by MikeGallagher on Dec 30, 2011 7:42 PM EST in 2011 Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings
It's the last week of the season and we're a little bit late due to some waiting for some of these situations to develop with which guys will get rest and which backups could prove to be valuable in Week 17. I'm doing all of the rankings this week and if you have any questions about why I have a guy a bit higher than you might expect, don't be bashful and put post a question in the comment section or you can send them to me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher.
I'd also encourage you to check out Kenny's Preview that covers every game. I covered several scenarios in Waiver Wire Scoops as well. Plus don't forget that I'll be posting the superfluously informative Active/Inactive Update early Sunday.
Links to the ranks: QB RB WR TE D/ST IDP
Running Back Rankings after the jump:
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Read More: Thomas Jones (RB - KAN), John Kuhn (FB - GBP), Willis McGahee (RB - DEN), Frank Gore (RB - SFX), DeAngelo Williams (RB - CAR), Brandon Jacobs (RB - NYG), Derrick Ward (RB - HOU), Maurice Morris (RB - DET), Maurice Jones-Drew (RB - JAC), Sammy Morris (RB - DAL), Darren Sproles (RB - NOS), LaDainian Tomlinson (RB - NYJ), Michael Turner (RB - ATL), Cedric Benson (RB - CIN), Jonathan Stewart (RB - CAR), Marshawn Lynch (RB - SEA), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB - NYG), Ryan Grant (RB - GBP), Michael Bush (RB - OAK), Pierre Thomas (RB - NOS), Kevin Smith (RB - DET), Rashard Mendenhall (RB - PIT), Felix Jones (RB - DAL), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (RB - NEP), Ray Rice (RB - BAL), Mike Tolbert (FB - SDC), Peyton Hillis (RB - CLE), Shonn Greene (RB - NYJ), Beanie Wells (RB - ARI), Donald Brown (RB - IND), LeSean McCoy (RB - PHI), Arian Foster (RB - HOU), Isaac Redman (RB - PIT), Kahlil Bell (RB - CHI), LeGarrette Blount (RB - TAM), Ryan Mathews (RB - SDC), C.J. Spiller (RB - BUF), Dexter McCluster (WR - KAN), Ben Tate (RB - HOU), Chris Ivory (RB - NOS), Toby Gerhart (RB - MIN), Jamie Harper (RB - TEN), Roy Helu (RB - WAS), Kendall Hunter (RB - SFX), Jacquizz Rodgers (RB - ATL), Evan Royster (RB - WAS), Brandon Saine (RB - GBP), Daniel Thomas (RB - MIA)
?Following a police raid on Baptists meeting for worship in Neftechala in Azerbaijan, Pastor Telman Aliev, his wife (who was not present during the raid), and all the Church members have been summoned for police questioning on 23 December, after threats of criminal prosecution have been made against the pastor,? Forum 18 News Service reports.
By Felix Corley
12/22/2011 Azerbaijan (Forum 18 News Service) ? Following a police raid on Baptists meeting for worship in Neftechala in Azerbaijan, Pastor Telman Aliev, his wife (who was not present during the raid), and all the Church members have been summoned for police questioning on 23 December, after threats of criminal prosecution have been made against the pastor. The authorities declared the Church "closed" and sealed its building (though it was later unsealed), and confiscated all the books they could find, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Officials also asked for the full addresses of all Church members, and what ethnicity they are. The State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations official responsible for the area, who took part in the raid and would not give his last name, insisted to Forum 18 that: "Without registration you can't pray. We close any place of worship that isn't registered, including mosques." He then insisted: "We don't ban, we just demand documents." The Church has applied for re-registration, but like very many communities of all faiths its application has not been answered. Exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief without state permission is illegal in Azerbaijan, in defiance of international human rights standards.
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VERNON (CBS)?? Lawmakers are questioning the cost of legal bills for the city of Vernon, which is under investigation for its financial dealings.
Vernon paid a law firm nearly $7 million this year, while more than $2 million went to other lawyers and lobbyists defending the city, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Former Attorney General and Vernon ethics adviser Jon Van De Kamp says the legal fees are too high.
Three ex-city officials have already been convicted of misusing public funds.
UT Southwestern research suggests new way to ensure effectiveness of TB treatmentPublic release date: 28-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS Dec. 22, 2011 A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed.
If the study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases is borne out in future investigations, it may lead to better ways to treat one of the world's major infectious diseases. Health workers worldwide currently are required to witness each administration of the combination of drugs during months of therapy.
"Tuberculosis is a common ailment, accounting for up to 3 percent of all deaths in many countries. Although effective therapy exists, there are still cases of treatment failure and drug resistance remains a threat," said Dr. Tawanda Gumbo, associate professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study.
The results seem to challenge the current approach endorsed by the World Health Organization. Under that method, directly observed therapy-short-course strategy (DOTS), TB that responds to medication is treated with a cocktail of drugs under the supervision of health care workers, who in many countries must travel to isolated villages a costly and time-consuming process.
"Every TB patient is supposed to be watched as they swallow their pills in order to increase adherence and decrease emergence of drug resistance. This is the most expensive part of the program, but has been felt to be cost-effective since it improves compliance," said Dr. Gumbo, administrative director of research programs for the Office of Global Health at UT Southwestern.
In this study, UT Southwestern researchers created a sophisticated system of high-tech test tubes, which they called a "glass mouse," that mimicked standard therapy being given daily for 28 to 56 days, with dosing adherence varying between 0 percent and 100 percent. The threshold for defined non-adherence (failure to take a required dose of medication) was reached at 60 percent of the time or more.
"The first main finding in our laboratory model was that in fact non-adherence did not lead to multidrug resistance or emergence of any drug resistance in repeated studies, even when therapy failed. In fact, even when we started with a bacterial population that had been spiked with drug-resistant bacteria, non-adherence still did not lead to drug resistance," he said.
In fact, using computer simulations based on 10,000 TB patients in Cape Town, South Africa, the researchers discovered that approximately 1 percent of all TB patients with perfect adherence still developed drug resistance because they cleared the drugs from their bodies more quickly.
The body sees drugs as foreign chemicals and tries to rid itself of them, Dr. Gumbo said. A population of individuals with a genetic trait that speeds the process has been found in one area of South Africa that has a high rate of multidrug-resistant TB. In that population, patients who receive standard doses of drugs end up with concentrations in their bodies that are too low to kill the TB bacillus and drug resistance develops, he said.
A Journal of Infectious Diseases editorial that accompanies the study suggests that monitoring the levels of TB drugs in a patient's blood could be as important as monitoring compliance with therapy in contrast to current WHO guidelines.
"These data, based on our preclinical model, show that non-adherence alone is insufficient for the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB," Dr. Gumbo said. "It might be more cost-effective to measure patients' drug concentrations during treatment and intervene with dosage increases in those who quickly clear the drugs from their systems."
###
The work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.
Other UT Southwestern investigators involved in the study are lead author Dr. Shashikant Srivastava, former postdoctoral researcher, and Dr. Jotam G. Pasipanodya, research scientist in internal medicine. Researchers from the School of Pharmacy at Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Dallas, also participated.
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
UT Southwestern research suggests new way to ensure effectiveness of TB treatmentPublic release date: 28-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Deborah Wormser deborah.wormser@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS Dec. 22, 2011 A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed.
If the study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases is borne out in future investigations, it may lead to better ways to treat one of the world's major infectious diseases. Health workers worldwide currently are required to witness each administration of the combination of drugs during months of therapy.
"Tuberculosis is a common ailment, accounting for up to 3 percent of all deaths in many countries. Although effective therapy exists, there are still cases of treatment failure and drug resistance remains a threat," said Dr. Tawanda Gumbo, associate professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study.
The results seem to challenge the current approach endorsed by the World Health Organization. Under that method, directly observed therapy-short-course strategy (DOTS), TB that responds to medication is treated with a cocktail of drugs under the supervision of health care workers, who in many countries must travel to isolated villages a costly and time-consuming process.
"Every TB patient is supposed to be watched as they swallow their pills in order to increase adherence and decrease emergence of drug resistance. This is the most expensive part of the program, but has been felt to be cost-effective since it improves compliance," said Dr. Gumbo, administrative director of research programs for the Office of Global Health at UT Southwestern.
In this study, UT Southwestern researchers created a sophisticated system of high-tech test tubes, which they called a "glass mouse," that mimicked standard therapy being given daily for 28 to 56 days, with dosing adherence varying between 0 percent and 100 percent. The threshold for defined non-adherence (failure to take a required dose of medication) was reached at 60 percent of the time or more.
"The first main finding in our laboratory model was that in fact non-adherence did not lead to multidrug resistance or emergence of any drug resistance in repeated studies, even when therapy failed. In fact, even when we started with a bacterial population that had been spiked with drug-resistant bacteria, non-adherence still did not lead to drug resistance," he said.
In fact, using computer simulations based on 10,000 TB patients in Cape Town, South Africa, the researchers discovered that approximately 1 percent of all TB patients with perfect adherence still developed drug resistance because they cleared the drugs from their bodies more quickly.
The body sees drugs as foreign chemicals and tries to rid itself of them, Dr. Gumbo said. A population of individuals with a genetic trait that speeds the process has been found in one area of South Africa that has a high rate of multidrug-resistant TB. In that population, patients who receive standard doses of drugs end up with concentrations in their bodies that are too low to kill the TB bacillus and drug resistance develops, he said.
A Journal of Infectious Diseases editorial that accompanies the study suggests that monitoring the levels of TB drugs in a patient's blood could be as important as monitoring compliance with therapy in contrast to current WHO guidelines.
"These data, based on our preclinical model, show that non-adherence alone is insufficient for the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB," Dr. Gumbo said. "It might be more cost-effective to measure patients' drug concentrations during treatment and intervene with dosage increases in those who quickly clear the drugs from their systems."
###
The work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.
Other UT Southwestern investigators involved in the study are lead author Dr. Shashikant Srivastava, former postdoctoral researcher, and Dr. Jotam G. Pasipanodya, research scientist in internal medicine. Researchers from the School of Pharmacy at Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Dallas, also participated.
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html
To automatically receive news releases from UT Southwestern via email,
subscribe at www.utsouthwestern.edu/receivenews
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Japanese electronics giant Sony has agreed to sell its stake in a joint liquid crystal display panel venture in South Korea to its partner, Samsung Electronics, the two companies said on Monday.
Samsung will acquire all of Sony's stake in S-LCD Corp, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the Korean company, they said in a statement.
The Asian electronics giants have worked together since the 1990s in the semiconductor and LCD fields.
They established S-LCD in South Korea in 2004 to jointly produce LCD panels mainly used for televisions. Samsung had a stake of 50 per cent plus one share, with Sony holding the remainder.
For its share transfer, which will close by the end of January, Sony will receive 1.08 trillion won ($A930 million), the statement said.
Sony is increasingly relying on other manufacturers for the key TV component as LCD panel prices continue to slide due to a supply glut.
The two companies have also agreed to enter into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels.
The new deal will help Sony secure a "flexible and steady supply" of LCD panels, based on market prices and without the cost of operating a manufacturing facility, the statement said.
Samsung expects "heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations", it said.
From Britney and Jason to K-Stew and R-Pattz, we look back at the best high-profile pair-ups of the year. By Jocelyn Vena
Jason Trawick and Britney Spears Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage
From young love to established romantic empires, 2011 was all about PDA. Some of La La Land's most A-list couples weren't shy about flaunting the love they share. From musicians to actors to everyone in between, the last 12 months were all about sharing the love. As the year winds down, MTV News is reflecting on some of our favorite couples of the year.
Britney Spears and Jason Trawick The couple walked red carpets, gave each other shout-outs at awards shows and even got naked together in Britney's "Criminal" video, but it wasn't until December that they decided to make it official. After two years of dating, Spears and Trawick took their relationship to the next level, with confirmation that Jason put a ring on it. The pair celebrated their love and their impending nuptials in Las Vegas. Their engagement sparked headlines and left Spears "glowing." Who is your top couple of 2011? Vote in our Newsroom poll!Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez Summing up Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's year into a little blurb isn't that easy. They went to events together, and Bieber lavishly rented the Staples Center just to watch "Titanic." And when they weren't chilling out, they were giving shine to each other's hard work. Or bringing each other gifts. Remember when Bieber showed Selena his pet snake, Johnson, at the VMAs? Yes, we knew you wouldn't forget. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson The two "Twilight" stars seem poised to make our favorite couples lists for years to come. While in years past, they've remained under the radar, this year they came out of their shell and opened up about one another in interviews. Who could forget the time that K-Stew referred to her not-so-mysterious "English" boyfriend in an interview? We're assuming not R-Pattz.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z OK, so Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been together for, like, an eternity, but it wasn't until this year that the pair really had everyone buzzing. When Beyoncé stepped out at the VMAs, her expanding midsection and flashy performance was the ultimate pregnancy announcement. Jay-Z didn't seem to mind all the attention. He celebrated the baby news in the audience with his pal Kanye West. Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Amber Rose rebounded from her relationship with Kanye West by falling in love with Wiz Khalifa. The couple took the world on their wild relationship ride, from doing interviews together to sparking rumors that they had tied the knot. These two kept everyone talking and they don't seem to mind the attention, or spending lots of time with one another. Did we forget your favorite couple of 2011? Let us know on Facebook!
M'name's Sato, and I'm a Designer here at RolePlayGateway. Welcome to our humble website!
If you're addicted to roleplay, then let me tell you, you've stumbled onto the right place. We're one of the forefront text-based roleplaying hubs out there on the net!
Don't ever let anyone tell you that our dreams are unachievable! I'm in school to be a big-time screenwriter/film director. If I had listened to anyone along the way telling me it wasn't likely, I probably wouldn't have moved out of my little bubble community and gone to Chicago. Do what you love to do!
And it looks like what you love to do is read, write, and roleplay! That's what we're about at Gateway.
Just to get some housekeeping things out of the way, the first thing you're gonna want to do is get your ten forum posts out of the way. That link there will explain a bit more on why, and give you an index of threads to look up, so you you can get that number done pretty quickly.
The second thing you should do is look at the RPG Rules. It's dull, I know, but you need to know them, and see what sort of standards we set ourselves to as a community.
With that out of the way, dive right in!
If you have any questions about anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. We're a friendly bunch.
In barely enough time to get out of the app store and into the hearts of retro gamers everywhere, the iMAME emulator on iOS has already been erased from iTunes -- just days since its release. Alas, that lack of any official endorsement may have reared its ugly head. Well, it was good while it lasted. Guess we'll carry on saving up for that Vita purchase...
The town council council Innisfil, Ont., has decided to change the name of the Christmas tree in the lobby to a 'Holiday Tree.' (BENJAMIN RICETTO/QMI Agency)
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INNISFIL, Ont. ? While the mayor of this Ontario town will be celebrating Christmas, she says the tree up in Town Hall is a holiday tree.
?We work in a secular environment ? religion doesn't enter into a government building. We wanted to make it an inclusive celebration for everybody," Mayor Barb Baguley said.
?I don't have a problem wishing people a Merry Christmas, and I have my own personal celebration of Christmas, but in the government office, I have a profound respect for all cultures in our community. So we're calling it a holiday tree.?
The donated tree has decorations from local school children.
Elmer Spring, of Spring Tree Farms, donated the tree and said he can't understand why they'd ask him to donate a Christmas tree and then call it something else.
?I find it kind of pathetic that they'd say to people, 'Come see our holiday tree,'? said Spring. ?We gave them a Christmas tree, they asked the kids to decorate it like a Christmas tree. That's what it is.?
Write a quick text guide to share recipes, instructions ? anything you can type up.
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BC-FBN--Steelers-Harrison, 1st Ld-Writethru,411Steelers LB James Harrison returns to practiceAP Photo NY154, NY153, PAKS115Eds: Updates with details. With AP Photos.By WILL GRAVESAP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison understands his helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy was illegal by the letter of the law.
He can also understand, grudgingly, why the NFL suspended him one game as punishment for a series of similar hits over the last three seasons.
What Harrison doesn't quite understand, however, is why the Browns haven't also been disciplined by the league for allowing McCoy to return to the game so quickly if the quarterback was in such bad shape.
"If he was hurt so bad I don't know why they let him back in ... two plays later," Harrison said. "Something should be done to them, I would think. I don't know. I got a game, what should they get?"
McCoy was escaping pressure late in the fourth quarter when he tucked the ball as if to run. Harrison, who had been in coverage, approached ready to strike. McCoy pulled up at the last second and flipped the ball to running back Montario Hardesty right before Harrison mashed McCoy with his facemask.
Harrison contended after the game that McCoy ducked. Looking at the tape he's not so sure.
"I guess he's a little shorter, who knows? I don't know," Harrison said. "When it came down to it, my helmet hit his. Oh well."
The quarterback was down on the field for several moments but was cleared by the Browns to return a few plays later ? just in time to throw a clinching end zone interception in a 14-3 Pittsburgh win.
McCoy developed concussion-like symptoms following the game and hasn't practiced since while the Browns have come under scrutiny for the way they handled the situation.
Cleveland's failure to check McCoy for a concussion led the NFL to put a certified trainer in the press box at each game to help monitor head injuries.
Harrison practiced Wednesday for the first time since the suspension. The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year doesn't think he needs to change the way he plays to avoid further disciplinary action.
"I'm doing everything they ask me to do," Harrison said. "I've lowered my target area, that's it."
Harrison, who has lashed out at league officials in the past for their crackdown on what is considered dangerous hits, seemed more nonplussed about the suspension than previous fines.
''I'm not worried about anything," he said. "I can't forsee the future. I'm not a fortune-teller. I'm going to deal with it as it comes."
? ? Microsoft?s new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7 (WP7), introduces a fresh approach to content organization and a different UX, based on the Metro design language and principles that will be incorporated into Windows 8. It also targets a different market than its predecessor: instead of being designed mainly for business and technology workers, WP7 is targeted at active people with a busy life, both offline and online, and who use social networks every day, whatever their background. Why Should Designers Care? First, it?s a new interface, so you have space to create and develop some new ideas for it.
View original post here: Introduction To Designing For Windows Phone 7 And Metro
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artViper designstudio is specialized in validating website design, programming in PHP and AJAX as well as mySQL. We're eager to design graphically impressive sites with convenient content and functions. As we want to share some of this knowledge, this blog has been created - may you find something of interest! Have fun.
Sprint: Snap (Windows Mobile), Touch Pro 2 (Windows Mobile), Hero, EVO 4G, EVO Shift 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Design 4G
AT&T: Vivid
T-Mobile: Amaze 4G
However, HTC also disclosed that "components of the Carrier IQ solution" are on the HTC Merge, Acquire, Desire, Wildfire, Flyer and a variant of the Hero. But, the components on those phones "are not requested by the wireless service providers who sell these devices. HTC is currently working on an update to remove these software components from these devices.
HTC, in its response, reiterates that it neither receives nor stores any data the Carrier IQ software collects because the carrer, not HTC, is Carrier IQ's customer. And that's repeated in the bulk of the responses.
DES MOINES (Reuters) ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich fought back on Saturday against attacks over the more than $1.6 million in payments he received from mortgage giant Freddie Mac, insisting the money went to overhead for his firm and not to his wallet.
On a teleconference with Iowans, Gingrich said he worked with Freddie Mac to help poor people get homes, and he wanted to "set the record straight."
The payment received over a six-year period was spent mostly on overhead, the former House of Representatives speaker said.
Gingrich's ties to the company have come under increased scrutiny in recent days after six former top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sued by U.S. regulators on charges of misleading investors about the companies' exposure to risky home loans in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.
Gingrich's Republican opponents have filled the television airwaves of Iowa and New Hampshire, the states with the first two nominating contests, with ads criticizing him for influence peddling and accepting money from a mortgage house that contributed to the deep 2008-2009 recession.
Gingrich had surged into the lead in some polls in the Republican battle to find a challenger to President Barack Obama, overtaking Mitt Romney, but polls this week showed support for Gingrich may already be softening.
A Rasmussen poll showed Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has a slight lead over Gingrich in Iowa. Two other polls show Ron Paul, a libertarian Republican congressman, moving into second place behind Gingrich in Iowa and gunning for an upset that would almost certainly help Romney by stopping Gingrich's rise.
"I just want to set the record straight," Gingrich said. "We had a company. The company had three different offices. We were paid annually for six years, so the numbers you see are six years of work. Most of that money went to pay for overhead, for staff, for other things that didn't go directly to me."
On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal published an editorial blasting Gingrich for hypocrisy in using big government programs "for his own political ends."
REFUTING ATTACKS
"Mr. Gingrich would help his candidacy if he stopped defending his Freddie payday, admitted his mistake, and promised to atone as president by shrinking Fannie and Freddie and ultimately putting them out of business," the editorial said.
On a phone call designed to refute negative attacks and enlist precinct captains for Iowa's January 3 caucuses, Gingrich insisted that he "did not in any way work in influence, per se."
"That's an area where people have said things that are wildly inaccurate," Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he began advising Freddie Mac after he had been working for Habitat for Humanity, and he wanted to help poor people find ways to buy a home.
The former speaker also used the call to reject a charge from rival Rick Santorum who said in Iowa last week that Gingrich was not as solid on anti-abortion issues as other conservatives.
Gingrich said he has a concrete voting record on the issue, and he only broke with the group Right to Life once, when the group had a "theory" that the original welfare reform act would lead to more working women having more abortions.
"Nobody else agreed with them," Gingrich said.
He also said that any suggestion that he was ever in favor of partial birth abortion "is just a falsehood."
"It's clearly murder when you take a baby and you do that barbaric thing," Gingrich said.
(Reporting By Sam Youngman; editing by Philip Barbara)
YES TO JETS, NO TO NUKE: Russia signed a deal Friday to provide India with 42 fighter jets, but the two nations have failed to strike a deal on a nuclear power plant.
REGULAR CUSTOMER: India has been a leading customer for Russian weapons since the Soviet times, buying combat jets, missiles, navy ships and other weapons worth billions of dollars. Russian weapons still account for the bulk of the Indian military arsenals.
NOT IN MY BACK YARD: Indian and Russian officials did not sign a deal to complete the Koodankulam nuclear plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Russia had pledged to build two of four reactors at the $3 billion plant, but construction has been delayed due to protests by local residents concerned about the plant's safety.
U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta greets members of the Libyan delegation on the tarmac during his arrival in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta greets members of the Libyan delegation on the tarmac during his arrival in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta walks across the tarmac during his arrival in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta greets members of the Libyan delegation on the tarmac during his arrival in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
U.S. Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta is greeted by Ambassador Gene Crets during his arrival in Tripoli, Libya, Saturday, Dec., 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Tripoli Saturday, taking advantage of the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi in an eight-month civil war to become the first Pentagon chief to set foot on Libyan soil.
But Panetta has indicated that the U.S. will give more time to the Libyans to gain control of the militias that overthrew Gadhafi before determining how to help the fledgling government.
At a news conference with Libyan Prime Minister Abd al-Raheem al-Keeb, Panetta said that he was confident that the new Libyan government is reaching out to all of the disparate groups and would bring them together so they will be part of "one Libya." Panetta, who was joined by Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said the United States would provide whatever assistance the Libyans needed.
The Libyan prime minister told reporters that he was optimistic that they will be able to deal with the militias.
Panetta's route into the city on Saturday took him past lush orange groves, carcasses of bombed buildings and the charred and graffiti-covered compound once occupied by Gadhafi. Flying from rooftops were the green, black and red flags, adorned with a star and a crescent, belonging to the new government. Amid the Arabic graffiti splashed across the walls of the compound was a short comment in English: "Thanx US/UK."
Panetta also made an emotional visit to what historians believe is the gravesite of 13 U.S. sailors killed in 1804. Those deaths were caused by the explosion of the U.S.S Intrepid, which was destroyed while slipping into the Tripoli harbor to attack pirate ships that had captured an American frigate.
Panetta walked into the small walled cemetery with more than two dozen gravestones, and over a corner where five large but simple white gravestones mark the graves of the American sailors. The stones read "Here lies an American sailor who gave his life in the explosion of the United States Ship Intrepid in Tripoli Harbour, Sept. 4, 1804."
Panetta placed a wreath at the site, and then observed a moment of silence. He also left behind a memento of his visit on top of one of the stones, a Secretary of Defense souvenir coin.
While eager to encourage a new democracy that emerged from Libya's Arab Spring revolution, the U.S. is wary of appearing as trying to exert too much influence after an eight-month civil war. At the same time, however, leaders in the U.S. and elsewhere worry about how well the newly formed National Transitional Council can resolve clashes between militia groups in the North African nation.
Ahead of Panetta's visit, the Obama administration announced it had lifted sanctions the U.S. imposed on Libya in February to choke off the Gadhafi regime's funds while it was violent suppressing peaceful protests. The U.S. at the time blocked some $37 billion in Libyan assets, and a White House statement said Friday's action "unfreezes all government and central bank funds within U.S. jurisdiction, with limited exceptions."
Recovery of the assets "will allow the Libyan government to access most of its worldwide holdings and will help the new government oversee the country's transition and reconstruction in a responsible manner," the White House said.
But the continuing violence in Libya, including recent skirmishes between revolutionary fighters and national army troops near Tripoli's airport, reflects the difficulties that Libya's leaders face as they try to forge an army, integrating some of the militias and disarming the rest.
Officials acknowledge that process could take months, and that they can't force the militias to go along.
Panetta told reporters Friday that his visit to the Libyan capital will give him a better sense of the situation and allow him to pay tribute to the people for bringing down Gadhafi and trying to establish a democratic government.
"It seems to me they are working through some very difficult issues to try to bring that country together," said Panetta. "It's not going to be easy. This is not a country that has a tradition of democratic institutions and representative government. This is going to take some work "
But he said he has seen indications that the Libyans are making progress.
"I think that any country like Libya that was able to do what they did and show the courage that they did in making the changes that took place there ? I'm confident that ultimately they're going to be able to succeed in putting a democracy together," he said.
Panetta said the U.S. is prepared to provide Libya any assistance it needs.
By traveling to Libya, however, Panetta was highlighting the different approaches that the U.S. and other countries are taking with respect to rebellions against tyrannical leaders.
The U.S. and NATO provided months of military power and assistance to the Libyan rebels, but officials have made it clear they do not intend to do the same in Syria despite the furor over President Bashar Assad's crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators.
Panetta, who met with Turkish officials Friday, said they did not discuss any specific steps to increase pressure on Assad to step down.
But they talked about the need to work together with other nations to "get Assad to do the right thing."
At some point, he said, he believes that the type of uprisings that happened in Libya and elsewhere across the Middle East will take place in Syria.
We?ve all heard of flash mobs, but what on earth is a cash mob? As it turns out, it?s like a flash mob, only it involves a shopping spree designed to help boost a local business.
Just like Fight Club, there are some rules about organizing a cash mob, although the Cash Mobs website insists that these are completely optional and can be tweaked. A few notable rules:
? The mob date must be announced at least a week in advance via Twitter. ? The location at which to meet will be announced, but not the specific business to support. ? The business must have products for both men and women. ? The business must be within one block of a locally owned watering hole.
Sounds like a great way to support businesses that support the local community and to meet new people. On the downside, it does seem a little easy for businesses to manipulate the idea for their own gains.
December 14, 2011 at 12:06 pm | In Pets, West Seattle news | 37 Comments
Our usual home for lost/found pet reports is the WSB Pets page, which marks its fourth anniversary next month as the only one-stop online bulletin board if you have lost or found a pet in this area. Today, we?re spotlighting a special ?found pet? report ? because it?s quite out of the ordinary.
Amy e-mailed us the photo of Arlene the one-eyed cat. Arlene is what Amy calls her, anyway. And she had two eyes when Amy found her in bad shape near 34th/Holden a month ago: ?I think she?d had a run-in with a raccoon or coyote.? Amy?s first note was pretty sparse, so we inquired: You?ve gotten some care for her, then? Yes, Amy replied:
She had her eye removed, along with some teeth, and flea and ear mite medicine. I didn?t post anything earlier because I wasn?t sure she would survive (she had a bad abscess in her jaw that had gone behind her eye, and she was having seizures for a while). There was also a week or two where she had fluid surrounding her heart and in her abdomen, but that?s all gone now. She?s still taking kidney medication and a diuretic. ? It did cost a lot but there was no way I could have just left her in the street, so I didn?t mind paying!
(And of course they checked for a chip; there was none.) Amy has grown to love Arlene and can keep her ? but says she felt she just had to post a ?found cat? notice because, ?I know if I lost my cat, I would want to know she was alive.? If you are, or know, this kitty?s (original) owner, you can e-mail Amy at amywms23@yahoo.com.
In 1995, Republicans had a lot of reasons to be optimistic. They swept the House and Senate from the Democrats, and won many gubernatorial contests. Bill Clinton's approval ratings were below 50 percent. Their front-runner, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, was leading Clinton in the polls, making the cover of TIME magazine.
So why did it all go south for the Republicans? And why should they be worried about a repeat performance haunting them this holiday season?
Like the 2012 primary season, a lot of Republicans lined up to take on a Democratic President. You had a mix of candidates considered too conservative (Pat Buchanan, Bob Dornan), not conservative enough (Richard Lugar, Lamar Alexander), those with a lot of business experience, without a lot of political experience (Steve Forbes), an conservative African-American candidate who never held elected office (Alan Keyes) or just plain uninspiring (like Dole and Phil Gramm).
Sure enough, a mixed bag of candidates produced a mixed bag of results in the state caucuses and primaries. Pat Buchanan won the Alaska caucuses, then dispatched Gramm in Louisiana. Dole limped to a victory in the Iowa Caucuses, but Buchanan upset him and Alexander in New Hampshire about a week later. Then Forbes charged onto the scene, knocking off Buchanan in Arizona and Dole in Delaware.
At that point, Dole was forced to open up his wallet and empty his campaign treasury. Sure enough it produced results, as he was able to finish off the others in the subsequent contests, winning every state except for Missouri (which Buchanan took). But it left him broke against the well-funded Clinton. And while the GOP candidates tore each other apart, Clinton gave his positive pep talks across the country, providing a more appealing alternative to the exhausted and embittered Dole, linked to the dwindling popularity of Newt Gingrich.
Will history repeat itself? You have some candidates considered too conservative (Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann), not conservative enough (Libertarian Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman), someone with a lot of business experience but a thin political resume (Mitt Romney), and even a conservative African-American candidate for a time (Herman Cain). All have leap-frogged each other in the polls, with inconclusive results.
Imagine what would happen if Paul wins the Iowa Caucuses, Romney prevails in New Hampshire, and Gingrich takes South Carolina, with everyone bunched together for Florida. Meanwhile, Barack Obama borrows a page from the Clinton playbook, and puts a positive spin on things while the Republican nominee emerges bloody and broke. That's a Ghost of Christmas Past that would scare any Republican as we head into the nomination season.
Republican primary voters aren't enthused by Mitt Romney. But he is the more disciplined candidate. And he has better organization skills. And a bigger war chest. ... Yawn, yawn and yawn.
If you really want to know how the GOP presidential primary is going to turn out, you don't need much analysis. You didn't have to wait this long, either. Long before trapeze artists Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain ended their acts with spectacular thummps, long before the false springs of Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, and Mike Huckabee, long before today?s leading candidates had even declared they were running?all you had to know is that the winner of the GOP presidential primary is the candidate who came in second last time wins this time.
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) The Republican Primary Debate in Myrtle Beach may still be six weeks away, but hotels are already starting to see bookings for the event. The Sheraton Hotel, located next to the debate's venue at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, already has a majority of rooms reserved by the South Carolina GOP.
"They've reserved a block of rooms, and will provide a list of who will be staying with us," said Sheraton General Manager Suzanne Hinde. Aside from the candidates and their campaign workers, thousands of spectators are expected for the event, bringing with them an economic boost to the Grand Strand in what is generally a very slow month.
"It's an exciting time," Hinde said. "A lot of people will be walking through and there will be lots of different events."
In order for the debate to be at the Convention Center, the Grand Strand Juniors Volleyball Tournament, which was already booked for that weekend, had to move. Some of the games that would have been in Myrtle Beach have now been moved as far away as Florence, prompting some potential guests to rethink their travel plans.
"We do have some reservations with the volleyball group," said Hinde. "We are reaching out to see if they still want to be here."
The fact that the tournament has moved to make way for the debate has some opponents of the GOP raising their eyebrows. Members of the Horry County Democratic Party say they're thrilled for the national exposure, and are excited for any political event.
They don't understand why the Debate has to take place at the Convention Center, when there are other acceptable venues around town.
"If someone's made a reservation, they should keep their reservation," said Democratic Party member Brian Scott. "They could have found another place to have the debate."
DELTONA, Fla. (AP) ? Authorities say a central Florida man was arrested after jokingly trying to buy drugs at a Burger King drive-thru.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office reports that 32-year-old Shawn Porter and a friend placed an order for "blunt and some herbs" at a Deltona Burger King Thursday night.
A cashier smelled marijuana coming from their car and jotted down the license plate of the car, and then a supervisor called 911.
A deputy located Porter's house by running the tag number and was waiting when Porter arrived home with a Burger King bag in his hand. The deputy reported finding 28 grams of marijuana in the car.
Porter was charged with drug possession. He was being held on $1,000 bond. It's not immediately known if he has an attorney.
by MikeGallagher on Dec 30, 2011 7:42 PM EST in 2011 Fantasy Football Weekly Rankings 
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20. Dec, 2011
Amy e-mailed us the photo of Arlene the one-eyed cat. Arlene is what Amy calls her, anyway. And she had two eyes when Amy found her in bad shape near 34th/Holden a month ago: ?I think she?d had a run-in with a raccoon or coyote.? Amy?s first note was pretty sparse, so we inquired: You?ve gotten some care for her, then? Yes, Amy replied: