PFT: Future of Jets' Schottenheimer up in the air

Indianapolis Colts v Jacksonville JaguarsGetty Images

The story of the early phase of the 2012 offseason will come from Indianapolis, and it will focus on the payment of $28 million due and owing to Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on or about March 8.

Peter King reported during the NBC wild-card pregame on Saturday that the Colts and Manning may be amenable to pushing the deadline back.? On Sunday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN said that Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning each were ?emphatic? that there have been no discussions about moving the date.

In this regard, Manning holds the cards.? The March 8 trigger, which comes before the new league year begins, wasn?t selected accidentally.? Agent Tom Condon wanted Peyton to have the upper hand, forcing the Colts to fork over $28 million or cut Peyton loose.

If Peyton truly wants to stay with the Colts and if both sides agree come early March that he?s not yet healthy, it should be a no-brainer to bump the deadline deeper into the year.? But if Irsay intends, as Tony Dungy believes, to keep Manning ?if healthy? and also draft Andrew Luck, Peyton may want a new place to play.

I?ve said for months that Peyton won?t want the Colts to take Luck, not when they could trade the selection and get Peyton multiple players and/or draft picks aimed at helping Peyton win another Super Bowl or two.? Ordinarily, a player like Peyton would have no choice but to go along with whatever the team tries to do.? In Peyton?s case, if there?s any question about his health and if Irsay is skittish about the possibility of sending Manning?s total haul for two seasons north of $50 million with no guarantee he?ll ever take another snap, a decision to dig in could get Peyton his freedom.

And so Peyton may indeed be willing to delay the due date on the bonus ? if he gets an assurance that the first overall pick in the 2012 draft won?t be looming over the shoulder of the first overall pick in the 1998 draft.

It?s doubtful such an assurance could come.? As Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star explained this week on PFT Live, Irsay needs to think about the future, not the past.? Without Luck, the Colts could return to their hard-luck ways of the past.? Which could eventually cause empty seats to infiltrate Lucas Oil Stadium.

And which, as Kravitz fears, could put the Colts in line for a move to the place where the team Robert Irsay originally owed once played its home games.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/08/brian-schottenheimers-future-up-in-the-air-despite-jets-statements/related/

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UN has fears about militant groups in West Africa

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Reuters

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

United Nations - UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday met Nigeria's Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru as the UN expressed fears about militant groups in West Africa.

The two met just after ther release of a UN report which hinted at links between Boko Haram, the Nigeria group blamed for a series of attacks, and Al-Qaeda's affiliate in North Africa.

The report highlighted ?growing concern in the region about possible linkages between Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.?

A suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber attacked the UN headquarters in Abuja on August 26, killing 13 UN staff and 12 other people. Amid rising tensions, the group was blamed for the killing of eight people, including five police, in a pub in Potiskum in the northern state of Yobe on Tuesday, officials said.

?The secretary general and the foreign Minister discussed recent developments in Nigeria? and the investigation into the bomb attack on the UN headquarters, said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The Nigerian minister did not speak to reporters after the meeting.

But Ban and Ashiru also discussed the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Ban ?commended Nigeria for its crucial support? to Benin through joint patrols the countries are conducting along their common coastline to tackle piracy throughout the Gulf of Guinea.

Ban thanked the foreign minister for the support provided to a recent UN-African Union mission to the Sahel to assess the impact of the Libyan crisis on the region.

The two also discussed conflict in Somalia and Sudan's Darfur region, the spokesman said. - Sapa-AFP

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/un-has-fears-about-militant-groups-in-west-africa-1.1211120

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Lenovo's IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks start at an inexpensive $699, weigh a little more than the competition

If there's one thing we don't like about the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, it's that it's missing an SD slot, and starts at $1,200 -- a steep price when you can find many an Ultrabook for under $1,000. (Okay, that's two things.) And while the company isn't ready for a complete do-over just yet, it's clearly trying to fill some gaps in its lineup: the outfit just introduced the 13-inch IdeaPad U310 and the 14-inch U410, which will start at a relatively inexpensive $699. On paper, the IdeaPad U310 bears a strong resemblance to the U300s we reviewed two months ago, with 4GB of RAM, 1366 x 768 resolution, an eight-hour battery, Intel Wireless Display and a choice of Intel Core processors. But, it adds an extra USB 3.0 port, along with that all-important memory card slot. In exchange, you'll have to make some tougher choices regarding storage: you can opt for a 500GB hard drive or an SSD that tops out at 64GB of space.

The 14-inch IdeaPad U410 offers more of the same, though instead of Intel's integrated graphics offering, it packs an NVIDIA GeForce 610M card with 1GB of video memory -- unsurprising, given that the new ThinkPad T430u Ultrabook also has discrete graphics at a similar price. All in all, not too shabby for $700, though the trade-off for the extra ports and lower price is some extra padding: the 13-inch version tips the scales at 3.7 pounds, versus 2.95 for the U300s. (The U410 weights 4.2.) Then again, when these go on sale in May, we suspect they'll be plenty light for students looking to get a jump on back-to-school shopping. For now, we've got hands-on shots below and some impressions after the break.

Continue reading Lenovo's IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks start at an inexpensive $699, weigh a little more than the competition

Lenovo's IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks start at an inexpensive $699, weigh a little more than the competition originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/08/lenovo-ideapad-u310-u410-ultrabooks-announced/

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New research helps predict bat presence at wind energy facilities

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sherri Eng
sleng@fs.fed.us
510-559-6327
USDA Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station

ALBANY, Calif. -- An interactive tool developed by researchers from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) will help wind energy facility operators make informed decisions on efficient ways to reduce impacts on migratory bats.

Fatalities of migratory bats at wind energy facilities have become a frequent occurrence. Bat migration patterns are poorly understood and the relationship between fatalities at wind energy facilities and migratory behavior are still being studied. Previous research has shown that adjusting the operations of turbines can reduce the number of bats killed at wind energy facilities. However, this strategy has not yet been widely implemented.

Current research found that bat activity depends on time of year and a number of environmental conditions, such as wind direction and speed, air temperature, and moon phase. This suggests that there may be ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of mitigation measures. PSW ecologist Ted Weller and statistician Jim Baldwin developed an interactive tool that allows users to visualize how changes in date and weather conditions affect the probability of bat presence. The tool can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/wildlife/bat/batprob.shtml

"Increasing the wind speed at which turbines begin to spin and produce energy to the grid has proven to be an effective way to reduce bat fatalities. However, bat activity levels depend on more than just wind speed," says Weller, who led the research. "Our work demonstrates the use of a decision-making tool that could protect bats when fatality risk is highest while maximizing energy production on nights with a low chance of fatalities."

Weller and his research team used devices which detected the bats' echolocation calls, then linked the presence of bats to the weather conditions measured on-site on a given night. Researchers found that echolocation detectors placed at 22 meters and 52 meters above ground were more effective at characterizing migratory bat activity then those located closer to the ground. Moreover, multiple echolocation detectors were required to accurately characterize bat activity at the facility. They then built models to predict the presence of bats based on date and weather variables.

"Properly deployed echolocation monitoring can be an effective way to predict bat activity and, presumably, fatalities at wind energy facilities," says Weller. "These days, pre-construction echolocation monitoring is as common as meteorological monitoring at wind energy facilities, so the basic building blocks for these models are available at most proposed sites."

###

Researchers conducted the study at a wind energy facility in the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Area near Palm Springs, Calif. The study was a collaborative effort between government, industry, and a non-governmental organization to devise effective solutions to 21st century environmental issues. Cooperators included PSW, Iberdrola Renewables, and the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, with primary funding provided by the California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research program.

Findings from this study appear online in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Read the full article at: http://treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/39603

Headquartered in Albany, Calif., the Pacific Southwest Research Station develops and communicates science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and other benefits to society. It has laboratories and research centers in California, Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. For more information, visit www.fs.fed.us/psw/.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Sherri Eng
sleng@fs.fed.us
510-559-6327
USDA Forest Service - Pacific Southwest Research Station

ALBANY, Calif. -- An interactive tool developed by researchers from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) will help wind energy facility operators make informed decisions on efficient ways to reduce impacts on migratory bats.

Fatalities of migratory bats at wind energy facilities have become a frequent occurrence. Bat migration patterns are poorly understood and the relationship between fatalities at wind energy facilities and migratory behavior are still being studied. Previous research has shown that adjusting the operations of turbines can reduce the number of bats killed at wind energy facilities. However, this strategy has not yet been widely implemented.

Current research found that bat activity depends on time of year and a number of environmental conditions, such as wind direction and speed, air temperature, and moon phase. This suggests that there may be ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of mitigation measures. PSW ecologist Ted Weller and statistician Jim Baldwin developed an interactive tool that allows users to visualize how changes in date and weather conditions affect the probability of bat presence. The tool can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/wildlife/bat/batprob.shtml

"Increasing the wind speed at which turbines begin to spin and produce energy to the grid has proven to be an effective way to reduce bat fatalities. However, bat activity levels depend on more than just wind speed," says Weller, who led the research. "Our work demonstrates the use of a decision-making tool that could protect bats when fatality risk is highest while maximizing energy production on nights with a low chance of fatalities."

Weller and his research team used devices which detected the bats' echolocation calls, then linked the presence of bats to the weather conditions measured on-site on a given night. Researchers found that echolocation detectors placed at 22 meters and 52 meters above ground were more effective at characterizing migratory bat activity then those located closer to the ground. Moreover, multiple echolocation detectors were required to accurately characterize bat activity at the facility. They then built models to predict the presence of bats based on date and weather variables.

"Properly deployed echolocation monitoring can be an effective way to predict bat activity and, presumably, fatalities at wind energy facilities," says Weller. "These days, pre-construction echolocation monitoring is as common as meteorological monitoring at wind energy facilities, so the basic building blocks for these models are available at most proposed sites."

###

Researchers conducted the study at a wind energy facility in the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Area near Palm Springs, Calif. The study was a collaborative effort between government, industry, and a non-governmental organization to devise effective solutions to 21st century environmental issues. Cooperators included PSW, Iberdrola Renewables, and the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, with primary funding provided by the California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research program.

Findings from this study appear online in the Journal of Wildlife Management. Read the full article at: http://treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/39603

Headquartered in Albany, Calif., the Pacific Southwest Research Station develops and communicates science needed to sustain forest ecosystems and other benefits to society. It has laboratories and research centers in California, Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. For more information, visit www.fs.fed.us/psw/.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/ufs--nrh010912.php

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Dish Network adds video on-demand streaming for iPad, enhanced Thuuz Google TV app

While Dish isn't yet ready to officially reveal the details of its new "Hopper" multiroom DVR setup or any wireless broadband plans, it has announced the addition of video on-demand streaming to its Remote Access iPad app. For users with the Blockbuster @Home package or premium movie channels like HBO, they can log in with their Dish Online ID and be in business. The remote viewing portion has also been refreshed, with what we're told is an updated guide. For Google TV owners, it also announced an official tie-in with the developers of Thuuz to record the live sports programs it alerts users to. Check out the details in the press release after the break, as well as a few hands-on pics of the iPad app in our gallery.

Continue reading Dish Network adds video on-demand streaming for iPad, enhanced Thuuz Google TV app

Dish Network adds video on-demand streaming for iPad, enhanced Thuuz Google TV app originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/6Z0HrNiLY1o/

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ADHD Drug Shortage Pushes Parents to Seek Substitutes (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- If the current shortage of some drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has left you searching for something else for your child to take, experts suggest you choose a substitute carefully because the effects of these medications can vary widely.

For example, "generics can sometimes be less bioavailable [how much of the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream], and that can make it harder to get an exact dose match between medications," explained Dr. Eric Hollander, director of the Autism and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

"If the dose is too high, sometimes kids can get more withdrawn or weepy. If it's too low, they can't get adequate control of their symptoms during the day, and they can get a rebound later in the day. The new medicine may wear off faster. It's also not easy to switch from extended-release formulas to immediate-release," Hollander said.

The driving force behind the shortage is a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) policy that sets limits on the manufacturing of ADHD drugs, to limit the supply of these drugs to people who might use them illegally, according to a report by The New York Times. In some cases, drug companies manufacture both generic versions of ADHD drugs as well as the more expensive, branded versions, which can limit choices even further.

"This is the unfortunate result of well-intentioned policies combined with free market forces. It's a very substantial issue, and one that's affecting some families more than others," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park.

Whatever the reason behind the shortage, several drug companies that produce amphetamine products, including Adderall, have reported shortages to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And, companies producing various forms of methylphenidate are also seeing shortages.

Both Hollander and Adesman said they've had reports from parents that Adderall and its generic equivalent have been harder to get. They both suggest that parents call from pharmacy to pharmacy in their area to see which one might carry the needed medication.

If you can't find any pharmacy that has the medication you're looking for, let your child's doctor know. If the medication isn't available, they can first try another medication in the same class of medications. For example, Adderall is an amphetamine derivative. Vyvanse is another medication in that class. However, some insurance companies may balk at paying for medications that aren't on their preferred drug list, and you may have to pay a higher co-pay.

If there's a shortage of generic methylphenidate, the brand-name versions (Concerta, Focalin, Ritalin, Metadate and Daytrana) may be available.

There are also non-stimulant medications for ADHD, such as Intuniv, Kapvay and Strattera, that may be an option, Adesman said.

Dr. Michael Hobaugh has more experience than he'd like with having to switch children's ADHD medications. Most of his patients are on public insurance, which means he has to follow the state prescription drug formulary for these patients. And that formulary often changes several times a year.

"Sometimes, the switch is easy. It's very patient-dependent. Usually there is a similar product that's close enough, but some kids have trouble," said Hobaugh, who is the chief of medical staff at La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago.

"It can be a difficult trial-and-error process to figure out what works for some patients," he said. "Their lives aren't uniform from day to day. Is it a side effect of the medication, or does the child have a virus or stress, or maybe didn't get enough sleep? And trying to assess what the ideal medicine is for school readiness is difficult because there's so much you can't control. This introduces another factor you can't control."

There have been several ADHD drugs that have been difficult to get in the past year, Hobaugh noted, often because they're manufactured only by one company. That means if there's a production issue, there's no other manufacturer to fill in the gap.

"And, with generic drugs there may not be a whole lot of profit, so they're not a priority," he added.

Along with discussing the shortage with your child's doctor, Adesman suggested that parents can call or write the FDA, or a local government representative, and let them know that they're having trouble getting necessary medication.

"Patient advocacy is always important," he said. "It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease."

More information

Learn more about medications used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120107/hl_hsn/adhddrugshortagepushesparentstoseeksubstitutes

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Give slim kids higher marks, says French diet guru (Reuters)

PARIS (Reuters) ? Pierre Dukan, the nutritionist behind the popular but controversial Dukan diet, has suggested that France tackle child obesity by giving extra exam marks for slimness.

Dukan, who has sold 8 million copies of his diet book worldwide, made the proposal in a 250-page book called 'An Open Letter to the Future President', which he sent out on Tuesday to 16 candidates for France's presidential election.

The plan calls for high school students to be allowed to take a so-called "ideal weight" option in their final year exams, the "baccalaureat," under which they would earn extra points if they kept a body mass index (BMI) of between 18 and 25.

Those already overweight at the start of the two-year course would score double points if they managed to slim down over a period of two years.

"It's a fantastic motivator," Dukan told Reuters.

"The baccalaureat is really important in France. Kids want to get it, their parents want them to even more, so why not get them to work together on nutrition?"

Weight gain is becoming an increasing problem in France and experts say sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition are to blame.

World Health Organisation (WHO) figures show 50.7 percent of the population were overweight in 2010, including 18.2 percent classed as obese.

"There's a real problem. Since the 1960s the number of overweight people in France has risen from 500,000 to 22 million and it's going up every year," Dukan said.

"When you reach those levels, it's no longer a health problem, it becomes a political problem, and the leaders of the nation need to worry about it."

As well as the suggestion for students, Dukan's book, which will hit French bookshops on Thursday, contains a further 119 suggestions for the future president on ways to fight obesity.

One idea is the creation of a French fast-food restaurant serving more nutritional versions of the ubiquitous burgers and fries.

Dukan has earned an international reputation as diet guru to the stars, although his methods have drawn criticism from some health experts and weightwatchers who say his high-protein meal plan causes fatigue, bad breath and dizziness. But he is also a committed campaigner for the promotion of healthier lifestyles.

He recently met executives from McDonald's France with a suggestion for a healthy "McDukan" burger, made with low-fat meat and with oatmeal bread instead of the usual white bun. Unfortunately, the giant food chain turned him down.

"They were interested, but they said the public wasn't quite ready for it yet," he said.

The BMI, obtained by dividing a person's weight by the square of their height, is used as an indicator of the proportion of body fat. The WHO defines a BMI of 18.5 to 25 as normal, 25 to 30 as overweight, and over 30 as obese.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120106/hl_nm/us_slim_kids_marks

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Walls divide Cairo as revolt anniversary nears (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Nagaat Mohamed was sitting at the counter of the downtown Cairo stationery store where she has worked for three decades when the street outside erupted with tear gas and rocks last November. She locked the doors and fled.

When she returned three weeks later, the neighborhood had changed. Graffiti decrying Egypt's military rulers covered the buildings. The car horns and chatter of cafe patrons were gone. Strikingly, a wall of massive concrete blocks sliced the once-bustling street in two.

Security forces have erected four such walls in the streets connecting the protest movement's symbolic heart in Tahrir Square to state buildings, including the Interior Ministry and the cabinet, since the clashes with protesters in November.

The barriers stand as a stark symbol of the divisions that have appeared to grow more pronounced since Egypt's military rulers took over from President Hosni Mubarak, ousted by a popular uprising last February.

Gulfs have widened between the army and the young activists who sparked the revolt, between Islamists and liberals, and between various squabbling political factions -- all testament to the challenges Egypt faces as it enters a year scheduled to see a new constitution and handover to a civilian president.

"It's the first time I've seen anything like this," Mohamed, 55, said, glancing at the door of her dimly-lit store. "It's like we're living in Iraq, with the barriers between us like this."

The walls have helped impose at least temporary truces between security forces and protesters - at least 59 demonstrators have been killed since November - but they have also strangled the area's street life, redoubled already-snarling traffic and driven customers from local businesses.

Commuters, shopkeepers, residents, activists and pundits have reacted to the walls with a blend of anger, disbelief, laughter and even some relief, mirroring the conflicted feelings many have developed about the course the revolution has taken.

Almost everyone interviewed for this article said they hoped the barriers would soon come down, one way or another.

"All of this happens at our expense," Ahmed Shawky, a 35-year-old driver, said as he rerouted his taxi through Cairo's winding side streets. "Streets are closed, and then traffic comes from those streets and clogs the open streets. Everything gets squished," he said.

"We don't want these walls, and we don't want any trouble. Enough is enough. We're the ones whose work is suffering."

WALLS GO UP

Some parts of downtown Cairo now resemble militarized zones. Tangles of barbed wire mingle with burnt-out cars, armored personnel carriers stand in front of empty stores, and soldiers check the ID cards of people on their way to shop or work.

Many of the fast food and coffee chain stores on Mohamed Mahmoud Street - where the fiercest of November's clashes took place - had to shut down again, some having only recently replaced windows shattered during the first uprising.

Diehard protesters have staked their claim to the Tahrir side of the barriers, covering the area with vibrant graffiti. Some is light-hearted, as with one quoting Pink Floyd: "All in all, you're just another brick in the wall."

But most is more solemn. One black-and-white mural shows dozens of men and women with white bandages across their faces, a homage to protesters hit in the eyes with pellets or rubber bullets.

"Freedom is coming for certain," reads the writing on one of the walls, alongside another showing a stencil portrait of a police officer "wanted" for taking aim at demonstrators.

Some graffiti calls for people to boycott the parliamentary elections now entering their third and final stage, the first step in a countdown to a promised military handover to civilian rule by July.

Passers-by stop near the walls to pose for photos, or peek around the edges and ask the soldiers on the other side the quickest way around them.

As with the Berlin Wall and the Israeli "separation barrier" in and around the West Bank, the other sides of the walls are mostly bare. Soldiers and police, flanked by barbed wire, stand guard nearby.

Mohamed Elshahed, a doctoral candidate at New York University and commentator on architecture and urban planning in Egypt, compared the walls to barriers put up over the years around the British, Israeli and U.S. embassies, as well as the upscale communities that have sprouted in Cairo's suburbs.

"When previous walls were erected throughout the city, they too seemed odd, but with time, they were accepted into the city's daily fabric. The basic question regarding these various types of walls is: To whom does the city belong?" he wrote in the English language edition of Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm.

"This is not Baghdad. This is not East Jerusalem. Those standing on both sides of these walls are Egyptians. Those in power should never have allowed such walls to exhibit their inability to manage a just society."

MEASURED VIOLENCE

In September, security forces put up a barrier around the Israeli embassy to prevent protesters from storming it.

Since then, they have raised the walls after days of street battles in which protesters have thrown petrol bombs and chunks of pavement and security forces have fired tear gas, rubber bullets and, rights groups and activists say, live ammunition.

That is a far cry from the early days of the revolt, when demonstrators took to the streets chanting, "The people and the army, one hand." Now, demonstrators are more likely to chant, "The police and the army, a dirty hand."

Many activists, appalled by the death toll from what began as peaceful protests and by images of soldiers and police beating people even as they lay on the ground, have pointed to the walls as a tacit admission that authorities can or will not control their own security forces.

"It's obviously neither effective nor sustainable because the army simply will not be able to build a concrete wall in the face of every protest in every street in every city," Hossam Bahgat, a human rights activist, said.

"My guess is eventually they will realize they are simply incapable of dealing with civilian mass protests and they will prevent their troops from engaging with protests directly."

Others suggest that allowing some measured violence plays into the military's hand, allowing the generals to label the protesters as "thugs" bent on destabilizing the country.

It is a tactic activists say is calculated to play to the "silent majority," a purportedly vast constituency that values order and stability above revolutionary change.

Given the dearth of reliable polling data in Egypt, it is hard to tell how large this part of the population actually is, but there are hints the argument has found traction with many.

"As long as these people stay and keep making demonstrations like this, things aren't going to get better," Mohamed, the stationery store worker, said. "They need to give people a chance to work."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120105/wl_nm/us_egypt_walls

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