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Adobe launches Acrobat X Pro, new cloud services

Adobe on Monday launched its much-anticipatedprogram, along with a pair of two new cloud-based subscription services to enable the creation and sharing of PDF documents.

offers users new features such as the Quick Tools customizable toolbar and the Action Wizard, which allows the automation of multi-step tasks that can then be applied to a single document or batches of files.

Acrobat X Pro also offers new customization options for PDF portfolios, allowing professional users to create and share custom layouts and themes for consistent branding. The program's printing options and preview tool have also been upgraded, and the company promises Acrobat will have tight integration with its services at

The cloud-based services areand . SendNow is a document exchange service available that lets users send, download, track, and manage documents; the service helps users avoid e-mail gateway issues, FTP servers, or the need to print documents and send them through the postal service.

CreatePDF enables online PDF creation from computers that aren't running Acrobat, using the browser to convert files created by Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and other supported programs. The services each cost $10 for a monthly subscription, although free trials are available.

Duncan sets Spurs' scoring mark in win over Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY – Tim Duncan set San Antonio's career scoring record, Tony Parker blocked out jeers from the crowd for 24 points, and the Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 94-82 on Friday night for their ninth straight victory.

Duncan needed 13 points to eclipse the mark set by David Robinson over 14 seasons (20,790), and finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds for yet another double-double.

The Spurs improved to 10-1 for the first time.

Utah, plagued by another slow start, rallied from a 15-point deficit to tie the game late in the third quarter. But unlike road wins against Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Charlotte, the Jazz (8-5) couldn't pull off another comeback.

The difference down the stretch was Duncan and Parker.

Parker, in his first road game since his actress wife Eva Longoria filed divorce papers to end their three-year Hollywood marriage, heard a smattering of boos whenever he scored, cheers when he missed and occasional shouts of "Eva!" as he brought the ball up the court. But as he has vowed, he wouldn't be distracted.

Neither was Duncan, in his 13th season and playing the way he has for so many years. He now has 20,797 points.

The Jazz, who were without coach Jerry Sloan as he attended to a death in the family, were within four points midway through the fourth quarter but would get no closer.

Parker scored four straight points and passed to Duncan for two more as San Antonio built its lead back to 10 with four minutes remaining.

Deron Williams led Utah with 23 points. Paul Millsap added 12, and Andrei Kirilenko and Al Jefferson had 10 apiece.

The Spurs again had all five starters score in double figures. Manu Ginobili added 15 points despite hitting just 1-of-7 3-pointers. DeJuan Blair had 15 and Richard Jefferson 11 points.

Q+A-Could world markets warm to a gold standard?

LONDON (Reuters) – The president of the World Bank has made a bold call on leading global economies to consider readopting a modified gold standard to guide currency movements, but the proposal has met with a wall of skepticism.

Writing in the Financial Times, Robert Zoellick called for a new system of floating currencies as a successor to the Bretton Woods fixed-exchange rate regime, which broke down in the early 1970s and involved measuring currency rates against gold.

Zoellick called for a system that "is likely to need to involve the dollar, the euro, the yen, the pound and (yuan) that moves toward internationalization and then an open capital account."

The gold price, which is trading near record highs just shy of $1,400 an ounce, has shown little reaction to Zoellick's idea, at least so far.

Following is a Q&A on the likelihood of such a development:

WHAT IS THE GOLD STANDARD?

The gold standard was effectively an exchange rate mechanism created in 1944 by the Bretton Woods agreement, ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1945. It involved setting par values for currencies in terms of gold and the obligation of member countries to convert foreign official holdings of their currencies into gold at those par values.

The system was set up to help rebuild the international economy as World War Two still raged. It required each country to adopt a monetary policy that maintained the exchange rate of its currency within a fixed value (plus or minus 1 percent in terms of gold).

This system remained in place until August 1971, when U.S. President Richard Nixon removed the dollar peg to gold, which had been fixed at $35 an ounce.

In its most basic form, the gold standard involves the issuance of coinage in gold.

A more sophisticated system involves paper currency that can be converted to preset, fixed quantities of gold.

Another gold standard allows for a specific amount of gold to be used as standard unit of account for settling terms of trade and so on.

HOW MIGHT A NEW GOLD STANDARD WORK?

Zoellick's comments were vague, but analysts say he may be pushing for a system in which the World Bank's own currency -- Special Drawing Rights or SDRs -- is changed to reflect the value of the dollar, euro, pound, yen and the yuan and somehow incorporate gold.

The suggestion does not set out, for example, how such a standard might work when monetary authorities need to make extraordinary provisions such as quantitative easing or sterilized currency intervention.

It also does not make clear how it would prevent monetary authorities from trading around or outside of any bands that might be set.

IS IT A REALISTIC PROPOSAL?

The initial response, given the size of the gold market alone, is no. Gold is a precious metal by virtue of its limited supply, and annual gold supply could not keep pace with any increase in money supply, especially if central banks make use of quantitative easing to flush their economies with cash.

"Unlike the World Bank, we do not believe that a form of the gold standard will return. Very simply, there is not enough gold supply in the world for the metal to perform in this role," says UBS precious metals strategist Edel Tully.

"As Paul Donavon, from UBS Global Economics points out, any reserve currency needs a supply that can grow as rapidly as global trade. Gold supply falls significantly short of this basic requirement."

WOULD THERE BE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR IT?

Zoellick's suggestion that gold be used as an international reference point of market expectations for price pressures and future currency values comes in the middle of a virtual international currency war.

The U.S. dollar has fallen broadly this year, having lost nearly 13 percent against a basket of major currencies in the past five months. That has triggered an outcry from many key emerging economies, which have seen the competitiveness of their exports dwindle as well as a pick-up in so-called "hot money" inflows from speculative investors.

The United States continues to exert pressure on China to allow its yuan currency to appreciate and wipe out some of the competitive edge of the world's biggest exporter, and members of the G20 have rejected placing limits on currency and trade surpluses as a means of rebalancing the global economy.

With a distinct lack of accord over how to correct the surpluses of the emerging world and the deficits of the developed one, the chances of a deal on adopting a gold standard, in any form, appear limited.

"It is conceivable for greater cooperation in the currency region, but gold may not necessarily be at the heart of any realignment of the currency system," says Daragh Maher, deputy head of global foreign exchange research at Credit Agricole CIB.

"More cooperation, such as a (U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy) Geithner-like approach, but not specific target levels (for current account imbalances) but something that would involve not tolerating imbalances domestically may be something to be considered," he says.

With the Federal Reserve set to pump over half a trillion dollars into the U.S. economy, the rise in money supply and subsequent rise in inflation would make it difficult to hold enough gold.

Hans Redeker, global head of foreign exchange strategy at BNP Paribas, says the supply of money would depend on the amount of gold one holds. So an increase in money supply would have nothing to do with economic circumstances.

"It's a step in the right direction, but it is not going to fly. People are desperately seeking ways to stem the wave of liquidity (from U.S. monetary easing), but bringing back the gold standard is not realistic," he says.

Redeker adds that throwing gold into the global currency mix would not help stem excess liquidity by the United States, which is fuelling inflation especially in China and emerging Asia.

(Additional reporting by Nick Trevethan in Singapore; Editing by Veronica Brown and Jane Baird)

Media Alert: Sunday 9:30 a.m. News from the American Heart Association

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2010 – CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

WHAT: љSUNDAY 9:30 AM CST NEWS ALERT from the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010, the premier cardiovascular instructional and research meeting in the world. More than 3,600 abstracts of original research will be presented and over 20,000 attendees are expected. The American Heart Association communications department provides a full program of news materials and news events to media. Note: all times listed are Central Standard Time.

WHERE: љMcCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Ill.

WHEN: љSaturday, Nov. 13 - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010

9:30 a.m. Sunday News from the American Heart Association:

News Conference: Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Updates: Heart Failure

Researchers presented findings and updates from clinical trials related to heart failure.

. (RAFT).News Releases:

ONLINE:

For more on this news and additional resources, visit the .For animation, audio, video and photos for Sessions news releases go to the newsroom link, then "," "" and "."To see Scientific Sessions news conferences streamed live or recorded previously, visit .ON SITE: News Media Center, North Building, Hall C, McCormick Place Convention Center. Hours of operation: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday; 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday - Tuesday; 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Wednesday.

TOMORROW'S NEWS CONFERENCE: Findings from Late Breaking Clinical Trials related to interventional cardiology will be presented at a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 a.m.

(Logo:)

(Logo:)

SOURCEAmerican Heart Association

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Conservatives hammer candidates over 'cap and trade'

FREDERICA, Del. — Conservative Republicans around the country are using cap and trade — a way to limit global-warming pollution — as a political weapon to attack GOP moderates as well as Democrats.

Anger at big government, and its possible expansion, is a favorite conservative theme, and arguing against cap and trade allows candidates to rail against regulation and taxes.

"It's a very big deal," said Brian Walsh , a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He cited Delaware , Pennsylvania , West Virginia and Kentucky as among the states where the issue could help Republican Senate candidates. Republican strategists for seats in the House of Representatives also consider cap and trade an important talking point in close races.

The heart of cap and trade legislation is to set a declining limit — or cap — on the amount of heat-trapping gases that large industries and energy companies could release into the atmosphere. Companies would buy permits for their emissions, and could sell permits they didn't need — the trade part.

Democratic legislation includes permit giveaways intended to ease companies into the system. Most money from the permit sales would be used to offset higher energy costs, and the proposal included programs to promote alternative fuels to coal, gas and oil.

The House narrowly passed the measure 14 months ago, but it's stalled in the Senate and is unlikely to pass.

The House bill passed with help from eight Republicans. Rep. Michael Castle , R- Del. , was one of them. Commentator Christine O'Donnell , who's challenged him for the Republican Senate nomination in next Tuesday's primary, is using that against him.

Some Delaware voters like what they hear from her about it.

"There is a general distrust of government. It stems from the health care debate. People feel that this has happened before; government is getting bigger," said Steve Rust , a Milford police officer who's running for the state House of Representatives .

Castle supporters counter that he's backing what he thinks is right, and that he's no liberal on most issues.

"I know cap and trade has fired some people up,'' Delaware Republican Party Chairman Tom Ross said, "but at the end of the day, Castle voted against health care and a lot of egregious bills Democrats wanted."

There's overwhelming agreement among climate scientists that observed climate changes — a steady rise in average temperatures worldwide over the past 40 years and an increase of carbon dioxide in the oceans — are largely the result of human activities, primarily the burning of coal, gas and oil.

However, many well-funded conservative institutes and their websites provide a forum for opponents who deny the role of greenhouse gases in climate change, dispute the evidence of warming and downplay the whole topic as "theory."

Cap and trade fuels conservative ire because it's emblematic of what conservatives say they dislike most: big government.

"There's just been so much socialism," said Sheila Hernesh , a Dover, Del. , artist. " General Motors isn't doing well; fine, we'll just take them over. Government is giving us a health care plan. This is not the America I remember."

Conservative candidates hear the message. In the weekly Republican national radio address on Aug. 28 , Marco Rubio , the Florida Republican U.S. Senate nominee, argued, "It's time, once and for all, to abandon ideas like cap and trade."

Conservatives also rail against what they consider cap and trade's implicit tax increases. The legislation wouldn't raise taxes per se, but it could lead to higher energy costs, and Republican leaders thus call it an energy tax.

"This is a huge issue because it's going to raise people's taxes," said Cyndi Diercks , the coordinator of the Quad Cities Tea Party , which is active in Iowa and Illinois .

Republican candidates have hopped on that bandwagon, too.

"Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to impose a massive energy tax on all of us through a cap and trade bill," asserts Pat Toomey , the Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate nominee.

In Kentucky , the issue is being widely discussed in the U.S. Senate race. In the western part of the state, there's worry that cap and trade would drive up the cost of electricity produced from coal, hurting industry. In the eastern sector, many are concerned about the legislation's impact on mining. Republican Rand Paul and Democrat Jack Conway are against cap and trade, and Paul is seen as more coal-friendly.

Polls suggest that the issue's impact is limited. A Pew Research/National Journal survey June 10-13 asked people what was a more important priority, keeping energy prices low or protecting the environment. By 56 to 37 percent, a majority chose protecting the environment. A Gallup poll Aug. 27-30 found the environment a distant ninth on the list of issues that people say are extremely important to their voting decisions this year.

The issue plays differently around the country, said Darrell West , the vice president and director of governance studies at Washington's Brookings Institution , a center-left policy research organization. It's strong in conservative areas and in coal-producing states, he said.

"Tea party people are skeptical of the establishment in general, and that includes the scientific establishment," he said. "They think that if the establishment is unified in favor of something, that makes it wrong."

Cap and trade has muscled its way into some spotlights because conservatives use it to illustrate some of their favorite talking points.

A conservative voter guide in Texas before that state's primary March 2 listed opposition to the science of climate change and government regulation of greenhouse gases as "values" that candidates either had or didn't have.

In Erie County, Ohio , the local tea party group sent a questionnaire to candidates in late August, asking whether they agreed or disagreed with 15 issues. Issue No. 2 was:

"The regulation of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere should be left to God and not government and I oppose all measures of cap and trade as well as the teaching of global warming theory in our schools."

Jon Morrow , who sent the questionnaire, said that only one candidate responded. "I guess politicians do not want to answer tough questions?" he said in an e-mail message.

Democrats see the Republican emphasis on cap and trade as little more than a way of avoiding tougher issues.

"Jobs and the economy is the number one issue to middle-class families. That's what Democrats are talking about, and any Republican who tries to change the subject is simply trying to run away from their record of hypocrisy," said Deirdre Murphy , a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokeswoman.

( Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader contributed to this article from Lexington, Ky. )

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