Arsonists torch Jerusalem mosque (AP)

JERUSALEM ? Unknown arsonists torched an inactive Jerusalem mosque early Wednesday, provoking calls in Israel for a more effective crackdown on Jewish extremists suspected in a string of increasingly brazen acts of violence.

The Israeli government has vowed to root out and punish the assailants, who in recent months have expanded their actions from the West Bank into Israel proper. Their acts now include arson and vandalism against Israeli military bases as well as Muslim mosques, cemeteries, farmlands and cars, and occasional assaults on Palestinian civilians.

But the increasing frequency of the attacks, the sparse number of arrests and absence of indictments have also generated allegations that the Israeli government isn't acting forcefully enough against extremists after two years of violence.

An attack on a Muslim site in Jerusalem ? the contested holy city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ? raises the stakes further.

The mosque has not been used as a prayer site for some time, police said, and is outside the especially sensitive Old City district. But any attack on a Muslim place of worship is seen as an exceptional provocation.

The words "price tag" were spray-painted at the mosque ? a reference to Jewish extremists' practice of exacting retribution for government action against settlements. Anti-Muslim graffiti such as "Mohammed is dead" and "A good Arab is a dead Arab" was also scrawled at the scene.

Other acts of vandalism were reported in two Palestinian cities in the West Bank, where the military reported that cars were set afire and hate graffiti was scrawled.

Israeli politicians have taken tough stances against Jewish radicalism, particularly after protesters broke into an Israeli military base in the West Bank on Tuesday, damaging vehicles, setting fires and slightly injuring a senior commander.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "take care of these attackers with a firm hand" and Defense Minister Ehud Barak decried the "homegrown terror," while acknowledging that Israeli military intelligence doesn't gather intelligence about Jewish groups in the West Bank.

Netanyahu's office had no immediate comment on the mosque fire.

Lawmaker Shaul Mofaz, who sees himself as a rival to Netanyahu in the next elections, told Army Radio on Wednesday that the government was not doing enough to stop what he called "groups of Jewish guerrillas."

"These hooligans are terrorists for all intents and purposes," said Mofaz, a former defense minister and military chief, directing his anger at the attack on the military base.

"The Israeli government has to exact a price tag, and it has to be painful, expensive and unequivocal."

Settler leader Dani Dayan condemned the attacks but bristled at politicians' use of the word "terror" to describe the violence.

"It's a grave phenomenon that has to be battled, but I don't know if it's terror," he told Army Radio.

In an unrelated development in Jerusalem, a footbridge to a disputed holy site was reopened Wednesday, police reported, easing a political faceoff that threatened to erupt into unrest.

The walkway's closure earlier this week was to have been a prelude to its demolition. Jerusalem municipal authorities say it is a fire hazard and structurally unsound and must be replaced.

But any Israeli activity around the contested Old City compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount provokes friction with Jordan, the Palestinians and elsewhere in the Arab world. Rival claims to the compound have sparked deadly violence in the past.

The municipality said in a statement Tuesday that the government had called off the demolition plans and will be shoring up the bridge instead.

The hilltop complex is home to Islam's third-holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and was the site of two biblical Jewish temples.

The walkway is the only access point from the Old City's Jewish Quarter and is used by Jews and tourists, while Muslims use other entrances from the adjacent Muslim Quarter.

The bridge was built in 2004 as a temporary replacement for an adjacent earth ramp that collapsed in a snowstorm. Muslim leaders charge that any work in the area is designed to destroy their holy sites, and their opposition has blocked any plans to renovate or replace the structure on hold.

Israel denies any plan to destroy Muslim sites.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111214/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

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Analysis: Rising prices main clue to Iran sanctions impact (Reuters)

TEHRAN (Reuters) ? Tehran does not look like a city under siege.

Its shops and markets are full of goods and customers; signs that international sanctions are ravaging Iran's economy are hard to detect.

With global oil prices above $100 a barrel, the world's fifth biggest oil exporter is proving it can cope with trade and financial restrictions that the United States and Europe hope will force a halt to its controversial nuclear program, which is suspected of seeking to build an atomic bomb.

That helps to explain the Iranian government's continued defiance as the West considers fresh sanctions that would take direct aim at the country's oil income.

"Sanctions do not turn off the money spigot, even while they may force re-routing of money flows through new third-party actors -- foreign banks unaffiliated with the U.S., for instance," said Kevan Harris, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

PRICES

International sanctions imposed over the last five years have so far banned most U.S.-Iran trade, caused many shipping companies to cut back services to the country, and made it difficult for Iranian banks to do business with Western banks.

But in the vast majority of cases, that does not appear to have stopped Iranian factories from operating or everyday products from reaching shelves in shops. Imports can be obtained from new suppliers and ships run to different foreign ports, many of them in Asia, analysts say.

The sanctions are mainly being felt in the form of inflation, which is hitting some companies' bottom lines as well as consumers' wallets.

In a well stocked greengrocer's in central Tehran, the shopkeeper and an elderly customer exchange the obligatory courtesies known in Iran as "t'aarof."

"There's no charge" for her purchases, the shopkeeper tells her with customary politeness.

After she insists on paying and he reveals that the small bag of fruit costs more than $10, she drops the social niceties and exclaims: "How much? Are you sure?"

The official inflation rate stands at just under 20 percent -- up from a 25-year low of 8.8 percent in August 2010. According to an International Monetary Fund report based on government data, Iran can expect consumer price inflation of 22.5 percent for the fiscal year ending in March 2012.

Many Iranians believe the statistics grossly underestimate the true cost of living, which is eroding their spending power in a country where the average monthly household income in urban areas is just 10 million rials (around $750) and unemployment is estimated at 14.6 percent.

Most of the rise in inflation can be put down to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's decision to abolish billions of dollars of government subsidies that until one year ago had held down the prices of gasoline, food and utility bills.

But sanctions -- particularly those passed by the EU in July 2010 which made it difficult to transfer cash in and out of Iran -- have also pushed up prices, analysts say.

Because of the EU sanctions, Western banks no longer offer Iranian importers letters of credit, the common way of paying for products in international trade.

That forces importers to pay for their goods with other means, including through banks that have branches in countries in the Middle East and Asia where the sanctions do not apply, or through money exchange bureaus.

COSTLY DOLLARS

Not only does that deprive importers of good terms of credit, it obliges them to pay the free market exchange rate for foreign currency, making dollars or euros much more expensive than the official Iranian central bank rates indicate.

Dollars bought in the open market cost almost 20 percent more than the official rate posted by the central bank, which is struggling to maintain the value of the Iranian rial in the face of speculative buying of hard currency inside Iran.

Imported goods from Europe have become more expensive in Iran not because the products themselves are banned, but because of the added costs due to channeling payment for them through third parties.

A businessman who runs a paint factory near Tehran said sanctions had forced him to look elsewhere for a chemical additive that he once imported from Germany, but had now become too expensive to buy from German suppliers.

"It isn't a static situation, it's changing day-by-day," he said, adding that while all products would continue to find their way to the Iranian market, costs would continue to rise.

Some businesses are obtaining favorable letters of credit from banks in South Korea and China as exporters there seek to make up for waning demand in the economically weakened West.

"At the end of the days it's the people who are losing their buying power...They will feel it in six months, eventually they will pay the price, there's no doubt," the businessman said.

NEW SANCTIONS

The ability of the Iranian economy to keep functioning in such adversity is at least partly responsible for the decision of the West in the last several months to consider additional sanctions, and for Iran's defiance in the face of the threat.

The European Union may stop buying the 18 percent of Iran's oil shipments that it imports. And the U.S. Congress is pushing for measures that would penalize foreign banks doing any business with Iran's central bank -- potentially a heavy blow against the body which takes payment for the 2.6 million barrels of oil that Iran exports per day.

The sensitivity of targeting the Central Bank of Iran was demonstrated two weeks ago after Britain, before any similar action by its EU partners, banned all its financial institutions from doing business with the country including the central bank. A mob stormed the British embassy compound in Tehran.

Iran's mild-mannered foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, expressed "regret" at the violence but he said London only had itself to blame. "Britons angered the Iranian people with their stance," he said.

London's move was largely symbolic as few if any British banks have business with Iran or its central bank. The threat from Washington is far greater, as banks around the world would face being frozen out of the global financial system if they continued to trade with Tehran.

So far, however, Iranian politicians and media say they doubt the EU will ban Iranian oil or that Washington will push ahead with isolating the central bank completely.

"Greece, Italy and Spain are Iran's top oil importers (in the EU), and they have the most fragile markets as well. Any disruption of oil flow will cause an energy crisis in those countries," an Iranian Oil Ministry official said.

That analysis is to some degree shared by many Western diplomats and traders contacted by Reuters. Officials in the Obama administration have said they oppose hitting Iran's global oil exports or its central bank, because of the potential impact on the world's economy, although pressure for such a move has increased in Congress.

"Europe and America cannot seriously put the sanctions into practice and the Islamic Republic has the upper hand in the current situation and can take advantage from the existing circumstances," Parviz Sorouri, a member of parliament's national security committee, told the Fars news agency.

Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said sanctions on Iranian oil would hurt the global market and that Iran would have "no problem to find a replacement for the EU."

(Editing by Andrew Torchia)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111214/wl_nm/us_iran_sanctions_economy

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92% Take Shelter

schizophrenia or prophecy? this is a hard film to score. its at least a 4 star film, and potentially 5, so ill go in between. it doesnt have a high re-watchability factor which is my only criticism, and that isnt really a criticism because its more a product of the material then the quality of the film. this is easily one of the best films of the year, and one of the better films in the past few years. shannon and chastain were both amazing in their roles, which for chastain amazes me because she has so little experience in film, and even the supporting players around them all added wonderful performances. the subject matter is as engaging as it gets, and as i hoped for through the entire film, things are not what they seem. beautiful direction by nichols, amazing cinematography for such a small scale story, and the material was handled with perfect care. nichols, shannon, and chastain probably all deserve oscar noms, and this is the type of soul stirring film that must be seen. i havent felt like this leaving a film since "a serious man".

November 7, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/take_shelter/

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Crystal Sugar CEO Likens Contract to Cancer | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

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by Barbara Doherty, Nov 30, 2011

Relations between management and the 1,300 locked-out workers at American Crystal Sugar Co. reached a new low this week, as recordings were made public of company CEO David Berg likening the workers and their contract to a cancerous tumor.

Speaking to shareholders in North Dakota on Nov. 7, Berg told the story of a friend who had a massive cancerous tumor removed. ?He was sick for a long time,? said Berg.

We can?t let a labor contract make us sick forever and ever and ever. We have to treat the disease and that?s what we?re doing here.

?Berg later repeated his cancer analogy, saying,

At some point that tumor?s got to come out. That?s what we?re doing.

Listen to some of Berg?s comments here.

Workers responded to Berg?s remarks with outrage. Sarah Gust, a 40-year employee at American Crystal, remarked,

The fact that Dave Berg would refer to our union, our contract, as a cancerous tumor is deeply offensive to me and many of my co-workers. Some of us have had cancer or have lost loved ones to cancer. It?s a tragic, devastating disease. And that?s how Crystal Sugar management sees our union. I tell you, this just shows how much respect Dave Berg and the management have for us workers.

Workers at American Crystal in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa have been out of work since management imposed a lockout on Aug. 1, after workers rejected the company?s final contract offer by a more than nine-to-one margin. The company hired replacement workers and says it is moving to the next phase of its ?contingency plan? by offering wages significantly below those of locked-out workers.?The employees are members of seven locals of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM).

?We?ve seen Dave Berg?s true colors. He is determined to treat contract negotiations as a disease, a tumor to be removed,? said John Riskey, president of BCTGM Local 167G.

We?ve said from the start that we want to negotiate, as long as management comes to the table with reasonable proposals, and not the same take-it-or-leave-it ultimatums.

Workers and the union plan to hold?a press conference Dec. 1 to coincide with the company?s annual meeting and to meet with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Saturday.

You also can contribute to the Sugar Beet Workers fund to help workers during the lockout. Make checks out to: Minnesota AFL-CIO, 175 Aurora Ave., St. Paul, MN 55103. In the memo line, print ?BCTGM Lockout 2011.?

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Source: http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/11/30/crystal-sugar-ceo-likens-contract-to-cancer/

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Syracuse's Boeheim gets warm welcome in Dome (AP)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. ? Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim received a standing ovation as he walked onto the court that bears his name on Tuesday night for the Orange's game against Eastern Michigan.

Boeheim waved to fans as he made his way out from the locker room and then greeted first-year Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy, who served as an assistant to Boeheim for seven years.

Boeheim, in his 36th season, received a huge round of applause when he was introduced after the players.

It is the first game for fourth-ranked Syracuse since the firing of assistant coach Bernie Fine, who has been accused by three men of molesting them. Fine has denied the allegations.

Fine's seat on the bench was not left vacant Tuesday as it had been for the last home game 10 days ago.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_sp_co_ne/bkc_emichigan_syracuse

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Ex Colo. sheriff accused of offering meth for sex (AP)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. ? The ex-Colorado sheriff was known for his no-nonsense style, his heroism in saving two deputies and for his concern about teenage drug use. He was even named the nation's sheriff of the year.

Patrick Sullivan, 68, found himself on Wednesday in a jail that was named for him, facing charges of offering methamphetamine in exchange for sex from a male acquaintance.

Dressed in an orange jail uniform and walking with a cane, a handcuffed Sullivan watched as a judge raised his bail amount to a half-million dollars and sent him to the Patrick J. Sullivan Jr. Detention Facility.

Sullivan's arrest has many in suburban Denver's Arapahoe County where he held sway for nearly two decades wondering what happened to the tough-as-nails lawman they once knew.

"This isn't the Pat I know," said Peg Ackerman, a lobbyist for the County Sheriffs of Colorado who often worked with him on legislation. She said he was concerned about drug use in schools and was a chief of security at a school district.

The current sheriff, Grayson Robinson, who worked as undersheriff for Sullivan from 1997 until he took over the job in 2002, said the department was shocked and saddened at his arrest.

Robinson said the case is still under investigation, including where and how Sullivan might have gotten the drugs. He declined to say if authorities suspect Sullivan of using drugs, or if others might be charged.

At the brief court hearing, Judge William Sylvester told Sullivan not to contact anyone involved in the case.

Sullivan's attorney, Kevin McGreevy, did not return calls seeking comment.

Sullivan came to the attention of law enforcement after an Oct. 4 call to authorities from a home in Centennial, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy who responded had worked for Sullivan and knew who he was.

After investigating further, the deputy learned from two confidential informants that Sullivan was dealing meth but would sell it only if they had sex with him, the document stated. He was arrested after police set up a sting at a home.

Deputies found that Sullivan had handed someone a bag of meth and had another bag on him when he was searched, according to the affidavit. Both bags weighed less than a gram.

Sullivan served as sheriff from 1984 until his retirement in 2002.

In 2002, then-U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo praised him on his retirement, citing Sullivan for promoting homeland security and for being named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriff's Association.

In 1989, Sullivan was hailed as a hero. During a gunman's rampage, he rescued two deputies after crashing his truck through a fence and protecting them while they were loaded into the vehicle.

While those who know Sullivan were puzzled by the news, some said they weren't surprised that a person of his stature could get involved. They said meth users will do almost anything to feed their habit and often hurt others in the process.

"This drug knows no economic, social, professional or occupational boundaries," said state Rep. Ken Summers, who served on a legislative meth task force.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_re_us/us_sheriff_meth_charge

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Bahrain taps ex-Miami chief for police training (AP)

MANAMA, Bahrain ? Bahrain's Interior Ministry says a former Miami police chief will lead training programs for the Gulf kingdom's forces as part of reforms after an independent report detailed abuses against pro-reform protesters.

The announcement Thursday says John Timoney will head a team of law enforcement advisers from the U.S. and Britain.

Bahrain's Sunni monarchy has promised to address shortcomings noted in last month's independent commission report, which cited examples of torture and excessive force against Shiite-led demonstrators demanding greater rights.

Timoney served as Miami police chief from 2003-2010. He previously was commissioner of Philadelphia police and held various posts in the New York City Police Department.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_bahrain

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