House pushes to complete $633 billion defense bill

(AP) ? The House pushed to complete a $633 billion defense bill for next year despite Pentagon complaints that it spares outdated but politically popular weapons at the expense of the military's ability to fight.

Lawmakers were expected to vote Thursday evening and send the legislation to the Senate, where leaders hoped to wrap up the measure for President Barack Obama's signature.

The far-reaching policy bill that covers the cost of ships, aircraft, weapons and military personnel would authorize $528 billion for the Defense Department's base budget, $17 billion for defense and nuclear programs in the Energy Department and $88.5 billion for the war in Afghanistan.

The bill is $1.7 billion more than Obama requested.

House Republicans and Democrats debated the measure against the backdrop of high-stakes talks to avert the so-called fiscal cliff of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts and the loud cry for a sweeping deal to slash the deficit.

Democrats argued that the bill runs counter to demands for fiscal discipline.

"This bill is more money that the Pentagon wants," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "We're just throwing money at them."

Specifically, the bill spares a version of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, includes upgrades for tanks and money for armored vehicles.

In a speech this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta criticized the pressure on the Pentagon to keep weapons that it doesn't want. "Aircraft, ships, tanks, bases, even those that have outlived their usefulness, have a natural political constituency. Readiness does not," Panetta said.

"What's more, readiness is too often sacrificed in favor of a larger and less effective force. I am determined to avoid that outcome," he said.

Panetta said members of the House and Senate "diverted about $74 billion of what we asked for in savings in our proposed budget to the Congress, and they diverted them to other areas that, frankly, we don't need."

The bill responds to the new threats and upheaval around the globe while still providing billions for the decade-plus war in Afghanistan. The measure would tighten sanctions on Iran, increase security at diplomatic missions worldwide after the deadly Sept. 11 raid in Libya and presses the military on possible options to end the bloodshed in Syria.

Election-year politics and changes in society shaped the final measure. Negotiators kept a Senate-passed provision sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., that expands health insurance coverage for military women and their dependents who decide to have abortions in cases of rape and incest.

Previously, health coverage applied only to abortions in cases where the life of the mother was endangered.

Democrats argued throughout the election year that Republicans were waging a "war on women" over contraception and abortion, a charge the GOP denied. Democrats and President Barack Obama held a clear edge with female voters, which led to soul-searching within the GOP.

Negotiators jettisoned a House provision that would have banned gay marriage on military installations, weeks after the chapel at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point held its first same-sex marriage. A senior Army chaplain conducted the ceremony. The bill does include a conscience clause for chaplains.

The measure includes a 1.7 percent pay raise for military personnel and provides money for new ships, aircraft and other weapons.

The sanctions would hit Iran's energy, shipping and shipbuilding sectors as well as Iran's ports, blacklisting them as "entities of proliferation concern." It would impose penalties on anyone supplying precious metals to Iran and sanctions on Iranian broadcasting.

The bill eliminated a House provision barring the military from buying alternative fuels if the cost exceeds traditional fossil fuels, a measure that had drawn a veto threat. Instead, negotiators said the Pentagon could move ahead on the project as long as the Energy and Agriculture departments make their financial contributions to the work.

The bill also watered down a House effort to require construction of an East Coast missile defense site, instead pressing the Pentagon to study three possible locations.

Months after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, the bill would provide an additional 1,000 Marines for embassy security.

Reacting to relentless violence in Syria, the bill would require the Pentagon to report to Congress on possible military options.

The bill would authorize nearly $480 million for the U.S.-Israeli missile defense, including $211 million for Iron Dome, the system designed to intercept short-range rockets and mortars fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza at southern Israel.

One of the thorniest issues in negotiations was the handling of terrorist suspects. Lawmakers finally agreed on language that says "nothing in the authorization for the Use of Military Force or (the current defense bill) shall be construed to deny the availability of the writ of habeas corpus or to deny any constitutional rights" to an individual in the United States who would be entitled to such rights.

The agreement retained a Senate provision that stops the Pentagon from sending additional spies overseas until Congress has answers about the cost and how the spies would be used.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-12-20-Defense%20Bill/id-46b77715e7fa475fb2097d4a8059ab84

argentina train crash nancy pelosi nancy pelosi gop debate republican debate lewis black kirkwood

Cop suspended amid roadside cavity search claims

By Frank Heinz and Ken Kalthoff, NBCDFW.com

A Texas state trooper has been suspended with pay, officials said Wednesday, after two women claimed they were subjected to intimate body cavity searches at the roadside in full view of the public.

The two women, from Irving, Texas, are suing two state troopers and the director of the Department of Public Safety, alleging they were violated during what they call an unconstitutional search on State Highway 161 on July 13.

Angel Dobbs and her niece Ashley Dobbs were stopped for littering by Trooper David Farrell.

In a dashcam video released by the women and their attorney, Farrell can be heard telling the women they would both be cited for throwing cigarette butts out of the car.

Farrell called for a female trooper, Kelley Helleson, to come to the scene and began to ask questions about what he described as ?an odor of marijuana? coming from the car, according to the video. Angel Dobbs denied smoking marijuana, and said she had borrowed the car.

'Humiliated'
After Helleson arrived, she can be seen in the video putting on blue latex gloves to conduct a search of both women. According to the lawsuit, when Angel Dobbs asked about the gloves, Helleson "told her not to worry about that."

Pulled over for littering, women given body cavity searches

In the lawsuit, Dobbs said the trooper conducted the cavity search on the roadside, illuminated by the police car's headlights, in full view of any passing motorists.

"This has been an eye-opening experience for me. I've never been pulled over, never searched like this. I was totally violated over there a few minutes ago... this is so embarrassing to me," Angel Dobbs said on the video.

"I've never been so humiliated or so violated or felt so molested in my entire life," Angel Dobbs told NBCDFW.com.

More stories from NBCDFW.com

The lawsuit further alleges that Helleson performed the searches on both women without changing the latex gloves between searches.

"I don't think anybody needs to have to feel, or go through what we went through," Ashley Dobbs said. "It crosses my mind every day. It's humiliating," she said.

The Department of Public Safety told NBCDFW.com that Helleson had been suspended with pay.

There had been no other suspensions as of Wednesday night, NBCDFW.com reported.

No narcotics or contraband was found, according to the lawsuit.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/20/16036233-trooper-suspended-after-women-sue-over-roadside-cavity-searches?lite

British Open leaderboard Jessica Ghawi People Water Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012 Ramadan 2012 Michelle Jenneke

Described a key mechanism in muscle regeneration

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Ral Toran
comunicacio@idibell.cat
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute

The association alfa-enolase/plasmin is a new selectively target for treating muscular pathologies

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have described a new selective target in muscle regeneration. This is the association of alpha-enolase protein and plasmin. The finding could be used to develop new treatments to regenerate muscular injuries or dystrophies. The study has been published in PLOS ONE journal.

Skeletal muscle has a great regeneration capacity after injury or genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common neuromuscular disorder in children. This condition is due to a defect in the gene of dystrophin, which absence causes instability of the membrane and leads to degeneration of muscle fibres.

Regeneration involves the restructuration of the muscular tissue and it requires the participation of extracellular enzymes such as plasmin. The alpha-enolase, an enzyme found in the cytoplasm of cells, enables the activity of plasmin on the cell membrane giving the cell the ability to degrade the surrounding tissue.

In this study, IDIBELL researchers show that the association of alpha-enolase and plasmin regulates two connected processes in the injured muscle or dystrophy: first, the attraction (recruitment) of immune cells to remove damaged tissue and, on the other hand, the formation of new muscle tissue from the stem cells. The researchers observed in the laboratory that these stem cells lost the ability to activate and merge to form skeletal muscle fibers when specific inhibitors of the alfa-enolasa/plasmina union were applied.

The researchers also performed experiments in mice with Duchenne muscular injury. When the animals were treated with the same inhibitors, mice showed a significant defect in muscle regeneration.

"These results demonstrate that the interaction of alpha-enolase and plasmin is necessary for the restoration of damaged muscle tissue", explained Roser Lpez-Alemany, IDIBELL researcher and study coordinator.

Recently, an extensive proteomic meta-analysis identified the alpha-enolase as the first differentially expressed protein in both human pathologies and mouse models, suggesting that "it may be considered a marker of a pathological stress in a large number of diseases", said Lopez-Alemany.

###

This study indicates that the association alfa-enolase/plasmin is a novel selectively target for therapeutic interventions in muscle pathologies because "alpha-enolase is responsible for plasmin activity associated with muscle regeneration", concluded the IDIBELL researcher.

Reference of the paper

Daz-Ramos , Roig-Borrellas A, Garca-Melero A, Llorens A, Lpez-Alemany R. Requirement of Plasminogen Binding to Its Cell-Surface Receptor ?-Enolase for Efficient Regeneration of Normal and Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle. PLoS ONE 7(12): e50477.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 19-Dec-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Ral Toran
comunicacio@idibell.cat
IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute

The association alfa-enolase/plasmin is a new selectively target for treating muscular pathologies

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have described a new selective target in muscle regeneration. This is the association of alpha-enolase protein and plasmin. The finding could be used to develop new treatments to regenerate muscular injuries or dystrophies. The study has been published in PLOS ONE journal.

Skeletal muscle has a great regeneration capacity after injury or genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common neuromuscular disorder in children. This condition is due to a defect in the gene of dystrophin, which absence causes instability of the membrane and leads to degeneration of muscle fibres.

Regeneration involves the restructuration of the muscular tissue and it requires the participation of extracellular enzymes such as plasmin. The alpha-enolase, an enzyme found in the cytoplasm of cells, enables the activity of plasmin on the cell membrane giving the cell the ability to degrade the surrounding tissue.

In this study, IDIBELL researchers show that the association of alpha-enolase and plasmin regulates two connected processes in the injured muscle or dystrophy: first, the attraction (recruitment) of immune cells to remove damaged tissue and, on the other hand, the formation of new muscle tissue from the stem cells. The researchers observed in the laboratory that these stem cells lost the ability to activate and merge to form skeletal muscle fibers when specific inhibitors of the alfa-enolasa/plasmina union were applied.

The researchers also performed experiments in mice with Duchenne muscular injury. When the animals were treated with the same inhibitors, mice showed a significant defect in muscle regeneration.

"These results demonstrate that the interaction of alpha-enolase and plasmin is necessary for the restoration of damaged muscle tissue", explained Roser Lpez-Alemany, IDIBELL researcher and study coordinator.

Recently, an extensive proteomic meta-analysis identified the alpha-enolase as the first differentially expressed protein in both human pathologies and mouse models, suggesting that "it may be considered a marker of a pathological stress in a large number of diseases", said Lopez-Alemany.

###

This study indicates that the association alfa-enolase/plasmin is a novel selectively target for therapeutic interventions in muscle pathologies because "alpha-enolase is responsible for plasmin activity associated with muscle regeneration", concluded the IDIBELL researcher.

Reference of the paper

Daz-Ramos , Roig-Borrellas A, Garca-Melero A, Llorens A, Lpez-Alemany R. Requirement of Plasminogen Binding to Its Cell-Surface Receptor ?-Enolase for Efficient Regeneration of Normal and Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle. PLoS ONE 7(12): e50477.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/ibri-dak121912.php

kim richards robert hegyes mary louise parker mary louise parker cher morgellons nhl all star draft

Frightful winter storm threatens Midwest

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? The first major snowstorm of the season began its slow eastward march across the Midwest early Thursday, leaving at least three people dead, creating treacherous driving conditions and threatening to disrupt some of the nation's busiest airports ahead of the holiday weekend.

Forecasters warned that heavy snow coupled with strong winds could create blizzard conditions from Kansas to Wisconsin ? and guaranteed a white Christmas in some places ? after the storm blanketed the Rocky Mountains earlier in the week.

The storm dropped nearly a foot of snow in Des Moines, but the storm wasn't as dangerous as earlier feared because everyone had good warning of the approaching havoc, said Kevin Skow, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the city. But wind might become a concern, he warned.

"It's starting to taper off," Skow said of the snow early Thursday. "It's soon going to become less of a snow event and more of a wind event."

The airport at Creston, Iowa, recorded the highest winds, with a gust of 53 mph. Skow said wind gusts would grow stronger later Thursday, creating whiteout conditions, before dying down by the evening.

Meteorologist Scott Dergan said the snow cover would drag temperatures much lower in Nebraska and Iowa.

"We're talking single digits," Dergan said. "We may even see some sub-zero temperatures in Nebraska. This cold weather will stick around for several days, maybe until the day after Christmas. So we're definitely going to have a white Christmas."

On the southern edge of the storm system, high winds damaged homes and downed trees in central Arkansas, the weather service said. A powerful storm peeled the roofs off buildings and toppled trucks in Mobile, Ala., but injured no one. Tornado warnings remained in effect in parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama early Thursday.

Iowa native Laurie Harry said the weather probably wouldn't stop her from starting up her car Thursday morning.

"If I need to get into work, I'll be here," said Harry, a manager at a Casey's General Store in the western Iowa town of Atlantic. "We've had snow before. Iowans know what to expect. We're used to it."

Forecasters said the heaviest snow could be expected across a swath extending from northwestern Missouri into Milwaukee, Chicago and Michigan, with predictions of as much as a foot of snow in some areas. Before the storm, several cities in the Midwest had broken records for the number of consecutive days without measurable snow.

The weather service warned of poor visibility due to driving snow in much of the region and warned drivers to stay off roads in some areas. Transportation officials shut down parts of Interstate 29 in Missouri early Thursday, and Interstate 80 in Nebraska remained closed due to blowing snow.

"Just north of Interstate 80 is where the heaviest band of snow set up," Dergan said. "We're just seeing a few flurries this morning, but because of the wind, travel is pretty treacherous, especially into Iowa, as the storm moves east."

In southeastern Wisconsin, where a blizzard warning was in effect and winds of up to 45 mph were expected to create whiteout conditions, sheriff's officials said slick conditions led to at least two fatalities late Wednesday when a driver lost control of his car in Rock County, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. In southeastern Utah, a woman who tried to walk for help after her car became stuck in snow died Tuesday night. Search and rescue crews on snowmobiles found her buried in the snow just a few miles from her car.

Chicago commuters awoke Thursday to heavy fog and cold, driving rain, and forecasters said snow would hit the Midwestern metropolis by mid-afternoon. Officials at the city's two international airports reported some delays and cancellations but said most incoming and outgoing flights were on time. United Airlines said it would waive change fees for travelers who have to change their plans for travel through O'Hare International Airport.

Hundreds of schools across the affected region canceled classes Thursday because of heavy overnight snow. Kansas City Power & Light reported about 16,000 scattered power outages in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas.

The moisture was welcome to farmers in the drought-parched region, but Meteorologist Kris Sanders said the storm wouldn't make much of a dent. In Kansas, for example, some areas are more than 12 inches below normal precipitation for the year.

"It's not going to have a big effect, maybe only a half-inch of liquid precipitation. It's not helping us out much," Sanders said.

Sanders said another storm similar to the current one could bring additional snow on Christmas or the day after.

___

John Milburn reported from Topeka, Kan. Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Mo.; Colleen Slevin in Denver; Carla Johnson in Chicago; Margery Beck in Omaha, Neb.; Jill Bleed in Little Rock, Ark.; and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/midwest-hit-first-major-snowstorm-season-082923409.html

Election 2012 Results polling place washington post comedy central philadelphia eagles obamacare Todd Akin

S. Korea set to elect 1st female president?

Ha Kyung-min / Newsis via Reuters

Catholic nuns stand in a line to cast their ballots in the presidential election at a polling station in Busan, South Korea, on Dec. 19, 2012.

Jung Yeon-je / AFP - Getty Images

Presidential candidate Park Geun-hye, wearing a reindeer antler headband given to her by a campaigner, smiles at a campaign rally in Seoul on Dec. 18, 2012.

Reuters reports ??The daughter of South Korea's former military ruler appeared to be leading in Wednesday's presidential vote, putting her on track to become the country's first woman head of state, although her narrow advantage meant the race was set to go to the wire.

A win for the 60-year old conservative Park Geun-hye would see her return to the presidential palace where she served as her father's first lady in the 1970s after Park's mother was assassinated by a North Korean-backed gunman.

Exit polls released by three broadcasters showed Park had 50.1 percent of the vote against 48.9 percent for her left-wing challenger, human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in.?Read the full story.

Lee Jae-won / Reuters

Yoo Bok-yeob, center, a 72-year-old village schoolmaster, casts his ballot with family members at a polling station in Nonsan on Dec. 19, 2012.

?

Sign up for the NBCNews.com Photos Newsletter

Source: http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/19/16014141-south-korea-may-be-close-to-electing-first-female-president?lite

jennifer hudson tribute to whitney houston nicki minaj grammy jason whitlock beach boys tony bennett joe walsh the civil wars

?Social TV? Platform Stevie Inks $1.5M In New Funding, Launches Cool iOS App To Turn Social Feeds Into TV Channels

mzl.yyniyvwl.320x480-75We first heard about Stevie under the radar a few months ago. The company was in stealth and wouldn't say too much, but we gathered it was some kind of clever mashup of social feeds which could be displayed on smart TVs. They they came out the door earlier this year with a very interesting product at TechCrunch Disrupt - so interesting that they have now secured a $1.5 million Series A funding round from Horizons Ventures bringing their total funding raised to $2.1 million. The startup is also launching the Stevie iPhone app, which joins the iPad, Web and Windows 8 versions. The funding will be used to develop the app across to the Xbox, Android and more connected TVs.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wKViekZ8ot0/

revenge revenge once upon a time once upon a time adam shulman adam shulman peanut butter recall

Fear keeps Egypt's Christians away from polls

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, towers of churches are silhouetted against the sun in the village of El-Aziyah near the city of Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, towers of churches are silhouetted against the sun in the village of El-Aziyah near the city of Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, women sit with their children in their house in the village of El-Aziyah near the city of Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, men ride a motorcycle past a church in Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, women attend a class in a church in the village of El-Aziyah near the city of Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 photo, an elderly woman walks in a church in Assiut, southern Egypt. After a campaign of intimidation by Islamists, most Christians in this southern Egyptian province were too afraid to participate in last week?s referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they desperately oppose, residents say. Some of the few who dared try to reach polls were pelted by stones. The disenfranchising hikes Christians? worries over their future under Egypt?s empowered Islamists, but some young members of the community are starting to push back.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) ? A campaign of intimidation by Islamists left most Christians in this southern Egyptian province too afraid to participate in last week's referendum on an Islamist-drafted constitution they deeply oppose, residents say. The disenfranchisement is hiking Christians' worries over their future under empowered Muslim conservatives.

Around a week before the vote, some 50,000 Islamists marched through the provincial capital, Assiut, chanting that Egypt will be "Islamic, Islamic, despite the Christians." At their head rode several bearded men on horseback with swords in scabbards on their hips, evoking images of early Muslims conquering Christian Egypt in the 7th Century.

They made sure to go through mainly Christian districts of the city, where residents, fearing attacks, shuttered down their stores and stayed in their homes, witnesses said.

The day of the voting itself on Saturday, Christian voting was minimal ? as low as seven percent in some areas, according to church officials. Some of those who did try to head to polling stations in some villages were pelted by stones, forcing them to turn back without casting ballots, Christian activists and residents told The Associated Press this week.

The activists now see what happened in Assuit as a barometer for what Christians' status will be under a constitution that enshrines a greater role for Shariah, or Islamic law, in government and daily life. Even under the secular regime of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's Christians complained of discrimination and government failure to protect them and their rights. They fear it will be worse with the Islamists who have dominated Egypt's political landscape since Mubarak's ouster in February 2011.

"When all issues become religious and all the talk is about championing Islam and its prophet, then, as a Christian, I am excluded from societal participation," said Shady Magdy Tobia, a Christian activist in Assiut. "If this does not change, things will only get worse for Christians."

But some of the Christians of Assiut are pushing back against the emboldened Islamists. In recent weeks, young Christians joined growing street protests to demand that the charter is shelved, casting aside decades of political apathy.

Assiut province is significant because it is home to one of Egypt's largest Christian communities ? they make up about 35 percent of the population of 4.5 million, perhaps three times the nationwide percentage. At the same time, it is a major stronghold of Egypt's Islamists, who now dominate its local government. The province was the birthplace of some of the country's most radical Islamist groups and was the main battlefield of an insurgency by Muslim militants in the 1990s.

It was one of 10 provinces that voted in the first round of Egypt's referendum. Nationwide, around 56 percent voted in favor of the draft charter, according to preliminary results. Assiut had one of the strongest "yes" votes at more than 77 percent. It also had a turnout of only 28 percent ? one of the lowest in a round marred by a low participation of only 32 percent nationwide.

The second and final round will held the coming Saturday in 17 provinces, including in Minya, which has the country's highest proportion of Christians, at 36 percent.

Rights groups reported attempts at suppression of the "no" vote in many parts of the country. But Christians say intimidation and suppression are more effective in this smaller, largely rural province.

"In Assiut, we face more danger than in Cairo," said businessman Emad Awny Ramzy, a key organizer of local protests against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his ruling Muslim Brotherhood. "Here they can easily identify, monitor and attack us."

A senior figure of the Gamaa Islamiya ? which was once one of the main groups waging the Islamic militant insurgency in Assiut but has since renounced violence and is allied to Morsi's government ? dismissed the Christians' allegations of intimidation in the province.

The claims are "just lies and rumors that surface every time we have an election," Assem Abdel-Magued said. The Brotherhood and officials in Morsi's government have similarly dismissed claims of violations around the country.

The draft constitution, finalized by Islamists on a Constituent Assembly despite a boycott by liberals and Christians, has polarized Egypt, bringing out huge rival street rallies by both camps in the past four weeks. Opponents of Morsi accuse him of ramming the document through and, more broadly, of imposing a Brotherhood domination of power. Morsi supporters, in turn, accuse his opponents of seeking to thwart a right to bring Islamic law they say they earned with election victories the past year.

Egypt's main Coptic Orthodox Church and smaller ones have taken an uncharacteristically assertive approach in the constitutional struggle. They withdrew their six members from the Constituent Assembly to protest Islamist domination of the process and later refused to send representatives to a "national dialogue" called for by Morsi.

The new Coptic pope, Tawadros II, enthroned last month, publicly called some of the charter's articles "disastrous."

In response, the Muslim Brotherhood ? which usually keeps a moderate tone toward Christians ? has turned toward more inflammatory rhetoric.

Senior Brotherhood figure Mohammed el-Beltagi in a newspaper interview this week depicted mass anti-Morsi rallies outside the presidential palace in Cairo this month as mainly made up of Christians, hinting at a Christian conspiracy against the president.

In a recent speech, Safwat Hegazi, a famous Islamist preacher linked to the Brotherhood, warned Christians against joining forces with former Mubarak regime figures to topple Morsi.

"I tell the church, yes, you are our brothers in Egypt, but there are red lines. Our red line is Morsi's legitimacy. Whoever dares splash it with water, we will splash him with blood," he said, using an Arabic saying.

In Assiut, Tobia, Ramzy and other Christian activists spoke of an atmosphere of intimidation ahead of the vote, including the large Islamist march.

They said threatening messages were sent on mobile phones and on social networking sites. During an opposition demonstration on Dec. 7 outside the offices of the Brotherhood's political party in Assiut, suspected Morsi supporters seized six protesters ? five Muslims and one Christian ? beating them and shaving the head of one.

With tension building up over the last four weeks, many Christian voters registered at polling centers located in predominantly Muslim areas did not vote, fearing violence, they said.

Those who made it to polling centers in districts with significant Christian populations were soon frustrated by the long lines or delays, which activists said was intentional. In some cases, they said, Islamists who had voted elsewhere then went to stand in lines in mainly Christian areas to make them longer, increase delays and prompt Christians to give up and leave.

Two Christian clerics said that outside the province's main cities, only about 12 percent of registered Christian voters left their homes on Saturday to vote and that no more than seven percent were able to cast their ballots. They based the figures on statistics gathered by members of the Coptic Church's youth group who monitored voting across the province. The two clerics spoke on condition of anonymity because of sensitivities over the church role in political issues.

In the Christian village of el-Aziyah, only 2,350 of the village's 12,100 registered voters cast ballots on Saturday, according to acting mayor Montaser Malek Yacoub.

Yacoub is among the growing number of Christians who are pushing back against persecution.

He has taken advantage of the tenuous security situation of the past two years and built two churches without permits and reclaimed a large area of state-owned desert that lies outside the village's boundaries toward a rock mountain. Under Mubarak's rule, Christians rarely received permits to build or renovate churches.

"Let me just tell you this: As far as I am concerned, this is our country and everyone else are guests," he said. But "we're ready to cooperate with anyone who shares Egypt with us."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-12-19-Egypt-Christians/id-33c521a6b29f43ca8ca907d51e619aa0

jarhead montrose marshawn lynch earthquake bay area clear channel drexel dale

Pet Bakeries in Plano and North Dallas | Cornerstone Ranch - Plano

Browse > Home / Around Town, Featured / Pet Bakeries in Plano and North Dallas Pet Bakeries in Plano and North Dallas

Scoop up homemade dog treats at these pet bakeries in Plano.

Living in pet-friendly apartments in Plano?probably means that you?re wanting to know where the pet bakeries in the area can be found. These local shops offer Christmas treats, or the chance to take your pooch in for a mid-walk snack. Such bakeries are also ideal for purchasing fresh, all-natural pet food.

For instance,?Three Dog Bakery?offers doggie birthday cakes, treats, and food. Special events happen here, as well, such as those to meet certain dog breeds. The bakery also supports local rescues in the area. And, the company website features dogs available for adoption.

Paws Dog Barkery?is a?dog boutique as well as a bakery, Paws is also available for birthday parties and other special events. Rescue and microchip events are held here; the company strives to be as ?green? as possible by using recycled packaging among other eco-friendly practices.

Treat your four-legged friend to something special by stopping in one of these dog bakeries! Contact us today for more information about dog bakeries in the area.

-->

Source: http://blog.cornerstoneranchliving.com/around-town/pet-bakeries-in-plano-and-north-dallas/

jeff carter chomp national enquirer kate gosselin helicopter crash matt jones whitney houston in casket photo

How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Get Its Way in Mexico

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.nytimes.com --- Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Wal-Mart de Mexico was an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering large payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited, an examination by The New York Times found. ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/business/walmart-bribes-teotihuacan.xml

ryan o neal dark knight rises trailer dark knight rises trailer

Iowa coach on South Carolina State: ?They?re not terrible?

IOWA CITY?? Iowa?s next opponent, South Carolina State, received a 102-51 whipping at No. 12 Missouri on Monday night.

That score alone would make anyone associated with Iowa basketball naturally relax in preparation for Wednesday?s game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But, McCaffery said, the final score said much more about the explosive Tigers than South Carolina State.

Missouri forward Alex Oriakhi, right, dunks the ball over SouthCarolina State forward Matthew Hezekiah in second half action at Mizzou Arena on Monday, December 17, 2012, in Columbia, Missouri. The Tigers won, 102-51. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

?They?re not terrible; Missouri made them look terrible,? McCaffery said Tuesday morning. ?If you watched this team play, they?re talented. I?ve seen a number of their games. They played substantially better against Maryland (61-46 Terrapins win). They played substantially better against Albany (which won 70-61), a team I?m familiar with, that is 9-2.

?You look at their players individually. They?ve got a 6-11 center (Matthew Hezekiah). They?ve got bullet-quick guards who can score, they?ve got athletic wings. They ran into a buzz saw last night.?

South Carolina State (4-7) has beaten four teams with which few teams are familiar. They include: Claflin, Webber International, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Jacksonville. Iowa is the second stop on a four-game swing where the Bulldogs play at several major opponents. After Iowa, South Carolina State (RPI 299) heads to Clemson and South Carolina.

Missouri (9-1) shot nearly 57 percent from the floor and buried South Carolina State in the post 60-18. Jabari Brown also gave the Tigers a lift with his first game action since November 2011.

?Missouri was absolutely relentless with their defense, their fast break,? McCaffery said. ?They are just so athletically powerful. I haven?t seen another team ? obviously I focus on the teams we?re playing and I?ll see other teams based on who they played, so I haven?t studied Duke and for matter, I watched Duke-Ohio State game so I?ve seen them a little bit?? but this team right here, Missouri, I tell you what, they?re as athletic as any team that?s out there. If there?s a team that?s more athletic or quicker or more powerful, I want to see them, with all due respect to Michigan and those folks that are ranked No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, etc.

?What we have to understand is, we have to play the same way. We have to get after it the same way.?

Hezekiah scored 14 points and added 12 rebounds for South Carolina State. The Bulldogs shot just 29 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 48-34.

?What was interesting in that game is (Missouri was) up 35, and they?re playing like they?re down five,? McCaffery said. ?That?s a mentality we have to emulate. It?s a great learning experience because what you?re going to see is you?re going to see a team come in here on Wednesday night and you?ll say, ?Wow, how did they lose?? They lost by 50 because Missouri won by 50. They?re going to play a lot differently because they have talent. They have shot makers. They have post players, and they?ve got some depth.?

Missouri gets a major test against another explosive team Saturday in the annual Braggin? Rights game against No. 10 Illinois (12-0) at St. Louis. Illinois plays at Iowa (9-2) on March 5.

?

?

?

Source: http://thegazette.com/2012/12/18/iowa-coach-on-south-carolina-state-theyre-not-terrible/

andrew lloyd webber obscura grok cirque du freak eric cantor eric cantor pope joan