Google sticks Nexus S ICS update back in the freezer

Eager to get your Nexus S all sticky with an Ice Cream Sandwich update? Google's saying not so fast, at least for some Nexus S owners. Google community manager Paul Wilcox responded to queries on the mobile support forum, explaining:

If you received an update notification a little while ago but the update isn't currently available for your phone, this is likely the result of Google pausing the update in your area while we monitor feedback. The Android 4.0 update is continuing to roll out around the world so your phone will receive another update notification when it's available again in your region.

Apparently the update is continuing to download for some users, but in some cases it won't install, though Wilcox says that this is "a different scenario." We've reached out to Mountain View for an update, but let us know about your experience in the comments.

Google sticks Nexus S ICS update back in the freezer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hall seeks another term as Bakersfield mayor

Mayor Harvey Hall is seeking re-election.

He announced Friday that he's running for a fourth term in office. He was elected Bakersfield's 25th mayor in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2008.

Hall is CEO of Hall Ambulance Service Inc., which he founded in 1971.

"Being mayor has allowed me the privilege of accomplishing more for the Bakersfield community than I ever dreamed possible," Hall said in prepared remarks Friday.

As mayor, largely a ceremonial position, Hall has presented more than 1,300 proclamations, signed 5,778 certificates of recognition and has welcomed 703 new businesses with ribbon cuttings, he office said.

Source: http://northwest.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/72843-hall-seeks-another-term-bakersfield-mayor

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Pope urges dignity in emotional visit to prison (AP)

ROME ? Pope Benedict XVI made an emotional visit Sunday to Rome's main prison, meeting with detainees, denouncing prison overcrowding and calling for greater dignity for inmates everywhere.

Benedict spent over an hour at Rome's Rebibbia prison, fielding questions from a half-dozen inmates who spoke of their despair at being kept in overcrowded cells, away from their families, some of them sick with AIDS.

The 84-year-old pope told the 300 men and women gathered in the prison chapel that he loved them and prayed for them. He reminded them that Christ was imprisoned before being sentenced to "the most savage punishment" of all ? death.

"Inmates are human beings who, despite their crimes, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity," he told them. "They need our concern."

Benedict decried Italy's overcrowded prisons and urged the government to overhaul the system so that prisoners aren't subjected to a "double punishment" by serving time in insufferable conditions.

And he noted that justice doesn't have to just be about righting a wrong, but also showing mercy. For God, he said, "justice and charity coincide; there's no just action that isn't also an act of mercy and forgiveness, and at the same time there's no merciful action that isn't perfectly just."

The prisoners seemed truly grateful for the visit, with more than one wiping tears from his eyes as Benedict responded to their pleas. And Benedict himself seemed touched by their heartfelt welcome: One inmate gave him a picture he had made of a white dove perched on prison bars; another showed him a photo of his newborn baby girl; another read out a prayer he had written about feeling forgotten by God.

Benedict said he hoped his visit to Rebibbia, which houses some 1,700 inmates, would not only give encouragement to the prisoners as Christmas nears, but would draw attention to their plight.

On hand for the visit was Italy's justice minister Paola Severino, who acknowledged the pope was visiting a "place of profound suffering."

There are an estimated 68,000 inmates in Italian prisons, 22,500 more than capacity, Italian news reports said. Just last week, the Cabinet approved measures to ease the overcrowding, making it easier for people to be placed under house arrest and requiring judges to confirm arrests within 48 hours.

Severino stressed that pre-trial detention ? which is a major factor in overcrowding ? must be abolished for all but exceptional crimes. She read a letter to the pope from a detainee in a Cagliari prison to make her point.

"It's sad and frustrating to have made a mistake because sooner or later, you begin to question yourself and your ability to make amends and be reinserted into society, and you become convinced of being unable to change your life," the letter read. "You lose hope that you can be accepted as someone worthy of esteem, stained forever, and you lose the strength to live."

Benedict responded by saying that a reform of the system should make use of alternatives to detention.

After greeting a handful of prisoners and police officers one by one, Benedict stood by as a cypress tree was unveiled on the prison grounds to mark the occasion.

Pope John Paul II made a historic visit to Rebibbia in 1983 when he met with and forgave Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who had shot him in St. Peter's Square two years prior. Agca finished his sentence in Turkey and was released in 2010.

In a 2002 visit to the Italian parliament, John Paul appealed to Italian authorities for clemency for some prisoners.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_eu/eu_vatican_prisoners

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Wade Davis' 6 favorite books about World War I (The Week)

New York ? National Geographic's explorer-in-residence recommends works by Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and T.E. Lawrence

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (Penguin, $18). Brittain lost her fianc?, her two best friends, and her beloved brother to World War I. By the end of the fighting, she wrote, there was no one left to dance with. This heartrending memoir traces a journey from innocence to horror, from agony to revelation.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence (Wilder, $13). Lawrence was deeply conflicted about his public image as the hero of a war that had crushed the very notion of heroism. He began his first chapter: "Some of the evil of my tale may have been inherent in our circumstances." He goes on to describe how his men lay naked together, shamed, beneath "the innumerable silences of stars." If he had to be a war hero, British society would have to deal with the truth of his desires and compulsions.

SEE ALSO: Dagoberto Gilb's 6 favorite books

?

Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves (Anchor, $16). At the Somme, in 1916, a severely wounded Graves was left among the dead, and lay delirious beneath the searing sun for days. In this stirring memoir, he also recalls the night the war ended: "The news sent me out walking...cursing and sobbing and thinking of the dead."

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (Vintage, $16). Throughout the war, 25,000 British coal miners lived underground, tunneling beneath enemy lines to lay charges of TNT. The Germans were doing the same. The climactic scene of Birdsong, in which both sides engage in combat in the darkness far underground, is the most harrowing in the vast literature on the war.

SEE ALSO: Did Jane Austen die of arsenic poisoning?

?

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden (Penguin, $15). Boyden's novel follows two Cree men recruited as snipers by the Canadian army. Spare in style, it reads as one long, haunted hallucination ? the Western Front as seen through the eyes of the shaman.

The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell (Oxford, $20). If the war shattered the last vestiges of the old order, peace heralded the birth of modern times. This is the seminal book for understanding what the war implied for a "lost generation," and for the world to come.

SEE ALSO: Brooke Hauser's 6 favorite books about immigrants

?

? Wade Davis' new book,?Into the Silence,?investigates how the trauma of war shaped George Mallory's 1920s expeditions to Mount Everest.

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Motions Unmask Moods

Head Lines | Mind & Brain Cover Image: November 2011 Scientific American MagazineSee Inside

Problems with motor control may be a key factor in bipolar disorder

Image: Elijas van Roon/Corbis

None of us can stand perfectly still. No matter how hard we try, our bodies constantly make small adjustments, causing us to sway slightly as we stand. A new study finds that people with bipolar disorder tend to sway more than those who are unaffected, which may lead to new ways to treat and diagnose the illness.

When psychologists diagnose bipolar disorder, they typically look for mood swings between agitated mania and bleak depression. Previous studies have linked bipolar disorder to abnormalities in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, regions of the brain that are also important for motor control. This connection led Indiana University psychologist Amanda Bolbecker and her colleagues to hypothesize that people with bipolar disorder might also have problems with motor skills.

To test their idea, Bolbecker?s team had 16 people with bipolar disorder and 16 age-matched healthy control subjects stand on a device called a force platform. The platform is similar in ap?pearance to a bathroom scale, but instead of measuring weight it calculates the pressure from different parts of the feet, which indicates how the body is swaying.

In every trial?with their eyes open or closed and with their feet different widths apart?the people with bipolar disorder wobbled more than the healthy subjects, indicating problems with motor control. The patients had the most trouble with their eyes closed, which suggests that the bipolar brain has difficulty integrating sensorimotor information, those inputs from the body and senses that assist the brain in maintaining balance and body position.

Bolbecker points out that the cerebellum, located at the base of the brain, helps to regulate movement and is also involved in emotional reactions, such as fear and pleasure. In addition, the cerebellum connects to other parts of the brain linked to cognition, mood regulation and impulse control, three areas in which patients with bipolar disorder often have difficulties. If the cerebellum is damaged at the cellular level, it may create problems with both mood and motor control.


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Patio that transforms into a pool will make a splash with your guests (Yahoo! News)

Here's something that'll fit perfectly within the Bond universe: a patio that transforms into a swimming pool at the click of a button. No need to look any further for something that'll go well with that?fancy morphing table in the?mansion of your dreams.

The pool is equipped with a mechanism that controls its tile cover: Lower it to flood the space with water when you want to swim or lift it up to create room for a summer barbecue with friends. You can even control how deep you want the water to be, which is perfect if you have kids. Pool-loving, belly-flopping grown-ups don't need to worry, though, as it?has a maximum depth of 6'.

Stefan Kanetis came up with the pool's design when his arthritic mother was advised by a doctor to exercise in a body of water. Now,?Stefan's company can customize one for your home ? if you're willing to pay 20% to 30% more than what an in-ground pool will cost you, that is.

Interested? You'll have to contact the company for an accurate quote, but here's a starting point: A typical in-ground house pool?could cost anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000, which can only mean that this patio-pool hybrid requires deep pockets.

[via?Reddit,?TheNextWeb]

This article was written Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

More from Tecca:

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Last US troops elated to leave Iraq as war ends (AP)

KHABARI CROSSING, Kuwait ? The last U.S. soldiers rolled out of Iraq across the border into neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday, whooping, fist bumping and hugging each other in a burst of joy and relief. Their convoy's exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered, with troubling questions lingering over whether the Arab nation will remain a steadfast U.S. ally.

The mission cost nearly 4,500 American and well more than 100,000 Iraqi lives and $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury. The question of whether it was worth it all is yet unanswered.

The last convoy of MRAPs, heavily armored personnel carriers, made a largely uneventful journey out except for a few equipment malfunctions along the way. It was dark and little was visible through the MRAP windows as they cruised through the southern Iraqi desert.

When the convoy crossed the border into Kuwait around 7:45 a.m. local time, the atmosphere was subdued inside one of the vehicles, with no shouting or yelling. Along the road, a small group of Iraqi soldiers waved to the departing American troops.

"My heart goes out to the Iraqis," said Warrant Officer John Jewell, acknowledging the challenges ahead. "The innocent always pay the bill."

Soldiers standing just inside the crossing on the Kuwaiti side of the border waved and snapped photos as the final trucks rumbled over.

"I'm pretty excited," said Sgt. Ashley Vorhees. "I'm out of Iraq. It's all smooth sailing from here."

The war that began in a blaze of aerial bombardment meant to shock and awe the dictator Saddam Hussein and his loyalists ended quietly and with minimal fanfare.

President Barack Obama stopped short of calling the U.S. effort in Iraq a victory in an interview taped Thursday with ABC News' Barbara Walters.

"I would describe our troops as having succeeded in the mission of giving to the Iraqis their country in a way that gives them a chance for a successful future," Obama said.

In the final days, U.S. officials acknowledged the cost in blood and dollars was high, but tried to paint a picture of victory ? for both the troops and the Iraqi people now freed of a dictator and on a path to democracy. But gnawing questions remain: Will Iraqis be able to forge their new government amid the still stubborn sectarian clashes? And will Iraq be able to defend itself and remain independent in a region fraught with turmoil and still steeped in insurgent threats?

Many Iraqis, however, are nervous and uncertain about the future. Their relief at the end of Saddam, who was hanged on Dec. 30 2006, was tempered by a long and vicious war that was launched to find nonexistent weapons of mass destruction and nearly plunged the nation into full-scale sectarian civil war.

Some criticized the Americans for leaving behind a destroyed country with thousands of widows and orphans, a people deeply divided along sectarian lines and without rebuilding the devastated infrastructure.

"We are glad to see the last U.S. soldier leaving the country today. It is an important day in Iraq's history, but the most important thing now is the future of Iraq," said 25-year-old Said Hassan, the owner of money exchange shop in Baghdad. "The Americans have left behind them a country that is s falling apart and an Iraqi army and security forces that have a long way ahead to be able to defend the nation and the people."

Some Iraqis celebrated the exit of what they called American occupiers, neither invited nor welcome in a proud country.

Others said that while grateful for U.S. help ousting Saddam, the war went on too long. A majority of Americans would agree, according to opinion polls.

The low-key exit stood in sharp contrast to the high-octane start of the war, which began before dawn on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike in southern Baghdad where Saddam was believed to be hiding. U.S. and allied ground forces then stormed across the featureless Kuwaiti desert, accompanied by reporters, photographers and television crews embedded with the troops.

The final few thousand U.S. troops left in orderly caravans and tightly scheduled flights. They pulled out at night in hopes it would be more secure and left in time for at least some of the troops to join families at home for the Christmas holidays.

The final convoys began to leave on Saturday evening from Camp Adder base near Nasiriyah, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad. The vehicles lined up in an open field to prepare and soldiers went through last-minute equipment checks to make sure radios, weapons and other gear were working.

Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commanding general for Iraq, walked through the rows of vehicles, talking to soldiers over the low hum of the engines. He thanked them for their service and reminded them to stay vigilant on their final mission.

"I wanted to remind them that we have an important mission left in the country of Iraq. We want to stay focused and we want to make sure that we're doing the right things to protect ourselves," Austin said.

Austin also presided over the last casing ceremony in Iraq for the battalion that made up the bulk of the people leaving on the last convoys. In the ceremony, the unit puts away their flags or "cases" them in preparation for departure.

After the ceremony on Saturday evening, the commander of the Special Troops Battalion, Lt. Col. Jack Vantress told his soldiers:

"We are closing the book on an operation that has brought freedom to a country that was repressed. When the sun comes up, we'll be across the berm. Laser focus. Laser focus. You've got time, hours of road to go. There are people out there who still want to hurt you."

The final troops completed the massive logistical challenge of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically moving more than 50,000 U.S. troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year ? while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and less than 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq ? a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country. All U.S. troops were slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then.

"The biggest thing about going home is just that it's home," Staff Sgt. Daniel Gaumer, 37, from Ft. Hood, Texas said before the convoy left Camp Adder. "It's civilization as I know it, the Western world, not sand and dust and the occasional rain here and there. It's home."

Spc. Jesse Jones, a 23-year-old who volunteered to be on the last convoy, said: "It's just an honor to be able to serve your country and say that you helped close out the war in Iraq. ... Not a lot of people can say that they did huge things like that that will probably be in the history books."

The total U.S. departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence-sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult region.

Obama's earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops will be able to help finalize the move out of Iraq, but could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed.

The U.S. plans to keep a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, foster a deep and lasting relationship with the nation and maintain a strong military force in the region.

U.S. officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. U.S. defense officials said they expect there will be no movement on that issue until sometime next year.

Obama met in Washington with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki last week, vowing to remain committed to Iraq as the two countries struggle to define their new relationship.

Ending the war was an early goal of the Obama administration and will allow the president to fulfill a crucial campaign promise during a politically opportune time. The 2012 presidential race is roiling and Republicans are in a ferocious battle to determine who will face off against Obama in the election.

Capt. Mark Askew, a 28-year-old from Tampa, Florida who was among the last soldiers to leave, said the answer to the question of whether the Iraq war was worth the cost will depend on what type of country and government Iraq ends up with years from now, whether they are democratic, respect human rights and are considered an American ally.

"It depends on what Iraq does after we leave," he said, speaking before the final convoy departed. "I don't expect them to turn into South Korea or Japan overnight."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111218/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

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Iraqi admits trying to send weapons to al-Qaida (AP)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. ? An Iraqi man who had claimed he was innocent of terrorism-related charges did an abrupt about-face Friday, pleading guilty in a Kentucky courtroom to trying to funnel weapons and cash to al-Qaida operatives in his home country.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, appeared in federal court in this south-central Kentucky college town to plead guilty to conspiring to attack American soldiers in Iraq, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Alwan was arrested in May in Bowling Green and had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in an indictment that also named fellow Iraqi Mohanad Shareef Hammadi.

Alwan's attorney, federal Public Defender Scott Wendelsdorf, declined to comment after the hearing.

"Today in open court, Waad Alwan admitted to engaging in terrorist activities both here in the United States and in Iraq," U.S. Attorney David J. Hale said in a statement. "He acknowledged he had built and placed numerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) aimed at killing and injuring American soldiers in Iraq, and he admitted that he tried to send numerous weapons from Kentucky to Iraq to be used against American soldiers."

Hale said the joint efforts of federal and local law enforcement had thwarted "the ongoing intentions of an experienced terrorist."

"The guilty plea today sends a strong message to anyone who would attempt similar crimes that they will face the same determined law enforcement and prosecution efforts," he said.

Alwan, appearing in an orange jail jumpsuit and wearing leg irons and with an interpreter seated next to him, pleaded guilty to all 23 counts in the indictment against him.

At one point in the proceedings, Alwan nodded and quietly told the interpreter he understood the charges and possible penalties.

He faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced April 3.

Alwan pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals abroad, distributing information on how to make and use improvised explosive devices, attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Hammadi, 24, was not mentioned during the hearing, and no trial date has been set for him. He has pleaded not guilty. Hale declined to say whether Alwan would testify against his co-defendant. "We can't discuss that issue," he said.

Hammadi's attorney, James Earhart, said Friday that Alwan's guilty plea does not affect Hammadi's case. When asked if Hammadi might also plead guilty, Earhart said, "We're continuing to explore that, but we've not reached any agreement."

Before the hearing, Alwan rubbed his eyes occasionally and would sometimes rest his chin against one of his hands.

Responding to a litany of questions from Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas B. Russell, Alwan offered a brief autobiographical sketch, saying he had a high school education and had been a chicken factory worker in the U.S. He showed no emotion before the hearing or while answering the questions from the judge.

Alwan and Hammadi were living as refugees in Kentucky when they were arrested after an investigation that began months after their arrival in the U.S. in 2009. Neither has been charged with plotting attacks within the United States, and authorities said their weapons and money didn't make it to Iraq because of a tightly controlled undercover investigation.

Alwan was also charged with conspiring to attack American soldiers in Iraq. Other charges include conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Hammadi is also charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and conspiring to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Alwan admitted to trying to supply al-Qaida in Iraq with a cache of weapons that included machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, plastic explosives, sniper rifles, Stinger surface-to-air missile launcher systems and grenades.

Authorities have said the weapons and money didn't make it to Iraq because of a tightly controlled undercover investigation.

"The successful investigation, arrest, interrogation and prosecution of Mr. Alwan demonstrates the effectiveness of our intelligence and law enforcement authorities in bringing terrorists to justice and preventing them from harming the American people," Lisa Monaco, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.

On multiple occasions, Alwan transferred money believing it would go to al-Qaida in Iraq for the purpose of killing Americans overseas, according to prosecutors. Alwan admitted to trying to feed the cash and weapons pipeline to al-Qaida from September 2010 through May 2011 from Kentucky.

While in Iraq, Alwan conspired with others to plant and detonate numerous roadside bombs against U.S. troops, according to the plea agreement and other court documents.

Alwan's fingerprints were lifted off an improvised explosive device found in Iraq in 2005. Before he entered the U.S. as a refugee in 2009, he had to provide a set of fingerprints for a security check.

Prosecutors said that from about 2003 through 2006, Alwan conspired to kill U.S. nationals in Iraq.

Alwan also drew diagrams of improvised explosive devices and provided detailed oral instructions on how to make and use them, prosecutors said, adding that the diagrams were intended to train others in how to make and use the bombs in order to kill Americans overseas.

Russell ruled in September that Alwan could be tried in civilian court, a matter that has escalated into a hot-button political issue.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pushed to have Alwan and Hammadi tried at the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said terrorism-related trials can be successfully handled by civilian courts.

"Today's plea of guilt by Alwan, who boasted of killing U.S. troops in a warzone overseas, and bragged that his `lunch and dinner would be an American,' confirms that he was a combatant who was associated with enemy forces overseas," McConnell said in a statement issued Friday night. "The military should have had custody of him to begin with for purposes of intelligence, detention and punishment."

Alwan and Hammadi entered the United States through a refugee program in 2009.

Both have remained in federal custody since their arrests.

___

Associated Press writer Dylan Lovan contributed to this report from Louisville, Ky.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111217/ap_on_re_us/us_terrorism_charges_iraqis

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PETA wants NC opossum drop custom curtailed

(AP) ? If a national animal rights group gets its way, people in a small mountain town in North Carolina will have to greet the new year without lowering a scrappy marsupial to the ground.

Clay Logan, who owns the Clay's Corner store in the far western tip of the state, has been lowering an opossum in a transparent box to the ground every New Year's for 18 years, in a local homage to the famous ball drop in Times Square.

This year, though, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called on the state Wildlife Resources Commission to put a halt to the tradition, saying the activity is both cruel and illegal.

"Ignorance of the law is not a defense, and cruelty to animals is indefensible," PETA Director Delcianna Winders said. "Using a captive opossum as the centerpiece of a raucous party is cruel and illegal."

PETA's letter, sent this week, is being reviewed, according to a commission spokesman, who said no decision has been made yet. The group claims that Logan lacks the necessary permit to have wild animals, and that the annual event fails to meet the legal standard of "humane treatment" of animals.

"Oh yeah, they love me," Logan said of PETA.

Logan disputes the group's characterization of the event, saying the opossums ? it's generally a different animal from year to year ? are treated well, and that despite the name, nothing is "dropped." Instead, he said, the critter is gently brought to the ground from a height of about 18 feet, although PETA claims it's 40 feet.

"It's a lot of good clean family fun. No alcohol," Logan said. "We advertise it as the only New Year's party you'll remember the next day no matter how much fun you had."

The opossum drop is the centerpiece of the annual event, but it has grown to become what Logan's website calls "the epicenter of the entertainment scene in Brasstown," which has about 250 residents. The program for this year also includes a bull riding competition, a church choir and the traditional cross-dressing beauty competition.

"It fills the place up," Logan said. "On a warm night, it's about 3,000 people. If it's cold, maybe 2,000."

PETA says they've also sent a letter to Logan in hopes of persuading him to find an alternative to using a live animal at the event. They want him to emulate Tallapoosa, Ga.'s New Year's Eve Possum Drop.

"The great thing about Tallapoosa is that they don't use a live possum," PETA lawyer Brittany Peet said. "They use a taxidermied possum." And because it's the same stuffed critter every year, it's become something of a local mascot, Peet said.

The Opossum Drop may be North Carolina's most distinctive New Year's celebration, but the state has plenty of other "drops" planned for that day as well, including a giant acorn, a 30-pound flea made of fabric and wool and a light-up pickle replica in the vegetable-canning hotbed of Mt. Olive.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2011-12-16-Opossum%20Drop/id-de1f973971e741be837ec18dcb5e8899

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