Occupy Wall Street’s Media Team

Among the tarps, pizza boxes, and people tightly squeezed into Zuccotti Park, there are subtly segmented sections. There’s the art area, towards the back of the park, overflowing with posters. A buffet style food assortment resides near the center, kitty-corner to the sleeping area, where mattresses and sleeping bags lie, some vacant, some not.

Behind the sign marked “info” sat computers, cameras, generators, wireless routers, and lots of electrical cords. This is the media center, where the protesters group and distribute their messages. Those who count themselves among the media team for Occupy Wall Street are self appointed; the same goes with all teams within this community. Full Story

They're quacking to be new Aflac duck

Tired of all the squawking about America's unemployment? Try out for a job as a corporate duck.

People are lining up in six major cities to audition Monday and Tuesday to be the next quacksperson for the insurance company Aflac.

The scene in Atlanta was like the duck itself: grating, conspicuous, and most of all loud.

"Let me hear a duck skydiving," said casting director Brian Beagle.

"Aflaaaaac!" cried Sandy Smith, 54, of Birmingham, Alabama, in her most terrified duck voice.

One by one, the hopefuls waddled through, putting their ducks in a row as much as one can for a job limited by one bird and his one word.  FULL STORY

Obama in India: Serious Business

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- As Asia's third largest economy and one of the world's fastest growing markets, India is placed high on Obama's goal list to build what he calls a "defining" partnership.

On his first day in Mumbai, Obama is scheduled to attend a business summit focusing on the economic ties between the two nations.

India has emerged as a thriving market for U.S. exports. Goods exports from the United States have quadrupled to about $17 billion over the last seven years and service exports tripled to about $10 billion annually, officials say.

The U.S. India Business Council, sponsor of the business summit that Obama will attend, released a report, "Partners in Prosperity," which delineates five areas of closer economic and strategic cooperation: Defense sales, agriculture, education, infrastructure development and steps toward a free trade agreement between the two nations.

FULL STORY

Pontiac Falls From Muscle Car Glory to Graveyard

DETROIT — Pontiac, the brand that invented the muscle car under its flamboyant engineer John Z. DeLorean, helped Burt Reynolds elude Sheriff Justice in “Smokey and the Bandit” and taught baby boomers to salivate over horsepower, but produced mostly forgettable cars for their children, will endure a lonely death on Sunday after about 40 million in sales.

It was 84 years old. The cause of death was in dispute. Fans said Pontiac’s wounds were self-inflicted, whileGeneral Motors blamed a terminal illness contracted during last year’s bankruptcy. Pontiac built its last car nearly a year ago, but the official end was set for Oct. 31, when G.M.’s agreements with Pontiac dealers expire.

“They were C.P.R.-ing a corpse for a long time,” said Larry Kummer, a retired graphic artist who has owned more than two dozen Pontiacs and runs the Web site PontiacRegistry.com. 

The G.M. brand that was advertised for “driving excitement,” Pontiac brought Americans the Bonneville, GTO, Firebird and other venerable nameplates. FULL STORY