alkyd albertine: 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Oil price ending 2011 near $100 a barrel (AP)

NEW YORK ? The price of oil soared in 2011 and will finish about 19 percent higher, on average, after a volatile year dominated by concerns about global supplies. Gasoline followed oil higher this year, with an average for the year of $3.52 per gallon ? the highest ever.

And high oil and gasoline prices are expected to continue weighing on the economy as it struggles to grow in 2012.

"It's like leaving the parking brake on while you're trying to drive the economy forward," said Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research.

Benchmark crude gave up 82 cents to finish at $98.83 per barrel on Friday, the final trading day of the year.

Overall in 2011, crude prices averaged $95.09 per barrel in New York. That's up from $79.64 in 2010 and $62.11 in 2009. The Energy Department expects prices to rise further in 2012 to an average of $98 per barrel.

After starting the year at $91.38 per barrel, oil prices jumped in February as an anti-government rebellion began in Libya. International oil companies pulled employees from the country as the fighting escalated, and oil production was essentially halted for several months.

About 1.5 million barrels of daily oil exports were cut off during the Libyan uprising. That's less than 2 percent of what the world uses, but with demand rising to 88 million barrels per day, every last drop mattered. Oil prices jumped 25 percent from the middle of February to the first week in March.

The price of benchmark West Texas crude rose as high as $113.93 a barrel in April, then dropped to $75.67 by October.

Prices are again flirting with $100 per barrel following threats from Iran to close key shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf. Iran, which has been accused of trying to build a nuclear weapon, has been threatening to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. and other countries target the country with new sanctions.

The waterway is a key route in and out of the Persian Gulf, used by tankers carrying one-sixth of the world's oil exports.

As oil prices rose this year, the global economy cut back on fuel consumption. A private survey released Friday showed that Chinese manufacturing activity slowed in December for a second month due to weak global demand amid U.S. and European economic woes.

In the U.S., gasoline demand dropped by 2.5 percent overall in 2011, according to the Energy Department. Pump prices are down 72 cents per gallon since peaking in May near $4 per gallon. On Friday the national average for a gallon of regular was $3.269, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Analysts expect the average pump to rise to $4 a gallon again by spring.

In other energy trading Friday, heating oil rose 1.75 cents to finish at $2.935 per gallon, and gasoline futures rose by less than a penny to end at $2.6863 per gallon. Natural gas futures fell by 3.8 cents to finish at $2.989 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Brent crude, which is used to price foreign oil that's imported by U.S. refineries, fell 63 cents to end the year at $107.38 per barrel in London.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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Traver Rains: Feel the Love: Celebrities Rock T-Shirts to Help Prevent LGBTQ Teen Suicide (PHOTOS)

I was inspired to start the "Feel the Love" campaign in direct response to the continued wave of bullying and suicides happening in this country involving LGBTQ youth. I was especially touched by the story of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, who took his life this year after being relentlessly bullied by his peers because of his sexuality. As a designer, I wanted to do my part to help raise awareness, support, and money for LGBTQ teen suicide prevention, as well as promote tolerance, acceptance, and love amongst gay youth and the people who love them.

The graphic and slogan for the shirt were inspired by the notion that no matter how bad things get, we all have the ability overcome adversity. It symbolizes our ability to mend the emotional wounds inflicted on us as well as the resilience of the human spirit. It represents hope, strength, and, most of all, love.

Proceeds for from t-shirt sales are donated to the Trevor Project, the nation's leading organization for suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth.

Join the growing list of supporters, which already includes Margaret Cho, Alan Cumming, Scissor Sisters, Taylor Dayne, Raja, Kaya Jones, Mike Manning, and CariDee English.

PHOTOS:

Actor Alan Cumming

1?of?11

Friday, December 30, 2011

Video: Gingrich: I?m the Reagan in this race

?The fight I?m in with Romney is exactly the fight that Reagan was in with the establishment in ?80,? GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich tells NBC?s Chuck Todd in a one-on-one interview.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Obama?s Peace Partners the Taliban Kill 3 More NATO Troops in Bomb Blast

?They?re not our enemy.?
- Joe Biden on the Taliban
December 2011

9 days ago the White House told us that the Taliban was not our enemy.

Today the Taliban blew up 3 more NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The Washington Post reported:

Three NATO service members have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said Wednesday. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the target was a U.S. military convoy.

NATO?s statement said that the deaths occurred Tuesday, but provided no further details about the incident or the nationalities of the troops.

The Taliban said the attack took place in Paktiya province, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Kabul.

The latest deaths bring December?s toll of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan to 23, for a total of 539 deaths so far this year. The yearly tally is considerably lower than for 2010, when more than 700 troops died. The number of wounded has remained high, dipping only slightly from last year?s total of more than 5,000 service members.

Someone tell the White House.

Source: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/12/obamas-peace-partners-the-taliban-kill-3-more-nato-troops-in-bomb-blast/

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Soccer: OU names new men's coach

By Staff and Wire Reports
Published: 12/28/2011??3:45 AM
Last Modified: 12/28/2011??3:45 AM

Matt Potter, who has taken Washington State to the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years, has been named the fourth head coach for the University of Oklahoma men's team. In nine seasons, Potter's teams were 88-69-26, including five double-digit win seasons.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Pakistan Prime Minister Says No Plans to Dismiss Military Chiefs

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Monday, December 26, 2011
Yousaf Raza Gilani denied reports by anti-American media outlets that he was planning to dismiss the country?s army and intelligence commanders. ...

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=9d153b7a4eb00cc3f1e9bd1c31f3fad3

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Watch Auburn's Gene Chizik coach up Tigers at Chick-fil-A practice in the Georgia Dome (video)

RTB.com's SEC News Bot HALL OF FAME MEMBER

Tigers' head coach working as defensive coordinator and linebacker coach, too
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Iran threatens to stop Gulf oil if sanctions widened (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Iran threatened on Tuesday to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions were imposed on its crude exports over its nuclear ambitions, a move that could trigger military conflict with economies dependent on Gulf oil.

Western tensions with Iran have increased since a November 8 report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog saying Tehran appears to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end. Iran strongly denies this and says it is developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Iran has defiantly expanded nuclear activity despite four rounds of U.N. sanctions meted out since 2006 over its refusal to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment and open up to U.N. nuclear inspectors and investigators.

Many diplomats and analysts believe only sanctions targeting Iran's lifeblood oil sector might be painful enough to make it change course, but Russia and China - big trade partners of Tehran - have blocked such a move at the United Nations.

Iran's warning on Tuesday came three weeks after EU foreign ministers decided to tighten sanctions over the U.N. watchdog report and laid out plans for a possible embargo of oil from the world's No. 5 crude exporter.

"If they (the West) impose sanctions on Iran's oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the Strait of Hormuz," the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi as saying.

The U.S. State Department said it saw "an element of bluster" in the threat but underscored that the United States would support the free flow of oil.

"It's another attempt to distract attention away from the real issue, which is their continued non-compliance with their international nuclear obligations," spokesman Mark Toner said.

Rahimi's remarks coincided with a 10-day Iranian naval exercise in the Strait and nearby waters, a show of military force that began on Saturday.

"Our enemies will give up on their plots against Iran only if we give them a firm and strong lesson," Rahimi said.

JANUARY MEETING

Countries in the 27-member European Union take 450,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil, about 18 percent of the Islamic Republic's exports, much of which go to China and India. EU officials declined to comment on Tuesday.

About a third of all sea-borne oil was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and U.S. warships patrol the area to ensure safe passage.

Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq - together with nearly all the liquefied natural gas from lead exporter Qatar - must slip through the Strait of Hormuz, a 4-mile wide shipping channel between Oman and Iran.

Iran has also hinted it could hit Israel and U.S. interests in the Gulf in response to any military strike on its nuclear installations - a last resort option hinted at by Washington and the Jewish state.

However, some analysts say Iran would think hard about sealing off the Strait since it could suffer just as much economically as Western crude importers, and could kindle war with militarily superior big powers.

"To me, if Iran did that it would be a suicidal act by the regime. Even its friends would be its enemies," said Phil Flynn, analyst at PFG Best Research in Chicago.

SAUDI REPLACEMENT?

Industry sources said on Tuesday No. 1 oil exporter Saudi Arabia and other Gulf OPEC states were ready to replace Iranian oil if further sanctions halt Iranian crude exports to Europe.

Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi had said that Saudi Arabia had promised not to replace Iranian crude if sanctions were imposed.

"No promise was made to Iran, it's very unlikely that Saudi Arabia would not fill a demand gap if sanctions are placed," an industry source familiar with the matter said.

Gulf delegates from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said an Iranian threat to close the Strait of Hormuz would harm Tehran as well as the major regional producers that also use the world's most vital oil export channel.

Oil prices spiked on Tuesday, fuelled by fears of supply disruptions and Iranian naval exercises in a crucial oil shipping route, with gains capped by simmering euro zone debt concerns.

Brent crude oil futures jumped more than a dollar to over $109 a barrel after the Iranian threat, but a Gulf OPEC delegate said the effect could be temporary. "For now, any move in the oil price is short-term, as I don't see Iran actually going ahead with the threat," the delegate told Reuters.

The industry source said that in the case of EU sanctions, Iran would most likely export more of its crude to Asia, while Gulf states would divert their exports to Europe to fill the gap until the market is balanced again.

A prominent analyst said that if Iran did manage to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the ensuing spike in oil prices could wreck the global economy, so the United States was likely to intervene to foil such a blockade in the first place.

"First, the U.S. will probably not allow Iran to close the Strait. That's a major economic thoroughfare and not just for oil. You shut that Strait and we are talking a major hit on many Middle East economies," said Carl Larry, president of Oil Outlooks in New York.

"Second, there is no way that the Saudis (alone) have enough oil or quality of oil to replace Iranian crude. Figure Saudi spare capacity is 2 to 4 million at best. Of that spare, about 1-2 million is real oil that is comparable out of Iran. Lose Iran, lose 3.5 million barrels per day of imports. No way."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed hitting Iran with an oil embargo and won support from Britain, but resistance to the idea persists within and outside the European Union.

An import ban might raise global oil prices during hard economic times and debt-strapped Greece has been relying on attractively financed Iranian oil.

Iran's seaborne trade is already suffering from existing trade sanctions, with shipping companies scaling down or pulling out as the Islamic Republic faces more hurdles in transporting its oil.

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Tehran, Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Robert Gibbons and Janet McGurty in New York, Amena Bakr in Dubai, Andrew Quinn in Washington; Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Jon Boyle and Alison Williams)

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

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Community College

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Source: http://www.misscellania.com/miss-cellania/2011/12/26/community-college.html

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Uncertainty over rebuilding after Texas wildfires (AP)

BASTROP, Texas ? Concrete foundations that have been cleared of rubble sit eerily empty amid charred remains of once majestic loblolly pines. Driveways, some still complete with patio furniture and basketball hoops, snake their way to nothing but a slab of stone.

More than three months after record-setting wildfires roared through this otherwise charming corner of central Texas, many of the hardest-hit areas stand largely abandoned by homeowners who have moved elsewhere. Others left homeless are starting to rebuild bigger and better houses ? or vow to do so soon ? even as the memories of the raging blazes remain fresh.

"I get to kind of build my dream house, I just haven't been in the spirit yet," said Denise Rodgers, a hospice chaplain. She was among an estimated 5,000 people displaced by the flames that killed two people, destroyed 1,673 homes and charred 33,000 acres ? an area more than twice the size of Manhattan ? in and around Bastrop, about 30 miles southeast of Austin.

Some parts of town are in the midst of a rebuilding boom, with streets crammed with trucks hauling in lumber or earthmoving equipment and carting away debris. Even ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" show got in on the action, taking a week to build a 2,500-square-foot home for a volunteer firewoman and her family who lost their bungalow.

But other areas have made little recovery. No one knows for sure how many residents have moved away already or still could.

"Certainly there are going to be a lot of people leaving," Bastrop Mayor Terry Orr said. "But we certainly want to encourage people to rebuild."

The city of Bastrop and surrounding county of the same name are home to 80,000 people, Orr said, meaning about 7 percent of residents lost homes.

In the days after the wildfires, some displaced families snapped up vacant homes for sale in the area. Others have moved in with friends or relatives, or rented homes while they decide what to do permanently.

Rodgers is living in a vacant home lent by a friend with only some rented basic furniture: "I have stuff only for one drawer." She said her New Year's resolution is getting her new home built ? and that she may put a pool and garden where her original house stood and build on an adjacent lot.

"In the beginning, I was so horrified, I couldn't think of living there," Rodgers said of her home, which was reduced to ash and clumps of melted belongings. "But you get used to seeing certain things and you change ideas."

Returning after the fire, she remembers, "I sat in the driveway and wailed. There was nothing that I could see and recognize."

A Buddha statue, a cross, an angel Christmas ornament missing only a broken wing and a Hindu goddess statue survived the flames.

"Is it uncanny that an eclectic, non-denominational hospice chaplain would find only spiritual icons in the debris? I think not," Rodgers said. "These were all divine signs that all would be OK."

Some have already begun building improved homes, fitted with energy-efficient technology and other upgrades.

Marvin Beck and his wife Anne spent two years beginning in 1992 building their home largely by hand. The fire destroyed it, so the 79-year-old architect drew up new plans and bought a new plot 12 miles from the old one.

Construction will begin in January ? though this time the couple is letting professional builders handle it.

"We had hoped the last house would be our last house," Beck said with a wry chuckle. "Hopefully this one will be."

The Becks said they had far too many friends in Bastrop to think of leaving. But they also conceded that going back to the same spot where their home once stood was too painful.

"We couldn't digest that," Beck said.

Insured losses from the fire should reach $325 million, according to the Insurance Council of Texas, making it the costliest blaze in state history. About 3,080 residents have applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance, said spokesman Ray Perez, and the agency has paid out close to $9.4 million in housing and other relief funds. FEMA provided trailers to 52 displaced families across Bastrop County.

Eric and Cyndi Poe lost everything and wanted to stay but were undecided about rebuilding on their same lot ? until the builder who constructed their original home told them he could do it again in record time. The couple moved into a new home the week before Thanksgiving, barely 10 weeks after the fire.

"It didn't seem possible," Cyndi said. "That's how lucky we've been."

Except for charred trees in the yard, it's now hard to tell the fire even hit the Poe's house. Their new house is virtually identical to the old one, except the Poes asked for a larger garage and said they could do without a bathtub in the master bathroom.

And, of course, their possessions are gone. Cyndi said that on Thanksgiving, she instinctively opened a cabinet expecting to see a family heirloom.

"I reached up to get the turkey platter we've used all of my life and it wasn't there, and I had a little moment where I was sad," she said.

The Poes live in Tahitian Village, a sprawling subdivision where the fires claimed 282 homes. Some 240 owners whose homes were destroyed have sought refunds for their water deposits ? meaning they won't rebuild.

Still, many leaving the subdivision could move elsewhere in and around Bastrop. Among them is Victor Gonzalez, a 59-year-old attorney who has yet to clear all the rubble of his Tahitian Village home because there's still hope sifting could turn up spared valuables.

The fire leveled dozens of pines and melted a BMW in the driveway. Only the swimming pool survived.

"We had a very secluded portion of heaven," Gonzalez said. "Now we've got a moonscape."

Neighbors on either side of him lost their homes and won't rebuild. Gonzalez is mulling a move to another part of the subdivision.

"Tahitian will be back," he said. "It's just not going to look the same."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111225/ap_on_re_us/us_texas_after_the_fires

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Five ways to get started with your new Android phone

Did we uncover your gifts this Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus to find that you?re a unapproachable new owners of an Android? If so, acquire to a universe of Google-powered smartphones.

Millions of others around a creation possess phones using Google?s Android handling system, opposite dozens of inclination with varying shade sizes and specs. These phones competence be from one of some-more than a dozen hardware makers, using on only about each wireless network out there.

Given

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Francis Marion baseball gets preseason #1 ranking

Read?more: College Baseball, Francis Marion, Division II, Rankings, National Polls, Art Inabinent, College, NCAA Baseball

From Francis Marion Sports Information:

Santa delivers early ? FMU Baseball ranked #1 in pre-season poll
?
FLORENCE, S.C. ? On the heels of a season that saw the Francis Marion University baseball team equal the school record for wins and capture the Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship, the Patriots learned on Thursday (Dec. 22) that they are ranked first in the 2012 College Baseball Lineup preseason NCAA Division II Top 30 poll.? Also released on Thursday, FMU is ranked second in the 2012 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason Top 40 poll.
The No. 1 ranking is a first for the Patriot program.? Prior to Thursday, the highest Francis Marion had ever been ranked was second in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll on March 1, 2010.
The baseball program becomes the fourth FMU sport to ascend to the No. 1 position in a national poll, joining the men?s soccer program in 2000 and the women?s basketball and softball squads during the 1980?s.
Francis Marion ended the 2011 campaign with a 41-16 record and received its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, reaching the regional title game for the second year in a row.???
Head coach Art Inabinet welcomes back 15 letterwinners, including six position starters and six members of the pitching staff.? Among the returnees are the Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Co-Player of the Year.
?This ranking is nice recognition for the accomplishments of our players, coaches, and staff,? Inabinet said. ?It shines positively on our university. All that being said, it is nice to be ranked No. 1 at the beginning of the season, but our goal is to finish the season in the top spot.?
Seven opponents on the Patriots? 2012 schedule are nationally ranked to start the season according to the two polls.? In addition, the Patriots will meet second-ranked and two-time defending Division I national champion University of South Carolina on April 11.
FMU opens its 2012 season on Feb. 4 with a home contest against Limestone College.
The defending Division II national champion, University of West Florida (52-9), sits atop the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, only 32 points ahead of Francis Marion.
?
2012 COLLEGE BASEBALL LINEUP PRESEASON NCAA II TOP 30 POLL
(2011 Record In Parentheses)
?
1.???????? Francis Marion (41-16)
2.???????? Tampa (36-17)
3.???????? Southern Connecticut State (45-9-1)
4.???????? St. Mary?s (47-10)
5.???????? Barry (40-17)
6.???????? Millersville (44-12)
7.???????? Winona State (42-18)
8.???????? UNC Pembroke (44-12)
9.???????? North Alabama (37-14)
10.?????? Grand Valley State (52-5)
11.?????? St. Cloud State (43-11)
12.?????? Southern Arkansas (36-16)
13.?????? Incarnate Word (37-18)
14.?????? Central Missouri (45-8)
15.?????? Mount Olive (47-10)
16.?????? Cal Poly Pomona (36-23)
17.?????? Southern Indiana (37-19)
18.?????? Franklin Pierce (40-14)
19.?????? West Florida (52-9)
20.?????? UC San Diego (42-15)
21.?????? Minnesota State (40-12)
22.?????? Mercyhurst (42-12)
23.?????? Columbus State (32-19)
24.?????? Emporia State (43-12)
25.?????? Catawba (41-15)
26.?????? Florida Southern (32-15)
27.?????? Armstrong Atlantic (35-17)
28.?????? UMass Lowell (37-14)
29.?????? Mesa State (35-21)
30.?????? West Chester (22-21)
?
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's NCAA Div. II Pre-Season Poll
(as of Dec. 22, 2011)
Rank??? School Name??????????????? ?11 Record?? Pts
1.???????? West Florida??????????????????????????? 52-9???? 640
2.???????? Francis Marion??????????????????????? 41-16?? 618
3.???????? Central Missouri????????????????????? 49-10?? 606
4.???????? Grand Valley St.???????????????????? 52-5???? 590
5.???????? Mount Olive??????????????????????????? 47-10?? 586
6.???????? Tampa???????????????????????????????????? 36-17?? 546
7.???????? Millersville?????????????????????????????? 44-12?? 532
8.???????? Emporia St.???????????????????????????? 43-12?? 530
9.???????? Southern Conn. St.???????????????? 45-9-1 518
10.?????? Florida Southern???????????????????? 32-15?? 514
11.?????? St. Mary's (TX)?????????????????????? 47-10?? 472
12.?????? St. Cloud St.??????????????????????????? 43-11?? 464
13.?????? Franklin Pierce??????????????????????? 40-14?? 454
14.?????? Winona St.????????????????????????????? 42-18?? 414
15.?????? Columbus St.????????????????????????? 32-19?? 406
??????????? Cal. St. Chico????????????????????????? 30-20?? 406
17.?????? Mercyhurst????????????????????????????? 41-12?? 392
18.?????? Catawba????????????????????????????????? 41-15?? 386
19.?????? N.C. Pembroke?????????????????????? 44-12?? 340
20.?????? Minnesota St.-Mankato????????? 40-12?? 326
21.?????? Southern Indiana???????????????????? 37-19?? 310
22.?????? Southern Arkansas???????????????? 36-16?? 306
23.?????? Georgia College????????????????????? 35-17?? 292
24.?????? Le Moyne??????????????????????????????? 23-30?? 278
25.?????? Armstrong Atlantic St.???????????? 35-17?? 264
26.?????? Incarnate Word?????????????????????? 37-18?? 248
27.?????? Barry?????????????????????????????????????? 40-17?? 230
28.?????? Harding?????????????????????????????????? 42-13?? 216
29.?????? Cal Poly Pomona??????????????????? 36-23?? 208
30.?????? U.C. San Diego?????????????????????? 42-15?? 188
31.?????? Wayne St. (MI)?????????????????????? 35-21?? 120
32.?????? Delta St.????????????????????????????????? 30-19?? 110
33.?????? Western Oregon???????????????????? 37-15?? 108
34.?????? Mesa St.????????????????????????????????? 35-21?? 102
35.?????? North Georgia???????????????????????? 34-20?? 98
36.?????? S.E. Oklahoma St.????????????????? 35-19?? 92
37.?????? Massachusetts-Lowell??????????? 37-14?? 88
38.?????? North Alabama??????????????????????? 37-14?? 58
39.?????? California (PA)??????????????????????? 30-18?? 34
40.?????? Ashland?????????????????????????????????? 30-21?? 28
?
Also Receiving Votes: Abilene Christian (24), Wilmington (22), Tarleton St. (22), Wayne St., NE (18), Dixie St. (14), Wingate (12), Seton Hill (12), Northern Kentucky (12), Limestone (10), Nebraska-Kearney (10), S.C. Aiken (8), Nova S.E. (8), Indianapolis (2), Tusculum (1), Cameron (1), St. Edwards (1), Angelo St. (1), West Texas A&M (1), Arkansas Tech. (1), Florida Tech. (1), Lynn (1), Kutztown (1), Slippery Rock (1), West Virginia St. (1), Drury (1), Missouri S&T (1), Quincy (1), New Mexico Highlands (1), Augustana (1), Adelphi (1).

Source: http://www.carolinalive.com/sports/story.aspx?id=700181

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Tear gas fired at protesters in China seaside town (AP)

BEIJING ? Riot police in a southern Chinese coastal town fired tear gas Friday at protesters, including elderly men and women, on the fourth day of unrest over a planned power plant expansion, according to protesters' accounts and TV footage.

Police and protesters in the town of Haimen squared off near a highway entrance that has become the focal point for protests this week, with residents demanding that authorities release an unknown number of demonstrators.

The town's elders knelt on the road facing a barricade set up by riot police with helmets and shields several hundred yards (meters) away while others lit large incense sticks and planted them into a plastic foam makeshift altar, a protester said by phone.

"They were begging the police to release those people that they've detained and praying that the riot police can see things more clearly," the 20-year-old saleswoman surnamed Yao told The Associated Press by phone.

Haimen's protesters are demanding a halt to the planned expansion of a coal-fired power plant which they say has contributed to what they say is a rise in cancer cases and heavy pollution in the seas, a serious problem for a town where many make their living from fishing.

The protests started Tuesday when thousands of people besieged a Haimen government office and blocked a highway. When riot police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse them, demonstrators hurled rocks, water bottles and bricks in return. Clashes broke out, injuring an unknown number of protesters and police, residents say.

In response to the protests, the local government said Tuesday that it would temporarily suspend the power plant project, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

But protesters say they have not heard directly from authorities on the matter and say several protesters in their teens or early 20s had been detained.

Many of the protesters waved red plastic bags meant to signify red scarves worn by children as part of their school uniforms, photos from the scene showed.

They held up banners saying "Release the people," "Defend our home" and "Oppose construction of power plant."

It was not immediately clear how many people have been taken into police custody, but Xinhua said Thursday that five people had been detained by Wednesday for vandalism during the protests.

Earlier in the day, police fired tear gas at the protesters, said another protester, a man surnamed Lin.

"When they saw that more and more people had come to protest, they fired the tear gas to try to chase us away. At the same time, a big gust of wind blew toward us, so we all had to run," Lin said. "My tears ran continuously. Our eyes are all red."

This is the third time police have used tear gas to disperse protesters in Haimen this week.

"We have no weapons at all. All we are doing is standing here and protesting," Lin added.

Hong Kong's Cable TV showed footage of tear gas clouds being blown toward protesters, scattering the crowd of hundreds of people. Riot police with helmets and shields had formed a blockade at the entrance to the highway.

After three decades of laxly regulated industrialization, China is seeing a surge in protests over such environmental worries.

In September, hundreds of villagers in an eastern Chinese city near Shanghai demonstrated against pollution they blamed on a solar panel factory. In August, 12,000 residents in the northeastern port city of Dalian protested against a chemical plant after waves from a tropical storm broke a dike guarding the plant and raised fears that flood waters could release toxic chemicals.

___

Follow Gillian Wong on Twitter at http://twitter.com/gillianwong

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_re_as/as_china_unrest

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Mass. man gets 14 years for Obama-inspired fire (AP)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ? A white man convicted of burning down a predominantly black church because he was angry about President Barack Obama's election was sentenced Thursday to nearly 14 years in prison.

Michael Jacques was convicted in April of various charges in connection with the fire, including conspiracy against civil rights and damage or destruction of religious property. He was sentenced Thursday to 13 years and 10 months in federal prison.

A federal judge also ordered the 27-year-old Jacques to pay nearly $1.6 million in restitution to the church and its insurance company.

Prosecutors say Jacques and two friends burned down the Macedonia Church of God in Christ in Springfield the night of Obama's 2008 election in an act of racism. Jacques has said he was at his parents' house that night.

Benjamin Haskell and Thomas Gleason pleaded guilty to the civil rights charges. Haskell was sentenced to nine years in prison. Gleason is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 18.

Prosecutors said the men burned down the church on Nov. 5, 2008, hours after Obama was elected as the nation's first black president. The church was under construction at the time of the fire and no one was inside. A few firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze.

Prosecutors said all three men confessed to the crime and implicated each other. But Jacques later recanted, saying authorities wore him down during a long interrogation as he suffered withdrawal from addictions to Percocet painkillers and cigarettes.

During closing arguments at Jacques' trial, prosecutors said his racism reached the "boiling point" when Obama was elected. They said he often used racial epithets and expressed anger that minorities were taking over the country.

Jacques' attorney, Lori Levinson, called the sentence "extraordinarily heavy" and said Jacques plans to appeal.

"He continues to maintain his innocence," Levinson said.

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a statement that she hopes the sentence "sends a strong message that we will bring all of our resources to bear in order to protect the civil liberties of every citizen."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111222/ap_on_re_us/us_church_fire_obama

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34 Congress members call for NYPD-CIA probe (Providence Journal)

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gordy Grundy: A Definition of Success in the Fine Arts

How do you define a successful life in the arts? Is it selling a painting for six figures? Do the heavens part when you make the cover of Artforum? Does achievement come with an invitation to show at a biennale? Or is success defined by the quality, dedication and passion of the artist's journey?

Recently, an art world success Bill Radawec left this mortal coil. In the last difficult year of his life, Bill demonstrated the same courageous values that he evidenced as an artist. The following testimonials from friends and colleagues paint a portrait of the artist. This discussion allow us to define the meaning of success in the fine arts. -- Gordy Grundy

The Art Work of Bill Radawec

1?of?12

Out of the Blue, the Turn Around, 2008 Acrylic on canvas 24 x 24 inches Photo courtesy of Shaheen Modern and Contemporary Art

Out of the Blue, the Turn Around, 2008
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Photo courtesy of Shaheen Modern and Contemporary Art

Sunday, December 18, 2011

NASA Backs Away from Imposing Controls on Commercial Crew Program (ContributorNetwork)

Alan Boyle of MSNBC reports that NASA has at the last minute revised its approach to the next phase of the commercial crew program, designed to develop private space craft to service the International Space Station through government subsidies.

NASA had planned, according to a proposed Commercial Crew Integrated Design Contract, to exert a great deal of control over the design of the commercial vehicles that would carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. However, thanks in large part due to lack of funding, the space agency will retain the relatively hands off approach it has employed for the cargo spacecraft being developed thus far.

How has NASA conducted the Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems program?

Under the COTS program, first initiated under President George W. Bush, NASA provided guidelines for the development of commercial cargo spacecraft. Certain milestones in the development and testing of these spacecraft were defined. Subsidy money was paid out once NASA had determined that each milestone was achieved. The advantage of this approach, which was stipulated as a Space Act Agreement, was that the commercial space companies retained flexibility over how they achieved each milestone, with NASA providing over all guidance.

How did NASA propose changing this arrangement for the crewed phase?

NASA proposed to exert a far greater control over the design and development of commercial spacecraft during the crewed phase. Designs would have to be approved by NASA. NASA would reserve to itself the ability to demand more testing at each milestone as it saw fit. To implement this new arrangement, hugely time consuming and expensive auditing requirements would be imposed. NASA would embed teams of its own employees to oversee the development of the crewed commercial spacecraft.

The commercial space companies and commercial space advocates chaffed at this proposed new arrangement. They maintained that it would result in unnecessary expense and would consume too much time. NASA responded that the new approach was necessary to ensure crew safety.

What changed?

Congress appropriated less than half of the Obama administration's request for commercial crew. NASA subsequently decided that it lacked the money to impose the arrangement dictated by the Commercial Crew Integrated Design Contract. The space agency has therefore chosen to retain the Space Act Agreement approach for the crewed phase. Currently, the first commercial crew flights to the ISS are scheduled for 2017.

What has been the political reaction to the revision?

Both Rep, Ralph Hall, the chairman of the House Science Committee, and the ranking member, Rep. Bernice Johnson, have expressed skepticism, citing concerns for crew safety. Both the Space Access Society and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation look upon the NASA decision with favor, however.

Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker. He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times and The Weekly Standard.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111216/sc_ac/10692487_nasa_backs_away_from_imposing_controls_on_commercial_crew_program

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Nicole Scherzinger Debuts New Single on The X Factor

She may not be the most beloved judge - especially after last week's Rachel Crow ousting - but Nicole Scherzinger is no slouch behind the microphone... on stage, that is.

Last night, prior to Marcus Canty's getting eliminated, the former Pussycat Doll debuted her new single, "Pretty," which is off the album "Killer Love." Look for it in early 2012 and listen to Nicole's solo effort now:

Nicole Scherzinger - Pretty (Live on The X Factor)

What do you think? Could Scherzinger hang with finalists Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik? They will compete next week for the title of First Ever X Factor Champion and we wanna know:

WHO WILL WIN?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/nicole-scherzinger-debuts-new-single-on-the-x-factor/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Myanmar seeks final peace pacts with ethnic rebels (AP)

YANGON, Myanmar ? Myanmar is negotiating peace with major ethnic rebel groups and is determined to achieve a permanent peace with them in three to four years, the government's top negotiator said Friday.

Peace talks based on mutual respect are being held with the Shan, Mon, Karen, Kayah and Kachin groups, with the government's only condition being that the groups not demand to secede, said Aung Thaung, who heads the government's Peace Committee.

He told reporters that President Thein Sein ordered an end to fighting with Kachin rebels in the north Dec. 10 but skirmishes continued because communicating with troops in remote areas was difficult.

Myanmar for decades has been at odds with the ethnic groups who seek greater autonomy, but a military junta that took power in 1988 signed cease-fire agreements with many. Some of those pacts were strained as the central government sought to consolidate power, and combat resumed.

However, the new military-backed but elected government has embarked on reforms to try to end its international isolation. Western governments had imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar because of repression under the junta.

Ending war with ethnic rebels is one of the condition set by the West for improved relations, a point emphasized by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during her visit to Myanmar earlier this month.

A prominent Kachin mediator said government troops are continuing to attack Kachin villages and called for the recent cease-fire to be enforced.

The Kachin have been fighting the government since June, when the army tried to break up some of their militia strongholds.

"If the president's order is not immediately implemented and fighting not stopped, it could lead to distrust and further misunderstanding," Kachin mediator Rev. Saboi Jum told The Associated Press.

He said government attacks had continued at least as late as Wednesday.

"It seems that the president's order to stop fighting has not reached to the lower levels," he said.

Aung Thaung, a top member of the ruling pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, vowed the government will try its best to achieve peace.

"It could take some three to four years to achieve peace with ethnic groups but we are determined to achieve permanent peace during our term of office," he told local reporters.

Aung Thaung said "there is no peace in the country for more than six decades. Myanmar is the only country in the world where ethnic conflict has continued for six decades and the world looked down upon us. Thus we have vowed to try our best to achieve peace with armed ethnic groups."

He led a government delegation that met on Nov. 29 for peace talks with the Kachin Independence Organization in Ruili in China's Yunnan province.

A few days later, the Shan State Army-South rebel group reached a cease-fire agreement at the provincial level with the government. The group is one of the biggest not to previously sign a cease-fire with the government.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_as/as_myanmar_ethnic_rebels

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Higgs discovery would open supersymmetry mystery

MacGregor Campbell, contributor Supersymmetry could elegantly explain some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, such as how elementary particles got their mass. The theory endows the elusive Higgs boson, believed to be responsible for giving other known particles their mass, with just the right amount of mass of its own to solve problems introduced by the standard model of particle physics.

The Higgs has not yet been observed, but this afternoon researchers at CERN are expected to announce new hints of its existence (follow these results on our live blog). But even if they have got a glimpse of the Higgs, it still doesn't guarantee that supersymmetry is true. The theory also introduces a whole new cast of particles that should be easier to find than the Higgs, yet so far there has been no sign of them.

Watch this animation to find out more about how the Higgs relates to supersymmetry, or read our feature "The truth hurts: LHC breaks supersymmetry's beauty".?

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1ae92ceb/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A110C120Cmacgregor0Ecampbell0Econtributorwe0Ecan0Eexplain0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Clinton sees Syrian opposition, US envoy returns (AP)

GENEVA ? The Obama administration moved to expand contacts with opponents of Syria's President Bashar Assad on Tuesday as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held a rare meeting with Syrian opposition figures and the top U.S. envoy to Syria returned to Damascus after a six-week absence.

Amid reports of a new surge in violence that the U.N. says has killed more than 4,000 people since an uprising against Assad erupted in March, Clinton told Syrian pro-reform activists in Geneva that she wanted to hear their plans to establish a new democratic government if they are successful in prying Assad and his regime from power.

The invitation was a step short of endorsement, but a clear sign the U.S. wants to work closely with those who might assume leadership roles.

"Obviously, a democratic transition is more than removing the Assad regime. It means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law," Clinton told the activists who are all exiles in Europe and belong to the Syrian National Council, one of several umbrella groups for Assad foes.

Tuesday's meeting marked only the second time Clinton has held an in-person session with members of the Syrian opposition since President Barack Obama called for Assad to step down in August amid a still ongoing brutal crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators. As with Libya's exile opposition, the U.S. has stepped carefully in its contacts with Syrian opposition figures. The hesitance comes partly out of concern that the U.S. not be seen as trying to direct a revolution from afar.

Clinton sidestepped a request from one among the group of exiled academics for more formal U.S. recognition, a U.S. official familiar with the meeting said afterward. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the confidential discussions, said Clinton told the group that the U.S. primarily wants to see them continue organizing and suggesting ways the U.S. can help.

The activists described a worsening campaign of often sectarian retribution in Syria, in which Assad forces use rape as a weapon against both men and women and attempt to use ethnic and religious divisions to fuel violence and turn potential opponents against one another, a second U.S. official said. Several in the group outlined fears of civil war among Syria's fractious ethnic groups if Assad hangs on much longer, a threat that also looms if he goes.

Syria is a country with a fragile jigsaw puzzle of Middle Eastern backgrounds including Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Druse, Circassians, Armenians and more. Decades of minority Alawite rule under the Assad family has bred resentment.

Dozens of bodies were dumped in the streets of a Syrian city at the heart of the country's nearly 9-month-old uprising, a grim sign that sectarian bloodshed is escalating as the country descends further toward civil war. There were reports of retaliatory attacks pitting members of the Alawite sect against Sunnis.

The sectarian violence is a dire development in Syria, and one that opposition members say plays directly into the regime's hands. Since the uprising began, Assad portrayed himself as the lone force who can ward off the radicalism and sectarianism that have bedeviled neighbors in Iraq and Lebanon.

Opposition figures have accused Assad's minority Alawite regime of trying to stir up trouble with the Sunni majority to blunt enthusiasm for the uprising.

Clinton praised the Syrian National Council Group for its own religious and ethnic diversity and for its pledge to work to unify factions in the country.

"The Syrian opposition, as represented here, recognizes that Syria's minorities have legitimate questions and concerns about their future, and that they need to be assured that Syria will be better off under a regime of tolerance and freedom that provides opportunity and respect and dignity on the basis of the consent rather than on the whims of a dictator," Clinton said at the start of the meeting.

She sat with the seven activists for more than 90 minutes. The State Department identified six of them to reporters, including Syrian National Council President Burhan Ghalioun, a Sorbonne professor. A seventh participant asked not to be identified. Syria has targeted opponents both inside and outside the country.

The meeting in Geneva came as Washington announced that U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is returning to his post in Damascus after being recalled because of security concerns and worsening violence.

Ford, who was withdrawn in late October, is due to return to Syria overnight despite the surge in violence, the White House and State Department said. The administration has argued that Ford's presence in Syria is important for advancing U.S. policy goals by meeting with opposition figures and serving as a witness to the ongoing violence.

"His return demonstrates our continued solidarity with the Syrian people and the value we place on Ford's efforts to engage Syrians on their efforts to achieve a peaceful and democratic transition," White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

"We believe his presence in the country is among the most effective ways to send a message to the Syrian people that the United States stands in solidarity with them," he said.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the Syrian government had been notified of Ford's return and that the U.S. expected that authorities would guarantee his safety in keeping with international diplomatic obligations.

Ford was brought back from Syria on Oct. 22, prompting the Syrian government to recall its ambassador to Washington. Ford had been due to return to Syria in late November, but instability, including attacks on several foreign diplomatic missions, prompted the administration to delay his trip.

Ford's presence in Syria is a symbolic part of Obama's effort to engage Damascus, which was without a U.S. ambassador for years after the Bush administration broke ties over Syria's alleged role in the 2005 assassination of a political candidate in neighboring Lebanon.

In September, Ford and several colleagues were pelted with tomatoes and eggs by a violent mob as they entered the office of a prominent Syrian opposition figure. No one was injured, but officials said several heavily armored embassy vehicles sent to help extricate them from the situation were badly damaged with broken windows and dents when the same crowd hurled rocks.

Ford has angered the Syrian regime by visiting protest centers outside of Damascus in a show of solidarity with the anti-government uprising. Those incidents have further raised tensions between Washington and Damascus, which has accused the United States of helping incite violence in Syria.

___

Lee reported from Washington.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_on_re_eu/eu_us_syria

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

3 women kicked off plane say it's not their fault

By Dan Corcoran, WPTV.com

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. - Three women were escorted off a New York bound flight at Palm Beach International Airport on Monday by airline staff and Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies, NBC affiliate WPTV reports.?The women claim they did not do anything wrong and that a flight attendant on board was the only one behaving poorly.

The women -- a lawyer, a therapist and a retired travel agent -- were complete strangers until they were seated near one another on AirTran Flight 1451 to White Plains, N.Y. They were buckled in and ready to take off when they said a male flight attendant began mishandling some overhead luggage.

"I said, 'Hey, I have breakables in that,'" said Marilyn Miller.

Miller said her plea was ignored and that the flight attendant even began shoving other bags into hers. "It was just like a bully and I found myself shaking."

Passenger Carol Gray also had a problem and requested attention from the same flight attendant.

"I said, 'Excuse me sir, my seat is broken,' and he looked at me and said, 'I'm not talking to you,' and poked me in the arm," said Gray.

Miller and Gray said the attendant was getting angry and threatened to throw both women off of the airplane.

"He said, 'Well, you're getting off.' I said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" said Miller, who was escorted off of the plane into the jetway.

The women claim two sheriff's deputies and some airline staffers arrived to take them away. Passenger Karyn Schorr decided it was time to speak up.

"I said, 'This is crazy, they didn't do anything. Why are you doing this to them?'" And he said, 'Throw her off too,'" Schorr said.

All three women said they were in shock when they were led off the airplane and back to the terminal.

"My seat was broken and it really was. Her bag was being mishandled. And this other woman came to our defense," said Gray. "Those are hardly causes to throw us all off the plane."

The women said the airlines should do a better job selecting the people that are in control in the air.

"Stewards have all the power when you're on an airplane, I get that," said Schorr. "But, this is a man who is not balanced."

AirTran and parent company Southwest Airlines have not responded to repeated requests for a comment. The company's website displays the mission of a flight attendant to "deliver friendly, enthusiastic and professional service...while making safety the number one goal."

The women were not cited or charged with any crimes and were offered a flight on another airline back to New York paid for by AirTran. They were told that someone from AirTran management would be contacting each of them directly.

"I've never seen this flight attendant and if I ever see him on a plane again, I'm getting off," said Miller.

This story was first reported by News Channel 5 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

More on Overhead Bin

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9251488-3-women-kicked-off-plane-say-theyre-not-to-blame

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