Captain: Wagner responsible for Natalie Wood death (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A yacht captain said on national TV Friday that he lied to investigators about Natalie Wood's mysterious death 30 years ago and blames the actress' husband at the time, Robert Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California.

The circumstances of her death remain one of Hollywood's enduring mysteries and continue to create renewed intrigue, with homicide detectives unexpectedly re-opening the case Thursday that had long been classified as a tragic accident.

A Los Angeles County sheriff's detective will speak to reporters Friday about the decision to take another look at the Oscar-nominated actress' nighttime demise in the chilly waters off Southern California on Nov. 29, 1981. Wood drowned after spending several hours drinking on Catalina Island and a yacht with Wagner, fellow actor Christopher Walken and the ship's captain, Dennis Davern.

Davern, skipper of the Splendour, told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that he made mistakes by not telling the truth about events leading to the Thanksgiving weekend death and had urged Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide investigators to reopen the case. It is the latest attempt by Davern to change the official account of what happened in the hours before Wood's death.

"Was the fight between Natalie Wood and her husband Robert Wagner what ultimately led to her death?" show host David Gregory asked.

"Yes," Davern replied.

"How so?"

"Like I said, that's going to be up to the investigators to decide," the captain said after a long pause.

Davern said he believes Wagner had intentionally kept the investigation into Wood's death low profile and didn't do everything he could have done. When Gregory pressed Davern for supporting details, the captain said that was the duty of investigators.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Davern Friday.

Davern has said for years that the official account of Wood's disappearance was not what really happened, including in a 1992 appearance on a Geraldo Rivera special and in a 2000 Vanity Fair piece. He also worked with author and friend Marti Rulli on "Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour," a book released last year.

Wagner spokesman Alan Nierob said Friday a statement he released Thursday spoke for itself.

"Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30 year anniversary of her tragic death," Nierob wrote in the statement.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday the renewed inquiry was prompted by unspecified new information about Woods' case. The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca said detectives want to talk to Davern and that he had "made comments worthy of exploring." The paper said the agency had also received information from an unidentified third party.

In the Vanity Fair story, Davern is quoted as saying that Wood and Wagner fought in their cabin before the actress disappeared. Coroner's officials ruled her death an accidental drowning, perhaps caused by her slipping off the boat while trying to tie down a dinghy.

Wood's death sparked tabloid speculation that foul play was involved, but Wagner and Wood's sister have dismissed any suggestion the actress' death was anything more than an accident. Coroner's officials at the time agreed, writing that Wood was "possibly attempting to board the dinghy and had fallen into the water, striking her face."

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said that to his knowledge, the agency hadn't been asked to do any additional investigation into Wood's case.

Sheriff's officials are also hoping for tips from the public that may shed new light on how Wood, who was afraid of being in the water, ended up drowning.

Wood, a three-time Oscar nominee famous for roles in "West Side Story," `'Rebel Without a Cause" and other Hollywood hits, was 43 when she died. She and Wagner, star of the TV series "Hart to Hart," were twice married, first in 1957 before divorcing six years later. They remarried in 1972.

Lana Wood wrote in a biography on her sister, "What happened is that Natalie drank too much that night."

Wagner wrote in a 2008 autobiography that he blamed himself for his wife's death.

He recounted the night of Wood's disappearance, during which the couple and Walken drank at a restaurant and on the boat. Wood went to the master cabin during an argument between her husband and Walken. The last time Wagner saw his wife, she was fixing her hair at a bathroom vanity and she shut the door.

Wagner wrote that despite various theories about what led Wood to the water, which she feared, it was impossible to know what exactly happened.

"Nobody knows," he wrote. "There are only two possibilities; either she was trying to get away from the argument, or she was trying to tie the dinghy. But the bottom line is that nobody knows exactly what happened."

Later in the book, Wagner wrote, "Did I blame myself? If I had been there, I could have done something. But I wasn't there. I didn't see her."

He wrote that he has never returned to Catalina Island.

Phone and email messages to Walken's publicist were not returned Thursday. Walken and Wood were co-stars in "Brainstorm," which was the actress' final big screen role.

___

AP reporter Alicia Rancilio contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111118/ap_on_en_mo/us_natalie_wood_investigation

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S. African company fights move to ban painkiller

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A South African pharmaceutical manufacturer is fighting moves toward banning a painkiller that has been removed from the shelves in the U.S. and Europe because of fears it could harm the heart.

South African authorities have moved to join their counterparts in the U.S. and Europe to halt sales of dextropropoxyphene after decades of use, but a major manufacturer in South Africa, Adcock Ingram, insists it's safe.

"We always maintained that the drug is safe, and still maintain the drug is safe," Dr. Abofele Khoele, Adcock Ingram's medical executive, said in an interview Thursday. "We've got studies to prove the drug is safe."

But he acknowledged that dextropropoxyphene, which is found in such Adcock Ingram painkillers Doxyfene and Synap Forte, has raised concerns elsewhere.

Adcock Ingram is appealing an April ruling by South Africa's Medicines Control Council against the drug. This week, the company lost a court bid to allow doctors to keep prescribing dextropropoxyphene products pending a ruling on the appeal.

Health Ministry spokesman Fidel Hadebe told The Associated Press the court ruling "is a major victory for the public. Government has a duty to protect the public from any possible medical harm."

Hadebe could not say when a Health Ministry appeal body would rule on Adcock Ingram's request for a review. Adcock Ingram has requested a quick decision.

Adcock Ingram's Khoele said his company's recipe for dextropropoxyphene products differed from those in the West, including in the way it is absorbed. He also said South Africa was stricter on dosages.

Late last year, shortly after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked companies to voluntarily stop selling dextropropoxyphene products, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals agreed to withdraw Darvon and Darvocet, brand name versions of the drug, from the U.S. market.

The FDA had concluded that the pain medication "can cause serious toxicity to the heart" and "puts patients at risk of potentially serious or even fatal heart rhythm abnormalities."

In 2009, the European Medicines Agency recommended that all marketing authorizations for medicines containing dextropropoxyphene be withdrawn throughout the European Union.

The FDA first considered removing dextropropoxyphene from the market in 1978, but concluded then that its benefits outweighed its risks. Adcock Ingram's Khoele said the FDA's recent reversal, based on new evidence, was surprising.

"I think our regulators should take note of the goings on around the world," Khoele said.

But he said the South African regulator should have sought information from local manufacturers before making a decision.

Khoele said that the company would abide by the decision of the appeal board.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2011-11-17-AF-South-Africa-Painkiller/id-df15efb9367a45b7b375c7a856883e66

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Pristine reptile fossil holds new information about aquatic adaptations

ScienceDaily (Nov. 16, 2011) ? Extinct animals hide their secrets well, but an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of an aquatic reptile, with traces of soft tissue present, is providing scientists a new window into the behavior of these ancient swimmers.

According to the study published in PLoS ONE's Nov. 16 issue, the fossil, characterized by a team led by Johan Lindgren of Lund University in Sweden, is from the mosasaur family, a group of reptiles that lived between 65 and 98 million years ago.

The fossil was found in Western Kansas, and was submerged under a shallow sea at the time of the mosasaur's existence. Previous analysis of mosasaur locomotion had been limited by a lack of soft tissue fossils, which was crucial for the scientists to truly understand the degree of aquatic adaptation that the creature had achieved. The new findings, which include scales and skin impressions, suggest that the mosasaur was able to minimize its frictional drag in the water. Additional features suggest that it held the front of its body somewhat rigid during swimming, leading it to depend on the rear of its body and tail for propulsion.

According to Dr. Lindgren, this study provides "unique insights into the biology of an extinct group of marine lizards that became adapted to aquatic environments in a fashion similar to that of the preceding ichthyosaurs ('fish-lizards') and succeeding whales." Thus, these results may have implications for understanding how this group ultimately transformed from land-dwellers to pelagic cruisers in a relatively short period of geological time.

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Journal Reference:

1. Johan Lindgren, Michael J. Everhart, Michael W. Caldwell. Three-Dimensionally Preserved Integument Reveals Hydrodynamic Adaptations in the Extinct Marine Lizard Ectenosaurus (Reptilia, Mosasauridae). PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (11): e27343 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027343

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/BLThRbfM6Bk/111116174738.htm

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Financial fallout for Penn State: $2 billion fundraising drive in danger?

Penn State reports that its seven-year capital campaign has reached 72 percent of its target. But the remaining 28 percent could present a challenge if donors don't rally around Penn State.

The child sex abuse scandal at Penn State University is driving the school into crisis mode: The new president is issuing statements assuring transparency, and the board of trustees just hired the international public relations firm?Ketchum,?best known for touting consumer brands, to figure out what steps to take next.

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Amid the moves, the question of how the scandal will affect the university?s economic security over the long term is now coming into focus.

Penn State?s athletic program is certainly expected to take a hit. This week, Forbes estimated that the football program, valued at $99 million, will lose $10 million in sponsorships and donations. Moreover,?the university?s endowment ? often seen as a measure of a school?s brand value ??may also be at risk, especially since the scandal is taking place in the middle of a $2 billion fundraising campaign that ends in two years.

Until today, Penn State has not found it difficult to raise money. In September, the university announced its endowment increased by $392 million this year and is currently valued at $1.83 billion. In fact, the university recently broke donation?records. They totaled $136 million for fiscal year 2011 ??more than the previous two years combined.

But the scandal could slow the flow of money. The university's seven-year capital campaign, designed primarily to fund undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, has hit?72 percent of its $2 billion target, the university reports. Banking the remaining 28 percent may present a significant challenge.

?Right now they probably won?t be asking for money,? says Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. ?That?s really a tough position to be in when you?re still that far away from your goal and you still have a lot of fundraising to do.?

A representative from Penn State?s office of development did not respond by press time?to e-mails and a phone call seeking comment.

Dealing with a crisis while in the midst of a major fundraising effort is not unprecedented. In 2009, as Binghamton University in Vestal, N.Y., embarked on a $95 million campaign, a crisis broke that involved the school administration lowering admissions standards to benefit its Division I basketball team. In the aftermath, the school?s coach and athletic director resigned, and the university fired two assistant coaches, let go several players, and declined postseason play.

Binghamton officials faced the decision about whether or not to continue pushing for donations, but incoming president Peter Magrath says he moved forward. The result: The university exceeded its goal by $5 million in six months. Mr. Magrath says the key was ?honesty, being transparent, and answering all the questions.?

?In my view, being open and putting everything out there, not hiding stuff, built trust and credibility. I think it?s absolutely essential in these types of situations,? he says. While he admits that the Penn State situation is unprecedented, he expects the university?s new leadership will slow down, but not necessarily hold back fundraising.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/TlXM8NH1MSI/Financial-fallout-for-Penn-State-2-billion-fundraising-drive-in-danger

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Boehner: War drawdown savings can't go to jobs

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, leaves a meeting with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to vote on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. The Supercommittee is trying to come up with a plan by Thanksgiving that trims the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, leaves a meeting with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to vote on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. The Supercommittee is trying to come up with a plan by Thanksgiving that trims the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Supercommittee Co-Chair Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. arrives for a closed-door meeting with Democratic Supercommittee members, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

After a meeting with GOP members of the Supercommittee, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio,walks to vote on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? With a special deficit-reduction supercommittee floundering, the top Republican in Congress warned Thursday that he won't permit savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay for President Barack Obama's jobs spending agenda.

Democrats on the deficit panel proposed last week to use war savings to pay for a $300 billion jobs program along the lines President Barack Obama wants, plus take steps to protect the upper middle class from the alternative minimum tax and extend financing for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

"I've made it pretty clear that those savings that are coming to us as a result of the wind down of the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan should be banked, should not be used to offset other spending," said House Speaker John Boehner. But the Ohio Republican did not address whether war savings could be used to extend expiring tax cuts such as popular business tax breaks or Obama's expensive proposal to renew payroll tax cuts that expire at the end of December.

Boehner also said he's frustrated that all six supercommittee Democrats have yet to unite around a specific plan, even though there's now less than a week before the panel's official deadline.

"They've never really put paper on the table. It's very frustrating," Boehner said.

By all accounts, the deficit panel is at a stalemate.

Despite small steps in recent weeks toward addressing core solutions to the nation's intractable deficit problem, such as new taxes and curbs on the growth of enormously expensive government benefit programs, both sides said further progress had come to a halt.

Less than a week remains before a Thanksgiving deadline for the panel to vote on a plan cutting deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over a decade. Whatever remaining hope there was appeared to have washed away Wednesday after both Democrats and Republicans on the 12-member panel traded rhetorical salvos about whether the other side was negotiating in good faith.

"We need to find out whether our Republican colleagues want to continue to negotiate or whether they've drawn a hard line in the sand," supercommittee Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said. "The question is whether they've kind of said, 'Take it or leave it.'"

"What I've yet to see is a plan that fundamentally solves the problem," Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, the panel's top Republican, told reporters.

With the talks at a standstill, Democratic officials familiar with the panel's work Wednesday leaked a nearly week-old secret counteroffer that generally accepted a Republican framework for a $1.5 trillion compromise, while differing on numerous key details.

Democrats signaled a willingness to cut spending by $876 billion, including $225 billion from Medicare and $50 billion from Medicaid, these officials said, and raise tax revenue by $400 billion, far less than they had demanded earlier.

But they also wanted to take $700 billion in savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to pay for a $300 billion jobs program along the lines President Barack Obama wants, plus take steps to protect the upper middle class from the alternative minimum tax and extend financing for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

The leak of the Democratic offer seemed aimed at rebutting claims by Republicans that Democrats had not responded seriously to a GOP offer last week in which, for the first time, Republicans proposed new tax revenues.

But the $300 billion GOP tax offer was predicated on a fundamental tax overhaul and extension of Bush-era tax cuts set to expire at the end of next year. The Democratic offer would cut off unspecified tax breaks and keep in place current law in which the tax cuts expire, an idea that is anathema to Republicans.

"This particular conversation was a step backwards because it would lock in the largest tax hike in history ... and then add an additional $400 billion in job-killing tax hikes without pro-growth tax reform, plus more than $300 billion in 'stimulus' spending," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

If the supercommittee fails to reach a $1.2 trillion deficit-cutting deal by Wednesday, automatic spending cuts totaling that amount would take effect beginning in 2013. That's a result that lawmakers on both sides of the political divide ? particularly defense hawks ? say they oppose.

The talks turned particularly rocky last week, when Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., presented an offer to several Democrats that envisioned raising almost $300 billion in additional revenue through an overhaul of the tax code that also lowered the top individual tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent. It would cut the corporate rate as well.

Republicans pointed to the offer as a possible turning point, given the party's long record of opposition to higher taxes.

But Democrats attacked it as a tax cut for the rich in disguise, and the talks seemed to lose momentum.

The secret Democratic counterproposal came from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., according to Democrats, in a meeting Friday with Hensarling.

In it, Democrats suggested raising $400 billion in additional revenue through eliminating tax breaks by means of an overhaul of the IRS code and cutting $876 billion in spending.

Unlike Republicans, who wanted to lock in lower tax rates as part of a plan to raise $250 billion, Democrats said they would find the additional revenue by eliminating loopholes and other existing tax breaks. They also said they would not extend the Bush-era tax breaks due to expire at the end of 2012.

They omitted other parts of the GOP offer, including a proposal to slow the rise of annual cost-of-living increases under Social Security.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-17-Debt%20Supercommittee/id-dc36681ebfb34d9a8f80861456e8de71

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Cain receives Secret Service protection

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain talks to reporters following a campaign stop at the Statehouse, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Republican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain talks to reporters following a campaign stop at the Statehouse, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Herman Cain on Thursday became the first Republican presidential candidate to receive Secret Service protection.

Cain asked for the security and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders approved his request Thursday, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed.

There have been threats against Cain, who had been experiencing a bounce in the polls, according to an official with knowledge of the situation who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the situation. The nature of the threats was unclear.

Donovan would not say whether there had been any threats or discuss why protection was being provided.

The campaign confirmed in an email early Friday that Cain was receiving federal protection.

"Due to the recent surge in the polls and the large crowds of enthusiastic supporters at recent campaign events, we are appreciative of the extra level of protection provided by these elite professionals," the Cain campaign said in a statement.

While it's unknown whether a specific incident triggered the request, police reports show that Cain's campaign has been the target of a threatening phone call on at least one occasion.

On June 1, Cain's campaign office in Stockbridge, Ga., reported receiving a call from someone who did not identify himself but who claimed to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The man said that Cain, who is black, should not run for the White House.

"Tell him not to run" and "there's no such thing as a black Republican," the man said, according to a written statement Cain's administrative assistant, Lisa Reichert, gave to the police. The caller did not explicitly threaten violence.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the police reports using Georgia's open records law.

Local police alerted the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service to the incident.

Secret Service protection is given to each major party's presidential nominee but can be provided earlier if the Homeland Security Department approves a campaign's request.

When then-Sen. Barack Obama was placed under Secret Service protection in May 2007, it was the earliest ever for a presidential candidate. One of his rivals, Hillary Rodham Clinton, already had a protective detail because she was a former first lady.

In the 2004 campaign, Democratic candidates John Kerry and John Edwards received their protection in February of that year as they competed for the party's nomination.

Federal law allows candidates to seek protection if they meet a series of standards, including public prominence as measured by polls and fundraising.

Napolitano consulted Thursday with a congressional advisory committee made up of the House speaker, the House and Senate majority and minority leaders and the House sergeant-at-arms, the chief law enforcement officer in the House.

____

Associated Press writer Ray Henry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-11-18-Cain-Secret%20Service/id-6ad2c12087a74829a45737dc5dee30d4

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Wall Street dips as Europe offsets U.S. pickup signs (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks edged lower on Thursday as rising yields on euro zone debt overshadowed optimism from data showing improvement by the U.S. economy.

Spanish bond yields hit 6.98 percent, their highest level since 1997, at a 10-year auction, while a French bond auction also saw high yields.

Somewhat offsetting those worries, data showed U.S. claims for jobless benefits hit a seven-month low last week, while permits for future home construction rebounded strongly, bolstering views the economy was gaining traction.

The 7 percent mark for bond yields is viewed by investors as unsustainable, as both Greece and Portugal were forced to seek bailouts after yields hit similar levels.

Investors have worried that the debt problems could tip the global economy into another recession, which would hurt U.S. growth even though data here has suggested economy is picking up.

"The market is trying to focus on our own U.S. macro data, but it is still being trumped by the situation in Europe because the wheels seem to be coming off the bus over there," said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities in New York.

"As much as it is trying to shift the focus over here, it is difficult because it keeps getting drawn back into the exposure and the situation over in Europe."

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 5.26 points, or 0.04 percent, at 11,900.33. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was down 4.56 points, or 0.37 percent, at 1,232.35. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was down 18.06 points, or 0.68 percent, at 2,621.55.

The Dow swung back and forth into positive territory, with energy shares lending upward support, including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), which rose 1.3 percent at $79.28.

On the Nasdaq, Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) fell 6.1 percent to $11.70 a day after the chip gear maker gave a cautious revenue outlook and warned it expects to be affected by a tough economy. The PHLX semiconductor index (.SOX) lost 2.5 percent.

Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O) reported a much wider-than-expected quarterly loss as higher markdowns and pricing pressures in appliances squeezed margins. Its shares fell 4 percent to $65.44.

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch, additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111117/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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