Packers Beat Vikings 45-7: Aaron Rodgers Throws 4 TDs, Green Bay Remains Perfect

GREEN BAY, Wis. ? Another night, another four-touchdown performance for Aaron Rodgers ? just about what the Green Bay Packers have come to expect from their superstar quarterback.

The real surprise came on the other side of the ball: A defense that finally showed it can take charge of a game.

The Packers (9-0) remain the NFL's lone undefeated team. And if they now can count on a defense to complement their high-octane offense, they just might be unstoppable.

Rodgers threw for four scores against a fierce Vikings pass rush, Randall Cobb returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown and the Packers defense contained Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings in a 45-7 victory on Monday night.

Green Bay's defense came into the game giving up nearly 300 yards passing per game, second-most in the NFL. Their last time out, the Packers nearly blew a big lead in the fourth quarter at San Diego, holding on for a 45-38 victory.

But the Packers finally played to their potential against the division rival Vikings (2-7), holding rookie quarterback Christian Ponder to 190 yards passing with an interception and limiting Peterson to 51 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings' defense did its best to rough up Rodgers, sacking him three times and hitting him hard virtually every time he took off running. Defensive end Jared Allen harassed Rodgers at every turn.

The pressure didn't force any uncharacteristic mistakes from Rodgers, who was 23 of 30 for 250 yards without an interception. Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jordy Nelson, and also found Greg Jennings and John Kuhn for scores.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy put backup quarterback Matt Flynn in the game with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter ? and the Vikings couldn't keep him out of the end zone, either, as he scrambled 3 yards for a touchdown with 4:27 left.

But it was Cobb, a second-round rookie out of Kentucky, who got it all started for the Packers.

After the Packers' defense forced the Vikings to go three-and-out on their first possession, Cobb fielded a punt from Chris Kluwe and squeezed through a seam in the middle of the field.

Cobb accelerated down the left sideline and danced the final few steps into the end zone, tossing the ball in the air as if he was shooting a basketball before doing a "Lambeau leap" into the stands.

Cobb also had a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Packers' season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

Rodgers finally got the ball at the 9:55 mark in the first quarter and directed an 11-play, 70-yard drive that included conversions on third-and-8, to Donald Driver, and third-and-7, to running back James Starks. Rodgers then finished the drive with a perfect pass to Jennings in the middle of the field for a touchdown, and the Packers led 14-0.

With the Vikings driving near the end of the first quarter, Charles Woodson wrestled a ball away from Visanthe Shiancoe for what initially was ruled an interception. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier challenged the call and it was overturned, giving Ryan Longwell a shot at a 47-yard field goal.

But the Vikings committed a penalty, and Longwell came up just short on a 52-yard attempt.

Rodgers then put together another drive, and Rodgers hit tight end Jermichael Finley for 25 yards on a fourth-and-5 conversion attempt at the Vikings 34-yard line. Allen sacked Rodgers on first-and-goal, and the Packers ended up settling for a 25-yard field goal by Mason Crosby to take a 17-0 lead with 12:04 left before halftime.

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/packers-vikings-45-7-undefeated_n_1094071.html

watch the walking dead giuliana and bill giuliana and bill 2012 camry endometriosis 9 9 9 plan 9 9 9 plan

After a Second Police Raid, Occupy Oakland Vacates with a Whimper (Time.com)

Monday morning was deja vu all over again as hundreds of Bay Area police stood guard downtown following a pre-dawn sweep to clear out protesters who have lived on city hall's doorstep for over a month. They had staged a similar raid on Oct. 25. TV crews and pedestrians gawked over metal barricades as cleaning crews tore down tents and posters, sweeping away candles and dried rose petals in honor of an anti-war veteran who was seriously injured in the initial police raid.

This time around, however, no windows were smashed, no tear gas canisters fired. By the time riot police started to surround the plaza, the camp was mostly devoid of people. A few stubborn holdouts chanted "Pigs go home" and officials say more than 30 people were arrested, but most stood by on the sidewalk or out of sight, too tired or scared to resist. "[The police] were armed to the teeth; they didn't have to do anything to us," says Atomic, 42, a long-time camp resident who packed up his gear before officers arrived. "We just wanted things to stay peaceful."(See a video from Occupy Oakland.)

For weeks city officials tried to remove the swelling Occupy encampment, which evolved into a rallying point for anti-establishment protests everywhere. But a growing bloc of local merchants, city council members and even ardent supporters of the movement, concerned about the impact crime and drug use were having on area businesses, were pressuring authorities to take decisive action. The fatal shooting of a young man last Thursday amounted to a last straw. In a statement Sunday, Mayor Jean Quan, a veteran liberal activist who has come under fire for her handling of the protests, re-affirmed her post-shooting call that due to the "increased violence associated with the camp and the strain on our city's economy and resources, now is the time for the encampment to end."

Over the weekend, police issued several warnings to the campers, some of whom struck their tents and left. As rumors of a raid frayed the nerves of the Occupiers, cautious defiance started to verge on paranoia. After the first "cease and desist" notice was served on Friday, Edward, 24, a student who came down from another Occupy camp in Reno, Nevada, with several friends to show support, stood in the rain with his sleeping bag in hand, unsure if he should stay or go. "I really believe in what's going here; at the same time, I don't want to get beat up," he says. "[The police] could come any minute." Late into the night, fellow protesters traded conspiracy theories and passed around joints to stay calm. When a march pulled away from the plaza the next evening, scouts posted around the city center kept watch for any sign of police. There were false alarms: At one point, two beat police officers assigned to patrol the perimeter were mistaken for an advance party by a couple of protesters, who assailed them with a flurry of panicked curses.

Internal tensions added to the grim atmosphere. Jack, 24, a fixture at the camp who was injured by police in the Oct. 25 clash, said all of his belongings were stolen from his tent, leaving him with no more than a pair of crutches. Several of his comrades said they'd also been robbed in recent days. Another resident, who asked to be unnamed, went on that he had seen a troubling rise in the use of hard drugs such as crystal meth and crack cocaine around the camp, and blamed "degenerates and street rabble" attracted by the free amenities and charged atmosphere. That's to say nothing of homeless people with mental disabilities that brought their worst symptoms with them. "Truth is, this place has been a refugee camp since the first raid," says Amanda, a camp medic originally from northern California. (See photos from the Occupy Wall Street protests.)

Thursday's broad daylight shooting cast this aspect in sharp relief. Witnesses said a fight had broken out next to the camp between two young men, one that escalated when one of them came back with friends. Several camp residents apparently tried to break it up, but six shots ring out moments later that left 25-year-old Kayode Ola Foster dead on the pavement. At first there was some confusion over his identity, evidenced by the different names scrawled on a makeshift memorial. According to several protesters, the victim was known to hang around the plaza but was not part of the movement. They contend the reporting on the incident as part of the Occupy movement was thus innappropriate ? though there was some agreement that it was emblematic of a violent city awash in guns and drugs. "This is Oakland. It was just a matter of time before something like this happened," says Atomic.

Indeed, standing a few feet from the scene of the crime, Ramona, 22, a first-time visitor from a rough part of Los Angeles, was having second thoughts about her decision to come downtown. "I'm from Compton, so I came here to crash, but I don't think so anymore," she says, in between asking passersby if they could recommend a cheap hotel close by. "I'm hearing about sexual assault, gang-banging, cops and robbers. This place is pretty shady."

On Sunday, word of the police action in Portland, Oregon ramped up anxieties. It was just after 4 a.m. on Monday morning when a mass text went out to Oakland supporters alerting them that police were finally on the move: "Get the word out and come now to help if you can." The call largely went unanswered. Beyond the dearth of camp regulars, there was no sign that more hardcore radicals ? such as the Black Bloc anarchists that have vandalized buildings and clashed with law enforcement ? were lurking for a showdown. Kevin, 18, explained that many of his friends who took part in the destruction that marred the Nov. 2 general strike decided to leave since there was a rift in the movement between "liberals and revolutionaries" and they no longer felt welcome. "They've gone back to Portland and Seattle," he says. (Will the general strike have legs?)

By 10 a.m. on Monday, police parted barricades to allow traffic through. A few loiterers soon stepped into a busy intersection opposite the plaza. "They occupy our plaza, so we're gonna occupy their street," shouted one visibly drunk protester who took a swig of vodka from a bottle that was being passed around. "Whose street, our street," went the familiar refrain. Motorists, for their part, were having none of it. Instead of turning around, some tried to force their way through, including one man who bumped a protester out of his way. Another protester kicked a car as a fierce argument broke out on the sidewalk over the usefulness of the stunt. Taking in the messy scene, Luke, 19, a full-time camp resident, shook his head in disgust. "These people are not part of this movement; they just show up to do stupid s---," he sighed. "Now, they're pissing off the 99 percent."

Several long blocks away at Snow Park, a satellite site with more than 30 tents and counting, the mood was subdued. "I don't know what my battle plan is yet. We're all scattered now, and that's what they want," says Keith, 27, adding: "This is not the end, it's the start of long revolution." He and his friends planned to attend an emergency General Assembly at the main library, where protesters were scheduled to regroup and discuss next steps. Under a nearby tree, Felicia, 23, strummed a mournful tune on her guitar, on the verge of tears. "It was beautiful, the way the camp used to be, and now everyone's afraid," she says. "We were a family. Why didn't more people didn't come out today?" A elderly woman tried to console her, saying that Oakland had played a big part in bringing the movement international attention, but her words didn't sink in.

See seven celebrities who support Occupy Wall Street.

See the lessons of Occupy Oakland.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/time_rss/rss_time_us/httpwwwtimecomtimenationarticle08599209946900htmlxidrssnationyahoo/43606538/SIG=12l6i4c0c/*http%3A//www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2099469,00.html?xid=rss-nation-yahoo

last house on the left hoppin john dan wheldon walking dead weldon weldon danica patrick

Stocks slip as Italian bond sale renews euro fears (AP)

NEW YORK ? The stock market fell Monday after a jump in Italy's borrowing costs reminded investors of how much work remains to be done to contain Europe's debt problems.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 75 points. Bank stocks fell the most. European markets also fell and the euro weakened against the dollar.

Major indexes closed higher last week as Greece and Italy moved to form new governments and took other decisive steps to get their debt troubles under control. However worrisome signs re-emerged Monday.

The Italian government had to pay 6.29 percent at an auction of five-year bonds, the highest rate since since 1997. Italy paid a much lower rate of 5.32 percent at a similar auction last month. That's a sign investors are still concerned about Italy's ability to repay its debts. Stocks tanked last Wednesday after key Italian borrowing rates jumped above 7 percent, a level widely seen as unsustainable.

Also Italy's biggest bank, Unicredit, reported a $14.4 billion loss.

"The problems these countries are dealing with go well beyond their prime ministers," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG. "Italy didn't get where it is in five minutes. And it's not going to get out of where it is in five minutes. This is going to take months."

The Dow fell 74.70 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 12,078.98. Bank of America Corp. fell 2.6 percent and JPMorgan Chase & Co. fell 2.2 percent, the largest drops among the 30 large companies in the Dow.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 12.06 points, or 1 percent, to 1,251.79. The Nasdaq composite index fell 21.53, or 0.8 percent, to 2,657.22.

Three stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was very light at 3 billion shares.

Stocks have risen since early October on encouraging signs of progress in containing Europe's debt crisis, stronger U.S. corporate earnings and better news on the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 has soared 13.7 percent since hitting its low for the year on Oct. 3.

That surge has drawn big investors back into the stock market and opened the door to a long line of companies waiting to go public. The flow of money from institutions into U.S. stock funds hit $7.3 billion last week, the third largest tally this year, according to fund tracker EPFR Global.

Angie's List, a customer review website, Delphi Automotive and seven other companies are scheduled to go public this week. If they all wind up going through, it would be the biggest week for IPOs in four years, according to Renaissance Capital, an IPO advisory firm.

In corporate news, the airline Emirates placed an order for 50 Boeing 777s, one of the largest orders ever placed with the aircraft maker. Boeing Co. also picked up a new customer, Oman Air, which ordered six 787s. Boeing rose 1.5 percent.

J.C. Penney Co. fell 2.8 percent after reporting a quarterly loss. The department store operator said its results were weighed down by restructuring costs. The company also lowered its earnings outlook for the rest of the year.

Lowe's Cos. rose 1.7 percent after the country's second-largest home-improvement retailer reported revenue and earnings that beat analysts' expectations.

The Dow has made gains in six of the past seven weeks, and is still up 1 percent for the month. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are slightly lower.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/earnings/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_bi_st_ma_re/us_wall_street

space junk rick santorum prime suspect prime suspect whitney whitney person of interest

Mass. man accused in terror plot seeks bail (AP)

WORCESTER, Mass. ? A man accused of plotting to fly remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives into the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol is a "ticking time bomb" who is committed to attacking the United States, a prosecutor said Monday while urging a judge to keep him locked up while he awaits trial.

But attorneys for 26-year-old Rezwan Ferdaus argued for his release from jail, saying he is a mentally troubled man who had a "completely unrealistic fantasy" that had no chance of succeeding.

Ferdaus, of Ashland, was arrested in September after undercover FBI employees posing as members of al-Qaida delivered what they say he believed was 25 pounds of C-4 plastic explosives.

Prosecutors say he asked the undercover agents to get him the explosives, AK-47 assault rifles and grenades so he could carry out the attacks. Authorities say he also showed them cellphones he had fashioned into detonators.

Ferdaus, who has a physics degree from Boston's Northeastern University, faces six charges, including attempting to provide material support to terrorists and attempting to damage and destroy national defense premises.

His lawyers are asking that he be released on bail and placed in the custody of his father until trial.

Prosecutors argued during a detention hearing Monday in U.S. District Court that he is dangerous and should remain behind bars. There was no immediate ruling from U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Hillman.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Siegmann said Ferdaus began plotting an attack on the United States in 2010, before the FBI sent an informant and later undercover employees to meet with him and record their conversations.

FBI agent Bradley Davis testified that agents interviewed Ferdaus in October 2010 after he went into a gun shop, asked about purchasing weapons, acted suspiciously and took a photograph. The gun shop's owner took down Ferdaus' license plate, and Ferdaus later was questioned by the FBI.

During the interview, Ferdaus, a Muslim, described America as "a racist nation against Muslims" and questioned the FBI's authority to interview him, Davis said.

"He was very defensive and fairly uncooperative," Davis said.

Ferdaus also was questioned by Ashland police after he was seen in the woods near the town's train station.

"He said, `I know this looks very suspicious, but I was just trying to get a good look at the train station,'" Davis said.

Siegmann, the prosecutor, said Ferdaus provided the men posing as al-Qaida members with two detailed plans ? one with a 14-page narrative ? describing attacks on the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol building. She said the men posing as al-Qaida members told him more than 30 times that he did not have to go through with the plan but he repeatedly said he wanted to do it.

Siegmann said Ferdaus told the undercovers, "I just can't stop. There is no other choice for me."

But Ferdaus' attorneys challenged the credibility of an FBI informant who was the first to make contact with Ferdaus at his mosque in Worcester, about 40 miles west of Boston, in December 2010.

Under questioning from attorney Miriam Conrad, FBI special agent John Woudenberg acknowledged that the informant, known as Khalil, had been a gang member, had a drug problem and had multiple criminal convictions.

"We were aware that he had issues; he was a difficult to handle informant," he said.

Woudenberg said the FBI decided to use him with Ferdaus because he was knowledgeable about Islam.

Ferdaus' lawyers also questioned whether the plan prosecutors say was concocted by Ferdaus was feasible.

Davis testified earlier this month that FBI bomb technicians analyzed a cellphone Ferdaus had fashioned into a detonator and "came to the conclusion that it could actually be used" to detonate explosives.

Under questioning from defense attorney Catherine Byrne on Monday, Davis said the plan was feasible "with modifications."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_re_us/us_terror_plot_massachusetts

bruins steve jobs stanford commencement speech black star joan baez gravitas steve jobs and bill gates steve jobs quotes

House GOP leader Cantor says deficit deal likely (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Sidestepping controversy, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., declined to take sides Monday on a proposal for higher tax revenues backed by fellow Republicans on Congress' supercommittee, yet expressed confidence the panel would agree on a deficit-reduction plan of at least $1.2 trillion by a Nov. 23 deadline.

A proposal for $300 billion in higher taxes has stirred grumbling within the ranks of congressional Republicans, for whom opposition to such measures has been political bedrock for more than two decades.

Two of the party's presidential hopefuls said during Monday they wouldn't support any committee deficit-reduction plan that includes higher taxes.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, campaigning in Iowa, said he would "do everything in my power to defeat" any such proposal.

A spokesman for Rick Perry said the Texas governor "wants to look at details but if those details include a tax increase he's not going to be for it. He does not favor higher taxes," added David Miner.

Additionally, officials said that Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who outlined the plan last week in a closed-door meeting of four Republicans and three Democrats, has encountered criticism from fellow conservatives despite strong credentials as an opponent of higher taxes. "There's been a little bit, but it's been pretty muted," his spokeswoman, Nachama Soloveichik, said of the response.

Cantor's spokeswoman turned aside several emailed requests for the majority leader's views on the proposal. She said he hadn't seen the plan, and she referred to his comments at a news conference earlier in the day when he told reporters, "I'm not going to be opining as to any reports, hypotheticals or anything connected with their work."

Despite that pledge, Cantor was bullish in predicting agreement before the deadline and adding that a fallback requirement to cut $1.2 trillion from domestic and defense programs wouldn't be triggered.

The committee has been at work for two months, hoping to succeed at a task that has defied the best efforts of high-ranking political leaders past and present.

Despite intense talks late last week, there has been little indication of progress as age-old political divisions have re-emerged.

The principal stumbling blocks revolve around taxes on the one hand, and the large federal programs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security on the other.

Democrats are unwilling to agree to cuts in benefit programs unless Republicans will accept higher taxes, particularly on the highest-income individuals and families.

Republicans counter that out-of-control spending largely accounts for the government's enormous budget deficits, and they say raising taxes will only complicate efforts to help the economy recover from the worst recession in more than seven decades.

At the same time, each side is grappling with the possible political consequences of the committee's work, with an eye on the 2012 campaign for control of the White House and Congress.

Liberal Democrats are highly reluctant to agree to curbs on programs the party has long been identified with, and last week members on the supercommittee jettisoned an earlier proposal to slow the rise in cost-of-living benefits for Social Security recipients.

The same goes for conservatives, many of whom fear the possible political cost of changing their positions in order to pursue a less-than-certain bipartisan compromise on deficit reduction.

Many GOP office holders have signed a pledge circulated by Americans for Tax Reform not to vote for higher taxes. The organization is led by Grover Norquist, a conservative activist, although in comments to reporters Cantor suggested that influence by an outsider isn't the dominant concern.

"It's not about Grover Norquist. It's about commitments that people made to the electorate they represent, the people that sent them here. That's what it's about," he said.

Republicans on the committee hailed Toomey's proposal last week as a breakthrough and a concession that could open the way to a deal.

But Democrats were dismissive, saying it amounted to a tax cut in disguise for the wealthy ? the very taxpayers that they and Obama say should pay more. According to numerous officials, Toomey's proposal envisioned an additional $250 billion in revenue emerging from a sweeping revision of the tax code that would bring the top rate down from 35 percent to 28 percent while reducing or eliminating many commonly used itemized deductions.

In an interview on Sunday, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, co-chairman of the supercommittee said that while Republicans believe that higher revenues will hurt the economy, "within the context of the bipartisan negotiation with Democrats, clearly they are a reality."

He said that whatever "damage would be done by $250 billion of new taxes we think would be offset by a system that would help create jobs. And as we're dealing with the debt crisis, we don't want to make the jobs crisis even worse. So that's what has been put on the table."

Jordan, R-Ohio, posted his dissent hours later in USA Today, although he refrained from criticizing any Republican directly.

"Balance doesn't mean `half-right, half-wrong,' he wrote, referring to Obama's calls for a deficit-cutting plan that includes higher taxes and spending cuts. "It means you don't fall over." Jordan is chairman of the Republican Study Committee, an organization of conservative GOP members of the House.

___

Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor in Washington and Thomas Beaumont in Iowa contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111115/ap_on_go_co/us_debt_supercommittee

new jersey nets all my children online all my children online sly and the family stone sly stone the bling ring facebook news

First Oscars of season cap tumultuous week (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? The first Academy Awards of the season will be presented Saturday night, capping a tumultuous week that saw the abrupt departure and rapid replacement of the Oscar show producer and host.

James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith will receive honorary Oscars for their long film careers, and Oprah Winfrey will accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' third annual Governors Awards.

Presentation of the honorary Oscars at a black-tie dinner at the Kodak Theatre complex, where the Academy Awards will be held Feb. 26, follows this week's replacement of Oscar show producer Brett Ratner and host Eddie Murphy with Hollywood veterans Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal.

Winfrey's Hersholt award honors her philanthropic and humanitarian contributions, including her own namesake foundations and Academy for Girls in South Africa. The 57-year-old media mogul was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for 1985's "The Color Purple."

Jones and Smith will receive honorary Oscars for their outstanding careers.

Jones, 80, has worked in more than 50 films, including the voice of Darth Vader, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for "The Great White Hope." His other credits include "Field of Dreams," "Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October."

Smith was NBC's first makeup man when he started his career in 1945. He won an Oscar in 1984 for his work on "Amadeus" and was nominated again in 1989 for "Dad." Known as the "godfather of makeup," he also worked on "The Godfather," "The Exorcist" and "Taxi Driver." Smith also helped train many of today's top movie makeup artists.

The film academy launched its Governors Awards three years ago to pay tribute to winners of honorary Oscars ? prizes previously presented during the Academy Awards telecast. Governors from its 15 branches chose Saturday's winners.

Highlights from the untelevised event will be available online at Oscars.org and included in the Academy Awards telecast in February.

___

http://www.oscars.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111112/ap_en_ce/us_oscars_governors_awards

fracking fracking drosselmeyer drosselmeyer pacific standard time local time lsu football

Now Your Lego Creations Can Tweet For You [Lego]

Have you made something awesome with Lego Mindstorms NXT? A sweet walking robot, perhaps? Wouldn't it be cool if you could control it from work? Or to have it Tweet when something happens? Well, the future is now! More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_qjtst9wmCM/now-your-lego-creations-can-tweet-for-you

home depot center the replacements fleet week scarecrow festival scarecrow festival texas longhorns texas longhorns

Giveaway! Win a Prize Pack from 'Sweet Home Alabama'

CMT's dating reality show Sweet Home Alabama is like The Bachelor -- with a twist! In season 2 of the series, 11 city girls and 11 country girls are competing to win the heart of Tribble Reese, a handsome Southern guy from Alabama.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/giveaway-win-prize-pack-cmts-sweet-home-alabama/1-a-401064?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Agiveaway-win-prize-pack-cmts-sweet-home-alabama-401064

2011 election results 11/11/11 11 11 11 activision blizzard acrylamide 12 days of christmas advent calendar

Dogs help veterans cope with psychological war scars (Reuters)

NORFOLK, Va (Reuters) ? As the number of veterans grappling with the psychological scars of war mounts, a miniature Australian Shepherd named Jonas represents a newer breed of treatment for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jonas, a peppy 2-year-old, is a legal service dog, trained to scan owner Ian Lord for signs of stress or anxiety and respond with licks, cuddles and demands for pats.

Lord, a 25-year-old Air Force veteran in Norfolk, Virginia, credits his specialized pet with helping him cope with the mental aftershocks of war.

"He makes it a lot easier to recover from a trigger, like sounds of a helicopter overhead," Lord said. "The difference is, instead of getting wound up about it the rest of the day, it's like OK, go outside and throw a ball around, or just cuddle up to him a bit and kind of snap out of it."

The number of veterans receiving PTSD treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs rose from 254,930 in 2006 to 408,167 in 2010, an increase that could continue when 40,000 more U.S. troops return home from Iraq at year's end.

Psychotherapy and cognitive processing therapy, which includes education and awareness about symptoms, are the department's main treatment methods, said deputy chief consultant for specialty mental health Sonja Batten.

But other experimental treatments also are being used, including yoga, acupuncture, meditation and psychological service dogs like Jonas.

"There is an interest in the PTSD community in exploring a variety of different ways to approach the problem," Batten said.

The department doesn't know how many veterans are using service dogs as part of their treatment, and there is debate over whether the approach is beneficial.

PTSD dogs perform an exercise called "backing," where the dog walks directly behind the veteran and provides a sense of protection from unknown, imagined and frightening things, said Lynette Nilan, the department's strategic planning and measurement director.

"You kind of get into this (debate) of, is it in the patient's best interests to deal with those unfounded fears ...(or to) reinforce those fears by having a dog stand behind you to protect you from something that you really shouldn't have to be protected from," she said.

SERVICE DOGS FOR SERVICE MEMBERS

A new study is underway to determine whether psychological service dogs can help veterans overcome PTSD and, if they prove effective, to develop usage criteria and guidelines. The study will aim to pair at least 200 dogs with veterans in Florida and Colorado, Nilan said.

Carol Borden, executive director of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. in Williston, Florida -- one of the organizations taking part in the study -- said dogs are specifically trained according to an individual's needs.

"We talk to each veteran and find out exactly what their challenges are," she said. "There are multitudes of things we can teach the dogs to do, depending on each individual's circumstances."

Lord, who now works part-time while applying for graduate school, saw four years of active duty as a loadmaster in the Air Force, flying missions carrying troops and cargo into Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding countries.

He said he was diagnosed with PTSD after suffering "almost the stereotypical meltdown" in 2010, when a simulation-style training course stirred suppressed memories of getting shot at in Iraq.

Lord was removed from flight status and later was honorably discharged from the service for unrelated reasons, he said.

Jonas came into his life thanks to his wife Megan, a 23-year-old medical student. She had been training Jonas as a therapy dog for hospital patients, but it wasn't a good match, she said. Hospital dogs weren't allowed to lick, and Jonas did a lot of licking.

The couple noticed Jonas would start cuddling and licking Ian whenever he exhibited PTSD symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and sleeping problems.

That sealed the pooch's fate as a PTSD service dog. His service is prescribed by Lord's psychiatrist, giving Jonas the same legal rights of entry to businesses and public spaces as guide dogs for the blind.

"As soon as people hear he's a PTSD dog, the next thing out of their mouths is, 'Oh, thank you for your service, sir,'" Lord said. "They connect the dots pretty quickly."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Greg McCune)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/us_nm/us_veterans_ptsd_dogs

ron white alcs alcs miguel cabrera pay it forward pay it forward haunted houses