Trail Blazers roster breakdown: A look at where players will stand when NBA lockout ends

Every hint of progress and optimism in this mind-numbing NBA work stoppage is doused with a heated and disheartening pause of the labor negotiations that seemingly will never end.

But conventional wisdom ? and history ? suggests the lockout eventually will come to an end. That the billionaires and millionaires will stop squabbling over unfathomable amounts of money and begin a shortened season that is sure to be filled with fan discontent.

And then what? As Rip City endures talk of CBAs and BRIs instead of LAs and B. Roys, it?s easy to forget exactly where the Trail Blazers? roster stands 122 days into the lockout. Below is a brief overview, including the contract status, potential impact of a new collective bargaining agreement and the expected role of the players who are tied to the Blazers? roster:

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE
Position: Power forward

NBA experience: Sixth season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $12.6 million in the second of a five-year, $62.5 million deal. A new CBA should have little immediately impact.

2010-11 stats: 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists

When last season ended: Breakthrough season saw Aldridge emerge as The Building Block of the franchise. He was on the cusp of being an All-Star after establishing new career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals (82). His play carried the Blazers during an injury-riddled season.

Expected role if lockout ends: The centerpiece, offensively and defensively, of a team that could feature a more uptempo playing style. Perhaps the biggest question is whether he will play as much center as he did last season.

GREG ODEN
Position: Center

NBA experience: Fifth season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: The Blazers offered an $8.8 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. Oden's status is as complex as any player's in the NBA. Any team can offer the former No. 1 pick a free agent deal, but the Blazers' would then have seven days to match the offer (assuming the new CBA features a similar rule). They Blazers also could negotiate their own multiyear deal with Oden or, if he does not generate any free agent interest, simply sign him to the one-year qualifying offer. He then would become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

2010-11 stats: Did not play because of knee surgery

When last season ended: Missed the entire season with his third season-ending knee surgery. He's played a total of 82 games over four years.

Expected role if lockout ends: It all depends on his health. He had microfracture surgery on his left knee on November 19, 2010, and the Blazers said he would miss "six to 12 months." Oden said last week on his Facebook page that he recently started to run, but his rehabilitation status is unclear. If he's healthy and can replicate the dominant potential he flashed before his second knee injury two seasons ago, he could be a difference-making starting center. But after three knee surgeries, expectations are at an all-time low for the one-time franchise player.

BRANDON ROY
Position: Guard

NBA experience: Sixth season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $15 million in the second of a five-year, $82 million deal. Multiple reports suggest the CBA will include some form of "Amnesty Clause," which would allow teams to remove one contract from their salary cap by cutting a player (although the player would still receive his full salary). Roy, who's All-Star ability deteriorated seemingly overnight last season because of knee issues, is widely considered a prime candidate for such a clause because he is at the beginning of a max NBA contract. It's unclear what the details of the clause will be, but Roy's career with the Blazers is in jeopardy, an unfathomable scenario heading into last season.

2010-11 stats: 12.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists

When last season ended: Balky knees forced him to miss all but 47 games and his game lacked the athleticism and burst that allowed him to develop into the centerpiece and heart and soul of the franchise. Was an effective sixth man off the bench, however, and his magical play in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Playoffs will go down as one of the most memorable moments in Blazers history.

Expected role if lockout ends: It depends on the details of the Amnesty Clause. But if he comes back, he would compete for minutes at shooting guard and has stated a desire to return to the starting lineup.

NICOLAS BATUM
Position: Small forward

NBA experience: Fourth season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $2.2 million in final year of rookie contract. New rules for free agency and salary allocation and changes to salary cap or luxury tax system will have significant implications for him after this season, when Batum becomes a free agent for the first time.

2010-11 stats: 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists

When last season ended: Had a solid, but unspectacular third season that included starting and reserve roles at small forward. After the trade deadline acquisition of Gerald Wallace, Batum eventually evolved into a top reserve off the bench.

Expected role if lockout ends: Coach Nate McMillan hinted in the offseason that Batum could see time at shooting guard. Will battle for minutes there and at small forward with Wallace, and will continue to serve as one of the team's best wing defenders and a "glue" player on both ends. A big season could cement his status as a long-term fixture in the franchise.
?
MARCUS CAMBY
Position: Center

NBA experience: 16th season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $11.2 million in final year of two-year, $21 million deal. New rules would effect free agency next offseason, but after a long and lucrative career, impact is minimal.

2010-11 stats: 4.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.56 blocks.

When last season ended: Maintained hold on starting center job despite age and arthroscopic surgery on left knee that caused him to miss 17 games.

Expected role if lockout ends: Until Greg Oden or a to-be-determined-center replaces him, will continue to be the Blazers' starting center. In the twilight of his career, will need to prove he can stay healthy and withstand what could be a shortened season crammed with games and less-than-normal rest.

WESLEY MATTHEWS
Position: Guard

NBA experience: Third season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $6.1 million in the second of a five-year, $32.5 million deal. A new CBA will have no immediate impact.

2010-11 stats: 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists

When last season ended: Despite playing with undisclosed ankle injury during the last four months of the season, lived up to the hype of his controversial contract by developing into starting shooting guard.

Expected role if lockout ends: Depends on the health of Brandon Roy -- and the impact of an Amnesty Clause -- but likely will regain role as starting shooting guard and defensive tone-setter.
?

RAYMOND FELTON
Position: Point guard

NBA experience: 7th season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: See: Batum. Will make $7.6 million in the final year of a two-year, $14.6 million contract. Felton will be a free agent next offseason in the prime of his career, so any changes to the CBA will have a direct effect on him next summer.

2010-11 stats: 15.5 points, 8.3 assists per game with the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets

When last season ended: In the midst of his best statistical NBA season, Felton was included in the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks. Finished season with the Nuggets as a backup point guard.

Expected role if lockout ends: Instantly becomes the Blazers' starting point guard, replacing Andre Miller, the player he was traded for on draft night. Because Felton excels in the open floor and in the pick and roll, the Blazers could be poised to replace their methodical style with a more uptempo offense. A standout season would reinforce the Blazers' belief that their revolving door at point guard is over and he could run the show for years to come.

GERALD WALLACE
Position: Forward

NBA experience: 11th season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $9.5 million in the final year of a six-year, $57 million deal and holds player option for 2012-13. Like Batum and Felton, a new CBA will impact him directly next offseason unless he exercises his player option.

2010-11 stats: 15.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists

When last season ended: After providing a necessary late-season burst of adrenaline that catapulted the Blazers to the sixth seed in the Western Conference, he fizzled in the playoffs, which played a significant role in the Blazers' six-game loss to the eventual-champion Mavericks.

Expected role if lockout ends: One of the team's most important players, he likely will regain his starting small forward spot ahead of Batum. His rugged defense and all-hustle game will be critical to the Blazers' success.
?
NOLAN SMITH
Position: Guard

NBA experience: Rookie season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $1.1 million in the first year of his rookie contract. A new CBA should have no immediate impact.

2010-11 stats: 20.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds at Duke

When last season ended: Completed a stellar four-year career at Duke by earning first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year honors.

Expected role if lockout ends: The Blazers selected him with the No. 21 overall pick -- ahead of gritty power forward Kenneth Farried -- because they think he can play backup point guard immediately.

LUKE BABBITT
Position: Forward

NBA experience: Second season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $1.8 million in the second year of his rookie contract. The new CBA should not impact him this season.

2010-11 stats: 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds

When last season ended: Touted as an immediate contributor when the Blazers drafted him No. 16 overall (in a trade with Minnesota), Babbitt failed to live up the hype, playing just 137 minutes in 24 games.

Expected role if lockout ends: Will have to show exceptional growth to crack the playing rotation at forward, a position of depth and strength for the Blazers. If he can prove he can shoot -- the reason the team drafted him -- he could carve a niche.

ARMON JOHNSON
Position: Point guard

NBA experience: Second season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $800,000 in second year of two-year deal. As a rank-and-file player, a new CBA will greatly impact career going forward -- but not this season.

2010-11 stats: 2.0 points, 1.2 assists

When last season ended: After a surprising training camp and preseason performance earned him a backup point guard role, Johnson lost his job to Patty Mills and ended the season outside of the playing rotation.

Expected role if lockout ends: Should get opportunity to compete with rookie Nolan Smith and -- if he returns -- Mills for backup point guard duties. But the selection of Smith was hardly a ringing endorsement.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS
Position: Guard

NBA experience: Second season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: Will make $1.4 million in second year of rookie contract. A new CBA should have no immediate impact.

2010-11 stats: Did not play (knee surgeries)

When last season ended: Had resumed basketball activities in March after undergoing separate surgeries to repair patella instability in both knees.

Expected role if lockout ends: A wild card, but unlikely, contributor this season. The Blazers valued Williams' athleticism and potential enough to draft him No. 22 overall -- despite knowledge about his knee issues. But with just two years of college play and one injury-riddled professional season under his belt, growing pains are to be expected.

CHRIS JOHNSON
Position: Center/forward

NBA experience: Second season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: The Blazers hold the rights to a nonguaranteed contract that would pay $800,000 if exercised. As a player who went undrafted and features a nonguaranteed contract, it's unclear what impact a new CBA would have but it could be substantial.

2010-11 stats: 2.4 points, 2.3 rebounds

When last season ended: Showed potential as a spark plug post player off the bench after the Blazers signed him with a hardship exception in January. Distinguished himself in the Game 3 of the playoffs with a standout effort off the bench and earned playing time throughout the Dallas series.

Expected role if lockout ends: Depending on what free agent moves the Blazers make, could compete for backup minutes at power forward and center.

PATTY MILLS
Position: Guard

NBA experience: Third season

Contract status/Impact of new CBA: The Blazers offered $1.2 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. Any new free agency rules and tweaks to salary cap structure would directly and immediately effect Mills.

2010-11 stats: 5.5 points, 1.7 assists

When last season ended: Held backup point guard job for most of season, at one point earning fourth-quarter playing time over then-starter Andre Miller. But failed to do enough to cement long-term status with team.

Expected role if lockout ends: A restricted free agent, the Blazers hold Mills' rights and will have seven days to match any contract offer from another team (assuming the new CBA features a similar rule). But with the Blazers' draft selection of Nolan Smith and their investment in Johnson, he appears to be a long shot to return to Portland.

--Joe Freeman

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/10/trail_blazers_roster_breakdown.html

premier fitness dan uggla john wayne gacy top chef just desserts jamarcus russell sister wives st louis weather

Stanford's Open Source Human Motion Software

I can understand a day, a week, or months without noticing imbalance.

But we use our feet from birth to whenever. If you've grown up with an imbalanced gait, you're probably aware of it by now, and its deleterious effects have manifest.

This whole thing sounds like the sort of "test" given by chiropractors and scientologists. Find a dysmorphism that's natural and unthreatening, then claim it's unnatural and threatening, then charge a lot for the cure, which may be worse than the non-problem (and don't forge

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/SO_owzxlLjU/stanfords-open-source-human-motion-software

doritos confederate flag confederate flag eddie cibrian kim delaney kim delaney dead sea scrolls

Raid on home turns up 150 cats, many sick

REIDSVILLE, N.C.?? A raid on a Reidsville woman's home that led to the removal of more than 150 cats has sparked calls for changes to state law that would make so-called animal hoarders less common.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. AP Iowa Poll: Cain, Romney top field ahead of caucuses
   2. Bachmann defends stance on kids of illegal immigrants
   3. AP Do science and politics mix?
   4. Facebook says 600,000 account logins compromised every day
   5. AP Sports fans play the Washington game
   6. NBC News Rock Center: Birth tourism becomes a global industry
   7. AP Michael Moore confesses: I am the 1 percent

The News and Record of Greensboro reports that authorities removed the felines from Carolyn Johnson's home after receiving complaints. The Rockingham County Animal Shelter says many of the animals were sick and had to be euthanized.

Johnson says the animals were being treated well, and that she was trying to save them from being put to sleep in shelters.

Four years ago, more than 100 cats were taken from Johnson's home under similar circumstances.

Kimberly Alboum of the state Humane Society says spay and neuter laws need to be changed to make such situations less common.

___

Information from: News & Record, http://www.news-record.com

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45094875/ns/us_news-life/

the ides of march yankees espn magazine espn magazine anywhere but here wall street protesters att

Lawmakers warn Obama over Russia's WTO bid (reuters)

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

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/155135607?client_source=feed&format=rss

rosie o donnell brady quinn brady quinn nick fairley barry sanders barry sanders tim allen

More Recall Campaign Finance Reports

Pearce received more money just from lobbyists and PAC?s than the recall committee received total. Who?s controlled by special interests?

Tolman?s group received almost 40% of its donations from out of state. And he accused us of being funded by out of staters?

Who paid Lisa Hauser?s bill? I doubt she went to the Supreme Court on a contingency fee.

Source: http://sonoranalliance.com/2011/10/28/more-recall-campaign-finance-reports/

walter payton oneiric oneiric eartha kitt psych david ortiz matthew shepard

David Freese MVP: Cardinals 3B Wins World Series Most Valuable Player (VIDEO)

ST. LOUIS ? David Freese, the hometown boy made good, is the MVP of the World Series.

Down to their final strike in Game 6, the Cardinals' reluctant hero delivered a tying two-run triple in the ninth inning Thursday night. Freese then did one better: a leadoff homer in the 11th that gave St. Louis a dramatic win over the Rangers and forced the first Game 7 since 2002.

Freese, the NL championship series MVP, capped his memorable October with another strong performance Friday night, hitting a two-run double in the first inning to tie it 2-all.

Playing solid defense at third base and also drawing a pair of walks that helped lead to runs, Freese was again front and center in a 6-2 win that wrapped up the Cardinals' 11th championship.

"This means everything," Freese said.

When the final out was made, Freese threw his arms in the air and dashed for the mound, where he joined a happy scrum as confetti floated down from the upper reaches of Busch Stadium.

Freese batted .348 in the World Series, with seven RBIs, three doubles and one big homer. He's the fourth Cardinals player to win the MVP award, joining Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson in 1964 and '67, catcher Darrell Porter in 1982 and David Eckstein in their 2006 victory over Detroit.

"You learn from all these veterans about how to go about this game and I wouldn't be here without them," Freese said.

Freese could just as well be the MVP of the entire postseason.

The kid who grew up in a St. Louis suburb hit a three-run homer in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Then came his stirring performance against the Texas Rangers in the Fall Classic.

Often lost in a high-scoring lineup that includes Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Freese left his impression on baseball's grandest stage out of necessity.

Holliday struggled most of the series before spraining his right wrist during Game 6, keeping him off the roster Friday. Pujols was intentionally walked whenever he was a threat.

That left the offense to Freese, who had given up on baseball after high school, spurning a scholarship offer from Missouri to simply be a college student. He even rebuffed the Tigers' coaches when they called midway through his first semester to find out whether he'd changed his mind.

It wasn't until about a year out of high school that the itch to play finally returned.

Freese gave in and enrolled at St. Louis Community College-Meremec, and his play there caught the attention of the coaching staff at South Alabama. Freese blossomed into the Padres' ninth-round draft pick in 2006, and a trade to the Cardinals eventually brought him home.

"If you wrote a story like that ? a guy gets traded, comes back to his hometown, he's a hero ? if you sent that in the script, it would get thrown back in your face," Commissioner Bud Selig opined before the start of Game 7.

This wasn't a perfect fairy tale, though. That would be too easy.

Freese needed season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right ankle last year, and he broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch earlier this season. He was hit by another pitch in August and sustained a concussion.

Each time, he came back better than before.

He was at his best against Texas.

In the World Series opener, with the game tied in the sixth inning, Freese delivered a timely double. He alertly moved to third base on a wild pitch, allowing him to score easily for the eventual winning run on Allen Craig's single to right field.

Freese scored the Cardinals' only run in a 2-1 loss in Game 2, and then drove in a pair of runs in a 16-7 victory in Game 3 ? a performance that will be forever overshadowed by Pujols' three homers.

Nobody could overshadow Freese in Game 6.

After committing a critical error when an easy popup bounced out of his glove, Freese more than made up for it with his bat. Down to his final strike, his two-run triple in the ninth forced extra innings, and he joined Bill Mazeroski, Carlton Fisk, Kirby Puckett and Joe Carter as the only players to hit a game-winning homer in Game 6 or later of a Fall Classic.

That's pretty select company.

Much like the company he'll enjoy as MVP of the World Series.

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/28/david-freese-mvp-world-series-2011_n_1064859.html

lisa lampanelli bobby fischer the lion king john cabot john cabot safety razor safety razor

Europe crafts debt deal that pleases markets (AP)

BRUSSELS ? European leaders clinched a deal Thursday they hope will mark a turning point in their two-year debt crisis, agreeing after a night of tense negotiations to have banks take bigger losses on Greece's debts and to boost the region's weapons against the market turmoil.

After months of dawdling and half-baked solutions, the leaders had been under immense pressure to finalize their plan to prevent the crisis from pushing Europe and much of the developed world back into recession and to protect their currency union from unraveling.

World stock markets surged higher Thursday on the news. Oil prices rose above $92 per barrel while the euro gained strongly ? a signal investors were relieved at the outcome of the contentious negotiations.

"We have reached an agreement, which I believe lets us give a credible and ambitious and overall response to the Greek crisis," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters. "Because of the complexity of the issues at stake, it took us a full night. But the results will be a source of huge relief worldwide."

Sarkozy later called his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and pledged to cooperate to revive global growth, but there was no word on whether Beijing might contribute to Europe's bailout fund.

The fund's chief executive is due to visit Beijing on Friday to talk to potential investors. Beijing has expressed sympathy for the 27-nation European Union, its biggest trading partner, but has yet to commit any cash.

The strategy unveiled after 10 hours of negotiations focused on three key points. These included a significant reduction in Greece's debts, a shoring up of the continent's banks, partially so they could sustain deeper losses on Greek bonds, and a reinforcement of a European bailout fund so it can serve as a euro1 trillion ($1.39 trillion) firewall to prevent larger economies like Italy and Spain from being dragged into the crisis.

After several missed opportunities, hashing out a plan was a success for the 17-nation eurozone, but the strategy's effectiveness will depend on the details, which will have to be finalized in the coming weeks.

President Barack Obama, who had been increasingly pressuring Europe to get its act together in recent weeks, welcomed the plan ? but pointedly noted that the U.S. was looking forward to its "full development and rapid implementation."

The most difficult piece of the puzzle proved to be Greece, whose debts the leaders vowed to bring down to 120 percent of its GDP by 2020. Under current conditions, they would have ballooned to 180 percent.

To achieve that massive reduction, private creditors like banks will be asked to accept 50 percent losses on the bonds they hold. The Institute of International Finance, which has been negotiating on behalf of the banks, said it was committed to working out an agreement based on that "haircut," but the challenge now will be to ensure that all private bondholders fall in line.

It said the 50 percent cut equals a contribution of euro100 billion ($139 billion) to a second rescue for Greece, although the eurozone promised to spend some euro30 billion ($42 billion) on guaranteeing the remaining value of the new bonds.

The full program is expected to be finalized by early December and investors are supposed to swap their bonds in January, at which point Greece is likely to become the first euro country ever to be rated at default on its debt.

"We can claim that a new day has come for Greece, and not only for Greece but also for Europe," said Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, whose country's troubles touched off the crisis two years ago. "A burden from the past has gone, so that we can start a new era of development."

Not all Greeks were convinced. Prominent left-wing deputy Dimitris Papadimoulis said the agreement would doom Greeks to a deeper recession.

"The deal puts Greece in a eurozone quarantine," he said. "We are now locked in a system of continuous austerity, haphazard privatization, and continuous supervision by our creditors."

He also noted an inherent conflict of interest in the plan.

"Those who monitor us do not have our interests in mind. Their priority is that we pay back our loans," Papadimoulis said.

Since May 2010, Greece has been surviving on rescue loans worth euro110 billion ($150 billion) from the 17 countries that use the euro and the International Monetary Fund since it can't afford to borrow money directly from markets.

In July, those creditors agreed to extend another euro109 billion ? but that plan was widely panned as insufficient.

Now, in addition to euro30 billion in bond guarantees, the eurozone leaders and IMF said they will give Greece euro100 billion ($139 billion) in new loans.

With the banks being asked to shoulder more of the burden, though, there were concerns they needed more money in their rainy-day funds to cushion their losses. So European leaders have asked them to raise euro106 billion ($148 billion) by June.

The last piece in the complicated plan was to increase the firepower of the continent's bailout fund to ensure that other countries with troubled economies ? like Italy and Spain ? don't get dragged into the crisis. The third- and fourth-largest economies of the eurozone are too large to be bailed out like the smaller euro nations Greece, Portugal and Ireland have already been.

To that end, the euro440 billion ($610 billion) European Financial Stability Facility will be used to insure part of the potential losses on the debt of wobbly eurozone countries like Italy and Spain, rendering its firepower equivalent to around euro1 trillion ($1.39 trillion).

That should make those countries' bonds more attractive investments and thus lower borrowing costs for their governments.

In addition to acting as a direct insurer of bond issues, the EFSF insurance scheme is also supposed to entice big institutional investors to contribute to a special fund that could be used to buy government bonds but also to help states recapitalize weak banks.

Such outside help may be necessary for Italy and Spain, whose banks were facing some of the biggest capital shortfalls.

On the markets, European trading was buoyant from the outset Thursday on the news. Britain's FTSE climbed 2.9 percent to 5,712. Germany's DAX jumped 4.9 percent to 6,311 and France's CAC-40 gained 5.5 percent to 3,344. Shares in Asia posted solid gains earlier in the day.

___

Sarah DiLorenzo reported from Paris. Greg Keller and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Juergen Baetz and Geir Moulson in Berlin, Raf Casert, Don Melvin and Robert Wielaard in Brussels and Julie Pace in Washington contributed.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

dina manzo dina manzo once upon a time once upon a time sharia law sharia law rumpelstiltskin

Death toll in Baghdad's twin bombings rises to 32 (AP)

BAGHDAD ? The death toll from a twin bombing in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad rose on Friday to 32 ? the worst violence to hit Iraq since President Barack Obama last week said all American forces would leave the country by the end of this year.

The two blasts, which took place Thursday evening at a music store, wounded 71 other people, police and health officials said. First one bomb went off and then, minutes later, another bomb exploded, targeting rescue workers and onlookers who had arrived after the first blast.

The officials said the death toll rose overnight after some of the more seriously wounded died. The wounded had been taken to different hospitals, they said, and so it took time for officials to get an accurate death toll.

Among the dead were eight security officers, including an army lieutenant colonel, four women and at least eight children, the officials said. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Many Iraqis fear violence will increase when the U.S. troops leave the country. Insurgents have for months sought to exploit continued instability and security gaps that Iraqi forces have been unable to close.

"I was on my motorbike with a delivery to a restaurant when the first bomb exploded," said Maytham Abdul-Karim, 32, the owner of a nearby kiosk selling pickles and yogurt. "The sound was very powerful. I stopped. I saw smoke coming from the site. I heard policemen calling on people to keep a distance out of fear of another bomb explosion."

Iraqis have lived through years of violence and are well aware of the danger that one explosion can be followed by another, more powerful blast. Despite that knowledge, many still run to the scene to help.

After the first explosion Thursday night, some of Abdul-Karim's friends ran from the restaurant they were eating to the blast site.

"Then the second bomb exploded. Two of them have died for sure, but I do not know the fate of the others. I went to the hospital they were taken to, but I was not allowed to get in because of the huge crowd of people asking for their loved ones," he said.

Violence has dropped dramatically across Iraq since just a few years ago, when sectarian violence brought the nation to the brink of civil war. But deadly bombings and attacks still happen nearly everyday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

copd hon equifax typing games javascript javascript history channel

Fresh iPhone Apps for Oct. 27: Modern Combat 3, Dawn of Magic, Riptide GP, Shantae (Appolicious)

Gameloft?s latest first-person shooter title, Modern Combat 3, kicks off this week?s big game night, but it?s not alone on our Fresh iPhone Apps list. Along for the ride is Dawn of Magic, a classic role-playing game with turn-based graphics and a very Japanese anime aesthetic; Riptide GP, a gorgeous 3-D racing game that puts you on a jet ski and watery tracks; and Shantae: Risky?s Revenge, an iOS port of a side-scrolling platformer that first graced the Nintendo DS.

Just in time for the release of the next Call of Duty: Modern Warfare title on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 comes Modern Combat 3, Gameloft?s first-person shooter franchise that closely parallels its console counterpart. If there?s one thing Gameloft does well, it?s mobile FPS games, and Modern Combat 3 doesn?t disappoint. It includes a 13-mission campaign mode with some pretty stellar graphics: this is a big-budget App Store title, to be sure.

In addition to Modern Combat 3?s story mode, the game also includes an online multiplayer mode in which as many as 12 players can compete. It has six maps to play on and seven different game modes to keep you interested, plus customizable weapons and leaderboards so you can track just how good you really are.

A role-playing game in the brand of the old school like the Final Fantasy series, story is paramount in Dawn of Magic. But that doesn?t mean there aren?t monsters to beat down and magic spells to cast by the truckload, either. The game includes a top-down world, a 16-bit aesthetic akin to the kinds of games we used to see in the 1990s, and turn-based battles that fans of older games may very well relish.

As you progress through Dawn of Magic?s story, you?ll gather companions to make up a team of three fighters you can take into battle, and you?ll be able to switch between them to make use of their different strengths. Dawn of Magic is a pretty big, involved game, and it includes multiple endings, which will give you an incentive to play it through more than once and make different choices.

Riptide GP (iPhone, iPad) $4.99

Great graphics and realistic water effects mark Riptide GP, a racing game in which you take to oceanic courses while riding a jet ski. Riptide uses tilt controls to control your racer, but managing a jet ski isn?t the same as a car or a motorcycle, so you?ll have to contend with water and learn some new skills in order to pick up the best times in all 12 of the game?s races.

Riptide packs three game modes: Race, Hot Lap (a time-trial mode) and Championship, a series of higher-level races in which you have to qualify in order to advance to the championship races. It also includes Game Center and OpenFeint support for leaderboards and achievements, and you can use OpenFeint to compete against your friends by trying to beat their times.

Part role-playing game, part side-scrolling platformer, Shantae is a port from the Nintendo DS that puts you in the roll of a half-genie fighting against another, eviler genie. You?ll explore towns and speak with the townsfolk in order to solve puzzles and complete quests, while searching for objects and power-ups that allow you to reach new areas. Along the way, you?ll battle enemies using Shantaeh?s hair as a weapon.

Shantae includes a fairly big and involved quest, a classic 16-bit graphical style and multiple save slots, so more than one person can enjoy the game on the same device. It also includes Game Center support to provide you with achievements to earn along the way.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/videogames/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_appolicious_com_articles10035_fresh_iphone_apps_for_oct_27_modern_combat_3_dawn_of_magic_riptide_gp_shantae/43405439/SIG=13vs7gvds/*http%3A//www.appolicious.com/games/articles/10035-fresh-iphone-apps-for-oct-27-modern-combat-3-dawn-of-magic-riptide-gp-shantae

phillies phillies philadelphia phillies sand dollar sand dollar just dance 3 just dance 3

Michael Jackson Top-Earning Dead Celebrity

Forbes magazine predicts Cirque du Soleil tribute show 'Immortal' will put King of Pop in the lead again next year.
By Gil Kaufman

Michael Jackson
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

For the second year in a row, Michael Jackson has topped Forbes magazine's list of top-earning dead celebrities. The King of Pop, who died unexpectedly at age 50 in June 2009, earned an estimated $170 million over the past year, making him the second-highest-earning pop star this year (behind U2) — dead or alive.

The megabucks came in from sales of his music, as well as his stake in the lucrative Sony/ATV catalog, and while impressive, was a big step down from the $275 million the Jackson estate earned in the year after the singer's death. Songwriters who own their work tend to place high on the Forbes list because their catalog sales often remain strong after their death, one of the reasons Jackson's posthumous career has been so lucrative.

The magazine speculated that Jackson is likely to top the list again next year thanks to the recent launch of the Cirque du Soleil tribute show "Immortal," which, if successful, could net more touring income for the singer in death than he earned in life.

In a distant second was the perennial chart-topper in the Forbes tally, Elvis, whose catalog and merchandise sales (not to mention his pricey Cirque show, "Viva Elvis") helped bring in $55 million from October 2010 to October 2011. Two late Beatles, John Lennon and George Harrison, placed fifth and 13th on the list, respectively, at $12 million and $6 million, also thanks in part to catalog sales and the proceeds from a Las Vegas Cirque show, "Love."

Fifty years after her death, blonde starlet Marilyn Monroe was #3 with $27 million, followed by "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles Schulz. Actress Elizabeth Taylor tied at #5 with Lennon at $12 million, mostly due to the perennially strong sales of her perfumes, just ahead of renowned genius Albert Einstein ($10 million) and Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel ($9 million).

Tied at #9 are guitar god Jimi Hendrix, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" author Stieg Larsson, actor Steve McQueen and songwriter Richard Rodgers ($7 million). Harrison was at #13, tied with pin-up icon Bettie Page and pop-art legend Andy Warhol ($6 million).

Related Artists

• Michael Jackson

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673182/michael-jackson-income-immortal-show.jhtml

dr. oz conjoined twins lingual braces joe mcginniss joan crawford joan crawford kat dennings

Lego Brick Sifter Sorts Bricks by Size

Like every human child, I loved Lego. And like every human being ever, I hate tidying up. So the Box4Blox would have been just about the second best gift I could have received when I was small. Box4Blox is a simple sifter that sorts your lego blocks by size.
It works by grading the bricks. Of [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/QuuF4wg-Sqg/

nflx courtney stodden john mccarthy john mccarthy ravens lumpectomy robin williams

AP IMPACT: NYPD shadows Muslims who change names

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2011, file photo, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly listens during his testimony about NYPD intelligence operations to the New York City Council public safety committee in New York. Three months ago, one of the CIA?s most experienced clandestine operatives started work inside the New York Police Department. His title is special assistant to the deputy commissioner of intelligence. Since The Associated Press revealed the assignment in August, federal and city officials have offered differing explanations for why this CIA officer, a seasoned operative who handled foreign agents and ran complex operations in Jordan and Pakistan, was assigned to a municipal police department. Kelly said the CIA operative provides his officers "with information, usually coming from perhaps overseas." He said the CIA operative provides "technical information" to the NYPD but "doesn?t have access to any of our investigative files." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2011, file photo, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly listens during his testimony about NYPD intelligence operations to the New York City Council public safety committee in New York. Three months ago, one of the CIA?s most experienced clandestine operatives started work inside the New York Police Department. His title is special assistant to the deputy commissioner of intelligence. Since The Associated Press revealed the assignment in August, federal and city officials have offered differing explanations for why this CIA officer, a seasoned operative who handled foreign agents and ran complex operations in Jordan and Pakistan, was assigned to a municipal police department. Kelly said the CIA operative provides his officers "with information, usually coming from perhaps overseas." He said the CIA operative provides "technical information" to the NYPD but "doesn?t have access to any of our investigative files." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Muslims who change their names to sound more traditionally American, as immigrants have done for generations, or who adopt Arabic names as a sign of their faith are often investigated and catalogued in secret New York Police Department intelligence files, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The NYPD monitors everyone in the city who changes his or her name, according to internal police documents and interviews. For those whose names sound Arabic or might be from Muslim countries, police run comprehensive background checks that include reviewing travel records, criminal histories, business licenses and immigration documents. All this is recorded in police databases for supervisors, who review the names and select a handful of people for police to visit.

The program was conceived as a tripwire for police in the difficult hunt for homegrown terrorists, where there are no widely agreed upon warning signs. Like other NYPD intelligence programs created in the past decade, this one involved monitoring behavior protected by the First Amendment.

Since August, an Associated Press investigation has revealed a vast NYPD intelligence-collecting effort targeting Muslims following the terror attacks of September 2001. Police have conducted surveillance of entire Muslim neighborhoods, chronicling every aspect of daily life, including where people eat, pray and get their hair cut. Police infiltrated dozens of mosques and Muslim student groups and investigated hundreds more.

Monitoring name changes illustrates how the threat of terrorism now casts suspicion over what historically has been part of America's story. For centuries, immigrants have Americanized their names in New York. The Roosevelts were once the van Rosenvelts. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz. Donald Trump's grandfather changed the family name from Drumpf.

David Cohen, the NYPD's intelligence chief, worried that would-be terrorists could use their new names to lie low in New York, current and former officials recalled. Reviewing name changes was intended to identify people who either Americanized their names or took Arabic names for the first time, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not respond to messages left over two days asking about the legal justification for the program and whether it had identified any terrorists.

The goal was to find a way to spot terrorists like Daood Gilani and Carlos Bledsoe before they attacked.

Gilani, a Chicago man, changed his name to the unremarkable David Coleman Headley to avoid suspicion as he helped plan the 2008 terrorist shooting spree in Mumbai, India. Bledsoe, of Tennessee, changed his name to Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad in 2007 and, two years later, killed one soldier and wounded another in a shooting at a recruiting station in Little Rock, Ark.

Sometime around 2008, state court officials began sending the NYPD information about new name changes, said Ron Younkins, the court's chief of operations. The court regularly sends updates to police, he said. The information is all public, and he said the court was not aware of how police used it.

The NYPD program began as a purely analytical exercise, according to documents and interviews. Police reviewed the names received from the court and selected some for background checks that included city, state and federal criminal databases as well as federal immigration and Treasury Department databases that identified foreign travel.

Early on, police added people with American names to the list so that if details of the program ever leaked out, the department would not be accused of profiling, according to one person briefed on the program.

On one police document from that period, 2 out of every 3 people who were investigated had changed their names to or from something that could be read as Arabic-sounding.

All the names that were investigated, even those whose background checks came up empty, were cataloged so police could refer to them in the future.

The legal justification for the program is unclear from the documents obtained by the AP. Because of its history of spying on anti-war protesters and political activists, the NYPD has long been required to follow a federal court order when gathering intelligence. That order allows the department to conduct background checks only when police have information about possible criminal activity, and only as part of "prompt and extremely limited" checking of leads.

The NYPD's rules also prohibit opening investigations based solely on activities protected by the First Amendment. Federal courts have held that people have a right to change their names and, in the case of religious conversion, that right is protected by the First Amendment.

After the AP's investigation into the NYPD's activities, some U.S. lawmakers, including Reps. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Rush Holt, D-N.J., have said the NYPD programs are blatantly racial profiling and have asked the Justice Department to investigate. Two Democrats on congressional intelligence committees said they were troubled by the CIA's involvement in these programs. Additionally, seven New York Democratic state senators called for the state attorney general to investigate the NYPD's spying on Muslim neighborhoods. And last month, the CIA announced an inspector general investigation into the agency's partnership with the NYPD.

The NYPD is not alone in its monitoring of Muslim neighborhoods. The FBI has its own ethnic mapping program that singled out Muslim communities and agents have been criticized for targeting mosques.

The name change program is an example of how, while the NYPD says it operates under the same rules as the FBI, police have at times gone beyond what is allowed by the federal government. The FBI would not be allowed to run a similar program because of First Amendment and privacy concerns and because the goal is too vague and the program too broad, according to FBI rules and interviews with federal officials.

Police expanded their efforts in late 2009, according to documents and interviews. After analysts ran background checks, police began selecting a handful of people to visit and interview.

Internally, some police groused about the program. Many people who were approached didn't want to talk and police couldn't force them to.

A Pakistani cab driver, for instance, told police he did not want to talk to them about why he took Sheikh as a new last name, documents show.

Police also knew that a would-be terrorist who Americanized his name in hopes of lying low was unlikely to confess as much to detectives. In fact, of those who agreed to talk at all, many said they Americanized their names because they were being harassed or were having problems getting a job and thought a new name would help.

But as with other intelligence programs at the NYPD, Cohen hoped it would send a message to would-be bombers that police were watching, current and former officials said.

As it expanded, the program began to target Muslims even more directly, drawing criticism from Stuart Parker, an in-house NYPD lawyer, who said there had to be standards for who was being interviewed, a person involved in the discussions recalled. In response, police interviewed people with Arabic-sounding names but only if their background checks matched specific criteria.

The names of those who were interviewed, even those who chose not to speak with police, were recorded in police reports stored in the department's database, according to documents and interviews, while names of those who received only background checks were kept in a separate file in the Intelligence Division.

Donna Gabaccia, director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, said that for many families, name changes are important aspects of the American story. Despite the myth that officials at Ellis Island Americanized the names of people arriving in the U.S., most immigrants changed their names themselves to avoid ridicule and discrimination or just to fit in, she said.

The NYPD program, she said, turned that story on its head.

"In the past, you changed your name in response to stigmatization," she said. "And now, you change your name and you are stigmatized. There's just something very sad about this."

As for converts to Islam, the religion does not require them to take Arabic names but many do as a way to publicly identify their faith, said Jonathan Brown, a Georgetown University professor of Islamic studies.

Taking an Arabic name might be a sign that someone is more religious, Brown said, but it doesn't necessarily suggest someone is more radical. He said law enforcement nationwide has often confused the two points in the fight against terrorism.

"It's just an example of the silly, conveyor-belt approach they have, where anyone who gets more religious is by definition more dangerous," Brown said.

Sarah Feinstein-Borenstein, a 75-year-old Jewish woman who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was surprised to learn that she was among the Americans drawn into the NYPD program in its infancy. She hyphenated her last name in 2009. Police investigated and recorded her information in a police intelligence file because of it.

"It's rather shocking to me," she said. "I think they would have better things to do. It's is a waste of my tax money."

Feinstein-Borenstein was born in Egypt and lived there until the Suez Crisis in 1956. With a French mother and a Jewish religion, she and her family were labeled "undesirable" and were kicked out. She came to the U.S. in 1963.

"If you live long enough," she said, "you see everything."

___

Contact the Washington investigative team at DCInvestigations(at)ap.org

Read AP's previous stories and documents about the NYPD at: http://www.ap.org/nypd

Follow Apuzzo and Goldman at http://twitter.org/mattapuzzo and http://twitter.org/goldmandc

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-10-26-NYPD%20Intelligence/id-c64c49746c0e4c23ba8d5b83eebe6098

tv guide listings buddy holly buddy holly baylor prime numbers prime numbers lithium

Toiling Tiger's winless run closes in on two-year mark (Reuters)

REUTERS ? With the two-year anniversary of his last tournament win fast approaching, Tiger Woods is preparing for next month's Australian Open amid growing doubts over whether he can ever regain his former dominance.

His world ranking has slipped to a mind-boggling 55th and golfing greats Nick Faldo and Greg Norman have both said that Woods is incapable of adding further major titles to his career haul of 14.

Woods himself bristles at such notions and, as the greatest player of his generation and arguably of all time, he can point to previous achievements as a guide to the likely way forward.

"I've heard that before," a steely-eyed Woods said earlier this month of the comments made by Faldo and Norman. "It's not the first time I've heard that. And I've kept on winning them, too."

However, time is beginning to run out for the former world number one who will celebrate his 36th birthday in December and has already undergone four surgeries on his left knee.

Ever since Woods's world was seismically shifted by lurid details of his marital infidelities at the end of 2009, he has struggled on and off the course.

His marriage disintegrated, he battled injuries to his left knee ligaments and Achilles tendon earlier this year and has been working through the fourth swing change of his career.

A combination of injuries and poor form severely curtailed his 2011 PGA Tour campaign and he ended up a lowly 128th in the money list with earnings of $660,238 from just nine starts.

After failing to qualify for the lucrative FedExCup playoffs, Woods was urged by U.S. Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples to try and play himself into form ahead of the Nov. 17-20 tournament in Melbourne.

Consequently, Woods added the Frys.com Open in California to his schedule, his first appearance in one of the PGA Tour's Fall Series events which generally attract only the journeymen on the circuit and players striving to retain their cards.

Woods finished in a tie for 30th at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin but he was greatly encouraged after shooting three-under-par 68s in his last three rounds.

GETTING BETTER

"I got better every day," the 71-times PGA Tour winner told reporters after competing in his first PGA Tour event in almost two months. "Unfortunately, there were a couple of times where I kind of didn't get the momentum going when I had a couple of chances to make putts or I hit a bad shot.

"I felt very comfortable, and I just need to keep staying the course. The game's coming."

Woods played with his good friend Arjun Atwal in the final round at CordeValle and the Indian marvelled at the American's form, especially with the driver, as he birdied four of the first six holes.

"He is very close, very close to his best," Atwal told Reuters. "It's just a matter of Tiger playing a few more competitive rounds and everything else will be sorted out.

"His driving was so much better than it was when he was winning all those tournaments with Hank," Atwal added, referring to Woods's former swing coach Hank Haney.

"Even his (fairway) misses were only just off line. Tiger's still flying the ball 310 (yards) off the tee but his shots aren't off the map any more. And that old sound on impact is back."

Atwal and Woods are neighbours in Windermere, Florida, where they regularly play practice rounds together.

Injuries are no longer a problem for Woods, who says he has regained strength and the "explosiveness" back in his left leg since being sidelined for three months earlier this year.

His other main problem, lack of competition, is slowly being corrected and his next event will be the Nov. 10-13 Australian Open before he represents his country the following week at the Presidents Cup.

Woods has not triumphed anywhere since Nov. 15 2009 when he clinched the Australian Masters.

If he continues the encouraging progress he made at CordeValle, he could complete a tortuous journey somewhat fittingly on Australian soil by ending a two-year wait to get back into the winner's circle.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/india/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111027/india_nm/india601641

honey badger girl fight wake forest wake forest jacoby brissett danielle staub last of the mohicans

Video: Japan?s Defense Ministry Develops Awesome Ball-Shaped Drone

The world got a first glimpse of "world's first spherical flying machine" back in June this year, but its maker, Japan's Ministry of Defense, decided it's time to showcase it publicly a few days ago in Tokyo. And as you can see in the video embedded below, their ball drone is pretty awesome. The drone can stand still in mid-air, fly vertically and horizontally through narrow spaces at up to 60km/h, and (which is very cool) keep on moving when it hits the ground or a wall. Thanks to three gyro sensors in its body, the machine can keep also flying even if it's hit by an obstacle.

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

typhoon dwts elimination kelly thomas international day of peace michaele salahi jill zarin dexter mccluster

Michael Jackson Begged Nurse For Propofol

'Nobody who cared or had your best interest at heart is going to give you this,' Cherilyn Lee recalls telling MJ.
By Gil Kaufman and Kara Warner

Former Michael Jackson nurse Cherilyn Lee testifies
Photo: Paul Buck-Pool/ Getty Images

The second day of testimony from defense witnesses in the involuntary manslaughter trial of former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray included claims by one of the singer's former nurses that MJ demanded she provide him with the surgical anesthetic propofol.

The Witnesses
» Cherilyn Lee, nurse practitioner
» Brandon Phillips, president and CEO of AEG Live
» Michael Henson, toxicologist and technical operations officer for Pacific Toxicology

Key Testimony: » Nurse/ holistic medicine practitioner Cherilyn Lee testified that Jackson became frustrated with her attempts to treat his insomnia with natural remedies such as herbal teas and vitamins, insisting that only a propofol-like drug could work. Initially open to her suggestions, Lee said Jackson became "upset" as time went on and repeatedly asked for her to give him propofol. Her testimony came a day after Jackson's longtime internist, Allan Metzger, testified that during the same period just before his death, Jackson had also asked him for intravenous anesthetic to help his insomnia. Lee had never heard of propofol, but after looking it up, she said she warned Jackson not to use it.

» Lee's testimony was briefly halted after she complained of feeling dizzy and burst into tears in the courtroom hallway; she returned to the stand a short time later. Reading from Lee's record, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren asked if she recalled telling Jackson, "Nobody who cared or had your best interest at heart is going to give you this." She said she did.

» Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor dealt a blow to the defense when he barred testimony about Jackson's contractual obligations to This Is It concert promoter AEG Live. Pastor said the details could potentially distract the jurors, despite arguments from Murray's defense team that the 42-page document would show that the singer was under tremendous financial pressure to pull off the 50-concert comeback series in London. Defense attorney Ed Chernoff said in court that if Jackson had been unable to perform, he would have to repay more than $30 million at a time when he was $400 million in debt.

» Phillips' testimony centered on his experience with Jackson during the meetings and rehearsals for the This Is It series of concerts, at which Jackson insisted he be allowed to bring Murray to care for him personally.

» Phillips recalled Jackson being disconnected and distracted and that the show's choreographer, Kenny Ortega, suggested to him in an email that he consider canceling the shows due to Jackson's seemingly questionable health. Phillips said Jackson addressed those concerns during a meeting between himself, Ortega, Jackson and manager Frank DiLeo, during which Jackson told Ortega the show must go on. "You build the house and I'll put on the door and paint it," Phillips recalled Jackson saying to Ortega.

» Henson took the stand briefly to describe his background in toxicology and his area of expertise in the area of drug testing and providing information to various defense attorneys before the judge called for the day's adjournment. Testimony will resume at 9 a.m. PT on Wednesday.

Murray, who was being paid $150,000 a month to care for Jackson, had pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter and is now facing four years in prison. But new sentencing laws in California aimed at mandatorily reducing state prison overcrowding mean that, as a nonviolent offender with no prior record, he could be sentenced to county jail instead. If that is the case, his sentence could be reduced to two years and, because of overcrowding in the Los Angeles County jail, he may be allowed to serve the majority of his time under supervised house arrest.

Related Artists

• Michael Jackson

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673178/michael-jackson-trial-nurse.jhtml

san diego weather mla format regis philbin resistance 3 austin tx us postal service trey songz

iOS Notifications, Tire Repair, and the Firefox Search Box [From The Tips Box]

Readers offer their best tips for opening notifications in iOS 5, repairing flat tires cheaply, and using Firefox's dedicated search box.

Don't like the gallery layout? Click here to view everything on one page.

Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons?maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in?the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments, email it to tips at lifehacker.com, or share it on our tips and expert pages.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/wFi4h4Jmv7M/

lacuna paranormal activity 3 trailer paranormal activity 3 trailer oomph oomph cmj olin kreutz

Oakland police action unnerves some protesters

An exchange of opinions between a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street protests, right, and passersby attracts attention at Zuccotti Park in New York on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in the park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

An exchange of opinions between a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street protests, right, and passersby attracts attention at Zuccotti Park in New York on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in the park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A protester post a sign about the cost of war, reflecting the range of issues found among participants of the Occupy Wall Street protest at Zuccotti Park, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 in New York. Some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A protester holds a sign asking for donations for pets at the Occupy Wall Street protest at Zuccotti Park, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 in New York. Some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Supporters and visitors line up to receive free meals at the Occupy Wall Street protest in Zuccotti Park, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 in New York. Some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in Zuccotti Park, the unofficial headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Occupy Wall Street protesters continue to increase their makeshift shelter at Zuccotti Park, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011 in New York. While some businesses and residents are losing patience with the protesters in Zuccotti Park, organizers say they are receiving and storing heavy duty winter supplies to protest throughout the winter. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) ? The display of police force in Oakland, Calif., and Atlanta has unnerved some anti-Wall Street protesters. While demonstrators in other cities have built a working relationship with police and city leaders, they wondered on Wednesday how long the good spirit would last and whether they could be next.

Will they have to face riot gear-clad officers and tear gas that their counterparts in Oakland, Calif. faced on Tuesday? Or will they be handcuffed and hauled away in the middle of the night like protesters in Atlanta?

"Yes, we're afraid. Is this the night they're going to sneak in?" said activist William Buster of Occupy Wall Street, where the movement began last month to protest what they see as corporate greed.

"Is this the night they might use unreasonable force?" he asked.

An Iraq War veteran marching with demonstrators suffered a crack skull in the chaos between officers and protesters in Oakland further raising concern among some in the movement. Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old Marine veteran, was in critical condition Wednesday after he had been struck, said a spokesman for Highland Hospital in Oakland.

It was not clear exactly what type of exact object hit the veteran or who might have thrown it, though Guy's group said it was lodged by officers. Police did not return calls for comment ahead of late afternoon news conference.

The message, meanwhile, from officials in cities where other encampments have sprung up was simple: We'll keep working with you. Just respect your neighbors and keep the camps clean and safe.

Business owners and residents have complained in recent weeks about assaults, drunken fights and sanitation problems. Officials are trying to balance their rights and uphold the law while honoring protesters' free speech rights.

"I understand the frustration the protesters feel ... about inequity in our country as well as Wall Street greed," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "I support their right to free speech but we also have rules and laws."

Some cities, such as Providence, R.I., are moving ahead with plans to evict activists. But from Tampa, Fla., to Boston, police and city leaders say they will continue to try to work with protesters to address problems in the camps.

In Oakland, officials initially supported the protests, with Mayor Jean Quan saying that sometimes "democracy is messy."

But tensions reached a boiling point after a sexual assault, a severe beating and a fire were reported and paramedics were denied access to the camp, according to city officials. They also cited concerns about rats, fire hazards and public urination.

Demonstrators disputed the city's claims, saying that volunteers collect garbage and recycling every six hours, that water is boiled before being used to wash dishes and that rats have long infested the park.

When riot gear-clad police moved in early Tuesday, they were pelted with rocks, bottles and utensils from people in the camp's kitchen area. They emptied the camp near city hall of people, and barricaded the plaza.

Protesters were taken away in plastic handcuffs, most of them arrested on suspicion of illegal lodging.

Demonstrators returned later in the day to march and retake the plaza. They were met by police officers in riot gear. Several small skirmishes broke out and officers cleared the area by firing tear gas.

The scene repeated itself several times just a few blocks away in front of the plaza.

Tensions would build as protesters edged ever closer to the police line and reach a breaking point with a demonstrator hurling a bottle or rock, prompting police to respond with another round of gas.

The chemical haze hung in the air for hours, new blasts clouding the air before the previous fog could dissipate.

The number of protesters diminished with each round of tear gas. Police estimated that there were roughly 1,000 demonstrators at the first clash following the march. About 100 were arrested.

Demonstrators planned to try again on Wednesday night to march, and could clash again with police.

In Atlanta, police in riot gear and SWAT teams arrested 53 people in Woodruff Park, many of whom had camped out there for weeks as part of a widespread movement that is protesting the wealth disparity between the rich and everyone else.

Mayor Kasim Reed had been supportive of the protests, twice issuing an executive order allowing them to remain.

Reed said on Wednesday that he had no choice to arrest them because he believed things were headed in a direction that was no longer peaceful. He cited a man seen walking the park with an AK-47 assault rifle.

"There were some who wanted to continue along the peaceful lines, and some who thought that their path should be more radical," Reed said. "As mayor, I couldn't wait for them to finish that debate."

Reed said authorities could not determine whether the rifle was loaded, and were unable to get additional information.

An Associated Press reporter talked to the man with the gun earlier Tuesday.

He wouldn't give his name ? identifying himself only as "Porch," an out-of-work accountant who doesn't agree with the protesters' views ? but said that he was there, armed, because he wanted to protect the rights of people to protest.

People who were arrested trickled out of jail as a crowd of several dozen supporters chanted "freedom" as they left.

"I think Mayor Reed would do well to learn quickly that you cannot intimidate, you cannot threaten, you cannot jail something whose time has come," activist Derrick Boazman said. "The fact of the matter is this movement's time has come."

In Portland, Ore., the protest seems to be at a crossroads. Organizers have been dealing with public drunkenness, fighting and drug abuse for weeks, especially among the homeless who are also in the camp.

Some are floating the idea of relocating it, possibly indoors. Others see that as capitulation.

"I don't know if it would be a good idea. Part of the effectiveness of what's going on here is visibility," protester Justin Neff said. "Though I'd do it if there's a possibility that we'd get seen and noticed. I don't know how that would work indoors."

City officials haven't said what would cause them to forcibly evict the protesters. They said they evaluate the camp daily.

In Baltimore, protesters like Casey McKeel, a member of Occupy Baltimore's legal committee, said he wasn't sure aren't sure what to expect from city officials, noting that some cities have arrested protesters in recent weeks.

"Across the country we're seeing a wide range of reactions," he said. "For now we're hoping the city will work with us."

The mayor, Rawlings-Blake, said she is willing to work with them, but they should realize that they are camping out in a city park and that was not its intended use. She said their free-speech rights don't trump the public's right to enjoy the space.

"I have absolutely no interest in a violent exchange," she said. "We want to work with the protesters, but the point is to talk about inequity and talk about how we can work together to have a more just society or more equitable Baltimore.

"It's not about pitching a tent. It's about getting the work done," she said.

___

Associated Press writers Nigel Duara in Portland, Ore., Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore, Md., Verena Dobnik in New York, Harry R. Weber, Errin Haines and Jeff Martin in Atlanta, Erica Niedowski in Providence, R.I., Michael J. Crumb in Des Moines, Iowa., Ben Nuckols in Washington, Samantha Gross in New York and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-10-26-US-Wall-Street-Protests/id-a981847bde064e95bcebb53999643cae

greys anatomy greys anatomy x factor auditions 2011 x factor auditions 2011 redacted redacted banned books