Cuba: Laura Pollan, Ladies In White Founder, Mourned

HAVANA -- Cuba's tiny dissident community gathered on Saturday to mourn the loss of one of its most prominent leaders, Ladies in White founder and leader Laura Pollan, who for years made her home a headquarters for planning protests against the communist government.

Family members, government opponents and diplomats gathered at Pollan's house in a working-class neighborhood of Havana, welcomed by her widower, formerly imprisoned dissident Hector Maseda. The U.S. Interests Section in Cuba brought a floral wreath.

"We have had a physical loss. It's not easy especially for me, because we have been together these past eight years," said Bertha Soler, who helped Pollan found the group in 2003 to press for the release of their husbands and 73 other activists, social commentators and government opponents imprisoned in a crackdown on dissent.

Pollan, 63, died Friday night of cardiorespiratory failure, a week after being hospitalized with an aggressive respiratory virus. Family members reported that Pollan's doctors tried for nearly an hour to revive her.

"They acquitted themselves well. Professionally they are very capable," Maseda said.

In the front living room, which for years was decorated with portraits of Maseda and 74 other dissidents jailed in 2003, only a painting of Pollan was on display Saturday surrounded by flowers, a rosary and candles. The last of the dissidents, including Maseda, were released earlier this year under a deal brokered by the Roman Catholic Church.

Pollan's body was cremated before dawn. Half the ashes were taken to her birth city of Manzanillo in eastern Cuba, and the rest were in the Havana home.

"We are going to do what she wished ... and scatter her ashes in a flowery field," Maseda said.

Pollan was one of the most prominent and vocal opposition figures in a country where those who dissent publicly risk reprisals or imprisonment. Even after the Ladies accomplished the goal for which they were founded, the group continued to protest against the government, which excoriated the women as traitors doing the bidding of the United States.

Soler, considered the group's No. 2 leader despite its avowed nonhierarchical organization, said the Ladies will continue their weekly protest marches following Sunday Mass, dressed in white and carrying gladiolas.

"Everything will continue as always, without the physical presence of Laura Pollan, but spiritually she will be with us," Soler said. "Tomorrow we will go to the Church of Santa Rita as we have been doing for eight years."

In Washington, the White House issued a statement praising Pollan and her group.

"The President's thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of Laura Pollan, the founder of Las Damas de Blanco, who passed away Friday in Havana," it said. "Pollan and the quiet dignity of the Ladies in White have courageously voiced the core desire of the Cuban people and of people everywhere to live in liberty."

There was no mention of Pollan's death in Cuban state media, which normally ignores dissidents' activity except to accuse them of being stooges of Washington.

But the pro-government blog La Pupila Insomne noted her passing and said the doctor who attended her, Armando Elias Gonzalez Rivera, confirmed that she suffered from a viral attack.

Condolences also came from the Cuban exile community in Miami, where a Mass was announced for later Saturday in Pollan's honor.

Cuban-American singer and actor Gloria Estefan called Pollan "the personification of the strength of the Cuban woman" and "a shining example of courage, peace and perseverance that will serve as a guide to those who struggle for a free Cuba."

___

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi in Havana and Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/15/cuba-laura-pollan-ladies-_n_1012714.html

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Packers stay perfect at 6-0,?beat winless?Rams

By CHRIS JENKINS

updated 4:46 p.m. ET Oct. 16, 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers remain pefect, thanks to the unmatched play of Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers threw three touchdowns, including a career-long 93-yarder to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers rolled to a 24-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

The defending Super Bowl champions are the only remaining undefeated team after Detroit lost to San Francisco.

Rodgers threw for 310 yards for the Packers (6-0). James Jones and Donald Driver also caught touchdowns from Rodgers, although the Packers offense hit a lull and didn't score in the second half.

Sam Bradford was 28 of 44 for 321 yards with an interception for the Rams (0-5), who were coming off their bye week.

Rams running back Steven Jackson had 18 carries for 96 yards.

Rodgers did throw his third interception of the season, a tipped ball in the fourth quarter.

The Packers were wearing blue-and-gold uniforms designed to replicate a 1929 design, but Rodgers' ability to scramble out of trouble and make big plays was anything but a throwback to the days of leather helmets. Rodgers did offer a wholehearted endorsement of the third uniform earlier in the week, saying the pants were among the most comfortable football pants he'd ever worn.

As Rodgers kept rolling, the Packers continued to brush off a fresh batch of injuries.

Green Bay got right tackle Bryan Bulaga back from a knee injury after the 2010 first-round pick missed the Packers' previous two games. But the Packers will have to live without veteran left tackle Chad Clifton for awhile after he injured his hamstring in last Sunday's victory at Atlanta.

Second-year player Marshall Newhouse took over for Clifton, but the Rams couldn't get much pressure on Rodgers ? and when they did, he simply spun away.

The Packers also were banged up at safety. Already missing Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins ? out for the season after sustaining a neck injury in Week 2 ? fellow safety Morgan Burnett had to play Sunday's game with a huge club on his broken right hand.

Green Bay's secondary took another blow in the third quarter when Packers cornerback Sam Shields sustained a head injury after he picked off a Bradford pass in the end zone and was hit hard.

The Rams were able to run up some yards early on, but potential scoring drives fizzled because of penalties and big plays by the Packers defense.

St. Louis drove to the Green Bay 23 on its first drive, but tight end Lance Kendricks was called for a false start. The Rams settled for a field goal attempt, and Josh Brown missed from 47 yards. Green Bay took over and drove for a 32-yard Mason Crosby field goal.

Facing a fourth-and-3 play near the end of the first quarter, the Rams went for it and Bradford threw incomplete. The Packers got the ball back and gambled on fourth down as well, going for it on fourth-and-1 at the 50. James Starks burst through the line for a 15-yard gain.

Rodgers showed his mastery of play action on the next play, faking a handoff to Starks on the right side, rolling to his left and delivering a perfect pass to Jones in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown and 10-0 lead.

After a Rams punt pinned the Packers at their own 7, Rodgers got the best of former teammate Al Harris on his big play to Nelson. Rodgers got the veteran cornerback to bite on a fake and then threw a rainbow to the wide-open Nelson for an easy score and a 17-0 lead.

Rodgers put together another drive toward the end of the second quarter, capitalizing on the threat of his running ability to finish it off. On second-and-goal at the 7, Rodgers appeared to make a run for the end zone ? then pulled up and flipped the ball to Driver for a touchdown with 1:51 left before halftime.

Bradford took a beating on the Rams' final drive of the half thanks to a couple of hard hits by Clay Matthews, but St. Louis drove for a 36-yard field goal by Brown. Green Bay led 24-3 at the half.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Giants bounce back, beat Bills

Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 104 yards and a career-best three TDs and Lawrence Tynes kicked a go-ahead 23-yard field goal with 1:32?left to give New York a 27-24?win over Buffalo on Sunday.

Eagles hold off Redskins, snap 4-game skid

Michael Vick threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, Kurt Coleman had three interceptions, and Philadelphia snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 20-13 win over Washington.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44896312/ns/sports-nfl/

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Super-sized muscle made twin-horned dinosaur a speedster

ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2011) ? A meat-eating dinosaur that terrorized its plant-eating neighbours in South America was a lot deadlier than first thought, a University of Alberta researcher has found. Carnotaurus was a seven-metre-long predator with a huge tail muscle that U of A paleontology graduate student Scott Persons says made it one of the fastest running hunters of its time.

A close examination of the tail bones of Carnotaurus showed its caudofemoralis muscle had a tendon that attached to its upper leg bones. Flexing this muscle pulled the legs backwards and gave Carnotaurus more power and speed in every step.

In earlier research, Persons found a similar tail-muscle and leg-power combination in the iconic predator Tyrannosaurus rex. Up until Persons published that paper, many dinosaur researchers thought T. rex's huge tail might have simply served as a teeter-totter-like counterweight to its huge, heavy head.

Persons' examination of the tail of Carnotaurus showed that along its length were pairs of tall rib-like bones that interlocked with the next pair in line. Using 3-D computer models, Persons recreated the tail muscles of Carnotaurus. He found that the unusual tail ribs supported a huge caudofemoralis muscle. The interlocked bone structure along the dinosaur's tail did present one drawback: the tail was rigid, making it difficult for the hunter to make quick, fluid turns. Persons says that what Carnotaurus gave up in maneuverability, it made up for in straight ahead speed. For its size, Carnotaurus had the largest caudofemoralis muscle of any known animal, living or extinct.

Persons published these findings in PLoS ONE on Oct.14, with supervisor Philip Currie, a paleontology professor at the U of A.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Alberta.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111014212405.htm

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Dollar falls on expectations of European debt plan (AP)

NEW YORK ? The dollar fell against the euro and most other currencies Friday on expectations that European leaders are closer to announcing a sweeping plan to help address the region's debt crisis.

Earlier this week German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said a plan would be put together by the end of the month. They said it would include ensuring that European banks have enough capital.

A comprehensive plan now seems more likely to investors after all 17 countries that use the euro agreed to an expansion of the European bailout fund. Slovakia became the final nation to approve it on Thursday.

Currency investors shook off a downgrade of Spain's debt by ratings agency Standard & Poor's. The firm lowered its long-term rating on Spain's debt late Thursday to "AA-" from "AA" and said the outlook on the rating is "negative," meaning it could be lowered again.

In late trading Friday, the euro rose to $1.3875 from $1.3783 late Thursday. The British pound rose to $1.5815 from $1.5769.

The U.S. dollar fell despite a stronger-than-expected report on U.S. consumer spending last month. The Commerce Department said that retail sales rose 1.1 percent in September, as Americans spent more on autos, clothing and furniture. It was the largest gain in seven months.

In other currency trading Friday, the dollar fell to 0.8930 Swiss franc from 0.8977 Swiss franc and to 1.0117 Canadian dollars from 1.0190 Canadian dollars. The dollar rose to 77.22 Japanese yen from 76.88 yen late Thursday.

The dollar fell against most other major currencies, including the Australian, New Zealand and Hong Kong dollars, the Norwegian krone and the Brazilian real.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111014/ap_on_bi_ge/us_dollar

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Google jumps as investors cheer mobile growth (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Shares of Google Inc jumped over 7 percent on Friday, a day after the internet search giant said robust growth at its mobile business and a strong emerging market lifted its third quarter, allaying worries that a slowing Europe was hurting business.

The strong mobile revenue underscores the importance of Google's Android mobile software -- already the world's most-used smartphone platform -- and supports the rationale for its Motorola Mobility Holdings deal, analysts said.

In August, Google said it will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The deal will give Google access to one of the largest patent libraries in the wireless industry as well as hardware manufacturing operations that will allow it to develop its own line of smartphones. [nL3E7JF1LD]

The company is plowing money into its fast-growing mobile business which competes with iPhone-maker Apple. Google's Android mobile software now powers 190 million devices, up from 135 million in mid-July.

"While Google is large and well-followed, we still see the company as an underappreciated mobile play," BofA Merrill Lynch analyst Justin Post said in a research note.

"We see Google as a 15 percent grower, warranting a premium valuation to the large cap technology sector."

However, Post -- an analyst with a five-star rating, according to Starmine data for the accuracy of his earnings estimates on the company -- cut his price target to $720 from $740 citing the complex Motorola buy as a near-term overhang.

Some investors worry that a move to build its own phones could jeopardize support for Google's free Android mobile software from other phone manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and HTC Corp

Many other brokerages raised their price targets on the company, some by as much as 10 percent.

Collins Stewart raised its price target on the stock to $795 from $725 -- 42 percent higher than its current levels.

The increasing usage of tablets in a manner more similar to PCs than phones is driving more queries and paid clicks to Google, JP Morgan said in a note.

"We expect this trend to continue, and for Google to be the primary beneficiary as it likely has 90 percent plus share of mobile search -- even higher than on the desktop," it said.

According to Thomson Reuters StarMine data, 13 analysts rate Google a "strong buy," 20 rate the stock a "buy" and four others rate it a "hold," with a mean price target of $716.17.

Google's Frankfurt-listed shares were trading up 7 percent, while its Nasdaq-listed stock rose to $599.60 in morning trade.

(Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh, Tenzin Pema and Rachana Khanzode in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon and Don Sebastian)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/search/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111014/wr_nm/us_google

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Howard Buffet : We Saw Large Corporations Really Screw People

Howard Buffet : We Saw Large Corporations Really Screw People is what you find in this page. You can also get recent images and videos for : Howard Buffet : We Saw Large Corporations Really Screw People.



Howard Buffett, son of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, informed Bloomberg on Thursday that he understands the aggravation that several middle-class Americans at this time really feel. He, for 1, spots blame on each corporate abuse plus the rising wealth gap.

"I feel it requires that to generate details occur from time to time," Buffett, himself a farmer and philanthropist, stated. "We saw significant corporations honestly screw consumers."

Anger toward Americans stays particularly pointed toward the monetary sector. Indeed, self-assurance within the U.S. banking program has dropped to a brand new reduced, based on a current Rasmussen poll, at a time when significant banks face allegations of widespread mortgage abuse whereas continuing to impose new charges on prospects.

Middle-class frustrations have had time to ferment. Of these at this time unemployed, six.two million have now been out of function for above half a year, and incomes have only began dropping more quickly because the official finish from the recession.

Howard Buffet


Not simply did Howard Buffett says he understands the basis on the Occupy Wall Street protesters, on the other hand. He also expressed aggravation together with the slew of austerity measures that display no sign of slowing down. Just this month, Wisconsin officials revealed a program that would result in 1000's to shed access for the state's Medicaid system, in line with ThinkProgress.

"There has in no way been a time in my lifetime when the government is going to cut an astounding level of applications that help poor many people and feed them," he informed Bloomberg.

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Attorney: Airline attack suspect to plead guilty

In this courtroom drawing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appears in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, in Detroit. Opening arguments in the trial of the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear were heard Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

In this courtroom drawing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab appears in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, in Detroit. Opening arguments in the trial of the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear were heard Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

In this courtroom drawing, U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds is seen in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. Opening arguments in the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear, were heard Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

In this courtroom drawing, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, left, listens as Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel presents opening arguments in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. The trial of the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear began Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

In this courtroom drawing, witness Mike Zantow of Madison, Wisc., appears in U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds' courtroom in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. Opening arguments in the trial of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear were heard Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

In this courtroom drawing, Anthony Chambers, a lawyer who is assisting in Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's defense, is seen in Detroit, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. Opening arguments in the trial of the Nigerian man accused of trying to bring down a jetliner with a bomb in his underwear were heard on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jerry Lemenu)

(AP) ? The attorney for a Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound plane for al-Qaida says the man will plead guilty.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is answering questions from a federal judge Wednesday after his attorney told the court he wants to plead guilty on the second day of trial his trial Detroit.

U.S. District Nancy Edmunds is reviewing the charges and possible penalties with Abdulmutallab in court including that he could spend the rest of his life in prison for the guilty plea.

He's accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 with a bomb in his underwear on Christmas 2009.

The bomb didn't work, but Abdulmutallab was badly burned. Hours later in the hospital, he told the FBI that he was working for al-Qaida in Yemen.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-12-Airline%20Attack/id-66a30085473c4d55aee72478a71e3e3f

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Jury deliberations start in home invasion case (AP)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. ? A judge denied an effort Wednesday by attorneys for a Connecticut man charged with killing a woman and her two daughters in a home invasion to reopen their defense based on letters from a co-defendant claiming he had committed numerous murders in the past. The case then went to the jury.

Attorneys for Joshua Komisarjevsky cited letters from Steven Hayes claiming he killed 17 people in the Northeast and committed dozens of drugged date rapes.

Authorities say Komisarjevsky and Hayes broke into the Cheshire home in 2007, beat Dr. William Petit with a bat, tied him and his family up and forced his wife to withdraw money from a bank. The house was doused in gas and set on fire, leading to the girls' deaths from smoke inhalation.

Hayes was convicted last year of raping and strangling Jennifer Hawke-Petit and killing her daughters. He is on death row.

Jury deliberations began late Wednesday morning. The jury selected a forewoman.

Judge Jon Blue denied a motion for a mistrial by Komisarjevsky's attorneys who said a prosecution expert sitting close to jurors rolled her eyes seven times in disbelief during defense closing arguments. Blue did call jurors out from the deliberations room to caution them that any facial expressions by spectators are not evidence and should be disregarded.

The letters came to light just before closing arguments Tuesday in New Haven Superior Court. Komisarjevsky's attorneys say the letters could help their arguments that Hayes was the leader of the crime.

Blue said Wednesday the claims were not corroborated and would actually hurt Komisarjevsky's case because of claims Hayes makes in the letters about the Connecticut crime. Testimony is reopened to avoid miscarriages of justice, he said.

Blue said Hayes' claims, if truthful, would make him one of the greatest serial killers in American history. But he said the claims are vague with no dates, locations or other details.

"It certainly means there is no real corroboration of this," Blue said.

Blue said Hayes would only invoke his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination if called to testify. He said the letters blame Komisarjevsky for much of the home invasion.

"This would be the seal of Mr. Komisarjevsky's doom," Blue said.

A prosecutor called the letters unreliable.

Blue also denied a defense motion for a mistrial based on comments prosecutors made during closing arguments.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111012/ap_on_re_us/us_home_invasion

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Help sought identifying serial killer Gacy's victims (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) ? Authorities appealed to the public on Wednesday for DNA samples from anyone who believes a relative might have been murdered by serial killer John Wayne Gacy, in an effort to identify eight of his 33 victims.

Gacy lured young men and boys to his suburban Chicago home during the 1970s, where he assaulted and murdered them.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart asked for the public's help now that DNA has been collected and analyzed from the remains of the eight unidentified victims.

"Some families were estranged from their relative who was killed by Gacy, and were unaware their relative was missing," Dart said in a statement.

Authorities said changing attitudes about homosexuality, prostitution and drug use attributed to some of Gacy's victims might remove a hurdle for reluctant relatives to come forward.

Illinois convicted Gacy of murder and he was executed in 1994. Twenty-nine bodies were buried underneath or near Gacy's house and the rest dumped in area rivers.

The victims would have gone missing beginning in 1970, the year Gacy was released from prison, and late 1978 when he was arrested. The unidentified remains belonged to males between 14 and 32 years old, though their exact ages are unknown.

Some of Gacy's victims were never reported missing, and he was known to have targeted travelers in bus stations.

A judge recently granted permission for the mother of 14-year-old boy to exhume the body of a Gacy victim identified through dental records as her son. The mother wants a DNA test to determine if it was truly her son, who disappeared in 1976 from Chicago's North Side.

(Reporting by Andrew Stern; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111012/us_nm/us_crime_gacy

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