Saturday, December 31, 2011

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Aging Brains Match Youth in Some Mental Tasks

Since physical abilities decline as people age, many people think the elderly are also less able to perform mental jumping jacks as they age. New research indicates this might not be true with all brain-powered tasks: In some ways the elderly are fit to compete with their younger counterparts.

Both young and old brains take longer to reach decisions in some settings, the researchers say, because they make the conscious choice to choose accuracy over speed.

"Many people think that it is just natural for older people's brains to slow down as they age, but we're finding that isn't always true," study researcher Roger Ratcliff, of Ohio State University, said in a statement. "At least in some situations, 70-year-olds may have response times similar to those of 25-year olds." [5 Reasons Aging Is Awesome]

Brain games

The researchers studied how people of different ages performed when put through a battery of cognitive tests, which included guessing the number of asterisks on a screen (fewer or more than 50) and identifying strings of letters as either words or non-words.

The new research added young kids into the mix, from elementary-school age through college age. They found the very young kids slower at decision-making tasks, with performance improving with older groups. "Younger children are not able to make as good of use of the information they are presented, so they are less accurate," Ratcliff said. "That improves as they mature."

Individuals aged 60 and older also had a slower response time for these tasks, but the researchers found that instead of just taking longer to follow the same thought process as young people, the older people took longer to make sure they responded accurately. These older people even could be trained to respond quicker in some decision-making tasks without hurting their accuracy, similarly to younger adults.

"Older people don't want to make any errors at all, and that causes them to slow down. We found that it is difficult to get them out of the habit, but they can with practice," study researcher Gail McKoon, also from Ohio State, said in a statement. "For these simple tasks, decision-making speed and accuracy is intact even up to 85 and 90 years old."

Memory in old age

Some memory tasks do decline with age, though. "If you look at aging research, you find some studies that show older people are not impaired in accuracy, but other studies that show that older people do suffer when it comes to speed," Ratcliff said.

Previous research has shown that a mental facility called "associative memory" ? remembering two connected memories together ? declines as people age. There's still hope for other types of brain tasks, though. Perhaps not all brainpower declines at the same rate in the aging brain, the researchers suggest.

"The older view was that all cognitive processes decline at the same rate as people age," Ratcliff said. "We're finding that there isn't such a uniform decline. There are some things that older people do nearly as well as young people."

The study was published in the January issue of the journal Child Development.

Copyright 2011 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=4404a9136d9ab8a5c76067602b695cf0

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Is Morocco really ready for a mega mall?

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, Moroccans throng the corridors of the new luxury Morocco Mall in Casablanca, Morocco. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, Moroccans throng the corridors of the new luxury Morocco Mall in Casablanca, Morocco. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, divers clean the two-story aquarium at the center of Morocco Mall near Casablanca. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, water shoots into the air accompanied by music as the musical fountain performs outside the new Morocco Mall near the coastal town of Casablanca. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, the new Morocco mall's "luxury quarter" with international brands like Louis Vuitton, is seen in Casablanca, Morocco. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford.. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

In this photo taken Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, a poster of Morocco's King Mohammed VI and palm trees are seen underneath an atrium at a new shopping mall in Casablanca, Morocco. Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury. While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) ? Inaugurated by popstar Jennifer Lopez in front of the cream of Moroccan society, Casablanca's first mega mall, complete with two-story-high aquarium, is dripping with glamour and luxury.

While developers describe it as a step bringing Morocco closer to the ranks of the developed world, detractors worry that it is a vanity project that a country teetering on the edge of an economic crisis can ill afford.

Morocco at first seems a curious choice for what its developers are billing as the biggest mall in Africa. It already has world-renowned traditional bazaars featuring exquisite ceramics and rugs that draw tourists from across the globe.

The North African kingdom of 32 million is home to the largest income inequalities in the Arab world ? and now hosts Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior and Ralph Lauren boutiques and department store Galeries Lafayette in the new mall, a futuristic, bulbous silver structure perched on Morocco's coast overlooking the crashing waves of the Atlantic.

It is a stark symbol of the contrasts of a country with 8.5 million people in poverty that ranks 130 out of 186 on the U.N.'s human development index, but will still host acts like Shakira and Kanye West for a summer concert series.

The 20-minute coastal drive from downtown Casablanca ? Morocco's largest city ? to the mall showcases the complexity of the country, with slums hidden from sight by high walls, construction areas for new shopping centers and finally the villas and night clubs of the wealthy.

"It is a great honor for Morocco to have a project of such dimensions," said Salwa Akhannouch, head of the Aksal group and the driving force behind the mall, at its opening this month.

Most Moroccans will not be shopping at the mall.

The country has some of the lowest literacy and highest unemployment rates and the highest income disparity in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the Gini coefficient, a statistical tool used by economists to measure the inequality of distribution in a country. The disparity has been growing every year.

Crowds packed the mall in the weeks after it opened, ambling through sunlit galleries and gazing at the aquarium and the 350 stores on offer. Periodically, colorfully dressed performers, some from as far away as Eastern Europe, would burst into enthusiastic dance routines to the accompaniment of loud drums.

There were few shopping bags in sight, however, and most seemed just curious to finally see this much-talked-about monument to shopping that has been four years and $260 million in the making.

"There is a big gulf between the rich and the poor and the rich just seem to be getting richer and the poor, poorer ?the mall is a symbol of that," said Hassan Ali, a 45-year-old shopkeeper selling handtooled leather jackets in Casablanca's modest old quarter.

Tourism is a vital part of the mall's plan, according to its secretary general, Jenane Laghrar, who anticipates 20 percent of its estimated 12 million annual visitors will come from abroad. She said sales for the first week were on target.

"When you enter the mall, you see Gucci and Dior, but don't forget you have the largest content in Africa ? at the same time you have more affordable brands," she said.

There is also an aspiring middle class that wants to be able to buy these luxury products, she added.

The hope is also that European tourists will add to their usual itinerary of beaches and the exotic cities of Fez and Marrakech, a trip to Casablanca ? and the mall.

Laghrar said they are especially hoping to attract visitors from the rest of Africa who pass through Casablanca airport on their way to Europe.

For now, however, visitors from Africa make up less than 5 percent of Morocco's tourists, with the vast majority still from Europe.

This could well be a problem as the European continent sinks into crisis, said economist Najib Akesbi, and in fact Europe's woes pose a dilemma for the Moroccan economy as a whole, which is deeply intertwined with its neighbors across the Mediterranean.

Morocco's main sources of hard currency, including foreign investment, tourism and remittances from its workers abroad, overwhelmingly come from Europe. On Dec. 20, the government reduced growth projections for 2012 by half a percentage point in response to Europe's crisis.

"The world is entering a period of crisis, the next four or five years are not going to be years of prosperity," warned Akesbi, who teaches at the Hassan II Institute for Agronomy in the capital Rabat.

For him the Morocco Mall is part of a bet Morocco is making that it can become a kind of Dubai for the western Mediterranean, attracting consumers from across Africa and Europe to make up for weak local demand.

"It is a bit of a fragile model," he said. "The success depends less on durable local demand than betting on foreign demand."

The mall's developers point to Morocco's consistent growth of between 4 and 5 percent for the past few years as a sign that the economy can support this kind of luxury shopping.

Those growth figures, however, are not producing jobs, and unemployment overall is at least 8 percent, while for those under 34 it is a staggering 30 percent.

Pro-democracy demonstrations that rose up in Morocco earlier this year have faded away, but there are still regular protests by the millions of unemployed university graduates across the country, frustrated at their prospects.

Investment has not been in sectors like industry that produce a lot of jobs, rather in retail, services and infrastructure that have not been creating the employment the nation needs, said Akesbi.

And the economy is still at the whim of the annual agricultural harvest. Part of the reason for the country's steady growth recently has been good weather.

"Here we are in 2011 and the economy is still largely determined by the sky," said Akesbi. Even though only 25 percent of the economy relies on agriculture, it employs 40 percent of the work force and a bad harvest can hurt other sectors.

The government budget is also dangerously overstretched, after it increased food subsidies and raise government salaries in a bid to stave off the anti-government unrest sweeping the Arab world.

The Morocco Mall project was conceived in the headier days of the mid-2000s when it was decided that what the country needed was more shopping centers.

While Europe falters, the wealthy oil states of the Gulf are playing a role in building a more consumerist Morocco.

Half the funding for Morocco Mall comes from the Saudi Al-Jedaie Group which has built malls across Saudi Arabia and two new initiatives looks set to shower Morocco with Gulf money.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-12-28-ML-Morocco-Mega-Mall/id-debf0dfe1b4a4156a6e93153df0c9116

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JobsWithUs: #ThomsonReuters Executive Assistant Job (18 Science Park, Singapore, Singapore-Singapore-SG) http://t.co/PMDOgnUP #jobs

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Running a country? There's an app for that, almost (AP)

LONDON ? Britain's government says experts are considering developing a bespoke iPad app that would deliver key data straight to Prime Minister David Cameron's tablet computer.

Officials said Wednesday that the idea is being discussed, though Cameron's Downing Street office declined to comment on the details.

The Times of London newspaper reported the app could include statistics and information from government departments, real time news and Twitter updates.

Cameron has previously discussed his affection for his iPad, but acknowledged he needed "a little bit of help from someone in IT" to set up the gadget.

The British chief has frequently championed the country's technology sector and hailed the so-called Silicon Roundabout cluster of digital companies in east London.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/applecomputer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_hi_te/eu_britain_governing_by_ipad

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

US weighing travel request for Yemen's president

An elderly protester chants slogans during a demonstration demanding the prosecution of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

An elderly protester chants slogans during a demonstration demanding the prosecution of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Protesters march during a demonstration demanding the prosecution of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

(AP) ? The Obama administration is considering whether to allow Yemen's outgoing president into the United States for medical treatment, as fresh violence and political tensions flare in the strategically important Middle East nation.

A senior administration official said President Ali Abdullah Saleh's office requested that he be allowed to receive specialized treatment in the U.S. for injuries sustained in a June attack on his compound. The request was being considered, and would only be approved for medical reasons, the official said.

Until now, the White House had not commented on Saleh's assertion Saturday that he would be leaving Yemen and traveling to the U.S. Saleh insisted he was going in order to help calm tensions in his country, not for medical treatment.

The official, who requested anonymity because of a lack of authorization to speak publicly, did not say when the Obama administration would decide on Saleh's request. But the official said Saleh's office indicated that he would leave Yemen soon and spend time elsewhere abroad before he hoped to come to the U.S.

Demonstrators began protesting against Saleh and calling for his ouster in February. The Yemeni government responded with a bloody crackdown, leaving hundreds of protesters dead, and stoking fears of instability in a nation already grappling with burgeoning extremism.

Last month, Saleh agreed to a U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal to hand power over to his vice president and commit to stepping down completely in exchange for immunity. The deal further angered Saleh's opponents, who demanded he be tried for his attacks on protesters.

American officials are deeply concerned that the months of turmoil in Yemen have led to a security breakdown. The dangerous al-Qaida branch in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, has taken advantage of the vacuum to expend its presence in southern Yemen.

Pressure has been mounting in recent weeks for Saleh to leave Yemen altogether. Opponents say he has continued to wield influence through his loyalists and relatives still in positions of power, hampering the transition ahead of presidential elections set for Feb. 21. Many feared he would find a way to continue his rule.

Activists said troops commanded by Saleh's relatives attacked protesters in the capital of Sanaa Saturday, killing at least nine people. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated the following day, protesting the deaths and demanding the resignation of Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi for failing to bring the killers to justice.

The White House said President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, called Hadi on Sunday and emphasized the need for Yemeni security forces to show "maximum restraint" when dealing with demonstrations. Hadi told Brennan that he had launched an investigation into the recent deaths and injuries and would do his utmost to prevent further bloodshed, the White House said.

The White House said Brennan and Hadi agreed on the importance of continuing with the agreed-upon path of political transition in Yemen in order to ensure that the February elections take place.

Obama was being briefed on developments in Yemen while in Hawaii for his Christmas vacation.

The U.S. has experience with letting unpopular foreign leaders into this country for medical treatment.

More than three decades ago, President Jimmy Carter allowed the exiled shah of Iran into the U.S. for medical treatment in October 1979, eight months after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led a revolution that ousted the shah and created the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian students occupied the U.S. embassy in Iran. Fifty-two American hostages were held for 444 days in response to Carter's refusal to send the shah back to Iran for trial.

____

Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-26-US-Yemen/id-dd3f00a332994ae69c5ed55c6e9cf172

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Back in campaign mode, presidential hopefuls focus

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signs an autograph during a campaign stop at at Tangleberries in Centerville, Iowa, in this Dec. 23, 2011 file photo. After a brief respite for Christmas, the Republicans in search of their party?s presidential nomination return to the campaign trail for a final push ahead of the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., signs an autograph during a campaign stop at at Tangleberries in Centerville, Iowa, in this Dec. 23, 2011 file photo. After a brief respite for Christmas, the Republicans in search of their party?s presidential nomination return to the campaign trail for a final push ahead of the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Republicans in search of their party's presidential nomination are returning to campaign mode after a brief Christmas respite, with Rick Santorum planning a hunting trip with conservatives in Iowa and Mitt Romney phoning supporters.

With just a week until Iowa holds its leadoff caucuses and many caucus-goers undecided, the final push ahead of the Jan. 3 contests was heading into a critical time. Campaigns planned new television ads and phone calls to persuade holdouts still weighing their options.

Romney, who kept this state at arm's length for most of the year, seemed to increase his efforts in Iowa as polls found him in a stronger position. He planned to talk with supporters in a series of telephone calls here and to New Hampshire and Florida on Monday between working on a speech that aides described as his final pitch to Iowans. Romney planned to deliver that speech Tuesday evening and then set out on a bus tour of Iowa.

However, he was to share the highways with Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. All scheduled bus tours to start then, too.

Each is running out of time and looking to derail Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas congressman who seems to have the most sophisticated network of volunteers ready to organize for the caucuses. Paul was to return to Iowa this week to meet with supporters he has kept in touch with since his unsuccessful run in 2008.

Others, too, were ready to turn on their own political machines and put fresh ads on the air.

Gingrich, who last week criticized the negative tone of the campaign, was preparing to directly challenge Romney on the economy, an issue Romney has made central to his campaign. Gingrich's standing in public and private polls has slipped as he faced unrelenting criticism from the candidates and their allies.

Gingrich was expected to use clips from Romney's previous campaigns distancing himself from President Ronald Reagan and pitch his own economic plan as "Reaganomics 2.0." Gingrich also was expected to compare Romney's tax plan with his own.

Romney released a new TV ad in Iowa on Monday that touts him as a conservative businessman and in which he says "it is a moral imperative for America to stop spending more money than we take in."

"It's killing jobs and it's keeping our kids from having the bright prospects they deserve," he says in the spot. "The experience of balancing budgets is desperately needed in Washington and I will take it there."

Santorum, meanwhile, planned to announce support from another wave of Iowa conservatives. He scheduled a pheasant hunting trip in Adel for Monday afternoon. While he trails in polls and has not spent significant money on ads, Santorum is hoping his nonstop courtship of Iowans yields a late surge. He visited all 99 of Iowa's counties during the summer ? an accomplishment Bachmann has feverishly tried to replicate.

Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota, last week darted through small towns, reminding voters that Santorum lost his 2006 re-election bid in a blowout and that Paul's foreign policy views were outside the party's orthodoxy.

Looking to recapture voters' interest, her plan was to return to hand-to-hand campaigning Tuesday and paint herself as the only acceptable conservative in the race.

"You can always count on me to stay true to my word and put America and Americans first," she said in a fundraising email sent Monday. "I am the consistent conservative who will put our nation back on a path towards prosperity and restore our values to government."

Perry, too, was looking to keep up the message that his rivals are insiders unable to change Washington. He planned to resume his tour bus on Tuesday.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman kept his focus on New Hampshire. Huntsman said early in the campaign that he would not compete in Iowa and instead make his start in New Hampshire, which comes second on the nominating calendar with a Jan. 10 primary.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-26-GOP%20Campaign/id-e766a26ff2004b2f8a696b146dcc7664

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Van Halen: Back Together, Touring in 2012!


Van Halen is back together and going back on the road in 2012.

David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and the rest of the band, including Eddie's son with Valerie Bertinelli, Wolfgang Van Halen, will be hitting the road early next year.

They made the announcement via a two-minute long video trailer stating that Van Halen tickets will go on sale on January 10. Specific dates and venues are TBA.

The group also signed a deal with Interscope Records to produce their first studio album with Roth since 1984. Sammy Hagar fronted the band from 1985-1996.

Are you excited to see Van Halen on tour again? Which of the two lead singers was better?! Check out the video announcement of the upcoming VH tour below:

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/12/van-halen-back-together-touring-in-2012/

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Eric L. Lewis: Demagoguery and Sharia: Reviving an American Tradition

Muslim bashing has become an official part of the Republican playbook. As the New York Times reports on Dec. 21, Newt Gingrich, the erstwhile frontrunner, has declared:

"I believe Shariah is a mortal threat to the survival of freedom in the United States and in the world as we know it."

Presumably judges in a Gingrich administration who recognize Sharia law will not only be dragged to Capitol Hill by the police, but impeached. "No judge will remain in office that tried to use sharia law," Gingrich has stated.

Gingrich is not alone. Mitt Romney declared in 2007 that it was "not likely" that he would have a Muslim in his cabinet, and this year echoed Gingrich: "Of course, we're not going to have Shariah law applied in U.S. courts."

Rick Santorum, largely ignored but now getting his 15 minutes from Iowa voters, declared Sharia incompatible with democracy, "A democracy could not exist because Muhammad already made the perfect law. The Koran is perfect just the way it is, that's why it is only written in Islamic [sic]."

Echoing Gingrich's own apocalyptic warnings, he calls Sharia "an existential threat" to the United States.

Michele Bachmann declared in response to the killing of Osama Bin Laden: "This is the beginning of the end of Sharia compliant terrorism."

Rick Perry has been attacked for signing a bill prohibiting the mislabeling of non-halal meat as halal. One commentator suggested Perry was 'putting the Texas state government in the position of enforcing Islamic dietary laws, a part of sharia."

The candidates have picked up on a strand of know-nothingism also at work in the states. Nearly two dozen states have introduced laws in the past two years to ban the use of Sharia in court cases. Seventy percent of Oklahoma voters approved a no Sharia initiative, and a state senator in Tennessee tried to make following Sharia a felony punishable by 15 years in jail.

Is there really an issue here? Our laws are secular. Religious groups often compete to have their notions of morality enacted into law. Indeed, religious Catholics, Jews and Muslims often agree on such hot button issues as abortion or gay marriage. Moreover, Sharia law, like other religious laws, is not monolithic. There are numerous schools of Islamic law and, although there are common threads, the laws in Muslim countries differ greatly and there is great scope for judges to exercise their conscience and their discretion. The specter of stonings and amputations is a caricature of Islamic law. In any event, American Muslims are not agitating for veilings or beheadings (although the U.S. alone, among modern democracies, shares approval for the death penalty).

To the extent that Muslim organizations support laws that accord with their beliefs and act within the democratic process, their actions are no different than the actions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops or the American Jewish Committee. And the threat of some takeover of Sharia by stealth or against the democratic will is absurd. Muslims constitute less than 5 percent of the population. To the extent that Muslims are trying to have certain aspects of private or religious life governed by traditional laws, they are also well within the American mainstream. American Jews often bring disputes, voluntarily, to the Beth Din -- the Jewish courts that enforce traditional Jewish law and the decrees of such courts are enforced like any other voluntary agreement to delegate decision-making to an arbitrary forum. Beth Dins also issue decrees on such issues as divorce, certifying kosher establishments, burial, conversion and the like. Such decisions are not binding in secular courts, but give voluntary guidance to religious people who accept the authority of those courts. Religious courts granting religious divorces or making rulings on aspects of religious practice do not impinge on the rights of the majority or anyone other than those who voluntarily seek their authority.

In addition, religious groups have sought the protection of state laws to protect their religious rights. Jews have successfully argued for kosher slaughter laws virtually identical to the Halal law in Texas. New York and New Jersey have full time divisions of kosher enforcement, staffed by rabbis, that inspect establishments that offer kosher food for sale. Is that the state imposing religious law? Of course not. It is part of the reasonable accommodation that is made to treat religious practice with respect and to allow people to live religious lives within the context of a secular republic. To the extent that Muslims wish to have their practices accorded a certain amount of protection and respect or allow religious courts to provide guidance or voluntary resolution of disputes, this fits well within the tradition of religious minorities incorporating traditional institutions into American life without compromising on the secular legal tradition.

Stoking the irrational fear of being overtaken by alien religious doctrine is nothing new in American life. A. Lawrence Lowell, President of Harvard, opposed the nomination of Louis Brandeis, the first Jew ever to sit on the Supreme Court, arguing:

"For the first time in our history a man has been nominated to the Supreme Court with a view to attracting to the President a group of voters on racial grounds. Converting the United States into a Government by foreign groups is to me the most fatal thing that can happen to our Government . . . "

Attacks on Al Smith suggested he would take orders from the Pope when he ran for president in 1928, a charge that was echoed by Norman Vincent Peale when John Kennedy ran for President in 1960.

The fear of Muslim domination is nothing more than a tool for demagoguery. Fear of the other mobilizes votes. But the Muslim world follows our elections closely. We cannot call for tolerance in Islamic societies while candidates for the highest office stoke the flames of intolerance. We cannot hope for an Arab Spring while at the same time arguing for an anti-Islamic winter.

To be sure, there are "mortal threats" to the United States. Sharia is not one of them. By alienating American Muslims and the Muslim world by denigrating their law and culture only aggravates the real threats that we face.

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-l-lewis/demogoguery-and-sharia_b_1167626.html

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Newton leads Panthers' 48-16 rout of Bucs

Cam Newton,  Da'Quan Bowers

By STEVE REED

updated 4:02 p.m. ET Dec. 24, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Cam Newton broke Peyton Manning's rookie record for yards passing in a season and set a franchise record with a 91-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell as the Panthers handed the Bucs their ninth straight defeat, 48-16 on Saturday.

Newton threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns and scored on a remarkable 49-yard run up the middle in which he outraced smaller defensive backs to the end zone.

The Panthers (6-9) scored on eight of their first nine possessions and piled up 397 yards in three quarters against the league's 30th-ranked defense. Coach Ron Rivera pulled Newton and the other key starters early in the fourth quarter.

DeAngelo Williams scored on runs of 8 and 22 yards, his sixth and seventh of the season, and Jonathan Stewart ran for 88 yards and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Newton.

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


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??Jairus Byrd and Spencer Johnson returned Tim Tebow interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter to help the Buffalo Bills snap a seven-game skid and seal a 40-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.

Raiders stay alive with 16-13 OT win over Chiefs

??Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 36-yard field goal 2:13 into overtime Saturday, giving the Oakland Raiders a 16-13 victory over Kansas City that eliminated the Chiefs from the playoff race and kept their own AFC West hopes alive.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45784406/ns/sports-nfl/

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Bill Conlin Scandal: 7th Person Alleges Abuse By Philly Columnist

PHILADELPHIA ? A seventh person has come forward with allegations she was sexually abused by former Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist Bill Conlin.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports ( ) the woman says Conlin assaulted her at the beach in Margate, N.J., when she was 11 years old in the 1960s. http://bit.ly/sPrYkt

Conlin retired from the Daily News on Tuesday, hours before The Inquirer posted a story about allegations that he had abused four people decades ago when they were children. Two other accusers have since come forward.

The Inquirer reports the unidentified woman who spoke out Friday says Conlin, a family friend, assaulted her twice while he was visiting the Jersey Shore.

The 77-year-old Conlin has vowed through his lawyer, George Bochetto, to clear his name. Messages left for Bochetto were not immediately returned.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/24/bill-conlin-scandal-7th-accuser_n_1168899.html

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Holiday #FollowFriday

As we light the fires and pour the cocoa, as we curl up in our easy chairs and pass the plates of cookies, as the news slows, the apps freeze, the accessories lay wrapped and waiting, and the podcasts stay warm in their queues, Team TiPb is still here...


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/D6PMiNKxpdQ/story01.htm

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

APPLE JOBS 15261763.JPG

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Source: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2011/dec/22/apple-jobs-15261763jpg-im-142146/

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Samsung releases CES 2012 teaser, hints at upcoming Smart TV products (video)

It's certainly not much, but with just a few words at the end of a YouTube clip, Samsung hopes to grab your interest. The Korean electronics giant has just released a "through the years" style clip that encapsulates over 50 years of advances with its television systems (i.e., the switch to color, rabbit ears, higher resolutions, DVR, 3D TVs, etc.). The clip concludes with the words "Experience the Future of Smart TV" and highlights the company's upcoming presence at CES next month. And yes, we'll be there too. Take a gander for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Samsung releases CES 2012 teaser, hints at upcoming Smart TV products (video)

Samsung releases CES 2012 teaser, hints at upcoming Smart TV products (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSamsung (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/21/samsung-releases-ces-2012-teaser-hints-at-upcoming-smart-tv-pro/

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Friday, December 23, 2011

PolitiFact Defends Its 'Lie Of The Year'

PolitiFact :

At a Republican campaign rally a few years ago, I asked one of the attendees how he got his news.

Read the whole story: PolitiFact

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/politifact-defends-its-li_n_1166425.html

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weathermatrix: Photo of EF-1 tornado damage in Louisiana earlier today http://t.co/ZNVI8nvK

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Medvedev to sum up his 4 years in Putin's shadow (AP)

MOSCOW ? President Dmitry Medvedev will make his last state-of-the-nation address on the darkest day of the year. It's inadvertent but appropriate timing for the man whose four years in office may be best remembered for imposing a time change that forces millions of Russians to go to work in the dark.

Medvedev occasionally raised hopes he would soften the tight control that predecessor Vladimir Putin crafted, but his reformist words were accompanied by little action and he is largely seen as a pliant placeholder for the man who has dominated Russia for over a decade.

His speech before the newly elected parliament on Thursday will be closely watched for the government's response to the street protests that have drawn tens of thousands since the fraud-tainted Dec. 4 vote.

Medvedev said over the weekend that Russia's political system has "exhausted itself" and needs modernization, and he is expected to spell out details in his address.

The rallies in Moscow and as many as 60 other cities have reflected a weariness with Putin's rule. After eight years as president, Putin stepped into the prime minister's office so as not to violate a constitutional limit of two consecutive terms, but his return to the presidency in the March election no longer looks to be as easy as once expected.

Sensing the threat posed by the largest show of popular discontent since the 1991 Soviet collapse, Putin and Medvedev have promised political reforms. Putin signaled the direction of changes last week when he said he would support easing registration rules for political parties and the return of direct elections for governors, which he abolished years ago.

But he added that candidates for governors would need to be vetted by the president, a provision that means little would change. Any change to allow more political parties also would have limited impact before the next national parliamentary election in 2016.

"Medvedev will likely say the same thing using different words," said Dmitry Oreshkin, an independent analyst. "He hopes to remain part of the system and follows the simple rule of never running ahead of the boss, and we all know who the boss is."

The opposition has seen the proposals as window dressing and continues to demand an election rerun and the ouster of election officials accused of orchestrating the fraud. Putin and Medvedev have bluntly rejected the demands, saying the results reflected the people's will.

Putin's United Russia party lost nearly 25 percent of its seats, barely retaining a majority in the elected lower house, and the opposition and independent observers said even that result was achieved by widespread fraud.

The outcome further weakened the position of Medvedev, whom Putin charged with leading the party through the parliamentary election with the promise of appointing him prime minister when he vacates the position next year.

Medvedev has been a lame duck ever since he and Putin announced in September that they intended to swap places. Their announcement, which they said was based on an agreement made years ago, was seen as a cynical manipulation of the political process and outraged many Russians.

Even though most Russians understood that Putin had remained in charge, some had cherished hopes of liberal change under Medvedev and wanted to see him remain president and eventually shed the authoritarian legacy of his mentor.

After his election in 2008 at the age of 42, Medvedev had raised hopes with promises to allow greater political competition, protect media freedoms, liberalize the economy and combat graft. His famous statement that "freedom is better than non-freedom" warmed many hearts, and his open manner and easy smile contrasted sharply with the steely demeanor of his mentor.

Medvedev has delivered little.

Allegations of massive corruption have continued to haunt the large state-controlled companies led by Putin's lieutenants, opposition parties have been denied registration, the parliament has remained a mere rubber stamp for government decisions and the nationwide TV stations have continued to serve as a propaganda machine for the government.

"Many people hoped that Medvedev could shake up the bureaucratic machine and fight corruption, but it all has been limited to words," said Valery Khomyakov, the head of the Council for National Strategy, an independent Moscow-based think tank.

The killings of Anna Politkovskaya and other prominent journalists have remained unsolved and Russia has remained one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.

The investigation into the prison death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was arrested by the same Interior Ministry officials he accused of corruption, has fizzled despite Medvedev's acknowledgement of official crimes in the case and his promise to punish the culprits.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, who has been in prison since 2003 on charges widely seen as Putin's revenge for challenging his power, saw his term extended by several more years last December.

The iPad-toting, tweeting Medvedev has tirelessly promoted his pet project of creating a Russian version of Silicon Valley in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo, but the Russian economy has continued to rely almost exclusively on exports of raw materials, while the crumbling of the Soviet-era industrial base has led to an increasing number of accidents.

In the absence of real changes, some of Medvedev's reforms have drawn criticism and, sometimes, open mockery.

His move to rename the Russian police force was ridiculed by many who said that the name change did nothing to end police abuses and rampant corruption in the ranks.

Putin has sought recently to distance himself from Medvedev and didn't mention his name a single time during a 4 1/2 hour call-in TV show last week. When asked about the controversial police reform, Putin said only that he had nothing to do with it.

Facing a question about another unpopular move by Medvedev, who this year permanently switched the nation to summer time, delaying dawn by an hour during the long dark winter, Putin promised with a sly smile to have another look at the issue.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_president

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Smaller turnout at 2nd round of Moscow protests

With Yabloko party flags in the background, Russian protesters listen to a speaker during a rally to protest against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

With Yabloko party flags in the background, Russian protesters listen to a speaker during a rally to protest against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Russian protesters with white ribbons, a symbol of protest, gather together during a rally against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

With Yabloko party flags in the background, and a balloon bearing the words "They cheated me", Russian protesters gesture during a rally to protest against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

With Yabloko party flags in the background, Russian protesters shout slogans during a rally to protest against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Leader of the liberal Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky gestures while speaking during a rally to protest against alleged vote rigging at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday on a square in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against the fraud-tainted vote, and demonstrations took place in at least two other cities. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

(AP) ? About 1,000 demonstrators demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow for a second weekend of protests against Russia's fraud-tainted vote, a comparatively small crowd that underlined the challenge to the opposition of keeping up public pressure on authorities.

The turnout was far below the nationwide protests last Saturday in at least 60 cities, including a dramatic gathering of tens of thousands in Moscow, the largest show of public anger in post-Soviet Russia. Demonstrations took place in at least two other cities on Saturday.

The protests follow the Dec. 4 national parliamentary elections, in which the ruling United Russia party lost a significant share of its seats in the State Duma, though it retained a narrow majority. Opposition forces claim even that was unearned, supported by reports from local and international observers of widespread vote-count irregularities and outright fraud.

Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the Yabloko party that failed to make it into the parliament and staged Saturday's rally, said it had filed hundreds of appeals to protest the vote results. "We need a new election law and new, honest elections," he told the rally at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River a few hundred meters (yards) from the Kremlin.

The combination of fraud and United Russia's declining fortunes galvanized opposition groups that have been repressed under Putin's 12 years of rule. After several nights of unauthorized protests that police broke up harshly, Moscow authorities showed unprecedented largesse in granting permission to hold several large protests last weekend.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this week effectively rejected calls to rerun the election, declaring that its result reflected the people's will. The new Duma is to have its opening session on Wednesday.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who is stepping aside to allow Putin to run for a new term in the Kremlin, warned Saturday against attempts to "delegitimize" the government, saying it will mean the collapse of the state. Like Putin earlier this week, he promised to modernize Russia's political system, adding that the "old model has exhausted itself."

Medvedev on Friday had a phone call with President Barack Obama, who raised questions about the disputed election and welcomed his promise to investigate whether fraud had occurred, the White House said.

Taking a defiant note at a meeting with United Russia activists Saturday, Medvedev said he had told Obama Russia doesn't care about the U.S. assessment of the vote and that the U.S. criticism was unacceptable.

"When we hear lectures in the worst traditions of the Cold War, it causes indignation," Medvedev said.

Unimpressed by the government's vague promises of liberalization, the opposition aims to keep up the pressure with a series of protests, and is placing much hope on a Moscow rally Dec. 24 that organizers believe will attract at least 50,000 people.

Protesters on Saturday repeated demands of last weekend's protest, calling for a repeat election, the punishment of those responsible for vote fraud and the release of political prisoners. Speakers angrily dismissed Putin's comment this week in which he claimed protest leaders were acting at the West's behest and sarcastically said he thought the white ribbons many protesters wear as an emblem were condoms.

"He was calling us condoms financed by the State Department, crooks that are trying to steal the country, and I think that this is the reaction that shows he was scared," said Ilya Ponomarev of the Left Front opposition movement

"We are speaking here against vote fraud, which is a political HIV," Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin said, citing an inscription Yabloko printed on white ribbons handed out to protesters.

Russian news media also reported about 500 people held a protest in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, several hundred gathered in Yekaterinburg in the Urals and about 100 tried for an unauthorized rally in Samara, where four demonstrators were arrested.

The wave of protest comes less than three months before Putin is to run for a new term as president, the post he held in 2000-2008, and indicates his return to the Kremlin may be less easy than initially assumed for the man who has dominated Russia over the past dozen years.

On Saturday, the Communist Party nominated its leader Gennady Zyuganov to run for president. Zyuganov forced Boris Yeltsin into a run-off in the 1996 presidential election and although the Communists' support has declined since then, he could attract a protest vote against Putin.

_____

Associated Press writer Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

(This version corrects attribution of "scared" quote to Ponomarev.)

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-17-EU-Russia-Politics/id-370926f8073043b28071959e9be4d7f1

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

PFT: Harrison loses appeal on suspension

Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh SteelersGetty Images

Steelers 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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Barry Bonds gets 30-day home sentence ? at worst (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? Eight years of being investigated for steroid allegations ended for home run king Barry Bonds on Friday with a 30-day sentence to be served at home. No more ? and maybe less.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston immediately delayed imposing the sentence while Bonds appeals his obstruction of justice conviction. The former baseball star was found guilty in April not of using steroids, but of misleading grand jurors.

Even without prison time, the case has left its mark on the seven-time National League MVP. His 762 career home runs, and 73 homers in 2001, may forever be seen as tainted records, and his ticket to baseball's Hall of Fame is in doubt.

Bonds declined to speak in court. Well-wishers hugged the 47-year-old in the hallway courtroom after the hearing was over, and a smattering of fans cheered him as he left the courthouse. It was a marked departure from his initial court appearance four years ago, when guards had to clear a path for Bonds to get through dozens of onlookers to his SUV.

"Whatever he did or didn't do, we all lie," said Esther Picazo, a fan outside the courthouse. "We all make mistakes. But I don't think he should've gotten any kind of punishment at all."

Bonds was sentenced to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, a $4,000 fine and 30 days of home confinement. It will take time to determine whether he serves any of it; his appellate specialist, Dennis Riordan, estimated it would take nearly a year and a half for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella called the sentence a "slap on the wrist" and the fine "almost laughable" for a superstar athlete who made more than $192 million for playing baseball.

Parrella had sought 15 months in prison and argued that home confinement wasn't punishment enough "for a man with a 15,000-square-foot house with all the advantages." Bonds lives in a six-bedroom, 10-bath house with a gym and swimming pool.

"The defendant basically lived a double life for decades before this," Parrella said. He ripped Bonds not only over performance-enhancing drugs but over his personal life: "He had mistresses throughout his marriages."

Parrella said Bonds made lots of money due in part to his use of performance enhancers and that he has been "unrepentant" and "unapologetic" about it.

Illston said none of that had any bearing on Bonds' sentencing.

She said she agreed with a probation department report that called Bonds' conviction an "aberration" in his life. She said she received dozens of letters in support of Bonds, some discussing how he has given money and time "for decades" to charitable causes.

Bonds is the last ? and highest-profile ? defendant in the government's investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO, a steroids distribution ring. The ex-slugger has long denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

Illston said she was compelled to give Bonds a sentence similar to the two she meted out to other figures convicted after trial of lying to the grand jury and federal investigators about their connection to steroids.

The case against Bonds after he testified before the grand jury Dec. 3, 2003. Prosecutors revised his original 2007 indictment several times and spent a year unsuccessfully appealing a key evidentiary ruling before jurors deadlocked in April on three of the four remaining charges related to his grand jury testimony.

On the final charge, the trial jury convicted Bonds of purposely answering questions about steroids with rambling non sequiturs in an attempt to mislead the grand jury.

"I think he probably got off a little easy," said Jessica Wolfram, one of the jurors who convicted Bonds of obstruction. "He was just so clearly guilty, so I actually am happy he got sentenced to something."

Wolfram said she researched the case after the trial and viewed evidence not presented then. After that, she felt even more comfortable that Bonds was guilty.

Besides Bonds, 10 people were convicted of various charges in BALCO cases. Six of them, including track star Marion Jones, were ensnared for lying to grand jurors, federal investigators or the court. Others, including Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson, pleaded guilty to steroid distribution charges.

The government's top BALCO investigator, Jeff Novitzky, declined to comment outside the courtroom after attending the hearing.

Bonds was one of two former baseball superstars to stand trial in doping-related cases this year. The trial of pitcher Roger Clemens was halted after just two days in July because prosecutors used inadmissible evidence. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton has set a new trial for April 17.

Both men will face a different judgment day in 2013, when they'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame.

__

Associated Press writers Jason Dearen in San Francisco and Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_bonds_steroids

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