Big emitters aim at climate delay

28 November 2011 Last updated at 05:40 ET By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

As this year's UN climate summit opens, some of the developing world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters are bidding to delay talks on a new global agreement.

To the anger of small islands states, India and Brazil have joined rich nations in wanting to start talks on a legal deal no earlier than 2015.

The EU and climate-vulnerable blocs want to start as soon as possible, and have the deal finalised by 2015.

The UN summit, in Durban, South Africa, may make progress in a few areas.

"We are in Durban with one purpose: to find a common solution that will secure a future to generations to come," said Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa's minister of international relations, who is chairing the summit.

But the process of finding that common solution, in the form of an agreement that can constrain greeenhouse gas emissions enough to keep the global average temperature rise below 2C, will entail some complex and difficult politics.

Developing countries will certainly target rich governments such as Japan, Canada and Russia over their refusal to commit to new emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol, whose current targets expire at the end of next year.

They see this as a breach of previous commitments and of trust.

But some observers say small island states may begin "naming and shaming" developing countries that are also delaying progress.

They say the impasse should not delay talks on a new deal, arguing that to do so would be, in one delegate's wording, "the politics of mutually-assured destruction".

"They're on the edge of a mess," another delegate told BBC News, "and they may not be able to resolve this mess".

Seismic shift Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

The global response to climate change simply does not have time for advancing self-serving national interests?

End Quote Mark Roberts EIA

The politics of the UN climate process are undergoing something of a fundamental transformation.

Increasingly, countries are dividing into one group that wants a new global treaty as soon as possible - the EU plus lots of developing countries - and another that prefers a delay and perhaps something less rigorous than a full treaty.

The divide was evident earlier this month at the Major Economies Forum (MEF) meeting in Arlington, US - the body that includes 17 of the world's highest-polluting nations.

There, the UK and others argued that the Durban summit should agree to begin work on a new global agreement immediately, to have it in place by 2015, and operating by 2020 at the very latest.

The US, Russia and Japan were already arguing for a longer timeframe.

But BBC News has learned that at the MEF meeting, Brazil and India took the same position.

Continue reading the main story

DURBAN CLIMATE CONFERENCE

• Summit will attempt to agree the roadmap for a future global deal on reducing carbon emissions
• Developing countries are insisting rich nations pledge further emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol
• Delegates also aim to finalise some deals struck at last year's summit
• These include speeding up the roll-out of clean technology to developing nations?
• ? and a system for managing the Green Climate Fund, scheduled to gather and distribute billions of dollars per year to developing countries
• Progress may also be made on funding forest protection

Brazil wants the period 2012-15 to be a "reflection phase", while India suggested it should be a "technical/scientific period".

China, now the world's biggest emitter, is said by sources to be more flexible, though its top priority for Durban is the Kyoto Protocol.

"The planet has no other sustainable alternative other than to ensure the continuity of the Kyoto Protocol, through a second commitment period starting in 2013," said Jorge Arguello, leader of the Argentinian delegation, which this year chairs the powerful G77/China bloc of 131 nations.

"The adoption of a second commitment period for the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions under the Kyoto Protocol is not only a political imperative and a historical responsibility, but a legal obligation that must be faced as such."

Although the EU does not oppose a second commitment period, other developed nations do.

And as the US left the protocol years ago, nations still signed on account only for about 15% of global emissions - which is why there is so much emphasis on a new instrument, with some legal force, covering all countries.

Cooling wish

The US, Russia, Japan and Canada have all argued for delaying negotiations on this for various domestic political reasons.

But the news that big developing countries are also lobbying for a delay is likely to lead to fireworks in Durban.

Many of the countries most at risk from climate impacts want to cut emissions fast enough to hold the global average temperature rise from pre-industrial times under 1.5C.

Scientific assessments say that for this to happen, global emissions should peak and begin to fall before 2020, adding urgency to these nations' quest for a new and effective global agreement.

President Nasheed of the Maldives is virtually the only leader who has spoken openly of the need for major developing countries to begin cutting emissions soon.

Equating the need to develop with the right to emit greenhouse gases is, he has said, "rather silly".

But sources in Durban indicate that delegates from other small developing countries may join him before the fortnight elapses, and demand more of the big developing nations.

China, Brazil and India are also being blamed for blocking moves to phase out the climate-warming industrial HFC gases, which small island states tabled at the Montreal Protocol meeting in Bali last week.

"The global response to climate change simply does not have time for advancing self-serving national interests," said Mark Roberts, international policy advisor for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

Funding gap

Sources say, however, that there is real prospect of agreement in Durban on rules and mechanisms for a Green Climate Fund.

This would raise and disburse sums, rising to $100bn per year by 2020, to developing nations.

Continue reading the main story

Adaptation

Action that helps cope with the effects of climate change - for example construction of barriers to protect against rising sea levels, or conversion to crops capable of surviving high temperatures and drought.

There is no agreement on where the money should come from.

Developing countries say the public coffers of industrialised nations should be the main source, whereas western governments say the bulk must come from private sector sources.

That is unlikely to be resolved until the end of next year.

But finalising the fund's rules in Durban would be a concrete step forward.

Tim Gore, Oxfam's chief policy adviser, said UK Climate Minister Chris Huhne must push for "getting the money flowing through the Green Climate Fund that poor people need to fight climate change now.

"A deal to raise resources from international transport could be on the table, and Huhne must convince other ministers to strike it," he said.

However, there is widespread scepticism about the much smaller funds - $10bn per year - that developed nations are already supposed to be contributing under the Fast Start Finance agreement made in 2009.

Developing countries say only a small fraction of what has been pledged is genuinely "new and additional", as it is meant to be; and that little has actually materialised.

The summit may also see a row over the EU's imminent integration of aviation into the Emission Trading Schemen, which India and some other developing nations oppose.

Follow Richard on Twitter

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-15894948

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NY judge rejects $285M SEC-Citigroup agreement (AP)

NEW YORK ? A judge on Monday used unusually harsh language to strike down a $285 million settlement between Citigroup and the Securities and Exchange Commission over toxic mortgage securities, saying he couldn't tell whether the deal was fair and criticizing regulators for shielding the public from details of the firm's wrongdoing.

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said the public has a right to know what happens in cases that touch on "the transparency of financial markets whose gyrations have so depressed our economy and debilitated our lives." In such cases, the SEC has a responsibility to ensure that the truth emerges, he wrote.

Rakoff said he had spent hours trying to assess the settlement but concluded that he had not been given "any proven or admitted facts upon which to exercise even a modest degree of independent judgment."

He called the settlement "neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate, nor in the public interest."

The SEC shot back in a statement issued by Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami, saying the deal was all four of those things and "reasonably reflects the scope of relief that would be obtained after a successful trial."

The SEC had accused the bank of betting against a complex mortgage investment in 2007 ? making $160 million in the process ? while investors lost millions. The settlement would have imposed penalties on Citigroup but allowed it to deny allegations that it misled investors.

Citigroup said in a statement that it disagreed with Rakoff because the proposed settlement was "a fair and reasonable resolution to the SEC's allegation of negligence" and was consistent with long-established legal standards.

"In the event the case is tried, we would present substantial factual and legal defenses to the charges," it added.

This wasn't the first time that the judge struck down an SEC settlement with a bank, and Rakoff has made no secret of his disdain for settlements between the government agency and banks for paltry sums and no admission of guilt.

"The SEC's longstanding policy ? hallowed by history, but not by reason ? of allowing defendants to enter into consent judgments without admitting or denying the underlying allegations, deprives the court of even the most minimal assurance that the substantial injunctive relief it is being asked to impose has any basis in fact," he wrote in Monday's decision.

Adam Pritchard, a professor of securities law at the University of Michigan Law School, said courts could become clogged with cases that would normally be settled if other judges adopt Rakoff's reasoning and deprive companies of their incentive to avoid trial.

He called it a powerful SEC tool to encourage settlements "and Judge Rakoff is taking that away from them."

The SEC's consent judgment settling the case was filed the same day as its lawsuit against Citigroup, the judge noted.

"It is harder to discern from the limited information before the court what the SEC is getting from this settlement other than a quick headline," the judge wrote.

"In much of the world, propaganda reigns, and truth is confined to secretive, fearful whispers," Rakoff said. "Even in our nation, apologists for suppressing or obscuring the truth may always be found. But the SEC, of all agencies, has a duty, inherent in its statutory mission, to see that the truth emerges; and if it fails to do so, this court must not, in the name of deference or convenience, grant judicial enforcement to the agency's contrivances."

He set a July 16 trial date for the case.

Khuzami said in the SEC statement that Rakoff made too much out of the fact that Citigroup did not have to admit wrongdoing. He said forcing Citigroup to give up profits, pay fines and face mandatory business reforms outweigh the absence of an admission "when that relief is obtained promptly and without the risks, delay and resources required at trial."

Khuzami added: "Refusing an otherwise advantageous settlement solely because of the absence of an admission also would divert resources away from the investigation of other frauds and the recovery of losses suffered by other investors not before the court."

Rakoff said the power of the judiciary was "not a free-roving remedy to be invoked at the whim of a regulatory agency, even with the consent of the regulated."

He added: "If its deployment does not rest on facts ? cold, hard, solid facts, established either by admissions or by trials ? it serves no lawful or moral purpose and is simply an engine of oppression."

In the civil lawsuit filed last month, the SEC said Citigroup Inc. traders discussed the possibility of buying financial instruments to essentially bet on the failure of the mortgage assets. Rating agencies downgraded most of the investments just as many troubled homeowners stopped paying their mortgages in late 2007. That pushed the investment into default and cost its buyers' ? hedge funds and investment managers ? several hundred million dollars in losses.

Earlier this month, Rakoff staged a hearing in which he asked lawyers on both sides to defend the settlement.

At the hearing, Rakoff questioned whether freeing Citigroup of any admission of liability could undermine private claims by investors who stand to recover only $95 million in penalties on total losses of $700 million.

In his decision, he called the penalties "pocket change" to a company the size of Citigroup and said that, if the SEC allegations are true, then Citigroup got a "very good deal." If they are untrue, the settlement would be "a mild and modest cost of doing business," he said.

In 2009, Rakoff rejected a $33 million settlement between the SEC and Bank of America Corp. calling it a breach of "justice and morality." The deal was over civil charges accusing the bank of misleading shareholders when it acquired Merrill Lynch during the height of the financial crisis in 2008 by failing to disclose it was paying up to $5.8 billion in bonuses to employees even as it recorded a $27.6 billion yearly loss.

In February 2010, he approved an amended settlement for over four times the original amount, but was caustic in his comments about the $150 million pact, calling it "half-baked justice at best." He said the court approved it "while shaking its head."

Citigroup's $285 million would represent the largest amount to be paid by a Wall Street firm accused of misleading investors since Goldman Sachs & Co. agreed to pay $550 million to settle similar charges last year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. resolved similar charges in June and paid $153.6 million.

All the cases have involved complex investments called collateralized debt obligations. Those are securities that are backed by pools of other assets, such as mortgages.

Rakoff's ruling Monday was the latest in a series of setbacks for the SEC under the leadership of Chairman Mary Schapiro. Rakoff has said he doesn't believe the agency has been sufficiently tough in its enforcement deals with Wall Street banks over their conduct prior to the financial crisis.

The SEC told Rakoff recently that $285 million was a fair penalty, which will go to investors harmed by Citigroup's conduct, and that it was close to what the agency would have won in a trial.

___

AP business writers Pallavi Gogoi in New York and Marcy Gordon in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111129/ap_on_re_us/us_sec_citigroup

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Oil-sands opponents turn focus to Pacific project (Reuters)

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) ? Enbridge Inc's proposed C$5.5 billion ($5.3 billion) pipeline to British Columbia poses a raft of environmental risks, according to a new report that signals the project will become the next battleground over the future of Canada's oil sands.

The study by a trio of environmental groups, released on Tuesday, comes fast on the heels of a decision to push back approval of TransCanada Corp's Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline by more than a year.

The delay has led the Canada's oil industry and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to intensify their emphasis on exporting oil sands-derived crude to Asia.

The Enbridge project, known as the Northern Gateway pipeline, is the first attempt at doing that in scale.

But the new report - issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Pembina Institute and Living Oceans Society - says the project would threaten native communities, salmon fishery and wildlife habitat on land and in waters off the West Coast.

The report uses last year's Enbridge pipeline rupture and oil spill in Michigan, and even the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, as examples of why governments and regulators should block the proposal to bisect the rugged Western Canadian province with steel pipe.

Northern Gateway would move 525,000 barrels of crude a day to the port of Kitimat, where it would be loaded onto tankers and shipped to Pacific Rim refiners. The project is a key part of the Harper government's plans for a National Energy Strategy.

Regulatory hearings are scheduled to begin in January and will take months. About 4,000 people have registered to comment on the project.

"The Joint Review Panel assessing the proposed project and the cabinet ministers with final decision-making authority over its fate should reject the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline given the grave safety risks it would impose on a culturally, economically, and ecologically valuable region," said the report.

NUMEROUS THREATS AT ONCE

The study also aims to build general opposition to Alberta oil sands development, which green groups say is 23 percent more carbon-intensive than conventional oil production. By contrast, a much-referenced report last year by IHS CERA, the energy consultancy, said it was 6 percent more carbon intensive when judged from production to end use.

Environmentalists used similar greenhouse-gas intensity and other arguments in their battle against Keystone XL. They include an unproven assertion that oil sands-derived crude is more corrosive in pipelines, increasing risks of ruptures.

An Alberta study released last week disputed that argument, but pointed out there is still no formal, peer-reviewed research on the controversial issue.

The report said Enbridge has failed to gauge the impact on the pipeline if numerous threats emerged at once, as with the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which contributed to the Fukushima nuclear plant catastrophe.

"A fall frontal rain storm that triggered a rock avalanche could rupture the pipeline. Poor weather conditions combined with associated floods and erosion could prevent ground or air access for emergency response crews," it said.

"Avalanches, rockslides, explosions, or leaks from the (proposed adjacent) natural gas pipeline all can have cumulative impacts that worsen the ability to respond."

($1.04 Canadian)

(Reporting by Jeffrey Jones; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111129/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_enbridge_northerngateway_environment

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WordPress Introduces WordAds: ?You Deserve Better Than AdSense?

Automattic has teamed up with Federated Media to - finally - allow WordPress.com bloggers to make money from online advertising. The project is called WordAds and if you're on WordPress.com you can express your interest for the program here. From the WordPress.com blog, including a fair bit of snark directed at Google:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aLbP8xr9ysI/

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Scientists working hard to build a better turkey

The great majority of today's domesticated turkeys may not be able to fly, but their ancestors sure got around. The quintessential New World bird, Meleagris gallopavo, was already an Old World favorite by the time colonists in North America first celebrated any Thanksgiving feasts. Today's turkey researchers are investigating the big bird's genetic heritage and biology as part of an effort to improve several aspects of its cultivation.

In 2010, a team of researchers from numerous labs in the United States announced the sequencing of more than 90 percent of the turkey genome. This represented a big step in turkey research, but efforts continue.

"Once you identify genes, the next step is to figure out what they do," said Rami Dalloul, a poultry and immunology researcher at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg.

"What we've been doing for the past almost year is building upon that sequence and trying to figure out, are there traits in the original [wild] bird that might be useful for today's bird?" said Julie Long, a poultry researcher at the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md.

The researchers have been working with the genetic material from the most popular domesticated commercial breed, the broad breasted white turkey. It is descended from turkeys domesticated in modern Mexico by predecessors of the Aztecs. The birds were well-established as a food source by the time the Conquistadors arrived. The Spanish took the birds back to Europe, and they quickly spread across the continent.

"Very quickly the domesticated turkey became, as far as I could tell, the real first New World food to be adopted in Europe," said Andrew F. Smith, a food historian and the author of "The Turkey: An American Story."

"When the Pilgrims and when the Jamestown colonists arrived, they had already eaten turkey," Smith said.

Smith said that by the 1550s, turkeys were already popular at Christmas dinners in England. When colonists came to the New World, they found large populations of wild birds that provided a reliable food source.

Colonists eventually began raising turkeys, but did not domesticate the wild birds.

"The commercial birds that we eat today were actually developed in the United States," said Long. "But they were developed on stocks that came from Europe that originally came from Mexico."

A whole different breed
After hundreds of years of breeding, today's commercial turkeys are far removed genetically from the wild turkeys from Mexico, which were already isolated from any of the five subspecies of wild turkeys found in the United States today.

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The genetic sequence of the domestic turkey differs from its wild turkey relatives, and can be used to illustrate differences between the animals.

"Once you have the baseline, which is the domestic turkey, then you have a good reference genome to come back to and then make a valid comparison," said Dalloul.

Wild turkeys have a gene that makes them resistant to a type of toxic fungus sometimes found in corn and soybeans. This toxin can be deadly on its own or lower a turkey's resistance to other infections and cause death that way.

The domestic breed no longer carries that resistant genetic trait.

"If you can bring back that gene into the domestic population, then you can have these birds again more resistant to [the toxin]," said Dalloul.

No natural mating
Even the intended consequences of commercial turkey breeds have introduced complications. Breeders developed birds with more white meat. The resulting turkeys, such as the broad breasted white, grow muscle quickly, and, as the name suggests, that muscle is concentrated in the breast area.

"[The breast] protrudes quite a bit and physically gets in the way when the birds need to reproduce," said Long. "In the commercial turkey industry there are no birds that naturally mate."

The great majority of turkey farmers must therefore depend upon artificial insemination, said Long. She suggested that there may be rare exceptions among small farms raising older breeds of turkeys, called heritage breeds, which may reproduce naturally. Artificial insemination is a laborious job in turkey facilities, as the sperm from male toms must be collected and female hens inseminated weekly.

"The amazing thing about the turkey hen is she's capable of keeping viable sperm cells for up to ten weeks after a single insemination," said Long. "The best we can do and still maintain high levels of fertility is about six hours."

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If turkey researchers could find a way to increase the amount of time that they can store sperm for later use, it might make the process of artificial insemination easier and less time-consuming. This is a primary area of research for Long, who hopes that further study of molecular DNA may help explain other reproductive issues as well, including why some hens lay more eggs than others.

More Thanksgiving science:

Chris Gorski is a writer and editor for Inside Science News Service. This report was originally published as "The Globe-Trotting Turkey" on the InsideScience.org website.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45422952/ns/technology_and_science/

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Should sex educators teach kids about pleasure? (The Week)

New York ? Abstinence-based sex ed has failed, argue some parents. It's high time we started being far more honest about the birds and the bees

The cover story in Sunday's New York Times Magazine profiles a Pennsylvania sex-ed teacher who has abandoned the usual "sex is dangerous, don't do it, but if you must, use a condom approach." Instead, Al Vernacchio aims for candor, telling tells his ninth- and 12th-graders that sex can be pleasurable. For homework, he has even asked students to interview their parents about how they learned about sex. Meanwhile, a University of Massachusetts professor is making news with a study comparing American and Dutch teens. The Netherlands has one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the world, and parents there tend to have more open attitudes about teen sexuality. Is it time the U.S. stopped focusing so much on abstinence?

Focusing on abstinence is still best: "It's appalling" and "incredibly sad that these young people, with the connivance of parents, apparently, are being schooled in a sexual repertoire and vocabulary that would not be out of place in a brothel or on a porn set," says Carolyn Moynihan at MercatorNet.com. These misguided educators are showing kids pictures of genitalia, supposedly to help "desensitize" them. But what kids need is a "strong message" that they should wait until after high school for sex ? or better yet, until marriage.
"So this is what they mean by 'comprehensive sex education'?"

We need a better approach to sex ed:?"Let's face it,"?says Betsy Shaw at Baby Center. "Abstinence-only [sex ed] doesn't seem to be cutting it." As a parent, it's easy to be so concerned with your child having sex that you forget that sex "isn't inherently bad." We need a healthier attitude. A professional, well-informed teacher can be help teens gain a comprehensive understanding of the birds and the bees. "Fully informed is fully prepared."
"Sex education just got sexier"

And it's better they learn at school than from porn: "If teenagers don't learn much about sex beyond how to use a condom from trusted adults, they're going to turn to porn," says Amanda Marcotte at Slate. Porn has its purposes, but sex education isn't among them. When young men learn about sex from porn, they tend to be inconsiderate lovers who know little about pleasing a woman. And young women are left not really enjoying sex and developing unhealthy attitudes about their bodies.
"Kids are learning sex from porn"

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George W. Bush to raise cancer awareness in Africa (AP)

DALLAS ? Former President George W. Bush will travel to Africa to raise awareness about cervical and breast cancer.

Bush's policy institute is one of the organizations that announced this fall the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon initiative to expand the availability of cervical cancer screening and treatment and breast care education in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

Bush and former first lady Laura Bush will travel next month to Tanzania, Zambia and Ethiopia, meeting with governmental and health care leaders.

Bush tells The Associated Press it's in the nation's best interest to "deal with disease and set priorities and save lives."

He says it's a "natural extension" of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which he launched in 2003.

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

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A new practical strategy for magnetic-force-microscope cantilevers with high isotropic coercivity

Public release date: 22-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: LI Guoqing
gqli@swu.edu.cn
86-134-360-25440
Science in China Press

A magnetic force microscope (MFM) can determine the distribution of stray fields at a level of tens of nanometers near the surface of magnetic films, and therefore is an effective tool for observing the domain structures in magnetic grains of submicrometer size. At present, the coercivity of normal MFM cantilevers is about 0.3 kOe. Being affected by the magnetism of the measured material, the stability of these cantilevers is unsatisfactory. By applying a FePt layer, the coercivity can reach ~10 kOe. However, the accompanying high-temperature (over 750C) annealing spoils the resolution owing to the growth of the grains and the subsequent increase in tip radius. It is essential for the fabrication of a high-performance MFM cantilever to obtain larger coercivity at lower annealing temperature.

The group of Professor LI Guoqing at Southwest University of China proposed a novel method to tackle this problem. With inadequate annealing at 500C, a kind of hard/soft composite was formed in Fe60Pt40 films. The strong interaction of the exchange spring between the hard phase and soft phase contributes to larger coercivity exceeding 5 kOe as the sample is magnetized along any direction (see Fig. 1). The annealing temperature is lower, and the magnetic properties are isotropic. Cantilevers coated with this kind of material have improved stability. The research results were published in Scientia Sinica Phys, Mech & Astron, 2011, Vol 41(10), as a paper entitled 'Structure and magnetic properties of FexPt100-x films'.

By researching the properties of (001) textured Fe-Pt hard/soft composite on MgO(001) substrate, the group found the coercivity is favorable even if the sample is magnetized along the hard axis of the hard phase. A so-called tri-domain model was used to schematize the mechanism in view of the slight coherent strain near the hardsoft interface (see Fig. 2).

With a coating of this kind of hard/soft composite, the MFM resolution is better than 13 nm. This research has initiated the design of the coating layer for the MFM cantilever by choosing an off-stoichiometric composition and a matching lower annealing temperature to generate the exchange spring. The adequate saturation magnetization of the Fe-enriched alloy satisfies the sensitivity of the MFM cantilever. These efforts will benefit the fabrication of an excellent MFM cantilever. This research project was partially supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

###

See the article: Jiang D M, Chen Y C, Xiang H, et al. Structure and magnetic properties of FexPt100-x films (in Chinese). Scientia Sinica Phys, Mech & Astron (Chinese Ver), 2011, 41(10): 11561165

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 22-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: LI Guoqing
gqli@swu.edu.cn
86-134-360-25440
Science in China Press

A magnetic force microscope (MFM) can determine the distribution of stray fields at a level of tens of nanometers near the surface of magnetic films, and therefore is an effective tool for observing the domain structures in magnetic grains of submicrometer size. At present, the coercivity of normal MFM cantilevers is about 0.3 kOe. Being affected by the magnetism of the measured material, the stability of these cantilevers is unsatisfactory. By applying a FePt layer, the coercivity can reach ~10 kOe. However, the accompanying high-temperature (over 750C) annealing spoils the resolution owing to the growth of the grains and the subsequent increase in tip radius. It is essential for the fabrication of a high-performance MFM cantilever to obtain larger coercivity at lower annealing temperature.

The group of Professor LI Guoqing at Southwest University of China proposed a novel method to tackle this problem. With inadequate annealing at 500C, a kind of hard/soft composite was formed in Fe60Pt40 films. The strong interaction of the exchange spring between the hard phase and soft phase contributes to larger coercivity exceeding 5 kOe as the sample is magnetized along any direction (see Fig. 1). The annealing temperature is lower, and the magnetic properties are isotropic. Cantilevers coated with this kind of material have improved stability. The research results were published in Scientia Sinica Phys, Mech & Astron, 2011, Vol 41(10), as a paper entitled 'Structure and magnetic properties of FexPt100-x films'.

By researching the properties of (001) textured Fe-Pt hard/soft composite on MgO(001) substrate, the group found the coercivity is favorable even if the sample is magnetized along the hard axis of the hard phase. A so-called tri-domain model was used to schematize the mechanism in view of the slight coherent strain near the hardsoft interface (see Fig. 2).

With a coating of this kind of hard/soft composite, the MFM resolution is better than 13 nm. This research has initiated the design of the coating layer for the MFM cantilever by choosing an off-stoichiometric composition and a matching lower annealing temperature to generate the exchange spring. The adequate saturation magnetization of the Fe-enriched alloy satisfies the sensitivity of the MFM cantilever. These efforts will benefit the fabrication of an excellent MFM cantilever. This research project was partially supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

###

See the article: Jiang D M, Chen Y C, Xiang H, et al. Structure and magnetic properties of FexPt100-x films (in Chinese). Scientia Sinica Phys, Mech & Astron (Chinese Ver), 2011, 41(10): 11561165

---

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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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/sicp-anp112211.php

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Afghan assembly endorses talks with US on troops

By AMIR SHAH and RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - President Hamid Karzai received a resounding endorsement Saturday from a traditional national assembly to negotiate a security agreement that could keep a U.S. military presence in Afghanistan past 2014, when most international forces are to have left. The size of the force is subject to negotiations but a future deal could keep thousands of American troops here for years.

The nonbinding resolution issued at the end of a Loya Jirga assembly also suggested some conditions for the talks between Afghan and American officials, including an end to unpopular night raids by military forces searching for insurgents.

The more than 2,000 people who attended the four-day meeting asked Karzai to ensure the United States hands over all detainees to Afghan custody and limits any agreement to 10 years. They also said the future pact must be approved by parliament.

"We will act on the basis of your consultation," Karzai told the assembled delegates.

"I am very happy that you have accepted it and have put lots of conditions on it. I accept this resolution. It is the instruction to the Afghan government from the Afghan people."

As part of a future deal, both sides envision a force of several thousand U.S. troops, who would train Afghan forces and help with counterterrorism operations. The pact would outline the legal status of that force in Afghanistan, rules under which it would operate and where it would be based.

The jirga's findings are likely to bolster Karzai's negotiating position with the United States during difficult talks under way to craft what the U.S. is calling a Strategic Partnership Document.

Some critics have complained that Karzai organized the assembly as a rubber-stamp body, noting that it endorsed all conditions that Karzai outlined at the opening session.

"From the beginning we were pretty sure that the jirga was mainly a symbolic gathering of Afghans," said Haroun Mir, the director of the Afghanistan Center for Research and Policy Studies, a Kabul-based think tank. "This is a symbolic gathering - more political leverage for President Karzai to show to international community that he is still able to gather Afghans under one tent."

While the jirga ended on a positive note, there was much grumbling from the start.

Many participants wondered aloud how the Afghan government expected them to discuss a U.S.-Afghan partnership agreement if they weren't given a draft of the pact or told America's conditions for signing it.

Abdul Malik Nayazi, an elder from Parwan province, north of Kabul, said no one had seen anything in writing but still wanted to see an agreement signed.

"Unfortunately, the situation in the countryside is very difficult. The Taliban still are controlling many areas. If our Afghan security forces are not strong enough and equipped and well-trained, our problems will increase day by day. Until all our Afghan forces can stand on their own feet, we need the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan," Nayazi said.

President Barack Obama has already ordered 10,000 U.S. troops to leave by the end of the year and another 23,000 by the end of September 2012. NATO forces will also gradually withdraw. There are currently about 100,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan out of a total of about 131,000 international troops. Part of the American contingent also includes about 10,000 involved in special operations, such as night raids.

The resolution said any future deal should include the immediate end of night raids, where U.S. forces accompanied by Afghans carry out operations to kill or capture insurgents. They said all such raids should be Afghan-led.

The U.S.-led coalition has given no indication that it is willing to stop the raids. It says night operations are conducted with Afghan security forces and are an effective way to keep pressure on militants. The coalition estimates that an average of 12 operations are conducted every night in Afghanistan.

Washington sees the document as a nonbinding set of principles guiding the two nations' future relationship. The Afghans want a strong and binding agreement to govern the presence of American forces in the country after 2014.

Afghan politicians are under pressure to uphold the country's sovereignty, but also see the agreement as a key bulwark against both homegrown insurgents and some of its neighbors, including Iran and Pakistan. Both have been accused of maintaining ties with some Afghan militant groups and are uncomfortable with having U.S. troops on Afghan soil for years to come.

Delegates also presented the government with 22 suggestions about Karzai's effort to make peace with the Taliban through reconciliation talks, but that issue took a back seat at the jirga.

Peace talks have made no headway, and efforts were brought to a halt following the Sept. 20 assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading the Afghan government's effort to broker peace. Rabbani was killed at his Kabul home by an assassin posing as a peace emissary from the insurgent group.

Rabbani has not been replaced as head of the 70-member council, which is made up former Taliban, ex-warlords, members of parliament, top tribal elders and clerics. Critics have said that it is too heavily packed with Taliban opponents who could never deliver a reconciliation.

A committee leader, Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, who was wounded in the Rabbani attack, said many jirga participants thought the makeup of the peace council should be changed. The panel needs people, such as clerics and tribal leaders, who have wide support in their own areas and would be acceptable to both sides.

"The majority of the Afghans, of course, want peace," Stanekzai said.

__

Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann and Patrick Quinn contributed from Kabul.

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

Source: http://www.wistv.com/story/16080919/afghanistan-national-assembly-backs-pact-with-us

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Clooney's 'Descendants' hard to describe, forget

Fox Searchlight Pictures

By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

"The Descendants" is a?tough movie to describe to casual moviegoers. There's George Clooney, yes, and a gorgeous Hawaiian setting. But you can't just say, "He's a big landowner on the brink of an enormous sale," or even "His wife is in a coma and he learns she's had an affair." Those plotlines seem so random and?unrelated, not the kind of thing to make a casual film fan rush to the box office.

They should rush, though. Clooney is amazing in "The Descendants," playing a role unusual to him, that of family man. The perennial Sexiest Man Alive candidate somehow sinks into the role of schlumpy dude. Just the way he walks, with a hint of belly hanging over ill-fitting khakis, makes him believable as Matt King, a lawyer and dad of two who was just fine with his role of backup parent until his wife Elizabeth's boating accident.

His daughters, 10-year-old Scotty and 17-year-old Alexandra, are mouthy and too wise for their years. Their father obviously wasn't around much and it doesn't seem their mother had much of a calming?effect on them either. You feel for them, though, once you see that their father barely touches them. He even tells Alexandra that?her mother won't make it while?the girl?treads water alone in?their untended pool, never reaching out to her once the news sinks in.

But Alex has?shocking information?for her dad, too. She breaks the news that her mother was cheating, and the two become obsessed with finding the man involved. At the same time Matt's emotional world is shattering, so, too, he must move forward on an enormous financial decision, selling pristine Hawaiian land that's been in his family for generations and whose sale will make him and his many cousins very rich. Yet there are deeper considerations?than?the big payday. Matt's uncomfortable about the?idea of selling off the paradise that's been like another family member, land he did nothing to earn and was perhaps only guarding for future generations.

Director Alexander Payne, as he did in "Sideways," manages to deftly connect the plotlines, the idea that Matt's personal world is shattering as he struggles with the enormity of how his land sale will reverberate. The Hawaiian land, lying untouched as Matt prepares to turn it over to developers, and woven through with family memories,?is like a child he has yet to destroy.

And the movie goes in unexpected directions. Just when it seems as if Matt and his daughter must live as silent martyrs with the knowledge of Elizabeth's affair, they're suddenly not alone in their knowledge, and that somehow makes all the difference.

The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, with Beau Bridges popping up as one of Matt's soon-to-be-wealthy cousins, and Robert Forster as his angry father-in-law. The young actresses who play Clooney's daughters, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller,?make their characters'?emotions and dialogue feel real. I especially liked Nick Krause as Alexandra's stoner pal Sid, who both drives Matt crazy and gives him some solid perspective. "We deal with our (stuff) by talking about other stuff," he tells him. And somehow that stuff all ties together.

Are you a George Clooney fan? Tell us in the comments.

Related content:

?

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/18/8881622-descendants-hard-to-describe-hard-to-forget

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AAOS issues new clinical practice guideline for treating common elbow fractures in children

Public release date: 16-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lauren Pearson
pearson@aaos.org
847-384-4031
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Guidelines outline steps to stabilize the injury and treat complications

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors has recently approved and released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) on "The Treatment of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures."

Andrew Howard, MD, pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, medical director of the Trauma Program at the University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and the chair of the AAOS Work Group responsible for this CPG, said that surgeons see many of these types of fractures, particularly in children ages 5 to 9.

Supracondylar humerus fractures are common and likely occur when children are playing, or while climbing trees, jungle gyms and other structures. When young children fall, they tend to hyperextend their arms. As a result they land on a stiff arm, often fracturing the arm, just above the elbow joint.

In addition to the broken bone, the sheer force of this type of fall, may cause "all kinds of consequences," said Dr. Howard. The artery which provides blood to the forearm and hand runs very close to the elbow, as do the three main nerves of the arm: median, radial and ulnar. As a result, elbow fractures can cause circulation problems, and in 10 to 15 percent of cases, nerve injuries.

This new guideline is the result of a robust review of more than 350 research studies on this topic and includes 14 recommendations on how to stabilize the fracture, remedy circulation problems, and ultimately, ensure the fastest and most comfortable recovery for each child.

Important findings:

• First, the guideline recommends that surgeons stabilize the fracture with "two or three laterally introduced pins to stabilize the reduction of displaced, misaligned, supracondylar fractures of the humerus."
• In addition, the guideline recommends procedures to restore blood flow and circulation if the artery has been stretched, torn or severed. Orthopaedic surgeons know that the first thing to do with an arm without a pulse is to gently realign the arm. Once the fracture is put back into the proper position and established, circulation will likely recover.
• However, sometimes there is still no pulse in the arm following realignment. This can occur with or without adequate blood flow. The guideline recommends the surgical "exploration" of the blood vessels and nerves in front of the elbow in patients with no wrist pulse, if the hand remains cold and underperfused (without adequate blood flow), to "ensure survival of the tissues in the arm and hand." In these rare instances, further surgery may be necessary "to prevent rare, but serious, limb threatening and life threatening consequences," according to the guideline.

The guideline states: "If the hand feels warm, has color from circulation that you can see, and the child can move the muscles of the forearm and demonstrate some motion, then there is evidence that tissues are being nourished despite the absent pulse." The guideline does not specifically recommend surgery or observation in these cases.

"Ultimately, each physician must evaluate his or her patient's condition and circumstance and figure out 'how do I best treat this child," added Dr. Howard.

###

The full guideline, "The Treatment of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures," which is the third Academy CPG to focus on a pediatric condition, along with all supporting documentation and workgroup disclosures, is available on the AAOS website: www.aaos.org/guidelines.

More about supracondylar humerus fractures

The humerus is the upper arm bone that connects the shoulder to the elbow. A supracondylar fracture of the humerus occurs just above the elbow joint. According to AAOS patient education site, orthoinfo.org, treatment may consist of both surgical and nonsurgical options, but depends on the type of fracture and the degree of displacement. To download an image of the elbow, please visit http://www7.aaos.org/news/imagelibrary/search.aspx

Disclaimer: This Clinical Practice Guideline is not intended to be a fixed protocol, as some patients may require more or less treatment or different means of diagnosis. Clinical patients may not necessarily be the same as those found in a clinical trial. Patient care and treatment should always be based on a clinician's independent medical judgment, given the individual patient's clinical circumstances.

Editor's Note: This AAOS guideline was developed by an AAOS physician volunteer Work Group and was based upon a systematic review of the current scientific and clinical information on accepted approaches to treatment and/or diagnosis. The entire process included a review panel consisting of internal and external committees, public commentaries and final approval by the AAOS Board of Directors.

---

[ | 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.

Public release date: 16-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lauren Pearson
pearson@aaos.org
847-384-4031
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Guidelines outline steps to stabilize the injury and treat complications

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors has recently approved and released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) on "The Treatment of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures."

Andrew Howard, MD, pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, medical director of the Trauma Program at the University of Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and the chair of the AAOS Work Group responsible for this CPG, said that surgeons see many of these types of fractures, particularly in children ages 5 to 9.

Supracondylar humerus fractures are common and likely occur when children are playing, or while climbing trees, jungle gyms and other structures. When young children fall, they tend to hyperextend their arms. As a result they land on a stiff arm, often fracturing the arm, just above the elbow joint.

In addition to the broken bone, the sheer force of this type of fall, may cause "all kinds of consequences," said Dr. Howard. The artery which provides blood to the forearm and hand runs very close to the elbow, as do the three main nerves of the arm: median, radial and ulnar. As a result, elbow fractures can cause circulation problems, and in 10 to 15 percent of cases, nerve injuries.

This new guideline is the result of a robust review of more than 350 research studies on this topic and includes 14 recommendations on how to stabilize the fracture, remedy circulation problems, and ultimately, ensure the fastest and most comfortable recovery for each child.

Important findings:

• First, the guideline recommends that surgeons stabilize the fracture with "two or three laterally introduced pins to stabilize the reduction of displaced, misaligned, supracondylar fractures of the humerus."
• In addition, the guideline recommends procedures to restore blood flow and circulation if the artery has been stretched, torn or severed. Orthopaedic surgeons know that the first thing to do with an arm without a pulse is to gently realign the arm. Once the fracture is put back into the proper position and established, circulation will likely recover.
• However, sometimes there is still no pulse in the arm following realignment. This can occur with or without adequate blood flow. The guideline recommends the surgical "exploration" of the blood vessels and nerves in front of the elbow in patients with no wrist pulse, if the hand remains cold and underperfused (without adequate blood flow), to "ensure survival of the tissues in the arm and hand." In these rare instances, further surgery may be necessary "to prevent rare, but serious, limb threatening and life threatening consequences," according to the guideline.

The guideline states: "If the hand feels warm, has color from circulation that you can see, and the child can move the muscles of the forearm and demonstrate some motion, then there is evidence that tissues are being nourished despite the absent pulse." The guideline does not specifically recommend surgery or observation in these cases.

"Ultimately, each physician must evaluate his or her patient's condition and circumstance and figure out 'how do I best treat this child," added Dr. Howard.

###

The full guideline, "The Treatment of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures," which is the third Academy CPG to focus on a pediatric condition, along with all supporting documentation and workgroup disclosures, is available on the AAOS website: www.aaos.org/guidelines.

More about supracondylar humerus fractures

The humerus is the upper arm bone that connects the shoulder to the elbow. A supracondylar fracture of the humerus occurs just above the elbow joint. According to AAOS patient education site, orthoinfo.org, treatment may consist of both surgical and nonsurgical options, but depends on the type of fracture and the degree of displacement. To download an image of the elbow, please visit http://www7.aaos.org/news/imagelibrary/search.aspx

Disclaimer: This Clinical Practice Guideline is not intended to be a fixed protocol, as some patients may require more or less treatment or different means of diagnosis. Clinical patients may not necessarily be the same as those found in a clinical trial. Patient care and treatment should always be based on a clinician's independent medical judgment, given the individual patient's clinical circumstances.

Editor's Note: This AAOS guideline was developed by an AAOS physician volunteer Work Group and was based upon a systematic review of the current scientific and clinical information on accepted approaches to treatment and/or diagnosis. The entire process included a review panel consisting of internal and external committees, public commentaries and final approval by the AAOS Board of Directors.

---

[ | 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/2011-11/aaoo-ain111611.php

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Report paints dire picture of Greek finances (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Greece is losing out on about euro60 billion ($81 billion) in uncollected taxes, with half of that caught up in lengthy legal disputes that prevent the debt-ridden country from getting its hands on desperately needed funding, a European Union task force said Thursday.

The task force was set up earlier this year when it became obvious that Greece needed a lot of support to implement reforms promised in return for a massive international bailout and get its economy growing again.

The group's first report, presented by task force head Horst Reichenbach, paints a dire picture of Greece's efforts to raise money to repay its debts. But it also spells out specific areas where other EU states and international institutions can help the Greek administration work more efficiently and effectively.

The report, which the EU said showed "cautious optimism" for Greece despite some of its negative findings, comes amid a further intensification of the eurozone's wider debt crisis, which was kicked of by Greece's troubles two years ago.

Investors on Thursday continued to dump bonds from much larger countries in the eurozone, including Italy, Spain and France ? underlining that the debt turmoil risks spinning out of control, threatening the future of the common currency.

Analysts say that the eurozone's slow and often fumbling efforts at resolving Greece's troubles is one of the main reasons investors have lost confidence in the entire currency union.

The EU task force is one of the latest attempts at giving some hands-on support for the country, which has been in a deep recession for three years.

The group's report said that of the euro60 billion in outstanding taxes, as much as euro8 billion would be immediately collectible and could help Athens cut its massive budget deficit.

However, about euro30 billion of the outstanding taxes are caught up in lengthy legal disputes that can take seven to 12 years to resolve.

"Even though the actual prospects for collection are very low," the report said, "the very size of these tax arrears casts a doubt over the efficacy of the overall tax administration."

Strengthening the tax dispute resolution mechanism will be one of the priorities for the task force, which will deploy experts from other EU member states, the EU and the IMF to help Greece get its economy growing again.

The task force also seeks to assist Greece in other areas, including sending experts that can help the country value ? and eventually monetize ? its big holdings of companies and real estate.

The report said that Athens won't be able to privatize public assets worth euro5 billion by the end of the year because the unexpectedly sharp economic downturn has made investors cautious about sending money to Greece.

The euro50 billion multiyear privatization plan is key to the country's two bailout programs.

Athens now aims to raise euro1.3 billion by selling off publicly owned companies and real estate between October and the end of the year, the report said. It did not give a figure for how much was privatized before October.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Older ER Patients Less Likely to Get Pain Meds, Data Shows (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly patients are less likely than middle-aged patients to receive pain medications in U.S. hospital emergency departments, even when they have severe pain.

That's the finding of researchers who analyzed data collected from U.S. emergency departments between 2003 and 2009.

Among patients with a primary complaint of pain, an analgesic (such as morphine, oxycodone or ibuprofen) was given to 49 percent of patients 75 and older, and 68 percent of patients aged 35 to 54.

An opioid (such as morphine or oxycodone) was given to about 35 percent of elderly patients and 49 percent of middle-aged patients, the investigators found.

Age-related differences in the use of pain medications remained even after the researchers adjusted for factors such as sex, race/ethnicity and pain severity. Elderly patients were nearly 20 percent less likely to receive an analgesic and 15 percent less likely to receive an opioid than middle-aged patients.

Even among those with severe pain, elderly patients were less likely to receive pain medications than middle-aged patients (67 percent versus 79 percent, respectively).

The study was published online ahead of print in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

The reasons why elderly patients are less likely to receive pain medications aren't clear but doctors may be concerned about potential side effects in older patients, suggested lead author Dr. Timothy Platts-Mills, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

"To us, the gap we observe in pain management for older patients highlights the need to better understand how best to manage pain in older patients and understand the barriers to doing this. All patients, regardless of age, deserve to have relief from pain, especially when it is severe," he said in university news release.

Each year in the United States, patients 65 and older make more than 20 million visits to hospital emergency departments and nearly half of those visits are pain-related.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about pain.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111116/hl_hsn/oldererpatientslesslikelytogetpainmedsdatashows

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Oil hovers near $99 amid Europe debt optimism (AP)

SINGAPORE ? Oil prices hovered near $99 a barrel Monday in Asia amid optimism new leaders in Greece and Italy will help Europe at least temporarily contain its debt crisis.

Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 14 cents at $99.13 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.21 to settle at $98.99 in New York on Friday.

Brent crude was up 24 cents to $114.40 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange in London.

Crude has jumped about 30 percent from $75 on Oct. 4 on hopes Greece will avoid a chaotic bond default and the financial crisis it would likely trigger. Last week, Greece and Italy replaced their leaders with economists in a bid to bolster confidence in their economic policies.

Even if countries such as Greece and Italy can implement austerity measures to help lower debt levels, Europe faces waning competitiveness and weak economic growth, which could prolong the debt crisis for years.

"Markets have been remarkably patient so far," DBS bank said in a report "The longer-run problems are just as big if less acute. A long hard slog remains."

In other Nymex trading, heating oil added 2.4 cents to $3.20 per gallon and gasoline futures gained 0.8 cents to $2.65 per gallon. Natural gas fell 4.3 cents at $3.54 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_re_as/oil_prices

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Ex-ruling party wins violence-scarred Mexican race

A man casts his ballot during the elections for governor of the state of Michoacan, in Morelia, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Web users claiming to be in the hacking movement known as "Anonymous" said they are behind an attack on the website of the New Alliance party, which backs the gubernatorial race of Luisa Calderon, sister of Mexico's President Felipe Calderon. (AP Photo/STR)

A man casts his ballot during the elections for governor of the state of Michoacan, in Morelia, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Web users claiming to be in the hacking movement known as "Anonymous" said they are behind an attack on the website of the New Alliance party, which backs the gubernatorial race of Luisa Calderon, sister of Mexico's President Felipe Calderon. (AP Photo/STR)

Luisa Maria Calderon, candidate for governor of Mexico's Michoacan state for the National Action Party, PAN, shows her ID card after casting her ballot in Morelia, Mexico, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Mexicans voted in the western state of Michoacan in a crucial political test Sunday for President Felipe Calderon in his home state, where his sister Luisa Calderon, sought the governor's post. (AP Photo/STR)

MORELIA, Mexico (AP) ? Mexico's former ruling party won a major governor's race on Monday after a campaign marred by drug-cartel threats and violence, defeating President Felipe Calderon's sister and building momentum for its drive to take back the presidency next year.

Fausto Vallejo Figueroa of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, won 35 percent of the vote in the western state of Michoacan. Luisa Maria Calderon took 33 percent, according to electoral authorities.

The president's sister implied that the PRI had been supported by drug gangs threatening her party's voters and poll watchers in retaliation for its aggressive stance against cartels. She said her team would carefully review vote tallies in parts of the state where they have received reports of armed men threatening people trying to vote.

"Allowing organized crime to manipulate elections will never lead to security," she said in an interview with the Televisa network.

The candidate for the leftist Democratic Revolution Party, or PRD, which held the governor's seat, went further, explicitly alleging that the PRI has worked with cartels.

"The people of Michoacan won't let themselves be governed by a party with a history of pacts and agreements (with cartels), one that let organized crime coordinate the campaign," Democratic Revolution candidate Silvano Aureoles Conejo told Televisa.

The party's national president, Jesus Zambrano, said he was going to ask electoral officials to throw out the results.

The PRI's Vallejo responded that his backers were also subjected to criminal threats.

"No one was exempt," said Vallejo, who had been mayor of the state capital, Morelia.

The PAN was seeking a symbolic victory in Calderon's home state, where he launched the assault against cartels in late 2006. The drug war has killed more than 40,000 people according to many estimates, although no official figures have been released in nearly a year.

The National Action mayor of the city of La Piedad was gunned down as he handed out campaign literature for Calderon and other candidates less than two weeks before Sunday's election. On the day of the vote, a newspaper in the city published an unsigned note threatening supporters of the party known as the PAN and blaming it for deaths in the wake of its military-led offensive against drug cartels.

"Don't wear T-shirts or PAN advertising because we don't want to confuse you and have innocent people die," read the note, which was also circulated by email. News reports said the newspaper had been forced to publish the warning.

Yet the city's voters shook off the threat. The PAN candidate got 53 percent of the vote.

The win for the PRI is a major step toward regaining the presidency it lost in 2000 after governing Mexico for 71 years. Most polls show the PRI's Enrique Pena Nieto, former governor of Mexico State, leading the presidential race.

Pena Nieto said Monday the results are "a big encouragement for PRI in the forthcoming elections." He spoke at a conference in Washington.

The biggest blow was to Democratic Revolution, which had wrenched the state away from the PRI in 2001 and built it into a stronghold. Aureoles trailed with 29 percent and the party lost control of the state legislature, where the PRI won 11 seats, Democratic Revolution eight and PAN five.

The state, a major producer of marijuana, opium and methamphetamines, has suffered dozens of drug cartel-related attacks on local officials over the past two years. Parts are controlled by the Knights Templar, a pseudo-religious drug gang known as a major trafficker of methamphetamine. The remnants of the cult-like La Familia cartel also maintain a presence.

Luisa Maria Calderon campaigned on a promise to advance her brother's anti-drug campaign and led in most opinion polls going into the vote. The PAN has been hurt by a tepid economy and by voter fatigue over drug violence, a factor that also weakened Democratic Revolution.

As Michoacan's governing party for a decade, the leftist party drew criticism for the state's drug violence, and some of its legislative candidates also were accused of close ties to drug cartels.

National Action's vote total was stable from 2006 to 2011; Calderon's sister got about the same number of votes for governor as he did for president, and both lost in the state.

Voters switched by the hundreds of thousands from the PRD to the PRI. That's especially crucial because the PRD had largely taken over the old PRI grassroots machine in the state, which was the home base of the PRD's founder, Cuauhtemoc Cardenas, and one of the party's chief bastions.

In the rural city of Cheran, people refused to let poll workers into their town, demanding an election they said would respect their customs and traditions. The indigenous Purepecha people who live in Cheran have in recent months wielded rifles and mounted roadblocks to keep out illegal loggers and drug traffickers.

The Michoacan Electoral Institute said in a news release Sunday that officials were still unable to carry out elections in Cheran and were determining how the 16,000 residents there will elect their leaders.

Twitter users claiming to belong to the "Anonymous" hackers movement said they were behind an attack on the website of a party backing Luisa Maria Calderon. The tweets also said hackers attacked the Michoacan Electoral Institute's website.

___

Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-11-14-LT-Mexico-Election-Michoacan/id-8b38f79821e44698bfd55729f66a797c

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Obama calls waterboarding 'torture' (The Arizona Republic)

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

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