Film Room: Baylor vs Washington

Robert Griffin might have played his last game for Baylor - and boy was it a doozy. Even if RG3 wasn't the main attraction. (Photo: ICON SMI)

Well, the Alamo Bowl certainly was interesting to watch. The offensive coordinators had a fun night while their defensive counterparts might have needed some Pepto afterwards.

Here are how the 2012 NFL Draft prospects from Baylor and Washington performed.

Check out over 100 games worth of scouting notes in our Film Room Archive.

#1 WR Kendall Wright, Baylor (Scouting Report)
-No chance on reverse, tackled for loss.
-Pushes the CB back easily with his speed, makes the catch on comeback route.
-Great awareness on botched snap, goes away from assignment and finds a hole in the defense.
-Takes a 5-yard pass, shimmies about 9 times and sneaks by two defenders for a TD.
-Option pitch play, well read.
-Makes a great move in space, follows it up with a great stiff-arm. Shaken up.
-Sees nobody open on double pass, reverses field and gets positive yardage.
-Might shimmy a bit too much while
-Incredibly dangerous on screens and reverses.
-Makes up cushion and blows by CB, pass is overthrown.
-Blows by cushion again and makes tough catch with great adjustment.
-Another great move in space ? tough to tackle.
-Wright showed incredible elusiveness and the ability to blow by overmatched corners and make catches deep. He cemented his spot as a Top 50 player.

#10 QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor (Scouting Report)
-Phenomenal sideline completion rolling to right with pressure from the behind and in front.
-Accurate throw on crossing route dropped by WR.
-Goes through progressions, hits checkdown for 1st down.
-Footwork solid on PA pass, perfect accuracy on throw.
-Slides in pocket, finds Wright for 1st down.
-Poor read on zone-read play, gets popped.
-Botched snap, still finds WR for 1st down.
-Pulls a ?Brady? and quick snaps on 4th and 1, runs for a 1st.
-Very live arm ? effortless thrower.
-Steps up into pocket, rifles one in.
-Delivers a block down the field on zone-read? incredible.
-Feels pressure, steps up through the pocket and gains some yards.
-QB sneak for the 1st down, under center.
-Makes three DL miss in pocket, scampers off for 25 yard TD run.
-Incredible speed on zone-read, into the 2nd level before anyone knows he has the ball.
-Takes a big shot, doesn?t seem phased.
-Eludes another rusher, gains positive yardage.
-Looks a little less patient in the pocket tonight.
-Sacked and fumbled, had questionable ball security all play.
-Another play with ball flailing around, sacked, but hangs on to ball.
-Needs to throw the ball away at time ? especially in 2 minute drill.
-Rolls right to avoid pressure, perfect ball to the outside.
-Takes another sack ? a lot of pressure coming at him.
-Throws into coverage ? not sure the routes were run correctly.
-Awkward throw-away.
-Touch pass to the sideline thrown out of bounds.
-Gets up the field so quickly, on the 2nd level before they know what hit them.
-Bobbles snap again, but makes quick decision and gets play run.
-Throws a cross body into double coverage ? not a great decision.
-Pop pass for 2-point conversion, good touch.
-Overthrows Wright down the field? hard to do.
-A bit underthrown to Wright, but makes deep completion.
-Nothing new for Griffin tonight ? he is a Top 10 prospect and a future star QB in the NFL.

#24 RB Terrance Ganaway, Baylor
-Good initial cut, falls forward after contact.
-Running very low, good center of gravity.
-Picks up blitzer in pass protection.
-Runs into OL, tackled for loss.
-Misses block in pass protection.
-Very physical, low run, follows it up by getting high and stopped short.
-One cut and downhill, tough to knock backwards.
-Drags a LB for 5 yards.
-Secures ball on botched snap.
-One cut and untouched for 89 yard TD ? showed some good speed, was not chased down from behind.
-Drags defenders on consecutive plays to go in for 4th TD ? later gets his 5th.
-Great game for Gannaway, showcased his power and had more speed than we?ve seen before. 4th-5th round pick for us.

#90 DT Nicolas Jean-Baptiste, Baylor
-Playing DT.
-Looks enormous and plodding when engaged.
-Deftly avoids cut block, but misses Polk in backfield.
-Quick on the slant move, forces cutback into help.
-Doubled in pass-protection, played on skates.
-Handled one-on-one by LG on run play.
-Cut block slows him down.
-Fights through block, can?t wrap up Polk in the backfield.
-Good hustle in pursuit to sideline, can?t get their in time.
-Had a decent game ? raw, but with plenty of potential. Could be an early day three pick.

#74 DT Alameda Ta?amu, Washington
-Playing DT and NT.
-Good hand-fighting (better than we?ve seen).
-Getting very high early out of his stance, taking some shots.
-Showing some decent speed for his enoromous size.
-Stayed low, fought through attempted double team and got in the QB?s face.
-Starting to man-handle OG one-on-one.
-Cut block neutralizes him.
-Pressures QB up the middle, forces the run.
-Disengages from block and drags down Griffin.
-Another deadly accurate throw.
-Doubled, taken out of play.
-Getting doubled or chipped on most plays.
-Pushed two OL backwards on stunt, great drive.
-Walks center back into QB?s face.
-Too high again, lifted off the ground by double team.
-Never got out of stance? not sure if winded, lazy, injured, or what.
-Was not a fan of Ta?amu?s consistency ? dominated at times, looked uninterested at times. Will still hear his name called on day two if not before.

#15 WR Jermaine Kearse, Washington
-Curl route from the slot, finds the hole in the zone.
-No separation on deep route.
-Sells the in, then breaks out and is wide open ? good hands catch.
-Gets separation in scramble drill and runs away from CB for 80 yard TD.
-Really nice 2nd gear.
-Gets separation easily on terrible Baylor defense, makes another huge catch.
-Big night for Kearse, but you have to wonder how much was the Baylor defense. Kearse is a fringe top-100 prospect for us.

#1 RB Chris Polk, Washington
-Makes a catch and delivers the blow to the tackler.
-Quick jump cut, evades #90 in the backfield and picks up the 1st down.
-Showing good initial burst when he gets the ball.
-Has to cut back due to penetration, tackled for loss.
-QB makes bad read on zone-read, tackled for loss.
-Gets a head of steam on draw play, runs over a LB.
-Runs wheel route, draws PI.
-Takes a hit, but still falls forward ? he can be a bell cow in the NFL.
-Lines up as a FB, drives forward for 1st down on 4th and 1.
-Great vision to find a secondary hole.
-Good leg drive, running strong.
-A couple of nifty cuts, explodes for long TD showing a decent 2nd gear.
-Red-zone fumble, took a big secondary hit.
-Great night for Polk ? vaulted himself into late 1st-round contention and will vie with Lamar Miller as the 2nd RB taken in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Related posts:

1. Holiday Homework: Baylor vs Washington
2. Film Room: Louisville vs NC State
3. In the Film Room: Stanford vs Arizona
4. In the Film Room: Oklahoma vs Texas

Tags: Alameda Ta'amu, Bowl Game, Chris Polk, Film Room, Kendall Wright, Robert Griffin

This entry is filed under the category: College Football, NFL Draft.

Source: http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2011/12/film-room-baylor-vs-washington.html

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BumpWatch: Jessica Simpson?s Lunch Break

A beaming Jessica Simpson takes fianc? Eric Johnson -- and her baby bump! -- to lunch Tuesday in Brentwood, Calif.

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/P2MTAmdbT9M/

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China to curb online phishing

China to curb online phishing

Beijing, December 30, 2011?: China?s ten major search engines have agreed to put banks? official homepages at the top of search results in a bid to curb cyber scams, authorities said.

The move was jointly pushed by Ministry of Public Security, banking industry organizations and several commercial banks in response to growing public concerns over the safety of online accounts and transactions since 2010, a statement said.

Phishing attacks, or financial fraud schemes, are generally done through fraudulent websites that appear legitimate by using web addresses or log-in webpage designs similar to banks? officialInternet?banking service portals.Phishing victims are often fooled by fraudulent links turned out by search engines, reported Xinhua. Upon entering such sites, customers are asked to verify their account information by entering usernames and passwords.

The first batch of financial institutions covered by this new precaution scheme includes five major state-owned banks and two financial organizations, the statement said.?Moreover, some search portals have added an official logo to each bank?s legitimate link to make it ?remarkably different? from unauthorized results.

A series of hacking cases this week stirred strong public concern.

Millions of personal details of subscribers to several websites, including CSDN, thecountry?s largest programmers? website, and popular online gaming and social networking sites, were leaked.

A police report on Thursday said that applicants? information leaked from a government database in the southern province of Guangdong due to technical loopholes.

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Tags: China to curb online, China`s ten major search engines, Cyber scams

0 views

Source: http://www.news.chauthiduniya.com/china-to-curb-online-phishing

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Abortion, immigration changes among new 2012 laws (AP)

Girls seeking abortions in New Hampshire must first tell their parents or a judge, employers in Alabama must verify new workers' U.S. residency, and California students will be the first in the country to receive mandatory lessons about the contributions of gays and lesbians under state laws set to take effect at the start of 2012.

Many laws reflect the nation's concerns over immigration, the cost of government and the best way to protect and benefit young people, including regulations on sports concussions.

Alabama, with the country's toughest immigration law, is enacting a key provision requiring all employers who do business with any government entity to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check that all new employees are in the country legally.

Georgia is putting a similar law into effect requiring any business with 500 or more employees to use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of new hires. The requirement is being phased in, with all employers with more than 10 employees to be included by July 2013.

Supporters said they wanted to deter illegal immigrants from coming to Georgia by making it tougher for them to work. Critics said that changes to immigration law should come at the federal level and that portions of the law already in effect are already hurting Georgia.

"It is destroying Georgia's economy and it is destroying the fabric of our social network in South Georgia," Paul Bridges, mayor of the onion-farming town of Uvalda, said in November. He is part of a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Tennessee will also require businesses to ensure employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. but exempts employers with five or fewer workers and allows them to keep a copy of the new hire's driver's license instead of using E-Verify.

A South Carolina law would allow officials to yank the operating licenses of businesses that don't check new hires' legal status through E-verify. A federal judge last week blocked parts of the law that would have required police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects or people stopped for traffic violations they think might be in the country illegally, and that would have made it a crime for illegal immigrants to transport or house themselves.

California is also addressing illegal immigration, but with a bill that allows students who entered the country illegally to receive private financial aid at public colleges.

Many laws aim to protect young people. In Colorado, coaches will be required to bench players as young as 11 when they're believed to have suffered a head injury. The young athletes will also need medical clearance to return to play.

The law also requires coaches in public and private schools and even volunteer Little League and Pop Warner football coaches to take free annual online training to recognize the symptoms of a concussion. At least a dozen other states have enacted similar laws with the support of the National Football League.

People 18 and under in Illinois will have to wear seat belts while riding in taxis for school-related purposes, and Illinois school boards can now suspend or expel students who make explicit threats on websites against other students or school employees.

Florida will take control of lunch and other school food programs from the federal government, allowing the state to put more Florida-grown fresh fruit and vegetables on school menus. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says the change will help children eat healthier.

A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

Opponents have filed five potential initiatives to repeal the requirement outright or let parents remove their children while gays' contributions are being taught.

In New Hampshire, a law requiring girls seeking abortions to tell their parents or a judge first was reinstated by conservative Republicans over a gubernatorial veto. The state enacted a similar law eight years ago, but it was never enforced following a series of lawsuits.

In Arkansas, facilities that perform 10 or more nonsurgical abortions a month must be licensed by the state Health Department and be subject to inspections by the department, the same requirements faced by facilities that offer surgical abortions in the state.

It affects two Planned Parenthood facilities that offer the abortion pill, though they're not singled out in the statute.

Among federal laws, a measure Congress passed last week to extend Social Security tax cuts and federal unemployment benefit programs raises insurance fees on new mortgages and refinancings backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration by 0.1 percent beginning Jan. 1.

That covers about 90 percent of them and effectively makes a borrower's monthly payment on a new $200,000 mortgage or refinancing about $17 a month more than it would have been if obtained before the first of the year.

Nevada's 3-month old ban on texting while driving will get tougher, with tickets replacing the warnings that police have issued since the ban took effect Oct. 1. In Pennsylvania, police are preparing to enforce that state's recently enacted ban on texting, scheduled to take effect by spring.

Election law changes in Rhode Island and Tennessee will require voters to present photo ID, a measure that supporters say prevents fraud and that opponents say will make it harder for minorities and the elderly to cast ballots.

In Ohio, a measure that creates one primary in March, instead of two that would have cost the state an extra $15 million, goes into effect later in January.

Ohio is also one of eight states with automatic increases in the minimum wage taking effect Jan. 1. The others, with increases between 28 and 37 cents, are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

A few laws try to address budget woes. In Delaware, new state employees will have to contribute more to their pensions, while state workers hired after Jan. 1 in Nevada will have to pony up for their own health care costs in retirement.

Jan. 1 is the effective date in many states for laws passed during this year's legislative sessions. In others, laws take effect July 1, or 90 days after passage.

___

Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio, and can be reached at http://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_re_us/us_new_laws

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UK & World News: Cancer patients need fuel charity

Dec 27 2011

Cancer patients are becoming increasingly reliant on charity handouts to heat their homes as they struggle to pay rising fuel bills, newly-published figures have shown.

Macmillan Cancer Support said it had made one-off payments totalling ?2,548,563 to 12,669 cancer patients to help with fuel costs during 2011, a sharp increase on the 7,369 patients needing similar help just five years ago.

The charity, which issued fuel grants of around ?1.4 million in 2006, is calling for an ongoing independent review of fuel poverty - which was commissioned by the Government - to prioritise cancer patients for help.

Commenting on the rise in charity payments announced by Macmillan, its campaign manager, Laura Keely, said: "To feel too scared to put the heating on because of soaring energy bills is an unacceptable reality for thousands of vulnerable cancer patients who feel the cold more and spend long periods of time at home.

"When the charity was established 100 years ago, founder Douglas Macmillan helped cancer patients by handing out sacks of coal to keep them warm.

"It is shocking that a century on, people who are diagnosed with this devastating disease are still relying on charity help to heat their freezing homes."

Studies have shown that seven in 10 cancer patients aged under 55 lose income after being diagnosed, often because they are too ill to work.

However, their bills often rise because they need to spend more time at home and feel the chill more because of their treatment.

Research conducted for Macmillan into fuel poverty has also established that certain groups of cancer patients are particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those on housing benefit and council tax benefit or with a low annual household income.

Source: http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/12/27/cancer-patients-need-fuel-charity-84229-30016501/

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Arlen Specter, Comedian (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180200732?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Sears may finally be in a fight that it can't win

Seth Perlman / AP

Maybe if Sears had sold more of these. Analysts are wondering if a combination of greater competition, down-at-the-heels stores and escalating pension costs will combine to deliver a knockout punch to the venerable retailer.

By Martha C. White

Those blue-light specials just didn't cut it this year. After dismal holiday sales in a year when other retailers managed to claw their way to a modest recovery, Sears Holdings Inc. announced Tuesday it would close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores due to poor performance.

Sears is retail's Rocky Balboa: It's had more than its share of comebacks and reinventions.?And while it wasn't always pretty, it usually managed to squeeze out one more win. Now, though, analysts are wondering if a combination of greater competition, down-at-the-heels stores and escalating pension costs will combine to deliver the?knockout punch to a company that began?as a mail-order company in the 19th century and grew into one of the nation's largest retailers.?

The National Retail Federation estimates that sales for the holiday season are up 3.8 percent over last year. But for the eight-week period leading up to Christmas, Sears Holdings said its same-store sales fell by 5.2 percent. Same-store sales are sales at stores open more than a year and are considered a more accurate barometer of how a retail company is faring.

The drop was sharper at its flagship stores, which fell 6 percent, while Kmart sales fell by 4.4 percent. In a release, the company blamed sagging electronics sales at both chains, along with lower appliance sales at Sears and fewer clothing and layaway purchases at Kmart.?

It's true that these are competitive categories, but they're also areas where experts anticipated higher sales this holiday season. So it's not that people weren't buying gadgets and sweaters; they just weren't buying them at Sears or Kmart. With outdated, disorganized stores, Sears has lost?ground to discounters like Wal-Mart and Target, and to?Lowe's and Home Depot in tools and appliances. Tweaks to the merchandise mix, like a clothing line by reality TV's Kardashian sisters, were greeted cooly by consumers.?

Analysts are concerned that Sears may not be able to make up the lost ground. "These guys just turned in a disastrous fourth quarter," said?Imperial Capital managing director Mary Ross Gilbert. "We're seeing an acceleration in the deterioration of the business."

"I'm not sure how they're going to turn it around," Credit Suisse retail analyst Gary Balter told CNBC. Especially worrisome, he said, was Sears' disclosure that it currently has $438 million in outstanding borrowing, even though this is the time of year when retailers usually have the most cash available. "If they're not cash positive right now, that's a negative signal," he said.?

Sears' stocktumbled Tuesday.?Balter pointed out that his price target for Sears of $20 is still 15 times EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), which is a high valuation for the company. Others are more pessimistic, saying this metric doesn't paint a complete picture of Sears' financial health.

Gilbert pointed out in a recent report that Sears' EBITDA doesn't include some substantial pension funding costs and gave the company?a $6 price target based on that as well as further anticipated declines in performance.

"Over the last five years you've seen their EBITDA decline by 68 percent," Gilbert said. "Now we're talking about a potential liquidity crisis in 2012." While Sears might be able to get through the first quarter without a hitch, Gilbert said the company will struggle if vendors lose confidence next summer, when holiday ordering takes place, and demand to be paid sooner or even payment in advance of shipments.?

The biggest problem is that the company can't or won't invest in its stores, and consumers have been voting with their feet. "Sears? retail operations have continued to languish over the years? capital expenditures have been running at close to 1 percent (or less) of revenues compared to 2?3 percent of revenues" ?for competitors like Target and Home Depot, Ross Gilbert wrote. "[C]ustomers may be further distanced from the brand due to store-level staff not being adequately trained or motivated to provide a high level of service.

"We think that it is a retail concept that has gotten tired," said Ed Mally, director of research at Imperial. "The stores are in need of some updating and their competitive position is challenged."

Insight on what is next for Sears Holdings, as it plans to close down 120 Kmart stores, with Gary Balter, Credit Suisse retail analyst.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9740808-sears-holdings-struggles-to-hold-on

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In Pursuit of the sub-$100 Android media player: Elsse 4.3

For the past few months now I?ve been toying with the idea of buying a cheap Android handheld to use as a pocketable media player and ebook reader. I still haven?t found one, but today I came across another 4.3? tablet that almost met my needs.

My target device would best be described as the Android equivalent of the iPod Touch. The first device I considered was the Pocket Primer from Skytex, but then Brad Linder reviewed it at Liliputing and the poor hardware and the repeated failed attempts to install apps shot it out of the water.

I then considered the Ematic Twig, but the unit I bought had a defective touchscreen and it also had issues with installing apps. And it looked to be the close cousin of the Pocket Primer, so I didn?t see a need to get a second unit and try again (I expected to find the same issues).

Today I found another 4.3? Android tablet. It looks to have much better performance than either the Twig or Pocket Primer.

The Elsse 4.3 (no model name) is listed on?Amazon for $69. There?s no mention of the CPU, screen resolution, or Flash storage, but the listing does mention that it?s running Android v2.2 with Wifi, a microSD card slot, a speaker, and video output.? Curiously enough, it comes with both a set of earbuds and the video cables, but there is just the one spot to plug both of them in.

The price and general design suggests that the Elsse 4.3 is closely related to the other 2 tablets, but this one appears to be a much better tablet. I found a video review on Youtube, and this tablet did quite well with Angry Birds. It also has a g-sensor (and can use it), which puts it a step above the Twig.

The video doesn?t show much, and the reviewer didn?t install any extra apps, unfortunately. But I did find a hint on SlateDroid that the Angry Birds app was customized for a MIPS CPU. This tablet was also reported as shipping with the Android Market, and one owner commented that the supply of apps was sparse.

BTW, I?ve gotten mixed reports on the battery life. The Youtube review said it only had about 3 hours (with a standby time which is measured in hours, not days.), but an owner reported getting over 6 hours with Wifi off. That?s a big difference and it almost makes this tablet worth getting.

Based on the comments from owners I?d say that this could be the tablet for me. But I already have gadgets coming and CES is in the near future, so this one will have to wait.

Specs

• 600MHz Ingenic CPU
• Android v2.2
• 4.3? resitive touchscreen
• Wifi
• microSD card slot
• speaker

Amazon

SlateDroid

Youtube

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDigitalReader/~3/WSfGyXZ3QqI/

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Turkey big friend of Georgia ? President

Monday 26th December, 2011

Turkey big friend of Georgia – President ??

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?????Monday 26th December, 2011??Source: News.Az ??

Turkey is a great friend of Georgia both politically and economically. The statement came from Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Saturday meeting with Turkish delegation in Tbilisi. According to the Georgian president, ‘existing relations between the two countries have vital importance for Georgia', Georgia Online repotrs.. ...

Breaking News Monday 26th December, 2011

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Source: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=202146164&cat=53023059fadd9a63

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Even Orbiting Astronauts Get a Visit From Santa [Video]

It's nice to know that as humanity continues its conquest of space, Santa's naughty or nice list will still include those serving on orbiting space stations. It's just too bad that this might be his last delivery—ever. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/RTVnAbig2_o/even-orbiting-astronauts-get-a-visit-from-santa

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Anti-Putin protests draw tens of thousands (AP)

MOSCOW ? Tens of thousands of Russians jammed a Moscow avenue Saturday to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule, in the largest show of public outrage since the protests 20 years ago that brought down the Soviet Union. Gone was the political apathy of recent years as many shouted "We are the Power!"

The demonstration, bigger and better organized than a similar one two weeks ago, and smaller rallies across the country encouraged opposition leaders hoping to sustain a protest movement ignited by a fraud-tainted parliamentary election on Dec. 4.

The enthusiasm also cheered Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who closed down the Soviet Union on Dec. 25, 1991.

"I'm happy that I have lived to see the people waking up. This raises big hopes," the 80-year-old Gorbachev said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

He urged Putin to follow his example and give up power peacefully, saying Putin would be remembered for the positive things he did if he stepped down now. The former Soviet leader, who has grown increasingly critical of Putin, has little influence in Russia today.

But the protesters have no central leader and no candidate capable of posing a serious challenge to Putin, who intends to return to the presidency in a March vote.

Even at Saturday's rally, some of the speakers were jeered by the crowd. The various liberal, nationalist and leftist groups that took part appear united only by their desire to see "Russia without Putin," a popular chant.

Putin, who gave no public response to the protest Saturday, initially derided the demonstrators as paid agents of the West. He also said sarcastically that he thought the white ribbons they wore as an emblem were condoms. Putin has since come to take their protests more seriously, and in an effort to stem the anger he has offered a set of reforms to allow more political competition in future elections.

Kremlin-controlled television covered Saturday's rally, but gave no air time to Putin's harshest critics.

Estimates of the number of demonstrators ranged from the police figure of 30,000 to 120,000 offered by the organizers. Demonstrators packed much of a broad avenue, which has room for nearly 100,000 people, about 2.5 kilometers (some 1.5 miles) from the Kremlin, as the temperature dipped well below freezing.

A stage at the end of the avenue featured banners reading "Russia will be free" and "This election Is a farce." Heavy police cordons encircled the participants, who stood within metal barriers, and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Alexei Navalny, a corruption-fighting lawyer and popular blogger, electrified the crowd when he took the stage. He soon had the protesters chanting "We are the power!"

Navalny spent 15 days in jail for leading a protest on Dec. 5 that unexpectedly drew more than 5,000 people and set off the chain of demonstrations.

Putin's United Russia party lost 25 percent of its seats in the election, but hung onto a majority in parliament through what independent observers said was widespread fraud. United Russia, seen as representing a corrupt bureaucracy, has become known as the party of crooks and thieves, a phrase coined by Navalny.

"We have enough people here to take the Kremlin," Navalny shouted to the crowd. "But we are peaceful people and we won't do that ? yet. But if these crooks and thieves keep cheating us, we will take what is ours."

Protest leaders expressed skepticism about Putin's promised political reforms.

"We don't trust him," opposition leader Boris Nemtsov told the rally, urging protesters to gather again after the long New Year's holidays to make sure the proposed changes are put into law.

He and other speakers called on the demonstrators to go to the polls in March to unseat Putin. "A thief must not sit in the Kremlin," Nemtsov said.

The protest leaders said they would keep up their push for a rerun of the parliamentary vote and punishment for election officials accused of fraud, while stressing the need to prevent fraud in the March presidential election.

Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov was among those who sought to give the protesters a sense of empowerment.

"There are so many of us here, and they (the government) are few," Kasparov said from the stage. "They are huddled up in fear behind police cordons."

The crowd was largely young, but included a sizable number of middle-aged and elderly people, some of whom limped slowly to the site on walkers and canes.

"We want to back those who are fighting for our rights," said 16-year-old Darya Andryukhina, who said she had also attended the previous rally.

"People have come here because they want respect," said Tamara Voronina, 54, who said she was proud that her three sons also had joined the protest.

Putin's comment about protesters wearing condoms only further infuriated them and inspired some creative responses. One protester Saturday held a picture montage of Putin with his head wrapped in a condom like a grandmother's headscarf. Many inflated condoms along with balloons.

The protests reflect a growing weariness with Putin, who was first elected president in 2000 and remained in charge after moving into the prime minister's seat in 2008. Brazen fraud in the parliamentary vote unexpectedly energized the middle class, which for years had been politically apathetic.

"No one has done more to bring so many people here than Putin, who managed to insult the whole country," said Viktor Shenderovich, a columnist and satirical writer.

Two rallies in St. Petersburg on Saturday drew a total of 4,000 people.

"I'm here because I'm tired of the government's lies," said Dmitry Dervenev, 47, a designer. "The prime minister insulted me personally when he said that people came to the rallies because they were paid by the U.S. State Department. I'm here because I'm a citizen of my country."

Putin accused the United States of encouraging and funding the protests to weaken Russia.

Putin's former finance minister surprised the protesters by saying the current parliament should approve the proposed electoral changes and then step down to allow new parliamentary elections to be held. Alexei Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, warned that the wave of protests could lead to violence and called for establishing a dialogue between the opposition and the government.

"Otherwise we will lose the chance for peaceful transformation," Kudrin said.

Kudrin also joined calls for the ouster of Central Election Commission chief Vladimir Churov.

Putin has promised to liberalize registration rules for opposition parties and restore the direct election of governors he abolished in 2004. Putin's stand-in as president, Dmitry Medvedev, spelled out those and other proposed changes in Thursday's state-of-the nation address.

Gorbachev, however, said the government appears confused.

"They don't know what to do," he said. "They are making attempts to get out of the trap they drove themselves into."

____

Associated Press writers Nataliya Vasilyeva and Jim Heintz contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_protests

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gueritaverde: I just ousted @misterchanel as the mayor of Stitches on @foursquare! http://t.co/tJMWtnkv

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I just ousted @misterchanel as the mayor of Stitches on @foursquare! 4sq.com/79VbVK Il y a environ 11 heures via foursquare from Stitches, Seattle??

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Colts' win throws Luck sweepstakes up in air (AP)

MINNEAPOLIS ? All that good luck the Indianapolis Colts have received on the field these last two weeks could leave them with no Luck at all when the NFL draft rolls around.

The Colts have won two straight games to fall into a tie with the Vikings and Rams for the league's worst record and the chance to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick.

With Peyton Manning out for the year with a neck injury, the Colts lost their first 13 games of the season, and most figured Luck could start looking for an Indy-based realtor.

Then a funny thing happened ? the Colts started winning.

The Colts beat Tennessee two weeks ago for their first win of the season. No big deal, right? They still had a game on two-win teams in Minnesota and St. Louis and didn't have to deal with the ignominy of going winless for an entire season.

Vikings fans were already dreaming of USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil coming in to protect Christian Ponder and clear a path for Adrian Peterson. With Sam Bradford under center, Rams fans were drooling over the prospects of bringing in Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon as the stud receiver he's been missing early in his career.

Then the Colts went out and won on Thursday night against the playoff-bound Texans.

What were they thinking?!?

That was some of the outcry heard from fans and pundits after the victory, which many view as jeopardizing the franchise's long-term health by risking losing out on another All-Pro caliber quarterback in Luck to eventually replace the face of the franchise, albeit one who will turn 36 in March and has had multiple neck surgeries over the past two seasons.

All of a sudden some Colts fans ? particularly those who were showing up to Lucas Oil Stadium with blue No. 12 jerseys that had "Luck" written on the back ? have an entirely different pain in their necks.

"That's not for the players to worry about," Colts running back Joseph Addai said. "I don't worry about that. I just go out and keep playing ball."

Now all three teams are tied for the fewest wins in the league, with the Vikings and Rams still to play this weekend.

Minnesota has lost six in a row and plays at Washington on Saturday before hosting Chicago in the season finale on Jan. 1. The Rams figure to have a tough time in Pittsburgh on Saturday and with San Francisco at home to end the season.

The Colts hold the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker over Minnesota and St. Louis. So a loss at Jacksonville next week would clinch the No. 1 pick for Indianapolis.

But the Jaguars haven't exactly been hitting their stride as the season wears on. Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been erratic and head coach Jack Del Rio has already been fired.

"For one thing, not knowing what my future's going to be, just wanting to get a win," Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said after making the game-winning touchdown catch with 19 seconds to play Thursday night. "Couldn't get anything better than this."

Sorry Reggie, but some fans would say that a 6-foot-4, 235-pound college star with a rocket right arm and a completion percentage of 70 percent trumps one more victory in a season that has been lost since the moment Manning went under the knife.

And even though the Vikings and Rams both have already spent high first-round draft choices on young signal-callers in the last couple of years, they would have to at least consider Luck with the top pick.

Scouts lavish praise on a prospect they call the best quarterback to come out of college since John Elway. Luck's touchdown-to-interception ratio is almost 4 to 1, he calls his own plays for the Cardinal and takes puppies to visit senior citizens in hospice care.

Well, that part about the puppies has not been confirmed, but you get the point.

Should either the Vikings or Rams luck out and sneak into the top spot, they also could decide to stick with their young guns, trade down with another team eager to take Luck and stockpile picks to fill the numerous holes on each roster.

Just look what the Chargers did in 2004 when the New York Giants so badly wanted Eli Manning. The Giants sent the Chargers draft picks that amounted to Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding to get their hands on a quarterback who would eventually lead them to a Super Bowl victory.

Up until two weeks ago, the thought of having to make that decision seemed absurd.

Then again, so did a Colts winning streak.

___

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111224/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_feeling_lucky

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xdadevelopers: Android: Chinese Search Giant Baidu Launches Smartphone with Forked Android Version http://t.co/IMuFfT35

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Romney and Gingrich Trade Barbs on Who ?Can Take the Heat? (ABC News)

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Review: Take the time to curate Facebook Timeline (AP)

NEW YORK ? I've often joked that if something's not on Facebook, it didn't happen. Facebook's new Timeline feature makes that adage even more apparent.

Timeline is Facebook's new way of presenting you to the world. It replaces your traditional profile page ? the one with your headshot and a smorgasbord of personal musings, photos and other items to share with friends. Instead of just a snapshot of you today, Timeline is supposed to be a scrapbook of your whole life.

But these highlights are culled from what Facebook sees as important ? the stuff you and your friends have chosen to write or post photos about over the years. So it's crucial to spend time curating it, so your life doesn't come across as vain. If you're not careful, you also might reveal skeletons from your past to more recent friends.

Once you're ready for Timeline, you have a week to airbrush your life before it replaces your current profile. That's not a lot of time when you have (cough, cough) years of your life to go through. I suggest focusing on the years since you joined Facebook. You can always add photos from childhood later.

To set up Timeline, visit http://facebook.com/timeline. Facebook will force you to switch within a few weeks, so don't procrastinate.

MAKING A SPLASH

Start by choosing a cover photo, the image that will splash across the top. You can choose a sunset, your dog, a hobby, anything that reflects who you are. Keep in mind the dimensions are more like a movie screen than a traditional photo. A close-up portrait of your face won't work well, but one of you lying horizontally will.

Your old profile photo will still be there, but it'll be smaller.

If you haven't done so already, you can add where you've worked, lived and went to school. If you specify years ? such as when you started a job ? those items will be added to Timeline's stream of life events, even if they took place before Facebook's founding in 2004.

You can also add other life events to the stream, such as when you broke your arm and whom you were with then, or when you spoke your first word or got a tattoo. By adding them to Facebook, you signal that those things really did happen.

MORE ON THE STREAM

The timeline stream is your life on Facebook in reverse chronological order.

At the top are your recent status updates, comments from family and friends, photos you're in and events you've attended. As you scroll down, you'll get highlights from last month, then earlier in the year. Scroll down even further for last year, the year before that and so on. Click one of the "Show" links to get all posts from a particular month or year.

Posts will be more sporadic the further you go back. You'll see when you joined Facebook and the first post you ever made ? mine was "Anick Jesdanun is wasting a lot of time on facebook."

Beyond that, you may see details about high school or college. A colleague even saw the birth of her younger brother listed, after having told Facebook which of her friends were her siblings.

The bottom simply says "Born" with your birth date and birthplace, if you've chosen to share that.

This may come across as a big privacy breach, but keep in mind that people could have seen many of those posts before by continually hitting "Older Posts." The difference is most people wouldn't bother. With Timeline, you can jump more quickly to older posts.

Another thing to consider: Although your privacy settings remain the same, your list of friends has likely grown over the years, and your definition of friends has probably broadened to include parents, bosses and random flings at weddings. Someone you didn't know in 2008 would suddenly have easier access to something you posted then.

CURATING YOUR LIFE

You can change who has access to which posts. Perhaps you'd want to narrow an embarrassing photo from Thanksgiving to family members who were there. You might want to delete other posts completely or hide them so that only you can see them.

You can change the date on a post. For example, if you had waited a week to tell the Facebook world that you broke up with someone, you can change the date to reflect when all the screaming and crying took place. You can also add where you were, retroactively using a location feature that Facebook hadn't offered until recently.

For major events in your life, you can click on a star to feature them more prominently.

You'll likely feel overwhelmed when you see your Timeline for the first time. Years-old posts made by people you're no longer friends with are still there. Musings on a trip or a long-forgotten event suddenly lack context. Your life may also come across as duplicative, such as when multiple friends post similar photos from the same party.

Here are a few tips:

? Start with your older posts. You were probably experimenting with Facebook then, and most of those could go into hiding. Plus, those are the ones you'd need to be most careful about because you had reason to believe only a few friends would see them.

? Find the button for Activity Log. Click that to see all of your posts at a glance and make changes to them one by one. Open Facebook in a new browser tab first, though. Every time you switch between the log and the timeline stream, Facebook resets to a default view rather than let you return to where you were. So have one tab for the log and the other for the stream.

? Think carefully about what you want to highlight when people scroll through your past. Facebook has a secret formula for determining which items are included in your highlights, using such factors as how many friends commented on a post. That may not necessarily be what you want to showcase.

Unfortunately, getting the stream to look right is difficult.

There's no easy way to highlight something Facebook's formula didn't pick, without starring it such that it gets splashed across the page. I also couldn't find a good way to remove something from the highlights without hiding or deleting it completely. There are events I wouldn't consider major, but would want people to see if they took the time to browse through my past.

There also ought to be a way to star or hide posts in batches.

And oddly, Facebook includes stuff posted by others, but it doesn't include items you've posted on other profiles. Older posts come across as one-sided without the back and forth for context.

MOVING FORWARD

Overall, I like the concept behind Timeline. I got a nice stroll down memory lane, and I enjoyed stalking my friends and uncovering their pasts, too.

I just wish it were easier to customize, and I don't appreciate being rushed. Facebook spent months developing Timeline and rolling it out to its 800 million users. Why give us just seven days?

If you're not ready to start Timeline, you can still view Timelines your friends have already activated. Just keep in mind that Facebook eventually will force you to switch, so you might as well do it now if you have the time.

You might also want to take this as an opportunity to clean up your presence on Facebook. Review your privacy settings and get rid of friends who don't need to be there. That will be the topic of next week's column.

___

Anick Jesdanun, deputy technology editor for The Associated Press, can be reached at njesdanun(at)ap.org.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111221/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_digital_life_tech_test_facebook_timeline

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College Hoops: East Carolina 76 Coastal Carolina 51

Mark Haggard

Mark Haggard, NewsChannel 15 Sports Reporter/Anchor, brings 33 years of experience to NewsChannel 15.

Read?more: Local, Sports, Coastal Carolina Basketball, East Carolina Basketball, College Basketball, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Chanticleers, Pirates, East Carolina Pirates, December 19, 2011, Shamarr Bowden, Anthony Raffa, Sam Mclaurin, College of Charleston, Kimbel Arena, Greenville, North Carolina, College, NCAA Basketball

The?Coastal Carolina Chanticleers?men's basketball team was defeated by the?East Carolina Pirates?76-51 on Monday night at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, North Carolina.

East Carolina got out to a 16-6 start and never looked back. The Pirates hit eight three's, five of them from?Shamarr Bowden?who finished with a game-high 17 points.

Coastal Carolina was led by?Anthony Raffa. He was held to 14 points, well below his average. CCU had their worst shooting effort of the season, hitting under 37 percent for the game. In addition, the Chants made only three of 21 shots from beyond the arc.

Sam McLaurin pulled down seven rebounds to give him 502 for his career. He became the third player in school history with at least?500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.

Coastal returns to action on Thursday, Dec.?22 at Kimbel Arena in Conway, South Carolina?to face the?College of Charleston. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; they are not reflective of the views or opinions of Barrington Broadcasting, WPDE, its directors or employees. If you believe a comment violates the Barrington Terms of Use, please flag it below.

Source: http://www.carolinalive.com/sports/story.aspx?id=699054

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Ke$ha Calls Bob Dylan Cover 'An Emotional Purging'

Pop singer sings 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' for Amnesty International anniversary album.
By Jocelyn Vena

Ke$ha
Photo: Getty Images

It's hard to associate Ke$ha with songs about anything other than hot guys, body glitter and partying. But she's defying her usual topics of interest for human rights organization Amnesty International. The singer is one of the many musicians on the org's Chimes of Freedom compilation of Bob Dylan's music, out January 24.

When MTV News spoke with K-Dollar Sign last week about her all-star remix of "Sleazy," she also opened up about switching gears vocally and emotionally for her version of Dylan's classic "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right."

"I mean, I think it's pretty well known that he's one of, if not my most, favorite artists of all time and ... one of the most amazing lyricists as well — the original storyteller," she explained. "So I love Bob Dylan and this was just, like, a dream. When they asked me to do a cover, I was just, like, salivating and going through all my records. It was so fun. It was the best homework assignment you could possibly have."

K's version of Dylan's song is a slow-burning, heartbreaking ode to the already heartbreaking classic, where she channels Dylan through lyrics like "Still I wish there was somethin' you would do or say/ To try and make me change my mind and stay/ We never did too much talkin' anyway/ So don't think twice, it's all right."

Ke$ha had originally intended to record another Dylan track, but when she heard that someone else had their sights set on it, she settled on "Don't Think Twice," prompting a catharsis she could never have imagined.

"This song was kind of an accident. I sat down and this is the first take that I ever sang," she recalled. "I just sat down on my bed for the first time after months of being on tour and I just started crying, and it was kind of like an emotional purging, and you can hear it on the record."

In addition to Ke$ha and her contribution, the album will feature 75 other Dylan classics recorded by nearly 80 artists including Adele, Miley Cyrus, "Glee" star Darren Criss, My Chemical Romance, Evan Rachel Wood and Sugarland. The album pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676260/kesha-bob-dylan-cover.jhtml

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Economic recovery slow for US nonprofits (AP)

SEATTLE ? As the first signs of an economic recovery make the news, many of the nation's nonprofit organizations are digging in for another three to four years of financial distress, according to researchers who keep an eye on the charitable world.

Some larger nonprofits are seeing donations start to rise again, but most report their income is holding steady at lower, post-recession levels or is still going down, according to a new study from the Nonprofit Research Collaborative.

The collaborative found 59 percent of nonprofits report their donation income is flat or lower than in 2010, which was another down year for most charities. Among those that receive some government dollars ? long considered a safety net for charitable organizations ? more than half are reporting a decline in income for the year.

Forty-one percent of nonprofits have seen their donation income go up in 2011, but most of the nation's smaller charities with less than $3 million in total spending saw donations drop again this year.

Food pantries and homeless shelters across the country have reported funding crises this year because of an increase in need coupled with a drop in donations.

Siena House, a women's shelter in Waukesha, Wis., briefly shut down this past summer because it didn't have the money to continue operations. A fall fundraising drive brought in $60,000 and Siena House was able to reopen in December.

The First Baptist Church of Danville, Ky., in November closed its small food bank that fed up to 200 families a year because of volunteer and donation shortages. The food bank depended entirely on donations for its operation and volunteers to run it and just couldn't keep up with demand, said Tom Butler, a church volunteer.

About 8 percent of the charities included in the report say they are in danger of closing for financial reasons, while among smaller charities, that figure is 20 percent.

"Nonprofits are still facing very challenging circumstances," said Una Osili, director of research at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, one of six organizations in the Nonprofit Research Collaborative.

Few will actually go out of business, Osili said, but cutting programs and laying off staff are a real possibility. Many are using volunteers to do jobs previously completed by staff.

"The good news is that nonprofits are starting to look ahead and think about ways to adjust to the new environment we're in," she said.

Because most nonprofits spend money the year after they earn it, or budget according to a three-year average, even when the economy does pick up, the recovery for charities will take longer, she said.

Osili said it could take donors as many as four years to return to pre-recession giving levels, in part because it takes a while for individuals and corporations to regain confidence in their own financial stability.

Jon Fine, CEO of the United Way of King County, Wash., said the nonprofit groups his organization supports through its fundraising have had at least three down years because of the recession.

In fiscal 2011, the Seattle-based United Way experienced its first up year since fiscal 2007, with donations of $119 million compared to $100 million in fiscal 2010. That's still below the $124 million total for 2007.

"I think it's less about a clear indication that the economy is improving, and it's more about individuals and corporations are willing to support proven programs that get results," Fine said.

His organization has had a lot of success attracting money for a relatively new program that helps kids from low-income families prepare for kindergarten, with donations of $10 million in fiscal 2011.

Other Seattle charities give a mixed report of their fundraising successes.

"Some are up and some are down," Fine said, adding that needs continue to be high and fundraising isn't enough to make up for government cutbacks.

The year isn't over, however, and some charities are still hoping for a holiday surprise. A recent random national survey of the general public found some potential for hope. Fifty-one percent of people questioned by Harris Interactive in a random telephone survey said they expected to give a charitable gift as a holiday present.

That survey, paid for by Federal Way, Wash., based nonprofit World Vision and conducted at the end of October, also found about seven in 10 adults plan to increase their charitable giving once the economy improves.

World Vision reports its own donation income is growing, with sales of its holiday gift catalog up every year of the recession, said Traci Coker, director of the holiday fundraiser at the religious nonprofit that focuses on international aid.

Corporate giving seems to be picking up a bit as well, said Jean Ellis, vice president for development and membership at the Denver Zoo. The zoo just received a $5.4 million gift from Toyota for naming rights to a new 10 acre elephant exhibit.

"We've had an enormously successful 2011," Coker said. "Hopefully that means things are turning around for everybody."

____

Donna Blankinship can be reached at http://twitter.com/dgblankinship

____

Online:

Nonprofit Research Collaborative: http://is.gd/uxAI52

United Way of King County: http://www.uwkc.org/

World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/

Denver Zoo: http://www.denverzoo.org/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_us/us_charity_downturn

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Turkey slams France over genocide bill (AP)

ANKARA, Turkey ? Turkey's prime minister on Saturday sharply criticized France for a bill that would make it a crime to deny the World War I-era mass killing of Armenians was genocide.

Saying France should investigate what he said was its own "dirty and bloody history" in Algeria and Rwanda, Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Turkey would respond "through all kinds of diplomatic means."

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks as their Empire collapsed, an event many international experts regard as genocide and that France recognized as such in 2001. Turkish leaders reject the term, arguing that the toll is inflated, that there were deaths on both sides and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

On Dec. 22, the lower house of French Parliament will debate a proposal that would make denying that the massacre was genocide punishable by up to a year in prison and euro45,000 ($58,500) in fines, putting it on par with Holocaust denial, which was banned in the country in 1990.

Erdogan lashed out at France during a joint news conference with Mustafa Abdul-Jalil ? the chairman of Libya's National Transitional Council ? saying there were reports that France was responsible for the deaths of 45,000 people in Algeria in 1945 and for the massacre of up to 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994.

"No historian, no politician can see genocide in our history," Erdogan said. "Those who do want to see genocide should turn around and look at their own dirty and bloody history."

"The French National Assembly should shed light on Algeria, it should shed light on Rwanda," he said, in his first news conference since recovering from surgery three weeks ago.

France had troops in Rwanda, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame has accused the country of doing little to stop the country's genocide.

There was no immediate reaction from France. Ties between the two countries are already strained by French President Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition to Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

Erdogan's criticism comes a day after an official said the Turkish leader had written to Sarkozy warning of grave consequences if the Armenian genocide bill is adopted. A Turkish diplomat said Turkey would withdraw its ambassador to France is the law is passed.

"I hope that the (French Parliament) steps back from the error of misrepresenting history and of punishing those who deny the historic lies," Erdogan said. "Turkey will stand against this intentional, malicious, unjust and illegal attempt through all kinds of diplomatic means."

Erdogan called the proposed bill a "populist" act, suggesting it was aimed at winning the votes of Armenian-French in elections in France next year.

A Turkish parliamentary delegation is scheduled to travel to France on Sunday to lobby French legislators against the bill.

Turkey has long argued that parliaments should not be left the task of deciding whether the killings constituted genocide, insisting on the creation of a joint independent committee of historians to look into the events that started in 1915.

Several countries have recognized the killings as genocide, including Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Russia, Canada, Lebanon, Belgium, Greece, Italy, the Vatican, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania and Cyprus.

In 2007, a Swiss court convicted a Turkish politician under its anti-racism law and fined him for denying that the killings of Armenians was genocide. The case caused diplomatic tensions between Switzerland and Turkey.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_eu/eu_turkey_france_genocide

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