Stocks tumble amid fears over Europe

By msnbc.com news services

NEW YORK ? Stock indexes fell Tuesday after the U.S. government lowered its estimate of economic growth in the third quarter. Higher borrowing costs for Spain also renewed worries about Europe's debt crisis.

Hewlett-Packard Co. sank 2.8 percent, dragging down the Dow Jones industrial average. H-P lowered its earnings forecast for the 2012 fiscal year after the market closed Monday. The tech giant said it was being "cautious," citing Europe's debt crisis and weak consumer spending.

The Commerce Department said the U.S. economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate in the July-September period, down from its initial estimate of 2.5 percent. Economists had expected the figure to remain unchanged.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 53.51 points, or 0.46 percent, at 11,493.80. The Dow had been down as many as 113 points shortly before noon. After H-P, aluminum maker Bank of America Corp. had the biggest fall among the 30 stocks in the index, 2 percent.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index was down 4.93 points, or 0.41 percent, to 1,188.05. Both the Dow and S&P briefly turned slightly higher in early afternoon trading.

The S&P has lost 5.2 percent over the past week on worries that Spain could get dragged into Europe's debt crisis and as Congress neared a deadlock over cutting the U.S. budget deficit.

The Nasdaq composite dipped 1.86 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,521.28.

The Dow plunged 249 points Monday as a congressional committee failed to reach a deal to cut budget deficits. The congressional impasse raised fears that rating agencies might lower the U.S. government's credit rating if Congress tries to circumvent the automatic spending cuts that are supposed to occur in the event of an impasse. Some Republicans have said they would try to block cuts to defense spending.

"Markets are looking for clarity, and you didn't get that from the super-committee," says Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist at Mizuho Securities. "There's no reason to believe the economy is going to get stronger."

Across the Atlantic, there were more signs of trouble in Europe's debt crisis. Spain was forced to pay sharply higher interest rates in an auction of short-term debt. The higher rates suggest that investors are still skeptical that the country will get its budget under control despite a new, center-right government coming to power this week.

Investors have been worried that Spain could become the next country to need financial support from its European neighbors if its borrowing rates climb to unsustainable levels. Greece was forced to seek relief from its lenders after its long-term borrowing rates rose above 7 percent on the bond market. The rate on Spain's own benchmark 10-year bond is dangerously close to that level, 6.58 percent.

In other trading, Netflix Inc. sank 3.6 percent. The online video rental company said it raised $400 million from selling debt and stock as it tries to recover from a consumer backlash following price hikes.

Campbell Soup Co. sank 5.5 percent after reporting a 5 percent drop in net income. The company said price increases were not enough to offset lower volume in its soup and beverage businesses.

Medtronic Inc. rose 4.8 percent. The world's largest medical device maker reported higher-than-expected earnings and reaffirmed its full-year earnings outlook.

Associated Press contributed to this report.?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8958957-stocks-slide-on-concerns-over-us-economy-europe-debt-crisis

the killing fields the killing fields texas killing fields burzynski pete seeger gazelle gazelle

Laser heating -- new light cast on electrons heated to several billion degrees

Monday, November 21, 2011

A new class of high power lasers can effectively accelerate particles like electrons and ions with very intense, short laser pulses. This has attracted the interest of researchers around the globe, working out the details of the acceleration process which occurs when a laser beam impinges on a thin foil to accelerate ions from the foil's rear surface to high energies. The electrons in the foil are heated by the laser pulse, thereby gaining energy. These electrons in turn give part of their energy to the ions, thereby converting laser pulse energy to ion energy. Physicists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have developed a new theoretical model for predicting the density and temperature of these hot electrons which surpasses existing models in accurately describing experimental results and simulations.

Particle acceleration by short, intense pulses of light is a modern technology which exhibits considerable advantages over conventional techniques: The distance needed for acceleration is much shorter and the costs for such systems are potentially much lower. The potentials of the new ion acceleration technology will be explored by a laser system which is currently under construction for use at the University Hospital in Dresden. It will be jointly used by the partners HZDR, the University Hospital, and TU Dresden for cancer research and therapy. For the first time ever, a prototype high performance laser will be used in addition to a conventional ion accelerator for radiation tumor therapy.

High power lasers like the DRACO laser at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf are about ten to a hundred times more intense than their predecessors for which theoretical estimates of electron temperature and density were more or less accurate. For the new generation of lasers, though, experimental findings considerably differ from predictions. Thomas Kluge, physicist in the Laser Particle Acceleration Division at the HZDR, together with his colleagues has developed a new theoretical model of laser electron interaction. Hot electrons serve as intermediaries in laser ion acceleration by transferring energy from the laser to the ions. Hence, precise information on the energy of hot electrons is vital for future laser-driven cancer therapy facilities.

Existing models have not been able to accurately predict the properties of hot electrons specifically at very high intensity ? like the electrons generated by the high power laser DRACO and the petawatt laser PENELOPE which is currently under construction at the HZDR. The Dresden researchers have developed an equation that allows precisely calculating the hot electron energy by taking into account the distribution of laser accelerated electrons as well as their dynamics according to the theory of special relativity.

"These new insights surpass models that have been around for decades; thus, permitting, on the one hand, an explanation of previous measurements while, on the other hand, allowing for predicting and optimizing future experiments with great precision," notes Michael Bussmann, Head of the HZDR's Junior Research Group "Computational Radiation Physics." The results were published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters and are currently being applied to additional acceleration scenarios by the Dresden researchers in order to permit the future use of laser accelerators for medical use.

###

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres: http://www.helmholtz.de/en/index.html

Thanks to Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 73 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115363/Laser_heating____new_light_cast_on_electrons_heated_to_several_billion_degrees

hines ward warren jeffs james harrison james harrison phaedra parks oklahoma earthquake ben roethlisberger

Cops: Mom in love triangle kills 2 kids, self

GREENSBORO, N.C.?? A woman who killed her son and her niece ? and shot her ex-boyfriend, another son, a nephew and a teen girl before killing herself ? was bitter over an affair with the married man that ended with restraining orders filed, authorities said Monday.

Mary Ann Holder, 36, left behind two notes taking responsibility for the shootings Sunday morning and apologizing for the pain she caused, Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes said.

What the note didn't explain was why Holder decided to shoot five people under the age of 18 in the head along with the man she had an affair with.

"We may never know exactly what her thoughts were and why," Barnes said.

The shootings in three different locations south of Greensboro left Holder's 17-year-old son dead on Sunday. An 8-year-old niece died Monday.

Her 14-year-old son, 17-year-old nephew, and the older son's 15-year-old girlfriend were all in critical condition Monday morning. All were shot in the head.

Holder's ex-boyfriend, 40-year-old Randall Lamb, was in stable condition with a shoulder wound, Barnes said.

"We've got death. We've got drama. We've got a situation basically that no one could ever imagine would happen here," Barnes said.

The tragedy began to unfold shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday when Holder met Lamb in a parking lot. They spoke briefly before Holder shot him in the shoulder, investigators said.

Lamb called his wife and told her what happened, prompting deputies to begin looking for Holder. Officers were stationed outside her home, but a deputy spotted her car driving down the street about an hour later. The deputy said he saw a puff of smoke in the car and found Holder dead and her 14-year-old son, Zachary Smith, shot in the head, Barnes said.

The officers then went into Holder's home and found Holder's son, 17-year-old Robert Dylan Smith, dead. Smith's girlfriend, Makayla Woods was injured along with Holder's niece, Hannaleigh Suttles, and her nephew, Richard Suttles.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Former student: Sandusky he knew is not a 'monster'
   2. Charla Nash reveals ?beautiful? new face
   3. Retailers hope holiday shoppers defy economy
   4. Counting China's wild pandas
   5. Updated 34 minutes ago 11/22/2011 12:51:07 AM +00:00 Second nonprofit sent kids to Sandusky charity
   6. How Huguette Clark's millions were spent
   7. Telecommuting a bad option for stressed parents

Holder had custody of her nephew and niece after their mother died last spring, NBC affiliate WXII12 reported Barnes as saying.

Holder used Woods' cell phone after shooting Lamb to arrange to pick up her younger son at a friend's house where he had spent the night, the sheriff said.

Authorities said Monday they were still trying to determine when the victims in Holder's home were shot and whether it happened before or after she met with Lamb. They were also trying to determine exactly when she wrote the notes.

Investigators said the notes Holder left behind indicate she was angry about how her relationship with Lamb ended. Barnes said there were restraining orders filed, which had expired.

Lamb's wife filed a restraining order against Holder, the Raleigh News & Observer reported, alleging that Holder would call and text and even send nude photos of herself to Randall Lamb.

She also planned to file an alienation of affection claim, which in North Carolina, allows someone who is cheated on to sue the person their spouse had an affair with.

"This is probably one of the worst situations I've seen in my over 30 years in law enforcement," Barnes said.

Holder had no history of mental health issues and no criminal record.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45389913/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

wvu football meteor shower tonight district 9 district 9 pandaria pandaria artie lange

Michael Moore will sing on Occupy Wall Street album

NEW YORK?? Occupy Wall Street has a benefit album planned with Jackson Browne, Third Eye Blind, Crosby & Nash, Devo, Lucinda Williams and even some of those drummers who kept an incessant beat at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park.

Participants in the protest movement said Wednesday that "Occupy This Album," which will be available sometime this winter, will also feature DJ Logic, Ladytron, Warren Haynes, Toots and the Maytals, Mike Limbaud, Aeroplane Pageant, Yo La Tengo and others.

Activist filmmaker Michael Moore is also planning to sing.

Jason Samel, a musician who is putting together the disc, said the goal is to raise between $1 million and $2 million to help fuel the movement that is protesting income disparity.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. J.Lo didn't drive that Fiat 'round the block

      Jennifer Lopez appears to be headed back to the Bronx in her new car commerical, but sources say she did her driving in L.A.

   2. 'Arthur Christmas' a jolly new holiday tradition
   3. 'Dancing's' mirror ball trophy goes to ...
   4. Best Muppets are the underrated ones
   5. 'Breaking Bad' boss doesn't know how it'll end

"It's really going to be an amazing help for years to come," Samel said.

Money raised will go through the nonprofit Alliance for Global Justice. The initial plan is that half of the proceeds will go to the New York movement that was based in Zuccotti Park until being kicked out last week, and the other half to offshoots across the world who apply for specific projects, he said.

Consumer fasts, mall sit-ins urged

There's a long history of benefit albums, from George Harrison's "Concert for Bangla Desh" that raised millions for flood victims through Unicef in 1971, and the "We Are the World" single in the 1980s, which raised more than $60 million for famine relief in Africa.

Amnesty International also announced Wednesday that it will put on sale in January a 75-song set of Bob Dylan covers by various artists to benefit the human rights organization.

The Occupy Wall Street album will be available in digital form first, with plans for a physical CD still unclear.

The music will generally be a mixture of live cuts and new songs. Third Eye Blind, for example, has already posted its song, called "If There Ever Was a Time," which specifically addresses the protest movement.

To demand or not? That's 'Occupy' question

Haynes has offered a live version of "Rivers Gonna Rise," a song from his last disc.

Some little-known artists who have participated in the protest will also be included, such as Kaneska Carter and Matt Pless, who wrote "Something's Got to Give."

"The lyrics convey a universal feeling of compassion and a hope for a better existence that I believe are the common threads that wind through everyone," Pless said. "The positive spirit behind this song is a reflection of what birthed the movement and still exists at its core."

One song will feature the loosely-formed group of people that would beat on drums at the entrance to Zuccotti Park, much to the consternation of neighbors and even some demonstrators as they tried to get some sleep.

Musicians like Tom Morello, David Crosby and Graham Nash had impromptu concerts for some of the demonstrators.

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

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45418892/ns/today-entertainment/

thurston moore the island the island mcdonalds beating dreamcatcher georgia tech big east expansion

Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber

Arriving from a galaxy far, far away is the all-new Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber by Hasbro ($34.99 list). It promises to provide one of the most authentic Jedi experiences ever for kids! The toy features a progressive light-up blade with vibrant LED lighting, allowing kids to experience the FORCE in a whole new way.

The Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber measures 3 by 36.3 by 4 inches (HWD) and weighs about two pounds. It is available in either the Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader version, and requires three AA batteries. This incredible lightsaber looks and feels just like the one used by Anakin Skywalker (blue) or Darth Vader (red). The glowing blade ignites with light and makes sounds when you power up, power down, and clash in battle! It's the ultimate weapon to make your Star Wars battles incredibly real!

This realistic lightsaber also features motion-sensor controlled sound effects, and battle-clash lights and sounds.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/kez7MSKFRys/0,2817,2396671,00.asp

kristin chenoweth beanie wells beanie wells dina manzo dina manzo once upon a time once upon a time

Survey suggests iPad users want more magazines on tablet (Appolicious)

Back when Apple first rolled out its subscription setup for publications in the iTunes App Store, there was quite a bit of initial enthusiasm. Despite some issues with the policy at first, it seemed like most publishers were seeing the iPad (and other tablets like it) as a big new revenue stream for an industry that had been struggling for years producing primarily in print and on the web.

It has been about six months since that subscription policy was enacted. Some publishers, such as Conde Naste, have embraced the iPad with many magazines and have seen a big boost in subscriptions, while others have kept things a little more calm and made only a few issues or publications available for Apple?s juggernaut mobile device. But according to a new survey from by the Association of Magazine Media, a publishing trade group, it seems people who read magazines and other publications on their iPads would like to be reading even more on their devices.

AllThingsD has the story, in which the survey finds that some two-thirds of people reading magazines, newspapers and similar publications on tablets and e-readers expect to be reading even more of those kinds of publications on their tablets in 2012. Of those, 63 percent say they want more publications available on their devices. The survey also found about 46 percent of users are consuming more publications in general, both in print and on tablets. The majority of magazines and other publications are consumed on the iPad, AllThingsD writes, though the survey was targeted at all tablets and e-readers.

The survey focused on 1,009 people who were ?pre-screened? for owning the right kinds of mobile devices ? tablets and e-readers ? and for using magazine apps on those tablets. As AllThingsD writes, the very fact that the survey has been conducted says something about the mobile industry in general and the mobile publishing industry in particular. Up until just recently, there weren?t enough people in both of those categories to accurately conduct a study, an Association of Magazine Media spokesman said.

The information gleaned from the survey paints a pretty rosy picture of the future of the magazine business, but it also shows that Apple?s bid to handle subscriptions on its mobile device has paid off pretty well. That the survey even exists shows, apparently, that lots of iPad customers are reading magazines on their tablets. And as the survey data demonstrates, many of them wish there was more to read.

Magazine and newspaper publishers have been struggling for years with the transition into a digital age. Print subscriptions are declining, while making strong revenues from the Internet has proven extremely difficult. It seems that at least part of the bridge between the two, and to keeping publications making money in the face of new technology, might consist of mobile devices like the iPad.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10268_survey_suggests_ipad_users_want_more_magazines_on_tablet/43673153/SIG=13984rreq/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/10268-survey-suggests-ipad-users-want-more-magazines-on-tablet

marcel the shell with shoes on ecu john wooden pujols mirror mirror tanuki mirror mirror trailer

Calif. teen faces 21 years after guilty plea (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A Southern California teenager who shot a gay classmate to death during a computer lab class three years ago avoided a retrial by pleading guilty to second-degree murder, a deal that will send him to prison for 21 years.

Brandon McInerney, 17, pleaded guilty to the murder charge Monday, as well as one count each of voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm, said Ventura County Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Frawley. McInerney is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 19.

The case drew wide attention because of its shocking premise: McInerney, in a fit of homophobic rage, killed 15-year-old Larry King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard because he was offended by King's dress and how the victim interacted with him.

Larry King's father, Greg King, told KABC-TV he understands why prosecutors agreed to the plea deal.

"I don't think that 21-year sentence is justice for my son, but I understand the reality that was facing the DA of trying to convict a defendant who was 14 ... when he committed the murder," Greg King said.

Comic Ellen DeGeneres, a lesbian, weighed in on her talk show shortly after the shooting and said gays shouldn't be treated as second-class citizens.

McInerney was only 14 at the time of the February 2008 shooting. Several jurors said after the teen's trial earlier this year that he should never have been tried as an adult.

A mistrial was declared in September when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the degree of guilt. The panel took a series of votes, the last one with seven jurors in favor of voluntary manslaughter and five supporting either first-degree or second-degree murder. The trial had been moved from Ventura County to Los Angeles because of pretrial publicity.

Frawley said prosecutors agreed to the plea deal because of uncertainty about what might result from a second trial.

"We took that into account and looked at what it would take to protect the community," Frawley said. "The total time in custody for 25 years will do that."

The murder conviction will be stayed, and the plea deal calls for McInerney to be given the harshest sentence under California law for voluntary manslaughter ? 11 years ? and use of a firearm ? 10 years, Frawley said. McInerney is ineligible for time served or good behavior because he pleaded guilty to murder.

After serving nearly four years since King's slaying, McInerney will be released just shy of his 39th birthday. Prosecutors had previously offered a plea deal that would have sent McInerney to prison for 25 years to life, but his attorneys passed.

A phone message left with defense attorney Robyn Bramson was not immediately returned.

Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, said in a statement the plea agreement ends a tragic chapter.

"Ventura County along with communities and school districts everywhere must come together to promote a culture of respect and nurture the true potential found in every individual regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression," Byard said.

King was shot twice in the back of the head in front of stunned classmates. Authorities maintained the shooting was premeditated and deserving of a murder conviction. During the trial, prosecutors noted at least six people heard McInerney make threats against King in the days before the shooting.

The victim's mother, Dawn King, revealed Monday that she had contacted school officials four days before the shooting, seeking their cooperation in toning down her son's behavior, the Los Angeles Times reported.

She said she was told that her son had a civil right to explore his sexual identity.

"I knew, gut instinct, that something serious was going to happen," she told the Times. "They should have contained him, contained his behavior."

Prosecutors also contended McInerney embraced a white supremacist philosophy that sees homosexuality as an abomination. Police found Nazi-inspired drawings and artifacts at his house, and a white supremacist expert testified at trial the hate-filled ideology was the reason for the killing.

Prosecutors, however, dropped a hate crime count against McInerney in preparing for a second trial.

Defense attorneys acknowledged McInerney was the shooter but explained he had reached an emotional breaking point after King made repeated, unwanted sexual advances. They also argued their client came from a violent upbringing and juvenile court would have been the best venue to try him.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_student_killed

amityville horror puss in boots the rum diary trailer the rum diary trailer nor easter nor easter st.louis cardinals