Caucuses looming, Paul to spend weekend in Texas

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is at or near the top of polls in Iowa, where he's drawing big crowds and has an enviable campaign organization. But with Iowa's caucuses on Tuesday, the Texas congressman plans to head home for the weekend, the latest evidence of an unconventional approach to winning the GOP nomination.

From his low-tech events and his relatively small entourage to his reluctance to glad-hand voters, the 76-year-old Paul has stubbornly adhered to his own campaign playbook with seemingly little regard for the calendar or the shifting dynamics of the GOP field.

The rest of the contenders braced for a grueling weekend of campaign events. Paul, however, planned to fly home late Friday night to spend the weekend with his wife, Carol. He was set to appear on several Sunday morning talk shows from Texas, and was scheduled to return to Iowa by Monday morning for a "whistle-stop" campaign tour with his son, Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican.

"He's a family man and he wants to spend time with his family," said Paul's Iowa campaign chairman, Drew Ivers.

Leaving Iowa just three days before the kickoff nominating contest of the 2012 election is one of many quirks that set Paul's campaign apart from the more traditional presidential hopefuls.

Paul's schedule is a model of efficiency. Events start on time, and he delivers the same remarks at each one, no matter the location or size of the crowd. He speaks favorably of Iowa's importance in the nominating process but never forcefully asks audience members for their vote.

His venues are typically stark - no bunting, no music, no booming sound system. Voters sit quietly, as if listening to a university economics lecture.

Paul never strays from his message of limited government, free markets and the importance of the Constitution, even when the moment might call for a different approach - like when a 10-year-old autistic boy asked Paul on Friday what he might do to help children like him.

"The most valuable resource for children, teenagers, college kids and adults is liberty. If we protect those liberties we will have the maximum amount of progress," Paul said. Later, he assured the boy he did not plan to slash health care for children or the elderly if elected.

Paul has refused to engage rivals like Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, even as they have stepped up their criticisms of his foreign policy views and his lack of legislative accomplishments in Congress. He also rarely criticizes President Barack Obama, insisting that both parties are responsible for excess spending and debt.

He saves his attacks for campaign commercials and interviews. He told Bloomberg News on Friday that he might not be able to support any of his rivals because they embraced the status quo in Washington.

"If ... they don't want to change anything on foreign policy, they don't want to cut anything, they don't want to audit the Fed and find out about monetary policy, they don't want to have actual change in government, that is a problem for me," he said.

Paul travels with a small band of trusted advisers including a son-in-law, Jesse Benton, who doubles as his campaign chairman. Two of Paul's adult granddaughters, Linda and Lisa Paul, have also joined him in Iowa.

Carol Paul has made only limited appearances with her husband, showing up at debates and other major events.

---(equals)

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PAUL_HEADING_HOME?SITE=TXCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Turkish Kurds vent fury over botched air strike (AP)

ISTANBUL ? Turkish Kurds vented their rage Friday over a botched military airstrike aimed at Kurdish rebels that instead killed 35 civilians, with thousands lamenting the dead at funerals and scores clashing with police at demonstrations.

The government promised a full inquiry into Wednesday's air strikes, which struck a group of smugglers and resulted in one of the highest single-day civilian death tolls in the long-standing conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish rebels, who took up arms in 1984.

Even before the latest violence, a government campaign to reconcile with Kurds, who make up roughly 20 percent of Turkey's 74 million people, by granting them more rights has stalled amid a surge in fighting this year.

Footage from the Dogan news agency showed people digging graves on a hill near the southeast village of Gulyazi, home of some of the slain smugglers, and the funeral rites quickly took on a political tone.

Thousands walked along a mountain path with coffins draped in red, yellow and green, the colors associated with Kurdish identity and the rebel group PKK, whose Kurdish acronym stands for Kurdistan Workers' Party. Victims' families demanded revenge and called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a "murderer," according to Firat, a pro-Kurdish news agency.

For a second day, stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police who responded with tear gas and water cannons in several cities in the mostly Kurdish southeast. Protesters lobbed rocks at a national ruling party office in Diyarbakir, the region's biggest city, and Firat said 30 people were arrested there.

One person was injured and six arrested in southeastern Van city, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Meanwhile, several hundred people protested peacefully in Istanbul, while some 500 Iraqi Kurds denounced the airstrikes in a rally in the city of Irbil in the Kurdish-controlled region of northern Iraq.

A somber Erdogan described the attack near the border village of Ortasu in Sirnak province as "unfortunate" and "saddening," noting half the dead were under age 20. He said two F-16s bombed the area after images provided by drones showed a 40-person group approaching the border from the Iraqi side.

"It was revealed later that they were part of a group smuggling cigarettes, diesel fuel and such," he said.

Usually, according to Erdogan, such smuggling is done by groups of just three to five people. He said at least two recent deadly attacks on military outposts near the Iraq-Turkey border were carried out by guerrillas who smuggled guns across the border on mules.

Four hours of official video footage of the raid will be examined, he said.

In an email statement, the PKK called the strikes a "massacre," and referred to "technical and intelligence support" provided by the United States, which recently deployed four Predator drones to Turkey from Iraq to aid Ankara in its fight against the rebels.

The military, meanwhile, issued a message of condolence carried on Anadolu news agency. There was no apology, but such a public outreach is highly unusual for the Turkish armed forces, which are traditionally tightlipped about operations.

"We wish God's mercy and grace to those who lost their lives in the cross-border incident of Dec. 28, 2011, and extend our condolences to their family and friends," the statement said. Last week, the military reported the deaths of 48 suspected rebels in offensives backed by air power.

While many Kurds have assimilated and are not politically active, a significant number feel marginalized and want autonomy in Kurdish-dominated southeast Turkey. The rebels have long used northern Iraq as a springboard for hit-and-run attacks on Turkish targets.

The conflict has been a drag on Turkey's efforts to burnish its image as a regional model and advocate for democratic change in neighboring countries such as Syria, where thousands have died since an uprising began in March.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a chief architect of Turkey's rising profile, said the airstrikes would be thoroughly investigated and should not be exploited for political gain. Another top official, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, said the inquiry would not be a whitewash.

"If there is any negligence, any fault or any intention, those who are responsible will be found and will endure the consequences," Arinc said.

The Turkish government has taken some conciliatory steps toward the Kurds, allowing Kurdish-language institutes and private Kurdish courses as well as Kurdish television broadcasts. But Kurdish activists say far more needs to be done to heal scars dating from a time when the Kurdish language was banned, and cite police roundups of Kurdish politicians, journalists and others suspected of rebel links as a sign of intolerance for the minority.

___

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_airstrikes

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fireberd replied to Windows 8 Developer Issue in Microsoft OS Forum .

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Source: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/default.aspx?ActivityMessageId=3381ce7e-13f7-4646-93b8-4c7fab2a9961

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As Iraq War ends, no parade for troops is imminent (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Americans probably won't be seeing a huge ticker-tape parade anytime soon for troops returning from Iraq, and it's not clear if veterans of the nine-year campaign will ever enjoy the grand, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue homecoming that the nation's fighting men and women received after World War II and the Gulf War.

Officials in New York and Washington say they would be happy to help stage a big celebration, but Pentagon officials say they haven't been asked to plan one.

Most welcome-homes have been smaller-scale: hugs from families at military posts across the country, a somber commemoration by President Barack Obama at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

With tens of thousands of U.S. troops still fighting a bloody war in Afghanistan, anything that looks like a big victory celebration could be seen as unseemly and premature, some say.

"It's going to be a bit awkward to be celebrating too much, given how much there is going on and how much there will be going on in Afghanistan," said Don Mrozek, a military history professor at Kansas State University.

Two New York City councilmen, Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo, have called for a ticker-tape parade down the stretch of Broadway known as the Canyon of Heroes. A similar celebration after the Gulf War was paid for with more than $5.2 million in private donations, a model the councilmen would like to follow.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week that he was open to the idea but added, "It's a federal thing that we really don't want to do without talking to Washington, and we'll be doing that."

A spokesman for the mayor declined to elaborate on the city's reasons for consulting with Washington. Ignizio said he had been told by the mayor's office that Pentagon officials were concerned that a celebration could spark violence overseas and were evaluating the risk.

Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said that he has not heard that issue raised and that New York has yet to make a formal proposal. He also said officials are grateful communities around the country are finding ways to recognize the sacrifices of troops and their families.

The last combat troops in Iraq pulled out more than a week ago. About 91,000 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in Afghanistan, battling a stubborn Taliban insurgency and struggling to train Afghan forces so that they eventually can take over security. Many U.S. troops who fought in the Iraq War could end up being sent to Afghanistan.

A parade might invite criticism from those who believe the U.S. left Iraq too soon, as well as from those who feel the war was unjustified. It could also trigger questions about assertions of victory.

Mrozek noted that President George W. Bush's administration referred to military action in the Middle East as part of a global war on terror, a conflict that's hard to define by conventional measures of success.

"This is not a war on a particular place or a particular force," he said.

Bush himself illustrated the perils of celebrating milestones in the war, Mrozek said, when he landed on an aircraft carrier and hailed the end of major combat operations in Iraq behind a "Mission Accomplished" banner in May 2003. U.S. troops remained in Iraq for 8 1/2 more years, and Bush was criticized over the banner.

The benchmarks were clearer in previous wars. After World War II, parades marked Japan's surrender. After the Gulf War, celebrations marked the troops' return after Iraqi forces were driven out of Kuwait.

The only mass celebrations of U.S. military activities since Sept. 11, 2001, were largely spontaneous: Large crowds gathered in Times Square and outside the White House in April after Osama bin Laden was killed.

At the same time, Iraq veterans aren't coming home to the hostility many Vietnam veterans encountered. The first large-scale event honoring Vietnam veterans was not held until 1982, when thousands marched in Washington for the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Parades were later held in New York in 1985 ? 10 years after the war ended ? and in Chicago the next year.

"I think we've seen recent history in Vietnam, where that wasn't done appropriately, and we want to make sure we do the appropriate thing by those that made the ultimate sacrifice and risked their lives for us to say thanks," Ignizio said.

At Fort Hood in Texas, troops have returned to welcome-home ceremonies at the post that were attended mostly by soldiers' families. Soldiers in uniform run to hug their loved ones after an announcer yells, "Charge!"

Col. Douglas Crissman, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, said Saturday after one such ceremony that that is as large-scale a welcome as the troops need.

"This is just the right size because it's quick and meaningful and it gets them home to their families," Crissman said.

Staff Sgt. Troy Rudolph was among the first troops to arrive in Iraq in March 2003 and was in the last combat brigade to leave. Rudolph said that a large-scale ceremony would be nice but that he feels appreciated even without confetti falling from the sky.

"I've had people buy me lunch at airports just because I was in uniform," said Rudolph, who lives at Fort Hood with his wife and 9-year-old stepdaughter. "It's emotional because you don't realize what kind of impact you have on people across the country."

In Washington, federal agencies take the lead on planning parades, and so far nothing is in the works. A spokesman for Mayor Vincent Gray said the city would be honored to host a parade but said local officials wouldn't take the lead in staging one.

In recent years, most of the ticker-tape parades in New York have been held for the city's championship sports teams.

"The sports celebrations that we've had in New York for the Yankees and the Mets were amazing," Oddo said. "But these are the real heroes."

___

Gross reported from New York. Associated Press writers Angela K. Brown in Fort Hood, Texas, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at http://twitter.com/APBenNuckols.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_war_no_parade

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Pig Maher Trashes Tim Tebow on Twitter

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Source: nation.foxnews.com --- Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Bill Maher?s Christmas Eve ?Jesus F***ed Tim Tebow? ?Satan Is Tebowing? Tweet Stirs Outrage By Tommy Christopher, Mediaite Stand-up comic and quasi-political commentator Bill Maher flexed some of his favorite comedic muscles in a Christmas Eve tweet that had it all: profanity, shock value, and Maher?s trademark blasphemy. Referring to the Denver Broncos? crushing loss to the Buffalo Bills, Maher tweeted, ?Wow, Jesus just fucked #TimTebow bad! And on Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler ?Hey, Buffalo?s killing them?? According to The Blaze, there?s a predictable amount of outrage over this, but stripped of its shock value, Maher?s tweet is just a variation on a sharp, if well-worn, comedic criticism of athletes? tendency toward ostentatious religious displays. ...

Source: http://nation.foxnews.com/bill-maher/2011/12/27/pig-maher-trashes-tim-tebow-twitter

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Iraqi al Qaeda group says behind Baghdad bombings (Reuters)

BAGHDAD (Reuters) ? Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a slew of bombings that killed at least 71 people in Baghdad last week, a group that monitors online communication among insurgents said Tuesday.

A suicide car bomber and multiple roadside bombs hit Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite areas on December 22 in the first attacks on the capital since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq on December 18.

In a sign of growing tensions within the government itself, Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered the arrest of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi and asked parliament to fire Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked insurgents, had claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement posted on Islamist websites Monday.

ISI said it had carried out the attacks in support of Sunni prisoners. "The operations were distributed between targeting security headquarters, military patrols...and eliminating the heads of unbelief from amongst the security, military and administration leaders of the Green Zone (Iraqi) government," it was quoted by SITE as saying.

In Thursday's single biggest attack, at least 18 people were killed when an attacker driving an ambulance detonated the vehicle near a government criminal investigation office in Baghdad's central Karrada district.

Hashemi has been formally charged with running death squads targeting Iraqi government and security officials. He has denied all charges which he says were "fabricated."

Overall violence in Iraq has dropped since the peak of sectarian fighting in 2006-07 but bombings and killings still occur almost daily.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has been weakened by deaths of leaders but there are fears the group will try to regroup and strengthen its presence following the withdrawal of U.S. troops almost nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

(Reporting by Serena Chaudhry)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/wl_nm/us_iraq_violence_qaeda

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PETA Seeks Roadside Marker For Crashes That Killed Cows

Chicago Tribune :

It was a gruesome accident May 22: A truck driver lost control and his rig carrying 36 cows partially tipped over on an overpass along Interstate Highway 80 near Hazel Crest, sending some of the animals plunging about 25 feet onto Interstate Highway 294.

The death toll totaled 16 head of cattle, including one badly injured animal that police shot to end its suffering.

Read the whole story: Chicago Tribune

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/26/peta-seeks-roadside-marke_n_1169929.html

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desmondsa: I'll never forget that day! / ?@Buck: Watched Game 6 lastnight reminded me it was the best baseball game I have seen let alone broadcast."

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Video: No more Mr. Nice Guy for Gingrich?

Richard Ellis?/?Getty Images file

With the Iowa caucuses just a week away, it appears Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gringrich isn?t playing nice anymore. NBC?s Peter Alexander reports.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/45795168/

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PFT: Newton the best rookie QB ever?

Reuters

All I wanted for Christmas was 14 NFL contests on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

And I got it, primarily since there was little or no danger of shooting my eye out.

The best part about it?? The ability to write 10 things about what I saw while enjoying the 14 games-a-playing.

1.? ?Playoff turnover trend continues.

While the final postseason field isn?t quite yet settled, it?s already obvious from the teams that made it ? and the teams that won?t ? that the trend of 50-percent playoff turnover most likely will once again hold true.

In the AFC, the Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens have made it back again to the playoffs.? But the Colts, Chargers, and (most likely) the Jets will be left behind.

Replacing them will be the Texans and some combination of the Broncos, Raiders, Bengals, and Titans, with the Jets having a far-slimmer-than-Rex chance of dropping the turnover rate to 33 percent.

In the NFC, the Packers, Saints, and Falcons will be back.? Dumped from contention are the Eagles, Seahawks, and Bears.? Taking their places will be the Cowboys or the Giants, along with the Lions and 49ers.

Maybe we should quit calling this a trend.? Maybe it?s now the rule, and any situations in which more than half of the playoff field makes it back the next year should be regarded as the exception.

For the NFL, it?s a great development, because it creates annual hope for the 20 teams that end up on the outside looking in.? Every year, the fans of those franchises can take some solace in the notion that nearly a third of them will be playing for a Super Bowl title the following year.

Even the Bills and the Browns.

2.? Steelers face tough decision on Ben.

It?s hard to gauge the overall impressiveness of the Steelers? 27-0 win over the Rams, due to the quality of the competition.? But the decision to sit Ben Roethlisberger and start veteran Charlie Batch at quarterback couldn?t have gone much better.

So why not do it again?

The Steelers, after all, are playing the lowly Browns.? And while Pittsburgh?s arch-rivals from Cleveland would love nothing more than to keep the Steelers from winning the AFC North and clinching the No. 2 seed (even if it means seeing the even-more-hated Ravens pocket those prizes), the Steelers have the weaponry to handle the Browns with Batch or Dennis Dixon or even Terry Hanratty at quarterback.

On the other hand, getting a bye and securing home field advantage for at least the division round and possibly, if the Pats lose to the Bills in Week 17 or at home in the conference semifinals, the AFC title game carries with it tremendous value.? If, in the end, the Steelers indeed are on a collision course to play the Ravens again, it?s important for that game to be played in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers have beaten the Ravens twice in the last three postseasons.

The fact that the Bengals can get in with a win, which gives them even more motivation to beat the Ravens, should make the Steelers more willing to load up the cannon in order to beat the Browns.? Thus, while it was reckless for the Steelers to go with Roethlisberger only 11 days after he suffered the sprained ankle, Sunday?s game invites a calculated risk that, if it works out, could generate a great reward.

If it doesn?t pay off, the Steelers will be in no worse shape, since they?re locked in as the fifth seed.

Unless, of course, Roethlisberger aggravates the ankle with as little as six days to get ready for a game in Denver or Oakland.

In the end, it won?t be an easy call.? Maybe the answer will be to use Roethlisberger until the game against the Browns seems to be decided ? or until the scoreboard shows that the Ravens are handling the Bengals.

3.? AFC playoff field is flawed.

Not that long ago, all the best teams resided in the AFC.? Now, the once top-heavy conference has teams at the top that are littered with warts.

The Patriots, currently the top seed, possess a porous defense and not much of a running game.? Last time I checked, those were two key components of any serious playoff run.

The Ravens seem to be the most dangerous team of the bunch, as long as they can put it all together.? But they seem only to put it all together when playing good teams.? Saturday?s dilly-dallying with the Browns shows that the Ravens could be ripe for an upset if/when a lesser franchise comes to town.

Not long ago, the Texans were the ?it? team.? Now, many of their fans want to add an ?s? and an ?h? to that description.? With scant playoff experience on the roster, the Texans will need to make a quick adjustment when it?s time to play the big boys in the conference.

The Steelers have the tools to beat anyone, but they?re in danger of having to do it the hard way, with three hurdles to clear ? all of which most likely will come on the road ? before a earning a return trip to the Super Bowl.

The Broncos can beat anyone on any given day.? As we saw in fairly dramatic fashion on Saturday, they can lose to anyone, too.? Including a team that was riding a seven-game winning streak.? Even if the clock is striking twelve on Tebow Time, it?s hard to see this team winning in Pittsburgh/Baltimore, New England, or even Houston.

Ditto for the Raiders, who have at times looked good enough to barely win and at other times bad enough to be blown off the field.

That means the team poised to pocket the last ticket to the party ? the Bengals ? could be the most dangerous.? With a capable defense, a better-than-expected rookie quarterback, and a better-than-most rookie receiver, the team with the least to lose and the lowest expectations could string together one win after another, thanks to the deeply flawed field of candidates.

Of course, this could mean that the winner of the conference will end up being the sacrificial lambs for the Packers, Saints, or 49ers.? Unless, of course, the Ravens avoid playing down to the competition in their own conference long enough to earn a crack at the best teams in the league.

4.? Tough year for top two tailbacks.

Entering the 2011 football season, running backs in the NFL fell into two categories:? (1) Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson; and (2) everyone else.

And the season started very well for both men, who took two very different paths to getting paid a lot of money.? Johnson held out of training camp and the preseason, getting his big-money deal only days before the start of the season.? Peterson happily entered the final season of his rookie contract without creating any overt drama, even though it privately was known he wouldn?t react well to being subjected to the franchise tag in 2012.

Once the games started, it became clear that the holdout hampered Johnson.? Peterson performed well as usual, but he was underutilized at times by a Vikings team that kept blowing second-half leads.

Now that Peterson has suffered a serious knee injury, which seemed inevitable given his hard-charging running style, both men have a long way to go to prove that they remain the best tailbacks in the game.? Johnson needs to rediscover the explosiveness that allowed him to slide through a crease and hit the nitrous button; Peterson needs to get healthy.

Their experiences demonstrate that, unlike the quarterback position, which produces a tight nucleus of elite players who remain at that level for years, the best running backs have become a revolving door, with each year producing new guys who?ll enter the next season at the top of the league ? and who?ll have only a limited window to remain there.

5.? Cruz control in New York.

In his team?s first game of the 2010 preseason, undrafted rookie receiver Victor Cruz created a major stir for the Giants, with a performance that featured 145 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets in their annual exhibition.? But then the regular season started, and Cruz disappeared from view, making zero receptions before suffering a season-ending injury.

The 2011 campaign began far more inconspicuously for Cruz, with no touchdowns in the preseason and no receptions in the regular-season opener.? In Week Two, Cruz had only two catches for 17 yards.

Then came the explosion.? In the past 13 games, Cruz has generated 1,341 receiving yards.? Combined with the paltry 51 feet from the first eighth of the season, Cruz now has become the single-season receiving yardage leader in the storied history of the Giants franchise.

And the breaking of Amani Toomers? record came in perhaps the biggest regular-season game the Giants have had in years ? a cross-town/cross-stadium rivalry with the loud-mouthed Jets, in which Cruz?s nine-yard catch and 90-yard run turned the tide of a game in which the ?home? team in Green seemed to be overpowering the team that had won only one of six games.

As a result, Cruz needs to be taken seriously as one of the best young receivers in the game.? It?s a great story for a New Jersey kid who simply wanted to play in the NFL.? Cruz, through two NFL seasons, is on track not just to play but to dominate.

6.? Heaping helping of humble pie for the Ryans.

It?ll be interesting to see the relationship between the outcome of the 2011 regular season and the extent to which the Ryan twins keep talking.? For Rex, the Jets head coach, he had a chance to put up or shut up against the Giants.? Rex didn?t put up; now we?ll see whether he shuts up.

For Rob, the Cowboys defensive coordinator, another ugly loss to the Eagles and a looming winner-take-all game against the team that just beat Rex should induce caution and, relatively speaking, silence.

But guys who like to talk tend to find ways to keep talking.? Even after a season in which the Eagles scored a total of 99 points against the Ryans in three games, and with both the Jets and Cowboys facing a strong possibility of no postseason appearance for either team, it?s unlikely that they?ll change.

They can?t change; they are who they are, which is the source of their appeal to the men who play for them.? And as long as their players respond well to Rex and Rob, they?ll have a place in the league.

Besides, there?s still a chance ? slim as it may be ? that both men will extend their seasons past January 1.? For Rob, it?s a simple win-and-in proposition.? For Rex, the odds are longer, but it?s no huge stretch to think that the Jets will beat the Dolphins, the Ravens will beat the Bengals, the Texans will beat the Titans, and the Raiders or the Broncos will lose to the Chargers or the Chiefs, respectively.

If that all happens, Rex will find a way to quickly and completely digest his Christmas Eve portion of humble pie.? And now that the Jets have bottomed out for the third time this year, the boomerang effect could carry them deep into that deeply flawed AFC playoff field.

7.? It?ll be hard to keep Raheem.

The Buccaneers nearly made it to the postseason in 2010.? But for a surprising (at the time) home loss to the Lions, the 10-6 Bucs would have claimed the last seat at the NFC table, bouncing to the curb the eventual Super Bowl champions.

This year, expectations were higher, even though they were tempered by the reality that the Bucs compete with the Falcons and Saints in the NFC South.? A 4-2 start to the season, including wins over said Falcons and Saints, created a sense that the ?yungry? team from Tampa could take over the division.

And then the bottom dropped out.

Nine straight losses later, including two to a Carolina team that won only two total games a year ago, the Bucs have clinched the basement.? With coach Raheem Morris having only one year left on his contract and receiving no public or (by all appearances) private assurances that he?ll be back in 2012, it?s safe to assume that ownership will move on.

With the Jon Gruden buyout completed and Morris being paid nowhere near the top of the coaching food chain, it?ll be no problem to pay him not to coach the team in 2011.? And with the Bucs on track to finish the year with as many consecutive losses as total victories a year ago, it?ll be virtually impossible for a team that struggles to sell tickets to bring Raheem back.

But then who will they hire to run the team?? The up-and-coming coordinator who happens to be the younger brother of the guy the Bucs fired three years ago?? Another young assistant coach with low recognition, low salary demands, and, in turn, a limited ability to put butts in seats?

Or will the Glazer family decide to spend some of the money that hasn?t been devoted to player costs over the past several years on a big-name coach whose mere presence will help market the team?

We?ll all find out the answer soon.? The end result could result in even more empty seats next year at Raymond James Stadium.

8.? Lions peaking at the right time, but will it matter?

After the Lions slumped from 5-0 to 7-5, serious questions hovered regarding the team?s true ability to compete.? The loss of running back Jahvid Best to a season-ending concussion and the decision of opposing defenses to blanket receiver Calvin Johnson took the sting out of the offense.? The Ndamukong Suh imbroglio created a torrent of negative publicity, and a sense that the Lions simply weren?t ready to compete at the highest levels of the league.

Three straight wins in a row later, the Lions have made it to the postseason for the first time since 1999, and they?re being regarded as a serious threat to make some major noise when the playoffs start.

But will they?? Though Saturday?s thumping of the Chargers arguably was the most impressive victory of the season, the Lions barely held on to beat a bad Vikings team and found a way to steal a road win over the up-and-down Raiders.

It?s entirely possible that the bolt of momentum coming from the knockout blow that the Lions administered to the Chargers will help the Lions win a game or two, or maybe more, when it counts the most.? Ultimately, the Lions? fate could be influenced heavily by whether they enter the playoffs as the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.

If they can hold off the Falcons for the primary wild-card spot in the NFC, the Lions will play at Dallas (where the Lions won during the season) or New York (where the Giants have a hard time holding serve, at least when they?re not the visiting team).? But if the Lions slide into the sixth spot, Detroit will have to return to New Orleans, where they lost badly in early December.

The Saints seem to be unbeatable in the Superdome.? Perhaps the Lions could find a way to beat them there, but the Lions would surely prefer not to be forced to try.

And that creates an interesting dilemma for the Packers next week.? With the top seed clinched, should Green Bay rest their starters for the postseason, or should they do everything they can to force the Lions? postseason tour to commence with the possibility of inevitable failure in New Orleans?

9.? Eventual Super Bowl teams dodged a bullet.

In less than a month, we?ll know the identities of the teams who?ll qualify for the biggest event in all of sport.? Whoever makes it should look back to Week 16, and breathe a deep sigh of relief.? (Not to be confused with the many other types of sighs.)

On Christmas Eve, two of the most potentially disruptive teams summarily were erased from postseason contention, when the Chargers saw their three-game winning streak end in Detroit and when the Eagles saw their own three-game run rendered irrelevant by the Giants? win over the Jets.

Either team could have wreaked major havoc in January.? Just as the Packers barely made it to the playoffs as the NFC?s sixth seed in 2010 and then won the whole thing, the Eagles and Chargers could have parlayed late-season surges into postseason pillaging.

Now, none of the other playoff teams have to worry about the two teams who were the hottest in the league entering Week 16.? The Eagles have gotten even hotter, and the Packers, 49ers, and Saints should be thrilled that the Eagles won?t get a chance to extend that vibe beyond Sunday.

10.? The bloom is off the Tebow.

Eight days ago, Tim Tebow had reached the pinnacle of pro football popularity and/or notoriety.? The Broncos quarterback had become the biggest name in football, joining only a small handful of football players who can cross over into major mainstream consciousness.

Today, with a pair of ugly losses in which Tebow and the Broncos offense started strong but ultimately collapsed, the national buzz has diminished, significantly.? Though Tebow can get it back by leading the Broncos to a win over the Chiefs and former Denver starter Kyle Orton, the past two weekends prove that the flavor of the month sometimes is only the flavor of the week.

At some point, Tebowmania likely will return to the top of the non-sports news cycle.? Also, he remains the hottest thing going in Denver.

Still, his inability to deliver further heroics at home against the Patriots or to stay within 20 points of a bad Buffalo team on Christmas Eve has served as a stark reminder that the latest big name in sports is at any given time only a couple of bad games away from again becoming just another face in the crowd.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/26/cam-newton-is-indestructible/related/

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Texas Family Musical members get special farewell party

Update

Texas Family Musical members get special farewell party
?(Posted Today 07:18 am)
The Opera Guild of Granbury recently hosted a farewell party for the Granbury Opera House cast at Hank?s on the Square on the final night in Granbury. Refreshments were served compliments of the guild. Each member of the Opera House family received a Christmas gift bag. Mike Skiles, producer of Texas Family Musicals, was thanked for keeping the Opera House open for the past five years. There was a special thanks to Sam DiRosa and Brent Skiles along with each cast member. For information about the Opera Guild contact Pruitt 817-326-4591.

Home in Comanche Harbor total loss in fire
?(Posted Today 01:27 am)
A mobile home on Horseshoe Trail in the Comanche Harbor subdivision south of Granbury was a total loss after a major fire struck at about 9:30 p.m. Friday, Hood County Fire Marshal Brian Fine said. No one was injured, but two pets were lost, Fine said. It was also home to a man, who declined help from the Red Cross. Fine said the cause was believed to be accidental and electrical in nature.

Santa Claus is coming to town
?(Posted Fri 12:34 pm)
The lights are shining bright at 117 Dove Hollow Road, the home of Jon and Suzanne Back in South Grove. This lighting display is a favorite for families driving around to check out Christmas lights.?The Backs won first place and are repeat winners in the annual Hood County News Deck the House Holiday Lights Contest. Food items were collected to help those in need as part of the contest. Second place honors went to Mitch and Patty Lewallen, 905 Meadowlark Lane in South Grove. Third place in the residential lighting category was awarded to Max and Jeaneen Duffey, 6426 Walters Bend Court. There?s still time to get out and view Christmas lights across Hood County.

Essay winners announced at VFW
?(Posted Fri 07:18 am)
VFW Post 7835 has announced winners for the Voice of Democracy (VOD) contest, ?Is There Pride in Serving in Our Military,? and winners of the Patriot?s Pen Essay (PPE) contest, ?Are You Proud of Your Country.? Third place VOD winner is Leah McKinney, second place VOD winner is Zack Hasegawa and first place VOD winner is Jacob Phillips. Third place PPE winner is Mikayla Ross, second place PPE winner is Jeffrey Robinson?and first place PPE winner is?Christerfer Sanchez. After winning on the local level, Phillips won a $1,000 scholarship at district, advanced to the state finals and could go on to national competition.

Baby Riley out of hospital, heading to foster home
?(Posted Thu 06:08 pm)
Riley Alston, the 8-month-old Hood County boy who has been receiving medical attention at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth since Dec. 9 when he was found drastically underweight at only 9 pounds, has been discharged from the facility and is on his way to join his 18-month-old sister Katelynn with a foster family, Department of Family and Protective Services spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales announced late Thursday afternoon. "He's eating well and has gained a couple of pounds since being hospitalized," Gonzales stated. The parents, Justin and Brittany Alston of Rance Drive in the Sandy Beach subdivision, remain in jail, each facing two felony charges - injury to a child and abandonment/endangerment of a child, Sheriff's Office officials said.

Injured motorcycle rider upgraded to serious condition
?(Posted Thu 02:50 pm)
The medical condition of Dwight Damon Franks, a 40-year-old Granbury man who was injured when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided Tuesday afternoon?with a pickup driven by a Montana man,?was upgraded from critical to serious Thursday, according to a?spokesman for Texas Health Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. Franks had been flown to the Fort Worth hospital by air ambulance shortly after the crash. No?other injuries were reported.?

Rockin' country at Rio Brazos
?(Posted Thu 12:34 pm)
Clint Black performed in concert last Saturday at the Rio Brazos Music Hall in Granbury. Some of Black?s hit songs include ?Like the Rain,? ?A Bad Goodbye? and ?Killin? Time.? On Friday, Dec. 30, the Rio Brazos welcomes Randy Rogers in concert at 9 p.m. Mark Chesnutt performs at 9 p.m. on New Year?s Eve. For ticket information, visit www.riobrazoslive.com.

Source: http://www.hcnews.com/shownews.asp?category=20&id=9737

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Arsenal go for Gourcuff as Lyon chairman in London for talks

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger isn't giving up on Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff.

Wenger wanted to sign the playmaker in August, but injury scuppered the deal.

Speculation regarding the former AC Milan man's future has been heightened due to Lyon upping their interest in Dijon midfielder Benjamin Corgnet, who looks like a like-for-like replacement.

RMC says Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has been in London this week to discuss the transfer - with Arsenal looking to add to their squad in January.

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/399/f/607843/p/1/s/14621751/l/0L0Stribalfootball0N0Carticles0Carsenal0Ego0Egourcuff0Elyon0Echairman0Elondon0Etalks0E25763310Dutm0Isource0Fmain0Ifeed/story01.htm

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IBISWorld: Medical Device Manufacturing in China: Domestic demand to rise due to healthcare reforms http://t.co/VxsqVLBD

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BC-FBN--NFL Concussions-Miami,1st Ld-Writethru, FBN

BC-FBN--NFL Concussions-Miami, 1st Ld-Writethru,29121 former players sue NFL over concussionsEds: Adds quotes from lawsuit and background.Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) ? Nearly two dozen former NFL players are suing the league over severe and permanent brain damage they say is linked to concussions suffered on the job.

The complaint filed Thursday in Miami follows a similar one in Atlanta earlier this week. It is the latest in a series of recent lawsuits against the NFL by ex-players.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ex-Miami Dolphins teammates Patrick Surtain, Oronde Gadsden and 19 other players. It accuses the NFL of deliberately omitting or concealing years of evidence linking concussions to long-term neurological problems.

The NFL denies the charges and says player safety has long been a priority.

The players claim the NFL made misrepresentations about the seriousness of their injuries "with the intent of inducing NFL players, including Plaintiffs, to return to play as soon as physically possible after having suffered a football-related concussion and to promote an aggressive style of football that would attract viewers."

According to the lawsuit, following numerous studies on the risks of concussions, the NFL created a committee of researchers and doctors in 1994 to study concussions.

The committee was supposed to be independent, but members were affiliated with NFL, the lawsuit said, and the group did not include a doctor specializing in neurology or other brain research. When the committee published its findings in 2003, it stated "there was no long term negative health consequence associated with concussions," according to the complaint.

The former players are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

The lawsuit notes that in 2010, the NFL replaced the leaders of its research committee, and that the new leadership described the data used in the past by the NFL to counter the long-term effects of concussions as "infected" and lacking in science.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-23-NFL%20Concussions-Miami/id-bc7ca7cd5bf14efdac6d93d75cb2279f

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France offers to pay for breast-implant removal

In this photo taken Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, Chantal Guerin, a 46-year-old accountant and mother of three, displays a breast implant made by Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that was removed from her left breast, during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris. Guerin had her left breast removed after cancer and had PIP implants put in both breasts. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In this photo taken Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, Chantal Guerin, a 46-year-old accountant and mother of three, displays a breast implant made by Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that was removed from her left breast, during an interview with The Associated Press in Paris. Guerin had her left breast removed after cancer and had PIP implants put in both breasts. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Dr. Maurice Mimoun, a plastic surgeon at the St Louis hospital, holds silicone gel breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that he removed from a patient because of concerns that they are unsafe, Paris, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. French health authorities are considering whether to suggest that an estimated 30,000 women in France get their breast implants removed, amid warnings by leading doctors about risks of rupture and possible cancer risks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Dr. Maurice Mimoun, a plastic surgeon at the St Louis hospital, holds a silicone gel breast implant made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that he removed from a patient because of concerns that they are unsafe, Paris, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. French health authorities are considering whether to suggest that an estimated 30,000 women in France get their breast implants removed, amid warnings by leading doctors about risks of rupture and possible cancer risks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Director of Public Health Jean-Pierre Grall, right, Public Health officials Annie Podeur, center, and Jean-Claude Ghislain, left, participate in a media conference in Paris, Friday, Dec. 23, 2011. Tens of thousands of women with risky, French-made breast implants should have them removed at the state's expense, the health minister recommended Friday, adding that such removals were "preventive" and not urgent. While implants made by Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, have not been linked to an increased incidence of cancer, the risk that they could rupture and leak a questionable type of silicone gel has been shown, Xavier Bertrand said in a statement. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Dr. Maurice Mimoun, a plastic surgeon at the St Louis hospital, holds silicone gel breast implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese, or PIP, that he removed from a patient because of concerns that they are unsafe, Paris, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011. French health authorities are considering whether to suggest that an estimated 30,000 women in France get their breast implants removed, amid warnings by leading doctors about risks of rupture and possible cancer risks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) ? France took the costly and unprecedented step Friday of offering to pay for 30,000 women to have their breast implants removed because of mounting fears the products could rupture and leak cheap, industrial-grade silicone into the body.

Tens of thousands of other women elsewhere in Europe and in South America have the same French-made implants, but authorities there have so far refused to follow suit. The silicone-gel implants in question are not sold in the U.S.

Over the past week, the safety fears have created a public furor over something usually kept private, even in France. Women whose own families didn't know they had their breasts enlarged marched on Paris to demand more attention to worries about what might be happening inside them. Images of leaky, blubbery implants and women having mammograms have been splashed on French TV.

More than 1,000 ruptures pushed Health Minister Xavier Bertrand to recommend that the estimated 30,000 women in France with the implants get them removed at the state's expense.

Bertrand insisted the removals would be "preventive" and not urgent, and French health authorities said they had found nothing to link the implants to nine cases of cancer in women. The death last month of a woman who had the implants and developed a rare cancer had catalyzed worries.

The implants, made by the French company Poly Implant Prothese, were pulled from the market last year in countries around Europe and South America where they had been sold.

France's health safety agency says the PIP implants appear to be more rupture-prone than other types. Also, investigators say PIP used industrial silicone instead of the medical variety to save money. However, the medical risks posed by industrial silicone are unclear.

PIP is being liquidated and its executives and lawyer could not be reached for comment Friday.

The financial burden of the French government's decision falls on the state health care system, which estimated the removals could cost euro60 million ($78 million) at a time when the country is teetering on the brink of another recession and struggling with debt.

In recommending removal, the government noted the risks associated with major surgery and general anesthesia.

Because of those risks, many women may decide against removal. The government said those women should be examined every six months.

After the French decision, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency announced that it doesn't see enough proof of cancer or an excessive risk of rupture to recommend women in Britain have the implants removed. Up to 40,000 women in Britain may have had the implants, even more than in France.

Britain's chief medical officer, Sally Davies, said women "should not be unduly worried."

"While we respect the French government's decision, no other country is taking similar steps because we currently have no evidence to support it," she said.

The president of Brazil's Plastic Surgeons Association, Jose Horacio Aboudib, said it would be premature to have women remove the implants if they are not having any problems. About 25,000 women in Brazil received PIP implants.

"There is always a risk associated with surgery, and there is a cost. In France, the government is paying for it. Here it's not considered a public health risk, so the patient would have to pay for it," he said.

Medical authorities in Argentina and Venezuela recommended closer monitoring of women who have the implants.

In the U.S., concerns about silicone gel implants in general led to a 14-year ban on their use, in favor of saline-filled implants. Silicone implants were brought back to the market in the U.S. in 2006 after research ruled out links to cancer, lupus and some other concerns.

In France, one reason for the alarm was the uncertainty over the ingredients of the silicone used and the risk to internal organs. Also, while all breast implants can burst, especially as they get older, "these implants have a particular fragility" and appear to pose risks of rupture earlier in their life spans than other implants, said Jean-Claude Ghislain of the French health agency AFSSAPS.

France's state health care system normally pays for implants for medical reasons, such as after a mastectomy, but not for cosmetic implants. About 80 percent of those with the PIP implants had them for aesthetic reasons.

Annie Mesnil, who had a PIP implant to replace a breast removed after cancer in 1999, said she was relieved that the Health Ministry "accepts the idea that there is a potential danger." But she added: "It's not enough. They will pay for the removal of the implants, but they will not pay for the replacements."

After the PIP product was recalled last year, a mammogram and ultrasound did not reveal any problems with Mesnil's implant. But Mesnil, 62, had it removed anyway, at her own expense, out of fear.

When her surgeon took it out and studied it, "he discovered it had already burst," she said. "I don't know what's spilled inside my body."

Chantal Guerin, a 46-year-old accountant and mother of three, had her left breast removed after cancer and had PIP implants put in both breasts. In 2010, she developed cancer in her right breast.

"One cannot directly incriminate the implant, since there is no scientific proof," she said in an interview. "But we have the right to ask ourselves a lot of questions, because there is a great amount of physical pain involved."

___

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Juliana Barbassa in Rio de Janeiro, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Ian James in Venezuela, Deborah Gouffran and Ingrid Rousseau in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-23-EU-France-Breast-Implants/id-aaa0f3f5e5e1434f8a86eba3a062a390

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21st, 2011 at 9:33 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site. Edit this entry.

Source: http://ns15.hosteur.com/~gatecr/newsblog/?p=13960

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Fandango Teams Up With PayPal To Help You Skip Lines At The Movie Theatre And Leave Your Wallet At Home

In case you are heading to the movie theatre this holiday season, you might want to pay for your ticket via Fandango. Using the Fandango mobile app, you can now purchase movie tickets using your PayPal account and, in some cases, get your movie ticket straight to your mobile phone, avoiding lines at the ticket counter. While Fandango has offered PayPal as a payments option on the web, this is the first time the company is using the payments platform in its iPhone and Android apps. The company, which began rolling out mobile tickets in 2010, says that more than 20 percent of Fandango?s ticket sales come from mobile devices, seeing a 73 percent year over year increase in mobile ticket sales in 2011.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/XNG5gszXSkU/

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Video: Key witness in Penn State case testifies publicly

Christmas wish: Little listeria victim is home

Kendall Paciorek was born three months ago, but she didn't come home until this week, just days before Christmas. The premature girl was one of the tiniest victims of a deadly outbreak of listeria in contaminated cantaloupe.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45729461#45729461

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Eurozone to pursue crisis action, Fitch doubts outcome (Reuters)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) ? The euro zone will tackle its debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving toward tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on its capacity to respond decisively.

"We all know that Europe has not been able to convince markets that its governance set-up and its measures against the crisis were enough," Italian Deputy Economy Minister Vittorio Grilli said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.

"More integration and more effective instruments are needed. We are not yet there," he told Il Sole 24 Ore.

In Singapore, spot silver fell two percent to $29.08 an ounce early Monday amid a broad retreat in commodities and equities in reaction to the warning by Fitch that it might downgrade France and six other euro zone countries.

The euro also fell in Asia on concern about progress toward resolving the euro zone's debt crisis. The euro was down 0.3 percent at $1.3004.

Euro zone leaders agreed on December 9 to write into national constitutions a rule that budgets have to be balanced or in surplus in structural terms. If they are not, automatic corrective measures would follow.

Such rules would sharply limit government borrowing, bring down debt and, euro zone politicians hope, help restore market trust in the sustainability of public finances.

But constitutional changes will take a year or more and markets want reassurance now that money invested in euro zone debt is safe, especially after banks were asked to accept a 50 percent loss on their Greek bonds in October as part of a second bailout of the country which sparked the debt crisis.

European leaders have belatedly insisted that the Greek case was unique and did not set a precedent.

To address market concerns that they do not have enough money to prevent the crisis from engulfing Italy and Spain, euro zone leaders brought forward by one year to July 2012 the launch of their 500 billion euro permanent bailout fund.

ECB President Mario Draghi told Monday's Financial Times that euro zone politicians needed to move fast to make the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) operational, as any delay would end up raising the cost.

Euro zone leaders also agreed to offer 150 billion euros in bilateral loans to the IMF to raise its crisis-fighting capacity. Up to 50 billion euros more might come from non-euro zone European countries and possibly more from outside Europe.

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss at a Monday teleconference the draft text of the new euro zone fiscal compact so that it can be finalized by the end of January, EU officials said.

They will also consider the size of individual bilateral loans to the International Monetary Fund, in talks from 1430

GMT.

There are still doubts about this scheme. Germany's Bundesbank said last week it would only contribute if non-euro zone and non-European countries did too and the level of outside commitment is not clear.

Ministers will also discuss Monday the voting method in the euro zone's permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

Leaders decided on December 9 to abolish unanimity in ESM voting to prevent small countries blocking major decisions.

Finland objects to the change, because to accept it the Finnish government would have to have a two thirds majority in parliament, which it does not have.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble tried to show his backing for the permanent bailout mechanism in an interview published Monday, by saying his country may pay its full contribution to the mechanism next year.

"It is clear that the sooner and the more paid-in capital the ESM has, the more it gains trust on the financial markets," regional paper Rheinische Post Duesseldorf quoted him as saying. "My priority is to create trust."

Leaders will decide in March if the combined lending capacity of the temporary fund, the 440 billion euro EFSF, and the ESM, should be capped at 500 billion euros, or raised by the amount already spent by the EFSF.

"It is clear that in the short term, to fight the crisis of the single currency, the bailout instruments, such as the EFSF and ESM funds, must be reinforced," Italy's Grilli said.

Italy's austerity budget, vital for Rome's attempts to get its accounts in order and do its part to try to save the euro from collapse, enters its final stretch this week with unions still on the warpath. [ID:nL6E7NI0EL]

SOLUTION "BEYOND REACH"

Market response to the December 9 summit has been cool, mainly because of the reluctance of the European Central Bank to step up euro zone bond purchases and declare its readiness to do so.

"While acknowledging the extraordinary measures the ECB has adopted to provide liquidity to the European banking sector, its continued reluctance to countenance a similar degree of support to its sovereign shareholders undermines the efforts by euro area member states to put in place a credible financial 'firewall'," Fitch ratings agency said Friday.

Draghi declined to give a clear answer when asked in the Financial Times interview whether the ECB would keep buying government bonds once the EFSF entered the picture, and also warned governments not to expect the ECB to become a lender of last resort.

Other uncertainties also weighed.

"A week after the Brussels summit the basis of the agreement reached there has begun to unravel even more quickly than is normally the case," Emirates NBD bank said in a research note.

"Virtually all aspects of the deal appear to be being pulled and picked apart, from the degree of fiscal integration, the amount of firepower available for the bailout funds, and even to the support pledged to the IMF," the bank said.

"As a result the emphasis is likely to fall even more heavily on the ECB to keep the Eurozone system functioning."

The ECB, which is forbidden by EU law from directly financing government deficits, welcomed the December 9 agreement on more fiscal discipline in the euro zone, but doused expectations it would ramp up sovereign debt buying in return.

As a result, Fitch concluded that a 'comprehensive solution' to the crisis was technically and politically beyond reach.

COMMUNICATIONS NOT POLICY PROBLEM

Euro zone policymakers said the ECB's role in the crisis was impossible to communicate clearly because of legal and political constraints. But they said the bank would not, in the end, allow the crisis to threaten the survival of the currency bloc.

A declaration from the ECB that it would buy unlimited amounts of euro zone bonds for as long as necessary would immediately calm markets, but would probably break EU law and would relax pressure on politicians to reform their economies.

"The ECB simply can't and won't say that, and it's very unreasonable to even expect it," one euro zone official said.

Instead, the bank was likely to keep quietly buying enough Spanish and Italian bonds to keep both countries on the market but with financing costs sufficiently high to keep pressure on their lawmakers to quickly accept tough reforms.

"This is the most expensive approach, also not likely to work in the longer run, but still it is the only one possible," the euro zone official said.

ECB executive board member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi signaled the same in an interview published in Il Sole 24 Ore Sunday, saying ECB bond interventions were very effective in specific situations when the market risked going into "tailspin."

At the same time they created "perverse incentives" that reduced the pressure on single governments to adopt financial discipline, he said.

Instead of unlimited bond buying, the ECB will offer banks this week an opportunity to borrow money for three years for the first time, extending the current one-year ceiling for refinancing.

France hopes banks will use the money to buy euro zone bonds and ease the upward pressure on yields, but Italy's Unicredit bank said last week this "wouldn't be logical" for banks that are under pressure to reduce risk and rebuild capital.

Fitch warned that six euro zone economies including Italy and Spain could be hit with credit downgrades in the near future. This is the second time in two weeks that the euro zone has been threatened with multiple ratings markdowns after a similar statement from Standard & Poor's.

Fitch said it might also cut AAA-rated France within two years. A poll showed French voters overwhelmingly fear serious damage to the economy if France loses its top rating, despite attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy to reassure them such a blow would be surmountable.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111219/bs_nm/us_eurozone

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Ex-Pa. prof, Okla. teacher held in child porn case (AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY ? An Oklahoma prosecutor said Friday he "fully expects" more young victims to emerge in the case of a former third-grade teacher accused of making child pornography involving her students and sharing it online with a retired college professor in Pennsylvania.

Former McLoud school teacher Kimberly Ann Crain, 48, and retired Pennsylvania professor of early childhood development Gary Doby, 65, were charged Thursday in the case in which prosecutors allege Crain took photographs of as many as 14 young girls while they were changing in her classroom and at her home and shared them with Doby. Crain also is accused of setting up video chats on her school computer between her students and a man named "Uncle G," who authorities say was Doby.

"Any person who has a child that's been a student of Mrs. Crain has been on pins and needles wondering if their child is a victim," said Pottawatomie County District Attorney Richard Smothermon. "We've had at least three or four more parents contact us. Potentially there are many more victims.

"Until we have identified every victim, the investigation will continue."

Crain, who resigned in November, was charged with 23 felony counts, including eight counts of manufacturing juvenile pornography, 10 counts of lewd molestation and aggravated possession of juvenile pornography. Doby, who was arrested Thursday outside his Bloomsburg, Pa. home, was charged with eight counts of manufacturing juvenile pornography and one count of conspiracy to manufacture juvenile pornography.

Crain and Doby were being held Friday on $1 million each. If convicted on all counts, Crain could be sentenced to life in prison, while Doby could face up to 170 years, Smothermon said.

Doby was being held in Columbia County Prison near Bloomsburg University, the state-owned school about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia from which he retired in 2008. Pennsylvania court officials said Friday they have no record of an attorney for Doby and that an extradition hearing hadn't been scheduled.

A not-guilty plea was entered on Crain's behalf during her arraignment Thursday in Pottawatomie County. Her attorney, Cregg Webb, did not return a phone message Friday left at his office in Shawnee.

Smothermon said he's also discussing the possibility of federal charges, but that Oklahoma statutes carry lengthier sentences.

"We want to make sure we can get the maximum amount of time that we can," he said.

The case first came to light in November when the parents of a 9-year-old girl contacted police after their daughter attended a pizza party at Crain's McLoud home. The girl told police Crain had several girls change into Christmas-themed bras and panties and then took pictures of them decorating a Christmas tree and made a video of them doing a cheer dance, according to a police affidavit.

Police later uncovered more than 100 sexually explicit photographs of young girls from Crain's cellphone, computers and digital cameras, authorities said.

Officers who interviewed Doby at his home in Pennsylvania earlier this week said he admitted his relationship with Crain and that he communicated with her via Skype and received photos of young girls in their underwear, according to the affidavit.

Crain and Doby apparently met when she was a student and he was a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee between 1985 and 1987, Smothermon said. Although Smothermon did not disclose the nature of their relationship, court records show investigators found evidence of numerous "sexual chats" between the two on Crain's computer.

"Our community is distressed by the alleged crimes," Marty O'Gwynn, assistant to the president at OBU said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

George Wright, an attorney for the families of some of the alleged victims in the case, said both parents and the children are "traumatized."

"They're horrified daily," Wright said. "It seems like every day we hear something that was worse than the day before. It's an onslaught."

___

Associated Press writer Joseph Mandak in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_us/us_ex_professor_child_porn

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Carla DiBello: Kobe Bryant?s Affair Revealed

Is Carla DiBello Kobe Bryant?s affair and the reason for his divorce? Vanessa finally got tired of his cheating ways and decided to file for divorce. PHOTO: Carla DiBello (left) with Kim Kardashian and Caroline D’Amore. Well, we have heard this story a dozen times over, unfortunately from the same couple. Kobe Bryant has been made famous, not only for his ?black mamba ways?, but also for his string of affairs and sexual encounters. The most famous incident took place back in 2004 when news of Kobe?s affair with Katelyn Faber hit the news. She accused his of sexual assault, while he claimed it was consensual. Eventually charges were dropped, but damage was done to his relationship with his wife. Vanessa stood by her man, and he gifted he with a $4 million 8-carat purple diamond ring, now dubbed the ?Vanessa ring.? You may recall Tiger Woods also refereeing to needing one of those fixes when his epic affairs were revealed. Then came a few more rumors, and here we are today with news of Carla DiBello , who is one of Kim Kardashian?s BFF?s. DiBello is a producer on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Kourtney & Kim Take [...]

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Fox scores top cable news GOP debate so far (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? It wasn't Mitt. It wasn't Newt. Instead, it looks like Fox News was the big winner of Thursday night's Republican presidential debate.

The showdown in the early primary state of Iowa was the highest-rated cable news debate so far this year in both total viewers and in the key news demographic of 25-54 years old.

The debate averaged 6.7 million viewers with 1.9 million in the 25-54 demographic, besting Fox's previous debate high held in September.

Beyond the numbers, Sioux City, Iowa, served up a heaping helping of political theater: Rick Perry provided a mock-worthy parallel of himself with Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow; Michele Bachmann implied that Newt Gingrich was talking down to her in a sexist fashion; and the entire Republican field bent over backwards emphasizing their God-fearing ways.

The debate is second most popular debate in this seemingly endless season of GOP match-ups: ABC's broadcast last Saturday scored 7.6 million viewers with 2.1 million coming in the 25-54 demographic.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/tv_nm/us_foxnews_ratings

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