Thursday, December 29, 2011

'Arachnoquake' movie will unleash albino spiders

Former "Growing Pains" star Tracey Gold is the latest '80s icon to sign on for an impossibly silly Syfy drama: "Arachnoquake," which somehow doesn't have an exclamation point in the title, will find her battling giant albino spiders unleased by earthquakes.

Also appearing in the TV movie are Bug Hall ("The Little Rascals"), Ethan Phillips (" Star Trek: Voyager" ) and Edward Furlong, who is somehow listed only fourth in Syfy's news release despite starring in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

A production of Active Entertainment, "Arachnoquake" is directed by Griff Furst, who also directed "Swamp Shark," which had us at "swamp" and then sealed the deal with "shark." It was one of the highest-rated Syfy Saturday Original Movies of 2011.

Story: Did TV hosts really eat fried human buttock and belly?

"Arachnoquake" (seriously? No exclamation point?) airs next year.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45797359/ns/today-entertainment/

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

College grads are having trouble finding work

25-year old Holly Howard has had lots of jobs over the last few years.

Howard: ?other than Verizon ?worked with the elderly and the mentally disabled?working for this company called clean team just cleaning offices ? got to package up the stickers and ship them off to different parts of the US ? I worked at the PBS station ? I worked at a Laundromat for a while too.??

But none of them are the job she went to college for.?

Howard: ?Well I?ve always wanted to work on this show called The Office,?but now that Steve Carrell?s not on there anymore I don?t really want to do it anymore. I guess I just want to work in the entertainment industry.??

Howard graduated from Bowling Green University in 2009 with a bachelor?s degree in popular culture and a minor in psychology.?But instead of working in Hollywood, she?s moved in with her parents, saving money and looking for full-time work.?

Howard: ?This is the website obviously, and I guess just depending on what kind of search I want to do ? lately I?ve been looking for temporary??

Howard?s situation is pretty typical, says Kacee Ferrell Snyder. Snyder is assistant director of the career development at Bowling Green.?

Snyder: ?I?ve seen a fair amount of people that have worked in retail jobs or you know in Starbucks, not as a manager but sort of on the front lines doing customer service kind of things and it doesn?t ever surprise me because I know that that?s just a reality for a fair amount of people.??

Snyder works specifically with alumni who graduated three or more years ago. Her position is brand new. It?s a response to people who graduated three, or thirty years ago and find themselves looking for work. In fact, Snyder says universities around the country are adding offices to assist older alumni.?

Snyder: ?I think it?s starting to become more of a trend with the economy and stuff more schools are seeing a need for it.??

Snyder counsels a lot of frustrated young people. People who assumed they?d have no problem finding work, as long as they studied hard and got a degree.?

Snyder: ?I feel like we owe it to tell people ?going to college does not guarantee you a certain standard of life or a job or any of that kind of stuff.? You have to be realistic with people and we owe it to them to prepare themselves to do what they need to do to be successful when they finish.??

This past spring, a study from Rutgers University found that nearly half the college graduates from 2010 were still job searching a year later. The unemployment rate for people with a Bachelor?s degree or more has hit a 30-year high.?

John Weber with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services says that wasn?t always the case.?

Webber: ?Usually when you got a college degree most people found a job within 3-4 months and now it?s taking a little bit longer.??

Weber says the biggest challenge young job-seekers face isn?t that they can?t apply for unemployment benefits or have less social support than older job seekers. It?s their competition.?

Weber: ?They may be a higher educated individual but they?re in strict competition with those with lesser education but 10 or 15 years of work experience.??

That?s what Steve Ording found. He has a finance degree from Bowling Green.?

Ording: ?The entry-level positions are all of a sudden 3 ? 5 year experience demanded.??

Ording figured he?d have no problem landing a job right out of college. He dreamt of working in New York City, but it wasn?t long into his freshman year when things fell through.?

Ording: ?It just so happened to be 2007 at the height of the economy so I thought I was on my way to be a Wall Street analyst, I had my future ahead of me. And then next semester the economy crashed.??

Ording is actually a shining example of a successful job hunt these days. It only took him half a year to land a full time position.?

Ording: ?Oh, it felt like forever.??

Ording?s new job isn?t the glamorous Wall Street gig he hoped for. But it?s a good job, in his hometown of Detroit.?

As for that job in the big apple, he hasn?t given up yet Just pushed it off, until the economy improves a bit.

Source: http://www.wksu.org/news/story/30261

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LG Kicks Off CES 2012 Early With New TV Tech

CES is nigh on two weeks away, but apparently LG can't wait that long to start dishing about its 2012 products for the TV space. On deck: a huge OLED TV and lighter, more stylish 3-D glasses.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/Ml1IhZkgsOQ/

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Memo: Gingrich praised Romney health plan

(AP) ? Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich once praised the health care law enacted in Massachusetts by then-Gov. Mitt Romney.

In an April 2006 memo, the former House speaker called it "the most exciting development of the past few weeks." Gingrich also said the law has "tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system."

The memo from Gingrich's Atlanta-based Center for Health Transformation came to light Tuesday as the GOP candidate set out on a 22-stop bus tour of Iowa in the run-up to the state's Jan. 3 caucuses.

The memo also noted shortcomings in the Massachusetts law. Gingrich said the state's many regulations prohibited insurers from offering cheaper plans that would make coverage affordable.

But Gingrich went on to note that that "we agree entirely with Gov. Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100 percent insurance coverage for all Americans."

Gingrich and others have argued that the Massachusetts law, widely seen as the model for President Barack Obama's national health overhaul, undercuts Romney's conservative credentials.

Gingrich also has faced questions about his past support for an individual health care mandate, anathema to conservatives.

A Gingrich spokesman said the former Georgia congressman's comments are "old news that has been covered already."

"Newt previously supported a mandate for health insurance and changed his mind after seeing its effects," said the spokesman, R.C. Hammond. "The real question is why 'Mitt the Massachusetts Moderate' won't admit that health insurance mandates don't work."

Gingrich and Romney have sparred over which one of them is truly conservative.

The Gingrich memo was first reported Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-12-27-Gingrich/id-fce7bfa787a94450bd4fe1517bdc7b25

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Iran, Ukraine set to ink $1b oil deal

Source: Tehran Times

Ukrainian Inter Naft Gas Prom Pars Company is set to sign a contract, worth around $1 billion, with Iranian Petroleum Engineering and Development Company aiming to develop three heavy crude oilfields in Iran, namely Kooh Mond, Booshgan and Kooh Kaki.

Under the comprehensive development plan, these three oilfields are expected to produce 10,000 to 12,000 barrels of oil per day in the first phase, and about 25,000 barrels per day in the second phase, according to the report, the Mehr news agency reported.

Meanwhile, National Iranian Oil Company's managing director Ahmad Qalebani announced earlier that Iran has excluded developing heavy crude oilfields of the oil industry's first priorities.

Like non-associated oilfields, heavy crude oilfields have also been excluded of the list of prioritized oil development plans, Qalebani added, according to the ISNA news agency.

However, if any entity offers buy-back or finance investments on non-associated or heavy crude oilfields, "we will welcome the offers", Qalebani explained.

"Developing joint oil and gas fields is the first priority of the country's oil industry," he said.

A total of 18 heavy and extra heavy oilfields have so far been discovered in Iran, including Ferdowsi oilfield in the Persian Gulf, which is one of the country's biggest heavy oilfields with proven reserves of more than 31 billion barrels.

Iran's total in-place oil reserves have been estimated at more than 560 billion barrels with about 140 billion barrels of recoverable reserve. Moreover, heavy and extra heavy varieties of crude oil account for roughly 70-100 billion barrels of the total reserves.

Iran holds the world's third largest proven oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves.

... Payvand News - 12/25/11 ... --

Source: http://www.payvand.com/news/11/dec/1263.html

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Racism Alive and Well in the U.S. Military

? Representing Noncitizens in Civil Litigation 01/27/2012 | Main | Merry Christmas! ?

December 24, 2011

Racism Alive and Well in the U.S. Military

From the Washington Post and the Daily Beast:

The U.S. Army, which has struggled in recent years to combat a mounting suicide toll, took an unusual step when it announced Wednesday that it had charged eight American soldiers serving in Afghanistan in connection with the apparent suicide of one of their lower-ranking comrades.

The charges in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, a 19-year-old infantryman from New York City, came after a vigorous, weeks-long campaign by advocacy groups and family members hoping to pressure the Pentagon to investigate allegations that Chen had been the subject of hazing within the ranks and had been repeatedly taunted with racial slurs.

. . . ?We were told that he was dragged from his bed across the floor, and other soldiers threw rocks at his back,? Elizabeth OuYang, president of the New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, tells The Daily Beast. And, OuYang says, while forced to do chin-ups with liquid in his mouth, ?Danny couldn?t cough up the liquid.?
?
OuYoung says the anti-Asian bullying and taunting started during basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia, when fellow soldiers used a mocking accent while calling him Jackie Chen, a reference to the action star Jackie Chan. A diary that Chen kept, as well as information released by the Army, are the basis for her claims.
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Video: Refugees at home in choir

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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45783290#45783290

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

romereports: Rome opens free exhibit of Pintoricchio's Baby Jesus for Christmas http://t.co/YEChBSxA

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iOS Apps Generate 6 Times the Revenue of Android Apps

Distimo, an app store analysis firm, compared the 200 highest-grossing apps in each market. According to a study released Tuesday, the firm found that the iOS App Store has generated six times the total revenues of the Android Market.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/tkB_x1TCQX0/

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Petrochemicals - Mexico - Mexichem takeover target Wavin extends financing facility

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Mexican chemical and petrochemical firm Mexichem (BMV: MEXCHEM) acquisition target Dutch plastic pipe manufacturer Wavin has obtained commitment from its banks to extend and amend its existing financing facility by 440mn euros (US$575mn), the latter said in a statement.

The financing consists of a 220mn-euro bullet term facility and a 220mn-euro revolving credit facility.

"Covenant levels have been relaxed, whilst conditions and margins remain similar to the existing facility. Maturity has been extended two years to April 2015," Wavin said.

"The new financing facility provides Wavin with sufficient headroom and flexibility to respond to uncertain market conditions and offers a solid base to execute the 'Wavin 2015' strategic program," added the company.

The announcement comes after Wavin earlier this month rejected Mexichem's improved offer of 9 euros/share for all outstanding shares, valuing the firm at 457mn euros.

At the time, Wavin said the new offer, which was increased from the initial 8.50 euros/share offer, still "materially undervalues the company and its prospects."

Why settle for this one story when you can access all our news? Sign up here for your free 15-day trial.

Source: http://www.bnamericas.com/news/petrochemicals/mexichem-takeover-target-wavin-extends-financing-facility

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Analysis: GOP's struggle on taxes gives Dems hope (AP)

WASHINGTON ? For all his problems with the economy, President Barack Obama is getting unexpected help from a Republican Party that seems incapable of capitalizing on its advantages.

Congressional Republicans' fumbling of the payroll tax extension issue is the latest example of party in-fighting and disarray that gives Democrats hope for the 2012 elections. GOP presidential contenders tried to distance themselves from the legislative mess. But they might be tarred nonetheless if swing voters decide the party is either inept at governing or too extreme.

The eventual GOP presidential nominee "will be somewhat shackled to the Republican brand," said Democratic strategist Erik Smith, even if it was Republicans in Congress who led the charge in an unpopular fight over the payroll tax. He said GOP House and Senate candidates will face even more problems.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page ? an important voice among conservatives ? berated Republican lawmakers for their handling of the payroll tax matter. Obama wanted to add another year to this year's reduction in the tax, which nearly all workers pay toward Social Security. Senate Republicans, after forcing Democrats to swallow several unrelated concessions, joined in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote to approve only a two-month tax cut extension, with plans to revisit the issue next year.

House Republicans, who generally disliked the payroll tax cut from the start, refused to concur early this week. But House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday bowed to relentless criticism from conservative bloggers and several GOP senators and cleared a path for passing a bill Friday to renew the break for two months while congressional negotiators work on a longer-term measure.

If Congress doesn't act in the next 10 days, the payroll tax rate will return to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1, after one year at 4.2 percent. That would cost a family making $50,000 about $1,000.

Republican congressional leaders' actions "might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins in earnest," the Journal's editorial page said Wednesday.

Democrats point to episodes like the payroll tax fuss and say congressional Republicans are essentially controlled by tea party activists, whose tax and spending agendas are outside the political mainstream.

"Tea Party Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill to extend President Obama's payroll tax cut," the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a fundraising email Tuesday, minutes after a key House vote. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters, "The tea party tail is wagging the elephant."

Democratic strategists hope to remind voters of last summer's near-calamity over raising the limit on the federal debt ceiling. Then, as now, Boehner struggled to control his GOP caucus and to calculate which bills can and cannot pass. These Democrats want to paint the Republican Party as an out-of-touch institution that would rather stand for rigidly conservative principles than solve the nation's problems.

"I think the tea party-engendered dysfunction has the potential to really get the electorate's attention," said Jared Bernstein, a former Obama administration economist now with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "At this point, the system is crippled by them."

All of this, of course, may be wishful thinking by Democrats. Republicans crushed them in the 2010 elections, giving the GOP control of the House and many governorships. Unemployment and other economic indicators bode badly for Obama's re-election hopes, and the payroll tax dust-up may seem a musty memory by next November.

One other worry looms. Americans' taxes still might rise by billions of dollars in 2012 if a deal can't be struck on a longer, one-year extension. Economists say that would depress spending and slow job growth, at least somewhat. Even if more voters blame Republicans than Democrats, Obama could end up as a net loser politically, given that the economic climate already is deeply troublesome for him.

GOP leaders say income tax cuts do more to stimulate economic growth than payroll tax reductions but worry about independents thinking it was Republicans who sought to raise their payroll taxes. At the same time, they know that hard-core conservative voters who have a bigger voice in GOP primaries might blame them for a tax cut they dislike.

Republicans may yet claim one political victory out of the payroll tax imbroglio, assuming the two-month extension goes through. In House-Senate negotiations they forced Obama to agree to an expedited decision on a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline opposed by environmental groups as part of the two-month extension.

The GOP still has a perception problem, though. Americans hold Congress in extremely low regard, but they put more blame on Republicans than Democrats.

A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that a record-high 50 percent of Americans say the current Congress is less effective than most. By nearly 2-to-1, "more blame Republican leaders than Democratic leaders for this," Pew found. "By wide margins, the GOP is seen as the party that is more extreme in its positions, less willing to work with the other side to get things done, and less honest and ethical in the way it governs. And for the first time in over two years, the Democratic Party has gained the edge as the party better able to manage the federal government."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_gop_troubles_analysis

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Needy Pets Celebrate the Holidays Early! | Pasados

Butterscotch will not go without food, treats, toys or bedding this holiday season!

Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011 ? Needy pets in 10 cities in WA state received food, toys, treats and bedding today.

Every holiday season, Pasado?s eagerly anticipates the chance to provide hope, joy, and love for families who need our help the most. In Washington State alone, more than 23,000 people are homeless on any given night and over 100,000 people face homelessness in our state each year. It is estimated that between 10-25% of homeless people have nonhuman family members ? resulting in heartbreaking decisions each and every night. Many families forsake their own needs, including food and medicine, to provide for their devoted pets.

Over 50 volunteers delivered items to needy pets, like Boots, the kitty pictured here who lives in a tent city.

For the past 8 years, Home for the HOWLidays has reached out to the local community. Since 2004, Pasado?s Safe Haven has ensured that pets who have so very little will not have to go without once again during the holidays. Thanks to Home for the HOWLidays, dogs and cats who live in the rain, wind, and cold will be warm and cozy this holiday season. These pets have had so very little in their lives, yet their owners love them and give them everything that they can. Sometimes, these pets are all that they have. And giving to those who need our help the most is the best gift that one can give.

Team Seattle gets ready to head out to deliver items to pets in need.

On Tuesday, December 20th, Pasado?s staff and volunteers provided shelter, food, and much-deserved treats for cats and dogs in need. More than 50 volunteers participated in this day of caring and giving back to our community: A celebration of hope, joy, and love for those who needed it the most.

This year, more families needed our help supplying the basic necessities than in seasons past. ?We recently met a man who was feeding his dog Spaghetti O?s because that?s all he could afford for the two of them to share,? stated Stacie Martin, Pasado?s Director of Operations. ?During Home for the HOWLidays, you may possibly meet animals who have never had a toy, a warm bed, or even a regular meal, but they are loved and their families are always grateful to receive food and gifts for them!?

Many thanks to Pasado's wonderful volunteers who helped make holiday wishes come true for local pets.

Home for the HOWLidays visited 10 local cities, including Seattle, West Seattle, Sultan, Monroe, Gold Bar, Granite Falls, Snohomish, Lynwood, Marysville and Everett. Volunteers loaded up their SUVs, vans, and trucks with pet food and supplies.

Our Seattle route included Nickelsville, an encampment for the homeless and less fortunate. In Nickelsville, Pasado?s dewormed and applied flea treatments to 11 cats and 4 dogs. We also provided a check-up and deworming for two goats named Sally and Richard. The goats live at Nickelsville and help clear out the blackberry bushes, providing an environmentally friendly way to keep the area clean. In Nickelsville, volunteers met some animals who we will soon provide additional treatments for, as well as free spay and neuter services.

Pasado?s other Home for the HOWLidays routes were equally successful.

We cannot think of a better way to celebrate the spirit of this season. Thanks to your donations, Pasado?s was able to help so many families have a happy holiday.

If you would like to help Pasado?s

Even Richard and Sally, a couple of goats we met along the way recieved some medical treatment from Pasado's Safe Haven

continue to help those who need our help the most, please consider making a donation today. Your support truly can make a world of difference.

Source: http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/2011/12/needy-pets-celebrate-the-holidays-early/

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eRecyclingCorps Raises $35M From Kleiner Perkins To Attack The E-Waste Problem

erceRecyclingCorps, whose mission is to alleviate the pain of wireless e-waste, has landed $35 million in financing in a round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Co-founded by David Edmondson, the former CEO of RadioShack, and Ron LeMay, former CEO of Sprint PCS, eRecyclingCorps works with retailers and carriers like Sprint and Verizon to turn e-waste into an asset.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jDpmtxLsHN4/

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

?Braveheart? is GOP?s doom - Thu, 22 Dec 2011 PST

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WASHINGTON ? House Republicans, on the eve of Tuesday?s vote denying tax relief to 160 million Americans, huddled in a conference room in the Capitol basement for more than two?hours.

Were they puzzling over how to explain to constituents why they were effectively ordering a tax increase on the middle class after fighting for much larger tax breaks for the wealthy? Were they justifying the killing of a bipartisan compromise that had the support of all but seven Senate Republicans and the tacit approval of House Speaker John?Boehner?

Nope. Turns out they were talking Monday night about their favorite scenes from ?Braveheart.? About 10 House Republicans went to the microphones to share their memories of the Mel Gibson film, Republican sources told my Washington Post colleagues Paul Kane and Rosalind?Helderman.

One member spoke about the apocryphal scene in which the 13th-century Scottish rebel William Wallace ordered his troops to moon the?English.

Another member recounted the scene in which Wallace commanded the rebels to hold their positions before raising their spears against the charging English?cavalry.

This inspired the assembled lawmakers to chant: ?Hold! Hold! Hold!?Hold!?

Finally, toward the end of the meeting, Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah bravely rose to tell his colleagues that he hated the film. He introduced a motion that all references to ?Braveheart? be banned. His colleagues laughed and heckled. The motion was not?adopted.

But Bishop was right: ?Braveheart? is a conspicuously poor choice for the House?GOP.

For one thing, the Republicans are, if anything, in a reverse- ?Braveheart? position: In this fight, they are the nobles putting down the overtaxed peasants. For another, the Scots they are emulating were defeated and slaughtered, and Wallace was captured (possibly betrayed by his own side), then drawn and?quartered.

That the House Republicans would embrace a doomed cause and its martyred leader gets at their main problem in the majority: They?d rather make a point than govern the country. And in this case, it?s not entirely clear what point they?re trying to?make.

Is it making sure the tax cut is paid for? For the last decade, Republicans approved billions of dollars in tax cuts, mostly for the rich, without paying for?them.

Is it because they want the tax-cut extension to be for a year rather than just two months, as the Senate approved? Then why did so many Republicans originally criticize any tax-cut?extension?

In killing the Senate compromise, which passed 89 to 10, with 39 Republican votes, the House GOP resorted to a variant of the ?deem and pass? resolution they derided when Democrats proposed it during the health care fight. Reneging on their pledge to hold a vote on the Senate compromise, Braveheart Republican leaders ordered up a resolution that rejected the Senate measure without a direct?vote.

Caucus chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, demanding a conference between the House and Senate to resolve differences, instructed his colleagues to ?go back and watch the ?Schoolhouse Rock? video? to see how ?differences are settled between the House and Senate.? But this ignored the fact that Senate Democrats had already compromised with Senate Republicans; Hensarling was asking them to compromise on their?compromise.

House Democrats didn?t exactly distinguish themselves, either. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said Republicans had imposed ?martial law.? Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington brought a Christmas stocking and lump of coal to the floor. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California recalled a Woody Allen joke (?the food at this place is really terrible ? and such small portions?) that she attributed to Yogi?Berra.

But that didn?t hold a torch to the Republicans? ?Braveheart? performance. It wasn?t the first congressional invocation of the film (Dick Gephardt once showed up to a meeting in William Wallace attire when he was House Democratic leader), but until now it hasn?t been embraced quite so?earnestly.

?Look, this is a ?Braveheart? moment,? Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said on Fox News on Monday, describing the House Republicans? instructions to Boehner. ?You, Mr. Speaker, are our William Wallace. Let?s rush to the?fight.?

Apparently plenty of others felt the same way. Staffers emerged from the GOP caucus meeting at 6:45 p.m. Monday to say the meeting would break up in five minutes. But the Republicans? impromptu movie night didn?t end until 8:17 p.m., when Boehner, face as orange as Mel Gibson?s was blue, marched forth with his Bravehearts in a cloud of cigarette smoke toward their inevitable?tragedy.

Dana Milbank?s email address is?danamilbank@washpost.com.

Source: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/dec/22/braveheart-is-gops-doom/

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Film details Jerry Lewis' 'Method to the Madness' (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Gregg Barson is a documentarian, not a comedian. But when Jerry Lewis let him know that more than a dozen people were waiting in line to tell his story, Barson offered a persuasive punch line.

"Yeah, but they're not me," was Barson's comeback, followed by a momentary quiver of fear that he'd gone too far with the veteran star.

"He said, `I like that. You know why? Because you remind me of me,'" Barson recalled. That chutzpah-fueled exchange led to "Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis," debuting 8 p.m. EST Saturday on Encore. Other airings include 11:30 a.m. EST Sunday and 8 p.m. EST Tuesday.

The film focuses on what makes the 85-year-old ? and still working ? Lewis tick as a performer and filmmaker. Those looking for dish on his family life or breakup with stage and screen partner Dean Martin or abrupt departure from the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon he'd nurtured for nearly five decades won't find it here.

Barson, who describes himself as being "in heaven" whenever he caught a Lewis film on TV as a youngster, said his intent was to focus on Lewis' career from vaudeville on and his contributions to comedy and movies.

Younger people without exposure to Lewis' work likely consider him as "that telethon guy. Hopefully, the film will open their eyes as opposed to thinking he did one thing one day a year," Barson said.

During more than three years of filming, Barson had near-complete access as he followed Lewis from his yacht in San Diego to his home in Las Vegas to concert dates and to the Cannes Film Festival in France, the country that idolizes Lewis as a cinematic genius.

He was good company, Barson said. "He's always up, funny and playful. ... The sparkle, he didn't put in on for the camera. He's being real."

"Method to the Madness," which opens with Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and other comedians anointing Lewis as comedy royalty, is an unabashed valentine. It is also a reminder that Lewis inspired rock-star levels of fan devotion, and of how impressively "The Bellboy" (1960) and many other films starring and written and directed by Lewis ruled the box office.

Barson, who made the well-received Phyllis Diller documentary "Goodnight, We Love You," sees parallels between Diller and Lewis, including their work ethic.

"She was 84 when she retired, and he's 85 and still working. They never rest on their laurels," Barson said. "They still care. They're not phoning it in."

And that, he said, is part of Lewis' method: Every aspect of his performance is planned.

"As Eddie Murphy says (in the film), slapstick looks simple but the reason it's been around so long is how well thought out it is," Barson said.

Lewis is pleased with the film. And his health is good, according to the filmmaker, who spills one appropriately quirky personal secret on his subject: "He drinks a lot of orange soda. Maybe that's the fountain of youth."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_en_mo/us_tv_jerry_lewis

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Michael Brodsky, M.D.: Holiday Care for Yourself: Body, Mind and Spirit

It's not long now before we are in the thick of the December holidays. Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa we are celebrating, we all bring to the holiday meal table our high expectations and, inevitably, our history of disappointments. In this period of pressured work and vacation schedules, hectic travel logistics, and economic and political stressors, we need to be especially vigilant about taking care of our own mental health -- not just for ourselves, but in order to be emotionally present for celebrations with friends and loved ones. We encourage our patients to keep themselves in mind during the winter holidays and to take special care of their minds, bodies and spirits.

Mind

1. Quiet time:

Social networking is the enemy of quiet time. Not only will Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr remind you of all of the good times your virtual friends are pretending to have, you'll also see carefully-selected photos designed to showcase the fun and exciting experiences that others are having without you. Try turning off the computer.

2. Alcohol:

Go easy on the eggnog. Many parties can stack up close together in the coming days and weeks, with little time to recover from overdoing it and one or another soiree. Be sure to hydrate yourself -- try to drink a full glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume. Remember, no matter how big the glass, one alcoholic drink is equivalent to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, five ounces of wine, one 12-ounce beer, or eight ounces of eggnog. Take special care driving on the days and evening when drivers are most likely to have had a little too much to drink: Dec. 24 and 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.


3. Family expectations:

If you are spending time with family this holiday season, it can be helpful to visualize or predict to yourself how things might go before you actually arrive at the gathering. Your fantasies of joyous reunions and resolution of past conflicts and differences need to be tempered with realistic expectations about the capacities and limitations of those to whom, for better or for worse, you happen to be related. If you you can't predict what might happen around the dinner table, think about the last time your family all got together, and figure that this year's festivities are likely to be about as enjoyable and as unpleasant as the last time.

4. Write it down:

Consider keeping a written record of your holiday adventures -- the highs, the lows, the reflux. Whatever you encounter, consider writing down your private thoughts and feelings -- maybe about wringing Aunt Edna's neck, or maybe about spending more time with Cousin Joe. Whatever the stressor, consider writing about it rather than yelling about it. Writing serves multiple overlapping and organizing functions. It allows you to re-formulate intense experiences in written form; it gives you a forum and an opportunity to express thoughts and feelings in an uncensored and non-destructive way; and it provides a written record of holiday experiences that will leave you better prepared for the slings and arrows of -- December 2012!

Body

1. Exercise:

The benefits of regular or daily aerobic exercise on mood and stress management cannot be overstated. This is true at all levels of fitness; if one flight of stairs or once around the block is a workout for you, then start there and build up slowly. Every little bit counts. In northern climates, it may be particularly valuable to seek exercise in the morning sunlight, in order to promote wakefulness and ward off the depressive effects of the reduced light of the winter months. Inevitably, holiday commitments and celebrations will interfere with regular exercise routines, so be creative and fit in those fitness activities when and where you can. You can find many useful workout routines for even the most cramped and uncomfortable accommodations at the blog hotelroomworkout.com.

2. Food:

You've heard it before, but try to eat 5-6 small meals a day rather than one large meal in order to prevent overeating. Don't forget to add in those fruits and vegetables. From a psychological perspective, remember that cravings for emotional sustenance and connection can often masquerade as hunger pangs or cravings -- especially when we are spending time with our families of origin.

3. Sleep:

To avoid jet lag, shift your meal schedule to the time zone to which you will be traveling about 1-2 days before you depart. Napping on red-eye and other plane flights can also provide some defense against jet lag. Avoid afternoon naps as they can reduce the "sleep pressure" your body feels later that night and could predispose you to insomnia. If you find yourself awakening too early in the morning, this could be a sign of east-to-west jet lag; an after-effect of the effects of alcohol wearing off from the night before; or, most concerning, a developing clinical depression with hyper-secretion of the stress hormone cortisol by the hypothalamus. The holidays are a busy time for therapists, so don't be shy about calling for help even on the holidays themselves. A little professional support can go a long way to help people feel less overwhelmed during the holidays.

Spirit

1. Faith in the Universe: Even as economic and political tensions rise, and families struggle to make ends meet during the holidays, ours is still a bountiful country in a big wide world in a wondrous universe. The starry nights of winter remind us of the vastness of existence and our good fortune to be alive as we attempt to move forward in life and toward achieving our goals.

2. The Passage of Time: Another year has come and gone. Maybe it's been a year in which you have grown... stretched yourself... tried new things. Or maybe it's been in a year in which you've had losses or reversals of fortune or setbacks in health. In the weeks before the end of the calendar year, it's a good time to try to take stock of what 2011 has brought and to wonder, either out loud or on paper, what 2012 has in store for you.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brodsky-md/mind-body-spirit_b_1154370.html

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Rapper Slim Dunkin slain in Atlanta music studio

Atlanta police say the rapper Slim Dunkin was gunned down Friday evening in a city music studio as he was preparing to record a video.

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Police Maj. Keith Meadows said the rapper, whose real name is Mario Hamilton, was fatally shot in the chest after getting into an argument with another individual.

He was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meadows told The Associated Press late Friday that police have not been able to identify the shooter. He said investigators have been interviewing those who were inside the studio. He said as many as 20 people were inside the small office-type building at the time of the shooting, which took place around 5:30 p.m., but they were in different places.

Police have not recovered the handgun that was used. Investigators remained at the scene late Friday evening.

"Right now we're just trying to....identify who may have seen what, really just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together," Meadows said. "It seems everybody witnessed something very different. We're just trying to go back and make sense of everything."

Slim Dunkin had appeared on a number of songs with the rapper Waka Flocka Flame. The website Mtv.com reported that the Brick Squad Monopoly rapper was on a solo track and had recently released a 20-track mix tape that featured Gucci Mane, Roscoe Dash and Pastor Troy.

"It appears the victim was scheduled to do a photo shoot," Meadows said of Friday's events. "Before the video shoot took place, it appears the victim and suspect got involved in a verbal altercation. We don't know what that altercation was about."

"The suspect produced a weapon, discharged that handgun one time, striking the victim in the chest," Meadows said.

Meadows said the victim was in his early 20s and resided in the Atlanta area.

Many fans were posting messages late Friday night on a Facebook page for the rapper.

The website AllHipHop.com last February described Slim Dunkin, a Detroit native, as an up-and-coming talent with "a unique lyrical ability and style all his own."

In an interview with the website, he described himself as someone "trying to provide for his family by making something out of nothing just trying to beat the odds."

"I don't have amazing lyrical ability I just know how to speak on what I been through and where I came from," he said.

Asked what to expect from him in 2011, he responded: "Music, music, music!"

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45705435/ns/today-entertainment/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

New taker for 'world's smallest frog' crown

Colin Barras, biomedical and environment news editor

ZooKeys-154-071-g002.jpg(A) Paedophryne dekot, (B) Paedophryne dekot, (C) Paedophryne verrucosa, (D) Paedophryne verrucosa (Image: Freed Kraus)

These frogs are, by a whisker, the smallest in the world. Adults of the two new species - Paedophryne dekot and Paedophryne verrucosa - are just 8-9 millimetres in length. That makes these diminutive amphibians from Papua New Guinea marginally smaller than 10-millimetre-long frogs found in Cuba and Brazil.

But there's a bigger crown at stake. Frogs are amphibians, but they also belong to a much larger group of animals called tetrapods, which evolved from fish about 380 million years ago. All four-legged animals with a backbone are tetrapods - as are some animals like whales that have lost their legs through evolution. It's likely that these new frogs are the smallest tetrapods living today, says their discover, Fred Kraus from Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. That is, until a 7-mm-long frog turns up.

Journal reference: ZooKeys, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.48.446


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U.S. lifts sanctions on post-Gaddafi Libya (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States on Friday lifted most of the economic sanctions it had in place against Libya before the fall of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

"After careful consultation with the new Libyan government, the United States rolled back most U.S. sanctions on the government of Libya to keep our commitment to the Libyan people," the White House said in a statement.

Gaddafi's 42-year rule collapsed when his forces fled Tripoli in August and the last of the fighting in Libya ended in October when he was captured and killed by rebels.

The U.S. action followed by the lifting of sanctions by the U.N. Security Council on Libya's central banks and a subsidiary.

"Today's action unfreezes all government and central bank funds within U.S. jurisdiction, with limited exceptions," the White House said, adding that assets in the United States of Gaddafi family and his former aides remain frozen.

(Reporting By Caren Bohan; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/wl_nm/us_libya_usa_sanctions

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Google employee creates the ultimate LAN party house, lives la vita local

You don't see many software engineers over on Cribs, but if you did, then Google employee Kenton Varda would probably be first in line. Some people buy fancy cars and hot tubs, Kenton created the ultimate LAN party room. Getting your crew round for a marathon Counter-Strike session might be a barrel, but tangled cables and weeding out connection problems are not, or at least Kenton clearly doesn't think so. No more cable spaghetti for him though, thanks to a permanent installation that includes machines, monitors, many feet of HDMI and USB leads, rack mounts and networking equipment for up to 12 gaming chums. Spread over two rooms, with six stations in each -- ideal for team games -- bespoke cabinets were made to keep it easy on the eye. Anyone wanting to take on a similar project can expect to put a $40,000 dent in their wallet, or a little more, depending on the size of your LAN.

Google employee creates the ultimate LAN party house, lives la vita local originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/google-employee-creates-the-ultimate-lan-party-house-lives-la-v/

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Microsoft Kinect used to map asteroids, glaciers, other scary things

Ken Mankoff is a PhD student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studies ice and ocean interactions. He also counts himself among a growing legion of environmental scientists who have begun using Microsoft's Kinect to create detailed, 3D maps of caves, glaciers and even asteroids. As Wired reports, the Kinect has garnered something of a cult following within the scientific community, especially among those who, until now, have relied upon comparatively more expensive and complicated technologies to gather detailed 3D data. The approach du jour for most researchers is something known as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) -- a laser-based technology capable of creating precise maps over relatively large areas. The Kinect, by contrast, can only see up to 16 feet in front of itself, but at just $120, it's significantly cheaper than the average LIDAR system, which can run for anywhere between $10,000 and $200,000. It's also surprisingly accurate, capable of capturing up to 9 million data points per second.

Mankoff, for one, has already used the device to map a small cavern underneath a glacier in Norway, while Marco Tedesco, a hydrologist at the City College of New York, is looking to attach a Kinect to a remote-controlled helicopter, in the hopes of measuring so-called meltwater lakes found on glaciers during the summer. Then there's Naor Movshovitz, also a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, who's more interested in using the Kinect and its image processing software to figure out how asteroids behave when broken up by a projectile. There are limitations, of course, since the device still has trouble performing amidst severe environmental conditions, though its supporters seem confident they'll find a solution. Read more at the source link below.

Microsoft Kinect used to map asteroids, glaciers, other scary things originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Egypt parliament election had 62 percent turnout

Protesters chant slogans during a protest in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters chant slogans during a protest in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A wounded Egyptian protesters attends Friday prayers during a rally in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A woman covers her face with Egyptian flag as she attends a protest in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Protesters carry symbolic coffins honoring those killed in recent clashes with security forces during a rally in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

An Egyptian stands in front of statue for Venezuelan statesman Simon Bolivar, leader of revolt of South American, as it wears an eye patch that symbolizes protesters wounded in clashes with security forces during the last weeks protests in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Islamists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

(AP) ? The head of Egypt's election commission says 62 percent of eligible voters turned out for the first round of parliamentary elections.

Abdel-Mooaez Ibrahim called the number "the highest since the time of pharaohs."

The parliamentary election is the first since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in February. The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm is expected to take the largest share of votes, followed by an ultraconservative Islamist party and a coalition of liberal parties called the Egyptian bloc.

More than 13 million voters cast ballots in Monday and Tuesday's vote, the first of three rounds for the lower house. Three other rounds lasting until march will elect the less powerful upper house.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's ultraconservative Islamist party plans to push for a stricter religious code in Egypt after claiming surprisingly strong gains in the first round of parliamentary elections, a spokesman said Friday.

Final results are to be announced later in the day for a first phase of voting held in half of Egypt's 18 provinces, but preliminary counts have been leaked by judges and individual political groups.

Islamists led by the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Salafists appear to have taken a strong majority of seats in the first round of Egypt's first parliamentary vote since Hosni Mubarak's ouster, a trend that if confirmed would give the religious parties a popular mandate in the struggle to win control from the ruling military and ultimately reshape a key U.S. ally.

Spokesman Yousseri Hamad says the Salafi Nour party expects to get 30 percent of the vote. Their party appeared to lead the polls in the Nile Delta province of Kafr el-Sheik, in the rural area of Fayoum, which is known for high rates of illiteracy and poverty, and in parts of their longtime stronghold of Alexandria.

Hamad also said the party faced its toughest challenge in Cairo because of the small presence of Salafi supporters there.

The strong showing would put them in a position to influence policy, although it's unclear how much power the new parliament will have with the ruling generals still in power. For example, the military, which is not keen to see Egypt delivered to radical Islamists, maintains that it ? not the largest bloc in parliament ? will choose the next Cabinet. It is also poised to closely oversee the drafting of a new constitution.

The Nour Party's purist pursuit of strict Shariah, or Islamic law, would also face tough opposition from a diverse array of youth activists in the streets, Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, as well as liberal and secular political parties pushing for more social and political freedoms ? perhaps forcing it to veer less toward the large role that religion plays in Saudi Arabia.

The Nour Party is the main political arm of the hard-line Salafi movement, which was inspired by the Saudi-style Wahhabi school of thought.

Salafists are newcomers on Egypt's political scene. They long shunned the concept of democracy, saying it allows man's law to override God's. But they formed parties and entered politics after Mubarak's ouster to position themselves to try to make sure Shariah law is an integral part of Egypt's new constitution.

The more moderate and pragmatic Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, has been around since 1928 and has for decades been the largest and best organized opposition movement in Egypt, despite being officially outlawed until Mubarak's ouster.

Seeking to broaden its political appeal, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party has described its election platform as civil but with an Islamic background, setting them up to be more rival than ally to harder-line Islamists.

Hamad told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that his party is willing to cooperate with the Muslim Brotherhood as well as with secular and liberal forces "if it will serve the interest of the nation."

Still, Salafi groups speak confidently about their ambition to turn Egypt into a state where personal freedoms, including freedom of speech, women's dress and art are constrained by Islamic Shariah codes.

"In the land of Islam, I can't let people decide what is permissible or what is prohibited. It's God who gives the answers as to what is right and what is wrong," Hamad said. "If God tells me you can drink whatever you want except for alcohol, you don't leave the million things permitted and ask about the prohibited."

Their surprisingly strong showing worries many liberals and Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.

"We want democracy and what they want is anything but democratic," said Amir Fouad, a Coptic Christian who trained as an engineer but drives a taxi because he can't find another job. "They want Egypt to be like Saudi Arabia, all Islamic."

Fouad, 40, said he worries the Salafists will force Christian women to wear Islamic veils.

"I feel like it will be very hard for me to live in Egypt if they rule," he said. "They will take Egypt backward."

Even some religious Egyptians see the Salafists as too extreme.

"I am religious and don't want laws that go against my beliefs, but there shouldn't be religious law," said Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, a geography teacher. "I don't want anyone imposing his religious views on me."

Islamist victory in Egypt ? long considered a linchpin of regional stability ? would be the clearest signal yet that parties and candidates connected to political Islam will emerge as the main beneficiaries of this year's Arab Spring uprisings.

Tunisia and Morocco have both elected Islamist majorities to parliament, and while Libya has yet to announce dates for its first elections, Islamist groups have emerged as a strong force there since rebels overthrew Moammar Gadhafi in August. They also play a strong opposition role in Yemen.

This week's vote, held in nine provinces, will determine about 30 percent of the 498 seats in the People's Assembly, parliament's lower house. Two more rounds, ending in January, will cover Egypt's other 18 provinces.

The new parliament, in theory, is tasked with selecting a 100-member panel to draft Egypt's new constitution. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took control of the country after Mubarak's fall in February, has suggested that it will choose 80 of those members.

The Carter Center, which sent teams to observe the parliamentary vote, said in a Friday statement that participation was high and that all parties appeared committed to a democratic transition in Egypt.

The center, which visited more than 300 stations in the nine provinces that voted, also called on election officials to better prepare workers at polling and counting stations and issue clearer regulations about campaigning before future rounds of voting.

Despite a legal ban on campaigning on election day, many parties actively distributed flyers outside polling stations.

Also Friday, more than 5,000 protesters demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for a speedier transition to civilian rule and trials for security officers accused of killing protesters.

Large crowds marched into the square carrying dozens of coffins wrapped in Egyptian flags to represent those killed in clashes with the police near the square in the week before the elections.

Islamist groups did not join the protests, hanging their hopes ? for now at least ? on the election results.

While the number of protesters was smaller that in recent weeks, many said they had voted but still considered protest necessary.

"People haven't given up on the square just because there were elections," said Ibrahim Hussein, who voted this week for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. "They all have the same demands and they haven't been met yet."

In Cairo's Abdeen neighborhood, a few thousand protesters marched in support of the military, saying only it can bring stability at this time.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Hubbard contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-02-ML-Egypt/id-fd52d0d7c0d54e868cc6a68c98718639

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Deep Discounts For Gaming System Accessories (Includes XBox ...

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Angel Food Ministries officials face fraud charges (Providence Journal)

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Analysis: China brings forward easing to stay in step (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? As the world's major central banks hurriedly announced measures to ease stresses in global funding markets, China may have felt compelled to bring forward a move to relax policy that it could otherwise have delayed for a few weeks.

China's announcement on Wednesday it was reducing the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves left no doubt that the world's second-biggest economy was doing exactly as it did in October 2008: joining a global effort by policymakers to stabilize a rattled financial system.

That somewhat surprise move achieved a lot. For Beijing, it was an opportunity to show how big a part of global policy-making China is and the stake it has in the stability of world markets. It helped that China needed to prop up its own economy.

It has also however meant that the timetable for China's hitherto subtle and selective policy easing has been pushed out into the open, and speeded up.

"The timing of the cut is earlier than I expected," said Andy Xie, an independent China economist. "The global coordinated action to ease dollar liquidity by six central banks is probably the trigger for China's move."

China would have cut the reserve requirement ratio for banks eventually. The economy has slowed, inflation has eased and, most worryingly, capital outflows have accelerated.

A Reuters poll earlier this week had forecast the first cut in China's bank reserves would come in December and the consensus was for the ratio to be trimmed 200 basis points from the peak 21.5 percent through 2012. Wednesday's 50 basis points cut has altered those expectations quite significantly.

Kevin Lai, a senior economist at Daiwa Capital Markets in Hong Kong, said he now expected a further 200 basis points in reserves cuts over 2012, more to prevent the economy from crash landing than to drive another boom.

Economists at HSBC expect 150 basis points of further cuts to be packed into the first half of 2012.

To some extent, the policy easing has acquired an urgency because of the worrying pace at which global funding markets are drying up and as banks caught up in the euro zone debt crisis scramble to sell assets and cut their loans.

Money markets are getting as tight as they were in the weeks after Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. For China, the risk of more capital outflows could cause further stress in already tight credit markets.

The U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks, including China's, cut policy rates simultaneously in October 2008.

This time, it is a synchronized supply of cash. Central banks in Europe, Japan and elsewhere extended agreements with the Fed giving them access to even cheaper dollars.

China released cash from bank reserves and Brazil cut policy rates.

"It's clear we are all in it," said Frederic Neumann, economist with HSBC in Hong Kong. "China, as everybody else, has a stake in the stability of the global financial system and China's contribution is primarily through strong growth domestically."

CAPITAL OUTFLOWS

But the concerns over a rare but steady drain of foreign money from the economy appear to have been the primary reason for the cut in the banks' reserve requirement ratio, the first such move in nearly three years.

Preliminary data suggests capital flowed out of China in October for the first time since 2008. China had to cut bank reserves if it wanted to keep money supply stable, given bank deposits were falling and the trade surplus was shrinking.

Freeing up the money banks can lend, rather than cutting benchmark interest rates, also makes sense when inflation is still quite high at 5.5 percent, and China's policymakers are determined to deflate a property bubble.

"Obviously, they were thinking about it (cutting the RRR), and they have the hot money outflows, so it was a perfect timing for them," said ING's chief Asia economist Tim Condon.

Weak demand from China's huge developed world trading partners has sapped exports, but the economy is growing at 9-percent-plus, and domestic investment is healthy.

Neither do private economists expect the central bank to embrace other forms of aggressive easing, such as by setting a higher money supply or lending target for next year.

Annual inflation eased to 5.5 percent in October from a three-year high in July, but the real returns on bank deposits remain negative considering the one-year benchmark deposit rate was only 3.5 percent.

Any cut in interest rates could exacerbate the flight of savings into higher-yielding wealth management products or even the fledgling underground lending markets that the government is seeking to control.

"It's the start of a relaxation cycle, and the central bank is expected to take more steps -- the economic slowdown is there, and capital inflows are set to fall further, and many banks are finding liquidity shortages," said Hua Zhongwei, analyst with Huachuang Securities in Beijing.

"However, I still don't think China will cut benchmark interest rates in the coming months because that would mark a fundamental change, rather than a fine-tuning."

NEXT CUT IN JANUARY

The central bank raised the reserve requirement for banks 12 times between January 2010 and June this year, taking the ratio to a record 21.5 percent for big banks and 19.5 percent for smaller ones.

The first step in what could be a series of cuts comes just before the Central Economic Work Conference, at which China's leaders chart the course for economic policies in 2012. There again, they are expected to reiterate a policy of keeping monetary policy "prudent" but fine-tuning it when needed.

Still, because the central bank has been injecting liquidity into the banking system and selectively releasing loans to cash-starved small firms, it could be less willing to cut reserves repeatedly.

The central bank has injected a total 159 billion yuan into the banking system the past five weeks via its open market operations. It has also allowed yields on bills it auctions to fall steadily through November.

In addition, the finance ministry is likely to shift at least 1 trillion yuan of its surplus funds to commercial banks in November and December, providing a boost to their deposits.

Yet, as Wednesday's announcement showed, China may be compelled to ease policy if financial markets threaten to descend into chaos at the turn of the year. Or if its banking system freezes before the Chinese New Year break in January.

"Once central banks move, it is never a one-off. So we certainly expect more from China," said HSBC's Neumann.

(Additional reporting by Aileen Wang; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/bs_nm/us_china_economy_rates

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