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RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, and support from people like you. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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You look great; you'd never know - Lisa Bonchek Adams

IMG_3676

?

?

?

It?s true:
you?d never know.

?

?

I look great. I look healthy. I?m not gaunt or drawn or pale.
I wear makeup most days, and some days I ever wear boots with a heel on them.

I smile, I laugh.
I take a slight jog up the front hall steps when I feel like it.
I crack jokes, I roll my eyes when standing in a long line, I gossip with my friends.

I wear gloves a lot, I have to moisturize my feet and hands at least a dozen times a day.
I buff my feet, I examine them for cracks and bleeding. I stick ice packs on them when they burn from the chemo.
I can?t feel my fingertips, yet portions of them crack and peel and are painful and raw.
I can?t hold a pen or twist off a bottle cap.
I take pills all day long.
I?m swollen, I?m tired, my mind can?t stop racing.

I tell time by ?on? weeks and ?off? ones.
Of course the doctors understand my situation.
They know what this diagnosis means.
Even ones that have nothing to do with cancer call to check on me.

When I go to my sons? school some of the teachers and moms cry when they see me.
?You look good,? they say. This a compliment. Sometimes they say, ?You don?t look sick at all. You?d never know.?
That is shorthand for, ?You don?t look like you?re dying but we know you are.?

I hear people in line to buy holiday gifts complain about the sniffly cold they have or the poor night?s sleep their child had.
They might be complaining about something more serious, but still something that can be fixed.
Time will heal what ails them.
I am not so lucky.

I am jealous.
I am jealous that this is their only medical concern.
I?m not jealous of what they wear or the car they drive or the house they live in.
I?m jealous of their health status.

I?m not in denial. This diagnosis is a nightmare.
My life will always be full of chemo and side effects and worry and monitoring and drug refills and hospital visits.
But my life will also be full of great memories, of laughter, of smiles.
There will be tears. There will be pain. There will be heartache.
But there will also be joy, and grace, and friendship.

I don?t know for how long. I don?t know if they will be in equal measure.
They say I look good. They say, ?You?d never know.?
For now I know it?s true.

There will come a day when it?s not true.
And they will lie.
And I will know it.
And someday, then, I will know the end is near.
But that day is not today.

?

Source: http://lisabadams.com/2012/12/30/you-look-great-youd-never-know/

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Slickdeals' best in tech for December 31st: Sony Pulse headset, UE 500 earbuds and Pentax K-5

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.

Slickdeals' best in tech for December 31st: Sony Pulse headset, UE 500 earbuds and Pentax K-5

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to be a bit more frugal with your tech purchases, perhaps we can help you get a jump start on said goal a day early. A Sony stereo gaming headset and Ultimate Ears UE 500 in-ear headphones look to lure those needing audio accessories, while a Pentax K-5 and Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS watch may lend a hand with other 2013 plans. Head on past the break to check out the full lot, but pay careful attention to rebate forms and coupon codes to insure you get the full discount.

Continue reading Slickdeals' best in tech for December 31st: Sony Pulse headset, UE 500 earbuds and Pentax K-5

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Source: Slickdeals

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/31/slickdeals-best-in-tech-for-december-31st/

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UPDATED ? Former President Bush moved out of intensive care

HOUSTON ? Former President George H.W. Bush?s condition continued to improve Saturday, prompting doctors to move him out of intensive care, a spokesman said.

?President Bush?s condition has improved, so he has been moved today from the intensive care unit to a regular patient room at The Methodist Hospital to continue his recovery,? family spokesman Jim McGrath said Saturday. ?The Bushes thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes.?

Bush was hospitalized Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care at the Houston hospital on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever.

On Friday, McGrath said Bush had improved since arriving in the ICU. He said he was alert and in good spirits and was even doing some singing.

McGrath said Saturday morning that future updates on Bush?s condition would be made as warranted.

Bush, the 41st president, is the country?s oldest living former president.
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(There are also still photos and video at the AP News site. The Associated Press, a nonprofit cooperative owned by U.S. newspapers, is the largest newsgathering agency in the world.)

Last modified: December 29. 2012 2:32PM

Source: http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121229958

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Entrepreneur launches first Africa-designed smartphone

A Congolese inventor has unveiled what he says is the first African-designed smartphone.

Verone Mankou, 27, told AFP that the so-called Elikia, which means "hope" in the local language, went on sale the day before in the Republic of Congo.

Mankou, head of the company VMK, said the Android-powered device was on sale in only in Congo for now, but he planned to launch it in other countries.

The phone was initially due to go on sale in October but its launch was delayed "because of an explosion in demand," he said.

Though the phone is Congolese by design, it is manufactured in China. It costs about 130 euros ($164) &mdashl; a considerable sum in this central African nation.

The phone has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 512 megabytes of RAM and a 650-Mhz processor. Its camera is five megapixels, and it also comes with GPS and Bluetooth.

Mankou last year designed what was billed as Africa's first tablet computer.

Source: http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness/8586595/entrepreneur-launches-first-africa-designed-smartphone

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T-S: A year in a review: Triumph, tragedy and community spirit mark 2012

JANUARY

Jan. 1 -- Plaza New Year -- The Arcata Police Department called the new measures taken to reduce damage and extreme partying on the Arcata Plaza during the New Year's Eve celebration a success.

Jan. 3 -- Elder theft sting -- A local senior care home recently set up a sting that caught a new employee stealing property. The facility's director bought back items from local pawn shops.

Jan. 5 -- SoHum bus vote -- The Southern Humboldt Unified Board of Trustees voted to eliminate the district's transportation department, days after cuts to K-12 transportation statewide went into effect.

Jan. 7 -- Ferndale council's wind concerns -- The Ferndale City Council didn't completely oppose the Shell Wind Bear River Wind Turbine Project during its meeting, but voted to send two letters to Humboldt County expressing its concerns.

Jan. 8 -- T-S ends Monday print edition -- The newspaper starts ?digital first? Mondays, with no printed edition due to high cost of paper, ink and delivery combined with a drop in advertising due to the recession.

Jan. 9 -- Worker dies --Kenneth Newell, 68, died 11 days after being struck from behind while he worked in a construction zone and four days after his family took him off life support.

Jan. 10 -- Klein retires -- After more than 40 years practicing law, Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Arnold Klein has hung up his briefcase and his

sport coat.

Jan. 13 -- ACRC v. HWMA -- The Humboldt Waste Management Authority voted to terminate negotiations with the Arcata Community Recycling Center regarding a proposed lease of the center's operations.

Jan 14 -- ACRC shutters doors -- The Arcata Community Recycling Center Board of Directors announced that the center's Samoa Processing Facility and 10th Street collection site in Arcata will no longer operate after today.

Jan. 18 -- Urgency ordinance -- Humboldt County supervisors voted unanimously to direct staff to work on crafting an ordinance that aims to clarify the proper use of county property as it relates to protests and public assemblies.

Jan. 24 -- Bomb scare -- The Eureka Police Department evacuated Christie's Motel on Fourth Street and the surrounding block after receiving reports that a man currently housed in the Humboldt County jail left explosives in his room, but no device was found after a search that lasted three hours.

Jan. 25 -- Klamath dams -- A draft report released by the U.S. Department of the Interior says a landmark agreement to remove dams in the Klamath Basin will restore salmon and sustain irrigation for farmers in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Jan. 26 -- Stolen baskets recovered -- Seven antique female Native American basket hats were stolen from the Blue Lake Museum, and a Eureka man was arrested around noon after trying to sell them at a local antiques store.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 1 -- Salmon concerns -- Watershed groups and other conservationists expressed concern with terms used by NOAA to rank salmon population areas in the a long-awaited draft recovery plan in fear it would reduce efforts for populations not listed as a ?priority.?

Feb. 2 -- Church Street fire -- An 18-year-old man is in critical condition at the UC Davis burn center after he and an unidentified female were injured during an apartment fire on Church Street in Eureka. A dozen residents were left homeless.

Feb. 4 -- Take Back the Courthouse --More than 100 people gathered at the Humboldt County Courthouse to participate in a pair of protests.

Feb. 7 -- Nursing death -- Loleta resident Maggie Jean Wortman, 27, accepted a plea offer and pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter for killing her infant son with methamphetamine-laced breast milk.

Feb. 8 -- Prop. 8 ruling -- As local gay marriage supporters celebrate a federal appeals court ruling declaring California's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, the ban's proponents are hoping the case moves forward.

Feb. 9 -- Rigge leaving Fortuna -- Officials said a provision in the Fortuna city manager's current contract that requires a super majority vote for his termination became a sticking point during recent negotiations, prompting the city council to search for a replacement.

Feb. 10 -- Dumpster diving -- Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies arrested three men during a pair of stakeouts this week at Humboldt Sanitation after receiving reports that people were breaking into the facility after hours in search of discarded marijuana trimmings.

Feb. 12 -- Hollywood coming to Humboldt -- ?After Earth? readies to make a stop in Humboldt County this spring to do some filming in the redwoods. With Will Smith cast in one of the film's leading roles, rumors of the production's likely stop behind the Redwood Curtain are causing a stir, and not just among film fans.

Feb. 13 -- Earthquake hits -- A 5.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Humboldt County, striking about 18 miles northeast of Trinidad.

Feb. 14 -- Steele convicted of murder --A jury convicted Jacob Charles Steele, 23, of second degree murder and making criminal threats in the January 2010 shooting of Jerry George and the ensuing cover up of his death.

Feb. 15 -- Riese acquitted -- Former Del Norte County District Attorney Michael Riese, 48, was acquitted on all counts against him after standing trial in Del Norte County.

Feb. 16 -- Neely's new job -- Bonnie Neely, former chair of the California Coastal Commission and six-term member of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, has taken a new job as a senior policy advisor for a Sacramento legal firm.

Feb. 18 -- Benbow Dam -- The Southern Humboldt community may have accepted the fate of the Benbow dam, the source for a popular recreational lake that State Parks officials say has become too expensive and too heavily regulated to keep.

Feb. 22 -- 'Corps Ain't Peeps' initiative -- A signature gathering campaign began to limit the influence of corporate money on political campaigns in Arcata.

Feb. 23 -- A former Yurok Tribal employee and two Eureka biologists are suspected of embezzling more than $900,000 from the Yurok Tribe, according to officials with the Del Norte County District Attorney's Office.

Feb. 24 -- Tree measuring -- A federal judge presiding over a case in which the Richardson Grove realignment project is contested has issued an order for a Humboldt County federal judge to oversee the measuring of redwood trees at the site.

Feb. 29 -- Tsunami cuts -- Less than one year after the March tsunami devastated Crescent City's harbor, the Obama administration moves to reduce funding for tsunami warning and preparedness programs operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by $4.6 million.

MARCH

March 1 -- Water woes -- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a controversial water bill that the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors say would hurt salmon stock by blocking the restoration of the San Joaquin River and giving California farmers and urban residents more water.

March 2 -- Mikal Xylon Wilde -- A 29-year-old Eureka man was indicted by a federal grand jury on murder and drug charges stemming from a 2010 shooting at a Kneeland marijuana farm, and potentially faces the death penalty in the case.

March 4 -- Clean up -- Members of Occupy group Humboldt Village cleaned and painted a Eureka home that was vandalized in January by individuals that police officers said were part of the Occupy movement.

March 5 -- Pup rescue -- Two dogs were reunited with their owner after a Humboldt County Sheriff's Office deputy rescued them from a small outcropping on the Eel River.

March 7 -- Airline guarantee -- The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved the concept of a revenue guarantee agreement with incoming airline American Eagle.

March 9 -- Campbell prosecution -- The California Attorney General's Office has agreed to decide whether Michael Joseph Campbell will face a felony DUI charge for his role in the motorcycle crash that killed a 30-year-old Eureka woman.

March 16 -- Got raw milk? -- The dozen or so raw milk advocates were disappointed when the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to maintain the status quo of Humboldt's ban on raw milk sales.

March 17 -- Fortuna shooting -- A Fortuna police officer shot and killed a man after a reportedly violent struggle on O Street during which the suspect began beating another officer with a baton.

March 18 -- Gundersen appeal -- A California appellate court has reversed a pair of 2008 felony firearms convictions against David Gundersen, leaving the possibility that the former Blue Lake Police chief will face another trial.

March 20 -- Nursing death -- A 27-year-old Loleta woman was sentenced to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the death of her infant son.

March 21 -- Racial taunts -- Ferndale High School Principal and Superintendent Jack Lakin requested the special meeting amid news that the body that governs interscholastic athletics in Northern California was launching a formal investigation into the racial taunting allegations.

March 22 -- Saying goodbye -- The Humboldt Crabs announce past president and original board member Jerry Nutter died.

March 27 -- St. Joe layoffs -- St. Joseph Hospital and Redwood Memorial Hospital announced that 68 employees -- or 5 percent of the hospitals' total workforce -- will be given layoff notices Monday.

March 28 -- Urgency ordinance -- An urgency ordinance was enacted by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors that prohibits certain protest activities in an effort to address health and safety issues in front of the county courthouse.

March 30 -- Arcata standoff -- Officers with the Arcata Police Department coax a man out of his apartment near Heather Lane and Foster Avenue in Arcata after the man allegedly threatened a maintenance man with a handgun.

APRIL

April 3 -- Storm deaths --Storms over the previous month played a role in two deaths, closed several roads with landslides and pushed March well past the average rainfall on the North Coast.

April 4 -- Remembering Peter Douglas -- Peter Douglas, who drew the ire of developers while working for 40 years to preserve California's coastline and ensure that its beaches were open to the public, died.

April 5 -- Former Yurok Tribe Forestry Director Roland Raymond, 49, was booked into the Del Norte County jail after turning himself in to authorities, according to the Del Norte County District Attorney's Office.

April 8 -- Caltrans is planning to cut some of the eucalyptus trees along the U.S. Highway 101 safety coordinator down to their stumps in light of aviation safety concerns.

April 10 -- Jacob Charles Steele, 24, of McKinleyville, was sentenced today to 40 years to life in California State Prison for the murder of Jerry George, according to the Humboldt County

District Attorney's Office.

April 11 -- After more than a month of negotiating with American Airlines to start flights to Los Angeles from the Arcata/Eureka Airport, Humboldt County officials said the potential deal has been grounded -- at least until spring 2013.

April 12 -- Shaded parcels -- The Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights -- a private property rights organization -- announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Humboldt County, stating it needs to stop the practice of shading parcels, or marking properties with an uncertain legal status.

April 13 -- EPD settlement -- The city of Eureka agreed to pay longtime police department employee Suzanne Owsley $150,000 as part of a settlement in her workplace harassment case.

April 14 -- Nature boy -- Miranda resident Dillian Staack can't wait to travel to Montana this summer to go exploring after recently learning he's won the field trip of a lifetime through National Geographic Kids magazine.

April 15 -- Local control -- Humboldt County officials are alarmed over a proposed bill that may take away local government's ability to issue coastal development permits and instead pass the responsibility over to the state.

April 17 -- Crider on board -- The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District has chosen an Oregon port manager to be its new chief executive officer.

April 18 -- An 84-year-old Fortuna woman was killed after she was hit by a school bus filled with elementary school students, according to the California Highway Patrol.

April 19 -- A 16-month-old girl was hospitalized after a woman kicked the girl into the air and against a wall in downtown Arcata.

April 21 -- Fortuna shooting -- The parents of Jacob Newmaker filed a wrongful death claim against the city of Fortuna for the death of their son in an officer-involved shooting last month.

April 23 -- Blue day -- Blue the ox died surrounded by his owners and community members after falling into a ditch despite repeated rescue efforts.

April 24 -- Cougar town -- Two mountain lion sightings were reported in the area of West End Road and Spear Avenue in Arcata

April 26 -- After Earth --Several days into the filming of Will Smith's latest movie in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Humboldt County Film Commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine said the production will be an economic boon for the county.

April 27 -- Two neighbors have appealed the Arcata Planning Commission's decision to allow Cypress Grove Chevre's proposed expansion of its Q Street creamery in Arcata.

MAY

May 1 -- Heck of a herbarium --Humboldt State University students and staff recently completed a botanical database which, linked with a statewide project, holds a wealth of information and possibilities throughout the state.

May 2 -- Fatal accident -- A 27-year-old Eureka woman with previous drug- and alcohol-related convictions was arrested on suspicion of murder after she lost control of her vehicle while attempting to evade police Monday night and struck a minivan, killing an Arcata mother near Bayshore Mall.

May 4 -- Park land -- The Yurok Tribe is rolling out new draft legislation next week in its attempt to place more than 1,200 acres of national park land under the tribe's control.

May 5 -- End of an era -- After changing his retirement plans a little over one year to accommodate the city council's wishes, Eureka City Manager David Tyson announced that he is retiring after his contract runs out Dec. 31.

May 8 -- Girard resigns -- Humboldt County Community Development Services Director Kirk Girard resigned Monday, saying he's taken a job with the planning division of Santa Clara County.

May 9 -- Freed whale -- Members of a disentaglement team have freed the gray whale that wandered into Humboldt Bay. The young gray was entangled in fishing gear and suffered deep lacerations on its tail.

May 10 -- Post office reprieve -- The nearly bankrupt U.S. Postal Service has backed off of a plan that would have closed eight local post offices, but it will instead reduce the hours at 23 locations in Humboldt County under a proposal unveiled Wednesday.

May 14 -- Beating death -- A 27-year-old Arcata man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter stemming from the beating death of a 4-year-old.

May 15 -- Del Norte DA -- The State Bar of California filed disciplinary charges against Del Norte District Attorney Jon M. Alexander for alleged corruption, and the Office of Chief Trial Counsel is recommending disbarment.

May 23 -- A judge ruled that a mixed-martial artist accused of murdering and mutilating his friend in 2010 is mentally competent to stand trial.

May 26 -- Kinetic kickoff -- The noon whistle's blast and cheers of thousands of spectators still echoed when the first machines -- a flaming ant and a metallic cockroach -- scurried down Eighth Street in Arcata for the first leg of the Kinetic Grand Championship.

May 29 -- Slape convicted -- A Humboldt County jury found the owner of Back in Action Inc., a physical therapy business, guilty of one count each of sexual penetration and sexual battery by fraud on a victim known as ?Jane Doe 1? and a lesser charge of battery with a second victim.

May 31 -- Guilty verdict -- A Humboldt County jury found Brian Cole Fiore guilty of murdering his 21-year-old friend David Fields following a 2009 marijuana heist.

JUNE

June 1 -- Urgency complaint -- Fortuna resident Janelle Egger filed a complaint against Humboldt County's urgency ordinance in federal court, stating the ordinance violates her fundamental rights to free speech and assembly.

June 5 -- Venus transit -- North Coast residents had another chance to use their solar viewing glasses as Venus slid across the face of the sun. The solar crossing, known as a transit of Venus, won't occur again until 2117.

June 6 -- Cypress Grove -- Cypress Grove Chevre announced an agreement was reached with neighbors, who had appealed an Arcata Planning Commission approval of the company's Q Street creamery expansion.

June 7 -- MLPA -- The California Fish and Game Commission approved proposals for a series of marine protection areas along the North Coast.

June 9 -- Student success -- Students with East High School have received national recognition for their work on a series of projects with the Bureau of Land Management.

June 13 -- Walmart opens -- More than 10 years after Walmart's initial overtures to open in Eureka sharply divided the community, a crowd of around 300 customers gathered outside the discount giant's new store waiting its official 8 a.m. opening.

June 15 -- Sipma dies -- Glen Sipma, a 16-year Humboldt County coroner who fought for the office to remain independent and built a strong relationship with the law enforcement community, died at age 83.

June 17 -- Smith steps down early -- First District Supervisor Jimmy Smith said he is stepping down from office Aug. 3 so he can focus on treating his lymphoma.

June 22 -- Fire season -- The length and severity of Northern California's fire season is hard to predict, but some experts are saying weather conditions on the North Coast may mean a mild to average fire season.

June 25 -- Party melee -- A raucous Loleta party devolved into a melee involving more than 30 people, resulting in at least five stabbings and an injured Humboldt County sheriff's deputy.

June 28 -- Community activist dies -- Community activist David Elsebusch, 77, died at his McKinleyville residence from unknown causes.

June 29 -- Little boy found -- The remains of a 13-year-old boy missing since 1989 are being returned to his family, the Eureka Police Department Missing Persons Unit announced.

JULY

July 1 -- Pot TV -- The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved a contract between the sheriff's office and a production company, granting film crews access to marijuana investigations and eradication efforts.

July 5 -- Child assault -- A woman charged with attempted homicide following the downtown Arcata assault on a toddler in April has been declared unfit to stand trial.

July 7 -- Ghilarducci -- From a federal prison in Texas, former Humboldt Creamery CEO Richard Ghilarducci is asking a federal judge to release him from prison after serving less than half of a 30-month sentence for bank fraud.

July 10 -- Shell backs out -- Shell WindEnergy Inc. announced that the company is opting to exit the Bear River wind project that has been in the works for years.

July 12 -- Urgency verdict -- A jury found three people not guilty of charges related to the restrictions placed on protesters by Humboldt County's urgency ordinance, leaving the district attorney's office to investigate how the decision impacts other cases.

July 14 -- Pot farm poison -- Potent rat poisons used on large-scale illegal marijuana farms sprinkled through forest lands throughout the state may be killing off a rare forest carnivore, according to a groundbreaking study.

July 16 -- Bohn appointed -- Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced that Rex Bohn, 57, has been appointed to serve the remainder of 1st District Supervisor Jimmy Smith's term.

July 18 -- Containment -- Fire officials declared that the Flat Fire is 100 percent contained and said road restrictions on State Route 299 were lifted.

July 19 -- Plea deal -- Brooke Danna Hames, 27, will serve 14 years in state prison for the car crash that killed Danielle Weaver, a 24-year-old mother, and seriously injuring Weaver's fiance, Joseph ?Bob? Chisholm.

July 20 -- Quakes hit -- A magnitude-5.1 earthquake struck off the Humboldt County coast at 6:52 p.m. with a quick jolt but no damage. At 11:04 p.m., another jolt, this time a magnitude 5.3 quake, shook the North Coast.

July 26 -- Jim Bernard -- Well-known North Coast weatherman Jim Bernard says he is leaving News Channel 3 due to neurological problems.

July 29 -- Ailing pelicans -- Nearly 200 brown pelicans are undergoing care at the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center after becoming ill due to castoff fish waste at local harbors.

AUGUST

Aug. 1 -- Cal State -- California State University reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract with its faculty that largely preserves current contract terms and calls for no salary raises.

Aug. 3 -- Fires -- Sixteen separate fires began this afternoon along State Route 96, closing the route from the Humboldt County line to Dillon Creek -- about 60 miles north of Willow Creek.

Aug. 8 -- Tsunami repairs -- Reconstruction work is underway at the Crescent City Harbor to ultimately make it capable of withstanding the strongest possible tsunami generated in a 50-year period.

Aug. 9 -- Big bust -- Multiple law enforcement agencies led by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office eradicated more than 26,000 marijuana plants from a sophisticated grow operation on Hoopa Valley Tribal land Tuesday in the area's largest marijuana bust so far this year.

Aug. 13 -- Roland Raymond -- A former Yurok Tribe forestry director charged last week by the U.S. Attorney's Office with embezzling nearly $1 million from the tribe pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Aug. 15 -- Mistrial -- A mistrial was declared in the case of a Hoopa man accused of murdering a Willow Creek volunteer fireman during an attempted robbery after jurors reported they were unable to agree on a verdict after more than seven days of deliberations.

Aug. 16 -- Bassler death justified -- A SWAT team's fatal shooting of Aaron Bassler, who was wanted in the killings of two men in the Fort Bragg area last year, was justified, according to a report released by Mendocino County District Attorney C. David Eyster.

Aug. 17 -- EPD chief search on hold -- The city of Eureka decides to scrap its police chief hiring process, with department veteran Murl Harpham to become chief until another search is complete.

Aug. 18 -- Soccer scandal -- The California State University Chancellor's Office is investigating an alleged hazing incident involving the Humboldt State University men's soccer team. HSU President Rollin Richmond later cancels season.

Aug. 21 -- License cam -- The Eureka and Arcata police departments began installing a new camera system on patrol cars which constantly scans for license plates, an upgrade lauded by law enforcement but raising privacy concerns for others.

Aug. 27 -- Theft warning -- An increase in petty crime has the Eureka Police Department urging residents to take precautions against theft and break-ins.

Aug. 29 -- Hazing on women's team -- A Humboldt State University investigation found evidence of hazing at a women's soccer team party. President Rollin Richmond suspended the team for three games.

Aug. 30 -- Jackson Surber -- A Hoopa man will be retried on a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of a Willow Creek volunteer fireman that left a jury deadlocked.

Aug. 31 -- Brooke Hames -- A Eureka woman has been sentenced to 14 years in state prison in connection with the death of an Arcata woman she killed in a drunken driving crash in April near Bayshore Mall.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1 -- Taking on ticks -- A Humboldt State University professor recently received a $350,000 grant to fund research that may provide the foundation for reducing deer tick populations in Northern California -- and, in turn, Lyme disease, the stealthy bacterial infection borne by the tiny insects.

Sept. 5 -- CSU contract -- The California State University faculty has overwhelmingly approved a new four-year labor contract, ending more than two years of contentious bargaining with the administration.

Sept. 6 -- Lens deal -- Ending years of dispute, Ferndale and the U.S. Coast Guard have settled the future of the lighthouse lens that has stood over the Ferndale Fairgrounds entrance for more than six decades.

Sept. 7 -- Jarrod Wyatt -- Four days before his trial was set to begin in Crescent City, a mixed-martial artist pleaded guilty to murdering and mutilating his friend in 2010.

Sept. 8 -- Fortuna shooting -- Six months after a fatal officer-involved shooting in Fortuna, the parents of the man killed are filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the city seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Sept. 13 -- Back in time -- Tom Maxon digs up time capsule buried in 1966 at the Fifth Street building, which housed his family's successful music shop.

Sept. 14 -- Earthquake -- A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck the Humboldt County coast at 4:53 a.m.

Sept. 21 -- Pepper spray assault -- Fortuna Police Department officials investigate a home invasion at a 12th Street apartment complex that sent five people -- including an infant and a toddler -- to the hospital after they were doused with bear pepper spray.

Sept. 27 -- New chief -- Eureka Police Chief Murl Harpham was sworn in at the newly renovated City Council chambers in front of a packed house.

Sept. 28 -- Hoopa murder and joggers hit -- A 40-year-old mother was killed, and two other women suffered major injuries in a hit and run collision while jogging along Myrtle Avenue. The case is related to the murder of a Hoopa mother, who was found in her home during an investigation into the hit and run.

OCTOBER

Oct. 2 -- Warren named -- The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office named Jason Anthony Warren as a person of interest in the murder of a Hoopa woman and a later hit-and-run that killed a mother of two and severely injured two others on Myrtle Avenue.

Oct. 4 -- Warren sentenced in separate case -- The man considered a ?person of interest? in the death of a Hoopa woman and a hit-and-run crash that killed a Humboldt State University instructor was sentenced to nine years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon, after failing to show for his sentencing in September for an unrelated case.

Oct. 9 -- Lawsuit dropped -- Fortuna resident Janelle Egger has dropped her lawsuit against the county over its urgency ordinance.

Oct. 11 -- Pain at the pump -- As Californians fume over the latest record-setting spike in gas prices, there's a big question at the pumps: Is there any way out?

Oct. 14 -- Biomass -- Concerns over what contaminants may be associated with Humboldt County's biomass industry -- and Eel River Power's plans to shutter its Scotia facility, citing reasons including regulatory uncertainty -- highlight just two sides of the challenge of tapping the region's largest source of renewable energy.

Oct. 16 -- Jon Alexander -- The fight for Del Norte County District Attorney Jon Alexander's professional life got under way in a tiny courtroom in the downtown San Francisco high rise that serves as headquarters for the State Bar.

Oct. 18 -- Mayan settlement -- An Arcata construction company has agreed to pay $570,000 to Humboldt County as part of a settlement agreement regarding disputes about work done at the Arcata/Eureka Airport in McKinleyville.

Oct. 20 -- Ghilarducci -- Imprisoned former Humboldt Creamery CEO Richard Ghilarducci is challenging his sentence in a bank fraud case, but the U.S. Attorney's Office said his allegations have no merit.

Oct. 23 -- Orick waterspouts -- A waterspout, a tornado that forms over the water, appeared off the coast of Redwood Creek near Orick.

Oct. 25 -- Raven troubles -- A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to poison predatory birds that are harming the snowy plover population on Clam Beach has people concerned about the use of toxic chemicals on county land.

Oct. 27 -- Kevin Hamblin -- Arcata resident Kevin Hamblin, who served as a Eureka development official for 25 years, is set to take the reins as the new Humboldt County director of planning and building.

Oct. 30 -- Shark attack -- A likely great white shark attack near the North Jetty today left a group of surfers scrambling to save a 25-year-old man's life.

Oct. 31 -- Survivor's story -- Surfer Scott Stephens tells how he punched a shark on the side of its head until it relented and let go, seconds after biting him and pulling him underwater off the North Jetty.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1 -- Eureka standoff -- A seven-hour standoff between law enforcement and an armed man on the 3000 block of E Street in Eureka ended without incident.

Nov. 2 -- Fairhaven fire -- Fire crews and business owners were left to assess the damage of a fire that ravaged sections of the Fairhaven Business Park in Samoa.

Nov. 4 -- Cruz waivers -- District Attorney Paul Gallegos has asked his prosecutors to oppose all Cruz waivers after a man released on one in August became a person of interest in an Old Arcata Road hit-and-run and a Hoopa homicide in September.

Nov. 8 -- Ferndale tie -- Candidates in two local races -- including the currently tied race for the Ferndale mayor seat -- are waiting to see which way the final results will swing with more than 7,000 ballots from across Humboldt County remaining to be counted.

Nov. 9 -- Gas below $4 -- Humboldt County motorists are finally seeing relief after wholesale fuel prices across the state surged to record-breaking highs in October.

Nov. 10 -- Urgent care -- St. Joseph Hospital's urgent care clinic will close early next year, hospital officials confirmed.

Nov. 13 -- Norman Shopay -- President of the Mad River Rotary Club and general manager of the McKinleyville Community Services District, Shopay died while traveling near Half Moon Bay on Saturday.

Nov. 16 -- Underwater -- When a ?king tide? hit the local coastline -- an unusually high tide caused by solar and lunar gravitational pull -- the result was submerged streets in King Salmon, flooded cow pastures and inundated shorelines on Indian Island.

Nov. 18 -- Community rallies -- A Girl Scout who uses an iPad program to communicate will get her voice back after news that it was stolen rallies the community.

Nov. 20 -- Jason Warren -- The person of interest in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Humboldt State University instructor has officially been named a suspect in the murder of Hoopa resident Dorothy Ulrich.

Nov. 21 -- Raven poisoning pulled -- A proposal to protect threatened snowy plovers on Clam Beach by poisoning egg-gobbling predators was withdrawn Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Nov. 24 -- Big Lagoon tragedy -- The bodies of a Freshwater couple were recovered and the search continued for their 16-year-old son at Big Lagoon, after they were pulled into the surf from shallow water.

Nov. 26 -- Community in mourning -- Humboldt County residents mourn Freshwater residents Mary Elena Scott, 57, and her husband Howard Kuljian, 54, who died after being swept into the ocean at Big Lagoon near Orick. The couple's son, 16-year-old Arcata High School student Gregory ?Geddie? Kuljian, remained missing.

Nov. 26 -- Arcata SEAL killed -- The mother of a local Navy SEAL killed over the weekend in Afghanistan said a ?Kevin Ebbert Memorial Fund? has been set up through the Humboldt Area Foundation for people who would like to donate in his name. Ebbert, 32, of Arcata, died Saturday while ?supporting stability operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.?

Nov. 30 -- Election final -- Eureka City Councilwoman Linda Atkins retained her seat in a tight race against challenger Joe Bonino, while Stuart Titus narrowly grabbed a win over Ken Weller in a close race for the Ferndale mayoral seat.

DECEMBER

Dec. 2 -- Stormy weather -- Flood warnings put in place for the Eel River at Fernbridge and the Van Duzen River near Bridgeville.

Dec. 7 -- Discovery Museum -- Without some holiday help, the Redwood Discovery Museum in Old Town Eureka may be closing its doors.

Dec. 9 -- School bonds -- Half a dozen school districts in Humboldt County are among 200 statewide that have borrowed billions of dollars to build and modernize schools using capital appreciation bond -- or CAB -- financing that some critics contend should be banned because it burdens homeowners with high debts that take up to 40 years to pay off at exorbitant interest rates.

Dec. 10 -- Robert Alan Mott -- A McKinleyville doctor who pleaded guilty to charges of battery will face five years probation, but will be allowed to practice, the Medical Board of California has decided.

Dec. 13 -- RV park -- As the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District board considers moving forward with plans to develop a district-operated recreational vehicle park on Woodley Island, some members of the business and fishing communities have stepped forward to voice concerns.

Dec. 14 --Tsunami debris -- A proposed $60.4 billion federal disaster aid package includes money for marine debris removal. But it's not clear how much might go toward clearing West Coast beaches -- including those in Humboldt County --of debris from the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Dec. 17 -- Sacred site -- A Karuk ceremonial site was recently determined to be eligible for federal and historic designation, a move that pleases the tribe but may not offer more than symbolic protection.

Dec. 18 -- Let it snow -- Snow and rain hit the North Coast.

Dec. 22 -- Atmospheric rivers -- A new high-tech weather station will soon be installed near Eureka to better forecast damaging precipitation and flooding, like the drenching storm the North Coast recently witnessed.

Dec. 24 -- $2.4M question -- The city of Arcata is being confronted with paying back $2.4 million in redevelopment money that is already overdue -- according to the state -- and much of which has already been spent on building projects.

Dec. 27 -- Federal settlement -- Christmas came early this year for Hoopa Valley Tribe members in the form of payouts from a federal settlement -- and not long after New Year's, the tribe faces a vote on how to divide the rest of the money.

Source: http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_22283444/year-review-triumph-tragedy-and-community-spirit-mark?source=rss

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Cliff may be a fear, but debt ceiling much scarier

(Reuters) - Investors fearing a stock market plunge - if the United States tumbles off the "fiscal cliff" next week - may want to relax.

But they should be scared if a few weeks later, Washington fails to reach a deal to increase the nation's debt ceiling because that raises the threat of a default, another credit downgrade and a panic in the financial markets.

Market strategists say that while falling off the cliff for any lengthy period - which would lead to automatic tax hikes and stiff cuts in government spending - would badly hurt both consumer and business confidence, it would take some time for the U.S. economy to slide into recession. In the meantime, there would be plenty of chances for lawmakers to make amends by reversing some of the effects.

That has been reflected in a U.S. stock market that has still not shown signs of melting down. Instead, it has drifted lower and become more volatile.

In some ways, that has let Washington off the hook. In the past, a plunge in stock prices forced the hand of Congress, such as in the middle of the financial crisis in 2008.

"If this thing continues for a bit longer and the result is you get a U.S. debt downgrade ... the risk is not that you lose two-and-a-half percent, the risk is that you lose ten and a half," said Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at UBS Equity Research, in New York.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said this week that the United States will technically reach its debt limit at the end of the year.

INVESTORS WARY OF JANUARY

The White House has said it will not negotiate the debt ceiling as in 2011, when the fight over what was once a procedural matter preceded the first-ever downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. But it may be forced into such a battle again. A repeat of that war is most worrisome for markets.

Markets posted several days of sharp losses in the period surrounding the debt ceiling fight in 2011. Even after a bill to increase the ceiling passed, stocks plunged in what was seen as a vote of "no confidence" in Washington's ability to function, considering how close lawmakers came to a default.

Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered the U.S. sovereign rating to double-A-plus, citing Washington's legislative problems as one reason for the downgrade from triple-A status. The benchmark S&P 500 dropped 16 percent in a four-week period ending August 21, 2011.

"I think there will be a tremendous fight between Democrats and Republicans about the debt ceiling," said Jon Najarian, a co-founder of online brokerage TradeMonster.com, in Chicago.

"I think that is the biggest risk to the downside in January for the market and the U.S. economy."

There are some signs in the options market that investors are starting to eye the January period with more wariness. The CBOE Volatility Index, or the VIX, the market's preferred indicator of anxiety, has remained at relatively low levels throughout this process, though on Thursday it edged above 20 for the first time since July.

More notable is the action in VIX futures markets, which shows a sharper increase in expected volatility in January than in later-dated contracts. January VIX futures are up nearly 23 percent in the last seven trading days, compared with a 13 percent increase in March futures and an 8 percent increase in May futures. That's a sign of increasing near-term worry among market participants.

The CBOE Volatility Index closed on Friday at 22.72, gaining nearly 17 percent to end at its highest level since June as details emerged of a meeting on Friday afternoon of President Barack Obama with Senate and House leaders from both parties where the president offered proposals similar to those already rejected by Republicans. Stocks slid in late trading and equity futures continued that slide after cash markets closed.

"I was stunned Obama didn't have another plan, and that's absolutely why we sold off," said Mike Shea, a managing partner and trader at Direct Access Partners LLC, in New York.

Obama offered hope for a last-minute agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff after a meeting with congressional leaders, although he scolded Congress for leaving the problem unresolved until the 11th hour.

"The hour for immediate action is here," he told reporters at a White House briefing. "I'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved."

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to convene on Sunday and continue working through the New Year's Day holiday. Obama has proposed maintaining current tax rates for all but the highest earners.

Consumers don't appear at all traumatized by the fiscal cliff talks, as yet. Helping to bolster consumer confidence has been a continued recovery in the housing market and growth in the labor market, albeit slow.

The latest take on employment will be out next Friday, when the U.S. Labor Department's non-farm payrolls report is expected to show jobs growth of 145,000 for December, in line with recent growth.

Consumers will see their paychecks affected if lawmakers cannot broker a deal and tax rates rise, but the effect on spending is likely to be gradual.

PLAYING DEFENSE

Options strategists have noted an increase in positions to guard against weakness in defense stocks such as General Dynamics because those stocks would be affected by spending cuts set for that sector. Notably, though, the PHLX Defense Index is less than 1 percent away from an all-time high reached on December 20.

This underscores the view taken by most investors and strategists: One way or another, Washington will come to an agreement to offset some effects of the cliff. The result will not be entirely satisfying, but it will be enough to satisfy investors.

"Expectations are pretty low at this point, and yet the equity market hasn't reacted," said Carmine Grigoli, chief U.S. investment strategist at Mizuho Securities USA, in New York. "You're not going to see the markets react to anything with more than a 5 (percent) to 7 percent correction."

Save for a brief 3.6 percent drop in equity futures late on Thursday evening last week after House Speaker John Boehner had to cancel a scheduled vote on a tax-hike bill due to lack of Republican support, markets have not shown the same kind of volatility as in 2008 or 2011.

A gradual decline remains possible, Golub said, if business and consumer confidence continues to take a hit on the back of fiscal cliff worries. The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence fell sharply in December, a drop blamed in part on the fiscal issues.

"If Congress came out and said that everything is off the table, yeah, that would be a short-term shock to the market, but that's not likely," said Richard Weiss, a Mountain View, California-based senior money manager at American Century Investments.

"Things will be resolved, just maybe not on a good time table. All else being equal, we see any further decline as a buying opportunity."

(Wall St Week Ahead runs every Friday. Questions or comments on this column can be emailed to: david.gaffen(at)thomsonreuters.com)

(Reporting by Edward Krudy and Ryan Vlastelica in New York and Doris Frankel in Chicago; Writing by David Gaffen; Editing by Martin Howell, Steve Orlofsky and Jan Paschal)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-week-ahead-cliff-may-fear-debt-150342441--sector.html

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Putin signs law banning American adoptions

Those already undergoing the costly process of adopting a child from Russia found out Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law barring any future adoptions, canceling the ones in progress. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

By NBC News staff and wire reports

President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday that bans Americans from adopting Russian children and imposes other measures in retaliation for new U.S. legislation meant to punish Russian human rights abusers.

The law, which has ignited outrage among Russian liberals and children's rights advocates, enters into force on Jan. 1 and is likely to strain U.S.-Russia relations.


As well as banning U.S. adoptions, it will also outlaw some non-governmental organizations that receive U.S. funding and impose a visa ban and asset freeze on Americans accused of violating the rights of Russians abroad.

The law could block dozens of Russian children expected to be adopted by American families from leaving the country and cut off one of the main international routes for Russian children to leave orphanages that are often dismal. Russia is the single biggest source of adopted children in the United States, with more than 60,000 Russian children being taken in by Americans over the past two decades.

The bill is retaliation for an American law that calls for sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators and part of an increasingly confrontational stance by the Kremlin against the West.

Related: Americans may lose right to adopt Russian children

Putin said U.S. authorities routinely let Americans suspected of violence toward Russian adoptees go unpunished ? a clear reference to Dima Yakovlev, a Russian toddler for whom the bill is named. The child was adopted by Americans and then died in 2008 after his father left him in a car in broiling heat for hours. The father was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

Children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov on Wednesday said that 46 children who were about to be adopted in the United States would remain in Russia if the bill came into effect. On Thursday, he petitioned the president to extend the ban to other countries.

Courtesy Thomas family

John and Renee Thomas with their son, Jack, 7, who was adopted from Russia at the age of 3. Jack is hoping for his brother, Nikoly, now in a Russian orphanage, to join him in the United States.

Would-be adoptive parents in the United States are left hanging by Putin's signing of the bill, which was passed by Russian lawmakers last week.

Among them are John and Renee Thomas of Minnetonka, Minn., Kari Huus of NBC News reported.?The Thomases have already adopted Jack, 7, from Russia. When they found out he had a little brother, they began the process to try to adopt him, too. The wait has stretched to four years, and now the adoption may be in danger.?

"When Jack is asked about his family, he talks about his brother," John Thomas said. "He always asks, 'When is he coming home?' We just tell him we?re waiting for the call."

More: Adoption of little brother caught in US-Russia spat

UNICEF estimates that there are about 740,000 children without parental custody in Russia, while only 18,000 Russians are now waiting to adopt a child.

Russian President Vladamir Putin has said he'll sign a proposed law that would halt adoptions of Russian children to Americans. NBC's Duncan Golestani reports.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday repeated its opposition to the Russian measure.

"The welfare of children is simply too important to tie to the political aspects of our relationship," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said. "Additionally, we are deeply troubled by the provisions in the bill that would restrict the ability of Russian civil society organizations to work with American partners." ?

Critics of the bill left dozens of stuffed toys and candles outside the parliament's lower and upper houses to express solidarity with Russian orphans.?

An online petition urging the Kremlin to scrap the bill garnered more than 100,000 Russian signatures.?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/27/16188750-russias-putin-ill-sign-law-banning-american-adoptions?lite

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Experts: Schools need trained police, not just guard with a gun

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The student's attack began with a shotgun blast through the windows of a California high school. Rich Agundez, the El Cajon policeman assigned to the school, felt his mind shift into overdrive.

People yelled at him amid the chaos but he didn't hear. He experienced "a tunnel vision of concentration."

While two teachers and three students were injured when the glass shattered in the 2001 attack on Granite Hills High School, Agundez confronted the assailant and wounded him before he could get inside the school and use his second weapon, a handgun.

The National Rifle Association's response to a Connecticut school massacre envisions, in part, having trained, armed volunteers in every school in America. But Agundez, school safety experts and school board members say there's a huge difference between a trained law enforcement officer who becomes part of the school family ? and a guard with a gun.

The NRA's proposal has sparked a debate across the country as gun control rises once again as a national issue. President Barack Obama promised to present a plan in January to confront gun violence in the aftermath of the killing of 20 Sandy Hook Elementary School students and six teachers in Newtown, Conn.

Agundez said what happened before the shooting in the San Diego County school should frame the debate over the NRA's proposal.

With a shooting at another county school just weeks before, Agundez had trained the staff in how to lock down the school, assigned evacuation points, instructed teachers to lock doors, close curtains and turn off the lights. He even told them computers should be used where possible to communicate, to lessen the chaos.

And his training? A former SWAT team member, Agundez' preparation placed him in simulated stressful situations and taught him to evade a shooter's bullets. And the kids in the school knew to follow his advice because they knew him. He spoke in their classrooms and counseled them when they came to him with problems.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, school boards, administrators, teachers and parents are reviewing their security measures.

School security officers can range from the best-trained police officers to unarmed private guards. Some big-city districts with gang problems and crime formed their own police agencies years ago. Others, after the murder of 13 people at Columbine High School in 1999, started joint agreements with local police departments to have officers assigned to schools ? even though that was no guarantee of preventing violence. A trained police officer at Columbine confronted one of two shooters but couldn't prevent the death of 13 people.

"Our association would be uncomfortable with volunteers," said Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers ? whose members are mostly trained law enforcement officers who "become part of the school family.'"

Canady questioned how police officers responding to reports of a shooter would know whether the person with a gun is a volunteer or the assailant.

Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson, who also was a top Homeland Security official and will head the NRA effort, said the program will have two key elements.

One is a model security plan "based on the latest, most up-to-date technical information from the foremost experts in their fields." Each school could tweak the plan to its own circumstances, and "armed, trained, qualified school security personnel will be but one element."

The second element may prove the more controversial because, to avoid massive funding for local authorities, it would use volunteers. Hutchinson said in his home state of Arkansas, his son was a volunteer with a local group "Watchdog Dads," who volunteered at schools to patrol playgrounds and provide added security.

He said retired police officers, former members of the military or rescue personnel would be among those likely to volunteer.

There's even debate over whether anyone should have a gun in a school, even a trained law enforcement officer.

"In general teachers don't want guns in schools period," said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, one of the two large unions representing teachers. He added that one size does not fit all districts and said the union has supported schools that wanted a trained officer. Most teachers, he said, do not want to be armed themselves.

"It's a school. It's not a place where guns should be," he commented.

The security situation around the country is mixed.

?Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he has the authority to mobilize private citizens to fight crime and plans to post armed private posse members around the perimeter of schools. He said he hasn't spoken to specific school districts and doesn't plan to have the citizen posse members inside the buildings.

?The Snohomish School District north of Seattle got rid of its school officers because of the expense.

?The Las Vegas-based Clark County School District has its own police department and places armed officers in and around its 49 high school campuses. Officers patrol outside elementary and middle schools. The Washoe County School District in Nevada also has a police force, but it was only about a decade ago that the officers were authorized to carry guns on campus.

?In Milwaukee, a dozen city police officers cover the school district but spend most of their time in seven of the 25 high schools. In Madison, Wis., an armed police officer has worked in each of the district's four high schools since the mid-1990s.

?For the last five years, an armed police officer has worked in each of the two high schools and three middle schools in Champaign, Ill. Board of Education member Kristine Chalifoux said there are no plans to increase security, adding, "I don't want our country to become an armed police state."

?A Utah group is offering free concealed-weapons permit training for teachers as a result of the Connecticut shootings. Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne proposed a plan to allow one educator in each school to carry a gun.

Ed Massey, vice chairman of the Boone County, Ky., school board and president of the National School Boards Association, said his district has nine trained law enforcement officers for 23 schools and "would love to have one in every school."

"They bring a sense of security and have done tremendous work in deterring problems in school," he said. "The number of expulsions have dramatically decreased. We used to have 15 or 20 a year. Now we have one or two in the last three years."

An officer, he said, "is not just a hired gun. They have an office in the school. They are trained in crisis management, handling mass casualties and medical emergencies."

He said a poster given out by the local sheriff's department shows one of the officers and talks about literacy and reading.

Kenneth Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services consulting firm, said having trained officers in schools is "more of a prevention program than a reactive program if you have the right officers who want to work with kids."

But he also criticized a drop in funding for school security, saying, "Congress and the last two administrations have chipped away to the point of elimination of every program for school security and emergency planning."

Dr. Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center that provides training to schools, said the NRA's suggestion of using volunteers "is a whole new concept of school safety." He questioned whether the NRA wants to bring the best sharpshooters on campus.

"How is that going to create a positive atmosphere for young people?" he asked. "How does that work on the prevention side?"

Agundez, 52, who retired as a policeman in 2010, learned shortly before his retirement just how much his trained reaction to a shooter affected students at Granite Hills High.

He was writing a traffic ticket and the driver's whole body started shaking. He had been a student that day nine years earlier.

"He gave me a hug," Agundez recalled. "He said 'I always wanted to thank you.' You saved our lives."

___

Associated Press writers Todd Richmond, Michael Tarm, Greg Moore, Ken Ritter, Sandra Chereb and Donna Blankinship contributed to this report.

___

Follow Larry Margasak on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/LarryMargasak

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/experts-trained-police-needed-school-security-091515160--politics.html

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social media: Facebook Shares Fall Briefly Amid Report of Instagram Quitters

social media: Facebook Shares Fall Briefly Amid Report of Instagram Quitters
Instagram may or may not have lost some users over the last week, depending on whom you ask, which caused Facebook?s stock to fall briefly on Friday.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/ePJ8gQhL2vY/

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Verizon cuts HTC Windows Phone 8X to $99.99

For a moment there, we almost believed it: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's radical solution for the ongoing fiscal cliff nightmare, and maybe politics entirely, was going to work. Scrawling a vaguely political message on paper cups containing overpriced coffee would deliver us from partisan politics, from disagreement itself. We were going to Come Together? while consuming a Trenta vanilla soy half-caf latte?with extra chocolate drizzle.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/verizon-cuts-htc-windows-phone-8x-99-99-130037921.html

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Samsung details Jelly Bean update with new features for original Galaxy Note

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A homeless woman was in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after a man doused her with liquid accelerant and set her on fire as she slept on a bus bench, police said on Thursday. Officers arrested Dennis Petillo, 24, in connection with the early morning attack, and he has been booked in jail on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a local hospital with burns all over her body, said Los Angeles police Lieutenant Damian Gutierrez. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-details-jelly-bean-features-original-galaxy-note-025039877.html

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Pakistani Taliban capture 22 soldiers after government rejects terms

Pakistan's interior minister dismissed today Pakistani Taliban conditions for a cease-fire, including changes to the constitution and a break with the US.

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik and Jibran Ahmad,?Reuters / December 27, 2012

An Afghan border policeman feeds a detained suspected Taliban member near Walli Was in Paktika province, near the border with Pakistan in November.

Goran Tomasevic/Reuters/File

Enlarge

Era Ismail Khan, Islamabad and Peshawar, Pakistan

The Pakistani Taliban have seized at least 22 men from a paramilitary force in attacks on three checkpoints in northern Pakistan, a regional official said on Thursday, but Taliban and other Pakistani sources put the number even higher.

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At least 22 men were missing, two had been killed and one was injured after the overnight attacks, said Naveed Akbar, a regional official whose remit covers the paramilitary units.

Other Pakistani officials said at least 30 men had been taken, a figure confirmed by Taliban spokesmen.

This comes just after the Pakistani?Taliban?have outlined conditions for a cease-fire, including the adoption of Islamic law and a break with the?United States, a spokesman said Thursday, an offer dismissed out of hand by the interior minister.

The?Taliban, in a letter sent to the?Pakistan?daily The News, also demanded that?Pakistan?stop its involvement in the war pitting Afghan insurgents against the?Kabul government?and refocus on a war of "revenge" against?India.

The letter from?Taliban?spokesman?Amir Muawiya?comes as the focus in?Afghanistan?shifts from a military push by NATO troops to potential peace talks, and amid speculation of a rift between top?Pakistan?Talibanleaders.

Military officials told Reuters last month that?Pakistan?Taliban?leader?Hakimullah Mehsud?had lost operational command to his deputy,?Wali ur-Rehman, considered to be more open to reconciliation with the?Pakistani government. The?Taliban?deny Mehsud has lost command.

The Pakistani?Taliban?are a separate entity allied to the Afghan?Taliban. Known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan?(TTP), they have launched devastating attacks against the Pakistani military and civilians.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/QIqjaDqRCE4/Pakistani-Taliban-capture-22-soldiers-after-government-rejects-terms

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New home sales hit highest rate since April 2010

1 day

New single-family home sales accelerated in November to the fastest pace in 2 1/2 years and median sales price jumped from the same month in 2011, signs that the U.S. housing recovery is gaining some steam.

The Commerce Department said on Thursday sales climbed 4.4 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted 377,000-unit annual rate. That was in line with analysts' forecasts of a 378,000-unit annual pace.

Government data for new home sales are subject to substantial revisions. Indeed, the Commerce Department cut its estimate for sales in October by 7,000 to a 361,000-unit rate.

The annual sales pace for November was the quickest since April 2010.

This year, the housing sector has been point of strength in an economy beset by flagging business confidence and cooling demand abroad. The median home price of a new home rose to $246,200, up 14.9 percent from the same month in 2011.

New home building is expected to add to economic growth this year for the first time since 2005. The housing sector, however, remains a shadow of its former self.

The pace of new home sales is roughly a quarter of the all-time high clocked in July 2005 when a housing bubble was still inflating. Shortly thereafter, the bubble began to deflate, helping trigger the 2007-09 recession, which was the deepest downturn since the Great Depression.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/new-home-sales-hit-highest-rate-april-2010-1C7660252

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Attackers fire at Cairo protesters; 9 hurt

NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports live from Cairo.

By Reuters

CAIRO -- ?Nine people were hurt when unknown attackers fired at protesters camping at Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Egyptian media, as opponents and supporters of President Mohammed Morsi's plans to vote on a new constitution geared up for a day of street demonstrations.?

Police cars surrounded the square, the first time they had appeared in the area since November 23, shortly after a decree by the Islamist president giving himself sweeping temporary powers touched off widespread protests.

The attackers also threw petrol bombs which started a small fire, witnesses said. Many of the protesters, awakened by the noise, chanted: "The people want the downfall of the regime." Recorded recitations of the Koran were played over speakers in the square.

Leftists, liberals and other opposition groups have called for marches to the presidential palace in the afternoon to protest against the hastily arranged referendum on a new constitution planned for Saturday, which they say is polarizing the country.

Egypt army gets temporary power to arrest civilians ahead of referendum

Islamists, who dominated the body that drew up the constitution, have urged their followers to turn out "in millions" the same day in a show of support for the president and for a referendum they feel sure of winning and that critics say could put Egypt in a religious straitjacket.

Seven people were killed and hundreds wounded last week in clashes between the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and opponents besieging Morsi's graffiti-daubed presidential palace.

The elite Republican Guard has yet to use force to keep protesters away from the palace, now ringed with tanks, barbed wire and concrete barricades, but a decree issued by Morsi late on Sunday gives the armed forces the power to arrest civilians during the referendum and until the announcement of the results.

Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy, one of the most prominent members of the National Salvation Front opposition coalition, said Morsi was driving a wedge between Egyptians and destroying prospects for consensus.?

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As well as pushing the early referendum, Morsi has angered opponents by taking sweeping temporary powers he said were necessary to secure the country's transition to stability after a popular uprising overthrew autocratic former president Hosni Mubarak 22 months ago.

"The road Mohamed Morsi is taking now does not create the possibility for national consensus," said Sabahy.

If the constitution was passed, he said: "Egypt will continue in this really charged state. It is certain that this constitution is driving us to more political polarization."

The National Salvation Front also includes Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa.

The opposition says the draft constitution fails to embrace the diversity of 83 million Egyptians, a tenth of whom are Christians, and invites Muslim clerics to influence lawmaking.

Egypt's journalists struggle under Mubarak-era laws

But debate over the details has largely given way to noisy street protests and megaphone politics, keeping Egypt off balance and ill equipped to deal with a looming economic crisis.

Lamia Kamel, a spokeswoman for Moussa, said the opposition factions were still discussing whether to boycott the referendum or call for a "no" vote.

"Both paths are unwelcome because they really don't want the referendum at all," she said, but predicted a clearer opposition line if the plebiscite went ahead as planned.

Mahmoud Ghozlan, the Muslim Brotherhood's spokesman, said the opposition could stage protests, but should keep the peace.

"They are free to boycott, participate or say no; they can do what they want. The important thing is that it remains in a peaceful context to preserve the country's safety and security."

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The army stepped into the conflict on Saturday, telling all sides to resolve their disputes via dialogue and warning that it would not allow Egypt to enter a "dark tunnel."?

The continuing disruption is also casting doubts on the government's ability to push through tough economic reforms that form part of a proposed $4.8 billion IMF loan agreement.?

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/10/15828549-attackers-fire-at-cairo-protesters-9-hurt?lite

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