Millions of New Yorkers will still be without power for another 10 days as city’s power supplier ConEd continues to fix overhead power wires.
Electricity is expected to be restored to the main island of Manhattan by Saturday, however, since the area is largely run by an underground power network that is easier to fix than the downed electrical lines.
While utility company Consolidated Edison, commonly known as ConEd, are on track to uphold their original plan of returning power to all of Manhattan island on either Friday or Saturday, they said that the outer boroughs will have to wait until November 10th or 11th for their power.
The delay in reaching the outer boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx was attributed to the difficulties of fixing or replacing the downed overhead lines.
Throughout the week, the company has been gradually restoring power to portions of the city, and has reached at least 2,000 people in lower Manhattan so far.
While helpful, that is only a sliver of the 227,000 homes and businesses in Manhattan that went dark Monday.
In order to avoid permanent damage from rising sea waters, the company preemptively took two underground electrical networks out of service and the latest restored power areas were a result of those networks being reactivated.
While that reactivation was relatively easy, the bigger problems came from a massive explosion at one of the ConEd power plants in Manhattan’s East Village.
The explosion came after the plant was overwhelmed by floodwater.
Millions of New Yorkers will still be without power for another 10 days as city’s power supplier ConEd continues to fix overhead power wires
Regardless, the East and West Villages, Financial District, Chelsea, Chinatown and the Lower East Side will be up and running by the weekend, Con Edison said.
The island’s wiring system is largely underground so workers have been able to asses and repair it faster than above ground wiring of the outer boroughs.
Outages in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island were not expected to be repaired for another week, the power company said.
For New Yorkers living in the vertical city, a loss of power means much more than spoiled cold cuts and frozen dinners.
Electricity is needed to pump water to upper floors. Many New Yorkers prepared for the storm by stocking up on bottled water. But without power, there’s no way to flush the toilet.
For others, the outage had graver consequences.
“I have several hundred dollars’ worth of insulin in the refrigerator,” said Joan Moore of New York’s Staten Island, who is diabetic.
There were encouraging acts of kindness, gestures made by the lucky ones with electricity.
“I have power and hot water. If anyone needs a shower or to charge some gadgets or just wants to bask in the beauty of artificial light, hit me up,” Rob Hart, who also lives on Staten Island, wrote on Facebook.
In New York City and along the New Jersey and Connecticut coasts, flooding knocked out substations and switching yards, the vertebrae of the electric distribution system.
Hurricane Sandy blacked out some of the nation’s most densely populated cities and suburbs, instantly taking away modern conveniences from Virginia to Massachusetts and as far west as the Great Lakes.
For power companies, the scale of the destruction was unmatched – more widespread than any blizzard or ice storm and worse than the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s unprecedented: fallen trees, debris, the roads, water, snow. It’s a little bit of everything,” said Brian Wolff, senior vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, a group that lobbies for utilities.
Initially, about 60 million people were without power in 8.2 million homes and businesses. By Wednesday night, that number had fallen to roughly 44 million people in 6 million households and businesses.
Even as power slowly returned to some pockets, a new headache emerged: Backup batteries and generators running cellphone towers were running out of juice. One out of every five towers was down, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
New Yorker Vildia Samaniego traveled four miles uptown to a bar, the Blarney Stone, to watch the Boston Celtics play the Miami Heat.
“I really needed to watch the basketball game,” she laughed.
“The place was packed. It’s amazing how much you miss television.”
Greek journalist Costas Vaxevanis has been acquitted of breaching privacy for publishing the names of 2,000 suspected tax evaders.
Costas Vaxevanis published a list of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, including a government minister and other prominent figures in public life.
Lawyers for Costas Vaxevanis, 46, argued that the charges were outrageous and said no-one on the list had actually complained of a breach of privacy.
After a one-day trial, a court in Athens found Costas Vaxevanis innocent.
He published the list in Hot Doc, the weekly magazine that he edits.
Greece is being urged by international lenders to crack down on tax evasion as part of far-reaching reforms demanded in exchange for billions of euros of bailout money.
Greek journalist Costas Vaxevanis has been acquitted of breaching privacy for publishing the names of 2,000 suspected tax evaders
The list of suspected evaders was reportedly leaked by an employee at the HSBC bank and passed to IMF chief Christine Lagarde when she was French finance minister in 2010.
Christine Lagarde apparently handed the list to the Greek authorities, but they took no action.
Two of Greece’s former finance ministers have acknowledged seeing copies of the list.
However, Yannis Stournaras, who took office in June, has told parliament he has not seen it.
Costas Vaxevanis said he had published the list because it was his job as a journalist to reveal the truth.
“The three last governments have lied and have made a mockery of the Greek people with this list,” he said.
“They were obliged to pass it to parliament or to the justice system. They didn’t do it, and they should be in prison for it.”
Prosecutors had accused him of publicly ridiculing people and delivering them “to a society that is thirsty for blood”.
“The solution to the problems that the country is facing is not cannibalism,” the prosecutor said.
But the court took little time in acquitting the journalist, and observers in the courtroom broke out in applause, according to the AFP news agency.
Q-Cancer, a groundbreaking device that can diagnose cancer in just 20 minutes, is being developed in the UK.
The world’s first tumor profiler, as it is known, will allow doctors, nurses and pharmacists to quickly identify all known types of cancer while the patient waits.
It is hoped the device, which will also gauge the correct drug to
prescribe cancer sufferers, will be used across the NHS within the next three years.
The device has been invented as part of a partnership between private firm QuantuMDx, Newcastle University and Sheffield University.
Scientists say the Q-Cancer device will have a dramatic impact on the rapid and accurate diagnosis of cancer.
Company officials said the device has the potential to prolong the lives of the 12 million newly diagnosed cancer sufferers around the world.
Q-Cancer will allow doctors, nurses and pharmacists to quickly identify all known types of cancer while the patient waits
It will enable surgeons to immediately remove most, if not all of the tumor, and allow cancer specialists to prescribe the correct treatment regime according to the type of cancer developed.
The device makes use of advanced nanotechnology, analyzing submicroscopic amounts of tissue to work out the type of cancer, its genetic make-up and how far it has developed.
Professor Sir John Burn, the Newcastle University academic who is also medical director of QuantuMDx, said: “We have a world leading position to deliver complex DNA tumour testing to the routine pathology lab or even to the operating theatre.
“A low-cost device requiring no technical expertise will extract, amplify and analyze tumor DNA to make sure the patient gets the right treatment first time and without delay.”
Chief executive Elaine Warburton said: “Currently tumor samples are sent away to a centralized sequencing laboratory, which can take several weeks to turnaround results, usually at a very high price which is not routinely affordable to many economies.
“As far as we are aware, QuantuMDx’s current underlying technologies, which can break up a sample and extract the DNA in under five minutes represents a world first for complex molecular diagnostics.”
Kourtney, Kim and Khloé Kardashian will be in the UK next week to celebrate the launch of their hotly anticipated clothing line Kardashian Kollection, available exclusively at Dorothy Perkins.
And the girls are hosting a glamorous VIP party on Thursday, November 8th, at a top London venue.
YOU magazine has teamed up with Dorothy Perkins to offer three lucky readers plus guest the chance to attend the event and meet the girls.
The competition includes return travel to London, an overnight stay in a boutique hotel and £100 ($150) of Dorothy Perkins vouchers. For your chance to win, complete the entry form online. From trend-led must-haves to fashionably tailored looks and handbags, the Kardashian Kollection includes more than 100 pieces.
To make sure you don’t miss out, register now to be the first to buy the Kollection on Sunday, November 4th – visit dorothyperkins.com for details.
The full range will go on sale online and in selected stores nationwide from Thursday, November 8th. For your chance to win, complete the entry form online at facebook.com/YOUMagSocial
Kourtney, Kim and Khloé Kardashian will be in the UK next week to celebrate the launch of their hotly anticipated clothing line Kardashian Kollection
Chris Brown picked a rather poor choice of costume as he got in the holiday spirit for Halloween, on Wednesday.
Chris Brown, 23, dressed himself up as a gun toting Arab man complete with ammunition and thawb.
It is unclear if Chris Brown was supposed to be a Sheik or some kind of terrorist, but his costume is sure to have raised some eyebrows.
Chris Brown posted the picture on his Twitter account with him and his friends all wearing similar outfits and holding up toy machine guns and pistols.
Their costumes, which included long fake beards, were seemingly an effort to look like stereotypical terrorists.
He captioned the picture: “Ain’t nobody F***ing wit my clique!!!! #ohb,” which is a line from Kanye West song Clique.
Chris Brown was dressed up to attend the party of his ex girlfriend Rihanna, which was being held at Greystone Manor Supperclub, in West Hollywood.
He was clearly in the mood to enjoy himself as he arrived over an hour earlier than the host, Rihanna.
Upon his arrival, Chris Brown was given a very warm welcome from one female admirer who showed off her legs in her ring master costume.
While Chris Brown and Rihanna, who was crowned the Queen of West Hollywood Halloween Parade, have put their tumultuous history behind them, Irish rap trio Original Rudeboys have not.
The group reportedly turned down an offer to perform with Chris Brown next month in Dublin, Ireland, because of his domestic abuse history with Rihanna.
During an interview with RTE, the boys said: “Even though it’s a huge opportunity to play in the O2 with a major hip-hop star, and a substantial fee was offered, we are completely against Chris Brown’s assault on Rihanna.”
Under the cover of bizarre transparent mask, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were spotted holding hands at a Halloween party on Wednesday night.
In an apparent sign they are growing closer following Kristen Stewart’s “indiscretion” with married director Rupert Sanders this summer, the couple were caught in a tactile moment while attending a bash at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
It was a fleeting glimpse of affection, however, as the pair spent most of the night avoiding being photographed together, with the couple stepping apart whenever a camera was in sight.
As for their Halloween costumes, R-Patz and Kristen Stewart didn’t exactly pull out all the stops.
True to form, they made understated appearances in casual clothing – with only their masks serving as an attempt to dress up.
Kristen Stewart, 22, wore wearing leggings and a green jacket, while R-Patz, 26, opted for his customary jeans and cap.
The couple – who appear to have reconciled in the wake of Kristen Stewart’s cheating scandal with Rupert Sanders earlier this year – were joined at the event by other VIPs, including Minka Kelly and Chris Evans and Katy Perry.
Rupert Sanders and wife Liberty Ross, meanwhile, made more of an effort with their costumes when they ventured out for a spot of trick or treating with their two children around their local neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The death toll from Hurricane Sandy keeps rising as swathes of the US East Coast battle to recover, three days after being smashed by the massive storm.
More than 80 people are now known to have died, 37 in New York City alone, and others remain missing.
About 4.6 million people are still without power, and there are fuel shortages across the region.
The National Guard is to deliver a million meals and bottled water to New Yorkers affected by the storm.
The number of dead in the US has exceeded the toll from the Caribbean, where 69 people were killed by Sandy.
The storm could cost the US $50 billion, according to forecasting firm Eqecat, doubling the previous estimate.
In New York, limited subway services returned on Thursday, though four of the seven train tunnels under the East river remained flooded.
Fares on commuter trains, subways and buses have been temporarily waived in a bid to entice commuters off the traffic-choked roads.
Many of the petrol stations in the city and the state of New Jersey remained closed, and fights broke out amid long queues on forecourts.
The city authorities are only permitting vehicles with three passengers or more to cross into Manhattan.
Amtrak plans to restart its East Coast service – the busiest train line in the US – on Friday.
The death toll from Hurricane Sandy keeps rising as swathes of the US East Coast battle to recover
In lower Manhattan, where Sandy brought a record 14 ft (4.2 m) tidal surge, subway services are still closed and hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday ordered the National Guard to help deliver some 30 tractor trailers of supplies to one million residents.
He has told relief workers to prioritize the elderly and poor, especially those living in high-rise blocks.
The death toll rose overnight as the extent of destruction became clearer in the south-western New York City borough of Staten Island, where at least 15 bodies have been recovered.
The storm, one of the biggest to hit the US in decades, swamped the low-lying district with tidal surges, lifting whole houses off their foundations.
Many residents in that community ignored official evacuation warnings and stayed behind to guard their homes.
Two boys, aged two and four, are missing after they were torn from their mother’s arms by floodwaters, as they emerged from their vehicle.
Police searching the area found a body on Thursday morning, the New York Post reports.
An 89-year-old woman died after spending 12 hours in her deluged Staten Island home, reports the New York Daily News.
Her 65-year-old daughter was unable to save her. Helpless neighbors heard their screams for help but could not reach them.
Also on Staten Island, John Filipowicz, 51, and his 20-year-old son John were found dead under debris in the basement of their home.
Breezy Point, in New York City, where fire razed 111 homes, was described by one onlooker as resembling a war zone.
Emergency crews are working to reach the most badly hit areas.
In Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, some 20,000 people were still trapped in their homes amid sewage-tainted floodwaters.
The National Guard is helping with evacuations and meal distributions.
One frustrated householder reportedly inflated an air mattress and floated to Hoboken city hall to find out why supplies had not yet arrived.
Jersey City has issued an overnight curfew as well as a driving ban.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama took an aerial tour to inspect the damage to New Jersey’s shattered Atlantic coastline.
He put campaigning for next week’s US election on hold for three days to manage the disaster response.
The cyclone also caused havoc further inland.
The state of West Virginia has seen up to 5 ft of snow in some areas, after Hurricane Sandy collided with two winter weather fronts.
Dozens of militiamen have occupied Libya’s parliament to register their anger over the formation of the new government.
The gunmen are demanding some of the ministers be removed because they have links to the late Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
At least a dozen trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns are lining the main road to the parliament.
Libya held a peaceful election in July and finally agreed the composition of a government on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Ali Zidan gained the support of the National Congress for his choice of ministers.
His list included liberal figures and Islamists in an attempt to forge a coalition acceptable to all parties.
But negotiations were disrupted by protests earlier this week.
And late on Wednesday gunmen broke through security and occupied the Congress building.
Some of the gunmen are dressed in scruffy army fatigues and others in civilian clothes.
Some are from the western city of Misrata and others are from Tripoli, and few are willing to talk to the media.
“Some of them have had long ties with Gaddafi, we don’t want them,” said a militiaman dressed in civilian clothes.
Presidential guards are stationed in the Congress complex and have been ordered not to fight with the men.
The militiamen are believed to be in talks with politicians to resolve the stand-off.
Despite largely peaceful elections in July, Libya’s transition continues to be affected by instability.
Reining in the different militia and trying to integrate them into a single national army will be one of the biggest challenges for any new government, analysts say.
The new government has representatives from the two most prominent blocs in Congress – the Alliance of National Forces led by liberal former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party.
Ali Zidan said he had tried to strike a balance between Libya’s different regions in making the appointments.
According to his list, the defence and interior ministries would be headed by ministers from the eastern city of Benghazi, considered to be the cradle of last year’s revolution that ended Gaddafi’s rule.
Two women are also among the ministers proposed by Ali Zidan.
Brazilian police are investigating the fatal haemorrhage suffered by Pamela Baris do Nascimento following claims that her liver could have been punctured during the procedure on October 19.
It was the third time the actress, who was also studying biomedicine, had undergone liposuction.
Concerns were also raised when it emerged that her death at the Green Hill Hospital in Sao Paulo was not registered until 10 days later.
Pamela Baris do Nascimento’s aunt reported the case to police in Ipiranga, in the city’s Zona Sul.
The lawyer acting for the family told Brazilian press he believed Pamela do Nascimento’s death may have been caused by medical malpractice.
He added Júlio César Yoshimura, the surgeon who carried out the operation, could face manslaughter charges.
Officers investigating the death will ask authorities to exhume her body for tests.
Pamela Baris do Nascimento dies after liposuction operation aged 27
Pamela Baris do Nascimento, 27, who was originally from Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, had been living in Sao Paulo. She was raised by her aunt after her mother died when she was six.
The presenter had appeared on TV programmes including Brazilian variety show O Melhor do Brasil.
Evandro Luiz de Melo Lemos, the officer responsible for the case, said: “Everything suggests that the procedure was correct. But normally, in the case of an accident, it should have been reported to the police.”
In a statement, the hospital said it had launched an internal inquiry.
It said Dr. Júlio César Yoshimuro was licensed to practice and had rented operating rooms at the private clinic.
“The hospital provided all the necessary resources for the adequate treatment of Pamela Baris Nascimento. However, it is with great sadness that this occurred,” the statement said.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West decided to take inspiration from The Dark Knight Rises and Batman Returns for their Halloween costumes on Wednesday evening.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrived at LIV at Fountainebleau Miami Beach to celebrate Kim’s Halloween birthday bash.
The reality star looked pretty amazing in her replica Catwoman suit as she copied the Michelle Pfeiffer incarnation rather than the more recent Anne Hathaway version.
The 32-year-old slipped her curves into the tight black PVC outfit and highlighted her pout with rouge lipstick.
Feeling fully in character, she clawed at the camera several times as she imitated a cat and struck some seductive feline poses.
With her leather boots on, Kim Kardashian arrived in style as she emerged from a gold Lamborghini with her rapper boyfriend dressed up as Batman.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrived at LIV at Fountainebleau Miami Beach to celebrate Kim’s Halloween birthday bash
Kanye West, 35,who designs his own fashion range, could not compete with his famous girlfriend as he wore a simple Batman mask over a balaclava to hide his face.
It wasn’t just Kim Kardashian and Kanye West who were part of the comic book theme as Scott Disick, Kourtney Kardashian and Jonathan Cheban got in on the act too.
Scott Disick was dressed as a less than convincing Robin, in the classic red and green suit, but he didn’t wear a mask and completed the outfit with red trainers.
His partner Kourtney Kardashian faired better as Batgirl as she showed off her post baby body in the black Lycra costume.
Kim Kardashian’s good friend Jonathan Cheban was the villain of the night as he dressed up as the Riddler and sprayed his hair red.
Other guests at the party included Hulk Hogan who wore a bright yellow and orange feathered boa, seemingly attending as himself.
Leukemia drug alemtuzumab appears to be the “most effective” treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), say British researchers.
During MS the body’s immune system turns on its own nerves causing debilitating muscle problems.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge say a cancer drug, which wipes out and resets the immune system, has better results than other options.
However, there is concern that a drugs company is about to increase the cost of the drug as a result.
Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis. When the condition is diagnosed most will have a form of the disease know as relapsing-remitting MS, in which the symptoms can almost disappear for a time, before suddenly returning.
The researchers tested a leukaemia drug, alemtuzumab, which had shown benefits for MS in small studies.
In leukaemia, a blood cancer, it controls the excess production of white blood cells. In MS patients, the dose eliminates the immune cells entirely, forcing a new immune system to be built from scratch which should not attack the nerves.
Two trials, published in the Lancet medical journal, compared the effectiveness of alemtuzumab with a first-choice drug, interferon beta-1a.
One compared the effectiveness in patients given the drug after being diagnosed, the other looked at patients given the drug after other treatments had failed.
Both showed the drug was around 50% more effective at preventing relapses and patients had less disability at the end of the study than when they started.
Leukemia drug alemtuzumab appears to be the “most effective” treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Dr. Alasdair Coles, from the University of Cambridge, said: “Although other MS drugs have emerged over the last year, which is certainly good news for patients, none has shown superior effects on disability when compared to interferon except alemtuzumab.
“No other treatment has led to improvements in disability.”
He said: “It is certainly the most effective MS drug, based on these clinical trials, but this is definitely not a cure.”
However, he warned there were side-effects such as the risk of infection from a depleted immune system which meant the drug would not be suitable for everyone.
Dr. Alasdair Coles said he thought the drug would be most useful for patients for whom standard treatment had failed and in a “minority” of patients as a first-choice drug.
Eventually relapsing-remitting MS can become progressive MS as the good spells become shorter and less frequent. The drug will have no effect on this form of the disease.
The drug has been withdrawn from the market in Europe and the US as the manufacturer, Genzyme, intends to have it licensed as a treatment for MS.
A Lancet editorial warns: “There is concern that with a licence for multiple sclerosis, the cost of alemtuzumab could rise and might become too expensive for many patients and health systems.
“Finding promising treatments such as alemtuzumab is important. But so is keeping alemtuzumab accessible and affordable.”
Dr. Doug Brown, head of biomedical research at the MS Society, said: “These results are great news for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
“Alemtuzumab has been found to be an effective treatment for people with MS – but it’s only useful to them if it’s available on the NHS.
“We urge Genzyme to price the treatment responsibly so that if it’s licensed, it’s deemed cost-effective on the NHS.”
Genzyme said it would not come up with a price for the drug “until it is approved by regulatory authorities” and that it would “engage constructively” with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which evaluates the cost-effectiveness of drugs for use in the NHS.
Ten of lesser-spotted things about American presidential politics and about 2012 campaign.
1. Why is Election Day always a Tuesday?
Even though America’s voter turnout is among the lowest in mature democracies and more than a quarter of people who do not vote claim they are too busy, efforts to move elections to weekends have failed.
The Tuesday after the first Monday in November was set as presidential Election Day in 1845.
In the mid-19th Century, the US was an agrarian nation and it simply took a lot of time for farmers to drive the horse and buggy to the nearest polling place.
Saturday was a workday on the farm, travel on Sunday was out, and Wednesday was a market day. That left Tuesday.
2. The sunglasses thing
Politicians are almost never photographed wearing sunglasses, especially during election campaigns and even at leisure.
Barack Obama plays golf with the sun glaring in his eyes, and this summer, Mitt Romney was photographed on the back of a jet ski on a lake in New Hampshire, bare-eyed though his wife Ann wore sunglasses.
If a person’s eyes are hidden, people trust them less, says Parker Geiger, an Atlanta executive image consultant.
“You just don’t get a sense of the individual,” he says.
“There’s no eye contact – that’s how you build trust. Sunglasses put a barrier between you and the other person. They say eyes are the windows of the soul, and if I can’t see your soul how can I trust you?”
3. In Nevada, you can vote for “none of the above”
The US state of Nevada allows voters to mark “None of these candidates” on the ballot.
The option has been on the ballot since 1976 and plenty of voters have used it.
In 2010 after a particularly brutish campaign for a US Senate seat, 2.25% of voters chose “None” rather than pick incumbent Democrat Harry Reid or Republican challenger Sharon Angle. Harry Reid won.
4. Thumb jab
Featured in the three presidential debates were Mitt Romney, Barack Obama and… Obama’s thumb.
At the debates, the president frequently jabbed his hand, with his thumb resting atop a loosely curled fist, to emphasize a point.
The gesture – which might appear unnatural in normal communication – was probably coached into Barack Obama to make him appear more forceful, says body language expert Patti Wood.
“It’s a symbolic weapon,” says Patti Wood, author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.
“Speakers are coached to do it to look strong and mighty and to grab the attention of their audience, and in a political speech to emphasize strong points and to look like you are powerful.”
And on a subconscious level it’s phallic, she says. “It’s sexually male. Men put out their thumb and it says <<I am a man>>.”
Ten of lesser-spotted things about American presidential politics and about 2012 campaign
5. Job titles are for life
Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts for four years – and he left office almost six years ago. Yet he is still addressed as Governor Mitt Romney, as if that were a title of nobility rather than a political office.
The US has only one president at a time, but Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are always referred to as President Clinton and President Bush – even in the same sentence as Barack Obama.
And during the Republican primary campaign, Newt Gingrich was routinely referred to as Mr. Speaker – even though he was the Speaker of the House for four years and left that post nearly 14 years ago.
As odd as it sounds to hear “Presidents Clinton and Obama” from a news presenter’s mouth, the perma-title is acceptable, traditional and appropriate, says Daniel Post Senning, author and spokesman for etiquette arbiter Emily Post Institute.
“It really shows the esteem that we hold those offices in – that this is a democracy, and those are such important positions that it becomes like a professional title,” he says.
“I liken it to when a judge or a doctor retires. They’ve invested a lot in their professional identity and many retain the use of their professional title.”
6. Election loser can still win the White House
Four times in American history, the candidate with fewer votes has wound up with the presidency.
That is because the winner of the presidential election needs to capture a majority of electoral votes, which are apportioned to the states by population and for the most part awarded in winner-take-all state contests.
The national presidential election is effectively 51 separate contests (50 states and Washington DC), with the winner of 270 electoral votes taking the presidency.
Most recently, in 2000 George Bush won half a million votes less than Al Gore but took 271 electoral votes for the victory.
It is entirely conceivable that the person sworn into the White House in January will once again be the man with fewer votes.
One scenario envisioned by analysts – Barack Obama could piece together enough states to win the electoral college and hence the presidency, while Mitt Romney wins populous conservative states like Texas and Georgia by a wide enough margin to take the national popular vote.
7. It could be a dead-heat – with a President Mitt Romney and VP Joe Biden
American politics is at its most partisan and polarized in more than a century, many analysts say. But it could get much, much worse – Mitt Romney could be elected president and Joe Biden re-elected vice-president.
Under the US constitution, if the electoral college (the sum of delegates from each state – 270 and you’re president) ends in a tie – and there are several scenarios under which this could occur – the election is sent to the 435-member House of Representatives.
This is currently Republican-controlled and is unlikely to change hands, so they would choose Mitt Romney.
But under the same clause, the Democrat-led Senate would choose the vice-president – Joe Biden.
Joe Biden might then be tempted to undermine Mitt Romney at every turn.
“A historic tie, which would spur demonstrations that would make the healthcare battle look like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, seems a logical conclusion of the bitter partisan paralysis here and the bottom-feeding campaign,” wrote New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd on Tuesday.
8. Why the obsession with “folks”?
“Folks here in Iowa understand this – you cannot grow this economy from the top down”- Barack Obama, 17 October.
“I know that a lot of folks are struggling” – Mitt Romney, 10 October
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney use the word “folks” far more often than the word is typically heard from the lips of men with their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.
The word, which finds its origins in the Old English, is in the US historically associated with the South. That’s a stereotypically less-pretentious region that neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney are from.
The word used as such is roughly the same as “people”, but warmer and more inclusive, says Grant Barrett, editor of the Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang.
“American politics is a southerner’s game,” says Grant Barrett.
“It’s a talker’s game and Southerners are talkers. At the national level we have often been dominated by Southerners.”
9. Only a third of the US matters
On 6 November, the election will effectively be decided by less than a third of the US population.
Most of the states in America, including four of the five most populous, are so solid in their support for the Republicans or the Democrats that the candidates do not bother campaigning there.
Instead, each side chalks up those safe states in their tally and fights over the remaining handful of swing states on their path to 270 electoral votes.
The election is thus decided by the roughly 30% of the US population which lives in the swing states.
For the 70% of Americans who live in California, Texas, Georgia, New York, Illinois and the 35 other safe states, their votes count toward the electoral college total, but they cannot be said to be relevant in deciding the election.
10. In North Dakota, you can vote without registering to vote
The only state where it is not necessary to register in order to vote is North Dakota.
Although it was one of the first states to adopt voter registration in the 19th Century, it abolished it in 1951. The North Dakota State Government website says the move can be explained by the state’s close-knit, rural communities.
“North Dakota’s system of voting, and lack of voter registration, is rooted in its rural character by providing small precincts.
“Establishing relatively small precincts is intended to ensure that election boards know the voters who come to the polls to vote on Election Day and can easily detect those who should not be voting in the precinct.”
People coming to vote must be US citizens over the age of 18, who have lived in the precinct for at least 30 days, says Al Jaeger, the North Dakota Secretary of State. And people still need to produce identification, if they are not known to officials.
“I don’t see any difference with any other states, except that we don’t have voter registration, but it’s the same result. It might be an oddity but it has the same purpose. Our elections have a great deal of integrity.”
President Barack Obama is to resume election campaign which was suspended in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Barack Obama visited areas of New Jersey struck by the storm on Wednesday.
His Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, has been holding rallies after halting his campaign earlier in the week.
Superstorm Sandy left at least 64 people dead in the US, cut power from millions of homes and paralyzed transport on much of the eastern US seaboard.
The hurricane made landfall on Monday night in New Jersey, where some 20,000 people remain trapped in their homes by sewage-contaminated floodwater.
In New York City, the storm brought a record tidal surge that swamped the subway system and caused widespread blackouts.
Earlier, it killed nearly 70 people in the Caribbean and caused extensive crop destruction in impoverished Haiti.
Barack Obama has planned campaign stops on Thursday in Nevada, Colorado and Wisconsin.
On Wednesday, he toured parts of New Jersey struck by the storm with Republican Governor Chris Christie.
“You guys are in my thoughts and prayers,” the president said during a visit to an emergency shelter in Atlantic City.
“We are going to be here for the long haul.”
Barack Obama toured parts of New Jersey struck by the storm with Republican Governor Chris Christie
Of more than six million homes and businesses across the north-east that still have no electricity, a third of them are in New Jersey.
In the New Jersey city of Hoboken, across the Hudson River from New York City, the National Guard has arrived to evacuate about 20,000 people and distribute meals.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, usually one of barack Obama’s fiercest critics, spoke of his “great working relationship” with the Democratic president.
“I cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for the people of our state,” said Chris Christie.
Mitt Romney held two rallies in Florida on Wednesday, where his campaign said he tried to strike a “positive tone”.
Election Day is on 6 November, and polls suggest the candidates are running neck and neck.
Eight out of ten voters in a Washington Post/ABC poll gave Barack Obama an “excellent” or “good” rating for his handling of the emergency.
New York began a slow recovery from the storm on Wednesday.
The New York Stock Exchange reopened on generator power after two days of closure, along with the Nasdaq.
But New York City’s Bellevue Hospital had to order the evacuation of some 500 patients after back-up electricity failed.
A partial subway service is due to begin on Thursday. Many bus services are already back on the roads, and most of the city’s bridges have reopened.
The Holland Tunnel, connecting New Jersey and New York City, remains flooded.
Flights have now resumed at JFK and Newark Liberty airports, though the city’s LaGuardia airport remains closed. Nearly 20,000 flights were grounded by Sandy.
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has admitted that Russia’s president is suffering from an injury, but denied media reports that it is affecting his work.
Dmitry Peskov said the president had “pulled a muscle”, adding that it was sports-related.
He dismissed claims that the injury had got worse after Vladimir Putin’s flight last month with Siberian cranes.
Vladimir Putin, 60, has recently postponed a series of foreign trips, and media reports suggested he had a back injury.
And in a recent TV documentary made for his birthday, the Russian leader was seen limping.
On Thursday, Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s Kommersant FM radio station that his boss indeed had “an old injury”.
“It’s a common sports injury – Vladimir Putin pulled a muscle,” the spokesman said, without adding any details about where the injury was.
Kremlin spokesman dismissed claims that Vladimir Putin’s back injury had got worse after his flight last month with Siberian cranes
The speculation in Russia’s media started last week after Vladimir Putin had put off a summit with other leaders of counties from the former Soviet Union. He has also postponed trips to Bulgaria and Turkey.
But Dmitry Peskov said that the dates for those visits “have not been fixed”.
Kremlin officials earlier denied that the real reason for the much-curtailed schedule is that the president is suffering from a bad back and may need an operation.
Dmitry Peskov also said the president had hardly left his country house outside Moscow in the past two weeks because he did not like his convoy causing traffic jams in central Moscow.
Vladimir Putin – a black belt in judo – has over the years portrayed himself as a macho man.
Russia’s state-run TV has shown videos of him tagging whales, swimming in freezing waters, horse-riding bare-chested and even saving a TV crew from a tiger.
Three women have died in a stampede at a Halloween party in Madrid, Spanish officials say.
They say that two more people were seriously injured at the gathering at the Madrid Arena.
It was not immediately known what caused the crush, but reports suggest the panic began after a flare was thrown in the crowd.
The building, which can house up to 10,000 people, was evacuated after the incident.
Two of the victims were 18 years old, while the third was 25, Spanish police say.
“There was a human crush at the only exit they had because the others were sealed off,” a partygoer – who gave her name as Sandra – told Spain’s Cadena Ser radio station.
The stampede recalled a mass panic at the Love Parade music festival in Germany that killed 21 people in 2010.
At least 4 people have been wounded in a shooting incident at a Halloween party at the University of Southern California (USC), in Los Angeles.
Campus news outlet Neon Tommy said the incident took place at 23:30 local time. Police confirmed that there were casualties.
At least one suspect has been detained.
The university shut down the campus and urged students to stay away from the area of the shooting, amid earlier reports of a gunman at large.
Witnesses reported a “mob of people” fleeing from the main campus building.
“Everyone started running. I saw a guy who was shot in the leg. He was limping and screaming for his friends to help him,” one witness said, quoted by the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
“People were screaming and running away.”
At least 4 people have been wounded in a shooting incident at a Halloween party at the University of Southern California
USC’s Department of Public Safety issued alerts asking students to stay away from the area, stay indoors and avoid opening the door to strangers.
In 2008, University of Southern California sprinter Bryshon Nellum was shot in the leg three times at a Halloween party just off the campus.
Bryshon Nellum recovered and won a silver medal in the 4 x 400 m relay at the London 2012 Olympics.
Greek journalist Costas Vaxevanis is due to go on trial in Athens for breach of privacy after publishing the names of 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts.
French authorities gave the names to their Greek counterparts two years ago, but documents were never investigated.
Costas Vaxevanis said that politicians should be prosecuted for keeping the names secret.
But Greek officials have said there is no proof that those on the list have broken the law.
Some of those named, said to include many prominent Greeks, are suspected of using the HSBC accounts in Switzerland for tax evasion.
Costas Vaxevanis says the list he published is the same one that was given by the then French finance minister Christine Lagarde to her Greek counterpart two years ago.
Greek officials say the list originally came from a former HSBC employee.
The names on the list are said to include politicians, businessmen and others, sparking fury among ordinary Greeks as they are hit by deep austerity measures.
The issue has revived claims that tax evasion remains rife in Greece, and that the authorities still are not serious about tackling it.
Greek journalist Costas Vaxevanis is due to go on trial in Athens for breach of privacy after publishing the names of 2,000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts
Costas Vaxevanis, 46, said he published the list in his magazine Hot Doc “because I’m a journalist and it’s our job to tell the truth to the people”.
“The three last governments have lied and have made a mockery of the Greek people with this list,” he said.
“They were obliged to pass it to parliament or to the justice system. They didn’t do it and they should be in prison for it.”
Costas Vaxevanis said he thought the government had not acted on the list because it included friends of ministers, businessmen and powerful publishers.
He also accused much of the Greek media of ignoring the story.
“The Greek press is muzzled,” he said.
“There is a closed system of power in Greece, wielded by the political elite, businessmen and journalists.”
“If I need to go to prison I will do,” he said.
“Not because I’m a hero, but to show the injustice of what is happening in Greece.”
Hurricane Sandy has caused enormous devastation across eastern America, leaving dozens of people dead and huge cities without power.
Residents on Long Island, New York, felt the wrath of Superstorm Sandy after it uprooted their massive oak tree, sending it crashing into a neighbors’ garden.
Capturing the freak accident on camera, Mathew Weinschreider, from Huntington, could only gasp in horror as the lawn heaved and the tree’s roots slowly emerged from the ground.
As the video shows, the lawn eventually opened, the roots broke through and the tree succumbed to the hurricane-force winds rattling the East Coast.
Fortunately for his family, the tree toppled away from their home and instead landed across a fence before smashing into a neighbor’s garden, narrowly avoiding their house.
Matthew Weinschreider’s garden was left covered with soil while next door’s filled with branches.
Only when one of the residents went outside to survey the damage could the sheer size of the felled tree be recognized, its raised roots dwarfing the man.
Residents on Long Island, New York, felt the wrath of Superstorm Sandy after it uprooted their massive oak tree, sending it crashing into a neighbors’ garden
Matthew Weinschreider uploaded the video to YouTube, where it has already been viewed more than 60,000 times since Monday.
While falling trees have claimed scores of lives since Sandy came ashore, no one was injured in the incident in Huntington.
Hurricane Sandy landed in New York on Monday evening, terrorizing the area with 80 mph winds and storm surges that downed power lines, submerged homes with floodwater and sparked deadly car crashes.
The wind also snapped a crane in Manhattan, leaving it to dangle precariously above the Midtown West skyline, with officials too wary of the high winds to attempt to bring it down.
At least 26 of the 61 reported fatalities from the storm occurred in New York, with five on Long Island.
These included a motorcyclist who collided with a van after traffic lights stopped working, a car crash between a vehicle and a police car, a body washed up in East Hampton and two deaths by felled trees.
Khloe Kardashian has been tweeting her excitement surrounding her very first time hosting duties on the X Factor on Wednesday night.
And she started off the live shows with a bang exposing her nipple in a sheer purple blouse as she took to the stage for the live family-friendly broadcast show.
Khloe Kardashian, 28, had opted for a plunging black long-sleeve sheer top with sequined detailing, which she opted to wear with no bra underneath.
She paired the ensemble with a tight-fitting black pencil skirt cinched in at the waist with a leather belt.
Standing alongside co-host Mario Lopez, Khloe Kardashian was smiling as she underwent her hosting duties, seemingly unaware of the wardrobe malfunction.
Afterwards she joked about the incident on her Twitter account, saying: “I think I had a little nip action earlier. LOL.”
But Judge Simon Cowell certainly took note, immediately taking to his own account to make a crude joke about the incident.
“I think the air conditioning is on high tonight looking at khloe,” Simon Cowell wrote on the social networking site.
Khloe Kardashian started off X Factor shows with a bang exposing her nipple
The exposure also caused an social-networking sensation, with several users tweeting up a storm about the incident.
“Just turned on the X Factor… why is Khloe Kardashian’s nipple staring at me. I don’t like it,” one user wrote.
“Who can concentrate on the singing when Khloe’s nipple keeps distracting me?!” another one Tweeted.
But Khloe Kardashian’s hosting skills did not receive as much positive publicity as her nipple.
The Washington Post wrote: “Odom came across like the novice she is, shouting her lines despite the mic clutched in her hand and making awkward small talk with contestants and judge and executive producer Simon Cowell.”
And it added: “Odom sounded like an oddly flirtatious schoolgirl as she introduced Cowell as <<Mr. Sexy>>.”
It is unknown whether Khloe Kardashian was aware that her blouse was so sheer that her modesty would be exposed.
But Simon Cowell will no doubt be delighted at all the extra publicity his struggling show is getting off the back of the incident.
And it is not the first time she has bared her nipple on live television either.
For in June last year Khloe Kardashian highlighted the perils of fashion on the Live with Regis & Kelly show when she accidentally exposed her breast for six minutes, live on the daytime TV program.
Busily promoting the news series of her show Keeping Up With The Kardashians she was unaware that her left nipple was on full view, beneath a transparent panel on her blouse.
Unfortunately for Khloe Kardashian, her hosts on the show Fox And Friends were so interested in her and sister Kourtney that non noticed her mistake.
Her fans were quick to tell her, however.
One tweeted: “Your nipple was showing on Fox and Friends. See through tops.”
Khloé Kardashian laughed off the incident, replying: “Thank God! I f****** love nipples!!!!”
Meanwhile Khloe Kardashian is braving it alone on Wednesday night as she makes her hosting debut live on national television – Lamar Odom can’t make it.
Children should be accompanied by adults at all times. Cross only at corners or marked crosswalks, never cross the street between parked vehicles, never go into a stranger’s house, watch out for cars backing or turning, wear bright colored clothing and use a flashlight.
Drivers should keep an eye open for children who forget the rules, use caution when traveling and obey posted traffic signs especially in neighborhoods.
Parents should instruct children not to open candy until they return home, inspect ALL candy for tampering, discuss the route their children should be taking and most important, explain the difference between tricks and vandalism (especially cemeteries).
Homeowners should have a well-lit home both inside and out to prevent vandalism and injuries, remove all obstacles from their lawns to avoid injuries and don’t use candles in ornaments that could set a fire.
The latest range from Marks & Spencer is the Secret Slimming Bum Lift collection designed to sculpt bottoms and tame tummies to create a more alluring shape.
Consisting of a knicker, slip and tights, the products have been created with a pert profile in mind, and are here just in time for the Christmas party season.
Paschal Little, Head of Technology at M&S says: “Our Secret Slimming™ Bum Lift products use discreet, innovative lingerie construction techniques to lift, shape and contour your bottom, with tummy control for a sleek silhouette under your clothing.”
And Soozie Jenkinson, Head of Lingerie Design at Marks and Spencer says: “Wiggle pencil skirts and bodycon dressing call out for curve-enhancing underpinnings.
“Whilst we may not all be blessed with a bombshell body or a divine derriere like Kylie and Beyonce, we can certainly enhance our silhouette by choosing great underwear to sculpt and shape the body to wear this seasons silhouette with confidence.”
The latest range from Marks and Spencer is the Secret Slimming Bum Lift collection designed to sculpt bottoms and tame tummies to create a more alluring shape
The knickers and slip are made with a bottom panel made using light control fabric. An inbuilt sling lifts and shapes the buttocks to give a pert appearance while the overall look lifts and shapes without flattening the natural curve.
The remaining part of the slip and knicker is made with firm control fabric which slims and smoothes the thighs and flattens the tummy.
In the tights a knitted woven sling cups the buttocks lifting and shaping them without flattening the natural curve and Secret Slimming™ technology is used to weave them fabric to again slim and smooth the thighs and flatten the tummy.
Kim Kardashian posted an old family Halloween video, shot in 1982, by her late father Robert.
Kim Kardashian, 32, wrote the accompanying message: “Here’s Kourtney and me back in 1982 on Halloween day in our costumes!
“My dad used to love taking home videos of us and I’m so glad he did because I love looking back on these moments he captured. I’m two here and Kourtney is three. Xo.”
Kim Kardashian is currently residing in Miami with sister Kourtney as they film their spin-off reality show, Kourtney and Kim Take Miami, which is set to air in January next year.
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian with mother Kris, seen in a home video from Halloween in 1982
Pink, real name Alecia Moore, celebrated Halloween’s Eve by tweeting a series of shots from her fancy dressing past, which show the youngster dressed in various spooky standards.
The terrifying top picture Pink accompanied with the following: “Not sure what I was going for here…. Started out as Glinda the good witch and went straight to the dark side.”
Another where she wears a black leotard and holds an exotic looking bird is explained thusly: “Me and my childhood bestie Lane:) I was Mademoiselle Moore.”
Pink celebrated Halloween by tweeting a series of shots from her fancy dressing past
In another, Pink, now 33, was dressed as a not too spooky clown, and there read a note: “It wasn’t Bob Mackie, but it was pretty fabulous. I was always a clown!!!!”
Pink will be looking forward to dressing her 16-month-old daughter Willow for her new few Halloweens.
New York Mayor’s Office and the NYPD shut down the Halloween Greenwich Village parade which normally weaves its route through the West Side neighborhood.
But it remains in complete darkness this evening, more than 24 hours after power was cut off to most of lower Manhattan during fierce winds and widespread flooding.
However, New Jersey Mayor Chris Christie today made good on his promise to make sure the Garden State was able to have Halloween and moved the holiday to November 5.
Chris Christie promised on Tuesday: “If conditions are not safe on Wednesday for trick-or-treating, I will sign an executive order rescheduling.”
“I’ve taken this action to minimize additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy,” said Governor Chris Christie.
“In too many communities in our state, the damage and losses from this storm are still being sorted out, and dangerous conditions abound even as our emergency management and response officials continue their work.
“As Governor, it is my responsibility to use all available resources of the state government to protect against the emergency created by Hurricane Sandy – postponing Halloween celebrations by five days is a common sense and necessary step to accomplish that.”
New York Mayor’s Office and the NYPD shut down the Halloween Greenwich Village parade
Meanwhile, New York City all out cancelled their annual event.
Organizers of the parade said: “We hope that everyone who would have come to the Parade is safe and that those who can volunteer to help out at one of the Emergency Outreach Centers near you. We will surely miss all of you!”
The parade, which would have begun at 6:30 p.m. on 6th Avenue, usually attracts up to 60,000 Halloween lovers in the most outrageous costumes.
More than 50 bands playing an eclectic range of music take part along with hundreds of dancers, artists and giant puppets.
The theme of this year’s parade was “Tick Tock”, tying in with the final year of the Mayan calendar which predicts the apocalypse.
Halloween looked likely to be an uncharacteristically somber affair as up and down the East Coast people come to terms with Sandy’s aftermath.
Across New York and Westchester, around 811,000 people were without power – with that number reaching a staggering eight million along the Eastern Seaboard.
The outages in Manhattan have been attributed to a huge explosion at an electrical substation, which blew up when it was apparently overwhelmed by floodwater.
Traveling around the city remains difficult as it would still be four to five days before limited operation could begin on the New York subway, according to Bloomberg, with some reports estimating it might take as long as 21 days for service to become fully functioning.
There is growing pressure on well-known Roman cat sanctuary Torre Argentina to leave its home in the heart of the ancient city.
The head of Rome’s archaeological office says parts of the sanctuary have been illegally built on a heritage site and must be pulled down.
An eviction notice has been issued.
The disputed building of the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary is next to the site where Julius Caesar was stabbed by Brutus and his co-conspirators on the Ides of March in 44BC.
It is known as the Area Sacra and houses four temples, on one of which the sanctuary has built a store room.
Rome is well-known for the stray cats which live among its archaeological splendors.
The Torre Argentina cat sanctuary looks after about 200 cats, vaccinating the strays, neutering the toms and spaying the cats.
There is growing pressure on well-known Roman cat sanctuary Torre Argentina to leave its home in the heart of the ancient city
The animals are much photographed by tourists but Mariarosaria Barbera, the Special Superintendent for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome, has told the Repubblica newspaper: “While we love the cats almost as much as the ancient monuments, the sanctuary is an illegal construction.
“We object to illegal building on a heritage site.”
Mariarosaria Barbera said her office had been trying to find a solution to the problem for the past two years.
But Silvia Viviani, president of the Volunteer Association at the Cat Colony of Torre Argentina, said the archaeological office was trying to chase them out of a site which they had occupied for 20 years.
Silvia Viviani said she was trying to secure a meeting with city authorities to find an alternative home for her sanctuary, which has become a tourist site in its own right.
