Japan's new PM visits South Korea. Will the visit bring the countries closer? (The Christian Science Monitor)

Seoul ? Japan?s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, on his first foreign visit to South Korea since assuming his post two months ago, returned ancient royal books stolen during Japanese colonial rule but made no concessions Wednesday on long-running issues, despite rising concerns about China and North Korea.

While demonstrators outside the Japanese Embassy denounced Mr. Noda?s visit, Korea?s President Lee Myung-bak told him Japan ?needs to make active efforts? over demands dating from 35 years of Japanese rule that ended in August 1945.

Well before Mr. Noda got here, however, Japanese diplomats made carefully clear that Japan is not going to budge on the question of compensation for women forced to serve Japanese soldiers as ?comfort women? during World War II.

Still, among major mutual concerns are how to deal with North Korea diplomatically and militarily and what to make of the power of China.

?There have been talks about upgrading security cooperation,? says Jeff Kingston, director of Asia studies at Temple University's Tokyo campus. ?China rising is a common problem. Japan sees opportunities and threats.?

RELATED Think you know Asia? Take our geography quiz.

As far as the ?comfort women? are concerned, says Yutaka Yokoi, director-general for public relations at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, ?we have done what we can? ? a reference to the treaty signed by Korea and Japan in 1965 that awarded the women token compensation.

Nor, he adds, can Japan renounce its claim to two rocky islets midway between the two countries that are held by Korean forces but long claimed by Japan.

The desire for mutual cooperation, on a free-trade agreement as well as defense and diplomacy, did not cover up the dispute over the contested islets. The Koreans call them Dokdo; the Japanese say they???re properly called Takeshima. The islets sit in the middle of what the Koreans call the East Sea and the Japanese call the Sea of Japan.

Koreans were outraged over a recent Japanese defense white paper that said the islets were Japanese territory, and Korea blocked three members of Japan?s parliament from visiting them. Japan barred all officials from flying on Korean Air after the airline invited journalists and others on a flight over the them in one of its newest planes.

Lee clearly had these issues in mind as he remarked, standing beside Noda at a joint press conference, ?Moving toward the future without forgetting history is the basis for Korea-Japan relations.?

Resentment over Japanese rule persistsThe impasse dramatizes much deeper resentments among Koreans over Japanese rule despite the mounting influence of cultural exchanges and tourist and business trips that routinely fill flights between the two countries.

?We have very mixed feelings toward Japan,? says Albert Kim, a retired United Nations official who was born while the Japanese still ruled Korea. ?Those who realty suffered during the Japanese occupation hate Japan.?

Mr. Kim, who studied Japanese in school, as all Korean children had to do in that period, says he bears no personal animosity but his wife feels differently. ?She saw they tortured Korean women,? he says. ?She says one day she hates the Japanese and the next day we eat in a Japanese restaurant.?

And "the grandfather of one of my friends was assassinated,? says Kim, ?but then his daughter goes to Japan to study Japanese.?

Japanese cite the return of books on court protocol as evidence of Japanese goodwill. Noda handed over five volumes and will send back another 1,200 by the end of the year, says Osamu Fujimura, chief cabinet secretary, to ?encourage cultural relations and a mature relationship.?

Mr. Kingston uses the acronym ?frenemies? ? friends and enemies ? to describe Korean-Japanese relations. ?They have a lot to be friendly about," he says, "and a lot of animosity."

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111019/wl_csm/416403

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Concert raises $500K for Texas fire victims

Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told a thunderous crowd Monday night that "there was zero hesitation" when her band was asked to perform with fellow country music stars to raise money for victims of recent wildfires in her home state of Texas.

She and her band mates joined George Strait, Willie Nelson and other musicians during a mega-concert in Austin that raised more than $500,000. A fire that started Sept. 4 in Central Texas' Bastrop County destroyed at least 1,500 homes and killed two people, marking the most devastating of the numerous fires that have scorched about 6,000 square miles (15,500 square kilometers) in Texas in the last year.

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Maines told the crowd she was worried that without homes, "you all might not look lovely." But she told them they all looked fantastic.

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"When they called us to do this show, there was zero hesitation," she said. "You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl."

Nelson was joined onstage by folksy newcomers The Avett Brothers and, backed up by Asleep at the Wheel, they roused the crowd with rowdy versions of Nelson's classic "On the Road Again" and the gospel anthem "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

Story: Judge rejects Willie Nelson plea deal in pot case

Nelson recently spent time filming a movie in Bastrop and, in an interview before the concert, called the fires "tragic." He said he has lost homes to fire and knows how devastating it can be.

"You never really get over it," he said. "There's nothing I can tell them to make it better except some of us have been there and done that and we survived it, and they will too. Be strong."

Asleep at the Wheel front man Ray Benson, who helped book the performers, said he seldom asks his friends for favors but thought this cause was important enough.

"This one was so compelling, I said 'OK, let me call Willie and let me call Lyle (Lovett)' and they both said yeah," Benson said. "Willie actually cancelled a show to do it. Lyle also canceled an appearance."

Story: Emmy Awards show felt like a rerun

Benson said the music community felt a responsibility to help.

"I just think the scope of devastation was so great and so close to home," he said. "The numbers in Bastrop were so overwhelming, how do you deal with something like that? And also you do feel ... that we're in a position to not sit on the sidelines and do something."

The concert started with Christopher Cross. Eleven acts were scheduled to perform, and helping emcee was actor Kyle Chandler, who won an Emmy last month for his role as a Texas high school football coach in "Friday Night Lights."

Story: 'Friday Night Lights' movie is in the works

Images of charred forests, skeletal remains of vehicles and homes were shown between sets at the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas at Austin campus.

The concert was nearly full, but officials said they didn't yet have numbers for the number of tickets sold. But one of the concert's hosts told the crowd that they'd raised "way north of $500,000."

Several attendees wore T-shirts representing local volunteer fire departments that battled the recent blazes.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44941735/ns/today-entertainment/

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Iran: US plot allegations resemble Iraq WMD claims (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday U.S. allegations of an Iranian assassination plot resembled its claims of weapons of mass destruction that formed the basis for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and would prove to be equally untrue.

Ahmadinejad said Washington had fabricated the plot of an Iranian seeking to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington in order to cause a rift between Tehran and Saudi Arabia and dominate the oil-rich Gulf.

"In the past the U.S. administration claimed there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They said it so strongly, they offered and presented documentations and everyone said 'yes, we believe in you, we buy it'," Ahmadinejad said in a live interview on Al Jazeera television.

"Now is everyone asking them, were those claims true? Did they find any weapon of mass destruction in Iraq? They fabricated a bunch of papers. Is that a difficult thing to do?

"The truth will be revealed ultimately and there will be no problem for us at that time," Ahmadinejad said.

U.S. President Barack Obama hopes the foiled alleged plot will lead to tighter sanctions against Iran -- already under several rounds of U.N. measures over its nuclear program -- and repeated that all options are on the table to deal with the Islamic republic -- a tacit threat of possible military action.

When asked whether he thought Iran and the United States were on an inevitable "collision course" toward military conflict, Ahmadinejad replied: "I don't think so.

"I think that there are some people in the U.S. administration who want this to happen but I think there are wise people in the U.S. administration who know they shouldn't do such a thing."

Nevertheless, the commander of the Iranian army ground forces said his troops were "fully prepared and ready to give a quick response to any aggression on Iran's soil."

"Today America is too unsteady to even think about launching an attack on Iran," Ahmad Reza Pourdastan told the semi-official Fars news agency.

HEINOUS

Saudi Arabia, Iran's main rival in the Gulf and with close ties with Washington, requested the United Nations look into what it called the "heinous conspiracy" and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he had passed correspondence about the affair to the Security Council.

Ahmadinejad called on Saudis not to fall for a U.S. strategy which he said aimed to divide and conquer the Gulf.

"If the U.S. administration is under the impression that by doing this it can create conflict between us and Saudi Arabia then I have to say the U.S. administration is sorely mistaken.

"The U.S. administration is not interested in Iran or in Saudi Arabia. They see their interests in having a dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia -- they want to dominate our region," he said.

Iran's relations with Saudi Arabia have been strained by the events of the "Arab Spring" as each tries to assert its position in the region amid a welter of sectarian and geo-political rivalries.

Even before the Arab uprisings began, a leaked U.S. cable published on WikiLeaks said Saudi King Abdullah had urged the United States to "cut off the head of the snake" by launching military strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear program.

The plot furor appears to have killed any chance of a rapid return to talks between Tehran and world powers concerned about its nuclear program, but Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran would examine the allegations.

"We are prepared to examine any issue, even if fabricated, seriously and patiently, and we have called on America to submit to us any information in regard to this scenario," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111017/wl_nm/us_iran_us_plot_ahmadinejad

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Low birthweight infants five times more likely to have autism, study finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2011) ? Autism researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have found a link between low birthweight and children diagnosed with autism, reporting premature infants are five times more likely to have autism than children born at normal weight.

The children, some born as small as about a pound, were followed for 21 years making this study, published in the journal Pediatrics, one of the most remarkable of its kind. The infants were born between September 1984 through July 1987 in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties in New Jersey at birthweights from 500 to 2000 grams or a maximum of about 4.4 pounds.

"As survival of the smallest and most immature babies improves, impaired survivors represent an increasing public health challenge," wrote lead author Jennifer Pinto-Martin, MPH, PhD, director of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) at Penn Nursing. "Emerging studies suggest that low birthweight may be a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders."

Links between low birthweight and a range of motor and cognitive problems have been well established for some time, but this is the first study that establishes that these children are also at increased risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

"Cognitive problems in these children may mask underlying autism," said Dr. Pinto-Martin. "If there is suspicion of autism or a positive screening test for ASD, parents should seek an evaluation for an ASD. Early intervention improves long-term outcome and can help these children both at school and at home."

In future studies, Penn researchers will investigate possible links between brain hemorrhage, a complication of premature birth, and autism by examining brain ultrasounds taken of these children as newborns.

The researchers, including a team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, followed 862 children from birth to young adulthood finding that five percent of the children were diagnosed with autism, compared to one percent of the general population in what researchers called "the first study to have estimated the prevalence of ASD . . . using research validated diagnostic instruments."

The $3 million study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania.

Journal Reference:

  1. Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin, Susan E. Levy, Judith F. Feldman, John M. Lorenz, Nigel Paneth, Agnes H. Whitaker. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adolescents Born Weighing . Pediatrics, 2011; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-2846

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017092239.htm

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Israel court gives green light to Shalit swap (Reuters)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) ? A deal between Israel and Hamas to exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was on course for Tuesday after Israel's highest court rejected petitions to block it.

Relatives of Israelis killed by some of the 477 Palestinians on the release roster urged the Supreme Court on Monday to intervene, but it ruled against them, saying the matter was a political decision outside its domain.

The first phase of the swap, to take place on Tuesday, should end a saga that has gripped Israelis over the five years of Shalit's captivity in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

But under Israeli law, those objecting to the planned release of the Palestinians, many of whom were convicted of deadly attacks, were allowed to appeal before the exchange.

Four petitions were filed with the Supreme Court by the Almagor Terror Victims Association and relatives of Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks.

"I understand the difficulty in accepting that the vile people who committed the heinous crimes against your loved ones will not pay the full price they deserve," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter, released by his office, to bereaved Israeli families.

Hamas prepared a heroes' welcome in Gaza for 295 of those due to be sent to the Israeli-blockaded territory. Palestinians regard those jailed by Israel as prisoners of war in a struggle for statehood. Israel has some 6,000 Palestinian prisoners.

An opinion poll in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth found that 79 percent of the public supported the deal with Hamas, an Islamist group that advocates Israel's destruction.

Shalit, now 25, was captured in 2006 by militants who tunneled into Israel from the Gaza Strip and surprised his tank crew, killing two of his comrades.

Israel, which withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, tightened its blockade of the coastal territory after he was seized and taken there.

EMOTIONS HIGH

The repatriation of captured soldiers, alive or dead, has long been an emotionally charged issue for Israelis, many of whom have served in the military as conscripts. They also feel stung by the high price they feel Israel paid for Shalit.

Yossi Zur, whose son Asaf was among 17 people killed in a suicide bombing on a bus in the Israeli city of Haifa in 2003, asked the Supreme Court to prevent the release of the prisoners, three of whom were linked to the attack.

"From our experience with past deals, and sadly we have a lot of experience, we know how many Israelis will be killed as a result of the release of these terrorists. I am here to protect my children who are still alive," he told Channel 10 television.

In a rare step, the court allowed Shalit's parents to appear alongside lawyers arguing in favor of the deal for their son.

"Nobody knows what the impact of any delay, or any change, even the smallest, in the terms would be," they wrote in a letter to the court.

Israel's Prison Service has bused the Palestinians under heavy guard to two holding facilities ahead of their release.

On Tuesday, some of the Palestinians will be brought to Egypt's Sinai desert, where the exchange for Shalit will take place. Some of those prisoners will be taken to the Gaza Strip and 41 will be exiled abroad. Shalit will be flown to an air base in Israel to be reunited with his family.

A smaller group of prisoners will be taken from Israel to the occupied West Bank, to be welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a Hamas rival, and their families.

Hamas sources said the exiled prisoners will be received by Turkey, Qatar and Syria after being taken to Cairo, where the movement's leader, Khaled Meshaal, will greet them.

In the second stage, expected in about two months, the remaining 550 Palestinians will be freed, officials said.

Israel's deal with Hamas seemed unlikely to have an impact on international efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which collapsed 13 months ago in a dispute over settlement building in the West Bank.

Abbas has been pursuing a bid for U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the absence of negotiations with Israel.

(Writing by Jeffrey Heller and Ari Rabinovitch; Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111017/wl_nm/us_palestinians_israel_prisoners

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Jason Campbell Injury: Raiders QB Breaks Collarbone Against Browns (VIDEO)

A quarterback and a coach could be out for a while after being injured Sunday.

Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell broke his right collarbone during Oakland's 24-17 win over Cleveland, while New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a torn ligament and broken bone in his left leg after a player fell on him.

Campbell landed hard on his shoulder after being hit at the end of a scramble by Cleveland linebackers Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita with about 4 minutes left in the half.

"I'm not going to let this football team blink," coach Hue Jackson said. "We'll miss Jason for a little while. I have no idea how long it will take. I don't know. We'll see as we go. I know, obviously, he won't be here next week or anything like that. We'll continue to press forward and get better."

Kyle Boller, who replaced Campbell, and Terrelle Pryor, expected to be activated Monday, are the Raiders' other quarterbacks.

Payton will have surgery Monday after tearing the MCL and fracturing the tibia in his leg following a collision on the sideline of New Orleans' 26-20 loss to Tampa Bay.

He spent the second half in the training room watching the game on TV and gave the play calling duties to offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

Payton fell to the ground and got his leg caught underneath Jimmy Graham when the tight end was tackled by a Bucs defender early in the first quarter.

Payton stayed down while receiving medical attention before being helped to the bench. He remained there with his leg propped on the bench, but kept on his headset.

Also, the Pittsburgh Steelers removed All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu from the game in the fourth quarter of a 17-13 victory over Jacksonville he sustained "concussion-like symptoms."

Polamalu did not play in the final two series. He stood on the sideline with his helmet on and watched as the Steelers held on to win.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Polamalu had "concussion-like symptoms" and was held out as a precaution.

Steelers guard Doug Legursky left in the second quarter with a dislocated toe.

Bears wide receiver Devin Hester left Sunday's 39-10 win against the Minnesota Vikings because of a chest injury after scoring two long touchdowns.

Chicago also lost tight end Kellen Davis to an elbow injury.

Minnesota lost center John Sullivan and safety Jamarca Sanford to concussions. Sullivan was on the field for the Vikings' first series in the third quarter and then left the game. Sanford left midway through the quarter.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/16/jason-campbell-injury-broken-collarbone_n_1014700.html

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Lisa Lubin: Quit Your Job to Travel With Meet, Plan, Go

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your job and traveling? Running off and escaping the 9-5 to sit on a beach? Or just taking a longer break to live and breathe and enjoy life for once? I have met dozens of people in the last five years who have told me this is their dream and they 'wish they could do what I do.' Well, if you are a regular reader of mine, you know it really is possible, without a trust fund, without a partner, and... without a 'safety net.'

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln

A Career Break on every resume. That's the mission of Meet Plan Go. How cool would that be? Because of my travels and blog, I meet more and more Americans who are ditching the cubicle for the road and taking off to pursue their travel dreams. To some it still seems like a crazy, hair-brained, irresponsible thing I did by chucking it all and quitting my job and, basically, my life as I knew it. But my life is way better and richer for it. More and more, it's slowly becoming a bit less of a crazy idea and a bit normal and that's what we hope to do with Meet Plan Go.

Need some more inspiration? Watch this:

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of. -Benjamin Franklin

Life is too short to do the same thing more or less for your whole life. We should be learning, doing, and seeing as much as we can. This is what it's all about: connecting with other people and sharing stories and laughs and moments that warm our hearts and fill our souls with love.

Why shouldn't we work to live and not live to work?

This will be my second year hosting the Chicago portion of this amazing national travel event and "movement," if you will. It's a great forum in which we inspire and teach other hopeful travelers about taking a career break or sabbatical. I realized that after I took my round the world trip, I was an expert on this kind of travel. And so are the other experts on the different panels and giving keynote speeches in each city. It will be an evening chock full of real info: how to do it, how to pay for it, how to plan your travels, tickets, visas, health insurance. We answer in detail all the questions we are always asked to share our knowledge with others hoping to do the same thing.

It's an inspirational night -- and proven so by the fact that a portion of the attendees from last year reached their tipping point and are either planning their trip or are out there seeing the world right now!

If you are in Chicago or 16 of our other cities, join us for a great night on October 18th.

Austin | Boston | Chicago | Denver | Honolulu | Las Vegas | Los Angeles | Minneapolis | New Orleans | New York City | Orlando | Portland | San Francisco | Seattle | St. Louis | Toronto | Washington, DC

It's just $15 and could change your life.

Come give it a try. You have nothing to lose and a life to start living!

?

Follow Lisa Lubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/llworldtour

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-lubin/you-can-quit-your-job-to-_b_985880.html

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