Hundreds of thousands at Cardinals parade, rally

By JIM SALTER

Associated Press

Associated Press Sports

updated 7:53 p.m. ET Oct. 30, 2011

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A red sea of fans jammed downtown St. Louis on Sunday to honor the World Series champion Cardinals and send a clear message to Albert Pujols: Please stay.

An official crowd estimate was not immediately available for the parade down the streets of St. Louis and the celebration at Busch Stadium, but city officials expected several hundred thousand, and it was clearly that, if not more. The crowd was so large that people were parking more than two miles away, and interstate highways were jammed near downtown.

Pujols drew loud cheers along the parade route and a long standing ovation at the stadium. When asked on the podium if he'd like to be back for another celebration next season, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Hey, why not?"

Whether that happens remains to be seen. After 11 Hall of Fame seasons as a Cardinal, Pujols is a free agent for the first time and it isn't clear if the mid-market Cardinals will be able or willing to give a long-term contract to a player who turns 32 before next season, despite his career .328 average, 455 homers and status as a team icon.

Pujols' pending free agency and a chilly, breezy and overcast afternoon did nothing to dampen the celebratory spirit. People began staking out the good spots many hours before the parade, climbed trees and leaned out office windows for better views. Nearly everyone was dressed in red except for a few in Rams blue who made the short walk from the Edward Jones Dome after the football game. Even the Rams added to the joy of the day, beating New Orleans 31-21 for their first win after an 0-6 start.

High school marching bands played along the parade route. Vendors sold hot dogs and peanuts. Fathers and mothers hoisted small children on their shoulders to wave at the passing red and white pickup trucks carrying Cardinals past - Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst - and present. The biggest cheers appeared to be for Pujols, Lance Berkman, Yadier Molina, Chris Carpenter and postseason hero David Freese, who was Most Valuable Player in both the NL championship series and the World Series.

Freese, a native of St. Louis County, recalled sitting in a California Burger King in December 2007 when "I got the greatest phone call of my life, that I had been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals."

Manager Tony La Russa led the parade atop a beer wagon pulled by the Budweiser Clydesdales, followed by a truck carrying owner Bill DeWitt Jr. clinging to the World Series trophy.

The parade ended inside Busch Stadium, where a sold-out crowd watched the celebration. In fact, the ballpark rally sold out in 90 minutes after the Cardinals won the clincher.

"This 11th Cardinals world championship will always be remembered as one of baseball's greatest achievements," DeWitt said, noting the Cardinals had to win four elimination games this postseason.

La Russa, too, paid respect to his team for never surrendering, even when 10 1/2 games out wild-card contention on Aug. 25, or when they faced three postseason opponents with superior records - Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Texas.

"What these guys did so many times facing elimination, it's a lesson for all of us," La Russa said. "They never quit."

The celebration was the culmination of a four-day party in St. Louis that began with the stunning win in Game 6, when the Cardinals rallied five times and in two straight innings were within a strike from elimination before Freese won the game 10-9 with a leadoff homer in the 11th.

Friday's 6-2 win in Game 7 set off a frenzied celebration that lasted well into Saturday.

Players appreciated the response from the fans.

"I'll never forget any of this," outfielder Allen Craig, who hit three homers in the World Series, said. "It's been great."

Fans said they were still jubilant about the team's amazing turnaround.

"It just seemed improbable," said Chris Ambrose, 24, of Chesterfield, as he watched the parade. "It's one of the greatest World Series runs of all time."

Jenny Ulrich and her husband, Jeff, of Lonedell, Mo., brought their two young daughters to the parade.

The Cardinals "are just part of what our family does," Ulrich said. Pointing to the girls, "they're the next generation of Cardinals Nation."

Mayor Francis Slay called Sunday's celebration "unbelievable."

"The Cardinals fans are the best in baseball and when the Cardinals win the World Series, there's nothing like it," Slay said.

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

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More newsRay Stubblebine / Reuters

Sabathia stays put

??HBT: CC Sabathia elects not to opt out of his contract, reaches agreement on extension to stay with Yankees.

La Russa retires on top

HBT: Tony La Russa announces Monday that he is retiring as manager of the world champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45098268/ns/sports-baseball/

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Obama to meet with Tony Blair, sign executive order on economy (Star Tribune)

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Barclays profit up, investment bank pain continues (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Barclays Plc's (BARC.L) underlying quarterly profit rose 5 percent from a year ago as lower charges for bad debt at the British bank offset a third consecutive sharp fall in investment banking revenue.

Barclays said on Monday capital markets had remained difficult in October as the euro zone's financial problems deepened, but had shown some improvement since last week's announcement of plans to solve the crisis.

Pretax profit in the third quarter through September reached 2.4 billion pounds ($3.9 billion). Stripping out a gain on the value of its own debt and other one-off items, profit was 1.34 billion pounds, up 5 percent on the 2010 period.

Analysts said a slackening in its investment bank had been taken up by improvement in other areas, notably UK retail banking and the BarclayCard credit card arm.

"It does look as if all their businesses are making a contribution, which is always a decent sign," said Cavendish Asset Management fund manager Paul Mumford, whose firm owns around 1 million Barclays shares.

Top-line income at Barclays Capital, the investment bank that provides the bulk of the bank's profit, fell to 2.25 billion pounds, down 22 percent from the second quarter to be in line with the consensus forecast as capital markets activity was

hit hard across the industry.

Revenue in fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) dropped 16 percent from the second quarter, equities income slumped 40 percent and advisory income was down by a quarter.

Barclays' investment in U.S. money manager BlackRock (BLK.N) was marked down by 1.8 billion pounds, which it said had already been recognized in equity and regulatory capital.

Barclays said its underlying profit for the first nine months of this year was a shade over 5 billion pounds, up 18 percent from a year earlier.

Chief Executive Bob Diamond said this showed momentum "despite significant economic and market headwinds" and said the bank had "rock solid" capital, funding and liquidity. It does not intend to raise new equity capital, he said.

Losses on bad debts were 1 billion pounds in the third quarter, down 16 percent from a year ago, and have tumbled by a third so far this year.

($1 = 0.619 pound)

(Editing by Dan Lalor and David Holmes)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111031/bs_nm/us_barclays

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Suspect that prompted SC schools lockdown arrested

Greenville Police Officers close down a street near I-85 in Greenville, S.C. Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. A gunman fired on a South Carolina police officer checking on a suspicious license plate Friday, causing 10 schools in Greenville to go on lockdown. (AP Photo/Ken Osburn, The Greenville News)

Greenville Police Officers close down a street near I-85 in Greenville, S.C. Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. A gunman fired on a South Carolina police officer checking on a suspicious license plate Friday, causing 10 schools in Greenville to go on lockdown. (AP Photo/Ken Osburn, The Greenville News)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) ? A gunman who authorities said fired on a South Carolina police officer checking on a suspicious license plate and caused 10 schools to go on lockdown was arrested Friday.

Patrick Dean Lowrance was found in a Greenville apartment. He was shot in the shoulder when the officer fired back and was taken to the hospital for treatment, Greenville County deputies said.

The shooting happened around 10 a.m. at a different apartment complex, Greenville police spokeswoman Alia Urps said.

After being shot, the suspect ran into nearby woods. Several dozen officers who happened to be in a training session nearby rushed to help search, along with teams of dogs, authorities said.

The search went on for more than three hours before investigators determined Lowrance got someone to pick him up. The schools reopened their doors before dismissal.

Authorities did not say what hospital Lowrance was taken to. They did not know if he had an attorney.

The shooting happened after an officer checking license plates in a hotel parking lot found that a plate on a GMC Yukon was listed for a Honda, Urps said. When the officer went inside the hotel to inquire about the driver, the suspect drove off in the SUV.

The officer got into her patrol car and tried to pull the suspect over on Interstate 85, but he sped up, and she abandoned the chase, Urps said.

"We do not pursue for minor traffic infractions, and at that point, that's all that we had," she said.

Another officer found the vehicle in an apartment parking lot, and as she approached the building, the suspect shot at her, police said.

The SUV was stolen in a carjacking three weeks ago in a motel parking lot in Spartanburg, a city about 30 miles east, police said.

Lowrance, 25, was wanted on four counts of attempted murder and other charges after he tried to rob a fast-food restaurant in Greenville last Sunday, authorities said.

Investigators said Lowrance came into the restaurant after closing time and demanded three workers to open the safe. The employees told him only the manager had the combination and she was outside.

The gunman forced the workers outside, where the manager was in her car, trying to drive off. The suspect fired at the car, then demanded that the employees go back inside. But they told him the door locked behind them automatically and Lowrance fired his gun again at them as they ran away. No one was injured, authorities said.

After Friday's shooting, four public schools, three private schools, two colleges and a special education center were placed on lockdown.

Schools were locked down in several directions because officers weren't sure where the suspect went.

"This is not around the corner from a school. I don't want to give you that impression. This is several miles from any of our schools," Oby Lyles, spokesman for Greenville County school district, told The Associated Press. "Everybody's fine."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-28-School%20Lockdown/id-4559bffc7d79498d9b7dcf82d39270ba

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Another NFL Open Thread (Balloon Juice)

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Who Won 'Project Runway'?

For someone who learned to sew just a few months before appearing on Project Runway, Anya Ayoung-Chee (pictured far left) certainly left her mark on the competition. It was revealed in Thursday's Project Runway finale that the former Miss Trinidad and Tobago (and Miss Universe 2008 contestant) had put her newfound talent to good use, sewing up a season 9 victory.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/project-runway-winner-anya-ayoung-chee/1-a-397022?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aproject-runway-winner-anya-ayoung-chee-397022

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Daily Desired: A Leather Bag To Enhance Your Cycling Status [Desired]

Cyclists everywhere extol the virtues of the Brooks leather saddle. Once that hard leather molds to your ass, it's the most comfortable way to ride. And it's handsome, too, as is the Brooks shoulder bag. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/glVaeQIqmG0/daily-desired-a-leather-bag-to-enhance-your-cycling-status

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Spotted: Salma Hayek and Valentina ? Cat Fancy

A smiling Salma Hayek and daughter Valentina Paloma, 4, cuddle up to the kitty at the premiere of Puss In Boots, held Sunday in Westwood, Calif., on Sunday.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/38SyqeKhWeo/

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93% Take Shelter

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (7)

Shannon is astounding, playing a good man pushed to the brink of sanity, maybe beyond. He portrays a sense of quiet desperation -- a feeling recognizable to many.

A work of hushed and persuasive emotional veracity.

The movies have long been mad about the onset of madness.

The chilling genius of "Take Shelter'' isn't that the threat is never specified but that it doesn't need to be.

A movie for this moment in time, this moment in our lives.

The movie makes you uncomfortable, but in a good way. Nichols has turned the current moment of American unease into a powerful metaphor.

Michael Shannon's spectacular performance grounds Take Shelter with a haunting realism.

Are his dreams a sign of things to come or are they simply the creation of an individual who is teetering on the brink of insanity?

In an era of empty entertainments, "Take Shelter" is built to last.

Life is a double-edged sword. Be careful how you hold it.

Powerfully emotional and extremely tense, this is an impressively directed and superbly written drama with a riveting central performance from Michael Shannon.

Take Shelter is paced slowly and deliberately, which is necessary to make believable whatever is tormenting Curtis.

Those who've never understood [anxiety] could do to see Take Shelter as a total immersion virtual reality experience.

With that frowning face - including a right eye that looks sleepy and a left one that looks crazed - Michael Shannon could play Jekyll and Hyde at the same exact time.

Michael Shannon gives his best onscreen performance ever... and creates what might well be the finest male character of 2011.

While Take Shelter is a marvellously composed film, it is also one that holds you at a distance

Out of his 'Tree of Life'

It's creepy and enigmatic, but there's an odd sense of enlightenment as well, making the effort valuable, even if Nichols gets lost in his own material at times.

An engrossing, quietly unnerving film that's one of the year's best...with an astonishing performance by Michael Shannon.

It's so stunningly effective at establishing a sense of dread that it's almost impossible to recommend it without reservations.

The film has the form of a little domestic drama, but it's intense enough to, perhaps, cause you to start watching the skies yourself.

Is Curtis a prophet or is he just crazy? The script, by tyro director Jeff Nichols, does a good job keeping you guessing and still surprises you in the end.

Shannon's talent can be hard to control - it can burst the containment of his character and destabilize a movie - but in "Take Shelter" it is expertly deployed by writer-director Jeff Nichols.

More Critic Reviews

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

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Ouch! Steven Tyler Loses Teeth in Shower Fall

The first official trailer for season 11 of American Idol is a bit painful. Talk about cheesy!

But it's nothing compared to the pain endured by judge Steven Tyler yesterday, as Reuters reports the Aerosmith singer fell in the shower and lost two front teeth. He also suffered a few gashes to his face.

The accident took place in Paraguay, as Tyler was rushed to the hospital for emergency dental work and underwent a four-hour stay at La Costa medical center. Aerosmith was understandably forced to cancel its performance as a result.

What caused the fall? Word has it that Tyler had been dehydrated and was suffering from gastrointestinal problems.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/ouch-steven-tyler-loses-teeth-in-shower-fall/

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Herman Cain and abortion: Flip-flop-flip? (Washington Post)

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Vengeance injury update: World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry and Big Show

By: Kara A. Medalis October 24, 2011

Dr. Chris Amann has confirmed to WWE.com that World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry and Big Show sustained injuries during last night?s ring collapse at Vengeance. (WATCH)

?Due to the collapse of the ring and the unsteady nature of the wrestling surface, both suffered significant strains of muscles and ligaments in their neck and upper back,? Dr. Amann explained. ?We do plan on treating them aggressively with rehab, and we do expect them to be back shortly.?

Dr. Amann wanted to reinforce that Henry and Big Show were quite fortunate they weren?t more badly injured during the World Heavyweight Championship Match.

?With the amount of force and the potential for injury during the match, I would say they were both very lucky they didn?t sustain more serious injuries,? Dr. Amann said.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/vengeance/mark-henry-big-show-injuries

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Apply Plasti Dip to Furniture to Protect Your Floors [Clever Uses]

Plasti Dip, a specialty rubber coating commonly used for improving tool handles, has many other excellent uses, including fixing stripped headphone wires and rubberizing the back of your phone. Here's a new one: protecting your floor from scratches.

Martha Stewart's Crafts Department dipped Ikea stool legs into some Plasti Dip for the color as well as the floor protection. But you can instead use clear Plasti Dip if you don't need that shock of color.

The rubber coating is also much more likely to stay on than those flimsy stick-on felt pads.

Behind the Scenes: dipping | Martha Stewart via Apartment Therapy and House Beautiful

---

You can follow or contact Melanie Pinola, the author of this post, on Twitter or Google+.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/XGeAXZs63pc/apply-plasti-dip-to-furniture-to-protect-your-floors

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Argentine president sweeps to re-election win (Reuters)

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) ? Argentina's fiery center-leftist president, Cristina Fernandez, swept to a landslide re-election victory on Sunday, crowning a comeback that seemed unthinkable for much of her turbulent first term.

With votes counted from 75 percent of polling stations, Fernandez had 53 percent support, 36 percentage points ahead of her nearest rival, socialist candidate Hermes Binner.

No Argentine leader has won such a big share of the vote since General Juan Domingo Peron was elected for the third time with 62 percent in 1973, and tens of thousands of jubilant Fernandez supporters celebrated.

Fireworks, flags bearing the image of Peron's famous wife Evita and Peronist songs filled the square in front of the pink presidential palace in Buenos Aires.

"If any one of us had said this was possible two years ago, they would have told us we were crazy," a tearful and ebullient Fernandez, 58, told cheering fans. "You can count on me to go further with this project to improve the lives of 40 million Argentines."

The scale of Fernandez's victory gives her a strong mandate to deepen the unconventional economic policies that play well with voters but irritate investors and farmers.

Generous social spending to expand pensions coverage and child welfare benefits have won her a loyal base of voters.

"We need this victory for wealth to be shared more fairly," said Sofia Belastegui, 42, a teacher who joined crowds of supporters waving blue-and-white flags, letting off fireworks and chanting Peronist party anthems.

Sunday's result marks a dramatic change of fortunes for a leader who some critics once said might have to leave power early as angry protests by farmers and middle-class voters battered her approval ratings soon after she took office.

When her husband and predecessor as president, Nestor Kirchner, died a year ago, many thought it spelled the end of the couple's idiosyncratic blend of state intervention, nationalist rhetoric and the championing of human rights.

Instead, it prompted a wave of nostalgia for the best years of Kirchner's 2003-2007 presidency and sympathy for a woman who suddenly seemed more likable.

A skilled orator fond of glamorous clothes and make-up, Fernandez still wears black as she mourns her husband and closest advisor. His image featured heavily in her campaign.

A splintered opposition and brisk economic growth helped Fernandez turn the sympathy vote into solid support.

Despite double-digit inflation and other signs of strain as global conditions worsen, Argentina's economy is growing at about 8 percent a year and the country has regained some of its glory as the "breadbasket of the world" as grains shipments rise. Unemployment is at a 20-year low.

Voters with memories of the hyperinflation of the late 1980s and a severe economic crisis 10 years ago have good reason to think things could be worse than they are today.

"Crises come and go here and instability is exhausting because you make plans and they keep going to waste," said Marta Rey, 50, a teacher who voted for Fernandez's Peronist party for the first time on Sunday. "It gives me a certain security for my son and for the future."

HEAVY-HANDED

Fernandez's easy re-election belies fierce opposition, however, to her combative, heavy-handed style -- typical of the Peronist party that has dominated politics for decades.

"It's a complete mess ... the corruption, the inflation, lies, authoritarianism. We've got used to living like this," said Juan Tofalo, 43, a newspaper vendor in Buenos Aires.

Allegations of corruption have stalked the government for years, although there have been no convictions.

A recent crackdown on economists whose inflation estimates double the official rate of a discredited state statistics agency is typical of Fernandez's controversial methods, who some critics say resemble those of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Businesses are routinely strong-armed into price control agreements -- her main weapon against surging prices -- and deals to increase their exports as the trade surplus dwindles.

When a leading newspaper and cable news channel owned by the Grupo Clarin conglomerate criticized her handling of farmer protests, Fernandez hit back. The company was stripped of a key operating license and "Clarin Lies" posters appeared across the capital.

In 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis, Fernandez stunned financial markets by nationalizing private pensions. A year later, she fired the head of the central bank when he refused to hand over foreign reserves to pay debt.

Such measures, coupled with high inflation and lax monetary and fiscal policy are dimly viewed on Wall Street, where economists say Latin America's third-biggest economy could be heading for a hard landing as global conditions sour.

Few analysts think Fernandez will change course unless forced to by a sharp slowdown in neighboring powerhouse Brazil or lower prices for Argentina's key exports of corn and soy.

Fernandez has outlined few concrete policy proposals, vowing only to "deepen the model." That will be easier if, as early results indicated, she regains the congressional control she lost at mid-term elections in 2009.

"There's no clear opposition leader with this result," said Fabian Perechodnik, an analyst at the Poliarquia polling firm. "Today marks the start of a period in which the president will be the one and only protagonist." (Additional reporting by Alejandro Lifschitz, Hugh Bronstein, Juliana Castilla, Luis Andres Henao and Nicolas Misculin; Writing by Helen Popper; Editing by Kieran Murray)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/wl_nm/us_argentina_election

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Argentine president strolls to re-election victory (Reuters)

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) ? Argentina's center-leftist president, Cristina Fernandez, won a landslide re-election victory on Sunday as voters credited her unconventional policies for a long economic boom.

The result marks a dramatic change of fortunes for a leader who some critics once said might have to leave power early as angry protests by farmers and middle-class voters battered her approval ratings soon after she took office.

With votes in from 96 percent of polling stations, Fernandez had almost 54 percent of the vote with a massive lead of 36 percentage points over her nearest rival, socialist candidate Hermes Binner.

No Argentine leader has won such a big share of the vote since General Juan Domingo Peron was elected for the third time with 62 percent in 1973.

"If any one of us had said this was possible two years ago, they would have told us we were crazy," a tearful Fernandez, 58, told thousands of supporters who packed the downtown square that lies before the pink presidential place in Buenos Aires.

"There's a lot left to do, but if anyone had seen this country before 2003, they'd realize how much progress we've made," Fernandez said in a speech laden with references to her late husband and presidential predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, who governed from 2003 to 2007.

When Kirchner died of a heart attack a year ago, many thought it spelled the end of the couple's idiosyncratic blend of state intervention, hefty welfare spending, nationalist rhetoric and the championing of human rights.

Instead, it prompted an outpouring of sympathy for a woman who suddenly seemed more likable and recognition of Kirchner's role in helping the country back on its feet after a sharp economic crisis in 2001/02 that plunged millions into poverty and culminated in the biggest debt default in history.

WIDOWHOOD

Despite double-digit inflation and other signs of strain as global conditions worsen, Argentina's economy is growing at about 8 percent a year and the country has regained some of its glory as the "breadbasket of the world" as grains shipments rise. Unemployment is at a 20-year low.

A splintered opposition and voter confidence over the health of the economy helped Fernandez turn the sympathy vote over her widow status into solid electoral support.

Two years ago, voters punished her confrontational handling of the farm conflict by voting in opposition lawmakers in a mid-term election, but analysts said Sunday's results would help her regain a narrow working majority in Congress.

"They've done good things and bad things ... but what matters is that for the first time there's a plan for the country that involves all Argentines of all classes," said Malena Juanatey, 25, a film director, who joined thousands of supporters in downtown Buenos Aires.

But Fernandez's easy re-election belies fierce opposition to her combative, heavy-handed style -- typical of the Peronist party that has dominated Argentine politics for decades.

A recent crackdown on economists whose inflation estimates double the official rate of a discredited state statistics agency is typical of Fernandez's controversial methods, who some critics say resemble those of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Businesses are routinely strong-armed into price control agreements -- her main weapon against surging prices -- and deals to increase their exports as the trade surplus dwindles.

In 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis, Fernandez stunned financial markets by nationalizing private pensions. A year later, she fired the head of the central bank when he refused to hand over foreign reserves to pay debt.

Such measures, coupled with high inflation and lax monetary and fiscal policy are viewed dimly on Wall Street, where economists say Latin America's third-biggest economy could be heading for a hard landing as global conditions sour.

Fernandez has outlined few concrete policy proposals, vowing only to "deepen the model."

Few analysts think she will change course unless forced to by a slowdown in neighboring Brazil or lower prices for Argentina's soy exports. Regaining a working majority in Congress could strengthen her hand.

"We expect the current policy direction to be broadly maintained," said Alberto Ramos, chief economist at Goldman Sachs. "Control of Congress will lead to a significant concentration of power and gives the government legislative backing for some of its most interventionist policies."

(Additional reporting by Luis Andres Henao; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/ts_nm/us_argentina_election

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Day Three ? Going to the Vatican ? We ? Rome, Italy

? Rome, Lazio, Italy
Saturday, October 15, 2011

The students were a little groggy at 8:00 am. We wanted to take them down and get their railpasses validated and get them moving early.? It took a half hour to get them all going.? They were very sluggish and it took a while to get them going.? If we didn't make it an assignment to plan activities each day, they would wait until the last minute and not really do much.

Jason, Brad, and I took off for the Vatican.? When we emerged from the subway station, it was packed with people.? We decided to do the museum later in the day to avoid the crowds.? We went into Saint Peters.? The line almost stretched around the square, but was moving pretty good.? We were packed in like sardines.? They were having a special event for some people and the alter area was roped off.? I wanted to get in there, but had to settle for a railing around 100 feet away.

My camera was starting to act funny.? Last night it would shut-off early and I had to turn it off and then on to get it to work.? Now it would not even do that.? I switched to the video.? I am hoping that it will still work on the trip.? I am not really good at video.? If it something moving, it doesn?t look too bad.? If it is stationary, it looks bad.

I got some rosaries for my sister and my mom.? The shop was so small and the people buying stuff were very rude.? I finally had to push past a few people, who butted in front of me, to get to the cashier.? We decided that the crowds were too big and went across the Tiber to get lunch.? Hopefully it will be less crowded when we get back!

We found a nice pizza place with Wi-Fi and settled in for a long lunch.? The pizzas were very good.? We had a beer or two and were feeling good.? At the end of the meal, the waiter brought out three glasses of Lemon Cello.? Brad and Jason only took a few sips before giving theirs to me.? It went down easily.? It wasn?t until we started walking that I found out how powerful the Lemon Cello was!

There was no line for the Vatican Museum by the time we got back, but it was still crowded.? We went through some galleries on Roman and Greek statues.? After a while, they started to look the same.? We worked our way into the main crowd headed towards the Sixteenth Chapel.? It was hard to move around.? I saw a side gallery on Egyptian art and we went in.? I followed a side gallery in that exhibit and it brought us out at the beginning of the museum

.? It actual was a good thing.? The crowd had died down and we could easily walk through the main galleries.? The rooms were just as spectacular as the art they contained.

We finally made it to the Sistine Chapel.? It was crowded.? Two guards were asking people to be quiet and to not take photos.? There must have been a new problem with my camera, because I had several pictures on my camera from this room.? I do not know how that happened.

Towards the end of the museum, Aja called and said that the riots were near the hostel.? A building was on fire, there were several dumpsters on fire, and a bunch of cars were vandalized.? All of the students were at the hostel.? We called back later to get an update.? Our original plans were to go to the Roma Sparita restaurant again, since we had reservations.? We decided to quickly return to the hostel to check on the students.? As we left the subway station, you could see smoke and lots of people standing around.? There were police everywhere.

When we arrived, I immediately told the students to pack.? There would be a bus outside in an hour to take them to the airport.? I told them that Penn State was going to charter a plane to take them home tonight

.? No one really believed me.? The students were set on going out on the town, so we talked to them about being safe.? We started to go to our dinner reservations, but were stopped by the crowd of people.? We turned back to maybe find a taxi.? There was a thud from something exploding.? We assumed it was tear gas.? Then we heard sever in a row.? That pretty much killed the dinner plans.? We went back to talk to the students.? They were still dead set on going out for the night.? We advised against it, but the two sisters who run the hostel said they would be safe if they took a bus.? Once on the other side of the protest, they would be safe.? When they got outside, they found that the busses were not running and decided to stay in the area.

We were informed that we should have brought our bags over this morning.? We were only in our room for one night.? I had asked the guy who was at the reception desk this morning if we had to move.? He said we were in the same room tonight, so we left our bags in the room.? The sisters had to move us over to the Secret Garden hotel.? It is another one of their properties.? They took us over and we got ready for dinner.? The new room was much better than last night?s room.

We went back to the hostel to check on the students.? The sisters were feeding us wine.? They were very funny.? We enjoyed talking to them.? When we left to get something to eat, they asked us to bring them back some beer.? It was the least we could do since they were feeding us some wine.? On the way to dinner, we got a whiff of tear gas.? It was not pleasant!

After dinner, we shared some more wine and beer with the sisters.? We had a great time.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Recent-Travel-Blogs-RSS/~3/eDkEuMMYNwc/tpod.html

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Blasts, beheadings? Stats show a peaceful world

WASHINGTON?? It seems as if violence is everywhere, but it's really on the run.

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Yes, thousands of people have died in bloody unrest from Africa to Pakistan, while terrorists plot bombings and kidnappings. Wars drag on in Iraq and Afghanistan. In peaceful Norway, a man massacred 69 youths in July. In Mexico, headless bodies turn up, victims of drug cartels. This month eight people died in a shooting in a California hair salon.

Yet, historically, we've never had it this peaceful.

That's the thesis of three new books, including one by prominent Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Statistics reveal dramatic reductions in war deaths, family violence, racism, rape, murder and all sorts of mayhem.

In his book, Pinker writes: "The decline of violence may be the most significant and least appreciated development in the history of our species."

And it runs counter to what the mass media is reporting and essentially what we feel in our guts.

Bloody anecdotes
Pinker and other experts say the reality is not painted in bloody anecdotes, but demonstrated in the black and white of spreadsheets and historical documents. They tell a story of a world moving away from violence.

In his new book, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined," Pinker makes the case that a smarter, more educated world is becoming more peaceful in several statistically significant ways. His findings are based on peer-reviewed studies published by other academics using examinations of graveyards, surveys and historical records:

• The number of people killed in battle ? calculated per 100,000 population ? has dropped by 1,000-fold over the centuries as civilizations evolved. Before there were organized countries, battles killed on average more than 500 out of every 100,000 people. In 19th century France, it was 70. In the 20th century with two world wars and a few genocides, it was 60. Now battlefield deaths are down to three-tenths of a person per 100,000.
• The rate of genocide deaths per world population was 1,400 times higher in 1942 than in 2008.
• There were fewer than 20 democracies in 1946. Now there are close to 100. Meanwhile, the number of authoritarian countries has dropped from a high of almost 90 in 1976 to about 25 now.

Pinker says one of the main reasons for the drop in violence is that we are smarter. IQ tests show that the average teenager is smarter with each generation. The tests are constantly adjusted to keep average at 100, and a teenager who now would score a 100 would have scored a 118 in 1950 and a 130 in 1910. So this year's average kid would have been a near-genius a century ago. And that increase in intelligence translates into a kinder, gentler world, Pinker says.

"As we get smarter, we try to think up better ways of getting everyone to turn their swords into plowshares at the same time," Pinker said in an interview. "Human life has become more precious than it used to be."

Pinker argued his case in a commentary this past week in the scientific journal Nature. He has plenty of charts and graphs to back up his claims, including evidence beyond wartime deaths ? evidence that our everyday lives are also less violent:

• Murder in European countries has steadily fallen from near 100 per 100,000 people in the 14th and 15th centuries to about 1 per 100,000 people now.
• Murder within families. The U.S. rate of husbands being killed by their wives has dropped from 1.2 per 100,000 in 1976 to just 0.2. For wives killed by their husbands, the rate has slipped from 1.4 to 0.8 over the same time period.
• Rape in the United States is down 80 percent since 1973. Lynchings, which used to occur at a rate of 150 a year, have disappeared.
• Discrimination against blacks and gays is down, as is capital punishment, the spanking of children, and child abuse.

But if numbers are too inaccessible, Pinker is more than happy to provide the gory stories illustrating our past violence. "It is easy to forget how dangerous life used to be, how deeply brutality was once woven into the fabric of daily existence," Pinker writes in his book.

Fairy tales
He examines body counts, rapes, sacrifice and slavery in the Bible, using an estimate of 1.2 million deaths detailed in the Old Testament. He describes forms of torture used in the Middle Ages and even notes the nastiness behind early day fairy tales, such as the evil queen's four gruesome methods for killing Snow White along with a desire to eat her lungs and liver.

Even when you add in terrorism, the world is still far less violent, Pinker says.

"Terrorism doesn't account for many deaths. Sept. 11 was just off the scale. There was never a terrorist attack before or after that had as many deaths. What it does is generate fear," he said.

It's hard for many people to buy the decline in violence. Even those who deal in peace for a living at first couldn't believe it when the first academics started counting up battle deaths and recognized the trends.

In 1998, Andrew Mack, then head of strategic planning for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, said a look at the statistics showed the world was becoming less violent. The reaction from his professional peacekeeping colleagues?

"Pffft, it's not true," they told Mack, arguing that the 1990s had to be the worst decade in U.N. history. It wasn't even close.

'Hard message'
Joshua Goldstein, a professor of international relations at American University and author of "Winning the War on War," has also been telling the same story as Pinker, but from a foreign policy point of view. At each speech he gives, people bring up America's lengthy wars in the Middle East. "It's been a hard message to get through," he acknowledged.

"We see the atrocities and they are atrocious," Goldstein said. "The blood is going to be just as red on the television screens."

Mack, who's now with Simon Fraser University in Canada, credits the messy, inefficient and heavily political peacekeeping process at the U.N., the World Bank and thousands of non-governmental organizations for helping curb violence.

The "Human Security Report 2009/2010," a project led by Mack and funded by several governments, is a worldwide examination of war and violence and has been published as a book. It cites jarringly low numbers. While the number of wars has increased by 25 percent, they've been minor ones.

The average annual battle death toll has dropped from nearly 10,000 per conflict in the 1950s to less than 1,000 in the 21st century. And the number of deadliest wars ? those that kill at least 1,000 people a year ? has fallen by 78 percent since 1988.

Cultural changes
Mack and Goldstein emphasize how hard society and peacekeepers have worked to reduce wars, focusing on action taken to tamp down violence, while Pinker focuses on cultural and thought changes that make violence less likely. But all three say those elements are interconnected.

Even the academics who disagree with Pinker, Goldstein and Mack, say the declining violence numbers are real.

"The facts are not in dispute here; the question is what is going on," John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago and author of "The Tragedy of Great Power Politics."

"It's been 21 years since the Cold War ended and the United States has been at war for 14 out of those 21 years," Mearsheimer said. "If war has been burned out of the system, why do we have NATO and why has NATO been pushed eastward...? Why are we spending more money on defense than all other countries in the world put together?"

What's happening is that the U.S. is acting as a "pacifier" keeping the peace all over the world, Mearsheimer said. He said like-minded thinkers, who call themselves "realists" believe "that power matters because the best way to survive is to be really powerful." And he worries that a strengthening China is about to upset the world power picture and may make the planet bloodier again.

And Goldstein points out that even though a nuclear attack hasn't occurred in 66 years ? one nuclear bomb could change this trend in an instant.

Pinker said looking at the statistics and how violent our past was and how it is less so now, "makes me appreciate things like democracy, the United Nations, like literacy."

He and Goldstein believe it's possible that an even greater drop in violence could occur in the future.

Goldstein says there's a turn on a clich? that is apt: "We're actually going from the fire to the frying pan. And that's progress. It's not as bad as the fire."

___

Researcher Julie Reed Bell contributed to this report.

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44999572/ns/world_news/

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Sen. Marco Rubio Says Had US Moved More Aggressively, Gadhafi?s Killing Would Have Happened Months Ago (ABC News)

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Gadhafi is gone, but other U.S. foes remain (San Jose Mercury News)

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