elsewhere sigfried

Monday, December 3, 2012

Attack in Libya: Year in Review

Tragedy overseas hit close to home on Sept. 11, when four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in a rocket attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Initial reports said the slain embassy staffers were trying to flee the consulate building that was under assault by a mob of protesters apparently angry over the "Innocence of Muslims", a film trailer that mocked the Prophet Muhammad. But evidence pointed to a planned strike by an organized group that exploited, or even organized, the demonstrations.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/year-in-review-2012-international-affairs-libya-013755939.html

google augmented reality glasses wonderlic test texas tornado fantasy baseball jared sullinger jaleel white levi johnston

Thousands support Egypt president in rival rally

CAIRO (AP) ? Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of him and Islamic law.

The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, is seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week. The Islamists argue that the liberals, who are still laboring to create a cohesive opposition nearly two years after the uprising that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians.

The Brotherhood and harder-line Islamists won nearly 75 percent of the seats in last winter's parliamentary election. But liberals highlight the fact that President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Brotherhood's political party, won only 25 percent of votes in the first round of presidential elections. He went on to win the runoff by just over 50 percent, after a divisive race against a former regime figure.

Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly liberal and secular forces, took to the streets twice this week opposing Morsi's decrees to grant himself sweeping powers. On Friday, up to 200,000 people packed the streets of Cairo alone, vowing to bring down a draft constitution approved by allies of Morsi, and demanding he repeal the decrees that neutralized the judiciary.

Morsi says he acted to prevent courts led by former regime holdovers from delaying a transition to democracy and dissolving the assembly that wrote the draft constitution.

"The people support the president's decision!" chanted crowds outside Cairo University, where more than 10,000 had gathered by midday. They held posters that read "Yes to stability" and "Yes to Islamic law".

The draft was passed by an Islamist-led assembly early Friday and is expected to be presented to the president Saturday. He will then decide on a date for a nationwide referendum, possibly in mid-December.

Egypt's Constitutional Court rules on Sunday whether to dissolve the assembly. Liberal, secular and Christian members had already quit the body in protest of what they call the Islamists' hijacking of the process.

Near Cairo University, dozens of Brotherhood buses stood parked after transporting people from outside the capital to the rally. Thousands others arrived on foot, chanting in support of Morsi as they marched. Among supporters of the rally, which also calls for Islamic law, are the Gamaa Islamaiyya ? a fundamentalist group that fought an insurrection against the government in the 1990s ? and the Salafi Nour Party, seen as more conservative than the Brotherhood.

The Brotherhood had originally said it would hold Saturday's rally in Tahrir Square, where the opposition has erected dozens of tents since Morsi issued his decrees last week, but changed their location to avoid confrontation. The group said it cancelled its rally in the southern city of Luxor after clashes between rival camps broke out there Friday.

Clashes sparked by the two-week old crisis have left two dead and hundreds injured.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-support-egypt-president-rival-rally-102045998.html

lollapalooza Nastia Liukin Gabby Douglas hair Kayla Harrison Mars landing Gabby Douglas John Orozco

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Rep. Tom Cole: Republicans Don't Need to Present a Plan Yet

Republicans don't need to counter President Obama's proposal to avert the fiscal cliff with a formal plan of their own, according to Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the deputy majority whip in the House of Representatives.

"I don't think we need to put a formal proposal out on the table," Cole said on the "This Week" roundtable Sunday. "The Speaker has already said that revenue is on the table. We have an idea of how to get there in terms of not raising rates but finding another way through the tax code and reform."

"Beyond that we'll see how negotiations go," added Cole, who broke ranks with his party last week by calling for immediately extending middle class tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

(More from Sunday's show HERE)

Former Romney campaign senior adviser Dan Senor disagreed with Cole, saying that Republicans do need to present a formal proposal on avoiding the fiscal cliff.

"I do think Republican leadership at some point here needs to put forth publicly its plan," Senor said.

Cole called the White House proposal, which was presented by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to Congressional leaders last week, more of a "Christmas wish list" than a serious plan.

(Read a transcript of George's interview with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner HERE.)

"I'd like to thank the President and Tim Geithner for reuniting and re-energizing the Republican Caucus," Cole said. "That offer, they must think John Boehner is Santa Claus because that's a Christmas wish list not a real proposal."

The proposal, which reportedly included $1.6 trillion in tax revenue, entitlement savings to be worked out next year, an end to debt ceiling votes, and stimulus spending, was soundly rejected by Republican legislators.

Geithner said earlier on 'This Week' that the ball is in now the court of Congressional Republicans.

Cole reiterated his willingness to work with Democrats on that issue - at least initially - in an effort to "strengthen" the Republicans' negotiating position on the remaining tax cuts.

"I actually do believe that we should take things where we do agree with the president, and we do agree on this, and take things off the table one at a time. And this would, actually I think, strengthen our position in the course of negotiations," Cole said.

Extending tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans is a "victory not a loss," he added later.

Senor said that Republicans don't want to see the country go over the fiscal cliff, but President Obama's proposal may only serve to "poison the environment" in his second term, not lead the way to a deal on the fiscal cliff.

"I do think the President has gone way too far out to the left," Senor said.

Like "This Week" on Facebook here. You can also follow the show on Twitter here.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

land cytology: Hitman: Absolution Self-improvement Achievement ...

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Source: http://blake88.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/hitman-absolution-self-improvement-achievement-my-blog.html

college football ncaa football brian van gorder blazing saddles lsu alabama lsu game lsu game

Source: http://land-cytology.blogspot.com/2012/11/hitman-absolution-self-improvement.html

west side story final four 2012 bridesmaids winning lottery numbers megamillions winner kansas jayhawks mega millions results

Source: http://bitunuv.posterous.com/land-cytology-hitman-absolution-self-improvem

London 2012 diving Tim Berners-Lee Olympics 2012 Schedule Kenneth Branagh Lupe Ontiveros London 2012 China muhammad ali

Saturday, December 1, 2012

R.I.P. Frothy Times, A Return To Normalcy

Whatever it is it is palpable. A sort of buzz in the Valley that all is not well, and a slight nervousness among entrepreneurs, investors and startup employees as they flit about their day-to-day. We may not be in the middle of an outright private market collapse, but there will definitely be fewer tigers and monkeys at this year's holiday parties. The fingernail biting is not just caused by the Series A crunch, which has been happening for a year, although that is definitely a part of it ("20 percent of companies that have gotten a seed round in the last year will be able to raise a Series A" Sarah Lacy wrote on Wednesday, aptly comparing the current jostle for venture money to a game of musical chairs).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EzIdgl-WGEw/

Samsung Galaxy S3 linkedin linkedin usps bachelor pad bachelor pad Green Coffee Bean Extract

Braves trade Hanson to Angels for Walden

FILE - In this June 20, 2012, file photo, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson delivers in the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Braves traded Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for former closer Jordan Walden on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2011, file photo, Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jordan Walden (51) pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif. The Atlanta Braves have traded pitcher Tommy Hanson to the Angels for Walden on Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo, File)

ATLANTA (AP) ? The Braves traded Tommy Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for former closer Jordan Walden on Friday, clearing a spot in the Atlanta rotation for Julio Teheran, Randal Delgado or another young starter.

Hanson has seen a decrease in his velocity as he battled rotator cuff tendinitis in 2011 and a lower back strain in 2012. Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said the 26-year-old was a consistent winner in four seasons with the Braves and had no arm troubles this year.

"It's a good risk on a pitcher we really believe in," Dipoto said.

Hanson was 13-10 this year, setting a career high in wins, but his ERA climbed for the third straight season to a career-worst 4.48. The right-hander was 45-32 with the Braves.

Asked whether he was hoping for a bounce-back season from Hanson, Dipoto said his scouts saw Hanson performing on a level consistent with his career.

"I don't know that we're necessarily looking for a bounce back," Dipoto said. "He won 13 games. I don't think it would be fair to qualify it as a disappointing season. ... His velocity remained consistent from month to month. Our scouting reports remained consistent with what we've always thought of Tommy. He's done it for four years at the big league level, and we think he'll continue to do it."

Hanson missed the last two months of the 2011 season with the right shoulder injury. Dr. James Andrews found a small tear in Hanson's rotator cuff. Hanson said Andrews offered reassurance by saying "three of four pitchers had what I had."

Hanson said Friday the injury affected his offseason work before the 2012 season but said he has changed his workout plan this fall.

"I think toward the end, I didn't feel I was as strong as I need to be," Hanson said of this season. "I think as the years have gone along I've learned how to have a better understanding of how to stay healthy and be strong. I think it was a little bit of a learning experience last year and I'm looking to improve."

Hanson was 10-5 with a 3.71 ERA before the All-Star break and 3-5 with a 5.69 ERA in the second half. He was on the disabled list from July 31 to Aug. 17 with a lower back strain.

Hanson, who was born in Tulsa, Okla., said his family moved to Southern California when he was 2 and he was a longtime Angels fan.

Hanson said he was going to get a haircut as he prepared to attend Braves closer Craig Kimbrel's wedding on Saturday when he was informed of the trade. He said he quickly moved past his immediate shock and is "extremely excited" to be joining the team he cheered for growing up.

"Where I grew up there's a ton of Angels fans," Hanson said. "I grew up going to Angels games. ... Immediately I was shocked and now I'm just excited. I wish spring training was tomorrow."

Walden had 32 saves in 2011, then lost his closer's role to Ernesto Frieri and was 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and one save this year. He became superfluous when the Angels agreed this week to a $3.5 million, one-year contract with Ryan Madson.

Walden gives Atlanta another power arm for its bullpen. His fastball has been closed at close to 100 mph, and he had 48 strikeouts in 39 innings this year.

"We've been focused on adding a power arm to our bullpen all offseason," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We felt if we added one power arm we would have a bullpen that would stack up with the best bullpens in our league. Jordan Walden has closing experience and the kind of arm that will stack up well in a seventh- and eighth-inning role for us."

Atlanta's rotation returns Tim Hudson, Kris Medlen, Paul Maholm and Mike Minor. Brandon Beachy, who had right elbow ligament-replacement surgery in June, could be back during the second half of the season.

Wren said there will be room for a young starter to emerge for the start of the season.

"We feel like we have a lot of guys that are lining up close to helping us," Wren said.

Hanson was expected to earn about $4 million, possibly clearing more payroll room for another offseason move. The Braves are expected to move Martin Prado from left field to third base as a replacement for Chipper Jones, who has retired.

"We're still looking for left fielder-leadoff guy, but I don't know if that is connected with this deal," Wren said. "We just felt with the way our rotation lined up next year, it would be a good fit to add a guy like Jordan Walden."

The Braves on Friday declined to tender 2013 contract offer to two former prominent members of their staff, right-handed pitchers Jair Jurrjens and Peter Moylan.

Jurrjens was 3-4 with a 6.89 ERA in only 11 games this season. He made his last appearance with Atlanta on July 31. Moylan, a former top setup man, appeared in only eight games.

Atlanta also claimed right-hander David Carpenter off waivers from Boston. The Angels claimed outfielder Scott Cousins off waivers from Seattle.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-11-30-BBO-Braves-Angels-Trade/id-d4af55b0e89b40c998ce1b345402f6fc

nor easter nor easter ted nugent veep los angeles kings earth day timothy leary

Redray 4K Cinema Player is ready to pre-order: $1,450 for high-res, high framerate home viewing

We got a peek at Red's Redray 4K Cinema Player and Projector back in April at NAB, but now you can bring the player portion of it to your own home very soon. You'll need to bring your own 4K Ultra HD display but for $1,450 you can pre-order a unit capable of native 4,096 × 2,160 or 3,840 x 2,160 video playback (in .RED file format) and upscaling. It connects to 4K displays via one HDMI 1.4 port or 4 HDMI 1.3 ports, with an additional HDMI jack needed to push 7.1 audio. It's even ready for the new high framerate 3D video that we'll see debut at theaters next week with The Hobbit. There's no mention of the Red Laser Projector yet, so you'll have to BYO 4K display, which right now would probably mean something by LG or Sony.

To get content home Red is also launching its nationwide fiber-based Odemax.com over-the-top distribution network. Red co-owner Jarred Land calls it the "only comprehensive distribution solution for 4K," with built-in DRM, sales and analytics tools. He goes on to say that the Redray player will begin shipping at the end of December, with volume shipping promised in Q1 2013. A new RRencoder plugin for the Redcine-X viewer will launch in mid-December for converting external footage to the .RED format, and finally Odemax is scheduled to come online in January in time for the Sundance film festival. Check for more details after the break, plus a few more pics and a press release with all the specs.

Gallery: Red Redray Cinema Player, Odemax.com 4K info