Samsung's Galaxy Nexus gets official: Android 4.0, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display (video)

Wait no more. Google and Samsung have just made the long-awaited Galaxy Nexus (not longer the Nexus Prime, as we'd once heard) official here in Hong Kong, and the specifications are downright drool-worthy. Those with bantam hands need not apply, as this 4.65-inch behemoth is bound to bring back talk of Sidetalkin'. Naturally, Ice Cream Sandwich is onboard, with Google finally revealing the version number as 4.0. Other specs include an HD Super AMOLED display (1,280 x 720), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, 1080p video recording and playback, a newfangled panorama mode, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 3.0. You'll also find USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an embedded NFC module, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a barometer -- yeah, a barometer. Finishing things out, there's 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage space and a 1,750mAh battery. As for radios? There's an HSPA+ model on tap, while an LTE version will "be available depending on region." There's nary a mention of carrier in the press release we're holding, but based on earlier leaks, a 4G build for Verizon Wireless seems a lock.

Focusing on Ice Cream Sandwich for a tick, Android 4.0 will bring "an entirely new look and feel to Android," boasting a redesigned user interface, bolstered multitasking / notifications, full-on NFC support and a new People app, which enables users to browse friends, family and coworkers' photos whilst peeking their status updates from Google+. ICS also introduces Face Unlock, which taps into facial recognition protocols in order to unlock your handset. And then there's Android Beam, an NFC-based technology that allows you to "quickly share webpages, apps and YouTube videos by simply tapping two phones together." According to Goog, the "lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between has been rethought and redesigned," and this is quite the beastly phone to launch with. Pics and a link to register for more info await you below, and PR per usual is after the break.

Continue reading Samsung's Galaxy Nexus gets official: Android 4.0, 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display (video)

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Police seek escaped exotic animals in Ohio

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to individuals from The Wilds, a wildlife conservation center in Cumberland, Ohio, and The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium about exotic animals loose in the area on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. An estimated 48 animals escaped the property of Terry Thompson in Zanesville, Ohio. Thompson was found dead outside his home. (AP Photo/Zanesville Times Recorder, Trevor Jones)

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to individuals from The Wilds, a wildlife conservation center in Cumberland, Ohio, and The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium about exotic animals loose in the area on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. An estimated 48 animals escaped the property of Terry Thompson in Zanesville, Ohio. Thompson was found dead outside his home. (AP Photo/Zanesville Times Recorder, Trevor Jones)

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz speaks to the media about exotic animals loose in the area Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 in Zanesville, Ohio. Dozens of animals escaped from a wild-animal preserve that houses bears, big cats and other beasts, and the owner later was found dead there, said police, who shot several of the animals and urged nearby residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Times Recorder, Trevor Jones) NO SALES

A vehicle from the Columbus Zoo and a vehicle from the Falls Township Fire Department sit parked in the staging area for the search for exotic animals loose in the area Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 in Zanesville, Ohio. Dozens of animals escaped from a wild-animal preserve that houses bears, big cats and other beasts, and the owner later was found dead there, said police, who shot several of the animals and urged nearby residents to stay indoors. (AP Photo/Times Recorder, Trevor Jones) NO SALES

(AP) ? Officers armed with assault rifles patrolled a rural area in eastern Ohio Wednesday morning, a day after police killed dozens of animals that escaped from a wild-animal preserve, and where the owner's body later was found.

Warning that more animals still were on the loose, officials expected up to four school districts to cancel classes as the remaining bears, big cats and other beasts from the Muskingum County Animal Farm were hunted down.

Authorities wouldn't say how the farm's owner Terry Thompson died, but said his death wasn't suspicious.

Close to 30 of the 48 animals were shot and killed on Tuesday. Officials were pondering how to dispose of the remains.

"These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa," Sheriff Matt Lutz said at a press conference. He told residents to stay indoors and sent updates to them via Twitter. There were no reports of injuries to the public.

The fences had been left unsecured at the animal farm in Zanesville, about 55 miles east of Columbus, and the animals' cages were open, police said.

The preserve had lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears. Police said bears and wolves were among the escaped animals that were killed and there were multiple sightings of exotic animals along a nearby highway.

Lutz called the animals "mature, very big, aggressive" but said a caretaker told authorities the animals had been fed on Monday.

Tuesday night, more than 50 law enforcement officials ? including sheriff's deputies, highway patrol officers, police officers and officers from the state Division of Wildlife ? patrolled the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas in cars and trucks, often in rainy downpours. Lutz said they were concerned about big cats and bears hiding in the dark and in trees.

Neighbor Danielle White, whose father's property abuts the animal preserve, said she didn't see loose animals this time but did in 2006, when a lion escaped.

"It's always been a fear of mine knowing (the preserve's owner) had all those animals," she said. "I have kids. I've heard a male lion roar all night."

"This is a bad situation," Lutz said. "It's been a situation for a long time."

Lutz said his office started getting phone calls at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday that wild animals were loose just west of Zanesville on a road that runs under Interstate 70.

He said four deputies with assault rifles in a pickup truck went to the animal farm, where they found the owner Thompson dead and all the animal cage doors open.

He wouldn't say how Thompson died but said several aggressive animals were near his body when deputies arrived and had to be shot.

Thompson, who lived on the property, had orangutans and chimps in his home, but those were still in their cages, Lutz said.

The deputies, who saw many other animals standing outside their cages and others that had escaped past the fencing surrounding the property, began shooting them on sight.

Staffers from the Columbus Zoo went to the scene, hoping to tranquilize and capture the animals.

Lutz said his main concern was protecting the public in the rural area, where homes sit on large lots of sometimes 10 acres.

White, the preserve's neighbor, said Thompson had been in legal trouble, and police said he had gotten out of jail recently.

"He was in hot water because of the animals, because of permits, and (the animals) escaping all the time," White said. A few weeks ago, she said, she had to avoid some camels which were grazing on the side of a freeway.

At a nearby Moose Lodge, Bill Weiser remembered Thompson as an interesting character who flew planes, raced boats and owned a custom motorcycle shop that also sold guns.

"He was pretty unique," Weiser said. "He had a different slant on things. I never knew him to hurt anybody, and he took good care of the animals."

Weiser said he regretted that the escaped animals had to be killed. "It's breaking my heart, them shooting those animals," he said.

Bailey Hartman, 20, a night manager at McDonald, also said it saddened her that the animals were being shot. But, she said, "I was kind of scared coming in to work."

Hartman said Thompson's wife, who no longer lives with him, was her teacher in middle school and used to bring small animals such as a monkeys, snakes and owls to school. "It was a once-a-year type of thing, and everyone would always get excited," she recalled.

Ohio has some of the nation's weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.

In the summer of 2010, an animal caretaker was killed by a bear at a property in Cleveland. The caretaker had opened the bear's cage at exotic-animal keeper Sam Mazzola's property for a routine feeding.

Though animal-welfare activists had wanted Mazzola charged with reckless homicide, the caretaker's death was ruled a workplace accident. The bear was later destroyed.

This summer, Mazzola was found dead on a water bed, wearing a mask and with his arms and legs restrained, at his home in Columbia Township, about 15 miles southwest of Cleveland.

It was unclear how many animals remained on the property when he died, but he had said in a bankruptcy filing in May 2010 that he owned four tigers, a lion, eight bears and 12 wolves. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had revoked his license to exhibit animals after animal-welfare activists campaigned for him to stop letting people wrestle with another one of his bears.

Mazzola had permits for nine bears for 2010, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said. The state requires permits for bears but doesn't regulate the ownership of nonnative animals, such as lions and tigers.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-19-Exotic%20Animals%20Loose/id-fe4f7bc37729406ca15eeabe8b6c997d

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Morgan Stanley earns $2.2 billion, stock rises (AP)

NEW YORK ? Morgan Stanley emerged from the tumultuous third quarter in better shape than most of its Wall Street rivals.

While other banks reported declines in trading and advisory revenue, Morgan Stanley increased its income from advising companies on deals and trading for its clients. The New York investment bank said Wednesday it earned $2.2 billion in the period, but that also included a big accounting gain.

Morgan Stanley's results were in striking contrast to its chief Wall Street rival Goldman Sachs, which reported a $428 million net loss Tuesday. The quarter was marked by heavy turbulence in financial markets, brought on by the debt crisis in Europe and a downgrade of the U.S. government's credit rating.

Morgan Stanley's net income applicable to common shareholders was $1.15 a share on $9.9 billion in revenue. Analysts expected earnings of 30 cents per share, according to FactSet. In the same period a year ago the bank had a loss of $91 million, or 7 cents per share, on revenue of $6.8 billion.

Revenue included an accounting gain of $3.4 billion related to a decrease in the cost of the bank's debt. Because the bank could theoretically buy the debt back at a lower cost, accounting rules require that a gain be recorded. Excluding the gain, Morgan Stanley's revenue was $6.5 billion, far outpacing the $3.59 billion Goldman reported.

Morgan Stanley's stock rose 3.4 percent to $17.20 in early trading.

Morgan Stanley's debt and equity underwriting declined 29 percent from last year to $451 million. Third quarter results of investment banking operations at other Wall Street rivals like the Merrill Lynch division of Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co were also hurt by wild swings in financial markets, which kept many investors away and led companies to put off stock and bond offerings.

The bank's asset management business posted a loss of $117 million. The loss was due to a decline in the value of investments in real estate and merchant banking. Revenue in the division plunged to $215 million from $802 million a year ago.

Unlike its rivals, Morgan Stanley had an increase in trading revenue as its clients were more active in their stock, debt and derivatives dealings. Investment banking advisory business also increased 11 percent. Each of the trading businesses had accounting gains related to the changing value of the company's debt.

The New York bank set aside $3.7 billion for compensation, down 21 percent from last year.

Revenue increased 6 percent to $3.3 billion at its wealth management business, made up mostly of the Morgan Stanley Smith Barney joint venture. The unit attracted net new assets in the quarter of $15.5 billion.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111019/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_morgan_stanley

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Stocks open slightly lower as Apple disappoints

By Patrick Rizzo

Stocks opened slightly lower on Wall Street Wednesday after Apple reported earnings?that fell short of expectations late Tuesday, disappointing investors for the first time in years.

Markets were also closely watching developments in Europe, where Greek workers went on strike to protest strict austerity measures aimed at helping it dig itself out from under?a huge debt pile.

Investors seemed to shrug off news that U.S. housing starts jumped 15 percent in September, rising at their fastest pace in 17 months. Despite the increase, housing starts are still well below the rate that would be considered showing a healthy housing market.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/19/8396415-stocks-open-lower-after-apple-earnings-miss-target

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Springsteen collection finds new home in Jersey (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? New Jersey's Monmouth University will be the new home for an archive of local hero Bruce Springsteen's collection of memorabilia from a long career in rock music, the school has announced.

Springsteen's "Special Collection," comprised of books, concert programs, magazine and newspaper articles and other printed memorabilia related to the rock legend and his E Street Band, whose hits include the 1984 smash "Born in the U.S.A.," will assume its new home as of November 1.

"Monmouth University is the perfect location for this outstanding collection," university president Paul Gaffney said in a statement.

"Students and faculty from Monmouth University, especially our music industry students, will benefit greatly from having access to these documents. I hope it will also serve as a valuable resource for members of the academic community," Gaffney added.

The collection, formerly housed at the Asbury Park Public Library, contains nearly 15,000 documents from 44 countries chronicling New Jersey native Springsteen's career that began as far back as the late 1960s.

Springsteen, 62, and his band released their debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." in 1973, but it was two years later with the album "Born to Run" that the group hit the top 10 of U.S. music charts and launched into stardom.

The move of Springsteen's memorabilia caps a four-year search for a new site in New Jersey that allowed for public access and had room for expansion to include recordings, oral histories and film footage.

Christopher Phillips, editor and publisher of Backstreets and president of the Friends of the Bruce Springsteen Special Collection, said that the partnership between Monmouth University and fans "offers a great opportunity."

"At the university, the collection will be publicly accessible to all who have a serious interest in Bruce Springsteen's life and career," Phillips said, citing students, scholars and journalists.

Viewing of the documents at the West Long Branch, N.J. university will be available by appointment.

Robert Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles and a Monmouth alumnus, helped secure the collection for the school.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111018/music_nm/us_brucespringsteen

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[OOC] Npc List

The League

Name: Harold Anderson
Hero/Villain Name: The Gentleman
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Appearance:Image

Costume: He wears a tuxedo,a top hat,a black and white face mask, and carries a cane that can be used like a staff, it can be split into two pieces if he need it to.

League/Legion/Neutral: League

Race: Human

Powers/skills/abilities: The Gentleman has superhuman strength and agility, he is a skilled boxer and wrestler. Aside from that he is an average businessman.
weapons/equipment: Cane,tuxedo, top hat, and mask

Personality: The Gentleman is exactly as his name describes, he is kind even when beating up villains. He is polite as he punches you into cars or buildings, he even pays for the damages he causes. The Gentleman is just an all around nice guy, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body, but that doesn't mean he is a push over.

Origin Story:The Gentleman got his powers from the explosion on Port Delia, He was only in Port Delia because of his job. However after discovering his powers he decided staying in Port Delia and dealing with the Villains that were taking over would be his best plan of action. He then met his Nemesis Frankenstein a man who could match his strength and agility.

Nemesis: Frankenstein

Name: Unknown

Hero/Villain Name: Lady Justice

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Appearance:Image

Costume:(See picture)

League/Legion/Neutral: League
Race: Human

Powers/skills/abilities: She judges those who have done wrong, if she finds you guilty you will see illusions of the wrong you have done. this can trap a person within their mind forcing them to relive every moment and feel the pain and suffering they have caused to others. However people with strong will power or those who feel no guilt for the things they have done can break free of the illusions.

Lady Justice's sword can slice through almost any substance however, the sword can not kill. It can only temporarily stun a person, however that doesn't mean the sword strikes wont hurt.

weapons/equipment: Sword

Personality: Lady Justice is kind and sweet, but she can be aggressive when she needs to get her point across. Lady Justice isn't much of a talker, but she will talk if she sees that a person is having trouble or if she is just bored.

Origin Story: The only thing known about Lady Justice is that she is a lawyer when she isn't fighting villains and she is blind.

Nemesis: None

Legion:

Name: Stella
Hero/Villain Name: Ghost
Age: 320 Earth Years
Gender: Females
Appearance:Image
Costume:
League/Legion/Neutral: Legion
Race: Utasian

Powers/skills/abilities:Ghost has all the powers of a Grand Sage and more, she can raise the dead, she can corrupt the minds of weaker beings, she can possess a body that can't resist her and she can enhance any living being meaning she can evolve it making it stronger,faster or even super powered.

weapons/equipment: Only the clothes on her back

Personality: Ghost is sadistic,evil and just all around bad. She kicks those who are down, if your looking for help she is no the one to go to. Everything she does has a motive, Ghost's goal is to become queen of Earth and make every last being on it serve her.

Origin Story: Ghost was the creator of legion, she even gave some humans powers because she wanted to take over the planet. Ghost was stopped by her brother Astral, he managed to bind her in a dimensional prison. This is where she is now, she waits for the day when the cage that holds her weakens and she can walk free.

Nemesis: Astral/Sage

Name: -
Hero/Villain Name: Frankenstein

Age: Unknown

Gender: Male

Appearance:Image

Costume:(see image)

League/Legion/Neutral: Legion

Race: Human

Powers/skills/abilities: Frankenstein has superhuman strength and agility, He can jump long distances and his skin is as hard as diamond.

weapons/equipment: His uniform/costume and his fists

Personality: Frankenstein is sort of a loner, however he has a deep love for Ghost and will do whatever she wishes him to. Frankenstein hates people because they often stare at him as if he was a monster. No one but Ghost seems to understand him. Frankenstein is just a lost soul who wants to be loved.

Origin Story: Frankenstein was once a man who everyone looked at weird, he was slightly deformed and because of it society condemned him. He was nothing but an unlovable freak. That was until Ghost showed up, she showed compassion and healed him. She made him normal, but then she offered to make him strong so he could take revenge on those who shunned him so long ago. He took her offer and because her most loyal servant.

Nemesis: The gentleman

Name: Unknown

Hero/Villain Name: Morph

Age: Unknown

Gender: assumed male

Appearance:Image

Costume: (see image)

League/Legion/Neutral: Legion

Race: Human?

Powers/skills/abilities: Morph is capable of changing his shape in any way he wishes. Morph can give himself axes for hands, stretchable arms and legs. Morph can even become anyone or anything he wishes, but he can not take that objects abilities. So if he became a radio he can not play music, if he became a person he can not do what they can do other than the basic functions such as talking like them.

weapons/equipment: Nothing but himself

Personality: Morph is kind of like a monster, he sees humans as inferior beings. He has no problem killing and fighting is in his blood, Morph is like a machine who only does what it is told.

Origin Story: Morph's origin is unknown, no one even knows what Morph looked like before he changed. Even he is starting to forget.

Nemesis:None

Neutral

Name: Captain Robert Sato

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Appearance:Image
Costume:

League/Legion/Neutral: Neutral

Race: Human

Powers/skills/abilities: expert marksman, skilled martial artist, knows his way around a knife, and can hold his own against any superpowered being he faces.

weapons/equipment: Standard pistol, combat knife, customized MP5 sub-machine gun

Personality: Robert is a nice guy when not on duty, he likes to go out and have a few drinks with the rest of the team. He is a fun guy to be around and most of the time is the life of the party. But when on duty, he can be aggressive and a bit of a hard ass. Robert wont take anything from anyone, even if that person is a behemoth that can crack him like an egg. Robert says he sees all superpowered beings the same, but he knows the League is on his side.

Origin Story: Robert was always the kind of person who hated seeing criminals get away. That is why he became a police officer, over a six year period Robert went from an every day cop to a member of an elite SWAT team. He was one of the best members on his SWAT team and after two years he was offered to join a new group that was starting, The U.S.F, over a years time he went from newbie to high ranking officer. Robert was a skilled member of the U.S.F and after the villains of Legion began to disband he was sent to Port Delia to command over the clean up. He was then offered the position of captain of the U.S.F, Port Delia division he jumped at the offer and he now over sees every operation in Port Delia that deals with Superpowered beings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/S8esRj62vVE/viewtopic.php

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Long ties to Koch brothers key to Cain's campaign

FILE - Republican businessman Herman Cain speaks during a dinner sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, in this April 29, 2011 file photo taken in Manchester , N.H. Cain casts himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who'll bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

FILE - Republican businessman Herman Cain speaks during a dinner sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, in this April 29, 2011 file photo taken in Manchester , N.H. Cain casts himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who'll bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

(AP) ? Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity.

Cain's campaign manager and a number of aides have worked for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain credits a businessman who served on an AFP advisory board with helping devise his "9-9-9" plan to rewrite the nation's tax code. And his years of speaking at AFP events have given the businessman and radio host a network of loyal grassroots fans.

The once little-known businessman's political activities are getting fresh scrutiny these days since he soared to the top of some national polls.

His links to the Koch brothers could undercut his outsider, non-political image among people who detest politics as usual and candidates connected with the party machine.

AFP tapped Cain as the public face of its "Prosperity Expansion Project," and he traveled the country in 2005 and 2006 speaking to activists who were starting state-based AFP chapters from Wisconsin to Virginia. Through his AFP work he met Mark Block, a longtime Wisconsin Republican operative hired to lead that state's AFP chapter in 2005 as he rebounded from an earlier campaign scandal that derailed his career.

Block and Cain sometimes traveled together as they built up AFP: Cain was the charismatic speaker preaching the ills of big government; Block was the operative helping with nuts and bolts.

When President Barack Obama's election helped spawn the tea party, Cain was positioned to take advantage. He became a draw at growing AFP-backed rallies, impressing activists with a mix of humor and hard-hitting rhetoric against Obama's stimulus, health care and budget policies.

Block is now Cain's campaign manager. Other aides who had done AFP work were also brought on board.

Cain's spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael, who recently left the campaign, was an AFP coordinator in Louisiana. His campaign's outside law firm is representing AFP in a case challenging Wisconsin campaign finance regulations. At least six other current and former paid employees and consultants for Cain's campaign have worked for AFP in various capacities.

And Cain has credited Rich Lowrie, a Cleveland businessman who served on AFP's board of advisors from 2005 to 2008, with being a key economic adviser and with helping to develop his plan to cut the corporate tax rate to 9 percent, impose a national sales tax of 9 percent and set a flat income tax rate of 9 percent

"He's got a national network now that perhaps he wouldn't have had 15 or 20 years ago because of his work with AFP," said Republican Party of Wisconsin Vice Chair Brian Schimming, who has introduced Cain at events in Wisconsin. "For a presidential candidate, that's obviously helpful to have."

He said Cain was smart to hire Block.

Cain's recent victories in straw polls in Florida and Minnesota highlight the importance of organizing supporters and Block, who has a deep network in the tea party, "gets that side of it," Schimming said.

But Block has had his problems as well. He settled a suit in 2001 accusing him of illegally coordinating a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice's re-election with an outside group. Block agreed to pay $15,000 and sit out of politics for three years.

While Cain is quick to promote his career at the helm of the Godfather's Pizza chain, his ties to AFP aren't something the candidate appears eager to highlight. Cain does not include his AFP work on his biography on his website, but spokesman J.D. Gordon said Sunday that Cain was "proud of his business record" and his association with the group.

"He has made a lot of important connections through AFP," Gordon said, pointing to Block and Lowrie, among others.

And Cain continues to work with the group.

While several other candidates will be at an Iowa Republican Party dinner on Nov. 4, Cain is scheduled to be in Washington mingling with activists at AFP's annual "Defending the American Dream" summit. He is the only confirmed presidential candidate for the event.

AFP spokesman Levi Russell said Cain has spoken at dozens of AFP rallies and events over the years to support a number of the group's activities. AFP has often covered his travel expenses or paid a "pretty modest honorarium" but he has not been paid since becoming a presidential candidate, he said.

"He's a dynamic, pro-business speaker that connects well with our activists," Russell said. "AFP is a very large organization, and there is a natural overlap between Cain's message of fiscal responsibility and the basic principles that AFP advocates for."

A spokeswoman for the Koch brothers did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment on Cain.

To some liberals, Cain's rise with the help of AFP shows the incredible influence that outside groups controlled by super-wealthy individuals with specific agendas can have on the political process.

"Herman Cain is the first presidential corporate spokes-candidate," said Scot Ross, a liberal activist who leads One Wisconsin Now, which has often mocked AFP as a front group for corporate interests. "The best way to have your issues talked about in the issue debate is to have a candidate in your pocket with snappy comebacks and easily branded policy papers which mask how destructive they would be."

AFP's agenda also includes weakening private and public sector unions, opposing environmental regulations and undoing Obama's health care reform law, among other policies. But before the tea party and Obama, Cain worked with AFP on more local issues.

In 2006, he campaigned all over Wisconsin in support of a proposed constitutional amendment that would have limited state government spending. A slew of officials and analysts said the plan would have ultimately devastated government services, and the Republican-controlled Legislature eventually backed off it.

In a statement announcing Cain's tour, AFP sent out a press release touting his "in-depth understanding of the battle to control out-of-control government taxes and spending." Block promised that Cain was a speaker that activists would not want to miss.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-10-16-Cain's%20Rise-Koch%20Brothers/id-39f88c3242034a0e894be179ca46277e

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Giuliana Rancic Has Breast Cancer

Giuliana RancicGiuliana Rancic stunned the 'Today' show this morning by announcing on air that she has breast cancer.

She sat down with host Ann Curry and revealed that a tumor was discovered when she had a mammogram as part of her ongoing IVF treatment.

"Through my attempt to get pregnant through IVF, we sadly found out that I have early stages of breast cancer," she said. "It's been a shock."

However, Rancic said that the prognosis is good. She will undergo surgery this week and then have six weeks of radiation therapy.

Rancic was undergoing her third round of IVF after suffering a miscarriage, and she says she still plans to try to get pregnant. "I still want this baby ... because this baby has saved my life. I truly feel God was looking out after me ... If I had gotten pregnant later down the line, I could have been a lot sicker."

The 'Fashion Police' host, who is 36, has recently been working for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and she says she had been waiting until she was 40 to have a mammogram. Luckily her doctor steered her toward it now as part of her preparation for IVF treatment.

Rancic says she will get throught this with the support of her "unbelievable" husband, Bill. "The best thing about Bill is, he lets me cry when I want to cry."

Their quest to have a child has been chronicled in their E! reality show 'Giuliana & Bill,' and Rancic has spoken of how they would be open to adopting a child if fertility treatments don't work out.

Last month NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell announced on-air that she also has breast cancer. Like Rancic, Mitchell's breast cancer was detected by a routine mammogram and she urged viewers to go for testing.

"For you women out there and for the men who love you, screening matters. Do it. This disease can be completely curable if you find it, at the right time."

Click here to read messages of support Tweeted to Rancic by fans.

Source: http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/17/giuliana-rancic-has-breast-cancer/

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Asus G74SX-BBK8

Gaming laptops can range from mainstream systems equipped with discrete graphics to customized individual rigs, loaded with overclocked parts; the Asus G74SX-BBK8 ($1,299.99 list at Best Buy) falls somewhere in between. It offers legitimate gaming muscle in a straightforward configuration, and at a price that won't require selling a kidney to buy it. It won't replace our Editors' Choice Alienware M17X (Sandy Bridge) ($2,254 direct, 4.5 stars), but with a quad-core Intel Core i7-2670QM processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, the Asus G74SX has the hardware you need to be competitive, without the expensive extras.

Design
The G74SX-BBK8 is big, from it's large 17.3-inch screen to its daunting 9.7-pound weight. Its 2.4 by 16.5 by 12.8 inches (HWD) chassis makes it one of the larger gaming laptops we've reviewed; it's built for stability, with a hinge designed to hold the screen steady and wobble free. While it's not as large or as heavy as the monstrous 13.3-pound AVADirect Clevo X7200 ($4,957.64 direct, 3.5 stars), it's on par with the Alienware M17x (Sandy Bridge) (9.8 pounds).

The G74SX-BBK8 has an angular look, with polygonal shapes and sharp angles inspired by the Navy's stealth ship, the Stealth Shadow. Like previous Asus Republic of Gaming models, the G74SX-BBK8 is covered with matte-black rubberized paint, which combines with the menacing design and large physical footprint to cut a fairly imposing figure on any desk. The angular design places the battery and ventilation vents at the back of the machine, and pitches the keyboard at a five-degree slant, which combines with wide-tile backlit keys to become one of the most comfortable typing experiences on a gaming laptop. The extra-large multi-touchpad is smooth and responsive, and the mouse buttons were quiet and soft. Unfortunately, it will largely go unused by those who prefer the tighter control of a gaming mouse.

Its 17.3-inch screen is nice, though its 1600-by-900 resolution isn't as high as the screens seen on more expensive models, like the Asus G74SX-A2 ($2,000 street, 4 stars), but the resolution is still high enough that you'll be able to enjoy movies and high-definition games up to 720p. The sound on the Asus combines simulated 3D Audio with EAX Advanced HD 4.0 software enhancement to deliver crisp sound at any volume. Where previous models, like the Asus G74SX-A2 and Asus G74SX-BBK7 ($1,199 list, 3.5 stars) had a slight but noticeable hiss, these speakers did not. If you want booming bass, however, you'll want to plug into a separate speaker system with a good subwoofer.

Asus has continued to refine the whisper-quiet cooling system used on previous models, and dual-cooling fans keep the processor and graphics card from getting hot. The G74SX-BBK8 keeps things both cool and quiet, with a large grill in the back of the system providing ventilation while directing blowing air (and fan noise) away from the user. On the bottom of the G74SX-BBK8, you'll also find an easy-access panel for accessing RAM and drive slots for future upgrades. The panel can be opened without any special tools, because the single panel latch is designed to open with the change in your pocket.

Features
The G74SX-BBK8 has a full roster of impressive features. One feature, 4G WiMAX, available primarily in metropolitan areas for less than you might pay for your home cable Internet, provides broadband connectivity with Wi-Fi convenience all over town. It's also equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet jack. Other features include one USB 3.0 port, three USB 2.0 ports, a multi-format memory card reader (SD, MMC, MS/Pro), HDMI and VGA video outputs, a case-lock slot, and audio jacks for headphones and a microphone. There's also a Supermulti-DVD-RW optical drive.

Two 500GB 7,200rpm hard drives offer capacious storage and fast read/write speeds. But while the combined 1TB of space is larger than what's offered by either the Asus G74SX-A2 (910GB hybrid drive) and AVADirect Clevo X7200 (750GB hybrid drive), it still falls short when compared to the 1.5TB (two 750GB 7,200rpm dives) found in the Alienware M17X.

The G74SX-BBK8 comes with some programs pre-installed, but most of them, like Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and a 30-day trial of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security are fairly common. On the desktop, you'll also find the Best Buy PC App, which lets you pick and choose what extras you want for your system. Best Buy also offers extended warranty protection on all of their laptops, extending the manufacturers warranty from 1-year to 2-years ($199.99) and adding accident and spill protection for another $150.

Best Buy has an extended warranty program, which offers customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than 4 repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new consumer PC purchased through Best Buy.

Performance
Asus G74SX-BBK8 The G74SX-BBK8 comes with a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor and 8GB of RAM. These components powered the laptop to a score of 2,614 points in our PCMark 7 performance test, which was in line with the similarly-equipped Asus G74SX-BBK7 (2,569), but it was vastly outpaced by the Asus G74SX-A2 (3,941). It earned high marks in multimedia tests, like Photoshop CS5 (3 minutes 15 seconds), Handbrake (1:31) and Cinebench R11.5 (5.38). In other words, you'll be hard pressed to push this laptop to the limits, and it will handle any task, game, or piece of software you throw at it.

The most important aspect of a gaming laptop is it's performance in games, which is why the G74SX-BBK8 is outfitted with one of the best gaming graphics processors on the market?the Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M with 2GB of dedicated memory. When set to 1024-by-768 resolution, with graphics detail turned down to Medium, the G74SX-BBK8 tore through Crysis (89.4 frames per second, DirectX 10) and Lost Planet 2 (66.5fps, DirectX 9). With scores like these, you should have no problem staying competitive in any game, whether it's Team Fortress 2 or Deus Ex. You might, however, run into a problem or two when running more demanding games at the highest detail settings. When we cranked up the eye candy on our gaming tests, Lost Planet 2 was just barely playable (27.0 fps) and Crysis was unable to run at the native 1600-by-900 resolution. The G74SX-BBK8 still scored well in 3DMark 06, scoring 16,812 points, and beating out the previous version, the Asus G74SX-BBK7 (16,233), but falling behind the freakishly powerful AVADirect Clevo X7200 (22,559) which has a dual-GPU set-up and a hex-core processor.

With their powerful components, gaming laptops aren't known for their energy-efficiency, and battery-life tests. The G74SX-BBK8 proved to be no exception. On MobileMark 2007, the Asus' 8-cell 74Wh battery lasted 3 hours 14 minutes, outlasting the nearest competitor, the Asus G74SX-A2, by 15 minutes with an identical battery. It's not long enough to keep you gaming all day without plugging in, but it will give you more time away from an outlet than competing systems. The shortest-lived competitor was the AVADirect X7200, which lasted a scant 38 minutes with a similarly sized 8-cell 78Wh battery. However, if you're looking to game on the go, you can't beat the Alienware M11xr3 ($1,099 direct, 4 stars), which has an 8:03 battery life.

For those that want a powerful gaming laptop?but don't want to skip a month's rent to do it?the Asus G74SX-BBK8 provides a reasonable compromise between the need for performance and avoiding the astronomical prices of custom gaming rigs. If money is no object, then the Editors' Choice Alienware M17x offers superior performance.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Asus G74SX-BBK8 with several other laptops side by side.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/FEf4eUp_UBU/0,2817,2394587,00.asp

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