Islamist rivals in Egypt election stand-off (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) ? Rival Islamists in Egypt's parliamentary election played up their differences in a first-round run-off vote, with the top-placed Muslim Brotherhood anxious to show a moderate face to Egyptians hungry for stability.

Hardline Salafis were the surprise runner-up in last week's opening stage, the biggest test of the public mood since street protests ended Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule in February.

But during the run-offs that conclude on Tuesday, both the Salafis and the Brotherhood are sounding lukewarm on the chances of forming a dominant Islamist bloc if they repeat their early success in subsequent voting rounds ending on January 11.

"There were attempts to unite but Salafis are very difficult," said Mohamed Hussein, 20, as he distributed leaflets for the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in front of a polling station in the port city of Alexandria.

"We may agree on certain things but we are different in vision and strategy," he said. "It is easier for me to talk with a liberal or a socialist than a Salafi."

The Salafi al-Nour's Party's leader Emad Abdel Ghaffour said the Brotherhood may try to paint the Salafis as troublemakers. "We hate being followers," he told Reuters.

Army generals have ruled a restive Egypt for nine months promising a transition to democratic civilian rule. Mass protests and street clashes in the run-up to the parliamentary vote forced them to bring forward their departure date.

The elected assembly, with its fresh popular mandate, will loom over the ruling military council until the army hands power to an elected president in mid-2012.

Despite its early electoral success, the Brotherhood seems unlikely to seek a showdown with the generals. Egypt's oldest Islamist group renounced violence long ago and has tended to avoid confrontation in furthering its aims.

Its chosen pitch for now is likely to be a new constitution that the new parliament will influence by appointing the assembly that will draft the document.

ISLAMIST-LIBERAL ALLIANCE?

Voting was slow in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said as the run-offs began on Monday, in contrast to the crowds at polling stations last week.

After the opening round, the FJP's party list won 36.6 percent of valid first-round votes, with al-Nour's list winning 24.4 percent and a liberal Egyptian Bloc on 13.4 percent.

But one fifth of the FJP's list included a variety of smaller parties that included the liberal al-Ghad (Tomorrow) party and the left-leaning Karama (Dignity), a precedent for possible cooperation between the Brotherhood and liberals.

Al-Nour - which wants to stop visitors wearing bikinis on the beach and ban alcohol, a death knell for tourism - quit an electoral alliance with the FJP before the vote, accusing the FJP of hogging too many seats on the list.

The Brotherhood's rivals say it bent campaigning rules by lobbying for votes outside polling stations. The movement said its rivals should accept the result as the will of the people.

Its early success was no surprise given its large network of activists and decades of grass-roots charity work.

But the strong showing by Salafis was a shock for many liberal Muslims and for Coptic Christians, who make up a tenth of Egypt's 80-million population.

"We still have high hopes that the silent majority in the coming two phases will go to the ballot boxes and we still rely on a comeback by the liberal wing," said Youssef Sidhom, editor-in-chief of Orthodox Coptic newspaper al-Watani.

Even if the Brotherhood consolidates its first-round success, Sidhom said, its more moderate members may prevail.

"They know they cannot honor the responsibility that has been bestowed upon them by the people by only preaching Islamic beliefs and a fundamentalist Islamic way of life," he said.

Under a complex system, two-thirds of the 498 elected lower house seats go proportionately to party lists, with the rest going to individual candidates, who must win more than 50 percent of votes in the first round to avoid a run-off.

Only four seats were won outright in the first round, leaving 52 to be decided in the run-off voting on Monday and Tuesday, 24 of them contested between the FJP and al-Nour. Other seats will be decided in later rounds.

(Additional reporting by Tamim Elyan, Maha Dahan and Edmund Blair; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111205/wl_nm/us_egypt_election

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Economy has wildlife rescue on endangered list (omg!)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The disabled grizzly bears Huck, Jake, Pete and Mike arrived after a drive-thru animal park closed in 1985.

Drifter the tiger came as a cub after being seized in a 1997 Chicago drug raid.

Booie, the smoking chimp, was brought here in 1995 at age 28 when he was no longer needed for testing vaccines at the New York University School of Medicine.

Through the years, 76,000 animals have come and gone ? all welcomed by Martine Colette, founder and director of the Wildlife WayStation, one of the first animal sanctuaries in the country and, at one time, the largest.

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars have rallied around the WayStation in the past decade. Still, the fate of its remaining 420 animals is endangered by a drop in donations, rising upkeep and food costs, and the inability to pay staff.

"If the WayStation does not find a way out from under the horrific financial burden it is currently facing, caused by the current recession and disastrous economic downfall, then all these animals that came to us for safe haven are in real jeopardy," Colette said last week.

It's a problem that extends well beyond the cages and enclosures on her property 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Times are hard for all nonprofits, especially donation-driven sanctuaries, said Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA, a California-based animal welfare and wildlife conservation organization.

In recent months, the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio closed because of overcrowding and lack of money. A Florida man lived in a cage with two lions for a month to raise money for his rescue center.

In Ohio, a man released dozens of lions, tigers and other animals from a private preserve before killing himself. Sheriff's deputies had to track and kill nearly 50 runaway animals. Authorities aren't sure of his motive, but he and his wife owed at least $68,000 in unpaid taxes.

Colette, 69, seems like an unlikely rescuer.

Born in Paris, she traveled with her Belgian diplomat father when he went on safari. Friends, colleagues and customers of her Hollywood costume and design business knew she had been to Africa and Asia, and they were always bringing her unwanted or unsuitable animals.

"They'd say, 'This ocelot is trying to eat our Chihuahua."

She took in her first animal in 1966 and a decade later found herself living with 50 animals in a three-bedroom house. Something had to give, so she sold her business, bought 162 acres in Tujunga Canyon in the Angeles National Forest and incorporated the Wildlife WayStation in 1976.

It was meant to be a place to treat and rehabilitate injured animals before returning them to the wild. But you can't release lions and tigers in this country and some animals were too sick to ever go back ? an eagle blind in one eye, the crippled grizzlies and the lab chimps.

She did not believe any animal in need should be turned away, no matter the problem, no matter the cost. It didn't matter if an animal was wild, tame, hurt or handicapped. Whether it was a hummingbird in a matchbox or 27 lions and tigers from an illegal game farm in Idaho, she embraced them all.

"When pot-bellied pigs were in demand, we had 146 come in at one time. There were a lot of ostriches when they were billed as the next white meat," she said.

For 35 years, Colette has had her hand out, gathering donations for her ever-changing stable of creatures. Hollywood has often rallied to her cause.

Betty White has been a supporter from the beginning. In 2001, Hollywood elite, including Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe, and Johnny Depp put together a CD called "Hollywood Goes Wild" to try and raise money for the WayStation. Sharon Stone made a YouTube plea for donations in 2009.

Colette's plea has never been as urgent as last week's.

She's had to lay off about a third of her staff, which has ranged from 42 to 50 people, and she wonders how she'll cover the $142,000 it costs a month to feed and care for the animals.

Problems extend to complying with environmental and permit regulations.

A decade ago, the WayStation had more than 1,100 permanent residents and 5,000 animals dropping in each year. But state officials banned public tours and barred the refuge from accepting new animals after waste was found in a stream and chimpanzees had contagious diseases.

A few years later, Los Angeles County refused to reissue its permit until roads were repaved, sewers replaced and electrical wiring upgraded.

The sanctuary acknowledged the environmental violations and started working on the expensive upgrades, tapping out its emergency fund.

Colette, who had hoped to retire, is open to a merger or partnership that would make money without exploiting the animals.

Someone suggested a wedding chapel on the picturesque grounds. Colette mused about a mountaintop restaurant.

"Everybody talks about how fabulous it is to come out here and listen to the lions roaring and the chimpanzees and tigers calling."

___

Online:

Wildlife WayStation, http://www.wildlifewaystation.org

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_economy_wildlife_rescue_endangered_list191817714/43801855/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/economy-wildlife-rescue-endangered-list-191817714.html

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Debt and doubt loom large over Durban climate talks

By Barbara Lewis and Nina Chestney

DURBAN, South Africa | Mon Dec 5, 2011 1:28pm EST

DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) - Economic crisis and the top three polluters China, the United States and India, loomed as obstacles to a new global deal at the start of a second make-or-break week of U.N. climate talks in the South African city of Durban.

After a first week of preliminary discussion, serious doubt hangs over the future of the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period on tackling climate change expires at the end of next year.

The other major issue for debate is how to drum up finance to help poorer nations adapt to a warmer planet, while the developed world wrestles with sovereign debt problems.

China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, gave a lift to the climate talks at the end of last week by suggesting it might sign up to a legally-binding deal to cut emissions, but it has set conditions.

"China has talked about a legally binding deal after 2020. The question is if China will be legally-bound. That would be interesting," EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said.

China failed to answer that question at a news conference and a European diplomatic source said it was bluffing.

"There's no way China will sign up legally, but it doesn't want to be blamed if the talks fail," the source said, asking not to be named.

China's conditions include that other big emitters sign up and that finance is provided under a Green Climate Fund agreed at talks last year in Cancun, which aims to channel up to $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing nations.

The U.S. special envoy for climate change Todd Stern said China's conditions were not acceptable.

"In order for there to be a legally-binding agreement that makes sense, all the major players are going to have to be in with obligations and commitments that have the same legal force," Stern said.

"That means no conditionality, no condition of receiving the financing, no trap doors, no Swiss cheese (with holes) kind of agreement."

In the United States, the second largest global emitter, environmental issues have become a flashpoint for argument between President Barack Obama's Democrats and the Republicans. A reluctant upper house, which failed to pass a climate bill last year, would block any deal to revive Kyoto.

The United States signed, but did not ratify Kyoto. One of its issues is that the boundaries between developed and developing nations have shifted and all big emitters should now be included on an equal basis in any new agreement.

India, the third biggest carbon emitter, has also stated it is not ready for a new binding agreement.

It argues its economic development is not as strong as China's and it should not be asked to take on legal targets for cutting emissions.

Neither India nor China is included in the goals set under the first commitment phase of the Kyoto Protocol, as they were regarded as developing when it was adopted in 1997.

The European Union has sought to take a lead in breaking the deadlock by promising to back a new agreement, but it too has a condition. It wants guarantees, which it has labeled a road map, that other big emitters will sign up too.

"Europe only accounts for 11 percent of global emissions, therefore a second commitment period with only Europe and a few other countries, it's hard to see how anybody could label that a huge achievement for the climate," Hedegaard said.

FOCUS ON ECONOMIC CRISIS

Europe's leadership has been undermined by the huge strain it is under from a sovereign debt crisis that is threatening to destroy the euro.

It is hoped a credible plan to prop up the single currency will emerge at an EU summit on Friday, also the last day of the UN climate talks in Durban.

"Negotiators can't look for a new angle from prime ministers on Friday as they can't take their focus off the eurozone crisis," said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "That's the only issue on the agenda."

Negotiators have said there is no longer time to get new commitments sealed before the Kyoto Protocol's commitment period runs out at the end of the year, so they are instead aiming to agree on when new commitments can be forged.

The EU's aim is for a deal by 2015 to take effect by 2020 at the latest. The Kyoto Protocol only came into force eight years after it was adopted.

The commitment period for the developed nations to cut emissions by a minimum of five percent is just one clause in the Kyoto Protocol, the companion legislation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Without a new commitment period, the rest of the related agreements remain intact, but do not enforce action on lowering emissions.

South Africa, as host to the climate talks, is keen for another Kyoto Protocol, but is aligned with nations arguing that historically it has been responsible for very little of the pollution that is overheating the planet.

Now, it is among those most vulnerable to drought and crop failure associated with a warmer climate.

Underlying the need for urgent action to cap further temperature change, a report UK Met Office report released in Durban on Monday forecast global temperature would rise between three and five degrees Celsius this century if emissions are left unchecked.

A study released on Sunday found that even in a weak global economy emissions, which hit record levels last year, were still rising.

(Additional reporting by Agnieszka Flak, Jon Herskovitz, Michael Szabo, Andrew Allan; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/scienceNews/~3/JIimAQJjEXk/us-climate-idUSTRE7B41NH20111205

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Christopher Lane: Doing Justice to Agnosticism

"I was raised among people who knew -- who were certain. They did not reason or investigate. They had no doubts... In their creed there was no guess -- no perhaps." These words by Robert G. Ingersoll, the celebrated American orator and political thinker, appear in his 1896 essay "Why I Am an Agnostic," and they help remind us that in the 19th century the word agnostic had a much-stronger meaning than it does today. At a time when the term infidel (or unbeliever) was still the accusation of choice, the rejoinder that one was a-gnostic -- literally, "against gnosis" -- meant that he or she was taking a principled stand against ancient systems of belief.

To Ingersoll, a Republican freethinker justly dubbed "The Great Agnostic," his parents' and relatives' certainty sparked anguish and contention in him. "I examined maps of the heavens," he recalls in the essay, a searing account of lost faith, and "found that, compared with the great stars, our earth was but a grain of sand -- an atom." On turning from Calvin to Thomas Paine and other freethinkers, he adds, "the old belief that all the hosts of heaven had been created for the benefit of man" came to seem "infinitely absurd."

Today, with Republican freethinkers more of a rarity and agnosticism often derided as timid fence-sitting, Ingersoll's vigorous defense of both makes clear that agnosticism was conceived as a form of healthy skepticism that questions everything, including itself. Standing capably and forcefully for the benefit and necessity of doubt, it dealt a blow to dogma and certainty, whether about faith or unbelief.

Rereading Ingersoll and other 19th century doubters today suggests that our assumptions about them have become caricatures, based on a misunderstanding of what in fact they doubted. Ingersoll's "Why I Am an Agnostic" does more than refute those caricatures: In recapturing the term's original meaning as a-gnostic, it underlines how far we've drifted from that earlier, 19th century focus. His essay also prompts us to wonder whether there's enough room for doubt in cultures such as ours that are increasingly polarized between belief and unbelief. When people are expected to stake a position regarding their belief (or lack of it) and defend it to the letter, is agnosticism of the kind that Ingersoll imagined possible? If not, is it not therefore all the more necessary?

Anyone who assumes that Ingersoll's agnostic stance implied a tepid handling of religious controversy is in for a big surprise. He was scathing about zeal and sanctimony, calling biblical accounts of hell not just "frightful dogma," but also an "infinite lie" that was, he thought, tied to a sadistic "belief in eternal pain." Nor did he concede any high ground to the devout. Instead, he railed at the presumption that they had attained one. He saw life in terms of integrity and civitas (citizenship), without religion. Yet "to live a moral and honest life -- to keep your contracts, to take care of wife and child -- to make a happy home -- to be a good citizen, a patriot, a just and thoughtful man, was," he wrote, about those presuming to judge and caricature him, "simply a respectable way of going to hell."

Still, Ingersoll did not embrace atheism, or belief in no God, and he was quick to explain why. "I do not deny," he writes in the essay, published three years before his death at age 66. "I do not know." Despite vehemently rejecting Christianity, then, he did not close the door on religious belief. Instead, like many other agnostics at the time -- including Leslie Stephen, George Eliot, Herbert Spencer, Charles Darwin and Thomas Huxley (who coined the term agnostic three decades earlier, in 1869) -- he thought belief should rest on evidence, not faith, but also that evidence itself was in some key instances wanting.

That stance irks absolutists on either side who have come to consider agnosticism as spineless and wishy-washy, and agnostics as people who can't or won't make up their minds. According to Quentin de la B?doy?re, science editor of the Catholic Herald, for example, the Catholic historian Hugh Ross Williamson respected firm religious belief and certain unbelief, but "reserved his contempt for the wishy-washy boneless mediocrities who flapped around in the middle." Richard Dawkins not only repeats the same line in his recent book, The God Delusion, but prefaces it with similar invective from a "robust Muscular Christian" preacher of his schooldays, for whom agnostics were "namby-pamby, mushy pap, weak tea, weedy, pallid fence-sitters."

Open Ingersoll's "Why I Am an Agnostic" at almost any page, however, or trace the vast literature it cites. Over and again the same biting criticism of theology appears right alongside an urging that humanity not replace one form of dogmatism with another. "Man knows nothing of the Infinite and Absolute," Stephen warns similarly in "An Agnostic's Apology" (1876), with "apology" meaning justification or formal defense rather than being an expression of regret. "Knowing nothing, he had better not be dogmatic about his ignorance." He was using the phrase "knowing nothing" in a broadly metaphysical sense, not as a way of discrediting science and scientific evidence, which he unequivocally supported.

Like Ingersoll, Stephen was the son of an influential Evangelical, carefully schooled in its intricate theology. His essay, appearing in England's Fortnightly Review, is distinguished by its being the first on agnosticism by someone who applied the term to himself. He did so, moreover, after solemnly renouncing holy orders as a deacon -- an act grave enough at the time to push him to the brink of suicide.

"Whilst you trumpet forth officially your contempt for our skepticism," he writes of orthodox critics, "we will at least try to believe that you are imposed upon by your own bluster."
Heated? Indeed. "Weak tea, weedy, pallid fence-sitting"? Hardly. Like Ingersoll's essay, Stephen's is a bracing polemic -- a powerful stand against certainty and what had come to seem to him credulity.

We need more, not less, discussion about such doubts. A sense that agnosticism can be entertained and vigorously defended as a serious expression of such doubts, rather than endlessly demeaned and dismissed as an expression of weakness. As Ingersoll, Stephen, Huxley, and so many others have shown us, agnosticism is both a powerful critique of religion and a principled way of acknowledging when one doesn't have all the answers.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lane/doing-justice-to-agnostic_b_1116320.html

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Building For The Long Haul

At a recent Startup School, Mark Zuckerberg made some very poignant comments about?Silicon Valley?s lack of long-term focus.? While the quick turnover of capital, people and innovation makes the Valley an incredibly attractive place for?starting?companies, it also produces an environment that?s almost hostile when it comes to building them for the long haul. The tension is remarkable, yet it?s rarely highlighted among the more explicit challenges ? say, going up against the 800lb gorilla ? faced by entrepreneurs. Every so often, my non-tech friends half-jokingly ask, ?Have you sold yet??? And for the first few years of Box?s existence, to placate them, I would ask for?just a couple more quarters. Right after we get our next product to market, after we double again, and so on.? But soon it dawned on me that I wasn?t going to stop.? I couldn?t.? There was just too much to do, too much unexplored territory. Even when things weren?t going well, the challenge of righting them was like another shot of pure adrenaline.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Jq8iO3v_rlo/

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Egypt Brotherhood says won't impose Islamic values

An Egyptian protester sets up a tent in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Anticipating a strong presence in the new Egyptian parliament, ultraconservative Islamists have outlined plans for a strict brand of religious law, a move that could limit personal freedoms and steer a key U.S. ally toward an Islamic state. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

An Egyptian protester sets up a tent in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Anticipating a strong presence in the new Egyptian parliament, ultraconservative Islamists have outlined plans for a strict brand of religious law, a move that could limit personal freedoms and steer a key U.S. ally toward an Islamic state. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

An Egyptian family is seen on a bridge over the Nile River near Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

Egyptian policemen patrol on camels near the Giza Pyramids near Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, emerging as the biggest winner in the first round of parliamentary elections, sought Saturday to reassure Egyptians that it would not sacrifice personal freedoms in promoting Islamic law.

The deputy head of the Brotherhood's new political party, Essam el-Erian, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the group is not interested in imposing Islamic values on Egypt, home to a sizable Christian minority and others who object to being subject to strict Islamic codes.

"We represent a moderate and fair party," el-Erian said of his Freedom and Justice Party. "We want to apply the basics of Shariah law in a fair way that respects human rights and personal rights," he said, referring to Islamic law.

The comments were the clearest indication that the Brotherhood was distancing itself from the ultraconservative Islamist Nour Party, which appears to have won the second-largest share of votes in the election's first phase.

The Nour Party espouses a strict interpretation of Islam similar to that of Saudi Arabia, where the sexes are segregated and women must be veiled and are barred from driving.

Egypt's election commission has released few official results from the voting on Monday and Tuesday. But preliminary counts have been leaked by judges and individual political groups showing both parties could together control a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament if they did form an alliance.

The Brotherhood recently denied in a statement that it seeks to form an alliance with the Nour Party in parliament, calling it "premature and mere media speculation."

On Saturday, el-Erian made it clear that the Brotherhood does not share Nour's more hard-line aspirations to strictly enforce Islamic codes in Egyptians' daily lives.

"We respect all people in their choice of religion and life," he said.

Another major check on such an agenda is the council of generals who have run the country since President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February. The military council, accused by Egypt's protest movement of stalling a transition to civilian and democratic rule, is seeking to limit the powers of the next parliament and maintain close oversight over the drafting of a new constitution.

Egypt already uses Shariah law as the basis for legislation, however Egyptian laws remain largely secular as Shariah does not cover all aspects of modern life.

On its English-language Twitter account, the Brotherhood said that its priorities were to fix Egypt's economy and improve the lives of ordinary Egyptians, "not to change (the) face of Egypt into (an) Islamic state."

El-Erian urged the Brotherhood's political rivals to accept the election results.

"We all believe that our success as Egyptians toward democracy is a real success and we want everyone to accept this democratic system. This is the guarantee for stability," he said.

For decades, Mubarak's regime suppressed the Brotherhood, which was politically banned but managed to establish a vast network of activists and charities offering free food and medical services throughout the country's impoverished neighborhoods and villages.

It is the best organized of Egypt's post-Mubarak political forces.

The vote for parliament's lower house is taking place over three stages, with 18 provinces in Egypt yet to vote.

Meanwhile, the swearing-in of a new temporary Cabinet was delayed on Saturday due to disagreements over key posts, including over who will lead the ministry in charge of internal security.

An official in the Interior Ministry said several high-ranking security officials have been named as possible replacements but that some have turned down the offer.

Protesters have also strongly objected to the nominations put forward by newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, who served in the same position under ousted President Hosni Mubarak from 1996 to 1999.

The country's ruling military general, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, appointed el-Ganzouri as a new interim prime minister last month after the previous premier's government resigned in the wake of a police crackdown on protesters that killed over 40 people.

The interim Cabinet will serve until after the parliamentary elections finish in March. A new government is to be formed after the legislature is seated.

Activist Hussein Hammouda, a retired police brigadier, is among those opposed to the names being considered for the Interior Minister post and says someone from outside the police force should be chosen instead.

Protesters in Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt's protests, released a statement saying they would continue their sit-in while allowing traffic to resume normally in the area.

There were tens of thousands of protesters in the square in the days leading up to the elections, but numbers have dwindled to several hundred since then. Protesters demanding el-Ganzouri be replaced as prime minister said they will keep up another sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-03-ML-Egypt/id-b9e15db52cec45c597d17fe933c2c457

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Lindsey Vonn Wins World Cup Downhill (VIDEO)

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta -- Lindsey Vonn won the World Cup women's downhill Friday at Lake Louise for her ninth career victory at the resort.

The American star finished in 1 minute, 53.19 seconds to beat Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather by 1.95 seconds ? the largest victory margin in Vonn's downhill career.

Switzerland's Dominique Gisin was third in 1:55.29.

"I mean, 2 seconds, that's crazy," Gisin said. "We will try to be a little bit closer to Lindsey tomorrow. That's probably the only thing you can hope for."

Vonn has won at least one race at Lake Louise in eight straight years.

"I just have always had such a good feeling here," said Vonn, fourth on the women's career list with 43 World Cup victories. "That track suits me so well. I feel at home. It can't be more peaceful and amazing with the mountains here. I would prefer to have every race here in Lake Louise, but I don't think they'll let me."

Alice McKennis of Glenwood Springs, Colo., was eighth in her return from a knee injury.

"It's been such a long road for me and to be fast in my first race back is just an incredible feeling," McKennis said. "I felt so much more comfortable today than I have in any of the training runs. I felt like I was skiing well, but I no idea that I'd come down in a decent position. I'm so pumped up for another day of downhill tomorrow."

After the second downhill Saturday, a super-G is set for Sunday.

Vonn, the reigning Olympic downhill champion, recently announced that she and her husband of four years, Thomas Vonn, are divorcing. Thomas Vonn had overseen many aspects of her career.

"Right now, skiing is the best thing for me," Vonn said Friday. "When I'm on my skis and on the mountain, I feel calm and feel comfortable.

"I love skiing. I love going fast. I love downhill. Today, even if I didn't win, I think just racing and being on the mountain is what I need."

The 27-year-old star from Burnsville, Minn., credited her U.S. teammates and her rivals on the World Cup circuit for rallying around her, singling out Germany's Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who beat Vonn by three points for the overall title last season.

"That's helped me so much through this time," Vonn said.

Hoefl-Riesch was ninth Friday. World downhill and super-G champion Elisabeth Goergl of Austria finished in a three-way tie for 20th with teammate Anna Fenninger and France's Marlon Rolland.

Bode Miller won the men's downhill in Beaver Creek, Colo., on Friday to mark the first time since Dec. 3, 2004, that an American man and woman won downhills on the same day. That also was Vonn's first World Cup victory, when she competed as Lindsey Kildow.

Vonn has won eight downhills and a super-G at Lake Louise. Hoefl-Riesch edged her off the top of the podium in both downhills in 2010, but Vonn took the super-G.

A lack of snow in Val d'Isere, France, has forced the world governing body of skiing to move men's and women's races scheduled for Dec. 10-11 to Beaver Creek. The women will race a super-G there Wednesday.

Vonn was already mentally preparing for it.

"We're only going to have that one inspection on the hill on Wednesday and I've never actually skied on the course," Vonn said. "It's going to be really important to have a good inspection. I think I'm going to be thinking about that a little bit this weekend and make sure I'm really focused and ready for the race this coming Wednesday."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/lindsey-vonn-wins-world-cup-downhill-2011_n_1126676.html

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