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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/_iRE1YN64ws/story01.htm
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Cut the Rope updated with new Buzz Box and iCloud support
Cut the Rope has been updated with a new Buzz Box and support for iCloud syncing. There is also a new hidden Om Nom drawing for you to collect. I am so excited about iCloud support! I have both the iPhone and iPad version of Cut the Rope, but...
Monday, December 19, 2011
'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition': Journey Performs, Helps With Gift Drive (VIDEO)
ABC may have pulled the plug on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (Fri., 8PM ET on ABC), but there are still a few makeovers yet to see before the January 13, 2012 series finale. And with extreme makeovers comes extreme guests. This week, the band Journey got involved in the gift drive for the Rhodes family, even putting on a concert for some of the team.
Their hit "Don't Stop Believin'" is a perfect anthem for the show, and for this family in particular. When Ty Pennington and his bullhorn showed up at the front door, Dad ran out and dropped to his knees saying that he never stopped believing.
The Rhodes couldn't believe the final product when they saw their now-staggering three-story home. And they really couldn't believe it when it was revealed that their mortgage had been paid in full.
While the Rhodes didn't stop believing, ABC stopped believing in the diminishing returns for the nine-year old reality series. After a dip in the ratings on Sundays, the show was relocated to Friday nights. At this point, fans should have suspected that the series was in trouble.
Pennington fans need not worry, though, as he'll be kicking off his next gig three short days after the final "EM:HE" airs. On Monday, January 16, 2012 at 2PM ET, Pennington will be one of the hosts on ABC's new health and lifestyle daytime talk show, "The Revolution."
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Egypt's military clashes with protesters
Egyptian army soldiers beat a protester wearing a Niqab, an Islamic veil, during clashes near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. At background graffiti depicts members of the military ruling council and Arabic reads: "Killer". (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)
Egyptian army soldiers beat a protester wearing a Niqab, an Islamic veil, during clashes near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. At background graffiti depicts members of the military ruling council and Arabic reads: "Killer". (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)
Egyptian army soldiers arrest a woman protester during clashes with military police near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. (AP Photo/Str)
ALTERNATIVE CROP OF CAI111 An Egyptian army officer aims his gun at protesters during clashes near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. (AP Photo)
Egyptian protesters threw rocks at military police during clashes near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)
Egyptian army soldiers clash with rock throwing protesters near Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 16, 2011. Activists say the clashes began after soldiers severely beat a young man who was part of a sit-in outside the Cabinet building. (AP Photo/Ahmed Ali)
CAIRO (AP) ? Soldiers stormed an anti-military protest camp outside Egypt's Cabinet building Friday, beating women with sticks and hurling chunks of concrete and glass onto protesters from the roof of the parliament in a resurgence of turmoil only a day after millions voted in parliamentary elections.
At least three protesters were shot to death in the clashes, including a prominent Muslim cleric, activists said. The heavy-handed assault was apparently an attempt to clear out protesters who have been camped out in front of the building for three weeks demanding the ruling military leave power.
But the mayhem ? which came despite promises from the army-appointed prime minister that the protesters would not be cleared by force ? threatened to spark a new round of violence after deadly clashes between youth revolutionaries and security forces in November that lasted for days and left more than 40 dead.
Several women protesters cowered on the pavement as military police beat them with truncheons and long sticks. Another woman was seen bring dragged away by her hair by soldiers.
Plainclothes and uniformed security officers threw slabs of concrete and stones on protesters from atop the parliament building, according to state TV footage and videos and photos posted by protesters on social networking sites. Protesters threw fire bombs and rocks at the security officers, lighting a part of parliament on fire and chanting "Down with the military."
"It's pretty ironic that the military is throwing rocks at protesters from the parliament building, where a sign is hanging that says democracy is the power of the people," protester Mostafa Sheshtawy said.
Hours after sunset, the crowds of protesters had grown to hundreds and clashes continued, with youths hiding behind a makeshift barrier of metal sheets and an overturned car, throwing volleys of stones at military police lined up in the broad avenue in front of the parliament and Cabinet headquarters.
There were reports of live gunfire from the rooftops. One protester, Islam Mohammed, said a fellow protester pushed him aside and was hit by a bullet in the stomach. "He took a bullet instead of me and fell to the ground. I have his blood on my shirt and hands," Mohammed said. The condition of the wounded man was not known.
Sahar Abdel-Mohsen, a youth activist, said she saw the bodies of two slain protesters brought to a Cairo hospital, both with gunshot wounds. "The blood is still dripping from the head of one of them," a 22-year-old man, she told The Associated Press. The other was shot in the chest, she said. A Health Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of he was not authorized to talk to the press, confirmed the two deaths.
Also killed was Sheik Emad Effat, a cleric from Al-Azhar, Egypt's most eminent religious institution, said Ibrahim el-Houdaiby, a prominent activist. He said Effat ? who has taken a pro-revolutionary position, criticizing the military and issuing a religious decree forbidding voting for former members of the regime in elections ? was shot in the heart after joining the protesters outside the Cabinet.
The Health Ministry said at least 222 people were injured, including broken bones and gunshot wounds.
The assault was likely to re-ignite the tensions between revolutionaries and the military, which took power after the Feb. 11 resignation of Hosni Mubarak. The youth activists who led the protests that ousted Mubarak accuse the military of acting in the same authoritarian way as the former president.
Ziad el-Oleimi, an activist who won a parliament seat in the first round of elections on Nov. 28-29, told AP that military police beat him with sticks on his torso and arms and told him, "Don't imagine the parliament will protect you."
"So long as Egyptians are being humiliated and beaten on the streets, that means the revolution has not reached its goals. Taking to the streets will continue," el-Oleimi said.
The clashes took place as election officials counted ballots from the second round of parliament elections, considered to be the freest and fairest vote in Egypt's modern history. A third of Egypt's provinces voted Wednesday and Thursday. Election results from the first round of voting placed Islamist parties ahead of more liberal parties.
The armed forces retain support among many Egyptians who see it as the only entity able to run the country until presidential elections scheduled for next year.
But the new violence exacerbates the political tensions.
Members of a civilian advisory panel created by the military this month as a gesture to protesters suspended their work, demanding an immediate end to violence against protesters and a formal apology from the ruling military council. The panel is also seeking an independent investigation into the clashes. Two of its members resigned in protest.
A number of newly elected lawmakers condemned the military for the violence.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest winner in parliamentary elections so far, said in a statement that it rejects the assault on protesters and the use of the parliament building to attack people.
In a Tweet, leading reform figure and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote, "If the sit-in broke the law, isn't the cruelty and brutality used to break it up a greater violation of all human rights laws? This is not how nations are managed."
The protesters have been peacefully camped out in front the Cabinet building for three weeks, preventing the newly appointed prime minister, Kamal el-Ganzouri, from entering his office.
In a statement read on state TV Friday night, the ruling military said its forces did not intent to break up the protest and said officers showed self-restraint, denying the used any gunfire. It said the clashes began when a military officer was attacked while on duty and protesters tried to break into the parliament compound.
But witnesses said the clashes erupted late Thursday after troops snatched a protester, taking him into the parliament building and beating him severely. The troops later moved in, burning protesters' tents.
Hundreds of people rushed to join the protest after online video and photos showed people carrying the wounded man, his face bruised and swollen, his head wrapped in gauze and blood dripping from his nose.
Protester threw rocks and firebombs at military police, who fired back with water cannons and stones from inside parliament. Several cars were set on fire.
An American producer for Al Jazeera English, Evan Hill, was beaten by military police and his equipment and passport confiscated, the network reported.
The military's assault is also a potential embarrassment to el-Ganzouri, who vowed last month that he would not use force to break up the sit-in. El-Ganzouri had been touted as being more independent of the military than his predecessor, whose government stepped down amid the November protests amid criticism that it was simply a facade for the ruling generals.
"Who has power and who is responsible?" asked ElBaradei on his Twitter account.
___
Associated Press correspondent Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report from Cairo.
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Business You Is Looking After the Artist You ? Art Biz Blog
Guest Blogger: Heidi Spiegel
In my mind, I have created two characters: the Artist Me and the Business Me.
One is committed to making art, while the other believes in the art enough to support and promote it.
This is the result of a mental shift I made during the Art Biz Coach Blast Off class, which addresses the artist as well as the business of art.
It has helped me balance making art with marketing art, while also attending to personal needs and financial needs.
? Heidi L. Spiegel. Inside the Tuileries (detail). Pencil and collage on watercolor paper.
So, keeping myself in good health, exercising, and eating right are good business moves. Likewise, completing 5 tasks each day to market my art, setting aside time in the studio, and researching a project are good for the business.
I?m training my mind to ask: Is this good for the business? Is this good for me?
This practice is totally unrelated to my creative self, which means that there are less emotional ties to many of my decision-making tasks. The emotions are where they belong: with my art-making, and not in the business-making.
This was a breakthrough.
It helped me to understand that the Business Me has my Artist Me?s best interest in mind. The Business Me is eager for the Artist Me to succeed.
The challenges related to making a living as an artist are still overwhelming. But allowing myself to step back and ask ?Is this good for the business? Is this good for me?? has removed much of the emotional frustration from the equation.
Try it!
The Blast Off class Heidi refers to in this post is starting up again on January 11. We?d love for you to join our New Year launch.
About the Guest Blogger
A native of Hollywood, CA, Heidi Spiegel?s art focuses on transforming various found papers into illustrative collage images. Her artwork can be found in private collections throughout Los Angeles and in Europe. Recently, Heidi has expanded her art career overseas and lives both in the US and in France.
Source: http://www.artbizblog.com/2011/12/business-you.html
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
ECB's Draghi warns of impact of tough capital rules (Reuters)
BERLIN (Reuters) ? European Central Bank President Mario Draghi urged banking authorities on Thursday to ensure that tougher capital rules do not lead to a credit crunch, acknowledging for the first time that tighter regulation could hurt fragile economic growth.
The European Banking Authority has said commercial banks should have core Tier 1 capital of at least 9 percent of risk-weighted assets -- higher than the 7 percent minimum world leaders have agreed to phase in from 2013.
The ECB has previously said that tougher requirements would not hurt economic growth, but Draghi expressed concerns on Thursday about the impact on lending to the private sector.
"Banks in the euro area have recently come under pressure both as regards their capital bases and their funding conditions," Draghi said in a speech in the German capital.
"The plan to strengthen their capital bases is an attempt to reinforce their standing in financial markets, but this is not an easy process."
"Public authorities ought to cushion the impact on the real economy, and banks should consider restraining dividends and ad hoc compensation to strengthen buffers," he said in a speech in the German capital.
He said shareholders are not always receptive to raising capital levels, but he added that other options are worse for their economic impact.
"Selling assets is less preferable and curtailing credit to the real economy is even worse," Draghi said in the Ludwig Erhard lecture.
The EBA has estimated that European banks need an additional 114.7 billion euros of extra capital to reach the new standard.
EBA head Andrea Enria told a German magazine earlier in the week that regulators would not allow a cut in lending as a means of meeting the regulatory capital targets.
Draghi said the central bank had done its part in protecting the flow of loans to the private sector by having taken new measures to help banks last week.
In addition to cutting rates by 25 basis points to a record low of 1.0 percent, the ECB eased collateral rules, announced ultra-long 3 year liquidity operations and cut the required reserves ratio.
Draghi said the measures were needed to ensure the interest rate cut was felt in the economy.
"The current package should be felt tangibly in the financial sector and the real economy over the coming weeks and months. Of course, it comes against strong headwinds generated by deleveraging," the Italian said.
Draghi estimated that the decision to reduce bank reserves ratio to 1 percent from previous 2 percent alone frees up about 100 billion euros in bank liquidity.
He also reiterated that the ECB's bond-buying program was "neither eternal nor infinite".
The bank has spent more than 200 billion euros on government bonds since May 2010 through its open-ended Securities Markets Program. But it has bought relatively little in recent weeks despite widespread calls for it to ramp up the program to help the euro zone's debt-laden periphery.
Turning to the recent EU summit, the ECB head said the decisions reached were "a breakthrough for clear fiscal rules in our monetary union." Those decisions, Draghi added, should be implemented swiftly.
(Writing by Sakari Suoninen; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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Video: Retailers hope to profit from last-minute shopping
>>> retailers have nine days left to eat up a lot of ground and conveniently shoppers have that same time remaining to cover a lot of ground before christmas . that's why this is going to be a busy and crowded weekend out there, starting with the mall parking lot . nbc's tom costello in reston, virginia, for us tonight. hey, tom, good evening.
>> reporter: hi, brian. we're at a great spot here because it includes an outdoor skating rink in the shomg area. you know the current sales slogan, nobody pays full retail anymore? a lot of people are taking that to heart. they're demanding big discounts both online and in the stores. retailers are desperate this weekend. they want to get shoppers in and merchandise out. if you thought the stores were packed over the thanksgiving weekend, and they were, then prepare yourself for tomorrow, on this last full weekend before christmas , some of the biggest retailers are slashing prices to lure in those shoppers who haven't yet finished, from the promenade in santa monica --
>> i haven't bought anything for anyone yet.
>> i don't have a strategy yet. i think when i get to the stores i'll figure it out.
>> reporter: to the magnificent mile in chicago.
>> anything over 50% i feel is a good deal especially like being a student, i need those sales.
>> reporter: while store sales soared at the weekend after thanksgiving, we have since suffered the biggest drop in 11 years, with americans struggling through a rough economy while still carrying high levels of debt, retail annist dana telsey is on a ten-city tour gauging holiday sales.
>> we found promotions drive traffic. on average the average promotion is around 40% off.
>> reporter: still since lower than expected sales since black friday, the national retail federation has actually raised its holiday shopping forecast, now expecting a 3.8% increase in sales over last year, but for that to happen, this weekend is critical. since the saturday before christmas falls on christmas eve this year, many retailers are calling tomorrow super saturday. in salt lake city , overstock.com was itself overstocked, and just auctioned off an entire warehouse for pennies on the dollar, and with consumer spending accounting for 70% of the economy, what happens in the next week is critical.
>> the stakes are huge, not only for retailers but for all businesses, it sets the tone for activity as we make our way into 2012 whether business also broadly go out and invest and hire and that's vital to the economic recovery.
>> reporter: vital to the economy he says. we talked to a lot of retailers, to target, to walmart, jcpenney, macys, abercrombie, the gap, you name it, many are talking about extended hours in the run-up to christmas , deep discounts and the sales to start big time tomorrow.
>> tom costello, going to slip in shopping if not skating while being able to say he's on assignment for us tonight, well done. tom, thanks.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45703728/
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Space Park in Redondo Beach will get the star treatment
For half a century, the sprawling 110-acre aerospace complex in Redondo Beach has played host to the development of the nation's most advanced and secret spacecraft.
Known as Space Park, the site was built at the height of the Cold War after the launch of Sputnik for engineers to develop a high-powered rocket that could deliver a nuclear warhead 6,000 miles away in less than an hour to virtually wipe out an entire city: the intercontinental ballistic missile.
The complex's 47 buildings have served as a nerve center for the development and construction of high-powered lasers, cutting-edge electronics and sophisticated spacecraft. Satellites developed at the site have explored faraway planets, provided space-based telecommunications for troops on the battlefield and spied on enemies' fortified defense enclaves.
Space Park is also the site of the famed "Falcon and the Snowman" incident, in which a disillusioned young employee with a top security clearance spied for the Soviet Union. Along with an accomplice, he was arrested in 1977 after selling the Soviets thousands of secret documents, including material revealing spy satellite plans. They were convicted and sent to prison.
The incident was featured in a bestselling book and 1985 movie starring Sean Penn and Timothy Hutton.
On Wednesday, the campus will be designated a historic aerospace site in a ceremony by the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, the nation's largest society of aerospace engineers and scientists.
In addition to the ICBM, Space Park is the birthplace for the rocket engines that first lowered man onto the moon, instrument packages that scoured Mars' surface for life, and the James Webb Space Telescope, which is now under development to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
"As a company, we always wanted to recruit the most talented people to take on the government's most important programs," said 98-year-old Simon Ramo, who along with his late colleague Dean Wooldridge bought the land from the Santa Fe Railroad in 1960 for their company, Space Technology Laboratories.
Space Park would eventually become home to TRW Inc. ? the "R" representing Ramo and the "W" Wooldridge. Since 2002, Space Park has been part of aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp., which recently moved to its headquarters to Falls Church, Va., from Century City.
Today, about 7,500 people work at Space Park and its 5 million square feet of engineering office space, high-bay assembly areas and clean-room laboratories.
Decades after the Cold War, there are still details of Space Park programs that remain sensitive to national security, and Ramo can't talk about them.
"A lot of amazing things were done there," said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org. "Some of those things we might actually find out about. I would guess there's more history there that we don't know about than we do."
Space Park is a key part of California's space industry, along with Boeing Co.'s satellite-making operation in nearby El Segundo and Lockheed Martin Corp.'s missile and space division in Sunnyvale.
The sprawling complex is designed like a college campus ? spread out with gardens and sculptures dotting the landscape. That was by design. Ramo wanted every engineer to have a window and said he wanted to differentiate Space Park from other aerospace companies, which would pack engineers side by side at drafting tables in windowless, musty hangars.
Ramo and Wooldridge had experienced the claustrophobia of such working conditions as colleagues at Hughes Aircraft Co. in Playa Vista, where they had an established record working at the leading edge of the new field of electronic warfare and guidance systems. The pair walked away from the company and their eccentric boss, Howard Hughes, in 1953 and started their own company.
It wasn't long after they opened for business that President Eisenhower gave the young scientists the task of developing the ICBM. With that responsibility came a reputation as a national leader in space technology.
"Everyone knew that if you were working for us on the ICBM program, you were working on the top-priority program in the country," Ramo said.
One of their recruits was Bruce Gerding, now a vice president of Northrop's aerospace systems unit who joined TRW in 1970. He has been based at Space Park for more than four decades.
"I always thought of Space Park as an aerospace Camelot," he said. "When you think about the legacy of Space Park, it's not the lasers or satellites that we've built here. It's the people who built and developed the technology."
Loren Thompson, defense policy analyst for the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said that Space Park has had a concentration of skills that can't be trumpeted because of national security secrets. But those in the defense industry know its importance: "People in Space Park accomplish missions that no one else in the world can accomplish."
william.hennigan@latimes.com
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PFT: Suh says he won't cry over criticism
Getty ImagesHall of Fame coach and legendary broadcaster John Madden made his weekly appearance today on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Rich Gannon and Adam Schein, and Coach Madden made a stirring and persuasive case for a culture change at all levels of football regarding the issue of concussions.
Madden?s remarks were so compelling and blunt and convincing that the league should have him reprise the message for a DVD that is sent to every football coach in America.
In fact, Madden may have been too candid, given the various pieces of litigation the league currently is facing, with allegations that the NFL failed to warn players about the risks of concussions.? Madden says that the issue had been ?swept under the rug? for years, requiring significant changes now in order to properly address the situation in the future.
And while Madden didn?t specifically blame the Browns for the team?s decision to allow quarterback Colt McCoy to re-enter last Thursday?s game against the Steelers, Madden said that the injury was handled ?wrong in every way,? or words to that effect.? (We?ll get the full transcript from our friends at SiriusXM NFL Radio.)
So Browns president Mike Holmgren can claim all he wants that it?s ?unfair? to criticize the team for failing to hold McCoy out of the game, but the fact remains that the team allowed McCoy to re-enter the game with a concussion.? And Holmgren can make all the excuses he wants about how the doctors and trainers were busy and didn?t see James Harrison put a helmet into McCoy?s chin, but the fact remains that the team allowed McCoy to re-enter the game with a concussion.? And Holmgren can point to all the times the Browns kept players out of games after suffering concussions, but the fact remains that the team allowed McCoy to re-enter the game with a concussion.
Madden explained that coaches and teammates tend to assume that, when doctor and/or trainer is evaluating a player, the doctor and/or trainer know where and how hard the player had been hit.? Madden said that the next step in the process of spotting concussions is to ensure that teammates and coaches don?t make that assumption.
If one of the most influential, old-school coaches believes strongly about this issue, everyone associated with the game ? at every level ? should take notice.? Here?s hoping that Coach Madden keeps spreading the word, and that everyone who hears his words heeds them.
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Lord Bell's Chime Communications gets more unwelcome publicity ...
Shares in Lord Bell's Chime Communications are down 40% since the firm lost a US government contract. Photograph Rex Features
It has not been a great six months for Lord Bell's Chime Communications, parent to the Bell Pottinger lobbying and public relations empire. The latest "lobbygate" sting, conducted by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reminds one and all that they are often perceived to be at the shadier end of the public relations industry. It is worth noting that while many rivals accept the need for a public register of lobbying interests, Bell is not a fan of such a measure.
The latest media focus comes not long after Bell was forced to deny a perhaps tenuous link between certain of its US operations and companies that funded the curious activities of former defence secretary Liam Fox's close friend Adam Werrity.
Unwelcome attention, but not likely to trouble the share price. Some industry insiders argue the publicity may even generate new business.
More worrying for investors has been a big contract loss with the US government, believed to involve work for the State Department in Iraq and other trouble spots. Last month Bell admitted this work had "ended earlier than expected" prompting an urgent need to cut jobs and other costs. Profits, as a result, will be lower than anticipated. Shares are down 40% since June.
The message to the City has been that Chime remains confident it can replace much of its lost earnings with growth from its sports marketing division. The London Olympics will be a platform for this business.
There is another important factor in Chime's success that investors will be anxious does not end earlier than expected ? Lord Bell himself. Who else can get an audience with heads of state around the world?
He has always been a great asset, but is also increasingly a potential vulnerability for Chime. Bell had a triple by-pass in January and insists he remains "extremely active" and in "remarkably good condition". Investors will be keeping their fingers crossed for his rude health to continue.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/blog/2011/dec/06/lord-bell-chime-communication-publicity
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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Nobel Laureate: Haiti pres's army plan an "error" (AP)
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? Nobel laureate Oscar Arias has advised Haitian President Michel Martelly that it would be an "error" to restore the disbanded army, according to a letter delivered to presidential offices on Monday.
In the two-page letter dated Nov. 28, the two-time president of Costa Rica tells Martelly that armed forces in the region have records of thwarting progress and quashing democratic values, and that the $25 million Martelly has proposed for the new military should be invested in education, health and strengthening other institutions.
"I seek not to show disrespect for the sovereignty of a sister nation, but simply to share advice I see written on the wall of human history," Arias wrote in the letter shared with The Associated Press. "In Latin America, most armies are enemies of development, enemies of peace and enemies of freedom."
The Haitian army was disbanded in 1995 because of its history of abuse, a move that was applauded by Arias' own foundation.
First-time politican Martelly said he wants to fulfill a campaign pledge of reviving the army in an effort to restore national pride. He also envisions a force that will patrol Haiti's porous border with the neighboring Dominican Republic, protect the environment and respond to natural disasters.
But the United States and Canada have said that the money for the military would be better spent on strengthening the police force, which has 8,000 officers in a country of 10 million. Canada added that it wouldn't help pay for the new military and that Haiti has more pressing needs as it struggles to recover from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake almost two years ago.
Martelly later conceded that Haiti had other priorities, namely improvements to the country's health care and education sectors, but that he stills sees a need for the armed force.
Martelly last month announced that he would form a commission to define the agenda of the military but that has yet to materialize.
In his letter, Arias turns to history to show why he believes Haiti doesn't need an army. He notes how Costa Rica was once bordered by two countries with dictatorships but its absence of an army, he wrote, allowed the nation to be viewed as an ally.
And since 1995, when Costa Rica's neighbor, Panama, disbanded its army, the two nations have shared "the most peaceful border in the world," wrote Arias, who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his peacemaking efforts in Central America.
"It is not by chance that these two countries also have the most successful economies in Central America, because the money we once spent on our armies is (now) invested in the education of our children and the health of our citizens," Arias wrote.
He added: "To reinstall the army would be an error, and that is why I cannot keep silent."
Martelly spokesman Lucien Jura couldn't be reached for comment Monday night.
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Heavy Beijing smog causes flight delays, cancellations
BEIJING?? A heavy fog blanketed parts of northern China Monday, delaying flights and causing hundreds of cancellations, while smog hung in a dark haze over Beijing.
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As of 2 p.m. (0600 GMT), 126 flights had been delayed by an hour or longer and 207 were cancelled at Beijing, the world's second-busiest airport, Xinhua news agency said.
The Beijing sky was so dark that many drivers kept their headlights on throughout the day, giving the city an eery, netherworld feeling.
"Such super foggy weather looks like the end of the world," commented one microblogger using the name David Jiaoxiaomao.
China's national weather forecaster said the fog was likely to persist across parts of China to Wednesday, causing more transport disruptions. By then, a cold front would begin dispersing the fog, said the forecaster, according to Xinhua.
Highways across the northern provinces of Shandong and Hebei were also closed.
In Beijing, the fog has been made worse by pollution. Readings by the U.S. Embassy, which measures inhalable particles of 2.5 microns, have described the pollution for days as "hazardous."
Sunday night, the U.S. Embassy's index topped its ceiling of 500, and it was 356 Monday afternoon, a reading that was still considered "dangerous."
The Beijing environmental bureau, however, said the air was affected by only "light pollution" during the day.
Chinese environmental officials have come under criticism in media reports and on microblogs for reporting only measurements of much larger particles in the air.
Du Shaozhong, a deputy head of the bureau, warned on his microblog that residents should take precautions if pollution rises to "medium" levels, as it has during the night, when the government's central heating furnaces pour smoke into the air. (Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee, Chris Buckley and Sabrina Mao; Editing by Ken Wills)
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45549425/ns/travel-news/
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Gray leads No. 7 Duke women to 92-43 rout of Pitt (AP)
DURHAM, N.C. ? Chelsea Gray had a triple-double with 14 points, a school-record 13 assists and 11 rebounds in No. 7 Duke's 92-43 rout of Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Tricia Liston scored 19 points and Chloe Wells added 14 for the Blue Devils (6-1). They never trailed, shot 50 percent and used a pair of early runs to effectively end this one at halftime and win their 28th straight game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Gray added six steals during the fourth triple-double in school history and first since Jasmine Thomas two years ago against Marquette.
Brianna Kiesel had 12 points to lead the Panthers (4-4). They were held without a field goal during the final 8 minutes of the first half and shot 24 percent ? the lowest percentage allowed by Duke this season.
Richa Jackson and Elizabeth Williams had 12 points apiece for Duke while Haley Peters and Kathleen Scheer scored 10.
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Tornado-damaged courthouse to reopen next week
By JOHN MINER, QMI Agency
Updated 2 days ago
GODERICH ??Historic Goderich courthouse, which took a direct hit from the Aug. 21 tornado, is expected to be open for regular business on Dec. 12.
Huron County chief administrative officer Larry Adams said plans are on track for the opening with a green light from Stantec Consulting Ltd., the company that has been testing air quality of the building. There are no concerns about either asbestos or mould, Adams said in a news release.
The Goderich courthouse sits in the centre of the square that was ravaged by the F3 tornado. The tornado killed one and injured dozens, devastating the downtown business section.
Staff are scheduled to begin moving back into the courthouse Dec. 9.
Source: http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3390000
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sickle Cell Disease Tied to 'Silent Strokes' in Children (HealthDay)
FRIDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Children with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, who also have high blood pressure and/or anemia are at increased risk for so-called "silent strokes," according to a new study.
Silent strokes, which cause no symptoms, "are typically seen in older adults, and these findings give us additional insight into why they tend to occur so often in children with sickle cell disease," senior study investigator Dr. James Casella, director of hematology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, said in a center news release.
Casella and his colleagues performed MRI brain scans on 814 children with sickle cell disease, aged 5 to 15, and found that 31 percent of them had suffered silent strokes. None of the children had a history of strokes or seizures, and none showed any signs of stroke at the time of the study.
After examining the children's medical histories, the researchers concluded that anemia and high blood pressure individually increased the risk of silent stroke in the study participants, but the combination of the two carried the highest risk.
Among these sickle cell patients, those with the highest systolic blood pressure (the top number in their blood pressure reading) was above 113 and the lowest hemoglobin (below 7.6 grams per deciliter) had a nearly four times greater risk of silent stroke than those with the lowest blood pressure and highest hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. Anemia is defined by low levels of hemoglobin.
Compared to children with the lowest blood pressure readings, those with the highest blood pressure had a 1.7 times greater risk of silent stroke. And the risk was more than doubled for kids with the lowest hemoglobin levels versus kids with the highest hemoglobin levels, the investigators found.
The researchers said their findings highlight the need to identify children with sickle cell disease who have early signs of anemia and high blood pressure, both of which are modifiable risk factors. The findings may also lead to new treatments for sickle cell disease.
The study was published online Nov. 17 in the journal Blood.
While extremely rare in children overall, stroke is a common complication in children with sickle cell disease. Nearly 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease. The disease, inherited from both parents, causes red blood cells to take the shape of crescents or sickles, and results in less oxygen being delivered to the body's tissues. These fragile cells can interrupt blood flow when they get stuck in small blood vessels. Patients with sickle cell disease require ongoing treatment, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about sickle cell disease.
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Al Qaeda says group kidnapped American in Pakistan (Reuters)
DUBAI (Reuters) ? Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of an American man in Pakistan and demanded the release of prisoners and an end to air strikes in Muslim countries in exchange for his freedom, according to an Internet statement.
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri also said in an audio recording issued on Islamist websites late on Thursday that a senior al Qaeda leader based in Pakistan known as Attiyatullah had been killed in a U.S. air strike in August.
"Just as the Americans detain all whom they suspect of links to al Qaeda and the Taliban, even remotely, we detained this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies," SITE quoted Zawahri as saying in the recording.
The U.S. State Department is aware of the statement and continues to work with Pakistani authorities leading the investigation, a spokeswoman said.
Assailants kidnapped Warren Weinstein, an American development expert, in the Pakistani city of Lahore in August.
Weinstein, about 70 years old, had been working on a project in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.
"We remain concerned for Mr. Weinstein's safety and well-being," said Joanne Moore, spokeswoman for the State Department. The government had been in contact with Weinstein's family in the United States, she said.
"U.S. officials, including the FBI, are assisting in the Pakistani-led investigation," she said, declining to give additional information on the case due to privacy considerations.
"The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind and we call for the immediate release of the individual and the prosecution of those responsible," Moore said.
Zawahri said the group's demands for Weinstein's release included the release of all those held by the United States at the Guantanamo detention center and all others imprisoned for ties to al Qaeda or the Taliban.
He also demanded an end to air strikes by the United States and its allies against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia and Gaza.
DEMANDS RELEASE OF HIGH-PROFILE MILITANTS
Zawahri also demanded the release of high-profile militants including Ramzi Yousef, imprisoned in the United States for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, serving a life sentence for plotting to attack the U.N. headquarters and other New York City landmarks.
"Your problem is not with us but with (President Barack) Obama. We have raised fair demands. ... So continue to pressure Obama, if you want your relative to be handed back," Zawahri said, addressing Weinstein's family.
Zawahri said that Attiyatullah, a Libyan militant whose real name was Jamal Ibrahim Ashtiwi al-Misrati, escaped a first air strike but was killed along with his son Issam in a second bombing on August 23.
"He was martyred, may God have mercy on him ... by bombing by a crusader spy plane," Zawahri said.
Zawahri was named by the Islamist group to succeed Osama bin Laden, who was killed in an operation by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May after a decade-long worldwide hunt.
Al Qaeda has tried to wage war on Arab rulers over the past decade through creating cells that used suicide attacks on foreigners and government installations and officials.
But the Arab Spring popular uprisings have left al Qaeda on the sidelines, as uprisings brought down veteran heads of state in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen.
(Reporting by Sami Aboudi and Firouz Sedarat; Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Jon Hemming and Peter Cooney)
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Judge rejects Apple bid to halt Galaxy sales (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Apple failed to convince a U.S. judge to block Samsung Electronics from selling some Galaxy smartphones and tablets in the U.S. market, depriving the iPhone and iPad maker of crucial leverage in a global patent battle between the two companies.
In a ruling released late on Friday, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against Samsung.
Representatives for Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two companies are engaged in a bruising legal battle that includes more than 20 cases in 10 countries as they jostle for the top spot in the smartphone and tablet markets.
Apple sued Samsung in the United States in April, saying the South Korean company's Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets "slavishly" copies the iPhone and iPad.
But on Friday Koh rejected Apple's bid to ban sales of three smartphone models, as well as the Samsung Tab 10.1.
"It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung's accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed," Koh wrote.
The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.
(Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)
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Friday, December 2, 2011
American Airlines bankruptcy: 'Business as usual' for passengers ...
The parent company for American Airlines, the nation's third largest carrier, filed for bankruptcy, citing high labor costs and a volatile economy.
American Airlines, the largest carrier at Los Angeles International Airport, sought to assure passengers that the filing would not affect their travel plans, saying all tickets, reservations and reward points would be honored.
"American Airlines remains open for business," said Craig Kreeger, the airline's vice president for customer experience. "It's business as usual."
Until it filed for Chapter 11 protection Tuesday, AMR Corp. represented the last major network carrier in the U.S. to avoid bankruptcy in the tumultuous decade since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Many of American Airlines' competitors that renegotiated labor contracts and debts in the bankruptcy process have reported strong profit margins in the past few years.
But AMR posted a net loss of $884 million in the nine months that ended Sept. 30, more than double the loss of the prior year's nine-month period.
The board of directors of AMR Corp. also announced Tuesday that it had appointed Thomas W. Horton chairman and chief executive officer of the company, succeeding Gerard Arpey, who informed the board of his plans to retire.
Arpey, 53, was chief executive officer since 2003 and chairman since 2004.
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Photo: An American Airlines plane at Los Angeles International Airport. Credit: Los Angeles Times
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