Brazil's Silva has cancerous tumor in larynx (AP)

SAO PAULO ? Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will undergo chemotherapy to treat a cancerous tumor in his larynx, doctors said Saturday.

The tumor was detected earlier in the day during an examination at Sao Paulo's Sirio Libanes Hospital, the hospital said in a statement, which added that Silva will begin outpatient treatment in the coming week.

Oncologist Artur Katz, one of the doctors attending Silva, told reporters that the former president is in "very good condition."

He said the tumor was not very big and characterized Silva's chances of a full recovery as excellent.

Katz said it was not possible immediately to say what caused the tumor, adding it could have been sparked by the small cigars Silva used to smoke, or even a virus.

Jose Crispiniano, spokesman for the Lula Institute, a nongovernmental organization founded by the 66-year-old Silva after he left office Jan. 1, said the former president went to the hospital for a checkup because his throat was hurting him. He said Silva expected to begin chemotherapy Monday.

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Jorge Lara Castro, whose country is hosting the 23-nation IberoAmerican Conference in the capital of Asuncion, called the news "very sad."

"Those of us participating in this summit can only lend our solidarity and be there for him during his treatment," he said at a news conference.

Silva, known as "Lula" in Brazil and abroad, was elected president of Brazil in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Under his leadership, Brazil experienced solid growth: The country's international reserves ballooned from $38 billion in 2002 to $240 billion by the end of 2009, inflation was tamed, 20 million people were lifted from poverty and nearly 40 million moved into the middle class.

Unemployment in Brazil hit a record low under Silva, and the country's currency more than doubled against the U.S. dollar. Silva also helped the nation win the right to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, the first-ever to be held in South America.

Silva left office with an 87 percent approval rating and managed to get his hand-picked successor, Dilma Rousseff, elected in 2010 to take his spot.

"President Lula is a leader, a symbol and an example for all of us," Rousseff said in a statement. "I am sure that his strength, determination and capacity to overcome all sorts of adversities will help him win this new challenge."

In 2009, Rousseff had a malignant tumor removed from her left armpit at the Sirio Libanes Hospital. She underwent chemotherapy treatment and was given a clean bill of health in August 2010.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111029/ap_on_he_me/lt_brazil_former_president

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I won?t be coming home tonight, my generation will put it right (Unqualified Offerings)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/155608440?client_source=feed&format=rss

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'Bling Ring' celeb burglar sentenced in L.A.

Since getting busted for burgling Audrina Patridge's house two years ago, Rachel Lee has had a lot of time to think.

And, according to Lee, she has since seen the error of her ways.

"I wanted to let you know that I am very sorry for what I did," the accused Bling Ring member wrote to L.A. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler before he sentenced her to a maximum four years in prison for felony burglary. "I am sorry to the people I have hurt and for all the trouble I have caused."

So, what now? Besides sit in jail, that is?

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READ: Jermaine Jackson's Jewelry Heist ? The Work of the Bling Ring?

"I have learned so much from this life journey," Lee continued. "The last two years of my life has changed me from an irresponsible and childish drug and alcohol addict towards becoming a responsible adult.... I was really messed up from so much substance abuse as well as poor choices of friends."

Read the letter

Lee was one of six people linked to a series of burglaries of celebrity homes, including those of Patridge, Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green, Ashley Tisdale and Rachel Bilson. The culprits made off with millions of dollars worth of jewelry, clothing, watches, electronics, firearms, etc., only some of which has been returned to the celebrity owners.

"Pretty Wild" star Alexis Neiers spent 30 days of a six-month sentence in jail for her role in the Bloom burglary, while the rest of Lee's alleged accomplices ? Nicholas Prugo, Diana Tamaya, Courtney Leigh Ames and Roy Lopez Jr. ? have pleaded not guilty and are due in court for a pretrial hearing Nov. 18.

Lee pleaded no contest to residential burglary, after which one felony count of conspiracy to commit burglary and two counts of receiving stolen property were dismissed.

"As I prepare to serve my time," Lee's letter to Fidler continues, "I am now planning what I can do during my jail term as far as education, training and service to our community so that I can come back to my family and society as a productive person. If possible, I would like to serve my time in a facility where I can receive education, counseling and job training."

READ: "Pretty Wild" Star Alexis Neiers' Rehab Plan: Drug-Counselor Training!

"Thank you very much for reading this letter," Lee concluded. "I hope to never stand before you in another case and I am going to work very hard to make that happen."

Fidler sentenced Lee to state prison and the type of rehabilitation opportunities offered depend on the facility where she ends up.

GALLERY: Mug-Shot Mania

Her probation report, dated Oct. 25, stated that Lee had never before shown any remorse for her crime, nor did she return any stolen property to the police, hence a recommendation that Fidler give her the maximum sentence.

"Although the defendant is somewhat youthful and has a limited criminal history," the report states, "there are significant factors that support a recommendation for state prison; among them are her leadership in a sophisticated burglary ring that took property in excess of two million dollars and her refusal to cooperate with police detectives."

? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45074078/ns/today-entertainment/

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Instant view: Consumer spending up in Sept on savings (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. consumer spending rose in September as Americans saved less to fund purchases amid weak income growth, which could cast doubts over the durability of the third-quarter's economic growth spurt.

US Q3 wage growth slows, benefits up least since '99:

U.S. civilian employment costs rose much less than expected during the third quarter as wages and salaries posted their weakest growth in a year while benefits expanded at their slowest pace since 1999, government data showed.

COMMENTS:

KURT KARL, CHIEF U.S. ECONOMIST, SWISS RE, NEW YORK

"Very weak income but very solid consumption even though consumer confidence is in recession so that's good news for the economy. It's hard to sustain without more income growth. It's hard to keep it going into the fourth quarter and early next year. Part of the third-quarter growth is from a pickup in auto sales and production so you don't have a good feel on how fourth quarter. We don't have a great generator of growth anywhere in the economy. Exports are softening because the global economy is softening."

RUDY NARVAS, SENIOR ECONOMIST, SOCIETE GENERALE, NEW YORK

"We knew much of the headline numbers from yesterday in the GDP report. The surprise here is personal income was weaker than expected coming in only at 0.1 -- if you look at disposable income over the past quarter it has been pretty miserable with declines over the previous months, so consumers are spending but at the same time disposable income is declining."

WAYNE KAUFMAN, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST AT JOHN THOMAS FINANCIAL IN NEW YORK

"Looks like a nonevent. I'm not getting much out of this, but it certainly doesn't look bad and the employment cost index being less than expected is good.

"The big news of the week was yesterday, and today we're seeing typical price action after that kind of move. We may see a consolidation over the next week, but then a sustained rally after that."

DAVID SLOAN, ECONOMIST, IFR ECONOMICS, A UNIT OF THOMSON REUTERS

"With income weak through Q3 and spending firm, the savings rate has fallen to 3.6%, its lowest since December 2007, and with confidence weak there must be doubts as to how much further savings can fall, meaning that without a pick up in income trends, spending is likely to slow."

MARKET REACTION:

STOCKS: U.S. stock index futures hold steady at lower levels.

BONDS: U.S. Treasury debt prices hold steady at higher levels.

FOREX: The dollar extends gains versus euro.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111028/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_spending

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Earth-observing satellite boosted into orbit (AP)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. ? After a years-long delay, an Earth-observing satellite blasted into space early Friday on a dual mission to improve weather forecasts and monitor climate change.

A Delta 2 rocket carrying the NASA satellite lifted off shortly before 3 a.m. from the central California coast. The satellite was boosted into an orbit 500 miles above Earth about an hour after launch.

NASA invited a small group of Twitter followers to watch the pre-dawn launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The satellite joins a fleet already circling the planet, collecting information about the atmosphere, oceans and land. The latest ? about the size of a small SUV ? is more advanced. It carries four new instruments capable of making more precise observations.

Tim Dunn, a launch director for NASA, said in streaming commentary on the agency's website that the flight "went terrific" and there "is a lot of celebration in the control room right now."

Dunn said the weather was nearly perfect for the launch. The skies were clear and winds minimal.

Meteorologists will use the data to improve their forecasts of hurricanes and other extreme weather while climate researchers hope to gain a better understanding of long-term climate shifts.

Many satellites currently in orbit are aging and will need to be replaced. The newest satellite is intended to be a bridge between the current fleet and a new generation that NASA is developing for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The $1.5 billion mission's path to the launch pad has been rocky. It was originally scheduled to fly in 2006, but problems during development of several instruments led to a delay.

Engineers will spend some time checking out the satellite's instruments before science operations begin. Built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., the satellite is expected to orbit the Earth for five years.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_sc/us_sci_earth_satellite

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Teenage Frances Bean Cobain is engaged

Isaiah Silva is a brave man. Not because he is, by several accounts, about to marry rock royalty and plunge into marriage with his girlfriend of a year, Frances Bean Cobain.

No. It's because he might soon have Courtney Love as a mother-in-law. And you fellas out there thought you had it rough.

MORE: Kaley Cuoco is engaged!

While speculation about the 19-year-old rock scion's engagement has been swirling all week, this morning an unnamed inside source finally confirmed to People that the betrothal speculation between Cobain and Silva, the frontman for the L.A.-based band The Rambles (bet their profile is going to rise), was in fact true.

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Story: Why Nirvana's 'Nevermind' spoke to a generation

Credit for first sussing out the engagement goes to the sleuthers at O.C. Weekly, who first fueled the gossip fires this week, when they noticed that both Silva and Kurt Cobain's only offspring had quietly changed their relationship statuses on Facebook to "engaged" a few weeks ago. Both keep pages under fake names (Frances Rachel Leigh Cook for the lady, Isaiah David Berkowitz-Cusack for the gentleman) and while the statuses have since reverted back, the news apparently still holds true.

MORE: What does Courtney Love have to do with a $100,000 jewel heist?

"Getting to spend the rest of my life loving my best friend makes me the luckiest woman in the world," Cobain wrote in a comment on her page dated Sept. 13, right after Silva called himself "a lucky man."

Story: 12 unlikely covers of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

Things got even more obvious this month, when the rocker ? whom, it has indeed been pointed out, bears something of a striking resemblance to Kurt ? commented underneath a friend's photo, "Haha I do what I can. And by do what I can I mean not shower and steal clothes from my fiance and the good will."

There's no word on whether a wedding date has been set, but it certainly hasn't been announced. And congrats, you two. We can't wait to hear what the mother of the bride has to say about this.

PHOTOS: Celeb Weddings We Can't Wait For

Do you think Cobain and Silva's marriage will last? Tell us on Facebook.

? 2011 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45066745/ns/today-entertainment/

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Is Herman Cain for Real? (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Almost out of nowhere, Herman Cain has taken the lead in some polls or tied previous Republican darling Mitt Romney. In the latest Rasmussen poll Cain leads Obama 43 percent to 41 percent. In the Zogby poll he leads all Republicans with 25 percent. Second is Romney with 21 percent. And the recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows Cain ahead of Romney by 27 percent to 23 percent.

So what if anything does this all mean? One thing is people really like what Cain has to say. In the last two debates, he did very well. His message seemed to resonate well with the voters as this began his rise in the polls. Cain comes across as an honest, down-to-earth man, unlike Romney, who genuinely seems to be sincere in what he wants for this country. Cain has a plan for the economy, his "9-9-9" plan, which is pretty simple to understand, although it has been encountering some criticism of late. Cain has said the plan will cost some taxpayers more.

Cain does have a rebuttal to cries that 9-9-9 is unfair to the middle class: "Some people will pay more, but most people will pay less," he said, according to the Christian Science Monitor

But at least it is something.

Cain seems to be a plain-spoken man who says what he feels and isn't afraid to admit he may know everything. But being a successful businessman, I feel confident he knows enough to surround himself with good people in the areas he may not be as educated on.

The other reason Cain may have risen in the polls might be because there are many Republicans and independent voters who just don't like Romney. Where Cain sticks to his message, Romney has a tendency to flip-flop on issues, depending on which way the wind is blowing through his well-styled hair. It almost seems Romney looks at the polls and sees how his opponents are doing, then modifies his position according to whatever agrees with the current leader's position.

One positive for the Cain campaign that has come from these polls is his campaign should be getting an influx of cash. While Romney has the lead in funds -- after all he has been running since 2005 or so -- some people may start thinking Cain has a chance and send money his way. This will allow him to get his name out there through the more conventional means instead of just relying on interviews and debates.

I can't say if Cain will continue to lead or even if he can win the nomination, but if he does it will certainly be interesting to see how he stacks up against Barack Obama. One thing for sure, it will be pretty hard for the Democrats to play the race card, although surely they'll try.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111028/pl_ac/10228401_is_herman_cain_for_real

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Once-exonerated convict dies during Conn. appeal (AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. ? A Connecticut man whose murder conviction was overturned but later reinstated has died of colon cancer while awaiting a new appeal trial.

Ronald Taylor's lawyer issued a statement Wednesday saying Taylor died Tuesday in Cheshire after a two-year cancer fight.

Taylor and co-defendant George Gould were convicted of killing a New Haven grocery shop owner in 1993 and sentenced to 80 years in prison. Both were freed in April 2010 after a state judge ruled they were victims of "manifest injustice" and declared them "actually innocent." The judge's ruling came after a key witness recanted her trial testimony.

In July, the state Supreme Court reinstated the murder convictions, saying the judge was wrong to overturn them. Gould was sent back to prison; Taylor was allowed to remain out on bail.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_re_us/us_murder_convictions_overturned

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Official convicted in West Virginia mine disaster

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) ? The probe of the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in decades has produced its first conviction ? a former mine security chief found guilty of lying to investigators. After the jury returned its verdict, prosecutors said nothing is off the table when it comes to the possibility of charges for others.

It took jurors about six hours to find Hughie Elbert Stover guilty Wednesday on the lying charge and a second count of seeking to destroy thousands of security-related documents following the explosion that killed 29 men in 2010. So far, he's the only person who's been charged, but state and federal investigations continue.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said prosecutors haven't ruled out the possibility of charges for others.

"There were serious matters that existed in this mine that didn't just happen overnight or without the involvement of individuals," he said.

The jury had begun deliberating Wednesday morning after hearing two days of testimony, in which prosecutors painted Stover as an obstructionist and defense attorneys claimed he was a scapegoat.

He remains free pending a Feb. 29 sentencing hearing. Stover faces an estimated two years in prison on the record-disposal count alone. Goodwin said prosecutors will seek as stiff penalty as possible to deter such conduct.

Stover's attorney, William Wilmoth, said it was too early to discuss any future motions or appeals.

"While we're disappointed at this result, we're very appreciative of their services," he said of the eight men and four women on the jury.

The defense had portrayed the former law enforcement officer, a veteran of both the Navy and Marines, as a by-the-book employee who became a victim of the government's zeal to blame someone for the deadly explosion.

"You wanted justice, and this is who they brought you," Wilmoth said during his closing argument.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Blaire Malkin had earlier reminded jurors of testimony from others at the Raleigh County underground mine. These witnesses alleged that Stover instructed mine guards to send out alerts by radio whenever inspectors entered the property. Such a practice is illegal. One of the criminal charges alleges Stover denied in a November 2010 interview with investigators that there were any advance warnings at the mine.

The other count alleges that Stover sought to destroy the documents the following January, by ordering a subordinate to bag and then throw them into an on-site trash compactor. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ellis suggested to jurors Wednesday that those records would prove that Stover had lied about inspection tip-offs. The attempted disposal also violated repeated warning from the mine's then-owner, Massey Energy, to keep all records while the disaster remained under investigation. Massey officials told investigators of the trashed documents, which were recovered.

Wilmoth attributed Stover's November statements to confusion over evolving policies at the mine, run by Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co. As for the document disposal, Stover had called that the "stupidest, worst mistake" of his life when he testified Tuesday in his defense.

Questioning criminal intent, Wilmoth said Stover could have burned, shredded or otherwise destroyed the records himself, instead of delegating the task of throwing them out to a subordinate during daylight hours and in front of a security camera. Prosecutors said the documents were dumped around 6 a.m., and after being placed in trash bags. Hauling them out in their cardboard storage boxes would have drawn notice, as would Stover performing the deed himself, prosecutors argued.

In urging jurors to acquit, Wilmoth argued that Stover's actions amounted to innocent mistakes, citing how several witnesses had described him as by-the-book and honest. Rather than targeting mine executives or engineers who may be at fault for the deadly blast, prosecutors have seized on Stover in a game of "government gotcha," Wilmoth told the jury.

"We're no closer to finding the real villain or villains behind this explosion," said Wilmoth, a former U.S. attorney. "Instead, this is what they brought you."

Three investigative reports issued so far on the disaster have each concluded that poorly maintained machines cutting into sandstone created a spark that ignited both a small amount of naturally occurring methane gas and a massive accumulation of explosive coal dust. Malfunctioning water sprayers allowed what could have been a small flare-up to become an epic blast that traveled seven miles of underground corridors, doubling back on itself and killing men instantly.

One of those reports was issued Tuesday by the United Mine Workers union, which criticized government regulators while slamming Massey. Labeling the disaster as "industrial homicide," the findings urge criminal charges against a number of then-executives at Massey. Alpha Natural Resources of Abingdon, Va., acquired the Richmond-based Massey in June through a $7.1 billion takeover deal.

___

Follow Lawrence Messina at http://twitter.com/lmessina

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-27-Mine%20Explosion-Trial/id-b2c151d7b0324b9391425779e33f5e42

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Higher prices boost Big Oil 3Q profits

Higher oil prices have masked a slowdown in production among the biggest oil companies.

Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and BP reported a surge in quarterly profits this week even though they're producing less oil from fields around the world, including a combined 7 percent decline in the third quarter that just ended. Each company has devoted billions of dollars to finding new petroleum deposits, but it could be years, even decades, before those investments translate to more oil and natural gas.

Experts say smaller companies will need to step up to satisfy growing world demand. China, India and other developing nations are expected to push the global appetite for oil to a record 90 million barrels per day next year, enough to outstrip supplies.

Three years ago, a severe drop in oil supplies helped push oil prices to above $147 per barrel, saddling airlines and shipping companies with high fuel costs. Gasoline prices soared above a national average $4 per gallon.

"We're not at the point where oil prices are going to go bananas" and spike like they did in 2008, said Ken Medlock, an energy expert at Rice University. "But if we saw production declines like this for five or six years, then it's time to worry."

Big Oil's third-quarter financial results highlight a growing problem within the industry. New petroleum sources are increasingly tough ? and expensive ? to find. The best new deposits are found more than a mile under the ocean, or in vast layers of sticky Canadian sand, or in the frigid Arctic.

Costs have increased dramatically as the industry digs deeper.

A decade ago, tapping a new well used to cost about $10 to $20 for every barrel of oil produced. Now it's estimated at about $50 or $60 for wells in the Gulf of Mexico and $70 or $80 in the Canadian oil sands.

To boost production, oil companies not only must find new sources of oil, they need to make up for production losses at aging fields. Exxon's fields, for example, are declining by 5 to 7 percent each year, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Fadel Gheit said.

"They need to add 200,000 to 300,000 barrels a day of production just to break even," Gheit said. "That's huge."

Exxon hasn't been able to keep up this year.

Its oil production fell 7 percent in the July-September quarter. Some of the declines resulted from deals that limit the amount of oil Exxon can sell as prices rise on international markets. Excluding those limits, however, production was still flat.

From January to September, the company produced an average of 2.33 million barrels per day ? the smallest daily amount since at least 2005.

Other oil majors aren't faring much better. BP said oil production dropped 10.6 percent in the quarter to 2.08 million barrels per day. Shell said oil production fell almost 2 percent in the quarter to 1.68 million barrels per day.

Overall, analysts think oil producers can still increase supplies in coming years, thanks to smaller companies and increased contributions from OPEC. But it may not be enough to keep up with demand.

Morgan Stanley analyst Hussein Allidina expects supplies to rise by about 1-2 percent every year until 2016. That assumes "flawless execution," Allidina said in a research note. Even if that happens, demand will grow 1.5 percent every year over the same period.

It raises the possibility of price spikes. A surge in oil not only means higher fuel prices, it also poses problems for the industry. The record jump in oil prices in 2008 may have led to record profits for Exxon that year, but it weakened the economy so much that prices eventually plunged. That sapped profits in later quarters and forced the industry to table many projects.

As oil production declines from the industry's biggest players, smaller companies are expected to chip in by ramping up in fields that are too tiny for Big Oil. For example, Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. said it has increased oil production about 4 percent so far this year. Saudi Arabia and a handful of other OPEC members have the ability to put more oil on the market, if needed. And Libya is expected to start exporting oil again later this year following an eight-month rebellion.

Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday said profits jumped 41 percent in the third quarter to $10.33 billion, or $2.13 per share, as higher oil and natural gas prices made up for lower production. Profits doubled for Shell and BP for the same reason. Chevron Corp., the second-largest U.S. oil company, is expected to report its financial results on Friday.

Exxon sold oil in the U.S. for an average of $95.58 a barrel, up 35.2 percent from a year earlier. Internationally, it charged $107.32 a barrel, up 45.4 percent. It also charged more for natural gas.

The higher prices propped up earnings at Exxon's exploration and production business, which finds and pumps oil and natural gas.

Exxon's U.S. refineries also benefited. Their profits quadrupled as demand for gasoline and other fuels soared around the world, enabling them to charge more.

Exxon shares rose 81 cents, or 1 percent, to $81.88. BP shares climbed 78 cents to $45.43.

Oil prices also jumped 4 percent to end the day at $93.96 per barrel in New York.

___

Chris Kahn can be reached at http://twitter.com/ChrisKahnAP.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-27-Earns-Oil/id-c441f2d106ee477681943b9bab6d347a

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Deficit-cutting panel looking at benefits, taxes (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Rival deficit-cutting plans advanced by Republicans and Democrats on Congress' secretive supercommittee would both mean smaller-than-expected cost of living benefit increases for veterans and federal retirees as well as Social Security recipients and bump up taxes for some individuals and families, according to officials familiar with the recommendations.

In all, the changes would reduce deficits by an estimated $200 billion over a decade, a fraction of the committee's minimum goal of $1.2 trillion in savings.

A final decision by the panel on legislation to reduce deficits is still a few weeks off, and given the political difficulties involved, there is no certainty that the six Republicans and six Democrats will be able to agree.

The two sides exchanged initial offers earlier this week, and each side swiftly found fault with the others' proposal in the privacy of the committee's rooms as well as in public.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, noting published reports that Democrats are seeking $3 trillion in higher taxes, said, "This is the same number that was in the president's budget, the same number that ? that they ? I don't know that they found any Democrats in the House and Senate to vote for."

"I don't think it's a reasonable number," he said. Boehner also chided Democrats for recommending $50 billion in savings from Medicaid over the next decade, well below what Republicans are seeking.

"Let's understand over the next 10 years, we're going to spend $10 trillion on Medicaid. I just think there's a lot more room there to help find common ground," he said.

At the same time, Boehner emphasized, "I am committed to getting to an outcome" that clears the committee and Congress. The speaker negotiated privately with President Barack Obama over the summer in deficit-reduction talks that failed to produce an agreement.

At a news conference of her own, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said she wanted a compromise that was "big, bold and balanced," a phrase that Democrats use to convey an insistence on higher tax revenue.

She pointedly declined to embrace what Democrats had presented to the supercommittee. She called it "Sen. Baucus' package," a reference to the Montana Democrat and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. That ran directly counter to his aides' statements earlier in the week that he was speaking for a majority of Democrats on the panel ? and tacit confirmation that at least two of the party's members had not signed on as supporters.

Ironically, while the Republican and Democratic panel members remain far apart, one of the relatively few items in common was a potentially controversial recommendation to change the calculation for annual cost-of-living increases in federal programs as well as the yearly adjustments in income tax brackets.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the recommended change "produces lower estimates of inflation than the traditional" measurement of the Consumer Price Index. Since December 2000 the difference on average has amounted to 0.3 percentage points, according to the agency.

A decision to base annual cost of living increases on the new calculation would lower Social Security costs by $108 billion over a decade, and the impact on benefits for federal civilian and military pension programs and veterans' benefits would save an additional $23 billion, according to calculations made in February 2010.

Congressional experts said the list of federal programs that would be affected is extensive, and included Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and more, but the absence of a written description by either side in the deficit negotiations makes a complete listing impossible.

Officials in both parties said their plans would affect income tax brackets, which currently are adjusted annually to make sure that inflation alone does not expose more earnings to taxation.

By slowing the rate of the adjustment, more income would be taxed than is currently forecast, a change that Congress' Joint Tax Committee recently estimated would produce $59.6 billion in revenue to the Treasury over a decade.

Just as changes to Social Security and benefit programs are politically problematic for Democrats, tax increases are difficult for Republicans.

Americans for Tax Reform, an organization led by anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, earlier this year said slowing the pace at which tax brackets are adjusted for inflation "would most certainly be a tax hike."

There was one caveat, though.

"This idea can of course be part of a discussion of comprehensive and revenue-neutral tax reform, but stand-alone it is a tax hike."

Both Republicans and Democrats included tax reform in their presentations inside the supercommittee, and the issue has great political appeal.

But the two sides differ dramatically on the details. Democrats called for tax reform that would generate an additional $1 trillion in revenue over a decade, while Republicans said they envisioned no increase.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_go_co/us_supercommittee_debt

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Game 6 of World Series postponed by rainy forecast

Workers remove a tarp from the infield at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Workers remove a tarp from the infield at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Workers roll up a tarp on the infield at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Texas Rangers' Derek Holland yells across a covered infield at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Texas Rangers starter Colby Lewis throws at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Raindrops cover a seat at Busch Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, in St. Louis, after officials announced that Game 6 of baseball's World Series is postponed due to rain. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? The Texas Rangers took 40 seasons to reach this position. After such a long climb, they were ready to wait one more day for a chance to win their first World Series title.

Game 6 was postponed Wednesday because of a wet forecast, delaying their bid to win the championship. Ahead 3-2, they can close out the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

"It's just a rainout, that's it," said Texas star Michael Young, in his 12th year with the team. "I don't know if people think we're going to sit in our hotel rooms all night biting our nails. We're going to get something to eat, get some rest and be ready to go."

Both clubs pushed back their starters by a day. Colby Lewis is set to pitch against the Cardinals' Jaime Garcia. It's likely to be clear with temperatures in the low 50s at Busch Stadium.

If there's a Game 7 Friday night, it'll be Matt Harrison for Texas against, well, no telling. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa playfully mentioned the great Bob Gibson, now a robust 75, but ace Chris Carpenter on three days' rest looms as a possibility.

"It's already been asked about Carp," La Russa said. "I was told by Carp that he would be ready to go."

The postponement came after a travel day for the teams. This two-day gap is the longest at the World Series since 1989, when the Bay Area earthquake left the Athletics and Giants idle for 11 days.

"We're not getting antsy, we're not getting ahead of ourselves. We just have to wait," Texas manager Ron Washington said.

After a damp season and postseason, Major League Baseball announced the decision about 4? hours before the scheduled first pitch. At the time, no drops had fallen at the ballpark.

"I'm not even sure why they canceled it," Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman said. "This is better than the weather for Game 1. I guess I'm going to lie back on the couch like a big, fat pig and watch a movie."

Maybe Berkman could've joined La Russa. The Cardinals manager planned to go see "Moneyball."

By late afternoon, a light mist turned to drizzle and then to steady rain.

This was the first Series washout since 2008 at Philadelphia. That year, Tampa Bay and the Phillies were tied in the sixth inning when rain and snow turned the field into a quagmire, forcing a suspension. It rained the next day, too, and the game finally resumed two days later, with the Phillies winning to take the crown.

Because of the debate about how to handle that situation MLB adopted a rule a few months later mandating that any postseason game stopped in progress would be resumed at the point of suspension, rather than being postponed and starting over.

This marked the latest rainout at a Series since 1986, when Game 7 between the Red Sox and Mets was pushed back by a day.

MLB executive Joe Torre said he alerted Washington and La Russa on Tuesday that a postponement was possible.

Rain was in "every forecast we had probably for the last three days," Torre said at a news conference. "They were all consistent there was going to be rain during the game."

Looking at Commissioner Bud Selig, Torre asked: "Do you want to play in rain?"

During the AL championship series, a game between Detroit and the Rangers in Texas was called because of predicted showers that never arrived. This time, they came.

Busch Stadium has had weather woes in the past. In 2006, Game 4 between Detroit and the Cardinals was called.

Rain has hovered over the majors all year with more than 50 washouts, baseball's highest total since 1997. The bad weather actually started before opening day, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Reds worked out in snow flurries on March 31.

Wicked weather intruded earlier in this postseason, too.

The opener of the AL playoff series between Detroit and New York was halted after 1? innings by showers that lasted all night. The game at Yankee Stadium was suspended and picked up the next day at the point when it was stopped.

The only other suspension in postseason history was that Rays-Phillies game in 2008.

Baseball began the playoffs a week earlier this year than last season, intending to have the World Series conclude before November. MLB also hoped the adjustment could help avoid a chilly finish for the championship. It was in the 40s and raw last week for Game 1.

It was in the 70s and clear at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. A perfect night to play, but it was a travel day for Texas and St. Louis.

Banged-up Texas star Josh Hamilton took the rainout in stride.

"You don't have to get worked up, hyped up to get into game mode and then shut it down," he said. "We know early, so we're able to come out here, get some swings in the cage, throw a bit. And it's smart for the pitchers, too, they don't have to get up, get going, have a rain delay, sit down."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-27-BBO-World-Series/id-f3de2c478a62471ab786a3a5932da967

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From Bluster to Blunder

Every campaign is a tug of war for a candidate's true self. "Let Reagan be Reagan" was the cry during the 1980 campaign, when Reagan's handlers were accused of making him act like a standard-issue candidate, hiding his true warmth and character. (Reagan ultimately shook up his staff, not unlike Perry has just now.)

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"How Long Will My Coffee Last?" Calculates When You'll Need to Order Your Next Batch of Beans [Coffee]

"How Long Will My Coffee Last?" is a simple web-based calculator that tells you when you'll need to buy your next bag of beans (or how much coffee you should buy).

Handy for your office or home, the self-explanatory webapp asks how many people are sharing your coffee, how many cups each person has per day, how many scoops per cup, grams per scoop, and so on to quickly arrive at your coffee consumption needs. It's nothing you couldn't do in a spreadsheet or on a piece of paper, but now you can do it with this simple webapp.

Now to get a better handle on what all that caffeine is doing to your brain.

How Long Will My Coffee Last

---

You can contact Adam Pash, the author of this post, on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook.

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A guide to the new mortgage-refi plan

By DEREK KRAVITZ, The Associated Press

Two big questions loom over the Obama administration's latest bid to help troubled homeowners: Will it work? And who would benefit?

By easing eligibility rules, the administration hopes 1 million more homeowners will qualify for its refinancing program and lower their mortgage payments ? twice the number who have already. The program has helped only a fraction of the number the administration had envisioned.

In part, that's because many homeowners who would like to refinance can't because they owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth. But it's also because banks are under no obligation to refinance a mortgage they hold ? a limitation that won't change under the new plan.

Here are some of the major questions and answers about the administration's initiative:

What is the program?

The Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, was started in 2009. It lets homeowners refinance their mortgages at lower rates. Borrowers can bypass the usual requirement of having at least 20 percent equity in their home. But few people have signed up. Many "underwater" borrowers ? those who owe more than their homes are worth ? couldn't qualify under the program. Roughly 22.5 percent of U.S. homeowners, about 11 million, are underwater, according to CoreLogic, a real estate data firm. As of Aug. 31, fewer than 900,000 homeowners, and just 72,000 underwater homeowners, have refinanced through the administration's program. The administration had estimated that the program would help 4 million to 5 million homeowners.

Why did so few benefit?

Mainly because those who'd lost the most in their homes weren't eligible. Participation was limited to those whose home values were no more than 25 percent below what they owed their lender. That excluded roughly 10 percent of borrowers, CoreLogic says. In some hard-hit areas, borrowers have lost nearly 50 percent of their home's value. Another problem: Homeowners must pay thousands in closing costs and appraisal fees to refinance. Typically, that adds up to 1 percent of the loan's value ? $2,000 in fees on a $200,000 loan. Sinking home prices also left many fearful that prices had yet to bottom. They didn't want to throw good money after a depreciating asset. Or their credit scores were too low. Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan acknowledged that the program has "not reached the scale we had hoped."

What changes is the administration making?

Homeowners' eligibility won't be affected by how far their home's value has fallen. And some fees for closing, title insurance and lien processing will be eliminated. So refinancing will be cheaper. The number of homeowners who need an appraisal will be reduced, saving more money. Some fees for those who refinance into a shorter-term mortgage will also be waived. Banks won't have to buy back the mortgages from Fannie or Freddie, as they previously had to when dealing with some risky loans. That change will free many lenders to offer refinance loans. The program will also be extended 18 months, through 2013.?

Related: White House tries new tack on housing

?Who's eligible?

Those whose loans are owned or backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which the government took control of two years ago. Fannie and Freddie own or guarantee about half of all U.S. mortgages ? nearly 31 million loans. They buy loans from lenders, package them into bonds with a guarantee against default and sell them to investors. To qualify for refinancing, a loan must have been sold to Fannie and Freddie before June 2009. Homeowners can determine whether their mortgage is owned by Fannie or Freddie by going online: Freddie's loan tool is at freddiemac.com/mymortgage; Fannie's is at fanniemae.com/loanlookup. Mortgages that were refinanced over the past 2? years aren't eligible. Homeowners must also be current on their mortgage. One late payment within six months, or more than one in the past year, would mean disqualification. Perhaps the biggest limitation on the program: It's voluntary for lenders. A bank remains free to reject a refinancing even if a homeowner meets all requirements.

Will it work?

For those who can qualify, the savings could be significant. If, for example, a homeowner with a $200,000 mortgage at 6 percent can refinance down to 4.5 percent, the savings would be $3,000 a year. But the benefit to the economy will likely be limited. Even homeowners who are eligible and who choose to refinance through the government program could opt to sock away their savings or pay down debt rather than spend it.

How many homeowners will be eligible or will choose to participate?

Not entirely clear. The government estimates that up to 1 million more people could qualify. Moody's Analytics says the figure could be as high as 1.6 million. Both figures are a fraction of the 11 million or more homeowners who are underwater, according to CoreLogic, a real estate data research firm.

Who will benefit most?

Underwater homeowners in the hard-hit states of Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada could be greatly helped. Many are stuck with high mortgage rates after they were approved for mortgages with little or no money as a down payment and few requirements. The average annual savings for a U.S. household would be $2,500, officials say.

When will it start?

Fannie and Freddie will issue the full details of the plan lenders and servicers on Nov. 15, officials say. The revamped program could be in place for some lenders as early as Dec. 1.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/24/8470326-a-guide-to-administrations-new-mortgage-refi-plan

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Divide over when to use in-depth cholesterol tests (AP)

WASHINGTON ? For heart health, you're supposed to know your numbers: Total cholesterol, the bad LDL kind and the good HDL kind. But your next checkup might add a new number to the mix.

More doctors are going beyond standard cholesterol counts, using another test to take a closer look at the bad fats ? a count of particles that carry LDL through the blood.

Cardiologists are divided over the usefulness of that approach. Proponents contend it might help them spot at-risk patients that regular checks might miss, or get more information about how aggressively to treat them.

But so far, guidelines from major heart organizations don't recommend these extra tests. They're pricier than regular cholesterol exams, although Medicare and many other insurers pay for them. And it's not always clear what the results mean.

"I see a lot of people being confused," says Dr. Nieca Goldberg of New York University Langone Medical Center and the American Heart Association. Especially when they're used on lower-risk people, "you don't know how to make sense of the information."

Yet up to half of patients diagnosed with heart disease apparently had normal levels of LDL cholesterol, and some doctors say particle testing might help find some of them sooner.

"For most people, the standard lipid profile is fine," says Dr. Michael Davidson of the University of Chicago. But "I get referred people who said, `My cholesterol was fine, why do I have heart disease?' We're showing them, well, because your particle number's sky high and they were not aware that was a problem."

Davidson chaired a committee of the National Lipid Association which this month called the extra tests reasonable to assess which at-risk patients might need to start or intensify cholesterol treatment. That committee's meeting was paid for by a grant from eight pharmaceutical companies, including some makers of particle tests.

Cholesterol isn't the only factor behind heart disease. High blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes or a strong family history of the disease can put someone in the high-risk category even if their cholesterol isn't a red flag. Some doctors also are testing for inflammation in arteries that may play a role, too.

On the cholesterol front, doctors have long focused on three key numbers:

_Total cholesterol should be below 200.

_An LDL or "bad" cholesterol level below 130 is good for healthy people, but someone with heart disease or diabetes should aim for under 100.

_For HDL, the "good" cholesterol that helps control the bad kind, higher numbers are better ? 60 is protective while below 40 is a risk.

Where do particles come in? Scientists have long known that small, dense LDL particles sneak into the artery wall to build up and narrow blood vessels more easily than larger, fluffier particles. While overall LDL levels usually correlate with the amount of particles in blood, they don't always, just as a beach bucket of sand may weigh the same as a bucket of pebbles but contain more particles.

Only in recent years have commercial tests made particle checks more feasible ? although there's no standard method, and different tests measure in different ways. The tests add another $100 to $150 to regular cholesterol checks.

But is knowing about your particles really useful, and if so when? That's where doctors are split.

A study published last spring used one particle test, from Raleigh, N.C.-based LipoScience, to analyze a database of more than 5,000 middle-aged people whose heart health was tracked for five years. Most people's overall LDL and particle counts correlated pretty well. But people had a higher risk of heart disease when their particle count was much higher than their LDL predicted ? and, conversely, a lower risk if their particle count was lower than expected, says lead researcher Dr. David Goff Jr. of Wake Forest University.

"We could be treating some people who don't need to be treated ... and we may be missing some people who should be treated," Goff says. "But I'd also say that we haven't done all the research that needs to be done to prove that this will lead to better patient outcomes."

Many of those higher-risk patients could be caught by a closer look at standard tests "for no additional charge," says Dr. Roger Blumenthal of Johns Hopkins University and the American College of Cardiology.

Triglycerides, another harmful fat, are a good indicator, Blumenthal says. You're at risk despite a low LDL if your triglycerides are over 130, not to mention a low HDL, he said. People who are obese, diabetic of borderline diabetic also are at greater risk, because they often have higher LDL particle counts.

Another way to measure without an added test: Just subtract HDL from your total cholesterol number. The resulting bad-fat total should be no higher than 30 points above your recommended LDL level ? and if they are, it's time for serious diet and exercise, adds Dr. Allen Taylor of Washington Hospital Center.

Still, even some doctors who don't think particle testing is for the masses say they use it sometimes to tip the scales on a borderline patient.

Others use it to guide therapy. Consider Denny Fongheiser of Santa Monica, Calif. At 52, his usual 3-mile-a-day walk suddenly left him panting, but his insurer wouldn't pay for a stress test because his cholesterol was normal.

A month later, chest pain sent Fongheiser to the hospital where he needed a stent to unclog an artery. It turned out he had high particle levels, which his cardiologist now aims to get below the LipoScience-recommended level of 1,000 with cholesterol-lowering drugs.

"I was basically a time bomb," Fongheiser says. He welcomes "being able to test this and know what's going on."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111025/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_beyond_ldl

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Jobs focus moves House toward repeal of 5-year-old law pressuring gov't contractors on taxes (Star Tribune)

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Janet Jackson reschedules shows

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, co-host: But we are going to begin this half-hour with the latest on the trial of Michael Jackson 's doctor. Attorneys for Conrad Murray are expected to begin making their case today. And NBC 's Jeff Rossen is in Los Angeles again for us this morning. Jeff , good morning to you.

JEFF ROSSEN reporting: Hey, Savannah , good morning to you. And just to give you an idea how different the theories are about how Michael Jackson died that day in 2009 inside his mansion, Dr. Murray says he gave Michael Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol, this much, right up to here in a syringe about this size. But the prosecution's expert now says that's not true, he did the math, and Dr. Murray gave Michael Jackson 40 times more than that, this much propofol, and you can see the difference in size. This morning we have exclusive new details how Murray 's defense team will try to keep him out of jail. Dr. Conrad Murray has spent weeks listening to prosecutors blast him.

Unidentified Man: That misplaced trust in the hands of Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life.

ROSSEN: Now, it's the doctor's turn. Sources close to the case tell NBC News Murray 's lawyers have developed a new timeline and they'll lay it out for the jury this week. One AM , Michael arrives home from rehearsal, takes a shower and a Valium . Two AM , Dr. Murray gives Michael two milligrams of the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam. Three-fifteen AM , Michael falls asleep, but by 3:30 AM , he's awake again. Five AM , Dr. Murray gives Michael another two milligrams of lorazepam, but the singer still can't sleep. Between 7 and 10 AM , Jackson becomes agitated, panicked that if he can't sleep, they'll have to cancel that day's rehearsal, putting the entire show and his paycheck in jeopardy. It's in that window, 7 to 10 AM , when Murray 's lawyers will claim Michael enters his private bedroom, where no one is allowed, and swallows eight pills of lorazepam, never telling Dr. Murray . Ten-forty AM , Dr. Murray gives Michael 23 milligrams of propofol, experts say a low dosage. Eleven AM , Michael is "sleeping comfortably" and Dr. Murray makes phone calls to his office and his girlfriends. Murray claims Michael then wakes up when he isn't looking and injects himself with more propofol. Eleven-fifty-eight AM , Dr. Murray notices Michael Jackson has stopped breathing.

Ms. ROBIN SAX (Former Prosecutor): While it may seem that the defense has a tough road ahead of them, all they have to do is kick up enough sand and hopefully something sticks with some juror that creates reasonable doubt .

ROSSEN: Murray 's defense team plans to call at least 15 witnesses and in court this week will argue what they told me at the start of the trial, that Michael Jackson essentially killed himself .

Mr. CHARLES UNGER (Conrad Murray's Defense Attorney): This was a gentleman who just couldn't sleep at night, period.

ROSSEN: And your contention is he would have done anything, including giving himself propofol and lorazepam to do it.

Mr. UNGER: Oh, without a doubt. He would have done anything to get the sleep that he needed.

ROSSEN: And we have another new development breaking overnight. Janet Jackson , Michael 's sister, has canceled several concerts in Australia this week to be here at the LA courthouse with her family. In a statement released overnight, Janet says, "After talking with my family last night, I decided we

must be together right now." Savannah: All right, NBC 's Jeff Rossen in Los Angeles . Thank you. Star Jones is a veteran legal commentator and former prosecutor. Star, good morning to you.

GUTHRIE: Good morning.

Ms. STAR JONES (Attorney and Former Prosecutor): Well, let's start talking about this new defense theory...

GUTHRIE: Mm-hmm.

Ms. JONES: ...that Jeff Rossen laid out, the timeline. And essentially what they're arguing is that Michael Jackson took it upon himself to walk into that private bedroom, take eight lorazepam unbeknownst to his doctor, Conrad Murray . We know that the defense does not have to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt ...

GUTHRIE: Correct.

Ms. JONES: ...but don't they have to offer some evidence of this? I mean, they can't just make allegations and put no proof forward, right?

GUTHRIE: Do -- can I remind you of -- with sitting here with me and hearing that in the Casey Anthony case that there was some sort of child molestation? They made allegations without any proof whatsoever. She's at home right now, OK? And that's the kind of thing that a jury will look to. If they don't want to, quote, "ruin this man's life," Conrad Murray could get the benefit of beyond a reasonable doubt .

Ms. JONES: At the same time, prosecutors very effectively have used Conrad Murray 's own words...

GUTHRIE: Absolutely.

Ms. JONES: ...the statement he gave to police, and prosecutors are making the argument that 'Even if you just take Conrad Murray at his word, we've established gross negligence .'

GUTHRIE: Yes. If they're saying, the prosecution's saying, 'We don't believe anything that he says, and because of that he's guilty,' then they're also saying, 'If you believe everything that he says, because of that he's guilty.'

Ms. JONES: This is a pretty steep hole that the defense now has to climb out of. They are going to put on their own expert, forensic expert...

GUTHRIE: Mm-hmm.

Ms. JONES: ...to counter the experts we've heard now from the prosecution, most of whom seemed very effective in court. Is it possible that jurors just kind of throw their hands up and it's -- you -- we got dueling experts and they kind of cancel each other out?

GUTHRIE: The battle of the experts often ends with the jury tossing out sort of the main central issue, which is the propofol. That's why Dr. Steinberg is going to become so, so important. He's the one who laid out the six elements that could make gross negligence in and of themselves, and of those six, five of them would find Conrad Murray guilty. That's what the prosecution is depending on. The defense very clearly just needs to do reasonable doubt when it comes to cause of death. That's where they're going.

Ms. JONES: And to that end, I mean, the defense was actually severely limited by the judge before trial...

GUTHRIE: Mm-hmm.

Ms. JONES: ...in terms of what it could put on for evidence of his former addiction and his financial pressures. At the same time, evidence has come in that Michael Jackson had some kind of addiction problem. Do you think jurors may find, you know, 'We -- we'll never know what really happened here,' and that that would be sufficient to have reasonable doubt ? Maybe Michael Jackson did take these drugs himself.

GUTHRIE: That is always enough to -- if the jury throws its hands up and say, 'I just don't know,' that's enough to find a defendant not guilty. The bigger problem, though, for the defense is their alternate theories that can get to guilt. If the jurors are arguing over one aspect, the prosecution has another card to play, and they've played them all. It's very skillful. There's a hole that they have to get out of.

Ms. JONES: And you want to stand by your position, no way Conrad Murray takes the stand this week.

GUTHRIE:

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45015949/ns/today-entertainment/

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Hawk found with nail in head recovering in Calif.

A wildlife rescue group captures a red-tailed hawk in a San Francisco park that appears to have been shot in the head with a nail gun. Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue, says the juvenile bird was trapped Saturday Oct. 22, 2011 shortly before sunset at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The bird was immediately transported to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose. (AP Photo/Katerine Ulrich - WildRescue)

A wildlife rescue group captures a red-tailed hawk in a San Francisco park that appears to have been shot in the head with a nail gun. Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue, says the juvenile bird was trapped Saturday Oct. 22, 2011 shortly before sunset at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The bird was immediately transported to Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose. (AP Photo/Katerine Ulrich - WildRescue)

In this photo provided by WildRescue, a red-tailed hawk is seen with a nail in its head at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. Animal rescuers are set to return to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on Wednesday to try to capture the red-tailed hawk. Crews spent much of Tuesday chasing the bird, which may have been shot with a nail gun. Rebecca Dmytryk, director of the group, WildRescue, says rescuers set two traps but were unable to lure the animal. (AP Photo/WildRescue, Rebecca Dmytryk)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A red-tailed hawk that rescuers said was shot in the head with a nail gun was recovering Sunday at a Northern California wildlife center.

The hawk, captured in a San Francisco park by rescuers Saturday, was doing "very well" while being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose, said Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue.

"The nail dislodged and dropped out during transport with no sign of additional trauma and no bleeding," Dmytryk said.

The juvenile bird was trapped Saturday evening at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. It was immediately transported to the wildlife center where specialists stayed late to receive it, Dmytryk said.

WildRescue had been notified of the injured bird nearly a week ago and had tried to trap it several times last week without success.

But observers got close enough to the bird to see the nail extending from its cheek through the front of its head. They said the hawk appeared to be in pain.

Dmytryk's group had been using a trap called a bal-chatri, a trap made of wire mesh, to try to catch the injured hawk.

Rescuers believe someone intentionally hurt the hawk earlier this month. A reward of $10,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever harmed the bird.

She has said that wild birds like hawks are protected, and that it's a felony to try to capture the birds without a license.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-10-23-Injured%20Hawk/id-164162ae250f49e0a0022a723184f0dc

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