Jordan's Islamists to march, angry at slow reform

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's main Islamist opposition is preparing to flex its muscles in a march on Friday that could be its biggest demonstration since Arab Spring-inspired protests last year against the slow pace of political reform.

The "Friday to Rescue the Nation" rally called by the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition party, in the capital Amman will press for broader political representation and a more democratic parliament.

But plans by pro-government groups to stage a counter-demonstration have raised fears of clashes.

"We are talking about a new phase after 20 months of continued popular protests and unwillingness to listen to our demands for reform," Zaki Bani Rusheid, the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood, told Reuters.

Jordan has had nearly two years of peaceful street protests by Islamists, tribal figures and leftists, inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings, but they have focused on reforming government and limiting King Abdullah's powers rather than ousting him.

Jordan's Islamists are highly organized and have been mobilizing supporters by distributing leaflets at mosques. Their main rallies usually attract tens of thousands of people.

"We are calling for real reforms that restore power to Jordanian people and curb the powers of those who have seized power and influence for decades," Bani Rusheid said.

He accused the authorities of creating a climate of "incitement and fear" to prevent people from other areas turning up to march, after a backlash in most pro-government media.

Some tribal and leftist groups have said they will join the march. Pro-government groups, widely suspected of being directed by the authorities, have said they will rally in the same area.

Loyalists tied to the country's powerful intelligence apparatus have been blamed for disrupting past Islamist-led gatherings and there are fears of clashes on Friday.

Bani Rusheid said any attempt by the security forces to provoke a confrontation would backfire.

"The inclination to artificially instigate a confrontation is a gamble with dangerous consequences and no one would be able to predict its outcome. They have tried in the past to provoke us and get us to act irresponsibly but all attempts have failed," he said.

'ROYAL INITIATIVE'

Jordan has tolerated protests in provincial towns inhabited by native Jordanians from East Bank tribes, who are used to preferential access to state jobs. Those protests have been driven largely by concern over dwindling benefits.

But the mostly urban Islamists, with a strong following among Jordanians of Palestinian origin, are viewed by the political establishment as a threat.

Bani Rusheid has a wide following among poor Jordanians and has been the focus of vitriol by pro-government hardliners.

The Muslim Brotherhood refuses to take part in an election for parliament to be contested within months under an electoral law passed in July by a rubber stamp parliament.

"When the security forces failed to make us participate in elections on their terms they wanted to take revenge on the Islamic movement with the same old methods that existed before the Arab Spring. They forget the world has changed," he said.

The Islamists say the law gives pro-government tribes in sparsely populated provincial areas a much bigger allocation of parliamentary seats than their own strongholds in cities where Palestinians dominate.

Jordan's political elite has watched with trepidation as Islamist parties in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have gained ground, seeing their rise as a sign of the future empowerment of Jordanians of Palestinian origin, a majority of the population, who are unrepresented politically but are the backbone of the economy.

Bani Rusheid said only King Abdullah could stand up to the old guard bent on preserving their privileges. The king says his reformist agenda has been frustrated by conservative politicians who hold extensive power within the security establishment.

"We are awaiting a royal initiative. King Abdullah is the only person able to rein in these security forces and get the country out of this crisis and to achieve a major political breakthrough from a grinding deadlock," he said.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jordans-islamists-march-angry-slow-reform-170134759.html

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Positively Naperville | Playground opening at Cress Creek Park Oct. 9

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Obama fights back after debate setback (reuters)

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Innovative new defibrillator offers alternative for regulating heart beat

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2012) ? A new ground-breaking technology was recently used at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) where two cardiologists, Dr. David Birnie and Dr. Pablo Nery, implanted a new innovative leadless defibrillator, the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD), to a 18 year-old patient. Under Health Canada's special access program, this was only the third time this new type of ICD had been implanted in Canada.

Conventional defibrillators, known as transvenous defibrillators, are implanted with wires, called the leads, that snake through veins into the heart. When the defibrillator identifies any dangerous heartbeat, it delivers a shock through the wires to return the heart to its normal rhythm and allows it to get back to pumping blood steadily throughout the body.

Not all patients are suitable for a conventional defibrillator. In some with congenital heart problems, there is no way to advance the leads into the heart through the veins. Also, those wires may pose a danger due to the risk of blood clots or infection. Patients often have to undergo a more complex and invasive surgery to attach the leads to the outer layer of the heart muscle in order to benefit from the use of a defibrillator

Conventional ICDs use leads that run from the device through major veins to an anchor point in the heart. These transvenous leads can cause problems in the long term. Despite decades of design improvements, leads can malfunction, break or stop working. Known as lead failure, this results in either inappropriate shocks or lack of proper regulation of the heartbeat. What's worse is that failed leads often must be removed, which poses serious risks to the patient.

What makes the new device special is that it is entirely subcutaneous. No part of it actually touches the heart. Instead, an electrode is implanted just under the skin near the heart. The defibrillator is connected to the electrode, and monitors the heartbeat at all times. If needed, it delivers a shock to the heart muscle to restore its normal rhythm.

The goal of the subcutaneous ICD is to potentially reduce or eliminate these problems. "The subcutaneous ICD provides effective therapy for patients who are either not eligible for or are at high risk with a traditional ICD. Such patients may now be able to receive protection from a subcutaneous ICD without the risks associated with the standard leads," explained Dr. Nery.

That made the 18-year-old recipient of the S-ICD at the Heart Institute a perfect candidate. "The S-ICD offers advantages for particular patient sub-groups," said Dr. Nery. "This technology is now an alternative for young patients, in part because lead extraction can be avoided down the road."

Another advantage is more aesthetic in nature but, nonetheless, important for young people. A conventional transvenous defibrillator sits on the front on the chest, just under the collarbone, and is easy to see. The S- ICD, in comparison, is implanted to the side, under the patient's arm, and with a much smaller incision than with the transvenous defibrillator. That, said Dr. Nery, is an important consideration for many patients in terms of body image and quality of life.

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First debate sets up moment of high-risk theater

President Barack Obama stands at the heliport overlooking the Hoover Dam, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 in Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama stands at the heliport overlooking the Hoover Dam, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 in Boulder City, Nev. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets passers-by as he makes an unscheduled stop at a Chipotle restaurant in Denver, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for a photo with workers as he makes an unscheduled stop at a Chipotle restaurant in Denver, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Asheville, N.C., Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

DENVER (AP) ? President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney come face to face for the first time in this presidential campaign Wednesday night for a nationally televised debate that will give millions of Americans a chance to size up two fierce competitors in a moment of high-risk theater.

Romney, trailing in polls in a number of key states and running short on time to reverse his fortunes, is angling for a breakout performance in the three 90-minute presidential debates scheduled over the next three weeks.

Obama, well aware that the remaining five weeks of the race still offer enough time for tectonic shifts in his prospects, is determined to avoid any campaign-altering mistakes as he presses his case for a second term.

A pre-debate skirmish Tuesday over Vice President Joe Biden's passing reference to "a middle class that has been buried the last four years" demonstrated how just a few words can mushroom into something larger during a heated contest for the White House.

Wednesday's 9 p.m. EDT faceoff between Obama and Romney on domestic policy at the University of Denver is sure to offer a blend of choreography and spontaneity: Both men have spent hours rehearsing smart lines and pithy comebacks with proxy opponents ? yet know to expect the unexpected.

"That's what so tricky about this," says Alan Schroeder, author of a book on presidential debates. "There's never a template for preparing because each one takes its own direction."

The central role of the economy in this election is evident in the topics selected for the first three of the night's six debate segments: The Economy I, The Economy II and The Economy III. The last three segments will focus on health care, the role of government and governing.

Romney has pinned his campaign on the argument that Obama has failed to adequately juice up the U.S. economy, but his challenge is reflected in recent polls showing growing public optimism about the economy and the president's leadership. His case got tougher after a secret video revealed Romney telling donors that it's not his job to care about the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal income taxes and believe they are victims.

Romney tried to address accusations that he doesn't care about those voters with a new ad Wednesday in which the casually dressed candidate looks at the camera and acknowledges the struggles of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. "We should measure our compassion by how many of our fellow Americans are able to get good-paying jobs, not how many are on welfare. My economic plan will get America back to work and strengthen the middle class," he says.

Republicans tried to frame the economic debate in their terms Tuesday by pointing to the vice president's comments in North Carolina about the beleaguered middle class as an unwitting acknowledgment that Obama's economic policies have devastated average Americans.

"We agree," GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan declared in Iowa. "That means we need to stop digging by electing Mitt Romney the next president of the United States."

Obama's camp countered that it was the policies of the president's Republican predecessors that had caused the damage.

Biden, at a later campaign event, was careful to say that "the middle class was buried by the policies that Romney and Ryan supported," calling their economic plans an amped-up rework of those from the George W. Bush years.

Romney calls Wednesday's debate the beginning of a monthlong "conversation with the American people," and the debates do tend to consume much of the political oxygen for several crucial weeks.

The candidates will be speaking to a TV audience of tens of millions in one of those rare moments when a critical mass of Americans collectively fix their attention on one event. Fifty-two million people tuned in to the first debate four years ago, and 80 percent of the nation's adults reported watching at least a bit of the debates between Obama and Republican John McCain in 2008.

The two campaigns on Wednesday announced new websites ? http://debates.mittromney.com and http://barackobama.com/debate ? to respond to their opponent in real time.

In a quadrennial pre-debate ritual, each campaign has worked overtime to raise expectations for the opponent while lowering the bar for its own candidate. The thinking is that it's better to exceed lukewarm expectations than to fail to perform at an anticipated level of great skill.

But both men are seasoned debaters: Obama has been here before, facing off with McCain in 2008. Romney hasn't gone one on one in a presidential debate, but he got plenty of practice thinking on his feet during 19 multicandidate debates held during the Republican primaries.

On a long day of debate prep ? Romney in Denver and Obama in Henderson, Nev., near Las Vegas ? both candidates tried to blow off some steam Tuesday. The president made a tourist's visit to nearby Hoover Dam, and Romney fit in a lunchtime outing to a Mexican grill for a burrito bowl.

The two candidates' biggest fans talked up their debating abilities in pre-debate interviews.

Michelle Obama told CNN she's like a nervous parent watching a child performing on the balance beam when her husband debates.

"I do tell him to have fun and relax and just be himself, because the truth is, if he's the Barack Obama the country has come to know and trust, he is going to do a great job," she said.

Ann Romney said her husband always looks around to find her in the debate audience and keeps a paper in front of him that says "Dad" ? to remind him to make his father proud.

As for her advice, Mrs. Romney told KMGH-TV in Denver that she tells her husband: "Sweetie, you had five boys. You learned to argue really well and make your points years ago. Just go do that."

Wednesday's format: The moderator, PBS newsman Jim Lehrer, will open each 15-minute segment with a question, and Obama and Romney each will have two minutes to answer. After that, it's up to Lehrer to keep the conversation going and to intervene if one candidate goes on too long.

Obama and Romney have a two-track mission with debate viewers: Motivate core supporters to turn out and vote ? at a time when early voting already is under way in many states ? and try to lock in some new supporters from among the small subset of viewers who haven't settled on a candidate or whose support for one man or the other is squishy.

The viewers who matter most live in the contested battleground states that will determine which candidate gets to 270 electoral votes on Nov. 6: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and, to a lesser extent, Wisconsin.

Recent national polls show the two candidates in a tight race among likely voters. But Obama has the advantage in many of the battlegrounds, including Colorado.

Romney and Obama debate again Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla. Biden and Ryan have their lone debate on Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky.

Obama plans to use the first presidential debate as the hook for fundraisers and recruiting volunteers. Former President Bill Clinton will be in Boston on Wednesday night for Obama, with donors paying $20,000 a person. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is headlining a New York fundraiser.

The Obama campaign plans more than 4,000 debate-watching events around the country. And Biden is scheduled to hold a live discussion with supporters that will be streamed online after the debate.

The Romney camp planned 336 debate parties at restaurants, bars, grills, VFW halls and other sites concentrated in battleground states.

___

Benac reported from Washington.

___

Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nbenac

Follow Kasie Hunt on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kasie

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-10-03-Presidential%20Campaign/id-1823a3eea3e6469eb21812b40d0065a3

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Old Bears defense picks off 34-18 win over Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? Charles Tillman had the ball thrown right into his hands. All the Chicago Bears cornerback had to do was grab it and run 25 yards untouched down the sideline for a touchdown.

Lance Briggs had to go three times farther and sidestep a few Dallas Cowboys on his way to the end zone.

The interception returns by Tillman and Briggs, who are among the five 30-something starters on Chicago's defense, came in a 34-18 win over the Cowboys on Monday night when Tony Romo matched his career high with five picks.

"I think Lance's was better. He juked a couple of people. His was longer, so by far I think he had the play of the game," Tillman said. "Mine was simple and boring. His was exciting."

Briggs' interception came in a wild two-play exchange of turnovers midway through the third quarter, and put the Bears up 24-7.

The first fumble of the season for Chicago (3-1) came when Jay Cutler was sacked by DeMarcus Ware to set Dallas up at the Bears 27. It was the third forced fumble already for Ware, the Pro Bowl linebacker who turned 30 during training camp.

On the very next play, Romo was trying to escape pressure when he was hit from behind by Henry Melton. The ball popped forward into the air to Briggs.

"Just outstanding play by our defense," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "It seemed like everybody had a say in it. How about Lance Briggs? You guys didn't know he could run that fast."

Despite his fumble, Cutler was nearly flawless after halftime, completing 11 of 12 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns. He was 18 of 24 overall for 275 yards. A 34-yard TD pass to Devin Hester started the half and there was later a 31-yarder to Brandon Marshall, who had seven catches for 138 yards.

The Cowboys (2-2) are a .500 team again, alternating wins and losses this season. Since the start of the 1997 season, Dallas is 122-122 in regular-season games with one playoff victory.

"This has to be a wakeup call for us. I don't say that nonchalantly. It has to be," said Jason Witten, the Cowboys' 10th-year tight end. "You can't bounce back and forth like this and try to compete come December-time. You can't do it. We have been in that situation before. You cannot do it. And we know that, and we'll get better."

Making things worse for the Cowboys, they now head into their bye week. And their next game is Oct. 14 at Baltimore, starting a stretch of playing four of five on the road.

"These next two weeks are going to be very long," running back DeMarco Murray said. "They're going to seem like forever."

Dallas owner Jerry Jones, however, called it a "timely bye" and a chance to reassess things for his team that opened the season by winning at the New York Giants. The defending Super Bowl champions are the next team to visit Cowboys Stadium, on Oct. 28.

"I know it's the same makeup of the team. Same personnel," Jones said. "We've seen this team play well and we can play a lot better. ... We have a lot of work to do."

Chicago scored first on Robbie Gould's 43-yard field goal with just over 4 minutes left in the first half. Three plays later, Romo threw a ball right at Tillman when intended receiver Dez Bryant kept running down the field instead of cutting toward the sideline.

"We were just seeing how the corner played," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "''Tony saw it one way. Dez saw it another way."

Romo finished 31 of 43 for 307 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown to Miles Austin just before halftime.

Chicago opened the second half with a 73-yard drive capped with the TD by Hester, who sprinted by rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne and had to make a lunging catch at the goal line ? a play upheld after a replay review.

That was one of three plays reviewed by referee Walt Anderson and his crew. The regular refs were back to work a week after that disputed Monday night ending in which Seattle won at home against Green Bay.

Romo was picked off again when his short pass deflected off receiver Kevin Ogletree and was caught by Major Wright. The Bears ran only two plays before the teams traded turnovers on consecutive snaps with Briggs' first interception return for a score since 2005.

"We have a ton of athletes, a great mixture of old and young, a great core," Briggs said. "All of the talk coming into training camp about the offense. The defense, we've got a lot of pride. We want to be consistent. We want to get turnovers. We want to get after the passer. We want to shut down the run."

The Bears did all of that against the Cowboys, who had only 41 yards rushing.

Murray had 131 yards rushing in the Cowboys' season-opening victory at the Giants. He has only 106 in the last three games, including 24 on 11 carries Monday night with an 11-yard run.

NOTES: Chicago is 8-2 in Monday night games under Smith. ... When the Cowboys got the ball in the final 3 minutes, Kyle Orton got his first action since he signed a free-agent deal during the offseason to be Romo's backup. The veteran quarterback was 9 of 10 passing for 89 yards with a 5-yard TD to Witten in the final minute. ... Wright had two picks after returning interception for a TD in Chicago's previous game. ... D.J. Moore has nine career interceptions, three against Romo. ... Witten, the seven-time Pro Bowler with some uncharacteristic drops in the first three games, had 13 catches for 112 yards. It was his 15th career 100-yard game. ... Bryant had eight catches for 105 yards.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/old-bears-defense-picks-off-34-18-win-074724464--spt.html

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Adele records James Bond theme song 'Skyfall'

Dylan Martinez / REUTERS

By Piya Sinha-Roy, Reuters

Grammy-winning British singer Adele is adding Bond girl to her superstar resume by signing on to write and sing the theme of the latest James Bond film "Skyfall" -- her first song to be released since her best-selling heartbreak album "21" -- Columbia Records said in a statement on Monday.

Adele, 24, who swept the Grammy Awards earlier this year with accolades in six categories, will release the song on Friday on her official website, to coincide with the Bond film franchise's 50th anniversary and Global James Bond Day.?

The sultry singer wrote "Skyfall" with long-time collaborator Paul Epworth. She recorded it at London's Abbey Road Studios with a 77-piece orchestra. Adele said in a statement that she was persuaded to do the song after she "fell in love with the script."

"I was a little hesitant at first to be involved with the theme song for 'Skyfall.' There's a lot of instant spotlight and pressure when it comes to a Bond song," the singer said.

"When we recorded the strings, it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I'll be backcombing my hair when I'm 60, telling people I was a Bond girl back in the day, I'm sure."

The James Bond title songs have become a signature of the films, featuring suave British agent 007 holding a gun in a pose that has become iconic.

Singers who have performed the title songs over the past five decades include Shirley Bassey in 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" and 1979's "Moonraker," Paul McCartney on 1973's "Live and Let Die," and more recently, Madonna on 2002's "Die Another Day." Jack White and Alicia Keys performed "Another Way To Die" from 2008's "Quantum of Solace."

"Skyfall," the 23rd film in the Bond franchise and the third film with actor Daniel Craig in the lead role, will see the womanizing rogue super-spy take on another mission to save the world. The film will be released in Britain and most European nations on October 26. It arrives in U.S. movie theaters on November 9.?

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