miserably fatalistic: 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

John Legend Engaged To Model Chrissy Teigen (Photos)

Grammy-winning singer John Legend is engaged to his model girlfriend, Chrissy Teigen, after proposing over the Christmas holidays. John’s rep Cindi Berger confirmed the engagement, [...]

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Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2011/12/27/john-legend-engaged-to-model-chrissy-teigen-photos/

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Rome for the Holidays

December 25, 2011, 6:00 am By KATIE PARLA

The traditional inauguration of the Christmas season got underway early this month in Rome, but travelers can visit vestiges of those early celebrations, and still take in a few more ceremonies, after the gifts have been opened.

At Piazza Mignanelli near the Spanish Steps, a statue of the Madonna, which rises above a 100-foot-high column, was embellished with a wreath on Dec. 8 by Pope Benedict XVI, who led a ceremony there for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Other wreaths were laid around the base, where they will remain until next year.

At St. Peter?s Square, a 100-foot-tall spruce, a gift from Ukraine, is on display through Jan. 6. It is decked out in 2,500 white and gold ornaments and lights, evoking the colors of the Vatican flag. Beside it is a Nativity scene featuring 19th-century statues.

There are more celebrations on hand: On Christmas Day, the Pope will appear at the loggia on St. Peter?s facade at noon for the ?Urbi et Orbi? address; St. Stephen?s Day celebrations will be held in the square the following day.

And on New Year?s Eve, First Vespers and Te Deum will be held inside St. Peter?s Basilica, followed by Mass in the square on New Year?s Day. The bulk of the Christmas festivities conclude Jan. 6 with a papal Mass in St. Peter?s Basilica for the Epiphany.

Source: http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/rome-for-the-holidays/

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Monday, December 26, 2011

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MVALLE888: Watch: Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock Royal Wedding Pictures, Video http://t.co/cDDpL5tT #Royalty

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

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Lawyers for Rob Ford ask court to overturn audit of election expenses

Lawyers for Rob Ford will ask an Ontario court to nullify a request for a full forensic review of the mayor?s election campaign finances and to hold a new hearing overseen by a judge that would allow additional evidence.

Their motion, filed late Friday afternoon, will be heard in January.

According to the 13-page pleading prepared by Tom Barlow, Mr. Ford?s lawyer, city council?s three-person compliance audit committee in effect rushed to judgment last May when it ordered the investigation. At the time, Mr. Ford?s election organization officials had not yet closed the books on the campaign?s finances. They filed supplementary audited financial statements in the fall.

But while Mr. Barlow itemized several provincial and Supreme Court of Canada decisions to make a case for the request, he did not cite any decisions in which an Ontario court had set aside the decision of a compliance audit committee.

The case involves a request for the audit by two Toronto residents, Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler and Max Reed, submitted following an investigation by The Globe and Mail. They alleged that Mr. Ford, as a mayoral candidate, violated provincial election rules by turning to a Ford family-controlled company to pay several early election expenses. They also claim that Mr. Ford accepted in-kind corporate contributions, which are not permitted under City of Toronto rules.

Mr. Ford has consistently maintained that his campaign organization adhered to all relevant election rules, but his lawyers have fought the compliance audit order, appealing the decision to an Ontario court.

In Mr. Barlow?s submission, he argues that the compliance audit committee rules and procedures, which are laid out in the Municipal Elections Act, made it ?impossible? for Mr. Ford to adequately respond to the allegations, partly because of time restrictions on deputations by the participants in a compliance audit request.

He also said the compliance audit committee, whose members include two lawyers and a former City of Toronto returning officer, did not provide reasons for its decision to order a compliance audit, leaving the appeal judge little to work with.

?A de novo hearing will facilitate a more complete appreciation of the evidence, placing the court in the best position to interpret the provisions of the [Municipal Elections Act],? said the motion document.

In a statement, Mr. Chaleff-Freudenthaler said, ?the Compliance Audit Committee made a lawful decision based on the overwhelming evidence that was presented to it showing reasonable grounds for an audit of Rob Ford?s election campaign. At that time, Ford had a chance to present all the evidence he desired to rebut our allegations but chose not to. In our view, there is no reason for a court to undermine the Compliance Audit Committee.?

He also cited a December, 2011, Ontario Court of Justice decision which found that no new evidence should be allowed in the appeal of a compliance audit committee decision.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/lawyers-for-rob-ford-ask-court-to-overturn-audit-of-election-expenses/article2282733/?utm_medium=Feeds:%20RSS/Atom&utm_source=National&utm_content=2282733

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sony Tablet S to get Ice Cream Sandwich update, timeframe coming 'soon'

Some may love the shape of the Sony Tablet S, some may hate it, but one thing everyone can agree on is that it will be better with Ice Cream Sandwich. According to staff at the Sony Tablet discussion forums, the Android 4 update for the Sony Tablet S is happening, and the timeframe for said update is "coming soon." The Tegra 2 tablet with the unique look and feel wasn't a huge hit for Sony, but it's nice to see them continuing support and keeping behind this one. We'll keep our ears open and let you know when "soon" turns into an actual date.

Source: Sony UK; Thanks, Philip, for the tip!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/5EUTxUQ2lw8/story01.htm

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Mexico Disbands City's Police Force

VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) - A Mexican state plagued by drug violence has disbanded the entire police force in the major port city of Veracruz, and officials say the Navy will take over.

The Veracruz state government says it's part of an effort to root out corruption from law enforcement and start from zero in the city of Veracruz.

State spokeswoman Gina Dominguez said Wednesday 800 police officers and 300 administrative employees were laid off. At a press conference, she said they can still apply for state police jobs but must meet stricter standards.

Armed marines have barricaded police headquarters and Navy helicopters were flying above the city where 35 bodies 35 bodies were dumped in September. It was one of the worst gang attacks of Mexico's drug war.

Source: http://www.myfoxny.com/dpps/news/international/mexico-disbands-entire-police-force-dpgapx-20111221-to_16527575

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Friday, December 23, 2011

December 20, 2011 - Southern California Edison Employees Return to Irwindale Facility, Crisis Counseling Offered to Employees

Media Contact: (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Dec. 20, 2011 ?? Southern California Edison (SCE) employees returned to Rivergrade facilities in Irwindale today.? The SCE offices have been closed since fatal shootings last Friday.

The company determined late Monday that the offices could be reopened once all appropriate preparations were made. Crisis counselors are available for employees at Rivergrade and other SCE offices. The company continues to provide support and counseling to families of the shooting victims.

Three employees, including the gunman, died and two others were injured in last Fridays shooting.

Employee Angela Alvarez, who was injured, remains hospitalized. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to serious condition. Her family has requested privacy as she recuperates. The other injured employee, Abhay Pimpale, was treated and released.?

The company is working with the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department investigating the shootings. Questions about updates on the investigation are being referred to the sheriffs department.

Personnel matters related to any SCE employees have been and will continue to remain confidential. The company does not discuss individual personnel issues.?
?
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nations largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

-###-

Southern California Edison Employees Return to Irwindale Facility, Crisis Counseling Offered to Employees

Source: http://www.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=7789

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Congress Agrees on Payroll Tax; It's About Time (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | On Thursday, in what could best be described as a Christmas miracle, the unthinkable happened. CNN is reporting that House Republicans have agreed to a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut that has been the talk of Washington the past week.

I have said before that this whole argument over the payroll tax thing is a game of chicken between the GOP and President Barack Obama. Do not kid yourselves; it is true.

For the time being, it seems that even the Republican Party is willing to align themselves with an Obama-backed measure. According to the Washington Post, the GOP agreed to vote to pass the bill by Christmas. It's about time both political parties agreed on something. Perhaps it was the spirit of the holiday season that put the notion into their heads that they were squabbling over something rather ridiculous.

The payroll tax cut, for those that do not know, amounts to about $40 a week to a taxpayer making $50,000 a year. Forty bucks. This whole series of arguments and political grandstanding was over a person getting an extra forty a week in their paycheck. I wonder if members of the House and Senate ever actually had to be subjected to the living conditions of their constituents; would they have been so steadfast to get rid of the tax cut?

President Obama deserves a great deal of credit for getting this measure passed. In a speech Thursday broadcast on MSNBC, he talked about how some families would be unable to do something as basic as going out for pizza. It took something as basic as a pizza to drive home the point to Congress that it needed to get its act together or people would needlessly. That getting necessary legislation passed should not be a fight. It was an occasional tradition that even in time of war, two sides fighting against each other would lay down their arms in observance of a holiday. Even if it wasn't motivated by the spirit of the season, it was at least nice to see the GOP and Obama finally come to an agreement on something.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/uscongress/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111223/pl_ac/10738683_congress_agrees_on_payroll_tax_its_about_time

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

It's not TV, it's HBO Go, and it's finally coming to Cablevision

Being a Cablevision customer was hard. Watching your colleagues with FiOS subscriptions stream Carnivale on their iPads, the guy who pays Dish Network for his programming could get Cinemax on his smartphone -- and all you had was YouTube for entertainment. Fortunately, the final major provider not to carry Home Box Office's online services has relented and you'll be able to enjoy both HBO Go and Go Max as soon as it's launched in "the next few months." Just remember that while you can now enjoy all those episodes of True Blood in public places, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should.

Continue reading It's not TV, it's HBO Go, and it's finally coming to Cablevision

It's not TV, it's HBO Go, and it's finally coming to Cablevision originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/jb0cfDihtsA/

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Monday, December 19, 2011

Airman arrives from Iraq just in time for baby's birth

Hartford Hospital

Staff Sgt. Patrick Nunes with his wife, Katie, and their new son, Ryan.

By Bob Connors, NBC Connecticut

It was a close call?for Staff Sgt. Patrick Nunes, who had just returned from his second tour in Iraq.

No, this close call had nothing to do with being on a battlefield. Nunes, who serves in the Air Force, was given approval to leave Iraq two weeks ahead of his Dec. 31 the date he was expected to withdraw from?overseas, because that was also his wife's due date.

So, when Nunes boarded a plane bound for Connecticut Wednesday, he thought he would have plenty of time before his wife gave birth to their first child. He was wrong.

See the original story at NBC Connecticut.

When he stepped off the flight at Bradley International Airport, his wife, Katie, was already in labor. He rushed to Hartford Hospital where Katie gave birth to a 9-pound baby boy just hours later.

"I just kept saying 'He's going to make it,'" Katie Nunes said Friday. Katie, who grew up in Suffield, was staying with her parents while her husband was in Iraq. The two live in Utah.

"It did not seem real," Patrick Nunes said. "It was just crazy timing."

The couple named their son Ryan. Mom, baby and Dad are all doing well.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/16/9507671-airman-arrives-from-iraq-just-in-time-for-babys-birth-in-connecticut

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

3 dead, 2 wounded in California office shooting

Police officers walk through the office building that houses offices of Southern California Edison after a man armed with a rifle shot two people, then shot himself in Irwindale, Calif., Friay, Dec. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

People who were evacuated from a Southern California Edison complex in Irwindale, Calif., wait outside to be interviewed after a gunman opened fire inside Friday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2011. Three people were killed and two more wounded. The suspected gunman was among the dead and is believed to have self-inflicted wounds, Baldwin Park police Capt. Michael Taylor said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Police and firefighters stand outside a Southern California Edison complex in Irwindale, Calif., after a gunman opened fire inside Friday afternoon, Dec. 16, 2011. Three people were killed and two more wounded. The suspected gunman was among the dead and is believed to have self-inflicted wounds, Baldwin Park police Capt. Michael Taylor said. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Police officers block the entrance of the office building that houses offices of Southern California Edison after a man armed with a rifle shot two people, then shot himself in Irwindale, Calif., Friay, Dec. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

IRWINDALE, Calif. (AP) ? Authorities say two people wounded in a Southern California office park shooting spree are listed in critical condition at local hospitals.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Holly Francisco says one woman and one man are currently being treated for life-threatening wounds.

Three men, including the shooter, died in Friday's shooting at Southern California Edison offices in Irwindale, which forced a lockdown of the large office complex and nearby schools.

The shooter and all the victims are employees of the utility company.

Officers from surrounding cities and the sheriff's SWAT team responded.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-16-Office%20Shooting-California/id-1a7461734a8e4e77afa1aef9ad5a795e

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Bell Mobility hints at Ice Cream Sandwich release dates for Galaxy S II, Raider and Sensation

We've come across an internal document from Bell Mobility that's bound to raise the hopes of a few good Canadians. Yes folks, we're talking Ice Cream Sandwich. The carrier to the north estimates that it'll have Android 4.0 ready for the Sensation in February, which is to be followed by the Raider's update in March -- this handset may be more familiar to AT&T customers as the Vivid. Pulling up the rear, users of the Galaxy S II are to expect the upgrade in April, and while the Optimus LTE is also mentioned, there's no specific time frame for that one. Certainly estimated release dates don't always come to fruition, but at least we know what Bell's aiming for, anyway.

Bell Mobility hints at Ice Cream Sandwich release dates for Galaxy S II, Raider and Sensation originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/17/bell-mobility-hints-at-ice-cream-sandwich-release-dates-for-gala/

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Rapper Slim Dunkin slain in Atlanta music studio

ATLANTA (AP) ? Atlanta police say the rapper Slim Dunkin was gunned down Friday evening in a city music studio as he was preparing to record a video.

Police Maj. Keith Meadows said the rapper, whose real name is Mario Hamilton, was fatally shot in the chest after getting into an argument with another individual.

He was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meadows told The Associated Press late Friday that police have not been able to identify the shooter. He said investigators have been interviewing those who were inside the studio. He said as many as 20 people were inside the small office-type building at the time of the shooting, which took place around 5:30 p.m., but they were in different places.

Police have not recovered the handgun that was used. Investigators remained at the scene late Friday evening.

"Right now we're just trying to....identify who may have seen what, really just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together," Meadows said. "It seems everybody witnessed something very different. We're just trying to go back and make sense of everything."

Slim Dunkin had appeared on a number of songs with the rapper Waka Flocka Flame. The website Mtv.com reported that the Brick Squad Monopoly rapper was on a solo track and had recently released a 20-track mix tape that featured Gucci Mane, Roscoe Dash and Pastor Troy.

"It appears the victim was scheduled to do a photo shoot," Meadows said of Friday's events. "Before the video shoot took place, it appears the victim and suspect got involved in a verbal altercation. We don't know what that altercation was about."

"The suspect produced a weapon, discharged that handgun one time, striking the victim in the chest," Meadows said.

Meadows said the victim was in his early 20s and resided in the Atlanta area.

Many fans were posting messages late Friday night on a Facebook page for the rapper.

The website AllHipHop.com last February described Slim Dunkin, a Detroit native, as an up-and-coming talent with "a unique lyrical ability and style all his own."

In an interview with the website, he described himself as someone "trying to provide for his family by making something out of nothing just trying to beat the odds."

"I don't have amazing lyrical ability I just know how to speak on what I been through and where I came from," he said.

Asked what to expect from him in 2011, he responded: "Music, music, music!"

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-17-Rapper%20Shot-Music%20Studio/id-ce80d7c85b8c41588f61fed48a6d2bad

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China sends long-missing lawyer Gao back to jail (AP)

BEIJING ? Chinese activist lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has not been seen in public for more than 20 months, has been sent back to jail for three years for breaking his probation, state media reported Friday.

The brief report by the state-run Xinhua News Agency marked the first official confirmation that Gao is still alive. Rights groups have repeatedly voiced concern about Gao's situation and criticism over the government silence surrounding his case.

Xinhua said Gao "had seriously violated probation rules for a number of times, which led to the court decision to withdraw the probation."

It did not say what violations Gao had committed, or could have committed because he was thought to have been in the custody of China's security forces since he was last seen in April 2010.

He was sentenced to three years in prison, with a five-year probation period, in December 2006 for inciting to overthrow state power. The probation would have expired next Thursday.

Calls to the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court and the Beijing High Court were not answered Friday.

Gao's brother said had not heard from the authorities on Gao's case, but Gao Zhiyi said he believed the end of the probation period may have been behind the move.

"Are they sending him to a proper prison? Which prison was he at before? Where were they hiding him?" he asked.

Gao said when he approached Beijing police in September to ask about his brother, one officer told him Gao Zhisheng was a "missing person and no one knows where he is."

Gao Zhiyi said he did not know what the latest notice from the court meant.

"Why were they hiding him for such a long time, what was his crime?" he said.

One of the most high-profile targets of the crackdown on rights lawyers over the past few years, Gao is a charismatic and pugnacious lawyer who represented religious dissenters and advocated constitutional reform.

Gao has drawn international attention, including from the United States, for the unusual length of his disappearance and for his earlier reports of torture he said he endured in detention.

His case was mentioned by U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke last Saturday in a statement for International Human Rights Day.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_re_as/as_china_missing_lawyer

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Friday, December 16, 2011

Can't raise taxes? Hike Medicare premiums instead (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Republicans may have found a way to squeeze more money out of well-to-do Americans without raising their taxes.

A year-end economic package approved by the House on Tuesday prescribes a Medicare premium increase for "high-income" beneficiaries. Although the bill faces a veto threat from the White House, that specific provision may turn out to have staying power.

"High income" for Medicare beneficiaries currently means those making $85,000 and above for individuals, or $170,000 for families.

Just the top 5 percent of Medicare recipients fall into those income brackets, causing them to pay higher premiums for outpatient and prescription coverage. The legislation would expand that over time so the highest-earning one-fourth of seniors pay added premiums.

Millions who don't consider themselves wealthy would end up paying more, in some cases several hundred dollars more a month.

AARP, the seniors lobby, says the premium increases are tantamount to a new tax. In the Democratic-led Senate, there's not much enthusiasm.

But the plan is modeled on a proposal that President Barack Obama submitted earlier this year to congressional debt negotiators, when he was seeking a "big deal" to cut federal deficits. Continuing pressure to curb spending means the proposal eventually could become the law of the land, even if there's no consensus now.

"This is an idea that seems to have some traction," said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.

It's also creating a lot of confusion about who is wealthy and who is not.

For example, when Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich, he means individuals making more than $200,000 a year and families above $250,000.

But his health care law fixed the level for paying "high-income" Medicare premiums at the current $85,000 and above for an individual, $170,000 for families.

And the new Republican plan would drop the thresholds to $80,000 for an individual and $160,000 for families.

"If we're considering raising taxes on those with incomes above $250,000, then it seems to me very awkward to raise Medicare premiums on those with much lower incomes," said John Rother, head of the National Coalition on Health Care, an advocacy group.

Baby boomers just signing up for Medicare are more likely to be affected than long-term retirees, since incomes tend to be higher for the newly retired.

AARP calls the proposed premium increases a tax hike. "Most of the time, when you have a payment due to the government because of your income, we call it a tax," said lobbyist David Certner. "It's a form of a tax." High-earning workers already pay more in Medicare payroll taxes, he pointed out.

No way it's a tax, say Republicans.

Taxpayers subsidize three-quarters of the cost of Medicare premiums for the typical retiree. Reducing the subsidy for those who can afford to pay more is not the same thing as raising taxes, they contend.

"The proposal doesn't raise taxes," said Michelle Dimarob, spokeswoman for House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich. "The provision simply adjusts the subsidy they receive."

The premium increases are to help pay for legislation that would prevent the Jan. 1 expiration of payroll tax cuts for workers and extra benefits for the long-term unemployed, while also staving off a steep cut in Medicare payments to doctors. With time running short, lawmakers of both parties and Obama are still far apart on key aspects.

Tax or not, higher Medicare premiums mean less money in the pockets of those who have to pay. Currently the high-income premiums start at 35 percent of the cost of Medicare's outpatient and drug coverage for individuals making $85,000 year and rise to 80 percent of the cost at the very top income brackets.

Next year, a typical Medicare recipient will pay $131 a month for outpatient and drug coverage combined, according to Kaiser. Those paying the high-income premiums will pay from $183 to $417. That means beneficiaries at the highest income levels would pay nearly $300 a month more.

The House GOP plan would increase the high-income premium by 15 percent in 2017 and lower the thresholds at which the higher fees kick in.

Most significantly, it freezes those income thresholds indefinitely, until one-fourth of Medicare recipients are paying "high-income" premiums. It's unclear how long that would take, but currently only about 2 million out of 47 million Medicare beneficiaries pay higher premiums. Eventually that number could easily surpass 10 million.

The GOP proposal reduces taxpayer spending on Medicare by $31 billion over 10 years; Obama's version saved about $20 billion.

"There's a lot of interest in asking higher-income people on Medicare to contribute more," said Neuman.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111213/ap_on_go_co/us_medicare_soaking_the_rich

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Iraqi voices: Patchwork electrical grid a symbol of country's disconnects

Photojournalist Kael Alford spent 10 months covering the invasion of Iraq and its immediate aftermath in 2003-2004. She returned this summer to see what has and hasn?t changed as the U.S. prepared to withdraw its troops.

By Kael Alford

If there is one issue that symbolizes the difficulties and political turmoil that have beset Iraq over the last decade, it is the country?s electrical system.

Kael Alford / Panos Pictures

A generator in Sadr City, Baghdad, July 2011.

While the nation of 29 million people is rich in oil, which generates revenue of nearly $2 billion a week, the government has not been able to translate that river of cash into a steady flow of electrical current from its power plants to homes and businesses. According to the Iraqi government?s figures, the grid currently meets 50 percent of demand or less, depending on the region.?

USAID and other international organizations have invested billions of dollars to try to improve the battered system, and progress has been made. But as an October 2009 USAID report noted, such efforts are hampered by the continuing ?looting of cables, destruction of high-tension towers and sabotage of fuel lines. ? Decades of operation without regular maintenance have resulted in increased breakdown and a need for significant rehabilitation.?

The dire state of the official grid has given rise to a perilous patchwork by the private sector to keep the lights and other appliances on.

Kael Alford / Panos Pictures

Cables reach to a generator on the outskirts of Baghdad, July 2011.

On a typically sweaty July afternoon in Baghdad, as temperatures hovered around 113 degrees, I met a 40-year-old freelance electrician named Majid, who was making the rounds at private residences in the Karrada district.? He was installing a second-hand air conditioner for a woman whose ?swamp cooler,?? which functions by blowing air across a reservoir of water, wasn?t working because the city water had been cut for two days.? Majid had been an electrician in Saddam?s elite Republican Guard, and was wearing U.S. military issue boots with thick rubber soles to guard against getting electrocuted while he worked. His only other protection was a pair of pliers with plastic handles. Regardless of these precautions, he said he?s been shocked many times. He said these days Iraqis were all doing their own maintenance work on the city wiring in their neighborhoods and he was one of the best-employed men around.

Kael Alford / Panos Pictures

Majid, a 40-year-old freelance electrician, works on the makeshift neighborhood wiring while a young local resident holds his ladder this summer.

He waxed nostalgic about the electricity supply under Saddam, which was already inadequate. ?Then there were only 2 hours in the day and 2 hours at night without power, and we were complaining! We even had one day when there was electricity all day.?? With a half-joking expression he says that people used to complain about Saddam Hussein, ?but these days we say, ?God be Merciful. Let those days come back again!??

He works from 9 in the morning until 9 or 10 at night and doesn?t ask anyone for a fixed price. He says he?ll accept whatever his neighbors can pay.? ?The whole neighborhood depends on me and I?m getting tired,? he said.

In addition to freelance electricians, each neighborhood in Iraq hosts a private generator to augment the official electrical supply. Cables erupt from crude concrete or aluminum buildings containing the thrumming generators and converge and tangle in chaotic knots before finally plunging into homes and businesses. It?s the same in big cities, small towns and even some squatters' camps, all over the country.

The uninsulated cables often stretch and sag, particularly in the summer, triggering fires when they touch one another.

Experts say it?s no secret what the problems are: The Iraqi electrical grid is unstable, hampered by war-torn infrastructure that forces implementation of blackouts to prevent it from crashing entirely; demand that has steadily increased since the 2003 U.S. invasion; and incompetence and massive corruption at the highest levels of the government.

Kael Alford / Panos Pictures

Electric cables to private generators hang above a street in the Karrada neighborhood of Baghdad, July 2011.

In August, Iraqis learned that Minister of Electricity Ra?as Shalal al-Ani had tendered $1.7 billion in contracts to a shell Canadian company and a German company that had gone bankrupt, prompting Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to request his resignation and leading to a corruption investigation.

And that may be only the beginning. An International Crisis Group report released in September said that in 2011 the Integrity Commission and the Board of Supreme Audit, two oversight bodies in Iraq, identified hundreds of such shell companies abroad linked to senior government officials in the Defense Ministry and Maliki?s office.

More from the series:

Introduction: As U.S. withdraws last troops, the people speak
Iraqi voices: Suspicious minds in a squatters' camp
Iraqi voices: Colonel helped with the ?Surge,? then his past came calling

Related stories:

Troops come home to families? delight
Koppel: Is the U.S. really leaving Iraq?
Engel: A look a the US bases, Iraqi troops and other legacies of the US presence

Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/13/9424341-iraqi-voices-patchwork-electrical-grid-a-symbol-of-countrys-disconnects

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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

[OOC] Brotherly Treason

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Video: GOP Countdown to Iowa

Now that Herman Cain is out of the race, who is the GOP front-runner? Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune columnist; Phil Musser, former Pawlenty campaign advisor; and Robert Costa, National Review political reporter.

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Monday, December 5, 2011

84-year-old woman: I was strip searched at JFK

By msnbc.com staff and news service reports

An 84-year-old New York grandmother said Saturday she was injured and humiliated when she was strip searched at an airport after she asked to be patted down instead of going through a body scanner.

Lenore Zimmerman said she was whisked away to a private room and made to take off her pants and other clothes after she asked to forgo the screening because she worried it would interfere with her defibrillator. She missed her flight and had to take one two-and-a-half hours later, she said.

?I walk with a walker ? I really look like a terrorist,? she told The New York Daily News. ?I?m tiny. I weigh 110 pounds, 107 without clothes, and I was strip-searched.?

?I was outraged,? said Zimmerman, a retired receptionist.

As she tried to lift a lightweight walker off her lap, she said the metal bars hit her leg, causing blood to flow from her?a gash, the newspaper reported.

?My sock was soaked with blood,? she said. ?I was bleeding like a pig."

But the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Saturday no strip search was conducted.

"While we regret that the passenger feels she had an unpleasant screening experience, TSA does not include strip searches as part of our security protocols and one was not conducted in this case," the statement read.

Zimmerman was dropped off by her son at Kennedy Airport for a 1 p.m. flight Tuesday to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on JetBlue, she said. She arrived to the ticket counter around 12:20 p.m. and headed for security in a wheelchair, her small, metal walker in her lap.

She's been traveling to Florida for at least a decade and has never had a problem being patted down until now, she said. "I worry about my heart, so I don't want to go through those things," she said referring to the advanced image technology screening machines now in place at the airport.

Private screening
As a result, she said she was taken into the private screening room by one agent and made to strip.

A review of closed-circuit television at the airport showed proper procedures were followed, Jonathan Allen, a TSA spokesman, said in a statement.

"Private screening was requested by the passenger, it was granted and lasted approximately 11 minutes," the statement read. "TSA screening procedures are conducted in a manner designed to treat all passengers with dignity, respect and courtesy and that occurred in this instance."

The private screening was not recorded.

Zimmerman, who spends half the year in Long Beach, N.Y., said she banged her shin during the process and it bled "like a pig," partly because she is on blood-thinning medication. She said an emergency medical technician patched her up, but she was told to see a doctor when she arrived in Florida to make sure the wound didn't get infected. There are no records indicating medical attention was called on her behalf.

"I don't know what triggered this. I don't know why they singled me out," she said.

Her son Bruce Zimmerman said he'd like to see someone fired, and screeners re-trained after his mother's ordeal.

"My mother is a little old woman. She's not disruptive or uncooperative," he said Saturday. "I don't understand how this happened."

He said she's had an increasingly difficult time traveling, especially since her husband died a few years ago. She has two grandchildren, and her older son, a doctor, died in 2007.

Meanwhile, Lenore Zimmerman said she was healing, planned to go to the grocery store on Saturday and take it easy. Weather was about 76 and sunny, and she's not headed back to an airport until April when she returns to New York.

"Thank goodness," she said. "It will give me some time to brace myself for the return flight."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More news and feature stories from msnbc.com:

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/03/9191260-84-year-old-woman-i-was-strip-searched-at-jfk

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NBA players return, month after scheduled opener

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony smiles while speaking to the media after working out at their practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. Exactly one month after the regular season was to have opened, players finally are allowed to enter their team facilities. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony speaks to the media after working out at their practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. Exactly one month after the regular season was to have opened, players finally are allowed to enter their team facilities. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony returned to work Thursday ? and immediately were asked about working together.

Dallas Mavericks players took the floor without knowing if starting center Tyson Chandler would ever join them, and the Miami Heat team they beat in the NBA finals arrived to some bad injury news.

Finally, NBA players are back.

Owners opened the doors of their facilities to players for the first time since locking them out July 1. Exactly one month after the regular season was originally scheduled to begin, players could work out but their coaching staffs couldn't be present because there isn't a new labor deal yet.

"I've got to be the happiest person in the world right now just to be back in the gym, getting a chance to work out with a couple of my teammates," Paul said in New Orleans. "I'm just happy to be back and be back on the court, as I'm sure all the players are."

League officials hope to open training camps next Friday, and that stayed on track Thursday when more than 300 players submitted signatures authorizing the re-formation of the players' association. That paves the way for negotiations to continue on the remaining issues, and both sides hope the deal is ratified sometime next week.

The league planned to return player content, images and videos to NBA.com and its other media by Friday morning after removing it when the lockout began. With the lengthy labor fight all but over, a sense of excitement has returned.

"Yeah, it was," Milwaukee general manager John Hammond said. "Since it was announced that the potential deal was imminent, it occurred immediately. I think immediately, you could kind of feel that in your gut: 'Here we go, we're getting ready to get started again.' I think as each step progresses, that will continue."

In the meantime, the big news remained the focus on the headliners of the 2012 free agent class, which also includes Dwight Howard.

The agent for Deron Williams told The Record of Bergen, N.J. that his client would opt for free agency instead of a contract extension with the Nets, and Yahoo Sports reported that Paul's agent informed the Hornets that he wanted a trade to the Knicks.

Paul and Anthony are friends who spent time together this summer and it's long been speculated they wanted to play together, but Anthony denied trying to recruit his Olympic teammate.

"As far as me recruiting Chris Paul, no, not at all," he said at the Knicks' training facility. "We're very close friends. I'm pretty sure you guys saw him in New York a lot due to the player meetings and stuff like that, but we've never had any conversation about him coming to New York. That's something that I would leave up to him, him and his family. I'm staying away from that."

The Anthony trade saga lasted from the summer of 2010 until Denver finally dealt him to the Knicks in February, and he said he doesn't think the NBA needs a repeat of it now. Yet, he also realizes that "regardless of what I'm saying right here today, that will be the biggest topic, the biggest discussion, at the beginning of the season, the beginning of training camp."

Paul will do his best to ignore it.

"I don't think about it, to tell you the truth," he said. "I'm just ready to get out here and compete and hoop. This is what I do."

In the meantime, the status of the current free agents must be solved. Chandler is one of the biggest, and though he provided the Mavericks the interior defense they needed to finally win a title, they may not spend the money necessary to bring him back.

"You can't see my fingers or toes, but they are crossed hoping that Tyson's coming back," guard Jason Terry said. "He was a big part of what we accomplished here. We've laid a foundation. To take a step backward would be terrible. I'm not saying that we wouldn't have a chance to win this year if Tyson doesn't come back, but it definitely puts things up against us."

Chris Bosh, looking more muscular, arrived at Miami's facility, where LeBron James and Dwyane Wade aren't expected until next week. The Heat also were without Mike Miller, who has battled injuries since signing there last summer. He will miss about eight weeks while recovering from hernia surgery this week.

There was no guarantee Miller would return anyway, given the considerable speculation the Heat would waive him via the amnesty clause that will be in the new CBA.

"I know Mike. He's a strong guy, he's going to stay positive and he's going to get back as soon as he can," said Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who went to the University of Florida with Miller and considers him one of his very closest friends. "The key with Mike is, we've got to fight him not to get back too fast. He's going to want to be out there. He's going to want to play. He's got to just pace himself and get healthy."

Otherwise, the news around the league was positive. Golden State GM Larry Riley was greeted with a warm welcome from a security guard upon his arrival at Oracle Arena.

"That guy greeted me with a huge smile and just happy to be back," Riley said. "I think that's the opinion, that's the feeling that we're going to see out of a lot of people. Now he's a happy guy anyway. But he was overly happy today."

___

AP Sports Writers Jaime Aron in Dallas, Brett Martel in New Orleans, Chris Jenkins in Milwaukee, Tim Reynolds in Miami, and Antonio Gonzalez in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: twitter.com/Briancmahoney

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-01-BKN-Players-Return/id-60abc9cc34a440cebdbdff8aebb1f0bf

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Italy's Monti seeks broad support for crisis measures (Reuters)

ROME (Reuters) ? Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti met party leaders Saturday to drum up support for new measures designed to shore up public finances, helping growth and calming the debt crisis in the euro zone's third-largest economy.

His cabinet is scheduled to approve the package of reforms Monday, a step widely seen as vital for re-establishing Italy's shattered credibility with financial markets after a series of unfulfilled promises by the previous government.

The plan will then be outlined during two news conferences -- one with foreign reporters -- and presented in both houses of parliament.

Italy has been at the center of Europe's debt crisis since yields on its 10-year bonds shot up to around 7 percent, similar to levels seen when countries like Greece and Ireland were forced to seek a bailout.

Government sources familiar with the planned reforms say the mix of cuts and tax rises will total about 20-25 billion euros ($31.2-38.9 billion) over the next two years, about half of which will be used to reduce the budget deficit and help balance the budget by 2013 despite the economic downturn and rising borrowing costs.

The rest will free up resources to try to regenerate Italy's recession-bound economy.

Pier Ferdinando Casini, head of the centrist UDC party, said after meeting Monti that the measures would be severe but hopefully also fair.

"When the doctor arrives, it's difficult to prescribe nice medicine. Medicine is always bitter, but sometimes inevitable to prevent the patient dying," he told a news conference.

Angelino Alfano, secretary of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's PDL party, urged Monti to ensure the cuts did not fall heavily on people who have always shouldered the burden, and to show special consideration for families.

The plan is expected to include an increase in the retirement age for many workers, liberalize professional services, increase income tax in higher income brackets and introduce new taxes on private assets and luxury goods.

But it has not yet fully convinced the center-left Democratic Party's leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who said groups like low earners and pensioners needed greater protection and that measures to fight tax evasion were insufficient.

FAIRNESS

Monti will meet unions and local authorities Sunday to try to reach a broad consensus on the plan. He has said fairness is one of the key priorities of his reforms, but unions are grumbling about possible pension and labor market changes.

Susanna Camusso, secretary of Italy's biggest union CGIL, said she was struggling to see signs of equity in the plan, based on what she knew so far from reports, but would wait until after speaking to Monti Sunday to make her judgment.

"We are ready to support the right decisions but also determined to oppose those we consider wrong," she said at a union meeting Saturday.

Monti will have to balance the competing needs of showing budget rigor while not choking off growth, without which it will be impossible to reduce a debt mountain equivalent to 120 percent of gross domestic product.

Changes to pensions will be key in the new reform plan, with eligibility requirements toughened up for so-called seniority pensions which are based on a combination of workers' age and the years for which they have paid contributions.

Programmed cuts to the national health service budget are expected to be accelerated by one year, to reduce spending by 2.5 billion euros in 2012 and 5 billion euros from 2013, a local government source said.

A local housing tax (ICI) may also be reintroduced, bringing in estimated revenue of at least 3.5 billion euros per year.

Other expected measures include further increases in value added tax rates and a ban on cash transactions above 500 euros in an effort to tackle tax evasion.

(Editing by David Cowell and Ralph Gowling)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111204/bs_nm/us_italy

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