Game 7 Winner Chris Carpenter Leads Cardinals To World Series Crown (VIDEO)

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals took Chris Carpenter at his word. Their ace did not let them down.

The 36-year-old Carpenter was his usual stingy self on short rest in Game 7 of the World Series. He put the clamps on the Texas Rangers' dangerous offense after a shaky start and led the way in a 6-2 victory that gave St. Louis its second championship in six seasons.

Manager Tony La Russa discussed the move with pitching coach Dave Duncan on Friday morning after getting a few hours of sleep following the Cardinals' dramatic Game 6 victory.

"I said 'How about the alternatives?'" La Russa said on the field after the clincher. 'He said, 'Are you kidding? It's Chris Carpenter.' And he hung up on me."

Though just an 11-game winner this year, the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner was 10-2 in the second half. He stayed on a roll in the postseason, going 4-0 with wins in Games 1 and 7 against Texas.

A rainout on Wednesday gave Carpenter a shot to start on three days' rest for just the second time in his career in Game 7 ? and the second time this postseason. He allowed two runs in six-plus innings.

"Obviously it's not my decision, it's Tony's, but I was hoping to have an opportunity to go ahead and pitch," Carpenter said. "Fortunately, it worked out."

Carpenter struggled to find the strike zone early and put the Cardinals in a quick hole, allowing consecutive RBI doubles in the first inning. The next five innings, the Rangers had just one runner in scoring position.

"I didn't know how long they were going to let me go," Carpenter said. "I was just trying to do everything I could to get one out at a time.

"Nobody said anything about it to me, so I just went out and tried to continue to make pitches," he added.

In his later innings, Carpenter threw a lot more breaking pitches.

"They've seen Carp three times in this series, they've got a pretty good idea, so we had to be creative," catcher Yadier Molina said. "That's what we did."

Carpenter left with a 5-2 lead after David Murphy's leadoff double in the seventh.

"It started off a little rough in the first but I was able to collect myself, make some pitches and our guys did an awesome job to battle back," Carpenter said. "And I mean, it's just amazing."

Duncan gave Carpenter the thumbs up after a meeting after Game 6. Carpenter won his ninth postseason game, extending his franchise record, and had a 2.84 ERA in the World Series.

"Dave had a real heart-to-heart with him to gauge just how ready he was to pitch just physically, not mentally but physically," La Russa said before the game. "And then I think if he would be available to pitch, he probably would have pitched in this game sometime.

The bottom line: the Cardinals wanted their best pitcher on the mound.

"He's the guy our club wants to have out there, and he's ready to take it," La Russa said. "Plain and simple. He's our guy."

La Russa could have chosen Kyle Lohse or Edwin Jackson, both well rested.

Carpenter started on short rest for the first time in the first round of the NL playoffs against the Phillies and lasted only three innings, allowing four runs on five hits in his shortest outing of the year.

La Russa tried it in Game 2 so Carpenter would be ready on regular rest for a potential Game 5, and Carpenter threw a three-hit shutout in the deciding game, outpitching Roy Halladay.

La Russa said Duncan's conversation with Carpenter indicated the pitcher had learned from the time, and how he would "adjust or compensate" in Game 7. La Russa said the pitcher actually began making adjustments after struggling early in his first outing on three days' rest.

"Part of what he learned from that is why he gets the ball," La Russa said. "And we expect him to be more effective."

La Russa had no expectations that Carpenter might go deep. Carpenter led the NL in innings and finished with 273 1-3 innings, the most of his career.

"Carp proved he's one of the best pitchers in the game," Molina said. "He got hit in the first inning but after that he slowed down their offense.

"Every time he takes the mound we've got a pretty good chance to win," Molina said.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/29/game-7-chris-carpenter-cardinals-world-series_n_1064917.html

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Perry, Romney contrast in style, substance (tbo)

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Romney'd Be OK Making Unpopular Decisions (ABC News)

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Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated

In this photo taken Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, workers conduct decontamination operations at a junior high school in Hara-machi district in Minami Soma, northeastern Japan. The district borders outside of the 12-mile (20-kilometer) no-go zone designated after the March 11 disaster that damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Japan feared aftershocks could further damage one of the nuclear power plant's fuel pools, possibly causing spent fuel rods to melt and spew radiation within hours, according to a new document. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

In this photo taken Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, workers conduct decontamination operations at a junior high school in Hara-machi district in Minami Soma, northeastern Japan. The district borders outside of the 12-mile (20-kilometer) no-go zone designated after the March 11 disaster that damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Japan feared aftershocks could further damage one of the nuclear power plant's fuel pools, possibly causing spent fuel rods to melt and spew radiation within hours, according to a new document. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

In this photo taken Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 and released Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 by Tokyo Electric Power Co., plastic bags, containing protective clothing used by workers battling the nuclear disaster at TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, are piled up in a roofed soccer training ground in the J-Village, an athlete's village now serves as base camp for the workers, in Hirono, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. TEPCO has not yet decided measure to dispose these low-level radioactive waste properly, local media said. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this photo taken Friday, Oct. 14, 2011 and released by Tokyo Electric Power Co., a piece of a roof for a huge iron tent is lowered by a crane to cover Unit 1 reactor building at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Officials hope the tent covering Unit 1, one of the reactors worst-hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will keep leaked radioactive materials from spreading, prevent rainwater seepage and offer a barrier from further leakage. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a dangerous radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-137 comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Study author Andreas Stohl of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea.

The study did not consider health implications of the radiation. The long-term effects of the nuclear accident are unclear because of the difficulty of measuring radiation amounts people received.

In a telephone interview, Stohl said emission estimates are so imprecise that finding twice the amount of cesium isn't considered a major difference. He said some previous estimates had been higher than his.

The journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics posted the report online for comment, but the study has not yet completed a formal review by experts in the field or been accepted for publication.

Cesium-137 is dangerous because it can last for decades in the environment, releasing cancer-causing radiation.

Last summer, the Japanese government estimated that the March 11 Fukushima accident released 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium. Terabecquerels are a radiation measurement. The new report from Stohl and co-authors estimates about 36,000 terabecquerels through April 20. That's about 42 percent of the estimated release from Chernobyl, the report says.

It also says about a fifth of the cesium fell on land in Japan, while most of the rest fell into the Pacific Ocean. Only about 2 percent of the fallout came down on land outside Japan, the report concluded.

Experts have no firm projections about how many cancers could result because they're still trying to find out what doses people received. Some radiation from the accident has also been detected in Tokyo and in the United States but experts say they expect no significant health consequences there.

Still, concern about radiation is strong in Japan. Many parents of small children in Tokyo worry about the discovery of radiation hotspots even though government officials say they don't pose a health risk. And former prime minister Naoto Kan has said the most contaminated areas inside the evacuation zone could be uninhabitable for decades.

Stohl also noted that his study found cesium-137 emissions dropped suddenly at the time workers started spraying water on the spent fuel pool from one of the reactors. That challenges previous thinking that the pool wasn't emitting cesium, he said.

___

Online:

New study: http://bit.ly/tFURSr

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-10-27-Japan-Nuclear/id-189b8f386994460580d93f6af1ec3859

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Coroner: Amy Winehouse died from too much alcohol (AP)

LONDON ? A coroner says Amy Winehouse died as the unintended consequence of drinking too much alcohol.

Coroner Suzanne Greenaway gave a verdict of "death by misadventure," saying the singer had voluntarily consumed alcohol and risked the consequences.

The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27.

A pathologist told the singer's inquest Wednesday that Winehouse had consumed a "very large quantity of alcohol" and was more than five times over the legal drunk-driving limit when she died.

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

LONDON (AP) ? A pathologist says Amy Winehouse consumed a "very large quantity of alcohol" prior to her death.

Suhail Baithun has told an inquest into the singer's' death that blood and urine samples showed she was 4.5 times over the legal drunk-driving limit.

The singer, who had fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead in bed at her London home on July 23 at age 27.

An initial autopsy proved inconclusive, although it found no traces of illegal drugs in her system.

A British coroner is hearing about the final hours of Winehouse's life Wednesday at an inquest into the soul diva's death.

Winehouse's doctor, Dr. Christina Romete, said the singer had resumed drinking in the days before her death after a period of abstinence.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_en_mu/eu_britain_amy_winehouse

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Wall Street protesters prepare for harsh weather (AP)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ? Anti-Wall Street protesters around the country who are vowing to stand their ground against the police and politicians are also digging in against a different kind of adversary: cold weather.

With the temperature dropping, they are stockpiling donated coats, blankets and scarves, trying to secure cots and military-grade tents, and getting survival tips from the homeless people who have joined their encampments.

"Everyone's been calling it our Valley Forge moment," said Michael McCarthy, a former Navy medic in Providence. "Everybody thought that George Washington couldn't possibly survive in the Northeast."

More than a month and a half into the movement, Occupy Wall Street activists from New York to Colorado have pledged to tough out the snow, sleet and cold as they protest economic inequality and what they call corporate greed.

But the dangers of staying outdoors in some of the country's harsher climes are already becoming apparent: In Denver, two protesters were hospitalized with hypothermia this week during a storm that brought several inches of snow.

The activists also know full well that the number of demonstrators is likely to drop as the weather gets colder.

Some movements are scouting locations indoors, including vacant buildings or other unused properties, possibly even foreclosed homes, though some question the wisdom of holding a protest outside the public eye.

Lighting campfires is probably out of the question in most places because of safety regulations.

Boston's Occupy movement, which has roughly 300 overnight participants and could face some of the most brutal weather of any city with a major encampment, has set up a winterization committee that will try to obtain super-insulated sleeping bags and other winter survival gear. Activists from the movement's flagship encampment, consisting of hundreds of people in New York City's Zuccotti Park, are sorting through packages arriving daily that include coats and jackets.

In Providence, where city officials are threatening to go to court to evict hundreds of campers from a park across from City Hall, a core group said it will remain through the winter months ? if not there, somewhere else. Rhode Island's capital has an average low temperature in the 20s from December through February and recorded nearly 3 1/2 feet of snow last year. Many of the more than 100 tents are not built to withstand harsh conditions.

Temperatures were expected to drop into the 30s across much of the Northeast by Friday morning, and forecasters said snow is possible in some places over the weekend. Boston got its first dusting late Thursday night.

In Denver, as protesters prepared for this week's snow, a few dozen sympathizers stopped by to drop off blankets, gloves, chili and hot chocolate. Police refused to let activists erect a tent. That left some sleeping on the wet ground, covered by snowy tarps.

"I welcome the challenge of this cold weather," said Dwayne Hudson, a landscaper who has been living at the Occupy Denver site for nearly two weeks. "This is like war. You know, soldiers do it when they occupy a place. I'm sure the mountains of Afghanistan get pretty cold."

But after the first snowfall, he admitted: "It's getting tough."

Eric Martin, who is on Occupy Boston's winterization committee, said the group had raised about $35,000, which could help buy winter supplies. Various ideas are being discussed to keep tents warm without using combustion-based heaters, which are forbidden. Another proposal: igloos.

"We're looking at ideas from military vets to survivalists, to the homeless community to indigenous peoples," Martin said.

Activists in Philadelphia are also researching sturdier, warmer structures that could replace the 300 to 400 tents set up on the concrete plaza surrounding City Hall.

Chris Goldstein of Riverside, N.J., owns one of the tents, though he sometimes sleeps at home. He learned the hard way during the first rainfall that the site has poor drainage: "I occupied a puddle." The self-employed writer and activist put pallets under the tent to lift it off the ground, and outfitted it with small carpets for insulation.

In the meantime, he and other activists have access to a Quaker community center two blocks away where they can shower and thaw out in common rooms.

In Chicago, where winters are famously bitter, protesters living in Grant Park are working to secure several indoor locations to get them through to spring. A church nearby is letting some demonstrators sleep overnight. Activists in Portland, Ore., likewise said that moving the protest inside is the only realistic option.

Patricia Phelan and her fiancee, Savanah Kite, have been camping in the Providence park in a $20 tent from Walmart. As temperatures dipped into the 40s in the morning this week and people could see their breath, they hadn't yet employed their hand warmers or a down comforter Phelan had in the car just in case.

Their plan is to add layers as necessary.

The trick will be keeping morale up, Phelan said, "and not letting the climate get to us."

___

Associated Press Writers Jay Lindsay in Boston; Barbara Rodriguez in Chicago; Ivan Moreno and Kristen Wyatt in Denver; Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia; and Nigel Duara in Portland, Ore., contributed to this report.

___

Niedowski can be reached at http://twitter.com/eniedowski

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_winter

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Man loses mother, wife, 4 children in Turkey quake (AP)

ERCIS, Turkey ? Murat Sonmez's mother, wife and four daughters were crushed to death in their home by Turkey's 7.2-magnitude earthquake, leaving him so distraught he found it difficult to speak.

While media coverage has centered on tales of against-the-odds rescues including a 2-week-old baby girl who was pulled alive from the rubble, most stories of the trapped have ended the way that Sonmez knows, with death and unfathomable pain for those left behind.

"I was not at home," Sonmez said, lapsing into silence at times Wednesday. "God gave them, God took them away. I can't find anything to say.

"I can't describe my pain," he said as he stood by a leveled four-story apartment building.

He listed the dead: 32-year-old wife Meral, four daughters ? 2-year-old Nisa Nur, 7-year-old Meryem, 12-year-old Asli and 15-year-old Meral ? and his 65-year-old mother, Hatice. They lived on the second floor, above some businesses. The third and fourth floors were occupied by Sonmez's brother and father, who managed to escape.

He said he and relatives pulled out their dead and buried them, just a few of the victims of the quake that struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, killing at least 461 people.

Elsewhere in Ercis, the town hit hardest by the quake, two teachers and a university student were rescued from ruined buildings on Wednesday, but searchers said hopes of finding anyone else alive were rapidly fading.

NTV television said 25-year-old teacher Seniye Erdem was pulled out around the same time that rescue workers also freed another teacher. The woman was thirsty and asked about her husband, who had died, it said.

Excavators with heavy equipment began clearing debris from some collapsed buildings in Ercis after searchers removed bodies and determined there were no other survivors. More than 1,350 people were injured.

Gozde Bahar, a 27-year-old English teacher, was pulled out of a ruined building on Wednesday with injuries as her tearful mother watched anxiously. The Anatolia news agency said her heart stopped at a field hospital but doctors managed to revive her.

Earlier in the day, rescuers pulled out 18-year old university student Eyup Erdem, using tiny cameras mounted on sticks to locate him. They broke into applause as he emerged from the wreckage.

Olcay Kotiloglu, a miner, was one of the first rescuers to respond to Erdem, whose ankle was stuck under a big column and who was shouting for help.

"He first asked: 'Brother, will you be able to take me out?" Kotiloglu said. "He said his leg was stuck and it was dark."

Erdem, however, showed signs of losing consciousness as well as patience as the hours passed.

"At one point, he kept asking: 'When will I get out, you always say half an hour. When?'" the miner said. "But he helped us a lot when we asked about his position."

As he was taken to an ambulance on a stretcher, Eyup exclaimed to his rescuers: "Thank God for you!"

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 63 teachers were among the dead and he alleged that shoddy construction contributed to the high casualty toll. He compared the alleged negligence of some officials and builders to murder because they ignored safety standards.

"Despite all previous disasters, we see that the appeals were not heeded," Erdogan said.

Sonmez, the man who lost his family, said the building where they lived was 25 years old.

"We had it built on our own, the technology was not as good as today in the past. But even if it had been built better, it probably could not have withstood the temblor," said Sonmez, who is in his 40s. "It was so powerful."

Mattresses, pieces of clothing and plastic red and yellow flowers were mixed with twisted metal and chunks of bricks and concrete. A small heart-shaped red pillow, bearing the words "I love you" was seen at the edge of the rubble. A green potted plant stood on the debris.

Erdogan acknowledged problems in sending aid for thousands of people who were left homeless, but said close to 20,000 tents have since been sent to the quake zone. Turkey has said it will accept prefabricated homes and containers from other countries to house survivors, many of whom have slept in the open in near-freezing temperatures for three nights.

"There was a failure in the first 24 hours, but in such situations such shortcomings are normal," Erdogan said. "There may not be sufficient equipment in depots at the start, but these have (now) been resolved with equipment from other depots."

The quake destroyed one school and Turkish engineers were making sure other schools were safe or rendering them fit to resume lessons. About 800 students at that school in Ercis were probably saved because the quake hit on a Sunday.

Hundreds of angry people in Ercis and nearby villages on Wednesday protested what they say was a lack of coordination of aid distribution outside the office of the local governor, complaining that they were not able to receive tents yet. A senior police official with a loudspeaker tried to calm the crowd as dozens of Turkish soldiers and policemen blocked entrances of the governor's office.

The head of the Turkish Red Crescent organization, Ahmet Lutfi Akar, said 17 trucks were looted before aid could be distributed.

Health officials said they had detected an increase in diarrhea, especially among the children, and urged survivors to drink bottled water until authorities can determine whether the tap water may be contaminated.

With thousands left homeless or too afraid to return to damaged houses, Turkey said it would accept international aid offers, even from Israel, with which it has had strained relations. Israel offered assistance despite a rift between the two countries over last year's Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turkish activists and a Turkish-American one.

Turkey expelled top Israeli diplomats and cut military ties, saying relations won't normalize until Israel apologizes for the raids and compensates victims' families. Israel insists its soldiers acted in self-defense during the raid.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered a team to supply aid for Turkey "within minutes" of hearing the request for emergency housing units, an Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman said. A first set was scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday evening while more would be sent by sea.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking at a news conference during a visit to Jordan Wednesday, said the Israeli assistance would not change Turkey's "principled position" toward the country.

"Our political conditions continue," Anatolia quoted him as saying.

Over 500 aftershocks have rattled the area.

On Wednesday, authorities in the city of Van, 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Ercis, transferred about 350 prison inmates to jails in other cities after prisoners, demanding to be let out after an aftershock Tuesday, set bedding on fire inside the city's 1,000-bed prison.

The region is mostly-Kurdish populated and an area where Kurdish rebels are waging an armed campaign for autonomy from Turkey. The conflict, which has killed tens of thousands since 1984, continued despite the quake. Suspected Kurdish rebels detonated a roadside bomb as a military vehicle drove by 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Van on Monday. Four soldiers were injured, it said.

Turkey lies in one of the world's most active seismic zones and is crossed by numerous fault lines. In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.

Istanbul, the country's largest city with more than 12 million people, lies in northwestern Turkey near a major fault line, and experts say tens of thousands could be killed if a major quake struck there.

___

Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_quake

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Poll: Many boomers staying put amid bad economy (AP)

WASHINGTON ? As baby boomers look ahead to retirement, they'd prefer a home that is affordable, accessible to medical care and close to family. But an Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll finds that amid a shaky economy, few think it's likely they'll move in retirement.

Shelley Wernholm, a 47-year-old single mother of two who works for a health insurance company in Cleveland, said she wanted to retire and move to a new home by 60. But her pension was eliminated five years ago, her personal investments tanked during the recession and her home of 21 years has lost more than half of its value.

"I was hoping I'd be moving to a beach somewhere, anywhere, preferably a warm one," Wernholm said. "But I'm not moving. I can't. It's hard to remain optimistic."

The 77 million-strong generation born between 1946 and 1964 is increasingly worried about retirement and their finances amid the economic crisis of the past three years.

Just 9 percent say they are strongly convinced they'll be able to live comfortably in retirement.

Overall, about 6 in 10 baby boomers say their workplace retirement plans, personal investments or real estate lost value during the economic downturn. Of this group, 53 percent say they'll have to delay retirement because their nest eggs shrank.

Financial experts say those losses, including home prices that have dropped by a third nationwide over the past four years, have left boomers anxious about moving and selling their homes.

"There's a mistrust of the real estate market that we didn't have before," said Barbara Corcoran, a New York-based real estate consultant. "There's a concern about whether people will get money out of their house. They envision the home as a problem, not an asset, and this unshakable belief in homes as a tool for retirement has been shaken to the core."

Fifty-two percent of boomers say they are unlikely to move someplace new in retirement, unchanged from March. And 4 in 10 say they are very likely to stay in their current home throughout all of their retirement.

Older baby boomers are more apt to say they're already settled in for their golden years; 48 percent say it's extremely or very likely they'll stay in the home they live in now throughout their retirement, compared with 35 percent among younger boomers. The same is true of those who've lived in their current home for 20 or more years.

Midwestern and rural baby boomers also are more inclined to stay put.

Not surprisingly, higher-earning boomers who make more than $100,000 a year are more likely to buy a new home during retirement.

Why buy a new home? About 4 in 10 of those who say it's likely they'll buy a new home in retirement would prefer a smaller one. Other important considerations include being close to medical offices or hospitals (39 percent); a different, and perhaps warmer, climate (30 percent); a more affordable home (25 percent); and being closer to family (15 percent).

Just 8 percent of those surveyed are looking for a larger home and only 10 percent are searching for a city with more services.

John Fortune, a 60-year-old small business owner in Scotch Plains, N.J., outside Newark, said he'd ideally like to move in his retirement years. But he's unsure about the future and whether he'll have any money left over after putting three kids through college.

"I don't expect to fully retire," said Fortune, who runs a business that sharpens knives, tools and other cutlery. "It just depends on what happens to the economy. I'd like to find someplace that is warmer and doesn't have the high taxes but we'll just have to see."

Mothers were far more likely than fathers to say that living near their children was an important consideration in planning retirement housing.

When those kids have left the nest, baby boomer parents are most likely to have turned their children's rooms into a new guest bedroom, entertainment room or home office. Three out of 4 say they would prefer visiting friends and family stay with them instead of getting a hotel room.

Boomers are more deeply attuned to their retirement years than other age groups, and many say they'll keep working during retirement. A total of 73 percent of those polled said they would keep working, compared with 67 percent in March, a bigger percentage than any other generation.

Sherry Wise, a 53-year-old agricultural economist in Lorton, Va., a suburb of Washington, said she is worried she will have to work well into her 60s and beyond in order to continue paying her mortgage, keep up an investment property in New Mexico and look after her two daughters.

"The one thing I know is that you can't count on anything anymore. This economy has gotten so screwed up," Wise said. "We're just going to try to earn as much money as possible."

The AP-LifeGoesStrong.com poll was conducted Oct. 5-12 by Knowledge Networks of Palo Alto, Calif. The poll involved online interviews with 1,095 people born between 1946 and 1964, as well as companion interviews with an additional 315 adults of other age groups. The margin of sampling error for baby boomers was plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Knowledge Networks used traditional telephone and mail sampling methods to randomly recruit respondents. People selected who had no Internet access were given it for free.

___

AP Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Questions and results: http://surveys.ap.org

Lifegoesstrong.com: http://home.lifegoesstrong.com/new-poll-reveals-midlifers-will-retire-close-home

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_bi_ge/us_aging_america_boomer_housing

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Build Your Own Selective Focus Lens on the Cheap [Video]

If you're into photography, you've probably heard of the lensbaby?a lens that provides cool selective focus effects for your photos. These lenses cost upwards of $150, but according to creator Cameron Texter you can make one yourself for a fraction of the price.

You don't need much to make put this together, and the parts are fairly inexpensive:

• Macro extension tube (that'll fit your camera's lens mount)
• Electrical tape (or other strong, flexible tape)
• Macro filter set
• Pipe clamp

You can see how it's all assembled in the video above or check out the full post at DIY Photography for the full instructions. The results of your work will be pretty similar to the original lensbaby. If you want to check out the kind of photos you'll be able to create, check out lensbaby's sample gallery (or the actual samples in the DIY Photography post).

Build a Lynny - a DIY lensbaby | DIY Photography via How-To Geek

---

You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. ?Twitter's the best way to contact him, too.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/kwRSiXIXIOQ/build-your-own-selective-focus-lens-on-the-cheap

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Adidas miCoach Speed_Cell measures your dunking prowess and serving skills

When it comes to sports gadgets, runners seem to get all the good stuff: the Nike+, the Motoactv and even the FitBit. For all the footballers, basketball players and aspiring tennis stars out there, Adidas is spreading the love with the introduction of its miCoach Speed_Cell -- a $69.99 device that measures motion and performance in every direction whether you're into tackling, serving or shooting. The gadget fits on the bottom side of compatible shoes to capture seven hours of stats including average and max speed, number of sprints, distance at high intensity levels, steps and strides. The coolest part? Your personal bests will transfer wirelessly to a smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac for post-practice critique, Sports Center style. The soccer-centric company has already released a compatible pair of cleats and has plans to put out more miCoach-friendly footwear, as well as a series of sport-specific apps allowing athletes to virtually monitor their performance. Jump, skip or dribble over to the PR after the break for the full deets.

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GOP Unleashes TV Ad War (WSJ)

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Israel offers to help quake-hit Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey?? Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to offer condolences for those killed in a devastating earthquake and said the Jewish state was ready to help, officials of both countries said.

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Relations between Israel and Turkey have been frayed since Israeli commandos killed nine Turks during a raid on an aid flotilla bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.

Sources at Erdogan's office said Netanyahu reminded Erdogan that Turkey sent fire-fighting planes in December last year to help Israel battle a brush fire that killed 41 people and said Israel was now ready to help Turkey.

At least 279 people were killed and more than 1,300 wounded when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey on Sunday.

Rescue efforts were continuing Monday to save those still alive, but trapped in the rubble.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the call between the two country's leaders took place.

Story: Seismic web gave rise to Turkey's killer quake

"Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his condolences to the victims of the terrible earthquake and offered Israel's help in dealing with the tragedy. The Turkish prime minister thanked him for his words and for his offer to help," the official said.

It was too early to know if the exchange would lead to a rapprochement. Turkey has demanded Israel apologize and pay compensation for the killings and lift the blockade on Gaza as a condition to normalize ties with its former strategic ally.

Tensions between the two U.S. allies rose last month when Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador after Israel refused to apologize and said its marines acted in self-defense in clashes with pro-Palestinian activists on one of the vessels.

PhotoBlog: Rescue workers find survivors in collapsed buildings

Israel has sent rescue teams to quake-prone Turkey in the past after earthquakes struck.

Turkey has received offers of assistance from countries as far as China and Pakistan but so far has accepted aid only from Iran and Azerbaijan.

'Turkey is thankful'
Earlier Monday, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc denied Turkey had declined an offer of aid from Israel.

"Our ties with Israel may not be at desired levels, but it's out of the question to refuse humanitarian offers," Arinc told a news conference.

Story: Turkey declines Israeli aid offer

"Turkey is thankful and respects all countries who offered help," he said, but cautioned that "if aid from all countries arrived in Van it would be chaos".

The bustling city of Van sustained substantial damage, but Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said search efforts there were winding down.

"I just felt the whole earth moving and I was petrified. It went on for ages. And the noise, you could hear this loud, loud noise," said Hakan Demirtas, 32, a builder who was working on construction site in Van at the time.

"My house is ruined," he said, sitting on a low wall after spending the night in the open. "I am still afraid, I'm in shock. I have no future, there is nothing I can do."

Slideshow: Powerful earthquake strikes Turkey (on this page)

The worst-hit area was the the city of Ercis, where about 80 multistory buildings collapsed. The eastern city of 75,000 lies close to the Iranian border in one of Turkey's most earthquake-prone zones.

Dozens of the dead were placed in body bags or covered by blankets, laid down in rows so people could search for their missing relatives.

"It's my grandson's wife. She was stuck underneath rubble," said Mehmet Emin Umac.

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Grieving families cried outside the Ercis mosque.

"My nephew, his wife and their child, all three dead. May God protect us from this kind of grief," resident Kursat Lap told The Associated Press. "They all came here for a Sunday breakfast and then what happened, happened."

Several other men carried a child's body wrapped in a white cloth as weeping family members followed behind.

'Be patient'
Some desperate survivors cried for help from beneath mounds of smashed concrete and twisted metal.

"Be patient, be patient," rescuers told a whimpering boy, pinned under a concrete slab with the lifeless hand of an adult, with a wedding ring, visible just in front of his face.

A Reuters photographer saw a woman and her daughter being freed from beneath a concrete slab in the wreckage of a building that had once been six stories tall.

"I'm here, I'm here," the woman, named Fidan, called out in a hoarse voice. Talking to her regularly while working for more than two hours to find a way through, rescuers cut through the slab, first sighting the daughter's foot, before freeing them.

More than 2,000 teams with a dozen sniffer dogs were involved in search-and-rescue and aid efforts, and more often than not they found dead bodies, not survivors. Cranes and other heavy equipment lifted slabs of concrete, allowing residents to dig for the missing with shovels.
Those efforts were hampered by over 200 aftershocks that rocked the area, with one on Monday rising up to 5.0 magnitude.

Leaders around the world, including President Barack Obama, conveyed their condolences and offered assistance.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish ally in this difficult time, and are ready to assist," Obama said.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation. "He expresses his heartfelt sympathies to the government and people of Turkey at this time of loss and suffering," a U.N. statement said.

Turkey lies in one of the world's most active seismic zones and is crossed by numerous fault lines. In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.

Istanbul, the country's largest city with more than 12 million people, lies in northwestern Turkey near a major fault line, and experts say tens of thousands could be killed if a major quake struck there.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45011278/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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Longtime CBS correspondent Robert Pierpoint dies (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? CBS News correspondent Robert C. Pierpoint ? who covered six presidents, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination and the Iranian hostage crisis in a career that spanned more than four decades ? died Saturday in California, his daughter said. He was 86.

Pierpoint, who retired in 1990, died of complications from surgery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Marta Pierpoint told The Associated Press. He had broken his hip Oct. 12 at the Santa Barbara Retirement Community where he lived with his wife Patricia.

After making his name covering the Korean War ? a role he reprised when he provided his radio voice for the widely watched final episode of "MASH" in 1983 ? Pierpoint became a White House correspondent during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, a position he would hold through the Jimmy Carter administration.

"He lived quite an amazing life," said Marta Pierpoint. She said her father was most proud of his coverage of the Korean War, Watergate and most of all the Kennedy assassination, an event that would still bring him to tears in an interview with his hometown paper three weeks before his death.

"I didn't like what the priest said about a time to live and a time to die," Robert Pierpoint told the Santa Barbara News-Press in an Oct. 2 story. "It was not Kennedy's time to die."

Pierpoint said his "one bad mistake" the day of the assassination was not revealing that Jacqueline Kennedy had blood on her pink suit when she walked out of her husband's hospital room.

"I didn't describe the blood, and I should have," he said. "I was in shock."

Pierpoint said of the six administrations he covered, Kennedy's was the most fun.

"He was not afraid of the press," Pierpoint told the News-Press. "He had been a reporter. He knew everyone in the White House press corps by name and reputation and joked with us. He was comfortable in his own skin."

Pierpoint said his first White House assignment, the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration starting in 1957, was not as easy. He said Eisenhower was "a relatively good president, but he wasn't a good communicator. I didn't feel that I did a good job, but they kept me on."

CBS certainly did keep Pierpoint on at the White House, for 23 years, a period he chronicled in his 1981 memoir, "At the White House."

He moved to covering the State Department in 1980, and ended his career on the show "Sunday Morning" with Charles Kuralt.

Born May 16, 1925, in Redondo Beach, Calif., Pierpoint joined the Navy in 1943 but didn't see action. He graduated from the University of Redlands, where his papers and archives are now kept, in 1948.

While a graduate student at the University of Stockholm he began work as a stringer for CBS, and found his calling. His coverage of an attempted Communist coup in Finland won him attention, and he was sent to Tokyo as a full-time correspondent, which led to his coverage of the entire Korean War.

Pierpoint shifted as the news business did from radio to television, and appeared on the first episode of Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" in 1951, eventually becoming one of the close Murrow associates known as "Murrow's Boys."

Before his career was over he had won two Emmys with other reporters, including one for his work on a 1989 banking scandal just before his retirement.

During retirement he was a frequent speaker and frequently went fishing in Montana.

He also didn't hesitate to give his opinion on the directions the White House went after he left, saying recently that he was not impressed with President Obama.

"He's not a fighter. He surrenders to Congress before it's necessary," Pierpoint told the News-Press. "Lyndon Johnson was a fighter. He fought for what he believed in. He was wrong on Vietnam, but right on civil rights."

In addition to Patricia, he is survived by four children, including actor Eric Pierpoint, who has appeared "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," and "Liar, Liar" with Jim Carrey.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111023/ap_en_tv/us_obit_robert_pierpoint

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Taking Blood Pressure Meds at Bedtime May Be Better (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Oct. 24 (HealthDay News) -- For the millions of Americans on blood pressure-lowering drugs, a new study suggests that taking the pills at bedtime may be best.

It was known that taking blood pressure medications at different times of the day can affect patients' blood pressure patterns, but the impact on health wasn't known.

The new Spanish study included 661 patients with chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Half of them took their prescribed blood pressure-lowering drugs at bedtime and half took their medications first thing in the morning.

After an average follow-up of 5.4 years, the researchers found that patients who took at least one blood pressure-lowering drug at bedtime had better control of their blood pressure and were about one-third as likely to suffer a heart-related event such as heart attack, heart failure or stroke.

The team at the University of Vigo also found that sleep-time blood pressure provided a much more accurate measure of heart health than wake-time blood pressure.

The study was published online Oct. 24 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

"Our results indicate that cardiovascular event rates in patients with hypertension can be reduced by more than 50 percent with a zero-cost strategy of administering blood pressure-lowering medications at bedtime rather than in the morning," study author Ramon Hermida wrote in a journal news release.

One U.S. doctor said taking advantage of "chronotherapy" -- timing drug delivery to a patient's biorhythms -- might have real value.

"Physicians don't commonly specify which time of day patients should take their medications; however, most patients with hypertension take their antihypertensive drugs in the morning. Upon taking these medications, patients oftentimes complain of side effects, most commonly, fatigue and drowsiness," noted Dr. Robert Graham, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

He believes the study reveals a "low-cost, win-win scenario" of better adherence to blood pressure medications and higher effectiveness when they're taken in the evening versus the morning. "As a result, chronotherapy may help minimize the side effects, and maximize the beneficial effects of antihypertensive medications," Graham said.

Another expert agreed.

"The notion of nocturnal medication use is not new," said Dr. Howard S. Weintraub, clinical director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City. "This strategy may be especially effective with the use of [blood pressure drugs such as] ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers or direct renin inhibitors."

Weintraub added that, "while taking a diuretic at bedtime may have a disruptive effect on sleep, in general, I think many of us have been doing this for some time with the intent to best control nocturnal blood pressure and to also mitigate some of the usual spike in blood pressure that occurs early in the morning (starting around 5 am)."

In the United States, about one in three adults has high blood pressure.

More information

The American Heart Association has more about blood pressure medications.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111024/hl_hsn/takingbloodpressuremedsatbedtimemaybebetter

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This week in The Slacktiverse, October 22/23 2011 (slacktivist)

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Obama honors 13 Americans who cared ? a lot

WASHINGTON?? Recognizing the good deeds of 13 compassionate Americans, President Barack Obama said Thursday that he hopes their work helping the poor, the illiterate, veterans, service members and others will "inspire us to put ourselves in another person's shoes."

For their service, totaling decades in some cases in communities stretching from Alaska to Florida, each of the 13 received the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal from Obama during a ceremony in the White House East Room. The medal is the nation's second-highest civilian honor.

One woman was honored posthumously for speaking out against domestic abuse in the Indian-American community. Another woman whose story of suffering as her hospitalized partner died alone encouraged Obama to grant full visitation rights to gay couples also was recognized. In the tragic loss of their children, other honorees saw opportunities to help victims of terrorism and mass violence and to teach women how to fight back when attacked.

Roger Kemp of Leawood, Kan., started a program called TAKE after his daughter, Ali, a 19-year-old college freshman, was killed in 2002. Kemp, who believes his daughter might still be alive if she knew how to defend herself, began The Ali Kemp Defense Education Foundation to train women to fight off attackers. More than 48,000 women have taken his classes, he said after the ceremony.

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Kemp said he was overwhelmed by the presidential recognition.

"It's a very nice acknowledgement of what we're doing but we'll continue what we're doing just like we always have," he said in a telephone interview. "This isn't the culmination of anything we're doing."

Obama said Kemp and the other medal recipients were "chosen not for the work that they do, but for the example that they set."

"We don't always get to choose the challenges that we face," Obama added. "But how we respond is entirely up to us."

Obama opened this year's nominating process to the public, hoping to recognize ordinary citizens and local heroes. Nearly 6,000 submissions flooded into the White House, which needed nearly four months to whittle them down to the 13 individuals honored Thursday, he said.

The president alluded to the difficult economic times challenging the country and said it's easy for people to say they have too many problems of their own to deal with before they can think about helping someone else in need. He said the medal recipients' stories are an inspiration.

"I hope they inspire us to put ourselves in another person's shoes," the president said.

The other 12 medal recipients and brief biographies distributed by the White House:

Steve and Liz Alderman of Armonk, N.Y., for the foundation they opened after losing their son, Peter, on 9/11. The Peter C. Alderman Foundation works to heal the emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and mass violence at clinics in such countries as Cambodia, Uganda, Rwanda and Haiti.

Clarence Lee Alexander of Fort Yukon, Alaska, for his work to clean the Yukon River. His efforts have led to the closure of open-burning dumps and the removal or recycling of millions of pounds of waste. He is often called the "grandfather of tribal government" in Alaska for his role as chief of Fort Yukon.

Camilla Bloomquist of Penn Yan, N.Y., for creating and running programs for more than 30 years to help the poor and underserved in her community in New York's Finger Lakes region. Her programs provide food, Christmas presents and free meals for children at school.

Judith Broder of Studio City, Calif., for creating The Soldiers Project in 2004 to provide mental health services to service members, their families and returning veterans. Broder's program tries to lessen the disruption caused by repeat deployments, ease the transition and reintegration after deployment, and reduce suffering related to post-traumatic stress syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, substance abuse, domestic violence and depression.

Vijaya Emani of Strongsville, Ohio, was recognized posthumously for overcoming domestic abuse and becoming a role model for other sufferers. Emani defied tradition in the Indian-American community by speaking publicly about the issue. She died in January 2009 after being hit by a truck.

John Keaveney of Los Angeles for creating New Directions, a home for homeless and disabled veterans who have addiction and mental health problems. A Vietnam combat veteran, Keaveney overcame personal struggles of his own to turn his life around in the 1980s.

Janice Langbehn of Lacey, Wash., for fighting for fair treatment for all. Langbehn's partner was hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurysm while vacationing with her family in February 2007. Langbehn was not allowed to see her partner, who died alone. Langbehn sued in federal court and her story attracted Obama's attention. He later granted full visitation rights for same-sex couples at hospitals receiving federal Medicare or Medicaid funds.

Ida Martin of Bluffton, S.C., for creating Self Help to help working families, the disabled and senior citizens during financial hard times. Last year, Martin's program fed more than 11,000 people and helped clothe nearly 9,000. Her program also provides families with short-term, emergency financial aid they can use to pay housing, utility, medical and other costs.

Margaret Martin of Los Angeles for the Harmony Project, which she began in 2001 to provide free instruments and music lessons to children in some of the most underserved, gang-ridden areas of the city. She got the idea after watching gang members stop at a Hollywood market to listen to a child playing classical music on a violin.

Michelle McIntyre-Brewer of Jefferson, Md., a military spouse who created Soldier's List in 2003 to support high-risk service members and their families. Her program has sent tens of thousands of care packages around the world, providing medical relief.

Roberto Perez of Miami, who started Alfalit. The organization has helped 7 million people learn to read in more than 22 countries on three continents.

___

Online:

2011 Presidential Citizens Medal: http://1.usa.gov/nPqd7F

___

Darlene Superville can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

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/44976609/ns/us_news-wonderful_world/

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Will RIM and Porsche Design Unveil A New BlackBerry Next Week? (Update: Confirmed)

Here's a noodle-scratcher to start your day off: Stuff Middle East is reporting that RIM and Porsche Design are teaming up for an event next Thursday that promises to show off an "exclusive collaboration" between the two companies. Could the rumored Porsche-styled BlackBerry finally see the light of day?

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Dell Inspiron 14R (I14RN-1364PBL)

You can?t always expect a highly distinctive laptop for a bargain price, and that?s certainly true in the case of the Dell Inspiron 14R (I14RN-1364PBL) ($649.99 at Best Buy). This is a laptop that, from features to performance to battery life, is a solid middle-of-the-pack selection: You won?t be disappointed with what you get, but you won?t be wowed, either. If all you need is a straightforward system for doing straightforward things, the I14RN-1364PBL will get the job done?merely without a lot of extra flair and individuality along the way.

Design
The glossy lid of the I14RN-1364PBL is decorated with a brushed-metal design, and colored in Dell?s relatively reserved Peacock Blue hue, with a silvery Dell logo positioned dead center providing the only additional adornment. The lid is the flashiest about this laptop, which is otherwise basic black all the way. The metal motif carries over onto the inside of the laptop for the palm rest, though the area between slightly scalloped keys in the chiclet-style keyboard is glossy plastic as well. The keys are not backlit, but a few?the power button, the Caps Lock key, and three in the upper-right corner for opening the Windows Mobility Center and the Dell Support Center, and switching to an external display?glow a bright white when pressed. The touch pad, located just left of center on the palm rest, continues the design, and seemed smooth and responsive; the mouse buttons were also acceptably clicky without being stiff.

The glossy 14-inch widescreen display, which is surrounded by a glossy black bezel (with the webcam predictably located along the top) looks bright, and fairly crisp for purposes of reading. Its resolution is 1,366 by 768, which is pretty much the going standard for laptops of this size. The laptop measures a respectable 1.2 by 13.5 by 9.7 inches (HWD), including the battery compartment that protrudes slightly from the rear. Because the I14RN-1364PBL weighs only 5.2 pounds, it?s not difficult to carry around.

Features
In terms of its internal hardware, the I14RN-1364PBL is par for the course. It?s powered by a 2.2GHz Intel Core i3-2330M CPU, a member of Intel?s 2011 ?second-generation Core? (aka ?Sandy Bridge?) processors. That chip operates with the Intel HD Graphics 3000 integrated video system, which means there?s no discrete card for supercharging gaming. There is, however, there?s a respectable 4GB of DDR3 RAM on board, and a nice-size 640GB hard drive for storing your programs and files. (The drive spins at 5,400rpm, also the typical speed for a laptop of this class.)

Port offerings run the gamut, from classic to contemporary. On the left edge you?ll find a VGA port for hooking up to an old-style monitor and an HDMI port for connecting to a newer one (or an HDTV). A combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port and a multiformat card slot (for SD and MMC) round out the options here; on the right edge, the DVD?RW drive is accompanied by the headphone and microphone jacks and a USB 3.0 port for conducting faster data transfers than USB 2.0 allows; and there?s another USB 3.0 port next to the Ethernet jack on the laptop?s rear panel (also where you?ll plug in your power brick).

If you don?t like the idea of Ethernet cables tying you down, the I14RN-1364PBL supports both 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Intel?s Wireless Display (WiDi 2.0) technology for streaming video and images to your HDTV via a Netgear Push2TV adapter (which is not included).

The operating system on the laptop is the de rigueur Windows 7 Home Premium, which comes preinstalled with a full slate of Dell utilities (including the Dell Stage launcher for easily accessing your videos, music, photos, and more), Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, a trial version of McAfee Security Center, and other bloatware-y items like the Bing Bar, Skype, Windows Live Essentials, and even an eBay link on the desktop.

Your investment in the laptop is protected by a one-year limited parts-and-labor warranty. Best Buy also has an extended warranty program, which offers customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a ?No Lemon? guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than four repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy?s advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills. Other special offers can be found online or in stores, like discounts on printers, software, and tech support plans which are available with any new consumer PC purchased through Best Buy.

Performance
In our benchmark tests, the I14RN-1364PBL for the most part delivered just the performance we expected of it. Its score of 1,844 on our PCMark 7 benchmark test was in line with the lower-end result (1,866)?we saw from the Samsung NP300E5A-A01UB ($599.99 list, 4 stars). The I14RN-1364PBL system was positioned similarly as far as video encoding, needing 2 minutes 30 seconds to convert a file in the open-source software Handbrake: That?s faster than the 3:33 we got from the?Gateway NV55S05u ($579.99 list, 4 stars) or the 2:39 from the?Toshiba Satellite P755-S5215 ($719.99, 3 stars), but well behind the pack leader and Editors? Choice Asus U56E-BBL6 ($699.99 list, 4 stars), with a time of 1:50, and the Lenovo IdeaPad V570-1066AJU ($629.99 direct, 4 stars), with a time of 1:52. The pattern continued for the I14RN-1364PBL with both its 2.09 score in the CineBench R11.5 rendering test (the highest, from the Lenovo V570-1066AJU, is 2.71; the lowest, from the Gateway NV55S05u, is 1.88) and its time of 5:27 processing 12 filters in Adobe Photoshop CS5 (the Lenovo V570-1066AJU was fastest, at 4:01, the Gateway NV55S05u the slowest at 7:48).

The I14RN-1364PBL?s gaming capabilities also proved less than remarkable, with it managing 16.3 frames per second (fps) in Crysis and 14.2 fps in Lost Planet 2, both at 1,024 by 768 with medium-level details; only the Gateway NV55S05u, with a superior graphics chip, could attain frame rates above the 30 fps threshold for smooth playability (and even then, only at this resolution).

With battery life, the story wasn?t much different. The I14RN-1364PBL?s 48Wh battery helped it last 5:23, which is longer than the Gateway NV55S05u (4:54) or Toshiba P755-S5215 (5:01), but nothing compared with the 7:42 the Asus U56E-BBL6 lasted or the 6:37 we saw from the Samsung NP300E5A-A01UB.

If you?re looking for a truly excellent budget laptop, the Dell Inspiron 14R (I14RN-1364PBL)? isn?t quite it?it lags behind other similarly priced and outfitted machines in every performance area. Still, it?s a sturdy little machine that should be able to handle almost any everyday task within reason. You can certainly do worse. But with other machines, such as the more powerful and longer-lasting-on-battery Editors? Choice Asus U56E-BBL6, you can also do better.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS

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