Obama: Clinton to travel to Myanmar (AP)

BALI, Indonesia ? Detecting "flickers of progress" in the long shunned and sanctioned nation of Myanmar, President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will send Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the repressed country next month, the first official in her position to visit in more than 50 years.

"We want to seize what could be an historic opportunity for progress and make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America," Obama said Friday during his diplomatic mission to southeast Asia.

In exploring a breakthrough engagement with Myanmar, also known as Burma, the president first sought assurances of support from democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She spent 15 years on house arrest by the nation's former military dictators but is now in talks with the new civilian government about reforming the country.

The two spoke by phone on Thursday night while Obama was flying to Bali on Air Force One.

By sending in his chief diplomat, Obama's is out to acknowledge and accelerate fledgling reforms in Myanmar, a calculated political risk in a place where repression is still common. He warned that if the country fails to commit to a true opening of its society, "it will continue to face sanctions and isolation."

Obama said that the current environment is a rare opening that could help millions of people "and that possibility is too important to ignore."

"The visit clearly demonstrates that United States is stepping up its engagement policy," said Aung Thein, a prominent lawyer and a member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. "It is better to see Myanmar's political situation on the ground rather than watch from a distance, We welcome the visit."

The administration sees Clinton's visit as a sign of success for Obama's policy on Myanmar, which was outlined in 2009 and focused on punishments and incentives to get the country's former military rulers to improve dire human rights conditions. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Myanmar but made clear it was open to better relations if the situation changed.

Now Myanmar's nominally civilian government, which took power in March, has declared its intention to liberalize the hard-line policies of the junta that preceded it. It has taken some fledgling steps, such as easing censorship, legalizing labor unions, suspending an unpopular, China-backed dam project and working with Suu Kyi.

"After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks," Obama declared Friday.

Officials said Clinton would travel to Myanmar Dec. 1.

The move came as Obama deepened ties with Asia, appealing to nations large and small for help with the American security agenda. Nearing the end of a nine-day trip across the Pacific, Obama was trying to prod for some progress over the hotly contested South China Sea, one of the most vital shipping channels in the world.

It also came as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations decided that Myanmar would chair the regional bloc in 2014, a significant perch that Myanmar was forced to skip in 2006 because of intense criticism of its rights record.

A U.S. opening with Myanmar would also contribute to Obama's rebalancing goals, as Burma's military leaders for long had close ties to China.

Beijing has poured billions of dollars of investment into Myanmar to operate mines, extract timber and build oil and gas pipelines. China has also been a staunch supporter of the country's politically isolated government and is Myanmar's second-biggest trading partner after Thailand.

Senior administration officials, briefing reporters Friday, stressed that the new engagement with Myanmar was not about China. They said the Obama administration consulted with China about the move and said they expected China to be supportive. They argued that China in fact wants to see a stable Burma on its borders, so that it doesn't risk problems with refugees or other results of political instability.

Human rights groups welcomed Obama's announcement as an opportunity to compel further reforms.

"We've been arguing a long time that political engagement and political pressure are not mutually exclusive," Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Southeast Asia researcher, told The Associated Press, adding that Clinton "should not miss the opportunity in this historic visit to pressure the government and speak very clearly that the human rights violations taking place there need to stop."

Elaine Pearson, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the Burmese government must realize that a visit by Clinton "puts them on notice, not lets them off the hook for their continually atrocious human rights record."

Myanmar, a former breadbasket of Southeast Asia, has suffered not just repressive government but poor economic management during nearly 50 years of military rule.

It is subject to wide-ranging trade, economic and political sanctions from the U.S. and other Western nations, enforced in response to brutal crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in 1988 and 2007 and its refusal to hand power to pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi's party after the 1990 elections.

Obama will see Burma's president during a summit of Southeast Asian nations. The two have met before, at an ASEAN meeting in Singapore, when Thein Sein was prime minister.

The announcement was the capstone to a day of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of summits with Asian leaders, including India, Malaysia and the Philippines. Administration officials said Obama raised the issue of Myanmar in his meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. Officials said they expected ASEAN members to be supportive.

Earlier, in a move promoting American trade, Obama presided over a deal that will send Boeing planes to an Indonesian company and create jobs back home, underscoring the value of the lucrative Asia-Pacific market to a president needing some good economic news.

Obama stood watch as executives of Boeing and Lion Air, a private carrier in Indonesia, signed a deal that amounts to Boeing's largest commercial plane order. Lion Air ordered 230 airplanes, and the White House said it would support tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S.

Obama arrived in this resort island late Thursday from Australia, where he announced a new military presence and sent Beijing a message that America "is all in" across the Asia-Pacific. The White House is determined to show that American leadership here, far from home, is wanted after a decade in which wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated attention.

Obama will attend a meeting with the heads of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations, or ASEAN, whose 10 members include host Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The group will expand for the East Asia Summit, a forum that also counts China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the U.S. as members.

____

Associated Press writers Erica Werner in Bali, Aye Aye Win in Yangon and Alisa Tang in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111118/ap_on_go_pr_wh/as_obama

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$15,000 comic book, 'Amazing Fantasy No. 15,' stolen

$15,000 comic book: 'Amazing Fantasy No.?15' is the first appearance of Spider-Man and sold for 12 cents in 1962.

A rare Spider-Man?comic?book?valued at $15,000?has been stolen from a home in Lincoln, Neb.

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The Lincoln Journal Star reports?the?comic?"Amazing Fantasy No.?15" is the first appearance of Spider-Man and sold for 12 cents in 1962.

Nearly 50 years later, it sells for thousands of dollars and in May, an unnamed buyer purchased a mint condition copy for more than $1 million.

The owner of the stolen?comic?believes it was taken between Oct. 27 and Monday morning.

Monitor Political Cartoons

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/nRMpYNHf6Jw/15-000-comic-book-Amazing-Fantasy-No.-15-stolen

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Summary Box: Metal futures fall on Europe worries (AP)

METALS FALL: Copper for December delivery dropped 1.7 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close at $3.4845 per pound. December palladium fell $12.60, or nearly 2 percent to close at $654.45 an ounce. January platinum fell $11.50, or nearly 1 percent, to $1,631.20 an ounce.

EUROPE WORRIES: Traders worried that higher borrowing rates for Italy, Spain and France will mean that those countries will have trouble repaying their debt. If European countries can't stem the financial crisis there, it could hinder economic growth.

OIL PAST $100: Benchmark crude oil rose $3.22, or 3 percent, to end at $102.59 per barrel.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111116/ap_on_bi_ge/us_commodities_review_summary_box

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Tyler Perry defends casting Kardashian in new film (AP)

ATLANTA ? Filmmaker Tyler Perry is defending his controversial decision to cast reality television star Kim Kardashian in an upcoming film about marriage.

Perry announced that Kardashian will have a role in "The Marriage Counselor" shortly before she ended her 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries, creating a buzz on social media sites.

Perry says he wanted a younger cast, which Kardashian rounds out, to help attract younger viewers. In a statement on his website, Perry says he thinks "it would be a very responsible of her to be a part of this film" and good for young people who see her as a role model to "see her in a film that is about what happens in life when you make the wrong choices."

Perry asked for his fans' understanding.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_en_mo/us_people_kardashian_perry

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WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: More Bieber questions (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia ? Even Down Under, President Barack Obama can't escape Bieber Fever.

During Obama's visit to Campbell High School in Australia's capital city, a student asked Obama if he'd consider teaming up with pop singer Justin Bieber or other entertainers to appeal to more people.

"That's an interesting question," Obama told 9th and 10th grade students in the school library. "I interact with a lot of celebrities," he said, noting that different celebrities have supported his presidential campaign.

"But generally speaking, hopefully, if I'm going to be successful, it's going to be because of the ideas I put forward and not because I'm hanging out with Justin Bieber ? although he's a very nice young man and I'll tell him you say hi."

Teenagers have asked Obama about Bieber before. During a bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia in October, a student in Skipwith, Va., asked Obama if he knew the pop star. Obama said he had met Bieber, who performed at last year's White House Easter Egg Roll.

Obama also discovered another connection to star power while he visited the American embassy.

U.S. Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich told Obama that action film star Jackie Chan, who has starred in the "Rush Hour" series and a number of kung fu films, grew up in the embassy residence. Bleich told Obama that Chan was the son of an embassy staffer and learned to kickbox during his youth there.

"Who knew?" Obama said, turning to the press corps.

___

Known for his way with words, Obama is picking up some Aussie lingo during his travels.

The president has relished trying out quirky Australian slang during his two-day visit here, expressing fondness for the term "ear bashing," which means to talk endlessly.

"I really do love that one and will be introducing that one into the vernacular in Washington," said Obama, who often criticizes his political opponents for favoring talk over action.

The president may also bring home new affectionate terms for first lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Harry Jenkins, the speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, wished Obama a safe return home "to your cheese-and-kisses, that is the misses, the wife."

"And to the billy lids, the kids, your children," Jenkins said to laughter.

___

Australian lawmakers were uncharacteristically well-behaved during Obama's address to Parliament ? the first by a U.S. president since George W. Bush was heckled in the same chamber eight years ago.

Without the division of the Iraq war, Obama's reception was universally positive.

In 2003, Sen. Bob Brown, leader of the anti-war minor Greens party, was manhandled by conservative government lawmakers when he heckled and approached Bush during his speech and was banned from Parliament for 24 hours for misbehavior.

On Thursday, Obama approached Brown after speaking and the senator chatted enthusiastically as he shook the president's hand.

___

Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111117/ap_on_re_as/as_obama_bieber_fever

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[OOC] NPC Roster

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Pokemon: Renean Force?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is a roster of the various NPC'S that you are sure to encounter, Like Team Dawn and Dusk, as well as the gym leaders

Team Dawn

Cynthia-

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Lance:

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Steven:

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Alder
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Team Dusk- Image

Leader Kuro:

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The Leader of Team Dusk, Who desires a war between the Regions, But for what Reasons?

Pokemon: TBA

Admin- Rachel

Kuro's number two. When Kuro is out of the base, she's in charge.

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Pokemon: Umbreon
Gengar
Mismagus
Emolga
Weevile

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Rarikou
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Obama insists US does not fear China (AP)

CANBERRA, Australia ? President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that the United States does not fear China, even as he announced a new security agreement with Australia that is widely viewed as a response to China's growing aggressiveness.

China responded swiftly, warning that an expanded U.S. military footprint in Australia may not be appropriate and deserved greater scrutiny.

The agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will expand the U.S. military presence in Australia, positioning more U.S. personnel and equipment there, and increasing American access to bases. About 250 U.S. Marines will begin a rotation in northern Australia starting next year, with a full force of 2,500 military personnel staffing up over the next several years.

Obama called the deployment "significant," and said it would build capacity and cooperation between the U.S. and Australia. U.S. officials were careful to emphasize that the pact was not an attempt to create a permanent American military presence in Australia.

"It also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region that want to feel that they're getting the training, they're getting the exercises, and that we have the presence that's necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region," Obama said.

The president spoke shortly after arriving in the Australian capital, his second stop on a nine-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. After a 10-hour flight from Honolulu, where he hosted an economic summit, Obama headed straight into meetings with Gillard.

On Thursday, Obama will address the Australian Parliament, then fly to the northern city of Darwin, where some of the Marines deploying to Australia next year will be based.

During his news conference with Gillard, the president sidestepped questions about whether the security agreement was aimed at containing China. But he said the U.S. would keep sending a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibilities that come with being a world power.

"It's important for them to play by the rules of the road," he said.

And he insisted that the U.S is not fearful of China's rise.

"I think the notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we're looking to exclude China is mistaken," he said.

China was immediately leery of the prospect of an expanded U.S. military presence in Australia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said Wednesday that it was worth discussing whether the plan was in line with the common interests of the international community.

Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes said the agreement was not only appropriate, but also a response to the demand from nations in the region that have signaled they want the U.S. to be present.

The U.S. and smaller Asian nations have grown increasingly concerned about China claiming dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the U.S. considers international waters, and reigniting old territorial disputes, including confrontations over the South China Sea. China's defense spending has increased threefold since the 1990s to about $160 billion last year, and its military has recently tested a new stealth jet fighter and launched its first aircraft carrier.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the goal of the new security pact is to signal that the U.S. and Australia will stick together in face of any threats.

In addition to the expanded Marine presence in Australia, more U.S. aircrafts will rotate through Australia as part of an agreement between each nation's air force. Obama and Gillard said the increased air presence would allow the U.S. and Australia to more effectively respond to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises in the region.

Rhodes said the U.S. military boost would amount to a "sustained U.S. presence." He distinguished that from a permanent presence in the sense that the U.S. forces will use Australian facilities, as opposed to the United States to building its own bases, as it has in such regional places as South Korea. The U.S. has not signaled any interest in that in Australia.

The only American base currently in Australia is the secretive joint Australia-U.S. intelligence and communications complex at Pine Gap in central Australia. But there are hundreds of U.S. service personnel in Australia on exchange.

Air combat units also use the expansive live bombing ranges in Australia's sparsely populated north in training rotations of a few months and occasionally naval units train off the coast. But training exercises involving ground forces are unusual.

During Wednesday's brief news conference, Obama and Gillard also fielded questions on a range of other issues, from U.S. efforts to address climate change to the debt crisis in Europe.

Obama reiterated his call for urgent action by European leaders to back the euro and develop a financial firewall to keep the threat of default facing Greece and Italy from spreading across the Eurozone.

"The problem right now is one of political will, it's not a technical problem," Obama said. "At this point, the larger European community has to stand behind the European project."

Asked whether the U.S. would be able to lower carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade system as Australia is undertaking, Obama conceded the U.S. has been unable to pass such a plan through Congress, but noted U.S. efforts to increase vehicle fuel efficiency and to explore clear energy options. He said emerging economies such as India and China must also assume responsibility for addressing climate change.

For Obama and Australia, the third time's the charm. He canceled two earlier visits, once to stay in Washington to lobby for passage of his health care bill, and again in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"I was determined to come for a simple reason: The United States of America has no stronger ally than Australia," he said.

Obama's arrival in Australia followed a 10-hour flight from Hawaii that took him across the international dateline. The travel appeared to being taking a slight toll on the president, who admitted he was having trouble keeping up with the time change.

"I'm trying to figure out what time zone I'm in here," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Erica Werner and Rod McGuirk in Canberra contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111116/ap_on_re_as/as_obama

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Barath leads West Indies fight back (Reuters)

KOLKATA (Reuters) ? Opener Adrian Barath had a half-century to lead a West Indies' fight back in their second innings after India enforced the follow-on in the second test at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.

West Indies lost opener Kraigg Brathwaite (nine) early, but Barath (62) and Kirk Edwards (43) added 93 for the unbroken second wicket to take the tourists to 116 for one at tea, still trailing India by 362 runs.

Brathwaite edged paceman Umesh Yadav in the fifth over for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to complete a low catch behind the stumps.

Earlier, the West Indies batsmen capitulated under the weight of India's mammoth first innings total of 631 for seven declared and were bundled out for a paltry 153 runs.

Resuming on the overnight score of 34 for two, the tourists, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, offered little resistance as India's bowlers ran riot to scuttle them in just 140 minutes on the third day.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up four wickets while Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three and two respectively.

The visiting batsmen lasted just 48 overs in their first innings with India's bowlers extracting considerable spin and bounce from the track.

Yadav took the wickets of Darren Bravo (30) and Marlon Samuels (25) -- the only batsmen to offer some resistance -- in the morning, clean bowling both of them.

Ashwin, who got married a day before the second test started, picked up the prized wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy (18) went on the counter-attack and hit two fours and a straight six during his 14-ball knock. However, he edged Ojha to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps immediately after hitting the six.

The teams will play the third and final test in Mumbai from Nov. 22.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford; to query or comment on this story, email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111116/india_nm/india605540

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Gingrich says he received Freddie Mac compensation (AP)

URBANDALE, Iowa ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has acknowledged receiving personal compensation from Freddie Mac, the federally backed housing agency, but says he doesn't know exactly how much he was paid.

The former House speaker left open the possibility that his consulting firm received between $1.6 million and $1.8 million. Gingrich says he received a portion of that for providing "strategic advice for a long period of time" after he left Congress.

That amount is significantly higher than the $300,000 figure Gingrich was questioned about last week.

Gingrich spoke with reporters in Iowa on Wednesday. He defended Freddie Mac's role and said every American should be interested in expanding housing opportunities. The federally backed mortgage lender has become a focal point of anti-government sentiment because of the housing crisis.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111116/ap_on_el_pr/us_gingrich_freddie_mac

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