No. 17 Pittsburgh eases by Robert Morris 81-71 (AP)

PITTSBURGH ? Ashton Gibbs scored 21 points and Cameron Wright added a career-high 13 as No. 17 Pittsburgh rolled past Robert Morris 81-71 on Sunday.

The Panthers (5-1) won their third straight by shooting 55 percent from the field in the first half and playing with a defensive intensity they have lacked at times early in the season.

The addition of rangy freshman forward Khem Birch into the lineup helped. Birch finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and six blocks while making his second career start.

Cordon Williams led Robert Morris (4-2) with 19 points but the Panthers clamped down on Robert Morris star Velton Jones, who came in averaging 19.7 points but was held to 10 on 1-of-14 shooting.

Pitt improved to 29-0 all-time against its crosstown rival and 69-0 against Northeast Conference opponents and won despite missing forwards Lamar Patterson and Dante Taylor.

Both players sat out their second straight game, though for vastly different reasons. Patterson is serving a two-game suspension for a violation of team rules while Taylor continues to struggle with migraines.

In their absence the highly touted Birch has emerged. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds and played with boundless energy as Pitt rolled to a 20-point win in his first start on Friday at Penn.

He wasn't quite as aggressive offensively against the Colonials, though he didn't have to be considering the way his teammates were shooting the ball. Some of the confidence must have rubbed off on Birch, who knocked down a rare 17-footer early in the second half.

Birch knows learning the offense will take time. He doesn't think he needs to wait to make an impact defensively, and his six blocks against the Colonials were one off the school record.

Sophomore forward Talib Zanna posted career-highs with 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Panthers, who never let Robert Morris get within striking distance following a 16-4 burst midway through the first half.

At 31 Robert Morris' Andrew Toole is the youngest coach in Division I.

The Panthers have spent the first three weeks of the season searching for an identity. They may have found one thanks to the emergence of Birch.

Coach Jamie Dixon took his time slowly easing Birch into the fray but was left with no choice when Taylor couldn't go because of recurring headaches.

The Colonials, who have dominated the NEC over the last four seasons, tried to slow down the pace early. They worked the clock on offense and made the Panthers work to get open looks, forcing Pitt into a shot clock violation on one possession and a desperation 3-pointer on another that came nowhere close to going in.

The strategy worked for a few minutes, or about as long as it took Pitt to hit the gas.

The Panthers broke it open using their signature pressure defense, using a 16-4 run midway through the first half to take control. Wright turned two Robert Morris giveaways into a layup and a dunk, one that earned him a technical foul for swinging on the rim before letting go.

Williams knocked down two free throws as a result, but it hardly slowed the Panthers.

Pitt slowly kept extending the lead, playing efficiently on offense and aggressively on defense, something the Panthers have lacked at times. The Panthers were lit up in a loss to Long Beach State two weeks ago and struggled getting stops in wins over Rider and La Salle.

There were no such issues against the Colonials, who shot just 37 percent from the field and only briefly got within single digits over the game's final 30 minutes.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111128/ap_on_sp_co_ga_su/bkc_t25_robert_morris_pittsburgh

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?Sister Wives? family has new baby, new hope

Kyle Christy / TLC

Kody Brown and wife No. 4, Robyn, welcomed the newest member of the family, baby Solomon, on the season finale of "Sister Wives."

By Tierney Bricker, E! Online

Robyn Brown can't wait for her child on the "Sister Wives" season finale: "It's getting really close to when I have the baby."

While we reported on Solomon's birth last month, Sunday night we actually got to see the moments and emotions leading up to it, including those of Kody Brown's first three wives, Meri, Christine and Janelle. What do they think about Robyn welcoming a new child into the family? (Hint: They're not all thrilled!) Oh, and Robyn made Meri a pretty huge offer, signifying just how close these two sister wives have become.?

So what went down before Solomon's birth?

MORE: "Sister Wives" Season-Finale First Look: Robyn and Meri Bond Over Baby Solomon!

The wives go out to lunch, which they say helps their friendships as they are living in different houses, and Robyn says she's nervous about how Kody feels about another child. Meri, Christine and Janelle reassure her about him. "Kody's great," Christine says. "You're going to be so relieved." Robyn tells them they're the reason Kody is so great.?

Christine makes a "peace offering" to Robyn because "my treatment of her has not been accepting and welcoming in the least," she explains. "Being jealous of her, what it really did, it made her feel like she wasn't welcome. That I didn't want her as a sister wife. I never meant that." Christine admits she's fearful that her children won't treat Robyn as their mother because of her actions. "I welcome Solomon as my son, and I promise to be better," Christine says. Janelle admits she's not as excited as Christine for Solomon's arrival. "I am excited, but I probably won't get up in the middle of the night to see the baby," she admits.?

"It'll be fun to have Solomon, but it'll be very different than if it were my own," says Meri, who reveals she and Robyn have become very close. Meri says she always wanted a deep connection with a sister wife and never had it until Robyn came into the family.?

Two weeks overdue, Robyn is definitely ready to give birth (in her home, preferably on her bed!) to Solomon. On Oct. 25, around 10:15 p.m., Robyn gets her wish as she goes into labor. Meri comes over to say, "Good luck! Happy pushing!" After a couple of hours in labor, Kody and Robyn welcome their first child together. "I was impressed," Kody tells his fourth wife. "Here's our dream come true."

MORE: "Sister Wives" Recap: A Wild Night in Vegas! Plus, Wrestling!

Aside from the arrival of baby Solomon, the other Brown kids received some screentime as the issue of the move from Utah to Las Vegas was addressed, but the story soon returns to baby talk. And a huge surprise.

At the end of the episode, Robyn says she needs to talk to Meri alone, so she can say to her, "I want to know if you want me to be your surrogate." As most viewers know, Meri can't have children, so this is huge. "I know you're going to have to take some time to think about it, but I'm offering it wholeheartedly," Robyn says. All Meri can say is, "Wow!" Robyn admits she's been thinking about it ever since they met.?Yes, we cried.

PHOTOS: Famous Families

What did you think of the "Sister Wives" season finale? And what did you think the offer Robyn made Meri? Share your thoughts on The Clicker's Facebook page.

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Source: http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/28/9066772-sister-wives-finale-ends-with-new-baby-new-hope

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Obama meeting with Netherlands prime minister to talk about trade, euro issues (Star Tribune)

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The nation suffers a deficit of reasonableness (Seattle Times)

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Arab states cut commercial ties with Syria (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? The Arab League approved sweeping economic sanctions on Syria on Sunday over its crackdown on protesters and the Qatari foreign minister said other powers might intervene if Arabs fail to contain the crisis.

The sanctions, including a travel ban on top Syrian officials and a freeze on assets related to President Bashar al-Assad's government, were approved by 19 of the League's 22 members to be enforced immediately.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani had previously said Arabs wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened in Libya, where a U.N. Security Council resolution led to NATO air strikes.

"All the work that we are doing is to avoid this interference," Sheikh Hamad said, adding that if the international community did not see that Arabs were "serious" he could not guarantee that such action would be avoided.

The sanctions also aim to halt dealings with Syria's central bank and stop investments in Syria, he told a news conference.

Arab ministers were spurred to action by worsening violence in Syria and by the Assad government's failure to meet a deadline to let in Arab monitors and take other steps to end its crackdown on an eight-month-old uprising.

"It is a symbolic but a huge step. The Arab League has tried to stop civilian killings but it failed. Now it is removing the Arab cover from the regime, which could make it easier for the international community to intervene," said prominent opposition figure Walid al-Bunni.

"No one wants to see ordinary Syrians deprived of essential supplies. The Arabs are telling Bashar: 'You are killing the people to whom you say you belong. We will not receive you in our capitals. We're freezing your assets. We are not investing in your country,'" Bunni said from Cairo.

Even so, the measures could plunge Syria deeper into economic crisis.

Syrian official media quoted an undated letter by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem to the Arab League as saying that Damascus views the Arab plan for monitors as interference in its affairs.

"We trust that all Arab countries stand against foreign interference in the affairs of Arab countries. Therefore we hope that the League will issue (a statement) confirming this," he said.

The League for decades avoided action against its 22 members.

But it has been galvanized by pressure from Gulf Arabs already angry at Syria's alliance with regional rival Iran, by the political changes brought about by Arab uprisings, and by the scale of the Syrian bloodshed.

Security police fired live ammunition at a funeral of an activist in the city of eastern Deir al-Zor, injuring 10 people, while in Rankous, a town 30 km (19 miles) north of Damascus where protesters regularly demand Assad's removal, security forces killed two civilians, local activists said on Sunday.

"The funeral came under fire at the mosque when the crowd started chanting 'the people weren't the downfall of the regime'," said one of the activists, who gave his name as Abu Jassem.

In al-Ghab plain, northwest of the city of Hama, troops arrested tens of villagers in the town of Kfar Nbouzeh, burned six houses belonging to activists and ransacked shops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"Even regular food stores were not spared from the ransacking," said Rami Abdelrahman, the Observatory's director.

The United Nations says the crackdown has killed over 3,500 people. Along with peaceful protests, some of Assad's opponents are fighting back. Army defectors have loosely grouped under the Syrian Free Army and more insurgent attacks on loyalist troops have been reported in the last several weeks.

The defectors are drawn from the majority Sunni rank and file. The military and security apparatus are dominated by officers from Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Islam that has controlled the majority Sunni country for the last five decades.

Hundreds of people, including civilians, soldiers and army deserters, have been killed in Syria this month, possibly the bloodiest since the unrest broke out in March inspired by uprisings which overthrew leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Alongside the mainly peaceful protests, armed insurgents have increasingly attacked military targets in recent weeks. Officials say 1,100 security force members have been killed.

Damascus, where the Assad family has ruled for 41 years, says regional powers helped incite the violence, which it blames on armed groups targeting civilians and its security forces.

Non-Arab Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, was in Egypt for the Arab ministerial meetings, adding pressure on Damascus from its biggest neighbor.

The stepped-up pressure on Assad follows a French proposal for "humanitarian corridors" to be set up through which food and medicine could be shipped to alleviate civilian suffering.

But United Nations humanitarian coordinator Valerie Amos suggested that setting up humanitarian corridors into Syria or buffer zones on the border could be premature.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Beirut, Patrick Werr and Tom Pfeiffer in Cairo, and Patrick Markey in Baghdad; Writing by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111127/wl_nm/us_syria

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Leinart hurt, but Texans hold on to beat Jags

By MARK LONG

updated 7:36 p.m. ET Nov. 27, 2011

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Matt Leinart and Matt Schaub stood next to each other for the final few snaps, Leinart in a sling and Schaub in a walking boot.

The scene spoke volumes about Houston's quarterback situation and playoff chances.

If the Texans are going to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history, they probably will have to do it with a third-string quarterback.

Leinart injured his throwing shoulder Sunday at Jacksonville, overshadowing Houston's 20-13 victory against the offensively inept Jaguars. Leinart believes he broke his collarbone, but coach Gary Kubiak said initial X-rays were inconclusive.

"There's a pretty strong possibility I probably won't be coming back this season," Leinart said. "It's pretty disappointing. It's tough to swallow, but we'll just move forward. Everything that's happened to me, this was a great opportunity. ... It's unfortunate, but I'm not going to give up. It's not my nature. I'll just keep moving forward and figure this thing out one step at a time."

Assuming Leinart is done for the season, it would be a serious setback for a team that is closing in on its first AFC South title. Sure, the Texans have one of the league's best running games. But as Jacksonville showed, Arian Foster and Ben Tate will have a tough time carrying the load against eight- and nine-man fronts.

Foster ran for 65 yards and a score. Tate added 26 yards on the ground. Along with Leinart's perfect touchdown pass to Joel Dreessen and a defensive effort that included seven sacks ? Connor Barwin had four of them ? it was enough for Houston to win its fifth consecutive game.

But with Schaub (foot) and Leinart out, the Texans are down to T.J. Yates and newly signed Kellen Clemens.

Yates completed 8 of 15 passes for 70 yards in relief of Leinart, doing just enough to help the Texans beat the Jaguars (3-8). Houston led 20-10 at halftime, but managed just 47 yards and two first downs in the second half.

"I feel for Matt. He was playing good," Yates said. "If there's one thing that this team knows how to do, it's deal with adversity. We've taken an injury almost every game of the year and the team has rallied around each other and found a way to win."

Jacksonville's quarterback situation was a mess, too.

Coach Jack Del Rio benched rookie Blaine Gabbert in the fourth quarter, after six sacks and an interception. Luke McCown led the team to a late field goal, but his fourth-down pass with about a minute remaining fell incomplete.

Del Rio said Gabbert remains the team's starter.

"Offensively, we just are struggling to generate enough productivity to have any fun," Del Rio said. "It's tough to win in this league when you're not scoring. ... We are working hard at it, but we are just not making enough plays."

Leinart, making his first start in two years, was hit hard by defensive end Jeremy Mincey late in the second quarter. He went to the sideline, headed to the locker room for tests and did not return.

Leinart completed 10 of 13 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, a 20-yard pass to Dreessen under heavy pressure. He got hurt on the next possession.

Yates replaced him and drove the Texans into position for a field goal that put them ahead 20-10 at the break.

Jacksonville outgained Houston 255-215 in total yards. But Josh Scobee missed a 55-yard field goal and tight end Marcedes Lewis dropped a pass in the end zone with no one around him. It was the latest in a growing list of drops for the former Pro Bowl tight end. His latest one prompted Jacksonville to settle for a short field goal.

"It was a leak here, a leak there and we never really got clicking," guard Uche Nwaneri said.

McCown, named the starter five days before the season opener and then benched after two games, was 7 of 11 passing for 62 yards in two series. Gabbert was 13 of 29 for 136 yards.

Maurice Jones-Drew was the lone bright spot for Jacksonville's offense. He ran 18 times for 99 yards and caught four passes for 67 more.

"A quarterback is only as good as the players around him," Jones-Drew said. "When they pull your quarterback, they are saying something about you. It's not the quarterback. We have to continue to work to get better with whoever is going to be the starter next week."

Jacksonville's only touchdown came on Ashton Youboty's 38-yard fumble return on the opening series. Foster fumbled for the first time in 172 carries this season, coughing up the ball on Paul Posluszny's tackle.

Foster bounced back with a 43-yard gain on the next possession and later scored on a 1-yard plunge. It was his fifth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown.

"I'm very proud of this team," Kubiak said. "It's hard to win in this league, and when you face some of the adversity we've faced and will be facing again, and to continue to find a way to win, that's a sign of a very solid football team."

Notes: Texans WR Andre Johnson, back in the starting lineup after missing six games because of a hamstring injury, caught two passes for 22 yards. ... Rackers' 53-yard FG tied the franchise record. ... Jaguars C Brad Meester played in his 172nd career game, breaking the previous franchise record held by Jimmy Smith. ... Jones-Drew has 1,040 yards rushing, his third consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45454734/ns/sports-nfl/

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