Military Funeral Protests Case Presented To Federal Appeals Court

4:42 p.m. CST, January 9, 2012

ST. LOUIS (KTVI-FOX2now.com)?

The First Amendment and street protests both were on the docket of the Federal Appeals Court in St. Louis. The case involves the controversial Westboro Baptist Church and laws preventing its members from protesting at military funerals.

Street theatre and the First Amendment were the topics Monday afternoon as the court considered whether cities can outlaw protests at service member's funerals.

On one side, there is the Westboro Baptist Church of Wichita, Kansas and on the other, the St. Louis County suburb of Manchester.

Manchester outlawed protests at funerals in 2007. The ordinance was aimed at Westboro Baptist, which travels the country protesting at military funerals. Westboro members believe military deaths are god's punishment for the US tolerating homosexuals. The Manchester ordinance outlaws such protests within 300 feet of any funeral home the day of a funeral.

The ACLU sued Manchester and seven other Missouri cities with similar ordinances, arguing that the protests are political speech and are therefore totally protected by the First Amendment. A lower federal court agreed.

But now the case is before the Federal Appeals Court. And in a demonstration of just how important this First Amendment case is, all 11 appeals court judges heard the case inside the Eagleton Courthouse while protestors marched outside.

No word on when the appeals court may rule in this case.

Source: http://www.kplr11.com/news/ktvi-military-funeral-protests-case-presented-to-federal-appeals-court-20120109,0,4468246.story?track=rss

mashed potato recipe cranberry sauce oregon usc la auto show powerball winning numbers powerball winning numbers uc davis pepper spray

Intel Awaits Microsoft's Next Number

Microsoft Corp. sent shock waves through the tech sector a year ago with a radical shift in strategy, a plan to develop a next generation of software that relies less exclusively on 30-year partner Intel Corp.

A year later, it isn?t clear whether the software giant?s shift will do much to improve its lagging position in mobile devices ? or whether it is quite as ominous for Intel as it originally appeared.

On Monday night, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer is set to return to the stage of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he laid out the company?s plans for the new software, known as Windows 8. He isn?t expected to demonstrate any new features or give details about its progress.

Read the rest of this post on the original site ?

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20120109/intel-awaits-microsofts-next-number/

jerry sandusky interview white house shooting internet censorship sveum benetton ads cornucopia best buy black friday deals

Possible shooting at Cutlerville church

CUTLERVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - Authorities say 25 shots were fired at a youth event on Friday night in the 300 block of 60th Street.

According to Kent County Sheriff's Department, there were about 150 people at the event.

We are told a group was denied access inside, and then shots were fired.

The person leading the event was shot in the head, but was conscious and breathing when officers arrived on scene.? His status is unknown at this time.

Police are trying to learn more information from the victim.

We are told 8 suspects, all black males in their late teens to early 20s took off in 2 vehicles--a red SUV and a white Impala.

If you have any information, you're asked to call the Kent County Sheriff's Department.

?

Source: http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/police-investigating-possible-shooting

stanford oklahoma state university badgers badgers mendenhall nbc sports network demarcus cousins

Eurozone retail sales hit by unemployment, crisis (AP)

BRUSSELS ? Retails sales in the 17-nation eurozone dropped in November, official statistics showed Friday, as consumers felt the bite of austerity measures and feared the currency union could slip deeper into crisis.

Retail sales in the eurozone fell 0.8 percent compared with October and were down 2.5 percent from November 2010, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistics agency.

The steepest declines were seen in Portugal, which had to be bailed out in April and where sales fell 2.6 percent during the month and were down a massive 9.2 percent from a year earlier.

But even in richer states like Germany and the Netherlands, consumers were more reluctant to part with their money, with retail sales slipping 0.9 percent in both countries during November. That shows how the eurozone's worsening debt crisis is taking its toll even on countries with strong economies.

For the whole European Union, which includes non-euro members like the U.K. and Sweden, November retail sales dropped 0.6 percent from October and 1.3 percent compared with a year earlier.

Consumers appear worried by high unemployment, which remained stuck at 10.3 percent in November ? unchanged from October but above the 10 percent seen a year earlier ? and a darkening outlook on the economy.

The weak data also underlines how many people found themselves in a worse position at the end of 2011 than at the end of 2010 ? when there were hopes that the continent was turning a corner after two difficult years brought on by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008.

Spain's unemployment rate was highest at 22.9 percent, up from 20.4 percent a year earlier. That's more than four times as high as in Austria, where only 4 percent of people were looking for work. For the whole EU, the unemployment rate remained at 9.8 percent.

The dark mood is set to continue in the eurozone, with a Eurostat economic sentiment indicator falling 0.5 of a point to 93.3 in December, far below the long-term average of 100.

Italy and Spain, the eurozone's third and forth largest economies which have been pulled into the eye of the crisis in recent months, grew especially pessimistic about the economy. Economic sentiment fell 4.6 points in Italy and 1.3 points in Spain.

In the 27 EU countries, economic sentiment was down 0.8 point at 92.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120106/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_economy

cadillac xts rambus rambus pabst blue ribbon pabst blue ribbon mac miller omarion

Japan?s Dream Project is a farm run by robots

The tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan last March saw thousands die, homes destroyed, a nuclear reactor meltdown, and power issues for many months afterwards. But Japan is recovering slowly, and using the disaster as an excuse to try something new in areas of the country affected by those events.

One of the most interesting new ideas is called the ?Dream Project.? It?s a new farm being planned for a 600 acre site in Miyagi Prefecture that was flooded with sea water during the tsunami. This farm isn?t very typical though, as it will be run entirely by robots.

The farm will grow fruit, vegetables, rice, soybeans, and wheat. They will be planted and harvested by robotic tractors, and then boxed up by other robots before being shipped for us humans to enjoy.

As well as being unmanned, the farm also aims to minimize the use of chemicals and pollution. With that in mind, the carbon dioxide produced from the robotic tractor engines will be stored and fed back into the crops. Pesticides are out, in their place will be special LED lighting.

The company?s involved in the farm project include Ajinomoto, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Ito-Yokado Co., NEC, Panasonic, Sharp, and Yammer. Meaning we?re sure to see some advanced robotic designs and behavior.

Considering the size of the site and technology involved, there is significant investment required to set the farm up. $52 million will be invested over the next 6 years by the Japanese ministry of agriculture, with a further $78 million of investment coming from private companies.

If successful, the robotics and techniques used will certainly filter down into machinery for all farms. We may even one day get the chance to turn our home gardens into mini-farms run by robots and producing fresh food for us to eat everyday.

Read more at AFP

Source: http://www.geek.com/articles/news/japans-dream-project-is-a-farm-run-by-robots-2012017/

young guns concord billy the kid safe and sound botticelli x factor winner footlocker

Video: Matthews: Republicans prefer a candidate that is 'worn in'

Joining a gym in 2012? How to avoid gimmicks

Planning to get fit in 2012? You aren?t alone: 12 percent of new gym members join in January, with some clubs seeing an increase of 30 to 50 percent. Don?t get roped into paying for a membership you won?t use Follow these five tips to save money, avoid industry gimmicks, and shed holiday pounds.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45905920#45905920

air jordan 11 concord unemployment extension the thin man republic wireless space ball drops on namibia prometheus colts

Exxon to sell Tonen stake in retreat from Japan: sources

By Taro Fuse and Emi Emoto

TOKYO | Wed Jan 4, 2012 3:54am EST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) is in talks to sell most of its 50 percent stake in TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK (5012.T) back to its Japanese refining partner and unload other assets in Japan in a deal that could be worth as much as $5 billion, four sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The deal would mark a retreat from the world's third-largest economy by the U.S. oil giant, which is focusing its resources globally on exploration and production and shifting away from so-called downstream assets like those held in Japan.

The move could also spark realignment among Japan's oil refiners, which have been cutting capacity to cope with declining demand caused by a weak economy and a shift to more efficient and environmentally-friendly forms of energy.

TonenGeneral, which imports and distributes Exxon oil in Japan, ranks as the country's No. 2 refiner behind JX Holdings (5020.T). Smaller rivals include Idemitsu Kosan Co (5019.T), Cosmo Oil (5007.T) and Showa Shell (5002.T).

"If this report is true, it could open the door for TonenGeneral to realign in alliance with another company. That may or may not include capital ties," said Hidetoshi Shioda, senior analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities.

CAPITAL RELATIONSHIP

Exxon, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, holds 50.02 percent of TonenGeneral, a stake worth 224 billion yen ($2.92 billion) at Wednesday's close. It also owns a sales network of around 4,000 gas stations across Japan.

Exxon is planning to keep a certain level of ownership in TonenGeneral, seen as key to maintaining the refining partnership, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are still ongoing.

The cost of the deal could climb to as high as 400 billion yen ($5.2 billion), but may settle at a lower price depending on the size of the stake to be sold, negotiations over the other assets, and TonenGeneral's funding situation, the sources said.

An official announcement could come as early as this month, the sources said.

TonenGeneral said in a statement that ExxonMobil was considering a change to its capital relationship with TonenGeneral, but nothing had been decided. Exxon stressed it had no plans to withdraw from Japan.

"ExxonMobil has no plans to exit the Japan market. We have been doing business in Japan for over 118 years," the oil giant said in a statement to Reuters.

FUNDING BURDEN

Shares of TonenGeneral fell 5.8 percent to 792 yen, its lowest close in 14 months, reflecting investor worries over the burden the deal would place on its finances. Trading in the shares was the busiest in at least 24 years.

TonenGeneral plans to borrow money from several banks to finance the purchase, the sources said.

"It's hard to see the strategic direction of TonenGeneral after it buys the assets from Exxon. A deal in the order of 400 billion yen would also strain its cash situation and raise the risk of lower dividends," said Yoshihiro Okumura, head of research at Chibagin Asset Management.

Oil demand in Japan, the world's No.3 consumer, has been falling steadily for more than a decade, to about 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) from a record 4.2 million bpd in 1999.

That slide has accelerated following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, which dented economic activity and prompted some manufacturers to shift factories abroad.

Industry sources had speculated Exxon may look to scale back in Japan after the country introduced new regulations in 2010, with a 2014 deadline for refiners to boost their ability to process heavy oil by building new cracking units or scrapping capacity.

The directive was seen as particularly burdensome for TonenGeneral due to its relatively low heavy oil processing capacity. The Exxon unit has been a vocal critic of the scheme, calling it unnecessary meddling by the government.

Despite the unfavorable operating environment in Japan, the relationship with TonenGeneral serves an important strategic purpose for Exxon, making it unlikely that it would look at a complete withdrawal, some analysts said.

"If ExxonMobil pulled out, they would lose a good outlet, and they could no longer ask TonenGeneral to import ExxonMobil's equity crudes," said independent oil economist Osamu Fujisawa.

($1 = 76.7500 Japanese yen)

(Additional reporting by Osamu Tsukimori and James Topham; Writing by Nathan Layne; Editing by Chris Gallagher, Michael Watson and Ian Geoghegan)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-exxon-tonengeneral-idUSTRE80308N20120104?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&rpc=23&sp=true

santorum charles barkley king cake one life to live joran van der sloot jon huntsman wizards of waverly place