Browns sale to Haslam approved; Holmgren to leave

CHICAGO (AP) ? New owners want their own people running things.

Jimmy Haslam III is sticking to one of the oldest adages in sports, which means Mike Holmgren is out as president of the Cleveland Browns.

Haslam's $1 billion purchase of the franchise was unanimously approved by the 32 NFL teams Tuesday. Shortly after the vote, Haslam announced that Holmgren would be leaving, although the Super Bowl-winning coach will remain with the franchise until the end of the year to help in the transition. Former Eagles President Joe Banner will become the chief executive officer on Oct. 25 when the sale is concluded.

"Mike was brought in to be the president and I think in a lot of ways the de facto owner," Haslam said at the NFL's fall meeting, "and with us coming in and taking a more active role, Mike has decided to, effective at the end of the year, leave the Cleveland Browns ...

"Mike will work very closely with us over the next three or four months to ensure that this transition goes as well as possible."

Haslam plans no other personnel changes before 2013, meaning the jobs of coach Pat Shurmur and his staff and general manager Tom Heckert appear safe for now.

"I told Pat on Saturday night that this was the only personnel move until the end of the season," Haslam said. "But I am not at all saying we'll make changes at the end of the season."

The Browns were the last team to win a game this year, beating Cincinnati on Sunday after five losses. They are tied with Kansas City for the worst record in the league.

"At the end of the year we'll evaluate everybody in the organization just like we will at the end of every year, whether we win the Super Bowl or we win two games," Haslam said. "That's our philosophy and that's what we'll do."

Later Tuesday, the NFL confirmed that Minnesota will host Pittsburgh in a second London game next year. The Vikings and Steelers will play at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 29, 2013, four weeks before Jacksonville hosts San Francisco at Wembley.

"This is a unique opportunity," Vikings President Mark Wilf said. "It will give excellent and exceptional exposure for the team."

The league also announced that Houston, San Francisco and South Florida will bid for the 2016 and '17 Super Bowls.

The 57-year-old Haslam, who built his fortune with Pilot Flying J truck stops, has been a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and is in the process of divesting that stock.

The Browns have gone 10-28 since Holmgren was hired by Randy Lerner to run football operations in 2010.

"He has been and still is committed to doing everything he can to make the Cleveland Browns a winning football team," Haslam said of Holmgren, with whom he spoke at length in the 2? months since he agreed to purchase the Browns. They met Sunday to work out the logistics of the transition.

"Mike was brought in to do a certain role and I don't think he wanted a different role," Haslam said.

Holmgren led the Green Bay Packers to the 1996 NFL championship and lost in the Super Bowl the next year to Denver. He left the Packers in 1999 to become coach and general manager in Seattle. Six years later, the Seahawks won the AFC title ? Holmgren had given up much of his personnel duties by then to concentrate on coaching ? and fell to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

His time in Cleveland hasn't been nearly as successful. Indeed, Haslam has said his mission is to bring winning football back to Cleveland; the Browns have made the playoffs once since returning to the NFL in 1999.

"I would never stand here and say we need to have X number of wins, but we want to see a positive direction," Haslam said. "I think we want to see continued improvement and we want to see them play hard."

Banner joined the Eagles in 1994 and was team president when he resigned in June.

"His track record in Philadelphia has been impressive," Haslam said. "Joe is in charge of day-to-day operations of the company. Any big decisions, we will be involved in. Football (operations) will report to Joe."

The late Al Lerner, Randy's father, purchased the franchise from the NFL in 1998 for $530 million after the original Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996 and became the Ravens. The elder Lerner died in 2002.

The Browns made the playoffs in 2002 and lost to Pittsburgh in the first round. They've had only two winning records in 13 seasons.

Also at the meetings:

? Owners amended an anti-tampering resolution. Three days before a player becomes a free agent, teams will be permitted to contact the player's agent and begin contract negotiations. But a contract can't be completed until after free agency begins, and no direct contact is allowed with the player before his contract expires ? except by his current team.

? South Florida and San Francisco ? actually Santa Clara, where the 49ers are building a new stadium ? will compete to host the 50th Super Bowl in 2016. The loser of that bid will compete with Houston for the 2017 game.

Some owners have said SunLife Stadium in Miami needs major upgrades before it should be considered for another Super Bowl; Miami has hosted the most NFL title games, 10.

"We understand the Dolphins and South Florida are looking at renovations and they do feel that is a large part of their bid," Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Houston has hosted two Super Bowls, the last in 2004. There was one Super Bowl in the San Francisco Bay Area, at Palo Alto, Calif., in 1985.

"Nothing brings a region together like a Super Bowl," 49ers CEO Jed York said.

Asked if he would recuse himself from the appeals process, as the four players punished in the Saints bounty probe have asked, Goodell said he would respond to the letters requesting that "after these meetings."

___

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/browns-sale-haslam-approved-holmgren-leave-165215348--nfl.html

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HBT: Cards start fast, hold off Giants in Game 1

The Cardinals overcame a 6-0 deficit to win Game 5 of the NLDS against the Nationals. On Sunday, they found themselves with a 6-0 lead and then held on to beat the Giants 6-4 in the first game of the NLCS.

David Freese and Carlos Beltran hit two-run homers for the Cardinals as they built their six-run lead and knocked Madison Bumgarner out in the fourth. The rout was very short lived, though, as the Giants came right back with four runs in the bottom of the fourth,?resulting?in Lance Lynn?s removal from the game.

Both bullpens matched zeroes from there, with neither offense able to score. Tim Lincecum pitched two scoreless innings for San Francisco, but five Cardinals relievers threw scoreless innings. Edward Mujica was credited with the victory after striking out the side in the seventh.

The Cardinals have to be feeling very good about the win, with their replacement starter ? Lynn was inserted back into the rotation in place of the injured Jaime Garcia ? beating the Giants? No. 2. Now they get to throw Chris Carpenter against Ryan Vogelsong in Monday?s Game 2 in San Francisco.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/14/cardinals-hold-off-giants-claim-nlcs-game-1/related

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Early-Earth cells modeled to show how first life forms might have packaged RNA

ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2012) ? Researchers at Penn State University have developed a chemical model that mimics a possible step in the formation of cellular life on Earth four-billion years ago. Using large "macromolecules" called polymers, the scientists created primitive cell-like structures that they infused with RNA -- the genetic coding material that is thought to precede the appearance of DNA on Earth -- and demonstrated how the molecules would react chemically under conditions that might have been present on the early Earth.

The journal Nature Chemistry is posting the research as an Advance Online Publication on 14 October 2012.

In modern biology, all life, with the exception of some viruses, uses DNA as its genetic storage mechanism. According to the "RNA-world" hypothesis, RNA appeared on Earth first, serving as both the genetic-storage material and the functional molecules for catalyzing chemical reactions, then DNA and proteins evolved much later. Unlike DNA, RNA can adopt many different molecular conformations and so it is functionally interactive on the molecular level. In the soon-to-be-published research paper, two professors of chemistry, Christine Keating and Philip Bevilacqua, and two graduate students, Christopher Strulson and Rosalynn Molden, probe one of the nagging mysteries of the RNA-world hypothesis.

"A missing piece of the RNA-world puzzle is compartmentalization," Bevilacqua said. "It's not enough to have the necessary molecules that make up RNA floating around; they need to be compartmentalized and they need to stay together without diffusing away. This packaging needs to happen in a small-enough space -- something analogous to a modern cell -- because a simple fact of chemistry is that molecules need to find each other for a chemical reaction to occur."

To test how early cell-like structures could have formed and acted to compartmentalize RNA molecules even in the absence of lipid-like molecules that make up modern cellular membranes, Strulson and Molden generated simple, non-living model "cells" in the laboratory. "Our team prepared compartments using solutions of two polymers called polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran," Keating explained. "These solutions form distinct polymer-rich aqueous compartments, into which molecules like RNA can become locally concentrated."

The team members found that, once the RNA was packed into the dextran-rich compartments, the molecules were able to associate physically, resulting in chemical reactions. "Interestingly, the more densely the RNA was packed, the more quickly the reactions occurred," Bevilacqua explained. "We noted an increase in the rate of chemical reactions of up to about 70-fold. Most importantly, we showed that for RNA to 'do something' -- to react chemically -- it has to be compartmentalized tightly into something like a cell. Our experiments with aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) have shown that some compartmentalization mechanism may have provided catalysis in an early-Earth environment."

Keating added that, although the team members do not suggest that PEG and dextran were the specific polymers present on the early Earth, they provide a clue to a plausible route to compartmentalization -- phase separation. "Phase separation occurs when different types of polymers are present in solution at relatively high concentrations. Instead of mixing, the sample separates to form two distinct liquids, similar to how oil and water separate." Keating explained. "The aqueous-phase compartments we manufactured using dextran and PEG can drive biochemical reactions by increasing local reactant concentrations. So, it's possible that some other sorts of polymers might have been the molecules that drove compartmentalization on the early Earth." Strulson added that, "In addition to the RNA-world hypothesis, these results may be relevant to RNA localization and function in non-membrane compartments in modern biology."

The team members also found that the longer the string of RNA, the more densely it would be packed into the dextran compartment of the ATPS, while the shorter strings tended to be left out. "We hypothesize that this research result might indicate some kind of primitive sorting method," Bevilacqua said. "As RNA gets shorter, it tends to have less enzyme activity. So, in an early-Earth system similar to our dextran-PEG model system, the full-length, functional RNA would have been sorted and concentrated into one phase, while the shorter RNA that is not only less functional, but also threatens to inhibit important chemical reactions, would not have been included."

The scientists hope to continue their investigations by testing their model-cell method with other polymers. Keating added, "We are interested in looking at compartmentalization in polymer systems that are more closely related to those that may have been present on the early Earth, and also those that may be present in contemporary biological cells, where RNA compartmentalization remains important for a wide range of cellular processes."

This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (grant CHE-0750196).

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State.

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Journal Reference:

1. Christopher A. Strulson, Rosalynn C. Molden, Christine D. Keating, Philip C. Bevilacqua. RNA catalysis through compartmentalization. Nature Chemistry, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1466

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/L3roSsz8Pxs/121014162906.htm

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Supreme Court rejects appeal on airport scanners

6 hrs.

Jonathan Stempel

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a Michigan blogger's challenge of the use of full-body scanners and thorough pat-downs at airport checkpoints.

Without comment, the court declined to take up Jeffrey Corbett's complaint that the Transportation Security Administration's use of the screening techniques violated passengers' protection against illegal searches under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The TSA had in October 2010 directed the use of the scanners, sometimes known as advanced imaging technology, which some critics fear could emit too much radiation.

In addition, the TSA authorized enhanced pat-downs, which could include the touching of genitals, buttocks and breasts, for passengers unwilling to go through the scanners. Passengers who rejected both procedures would not be allowed to fly.

Corbett, who maintains the "TSA Out of Our Pants!" blog, complained that the TSA lacked unilateral authority to adopt the procedures.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta had rejected Corbett's case, saying a lower court correctly concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to review a TSA order.

The case is Corbett v. U.S., U.S. Supreme Court, No. 11-1413.

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/supreme-court-rejects-appeal-airport-scanners-6206531

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Turkish democracy is example for Muslim world: Erdogan

ANKARA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan trumpeted Turkey's credentials as a rising democratic power on Sunday, saying his Islamist-rooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge.

Addressing thousands of party members and regional leaders at a congress of his Justice and Development (AK) Party, Erdogan said the era of military coups in the nation of 75 million people was over.

He vowed to forge a more diverse constitution and turn a new page in relations with Turkey's 15 million Kurds, in a speech lasting almost two and half hours and meant to chart the AK Party's agenda for the next decade.

"We called ourselves conservative democrats. We focused our change on basic rights and freedom," Erdogan told thousands of cheering party members at the congress in a sports stadium in the capital Ankara.

"This stance has gone beyond our country's borders and has become an example for all Muslim countries."

Leaders including Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, were among the guests.

Under Erdogan's autocratic grip, the AK Party has won three consecutive landslide election victories since 2002, ending a history of fragile coalition governments punctuated by military coups and marking Turkey's longest period of single-party government for more than half a century.

Per capita income has nearly tripled in that time and Turkey has re-established itself as a regional power, with its allies seeing its mix of democratic stability and Islamic culture as a potential role model in a volatile region.

"Turkey has shown the bright face of Islam," Khaled Meshaal, Hamas's leader in exile, told the congress. "Erdogan, you are not only a leader in Turkey now, you are a leader in the Muslim world as well."

AUTHORITARIAN STYLE

But critics accuse Erdogan of an authoritarian approach, saying that he stifles dissent and uses the courts to silence his enemies. They also say he has failed to bring any hope of an end to a 28-year-old conflict in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

The crisis in neighboring Syria has thrust Turkey to the forefront of international diplomacy, with Washington seeing it as the key player in supporting the Syrian opposition and planning for the era after President Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan renewed his criticism of Russia, China and Iran, which have backed Assad in the 18-month uprising, saying history would "not forgive those who stand by oppressors".

Egypt's Mursi echoed the sentiments, telling the congress that a quartet of regional powers consisting of Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would continue to push for a solution.

"We will not be calm, we will not settle down until this bloodshed stops and until the will of the Syrian people to choose their own leader is realized," he said.

In a speech heavy on rhetoric but light on detail, Erdogan looked back over the AK Party successes of the past decade but acknowledged that Turkey still faced major challenges.

He said it badly needed a new constitution to replace one written after a military coup three decades ago, and invited opposition parties for consultations later this year.

"We will continue our struggle for a new constitution based on freedom, and which will allow diversity," he said.

Erdogan favors switching to a presidential form of government similar to France's. It is an open secret that he covets the post himself, since under party rules he cannot seek another term as premier at the next parliamentary election in 2015.

ERDOGAN'S FUTURE UNCLEAR

He gave no hints on his political future beyond saying he would "do whatever job is given to me".

Opponents worry about Erdogan tightening his grip. Hundreds of politicians, academics and journalists are on trial accused of plotting against the government, while more than 300 army officers were handed long jail terms this month for an alleged bid to topple him almost a decade ago.

Critics also question his policy on the conflict with Kurdish militants in the mountainous southeast, bordering Iraq. Recent fighting has been some of the heaviest for years.

He pledged a new chapter in relations with Turkey's Kurds but called on them to denounce violence by the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.

"From today, we want to open a new page, and we want to make it a page of peace and brotherhood with our Kurdish brothers," he said. "We expect our Kurdish brothers to take a step towards us, raise their voice against terror and say enough is enough."

Erdogan said in a television interview last week that the intelligence agencies might hold talks with the PKK when the time was right.

Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, told the congress: "As the people living in this region, we have to cooperate. No problem can be solved with violence ... We will do our best to help Erdogan to end the bloodshed."

Ankara has increasingly courted Iraq's Kurds and imports oil from the region, further souring relations with the Iraqi government in Baghdad. But Turkey has also sent fighter jets to bombard PKK bases within Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Kurdish conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives since the militants took up arms in 1984, and as the death toll climbs so does the public pressure on Erdogan to bring an end to the bloodshed.

(Additional reporting by Seda Sezer in Istanbul; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkeys-erdogan-flaunts-democratic-credentials-muslim-world-142846875.html

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Extra - Toes Cat (Hemingway Polydactyl) - Polly - Medium - Baby ...

Extra - Toes Cat (Hemingway Polydactyl) - Polly - Medium - Baby

Polly is a gorgeous medium haired Orange tabby Polydactyl girl, born in February of 2012. She loves to play with other kitties in her foster home, and is great with cat-friendly dogs and children, too. Her foster-mom says her favorite nap spot is in her work bag when she's not in someones lap. Polly loves to play with safe kitty toys, too. She's spayed & UTD on all her shots, so now all she needs is a forever home full of love to call her own! To meet this precious girl, or for more info, call Carol at 602-478-0821.

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