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TEHRAN (AFP) –
Iran said on Tuesday that five British sailors detained in southern Gulf waters by the elite Revolutionary Guards would be dealt with firmly if found guilty of what it called "ill intentions."

The five men on board an 18-metre (60-foot) racing yacht were detained last week by the Revolutionary Guards, the force's navy chief told the Fars news agency.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, said the way to deal with the Britons "arrested in the Persian Gulf by Iranian forces will be decided by the judiciary," Fars reported.

"If these people's ill-intention is proven, they will be dealt with seriously and firmly," he said, adding that Tehran had in the past dealt firmly with people who "entered Iran illegally."

Reacting to Mashaie's comments, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "there's certainly no question of any evil intent," insisting that the five were clearly innocent and saying that he hoped for a speedy resolution. Related article: Britons held in Iran 'tough', say families.

He also said the sailors' detention has "nothing to do" with politics or the stand-off over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme, which the West suspects has military aims despite Tehran's denial.

"This is a human story of five young yachtsmen," Miliband told reporters in London. "It's a consular case, which is being treated as a consular case by the UK, and I'm sure will be treated as a consular case by the Iranian authorities."

He said earlier on Tuesday that Britain has "no argument" with Tehran over the sailors and stressed that they were being treated well.

The seizure, which recalls the detention by Iran of 15 British navy personnel in the Gulf in 2007, comes amid already heightened tensions between Tehran and the West over Iran's nuclear plans.

The five were sailing from Bahrain to the start of a race in the emirate of Dubai when their yacht, "The Kingdom of Bahrain," was stopped last Wednesday in the Gulf, the Foreign Office said.

They are believed to have been intercepted near the Iranian-controlled island of Abu Musa, whose ownership is disputed by Iran and the United Arab Emirates, a Bahraini interior ministry source told AFP.

Miliband stressed that the latest incident was different from the one in 2007, which involved military personnel.

"It is important to say that these are civilians, not Royal Naval personnel," he said. "They are yachtsmen, they were going about their sport and it seems they may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters."

Revolutionary Guards navy chief Ali Reza Tangsiri told Fars that the Britons had been arrested by his forces.

"The British intruders have been arrested by the Guards' navy," he said, adding that "the movements in the Persian Gulf are under the supervision of Sepah (Guards)."

The yacht may have been drifted into Iranian waters after breaking its propeller en route to the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which started last Thursday, British media reports said.

Informed sources in London have named the crew as Oliver Smith, Oliver Young, Sam Usher, Luke Porter and David Bloomer.

On a visit to Seoul, Iran's Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi called for their release. "I believe the Iranian government has arrested them without warnings. They must be released as soon as possible," she told reporters.

Ebadi, a lawyer, said the Britons might have entered Iranian territorial waters by mistake. "In this case, maritime police should have escorted them out into international waters," she said through an interpreter.

Charles Porter said he had spoken to his 21-year-old son Luke on a mobile phone since the incident and that he appeared to be in good spirits.

"From what we understand there was an oilfield on their charts -- which is a restricted area -- so they chose to go one side of it," Porter said, adding the yacht may therefore have strayed too close to an Iranian island.

The Foreign Office said it could not say where the Britons were being held or if they were in prison.

In the 2007 incident, eight sailors and seven marines were captured on March 23. Britain insisted they were in Iraqi territorial waters, while Tehran said they were in Iranian waters. Related article: Other instances of Westerners detained in Iran.

During the 13 days they were held, the 14 men and one woman were not mistreated but they were paraded on Iranian television, sparking anger from Britain and other Western governments.

The term "stress" had none of its current general senses before the 1950s. As a semi-psychological term referring to hardship or coercion, it dated from the 14th century. It is a form of the Middle English destresse, derived via Old French from the Latin stringere – to draw tight. It had long been in use in physics to refer to the internal distribution of a force exerted on a material body, resulting in strain.

A broad biopsychosocial concept of stress and adaptation offered the promise of helping everyone achieve health and happiness by successfully responding to changing global challenges and the problems of modern civilisation. He coined the term "eustress" for positive stress, by contrast to distress. He argued that all people have a natural urge and need to work for their own benefit, a message that found favor with industrialists and governments. He also coined the term "stressor" to refer to the causative event or stimulus, as opposed to the resulting state of stress.

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LONDON (AFP) –
World champions South Africa suffered their third successive defeat on their European tour as Saracens fly-half Derick Hougaard kicked a late winning drop-goal at Wembley on Tuesday.

Sarries were 18-6 down at the break but they recovered thanks to early second-half tries by Ernst Joubert and Brad Barritt.

Hougaard, a former Springbok player, then downed his native country with a goal five minutes from time to complete a 14-point personal haul.

South Africa, who played a second-string side here, have now lost to Leicester and France on tour, and will look to turn around their fortunes against Italy this weekend.

They scored tries through Juan de Jongh and Jongi Nokwe (2), with Ruan Pienaar kicking their other points, but their second-half collapse will disappoint head coach Peter De Villiers.

"This victory is massively up there with previous great Saracens performances," gushed Saracens veteran Hugh Vyvyan.

"To beat South Africa at Wembley is just fantastic. Its great for some of us here because we don't often get the chance to play the great players like these."

An extra edge had been added to the game, labelled jokingly by some as South Africa ?B' versus South Africa ?D', because of some pre-match verbal jousting between the two respective bosses.

De Villiers on Monday accused Saracens director of rugby Brendan Venter of 'unethical' behaviour after the latter watched the South Africa squad in a skills session at the north London club's training ground in St Albans.

Venter, a former South Africa international, defended himself by insisting the players he watched were first-team stars who were not going to be involved on Tuesday, and sarcastically thanked De Villiers for the 'free advertising' his comments had attracted.

A crowd of 46,281 turned up to watch the match and a scrappy opening saw Hougaard and Pienaar trade penalties in the opening three minutes.

Pienaar then slotted over his second of the night, in the 16th minute, as the tourists, who lost prop CJ van der Linde to injury early on, started to turn the screw.

Moments later, only a superb last-ditch tackle by Noah Cato in the left corner prevented lock Andries Bekker from going over for the first try.

And as the one-way traffic kept on coming, captain Dewald Potgieter lost control of the ball 10 yards out with the line gaping.

A try was clearly imminent and it arrived in the 28th minute, De Jongh leaving Cato and Kameli Ratuvou in his wake as he bustled his way over on the left.

Pienaar missed the conversion, and then a penalty, but added the extras following the 38th-minute try by Nokwe, which was controversially awarded given the winger had run on to a ball that looked to have run free after a knock-on by team-mate Ashley Johnson.

The half-time entertainment saw a fan, Stuart Timmer win 250,000 pounds by punting the ball between the posts after it hit the crossbar from 35 yards out.

After his exploit, the supporter was handed a giant cheque, signed by Saracens owner Nigel Wray, who probably saw the profits of this Wembley venture disappear before his eyes.

Wray would have been cheered up by the start his side made to the second half.

Joubert's 44th-minute try came when he charged down a South Africa clearance before gathering the rebound to score.

The shell-shocked South Africans then conceded a second try 10 minutes later when England Saxons centre Barritt wriggled over from close range.

Hougaard's conversion made it 18-18.

Saracens' fans started to believe but in the 63rd minute, a well-worked move, which involved Wynand Olivier, Earl Rose and De Jongh, was finished off by Nokwe in the corner.

The conversion was missed and it would prove crucial. Hougaard booted a 70th minute penalty before landing the crucial drop with five minutes left.

SARAROGHA, Pakistan (Reuters) –
Pakistani forces have captured most main Taliban bases in their offensive in South Waziristan and will soon fan out into the rugged countryside to hunt for militants there, commanders said on Tuesday.

Soldiers have advanced faster than expected in their month-long offensive, seizing main roads and Taliban bases but militant leaders have apparently melted away while their bombers have unleashed carnage in towns.

The United States, weighing options for how to turn an intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan, has welcomed the offensive but is keen to see Pakistan tackle Afghan Taliban factions based in lawless enclaves along the border.

Chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told reporters on a trip to South Waziristan with the army that some militants might have slipped out the region but many were hiding.

"We still believe many are still here. They have gone to the countryside, the forested areas, to villages and into the caves," Abbas said.

"After taking complete control of the roads and the tracks, we are going to chase them in the forested areas, wherever they are hiding in the countryside," he said.

More than 500 militants had been killed in the offensive since October 17 while 70 soldiers had been killed, he said.

There has been no independent verification of casualties as reporters and other independent observers are not allowed into the conflict zone except on an occasional trip with the military.

The army on Tuesday took reporters to the captured Taliban bastion of Sararogha, where former Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed by a missile-firing U.S. drone aircraft on August 5.

Surrounded by barren, rocky ridges and cut through by dried-up streams, the settlement of mud-walled compounds was deserted of civilians. A security force fort that the militants captured was almost completely destroyed in the fighting.

HIDING IN CAVES

Soldiers displayed militant pamphlets including one on making bombs, captured ammunition and weapons, and pouched vests that suicide bombers pack with explosives and strap on.

Brigadier Mohammad Shafiq said his men had battled hard to capture the base: "Their defenses were well-constructed and we faced extremely tough resistance."

In the captured militant stronghold of Ladha, Brigadier Farrukh Jamal said his men had surrounded 35 militants hiding in forest-covered mountains nearby.

"They are hiding in caves and we will capture them soon or kill them," Jamal said.

Several rifle shots rang out and smoke rose over the slopes where the militants were hiding.

Jamal said his men had cut militant supply lines and would soon be advancing into deep forest to the west.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, visiting people displaced by the fighting, said he hoped the offensive would be over earlier than expected and civilians could go home.

U.S. President Barack Obama is hoping the Pakistani army will soon direct its attention to the Afghan Taliban factions and has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to go after them, the New York Times reported on Monday.

Abbas said the expected defeat of the Taliban in South Waziristan would create new conditions and opportunities.

"You have defeated the main, strongest terrorist organization of the area and it will create effects all around. It creates voids all around and will open more options for the state and military," Abbas said.

"Maybe you don't have to conduct more operations. By those effects you can achieve those objectives," he said.

(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

A bench is a piece of furniture, which mostly offers several persons seating. As a rule, benches are made of wood, but one can also find stone benches and benches made of synthetic materials. Many benches have arm rests. In public areas, benches are often donated by persons or associations, which may then be indicated on it, e.g. by a small copper plaque.

An open park bench in al-Mahdi Park, Tehran. the bench seat is a traditional seat installed in automobiles, featuring a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin. a punishment bench is used to have a punishee lie (and often be tied) down on for the administration of a corporal punishment, after which it may be specifically named, e.g. caning bench.

Garden Tables

Pool, generally played on a table with six pockets, including among others eight-ball (the world's most widely played cue sport), nine-ball, straight pool, one-pocket and bank pool.

Snooker, which while technically a pocket billiards game, is generally classified separately based on its historic divergence from other games, as well as a separate culture and terminology that characterize its play.

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ANKARA (AFP) –
Turkey urged Israel Friday to end the "humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza, saying ties between the two allies cannot recover if Palestinians continue to suffer and peace talks remain dead in the Middle East.

"Ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, reviving peace efforts -- both on the Palestinian and Syrian track, and most importantly -- reinstating a prevailing spirit of peace in the region... this is what we want," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters.

"When there is a return to the track of peace, these relations of trust (with Israel) will be re-established on the same level as before," he said.

Israel's ties with its chief regional ally took a sharp downturn last week when Ankara excluded the Jewish state from annual joint military exercises, prompting a rebuke from the United States.

The row flared Thursday as Israel summoned the Turkish envoy to protest a Turkish state television series which it condemned as "inciting hatred against Israel" and "not worthy of being broadcast even in an enemy state."

Davutoglu said that Israel's war on Gaza at the turn of the year "killed the peace perspective" in the Middle East and condemned ongoing turmoil in the devastated Palestinian enclave.

He made it clear Ankara was still bitter that the war also disrupted indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria that Turkey had mediated "with so much effort."

"As long as the human tragedy in Gaza continues, no one should expect us to be part of a military picture" with Israel, he said, referring to the scrapped military drills.

"Although no single rocket has been fired on Israel from Gaza over the past eight months, children in Gaza have no schools to go to, people have no homes to take shelter in," he said.

Davutoglu rejected suggestions that his government, the moderate offshoot of a now-banned Islamist party, was becoming anti-Israeli.

"The humanitarian situation (in Gaza) should be improved in the shortest possible time. How can wanting this amount to being anti-Israeli? This is a humanitarian attitude," he said.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said the television series that infuriated Israel had no political motive but conceded the plot might be "a bit exaggerated," Anatolia news agency reported.

The first episode, aired Tuesday, showed Israeli forces shooting a little girl and a newborn baby, and portrayed them as insulting and ridiculing Palestinians.

Arinc defended the production, saying its ultimate message when concluded would be one of peace.

Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay however disagreed, saying that "our artists and series must not fuel tensions... and create the impression that there are problems between our peoples as a whole."

Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy met with a senior foreign ministry official to once again convey his country's "disappointment and concerns" over the programme, Anatolia reported.

Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the latest developments "raised the question: what direction is Turkish policy taking? We hope it is toward strengthening peace and not extremists."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been at the forefront of international criticism of the Gaza offensive.

In an unprecedented outburst, he stormed out of a debate at the World Economic Forum in January, accusing Israel of "barbarian" acts and telling Israeli President Shimon Peres, sitting next to him, that "you know well how to kill people."

The Palestinian struggle for statehood enjoys widespread support in Turkey, both among Islamists and leftists.

In contrast to its souring ties with Israel, Erdogan's government has markedly improved ties with Syria and sought closer relations with Iran, an arch-enemy of the Jewish state.

NEW YORK – Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, will return to ABC's "All My Children" for the daytime soap opera's 40th anniversary.
Brian Frons, president of ABC's daytime unit, made the announcement Friday. "All My Children" will celebrate its anniversary on Jan. 5, 2010.
Ripa and Consuelos' episodes will air Jan. 4-5. It will be the first time either actor has appeared on "All My Children" since they left the show in 2002.
She is now co-host of the morning talk show "Live With Regis and Kelly."
Ripa says "Live With Regis and Kelly" will air behind-the-scenes footage next month of the couple's return to Pine Valley.
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ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co. The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Domestic Television distributes "Live With Regis and Kelly."
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On the Net:
http://abc.go.com/
http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/regisandkelly/index.html

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama won't walk away from the flagging war in Afghanistan, the White House declared Monday as Obama faced tough decisions — and intense administration debate — over choices that could help define his presidency in his first year as commander in chief.
The fierce Taliban attack that killed eight American soldiers over the weekend added to the pressure. The assault overwhelmed a remote U.S. outpost where American forces have been stretched thin in battling insurgents, underscoring an appeal from Obama's top Afghanistan commander for as many as 40,000 additional forces — and at the same time reminding the nation of the costs of war.
Obama's defense secretary, Robert Gates, appealed Monday for calm — and for time and privacy for the president to come to a decision.
Last week the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, called publicly for the administration to add more resources, which prompted a mild rebuke from Obama's national security adviser, James Jones, for lobbying in public.
Obama may take weeks to decide whether to add more troops, but the idea of pulling out isn't on the table as a way to deal with a war nearing its ninth year, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
"I don't think we have the option to leave. That's quite clear," Gibbs said.
The question of whether to further escalate the conflict after adding 21,000 U.S. troops earlier this year is a major decision facing Obama and senior administration policy advisers this week.
Obama also invited a bipartisan group of congressional leaders to the White House on Tuesday to confer about the war. And Obama will meet twice this week with his top national security advisers.
Divided on Afghanistan, Congress takes up a massive defense spending bill this week even before the president settles on a direction for the war.
Gates said Monday that Obama needs elbow room to make strategy decisions about the war — as the internal White House debate goes increasingly public.
"It is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right," Gates said at an Army conference. "In this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations — civilians and military alike — provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately."
Gates has not said whether he supports McChrystal's recommendation to expand the number of U.S. forces by as much as nearly 60 percent. He is holding that request in his desk drawer while Obama sorts through competing recommendations and theories from some of his most trusted advisers.
"I believe that the decisions that the president will make for the next stage of the Afghanistan campaign will be among the most important of his presidency," Gates said.
In trying to blunt the impression that the White House and military are at odds, Gates did not name names. But his remarks came days after McChrystal bluntly warned in London that Afghan insurgents are gathering strength. Any plan that falls short of stabilizing Afghanistan "is probably a shortsighted strategy," the general said.
For his part, Jones, a retired four-star Marine general, said of McChrystal's comments that is "better for military advice to come up through the chain of command," said Jones.
At issue is whether U.S. forces should continue to focus on fighting the Taliban and securing the Afghan population, or shift to more narrowly targeting al-Qaida terrorists believed to be hiding in Pakistan with unmanned spy drones and covert operations.
Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday the goal for the war remains to disrupt al-Qaida and prevent it from again threatening the United States, but they added that a reassessment of the means to do that is appropriate. Speaking to CNN during a rare joint interview with Gates, Clinton said a "snap decision" about the next step would be counterproductive. The interview will air Tuesday.
Gates and some other advisers appear to favor a middle path. A hybrid strategy could preserve the essential outline of an Afghan counterinsurgency campaign that McChrystal rebuilt this summer from the disarray of nearly eight years of undermanned combat, while expanding the hunt for al-Qaida next door.

"Speaking for the Department of Defense, once the commander in chief makes his decisions, we will salute and execute those decisions faithfully and to the best of our ability," Gates told the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army.

The top three U.S. military officials overseeing the war in Afghanistan favor continuing the current fight against the Taliban, and have concluded they need tens of thousands more U.S. troops beyond the 68,000 already there.

Officials across the Obama administration have acknowledged that the Taliban is far stronger now than in recent years, as underscored by the U.S. deaths in Nuristan province.

The fighting Saturday marked the biggest loss of U.S. life in a single Afghan battle in more than a year. It also raised questions about why U.S. troops remained in the remote outposts after McChrystal said he planned to close down isolated strongholds and focus on more heavily populated areas as part of his new strategy to focus on protecting Afghan civilians.

Also being considered as part of a potential force increase is the impact on troops who are already stretched thin from fighting in two wars. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told reporters that he cannot rule out extending the length soldiers are sent to fight — from 12 months to 15 — although "I would hope we don't get there."

Casey also signaled that the year that soldiers are currently guaranteed at home between deployments could be at risk.

"Simple math: The more troops you have deployed, the less time they'll spend at home," Casey said Monday.

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Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Jennifer Loven contributed to this report.

Don't believe what you read about Iran's nuclear program. We know as much about it as we did about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Iran could test a nuke next week, or not for another 20 years. It all depends on who you want to believe.
The Israelis imply that Iran is a few turns of a screwdriver away from completing its nuke. Britain says Tehran has been working hard on a design "since late 2004 or early 2005" and is "close" to having a bomb. The U.S., in a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, says Iran stopped working on a bomb in 2003 but could restart that work at any time. The Iranians, of course, say they're not working on one at all. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which inspects Iran's nuclear facilities, says it has found no evidence of a bomb program but sees grounds for suspicion as to Iran's ultimate intent. (See pictures of terror in Tehran.)
One reason the estimates are all over the canvas is that Iran, like Iraq, is one of the world's worst countries in which to establish facts. It's a vicious police state dedicated to stopping its national-security secrets from leaking. The few journalists and academics allowed into Iran are sharply circumscribed in their contacts and the places they can visit. The quickest way to be arrested or escorted out of that country is to ask questions about its bomb. Western diplomats and intelligence operatives have only marginally better access. The IAEA knowledge of Iran's nuclear programs is limited to what Iran wants to let it know - although it keeps a close eye on Iran's main enrichment plant at Natanz, it had no idea until a week ago that a second plant was under construction. And that may not be the only secret facility. (See the top 10 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[EN]isms.)
Another reason for the different estimates is that Iran has multiple nuclear programs. We are likely to find out that the nuclear facility revealed recently near Qum is under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Long suspected of building its own bomb, the IRGC has a well-funded, experienced, clandestine procurement network capable of buying and operating centrifuges to enrich uranium as well as building triggering devices. The IRGC already possesses missiles that could deliver a nuke.
Our knowledge of any Iranian nuclear bomb, with only a little exaggeration, is reduced to Google maps, the words of exiles with axes to grind and shady defectors, and studies by think tanks as ill informed as the rest of us. (Read "Power to Chaos [EM] Tracking Iran's Four-Month Slide.")
Not that it's any consolation, but our knowledge about Iran's nukes has always been bad. Since the Shah was in power, the U.S. and Israel put out an estimate every couple of years that Iran was four or five years away from a bomb. But no one ever knew or attempted to explain why Iran ultimately didn't build one - mainly because no one was certain as to why.
And then there is the possibility that Iran is playing us in all of this. It wants the world's attention. It wants to be taken seriously. It wants to sit at the table with the G-20. And there's no better way to do this than scaring us with the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran.
See TIME's Pictures of the Week.
See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.
View this article on Time.comRelated articles on Time.com:Was Bush Behind the New Iran Report? For Obama, the Clock on Iran Is Ticking Talking With Iran: Chances for a Breakthrough Are Low Iran Nuclear Talks in Geneva: So Far, So Good The Pentagon's Message on Iran: Don't Panic

This weekend "Saturday Night Live" opened with Fred Armisen as President Obama, delivering an address from the Oval Office. Noting up front that he'd failed to secure the 2016 Olympic Games for Chicago, Armisen's Obama said it was just further proof that his detractors' fears are unfounded: How could he transform the country into something resembling the former Soviet Union or Nazi Germany when he's failed to accomplish anything at all? "When you look at my record," he said, "it's very clear what I've done so far, and that is nothing."

But are SNL's accusations of Obama being a do-nothing president accurate? Let's run down the list of the nine promises SNL lampooned President Obama for doing "nothing" on to see where he actually stands.
1. Close the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay: In one of his first acts as president, Obama signed an order mandating the close of the notorious lockup by January 2010. On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser James Jones said that he was "hopeful" that the White House would meet that deadline. Several legal and logistical questions remained to be answered, however, including the fate of the remaining detainees.2. Pull all troops out of Iraq: In February, Obama told congressional leaders that he wanted all troops out of Iraq by August 2010. On June 30th of this year, a large number of troops were pulled out of the country, a move that was understated here in the U.S., but was met by dancing in the streets in some parts of Iraq. At the time of the withdrawal, the American military leadership refused to put a number on how many troops remained, though some have estimated that number remains as high as 124,000.3. Improve the situation in Afghanistan: In a recent interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," General Stanley McChrystal, America's top commander in Afghanistan, said that things had become "a little worse" than he had originally anticipated in Afghanistan, adding that "the breadth of the violence, the geographic spread of violence, is a little more than I would have gathered." Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, and last Sunday saw the deadliest single battle for American soldiers in Afghanistan since 2001. The administration is currently divided over how to change course in Afghanistan, weighing McChrystal's request for 40,000 more troops against other options.4. Reform the nation's health care system: This year's health care reform debate has been one of the more contentious debates in American history. Originally, the president set an August deadline for Congress to pass legislation for him to sign. That obviously didn't happen. However, on Friday night the Senate Finance Committee finally released its mammoth health care bill, setting the stage for an even more intense national debate with a floor vote potentially coming as early as the middle of this week.5. Cut down on global warming: Prior to the onset of the raucous health care reform debate, the centerpiece of the Administration's efforts to stem the increase of global warming, the Cap and Trade bill, was on the legislative fast-track. However, over the weekend Carol Browner, Obama's global warming czar, said that passage of the bill prior to December's Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was unlikely. 6. Reform the nation's immigration policies: In August, President Obama, under intense pressure from supporters for not moving fast enough on the issue, announced that he would have an immigration bill in Congress by the end of the year, though it likely wouldn't be voted on until 2010. Saying that "demagogues" who "suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable" would attempt to obstruct his efforts, the president added, "Am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No."7. Changing the military's policies on gay soldiers: In his first week in the Oval Office, President Obama announced that his Administration would have to study the "implications for national security" before he could attempt to repeal the present "don't ask, don't tell" policy initiated by the Clinton administration in 1993. On Sunday, White House National Security Adviser James Jones reiterated Obama's commitment to fulfilling this campaign promise, but added that the president has "a lot on his plate" and would get around to addressing the issue at the "right time."8. Placing limits on executive powers: In the early days of his presidency, Congressional Quarterly praised Obama for appearing as if he was "rejecting some of Bush's most expansive executive power claims" in the White House. However, that sentiment quickly evaporated among Obama supporters and opponents, with Salon's Glenn Greenwald noting in April that the White House had "explicitly claimed to possess the very presidential powers that Bush critics spent years condemning as radical, lawless and authoritarian."9. Prosecute those who facilitate torture: In April, President Obama announced that his Administration would not bring charges against those who carried out acts deemed as torture upon U.S. terror detainees, but rather might seek to prosecute the Bush Administration officials who drafted the documents justifying the use of torture as lawful. In August, Attorney General Eric Holder followed through by announcing the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate whether or not the interrogations of suspected terrorists broke any laws. So, taking all of this into consideration, are SNL's satirical criticisms of President Obama's do-nothingness valid? Probably not, mainly because, as illustrated by the old adage about how one shouldn't watch sausage or legislation get made, the process of "change" and getting anything done in Washington is a long and messy one, and Obama is merely nine months into his term as president. But that doesn't mean that Saturday's SNL skit was humorless, which, for once, it most definitely was not.

-- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.

WASHINGTON – Medical providers, businesses and other groups battling over a health care overhaul have spent more than $100 million this year on television advertising — an enormous sum that highlights the stakes involved.
Evan Tracey, who heads a private data tracking company called the Campaign Media Analysis Group, says spending on TV ads on the issue hit $110 million as of Sunday. It's averaged $1.1 million daily in the past week as Congress has stepped up its work on overhaul legislation.
About $47 million has been spent for ads favoring a health overhaul and another $32 million has gone to opposing the effort. The rest has been spent for ads that talk generally about health care.
Big spenders include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AARP.

HRT is available in various forms. It generally provides low dosages of one or more estrogens, and often also provides either progesterone or a chemical analogue, called a progestin. Testosterone may also be included. In women who have had a hysterectomy, an estrogen compound is usually given without any progesterone, a therapy referred to as "unopposed estrogen therapy". HRT may be delivered to the body via patches, tablets, creams, troches, IUDs, vaginal rings, gels or, more rarely, by injection. Dosage is often varied cyclically, with estrogens taken daily and progesterone or progestins taken for about two weeks every month or two; a method called "sequentially combined HRT" or scHRT. An alternate method, a constant dosage with both types of hormones taken daily, is called "continuous combined HRT" or ccHRT, and is a more recent innovation. Sometimes an androgen, generally testosterone, is added to treat reduced sexual desire/(libido). It may also treat reduced energy and help reduce osteoporosis after menopause.

HRT is often given as a short-term relief (often one or two years, usually less than five) from menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, irregular menstruation, fat redistribution etc.). Younger women with premature ovarian failure or surgical menopause may use hormone replacement therapy for many years, until the age that natural menopause would be expected to occur.

Natural Hormone Replacement

SAN FRANCISCO – A former aide to Danielle Steel is facing time in federal prison after admitting she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the romance novelist.
Federal prosecutors announced Monday that 47-year-old Kristy Watts, who also goes by the name Kristy Siegrist, pleaded guilty last week to one count of wire fraud and four counts of tax evasion.
Prosecutors say Watts admitted stealing at least $400,000 while handling accounting and other duties for Steel.
Watts worked for the best-selling author from 1993 to 2008.
Investigators determined Watts had deposited checks from Steel's accounts into her own account and used Steel's credit cards for herself.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 4 in federal court in San Francisco.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle

BRUSSELS (AFP) –
Speculation was rife in Belgium on Tuesday that former world No.1 Justine Henin was set to announce she was ending her retirment and would play again on the WTA circuit.

Newspapers were full of the story saying that the 27-year-old Henin, who walked away from the sport in May, 2008 while still atop the world rankings, would announce her return live on national television during the evening.

There was no word, one way or the other, however, from her family, friends or associates.

Talk of a Henin return started last month when it became known that she was back in training to play in exhibition matches in Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai at the end of the year.

Then there was the stunning success of compatriot and old rival Kim Clijsters who won the US Open in New York on September 13 just five weeks after she ended two years of retirment during which time she married and had a baby.

La Derniere Heure wrote that Henin had been in training for three mnonths and that she had reformed her coaching and fitness teams.

The paper pointed out that to meet anti-doping rules, any player who planned to return to tennis needed to inform the authorities at least three months beforehand.

Le Libre Belgique sounded sure that Henin would end her retirment and already salivated over the prospect of her and Clijsters once again joining forces to play for Belgium in the Fed Cup competition.

Le Soir was more cautious saying only that "Justine Henin will break her silence" and could "possibly confirm the rumours of her return that have been circulating for the past three months in newspapers and on the internet."

"Will Justine follow the same road as her eternal rival Kim Clijsters?" the paper asked. "She will make it known on television this evening."

Born in the city of Liege in the French-speaking part of Belgium, Henin burst onto the international scene in 2001 with three WTA tour victories.

Small in stature but gifted with a fabulous one-handed backhand, a great all-round game and a tough mentality, she went on to win seven Grand Slam titles in the next seven years - four French Opens, two US Opens and one Australian Open - as well as two WTA Tour Championships.

She won a total of 41 WTA Tour titles and held the world No.1 spot for 117 non-conscutive weeks, a position she had when she retired on May 14, 2008 citing a succession of injuries and a desire to live a life away from tennis