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October housing starts are lowest in 1-1/2 years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Starts on new homes in the United States slumped to the lowest in 1-1/2 years in October, mainly due to sharply reduced building of multi-unit homes, according to a government report on Wednesday that underlined the strains facing the sector.

The Commerce Department said overall construction starts plummeted 11.7 percent to a 519,000 annual rate from a downwardly revised 588,000 in September.

It was the weakest starts rate since 477,000 in April 2009 when the economy was still coping with the severe impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Economists surveyed by Reuters had anticipated a starts rate in October of 600,000 -- far higher than the actual outcome.

Permit applications for new building edged up to 550,000 last month from an upwardly revised 547,000 in September, potentially a sign that builders hope for better times ahead.

The drop in October starts was concentrated in multi-unit buildings. Single-family home starts were down 1.1 percent from September to 436,000 but multi-unit construction starts plunged 43.5 percent to 83,000.

There was one hopeful sign in the starts numbers, as inventories of completed but unsold homes fell to a record low 79,500, suggesting the drag from an overhang of unsold homes might be lightening.

Analysts had blamed a backlog of unsold new homes, coupled with turmoil in markets for existing homes where falling prices and a rising tide of bank foreclosures, for creating uneasiness that casts a pall over future prospects.

A survey on Tuesday showed that optimism about the future among home builders rose slightly for a second straight month during November, but remains at historically low levels. The National Association of Home Builders said its members still were having trouble getting the bank credit they need to start projects and said that was "a roadblock to recovery" in much of the country.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

iNACOL Hosts 2010 Virtual School Symposium in Glendale, AZ

GLENDALE, Ariz., Nov. 15, 2010 – GLENDALE, Ariz., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) is holding its annual conference, the Virtual School Symposium (VSS) on November 14 - 16, 2010 at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa. The theme is Online and Blended Learning: The Future of Education.

The VSS is the largest event in K-12 online learning ^aEUR" bringing more than 1,800 online learning experts and educators from every state and from around the globe to Arizona. K-12 online learning is an important innovation that is growing rapidly across the United States at 30% annually and there were an estimated 1,500,000 enrollments in K-12 online courses in 2009.

At the VSS, experts in K-12 virtual education have robust networking opportunities; learn about the latest trends, challenges and opportunities in e-learning; interact in session presentations; and gain access to the latest research and best practices reports.

Monday, Nov. 15th, there will be opening remarks by Susan Patrick, followed by a panel where students involved in online and blended programs will provide the their unique perspectives. The morning keynote address will be by Tommy Bice, Deputy State Superintendent of Education, Alabama Department of Education, titled, "Challenging Our Expectations: Creating a 21st Century Learning Environment."

A luncheon keynote panel facilitated by John Watson, Founder of Evergreen Education Group, and Michael Horn, Executive Director of Innosight Institute, will take place on Monday, Nov. 15th. There will be a book signing of the Expanded Edition of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns immediately following the luncheon.

Tuesday morning, Nov. 16th, a keynote panel titled "National Perspective: Innovation, Reform and the Online Learning Imperative" moderated by Tom Vander Ark, partner in Revolution Learning, will feature James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, and Governor Bob Wise, Alliance for Excellent Education and co-chair of the Digital Learning Council.

According to Susan Patrick, President and CEO of the iNACOL, "Blended learning is the future of education, allowing each student to have personalized learning experiences, competency-based pathways based on mastery of rigorous learning objectives and perform at the highest levels or take more time and keep pace. The use of online learning to work at their own pace within next generation learning contexts is going to revolutionize education in the years to come - and the innovations are happening quickly to help more students become college and career-ready."

Onsite VSS registration is closed, as the conference is sold out. However, press with valid credentials are welcome to attend free of charge.

For the complete agenda and more information, the conference website is located at .

About iNACOL

iNACOL is the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership association based in the Washington, DC area with more than 3,700 members. iNACOL is unique in that its members represent a diverse cross-section of K-12 education from school districts, charter schools, state education agencies, non-profit organizations, colleges, universities and research institutions, corporate entities and other content and technology providers (). iNACOL's mission is to ensure all students have access to world-class education and quality online learning opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success.

SOURCEInternational Association for K-12 Online Learning

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Juniper to buy Trapeze, steps up fight versus Cisco

*NEW YORK (Reuters) – Network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N) plans to buy Trapeze Networks, a wireless technology unit of Belden Inc (BDC.N), for about $152 million, stepping up its fight against bigger rival Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O).

The all-cash deal is aimed at expanding Juniper's expertise in wireless networking and boosting its position among business clients, the companies said on Tuesday. They expect the deal to close in the fourth quarter.

Trapeze specializes in wireless local area network. or WLAN, systems, which help users connect to the Internet from various wireless devices.

Juniper competes against Cisco in selling networking equipment to corporations. Its other rivals are also consolidating in an effort to offer clients broader product portfolios.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Eminem, Rihanna and Chelsea Handler kick off VMAs

Eminem and Rihanna's dark "Love the Way You Lie" kicked off Sunday's MTV Video Music Award show in Los Angeles as host Chelsea Handler skewered Kanye West and Lady Gaga won the first televised award of the evening

Handler made her grand opening by descending from the ceiling in a Gaga-like, over-the-top dress with a model house on her head.

Later, Gaga got teary-eyed as she won the ceremony's first award — best female video. It was her third win of the evening following two pre-show awards. She had a record 13 nominations going into the show.

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Online:

Afghans defy Taliban threats to vote

KABUL (AFP) – "I want to show that I am not afraid of the Taliban," declared Mohammad Zaman as he cast his ballot in a southern suburb of the Afghan capital.

The 50-year-old was first in line to vote in Kart-e-Naw as Afghans queued to take part in the nation's parliamentary election, defying threats by the hardline Islamist rebels to wage attacks on polling day.

"I am voting because I want to show that the Taliban threat won't stop us participating in the election," he said.

Police were carrying out body searches at checkpoints across Kabul following a rocket attack on NATO headquarters in the capital and some other areas of the war-wracked country.

A massive security operation is in place for the vote, with more than 2,500 candidates vying for the 249 seats up for grabs in the second parliamentary election since the Taliban was toppled in the 2001 US-led invasion.

In Ghazni city, capital of the province of the same name south of Kabul, NATO helicopters patrolled the skies, an AFP reporter said.

Voting centres opened on time but few people ventured out within the first hour of polling, the reporter said.

Afghan authorities have said that 63,000 soldiers and 52,000 police had been deployed to protect the election after the Taliban threatened to attack polling centres, election workers and security forces.

NATO, which along with the United States has a force of 144,000 troops fighting the Taliban, has said it would be on standby in case of emergencies.

In Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province where Taliban influence has been intensifying in recent months, voters came out early to some centres.

Turnout began as a slow trickle after police said six rockets were fired on the city, though there was no report of damage or casualties.

An AFP reporter in Jalalabad said checkpoints had been set up at regular intervals on the city's roads, with police stopping vehicles to perform body searches.

Those who did come to vote early said lawlessness and corruption were the main issues that concerned them.

"I want corruption to be rooted out," said Fairoz Khan, 67, referring to the rampant graft that taints virtually every aspect of Afghan public life.

"I am here to use my vote in the hope that it will help build rule of law and the better implementation of law. It's a sense of national responsibility which brings me here to vote."

Kunduz, in the north, was the scene of an operation against militants led by coalition troops, provincial governor Mohammad Omar said.

"They killed five militants, two were wounded and one was arrested alive," he said.

Insurgents also attacked a polling centre on Friday 10 kilometres (six miles) from the city centre, although they were repelled by Afghan police and soldiers with no casualties, he said.

Few people were seen at polling centres in Kunduz city, the provincial capital, following the firing of "a few rockets over the city" before dawn, deputy provincial police chief Abdul Rehman Aqtash.

In the south, all roads into and throughout Kandahar city -- one of the most volatile in the country and the spiritual capital of the Taliban movement -- were closed to traffic, residents said.

An AFP reporter said few people had ventured out to vote by 8:00 am.

"All voting centres opened as planned at seven in the morning," said Abdul Hadi, the head of the Independent Election Commission in Kandahar.