Saturday, December 31, 2011

MosnarComm: Wendy's hopes brand will score hit in Japan: If you have the luxury of being able to plan a mid-week getaway abo... http://t.co/aX2s49tP

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Wendy's hopes brand will score hit in Japan: If you have the luxury of being able to plan a mid-week getaway abo... bit.ly/rvjeNu MosnarComm

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Source: http://twitter.com/MosnarComm/statuses/152541121287954432

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Kendra Wilkinson Calls Crystal Harris ?Mean?

All's fair in love and ... puppies? The battle between Hugh Hefner and his almost-wife Crystal Harris continues to rage as the Playboy playmate is now calling for Hef to return their Cavalier King Charles spaniel puppy Charlie to her six months after their split.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/kendra-wilkinson-calls-crystal-harris-mean/1-a-414427?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akendra-wilkinson-calls-crystal-harris-mean-414427

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Chinese HSBC manufacturing PMI for December

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/274376/20111230/chinese-hsbc-manufacturing-pmi-for-december.htm

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Friday, December 30, 2011

After Christmas Violence in Nigeria, Muslims Becomes Targets (The Atlantic Wire)

A homemade bomb was thrown at an Arabic school in southern Nigeria two days after a series of bombings that targeted churches on Christmas Day. No deaths were?reported?in Tuesday's assault, but among the wounded were six children under the age of nine.?

Related: Radical Sect in Nigeria Kills More Than 100

In a?separate?incident,?a Christian family was murdered?by gunmen in what police reportedly claim was a "religious?attack."

Related: Car Bomb Explodes at U.N. Offices in Nigeria

The recent increase in violence is raising concerns that a full-scale religious war could break out in a nation that is divided roughly in half between Muslims and Christians populations. Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group that opposes the Nigerian government, claimed?responsibility?for the Christmas attack that killed 32 people observing the holiday mass. It was the second year in a row that Christians had been targeted during the holiday. Those attacks came amid ongoing clashes between Boko Haram and government forces in the northern city of Damatruru that have forced around 90,000 people to flee their homes. Many of those who left have refused to move into?government?sponsored camps for fear that would make them an easier target.

Related: The Politics and Logistics Behind Bin Laden's Watery Grave

Religious leaders on both sides have condemned the attacks, but are finding it difficult to control individuals seeking revenge or who believe they're acting in self defense; particularly when one side, Boko Haram, is accused of trying to "disintegrate" the country,?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20111228/wl_atlantic/afterchristmasviolencenigeriamuslimsbecomestargets46713

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Stanford archives offer window into Apple origins

PALO ALTO, Calf. (AP) - In the interview, Steve Wozniak and the late Steve Jobs recall a seminal moment in Silicon Valley history?how they named their upstart computer company some 35 years ago.

"I remember driving down Highway 85," Wozniak says. "We're on the freeway, and Steve mentions, `I've got a name: Apple Computer.' We kept thinking of other alternatives to that name, and we couldn't think of anything better."

Adds Jobs: "And also remember that I worked at Atari, and it got us ahead of Atari in the phonebook."

The interview, recorded for an in-house video for company employees in the mid-1980s, was among a storehouse of materials Apple had been collecting for a company museum. But in 1997, soon after Jobs returned to the company, Apple officials contacted Stanford University and offered to donate the collection to the school's Silicon Valley Archives.

Within a few days, Stanford curators were at Apple headquarters in nearby Cupertino, packing two moving trucks full of documents, books, software, videotapes and marketing materials that now make up the core of Stanford's Apple Collection.

The collection, the largest assembly of Apple historical materials, can help historians, entrepreneurs and policymakers understand how a startup launched in a Silicon Valley garage became a global technology giant.

"Through this one collection you can trace out the evolution of the personal computer," said Stanford historian Leslie Berlin. "These sorts of documents are as close as you get to the unmediated story of what really happened."

The collection is stored in hundreds of boxes taking up more than 600 feet of shelf space at the Stanford's off-campus storage facility. The Associated Press visited the climate-controlled warehouse on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay area, but agreed not to disclose its location.

Interest in Apple and its founder has grown dramatically since Jobs died in October at age 56, just weeks after he stepped down as CEO and handed the reins to Tim Cook. Jobs' death sparked an international outpouring and marked the end of an era for Apple and Silicon Valley.

"Apple as a company is in a very, very select group," said Stanford curator Henry Lowood. "It survived through multiple generations of technology. To the credit of Steve Jobs, it meant reinventing the company at several points."

Apple scrapped its own plans for a corporate museum after Jobs returned as CEO and began restructuring the financially struggling firm, Lowood said.

Job's return, more than a decade after he was forced out of the company he co-founded, marked the beginning of one of the great comebacks in business history. It led to a long string of blockbuster products?including the iPod, iPhone and iPad?that have made Apple one of the world's most profitable brands.

After Stanford received the Apple donation, former company executives, early employees, business partners and Mac enthusiasts have come forward and added their own items to the archives.

The collection includes early photos of young Jobs and Wozniak, blueprints for the first Apple computer, user manuals, magazine ads, TV commercials, company t-shirts and drafts of Jobs' speeches.

In one company video, Wozniak talks about how he had always wanted his own computer, but couldn't get his hands on one at a time when few computers were found outside corporations or government agencies.

"All of a sudden I realized, `Hey microprocessors all of a sudden are affordable. I can actually build my own,'" Wozniak says. "And Steve went a little further. He saw it as a product you could actually deliver, sell and someone else could use."

The pair also talk about the company's first product, the Apple I computer, which went on sale in July 1976 for $666.66.

"Remember an Apple I was not particularly useable for too much, but it was so incredible to have your own computer," Jobs says. "It was kind of an embarkation point from the way computers had been going in these big steel boxes with switches and lights."

Among the other items in the Apple Collection:

_ Thousands of photos by photographer Douglas Menuez, who documented Jobs' years at NeXT Computer, which he founded in 1985 after he was pushed out of Apple.

_ A company video spoofing the 1984 movie "Ghost Busters," with Jobs and other executives playing "Blue Busters," a reference to rival IBM.

_ Handwritten financial records showing early sales of Apple II, one of the first mass-market computers.

_ An April 1976 agreement for a $5,000 loan to Apple Computer and its three co-founders: Jobs, Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, who pulled out of the company less than two weeks after its founding.

_ A 1976 letter written by a printer who had just met Jobs and Wozniak and warns his colleagues about the young entrepreneurs: "This joker (Jobs) is going to be calling you ... They are two guys, they build kits, operate out of a garage."

The archive shows the Apple founders were far ahead of their time, Lowood said.

"What they were doing was spectacularly new," he said. "The idea of building computers out of your garage and marketing them and thereby creating a successful business?it just didn't compute for a lot of people."

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9RU25I01&show_article=1

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Judaism Strands In Israel Clash Over Strict Codes

It's being called a battle for the soul of Israel, with even Israeli President Shimon Peres saying the country's democracy is under threat. The fight is among Israel's increasingly large and powerful ultra-orthodox community and other Jews who say they won't be dictated to.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/144364324/judaism-strands-could-be-tearing-israel-apart?ft=1&f=3

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

I'm Back?

It's extremely likely that none of you remember who I am, since I only had two posts on this account. My lost account had only one. However, I'm here to say that after months of contemplation, I'm back and I think I'm fully and creatively prepared to contribute to roleplays. I'm very pleased to be back, because I remember this community to be creative and friendly, especially after clicking around and looking through the forums. I don't know if I'll receive very many hits, but I think I'll begin crafting some applications soon.

Just a little background on me before I let myself get distracted by filling up my head with notions of being creative just yet. I'm attending school to be a graphic designer (hopefully, layout design- you could say it's a passion of mine). At the moment, I'm attending a trade school and will soon be entering college for such studies. I've been roleplaying all sorts of things since I was but a boy of 7: fantasy, sci-fi, romance, comedy- you name it. I enjoy reading about the occult and the history of witchcraft due to some personal ties with the subject. My favourite genres to roleplay in are comedy, action, horror and fantasy.

My hobbies include writing and performing music, drawing, writing, reading and, of course, playing video games. If you feel like you want to get to know me better or even just say hello, I'm always open to PM's.

Sorry all that was so long-winded, but it's just some info I wanted to get out before starting to participate a little more. I hate being a stranger.

PS: In roleplays, I give you back what you give me. For example, if you give me a one-liner, I'm not going to give you a paragraph.

Tl;dr: I love roleplay, so I'm coming back to where I know is friendly. :D

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/r6z-te80sic/viewtopic.php

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Florida Helicopter Crash: 3 Killed Medical Chopper Crash

Medical Helicopter Crashes in Green Cove Springs, Florida

A medical helicopter, en route from the Mayo Clinic to the University of Florida in Gainesville has crashed in Cove Springs, Florida on December 26, 2011. The pilot and two passengers were killed in the crash.

The Bell 206 helicopter is owned by SK Jets in St. Augustine, and chartered to the Mayo Clinic. Its aircraft tail number was N5016. The chopper was on its way to pick up a heart scheduled for transplant.

The helicopter, which had not filed a flight plan, failed to show up at the Shands Medical Center at University of Florida. The wreckage was spotted by another helicopter.

The Mayo Clinic confirmed the helicopter was sent to pick up a heart from Shands at the University of Florida but never arrived.

The FAA will investigate the crash, whose cause is not immediately known.


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Source: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/florida-helicopter-crash-3-killed-medical-chopper-crash-2873475.html

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Pocketlint: Thunderbolt for PC in April 2012 claims source #intel #sony #asus http://t.co/xcGvNQfc

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Thunderbolt for PC in April 2012 claims source #intel #sony #asus bit.ly/tKLF4J Pocketlint

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Source: http://twitter.com/Pocketlint/statuses/151651464425639936

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

PFT: Colts may blow their chance to pick Luck

New York Giants v Dallas CowboysGetty Images

Since 2006, the league has been using a flexible schedule on Sunday nights to ensure that a competitive and interesting game always will occupy the prime-time slot.? In most weeks of flex scheduling, the decision comes at least 12 days before the games are played.? For Week 17, the decision usually is made after the full Week 16 slate of games has been played, and it?s unveiled no later than six days before the final Sunday.

Unlike all other weeks of flexible scheduling, no game has even tentatively been placed in the 8:20 p.m. ET time slot.? Instead, all games have a 1:00 p.m. or 12:00 p.m. local time kickoff (for three games due to start at 4:15 p.m. ET, it?s a 1:15 p.m. local start), and the NFL will choose one of those 16 games to be the final act of the regular season, since no Monday night game is played in Week 17.

The goal every year becomes finding a game with clear playoff implications that can?t be resolved based on the outcomes of games played earlier in the day.? And that?s not always an easy thing to do.

Last year, only the Seahawks and Rams provided a clear-cut pre-playoff game, with the winner capturing the NFC West and the loser being bounced from the postseason field ? regardless of the final score of any other game played that day.

This year, a game with obvious playoff implications regardless of what happens elsewhere could be hard to find.? Here?s a quick glance at the potential relevance of each game.

Redskins at Eagles:? Since Philly?s shot at winning the NFC East would hinge (if it survives Week 16) on the Giants beating the Cowboys, this game could be irrelevant.

Lions at Packers:? Green Bay?s clinching of the top seed, if they don?t have it after this weekend, would come if the 49ers lose to the Rams in Week 17.? Also, losses by other teams would deliver a Detroit playoff berth, if Detroit doesn?t clinch it this weekend.? Then again, whether the Packers have the No. 1 or No. 2 seed really isn?t that big of a deal in the grander scheme of things.

Ravens at Bengals:? Depending on the Week 16 games, this game could have implications for the AFC North title, the No. 2 seed, and the final wild-card berth.? But those implications could become irrelevant based on the other games played in Week 17, which makes this game less attractive for prime time.

Jets at Dolphins:? Again, Week 16 will provide more clarity.? With the Jets and Bengals each 8-6, however, it?s unlikely that the Jets will have a clear win-and-in, lose-and-leave scenario that would apply regardless of what the Bengals do against the Ravens.

Panthers at Saints:? New Orleans could be playing for the No. 2 seed and/or the NFC South crown, but those could be decided via losses earlier in the day by the Falcons or the 49ers.

Buccaneers at Falcons:? If the Falcons still haven?t clinched a playoff berth after Monday night, losses by others could deliver the spot earlier in the day on January 1.

49ers at Rams:? San Fran is jockeying for the No. 2 or No. 1 seed, which if still relevant after Week 16 could be completely irrelevant before 8:20 p.m. ET in Week 17.

Bills at Patriots:? The Pats are playing for the top seed, but the outcomes of the Steelers and Ravens games could strip this one of any remaining relevance.

Colts at Jaguars:? It?s very highly unlikely that the league would want to showcase the ?Suck for Luck? finale.? In 2008, for example, the NFL had no interest in televising in prime time the Lions? date with 0-16 destiny.

Titans at Texans:? Houston has an outside shot at a bye, but it will depend on the Steelers and Ravens games from earlier in the day.

Bears at Vikings:? This one would be attractive in prime time only for anyone who stayed up too late and drank too much on New Year?s Eve and doesn?t want to miss anything important.

Cowboys at Giants:? If the Giants beat the Jets on Saturday, the NFC East likely will hinge on this game, with the loser most likely being done.? It could be one of the best candidates for the prime-time slot, based on the clarity provided by Week 16.

Steelers at Browns:? Um, no.

Chiefs at Broncos:? The Broncos definitely will win the AFC West by beating the Chiefs.? The only problem is that the Broncos could nail it down before 8:20 p.m. ET on January 1, making the game irrelevant.

Seahawks at Cardinals:? It could be one of the best games of the day.? But it very likely will have zero relevance to the postseason.

Chargers at Raiders:? With the Broncos able to win the division by beating the Chiefs, there?s no reason to hold this one ? unless somehow it would present a clear-cut win-and-in for a wild-card berth for one of the two teams.

And so, for now, it appears that the best candidates are Cowboys-Giants and Chiefs-Broncos.? We?ll know more by Monday night.

In the end, there?s a chance that the NFL will simply have to assume a calculated risk that one or more of the outcomes earlier in the day will screw up the New Year?s Night party on NBC.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/22/colts-flirting-with-blowing-the-luck-pick/related

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Minneapolis church connects hip-hop to ministry

Minneapolis church connects hip-hop to ministry

NIKKI TUNDEL
Minnesota Public Radio News

MINNEAPOLIS ? Many urban churches are finding it increasingly difficult to get young adults through their doors.

But one Minneapolis minister is engaging religion-wary teens and twenty-somethings by mixing a little hip-hop in with the holiness.

On a recent Saturday night, disco lights blasted colored rays around the room at Urban Jerusalem, a Pentecostal church in north Minneapolis. The DJ settled in behind a stack of vinyl. Stacey Jones, the senior pastor at Urban Jerusalem, commanded the microphone.

"Every time the religious leaders came to Jesus to try to catch him," he told the congregation, "Jesus would just blow their mind. Jesus would just throw one or two lines and they were like, `Oh, snap.' "

Here, turntables stand in place of a pulpit. Graffiti art, rather than stained glass, frames the sanctuary. And the hymns are the kind which can, and do, move congregants to breakdance.

Stacey and his wife, Tryenyse, launched this Twin Cities church five years ago, with the goal of connecting urban youth with Christ. The best way to do that, they figured, was to incorporate a culture many kids already worshipped ? hip-hop.

"Drop the track, man," the preacher calls. "Praise God! Yeah!"

In many ways, the Jones' are just like generations of pastors before them ? they're using modern music to make religion more relatable.

"We still bring the word," Gerald Shepherd said. He's the evening's emcee, or minister of music, as he likes to be called. But he's just one of the worshippers who bring their faith to the dance floor.

"We still believe Jesus died, he rose, everything like that," Shepherd said. "We bring a different style to worship."

About 30 twenty-somethings in baseball caps and baggy jeans supplement the sermon with their own songs and poems ? anything that expresses their spiritual side.

"The king of angels, the messiah, the sacrifice," raps a singer. "Why in this whole universe was he willing to pay this price?"

One of the rappers introduces himself as Brad Peglow. "My rap name is B.P. the Preacher Man," he said. "I had some secular hip-hop artists ask me one time, `How can you flow for a whole song and not curse and keep it clean?' And I tell `em, `Well, I don't listen to any of that other stuff.

"Therefore it's not hard for me at all. I put the word in me and surround myself with godly influences so when the beat drops that's what comes out. Music kinda flows out of what you allow yourself to influence.' "

Jones can't help but tap his Bible to the beat. But the way he sees it, hip-hop worship requires more than just spinning records to the scriptures.

"Our mission statement is to present the word of God in relevant form," Jones said. "Relevancy is not just the musical aspect. Relevancy is dealing with everyday life issues. You have drugs. You have people struggling with depression. Those are real life things. And one thing about hip-hop: hip-hop deals with everyday issues." "Say hello to my little friend," sings a congregant. "The one who washed away my little sins, the one who kept from sipping a little gin." "If there is any place you can talk about issues of struggle, why not the church?" Jones asks.

Since Pastor Jones hit the scene, at least five new hip-hop churches have popped up the in Twin Cities.

There are traditionalists who find beat boxing akin to blasphemy. But for the worshippers at Urban Jerusalem, spirituality just seems to go better with strobe lights.

???

Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News,

http://www.mpr.org

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

?

Source: http://ap.brainerddispatch.com/pstories/state/mn/20111224/932727752.shtml

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

MPs warn over solar panel subsidy

Planned government changes to subsidies on solar power may deal the industry a "fatal blow", two parliamentary committees are warning.

The Environmental Audit Committee and Energy and Climate Change Committee say ministers are right to make changes, but are doing so "clumsily".

Government plans include restricting access to solar subsidies to houses meeting energy efficiency standards.

Thousands of solar industry jobs could be at risk, the committees warn.

On Wednesday, a group of companies and environmental groups won a legal judgement against one of the changes.

Central to their campaign was the Department of Energy and Climate Change's (Decc) plan to halve abruptly the level of feed-in tariff (FiT) that small-scale solar installations attract, from 43p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 21p.

The FiTs are paid by energy companies to householders and communities to subsidise solar electricity generation.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

This will have a devastating effect on hundreds of solar companies and small building firms installing these panels across the country?

End Quote Joan Walley MP Eccom

It had been expected that the new tariff would come into effect from 1 April; but in October, the government said it would apply to anyone installing their solar panels after 12 December.

The High Court ruled that changing the tariffs before the end of an official consultation period was "legally flawed".

The two committees said ministers were right to cut the tariffs - but not in the way they did.

"There is no question that solar subsidies needed to be urgently reduced, but the government has handled this clumsily," said Tim Yeo, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee.

"Ministers should have spotted the solar 'gold rush' much earlier. That way subsidy levels could have been reduced in a more orderly way without delivering such a shock to the industry."

The MPs described the quick tariff change as "panicky", and said it "smacks of retrospective regulation, which undermines confidence in the government's management of other energy policies".

The root cause is solar panels have proved far more popular than the government suspected when it introduced the FiT in April last year.

The cost of installing them has fallen faster than anticipated, by 30% since the scheme began. And with wholesale gas prices pushing up the cost of electricity from the grid, demand for solar panels rocketed

As a result, about 90% of the funds that the government wanted to be spent during the four-year FiT programme has already been allocated.

Industry concerns

Among the government's other proposals are changing the criteria for eligibility for FiTs.

The consultation suggests that houses should have to meet insulation standards before they qualify - for example, insisting that it should have an Energy Performance Certificate C rating at least.

Government data suggest this would require 86% of homes to get an upgrade before becoming eligible. In most cases this would cost about ?5,600, but could be much more expensive.

For a semi-detached house with solid walls, the bill could be up to ?14,000 - and with solar panel installation coming in at an average of ?9,000, the committees fear a huge impact on uptake, potentially dealing the industry a "fatal blow".

"The government is right to encourage people to focus on saving energy before fitting solar panels, but these proposals will require most households to spend thousands of pounds on extra insulation before they even purchase the panels," said Joan Walley, who chairs the Energy and Climate Change Committee.

"This will stop nine out of 10 installations from going ahead, which will have a devastating effect on hundreds of solar companies and small building firms installing these panels across the country."

The Solar Trade Association, which represents more than 450 companies in the field, has surveyed industry chiefs and estimates that a third of companies could close as a result of the proposed changes.

Its chairman, Howard Johns, welcomed the committees' report.

"We are particularly pleased the committees have urged Decc to abandon the more extreme energy efficiency eligibility proposals, which could stamp out the UK solar market next year," he said.

"What is missing, however, is recognition that solar can deliver nothing less than an energy revolution at a cost to households lower than, for example, the levy imposed by wind energy."

A Decc spokesman said the report would be considered fully, but believed the changes were needed.

"We appreciate the uncertainty faced because of the changes we have proposed to the FiT scheme, but we believe solar projects will still be an attractive investment," he told BBC News.

But shadow energy and climate change secretary Caroline Flint described the report as a "damning indictment" of a government that was "out of touch".

"The government's chaotic mismanagement has put thousands of jobs and businesses in the solar industry in jeopardy, undermined confidence and investment in the whole energy sector and gives lie to the government's promise to be the 'greenest government ever'," she said.

The government sees solar playing a small role in the coming decade, certainly much smaller than wind.

But in a recent YouGov opinion survey, it emerged as the most popular energy technology, with 74% of respondents wanting the government to use more than it does at present.

The figure for wind was 56%. Only 16% wanted the use of coal to increase, while 43% preferred a reduction.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16288267

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Seattle falls short in loss to No. 24 Virginia (AP)

SEATTLE ? In its first two seasons making the transition back to Division I, Seattle made headlines with wins over Oregon State and Virginia.

The Redhawks almost added the Cavaliers to the list again Wednesday night, this time as a ranked team, only to fall short in the closing moments.

Aaron Broussard scored a career-high 29 points and Sterling Carter added 17, but Seattle couldn't complete its rally from 14 points down in the final 8 minutes, and No. 24 Virginia held on for an 83-77 victory.

Tired of underperforming for the first month of the season, Seattle finally found life and energy for more than just a few spurts. The result was Seattle's best effort of the season, but still not enough to knock off a ranked team for the first time during its move back to the top level of college hoops.

"It's good to have energy and enthusiasm and have a display like this as you're doing it, because it helps you keep going and gives you a little more buzz to keep going," Seattle coach Cameron Dollar said. "But it doesn't stop the fact that you've got to keep going."

Mike Scott scored a career-high 33 points, including 19 in the first half, as the Cavaliers (10-1) won their eighth straight and improved to 10-1 for the first time since 2000-01. They also avenged a shocking 59-53 home loss to Seattle last season.

Meanwhile, the Redhawks dropped their sixth straight, but at least left with an idea of how they want to play going forward.

"We were going to go out give our all attitude. I don't feel like we had that at the beginning of the year," Carter said. "It wasn't purposely, it's just that time where we feel like we're a better team than we've been showing."

Virginia was on its way to an easy victory after Seattle missed eight of its first nine shots to begin the second half. Scott's three-point play pulled the Cavaliers within 43-42 and Chelan, Wash.- native Joe Harris gave Virginia its first lead on a baseline leaner with 15:12 remaining.

The Cavaliers' lead continued to grow until Dollar finally snapped with 8:45 left when he walked out to midcourt yelling about Scott's rebound putback while being fouled and was quickly issued a technical foul. Scott converted one of the two free throws for the technical, then completed the three-point play to give Virginia a 14-point lead with 8:45 remaining.

The technical woke up the Redhawks and instead of Virginia coasting to an easy road win they started crumbling under Seattle's pressure.

"I feel like we panicked a little bit. I feel like we could have been more sure with the ball," Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon said.

Using an aggressive, trapping defense, Seattle scored 19 of the next 23 points following Dollar's technical, the only Virginia points coming on free throws from Harris and Brogdon.

Broussard scored nine points and Carter had eight as Seattle went back in front on Broussard's leaner with 3:29 left to take a 68-67 lead.

After a quick Virginia timeout, came the clutch plays Virginia needed. Sammy Zeglinski hit an open 3 to retake the lead, the Cavaliers first field goal in more than 5 minutes, and he added two free throws to push the lead to 72-68.

Brodgon hit four straight free throws sandwiched around Carter's 3-pointer and Broussard hit another 3 to cut the lead to 76-75 with 1:24 left. Assane Sene missed two free throws, but Clarence Trent's hook shot in the lane failed to draw rim. Brogdon added two free throws with 1:05 left and the lead was three.

Broussard failed to connect on either of two free throws, but got his own rebound and scored, only to see Virginia break Seattle's press and lead to an easy basket for Scott and an 80-77 lead with 40 seconds left. T.J. Diop missed an open jumper for Seattle and Scott hit two free throws with 33.1 seconds left. Seattle failed to get a clean look in the final 30 seconds.

"You've got to be able to handle adversity. We didn't do a great job with it but there is a point as a coach where you try and say `We've got to get some stops, we've got to take care of the ball, we've got to come together' and either it's going to happen or it's not," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said.

Harris finished with 14 points and Brogdon added 10 for the Cavaliers.

It was the return to the state of Washington for Bennett, who previously coached at Washington State before taking the Cavaliers job. It was also a homecoming for Harris, who grew up about 175 miles east of Seattle and was largely the reason behind Virginia scheduling a home-and-home series with the Redhawks.

Harris originally committed to play for Bennett at Washington State before he left to take the job at Virginia. More than 300 residents of the small town about 3 hours east of Seattle made the trek over the Cascade mountains to see Harris, many sporting his No. 12 Cavaliers jersey.

___

Follow Tim Booth on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ByTimBooth

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_seattle

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Friday, December 23, 2011

designmilk: Today's Skim Milk is a minimalist house in - where else? you guessed it - Japan, but this 1 has a giant piece missing: http://t.co/EFafyPsT

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Today's Skim Milk is a minimalist house in - where else? you guessed it - Japan, but this 1 has a giant piece missing: bit.ly/rTiMrw designmilk

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California Attorney General Sues Fannie and Freddie

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is asking the court to force Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to turn over information about their servicing, foreclosure, property leasing, and mortgage securitization activities in the state.

Harris issued subpoenas to each of the GSEs last month, which according to the Los Angeles Times, outlined 51 questions the attorney general wanted answered ? just one facet of Harris? investigation to ascertain the extent to which mortgage lenders and servicers contributed to the state?s foreclosure and housing crisis.

According to multiple media reports, Harris? lawsuits against the two GSEs, filed Tuesday in California Superior Court in San Francisco, claim Fannie and Freddie have refused to comply with the subpoenas.

Bloomberg Businessweek says in the complaints, Harris maintains the GSEs are ?frustrating the Attorney General?s efforts to investigate and combat crime, blight and other threats to the health and safety of Californians.?

Fannie and Freddie?s regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), had reportedly instructed the two mortgage financiers not to respond to Harris? initial subpoenas on the grounds that states do not have the authority to take such action against the federally controlled GSEs.

Attorneys for FHFA described Harris? request for information as ?frequently vague and ambiguous? and one that would place a burden ?nothing short of staggering? on the GSEs in order to gather the details she?s demanding, according to the Associated Press.

Harris wants Fannie and Freddie to identify all the California homes on which they foreclosed, as well as whether or not any were used for drug dealing or prostitution and the impact such activity had on the property?s value.

The attorney general?s office also plans to look into the history of tax payment on the properties, evictions involving military families, and the GSEs? actions related to the purchasing, packaging, and re-selling of so-called toxic mortgages.

Harris announced an official alliance with Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto earlier this month for the purpose of coordinating efforts between their offices in order to speed up investigations of misconduct and fraud within the mortgage industry. Harris said at the time that she is making ?mortgage-related law enforcement action a top priority.?

The two AGs joined forces after both dropped out of the multi-state effort to negotiate a settlement with the nation?s top five mortgage servicers over the robo-signing abuses that were disclosed last fall.

Source: http://www.dsnews.com/articles/california-attorney-general-sues-fannie-and-freddie-2011-12-21

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Philippine storm killed nearly 1,000: disaster agency (Reuters)

MANILA (Reuters) ? Nearly 1,000 were killed when flash floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Washi swept through riverside and coastal villages in the southern Philippines late last week, the national disaster agency said on Tuesday.

The agency said 957 were killed and 49 were missing, with most of the casualties coming from the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The previous death toll was 650.

Authorities in the two cities, worst-hit by water, mud and logs swept down mountains, are struggling to prevent disease from spreading in crowded evacuation centers and have started digging mass graves to bury decomposing bodies.

President Benigno Aquino will visit the two cities later on Tuesday. The government said more than 338,000 people were affected by the disaster.

(Reporting by Rosemarie Francisco; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111220/wl_nm/us_philippines_typhoon

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Monday, December 19, 2011

!NOTICE! "Paths Of The Chosen" !NOTICE!

To those of you who have been keeping track of my story, "Paths Of The Chosen"; first, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read it, and thank you to those who gave me valuable feedback. Secondly; there will be a delay for any future updates due to increased demands on my time schedule. In short, these delays are mostly caused by the onset of the holiday season. Also, in any future updates, you may find that there are some discprepancies with what has already been posted. This is due to some very constructive criticisms that I have recieved (Thank you, Matt!) and taken to heart. I have actually gone back and reworked the previous chapters to incorporate these changes and, if anyone would like to read the altered work, I will gladly make it available to any who are willing to message me. In addition, while I am still working, I will not be getting back to my previous writing schedule until a week or two into the New Year.

Thank you for your patience and may God bless you.

Gary L. S. West, a.k.a. "Tejas"

Xal Yah alu xuil dos.
(May God go with you)
Revelation 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/mzqVakvvNH4/viewtopic.php

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Video: Scottish zoo presents Chinese pandas

Two giant pandas went on public display for the first time at Edinburgh Zoo today. ITN's Debi Edward was at the zoo along with hundreds of other eagerly waiting visitors to catch a glimpse of the pair.

Related Links:

http://twitter.com/nbcnightlynews

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45699741/

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Targeted Radiation for Breast Cancer May Be Overused: Study (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Dec. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The number of women with breast cancer who receive targeted radiation to the breast after a lumpectomy has jumped dramatically over the last decade.

However, only about a third of these women were considered "suitable" for the treatment, according to criteria used in a new study published in the Dec. 16 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

But guidelines on which women should or should not receive this type of radiation treatment, known as brachytherapy, are only newly published and it's unclear what the findings might mean to current breast cancer patients.

Use of "accelerated partial breast irradiation using brachytherapy" has risen steadily since about 2002, said study author Dr. Jona Hattangadi, a radiation oncologist with Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program in Boston.

Although brachytherapy is vastly more convenient (taking place over the course of a week rather than six weeks), the worry is that directed radiation isn't comprehensive enough to find and kill all cancer cells lingering in the breast as compared with the current standard, whole breast radiation (WBI).

So, in 2009, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued the first guidelines for the use of brachytherapy, which identified patients as either "suitable," "cautionary" (suitability unclear) or "unsuitable" for the treatment, depending on a number of factors including age as well as various tumor characteristics.

These authors rounded up data on 138,815 U.S. women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer from 2000 to 2007 and who had either undergone brachytherapy or whole breast irradiation after a lumpectomy.

Some 2.6 percent of women underwent brachytherapy, two thirds of whom were either deemed "cautionary" (29.6 percent) or "unsuitable" (36.2 percent) according to ASTRO criteria.

Only about a third (32 percent) of patients would have been considered suitable under ASTRO's recommendations, the study authors said.

Use of brachytherapy rose from less than 1 percent in 2000 to almost 7 percent in 2007, but this varied greatly between geographical regions, the researchers noted.

For instance, women in urban areas were more likely to get brachytherapy than women in rural areas, which is surprising given that rural women would have the most to benefit from the convenience.

And white women were more likely to get brachytherapy than black women if they were considered "cautionary" or "unsuitable."

It's unclear what accounts for the variation or for the rise in numbers, although the authors did postulate that reimbursement patterns may play a role. Medicare started reimbursing for brachytherapy in 2004.

The main drawback of this study, the authors acknowledged, is that the data was gathered before the ASTRO guidelines were published.

Dr. Eric Horwitz, M.D., chair of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, agreed that brachytherapy is "not for everybody" but that "it's an excellent technique if used on the right patients."

But who is the right patient? Generally people with smaller, localized tumors, he said.

Still, in the absence of long-term data, Hattangadi recommends that women getting treatment for early-stage breast cancer have a "thorough discussion with their physicians on the pros and cons of the approach."

The findings come just a week after presenters at a national conference found that women who had brachytherapy had double the rate of mastectomy later on compared with women who got whole breast irradiation. That study was led by Dr. Benjamin Smith of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more on radiation therapy for cancer.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111216/hl_hsn/targetedradiationforbreastcancermaybeoverusedstudy

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

An End to a War in Iraq that Should Never Have Begun (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY| An eight-and-a-half year war that claimed over 100,000 lives, created a deadly power vacuum that will undoubtedly increase that death toll, and that should never have been started reached its official end Thursday, but this time there will be no American president boldly proclaiming "Mission Accomplished."

That is probably good news to the soldiers stationed in Iraq as roughly 4,000 of the 4,487 Americans who lost their lives in the Iraqi War perished after former President George W. Bush's now infamous 2003 speech.

Eight years after President Bush announced an end to major combat missions in Iraq, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta declared an official end to all facets of the United States' military mission in that country during a ceremony at Iraq's international airport. Iraq will now be responsible for its own security after a high price in "blood and treasure."

At long last America is free of a war whose wide changes of purpose at times seemed to be the work of the memory hole instead of a reaction to circumstances on the ground.

The reasons for war in Iraq morphed from a failed attempt to link Iraq's government to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to a crucial mission to eradicate weapons of mass destruction that there never was legitimate evidence of, to an endeavor whose objective was simply a goodwill initiative to depose a brutal dictator and give a country a "regime change"-a euphemism for making them suitably like what the American government thinks a country has to be.

Most Americans were in "shock and awe" at the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and the installment of Saddam Hussein's as America's new public enemy number one, at a time when the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, was still managing to avoid detection by the armed forces who had been hunting him for two years in Afghanistan.

The actual end of war is another in a long string of national security successes for President Barack Obama who can go into the 2012 election as the first Democrat since the War on Terror began who can back up a claim to being tough on terrorists.

Not only has President Obama compiled a lengthy terrorist body count (using mostly unmanned aircraft instead of endangering American soldiers) including bin Laden during his tenure as commander-in-chief; he has also ended an aimless war in Iraq and initiated a drawdown of troop levels in Afghanistan at a time when the American public would rather its government focus on domestic economic remedies than nation building and terrorist chasing abroad.

If the White House will not say it then I will venture to. After more than 30,000 casualties and $801.9 billion spent, according to a BBC report, no longer will American soldiers be in danger fighting a war that should never have begun. For me, that is "Mission Accomplished."

Follow Phillip Warlove on Twitter: @WarloveRevolit

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111216/wl_ac/10689631_an_end_to_a_war_in_iraq_that_should_never_have_begun

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Beach Boys Reunion: Legendary Band Reuniting For 50-Date Tour, New Album

NEW YORK ? It's almost winter, but get ready for some surf and sun: The Beach Boys are reuniting.

The founding members of the classic rock group ? Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine ? announced Friday they are getting back together to celebrate their 50th anniversary. They're working on a new album and also plan a 50-date tour that will take them around the world.

"This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys, and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again," Wilson said in a statement.

The group also includes Bruce Johnston and David Marks, both of whom have been with the band for decades.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers gave birth to the California rock sound. Back then, the band members were Love, Jardine, Wilson and his two brothers ? Carl and Dennis Wilson, who have since died. With songs like "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around" and "California Girls," the quintet embodied the fantasy of West Coast beach life. Their albums, particularly "Pet Sounds," influenced rockers of their generation and beyond.

But Wilson suffered mental problems that caused him to withdraw from the band, and there were years of animosity between Love and Wilson, who are cousins, as well as lawsuits among members of the band. Still, they have gotten back together over the years, including for their 40th anniversary in the last decade.

Love remarked in the statement Friday on how he and Wilson were getting along well, sharing compliments together in the studio.

"Music has been the unifying and harmonizing fact of life in our family since childhood," he said.?"It has been a huge blessing that we have been able to share with the world." Referring to a Beach Boy hit, he added: "Wouldn't It Be Nice to Do It Again??Absolutely!"

The group was supposed to announce their reunion as a surprise during the Recording Academy's live nominations special for the Grammys last month, but those plans fell through.

However, Jardine said the group planned to appear at the Feb. 12 Grammy telecast in Los Angeles.

"There will be a surprise at the Grammys," he told Rolling Stone. "We will do something really exciting. There's a lot of interest in it, which is nice. It's going to be a very big operation."

The Beach Boys first concert is scheduled for April 27 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

___

Online:

http://www.thebeachboys.com

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/beach-boys-reunion_n_1155021.html

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OLPC XO 1.75 pops up at the FCC

Last time we saw the OLPC XO 1.75, it had its guts exposed for all to see on the CES show floor. This time around, it's being poked and prodded by Uncle Sam at the Federal Communications Commission. There are no photos of the newest OLPC to be found, but unless things have changed, it'll sport the same Celtics colors as its brethren on the outside and a Marvell ARM CPU underneath. As is often the case, additional details about this little laptop are few and far between in the FCC's documents, but feel free to hit the source to get your fill of radiation reports and performance charts.

OLPC XO 1.75 pops up at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/dJ1PBuEI-HI/

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

HBT: Could be big signings at winter meetings

Expect the rumors to come fast and furious as the league?s top executives?converge on Dallas. The winter meetings officially start Monday, but the general managers will arrive and start talking among themselves this afternoon. With so much of the free-agent talent congregated at a few select positions, there could well be more trades than usual, and chances are we?ll see at least a couple of significant signings over the next few days. Some potential highlights:

- Starting pitching trades ? Since the pitching market beyond C.J. Wilson and?Mark Buehrle is pretty barren, many familiar names will be tossed around this week. There has been plenty of talk about Oakland?s Gio Gonzalez, Atlanta?s Jair Jurrjens and Houston?s Wandy?Rodriguez?already. The White Sox may be open to moving either John Danks or Gavin Floyd. There?s also the Rays? James Shields, the Cubs? Matt Garza and the Twins? Francisco Liriano, none of whom are certain to be available but who would generate plenty of conversation.

- A Buehrle signing ? Just two of this winter?s top 20 free agents are currently off the board and those two are closers (Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell). One gets the impression that the top two starters might be the next to go. Buehrle doesn?t seem like the type who will want the free agency process to drag on, and he already has a handful of offers to choose from. Wilson is also a candidate to sign in the next few days, though that process may take a bit longer to play out.

- Closer trades ? The Rockies? Huston Street appears to be pretty much free for the taking, as Colorado would prefer to reinvest his $7.5 million salary elsewhere. Oakland?s Andrew Bailey and Pittsburgh?s Joel Hanrahan would be considerably more expensive, but both could be had by a team not wanting to commit $10 million per year to Ryan Madson or Francisco Rodriguez.

- Mystery teams! ? The big three of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes aren?t making nearly enough noise at the moment, so it?s definitely time for some mystery suitors to become involved. Of the trio, only Reyes looks like any sort of candidate to get a deal done this week. The Marlins, though, would likely have to step up their offer to make that happen. Possible mystery teams for him include the Red Sox and Tigers.

- A Michael Cuddyer signing ? The Twins want Cuddyer back, and the market is quiet enough that they may not have to go to three years to make it happen. Only the Phillies have made much noise regarding Cuddyer. The Red Sox are unlikely to chase him, and the Indians? interest ended when Grady Sizemore chose to re-sign.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/04/previewing-this-weeks-winter-meetings/related/

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Slovenian center-left party headed to victory

A voter inspects her ballot at a polling station in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovenians vote in an early election Sunday expected to bring conservatives back to power, where they will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession. (AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek)

A voter inspects her ballot at a polling station in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovenians vote in an early election Sunday expected to bring conservatives back to power, where they will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession. (AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek)

Seen in between ballot boxes, a voter holds her ballot at a polling station in Sevnica, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovenians vote in an early election Sunday expected to bring conservatives back to power, where they will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession. (AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek)

Slovenia's president Danilo Turk, right, and his wife Barbara Miklic, inspect their ballots at a polling station in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovenians voted in an early election Sunday expected to bring conservatives back to power, where they will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession. (AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek)

Opposition leader Janez Jansa casts his ballot as his wife Urska Bacovnik, left, looks on at a polling station in Velenje, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovene people are voting in early parliamentary elections that opinion polls suggest could unseat Prime Minister Borut Pahor's government. (AP Photo)

Opposition leader Janez Jansa casts his ballot at a polling station in Velenje, Slovenia, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Slovenes are voting in early parliamentary elections that opinion polls suggest could unseat prime minister Borut Pahor's government. (AP Photo)

(AP) ? A center-left party led by a prominent businessman and mayor of the Slovenian capital was taking a surprise victory in the country's parliamentary elections, early results showed on Sunday, reflecting mounting concern over the economy.

Positive Slovenia, led by Ljubljana mayor and former head of the country's largest retailer, Zoran Jankovic, is leading with 29.4 percent of the vote, the country's electoral commission said after counting some 40 percent of the ballots.

The conservatives ? who were favorites to win ? are trailing with 25.8 percent, the officials said. The leader of the Slovene Democratic Party, former prime minister Janez Jansa, conceded defeat and congratulated Jankovic.

The winner of Slovenia's first snap election since becoming independent from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 will have to tackle the country's mounting debt, unemployment and a looming recession.

"The results show that Slovenia will go in the right direction," Jankovic said of the news. "It is obvious that the citizens want an efficient state."

Serbia-born Jankovic won prominence in Slovenia first as the head of the country's biggest retailer, Merkator, running the company successfully for eight years, before he was removed from the post in 2005 by Jansa. He has been the mayor of Ljubljana since 2006.

The vote was called after the center-left government of Premier Borut Pahor was toppled over economic troubles and allegations of corruption.

Pahor's Socialdemocrats were third with 10.4 percent of the vote, the partial results showed. A newcomer, former minister Gregor Virant is fourth, with 8.1 percent, followed by several smaller groups, who won between 4.5 and 7 percent.

Slovenia has been hit hard by the European debt crisis, with public debt swollen to 44 percent of GDP and unemployment at about 12 percent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-04-EU-Slovenia-Elections/id-e74ab599ac4f4bb28167cf11d83edfd2

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Iranian diplomats expelled from London arrive home (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran ? Iranian diplomats expelled from London in retaliation for attacks on British compounds in Tehran arrived home Saturday, the official IRNA news agency reported, sealing Iran's most serious diplomatic rift with the West in decades.

About 150 hard-liners waiting with flower necklaces had gathered at Tehran's Mehrabad airport to give the roughly two dozen diplomats and their families a hero's welcome. But the Iranian government, apparently opposed to any high-profile display that could worsen the fallout, took the diplomats off unseen from a backdoor, reflecting Iran's own internal political rifts.

Tuesday's storming of the British Embassy and residential complex ? which the British government alleges was sanctioned by Tehran's ruling elite ? deepened Iran's isolation, which has grown over the decade-long standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

Germany, France and the Netherlands have recalled their ambassadors, and Italy and Spain summoned Iranian envoys to condemn the attacks.

It amounted to the most serious diplomatic fallout with the West since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy after the Islamic Revolution, and some Iranian political figures have voiced doubts over whether anything can be gained from escalating the diplomatic battle.

The obstruction of Saturday's welcome ceremony reflected the disagreements between hard-liners and the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which opposed downgrading relations with Britain and condemned the attack on Britain's embassy.

Iran's relations with Britain have become increasingly strained in recent months, largely due to tensions over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a key component of its nuclear program. The process is of deep concern internationally because it can be used to produce material for nuclear warheads in addition to reactor fuel. Iran insists its program is entirely peaceful.

Along with the United States and other nations in Europe, Britain has backed sanctions that have so far failed to push Iran to halt its enrichment program.

Hard-liners in Iran have said the embassy attack was an outpouring of the wrath of the Iranian people who believe Britain is a hostile country seeking to damage and weaken the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Mohammadian, a representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised the attackers, saying they had targeted the "epicenter of sedition."

Iran's hard-line constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, approved a parliamentary bill into law requiring the Iranian government to downgrade relations with Britain. The government opposed it but said it would carry out the law.

The diplomatic freeze from Europe, including key trading partner Germany, further isolates Iran just weeks after a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency that alleged Iran was making strides toward mastering critical elements for atomic weapons.

The current breakdown in relations with the West could embolden hard-liners who want a tougher stance against the International Atomic Energy Agency, which they accuse of being manipulated by the U.S. and allies.

Britain's ambassador to Iran, Dominick Chilcott ? now back in Britain ? offered new details about the attacks, saying the experience had been "frightening."

"We had no idea how it was going to end," he said, describing how the mob trashed rooms, damaged furniture, scrawled graffiti and tore up a portrait of Queen Victoria, as staff took shelter in a secure area of the embassy.

"It felt like very spiteful, mindless vandalism, but it wasn't quite mindless," Chilcott said. "They removed anything that was electronic ? mobile telephones, personal computers ? anything that might give information about who you were talking to or what you were doing."

At one point, the intruders started a fire inside the chancery building, forcing the staff to leave the safe area, climb down a fire escape and exit the building. A small number of police escorted them to a building on the edge of the compound and told them to lie low.

"We turned all the lights out and we sat in the dark and we could hear the noise of the intruders going on around us," he said.

He said seven staff at a separate residential compound that was also attacked were seized and "quite roughly handled" by the invaders.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has led the accusations that the rioters had a green light from Iranian authorities, including the powerful Revolutionary Guard. On Thursday, he said the attacks were "clearly premeditated" by high-ranking officials.

Iranian government officials said the storming of the embassy by angry protesters was unexpected and Iranian police intervened to protect the British diplomats and get the attackers out of the buildings.

The demonstrations had been organized by hard-line groups on university campuses and Islamic seminaries and included denunciations of the latest sanctions on Iran over its nuclear efforts.

Such major anti-Western rallies are rarely allowed to occur without official approval and often include state-backed forces including a paramilitary group known as the Basij, which is part of the vast security network controlled by the Revolutionary Guard.

Images broadcast around the world showed demonstrators tearing down Union Jack flags, brandishing a looted picture of Queen Elizabeth II and tossing out looted documents.

The deepening tensions with Britain and others may also trigger further rifts within Iran.

For months, Iran's ruling system has ordered arrests and intimidation against political allies of President Ahmadinejad, who has sharply fallen from favor after challenging decisions by the head of the theocracy, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ahmadinejad has remained silent since the attacks, but his supporters have raised questions about whether Iran's interests are served by a diplomatic battle with the West.

___

Associated Press writers David Stringer, Jill Lawless and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_britain

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