Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/166851067?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Arab League prepares for Syria sanctions (Reuters)
BEIRUT (Reuters) ? Arab officials will prepare plans for sanctions against Syria on Saturday over its failure to let Arab League monitors oversee an initiative aimed at ending a violent crackdown on protesters seeking an end to President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
Damascus missed a Friday deadline to sign an agreement under which the Arab League planned to send observers to Syria, where the United Nations says 3,500 people have been killed since the start of the uprising in March.
Despite Syria's pledge this month to withdraw its army from urban areas and let in the monitors, the violence has continued, prompting reprisals from the Arab League, stinging rebukes from Turkey and French proposals for humanitarian intervention.
Damascus, where the Assad family has ruled for 41 years, says regional powers helped incite the violence, which it blames on armed groups targeting civilians and its security forces.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday at least 30 people were killed the day before including 13 members of Assad's security forces, most of them killed in a clash with army deserters in the eastern Deir al-Zor province.
Activists said government forces shot dead at least four demonstrators in Damascus on Friday who were appealing for foreign intervention to stop the crackdown. Two other civilians were killed in raids on their homes, they said.
Arab ministers had warned that unless Syria agreed to let monitors in, they could consider imposing sanctions including suspending flights to Syria, stopping dealings with the central bank, freezing Syrian government bank accounts and halting financial dealings.
They could also decide to stop commercial trade with the Syrian government "with the exception of strategic commodities so as not to impact the Syrian people," the ministers said.
The League's economic and social council, which can comprise officials or ministers, will meet on Saturday to prepare recommendations for a meeting of foreign ministers the next day.
Syria's economy is already reeling from months of unrest, aggravated by U.S. and European sanctions on oil exports and several state businesses.
"NO MORE TOLERANCE"
In neighboring Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country could take steps alongside the Arab League if Syria did not respond to the proposal for observers positively.
"I want to say clearly we have no more tolerance for the bloodshed in Syria," he said.
The stepped-up pressure followed a French proposal for "humanitarian corridors" to be set up through which food and medicine could be shipped to alleviate civilian suffering.
The French plan could link Syrian civilian centers to the frontiers of Turkey and Lebanon, to the Mediterranean coast or to an airport, and enable supply of humanitarian supplies or medicines to people in need.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the plan fell short of a military intervention but acknowledged that humanitarian convoys might need armed protection.
Foreign powers are seeking to persuade Damascus to accept such a scheme, diplomats say.
"So far they haven't said no, so we may be able to convince them," said a Western diplomatic source. "As long as we are in the humanitarian dimension it is harder for countries like Syria to refuse to allow aid to civilians."
Without Syrian agreement, the only way humanitarian corridors could work is if they were backed by force, ideally supported by a U.N. resolution.
Some measure of comfort for Assad has come from longtime ally Russia, China and some other countries that have voiced opposition to sanctions and warned against a foreign military intervention.
"At the current stage, what is needed is not resolutions, not sanctions, not pressure, but internal Syrian dialogue," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
Lukashevich said Russia supported the Arab League's call for a halt to the violence but that "radical opposition" groups with foreign support shared the blame. Outside military intervention was "absolutely unacceptable," he said.
After a meeting in Moscow on Thursday, diplomats from Russia, China and the other three emerging-market BRICS countries - Brazil, India and South Africa - also warned against foreign intervention without U.N. backing.
PILOTS KILLED
Alongside the mainly peaceful protests, armed insurgents have increasingly attacked military targets in recent weeks. Officials say 1,100 members of the security forces have been killed since the outbreak of uprising.
State news agency SANA reported funerals of 22 security force members on Saturday, including six pilots killed in an attack on an air force base between Homs and Palmyra two days earlier which the army says was carried out by an "armed terrorist group."
"This confirms the involvement of foreign elements and their support of these terrorist operations in an effort to weaken the fighting capabilities of our forces," the army said on Friday.
The account fits the government narrative that it faces an armed insurrection by trouble-makers backed by its enemies, rather than a largely peaceful pro-democracy movement inspired by the Arab Spring revolts which toppled the rulers of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and may have forced out Yemen's president.
State television showed footage of thousands of people demonstrating in the Mediterranean city of Latakia on Saturday, condemning the Arab League for taking a stance against Syria and chanting in support of Assad.
(Reporting by Erika Solomon and Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Jon Hemming)
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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/wl_nm/us_syria
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93% Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
As a young child, my best friend was my stuffed Elmo toy. I took him everywhere and told him everything. My friends loved him, my family did, we all just loved Elmo. But until now, I never thought about why. Why did I love Elmo so much? Why is he so instantly lovable, and how was he created? What brilliant performer created the best friend of billions of children? Well my friends, be ready to be answered and moved by this lovely documentary.Being Elmo follows the career of Kevin Clash: a kid from Baltimore who loved puppets. When he got older, Kevin started to build his own muppets and was featured on local TV. As Kevin got better and better, he felt limited by his position. Then he met muppet builder Kermit Love (creator of Big bird, Snuffy, and Ms. Piggy), who taught Kevin everything he knew. After meeting Jim Henson, Kevin was well on his way to becoming the legend he is. And of course, the rest is history.Ok, I know that it looks like I gave the whole movie away, but I only outlined it. Kevin's journey through the world of puppeteering is so deep and interesting that there's no way I could cover it in a paragraph. Anyway, part of what makes the story so great is that Kevin is one of the best examples of someone who followed their dreams. He had real talent in a weird field and he made it through 100% pure hard work. He's never arrogant, never outspoken, and always thankful. Kevin is such a good person, you can see Elmo in him.Now, I don't consider myself a super macho dude, but I have my pride. And I am discarding that right now because I'm admitting that this movie made me cry. It wasn't sad, and I didn't cry a lot, but I cried. I remembered how much Sesame Street meant to me, and how amazing it is that Kevin Clash makes millions of kids believe they are loved by Elmo. Then there's the scene where all the muppets, including Elmo and friends, sing "Saying Goodbye" at Jim Henson's funeral. I dare you not to choke up.Being Elmo is special. It is a rare documentary that doesn't uncover political corruption or be pro environmentalism that isn't about a historical figure. Like Anvil last year, Being Elmo tells a story about someone who never, ever gave up. It's effective, informative, interesting, touching, and of course inspiring. Why does it work so well? To paraphrase one of the interviewed puppeteers: Elmo is love, and he loves you unconditionally. And you know what, I love him right back. Always.
November 17, 2011Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/being_elmo_a_puppeteers_journey/
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What Demi Lovato Is Most Thankful for in 2011 (omg!)
Demi Lovato is counting her blessings this holiday season.
"As many of you know, last year at this time, I was in treatment. I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve away from my home and family which is why I am so excited to be with them this year," the 19-year-old singer writes in her monthly Seventeen column. "Thinking about how far I have come in a year makes me so thankful."
PHOTOS: Demi through the years
In late 2010, Lovato checked into a rehab facility to treat depression and bulimia. While there, the former Disney Channel star also discovered she suffers from Bipolar II disorder.
"I could not have done this without God and the amazing support from my family," Lovato says. "They have stuck by me through everything and love me just the way that I am. That is a wonderful feeling to know that people accept the real you."
VIDEO: Watch Demi's triumphant return to the stage
Despite her hardships, the teen singer says she's "thankful for my life path, including the highs and the lows, because it has caused my true self to shine through."
"Going to treatment was a gift and I believe it saved my life. I learned how to be strong and healthy even through struggles," Lovato says. "It also helped me open up about my issues and share them with others. Knowing that my family, friends and fans accept me for who I am is the greatest feeling ever!"
PHOTOS: Famous Disney stars
Lovato -- who is currently on tour to promote her third album, Unbreakable -- says the experience taught her to stop taking "things for granted, like my family, friends, fans and career. Each day is special to me and I take each day one day at a time."
"Sometimes people get busy and forget to enjoy the moment, but I know I will not do that this holiday season," she adds. "I have worked very hard to get to the place I am today and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!"
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Edinburgh festivals bat eyes at London Olympic fans (Reuters)
EDINBURGH (Reuters) ? The world's biggest annual arts extravaganza is gearing up to lure fans from the London 2012 Olympics up to the Scottish capital for three weeks of comedy, music, art, theater, the skirl of massed pipe bands and fireworks over Edinburgh castle.
The Edinburgh festivals slot in neatly through August between the London Olympics and the Paralympics in the British capital.
The festivals originated in 1947 as an antidote to the austerity of the post-war years, and now encompasses the International, Fringe, book and jazz festivals and major art exhibitions, with the population of Edinburgh doubling during the month.
International Festival Director Jonathan Mills said the 2012 programme would bring in artists from around the world, including Australia, America, Russia, Japan, Europe and the Middle East for its three-week run from August 9.
"In (2012) the UK hosts both the world's greatest cultural events and the world's greatest sporting events," he said. The full Edinburgh programme will be unveiled next March.
The hugely popular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will also celebrate the Diamond Jubilee 60th anniversary of Queen's Elizabeth's accession to the British throne with a special "salute to the Monarch."
Officials of the rambunctious Fringe Festival said they also have been looking to attract Olympic visitors "north of the border" to take in the Fringe, which last summer hosted more than 21,000 performers from around the world in search of fame and fortune.
The Fringe is regarded as the world's biggest annual showcase for new talent in theater, comedy, song, dance and music and is the Mecca for street performers around the globe.
The three-week performance of the tattoo on the esplanade of the castle overlooking the city of Edinburgh opens on August 3 with its programme of military music, including the pipes and drums of the highland battalions, military displays, dance and song.
Tattoo producer Brigadier David Allfrey said next year's 62nd display would include bands from Australia, and such favourites as the "Top Secret Drum Corps" from the Swiss City of Basle top display unit of the Norwegian arms forces, the King's Guards and Drill Team.
(Editing by Paul Casciato)
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Teen Mom 2 Star Kailyn Lowry Launches Clothing Line, Uses Son Isaac as Model
Kailyn Lowry of Teen Mom 2 is putting her unplanned pregnancy to good use.
The youngster has launched a kids clothing line named after the main little man in her life - 22-month-old son, Isaac - who is also the face of the collection!
The Isaac Elliott Collection by Little Miss Cupcake features onesies fashioned into vests and tuxedos. Seriously. Check out two pics of the lil' fella modeling:
The response to Kailyn's new venture has been very positive so far.
"I'm overwhelmed with all the sweet things people are saying," she tweeted after the Isaac Elliott Collection got some radio shout-outs in her native Pennsylvania.
"Thank you all for the support. Isaac & I love you all. :o)"
Best of luck to Kailyn Lowry while she works on her other full-time job - being a parent - as well as getting her bachelor's degree in social work. Talk about busy!
She'll also be on Teen Mom Season 2 Dec. 6. Here's the trailer:
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Climate Change: South Africa has much to lose (AP)
JOHANNESBURG ? Imagine the savannas of South Africa's flagship Kruger Park so choked with brush, viewing what game is left is nearly impossible. The Cape of Good Hope without penguins. The Karoo desert's seasonal symphony of wildflowers silenced.
Climate change could mean unthinkable loss for South Africa, which hosts talks on global warming that will bring government negotiators, scientists and lobbyists from around the world to the coastal city of Durban next week.
Guy Midgley, the top climate change researcher at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, said evidence gleaned from decades of recording weather data, observing flora and fauna and conducting experiments makes it possible for scientists to "weave a tapestry of change."
Change is, of course, part of the natural world. But the implications of so much change happening at once pose enormous questions, said Midgley, who has contributed to the authoritative reports of the United Nations' Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In the Karoo, for example, where plants found nowhere else in the world have adapted to long, dry summers and winter rainfall, the weather pattern is changing.
Scientists have noted large die-offs linked to the stress of drought among one iconic Karoo denizen, the flowering quiver tree, a giant aloe that often is the only large plant visible across large stretches of desert. Quiver trees attract tourists, and insects, birds and mammals eat their flowers.
"Any change in climate is going to affect the flowers," said Wendy Foden, a southern African plant specialist with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Barend Erasmus, an ecologist at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, worked on some of the first efforts to model how Africa might be affected by climate change. He led a 2001 study that raised the possibility that up to two-thirds of the species studied might disappear from Kruger National Park.
Research done since has made Erasmus less fearful for Kruger's animal population. But he predicts profound effects should a changing climate encourage the growth of thick shrubs, squeezing out zebra, antelope and cheetah.
Already, he said, zebra and wildebeest numbers are declining in Kruger as their grazing areas disappear. The question is how much of the cause is due to high concentrations of carbon dioxide, and how much depends on other factors, including man's encroachment.
Offshore, penguin expert Rob Crawford has looked at changes in the breeding grounds of African penguins and other seabirds, noting South Africa's northernmost penguin colony went extinct in 2006. Crawford and his colleagues wrote in a 2008 paper that the movements "suggest the influence of environmental change, perhaps forced by climate."
The African penguin, also known as the jackass penguin because of its braying call, is found only in southern Africa. A colony near Cape Town has long been a tourist draw.
One penguin parent stays behind to nest and care for offspring, while the other seeks food for the family. If the hunting partner is away too long, the nesting parent has to abandon the chick ? or starve. Species like sardines, on which the penguins depend, have been displaced.
"If they don't have sardines, they can't feed their chicks," Erasmus said. "And eventually the colonies just disappear."
The numbers of African penguins have plummeted from up to 4 million in the early 1900s to 60,000 in 2010, according to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. Researchers blame humans, who collected penguin eggs for food until the 1960s. More recently, a new threat came with oil spills and commercial fishing's competition for anchovies and sardines.
Erasmus said more research needs to be done, including studies on how plants and animals react to extreme conditions.
A colleague at his university, Duncan Mitchell, has taken up the challenge by tracking and studying antelope living in one of the hottest and driest corners of South Africa.
"We're hoping to find that they have a capacity to deal with water shortage that they're not having to use at the moment," Mitchell said.
"Climate change is going to happen," Mitchell said, adding it's already too late to influence temperatures and water levels over the next four decades. "What needs to be researched is coping with unmitigated climate change."
Coping might involve moving vulnerable animals to cooler habitats ? or ensuring they're not so hemmed in by human settlements that they cannot migrate on their own. Park rangers may have to work harder to remove trees to protect savannas. The South African government has called for expanding gene banks to conserve vulnerable species.
Sarshen Marais, a policy expert for Conservation International, says the work her organization is doing to eradicate foreign plants and help farmers better manage their land and water has gained importance.
Climate change experts fear water could become even scarcer in the future, but farmers can take steps that will help cash crops as well as wildlife. Conservation International has encouraged local communities to cut down thirsty foreign plants and sell the debris for fuel, allowing impoverished South Africans to earn while they save native species that are losing in the competition for water.
Researcher Erasmus acknowledges that in a developing country like South Africa, it can be hard to prioritize the plight of plants and animals. But he said an economic argument can be made, including the impact on people living in savannas who supplement their diets with small birds, other animals and wild greens, and who make money selling native fruits.
Tourism also is a consideration.
"Kruger is a cash cow for the whole of SANParks," he said, referring to the national parks department.
Foden, the plant specialist, said that when she thinks of her native South Africa, she thinks of wide spaces filled with a stunning diversity of plants and animals.
"If we were to lose that," she said, "we would lose so much of our identity."
___
Donna Bryson can be reached on http://twitter.com/dbrysonAP
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বুধবার, ২৩ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Swift unstoppable at American Music Awards (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? Taylor Swift and Adele tied with three wins at the American Music Awards, but the event belonged to the country superstar after she beat the soulful crooner, as well as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Lil Wayne, to win artist of the year, the ceremony's highest accolade, which the 21-year-old singer-songwriter previously claimed in 2009.
"This is so crazy," beamed Swift, who also picked up the trophies for favorite country female artist and favorite country album for "Speak Now."
Adele had been the night's leading nominee with four bids, but the soulful singer didn't have much of a presence during the show: She was absent from the ceremony because she is recovering from recent throat surgery. Adele tied Swift with three awards, nabbing favorite pop/rock female artist, adult contemporary artist and pop/rock album for "21."
Other winners included Maroon 5 as favorite pop-rock band/duo/group, Beyonce as favorite soul/R&B female artist, Bruno Mars as pop/rock male artist, Foo Fighters as favorite alternative rock artist, Rihanna for favorite soul/R&B album for "Loud," Hot Chelle Rae as new artist of the year and Lady Antebellum as favorite country band/duo/group.
"We thank you very much for an incredible year," Lady A singer Charles Kelley told fans.
Nicki Minaj kicked off the 39th annual fan-favorite ceremony with an over-the-top performance that featured the pink-loving singer sporting a pair of speakers on her much-talked about derriere. She later earned two trophies: favorite rap/hip-hop artist, besting a group that included mentor Lil Wayne, and favorite rap/hip-hop album for "Pink Friday."
"Chase your dreams," the pink-haired Minaj encouraged the audience. "I never thought this could be possible."
The sprawling three-hour ceremony inside the Nokia Theatre in an unusually rainy Los Angeles was drenched with musical performances, including Justin Bieber getting into the holiday spirit amid a forest of neon lights with "Under the Mistletoe," and Kelly Clarkson channeling the big-band era with a swinging rendition of "Mr. Know It All."
Several artists delivered stripped-down performances: The Band Perry crooned an emotional "If I Die Young," a subdued Katy Perry accompanied herself on guitar for "The One That Got Away" and a platinum-blonde Chris Brown simply sang "All Back" before being joined by a troop of helmet-clad back-up dancers for a flashy interpretation of "Say It With Me."
Jennifer Lopez performed essentially a live version of the car commercial starring the "American Idol" judge set to her groove "Papi" ? complete with a revolving car onstage ? before launching into her dance hit "On the Floor." She was joined by rapper Pitbull, who later returned to the stage for the sexually charged "Rain Over Me" with Marc Anthony.
"I want to thank God because it's been a really amazing year in so many ways," said Lopez, who announced earlier this year with Anthony that they were ending their seven-year marriage, after winning the favorite Latin music artist award. "It's been up and down and just exciting and overwhelming and so many things. I'm just grateful for all my blessings."
Lopez later appeared with a glowing-in-the-dark will.i.am for his new single "Hard." Other collaborations included Christina Aguilera dueting with Maroon 5 on "Moves Like Jagger" and Bieber dancing with LMFAO in animal-print pants for a finale that ended with everyone on stage ? including David Hasselhoff but not Bieber ? stripping down to smiley-face underwear.
___
Online:
http://abc.go.com/music-lounge/show/american-music-awards/
___
AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report.
___
AP Entertainment Writers Derrik J. Lang and Sandy Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang/ and http://www.twitter.com/APSandy.
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New IPCC Report Cautiously Finds Climate Change Responsible for Extreme Weather (Little green footballs)
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Acupuncture Safe for Children, Review Finds (HealthDay)
MONDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- When done by well-trained professionals, acupuncture can be a safe treatment for children, new research suggests.
In an analysis of 37 studies or case reports, Canadian researchers found that in over 1,400 children treated with acupuncture, just 168 experienced a mild adverse reaction, such as crying or pain. The investigators found 25 reports of serious adverse events.
"In trained hands, acupuncture seems safe in children," said the study's senior author, Dr. Sunita Vohra, a professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Alberta in Canada.
Results of the study are published online and in the December issue of Pediatrics.
Acupuncture is a treatment that is said to have originated in China thousands of years ago. In Eastern medicine, acupuncture is believed to open the channels where a person's Qi (pronounced chee), or life force, is blocked. In Western medicine, it's more commonly believed that acupuncture works by stimulating the release of the body's natural painkillers, according to the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Stimulation of certain areas to release the blocked Qi (called acupoints) can be done through the insertion of very thin needles or with heat, pressure or a laser, the study authors pointed out in background information in the article.
Acupuncture is used for a variety of problems, such as pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and muscle spasm, according to Vohra and Dr. Raymond Pitetti, the associate medical director of the emergency department at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Jeannie Kang, president of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, added that acupuncture is also used for sprains, allergies, asthma, and menstrual cramps and irregularities.
In the United States, recent estimates suggest that as many as 3 million people have tried acupuncture therapy.
Because acupuncture is growing in popularity, and no specific studies have been conducted on the safety of acupuncture in children, Vohra and her colleagues wanted to assess the available evidence to determine whether or not acupuncture is a safe treatment for children.
The researchers reviewed all of the available literature on acupuncture in children. They found 37 studies and case reports that met their inclusion criteria.
The rate of adverse events was significantly lower in children than what has been reported in adults, the results showed.
The current analysis found a mild adverse event rate of nearly 12 percent in children. Mild events included bleeding, pain, crying, bruising and worsening of symptoms.
Serious events occurred in 25 children. Twelve children had thumb deformities, and five experienced infections after acupuncture. There were also isolated heart problems, lung problems, bleeding issues, nerve impairment, intestinal obstruction, hospitalization and a reversible coma.
Many of the serious adverse events were believed to be the result of substandard practices, said Vohra.
All three experts recommended making sure your child's acupuncturist is well trained. In Canada, acupuncture is regulated in a standard fashion and acupuncturists have to have specific training. In the United States, requirements vary by state, although most require that acupuncturists be licensed, according to Kang. Vohra and Kang both recommended contacting national acupuncture associations for a practitioner recommendation. Practitioners certified by national organizations will likely have more training.
Kang said that there are some acupuncturists who specialize in acupuncture on children, but that most practitioners will have had some pediatric experience. She said that it's uncommon to do needle insertions on children younger than 11 years old. Instead, she said, acupuncture practitioners will usually use something that "looks like a spiky rolling pin" to put pressure on acupoints.
Pitetti said he didn't know if there were specific areas of the body where acupuncture absolutely shouldn't be used, but "into the neck, into the brain would make me more concerned. Also, when you start to go near major organs, like the heart, or right around the spinal cord, that would make me nervous."
But, he said, "This study should give parents a little reassurance that it's probably a safe procedure, but it should also make them take a hard look at who's doing the acupuncture to make sure that they're reputable and skilled."
And, he added, it would be very helpful for parents if pediatricians were more aware of complementary medicine therapies, as well as the practitioners in the local area.
More information
Learn more about what to look for in an acupuncture practitioner from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
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3 Things We Can Learn about Compensation Communications from ...
Oddly enough, the teachable moments for me in the last few weeks have come from the Occupy Wall Street movement. I keep thinking that their?words can teach?people in our business?a lot about compensation communications. After all,?participants in Occupy Wall Street have a message to send?that they?hope will change behaviors in large groups of people, especially those in organizations. See what I mean?
Let's take a look.
- Describing their purpose.?They have told news sources that they are mainly protesting social and economic inequality, corporate?greed and corruption.?The words?make?their efforts?sound straightforward. But I've also been?thinking about the impact on the listener. Even as you hear their philosophy, you may be?thinking, "But it's not that simple." Or you may be thinking as I did, "Do they mean me?" As in, since I work in?and around?corporations, does?your criticism?apply to me, too?
Lesson? Neither of these reactions will encourage?me to listen or act. I'm pointing this out to show that words really do have power and that there's a communications lesson here?for us.?If?your audience doesn't?"get it" the way?you think?they should, you have spoken but you have not influenced?their opinion. This can easily (and regularly)?happen?if you don't audience-test your compensation?communications. You can create communications that have no impact, or barely the impact that you want, because your audience doesn't get it the way you?assumed they would.
- Explaining how.?As the audience for Occupy Wall Street over the last few weeks, have you learned how they would go about the change they are promoting? Any idea what they think your role should be? What the world will look like after they have achieved success?
Lesson? If?Occupy Wall Street's representatives have?talked about?these things,?the information has?gotten lost. But we need these details to be vibrant and compelling?if we are going to react in any way that would lead to change. We need to be able to envision what the changed world would look like, what we would be doing in it and what's in it for us to make the effort to get there.
- Communicating best when something goes wrong.?I live across a bridge from Oakland, so I have heard a lot about that location's story. If they weren't having problems, I would have heard a lot less even though I am in the neighborhood. We all may be the 99%, but we feel most comfortable talking to the guy next to us who is probably on the same wavelength.
Lesson? It's a nuisance to struggle to be? understood. It takes a lot more effort to speak clearly and understandably to those outside of HR and we put it off a lot. As a result we?wait until we can't avoid it, like the end-of-year performance management and compensation activities. Then, we talk to those outside the department but?rush back inside our own group -- where we can speak?among friends --?as soon as we can. We've got to?get out there more often?if we want to be understood and achieve change.
It seems like such an complex and interesting time in our world. Interesting, I think, because there so much to learn from watching and listening. (As soon as I stop hyperventilating and get my fingers out of my ears!)
Margaret O'Hanlon is founder and principal of re:Think Consulting.? She has decades of experience teaming up with clients to ensure great Human Resource ideas deliver valuable business results.? Margaret brings deep expertise in total rewards communications and change management?to the dialog at the Caf?. Before founding re:Think Consulting, she was a Principal in Total Rewards Communications and?Change Management?with Towers Perrin.?Margaret is a?member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Pacific Plains?Region. She?earned her M.S. and Ed.S. in Instructional Technology at Indiana University.?Creative writing is one of her outside passions, along with Masters Swimming.
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Martin leads No. 18 DePaul past Hawaii (AP)
HONOLULU ? Anna Martin scored 22 points to lead No. 18 DePaul to a 90-65 win over Hawaii on Sunday in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.
Martin hit five 3-pointers and made seven of her 11 field goal attempts for the Blue Demons (4-1). Megan Rogowski scored 17 points, Kelsey Reynolds 11 and Katherine Harry added 10 points with 12 rebounds.
The Rainbow Wahine held an early lead at 11-9, but DePaul used a 19-6 run to take a commanding lead, which it never relinquished. Hawaii cut the Blue Demons' lead to 52-44 on Kanisha Bello's 3-pointer with 14:26 left, but could get no closer.
Kamilah Jackson had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hawaii (1-3), which also got 16 points from Breanna Arbuckle.
DePaul led 42-30 at halftime.
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রবিবার, ২০ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Microwave Math that Einstein Would Have Loved
You can find a microwave oven in nearly any American kitchen?indeed, it is the one truly modern cooking tool that is commonly at hand?yet these versatile gadgets are woefully underestimated. Few see any culinary action more sophisticated than reheating leftovers or popping popcorn. That is a shame because a microwave oven, when used properly, can cook certain kinds of food perfectly, every time. You can even use it to calculate a fundamental physical constant of the universe. Try that with a gas burner.
To get the most out of your microwave, it helps to understand that it cooks with light waves, much like a grill does, except that the light waves are almost five inches (12.2 centimeters) from peak to peak?a good bit longer in wavelength than the infrared rays that coals put out. The microwaves are tuned to a frequency (2.45 gigahertz, usually) to which molecules of water and, to a lesser extent, fat resonate.
The water and oil in the exterior inch or so of food soaks up the microwave energy and turns it into heat; the surrounding air, dishes and walls of the oven do not. The rays do not penetrate far, so trying to cook a whole roast in a microwave is a recipe for disaster. But a thin fish is another story. The cooks in our research kitchen found a fantastic way to make tilapia in the microwave. Sprinkle some sliced scallions and ginger, with a splash of rice wine, over a whole fish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and microwave it for six minutes at a power of 600 watts. (Finish it off with a drizzle of hot peanut oil, soy sauce and sesame oil.)
The cooking at 600 W is what throws many chefs. To heat at a given wattage, check the power rating on the back of the oven (800 W is typical) and then multiply that figure by the power setting (which is given either as a percentage or in numbers from one to 10 representing 10 percent steps). A 1,000-W oven, for example, produces 600 W at a power setting of 60 percent (or ?6?). To ?fry? parsley brushed with oil, cook it at 600 W for about four minutes. To dry strips of marinated beef into jerky, cook at 400 W for five minutes, flipping the strips once a minute.
If you are up for slightly more math, you can perform a kitchen experiment that Albert Einstein would have loved: prove that light really does zip along at almost 300 million meters per second. Cover a cardboard disk from a frozen pizza with slices of Velveeta and microwave it at low power until several melted spots appear. (You don?t want it rotating, so if your oven has a carousel, prop the cardboard above it.) Measure the distance (in meters) between the centers of the spots. That distance is half the wavelength of the light, so if you double it and multiply by 2.45 billion (the frequency in cycles per second), the result is the velocity of the rays bouncing about in your oven.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=825ff7c7fe9609b9032b8a6855131ce2
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শনিবার, ১৯ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Video: Santelli's Bond Report
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45327680#45327680
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শুক্রবার, ১৮ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Google Music drops beta, MP3 store and Google+ integration along for the ride
Naturally, a new version of the Google Music app is already available in the Android Market, and a fresh look for Music Manager will follow in the next few hours. Unsurprisingly, Google Music sans beta brings tight integration with Google +. You can now share songs on your friend stream, and not just samples, either -- your buddies can listen to full tracks or albums one time through without ever leaving your profile.
Google Music drops beta, MP3 store and Google+ integration along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tackle Home Renovations Like Thor Would With This War Hammer [Tools]
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৭ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
The top 10 songs and albums on the iTunes Store (AP)
iTunes' Official Music Charts for the week ending Nov. 14, 2011:
Top Songs:
1. "We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)," Rihanna
2. "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO
3. "If This Was a Movie," Taylor Swift
4. "Without You (feat. Usher)", David Guetta
5. "Ours," Taylor Swift
6. "Someone Like You," ADELE
7. "Good Feeling," Flo Rida
8. "It Will Rain," Bruno Mars
9. "Moves Like Jagger (Studio Recording from "The Voice" Performance) (feat. Christina Aguilera) , Maroon 5
10. "Pumped Up Kicks," Foster the People
___
Top Albums:
1. "Blue Slide Park," Mac Miller
2. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 1 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)," Various Artists
3. "Mylo Xyloto," Coldplay
4. "21," ADELE
5. "Ceremonials," Florence + The Machine
6. "Take Care," Drake
7. "Christmas," Michael Bubl?
8. "The Lost Children," Disturbed
9. "Formula, Vol. 1," Romeo Santos
10. "NOW That's What I Call Music, Vol. 40," Various Artists
___
(copyright) 2011 Apple, Inc.
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বুধবার, ১৬ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Nikki Reed Reveals Husband Paul McDonald's Most Annoying Habit - Celebrity Spotlight
The Breaking Dawn star admits that her new hubby isn't exactly a neat freak -- but he's still her "best bud"
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GOP Debate Showcases Ignorance and Spin (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | The GOP debate of Saturday brought all the top contenders together to discuss the issues that mean the most to the right-wing voting public. The big topics of the night were international policy and war. The debate let the candidates really show off their ignorance and let the network display its well-developed junk-o-meter.
Recently, Newt Gingrich described President Barack Obama as "not knowing which country" he's in charge of. Perhaps Newt's ire should have been reserved for Michele Bachmann. Bachmann is a bit confused about what a communist country is as demonstrated by her statement that the U.S. is more communist than China. Her reasoning is based on China not having a food stamp program. Living in a democratic nation for her entire life appears not to have registered on her regarding the nature of her home country.
Rick Perry said he would reduce all foreign aid to zero and make each nation present a case regarding why they should receive aid. Perhaps Perry envisions a stay in the White House where he would sit on a throne and judge a line of ambassadors begging "please, Sir, may I have some more?" like Oliver Twist. At first he included Israel in this, only to reverse himself later. Waffling like that deserves a side of bacon.
Herman Cain, author of the lower-class-crushing 9-9-9 plan and alleged serial sexual harasser, now adds torture to the list of subjects he probably shouldn't have spoken about. When asked about waterboarding he said he'd support it. In a move that could be filed under "maybe people will forget it's torture if we call it something else" he called it an "enhanced interrogation technique". Enhancing interrogation with waterboarding is like enhancing dental surgery by skipping the novocaine -- it's torture.
Bachmann chimed in with a charmingly ignorant-sounding comment that a CIA, under Obama's influence, was run by the ACLU. Maybe Cain, Bachmann, and the other hopefuls who favor torture should talk to John McCain, an American veteran who was subjected to it, and ask how ethical he thinks it is.
CBS, debate co-sponsor, let affiliate stations decide whether to broadcast the last half hour of the show. The New York affiliate decided to return to NCIS rather than force another thirty minutes of political tripe on the viewers. The real surprise is that they didn't bail on the debate sooner.
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মঙ্গলবার, ১৫ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Emergent Genius
Where do great ideas come from?and how do we recognize their significance when they appear?
Danny Hillis, Applied Minds co-founder and a Scientific American adviser, and I were discussing these questions recently as we prepared for a talk in late October at the Compass Summit (compass-summit.com). ?Ideas are a product of society,? an emergent phenomenon, Hillis told me, ?which are almost inevitable.? That?s why, he said, our admiration for individuals who have come up with such ideas is ?almost giving too much credit.? The idea itself is not enough. A lot of people in a society will have a given notion, he explained. Maybe only 1,000 will try to sketch it out. ?Then 100 will try to make something, and 10 of those might actually make something practical. One or two of those might be on the level of an Edison or Tesla.?
In many ways, Hillis and I share a mission of identifying those ideas that just might work. His company, of course, is involved in developing them. As for the magazine and our Web site?s role? ?The interesting thing about Scientific American is it lets you understand those ideas,? he added.
We have both watched with interest recent sweeping trends in the idea machine: how interdisciplinary research is a growing area of focus and the rising force of ?big data? and increasing computing power. Those topics would be part of our on-stage Compass Summit conversation, and they also underpin this issue?s special look at innovation, the third annual ?World Changing Ideas.? The section features 10 out-of-the-lab concepts with the possibility to scale in a practical way.
I?m particularly taken by ?The Machine That Would Predict the Future,? by David Weinberger.. The story covers the work of Dirk Helbing, a physicist and chair of sociology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. Helbing has proposed a large-scale computing program that would attempt to model global-scale systems and so ?would effectively serve as the world?s crystal ball.?
Perhaps you, like me, will feel forcefully reminded of Isaac Asimov?s Hari Seldon, the ?psychohistorian? whose pattern-predicting math drove the famous Foundation science-fiction series. Asimov, a long-time Scientific American subscriber himself, read the magazine to keep up with science. Increasingly, it feels as if the reverse is also true.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=8e2d325a08ece8a625035bdf0beca05e
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Players reject NBA's offer, begin to disband union
Surrounded by NBA basketball players, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association Billy Hunter, right, speaks to the media while Players Association president Derek Fisher listens during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by NBA basketball players, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association Billy Hunter, right, speaks to the media while Players Association president Derek Fisher listens during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by NBA basketball players, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association Billy Hunter, center, and NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher, second from left, speak to the media during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by NBA players, Players Association president Derek Fisher, center, speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Surrounded by NBA players, including New York Knicks' Chauncy Billups, left, and Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook, right, NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the players' union in New York, Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer and have begun the process to disband the union. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NEW YORK (AP) ? NBA players rejected the league's latest offer Monday and began disbanding the union, likely jeopardizing the season.
"We're prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA," union executive director Billy Hunter said. "That's the best situation where players can get their due process."
And that's a tragedy as far as NBA Commissioner David Stern is concerned.
"It looks like the 2011-12 season is really in jeopardy," Stern said in an interview aired on ESPN. "It's just a big charade. To do it now, the union is ratcheting up I guess to see if they can scare the NBA owners or something. That's not happening."
Hunter said players were not prepared to agree to Stern's ultimatum to accept the current proposal or face a worse one, saying they thought it was "extremely unfair." And they're aware what this battle might cost them.
"We understand the consequences of potentially missing the season; we understand the consequences that players could potentially face if things don't go our way, but it's a risk worth taking," union vice president Maurice Evans said. "It's the right move to do."
But it's risky. The league already has filed a pre-emptive lawsuit seeking to prove the lockout is legal and contends that without a union that collectively bargained them, the players' guaranteed contracts could legally be voided.
During oral arguments on Nov. 2, the NBA asked U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe to decide the legality of its lockout, but he was reluctant to wade into the league's labor mess. Gardephe has yet to issue a ruling.
Stern, who is a lawyer, had urged players to take the deal on the table, saying it's the best the NBA could offer and advised that decertification is not a winning strategy.
Players ignored that warning, choosing instead to dissolve its union, giving them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust lawsuit.
"This is the best decision for the players," union president Derek Fisher said. "I want to reiterate that point, that a lot of individual players have a lot of things personally at stake in terms of their careers and where they stand. And right now they feel it's important ? we all feel it's important to all our players, not just the ones in this room, but our entire group ? that we not only try to get a deal done for today but for the body of NBA players that will come into this league over the next decade and beyond."
Fisher, flanked at a press conference by dozens of players including Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, said the decision was unanimous. But there were surely players throughout the league who would have preferred union leadership put the proposal to a vote of the full membership instead.
Hunter said the NBPA was in the process of converting to a trade association and that all players will be represented in a class-action suit against the NBA by attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and David Boies ? who were on opposite sides of the NFL labor dispute, Kessler working for the players, Boise for the league.
"The fact that the two biggest legal adversaries in the NFL players dispute over the NFL lockout both agree that the NBA lockout is now illegal and subject to triple damages speaks for itself," Kessler said in an email to The Associated Press. "I am delighted to work together with David Boies on behalf of the NBA players."
Stern was not impressed with his legal adversaries.
"Mr. Kessler got his way, and we're about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA," he told ESPN. "If I were a player ... I would be wondering what it is that Billy Hunter just did."
The sides still can negotiate during the legal process, so players didn't want to write off the season just yet.
"I don't want to make any assumptions," union VP Keyon Dooling said. "I believe we'll continue to try to get a deal done or let this process play out. I don't know what to expect from this process."
Hunter said the NBPA's "notice of disclaimer" was filed with Stern's office about an hour before the news conference announcing the move.
Hunter said the bargaining process had "completely broken down." Players and owners have been talking for some two years but couldn't reach a deal, with players feeling the league's desires to improve competitive balance would hurt their free agency options.
And beyond that, the owners' desire for a 50-50 split of basketball-related income, after players were guaranteed 57 percent under the old deal, meant players were shifting at least $280 million per year to the owners.
"This deal could have been done. It should have been done," Hunter said. "We've given and given and given, and they got to the place where they just reached for too much and the players decided to push back."
Over the weekend, Stern said he would not cancel the season this week.
Regardless, damage already has been done, in many ways.
Financially, both sides have lost hundreds of millions because of the games missed and the countless more that will be wiped out before play resumes. Team employees are losing money, and in some cases, jobs. And both the NBA and NBPA eventually must regain the loyalty of an angered fan base that wonders how the league reached this low point after such a strong 2010-11 season.
The proposal rejected by the players called for a 72-game season beginning Dec. 15.
On Sunday, the league made a very public push on the positives of the deal ? hosting a 90-minute twitter chat to answer questions from players and fans, posting a YouTube video to explain the key points and sending a memo from Stern to players urging them to "study our proposal carefully, and to accept it as a fair compromise of the issues between us."
In the memo, posted on the league's website, Stern highlighted points of the deal and asked players to focus on the compromises the league made during negotiations, such as dropping its demands for a hard salary cap, non-guaranteed contracts and salary rollbacks.
Union officials repeatedly have said the system issues are perhaps more important to them than the split of basketball-related income, but owners say they need fundamental changes in both to allow for a chance to profit and to ensure more competitive balance throughout the league.
The previous CBA expired at the end of the day June 30. Despite a series of meetings in June, there was never much hope of a deal before that deadline, with owners wanting significant changes after saying they lost $300 million last season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the old agreement, which was ratified in 2005.
Owners wanted to keep more of the league's nearly $4 billion in basketball revenues. And they sought a system where even the smallest-market clubs could compete, believing the current system would always favor the teams who could spend the most.
The NBA's last work stoppage reduced the 1998-99 season to 50 games. Monday marked the 137th day of the lockout; the NFL lockout lasted 136 days.
In its labor battle, NFL players tried to get the courts to overturn the lockout and let players return to work. Although a Minnesota judge initially ruled in favor of the players, that ruling was put on hold by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"Given the rulings that came down in the NFL case, which are not binding in the 2nd circuit but would be influential, right now the owners are not in a bad spot," said antitrust attorney David Scupp of Constantine Cannon in New York City. "It could very well be that the players have an uphill battle toward getting that lockout enjoined. If they can do that, then it might swing things in their favor."
But time is not on anyone's side.
"If you look at what happened with the NFL case, that whole legal battle surrounding the temporary injunction was resolved relatively quickly, and it still took a few months," Scupp said. "There's not a few months to spare this time around."
___
AP Sports Writers Rachel Cohen in New York and Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
___
Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney
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সোমবার, ১৪ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Cardinals set to hire Matheny as manager (AP)
ST. LOUIS ? The St. Louis Cardinals said they will announce the hiring of Mike Matheny as manager during a news conference Monday.
Matheny, a former St. Louis catcher will replace the retired Tony La Russa.
La Russa stepped down after leading the team to the World Series title.
The 40-year-old Matheny was a minor league instructor with the Cardinals and has no managing experience. He played for St. Louis from 2000-04 and won three Gold Gloves. He won another with San Francisco.
Matheny's playing career blossomed after he signed a one-year free-agent deal to be the backup catcher in St. Louis. A career .239 hitter, Matheny did enough defensively to earn a starting job.
Matheny was one of six men the Cardinals interviewed to replace La Russa.
They also talked to Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, longtime Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo, former Boston manager Terry Francona, Triple-A manager Chris Maloney, and Chicago White Sox coach Joe McEwing.
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রবিবার, ১৩ নভেম্বর, ২০১১
Pacific rim leaders mull ways to fend off EU woes (AP)
HONOLULU ? A push to build a Pacific free trade bloc gained ground Friday with Japan's decision to join negotiations, as Asia-Pacific leaders converging on Hawaii for an annual summit mulled ways to prevent Europe's crisis from derailing the global recovery.
The weekend meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which brings together leaders from Russia to Chile, is focused on creating jobs and business through nuts-and-bolts measures such as investment in infrastructure and reforms aimed at providing more access to financing for the poor.
Such moves are gaining urgency, with the European Union warning of a possible "deep and prolonged recession" next year as the debt crisis that has engulfed Ireland, Portugal and Greece shows signs of spiraling out of control. A European recession would be felt sharply in the U.S., where growth is already anemic, and in Asia, which relies on Europe as a big market for its cars, clothing, consumer electronics and other exports.
"In the coming 12 months there is quite a strong likelihood that things will go worse," Hong Kong's chief executive, Donald Tsang, told a gathering of business leaders on the sidelines of the APEC meetings. "Global performance will be dragged down and then there will be an awakening, I hope," he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in opening a meeting of foreign and economic ministers that many forces outside the Pacific region will have an impact on it. "Global trends and world events have given us a full and formidable agenda," she said. "And the stakes are high for all of us."
As host of the annual summit, the U.S. has made expanding trade, promoting green growth and deepening cooperation on regulation and standards to help dismantle barriers to trade and nurture faster growth.
"We've even created an unofficial slogan: 'Get Stuff Done," Clinton said.
The U.S. also is hoping to garner support for a Pacific free trade pact that many APEC members see as a building block for a free trade area that encompasses all of Asia and the Pacific, covering half the world's commerce and two-fifths of its trade.
That goal advanced Friday with Japan's announcement that it will seek to join the bloc, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, despite strong opposition from farmers fearful of exposure to greater foreign competition.
The Pacific trade pact, known as the TPP, currently includes Chile, New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore ? all relatively small economies. The U.S., Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Peru are negotiating to join. The participation of Japan, the world's third-largest economy, would vastly expand its reach.
At the same time they are working toward a broader agreement, countries continue to forge separate free-trade agreements. On Friday, Vietnam and Chile were to due to sign a free trade agreement on the sidelines of the APEC meetings.
The U.S. recently clinched long-sought free trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama ? agreements that if ratified will bring to 20 the number of countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S.
In Honolulu, Washington was keeping up pressure on China to commit to faster trade liberalization and to freeing its currency, which U.S. officials say remains undervalued even though it has gained substantially against the U.S. dollar in recent years.
A statement by APEC finance ministers released Thursday included a call for exchange rate flexibility. Treasury Department officials said China's willingness to back such a commitment ? both at the Group of 20 meeting in Cannes last week and in Honolulu this week ? could encourage similar moves by other Asia-Pacific economies.
But Beijing's apparent openness to move faster on its currency policy was not matched by similar support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which earlier this week a senior official in Beijing described as "overly ambitious."
Overall, given APEC's lack of negotiating power ? all decisions are by consensus ? prospects for major changes are slim. But over the years the group's incremental efforts have helped build support for closer economic ties and freer trade.
Clinton said that by agreeing on something as rudimentary as shared safety standards for televisions, countries in the region saw exports of TVs jump by nearly half in three years.
___
Associated Press writer Jaymes Song contributed to this report.
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111112/ap_on_re_as/apec
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