Clinton meets Suu Kyi, lays down reform markers

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talk talk prior to dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talk talk prior to dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talk prior to dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pours water over a Buddhist statue, as she tours the Shwedegon Pagoda, a Buddhist temple founded between the 6th and 10th centuries AD, in Yangon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi shake hands prior to dinner at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Rangoon, Myanmar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Saul Loeb, Pool)

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Hillary Rodham Clinton dined Thursday with former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, forcefully underscoring a U.S. challenge to Myanmar's leaders on her historic visit: The new civilian government must expand recent reforms, including the release of political prisoners, to improve relations as it emerges from more than a half-century of repressive military rule.

"We believe that any political prisoner anywhere should be released," the U.S. secretary of state told reporters. "One political prisoner is one too many in our view."

Clinton called Suu Kyi a personal inspiration, and her first meeting with the Nobel peace laureate was a highlight of her visit to the long-isolated country also known as Burma. Suu Kyi, a prisoner for most of the past two decades, was released from house arrest last year and is returning to politics.

The two women were to see each other again on Friday.

Greeting one another at Suu Kyi's home, they noted that Suu Kyi has a poster signed by Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright. Suu Kyi said she has read books written by both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Reporters were present for a few moments of banter before dinner.

U.S. officials warned that even the modest incentives Clinton offered to Myanmar's new, military-backed leaders this week would come off the table if the country fails the political-prisoners and other tests of reform.

In meetings with top Myanmar officials in the capital of Naypyidaw and then with Suu Kyi in the commercial hub of Yangon, Clinton said the country's leaders must end violent campaigns against ethnic minorities and break military ties with North Korea

Clinton offered a small package of rewards for steps President Thein Sein and other leaders have already taken but said the U.S. was not ready to lift tough sanctions on the country. Removing some of those sanctions would require approval by Congress, where many lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration for rewarding Myanmar too quickly without enough evidence of change.

The modest first steps Clinton announced include Washington no longer blocking enhanced cooperation between Myanmar and the International Monetary Fund that could lead to the approval of much-needed loans and support for the poorest nation in the region. Also, the U.S. would support intensified U.N. health and microfinance programs and resume bilateral counternarcotics efforts.

Those steps could be followed by an upgrade in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Myanmar, Clinton said, although U.S. officials stressed that concrete action on American concerns must be completed first. The U.S. has not had an ambassador in Myanmar since the early 1990s and is represented now by a charge d'affaires.

Clinton delivered letters from President Barack Obama to Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, in which Obama expressed hopes for better ties. The secretary of state made the point directly in her public remarks.

"I came to assess whether the time is right for a new chapter in our shared history," Clinton said, adding that the U.S. was ready to further improve relations with the civilian government in the Southeast Asian nation ? but only if it stays on a path of democratization.

A senior U.S. official said Thein Sein had outlined his government's plans for reform in a 45-minute presentation in which he acknowledged that Myanmar lacked a recent tradition of democracy and openness. He asked for U.S. help in making the transition from military to full civilian rule, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private diplomatic exchange.

Clinton's trip is both a mark of approval, and a prod to further reform.

The U.S. is "encouraged by the steps that you and your government have taken to provide for your people," she said, but those steps must be consolidated and enlarged.

"While measures already taken may be unprecedented and certainly welcome, they are just a beginning," she told reporters. "We're not at the point yet where we can consider lifting sanctions that we have in place because of our ongoing concerns about policies that have to be reversed. But any steps that the government takes will be carefully considered and will be matched."

In addition to calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to ethnic violence, Clinton said the U.S. wants to see a truly open political system and improvements in human rights. She also warned the country's leaders to break suspected illicit military, nuclear and ballistic missile cooperation with North Korea that may violate U.N. sanctions.

"Better relations with the United States will only be possible if the entire government respects the international consensus against the spread of nuclear weapons ... and we support the government's stated intention to sever military ties with North Korea," she said.

In his presentation, Thein Sein vowed that Myanmar would uphold its U.N. obligations with respect to North Korea, according to the senior U.S. official. Thein Sein also told Clinton that Myanmar was actively considering signing a new agreement with the U.N. nuclear watchdog that would allow unfettered inspections of atomic sites in his country, the official said.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, welcomed the U.S. rewards and said, "The incentives will help promote better relations and a better future for the country and I hope the government will expand its reform process."

Clinton rejected the idea that the U.S. outreach to Myanmar was partially a response to the growing regional influence of China. "We are not viewing this in light of any competition with China," she said. "We are viewing it as an opportunity for us to re-engage here."

"We welcome positive constructive relations between China and her neighbors. We think that is in China's interest as well as in the neighborhood's interest," she said.

Recalling Obama's mention of "flickers of progress" in Myanmar when he announced that Clinton would visit, Clinton urged leaders not to allow them to "be stamped out."

"It will be up to the leaders and the people to fan flickers of progress into flames of freedom that light the path toward a better future," she said. "That ? and nothing less ? is what it will take for us to turn a solitary visit into a lasting partnership."

Before dinner with Suu Kyi, Clinton toured the Shwedagon Pagoda, a 2,500-year-old Buddhist temple.

Despite the symbolism of Clinton's visit, enthusiasm has been muted in Myanmar.

In fact, her presence has been overshadowed by the arrival Thursday of the prime minister of Belarus and his wife, for whom two large welcoming signs were erected at the airport and the road into the city. No such displays welcomed Clinton.

___

Associated Press writer Aye Aye Win in Yangon contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-01-Clinton-Myanmar/id-e73aa3424d5c49d7aee2d467b28c75dc

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'The Office's' Dunder Mifflin paper coming soon

NEW YORK?? Fans of NBC hit comedy "The Office" are already familiar with fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin.

Now, Staples-owned Quill.com will use the Dunder Mifflin brand name for copy paper under a licensing agreement with NBC Universal, the Wall Street Journalreported.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

The Dunder Mifflin paper packages will feature slogans that fans of the series will recognize, including "Our motto is, Quabity First" and "Get Your Scrant on.?

Financial details of this two-year so-called "reverse product placement" deal weren?t disclosed. But the Journal said as part of the deal, Comcast-controlled NBC Universal would get about 6 percent of the revenue from Dunder Mifflin paper sales. If sales targets are met, the licensing deal can be extended.

The paper brand will be priced largely above private-label copy paper, the Journal said.

Copy-paper sales are down amid the growing use of email and PDFs, and consumers often choose based on the lowest price, the Journal said. The new marketing effort is using a brand from a beloved TV series in an effort to draw attention and combat the "race to the bottom in the paper business." Quill's chief marketing officer Sergio Pereira told the paper.

Other deals that have seen companies bring products and brands featured in films and TV shows and other media to life include Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, a candy featured in the Harry Potter series, and Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurants, based on "Forrest Gump."

Copyright 2011 The Hollywood Reporter

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45464572/ns/today-entertainment/

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Video: Where is Michelle Parker?

>>> eight days now since a young mother with it went missing on the same day they appeared on an episode of "the people's court." after a thanksgiving day without her, her family is ramping up the reward hoping for a break in the case.

>> over the long holiday weekend, the search continues around orlando as police and volunteers look for any sign of 33-year-old michelle parker who vanished late last week.

>> looking for a friend of ours.

>> volunteers targeted black friday shoppers, handing out flyers, urging anyone with information to contact the authorities.

>> anybody who has been helping, it's so important because there's no way we could have covered the ground that we covered in this amount of time.

>> family, friends and supporters have raised their reward offer to $50,000 for parker's safe return, hoping that will lead to a break in the case.

>> there's no number you can put on my daughter's life. but that just might spark somebody to say, you know what? i'm going to help this family.

>> parker, the mother of three, disappeared november 17th , the same day her pretaped appearance on the people's court tv show aired. parker was on the show with her ex fiancee, dale smith , arguing over the cost of a lost engagement ring . smith is the father of two of her children. police say smith is not a suspect. a day after parker's disappearance, her hummer was found abandon across town with decals from her business removed from the windows.

>> police right now are on a three-track investigation. track number one is that the victim disappeared of her own volition. track number two, she's a victim of someone she knew. and track number three, she was a rab come victim of violence.

>> parker's mother says her daughter was deeply embarrassed by her appearance on "the people's court." but relatives say it is highly unlikely she would run away and leave her children.

>> hey, dad, this is michelle. call me when you have lunch or it's the end of your day, okay? i love you. i'll talk to you soon.

>> so the search and the investigation continue, with no sign yet at least publicly of any progress. for today, mark potter , nbc news, miami.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45444192/

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Do you expect Wi-Fi to be everywhere?

By Athima Chansanchai

Let's face it, while we may tolerate dropped calls from time to time as a circumstance of traveling or other obstacles, heaven forbid there be no Wi-Fi at your destination, or en route. It's something we've grown to expect since we can get it at the airport, coffee shops and certainly on visits to family during holiday weeks like this.?

Live Poll

Do you expect Wi-Fi to be nearly everywhere you go?

• 169104

  YES. And it should be a given nowadays instead of a paid perk.

  73%

• 169105

  YES. And it's ok if I have to pay to get it.

  10%

• 169106

  NO. I don't think it's that ubiquitous. Besides, I still connect through Ethernet.

  17%

VoteTotal Votes: 1126

A recent study projects a four-fold increase in global, public Wi-Fi hotspots to 5.8 million by 2015, mostly due to consumers who want it for their smartphones and tablets.

Devicescape, a company that has more than 4 million hotspots around the world in its Virtual Wi-Fi Network, summed it up this way in a study of 1,040 users:

While carriers promote Wi-Fi as a cost-saving measure for their users, the reality is that Wi-Fi is everywhere, and in most cases, it is free.?Wi-Fi?offers unlimited bandwidth, and can?be accessed for free in many public places like?parks, schools, caf?s and retail stores. It is also becoming easier to use, thanks to evolving Wi-Fi applications and smartphone hardware that makes?the process of locating and logging onto Wi-Fi networks?a seamless and often passive activity done automatically by the network operator.

All these points contribute to an overwhelming majority of respondents (83.1 percent) who expect their service provider to offer a Wi-Fi network through a bundled package.

And, if given a choice, mobile consumers would rather transmit data via Wi-Fi than use cellular networks, such as 3G: "86 percent of respondents believe that data runs better on Wi-Fi, and an even larger percentage ? 88 percent ? perceive it to be a less-expensive alternative to 3G."

Meraki, a company focused on cloud networking, released a study in June that found:

• The average iPad consumes over 400% more Wi-Fi data than the average Android, iPod, and iPhone.
• Between 2010 and 2011, mobile platforms overtook desktop platforms in percentage of Wi-Fi devices.
• iOS and Android together now account for 58% of Wi-Fi devices, compared to 33% just one year ago.

With those kinds of numbers, it's no wonder Wi-Fi seems to be all the rage. Take our poll and tell us if you think Wi-Fi is a privilege, or a right.

More stories:

Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/23/8978645-do-you-expect-wi-fi-to-be-everywhere

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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

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_af/af_climate_wild_south_africa

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Happy Thanksgiving! (Poliblogger)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Mexico acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012 (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? Mexico's archaeology institute downplays theories that the ancient Mayas predicted some sort of apocalypse in 2012, but now acknowledges that a second reference to the date exists on a carved fragment from a ruin site in the country's south.

Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History has long said rumors of a world-ending or world-changing event in late December 2012 are a Westernized misinterpretation of Mayan calendars.

The institute repeated Thursday that "western messianic thought has twisted the Mayan cosmovision."

Most experts cite only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan script, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site. But the institute's statement said there is in fact another from the nearby Comalcalco ruin site.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_apocalypse2012

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South Africa's assembly passes 'secrecy bill,' stirring journalists' fears

Journalists and civic groups warn that the Protection of Information or 'secrecy bill,' will criminalize investigative journalism. The government says it will bolster South Africa's national security.

South Africa?s National Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that would ?protect? state information and potentially impose 25-year criminal sentences on journalists who publish or possess state documents that the South African government deems to be secret.

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The ruling African National Congress hailed the bill as a necessary measure to protect South Africa?s national security information from foreign spies. But news organizations and civil society groups saw the bill?s passage as a dangerous weakening of the hard-fought freedoms South Africans gained after the fall of the apartheid government.

During legislative debate, opposition Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko said, "If passed, this bill will unstitch the very fabric of our constitution. It will criminalize the freedoms that so many of our people fought for."

The Protection of Information bill still has one final step before becoming law ? it must also pass in South Africa?s upper house, the National Council of Provinces, which the ANC also controls. But it has already begun to reverberate in the political consciousness of many South Africans.

Former Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the bill ?insulting? to ordinary South Africans. Nelson Mandela?s office also issued a statement voicing concerns about aspects of the bill. Even the mere debate over a protection of information bill prompted the American think tank Freedom House to downgrade South Africa?s ranking to ?partly free? earlier this year.

The Protection of Information bill, together with a twin bill that proposed a ?Media Appeals Tribunal? to punish journalists for the harmful mistakes in their reporting, were both proposed several years ago, and have long remained in the ?study and comment? phase within the ruling ANC. At times when the ANC?s relationship with news media becomes rocky, senior leaders have dusted off the legislation and proposed its passage, only to send it back to committee for further study.

But under the presidency of Jacob Zuma, the relationship between the media and the ANC has reached a nadir. Court cases against Mr. Zuma for corruption and rape prompted former President Thabo Mbeki to drop Zuma as his deputy prime minister, and many of Zuma?s supporters feel that the news media damaged Zuma?s reputation with its coverage of his trials. Corruption charges were dropped against Zuma for lack of evidence in September 2006, and a court acquitted Zuma of rape in May of the same year. ?

Journalists were of course the most vocal in challenging the bill, and feel they are the ones most likely to feel the brunt of the proposed bill?s criminal sanctions.

?It is very disappointing that the members of parliament decided not to listen to the very diverse, very loud chorus of voices against this bill,? says Nic Dawes, editor of the Johannesburg-based weekly Mail and Guardian. ?If this bill is passed in its present form, journalists will be required to choose between what their vocation requires them to do on one hand, or avoiding the very real possibility of jail sentences of up to 25 years. This is not a choice that should be imposed on journalists in a democracy.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Jm3vJj3C6uo/South-Africa-s-assembly-passes-secrecy-bill-stirring-journalists-fears

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Auto Insurance Risks Of Car Sharing | Bankrate.com

Does your auto insurance cover car sharing?

The answer may surprise you.

Every weekday, millions of Americans carpool to work or school to save money, preserve their vehicles and help the environment by reducing the number of cars on the road. The 2000 U.S. Census found that 15.6 million, or 12.2 percent, of all commuters carpool to work.

In the past decade, eco-minded motorists have taken carpooling one step further and established grassroots "peer-to-peer" car-sharing programs that enable them to share their vehicle with total strangers or forgo car ownership altogether and simply borrow a vehicle when necessary. Although their numbers remain small -- 518,520 drivers sharing 7,776 vehicles through 27 programs across the country, says University of California, Berkeley researcher Susan Shaheen -- the trend is growing.

"You're seeing it primarily in college cities because it works very well for a college campus where students just need cars to do errands and not for the full day," says Pete Moraga, spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California.

If you drive as a member of a car pool, your auto insurance company has already given you the green light in its standard contract as long as you make no money from it. However, if you use your car as a taxi or livery service to carry people or property for profit, individual coverage is typically excluded.

"If you're a car pooler, coverage does apply," says State Farm spokesman Kip Diggs. "If I'm in my vehicle and you're driving, you would be a permissive user in that case, so coverage would also apply."

That green light turns to caution-yellow where peer-to-peer car sharing, or P2P, is concerned. If you've already enlisted your car in the P2P cause or are thinking about it, there are a few potential legal potholes to be aware of on this freshly paved road.

P2P car sharing comes in two flavors: for-profit and nonprofit. For-profit programs, such as Zipcar, Getaround and RelayRides, will rent your car during times of your choosing and share the proceeds with you. Nonprofit programs may offer lower rates and other features including car pooling.

There are also a growing number of car-sharing programs offered through commercial car-rental competitors that rent their own vehicles. Some are run by auto manufacturers, such as Car2go from Daimler, and some are run by car rental giants, such as Hertz On Demand from Hertz, WeCar from Enterprise and even U Car Share from U-Haul.

Although business models vary widely, the ride-sharing concept is simple: For a nominal membership fee, you gain access to cars on demand at minimal rental rates of $5 to $15 an hour and $50 to $150 a day. You search online for the ride you want at the location nearest you, and schedule your rental time. Using a card, access code or lock box, you pick up your vehicle and return it at the assigned time and place.

Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/auto-insurance-risks-car-sharing-1.aspx

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Mobile Game Monetization Platform Lunch Money Raises $1M From Google Ventures; Rebrands As Pocket Change

Mobile app monetization platform Lunch Money, has raised $1 million in seed financing from Google Ventures, First Round Capital, Scott Banister, Baroda Ventures, David Sacks, Mike Jones, Kamran Pourzanjani and Alan Braverman. As part of the announcement, Lunch Money is also rebranding to Pocket Change. As we wrote in our initial coverage of the Lunch Money, the startup offers a set of monetization and distribution tools for mobile game developers via an SDK than can be plugged into games. The platform's initial products include a social leaderboard and a token system. The social leaderboard doesn't recreate the social graph, but instead leverages user graphs across Facebook, Twitter and Game Center. It's a simple ranking of your friends' scores.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3wYVJa0GHKs/

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ZTE Smart Tab V55 tablet shows its face at the Bluetooth SIG

After flaunting its rear side at the FCC, ZTE's unannounced Smart Tab V55 has now given us a full frontal courtesy of the Bluetooth SIG. Aside from the flash of Honeycomb, the official listing tells us nothing beyond what we already know: there's a CDMA modem inside, along with WiFi and Bluetooth. Oh well, at least it's good to see that the slate is still alive and jumping through all the right hoops for a possible release early next year. Is there any hope that it'll pack Tegra 3, like that curious T98?

ZTE Smart Tab V55 tablet shows its face at the Bluetooth SIG originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FXkO6865ECE/

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Western states step up sanctions on Iran (Reuters)

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States and European Union are set to impose more sanctions on Iran, with Britain on Monday banning dealings with the central bank and France calling for measures on an "unprecedented scale" over Tehran's nuclear program.

The steps come in response to a November 8 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that presented intelligence suggesting Iran had worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be secretly carrying out related research. Iran says its nuclear work is entirely peaceful.

The range of unilateral steps planned by Western powers reflects the difficulty of persuading Russia and China not to veto further measures at the U.N. Security Council, where they have supported four previous sanctions resolutions.

While Britain ordered its financial institutions to stop all business with Iran, a source familiar with the sanctions said the steps would not directly target trade in Iranian oil.

"We believe that the Iranian regime's actions pose a significant threat to the UK's national security and the international community. Today's announcement is a further step to preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons," said British finance minister George Osborne.

The United States has not bought Iranian oil since 1995, but it appeared unlikely the U.S. Treasury would try to now cut off the Iranian banking system entirely, a move that could disrupt global energy markets and harm U.S. economic recovery.

A U.S. official said the Treasury Department planned to designate Iran as an area of "primary money laundering concern" on Monday, a move allowing it to take steps to isolate the Iranian financial sector further.

The United States is also expected to unveil sanctions against Iran's petrochemical sector on Monday, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

It was unclear exactly what steps the U.S. Treasury plans, but the measures, which the U.S. official said were to be announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, appeared designed as a warning about the risks of dealing with Iran's financial institutions.

EU governments could reach a preliminary deal on Tuesday to add about 190 Iranian people and entities to a list of those targeted by asset freezes and travel bans, diplomats said.

Canada will immediately ban the export to Iran of all goods used in the petrochemical, oil and gas industry as part of an international sanctions package, the government said on Monday.

But France called for much stronger action.

"As Iran steps up its nuclear program, refuses negotiation and condemns its people to isolation, France advocates new sanctions on an unprecedented scale to convince Iran that it must negotiate," said a statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy's office.

"France therefore proposes to the European Union and its member states, the United States, Japan and Canada and other willing countries to take the decision to immediately freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank (and) stop purchases of Iranian oil," it added.

The new EU measures will likely target industries such as shipping and will be formalized at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on December 1, but discussions on possible further steps could take place in the coming days, diplomats said.

"NOOSE TIGHTENING"

Henry Smith, Middle East analyst at the Control Risks consultancy in London, said the British move may not significantly affect Iran's major oil customers.

"It essentially de-legitimizes the country's financial system but in reality it may not make that much practical difference. The Chinese, Indians and others will continue to engage, while many Western multinationals have already pulled out," he said.

Smith said tighter sanctions had appeared more likely than any Western attack to knock out Iran's nuclear facilities. "We wouldn't regard Israel or indeed the U.S. as having the wherewithal to pursue the kind of military action required to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities," he said.

"It's going to affect trade finance which has a derivative effect on oil trade. That seems clear," said John Solomon, director of threat finance research at World-Check, a risk intelligence firm owned by Thomson Reuters.

"The proverbial noose has been tightened and the new sanctions will definitely have an unprecedented chilling effect on Iran's economic dealings globally, not just in Europe, not just in the UK, but even in the Middle East," he said.

U.S. sanctions have already made it extremely difficult for many global oil companies and traders to obtain bank financing to trade Iranian crude, of which less than a third goes to Europe with the rest flowing to China and India.

"A LOSE-LOSE GAME"

The U.S. administration suspects Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability under cover of its civilian atomic energy program. Tehran says it has no interest in nuclear arms.

In Tehran, Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said sanctions were hitting the Iranian economy but warned Western countries they were harming their own interests.

"Sanctions are a lose-lose game in which both sides make a loss. If they don't invest in our oil projects, they will lose an appealing market," Ghazanfari told a news conference before the British announcement.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often said sanctions have little effect and in some cases make the economy stronger by making Iran find domestic solutions to challenges.

Ghazanfari reiterated that Iran had found alternatives to Western imports and investments, but did not deny the downside.

"Facing hardship in a fight is inevitable. I admit projects will get harder as our trading costs will go up, delays will hit projects and money transfer will get harder," he said.

U.S. officials say there has been a debate within the Obama administration about whether to sanction Iran's central bank, which many Iranian crude importers use to clear transactions.

Despite calls for such sanctions by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, U.S. officials have been reluctant to do so because of the fear that this could cause oil prices to jump, potentially impairing the U.S. economic recovery.

There is also a concern that importers of Iranian oil, including China and India, could be hurt by such a move, thereby antagonizing nations whose support Washington needs.

(Additional reporting by Ramin Mostafavi in Tehran, Peter Apps, Yeganeh Torbati and Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Leigh Thomas in Paris and Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Writing by David Stamp and Jon Hemming; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/wl_nm/us_iran_sanctions

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Spain election dominated by its economic woes (AP)

MADRID ? Spaniards hit by the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone voted Sunday in an election expected to give a landslide victory to opposition conservatives who have vowed to prevent the zone's fourth-largest economy from imploding but have offered scant details on how they will do so.

The vote came as Europe is engulfed in a debt crisis that is causing financial havoc across the globe, and polls showed that Spain was poised to become the third European country in as many weeks to throw out its governing party, following Greece and Italy.

Ireland and Portugal ? which like Greece received huge bailouts to avoid default ? have also seen their governments change hands because of the crisis.

Spanish opposition leader Mariano Rajoy and his Popular Party were expected to win control of Parliament and oust the ruling Socialists but Rajoy has said little ? other than lower taxes on small- and medium-size companies ? on what his party would do to fight Spain's 21.5 percent jobless rate and precisely what kind of austerity measures he would enact.

A win for Rajoy, 56, would bring the conservatives back to power after nearly eight years of rule by Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

On social policy, Zapatero put a patently liberal stamp on traditionally Catholic Spain by legalizing gay marriage and ushering in other northern European-style reforms. But on economic matters he has been widely criticized as first denying, then reacting late and erratically, to Spain's slice of the global financial crisis and the implosion of a real estate bubble that had fueled Spanish GDP growth robustly for nearly a decade.

Zapatero slumped so badly in popularity that he decided not to run for a new term, and former Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba ? a veteran figure and powerful force within the party ? emerged as the candidate to succeed him.

Unlike Italy and Greece, which recently replaced their elected governments with technocrats with vast financial expertise in an attempt to better cope with the euro crisis, Spain will end up with a career politician no matter who wins.

"I am ready for whatever Spaniards may want," said Rajoy after casting his vote Sunday.

Rubalcaba, 60, urged his supporters not to let a low turnout reduce his Socialist party's chances. "The next four years are going to be very important for our future," he said. "The big decisions that have to be taken must be made by citizens, so it's important to vote," he said.

But poor weather caused some polling stations to open late, and a station in the country's south had to be relocated because of flooding, said election office spokesman Felix Monteira. He also said voter turnout was running lower than during Spain's 2008 election.

Voters are casting ballots to elect 350 members of the lower house of Parliament and 208 senators.

In Barcelona, Juan Sanchez said he had voted for Rajoy's party because unemployment fell while it was in power from 1996 to 2004, while it has skyrocketed to nearly 5 million people under Zapatero.

"Hundreds of small and big businesses have closed down," Sanchez said.

But Spain's socialists fear that the Popular Party will cut spending so deeply that it will hit Spain's social welfare system hard and hamper chances for economic recovery.

"I voted for the Socialists because I am sure that if the Popular Party comes to power it is going to begin to cut everything," said civil servant Diana Bachiller after voting.

Spain has the eurozone's fourth largest economy, and experts say it is too big to be bailed out. In a sign of how dire the nation's finances have become, the interest rate on bonds sold by Spain last week hit almost 7 percent, a level seen as unsustainable. Greece, Portugal and Ireland were all forced into bailouts after their rates went beyond that rate.

The winner of Sunday's election will almost certainly be forced to implement additional unpopular austerity measures started during Zapatero's tenure.

Maria Angeles Redondo, a doctor in Madrid, said she had voted for the Popular Party but doubted any Spanish politicians will be able to solve the nation's problems soon.

"I am not sure if a change of government is really going to usher in the improvements we want and need," she said.

Zapatero over the last year cut civil servants' wages, froze pensions and passed legislation making it easier for companies to hire and fire workers.

The winner of Sunday's election will be forced to lower Spain's budget deficit, boost investor confidence and try to improve growth of a listless economy by a delicate balancing act of cutting spending or raising taxes just enough so the economy does not plunge into another recession.

Rajoy has been vague about his plans for the economy, but his platform included plans for business tax cuts to encourage hiring and lower unemployment.

Rajoy also said he would meet Spain's commitments to the European Union on deficit reduction, although with economic growth at a standstill hardly anybody thinks the current government's goal of cutting it to 6.0 percent of GDP this year from 9.2 in 2010 is achievable.

___

Alan Clendenning and Daniel Woolls contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111120/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_spain_elections

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Natalie Wood detectives face conflicting accounts

FILE - In this April 9, 1979 file photo, actress Natalie Wood is shown at the 51st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Los Angeles sheriff's homicide detectives are taking another look at Wood's 1981 drowning death based on new information, officials announced Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. (AP Photo, file)

FILE - In this April 9, 1979 file photo, actress Natalie Wood is shown at the 51st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Los Angeles sheriff's homicide detectives are taking another look at Wood's 1981 drowning death based on new information, officials announced Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. (AP Photo, file)

FILE - The 55-foot yacht "Splendour," belonging to actor Robert Wagner and his wife, actress Natalie Wood, sits in the waters off Catalina Island in Santa Catalina, Calif., near the site where Harbor Patrol personnel and lifeguards discovered the body of Wood, an apparent drowning victim, Nov. 29, 1981. Los Angeles sheriff's homicide detectives are taking another look at Wood's 1981 drowning death based on new information, officials announced Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Harrington, File)

FILE - A Dec. 1, 1981 file photo shows actress Natalie Wood. Dennis Davern, captain of the yacht Splendour, which Wood was aboard on the night she died, said on national TV Friday, Nov. 18, 2011 that he lied to investigators about Natalie Wood's mysterious death 30 years ago and blames the actress' husband at the time, Robert Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California. A Los Angeles County sheriff's detective will speak to reporters Friday about the decision to take another look at the Oscar-nominated actress' nighttime demise. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this April 27, 2009 file photo, actor Christopher Walken attends The Film Society of Lincoln Center gala tribute to honor actor Tom Hanks in New York. Clashing versions of what happened on the yacht shared by Wood, her actor-husband Robert Wagner, and their friend, actor Christopher Walken, have contributed to the mystery of how the actress died on a Thanksgiving weekend 30 years ago, and who may be responsible. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

In an image from video provided by NBC News, Dennis Davern appears on NBC's "Today" show via video on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. Davern, captain of the yacht Splendour, which actress Natalie Wood was aboard on the night she died in 1981, said during the interview Friday that he lied to investigators about Wood's mysterious death 30 years ago and blames her husband at the time, Robert Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California. A Los Angeles County sheriff's detective Lt. John Corina said Friday that Robert Wagner is not a suspect in the death of his wife, and that new information is substantial enough to take another look at the case. (AP Photo/NBC News)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Natalie Wood's drowning death nearly 30 years ago came after a night of dinner, drinking and arguments but the question remains ? was it anything more than a tragic accident?

Conflicting versions of what happened on the yacht shared by Wood, her actor-husband Robert Wagner and their friend, actor Christopher Walken, have contributed to the mystery of how the actress died on Thanksgiving weekend in 1981.

Two sheriff's detectives are now diving into the mysterious events on the yacht Splendour, although whether they reach any different conclusions than their predecessors remains to be seen. They recently received new, seemingly credible information and heard from potential witnesses who weren't included in the original investigation of Wood's death, sheriff's Lt. John Corina said Friday.

But he said nothing has happened to change the official view that Wood's death was originally an accidental drowning. Wagner, the star of "Hart to Hart" is not considered a suspect, he added.

Corina released few details about who investigators have contacted or plan to re-interview, but the inquiry will certainly lead them to speak with the three survivors of the trip ? Wagner, Walken and skipper Dennis Davern.

Wood's sister, Lana, was not on the boat, but told CNN's Piers Morgan on Friday that she has spoken with Davern many times and believes her sister did not fall off the boat.

"I don't think she fell, I don't know if she was pushed, I don't know whether there was an altercation and it happened accidentally but she shouldn't have died and that does stay with me and hurt," Lana Wood said.

"I would prefer to always believe that RJ (Wagner) would never do anything to hurt Natalie and that he loved her dearly, which he did, and I don't believe that whatever went on was deliberate. I've always cared about him. I always will care about him," she said.

The captain said on NBC's "Today" on Friday that Wagner is to blame for the Oscar-nominated actress' death in the chilly waters of Southern California in November 1981, but didn't offer many specifics. For years he has maintained that he heard the famous couple arguing on the boat before Wood went missing and Wagner refusing to immediately search the waters nearby for his wife.

Davern's account is dramatically different from what he told investigators after Wood's body was found in 1981, when no mention of an argument between the couple was made. Wood was wearing a nightgown, wool socks and red down coat when she was found floating off Santa Catalina Island.

The renewed investigation comes at a time when plenty of attention was sure to be focused on Wood, whose beauty and acting in films such as "West Side Story" and "Rebel Without a Cause" made her Hollywood royalty. Her death stunned the world and CBS' "48 Hours Mystery" has been looking into the case for a special airing on Saturday.

Sheriff's officials denied the renewed attention prompted their review, which could take months.

"We're not concerned with the anniversary date," Corina said. "It may have jarred some other people's memories."

Davern and Wagner agree on one point about the fateful night ? there was a heated argument on the yacht after the group returned from dinner on Catalina. All had been drinking, and here is where the three men's accounts begin to differ.

Davern said he heard Wagner and Wood arguing and its outcome had horrific consequences.

Was that fight "what ultimately led to her death?" Davern was asked by "Today" show host David Gregory.

"Yes," Davern replied.

"How so?"

"Like I said, that's going to be up to the investigators to decide," Davern responded after a long pause.

Wagner acknowledges a fight took place on the Splendour, but in his best-selling 2008 memoir "Pieces of My Heart," he wrote that the fighting was between him and Walken. The disagreement began over the acting profession and led to Wood retreating to her cabin, while the dispute raged on between Wagner and Walken. Later Walken went to bed, according to Wagner, who, after staying up with Davern for a while, went looking for his wife and couldn't find her on board. He then noticed that a dinghy attached to the boat ?and his wife ? was gone.

Walken, who has rarely spoken about the events that led to Wood's death, denied in a 1982 interview on "Good Morning America" that he and Wagner quarreled.

"No, that's not true," Walken said when asked if a fight was the reason Wood left the yacht. "They were very good to me, that family, and that's not true.

"We were having a Thanksgiving weekend, a good time," he said.

But Walken told sheriff's detectives that there was an argument, according to a 2000 Vanity Fair piece that included statements from a report by the investigating detective. It also included comments from Davern, who told the magazine that he heard Wagner and Wood fighting before she went missing.

The detective, Wagner and Walken and coroner's officials all have maintained that Wood's death was an accident, possibly caused by her trying to secure the dinghy to the side of the yacht.

"The people who are convinced that there was something more to it than what came out in the investigation will never be satisfied with the truth," Walken was quoted in the Vanity Fair piece as saying during an interview in the 1980s. "Because the truth is, there is nothing more to it. It was an accident."

Wagner too addressed the uncertainty about what happened in his book.

"Nobody knows," he wrote. "There are only two possibilities; either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy. But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened."

Wagner said through a spokesman that his family trusts the sheriff's department to conduct a fair investigation into Wood's death.

The couple were married twice, first in 1957 before divorcing six years later. They remarried in 1972.

___

Associated Press writer Denise Petski contributed to this report.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-19-Natalie%20Wood-Investigation/id-9157df6de1ee43d9af67f2ee59f288e1

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PFT: No Miller, no Tebowmania? |? Dungy:?Won't last

Reuters

In 1999, running back Ricky Williams ruled the league.? Entering as a top-1o pick for whom the Saints gave up their entire draft and then some, Williams? high-end abilities and enigmatic personality made him one of the most intriguing players in the game.

After a trade to Miami and multiple seasons of back-breaking workloads, Williams abruptly retired in 2004, was suspended for part of 2005, all of 2006, and part of 2007, played in one game in 2007 before suffering an injury, and then appeared in every game from 2008 through 2010, rushing for more than 1,100 yards two years ago.

Williams now has the No. 2 spot on the depth chart in Baltimore, with only 54 carries for 230 yards through nine games.? But he?s very happy with that.

?It?s been interesting,? Williams recently said, via DelawareOnline.com.? ?It?s been an adjustment for me, but I love the organization and I love my teammates so I?m having a good time.? I?m enjoying myself. Anytime you play a team sport, the success of the team really makes everything better.? It?s nice.?

Williams has no regrets about choosing the Ravens over the Lions, even though injuries in Detroit would have given him more opportunities in 2011.

?If I?d have gone to the Lions, I?d probably have a chance to touch the ball a little bit more,? Williams said. ?But I liked the veteran leadership here and the opportunity this team had to go deep in the playoffs. Since I?m coming to the end of my career, I thought it would be nice to end it on a good team.?

Reduced touches could extend Williams? career even deeper into his 30s.? And it sounds like he has a home in Baltimore for as long as he wants it.

?Ricky?s played the role exactly that we would like for him to play,? coach John Harbaugh said.? ?He?s a very good back.? He?s run the ball hard, he?s broke tackles, made plays for us.? Ricky?s a big part of what we?re doing, and I?m sure glad we got him.?

If Ray Rice gets hurt, the Ravens will need Ricky, too.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/18/there-is-no-tebowmania-without-von-miller/related/

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Penn St, 'Cuse cases put other programs on guard

First Penn State. Now Syracuse. Concerned that allegations of sex abuse in two big college sports programs could trigger more cases around the country, universities are urging employees to reread their school's reporting policies, while more closely scrutinizing the people who work in their athletic departments.

Those reminders were circulating even as news of the scandals kept unfolding.

On Friday, the NCAA notified Penn State it would investigate the school for lack of institutional control resulting from the child sex abuse allegations against Joe Paterno's former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. The evening before, Syracuse placed basketball coach Jim Boeheim's top assistant, Bernie Fine, on leave after old allegations resurfaced that he molested two former ballboys. Sandusky and Fine each have denied the accusations against them.

In his letter to Penn State, NCAA president Mark Emmert restated a message that schools have been receiving simply by watching the news.

"It is critical that each campus and the NCAA as an Association re-examine how we constrain or encourage behaviors that lift up young people rather than making them victims," Emmert wrote.

Earlier this week at Michigan, president Mary Sue Coleman wrote an open letter to the university community reminding people to call 911 or the police department if they see a crime in progress. "This is a chance to remind one another that a community's values are lived out in the actions of each of us as individuals," she wrote.

At St. John's, athletic director Chris Monasch said the incidents offered a good opportunity to emphasize to staffers "that if there is an issue that's inappropriate you have to deal with it immediately."

"A cover-up only makes it more severe," Monasch said. "Certainly, we do background checks on the people we hire for summer camps and those types of things. We're trying to take precautions, but I don't know how you can prepare for some of those things."

At North Carolina State, athletic director Debbie Yow asks athletes to anonymously complete a thorough survey that includes a question asking if an athletic staff member ever engaged in inappropriate contact.

"I think in this case it was something that was so new, a new type of allegation," Yow said. "You're used to someone saying players are gambling or there's alcohol abuse or there was a fight in the parking deck or any number of things like that ? an NCAA violation, extra benefits. The list is very long that we know about and we try to protect against. This was a new type of issue I don't believe that was on the radar of athletics administrators."

John Burness, the former longtime vice president of public affairs at Duke, said there could be a "safety in numbers," element for victims who keep details of their abuse quiet, but suddenly see a chance to seek justice.

"I'm not surprised, nor would I be surprised, if we saw people coming forward now to make allegations," Burness said. "Because it could be more comfortable to do so. That shouldn't be discouraged. It should be encouraged. At the same time, we have to realize that every allegation is not necessarily true."

At a couple of smaller schools where sports aren't as big a focus, leaders nevertheless used the latest episodes to put a sharper point on their reporting policies.

"We all need an immediate reality check," Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr., wrote in a letter first reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Presidents and chancellors aren't the only ones getting involved. Earlier this week, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal issued an executive order requiring university employees to report sexual abuse or neglect to authorities within 24 hours of witnessing the offense.

New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland are among the other states where lawmakers are considering toughening their reporting standards.

Both Burness and Terry Hartle, senior vice-president at the American Council on Education, compared reaction to these scandals to what happened after the massacre at Virginia Tech, when schools went back and analyzed their preparedness for a major emergency.

"I do not see a crisis coming up," Hartle said. "I do think this will be an experience that will force all colleges and universities to reevaluate their policies and procedures with reporting and dealing with sexual misconduct."

A handful of athletic directors interviewed by The Associated Press said they have brought up the subject with their departments.

In his regular Sunday evening email to athletes, coaches and staff, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi asked everyone to pray for the victims but also reminded them of their responsibility to report any illegal, abusive or improper behavior they become aware of.

At Kentucky, spokesman DeWayne Peevy said: "We take a long look at everything as a staff, re-evaluate what we're doing."

"Some things you can't necessarily prevent, but you do everything you can to make sure there are no red flags and nothing shows up unexpectedly," Peevy said.

Same message at Utah, where athletic director Chris Hill reminded employees it's their responsibility to report any potential crime to the police. At Arizona, athletic director Greg Byrne's letter to staff included this straightforward advice: "The message is simple ? call the police ? call 911 ? if you witness criminal activity or if you believe you or anyone else is in danger." Wake Forest is holding its annual administrative retreat soon, and the topic of how it might handle such a problem is expected to come up.

Although running background checks on employees is standard procedure at almost every university, Burness said the news of the past weeks likely will send athletic directors back to the personnel files.

"That's a proper step for an institution to take," he said. "If you're aware of prior cases, you should probably brush up on what happened, what was found, what wasn't found and who the incident was reported to."

___

AP Education Writer Justin Pope and AP Sports Writers Jim O'Connell in New York, Bob Baum in Phoenix, Lynn DeBruin in Salt Lake City, Colin Fly in Louisville, Ky., Dave Campbell in Minneapolis, Stephen Hawkins in Dallas, Joedy McCreary and Aaron Beard in Raleigh, N.C., Will Graves in Pittsburgh and Nick Geranios in Spokane, Wash., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-19-College%20Sports-Avoiding%20Scandal/id-240c598e1d044e838d43ed1b34843dca

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Joe Paterno has lung cancer, son says

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno stands on the field before his team's NCAA college football game against Northwestern, in Evanston, Ill. Former Penn State coach Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son. Scott Paterno says in a statement provided to The Associated Press by a family representative that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that "his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno stands on the field before his team's NCAA college football game against Northwestern, in Evanston, Ill. Former Penn State coach Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son. Scott Paterno says in a statement provided to The Associated Press by a family representative that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that "his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2011 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno answers questions during his weekly NCAA college football news conference, in State College, Pa. Former Penn State coach Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son. Scott Paterno says in a statement provided to The Associated Press by a family representative that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that "his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery." (AP Photo/Ralph Wilson, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno stands on the field before his team's NCAA college football game against Northwestern, in Evanston, Ill. Former Penn State coach Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son. Scott Paterno says in a statement provided to The Associated Press by a family representative that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that "his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2011 file photo, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and his wife, Sue, react after he arrived at his home in State College, Pa. Former Penn State coach Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son. Scott Paterno says in a statement provided to The Associated Press by a family representative that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that "his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery." (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Days after losing the job he held for nearly a half century, former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer.

Scott Paterno, the Hall of Fame coach's son, said in a statement provided Friday to The Associated Press that his father's doctors are optimistic the 84-year-old Paterno will make a full recovery.

The news came shortly after Penn State said the NCAA would look into the school's handling of a child sex abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno was fired by the board of trustees Nov. 9 for failing to do more about an abuse allegation against Sandusky than report it to his superiors.

"Last weekend, my father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness," Scott Paterno said in the brief statement. The doctor's visit came the same weekend the school played its first game since the 1960s without Paterno leading the Nittany Lions ? Penn State lost, 17-14 to Nebraska.

"As everyone can appreciate, this is a deeply personal matter for my parents, and we simply ask that his privacy be respected as he proceeds with treatment," Scott Paterno said.

Earlier Friday, The Citizens Voice of Wilkes-Barre reported that Paterno had been seen Wednesday visiting the Mount Nittany Medical Center and was treated for an undisclosed ailment and released.

Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years ? charges which he denies. Critics say Paterno should have done more to stop his former assistant, specifically when he was told about an assault in 2002. But the longtime coach is not a target of the ongoing investigation of Sandusky.

Paterno initially announced his retirement effective at the end of the season, saying that the scandal was "one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." The trustees fired him anyway, about 12 hours later.

Longtime defensive coordinator Tom Bradley replaced Paterno on an interim basis. He broke the news about Paterno's cancer to the Nittany Lions after the team arrived in Columbus, Ohio, for Saturday's game against Ohio State.

"I told them sometimes words pale at a time like this. I felt they should hear it from us, exactly what it was, that we were told that it was a treatable lung cancer," Bradley said. "It's just one of those things. It's a tough time for the players."

Former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge, now an ESPN analyst, said Paterno never mentioned the illness when he visited his former coach Thursday in State College.

"In a week or so of many surprises this was another one," said Blackledge, who noted that Paterno was in good spirits when he saw him. A Penn State spokesman said that as far as he knew, Paterno never smoked.

To say health problems added to Paterno's troubles during a rough period doesn't begin to capture the last two weeks. The lurid Sandusky scandal has tarnished the reputation of a coach and a football program that once prided itself on the slogan "Success with Honor."

The Hall of Famer's 409 career victories are a Division I record. In all, Paterno guided five teams to unbeaten, untied seasons, and won two national championships.

Sandusky was once expected to succeed Paterno but retired in 1999 not long after being told he wouldn't get the job.

Two university officials stepped down after they were charged with lying to a grand jury and failing to report the 2002 charge to police, an assault which allegedly took place in a shower in the football building.

A grand jury report said the attack was witnessed by Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant at the time. Now the receivers coach but on administrative leave, McQueary told the grand jury he went to his father first and then to Paterno, who in turn spoke with his boss but didn't go to the police.

When the state's top cop said Paterno failed to execute his moral responsibility by not contacting police, public outrage built and the trustees acted.

Besides the criminal case against Sandusky, the university announced last week it was conducting its own probe ? and that was before the NCAA said Friday that college sports' governing body would also start an inquiry.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said in the letter to Penn State president Rod Erickson the probe will look at "Penn State's exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs."

That once was never a question with Paterno, regarded as college football's model for running a clean program. He placed as much pride in graduating players as getting to bowl games, and consistently had Penn State among the top-rated academic programs in the country.

Paterno has donated millions back to the university, and his name graces a campus library ? not a football facility or athletic complex.

Prior to his firing, Paterno pressed on with coaching in spite of a number of recent ailments. He often walked into news conferences fighting back sniffles, and Paterno often passed it off as nothing more than an annoying cold.

He was said to be in good health this preseason ? getting back to his routine of walking around town ? before a receiver accidentally blindsided him during preseason drills in August, leaving him with an injured right shoulder and pelvis.

Known for his stubbornness and high pain threshold, Paterno walked away from the collision and stayed on his feet for the rest of the practice period before being encouraged to get checked out by a doctor. The injuries forced him to spend most of the season in the press box.

During the 2010 offseason, Paterno scaled back personal appearances because of an intestinal issue and an adverse reaction to antibiotics prescribed for dental work.

Paterno ran practices from a golf cart in 2008 and spent much of that season in the press box after injuring his hip while trying to show players how to perform an onside kick in practice. Two years earlier, he broke his leg in a sideline collision during Penn State's game at Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium.

"This is very unfortunate news and another sad note for our Penn State community," said school president Rod Erickson, who replaced Graham Spanier ? Spanier also was ousted the same night Paterno was fired.

"Our thoughts are with him and his family at this difficult time and we certainly pray for his speedy recovery," Erickson said.

Lung cancer kills 1.4 million people around the world each year. In the United States, 221,130 new cases and 156,940 deaths are expected this year. The disease is typically diagnosed in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are over age 65.

"There's a significant number of people who are diagnosed in their 70s and 80s," said chief medical officer Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society. He has no involvement in Paterno's treatment.

"Generally when I hear that a person has a treatable form of lung cancer, it means the person may very well benefit from surgery to remove a part of the lung," Brawley said.

While the surgery can be invasive, people who undergo the operation "can do well after that," he said.

The lights were dim Friday night at Paterno's modest ranch home next to a park near the end of a dead-end street. A few TV photographers waited across the street for any sign of the coach.

About a mile away, a steady stream of fans arrived in pairs to take pictures at the life-sized bronzed statue of Paterno outside Beaver Stadium. Jill Varady, 24, of York, said she found out about Paterno's illness after her aunt posted a comment on Facebook.

Despite the scandal, the school should now let Paterno "definitely let him finish the season, and then ... let him retire," Varady said. "We probably will never know everything that happened."

The illness didn't change the perception of how Paterno handled the Sandusky situation, said Tessa Drawbaugh, 26, of State College. "But as far as other than that, he's an icon," she said. "Everybody wants him to be well."

___

AP writers Rusty Miller in Columbus, Ohio and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-11-18-Penn%20State-Paterno/id-654721fa1d2c41ab8cd1f83dca54f364

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