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Source: http://calendar.angelo.edu/ViewItem.html?cal_item_id=6131&dtwhen=2455931
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Appeals court: Ark. can't stop desegregation funds
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) ? Arkansas cannot cut off millions of dollars in funding for desegregation programs in Little Rock-area school districts until the state asks a federal judge for permission to do so, an appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision comes after U.S. District Judge Brian Miller ordered an end to most of the payments, calling them counterproductive. He accused the districts of delaying desegregation to keep getting state money.
The appeals court ruled that Miller decided to end the payments without the state specifically asking him to do so. The court said the state must ask, in a separate court action, before a judge could make such a ruling.
A spokesman for Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Wednesday that no decision has been made about whether the state would file such a request.
Arkansas is required by a 1989 settlement to fund magnet schools, transfers between districts and other programs to support desegregation and keep a racial balance in the North Little Rock, Pulaski County and Little Rock school districts. Those costs currently add up to about $38 million a year, according to the appeals court's ruling.
State lawmakers have long wanted to end the desegregation program funding, though the districts say they're still necessary.
Battles over school desegregation in Little Rock date back to 1957, when nine black teenagers needed the protection of federal troops to integrate Central High School. Little Rock sued the state and its two neighboring districts in 1982, and two years later a judge agreed that the districts hadn't done enough to help the city schools desegregate.
Miller issued his order to end the payments earlier this year, after hearings about whether two of the three school districts in question ? North Little Rock and Pulaski County ? should be declared unitary, or substantially desegregated.
"That came kind of out of the blue," Stephen Jones, the lead attorney for the North Little Rock district, said Wednesday about Miller's ruling.
Miller wrote that the payments should end in order to avoid "an absurd outcome in which the districts are rewarded with extra money from the state if they fail to comply with their desegregation plans and they face having their funds cut by the state if they act in good faith and comply."
But the appeals court said Miller did not make "specific findings of fact" to support his decision.
Miller, who referred to himself as "a middle aged black judge," instead wrote: "After reading the briefs, the transcripts from the various hearings, and the scores of exhibits filed herein, it is very easy to conclude that few if any of the participants in this case have any clue how to effectively educate underprivileged black children."
The appeals court also reversed Miller's decision to deny the North Little Rock district's request to be declared unitary. Miller had denied the request in part because he said the district offered only anecdotal examples of its efforts to recruit black teachers.
The 8th Circuit disagreed, noting that more than 16 percent of the district's educators are black, compared to 9 percent statewide.
Miller didn't return a phone message left at his chambers Wednesday. But he removed himself from the desegregation case earlier this year, saying he could no longer make unbiased decisions after the state took over his hometown's school district in eastern Arkansas.
Jones, the North Little Rock district's lawyer, said he was pleased with the appeals court's decision to deem the district unitary.
"In a sense, it's anticlimactic because I don't think it really changes how we're going to conduct our day-to-day business," he said.
Another federal judge had previously declared the Little Rock district unitary, but Miller refused to declare the Pulaski County district entirely unitary in his May order. The appeals court upheld that part of Miller's ruling, which found the Pulaski County School District lacking in nine areas in which it had to make changes to be considered desegregated.
Wednesday's opinion notes that Miller found the Pulaski County district "has given very little thought, and even less effort to complying with its desegregation plan. Complying with its plan obligations seems to have been an afterthought."
The appeals court "found no reason to disagree" with Miller's conclusion.
The Pulaski County Special School District's lead attorney, Sam Jones, declined to comment Wednesday.
The Little Rock district's lead lawyer, Chris Heller, praised the appeals court's ruling, adding that part of Miller's decision in May "concerned issues that had not been presented to the district court."
McDaniel said in a statement that Arkansas is moving toward ending the legal action surrounding the decades-old desegregation case and in turn, "taking the courts out of the classrooms" in the county.
___
Follow Jeannie Nuss at http://twitter.com/jeannienuss
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Friday, December 30, 2011
China Points Finger at Officials for Bullet Train Crash
BEIJING ? ?A long-awaited government report said design flaws and sloppy management caused a bullet train crash in July that killed 40 people and triggered a public outcry over the dangers of China's showcase transportation system.
A former railway minister was among 54 officials found responsible for the crash, a Cabinet statement said Wednesday. Several were ordered dismissed from Communist Party posts but there was no word of possible criminal penalties.
The crash report was highly anticipated by the public. The disaster near the southern city of Wenzhou also injured 177 people and had triggered a public outcry over the high cost and dangers of the bullet train system, a prestige project that once enjoyed lofty status on a level with the country's manned space program.
Regulations had required the report to be released by Nov. 20. When that date passed, the government offered little explanation, drawing renewed criticism by state media, which have been unusually skeptical about the handling of the accident and the investigation.
The Cabinet statement cited "serious design flaws and major safety risks" and what it said were a string of errors in equipment procurement and management. It also criticized the Railways Ministry's rescue efforts.
The report affirmed earlier government statements that a lightning strike caused one bullet train to stall and then a sensor failure and missteps by train controllers allowed a second train to keep moving on the same track and slam into it.
Those singled out for blame included former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun, a bullet train booster who was detained in February amid a graft investigation. Also criticized was the general manager of the company that manufactured the signal, who died of a heart attack while talking to investigators in August.
The decision to assign blame to one figure who already has been jailed and another who is dead, along with mid-level managers who have been fired, suggests any additional political fallout will be limited.
Several officials including a former Communist Party secretary of the Shanghai Railway Bureau were ordered dismissed from their party posts, a penalty that is likely to end their career advancement. Others received official reprimands but there was no mention of possible criminal charges.
The bullet train, based on German and Japanese systems, is one facet of far-reaching government technology ambitions that call for developing a civilian jetliner, a Chinese mobile phone standard and advances in areas from nuclear power to genetics.
The bullet train system quickly grew to be the world's biggest but has suffered embarrassing setbacks. After the Wenzhou crash, 54 trains used on the Beijing-to-Shanghai line were recalled for repairs following delays caused by equipment failures.
Critics complain authorities have spent too much on high-speed lines while failing to invest enough in expanding cheaper, slower routes to serve China's poor majority.
Beijing is rapidly expanding China's 56,000-mile rail network, which is overloaded with passengers and cargo. But it has scaled back plans amid concern about whether the railway ministry can repay its mounting debts.
On Friday, the current railways minister, Sheng Guangzu, announced railway construction spending next year will be cut to about $65 billion, down from this year's projected $75 billion.
A failure to expand rail capacity could choke economic growth because exporters away from China's coast rely on rail to get goods to ports.
The rail ministry's reported debt is $300 billion. Analysts say its revenues are insufficient to repay that. That has prompted concern the ministry might need to be bailed out by Chinese taxpayers.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/28/china-blames-54-officials-for-bullet-train-wreck/
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Lawyer says soldier shooting client was attacked
An undated photo released by the San Bernardino Police Department shows Ruben Ray Jurado. Police Monday Dec. 26, 2011, arrested Jurado. Authorities allege Jurado shot Sullivan at the party Friday night, Dec. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/San Bernardino Police Department)
An undated photo released by the San Bernardino Police Department shows Ruben Ray Jurado. Police Monday Dec. 26, 2011, arrested Jurado. Authorities allege Jurado shot Sullivan at the party Friday night, Dec. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/San Bernardino Police Department)
In this Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 photo, Suzanne Sullivan holds a photo and dog tag of her son Christopher Sullivan, an Army soldier, at her home in San Bernardino, Calif. Sullivan, who survived a suicide bombing last December while serving in Afghanistan, is now in critical condition after a gunman shot him during his homecoming party Friday, Dec. 23, in San Bernardino. Police on Monday, Dec. 26, arrested Ruben Ray Jurado in connection with the shooting that critically wounded Sullivan. (AP Photo/The Sun, Gabriel Luis Acosta) LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; VENTURA COUNTY STAR OUT; RIVERSIDE PRESS-ENTERPRISE OUT; THE VICTOR VALLEY DAILY PRESS OUT
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) ? The lawyer for the California man charged with the attempted murder of an Afghanistan war veteran said his client was under attack when gunfire rang out.
Ruben Ray Jurado, 19, was charged Tuesday with attempted murder and multiple sentencing enhancements for using a firearm in the shooting that critically wounded Christopher Sullivan, 22, a Purple Heart recipient. Jurado was scheduled to be arraigned by video conference call Wednesday afternoon but that was postponed until Thursday morning when Jurado asked to attend the hearing in person.
Sullivan was home for the holidays at a homecoming party when a fight began over football, authorities said. When Sullivan moved to break it up, gunfire broke out, police said.
Defense attorney Michael J. Holmes said Tuesday that he wanted to talk to his client and the district attorney before commenting further on the case.
"It appears that he was being attacked and he was on the ground and was being kicked in the back, stomach, the head, and that is consistent with the injuries that I observed," Holmes said. "It is alleged at that point that Mr. Sullivan was shot."
Authorities said Jurado, who had played football with Sullivan in high school, began arguing with Sullivan's brother over football teams at the party Friday night and then punched him. Sullivan intervened and Jurado pulled a gun and fired multiple shots, hitting Sullivan in the neck, police said.
Sullivan remains in critical condition. His relatives said the gunfire shattered his spine and left him paralyzed from the neck down.
"He's opening his eyes more," his 20-year-old brother, Brandon Sullivan, told The Associated Press. "We're just waiting day by day."
Sullivan was wounded in a suicide bombing attack last year while serving with the military in Afghanistan. He suffered a cracked collarbone and brain damage in the attack and had been recovering in Kentucky, where he is stationed, before coming home for the holidays.
Sullivan was a wrestler and football player in high school in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He had nine months to go in the military and then planned to become a firefighter or police officer. He always liked to help people, his brother said.
"Say there was a person at school who never had friends or nothing ? Chris would be the person who would go up to him and try to be his friend. He didn't like people to feel alone," Brandon Sullivan said. "He always had a smile on his face."
___
Associated Press writer Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.
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Erie, Pa. High-School Coach Takes On "Boy Lovers" And "Selfish Pig" Girlfriends In Email Rant [Coaching Meltdowns]
He went on from there:
Chet Moffett's e-mail ... said students who preferred to sit with their parents should "cut the umbilical cord and grow a pair," and referred to students who sat with classmates as "boy lovers."
In response to students who chose to sit with their girlfriends, Moffett wrote "if she made or wanted you to sit with her, then she is a high maintenance, selfish pig and you should dump her now."
Moffett also ... called General McLane fans "mayonnaise sandwich eating, sister loving, trailer park dwelling clowns."
Makes sense. After all, mayonnaise is an incestual spread. However, Moffett quickly realized the error of his typing ways and apologized for "a complete lapse of judgment on my part, and although it would seem otherwise, it does not represent who I strive to be as a person."
He offered to resign a couple times, but apparently the Cathedral Prep elders were content to take two weeks of pay away from their lead spirit guide. Anyway, here's the full text of Email No. 1 in which Moffett emailed the school's student body with his "winter sports briefing":
Gentlemen ?
I wanted to drop you all a line and give you my thoughts on Tuesday's basketball game at general mcLame. I have been a coach here at Prep since 1998; so I have witnessed my share of close games (wins and losses), and I am fine with that.What I am not ok with is the fact that during the game, the GM student body out did us! It pains me to say that, but it's true. I was perplexed about this during the game, because I did notice that we had our usual cast that have showed incredible school spirit in the past; then after the game, I counted 36 (and I'm sure I missed a few) Prep students that chose not to sit in the cheering section.
Gentlemen ? that is unacceptable!!
I asked one student that did not sit in the cheering section and his reply was, "I wanted to sit with my girlfriend". My reply was simple, "If she made or wanted you sit with her, then she is a high maintenance, selfish pig and you should dump her now and if you wanted to sit with her and ignore your brethren on the floor, then join [a former Prep student who since has transferred] at mercyworst!" In other words there is no excuse!
Another student told me that he wanted to sit with his parents. My reply, "Cut the umbilical cord and grow a pair!" In other words there is no excuse!
Another kid told me that he just wanted to "hang out with his friends". I had no reply; I have no patience for boy lovers!
Guys ? there are no excuses for not cheering for your school!
Understand guys ? we set the standard with our cheering section! We were named the best fans in the state by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette! That's 150 miles away! Every news crew in this town wants to cover our games because of our cheering section! The 36 plus that didn't cheer for their school (and you know who you are) should be ashamed of themselves! You have chosen to be a part of a Brotherhood that no other school will ever understand! Your classmates make sacrifices in blood, sweat, tears to represent this school ? show your support!
Every game we go to our goal should be to make the opposing team, their family and their coaches as uncomfortable as possible! I hold the entire school accountable! Never should a bunch of mayonnaise sandwich eating, sister loving, trailer park dwelling clowns at general mclane ever chant "we can't hear you" to Cathedral Prep! Let's show our support to all winter sports (basketball, hockey, swimming and wrestling) and do it the Cathedral Prep way!
Please fix this!
Have a wonderful holiday,
Coach Moffett
Egads. Someone's got spirit, yeah, got spirit, yeah, got spirit, yeah; he's got what, what, what, what, a whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat. Someone also probably got a good Cathedral Prep talking-to. A few days later came this mass email:
Gentlemen ?
Last Thursday I sent you all an email about our cheering section at the basketball game. Since that time I have received lots of feedback, both positive and negative. I sat down and looked at the email again and I realized I was wrong.Guys ? I sent the email mainly to inspire and motivate our student body. Although I did not attend Cathedral Prep, I am extremely committed to this school and what it stands for and it frustrates me when I see Men of Prep not reaching their potential. It was an attempt to reach you all; however, I have come to realize that my email was hurtful, distasteful and unprofessional.
Please understand, homophobic statements, the mentioning of former students and degrading comments about women are not (and never should be) part of the vernacular of a Man of Prep. For that, I am truly sorry.
If you noticed this year, there are signs all around the building that describe the "Profile of a Rambler". It is broken down into four different categories: Spirituality, Intellectual Competence, Self-discipline and Community Awareness. After reading all of these I realize that I failed you all. I will be much more vigilant in the future and hope you all can accept my sincerest apology.
Have a wonderful holiday,
Coach Moffett
Not for nothing, Coach's positive feedback must have been something to behold.
Cathedral Prep suspends coach, counselor Moffett for insulting e-mail [Erie TImes-News] (H/T Numerous tipsters)
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Intel Thunderbolt may reach Windows in April with Apple help
Thunderbolt said ready to go for April
Intel's Thunderbolt for Windows PCs could arrive in April, purported insiders stated Monday night. Apple is reportedly helping Intel adopt the standard the two co-created, Digitimes heard. PC builders ASUS and Sony, as well as mainboard builders ASRock and Gigabyte, are expected to be part of the first wave.
Apple is believed to have achieved Intel's hoped-for goal of building an ecosystem of demand and accessories. The expansion would help overcome some of the trepidation over the standard, where a Thunderbolt controller chip is believed to cost over $20 where USB 3.0 is much cheaper.
Thunderbolt was developed partly at Apple's prompting to develop a very high-speed yet small cable that could also merge the display signal. Although few devices exist that use it, it has given Apple an advantage where even a MacBook Air can use a multi-disk external RAID drive as quickly as it could if it were an internal drive. USB 3.0 is less expensive but has half the effective bandwidth and isn't officially meant to drive more than data, although it can be used for video.
An April target may be a clue as to when the first Ivy Bridge chips are in the market in earnest. Intel rarely launches chipsets and their processors separately.
Source: http://feeds.electronista.com/click.phdo?i=b4357746363cbb8a4a6fe2117b710a31
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Penn State saga voted AP sports story of year
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Romney's rivals attack in final Iowa caucus push (AP)
DES MOINES, Iowa ? Attacking in waves, Mitt Romney's Republican presidential rivals cast the former Massachusetts governor as a less-than-reliable conservative on taxes, gay marriage and more Tuesday in the final, intensifying phase of a costly Iowa caucus campaign.
"I think I'm going to get the nomination if we do our job right," countered Romney, sounding like the front-runner his rivals made him out to be a week before the first major test of the race.
In a measure of the political stakes, the candidates and allied groups have spent more than $12 million on television commercials to air through caucus day next Tuesday. Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and supporting groups account for nearly half the total, according to one estimate.
Most of Romney's rivals preceded him into the state during the day at the end of a holiday lull, seeking support in caucuses that are likely to dispatch one or more of them to a hasty campaign exit.
"My idea of gun control? Use both hands," said Perry, setting out on a bus tour in hopes of resurrecting his once-promising candidacy.
"I've been a conservative all my life," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He called Romney a "Massachusetts moderate ... who campaigned to the left of Teddy Kennedy."
In Dubuque, the first stop of a bus tour through the state, Gingrich said his own economic proposal for an optional flat-tax as well as the elimination of all capital gains taxes was a more pro-growth approach than Romney's prescription.
In a radio interview, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Romney had "sort of gotten a pass'" when he said in a recent debate he had done all he could as Massachusetts governor to block same-sex marriages in the state.
Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota had a bus of her own, and saw herself as the rightful Romney alternative.
"I am the only consistent conservative in the race and the only candidate with the proven leadership and experience to create more American jobs and repair our economy," she wrote in an email seeking donations for her underfunded candidacy.
Bachmann, Perry and Gingrich have all spent time atop the Iowa public opinion polls in recent months, either alone or alongside Romney, only to fall back.
Recent soundings suggest Texas Rep. Ron Paul is Romney's likeliest threat in Iowa. He is due in the state on Wednesday.
A conservative with libertarian leanings, Paul commands strong allegiance from his own supporters but appears to have little potential to expand his appeal and emerge as a serious challenger for the nomination.
Unlike his rivals and most Republican voters, he says the federal government should have no authority to ban abortion.
And Paul was alone among the GOP contenders in a recent debate in saying the United States should not consider preemptive military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, an issue of significant importance to Israel. He warned against jumping the gun, adding, "That's how we got into that useless war in Iraq."
Romney, making his second run for the nomination, has relied on a well-funded and disciplined organization, generally strong debate performances and deep-pocketed allies to keep his balance as others have risen to challenge him and fallen back.
According to one tally of television advertising in the state, the Massachusetts governor and a super PAC run by supporters have spent $3.7 million combined on ads through Jan. 3
The total was exceeded only by a combined $5.5 million for Perry and a super PAC set up by his supporters.
Whatever the outcome, there was a recognition that for some, Iowa might simultaneously be the first and last test of the campaign.
"If I finish dead last way behind the pack I'm going to pack up and go home," Santorum said in a radio interview on WHO in Des Moines. "But I don't think that's going to happen," he added instantly.
Santorum, more than any of the others, has campaigned in Iowa the old fashioned way by doggedly visiting all 99 counties and holding hundreds of town hall meetings.
In Mason City, on a final swing through the state, he, like the others, urged potential caucus-goers to look past the appeal of conservative pretenders.
"The siren song of `this person can win' has been the mantra of a lot of the candidates," he said. "Vote for me because I can win."
In the state where caucuses propelled Obama toward the White House in 2008, the president's campaign organization pointed toward Election Day next Nov. 6.
With offices in eight Iowa cities, officials said Obama's re-election campaign has placed hundreds of thousands of phone calls since April to potential supporters.
___
Associated Press writers Chuck Babington in Des Moines, Tom Beaumont in Mason City, Philip Elliott in Council Bluffs, Shannon McCaffrey in Dubuque and Steve Peoples in New Hampshire contributed to this report.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Oregon as a "high research activity" university. Former Oregon Attorney General David B. Frohnmayer is the president of the university. The UO receives much of its funding from the UO Foundation, an independent not-for-profit organization.
Source: http://explorer.altopix.com/map/9at8vz/298/239/University_of_Oregon.htm
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Monday, December 26, 2011
NKorea pointing to heir's uncle playing key role (AP)
PYONGYANG, North Korea ? North Korea on Sunday aired footage showing the uncle and key patron of anointed heir Kim Jong Un wearing a military uniform with a general's insignia ? a strong sign he'll play a crucial role in helping the young man take over power and uphold the "military-first" policy initiated by his late father, Kim Jong Il.
The footage on state television shows Jang Song Thaek in uniform as he pays respects before Kim Jong Il's body lying in state at Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Seoul's Unification Ministry says it's the first time Jang, usually seen in business suits, has been shown wearing a military uniform on state TV.
Little by little, North Korea is offering hints on the details of Kim Jong Un's rise and the future composition of his inner circle as millions continue to mourn for his father, who died just over a week ago. North Korea has also begun hailing Kim Jong Un as "supreme leader" of the 1.2-million strong military as it ramps up its campaign to install him as ruler.
"Let's become comrades of ... great comrade Kim Jong Un, the sun of the 21st century!" the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried Sunday by the official Korean Central News Agency.
The new title, a public show of support from top military leadership and the symbolic appearance of Jang in uniform send a strong signal that the nation will maintain Kim Jong Il's "military first" policy for the time being.
South Korean intelligence has reportedly predicted Kim Jong Un's aunt Kim Kyong Hui, a key Workers' Party official, and her husband Jang, who is a vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission, will play larger roles supporting the heir.
Jang and his wife have risen to the top of North Korea's political and military elite since the succession campaign began two years ago. Both 65, they also have the weight of seniority so important in a society that places a premium on age and alliances.
Kim Jong Un made a third visit Saturday to the palace where his father's body is lying in state ? this time as "supreme leader of the revolutionary armed forces" and accompanied by North Korea's top military brass, according to KCNA.
Earlier, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper urged Kim Jong Un to accept the top military post: "Comrade Kim Jong Un, please assume the supreme commandership, as wished by the people."
Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and was unveiled in September 2010 as his father's choice as successor, will be the third-generation Kim to rule the nation of 24 million. His father and grandfather led the country under different titles, and it remains unclear which other titles will be bestowed on the grandson.
Kim Il Sung, who founded North Korea in 1948, retains the title of "eternal president" even after his death in 1994.
His son, Kim Jong Il, ruled the country in his capacity as chairman of the National Defense Commission while concurrently serving as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and general secretary of the Workers' Party.
Kim Jong Un was promoted to four-star general and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party. He had been expected to assume a number of other key posts while being groomed to succeed his father.
His father's death comes at a sensitive time for North Korea, which was in the middle of discussions with the U.S. on food aid and restarting talks to dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program. Chronically short of food and suffering from a shortfall in basic staples after several harsh seasons, officials had been asking for help feeding its people even as North Koreans prepared for 2012 celebrations marking Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday.
North Korea has emphasized the Kim family legacy during the sped-up succession movement for Kim Jong Un. State media invoked Kim Il Sung in declaring the people's support for the next leader, comparing the occasion to Kim Jong Il's ascension to "supreme commander" exactly 20 years ago Saturday.
At the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, Kim Jong Un and senior commanders paid silent tribute to Kim Jong Il, "praying for his immortality," KCNA said. The military also pledged its loyalty to Kim Jong Un, the report said.
"Let the whole army remain true to the leadership of Kim Jong Un over the army," KCNA reported ? a pledge reminiscent of those made when Kim Jong Il was named supreme commander.
The call to rally behind Kim Jong Un, dubbed the "Great Successor" in the wake of his father's death on Dec. 17 from a heart attack, comes amid displays of grief across North Korea. The official mourning period lasts until after Kim's funeral Wednesday and a memorial Thursday.
In Pyongyang, workers at beverage kiosks handed steaming cups of water to shivering mourners, including children bundled up in colorful, thick parkas. State media said Sunday the drinks were arranged at the instruction of Kim Jong Un, who ordered officials to take special measures to protect the health of mourners.
A throng of North Koreans climbed steps and placed flowers and wreaths in a neat row below a portrait of Kim Jong Il as solemn music filled the air and young uniformed soldiers, their heads shaved, bowed before his picture.
A sobbing Jong Myong Hui, a Pyongyang citizen taking a break from shoveling snow, told AP Television News that she came out voluntarily to "clear the way for Kim Jong Il's last journey."
Despite the grief, there are signs that the country is beginning to move on, with people going to work and "not giving way simply to sorrow," KCNA said. "They are getting over the demise of their leader, promoted by a strong will to closely rally around respected Comrade Kim Jong Un."
The Korean peninsula has remained in a technical state of war since the Koreas' 1950-53 conflict, but two groups from South Korea have permission from the South Korean government to visit the North to pay their respects, Unification Ministry spokesman Choi Boh-seon said Saturday in Seoul.
One group will be led by the widow of former President Kim Dae-jung, who held a landmark summit with Kim Jong Il in 2000, and the other by the wife of a late businessman with ties to the North.
On Sunday, North Korea accused South Korea of blocking many other groups from visiting Pyongyang to pay respects, warning the action would trigger "unpredictable catastrophic consequences" in relations between the countries. An unidentified spokesman at the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification said North Korea will test how sincere South Korea is in its calls for improved ties with North Korea.
The spokesman's statement was carried by KCNA.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said it will allow only the two groups to visit the North.
___
Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and AP Korea bureau chief Jean H. Lee contributed to this report. Follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/newsjean and twitter.com/APKlug.
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Disabled fans to receive free World Cup tickets
Associated Press Sports
updated 4:25 p.m. ET Dec. 23, 2011
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -Former playing greats Romario and Ronaldo have announced a plan to donate 32,000 free tickets to disabled fans to watch matches at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Romario, a World Cup winner in 1994 who has since been elected to the Brazilian parliament, had requested the free tickets from the organizing committee. The former Brazil striker, who has a daughter with Down syndrome, had tears in his eyes as he announced the giveaway Friday.
He said the decision was "a great victory."
Romario was joined by former teammate Ronaldo, the highest scorer in World Cup history and two-time winner, who is a member of the 2014 organizing committee.
The measure involves donating 500 tickets to disabled people for each match at the 2014 tournament.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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More newsMan United won't overspend
Despite the threat posed by Manchester City, Alex Ferguson insists he will resist calls for Manchester United to go on a spending spree in the January transfer window.
FANatics
Chandler: What demons possess men to rush the playing field and attack athletes? And lately athlete-fan field interaction has taken a darker turn.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45779451/ns/sports-soccer/
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
Cruise takes quiet Christmas with $26.5M 'Mission'
Actor Tom Cruise attends the U.S. premiere of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
Actor Tom Cruise attends the U.S. premiere of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Tom Cruise's latest mission has won a holiday weekend that's shaping up with some silent nights at movie theaters as business continues to lag.
Studio estimates Sunday placed Cruise's "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol" a solid No. 1 with $26.5 million domestically over its first weekend in full release. The movie raised its total to $59 million since it started a week earlier in huge-screen cinemas and expanded nationwide last Wednesday, and distributor Paramount estimated that revenues will reach $72.7 million by Monday.
Cruise's fourth "Mission" flick was a bright spot over a Christmas weekend filled with so-so tidings for Hollywood, whose usually busy holiday stretch since Thanksgiving has been a bust.
Generally well-reviewed movies from Steven Spielberg ("The Adventures of Tintin"), David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") and Cameron Crowe ("We Bought a Zoo") ? with casts that include Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Daniel Craig ? opened with modest to weak results.
Despite predictions from studio executives that 2011 could be a record-setter that would finish with a bang, domestic revenues remained stuck at a sluggish pace that has lingered all year.
Hollywood should finish the year with $10.1 billion domestically, down 4.5 percent from 2010, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
The picture gets worse taking into account higher ticket prices, which mean Hollywood brings in fewer fans for each dollar spent. Actual domestic attendance for 2011 will close out at about 1.27 billion, down 5.3 percent from the previous year's and the lowest head count since 1995, when admissions totaled 1.26 billion.
"Thank God 2011 is almost over, because we've had a real rough run here at the end of the year," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "We always count on the holiday season to give us a big boost at the end of the year, and it just didn't happen.
"These admission numbers this year just tell me that we maybe have to set our sights a little lower in terms of attendance every year."
Since peaking at a modern high of 1.6 billion in 2002, domestic movie admissions have been on a general decline since.
Studio executives always insist that slow times result from weak films, but on paper, the strong lineup Hollywood presented this year should have had fans lining up in huge numbers. Pretty good films are out there this holiday season, yet blockbuster expectations fizzled, a sign that people might be skipping a trip to the theater in favor of home-viewing, video games or the countless other entertainment options their gadgets now offer.
Rising ticket prices, particularly the extra few dollars it costs to see 3-D films, also could be causing a backlash among fans.
With "Ghost Protocol" climbing toward the $100 million mark, it's a return to box-office form for Cruise, who had been Hollywood's most-dependable earner for two decades until he turned off fans with odd antics in his personal life six years ago.
"Ghost Protocol" will be Cruise's first top-billed $100 million hit since 2006's "Mission: Impossible III." He had a supporting role in 2008's $100 million comedy hit "Tropic Thunder," which was headlined by Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black.
Even with a No. 1 debut, "Ghost Protocol" still was a shadow of its predecessors. The first three "Mission: Impossible" movies ranged from $45 million to $58 million over opening weekend, but those installments opened at the start of the busy summer season.
As of Friday, "Ghost Protocol" also had brought in a healthy $118 million overseas.
Downey's "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" fell from No., 1 to No. 2 in its second weekend with $17.8 million. The family sequel "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" dropped from second to third with $13.3 million.
Both sequels trail well behind the business their predecessors did. "A Game of Shadows," from Warner Bros., lifted its domestic haul to $76.6 million, while 20th Century Fox's "Chipwrecked" pushed its receipts to $50.3 million.
The weekend's newcomers failed to light up the box office, too. Fincher and Craig's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" from Sony was No. 4 with $13 million, Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" from Paramount was No. 5 with $9.1 million and Crowe, Damon and Johansson's "We Bought a Zoo" from 20th Century Fox was No. 6 with $7.8 million.
"Dragon Tattoo" raised its total to $21.4 million since opening Tuesday night, while "Tintin" lifted its take to $17.1 million since debuting Wednesday.
European literary exports "Dragon Tattoo," adapted from Stieg Larsson's Swedish best-seller, and "Tintin," based on Belgian artist Herge's storybook classics, are finding a lukewarm reception among U.S. crowds.
"Dragon Tattoo" has been a sensation among U.S. readers yet failed to challenge "Mission: Impossible" and the other established franchises at the top of the box office.
Beloved by generations of readers overseas, "Tintin" launched internationally two months ahead of its U.S. release. But the blockbuster global attention, with nearly $250 million already in the bank from foreign markets, did not translate to crowds in the United States.
The calendar made it a tough weekend for Hollywood, with Christmas Eve ? always a slow night for movie-going ? falling on Saturday, usually the best day of the week at theaters.
Christmas Day typically is a strong one for movies, as fans squeeze in a film between unwrapping presents and sitting down to family dinners.
Two big holiday releases ? Spielberg's World War I epic "War Horse" and Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock's Sept. 11 drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" ? opened Christmas Day, but estimates on their revenues will not be available until Monday.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Mission: Impossible ? Ghost Protocol," $26.5 million.
2. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," $17.8 million.
3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked," $13.3 million ($20.1 million international).
4. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," $13 million.
5. "The Adventures of Tintin," $9.1 million.
6. "We Bought a Zoo," $7.8 million ($1.1 million international).
7. "New Year's Eve," $3 million.
8. "Arthur Christmas," $2.7 million ($9.7 million international).
9. "Hugo," $2.03 million.
10. "The Muppets," $2 million ($500,000 international).
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com
http://www.rentrak.com
___
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Trump drops Republican Party registration in NY (omg!)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has changed his voter registration in New York state from Republican to unaffiliated.
A spokesman for Trump says the businessman and television host changed his affiliation to preserve his option to seek the presidency in 2012.
Special Counsel Michael Cohen said Friday that Trump could enter the race if Republicans fail to nominate a candidate who can defeat President Barack Obama.
He said Trump probably would use his substantial wealth to even the playing field with Obama's re-election campaign.
Cohen said Trump's commitment to hosting TV's "The Apprentice" will keep him from doing anything until May, when the show's season wraps up.
He said Trump filed his voter registration paperwork Thursday.
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
North Korea After Kim - What Kim Jong-il's Death Means for Israel
As North Korean's mourn the death of their Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-il, Israelis are wondering if his 28-year-old son will be any less of an enemy of the Jewish state.
While it's too early to tell what changes Kim Jong-un has in store for the reclusive nation of 24 million people, Israeli officials aren't particularly optimistic they will be for the good.
"Nothing from the outside penetrates them," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor, noting that Jong-il's death still leaves the country "distant and dangerous" for Israel.
North Korea has never been a friend of Israel, choosing to support its communist allies and others whose political interests usually run counter to Western values.
In Israel, Kim Jong-il was largely known as the man who helped Syria launch a covert nuclear weapons program that the IAF allegedly took down in 2007. He also played a key role in arming Libya, Egypt and Syria with missile technology while helping Iran to expand its atomic weapons program.According to an article in the Jerusalem Post, however, North Korea's role in arming Hezbollah has inflicted the most damage upon Israel.
Before the Second Lebanon War, North Korea sent missile components to Iran, where they were assembled and then shipped to Hezbollah?s leaders in southern Lebanon, specifically for use against Israeli civilian targets.
Kim Jong-il?s regime also helped the Lebanese terror group build an extensive network of underground military installations, bunkers, tunnels and storage facilities in south Lebanon, under the auspices of a front company, the Korea Mining Development Corporation. It also gave Hezbollah leaders weapons and intelligence training to improve attacks against Israel.
By most accurate accounts, which are few and far between, Kim Jong-un is unprepared to assume control of the outcast country and its military as successfully as his father did in 1994.
While the consequences of the latest transition of power will have a more immediate impact on Northeast Asia, Israel can't expect to be left any better off in the near future. Conversely, it will continue dealing with the greater mess in the region that has become Jong-il's unfortunate legacy.
This article was reprinted from WorldJewishDaily.com
Source: http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com//index.php?article=53459
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Someone Has Purchased Vatican.xxx, And It Isn?t The Vatican (Update: Possibly Not)
Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's spokesman, said today that an unknown party had purchased Vatican.xxx. This mystery person has not stepped forward, and the site itself is a placeholder stating simply that it has been "reserved from registration." It's a warning to all those companies and institutions that may have opted not to purchase this domain variation, and although it's not the only time this will happen, it might be the funniest.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/euCccjDHOKU/
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Brock Lesnar puts hunting incident behind him with fine and apology
Lesnar was charged with failing to properly tag a deer, unlawful possession of wildlife and abandonment/wasting of the edible flesh of big game. Lesnar paid a fine for failing to tag a mule deer he shot, but the charge of abandonment was dropped.
The incident occurred during a hunt in Alberta, Canada, in 2010.
Lesnar released a statement in which he said, in part:
"In Alberta, Americans can't hunt without a licensed outfitter. The outfitter is there to make sure you follow the rules. I had two deer tags for the trip, which meant I could legally shoot two deer. On the first day of the trip, I shot a mule deer. On the second day, I shot a white tail. Video from the hunt has been on the Internet for over a year. After I shot the mule deer, I failed to immediately tag it. As far as I was involved, that's all there is to it.
"Now it's resolved. I paid my fine today. It's the kind of thing that happens to hunters all the time. I want to thank the Canadian authorities for their cooperation in resolving this misunderstanding. I love Canada and I can't wait to go back to Alberta for a hunt."
Lesnar said he had nothing to do with the abandonment charge and was relying on the outfitter to comply with the rules.
Lesnar fights Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141 on Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will be his first bout since losing his championship to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 on Oct. 23, 2010.
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
PFT: Harrison loses appeal on suspension
Getty ImagesSteelers linebacker James Harrison appealed his one-game suspension to a former NFL linebacker and defensive coordinator, Ted Cottrell.
But even though Cottrell, like Art Shell, is jointly appointed and paid by the league and the NFLPA, Cottrell agreed with the decision that the time has come to suspend Harrison for a game.? As a result, he won?t play Monday night against the 49ers.
The outcome isn?t about whether the hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy merits a suspension standing alone.? It?s an issue of progressive discipline.? Based on his history of fines and the apparent unwillingness to change his behavior, the time had come to increase the punishment in the hopes of sending the message.
Former NFL safety Rodney Harrison has said on NBC?s Football Night In America that, while fines had no effect on his play, a suspension got his attention.? Based on comments made by and attributed to James Harrison, a one-game suspension may not do the trick for him.? This means that, if James Harrison continues to apply illegal hits, the next punishment will be a multi-game suspension.? And even more games beyond that.
Steelers linebacker James Farrior said Thursday that James Harrison and other players need to change their way of playing.? Time will tell whether James Harrison agrees.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/16/james-harrisons-suspension-stands/related/
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Migrant ship sinks off Indonesia; over 200 missing (AP)
JAKARTA, Indonesia ? Rescuers battled high waves Sunday as they searched for 200 asylum seekers feared dead after their overcrowded ship sank off Indonesia's main island of Java. So far only 33 people have been plucked alive from the choppy waters.
Two were children, aged 8 and 10, found clinging to the broken debris of the boat five hours after the accident Saturday.
"It's really a miracle they made it," said Kelik Enggar Purwanto, a member of the search and rescue team, as horrifying accounts emerged of the disaster.
The boat ? packed with 250 people fleeing economic and political hardship in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Turkey ? was heading to Australia when it ran into a powerful storm 20 miles (32 kilometers) off Java's southern coast.
It was hugely overloaded, carrying more than twice its capacity, said Lt. Alwi Mudzakir, a maritime police officer overseeing rescue operations.
As strong waves rocked the vessel, panicked passengers started shoving one another, causing it to sway even more violently, he said.
Finally it disappeared into the dark waters.
A 25-year-old local fisherman, Jambe, told The Associated Press that he and his three-member crew spotted several dark dots in the distance on Saturday afternoon and decided to investigate.
They were horrified at what they found: more than 100 hysterical and exhausted people clinging to anything that floated.
On spotting their tiny fishing boat ? big enough only for 10 people ? survivors started racing toward them.
"They were all fighting, scrambling to get into my boat," Jambe said, adding in the end he managed to get 25 on board, many of them injured and all begging for water to drink.
Those left behind were screaming and crying.
"I'm so sad ... I feel so guilty, but there were just too many of them," said Jambe, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. "I was worried if we took any more we'd sink, too."
Indonesia, a sprawling nation of 240 million people, has more than 18,000 islands and thousands of miles (kilometers) of unpatrolled coastline, making it a key transit point for smuggling migrants.
Many risk a dangerous journey on rickety boats in hopes of getting to Australia, where they face years in crowded, prison-like detention facilities. Australia's harsh immigration policy has loosened up in recent months, however.
Those on the ship that sank Saturday had passed through Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, days earlier without any legal immigration documents, according to police.
An unidentified group loaded them onto four buses and took them to a port, promising to get them to Australia's tiny Christmas Island.
Local television showed a half-dozen survivors at a shelter in Trenggalek, the Javanese town closest to the scene of the sinking, some with dazed, empty expressions as they sat on the floor drinking and eating.
Several others were taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
One of the survivors, Esmat Adine, told the official news agency Antara that when the ship started to rock, people were so tightly packed, they had nowhere to go, exacerbating the problem.
"That made the boat even more unstable," said the 24-year-old Afghan migrant, adding that at least 50 of the asylum seekers were children.
At Prigi, the nearest port, several members of the national search and rescue team were getting ready to head out to sea, empty body bags stacked up on the deck, local television footage showed.
Mudzakir said so far 33 people have been rescued, many suffering from severe dehydration and exhaustion.
He was worried ? as the hours passed ? that no one else would be found alive.
Weather was bad Sunday and four fishing boats, two helicopters and a navy ship already involved in the operation were battling 4-meter- (13-foot-) high waves.
"They have scoured a 50-mile (80-kilometer) radius but haven't found anything," Mudzakir said, adding that currents were very strong and the weather was worsening.
Last month, a ship carrying about 70 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan capsized off the southern coast of Central Java province, and at least eight people died.
___
Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS that boat sank early, not late Saturday)
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
China villagers defy government in standoff over death (Reuters)
BEIJING (Reuters) ? Villagers in southern China on Thursday defied authorities and continued protests over a death in custody and land dispute in the latest outburst of simmering rural discontent that is eroding the ruling Communist Party's grip at the grassroots.
Many hundreds of residents in Wukan Village in Guangdong province held an angry march and rally despite moves by authorities to halt a land project at the center of the months-long unrest and detain local officials involved.
"The whole village is distraught and enraged. We want the central government to come in and restore justice," said one resident who described the scene.
He and another resident, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said villagers remain enraged over last weekend's death in custody of Xue Jinbo, 42, who was detained on suspicion of helping organize protests against land seizures.
"We won't be satisfied until there is a full investigation and redress for Xue Jinbo's death," said the second resident.
"If you say he wasn't beaten to death, then you can show us the body," another villager who had his face hidden from the camera by the hood of his jacket told Hong Kong's Cable TV.
"If there really isn't any injury on the body, then why would you not return the body to us?"
Rural land in China is mostly owned in name by village collectives, but in fact officials can mandate its seizure for development in return for compensation, which residents often say is inadequate and does not reflect the profits reaped.
The government of Shanwei, a district including Wukan, said on Wednesday a "handful" of Communist Party members and officials accused of misdeeds over the disputed land development were detained and that the main land development project had been suspended, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
In a bid to allay suspicions that other villagers detained over protests in September had been abused, the local government put online footage of four suspects being visited by relatives and reassuring them of their wellbeing. (http://www.shanwei.gov.cn/163661.html)
FURY
But for the two residents interviewed it was not enough to defuse fury over the death of Xue, whom villagers believe was the victim of police brutality -- a charge the government denies, citing an autopsy that found he died of heart failure.
Wukan has been surrounded by police and anti-riot units.
China's leaders, determined to maintain one-party control, worry that such outbursts might turn into broader and more persistent challenges to their power.
But they usually stay local and Beijing's grip remains strong, said Kenneth Lieberthal, an expert on Chinese politics.
"Is there a risk of disruption? Yes, absolutely. Is this a place just waiting to explode? No," said Lieberthal, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. think tank.
"The chances of long-term, systemic instability are very, very small. The chances of some major disruption -- like 1989, but on a much larger scale -- are considerably greater, but still the odds are they can avoid it," he said.
Wukan, with its clannish unity and big stake in rising land values, is an example of the kind of slow-burning discontent that is corroding party power at the grassroots.
Residents say hundreds of hectares of land was acquired unfairly by corrupt officials in collusion with developers. Anger in the village boiled over this year after repeated appeals to higher officials.
Although China's Communist Party has ruled over decades of economic growth that have protected it from challenges to its power, the country is confronted by thousands of smaller scale protests and riots every year.
One expert on unrest, Sun Liping of Tsinghua University in Beijing, has estimated that there could have been over 180,000 such "mass incidents" in 2010. But most estimates from Chinese scholars and government experts put numbers at about half that in recent years.
The Chinese government has not given any unrest statistics for years.
The real worry for Beijing is not the sheer number of such protests, but their tendency to become more persistent and organized - both features on display in the unrest in Wukan, where there were torrid riots in September.
(Addition reporting by Paul Eckert in Washington D.C. and Stefanie McIntyre in Hong Kong, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Yoko Nishikawa)
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A touch of mob-business, anyone?
This idea just came to me. It's nothing particularly new, but eh, whatever. It involves a character of mine that I dearly love and have been meaning to bring back into play.
My character, Tristan, had something of a strange upbringing. Not bad, in his eyes, just...different than American culture. As he got older, his luck turned a bit and he found himself wanting to get away from his home nation, Reidan (an extremely small country that few people but those who are particularly interested in geography have really heard of) and decided to try his luck in the states. He had nothing, so he quickly found himself desperate. The man was picked up by some sort of crime group (mob, cartel, whatever) and they learned he had some military background. They discovered he was a good shot and hired him on as an assassin. Tristan started to get used to his new job, began to shield himself from others and never get attached to anyone, but soon he found he couldn't take the pressures and strains of his job. He hated it. But the mob won't let him go--why let such a smooth operator slip away? Tristan believes he's forever caught in their web until he meets someone (of a non specific gender--doesn't matter, nor does it matter who they are (perhaps they're a citizen, or maybe they're involved too?)) and, almost on accident, befriends them. He starts to trust them and finally reveals what he does for a living. The friend recognizes Tristan's desire to get out and encourages him to break free. The mob won't have it.
You must be an advanced writer for this roleplay. Straight up. Know your grammar, own your character and make it real. Give them some depth and contribute to the plot. And give me some substance in your writing. One paragraph just doesn't cut it.
I don't care what gender you play. I'm thinking this will be either a 1x1 or a three way thread (only if someone feels like they want to play the mob boss or something, otherwise let's keep it to just a 1x1).
Post often please, but I don't expect a post every day. I know I'm busy with school come January and can't always post every day. Once or twice a week is perfectly acceptable.
I'm open to any ideas and suggestions as well. Let me know if you're interested.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/ALhurGAC_GM/viewtopic.php
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