Mecca Technologies

COPENHAGEN — Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, a U.N. climate conference delegate from Bangladesh, says “the world expects a lot from President Obama” and that he “should make sure he does not disappoint the world.”
But it will be almost impossible for Obama not to disappoint the world when he arrives here next week — in large part because the world keeps ratcheting up the expectations on him.
When Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it was declaring global warming a danger to human health, the administration might have hoped it was merely providing a catalyst — a sense of U.S. commitment — on the first day of two weeks of talks here.
But leaders from the United Nations and the European Union insist that the EPA endangerment finding is something bigger — proof positive that Obama must have another rabbit to pull from his hat.
“We expect that he’s bringing a more ambitious commitment than he has presented right now,” said Alicia Montalvo, chief negotiator from Spain, next in line for the EU presidency. “We are sure that this is his intention — otherwise, we think that he would have not come to Copenhagen.”
The climate community bit as hard as anyone on Obama’s message of hope. And while the Nobel Committee will award Obama a peace prize in Oslo this week based mostly on his potential and promise, the delegates here aren’t interested in giving any A’s for effort.
“Part of the message he’s receiving obtaining this prize is also to invest in political decisions that could be difficult — decisions that affect the whole planet, not just the immediate political interests in the United States,” Montalvo said.
“What people here care about is what the United States commits to in terms of targets and financial support, and they will hold President Obama to his word,” said Yvo de Boer, the head of the United Nations climate agency convening the conference. “For this process, what counts is the word of the president.”
But Obama really can’t commit the United States to much in Copenhagen because the senators he needs to pass a climate bill aren’t on board with the kind of greenhouse gas restrictions that the EU and others expect.
“[Obama’s] going to lock himself in at a number that is not a number that we here in the Congress should adapt in legislation,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) predicted in an interview with POLITICO last week.
While Murkowski has expressed support for taking action on climate change, she’s also wary of the effect it might have on jobs, gas prices and the U.S. economy — as are a number of other critical votes in the Senate.
“You’ve got your president in one spot and your Congress in another spot, and that creates conflict,” Murkowski said.
So far, American negotiators have agreed to slash emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels, a cut that amounts to only 3 percent when compared with the 1990 baseline used by the European Union and United Nations officials. Europeans have already agreed to cut their emissions by 20 percent — and will up their bid to 30 percent if they see more action from other nations.
But the United States purposely structured its numbers to avoid making commitments that could anger lawmakers working on a climate bill — and while the EPA endangerment finding gives the administration power to act unilaterally, the White House was careful to say that it still prefers a legislative solution.
Legislation that passed the House in late June and proposals currently circulating in the Senate included a 17 percent target. White House officials have also been careful to note that their “provisional” targets were dependent on actions taken by Congress and by other nations.
But even the 17 percent target in the House bill might be too steep for some moderate Republican and Democratic senators from coal states. A less ambitious 2020 goal, they believe, would give more time for coal plants to develop lower-emitting technologies like carbon capture and sequestration.
“That’s not going to work for some of us from coal states who want to see a bill,” said West Virginia Democratic Sen. John Rockefeller.
In Washington on Tuesday, about a half-dozen House Republicans said they’ll be traveling to Copenhagen to keep Obama and his international partners from going too far.

They’ll flag the “climategate” controversy, push for investigations of climate science and argue that the American people won’t go along with whatever Obama might promise.

“Yesterday’s decision by the EPA was clearly a rather naked attempt at engaging in international public relations on the backs of the American people,” said House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence declared that it’s “inappropriate to negotiate a treaty before we declared war on climate change.”

Of course, no one expects this round of talks to lead directly to an actual treaty — a more realistic goal is a political agreement that might lead to a treaty down the road. But even that goal seems elusive, with a draft text from Danish negotiators sparking a minirevolt Tuesday from developing nations who say it would give too much power to rich countries.

Some experts attributed the draft to a desire to accommodate the United States in the talks.

“My sense is that the Danish text is an expression of a tactical mistake; they tried to make an agreement or a proposal that fit with what they believed was the American position,” said Kim Carstensen, leader of World Wildlife Fund’s global climate initiative.

The European Union, China and a wide swath of other nations would like to see the United States commit to more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and additional financial support to help developing nations.

Some participants understand that it may be more than Obama can deliver.

“President Obama, we know that there are things he can do and things he cannot do,” said Negusu Aklilu, director of Ethiopia’s Forum for Environment. “So we expect President Obama to do whatever he can — the best he can.”

Jake Sherman contributed to this story.

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KOUROU, French Guiana – Officials have postponed the rocket launch of a military observation satellite for France's defense ministry.
Arianespace says an anomaly in the launcher subsystem will push back the launch of the Helios 2B in French Guiana for a couple of days.
The problem was discovered Wednesday during the final countdown at the South American launch site.
The satellite was built by EADS Astrium for France's National Space Study Center.
It is expected to take images that will help officials create maps, prepare for military exercises and in other tasks.
The satellite is to be the 33rd military payload lofted by Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency.

Diabetes and its treatments can cause many complications. Acute complications (hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis, or nonketotic hyperosmolar coma) may occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease (doubled risk), chronic renal failure, retinal damage (which can lead to blindness), nerve damage (of several kinds), and microvascular damage, which may cause erectile dysfunction and poor wound healing. Poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, can lead to gangrene, and possibly to amputation.

A rarer but equally severe possibility is hyperosmolar nonketotic state, which is more common in type 2 diabetes and is mainly the result of dehydration due to loss of body water. Often, the patient has been drinking extreme amounts of sugar-containing drinks, leading to a vicious circle in regard to the water loss.

Link

LOS ANGELES – The year's best meteor shower is coming to North America.
Weather permitting, the peak time to view the Geminid (jem-uh-nid) meteor show will be around midnight Sunday Eastern time when up to 140 meteors per hour could streak across the sky.
Though not as famous as the Perseid meteor shower, the Geminids often put on a more dramatic display.
Geminids are debris from an extinct comet called 3200 Phaethon. The shower gets it name because it appears to come from the constellation Gemini.
___
On the Net:
Meteor group: http://www.imo.net

NEW YORK – ABC says more than 1,500 people have called to complain about Adam Lambert's sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards.
The network characterized the response as "moderate." Before his performance, Lambert said that he wanted to break down a double standard that existed where female performers are often sexually provocative while men don't do it that often.
There were also hostile comments online about the "American Idol" glam rocker who sang his new song "For Your Entertainment" on Sunday's show with an elaborate, S&M-themed production. Lambert fondled a dancer, led another around on a leash, had a dancer briefly stick his head in Lambert's crotch and kissed a man.

Fashionable young men in early 16th century Germany showed a lot of fine linen in a studied negligee. This unidentified gentleman has a band of "smocking" round the collar of his shift. (Portrait by Ambrosius Holbein, 1518, at the Hermitage Museum)

Stays took a different form in the 18th century, whale bone began to be used more, and there was more boning used in the garment. The shape of the stays changed as well. The stays were low and wide in the front, while in the back they reached up to the neck. The straps of the stays were attached in the back and tied at the front sides.

Sexy Lingerie

BERLIN – German federal prosecutors say they have arrested two Rwandan men suspected of issuing orders to a mostly ethnic Hutu militia that carried out crimes against humanity on Congolese civilians.
Prosecutors said in a statement issued Tuesday that German police had arrested 46-year-old Ignace Murwanashyaka in southwestern Karlsruhe and 48-year-old Straton Musoni in the Stuttgart area.
Prosecutors said they suspect the men served as the top military leaders of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia. It is known by its French acronym FDLR.
They pair are alleged to have exercised "significant influence" over the militia that carried acts of war in Congo.
They are to be brought before a judge later Tuesday.

A Child Restraint system, also commonly referred to as a child safety seat or a car seat, is a restraint which is secured to the seat of an automobile equipped with safety harnesses or seat belts, to hold a child in the event of a crash.

This kind of seats prevent forward movement of the occupant in case of collision. It is a safety feature, important for front seats over rear seats.

Dash Covers

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and
Chinese President Hu Jintao said they focused on areas where
their two governments can cooperate during a first round of
meetings in Beijing today.

Obama characterized the morning session with Hu as “very
constructive,” telling reporters that the two governments
working together on economic and security issues would have
implications beyond Asia.

Hu said through a translator that the U.S. and China agree
“in many important” areas. He said he looked forward to more
“in-depth” discussions in a second round of talks.

Going into today’s meetings Obama said he wanted to
continue “a meeting of the minds” with Hu about how their
nations can lead on global issues.

Topics on the agenda include the U.S. president’s pursuit of
a more “balanced” economic relationship, joint efforts on
negotiations leading to a global climate change treaty and
efforts to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table over
its nuclear program.

Obama is “trying to reassure Beijing that we want a good
constructive relationship, not trade protectionism, and on the
other hand we’re trying to reassure Asia that we’re not going to
acquiesce in a future Chinese hegemony in the region,” said Ted
Carpenter of the Cato Institute.

‘Delicate Balance’

“That’s a delicate balance to put it mildly,” said
Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies
at the Washington-based policy research group.

Obama has struck a mostly conciliatory tone toward China
during the first half of his eight-day Asian trip. In Shanghai
yesterday, he told his student audience that the U.S. “insists
we do not seek to contain China’s rise.”

“On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and
prosperous and successful member of the community of nations --a
China that draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of
individual Chinese like you,â€

Still, Obama used the same forum to prod China on human
rights and freedom. In addition to speaking to and taking
questions from a group of about 400 students selected by their
universities, he also answered queries submitted via the
Internet.

That provided him an opening to talk about “universal
rights” of freedom of expression and religion for all people
and groups “whether they are in the United States, China, or
any nation.”

After their first meeting today, Obama and Hu made no
mention of one source of friction between the two nations,
China’s currency peg to the dollar.

China has kept the yuan at about 6.83 per dollar since July
2008. Some lawmakers in the U.S. have been calling for the
administration to put more pressure on the Chinese, saying the
yuan’s value is unfairly undercutting U.S. companies.

The leaders had a private dinner last night at the
Diaoyutai State Guest House. And the Chinese will host a State
Dinner in Obama’s honor tonight in Great Hall of the People.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Julianna Goldman in Beijing at
jgoldman6@bloomberg.net ;
Edwin Chen in Beijing at
echen32@bloomberg.net

FRANKFURT – German carmaker BMW AG said Tuesday its net income fell 74 percent in the third quarter as it continued to be affected by the global economic downturn.
BMW, the world's biggest luxury car company by sales, said net income for the period amounted to euro78 million ($115 million), down from euro298 million in the July-September period of 2008.
BMW's share price slid 7.1 percent to euro31.20 in Frankfurt after the earnings announcement as net income came in well below the consensus estimate of around euro150 million.
The Munich-based company said it delivered 7.2 percent fewer cars during the July-September period and that its revenue fell 6.6 percent to euro11.8 billion from euro12.6 billion in the July-September period of 2008.
"Although there are some emerging signs that the lowest point of the current economic downturn has been passed, the BMW group only expects the situation to stabilize at a low level during the last quarter of 2009," BMW said in its report.
"For the time being at least, it cannot be assumed that an enduring recovery has taken hold. Nevertheless the BMW group has performed well despite the difficult business environment," the company said.
BMW said that total car sales would likely be between 10-15 percent lower than in 2008 provided there are no further economic setbacks. The company's brands include its namesake BMW cars, the Mini compact and the super-luxury Rolls-Royce brands. The company also builds BMW motorcycles.
Despite the likely sales decline, BMW said it expected to report a positive result for the financial year 2009 and to maintain its leading position in the premium segment.
BMW said net income for the first nine months of the year fell 96 percent to euro47 million from euro1.3 billion in the January-September period of 2008 as the company saw a large pretax loss on its automobile business during the period.
Revenue for the first nine months declined 10 percent to euro36.2 billion from euro40.4 billion.
Automobile group production for the first nine months of the year was 21 percent lower at 907,429 compared to almost 1.2 million cars in the same period a year ago.
Motorcycle production was also 21 percent lower during the first nine months of 2009 at 65,909 from 83,845.
The company said it had also reduced its work force by 5.3 percent to 98,358 employees at September 30, compared with 103,850 employees at the end of September 2008.
Observers are looking forward to the group's new models including a Mini coupe and a new Rolls Royce model called the Ghost, which should add to future revenue.
BMW has said the order book on the new super-luxury Ghost — which is a step below the top of the line Phantom — is developing well. It hopes to start selling that new car next year.
___
On the Net:
http://www.bmw.com

He then sprinkles the newly-baptized with water and washes all of the places the chrism was applied, and performs the tonsure.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dress in white clothing to perform and to undertake baptism. Traditionally, the proselyte wears a white jumpsuit, white socks and white underclothing. The person performing the ordinance wears either a white jumpsuit or white slacks and white shirt. Historically, women and girls wore white dresses with weights sewn in at the hems to prevent the clothing from floating during the ceremony.

Girls Christening Gowns

LONDON (AFP) –
The postal union announced late Monday legal action against state-owned postal service Royal Mail as a dragging strike over pay, working conditions and modernisation took a new twist.

The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) said it was taking action in the High Court after Royal Mail hired 30,000 temporary workers to try to reduce a backlog of millions of letters caused by the long-running dispute.

The GMB, Britain's general trade union, earlier threatened Business Secretary Peter Mandelson with action if his department did not investigate claims the workers had been hired as strike breakers.

"GMB reserves the right, if you and your department fail to carry out your lawful responsibilities or act in a prejudicial way, to seek enforcement proceedings against your department and the government," GMB general secretary Paul Kenny said in a letter to Mandelson.

Royal Mail said a backlog of post caused by three days of strike action last week had halved from 50 million to 25 million on Monday. But further walkouts are planned for Friday and next Monday unless the deadlock is broken.

Both sides have blamed the other for the strike action, which comes as Royal Mail is losing business as fewer people send letters and competition from the private sector grows.

A three-day strike was called by the CWU last week after talks with Royal Mail broke down, just days after a 48-hour stoppage the week before caused widespread disruption.

Royal Mail has denied that the 30,000 workers are being used to break the strikes, insisting they are dealing with the backlog of post as well as preparing for the Christmas rush.

The legal action comes as both sides in the dispute continue to study proposals drawn up by union leaders aimed at resolving the dispute.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Bug spray that produces a fog to kill insects is likely to blame for the death of a 10-month-old South Carolina boy, and his 2-year-old brother was critically injured by the fumes, authorities said Monday.
Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said the boys' mother had been using foggers in their single-wide mobile home in Williamston, in the northwest part of the state, because of an insect problem. Elizabeth Whitfield, 25, called 911 on Sunday afternoon to report her youngest son was having trouble breathing.
Paramedics took all three to a hospital, and Jacob Whitfield was pronounced dead. His brother, Kenneth, was flown to another hospital about 20 minutes north to Greenville, where he remained Monday on a respirator, but was starting to stabilize, McCown said.
Elizabeth Whitfield was coated in chemicals when she first arrived to the hospital and had to remove her clothes and take a shower. She was released Sunday, but was re-admitted to the ER on Monday with breathing problems, McCown said.
Investigators found seven fogger containers. She told authorities she set off three when she began renting a month ago, then continued using them when the insects wouldn't die.
"Most people put these foggers in — they do it one time a month or every couple of months. She was using two to three a week," McCown said. "She said she followed the directions, but you have to wonder. We can't attribute it to anything else."
A single fogger is typically used to treat 6,000 cubic feet and can leave an oily residue on furniture and floors. Directions call for residents to cover all furniture, vacate the home for four hours, then open windows and doors for an hour before returning, he said.
While the pesticides appear to be the cause of death, confirmation through toxicology reports could take eight weeks. Other air quality tests turned up nothing. The baby was otherwise healthy with no signs of abuse or neglect, McCown said.
He said the home was located in a rural area and "pretty infested with insects, roaches. It was her goal to get rid of all of them."
"The stuff didn't seem to have too much effect on the bugs," he said. "They're still running everywhere."
The scent at the home was so strong authorities called in a hazardous materials team before entering. One deputy complained of headaches, McCown said.
Investigators initially focused on a grease fire, but tests showed that didn't play any role in the illnesses, McCown said.
"Right now, we're just concerned about them. We're hoping the 2-year-old can make a recovery and hope the mom will be OK," said Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Reeves.

HONG KONG – The king of kung fu cinema is set to star in a new movie about China's famed shrine of martial arts, the Shaolin Temple.
Jackie Chan will star in the $29 million production, "Shaolin," the latest screen portrayal of the 1,500-year old temple in central China whose famous fighting monks have featured in films by stars such as Bruce Lee and Jet Li, and in the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" with David Carradine.
Chan's Chinese-language film will co-star veteran Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, actor-singer Nicholas Tse and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.
The production, said to boast 1,000 real fighting monks and a grand scene in which the temple burns down, will start shooting later this year for release in late 2010. It was announced in a joint statement Thursday by four Chinese film studios: the state-run China Film Group Corp., Emperor Motion Pictures, Huayi Brothers Media Corp. and Beijing Silver Moon Productions Ltd.
Hong Kong filmmaker Benny Chan, who worked with Chan on "New Police Story" and "Rob-B-Hood," will direct and Cory Yuen will serve as action co-ordinator. Yuen's credits include "Lethal Weapon 4" and "X-Men."
"Shaolin" will be an updated version of a 1982 movie, "The Shaolin Temple," in which former Chinese kung fu champion Li made his screen debut, playing a boy adopted and trained by Shaolin monks who seeks to avenge the death of his father.
The new project could draw more heat for Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin, who has been accused of high living and seeking publicity for the famed shrine in the Songshan Mountains of central Henan province. He has also faced criticism for upgrading facilities at the once-austere temple.
Shi has agressively promoted the Shaolin brand, and has threatened to sue companies that use the temple's name or image without permission, but the abbot is clearly on board for Chan's project.
"It's worth cheering that we are now working with the most outstanding production team," Shi was quoted as saying in the statement Thursday.
Chan has most recently been shooting a remake of "The Karate Kid" in China with Will Smith's son, Jaden.

KABUL (Reuters) –
Afghanistan will hardly have enough time to provide full security during a presidential election run-off in November, a senior official said on Thursday as preparations for the second round entered full swing.

With violence in Afghanistan at its worst levels in eight years of war, the run-off poll comes as U.S. President Barack Obama weighs whether to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to battle a resurgent Taliban.

Afghanistan also faces a logistical nightmare ahead of the November 7 vote that pits incumbent Hamid Karzai against Abdullah Abdullah, his main challenger and a former foreign minister, with the harsh winter closing in fast.

Karzai agreed to the run-off this week after a U.N.-led fraud inquiry invalidated enough of his votes from the August 20 first round to push him below 50 percent and trigger the second round under Afghan electoral law.

Concerns about security and a repeat of the fraud that tainted the first round have already cast a large shadow after weeks of political uncertainty.

Daoud Ali Najafi, chief electoral officer of the government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC), said he was worried security forces would have enough time to make the thousands of polling stations safe for voters.

"I don't think they are able to secure (polling centres) in time for the second round. Security is really a big concern for us," Najafi said.

A string of attacks around the country during the first round kept many people away from polling stations even though the Taliban, who had vowed to disrupt the election, were not able to derail the vote completely.

URGENT STEPS

The coming onset of winter, which makes large parts of the mountainous country inaccessible, is also a big worry.

The International Republican Institute, whose observers monitored the August vote, urged Afghanistan and its foreign backers to take urgent steps to resolve security and other concerns.

"Afghanistan faces a number of challenges in preparing for and holding a run-off election," it said in a statement.

Najafi said he had held meetings with NATO and Afghanistan's defense and interior ministries and had submitted a list of polling centres which needed to be secured before polling day.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan, which provides assistance with elections, has started distributing ballot materials around the country. It has already said many district officials would be replaced as part of efforts to prevent fraud.

The IEC has also vowed to prosecute anyone suspected of having committed fraud.

For the West, the election is a key element in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and deny sanctuary to militants believed to have used it as a base for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In Bratislava, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged member states to step up their efforts to train and equip Afghan forces, warning that inaction would have serious consequences.

NATO, like Washington, eventually wants Afghan security to take over defense tasks, a mission Rasmussen said was vital for the security of the region.

The poll also poses a logistical challenge in the mountainous nation where election officials have to rely on U.N. planes, trucks and donkeys to deliver ballots to far flung locations.

As preparations unfolded, a military helicopter crashed in northern Afghanistan, causing casualties, a senior intelligence official said.

It was not yet clear whether the aircraft was Afghan or foreign.

(Writing by Maria Golovnina, Editing by Ron Popeski)

(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)

Senate Candidates Rack Up Seven Figures

Burr Still Ahead in North Carolina

Etheridge Edges Up in North Carolina

N.C. Official Kicks Off Challenge to Burr

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) –
Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) on Thursday posted quarterly profit that handily beat Wall Street estimates and said holiday sales could come in far above expectations, sending its shares up 15 percent to their highest level in nearly a decade.

The world's largest online retailer also said its Kindle electronic reader was its top item in both unit sales and dollars across all of its product categories.

"It's a strong September quarter," said Colin Gillis of Brigantine Advisors. "They beat on the top and they beat on the bottom ... investors are going to be heartened that consumers are still spending."

Citibank's Mark Mahaney said Amazon must be taking market share based on its results.

"Amazon should be extremely well prepared for Q4 -- facing shrinking/destocking offline retail competitors, with THE must-have eReader, and a significantly strengthening presence," wrote Mahaney in a note.

Wall Street expectations for Amazon have been high, and expected it to outpace the market during the crucial holiday season. But a growing price war with Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) means that margins could be at risk in coming months.

For the key holiday fourth quarter, Amazon said it sees revenue to range between $8.125 billion and $9.125 billion, compared with analysts' expectations for $8.13 billion.

The company forecast operating profit between $300 million and $425 million.

"The problem with the guidance is, it is so wide you could drive a truck through it," said Gillis, adding Amazon had a history of providing a wide-ranging forecast.

E-READER CHALLENGE

Amazon's net profit in its third quarter was $199 million, or 45 cents per share, far above the average analyst estimate of 33 cents per share according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Year-ago profit was $118 million, or 27 cents per share.

Revenue rose 28 percent to $5.45 billion, the Seattle-based company said, compared to the Wall Street average estimate of $5.03 billion.

"The profit you see is really driven by the leverage we got from our strong revenue growth," said Chief Financial Officer Tom Szkutak. "We had very strong demand across categories and geographies."

Amazon has been rolling out new incentives to spur sales ahead of the holidays. Amazon has cut its prices on top pre-ordered hardback books to $8.99, following the aggressive lead of Walmart.com.

On Thursday, the American Booksellers Association asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate that online book price war involving Amazon, Walmart.com and Target Corp (TGT.N), calling it "illegal predatory pricing" damaging to the book industry.

To maintain its dominance in e-readers, Amazon cut the price of its Kindle to $259 from $299 and introduced a global version.

Asked whether Amazon would again lower the Kindle price before the holidays, Szkutak said the company was comfortable with the current price and would not comment on future plans.

Still, Amazon's Kindle faces its first major challenge with the debut this week of Barnes & Noble's (BKS.N)Nook. That device is priced the same as Amazon's and offers features that may take market share from the online retailer.

Some analysts sought to put the Kindle in perspective, particularly as the company does not provide sales data.

"By all indications, it's been a hugely successful product for them, but it's still a pretty small percentage of their revenues," said Dan Geiman, analyst at McAdams Wright Ragen.

Amazon recently bought online shoe retailer Zappos.com to venture further into footwear and apparel, and introduced same-day shipping in seven major U.S. cities.

In North America, sales rose 23 percent in the quarter, while internationally sales grew 33 percent, the company said.

Media sales, which had shown slowing growth in the previous quarter, rose a healthy 13 percent in North America. They had risen a mere 1 percent in the second quarter.

Shares -- which are up 82 percent since January -- rose nearly 15 percent to $107.33 in after-hours trade.

(Editing by Michele Gershberg and Leslie Gevirtz)

AT&T has reported third-quarter revenues of $30.9 billion, net income of $3.2 billion, and diluted earnings per share of 54 cents. Analysts said wireless gains from Apple's iPhone offset wireline losses. AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S.

"Wireless continues to be the driver for the company," said Todd Rosenbluth, an equity analyst with Standard & Poor's. "Despite the increased competition in the prepaid market, AT&T is adding to its market-share lead. We are encouraged by its revenue per user growth from data services on the iPhone and other devices such as the BlackBerry. They are continuing to generate a lot of cash, which can support dividends and other corporate efforts. All of that is positive."

The 54 cents per share earnings were the same as in AT&T's second quarter and one cent less than in the year-ago quarter. AT&T added two million wireless subscribers, which the company said was the highest third-quarter net gain ever. It now has 81.6 million wireless subscribers, an increase of 6.7 million over the past year.

The iPhone Thrives

The activation of 3.2 million iPhones was part of an overall growth of 4.3 million 3G wireless devices. Both the iPhone and overall activation gains were the largest quarterly totals in company history. Data revenue grew 33.6 percent to $3.6 billion.

The strength in the upper end of the wireless category impressed Morgan Stanley, according to a research note written by several analysts. "High-end wireless shows strength with robust iPhone activations, with almost 40 percent new to AT&T, up from 35 percent in the second quarter of 2009," the note reads. "Considering the overall maturity of the industry, this could imply incremental pressure at other carriers vying for the high-end segment subscribers."

On the wireline side, AT&T's U-verse TV fiber-based initiative enjoyed a net gain of 240,000 subscribers, 8,000 more than in the year-ago quarter. The service now reaches 1.8 million subscribers and, the company said, enjoys "continued high broadband and voice attach rates."

Wireline Pressure

Rosenbluth said the wireline side of the business continues to be under pressure, and the issue may be more important for AT&T than for a more domestically focused carrier. "A unique characteristic about AT&T is its strength with multinational companies," he said. "That's a good thing when the multinationals are growing and hiring. The absence of that helps to offset some of the great things we are seeing with the wireless and U-verse products."

Many carriers, AT&T among them, scaled down in light of the poor economy. Rosenbluth said the company is beginning to spend as a recovery begins.

"They've reiterated their guidance for the full year and [capital expenditure] is up again in the fourth quarter," he said. "If you look back six months ago, there was uncertain demand from consumers and corporate customers. It made sense to focus cash on getting their credit matrix to a level they were more comfortable with. Now there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the economy and we are seeing things pick up."

The mammalian heart is derived from embryonic mesoderm germ-layer cells that differentiate after gastrulation into mesothelium, endothelium, and myocardium. Mesothelial pericardium forms the inner lining of the heart. The outer lining of the heart, lymphatic and blood vessels develop from endothelium. Myocardium develops into heart muscle.

Birds and mammals show complete separation of the heart into two pumps, for a total of four heart chambers; it is thought that the four-chambered heart of birds evolved independently from that of mammals.

EKG Machines

SAN FRANCISCO – A Northern California man remained in federal custody without bail Friday after being charged with sending racist, profanity-laced e-mail threatening to kill President Barack Obama and his family.
John Gimbel, 59, of Crescent City was arrested Oct. 6 by U.S. Secret Service officers and indicted two days before the president's Thursday appearances at a pair of Democratic fundraisers in the city.
He is accused of sending the message to Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, a Louisville newspaper and about 70 other people on Sept. 28.
Gimbel is scheduled to be arraigned Monday. Randall Davis, a defense lawyer assigned to serve as Gimbel's co-counsel because Gimbel wants to represent himself, said he expects him to plead not guilty.
"He contends he didn't violate the law" and only was exercising his free speech rights," Davis said.
The e-mail rambled on and included specific references to first lady Michelle Obama and the phrase, "do it to his children and family first in front of him. Failure to comply. That'll teach him," according to the indictment.
A similar e-mail was sent earlier in the month, according to a criminal complaint prepared by the Secret Service.
When officers interviewed Gimbel at his home, he admitted sending the first message but said he wanted to get attention, not hurt Obama, authorities said.
He was warned that he would be prosecuted if he sent any more.
The Secret Service listed a history of more volatile e-mails directed at President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Crescent City police chief over the past two years.
In seeking an arrest warrant, authorities asked for permission to enter Gimbel's house without knocking because sheriff's deputies had found him with a loaded handgun during an earlier arrest and some of his e-mails included threats against law enforcement officers.

There is no hard and fast rule differentiating motels from other hotels, although the word motel suggests that it is aimed at motorists. This may simply mean that it is a hotel with good access to the road network (on a motorway or ring road) so that a long car journey need not be interrupted for long by town-centre traffic. In other cases the designation is simply an attempt to make the most of a poor location inconvenient for town-centre services and attractions. Classically, though, a motel is a hotel which is made convenient for people who, for whatever personal reason, wish to be able to have quick access from the outside world (especially from their parked car) to the hotel room - without passing the scrutiny of a receptionist or fellow guests. This is usually arranged by having rooms (sometimes in individual chalets or even trailers) arranged around the car park with room doors opening directly to the outside rather than to an internal corridor.[citation needed]

Hydropolis is an ambitious project to build a luxury hotel in Dubai, UAE, with 220 suites, all on the bottom of the Persian Gulf, 20 meters (66 ft) below the surface. Its architecture will feature two domes that break the surface and an underwater train tunnel, all made of transparent materials such as glass and acrylic.

http://www.sandsresorts.com/

A six-year-old boy named Falcon Heene was thought by many to have
been floating alone through Colorado skies on Thursday in a silvery
weather balloon created by his inventor father. It turned out that he
was safe at home hiding from his parents (so goes one story), but the
news caused a media frenzy as many watched the unfolding coverage.

What
has been lost in all the finger-pointing and confusion is that a lying
(or mistaken) eyewitness was at the root of the concern.

The
fact that a large silver balloon flew in the air was, by itself, hardly
worth noting. No, what propelled the story to international importance
was the first-person eyewitness account of Falcon's brother Brad.
According to Sheriff Jim Alderman, police questioned Brad several times
about what he had seen shortly before the balloon flew away. "He said
he saw his brother climb into that apparatus and he was very adamant,
they interviewed him multiple times and that was his consistent story."

At
that point the concern became for the safety of the young boy, not an
escaped balloon: Had he fallen to his death? Was he still aboard the
balloon? He had been abducted? Where was the child?

Police were at
first skeptical, but the boy repeated his story and insisted on the
truth of what he'd seen. Many people (and journalists) probably
thought, "Why would a child lie about something like that?"

Perhaps it
was all a publicity stunt or hoax, and the boy lied because his parents
told him to. Or perhaps the boy had some strange, sudden hallucination
that made him think he really did see his brother climb about the
craft. Or maybe sometimes kids just lie about anything, for no
particular reason [parents are known to lie to their children, a lot].

Much is often made of first-person
eyewitness testimony in our society; some people have even been
convicted of crimes based on little more than one person saying, "I saw
this happen." But just because a person swears to have personally seen
something, and consistently sticks to his or her story, does not mean
it's true.

The Truth About Lying
Top 10 Unexplained Phenomena
Humans Do the Strangest Things ...

Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and investigator with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.

Original Story: Balloon Boy Saga Offers Lesson in Eyewitness TestimonyLiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

NEW YORK – This weekend on a Hudson River pier, a huge pop culture festival brings together celebrities from the world of comic books, television, movies and sports.
It'll be all fantasy and fun at the Big Apple Comic Con, which runs through Sunday on Pier 92.
On Saturday, attendees can wear costumes to be judged.
Celebrities include William Shatner, the one-time "Star Trek" actor who is presenting his comic books.
Fans of old TV shows including "Batman," "The Incredible Hulk" and the "Dukes of Hazzard" can meet the stars: Adam West, Lou Ferrigno, John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach.
Sports fans can see Dwight Gooden, Yogi Berra and Pete Rose.
___
On the Net:
Big Apple Comic Con: http://www.wizardworld.com/home-apple.html

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – Trial dates have been set for two eastern Ohio police chiefs accused of snooping on a surrogate mother for actress Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Matthew Broderick.
Martins Ferry Chief Barry Carpenter and Police Chief Chad Dojack from neighboring Bridgeport are accused in an alleged scheme to take things from the Martins Ferry home of the woman who recently carried twins girls for Parker and Broderick.
On Friday, Carpenter's trial was set for Nov. 16 and Dojack's for Jan. 12 in Belmont County Common Pleas Court.
A special prosecutor said the chiefs, who are charged with several felonies, tried to sell items to celebrity photographers. Carpenter and Dojack have pleaded not guilty.
___
Information from: WTOV-TV, http://www.wtov9.com

MIAMI (Reuters) –
The U.S. Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force were searching on Friday for the missing pilot of an F-16 fighter after his aircraft collided with another F-16 off the South Carolina coast during a night training exercise.

The other F-16 landed safely, an Air Force spokeswoman said.

"Last night, at approximately 8.30 p.m., 2 F-16s collided in mid-air over the Atlantic ... Unfortunately, we don't have any news of one of the pilots," she told Reuters. The collision occurred about 40 miles off Folly Beach, near Charleston.

The Air Force and the Coast Guard named the missing pilot as Air Force Capt. Nicholas Giglio from the 20th Fighter Wing of Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher)

Although cholesterol is essential for life, high levels in circulation are associated with atherosclerosis. Cholesterol can be ingested in the diet, recycled within the body through reabsorption of bile in the digestive tract, and produced de novo. For a person of about 150 pounds (68 kg), typical total body cholesterol content is about 35 g, typical daily dietary intake is 200–300 mg in the United States and societies with similar dietary patterns and 1 g per day is synthesized de novo.

The name cholesterol originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones, in 1769. However, it was only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".

http://www.hbextract.com/

BOULDER, Colo. – Jon Krakauer has never shied away from assigning blame for blunders, especially fatal blunders. In his best-selling account of a disastrous 1996 climb of Mount Everest, "Into Thin Air," he dished out stinging criticism to a professional guide and even chastised himself.
His new book, "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman," pulses with indignation at the generals, politicians and soldiers he holds responsible for the death of Tillman, the NFL star-turned-Army Ranger killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
But the sharpest rebukes are aimed at those Krakauer accuses of covering up the truth of Tillman's death, fabricating a more heroic story and then using it to distract the media and the public from bad news coming out of Iraq.
"You've got to explain what happened, and when you explain what happened, you've got to name names," Krakauer said in an interview in Boulder, where he lives.
"It doesn't do any good to say, 'Mistakes were committed, mistakes were made,' in that passive voice that's so annoying."
Publisher Doubleday is giving the book, which goes on sale Sept. 15, a first print run of 500,000 copies.
The book chronicles Tillman's short but remarkable life, interwoven with threads of American politics and global geopolitics, Afghan history and geography, even philosophy and Greek epic poetry.
Krakauer said a longtime fascination with Afghanistan and the news of Tillman's death attracted him to the story. Some of it is well known: Tillman's standout career with the Arizona Cardinals and his decision to leave the NFL to join the Rangers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
But much of Krakauer's account is new, or at least not widely known. As a high school student, Tillman served time in juvenile jail for beating up another teen he mistakenly thought had attacked his friend. He kept a journal and had a lively intellectual life. He opposed the war in Iraq but didn't hesitate to serve when his unit was sent there. He was an agnostic and maybe even an atheist. He loved cats.
In a detailed but fluid narrative, Krakauer juxtaposes milestones in Tillman's early life with contemporaneous events in the collapse of Afghan society and the rise of al-Qaida. The story lines converge when Tillman enters the Army in June 2002, compelled by a sense of honor and duty after the 9/11 attacks.
After retracing Tillman's training and his deployments to Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan 2004, Krakauer lays out a step-by-step accounting of Tillman's movements on April 22, 2004, the day he was killed.
A few of the key players emerge as competent, even valiant. Krakauer spent five months with U.S. and Afghan troops in Afghanistan researching the book, and that gave him "a tremendous appreciation of how hard a job it is" to be a soldier, he said.
But other players come across as bunglers, self-interested careerists, cynical political operatives or ideologues. Their sins, in Krakauer's account, range from firing at someone without first making sure it was the enemy to staging an unjustified war in Iraq that diverted much-needed troops and equipment from Afghanistan.
The upshot was that Tillman's platoon was ordered to drag a disabled Humvee back to base while also keeping to a tight schedule for clearing insurgents out of isolated villages in a rugged corner of Afghanistan. That required splitting the platoon in two, which contributed to the ensuing chaos when the unit was ambushed. And that's when Tillman was killed by friendly fire.
Then came "a very calculated effort to deceive not just the Tillman family but also the American public" about the circumstances of his death, Krakauer writes.
The Defense Department didn't disclose that Tillman died by friendly fire for more than a month. In the meantime, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor and promoted from specialist to corporal. A Navy officer said at a televised memorial service that Tillman died heroically, a victim of the ambush.
The reason for allowing the more heroic but misleading account to proliferate, Krakauer argues, was the same reason behind the leak of a highly embellished account of Pvt. Jessica Lynch's capture in Iraq a year earlier: to distract the public and the media from bad news just breaking in Iraq.
In Lynch's case, Krakauer says, the bad news was a cluster of friendly fire deaths of Marines in Nasiriyah, Iraq — he says it was at least 17, while the military says it was no more than 10. In Tillman's case, it was bloody fighting in Fallujah and an expose on the abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison.

"White House officials guessed that selling (Tillman) as a fallen war hero would send the media into an orgy of adulatory coverage," Krakauer writes. "They were not disappointed."

Army Secretary Pete Geren said there was no conspiracy, just a "perfect storm of mistakes, misjudgments and a failure of leadership." A retired general was censured over Tillman's death and the misinformation that followed. Seven other officers and enlisted men received punishments ranging from reprimands and demotions to expulsion from the elite Rangers. One was effectively forced out of the Army altogether. No one was charged with a crime.

Krakauer calls the punishments a slap on the wrist, and he doesn't buy Geren's explanation. In the book, he ticks off a list of irregularities, including the fact that Tillman's uniform was burned in Afghanistan instead of returned with his body for the autopsy.

"That's a very conscious effort to cover things up, up and down the chain of command. And the Army still hasn't come clean," Krakauer said in the interview. "That bothers me. So I guess, when that kind of stuff happens, it's easy for me — my outrage seeps in and I don't feel any qualms about naming names."

The Tillman story is more deeply entwined in politics than Krakauer's previous books — "Under the Banner of Heaven," "Into Thin Air," "Into the Wild" and "Eiger Dreams" — but he doesn't see that as a departure. Politics are an essential part of the story, he says, just as religion and church power were essential parts of the story he told in "Under the Banner of Heaven," about Mormon polygamists.

"So this book doesn't feel like a great departure to me. None of them ever have," he said with a laugh. "I find a story that intrigues me and I run with it."

Krakauer's work has appeared in Outside, Rolling Stone and National Geographic. He practices what Robert Boynton of New York University calls "New New Journalism" — intensively reported and beautifully written nonfiction that builds on the work of the earlier "New Journalists," such as Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese and John McPhee.

Boynton calls Krakauer the "gold standard" of New New Journalism because of his commitment to reporting, climbing Everest for "Into Thin Air" and spending five months in Afghanistan for "Where Men Win Glory."

Before writing was lucrative enough to pay the bills, Krakauer was a carpenter. He still looks the part, with a wiry build, tousled gray hair and an easy, rapid-fire style of talking. Even now, after five books — including "Into the Wild," which became a movie directed by Sean Penn — he professes to be not much of a writer.

"I'm not a good writer. I'm a good editor of my own stuff," he said. "I kind of throw stuff on the page," and then he rewrites and rewrites again. He estimates he wrote 30 drafts of "Where Men Win Glory."

Krakauer said he doesn't know what his next project will be; he's still recovering from this one, and he has a full calendar of appearances — including one at West Point.

What will he talk to the cadets about?

"The danger of putting your career before the truth," he said.

NEW YORK – The five skyscrapers were all supposed to rise by early next decade to replace the ravaged World Trade Center, with the city's tallest towers set in a spiral evoking the Statue of Liberty's torch.
They would frame a massive memorial in a tree-filled park, plus a theater and a transportation hub with uplifted wings — one of several symbols intended to defy the terrorists who destroyed the 16-acre site in under two hours.
Standing on the site now — a multi-level labyrinth of concrete and steel, from the entrance resembling the rooftops of an underground city — the sweeping design unveiled 6 1/2 years ago still hasn't materialized.
And while the most symbolic pieces of the puzzle at ground zero are taking shape, it's become increasingly clear that the grand scheme will take decades to be fully completed, if it ever is at all.
Vickie Cooper had mixed feelings as she peered through a fence at the site's stark northeast corner, a spot reserved for a skyscraper now mired in arbitration over its financing.
Its history is "too sad to even really think about progress," said the 48-year-old Austin, Texas, insurance worker. But "I am a little surprised — I thought there'd be something built there."
When will there be? As the eighth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks approaches, there's no firm due date for that office tower or two others supposed to help line the eastern side of the site; only one is under construction.
Developer Larry Silverstein has gone to an arbitrator to renegotiate his lease with the site's government owner after months of fruitless negotiations. An analysis done for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey this spring projected there might be no market for Silverstein's third tower until 2030.
The fifth tower in the spiral is rarely discussed as viable. The spot reserved for it is still covered by a skyscraper contaminated with toxic debris from the attacks, its dismantling slowed after a 2007 blaze killed two firefighters. There's no finished design or money and little public pressure for the performing arts center.
A poll last month found that more than half of New York City voters believe the rebuilding is going badly. More than 60 percent don't believe the highest-priority projects — the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower and the Sept. 11 memorial — will be finished by announced deadlines. The Quinnipiac University poll of 1,290 voters had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
The doubts don't surprise Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward.
"The only way you could cure that skepticism is to deliver on the things we are now delivering on," he said this week as roughly 1,000 workers labored on the site.
The Freedom Tower's frame is several stories above street level. Work has begun on one Silverstein tower and continues on underground elements of the $3.2 billion transit hub. The memorial pools' outline and plaza — some built from a pit 70 feet below ground to street level — have filled in a swath of the site.
"It's not a pit," Ward said. "Now, it's a sense of rebirth."
Daniel Libeskind's master design was chosen in early 2003 amid an atmosphere of unfettered possibility. Officials praised the plan's bold symbolism and its vision of a bustling business district enhanced by shops, restaurants and arts that repair the broken skyline and honor the nearly 2,800 people killed.
To Libeskind, it was and remains "a coherent and a complete vision."
"My hopes and my vision haven't changed," he said in an interview this week. "At the center of the desire to do this is really to create an inspiring place ... an affirmation of American values."
Political wrangling, engineering complications and the recession pushed completion dates back and sent cost estimates up by billions of dollars since the first plans were released. The Port Authority pushed back its timeline last fall, saying the memorial, Freedom Tower and transit hub would open between 2011 and 2014.

Ward said the four office towers — three planned by Silverstein — would be built when the battered economy, which has emptied existing towers of commercial space across the city, allows it.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose district includes ground zero, said it's crucial to build all the planned the office space, noting that terrorists deliberately struck at the nation's financial capital.

"We committed eight years ago that we were going to rebuild bigger and better than ever. If we're not going to do that, then we're sending a terrible message," he said.

Silverstein — who leased the towers six weeks before the attacks — has said the delays that he has blamed on the Port Authority have cost the project public confidence.

Putting off the office towers much longer would dishonor a commitment to respond to the attacks and "would really be a stain on New York's reputation and image," said Janno Lieber, who runs the project for Silverstein Properties.

Other local businesses fear being stuck around a construction site for years, said Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group.

"Can the site be made functional and attractive without completing it?" she said.

Some other key players involved in the planning now stress deliberation over bold strokes.

Former Gov. George Pataki stressed urgency at the site in dozens of speeches after unveiling a since-delayed timetable for the Freedom Tower in 2003.

In the beginning, "there was a tremendous sense of time urgency, and personally, I would like to see that continue today to every element of the site," said Pataki, who left office in 2006.

But how long ground zero takes to rebuild won't matter to future generations, he said.

"I'd rather have it right than yesterday, and this is being done right," Pataki said.

Libeskind — who envisioned it all — watches the construction from his studio window blocks away.

What ultimately gets built — whenever that happens — "will really be the plan that I drew, at its core."

He would not, he says, have done anything differently.

LONDON – Three British Muslims were convicted Monday of plotting to murder thousands by downing at least seven airliners bound for the U.S. and Canada in what was intended as the largest terrorist attack since Sept. 11.
A jury at a London court found Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, Assad Sarwar, 29, and Tanvir Hussain, 28, guilty of conspiracy to murder by detonating explosives on aircraft while they were in-flight.
Four other alleged conspirators — whom the prosecution said were to have smuggled liquid explosives onboard jetliners disguised as soft drinks — were acquitted of conspiring to blow up planes. The jury could not reach a verdict on an eighth man.
British and U.S. security officials said the plan — unlike many recent homegrown European terrorist plots — was directly linked to al-Qaida and guided by senior Islamic militants in Pakistan, who hoped to mount a spectacular strike on the West.
The officials said British plotters were likely just days away from mounting their suicide attacks when police rounded up 25 people in dawn raids in August 2006.
Their arrests led to travel chaos as hundreds of jetliners were grounded across Europe. Discovery of the plot also triggered changes to airport security, including new restrictions on the amount of liquids and gels passengers can take onto flights.
Prosecutors said suspects had identified seven specific flights from London's Heathrow airport to New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Montreal, as their targets.
British authorities estimate that, if successful, around 2,000 passengers would have died. If bombs were detonated over U.S. and Canadian cities, hundreds more would have been killed on the ground.
Plotters planned to assemble bombs in airplane toilets using hydrogen peroxide-based explosives injected into soda bottles.
"They were to be detonated in-flight by suicide bombers," including several of the accused, prosecutor Peter Wright said.
Tests by scientists who replicated the bombs in a laboratory showed the devices could produce powerful explosions, though there is no evidence that the terrorist cell had perfected the technique.
Wright told the trial that the group's suicide attacks were planned by "men with the cold-eyed certainty of the fanatic" and intended as "a violent and deadly statement of intent that would have a truly global impact."
He said the plot would have caused "a civilian death toll from terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale."
All eight defendants had denied most charges against them, claiming they were planning a stunt — and not a terrorist attack — to expose failings in Western foreign policy.
Prosecutors were unable to produce evidence that the men had produced a single viable bomb. The trial was the second to take place in a case which has frustrated prosecutors.
Last year, Ali, Sarwar and Hussain were convicted of conspiracy to murder, but the jury could not reach a verdict on whether they specifically targeted aircraft. The jury at that trial failed to reach verdicts against other four defendants.
Jurors on Monday cleared Donald Stewart-Whyte, 23, of all charges. They found Umar Islam, 31, guilty of a charge of conspiracy to murder, but could not decide if he was involved in targeting aircraft.
They found three other men: Ibrahim Savant, 28, Arafat Waheed Khan, 28 and Waheed Zaman, 25, not guilty of planning to blow up airliners, but could not reach verdicts on whether the three men were guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Each defendant, except Stewart-Whyte, had pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

Prosecutor Adina Ezekiel said authorities will announce if they will seek a third retrial.

___

Associated Press Writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON – In a speech that drew fire even before he delivered it, President Barack Obama will tell the nation's schoolchildren he "expects great things from each of you."
The White House posted Obama's remarks, scheduled for Tuesday, in advance on its Web site at midday Monday.
Obama's planned talk has been controversial, with several conservative organizations and individuals accusing him of trying to delve too directly into local education. But White House officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have said the charges are silly.
In the remarks set for Tuesday, Obama tells young people that all the work of parents, educators and others won't matter "unless you show up for those schools, pay attention to those teaches."
Obama made no reference in his prepared remarks to the uproar surrounding his speech. He used the talk to tell kids about his at-times clumsy ways as a child and to urge them to identify an area of interest, set goals and work hard to achieve them.
He noted that he was raised by a single mother and that she made him buckle down and work harder at times, and said he's glad she did. The president acknowledged that "it's hard to be successful," but told the students in his prepared speech that the country badly needs their best effort to cope in an increasingly competitive global economy.