Comedian is new mayor of Hillsboro

Published: 1/3/12 @ 12:00

Associated Press

HILLSBORO, Ohio

A veteran standup comic familiar to ?Comedy Central? TV viewers and club patrons across the country has been sworn in as mayor of his economically struggling hometown in southwestern Ohio.

The Hillsboro Times-Gazette reports that Drew Hastings was sworn in Monday as Hillsboro?s mayor by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O?Donnell.

The comedian struck a serious tone in his inaugural speech in the city about 50 miles east of Cincinnati. He said people questioned his motive in running for mayor. But Hastings says it was simply concern for Hillsboro.

Hastings says there has been a ?disconnect? among residents and city leaders and he intends to change that.

Source: http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/jan/03/comedian-is-new-mayor-of-hillsboro/?mobile

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Focus on Bar Hill: County Skin Cancer Rates Higher Than Average ...

Skin cancer rates in Cambridgeshire are higher than the national average but fewer people are dying from the disease.

The figures were revealed to Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert in a new report launched in Westminster.

According to the report, Skin Cancer Revealed, in 2009-10, Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trust spent ?1.86 per head of population on treating skin cancer patients compared to the national average of ?2.25 a head.

Incidences of malignant melanoma - the rarest and most serious form of skin cancer - per 100,000 people were just over 19 compared with a national average of 15; yet the death rate for the county was very slightly below average.

The report also revealed that the number of people diagnosed with skin cancer nationally had almost quadrupled over the last 30 years and is expected to grow by a further 52 per cent over the next 20 years.

Julian met with the report?s authors, Skin Cancer UK, to find out why more than five people died every day across the UK from malignant melanoma.

For the first time in the last 30 years, new treatments have emerged for melanoma patients which offer new hope.

Skin Cancer UK is calling on the Government and the NHS to ensure that there is sufficient capacity, skills and resource available to ensure that patients feel the benefit of these long-awaited advances in care.

Julian said ?We are fortunate in Cambridgeshire to have some of the best health care in the country; but clearly this is one area which needs urgent attention.

?It is worrying to see that cases of skin cancer nationally are expected to rise at such a rate over the coming years and this is going to prove extremely challenging to our health services.?

Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet Member for Health, Caroline Shepherd said: ?This is an urgent health issue which needs to be tackled swiftly and efficiently.

?I hope that the new Health and Wellbeing Board will not get caught up with procedural administration but rise to the challenge and engage effectively with NHS partners to deliver the best treatment for skin cancer patients.?

Source: http://focusonbarhill.blogspot.com/2012/01/county-skin-cancer-rates-higher-than.html

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Workplace Rudeness Has a Ripple Effect

Head Lines | Mind & Brain See Inside

An unpleasant employee can spread stress far beyond the office

By Winnie Yu ?| January 3, 2012?|

Image: Kyle T. Webster

If you think that nasty co-worker is creating problems for you alone, think again. His rudeness may have a ripple effect that extends as far as your spouse?s workplace. A recent study at Baylor University found that working with horrible colleagues can generate far-reaching stress that follows you home, causing unhappiness for your spouse and family and ultimately affecting your partner?s job. The study was published in August in the Journal of Organizational Behavior.

Study author Merideth J. Ferguson, a psy?chologist and an assistant professor of management at Baylor, used statistical software to analyze the relation between employee reports of co-worker rudeness and reports by the employee?s partner of home and work life. Not surprisingly, she found that exposure to rudeness created stress for both partner and family. She also found a direct correlation between the rudeness that the employee experienced and stress at the partner?s workplace.

Keeping workplace stress outside the home can be difficult, especially when it is chronic, Ferguson says. Being treated unkindly by a colleague can cause loss of self-esteem, anxiety and depression, which underminesyour happiness outside of work.

?Some people can successfully address that issue by being mindful of where they are and what they are doing,? Ferguson says. To do that, she suggests focusing strictly on family and friends when at home and devoting your full attention to work when you are at the office. Talking to a counselor or psychologist about the stress or learning stress-management tech?niques (such as taking strategic breaks) can help, too.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a685a50cab1e4a68026d4be298c7f53f

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"Iron Lady" enjoys strong bow in limited release (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Iron Lady" proved her mettle this weekend.

The Weinstein Company's biopic of Britain's former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, opened to a remarkable $280,409 at four theaters -- a per-screen average of $70,102.

That's the third-highest specialty opening of the year, after "Midnight in Paris," "The Tree of Life" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."

The PG-13 movie, starring Meryl Streep, will expand to more theaters January 13.

"We couldn't be happier with the results," Erik Lomis, the Weinstein Company's distribution chief, told TheWrap on Monday. "Obviously it's the number one screen average by a mile for the weekend."

Also opening over the weekend were Focus Features' "Pariah" and Sony Pictures Classics' "A Separation," an Iranian drama that was written, directed and produced by Asghar Farhad.

"Separation," already nominated for a Golden Globe, is a strong contender for the Academy Award for foreign language picture. The PG-13 movie enjoyed a solid opening weekend, taking in $79,481 at three locations -- a per-location average of $26,494.

The R-rated "Pariah," written and directed by Dee Rees, grossed $65,093 over the four-day weekend. The movie, which screened at four locations, had a per-location average of $16,273. "Pariah" is a coming-of-age tale about Alike, a 17-year-old African-American lesbian who lives with her parents and younger sister in Brooklyn.

Two other noteworthy items among indie films: Steve McQueen's NC-17 "Shame," from Fox Searchlight, is expected to pass $2 million today. The movie grossed $266,000 over the past four days -- a per-location average of $4,800.

The movie, starring Michael Fassbender, is playing in 55 theaters in its fifth week of release.

Another Fox Searchlight movie, Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," crossed the $40 million mark over the weekend and returned to the top 10 at the domestic box office. The R-rated movie starring George Clooney is in its seventh week of release and is playing at 758 locations. It grossed $3.4 million over the weekend -- a per-location average of $4,485.

"This is a terrific weekend for the film, which is up 30 percent over last week's four-day average," Sheila DeLoach, Fox Searchlight's executive VP of distribution, said in a statement. "It's the only film that opened prior to Thanksgiving and is playing in less than 1,000 theatres in the Top 10. It indicates the movie has crossed over to the general audience."

Among other holdovers, FilmDistrict's "In the Land of Blood and Honey," a love story set in the Bosnian War, dropped from three to two locations in its second week. The movie, which marks Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, grossed $12,539 -- $6,270 per location. It now has grossed $52,202.

Also in its second week is Wim Wenders' well-received "Pina," a 3D documentary about the dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch. The movie, showing at three locations in New York, took $93,000 -- a per-location average of $31,000.

In its 11 days in release, "Pina" has grossed a solid

$316,000.

In its third week, Roman Polanski's "Carnage" expanded from seven locations to 12, and grossed $124,151 -- a per-location average of $10,347. The R-rated Sony Pictures Classics film has taken in a total of $379,605.

In its fourth week of release, Focus Features' "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" expanded by two locations, to 57, and grossed $1,428,726. That works out to $25,065 per location.

The R-rated thriller, set in England during the Cold War, has a total gross of $4,298,998.

In their sixth week in release, the Weinstein Company's "The Artist" and "My Week With Marilyn" held strong.

"The Artist," a PG-13 rated silent, black-and-white film that has heavy Oscar buzz, grossed $1,664,500 at 167 locations. That's a per-location average of $9,967 for the movie, which has taken in a total of $5.4 million.

Lomis said the company plans to expand the number of locations showing "The Artist" on January 20.

"It's doing fantastic," he said. "I think 'The Artist' is going to play and play and play and play."

His company's other release, "My Week With Marilyn," which is generating Oscar talk for star Michelle Williams, took $1,173,933 at its 630 locations over the weekend. That works out to a per-location average of $1,863.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_iron_lady_enjoys_strong_bow_limited_release215729776/44056917/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/iron-lady-enjoys-strong-bow-limited-release-215729776.html

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U.S. in $3.5 billion arms sale to UAE amid Iran tensions (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The United States has signed a $3.5 billion sale of an advanced antimissile interception system to the United Arab Emirates, part of an accelerating military buildup of its friends and allies near Iran.

The deal, signed on December 25 and announced on Friday night by the U.S. Defense Department, "is an important step in improving the region's security through a regional missile defense architecture," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement.

The U.S. Congress had been notified of the proposed sale in September 2008 by former President George W. Bush's administration. At that time, the system built by Lockheed Martin Corp had been projected to involve more missiles, more "fire control" units, more radar sets, all at a cost roughly twice as much to UAE.

It marks the first foreign sale of the so-called Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), the only system designed to destroy short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere.

The United States, under the government-to-government deal, will deliver two THAAD batteries, 96 missiles, two Raytheon Co AN/TPY-2 radars plus 30 years of spare parts, support and training with contractor logistics support to the UAE, Little said.

"Acquisition of this critical defense system will bolster the UAE's air and missile defense capability and enhance the already robust ballistic missile defense cooperation between the United States and the UAE," he said.

Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for its delivery timetable for THAAD, part of a layered bulwark being built by the Obama administration in Europe and the Middle East against Iran's growing missile capabilities.

IRAN TENSIONS

UAE lies across the Gulf from Iran. The announcement of its purchase underlined rising tensions since a November 8 report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog that Iran appears to have worked on designing a nuclear bomb and may still be pursuing research to that end.

Iran delayed promised long-range missile tests in the Gulf on Saturday and signaled it was ready for fresh talks on its disputed nuclear program.

Tehran on Tuesday threatened to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if it became the target of an oil embargo over its nuclear ambitions.

The THAAD follows a $1.7 billion direct commercial contract this year to upgrade Saudi Arabia's Patriot antimissile missiles, and a sale this year of 209 advanced Patriot missiles to Kuwait, valued at roughly $900 million, the Defense Department said.

On Thursday, the Obama administration announced it had sealed a deal on December 24 to sell $29.4 billion in advanced Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, the priciest single U.S. arms sale yet.

The Saudi sale involves 84 new F-15SA models to be delivered starting in 2015 plus upgrades to 70 F-15s already in the Saudi fleet and new munitions. Congress had been notified of that deal in October 2010.

The ongoing U.S. buildup of Saudi Arabia as a counterweight to Iran is projected to total as much as $60 billion over 10 to 15 years, including the F-15s, three types of helicopters and advanced missiles, bombs and other hardware and services.

Saudi Arabia was the biggest buyer of U.S. arms from January 1, 2007 through the end of 2010, with signed agreements totaling $13.8 billion, followed by the United Arab Emirates, with $10.4 billion, according to a December 15 report by Congressional Research Service analyst Richard Grimmett.

In another pending arms sale to the region, the Obama administration formally proposed in November to sell 600 "bunker buster" bombs and other munitions to UAE in an estimated $304 million package to counter what the Pentagon called current and future regional threats.

Israel, the closest U.S. regional partner, is also being built up. It is to get Lockheed Martin's new radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet, the first country in the region that will fly it. Israel views Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence.

Dennis Cavin, a Lockheed vice president for missile defense programs, told Reuters in August that, in scaling back their planned THAAD purchase, UAE officials had identified some elements "that they think they can do without right now."

Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales, is being awarded an initial U.S. government contract worth up to $1.96 billion for the two THAAD batteries under the government-to-government sale to UAE, the Defense Department said in its contract digest on Friday. It said the work was to be carried out through June 30, 2016.

Raytheon's related deal is valued at up to $582.5 million for radars and services, with details expected to be finalized in June 2012, the digest said. It said Raytheon also was getting a Pentagon deal worth up to $363.9 million to start building two more AN/TPY-2 radar sets.

Lockheed Martin is pleased that the U.S. government and the United Arab Emirates have reached an agreement on the first foreign sale of the THAAD weapon system, Tom McGrath, a company vice president and program manager, said in a release.

"We look forward to working with our customers to deliver this important capability," he said.

(Reporting By Jim Wolf; Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111231/bs_nm/us_usa_uae_iran

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Arab Parliament: Monitors must quit Syria

By msnbc.com news services

An Arab League advisory body called Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the organization's monitoring mission in Syria, saying it was allowing Damascus to cover up continued violence and abuses, Reuters reported.

The Arab League has sent a small team to Syria to check whether President Bashar al-Assad is keeping his promise to end a crackdown on a nine-month uprising against his rule.

---

The observer mission has already stirred controversy. Rights groups have reported continued deaths in clashes and tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to show the observers the extent of their anger.

The Sudanese head of the mission also infuriated some observers by suggesting he was reassured by first impressions of Homs, one of the main centers of unrest.?

Clashes erupted in Syria on Friday as activists estimated that 500,000 protesters filled the streets, while Arab League officials continued monitoring the situation on the ground.

'Anger'
The Arab Parliament, an 88-member advisory committee of delegates from each of the League's member states, on Sunday said the violence was continuing to claim many victims.

"For this to happen in the presence of Arab monitors has roused the anger of Arab people and negates the purpose of sending a fact-finding mission," the organisation's chairman Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas said.

"This is giving the Syrian regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears of the Arab League," he said.

The Arab Parliament was the first body to recommend freezing Syria's membership in the organization in response to Assad's crackdown.

An Arab League official, commenting on the parliament's statement, told Reuters it was too early to judge the mission's success, saying it was scheduled to remain in Syria for a month and that more monitors were on their way.

The parliament called on the League's Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby to convene a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to adopt a resolution to withdraw the mission immediately.

The continued abuse and killing of innocent Syrian civilians was a "blatant violation to the Arab League's protocol", Dekbas said.

Syria's state news agency SANA said there had been "massive demonstrations" throughout Syria on Friday in support of Assad, and denouncing "the plot which Syria is exposed to."

It said demonstrators had denounced "the pressure and biased campaigns targeting Syria's security and stability" and the "lies and fabrications of the misleading media channels."

Syrian authorities have accused foreign powers of arming and funding "terrorists" in the country and say 2,000 of the government's soldiers and police have been killed.

Meanwhile The Associated Press reported that the Swiss supreme court has rejected a demand by a cousin of Assad to visit his lawyer in Switzerland.

Hafez Makhlouf had petitioned Switzerland's Federal Tribunal to grant him a visa so he could discuss with his lawyer how to overturn international sanctions imposed against him.

The verdict published Thursday was reported Sunday by Switzerland's NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.

The 40-year-old army colonel heads the Damascus branch of Syria's General Intelligence Directorate.

European Union sanctions against Makhlouf say he is close to Assad's younger brother Maher, believed to be leading the crackdown against regime opponents.

Last week Switzerland revealed it had frozen some 50 million Swiss francs ($53 million) linked to senior regime officials.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/01/9869606-arab-parliament-monitors-must-quit-syria

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Obama signs defense bill 'with reservations' (CNN)

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