Chinese boat skipper arrested off Japan's coast (AP)

TOKYO ? The Chinese skipper of a fishing boat has been arrested off the coast of Japan on charges of refusing inspection and fleeing from the Japanese coast guard.

The coast guard says 47-year-old Zhang Tianxiong of Fujian province, in eastern China, was arrested Sunday about 100 miles (60 kilometers) off the Goto islands, in southwestern Japan.

According to the coast guard, Zhang refused an inspection after his 135-ton boat was sailing through Japanese waters. The boat ignored calls to stop, prompting a chase. The coast guard says it intentionally collided with the boat to stop it.

If convicted, Zhang could face up to six months in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($3,840).

China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111107/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_china_boat

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USGS: 3 earthquakes give Oklahoma the shakes

(AP) ? A moderate earthquake early Saturday in central Oklahoma knocked pictures off walls and woke people and pets as it shook an area that stretched into Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.

The U.S. Geological Survey said on its website Saturday that a 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 2:12 a.m., with an epicenter about six miles north of Prague in Lincoln County. That's about 50 miles east of Oklahoma City and 75 miles southwest of Tulsa.

A 3.4 magnitude aftershock was reported at 2:27 a.m. from the same location, as well as a 2.7 magnitude aftershock at 2:44 a.m.

"Oh, man. I've never felt anything like that in my life," Prague City Police Department dispatcher Claudie Morton told the Tulsa World. "It was the scariest thing. I had a police officer just come in and sit down and all the sudden the walls started shaking and the windows were rattling. It felt like the roof was going to come off the police department."

Morton said the office was flooded with calls, but no one reported injuries or major damage. She said residents told her that picture frames and mirrors fell from walls and broke, drawers worked loose from dressers and objects tumbled out of cabinets.

"We do have several damaged buildings downtown, but it's just cracks and things like that," Morton said. "Nothing is destroyed or anything like that."

Oklahoma Geological Survey researcher Austin Holland told Oklahoma City television station KOTV that the earthquake and aftershocks occurred on a known fault line.

Residents in Prague and Sparks felt an intense shaking, while farther away, the quake was more of a dull rumble, he said.

"It shakes much more rapidly when you're closer to it," he said. "Because it's a large earthquake, it's going to rumble for a while."

Holland said his office received hundreds of emails from people who felt the quake. The messages came from as far as Texas, Missouri and Arkansas, he said.

Tom Foster of Oklahoma City told The Oklahoman that he slept through the earthquake but was awakened by an aftershock.

"I know we've already had several phone calls from out of state relatives wondering what happened," Foster said. "I guess it's more interesting than anything that was dangerous."

Heather Spicer of Sapulpa said the shaking woke her son and their dog.

"At first I thought an airplane had crashed nearby," she told The Oklahoman. "But now I believe it was an earthquake because the whole house just kept vibrating with what sounded like distant thunder outside."

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck in October 2010 a few miles southeast of Norman. Two people were treated at hospitals after that temblor.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-05-Earthquake-Oklahoma/id-68f46099d30c4b1089a56fcf94966fac

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Gloria Cain not traditional campaign wife (AP)

ATLANTA ? Gloria Cain is hardly the traditional presidential campaign wife.

She has been virtually absent from the campaign trail as her husband, Herman, runs for the Republican presidential nomination. And she's been silent this week as the businessman fights to overcome allegations that he sexually harassed women while he led the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.

"She's doing fine, and she's still 200 percent supportive of me in this whole race, 200 percent supportive of me as her husband, because I haven't done anything," Cain told conservative talk show host Sean Hannity on Thursday. He added: "She is feeling for me more so, because she knows that it's baseless."

Those who know Cain's wife of 43 years say she backs her husband's candidacy. Mrs. Cain is often described as "gentle" and "the nicest woman you'll ever meet," and people frequently remark on her faith and dedication to her husband and her family.

But it's unclear whether Mrs. Cain, 65, will step into the national spotlight to defend her husband the way so many spouses have done over the years when politicians are rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct.

Relatively little is known about Mrs. Cain beyond what Cain writes about her in his 222-page book: "This Is Herman Cain!: My Journey to the White House."

Cain devotes a chapter to his wife; it's 3 1/2-pages long. He also dedicated the book to three groups of people, including his wife "for her unwavering support, patience, and sacrifice."

The chapter begins: "Gloria Etchison was beautiful. Let's face it; I was first attracted by her looks. And then I figured out she was also smart."

Cain writes that the two first saw each other on the street corner near the family owned grocery store where he worked as a college freshman. The future Mrs. Cain was walking down the street with a high school friend of his. It would be almost a year before the two went out on their first date ? to the movies ? while she was attending Morris Brown College and he was at Morehouse College.

"It was magic from that moment on, and so I didn't go out with anyone else. Neither did Gloria," Cain wrote.

The two were married June 23, 1968. They have two adult children ? a daughter, Melanie, and a son, Vincent ? and grandchildren.

As he runs for president, Cain wrote: "Gloria continues to be a steady source of devotion and inspiration, never more so than now." He acknowledges that people often ask why she doesn't campaign with him, and he tells them that she's at home. "And Gloria will tell them that she's not running but supports me 100 percent. That's all I need."

Mrs. Cain was with her husband in Omaha, Neb., during his years as a restaurateur and by his side as he beat colon cancer. In 1998, when the Cains returned to Atlanta, they also went back to Antioch Baptist Church North, Herman Cain's longtime spiritual home.

"She's a woman of deep faith involved in a lot of church activities," said Matt Carrothers, who worked on Cain's failed campaign for U.S. Senate in 2004 and later worked for Cain from 2004 to 2007.

Carrothers said that while going out on the campaign trail isn't her primary interest, Gloria Cain supports her husband in other ways.

"Whenever I would go to Herman's house, there were grandkids running around. She has her own activities, but she's fully supportive of everything he does," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111104/ap_on_el_pr/us_cain_wife

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LSU-Alabama an old-fashioned showdown

BC-FBC--T25-LSU-Alabama, 2nd Ld-Writethru,1098LSU-Alabama an old-fashioned showdownAP Photo NY167, NY166, NY155, NY159, NY156, NY165Eds: Updates with Urban Meyer quotes. AP Photos. With AP Photos.By JOHN ZENORAP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) ? The LSU and Alabama showdown promises to be a throwback of old-school football.

Both the top-ranked and barely-tested Tigers, and No. 2 and mostly-unchallenged Alabama are built on power runs and run-stuffing defenses in a time when spread offenses are en vogue and huddles are optional.

"If you want to see 1970s smashmouth," Alabama tight end Michael Williams said, "then this is what you want to see right here."

Yes, Saturday night's game will have a retro look to it.

The vintage philosophies make this one reminiscent of an old Oklahoma-Nebraska or Alabama-Penn State clash. And like those teams, this year's edition of the Crimson Tide and Tigers ? both 8-0 with five Southeastern Conference wins ? have racked up double-digit victories.

But neither Alabama's Nick Saban nor LSU's Les Miles is bringing the wishbone back in fashion.

Hitting, and hitting hard, well, that is certainly allowed ? even mandatory.

"It's a type of game that ... you don't necessarily see too often nowadays," LSU offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert said. "It is a little more old-school, so I think that'll be something fun to watch for the fans."

LSU's Jarrett Lee ? supplemented by the more mobile Jordan Jefferson ? and Alabama sophomore AJ McCarron have been the league's most efficient quarterbacks for the top two scoring offenses. However, Alabama ranks 66th nationally in passing offense, LSU 99th.

The Tigers, who have won on five of their last seven visits to Bryant-Denny, do have a significant deep threat in receiver Rueben Randle. The Tide counters with more of a catch-and-run type in speedy Marquis Maze.

Former Florida coach Urban Meyer, who was opposite Saban and Alabama in a pair of 1 vs. 2, SEC championship game matchups, figures McCarron is going to have to hit Maze or some other receiver downfield.

"LSU is going to put nine guys (near the line of scrimmage) and try to stop Trent Richardson, and they have the corners to do it," said Meyer, now an ESPN analyst who will be in Tuscaloosa with College GameDay. "At the end of the day, for Alabama to score they are going to have to throw it over the top and challenge those LSU corners."

What fans will see:

? A test of wills. Compact, powerful backs Trent Richardson of Alabama and LSU's Spencer Ware will be running between the tackles into defensive fronts that typically yield little ground.

Meyer isn't sure that strategy alone will work for the Tigers.

"LSU is more traditional now," he said. "They have big backs and they're going to turn and hand the ball to them and that's going to play right into Alabama's hands.

"So I think they're going to have to come up with a trick play or two."

? Playmakers on defense. An all-star defender making big tackles, forcing a timely turnover or just laying a resounding hit on some unsuspecting player. For Alabama, the likely candidates include linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower, and All-America safety Mark Barron. For LSU, it might be ball-stripping Tyrann Mathieu, fellow cornerback Morris Claiborne or pass rushers Barkevious Mingo or Sam Montgomery.

? Coaching eruptions. It might come from the ultra-intense, scowling Saban or Miles with his penchant for making seemingly odd gambles pay off.

With both teams coming off open dates, the hype around the game has been frenzied. Alabama's Williams has heard plenty from friends and family.

"Of course, 1 vs. 2, game of the century and all that type of stuff," he said. "You've got to put out the mental clutter."

Which isn't to say Williams isn't embracing the hype, even while some teammates downplayed it with that "just another game" spiel.

"This is what you come to Alabama for," the tight end said. "Great opportunity for some players. I know the atmosphere will be crazy. This is what you want to play in. It will be one for the ages."

It puts the spotlight on a community that was devastated by a deadly tornado in April but has received a regular Saturday pick-me-up from the Tide this fall.

"Every time we have a major event here, I think it makes people feel more and more normal about the way things are going," Saban said.

This certainly qualifies as major.

If the game lives up to its billing and ends up close, the loser's national championship aspirations might not be totally diminished. The loser could have an outside shot at a January rematch in New Orleans that really is for the title.

Miles isn't thinking about that though, he's content for now to relish a brisk fall Saturday night when temperatures are expected to dip into the 40s. He's practically poetic about it.

"How wonderful it is in college football that you have two quality teams that represent two great institutions that will take their best effort to the field to decide something that is difficult, clean and pure as a contest," Miles said. "How wonderful it is for the region to be able to look and enjoy the time of celebration of hard work and team values.

"The school wins, the team wins and the state wins. It is a beautiful time. "

And fans will have a menu of stars to enjoy.

There's a Heisman Trophy candidate in Richardson, who has scored 18 touchdowns on a team that has yielded a third of that total.

Mathieu drew early Heisman buzz, too. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder with an uncanny knack for big plays has forced an LSU career record nine fumbles in just under two seasons.

Cornerback bookends Claiborne and Alabama's Maze are also two of the SEC's most dangerous kick returners.

With that kind of talent on the field, Saban predicts the game will likely come down to turnovers or special teams.

Neither team makes back-breaking mistakes, but LSU hardly makes any ? period. The Tigers didn't commit a turnover in October and have forced 18 this season; they have scored touchdowns on half of the resulting drives.

"Their turnover ratio is off the charts, in terms of their defense and their ball-hawking style of play," Saban said. "They have lots of guys on defense who can make plays."

Then again, so does Alabama. LSU's Hebert said it's harder for a team to impose its will on such a physical opponent.

"That's a kind of style where if you can't physically match up you're going to find it very hard to be successful," he said. "And that's what's so special about this next game is that both teams physically match up against each other very well."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-04-T25-LSU-Alabama/id-aaef0e082fa1459088cfaaa822860b95

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Yahoo sale process heats up as PE firms sign on (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Yahoo has signed confidentiality agreements with several parties interested in a deal ahead of Friday's deadline, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Sunnyvale, California-based Internet icon said potential buyers had to sign the agreement, which would allow them to take a closer look at Yahoo's financial documents, by Friday, though the deadline could be extended into next week to provide more time for other firms to sign on.

Some private equity firms have balked at signing Yahoo's non-disclosure agreement because of restrictions that would prevent them from forming consortiums, sources told Reuters last week. Indeed, at least five of the private equity firms interested in Yahoo have not yet signed the NDA, several sources told Reuters.

And the private equity firms that did relent and sign the agreement have heavily negotiated its terms, sources said, though it was not clear exactly what amendments had been made. These people declined to name precisely which firms had signed the non-disclosure agreements, however, with one person close to the process telling Reuters only that "multiple parties" have agreed to the provision.

Multiple sources cited Silver Lake Partners, Providence Equity Partners, Bain Capital, Hellman & Friedman and Blackstone as the holdout private equity firms that have not yet signed the agreement. These firms are said to be exploring a potential buyout of Yahoo alongside Asian joint venture partners Alibaba Group and Softbank.

Other private equity firms interested in Yahoo include KKR, TPG Capital and Carlyle Group. Sources would not confirm if any of those firms signed the confidentiality agreement, though a second person familiar with the situation said those three firms and Providence are "among the hottest firms" involved in the process. The New York Times reported late Thursday night that TPG had indeed signed the agreement, however.

Strategic parties including Alibaba, Microsoft and Google have also taken part in the still-developing discussions surrounding Yahoo, a source said.

Private equity firms have indicated a willingness to commit around $1 billion in equity as part of a transaction, according to sources. They are also looking at ways to partner with their limited partners, including the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board. The latter recently took part in a deal with Apax Partners to buy Kinetic Concepts Inc, these sources said.

"Everybody has a different approach to it, some involving banks, others not involving banks ... but most of the private equity firms are not going to team up with other private equity firms as part of a club deal," one of the sources said.

The signed agreements could help spur slow-moving efforts by private equity firms and others to explore a potential acquisition of Yahoo's assets, even as Yahoo's board of directors considers alternative plans such as selling a 20 percent minority stake in the company.

Under that structure, the purchaser of the stake and Yahoo's two co-founders -- Jerry Yang and David Filo -- would then increase their combined stake to around 40 percent to 45 percent through a large share buyback that would reduce the number of Yahoo shares outstanding. Yahoo would finance the buyback through the minority investment, borrowing and perhaps the sale of its Asian assets, sources said.

"A minority investment combined with a big share repurchase or big one-time dividend is clearly an alternative to a sale," a third source close to the process said. "It's starting to make some sense strategically as well. But the problem here is that the Asian assets are much more interesting businesses than the main Yahoo businesses."

That structure would buy Yahoo time to seek out partnerships with social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp or move into mobile, sources previously told Reuters. Other sources have said previously that Yang is interested in a deal with private equity firms that would take the company off public markets.

Any deal for Yahoo would be complex due to Yahoo's 40 percent stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and its 35 percent stake in Yahoo Japan, a joint venture with Softbank. Yahoo also has a search advertising partnership with Microsoft that would also figure heavily into any deal.

Yahoo's board of directors fired Chief Executive Carol Bartz in September and tasked Allen & Co to begin a "comprehensive strategic review" to return the company to growth.

(Reporting by Nadia Damouni and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco, and Soyoung Kim in New York; Editing by Peter Lauria and Phil Berlowitz)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111104/wr_nm/us_yahoo_sale

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Maternal separation stresses the baby

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

A woman goes into labor, and gives birth. The newborn is swaddled and placed to sleep in a nearby bassinet, or taken to the hospital nursery so that the mother can rest. Despite this common practice, new research published in Biological Psychiatry provides new evidence that separating infants from their mothers is stressful to the baby.

It is standard practice in a hospital setting, particularly among Western cultures, to separate mothers and their newborns. Separation is also common for babies under medical distress or premature babies, who may be placed in an incubator. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics specifically recommends against co-sleeping with an infant, due to its association with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

Humans are the only mammals who practice such maternal-neonate separation, but its physiological impact on the baby has been unknown until now. Researchers measured heart rate variability in 2-day-old sleeping babies for one hour each during skin-to-skin contact with mother and alone in a cot next to mother's bed. Neonatal autonomic activity was 176% higher and quiet sleep 86% lower during maternal separation compared to skin-to-skin contact.

Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry, commented on the study's findings: "This paper highlights the profound impact of maternal separation on the infant. We knew that this was stressful, but the current study suggests that this is major physiologic stressor for the infant."

This research addresses a strange contradiction: In animal research, separation from mother is a common way of creating stress in order to study its damaging effects on the developing newborn brain. At the same time, separation of human newborns is common practice, particularly when specialized medical care is required (e.g. incubator care). "Skin-to-skin contact with mother removes this contradiction, and our results are a first step towards understanding exactly why babies do better when nursed in skin-to-skin contact with mother, compared to incubator care," explained study author Dr. Barak Morgan.

More research is necessary to further understand the newborn response to separation, including whether it is sustained response and whether it has any long-term neurodevelopmental effects.

However, skin-to-skin contact has known benefits, and certainly, most would agree that unnecessarily stressing a newborn is unacceptable. Thus, as further evidence emerges, the challenge to doctors will be to incorporate skin-to-skin contact into routine treatment whilst still safely providing the other elements of newborn medical care.

###

Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com

Thanks to Elsevier for this article.

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Syms and Filene's unit seek bankruptcy protection

(AP) ? Discount retailer Syms Corp. and its subsidiary Filene's Basement have filed for bankruptcy protection and plan to close all 46 of their stores.

Syms acquired Filene's Basement out of bankruptcy protection in the spring of 2009 for $62.4 million, but struggled to turn the chain around. They own and run stores mostly in the Eastern U.S. under the Syms and Filene's Basement names. The stores employ about 2,450 people, the company said.

CEO Marcy Syms said in statement that increased competition from department stores that are offering the same brands as its stores at similar discounts and an increase in the number of private label discounters weighed on the companies. She also cited fewer opportunities to buy brand name labels due to tighter inventory management and the economic downturn.

She said the bankruptcy filings capped "a process that has taken place for several months." Syms, based in Secaucus, N.J., had announced in May that it was exploring strategic options, including a potential sale.

Marcy Syms said the company's board decided that the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and liquidation was the best way to maximize value for those with a stake in the company such as suppliers that are owed money.

Syms began in 1959 under founder Sy Syms. The off-price retailer bought excess merchandise directly from manufacturers at a discount. Off-price retailers did well during the recession as consumers traded down and spent less money, but the category has been weaker in the recovery as some shoppers are returning to luxury goods.

Filene's Basement started in 1909 with founder William Filene.

The companies may be best known for their "Running of the Brides" sales event, where eager brides-to-be would wait in line for hours to get their chance at buying deeply discounted bridal gowns.

The liquidation is anticipated to run through about January. A store closings schedule will be determined when the liquidation of merchandise is complete.

The petitions were filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Syms and Filene's will be jointly administered during the bankruptcy. The companies are seeking court approval to hire someone to handle the merchandise liquidation and for approval to conduct going out of business sales.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-02-Syms-Filene's-Bankruptcy/id-6072e48fd19a4301b8a959452e10a72b

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Florida man pleads not guilty in celebrity hacking

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., left, arrives at federal court in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. Chaney was indicted last month on 26 counts, including unauthorized access to a computer and wiretapping, including allegedly hacking into the email accounts of celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, whose nude photos appeared on the Internet. Chaney was arrested as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi." (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., left, arrives at federal court in Los Angeles Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. Chaney was indicted last month on 26 counts, including unauthorized access to a computer and wiretapping, including allegedly hacking into the email accounts of celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, whose nude photos appeared on the Internet. Chaney was arrested as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi." (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

(AP) ? A Florida man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to hacking into the email accounts of celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson, whose nude photos eventually landed on the Internet.

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., made his first court appearance in California, where he's been indicted on 26 counts, including unauthorized access to a computer and wiretapping. If convicted, he faces up to 121 years in prison.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick Walsh denied federal prosecutors' request to remand Chaney to custody but modified his bond to $110,000, and he will wear an electronic monitoring device upon his return to Florida.

A trial has been scheduled for Dec. 27.

Chaney was arrested as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi."

There were more than 50 victims in the case. Some nude photos taken by Johansson herself were posted on the Internet. Chaney offered some material to celebrity blog sites but there wasn't any evidence that he profited from his scheme, authorities said.

Chaney is accused of mining through publicly available data to figure out password and security questions for celebrity accounts. He hijacked a forwarding feature so that a copy of every email a celebrity received was sent to an account he controlled, according to court documents.

A search warrant unsealed and obtained by The Associated Press said Chaney's computer hard drive contained numerous private celebrity photos as well as a document that compiled their extensive personal data.

In arguing for a higher bond and time behind bars, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Feldman said that even after FBI agents seized the defendant's computer in February, he continued his hacking scheme against an actress for six months. She declined to reveal the celebrity's name.

"We have great concern that he can't stop himself," Feldman said. "We think detention would."

Chaney said he managed to hack into Johansson's email account to send one of her acquaintances an email containing a nude photo of her in exchange for a photo, authorities said.

Johansson told Vanity Fair for its December issue that the photos were meant for Ryan Reynolds, who is now her ex-husband.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like I was shooting a porno," the actress told the magazine.

The pair had their divorce finalized by a judge in July.

Chaney has apologized for his actions. His attorney, Christopher Chestnut, told AP that his client doesn't want the case to drag on, but the resolution has to be within reason.

"I think he has a crystal clear view of what is at stake," Chestnut said during Tuesday's hearing.

The warrant also said Chaney may have stalked a Connecticut woman online for the past 12 years. The document contends there is probable cause that Chaney violated federal charges of stalking and unauthorized access to a computer.

Federal prosecutors also said a second woman has stepped forward and made similar accusations that Chaney stalked her online. They declined to comment further.

Chaney told the AP the new allegations are completely false.

"I can't accept responsibility for things I didn't do," Chaney said.

Chestnut said the new allegations amount to nothing more than a publicity stunt designed to damage his client's reputation.

"The amount of time, money and energy the authorities have spent pursuing a man who didn't sell anything or profit in any way from this alleged activity is truly remarkable, given everything we are going through in this country," Chestnut said.

No other charges have been filed against Chaney, who has a 1998 mail fraud conviction in Florida. He was sentenced to four years' probation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-11-02-US-Hollywood-Hacking/id-4eb0cd032cae4ef5a7caadd482adbcc3

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DeMarco: Defending champ Cards in good shape

St. Louis well-prepared to remain a contender next season

Image: PujolsAP

Tony La Russa, left, will not be returning to St. Louis next?season. Will Albert Pujols leave as well? Even if he does, Cardinals well-prepared to be contenders.

OPINION

By Tony DeMarco

NBCSports.com contributor

updated 11:47 a.m. ET Oct. 31, 2011

Tony DeMarco

There really is only one burning question as the St. Louis Cardinals turn their attention to a World Series title defense: Albert Pujols, who officially became a free agent on Sunday.

And manager Tony La Russa, who announced his retirement Monday, can offer a pretty good indication of how things are going to unfold.

"This is a great organization; he's a great player,'' La Russa said. "And part of their greatness is their conscious, their intelligence. They're going to try like heck to make it work. The organization is going to try to keep him here, and Albert wants to stay here.''

So the growing feeling is that it will get done ? probably crossing the $200 million barrier that the Cardinals approached with their January offer. The Cardinals want to keep their payroll near this year's $110 million figure, so there aren't likely to bump up their offer too far. But unless Pujols is just overwhelmed by something else, the parameters of an entire-career-in-St. Louis deal are in place.

Still, until that happens, it's front burner on the MLB Hot Stove. In fact, it's a big enough issue, complete with ramifications that run throughout the game's salary structure, that commissioner Bud Selig has an opinion on it.

"Albert has to go and do what he does,'' Selig said. "As a traditionalist, I hope it can be worked out. I hope Albert stays in St. Louis. I really do.''

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak puts it this way: "I think it's refreshing when you can have a player be identified with one organization. To have something where a player ends up like a Cal Ripken, and plays for one organization as long as he did, it's an anomaly at this point. Hopefully, we can accomplish another one.''

Pujols didn't avoid the question when asked while he was on the post-Game 7 podium. He met it head-on, but with an admonishment for the questioner.

"I don't think that's a question right now that you should ask,'' he said. "Right now, it's just enjoying the moment, man. Sitting at first base with three outs left (in the top of the ninth inning in Game 7), and just thinking about all the things we went through this year as a group, just how special this group of guys that we have are.''

Special enough that the Cardinals already have gotten through much of the process of re-signing them. You see, as Mozeliak admitted during the World Series: "It's funny, because getting into the postseason this year was somewhat of a surprise. So we were starting to begin a lot of preparatory work as far as looking at 2012.''

Chris Carpenter signed to a two-year, $21 million extension for 2012-13 on Sept. 11.

Lance Berkman signed a one-year, $12 million extension for 2012 on Sept. 22.

Club options on Adam Wainwright totaling $21 million for 2012 and 2013 were picked up during the World Series.

Also locked up for 2012: Matt Holliday ($17 million), Kyle Lohse ($11.875 million), Jake Westbrook ($8.5 million), Yadier Molina ($7 million option).

"I think we're pretty fortunate as we look to 2012 that we already have a lot of the key components we can just put into play,'' Mozeliak said.

The anticipated return of Wainwright, who missed all of this season after undergoing surgery, will be like signing a free-agent ace. He's expected to return to the top of the rotation, in front of Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Lohse and Westbrook.

That makes Edwin Jackson an expendable free agent. Two more potential rotation candidates from the bullpen are Lance Lynn and Marc Rzepczynksi, and the organization's top two prospects are right-handed pitchers on the verge ? Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez.

David Freese's MVP-filled postseason has elevated his status, and at 28, only health is standing between him and some highly productive seasons. And in the good-problem-to-have department, the Cardinals might have to find more at-bats for Allen Craig behind the regular outfield trio of Holliday, Jon Jay and Berkman.

They also have decisions to make on veteran middle infielders Rafael Furcal, Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker, as well as relievers Octavio Dotel and Arthur Rhodes.

"One of the things we've tried to focus on over the last four-five years is making sure that our minor-league system is going to be able to produce some every-day players or middle to top-of-the-rotation starters,'' Mozeliak said.

"I'm happy to say we believe our pipeline is very strong, and so if there is an Albert-less club in the future, we still think we have a lot of positives coming.''

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La Russa retires on top

HBT: Tony La Russa announces Monday that he is retiring as manager of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45097483/ns/sports-baseball/

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Greek PM convinces cabinet, next up Merkel and Sarkozy (Reuters)

ATHENS (Reuters) ? Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou fought off a barrage of criticism to win the backing of his cabinet on Wednesday to push ahead with a referendum the government said would take place as soon as possible on a European Union debt bailout deal.

Some of his party lawmakers called for him to quit for jeopardising Greek euro membership with his shock decision to call a popular vote, a move that pummelled the euro and global stocks, but the cabinet support at least gives him a stay of execution before a confidence vote in parliament on Friday.

"The referendum will be a clear mandate and a clear message in and outside Greece on our European course and participation in the euro," Papandreou told the seven-hour cabinet meeting, according to a statement released by his office.

"No one will be able to doubt Greece's course within the euro."

After the apparent show of unity at home, Papandreou will later face the leaders of France and Germany, who summoned him for crisis talks in Cannes, before a G20 summit of major world economies, to push for quick implementation of the bailout deal.

Whatever the result of the referendum, Papandreou's gamble guarantees long weeks of uncertainty just when the 17-nation currency area was desperate for a period of calm to implement remedies agreed last week to overcome its sovereign debt crisis.

"This announcement took the whole of Europe by surprise," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a rare televised address on the steps of the Elysee palace in Paris. "The plan ... is the only way to solve Greece's debt problem."

Japan's finance minister, Jun Azumi, echoed his comments, as the Nikkei share average fell as much as 2 percent on Wednesday. "Everyone is bewildered," he said.

TIMING, RESULT UNPREDICTABLE

Greek government spokesman Elias Mossialos said the referendum would take place "as soon as possible, right after the basics of the bailout deal are formulated", but would not be drawn on whether that meant before Christmas.

With so much of the detail of the deal to keep Greece afloat still to be nailed down, the vote seems unlikely to take place before the end of the year and Greek officials said on Monday it was likely in mid-January.

Opinion polls suggest most voters think it is a bad deal, but much will depend on how Papandreou frames the debate, either on the bailout -- and hence the cuts that will follow -- or membership of the euro, which remains popular.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Wednesday's Financial Times Deutschland newspaper he was confident the Greeks would support the government's reforms in the referendum.

"If Greece accepts the burden and efforts required by the aid programmes, if it wants to stay within the euro zone, then we will support it," Schaeuble said.

Papandreou said Greece's partners would support its policies and urged the G20 meeting in Cannes to agree policies that "make sure democracy is above market appetites".

But his move is bound to embarrass G20 host Sarkozy as he tries to coax big emerging nations such as China into throwing the euro zone a financial lifeline by investing an expanding bailout fund.

It could also further undermine dwindling political support in northern Europe for aiding Greece.

The chairman of euro zone finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said Greece could go bankrupt if voters rejected the bailout package.

CONFIDENCE VOTE

Papandreou's most immediate hurdle is the parliamentary confidence vote on Friday.

"We believe the government will once again win a vote of confidence in order to proceed with its plans," government spokesman Angelos Tolkas told reporters. "We will not back down on anything we have to do to save the country."

Six senior members of Greece's ruling PASOK socialists, angered by Papandreou's decision to call a plebiscite on the 130 billion euro rescue package, said he should make way for a "politically legitimate" administration.

During the cabinet meeting that wrapped up around 3 a.m. after seven hours, some ministers questioned the timing of the referendum and criticised the fact they had been kept in the dark -- even the finance minister had not been told -- and a handful were openly against it, government sources said.

"I think this was the wrong decision and we must take it back," one minister was quoted as saying. "We must not risk our position in the euro."

A leading PASOK lawmaker earlier quit the party, narrowing Papandreou's slim majority to 152 of 300 seats, and several others called for a government of national unity followed by a snap election, which the opposition also demanded.

Papandreou needs 151 votes to enact the referendum. If any of the dissenters votes against, it cannot be held, and there is still plenty of dissent.

"For the first time we are admitting publicly that our policy lacks legitimacy," one minister said he told the meeting, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.

SHARES POUNDED

Doubt about Europe's ability to contain the debt crisis has once more sent investors fleeing from riskier assets across the world. Asian shares fell and the euro hovered near three-week lows against the dollar on Wednesday.

U.S. stocks tumbled more than 2.5 percent and European shares posted their biggest one-day loss in more than a month on Tuesday.

The risk premium on Italian bonds over safe-haven German Bunds hit a euro-lifetime high on Tuesday, raising Rome's borrowing costs to levels above 6 percent that proved unsustainable for Ireland and Portugal.

European bank shares dived on fears of a disorderly Greek default and the Athens Stock Exchange suffered its biggest daily drop since October 2008, with the general index shedding 7.7 percent.

Greece is due to receive an 8 billion-euro IMF/EU aid tranche in mid-November, but that is likely to run out during January, around the time of the referendum, leaving the government with no funds if there is a "no" vote.

Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said the IMF might have difficulty paying out that tranche because of the looming referendum. "I can imagine it will be difficult for the IMF to decide about the tranche but there will be uncertainty ... it is problematic," he told the Dutch parliament.

(Additional reporting by Ingrid Melander and Renee Maltezou in Athens, Michele Sinner in Luxembourg, Carmel Crimmins in Dublin, Martin Santa in Bratislava, Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Marius Zaharia, Jeremy Gaunt, Adrian Croft and Marius Zaharia in London, and Erik Kirschbaum and Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Writing by Dina Kyriakidou, David Stamp and Alison Williams; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111102/india_nm/india602618

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