More than 1,000 new HIV cases found in Saudi (AP)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia ? A Saudi health official says 1,121 new HIV cases were detected in the kingdom last year.

The official Saudi Press Agency quotes deputy health minister Ziyad bin Ahmed as telling an HIV/AIDS conference Monday that the new cases include 439 Saudi citizens and 682 non-Saudis.

Bin Ahmed said that since 1984, 16,334 people have tested positive for HIV, the virus associated with AIDS. Among them were 4,458 Saudis, 83 percent between the ages of 15 and 49. Men outnumbered women by a ratio of four to one

Saudi Arabia's conservative Muslim society considers talking about sex as taboo, and treats AIDS patients with contempt.

Some clerics consider the disease as God's punishment for prohibited sex.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_saudi_hiv

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Exclusive Clip ? Episode 3 of VH1?s ?Love & Hip Hop? Season 2

Check out this Exclusive Clip from the upcoming episode 3 of VH1?s ?Love & Hip Hop? airing monday, November 28 at 9PM Et/PT. Chrissy Confronts Yandy Get More: Love And Hip Hop

Source: http://www.celebritymound.com/exclusive-clip-episode-3-of-vh1s-love-hip-hop-season-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=exclusive-clip-episode-3-of-vh1s-love-hip-hop-season-2

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Video: Another Thanksgiving in Afghanistan for troops

>>> overseas tonight american troops are marking their final thanksgiving in iraq before leaving the country at the end of this year, but it is quite a different story in afghanistan , where troops could spend many thanksgivings to come as the war there drags on. nbc's jim maceda is in kabul for us tonight. jim , good evening to you.

>> reporter: hi, savannah. well, this is the 11th thanksgiving for u.s. forces fighting in afghanistan . we shared it today with the thousand or so u.s. troops based at kabul military airport , where the highlight today was roast turkey with all the trimmings, ham, ribs, corn on the cob , even apple and pecan pies. but of course as you suggest, the big question is how many more thanksgivings will u.s. troops mark here going forward? well, at least three, according to president obama 's plan to hand over to the afghans by the end of 2014 all security. but what happens after that really depends on a long-term agreement that right now they are trying to hammer out between washington and kabul . now, meanwhile afghan tribal leaders recently endorsed the plan that would actually keep u.s. troops here for at least a decade beyond 2014 . some u.s. commanders are buying into that saying they could work with the plan but they stress that the majority of u.s. forces must be gone by 2014 . still, the taliban has a vote in all this and a series of recent suicide attacks here, especially on the u.s. embassy in kabul , killed dozens and show that the taliban can really strike at will, even in the heavily guarded capital. so, savannah, there are still many intangibles, but the safe bet is that u.s. troops will be celebrating thanksgiving here for many years to come. back to you. by the way, happy thanksgiving.

>> and to you, jim maceda with our troops in afghanistan tonight. thank you.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45431432/

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NZ leader wins 2nd term, pledges fiscal discipline (AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand ? Prime Minister John Key convincingly won a second term as New Zealand's leader in elections Saturday that open the door for the sales of billions of dollars worth of government assets as part of a plan to reduce the country's debt.

Key's center-right National Party has promised to get the nation's books in order and begin paying down foreign debt within the next three years. That message has taken on a new resonance after the country's credit rating was downgraded this year and the situation in Europe has shown how debt can quickly become toxic.

The National Party dominated the election, coming up just short of getting enough votes to govern alone. With most of the votes counted, the party was projected to win 60 of the 121 seats in Parliament, an increase of two. Key will look to some of the minor parties for support in forming a stable government.

"Tonight New Zealanders voted for a better future, and there will be a better future," Key said in his victory speech.

The center-left Labour party, which had opposed asset sales, won just 27 percent of the vote, meaning it will lose about nine of its 43 seats. Like National, it also promised to get the books in order ? but Labour planned to do it by introducing a capital gains tax and raising the age of retirement by two years, to 67.

Phil Goff, Labour's leader, said the party was "bloodied, but not defeated."

"It wasn't our time this time," he told supporters. The poor showing makes it likely Goff will soon step aside.

Key plans to sell minority stakes in four government-owned energy companies and in Air New Zealand in order to raise an estimated 7 billion New Zealand dollars ($5.2 billion).

The National Party's win could also open the door for more mineral exploration and offshore oil drilling. Labour had proposed a moratorium on deep-sea drilling after a cargo ship ran aground last month near the North Island port of Tauranga, spilling about 400 tons of fuel into the ocean and onto local beaches.

Key's win will also likely continue the country's warming relationship with the United States. For a quarter-century, New Zealand's ban on nuclear warships caused a rift, particularly over defense. However, New Zealand's small troop presence in Afghanistan and a promise by the U.S. to send a contingent of Marines to New Zealand next year point to a thaw.

The U.S. and New Zealand are also among nine Pacific countries negotiating a free trade deal in the region.

The election was also marked by the unexpected return to Parliament of Winston Peters, the mercurial leader of the anti-immigration New Zealand First party, which has shored up support among older voters who approve of its generous policies for them.

New Zealand First won about 7 percent of the vote, enough for eight seats, after getting shut out of the last election in 2008.

The Green party, meanwhile, enjoyed its best showing ever, winning 11 percent of the vote.

But the election also spelled the near-demise of the conservative Act party, which won five seats in the last election but this time could manage just one. Act party leader Don Brash announced he would resign Sunday.

National's campaign hinged on the personal popularity of Key, a former currency trader whose easygoing demeanor appeals to many. His image was placed on hundreds of National billboards.

Key's common touch was reassuring to people when a powerful earthquake struck Christchurch last February, said Jennifer Lees-Marshment, a political studies lecturer at the University of Auckland. It also enabled him to share in their excitement in October when the country's national All Blacks team won the Rugby World Cup.

Voters were also deciding whether to keep their electoral system, in which parties win parliamentary seats based on the proportion of votes they receive. Some wanted to return to a winner-takes-all format, although polls indicated most favored sticking with the current system.

The final results of that measure won't be known for two weeks. In early results, however, about 54 percent of voters favored keeping the German-style proportional system.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_as/as_new_zealand_election

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St Maarten finds local lionfish tainted with toxin (AP)

KINGSTON, Jamaica ? Conservationists in St. Maarten are warning islanders not to eat lionfish after tests found a naturally occurring toxin in the flesh of the candy-striped invasive species, officials said Thursday.

The findings have dealt a blow to the tiny Dutch territory's efforts to contain the spread of the venomous predator, a native of the Indian and Pacific oceans that has colonized large swaths of the region after a few apparently escaped a Florida fish tank in 1992.

Following the lead of other Caribbean islands, St. Maarten had hoped to promote the species as batter-fried or grilled delectables to slow their spread. They were found in the Dutch territory's waters in July 2010 and have been multiplying and gobbling up native fish and crustaceans ever since. Lionfish were first detected in the Bahamas in 2004 and rapidly spread south into the warm waters of the Caribbean.

But Tadzio Bervoets, chief of St. Maarten's Nature Foundation, said nearly half of the football-sized lionfish captured in local waters were found to have a biotoxin that can lead to ciguatera poisoning, a rarely fatal but growing menace that has long been known in the Caribbean, South Pacific, and warmer areas of the Indian Ocean.

Ciguatera poisoning is caused by eating some subtropical and tropical fish predators, including grouper, snapper and barracuda, which live by reefs and accumulate toxins through their diet. They accumulate the toxin in their flesh from eating smaller fish that graze on poisonous algae.

People who have eaten infected fish can experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tingling and numbness. Most patients recover in a few days. In rare, worst cases there is paralysis and even death.

No one has gotten sick from eating lionfish in St. Maarten, but the territory typically has more than a dozen cases of ciguatera poisoning each year from people eating barracuda and jacks.

St. Maarten's waters have long suffered from high levels of ciguatoxin, so Bervoets said the test results on lionfish were not a complete surprise.

Nonetheless, he added that island officials "were very much hoping that the results were negative."

"This means that we cannot safely promote lionfish as an edible species" in St. Maarten as officials are doing elsewhere, he said.

Across the Caribbean, governments and conservation groups have been sponsoring fishing tournaments, encouraging anglers to go after slow-swimming lionfish and marketing it to restaurants and diners, hoping to stave off an already severe crisis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have had no official reports of illness associated with the consumption of lionfish filets.

"But in endemic areas of ciguatera, toxins have been detected at levels exceeding FDA guidance and therefore could cause illness if consumed," said FDA spokesman Douglas Karas. "The Virgin Islands is one of those areas."

In recent months, the U.S. agency has collected more than 186 lionfish from the waters around the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Of these, scientists have tested 74 fish to date, with 26 percent confirmed to contain ciguatoxins at levels exceeding FDA guidance, according to Karas.

William Coles, chief of environmental education with the U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Fish and Wildlife, said the U.S. territory's fishermen know well where ciguatoxins accumulate and avoid catching fish in those endemic areas.

"So we have about the same level of concern with lionfish that we do with any other fish. But it's still a major concern," Coles said.

Across the region, it remains to be seen exactly how much impact fishing and marketing of lionfish can have. For now, it's the only hope in sight.

Scientists are still researching what keeps lionfish in check back home in their native range even as they're going gangbusters in the Caribbean, mostly untouched by the local sharks, moray eels and grouper.

Lionfish, which carry venom in a flowing mane of spines and can deliver painful stings, have also colonized swaths of the Eastern Seaboard.

Bervoets said he and his staff spend much of their free time hunting lionfish and encourage others to "hunt them and eradicate them in any which way they can."

"They are definitely multiplying. That's why it's such a shame we can't eat them here," he said Thursday in a telephone interview from St. Maarten.

___

David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmcfadd

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_he_me/cb_st_maarten_lionfish

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Small Business Saturday In San Francisco: The Best Gifts To Buy ...

We all need a way to unwind. And for the Pacific Heights Diva, that means a day at International Orange. The spa offers skincare, massage and yoga for all-day total body recall. (They even have their own skincare line in case you need to present something wrapped. It's a different country in there.) And on Saturday, shoppers can score 15 percent off. 2044 Fillmore Street, Second Floor

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/small-business-saturday-san-francisco_n_1111229.html

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Grammy noms special to honor Ashford, Leiber (AP)

NEW YORK ? Three months after losing musical and life partner Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson acknowledges that she still has a hard time performing any of the classic songs they created together.

"I get a big lump in my throat when I try to sing one of our songs right now," she said.

She'll get a little help next week as Usher is set to sing from the Ashford & Simpson catalog for what promises to be a poignant moment in the usually upbeat Grammy nominations prime-time special. It will be part of a joint tribute to Ashford and Jerry Leiber, and will also feature Mike Stoller, who was Leiber's longtime writing partner.

Leiber and Stoller wrote classics such as "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Yakety Yak" and other hit songs that came to define early rock `n' roll. Ashford and Simpson helped define the Motown sound with hits like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" and "You're All I Need to Get By," as well as soul hits for themselves and others.

"I knew both Jerry Leiber and Nick very well," said Ken Ehrlich, producer of the nominations special and the Grammy broadcast, on Monday. "It was pretty rough for me in August when they both passed away. ... We lost two of the greatest songwriters of the formative rock and R&B era."

The tribute will be a change in tone for the fourth annual special, to air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on CBS on Nov. 30. The one-hour special in past years usually focused on select nominations and performances from those likely to get those bids. Rihanna, Katy Perry, the Band Perry, Sugarland and Lady Gaga are among those scheduled to participate.

But Ehrlich didn't want to wait until the Feb. 12 Grammy broadcast to honor the lost legends.

"It felt to me like it might be appropriate to do it at the end of the year, closer to the time of their passing," he said.

The segment will feature both Simpson and Stoller on separate pianos, as Usher sings. Simpson says she might join in when Usher sings one of their songs, which she expects to be "You're All I Need to Get By," but she's happy not to be doing most of the singing.

"It certainly would make it a lot easier," she said of Usher performing. "I will be very happy to lean on him."

She called the death of her husband, with whom she had two daughters, "the most difficult thing I've had to do in my life."

Simpson said his illness came quickly. "Nobody ever really thought of him being sick, and he really wasn't until the very end," she said.

The pair were married for 36 years. She said she still goes to their New York City restaurant and club, the Sugar Bar, where they nurtured upcoming talent over the years, and doesn't rule out writing music on her own.

"I figure the residue of what he leaves here will give me something to carry on with," she said. "I expect he'll be whispering in my ear and pointing me in a direction that is right, in time."

___

Online:

http://www.grammys.com

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music writer. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_en_mu/us_music_grammy_tribute

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Obama nominates new Medicare chief, Berwick steps down (reuters)

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U.S. stock futures extend losses after weak China flash PMI (Reuters)

SINGAPORE (Reuters) ? U.S. S&P stock futures extended losses to more than 1 percent early on Wednesday after a key gauge of Chinese manufacturing activity slumped to its weakest level in nearly three years.

By 0237 GMT, futures were down 1.2 percent, extending earlier losses made after a downward revision of U.S. growth data raised fresh concerns about the faltering global economy.

Chinese factories saw their weakest activity in 32 months in November, a preliminary purchasing managers' survey showed, reviving worries that China may be skidding toward an economic hard landing and compounding global recession fears.

The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, slumped in November to 48, a low not seen since March 2009.

The data showed the world's growth engine is not immune to economic troubles abroad, and could further unnerve financial markets already roiled by Europe's deteriorating debt crisis.

November's flash reading is a sharp three-point fall from October's final figure of 51 and indicated Chinese factory output shrank on the month in November. A PMI reading of 50 demarcates expansion from contraction.

The last time the PMI slipped below 50 was in September, when the index hit 49.9.

(Reporting by Masayuki Kitano; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111123/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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Doctors: 3 killed in assault on protesters (AP)

CAIRO ? Egyptian doctors say three people have been killed in a police and army assault to evict protesters at Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

The assault came on the second of two days of clashes between Egyptian security and protesters calling on the ruling military to quickly announce a date for the transfer of power to a civilian administration.

Mahmoud Said, a doctor at the nearby Munira hospital, said the bodies of two men were brought to the hospital on Sunday evening, while Mohammed Qenawy, a doctor at one of two field hospitals in the square, said a male protester in his early 20s also was killed.

The military took over when longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt

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China, U.S. grapple with tensions at trade talks (Reuters)

CHENGDU, China (Reuters) ? Chinese and U.S. officials started meeting on Sunday to grapple with trade disputes that have strained ties between the world's two biggest economies, carrying forward concerns exchanged between leaders at back-to-back Asian summits in the past week.

At the annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, or JCCT, in the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu, U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson said he would push for "concrete and measurable" steps to boost U.S. exports.

President Barack Obama over the past week met with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao twice, both times discussing barriers to trade among other issues. Obama said China is now "grown up" and should act that way in international affairs.

China's official reaction has been restrained, with an impending leadership succession preoccupying the Communist Party and leaving it anxious to avoid diplomatic fireworks.

But the conversation is expected to continue at the cabinet and bureaucratic level.

"These are very, very important economic times for both China and the United States, and indeed the world," the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, said as officials filed in for the first session of the two-day negotiations.

At the heart of the trade friction between is the U.S. trade deficit with China, which in 2010 rose to a record $273.1 billion, up from about $226.9 billion in 2009, in spite of both government's pledges to correct "global imbalances."

The JCCT talks do not grapple with complaints by the United States that the yuan is undervalued to favor Chinese exports, nor with broader political tensions between Beijing and Washington.

But U.S. officials want progress on complaints about lax protection of intellectual property and Beijing's eight-year-old import ban on U.S. beef.

China will press for the United States to "relax restrictions on high-tech (U.S.) exports, and make it easier for China to invest in the United States," said Xinhua.

Beijing complains that those high-tech restrictions, imposed for security reasons, hold back purchases of U.S. goods that could narrow the trade gap, a claim rejected by Washington.

The meeting aims to air disputes and solve them before they require action at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In addition, some disputes are not covered by WTO rules, so the months of meetings that precede each JCCT provide a valuable opportunity to air concerns, an Obama administration official said earlier.

The two sides are due to announce the outcome of the latest JCCT talks on Monday afternoon local time.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/pl_nm/us_china_usa_trade

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Why was Michelle Obama Booed at a NASCAR Race? (ContributorNetwork)

First lady Michelle Obama, along with Vice President Biden's wife Jill Biden, was presented as grand marshals of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Finale in Miami. Obama was booed by some members of the crowd.

While stipulating the NASCAR crowd is hardly part of President Barack Obama's base of support, the unpopularity of an American president rarely translates to his wife. Mrs. Obama enjoyed a 63 percent positive rating in a recent CNN poll, while her husband languishes in the mid-40s.

It would not be too difficult to overanalyze this incident. Sports fans tend to be raucous, especially after they have been well lubricated. It is possible the NASCAR crowd would have booed the Second Coming if it came before the big race.

On the other hand, Mrs. Obama has delved into controversy in her pet cause of getting people to eat healthy. Recently she opined that her favorite meal was steak and arugula. It seemed to be a somewhat Marie Antoinette type of statement. A lot of families in these difficult times are hard pressed to afford hamburger, not to mention steak.

Arugula, a leafy vegetable renowned for its peppery taste, is used in salad and tends to be more expensive than the romaine or iceberg lettuce that is usually in dinner salads. Her statement sounded to some ears like boasting about how well she eats compared to the hoi polloi.

Her campaign against childhood obesity, while well intentioned, is being greeted by many people as an attack on their parenting. A lot of two-income households do not have the time or the energy to cook a traditional family dinner where nutrition can be controlled to a certain extent. In too many homes, home delivered fast food or something that can be nuked quickly in the microwave have become the featured dinner. Harried parents are not likely to take very well someone lecturing them about feeding their children properly, especially if they are eschewing playing at the park for lying about with their game boys.

If one takes the view that the booing was personal, Mrs. Obama as a food Nazi is a good an explanation as ever.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111121/us_ac/10494629_why_was_michelle_obama_booed_at_a_nascar_race

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How do the Astronauts get to the launch pad? In a 27 year old Astrovan

You’ve trained for the better part of your life for your flight to outer space with countless simulations, time in a deep water tank designed to simulate the weightlessness of space, rode the “Vomit-Comet” through parabolic arcs, and are suited up and ready to go to the launchpad.? What is your ride of choice for [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/11/20/how-do-the-astronauts-get-to-the-launch-pad-in-a-27-year-old-astrovan/

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Volkswagen says plans to sell over 2 million cars in China (Reuters)

GUANGZHOU (Reuters) ? Top German automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is confident of selling more than two million cars in China this year and expects its growth to be faster than the industry's pace in coming years in the world's largest car market, its China chief said on Monday.

Karl-Thomas Neumann, president and CEO for Volkswagen's China operations, made the comments at an autoshow in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Volkswagen expects China's car market to expand by 8-10 percent in coming years, with the company expecting to outpace that growth, executives said.

Volkswagen, which operates car manufacturing ventures with SAIC Motor Corp (600104.SS) and FAW Group, sold almost 1.9 million vehicles from January to October, 14.8 percent more than the same period a year earlier.

It is also working to double its China annual capacity to 3 million by 2015, executives said.

Both Volkswagen's China joint ventures have worked out prototypes of electric cars, with test fleets expected to be out early next year, executives said.

(Reporting by Fang Yan and Alison Leung; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/bs_nm/us_vw_china

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Apple vs. Samsung current U.S. product lines

Interesting comparison by Minimally Minimal of Apple vs. Samsung product strategies, including their current U.S. device lines. (Spoiler: 3 vs. 134). No doubt there's a debate to be had about when both lack of and way too much choice become frustrating. Hit the link below for more. Source: Minimally Minimal via Daring Fireball

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/DXSOrV84mqk/story01.htm

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Romney Vows Transparency, Sometimes (ABC News)

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Ozone from rock fracture could serve as earthquake early warning

Friday, November 18, 2011

Researchers the world over are seeking reliable ways to predict earthquakes, focusing on identifying seismic precursors that, if detected early enough, could serve as early warnings.

New research, published this week in the journal Applied Physics Letters, suggests that ozone gas emitted from fracturing rocks could serve as an indicator of impending earthquakes. Ozone is a natural gas, a byproduct of electrical discharges into the air from several sources, such as from lightning, or, according to the new research, from rocks breaking under pressure.

Scientists in the lab of Ra?l A. Baragiola, a professor of engineering physics in the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science set up experiments to measure ozone produced by crushing or drilling into different igneous and metamorphic rocks, including granite, basalt, gneiss, rhyolite and quartz. Different rocks produced different amounts of ozone, with rhyolite producing the strongest ozone emission.

Some time prior to an earthquake, pressures begin to build in underground faults. These pressures fracture rocks, and presumably, would produce detectable ozone.

To distinguish whether the ozone was coming from the rocks or from reactions in the atmosphere, the researchers conducted experiments in pure oxygen, nitrogen, helium and carbon dioxide. They found that ozone was produced by fracturing rocks only in conditions containing oxygen atoms, such as air, carbon dioxide and pure oxygen molecules, indicating that it came from reactions in the gas. This suggests that rock fractures may be detectable by measuring ozone.

Baragiola began the study by wondering if animals, which seem ? at least anecdotally ? to be capable of anticipating earthquakes, may be sensitive to changing levels of ozone, and therefore able to react in advance to an earthquake. It occurred to him that if fracturing rocks create ozone, then ozone detectors might be used as warning devices in the same way that animal behavioral changes might be indicators of seismic activity.

He said the research has several implications.

"If future research shows a positive correlation between ground-level ozone near geological faults and earthquakes, an array of interconnected ozone detectors could monitor anomalous patterns when rock fracture induces the release of ozone from underground and surface cracks," he said.

"Such an array, located away from areas with high levels of ground ozone, could be useful for giving early warning to earthquakes."

He added that detection of an increase of ground ozone might also be useful in anticipating disasters in tunnel excavation, landslides and underground mines.

###

University of Virginia: http://www.virginia.edu

Thanks to University of Virginia for this article.

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

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/115335/Ozone_from_rock_fracture_could_serve_as_earthquake_early_warning

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Dems: Stop caving in (Politico)

Here is something we all can agree on: Federal deficits are a serious problem.

Here is something few can seriously dispute: Today?s big deficits were caused mainly by big tax cuts for the wealthy, two unpaid-for wars, a horrible recession caused by Wall Street greed and an expensive prescription drug program rigged to favor pharmaceutical companies.

Continue Reading

Here is something we should not agree to do: Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.

There is surprisingly broad consensus among Americans ? except inside the corporate-dominated D.C. Beltway ? on what to do about deficits. In poll after poll, strong majorities favor making the wealthiest Americans, who, in many cases, have never had it so good, share the sacrifice and pay a little more in taxes.

As the powerful supercommittee nears its Thanksgiving deadline, I hope (but doubt) that Republicans will listen to the American people and support deficit reduction in a fair and responsible way. I hope (but doubt) that Democrats will not again capitulate just for the sake of an agreement ? but that?s been the pattern.

Increasing taxes on the wealthy is overwhelmingly supported by Democrats and independents. A majority of Republicans and people in the tea party movement also support taxing millionaires to help bring down deficits. Even many millionaires say they should be paying higher taxes.

At a time when many successful corporations pay nothing in federal income taxes, there is also widespread support for closing corporate tax loopholes. Taking a hard look at mushrooming defense spending also enjoys widespread support.

For much too long, the Washington agenda has been set by powerful corporate interests and a right wing that do not represent the needs and aspirations of most Americans. For too long, Democrats have gone along with Republican demands and caved in to these powerful special interests.

The American people have had it. The Occupy Wall Street movement is growing. A virtual popular uprising forced Bank of America to drop an unpopular $5 monthly debit-card fee. On Election Day this month, in Ohio and many other states, voters said no to right-wing extremism and corporate greed.

The American people are clear. They do not want Democrats to reach another ?grand bargain? with representatives of the rich and powerful that eviscerates the most successful and popular social programs in the history of this country. They want Democrats to stand up for the 99 percent, not the 1 percent.

There is reason for concern. In December ? when Democrats controlled the Senate, the House and the White House ? Congress and President Barack Obama not only extended Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthy but gave new breaks to heirs of the super-rich.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1111_68605_html/43640339/SIG=11m66bc0n/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68605.html

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Rooted in the Big Empty, Perry sets his sights on the big job (Star Tribune)

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Buzz: Groceries, college grads, 'Christmas creep'

By Allison Linn

Apparently you?ve noticed that your grocery bill is going up.

A post this week on the rising cost of food we eat at home prompted thousands of you to weigh in on how your grocery runs are crimping your budget. Nearly 47,000 of you took our poll, without about half saying it?s hard to afford the food you need.

Many readers shared tips for cutting down on food costs. Some readers said they are growing their own veggies and hunting their own meat, while others said they were clipping coupons, avoiding pricier processed foods and buying only what?s on sale.

?We try everything to cut back or eliminate on food and spending. We work harder and longer, yet still we struggle to pay the mortgage,? one reader wrote.

When you?re struggling with everyday costs, it can be stressful to think about how you are going to pay for holiday gifts?? especially if the holiday push began while it was still shorts weather.

A post this week on how retailers are marketing holiday shopping earlier and earlier, and even offering Black Friday deals on the evening of Thanksgiving, got a lot of you talking.

On our Facebook page, some of you welcomed the chance to finish up your Thanksgiving pie and head out to the stores.

??What is the big deal??? It's all good!!! Thanksgiving is a family holiday, what better way to spend a holiday after dinner than shopping with family for family!!!!? one reader wrote.

But other Facebook users weren?t so enthusiastic.

?It's a horrible idea. Makes you realize how much businesses want to make that extra buck. Thanksgiving is for time to spend with your family and friends, NOT to go shopping,? another wrote.

On to one of the bigger budget items: College tuition.

We?ve written a lot about how much of a burden the cost of college is, but what about the payout? Another post this week looked at a government estimate that a college degree could net you $1 million more over your life than if you just have a high school diploma.

Many of you were skeptical, especially considering the stress of student loan debt and the difficult job market.

?How odd. My degree was only good for lining the bottom of a bird cage. Too many people with job experience vying for the same jobs I was. I eventually had to start a career in a profession that had nothing to do with my college studies. Beyond typing that is,? one reader wrote.

Also this week, Hip2Save?s Collin Morgan dropped by for a chat. Her advice for those debating whether to brave the crowds on Black Friday or even the night of Thanksgiving: Hold off until Cyber Monday!

"In my opinion, Cyber Monday is better! Plus, you are not wasting gas and time since you can snag deals in your PJs without having to deal with crowds!" she said.

Source: http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/18/8879657-the-weeks-buzz-grocery-bills-christmas-creep-and-college-benefits

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Parents had safety fears for jammed China bus (AP)

BEIJING ? Every time the dozens of kindergartners crammed into their makeshift bus for school in rural China, their relatives worried for their safety. Those fears were confirmed this week in a horrific wreck that killed 19 students.

"It was carrying way too many children," one boy's uncle said Thursday, a day after the crash in China's Gansu province. "It was very dangerous."

The nine-seater was stuffed with 62 students aged 3 to 5, plus a teacher and the driver, when it collided head-on with a heavy truck on Wednesday morning on its way to the Little Doctor Kindergarten in Qingyang city. The two adults also were killed, officials said, while the two people in the truck were unhurt.

The death toll rose by one on Thursday night after a 5-year-old boy with severe brain and other injuries died in a local hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Police detained the truck's driver, Fan Jungang, on suspicion of causing a traffic accident and the kindergarten head, Li Jungang, on suspicion of causing a serious accident due to negligence, the Qingyang city government said on its website.

At Qingyang No. 1 People's Hospital, one of the two hospitals where the dozens of injured children were being treated, relatives said they knew the bus was overcrowded.

"Parents were worried about their children every time they sent them in the school bus," said the man, who would give only his surname, Zhou.

He is the uncle of 5-year-old Wu Cheng, who had been sitting in the back of the bus when it slammed into the truck. He was recovering from head and foot injuries, and his nose was bleeding intermittently.

His parents, like many of those of the young crash victims, were migrant workers ? farmers and other poor people pushed to seek work outside of the countryside. Wu's parents work in Shanghai and heard of the bus crash on the news. They were hurrying to the hospital and were expected to arrive Thursday evening.

Wu was in a room on the intensive care floor with three other boys who also sustained head wounds in the crash, according to a nurse. They were out of danger and being watched over by their grandparents or other relatives.

There was an outpouring of sympathy for the plight of migrant parents and their "left behind" children on China's micro-blogging sites, popular especially with educated middle-class urbanites.

The Ministry of Education issued an "urgent notice" to education authorities and schools across the country to carry out safety checks of buses and immediately stop using vehicles with safety problems. It said education departments in poor rural areas should "actively win the support" of local governments in arranging or hiring safe vehicles.

The private Little Doctor Kindergarten is in Qingyang's Yulinzi township, which falls under Zhengning county.

Three Zhengning officials ? the vice governor, traffic police chief and education chief ? have been suspended and are under investigation, said Shi Zhengwei, deputy head of the Communist Party's propaganda department in Zhengning county.

Authorities have blamed the "overloading" of 64 people for the accident.

Such overcrowding on school buses is common in China. Commentators say closures of rural schools have exacerbated the problem, as children are forced to travel further to get an education while increasing the demand for buses.

Children who go to the kindergarten live from 1.6 to 5 miles (2.5 to 7.5 kilometers) away, said an official surnamed Gao from the Yulinzi township government.

Central government spending on education has steadily grown in recent years, rising a projected 16 percent this year to 296 billion yuan ($46 billion), about three-quarters of it given to local governments.

The overall figures mask great disparities, with rural areas chronically short of funds.

"The high cost of operating and maintaining school buses and the small profit made from this service stop many schools from purchasing them," Li Tao, laboratory director at the National Passenger Car Quality Inspection Center, was quoted as saying by the state-run Global Times newspaper.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111118/ap_on_re_as/as_china_bus_accident

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Shelley Ross: Why Does Gov. Tom Corbett Get a Free Pass in the Penn State Scandal? (Huffington post)

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Mike Krzyzewski: Greatest basketball coach ever? (The Week)

New York ? Duke's Coach K chalks up his 903rd win, setting a Division I college hoops record. Is he now in a league of his own?

Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski became the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history this week, when his No. 6 ranked Blue Devils beat Michigan State 74-69 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. With his 903rd win, Krzyzewski ? Coach K to admirers ? broke a tie with his mentor Bob Knight. The legendary Indiana coach reached 902 wins in 42 seasons. Krzyzewski hit 903 in his 37th. Coach K is only 64 years old, and may well have enough seasons ahead of him to set a mark that will never be broken. Is Coach K the greatest college basketball coach ever?

Krzyzewski is unparalleled: Sorry to break it to you, Duke haters, says Bill Reiter at Fox Sports, but it's now official: Coach K is "the greatest coach in college basketball history." We all "crave historical significance," and love to imagine that the events we witness really matter. Well, on Tuesday night, when Krzyzewski outdid everyone who has ever tried to lead a college team to victory, we got a glimpse of "authentic greatness." "Enjoy it. Savor it. Remember it. These moments don?t come around very often."
"Coach K's milestone is a precious gem"

Great, yes. Greatest, no: Coach K belongs in "exclusive company,"?says Jeff Goodman at CBS Sports. He's one of just three coaches?to win four NCAA crowns?? Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and UCLA legend John Wooden are the others. But Wooden's 10 national championships is a mark of greatness that try as he might, Coach K will simply never match. No one will.
"Krzyzewski ties Knight record with Saturday's win"

Still, nobody can equal Coach K's consistency: The great Wooden led a "concentrated era of dominance, from 1964-75," then retired, says Pat Forde at Yahoo! Sports. Krzyzewski has figured out how to win, and keep winning, over decades that have seen tremendous change. When the three-point shot arrived, Coach K figured out how to use it to his advantage. When he started losing star players early to the NBA, he adjusted. "He's the best basketball coach ever when it comes to staying current."
"Krzyzewski adapts to become the best"

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/oped/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111117/cm_theweek/221558

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U.N. nuclear chief says "must alert world" about Iran (Reuters)

VIENNA (Reuters) ? The U.N. nuclear chief said on Thursday it was his duty to "alert the world" about suspected work in Iran to develop atomic bombs, and major powers prepared to intensify the pressure on the Islamic state.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano stressed the need for Iran to engage in serious talks and said he wanted to send a high-level mission to the country to address mounting fears about the nature of its nuclear activities.

An IAEA report last week which assessed that Iran has been conducting research and experiments geared to developing a nuclear weapons capability has stoked tensions in the Middle East and raised a clamor in Western capitals for harsher sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

"It is clear that Iran has a case to answer," Amano told a news conference. "We have to alert the world before nuclear proliferation actually takes place."

He made the blunt statement at a meeting of its 35-nation governing board, where six major powers were set to close ranks on a draft resolutions that expresses "deep and increasing concern" about Iran's activities and calls on it to open up fully to U.N. inspectors, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

The statement called on Iran "to engage seriously and without preconditions in talks," to address nuclear concerns.

Vienna-based Western diplomats said the powers had agreed compromise language for a draft resolution, to be put to governors for approval by Friday, after Western states and Russia overcame divisions stirred anew by Amano's report.

But the resolution will not satisfy those in the West and in Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, who had hoped Amano's document would trigger concrete international action to rein in Tehran, such as an IAEA referral of its case to the U.N. Security Council.

Amano said he had written to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, earlier this month to suggest the visit, which would air issues raised by the hard-hitting IAEA report.

"Throughout the past three years, we have obtained additional information which gives us a fuller picture of Iran's nuclear program and increases our concerns about possible military dimensions," he told the board.

"The information indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device," he said, in his bluntest public statement so far on Iran's contested nuclear program.

Iran denies says it is enriching uranium only for nuclear power plants, not weapons, dismissing the intelligence information in the IAEA report obtained mainly from Western states as fabricated, and accusing the IAEA of pro-Western bias.

Amano said he hoped a "suitable date" could be agreed soon for his team's visit to Iran, which permits IAEA inspections of declared nuclear sites but since 2008 has stonewalled an agency investigation into "alleged studies" applicable to atomic bombs.

WEST SEEKS MORE IRAN PRESSURE

"It is essential that any such mission should be well planned and that it should address the issues contained in my report," Amano said, according to a copy of his speech.

"I ask Iran to engage substantively with the agency without delay and provide the requested clarifications regarding possible military dimensions to its nuclear program."

The fact that the six big powers were ironing out an IAEA resolution will be welcomed in the West after Amano's report prompted Russia to complain that it was politicized and dimmed chances of a negotiated solution to the Iran nuclear dispute.

Moscow's stance exposed big power divisions over how to best to resolve it: Western states seized on the IAEA report to try to step up pressure on Tehran in the form of farther-reaching economic sanctions, which Russia and China oppose.

"It (the IAEA resolution) will maintain pressure on Iran," one Western diplomat said. He and others said they were waiting for Beijing to formally approve the text before putting it to the board meeting, which runs through Friday.

In November 2009, IAEA governors including Russia and China rebuked Iran for building a uranium enrichment plant in secret. Iran rejected that vote as "intimidation."

The latest draft text -- expected to be co-sponsored by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- would stop short of actions with teeth such as reporting Iran once again to the U.N. Security Council.

There has been concern that if the powers cannot settle their differences over how to nudge Iran into serious nuclear negotiations, then Israel, which feels endangered by Iranian nuclear aspirations, will attack it.

Israel is widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal to deter numerically superior enemies, but has never confirmed or denied it.

Russia has significant trade ties with Iran and also built its first nuclear power plant, launched at Bushehr earlier this year. China is a major importer of Iranian oil.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/wl_nm/us_nuclear_iran_iaea

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Congress OKs bill averting government shutdown (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Congress has approved a big compromise spending bill that averts a weekend government shutdown that neither party wanted.

Passage of the bill Thursday came despite conservatives' complaints about excessive spending and liberals' objections to a provision letting the government continue classifying pizza sauces served to school children as a vegetable.

The Senate approved the measure Thursday evening, shortly after the House passed it.

The legislation would keep the government's doors open through Dec. 16. The government's new budget year started Oct. 1 but since Congress hasn't finished a single spending bill for the year, agencies have been functioning on temporary authority that expires after midnight Friday.

The votes highlighted fissures among Republicans, with many GOP lawmakers voting against passage.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

A weekend government shutdown that neither party wants would be averted under a compromise spending bill the House approved Thursday despite complaints from lawmakers left and right about provisions ranging from school lunch standards to the size of federally backed loans.

The House approved the measure 298-121. The Senate debated the measure and seemed ready to pass it and send the measure to President Barack Obama later in the evening.

The House vote highlighted fissures in the chamber's GOP majority as 133 Republicans voted for the legislation and 101 voted against. Conservatives in both chambers were unhappy that the bipartisan legislation would spend too much and potentially leave taxpayers on the hook for even more by expanding the size of mortgages that could be insured by the Federal Housing Administration in wealthy areas from $625,500 to $729,750.

"We know what's coming," Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said during Senate debate on the bill, describing the fiscal calamities rocking indebted European countries. "How bad does it have to get, how close does it have to get to us before we will act in the best interests of the country instead of the best interests of partisanship or the best interests of our careers?"

Democrats supported the measure overwhelmingly, with only 20 of them voting "no." Liberals mocked a provision blocking Obama administration efforts to prod schools to put healthier foods on their lunch menus, including a proposal to no longer consider the tomato paste on pizza to be a vegetable.

"What's next? Are Twinkies going to be considered a vegetable?" said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., who voted against passage.

Despite the objections, passage was never in real doubt. Both parties were eager to avoid further tarnishing Congress' ghastly public image, which took a beating after partisan standoffs nearly caused a government shutdown this past spring and a federal default in the summer.

"It's a good bill. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than the alternative," said Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington, top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

The government's new fiscal year started Oct. 1 without enactment of any yearlong spending bills. A temporary measure that has been financing federal agencies expires after midnight Friday.

The legislation would keep the government's doors open through Dec. 16, giving lawmakers more time to catch up on their tardy budget work. It would also provide $182 billion to finance the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Agriculture, Commerce and Justice, and many smaller agencies through the rest of the government's budget year.

Supporters said the bill honors a summer compromise between Obama and Republicans to limit overall spending on federal agencies to just over $1 trillion, which is $7 billion less than last year.

"This bill is the next step in breaking the status quo of excessive federal spending that is throwing our budgets out of whack," said Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

To try winning over skeptics, GOP leaders told their rank-and-file that the bill would eliminate 20 federal programs. All were relatively small, including a $35 million Agriculture Department healthy food initiative and a $12 million National Science Foundation underground science lab.

They also noted that the bill provided none of the $8 billion Obama requested for building high-speed rail lines and none of the $322 million the president sought to establish a climate change office in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Obama's request for an additional $308 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is responsible for implementing much of last year's financial law, was cut to $205 million. Reductions were also included for NASA.

Democrats boasted that unlike an earlier House-passed version, the compromise bill lacked GOP language blocking enforcement of parts of last year's law overhauling the regulation of financial markets and preventing the government from regulating the RU-486 birth control pill.

They also said it included more money than Republicans wanted for providing food to poor women, children and older people; helping communities hire police officers; operating federal prisons; financing the National Science Foundation; and highway and transit programs.

The bill also would extend to Dec. 16 the deadline by which the ailing U.S. Postal Service must pay $5.5 billion to the Treasury for future retiree health benefits. Postal officials have warned they have no cash and would default on the annual payment, which was originally due Sept. 30.

The Agriculture Department had proposed improving school lunches by steps like limiting potatoes and salt and promoting whole grains.

The legislation blocked those rules. As a result, the bill would allow the tomato paste typically topping pizzas to be considered a vegetable, a practice the Agriculture Department wanted to curb.

Federally subsidized school meals must contain certain amounts of vegetables, and the proposed rules could have forced schools to remove foods like pizza and french fries from their cafeterias.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111118/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_spending

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Video: McQueary defends testimony

Congressional report calls for drastic changes at TSA

A report released today by the Republican leaders of a Congressional committee calls for the Transportation Security Administration to slash its workforce, minimize its role in screening passengers and make public its performance results, among other recommendations.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45329770#45329770

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East Carolina University locked down after armed suspect report (Reuters)

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) ? East Carolina University was on lock-down on Wednesday following a report of an armed suspect seen near the campus, the school said on its website.

Residence halls and school buildings have been secured as university police sweep the campus looking for the individual, the school said.

Officials at the school could not be reached immediately for more details.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111116/us_nm/us_crime_university

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Ai Weiwei says tax bureau warns him of deadline (AP)

BEIJING ? Outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei said Tuesday that tax officials are threatening to turn their investigation over to police unless he pays them $1.3 million by Wednesday, raising the prospect that he and his associates could be detained again.

Ai was taken away by police to a secret location for nearly three months earlier this year during an wide-ranging crackdown on dissent. He disputes the government's tax-evasion allegations, and says he does not even own the company involved, but added that under China's authoritarian government none of that matters.

"It's very simple," Ai said in a phone interview. "Those in power have the right to do anything and their power faces no restrictions."

The Beijing tax bureau says Ai's design firm owes 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in back taxes and fines, but human-rights activists say the investigation is punishment for Ai's criticism of the government.

Ai said Beijing tax bureau officials told his wife Lu Qing, the legal representative of Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd., that they wanted a 8.5 million yuan ($1.3 million) guarantee paid into one of their bank accounts.

"They also clearly told us that if we exceeded this time period, they would transfer the case to the public security. There would be a different kind of outcome from that," Ai said. "They were of course issuing a threat to us, but the threat is real."

A woman who answered the phone at the duty office of the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau referred the matter to the bureau's propaganda department, where repeated calls rang unanswered Tuesday.

Ai was the most high-profile target of a sweeping crackdown on activists that started in February in a bid to prevent protests similar to those in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of bloggers, writers, rights lawyers and other activists were detained, arrested or questioned. Many have since been released but continue to face restrictions on who they can see and talk to.

Ai, an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist, said that if the case were to go to the police it was possible that they would detain his wife, because she is the firm's legal representative, and the company's manager and accountant, who he says have been unreachable in the months since his release. He said police could also go after him even though he's not the owner of the company, just a designer.

"Even if they say right now that this has nothing to do with me, and that this targets Fake, the company, they could still take me away, because when they took me away previously they knew it had nothing to do with me but they still did it," Ai said.

Supporters have sent Ai nearly 8.7 million yuan ($1.4 million), but Ai and his company's lawyers said transferring that money into the tax bureau's accounts could be seen as admitting guilt and that if they win the case it would be difficult to get the money back. Instead, Ai was planning to be the guarantor and offer a bank certificate of deposit as collateral.

"This issue at this point is in a kind of deadlock," Ai said, though he said they would continue to negotiate. His lawyers say the tax bureau's request is illegal because Chinese law stipulates that a person trying to challenge a tax bill can use collateral to provide a guarantee.

"They have already clearly told me you can't argue with the government," Ai said. "If the government says you have evaded taxes, it will not change its view. By this point, it would be embarrassing for them. Even if they know it is illegal they will keep going on this path."

The donations Ai has received are rare for Chinese dissidents because of the threat of retaliation that comes with supporting high-profile government critics.

___

Gillian Wong can be reached at http://twitter.com/gillianwong

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_re_as/as_china_ai_weiwei

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