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Saturday, December 29, 2012
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Official acquitted in Russian jail death case
Dmitry Kratov, sits in a court, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The Tverskoy court on Friday will rule in the case of Dmitry Kratov, formerly deputy chief physician in the Butyrskaya prison, the only official charged with the lawyer?s death. The Moscow court is expected to hand down a verdict on Friday for the first and only official charged with the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a case his family dismissed as sham and humiliation. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Dmitry Kratov, sits in a court, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The Tverskoy court on Friday will rule in the case of Dmitry Kratov, formerly deputy chief physician in the Butyrskaya prison, the only official charged with the lawyer?s death. The Moscow court is expected to hand down a verdict on Friday for the first and only official charged with the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a case his family dismissed as sham and humiliation. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Dmitry Kratov, sits in a courtroom, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. The Tverskoy court on Friday will rule in the case of Dmitry Kratov, formerly deputy chief physician in the Butyrskaya prison, the only official charged with the lawyer?s death. The Moscow court is expected to hand down a verdict on Friday for the first and only official charged with the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a case his family dismissed as sham and humiliation. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
FILE In this Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 file photo Nataliya Magnitskaya, mother of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who died in jail, holds a photo of her son as she speaks during an interview with the AP in Moscow. The Moscow court is expected to hand down a verdict on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, for the first and only official charged with the death of whistleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a case his family dismissed as sham and humiliation. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
MOSCOW (AP) ? The only official charged with the death of a Russian whistleblowing lawyer walked free on Friday after a Moscow court acquitted him of negligence, in a case that has become a rallying point for human rights advocates and sparked escalating legislation in the U.S. and Russia.
Sergei Magnitsky died in jail in 2009 after his pancreatitis went untreated, and an investigation by Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded he was severely beaten and denied medical treatment. Prison doctor Dmitry Kratov was the only person to face trial in the case.
Judge Tatyana Neverova said she found no evidence that Kratov's negligence could have caused the lawyer's death. The acquittal was widely expected after prosecutors earlier this week dropped their accusations, saying they had decided there was no connection between Kratov's actions and Magnitsky's death.
The case has angered both Russian activists and the West. The U.S. Congress passed legislation this month in Magnitsky's name, calling for sanctions against officials ? including Kratov ? deemed to be connected with human rights abuses. The bill provoked retaliation from Moscow, including a measure barring Americans from adopting Russian children that President Vladimir Putin signed on Friday.
Magnitsky, a lawyer for the Hermitage Capital fund, was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of tax evasion by the same Interior Ministry officials he accused of using false tax documents to steal $230 million from the state. He died while in custody awaiting trial.
Government officials have dismissed calls to investigate police officials and the only official charged in his death was Kratov, who was deputy chief physician at the Butyrskaya prison where Magnitsky was held.
Hermitage's owner, Bill Browder, said the outcome of the trial shows the government's unwillingness to find and try the culprits.
"Even though Kratov was only a minor player in the overall persecution of Sergei, the fact that the Russian authorities can't even scapegoat their one scapegoat says everything about this case," Browder said.
Kratov pleaded not guilty to charges of negligence leading to death, saying he was unable to ensure medical care for Magnitsky because of a shortage of staff.
The prison doctor thanked "everyone who believed in me and my innocence" after the verdict.
The lawyer's family has described the trial as a sham, maintaining that Kratov played a minor role in the man's death and that officials responsible must face justice.
The lawyer's mother and attorney did not attend the ruling in protest.
"Participation in this court hearing would have been humiliating for me," Nataliya Magnitskaya said in a statement. "I understand that everything has been decided in advance and everything has been pre-determined."
Browder said that he does not doubt that "people responsible for Magnitsky's death are being protected by the president of Russia.
"In this case, there was overwhelming evidence of Kratov's involvement and his acquittal goes against any logic or concept of justice," he said
Valery Borshchev, a human rights advocate who spearheaded the presidential commission's investigation into Magnitsky's death, was outraged with the court's decision. Borshchev insisted that authorities must investigate overwhelming evidence collected by his commission that points to the fact that Magnitsky was tortured.
"Kratov and others are guilty because there were inadequate conditions to treat Magnitsky," he told the Interfax news agency. "The conditions in jail were torturous, and doctors didn't do anything to change that."
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Gay marriage at Supreme Court: Will military couples get more benefits?
When Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan returned from a year-long deployment to Kuwait with the New Hampshire National Guard in 2010, her doctor didn?t have good news. The breast cancer thought to be in remission, the physician said, had returned, and the diagnosis was terminal.
That?s when Morgan began a new battle ? to make sure her wife and their daughter receive the same survivor benefits that would go to any other married couple with children.
The US Supreme Court?s decision to take up the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) could have a considerable impact on the benefits of same-sex spouses of service members, who were largely invisible to the military until the repeal of ?don?t ask, don?t tell? (DADT).
Recommended: How much do you know about the US Constitution? A quiz.
So far, the DADT repeal has simply meant that US troops no longer face being forced out of the military for their sexual orientation.
But for the partners of gay troops, the impact of the repeal has been less sweeping and more ambiguous.
Even when gay couples are legally married under state law, for example, Section 3 of DOMA forbids the US government from treating such military couples as married.
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And so they are not eligible for the kinds of benefits that heterosexual married couples receive in the military, including housing, medical care, and in the case of Morgan and others, survivor benefits should they die while serving their country.
DOMA Section 3 is the specific measure that will be reviewed by the Supreme Court in March.
Passed by Congress in 1996, the law declares that the word ?marriage? means only a legal union between one man and one woman and that the word ?spouse? refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is also a husband or wife.
As a result, under federal law, the benefits of marriage can go only to a person of the opposite sex, regardless of state law.
DOMA Section 3 has been declared unconstitutional by eight federal courts.
The Obama administration said last year that it would enforce the law, but would no longer defend it in court.
Should DOMA Section 3 be struck down by the Supreme Court, ?My sense is that same-sex couples who are married under state law would be treated exactly the same as married couples are for the purposes of treatment on military installations and for benefits,? says Robert Tuttle, a law professor at George Washington University.
Currently, there is an ?exhaustive list? of benefits that same-sex spouses do not receive, says Zeke Stokes, spokesman for OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy organization in Washington.
While enlisted soldiers are permitted to live off base if they are married, unmarried soldiers are often required to live in barracks on base.
Yet in some cases where gay service members are married under state law, they have ?been forced to live on base, while their husband or wife has to live off base,? Mr. Stokes says. ?And so they have to incur the cost of two households in these situations, so there are some real financial hardships associated with it.?
In addition to not being eligible for housing allowances and government medical insurance, same-sex military couples often find a litany of ?daily indignities? the most difficult, Stokes says.
Opposite-sex spouses of troops, for example, are allowed to shop at the base grocery store, known as the commissary. Same-sex spouses often cannot, though base commanders sometimes make exceptions to this rule.
Stokes recalls a same-sex spouse who had permission from base command to shop at the commissary, but only to buy items for the child she had with her partner.
When she went to pay for the groceries, the cashier made her justify each item and why it was specifically for her child. ?Those sorts of things can sometimes be as psychologically damaging as not having health care,? he says. ?Because it?s so publicly humiliating.?
Morgan recalls a similar incident. After the cancer diagnosis, she and her wife, Karen Morgan, were on a ?bucket list? trip to Hawaii with their daughter, Casey.
They went to the commissary to buy some food, but Morgan's wife was not permitted to enter because, as a same-sex spouse, she is not entitled to a base ID card under DOMA.
?I had my ID card, and Casey had hers, but Karen was told she couldn?t go in. Karen does all the shopping for our family, and Casey was asking, ?Mama, why can?t Mommy come?? ? Morgan says.
?It was embarrassing ? plus, as the caretaker in our family, Karen is the one who knows what we like to eat, not me.?
Nor is her wife entitled to Tricare military medical insurance, an expense that costs the family an additional $700 a month, Morgan says. ?We cannot afford that,? she says.
Upon her death, she adds, her daughter, Casey, will get survivor life insurance and what the military calls a death gratuity, in addition to Social Security benefits.
While an opposite-sex spouse would also be eligible for these benefits, Karen is not. ?I earned these benefits serving my country,? says Morgan, who has been in a civil union with her wife since 2000, and married to her since 2011, after DADT was repealed. ?It?s the same fears anyone has for their family: I just want them to be taken care of.?
The Supreme Court?s decision to take up DOMA fills her with hope. ?I?m very excited that they took up the legislation,? Morgan says. ?It makes me very proud.?
In the meantime, Morgan has been invited to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the Jan. 3 inauguration of the new governor of New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan.
?It?s all about loving and taking care of your family. That?s family values. That?s what I fight for,? says Morgan. ?This is what I worked for ? this is what I stand for.?
Recommended: How much do you know about the US Constitution? A quiz.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-marriage-supreme-court-military-couples-more-benefits-211000993.html
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Top official: Whole society benefits from the state's care for press ...
Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 27 / Trend. Trend E. Mehdiyev /
For many years, Azerbaijani government has been showing care for the press and this benefits the whole society in general, Head of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's Social and Political Department Ali Hasanov said.
He made the remarks at the award ceremony of the competition announced by Azerbaijani Fund of State Support to Media Development under the President on Thursday.
"The government has been taking care of the press for many years," Hasanov said.
Hasanov said that according to the concept adopted in this area, Azerbaijani Fund of State Support to Media Development under the President each year decides on certain issues related to labor and social problems of journalists.
"As a result of this attitude of President Ilham Aliyev to the press he was elected as friend of journalists. Next year, we will participate in the opening of the building, for the first time in the history of the country, built for journalists. Neediest and most productive journalists will be provided with apartments in that building," Hasanov said.
Significant events are to happen in Azerbaijan in 2013.
"Presidential elections are coming up in Azerbaijan. Work of media will increase during the year of presidential elections. The main issue is to satisfy the information needs of the Azerbaijani state and people by uniting, and to solve the existing problems in this area," he said.
Speaking of journalistic competition, Hasanov said that there are winners, but there are no losers in it, there are journalists who took the first, second, third and subsequent places.
"The first three places are awarded. Although others do not receive awards, they can participate in the competition next year, presenting even better articles. The main issue is that by holding these events, we demonstrate the care of the state and President Ilham Aliyev for the press," he said.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az
Source: http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2103746.html
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Friday, December 28, 2012
Kacsmar: A lot on the line in finale
Do-or-die games for Vikings, Bears, Cowboys in Week 17
ReutersRedskins?quarterback Robert Griffin III can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance against the Cowboys on Sunday.
Opinion
By Scott Kacsmar
NBCSports.com contributor
updated 12:20 p.m. ET Dec. 27, 2012
Hard to believe, but we have reached the end of the NFL?s 2012 regular season. Was it not that long ago that we had replacement referees and the Arizona Cardinals were 4-0? Yet here we are, days away from that last Sunday until next September in which all 32 teams will play a real game. Savor the moment.
Week 17 offers numerous playoff scenarios, the last two playoff berths, and one more attempt to rewrite the NFL record book. Here is your handy guide to what to watch for this Sunday. All 16 games are divisional rematches.
AFC South
The Houston Texans (12-3) have been in the driver?s seat of the AFC all season, yet a loss in Indianapolis (10-5) will likely push them all the way to the No. 3 seed, which means no first-round bye.
It is a very important game for Houston, which just beat the Colts 29-17 in a Week 15 game dominated by J.J. Watt. He has 20.5 sacks, eyeing Michael Strahan?s record of 22.5 sacks set in 2001.
For the Colts, Bruce Arians had one of the finest runs ever as an interim coach, leading the team to a 9-3 record. Chuck Pagano triumphantly returns to the sidelines this week as his battle with leukemia continues to inspire this team of underdogs.
Despite their -42 scoring differential, the Colts are 10-5. They have done so by going 9-1 in games decided by 1-7 points. Andrew Luck has already set the rookie passing record (4,183 yards), and has tied the regular season record with seven game-winning drives.
While the Colts are locked into the No. 5 seed, they are still a young team that can use the experience against a quality opponent. It is hard to imagine they will not go all out for the win with Pagano?s return. The Colts are 10-0 all time at home against Houston.
You can say Peyton Manning?s injury last year helped pave the way for drafting Luck. Now Manning will be looking for some help in return, as a Colts? victory over Houston is the path for Manning?s Broncos to get the No. 1 seed this year.
Jacksonville (2-13) has a slight chance of securing the No. 1 pick in the draft with a loss to Tennessee (5-10). The only other need is a Kansas City win in Denver, so good luck there. Think of your imminent future with Tim Tebow as a consolation prize, Jacksonville fans.
AFC North
With Baltimore (10-5) clinching the division last week, there is little on the line against playoff-bound Cincinnati (9-6), which is locked into the sixth seed. Ray Lewis is back, but he is not expected to play on Sunday. The Ravens have won four straight over the Bengals, who are making back-to-back playoff trips for the first time since 1981-1982.
A Baltimore win combined with a New England loss would give the Ravens the No. 3 seed, but that is not a likely scenario. Besides, that would mean the Ravens would host these very same Bengals a week later, and it is hard to beat a team twice in one week.
Only pride is on the line for Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Steelers (7-8) will look to avoid their first losing season since 2003, while the Browns (5-10) have not swept the Steelers since 1988.
AFC West
In a season full of inconsistent play, the Denver Broncos (12-3) are a glimmer of hope. They have won 10 straight games by at least seven points. All other AFC winning streaks combined add up to just eight games. Ranking top five on both offense and defense, Denver might be the most complete team in the league.
Peyton Manning will look to cap off his campaign for a fifth MVP award. His 12 consecutive games with a passer rating of at least 90.0 is the third longest streak in NFL history. Only Aaron Rodgers (13 games in 2011) and Manning again (15 games in 2004) had longer streaks.
Consistency is the name of the game, and that?s what Manning has brought to Denver as it looks towards a run at the Super Bowl. A win will give the Broncos a first-round bye.
The Chiefs (2-13) have consistently been bad this year, and will likely have the first pick in the draft. If they should fail to get a takeaway, they will tie the NFL record for fewest takeaways (12) in a 16-game season. The 2006 Washington Redskins also had 12 takeaways.
San Diego (6-9) plays Oakland (4-11), which should be the swansong for Norv Turner?s run there. Turner is 55-40 (.579) and 3-3 in the postseason as San Diego?s head coach.
AFC East
With a home finale against Miami (7-8), New England (11-4) can be anywhere from the No. 1 to No. 4 seed depending on Sunday?s results. If the Patriots score at least 32 points, they will have the second-highest scoring season in NFL history. Miami is looking for its third non-losing season since 2004.
Buffalo (5-10) and the Jets (6-9) will play a Week 1 rematch. The season cannot possibly end any faster for these two teams.
NFC South
Atlanta (13-2) can tie its 1998 Super Bowl team for the best record in franchise history with a win over reeling Tampa Bay (6-9), which has lost five straight games. The Falcons have already clinched the NFC?s No. 1 seed.
New Orleans (7-8) can end its troubled season with a win over Carolina (6-9), which would give the Panthers a second straight 6-10 finish.
Cam Newton needs one touchdown pass to join Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton as the only quarterbacks to throw at least 20 touchdowns in each of their first two seasons. Meanwhile, Drew Brees needs one touchdown pass to become the first player in NFL history with consecutive seasons of 40 or more touchdown passes.
Brees only needs 219 yards to reach 5,000 yards passing for the third time in his career. Matthew Stafford (305) and Tony Romo (315) also are in position to throw for 5,000 yards, which would match last season?s total of three quarterbacks hitting the milestone.
NFC North
The NFC North will have a huge impact on the final playoff seeds as both games are involved with many of Sunday?s scenarios. They also will feature two of the league?s best players looking for a 2,000-yard milestone.
Green Bay (11-4) travels to Minnesota (9-6) in a late afternoon game. With a win, the Packers will clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Vikings need a win just to make the playoffs, which is their best scenario.
A Minnesota win could very well mean these teams will meet again next week, but it will not be easy. The Packers are hot, winners in nine of their last 10 games, and have won five straight against the Vikings.
Minnesota just pulled off an upset in Houston, even without Adrian Peterson having his best game. Peterson needs 102 rushing yards to become the league?s seventh 2,000-yard rusher, and will need 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson?s all-time record (2,105 yards).
Peterson had 210 yards when these teams met in Week 13, but the Packers won. For the Vikings to make the playoffs, they are going to need Christian Ponder to step up.
The Chicago Bears (9-6) are still alive. They have to take care of the Lions (4-11), and hope for the Vikings to lose. Should Chicago falter, it will become just the fourth team to start 7-1 and fail to make the playoffs since 1978. The Bears would join the 1987 San Diego Chargers, 1988 New Orleans Saints and 1996 Washington Redskins.
Standing in their way is a pass-happy Detroit team. Matthew Stafford needs seven pass attempts to surpass Drew Bledsoe?s record of 691 passes in 1994. Unless he is injured, Stafford will become the first quarterback ever to throw 700 passes in a season. He can also break Bledsoe?s record for most drop backs in a season. Bledsoe had 757 while Stafford is currently at 745.
Detroit needs just 12 pass attempts to break the team record for a season, which is currently held by the 1981 Minnesota Vikings (709 attempts).
The beneficiary of all these attempts is Calvin Johnson, who now holds the record for most receiving yards in a season with 1,892 yards. He needs just 108 to become the first player ever with 2,000 receiving yards, and you figure Detroit will do all it can to get him there.
NFC West
Despite their bad loss on Sunday night, the San Francisco 49ers (10-4-1) should have little trouble clinching the NFC West with a win at home over Arizona (5-10). The banged-up 49ers will just have to root for Minnesota to take care of the Packers in order to get the No. 2 seed and what appears to be some needed rest.
Seattle (10-5) is already in the playoffs, and will likely be the No. 5 seed. Though they lost to the Rams (7-7-1) way back in Week 4, this is a much stronger team now.
Not only is Seattle one of two teams (Atlanta) that are 7-0 at home this year, but their home scoring differential of 141 is easily the best in the league. Denver is a distant second at 94 points.
Russell Wilson needs two touchdown passes to break Peyton Manning?s rookie record of 26 touchdown passes set in 1998. Seattle has scored 150 points over the last three weeks, and is +11 in turnover differential since their bye week (4-1 record).
For the Ram, a win would give them their first winning season since 2003. That would be a strong way to end Jeff Fisher?s first season in St. Louis, but not a likely outcome.
NFC East
Finally we have the media darlings of the NFC East. For the New York Giants (8-7) to make the playoffs and defend their championship, they need a lot of help.
Not only do the Giants need to beat the Eagles (4-11), but they need Chicago, Minnesota and Dallas to lose. Technically they can get in if Dallas ties, but that?s not going to happen. They will be extremely fortunate just to get all the other results to go their way.
While most probably expect the Vikings and Cowboys to lose this week, and for Chicago to potentially lose, there is no guarantee the Giants can take care of the Eagles, who will start Michael Vick this week.
It has been a very inconsistent season for the Giants, who have looked like the best and worst team in the league at different moments throughout the season. The Giants would become the seventh defending Super Bowl champion since 1990 to miss the postseason should their miracle scenario not play out.Then there is the 256th and final regular season game of the 2012 season: Dallas Cowboys (8-7) at Washington Redskins (9-6) for the NFC East title on Sunday Night Football.
For the third time since 2008, the Cowboys go on the road in Week 17 for a "win and you?re in" playoff game against one of their NFC East rivals. The last two times have not gone well, but this Dallas team is different. It has been winning a lot of tough games in the second half of the season, and Tony Romo is playing very well.
Also playing well is Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, who can clinch rookie records for completion percentage (66.4 percent) and passer rating (104.1) with a good performance. Griffin making the playoffs would mean three rookie quarterbacks (Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson) in the postseason for the first time ever.
Not sure which buttons Mike Shanahan pressed during the team?s bye week, but Washington has turned a 3-6 season into a possible seven-game winning streak that will allow the Redskins to host a playoff game for the first time since the 1999 season.
While it is do-or-die for Dallas, the Redskins can still make the playoffs with losses by the Bears and Vikings, which they will know before the game starts. But if they want to do things the right way, they take care of this one at home.
Either way, let?s just hope for a competitive final game to close out this wild regular season.
Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback) writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, Bleacher Report, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network.
? 2012 NBC Sports.com? Reprintsadvertisement
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PFT Picks: For the second straight year, the NFC East title game returns to prime time in Week 17. For the second straight year, the Cowboys come up short.
Kacsmar: A lot on the line in finale
Week 17 offers numerous playoff scenarios, the last two playoff berths, and one more attempt to rewrite the NFL record book. Here is your handy guide to what to watch for this Sunday.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50302329/ns/sports-nfl/
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
'Yak insurance' plan saving Nepal's endangered snow leopard | The ...
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Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/26/yak-insurance-plan-saving-nepals-endangered-snow-leopard/
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Tips To Help You Data Recovery Efforts | Technology and Computer ...
You probably know the feeling of searching for files on your computer only to realize they have mysteriously vanished or have been accidentally deleted. You also probably know how it feels to find out that your USB flash drive, with all of your homework or important documents, has somehow become corrupted and needs to be reformatted. Being forced to reformat is never a good way to retrieve those lost files.
With technology becoming such a key part in our personal lives, it can be disastrous when this technology fails on us. A failed hard drive or crashing computer isn?t always predictable. Sometimes you don?t even have the least bit idea of when a malfunction will ever happen. This is why computer experts all around urge users to save and backup their information as often as they can. Unfortunately, many user don?t listen and are faced with finding a way to retrieve their files.
Luckily their services for data recovery Los Angeles offers. You can find lots of experts who can give you advice and a solution to to solve your problem. Some problems can be solved by simply click ?undo delete?. Unfortunately, there are other problems that are not so easy to fix. Some may require having the computer, and even your hard drive, disassembled and worked on from the inside.
ITS Data Recovery, located in Los Angeles, is just one of many services available in the area that can assist you. They specialize in handling everything from desktops, to mp3 players, and even cameras and floppy disks. They been in operation for over 30 years and continue to provide excellent service.
Another local service for data recovery is the Disk Doctors. They have experts there that can help you find and get back your information. If you have a problems with your memory card or an issue with retrieving information on a CD or DVD, don?t hesitate to call.
Dealing with lost or deleted files is no laughing matter. Lots of important and irreplaceable information gets lost everyday. You don?t have to get angry or feel you can never get them back. Call an expert today to assist you.
Source: http://www.uavcomm.net/tips-to-help-you-data-recovery-efforts.html
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Hawaii lieutenant governor picked to fill Inouye's Senate seat
HONOLULU (AP) ? Hawaii's lieutenant governor and former head of President Obama's 2008 election effort there has been named the state's newest U.S. senator, a choice that went against the dying wish of revered longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie appointed Brian Schatz to the post Wednesday, instead of Inouye choice U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
The 40-year-old Schatz, a former state representative and onetime chairman of the state Democratic party, said his top priorities would be addressing global climate change, preserving federal funds used in Hawaii for things like defense spending and transportation, and getting federal recognition for Native Hawaiians for forming their own government, similar to many Indian tribes.
Schatz, who ran with Abercrombie for the state's top two offices in 2010, beat out Hanabusa and Esther Kiaaina, a deputy director in the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The three candidates were selected by state Democrats Wednesday morning from a field of 14. The candidates briefly made their cases before the state party's central committee.
"No one can fill Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's shoes, but what we want to do today is find the right person to walk in his footsteps," Schatz told the committee.
"I want to be your senator because I believe Hawaii needs seniority, and we need someone who can build it up over decades and decades. And I pledge to you, if I'm given this opportunity and obligation to serve, I will try to make this my life's work and rebuild the tenure that Hawaii so desperately needs," he said.
The White House said Schatz would fly to Washington Wednesday night with Obama, who was returning from his Hawaii Christmas vacation early as Congress considers what to do about the so-called fiscal cliff.
Schatz could be sworn in as early as Thursday, which would make him Hawaii's senior senator. Hawaii's other senator, Daniel Akaka, is retiring at the end of this Congress after 22 years.
Even before winning the 2010 general election, Abercrombie expressed faith in Schatz, saying he would put him in charge of attracting more private and federal investment in Hawaii. Other responsibilities included leading the state's clean energy efforts and Asia-Pacific relations.
"To the people of Hawaii, I can assure you this: I will give every fiber of my being to doing a good job for the state of Hawaii," Schatz told a news conference in Honolulu. "We have a long and perhaps difficult road ahead of us, but we can succeed if we work together. I understand the magnitude of this obligation and this honor, and I won't let you down."
Inouye, by far Hawaii's most influential politician and one of the most respected lawmakers in Washington after serving five decades in the Senate, died last week of respiratory complications at the age of 88. He sent Abercrombie a hand-signed letter dated the day he died, saying he would like Hanabusa to succeed him, calling it his "last wish."
Four days after eulogizing Inouye in the courtyard of the Hawaii Capitol, Abercrombie said he had to consider more than just Inouye's wishes in filling his seat.
"Of course Sen. Inouye's views and his wishes were taken into account fully, but the charge of the central committee, and by extension then myself as governor, was to act in the best interests of the party ... the state and the nation," Abercrombie said.
"The law makes explicitly clear, as do the rules of the Democratic Party, that while everyone's voice is heard and everyone's view is taken into account, nonetheless, no one and nothing is preordained."
Under state law, the successor had to come from the same party as the prior incumbent. An Abercrombie spokeswoman said the governor did not feel any political pressure from within his party to make the choice he made.
"While we are very disappointed that it was not honored, it was the governor's decision to make," Jennifer Sabas, Inouye's chief of staff, said in a statement. "We wish Brian Schatz the best of luck."
Selecting Hanabusa, 61, would have required a special election in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District. Last time that happened, Hanabusa lost to Republican Charles Djou because of a winner-take-all format that split votes between Democrats.
Abercrombie said the possibility of a special election was a factor, as well as Hanabusa's "key position" on the House Armed Services Committee. The governor said she was on her way toward establishing a senior position on that panel, and it's important for Hawaii ? with its four-member delegation ? to establish seniority in both chambers.
Schatz will serve until an election is held in 2014. He said he will run for re-election to try to keep the Senate seat until 2016 ? the end of Inouye's original term ? and would run again for Senate in 2016 if given the chance.
Hanabusa congratulated Schatz in a statement.
"Having served as chair of the Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee when the succession law was passed, I fully respect the process and the governor's right to appoint a successor," she said.
Last week, when Abercrombie announced he would not seek the seat himself, his spokeswoman Louise Kim McCoy said Abercrombie intends to make his current post as Hawaii governor the last office of his political career.
Inouye would be "very happy" with the choice, Hawaii Democratic Party chairman Dante Carpenter said. Schatz has less experience than some older politicians in the Senate but he will be building seniority, which is "critical" to the state of Hawaii, he said.
"In the words of Sen. Dan Inouye ? invoked more than once ? seniority in the United States Congress is everything," Carpenter said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had urged Abercrombie to name Inouye's successor before the end of the year. The next Congress begins Jan. 3.
Democratic Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, was elected in November to succeed Akaka.
First in line to replace Schatz as lieutenant governor is Senate President Shan Tsutsui, who said he planned to discuss the prospect with his family before deciding.
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Becky Bohrer can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bbohrerap.
___
Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hawaii-lieutenant-gov-picked-fill-senate-seat-000914007--election.html
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Teacher sole heir of $7.4M gold coin fortune
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) ? Walter Samaszko Jr. was a loner whose death went largely unnoticed. That all changed when a crew sent to clean out his house found a fortune stashed away in the garage of his modest ranch-style home.
There were ammunition boxes stuffed with thousands of gold coins, from Austria, Mexico and the United States. There was enough gold to fill up two wheelbarrows ? more than $7.4 million worth.
"There was every kind of coin you could think of," said Alan Glover, the Carson City clerk and the public administrator of the estate who borrowed a neighbor's wheelbarrow to haul the treasure out.
City officials searched through records to find an heir: a substitute teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area who a judge declared Tuesday was Samaszko's lone surviving first cousin.
The decision means Arlene Magdanz of San Rafael, Calif., is a millionaire. She didn't attend the hearing and, so far, has not said anything publicly about her newfound fortune.
Officials were able to track her down using a funeral bulletin at Samaszko's home that led to his father's service in Chicago in the early 1960s, and then newspaper clippings that listed survivors.
When a lawyer told her that her 69-year-old cousin's estate was valued in the millions, officials said, she was surprised, just like everyone else, including his neighbors on their quiet street.
No one seemed to know him at all, even though he had lived in the house since the 1960s. His mother lived with him until her death in 1992. When he died, the house was generally well kept.
"I don't think I saw him in the year I was out here," said Curtis Hastings, who dropped mail into a slot in Samaszko's garage. A woman who lived just two doors down said she didn't know him.
Samaszko's body was found in June after neighbors called authorities, though it was not clear what prompted them to do so. He had been dead of heart problems for at least a month, according to the coroner.
Officials don't know what he did for a living. They also don't know how he earned the money that was used to buy the gold.
There were meticulous records of the purchases, since at least 1964, leading Glover to suspect that the gold coins may have been mainly bought over the years by Samaszko's mother.
His bank account stood at $1,200. He had a money market and mutual fund with a combined value of more than $165,000 when it was closed. His three-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house was sold for $112,000.
"He was not a coin collector," Glover said. "He was a gold investor."
While the coins themselves were "nothing spectacular," Glover said, there were a lot of them ? thousands, some wrapped up neatly in foil or plastic cases, others loose in bags.
There were more than 2,900 Austrian coins, many from 1915; 4,500 from Mexico; 500 from Britain; 300 U.S. gold pieces, some dating to 1880; and more than 100 U.S. gold pieces as old as the 1890s. They were stored mostly in 2-foot-by-2-foot-by-2.5-foot ammo boxes stacked on top of each other.
The variety of coins impressed Howard Herz, the appraiser of the fortune for the estate who has seen a lot as curator of gambling collections at Harvey's Resort at Lake Tahoe from 1960-93.
"It was an extraordinarily well calculated investment in gold," Herz said.
Besides his house, Samaszko's other belongings have fetched very little: A bike sold for $2, a saw for $10.70 and a wrench for $15. (A 1968 Ford Mustang California Special will soon be auctioned, appraised at $17,000).
The real money will come when the gold is sold. A lucrative investment in the last few years as the economy remained stuck in a slump, gold is worth about $1,700 an ounce, up from about $400 a decade ago.
Meanwhile, Magdanz has left her apartment to stay in a secret location due to an avalanche of requests from the news media for interviews, Glover said.
"She was so frazzled and so harassed," he said.
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iTunes Africa launch promises change in music market
This month, Apple announced the launch of their iTunes music store in 56 countries, including 14 on the African continent. The launch means easier purchases for consumers, and a whole new brand of competition for existing music stores.
iTunes is an online store that allows computer users to purchase and download music and videos online. While it offers a new option for consumers in the music marketplace, iTunes is likely going to turn down the volume at Africa?s brick-and-mortar music retail stores.
On a typical weekday morning, shoppers flipped through the CD section at the Musica Megastore in Sandton City, an upscale mall north in Johannesburg.
A mother and her daughter left the store after buying a few DVDs. But 17-year-old Sarah said she was an immediate fan of the iTunes launch.
?I started buying music on iTunes now that it opened. I?ve already bought like five songs. I think I?ll start buying most of my music on iTunes, but I think I will still come to stores like this every once in a while if I want the actual CD, like hardcopy,? she said.
Her mother, Vivian, was a tougher sell.
?I?m old school, I don?t buy anything online. I?m definitely still a hard-copy person,? she said.
Such holdouts are one aspect of keeping the brick-and-mortar stores going. But another aspect is diversifying products. While two of the largest music retailers in southern Africa, Look and Listen and Musica, declined to grant interviews, Musica did issue a welcoming statement to the new online retailer. It reads as follows:
?The official launch in South Africa sits comfortably with our expansion into entertainment-related products such as headphones, portable speakers, docking stations, etc.?
The statement gives an optimistic view of how iTunes will affect music sales. The statement continues:
?In addition, CD sales will increase as they will benefit from additional exposure through iTunes, combined with the continuing demand for the physical format that still exists in this country.?
Apple declined to be interviewed, but its entrance into the African marketplace isn?t a huge surprise, as other online retailers already have started chipping into the music market here.
?I don?t think the effect will be felt immediately, but it will be felt fairly soon,? said Arthur Goldstuck, an author specialising in technology, and managing director of World Wide Worx.
?It?s not really only iTunes itself that will make that effect felt, but the ongoing barrage of digital weapons, or you could say digital attacks, that are emerging,? he said.
While consumers will have more options, there are a few factors that may help brick-and-mortar retailers here. Internet here is generally bought by the megabyte, rather than as an unlimited monthly service. Also, as of 2011, internet access was below 20% in South Africa, and nearly 29% in both Nigeria and Kenya, so many customers won?t have access to purchase music online.
?That?s certainly what?s keeping stores going for now,? said Goldstuck. ?Keeping them alive is the fact that most people don?t have that kind of access online ? You are going to find that?s going to change as more and more people realise they can access the music cheaper as well as more easily through these services. That?s going to change.?
Goldstuck said Apple?s move into Nigeria could provide a new outlet for music downloading.
?The music industry hasn?t really figured out how to solve the piracy issue in Nigeria. I think that could help to change that particular industry,? he said. ?In most of the African countries it?s really just going to bring all this music to the masses for the first time, people who would?ve never had access to anything like as wide a range of music as they do through the iStore.?
In the end, customers like Darryl Bome, of Johannesburg say they?re more likely to head online than to the mall.
?What I think a lot of people would do, or what I actually do, is go into a store have a look at a couple of music tracks, a couple of tracks that I want to think about and download, definitely get onto iTunes, purchase those as single tracks without purchasing the entire album and create my own list. So, I think its a great thing, I think its a great, great thing,? said Bome. ? VOA
Related articles:
Source: http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/itunes-africa-launch-promises-change-in-music-market/22930/
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Travel medical insurance from US companies
Over the years travel insurers and travel companies have developed many ways to make travel to the United States easier and less stressful for overseas visitors. One of the ways you can help yourself to a non-problematic US vacation is to think about the type of travel insurance you take with you. Years of experience tells us that when you travel to the United States it is better to be protected with a US insurance plan.
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Insurance plans originating in other countries are often problematic if you get into trouble in the US ? you fall ill, or you are involved in an accident. Insurance packages that are administered abroad are more difficult for US hospitals and doctors to manage. If there is an insurance dispute the US facility must deal with a foreign company and when it comes to administering a claim there may be problems if the insurer is operating in a different country.
You as the insured will also find it more difficult to get in touch with a foreign insurer while you are in America. You must take into account the cost of calling, the time difference, and the different ways of working. If you are traveling to the US on business or pleasure, get protected with an American insurance plan. Seniors, students and families can all find affordable plans from US companies.
US travel medical insurance plans are designed for the US healthcare system and you will easily be able to navigate the process and get in touch with the insurer if you need to. And in the event that you and the insurer disagree about coverage or terms, the matter will be handled in the correct manner in the States. The most convenient way to be covered is with a US visitors medical insurance plan for your trip to the States.
Source: http://www.ivisitorinsurance.com/visitors-health-insurance/travel-insurance/
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Egyptians vote on divisive constitution
CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA (Reuters) - Egyptians queued to vote on Saturday on a constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation.
Soldiers joined police to secure the referendum after deadly protests during the buildup. Street brawls erupted again on Friday in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, but voting proceeded quietly there, with no reports of violence elsewhere.
President Mohamed Mursi provoked angry demonstrations when he issued a decree last month expanding his powers and then fast-tracked the draft constitution through an assembly dominated by his Muslim Brotherhood group and its allies. At least eight people were killed in clashes last week outside the presidential palace.
The liberal, secular and Christian opposition says the constitution is too Islamist and tramples on minority rights. Mursi's supporters say the charter is needed if progress is to be made towards democracy nearly two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak.
"The sheikhs (preachers) told us to say 'yes' and I have read the constitution and I liked it," said Adel Imam, a 53-year-old queuing to vote in a Cairo suburb. "The president's authorities are less than before. He can't be a dictator."
Opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on Twitter: "Adoption of (a) divisive draft constitution that violates universal values and freedoms is a sure way to institutionalize instability and turmoil."
Official results will not be announced until after a second round of voting next Saturday. But partial results and unofficial tallies are likely to emerge soon after the first round, giving an idea of the overall trend.
In order to pass, the constitution must be approved by more than 50 percent of voters who cast ballots. A little more than half of Egypt's electorate of 51 million are eligible to vote in the first round in Cairo and other cities.
TRANSITION
Christians, making up about 10 percent of Egypt's 83 million people and who have long grumbled of discrimination, were among those waiting at a polling station in Alexandria to oppose the basic law. They fear Islamists, long repressed by Mubarak, will restrict social and other freedoms.
"I voted 'no' to the constitution out of patriotic duty," Michael Nour, a 45-year-old Christian teacher in Alexandria. "The constitution does not represent all Egyptians," he said.
Islamists are counting on their disciplined ranks of supporters and the many Egyptians who may fall into line in a desperate bid to end turmoil that has hammered the economy and sent Egypt's pound to eight-year lows against the dollar.
"I voted 'yes' for stability," said shopkeeper Ahmed Abou Rabu, 39. "I cannot say all the articles of the constitution are perfect but I am voting for a way forward. I don't want Egyptians to go in circles, for ever lost in this transition."
Mursi was among the early voters after polls opened at 8 a.m. (1:00 a.m. Eastern Time). He was shown on television casting his ballot shielded by a screen and then dipping his finger in ink - a measure to prevent people voting twice.
One senior official in the committee overseeing the referendum said Saturday's vote could extend to Sunday if crowds were too heavy to allow everyone cast ballots in one day. Voting for Egyptians abroad that began on Wednesday has been extended to Monday, the state news agency reported.
After weeks of turbulence, there has been limited public campaigning. Opposition politicians and parties, beaten in two elections since Mubarak's overthrow, only announced on Wednesday they backed a "no" vote instead of a boycott.
Flag-waving Islamists gathered peacefully at one of the main mosques on Friday, some shouting "Islam, Islam" and "We've come here to say 'yes' to the constitution".
PALACE SIT-IN
Opposition supporters assembled outside the presidential palace, where there has been a sit-in for days. The walls of the palace, ringed by tanks, are scrawled with anti-Mursi graffiti.
The referendum will be held on two days covering different regions, with the second round on December 22, because there are not enough judges willing to monitor all polling stations after some in the judiciary said they would boycott the vote.
Egyptians are being asked to accept or reject a constitution that must be in place before a parliamentary election can be held next year to replace an Islamist-led parliament dissolved this year. Many hope this will lead Egypt towards stability.
If the constitution is voted down, a new assembly will have to be formed to draft a revised version, a process that could take up to nine months.
The army has deployed about 120,000 troops and 6,000 tanks and armored vehicles to protect polling stations and other government buildings. While the military backed Mubarak and his predecessors, it has not intervened in the present crisis.
(Writing by Edmund Blair and Giles Elgood; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egyptians-vote-divisive-constitution-075129488.html
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Saturday, December 15, 2012
News in Brief: Body & Brain
People think differently about the passage of time depending on the hand gestures someone else uses.
People think differently about the passage of time depending on the hand gestures someone else uses.
By Bruce Bower
Web edition: December 14, 2012
Print edition: December 29, 2012; Vol.182 #13 (p. 14)
Gestures have timely impact
People think differently about the passage of time depending on the hand gestures someone else uses, Stanford psychologist Barbara Tversky reported on November 17. In a series of experiments, Tversky?s colleague Azadeh Jamalian of Columbia University asked volunteers to diagram progressions of familiar events. While describing these tasks, Jamalian gestured in a straight horizontal line, gestured in a circle or made no gestures. Most individuals drew linear diagrams after seeing linear gestures and circular diagrams after seeing circular gestures. Linear diagrams predominated if no gestures were used, probably because people tend to conceive of time as running on a line, Tversky said. Gestures can subtly alter the notion of how time proceeds, she proposed.
Memory athletes flex mind power
Top competitors in memory competitions aren?t one-trick ponies. Four of the most accomplished memory athletes, including the top-ranked master of recall, scored much higher than groups of college students on a variety of memory and attention tests, psychologist Henry Roediger III of Washington University in St. Louis said on November 17. Memory competitors scored extraordinarily well on tests of list memory, recall of specific numbers from equations that had been mentally solved, and attention control during attempted distractions. Memory athletes use well-known recall strategies on specific challenges, such as remembering hundreds of rapidly presented numbers, but these people possess much broader mental prowess than that, Roediger suggested. It?s not known whether recall gurus start out with super memory and attention or gain those skills through practice.
Humans expect hidden treasures to be clustered in space
Adults and children hide valuables in clumps to make them easy for collaborators to find but scatter goodies widely when hiding them from competitors, psychologist Andreas Wilke of Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., reported November 16. Humans evolved to expect that food and other resources appear in patches, Wilke theorizes (SN: 2/12/11, p. 26). In one test, 5- to 8-year-olds hid 20 marbles among 100 boxes on a playground after being told to make it either hard or easy for others to find the toys. Adults did the same in a computer game in which they hid $1 tokens in a grid of 100 squares. In both games, hiders clustered objects if they wanted them easily found.
Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347094/title/News_in_Brief_Body_+_Brain
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Early life forms may have been terrestrial
Controversial theory suggests early life forms were land-dwellers
By Susan Milius
Web edition: December 13, 2012
ROUGH CHALLENGE
550-million-year-old fossils of Dickinsonia and Parvancorina from South Australia lie in rock textured like old elephant skin. That texture might indicate fossilized soil from land, suggests a new study that challenges the prevailing view that the Ediacaran fossils were all sea creatures.
Credit: G. Retallack
Some of the fossils celebrated as sea life?s big breakout beyond mere soups and slimes might actually have dwelled on land, argues a controversial new study.
Named the Ediacaran fauna after Australia?s Ediacara Hills, these creatures dating from roughly 575 million to 542 million years ago mark life finally growing beyond the microscopic. Found in some 30 locations around the world, Ediacarans grew in discs, fronds and other fairly simple shapes with a quilted look, and paleontologists usually consider them some sort of marine creatures.
A new detailed analysis of the rocks where Australian Ediacarans are found suggests the rocks are fossilized soils, or paleosols, instead of a sea bottom, says Gregory Retallack of the University of Oregon in Eugene. The placement of fossils and tiny tubes in the rocks suggests to him that at least some of the Ediacarans actually lived in those soils instead of just washing up on them.
Retallack received ?some pushback,? as he calls it, for earlier proposals that Ediacarans were not sea animals but land-living lichens. With the new study, published online December 12 in Nature, he says he knew ?people were going to be irate.?
If Ediacarans did turn out to be terrestrial, the implications would go far beyond rethinking where Earth?s earliest complex multicellular organisms lived, says longtime Ediacaran researcher Guy Narbonne of Queen?s University in Kingston, Canada. He doesn?t agree with the new results, but if they were correct, it could mean that decades of studies of ancient environments were based on flawed assumptions.
Also, putting some Ediacarans on soil would add a chapter to the story of life adapting to land. The specimens Retallack studied were about 550 million years old and would be the first big organisms (larger than 2 centimeters) on land. There?s plausible evidence for smaller life that early, he says. But the great rise of seed-making land plants was still some hundred million years in the future.
Retallack has specialized in analyzing ancient soils, but only in recent years has he analyzed in detail at the Australian geological formations that hold the Ediacarans. The rocks show soillike gradations in titanium and some other elements, he says. Patterns of uncommon forms, or isotopes, of carbon and oxygen track each other as they would in soils.
Gypsum crystals and some other nodules are junked up with internal grains of sand that Retallack would not expect if the structures had formed with plenty of water around. He saw cracked and nubbly texture like old elephant skin that he would expect to see on a soil surface. The red color comes from ancient exposure to air instead of more recent weathering, he says.
What he?s found, Retallack suggests, could have been somewhat like modern tundra. Some Ediacarans appear to have grown in these soils, he says. Fossils he?s examined, such as disclike Dickinsonia, look embedded in the fossilized soil without overlapping and show a range of growth stages. In microscopic views of the fossilized soils, he saw tiny tubes branching like modern fungal filaments or cyanobacterial ropes.
?Unconvincing,? says Shuhai Xiao of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He says he still thinks ocean processes could explain the Ediacaran rock details. The weight of overlying rock underwater might have deformed a surface into the bumpy elephant-skin texture, for example.
And then there are the other places around the world where Ediacaran fossils show up, protests paleobiologist Mary Droser of the University of California, Riverside. ?Where most of the fossils occur are not beds that anyone would consider anything but shallow marine,? she says. Many fossils, for example, show up in rocks with wave-generated ripples as well as underwater-style hummocks and swales.
?Biology matters,? Droser says: Organisms have physiological limits and ?cannot live both in the deep sea and in soils, they cannot live on land and in shallow marine settings.?
Identifying ancient soils is not easy. ?It is almost always possible to interpret sedimentary textures and structures in alternative ways,? says geologist Paul Knauth of Arizona State University in Tempe.?Retallack ?has new observations and a reasonable interpretation that should be published and seriously considered.?
Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/347062/title/Early_life_forms_may_have_been_terrestrial
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