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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) adjusts his sleeves on the sideline in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger did not start. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) adjusts his sleeves on the sideline in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger did not start. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger (7) and Charlie Batch warm up before an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011. Roethlisberger did not play in the Steelers' 27-0 win. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey both have "a shot" to play in Sunday's regular season finale at Cleveland.
"It is our intention right now that if those guys are healthy enough to practice and prepare, then we will play them," Tomlin said Tuesday.
Given the way backups Charlie Batch and Trai Essex handled themselves in a 27-0 win over St. Louis last Saturday, the Steelers (11-4) may not need Roethlisberger or Pouncey to hurry back from their badly sprained left ankles to keep the team's hopes of an AFC North title alive.
Batch played effectively against the Rams, passing for 208 yards while showing there's still some life in his 37-year-old legs. He extended plays with his mobility and even threw the ball downfield, hitting Mike Wallace for a 46-yard gain in the fourth quarter that set up the clinching touchdown.
"I thought he did some really good things," Tomlin said of Batch. "(But) his performance has no bearing on how we go about making the decisions that are right for us this week. A lot of the decisions center around Roethlisberger's health. But I like the way Batch played, not only the way he performed but the way he led and communicated."
It's what Batch has done with consistency while subbing for Roethlisberger through the years. The Pittsburgh native is 5-2 when starting in relief and had the Heinz Field crowd chanting "Charlie! Charlie!" after a handful of plays.
The moment wasn't lost on Batch.
"I think that they have appreciated what I have done, and what I am doing to help this team win," he said. "I embraced it."
And he'll embrace trying to do it on the road against the Browns (4-11) if necessary.
Pittsburgh can win the division with a victory in Cleveland and a loss by Baltimore in Cincinnati. It can even gain the top overall seed in the AFC with a win and losses by both the Ravens and Patriots.
It's why Tomlin isn't quite ready to rule out Roethlisberger. The coach isn't sure if Roethlisberger will be able to practice this week, but even if the quarterback doesn't, Tomlin expects to wait until the last minute before making a decision.
"There are some scenarios that can unfold, where we can improve our playoff position," Tomlin said. "We are aware of that. We are also aware that all of those scenarios include us winning this football game. We are going to do what we deem necessary for us to put ourselves in position to do that."
And even Batch understands that when relatively healthy few quarterbacks can do what Roethlisberger can do.
"This is Ben's team," Batch said. "This team moves with him and to see him do everything in his power to get back on the field is really something special to watch."
Pouncey sat out the last two games and backup Doug Legursky went out early against the Rams with a left shoulder injury. Enter Essex, who hadn't taken a snap at center all season. He performed admirably, helping the Steelers gash St. Louis for 169 yards on the ground.
"It was under unusual circumstances," Tomlin said. "To have a guy come in and deliver the way he delivered for us, not only in terms of snapping the football but declaring fronts and blocking people in the run game, it was just a special afternoon for him."
Legursky is out for Sunday, and if Pouncey can't play Essex will get the call again, though Tomlin sounded optimistic Pouncey will be ready.
Linebacker LaMarr Woodley (strained left hamstring), and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (right foot) could also play in Cleveland.
Tomlin will not rest players just to rest them, but could modify the amount of playing time depending on how things shake out elsewhere, particularly if Baltimore gets up big on Cincinnati and the Steelers know they'll have to start the playoffs on the road the weekend of Jan. 7-8.
"Those are the easy decisions I can make as the game and situations unfold," Tomlin said. "Some of them are obvious. ... That's not rocket science as far as we're concerned."
With the motion picture box office in a slump, and Broadway on an upswing, an increasing number of film franchises are being transformed for the stage.
In fact, theatrical productions of feature films including "The Notebook," "Rocky," "Austin Powers," "Ghost," "Finding Neverland," "Once," "Diner" and "The Goonies" are all in the works. It's easy to see why.
Domestic box office attendance is at its lowest level in 16 years, and studios have struggled to fill seats throughout a sluggish 2011, during which ticket sales are down around 5 percent.
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's official news agency on Tuesday quoted a top official as saying Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on Iran's oil shipments.
According to the IRNA report Tuesday Vice President Mohamed Reza Rahimi said Iran does not want hostilities but charged that the West continues its plots against Iran.
The West is considering limiting Iran's oil trade over its disputed nuclear program. Some 80 percent of Iran's foreign revenue comes from oil exports.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called the threat "bluster." He said it was "another attempt by them to distract attention from the real issue, which is their continued noncompliance with international nuclear obligations."
Rahimi has no major role in Iran's foreign or military policy.
Iran is conducting a 10-day naval maneuver in the area the of the Strait of Hormuz, where about 40 percent of the world's oil supply passes. Closing the strait would have immense world economic impact.
While playing in the Venezuelan winter league last week Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba attacked the home plate umpire following a strikeout, screaming in his face and then shoving his head.
You can see the incident for yourself in this video.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said yesterday that the team was looking into the situation, but in the meantime the Venezuelan winter league has suspended Torrealba for 66 games, which amounts to the rest of this winter league season and all of next season.
Torrealba, who?s under contract with the Rangers for $3.25 million in 2012, could still face further discipline from MLB.
MOSCOW ? A prominent Russian opposition activist had barely half an hour of freedom Sunday before being sentenced to 10 more days in jail ? making it the 14th time this year he's been detained.
The decision by a Moscow court late Sunday to find Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov guilty of a charge of resisting police came a day after Russia witnessed the largest protest rally in its post-Soviet history. As demonstrators vented frustration Saturday with the scandal-marred parliamentary election of Dec. 4 that left Vladimir Putin's United Russia party in control, many prominent figures called for Udaltsov's release.
How the Kremlin chooses to deal with Udaltsov could prove a litmus test for how it approaches the opposition in the coming days. During Putin's decade-plus long tenure as president and prime minister, opposition activists have faced numerous crackdowns, but their cause appears to have been boosted by allegations of fraud during the recent election.
The Left Front leader was due to be released Sunday from a hospital, where he was being treated as he served the final days of his previous sentence. Udaltsov, who had been held since election day on claims of staging an unsanctioned rally, had spent much of the month on a hunger strike.
Found guilty of resisting police, Udaltsov was escorted back to the hospital Sunday night after he felt unwell in court.
"He was so stressed out that he fell ill," Udaltsov's lawyer, Nikolay Polozov, said.
Prominent opposition leaders came to the court to support Udaltsov. Many have referred to his constant detentions as political harassment. The Left Front leader has spent at least 50 days in jail this year.
The court on Sunday found that Udaltsov resisted police on Oct. 24 while being detained outside the Central Election Committee's building.
A video of his detention, filmed by the Associated Press Television, shows the activist arrive on a bicycle and later talk to reporters.
Udaltsov was telling the press that he had come out to the election committee's headquarters to stage a one-man picket, which requires no sanction from authorities. Shortly afterwards, police came and took Udaltsov away. Udaltsov did not appear to be putting resistance.
Udaltsov's lawyer said they would appeal the verdict.
Some pretty significant news to pass along on this Christmas Eve afternoon.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, ?all signs and top MLB sources? say that the Athletics will be granted permission by February to move to San Jose.
Of course, the A?s efforts to move have been stonewalled since 2009 so that a Bud Selig-appointed committee could study the matter. The Giants own the territorial rights to San Jose and have been reluctant to give them up until now.
While Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported last month that Selig planned to address the issue with the Giants within two weeks, he reported last night that the meeting has yet to take place. However, Nightengale indicates that the matter may be put up to a vote among MLB owners.
The Athletics are in the midst of their latest rebuilding effort, trading Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez for prospects over the past couple of weeks. The club has already purchased land in San Jose and co-owner Lew Wolff has indicated that a new ballpark could be open for business within 30-36 months once they are given approval by MLB.
Since 2006, the league has been using a flexible schedule on Sunday nights to ensure that a competitive and interesting game always will occupy the prime-time slot.? In most weeks of flex scheduling, the decision comes at least 12 days before the games are played.? For Week 17, the decision usually is made after the full Week 16 slate of games has been played, and it?s unveiled no later than six days before the final Sunday.
Unlike all other weeks of flexible scheduling, no game has even tentatively been placed in the 8:20 p.m. ET time slot.? Instead, all games have a 1:00 p.m. or 12:00 p.m. local time kickoff (for three games due to start at 4:15 p.m. ET, it?s a 1:15 p.m. local start), and the NFL will choose one of those 16 games to be the final act of the regular season, since no Monday night game is played in Week 17.
The goal every year becomes finding a game with clear playoff implications that can?t be resolved based on the outcomes of games played earlier in the day.? And that?s not always an easy thing to do.
Last year, only the Seahawks and Rams provided a clear-cut pre-playoff game, with the winner capturing the NFC West and the loser being bounced from the postseason field ? regardless of the final score of any other game played that day.
This year, a game with obvious playoff implications regardless of what happens elsewhere could be hard to find.? Here?s a quick glance at the potential relevance of each game.
Redskins at Eagles:? Since Philly?s shot at winning the NFC East would hinge (if it survives Week 16) on the Giants beating the Cowboys, this game could be irrelevant.
Lions at Packers:? Green Bay?s clinching of the top seed, if they don?t have it after this weekend, would come if the 49ers lose to the Rams in Week 17.? Also, losses by other teams would deliver a Detroit playoff berth, if Detroit doesn?t clinch it this weekend.? Then again, whether the Packers have the No. 1 or No. 2 seed really isn?t that big of a deal in the grander scheme of things.
Ravens at Bengals:? Depending on the Week 16 games, this game could have implications for the AFC North title, the No. 2 seed, and the final wild-card berth.? But those implications could become irrelevant based on the other games played in Week 17, which makes this game less attractive for prime time.
Jets at Dolphins:? Again, Week 16 will provide more clarity.? With the Jets and Bengals each 8-6, however, it?s unlikely that the Jets will have a clear win-and-in, lose-and-leave scenario that would apply regardless of what the Bengals do against the Ravens.
Panthers at Saints:? New Orleans could be playing for the No. 2 seed and/or the NFC South crown, but those could be decided via losses earlier in the day by the Falcons or the 49ers.
Buccaneers at Falcons:? If the Falcons still haven?t clinched a playoff berth after Monday night, losses by others could deliver the spot earlier in the day on January 1.
49ers at Rams:? San Fran is jockeying for the No. 2 or No. 1 seed, which if still relevant after Week 16 could be completely irrelevant before 8:20 p.m. ET in Week 17.
Bills at Patriots:? The Pats are playing for the top seed, but the outcomes of the Steelers and Ravens games could strip this one of any remaining relevance.
Colts at Jaguars:? It?s very highly unlikely that the league would want to showcase the ?Suck for Luck? finale.? In 2008, for example, the NFL had no interest in televising in prime time the Lions? date with 0-16 destiny.
Titans at Texans:? Houston has an outside shot at a bye, but it will depend on the Steelers and Ravens games from earlier in the day.
Bears at Vikings:? This one would be attractive in prime time only for anyone who stayed up too late and drank too much on New Year?s Eve and doesn?t want to miss anything important.
Cowboys at Giants:? If the Giants beat the Jets on Saturday, the NFC East likely will hinge on this game, with the loser most likely being done.? It could be one of the best candidates for the prime-time slot, based on the clarity provided by Week 16.
Steelers at Browns:? Um, no.
Chiefs at Broncos:? The Broncos definitely will win the AFC West by beating the Chiefs.? The only problem is that the Broncos could nail it down before 8:20 p.m. ET on January 1, making the game irrelevant.
Seahawks at Cardinals:? It could be one of the best games of the day.? But it very likely will have zero relevance to the postseason.
Chargers at Raiders:? With the Broncos able to win the division by beating the Chiefs, there?s no reason to hold this one ? unless somehow it would present a clear-cut win-and-in for a wild-card berth for one of the two teams.
And so, for now, it appears that the best candidates are Cowboys-Giants and Chiefs-Broncos.? We?ll know more by Monday night.
In the end, there?s a chance that the NFL will simply have to assume a calculated risk that one or more of the outcomes earlier in the day will screw up the New Year?s Night party on NBC.
The first incident of field invasion fan violence at a major sporting event? Of course you?ve guessed cricket, and you?re right. In the Sydney Riot of 1879, an estimated 2,000 smartly-dressed Australian fans rushed the pitch after becoming enraged at an umpire?s decision during a match between England and New South Wales.
Terrible carnage ensued: with things getting so out of hand that two fans were ?banned from the grounds for life, their club fees returned to them.? The head of the Melbourne Cricket Club, summoning his harshest invective, compared the mob to ?strolling actors.? And there was this, from a later account in the Sydney Morning Herald: A young Banjo Paterson, who later went on to write the iconic Australian song Waltzing Matilda, was among the pitch invaders.
How uncouth (gently douses teabag).
But oh, for those simpler times. Here we are 130 years later, and conditions out on the playing field are like an episode of The Walking Dead. It seems no one is safe from marauding fans.
What demons (besides *hic!* the obvious) possess men to rush the playing field and attack athletes? I can barely work up the enthusiasm to attend a game in person, let alone leap barriers, dodge security and scamper around on the playing surface; only to end up tasered, hogtied and festooned with German Shepard tooth marks. Sounds like fun, but I?ll pass. Yet fans used to do this all the time, just to shake the hand of their idol, or to try and get on The George Michael Sports Machine.
But lately athlete-fan field interaction has taken a darker turn. The latest was an incident on Wednesday night in which a Dutch soccer fan rushed the pitch and attacked goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. The goalie, a Costa Rican native who plays for AZ Alkmaar, met the idiot with a flying kick, and then stomped on him a few times for good measure before security arrived. Our hero?s parting gift? A red card. Yep, Alvarado was ejected for kicking a fan who probably meant to murder him. This was not a popular decision.
But according to the FIFA rulebook, the ref made the right call. Any attempt by a player to pummel someone ? even if it?s a lunatic who has run onto the field of play to do you harm ? is cause for ejection.
Law 12, page 119.
Violent conduct A player is guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball. He is also guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against a team-mate, spectator, match official or any other person.
Violent conduct may occur either on the field of play or outside its boundaries, whether the ball is in play or not.
Referees are reminded that violent conduct often leads to mass confrontation, therefore they must try to avert this with active intervention. A player, substitute or substituted player who is guilty of violent conduct must be sent off.
Here?s our go-to soccer expert, Jakob from the soccer blog Unprofessional Foul:
?It?s technically correct for them to send off the goalkeeper, but I think the spirit of the law is to punish players who instigate the violent conduct with a spectator, ala Kung Fu Eric Cantona. It seems wholly inappropriate to punish a player for defending himself from an unknown assailant, especially given the Monica Seles event in the 1990s. So, dumbest effing rule in the book.?
For reference, here?s what Cantona did.
I get it: FIFA is concerned about all hell breaking loose if a player continues to whale on a fan after the initial attack. More fans running onto the field, mass hysteria. Of course everyone would fall violently to the turf and writhe in agony at the slightest touch, so it wouldn?t be much of a riot. But it would look bad on YouTube.
But if players were allowed to beat the absolute cotton batting out of any field invader who sought to do them bodily harm, it would discourage such things. That?s why you rarely see such shenanigans at U.S. football games. Exhibit 1: The Steelers? James Harrison vs. portly Browns fan:
Exhibit 2: Idiot Chiefs fan taken down by mascot KC Wolf (embarrassing):
Exhibit 3: Harvard cheerleaders tackle flag thief. That?s the male Harvard cheerleaders, so there?s absolutely no upside to this. Complete and utter Fail.
But as we learned in our opening paragraph, fans rushing the field to rumble with athletes and officials is nothing new. Take poor Australian soccer referee Henry ?Ivor? Crapp, for instance. In separate incidents in 1902 and 1904, he was ?jostled and kicked? by a fan during one match, and ?punched in the face? by another. I?m assuming that?s where we got the term ?Beating the Crapp? out of someone. Some other notable incidents:
June 4, 1913: Emily Davison, a women?s suffrage activist, ran onto the track during the Epsom Derby and was trampled to death by a horse.
Aug. 8, 1936: With five minutes remaining in extra time in an Olympic soccer match between Peru and Austria, a group of Peruvian fans, one brandishing a revolver, invaded the pitch and assaulted Austrian players, officials and stadium security. During the ensuing chaos, Peru scored two goals and won the match 4?2. (Result later voided).
Sept. 10, 1961: In the first half of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland Indians outfielder Jimmy Piersall was attacked by two Yankees fans who ran onto the field. Piersall quickly dispatched the first fan with a single punch then chased after the other, who was intercepted and pummeled by Indian teammates Johnny Temple and Walt Bond.
Aug. 26, 1986: A fan threw a Bowie hunting knife at California Angels rookie Wally Joyner at Yankee Stadium. Joyner was hit on his left arm by the butt end of the knife, escaping injury.
And, sometimes various fans rush the field at the same time, and take out each other.
Sept. 10, 2002: Just before kickoff in a Worthington Cup match between Luton Town and Watford in England, Luton fans invaded the pitch. But Watford fans had done the same, and a brawl broke out when the two sets of supporters met. One fan was knocked unconscious and carted out on a stretcher before riot police restored order. Two fans were arrested and another 50 were ejected.
Is it time for moats at major stadiums? It may be the age of Playstation and social technology that has made fans believe that they are, indeed, part of the game. But here?s a quick note to those people: You are not part of the game. You barely got over the railing, and you were chased down in seconds by a 320-pound security guard named Claude. Also no one on TV saw your face as you?d hoped, but we did see your underwear. Was it worth it?
In the name of Henry ?Ivor? Crapp, let?s stop the madness.
*** Rick?s Cafe Americain appears on Thursdays, and will be back on Jan. 5. Contact: Rickchand@gmail.com.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the United States would boost its emergency aid to the Horn of Africa by $113 million.
Calling the crisis "urgent," Obama said in a statement that the additional aid would come on top of the $870 million in assistance the United States has already provided to help countries hit by the worst drought in decades.
The crisis has left more than 13 million people at risk of starvation in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti.
"The heartbreaking accounts of lives lost and of those struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and the need to reach out to people in need," Obama said.
(Reporting By Caren Bohan; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Gaming peripheral maker Razer has raised $50 million in a financing round to expand its business of offering ?no compromise? gaming products.
IDG-Accel China Capital Fund led the round, the first venture-financed investment for the company beyond previous angel investments.
After years of making only peripherals, Razer recently entered the gaming PC hardware market with the announcement of its new $2,800 Blade gaming laptop, which recently began shipping pre-ordered units in time for the holiday season.
Carlsbad, Calif.-based Razer first unveiled the Blade in August as ?the world?s first true gaming laptop.? The company emphasized its 17-inch LED screen, high-end graphics hardware and six-hour battery life ? all packed into a sleek, combat-knife-inspired case that?s less than an inch thick. The Blade also sports a unique ?switchblade? user interface, which includes 10 adaptive tactile hotkeys and a LCD multi-touch panel displaying in-game information along the keyboard.
Razer faces competition from a number of existing gaming PC specialists like Alienware, which offers a range of gaming laptops starting at $899. The Blade will also compete against smartphones and tablets, which are increasingly becoming the go-to devices for many consumers? mobile gaming habits.
?We took a long time raising our first VC round as games like Battlefield 3 kept us pretty busy recently,? said Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and chief executive of Razer. ?More importantly, we took our time selecting an institutional investor as we wanted to find a partner that understood our commitment to gaming and our no-compromise attitude to designing products. Plus these guys didn?t freak out when we disappeared for a week in the middle of the deal when Skyrim launched.?
Tan said that board meetings start with a game of Counterstrike and the losers have to buy coffee. Razer?s focus is on building a cult brand around its products for gamers. The company started in Singapore in 1998 with a focus on making computer mice for gamers, who are notoriously picky about the speed and sensitivity of their mice. Razer catered to the professional gaming community, signing up Johnathan ?Fatal1ty? Wendel as one of its sponsored players. Over the years, the company added keyboards, audio equipment, mouse surfaces, and console controllers.
Razer will use the money to invest in technology, expand and innovate on its portfolio of designs. And, of course, pay for the video game habits of management.
Next Story: YouTube calls 2011 ?the year of the unexpected?performer? Previous Story: Older gamers buy virtual goods more often younger?gamers
LINCOLN, Neb. ? U.S. border officials exceeded their authority when they imposed multimillion-dollar fines against Union Pacific Corp. for failing to discover illegal drugs in railcars that crossed into the country from Mexico, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon ordered the Department of Homeland Security to halt its fines against the Omaha-based railroad and stop seizing railroad equipment in drug smuggling that the company says was beyond its control.
At issue was whether it's proper for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to impose these fines on railroads. Union Pacific, the largest rail shipper on the U.S.-Mexico border, has argued that it shouldn't be held responsible for the train cars until after they cross the border. Government officials maintain that the railroad is responsible for verifying the nature of what it brings into the country.
Union Pacific chairman and CEO Jim Young said the company was pleased with the ruling, but added the railroad will continue working with federal officials to improve security.
"We have already invested tens of millions of dollars in technology, infrastructure and training to promote safer and more secure rail transportation across the border, and we will continue this collaboration with (U.S. officials) to help mitigate threats to our nation's security," Young said in a statement.
U.S. Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said officials were still reviewing the ruling, and declined to comment further.
In August, Union Pacific resolved part of its long-running dispute with the federal government over fines imposed over drug smuggling on trains crossing from Mexico. But the company proceeded with the lawsuit to challenge the agency's power to impose the fines and seize railcars.
The company and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency announced an agreement in August that covers about $500 million in fines the government had tried to impose and provides a five-year amnesty for Union Pacific. In exchange, Union Pacific railroad agreed to invest $50 million in efforts to strengthen security in the rail supply chain at the Mexican border without admitting any fault.
Union Pacific has said it is not practical for the railroad to patrol trains in Mexico because its security officers have no authority there and cannot carry guns. Plus, drug trafficking is a dangerous business. It owns 26 percent of Ferrocarril Mexicano, but says since it does not control the Mexican railroad and cannot force that business to make drug interdiction efforts.
According to the lawsuit, Customs and Border Protection agents found at least 4,514 pounds of marijuana hidden on Union Pacific trains, and on at least one occasion about 257 pounds of cocaine was also found. The drugs are often found in false compartments on the railcars. Thirty-seven of the seizures took place at the Calexico, Calif., crossing. Four happened at Nogales, Ariz., and one seizure happened at Brownsville, Texas.
Union Pacific has said customs inspections themselves often leave the trains vulnerable. While agents check the Mexican railroad crew's paperwork, railcars on trains up to two miles long can stretch back into Mexico and sit unprotected.
Under the agreement, the railroad will work with Customs to determine where to invest the $50 million. Some may go to improvements in Union Pacific's security, such as adding more personnel and drug dogs, and some may go toward improving Customs' operations at the border. Technological improvements, such as radio frequency identification and GPS tracking systems, may also be purchased.
The agreement said that Union Pacific representatives will be included in an information-sharing center where they will be able to coordinate efforts with government officials. Eventually, officials hope to develop a working group that will include freight railroads, major shippers and government officials to help address border security issues.
Union Pacific is the nation's largest railroad and operates 32,400 miles of track in 23 states from the Midwest to the West and Gulf coasts.
___
Online:
Union Pacific Corp.: http://www.up.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection: http://www.customs.gov
The effort by Congress to compel the NFL and the NFLPA to follow through on their agreement to conduct HGH testing has petered out in recent weeks.? At a time when both sides have reason to be concerned about Congress opting to move aggressively regarding the inability of the parties to turn their agreement to conduct HGH testing into actual HGH testing, the latest effort from Capitol Hill looks more like window dressing than meaningful action.
Earlier this week, four doctors who serve in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith urging the adoption of HGH testing.? The letter, signed by Dr. David ?Phil? Roe (R-Tenn.), Dr. John Fleming (R-La.), Dr. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Dr. Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), points out the risks and side effects of HGH (cancer, diabetes, hypertenson, harm to reproductive health, thyroid problems, and abnormal growth of bone and connective tissue).? The doctors also explain that HGH is normally prescribed only for patients in the late stages of AIDS, for children with growth hormone deficiency, and for treatment of certain types of pituitary tumors.
And then there?s the fact that HGH possession and use without a prescription is illegal.
But there?s no teeth to the letter or any of the other efforts to date from Congress.? The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform reportedly intends at some point to conduct public hearings and/or private efforts to gather information that could result in players being placed under oath about what they know about HGH us and how they or others get HGH, absent clear progress toward HGH testing.? As the offseason approaches, however, the likelihood of the NFL and the union working together to resolve the situation will increase.? Some believe that NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has been trying to delay the issue until after his re-election in March 2012, given that a significant number of players are opposed to HGH testing of any kind.
Regardless, the new CBA clearly states that HGH testing will occur.? The only question is how it will happen.? To date, the NFLPA has refused to proceed with the procedure used by the World Anti-Doping Agency.? (Though the NFLPA has not suggested a test other than the WADA procedure, the NFLPA last month suggested a protocol premised on the WADA test.)? Congress has accused the NFLPA of dragging its feet, but the NFL likewise has failed to enforce the agreement via any of the available legal remedies for forcing a party to honor its written commitments.
Thus, the blame on this one cuts both ways.? The NFLPA has failed to honor its agreement, and the NFL has opted to merely sit back and wait for someone else to pressure the NFLPA to live up to its word.? If the NFL were genuinely serious about eradicating HGH from the game, the NFL would have pursued arbitration and/or litigation aimed at forcing the issue.
And if Congress were genuinely serious about it, they would be doing more than sending letters.
“Batman” star Christian Bale was involved in a little skirmish with Chinese security guards while attempting to meet with a blind legal activist. Bale was [...]
Aiming to spur more conversation among its one million Groups, LinkedIn on Wednesday announced Polls, a new feature that's designed to get a quick read on an issue. Ian McCarthy, principal product manager at LinkedIn, wrote via the LinkedIn Blog that the feature came about after Group Moderators shared that they were looking for "easy, time-sensitive ways to generate conversations within the group." Apparently, such conversations weren't happening quickly enough after Moderators posted articles or blogged their thoughts. Polls was devised to get more conversation flowing.
[More from Mashable: The 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Profile Buzzwords of 2011]
Although McCarthy addresses Group Moderators in his post, anyone in a Group can create a poll. However, Moderators can restrict the creation of new polls from their Group Settings.
LinkedIn is trying out Polls out in Harvard Business Review's Group of 150 and as of press time, received 64 responses. That number is a strong participant-to-non-participant ratio, but the results were no doubt influenced in part by the novelty of the experiment. However, adding the Poll function addresses what's perceived to be a major issue for LinkedIn: The lack of activities there beyond networking and job seeking.
[More from Mashable: LinkedIn Boot Camp [INFOGRAPHIC]]
The ability to poll on LinkedIn is not new. However, until now, such polls have been public rather than aimed at Groups. The enhancement is the latest for Groups, which has evolved from merely a badge with no real functionality to small communities within the site.
What do you think? Do you use Groups? If not, will polling engage you more? Sound off in the comments.
ATLANTA ? Nearly half of America's public schools didn't meet federal achievement standards this year, marking the largest failure rate since the much-criticized No Child Left Behind Law took effect a decade ago, according to a national report released Thursday.
The Center on Education Policy report shows more than 43,000 schools ? or 48 percent ? did not make "adequate yearly progress" this year. The failure rates range from a low of 11 percent in Wisconsin to a high of 89 percent in Florida.
The findings are far below the 82 percent failure rate that Education Secretary Arne Duncan predicted earlier this year but still indicate an alarming trend that Duncan hopes to address by granting states relief from the federal law. The law requires states to have every student performing at grade level in math and reading by 2014, which most educators agree is an impossible goal.
"Whether it's 50 percent, 80 percent or 100 percent of schools being incorrectly labeled as failing, one thing is clear: No Child Left Behind is broken," Duncan said in a statement Wednesday. "That's why we're moving forward with giving states flexibility from the law in exchange for reforms that protect children and drive student success."
State's scores varied wildly. For example, in Georgia, 27 percent of schools did not meet targets, compared to 81 percent in Massachusetts and 16 percent in Kansas.
That's because some states have harder tests or have high numbers of immigrant and low-income children, center officials said. It's also because the law requires states to raise the bar each year for how many children must pass the test, and some states put off the largest increase until this year to avoid sanctions.
The numbers indicate what federal officials have been saying for more than a year ? that the law, which is four years overdue for a rewrite, is "too crude a measure" to accurately depict what's happening in schools, said Jack Jennings, president of the Washington, D.C.-based center. An overhaul of the law has become mired in the partisan atmosphere in Congress, with lawmakers disagreeing over how to fix it.
"No Child Left Behind is defective," Jennings told The Associated Press. "It needs to be changed. If Congress can't do it, then the administration is right to move ahead with waivers."
Waivers fix the immediate problem but likely will make it much more difficult for parents to understand how schools are rated because progress will no longer be based on just one test score.
Under the 11 waivers already filed, states are asking to use a variety of factors to determine whether they pass muster and to choose how schools will be punished if they don't improve.
Those factors range from including college-entrance exam scores to adding the performance of students on Advanced Placement tests.
At least 39 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, have said they will file waivers, though it is unclear how many will get approved.
Republicans in Congress say Duncan and President Barack Obama are using the waivers to push a "backdoor education agenda" that will ultimately let schools off the hook.
"The law needs to be fixed and it needs to be fixed in Congress and not by executive action," House education committee Chairman John Kline, a Republican from Minnesota, said in September after Obama announced the waivers.
Under No Child Left Behind, states that have tough standards are punished and schools that make progress but don't hit benchmarks get treated the same as schools that see performance dip, Jennings said.
"A lot of educators saw the weaknesses in No Child Left Behind even when it was rolled out ? that this day and time would come," said Georgia schools Superintendent John Barge. "It's kind of a train wreck that we all see happening."
___
Follow Dorie Turner on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dorieturner.
BRUSSELS ? Russian officials indicated Thursday that their country may offer more than the $10 billion it already has promised the International Monetary Fund to help support the struggling euro currency.
Speaking at a news conference with EU President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: "We are ready to invest the necessary financial means to back the EU and the eurozone. We are ready to consider other measures of support."
He didn't elaborate, but Russian officials have said their country would offer up to $10 billion to the IMF to help support the euro. And Arkady Dvorkovich, a Medvedev economic adviser, indicated Thursday the total may be greater because Russia has a big economic stake in the EU, where a debt crisis is dragging down economies and the 17-nation eurozone.
"We are ready to contribute our part via the IMF. We are committed to do it. Ten billion dollars is the minimum commitment," Dvorkovich told journalists reporting from the 28th EU-Russia summit in Brussels, where other major issues included visa liberalization and alleged fraud during Russia's parliamentary election last week.
Last week, EU governments said they would give the IMF euro200 million ($264 billion), which in turn could help out the eurozone. The fund also expects other nations to participate in the rescue fund.
Medvedev said it is in Russia's interest to assist its largest trade partner overcome the economic crisis.
Russia exports more to the EU than to any other market, and Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner. Total trade amounts to euro245 billion ($318 billion). Russia also is the EU's most important source of energy imports, accounting for nearly a quarter of its natural gas consumption and 30 percent of its oil.
Medvedev said that 41 percent of his country's foreign currency reserves are denominated in euros.
"Russia is interested in the EU's preservation as a powerful economic and political force," Medvedev said. "We have advantageous ties, and for us united Europe is very important."
Van Rompuy, meanwhile, acknowledged that Russia and the EU "are strongly interdependent." Van Rompuy was hosting Medvedev for the twice-yearly meeting.
The summit came as the World Trade Organization was set to approve Russia's long-delayed membership on Friday. Russia ? the largest economy still outside the WTO ? has been trying to join for 18 years. A Swiss-brokered deal with Georgia last month cleared the last major hurdle for Russia.
Medvedev thanked the EU for its support of Russia's candidacy, saying: "It will give a strong impulse to our cooperation."
Van Rompuy said: "Russian WTO accession is a major achievement (which) opens a myriad of possibilities for trade and growth."
Medvedev dismissed complaints about the conduct of Russia's Dec. 4 legislative elections. On Wednesday, European Parliament speaker Jerzy Buzek called for new free-and-fair elections and a probe into reports of fraud and intimidation at Russian polling stations.
"It means nothing to me," Medvedev said.
The EU has avoided overt criticism of the elections, which have sparked massive anti-government protests in Moscow and other Russian cities.
After years of negotiations, the two sides also launched a set of joint steps that will lead to visa-free travel for Russian citizens ? a long-standing goal in relations. The measures include the introduction of biometric passports, as well as improved border management to combat transnational crime, terrorism and corruption.
Officials said Syria and Iran were also discussed. Russia has blocked a bid by the United States and EU nations to impose sanctions against Syria, where a government crackdown on dissidents has killed thousands of people. Russia opposes any further moves against Iran, whose nuclear program worries the West.
___
Slobodan Lekic can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/slekich
1. Have you created or been in more than three RPs that haven't finished?
Yes, sir.
2. Of these RPs, how long did it take for them to die out?
Anywhere from a month, to seven months.
3. What are common reasons for RPs not finishing? 'Nobody posted' is already implied, so if you can give more specific reasons, that would be better. Eg: Exams, plot wasn't going anywhere so people lost interest, the GM closed it down (Why?), etc etc
The roleplay kept getting pushed further and further back due to a particularly daunting post that was coming up next - something that would require a ton of outside research, a lot of collaboration, or just plain time and effort! I've also seen roleplays die because the GMs planned out all the background and setting content so enthusiastically, but did not at least sketch out a plot. There was no inciting incident planned. No first rung to breach. The Gobi Desert of roleplays is more often than not where things fall apart.
4. Was there any attempt to revive the RP? If so, what actions were taken?
I've mass PM'd people, read up on past posts, done a few test posts. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In duo RPs, it often gets things back up and running. With groups, if you wait too long, people may have deleted characters to move on to something more current.
5. Have you been involved in RPs that have reached a conclusion?
In the forums, but not with the RP tab.
6. How long did these RPs run for?
Oof, like, three or four numbers?
7. Were there any significant reduction in the number of players towards the end of the RP? If so, why?
No, sir. It was a duo RP from start to finish.
8. Were there any major rearrangements of the players in your RP? If so, why?
Understand for this one, I'm no longer talking about the completed Duo RP. In other RPs, I have taken over the parts of characters that belong to users who have become uninterested, or just straight up left the site completely. That can often change the dynamic completely.
9. Were there extended periods of inactivity? If so, what did you do to revive it?
Someone leaving on a vacation can spark inactivity. Making sure to hound them once they set foot back on Gateway usually rectifies this.
10. Did you have to 'reboot' the RP at any time?
I had to reboot a very early forum RP I did. I've rebooted many RPs over old roleplaying websites from ages old, to now.
11. What keeps you interested in an RP?
The idea of writing a story with someone, collaboratively, and catching the same creative flow. It's fascinating to me to watch something unfold like that.
12. If you do lose interest in an RP, do you tell the GM/other players your concerns? If not, why?
Generally, no. I haven't been in that position.
13. If you decide to leave an RP, do you give a logical exit of your characters?
I've done that only once. I gave permission for the GM to take over my character.
It often seems like Hollywood moms are bikini-ready just seconds after giving birth. But Tori Spelling is one celebrity who's in no rush to lose the baby weight -- especially since she welcomed her third child, 2-month-old Hattie,right before the holidays. "I’m going to give it until after January -- deal with it then," the reality star, 38, tells iVillage. "Plus, Dean makes me feel great. He loves me at any shape and size."
Healthy piglets? Not with sulfonamides!Public release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof Anja Joachim 43-125-077-2200 University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna
One of the most common types of neonatal illness in piglets is coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract caused by the unicellular organism Isospora suis. There are many reasons for attempting to control the disease, ranging from animal welfare considerations to pure financial concerns. Unfortunately, however, the literature contains no clear guidelines on how this should be done. Sulfonamides are frequently suggested as suitable preventative agents and so Joachim investigated the level of protection they afforded to suckling pigs under standardized conditions of infection. Together with Hans-Christian Mundt of Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, she was able to show that sulfonamides can indeed be used to control piglet coccidiosis. However, the use of these agents is associated with a considerable amount of work and therefore and because of the short half-life of sulfonamides in pigs and the difficulty of predicting the appropriate time for treatment they do not seem really suitable for use under conditions on farms.
So what hope is there for farmers and for pigs? Fortunately there is another drug available to treat coccidiosis: toltrazuril. Joachim and Mundt showed that a single application of this drug was able to control the disease under their standard conditions of infection. And their work has been extended by Tanja Kreiner and colleagues in Joachim's group at the Vetmeduni Vienna, who investigated the use of toltrazuril on pig farms in Austria. The findings confirmed that pigs treated with toltrazuril are significantly healthier and suffer significantly less from diarrhoea than pigs that are not treated. Interestingly, pigs kept under poor conditions of hygiene have an increased risk of becoming unhealthy or developing diarrhoea, even when given toltrazuril. It is thus clear that applying the drug is not sufficient to prevent pigs from developing diseases caused by other agents: good hygiene also has an important part to play.
Despite this caveat, Joachim is optimistic. "Our findings show that sulfonamides are not really suitable for use on farms but toltrazuril appears to work very well for the control of coccidiosis. The cost of treating animals is considerably lower than the financial losses due to the disease, so we would recommend all farms where coccidiosis is diagnosed to treat their pigs with this drug."
###
The paper, 'Efficacy of sulfonamides and Baycox against Isospora suis in experimental infections of suckling piglets' by Anja Joachim and Hans-Christian Mundt was published in the journal Parasitology Research (2011, 109:1653-1659). The second paper, 'Influence of toltrazuril treatment on parasitological parameters and health performance of piglets in the field - An Austrian experience,' by Tanja Kreiner, Hanna Lucia Worliczek, Alexander Tichy and Anja Joachim is published in the journal Veterinary Parasitology (2011, 183:14-20). The work was performed together with Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany (Joachim & Mundt) and with the Vetmeduni's Institute of Population Genetics (Kreiner et al.).
About the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna is the only academic and research institution in Austria that focuses on the veterinary sciences. About 1000 employees and 2300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna, which also houses the animal hospital and various spin-off-companies.
http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at
Scientific contact:
Prof Anja Joachim, E Anja.Joachim@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-2200
Released by:
Klaus Wassermann, E Klaus.Wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-1153
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Healthy piglets? Not with sulfonamides!Public release date: 5-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Prof Anja Joachim 43-125-077-2200 University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna
One of the most common types of neonatal illness in piglets is coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of the intestinal tract caused by the unicellular organism Isospora suis. There are many reasons for attempting to control the disease, ranging from animal welfare considerations to pure financial concerns. Unfortunately, however, the literature contains no clear guidelines on how this should be done. Sulfonamides are frequently suggested as suitable preventative agents and so Joachim investigated the level of protection they afforded to suckling pigs under standardized conditions of infection. Together with Hans-Christian Mundt of Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany, she was able to show that sulfonamides can indeed be used to control piglet coccidiosis. However, the use of these agents is associated with a considerable amount of work and therefore and because of the short half-life of sulfonamides in pigs and the difficulty of predicting the appropriate time for treatment they do not seem really suitable for use under conditions on farms.
So what hope is there for farmers and for pigs? Fortunately there is another drug available to treat coccidiosis: toltrazuril. Joachim and Mundt showed that a single application of this drug was able to control the disease under their standard conditions of infection. And their work has been extended by Tanja Kreiner and colleagues in Joachim's group at the Vetmeduni Vienna, who investigated the use of toltrazuril on pig farms in Austria. The findings confirmed that pigs treated with toltrazuril are significantly healthier and suffer significantly less from diarrhoea than pigs that are not treated. Interestingly, pigs kept under poor conditions of hygiene have an increased risk of becoming unhealthy or developing diarrhoea, even when given toltrazuril. It is thus clear that applying the drug is not sufficient to prevent pigs from developing diseases caused by other agents: good hygiene also has an important part to play.
Despite this caveat, Joachim is optimistic. "Our findings show that sulfonamides are not really suitable for use on farms but toltrazuril appears to work very well for the control of coccidiosis. The cost of treating animals is considerably lower than the financial losses due to the disease, so we would recommend all farms where coccidiosis is diagnosed to treat their pigs with this drug."
###
The paper, 'Efficacy of sulfonamides and Baycox against Isospora suis in experimental infections of suckling piglets' by Anja Joachim and Hans-Christian Mundt was published in the journal Parasitology Research (2011, 109:1653-1659). The second paper, 'Influence of toltrazuril treatment on parasitological parameters and health performance of piglets in the field - An Austrian experience,' by Tanja Kreiner, Hanna Lucia Worliczek, Alexander Tichy and Anja Joachim is published in the journal Veterinary Parasitology (2011, 183:14-20). The work was performed together with Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany (Joachim & Mundt) and with the Vetmeduni's Institute of Population Genetics (Kreiner et al.).
About the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna is the only academic and research institution in Austria that focuses on the veterinary sciences. About 1000 employees and 2300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna, which also houses the animal hospital and various spin-off-companies.
http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at
Scientific contact:
Prof Anja Joachim, E Anja.Joachim@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-2200
Released by:
Klaus Wassermann, E Klaus.Wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at, T 43-1-25077-1153
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran's armed forces have shot down an unmanned U.S. spy plane that violated Iranian airspace along the country's eastern border, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.
An unidentified military official quoted in the report warned of a strong and crushing response to any violations of the country's airspace by American drone aircraft.
"An advanced RQ-170 unmanned American spy plane was shot down by Iran's armed forces. It suffered minor damage and is now in possession of Iran's armed forces," IRNA quoted the official as saying.
No further details were published.
Iran is locked in a dispute with the U.S. and its allies over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that it seeks to generate electricity and produce isotopes to treat medical patients.
The type of aircraft Iran says it downed, an RQ-170 Sentinel, is made by Lockheed Martin and was reportedly used to keep watch on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan as the raid that killed him was taking place earlier this year.
The surveillance aircraft is equipped with stealth technology, but the U.S. Air Force has not made public any specifics about the drone.
Iran said in January that two pilotless spy planes it had shot down over its airspace were operated by the United States and offered to put them on public display.
The Islamic Republic holds frequent military drills, primarily to assert an ability to defend against a potential U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
Tehran has focused part of its military strategy on producing drones for reconnaissance and attacking purposes.
Iran announced three years ago it had built an unmanned aircraft with a range of more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers), far enough to reach Israel.
Ahmadinejad unveiled Iran's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft in August 2010, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies.
wobby 
But lately athlete-fan field interaction has taken a darker turn. The latest was an incident on Wednesday night in which a Dutch soccer fan rushed the pitch and attacked goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. The goalie, a Costa Rican native who plays for AZ Alkmaar, met the idiot with a flying kick, and then stomped on him a few times for good measure before security arrived. Our hero?s parting gift? A red card. Yep, Alvarado was ejected for kicking a fan who probably meant to murder him. This was not a popular decision.
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Public release date: 5-Dec-2011
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