Video: Danger zone for Americans

>>> we're back now with a frightening look at the dangers facing american farmers and ranchers living under the constant threat of violence, in constant fear all because of where they happen to live and work along our nation's southern border with mexico. nbc's mark potter reports tonight in his award-winning series of reports "the war next door ."

>> there it is there. a large narcotics load under the helicopter.

>> reporter: south of the texas border on the mexican side of the rio grande , surveillance video of what police say are smugglers loading illicit drugs bound for the united states .

>> one, two, three, four, five, six, seven bundles.

>> reporter: they are floated in rafts and carries across private property in the u.s. where increasingly american farmers and ranchers along the border say they and their workers are being confronted, even threatened by armed mexican traffickers.

>> reporter: it clearly has intimidated u.s. citizens who, in many cases, don't believe they are safe on their own land in their own country.

>> they went off road, avoiding the spikes.

>> reporter: fearing retribution, this farmer says he was told by a federal agent to protect himself.

>> one of them recommended that i look into buying a bullet-proof vest.

>> reporter: while you're farming?

>> while i'm farming.

>> reporter: the problem isn't just confined to those right on the border. also affected are land owners miles inland where smuggling is still a huge problem.

>> how does this look? mike vickers leads a group of texas land owners who work closely with law enforcement . they worry about mexican drug and immigrant smugglers trampling their land.

>> this was cut, no question. it was cut and pulled up.

>> reporter: with hidden cameras they have documented waves of smugglers crossing private property .

>> he's carrying at least 40 pounds of drugs in that backpack. we suspect cocaine.

>> reporter: vickers said many families have moved for safety while others arm themselves.

>> this is happening on american soil. this is a war zone . no question about it.

>> right beside the helicopter.

>> reporter: the obama administration and local officials dispute the war zone claim but with mexican traffickers not letting up, u.s. land owners are asking for more federal protection at the front door to their own country. mark potter , nbc news along the rio grande .

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45440396/

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Black Friday warriors: They just keep on shopping

In this photo provided by Keith and Donna Harris, Keith Harris stands in his garage next to some of the items he bought while shopping all night Thursday and again on Friday afternoon, after a quick nap, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Raleigh, N.C. Harris has been perfecting his Black Friday strategies for the past eight years. (AP Photo/Donna Harris)

In this photo provided by Keith and Donna Harris, Keith Harris stands in his garage next to some of the items he bought while shopping all night Thursday and again on Friday afternoon, after a quick nap, Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, in Raleigh, N.C. Harris has been perfecting his Black Friday strategies for the past eight years. (AP Photo/Donna Harris)

For true Black Friday warriors, Thanksgiving wasn't a day off, but a chance to prepare for battle.

Lots of people meander to the mall on the day after Thanksgiving just to see what the fuss is about. Others get up early, drive to the closest big-box store, grab the laptop they've been coveting and run back to bed.

But the truly devoted skip out on family dinners. They print maps of the floor plans of their favorite stores. They shop straight through the night, fueled either by caffeine or just the thrill of the almighty discount.

Those who are less fanatical about Black Friday would never dream of giving up their free time to go to one of the major stores like Macy's, Target and Best Buy that opened this year for the first time at midnight or on Thanksgiving Day itself. But die-hard Black Friday shoppers pushed forward with elaborate shopping plans on Friday, the latest sign of just how far people will go to get a good deal in the weak economy.

Millie Ayala, 28, and her two sisters barely got a chance to finish up their Thanksgiving feast before they headed to the Toys "R'' Us in New York's Times Square to get in line at 5:30 p.m., more than three hours before the store's opening.

The three sisters carried printouts of the store's ads and went over their strategy: Each would take one floor.

"Finances have been tough ? things are getting more expensive," said Ayala, a receptionist in New York. She has two daughters, ages 2 and 4, as well as nieces and nephews, and had saved about $220 for the shopping trip. "But with Black Friday, things are a lot more affordable."

Keith Harris, an IT consultant in Raleigh, N.C., also leaves his family dinner early on Thanksgiving to prepare for Black Friday. Just after 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night, as he speeds his Ford pickup to the nearest Wal-Mart, he doesn't have time to wonder if Christmas has gotten over-commercialized.

"When Christmas comes and you're able to give more than expected because you saved money on certain items, it's a good feeling," says Harris, 38, who prints out maps of stores, scours ads weeks in advance and jokes that he wears sneakers on Black Friday because it's easier to run for sales.

Harris has been perfecting his Black Friday strategies for the past eight years. For instance, last year, he paid his 20-year-old son and two teenage nephews $25 apiece plus breakfast to stand in line for him. This year, he found a way to get free labor: He talked his cousin, Tonia Glasco, into wheeling an extra cart at Wal-Mart for him.

For Harris, the Black Friday bounty is worth it.

At Walmart on Thursday evening, Harris and Glasco grab shopping carts, consult Harris' map, and turn to the right down an aisle with telescopes and dolls. Harris is focused on his prey: a trampoline for his 8-year-old son, for $158, and a little convertible toy car for his 3-year-old daughter to drive, for $99. He's not sure of their original prices, but he figures he saves at least 30 or 40 percent off retail every year, which is why he keeps coming.

Harris got the trampoline with no problem, but the car was a little more elusive. Another Black Friday warrior was sitting on a pile of four and told Harris he can have one after he helps her load a trampoline onto her cart. He seals the deal and gets the car.

Meanwhile, the really fervent among the Black Friday die-hards give up Thanksgiving altogether.

Lisette Rodriguez, 30, showed up at 9 p.m. Wednesday to stake out a spot in line at the Best Buy in Manhattan's Upper East Side, which opened at midnight on Thursday. She and three other relatives took turns holding their spot for 27 hours: Rodriguez slipped out to say hello to other family members at a Thanksgiving meal before returning to the line.

"It's worth it," said Rodriguez, who was hoping to buy a Sharp 42-inch TV for $199.99 for herself and a PlayStation 3 for her 12-year-old son. She'd been researching TVs online and hadn't found a better deal.

Emmanuel Merced, 27, and his brother Geovanni Lopez, 17, were a few spots ahead, at the very front of the Best Buy line, also with visions of TVs and PlayStation 3s.

Merced, an exterminator, wore several layers of clothing to keep out the cold. He could have just ordered his stuff online, but he said he likes the experience of camping out ? even if it means pushing back Thanksgiving. He planned to observe the holiday as soon as he left Best Buy, in the early hours of Friday morning.

___

Christina Rexrode is in Raleigh, N.C. Retail Writers Mae Anderson and Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-25-Black%20Friday%20Diehards/id-7c380c2833ba431ca25a27787f69e71b

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Germany deflects calls for ECB to have more power (AP)

STRASBOURG, France ? Germany deflected calls for the European Central Bank to play a bigger role in solving Europe's debt crisis but did win the backing of France and Italy to unite the troubled 17-nation eurozone more closely.

Europe's biggest economy and the main financier of the eurozone's three bailouts has argued against allowing the ECB to use its firepower to ease a debt crisis that's shown alarming signs recently of spreading to big economies, like Italy.

Instead of using the ECB's cash-printing power, the eurozone's richest countries decided to use political tools to dig their way out of the crisis: Germany and France agreed Thursday to push for changes to EU treaties to bring the eurozone's economic policies more in line with each other.

"In the treaty changes, we are dealing with the question of a fiscal union, a deeper political cooperation ... there will be proposals on this, but they have nothing to do with the ECB," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday in Strasbourg, France after meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italy's new premier Mario Monti.

Many think the ECB is the only institution capable of calming frayed market nerves and Merkel's continued dismissal of a greater ECB role knocked market sentiment and stocks all round Europe fell again after a morning rebound.

Potentially, the ECB has unlimited financial firepower through its ability to print money. However, Germany finds the idea of monetizing debts unappealing, warning that it lets the more profligate countries off the hook for their bad practices. In addition, it conjures up bad memories of hyperinflation in Germany in the 1920s.

For now, all the three leaders agreed on with that current rules were not stringent enough and needed beefing up to prevent a repeat of the debt crisis that's rocked the eurozone for nearly two years.

Sarkozy said "propositions for the modification of treaties" would be presented in the coming days.

He wouldn't elaborate on what these changes may be but said they would be ready in time for the next EU leaders summit on December 9. Treaty changes are, more often than not, a notoriously laborious endeavor.

Merkel said the treaty changes would "make clear that we must take steps toward a fiscal union to express the conviction that we know policies must be more closely coordinated if you have a common, stable currency."

"It is political confidence in Europe that has been lost ? we can only win it back politically," Merkel said.

This was the first meeting of the three leaders since Monti took over last week following mounting market concerns over Italy's huge debt, which stand at euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion), or a huge 120 percent of economic output. Europe's current anti-crisis measures are too not big enough to deal with Italy's debt mountain.

Sarkozy said the three leaders had agreed to meet again "very soon" in Rome at Monti's invitation to continue their three-way dialogue.

The meeting comes amid signs that even Germany and France ? the eurozone's two biggest economies ? are not immune from the crisis that's already seen three relatively small countries bailed out.

All three leaders said they would do what it takes to stabilize the situation and save the euro.

"We want the euro, we want a strong, stable euro ... we will do everything to defend it," Merkel said.

France has been reluctant to resort to changes to EU treaties to improve the way the eurozone countries work together and set policies and prevent future crises. Germany had pushed for such changes, saying voluntary pledges by national governments are no longer enough to boost market confidence.

Merkel also maintained her opposition to the European Commission's new drive for eurobonds.

Germany has opposed the use of eurobonds and has long called on fiscally wayward member states to clean up their own houses with as little outside intervention as possible. A big worry for Germany is that its low borrowing costs would get diluted if eurobonds came into issue and it would then be forced to pay higher rates to tap bond markets.

"It would be completely the wrong signal to lose sight entirely now of these differing interest rates, because they are a pointer to where something still needs to be done and where we need to go further," she said.

Monti, meanwhile, reiterated his pledge to balance Italy's budget by 2013 though he sidestepped the question on whether achieving that aim would require more austerity measures, and if so, whether it risked triggering a recession in the eurozone's third largest economy.

___

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Frances d'Emilio in Rome contributed to this article.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Feedback: Keeping up the alchemist tradition

Keeping up the alchemist tradition

ALCHEMY lives! True, its heirs are deeply split. Some moved on to the actual chemistry that grew out of the workshop technologies alchemists developed. Others chose to build on the business model, and can now be found marketing tachyon-enhanced quantum pentawater.

Phil and Jane Hodgson wonder what goes on behind a door on the first floor of the new wing at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Aylesbury, UK. It is labelled "Regeneration Kitchen"

Paul Moran of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, UK, prefers to stick with the original concept, whatever the cost. On 20 October he was sentenced to three months in jail for starting a fire in his apartment. TheBelfast Telegraph reports His Honour Judge McFarland drily summing up: "Rather bizarrely you were attempting to make gold from human faeces and waste products. It was an interesting experiment to fulfil the alchemist's dream, ...

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India opens door to foreign supermarket chains (Reuters)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) ? India threw open its $450 billion retail market to global supermarket giants on Thursday, approving its biggest reform in years that may boost sorely needed investment in Asia's third-largest economy.

The world's largest retail group, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, and its rivals see India's retail sector as one of the last frontier markets, where a burgeoning middle-class still shops at local, family-owned merchants.

Allowing foreign retailers to take stakes of up to 51 percent in supermarkets would attract much-needed capital from abroad and ultimately help unclog supply bottlenecks that have kept inflation stubbornly close to a double-digit clip.

"I think it will have a very deep and long- lasting impact on the Indian landscape," Raj Jain, CEO of Wal-Mart India, told CNBC TV18. "I think it will redefine the way consumers shop in India, but more importantly the way supply chains in India run."

Under fire for a slow pace of reform, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's embattled government appears to be slowly shaking off a string of corruption scandals to focus on policy changes long desired by investors.

"This is a very bold move and the economic reforms process is back on track." Rajan Mittal, vice chairman of India's Bharti Enterprises, which is Wal-Mart's partner, told reporters.

Millions of small retail traders vigorously oppose competing with foreign giants, potentially providing a lightning rod for criticism of the ruling Congress party ahead of crucial state elections next year.

Food Minister K.V. Thomas said the government will allow foreign direct investment of up to 51 percent in multi-brand retail - as supermarkets are known in India. It will also raise the cap on foreign investment in single-brand retailing to 100 percent from 51 percent, he added.

The new rules may commit supermarkets to strict local sourcing requirements and minimum investment levels aimed at protecting jobs, according to local media.

A heavyweight member of Singh's coalition government warned on Thursday it totally opposed opening the sector.

The move is politically risky.

Fears of potential job losses could heighten popular anger at the Congress party ahead of key state polls next year that will set the stage for the 2014 general election.

But slowing growth and investment in India, with the rupee currency around historical lows and government finances worsening, may have spurred the government into action.

"Manmohan Singh, after all the scams and the impression of government paralysis, has realised it's time to take some bold steps. This is a very bold step that will please the middle class," said political analyst Amulya Ganguli.

POLITICAL OPPOSITION

India previously allowed 51 percent foreign investment in single-brand retailers and 100 percent for wholesale operations, a policy Wal-Mart and rival Carrefour, among others, had long lobbied to free up further.

"For international retailers, it will open up a $1.6 trillion market growing at 8-9 percent so it's a big business opportunity for all of them," said Thomas Varghese, CEO of Aditya Birla Retail, an Indian supermarket chain.

Indian retailers have operated supermarket chains in India for years, but their expansion has been hampered by a lack of funding and expertise as well as poor infrastructure which makes the cold storage of food transported around the country practically impossible.

Political opponents of the proposal, with an eye to the ballot box, argue an influx of foreign players - which could include Carrefour and Tesco Plc - will throw millions of small traders out of work in a sector that is the largest source of employment in India after agriculture.

India's biggest listed company, Reliance Industries, was forced to backtrack on plans in 2007 to open Western-style supermarkets in the state of Uttar Pradesh after huge protests from small traders and political parties.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposes opening up the retail sector, arguing that letting in "foreign players with deep pockets" would bring job losses in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

"Fragmented markets give larger options to the consumers. Consolidated markets make the consumer captive," the BJP's leaders of the upper and lower houses of parliament said in a statement before the decision. "International retail does not create additional markets, it merely displaces (the) existing market."

(Additional reporting by Nigam Prusty and Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by John Chalmers)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111124/india_nm/india607156

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US military legacy rubs off on Iraqi youth (AP)

BAGHDAD ? After more than eight years in Iraq, the departing American military's legacy includes a fledgling democracy, bitter memories of war, and for the nation's youth, rap music, tattoos and slang.

In other words, as the Dec. 31 deadline for completing their withdrawal approaches, U.S. troops are leaving behind the good, the bad and what "Lil Czar" Mohammed calls the "punky."

Sporting baggy soldiers' camouflage pants, high-top sneakers and a back-turned "N.Y." baseball cap, the chubby 22-year-old was showing off his break-dancing moves on a sunny afternoon in a Baghdad park. A $ sign was shaved into his closely cropped hair.

"While others might stop being rappers after the Americans leave, I will go on (rapping) till I reach N.Y.," said Mohammed, who teaches part-time at a primary school.

His forearm bore a tattoo of dice above the words "GANG STAR." That was the tattooist's mistake, he said; it was supposed to say "gangsta."

Eight million Iraqis ? a quarter of the population ? have been born since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, and nearly half the country is under 19, according to Brett McGurk, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and, until recently, senior adviser to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

So after years of watching U.S. soldiers on patrol, it's inevitable that hip-hop styles, tough-guy mannerisms and slangy English patter would catch on with young Iraqis.

Calling themselves "punky," or "hustlers," many are donning hoodie sweat shirts, listening to 50 Cent or Eminem and watching "Twilight" vampire movies. They eat hamburgers and pizza and do death-defying Rollerblade runs through speeding traffic. Teens spike their hair or shave it Marine-style. The "Iraq Rap" page on Facebook has 1,480 fans.

To many of their fellow Iraqis, the habits appear weird, if not downright offensive. But to the youths, it is a vital part of their pursuit of the American dream as they imagine it to be.

"Lil Czar" Mohammed, a Shiite Muslim, says he was introduced to American culture by a Christian friend, Laith, who subsequently had to flee the anti-Christian violence that broke out in Baghdad. "I had nothing to help my friend, he left," he said. "But when I get the money and become a rich boss, I will tell my friend Laith to come back."

Meanwhile, he said, he is trying to record a rap song in Arabic and English. "It is about our situation. About no jobs for us."

"I love the American soldiers," said Mohammed Adnan, 15, who pastes imitation tattoos on his arm. Adnan lives in the Sadr City, the Baghdad base of followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has threatened violence against U.S. troops if they stay beyond 2011.

But, surprisingly, Adnan says the U.S. gangsta look is accepted in his neighborhood.

"All young men in Sadr City wear the same clothes when we hang around," he said. "Nobody minds. And we're invited to weddings or celebrations where we perform break-dancing."

It all adds up to a taste of the wide world for a society which lived for decades under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship that deprived them of satellite TV, cell phones and the Internet, and then through invasion, terrorism and sectarian killing.

Not all Iraqis welcome the culture the Americans brought. Dr. Fawzia A. al-Attia, a sociologist at Baghdad University, says one result is that young Iraqis now reject school uniforms, engage in forbidden love affairs and otherwise rebel against their elders.

"There was no strategy to contain this sudden openness," she said. "Teenagers, especially in poor areas where parents are of humble origin and humble education, started to adopt the negative aspects of the American society because they think that by imitating the Americans, they obtain a higher status in society.

"These young Iraqi people need to be instructed," she said. "They need to know about the positive aspects of the American society to imitate."

Like many Iraqis, high school student Maytham Karim wants to learn English. But the English he hears most often from his peers ? and mostly those who listen to American music ? is laden with profanity.

"The F- and the 'mother' words are used a lot, which is a very negative thing," Karim said.

As U.S. forces began closing their bases Iraqis rummaged through their garbage for discarded uniforms, caps and boots to sell to youngsters who pay top dollar to dress like soldiers. Baghdad's tattoo business is also booming. Hassan Hakim's tattoo parlor in affluent Karradah neighborhood is covered with glossy pictures of half-naked men and women showing off their ink, regardless of Islam's strictures on baring the skin.

The storefront caused a stir when it opened last summer, but complaints soon died down and the business is thriving.

"Iraqi youth are eager in a very unusual way to get tattoo on their bodies, probably because of the American presence here," said Hakim, 32, who is attending graduate school at Baghdad's Fine Arts Academy. "Four years ago, people were concealing their tattoos when in public, but now they use their designs to show off. It is the vogue now."

Most of Hakim's customers are Iraqi security guards imitating their American counterparts. They demand tattoos of coffins, skulls, snakes, dragons, bar codes, Gothic letters and crosses. Female customers prefer flowers and butterflies on their shoulders. Also, many young women now dare to wear tight tops and hip-hugging jeans with their hijabs, or head coverings. Some also sport miniature dogs.

Showbiz and military chic aside, young Iraqis agree that the American troops opened their minds to the outside world. The wait for a place in an English classes, for example, can last months.

"I found that all Iraqis want to learn English," said Nawras Mohammed, and using the Internet or watching satellite TV is fine. But users need to be selective, the 24-year-old college graduate said.

"The positive and the negative aspects of the American presence," she said, "depend on us."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111124/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_hip_hop_iraq

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US awaits release of 3 students held in Egypt (AP)

PHILADELPHIA ? Family and friends of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo waited anxiously Friday for news that they had been released from police custody.

Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters.

A court in Egypt ordered the release of the students, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday.

Attorney Theodore Simon, who represents Porter, a 19-year-old student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said he spoke by phone with Porter, describing the student's demeanor as "calm and measured, demonstrating a maturity well beyond his 19 years."

"He was extremely thankful and appreciative for our efforts and the unconditional support of his mother and father," Simon said.

Porter is from Glenside, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia.

Sweeney's mother, Joy Sweeney, said she is "absolutely elated" at the news of her 19-year-old son's release.

"I can't wait to give him a huge hug and tell him how much I love him," she said, adding that the news of the court order was the best Thanksgiving gift.

The 21-year-old Gates is a student at Indiana University.

His parents released a statement Thursday through the school, saying they were "extremely happy" to hear that their son would soon be released.

"This has been a difficult situation, and while we are disappointed that he will be held a few days longer to complete administrative procedures related to his release, we're confident he will be home soon," Bill and Sharon Gates wrote.

The State Department released a statement saying it was trying to independently confirm the reports of the students' release.

Earlier Thursday, Egypt officials said the Abdeen Court in Cairo had ordered their release. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. They did not say when the students would be released.

Joy Sweeney said she wasn't sure when her son, a student at Georgetown University, would be returning to their home in Jefferson City, Mo.

"If he can find his passport (then he'll leave) tomorrow, if not, it won't be until Monday," she said.

She said the U.S. consul general in Egypt, Roberto Powers, recommended that her son leave Egypt as soon as possible.

"He also conveyed that that was what Derrik had conveyed to him that he wanted to do. He was enjoying his experience but (was) ready to be done with it," Sweeney said.

Derrik Sweeney interned for U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., earlier this year. Luetkemeyer's spokesman Paul Sloca, said the congressman is "extremely pleased that he's safe and coming home, especially on Thanksgiving."

Sweeney said she had not prepared for a Thanksgiving celebration, although a friend had taken her some food. She said the idea of a Thanksgiving feast had seemed "absolutely irrelevant" before the news of her son's pending freedom.

Asked what she thought her son would take away from his arrest, Sweeney said she thought he would make something useful of it.

"I'm sure that he'll put a life-lesson learning experience into a positive story," Sweeney said. "He's a writer, he will write about this experience."

___

Associated Press reporter Ed Donahue in Washington contributed to this report. Maggie Michael reported from Cairo.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_re_us/egypt_american_students

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Paula: 'X Factor's' Astro made a character error

Astro, Astro, Astro!

That's all anyone who watches "The X Factor" seems to be talking about since the young rapper had a meltdown of sorts during last week's results show, almost quitting the competition in the process. But something else they're talking about? Paula Abdul's chances for survival, considering she only has one group, Lakoda Rayne, left in the running.

So what did Abdul think of Astro's mini-meltdown last week? And what will happen to her if Lakoda is booted from the competition?

MORE from E!: Live at 'X Factor': Stacy Francis 'Confused' by Astro's Behavior

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      Paula Abdul became the first judge to zero out on ?X Factor? when Lakoda Rayne got the fewest number of votes on Wednesday.

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It was the meltdown that caused an entire viewership's jaws to drop, including Abdul's, when the 15-year-old hip-hop artist almost decided not to perform after being voted into the bottom two and then gave the judging panel major attitude. Abdul talked to E! News about the moments leading up to Astro's "save me" song that almost didn't happen.

"It was one of those things that immediately for me, I thought, something's going on in a commercial break backstage," she explains. "Right before we were coming back from commercial break, Simon [Cowell] said, 'He's not going to do a 'save me' song.' I said, 'Are you kidding me?' and I looked over to L.A. [Reid] and he was perplexed."

?X Factor?s? Astro says he?s sorry for outburst

While Abdul admits, "He made a character mistake on television," she points out that Astro just turned 15. "That's not an excuse, but he is still a young gentleman," she says.

Aside from the Astro of it all, the other big thing to happen on Thursday's results show was Lakoda Rayne, the last remaining group, not being voted into the bottom two, a first for Abdul in the competition.

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      Get the latest TV and reality TV news by following?our blog?on Facebook and Twitter!

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"I am most proud of Lakoda Rayne," Paula says proudly. "These girls, besides being beautiful singers and beautiful aesthetically, they are gorgeous dynamic women. I can't even imagine them not being a group...They have a bright future regardless of what happens on The X Factor. If I were a betting woman, I would bet on Lakoda Rayne."

Still, if the group is voted out, leaving her with no contestants in the competition, Abdul says she'll still have plenty to do. "Then I have plenty of time to irritate the hell of out Simon!"

"The X Factor" airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Fox.

PHOTOS from E!: Spoiler Stills: TV

Does Lakoda Rayne have a shot? Is it time to move on from Astro's mini-meltdown? Share your thoughts on the Facebook page for our TV blog, The Clicker.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45408214/ns/today-entertainment/

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Galaxy Nexus shipping now in America: unlocked for $750 through Expansys

Pre-order, pre-schmorder. Americans more anxious to blow $750 on the planet's first Ice Cream Sandwich handset than anything on Black Friday can do so right now, as Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is shipping from the warehouses at Expansys. We've received independent confirmation that orders placed today are shipping out, with the aforesaid tally nabbing you an unlocked 16GB GSM (HSPA+) build that plays nice with T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G bands. What it won't nab you, however, is a pack of nabs. Can't win 'em all, right?

[Thanks, Dan]

Galaxy Nexus shipping now in America: unlocked for $750 through Expansys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/23/galaxy-nexus-shipping-now-in-america-unlocked-for-750-through/

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