Lookee here, it's the other new Windows Phone-packing Nokia handset. No, not that one, this is the Lumia 710 -- you know, the budget phone with the 3.7-inch LCD and those colorful backplates. The Mangoriffic phone appears to have made its way through the FCC, with the ID on the filing matching up with listings on the Finnish phonemaker's site. Don't get too excited, however -- while this and the product page are certainly enough to get some stateside Nokia fanatics' blood pumping, the company has given us word that the Lumia is not destined for our shores, sadly -- at least not in any official capacity.
Update: We just received word from Nokia that, contrary to earlier information, Lumia devices will in fact be arriving in the States. As far as what those specific products will be, however, the company isn't quite ready to talk just yet.
$7.2 million project will address a national shortage of health-care workers in LiberiaPublic release date: 31-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Vlahakis vlahakis@iu.edu 812-855-0846 Indiana University
Other partners are the University of Liberia and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University today (Oct. 31) announced that it is partnering with the University of Liberia and the University of Massachusetts Medical School to administer a transformative $7.2 million project that will address a national shortage of healthcare workers in Liberia, an African nation with which IU has had long-standing ties.
The partnership will implement the Center for Excellence in Health and Life Sciences (CEHLS) at the University of Liberia (UL), which will develop new academic and research programs in biotechnology, public health, nurse-midwifery and pre-clinical training in medicine and pharmacology.
Funding the project is the U.S. Agency for International Development through Higher Education for Development (HED).
"Indiana University and the University of Liberia have produced well-outlined, comprehensive project objectives to improve Liberia's healthcare education," said HED Deputy Executive Director Jeanne-Marie Duval. "Their work to develop new undergraduate courses in health and life sciences will contribute to Liberia's important rebuilding efforts. These talented partners are prepared to train faculty and students, enhance educational institutions, and support healthier communities."
Dr. Emmet Dennis, president of the University of Liberia, will provide UL leadership for the project. The project being led by IU will be managed by its Center for International Education and Development Assistance, directed by Charles Reafsnyder, and at UMMS by Katherine Luzuriaga, associate provost, and Donna Gallagher, co-director, Global Health.
Partnership discussions between IU, UMMS, and the University of Liberia since 2008 have led to the development of a multi-disciplinary consortium of educators and health practitioners, which will include the IU School of Nursing, the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and staff of the IU Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), which has been working since 2006 with UL's Dogliotti School of Medicine, JFK Memorial Hospital and HEARTT in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, will support implementation of a new curriculum through faculty development and library services support. UMMS will also partner with JFK Hospital, Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts and the IU School of Nursing to develop nurse leadership and training programs.
"Liberia is emerging from nearly two decades of civil conflict that not only killed 270,000 people but also ravaged the nation's standards for health and well-being," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "This project will help a nation already restoring standards of justice, equality and human rights to also rebuild its ability to care for the most basic medical needs of many of its citizens.
"Indiana University's lengthy and productive partnership with our friends and colleagues in Liberia now takes on even deeper meaning as we support an effort that will save lives," McRobbie said .
"What this grant represents is a culmination of the excellence in the interaction that has occurred between the two American universities and the University of Liberia," added UL President Dennis. "This grant is substantial and will go a long way in terms of strengthening our life and health sciences, something that is indispensable to the health of the nation. It is a model of collaboration between institutions in the developed world and in the developing world. It's not often you find such models, and I think other institutions have a lot of learn from the model that has been established from this collaboration."
At the end of its civil war in 2003, Liberia's population of more than 3 million had less than one health care worker for every 1,000 people and had only 103 doctors in the entire country.
In 2008, the government of Liberia, in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund and other stakeholders, developed a roadmap, called the Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy, which included expanding access to basic health services. These include focuses on maternal and newborn care, child and adolescent health and communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS and HIV.
With assistance from the grant, CEHLS partners will work together to address these needs and rebuild the University of Liberia's capacity for education and training in the health sciences. Much of the grant will provide degree training for medical and nursing students, who ultimately will become educators, and hire new full-time teaching faculty at UL.
With assistance from the $7.2 million grant, CEHLS partners initially will focus in the first two years on the following objectives in Liberia:
Create a new two-year, undergraduate core health and life science undergraduate program that will provide assistance in updating courses for biology majors, and design a four-year bachelor of science degree program in biotechnology;
Improve the quality of instruction in biology through faculty and staff development, including advanced degree training for UL staff, selective hiring and visiting faculty;
With assistance from UMMS, provide assistance to the pre-clinical science curriculum of UL's Medical and Pharmacy Colleges, including instructional support from three full-time faculty appointees;
Improve the quality of science training for the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts nurses and midwives, through the development of a joint bachelor's of science in nursing program with UL, and provide faculty with degree training;
Increase the number of trained public health specialists in Liberia through development of an undergraduate degree program and advanced degree training for UL faculty;
Increase UL's access to print and electronic teaching and learning resources for medicine, nursing, midwifery, life sciences and public health;
Increase UL's outreach to NGOs, clinics and communities and assist with fundraising activities in support of the health and life sciences;
Improve classroom and laboratory instructional equipment and supplies in UL's Natural Sciences Building in support of enhanced teaching and learning.
After the war, several buildings at the University of Liberia, including its natural sciences building, were used to house refugees and were stripped bare of resources. The grant supports other efforts to renovate the facilities and includes the acquisition of a medical library from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Reafsnyder, also an associate vice president in the IU Office of International Affairs, said that more than 80 percent of biology faculty at the University of Liberia lack advanced degrees beyond the bachelor's degree.
"The shortage of health care workers means that a significant percentage of the population will continue to have limited access to health care and social welfare services unless action is taken to develop the country's health workforce," he said.
"Indiana University has a long-standing history of international engagement, which is designed not to benefit us, but designed to build institutions in parts of the world needing assistance. It goes back to Herman Wells' pivotal role in establishing the Free University of Berlin at the end of World War II," said David Zaret, IU vice president for international affairs. "In this case, we also are seeing how much our involvement with Liberia has been deeply valued."
IU has a long history of research interest and involvement in Liberia, which have provided many faculty members and students with an opportunity to directly engaged in things that they about. Claude Clegg, professor of history at IU Bloomington, and the late Gus Liebenow, professor emeritus of political science, have published extensively on Liberian history and politics. IU has the world's leading collection of Liberian documents.
In 2008, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 7, visited the IU Bloomington campus and received an honorary degree. Amos Sawyer, former interim president of Liberia, is a research scholar with the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at IU.
IU alumni are key players in the project. Dennis, president of the University of Liberia, received his master's of biology degree from IU and Wvannie Scott-McDonald, head of UL's School of Nursing, is a graduate of the IU School of Nursing.
###
More information about U.S. Agency for International Development is available at http://www.usaid.gov/. To learn more ahout Higher Education for Development, go to http://www.hedprogram.org/.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
$7.2 million project will address a national shortage of health-care workers in LiberiaPublic release date: 31-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: George Vlahakis vlahakis@iu.edu 812-855-0846 Indiana University
Other partners are the University of Liberia and the University of Massachusetts Medical Center
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University today (Oct. 31) announced that it is partnering with the University of Liberia and the University of Massachusetts Medical School to administer a transformative $7.2 million project that will address a national shortage of healthcare workers in Liberia, an African nation with which IU has had long-standing ties.
The partnership will implement the Center for Excellence in Health and Life Sciences (CEHLS) at the University of Liberia (UL), which will develop new academic and research programs in biotechnology, public health, nurse-midwifery and pre-clinical training in medicine and pharmacology.
Funding the project is the U.S. Agency for International Development through Higher Education for Development (HED).
"Indiana University and the University of Liberia have produced well-outlined, comprehensive project objectives to improve Liberia's healthcare education," said HED Deputy Executive Director Jeanne-Marie Duval. "Their work to develop new undergraduate courses in health and life sciences will contribute to Liberia's important rebuilding efforts. These talented partners are prepared to train faculty and students, enhance educational institutions, and support healthier communities."
Dr. Emmet Dennis, president of the University of Liberia, will provide UL leadership for the project. The project being led by IU will be managed by its Center for International Education and Development Assistance, directed by Charles Reafsnyder, and at UMMS by Katherine Luzuriaga, associate provost, and Donna Gallagher, co-director, Global Health.
Partnership discussions between IU, UMMS, and the University of Liberia since 2008 have led to the development of a multi-disciplinary consortium of educators and health practitioners, which will include the IU School of Nursing, the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and staff of the IU Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics.
The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), which has been working since 2006 with UL's Dogliotti School of Medicine, JFK Memorial Hospital and HEARTT in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, will support implementation of a new curriculum through faculty development and library services support. UMMS will also partner with JFK Hospital, Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts and the IU School of Nursing to develop nurse leadership and training programs.
"Liberia is emerging from nearly two decades of civil conflict that not only killed 270,000 people but also ravaged the nation's standards for health and well-being," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "This project will help a nation already restoring standards of justice, equality and human rights to also rebuild its ability to care for the most basic medical needs of many of its citizens.
"Indiana University's lengthy and productive partnership with our friends and colleagues in Liberia now takes on even deeper meaning as we support an effort that will save lives," McRobbie said .
"What this grant represents is a culmination of the excellence in the interaction that has occurred between the two American universities and the University of Liberia," added UL President Dennis. "This grant is substantial and will go a long way in terms of strengthening our life and health sciences, something that is indispensable to the health of the nation. It is a model of collaboration between institutions in the developed world and in the developing world. It's not often you find such models, and I think other institutions have a lot of learn from the model that has been established from this collaboration."
At the end of its civil war in 2003, Liberia's population of more than 3 million had less than one health care worker for every 1,000 people and had only 103 doctors in the entire country.
In 2008, the government of Liberia, in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund and other stakeholders, developed a roadmap, called the Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy, which included expanding access to basic health services. These include focuses on maternal and newborn care, child and adolescent health and communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS and HIV.
With assistance from the grant, CEHLS partners will work together to address these needs and rebuild the University of Liberia's capacity for education and training in the health sciences. Much of the grant will provide degree training for medical and nursing students, who ultimately will become educators, and hire new full-time teaching faculty at UL.
With assistance from the $7.2 million grant, CEHLS partners initially will focus in the first two years on the following objectives in Liberia:
Create a new two-year, undergraduate core health and life science undergraduate program that will provide assistance in updating courses for biology majors, and design a four-year bachelor of science degree program in biotechnology;
Improve the quality of instruction in biology through faculty and staff development, including advanced degree training for UL staff, selective hiring and visiting faculty;
With assistance from UMMS, provide assistance to the pre-clinical science curriculum of UL's Medical and Pharmacy Colleges, including instructional support from three full-time faculty appointees;
Improve the quality of science training for the Tubman National Institute of Medical Arts nurses and midwives, through the development of a joint bachelor's of science in nursing program with UL, and provide faculty with degree training;
Increase the number of trained public health specialists in Liberia through development of an undergraduate degree program and advanced degree training for UL faculty;
Increase UL's access to print and electronic teaching and learning resources for medicine, nursing, midwifery, life sciences and public health;
Increase UL's outreach to NGOs, clinics and communities and assist with fundraising activities in support of the health and life sciences;
Improve classroom and laboratory instructional equipment and supplies in UL's Natural Sciences Building in support of enhanced teaching and learning.
After the war, several buildings at the University of Liberia, including its natural sciences building, were used to house refugees and were stripped bare of resources. The grant supports other efforts to renovate the facilities and includes the acquisition of a medical library from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Reafsnyder, also an associate vice president in the IU Office of International Affairs, said that more than 80 percent of biology faculty at the University of Liberia lack advanced degrees beyond the bachelor's degree.
"The shortage of health care workers means that a significant percentage of the population will continue to have limited access to health care and social welfare services unless action is taken to develop the country's health workforce," he said.
"Indiana University has a long-standing history of international engagement, which is designed not to benefit us, but designed to build institutions in parts of the world needing assistance. It goes back to Herman Wells' pivotal role in establishing the Free University of Berlin at the end of World War II," said David Zaret, IU vice president for international affairs. "In this case, we also are seeing how much our involvement with Liberia has been deeply valued."
IU has a long history of research interest and involvement in Liberia, which have provided many faculty members and students with an opportunity to directly engaged in things that they about. Claude Clegg, professor of history at IU Bloomington, and the late Gus Liebenow, professor emeritus of political science, have published extensively on Liberian history and politics. IU has the world's leading collection of Liberian documents.
In 2008, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 7, visited the IU Bloomington campus and received an honorary degree. Amos Sawyer, former interim president of Liberia, is a research scholar with the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at IU.
IU alumni are key players in the project. Dennis, president of the University of Liberia, received his master's of biology degree from IU and Wvannie Scott-McDonald, head of UL's School of Nursing, is a graduate of the IU School of Nursing.
###
More information about U.S. Agency for International Development is available at http://www.usaid.gov/. To learn more ahout Higher Education for Development, go to http://www.hedprogram.org/.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Venezuela's president on Sunday ordered the expropriation of 716,590 acres belonging to a British-owned company amid a disagreement over compensation for earlier takeovers of ranchland from the firm.
President Hugo Chavez announced the latest seizure after saying that Venezuela refuses to pay compensation in foreign currency to Agropecuaria Flora, a local subsidiary of the British company Vestey Group.
Chavez said the government had received a demand from the company that it be paid in dollars for the previous seizure of tens of thousands of acres. But the government insists in paying in bolivars, Venezuela's currency.
It's difficult for foreign companies operating in Venezuela to repatriate profits and other income in bolivars due to foreign currency controls in the South American country.
Representatives of Agropecuaria Flora did not answer telephone calls seeking comment Sunday.
Venezuela's expropriation of farm and ranch lands began in earnest in 2005, with the government employing a 2001 law allowing it to seize lands deemed idle or not adequately used.
Some landowners have negotiated compensation, while others have mounted legal challenges with mixed results.
The government has also seized some ranches for which it alleges the owners didn't hold legal title in the first place.
Owners of large farms and cattle ranches have criticized the takeovers, arguing that Chavez's socialist-inspired policies have failed to boost agricultural production and made Venezuela increasingly dependent on imports of food from countries such as Brazil and Argentina.
ERCIS, Turkey ? Turkish workers have started razing damaged buildings and clearing the debris of collapsed ones a week after a massive earthquake killed at least 582 people.
A 5.3-magnitude aftershock early Sunday caused panic in the quake zone in eastern Van province, where thousands of survivors spent the night in tents. An Associated Press photographer witnesssed people screaming in panic as the aftershock jolted apartment buildings in the city of Van.
An AP television crew, in the worst hit-town of Ercis, says workers using excavators started clearing the rubble of collapsed buildings as hopes dimmed for survivors.
However, not all the missing have been recovered yet. Some families are still waiting for news about the fate of their loved ones.
Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with.
The time is changing soon, the weather is getting colder, and it is just that much tougher to get out on those morning jogs. But a change in the seasons can be a good time to mix-up your workout routine. Ask and answer questions about staying active with winter workouts in the comments.
Experimental infections prove that Geomyces destructans is responsible for white-nose syndrome
By David Biello
?|
October 26, 2011?|
LITTLE BROWN BAT: A fungus is responsible for the white-nose syndrome that has killed more than 1 million bats of various species, particularly the little brown bat pictured here.Image: ? Alan Hicks
Supplemental Material
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Bat Die-Offs Affect Human Health and Economics
A fungus known as Geomyces destructans is indeed responsible for the dusting of white across bat noses and wings that has wiped out entire populations of the flying mammals, new research shows. By purposefully infecting healthy bats with the fungus?and confirming that seemingly healthy "control" bats from the same population did not get sick from a prior but hidden fungal infection?microbiologist David Blehert of the U.S. Geological Survey and his colleagues showed in a paper published online October 26 in Nature that G. destructans is in fact responsible for the disease known as white-nose syndrome (WNS), which has devastated bat populations across the northeastern U.S., killing an estimated one million of the animals. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)
"It is specifically during hibernation that bats are infected with this fungus," Blehert notes. "The greatest damage it does to bats is to wing membranes."
Such membranes, in addition to enabling flight, help control physiological functions such as water retention and blood flow, and even "release CO2 when the respiratory rate is just a couple of breaths per minute," Blehert says. At the same time, it is not clear why a skin infection with G. destructans would prove directly lethal to the animals?the bats in this controlled experiment had not died from the disease by the time the experiment ended after 102 days. Nor had the fungus invaded the bats' vital organs, the researchers found.
In addition, it appears that G. destructans has been a part of the European cave-scape for some time and it has been isolated from cave walls there as well as from bats roosting in those caves. Thus far, however, the fungus has not proved lethal for those species. "It could be that European bats have evolved over a longer period of time and are immune or have a different way of coping with the fungus during hibernation," says mycologist Vishnu Chaturvedi of the New York State Department of Health, who is also studying the fungus and disease, which he calls geomycosis, but was not involved in this study. "Or the fungus in the U.S. has subtle variations that we have not even started looking at."
The core problem seems to be that G. destructans is depleting the fat layers?and thus the body mass?of very small North American bat species, such as the little brown bats used in this experiment. Blehert speculates that the lack of mass mortality in Europe may derive from the fact that European bat species are generally larger in size or the fact that they tend to hibernate in much smaller groups. "In the northeastern U.S. there are many very large hibernaculums, with upwards of 1,000 bats," Blehert notes. "The bat is providing food for the fungus and serving as an amplification host."
In fact, Blehert's experiments show that bats are quite effective at spreading the destructive fungal disease to their neighbors. "Bats are very good agents of transmission of the disease," Chaturvedi says. And that?plus the European analysis?may suggest that G. destructans is an invasive species, according to Blehert, which possibly traveled to the U.S. on a European who visited a public cavern in New York State. WNS was first observed in a wild cave connected to that commercial cave complex near Albany, N.Y. Chaturvedi's work has shown that G. destructans in North America is genetically similar wherever it is found.
There is hope for the bats. Another experiment by Blehert and his colleagues showed that bats artificially removed from hibernation, put in a warm environment, and provided with food and water could recover from WNS. "Bats can rapidly clear the infection in just a matter of weeks," Blehert says. It may be that G. destructans relies on the turning down or shutting off of the bat's immune system during hibernation?as is common to most hibernating mammals?to wreak havoc. The fungus seems to grow best at cold temperatures between 4 and 15 degrees Celsius. "It could be that hibernation is the Achilles' heel that is predisposing bats to G. destructans infection," Blehert adds.
But keeping hundreds of thousands of bats from hibernating is hardly plausible. "You can't just wake them up and shoo them out," Blehert notes, nor is it possible to feed them in mass quantities to restore fat levels. Restricting human access to caves where susceptible bats hibernate?as has been done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?and following decontamination protocols when such access is necessary will at least reduce the risk of humans further spreading the disease, which has now spread to infect bats in 11 states and Canada. "Segregating healthy animals from diseased ones to the extent possible does seem to be able to control this infection," Chaturvedi adds.
Regardless, the G. destructans epidemic is just another example of fungal disease on the march: Chytridiomycosis is wiping out amphibians worldwide and fungi may be playing a role in the colony-collapse disorder plaguing honeybees. One effort to protect frogs from this fungal plague are so-called amphibian arks, where small populations are taken into captivity to ensure their survival. That approach may become necessary for certain endangered bat species as well to protect them from the white-nose syndrome caused by G. destructans. As Blehert and his colleagues wrote: "Fungal pathogens have the unique capacity to drive host populations to extinction because of their ability to survive in host-free environments."
CANCUN, Mexico ? Tourists abandoned Cancun and other resorts while Mexican authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from low-lying areas ahead of a weakened Hurricane Rina's pass along Yucatan's Caribbean coast Thursday.
Civil protection officials moved some 2,300 people from Holbox, an island where the Caribbean meets the Gulf of Mexico, and the federal government closed the archaeological sites that dot the coast. NASA cut short an undersea laboratory mission near Key Largo, Florida, bringing the crew back to land.
Lines snaked from ticket counters in Cancun's crowded airport Wednesday as jumbo airliners heading to Canada and Europe waited in pouring rain. Many travelers said they were already scheduled to leave on Wednesday. But Janet Gallo, 41, of New York City decided to cut short her five-day trip to the town of Playa del Carmen.
"At the hotel, they told us they would make a decision whether to evacuate later today, but we didn't want to wait. We would rather be home when it hits," Gallo said.
Ports closed to navigation for recreational, fishing and small boats in the state of Quintana Roo, home to Cancun, and neighboring Yucatan state, while the island of Cozumel was closed to larger vessels, including the ferry that connects the island and Playa del Carmen.
Rina was forecast to remain a hurricane as it swept along Mexico's most popular tourist destinations of Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya, though forecasters predicted it would continue to weaken.
Rina's maximum sustained winds were clocked at 85 mph (135 kph) late Wednesday, down from 110 mph (175 kph) earlier in the day. It was about 140 miles (225 kilometers) south of the island of Cozumel and was moving northwest at about 6 mph (9 kph).
About 275 people living in the fishing town of Punta Allen, south of Tulum, were moved to emergency shelters and a smaller group was evacuated from the atoll of Banco Chinchorro.
Luh McDevitt, 56, a furniture and interior designer in Cozumel, said her family was fitting hurricane shutters to the house and securing furniture.
"I am not really scared," said the Cincinnati, Ohio, native who has lived in Cozumel since 2000. "Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was a Category 5. The worst part of the hurricane is after. We didn't have electricity in our house for three weeks."
Mexico's government said it was sending nearly 2,400 electrical workers plus cranes, vehicles and generators to repair and maintain services as quickly as possible after the storm.
Jorge Arturo Cruz, spokesman for Quintana Roo's education department, said schools were ordered closed in communities along the coast and on Cozumel in anticipation of the storm.
The coastal area around Tulum is dotted with Mayan ruins and farther north is Playa del Carmen, another popular spot for international tourists and the departure point for ferries serving Cozumel.
State Tourism Director Juan Carlos Gonzalez Hernandez said there had been about 83,000 tourists in the state, with about 28,000 of them in Cancun and 45,000 more on the stretch of coast south of Cancun that includes Tulum and Playa de Carmen.
He estimated 10,000 tourists had left by Wednesday night. There were only about 1,719 tourists on Cozumel, and many of them had left, he said.
At least eight cruise ships were changing itineraries away from the storm's path, said a spokesman for Carnival Cruise Lines, Vance Gulliksen.
The area was badly damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, when Cancun's white-sand beaches were largely washed away. Insurance officials estimated total damage at $3 billion.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from north of Punta Gruesa to Cancun.
The projected track showed Rina curving east toward Cuba and the Straits of Florida after crossing the eastern tip of Yucatan, though the U.S. National Hurricane Center cautioned "there is great uncertainty as to where Rina will be located by the weekend."
___
Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Mexico City contributed to this story.
We just heard last week that the Windows Phone Mango update was available on nearly every compatible device, and Microsoft has now made things completely official. In a post on the Windows Phone blog today, Microsoft confirmed that it's "now delivering Mango to 100 percent of eligible phones around the world, regardless of carrier." That feat was reached less than a month after Microsoft announced that Mango was available on half of Windows Phones, which certainly an improvement on the pace of the earlier NoDo update. Included in this last batch is the LG Optimus 7 on Telefonica is Spain and the Samsung Omnia 7 on Deutsche Telekom. Now, about that Apollo update...
DIRECTV has updated its iPad app and it now offers the ability to use your iPad as a portable TV. Before you get too excited, it can only work within the walls of your own home and does not offer any form of remote viewing access to...
File-In this Dec.11,2004 file photo Las Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman, walks though the lobby of the hotel holding the MLB winter meetings accompanied by two Las Vegas showgirls in Anaheim, Calif. The former Las Vegas mayor Goodman was known to swill gin and bring showgirls everywhere while he was in office. Now, the booze and girls will stay as he opens his new steakhouse Dec. 15. Sin City?s colorful ex-mayor tells The Associated Press that his Beef, Booze and Broads steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel and Casino will feature pretty hostesses hired to chat with diners about topics like sports and Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson,File)
File-In this Dec.11,2004 file photo Las Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman, walks though the lobby of the hotel holding the MLB winter meetings accompanied by two Las Vegas showgirls in Anaheim, Calif. The former Las Vegas mayor Goodman was known to swill gin and bring showgirls everywhere while he was in office. Now, the booze and girls will stay as he opens his new steakhouse Dec. 15. Sin City?s colorful ex-mayor tells The Associated Press that his Beef, Booze and Broads steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel and Casino will feature pretty hostesses hired to chat with diners about topics like sports and Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson,File)
File-In this March 4,2009 file photo Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, center, listens to the national anthem with showgirls before a spring training baseball game between the Cubs and White Sox in Las Vegas. The former Las Vegas mayor Goodman was known to swill gin and bring showgirls everywhere while he was in office. Now, the booze and girls will stay as he opens his new steakhouse Dec. 15. Sin City?s colorful ex-mayor tells The Associated Press that his Beef, Booze and Broads steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel and Casino will feature pretty hostesses hired to chat with diners about topics like sports and Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman was known to swill gin and bring showgirls everywhere while he was in office. Now, the booze and girls are back as he opens his namesake steakhouse Dec. 15.
Sin City's colorful ex-mayor tells The Associated Press that Oscar's steakhouse at the Plaza Hotel and Casino downtown will have the tagline "Beef, Booze and Broads" and will feature good-looking hostesses hired to chat with diners about topics like sports, wine and politics.
They'll be experts in Las Vegas, he says, and will eat and drink with guests.
"I want everyone to feel very comfortable," Goodman told the AP. "I want them to drink so much that they won't even care that the steak is prime ? which it will be, I assure you.
"It's all going to be first-class," he said.
The bar will feature a "No-bama" whiskey cocktail, playing on a flap Goodman stirred in 2009 when he sought an apology from President Barack Obama for comments Goodman thought hurt the country's perception of Las Vegas.
Goodman said it's all tongue-in-cheek ? and that the president is welcome at his joint.
"If President Obama wants to come in, I'll buy him a drink," he said.
Goodman, who is licensing his name to the restaurant, left office earlier this year as term limits ended his run as the self-proclaimed "happiest mayor of the greatest city in the world" after 12 years. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, was elected in June to succeed him.
Oscar Goodman, a former lawyer for reputed mob figures who played himself in the movie "Casino," said the restaurant's "Beef, Booze and Broads" tagline comes from one of his cases in the 1970s.
Goodman was representing three casino executives who were indicted for illegal bookmaking. He said the case involved wiretapped conversations where the executives could be heard talking about dalliances with women around town who weren't their wives.
The executives decided to plead guilty rather than letting their wives hear the tapes played in public.
"The defendants are in the courtroom, I'm by their side, the wives are in the audience to support their husbands, and the judge says, 'Oh, this is the booze and broads case,'" he said. "Ever since that time, I figured if I was ever going to have a speakeasy as I dreamt about, it would be called the Booze and Broads speakeasy."
Adjacent to the steakhouse will be an Italian grill called Simpatico.
___
Oskar Garcia can be reached at http://twitter.com/oskargarcia .
LOS ANGELES ? Lawyers for Michael Jackson's doctor sought to shift blame Thursday to another doctor and a drug different from the anesthetic that killed the star, calling an expert to testify that Jackson was addicted to Demerol in the months before his death.
They suggested the singer's withdrawal from the painkiller triggered the insomnia that Dr. Conrad Murray was trying to resolve when he gave Jackson the anesthetic propofol.
Murray's attorneys claim Jackson self-administered a fatal dose of propofol as a sleep aid.
Authorities contend Murray delivered the lethal dose and botched resuscitation efforts. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 2009 death.
There was no mention of propofol during the testimony of Dr. Robert Waldman, an addiction expert who said he studied the records of Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's longtime dermatologist, in concluding the star developed a dependency on the powerful painkiller. Records showed Klein used Demerol on Jackson repeatedly for procedures to enhance his appearance.
No Demerol was discovered in the singer's system when he died, but propofol was found throughout his body.
Waldman relied on Klein's records from March 2009 until days before Jackson died. Waldman said he was not shown records for earlier periods and didn't review a police interview of Murray about his treatment of the star.
Under questioning by Murray's lead lawyer, Ed Chernoff, Waldman said: "I believe there is evidence that he (Jackson) was dependent on Demerol, possibly."
Klein has emerged as the missing link in the involuntary manslaughter trial, with the defense raising his name at every turn and the judge ruling he may not be called as a witness because his care of Jackson is not at issue. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
But Klein's handwritten notes on his visits with Jackson were introduced through Waldman, who said Klein was giving Jackson unusually high doses of Demerol for four months ? from March through June, 2009 ? with the last shots coming three days before the singer's death.
Over three days in April, the records showed Jackson received 775 milligrams of Demerol along with small doses of the sedative Versed. Waldman's testimony showed Klein, who also was Jackson's longtime friend, was giving the singer huge doses of the powerful drug at the same time Murray was giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol to sleep.
"This is a large dose for an opioid for a dermatology procedure in an office," Waldman said.
He told jurors the escalating doses showed Jackson had developed a tolerance to the drug and was probably addicted. He said a withdrawal symptom from the drug is insomnia.
On cross-examination, prosecutor David Walgren tangled with the expert, who was hostile to most of his questions. He elicited from Waldman that the law requires physicians to keep accurate and detailed records, which Murray did not. The doctor also said all drugs should be kept in a locked cabinet or safe where they could not be stolen or diverted by anyone.
Waldman said every doctor also must document when the drugs are stored and when they are used. Murray told police he kept no records on his treatment of Jackson.
Waldman, who has treated celebrities and sports stars at expensive rehab clinics, told jurors treatment can work if the addict is willing to admit a problem.
Several prosecution experts have said the propofol self-administration defense was improbable, and a key expert said he ruled it out completely, arguing the more likely scenario was that Murray gave Jackson a much higher dose than he has acknowledged.
Jackson had complained of insomnia as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts and was receiving the anesthetic and sedatives from Murray, his personal physician, to help him sleep.
Murray's police interview indicates he didn't know Jackson was being treated by Klein and was receiving other drugs.
In response to questions from a prosecutor, Waldman said some of the symptoms of Demerol withdrawal were the same as those seen in patients withdrawing from the sedatives lorazepam and diazepam. Murray had been giving Jackson both drugs.
The final defense witness was to be Dr. Paul White, a propofol expert.
White and Waldman do not necessarily have to convince jurors that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose, but merely provide them with enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution's case against Murray.
___
AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.
___
McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
NEW YORK ? Sprint Nextel Corp. on Wednesday reported its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it continued a turnaround and kept getting better at keeping and attracting customers.
Sprint also provided important updates on the iPhone, its financing needs and planned network upgrades, undoing some of the damage caused by an investor day presentation three weeks ago that had investors fuming and sent its stock plunging.
Its stock edged lower Wednesday as investors continued to focus on finances that look precarious for the next two years.
The country's No. 3 wireless carrier said it added a net 1.3 million subscribers in the July to September period, the best result since 2006. Sprint continued to lose subscribers from its lucrative contract-based plans, but at a relatively low rate: 44,000 in the quarter.
Sprint's total customer count, 53.4 million, is now back at where it was in 2007, before the exodus of Nextel customers turned into a torrent.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company has made steady gains in the last year and a half. Unfortunately for the company, most of the new customers are low-paying ones. They buy service from Sprint's low-cost Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile or Assurance Wireless brands, or from non-Sprint brands that use the company's network.
The latest subscriber results don't include the effect of the iPhone, which Sprint started selling Oct. 14. The phone is expected to further improve the carrier's ability to keep customers, but at a high price. Apple charges about $600 for a phone that Sprint sells for $200.
Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer said each iPhone will cost the company about $200 more than another smartphone. All the same, the company expects its four-year purchasing agreement with Apple to add $7 billion to $8 billion to its own bottom line.
CEO Dan Hesse compared getting the iPhone to signing a star baseball player to the "Sprint team."
"He has an expensive contract, but he's worth every penny," said Hesse, who often draws on sports analogies.
The problem for Sprint is that the cost of selling the iPhone comes up front, while the benefits, like higher service fees and lower service costs, accrue over time. Sprint doesn't expect the iPhone to be a moneymaker until 2014.
The added cost of the iPhone comes as Sprint is also starting to revamp its network for higher speeds. That adds up to financing needs of $5 billion to $7 billion in the next few years, Euteneuer said.
Sprint hopes to cover the gap by refinancing $4 billion debt coming due, Hesse said. The remaining $1 billion to $3 billion could be raised in the form of financing from the companies Sprint buying its new network equipment from: Samsung Electronics Co., Alcatel-Lucent and LM Ericsson AB.
Euteneuer said the terms of the deal with Apple are confidential, but said there's a minimum commitment to buy $15.5 billion in iPhones over four years. That works out to about 25 million phones, a figure in line with a report in The Wall Street Journal early this month that the company had committed to buying 30 million iPhones over four years.
Figures on the effect of the iPhone on Sprint's finances were missing from the presentation on Oct. 7, contributing to investor consternation. On Wednesday, Euteneuer apologized for not providing more information then.
Also Wednesday, Sprint said it had raised the limit on its credit line by $150 million and amended the terms so that an increase in the total amount of phone discounts doesn't affect its creditworthiness. It said it had $1 billion undrawn on the line.
Sprint's net loss was $301 million, or 10 cents per share, for the third quarter. That's down from $911 million, or 28 cents per share, a year ago. It was the best performance by Sprint since it reported a profit of $64 million in the third quarter of 2007.
Revenue rose 2.2 percent to $8.3 billion.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of 22 cents per share on $8.4 billion in revenue.
Sprint shares slipped 19 cents, or 7 percent, to close at $2.51 Wednesday. Two weeks ago, they hit a three-year low of $2.10.
Hesse also said the company has started discussions with Clearwire Corp. on how to make Sprint phones compatible with Clearwire's planned new wireless data network, and a discussions on commercial arrangements are ongoing. That sent Clearwire shares up 32 cents, or 20 percent, to close at $1.96.
Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire and uses its current data network for "Sprint 4G" service. But it doesn't control Clearwire's board, and the relationship between the two management teams has been cool.
Earlier this month, Sprint said it would stop selling phones compatible with Clearwire's current data network at the end of next year, with no mention of plans to use the planned "LTE" or "Long-Term Evolution" network. That sent Clearwire shares into a dive.
Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said Sprint third-quarter results were "fairly good." If the company can straighten out its network strategy and its Clearwire relationship, investors might start to look past the financing needs of the next two years and toward the benefits that should kick in in 2014, he said.
"For the first time in a year, expectations are appropriately low, and there are now at least a few glimmers of hope," Moffett said.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) ? SAP, the world's biggest maker of business software, said on Wednesday it would consider buying back shares after reporting a 23 percent jump in third-quarter operating profit and sticking to its 2011 outlook.
"Given SAP's strong free cash flow generation over the first nine months of 2011, the company plans to further evaluate buying back shares in the future," the company said in a statement.
SAP said free cash flow was 2.64 billion euros ($3.7 billion) in the first nine months of the year, up 42 percent from 1.85 billion euros last year or 27 percent of total revenue.
SAP, which competes with Oracle Corp, said earlier this month third quarter sales at its key software and software-related services business rose 16 percent to 2.69 billion euros, while group sales came in at 3.41 billion.
Underlying operating profit for the group jumped 23 percent from a year ago to 1.13 billion euros, beating analysts' average forecast of 1 billion.
The company reiterated its outlook saying it would reach the high end of its 10 to 14 percent growth forecast for software and related services. Operating profit would come in at the high end of between 4.45 billion euros and 4.65 billion.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) ? A Guatemalan court sentenced two women to 16 and 21 years in prison on Monday for trafficking a stolen baby who was given for adoption to a U.S. family.
Special prosecutor Lorena Maldonado said the sentences handed down to a lawyer and the legal representative of an adoption agency will reinforce the birth mother's bid to get her daughter returned from the United States.
"Even though the criminal proceedings are separate from the adoption process, these sentences help, and confirm the argument of the mother, Loyda Rodriguez, that this girl is her daughter and was stolen from in front of her house, and that there is a criminal structure in Guatemala that steals children," said Maldonado.
The Eighth Penal Tribunal sentenced lawyer Beatriz Valle Flores to 21 years in prison for human trafficking, criminal association and using false documents. She signed papers in the adoption.
A 16-year sentence went to the legal representative of the adoption agency, Enriqueta Noriega Cano, where the girl spent a year before being adopted. The girl left the country on Dec. 9, 2008.
Both women were also ordered to pay 100,000 quetzales ($25,600) apiece to the mother for damages.
Rodriguez, the mother, obtained a Guatemalan court order in July for the return of the seven-year-old, but it is unclear if it can be enforced.
The girl, Anyeli Liseth Hernandez Rodriguez was born Oct. 1, 2004, the second child of Rodriguez, a housewife, and her bricklayer husband, Dayner Orlando Hernandez. The girl disappeared Nov. 3, 2006, as Rodriguez was distracted while opening the door to their house in a working class suburb, San Miguel Petapa. She turned to see a woman whisk the girl, then two, away in a taxi.
If U.S. authorities intervene to return the child as the Guatemalan court has asked, it would be a first for any international adoption case, experts say.
In August, a construction-paper sign taped to the door of the girl's U.S. address, a two-story suburban Kansas City home, read: "Please respect our families (sic) privacy during this difficult and confusing time. We ask that you not trespass on our property for the sake of our children. Thank you."
Guatemala's quick adoptions once made this Central American nation of 13 million people a top source of children for the U.S., leading or ranking second only to China with about 4,000 adoptions a year. But the Guatemalan government suspended adoptions in late 2007 after widespread cases of fraud, including falsified paperwork, fake birth certificates and charges of baby theft ? though they still allowed many already in process.
The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, a U.N.-created agency prosecuting organized crime cases in Guatemala, has reviewed more than 3,000 adoptions completed or in process and found nearly 100 grave irregularities.
The U.S. still does not allow adoptions from Guatemala, though the State Department is currently assisting with 397 children whose adoptions were in process at the time of the ban.
MUMBAI (Reuters) ? India's central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday for the 13th time since early 2010 but gave a strong signal it may be finished with its current tightening cycle as growth slows and it expects high inflation to ease starting in December.
The Reserve Bank of India raised its policy lending rate, the repo rate, by 25 basis points to 8.5 percent, in line with expectations in a Reuters poll last week.
It also revised down its growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March to 7.6 percent from 8 percent with a downward bias earlier, while sticking with its forecast that headline wholesale price index inflation will ease to 7 percent at the end of the fiscal year.
The likelihood of a rate move at its December review is "relatively low," the central bank said in a statement.
"Beyond that, if the inflation trajectory conforms to projections, further rate hikes may not be warranted," it said.
Investors took comfort in the prospect that India's steady upward rise in interest rates may be at an end.
The benchmark 10-year bond yield fell as much as 7 basis points to 8.69 percent after the policy statement, while the 5-year swap rate fell 10 bps to 8.30 percent. The main BSE index (.BSESN) extended gains to as much as 1.1 percent before dropping.
"Clear direction from the RBI is now in place, that they are not looking at any more increase," Indranil Pan, chief economist at Kotak Mahindra Bank.
The RBI under Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has been one of the most aggressive central banks anywhere and has continued to take its fight to inflation even as its global counterparts have refocused monetary policy toward promoting growth.
Subbarao maintained his hawkish view on Tuesday.
"While the impact of past monetary actions is still unfolding, it is necessary to persist with the anti-inflationary stance," he said in the policy statement.
The central bank warned that medium term inflationary risks in Asia's third-largest economy remain high due to structural imbalances in agriculture, infrastructure bottlenecks, and India's fiscal deficit.
"In the absence of progress on these, over the medium term, the monetary policy stance will have to take into account the risks of inflation surging in response to even a moderate growth recovery," it said.
Despite continued policy tightening, inflation in India remains sticky, with the headline wholesale price index up 9.72 percent annually through September, its 10th straight month above 9 percent and highest among the BRIC grouping of economies that includes Brazil, Russia and China.
Inflation in India is driven in large part by high food and global commodity prices as well as fiscal policies that spur demand, all of which is beyond the scope of monetary policy, prompting some critics to urge the RBI to relent in its tightening.
Meanwhile, India's economy grew at 7.7 percent in the June quarter, its weakest in six quarters, while industrial output growth was below 5 percent in July and August.
In last week's Reuters poll, 17 economists had expected the central bank to raise rates on Tuesday but 13 had expected it to pause, with most respondents expecting rates to remain unchanged after Tuesday for the remainder of the fiscal year through March.
ARLINGTON, Texas - St. Louis' Allen Craig had no chance of getting another pinch-hit RBI off Texas reliever Alexi Ogando in Game 3 of the World Series.
Craig pulled off that feat to win Game 1, then did it again for the first run in Game 2. His success earned him a spot in the starting lineup Saturday night. He was batting second and playing right field, with Lance Berkman moving to designated hitter.
His great roll continued with a solo homer in his first at-bat Saturday night.
Craig is the first player in World Series history to have two go-ahead RBI pinch hits. For them to come in his first two World Series at-bats, and both to be so crucial, is pretty incredible. For them to come off the same pitcher, and on virtually the same pitch in the same spot is "kind of weird," Craig said.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said.
It also was the byproduct of a lot of hard work.
As a rookie in 2010, Craig went 1 for 7 with three strikeouts as a pinch hitter. He didn't exactly embrace the role for all the obvious reasons ? coming off the bench means you're not starting, and the odds are stacked against a guy coming in cold with only one chance to make something happen.
But Craig took a different approach this season. He accepted that it was his way of making a difference when he didn't start. He talked to coaches Mark McGwire and Mike Aldrete about the best mindset for those chances, and the results showed. He went 7 for 22 with only a single strikeout. His .318 as a pinch hitter was even a smidge better than his .315 average in all other at-bats.
"I try to take it for what it's worth ? a brief chance to impact the game," Craig said. "Most of the time, you're not going to be successful because it's that hard to do. I just try not to put too much pressure on myself and trust my ability and keep it simple. Don't try to hit the ball too hard or anything like that. Just see it, hit it and hope they can't catch it."
So is it fair to say that he no longer considers it a pain?
"It's grown on me a little bit," Craig said, smiling.
___
DIRK'S TOSS: Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki stood on the pitching rubber, leaned over, shook off his catcher and spit. Then he fired the ceremonial ? and slightly controversial ? first pitch of Game 3 of the World Series.
It was low and slower than the 80 mph he predicted on Twitter. Still, the NBA finals MVP celebrated with the elbow-duck gesture the Rangers use to punctuate great plays and savored the cheers.
Nowitzki threw out the first pitch earlier this summer, after leading the Mavs to their first NBA title. Everyone told him not to bounce it, so he kept the ball up ? so far up that Michael Young "almost pulled a hamstring" trying to catch it, Nowitzki joked.
"This time they told me to throw a four-seam fastball," the German said, laughing. "I still don't understand what that means. But I think that's the grip I had. Or was it a two-seam fastball? I forgot."
Nowitzki was in the stands for Game 6 of the AL championship series, wearing his blue Rangers jersey with his name and basketball number, 41. Between him being a fan, and the championship connection, it only made sense for him to have this honor ? except, apparently, to some MLB officials.
Nowitzki initially was told he couldn't do it, supposedly because of something to do with the NBA lockout. Once word of that spread, it was roundly panned, so baseball officials relented.
The explanation Nowitzki got for the reversal, then the reversal of the reversal?
"Kind of wishy washy," he said. "Nothing really that really made sense. ... I'm glad it worked out and I got to represent. ... I just wanted to be here and watch the game. Even if they wouldn't have let me pitch today I probably would be here and support the boys."
Nowitzki and Mavs teammate Brian Cardinal (decked out in his own customized blue Rangers jersey) watched from the second row behind the Texas on-deck circle, near team president Nolan Ryan and former President George W. Bush. Asked if he'd be back for Games 4 and 5, Nowitzki said, "If they let me. I'll have to check with the Rangers. I'm going to ask Nolan when I sit behind him today, 'What's going on with the tickets?'"
Meanwhile, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa went to dinner Friday night with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle.
"I asked him about what we do to get an edge in this series, and he said, 'Hand the ball to Dirk,'" La Russa said. "And I said, 'I can't do that.' He said, 'This is Dallas, I can't be telling the Cardinals how to beat the Rangers.'"
___
GRIDLOCK: The Rangers and their NFL neighbors, the Cowboys, are doing all they can to spread the word to people with tickets on Sunday ? leave early. Like, now.
The Cowboys kick off at 3:15 p.m. Sunday against, of all teams, the St. Louis Rams at their stadium, just a few blocks from the Rangers' ballpark. The Rangers and Cardinals begin Game 4 of their series at 7:05 p.m.
Because of the proximity of the venues, each team uses the others' parking lots. They can't this time, and there will be the traffic nightmare of roughly 80,000 football fans leaving around the time 50,000 baseball fans will be arriving.
"We encourage everyone to be patient and arrive early," the Cowboys wrote in a news release issued Friday.
To try unclogging things, the Cowboys are opening their parking lots at 10 a.m. The Rangers are opening their lots at 2 p.m.
___
FLIP IT, FLIP IT GOOD: Sluggers Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Lance Berkman of the Cardinals will be down the street a few hours before Game 4 on Sunday taking part in the pregame coin toss for the game between their cities' NFL teams.
Hamilton will represent the Cowboys, and Berkman the Rams when the referee makes the flip.
Kickoff is at 3:15 p.m. The Rangers are scheduled to take batting practice at 4:15 p.m., and the Cardinals at 5:15 p.m.
___
GAME 4 STARTERS: Texas left-hander Derek Holland was a joke in his World Series debut last year. He walked all three batters he faced in Game 2, only to see them all score after he left.
Seriously, Holland himself says he jokes about how things went "because if you let it eat you up, it's going to hurt you more." He also proudly notes that he bounced back with a scoreless inning in his only other outing, the final inning of a loss in Game 4.
On Sunday night, he'll get a chance for a better World Series memory when he starts Game 3 against St. Louis and right-hander Edwin Jackson.
"To be honest, now that I'm getting to start, I have a lot more that I want," Holland said. "I feel like I've got a lot to prove after what happened last year, but it's obviously not going to take me out of my game or what I have to do for this next start."
Jackson's World Series history is similarly underwhelming. In 2008, he pitched two innings in relief for Tampa Bay in a Game 4 loss to the Phillies.
"I'm definitely going to take advantage of it and do my best and leave it on the field," Jackson said.
Both starters are 1-0 this postseason, and both their teams are 3-0 when they start. They haven't exactly been innings-eaters, though.
Jackson has gone from six innings to 4 1-3 to two innings. His ERA is 5.84 and opponents are hitting .314. Holland has gone 2 2-3 and 4 2-3 in his last two starts.
Jackson started once against Texas this season and lost, giving up four runs on 11 hits over 5 1-3 innings while pitching for the White Sox.
___
MISSING MITCH: A year ago, rookie first baseman Mitch Moreland was a surprise standout for the Texas Rangers in the postseason as the went to their first World Series.
Going into Game 3 of this year's World Series, Moreland was hitting only .105 (2 for 19) in the playoffs and hadn't yet played against the St. Louis Cardinals. And the left-hander wasn't in the lineup against a right-handed pitcher Saturday night.
"It's obvious he hasn't had a very good playoffs compared to last year," manager Ron Washington said Saturday. "We certainly haven't given up on Mitch."
Moreland didn't make his major league debut until late July 2010 after Justin Smoak was traded for Cliff Lee. But Moreland played 15 of 16 playoff games last year (starting 13 at first base) and a team-best .348. He was 6 of 13 in the World Series, including a homer in Game 3 at Rangers Ballpark, and was the only Texas player with a hit in every World Series game.
In 134 games this season, his first full season in the majors, he hit .259 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs.
"He's progressed a heck of a lot," Washington said. "He handled himself well when things didn't go as well. That's growth. We've still got a lot of confidence in Mitch."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Pujols' 3 blasts carry Cards
??Albert Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three home runs in a World Series game, tying records with five hits and six RBIs that led the Cardinals to a 16-7 rout of the Texas Rangers on Saturday night that gave St. Louis a 2-1 Series lead.
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