Saturday, December 31, 2011

92% Arthur Christmas

When a Christmas gift - a bike - accidentally goes undelivered to a little girl, Santa's son Arthur takes the initiative to solve the problem. Arthur Christmas is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Animations, the British studio known for Wallace and Gromit. Cold, charmless Christmas movie radiates scarcely any tradition or warmth. I didn't realize the classic tale of Santa Claus needed to be re-written for contemporary audiences but that's what we're presented with here. It's about as captivating as a lump of coal.Arthur Christmas is an overly simplified tale aimed exclusively at very young children. When you get right down to it, the entire plot concerns the delivery of one package. That's hardly a story to excite the senses. There's plenty of colorful, eye popping visuals, however. It's slick and frantically paced but very little of it engenders any sort of tenderness. All of the hyperactivity actually gave me a headache. Additionally the high caliber British cast (James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton) have been instructed to shout all of their lines as if that would makes their voice performances funnier. That doesn't work in bad sitcoms and it doesn't work here. It's not all wretched. There's a sexually ambiguous little elf named Bryony who is a peculiar gift-wrapping obsessive. She/He/It is kind of amusing. But as for the rest of it, I found this frantic exercise extremely lacking in Christmas spirit.

December 5, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/arthur_christmas/

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Longhorns in the NFL: Week 16

Dec. 27, 2011

AFC

Baltimore Ravens (11-4)
RB Ricky Williams rushed 10 times for 45 yards and caught two passes for 21 yards in Baltimore?s 20-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. DB Chykie Brown did not record any statistics. DE Cory Redding and LB Sergio Kindle were not active for this game.

Buffalo Bills (6-9)
CB Aaron Williams recorded five tackles, one interception and two passes defended in Buffalo?s 40-14 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-6)
RB Cedric Benson rushed 16 times for 57 yards and caught one pass for eight yards in Cincinnati?s 23-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. WR Jordan Shipley, TE Bo Scaife and LB Roddrick Muckelroy were not active for this game.

Cleveland Browns (4-11)
RB Chris Ogbonnaya caught one pass for 12 yards in Cleveland?s 20-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. K Phil Dawson went two-for-two in PATs. QB Colt McCoy and P Richmond McGee were not active for this game.

Denver Broncos (8-7)
WR Quan Cosby and OT Tony Hills were not active in Denver?s 40-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Houston Texans (10-5)
OG Kasey Studdard was not active in Houston?s 19-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-9)
LB Derrick Johnson recorded seven tackles, one interception and two passes defended in Kansas City?s 16-13 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders. RB Jamaal Charles was not active for this game due to injury.

New England Patriots (12-3)
OT Kyle Hix was not active in New England?s 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Oakland Raiders (8-7)
DT Lamarr Houston recorded three tackles in Oakland?s 16-13 overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. S Michael Huff was not active for this game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4)
OT Jonathan Scott helped the Steelers offense gain 377 total yards (169 rushing/ 208 passing) in Pittsburgh?s 27-0 victory over the St. Louis Rams. NT Casey Hampton recorded two tackles. CB Curtis Brown was not active for this game.

San Diego Chargers (7-8)
CB Quentin Jammer recorded four tackles in San Diego?s 38-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Tennessee Titans (8-7)
S Michael Griffin recorded two tackles, one interception and one pass defended in Tennessee?s 23-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.


?

?


NFC

Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
C Lyle Sendlein helped the Cardinals offense gain 356 total yards (59 rushing/ 297 passing) in Arizona?s 23-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. LB Sam Acho recorded two tackles, one sack for a loss of seven yards, one TFL and one quarterback hit.

Atlanta Falcons (9-6)
OG Justin Blalock helped the Falcons offense gain 469 total yards (35 rushing/ 434 passing) in Atlanta?s 45-16 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Chicago Bears (7-8)
WR Roy Williams recorded six catches for 81 yards in Chicago?s 35-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers. DT Henry Melton recorded three tackles and one quarterback hit.

Dallas Cowboys (8-7)
G Derrick Dockery was not active in Dallas? 20-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Green Bay Packers (14-1)
TE Jermichael Finley recorded three catches for 20 yards and one touchdown in Green Bay?s 35-21 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Minnesota Vikings (3-12)
DE Brian Robison recorded three tackles, one sack for a loss of eight yards, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in Minnesota?s 33-26 victory over the Washington Redskins. CB Cedric Griffin recorded three tackles. LS Cullen Loeffler was not active for this game.

New Orleans Saints (12-3)
DT Shaun Rogers recorded two tackles and one quarterback hit in New Orleans? 45-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. TE David Thomas was not active for this game.

New York Giants (8-7)
CB Aaron Ross recorded three tackles and one pass defended in the New York Giant?s 29-14 victory over the New York Jets.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-8)
QB Vince Young did not record any statistics in Philadelphia?s 20-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

San Francisco 49ers (12-3)
CB Tarell Brown recorded one tackle in San Francisco?s 19-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks (7-8)
S Earl Thomas recorded four tackles and one pass defended in Seattle?s 19-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11)
DT Frank Okam recorded two tackles in Tampa Bay?s 48-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. DT Roy Miller recorded one tackle. DE Tim Crowder was not active for this game.

Washington Redskins (5-10)
LB Brian Orakpo recorded six tackles in Washington?s 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Source: http://onlyfans.cstv.com/schools/tex/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122711aak.html?source=rss_teams_Texas_Longhorns

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Abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler dies at 83 (Reuters)

_Dec (Reuters) ? U.S. painter Helen Frankenthaler, who poured thinned pigments directly onto untreated canvas to create ethereal fields of color seen as seminal works in the development of abstract expressionism, died at her home in Darien, Connecticut, on Monday evening at the age of 83.

She died following a long illness, her nephew Clifford Moss said on Tuesday. He declined to give further details.

Frankenthaler was just 23 when she completed the "Mountains and Sea" in 1952, a painting inspired by the landscapes of Nova Scotia and the first of her works to employ the dripping and staining technique that would give rise to a new school of abstraction called Color Field.

Writing in The New Criterion about a retrospective of her work in 2009, managing editor James Panero called it "an iconic painting that forever secured her place in the history of art. It ... at once defined Frankenthaler's style and changed the visual texture of abstract painting."

The painting, which can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., "built on the achievements of Jackson Pollock with its poured paint and rolled-out canvas -- but it also outdid Pollock," Panero wrote.

Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, in New York City. Her background was one of privilege relative to many of her artistic contemporaries: her father was Alfred Frankenthaler, a New York State Supreme Court judge.

"Even though she was often viewed as the uptown girl, oh boy, she was such a downtown soul," Moss, her nephew, said in an interview.

She was married to the painter Robert Motherwell from 1958 to 1971, and, outside their work, the pair became known for their glamorous parties in uptown Manhattan. Moss said the family would remember her "wild and loose laughter" and her confident presence on the dance floor.

"She lived life with such gusto," he said.

She continued to paint into her final decade, sometimes embellishing her pouring and staining technique with other tools, at other times paring it back to its original form.

Her survivors include her second husband, Stephen DuBrul Jr., four step-children and six nieces and nephews, Moss said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Lauren Keiper and Jerry Norton)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tv/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111227/stage_nm/us_frankenthaler_death

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Washington's minimum wage jumps to $9.04 per hour on Sunday

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington state's minimum wage increases by 37 cents to $9.04 an hour starting on New Year's Day.

While the state's current rate of $8.67 an hour is already the highest state minimum wage in the nation, a few cities, like San Francisco, have their own laws and have higher rates. San Francisco's current rate of $9.92 jumps to $10.24 on Sunday, making it the first city in the nation to top a $10 minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $7.25.

Washington is among a handful of states where the minimum wage will increase Sunday.

Washington's minimum wage is adjusted each year for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for the past 12 months, which is up more than 4 percent. The yearly recalculation is required by Initiative 688, which was approved by Washington voters in 1998.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45798181/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mena Golf Tour's top three invited to compete in Asian Tour Qualifying School

Dubai: In a ringing endorsement of the Mena Golf Tour, which ended here in October, the top three participants have been invited to compete in the final stages of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.

Presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the final stage will be held from January 18 to 21 at the Springfield Royal Country Club and Imperial Lakeview, where the top-40 and ties will earn playing rights for the 2012 Asian Tour season.

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Our tour has the potential to launch the careers of regional and international stars and with time it will contribute to enhancing the overall development of golf in the region. That's the ultimate aim

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MENA Golf Tour chairman Mohammad Juma Bu Amim

Jake Shepherd, Peter Richardson and Sean McNamara, who finished among the top three on the Order of Merit earlier this year, will receive exemptions into the final stage in recognition of their performance on the four-event MENA Golf Tour, which boasted a combined prize fund of $225,000.

Emerging talent

Article continues below

The three professionals, who have also been handed special invitations to play in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, are excited at the prospects of competing alongside some of the world's best emerging talent in the final stage.

"It will be an honour to play on the Asian Tour and we are grateful to them for the first-stage exemption," said Shepherd, who topped the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit with total earnings of $17,749 from three of the four events he played on the tour.

"Playing on the MENA Golf Tour has opened up a wide [range of] opportunities which we never dreamed of. The exposure to the final stage competition will also help us fine-tune our game ahead of the European Tour event in Dubai."

The Qualifying School will also enable upcoming players the opportunity to compete on the Asian Development Tour that has grown to eight tournaments since its inception in 2010.

Excitement

Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, thanked the Asia Tour for their gesture, saying it would add more excitement to the tour and reflect the bond the two tours share.

"Our tour events are open to both professionals and amateurs and, therefore, have a unique appeal. Money is one thing. They offer an opportunity to play golf at the highest level (the Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and now this first stage exemption on the Asian Tour Q-School is an added bonus," he said.

"The players won't be short on incentives when they tee it up in the second edition of the MENA Golf Tour, which we are planning to launch some time in March or April next year.

"Our tour has the potential to launch the careers of regional and international stars and with time it will contribute to enhancing the overall development of golf in the region. That's the ultimate aim."

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Source: http://gulfnews.com/sport/golf/mena-golf-tour-s-top-three-invited-to-compete-in-asian-tour-qualifying-school-1.957171?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Feeds&utm_medium=RSS&utm_term=Sport_RSS_feed&utm_content=1.957171&utm_campaign=Mena_Golf_Tour's_t

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Army of MetroPCS phones heading to Amazon's virtual shelves

MetroPCS purports to bring the wireless to all, but it hasn't had the right showcase to fulfill that promise... until now. The carrier announced today that its arsenal of handsets is on the way to one of the biggest online retailers in the world. A quick perusal of the PR below reveals no handset exclusions, so it's safe to say that Amazon will offer every handset from the mobile provider's armory. We know that cash Santa stuffed in your stocking's burning a hole in your pocket, and right now seems like a good time to head on over to Bezos' favorite site to get your hands on one of those LTE devices we've introduced you to.

Continue reading Army of MetroPCS phones heading to Amazon's virtual shelves

Army of MetroPCS phones heading to Amazon's virtual shelves originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/27/army-of-metropcs-phones-heading-to-amazons-virtual-shelves/

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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OU football notebook

"As a child, we didn't have much money," sophomore defensive back Tony Jefferson said before the team split up last week. "As a family, we grouped together and kicked it together, just chilled and watched movies and stuff. That was the greatest gift I could have, just being part of my family.

"Since my sister has been gone to Korea for the Army, this Christmas will be the first time we've been together for four years. I'm excited to go home (to San Diego) and be with family again."

Running thin: Sophomore Roy Finch might start the Insight Bowl against Iowa, though there could be some discipline still awaiting for a police citation Finch got for allegedly vandalizing a computer.

Finch said he was taken aback when freshman Brandon Williams announced his transfer last week.

"When J Mill (Jonathan Miller) and Jermie Calhoun left, I was shocked," Finch said. "When Brandon decided to leave, I looked around the locker room and we only had two true running backs in the locker room, beside Dom (Whaley, who's out with a broken leg). We only have three running backs and we started off with seven or eight.

"Looking around the locker room, I was like, 'Coach, we're thin. We're all we've got right now.' We have to stick together and play as a team and fight through it."

Clay work: If Finch doesn't start, look for sophomore Brennan Clay to regain the starting role he had the first three weeks of the season before Whaley's emergence.

Clay has had a tough stretch since he took a hard hit in Game 4 against Ball State. He rushed for 159 yards (3.9 per carry) in the first three games, but has just 71 (2.8 per carry) in the seven games. He missed two games because of a shoulder/neck injury on the hit by Ball State.

"I don't know, man, it's just nerves. It's not muscle or anything you can take care of with therapy. It just takes time," Clay said.

"We keep banging every day, so it never got a chance to settle. I'm constantly strengthening my neck. It's not so much muscles, it's a nerve. Every time it gets triggered by a big hit, it bothers me."

Still, Clay said he's feeling better than he has in a long time.

"I feel good. I feel 100 percent," he said. "My legs feel good and strong."

Getting reps: One reason teams that go to bowls continue to go to bowls is the invaluable extra practice time players get in December. Most of the first week goes strictly to the young players, backups and redshirts and walk-ons who were unable to get many snaps during the season. Most of the rest of the practice time goes to players on the two-deep.

For someone like right tackle Lane Johnson, who's in his first year as a starter, it's a time for growth, perfecting one's technique through intense coaching and repetition. During the season, much of that gets lost in game-planning.

"Bowl practice is sort of like an extra spring for us," Johnson said. "We'll have 10 here (in Norman) and five when we get to Arizona. It's my first year. I'm always looking to improve and get better on my technique. Next year I'll probably move to left, so I'm working both sides."

Iowa connections: Much has been made of Iowa being the alma mater of OU head coach Bob Stoops (1978-82). But two Sooner assistants also played at Iowa: Jay Norvell (1982-86) and Bruce Kittle (1977-79, '81).

At times, things got a bit weird around the Switzer Center last week.

"They all played together," Johnson said. "I've noticed, they know everybody from Iowa. That's where they grew up. Yeah, I want to go out with a win and let them have some trash talking over their old alma mater."

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20111226_92_B4_CUTLIN422824&rss_lnk=92

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Monday, December 26, 2011

People Spend Twice As Much Time On Netflix Than On Hulu

Netflix time spentNetflix and Hulu are the two leading video streaming services on the Web when it comes to mainstream TV shows and movies. More people watch Netflix online than Hulu, and have since about 18 months ago. In November, 2011, comScore estimates that Netflix.com attracted 26.6 million unique visitors, versus 20.2 million for Hulu But a better metric to compare the two is how much time people actually spend at each site. And there Netflix trounces Hulu by two to one. U.S. visitors spent 1 billion minutes on Netflix.com in November, 2011, versus 480 million minutes on Hulu, according to comScore. (One caveat here is that people also go to Netflix.com to manage their DVD accounts and browse movie titles in addition to streaming videos, but the growth in time spent is most likely coming from streaming). Netflix has an edge over Hulu in that it streams more movies than TV shows, and those tend to be longer. But if that was the only factor, you'd expect to see the same ratio over time. Yet back in November, 2010, the two services were almost neck-and-neck in time spent, with Netflix users logging 750 million total minutes versus Hulu users logging 690 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Q8KLZ7-rcGY/

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JasMollica: I unlocked the Sunday Night Football: Bears at Packers sticker on @GetGlue! http://t.co/SZp2q9Gy

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Harvesting energy from farming

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Source: http://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/harvesting-energy-from-farming-00004031.asp?rsstopicid=474

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Mediabistro: RT @AllTwtr Why You (And Your Business) Should Play Hashtag Games on Twitter mbist.ro/uHkcaf

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Network analysis predicts drug side effects

Technique can foresee adverse events before medications hit the market

Web edition : Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Using a new mathematical approach, scientists have predicted drug side effects that typically aren?t discovered until thousands of people have taken a medication. The technique is especially good at foreseeing side effects that show up after days or months of taking a drug, suggesting that a similar approach could help make drugs safer before they come to market and may even save lives.

Researchers started with a 2005 catalog of existing medications and their known side effects, such as heart attacks or sleeping problems. After linking drugs and their side effects into a network, they instructed a computer to predict likely new connections between drugs and side effects. The program was able to predict 42 percent of the drug?side effect relationships that were later found in patients, the researchers report in the Dec. 21 Science Translational Medicine.

?Adverse drug events are very important and understudied,? says Russ Altman, a biomedical informatics specialist at Stanford University who wasn?t involved with the work. Before a drug ever gets to market it undergoes toxicology testing and clinical trials to establish that it is effective but not dangerous. These trials are often extensive enough to prove that the drug works, but not big enough to say anything meaningful about side effects, says Altman. So, many side effects aren?t discovered until after the drug is on the market.

?You routinely find a whole bunch of annoying ones and every now and then there?s a showstopper,? Altman says. Such interactions lead to 770,000 injuries and deaths each year.

To clear some of the haze surrounding side effects, scientists from Harvard Medical School and Children?s Hospital Boston created a network linking 809 medications to 852 side effects that were known as of 2005. The team also added information to their network on chemical properties, such as the drug?s melting point and molecular weight, and where the drug does its stuff in the body. Using these data and relationships alone, the computer predicted side effects that were reported in later years, such as the seizure drug zonisamide causing suicidal thoughts in some people and the antibiotic norfloxacin?s link to ruptured tendons. It also linked the controversial diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) to heart attacks, a connection that is supported by some research.

The team tried adding additional information about drugs, such as data describing molecular structure. But the network diagram of the known relationships between drugs and side effects alone had more predictive power and fewer false positives than methods that added the additional information, the team reports.

?We were pleasantly surprised,? says team member Ben Reis, who directs the predictive medicine group at Children?s Hospital Boston.? ?The network encodes a lot of information from other worlds. Perhaps that?s why it did so well.?

There were some side effects for which the model performed less well, such as skin problems, notes mathematician Aurel Cami of Harvard Medical School and Children?s Hospital Boston.

This first round established that network math, typically used for assessing social relationships or how a disease spreads, can uncover important drug reactions. Now Reis and Cami are investigating what kinds of data work best and trying to tackle drug-drug interactions that can also be dangerous and are rarely studied in clinical trials.

?We?re moving from a paradigm of detection ? where it takes sick people to know something is wrong ? to prediction,? says Reis.


Found in: Biomedicine, Body & Brain and Science & Society

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/337088/title/Network_analysis_predicts_drug_side_effects

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The Ford GT 40

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Friday, December 23, 2011

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ECB lends banks $639 billion over 3 years (AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany ? Struggling banks snapped up euro489 billion ($639 billion) in cheap loans from the European Central Bank on Wednesday, a sign of just how hard or expensive it has become to borrow from each other.

The huge demand for newly available three-year loans comes as fears rise that heavily indebted European governments could default and force banks and other bond holders to take big losses.

The loans to 523 banks surpassed the euro442 billion ($578 billion) in one-year loans extended in June 2009, when the global financial system was reeling from the collapse of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers. It was the biggest ECB infusion of credit into the banking system in the 13-year history of the euro.

The ECB wants banks to use the money to help pay off or refinance some euro230 billion ($300 billion) in existing loans early in 2012. Without the special support from the ECB, banks would have had to cut back on loans to businesses and further squeeze the European economy.

While the loans will help stabilize banks and make it easier for them to lend to businesses, they do not attack the root of Europe's financial crisis ? heavily indebted governments face unsustainable borrowing costs. Many economists believe that to solve that problem the ECB needs to become the lender of last resort to European governments, buying up their bonds in large quantities in order to lower their borrowing costs. ECB President Mario Draghi has said governments should not depend on a central bank bailout.

Markets initially rose after the amount of the ECB borrowing was announced; it was far higher than the euro300 billion ($392 billion) expected. But the optimism faded as investors weighed the broader problems facing Europe's economy and financial system. The broad Stoxx 50 index of European shares fell 0.5 percent. Indexes in Germany and Italy closed about 1 percent lower. The euro fell nearly 2 cents, to $1.3023 from $1.3198 earlier Wednesday. U.S. stocks traded lower as well.

"The good news is, the ECB's efforts to increase liquidity are working," said Jennifer Lee, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. "The bad news is, high demand for the loans creates worries that banks are urgently in need of funds to boost liquidity."

There was some speculation that the loans could indirectly help governments. In theory, banks could borrow from the ECB at an interest rate of 1 percent and then use that money to lend at much higher rates to European governments.

But many analysts think it was unlikely that banks would increase their exposure to government bonds, given ongoing fears of a possible default among troubled eurozone nations. Many banks have struggled to cut their holdings of debt from governments in financial trouble.

"We still believe it is difficult to reconcile a government desire for banks to continue buying debt with the need for banks to reduce risk exposure associated with government debt," said Chris Walker, an analyst at UBS.

Many economists think that the eurozone is heading toward at least a mild recession. Data released Wednesday showed that Italy, the eurozone's third-largest economy, contracted 0.2 percent in the third quarter.

The deeper the economic slowdown is in the eurozone, the more tax revenues may suffer ? and the harder it will be for Europe's indebted governments to handle their debt loads.

Italy and Spain have been at the center of investor concerns in recent months as their borrowing costs have risen amid concerns over their debts. Both are considered too big to bail out with the current eurozone bailout funds, which have some euro500 billion ($654 billion) in financing.

A default on debt payments by either could ignite a new financial crisis and send the global economy into a slump.

Some of that European rescue money is already committed to bailouts of smaller Greece, Ireland and Portugal, which needed outside financial help after default fears drove their borrowing costs to unsustainable levels.

Italy alone has some euro1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion) in outstanding debt.

In making the loans, the ECB was playing its role of supplier of liquidity to banks, a typical job for central banks.

ECB president Mario Draghi has stressed the central bank's role in supporting the banking system but has balked at suggestions it should be offering the same level of support for indebted governments themselves by buying up their risky bonds. Draghi says governments must be the ones to reduce their spending and deficits.

The 37-month term of the loans permits the banks to stock up on money for a much longer period and reduces stress on their finances. Draghi has said the extra-long credit period will allow banks to lend for longer periods and not cut credit to businesses.

Alongside efforts to shore up banks, the ECB has also been cutting interest rates to support the ailing eurozone economy. It has reduced its main refinancing rate from 1.5 percent to 1.0 percent over the last two months in the hope that lower borrowing costs will stimulate growth by making credit cheaper.

Under the terms of Wednesday's loans, the banks will pay the average refinancing rate over the three years. The ECB reviews the rate each month and it will almost certainly change. Banks also have the flexibility of repaying the money after a year if their situation improves. Wednesday's offering was the first of two that the ECB has planned.

European officials have said banks need to raise euro115 billion ($150 billion) in new capital in 2012. But finding that money is not an easy task in the current environment of fear. Investors are leery of putting more money into banks and it would be politically unpopular for debt-strapped governments to do it either.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

ACLU and 34 Organizations Urge Mayor to Stop Resisting Justice Department

The ACLU and 34 civil rights and community organizations are asking Mayor Mike McGinn to give up his defensive posture and cooperate with the US Department of Justice's demands to eradicate a pattern of excessive force in the Seattle Police Department.

"We are concerned that some of your public comments give the impression of a reluctance to embrace the recommendations of the report," their letter says. The letter apparently responds to Seattle Police Chief Diaz telling reporters hours after receiving the DOJ's 66-page report that he wanted to "see evidence" that his officers used excessive force in one out of five cases. "Let us see the numbers," Diaz defiantly said last Friday. Likewise, police labor union president Rich O'Neill issued a statement that afternoon that said changes to working conditions for officers must be hammered out "at the bargaining table."

The social justice groups, many of which joined the original request last December to begin the investigation, write: "Instead of focusing on re-evaluating the data, the City?s leadership should focus on finding solutions to well-documented problems that have developed over the years at the Seattle Police Department."

Mayor McGinn, for his part, said on Monday, "It is natural for people to see this as SPD vs. DOJ. But as mayor I don't have the luxury of looking at it that way. It is my responsibility to ensure public safety and a police force that addresses issues of excessive force and bias in policing."

He adds, "We're going to have to dig in to the DOJ's analysis."

As I write in this week's paper, some officials at city hall fear that the SPD and police union's resistance could result in an expensive federal lawsuit.

The ACLU's letter is after the jump.

December 21, 2011
Mayor Mike McGinn
City of Seattle
P.O. Box 94749
Seattle, WA 98124-4749

Dear Mayor McGinn,

The ACLU of Washington and the community organizations listed below request you make a strong public statement outlining your plans for addressing the very serious issues raised in the report by the United States Department of Justice stemming from its investigation of the Seattle Police Department, including implementation of the recommendations included in the report.

We agree with U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan that most Seattle police officers are good, dedicated public servants. However, the issues pinpointed by the DOJ?including excessive use of force, insufficient skills in de-escalating conflict, and lack of internal accountability?are longstanding problems. Organizations in the community have voiced concern about them for years.

The City?s leadership needs to set a tone indicating that it accepts the DOJ report?s recommendations. These were based on intensive discussions with police, City officials, and community members, and detailed analysis of records provided by the Seattle Police Department itself. We are concerned that some of your public comments give the impression of a reluctance to embrace the recommendations of the report. Instead of focusing on re-evaluating the data, the City?s leadership should focus on finding solutions to well-documented problems that have developed over the years at the Seattle Police Department.

Further, community stakeholders must be included in discussions about any solution to the problems identified by DOJ, including the conditions of a consent decree. The impact of any intended solution will be felt by all community members in Seattle, and it is critical that SPD and City leadership regain the trust of those community members. Only with them at the table can we create lasting and sustainable change where public safety and civil rights are both protected. The City of Seattle deserves no less.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director

ACLU of Washington

Estela Ortega, Executive Director
El Centro de la Raza

Merril Cousin, Executive Director
King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Robert Chang, Director, Fred T. Korematsu
Center for Law and Equality

Nicole Gaines, President
Loren Miller Bar Association

Fe Lopez, President-Elect
Latina/o Bar Association of Washington

Rev. Paul Benz, Policy Director
Faith Action Network

Rev. Harriett Walden, Executive Director
Mothers for Police Accountability

Dorry Elias-Garcia, Executive Director
Minority Executive Directors Coalition

Mary Nguyen, Co-Chair
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum ? Seattle

Andy Sachs, President
QLaw: GLBT Bar Association of Washington

Tim Harris, Executive Director
Real Change

Alison Eisinger, Executive Director
Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness

Jesus Rodriguez, Co-Chair
Trusted Advocates Association

Cindi Beech LaMar, Chair
Ndns for Justice

Floris Mikkelsen, Director
The Defender Association

Deborah Sioux Cano-Lee, Board President
Washington Indian Civil Rights Commission

Chris Stearns, Chairman
The Seattle Human Rights Commission

Jenine Grey, Executive Director
Chief Seattle Club

Magdaleno Rose-Avila, Executive Director
Community Health and Safety Committee

Susan Segall, Regional Director
American Friends Service Committee/Pacific Northwest

Millie A. Kennedy, President
Northwest Indian Bar Association

Diane Narasaki, Executive Director
Asian Counseling and Referral Service

Jorge L. Bar?n, Executive Director
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, MEDC Multiracial Task Force on Police Accountability

Pamela Masterman-Stearns, President
CANOES (City Native American Employees Association)

Cecile Hansen, Tribal Chairperson/DTS President
Duwamish Tribe on behalf of Duwamish Tribal Services

Dan Ford, Attorney
Columbia Legal Services

Jay "Westwind Wolf" Hollingsworth
John T. Williams Organizing Committee

S. Arsalan Bukhari, Executive Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations of Washington State

Pramila Jayapal, Executive Director
OneAmerica

Kerem Levitas, President
Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington

Source: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/12/21/aclu-and-34-organizations-urge-mayor-to-stop-resisting-justice-departments-recommendations-for-seattle-cops

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Olympus Offices To Be Raided This Week: Report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo police, prosecutors and the securities watchdog will likely launch a raid on the offices of disgraced Olympus Corp this week on suspicion the company falsified financial accounts, Kyodo News has reported, citing investigative sources.

The raid has been expected to follow a re-statement of Olympus's financial records, which were presented on December 14 and revealed a $1.1 billion dent in its balance sheet after a 13-year fraud.

The planned search by Tokyo prosecutors, likely to be conducted jointly with police and the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, follows mounting allegations that former Olympus executives led the accounting fraud, Kyodo said.

Kyodo cited the sources as saying prosecutors hoped to build cases by the end of March against former Chairman and President Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, former corporate auditor Hideo Yamada, and former Executive Vice President Hisashi Mori.

Former employees at major securities companies could also be implicated for allegedly abetting the fraud, it added.

Olympus, a maker of cameras and medical equipment, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on dubious M&A deals as part of an attempt to hide investment losses from investors for 13 years.

The company last week filed five years worth of corrected financial statements, plus overdue first-half results, just hours before a Tokyo Stock Exchange deadline that could have seen it automatically delisted.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Paul Tait)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/18/olympus-offices-to-be-raided-this-week_n_1156322.html

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Russian rig sinks, more than 50 feared dead (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? A drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off Russia's far eastern island of Sakhalin on Sunday while being towed through a winter storm, leaving more than 50 dead or missing in the icy Sea of Okhotsk.

Emergency officials said the crew of an icebreaker and tugboat rescued 14 workers alive from the jack-up rig, the 'Kolskaya', which was operated by a Russian offshore exploration firm. They recovered four bodies from the water.

"The Kolskaya keeled to its side ... and sank within 20 minutes. The depth of the water at the site is 1,042 metres (3,400 feet)," Russia's federal water transport agency said on its website.

Four of the survivors, suffering from hypothermia, were airlifted by helicopter to land and taken to hospital after the disaster struck at 12:45 p.m. (0145 GMT).

The rest of the crew were missing, 200 km (125 miles) off the coast of remote Sakhalin island. The water temperature was one degree Celsius (33.8 Fahrenheit), giving survivors around 30 minutes before freezing to death, according to maritime and rescue websites.

Three rescue craft, as well as helicopters, were sent to scour the waters for survivors from the rig owned by Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka (AMNGR), a unit of state-owned Zarubezhneft.

"There is no ecological danger. The vessel was carrying the minimum amount of fuel as it was being tugged by two craft," said a spokesman for AMNGR.

The incident was a blow to efforts by Russia, the world's largest energy producer, to step up offshore oil and gas exploration to stave off a long-term decline in onshore production.

The jack-up rig, which has three support legs that can be extended to the ocean floor while its hull floats on the surface, was heading from Kamchatka to Sakhalin when it overturned in stormy conditions with a swell of up to 6 metres.

"(President) Dmitry Medvedev has ordered all necessary assistance be provided to the victims of the drilling platform accident and has ordered a probe into the circumstances of the loss of the platform," the Kremlin said. The Emergencies Ministry said it would work through Sunday night.

GAZPROM OFFSHORE DRILLING

Russia's federal Investigative Committee, which answers to the president, said it would investigate the accident and would question rescued workers as well as those responsible for organising the towing of the craft.

"The violation of safety rules during the towing of the drilling rig, as well as towing without consideration of the weather conditions ... are believed to be the cause of the (disaster)," investigators said on their website.

The 'Neftegaz-55' tugboat, also owned by AMNGR, had been towing the Kolskaya and took part in the search effort, but pulled out after suffering hull damage from the high waves.

The tug, carrying most of the crew rescued from the rig, had taken on water and was trying to limp to port. An icebreaker, the 'Magadan', was still at the scene.

As night fell, an air search team was called off, and another was set to resume the quest for survivors the next day.

"With daybreak the search from the air will continue with an Mi-8 helicopter along with the sea teams," agency Itar-Tass reported an Emergencies Ministry official as saying.

The rig, built in Finland in 1985, had been working on a minor gas production project in the Sea of Okhotsk for a unit of state-controlled gas export monopoly Gazprom, the company said.

Russia's prize offshore gas and oil fields lie northeast of Sakhalin. Two major offshore projects are already producing oil and gas off the island: Sakhalin-1, operated by Exxonmobil and Sakhalin-2, in which Gazprom has a controlling stake.

The disaster is unlikely to seriously affect oil or gas production. AMNGR said the vessel was no longer under contract when it sank.

Operating conditions in the region, explored by Soviet geologists in the 1960s and 1970s, are among the harshest for Russian energy companies.

WINTER CONDITIONS

Winter often lasts 220-240 days in the waters off Sakhalin, where the main companies operating are ExxonMobil, Gazprom, and Royal Dutch Shell. They produce oil and gas, sometimes in icebound conditions, for export largely to Asian markets.

Sakhalin-2, in which Shell and Mitsui also have stakes, produces 10 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas at Russia's only LNG plant in the port of Prigorodnoye for export to Asia, much of it to Japan.

Each tanker of crude oil produced by at the 160,000 barrels-per-day Sakhalin-1 project, operated by ExxonMobil, is escorted by two icebreakers when ice thickness reaches 60 cm (2 feet).

State-controlled Rosneft this year reached a major deal with Exxon to explore for oil and gas in the Kara Sea, to the north of the Russian mainland, a largely unexplored region estimated to hold over 100 billion barrels of oil.

Poor infrastructure and chronic corner-cutting in Russia have contributed to several sea disasters, notably the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea in August 2000, in which all 118 aboard were killed.

(Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Alistair Lyon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111218/wl_nm/us_russia_platform_capsize

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Illinois Coal Plants Ahead of EPA's Proposed Mercury Standards (ContributorNetwork)

According to the Associated Press, with the Environmental Protection Agency's mercury emissions rules set to go into effect soon, EPA data show coal plants in Illinois are already ahead of the new standards. All 23 of the state's coal power plants have reduced mercury emissions by 44 percent from 2008 and 2010 due to a stricter set of standards Illinois adopted in 2007.

Illinois' success with reducing mercury emissions comes after criticism from industry officials and Republicans who assert it will cost companies billions each year to comply while causing job loss and utility prices to rise up to 25 percent. Here are some facts about the rule:

* The EPA proposed the first national standard for mercury emissions on March 16 in response to a court deadline and emphasized that the rule follows President Barack Obama's goal of regulatory reform and protecting the health of the public.

* The agency estimates the new standards will help prevent health problems and serious illnesses for thousands of Americans, including up to 120,000 asthma attacks, 17,000 premature deaths, 11,000 asthma attacks, and 12,000 less emergency room visits and hospital admissions.

* In October, 25 states, a majority with Republican governors banded together to push for a delay in the EPA's coal-fired power plant mercury rule, reported the Hill.

* Similarly, the EPA is refuting industry claims of extreme job loss by saying the air toxins rule will create 31,000 short-term construction jobs in addition to 9,000 long-term jobs.

* While Illinois has seen a sharp decrease in mercury output, four power plants in Ohio, two in Jefferson County and two Gallia County, have been named among the biggest mercury emitters in a report from the Environmental Integrity Project, according to Business First.

* The Indianapolis Star also noted Indiana ranks third in the list of states with the most toxic pollutant emissions, with only Pennsylvania and Ohio placing ahead in first and second place respectively.

* A study released in July concluded that the EPA's new standards would provide an additional $10.5 billion in annual benefits and nearly 80,000 more jobs than originally estimated by the agency, reported the Clean Air Council.

* The study also added that there will likely be a $7.17 billion increase in gross domestic product and about $4.51 billion in healthcare savings as a result of tightening the standards.

* The air toxic rule is expected to be finalized by the EPA this month despite the original deadline being last month.

Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/science/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111217/sc_ac/10702119_illinois_coal_plants_ahead_of_epas_proposed_mercury_standards

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

A journalism professor derides Iowa and faces fury

(AP) ? Only a few weeks before the first Republican presidential contest, some Iowans are on the attack like never before.

They're writing angry blog posts, doing research to discredit their opponent and railing against elites, but this vitriol isn't aimed at Republican candidates. It's focused on University of Iowa journalism professor Stephen Bloom, whose article for The Atlantic magazine painted Iowans as uneducated Jesus freaks who love hunting and don't deserve the political clout they will exercise Jan. 3.

Every four years, some pundits and voters complain about the small, largely white states of Iowa and New Hampshire getting to play outsized roles nominating presidential candidates with their first-in-the-nation contests. But what makes Bloom's critique stand out is that it came from within and was expressed in brutal terms by a talented writer who spent years reporting on Iowa.

Add in some factual inaccuracies, sweeping generalizations and stereotypes about Iowans, and you have an outrage that is playing out from Sioux City to Keokuk (which he labeled "a depressed, crime-infested slum town".)

Bloom said he wrote the article to expose "uncomfortable truths and unconventional truths" about Iowa's population and economy and generate a debate about whether its four-decade run as the first caucus state should continue.

In the article, he paints Iowa's cities and rural areas as economic wastelands with little culture. He calls the state politically schizophrenic with Republicans living west of Des Moines and Democrats to the east. He describes rural areas as hotbeds for suicide and filled with the uneducated, the elderly and meth addicts. He calls the Mississippi River "commercially irrelevant" and describes cities along it as "some of the skuzziest" he'd ever seen.

Bloom, who is Jewish, complains that Iowans constantly talk about Jesus and hunting. "That's the place that may very well determine the next U.S. president," Bloom, a New Jersey native who came to Iowa in the early 1990s from San Francisco, concludes.

The response has been bipartisan. "Professor Bloom is engaging here in just a remarkable level of stereotyping. He should know better," said Sue Dvorsky, the chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Iowa. "He's done two great books about life in Iowa. This commentary is not worthy of him."

"The saddest part of all of this is he's a journalism professor for crying out loud!" added Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, a Republican. "This is a condescending piece that I'm ashamed to say was funded by my constituents' tax dollars."

Some online critics have told Bloom to leave the state, called him a liar and worse. Others have used sarcasm to hit back. RayGun, a store that sells Iowa-themed clothing, released a shirt congratulating Iowans for surviving "meth, Jesus, hunting accidents, crime-filled river slums and old people. Unfortunately, you are going to die sad and alone soon."

Bloom has gotten little support at the university, where he earns an annual salary of $107,000. Spokesman Tom Moore said Bloom "does not speak for nor represent the university." One professor called him a "smug, self-important jerk" ? on Bloom's Facebook page.

Critics argued Iowa voters were some of the most educated in the country. Others noted the state's unemployment rate of 6 percent is below the national average. Iowa's population is slowly increasing, not "dropping precipitously" as Bloom wrote.

Bloom, currently at the University of Michigan as a visiting scholar, said critics are missing the larger point that Iowa needs to confront its problems for future generations.

"You can chip away if you want at this story, but it raises some fundamental central issues that Iowans and Americans need to confront," he said. "I think America should sit down and have a collective discussion on the wisdom of how we select our president and how inordinately important Iowa is in that process."

Bloom said he faced similar attacks when he wrote the 2000 book "Postville," which chronicled the clash between Iowans and Hasidic Jews who moved in to run a slaughterhouse. He said he was vindicated years later when authorities cracked down on the abuses he chronicled.

But readers aren't sure this piece will hold up. Some are questioning Bloom's claim that the state's second largest newspaper had "He Has Risen" as a front-page headline to mark Easter in 1993. A microfiche of the page shows no such headline, but Bloom insists that's his recollection.

And then there were Bloom's claims about his family dog. Bloom wrote that "he can't tell you how often over the years" he was walking the dog when pickup truck drivers stopped to ask whether she's a good hunter. Iowans, he said, would never get a dog for amusement but only "to track and bag animals that you want to stuff, mount, or eat."

That line prompted several Iowa dog owners to insist they've never been asked that and to accuse Bloom of exaggeration.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-15-Iowa%20Caucuses-Professor/id-d382ef9ad1ea4774ae211174754dad0e

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Google+ update will add new Hangout features, give first dibs to famous people

The Big G has detailed a few changes that are en route in forthcoming updates to both the Google+ desktop interface, the Android app and -- with an undisclosed lag -- the iOS app. You and your inner circle will soon be able to attach Hangout invitations to specific posts, so you can "upgrade the conversation from long-form to live" with a single click. The Hangouts On Air self-broadcasting feature is still in development and only available to selected celebs, but Google is about to roll it out to "hundreds more" public figures and users with large followings, while also adding features that will eventually appeal to normal people's vanity too: including the ability to upload full-length and private recordings of your supposedly charismatic rants to your YouTube account. See the source link for more.

Google+ update will add new Hangout features, give first dibs to famous people originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/google-update-will-add-new-hangout-features-give-first-dibs-to/

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Friday, December 16, 2011

GOP embraces showdown over oil pipeline, tax cuts (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Sensing a political opening, congressional Republicans are moving toward a high-stakes showdown with President Barack Obama over a plan to link fast-tracked approval of an oil pipeline to a measure renewing a payroll tax cut.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas will help the president achieve his top priority ? creating jobs ? without costing a dime of taxpayer money.

"There is no reason this legislation shouldn't have the president's enthusiastic support," McConnell said Monday on the Senate floor. "The only reason for Democrats to oppose this job-creating bill would be to gain some political advantage at a time when every one of them says job creation is a top priority."

The State Department said last month it was postponing a decision on the pipeline until after next year's election. Officials said the delay is needed to study routes that avoid environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska.

The GOP language would require approval of the pipeline within two months unless Obama declares it is not in the national interest.

The project's developer, Calgary-based TransCanada, says the pipeline could create as many as 20,000 jobs, including 13,000 during construction and 7,000 manufacturing jobs.

Opponents call those figures wildly inflated and say the project could create as few as 2,500 construction job and fewer than 1,000 permanent jobs. The State Department, in an analysis released this summer, said the pipeline would create up to 6,000 jobs during construction, including Keystone employees, contractors and construction and environmental inspection staff.

The State Department has authority over the project because it crosses an international border.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday he would veto the bill if it includes the Keystone provision.

The administration warned Monday that congressional interference in the approval process would likely lead to a rejection of the pipeline.

"Should Congress impose an arbitrary deadline for the permit decision, its actions would not only compromise the process, it would prohibit the department from acting consistently with National Environmental Policy Act requirements by not allowing sufficient time" for the project to be considered, the State Department said in a statement.

In that case, "the department would be unable to make a determination to issue a permit for this project," the statement added.

McConnell and other Republicans dismiss such procedural objections.

"The only thing arbitrary about this decision is the decision by the president to say, `Well, let's wait until after the next election,'" said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Boehner and other Republicans say many Democrats support the pipeline, noting that 47 House Democrats voted in a favor a bill this summer to speed up the permitting process. GOP lawmakers say the White House opposes the pipeline provision in the tax bill so Democrats can gain political advantage by blaming Republicans for defeating the popular payroll tax cut. The tax bill is expected on the House floor Tuesday.

The two parties generally agree on the bill's fundamentals: preventing the Jan. 1 expiration of payroll tax cuts and extending coverage for the long-term unemployed. Obama has said he will reject the overall bill if it includes language speeding up approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas.

Obama's veto threat has increased conservative support for the overall measure, with Republicans hoping to use Obama's opposition to portray him as favoring environmentalists over jobs.

Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., called the Keystone XL project crucial to getting thousands of people back to work.

"This is an important jobs and energy security bill which just makes plain sense," said Terry. "The American people want us to stop buying Venezuelan oil. The Keystone pipeline is a key component to making that happen."

Environmental groups, who celebrated the administration's announcement of a delay in the Keystone project last month, accused Republicans of forcing a premature judgment on the pipeline in order to curry favor with the oil industry.

"To get their way, House Republicans ? with some support in the Senate ? are even willing to block the much-needed extension of the middle-class tax cut," said Suzanne Struglinski of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.

Struglinski called the pipeline push a "fool's errand" because of Obama's threat to reject the measure, and said its likely inclusion in the House bill showed that House leaders have embraced the "extreme agenda" pushed by the tea party.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said last week that House leaders were wasting time, because the Keystone provision will not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The State Department decided last month to delay the project until 2013, to allow the project's developer to figure out a way around Nebraska's Sandhills, an ecologically sensitive region that includes an aquifer that supplies water to eight states.

___

Follow Matthew Daly's energy coverage at http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_go_co/us_oil_pipeline

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