KC fans observe moment for violence victims

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, left, and coach Romeo Crennel stand together before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, left, and coach Romeo Crennel stand together before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs players stand arm-in-arm during a moment of silence before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

A Kansas City Chiefs fan holds a sign during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt pauses while talking to reporters before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli walks the sidelines before an NFL football game with the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Before the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their game Sunday, fans at Arrowhead Stadium observed a moment of silence for the victims of domestic violence and their families.

Not mentioned was Jovan Belcher, the Chiefs linebacker who killed his girlfriend and then himself a day earlier, across the parking lot from the stadium.

Barely more than 24 hours later, fans grilled, played catch and enjoyed beverages on an unseasonably warm and sunny day.

The festive atmosphere masked some of the pain Chiefs fans felt after hearing that Belcher had killed 22-year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, then drove to the team practice facility and turned the gun on himself. The couple had an infant daughter.

Coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli had tried to stop Belcher, and watched powerless as he shot himself in the head after thanking both of them for giving him a chance in the NFL.

"To have to witness that, I don't think you would wish that on your worst enemy," Chiefs fan Ty Rowton said. "That memory will never, ever leave them."

Missing from the sky above Arrowhead Stadium was the small plane that had carried a banner during previous home games calling for Pioli's firing. Fans, many of whom had been wearing black Chiefs apparel in recent games to protest the team's performance, turned out in red again.

"Now everybody's just in shock," Rowton said.

Arrowhead was less than half full, and quieter than usual, though the fans made some noise when Peyton Hillis scored a touchdown. The big running back took the ball over to the sideline, where he handed it to Crennel and gave the coach a big hug.

Chiefs fan Ben Cunningham, a 32-year-old who has missed only one home game in 23 years, said he feels sorry for the families and friends who now must endure the aftermath of Saturday's shootings, but not for Belcher.

"I don't have much sympathy for him," Cunningham said. "He caused a lot of heartbreak for a lot of people."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-02-Chiefs-Scene/id-8ee95d966d0b4804b0a745447b9eaa5b

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Napoleon's coded Kremlin letter sold for $243,500

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, auction house associate Jean-Christophe Chataigniera holds up a letter dictated and signed by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, auction house associate Jean-Christophe Chataigniera holds up a letter dictated and signed by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, auction house associate Jean-Christophe Chataigniera poses for a photograph next to a letter dictated and signed by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, a letter dictated and signed by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, a letter dictated by Napoleon in secret code that declares his intentions "to blow up the Kremlin" during his ill-fated Russian campaign is displayed in Fontainebleau, outside Paris. The rare letter, written in unusually emotive language, sees Napoleon complain of harsh conditions and the shortcomings of his grand army. The letter goes on auction Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

FONTAINEBLEAU, France (AP) ? A secret code letter sent by French emperor Napoleon boasting that his multinational forces would blow up Moscow's Kremlin has sold at auction Sunday for ?187,500 ($243,500) ? 10 times its estimated presale price.

A Paris museum, the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts, was finalizing its purchase of the Oct. 20, 1812, document with elegantly calligraphic ciphers.

The sale price, which includes fees, far outstripped the pre-sale estimate of ?15,000 ($19,500), according to Fontainebleau Auction House south of Paris.

Experts say the letter is unique, written in a numeric code that Napoleon often used to throw off would-be interceptors ? notably when he was conveying battle plans. The letter's content also revealed the strains on Napoleon of his calamitous Russian invasion.

"At three o'clock in the morning, on the 22nd I am going to blow up the Kremlin," the letter said, laying out his route of retreat and urging his minions to send rations to the towns to the west. "My cavalry is in tatters, many horses are dying."

Napoleon's prolific correspondence has drawn aficionados from around the world in places like the U.S., Britain, Japan and Russia. Interest appears to be rising as museums like the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts prepare to mark the bicentennial of Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

The Kremlin letter was but one piece in the vast auction Sunday. A 310-page manuscript for the "Essay on countryside fortification," which Napoleon wrote while exiled on the remote island of Saint Helena in 1818-1919, was also bought by the Paris museum ? for ?375,000 ($487,000), including fees.

Gerard Lheritier, director of the Paris museum, said it already has at least 1,500 letters, manuscripts or other writings linked to Napoleon Bonaparte. It recently acquired one from Japan that Napoleon had written to the Empress Josephine; it fetched ?600,000-?700,000, he said.

"We have many letters that are much more important" than the Kremlin one, Lheritier said by phone. He was unfazed that the price was far above the presale estimate, and speculated that the letter could have fetched ?250,000 ($325,000). "This is a nice letter because it's in code, and he's going to blow up the Kremlin ? so it's appealing," he said.

Vladimir Hofmann, a French artist of Russian descent who with his brother Andre also bid Sunday, said they'd wanted to purchase the letter for Russia's famed Hermitage museum.

"Why? You know, it's a question of perhaps nostalgia, perhaps patriotism, to return the thing ? very important for Russia and for Russian people ? to them," Vladimir Hofmann said.

Referring to such Russian interest in the letter, Lheritier said with a chuckle: "I prefer that it stays in France."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-12-02-France-Napoleon%20Letter/id-66ee868d20774a4a9e50ac1db12a05c3

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Belgium and Eurostat haggle over Dexia deal

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European statistics agency Eurostat and Belgium are at odds over whether a 2.92 billion euro ($3.80 billion) capital injection into ailing financial group Dexia should count towards the country's current budget, a spokesman said on Saturday.

Belgium plans to classify the money pumped into Dexia as an investment rather than a cost, and in so doing stop it from inflating its budget deficit.

In an initial finding, Eurostat has informed Belgium that this was not possible.

"It is only a preliminary recommendation, the start of a procedure which gives us time to explain ourselves," a finance ministry spokesman said, adding that Eurostat did not have all the necessary information yet to come to a conclusion.

He added that Belgium had until December 12 to bring forward its point of view.

In November, Belgium's federal government agreed an extra 3.4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) of tax hikes and savings to cut its 2013 deficit to 2.15 percent of GDP from 2.8 percent this year. These are both below the deficit limit of 3 percent set by the European Union.

Belgium aims for a balanced budget in 2015.

France and Belgium jointly provided 5.5 billion euros of capital to Dexia, once the world's largest municipal lender, to take almost full control of the group in its third bailout since 2008.

The Dexia deal will add to the country's sovereign debt, which is already near 100 percent of annual economic output.

(Reporting By Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Keiron Henderson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/belgium-eurostat-haggle-over-dexia-deal-170450581--finance.html

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Making families whole again - Health & Fitness - The Olympian ...

ADAM ASHTON | Staff writer ? Published December 01, 2012 Modified November 30, 2012

Chelsea Riley picked up a marker pen to answer the question, but she couldn?t stop at a single word. A small essay poured out, describing how she missed Capt. Ian Riley during the holidays even as she looked forward to his return by Christmas.

?He?s been going off and on since I was 7,? the 13-year-old explained.

One of Chelsea?s younger brothers had a simpler message about Dad?s return. He bounded up to the wall where children of deployed troops shared their thoughts and scrawled out: ?Excited.?

The Riley family?s anticipation echoes around Joint Base Lewis-McChord this winter. Banners hang along roads welcoming troops who left for tough missions in southern Afghanistan a year ago. Planes land almost daily, bringing back more and more Stryker soldiers ? about 8,000 in all.

It?s a joyful period for many Army families as the base south of Tacoma has its last big homecoming wave from a decade of war. But it?s also a challenging time as they reintegrate soldiers who spent the past nine to 12 months in a combat zone.

In this season, a child?s daydreams about getting the full attention of mom or dad can crash into the reality that it takes some time to calm down from the heightened senses of war, not to mention the exhaustion of the long trip home.

?They see their parent, they have all these created realities, and that?s not what happens,? said Norma Melo, Lewis-McChord?s youth education support services director.

?What happens is Dad?s lucky if he can get a shower and eat before he falls asleep,? she said.

Melo has a special touch with Army kids. She knows when to hug and how to draw out an honest remark. Her experience is personal; she lost her husband, Julian, a Lewis-McChord Stryker sergeant, in Iraq in 2004.

Her job gives her influence over school liaison officers and counselors supporting the families of Lewis-McChord?s 46,000 active-duty and Reserve service members.

Two-thirds of the local service members who responded to a South Sound Military and Communities Partnership survey last year indicated they have children. The partnership estimates that 1 in 5 children between Tacoma and Lacey have a parent working at the base as a civilian or service member.

From Melo?s standpoint, those children often go overlooked, especially compared with services provided to soldiers and their spouses.

?The one thing we don?t concentrate on is our kids,? she said.

She helped prepare dozens of Army children for their parents? homecomings last month at an exercise called Camp Arrowhead. It centered on children such as Chelsea Riley who have a parent in the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division ? Lewis-McChord?s ?Arrowhead Brigade.?

Melo kicked off the camp by inviting the kids to write words on a banner describing how they felt about their parents coming home. She put up a hypothetical example on the paper to set the tone for the day.

?Here?s mine ? I feel scary,? she told them. ?When dad left, he told me to be good, but I haven?t been so good.?

Kids were free to express feelings other than happiness about mom or dad coming home from Afghanistan. The messages they offered included ?worried,? ?weird,? and ?relief.?

Throughout the day, kids broke into small groups in which they played games and talked with counselors about what to expect at home.

Many had been through a deployment before. They looked forward to day trips, or doing fewer chores around the house once their family reunites.

?I?m going to be happy when he comes home because I won?t have to babysit so much,? said Kali Budd, who was anticipating the return of her stepdad, Cpl. Dan Stamper.

Jayson Roy, 16, expected Dad getting on his case about homework. The oldest of four children, he took on more responsibilities over the past year.

?I can?t wait to have him get on my butt about school,? said Roy, whose stepdad, Maj. Dave Polizzotti, was finishing up his third yearlong deployment.

?I?m losing concentration because of the war,? Roy said.

Last month, Chelsea Riley was looking forward to holidays with her dad and maybe a couple of trips to the bowling alley. Capt. Riley?s tour in Afghanistan was his fourth deployment since 2005.

Chelsea knew what to expect from his first days back in the house.

?When he comes home, he sleeps and eats my mom?s cooking,? she said.

Capt. Riley made it home by late November. The family relaxed for a few days and took their time getting back to their pre-deployment routines.

The officer and his wife, Bobbi-Jo Riley, started making their homecoming plan weeks before he returned. They discussed when he?d start to assert himself in the house, and how to balance the checkbook now that he?s not receiving combat pay.

They put much more work into their planning this time than they had in the past.

?You learn from each one, and you just get better at it,? said Capt. Riley, 34.

He led a company of soldiers in the 3rd Brigade?s 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment for part of his deployment. His troops often take direction better than his four kids.

?You ask your soldiers to do something, and they do it. You ask your kids to do it, and they don?t,? he said.

Bobbi-Jo Riley also thinks their planning paid off. She attended a ?spouse academy? for 3rd Brigade families in October at which she shared tips with other wives about how to adjust to having their husbands home.

?The same things happen every time, but sometimes you don?t think of it,? she said.

?They come home and they take their boots off at the door, and that?s the honeymoon phase.

?Three months from now, it?s ?Can he put his boots away???

She thinks Camp Arrowhead helped her children adjust their expectations and prepare for their dad?s return, too.

?The happiness is there, but without the time to reflect, you just focus on making posters,? she said, referring to the welcome-home banners families often make for soldiers. ?You forget you actually have to work at it.?

COMING SUNDAY

As thousands of local soldiers try to adapt to life back home, the military says it will do better at preventing them from falling through the cracks. What?s different this time?

Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646 adam.ashton@ thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/military @tntmilitary

Source: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/12/01/2338041/making-families-whole-again.html

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Rebecca Hall's 'Iron Man 3' role debuts in stills

Marvel

Rebecca Hall in "Iron Man 3."

By Josh Grossberg, E! Online

Tony Stark's latest leading lady looks in need of rescue.?New pictures of "Iron Man 3" are in the wild Friday via Marvel.com, and one of them gives fanboys their first look at Rebecca Hall's character, Dr. Maya Hansen.

Hall, best known for her role in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," looks to have gotten banged up in this pic, as she lies on the ground with a gash on her forehead.

Per Marvel lore, Hansen is a scientist and ex-lover of Robert Downey Jr.'s brilliant industrialist Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. It is Hansen who helps develop the Extremis virus, a nanotechnology serum that links Tony's mind and body to his metal suit as part of the military's long-held ambition to create a super-soldier.

Foreshadowing the difficult challenge that lies ahead for our heavy-metal hero, another photo shows Iron Man's mask with a big crack in it.

Marvel

The Iron Man helmet, damaged, in "Iron Man 3."

No doubt his mettle will be tested plenty in the form of arch-foe Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley -- though Tony will luckily once again receive a much-needed helping hand from good buddy Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle), otherwise known as War Machine, another pic of whom also surfaced in this latest batch.

"Iron Man 3," directed by Shane Black, hits theaters on May 3, 2013.?

Related content:

More in NBCNews Entertainment:

Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/30/15572015-fresh-iron-man-3-stills-offer-peek-at-rebecca-halls-character?lite

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HBT: Friday's non-tendered players

Here?s the running list of Friday?s non-tenders as we approach the 12 a.m. EST deadline.

American League

Angels: none

Athletics: OF Jermaine Mitchell

Mitchell had already been designated for assignment. He had a breakthrough 2011 in Triple-A, hitting .302/.401/.453, but he regressed to .252/.345/.386 for Sacramento last season.

Indians: 3B Jack Hannahan, LHP Rafael Perez, LHP Chris Seddon

The Indians seem to like Hannahan as a part-timer, but they paid him $1.75 million to hit .244/.312/.341 last season. Maybe he?ll be brought back for less if he doesn?t find the open market to his liking. Perez is a goner after shoulder surgery limited him to eight appearances last season, but there will be several teams interested in taking a flier on him.

Orioles: RHP Stuart Pomeranz, INF Omar Quintanilla, 1B Mark Reynolds

Reynolds says the Orioles didn?t even offer him a deal?after a down season in which he hit .221 with 23 homers in 538 at-bats. He could bounce back to 30 homers next year and he has more defensive value at first than he did at third, so some team could commit $8 million to him on a one-year contract.

Red Sox: RHP Scott Atchison, LHP Rich Hill, OF Ryan Sweeney

No Alfredo Aceves, though that seemed to be a given when he wasn?t let go prior to the purge of non-arbitration eligible players last week. ? Atchison was Boston?s best pitcher last season, finishing with a 1.58 ERA in 51 1/3 innings. Hill was also quite effective, amassing a 1.83 ERA in 19 2/3 innings after returning from Tommy John surgery. One gathers that the Red Sox will attempt to re-sign both, but there?s certainly no reason for either to accept minor league contracts. ? Sweeney hit .260/.303/.373 in 62 games last season before going down with a self-inflicted hand injury.

Royals: OF Derrick Robinson

Robinson reached Triple-A in his seventh season in the Royals minor league system, hitting .268/.344/.325 with 23 steals for Omaha. Even a future as a fifth outfielder seems unlikely at this point. He could be re-signed to a minor league deal.

Tigers: LHP Daniel Schlereth

A key component in the big Curtis Granderson-Max Scherzer-Edwin Jackson deal, Schlereth was supposed to develop into a big-time reliever after getting sent from Arizona to Detroit. However, his command has never come around and he missed most of last season with shoulder woes. The Tigers will try to keep him in the organization on a minor league contract.

White Sox: RHP Anthony Carter, 1B Dan Johnson

Carter was an intriguing relief prospect a couple of years ago, but he?s stumbled to 5.84 and 4.60 ERAs the last two seasons. Johnson would make for nice insurance for Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn, but he?s the kind of player the White Sox would much prefer to have on a minor league deal than occupying a 40-man roster spot.

National League

Braves: RHP Jair Jurrjens, RHP Peter Moylan

After two lost seasons due to back and shoulder seasons, Moylan wasn?t going to get much of a guarantee from the Braves. However, he?s healthy now and he should draw quite a bit of interest. ? That Jurrjens went 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 2011 has already been forgotten after a 2012 season in which he showed diminished stuff and got knocked around in 10 starts. No one was interested in acquiring him and paying him $6 million through the arbitration process, but now that he?s free, several teams will come calling.?

Brewers: LHP Manny Parra

Parra was nearly non-tendered last winter, but the team opted to give him one more chance. A full-time reliever for the first time, he had a 5.06 ERA in 62 appearances, though it did come with 61 strikeouts and just three homers allowed in 58 2/3 innings. He still has plus stuff, and several teams will think they can get better results from him.

Cubs: RHP Zach Putnam, RHP Jaye Chapman, 3B Ian Stewart

Stewart was known to be long gone after hitting .201/.292/.335 in 55 games and then missing the rest of the season with a wrist injury. In such a thin third base market, he could get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere in the spring. The two righties will likely be offered minor league contracts to stick around.

Mets: RHP Manny Acosta, RHP Mike Pelfrey, OF Andres Torres

Pelfrey?s non-tender was a given after he underwent Tommy John surgery. The Mets will likely attempt to re-sign him for about half of the $5.6875 million he made last season. ? Acosta shook off a horrible start to post a 1.78 ERA in the second half of the season. He would have earned $1.5 million or less in arbitration, so it?s disappointing the Mets didn?t bring him back. ? Torres will be looked at as a fourth or fifth outfielder after hitting .230/.327/.337 in his lone year with the Mets.

Nationals: C Jesus Flores, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, LHP John Lannan

(Not yet official, but Ken Rosenthal and several others are reporting.)

It seems like the Nationals are just throwing away a fair amount of talent here, but it must be that no one offered anything in trade. Lannan was likely due about $6 million in arbitration, Gorzelanny $3.5 million and Flores $1.2 million. Lannan is a lock to wind up in some team?s rotation next year after the Nationals allowed him to waste away in Triple-A for much of 2012. Gorzelanny had a nice 2.88 ERA in 72 innings out of the pen last season. Flores was a disappointment after initially stepping in for the injured Wilson Ramos, hitting .213/.248/.329 in 277 at-bats. Still, someone will want him as a backup.

Padres: LHP Juan Oramas

Oramas, who went 3-4 with a 6.37 ERA in eight Double-A starts last season, will miss at least the first couple of months of 2013 after Tommy John surgery. The Padres will likely re-sign him to a minor league contract.

(Unofficial: Brian Wilson (SFG),?Nate Schierholtz (Phi), Jeff Karstens (Pit))

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/11/30/fridays-non-tendered-players-continuously-updated/related/

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Thread: One seriously packed shop - Family Woodworking

This is one job. And the largest I've ever done.
A little fuzzy on the details, but from memory:
The job is all inset.
90%+ painted, the remainder is Birch, with one very small Maple butcher block in the kitchen.
84 Drawers, solid birch dovetailed drawers. Blum 562H slides.
88 Drawer Fronts, a bit less than 2/3rd's of which are five piece fronts.
7 Roll out trays, (mine are dovetailed)
2 Trash Roll Outs.
89 doors, flat panel, ogee sticking.
I think there's 42 boxes, I'm not sure on total footage.
There's at least a dozen wood tops.
PLUS! I had the monotony of making over 200 cedar brackets for under the eves, (I've got a bunch more to do next week for the detached garage). I don't know the architectural name for the part sadly.

My little shop, is cramped to begin with, the last couple of days as the last few boxes were being built, it was really tough to size doors/drawer fronts to the openings. Made for some long walks to edge sander for things that were in the far corners having to walk around everything.

Plus the shop is a flippin' mess. I hate a dirty shop. I sweep up almost every day, but haven't been able to do a thorough blowing out with the leaf blower in a few weeks, and that typically happens at least once a week. I like there to be little to no evidence other than the results of wood being cut.

From this point it is 55' to the overhead door!

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?29028-One-seriously-packed-shop

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