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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The holidays may not be so sweet this year. Nestle -- which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. -- says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through the holidays.

The company said heavy rains made it nearly impossible to pick its pumpkins during this year's harvest. The longer the pumpkins sit in the muddy fields, the more they deteriorate. As a result, the company announced this week that it would not pack any more pumpkins for the season -- which means it may be hard to find its canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling product until next year's harvest.

"Mother Nature had other plans for us," the company said in an open apology to customers online.

Nestle is the largest national brand for canned pumpkin products, with 80 to 90 percent of the market, the company said.

It plants a special strain of pumpkin at a farm in Morton, Ill., which provides nearly all its supply. Nestle estimates if you turned all the pumpkins it grows on the farm to pie, it would total 90 million pies.

"There are a lot of beautiful pumpkins out there that we just can't rescue," said Nestle spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn.

The company had a wet harvest last year, too, which meant it didn't have a surplus to carry over into this year and led to spotty shortages in late summer and early fall. The harvest started in August and it began getting products on its shelves soon after, but it won't be able to meet its normal demand.

"We hope everyone understands that Mother Nature was a little difficult this year and hope she's a little bit kinder to us next year," O'Hearn said.

Nestle said it has seen the popularity of pumpkin grow recently as more people have become aware of its health benefits, but Thanksgiving is still the company's peak season.

Pie makers can still use fresh pumpkin or other brands.

Trader Joe's said it has its store brand pumpkin in stock but said it couldn't predict what would happen to supplies in the future.

Whole Foods Market Inc. said that while it is aware of lower pumpkin yields in parts of the country, the company was able to get enough pumpkin for its store brand product and actually shipped more product to stores this year than ever before.

Farmers Market Organic, the country's largest provider of organic canned pumpkin, said it didn't experience the same issues with fungus and mold at its farm that big growers in the Midwest suffered this year and last.

And the company, based in Corvallis, Ore., said it increased its capacity and has shipped millions more cans of its product this year.

"Pumpkin pie is something people just won't do without, it's pretty sacred," said Tracy Miedema, national sales and marketing manager for Farmers Market. "They are willing to switch out of a previous brand but they aren't willing to switch out of pumpkin pie."

OZARK, Ark. — A police officer in a small Arkansas town used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl after he said her mother gave him permission to do so. Now the town's mayor is calling for an investigation into whether the Taser use was appropriate.

According to a report by Officer Dustin Bradshaw, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, police were called to the Ozark home Nov. 11 because of a domestic disturbance. When he arrived, the girl was curled up on the floor, screaming, the report said.

Bradshaw's report said the girl screamed, kicked and resisted any time her mother tried to get her in the shower before bed.

"Her mother told me to tase her if I needed to," Bradshaw wrote.

The child was "violently kicking and verbally combative" when Bradshaw tried to take her into custody, and she kicked him in the groin. So he delivered "a very brief drive stun to her back," the report said.

The names of the girl and her mother were redacted in the report.

Ozark Mayor Vernon McDaniel said Wednesday that the girl wasn't injured and is now at the Western Arkansas Youth Shelter in Cecil.

But McDaniel said he wants Arkansas State Police — and if they decline, the FBI — to investigate the incident. The state police declined his request Tuesday.

"People here feel like that he made a mistake in using a Taser, and maybe he did, but we will not know until we get an impartial investigation," McDaniel said.

Police Chief Jim Noggle said Tasers are a safe way to subdue someone who's a danger to themself or others. No disciplinary action was taken against Bradshaw, he said.

"We didn't use the Taser to punish the child — just to bring the child under control so she wouldn't hurt herself or somebody else," Noggle said.

If the officer tried to forcefully put the girl in handcuffs, he could have accidentally broken her arm or leg, Noggle said.

He said a touch of the stun gun — "less than a second" — stopped the girl from being unruly, and she was handcuffed, he said.

"She got up immediately and they put her in the patrol car," McDaniel said.

Noggle said the girl will face disorderly conduct charges as a juvenile in the incident.

The girl's father, Anthony Medlock, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that his daughter has emotional problems, but that she didn't have a weapon and shouldn't have been Tasered.

"My daughter does not deserve to be tased and be treated like an animal," said Medlock, who is divorced from the girl's mother and does not have custody.

Steve Tuttle, a spokesman for Taser, said it's up to individual law enforcement agencies to decide when Taser use is appropriate.

In some cases, a Taser "presents the safer response to resistance compared with the alternatives such as fists, kicks, baton strikes, bean bag guns, chemical agents, or canine response," Tuttle said in a statement.

The police chief, who has been Tasered twice himself during training sessions, said his department has never had to Taser a child or elderly person before, but that in some instances, that could be necessary to ensure safety.

"We don't want to do things like this," Noggle said. "This is something we have to do. We're required to maintain order and keep the peace."

ATLANTA – Dear Kellogg: Leggo my Eggo!

Kellogg Co. says there will be a nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them.

The company's Atlanta plant was shut down for an undisclosed period by a September storm that dumped historic amounts of rain in the area. Meanwhile, several production lines at its largest bakery in Rossville, Tenn., are closed indefinitely for repairs, company spokeswoman Kris Charles said in an e-mail.

It will take until the middle of 2010 before shelves around the country are stocked at pre-shutdown levels, Charles said.

Already customers are noticing near-empty Eggo shelves on the freezer aisle at many grocery stores.

Stay-at-home mom Joey Resciniti says she bought one of the last two boxes of Eggos at a Walmart in Cranberry Township, Pa., on Monday. The frozen waffles are a favorite of her 4-year-old daughter, Julia.

"We have eight of them, and if we ration those — maybe have half an Eggo in one sitting — then it'll last longer," said Resciniti, who blogs about being a mother. "I told my husband that maybe I need to put them on eBay."

Charles didn't know how long the Atlanta plant was shut down, but said that it's back at full production now.

The existing stock of Eggos will be distributed nationally based on stores' sales histories of the waffles, Charles said.

"We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible," she wrote in the e-mail.

Eggo first hit the shelves in 1960, and its cult following grew in the following years. Kellogg started using the famed slogan "Leggo my Eggo" in 1972. For years, the waffles have been a staple for busy moms and college students looking for a quick breakfast.

This week, news of the shortage spread quickly on Twitter as shoppers reported not being able to find the breakfast food. Fans of Eggos lamented their scarcity on the waffle's Facebook page, which has more than 400 members.

Eggos are also made at plants in San Jose, Calif., and Blue Anchor, N.J.

Nothing with taxes is ever simple, even when you're getting a tax break.

An estimated 15.4 million tax filers may be getting paid more of the Making Work Pay credit than they should, according to a report from a Treasury Department inspector general publicly released Monday.

And that means they either will get less of a refund than they expected, or will actually owe money to the IRS on their 2009 taxes.

The taxpayers most vulnerable are those in two-earner couples; those who have dependents who earn wages; single or married filers who have more than one job at the same time; and filers who get pension payments or have a job and receive Social Security benefits.

The Making Work Pay credit, created as part of the stimulus legislation enacted in February, is equal to 6.2% of earnings up to $400 per person (or up to $800 per couples who file jointly). The full credit is paid to people making $75,000 or less ($150,000 per couple per household). A partial credit would be paid to those making above those amounts but no more than $95,000 ($190,000 for couples per household).
Bailout Tracker: Understand the rescues

For most who qualify, the 2009 credit is being paid in advance incrementally through their paychecks. And it's been automatic - meaning employers, based on what they know of a worker's income and using IRS withholding tables, automatically reduce the amount of taxes withheld from a worker's paycheck.

But an employer doesn't know the income of the worker's spouse or whether the worker is claiming a dependent who also is earning money, or whether the worker has income from other jobs.

So, for instance, two spouses might be receiving the full credit at their jobs when their joint income only qualifies them for a partial credit or none at all. Another scenario: A single person with more than one job might be receiving the full credit at each of his jobs, when in fact he's only entitled to $400 total.

You get the picture.

Such taxpayers could have increased their withholding to account for the possibility that they might receive more of the credit than they should. Indeed, when the credit was first passed, the IRS put out statements and created a calculator to help taxpayers in such situations figure out how much tax they should have withheld. But that doesn't mean that everyone did.

Those who have had too little tax withheld this year will either face a reduced refund or owe money to the IRS.

"More than 1.2 million taxpayers included in these groups may be subject to: 1) paying back some or all of the Making Work Pay Credit and 2) being assessed the estimated tax penalty or an increased estimated tax penalty as a direct result of the Making Work Pay Credit," the inspector general's report said.

The good news is that the IRS is likely to waive penalties for filers who may have to pay an estimated tax penalty or who would see their estimated penalty increased as a result of the Making Work Pay credit, according to the report.

The inspector general's report also recommended that the IRS embark on an expanded effort to publicize this issue more and specifically target the message to those tax filers most likely to be affected.

Holiday shoppers are going green this year...paying for gifts with greenbacks, that is.

One in four consumers plan to pay with cash this holiday season, according to a new survey by the National Retail Federation. That's up 9.1% from a year ago.

That's not too surprising considering both credit card companies and consumers have reined in usage during the Great Recession.

Another 42.5% of holiday shoppers plan to use primarily debit or check cards, a 2.5% increase from last year, the survey found.

Credit card usage, meanwhile, is expected to fall by 10.1% to 28.3%.

"With many holiday shoppers focused on spending within their limits, it's no surprise that fewer people will be relying on credit cards this year," said Tracy Mullin, chief executive of the federation, a retailers' trade group.

Those age 55 and older were most likely to use credit cards and least likely to use cash, the survey found. Those age 18 to 24, meanwhile, were most likely to buy with cash and least likely to whip out their credit cards.
Less credit

Federal Reserve statistics show that revolving credit, which includes credit card debt, tumbled $9.9 billion to $898.9 billion in September from the previous month. That's a 10% decrease from the previous year.

The pullback derives from both card companies reducing customer's credit lines and from customers seeking to shed their debt amid the weak economy.

Credit usage will remain week until unemployment starts to fall, economists say. The unemployment rate last month hit a 26-year high of 10.2%

Plastic chemicals 'feminise boys'

Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys, making them "more feminine", say US researchers.

Males exposed to high doses in the womb went on to be less likely to play with boys' toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games, they found.

The University of Rochester team's latest work adds to concerns about the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower curtains.

The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology.

Plastic furniture

Phthalates have the ability to disrupt hormones, and have been banned in toys in the EU for some years.

However, they are still widely used in many different household items, including plastic furniture and packaging.

There are many different types and some mimic the female hormone oestrogen.

The same researchers have already shown that this can mean boys are born with genital abnormalities.

Now they say certain phthalates also impact on the developing brain, by knocking out the action of the male hormone testosterone.

Dr Shanna Swan and her team tested urine samples from mothers over midway through pregnancy for traces of phthalates.

The women, who gave birth to 74 boys and 71 girls, were followed up when their children were aged four to seven and asked about the toys the youngsters played with and the games they enjoyed.

Girls' play

They found that two phthalates DEHP and DBP can affect play behaviour.

Boys exposed to high levels of these in the womb were less likely than other boys to play with cars, trains and guns or engage in "rougher" games like playfighting.

Elizabeth Salter-Green, director of the chemicals campaign group CHEM Trust, said the results were worrying.

"We now know that phthalates, to which we are all constantly exposed, are extremely worrying from a health perspective, leading to disruption of male reproduction health and, it appears, male behaviour too.

"This feminising capacity of phthalates makes them true 'gender benders'."

She acknowledged that the boys who have been studied were still young, but she said reduced masculine play at this age might lead to other feminised developments in later life.

But Tim Edgar, of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates, said: "We need to get some scientific experts to look at this study in more detail before we can make a proper judgement."

He said there were many different phthalates in use and the study concerned two of the less commonly used types that were on the EU candidate list as potentially hazardous and needing authorisation for use.

DBP has been banned from use in cosmetics, such as nail varnish, since 2005 in the EU.

The British Plastics Federation said: "Chemical safety is of paramount importance to the plastics industry which has invested heavily in researching the substances it uses.

"Moreover, the new European Chemical Regulation, REACH, will ensure further rigorous evaluation and testing or chemical substances and their uses."

ancouver police won’t rule out using a new crowd-control device as a weapon capable of emitting loud, painful blasts of sound that are potentially damaging to hearing.

But police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton insisted Tuesday that the Long Range Acoustical Device was bought principally to replace “antiquated hand-held megaphones” as a tool to communicate in emergencies and for crowd control.

“We’re seeing it as a loudspeaker,” Houghton said. “We’d be remiss if we did not have a device that could safely communicate to people.”

Asked whether police would ever use it for anything more than communication, Houghton said, “We can’t rule out anything.”

The device can emit a blast of directional sound measuring an estimated 150 decibels at one metre away and 90 decibels at 300 metres.

Sounds that exceed 140 decibels are considered painful to humans.

Houghton also insisted that while the device will be available during the 2010 Winter Games, it was not bought specifically for that reason. Rather, the VPD plans to use it to get information out to large crowds, such as during the summer fireworks or in an emergency such as an earthquake.

But the B.C. Civil Liberties questioned why the device, which it said can be used as a “sonic weapon,” was bought without any public consultation.

“It is not just a big megaphone. If they are not ruling out the sonic-gun aspect then we are going down a slippery slope and that’s a problem,” BCCLA president Robert Holmes said.

“The public is entitled to know what kind of tools our law enforcement officers are going to use,” Holmes said.

The acoustical devices are “more appropriate to a repressive society. Look at the customers for them: Honduras, Iraq, Jordan and China.

“What do we have here? A tool the Chinese government has ordered and used on their people, and we have a secretive purchase in Vancouver.”

Holmes questioned why the $17,000 device, which was bought second-hand, was given the go-ahead by Mayor Gregor Robertson and city council without any public process.

“We should be looking at the people who okayed this,” he said. “It’s public money being spend on this after all.”

"The purchase of equipment like an MRAD is an operational decision by the VPD; it doesn't come before the Police Board or City Council. I've spoken with the Chief and he has made it very clear that the MRAD is only to be used as a public address system and not as some sort of weapon. However, I understand that people may have concerns, and I intend to clarify the department's policy around use of the MRAD at the next Police Board meeting, so that we have clear public guidelines in place," said Robertson.

Holmes noted that no protocols or policies are in place about how and when police can use the device.

Houghton said no special training is needed because the device is not complicated and involves just plugging in a microphone and pushing a button.

“Any suggestion of it being used as a weapon or sonic gun is ridiculous,” Houghton said.

He thanked the BCCLA for helping bring the purchase to the public’s attention, but added that some people “wish to cause fear” when it is simply being used as a public address system.

“There’s been talk about the pulsating noise,” he said. “Our sirens on our police cars emit a pulsating noise.”

Asked if police would ever rule out using the noise to control crowds, responded, “This device could be used if the situation arose. ... We can’t rule out anything.”

He said the 500 Model device was manufactured by American Technologies Corp., and bought second-hand in October.

The manufacturer’s website says 500 Model is lightweight and “can be easily transported to provide military and security personnel long-range communications and a highly effective hailing and warning capability.” It says verbal commands can be “followed with powerful deterrent tones to enhance response capabilities.”

A demonstration model was tested by the police marine squad in July and August during the Festival of Lights in English Bay.

“On the water, “These small battery-operated, hand-held megaphones were inadequate,” Houghton said. “Those megaphones don’t work. This works.

“We could put in a recorded message and play that over and over to get our message out. We no longer have to stand in front of a microphone until we can’t speak any more.”

Houghton said the police are willing to consult the Workers’ Compensation Board to find an effective and safe volume level for the device.

The device was designed for the American military and first used publicly in North America in September as police in Pittsburgh tried to control anti-G20 demonstrators.

The device, which weighs about 40 kilograms, can be mounted on of a vehicle, helicopter or boat. It has reportedly been used in ship defence systems to repel pirates, by the U.S. military to drive away insurgents in Iraq and by Japanese whaling ships to discourage protesters.

The race for world's crummiest currency
Last Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009 | 8:37 AM ET
By Don Pittis, CBC News
Don Pittis has reported on business for Radio Hong Kong, the BBC and the CBC. Don Pittis has reported on business for Radio Hong Kong, the BBC and the CBC.

Picture Barack Obama and Stephen Harper in a room with other world leaders, arguing over the strength of their respective currencies.

"My currency is crummier than yours," says Obama.

"Are you kidding?" says Russia, "The ruble is much worse."

"The ruble?" says Brazil, "Are you crazy? It's the Brazilian real that is really terrible. It should be much lower."

"Can you believe it? Ours is called a 'loonie,'" interrupts Harper. "Who would want to buy a currency called a loonie?"

It sounds like a bizarre joke, but that is exactly what world leaders - or their central bank governors - are doing. It is a race for the bottom, and they all want to have the worst currency.

Here at home we call it "talking down the dollar," and our own Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of Canada, is a prize-winner. With the Canadian dollar creeping toward parity with the U.S. dollar in late October, Mark Carney stepped up to the mike. His warning about the implications for the economy was severe.

It worked.

After the governor's remarks, the Canadian dollar plunged to 92 U.S. cents and change (although it has been creeping up since).

It is strange for people who think of the money they spend as something real and hard, but the value of that cash you carry in your pockets or hoard in your bank accounts is a very flighty thing indeed. Every day, an army of paid speculators at banks all over the world do nothing but buy and sell money. The polite term is "currency trader," but paid speculator is more accurate.

The job of this mob is to guess which currency is going to rise, and buy it before it rises. But in the weird world of markets, buying something because you think it is going to rise actually makes it rise. Selling it makes the price go down.
All the others want it, too

So if Mark Carney is convincing enough when he says the Canadian dollar is overvalued and that a high dollar will knock the stuffing out of the Canadian economy, driving the dollar down, the currency traders will listen and say, "Wow, that that was tough. That is going to drive the Canadian dollar lower." And so the currency traders will rush to sell Canadian dollars before they fall, driving the Canadian dollar down.

Nice trick, Mark.

But here is the problem. In the current climate, all the other countries want a lower currency too. It is obvious to some, but there's no harm in quick explanation.

A lot of economists insist that having a low and falling currency is good for a country's economic health - at least in the short term. That's because, if most things inside your country - from a day's work to a dozen eggs - are priced in your own currency, having a lower currency makes your products cheaper in countries with higher currencies.

The classic example is China. It has done more than talk, however. The country actually intervenes in world currency markets in a big way, going out and buying dollars and euros, and selling its own currency, called the renminbi or yuan. By keeping its currency cheap, the price of China's goods is even more affordable in richer countries.

A lot of governments do that. It is one kind of protectionism. If you have the economic clout, it is stabilizing in unstable times. I remember during my years as an economics reporter in Hong Kong, through thick and thin, the HK dollar traded at 7.8 to the U.S. dollar. That's unnatural. China uses the same system.
Same argument used in Canada

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported on its front page that countries such as Thailand, Korea and Russia have been buying U.S. dollars hand-over-fist to keep the dollar up and their currencies down. They are terrified that their goods will become so expensive no one in other countries will want to buy them. They also fear their citizens will spend all their money on cheap foreign imports, further disrupting their struggling domestic economies.

It was the same argument used by those who believe the Bank of Canada should play that game too. CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld was one who advised Mark Carney to move beyond talking and intervene, selling loonies to drive the Canadian dollar down.

But wait, guys, wait! We can't all have a falling currency. It just doesn't work. If one currency falls, other currencies have to go up.

Just before the latest Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit, China's central bank hinted it would gradually let the renminbi rise. But no one believes their powerful currency trading body is going to permit a sharp and sudden increase.

The U.S. has little interest in having its dollar rise. As well as stimulating exports, a falling dollar reduces the value of the country's huge debt.

Australia and Norway have decided a strong currency is better than runaway inflation, biting the bullet and raising interest rates. The world's central banks, however, can't all hold Australian dollars and Norwegian krone.

Everyone knows the competition for the bottom is no solution. There is some danger it could lead to chaos. It has certainly contributed to the rise in the price of gold. There is also a danger it could lead to a trade war.

I think everyone should go to their browser and search the term "Bretton Woods." We need a new one of those agreements.

Dollhouse is done. We knew this was coming—Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon recently posted on fansite Whedonesque.com that the writers were "not exactly saving all the good stuff for 14-22," but still. 'Tis sad.

Insiders confirm to us that Fox has officially closed the book on the Friday-night sci-fi series. (Series producer and Joss Whedon sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen, who also guest stars in an upcoming episode as an active named Kilo, tweeted confirmation as well, saying, "Yes. Cancelled. Sad but true.")

We're hearing that episode 13 serves as a season finale "in a significant way and gives Joss enough time to wrap up the stories."

The show is currently on hiatus for November sweeps (seeing as how its negligible ratings would more than likely drag down Fox's average), but is set to return beginning Dec. 4 with double-booked Fridays.

So is there any chance the series could go to another network?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says a global tax on financial transactions should be considered to fund future bank bailouts.

In a speech Saturday to the Group of 20 finance ministers meeting in St. Andrews, Scotland, Brown said the tax could raise the level of accountability in the financial sector.

'It cannot be acceptable that the benefits of success in [the banking] sector are reaped by the few, but the costs of its failure are borne by all of us.'—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

"I believe we should discuss whether we need a better economic and social contract to reflect the global responsibilities of financial institutions to society," Brown told the G20 ministers.

"It cannot be acceptable that the benefits of success in this sector are reaped by the few but the costs of its failure are borne by all of us," he said.

Brown said a tax on financial transactions would need to be implemented globally.

"Let me be clear: Britain will not move unless others move with us together," he said of the levy, modelled after the so-called Tobin tax proposed by American economist James Tobin in the early 1970s as a way of curbing speculation on financial markets.

Following the talks, G20 finance officials issued a statement in which they pledged to maintain emergency support for their economies until global recovery is assured.

The statement said economic and financial conditions have improved, but it stressed that recovery is "uneven and remains dependent on policy support." High unemployment remains a major concern, the ministers said.

FORT HOOD, Texas – An Army officer opened fire Thursday with two handguns at the Fort Hood military base in an attack that left 12 people dead and 31 wounded. Authorities killed the gunman and apprehended two other soldiers in what appears to be the worst mass shooting at a U.S. military base.

There was no immediate word on a motive. The shooting began around 1:30 p.m., said Lt. Gen. Bob Cone at Fort Hood. He said all the casualties took place at the base's Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening.

"It's a terrible tragedy. It's stunning," Cone said.

A law enforcement official identified the shooting suspect as Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan. The official said Hasan, believed to be in his late 30s, was killed after opening fire at the base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

A defense official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hasan was a mental health professional — an Army psychologist or psychiatrist. Officials say it was not clear what Hasan's religion was, but investigators are trying to determine if Hasan was his birth name or if he may have changed his name and converted to Islam at some point.

A graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was going on nearby at the time of the shooting, said Sgt. Rebekah Lampam, a Fort Hood spokeswoman.

Greg Schanepp, U.S. Rep. John Carter's regional director in Texas, was representing Carter at the graduation, said John Stone, a spokesman for Carter, whose district includes the Army post.

Schanepp was at the ceremony when a soldier who had been shot in the back came running toward him and alerted him of the shooting, Stone said. The soldier told Schanepp not to go in the direction of the shooter, he said.

The base was locked down after the shootings. The wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas, Cone said. Nine were taken to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple. A hospital spokeswoman says all had been shot and are adults. A Fort Hood spokesman said he could not immediately confirm any identities of the injured.

Lisa Pfund of Random Lake, Wis., says her daughter, 19-year-old Amber Bahr, was shot in the stomach but was in stable condition. "We know nothing, just that she was shot in the belly," Pfund told The Associated Press. She couldn't provide more details and only spoke with emergency personnel.

"I ask that all of you keep these families and these individuals in your prayers today," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said.

The shootings on the Texas military base stirred memories of other recent mass shootings in the United States, including 13 dead at a New York immigrant center in March, 10 killed during a gunman's rampage across Alabama in March and 32 killed in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Around the country, some bases stepped up security precautions, but no others were locked down.

"The bottom line for us is that we are increasing security at our gates because the threat hasn't yet been defined, and we're reminding our Marines to be vigilant in their areas of responsibility," said Capt. Rob Dolan, public affairs officer for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz.

In Washington, President Barack Obama called the shooting "a horrific outburst of violence." He said it's a tragedy to lose a soldier overseas and even more horrifying when they come under fire at an Army base on American soil.

"We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident," the commander in chief said. "We are going to stay on this."

Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.

About a mile from Fort Hood's east gate, Cynthia Thomas, director of Under the Hood Cafe, a coffee house and outreach center, was calling soldiers and friends on the post to make sure they're OK.

"It's chaotic," Thomas said, as a SWAT team just drove by. "The phones are jammed. Everybody is calling family members and friends. Soldiers are running around with M-16s."

Fort Hood officially opened on Sept. 18, 1942, and was named in honor of Gen. John Bell Hood. It has been continuously used for armored training and is charged with maintaining readiness for combat missions.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The bankrupt company that owns the rights to the "Terminator" movie franchise is preparing to auction the rights next year and is already seeing strong interest, an advisor to the company said on Tuesday.

Halcyon Holding Group acquired the rights to the Terminator franchise in 2007 for about $25 million. The rights include revenue from future films, games, DVDs and television for the series, but the company has no or limited rights to revenue from the first three films.

Halcyon, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, is a production company that produced the latest movie about the iconic robot from the future, "Terminator Salvation".

It is looking to conduct a sale of its assets in January, according to Kevin Schultz, senior managing director at FTI Capital Advisors, who is helping the company explore its strategic alternatives.

The company is looking for a potential "stalking horse" buyer to serve as the lead bidder in the bankruptcy auction in January, Schultz said.

"We've had pretty good interest from a lot of investment funds, and all the big studios," he said.

"It's a real brand in an area where Hollywood is very keen to buy brands that have longevity."

The company could also select a bidder who would help it reorganize or recapitalize so it can emerge from bankruptcy as a standalone company if that offers a better return to creditors, Schultz said.

The company had been in the process of developing a fifth "Terminator" film after Terminator Salvation took in about $371 million in worldwide box office returns earlier this year.

Nickelodeon paid $60 million for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise last month. The Terminator franchise is seen as appealing to wider demographics with more purchasing power and higher grossing films, Schultz said.

The assets would be expected to be sold free and clear of liens, which is typical in bankruptcy sales and could also raise the price, Schultz said.

The case is In re: Halcyon Holding Group LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, No. 09-31854.

(Reporting by Emily Chasan and Chelsea Emery)

BBC NEWS
Bear kills militants in Kashmir
By Altaf Hussain
BBC News, Srinagar

A bear killed two militants after discovering them in its den in Indian-administered Kashmir, police say.

Two other militants escaped, one of them badly wounded, after the attack in Kulgam district, south of Srinagar.

The militants had assault rifles but were taken by surprise - police found the remains of pudding they had made to eat when the bear attacked.

It is thought to be the first such incident since Muslim separatists took up arms against Indian rule in 1989.

Bodies found

The militants had made their hideout in a cave which was actually the bear's den, said police officer Farooq Ahmed.

The dead have been identified as Mohammad Amin alias Qaiser, and Bashir Ahmed alias Saifullah.

News of the attack emerged when their injured comrade went to a nearby village for treatment.

"Word spread in the village that Qaiser had been killed by the bear," another police officer said.

A joint party of the police and army personnel went into the forest and collected the bodies of the two militants.

Police say they also recovered two Kalashnikov assault rifles and some ammunition from the hideout.

Animal attacks

Wildlife experts say the conflict in Kashmir has actually resulted in an increase in the population of bears and leopards.

Following the outbreak of the insurgency people had to hand in their weapons to police - which put a halt to poaching.

As a result, there has been a greater incidence of man-animal conflict, say experts.

There have been many reports of bears and leopards killing or mauling humans in different parts of the Kashmir valley in recent years.

Three years ago, residents of Mandora village near the southern town of Tral, beat a black bear to death which had strayed into the village.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi police said 147 people were killed and 540 wounded in twin car bombings that appeared to target government buildings in downtown Baghdad during rush hour.

The powerful blasts went off less than a minute apart Sunday in parking lots near the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and the Ministry of Justice building, in the bloodiest attack to hit Iraq in months.

There were so many wounded that even civilian cars were pressed into service to bring the casualties to area hospitals.

"I strongly condemn these outrageous attacks on the Iraqi people, and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones," said President Obama in a statement released Sunday.

"These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve. These attempts to derail Iraq's progress are no match for the courage and resilience of the Iraqi people, and their determination to build strong institutions."

Obama said the U.S. remains committed to stand with Iraqis and help them "build greater peace and opportunity."

Secretary Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences: "I want to personally express my heartfelt condolences to the victims of today's savage attacks in Baghdad and for the tragic loss of so many Iraqi lives. I strongly condemn the bombings at the Iraqi Ministry of Justice and the headquarters of the Baghdad Provincial Administration."

"These despicable terrorist attacks seek to undermine the impressive progress that Iraq has made towards stability and self-reliance. They will not succeed. They will not deter Iraqis from administering justice based on the rule of law and carrying out their legitimate responsibilities in governing Baghdad," said Clinton.

In a joint statement released Sunday, Ambassadors Christoper Hill and General Ray Odierno condemned the Baghdad bombings.

"These despicable terrorist attacks serve no legitimate purpose. They will not deter Iraqis from administering justice based on the rule of law and carrying out their legitimate responsibilities in governing Baghdad. At this crucial time leading up to national elections, we call upon all Iraqis to work together to combat all forms of violence and attempts at intimidation," the ambassadors said.

They promised to work with the Iraqi government to make sure that those responsible for the bombings are "pursed and brought to justice in accordance with Iraqi law."

"We will continue to support the people and government of Iraq in fighting terrorism. We mourn the senseless loss of life and extend our condolences to the victims' families, friends, and community."

While violence has dropped dramatically in the country since the height of the sectarian tensions, such bombings like Sunday's demonstrate the precarious nature of the security gains and the insurgency's abilities to still pull off devastating attacks in the heart of what is supposed to be one of Baghdad's most secure areas.

In August, coordinated blasts against two ministries killed more than 100 people.

Sunday's explosions went off less than a minute apart near two prominent government institutions — the Ministry of Justice and the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration — in a neighborhood that houses a number of government institutions such as the Ministry of Labor.

The area is just a few hundred yards from the heavily protected Green Zone that houses the U.S. Embassy as well as the offices of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

An official with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said two American security contractors were injured in the blast, but could not provide details about who they worked for, including whether they were associated with the Embassy, or the nature of their injuries.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to release the information.

U.S. security contractors could be seen at the site of the explosions helping the wounded.

Iraqi police and Interior Ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, gave the death toll.

The explosions were caused by car bombs aimed at government institutions, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi, spokesman for the city's operations command center. He added that it was not known whether they were homicide attacks.

"They are targeting the government and the political process in the country," al-Mousawi told The Associated Press.

Yasmeen Afdhal, a 24-year-old employee at the Baghdad provincial administration, said that after the first blast, dozens of employees began fleeing the building.

"The walls collapsed and we had to run out," said Afdhal, who was not injured in the explosion. "There are many wounded, and I saw them being taken away. They were taking victims out of the rubble, and rushing them to ambulances."

Black smoke could be seen billowing from the area where the blasts occurred, as emergency service vehicles sped to the scene. Even civilian cars were being used to transport the wounded to hospitals, al-Mousawi said.

A Shiite member of the Baghdad Provincial Council, Mohammed al-Rubaiey, said at least 25 members of the provincial council staff were killed in the blasts and that the wounded were still being taken to the hospital.

"This is a political struggle, the price of which we are paying," he said. "Every politician is responsible and even the government is responsible, as well as security leaders."

The explosions were just a few hundred yards from Iraq's Foreign Ministry which is still rebuilding after massive bombings there in August killed about 100 people. The bombings were a devastating blow for a country that has seen a dramatic drop in violence since the height of the sectarian tensions in 2006 and 2007.

Such attacks near prominent government institutions come as Iraq is preparing for January elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.