tv9 kannada news channel: October 2011

Monday, October 31, 2011

Google's Big Video Push Is Here - Business Insider

Google is launching more than 100 new YouTube channels with exclusive video content commissioned from media companies and celebrities.

Providers with their own channels will include Thomson Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, comedy magazine The Onion, Jay-Z,? Ashton Kutcher, Deepak Chopra, Shaquille O'Neal (who will have a comedy channel), and Madonna (with a dance channel).

Sources familiar with the deal say that Google paid advances of more than $100 million to get this content. The artists will be able to earn it back through ad monetization over time. The model is similar to how record labels pay advances to artists, but in this case Google will be exercising no control over the creation or production of the content. It's simply seeding the market.

We've heard several times in recent months that Google is upping its investment in original video content under leader Robert Kynci -- as one source put it, the company would rather fund the next MTV or ESPN than buy them, as it was reportedly considering with a YouTube deal.

Earlier today, Google launched the next version of Google TV, which includes a new YouTube app. The company talked about accessing YouTube content as "channels" -- now it's got some commitments for new content to go on those channels.

Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported that a number of content deals were imminent.

A full list of the partners is below:

Electus Channel - Pop Culture (name TBD)
PMC PMC Entertainment News
WWE WWE
Young Hollywood Young Hollywood Network
DanceOn DanceOn (Madonna)
Fine Brothers Films MyMusic
Everyday Health, Inc. Everyday Health TV
TakePart? TakePart? TV
Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) Spaces
Uncommon Content Partners The Conversation Channel
Demand Media eHow Home
SB Nation SB Nation
Magical Elves and InStyle magazine Little Black Dress?
Hearst Magazines Channel - Fashion & Beauty Channel (name TBD)
Emil Rensing International Channel - Auto (name TBD)
My Damn Channel My Damn Channel: Live
Uncommon Content Partners Taste & Access
Red Bull Media House North America Red Bull
Machinima Machinima
Katalyst Thrash Lab (Ashton Kutcher)
Steve Spangler Science The Spangler Effect
New Nation Networks New Nation Networks
Smart Girls at the Party Smart Girls at the Party (Amy Poehler)
Bedrocket Media Ventures and Full Picture Productions Look TV
BermanBraun theLOGE
The Young Turks Town Square
BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Vigor
Electus NuevOn - Latin Channel (Sofia Vergara)
Clevver Media ClevverStyle
ModernMom.com ModernMom Channel
Brady Haran DeepSkyVideos
IconicTV 123UnoDosTres
The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal
Pharrell Williams i am OTHER
SoulPancake Productions SoulPancake (Rainn Wilson)
Chopra Media/Generate The Chopra Well (Deepak Chopra)
Clevver Media ClevverNews
The Bowery Presents The Bowery Presents
Clevver Media ClevverTeVe
Seedwell American Hipster
Hearst Magazines Car and Driver Television
Alchemy Networks Alchemy Networks
CafeMom CafeMom Studios
Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel - Comedy (name TBD)
Demand Media LIVESTRONG
Bedrocket Media Ventures Channel - Action Sports (name TBD)
FremantleMedia Channel - Pets & Animal (name TBD)
Big Frame BAM
IconicTV myISH
Electus Channel - Food (name TBD)
Soccer United Marketing & Bedrocket KickTV
Lionsgate Lionsgate Fitness Channel
East of Center Productions LLC YOMYOMF
EQAL u look haute!
Philip Defranco Sourcefed
Meredith Corporation and Meredith Video Studios Digs
Vlogbrothers CrashCourse
Walter Latham Digital Walter Latham's "Kings of Comedy"
Tony Hawk's production company, 900 Films, Inc. RIDE Channel
JON M. CHU Channel - Dance (name TBD)
Vuguru & POW! Entertainment Stan Lee's World of Heroes
FAWN by Michelle Phan Fawn
DECA KinCommunity
Source Interlink Media Motor Trend
The Nerdist Channel The Nerdist Channel
Comedy Shaq Network The Comedy Shaq Network (Shaquille O?Neal)
Demand Media eHow Pets & Animals
Brady Haran numberphile
Cooking Up a Story Food Farmer Earth
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report
TED Conferences TEDEducation
Intelligent Television Intelligent Channel?
Pitchfork Pitchfork TV
Vlogbrothers SciShow
EYEBOOGIE POP SPOT
Roadside Entertainment/BAC The NOC
Alli Sports Alli Sports
The Onion Onion Broadcasting Company?
VICE VICE
Smosh/Alloy Digital Smosh Animation (name TBD)
VICE Noisey
Knights of Good Productions Geek & Sundry
Mondo Media New Animators
BermanBraun & Rodale Inc. Taste
Varsity Pictures Awesomeness
Black Box TV Black Box TV (Anthony Zuicker, founder of CSI)
IGN Entertainment / Shine Group START
@radical.media Channel - Education (name TBD)
Frederator Networks Channel Frederator's Cartoon Hangover
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Thomson Reuters Reuters.com
Slate Slate News Channel
Maker Studios The Maker Music Network
Maker Studios The Moms' View
Maker Studios Tutele
Noisey VICE
Iconic Life and Times (Jay-Z)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-launches-more-than-100-exclusive-youtube-channels-2011-10

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Samsung Galaxy Note review

Remember the display on your first mobile phone? If you've been chatting on the go for as long as we have, it was probably barely big enough to fit a complete telephone number -- let alone a contact name or text message. And your first smartphone? Even displaying scaled-down, WAP versions of web pages was asking a lot. Now, those mobile devices we couldn't live without have screens that are much, much larger. Sometimes, though, we secretly wish they were even bigger still.

Samsung's new GT-N7000 Galaxy Note is the handset those dreams are made of -- if you happen to share that dream about obnoxiously large smartphones, that is. It's as thin as a Galaxy S II, lightning fast and its 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display is as gorgeous as it is enormous; the 1280 x 800 pixels you once could only get with a full-size laptop (or in the Galaxy Tab 10.1) can now slide comfortably into your front pocket. Its jumbo display makes it the perfect candidate for a notepad replacement and, with the included S Pen stylus, you'll have no problem jotting notes on the fly, marking up screenshots or signing documents electronically. But, is that massive display too much of a good thing? You'll need to jump past the break to find out.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note review

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy Note vs. Galaxy S II

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note review

Samsung Galaxy Note review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/WVjmtnNxr_Y/

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Dog survived gas chamber, up for adoption in NJ

ROCKAWAY, N.J. (AP) ? A stray beagle mix that cheated death in an Alabama dog pound's gas chamber is up for adoption in New Jersey.

Volunteers began looking for a new home for the dog known as Daniel after the animal walked out unscathed from the carbon monoxide administered by the Animal Control Department in Florence, Ala., on Oct. 3.

The nonprofit Eleventh Hour Rescue group arranged to have the dog flown to New Jersey, where it is awaiting adoption at its shelter in Rockaway.

Volunteer Roger Keyser told The Star-Ledger of Newark the dog "has got to have some destiny."

Phil Stevenson, a Florence city spokesman, said Friday that no one is sure why Daniel was the lone survivor.

"It may be that his breathing was shallow because of a cold or something. Or maybe God just had a better plan for this one," Stevenson said.

Stevenson said the gas chamber is a stainless-steel box that's roughly the size of a pickup truck bed. A computer-controlled pump slowly feeds carbon monoxide into the chamber once it's sealed, and an operator presses a button.

"It sort of rocks them to sleep slowly. It's like the cases you hear about where people are overcome by carbon monoxide in their home and just never wake up," he said.

A new operator placed the dog into the chamber with other animals and started the machine, Stevenson said, although it's unclear how many animals were in the chamber in all, or what species.

Three animals have survived the gas chamber in the last 12 years or so, and every effort is made to find new homes for any that do survive, Stevenson said.

Alabama lawmakers passed a law in June to ban the use of gas chambers effective Dec. 31. At the time, Florence was one of only two places in the state using the chambers.

___

Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Ala., contributed to this report.

___

Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/starledger

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-28-Miracle%20Dog/id-e27f4534b04a4ba5b9b399ac4ba2624a

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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Suspect that prompted SC schools lockdown arrested

Greenville Police Officers close down a street near I-85 in Greenville, S.C. Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. A gunman fired on a South Carolina police officer checking on a suspicious license plate Friday, causing 10 schools in Greenville to go on lockdown. (AP Photo/Ken Osburn, The Greenville News)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) ? A gunman who authorities said fired on a South Carolina police officer checking on a suspicious license plate and caused 10 schools to go on lockdown was arrested Friday.

Patrick Dean Lowrance was found in a Greenville apartment. He was shot in the shoulder when the officer fired back and was taken to the hospital for treatment, Greenville County deputies said.

The shooting happened around 10 a.m. at a different apartment complex, Greenville police spokeswoman Alia Urps said.

After being shot, the suspect ran into nearby woods. Several dozen officers who happened to be in a training session nearby rushed to help search, along with teams of dogs, authorities said.

The search went on for more than three hours before investigators determined Lowrance got someone to pick him up. The schools reopened their doors before dismissal.

Authorities did not say what hospital Lowrance was taken to. They did not know if he had an attorney.

The shooting happened after an officer checking license plates in a hotel parking lot found that a plate on a GMC Yukon was listed for a Honda, Urps said. When the officer went inside the hotel to inquire about the driver, the suspect drove off in the SUV.

The officer got into her patrol car and tried to pull the suspect over on Interstate 85, but he sped up, and she abandoned the chase, Urps said.

"We do not pursue for minor traffic infractions, and at that point, that's all that we had," she said.

Another officer found the vehicle in an apartment parking lot, and as she approached the building, the suspect shot at her, police said.

The SUV was stolen in a carjacking three weeks ago in a motel parking lot in Spartanburg, a city about 30 miles east, police said.

Lowrance, 25, was wanted on four counts of attempted murder and other charges after he tried to rob a fast-food restaurant in Greenville last Sunday, authorities said.

Investigators said Lowrance came into the restaurant after closing time and demanded three workers to open the safe. The employees told him only the manager had the combination and she was outside.

The gunman forced the workers outside, where the manager was in her car, trying to drive off. The suspect fired at the car, then demanded that the employees go back inside. But they told him the door locked behind them automatically and Lowrance fired his gun again at them as they ran away. No one was injured, authorities said.

After Friday's shooting, four public schools, three private schools, two colleges and a special education center were placed on lockdown.

Schools were locked down in several directions because officers weren't sure where the suspect went.

"This is not around the corner from a school. I don't want to give you that impression. This is several miles from any of our schools," Oby Lyles, spokesman for Greenville County school district, told The Associated Press. "Everybody's fine."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-28-School%20Lockdown/id-4559bffc7d79498d9b7dcf82d39270ba

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ECB's Trichet sees low inflation for 10 years: paper (Reuters)

BERLIN (Reuters) ? European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet was quoted by a German newspaper as saying inflation in the euro zone would be "very low" over the next 10 years, with expectations currently for around 1.8 percent.

"In the coming 10 years, the inflation rate will most probably stay very low; current expectations are for around 1.8 percent," he told the mass-selling Bild am Sonntag newspaper, in one of the final interviews of his term heading the ECB.

"This means: in the euro zone we have price stability. This is something we are very proud of, and rightly so, because we have achieved what is expected of us."

Trichet said European governments had made serious mistakes by not sticking to the Stability and Growth pact.

"They did this although the ECB emphatically warned them to follow the criteria."

Trichet, who said he would "certainly remain active" after stepping down as ECB president, called for a change of values in financial markets.

"We should be very aware of the fact that some ways of behavior on markets caused considerable irritation. One such thing is the level of some bonus payments," Trichet said.

"Banks must raise their level of resistance and avoid behavior that is not in cohesion with the values of our society -- including excessive bonus payments."

He said regulatory bodies should ensure financial market innovations served the real economy and did not damage it.

"At the moment we are working on correcting this," he said.

"There is an agreement among all authorities worldwide that we have to discipline the markets and in general the financial system, and we have to make sure that they are considerably more resistant under all circumstances in the future."

But the central banker warned against restricting banks too much, given that this would have negative impact on the real economy they financed.

Trichet said Europe needed to strengthen its political structures, which would require changes of the constitution.

He called for stronger European governance, making it possible to implement the necessary measures in those countries that continuously contravene the stability criteria and endanger the financial stability of the euro zone.

"In the long run, we will have to go further down the path toward political union," he said.

(Reporting By Sarah Marsh; Editing by Ralph Gowling)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111030/bs_nm/us_ecb_trichet_inflation

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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Obama lost many donors from '08 presidential race

President Barack Obama has dinner with campaign donors and winners of the "Dinner with Barack" contest at The Liberty Tavern in the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, Va., Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011. From left to right: Ken Knight, U.S. postal worker from Chandler, Ariz.; Wendi Smith, artist and retired professor from Corydon, Ind.; Casey Helbling, enterpreneur from Minneapolis, Minn.; President Obama; Juanita Martinez, retired teacher from Brighton, Colo. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama has lost millions of dollars in support from former donors in Democratic strongholds and in districts that he won narrowly four years ago, according to an Associated Press analysis of the most recent federal campaign finance data.

Tens of thousands of supporters who gave him hundreds of dollars or more in the early stages of the 2008 campaign haven't offered him similar amounts of cash so far in this campaign. And in some cases, former Obama contributors gave to GOP candidates, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Obama's re-election effort is hardly hurting for cash: His campaign and the Democratic Party raised more than $70 million for Obama's re-election in the July-September period, outstripping all Republicans combined by tens of millions of dollars.

But the AP's analysis indicates that Obama, beleaguered by a struggling economy, has lost early support from some of his larger financial supporters and will have to work harder to win back party stalwarts and swing voters alike. Obama's approval ratings have slumped to 41 percent in a recent Gallup poll, as steadfast supporters have found themselves less able or less willing to open their wallets again.

"He was our state senator, and when I looked at the Republican side, I thought, 'We need some fresh blood in the campaign,'" said Janet Tavakoli, 58, a financial analyst from Chicago who gave $1,000 to the president in 2008. "But I was dead wrong about it," she said, and isn't supporting any candidate this time.

Obama faced then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2008. This time he is running unchallenged and has no primaries or caucuses looming, as the Republican candidates do, so potential Obama donors may not be feeling any sense of urgency. But typically early donors tend to give again, as money is a sign of enthusiasm ? something Obama had in spades four years ago.

For its analysis, the AP compared the names and addresses of Obama contributors who gave between $200 and $2,500 from April to September 2007 with those who gave amounts in the same range during the same period this year. The AP adjusted its analysis to compensate for contributors who might have moved and listed a new address, or whose name or address was listed slightly differently last time.

The Obama campaign said most of its contributors gave small donations this year; it is not required under federal law to provide names of donors who gave less than $200. About 40 percent of total fundraising came from amounts greater than $200 this year, not adjusting for inflation, compared with more than 75 percent during the same period in 2007.

Obama's missing contributors live across the country, mostly concentrated in the Northeast and the West Coast. Obama also missed support from early donors in parts of Texas, Illinois and Michigan ? areas he narrowly won in 2008. But he also picked up some new sources of cash in those places.

"I have little discretionary money, and I just have to take care of myself," said Roger Hodges, 45, an urban designer in Richmond, Calif. Hodges gave Obama $250 four years ago but doesn't plan on donating in this election. Hodges said friends in the liberal-leaning San Francisco Bay Area have become disappointed in Obama.

Romney, a leading GOP contender, has closed in financially in areas of the country that gave a solid stream of checks to Obama in the 2008 campaign, including Southern California, Florida and New England. Records show a handful of Obama contributors from 2008 donated to Romney this time; few, if any, appeared to give to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, another front-runner.

Lynda Marren, 48, of Hillsdale, Calif., usually supports Republican politicians, but she paid $500 to hear Obama speak four years ago.

"I wasn't persuaded then, and still am not," she said, and gave $1,000 to Romney this past June.

Many Obama supporters said they will vote for his re-election even if they don't write big checks. About 4 out of 5 of those who voted for the president in 2008 say they are likely to do so again, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

But Obama's contributions this recent fundraising quarter ? absent support from the Democratic National Committee ? are less than the combined cash given to all GOP candidates, hinting at an influx of money to whomever Republicans chose as their nominee. Observers have said this election likely will cost more than $1 billion.

The Obama campaign, for its part, said more than a million people have given to the president's 2012 re-election efforts, a mix of hundreds of thousands of new and returning donors that spokesman Ben LaBolt said points to "evidence of a growing organization." All told, Obama received donations from a wide swath of the United States from the Plains, the Midwest and parts of the South since April, the AP's analysis found.

Among those donors was Laurel Cappa of Washington, who gave $300 to the president four years ago and opened her wallet again this year.

"It was a birthday gift to myself," she said, having turned 70 this year, "and I expect to be giving more."

The campaign reports offer a complicated financial picture for Obama this election cycle. Recent reports show a mixed level of financial support from Wall Street, and an AP analysis earlier this month found Obama garnered continued donations from the nation's most economically hard-hit areas.

The campaign figures, however, didn't capture money raised by new, outside groups known as super political action committees, which can collect unlimited amounts of cash to influence elections. Obama and leading GOP candidates all have super PACs working in their favor, not counting groups like the GOP-leaning American Crossroads that have raised hundreds of millions ahead of the general election.

___

Follow Jack Gillum at http://twitter.com/jackgillum

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-10-28-Obama's%20Missing%20Donors/id-ffb3349df73a4e12b2092530cd9135a9

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Europe bailout fund chief visits Beijing (AP)

BEIJING ? The chief of Europe's bailout fund visited Beijing on Friday to discuss possible terms for cash-rich China and other global investors to help finance a multibillion-dollar plan to resolve the continent's debt crisis.

Klaus Regling arrived a day after European leaders approved the plan and said it was too early to negotiate with China as a potential investor in the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility. He said the fund will spend the next few months talking to governments and others about how the fund might be structured so the bonds it sells to raise money will be an attractive investment.

Contributing to Europe's bailout could help Beijing achieve its goal of a leading role in managing global finances. But a possible Chinese role in Europe, and suggestions that Beijing might want political concessions, has caused unease among some Europeans.

Leaders of the 17 nations that use the euro agreed this week to expand the 440 billion euro ($624 billion) bailout fund in hopes of resolving the 2-year-old crisis that threatens to push developed economies back into recession.

The increase would come from having the fund insure debt issued by wobbly countries such as Italy and Spain, preventing them from being dragged into the crisis. European leaders also want to raise money from China, with $3.2 trillion in foreign reserves, and other global investors to increase the fund's financial arsenal.

Regling declined to say how much he hoped Beijing might contribute but said China has a "particular need" for safe foreign assets to invest its multibillion-dollar monthly trade surpluses. He noted that his fund's bonds, backed by the 17 euro area governments, have the strongest AAA credit rating.

Chinese leaders have expressed sympathy and promised to support Europe, their biggest export market. But so far, they have said only that they will help by continuing business as usual, buying Europe's goods and stockpiling part of China's trade surplus in the safest European government bonds.

Regling said China and other Asian investors have bought 40 percent of the bonds issued by the EFSF since it was created in May 2010 but he refused to say how much Beijing has purchased or give other details. The EFSF has raised 8 billion euros from two rounds of bond sales and plans four more this year, according to its website.

European leaders want to raise money for two schemes to expand the fund's financial firepower. One would allow the EFSF to act as an insurer for bonds sold by weaker governments such as Spain or Italy, allowing them to pay lower interest rates by making the bonds more attractive to investors. The second would be a fund, called a special purpose vehicle, to buy government bonds or recapitalize shaky banks.

Regling, who visits Beijing regularly, said he would meet with officials of China's finance ministry and central bank.

"It will be interesting to listen to them, like I listen to investors from many other parts of the world," he said at a news conference.

He said the fund wants to find out how to structure investments "so that the money will actually come" from China and other investors, he said.

Also Friday, a deputy Chinese finance minister said Beijing needs to learn how the new investment vehicle will work before deciding whether to invest.

China wants details on the amount of bonds issued by Italy and other individual European governments that might be guaranteed by the fund, Zhu Guangyao said at a separate briefing.

"We must wait for the technicalities to emerge and then carry out serious study before we can decide on investment," Zhu said.

Regling said one issue to discuss is how to structure the special purpose vehicle to make it more attractive to China and other possible investors by having the EFSF absorb a bigger share of possible losses.

Regling stressed that the meetings with the Chinese are not negotiations but "regular consultations at an early phase."

Asked about suggestions Beijing might impose political conditions, Regling said officials had not raised that issue with him.

Some European and Chinese commentators say Beijing might press Europe to refrain from human rights criticism or grant Beijing market economy status, which would make it harder for Europe to pursue trade complaints against China.

"I have not been confronted with this," Regling said. "I am not talking on behalf of the European Union, so I am the wrong person" to discuss such issues.

Regling said he hoped to present the bailout fund's bonds as an attractive commercial investment to China once the details are worked out.

"I am optimistic we will have a longer-term relationship," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Chris Bodeen contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_europe_financial_crisis

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Life sentence for Argentine "Blond Angel of Death" (Reuters)

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) ? Alfredo Astiz, Argentina's infamous "Blond Angel of Death," and 11 other death squad members from the 1970s were jailed for life on Wednesday in one of the country's biggest human rights cases.

Astiz, nicknamed for his cherubic looks, stood trial with other former officials accused of horrific crimes at the ESMA Naval Mechanics School, where about 5,000 dissidents were held and tortured during the 1976-1983 "Dirty War" dictatorship. Few of the captives survived.

Marking the end of a 22-month trial in which 79 survivors gave evidence, 12 defendants were sentenced to life while four others were punished with between 18 and 25 years in jail.

Hundreds of people gathered on the street outside the packed courtroom, some holding up photographs of the victims of the men inside. The crowd, bundled up against a chilly Buenos Aires night, applauded at the reading out of each sentence.

"We can finally be at peace, knowing that justice has been done," a woman in the crowd told local television.

Former navy captain Astiz boasted of his dictatorship-era crimes in a magazine interview in 1998, saying he was "the best-trained man in Argentina to kill journalists and politicians."

"I'm not sorry for anything," Astiz said in the interview.

He infiltrated human rights groups whose members were later kidnapped and was convicted in absentia in Europe of killing two French nuns held at the ESMA.

"Son of a bitch!" people in the crowd yelled when Astiz's sentence was pronounced by the judge inside. When the proceedings were over, the people outside started dancing to live folk music, some weeping and hugging each other.

Defendants included Jorge Acosta, known as "The Tiger," who said during the two-year trial that "human rights violations are unavoidable during a war."

He was one of the 12 sentenced to life in prison.

"DISAPPEARED" IN DIRTY WAR

Only about 200 people are known to have survived from the estimated 5,000 prisoners held in the ESMA. Many of the rest were drugged and dumped out of airplanes into the nearby River Plate in a gruesome weekly ritual.

Death squads drove up to ESMA -- the best known of hundreds of clandestine prisons used by the dictatorship -- in daylight and unloaded blindfolded prisoners from their car trunks.

While prisoners were held, some for hours, others for years, under the eaves of the ESMA officers' residence, officers went on living, eating, studying and socializing in the floors below.

Human rights groups say Argentina's military government killed up to 30,000 people during the six-year dictatorship. Most of them disappeared and their bodies were never found.

When the dictatorship fell in 1983, courts convicted former members of the military junta of human rights crimes, but they were later released under an amnesty.

Astiz tried to lead a normal life and was photographed in Buenos Aires nightclubs or at vacation spots. But he became a symbol of the abuses by the dictatorship and, on several occasions, people attacked him in public.

In 2005, Argentina's Supreme Court struck down the amnesty at the urging of then-President Nestor Kirchner, late husband of current President Cristina Fernandez.

The Kirchners met as student activists in the 1970s and several friends were kidnapped and killed during for their political activities.

Since then, courts have convicted and sentenced a series of former military officers on human rights charges.

The ESMA was opened to the public as a human rights memorial in 2007.

(Writing by Helen Popper and Hugh Bronstein; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111027/wl_nm/us_argentina_rights

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Professional ?nd skilled automotive locksmith w??ld come t? ???r house loaded w?th de rigueur tools needed f?r car key substitution. Th??? automotive locksmiths h??? b??n helping ?n th? road side ?l?? ?n case ?f emergency. Th?? w?ll exchange car keys within a fraction ?f second. Th? services offered b? th??? auto smiths ?r? q???k?r th?n th? dealers? services. Auto smiths invest ?n ?ll th? de rigueur skills ?nd efficiency t? learn decoding machinery t? find car key substitution q???k??t. Th?t ?? h?w th??r business clicks! And th?? ?r? ???r ready 24/7 ?nd providing mobile locksmith. Th?? h??? upgraded themselves w?th th? cutting edge auto technology.

Source: http://www.namastenailsandnewage.com/701/automotive-locksmiths-nail-down-car-key-replacement/

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Genes Could Highlight Plavix Users at Clot Risk After Stent (HealthDay)

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have identified mutations in three genes that make certain patients more likely to have a potentially fatal blood clot after undergoing heart stent placement.

The genes are involved in metabolism of the drug Plavix (clopidogrel), a widely used blood thinner, and in platelet formation, according to a study published in the Oct. 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"This goes back to the idea of tailored medicine but [gene testing] is not feasible to do on everybody," said Dr. John Gassler, associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who was not involved with the research. "This study is very strongly thought-provoking but I don't think it can alter practice until it's been evaluated [further]."

The authors of the study also reported that a higher initial dose of Plavix reduced the risk of stent thrombosis (blood clot formation), while using proton pump inhibitors -- common drugs to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and stomach ulcers -- upped the risk.

People who get stents to prop open blocked arteries routinely receive two different blood thinners to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis. This has cut the rate of stent thrombosis tremendously, but up to 4 percent of patients still end up with this devastating complication, according to background information in the study.

The study authors analyzed 23 gene variants in 15 genes in 123 patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention in France and who had experienced stent thrombosis.

These patients were compared to 246 similar patients who had not had stent thrombosis.

Three genotypes and two clinical factors -- Plavix loading (initial) dose and use of proton pump inhibitors -- all affected the risk of stent thrombosis.

When the investigators combined the clinical and risk factors, they found that those in the highest risk category had a sevenfold increased risk of stent thrombosis versus patients with the lowest risk profile.

"When we combine everything we have a very good predictive value, which is around 80 percent," said study co-first author, Dr. Jean-Sebastien Hulot, director of Pharmacogenomics & Personalized Therapeutics of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

But while the clinical variables are easy enough to assess, genetic information is not so easy to come by, at least not yet. Right now, results of genetic tests take about a week to come back.

"It would make sense to have the results in a couple of hours and some companies are developing this kind of testing," Hulot said. "In the near future we can have the results in hours. The markers aren't valuable right now but they will be in the near future."

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on stents.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111026/hl_hsn/genescouldhighlightplavixusersatclotriskafterstent

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Study indicates nanoparticles could help pain-relieving osteoarthritis drugs last longer

Public release date: 26-Oct-2011
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Contact: Stacey May
MayS@aaps.org
703-248-4740
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Site-specific platform releases medicine over time, requiring fewer injections for patients

Arlington, Va. A novel study demonstrates that using nanoparticles to deliver osteoarthritis drugs to the knee joint could help increase the retention of the drug in the knee cavity, and therefore reduce the frequency of injections patients must receive. This research is being presented Oct. 23 27 at the 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C.

Osteoarthritis affects 30 million Americans and is the most common joint disorder. It is projected to affect more than 20 percent of the U.S. population by 2025. Aging, obesity and joint injury can lead to osteoarthritis, which is characterized by progressive erosion of articular cartilage (cartilage that covers the bones). The disease can occur in all joints, most often the knees, hips, hands and spine, and currently there are no pharmacological treatments that halt the disease progression. For large joints, a drug could be injected into the joint to help limit potential side effects, like pain. A significant challenge in treating osteoarthritis this way is the short duration the medicine stays in the affected joint after injection.

Lead researcher Michael Morgen, Ph.D., and his colleagues from Bend Research and Pfizer propose to address this challenge with injectable nanoparticles that help retain osteoarthritis drugs in the knee joint. Test results show that 70 percent of the drug nanoparticles remain in the knee cavity after one week. In contrast, for most current formulations, the drug disperses within one to two days.

In this new process, positively charged nanoparticles carrying a drug attach to the negatively charged, naturally occurring molecules in the knee to form a gel. This gel acts as a depot that slows drug escape from the knee cavity.

"Current delivery methods do not maintain the drug in the knee for very long, which limits the effectiveness of therapeutic agents," said Dr. Morgen. "We hope that this type of sustained release technology, when used with current or new osteoarthritis drugs, will allow patients to be effectively treated with drug injections every three months instead of once a week."

###

The 2011 AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, aims to improve global health through advances in pharmaceutical sciences. AAPS, currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary, has themed the keynote and plenary sessions at this year's Annual Meeting "The Next 25 Years." An estimated 9,000 scientists from around the world will participate in 90 sessions, including more than 60 symposia and roundtables.

Learn more about the meeting and global health from leading scientists in this webisode series and follow the tweet hashtag #AAPS2011 for meeting updates.

Editor's Note: All press must register and provide press credentials to attend this meeting. To register, please contact MayS@aaps.org or 703-248-4740 prior to the meeting or visit room 149A during the conference.

To schedule an interview with Michael Morgen or any other press inquiry, please contact Hillarie Turner at hbt@ecius.net or 202-296-2002 x113.

About AAPS: The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists is a professional, scientific society of approximately 12,000 members employed in academia, industry, government and other research institutes worldwide. For more information, please visit www.aaps.org.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Study indicates nanoparticles could help pain-relieving osteoarthritis drugs last longer

Public release date: 26-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Stacey May
MayS@aaps.org
703-248-4740
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Site-specific platform releases medicine over time, requiring fewer injections for patients

###

Learn more about the meeting and global health from leading scientists in this webisode series and follow the tweet hashtag #AAPS2011 for meeting updates.

To schedule an interview with Michael Morgen or any other press inquiry, please contact Hillarie Turner at hbt@ecius.net or 202-296-2002 x113.

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Share ]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/aaop-sin101711.php

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Solo, Wambach, Marta up for player of the year

updated 9:30 a.m. ET Oct. 25, 2011

ZURICH - United States goalkeeper Hope Solo and forward Abby Wambach were nominated on Tuesday for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award, competing with five-time winner Marta of Brazil.

Japan, the 2011 Women's World Cup winner, has Homare Sawa, the player of the tournament and top scorer in Germany, and Aya Miyama on the shortlist of 10 candidates.

U.S. forward Alex Morgan is the third member of the World Cup runner-up team to be nominated. France playmaker Louisa Necib also made the list chosen by FIFA officials and journalists selected by France Football magazine.

Marta, who helped the Western New York Flash win the Women's Professional Soccer title last season, is seeking to win the FIFA award for a sixth straight year. She is the only player selected from the Brazil squad eliminated by the U.S. in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Japan coach Norio Sasaki and the U.S. team's Swedish coach Pia Sundhage are among 10 candidates for the best coach of a women's team in 2011. Sasaki is one of seven men on the list.

Award organizers FIFA and France Football magazine will reveal the final three candidates on Dec. 5.

FIFA will announce the 10-candidate lists next Tuesday for the men's Golden Ball and best coach awards

The winners will be announced Jan. 9 at the FIFA Gala in Zurich.

Voting is by national team coaches and captains plus selected journalists.

More news

I'm no saint, but I'm no racist

Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas says he is no saint but he did not direct any racist abuse toward Sevilla's Frederic Kanoute during a heated encounter on Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45027559/ns/sports-soccer/

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Coroner: Amy Winehouse died from too much alcohol

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch, center and his partner Jane, right, arrive at St Pancras Coroner's Court for a hearing into the singer's death in London, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. A British coroner will hear about the final hours of Amy Winehouse's life at the inquest into the soul diva's death. The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Amy Winehouse's mother Janis, left, arrives at St Pancras Coroner's Court for a hearing into the singer's death in London, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. A British coroner will hear about the final hours of Amy Winehouse's life at the inquest into the soul diva's death. The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Amy Winehouse's mum Janis, left, arrives at St. Pancras Coroner's Court for a hearing into the singer's death in London, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. A British coroner will hear about the final hours of Amy Winehouse's life at the inquest into the soul diva's death. The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch, left, and his partner Jane, second left, arrive at St Pancras Coroner's Court for a hearing into the singer's death in London, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011. A British coroner will hear about the final hours of Amy Winehouse's life at the inquest into the soul diva's death. The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON (AP) ? Amy Winehouse drank herself to death. That was the ruling of a coroner's inquest into the death of the Grammy-winning soul singer, who died with empty vodka bottles in her room and lethal amounts of alcohol in her blood ? more than five times the British drunk driving limit.

Coroner Suzanne Greenaway gave a verdict of "death by misadventure," saying Wednesday the singer suffered accidental alcohol poisoning when she resumed drinking after weeks of abstinence.

"The unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels (of alcohol) was her sudden and unexpected death," Greenaway said.

The 27-year-old Winehouse had fought a very public battle with drug and alcohol abuse for years, and there had been much speculation that she died from a drug overdose. But a pathologist said the small amount of a drug prescribed to help her cope with the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal had nothing to do with her death.

Instead, a resumption of heavy drinking killed the singer, best-known for her tall beehive hairdos and Grammy-winning album "Back to Black." A security guard found Winehouse dead in bed at her London home on July 23.

"She's made tremendous efforts over the years," said Dr. Christina Romete, who had treated Winehouse. But "she had her own way and was very determined to do everything her way."

Winehouse gave up illicit drugs in 2008, but had swerved between heavy alcohol use and abstinence for a long time, Romete said. The singer had resumed drinking in the days before her death after staying away from alcohol for most of July, she said.

Romete said she warned Winehouse of the dangers of alcoholism. "The advice I had given to Amy over a long period of time was verbal and in written form about all the effects alcohol can have on the system, including respiratory depression and death, heart problems, fertility problems and liver problems," she said.

Winehouse joins a long list of celebrities who died after fighting alcohol problems, including jazz great Billie Holiday, AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott, film legend Richard Burton, writers Dylan Thomas and Jack Kerouac, and country music pioneer Hank Williams.

Witnesses testifying Wednesday said the singer showed no signs she wanted to kill herself and had spoken of her weekend plans as well as her upcoming birthday just hours before she was found dead.

"She was looking forward to the future," Romete said, describing Winehouse as "tipsy" but calm when they met the night before her death. That night, her live-in security guard said he heard her laughing, watching television and listening to music at home.

The guard, Andrew Morris, said he knew she had resumed drinking, but did not notice anything unusual until he found that she had stopped breathing in bed the next afternoon.

Police Detective Inspector Les Newman said three empty vodka bottles ? two large and one small ? were found in her bedroom.

Pathologist Suhail Baithun said blood and urine samples indicated Winehouse had consumed a "very large quantity of alcohol" prior to her death. The level of alcohol in her blood was 416 milligrams per 100 milliliters, he said ? a blood alcohol level of 0.4 percent. The British and U.S. legal drunk-driving limit is 0.08 percent.

The singer's parents attended the hearing, but did not speak to reporters. In a statement, Winehouse family spokesman Chris Goodman said it was a relief to the family "to finally find out what happened to Amy."

"The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time," he said.

Doctors say acute alcohol poisoning is usually the result of binge drinking ? the human body can only process about one unit of alcohol, or about half a glass of wine, an hour. Having too much alcohol in the body can cause severe dehydration, hypothermia, seizures, breathing problems and a heart attack, among other difficulties.

There is no minimum dose for acute alcohol poisoning and the condition varies depending on a person's age, sex, weight, how fast the alcohol is drunk and other factors such as drug use.

In recent years, the 5-foot-3-inch Winehouse had appeared extremely thin and fragile.

Dr. Joseph Feldman, chief of emergency services at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey said Winehouse likely developed a tolerance for large quantities of alcohol after drinking heavily for years. He also said the sedative Winehouse was on, Librium, wouldn't have stopped someone from having seizures if they were in alcohol withdrawal.

"It's easier to withdraw from heroin than it is from alcohol ... Withdrawal (from alcohol) can cause anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, the sensation of things crawling all over you," he said.

He said those symptoms sometimes push people back to alcohol.

"It's possible she could have been saved if she had been found (or treated) earlier," he said. "A lot of treatment is supportive care, like IV fluids and making sure they don't inhale their own vomit."

Winehouse's breakthrough "Back to Black" album, released in 2006, was recently certified as the best-selling disc in Britain so far during the 21st century. The updated take on old-time soul also earned five Grammy Awards.

Although the singer was adored by fans worldwide for her unique voice and style, praise for her singing was often eclipsed by lurid headlines about her destructive relationships and erratic behavior. Winehouse herself turned to her tumultuous life and personal demons for music material, resulting in such songs as "Rehab."

In June, Winehouse abruptly canceled her European comeback tour after she swayed and slurred her way through barely recognizable songs in her first show in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. She was booed and jeered off stage and had to return to Britain to recover.

Her last public appearance came three days before her death, when she briefly joined her goddaughter, singer Dionne Bromfield, on stage at The Roundhouse in Camden, near her home.

___

Associated Press Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-26-EU-Britain-Amy-Winehouse/id-3b1fd880c39f46c99fb9874edb9cb102

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'X Factor' Castoffs Dexter Haygood, Phillip Lomax Open Up

The Brewer Boys also lament their early elimination, as five contestants were sent home after first live episode.
By Jim Cantiello

Dexter Haygood on "X Factor"
Photo: Fox

On Tuesday night, it was time to face the music. And for five "X Factor" contestants, the music said, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Throughout the epic live "X Factor" debut, the judges axed five hopefuls they had been personally grooming, turning a top 17 into a top 12. MTV News was granted exclusive press access backstage to speak with the first batch of eliminated finalists just minutes after they were dropped from the show.

"I killed it tonight. That's what I feel, man!" said Memphis rocker Dexter Haygood, who delivered an over-the-top cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" under Nicole Scherzinger's tutelage. During the early audition episodes, America fell in love with Haygood's infectious energy and emotional life story, which included everything from living on the streets to fronting Xavion, the first African-American rock band to be featured on MTV.

"I'm just happy to be moving on, somewhat," said Haygood, who chalked up his onstage confusion during elimination to feeling overwhelming pressure. "Let me tell you something: Being in a competition is a lot of stress. I'm not happy to be off, but it's a good feeling knowing that the competition [has ended]," Haygood said before rocking a sports metaphor: "If you don't win the Super Bowl, you're glad the damn season is over."

A downtrodden Phillip Lomax aimed to focus on the good things about his time on "X Factor." "I'm obviously disappointed, but I have to look at this in a positive light and realize that I've accomplished what not many people have," the crooner said as the sound of a cheering studio audience echoed the halls of CBS Studios.

Earlier in the show, Phillip's swinging "I'm a Believer" raised some questions about song selection among the judging panel, but Lomax insisted he was happy with what L.A. Reid picked for him. "I definitely played a hand in [picking that song] as well," said Phillips, who got as far as he did in the competition due to his dead-on Frank Sinatra impersonation, which he abandoned for the poppier Monkees hit Tuesday night. "I thought it was a good song. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but I decided to go with what my mentor told me to do and I had faith. I still have faith. I'm still a believer," he chuckled before censoring himself. "Sorry, that's way too corny."

Meanwhile, teen sibling duo the Brewer Boys, who both sport Bieber hairdos, were at peace with their elimination, courtesy of teary mentor Paula Abdul — or, as they insist on calling her, "Miss Paula." They'll never forget Miss Paula's "hands-on" mentoring, as well as her gaggle of Chihuahuas they befriended during the judges' home episodes. Keep your eyes peeled for the duo — who performed a bizarre mash-up of Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" and George Michael's "Faith" on Tuesday — as they hope to hit the road, but in the short term, the only thing on Justin Brewer's schedule is chilling in bed and playing a ton of "Call of Duty."

Lomax, likewise, has no beef with mentor L.A. for letting him go. "I think he's an outstanding guy. I wish that he made a different decision, obviously, but he could only take three, and those three guys are outstanding as well. It's a shame he didn't pick me," the aspiring actor shrugged before wandering the halls of CBS Studios to say his goodbyes and hopefully bump into Kim Kardashian, who was spotted nearby at the "Dancing With the Stars" stage.

There was no time to chat with Simon Cowell's eliminated girls, Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle, who were favorites of the Brit but were never well-liked by his fellow judges. Minutes after the show went off the air, they briskly grabbed their belongings and jumped into a production van to take them back to their hotel.

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MTV News Extended Play: 'X Factor' Judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673213/x-factor-dexter-haygood-phillip-lomax.jhtml

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Perry calls for sweeping tax cuts, benefit changes

Republican Presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks at the ISO Poly Films plant, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, in Gray Court, S.C. (AP Photo/ Richard Shiro)

GRAY COURT, S.C. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry proposed dramatic tax and spending changes Tuesday, saying he would let Americans choose between a 20 percent flat tax and the current system, allow private Social Security accounts and slash government spending and regulation.

Perry, seeking to regain the momentum he enjoyed in late August, said his plan would significantly spur economic growth. But analysts from the left and right said he would need draconian federal budget cuts to avoid massive deficits.

In a pitch to conservatives, the Texas governor said his "Cut, Balance and Grow" plan was bolder than what his Republican rivals or President Barack Obama would do. His proposal calls for gradually increasing eligibility ages for Social Security and Medicare and for amending the Constitution to require balanced budgets.

"America is under a crushing burden of debt, and the president simply offers larger deficits and the politics of class division," Perry said in South Carolina, whose primary will follow early voting in Iowa and New Hampshire. "Others simply offer microwaved plans with warmed-over reforms based on current ingredients."

After weeks of calling Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," Perry proposed major changes to the program's funding and payouts. Benefits would not change for current and soon-to-be retirees. Eventually, however, the eligibility age would rise, and wealthier people would see reduced benefits.

Younger workers could steer some of their Social Security payroll taxes to private investment accounts, an idea President George W. Bush tried and failed to enact in 2005.

The heart of Perry's plan would reduce or eliminate an array of taxes. He would end taxes on Social Security benefits, estates, dividends and capital gains, which would most help upper-income people. He would lower the corporate income tax rate as well as the personal income tax rate for those who choose his 20 percent flat rate.

The top marginal tax rate on individual income is now 35 percent. It was 70 percent in the 1970s.

Perry's plan would let people exempt $12,500 of their income, plus $12,500 for each dependent, from taxation. He would keep popular deductions, such as those for mortgage interest, state taxes and charity gifts, for families making less than $500,000 a year.

Herman Cain was the first presidential candidate to propose a flat tax this year. He called for a 9 percent income tax rate ? and no deductions for most people ? along with a 9 percent sales tax.

By design, Perry's plan "must lose revenue" for the government, said Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the right-of-center American Enterprise Institute. To avoid higher deficits, Hassett said, the government would have to slash spending in ways not seen since the steep military drawdown after World War II.

Perry said federal spending is out of hand, and suggested such cuts are feasible. In the past, deep cuts have proven easier to pitch than to enact, no matter which party controls Congress and the White House.

Perry said his proposed deep cuts in tax rates and regulation would spur economic growth and thus generate significant new tax revenues. Economists and politicians have long debated the validity of such claims.

If Americans were allowed to choose between the current system and a 20 percent flat tax, several analysts said, the wealthy would get a big tax cut, and lower-income people would hardly be affected.

The Perry plan "hemorrhages revenue" for the government, said Chuck Marr, an economist at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "It's a massive tax cut for the richest people in the country," he said. But it would not demand higher taxes from middle- and low-income people, who would stick with the current tax code because they fare better under its progressive structure.

Those taxpayers would continue to deal with the complex tax code that Perry criticized Tuesday. They would be unable to file their returns on the postcard he waved before cameras to illustrate a flat tax's simplicity.

"Taxes will be cut across all income groups," Perry said in his 24-minute speech. "The net benefit will be more money in Americans' pockets, with greater investment in the private economy instead of the federal government."

Regarding Medicare, Perry would let Americans receive a payment or a credit for the purchase of health insurance instead of the direct benefits provided through the current program. He would gradually raise the eligibility age, and pay benefits based on people's income levels.

Perry acknowledged that many of his proposals, including the private Social Security accounts, are controversial.

"I am not naive. I know this idea will be attacked," he said. "Opposition to this simple measure is based on a simple supposition: that the people are not smart enough to look out for themselves" and invest their retirement savings prudently.

Currently, Social Security payroll taxes paid by workers go directly to today's retirees, with any surplus used for other government programs. Perry said private investment accounts would generate more money for future retirees.

Obama's campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Perry's economic plan "would shift a greater share of taxes away from large corporations and the wealthiest onto the backs of the middle class." Some analysts, however, said middle class taxes might be unchanged because the flat tax would be optional.

Perry seemed eager to demonstrate boldness and the ability to present a comprehensive plan on a complex issue. Distracting from his speech, however, were new comments he made questioning whether Obama was born in the United States, a debunked claim kept alive on some conservative Web sites.

In an interview with CNBC, Perry said Monday it was "fun to ? to poke" at the president on the birth certificate issue. "I don't have a clue about where the president ? and what this birth certificate says," Perry said. He was defending an interview he did with Parade magazine, when he said he did not have a "definitive answer" about whether Obama was born in the United States.

Republican strategist Karl Rove, speaking of Perry on Fox News, said, "You associate yourself with a nutty view like that, and you damage yourself."

Perry's policy speech Tuesday sets him to the right of chief rival Mitt Romney, who wants to make less sweeping changes to the tax code. Perry plans to air TV ads in Iowa and has hired a roster of experienced national campaign operatives to help him. Perry's chief adviser on the economic plan is former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, who proposed a 17 percent flat tax when he ran for president in 1996.

Romney released a 59-point jobs plan in early September. Romney would lower rates on corporations and on savings and investment income for middle-class Americans.

In 1996, Romney criticized Forbes' flat tax plan as a "tax cut for fat cats." In the CNBC interview, Perry said if Romney renews that criticism, "he ought to look in the mirror, I guess. I consider him to be a fat cat."

Perry chose South Carolina, where he announced he was running for president, to unveil his economic plan. The first-in-the-South primary is critical to his path to the nomination, though he has fallen in the polls here just as he has dropped nationally.

He also planned a news conference in the state capital, Columbia, and a fundraiser at the home of former South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson, his top South Carolina adviser.

___

Charles Babington reported from Washington.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-10-25-Perry-Economy/id-f02aab83b0694a3a8fa145f9c14081e5

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