Sudan: Khartoum University's students hold massive protest against police, administration

December 29, 2011 (KHARTOUM) ? A massive student protest took place on Thursday inside the campus of Khartoum University against the background of last week?s events in which the Sudanese police entered the university twice and cracked down on students.

Thursday?s protest at Khartoum University (ST)

The genesis of the crisis dates back to Thursday, 22 December, when police forces entered the university and fired teargas to disperse a protest held inside by students affiliated to Al-Manasir, a riverine population displaced by the construction of a government dam upcountry, and others belonging to anti-government groups.

In protest of Thursday?s crackdown and a subsequent university administration?s resolution authorizing the police to enter the campus, the students refused to sit for exams and held a sit-in on Sunday, prompting new clashes with police forces which broke in again and arrested over 70 students.

Around 5,000 students toured the university?s campus on Thursday and delivered a strongly-worded memo to the university?s administration, calling for the resignation of its director Sidiq Haiati on the grounds of what they termed as acts of ?administrative collusion? which allowed police forces to invade the campus and arrest students.

The memo also called for holding police forces accountable and receiving an apology from the ministry of interior as well as compensating the students who were affected by the incidents.

Sudanese authorities accuse opposition political parties of standing behind the unrest in Khartoum University. The chief of police in Khartoum State this week said that their forces were ready to continue fighting the protests.

Sudan has largely survived this year?s wave of popular uprisings which swept across the Middle East and toppled long-ruling autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

But public discontent is growing due to worsening economic conditions created by the departure of oil-producing South Sudan as well as the eruption of wars in the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

(ST)

Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-Khartoum-University-s,41132

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Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking

ScienceDaily (Dec. 29, 2011) ? People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology?, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Those with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins also had higher scores on mental thinking tests than people with diets low in those nutrients. These omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D are primarily found in fish. The B vitamins and antioxidants C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables.

In another finding, the study showed that people with diets high in trans fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and lower scores on the thinking and memory tests than people with diets low in trans fats. Trans fats are primarily found in packaged, fast, fried and frozen food, baked goods and margarine spreads.

The study involved 104 people with an average age of 87 and very few risk factors for memory and thinking problems. Blood tests were used to determine the levels of various nutrients present in the blood of each participant. All of the participants also took tests of their memory and thinking skills. A total of 42 of the participants had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.

Overall, the participants had good nutritional status, but seven percent were deficient in vitamin B12 and 25 percent were deficient in vitamin D.

Study author Gene Bowman, ND, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said that the nutrient biomarkers in the blood accounted for a significant amount of the variation in both brain volume and thinking and memory scores. For the thinking and memory scores, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 17 percent of the variation in the scores. Other factors such as age, number of years of education and high blood pressure accounted for 46 percent of the variation. For brain volume, the nutrient biomarkers accounted for 37 percent of the variation.

"These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet," Bowman said.

The study was the first to use nutrient biomarkers in the blood to analyze the effect of diet on memory and thinking skills and brain volume. Previous studies have looked at only one or a few nutrients at a time or have used questionnaires to assess people's diet. But questionnaires rely on people's memory of their diet, and they also do not account for how much of the nutrients are absorbed by the body, which can be an issue in the elderly.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Aging and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Portland VA Medical Center.

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Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111229092036.htm

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US finalizes deal to sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia

HONOLULU (AP) ? The sale of $30 billion worth of F-15SA fighter jets to Saudi Arabia has been finalized, the Obama administration said Thursday, boosting the military strength of a key U.S. ally in the Middle East to help counter Iran.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will send Saudi Arabia 84 new fighter jets and upgrades for 70 more. Production of the aircraft, which will be manufactured by Boeing Co., will support 50,000 jobs and have a $3.5 billion annual economic impact in the U.S., the White House said.

The sale is part of a larger U.S. effort to realign its defense policies in the Persian Gulf to keep Iran in check. The announcement came as U.S. officials weighed a fresh threat from Tehran, which warned this week it could disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf oil transport route, if Washington levies new sanctions targeting Iran's crude exports.

Administration officials said the timing of Thursday's announcement was not tied to the new threat from Tehran. But they did make clear that the fighter jet sale would help Saudi Arabia counter potential troubles with Iran.

"This sale will send a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the Gulf and broader Middle East," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro. "It will enhance Saudi Arabia's ability to deter and defend against external threats to its sovereignty."

The fighter jet sale is part of a larger 10-year, $60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia that also includes helicopters, a broad array of missiles, bombs and delivery systems, as well as radar warning systems and night-vision goggles. Congress gave the deal the go-ahead about a year ago.

The plan initially raised concerns from pro-Israeli lawmakers, but U.S. officials reassured Congress that Israel's military edge would not be undercut by the sale. Additionally, there is now broad agreement among Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the West that Iran poses a significant and unpredictable threat.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter regional rivals. Tensions between them were further stoked earlier this year after the U.S. accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in Washington.

Saudi Arabia is already the most militarily advanced of the Arab Gulf states, one of the richest countries in the world, and central to American policy in the Middle East. It is also vital to U.S. energy security, with Saudi Arabia ranking as the third-largest source of U.S. oil imports.

But relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia grew frosty earlier this year, as the allies found themselves at odds during the protests that swept through the Arab world. The Obama administration angered the Saudis by pulling support from former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, a longtime ally of both countries. And the U.S. bristled when Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain to quell protests there.

The White House announced the agreement with Saudi Arabia from Hawaii, where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

___

Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-29-US-Saudi%20Arabia/id-399a3516262147728fd8847f4094b8fd

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More than 2,500 freed in Cuba amnesty: rights group (Reuters)

HAVANA (Reuters) ? More than 2,500 Cuban prisoners have been released in recent days under a New Year's amnesty announced before a visit next spring by Pope Benedict XVI, a local human rights group said on Tuesday.

Cuban President Raul Castro said last Friday that the ruling Council of State had granted amnesty to more than 2,900 common prisoners.

Castro said the amnesty was a "humanitarian gesture" and had also "taken into account" an upcoming papal visit and requests by, among others, top Roman Catholic Church officials in Cuba and relatives of the prisoners.

"We estimate that more than 2,500 prisoners have been released in all the provinces, and the process continues," Elizardo Sanchez, head of the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights, told Reuters.

The government and official media have not commented on the releases.

"The Cuban Commission on Human Rights applauds these releases, but really it is a limited gesture as we calculate there are between 70,000 and 80,000 Cubans in prison," Sanchez said.

Sanchez said those freed so far included five political prisoners.

Cuba released 130 political prisoners in a deal brokered by the Catholic Church in 2010. Cuban dissidents have said there are still at least 60 people behind bars for political reasons, including some convicted of boat and plane hijackings and spying.

Castro said on Friday the amnesty covered people more than 60 years of age, prisoners who are ill, women and some young prisoners who had no previous criminal history, as well as a few prisoners who had been convicted for crimes against "the security of the state."

The Cuban president said 86 foreigners from 25 countries convicted of committing crimes in Cuba were also on the amnesty list.

A number of Western diplomats said on Tuesday they were waiting to be contacted by Cuban authorities about their nationals in Cuban jails.

U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who began serving a 15-year prison term this year after being convicted of participating in a semi-covert U.S. democracy-building program to establish a clandestine Internet platform inside Cuba, was not on the amnesty list, Cuban officials said.

The U.S. government and Gross family insist the contractor was simply helping Jewish groups connect with each other and Jews around the world.

Gross' imprisonment threw cold water on a warming trend in relations between the decades-old-ideological foes.

"If this is correct, we are deeply disappointed and deplore the fact that the Cuban government has decided not to take this opportunity to extend this humanitarian release to Mr. Gross this holiday season, especially in light of his deteriorating health, and to put an end to the Gross family's long plight," Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said on Saturday.

(Additional reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Tom Brown and Peter Cooney)

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

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Paul Sends Pastor Down Memory Hole (talking-points-memo)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180379422?client_source=feed&format=rss

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TinyWall Is a Dead Simple and Free Firewall Controller for Windows [Windows Downloads]

Windows 7/Vista: One of the common complaints with the default Windows firewall is the ridiculous number of pop-ups you'll receive when its enabled. TinyWall removes that annoyance while still providing an easy to use interface for advanced and beginner users.

TinyWall is more of a controller for the default Windows firewall than it is it's own program, but like any firewall, it will actively block viruses and trojans. It also allows you to setup different network zones so you can have it automatically bump up the security if you leave the house and tap into public Wi-Fi. It's full featured and allows you to block incoming and outgoing communication in certain programs if you want to, or you can use it simply as a better controller for the default Windows firewall. Either way, it's nice using the feature-complete Windows firewall without the annoyances of the Windows firewall.

TinyWall | via Addictive Tips

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/TE2tpq6gLUg/tinywall-is-a-dead-simple-and-free-firewall-controller-for-windows

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Start planning for college freshman year

Question: When is the best time to meet with a college counselor?

Answer: I feel that it is ideal to meet with a college counselor early in the freshman year. I have learned from experience that many families and students regret that they waited to begin college planning until junior or senior year, as resum?s and GPAs are fairly established by the end of junior year.? The major reason I like to start so early is to help a student and their parents begin to develop a long-range plan that will guide them as they map out courses, plan extracurricular activities, and help them think about ways for their student to develop and show their interests both in and out of the classroom. Ideally, students should have a four-year plan in terms of what courses they will take, how they will incorporate honors and AP into their schedules, and how they will balance coursework with sports, extracurricular activities, volunteer commitments, jobs and time for family and friends. Freshman year is not a time to discuss specific colleges or even expect students to have any idea what type of college they might be interested in. It simply gives the student and the counselor the chance to discuss what some of the post-secondary options might be and what it will take to be competitive in today?s climate, should the student be looking at highly selective colleges. I also like to map out what our public state schools are looking for in a student. I have found that when students have set clear goals for themselves early on, they are less likely to let their grades slip in the first few years of high school. I have also found that those very students I meet early on are more likely to establish leadership positions once he or she is a senior.

The second goal I have for this visit with freshmen is to allay parent anxiety. Most families who have not gone through this with older siblings have little understanding of the college planning process and are nervous that they should be doing something now that their child has started high school that they aren?t aware of. Once they understand how the college admission process works, parents feel more control of the situation and are better equipped to guide their son or daughter.

Joan Franklin is the owner of MI College Support, an independent college counseling practice. She can be reached at (206) 232-5626 or joanfranklin@micollegesupport.org.

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Contact Mercer Island Reporter Columnist Joan Franklin at franklij@comcast.net or (206) 232-5626.

Source: http://feeds.soundpublishing.com/~r/mirlifestyles/~3/QGFLbnbkqNk/136010878.html

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Tonight?s Saints win means 49ers can?t coast in St. Louis, which is where Gruden might become Rams next coach [MN-HR]

Posted by Cam Inman on December 26th, 2011 at 10:01 pm | Categorized as Uncategorized

The 49ers could have clinched the NFC playoffs? No. 2 seed tonight if the New Orleans Saints lost on ?Monday Night Football.? Instead, the Saints pummeled the Atlanta Falcons 45-16, Drew Brees broke Dan Marino?s 27-year-old record for single-season passing yards and the stakes loom large on Sunday for both the Saints (12-3)?and 49ers (12-3).

Two ways the 49ers can still wrap up the No. 2 seed: They win at St. Louis against the 2-13 Rams, or the Saints lose at home to the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers. (Sidebar: The Panthers have won four of their past five, and Newton is only 107 yards shy of 4,000 passing yards.)

Both the 49ers and Saints will kick off at noon in their respective domes (10 a.m. PST). Jim Harbaugh said tonight?s outcome could dictate whether the 49ers sit out some personnel, an option that now has disappeared. Had the Falcons won, the Saints? regular-season finale would have been moved to 1:15 PST. Had the Falcons won, the 49ers could have rested key players such as Patrick Willis (he?ll still likely sit with a hamstring injury), Ted Ginn, Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Isaac Sopoaga, Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner, Joe Staley, Frank Gore and Alex Smith.

* * *

A fascinating backdrop with the St. Louis Rams has emerged. The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Jon Gruden might return to the coaching ranks next season with the Rams. I can?t fathom that Gruden would prefer St. Louis over San Diego (or Miami or New York or Andrew Luck-led Indianapolis or the other jobs that might become vacant). But U-T reporter Kevin Acee says Chargers GM A.J. Smith could be fired, along with coach Norv Turner, and that Smith is tight with Gruden, who coached the Raiders and Buccaneers before becoming an ESPN analyst. One other note in the U-T article: former 49ers assistant Greg Manusky also is on the hot seat as the Chargers? defensive coordinator.

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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5666635681

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Matt Damon's Hit on President Obama Is Music to GOP's Ears

Matt's Damon's petty, tasteless, and insipid knock of President Obama as gutless again got plenty of press mention. He used the more street, colloquial term to symbolize the president's supposed cowardice but we'll leave it at "gutless." The almost irresistible temptation is to chalk this up to the star actors need to get a little extra ink at the president's expense for his new movie. But Damon doesn't need to slam Obama for that. He's bankable no matter if he just read a page from the telephone book.

And this is hardly Damon's first hit on Obama. He's been carping at him incessantly for the last couple of years. But what makes this different are two things. Obama is poised for the fight of his political life to keep his Oval Office address. Despite the zaniness, ineptness, back stabbing and seeming disjointedness of the GOP at this stage of the political game, the party will eventually find its legs and will spend the bank to fulfill its relentless obsessive drool to make him a one-term president.

The second thing wrong with Damon's hit is that it comes at a time when the president has gingerly turned the negative wash against him in the polls. He got a big boost from the Tea Party cajoled House that tossed total political sanity to the wind and sabotaged the wildly popular and beneficial to the middle class payroll tax cut extension. Now enter Damon. The star actor certainly knows that his well-honed credentials as a progressive and a one-time staunch Obama backer can do damage. It feeds hungrily into the three year mantra rant of many progressive's against Obama that he has proven to be no different than any other deal-making, corporate, beltway politician, who shamelessly makes nice with the GOP and has betrayed his hope and change pledge. Damon and the other Obama bashers reject any criticism that their hit on the president as being a sell-out and no different than his predecessor, George W. Bush will further fracture, alienate and demoralize an already nervous, shaky, and uneasy Democratic base. Such a prospect is a virtual symphony to the GOP's ears.

Damon's criticism of Obama won't cause a single one among Obama's core supporters, and that's African Americans, Hispanics, gays, the young, and moderate to liberal independents to rush pell-mell on Election Day to vote for whoever emerges from the GOP presidential contenders pack to challenge Obama. But it could hurt in causing more than a few to throw up their hands, say pox on both houses, and stay home on Election Day. This would be the same as a vote for the GOP contender. Obama's strength in 2008, and it will be the same again in 2012, was not getting an off the chart percentage of the Democrat's traditional backers to vote for him, but to excite, inspire and ultimately drive them to the polls in huge numbers. This did not escape the GOP and since GOP governors have won the state houses in several key battleground states and now dominate the state legislatures in those states, they have stepped up their efforts to do everything legal and borderline legal to suppress the vote. They've rammed through or stumped for a slew of voter ID laws, narrowed the poll hours, eliminated weekend voting, made it more costly for the NAACP and other voter watch dog groups to challenge election law changes, remapped districts to create GOP friendly districts, and rolled back or toughened felon voting bans.

When the GOP big smear machine kicks into high gear during the campaign, expect quotes from a few of the more prominent defecting Obama supporters to be liberally cited in the GOP's hit pieces and spots on Obama. Expect Damon to be at the top of the GOP quote list against the president. Beyond the president's ability to rev up the troops and get them to the polls, the election will hinge on the economy. Even on this Damon may have even provided some grist for the GOP mill when he took another back hand slap at the president by railing that the Democrats missed the boat by not fully backing the Occupy Wall St movement and the fight against the greedy rich. He dumped the blame for that on "their lack of a leader" he meant of course, Obama.

This criticism also plays directly into the GOP's hands since challengers don't get blamed for the real or imagined shortcomings of an incumbent president in dealing with the economy; the incumbent president does. Obama will have little margin for error to ward off the indifference or worse, hostility, from Democrats if they really see him as a lackluster leader.
That's not a matter of Obama having no "cajones" as Damon loudly claims. It's a matter of aiding and abetting the GOP. That possibility is music to the GOP's ears.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is host of the weekly Hutchinson Report Newsmaker Hour on KTYM Radio Los Angeles streamed on ktym.com podcast on blogtalkradio.com and internet TV broadcast on thehutchinsonreportnews.com

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Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: www.twitter.com/earlhutchinson

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/matt-damon-obama_b_1165630.html

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How To Install/Flash Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich MIUI Alpha ROM On Galaxy N...

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

Source: http://www.facebook.com/RedmondPie/posts/185796161516862

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Back in campaign mode, presidential hopefuls focus

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signs an autograph during a campaign stop at at Tangleberries in Centerville, Iowa, in this Dec. 23, 2011 file photo. After a brief respite for Christmas, the Republicans in search of their party?s presidential nomination return to the campaign trail for a final push ahead of the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signs an autograph during a campaign stop at at Tangleberries in Centerville, Iowa, in this Dec. 23, 2011 file photo. After a brief respite for Christmas, the Republicans in search of their party?s presidential nomination return to the campaign trail for a final push ahead of the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Republicans in search of their party's presidential nomination are returning to campaign mode after a brief Christmas respite, with Rick Santorum planning a hunting trip with conservatives in Iowa and Mitt Romney phoning supporters.

With just a week until Iowa holds its leadoff caucuses and many still undecided, the final push ahead of the Jan. 3 contests was heading into a critical time. Campaigns planned new television ads and phone calls to persuade holdout caucusgoers still weighing their options.

Romney, who kept this state at arm's length for most of the year, seemed to increase his efforts in Iowa as polls found him in a stronger position. He planned to talk with supporters in a series of telephone calls here and to New Hampshire and Florida on Monday between working on a speech that aides described as his final pitch to Iowans. Romney planned to deliver that speech Tuesday evening and then set out on a bus tour of Iowa.

However, he was to share the highways with Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. All scheduled bus tours to start then, too.

Each is running out of time and looking to derail Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas congressman who seems to have the most sophisticated network of volunteers ready to organize ahead of the caucuses. Paul was to return to Iowa this week to meet with supporters he has kept in touch with since his unsuccessful run in 2008.

Others, too, were ready to turn on their own political machines and had fresh ads ready to air.

Gingrich, who last week criticized the negative tone of the campaign, was ready to directly challenge Romney on the economy, an issue Romney has made central to his campaign. Gingrich's standing in public and private polls has slipped as he faced unrelenting criticism from the candidates and their allies.

Gingrich was expected to use clips from Romney's previous campaigns distancing himself from President Ronald Reagan and pitch Gingrich's economic plan as "Reaganomics 2.0." Gingrich also was expected to compare Romney's tax plan with his own.

Santorum, meanwhile, planned to announce support from another wave of Iowa conservatives. He scheduled a pheasant hunting trip in Adel for Monday afternoon. While he trails in polls and has not spent significant money on ads, Santorum is hoping his nonstop courtship of Iowans yields a late surge. He visited all 99 of Iowa's counties during the summer ? an accomplishment Bachmann has feverishly tried to replicate.

Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota, last week darted through small towns, reminding voters that Santorum lost his 2006 re-election bid in a blowout and that Paul's foreign policy views were outside the party's orthodoxy. Looking to recapture voters' interest, her plan was to return to hand-to-hand campaigning on Tuesday.

Perry, too, was looking to keep up his message: his rivals are insiders unable to change Washington. He planned to return to his tour bus on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman kept his focus on New Hampshire. Early in the campaign, he said he would not compete in Iowa and instead make his start in New Hampshire, which comes second on the nominating calendar.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-26-GOP%20Campaign/id-b231259fb0ee47a7a98f90707ee09b09

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Senator Risch selects Idaho nominees for U.S. Military Academics

(Updated 3:38 p.m.) - Dozens of young men and women made the nomination list for the United States Military Academics for the 2012 school year. The released list, featuring selections by Senator Jim Risch, covers all four academies: Air Force, Army, Marine and Navy.

This is just the first step of the selection process. Names marked in bold are North Idaho nominees.

U.S. Air Force Academy

• Joseph Cardona III, Boise
• Anthony deVera, Meridian
• John French, Meridian
• Kaylee Kostka, Heyburn
• Adrianna Lutu, Boise
• Kevin Miller, Idaho Falls
• Zachary Morrow, Roswell
• Jonathon Riggers, Nezperce
• Nathaniel Rupp, Boise
• Ronald Weimar, Payette

U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army)

• Adam Armour, Idaho Falls
• Reid Boorman, Bonners Ferry
• Layne Harper, Blackfoot
• Joel ?Parker? Heisey, Coeur d?Alene
• Colby Hyde, Eagle
• Zachary LaBenne, Hayden
• Parker Matthews, Rathdrum
• Bryan Perry, Rigby
• David Trompke, Eagle
• Kristine Westergard, Boise

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

• Brennen Connolly, Meridian
• Andrew Fletcher, Boise
• Alex Foster, Ammon
• Zane Hardin, McCall
• Mason Menges, Nampa
• Konnor-Lawrence Moden, Boise
• Levi Sliwoski, Boise
• Eric Whitman, Priest River
• Kevin Wilmot, Jerome
• Rebecca Winzer, Coeur d?Alene

U.S. Naval Academy

• Nicholas Arnold, Boise
• Hallie Bonnicksen, Kellogg
• Andrew Brackebush, Silverton
• Joseph Dlugosch, Eagle
• Gaylen Edmo, Pocatello
• John Foulger, Chubbuck
• John ?Gil? Givens, Post Falls
• Kylie Johnson, Coeur d?Alene
• Skyler Means, Boise
• Jonathon Riggers, Nezperce

Note: A reader pointed out that there was no nomination list for Coast Guard. After speaking with Senator Risch's Office in Washington D.C., they said that the Coast Guard academy does not need nominations.

Source: http://silvervalley.kxly.com/news/people/68823-senator-risch-selects-idaho-nominees-us-military-academics

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NBA season finally set to tip off on Christmas (AP)

Finally, the conversation changes.

It's time for the NBA to ditch the dollars and nonsense of the lockout for the alleys and oops in Lob City, the new nickname for the suddenly exciting Los Angeles Clippers.

For months, all the talk was about lockouts, salary caps and mediation. Now there are games that count as a new season begins Christmas Day.

For all practical purposes, Clippers fans have been locked out of competitive basketball for the better part of three decades. Now they get entertainment of the highest order ? watching Blake Griffin throw down lob passes from Chris Paul.

The 2011-12 season, shortened to 66 games, debuts Sunday when five marquee games will be played from morning deep into the night. This marks a first step for the league as it looks to bury a damaging offseason marred by a five-month labor dispute and several stars trying to force their way out of town.

The day begins with Boston and New York and then goes to an NBA Finals rematch with Miami at Dallas. Next up is Chicago at the Lakers, followed by the small-market special ? Orlando at Oklahoma City ? before CP3 makes his regular-season debut as a Clipper at Golden State in the nightcap.

"The lockout was hectic for everybody," Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley said. "We were bored! Now we feel like we've got a purpose in life. We can do what we do best."

It's time.

It's time for Derek Fisher to be seen in Lakers gold, not Brooks Brothers gray.

It's time for postgame news conferences with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, not post-meeting sessions with David Stern and Adam Silver.

It's time for Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks to defend their title on the court, not for Jeffrey Kessler and the players' union to defend their decision to disband in the courts.

"I don't even want to talk about the lockout any more, man!" Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant said. "It was just so frustrating to go through that and everything that went on, us meeting and not meeting and not coming to an agreement and fans getting upset with us. It was tough. But I'm glad we got through it."

It didn't look so good for a while. Once the dispute was finally settled, a whole new drama broke out with Paul and Dwight Howard looking for trades out of New Orleans and Orlando.

Howard eventually softened his stance, but his future is still the focus in Orlando.

"I don't think our situation is going to go away," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "But I think it'll be a lot more focused on the games than there has been (focus) on the lockout."

The Lakers thought they had a deal for Paul, but Stern, acting as the owner of the Hornets, nixed that, and another crisis was born. The Clippers swooped in at the end, seizing some of the spotlight from Kobe and the Lakers for the first time since, well, ever.

"Hey, that's got to be driving Kobe," Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson said. "That should drive (Pau) Gasol and (Andrew) Bynum and those guys and Derek Fisher to say, `Hey, no way I'm going to let them take over Los Angeles.'"

The two teams met twice in the preseason, and the rivalry quickly escalated. Bryant injured his wrist on a hard foul in the first game and Lakers agitator Matt Barnes shoved Griffin to the court in the second game.

That wasn't the only miniseries infused with more intensity and energy than any exhibition game in recent years.

The Timberwolves were buoyant after finishing their second game against the Bucks with a 12-0 run to finish the preseason 2-0. James and Quentin Richardson were seen trading shoulder blocks all the way down the floor in Miami's preseason finale against Orlando.

"That's our sanctuary. When we get out between the lines and we're playing, that's all that matters," Richardson said. "And that's definitely our escape from anything going on, or anything negative or anything like that."

The melodrama surrounding Paul's request to be traded from New Orleans could have ripple effects throughout the Western Conference. The Lakers have been grousing since losing out on Paul and sending Lamar Odom to Dallas, but they weren't the only team hurt by that decision.

The Rockets had agreed to send Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to the Hornets as part of a three-team deal that would have landed them Gasol. Instead, they had to abandon any designs on signing Nene, go with Sam Dalembert in the middle and do some serious damage control with Scola and Martin.

While all the drama was unfolding, the Thunder have been playing the role of the young, hungry contender, ferociously working while no one was watching and preparing to throw nothing but haymakers as soon as the bell rings.

The Heat are back for another run at the title. James, Wade and Chris Bosh had the whole league against them after a presumptuous welcome ceremony on South Beach. But the spotlight hasn't been quite as bright while everyone has been looking toward the Clippers and Magic, where Howard's wishes seem to change by the day.

"It's good to see other guys around the league get that attention," Wade said. "I think they got enough of us last year. It's good to see other teams, other franchises, get that spotlight for a while. Hope they enjoy it."

The fan hunger is there as well. The Clippers sold out their game against the Lakers, and the first in that series was the most viewed preseason game in NBATV history.

The Timberwolves had 15,000 people attend their home preseason game against the Bucks, and another 2,500 turned out for a free practice on a Monday afternoon just to get a glimpse of Ricky Rubio.

More than 10,000 fans watched a free practice with the New York Knicks, and the Thunder's rabid fan base packed the arena for Durant's return to the court.

"We had to sacrifice a little bit of time and there were some harsh words thrown our way, but at the end of the day, everybody got what they wanted, which was basketball," Durant said. "That's what we worked hard for, is to play the game of basketball. We had to work the business part out and now we're just back to basketball."

Let the games begin.

___

AP Sports Writers Tim Reynolds in Miami, Anne M. Peterson in Portland, Ore., Kyle Hightower in Orlando, Fla., and freelance writer Murray Evans in Oklahoma City contributed to this story.

___

Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http:http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_nba_begins

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SocialSteak ? Photos of upcoming LG Fantasy Windows Phone posted online

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11 Christmas songs we hope never to hear again

By Kristin Kalning

I love Christmas, and I love Christmas music. But not all holiday tunes are created equal. Some songs ? Nat King Cole?s ?O Holy Night,? ?Christmas in Hollis? by Run-D.M.C. ? I can listen to over and over. But others make me want to jam railroad ties into my ears, they?re so awful.

Following is the list of 11 Christmas songs that should never have been made. In some cases, they?re sung by artists that I otherwise respect, which makes these terrible tunes all the more troubling. If there?s a Santa Claus, he will banish these awful, insipid, stupid affronts on Christmas to the Island of Misfit Songs.

11. ?Happy Xmas (War is Over),? John Lennon and Yoko Ono - I?m a die-hard Beatles fan, so it pains me to start this list with a John Lennon song. And it?s actually pretty great ? until the 40-second mark, when Yoko comes in and starts her caterwauling. Honestly, John. I know you loved her and all, but why?d you gotta let her sing?

10. ?Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,? Neil Diamond ? His first Christmas album was a mega-seller, so for his second one, Neil got a little creative with his arrangements, including a reggae version of ?Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.? He begins this song by calling out to the boys and girls in a Jamaican accent. I?m embarrassed for him.

9. ?Santa Baby,? Madonna ? I?ll bet the modern-day Madonna listens to this 1987 version of herself and cringes. I know I do. Perhaps she thought her nasal-voiced, cutsey-pie delivery was sexy, but really, she sounds like a half-in-the-bag bimbo. For sexy, see Kitt, Eartha, or Minogue, Kylie.

8. ?Last Christmas,? Wham ? This song is like cilantro: You either love it, or you think it tastes like soap. I?m in the latter camp. Vapid lyrics and cheesy music make "Last Christmas" completely unlistenable. Worse yet, those damned ?Glee? kids went and covered it, so all the teenyboppers are into it now. Gaaaah.

?7. ?Do They Know It?s Christmas?? Band Aid ? When I was a youngster, I thought this song was awesome, because it had Sting and Bono and Duran Duran (swoon). And it was made to help those affected by the Ethiopian famine of the mid-1980s. But the lyrics appear to be written by a third-grader (?There won?t be snow in Africa this Christmas time), or a pompous first-world jackass (?Well tonight, thank God it's them instead of yooooouuuu!?)?

6. ?Silver and Gold,? Burl Ives ? This song has the power to bring down a room. I know because I?ve seen it happen, during my son?s inaugural viewing of ?Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.? Here they?ve just introduced Yukon Cornelius, and then, bam! Preschoolers all take a powder while the snowman guy sings ?Silver and Gold.? Buzz kill!

5. ?Zat You, Santa Claus?? Buster Poindexter ? Look, I don?t like the Louis Armstrong version of this song, either. But the Buster Poindexter rendition is nails-on-a-chalkboard bad. It?s change-the-station bad. It?s pull-the-car-over-and-smoke-a-cigarette bad. Bad, bad, bad.

4. ?Christmas Don't Be Late,? Alvin and the Chipmunks ? When you?re 5 years old, this song is hilarious. When you?re an adult, this song is torture. Let?s say you were a spy, and you were captured. How many times do you think you could endure this record before you broke down? Think about it. And then, answer me this: Why is a grown man living with three chipmunks? 3. ?Baby It?s Cold Outside,? Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone ?The lyrics of this song make me mildly uncomfortable to begin with. This woman is trying to leave, for God?s sake, but her ?date? won?t let her. I don?t mind so much when it?s Dean Martin. But Zooey Deschanel sounds so drowsy when she sings, ?Say, what?s in this drink?? that I really want to call 911. 2. ?Wonderful Christmastime,? Paul McCartney ? For an artist with his pedigree, this song is unforgivable. It?s an overproduced, strangled-by-synthesizer mess that deserves the distinction as one of the worst Christmas songs ever. Insult to injury: Sir McCartney, already richer than God, makes almost half a million bucks a year off this song, it gets played so much.1. ?O Holy Night,? Christina Aguilera ? Let me first say that this is my very favorite Christmas hymn, and it offends me when celebrities mangle it. Aguilera?s taste level, always in question, is particularly egregious here. I don?t deny that she?s got serious pipes, but this song deserves reverence, not show-offy vocal gymnastics. Christina: Must you recite the Lord?s Prayer midway through? And why, WHY extend this train wreck with a Broadway-meets-gospel-choir ending? The worst. Period.{"contentId":"9583429","totalVotes":"15518"}

Which Christmas song is the worst?

?

"Santa Baby" - Madonna	? 15% (2,328 votes)
"Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney	? 14.1% (2,185 votes)
"Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and Yoko Ono	? 11.1% (1,726 votes)
"Zat You, Santa Claus?" - Buster Poindexter	? 11.1% (1,718 votes)
"O Holy Night" - Christina Aguilera	? 10.7% (1,659 votes)
"Do They Know It's Christmas" - Band Aid	? 9.4% (1,455 votes)
None of these (tell us your pick in comments below)	? 7.4% (1,141 votes)
"Last Christmas" - Wham!	? 7.3% (1,132 votes)
"Christmas Don't Be Late" - Alvin and the Chipmunks	? 7% (1,082 votes)
"Baby It's Cold Outside" - Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone	? 2.9% (452 votes)
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" - Neil Diamond	? 2.4% (371 votes)
"Silver and Gold" - Burl Ives	? 1.7% (269 votes)

Source: http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/22/9583429-11-christmas-songs-we-hope-never-to-hear-again

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Chennai Kitchen (Brentford, London, by padean)

Chennai Kitchen is a takeaway based in Ealing, London. The Chennai Kitchen offer great tasting Tandoori dishes, Vegetable dishes, Chicken dishes, Lamb dishes, Seafood dishes and Much more. Order online at Chennai Kitchen Ealing, London

Chennai Kitchen is a takeaway based in Ealing, London. The Chennai Kitchen offer great tasting Tandoori dishes, Vegetable dishes, Chicken dishes, Lamb dishes, Seafood dishes and Much more. Order online at Chennai Kitchen Ealing, London show less

Source: http://www.qype.co.uk/review/2607364

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lonelyplanet: Mexico Image Gallery http://t.co/fzZb2yTr #lp #travel

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Gresso's Grand Premiere: an Avantgarde phone with a behind-the-times OS and a $50,000 price tag

Whenever Gresso's not crafting expensive new threads for iDevices, the company makes its own featurephones from the finest materials mother nature has to offer. The new Grand Premiere is the latest from the company's Avantgarde collection and carries on this incongruous tradition. Its frame and keys are made from more than five ounces of 18-carat gold, with numbers and letters laser-etched on its sapphire crystal skin. We don't know the internals of the 12mm-thin candybar, but we do know it's running Symbian S40 and is probably packing anemic hardware like other Gressos we've seen -- you're paying for exclusivity and the shiny stuff, not benchmarking abilities, after all. Only 30 Grand Premiere's will be made at $50,000 pop, so all you conspicuous consumers with money to burn better move fast. Wouldn't want to be the only luddite at the yacht club without luxury handset, would you?

Gresso's Grand Premiere: an Avantgarde phone with a behind-the-times OS and a $50,000 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/21/gressos-grand-premiere-an-avantgarde-phone-with-a-behind-the-t/

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Pamela Anderson Sports a Teeny Black Bikini In Hawaii

Last updated: Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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Pamela Anderson Sports a Teeny Black Bikini In Hawaii


Pamela Anderson was recently spotted flaunting her curvaceous body at Hawaiian beach in a tiny black bikini. The former Baywatch star donned a tiny black bandeau bikini as she strolled along the sand before enjoying a cooling dip in the sea.

The 44-year-old was enjoying her vacation with boyfriend Jon Rose, a professional surfer and an environmentalist who has been dating the Baywatch beauty for the last few months, the Daily Mail reported.

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Source: http://www.hotonlinenews.com/2011/12/20/Pamela_Anderson_Sports_a_Teeny_Black_Bikini_In_Hawaii.html

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U.S. hands over last detainee to Iraq (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities on Friday, the White House said, after months of failed efforts to convince Baghdad to extradite him because of his suspected role in the killing of Americans.

White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told Reuters the United States had received assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, would be tried for his crimes.

But initial reaction from Congress was fierce. Lawmakers fear that Iraq will be unable or unwilling to hold Daqduq for long and several used words like "disgraceful" to describe the handover. Senator Saxby Chambliss accused the Obama administration of "completely abdicating its responsibility to hold on to deadly terrorists."

Daqduq is accused of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel and his fate became a source of growing concern in Washington this year as the U.S. military prepared for an end-2011 withdrawal.

Indeed, Daqduq was the only detainee that the U.S. military held onto when it transferred everyone else to Iraqi authorities in November. U.S. officials had hoped for a last minute deal which failed to materialize.

"As of this morning, he's been transferred to Iraqi custody," Vietor said.

"We've worked this at the highest levels of the U.S. and Iraqi governments and we continue to discuss with the Iraqis the best way to ensure that he faces justice," he said.

It was unclear whether the United States might later try to win custody of Daqduq.

Senator John McCain was among the harshest critics of the handover. He and three other lawmakers warned Daqduq might be released from Iraqi custody for political reasons and "return to the fight" against the United States and its allies.

"We are deeply concerned that Daqduq will never have to answer for his involvement in killing U.S. citizens," McCain said in a statement also signed by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and two other senators.

The transfer of Daqduq, who was born in Lebanon, to Iraqi custody represents one of the risks the United States faces in ending the nearly 9-year-old war, with all American troops due out of the country this month. A senior Iraqi officer last month told Reuters about efforts by individuals in Lebanon and Iran to win custody of Daqduq.

"If the administration is truly serious about this case, they'll try him for war crimes in a military tribunal, not increase the chances that he will end up sipping tea in Tehran," said Senator John Cornyn.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also acknowledged that Iraq retaining custody was not the ideal solution, telling Congress last month that Daqduq would face "better justice" in the United States.

Panetta was in Baghdad on Thursday for the ceremony formally ending the Iraq war, in which almost 4,500 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis were killed.

U.S. military officials had hoped to leave several thousand American military trainers behind to assist Iraq but Baghdad and Washington failed to reach an agreement. The troop deal fell apart over U.S. demands that Iraq's parliament approve legal guarantees to protect remaining U.S. forces from prosecution.

In the case of Daqduq, sources told Reuters that Baghdad was unwilling to cede custody to the United States of an individual it saw as a prisoner of Iraq.

Violence in Iraq has ebbed since the bloodier days of sectarian slaughter when suicide bombers and hit squads claimed hundreds of victims a day as the country descended into tit-for-tat killings between the Sunni and Shi'ite communities.

In 2006 alone, 17,800 Iraqi military and civilians were killed in violence.

Iraqi security forces are generally seen as capable of containing the remaining Sunni Islamist insurgency and the rival Shi'ite militias that U.S. officials say are backed by Iran.

But attacks now target local government offices and security forces in an attempt to show the authorities are not in control.

(Reporting By Phil Stewart; Editing by Sandra Maler and Philip Barbara)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111216/ts_nm/us_usa_iraq_detainee

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Judge gives Bonds house arrest, then delays it (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Barry Bonds will remain free while he appeals his conviction for giving misleading testimony before a grand jury.

A federal judge handed Bonds a sentence of 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation and 250 hours of community service on Friday ? then delayed the sentence pending an appeal likely to take a year or more.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston also put on hold a $4,000 fine against Bonds for his obstruction of justice conviction arising from a grand jury appearance eight years ago.

Prosecutors wanted the home run king to spend 15 months in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella argued that home confinement wasn't punishment enough, "for a man with a 15,000 square foot house with all the advantages." Bonds lives on a nearly two-acre estate in Beverly Hills.

Parrella called the sentence a "slap on the wrist" and the fine "almost laughable" for a former baseball superstar who made millions of dollars during his career. Parrella had sought 15 months in prison, disagreeing with the judge's conclusion that the crime was "aberrant" behavior for an otherwise law-abiding Bonds who has donated money and time to charities.

"The defendant basically lived a double life for decades," argued Parrella, who said Bonds tested positive for steroids and amphetamines during his playing days. "He had mistresses throughout his marriages."

Illston said none of that had any bearing on Bonds' sentence. She agreed with a probation department report that called Bonds' conviction and "aberration" in his life. She said she received "dozens" of letters in support of Bonds and discussing how he has given money and time "for decades" to charitable causes.

Illston also said she had to remain "consistent" and give Bonds a sentence similar to those meted out to two other figures convicted of similar crimes in the same investigation.

She also noted that most obstruction cases were more serious, and often involved violence being used against witnesses.

"This sentence is an appropriate sentence for a conviction where there is no victim," said Stuart Slotnick, a former prosecutor now in private practice. "And many question the seriousness of the charges and the motivation for the prosecution."

Well-wishers hugged the 47-year-old Bonds in the hallway outside the courtroom after the hearing was over. He declined to speak in court.

A jury convicted Bonds in April of purposely answering questions about steroids with rambling non sequiturs in an attempt to mislead a grand jury investigating sports doping in December 2003. Bonds' trial jury failed to reach a verdict on three other charges accusing Bonds of lying when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs and when he denied receiving injections from someone other than his doctor.

Prosecutors in September dropped those deadlocked charges, giving up on another trial.

His lead attorney, Allen Ruby, said Bonds will formally file a "notice of appeal" Friday.

Major League Baseball's career home runs leader, Bonds is the highest-profile defendant ? and the last ? to come out of the government's investigation of the steroids distribution ring built around the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, founded by Victor Conte.

Besides the seven-time MVP, 10 people were convicted of various charges. Six of them, including track star Marion Jones, were ensnared for lying to grand jurors, federal investigators or the court. Others, including Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges.

Bonds was one of two former baseball superstars to stand trial in doping-related cases this year. The trial of pitcher Roger Clemens was halted after just two days in July because prosecutors used inadmissible evidence. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton has set a new trial for April 17.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_bonds_steroids

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Video: Acts of kindness in tough times

We'll focus on?efforts to help veterans find?jobs and deal with health and family problems. "One of the great blessings in my life has been the exposure I've received to the military?active duty, in the field and veterans,"?says Brian Williams. "They are America?s genuine heroes, and it's a privilege to use our platforms at NBC News to honor all that they have done."

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/45690713#45690713

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What makes Florence and her band unique (AP)

NEW YORK ? Florence + The Machine are more like FLORENCE + the machine: There's no question who dominates.

Florence Welch was first signed as a solo artist, and the CD booklet for their latest album, "Ceremonials," has 14 pictures of Welch, none of anyone else.

But her band plays an integral part in her otherworldly sound: "She has definite ideas about what she wants and she feels like she can trust us to deliver the goods," said harpist Tom Monger.

And if the band ever has a breakout player, Monger might be it. Welch calls his addition to the band, which now stands at seven, "a total fluke": Shortly after recording the "Dog Days Are Over" from the band's album "Lungs," which included a keyboard sound simulating a harp, Welch was sitting in a studio when Monger walked by, carrying something that Welch said "looked like a telephone box wrapped in a blanket."

She wondered what it was, and Monger told her it was a harp. She quickly invited him in, and The Machine soon had a new member.

But he's not your parents' kind of harp player. He takes the instrument out of the parlor and plays with strength and aggression.

"There is still this kind of stigma or stereotype to the harp being a romantic instrument played by ladies in long dresses and very regal settings," he said. "That doesn't have to be the case."

Leave all that to Welch, who has drawn comparisons to Stevie Nicks for flowing onstage outfits and a witchy woman persona. The "Ceremonials" opening track, "Only If For a Night," is about a ghost (the singer finds it "so strange, so surreal, that a ghost should be so practical"). In "Seven Devils," she talks about how "all your love will be exorcised." She proclaims on "Shake it Out" that "it's hard to dance with the devil on your back."

Florence + The Machine's first album, which sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, was a quilt with a number of different producers, including Paul Epworth, whose work with Adele helped take the British singer to the top of the pop world this year.

"I wanted to make a sound that was cohesive, that was a whole, rather than a collection of songs that sounded quite separate," the 25-year-old Welch said. "I wanted a sound that floated through the whole album."

She and Epworth took a different approach for "Ceremonials," which was released last month. Welch feels it represents her varied influences, which range from Hole and Nirvana to Kanye West and Jay-Z, and Beyonce. Rihanna and Lady Gaga are also favorites, as are Spiritualized. And Kate Bush.

"There's a real sense of people being into loads of different stuff at once," she said in a recent interview. "I think you kind of get that from this record, the fact that I've been into so much different stuff. Style-wise, it touches on so many different things."

Welch said she and Epworth "kind of geek out together on drum sounds." They frequently sound like miniature bomb blasts on top of music that might otherwise be considered ethereal, reminiscent of Bush's work.

Rolling Stone described it, without really defining it, as "a very British record," a point that was echoed by VH1 music executive Rick Krim.

"It's not American, whatever that means," said Krim, executive vice president for talent and music programming. "It feels like it's from the hills of England somewhere."

Krim and VH1 have signed Welch to participate in its upcoming "Divas" special, where she will represent British soul music. Next year, MTV will air an "Unplugged" episode with the band. Krim said he was impressed by the distinctiveness of Florence + The Machine's second disc.

"She's not trying to make cookie-cutter Top 40 music," he said. "She does one thing and hopes the audience gravitates toward her instead of doing something that will fit a format."

____

Online:

http://florenceandthemachine.net/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_en_mu/us_music_florence___the_machine

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Atkins files for divorce, attorneys deny assault (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Rodney Atkins has filed for divorce and his attorney denied Thursday the country singer assaulted his wife last month.

Atkins was arrested Nov. 21 and charged with domestic assault. His wife, Tammy Jo Atkins, told police that after a night of heavy drinking he assaulted her and tried to suffocate her with a pillow. Attorney Rose Palermo said in a statement the allegations of violence are "completely untrue" and that the argument between the couple did not become physical.

Palermo writes of "an unfortunate verbal dispute" that was within hearing range of the couple's young son. When Atkins realized this, "his first priority became getting out of the earshot of the child, and that is when Mrs. Atkins called the police and gave them her version of the argument, which is completely untrue."

The platinum-selling singer, known for No. 1 hits including "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)," "Take a Back Road" and "Watching You," decided to file for divorce as a result of the false statement to police, the statement says.

Both allege inappropriate marital conduct in divorce filings in Williamson County. Tammy Jo Atkins is seeking full custody, an equal distribution of their assets, alimony and child support. Rodney Atkins is seeking joint custody. In one filing, his attorney says Tammy Jo Atkins' "ill conduct" was a justifiable cause for his own conduct in the early morning hours of Nov. 21.

Tammy Jo Atkins told police the couple had been arguing all night and that her husband was intoxicated. She claimed he tried to smother her with a pillow during the night and then in the morning grabbed her by the face and shoved her down a hallway. She said she feared for her safety and that the assault occurred in front of their 10-year-old son, Elijah. A hearing in the divorce case is scheduled for Dec. 20.

Palermo's statement says the police witnessed no violent acts and that this is a case of her word against his.

"Mr. Atkins plans to spend significant time with his child over the Christmas holidays and respectfully requests privacy at this time," the statement reads. "Mr. Atkins wants to thank his fans for standing by him and he is confident the truth will prevail."

Robert Jackson, the attorney for Tammy Jo Atkins, did not immediately respond to a message left by the Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_en_mu/us_people_rodney_atkins

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

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

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

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/7AsOG7J7rFc/

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Brownback staffer unveils school finance proposal | CJOnline.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]CJOnline.com is the website of the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper. It's the Number One source of news, sports, weather and entertainment information, as well as cars, jobs and real estate advertising for the northeastern ...

Source: http://cjonline.com/news/2011-12-14/brownback-staffer-unveils-school-finance-proposal

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