right, it isn't safe, for our race cars."

IndyCar plans on judging all high-banked ovals individually going forward and said the Wheldon accident could not be blamed on the banking. That leaves room for a deal to be worked out with Texas Motor Speedway, one of the most popular venues on the IndyCar schedule.

No sanctioning agreement between Texas and IndyCar has been worked out, but Bernard indicated he'd like to have the 2012 schedule announced by Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_indycar_wheldon_investigation

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Sandusky waives hearing, vows to fight charges (AP)

BELLEFONTE, Pa. ? Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky opted against forcing his accusers to make their claims of child sex abuse in a packed courtroom Tuesday but then took his case to the courthouse steps as his lawyer assailed the credibility of the alleged victims and witnesses.

"There will be no plea negotiations," defense lawyer Joseph Amendola said. "This is a fight to the death."

Waiving such a preliminary hearing is not unusual but it was unexpected in this case: Amendola repeatedly had said his client was looking forward to facing his accusers. Afterward, he called the cancellation a "tactical decision" to prevent the men from reiterating the same claims they made to the grand jury.

Lawyers for the alleged victims said some were relieved they would not have to make their claims in public before a trial, but others said they had steeled themselves to face Sandusky and were left disappointed.

"It would have been apparent from watching those boys and their demeanor that they were telling the truth," said Howard Janet, a lawyer for a boy whose mother contacted police in 1998 after her son allegedly showered with Sandusky.

Sandusky has denied the allegations, which led to the departures of longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and the university president. He is charged with more than 50 counts that accuse him of sexually abusing 10 boys over the span of 12 years.

Amendola said he believed some of the young men may have trumped up their claims and that others may came forward in a bid to make money by suing Sandusky, Penn State and the charity Sandusky founded.

"We're pursuing a financial motivation," Amendola said, "Finances and money are great motivators."

Michael Boni, a lawyer representing an accuser known as Victim 1, said Amendola was "reaching into his bag of tricks."

"I can tell you that Victim No. 1 is credible. He was the first one to come forward," he said.

Sandusky told reporters as he left the courthouse that he would "stay the course, to fight for four quarters" and "wait for the opportunity to present our side."

Many defendants waive preliminary hearings, during which prosecutors must show that they have probable cause to bring the case to trial. Prosecutors in this case were expected to meet that relatively low bar, in part because the case been through a grand jury.

Senior Deputy Attorney General E. Marc Costanzo said the move "provides maximum protection to most importantly the victims in this case."

"It avoids their having to testify for a second time," Costanzo said. "They will of course testify at a trial in the case."

Costanzo also said there had been no discussions about a plea bargain.

Sandusky also will waive his next court appearance, an arraignment, that had been scheduled for Jan. 11, Amendola said. He remains under house arrest.

The accusers who were prepared to testify were split in their reactions to the hearing being canceled.

Boni said he was encouraged that the accusers "do not have to relive the horrors they experience up on the witness stand" by having to testify at the hearing and at trial.

Ben Andreozzi, a lawyer representing another accuser, read a statement from his client, who called it the most difficult time of his life.

"I can't believe they put us through this until the last second," the statement read. "I still will stand my ground, testify and speak the truth."

Ken Suggs, another attorney for one of the accusers, called Sandusky a "coward" for not facing the young men.

Witnesses have contended before the grand jury that Sandusky committed a range of sexual offenses against boys as young as 10, assaulting them in hotel swimming pools, the basement of his home in State College and in the locker room showers at Penn State, where the 67-year-old former assistant football coach once built a national reputation as a defensive mastermind.

Sandusky has told NBC and The New York Times that his relationship to the boys who said he abused them was like that of an extended family. Sandusky characterized his experiences with the children as "precious times" and said the physical aspect of the relationships "just happened that way" and didn't involve abuse.

Amendola said Sandusky was always emotional and physical ? "a loving guy, an affectionate guy" ? who never did anything illegal. The lawyer likened Sandusky's behavior to his own Italian family in which "everybody hugged and kissed each other."

Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, a year after the first known abuse allegation reached police when a mother told investigators Sandusky had showered with her son during a visit to the Penn State football facilities. Accusations surfaced again in 2002, when graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported another alleged incident of abuse to Paterno and other university officials.

The grand jury probe began only in 2009, after a teen complained that Sandusky, then a volunteer coach at his high school, had abused him.

Sandusky first groomed him with gifts and trips in 2006 and 2007, then sexually assaulted him more than 20 times in 2008 through early 2009, the teen told the grand jury.

Amendola on Tuesday attacked McQueary by citing an anonymously sourced newspaper report that claimed the former graduate assistant changed his story when speaking to a family friend. The defense attorney said McQueary would derail the prosecution and other accusers also would be questioned.

"McQueary was always the centerpiece of the prosecution's case," he said.

No one answered the door at Mike McQueary's home and his father, John, told The Associated Press that he wouldn't respond to Amendola's comments.

Sandusky founded The Second Mile, an organization to help struggling children, in 1977, and built it into a major charitable organization, headquartered in State College with offices in other parts of Pennsylvania.

Two university officials have been charged with perjury and failure to report suspected abuse ? athletic director Tim Curley and former university vice president Gary Schultz. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday in Harrisburg.

Curley has been placed on leave and Schultz has returned to retirement in the wake of their arrests. The scandal brought down university president Graham Spanier and longtime coach Paterno, who was fired last month.

Meanwhile, officials at Juniata College said Tuesday that Sandusky insinuated himself into the school's football program last year, despite being denied an official position because he failed a background check.

Sandusky had sought a volunteer coaching position at the Division III school in May 2010, more than a year after a high school where he volunteered began investigating his contact with a student there.

Sandusky attended Juniata practices and games despite the athletic director's directives to the then-head coach that Sandusky couldn't associate with the team, a school spokesman said.

The spokesman, John Wall, said the school has since taken steps to ensure better communication between coaches and administrators.

___

Associated Press writer Genaro C. Armas in Bellefonte and Randy Pennell in Philadelphia contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_sp_ot/us_penn_state_abuse

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Antitrust case against Microsoft goes to jury

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2011 photo, Bill Gates arrives to testify at the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City. Closing arguments are set Tuesday Dec. 13,2011 in a $1 billion federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. Novell Inc. claims the software giant duped it into working on a new version of the WordPerfect writing program only to withdraw support months before Microsoft's Windows 95 was released. Novell claims it was later forced to sell WordPerfect for a $1 billion loss. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart,File)

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2011 photo, Bill Gates arrives to testify at the Frank E. Moss federal courthouse in Salt Lake City. Closing arguments are set Tuesday Dec. 13,2011 in a $1 billion federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. Novell Inc. claims the software giant duped it into working on a new version of the WordPerfect writing program only to withdraw support months before Microsoft's Windows 95 was released. Novell claims it was later forced to sell WordPerfect for a $1 billion loss. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart,File)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? A judge says he will turn the $1 billion antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. over to a jury Wednesday morning.

Novell Inc. claims Microsoft duped it into developing the once-popular WordPerfect writing program for Windows 95, only to pull the plug so Microsoft could gain market share with its own product.

Novell says it was later forced to sell WordPerfect for a $1.2 billion loss.

Microsoft counters that Novell made a series of poor business choices that left WordPerfect struggling to catch up with Windows technology.

Novell acquired WordPerfect in 1994. The company was wildly successful in the 1980s, making billions of dollars.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-12-14-Antitrust%20Lawsuit-Microsoft/id-82db23c112794fb9b5a15b78ca1fef59

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Scientists find monster black holes, biggest yet (AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ? Scientists have found the biggest black holes known to exist ? each one 10 billion times the size of our sun.

A team led by an astronomer at the University of California at Berkeley discovered the two gigantic black holes in clusters of galaxies 300 million light years away. That's relatively close on the galactic scale.

The previous black hole record-holder is as large as 6 billion suns. A black hole is formed by the collapse of a super-size star. It's a region where nothing, not even light, can escape.

The scientists say their findings suggest differences in the way black holes grow, depending on the size of the galaxy.

The research was released Monday by the journal Nature.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111205/ap_on_sc/us_sci_black_holes

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Sickle Cell Disease Tied to 'Silent Strokes' in Children (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Children with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, who also have high blood pressure and/or anemia are at increased risk for so-called "silent strokes," according to a new study.

Silent strokes, which cause no symptoms, "are typically seen in older adults, and these findings give us additional insight into why they tend to occur so often in children with sickle cell disease," senior study investigator Dr. James Casella, director of hematology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in a center news release.

Casella and his colleagues performed MRI brain scans on 814 children with sickle cell disease, aged 5 to 15, and found that 31 percent of them had suffered silent strokes. None of the children had a history of strokes or seizures, and none showed any signs of stroke at the time of the study.

After examining the children's medical histories, the researchers concluded that anemia and high blood pressure individually increased the risk of silent stroke in the study participants, but the combination of the two carried the highest risk.

Among these sickle cell patients, those with the highest systolic blood pressure (the top number in their blood pressure reading) was above 113 and the lowest hemoglobin (below 7.6 grams per deciliter) had a nearly four times greater risk of silent stroke than those with the lowest blood pressure and highest hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Anemia is defined by low levels of hemoglobin.

Compared to children with the lowest blood pressure readings, those with the highest blood pressure had a 1.7 times greater risk of silent stroke. And the risk was more than doubled for kids with the lowest hemoglobin levels versus kids with the highest hemoglobin levels, the investigators found.

The researchers said their findings highlight the need to identify children with sickle cell disease who have early signs of anemia and high blood pressure, both of which are modifiable risk factors. The findings may also lead to new treatments for sickle cell disease.

The study was published online Nov. 17 in the journal Blood.

While extremely rare in children overall, stroke is a common complication in children with sickle cell disease. Nearly 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease. The disease, inherited from both parents, causes red blood cells to take the shape of crescents or sickles, and results in less oxygen being delivered to the body's tissues. These fragile cells can interrupt blood flow when they get stuck in small blood vessels. Patients with sickle cell disease require ongoing treatment, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.

More information

The Nemours Foundation has more about sickle cell disease.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111203/hl_hsn/sicklecelldiseasetiedtosilentstrokesinchildren

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Investing in 'place,' branding a region ? Maine Business ? Bangor ...

During the last decade, think tanks such as the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) began articulating the economic development need and value of investing in ?place.? According to RUPRI, the principles for place policy need to be ?clear, measurable and carefully evaluated goals [that] should guide investment and regulation.? The process encourages regional and community development by building partnerships in a flexible and collaborative environment to address complex problems in an integrated manner. We had seen the decade of small-business growth, entrepreneurship and innovation as a means to expand regional economies. We were now encouraged to make a strategic investment in ?place.?

Whether it?s private business development or private philanthropic foundations seeking to make a change to the local economy or add to the educational and cultural experience or public funds through federal, state and local governments, investing in ?place? seemed to have the greatest possibility of sustainability and return on investment.

As more communities begin to develop regional place-based systems and policies, it is critically important that regions have identity. What is a region? What are the assets? What is the culture? How are we unique? All are questions that must be asked if a competitive advantage can be gained by the region. Simply modifying the process and investing in place absent a brand will not work. Therefore, ?place branding? is a requirement and appropriate continuation of place investment.

Branding of a region brings together the assets that make the place special and it empowers a region or place to build on all its strengths. This effort creates a new restraint that focuses on the vision and the assets of a region. It deters a return to the prior silos, turf and singular asset development of the old economic development efforts.

Branding brings new leadership and a more creative approach to both internal and external understanding of the place. Branding enables a place to build on all its strengths and make sense out of the often confused and contradictory current and future identity.

The brand of a region must not be telling quality of place, which is merely publicity or commercial, but rather, the brand must communicate the actions and growth of the region?s special strengths and assets. Like any business, the region must compete in a global context if it is to grow by attracting investment, events and talent. A region cannot allow itself to be branded by the marketplace. The region must be proactive and ensure that its reputation is built on the qualities it holds that are positive, unique, attractive and sustainable. It is very easy for a region to become famous for the wrong reasons; it is a more challenging effort to brand globally and locally. From a local perspective, the brand must be understood in both the Bangor region and in Oslo, Norway, for instance.

Not only does a brand need to come from the region?s vision and assets, the brand must also drive the competitiveness of the vision and assets. It needs to be understood and supported and must drive its audience to action. It must be seen as something that enriches the region?s people and place.

A brand requires investment and collaboration. Once brand is developed, it must be implemented by all of the institutions and organizations within the region. It must be consistently and constantly reinforced and never confused in the marketplace by differing messages from groups that may not choose to use the brand.

In the early 21st century, geopolitical and economic regions in Maine have been actively working toward strategies that ?invest in place.? The next logical step is developing and implementing the branding effort. To do so requires transparency, clear communication, collaboration and participation by many stakeholders because these are the steps that will determine if the investment in place will perform successfully now and in the future.

Michael W. Aube is president of Eastern Maine Development Corporation in Bangor. He is a past commissioner of Maine?s Department of Economic and Community Development and former state director of Maine USDA Rural Development.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/2011/12/01/business/investing-in-%E2%80%98place%E2%80%99-branding-a-region/

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Romney, Gingrich proceed carefully in GOP showdown (The Arizona Republic)

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Pakistan questions its role in US war on terror

ISLAMABAD ?? Enraged by a NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 soldiers, Pakistan is considering withdrawing its support for the U.S.-led war on terror if its sovereignty is violated again, the foreign minister suggested in comments published on Thursday.

The South Asian nation has already shown its anger over the weekend strike by pulling out of an international conference in Germany next week on Afghanistan. It stood by that decision on Wednesday, depriving the talks of a central player in efforts to bring peace to its neighbor.

"Enough is enough. The government will not tolerate any incident of spilling even a single drop of any civilian or soldier's blood," The News newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar as telling a Senate committee on foreign affairs.

U.S.-Pakistan relations, a new 'all-time low'?

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"Pakistan's role in the war on terror must not be overlooked," Khar said, suggesting Pakistan could end its support for the U.S. war on militancy. Despite opposition at home, Islamabad backed Washington after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

'Sacrifices'
Pakistan says it has paid the highest price of any country engaged in the war on militancy. Thousands of soldiers and police have been killed.

"The sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terror are more than any other country," Khar was quoted as saying. "But that does not mean we will compromise on our sovereignty."

Pakistan military sources also said it had cancelled a visit by a 15-member delegation, led by the Director General of the Joint Staff, Lieutenant-General Mohammad Asif, to the United States that was to have taken place this week.

NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military border posts in northwest Pakistan on Saturday in the worst incident of its kind since 2001.

Pakistani and American officials have offered different accounts of the airstrike. But it seems clear that a breakdown in communication contributed to the tragedy.

According to U.S. military records described to The Associated Press, the incident occurred when a joint U.S. and Afghan patrol requested backup after being hit by mortar and small arms fire by Taliban militants. Before responding, the joint U.S.-Afghan patrol first checked with the Pakistani army, which reported it had no troops in the area, the military account said.

Pakistani officials have refuted this claim and said U.S. forces must have known they were attacking Pakistani soldiers because the posts were clearly marked on maps given to NATO and the two sides were in contact immediately before and during the airstrikes.

Pakistani military sources said the attack came in two waves.

"The attack began at around 12:05 a.m. and lasted for about 30 minutes, when the contacts were made and it was discontinued," one source told Reuters.

The source said NATO helicopter gunships and jet fighters came back after 35 minutes. The Pakistanis returned fire in a battle that lasted for another 45 minutes.

Pakistan releases 1st pics of attacked border posts

When it was over, 24 Pakistani soldiers were dead and 13 wounded.

The two posts in question ? Volcano and Boulder ? are perched about 8,000 feet high on a ridgeline near the Afghan border. They are among about 28 such posts in Mohmand Agency set up to prevent cross-border movements by Taliban militants, another military source said.

The source said that there were no militants in the area, however, because they had been flushed out by a Pakistani military operation conducted over the year.

'Not a deliberate attack'
The top U.S. military officer denied allegations by a senior Pakistani army official that the NATO attack was a deliberate act of aggression.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters in an interview: "The one thing I will say publicly and categorically is that this was not a deliberate attack.

The army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history and sets security and foreign policy, faced strong criticism from both the Pakistani public and the United States after Osama bin Laden was killed in a secret raid by U.S. special forces in May.

The al-Qaida leader had apparently been living in a Pakistani garrison town for years.

Slideshow: Pakistan: A nation in turmoil (on this page)

Pakistanis criticized the military for failing to protect their sovereignty and U.S. officials wondered whether some members of military intelligence had sheltered him. Pakistan's government and military said they had no idea bin Laden was in the country.

The army seems to have regained its confidence and won the support of the public and the government in a country where anti-American sentiment often runs high.

Protests have taken place in several cities every day since the NATO strike along the poorly-defined border, where militants often plan and stage attacks.

Story: US prepares to vacate Pakistan drone base

Meanwhile, Pakistan resumed some cooperation with U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan to prevent another cross-border incident from escalating, a spokesman said Wednesday.

NATO said Islamabad communicated with the alliance to prevent an exchange of fire over the border late Tuesday from turning into another international incident.

U.S. forces received mortar and recoilless rifle fire from an area just inside the Pakistan border, said U.S. spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Badura. U.S. forces returned fire in self-defense while confirming with the Pakistani military that it wasn't involved. No damage or casualties were reported by the U.S. or Pakistan, he said.

German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a NATO spokesman in Kabul, expressed hope that Pakistan's cooperation in resolving the incident in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province signaled the two sides could recover from the recent tragedy.

The Pakistani military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the latest incident.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45505397/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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Melrose 2 fund suing Paramount for film profits (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? The investor group Melrose 2 is suing Paramount Pictures, claiming it put up $375 million to finance the "Transformers" movies and other projects, but hasn't received any of the profits.

According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court Tuesday, Paramount "understated the revenues received in connection with the exploitation of the Melrose 2-funded films."

Melrose 2 is suing for breach of contract, fraud and unfair business practices.

Paramount did not immediately comment Tuesday.

The fund helped pay for 29 films, including "Mission Impossible 3," "Charlotte's Web," "Dreamgirls," "Flags of Our Fathers," "Blades of Glory," "Jackass 2" and all three "Transformers" movies. In total, the films have grossed nearly $7 billion.

In a written statement, Melrose 2's lawyer, Mark Holscher, said, "Paramount has deliberately inflated losses and under-reported gross receipts."

Melrose 2 is a follow-up to the 2004 Melrose Investors fund. That fund invested $225 million in 25 Paramount films. Merrill Lynch and the investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort arranged the Melrose deal. Dresdner Kleinwort led Melrose 2.

The lawsuit says that in September 2006, Paramount and Melrose 2 made a deal for the new fund to pay up to 25 percent of production costs of as many as 30 movies.

"The funding provided by Melrose 2 has served defendants well financially," the lawsuit says. "To date, Paramount has taken in more than $600 million in distribution fees alone from the Melrose 2-funded films, in addition to the untold amounts in actual profits."

The claim adds, "Five years after the agreement was signed, Melrose 2 still has not seen a dollar of profit from its $375 million investment. ... This lopsided distribution of earnings comes about as a direct result of defendants' practice of understating gross receipts, delaying payments to Melrose 2, overstating production and distribution costs and hindering Melrose 2's ability to exercise its audit rights."

As an example, the lawsuit says that Paramount claimed that "Flags of Our Fathers" cost nearly twice its budgeted amount, but refused to provide documentation to the investors.

"Similarly, in connection with a later audit, defendants failed to provide the domestic and foreign production cost records for 'Dreamgirls' and 'Norbit,'" the lawsuit says.

Additionally, the suit says, Paramount has "been cagey about other sources of revenue."

It says that "although there appears to be a fair amount of product placement in Melrose 2-funded films such as 'Transformers,' 'Heartbreak Kid,' 'Blades of Glory' and 'Shooter,'" Paramount refuses to provide any formal accounting of any such advertising deals.

As a consequence, the suit adds, the fund cannot determine "whether it was properly credited for cost reductions in connection with those deals."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/enindustry/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/media_nm/us_paramount_lawsuit

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Telecommuting a bad option for stressed parents

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Telecommuting parents have little chance to escape the messy world of parenting, a new study suggests.

By Linda Carroll

If you?re considering telecommuting to salve your stress from the constant juggling of work and family, think again.

A new study shows that ?telework? takes a toll on the very employees who might desire this option most ? those who feel especially torn between job responsibilities and family. For these people, the more hours spent working at home, the higher the risk of burnout, according to the report, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology.

That?s because when job and family are in the same place, some workers feel there is no chance for downtime ?no respite or time to relax, said Timothy Golden, an associate professor of management at the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

?A teleworker may feel conflict more because you?re being constantly reminded of your home role: whether it?s what you need to do as a parent or household chores,? Golden said. ?And that can make exhaustion worse."

Live Poll

Does work disrupt your family life?

• 167436

  Yes, I wish I had more time with my family.

  47%

• 167437

  No, I have good work-life balance.

  45%

• 167438

  I don't have a job.

  8%

VoteTotal Votes: 1528

Golden surveyed 316 employees from a large computer company that allows workers to? telecommute and to work with a flexible time schedules.

To ferret out the level of job/family conflict, Golden asked employees to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 how strongly they agreed with statements such as, ?My work keeps me from my family activities more than I would like,? ?Due to pressures at work, sometimes when I am at home I am too stressed to do the things I enjoy,? ?The time I spend on family responsibilities often interferes with my work responsibilities,? and ? Because I am often stressed from family responsibilities, I have a hard time concentrating on my work.?

Golden also surveyed the employees about their level of exhaustion. Study volunteers were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 how strongly they agreed with statements such as, ?I feel emotionally drained by my work.?

Telecommuting was a boon to workers who felt little or no conflict between work and family. But those who were the most torn between home and work responsibilities showed increasing levels of exhaustion as hours spent teleworking rose.

Still, Golden said,? even among those who feel strong conflict, telecommuting can be a good choice if it?s done right. That means having clear boundaries, both mental and physical ? such as a door to one?s home office ? between work and family.

?Telework, if it?s done well, can be very beneficial,? he added. ?You save time commuting. You don?t have to deal with the stress of being delayed on your way to work because of traffic or weather.?You have the comfort of working where you want to. But you have to think ahead of time about what might impact you if you?re working from home.?

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/11/8757570-telecommuting-might-not-wrong-answer-for-stressed-out-parents

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Natalie Wood Investigation: Unlikely to Yield Results

The death of Natalie Wood has remained a mystery for 30 years, but some in the L.A. County D.A.'s Office are puzzled as to why the investigation was re-opened.

They say it's extremely unlikely that the D.A. is going to prosecute the late actress' then-husband, Robert Wagner, or anyone else for her tragic 1981 drowning.

Although the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. says Wagner isn't a suspect, it's pretty clear that as the last person to see Natalie Wood alive, he's a person of interest.

Be that as it may, the statute of limitations has long since expired.

Natalie Wood Interview

Under California law, even if (and it's a big if) Robert Wagner accidentally pushed Natalie Wood into the water, or failed to report her missing quickly, that's not murder.

The most he could be charged with is involuntary manslaughter, of which there's a statute of limitations of three years. In other words, he'd be in the clear 27 years ago. 

Same with regular manslaughter, which has a statute of three. Second-degree murder has a limit of six. Only first-degree murder has no statute of limitations. 

Proving that is next to impossible, as there were no witnesses other than Wagner.

So short of a bizarre confession by the veteran actor or someone else, don't expect any charges to be pressed, no matter what shady allegations are made.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/natalie-wood-investigation-unlikely-to-yield-results/

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Growing protest pushes back troops in Tahrir Square (San Jose Mercury News)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/164563184?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Maggie Lyon : 6 Simple Steps to Find Peace Within Yourself

We all ultimately wish for peace. The trouble is that we are taught to believe that battles need to be fought and won to earn it. But what if our steps towards peace were instead steps of studying and dismantling those battles? To do this, it is best to start with the most intimate ones we know and the ones we least want to address, the burning and entangled battles within ourselves.

What are yours? Conversely, how are you stepping toward inner peace?

My most significant battle over the years has been with my body. Because of my history with allergies, eating disorder, acne, parasitic infection, and all the repercussions from the infection, it has at times been impossible not to think of my body as having turned against me. It has indeed been stranglingly hard not to see my body as an enemy. As a result, a huge part of my work on my meditation cushion, my yoga mat, in my journal and my therapist's office, has been in uncovering peace, or a profound sense of ease and friendship within this physical body.

Here's my path to inner peace and one that I hope resonates with you:

1. Commit to truly awakening peace and to no longer being in combat with yourself. Set peace as a deep intention, not only reserved for more tranquil moments over the weekend or on holiday when it always feels easier to give yourself a break. Better to use these moments to draw on this very minute, especially if you're going through a rough patch, or basically at any chance you get.

2. Create a safe space where you can bear witness to your struggles every day. Instead of trying to ignore or numb yourself from your internal struggles, give yourself a place to get to know the struggles better, without judging them, simply through observation. Meditation cushions or yoga mats are great, but so too are a favorite bench in the park or your favorite chair. So long as you feel comfortable and secure. Keeping pen and paper close by is always handy, as expressing whatever comes up will also help encourage the calm from really understanding what is going on.

3. Be still with the peace that arises from your bravery and your willingness to look. Appreciate how peace miraculously comes -- and I promise it does -- when you are courageous and take the time to acknowledge your personal war. Trusting in and staying still long enough to allow for resounding calm to arise is the key. These moments are difficult. Taking a good honest look at your intimate fight is never easy, but wow does it help to clear the mind and funnily enough, ignite the peace you're in search of.

4. Carry this peace out into your daily life, where it is so easy to get tripped up. This is a tough one. As best you can, maintain that connection with peace even as you step into the hectic demands and turmoil of the day. Instead of dropping out of your peaceful zone and getting caught up all over again with your battle, gently remind yourself of where you just were, and how lovingly you just made room for both the battle and the peace that came from such a warm and friendly gesture.

5. Spread peace beyond your relationship with you, into your relationship with others. The beauty here is that when you tap and awaken your own peace, you quite naturally begin to radiate and offer up serenity to those with whom you interact. Your peace touches others, and has a wonderfully contagious effect.

6. Live from and for peace in the world, and continually go back to step 1. Always remember, peace is undeniably powerful, far more so than even the most epic of battles. Isn't it astounding that from your very own restful heart, world peace is attainable?

Pema Chodron says, "If we want to make peace, with ourselves and with the world at large, we have to look closely at the source of all of our wars." Hopefully the steps above will encourage you not only to look closely at your wars, but also to recognize them as opportunities ripe in unearthing the oft-disguised peace inside. We just have to be willing to not fight the fight and to not pick our battles. We just have to be willing to pick peace instead.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maggie-lyon/finding-inner-peace_b_1099583.html

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Lunatic Preparing to Bomb Government Buildings Arrested [Bombs]

Police have arrested a man who was allegedly in the process of building pipe bombs which he intended to use to kill elected officials, government workers, and returning military personnel. Don't worry, everybody, the world is still full of assholes. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Z2yBhQaXHfI/lunatic-preparing-to-bomb-government-buildings-arrested

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Brazil official: Oil leak bigger than thought (AP)

RIO DE JANEIRO ? The Rio de Janeiro state environment minister says an offshore oil spill is bigger than oil company Chevron is stating.

But Environment Minister Carlos Minc isn't saying how much oil he thinks has been dumped in the Atlantic ocean 230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

The leak started a week ago at a well owned by Chevron. The company says that between 400 and 650 barrels leaked.

Brazil's National Petroleum Agency says it thinks 1,000 barrels leaked ? and that it's not clear if the leak has stopped.

Minc tells Globo TV that he thinks the spill is "much bigger" than those estimates.

He says the government expects to soon release satellite images showing the extent of the spill.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111118/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_oil_spill

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HP PhotoSmart 5510 e-All-in-One

The HP PhotoSmart 5510 e-All-in-One ($99.99 direct) is a multifunction printer (MFP) geared squarely at home use?its meager paper capacity and lack of business-centered features make it a poor choice for even light-duty home-office work. As a home printer, though, it?s fast and has good output quality, particularly for photos. It even has a touch screen?albeit a small one, but you seldom see them at all at its price.

The 5510 is compact, measuring 5.7 by 17.2 by 12.8 inches (nearly as small as the Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One) and weighing 11.1 pounds. It can print, copy, and scan; print from and scan to a memory card (slots are limited to SD/MultiMediaCard and Memory Stick Duo).

The PhotoSmart 5510?s paper tray holds a mere 60 sheets, which may be fine for modest home use, but precludes its use for even light-duty home-office work. It lacks an automatic duplexer (for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper) or any other paper-handling options.

The 5510 supports HP?s ePrint: You can e-mail files as attachments to a unique address that HP assigns to the printer, and it will print out the e-mail and files. Unlike most of HP?s e-All-in-Ones, though, this MFP doesn?t support HP?s Web apps. ?The 5510 is compatible with Apple?s AirPrint, allowing users to print directly to it from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as long as it?s on the same WiFi network as the printer.

The PhotoSmart 5510 offers USB and WiFi (but not Ethernet) connectivity. I tested it connected via a USB cable to a PC running Windows Vista.

Print Speed?

Though it couldn?t match the Editors? Choice Brother MFC-J430W?s ?($100 street, 4 stars) effective speed of 4.3 pages per minute (ppm), the 5510?s 3.7 ppm speed when tested on our business applications suite (timed using QualityLogic's hardware and software, www.qualitylogic.com) is fast for a $99 MFP. I timed the Kodak HERO 3.1 ($99.99 direct, 4 stars) at 3.1 ppm, while the Editors? Choice Kodak ESP C310 All In One Printer ($99.99 direct, 4 stars) was clocked at 2.7 ppm and the Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One at 1.7 ppm

The Photosmart 5510 took an average of 1 minute 2 seconds to print out a 4-by-6 photo, a typical score for a budget inkjet.

Output Quality

Output quality is one of the 5510?s strengths, particularly for photos, with text a little below par for an inkjet and graphics typical of inkjet MFPs. Text is fine for schoolwork and general business use, but not for tasks requiring very small fonts.

Graphics quality was par for an inkjet MFP, with banding (a regular pattern of faint lines of discoloration in some images with solid backgrounds) the main issue. In a couple of illustrations, the banding was serious enough to be distracting. Graphics were suitable for schoolwork or for general business use, including PowerPoint handouts, although you might think twice before giving them to a prospective client you?re seeking to impress.

Photo quality was overall very good, with most images better than what you?d expect from drugstore prints. Colors seemed realistic looking, with good saturation. A monochrome image showed a modest tint, but that was the only issue of note.

Other Issues

HP?s claimed running costs for the 5510 are 4.1 cents per monochrome page and 14.9 cents per color page

The HP Photosmart 5510 e-All-in-One is a solid choice for a $100 MFP, providing good speed and respectable output quality, with photos its forte. Its most notable feature is the touch screen, rare on a budget MFP. Its meager 60-sheet consigns it to very light use, which may be just as well as its claimed cost per page?particularly for color printing?is relatively high.

The Kodak HERO 3.1 and Editors? Choice Kodak ESP C310 offer lower claimed running costs and have higher paper capacity, though they?re slower than the Photosmart. And if you?re looking for a more business-centered budget MFP, the Editors? Choice Brother MFC-J430w adds goodies such as fax capabilities and a 20-page automatic document feeder (ADF), and it?s faster than the 5510, though it doesn?t print as pretty photos.

More Multi-function Printer Reviews:

??? HP PhotoSmart 5510 e-All-in-One
??? Canon imageClass MF5960dn
??? Canon imageClass MF5950dw
??? Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One
??? Brother MFC-J430w
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/udNvUjB2VXQ/0,2817,2396560,00.asp

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U.S. commander cannot pin down satellite anomaly (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? The command responsible for U.S. military space operations lacks enough data to determine who interfered with two U.S. government satellites, anomalies behind perhaps the most explosive charge in a report on China sent to Congress on Wednesday.

"What I have seen is inconclusive," General Robert Kehler, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said in a teleconference from Omaha, Nebraska, home to the military outfit that conducts U.S. space and cyberspace operations.

The congressionally created U.S.-China Economic Security and Review Commission said in its 2011 annual report that at least two U.S. environment-monitoring satellites were interfered with four or more times in 2007 and 2008 via a ground station in Norway.

China's military is a prime suspect, the bipartisan, 12-member commission made clear, though it added that the events in question had not actually been traced to China.

The techniques "appear consistent with authoritative Chinese military writings" that have advocated disabling a foe's satellite control facilities on the ground in a conflict, the commission said.

Kehler spoke to reporters during a conference hosted by his command on cyber and space issues. He was asked by Reuters whether he could assign blame for the possible efforts to take control of the Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 satellites, as reported by the commission.

"First of all, I am familiar with the two incidents," he replied. "The best information that I have is that we cannot attribute those two occurrences."

"I guess I would agree that we don't have sufficient detail," Kehler added.

The commission in its report said an attacker could use access to a satellite's controls to damage or destroy spacecraft with more sensitive functions, such as military communications or intelligence-gathering.

It accused Beijing of responsibility for mounting malicious cyber activities, including to facilitate industrial espionage and to compromise U.S. and foreign government computer systems.

China's embassy in Washington said in response that it was "obvious that the commission is entrusted with the mission of vilifying China's image and spreading China threat theory by patching up unwarranted allegations against China."

"We urge the commission to stop issuing such reports for the good of increasing mutual trust between our two countries while China will continue to play a responsible role in both the realistic and the virtual worlds," Wang Baodong, the embassy spokesman, said by email.

(Reporting by Jim Wolf in Washington, editing by Matthew Lewis, Bernard Orr)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/pl_nm/us_china_usa_space

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Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst Discusses Disadvantages Of ...

Jerry Sandusky (Photo Credit: Office Of Pennsylvania Attorney General)

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) ? Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst and Director of Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School Michael McCann joined Seibel, Starkey and Miller to discuss why former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky?s lawyer would have him do that interview last night on national television.

McCann said Sandusky only hurt himself by talking last night because he admitted to behavior that was arguable criminal, and his attorney must have been hoping that people would see that while Sandusky made poor judgments both morally and ethically, he didn?t do anything illegal, but it didn?t come across that way and the audience still most likely views him as guilty.

McCann also discussed the legal impact Sandusky?s interview could have on Penn State and others implicated in the Grand Jury testimony.

Source: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/11/15/sports-illustrated-legal-analyst-discusses-disadvantages-of-sandusky-interview/

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Occupy protesters coordinate in marches nationwide (AP)

NEW YORK ? Demonstrations of Occupy Wall Street protesters popped up from coast to coast Thursday to mark two months since the movement's birth in a lower Manhattan park. Dozens of protesters were arrested by midday near Wall Street in New York, while hundreds of protesters marched in the financial district in Los Angeles.

A few hundred demonstrators paraded through lower Manhattan for several hours Thursday morning, and about 50 to 60 were arrested as they thronged intersections near the New York Stock Exchange, brokerage houses and banks.

"All day, all week, shut down Wall Street!" the crowd chanted.

Helmeted officers hauled several protesters to their feet after they sat down in the street to block traffic. Most of the crowd then assembled in Zuccotti Park, from which the protesters' camp was evicted this week. There were more rallies planned later in the day.

About 500 sympathizers of the Occupy protest marched in downtown Los Angeles. The protesters, chiefly a coalition of labor unions, gathered between the Bank of America tower and Wells Fargo Plaza, chanting "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out."

Protesters in Las Vegas vowed to pitch tents in front of a federal building. In Albany, N.Y., protesters from Buffalo, Rochester and other encampments were coming in by bus to join a demonstration in a downtown park.

Police in Portland, Ore., closed a bridge in preparation for a march there.

In New York, where dozens are typically arrested in periodic marches since the movement began, police hauled sit-in protesters to their feet, handcuffing them and setting up metal barricades.

"You do not have a parade permit! You are blocking the street!" a police officer told protesters through a bullhorn.

The congestion brought taxis and delivery trucks to a halt. Police were allowing Wall Street workers through the barricades, but only after checking their IDs.

The protest did not delay the opening of the New York Stock Exchange or disrupt business, said Rich Adamonis, a spokesman for the exchange.

The protest marked two months since the Occupy Wall Street Movement sprang to life on Sept. 17 with a failed attempt to pitch a protest camp in front of the New York Stock Exchange. After police kept them out of Wall Street, the protesters pitched a camp in nearby Zuccotti Park, across from the World Trade Center site.

On Tuesday police raided Zuccotti Park and cleared out dozens of tents, tarps and sleeping bags.

"This is a critical moment for the movement given what happened the other night," Paul Knick, 44, a software engineer from Montclair, N.J., said as he marched through the financial district with other protesters on Thursday. "It seems like there's a concerted effort to stop the movement and I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."

The confrontations in New York followed early-morning arrests in other cities.

In Dallas, police evicted dozens of protesters from their campsite near City Hall citing public safety and hygiene issues. They arrested 18 protesters who refused to leave.

Two protesters were arrested and about 20 tents removed at an encampment on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.

Organizers in New York said protesters would fan out across Manhattan later on Thursday and head to subways, then gather downtown and march over the Brooklyn bridge.

In Foley Square, which is surrounded by state and federal courthouses, organizers got a permit that would allow them to march and use a microphone.

Passer-by Gene Williams, a 57-year-old bond trader, joked that he was "one of the bad guys" but that he empathized with the demonstrators.

"They have a point in a lot of ways," he said. "The fact of the matter is, there is a schism between the rich and the poor and it's getting wider."

The police department said Thursday it would have scores of officers ready to handle protesters in the subways.

"The protesters are calling for a massive event aimed at disrupting major parts of the city," Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said. "We will be prepared for that."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_protests_anniversary

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Long Beach State stuns No. 9 Pittsburgh 86-76 (AP)

PITTSBURGH ? Long Beach State coach Dan Monson helped turn Gonzaga into a national power more than a decade ago by challenging anyone, anywhere at any time.

He's kept the same philosophy with the 49ers, although without the same spectacular results.

Until now.

Casper Ware scored a career-high 28 points and Long Beach State raced by No. 9 Pittsburgh 86-76 on Wednesday night, the program's first win over a top-10 team in nearly 20 years.

"It's a big win but we expected to win this," Ware said. "Everybody in the locker room knew we were going to win this game."

Maybe because Monson told his players they would when practice started last month.

Long Beach State (2-0) has put together the toughest nonconference schedule in the country in each of the last two seasons, and this one is no different.

Wednesday night's game was the start of a brutal stretch that includes trips to defending Mountain West champion San Diego State, No. 8 Louisville, No. 12 Kansas, No. 1 North Carolina along with a showdown in Hawaii against No. 13 Xavier three days before Christmas.

It's how to make a name for yourself as a mid-major. Only Monson has grown tired of the act and he let his team know it.

"I told `em the first meeting of the year that playing this schedule is unacceptable," he said. "It's time for this team to stop playing the toughest schedule and start competing against the toughest schedule."

So far, so very good.

Long Beach State became just the second non-Big East team to win at the Petersen Events Center and the first nonconference opponent to knock off the Panthers at home in November and December since the gym opened in 2002.

"We got beat every which way," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.

Repeatedly.

James Ennis added 19 points and Larry Anderson had 12 points and seven assists for the 49ers (2-0), who relentlessly attacked the Panthers.

"All teams, they try to do a lot to stop us from running, but we were just too fast today," Ware said. "We were clicking on offense and it was too fast (for them) to stop us."

Ashton Gibbs led Pitt (2-1) with 20 points and Nasir Robinson added 19, but the Panthers simply couldn't keep up with the 49ers.

"They wanted it more than us," Robinson said. "They worked harder. They ran harder. They got to loose balls. They executed better than us. They outsmarted us."

Mostly, they outplayed the Panthers.

Long Beach State took a nine-point halftime lead and never let up.

Pitt drew within six points on a few occasions but each time the 49ers answered to become the first non-Big East team to beat the Panthers at home since Bucknell in 2005.

The victory was Long Beach State's first over a top-10 team since beating then-No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 25, 1993, when most of the current 49ers were in diapers.

This was no fluke, however.

Long Beach State never trailed after taking the lead less than 8 minutes in, attacking Pitt from the opening tip. If Ware wasn't knocking down 3-pointers, he, Ennis and Anderson were splitting Pitt's zone and finding open teammates.

The 49ers shot 59 percent from the floor, collected 24 assists on 32 baskets and turned it over just 10 times, beating the Panthers both outside and inside.

Long Beach State went out and played like it, outscoring Pitt 25-5 on the break and 48-31 in the paint, even slightly out-rebounding the bigger, stronger defending Big East regular season champions.

Dixon has preached patience while his team searches for a new identity behind Gibbs, the Big East preseason player of the year.

The Panthers looked lethargic at times in a win over Rider on Sunday. Dixon stressed the need to get more tenacious on defense, a hallmark of the program since he replaced Ben Howland in 2003.

There's still plenty to work on. Long Beach State wasn't intimidated by the long cross-country trip, the late tipoff or one of the country's toughest places to play.

Pitt has been practically unbeatable at "the Pete" against nonconference foes. Most of the wins have been laughers. When asked to answer the bell for the first time this season, the Panthers responded too late.

Pitt's best chance to get back in it came on back-to-back 3-pointers by Travon Woodall and Gibbs that pulled the Panthers to 62-56. The 49ers responded with a pull-up from Edis Dervisevic and a steal and dunk by Ennis, who flexed after flushing it to push the lead back to 10.

The Panthers crept within six twice more but couldn't get key stops.

"We knew they were very good and we wanted to play someone very good," Dixon said. "They're an experienced team. I had anticipated us being a much better team this time and, obviously, we're not where I'd like us to be."

The 49ers, by contrast, are right on schedule.

Confidence grew with each basket and by the time the horn sounded all Pitt could do is trudge off the floor as the shouts of about two dozen Long Beach State supporters echoed throughout the quiet arena.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_long_beach_st

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Turkey cancels oil search plans in Syria (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? Turkey on Tuesday canceled plans for oil exploration in Syria, while also threatening to cut electricity supplies after a spate of attacks by supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad on its diplomatic missions.

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced that Turkey had shelved plans for Turkey's petroleum company, TPAO, to jointly explore oil with Syria's state oil company in six wells. Yildiz also threatened that Turkey could review supplies of electricity to the troubled country if tensions continue.

"Right now, we are providing electricity (to Syria)," Yildiz said. "If (Syria) continues on this course, then we might have to reconsider these decisions."

A Turkish Energy Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations, told The Associated Press that Turkish companies provide Syria with on average 2 billion kilowatt/hour of electricity per year ? around 10 percent of Syria's annual power consumption

But Turkish Energy Analyst Necdet Pamir said Syria produces an excess of some 10 billion kilowatt/hour, and was therefore not likely to suffer from any possible Turkish move.

"The cut may affect some parts of Syria for a short period of time, but it does not amount to a huge loss," Pamir said.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Assad for his brutal crackdown on opponents and attacks by his supporters on Turkish diplomatic missions on Saturday.

Turkey no longer has confidence in the Syrian regime, Erdogan said, warning Assad that his brutal crackdown on opponents threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood."

Erdogan also urged Assad to punish those responsible for attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions in Syria.

Addressing Assad disrespectfully by his first name, Erdogan said: "Bashar, you who have thousands of people in jail, must find those who attacked the Turkish flag and punish them," in reference to burning of the Turkish flag in Saturday's attack on the Turkish consulate in the Syrian city of Latakia.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey was "determined to implement the most effective sanctions that will not harm the people of Syria." The minister was speaking to Turkish journalists in Rabat where he is holding talks with Arab foreign ministers.

Assad's supporters tried to break into Turkish missions on Saturday to denounce an Arab League decision to suspend Syria's membership over its crackdown on the eight-month uprising. Turkey is not a member of the league, but welcomed the decision.

Erdogan took pains to note that his comments were politically neutral.

"It is not among our expectations that the Assad regime meet all the demands of the (Syrian) people," Erdogan said. "Our wish is that it (the Assad regime), which is now on a knife-edge, does not enter this road of no return, which leads to the edge of the abyss."

Turkey evacuated the families of diplomats after Saturday's attacks on its embassy in Damascus and its consulates in the cities of Aleppo and Latakia.

"I again strongly condemn the attack on the Turkish flag and our missions," Erdogan said.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul warned Syria that it must protect Turkish missions.

"If they don't take necessary measures, no doubt our reaction will be different if it is repeated," Gul said.

Turkey has long urged Syria to end the crackdown, which the U.N. estimates has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March.

"No regime can survive by killing or jailing," Erdogan said. "No one can build a future over the blood of the oppressed."

Turkey's government had cultivated warm ties with Assad, but has grown highly critical of his government. Turkey has imposed an arms embargo on Syria and is expected to announce other sanctions. Turkey has also opened its borders to Syrians fleeing the violence. More than 7,700 refugees are being sheltered in several Turkish camps along the Syrian border.

Turkey has also allowed a Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Council, to hold meetings in Turkey.

The council, a broad-based opposition umbrella group, was formed in Istanbul in September. No country has recognized it so far as a legal representative of the country and Syria has threatened tough measures against any country that does.

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_syria

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