Vancouver Mayor Robertson urges foster son to surrender on gun, drug charges

',
container = $('#drop-panel-container'),
contents = $(container).html();

if (isIE8) {

$(container).replaceWith(f+contents+b)

}



}

function dropPanelSetUp(data) {
/* buttons should be a dataobject of strings representing IDs
the hide and show functions are expecting IDs so passing a class will result in a
failure.

click as the action is assumed for now

the data object should look like this:

{ masterlistener:(string[dom id]),
panel:(string[dom id]),
eventgroup1:{ button:(string[dom id]),
content:(string[dom id]),
offset:{x:(int),y:(int)},
on_state_class: ''(string)
},
eventgroup2:{ button:(string[dom id]),
content:(string[dom id]),
offset:{x:(int),y:(int)},
on_state_class: ''(string)
} ... etc
}

The drop panel nodes should be placed so they share the same offset parent as the buttons that activate it.

NOTE: IE8 Got-chya: the ID for the panel is hard coded into the IE8 rouned corners code.
If you have changed the ID for the drop panel and are having trouble with IE8
change the ID in the template string in this function: ie8DropPanel()

*/



var speed = 300,
panel = $('#'+data.panel),
buttons = [];



for (var i=1,eg; eg=data[('eventgroup'+i)]; i++) {

var bp = $('#'+eg.button).position(), //button position
ph = $('#'+eg.button).height(), //button height
panelPos = [bp.top+ph, bp.left, eg.offset];
on_state_class = eg.on_state_class;

buttons.push([$('#'+eg.button),$('#'+eg.content),panelPos,eg.button,on_state_class]);

}



$('#'+data.masterlistener).bind('click',{speed:speed,panel:panel,buttons:buttons},function(event){

var org = event.target,
speed = event.data.speed,
panel = event.data.panel,
buttons = event.data.buttons,
panel_open = isPanelOpen(panel);




for (var i=buttons.length-1, b; b=buttons[i]; i--) {
/*
* b[0] = button DOM object
* b[1] = content DOM object
* b[2] = the display co-ord object:
* [0] = top (int)
* [1] = left (int)
* [2] = offset object
* {x,y}(int,int)
* b[3] = button ID (string)
* b[4] = button 'on' class
*/

var button_id = b[3],
same_content = isSameContent(panel,b[1]);

if ( $(org).attr('id') === button_id || $(org).parents('#'+button_id).attr('id')){

if(!same_content) {

hideAllContent(buttons);
movePanel(panel,b[2]);

if (panel_open) {

showContent(b[1],b[0],b[4]);

} else {

showContent(b[1],b[0],b[4]);
showPanel(panel,speed);

}

} else {

hidePanel(panel,speed,b[4]);

}

}

}

function isPanelOpen(panel) {


return ($(panel).css('display').toLowerCase() === 'block');
}

function isSameContent (panel,content) {

return ($(content, panel).css('display').toLowerCase() === 'block');

}

function movePanel(panel,b) {
// b[0] top, b[1] left, b[2] {x,y}

$(panel).css({
'top': (b[0] + b[2].x)
});
$(panel).css({
'left': (b[1] + b[2].y)
});

}

function showPanel(panel,speed) {

$(panel).slideDown(speed);
}

function hidePanel(panel,speed) {

$(panel).slideUp(speed, function() {hideAllContent(buttons);});


}

function showContent(content, button, btn_class) {
$(content).show();
$(button).addClass(btn_class);
}

function hideContent(content) {

$(content).hide();

}

function hideAllContent(buttons) {

for (var i = buttons.length-1, b; b=buttons[i]; i--) {
$(b[1]).hide();
$(b[0]).removeClass(b[4]);
}

}


})


}


return {

ieRoundedCorners:ieRoundedCorners,
ie8DropPanel:ie8DropPanel,
dropPanelSetUp:dropPanelSetUp
}



})();



var headerNavication = (function($,cw) {

var nav_item_list = $('.cw-header .main-nav ul.main > li'),
channel_id_list = '',
channel,
sub_channel;

var findChannel = function () {

var winloc = isIE ? document.URL.split('/') : document.documentURI.split('/') ,
channel_id = winloc[3],
sub_chanel_id = winloc.length > 5 ? '/'+winloc[4]+'/' : '',
reg_sub_find_id = new RegExp(sub_chanel_id,'ig'),
reg_removed_id = /^nav-/i;


for (var i=nav_item_list.length-1,n; n=nav_item_list[i]; i--) {

if ( channel_id === $(n).children('a').attr('id').replace(reg_removed_id,'') ) {
var list = $(n).children('ul').children('li');

if (sub_chanel_id.length > 0) {

for (var j=list.length-1,l; l=list[j]; j--) {

if (reg_sub_find_id.test($(l).children('a').attr('href'))) {
break;
} else {
l = false;
}

}

}

break;

}

}

findChannel = function () {
return [n,l];
}

return [n,l];

}

var init = (function() {
channel = findChannel()[0] || nav_item_list[0];
sub_channel = findChannel()[1];

if (sub_channel) {
highlightSubChannel();
}

clearNav();

if(isIE) {

cw.ieRoundedCorners();

if(isIE8) {
cw.ie8DropPanel();
}
}

if ($('#handle-header').attr('id')) {
cw.dropPanelSetUp({
masterlistener: 'handle-header',
panel: ('drop-panel-container'),
eventgroup1: {
button: 'btn-newspapers',
content: 'panel-newspapers',
offset: {
x: 5,
y: 0
},
on_state_class: 'newspapers-dropdown-on'
},
eventgroup2: {
button: 'btn-networks',
content: 'panel-networks',
offset: {
x: 5,
y: 0
},
on_state_class: 'networks-dropdown-on'
}
});
}

//need to check state of search radio buttons since firefox doesn't reset to the default checked radio button
if($('.cw-header #radio-btn-yp:checked').attr('id') != null){
$('.cw-header #header-search-form').attr('action','http://canadacom.yellowpages.ca/search/');
$('.cw-header #header-search-string').attr('name','what');
$('.cw-header #radio-btn-yp').siblings('label').removeClass('selected');
$('.cw-header #radio-btn-yp').next().addClass('selected');
}

eventSetUp();

}())


function highlightSubChannel() {

if((document.location+"").indexOf("/sports/football/cfl/") > -1) $(".mainnav-item .cfl").addClass('sub-nav-highlight');
else if((document.location+"").indexOf("/sports/football/grey-cup-2011/") > -1) $(".mainnav-item .cfl").addClass('sub-nav-highlight');
else if((document.location+"").indexOf("/sports/football/nfl/") > -1) $(".mainnav-item .nfl").addClass('sub-nav-highlight');
else $(sub_channel).addClass('sub-nav-highlight');
}

function clearNav() {

clearTabs();
$(channel).children('ul').show();
$(channel).css('background-position', 'bottom right');

}

function eventSetUp() {


$('.cw-header .main-nav ').bind('mouseleave', function(event){

if (isIE) {

if ($(event.relatedTarget).parents('.main-nav').length 0)?"" + value.substring(0,pos) + "" + value.substring(pos, term.length) + "" + value.substring(pos + term.length) + "":value.substring(0, term.length) + "" + value.substring(pos + term.length) + ""; }, scroll: false, selectFirst: false }); });

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F75/~3/FXKi3LHALB0/story.html

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Health Tip: Wear Your Seat Belt During Pregnancy (HealthDay)

(HealthDay News) -- Wearing a seat belt is particularly important during pregnancy, when you're protecting for two.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for moms-to-be while traveling in the car:

• Wear your seat belt properly, with the lap belt beneath your belly and the shoulder strap positioned between the breasts and to the side of the belly.
• Move your seat back as far as possible if you have airbags. Tilt the seat to give your belly more space.
• If you aren't driving, sit in the back seat.
• Always see your doctor immediately after a car accident, even if you don't feel like you are hurt.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111229/hl_hsn/healthtipwearyourseatbeltduringpregnancy

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Can Web-savvy activist moms change Japan? (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's nuclear crisis has turned Mizuho Nakayama into one of a small but growing number of Internet-savvy activist moms.

Worried about her 2-year-old son and distrustful of government and TV reports that seemed to play down radiation risks, she scoured the Web for information and started connecting with other mothers through Twitter and Facebook, many using social media for the first time.

The 41-year-old mother joined a parents group ? one of dozens that have sprung up since the crisis ? that petitioned local officials in June to test lunches at schools and day care centers for radiation and avoid using products from around the troubled nuclear plant.

"It's the first time for anyone in our group to be involved in this type of activism," said Nakayama, who now carries a Geiger counter with her wherever she goes.

Public dismay with the government's response to this year's triple disaster ? earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown ? is driving some Japanese to become more politically engaged, helped by social and alternative media. While still fledgling, it's the kind of grass-roots activism that some say Japan needs to shake up a political system that has allowed the country's problems to fester for years.

Nakayama's group has had mixed success: Officials in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward immediately started posting radiation levels in milk, but they say they won't start testing lunch foods until April. Still, Nakayama feels she and others in what she calls the "silent majority" are making a difference.

"Women in their 30s and 40s are busy raising children, and many also work," she said. "We're normally too busy to really raise our voices. But this time we felt compelled to speak up."

Many Japanese have been content to let politicians and bureaucrats run the country as they see fit. Quite a few of the mothers in the newly formed parents groups didn't even vote regularly.

But the handling of the nuclear crisis ? perceived as slow, confused and less than forthright, a perception reinforced by a critical government report this week ? has deepened distrust of both government and mainstream media. That has given rise to a sense that the government isn't as reliable as once thought, and that people need to take action themselves to get things done.

"People used to think of the government as something like a father figure," said Tatsuya Yoshioka, founder and director of Peace Boat, a volunteer group involved in recovery efforts in the tsunami-hit northeast. "But people are graduating from that. We are moving toward a more active kind of democracy in which people realize they are the primary actors, not the government."

Japan still has a long way to go. The activism is small-scale, and powerful forces ? a culture that frowns on nonconformists, an affluent society ? stand in the way of lasting change.

In the weeks following the March 11 tsunami, frustration over the sketchy information coming from the government about the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant drove many Japanese to Twitter and alternative media webcasts.

OurPlanet-TV, for example, relayed footage two days after the disaster from a freelance reporter near the Fukushima plant who reported the radiation level was quite high, said director Hajime Shiraishi. Within weeks, the number of viewers jumped to more than 100,000 per day from 1,000 to 3,000 before the tsunami, she said. It has since fallen back to the 20,000-30,000 range.

University student Gohei Kogure said he generally trusted TV news before the disaster, but accessing Twitter and webcasts gave him a different perspective that's made him more informed and critical.

Before the crisis there was "too much reliance on the government," he said. "These days, you need to take more responsibility for yourself."

A nationwide network of more than 200 parents groups has popped up to urge authorities to protect children from radiation, said Emiko Itoh, a 48-year-old Tokyo mother who is helping spearhead the movement.

Most are pressing local officials to test radiation levels in school lunches and provide more detailed checks of school grounds, but Itoh and others have also lobbied senior government officials. Mothers make up the bulk of the membership, but fathers are getting involved, too.

"We're still small, but some of the mothers involved didn't even go to vote. It's these mothers who are submitting petitions and making calls and gathering signatures," Itoh said. "I believe this will be a factor in changing the direction of our country."

She said the Internet has been invaluable in connecting parents, partly because Japan has few forums for citizens to exchange ideas. The crisis has changed perceptions of the Internet among mothers, many who previously considered it a dubious source of information.

Separately, individuals and loosely formed community groups are going around their neighborhoods checking radiation levels or sending soil samples to laboratories for testing.

The Radiation Defense Project, which grew out of a blog and then a Facebook page, says its testing has revealed several "hot spots" in Tokyo with trace amounts of radioactive cesium that it believes came from Fukushima, said group founder Kouta Kinoshita, a former TV journalist.

Another group is collecting signatures for a petition to hold a referendum in Osaka and Tokyo on whether Japan should use nuclear power. The vote would not be legally binding but could send a message to policymakers.

The government's management of the nuclear crisis did little to instill confidence that it will be able to tackle looming problems, including a rapidly aging population and a public debt that is twice the nation's GDP ? both of which will burden the younger generation.

Still, the growing dissatisfaction may not be enough to bring about fundamental change.

Japan's affluence is an obstacle. Most people live comfortably and are reluctant to make too big a fuss, even if they're unhappy with the political leadership. Culturally, it's considered better to adjust to one's surroundings than to try to change them, said Ken Matsuda, a sociologist at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka.

"Most people aren't hungry or angry," he said. "People need a clear enemy, and there's no clear enemy in Japan. Public anger needs to hit a critical mass. It's not anywhere near that."

Historically, Japan has undergone major change only when it was thrust upon the country from outside ? after its defeat in World War II, and after the arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's warships in 1853 essentially forced the country to open up to the rest of the world.

Grass-roots activism has had only limited success. It took nearly 50 years to win compensation for most victims of a chemical plant in Minamata that dumped mercury into the water, causing a rare neurological disorder.

Some Japanese wonder if the stoicism and perseverance that were widely praised in the aftermath of the tsunami could also be a liability. Perhaps we need to be more impatient for change, some say.

"The disasters didn't stimulate a real sense of urgency," said Ichiro Asahina, who quit his job as a bureaucrat in the economic ministry last year after 14 years to establish a think tank and leadership institute in Tokyo.

He faults a risk-averse political culture, a reluctance to take personal responsibility and a diffuse leadership system that spreads out responsibility among too many people or departments.

"To stimulate change," he said, "we may need to confront even more severe crises."

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

___

Online: http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111229/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_new_activism

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Eurozone faces tough hurdles early in 2012

Two men check a monitor displaying stock exchange index in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec.28, 2011. Italy saw investors more willing to part with their cash Wednesday as it raised euro10.7 billion ($14 billion) in a pair of auctions, a sign that market jitters may be easing as the country presses ahead with its austerity measures.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Two men check a monitor displaying stock exchange index in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Dec.28, 2011. Italy saw investors more willing to part with their cash Wednesday as it raised euro10.7 billion ($14 billion) in a pair of auctions, a sign that market jitters may be easing as the country presses ahead with its austerity measures.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? After a turbulent 2011, the 17 countries that use the euro will be quickly confronted in the new year with major hurdles to solving their government debt crisis, just as the eurozone economy is expected to sink back into recession.

With government finances under pressure as growth wanes, the eurozone will find it even more difficult to shore up shaky banks and reduce the high borrowing costs that threaten Italy and Spain with financial ruin.

As early as the second full week of January, bond auctions in which Italy and Spain need to borrow big chunks of cash will start showing whether the eurozone is finally getting a grip on the 2-year-old crisis that has seen Greece, Ireland and Portugal bailed out.

If the auctions go well and borrowing costs ease, the crisis will ease, lending support for the EU strategy of getting governments to embark on often-savage austerity measures to reduce deficits, along with massive support for the banking system from the European Central Bank.

High rates, on the other hand, would feed fears of a government debt default that could cripple banks, sink the economy and, in the extreme case, destroy the 17-member currency union.

Key events early in the New Year:

? Italy and Spain will seek to borrow heavily in the first quarter at affordable interest costs, starting the second week in January.

? The slowing eurozone economy may slip into or already be in recession, lowering tax revenue and increasing government budget deficits.

? Bailed-out Greece must agree with creditors on a debt writedown that will cut the value of their holdings by 50 percent in an effort to start putting the bankrupt country back on its feet.

The task is for the major players ? eurozone governments, the European Union's executive Commission and the European Central Bank ? to convince financial markets that troubled governments can pay their heavy debts and therefore deserve to borrow at affordable interest costs.

Default fears have driven up bond market interest rates and made it more and more expensive for indebted governments to borrow to pay off maturing bonds. That vicious cycle forced Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek bailout loans from the other eurozone governments and the International Monetary Fund.

A key stress point will be whether Italy can continue to raise money in the markets at affordable rates.

In the first quarter, it has to step up its borrowing to pay off euro72 billion ($94 billion) in bond redemptions and interest payments. Spain, which is expected to sell up to euro25 billion ($33 billion) in new debt, starts a heavy period of auctions on Jan. 12, and Italy begins on Jan. 13.

Overall, Italy has more than euro300 billion ($392 billion) in debt maturing in 2012.

"If Italy manages to auction this debt successfully, then the debt crisis will take a step back from the cliff edge," said analyst Jane Foley at Rabobank. "If it doesn't, it could go over the cliff edge. At the end of the day, whatever the nuances and hours of discussion that have gone on about the sovereign debt crisis, it boils down to whether a sovereign can sell its debt in the open market."

If Italy fails to borrow at affordable rates, the options are few and unattractive. The eurozone's euro500 billion ($653 billion) in bailout funds ? already partly committed to earlier bailouts ? would struggle to cover Italy's financing needs, even if additional help can be found from the IMF. A bigger solution ? commonly guaranteed eurobonds ? faces German resistance and would take time to implement.

The European Central Bank could use its power to buy large amounts of Italian and Spanish bonds with newly created money ? but has so far refused, out of concern that a central bank bailout would remove the incentive for governments to control their spending.

Instead, the bank has focused on pushing credit to banks so they can keep lending to support the economy.

Still, its limited bond purchases have provided essential support to Spain and Italy by helping hold down borrowing costs. And its latest massive infusion of euro489 billion ($639 billion) in cheap, long term loans may help troubled governments borrow, as stronger banks may use some of the money to buy higher-yielding government bonds.

Italy pays an average of about 4.2 percent on its existing stock of euro1.9 trillion in debt, but the crisis has pushed bond yields on the country's benchmark ten-year bonds to over 7 percent.

Italy's new government, led by economist Mario Monti, can probably pay rates that high for a while, analysts think. Italy paid much higher interest rates in the 1990s for several years; rates peaked at 14 percent in 1992 but fell gradually to around 4 percent by 1998 as the country shaped up its finances to join the euro at the beginning of 1999.

Italy and Spain's battle will be even harder if the debt troubles pull the whole eurozone into a recession. Economists at Ernst & Young foresee a mild recession in the first part of the year and only 0.1 percent growth for the year as a whole, with unemployment at 10 percent for several years.

That will make it harder for governments to persuade voters to accept more cutbacks in spending, pensions and government wages while raising taxes.

It's not clear how long voters in Greece, which will have its fourth straight year of recession next year, will tolerate continuous austerity. Yet the cutbacks are the price of getting the bailout loans that have kept Greece from default.

Meanwhile Greece is striving to get creditors to agree to write down some debt and avoid larger losses in case of a default that is not agreed ahead of time. A euro14.4 billion ($18.8 billion) chunk of debt comes due in March.

Guntram Wolff, deputy director of the Bruegel think tank in Brussels, said that governments may get past the early hurdles ? only to confront a souring mood among voters in the second half of the year over continuing cutbacks and sacrifices. New governments in Spain and Italy, currently enjoying political honeymoons, will be pressed to show progress. Greece, with a transitional government and elections expected in April, has seen repeated protests and strikes.

"There will be a point in the summer when people have seen a lot of action from government and no improvement in their living conditions and they will ask, do we have this euro to live with austerity and high unemployment," he said.

Wolff thinks that the determination of political elites to keep the euro together will win out: "I think it's going to survive."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-29-EU-Europe-Financial-Crisis-Road-Ahead/id-e79a76e4a5db44e9844681f3a2b8fe65

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Lori Fradkin: Why I Didn't Get My Sister a Gift -- Yet (Huffington post)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/179296311?client_source=feed&format=rss

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'Hunger Games' Suspense Kicked Into High Gear In 2011

The film might not hit theaters until next year, but casting announcements and exclusive interviews got fans worked up for March release.
By Kara Warner

Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games"
Photo: Murray Close

For the millions of fans who have been eagerly awaiting a film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-seller "The Hunger Games," 2011 gave them even more to be eager about as details trickled out about the movie, which is due in March.

We at MTV News have been as caught up in the frenzy as everyone else. And along the way, we've been able to speak with the major players involved in the "Games," gleaning the juiciest details from the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson.

Back in January, before casting was solidified, Hemsworth told MTV News he'd read the script and that he could actually see himself in the role of Peeta. After Hemsworth won the role of Gale instead, we chatted up his older brother and fellow actor Chris Hemsworth, who revealed that he helped Liam prep for his big audition by reading the role of Katniss. "I did. Swear to God," he said. "I read that. Put my girly American accent on."

In May, we had our first "Hunger Games"-centric chat with Jennifer Lawrence. She discussed fans' initial protests over her blond hair, which quieted after she dyed it, along with the intense hours of archery training she went through to become as convincingly handy with a bow and arrow as Katniss is.

"It's lots of training, but the training is actually really fun," she said. "I've done archery for about six weeks, rock climbing, tree climbing and combat and running and vaulting," she said. "Also yoga and things like that to stay cat-like."

We also caught up with some of the film's supporting actors. Lenny Kravitz, who is ready to further prove his acting chops in the role of sympathetic District 12 stylist Cinna, said he's doing his homework by immersing himself in all Collins' books. Elizabeth Banks was a bit more cagey in revealing any details about her transformation into pink-haired, type-A Effie Trinket, but she did admit that she and co-star Woody Harrelson have chemistry.

Harrelson, who plays alcoholic Hunger Games survivor Haymitch Abernathy, praised Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss and revealed that his character's hairstyle was inspired by his own brother. "I was like, 'OK, let's get a wig. Let's do the Brett Harrelson hair,' " he said of the long and slightly shaggy style. "It's kind of cool. I really liked the look. It's a fun character, and I think it's going to be a good movie."

Fellow supporting player Stanley Tucci, a.k.a. the blue-haired Caesar Flickerman, echoed Harrelson's sentiments about Lawrence's performance. "She was amazing," he said. "They were all amazing. She's just so good and so mature at such a young age. It was really fun. Really fun. And [director] Gary Ross, he's great."

We didn't have to take Tucci's word for it, as we also sat down with Ross for an exclusive interview surrounding our debut of the "Games" teaser trailer back in August. The "Seabiscuit" and "Pleasantville" helmer took us through his detailed plans for the film and the challenges of filming.

And we finally stole a few moments with Peeta Mellark himself, Josh Hutcherson. who took us through his grueling audition process and the anxious wait for the news of his casting, why he was "so right" for Peeta and his excitement for the fans to see the finished product.

"It's exciting to hear people are that interested in something you're doing, so it's a little nerve-racking, but I'm onboard," he said. "The fans for 'The Hunger Games,' they're die-hard. They're the best fans in the world, so I'm really excited for them to see the movie."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Related Videos

• 'The Hunger Games': 2011 In Review

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676524/hunger-games-2011-review.jhtml

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Israel to fan flames with Turkey as it discusses recognising Armenian genocide

The education committee began discussing a proposal to mark April 24, the day when Turkish mass killings of Armenians started in 1915, as a memorial day for "the massacre of the Armenian people."

A similar proposal was rejected by parliament in 2007, when ties between Israel and Turkey were warm.

But relations plunged into deep crisis last year when Israeli forces killed nine Turks in a raid on a Turkish ferry, part of an activist flotilla seeking to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

But the Turkish government strongly denies this, saying 300,000 Armenians and as many Turks were killed in civil conflict when the Christian Armenians, backed by Russia, rose up against the Ottoman Empire.

France's lower house voted last week to criminalise the denial of genocide in Armenia, prompting Turkey to suspend political and military co-operation.

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/564430/s/1b473ae6/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Cnews0Cworldnews0Cmiddleeast0Cisrael0C89780A670CIsrael0Eto0Efan0Eflames0Ewith0ETurkey0Eas0Eit0Ediscusses0Erecognising0EArmenian0Egenocide0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Navy drone to launch from sub's trash chute

A backpack-size kamikaze drone ordered into combat by the U.S. Army could also soon become an aerial scout for U.S. Navy submarines hidden beneath the waves. Launching a flying robot from underwater utilizes a sneaky tactic ? using a tube that normally ejects trash from a submarine.

The Navy wants the "Switchblade" drone designed by AeroVironment to become a flying scout capable of spotting enemy ships over the horizon, even as the "mother" submarine remains hidden underwater. Its upcoming submarine launch test would coincide with the world's biggest naval war games in 2012, according to a new contract awarded to U.S. defense firm Raytheon.

Previous tests by Raytheon in 2008 showed how submerged launch vehicles can float to the surface and launch flying drones such as the Switchblade. But those demonstrations only involved surface ships and dummy drones.

The planned submarine launch would use the trash-disposal unit ? the tube that typically ejects the trash of submarine crews ? rather than one of several torpedo tubes designed to fire at enemy ships or submarines. Such a launch would take place with the submarine running just beneath the waves at periscope depth.

The Switchblade drone was originally designed to launch from a tube set up on the ground by a U.S. Army soldier, fly around until the soldier identified an enemy, and then dive at the target with explosive results. It's unclear whether or not the Navy wants the Switchblade to keep its kamikaze capability, but the scouting role seems far more useful for a submarine that already packs plenty of explosive torpedoes and missiles.

Any intended mission may become clearer during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise scheduled for 2012. That annual naval war game held by the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific involves plenty of opportunity for practice alongside ships ranging from carriers to destroyers and frigates.

If successful, Switchblade would join the U.S. military's fast-growing arsenal of robots at sea. The Navy has already begun testing a stealthy X-47B drone that could someday launch in squadrons from the heaving decks of carriers, as well as a Fire-X helicopter drone aimed at special operations such as catching smugglers or pirates.

You can follow InnovationNewsDaily Senior Writer Jeremy Hsu on Twitter @ ScienceHsu. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @ News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

? 2011 InnovationNewsDaily.com. All rights reserved. More from InnovationNewsDaily.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45797704/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

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New Solar Energy Monitoring Application for Android-Powered Smart Phones

?

The options offered by smart phone technology and apps are virtually limitless. We?ve featured a number of green apps here on CleanTechnica, but I can?t remember hearing or reading about one for monitoring solar panel performance.. until now.?SunPower has just unveiled one for its customers.

Last week,?SunPower, a world-leading producer of solar cell, solar panels, and solar systems (& California?s most popular solar panel last I checked), announced ?a new solar energy monitoring application for Android?-powered smartphones to its SunPower Monitoring System portfolio.?

Basically, customers can track both their home energy use and environmental savings and the performance of their solar power system with the app. They can look at such data in real-time or historically. They can also share that info with friends and family.

The app is free and can be downloaded from Android Market. Check it out if you have a SunPower system and drop us any comments you have about it!

I imagine there are other apps like this out there (but maybe not) ? drop a note in the comments if you know of and recommend any.

Source: http://feeds.importantmedia.org/~r/IM-cleantechnica/~3/prJT8CMuyoo/

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Money Back (TIME)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/178619026?client_source=feed&format=rss

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At least 38 dead in Haitian shipwreck off Cuba

HAVANA?? At least 38 people died on Saturday when a boat carrying Haitian migrants sunk off the coast of Guantanamo province in far eastern Cuban, Cuban television reported.

It said 87 people, including seven women, were rescued after Cuban civil defense forces spotted the boat 100 meters off Punta Maisi, which is about 600 miles southeast of Havana.

There were no details on possible cause of the accident or the destination of the boat, but search and rescue efforts were still underway, the report said.

The dead included 21 men and 17 women, it said.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45786095/ns/world_news-americas/

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Debt reducing strategies for the holidays

The gemstone earrings are beautiful. And who wouldn?t want the latest tablet PC? It?s always great to give gifts. But paying for them come January? Well, that can be another ? and very stressful ? matter entirely. Canadians are racking up more credit debt than ever before so it?s easy to understand that you can get in over your head, especially at this time of year, and derail your long-term financial well-being. Instead, why not give yourself the gift that keeps on giving ? financial stability ? by using these strategies to control debt and make better use of your money.

Wrap up your cards ? A high credit card limit or line of credit can lure you into buying more than you can afford. If you spend more than you can pay off each month, you?ll pay interest on the balance, often at very high rates of 20 per cent or more. So those earrings or that tablet PC will end up costing you a lot more and you?ll likely be paying for them for a long time.

Keep your credit cards in your pocket unless you intend to pay off the balance each month. If that?s the case, try to use a credit card that offers reward points.

Get into the spirit of the season ? but not too much. Those earrings are super expensive but you really want to buy them. Resist! Don?t feel compelled to buy expensive gifts. Remember, it really is the thought that counts.

A better alternative: Each month, put a small amount into a savings account dedicated to Christmas presents and buy those earrings for cash next year.

And speaking of cash, purchase gifts out of your cash flow. If your cash flow is tight, look for cost-effective ways of restructuring your debt to free up more dollars on a regular basis.

And speaking of more dollars, think beyond the season, look to your future ? and establish a realistic strategy for saving toward your important life goals. Here?s a start:

Reduce ?bad debt? (such as credit cards) and consider debt consolidation and/or a monthly debt reduction plan.

Launch an emergency reserve perhaps in a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA).

Protect your income and family with life, critical illness, and disability insurance.

Fund your children?s education with Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs).

Add funds to your retirement by investing in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Pay off some of your debt or add to your savings with the tax refunds that result.

Debt control and financial health are worthy goals. Your professional advisor can give you the gift of good advice to help you reach them ? in every season.

J. Kevin Dobbelsteyn is a certified financial planner with Investors Group Financial Services Inc.. His column appears every Wednesday.

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Source: http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/lifestyles/135949078.html

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Kim Jong Il's Most Dangerous Legacy: A Thriving Nuclear-Export Business (Time.com)

Kim Jong Il's death leaves the Korean peninsula and the rest of East Asia in a period of great uncertainty. But one of Kim Jong Il's most dangerous legacies has security implications well beyond the region: he leaves behind a thriving nuclear weapons export business that must now be stopped.

There has been mounting evidence in recent years that North Korea has set up an illicit nuclear export business to Syria, Iran and potentially elsewhere. Syria's Al-Kibar nuclear reactor, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes in 2007, closely resembled a North Korean facility used to produce plutonium for bombs, and one western diplomat told me that several senior North Korean technicians were killed in the raid. (See photos of Syria's nuclear reactor destroyed in 2007.)

North Korea and Iran's sharing of technology for missiles that could be used to deliver nuclear warheads is so extensive that some analysts say it is only appropriate to view it as operationally a joint missile program. No one knows if North Korea is also helping Iran with nuclear weapons design, and it's possible it has other, yet-to-be-detected clients as well.

North Korea shares little similarity or ideology with Syria or Iran; its dealings are largely profit-driven. For its clients, DPRK provides a black market to purchase sensitive nuclear technology without detection by the international community. The nightmare scenario is that Pyongyang would even sell fissile material -- the key ingredient for nuclear bombs -- to terrorists if the price is right.

Most nonproliferation experts find this scenario unlikely as it would be quickest route imaginable to have your country bombed and possible invaded. However, the Syrian and Iranian cases show that DPRK has been happy to sell the technology needed to produce fissile material, and the missiles needed to deliver it.

What's not clear is how much this network relied on support or at least authorization from Kim Jong Il. But reports from North Korean defectors once involved in the tripartite proliferation network suggest it is highly sophisticated and involves many different layers of officialdom. It may work something like this: North Korean state trading companies working directly for the DPRK regime set up branch offices in mainland China. These companies contract private Chinese firms to send purchase orders to the local subsidiaries of European industrial machinery companies, who have set up shop in China specifically to cash in on China's growing domestic market. (See photos of the busy life of Kim Jong Il.)

These domestic orders, of course, are not subject to export controls, so without knowing it, western subsidiaries sell dual-use technology -- industrial tool and dye equipment, for example -- directly to private Chinese firms, who then use their established routes to transport the goods to North Korea. In terms of sales, North Korea state trading companies are also contracting private Chinese firms to move sensitive goods through Southeast Asia (including Myanmar) and on to clients in the Middle East.

The success of this network is an unintended consequence of China's North Korea strategy, which has placed a high emphasis on a stable regime succession to Kim Jong Il's son, Kim Jong Un. The strategy is understandable: regime collapse in North Korea would send a flood of refugees across the border into some of the poorest provinces in China. Beijing may also believe that economic reform and party-to-party institution building can help reform North Korea and bring it in from the cold. Maybe so, but in the meantime this policy has created more opportunities for North Korea to increase its illicit activity through the mainland.

Unfortunately, enlisting China's help in cracking down on the use of private Chinese firms by North Korean entities -- even now that Kim Jong Il is dead -- is a lost cause for the U.S and its allies. China's port security and trade monitoring resources are woefully unmatched by the volume of trade in China today. Even more importantly, corruption at local levels is still a major problem.

The Proliferation Security Initiative, launched in 2003 as a voluntary organization of nations cooperating to prevent the shipment of proliferation-sensitive technologies, has proven to be an increasingly effective tool for combating North Korean smuggling. It has led to the interdiction of several North Korean shipments of missile and WMD components, most recently the turning around by the U.S. Navy of a Belize-flagged North Korean Vessel in June suspected of transporting missile technology on its way to Myanmar (and then on possibly to the Middle East). In the short term, the PSI should be continued. What's more, we should encourage PSI states -- and China -- to offer monetary rewards that lead to the interdiction of North Korean consignments. Mercenary traders, after all, can often be bought when they cannot be stopped. (Read "China's Stake in a Stable North Korea.")

North Korea is a backward, broken country with a dysfunctional economy. But its leaders are expert survivors and remarkably apt at getting what they need; we should not assume that this will change with Kim Jong Il's pasing. With two nuclear weapons tests already complete, North Korea has clearly learned how to construct a black market, full-service nuclear weapons program. There is growing evidence that they will now help any country that can pay to do the same.

The death of Kim Jong Il should focus the West's attention on stopping the spread of North Korean technology. Cutting off the supply would buy us time to fight the other half of the battle. In countries and regions where the demand for nuclear weapons remains strong, we must do more to address the underlying issues that cause countries to seek nuclear weapons in the first place.

Harrell is a research associate at the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a Boston-based reporter for TIME.

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/time/20111223/wl_time/httpbattlelandblogstimecom20111220pyongyangsproliferationxidrssfullworldyahoo

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UDR Announces $154 Million Joint Venture Acquisition in Washington, D.C.

Published: December 21, 2011

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DENVER - (BUSINESS WIRE) - UDR, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: UDR), a leading multifamily real estate investment trust, announced today that its joint venture with Kuwait Finance House ("KFH" ) has acquired 1301 Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C. for $154 million. The 292-home luxury apartment community is located in the Logan Circle neighborhood near the 14^th Street Corridor and less than a mile from the White House.

1301 Thomas Circle, a ten-story building constructed in 2006, is located just minutes from the Mt. Vernon Square and McPherson Metro Stations. Additionally, it is just a short walk from two of the Company's other operating communities, Andover House and View 14, as well as its development project, 2400 14^th Street. Following the close of this transaction, the Company will own, or have an ownership interest in, 21 communities consisting of 5,934 apartment homes in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. market.

Community amenities include a rooftop pool and outdoor kitchen, fitness center, clubhouse, private courtyard, business center, 24-hour concierge and a 256-space parking garage. Condominium-quality finishes include high-end appliances, granite countertops, maple cabinetry, large bay windows, nine-foot ceilings and stacked full-size washer/dryers. The community's studio, one- and two- bedroom apartment homes average 852 square feet, are 94% occupied and have an average income per occupied home of $2,740 per month.

The acquisition is being funded through a five-year, 2.99%, $90 million interest-only loan from Fannie Mae, a 70% equity contribution by KFH of $44.8 million and a 30% equity contribution by the Company of $19.2 million. The Company has the opportunity for enhanced returns on the acquisition through fees and promotes earned through the joint venture with KFH.

Since its formation in 2009, the joint venture has invested $281 million in metropolitan Washington, D.C. through the acquisition of three operating communities containing 660 homes. Following the acquisition of 1301 Thomas Circle, there will be approximately $169 million of remaining investment capacity under the terms of the joint venture agreement.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Words such as "expects," "intends," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "likely," "will," "seeks," "estimates" and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, involve estimates, projections, goals, forecasts and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in a forward-looking statement, due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, unfavorable changes in the apartment market, changing economic conditions, the impact of inflation/deflation on rental rates and property operating expenses, expectations concerning availability of capital and the stabilization of the capital markets, the impact of competition and competitive pricing, acquisitions, developments and redevelopments not achieving anticipated results, delays in completing developments, redevelopments and lease-ups on schedule, expectations on job growth, home affordability and demand/supply ratio for multifamily housing, expectations concerning development and redevelopment activities, expectations on occupancy levels, expectations concerning the Vitruvian Park^SM development, expectations concerning the joint venture with MetLife, expectations that automation will help grow net operating income, expectations on annualized net operating income and other risk factors discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements and such risks, uncertainties and other factors speak only as of the date of this press release, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except to the extent otherwise required under the U.S. securities laws.

This release and these forward-looking statements include UDR's analysis and conclusions and reflect UDR's judgment as of the date of these materials. UDR assumes no obligation to revise or update to reflect future events or circumstances.

About UDR, Inc.

UDR, Inc. (NYSE:UDR), an S&P 400 company, is a leading multifamily real estate investment trust with a demonstrated performance history of delivering superior and dependable returns by successfully managing, buying, selling, developing and redeveloping attractive real estate properties in targeted U.S. markets. As of September 30, 2011, UDR owned or had an ownership position in 62,037 apartment homes including 2,255 homes under development. For over 39 years, UDR has delivered long-term value to shareholders, the best standard of service to residents, and the highest quality experience for associates. Additional information can be found on the Company's website at www.udr.com.

UDR, Inc.
Chris Van Ens, 720-348-7762
cvanens@udr.com

Copyright ? 2011, Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5648263662&f=378

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Troops in Korea first to field new equipment

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea (Dec. 19, 2011) -- From the days of the American Revolution to the current conflict in Afghanistan, the protective equipment issued to U.S. Soldiers and employed on the battlefield has improved exponentially. Throughout this evolution there has been one mainstay -- ensuring maximum protection for Soldiers with the best technologies available.

The U.S. Army's most recent push to better equip and protect their Soldiers took place in October when aviators and crew members from the 2nd Combat Aviation "Talon" Brigade, became the first Army unit to field the new Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble equipment.

"The 2nd Infantry Division and specifically 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade were chosen to be the first to don the new equipment from a priority list at the Department of the Army-level that considers the magnitude of the chemical threat from the surrounding environment," said David Weems, the 2nd ID force modernization officer.

While chemical attacks remain a constant threat from terrorist attacks all around the globe, Col. James T. Barker, commander of 2nd CAB, said South Korea is an excellent location to field the equipment first due to the threat level.

"With one of the world's largest chemical weapons arsenals just across the border [in North Korea], the importance of having the best equipment available to protect our Soldiers and aviators cannot be understated," said Barker. "The addition of this new equipment increases the "Talon" Brigade's ability to respond to a chemical or biological attack and provides our Soldiers with the necessary tools to fight and survive under extremely demanding battlefield conditions."

The Divisions leaders agree with Barker and said the equipment will not only help 2nd CAB, but will improve the division as a whole.

"The equipment substantially improves 2nd ID's ability to 'fight tonight' because we are using equipment right now that is recommended for aviation crews," Weems said. "While the suit is not technically a deterrent, it still remains valuable for us as an enabler, providing the ability to fight in a contaminated environment four hours longer than the previous suits so that no matter what the enemy throws at us, we are ready to fight."

Not only does the suit improve the length of time that Soldiers can stay in the fight during a chemical attack, but includes several other improvements on its predecessor the Modified Protective Chemical Undergarment.

"The new Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble equipment protects aircrew members from chemical and biological attacks and improves on the old design by using a one piece suit and a new material makeup increasing the suit's versatility," said Gary Weathers, one of the combat developers for the suit.

"The design of this suit is different from the previous protective gear because it is one piece and has an inner leg and cuff, which interfaces with their current chemical boots and gloves," said Weathers. "The one piece improves upon the former design in that it allows pilots and aircrew to operate in limited space without worry of snagging the equipment and thereby rendering it useless. The other major improvement from the old equipment is these suits are flame resistant, which is almost a necessity for aircrew members."

For Barker, the equipment not only improves upon his brigade's existing equipment, but also reinforces the commitment that the Department of the Army and Eighth Army leadership have shown in keeping his Soldiers protected from harm's way.

"For the U.S. military to serve as an effective deterrent and maintain peace here on the Korean Peninsula, three criteria must be in place -- intelligent and effective leadership, hard working and vigilant Soldiers and top notch equipment from the initial deployment here during the Korean War," said Barker. "The Eighth Army has met all three and this new equipment only enhances our ability to continue to improve upon the third requirement."

As for being the first unit in the Army to field the equipment, Barker is ready to lead the way, but also knows that the change is necessary here in Korea.

"As a unit, we are honored to be the first to field the Joint Protective Aircrew Ensemble equipment," Barker said. "But if you think about the overwhelming chemical threat that we face here in Korea every day it makes sense that our Soldiers should lead the way in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear equipment."

Source: http://www.army.mil/article/71102/Troops_in_Korea_first_to_field_new_equipment/

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U.N. holds minute of silence for Kim Jong Il. Canada walks out

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Source: http://vladtepesblog.com/?p=41936

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David Attenborough to produce Galapagos islands documentary for Sky 3D, be really British

A living British treasure makes a 3D documentary that much better. On Thursday, the Sky television network announced that Sir David Attenborough will be embarking on his fourth 3D project with Sky, a three-part natural history series centering on the Galapagos islands. Galapagos 3D, which is set to air on Sky 3D in late 2012, will be written and presented by Attenborough and follows several successful collaborations between Sky and Atlantic Productions, including the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters 3D, The Bachelor King 3D (which airs on New Year's Eve) and Kingdom of Plants 3D, a series based at Kew Gardens (due to air on Sky 3D next year). The series will include both micro and macro filming on location as well 3D visual effects which discuss both the Galapagos islands and the forces that helped shape them. In other news, David Attenborough really likes hanging around thousands of sea birds, and if there's a windbreaker he can wear while doing it, then he's set.

Continue reading David Attenborough to produce Galapagos islands documentary for Sky 3D, be really British

David Attenborough to produce Galapagos islands documentary for Sky 3D, be really British originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/16/david-attenborough-to-produce-galapagos-islands-documentary-for/

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Little iPads, Little Pixels, And Resolution Independence (An Apple Rumor Medley)

Another crop of Apple rumors has grown up under our feet, and it seems a little reaping is in order. Two rumors are making the rounds, both of which warrant a little consideration but should, as usual, be taken lightly until more substantial evidence appears. Both have their origins in Digitimes, which prides itself on catching scraps of news from upstream suppliers but isn't always correct in its conclusions. Earlier this week a little bird told Digitimes that the upcoming redesign of the MacBook Pro won't simply be thinning down the body, but will upgrade the displays to a mind-blowing 2880x1800 resolution. And then just today there has been a recurrence of the 7.85" iPads we first heard about in October. The implications of the first rumor especially are quite serious, and while the second one seems unlikely, its resilience must be acknowledged. If these rumors are true, we've got a lot to talk about.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/YNUhSkzHRdk/

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Russia's Putin relies on "collective hostages" (Reuters)

MOSCOW (Reuters) ? To his admirers, he is the man who saved Russia from chaos and the clutches of Western imperialism, soothing its hurt pride and revitalizing its military might to restore it to greatness.

They see him as an "ideal man" who wins wars, puts the West in its place and ensures workers keep their jobs by preventing the closure of struggling factories - but also makes time to ride horses, dive for ancient treasure and ski down mountains.

Vladimir Putin, for some in Russia, is superman.

The former spy who has dominated Russia since 1999 sought to bolster his image in his annual televised phone-in on Thursday, portraying himself as the man to maintain stability and unite the country.

There may be fewer Russians who believe in the tough-guy image now but, outside the big cities where successful young professionals have been leading the biggest opposition protests of his 12-year rule, they are still there, and in large numbers.

"You can never love someone who was once your enemy. But I like him. I can say that. He's a good leader. He watches over us, and he's given us the resources to rebuild our city," said a 26-year-old who gave his name only as Omar in Grozny, capital of the Chechnya region where Putin ousted a separatist government in a devastating war.

On the other side of Russia, in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, 18-year-old Maxim, an activist in Putin's United Russia party, put it simply.

"I support Putin because he is a real man. He's strong."

Putin's challenge is to harness that kind of support and ensure it does not erode further before the March 4 presidential election, which he is still expected to win, although not as easily as seemed likely just a few weeks ago.

"Everything's changed. Not so long ago, he had a large majority. Now he needs to rediscover these people. But they won't come into the fold of their own accord," said Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst and former Kremlin adviser.

"He will want to start something new, he will try to show a new Putin to win back some of the love. It's a bit like showbusiness - to win back your fans you've got to get back on the stage."

POWER BASE OUTSIDE CITIES

The 59-year-old prime minister has long had a loyal following in small towns and villages and has a power base in state-owned businesses, among the bureaucrats who owe their careers to him, the businessmen whose fortunes depend on his goodwill and an older population afraid of again losing everything they own to change.

In a parliamentary election on December 4, which the opposition says was slanted to favor Putin's United Russia, much of the ruling party's support came from provincial towns and villages that hold between 62 to 63 percent of Russia's 142 million population. It was in major cities that support for the party, and Putin, has stumbled most.

"I don't think he expected it at all," said Boris Dubin, director of political and social studies at polling agency Levada.

He said Putin's team had calculated that an announcement on September 24 that he would swap jobs with President Dmitry Medvedev would lead to a surge in his popularity by signaling his return to the top job after four years as prime minister. This although he had in reality remained in charge under their power-sharing deal.

Instead, many voters in the cities were upset by what they saw as arrogance that their political future - which if Putin wins two more presidential terms would stretch until 2024 - had been decided without them.

"They didn't expect that people, mostly qualified professionals ... would hate the fact that, behind their backs, they made this deal to 'castle' well before its announcement; almost four years ago they agreed this," Dubin said, using chess terminology.

In the provinces, it was a different story.

"COLLECTIVE HOSTAGES"

Putin has long enjoyed success in the small provincial towns and villages by presenting himself in one of his favorite guises - as what has been referred to as the plumber tsar, the ruler who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.

Aware of this kind of image, Putin travelled before the election to Russia's southern bread basket region to help bring in the harvest. He and Medvedev even drove combine harvesters.

"Did you like it?" a grinning Medvedev asked Putin after getting down from his harvester.

"Yes, very much," Putin said, playing to the television cameras before boasting about the six tonnes of corn he had harvested in a field that had been left with just a small square

for Russia's leaders to cut.

With lives that have changed little since Soviet times, many Russians in the villages and small towns still have an unrivalled reverence for their leaders, a tradition from which tsars, Soviet commissars and now presidents have benefited.

They often have little real choice. Some local officials are not shy of warning voters that vital government funding could depend on how they vote.

"How we live in the republic over the next five or six years depends on how responsibly and correctly we vote in the elections," Mikhail Surkov, a district head in the Mordovia republic in central Russia, was quoted as telling pensioners.

"Our people are wise. They know whom to vote for. And anyway candidates for other parties are not active, knowing that it makes no sense to spend time here on the election campaign," he told the New Times magazine.

Many villagers have no access to the Internet, on which opposition protesters have been issuing invitations to protest, and they get most of their news from state television or local newspapers which are often run by the ruling party.

The state channels pump out a daily diet of Putin's and Medvedev's successes. Even footage of protests shown by state television last Saturday contained no direct criticism of Putin or calls for him to step aside.

"The fundamental organizations which everyone uses in the provinces have not changed in terms of their form or how they function. They are Soviet," Dubin said.

They are the state's "collective hostages," he said.

But if the main television channels step up their tentative coverage of the protests and unrest, more people outside the big cities might yet change their mind, he said.

"I don't think it's the case that they really love Putin and it's not the case that they completely trust him," Dubin said.

"He represents the state and for them, even if they don't like parts of the state, they know very well they have no other partners to turn to. The state is their best and only chance."

BUSINESS VASSALS

Putin has developed a political system where much of Russia's social and economic life is beholden to the state. In Russia that means, by extension, to him.

Even big business, which is supposedly free of state control, has to watch its step.

The fate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man but now imprisoned on fraud and other charges after falling foul of the Kremlin, serves as a reminder to all businessmen - including the super-rich oligarchs - who is the boss.

"Every big decision has to have Putin's approval. Before starting a big deal, they run it past Putin. Before signing, they check again with Putin," said a senior Western business executive with many years experience in Russia.

Business leaders have had 12 years under Putin, as president or prime minister, to learn the rules of his game. Some fear a change of ruler would upset the stable political system they favor.

Alexander Khodachek, director of the Higher School of Economics in St Petersburg, said some of Putin's strongest backers had made their fortunes over the last 10 years - including some from Russia's second city, where Putin cut his political teeth as an aide to the mayor.

What would happen to their fortunes if Putin were to go?

As Maxim Ustyugov, 37, an entrepreneur in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg put it: "Don't change your horses in midstream. We are in midstream and only just standing."

Big business would be unlikely to turn against Putin, at least not at this time, although some of Russia's richest and most powerful tycoons have moved or are moving their businesses to Britain, where they often educate their children and have more faith in the courts.

"Putin will be holding out a hand to try to hang on to some of the people who are not happy, especially those in the cities, in the middle class, in business and especially medium-sized business," Pavlovsky said.

ANTI-WESTERN SCRIPT

Another important part of Putin's script for reinforcing his power base could be to try to rekindle Soviet-era paranoia over the West, suggesting the United States stoked the protests.

He has already show he will do this, tapping into a feeling of 'us and them' that has marked Russian life for decades, one which helped create the Nashi (Ours) youth movement and several other offshoots that Putin relies on for support.

The government has spent large amounts on these groups, leading critics go so far as to say that youngsters are encouraged at regular meetings and long summer camps to all but worship Putin.

Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported that Nashi, which has in the past used threatening and sometimes violent measures against its 'enemies' or foreign diplomats and critical journalists, received 467 million roubles ($13.8 million) in the same period - a lot more than other youth organizations.

Maria Kozhevnikova, a 27-year-old former actress, model and one-time Russian Playboy cover girl who is a member of the Young Guard, United Russia's youth movement, said its group had an important role helping the needy.

She, like several other members of the Young Guard, has moved swiftly up the ranks and is about to take up a seat in parliament for United Russia. She echoes Putin in suggesting the opposition protests are being funded from outside Russia.

"A 'strong Russia' cannot be controlled," she said in an email response to Reuters. "Mass rallies have never solved the people's problems and answered their aspirations. The people were always just a weapon in the struggle for power."

Nashi and Young Guard supporters say Putin is needed to prevent Russia returning to the turmoil of the late 1980s as the Soviet Union collapsed and the 1990s when the transition to a free-market economy proved chaotic.

"I've seen Putin close up several times and I want to say that this man has very strong vibes," Kozhevnikova said.

"I've watched how people have changed when they got close to Putin, not because they are afraid, but because they feel a calm and strong confidence. Because of this, the West is afraid of him, and that is understandable."

NO ALTERNATIVE

Putin's greatest advantage is perhaps that, for now, there are few alternatives.

Russia's opposition - those who are permitted to run in elections - have produced few challengers. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov has failed to win the presidency three times, and nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky has lost on all of the four occasions he tried.

The candidacy of billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov is widely seen as a Kremlin ploy to offer a choice for middle class voters and not as a serious challenge. No leader of the opposition protests is registered for the election and there are doubts that any of them could unite the opposition.

"Putin has already been president so he knows what to do, what it is all about," said Dima, a young voter in Vladivostok.

"He is strong - a real Russian. And who else is there? Who is the Communist man ... Zyuganov? I don't want him. And who else? Zhirinovsky is a joker."

(Additional reporting by Thomas Grove in Grozny, Guy Faulconbridge in Vladivostok, Natalia Shurmina in Yekaterinburg and Timothy Heritage in Moscow)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111215/wl_nm/us_russia_putin_powerbase

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