[OOC] Their Stories 1865

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years



May I reserve woman three please I will make her as soon as possible .

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Eleera Cain
Member for 0 years


May I reserve Woman Four, please? ^^

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YoshiFTW
Member for 0 years


May I reserve Woman One if it's still available?

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LunaTwilight
Member for 1 years


Sure, I'm not reserving, but I do let everyone try out.

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years


Alright. Any specific character sheet you want us to follow?

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YoshiFTW
Member for 0 years


The character tab is fine. Just warning you, absolutely NO anime characters. This is realistic.

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years


Okay,
Wasn't planning on using anything to do with anime, I actually prefer realistic over it. :P

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YoshiFTW
Member for 0 years


Great! Can't wait to see them. :)

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years


I'll be trying for woman three ! :)

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Sarcasm
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And I believe that I will be trying for Man One! =)

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Thadine
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Sarcasm, the girl should be around 18ish, unmarried girls are usually younger than 18 back then, unless there is an underlying reason.

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years


Alrighty! Didn't know what to put so I figured twenty and you would tell me whether to go up or down haha xD.

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Sarcasm
Member for 0 years


Are there any specifics for Woman One that I should know since I'm trying out for her?

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LunaTwilight
Member for 1 years


The pirate? No specifics, she can be as old as you want her to be.

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DumbDora
Member for 1 years



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RolePlayGateway?

This is war. It's not black and white. It's not glorious. There is no winning side. A pessimistic view to be sure, but war isn't won by mere optimism alone. It's won by strength. Strength of mind, strength of body, and strength of heart. All qualities you should remember if you ever find yourself in battle. Don't fight for glory alone, fighting for glory ends up with your ass getting skewered by a ranger's arrow or a halfling's dagger in your back. Keep your head down, keep your shield up, and maybe, if Gods willing, just maybe you'll survive the night soldier. Now get some rest, we have a long day of marching tomorrow.

This is Nomad. This chunk of land we call home. Who are we you ask? We who fight for a single Nomad. We the Dwarves, We the Humans, We the Orcs, We the Goblins and everyone in between. This is our home, and we will fight to see her reunited once again.

As you can see, this isn't going to be your average war story. Nomad is a land of fey and magic yes, but also one of blood and violence. You are more likely to see an elf put a blade in someone's gut as opposed to frolicking in the forest. A split has caused two factions, the West Marches and Fera's Promised to clutch at each others throat. Political intrigue, broken oaths, under the table deals, and other noble ideals run rampant among the upper echelons of these two factions, but that's above your head, isn't it soldier?

You won't have to worry about that for now, for your enemies will be more... forthright about your demise. We are in the army of West Marches, more specifically the expeditionary force. We are the ones testing the strength of Fera's Promised, as they us. Whether you are here by choice, by force, or by the simple allure of gold, we all share one thing in common now. Be you a mage, a rogue, or a simple warrior, we are all in the same boa. Fight hard so you shall see tomorrow, or die. Our story begins within one of the first skirmishes of the war.

Good luck, you'll need it before this bloody war is over


A simple intro for something I hope can snowball into some greater. That is a mere snippet of what I want this to evolve into. Yet... It is far from completion. First things first, I'll say where I want to go with this. Yes, it's a war story, and yes, it's fantasy. Magic, bards, swords, axes, the whole shebang. Original, I know. Sarcasm aside, where I want the true originality to come from is from the story we tell. This isn't going to be some light-hearted romp through the forgotten realms. This is going to deal with the themes of war, of loss, perhaps a dash of dark humor, some twists. Not to be all doom and gloom though, I fully expect there to be light moments, and humor sprinkled in. Perhaps a glimpse of hope before I dash it? Does that sound like the ingredients to a cake you'd like a bite of? Thought so.

What I'm looking for in a player is If you can post a decently, your character is interesting, and hitting an average of 500+ words per post isn't an issue, then your golden.

Now that, was an intro after an intro. Amazing. Anyway, to see this come to fruition, I'm going to need help. I've GMed a couple of RPs, but none of them really took flight, and I'm hoping an extra pair of hands can help with this. This is an invitation for a Co-GM. Now, not to be a stick in the mud, but I'd like someone committed to this project. Someone to bounce ideas around with. Someone to help iron out the story into a coherent narrative. Now that my plea invitation is out there...

Comments, questions, criticisms, oh holy crap I want in this right now?

*Note: This message is subject to change.

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Video: UK town records song for war dead

Wootton Bassett's main street was once the main route for a local air base's hearses and now the community is finding new ways to support the troops. NBC News' Duncan Golestani reports.

Related Links:

Correspondents post to the World Blog

http://nightly.msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/45417463/

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Scotty McCreery flubs Macy's parade lip synching (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery committed a lip synching foul during Thursday's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The cherubic singer missed his cue to begin crooning his hit single "The Trouble With Girls" during the festivities. That left McCreery miming vocal work after the song had started to play over the loudspeakers.

Perhaps the reigning "Idol" victor isn't cut out for this whole live performing thing.

During this year's World Series, McCreery had to restart the National Anthem after his microphone malfunctioned. He then proceeded to flub the lyrics.

You can see the parade fiasco here: http://www.thewrap.com/media/column-post/scott-mccreerys-macys-day-parade-lip-synching-fiasco-video-33068

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111125/people_nm/us_scottymccreery

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Chicago police search hospital for gunman

(AP) ? The University of Illinois at Chicago is warning that a man suspected of shooting a woman inside a hospital building remains at large on the medical campus.

The school posted an alert on its website at 1:34 a.m. CST warning to avoid the second floor of the medical center, where he was reportedly last seen. The Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/utXWqK) reports the university also sent a text message alert to students.

Chicago police public news affairs officer Hector Alfaro tells The Associated Press that there is only one known victim of the shooting that occurred about 11:40 p.m. CDT Thursday University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center.

He says it's a suspected domestic situation. Alfaro says he doesn't know the woman's condition or whether she has gotten medical help.

___

Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-25-Chicago%20Hospital%20Shooting/id-355aab141d45417886c3a6f45432802e

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Defense responds, No. 12 Sooners top Cyclones 26-6

Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) looks on as Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) looks on as Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell celebrates a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell is tackled from behind by Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones (12) passes under pressure from Iowa State's Jake Lattimer (48) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma running back Roy Finch (22) is tackled just short of the goal line by Iowa State safety Ter'Ran Benton (22) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma tight end James Hanna (82) is stopped short of the goal line by Iowa State defensive back Jeremy Reeves (5) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

(AP) ? Landry Jones threw for 256 yards, Blake Bell punched in two short touchdown runs and No. 12 Oklahoma set up a Bedlam showdown for the Big 12 championship by beating Iowa State

Trey Franks finished with 88 yards rushing on two long reverses to set up scores for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), and Michael Hunnicutt matched his career-high with four field goals.

Rebounding after allowing a school-record 616 yards allowed last week in a 45-38 loss at Baylor, Oklahoma held Iowa State (6-5, 3-5) to a season-low 245 yards and only let the Cyclones score after James Winchester's snap sailed over the head of punter Tress Way in the first quarter.

Oklahoma will visit No. 4 Oklahoma State next week with the winner earning the Big 12 title.

The Cyclones didn't sustain a drive for longer than 35 yards and got their only points on Jared Barnett's 10-yard touchdown pass to Albert Gary one play after Oklahoma's botched punt. They got shut out the rest of the way, failing in their chance to pull off another monumental upset eight days after the biggest win in school history last week against then-No. 2 Oklahoma State.

Iowa State hasn't beaten ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks since 1974 and was trying to win for just the sixth time in 76 meetings with Oklahoma all time.

Each team turned it over four times in a game played in front of thousands of empty seats at sold-out Owen Field, with winds sustained at over 30 mph and gusting beyond 40 mph.

The Sooners were able to find enough offense to win it. Bell scored on a 3-yard run and a 1-yarder, and Oklahoma settled for field goals on four other red zone possessions.

After being practically unstoppable in the scoring zone a week ago at Baylor, Bell ran into trouble early on against the Cyclones. He was stuffed on Oklahoma's first red zone possession, leading to Hunnicutt's 20-yard field goal, and then threw an interception to Jake Knott the next time.

But the Sooners kept going back to their third-string quarterback, who last week joined J.C. Watts and Jamelle Holieway as the only quarterbacks in the program's history with four rushing TDs in a game. He scored on a 3-yard keeper in the second quarterto give Oklahoma the lead to stay, then smashed his way into the end zone from a yard out on the next possession to make it 17-6.

Hunnicutt added field goals from 28 and 36 yards to push the halftime lead to 23-6, and he provided the only points of the second half on a 21-yarder. Franks set it up with a 45-yard reverse, getting tackled at the 1-yard line before the Sooners' goal line offense got stuffed.

Jones failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second straight game and had two interceptions.

Barnett finished with 125 yards on 13-for-28 passing with one interception, losing for the first time in four career starts. He also fumbled a first-quarter handoff to James White, after White had already fumbled on his first carry of the game.

The Cyclones also turned it over when linebacker Jevohn Miller muffed a kickoff that was blown around by the wind, leading to Hunnicutt's third field goal of the opening half.

Iowa State had its lowest yardage output since being held to 183 in a 52-0 shutout at Oklahoma last season.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-26-FBC-T25-Iowa-St-Oklahoma/id-71c2e58cd1df4106b0df4857399bcb1a

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Congo: 2 killed in clashes days ahead of poll (AP)

KINSHASA, Congo ? Two people were killed in pre-vote clashes Saturday in Congo's capital and security officials fired into a crowd that included tens of thousands of opposition supporters, prompting officials to ban rallies before a critical poll that observers say could re-ignite violence in the vast central African nation.

Violence erupted Saturday among political supporters who had gathered to greet the top opposition presidential candidate, who had planned to come to the airport in a car convoy. Supporters of the president also gathered there to meet him, though he did not pass through the airport.

At the airport, security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition into the burgeoning crowd.

Scuffles erupted on the road to the airport. Two dead bodies were seen along that road. One of them, a young man, was badly bludgeoned and appeared to have been stoned to death. A second body, also a man, was seen being carried away by Red Cross medics on the same road. It was not immediately clear how he had been killed.

Police also fired tear gas to push the crowd away, but riot police manned the airport hours later to prevent opposition presidential candidate Etienne Tshisekedi and his entourage from leaving the scene.

It was not immediately possible to determine the total number of casualties from Saturday's clashes.

Saturday's violence prompted the governor to call off political rallies ahead of Monday's vote. Governor Andre Kimbuta made the announcement on state television Saturday.

"Because of the escalating violence seen in Kinshasa, all public demonstrations and other political meetings are canceled this Saturday," Kimbuta said. "This is for a better result of the electoral process. The urban authority calls on the population's patriotism."

Human rights groups had expressed fears about an atmosphere of spiraling violence and hate speech ahead of the vote in the large mineral-rich nation. The outcome of the vote is almost certain to keep President Joseph Kabila in power.

Earlier this month in Kinshasa, gunmen fired on Tshisekedi campaigners putting up posters, wounding two. In the southern mining city of Lubumbashi, another 16 were injured in violence pitting Tshisekedi's supporters against a rival opposition party. Young people in the eastern city of Goma took to the streets after popular folk musician Fabrice Mumpfiritsa was kidnapped after he refused to sing songs supporting Kabila. He was found three days later, legs and eyes bound and so badly beaten he had to be hospitalized.

"We all know that the country is not ready to hold this election," said Jacquemain Shabani, the secretary general of Tshisekedi's party, which was the first major opposition party to stand up to former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in the 1980s. "It's inevitable that it will bring conflict if they go ahead with it."

How the elections unfold will be a likely indicator of whether Congo is consolidating its fledgling democracy or returning to a state of widespread instability after decades of dictatorship and civil war, according to the International Crisis Group.

The violence is just one of the numerous challenges that could derail Monday's vote and re-ignite conflict. Tension is running high, partly because many polling stations have not yet received the necessary voting materials.

On Friday, just days before the poll, at least 33 of the 80 planes carrying voting materials to the provinces were unable to take off because of bad weather.

Election experts say it is unlikely the ballots will be able to reach the remote interior in time in a country with so few paved roads, and where there are some 60,000 polling stations spread out over a territory the size of Western Europe.

"We have been trying to sound the alarm but to no avail," said Jerome Bonso, coordinator of the Coalition for Peaceful and Transparent Elections.

"The end result of a democratic election should be the resolution of conflict. Instead, we're heading into an election which is by its very nature bound to aggravate conflict ..." he said. "And the planes carrying the voting materials have not even taken off yet."

Voters will be choosing between 11 presidential candidates and more than 18,000 candidates for the 500-seat parliament.

In a nation where a third of adults cannot read, voters will be handed a ballot as thick as a book, due to the overwhelming number of parliamentary contenders. Politicians are using campaign rallies to explain to voters where to find their names on the ballot paper.

Jason Stearns, former coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Congo and the author of a book on the country's political history, said the number of candidates is bound to create confusion inside polling stations because the ballot is confusing even for those who know how to read. It will also create delays in an election that is supposed to take place in a single day, and may result in a large share of people not being able to cast their votes.

"There is an overwhelming number of candidates and voters will have a limited amount of time in voting stations," said Stearns, who pointed out that even the three best-known candidates, including Kabila, are informing voters at rallies of their place on the ballot paper.

"Even among the 11 presidential candidates, every one of their campaign advertisements stress their number on the ballot. Kabila is No. 33. Tshisekedi is No. 11," said Stearns.

It's the country's first election since the landmark 2006 vote which was considered the country's first democratic vote in 40 years, but was marred by weeks of street battles led by supporters of the losing candidate.

Congo's history of back-to-back wars also provides a backdrop. Kabila, a former rebel leader, first took control of the country a decade ago, after the 2001 assassination of his father, Laurent Kabila, who ruled Congo after overthrowing dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997.

He was elected president in 2006, a vote which was overseen and organized by the U.N. The runner-up was former warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba, now on trial at the Hague. He refused to accept defeat, unleashing his private army on the capital, leading to weeks of street battles. There are no warlords in the race for president this time, and none of the candidates have personal militias at their disposal, Stearns said.

___

Associated Press writer Saleh Mwanamilongo in Kinshasa, Congo contributed to this report. Callimachi contributed from Dakar, Senegal.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_af/af_congo_election

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CHC chair Gonzalez to retire (Politico)

Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will forego reelection in 2012, he announced Friday.

"I still find the job hugely rewarding, but the demands pull me somewhere else," Gonzalez told the San Antonio Express-News on Friday. "I've been in Congress for 14 years and I want to do something else ? what that is I really don't know. But financially I would like to be productive and have the resources to make a better life."

Continue Reading

Gonzalez, a seven-term Democrat, is slated to hold a Saturday press conference in San Antonio to discuss his decision, according to his office.

Gonzalez becomes the 17th House Democrat to announce he will not seek reelection. Seven House Republicans will not seek another term in 2012.

His exit marks the end of an era: a Gonzalez family member has held a seat in the House for more than five decades, and the Gonzalez name is a staple in the San Antonio political world. In 1999, Gonzalez, a former district court judge, succeeded his father, former Rep. Henry Gonzalez, who began his congressional tenure in 1961.

Democrats familiar with Gonzalez's decision say they expect the retirement will have an electoral ripple effect. State Rep. Joaquin Castro will likely run for the seat and former Rep. Ciro Rodriguez is expected to run for a nearby district. The filing period for candidates to declare their intentions to run for Congress in Texas opens on Monday.

Gonzalez's decision comes amid high tensions surrounding the state's redistricting process. On Wednesday, a San Antonio-based federal court released a proposed interim congressional map that would position Democrats to gain as many as three seats in the state. The court was tasked with drawing an interim congressional map while a Republican-drawn plan, approved by the state Legislature earlier this year, is in limbo in a Washington, D.C. court over whether it dilutes minority voting strength.

Republicans have complained bitterly about the proposed map, alleging it favors Democrats. On Friday, the San Antonio court denied a request from state Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, to stay the interim plan. Abbott immediately announced that he would appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Under the court's proposed map, Gonzalez would have been able to run for an eighth term in a San Antonio-area district that strongly favored a Democrat.

His decision might come as a surprise to some. Gonzalez raised more than $136,000 in the third quarter ? a decent sum that does not typically indicate an impending retirement.

Jonathan Allen contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories1111_69117_html/43717282/SIG=11mpkgign/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69117.html

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Occupy LA stands out for camp-city cooperation (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? When Occupy LA demonstrators recently proclaimed a downtown intersection "our street," police watched as annoyed drivers honked horns and tried to maneuver around gyrating protesters. Officers only moved in after the third intersection takeover ? telling protesters they had to quit or face arrest. The activists turned around and marched back to camp chanting slogans.

That hasn't happened in some other cities and may not have been possible in Los Angeles that long ago.

Occupy LA, a 485-tent camp surrounding City Hall, has marched to a different beat in its drum circle after protesters, police and city officials established a relationship based on dialogues instead of dictates.

As camps in other cities degenerated into unrest that led to mass arrests, Occupy LA has remained largely a peaceful commune. Police arrive on site only when called in to investigate petty crimes. Marches have resulted in only about five spontaneous arrests ? the other 70 or so involved protesters who deliberately got arrested to make a political statement.

City leaders are now hoping that peace can withstand what could be its biggest test. The city has given campers a 12:01 a.m. Monday to clear out of the park, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a Friday afternoon news conference.

"We've decided to do things differently here in Los Angeles. We've not stared each other down across barricades and barbed wire," the mayor said at the City Hall news conference. "From the start we've talked to one another and we've listened to each other. I trust that we can manage the closure of City Hall Park in the same spirit of cooperation."

The announcement and the advance warning stand in stark contrast to middle-of-the-night police raids used in other cities.

"Los Angeles has had a real history of heavy-handed tactics with police," said Richard Weinblatt, a police procedures expert and former police chief. "They're taking a very good approach with this. It's a good political sign."

The hands-off strategy perhaps underscores the liberal leanings of a city that has often been known for counterculture movements. But it marks a departure for a police force still striving to emerge from the shadow of the 1991 beating of Rodney King, the Rampart corruption scandal of the late '90s, and more recently, the 2007 crackdown at an immigrants rights rally in which demonstrators and reporters were injured with batons and rubber bullets.

This time, even before the first tent was set up on the City Hall lawn, Jim Lafferty, a lawyer who has been representing Occupy LA, said Police Chief Charlie Beck assured him protesters would be left alone if they remained peaceful. Beck promised no surprise raids would be carried out, said Lafferty, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild's Los Angeles chapter.

Elected city leaders initially embraced the campers. Villaraigosa handed out plastic ponchos one rainy day. The City Council passed a resolution to support Occupy LA. Officials found an alternate site for a farmers market that the camp displaced.

Protesters have done their part to cooperate. They've readily complied with health inspectors' demands for more portable toilets, trash pickup and food sanitation. They've also worked to tamp down anarchist inciters in the camp who want to provoke authorities, as well as activists with hot tempers.

On one march, when two protesters started an argument that appeared ready to flame into fisticuffs, marchers started yelling at the instigator to "focus" and "keep to the mission."

Organizers have implored riled crowds to keep within the peaceful guidelines of the group and to return to camp when threatened with arrest.

Occupiers say they realize violence is not going to win any points in their struggle for greater economic equality and could alienate many supporters.

"What is most important is that we win the hearts and minds of the people of this city," said organizer Mario Brito. "We're all going to have to remain non-violent."

Police, meanwhile, have held off making arrests while giving protesters ample time to make their statement through civil disobedience, such as lying on the sidewalk in front of a Bank of America branch.

They've negotiated with organizers, sometimes for hours, to end actions without arrest, and assigned veteran detectives, clad in riot helmets, to man front lines against protesters instead of younger officers who may be more prone to act rashly when baited with name-calling.

Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said officers have set out to build trust.

"We really worked hard to establish a dialogue with people at the camp," he said. "We have a command-level officer assigned to it every day. I'm over there three, four times a day, sometimes just to address rumors."

While acknowledging that violence has been avoided in Los Angeles, some question the precedent set by official leniency.

"You have these people staying out weeks at a time, and police let them break the law. They're encouraged to go further," said John Hawkins, who has tracked the Occupy movement in his blog Right Wing News. "The government has to enforce the law."

Occupy LA has found a powerful ally that holds a lot of sway in City Hall: labor unions. The Service Employees International Union and others have turned out hundreds of people to several marches, giving the Occupy movement needed credibility and numbers. The unions even adopted tents as a protest symbol.

Union leaders have been instrumental in persuading Villaraigosa, a former labor organizer, to hold off on acting against the camp, said Peter Dreier, politics professor at Occidental College.

In conjunction with that, city leaders have had few vocal opponents against Occupy LA, which is located in an area of Los Angeles that comprises almost all government buildings, he noted. In some other cities, such as New York, complaining residents and businesses mounted pressure on officials to clear out the tents.

But as Occupy Los Angeles entered its seventh week with no end in sight, the dialogue started getting strained.

City Hall still made friendly overtures, trying to make a deal with the activists by offering them 10,000 square feet of office space and empty lots for a garden if they would pack up their tents. Fallout after the proposal was made public caused the deal to be rescinded.

On Wednesday, city leaders took a tougher stance: The camp must go the following week, but police said they would give protesters a 72-hour deadline to pack up or face arrest. Even then, remaining protesters will be given two opportunities to change their mind before they are placed in handcuffs.

"No one else has seen fit to do it like this around the country," Lafferty said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111126/ap_on_re_us/us_occupy_la_the_camp

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JK Rowling: UK press left me feeling under siege

In this image made from television, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who has campaigned to keep her children out of the media glare, gives evidence about media intrusion during a media ethics inquiry in London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, plans to issue a report next year and could recommend major changes to media regulation in Britain. (AP Photo/Parliamentary Recording Unit via APTN) NO ARCHIVES

In this image made from television, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who has campaigned to keep her children out of the media glare, gives evidence about media intrusion during a media ethics inquiry in London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, plans to issue a report next year and could recommend major changes to media regulation in Britain. (AP Photo/Parliamentary Recording Unit via APTN) NO ARCHIVES

British actress Sienna Miller, arrives to testify at the Leveson inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The Leveson inquiry is Britain's media ethics probe that was set up in the wake of the scandal over phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, which was shut in July after it became clear that the tabloid had systematically broken the law. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

British actress Sienna Miller, center, arrives to testify at the Leveson inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The Leveson inquiry is Britain's media ethics probe that was set up in the wake of the scandal over phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, which was shut in July after it became clear that the tabloid had systematically broken the law. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

British actress Sienna Miller, center, arrives to testify at the Leveson inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The Leveson inquiry is Britain's media ethics probe that was set up in the wake of the scandal over phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, which was shut in July after it became clear that the tabloid had systematically broken the law. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

British actress Sienna Miller, center, arrives to testify at the Leveson inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The Leveson inquiry is Britain's media ethics probe that was set up in the wake of the scandal over phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World, which was shut in July after it became clear that the tabloid had systematically broken the law. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

LONDON (AP) ? Writer J.K. Rowling and actress Sienna Miller gave a London courtroom a vivid picture on Thursday of the anxiety, anger and fear produced by living in the glare of Britain's tabloid media, describing how press intrusion made them feel like prisoners in their own homes.

The creator of boy wizard Harry Potter told Britain's media ethics inquiry that having journalists camped on her doorstep was "like being under siege and like being a hostage." Miller said years of car chases, midnight pursuits and intimate revelations had left her feeling violated, paranoid and anxious.

"The attitude seems to be absolutely cavalier," Rowling said. "You're famous, you're asking for it."

The pair were among a diverse cast of witnesses ? Hollywood star Hugh Grant, a former soccer player, a former aide to supermodel Elle Macpherson and the parents of missing and murdered children ? who have described how becoming the focus of Britain's tabloid press wreaked havoc on their lives.

Rowling said she was completely unprepared for the media attention she began to receive when her first book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," became a sensation. The seven Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies, spawned a hit movie series and propelled Rowling from struggling single mother to one of Britain's richest people.

"When you become well-known ... no one gives you a guidebook," she said.

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry amid a still-unfolding scandal over illegal eavesdropping by the News of the World tabloid. Owner Rupert Murdoch closed down the newspaper in July after evidence emerged that it had illegally accessed the mobile phone voice mails of celebrities, politicians and even crime victims in its search of scoops.

More than a dozen News of the World journalists and editors have been arrested, and the scandal has also claimed the jobs of two top London police officers, Cameron's media adviser and several senior Murdoch executives.

It has also set off national soul-searching about the balance between press freedom and individual privacy.

Rowling, 46, said media interest in her began shortly after the publication of her first novel in 1997 and soon escalated, with photographers and reporters frequently stationed outside her home. She eventually moved after stories and photographs revealed the location of her house.

"I can't put an invisibility cloaking device over myself or my house, nor would I want to," Rowling said. But, she added, "it feels threatening to have people watching you."

Rowling said she had always tried to keep her three children out of the media glare, and was outraged when her eldest daughter came home from primary school with a letter from a journalist in her backpack.

"I felt such a sense of invasion," Rowling said. "It's very difficult to say how angry I felt that my 5-year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists."

By the time her younger children were born in 2003 and 2005, Rowling said, the scrutiny was "like being under siege and like being a hostage."

She also described how, early on in their relationship, her now-husband Neil Murray gave personal details over the phone to a reporter who was pretending to be a tax official. An article about him duly appeared in a tabloid paper.

"That was a not-very-nice introduction to being involved with someone famous," Rowling said.

Rowling told the inquiry she had gone to court or to Britain's press watchdog more than 50 times over pictures of her children or false stories, which included a claim by the Daily Express that unpleasant fictional wizard Gilderoy Lockhart had been based on her first husband.

Before the final Potter book appeared in 2007, a reporter even phoned the head teacher of her daughter's school, falsely claiming the child had revealed that Harry Potter died at the end, in an apparent bid to learn secrets of the plot.

Miller, who became a tabloid staple when she dated fellow actor Jude Law, said the constant scrutiny left her feeling "very violated and very paranoid and anxious, constantly."

"I felt like I was living in some sort of video game," she said.

"For a number of years I was relentlessly pursued by 10 to 15 men, almost daily," she said. "Spat at, verbally abused.

"I would often find myself, at the age of 21, at midnight, running down a dark street on my own with 10 men chasing me. And the fact they had cameras in their hands made that legal."

The 29-year-old actress told the inquiry that a stream of personal stories about her in the tabloids led her to accuse friends and family of leaking information to the media. In fact, her cell phone voice mails had been hacked by the News of the World.

Miller, the star of "Layer Cake" and "Alfie," was one of the first celebrities to take the Murdoch tabloid to court over illegal eavesdropping. In May, the newspaper agreed to pay her 100,000 pounds ($160,000) to settle claims her phone had been hacked.

The newspaper's parent company now faces dozens of lawsuits from alleged hacking victims.

Also testifying Thursday was former Formula One boss Max Mosley, who has campaigned for a privacy law since his interest in sadomasochistic sex was exposed in the News of the World.

Mosley successfully sued the News of the World over a 2008 story headlined "Formula One boss has sick Nazi orgy with five hookers." Mosley has acknowledged the orgy, but argued that the story ? obtained with a hidden camera ? was an "outrageous" invasion of privacy. He said the Nazi allegation was damaging and "completely untrue."

Mosley said he has had stories about the incident removed from 193 websites around the world, and is currently taking legal action "in 22 or 23 different countries," including proceedings against search engine Google in France and Germany.

"Invasion of privacy is worse than burglary," Mosley said. "Because if somebody burgles your house ... you can replace the things that have been taken."

High-profile witnesses still to come include CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who has denied using phone hacking while he was editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper.

The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, plans to issue a report next year and could recommend major changes to Britain's system of media self regulation.

Rowling said that she supported freedom the press, but that a new body was needed to replace the "toothless" Press Complaints Commission.

"I can't pretend that I have a magical answer," she said. "No Harry Potter joke intended."

___

Leveson Inquiry: http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-24-EU-Britain-Phone-Hacking/id-099ea2888758456ca4faa145baf624b8

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