Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ohio Gov. John Kasich's 'Jobs Budget' Costing the State Jobs

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), who ran on a job creation agenda, and who used job creation as an excuse to assault the rights of workers, ended his first year in office having shrunk the size of the workforce in the state. The governor and the media are touting his job creation numbers, but Ohio blog Plunderbund does a masterful job taking those claims apart:

You see, Ohio?s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. So until June 30, 2011, Ohio was still under Governor Ted Strickland?s last budget even though Kasich was Governor.

In pushing the legislature to pass it, Kasich said his ?Jobs Budget? was the reform-oriented group of policy proposals that would lead to job creation in Ohio. No other piece of legislation has Kasich claimed would do more good for the economy than his ?Jobs Budget.? It?s where JobsOhio got its funding source, it?s where the State repealed the estate tax (although not effective until June 30, 2013? because otherwise the legislature would have had to find a way to pay for it.) It?s is the alpha and omega, so far, of all of Kasich?s economic policies.

Most of the 46,600 jobs that Kasich touts as having been created in Ohio since he took office were created before his ?Jobs Budget? was in force. In fact, more than 82% of the jobs that were created since Kasich took office were created before July of this year (when Ohio was still under Governor Strickland?s budget.) In fact, over half of the new jobs created during Kasich?s entire term so far were created within the first 90 days of the Administration.

What did Kasich due during that time that warrants him receiving credit for those jobs? Nothing.

The Plunderbund post goes on to also report on the most important bit of context that needs to be taken into account when any job creation numbers are mentioned -- are people getting jobs or are they dropping out of the workforce? Can you guess what's happening in Ohio?

And as for the labor population (the measure of how many individuals are working or looking for work), the labor market shrank in the six months before the Jobs Budget became law by 15,000. Given that it shrank by 22,000 in November alone, do you really want to know the number of how much its shrunk in the five months since the Jobs Budget became law?

Over 48,000 Ohioans have dropped out of the labor market since the ?Jobs Budget? became law.

To put it another way, more Ohioans have dropped out of labor market in Ohio in the five months since the ?Jobs Budget? became law than all the jobs Ohio has created since January of this year.

In short, it?s hard to look at the totality of the objective economic data in Ohio and say that John Kasich deserves any credit. Quite the opposite, it?s easier to suggest a negative correlation, and that John Kasich?s agenda has actually hurt job creation, rather than helped it.

Source: http://crooksandliars.com/kenneth-quinnell/ohio-gov-john-kasichs-jobs-budget

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New Texas law requires college students to get meningitis shot http://bit.ly/rL0PiQ

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Late firefighter's mom: Keep tossing balls to fans

By BETSY BLANEY

updated 5:57 p.m. ET Dec. 28, 2011

LUBBOCK, Texas - The mother of a Texas firefighter who died reaching to snag a baseball thrown by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton this past summer said Wednesday she wants the star player to keep tossing souvenirs into the stands.

SuZann Stone said that taking home a game ball is a special memory. Her plea to Hamilton was in a letter sent not long after 39-year-old Shannon Stone died when he tumbled over a railing and plunged 20 feet onto concrete July 7 during a game at Rangers Ballpark.

Shannon Stone was trying to catch the ball for his 6-year-old son, Cooper, who witnessed the incident.

The late firefighter's mother says it would be a shame for Hamilton to quit tossing balls to fans.

"I just didn't want him to stop," SuZann Stone said. "How sad that would be because that's what little boys and their daddies go for. This was just an accident."

The mother's letter to Hamilton was first reported in the New York Times Magazine.

Rangers spokesman John Blake said attempts were being made to reach Hamilton for comment.

Shannon Stone had been a firefighter in Brownwood for 18 years. He and Cooper had gone to the game with the intent of getting a souvenir ball. They even stopped on the way to the game to buy a new glove for Cooper.

SuZann Stone was watching the game on television that night, scanning the stands where Cooper had told her they would be sitting. She didn't see the fall and learned of her son's death from his brother.

SuZann Stone knows how special it is to get a ball at a Rangers game. When Shannon Stone was about 12 or 13, she and her husband took him to a Rangers game where he got to watch his favorite player ? third baseman Buddy Bell.

"That was Shannon's hero at the time," she said.

Bell hit a foul ball that looked like it wouldn't be anywhere close to where the family was sitting. But the wind caught it and it came down nearby where the Stones were sitting. Getting that souvenir meant the world to her son, SuZann Stone said, coming from his favorite player.

She said she hasn't heard back from Hamilton since writing to him.

"Really, I didn't expect that I would. I wanted him to let him know our heartfelt sorrow for him," she said. "No way did we feel he was responsible for the accident. He was doing a really nice thing and it just didn't turn out right."

Cooper is doing as well as can be expected, his grandmother said. He and his mother, Jenny Stone, continue to get "phenomenal" support from Brownwood residents and firefighters.

"We have good days and we have bad days but through the holidays it's been pretty hard," SuZann Stone said.

The family's faith helps lessen the pain of her son's death, she said.

"We will see him again," SuZann Stone said. "Until that time it just leaves a pretty big void in our lives."

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


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Giants, Lincecum far apart

HBT: San Francisco and Tim Lincecum are far apart in contract talks, with the Giants offering a four-year deal and the pitcher wanting one for eight years.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45809376/ns/sports-baseball/

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Oscar Ballots 2012 Mailed Out

LOS ANGELES ? Academy Awards season is officially on. Nominations ballots for the 84th Oscar show have just gone in the mail.

Oscar organizers mailed ballots Tuesday to 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ballots are due back Jan. 13, and Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 24.

The Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 26, with Billy Crystal returning as host for the first time in eight years.

Among this season's best-picture prospects are the black-and-white silent film "The Artist," the Deep South drama "The Help," George Clooney's family tale "The Descendants" and Steven Spielberg's World War I epic "War Horse."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/27/oscar-ballots-2012-mailed_n_1171667.html

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

CBR's Twitter Comics Hotlist

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Source: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36110

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Gameloft Offering All Android Titles For Just $0.99 Starting December 29 Through January 5

Starting this Thursday, Android gaming fanatics will be able to score all of Gameloft?s Android applications for just 99 cents a title. ?Woot! ?The deal ends next year on the 5th of January, so don?t miss out. ?Down below is a short list of a few games that will be available:

If you don?t want to take the chance on missing out on any of the deals, then you can follow Gameloft on Twitter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DroidLife/~3/SWJxzPANgmA/

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Trump Leaves GOP

They?re fired! Donald Trump has officially left the Republican Party, changing his voter registration to ?unaffiliated.? An aide said that Trump switched ?in order to preserve his right to run for president as an independent if he?s not satisfied with who the Republicans nominate.? The aide added that Trump was ?disgusted? with the GOP?s handling of the payroll-tax-cut extension.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thedailybeast/cheat-sheet/~3/aKRZ_o7GslI/trump-leaves-gop.html

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Elburn church gives surprise gifts to 'miracle baby'

Article updated: 12/23/2011 9:17 PM

Luellen Seals tears up as she opens her door Friday afternoon to find about 60 members of her local church with a surprise gift for her 2-year-old daughter, Meagan.

Luellen Seals tears up as she opens her door Friday afternoon to find about 60 members of her local church with a surprise gift for her 2-year-old daughter, Meagan.

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Photo Courtesy of Mike Kinyon/caffiend247@aol.com

Luellen and Scott Seals have Meagan try out her new wheelchair for the first time. The wheelchair will allow Meagan to sit up and see the world while traveling with her family.

Luellen and Scott Seals have Meagan try out her new wheelchair for the first time. The wheelchair will allow Meagan to sit up and see the world while traveling with her family.

?

Photo Courtesy of Mike Kinyon/caffiend247@aol.com

The Rev. Phil Ressler said Meagan is a living symbol of Christmas because her brain formed outside her skull and she?s lived despite negative expectations from all her doctors.

The Rev. Phil Ressler said Meagan is a living symbol of Christmas because her brain formed outside her skull and she?s lived despite negative expectations from all her doctors.

?

Photo Courtesy of Mike Kineyon/caffiend247@aol.com

In the womb, Meagan Seals was the baby no doctor believed could or should be born. On Friday, the two-year-old became the recipient of a dose of some Elburn-area Christmas cheer that might help her keep beating the odds.

Luellen and Scott Seals learned just 14 weeks after conceiving Meagan that the odds were against her. Tests revealed Meagan's skull was not fully forming. Eventually, a clementine-sized portion of her brain would develop outside the back of her head.

?We were asked to terminate our pregnancy quite a few times,? Luellen said. ?Doctors just kept telling us she would have zero quality of life, and if she'd even be born breathing it would be a miracle. We kind of decided just to take our chances.?

The gamble paid off. Meagan was indeed born alive. But the news didn't get any better. She needed help breathing and wasn't expected to live more than two weeks.

The couple called in the Rev. Phil Ressler at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in La Fox to baptize her before she was removed from all the medical equipment she was on. But when all the plugs were pulled, Meagan continued to live.

?I've had a doctor tell me she's got two years to live,? Luellen said. ?Now it's past two years. I've had another doctor tell me five years, and another said 10 years.?

Besides the odds and gloom and doom from the doctors, Meagan has ongoing challenges. Her head is smaller than normal because her brain didn't grow to full size. What brain she does have is totally smooth, indicating it will never develop. But that's where Meagan defies the standard diagnosis yet again.

?We were told she'd be a vegetable and wouldn't know anything,? Luellen said. ?But she does know. She recognizes when someone says her name. She responds to music. Yes, she is very mentally handicapped, but she does know a lot.?

Unexpected gifts delivered to their door on Friday now have Meagan's parents hoping she'll soon know a lot more. Members of the Lord of Life Lutheran Church teamed up with Lutheran Church Charities to purchase a special chair to assist with Meagan's feedings, a second wheelchair that will allow her to sit up and see her surroundings when traveling with her family, and an iPad with special software designed to stimulate Meagan's brain through visuals. The couple also received a check for more than $9,000 to help with their $800 a month in out-of-pocket medical bills for Meagan.

About 60 members of the church family lined up outside the Seals' home to sing Christmas carols while delivering the gifts Friday afternoon. As the chairs appeared, so did tears in Luellen's eyes.

?This is so wonderful,? Luellen told the crowd. ?I don't know how you guys did it.?

The Rev. Ressler said church members wanted to help the family, especially during Christmas, because Meagan is a symbol to them about what the holiday really signifies.

?Jesus brings hope and light into this world,? Ressler said. ?Meagan is our little miracle. She reminds us that no matter how dark it might seem, there is that hope that Jesus gives us.?

To learn more about Meagan and track her progress, visit her Facebook page by searching Meagan Seals Miracle Baby. People interested in helping Meagan can send donations to Lutheran Church Charities at 333 West Lake Street, Addison, IL. 60101, attention: Meagan Seals Fund.

Source: http://dailyherald.com/article/20111223/news/712239687/

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Nicaragua vs Costa Rica at UN court on river works (AP)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands ? Nicaragua has filed a suit at the U.N.'s highest court seeking to stop Costa Rica from building a road along the banks of the San Juan river that it claims is destroying the environment.

The legal action is the latest in an ongoing dispute between the two countries over rights to the ecologically sensitive river that forms a common border.

Nicaragua claims the construction threatens water quality and aquatic life.

The suit at the International Court of Justice filed Thursday comes just nine months after the same court ordered both countries to pull their armed forces out of the area.

In the earlier case, the court refused Costa Rica's demand to order Nicaragua to halt dredging, saying it was unclear it was causing irreparable damage.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_re_eu/eu_world_court_nicaragua_costa_rica

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BorisWatch: RT @VolvoTrucksUK: #Truckers look for alternative routes into #London @TfLoffical announced A4 Hammersmith Flyover closed until early Ja ...

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Hall seeks another term as Bakersfield mayor

Mayor Harvey Hall is seeking re-election.

He announced Friday that he's running for a fourth term in office. He was elected Bakersfield's 25th mayor in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2008.

Hall is CEO of Hall Ambulance Service Inc., which he founded in 1971.

"Being mayor has allowed me the privilege of accomplishing more for the Bakersfield community than I ever dreamed possible," Hall said in prepared remarks Friday.

As mayor, largely a ceremonial position, Hall has presented more than 1,300 proclamations, signed 5,778 certificates of recognition and has welcomed 703 new businesses with ribbon cuttings, he office said.

Source: http://northwest.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/72843-hall-seeks-another-term-bakersfield-mayor

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Mega Man X blasts onto iOS, Reploids still struggling with free will

It's a story as old as, well, 8-bit video gaming itself: man creates robots, 99 percent go rogue, the other 1 percent valiantly fights back and future world order is (temporarily) restored. Sound familiar? It should if you've logged any time with Mega Man X, Capcom's mega-popular series from console gaming's halcyon days. That SNES classic has just been ported over to iOS and is now available on the App Store for your thumb-smashing amusement. At $5 it's certainly cheaper than that other recent 16-bit retread, though nowhere near as awesomely epic.

Mega Man X blasts onto iOS, Reploids still struggling with free will originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, December 23, 2011

APNewsBreak: Woman faces terrorism-related charge (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? A California woman was indicted Wednesday on charges accusing her of sending money to Pakistan to help fund terrorist attacks against U.S. military personnel, authorities said.

Oytun Ayse Mihalik, 39, of La Palma, faces three counts of providing material support to terrorists and one count of making a false statement. If convicted of all counts, Mihalik could face up to 53 years in prison.

Mihalik funneled about $2,000 to a person in Pakistan over a three-week period beginning late last year, knowing the money would be used to prepare for and carry out attacks against the U.S. military and others overseas, federal prosecutors said.

Mihalik, who worked as a pharmacist, has been in federal custody since she was arrested in August after she attempted to board a flight to Turkey, her native country.

She previously pleaded not guilty to the false statement charge.

Mihalik lied to federal agents during an interview at Los Angeles International Airport following a six-month trip to Turkey by telling them she never used an alias to wire money overseas and she had only sent funds once, authorities said.

She told investigators the money was meant for a family friend who was having financial problems, according to an affidavit. Authorities wouldn't elaborate about how they know the money Mihalik wired overseas was going to be used for terrorist attacks.

However, court documents reveal Mihalik's arrest is "related to national security investigations in other areas of the United States." As of August, Mihalik had been cooperating with investigators, records show.

"The charges are based on the defendant's intent to cause harm to U.S. military personnel," said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles. "We have not alleged any attacks that may have resulted from the funding because the legal issue is the defendant's intent as to what the money would be used for."

Defense attorney Alan Eisner said no new evidence has been offered up by prosecutors since his client's arrest four months ago, and the money sent overseas was donated to charity.

"The evidence will show she's not funding a terrorist organization," Eisner said.

A trial on the false statement charge was set for February. Mihalik will be arraigned on the new charges at a later date.

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

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A lot happened in a year in Ohio State scandal

FILE - In this April 23, 2011, file photo, then-Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, right, looks out on the field as he stands with his team before an NCAA college football Spring Game in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, has hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and other penalties for a scandal that involved players taking cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia. Tressel, forced out in the wake of the scandal, was hit with a five-year "show-cause" order which all but prevents him from being a college coach during that time. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam, File)

FILE - In this April 23, 2011, file photo, then-Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, right, looks out on the field as he stands with his team before an NCAA college football Spring Game in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, has hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and other penalties for a scandal that involved players taking cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia. Tressel, forced out in the wake of the scandal, was hit with a five-year "show-cause" order which all but prevents him from being a college coach during that time. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam, File)

FILE - In this April 23, 2011, file photo, Ohio State director of athletics Gene Smith, left, chats with then-head football coach Jim Tressel, right, before an NCAA college football Spring Game, in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, has hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban and other penalties for a scandal that involved players taking cash and tattoos in exchange for jerseys, rings and other Buckeyes memorabilia. Tressel, forced out in the wake of the scandal, was hit with a five-year "show-cause" order which all but prevents him from being a college coach during that time. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam, File)

FILE - This July 8, 2011 file photo shows Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith reacting while addressing the media during a news conference, in Columbus, Ohio. Smith confirmed to The Associated Press early Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011, that the NCAA's committee on infractions would hand down its final sanctions of the Ohio State athletic program at 3 p.m. EST. The decision comes almost a year to the day since problems were first revealed in the football program. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam, File)

(AP) ? It started with a few kids who wanted tattoos. The owner of the tattoo parlor wasn't necessarily a big Buckeyes fan, but he liked having them around.

It ended with NCAA infractions and a year of investigations. On Tuesday, Ohio State finally got the verdict on its memorabilia-for-cash scandal from the NCAA's committee on infractions.

The NCAA declared that the Buckeyes and new coach Urban Meyer will be banned from a bowl game after next season. In addition, Meyer will have fewer scholarships to hand out, the university will be on three years of probation and former coach Jim Tressel will forever be linked to the scandal that brought down his successful tenure.

The root of Ohio State's year of NCAA woes was Fine Line Ink, a rundown tattoo parlor on a Columbus street corner. A player or two went there for tattoos and the word spread through the team that the owner, Eddie Rife, kept his door open and Fine Line was a cool place to hang out.

More and more players got involved with Rife in 2009 and early 2010, and some accepted cash and free or discounted tattoos. Before long, Rife began trading money for sports memorabilia ? championship rings and autographed jerseys and gloves.

At this same time, the U.S. attorney's office was keeping an eye on Rife in a federal drug-trafficking case surrounding the sale of marijuana. As part of its probe, the U.S. Attorney got a subpoena and raided Rife's home, where agents came across numerous Ohio State articles signed or owned by current and former players.

On April 2, 2010, a former Buckeyes walk-on player now a Columbus lawyer, Chris Cicero, emailed Tressel to warn him that several Buckeyes players "have taken Eddie Rife signed Ohio State memorabilia (shirts/jerseys/footballs) who has been selling it for profit. I dont know if he gives any money in return to the players. I have been told OSU players including (redacted) have been given free tattoo's in exchange for signed memorabilia."

Cicero's first email also hinted that Rife was a felon who had witnessed a homicide.

Tressel's contract required him to "report promptly to the (athletic director) in writing any violations" of Ohio State or NCAA rules and regulations. Yet the only person to whom he forwarded Cicero's email was Ted Sarniak, star quarterback Terrelle Pryor's hometown mentor, who had already been investigated ? and cleared ? by the NCAA for his relationship with the player.

Even though Tressel responded to Cicero, "I will get on it ASAP" ? all he did was caution the players to stay away from the tattoo parlor while not letting anyone at Ohio State know what he knew.

Tressel and Cicero communicated sporadically through the summer about the players, Rife and Fine Line.

On Sept. 13, 2010, Tressel signed a standard NCAA compliance form with which he certified he had reported any knowledge of alleged violations to his superiors at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes had a good season, going 11-1 and winning their sixth straight Big Ten title. But while they were preparing to play Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, another bombshell hit and the case went public.

The U.S. attorney's office sent a letter to Ohio State on Dec. 7, 2010, asking about the many signed and personalized jerseys, cleats, shoes, trophies and rings it had confiscated during its raid of Rife's home. Ohio State eventually asked Tressel, who feigned ignorance of the situation.

Tressel, in later NCAA testimony, said he felt relief instead of regret that his players' violations had come to light.

"When the inevitable happened to us and the letter came, you know, the hallelujah letter, in my mind - from the U.S. Department of Justice ? was there was no allegation that any of these players were involved in or had knowledge of Mr. Rife's drug trafficking," Tressel told the NCAA. "I'm like, 'This is the greatest.'"

Ohio State and the NCAA wrapped up an investigation of the case in less than two weeks and then suspended six players. After consulting with the NCAA, the players were allowed on the field for the Sugar Bowl. Five players, including Pryor, leading 2010 rusher Daniel "Boom" Herron and No. 2 receiver DeVier Posey were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, with another player forced to sit out the 2011 season opener.

The Buckeyes went on to beat Arkansas, 31-26, with all of the suspended players playing major roles. Backup defensive lineman Solomon Thomas ? one of the so-called "Tattoo Five" ? intercepted a pass in the final minute to preserve the victory.

While Ohio State was "reviewing information on an unrelated legal issue" on Jan. 13, 2011, it came across Tressel's email exchange with Cicero. That opened another investigation. On March 8, Ohio State and the NCAA suspended Tressel for two games and fined him $250,000. When there was a public outcry that he had violated more egregious rules than the players ? lying to the NCAA and covering up violations ? yet had a shorter suspension, the university said that Tressel had agreed to extend his suspension to five games.

At the news conference announcing Tressel's initial suspension, Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee was asked if he had considered firing Tressel.

"No, are you kidding?" he joked. "Let me just be very clear: I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me."

No one was laughing at the university, however. Throughout the next five months, there was a steady stream of allegations. Few coaches who have violated NCAA bylaw 10.1 ? being untruthful to the NCAA ? have survived. By the end of May, the pressure to do something about Tressel's tenuous situation had ratcheted up.

Gee and AD Gene Smith met with Tressel in late May, pressuring him to step aside as coach and end his 10-year tenure at Ohio State. They selected Luke Fickell, a former Ohio State player and nine-year defensive assistant coach, to take his place as interim coach.

A short time later, Pryor, with the NCAA on his heels, declared he would give up his senior season and jump to the NFL. He was taken in a special draft and is now with the Oakland Raiders.

Throughout the summer, the NCAA and Ohio State continued to look into a variety of troubling matters dealing with Ohio State football players, from top-of-the-line loaner cars to discount furniture, deals on apartments to free golf and allegations that some players received thousands of dollars for signing pictures from a credentialed sideline photographer.

On July 8, Ohio State responded to the NCAA's list of allegations. It vacated the 2010 season, including the Sugar Bowl win, put itself on two years of NCAA probation and said it would take another look at its compliance process. It listed as mitigating circumstances that it had accepted Tressel's resignation (even though it later allowed him to say he had resigned and gave him another month of salary at $53,000) and had suspended the players.

Tressel was on hand when Ohio State went before the NCAA's committee on infractions on Aug. 12. Smith surprised many by saying Ohio State would give up $339,000 in bowl revenue from 2010.

That wasn't the end of Ohio State's headaches, however.

Just two days before the season-opener against Akron, three players ? starting running back Jordan Hall (a high school teammate of Pryor's) and cornerback Travis Howard, along with backup safety Corey Brown ? were suspended for accepting $200 in cash while attending a charity event in suburban Cleveland in March. One of the organizers of that event was Bobby DiGeronimo, a businessman in Independence, Ohio, who had long been a friend of the program who had hired Ohio State players to work summer jobs.

Those three were held out of the first two games of the season.

The week the Buckeyes were supposed to get Posey, Herron, offensive lineman Mike Adams and Thomas back, Posey and Herron were suspended again ? this time along with three others for taking too much money for too little work from DiGeronimo. The NCAA determined Posey had accepted $727.50 for 48 1/2 hours of work that was not performed. Herron received $292.50 too much.

Herron was held out of another game (totaling the first six of the season), while linebacker Etienne Sabino, offensive lineman Marcus Hall and defensive lineman Melvin Fellows gave back the money they were overpaid and were allowed to return to the team. Posey was hit with an additional five-game suspension, leaving him just two games in his senior season. In addition, Ohio State banned DiGeronimo from any further contact with athletes.

While the distracted Buckeyes struggled through the season ? going 6-6 heading into the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl against Florida ? everyone was waiting for the final word from the NCAA on penalties.

The Buckeyes did give their fans reason to look ahead when they hired Meyer, an Ohio native who won two national championships at Florida, on Nov. 28. Meyer has put together a solid recruiting season and is in the process of filling out his new coaching staff.

But even he had a hard time swallowing the penalties that came down Tuesday.

"The NCAA penalties will serve as a reminder that the college experience does not include the behavior that led to these penalties," he said in a statement.

___

Rusty Miller can be reached at http://twitter.com/rustymillerap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-21-Ohio%20St-Path%20of%20a%20Scandal/id-fe3f3b10e826442a8945d0f390c078fe

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Pope heads into busy Christmas season tired, weak (AP)

VATICAN CITY ? Pope Benedict XVI seems worn out.

People who have spent time with him recently say they found him weaker than they'd ever seen him, seemingly too tired to engage with what they were saying. He no longer meets individually with visiting bishops. A few weeks ago he started using a moving platform to spare him the long walk down St. Peter's Basilica.

Benedict turns 85 in the new year, so a slowdown is only natural. Expected. And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it's remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring.

But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend's grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances. And that raises questions about the future of the papacy given that Benedict himself has said popes should resign if they can't do the job.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi has said no medical condition prompted the decision to use the moving platform in St. Peter's, and that it's merely designed to spare the pontiff the fatigue of the 100-meter (-yard) walk to and from the main altar.

And Benedict rallied during his three-day trip to Benin in west Africa last month, braving temperatures of 32 Celsius (90F) and high humidity to deliver a strong message about the future of the Catholic Church in Africa.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he kissed babies who were handed up to him, delivered a tough speech on the need for Africa's political leaders to clean up their act, and visited one of the continent's most important seminaries.

Back at home, however, it seems the daily grind of being pope ? the audiences with visiting heads of state, the weekly public catechism lessons, the sessions with visiting bishops ? has taken its toll. A spark is gone. He doesn't elaborate off-the-cuff much anymore, and some days he just seems wiped out.

Take for example his recent visit to Assisi, where he traveled by train with dozens of religious leaders from around the world for a daylong peace pilgrimage. For anyone participating it was a tough, long day; for the aging pope it was even more so.

"Indeed I was struck by what appeared to me as the decline in Benedict's strength and health over the last half year," said Rabbi David Rosen, who had a place of honor next to the pope at the Assisi event as head of interfaith relations at the American Jewish Committee.

"He looks thinner and weaker ... which made the effort he put into the Assisi shindig with the extraordinary degree of personal attention to the attendees (especially the next day in Rome) all the more remarkable," Rosen said in an email.

That Benedict is tired would be a perfectly normal diagnosis for an 84-year-old, even someone with no known health ailments and a still-agile mind. He has acknowledged having suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in 1991 that temporarily affected his vision. And his older brother, who has a pacemaker for an irregular heartbeat, has expressed concern about Benedict's own heart.

But Benedict is not a normal 84-year-old, both in what he is called to do and the implications if he were to stop.

Popes are allowed to resign; church law specifies only that the resignation be "freely made and properly manifested."

Only a handful have done so, however. The last one was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

There's good reason why others haven't followed suit: Might the existence of two popes ? even when one has stepped down ? lead to divisions and instability in the church? Might a new resignation precedent lead to pressures on future popes to quit at the slightest hint of infirmity?

Yet Benedict himself raised the possibility of resigning if he were simply too old or sick to continue on, when he was interviewed for the book "Light of the World," which was released in November 2010.

"If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign," Benedict said.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had an intimate view as Pope John Paul II, with whom he had worked closely for nearly a quarter-century, suffered through the debilitating end of his papacy. After John Paul's death at age 84, it was revealed that he had written a letter of resignation to be invoked if he became terminally ill or incapable of continuing on.

And it should be recalled that at the time Benedict was elected pope at age 78 ? already the oldest pope elected in nearly 300 years ? he had been planning to retire as the Vatican's chief orthodoxy watchdog to spend his final years writing in the "peace and quiet" of his native Bavaria.

It is there that his elder brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, still lives. Ratzinger, who turns 88 next month, is nearly blind. Benedict has said his brother has helped him accept old age with courage.

Benedict said in "Light of the World" that he knew his own strength was diminishing ? steps are difficult for him and his aides regularly hold his elbows as he climbs up or down. But at the same time Benedict insisted that he had no intention of resigning to avoid dealing with the problems of the church, such as the sex abuse scandal.

"One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from danger and say that someone else should do it," he said.

As a result, a papal resignation anytime soon seems unlikely.

And Benedict is maintaining a hectic agenda. His planned trip to Cuba and Mexico next spring will fall shortly before he turns 85 on April 16. He has also said he'd like to make it to Rio de Janeiro in 2013 for the next World Youth Day.

Sometime in the New Year he will presumably preside over a new consistory to name the new cardinals who will elect his successor. And he has lots of unfinished business close to his heart: Bringing back breakaway traditionalists under Rome's wing, the fate of the sex abuse-scarred Irish church, tensions with China.

And he still cuts a robust figure in public given his age, walking briskly, speaking clearly and emphasizing key points. But his public engagements have been trimmed back; he had far fewer speeches in Benin than during his September visit to his native Germany or the United Kingdom last fall.

And behind closed doors, during audiences without the glare of TV cameras or throngs of the faithful encouraging him on, he has begun to show his age, acquaintances say.

The Rev. Joseph Fessio, Benedict's U.S. publisher and onetime student, sees the pope every so often, including during the summer when Benedict gathers his former theology students for an informal academic seminar at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Fessio recalled a day in the 2010 edition that remains with him: "In the Saturday morning session, the pope looked older and weaker than I had ever seen him before. In fact I remarked to someone that it's the first time I've seen him look like the old man that he is. He was speaking in softer tones than even his normally soft speaking voice. His head was bowed. He was pale. He just looked frail."

But then, after lunch and an apparent rest, Benedict returned for the afternoon session. "It was a complete transformation. He was lively, vigorous, attentive, and with his usual good humor," Fessio said.

Clearly, at his age Benedict has good days and bad, even good half-days and bad.

Yet he's never called in sick. In fact as pope, he has only had one significant known medical incident: He broke his right wrist when he tripped on the leg of his bed and fell while on vacation in the Alps in 2009.

Lombardi says the pope realizes the limitations of his strength, and that's why the recent trip to Benin was a one-stop-only affair.

"I think it's an example of the great willingness and wisdom of the Holy Father to continue doing these trips, even those that are difficult or far away," Lombardi said. He said the pope "measures well what his strengths are, and the possibility of doing the trips well."

"When I'm 84 I think I'll have been buried for many years," he added.

But he refused to give any kind of medical updates on the pope.

"I'm not a doctor. I don't give medical bulletins," Lombardi said. He paused, then added quietly: "In this phase. At this moment."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/religion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_tired_pope

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Beloved webOS Twitter app Carbon coming to Android

Carbon for Android

Now that webOS is all but dead, we're starting to see not only the end users defect to Android, but developers as well. And one of the more popular webOS Twitter apps is headed this way, too. Carbon, which already is working its way to Windows Phone 7, is coming to Android, developer dots & lines tells Android Central. 

It's currently in the design phase, UX director Saleh Esmaeili tells us. And he also gives us a little bit of insight into why we're just now seeing Carbon come to Android. In a word (OK, three words): Ice Cream Sandwich. Says Esmaeili:

"It was a little daunting when we first looked at Android SDKs and the lack of fluid UI design in the past, all changes with ICS. We can now benefit from animations and transitions along with lots of UI elements that can make designing a good experience possible on Android." 

You can never have enough Twitter clients, and you can never have enough good Twitter clients. Carbon undoubtedly will be in that latter category.

"We're very excited and are going to be on it full steam," Esmaeili says. Stay tuned, folks.

More: CarbonwebOS.com



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/8-dpGjNnqDU/story01.htm

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PFT: Peterson wants to play for fantasy owners

Broncos Vikings FootballAP

It took Broncos coach John Fox a while to warm up to the unique skills of Tim Tebow.? Even though Fox apparently has decided to ignore the niceties of the traditional quarterback position and to embrace the fact that Tebow is leading his team to victory after victory in 2011, Fox isn?t ready to anoint Tebow as the team?s quarterback for 2012.

?We get that question a lot, whether it?s John Elway or myself,? Fox told Jim Rome on Friday.? ?We?re both his biggest fans.? I mean, we love him.? How would you not at 7-1?? I think right now, all our focus is, let?s get this season done.

?We love him, he?s great, we?re pulling for him, and you know, we?ll make those decisions when this season is over and not worry about next season at this point.?

That?s fine, but what does the guy need to do to show that he?s the team?s quarterback of the future?? Plenty of quarterbacks with far lower winning percentages than Tebow have locked down the year-in, year-out starting jobs with their teams.

So why not Tebow?? As quarterbacks go, the Broncos could do a hell of a lot worse, and plenty of teams would surely pounce on the opportunity to make the until-further-notice starter a guy who has won games, elevated his team, generated unprecedented excitement among the fan base, and provided an anti-Hurd role model to the youth of America.

Maybe Fox is worried that it?s all a fluke.? Or maybe he?s concerned that Tebow won?t play as well without the added motivation of constantly having to prove himself.? Regardless, Tebow provides a solid foundation around which to build the team for the next decade.

If the Broncos won?t realize that, some other team will.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/16/adrian-peterson-wants-to-play-for-his-fantasy-owners/related/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

4 ways to avoid a government shutdown (The Week)

New York ? With Congress deadlocked over how to extend a payroll tax break, federal agencies are bracing for the possibility that they'll have to close their doors

The Obama administration is telling federal agencies to prepare for a possible government shutdown, as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over extending a payroll-tax break due to expire at the end of the year. Both sides want to prolong the tax holiday, but they disagree over how to pay for it ? Democrats want a surtax on millionaires, and Republicans want Medicare premium hikes for upper-income seniors, among other measures. To force a deal, Senate Democrats have tied the issue to a spending bill, and if that's not passed the government will run out of money at midnight Friday. How can they avoid disaster? Here, four possible solutions:

1. Pass a short-term spending bill, then talk
Neither party is eager to close government agencies' doors, says Erik Wasson at The Hill, since both "stand to be blamed by the public if the government shuts down." Congress has "lurched toward shutdowns repeatedly this year, only to avert them, often at the last minute." Passing a short-term spending deal will buy more time. And with "brinkmanship on both sides" holding up the $1 trillion spending package, it's looking increasingly like that's the only way out.?

SEE MORE: Americans don't really want spending cuts

?

2. Democrats cave, by giving up on the millionaire surtax
In what CNN says would be a "major concession," President Obama and his fellow Democrats may be preparing to drop their insistence on sticking the wealthy with the bill, says Allahpundit at Hot Air. That would sting, "given how well tax hikes on the rich poll." But let's be honest. "There was no way" Dems could make their plan fly. If they'd just untie the matter from the spending bill and make a deal, the GOP will probably drop the fast-tracking of a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, in exchange.

3. Republicans cave, by dropping their poison pills
"As they've repeatedly done before, the GOP is exploiting the imminent shutdown of the government to push its conservative agenda," says Marie Diamond at Think Progress. They're insisting on sidestepping environmental regulations to push through an oil pipeline, and protect the rich. "This is the third time this year Republicans are using the threat of a government shutdown to get what they want." If they would just drop "these brinkmanship games" it would be easy to "compromise on a bill to keep the government?s lights on."

SEE MORE: Will the payroll tax fight shut down the government?

?

4. Let the payroll-tax holiday expire, and get back to business
"In their rush to head home for the holidays," says the Chicago Tribune in an editorial, neither party is mentioning how extending the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits "would add to our already enormous national debt." The payroll taxes are supposed to go into the Social Security system, which is "already imperiled." It might have made sense to help struggling families out with a tax break in 2011, but it's "foolhardy" to keep this up. Congress should let the payroll tax break die and get back to work ? future generations of retirees will be grateful.

View this article on TheWeek.com
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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politicsopinion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20111215/cm_theweek/222497

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Lagarde: Global economy facing gloomy prospects (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The head of the International Monetary Fund sketched a dim outlook for the global economy and said all countries must work together to resolve Europe's escalating debt crisis.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Europe's problems will not be solved by Europe alone.

"It's not a crisis that will be resolved by one group of countries taking action," Lagarde said in remarks at a State Department conference. "It's going to be hopefully resolved by all countries, all regions, all categories of countries actually taking action."

She said if the issues are not dealt with decisively, the global economy could confront the same threats that pushed the world into the Great Depression of the 1930s.

"It's a question of actually facing the issues, not being in denial, accepting the truth, accepting the reality, then dealing with it," Lagarde said.

She did not provide details on what actions she expected individual countries or the IMF to take.

She also cautioned financial markets to allow time for individual nations to work through the political process to arrive at a solution.

"It would be ideal and it would be lovely from a market perspective if it was not just currently but immediately signed, sealed and delivered, done deal, overnight," she said. "Unfortunately, for those of you who have the privilege of belonging to democracies, things do not happen in that way and things do take time and have to go through parliamentary processes."

Last week, a number of European countries said their central banks would make loans to the IMF to bolster IMF resources. After the announcement, the Obama administration said it would not provide more support to the IMF because it said the agency had sufficient resources.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_bi_ge/us_imf_europe

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Satellite spots China's first aircraft carrier

DigitalGlobe / AP

This satellite image provided by the the DigitalGlobe Analysis Center shows the Chinese aircraft carrier Shi Lang (Varyag) sailing in the Yellow Sea. The picture was acquired Dec. 8 by DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite.

Alan Boyle writes

A commercial satellite?operator says it?has captured a rare image of China's first aircraft carrier as it sailed through the Yellow Sea, after going through an exercise that's the 21st-century equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack.

DigitalGlobe said the aircraft carrier showed up on a cloud-filled picture snapped on Dec. 8 by its polar-orbiting QuickBird satellite from a height of 280 miles (450 kilometers). An analyst spotted the ship while checking the image on Tuesday, said Stephen Wood, the director of the company's analysis center.


"There is something that is always indispensable about having people involved," Wood told me. The ship was identified "using a combination of the satellite imagery plus open-source material on the Internet, and geography," he said, but "at the end of the day, it still comes down to a person."

Experts have been hoping for months to get a glimpse of the aircraft carrier at sea. The former Soviet Union started building the ship, originally known as the Varyag,?but never finished it. After the?Soviet breakup,?the Varyag?ended up in the hands of the Ukrainian government. The ship was auctioned off to the Chinese in 1998. Since then, the Varyag,?which has reportedly been rechristened the Shi Lang,?has been under refurbishment for sea service.

"This is a ship and a story that has had legs for many years," Wood said.

DigitalGlobe

Don't feel bad if you can't spot the aircraft carrier in this wide-field version of the satellite image from QuickBird. It's just above the cloud formation closest to the center of the picture, but a bit to the left.

DigitalGlobe said this picture was taken during the carrier's second sea trial, approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) south-southeast of the port of Dalian. Wood said the picture indicates that the ship is "moving at a decent rate of speed, which would be expected in the middle of the ocean." The U.S. military could no doubt glean more information about the Shi Lang's status, from QuickBird's pictures as well as from?classified, higher-resolution imagery.

China says the Shi Lang will be used for research and training, and the project is thought to be part of the country's strategy to expand its presence as a naval power. The Chinese military is expected to build more copies of the ship in coming years. In fact, sources told Reuters in July that a second aircraft carrier was under construction.

"China's next moves have to be watched carefully, or there eventually could be a negative impact on maritime safety in Asia," Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor at Japan's Tokai University, told Reuters at the time.

QuickBird's?view of the Shi Lang serves as today's offering from the Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar, which features an image of Earth from space every day from now until Christmas. Here are the past offerings in the series:


Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.

Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/14/9447273-satellite-spots-chinese-aircraft-carrier

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Dude! Matthew McConaughey shaves his head

Matthew McConaughey has lost one of his sexiest attributes: his full head of curly blonde hair!

PHOTOS: Stars who are going bald

The 42-year-old actor stepped out in Beverly Hills Tuesday wearing a baseball cap concealing his newly shaved head. McConaughey, who was dressed head-to-toe in J.K. Livin apparel, was all smiles before beginning his workout at L'Ermitage Hotel.PHOTOS: Matthew McConaughey's hottest shirtless shots

No word yet on why McConaughey ditched his signature hairstyle, as the actor was photographed with a full head of hair while shooting "Thunder Run" in L.A. Saturday.

PHOTOS: Bad male manes

McConaughey isn't the only star to shave his head in 2011: Jake Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon both lopped off their locks for film roles earlier this year.

Copyright 2011 Us Weekly

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45672817/ns/today-entertainment/

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