Syria bombards major cities, weakening truce

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad renewed their bombardment of major cities on Saturday and rebels launched several attacks, further undermining a truce meant to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha religious holiday.

The violence, reported by residents, opposition supporters and Syria's government, came on the second day of the ceasefire called by international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who had hoped to use it to build momentum to end the 19-month-old conflict in which an estimated 32,000 people have been killed.

Syrian state news SANA reported dozens of "ceasefire violations" by rebel groups including a car bomb in front of a Christian church in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor.

Activists in Deir al-Zor and in Aleppo, which is Syria's most populous city and about half controlled by rebels, said mortar bombs were being fired into residential areas.

Residents in Damascus posted internet footage of fighter jets they said bombed the suburbs of Erbin and Harasta. Eight people were killed, according to the residents and to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based opposition organisation with a network of sources within Syria.

It was not possible to verify events due to Syria's restrictions on media access.

The army has said it agreed to the ceasefire but that it has a duty to respond to rebel attacks.

A commander from the rebel Free Syrian Army said his force would honour the truce but demanded Assad meet opposition demands for the release of thousands of detainees. Some Islamist militants, including the Nusra Front, said they would keep on fighting.

More than 150 people were killed on Friday, including 43 soldiers, said the Observatory for Human Rights. Most were shot by sniper fire or in combat, the Observatory said.

SECTARIAN WORRIES

The conflict pits Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is distantly related to Shi'ite Islam, against mainly Sunni Muslim rebels. Recent attacks, such as Saturday's bomb by a Syriac church, point to an increasingly sectarian conflict.

The Observatory released a statement on Saturday condemning a clash on Friday in the Aleppo district of Ashrafieh between rebels and an armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, which left 30 dead.

"(The fight) threatens dire consequences. It will work in the interests of the regime, which is working hard to incite national sedition and sectarianism," said Observatory head Rami Abdelrahman.

Syrian state TV said two people were killed in Ashrafieh, after "terrorists" opened fire on a demonstration calling for them to leave the area.

Syrian Kurds have long faced discrimination, a lack of full citizenship rights and forced displacements. But Assad sought to dissuade them from joining the uprising against him that erupted elsewhere in March 2011 by promising citizenship.

About 10 percent of the population, Kurds have been able to exploit an uneasy vacuum left by Assad's retreating forces to set up their own militia, some with ties to the government.

Rebels in Azaz, a northern Syrian town, reported on their Facebook page that they have detained Lebanese journalist Fidaa Itani. They said Itani, who works for LBCI television, was put under house arrest as his work was "incompatible with the course of the Syrian revolution."

TRUCE BREACHES

A Reuters cameraman in the Turkish border village of Besaslan in southern Hatay province said he could hear a helicopter circling on the Syrian side of the border, as well as gunfire and explosions.

Turkish ambulances were ferrying wounded people from an unofficial border crossing for treatment in Turkey.

Brahimi's ceasefire appeal won widespread international support, including from Russia, China and Iran, Assad's main foreign allies.

The peace envoy's predecessor, former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, declared a ceasefire in Syria on April 12, but it soon fell apart, along with the rest of his six-point peace plan.

Divided international powers have been unable to stop the violence, with the West condemning Assad but blaming Russia, Iran and China for supporting Damascus.

Russia's deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov tweeted on Saturday that "Westerners" in the United Nations Security Council had prevented the body from condemning a bomb attack in Damascus on Friday, which the Syrian government blames on rebels it labels as "terrorists."

(Additional reporting by Mert Ozkan in Besaslan, Gleb Bryanski in Moscow and Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman; editing by Jason Webb.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-bombards-major-cities-weakening-truce-120102793.html

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UNO film arts student slain in Oct. 19 shooting on Burke Avenue ...

A University of New Orleans student majoring in film arts was fatally shot last Friday night in eastern New Orleans, according to officials. Police found Valan May sitting in his car in the 7900 block of Burke Avenue with a gunshot wound to the right side of his head.

May died at a hospital later that evening, said John Gagliano, chief investigator for the New Orleans coroner's office. He was 24.

May graduated in 2007 from Peabody Magnet High School in Alexandria in Rapides Parish, his social media profiles say. He subsequently received an associate's degree from the University of Phoenix and enrolled at UNO.

At UNO, May was a sophomore, school spokesman Adam Norris said Thursday. May's social media pages suggest he was a devoted fan of professional wrestling, particularly World Wrestling Entertainment and its personalities.

He also wrote a number of love poems, some of which he posted on social media as well as on a website for amateur poets. One of his pieces was about losing "his one and only girl" to gun violence on her birthday.

"Never again into her hazel eyes will I gaze. / Without her it feels like I'm trapped in a maze," he wrote. "Never again will I hear her say 'I love you, Valan.' / That cuts into me like an eagle talon."

Attempts to contact the victim's family on Thursday weren't immediately successful. Investigators haven't discussed details on a motive or a suspect in May's slaying.

NOPD Detective Darrell Doucette is in charge of the case. Anyone who has information on May's killing is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 877.903.7867.

People can also text tips to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637); text TELLCS and then the crime information. Callers or texters do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment.

Source: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/10/uno_film_arts_student_slain_in.html

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The Living and the Dead: War, Friendship, and the Battles that Never End

A new Byliner Original by acclaimed journalist and Iraq War veteran Brian Mockenhaupt

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 24, 2012

?The worst feeling,? Sergeant Tom Whorl scribbles in a small spiral notebook, surrounded by nameless enemies in a strange and hostile landscape, ?is not knowing when your last step will be. That?s what takes a toll on your brain.? With those simple words, a courageous man fighting a war that many would just as soon forget about captures the gut-wrenching day-to-day, life-and-death struggles and triumphs of the men of Patrol Base Dakota. Their story happens to unfold at a Marine encampment in southern Afghanistan, but it could be the story of young American soldiers in any war, trying to do the job when doing the job might mean, at any second, losing your life?or watching your best friend lose his.

A new e-book, The Living and the Dead, by Brian Mockenhaupt, just released by digital publisher Byliner, relates the grippingly true story of three close friends?Tom, Ian, and Jimmy?and the reality of how twenty-first-century combat plays out in the lives of those who fight it. How walking through the Afghan countryside means patrolling for cleverly hidden explosives that can instantly tear a man in half. How the families back home live in dread of the men in gray cars showing up at their front door with news too grim to imagine. How the consequences of a split-second decision can replay over and over in a soldier?s mind and haunt him for the rest of his days. How those who sign up to do democracy?s dirty work somehow manage to endure the unendurable. The Living and the Dead is a powerfully moving and timelessly compelling account of bravery, friendship, struggle, and sacrifice in the face of unimaginable tests. It is an unforgettable tale of battles that continue to rage long after the final shot has been fired.

About the Author: Brian Mockenhaupt is a contributing editor at Esquire and Reader?s Digest and is the nonfiction editor at the Journal of Military Experience. He writes regularly for The Atlantic and Outside. His work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Chicago magazine. He served two tours in Iraq as an infantryman with the 10th Mountain Division. Since leaving the U.S. Army in 2005, he has written extensively on military and veteran affairs, reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq, hometowns, and hospitals.

About Byliner: Byliner commissions and publishes original stories written to be read in a single sitting. Bestselling Byliner titles include Amy Tan?s Rules for Virgins, Margaret Atwood?s Positron, Jon Krakauer?s Three Cups of Deceit, Ann Patchett?s The Getaway Car, Nick Hornby?s Everyone?s Reading Bastard, and Buzz Bissinger?s After Friday Night Lights. The companion website, Byliner.com, gives readers personalized access to an unmatched library of fiction and nonfiction, handpicked by our editors. On Byliner, readers can discover new writers, explore, save, and share great stories, connect with other readers, and even engage directly with their favorite writers.

The Living and the Dead is available for $2.99 as a Kindle Single at Amazon, a Quick Read at Apple?s iBookstore, a Nook Snap at BarnesAndNoble.com, a Short Read at Kobo, and at Google Play. For an Advance Reading Copy or to schedule an interview with Brian Mockenhaupt, please contact Clare Hertel at clare(at)byliner(dot)com; 505-474-6783.

###

Clare Hertel
Clare Hertel Communications
(505) 474-6783
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/living-dead-war-friendship-battles-never-end-090619902.html

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New Online Resource Provides Data Tables on Latino Children ...

From guest blogger Kimberly Shannon

The National Council of La Raza today released the NCLR Latino Kids Data Explorer, a free interactive tool that allows users to search for specific data on Latino children and create instant tables of select information. The Data Explorer is an expansion of the civil rights organization's 2010 publication America's Future: Latino Child Well-Being in Numbers and Trends, and uses data gathered by the Population Reference Bureau and Child Trends. It is funded in part by the Birth to Five Policy Alliance.

The tool, which is paired with an infographic and fact sheet, uses 27 national and state-level indicators of Latino child well-being, spanning the categories of demographic, health, education, housing, income, and juvenile justice. It allows users to choose an age group and time period when applicable to obtain information on. After users choose the category, indicator, age range, and time period, they can view and compare information by race, as well as for individual states. Tables can be printed or downloaded from the user-friendly platform.
The education categories include national assessment data, and enrollment info for federal and local early-childhood programs. The accompanying fact sheet, "Building a Brighter Future: Latino Children?Ready to Learn," outlines obstacles that Latino challenge face in early childhood.

The council considers early education to be an important factor in Latino success. "Studies show that children who attend high-quality preschool do better in school overall, are more likely to graduate from high school, are less likely to be arrested and earn more income over their lifetime than their peers who do not attend preschool," said Liany Elba Arroyo, associate director of the Education and Children's Policy Project at NCLR, in a press release.

While Latino poverty in the U.S. has increased from 28.4 percent of all children living in poverty in the U.S. in 1999 to 35 percent in 2010, some other statistics showed small gains. For example, 370,000 more Latino children attended preschool in 2010 than in 2000, and the number of Hispanic children not attending preschool dropped from 52 percent in 2000 to 46.6 percent in 2010. However, these gains are at risk if policymakers do not make a greater effort towards equality, argues NCLR.

In the midst of the presidential elections, information about Latino children is important because it can and should strongly affect policymaking as well as voters' decisions, according to Clarissa Mart?nez-De-Castro, director of Civic Engagement and Immigration at NCLR. "Neither party can get to the White House without Latino support," she said in a media call. Hispanic children represent nearly 15.8 million potential new voters that will be added to the U.S. electorate by 2028, and will make up 18 percent of the country's workforce by 2018, a press release from NCLR says.

Source: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2012/10/new_online_resource_provides_d.html

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Extensive security arrangements being made for Eid - Pakistan Today

KARACHI?-?IG Sindh Police Fayyaz Leghari on Thursday said that the Sindh police will put in place an elaborated security plan during upcoming Eid-ul-Azha to effectively deal with any law and order situation.

Talking to media persons outside the Supreme Court, Karachi Registery, Leghari said that around 20,000 police force will be deployed during Eid-ul-Azha across the city. Deployment will be made in sensitive areas and mosques for Eid prayers.

He said that different political parties and groups have agreed upon a code of conduct for collection of hides of sacrificial animals.

Leghari denied reports that animals have been shot in old city area for collection of extortion money.

Source: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/10/25/news/national/extensive-security-arrangements-being-made-for-eid-ig-sindh/

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Dig Your Way Out of Personal Debt

Generally, small business owners need commercial loans to buy a business with real estate, refinance a commercial real estate asset (like a gas station, strip mall, industrial warehouse, office building, motel, hotel, etc.) or refinance a business with real estate. However, the complexity of commercial loans makes deal structuring difficult. Here's our guide to commercial loans.:

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The SBA 7a is the only program that funds startup businesses with annual revenues under $2 million and without a real estate component. SBA 7a loans come with longer terms than conventional loans. Generally, terms for SBA 7a loans range from 15 to 25 years. Also, within the program small business owners can access other forms of working capital options like a line of credit.:

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SBA Loan Programs broken out by benefits, eligibility, use of proceeds, loan amounts and rate structure and typical loan amortization. Compare your SBA Loan options here!:

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New entrepreneurs often make the mistake of using their own money to buy equipment. Leasing is a much cheaper and easier alternative for financing equipment purchases. Any business with equipment can take advantage of this product.

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If you're looking to buy a business, consult a business valuation expert to help you find appropriate business financing alternatives. Try talking to your accountant or banker or search online for business valuation guides and loans to buy a business.

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Businesses with varying revenue streams need capital during slow periods to operate efficiently. A business line of credit can help entrepreneurs stay financially afloat until the excess funds from more lucrative months roll in. Predicting the degree of a seasonal downswing is difficult, making term loans an impractical business financing solution. Fortunately, with a business line of credit, borrowers only have to pay interest on the amount used:

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1.Make a list of the 10 fastest growing franchises in the country.
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Source: http://expertadvice.biz2credit.com/2012/10/25/dig-your-way-out-of-personal-debt/

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Patriots riding away to London

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?I just want to see the soldiers outside of the Palace that can't smile,? the Patriots' Shane Vereen says of his team's trip to London this week.AP

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FOXBORO ? Before he plays at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Patriots running back Shane Vereen wants to make a stop at Buckingham Palace.

"I just want to see the soldiers outside of the Palace that can't smile," a smiling Vereen said Tuesday. "I just want to take a picture."

On deck

Sunday, Patriots (4-3) vs. St. Louis Rams (3-4), at London, 1 p.m.

And then he'll play for the usually dour coach Bill Belichick in New England's second trip in four years to London where they'll face the St. Louis Rams.

"The time change, the travel ? that's certainly different than most normal games," Belichick said, "but it's not anything we haven't dealt with before. We've traveled to the West Coast. We're just going the other direction. Hopefully, we'll be able to deal with it."

The Patriots went to London in 2009, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 35-7, but most players on that New England team won't be with this one when it travels across the Atlantic Ocean on a red-eye Thursday night.

For Vereen, in his second NFL season, it will be his first trip to Europe.

"I'm excited to go, see what it's all about and be able to play somewhere else, but at the same time we do have to go get a 'W,'" Vereen said, adding, "I think it's fun" more than the inconvenience of making a long trip in the middle of the season.

"I think it will be a good thing for us. I think it will be a good thing for St. Louis as well," he said. "Middle of the season, you kind of start getting into the lull, the every-day routine. So to break the routine a little bit and get to go out of the country, I think will be something fun."

Injured safety Steve Gregory, who missed the last two games with a hip injury, visited London with the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and is looking forward to another trip.

"It was a great experience," he said. "Obviously, I had never been there before so to see London, the overall experience, was just amazing."

As far as his off-field plans, Gregory joked that he would see Queen Elizabeth, "if she'll let me." Running back Stevan Ridley, asked about visiting the queen, said, "Hey man, if she calls, yeah."

Placekicker Stephen Gostkowski, who made the 2009 trip, said, "It was a lot of fun and we got a win and hopefully it will be the same experience. It's a long trip but it's not too much farther than like when we went to Seattle (Oct. 14). So, it will be a good experience if we play well and can come home with a win."

As far as what he might like to do this time, Gostkowski said, "I doubt we'll really have time to really enjoy . go sightseeing, maybe take a tour bus, I don't know. They haven't told us the schedule yet. It will be fun if we win and we'll have a good time."

The Wembley Stadium field hasn't gotten great reviews.

"Every field is different, you get used to it," Belichick said. "It's a grass field. It's not the fastest field but we've played on plenty comparable to that. It's a little different environment out there. They do the soccer cheers and the rugby cheers and all that.

"It's a little less football-oriented."

NOTES: Gostkowski, who kicked the tying and winning field goals last Sunday in a 29-26 overtime win over the New York Jets, said, "I got a chance to help the team and I came through. It was fun. It was a good feeling to come out with a win, a division win against a team that we like to beat."... The Patriots have gained more than 350 yards in each of their last 16 games, tying an NFL record set by the Rams (1999-2000), this week's opponent. "I'm a lot more concerned about wins than yards. I don't really care about the stats," Belichick said. "I just care about scoring more points than the other team."

Source: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121024/SPORTS/210240309/-1/rss06

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Source: http://kashwealthsystem.com/health/2012/10/22/stop-smoking-self-hypnosis-audio-download-with-ebook/

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Must-Read: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in Politico ...

Washington, DC--(ENEWSPF)--October 24, 2012.?

Americans are about to choose among candidates who are debating whether to cut benefits for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and whether the richest Americans should pay their fair share of taxes.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney?s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program and increase health care costs for seniors is a deciding issue in key battleground states and for key electorates. Another deciding issue is the scandalously low tax rate that people like Romney get away with paying.?

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators who are not up for reelection is working behind closed doors in Washington to reach a so-called grand bargain that completely bypasses this debate and ignores the views of voters.

What is the grand bargain? It boils down to lower tax rates for rich people ? paid for by benefit cuts for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These are precisely the issues that are being debated so vigorously in the campaign, and voters do not want anything to do with such a deal.

The pundits will tell you that Democrats have no choice but to accept Social Security and Medicare benefit cuts ? because this is the only way Republicans will agree to more tax revenue. This is the grand bargain.

We could not disagree more.

When I hear people say we need to cut Social Security benefits, I wonder whether they know that millions of people lost their retirement savings in the Great Recession and that traditional pensions are increasingly hard to come by. Do the benefit cutters think seniors are sitting around wondering how to spend their lavish retirement benefits ? now averaging the princely sum of $14,500 per year? Do they think near-seniors are suddenly realizing that their savings and pensions are much more secure than they had ever imagined possible? Are the people who want to raise the retirement age aware that life expectancy for Americans who lack a high school diploma is actually declining? Do they understand that raising the retirement age is a benefit cut, no matter what age you retire?

Of course we have to bring down health care costs, but not by cutting benefits and not by shifting more costs to individuals. The right way to bring down health care costs is to make our health care system more cost effective, stop overpayments for care and reform the way we deliver and pay for care. For example, allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices from the big pharmaceutical companies would save a lot of money ? but Republicans have blocked this at every turn.

The grand bargain crowd says we have to cut benefits to lower the deficit. But if they were serious about reducing the deficit, they would not propose to lower the top tax rate for the richest Americans, which wastes trillions of dollars. If you want to cut benefits for working Americans while cutting the top tax rate for the richest Americans, it is abundantly clear which side you?re on.

Earlier this month, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said something courageous. He said we cannot afford to lower the top rate below where it was when Bill Clinton was president ? 39.6 percent ? even if we close tax loopholes. Cutting tax rates for the rich won?t help with the supposed goal of reducing the deficit, and it will exacerbate economic inequality ? the last thing we need.

The reaction to Schumer?s speech proves there is nothing in the grand bargain for working people. Republican leaders said no grand bargain is possible without lowering the top tax rate for the richest Americans. What they really have in mind is extending tax cuts for the richest 2 percent of Americans, at a cost of $1 trillion, and then increasing taxes on the middle class. In return for ?generously? offering up higher taxes on the middle class, they think Democrats should agree to benefit cuts for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.

This deal stinks to high heaven, which is precisely why it is being negotiated behind closed doors. We say no to secret deals. Let?s have this debate out in the open. Do you think the American people really want to cut benefits for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare in exchange for lowering the top tax rate for the richest Americans? I don?t think so.

Richard Trumka is president of the AFL-CIO.

Source: aflcio.org

Source: http://www.enewspf.com/opinion/37734-must-read-afl-cio-president-richard-trumka-in-politico-americans-dont-want-grand-bargain.html

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Padraig Harrington, late substitute, takes lead at Grand Slam of Golf

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SOUTHAMPTON, BERMUDA - OCTOBER 23: Padraig Harrington of Ireland hits his tee shot on the ninth hole during the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Course on October 23, 2012 in Southampton, Bermuda.

Photograph by: Mike Ehrmann , Getty Images

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda -- Padraig Harrington made the most of his late entry into the PGA Grand Slam of Golf with a 5-under 66 on Tuesday.

Harrington was picked as an alternate three days ago for British Open champion Ernie Els, who has a minor ankle injury. The Irishman made seven birdies at Port Royal Golf Club to build a two-shot lead over Masters champion Bubba Watson in the 36-hole event for the year's major champions.

U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson had a 68. Keegan Bradley, filling in for PGA champion Rory McIlroy, had a 72.

Harrington, a three-time major champion, lost in a playoff at the Grand Slam to Angel Cabrera in 2007 and to Jim Furyk in 2008. Ian Woosnam in 1991 is the only European to win the PGA Grand Slam.

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Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F282/~3/0sP8C1myEd8/story.html

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Public release date: 23-Oct-2012
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Contact: Gertie Skaarup
skaarup@nbi.dk
45-35-32-53-20
University of Copenhagen

Turbulent flows have challenged researchers for centuries. It is impossible to predict chaotic weather more than a week in advance. Wind resistance on a plane or a car cannot be calculated precisely, since it is determined by atmospheric turbulence. Now, however, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have succeeded in developing a statistical model that can replicate the chaotic flows and thereby provide a better understanding of the process. The research results are published in the scientific journal, Physics of Fluids.

"Without knowing the movements in detail, we know that they happen in such a way that the kinetic energy is conserved," explains Peter Ditlevsen, a research associate professor at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. He explains that when a liquid or air is set in motion, for example, if you create large eddies in a bathtub by stirring the water, it will transpire, that when you stop stirring, smaller and smaller eddies will continue to be created, while the large ones slowly die out. Finally, the movement in the smallest eddies are converted into heat. The entire process is called an energy cascade from large scales to small scales and is absolutely fundamental for understanding chaotic turbulent flow.

If the motion is limited to only being able to take place on a single plane, that is, two dimensions (2D), instead of in a volume, that is, three dimensions (3D), it will happen quite differently. The reason is that the flow cannot release its energy as small eddies cannot easily be formed in two dimensions. In two dimensions, both the energy and eddy density (which is called enstrophy) is retained in the flow, unlike in three dimensions, where only the energy is preserved.

Complicated calculations in 3D

A complex motion equation that has been known for almost 200 years, the so-called Navier-Stokes equation, is used to calculate the air's turbulent 3D movements. But even the world's most powerful computers, which have been dedicated to just this purpose, can only provide an approximate solution to the equation.

In order to describe the turbulent cascade processes, the researchers have therefore developed simplified mathematical models that are much easier to fully investigate in with computer calculations. The models have the same behaviour as the Navier-Stokes equation, but the models have not been able to reproduce the so-called inverse cascade in 2D.

Until now, the models have been too limited to show both the eddy density cascades down to small scales and the energy cascades up to large scales. They have been able to simulate the one cascade or the other, but not both simultaneously.

Simpler calculations in 2D

However, Peter Ditlevsen has now succeeded in developing such a cascade model that can reproduce the double cascade process in 2D turbulence.

"Turbulence can occur as a somewhat exotic phenomena. Though not in this case: Motion in the atmosphere, the wind and the weather is largely two-dimensional. The movements on the vertical axis are 100 to 1000 times less than those on the horizontal axis. The air has a much more difficult time moving vertically, so the movement of the weather systems movement is two-dimensional turbulence. This means that it is possible to predict the weather a ways ahead of time. If the movement had been three-dimensional, it would be dominated by small eddies, which are completely unpredictable, like when you see autumn leaves randomly floating around in a courtyard," explains Peter Ditlevsen.

The turbulent flows occur over a vast span of scales, so when researchers want to understand the processes, they have to study simplified models.

"With the new model of the two-dimensional turbulence we are one step closer to understanding which factors in the motion equations govern how energy is distributed in the flow," explains Peter Ditlevsen.

###

Article in Physics of Fluids: http://pof.aip.org/resource/1/phfle6/v24/i10/p105109_s1?bypassSSO=1

For more information contact:

Peter Ditlevsen, Associate professor in geophysics and climate modelling, Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, +45 3532-0603, +45 2875-0603, pditlev@nbi.ku.dk

http://www.nbi.ku.dk/english/

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Gertie Skaarup
skaarup@nbi.dk
45-35-32-53-20
University of Copenhagen

Turbulent flows have challenged researchers for centuries. It is impossible to predict chaotic weather more than a week in advance. Wind resistance on a plane or a car cannot be calculated precisely, since it is determined by atmospheric turbulence. Now, however, researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have succeeded in developing a statistical model that can replicate the chaotic flows and thereby provide a better understanding of the process. The research results are published in the scientific journal, Physics of Fluids.

"Without knowing the movements in detail, we know that they happen in such a way that the kinetic energy is conserved," explains Peter Ditlevsen, a research associate professor at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. He explains that when a liquid or air is set in motion, for example, if you create large eddies in a bathtub by stirring the water, it will transpire, that when you stop stirring, smaller and smaller eddies will continue to be created, while the large ones slowly die out. Finally, the movement in the smallest eddies are converted into heat. The entire process is called an energy cascade from large scales to small scales and is absolutely fundamental for understanding chaotic turbulent flow.

If the motion is limited to only being able to take place on a single plane, that is, two dimensions (2D), instead of in a volume, that is, three dimensions (3D), it will happen quite differently. The reason is that the flow cannot release its energy as small eddies cannot easily be formed in two dimensions. In two dimensions, both the energy and eddy density (which is called enstrophy) is retained in the flow, unlike in three dimensions, where only the energy is preserved.

Complicated calculations in 3D

A complex motion equation that has been known for almost 200 years, the so-called Navier-Stokes equation, is used to calculate the air's turbulent 3D movements. But even the world's most powerful computers, which have been dedicated to just this purpose, can only provide an approximate solution to the equation.

In order to describe the turbulent cascade processes, the researchers have therefore developed simplified mathematical models that are much easier to fully investigate in with computer calculations. The models have the same behaviour as the Navier-Stokes equation, but the models have not been able to reproduce the so-called inverse cascade in 2D.

Until now, the models have been too limited to show both the eddy density cascades down to small scales and the energy cascades up to large scales. They have been able to simulate the one cascade or the other, but not both simultaneously.

Simpler calculations in 2D

However, Peter Ditlevsen has now succeeded in developing such a cascade model that can reproduce the double cascade process in 2D turbulence.

"Turbulence can occur as a somewhat exotic phenomena. Though not in this case: Motion in the atmosphere, the wind and the weather is largely two-dimensional. The movements on the vertical axis are 100 to 1000 times less than those on the horizontal axis. The air has a much more difficult time moving vertically, so the movement of the weather systems movement is two-dimensional turbulence. This means that it is possible to predict the weather a ways ahead of time. If the movement had been three-dimensional, it would be dominated by small eddies, which are completely unpredictable, like when you see autumn leaves randomly floating around in a courtyard," explains Peter Ditlevsen.

The turbulent flows occur over a vast span of scales, so when researchers want to understand the processes, they have to study simplified models.

"With the new model of the two-dimensional turbulence we are one step closer to understanding which factors in the motion equations govern how energy is distributed in the flow," explains Peter Ditlevsen.

###

Article in Physics of Fluids: http://pof.aip.org/resource/1/phfle6/v24/i10/p105109_s1?bypassSSO=1

For more information contact:

Peter Ditlevsen, Associate professor in geophysics and climate modelling, Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, +45 3532-0603, +45 2875-0603, pditlev@nbi.ku.dk

http://www.nbi.ku.dk/english/

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/uoc-tfi102312.php

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Another Tibetan in western China self-immolates

BEIJING A Tibetan farmer set himself ablaze in front of a market in remote northwest China in the second self-immolation death near the Labrang Monastery in two days, a rights group said.

The monastery in Gansu province's Xiahe county is one of the most important outside of Tibet and was the site of numerous protests by monks following deadly ethnic riots in Tibet in 2008 that were the most sustained Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in decades.

The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said in an email that Dorje Rinchen, a farmer in his late 50s, set himself on fire Tuesday on the main street in Xiahe and died later.

The group sent a photo allegedly showing Dorje wrapped in blankets after the immolation, his neck and head badly charred and swollen. It was not clear whether he was still alive when the blurry, poorly lit picture was taken.

The group quoted a Tibetan from Xiahe who currently lives in exile as saying that Dorje had counseled young Tibetans not to self-immolate.

A woman who answered the phone at the Xiahe Public Security Bureau refused to answer questions about the self-immolation and the phone of the local Communist Party propaganda office rang unanswered Wednesday. The number for the Labrang Monastery appeared to not be in service.

On Monday, a Tibetan herdsman died after setting himself on fire near the monastery.

Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire since March 2011 in ethnic Tibetan areas of China in protest over what activists say is Beijing's heavy-handed rule in the region. Many have called for the return of their spiritual leader, the exiled Dalai Lama. The government has confirmed some, but not all, of the self-immolations.

Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetan claims of repression and have accused supporters of the Dalai Lama of encouraging the self-immolations. The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India say they oppose all violence.

Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/10/23/3617712/another-tibetan-in-western-china.html

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Grand Canyon run by Arizona? Vote seeks state control

Charles Platiau / Reuters

Should the National Park Service or Arizona's state park system manage the Grand Canyon? Arizonans are voting on the state versus federal issue.

By Tim Gaynor, Reuters

When voters in Arizona go to the polls next month, they will be asked to decide a landownership tug of war: Should the Grand Canyon belong to all Americans, or just the residents of Arizona?

A controversial ballot measure backed by Republicans in the state legislature is seeking sovereign control over millions of acres of federal land in the state, including the Grand Canyon.

Proposition 120 would amend the state's constitution to declare Arizona's sovereignty and jurisdiction over the "air, water, public lands, minerals, wildlife and other natural resources within the state's boundaries."

The measure is the latest salvo in the so-called "sagebrush revolt" by Republicans in the West aiming to take back control of major swaths of land owned by various federal agencies, much of it by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management.

---

State Sen. Sylvia Allen, one of the Republican backers of the measure, argues that federal retention of the land hurts the economy of the Western states and leaves them struggling to fund public education, nurture their economies, and manage their forests and natural resources.

"We do not have the ability in rural Arizona to provide jobs for our citizens due to the fact that the federal government controls all the land," Allen told Reuters. "It leaves us at a great disadvantage. We're not able to bring in industry and provide for the jobs that we need," she added.

The exact area of public land targeted by the measure -- which excludes American Indian reservations and federal installations such as arsenals - was not immediately clear on the Arizona Secretary of State's website.

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The Sierra Club pegged the area at between 39,000 and 46,700 square miles -- or 34 percent to 41 percent of the entire state.

The ballot measure is just the latest move in a decades-old federal-state skirmish over control of a wide range of natural resources in Western states, often pitting mining, drilling and logging companies against those seeking to protect the environment.?

The efforts have had mixed success. In May, Arizona's Republican Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a state bill calling on Washington to relinquish the title to 48,000 square miles, arguing that it created uncertainty for existing leaseholders on federal lands in difficult economic times.

But similar legislation was signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in neighboring Utah in March, despite warnings from state attorneys that it was likely unconstitutional and would trigger a costly and ultimately futile legal battle.

Opponents of the latest drive to assert Arizona's ownership say that, if successful, the initiative could undermine protections provided by federal environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Clean Water Act, and would saddle Arizona with lands for which it would be unable to care.

"They can't even fund and ensure that their (state) parks are protected, so how they would take on an additional 25 to 30 million acres of land is a big question mark," Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, told Reuters.

No polls have given a sense of whether Prop 120 will prosper during the November 6 election. But Bahr cautioned that, should it pass, it would inevitably trigger fresh litigation for Arizona, which recently fought a legal battle over its tough 2010 crackdown on illegal immigrants all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"This one is just blatantly unconstitutional," Bahr said of Prop 120. "Does Arizona really need another lawsuit?"?

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Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/23/14643160-arizonans-to-vote-on-taking-grand-canyon-other-lands-from-federal-control?lite

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Court reverses decision on property-tax penalty for Staten Island ...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A Staten Island judge overreached when he ordered two veteran builders to reimburse a pair of homebuyers who were ineligible for property-tax breaks, an appellate court has ruled.

Two years ago, Supervising Judge Philip S. Straniere of Richmond County Civil Court in West Brighton directed Victor Freudman and Nasser Yaghoobzadeh and their firm, the defunct Smyrna Building Corp., to shell out $12,651 to Joseph and Belle Miranda. They also were told to pay $10,993 to Steven and Chana Cilento.

Straniere ruled, after trial, that the builders had violated the General Business Law by telling the buyers they were eligible for property-tax abatements, when it turned out they were not.

However, the Appellate Division, Second Department, unanimously reversed Straniere's decision, ruling the buyers had not alleged General Business Law violations, and Straniere shouldn't have applied them.

The Mirandas and the Cilentos bought new homes in 1997 on Drumgoole Road West and Smyrna Avenue, respectively, on the Annadale-Eltingville border. They purchased the homes based on the builders' assurances they'd receive tax breaks.

Howard M. File, the builders' lawyer, previously told the Advance his clients received a certificate from the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) several months after the closings, stating the properties were eligible for tax abatement. The cash break was to be phased in over eight years, but the city Finance Department refused to apply it.

"The city changed its position after the fact, unbeknownst to the builders," said File then.

Neither the buyers nor the builders produced documentation from HPD or Finance explaining why the abatements were denied, Straniere wrote in his original decision.

The properties, which originally comprised one tax lot, had been classified as commercial, according to court documents and John Z. Marangos, who represented the buyers at the Civil Court trial. An office building and parking area on the land were subsequently demolished in 1995.

To qualify for a residential tax abatement, the lot had to remain vacant for more than a year after the razing and be reclassified as vacant residential land. It was not.

Freudman and Yaghoobzadeh contended they were unaware of that rule when they sold the property to the Mirandas and Cilentos. They maintained they had followed through and filed for the abatements in good faith.

Straniere said the duo should have known better.

He said he was "shocked and dismayed" that two veteran builders with 30 years' experience in constructing and selling homes had tried to "stick" unsuspecting buyers. The judge said they should have offered to adjust the homes' purchase price or refund some money to the buyers.

Court papers said the Mirandas dished out $24,268 in property taxes between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 2005. They would have paid only $12,042, had the abatement been in effect, those documents stated.

The Cilentos paid $15,671 in real-estate taxes before selling their home in 2004. Straniere calculated their loss at $10,568, plus the $425 fee each couple paid Smyrna to file for the tax abatements.

The buyers alleged fraud and negligent representation, and Straniere ruled after trial that they failed to establish those charges, according to the appellate court. Nevertheless, he found "in the interest of just[ice]" that the builders had violated the General Business Law, according to the appellate court.

The higher court, however, said the buyers made no such claim, nor did they allege the builders had misrepresented "members of the public generally," a necessary element to bring a General Business Law claim.

File, the builders' lawyer, said last week the appellate court had "properly" dismissed the suit.

"The higher court found there was no fraud committed by these builders," said File.

The Mirandas' lawyer, Allyn J. Crawford, of Bloomfield, declined comment on the ruling.

The Cilentos' attorney, Ricardo R. Morel, of Queens, did not return a phone call seeking comment. ?

Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/10/court_reverses_decision_on_pro.html

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94% The Sessions

All Critics (68) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (4)

The movie is so clammily sensitive and tame that it stifles any strong response.

A sentimental, feel-good romance about pity sex.

The Sessions is bracing. It's also one of the few movies to recognize that people with severe physical disabilities have sexual lives, too.

A sweet but minor fictional parable about the strange possibilities of love.

A movie like this is really built around a performance, and John Hawkes - so powerfully evil in "Winter's Bone" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" - carries the film.

"The Sessions'' treats intimacy with an explicitness and honesty that's very rare in movies.

Another dynamite vehicle for John Hawkes, in which Lewin's affecting script overcomes his pedestrian direction.

Skilled direction, a talented cast and a simple but elegant story will garner a lot of sympathy from its targeted, more mature audience.

It offers a relatable depiction of the powers of a positive mental attitude and perseverance in spite of horrendously bad luck. And some Oscar-caliber acting, to boot.

An incredibly low-key and feel-good adult movie about sex that's much funnier than most people are probably expecting, highlighted by a pair of Oscar-caliber performances by its two leads.

A frank exploration of sex and disability, The Sessions compensates for a minor structural misstep with an acute ear for tone and stellar performances throughout.

The bottom line here is that yes, a movie about a physically disabled man makes for one of the sexiest date nights of the year. Unless you're allergic to over-20s.

With Ben Lewin's film The Sessions, Hawkes is given the biggest and juiciest leading role of his career, and he pulls it off with remarkable grace and humor.

Less dreary than uplifting, The Surrogate succeeds as a light romance with heavy material.

The movie methodically punts each time it comes across anything interesting.

The Sessions is a magnificent film. This tale of a profoundly disabled man's sexual awaking is not only a genuine crowd pleaser , but it also gives a cinematic voice to the marginalized.

Mature but deeply powerful look at sex and the disabled.

Award-worthy performances from John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy.

This warm, witty, sensuous and quite wonderful study of a disabled artist terrifically avoids any "triumph of the human spirit" sentimentality.

The core of the move -- specifically the sessions between Mark and Cheryl -- is quite good.

More Critic Reviews

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_sessions/

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Berdych beats Tsonga in 3 sets to win in Stockholm - Herald Online

Czech Republic's Tomas Berdych celebrates after winning the ATP Stockholm Open tennis final match against France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Royal Tennis Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden, Soren Andersson) SWEDEN OUT

Soren Andersson ? AP

STOCKHOLM ? Tomas Berdych won his second ATP title this year by rallying to beat top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the Stockholm Open final on Sunday.

The sixth-ranked Czech saved seven of nine break-point chances in the hard-fought match to improve to 3-1 against Tsonga and add to his win in February in Montpellier, France. Berdych now has eight career titles - including winning more than one in a season for the first time.

"It feels pretty good ... this season has been really solid," Berdych said.

He saved a break point to hold serve for 5-4 in the deciding set. In the following game, Tsonga then saved two match points by hitting an ace and a winner but ultimately lost on a double fault.

"I just tried to stay positive until the end and tried to take points one by one," Berdych said. "I'm happy to turn it (the match) around, it makes the win even more special."

Berdych is aiming to make it into next month's London Finals, after which he will be part of the team to take on Spain in the Davis Cup final.

"To qualify into London is special, this is the one where you have to play well all year to get into the tournament. I'm hoping to make it for the third year in a row."

In the first set, thanks to some patient baseline play, Tsonga forced the hard-hitting Berdych into making mistakes and eventually broke the Czech to 3-2 on his fourth break point.

With some powerful serving and aggressive play, Tsonga went on to clinch the opening set 6-4.

He proceeded to break Berdych in the opening game of the second set, and then held his serve until 4-3. Berdych gradually found his groove and finally broke back to 4-4, then reeled off the next two games to take the set.

In a tight deciding set, both players fought off several break points, with both managing to hold serves until the 10th game, where Tsonga's serving finally let him down.

"I feel bad," said a disappointed Tsonga, the stronger player for a set and a half. "I think we played a great match and I had many opportunities. I did some wrong things, but I gave my best tennis and I lost, so I have nothing to regret."

Source: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/21/4352298/berdych-beats-tsonga-in-3-sets.html

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How to kill time without staring at your phone

8 hrs.

Harry Sawyers , Gizmodo

Once upon a time, standing around and waiting involved exactly that: Standing around, waiting, and not doing much else. Today, any free moment is spent facedown in a phone. Stop reading this on your own phone. Right now. Look around. At this moment, you should be the only person, anywhere in sight, not looking at a phone.

But staring at that phone isn't the only way to wait. You can do other stuff. In fact, there are exactly six things you can do instead.

Make eye contact
People used to do this all the time. You could recognize a neighbor or share a moment with an attractive stranger. It can still happen???but you have to be careful. You don't want to be caught staring right at the moment that person looks up from his (or especially her) phone. Wait until the fleeting few seconds when this person looks away from the phone for some reason, then casually lock eyes. Smile! It will seem a lot less weird that way. When you get back online, this kind of encounter is a great thing to put on Craigslist as a Missed Connection.

Talk about the weather
This is a classic. If you're new at it, try some established introductory phrases.

• "This is some rain!"
• "Hot enough for ya?"
• "They say it's gonna turn cold tomorrow!"

For this to work, you'll need a little luck, because you have to find someone else who is also not looking at a phone. Otherwise, there's a data-filled weather app just a tap away. Not to mention that look:?Why are you talking to me, can't you see I'm looking at my phone?

Observe your surroundings
If you look up from your phone for long enough, you can notice amazing things happening all around you. A pigeon pecking at a pizza crust. A man pushing a shopping cart piled higher than his head. A grown woman weeping hysterically. That's real life! And it is stunning. Once you get back on your phone, all of these observations will make excellent tweets.

Find unusual patterns
This one is a bit of a brain teaser. Look over at that odd brick wall, or the hexagonal tile on the floor, or that way the ice cubes collect at the bottom of your glass. Gaze into these shapes. Watch them form new shapes. See the shapes begin to arrange themselves, rotating, and falling into position. So chaotic, yet so organized. You know what? This calls for a quick game of "Tetris."

See what other people are looking at on their phones
This is an endlessly fascinating sociological exercise, and it can also give you fresh ideas about what you could be doing on your own phone. A scouting report from a recent bus ride:

• Shiny gold case. Hot pink case. iPhone 5, no case.
• Cracked white iPhone 4 with an incoming call from "Daddy."
• Bedazzled lady playing "Bedazzled."
• Woman urgently speaking Spanish into a white Nokia with gold trim.
• Girl on an HTC, reading Gawker, followed by "A Farmer's Market, Deep in China."

You could also just read a book
But then you're not even thinking about looking at your phone. You're looking at your Kindle.

This is what I do, anyway???how do you kill time phone-free?

More from Gizmodo:

Opening photo: Four guys who really know how to look at phones. From left:?Jesus Diaz,?Matt Buchanan,?Sam Biddle, and?Matt Hardigree. Shot by?John Mahoney.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/how-kill-time-without-staring-your-phone-1C6583331

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Analysis: Romney has path to victory, but Obama still has slight edge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Suddenly, Republican Mitt Romney has a viable path to victory in the tight battle for the White House.

Democratic President Barack Obama still appears to have the upper hand in the state-by-state fight to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency in the November 6 election.

But Romney's recent surge in the polls after his strong performance in his first debate with Obama on October 3 has propelled the Republican into the lead or within striking distance in enough states to give him a reasonable chance of beating Obama to the finish line.

Ohio, long seen as the key to unlocking the White House, looms large in every victory scenario for either candidate - particularly Romney. Until the last two weeks, polls did not show Romney with enough support in other crucial states to give him a clear path even if he won Ohio.

But he has that now, as the campaign enters its final two weeks with eight states in play as toss-ups.

"Before the first debate the electoral math looked like a real reach for Romney. Today, it looks quite possible," said Peter Brown, a pollster at Quinnipiac University.

"Ohio is the big unknown, and it's Romney's biggest obstacle," Brown said. "If Romney can win Ohio, he's likely to win the election."

The changing map has led Romney to make some shifts in strategy.

He began moving some staff from North Carolina, a one-time battleground where he now has a solid lead, to other swing states this week. The former Massachusetts governor's campaign also bolstered its television advertising in Iowa and Wisconsin, where polls indicate Obama has slim leads.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls gives Obama a lead of at least four percentage points in states that account for 237 electoral votes, while Romney enters the final stretch with an edge of that size in states that represent 206 electoral votes.

That leaves a reduced battlefield of eight toss-up states and 95 electoral votes, all won by Obama in the 2008 election - Colorado (9 electoral votes), Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18), Virginia (13) and Wisconsin (10).

In the last two weeks Romney has moved into a small lead or a virtual tie with Obama in Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia, which together account for 55 electoral votes. A sweep of all four still would leave Romney nine electoral votes short of victory - a big reason why the race is boiling down to the battle in Ohio.

A win in Ohio would put Romney over the top and give him some margin of error to lose other states that are still in play. If he does not win Ohio, either Wisconsin or a combination of Nevada and Iowa still could be enough to win, although Obama, in addition to having slim leads in Wisconsin and Iowa, also leads in Nevada.

"Things have moved consistently in Romney's direction, but he still hasn't unlocked the gates to enough places yet," said pollster Thomas Riehle of YouGov, a market research company that is conducting polling in swing states. "Romney needs more good news before he's a safe bet to win."

LOOKING A LOT LIKE 2000, AND 2004

The tightening race has created many different scenarios, including the possibility that the Electoral College winner will not capture the most votes nationwide - similar to what happened in 2000, when Republican George W. Bush got more electoral votes than Democrat Al Gore, who received more of the popular vote.

The prominence of Ohio also has invoked memories of 2004, when Bush won re-election over Democrat John Kerry in the early hours of the morning after Election Day by a margin of less than 120,000 votes in the Midwestern state.

Both candidates are pouring time and resources into Ohio, where Obama has held a steady lead for months and now has an average poll advantage of more than 2 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.

HOLDING ON IN THE MIDWEST?

Romney, a wealthy former private equity executive who opposed the Obama-backed federal bailout of the auto industry, has struggled to connect with blue-collar voters in Ohio, where one in eight jobs is tied to the auto industry and the state unemployment rate is lower than the national average of 7.8 percent.

Iowa and Wisconsin, where RealClearPolitics puts Obama's average lead at between two and three percentage points, also have lower state unemployment rates than nationally.

Along with Ohio, they could give the Obama campaign a Midwestern stronghold of 34 electoral votes that protects him against potential losses elsewhere.

"As you look across the country, you are seeing the president is continuing to be very strong in the Midwest in places like Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said. "I think we've held our support in the Midwest."

If Obama wins the states where he currently has comfortable leads and adds just those three Midwestern states, he would have 271 electoral votes - enough to be re-elected.

"Until we see something that suggests other states are in play, these Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio numbers mean it's still a reach for Romney to win," said Lee Miringoff, a Marist College pollster.

He released surveys on Thursday showing Obama with a lead of eight points in Iowa and six points in Wisconsin, although a survey by Public Policy Polling on Friday gave Romney a one-point edge in Iowa.

Romney campaign aides say they are confident that he has enough momentum in Ohio and other swing states to pull out a win, pointing to his growing crowds and improving poll numbers, including those from the campaign's own surveys.

"The dynamic has very much changed in the swing states," said a senior Romney adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The underlying fundamentals in the swing states have changed dramatically in Romney's favor."

In states where Romney has made gains, they have been fueled in part by improvements in his personal favorability ratings, gains with independents and a reduction in Obama's large lead among unmarried women voters.

Romney advisers said the first debate eased the concerns of some voters in swing states who have been bombarded for months by attack ads portraying the Republican as an out-of-touch multimillionaire with little sympathy for the middle class.

"People are getting a lot of information and what they're seeing is very much at odds with the ads that have run," the Romney adviser said. "That has been the biggest impact."

The Obama campaign is counting on what polls show is strong support from the growing Hispanic community to make a difference in Nevada and Colorado, although the level of intensity and voter turnout among Hispanics will be a wild card.

Any gains for Obama among Hispanics could be offset, however, by what polls have found is decreased support among the young and first-time voters who helped sweep Obama to victory over Republican John McCain in 2008.

Most national polls show Obama and Romney deadlocked. A Reuters/Ipsos daily online tracking poll on Saturday gave Obama a 1-point national advantage. Ipsos projects the president will win 315 electoral votes.

In such a close race, any surprise development during the final two weeks could loom large.

Obama and Romney will have their final debate, on foreign policy, on Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, where Romney is once again likely to challenge the president on his handling of the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The White House on Saturday denied a report by The New York Times that the Obama administration and Iran had agreed to hold one-on-one talks about Iran's nuclear program, another issue that could shape the narrative of the campaign's final days.

Meanwhile, Obama's handling of the struggling economy will again be the focus when the Department of Labor releases the unemployment figures for October on November 2, just four days before the election. The report for September gave Democrats a boost by showing that the nation's unemployment rate was 7.8 percent, down from 8.1 percent in August.

"It was always going to be a really close election," Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said. "But the electoral math still adds up in Obama's favor at the moment."

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Samuel P. Jacobs; Editing by David Lindsey and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-romney-path-victory-obama-still-slight-edge-050317218.html

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