Illinois Catholic Church Shuts Down Charities Rather than Help Gay Parents

The New York Times says:

Catholic Charities in Illinois has served for more than 40 years as a major link in the state?s social service network for poor and neglected children. But now most of the Catholic Charities affiliates in Illinois are closing down rather than comply with a new requirement that says they can no longer receive state money if they turn away same-sex couples as potential foster care and adoptive parents.

For the nation?s Roman Catholic bishops, the outcome is a prime example of what they see as an escalating campaign by the government to trample on their religious freedom while expanding the rights of gay people. The idea that religious Americans are now the victims of government-backed persecution is now a frequent theme not just for Catholic bishops, but also for Republican presidential candidates and conservative evangelicals.

?In the name of tolerance, we?re not being tolerated,? said Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki...

All right. The time for reasoning with these gown-wearing boy-fuckers is long past. Fuck them. Take their tax-free status away from them. They are bigots, and they should not be allowed to preach their hate on the state's dime anymore. They stand in the way of loving, responsible people who want to provide homes for unloved children. Fuck those fucking bigots. Period.

(Thanks to Slog tipper Greg for ruining my day.)

Source: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/12/28/illinois-catholic-church-shuts-down-charities-rather-than-help-gay-parents

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Wedding Recap: Wedding Party

30 Dec

Our ?wedding party was the best!

Just as I wrote of?how wonderful my bridesmaids were, the same could be said for Adam?s groomsmen. They were attentive, hilarious, easy going and supportive all day long.

Made up of siblings and close friends, there was no other group I?d have wanted standing in support of the commitment Adam and I were about to make to one another than this.

They were willing to hold one of several bunting banners my mom made for our wedding day?

Willing to stand in rocky alley way terrain for a less traditional photo-op?

Willing to wear matching shoes and socks?

Willing to put up with Adam?s excitement?

And, most of all, willing to put up with our shameless displays of affection in the moments leading up to the ceremony?

images via?Karen Segrave | KES Weddings

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Tags: Arkansas, Family, Love, Memories, Notes, Pictures, postaweek2011, Southern, Wedding, Writing

Source: http://meggieslife.com/2011/12/30/wedding-recap-wedding-party/

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Independent Transmission Company Becomes Newest Member of California ISO Grid

The California Independent System Operator Corp. (ISO) Board of Governors gave approval, Dec. 15, 2011, for Citizens Sunrise Transmission, LLC to become an ISO participating transmission owner. Citizens Sunrise is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Energy Corporation, a Boston, Massachusetts based non-profit energy company founded in 1979 by Joseph P. Kennedy II.?

As a part of joining the ISO, Citizens Sunrise will turn over control of its portion of the Imperial Valley segment of the Sunrise Powerlink to the ISO to operate. The remaining portion of the 117-mile transmission project will already fall under ISO control when it is completed because it is owned by San Diego Gas & Electric Co.?an existing ISO member transmission company. Completion of the $1.8 billion Sunrise Powerlink is expected in mid 2012.??

The 500 kV transmission line is expected to add to the grid 1,000 MW of clean, green electricity from Imperial Valley solar, wind and geothermal resources. The abundant green power is being sought after by utilities to help meet California?s 33% renewables portfolio standard. Citizens Sunrise?s portion of the line will go from the existing Imperial Valley Substation to the Imperial County line.?

The ISO now manages more than 35 percent of the wholesale electricity flowing in the western interconnection that includes 14 states along with portions of Canada and Mexico.??

The Sunrise Powerlink transmission project was identified as needed through the ISO transmission planning process and was approved by the Board in August 2006. Citizens Sunrise, through a development agreement with San Diego Gas & Electric Co., has an option to lease half of the Imperial County segment of the transmission project.??

Upon execution of the transmission control agreement and the Sunrise Powerlink becoming operational, Citizens Sunrise will become an ISO participating transmission owner subject to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepting its transmission owner tariff and transmission revenue requirement. Citizens Sunrise has advised that it intends to file its transmission owner tariff and associated transmission revenue requirement with FERC immediately.??

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/td-most-read/~3/CpNgOnmppyE/index.html

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Obama to Ask for $1.2 Trillion Increase in Debt Limit

Correction Appended

WASHINGTON -- President Obama will ask Congress this week for $1.2 trillion in additional borrowing authority, which would raise the federal debt limit to $16.4 trillion and avoid the need for further increases before the 2012 elections, administration officials said Tuesday.

This would be the final increase allowed under the budget agreement reached in August after the government came close to default. Since signing legislation to codify that agreement on Aug. 2, Mr. Obama has obtained two increases totaling $900 billion.

The budget agreement largely pre-empts the partisan debate over federal deficits and debt that the request might otherwise have touched off in Congress.

While the House, controlled by Republicans, could try to block the proposed increase in the debt limit, the Senate, with a Democratic majority, is unlikely to go along. If both houses of Congress voted to block the increase, Mr. Obama could veto the legislation.

The government's need for more borrowing results from the fact that it spends far more than it raises in revenue; it makes up the difference by borrowing 36 cents of every dollar it spends. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the government spent $3.6 trillion and collected $2.3 trillion.

Despite record debt, the Treasury still finds that it can borrow at extraordinarily low interest rates, contrary to predictions by some Republican lawmakers, who had warned that soaring deficits would require the government to pay more to lenders and investors in Treasury debt.

In the last decade, the government has borrowed record sums to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tax cuts adopted under President George W. Bush and economic stimulus measures enacted in 2009 to address the worst economic slump since the 1930s.

Since President Obama took office, the debt has shot up 42 percent, to the current level of $15.1 trillion. Of that amount, $10.4 trillion is borrowed from the public, and $4.7 trillion consists of special-issue Treasury securities held by Social Security and other government trust funds. Debt held by the public, considered by many economists to be the more significant indicator, is 65 percent higher now than in January 2009.

Treasury officials said the debt often increased at the end of the year because of large interest payments that the government makes to Social Security and other trust funds. These payments will total $82 billion this month, the Treasury said. Money not immediately needed by the trust funds is invested in the special Treasury securities.

In September, the House voted to block Mr. Obama's request to raise the debt limit by $500 billion, the second increase. However, the Senate had already turned back a similar move.

Representative Tom Reed, a Republican from upstate New York, who led the House effort, said, "Dealing with this national debt is one of the primary reasons why I ran for Congress -- to stop the endless borrowing of Washington, D.C., on the backs of our children and our grandchildren." He said the debt was a "threat to national security."

Four House Democrats have introduced a bill to eliminate the statutory cap on the public debt. "There's no reason to have a debt ceiling at all," said one of the four, Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia. "It doesn't restrain spending, since the spending has already been committed. It just threatens our credit, and it weakens our country."

If the government got close to the debt limit again before the elections in November, a Treasury official said, "we would be able to invoke extraordinary measures to extend borrowing authority beyond the elections."

To avoid defaulting, the Treasury has sometimes delayed issuing certain types of debt held by federal trust funds and by state and local governments.

Under the new budget law, Mr. Obama could have requested a larger increase in the debt limit if Congress had agreed on a constitutional amendment to require balanced budgets or if deficit-reducing recommendations from a joint committee had become law. The amendment was not approved, and the committee could not agree on any proposals.

Correction: December 27, 2011, Tuesday

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: A Web site summary with an earlier version of this article incorrectly listed the amount of the debt limit increase sought by President Obama. It is $1.2 trillion, not $1.2 million.

?

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

First published on December 28, 2011 at 12:00 am

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11362/1199700-84-0.stm?cmpid=nationworld.xml

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Employment in 2012: Experts see 'marginal improvement' on jobs front

employment trends

What the experts say:
Question: Where do you see job growth locally in 2012?

"I believe it's going to be in the entrepreneurial world. What we'll see is a lot of people getting tired of trying to find jobs with companies and start creating their own. That's where we'll absorb a lot of those people from the unemployment line. I'm starting to see some of that now at ProNet. Personally, I'm tickled to death to see it. It shows courage and initiative." "? Pieter Droog, branch manager, ProNet Reno

"I believe our unemployment rate will fall into single digits as more companies hire/rehire/expand. Usually companies hire managers before a large increase in other workers. The downside: Salary levels will still be lower than most individuals prefer. With the number of well qualified individuals still in the unemployment ranks, companies can still hire at bargain prices." "? Tom Fitzgerald, CEO, Nevadaworks

"I was glad to read about new jobs from West Corp., Fusion and the airport. But these are bright blue spots in an otherwise still gray sky. Perhaps there will continue to be a few out-of-state firms every month or two who see the advantage in our quality of life here and are willing to hire our workers." "? Elliott Parker, economist, University of Nevada, Reno

Source: http://www.rgj.com/article/20111227/BIZ/112270323/1071

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Statement by the President and First Lady on Kwanzaa 2011

(WHITE HOUSE) - The President and First Lady tape a holiday message in the Roosevelt Room, White House Photo, Lawrence Jackson, 12/16/11

(WHITE HOUSE - December 26, 2011) - Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet. But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome those challenges together.

As families across America and around the world light the red, black, and green candles of the Kinara this week, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.

Tags: 2011, December 26, Kwanzaa, michelle, US President Barack Obama, white house

Statement by the President and First Lady on Kwanzaa 2011:
Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Read in Full >>
"Empower Me" Business Summit to feature Cindy Freland of Maryland Secretarial Services:
Maryland Secretarial Services, Inc. began in 1997 after Founder, Cindy Freland, completed a successful career developing documents and reports for a major health insurance company in Washington, D.C. With more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Freland saw the need and decided to become proficient in many software programs to offer word processing, data entry, desktop publishing and transcription. Read in Full >>
"Empower Me" Business Summit to feature Natasha Pierre:

Natasha A. Pierre is an award-winning speaker, and corporate trainer for small and medium ?sized businesses.? She also shares her 15 plus years of branding and marketing experience through private coaching, seminars and webinars and a variety of live and online events.?

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Her diverse background includes corporate branding, drafting standard operating procedures for Fortune 500 companies, public relations, and promotions.? Her specialty is crafting strong corporate identities that build brand recognition and equity.

Read in Full >>
"Empower Me" Business Summit to feature Dwauna Maura:
Motivational Speaker/Entreprenuer Dwauna Maura
Dwauna Maura was born in Baltimore, Maryland and she is an independent entrepreneur in the skin care and beauty industry where she is recognized as a top producer!? She is a powerful and energetic speaker who speaks with passion and belief with the ability to transfer vision and victory to motivate and inspire audiences to achieve their goals.? Read in Full >>

Source: http://www.bmorenews.com/politics/statement-by-the-president-and-first-lady-on-kwanz.shtml

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Bengals trying hard to sell out final game (AP)

CINCINNATI ? Hot dogs, cotton candy, hot chocolate and water. The Bengals offered refreshments Monday to fans who lined up for a ticket promotion aimed at filling Paul Brown Stadium for the final game.

The Bengals made a buy-one, get-one-free offer to season ticket holders for the final regular season game Sunday. Cincinnati (9-6) would clinch a wild card playoff berth by beating the Baltimore Ravens (11-4).

The challenge is to fill the 65,500-seat stadium, which has been one-third empty for most games this season. The Bengals have sold out only one home game, when Pittsburgh brought thousands of fans.

Cincinnati sold 41,273 tickets for its victory over Arizona on Saturday that gave the Bengals only their third winning record in the last 21 years. Fans are upset over the franchise's dismal showing and ownership's reluctance to change.

The team sold a "couple thousand" tickets Monday morning, said Jeff Berding, the team's director of ticket sales.

"We have a lot of tickets to sell," Berding said. "The response has been great."

If the team doesn't sell out with this promotion restricted to season ticket holders, it will consider a discount offer to the public.

After Saturday's win, Bengals players practically begged fans to fill the stadium for the final game.

"We had a very enthusiastic stadium last week," coach Marvin Lewis said Monday. "I tell these guys, `I can't wait to see us play.' I think people that haven't seen us play in person will have a good time. We'll do some incredible things. We'll do some things I wish we didn't quite do, I'll tell you that. But we'll do some incredible things. It will be a good football game."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_bengals_tickets

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Analysis: Isolated on tax cut, House GOP blinks (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/178900146?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Canada Presbyterian Church head blames ?Zionist lobby?

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

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/jta/breaking-news/~3/duD9q22IV80/canada-presbyterian-church-head-blames-zionist-lobby

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Pollster: Gingrich Could Be Big GOP Winner From Payroll Tax Impasse

(Newsmax) - While some GOP leaders could face a political bruising from this weeks payroll tax debacle, one top political analyst believes that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich can turn the issue into a political plus.

He could say I took action. I didnt kick something down the road for two months and leave it up in the air, insists InsiderAdvantage head and pollster Matt Towery, who also holds the distinction of being Gingrichs first debate coach.

gingrich, towery, payroll, taxGingrichs decision to allow the federal government to shut down in 1995 rather than accept a compromise to keep it open eventually led to a balanced-budget agreement in 1996.

According to Towery, the former speaker could argue that the short-term pain at the time was necessary to achieve the largest drop in federal discretionary spending in more than 25 years.

Gingrich blasted the two-month deal that was approved by the House on Friday by a voice vote, calling it a complete failure in leadership by President Barack Obama and Congress.

In an exclusive interview with Newsmax on Thursday, Gingrich said that House Republicans should have conducted a media blitz to make their case to the American people as to why a two-month solution was simply unworkable.

A two-month tax break is a nightmare, he said. Businesses normally report on a quarterly basis. Businesses normally make out their compensation forms on a 12-month basis. To now be told, the first two months are going to look like this, we dont know what the next 10 months would look like is an administrative nightmare. In addition, youre a family; what are you planning on? Do you trust the Congress?

Gingrich said that Congress is setting itself up to have a new crisis every two months. This is the worst functioning government Ive seen in my lifetime in terms of its utter inability to do things, he insisted. And I have to say as somebody who served in the House, the spectacle of the Senate passing a two-month tax break and then arrogantly leaving town, I find infuriatingly unacceptable.

Republican strategist and political commentator Bradley A. Blakeman says that he is not necessarily convinced that voters have a sufficiently long enough memory to remember the government shutdown in the 1990s for Gingrich to benefit in the 2012 elections.

His past will certainly be a factor, but his present will determine whether hes selectable or electable, said Blakeman, who served as a member of President George W. Bushs senior staff.

One of the most respected pollsters in the United States, Towery also acknowledges that he has no confidence in the polls coming out of Iowa as of today and he anticipates a big change in positioning by Jan. 3.

I think that Ron Paul is going to melt like a snow cone in July, declared Towery, adding that Romney is likely to experience a strong turnout based on the strength of his political machine.

I think that Newt Gingrich is going to rise again in the polls, Towery also predicted. I think you are going to see Rick Perry come on strong and Santorum come on strong.

While the overall winner in Iowa is far from a certainty, Towery says that there is little doubt that voters will be fed up with negative advertising when the caucuses finally arrive.

The key will be who in the world has a final message that is halfway compelling and how can they use that message to turn people out to vote for them as a legitimate nominee of the party, he explained.

Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/Towery-Gingrich-Winner-PayrollTax/2011/12/23/id/422050

Source: http://www.teaparty.org/article.php?id=2005

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Kennesaw State tops Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 69-65

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Spencer Dixon scored 16 points, including seven from the free-throw line during the final 3:40, to help Kennesaw State defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 69-65 in the Las Vegas Classic on Friday.

Kennesaw State (3-9) trailed by 14 at halftime but went ahead 55-53 on Brandon Dawson's 3-point play with 5:52 left. The Owls scored 12 of their last 14 points from the free-throw line. Dixon made two with 9 seconds left to give the Owls a 68-63 lead.

Delbert Love, who made four free throws in the final 27 seconds, led the Owls with 17 points. Aaron Anderson had 13 points, 17 rebounds and two steals for Kennesaw State.

Myron Dempsey led the Islanders (1-10) with 20 points on 10 of 11 field-goal shooting and 10 rebounds. Chris Hawkins-Mast scored 11 points and Hameed Ali and Terrence Jones both had 10 points for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

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

Source: http://www.kwes.com/story/16387208/kennesaw-state-tops-texas-am-corpus-christi-69-65

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UPDATE: Wisconsin Assistant Paul Chryst to Coach at Pitt

UPDATED Thursday, December 22, 2011 --- 3:07 p.m.

PITTSBURGH (AP)?Paul Chryst turned Wisconsin?s historically ho-hum offense into a high-powered attack that lit up scoreboards across the Big Ten.

Pittsburgh would love to see him do the same with the Panthers, but only after he provides the beleaguered program with some much-needed stability.

The school hired Chryst on Thursday to replace Todd Graham, who bolted for Arizona State last week after less than a year on the job.

The 46-year-old Chryst is Pitt?s fourth head coach in the last 13 months, following Dave Wannstedt, Mike Haywood and Graham, who left for the Sun Devils following a disappointing 6-6 season.

Pitt is hoping Chryst, who spent seven seasons as offensive coordinator at his alma mater, sticks around much longer. In addition to the seemingly endless coaching chaos, the Panthers are leaving the Big East for the ACC by 2014.

?We believed it was important to find a leader who gets the very best from his players while also developing the kind of culture that fits the University of Pittsburgh,? Pittsburgh athletic director Steve Pederson said. ?Paul Chryst is that leader.?

Chryst molded No. 9 Wisconsin (11-2) into an offensive powerhouse since joining the program in 2005, and may have done his best job this season. The Badgers ranked fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 44.6 points while winning the Big Ten championship and earning a Rose Bowl berth.

It?s uncertain whether Chryst will stay on at Wisconsin through the bowl game or join his new team immediately. Pitt plays SMU in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 7, with Keith Patterson serving as interim coach.

When he starts hardly mattered to Chryst on Thursday as he met with his new players and toured the team?s practice facility with his family.

?Pitt and Pittsburgh are absolutely the right fit for us, and we?re looking forward to getting immersed in our new hometown,? Chryst said. ?We are committed to building a program on and off the field that will make people proud.?

Words of comfort to a fan base still reeling from Graham?s graceless departure after 338 days at the helm. Graham resigned suddenly a week ago when Pitt denied him permission to talk to Arizona State, alerting his players via forwarded text message of his decision to leave.

The Panthers lashed out at Graham in the aftermath, with wide receiver Devin Street calling his former coach a ?liar? through his Twitter feed.

There appear to be no such issues with Chryst, with Street tweeting he?d be ?very? happy if Chryst brought his offensive fireworks to Pitt.

Chryst will be introduced on Thursday afternoon, ending an eight-day search for Graham?s replacement. Contract terms were not immediately available, but he beat out Florida International coach Mario Cristobal and interim Ohio State coach Luke Fickell for the job.

It?s one the Panthers hope Chryst will hold onto as the school prepares to join Syracuse in leaving the Big East for the ACC sometime in the next three seasons.

Graham said repeatedly over the last 11 months he was looking forward to the challenge, constantly preaching character, commitment and a ?high octane? offense designed to take the Big East by storm.

It never happened as the Panthers struggled adapting from Wannstedt?s pro-style approach to Graham?s modified spread attack. Pitt allowed 57 sacks this season, easily the most in the FBS, and Graham drew the ire of the fan base for shifting blame from himself to quarterback Tino Sunseri.

The growing pains led to a wildly uneven season in which the Panthers let winnable games slip away. Pitt held double-digit second-half leads over Iowa, Cincinnati and rival West Virginia only to collapse in the final minutes.

There have been so such issues for the Badgers with Chryst calling the plays.

Chryst anchored the offense around massive offensive line that churned out 1,000-yard rushers with regularity, but also showed an ability to adapt.

When former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson transferred in this fall, Chryst didn?t hesitate to let Wilson go to work. The senior finished second in the country in pass efficiency while throwing for 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The running game was its usual self as Montee Ball rushed for 1,759 yards and 32 touchdowns while becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Graham didn?t leave the cupboard completely bare. Running back Ray Graham was among the nation?s leaders in rushing yards before tearing the ACL in his right knee in October, ending his season. He is expected to return for his senior season, and if he?s healthy he will give Chryst the kind of dynamic threat out of the backfield that was a fixture during Chryst?s days at Wisconsin.

Chryst?s first job, however, will be selling the Panthers that he?s in it for the long haul.

?The bar is set high in the `City of Champions? and that is incredibly exciting and inspiring,? Chryst said. ?I can?t wait to meet our players and get to work.?

____________________________________________

UPDATED Thursday, December 22, 2011 --- 7:20 a.m.

AP Source: Paul Chryst to coach at Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? A person with knowledge of the decision says Pittsburgh has hired Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst as its head football coach.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not yet been made.

Chryst replaces Todd Graham, who left the Panthers last week after one season to coach Arizona State.

The 46-year-old Chryst helped mold the Badgers into an offensive powerhouse since joining the program in 2005. Wisconsin (11-2) is ranked fourth in the country in scoring this season, averaging 44.6 points while winning the Big Ten championship and earning a Rose Bowl berth.

The Panthers went 6-6 in Graham's one season and are in desperate need of stability. Chryst is the school's fourth head coach in 13 months.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

_________________________________________________

Posted-December 21st, 2011 10:55 pm

The list of suitors over the past few years is long for Paul Chryst. Finally after years of producing one of the most prolific offenses in all of college football the Badgers offensive coordinator is getting the chance to become a head coach.

Multiple reports confirm that Chryst will be the next coach at Pittsburgh. He could be introduced within the next 48 hours. Chryst had interviewed for but lost out on the same job opening last year and was not considered to be the front funner this time around either. But strong endorsements from UW athletic director Barry Alvarez and a decision to remain at Florida International by front runner Mario proved to work in the favor of Chryst this time around.

Pitt was left scrambling for a coach after Arizona State plucked Todd Graham Dec. 14 after one season with the Panthers.

Chryst, 46, was under consideration for recent openings at Illinois and Kansas.

The former Badgers quarterback and Madison native Chryst joined the Badgers as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2005, and was previously Wisconsin's tight ends coach in 2002. He was offensive coordinator at Oregon State from 2003-04 and served as an assistant with the San Diego Chargers from 1999-2001.

Chryst is expected to serve as the Badgers offensive coordinator in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2nd against Oregon.

Source: http://www.nbc15.com/sports/headlines/Reports_badgers_Chryst_leaving_UW_for_Pitt__136047008.html

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Delaware judge halts Intel antitrust lawsuit (AP)

DOVER, Del. ? A federal judge in Delaware has canceled a February trial in New York's antitrust lawsuit against chip-maker Intel Corp.

The judge says he is halting the case while attorneys discuss a schedule for submitting papers on outstanding issues, including Intel's motion for summary judgment and New York's motion to dismiss the case.

Lawyers for the New York attorney general's office said in papers filed Thursday that they want to have the federal case in Delaware dismissed so they can pursue their claims in New York state court.

That decision followed the Delaware judge's dismissal of claims filed on behalf of individual computer purchasers and his ruling that Delaware's three-year time restriction for claims, not New York's longer statute of limitations, applies in the case.

Intel is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/semiconductor/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111223/ap_on_bi_ge/us_intel_antitrust

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17 dead in Sunday's Russian oil rig accident

MOSCOW -- The deathtoll from Sunday's oil rig accident off Russia's east coast has risen to 17 people.

A spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry said rescue teams on Thursday recovered six bodies from the Sea of Okhotsk where the floating oil rig capsized and sank Sunday.

Of the 67 men aboard, 14 were rescued from the icy water; 36 men are still missing and chances of finding them alive are negligible.

The Kolskaya floating platform was being towed back to a Sakhalin Island port in a fierce storm when a strong wave broke some of its equipment and portholes, and it capsized in the choppy water.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/22/2557246/17-dead-in-sundays-russian-oil.html

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Yahoo to weigh deals for Asian assets: sources (Reuters)

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) ? Yahoo Inc is considering a plan to unload most of its prized Asian assets in a complex deal valued at roughly $17 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, winning nods of approval from Wall Street and driving its shares higher.

The offer - the latest among proposals put forth in recent months to resuscitate the once high-flying Internet company - is expected to be considered by Yahoo's board on Thursday, sources said.

The board was uninterested in entertaining offers for the entire company at this point, said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Yahoo's increasing difficulty in competing with Internet heavyweights such as Google Inc and Facebook have forced it to explore proposals to revamp its business.

The former Internet powerhouse, which fired its Chief Executive Carol Bartz in September, has a market value of around $18.5 billion.

The Asian split-off plan to be considered by the board follows previous proposals by private equity firms to buy a minority stake in Yahoo. Those proposals were fiercely opposed by some of Yahoo's largest shareholders, including activist hedge fund manager Dan Loeb, of Third Point LLC.

"It's clear that Dan Loeb at Third Point is exerting some influence," said Adam Seessel, director of research at Martin Capital Management, which added to its position in Yahoo a few weeks ago. He "is doing all Yahoo shareholders a favor by looking over the board and making sure they do the right thing."

Yahoo shares, which languished in the red along with much of the technology sector on Wednesday, reversed course and ended the session almost 6 percent higher at $15.99. It inched further upward in after-hours trading to $16.09.

At a $17 billion valuation, which includes the value of the Alibaba stake that Yahoo would retain under the latest proposal, a deal would mean the Asian assets are worth $14 per Yahoo share, one of the sources said.

The deal would essentially mean that Yahoo's core U.S.-based Internet business is valued at only $2 a share, according to Lawrence Haverty, a fund manager with GAMCO investors, which owns Yahoo shares.

Given that Yahoo has roughly $2 a share in cash on its balance sheet, Haverty said the deal left plenty of room for upside in the core business.

"This is the right thing to do. This is how you maximize shareholder value," he said, noting that he believed the tax-free structure of the plan seemed feasible.

TAX-FREE DEAL

Alibaba chief Jack Ma has said several times he would like to buy back Yahoo's stake in his company, one of Asia's largest Internet corporations. Investors have long said Yahoo's investment in Alibaba, along with its 35 percent slice of Yahoo Japan, are far and away the U.S. company's most prized assets.

In the deal under contemplation, Yahoo would effectively transfer most of its 40 percent slice of Alibaba back to the Chinese company and all of its stake in Yahoo Japan to Softbank Corp, sources said.

Alibaba and Yahoo Japan would each create separate legal entities where they would put cash and operating assets, and then trade those with Yahoo, making the deal tax-free, the sources said.

At the end of the contemplated transaction Yahoo would retain a 15 percent stake in Alibaba, the sources said.

The final deal size will depend on how the assets are valued, another source said.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction. It shows that the board is thinking about shareholders as opposed to their own interests," Martin Capital's Seessel said.

Yahoo declined to comment. The possible deals were first reported in The New York Times.

Last week, sources told Reuters a consortium consisting of private equity group Silver Lake, Microsoft Corp and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz were reworking a bid for a minority stake in Yahoo.

(Reporting by Paritosh Bansal and Peter Lauria in New York, Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; editing by Matthew Lewis, Andre Grenon and Richard Chang.)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111222/bs_nm/us_yahoo

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In A Reversal, Intuit Will Make Quicken 2007 For Mac Work With Lion

Intuit has just released some good news for ?"Quicken for Mac" users. ?The accounting software company says they will have a solution that makes Quicken 2007 for Mac "Lion-compatible" by early spring 2012. Yes, irony alert. Back in July, I wrote about the dilemma facing those users, because Apple Lion OS was dropping support for Rosetta. ?Without Rosetta, Quicken 2007 wouldn't run on the Mac with Lion. ?And I wrote each of the three options Intuit proposed (Quicken Essentials for Mac, Mint.com, Quicken for Windows) had their own flaws. Aaron Forth,?Intuit's General Manager of its Personal Finance Group which includes Quicken and Mint.com, wrote a note to existing customers saying "I am committed to creating products to help you reach your financial goals. ?I recognize, however, that we have not always delivered on this promise to Quicken Mac customers."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/82RkiOUj-KU/

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Eric Cantor Threats: Glendon Swift Pleads Guilty To Anti-Semitic Calls

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Tim Ghianni, Reuters) - A Tennessee man has pleaded guilty to making threatening drunken profanity-laced telephone calls to U.S. Congressman Eric Cantor, prompting the House majority leader to praise investigators on Wednesday.

Glendon Swift, 64, pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening a family member of a federal official and accepted prosecutor's recommendation for a 13-month prison sentence for the October 27 calls, according to court documents. He was arrested November 2.

Swift, who lives in Lenoir City outside Knoxville, Tennessee, called the Republican congressman's suburban Richmond, Virginia, offices, threatening Cantor and his family and prompting an investigation by the Capitol Police and FBI.

The congressman's staff saved recordings of the calls. They included derogatory comments about Cantor's Jewish faith and threats to "destroy" him, according to court documents.

Swift admitted it was his voice on recordings and told FBI agents he "got drunk the other night and started cussing people out," according to court documents.

According to the FBI, the profanity-laced remarks included, "How about if I rape your daughter? How about that, if I come into your house and kill your wife?"

Swift pleaded guilty in federal court in Knoxville. The charge carries up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Swift's attorney, federal public defender Jonathan Moffatt could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The congressman's office deferred to law enforcement about case details, but conveyed the congressman's response via email.

"Leader Cantor appreciates the dedicated service of law enforcement and the U.S. Capitol police for their continued efforts to keep members of Congress and their families safe," spokeswoman Laena Fallon said.

Sentencing has been set for April 4.

Click for Restrictions.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/21/eric-cantor-glendon-swift_n_1163561.html

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The NDAA is Not a ?Detention Bill?: Why Language Matters (Balloon Juice)

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Inhaled glucocorticoids during pregnancy and offspring pediatric diseases

Public release date: 16-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society

Inhaled glucocorticoids for the treatment of asthma during pregnancy are not associated with an increased risk of most diseases in offspring, but may be a risk factor for endocrine and metabolic disturbances, according to a new study.

In a population-based cohort study, 65,085 mother-child pairs from the Danish National Birth Cohort were followed up in real time from early pregnancy into childhood. "Maternal use of inhaled glucocorticoids for asthma during pregnancy was not related to an increased risk of most diseases in childhood, except for endocrine and metabolic disorders, as compared to the risk in asthmatic mothers without glucocorticoid inhalation during pregnancy," said first author Marion Tegethoff, PhD, associate faculty member in clinical psychology and psychiatry at the University of Basel, Switzerland. "Our data are mostly reassuring and support the use of inhaled glucocorticoids during pregnancy."

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Of 65,085 mother-child pairs with live singleton pregnancies, 61,002 had no asthma during pregnancy (93.7%) and 4083 (6.3%) had asthma during pregnancy. Median age at end of follow-up was 6.1 years (range: 3.6 to 8.9 years). In statistical analyses adjusted for baseline predictors of child health, use (versus no use) of inhaled glucocorticoids was associated with a significantly increased risk for the first diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic disorders (hazard ratio [HR], 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-2.99), but not of diseases in any other category. Results were similar when analyses were restricted to mother-child pairs exposed only to budesonide, the inhaled glucocorticoid used by the majority of women (79.9%) in the study.

"This is the first comprehensive study of potential effects of glucocorticoid inhalation during pregnancy on the health of offspring, covering a wide spectrum of pediatric diseases," said last author Gunther Meinlschmidt, PhD, associate faculty member in clinical psychology and epidemiology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. "While our results support the use of these widely used asthma treatments during pregnancy, their effect on endocrine and metabolic disturbances during childhood merits further study."

There were some limitations to the study, including a lack of data on daily inhalation doses, use of self-report of maternal asthma and the study's focus on glucocorticoid inhalation rather than other active ingredients or glucocorticoids administered by other routes.

"Our data have both clinical and public health implications," the authors concluded, "given that asthma is common in pregnant women and inhaled glucocorticoids are the recommended treatment."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory Research and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 10.191, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields.

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | E-mail | 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.

Public release date: 16-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Nathaniel Dunford
ndunford@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society

Inhaled glucocorticoids for the treatment of asthma during pregnancy are not associated with an increased risk of most diseases in offspring, but may be a risk factor for endocrine and metabolic disturbances, according to a new study.

In a population-based cohort study, 65,085 mother-child pairs from the Danish National Birth Cohort were followed up in real time from early pregnancy into childhood. "Maternal use of inhaled glucocorticoids for asthma during pregnancy was not related to an increased risk of most diseases in childhood, except for endocrine and metabolic disorders, as compared to the risk in asthmatic mothers without glucocorticoid inhalation during pregnancy," said first author Marion Tegethoff, PhD, associate faculty member in clinical psychology and psychiatry at the University of Basel, Switzerland. "Our data are mostly reassuring and support the use of inhaled glucocorticoids during pregnancy."

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Of 65,085 mother-child pairs with live singleton pregnancies, 61,002 had no asthma during pregnancy (93.7%) and 4083 (6.3%) had asthma during pregnancy. Median age at end of follow-up was 6.1 years (range: 3.6 to 8.9 years). In statistical analyses adjusted for baseline predictors of child health, use (versus no use) of inhaled glucocorticoids was associated with a significantly increased risk for the first diagnosis of endocrine and metabolic disorders (hazard ratio [HR], 1.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-2.99), but not of diseases in any other category. Results were similar when analyses were restricted to mother-child pairs exposed only to budesonide, the inhaled glucocorticoid used by the majority of women (79.9%) in the study.

"This is the first comprehensive study of potential effects of glucocorticoid inhalation during pregnancy on the health of offspring, covering a wide spectrum of pediatric diseases," said last author Gunther Meinlschmidt, PhD, associate faculty member in clinical psychology and epidemiology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. "While our results support the use of these widely used asthma treatments during pregnancy, their effect on endocrine and metabolic disturbances during childhood merits further study."

There were some limitations to the study, including a lack of data on daily inhalation doses, use of self-report of maternal asthma and the study's focus on glucocorticoid inhalation rather than other active ingredients or glucocorticoids administered by other routes.

"Our data have both clinical and public health implications," the authors concluded, "given that asthma is common in pregnant women and inhaled glucocorticoids are the recommended treatment."

###

About the American Journal of Respiratory Research and Critical Care Medicine:

With an impact factor of 10.191, the AJRRCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. It aims to publish the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in the pulmonary, critical care and sleep-related fields.

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy.

---

[ | E-mail | 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/2011-12/ats-igd121311.php

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Russia's Mars probe to plunge to Earth in January (AP)

MOSCOW ? Russia's space agency says a probe bound for a moon of Mars that instead got stuck in Earth's orbit will plummet down to Earth next month.

The agency said Friday the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe that got stranded after its Nov. 9 launch will come crashing down between Jan. 6 and Jan. 19.

It says the probe's toxic fuel will burn on its fiery re-entry, but several dozen fragments with a total weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) will fall on the Earth's surface.

It says one of the probe's gauges has a small amount of radioactive Cobalt-57, but it won't pose any threat of radioactive contamination.

The agency says that the rough area where the probe's fragments will fall could only be calculated a few days ahead of its plunge.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_mars_moon_mission

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Romney intensifies criticism of Gingrich (AP)

IOWA CITY, Iowa ? His attacks growing ever more personal, Mitt Romney on Wednesday questioned chief rival Newt Gingrich's temperament, spending habits and allegiance to both the GOP and the middle class while hecklers confronted Gingrich in the lead-off caucus state.

During a series of interviews while fundraising in New York, Romney told one media outlet that "zany is not what we need in a president" and another that Gingrich had "an extraordinary lack of understanding of how the economy works." To yet another, Romney mocked Gingrich's past accounts at a tony jeweler, saying: "He's a wealthy man - a very wealthy man. If you have a half-a-million-dollar purchase from Tiffany's, you're not a middle-class American."

Romney's campaign also rolled out an Internet video describing Gingrich as an unreliable conservative and using a clip of a climate change ad that the former House speaker filmed with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

Gingrich, in turn, sought to stay above the fray.

"They should run their campaign the way they want to and we're going to run our campaign the way we want to," Gingrich told reporters after an event at the University of Iowa.

During a speech on brain science research, Gingrich stuck to his usual campaign pitch and made no mention of Romney's charges. But the thrice-married Gingrich, who has admitted infidelity, faced criticism from his audience.

A handful of protesters drowned him out for at least three minutes, assailing Gingrich for what they called a "callous attitude toward poor people." He watched impassively from the podium in a university auditorium while the protesters shouted. But he couldn't resist responding when one person accused him of making millions of dollars on book deals and earning a "Ph.D. in cheating on your wives."

"Other than personal hostility, how would you know anything about how I publish my books?" Gingrich retorted.

The latest attacks from Romney ? and the criticism from Iowans ? come as the candidates prepare to square off Thursday at the final debate before the Jan. 3 caucuses and pressure increases on Romney, the one-time GOP front-runner, to curb Gingrich's rise. There's only one week for Romney to make his pitch ? and tear down Gingrich ? before many voters tune out over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Much of the Iowa campaign is being waged on the air, with campaigns and their allied super PACs spending millions in TV advertisements this week alone. Meanwhile, campaigns are readying get-out-the-vote operations to ensure supporters turn out to precinct meetings on what's likely to be a frigid Midwestern winter weeknight.

Polls show most Iowans are undecided about which candidate to support or at least willing to change their minds, underscoring the volatility of the race.

For now, Gingrich, whose campaign imploded earlier this year, leads the field in Iowa surveys even as he races to build a campaign infrastructure. Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul trail him in surveys, while others ? Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum ? are working to break through with aggressive face-to-face campaign efforts.

To that end, Perry started a thousand-mile bus tour on Iowa's western edge Wednesday, telling a small group of supporters in Council Bluffs that the nation needs an outsider as president ? hitting both Gingrich and Romney at the same time.

"Changing one Washington insider for another Washington insider isn't going to change a thing. Sending a Wall Streeter to Washington is not going to change a thing," said Perry, who is scheduled to campaign in Iowa daily except for a short break around Christmas as he looks for a late-game surge.

In Des Moines, Santorum expressed confidence that voters would come into his fold even though polls show him near the back of the pack.

"I'm sort of the guy at the dance, when the girls walk in they sort of walk by, and they take a few turns at the dance hall with the guys that are a little better looking, a little flashier, a little more bling," he told about 300 Nationwide Insurance employees. "But at the end of the evening, old steady Eddie's there. He's the guy you want to bring home to mom and dad."

Bachmann, too, was preparing to start her own bus tour this week, one expected to take her to all 99 counties in the state.

Rounding out their day, Bachmann, Gingrich, Perry and Santorum were scheduled to attend the screening of an anti-abortion documentary from Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor who won the GOP's 2008 presidential caucuses but lost the nomination.

Romney's attacks ? and his newfound willingness to talk with the media ? continued to shape the race.

"Zany is great in a campaign. It's great on talk radio. It's great in print. It makes for fun reading," Romney told The New York Times in an interview. "But in terms of a president, we need a leader, and a leader needs to be someone who can bring Americans together."

Earlier, Romney told Fox News that Gingrich had "an extraordinary lack of understanding of how the economy works." In an interview with CBS, Romney raised Gingrich's Tiffany's account and suggested that the former House speaker leveraged his name to earn a fortune after leaving office.

"Newt Gingrich has wealth from having worked in government," Romney said, in what is likely a preview of lines of attack for Thursday's debate in Sioux City.

___

Elliott reported from Council Bluffs. Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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Video: Defining the GOP?s path to victory

Get connected at America's techiest airports

If you?ve ever found yourself at the airport hunting for an available outlet or waiting on glacial-paced Wi-Fi, help is at hand. On Thursday, PCWorld magazine released its first-ever report on the Top Airports for Tech Travelers.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45689727#45689727

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Putin denounces protesters, rejects rerun of vote (AP)

MOSCOW ? Sharp-tongued and defiant, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin denounced those protesting vote fraud as stooges of the West and insisted that Russia's national election was valid. His opponents were undeterred.

In a 4 1/2-hour marathon call-in show on national TV, Putin aimed to erect a bulwark against a rising wave of discontent. But his disdainful tone appeared likely to only fuel more protests, after a fraud-tainted parliamentary vote Dec. 4 sparked the largest public anger Russia has seen in a generation.

In an appearance lasting from high noon to sunset Thursday in Moscow, a vigorous Putin defended the election as reflecting "the real balance of power in the country" and rejected calls for it to be rerun. That effectively dismissed opposition claims that vote fraud had given Putin's United Russia party a majority of the seats in parliament.

The 59-year-old leader acknowledged that the tightly controlled political system he crafted during a dozen years in power "may and should move toward liberalization" and proposed that web cameras be set up in all the country's more than 90,000 polling stations ahead of the March 4 election in which he will seek to return to the presidency.

The opposition was not mollified.

"The boorish, disdainful attitude toward the people that Putin demonstrated in today's television show was obvious," said Boris Nemtsov, a prominent opposition leader, in a blog post after the show.

Last week's protests, which included tens of thousands in central Moscow, indicated that Putin's return to the presidential chair he occupied from 2000 to 2008 will not be as easy as he had been expected only two weeks ago. United Russia lost about 20 percent of its parliament seats, and critics say the slim majority it retained was due only to widespread vote fraud.

Opposition groups plan a series of protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg this weekend, hoping to follow up on last week's dramatic demonstrations in more than 60 cities. Officials have allowed up to 10,000 people at each. Another protest planned for Dec. 24 has an attendance limit of 50,000.

"He is not a bad man, but I wouldn't trust him to be president for another term," Vladimir Gerasimenko, a 56-year-old Muscovite, said as he watched Putin's show in an electronics store.

In a telling display of anger, the number of people who signed up on Facebook to go to the Dec. 24 rally increased from 18,000 to 21,500 just in the hours Putin was speaking.

Putin also faces a new and charismatic challenger ? New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Hours before Putin's TV appearance started, the metals and banking billionaire met with supporters.

"I deeply understand the demands and the strivings of the people who took to the streets," Prokhorov told reporters, adding that he may join a follow-up protest later this month.

In a direct challenge to Putin ? although his name was not mentioned ? Prokhorov announced that his first move if elected would be to pardon jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Once Russia's richest man, Khodorkovsky has been in prison since 2003 on tax evasion and fraud, charges widely seen as punishment for defying Putin's power.

Previous editions of the annual national call-in show have been largely an opportunity for Putin to brag for hours about improvements in the country, but this one was unusually confrontational. Both callers and studio participants repeatedly raised questions about the election, the anti-fraud protests and the repression of opposition groups.

"Putin still doesn't understand what's going on in the country and who are these people coming out into the streets. He is continuing to use demagoguery and cynically denigrate the citizens, their rights and freedom," Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin's former prime minister who has now become a top opposition figure, was quoted as saying by the news agency Interfax.

Challenger Prokhorov also vowed to allow free registration of opposition parties and restore popular elections of provincial governors if he wins the March vote.

Putin has marginalized opposition forces, tightened election rules and abolished direct elections of governors. He has defended those moves as necessary to prevent criminal clans and separatist forces from dominating the gubernatorial elections, but suggested that he may allow their election in the future. He said candidates for governors still should be nominated by the president, but could then be put to a direct popular vote.

In a characteristic nationalist gambit, Putin accused protest organizers of working to destabilize the country on orders from the West, saying "that's a well-organized pattern of destabilizing society."

Putin last week had dismissed criticism of the vote by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of U.S. efforts to weaken Russia.

"They still fear our nuclear potential," he said Thursday. "We also carry an independent foreign policy, and, of course, it's an impediment for some."

The rift over the elections revealed deep cracks in U.S.-Russian relations despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" ties with Russia. Putin said Moscow would like to develop cooperation with Washington but harshly criticized U.S. foreign policy, accusing it of unilateralism.

"America doesn't need allies, it only needs vassals," Putin said.

Putin alleged the organizers of Saturday's demonstration in Moscow had paid some participants, publicly referring to them as sheep. Unleashing his penchant for earthy remarks, Putin derided the white ribbons that have been adopted as a protest symbol, saying he thought demonstrators had "put some condoms" on their sleeves to promote safe sex.

One of Russia's most-read bloggers, Rustem Adagamov, who took part in Saturday's rally, was disappointed with Putin's dismissal of protesters as paid agents of the West.

"Instead of unifying the nation and looking for opportunities to start a discussion, we still see the same Soviet 'witch hunt', which means searching for enemies who go to protests because they've been paid," he wrote in his blog.

Putin said the results of Russia's parliamentary election properly reflected the people's will, adding that the drop in support for his party was a natural result of the 2008 global financial crisis. He brushed off vote fraud claims as part of the opposition's maneuvering ahead of the presidential election, and said any complaints should go to the courts.

"The opposition goal's is to fight for power and it's looking for every chance to advance," he said.

He promised voters that President Dmitry Medvedev's decision to permanently switch the nation to a summer time can be reviewed. The move left Russians trudging to work in complete darkness in the morning, angering many.

Putin also lashed out at U.S. Sen. John McCain, who had goaded him with a Twitter post saying "the Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you."

"Mr. McCain was captured in Vietnam and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years," Putin said. "Anyone (in his place) would go nuts."

McCain responded Thursday with another tweet: "Dear Vlad, is it something I said?"

__

Vladimir Isachenkov and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111215/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_putin

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