Ariel Sharon, Fierce Defender of a Strong Israel, Dies at 85

FoxNews.com

 "My thoughts are with the Sharon family as they sit in vigil with the former prime minister of Israel, Arik Sharon," Kerry said, referring to Sharon by his nickname. "We remember his contributions, sacrifices he made to ensure the survival and the well-being of Israel, and I have many personal thoughts about my meetings with him on many different occasions -- always robust and strong and clear about his positions."

Sharon, an iconic figure who fought in three wars before entering politics, was elected prime minister in 2001. He suffered a stroke in January 2006, at the height of his political power, and remained comatose since then.

However, in 2011 his son Gilad told the New York Times his father could move his fingers when he asked him to, adding, "I am sure he hears me."

In the months leading up to his stroke, longtime hardliner Sharon had shocked his political base by expelling Jewish settlers from 21 Gaza settlements and from four on the West Bank

He also resigned as head of the Likud party and formed a new centrist party called Kadima ("Forward").

Sharon's longtime rival and current prime minister, Netanyahu, was elected his replacement as head of Likud.

Sharon suffered a mild stroke in December 2005 and was released from the hospital after two days. A little more than two weeks later he suffered a massive intra cerebral hemorrhage from which he never recovered.

Sharon's deputy, Ehud Olmert, was elected prime minister two months later.

Sharon was born February 26, 1928 in the then British Mandate of Palestine to a family of Lithuanian Jews. By the age of 10 he had entered the Zionist youth movement Hassadeh and later the Haganah, the military precursor to the Israel Defense Forces.

His military career flourished as he became a commander in the Israeli army, celebrated as a military strategist.

He was an instrumental figure in the 1956 Suez War, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and as Minister of Defense directed the 1982 Lebanon War.

Sharon joined the Likud party after retiring from the military, serving in a number of ministerial posts and then as party leader in 2000 before becoming prime minister from 2001-2006.

Widowed twice, he is survived by his sons Gilad and Omri. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Religious people take fewer sick days and are less anxious

By EMMA INNES

People who are religious are healthier and take fewer sick days, new research suggests.

They are also less stressed and anxious at work, the researchers found.

Experts believe this could be because spirituality offers a ‘buffer against strains’ of modern life.

A psychologist at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Stockport found that the more religious a person is, the less likely they are to suffer from anxiety, depression or exhaustion.

Dr Roxane Gervais also discovered that employees who are religious feel their lives have more meaning than those who are not.

Dr Gervais surveyed workers in a bid to discover how happy they are in their home and working lives.

She found those who attend religious services feel more content within themselves and that they feel connected to a higher being.

Dr Gervais told The Telegraph: ‘As the pace of work and life accelerates, people long for meaning, and the younger generation in particular is looking for more than just a big pay cheque at the end of the month.

‘My research shows that religiosity in the workplace may act as a resource, making people more resilient to cope with the many challenges of working life. 

‘Such personal beliefs could be very helpful not only for employees, but also for employers providing people with a buffer zone.’

 

As a result, she says employers should be encouraged to be understanding and supportive of their employees’ beliefs.

Dr Gervais’ findings are to be presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology’s in Brighton.

Workers who are religious are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. They are also more likely to feel as though their life has meaning.

The research comes just after it was revealed that people who have a spiritual side have a 'thicker' section of brain tissue than those who do not.

The research, from Columbia University, also suggested that this thickening of the brain’s cortex could help to stave off depression.

The study authors believe this could suggest being religious changes the structure of the brain in a way which reduces depression risk.

‘Duck Dynasty’ Scramble Leaves A&E With Egg On Its Face

Brian Lowry

TV Columnist

@blowryontv

A&E put itself between a “Duck” and a hard place. And having backtracked from its temporary lack of quack, let the public-relations scrambling begin.

The network might have acted precipitously in suspending Phil Robertsonfor his inflammatory remarks regarding gays (and equally insensitive ones about African-Americans in the Jim Crow-era South), but it clearly didn’t have an end game in mind. And once the network demonstrated that it was displeased with Robertson’s statements, unless it was truly willing to strangle its golden goose, there was really nowhere to go from there.

So the network issued a mealy-mouthed statement Friday, promising to run a public-service campaign about tolerance and inclusiveness. One suspects the network will also be less eager to arrange interview opportunities for Robertson, which of course won’t prevent him from going out and speaking his mind, especially now that he’s a hero to many conservatives.

After all, if this episode proves anything, it’s that faced with the possibility of derailing its top-rated series, the channel has webbed feet of clay.

To reiterate the obvious, those who turned this into a free speech crusade clearly had a political agenda. Robertson had every right to express his opinions, and the network was free to distance itself from those remarks – and from him – if they felt his statements, as someone affiliated with A&E, damaged its brand and image.

That said, there are a few lessons here, beginning with the fact that networks responsible for reality TV shows get into bed with people of questionable beliefs and character all the time. Witness CBS’ embarrassment this summer over racist comments made by contestants on “Big Brother.”

A&E also appeared not to anticipate the blowback from those who share Robertson’s views, and how suspending him would be perceived among religious conservatives who already feel besieged by popular culture. Beyond making up a disproportionate share of the “Duck Dynasty” audience, such people also regularly complain about having relatively few options on TV where the “characters” profess to share their values.

Of course, reinstating Robertson won’t put the issue to rest. Indeed, advocacy groups who object to his participation in the program will no doubt have a word or two to share with A&E’s advertisers. And that, too, is their right.

While the impact of such campaigns is generally limited, time is not on “Duck Dynasty’s” side – or for that matter, on Robertson’s. People grow tired of reality shows sooner or later, and the tide of social conservatism Robertson espoused in regard to gays is also in gradual retreat, particularly if the views of younger people are any guide.

As for A&E, the network clearly misjudged the volatility of the culture wars — as well as the intoxicating media allure of mixing a popular TV show with political controversy — while demonstrating the tension that can exist between picking your friends and picking your reality-TV stars.

Because once A&E decided to do more than simply say “We do not share Phil’s views,” there was almost no way to escape this mess without winding up with egg on its face.

FILED UNDER: A&EBig BrotherCBSDuck DynastyPhil Robertson

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas

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Wildlife Experts Perplexed Over Dozen Dead Bald Eagles

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (CBS Las Vegas) – Wildlife experts cannot seem to figure out why so many bald eagles have been dying in Utah.

There have been 12 reported cases so far this month, with the latest coming this past weekend.

“It’s frustrating and heart breaking,” Leslie McFarlane, wildlife disease coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, told KSL-TV. “It’s really hard because you want to be able to do something right now and we just can’t.”

“It’s hard to watch,” DaLyn Erickson-Marthaler, an employee at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah, told KSL. “It’s really frustrating to not be able to know what we’re treating, what we’re seeing, if we can even treat it at all.”

The only thing the experts know for sure is that all the eagles were experiencing the same symptoms.

“They were showing signs of body tremors, they would have seizures, they appeared to be paralyzed, and they had weakness in their feet and in their legs,” Erickson-Marthaler added to KSL.

The Division of Wildlife says this is the time of year eagles migrate from other states to Utah and are usually seen near the Great Salt Lake.

It is concerning to them that the dead birds were all discovered in one area.

“Usually if you have something, say like a poisoning or something like that, usually you find them in small geographical areas or something along those lines,” McFarlane told KSL.

The wildlife experts have sent the dead eagles off to be tested but do not expect the results back until the end of the year.

“Even then, even when we do find out what it is, it may be something that we can do nothing about,” McFarlane added.

Network quiet amid petitions calling for boycott over 'Duck Dynasty' move

By Breeanna Hare, CNN
(CNN) -- While boycott petitions against "Duck Dynasty" home A&E take off, the network itself is staying quiet.

Since its Wednesday decision to "indefinitely" suspend Phil Robertson, one of the stars of its highly rated reality series, A&E has yet to publicly clarify what the future of the show might be, what they'll do with their block of reruns, or even what it really means to be "indefinitely" suspended.

The network's lack of communication has done nothing to stem the tide of detractors who strongly disagree with its decision to put Robertson on the bench over remarks quoted in GQ magazine, in which he called homosexuality a sin, citing the Bible. A Change.org petition demanding that Robertson be reinstated and the network issue an apology was steadily climbing toward 100,000 signatures Friday.

A separate petition at a website called IStandWithPhil.com makes a similar appeal. Hosted by the online community Faith Driven Consumers, the website helps its members spend their money with companies that fall in line with their spiritual beliefs. The petition on IStandWithPhil.com had surpassed 130,000 signatures by Friday evening.

Those who've signed the IStandWithPhil.com petition are asking for their "views (to) be treated with equality and respect in America's rich rainbow of diversity," and for the "network to immediately reinstate Mr. Robertson to 'Duck Dynasty,' and to formally apologize to him, his family, and the millions of viewers who tune in every week, stand by him, and share his worldview."

"While the LGBT community may be offended by his opposing viewpoint," that webstite continues, "your rash, discriminatory, and unfair treatment toward Mr. Robertson -- a recognized symbol of the faith community -- is a slap in the face to Faith Driven Consumers and everyday Americans alike."

Both websites are urging people not to watch A&E programming in the meantime.

So far, the number of petitioners doesn't compare with the millions that "Duck Dynasty" has drawn to A&E -- its fourth-season premiere in August set a record with 11.8 million watching, and the season finale in October brought in 8.4 million -- but those signatures would give any network exec flop sweat. Especially when the rest of the Robertson family has stoked the fire with a statement that suggests the future of the show might be in jeopardy.

"We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm," the family said in a statement. "We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of 'Duck Dynasty.'"

According to CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter, conventional wisdom in the industry holds that this current disagreement between A&E and the family will resolve itself in time, in part because the two sides benefit so much from being in business with the other. A person with close ties to A&E noted that the Robertson family is under contract, thereby reducing the chances that the family will show up on another channel anytime soon.

An A&E executive who spoke to Stelter on condition of anonymity, because the channel was avoiding any new public comments about the controversy, said that conversations with the Robertson family would likely resume after the Christmas holiday.

"Everybody just needs to take a breath," the executive said.

The A&E executive insisted that there has been no second-guessing at the channel about the decision to suspend Phil Robertson.

All of which gives rise to the question: What would happen to A&E were "Duck Dynasty" to go away? This is, after all, the show that helped the network to raise its total viewership 10% this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Stelter can't see the Robertsons or A&E wanting to end the televised hunting-business fun so soon, but if it were to happen, it would undoubtedly be a blow to the network, he said.

"There's just nothing else on the channel that's nearly as popular as new episodes of 'Duck Dynasty,'" Stelter said. "It would be like AMC losing new episodes of 'The Walking Dead' or like Fox losing 'American Idol.' That's why it is very, very unlikely. The show is hugely important for the channel and for the family. Not just Phil, but the whole family," which, Stelter notes, isn't affected by the suspension.

Given that Robertson is "a main character" on the fifth season, which is scheduled to premiere January 15, Stelter believes the increased attention thanks to the uproar might even give "Duck Dynasty" a ratings boost in 2014.

But if something were to happen to the show in the long run, then yes, A&E would certainly need to regroup.

On the other hand, it's not like the network hasn't bounced back before -- and it's never been a one-show network. Over the past 10 years alone, it's transitioned from being the prime place to find a rerun of "Biography" to the home of the Emmy-winning "Intervention," to the site of reality shows like 

"Storage Wars" as well as original programming like "Bates Motel."

In October, A&E unveiled a new branding strategy centered around the tagline "Be Original." The campaign, The Hollywood Reporter noted at the time, was scheduled to debut during -- what else? -- a "Duck Dynasty" special on December 11.

And yet, as industry trade Variety emphasizes, it is not unusual for a network to make a bold move in severing ties with a controversial figure, no matter how popular. MSNBC bid adieu to Alec Baldwinafter the actor fired off another unprintable outburst at a photographer, and the Food Network declined to renew its contract with one of its most well-known personalities, Paula Deen, after she admitted to using the "N" word in the past.

A&E itself previously put another fan-favorite reality star, Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, on hiatus after he used a racial slur.

With its response to the "Duck Dynasty" situation, the network "has been able to establish its progressive corporate values, maintain its relationship with advertisers, and not collapse an entire reality show in the process," Variety TV reporter AJ Marechal observes. "The bullet wasn't entirely dodged, but it at least didn't hit a main artery."

Merry Christmas from Dazey North Dakota!