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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Verizon looking into reports of 4G network problem (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Verizon Wireless is investigating reports that some customers were experiencing trouble accessing its fourth generation (4G) network, a spokesman told Reuters, as the company yet again had to face service problems with its faster wireless service.
Verizon customers around the United States are reporting widespread outages of the company's 4G wireless service, as well as spotty performance of the older 3G service, the Los Angeles Times said on its website.
Verizon Wireless spokesman Marquett Smith told Reuters that the company is investigating reports of network problems.
"The network continues to operate and all customers continue to be able to make calls, send text messages and utilize data services. 3G devices are operating normally," Smith said.
On December 8, a problem prevented some U.S. customers from accessing the Internet on their wireless devices for about 24 hours and again on December 21, the company had to fix a data service problem.
Verizon Wireless is owned by Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Emma Watson & Justin Bieber Have Most Influential Hair
Move over Jennifer Aniston, there are new hairstyle icons in town! Emma Watson and Justin Bieber have been named the most influential celebrities of 2011 when it comes to popular hairstyles.
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Apple lead designer Jonathan Ive knighted for the New Year, how's your 2012 looking?
Source: http://www.cliqz.com/gadgets/c/94456.html
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Friday, December 30, 2011
Wall Street ends 5-day rally on renewed concerns about Europe (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year on renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.
The selloff followed the euro's slide to an 11-month low against the U.S. dollar as regional debt worries prompted a wave of selling, with thin trading exacerbating volatility.
"It seems like the weakness in euro, breaking that $1.30 level, really made investors push that 'sell' button," said Ryan Detrick, senior technical strategist with Schaeffer's Investment Research in Cincinnati.
"But it's somewhat of an exaggerated move, considering that there isn't much volume, and this could end in a one-day selloff."
A recent rally on Wall Street had been supported by a series of positive U.S. economic data that encouraged investors to shift their focus from fears about Europe's debt crisis sparking a global recession to optimism that the U.S. economy was on track to recovery.
But "with no domestic economic news to guide the action, much of the focus was on Europe," WhatsTrading.com options strategist Frederic Ruffy said.
U.S. stock index futures had advanced earlier in the session after an Italian debt auction where short-term borrowing costs were halved, potentially a good sign for a sale of longer-dated bonds on Thursday.
But those gains were short-lived, as the euro fell to a session low of $1.2938, its lowest since January, before rising back to trade at $1.2949.
The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) fell 139.94 points, or 1.14 percent, to end at 12,151.41. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) dropped 15.79 points, or 1.25 percent, to 1,249.64. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) lost 35.22 points, or 1.34 percent, to 2,589.98.
S&P UP 10.5 PCT IN QUARTER
After a 5 percent rally last week that helped Wall Street add to what has been the best quarter in over a year, the S&P 500 pulled back below its 200-day moving average, a closely watched indicator of market strength it has struggled to hold this year.
For the quarter, the S&P 500 is up 10.5 percent.
For the year, the Dow is up 5 percent, while the S&P 500 is down 0.6 percent, and the Nasdaq is off 2.4 percent.
In Wednesday's session, investors concentrated on 2012 with Europe's debt crisis as well as a slowdown in Asia and the impact of Europe's recession on a U.S. recovery on the agenda.
"There are clearly some major hurdles on the horizon," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital in Jersey City, New Jersey. "Looking into next year, there is more apprehension about the risks associated with the current climate."
The biggest gaining sectors over the last five days, in cyclical areas like materials and energy, led the market lower on Wednesday, sparked by a drop in commodity prices. The S&P materials sector index (.GSPM) fell 2.2 percent.
Gold sank, tracking industrial metals, on concerns about the prospects for global economic growth next year. It was gold's biggest one-day drop in two weeks.
Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp (MRX.N) fell 1.2 percent to $33.35 a day after cutting its fourth-quarter earnings outlook.
Citigroup Inc (C.N) shed 2.9 percent to $26.13 after U.S. regulators won a delay in a securities fraud lawsuit against the bank. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking to appeal a judge's decision to reject its $285 million settlement with the bank.
Volume was light in the post-Christmas period and ahead of the New Year's Day holiday. Composite volume on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and Amex was 4.31 billion shares, well below the year's daily average of around 7.9 billion shares.
On both the NYSE and the Nasdaq, about four stocks fell for every one that rose.
(Reporting By Angela Moon; Editing by Jan Paschal)
Muslims upset by NYPD to boycott mayor's breakfast (AP)
NEW YORK ? Several Muslim leaders have declined invitations to the mayor's annual year-end interfaith breakfast, saying they're upset at police department efforts to infiltrate mosques and spy on Muslim neighborhoods.
The imams and activists said in a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg that they're disturbed at his response to a series of stories by The Associated Press detailing New York Police Department intelligence-gathering programs that monitored Muslim groups, businesses and houses of worship.
Bloomberg has defended the NYPD, saying last week it doesn't take religion into account in its policing.
Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser acknowledged Wednesday that about a dozen people turned down the breakfast invitation. But he said "a couple dozen" more said they plan to attend.
The letter to Bloomberg contained the names of several dozen Muslim leaders and organizations and said they believe such police measures "threaten the rights of all Americans, and deepen mistrust between our communities and law enforcement."
"Mayor Bloomberg, the extent of these civil rights violations is astonishing, yet instead of calling for accountability and the rule of law, you have thus far defended the NYPD's misconduct," the letter said.
The Muslim leaders said they appreciate the mayor's staunch support a year ago during an uproar over a planned Islamic center near the World Trade Center site. But they said they were disappointed by what he said after the AP stories since August about the police department's efforts to infiltrate Muslim neighborhoods and mosques with aggressive programs designed by a CIA officer who worked with the department after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The stories disclosed that a team of 16 police officers speaking at least five languages was assigned to use census information and government databases to map ethnic neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Documents reviewed by the AP revealed that undercover police officers known as rakers visited local businesses such as Islamic bookstores and cafes, chatting up store owners to determine their ethnicities and gauge their views. They played cricket and eavesdropped in ethnic cafes and clubs.
The AP stories also revealed that one of the CIA's most experienced clandestine operatives began working inside the police department in July as the special assistant to the deputy commissioner of intelligence.
The CIA is prohibited from spying domestically. Its unusual partnership with the NYPD has troubled top lawmakers and prompted an internal investigation.
Bloomberg in October defended the arrangement, saying it was necessary in a dangerous world.
"There are people trying to kill us," he said. "And if the CIA can help us I'm all for getting any information they have and then letting the police department use it as ? if it's appropriate to protect you and to protect me."
The letter noted that Muslims comprise at least 10 percent of the city's population. It said the Muslims leaders were seeking a meeting with the mayor to discuss the issues raised by the reports.
"We believe it is unequivocally wrong and fundamentally misguided to invest law enforcement resources in religious or racial profiling, rather than investigating suspicious activity," it said. "We seek your clear, unambiguous, public support for the rights and privacy of all New Yorkers, including Muslims; and a condemnation of all policies that profile and target communities and community groups solely based on their religion or the color of their skin."
It also said: "We are deeply disturbed that to date we have only heard your words of strong support for these troubling policies and violations of our rights. We are equally disturbed by (police Commissioner Raymond) Kelly's denials of what we know to be true as verified by the leaked documents."
Kelly, meanwhile, met Wednesday evening at a Bronx mosque with two imams who weren't listed on the letter and with young fans of an NYPD youth soccer league, whose winners were presented with a trophy.
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Singer, actress Kaye Stevens dies in Florida
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 1967 file photo, Sammy Davis Jr. and Kaye Stevens perform on a TV show. Stevens a singer, actress, and longtime South Florida resident who was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," has died at a central Florida hospital. She was 79. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 1967 file photo, Sammy Davis Jr. and Kaye Stevens perform on a TV show. Stevens a singer, actress, and longtime South Florida resident who was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," has died at a central Florida hospital. She was 79. (AP Photo, File)
THE VILLAGES, Fla. (AP) ? Singer and actress Kaye Stevens, who performed with the Rat Pack and was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," has died at a central Florida hospital. She was 79.
Close friend Gerry Schweitzer confirmed that Stevens died Wednesday at the Villages Hospital north of Orlando following a battle with breast cancer and blood clots.
Stevens, a longtime South Florida resident, performed with Rat Pack members including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop. She also sang solo at venues like Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and the Plaza Hotel's Persian Room in New York City.
During the Vietnam War era, Stevens performed for American soldiers in the war zone with Bob Hope's USO tour.
According to a handout from friend Rhonda Glenn, Stevens was born Catherine Louise Stephens in Pittsburgh. Her family eventually moved to Cleveland, where a teenage Stevens got her start as a drummer and singer. She later married now deceased bandleader and trumpet player Tommy Amato, and the couple performed throughout the eastern U.S.
During a gig in New Jersey, Stevens was discovered by Ed McMahon, Carson's longtime sidekick, which led to new bookings. Her big break came when she was playing a lounge at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Debbie Reynolds became ill and was unable to perform in the main room. Stevens filled in and was an instant hit.
Besides singing, Stevens also acted in film and television. She appeared in six movies, earning a Golden Globe nomination in 1964 for "The New Interns." She was a regular celebrity player on game shows and appeared as a regular on "Days of Our Lives" from 1974-79.
During the past two decades, Stevens started her own ministry and began performing only Christian and patriotic music. She staged benefits to help build St. Vincent Catholic Church in her longtime home of Margate, Fla., where city officials named a park in her honor.
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The Phoebe Prince Settlement
The Prince family received $225,000?not that much, as these things go, though the settlement spared them the time and expense of going to court. In exchange, the family agreed not to sue South Hadley again in any way connected to Phoebe?s death. They also agreed not to disclose the settlement?s terms. However, ?a representative of the South Hadley Public Schools? could communicate the information. This is a little mysterious, but it suggests that it was the school district or the insurance company, rather than the Prince family, which wanted the settlement to remain secret. In any case, the settlement also includes a gag order. Phoebe?s parents agreed that if the settlement became public, the only public comment they would give would be to say that ?the matter has been resolved.?
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=3440d05596901714646c94193e0a7f1f
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
CHURCH ROAD- large double bedroomwithin a 7 bedroom house : Leyton : £129pw
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ROOM 1-**ALL BILLS INCLUSIVE OF RENT**The large Double Room which is on the ground floor, ideal for a couple. AVAILABLE NOW
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Automotive Industry ? Pricol | Automotive Diagnosis
Automotive industry plays a responsible and worthy role in economy of a country.Present scenario indicates a stupendous growth in the industry across the globe.Affordability, increased purchasing power and a desire for better lives is driving people from all walks of life to own a four wheeler. It is no more restricted to be the luxury of rich and famous.If statistics are taken in to consideration, in India, cars manufacturing has grown from 7, 23,330 cars to 13, 08,913 cars in barely three years. This promises an undeniable growth and development of automotive parts manufacturing also.
Established in 1976, Pricol has been a premier and expert manufacturer of automotive parts.It is reckoned as market leader in automotive industry of India for uncompromising quality, profit productivity and time bound deliveries.
Any industry or trade flourishes exceedingly in favorable situations. It further boosts the sales and profitability when policies and regulations that are introduced promote business.Technology has made access to all relevant information instant, simple and easy.Government is formulating and introducing flexible rules that are export and import friendly.The most recent example of such an initiative is the launch of the Harley Davidson brand of motorcycles in India.Many such automotive giants are looking at India as potential market.Almost every quarter there is new product line launched; specific designs are being developed to cater to Asian and Indian market.
Pricol has delivered and is continually upgrades it systems to meet future demands of the automotive industry.The manufacturing and services units provide trustworthy and expert technical know-how of the vehicles of all segments.The product range offers spare parts for motorcycles, scooter, cars, SUVs, MU Vs, Trucks, trailers, tractors, bus, and fleet management equipments among others.
Launch or new product range also needs strong maintenance and support teams for ceaseless and efficient functioning of all the vehicles.The automotive industry is widespread sector .It involves aviation industry,land transportation and tools.The expert team of professionals at testing facilities located at various states of India; work hard and are involved at every stage of product development, engineering or services.Pricol has all the standard certifications (ISO /TS16949, ISO 14001 etc) accredited essential for meeting national and international standards of quality of production.
Pricol has state of art lab and testing facilities.It has manufacturing units in all major cities like Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Coimbatore etc. These facilities are well structured and fully functional to meet the demand of sophisticated machines.The International collaborators like Ceranaro Pricol India, Italy, Blue Ridge USA, Turbo tools has provided Pricol with an edge over others in advance technology. Virtual Prototyping technique used extensively in product engineering and development helps customer, manufacturer and support teams in powerful way. It reduces cost, risk factor and gives accurate perspective of fittings in accordance with style, design and actual mechanical requirements of the vehicle. Pricol limited is a major contributor in the growth of automotive Industry of India.
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Source: http://www.riredistricting.org/automotive-industry-pricol.html
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Spire installer brings Siri to any jailbroken iOS 5 device, legally -- proxy still required
Spire installer brings Siri to any jailbroken iOS 5 device, legally -- proxy still required originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Born This Way
There is no comparing Paul and Santorum, said Savage, because Paul is a leave-us-alone libertarian. ?Ron is older than my father, far less toxic than Santorum, and, as he isn't beloved of religious conservatives, he isn't out there stoking the hatreds of our social and political enemies,? he explained. ?And Ron may not like gay people, and may not want to hang out with us or use our toilets, but he's content to leave us the fuck alone and recognizes that gay citizens are entitled to the same rights as all other citizens. Santorum, on the other hand, believes that his bigotry must be given the force of law. That's an important difference.?
Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=12bbf13d64b4311f571ab047d64e1a50
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TerraMexico: Lanzan un cohete desde Gaza hacia Israel, sin heridos (polic?a) http://t.co/qwM7aFOf
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Egypt's Mubarak returns to court in landmark trial (Reuters)
CAIRO (Reuters) ? Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, charged with the killing of protesters and abuse of power, was wheeled into court on a hospital trolley on Wednesday as his trial resumed after a delay of almost two months while lawyers demanded a new judge.
Many Egyptians hope the trial will heal some of the scars of his autocratic rule and help the country find stability after nearly a year of political turmoil under the military generals who replaced him in power.
But the multitude of witnesses and the complexity of the charges mean the case could drag on for months, perhaps years.
Mubarak, his two sons, the former interior minister and senior police officers face charges ranging from corruption to involvement in the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the uprising that unseated him.
The former leader, who is being held under guard at a military hospital near Cairo as doctors say he has a heart condition, was brought into the court on a hospital trolley, covering his eyes with his arm and surrounded by police.
Previous sessions were marred by clashes outside the Cairo court building between Mubarak supporters and Egyptians demanding the death penalty for him, but there were no scuffles as Mubarak arrived on Wednesday.
He was widely believed to be grooming his son Gamal to succeed him but any such plan was overturned when disgust at poverty, corruption and the brutality of Egypt's security forces boiled over and millions took to the streets in January.
Around 850 people were killed in the 18-day uprising that overthrew him, with the police accused of shooting live rounds at unarmed demonstrators. Much of the trial centers on who gave the order to fire.
The case has gripped the Middle East, a region ruled mostly by autocrats who seemed unassailable until this year when Mubarak and the leaders of Tunisia and Libya were toppled in popular revolts.
The sight in August of Mubarak, the man who ruled the Arab world's most populous nation for three decades, appearing behind bars in a Cairo courtroom on charges that could bring the death penalty was one of the defining moments of the Arab Spring.
Later that month the presiding judge Ahmed Refaat ordered television cameras out of the courtroom until the case concludes, ensuring key testimony by top officials took place beyond public view.
Lawyers representing families of those killed filed a suit in September calling for Refaat and the two other judges to be replaced.
They had complained that the judges had failed to give them enough time to question Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the army council now ruling Egypt, during his court appearance. Their request was rejected.
TEST FOR ARMY
Former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and six senior police officers are also standing trial. Businessman Hussein Salem, a close associate of Mubarak, is being tried in absentia.
The judge was due on Wednesday to take requests from lawyers and set dates for questioning of more witnesses. A lawyer asked that the deputy head of the military council, General Sami Anan, give testimony, a witness in the court said.
The case is a test for the army, which may be uncomfortable at the prospect of a public humiliation for Mubarak, a former air force head.
Whatever the outcome, his overthrow ensures his successors cannot ignore the power of the public.
But those who hoped that the revolt would lead quickly to a return to stability and an improvement in their lives have been disappointed.
Egyptians began choosing a new parliament a month ago in elections due to last until mid-January, but the vote has taken place in the shadow of violence and an economic crisis.
Protesters demanding the army cede power more swiftly fought troops in Cairo for five days until calm was restored last week. The Health Ministry put the death toll at 17.
The Muslim Brotherhood, whose party is leading in the election, said the army's timetable for handing power to civilians after a presidential vote, due before mid-2012, should not be changed as it would wreak chaos.
(Additional reporting by Marwa Awad; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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The Future of New Jersey
SUNDAY
Energy: New Jersey?s energy future has something for everybody ? including controversy ? as state officials advance plans to nourish the clean energy market but also rely more on cheap and plentiful natural gas.
MONDAY
New Jersey
?s cities: The challenge for New Jersey?s cities is to capitalize on the fact they?re virtually blank slates, allowing for towns to redefine themselves.
TUESDAY
Transportation: Federal money, or the lack of it, will determine the course of transportation improvements and maintenance during the next decade. And the outlook for more money coming from Washington is pessimistic at best.
TODAY
Business innovation: A transformation is underway in New Jersey in the aftermath of a recession that cost the state 265,000 jobs, or 6.5 percent of its employment. Experts think research companies can help jump-start the sluggish recovery.
THURSDAY
Sustainability: Individuals and organizations are embracing sustainability, say New Jersey's environmental leaders, but but we have yet to institutionalize that commitment in law.
FRIDAY
Agriculture: High land prices and ubiquitous development combine to create a perfect marriage in New Jersey: small farms that grow specialized crops and lots of customers. But to be profitable, farmers have to woo customers into buying directly at their farms.
SATURDAY
Education: Public-private partnerships and charter schools are among the initiatives that could radically change the face of public education in New Jersey.
SUNDAY, JAN. 1
The shore: The Jersey Shore area can expect growth and more flooding in the not-so-distant future, experts say, a hazardous mix that can lead to increased property damage and storm water pollution.
MONDAY, JAN. 2
Gaming: Policy makers are struggling to find the right medicine for New Jersey?s ailing horse racing and casino industries. Legalized sports betting may be on the horizon, but the one thing that some experts say could save racetracks ? slot machines ? is still a non-starter with Gov. Chris Christie.
TUESDAY, JAN. 3
Population trends: Baby boomers reach retirement age, facing economic uncertainty they may not have anticipated, and their generation is finally outnumbered by their children. Foreign-born residents continue to drive growth, particularly Hispanics.
Editor?s note: With New Jersey facing a crucial period in which its future will be decided, New Jersey Press Media newspapers have taken a hard look at a number of areas where the Garden State will be experiencing significant change. For this 10-part series, we interviewed experts, local difference-makers and entrepreneurs about what New Jersey will look like and what it could or should look like.
Source: http://www.app.com/article/20111227/NJNEWS/312270105/1001/rss
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Stallion castration plan on hold until court rules
RENO, Nevada?? Federal land managers have agreed to postpone their precedent-setting plan to castrate hundreds of wild stallions in eastern Nevada pending a federal court's review of the issue.
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After Katrina, a promise is kept
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's action came a week after a coalition of conservationists and wild-horse defenders sued the government in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to block the plan's implementation.
Under a compromise approved by the court Thursday, the agency will be allowed to begin a long-term removal of roughly 1,800 wild horses from the sprawling Pancake Complex near Ely beginning about Jan. 12 as scheduled.
But the BLM agreed to put on hold its plans to castrate 200 wild stallions before releasing them back to the complex.
Horse activists think the court will rule in its favor.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Video: Possible serial killer loose in Detroit
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Nigerians fear more church attacks after 39 killed
Onlookers gather around a car destroyed in a blast next to St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Sunday Aghaeze)
Onlookers gather around a car destroyed in a blast next to St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Sunday Aghaeze)
Onlookers and security staff gather around a car destroyed in a blast next to St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Dele Jones)
An armed soldier walks past a car destroyed in a blast next to St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Dele Jones)
A victim of a bomb blast at a Catholic church near Nigeria's capital lays on a bed at Suleja General Hospital in Suleja, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Dele Jones)
A victim is tended to by medics in an ambulance following a blast at a Catholic church near Nigeria's capital lays on a bed at Suleja General Hospital in Suleja, Nigeria, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria's capital Sunday, killing scores of people, officials said. A radical Muslim sect claimed the attack and another bombing near a church in the restive city of Jos, as explosions also struck the nation's northeast. (AP Photo/Dele Jones)
MADALLA, Nigeria (AP) ? In the chaos after the Christmas terror attack on a Catholic church, one mortally wounded man cradled his wounded stomach and begged a priest for religious atonement. "Father, pray for me. I will not survive," he said.
At least 35 people died at St. Theresa Catholic Church and dozens were wounded as radical Muslim militants launched coordinated attacks across Africa's most populous nation within hours of one another. Four more people were killed in other violence blamed on the group known as Boko Haram.
It was the second year in a row that the extremists seeking to install Islamic Shariah law across the country of 160 million have staged Christmas attacks. Last year, a series of bombings on Christmas Eve killed 32 people in Nigeria.
On Monday, tried to clean the sanctuary of the damaged church, while one man wept uncontrollably amid the debris. Crowds gathered among the burned-out cars in the dirt parking lot, angry over the attack and fearful that the group will target more churches.
Rev. Father Christopher Jataudarde told The Associated Press that Sunday's blast happened as church officials gave parishioners white powder as part of a tradition celebrating the birth of Christ. Some already had left the church at the time of the bombing, causing the massive casualties.
At least 52 people were wounded in the attack, said Slaku Luguard, a coordinator with Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. Victims filled the cement floors of a nearby government hospital, some crying in pools of their own blood.
Pope Benedict XVI denounced the bombing at his post-Christmas blessing Monday, urging people to pray for the victims and Nigeria's Christian community.
"In this moment, I want to repeat once again with force: Violence is a path that leads only to pain, destruction and death. Respect, reconciliation and love are the only path to peace," he said.
The African Union also condemned the attacks and pledged to support Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.
"Boko Haram's continued acts of terror and cruelty and absolute disregard for human life cannot be justified by any religion or faith," said a statement attributed to AU commission chairman Jean Ping.
On Sunday, a bomb also exploded amid gunfire in the central Nigeria city of Jos and a suicide car bomber attacked the military in the nation's northeast. Three people died in those assaults.
After the bombings, a Boko Haram spokesman using the nom de guerre Abul-Qaqa claimed responsibility for the attacks in an interview with The Daily Trust, the newspaper of record across Nigeria's Muslim north. The sect has used the newspaper in the past to communicate with public.
"There will never be peace until our demands are met," the newspaper quoted the spokesman as saying. "We want all our brothers who have been incarcerated to be released; we want full implementation of the Sharia system and we want democracy and the constitution to be suspended."
Boko Haram has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria. The group, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, is responsible for at least 504 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count.
Last year, a series of Christmas Eve bombings in Jos claimed by the militants left at least 32 dead and 74 wounded. The group also claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja that killed 24 people and wounded 116 others.
While initially targeting enemies via hit-and-run assassinations from the back of motorbikes after the 2009 riot, violence by Boko Haram now has a new sophistication and apparent planning that includes high-profile attacks with greater casualties.
That has fueled speculation about the group's ties as it has splintered into at least three different factions, diplomats and security sources say. They say the more extreme wing of the sect maintains contact with terror groups in North Africa and Somalia.
Targeting Boko Haram has remained difficult, as sect members are scattered throughout northern Nigeria and the nearby countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Analysts say political considerations also likely play a part in the country's thus-far muted response: President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, may be hesitant to use force in the nation's predominantly Muslim north.
Speaking late Sunday at a prayer service, Jonathan described the bombing as an "ugly incident."
"There is no reason for these kind of dastardly acts," the president said in a ceremony aired by the state-run Nigerian Television Authority. "It's one of the burdens as a nation we have to carry. We believe it will not last forever."
___
Jon Gambrell reported from Lagos, Nigeria and can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Unprovoked attacks at heart of 'Knockout King'
In this Dec. 15, 2011 photo, Matt Quain poses for a portrait in St. Louis. Quain still struggles to piece together what happened after a recent trip to the grocery store nearly turned deadly when he was the victim of a brutal attack generally known as "Knockout King" or simply "Knock Out," a so-called game of unprovoked violence that targets random victims. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this Dec. 15, 2011 photo, Matt Quain poses for a portrait in St. Louis. Quain still struggles to piece together what happened after a recent trip to the grocery store nearly turned deadly when he was the victim of a brutal attack generally known as "Knockout King" or simply "Knock Out," a so-called game of unprovoked violence that targets random victims. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Matthew Quain still struggles to piece together what happened after a trip to the grocery store nearly turned deadly. He remembers a group of loitering young people, a dimly lit street ? then nothing. The next thing he knew he was waking up with blood pouring out of his head.
The 51-year-old pizza kitchen worker's surreal experience happened just before midnight earlier this year, when he became another victim of what is generally known as "Knockout King" or simply "Knock Out," a so-called game of unprovoked violence that targets random victims.
Scattered reports of the game have come from around the country including Massachusetts, New Jersey and Chicago. In St. Louis, the game has become almost contagious, with tragic consequences. An elderly immigrant from Vietnam died in an attack last spring.
The rules of the game are as simple as they are brutal. A group ? usually young men or even boys as young as 12, and teenage girls in some cases ? chooses a lead attacker, then seeks out a victim. Unlike typical gang violence or other street crime, the goal is not revenge, nor is it robbery. The victim is chosen at random, often a person unlikely to put up a fight. Many of the victims have been elderly. Most were alone.
The attacker charges at the victim and begins punching. If the victim goes down, the group usually scatters. If not, others join in, punching and kicking the person, often until he or she is unconscious or at least badly hurt. Sometimes the attacks are captured on cellphone video that is posted on websites.
"These individuals have absolutely no respect for human life," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said.
Slay knows firsthand. He was on his way home from a theater around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 when he saw perhaps a dozen young people casually crossing a street. He looked to the curb and saw Quain sprawled on the pavement.
Slay told his driver to pull over. They found Quain unconscious, blood pouring from his head and mouth.
Quain was hospitalized for two days with a broken jaw, a cracked skull and nasal cavity injuries. He still has headaches and memory problems but was finally able to return to work earlier this month. Hundreds gathered in November for a fundraiser at the restaurant where he works, Joanie's Pizza, but he still doesn't know how he'll pay the medical bills.
"I don't remember much of what happened," Quain said. "I was hanging out with a friend, celebrating the Cardinals in the World Series. I went to the store and saw a group of kids who looked out of place, suspicious, but I shrugged it off. I got around to the library, and the next thing I remember is waking up on the corner with the mayor standing next to me. I tried to say 'hi' but my jaw was broken."
It isn't clear how long Knockout King has been around, nor is the exact number of attacks known. The FBI doesn't track it separately, but Slay said he has heard from several mayors about similar attacks and criminologists agree versions of the game are going on in many places.
St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom said the city has had about 10 Knockout King attacks over the past 15 months.
Experts say it is a grab for attention.
"We know that juveniles don't think out consequences clearly," said Beth Huebner, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "They see something on YouTube and say, 'I want to get that sort of attention, too.' They don't think about the person they're attacking maybe hitting their head."
Scott Decker, a criminologist at Arizona State, said the attacks are a modern extension of gang-like behavior ? instead of painting over another gang's graffiti as a show of toughness, they beat someone up and post a video on social media sites. The postings spur copycat crimes.
"It's adolescent and early adults, largely male, showing how tough they are. It's done to show off," Decker said.
Earlier this year in Chicago, a group of teens followed an elderly homeless man at a train station. One of the teens walked up to him and punched him in the face, knocking him out as the teen's friends laughed and mocked the man. The exchange was captured on video and posted on a hip-hop site, where it got about a quarter of a million views within two days. The teen was not arrested because police couldn't locate the homeless man to see if he wanted to press charges.
The crimes aren't limited to big cities. In 2009, Adam Taylor had just entered a parking garage in Columbia, Mo. Surveillance footage from the garage showed a group of teens following him. One of the teens attacked, punching Taylor and sending him crashing into a brick wall. A few seconds later, the others joined in, punching and kicking him as he lay on the ground. Taylor suffered bruising on the brain, whiplash and internal bleeding but survived.
Hoang Nguyen wasn't as fortunate.
The 72-year-old retired schoolteacher immigrated to St. Louis from Vietnam with his wife less than four years earlier to be near their daughter. The couple was returning to their apartment after walking to a grocery store on an April morning in broad daylight.
They took a shortcut through an alley, where they saw a group of young people approaching. Suddenly, one of them charged. Hoang was attacked as he stepped in front of his wife to protect her. The attack went on as he begged for mercy, she told police.
Hoang died of massive injuries. Elex Murphy, 18, was charged with first-degree murder and allegedly told police the attack was part of the Knockout King game. His attorney declined to comment.
St. Louis authorities are going to the source to combat further attacks. A special police squad has been assigned to focus on Knockout King, and a city prosecutor is designated for the attacks. But Isom said equally important is an outreach effort to talk to students.
"Certainly we take this very seriously and we're making every effort to stop it," Isom said.
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
'Person of interest' in custody in Washington Park killing
WASHINGTON PARK -- A "person of interest" remains in custody in connection with the shooting death of a 35-year-old Washington Park man early Saturday.
Meanwhile, Illinois State Police continue to seek a suspect in the homicide of Edward Austin, whose body was discovered at his residence at 2124 N. 49th St.
Washington Park Police Chief Dave Clark said police received a call early Saturday about a burglary in the 2100 block of North 49th Street. Officers arrived at a home at 2125 N. 49th St. and found a great deal of blood on the premises, but no body.
A neighbor informed the officers of a broken window at the victim's residence across the street at 2124 N. 49th St., where they found Austin's body.
A suspect was seen fleeing from the crime scene, but a detailed description was not available, according to police.
Illinois State Police have taken over the investigation.
Anyone with information about Austin's death is urged to call Illinois State Police Special Agent Jamie Brunnworth at 346-3759 or the CrimeStoppers tip line at 866-371-8477. This is an anonymous tip line that pays up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Source: http://www.bnd.com/2011/12/25/1992206/washington-park-man-found-slain.html
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High genetic diversity in an ancient Hawaiian clone
ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2011) ? The entire Hawaiian population of the peat moss Sphagnum palustre appears to be a clone that has been in existence for some 50,000 years researchers have discovered.
The study is published in New Phytologist.
Among the most long-lived of organisms, every plant of the Hawaiian population appears to have been produced by vegetative rather than sexual propagation and can be traced back to a single parent.
Surprisingly, the genetic diversity of the Hawaiian clone is comparable to that detected in populations of S. palustre that do propagate sexually and occur across vaster regions.
"The genetic diversity of populations occurring on small remote islands is typically much lower than that detected in populations of the same species found on continents and on larger, less isolated islands," said Eric Karlin, a professor at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, USA.
As the Hawaiian Islands are the most remote high volcanic island system in the world, the comparatively high genetic diversity detected in the Hawaiian population of S. palustre is unusual.
The occurrence of high genetic diversity in a clone was also "quite unexpected" said Professor Karlin.
This study indicates that significant genetic diversity can develop in a clonal population. It also suggests that vegetative propagation does not necessarily preclude long-term evolutionary success in a plant.
Headed by Professor Karlin, the research team also included colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Sara Hotchkiss) in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, Duke University (Sandra Boles, Jonathan Shaw) in Durham, North Carolina, USA, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Hans Sten?ien, Kristian Hassel, Kjell Flatberg), in Trondheim, Norway.
Genetic lab work was done at the Duke University Bryology Lab headed by Professor Jonathan Shaw.
Data on the population of S. palustre in eastern North America was provided by a prior study led by Professor Karlin and published in The Bryologist; Ramapo College students Melissa Giusti and Rebecca Lake were among the secondary authors of this prior study. In addition, a grant from the Ramapo College Foundation, which partly funded the Hawaiian project, enabled a third Ramapo College student, Falon Cartwright, to visit the Duke Bryology Lab where she gained experience with genetic analysis.
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Journal Reference:
- Eric F. Karlin, Sara C. Hotchkiss, Sandra B. Boles, Hans K. Sten?ien, Kristian Hassel, Kjell I. Flatberg, A. Jonathan Shaw. High genetic diversity in a remote island population system: sans sex. New Phytologist, 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03999.x
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222102949.htm
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Use Your iPhone to Open Beer Bottles With Opena Case
Multi-functional iPhone cases seem to be all the rage these days. Just look at the iPhone wallet. We?ve seen more than a few case-makers churn out iPhone case/money-holders in an effort to ride the trend.
Now we?ve come across a different kind of multi-purpose iPhone case. The Opena Case not only protects your precious handset from nasty falls, but it can also help you pop the top off of your favorite beverage.
The Opena Case is a thin, slip-on iPhone 4/4S case that also doubles as a bottle opener. The metal top-popper slides out of the bottom of the case when you need it, and slides back up into the case when you don?t.
The bottle-opening case started off as a Kickstarter project, but has since materialized into an actual product. You can purchase your own Opena Case from the company?s website for AUD$39.95 (about $40 US).
What do you think of the Opena Case?
[TUAW]
?
Source: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/12/23/open-beer-bottles-case/
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International Man of Mystery: Kim Jong Il's Russian Roots and Travels (Time.com)
During the handful of visits that Kim Jong Il made to Russia throughout his life, he never once stopped by his birthplace, the dirt-road village of Vyatskoye in the Russian Far East. Frozen for much of the year and reduced now to a population of mostly geriatric farmers, the village lies a short train ride from Russia's border with North Korea, the hermit state Kim ruled for 17 years until his death this Saturday, Dec. 17. According to Soviet records, Kim was born there as Yury Irsenovich Kim, the son of a rank and file officer of the Red Army, Kim Il-Sung, whom Stalin later nominated to lead North Korea.
"When we were alone together, of course we talked about the place of his birth," says Konstantin Pulikovsky, the Kremlin's former envoy to the Far East, who would escort Kim during the visits he made to Russia on his armored train. "I told him a bit about it. I told him that his father's house is preserved and that many of the villagers remember him. He listened carefully and never denied a thing. But he asked me never to publicize it, and he never asked to go there," Pulikovsky tells TIME. (See photos: "Mourning the Dear Leader.")
Publicizing Kim's beginnings, especially with a visit from the North Korean tyrant himself, would risk shattering the lie that the Kim family has been telling its subjects for decades. As the official legend has it, Kim was born atop a sacred mountain in Japanese-occupied North Korea, under a double rainbow that rose to greet the infant Kim and a new star that began shining in the sky. "This was all hogwash, of course," says Pulikovsky. "It was meant for internal consumption, and we respected that."
The real story of Kim's birth, however, seemed to be at the root of the personal and political connection he always felt toward Russia, one of the few allies that North Korea kept through its decades of isolation. Kim's last foreign visit, which he made on his armored train this August, just a few months before his death, was to Siberia, where he met with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. It was seen as Kim's latest effort to balance against China's influence by nuzzling up to Moscow, and at the time, Kim was also busy grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to succeed him. Many Russian officials expected Kim to bring his heir along to help ensure that the bond between the two countries would not be broken after Kim's death.
But he did not, and the future of that relationship, like so much of North Korea's future, is now up in the air. Pulikovsky, who formed a closer friendship with Kim than any other Russian official in modern times ("We are both Aquarius, so we would always call to say happy birthday and try to meet up."), only met Kim's youngest son once, during a holiday he took with his family to Pyongyang a few years ago. The older Kim introduced him as his heir, Pulikovsky recalls, "But the boy didn't say a word." (See "The Koreas: To Reunify or Not?")
Kim Jong Un's personality, and even his exact birth date, remains a mystery, while Korea watchers have harped on his reported love of American basketball to suggest that he might take a softer line than his father in relations with the West. But this is all guesswork so far, and experts in Moscow are convinced that the younger Kim will stick to Pyongyang's traditional older brothers, Russia and China. "North Korea simply has nowhere else to turn," says Alexander Lukin, the head of the East Asia department at the Russian Foreign Ministry's institute of diplomacy. "Economically it is totally dependent on China, because it doesn't really produce anything of its own," Lukin says. "And in the last years of his life, Kim Jong-Il did his best to cozy up to Russia more and more, mainly to show that his dependence on the Chinese is not so one-sided."
That is the double-game that North Korea will likely continue to play, because it is practically the only one the Kim family knows. Russia, for its part, seems ready to keep playing along. When news of Kim's death broke on Monday, the Kremlin sent its condolences to his heir, and on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the North Korean embassy in Moscow to pay his respects. (Tellingly, Russia extended no such gesture to the Czech Republic after that country's former president, Vaclav Havel, died on Sunday. In the late 1980s, Havel led Czechoslovakia's peaceful revolution against Soviet rule. His death did not warrant so much as a word on the Kremlin website.)
But it is far from clear what Russia has to gain from its doting relations with North Korea, which still owes Russia $11 billion in debt from the Soviet era. "In terms of trade, I know they import our celluloid visors to put on their military caps, which tells you something about their industrial relevance," says Georgy Kunadze, Russia's former ambassador to South Korea. "But the fact that we have a paranoid regime on our borders should not make us temper our assessment of North Korea," adds Kunadze, who led a Kremlin mission in 1993 to re-establish relations with Pyongyang after the fall of the Soviet Union. "We need to remember that North Korea has never made good on its agreements with Russia, has never consulted us before jumping into one of its adventures," including its testing of nuclear weapons in 2006 and 2009, or its decision to shell a South Korean island last year. (See TIME's Person of the Year: The Protester.)
So for Russia, North Korea remains almost as much of a nuisance as it is for the West, and in some ways an even more dangerous one, because a nuclear accident in North Korea would inevitably spill radiation onto Russian territory. Yet Moscow shows no sign of toughening its stance. It has long supported United Nations sanctions against North Korea's nuclear program, but has also gone out of its way to make the regime feel loved. In August, when Medvedev flew to Siberia to meet with Kim Jong Il, he again pledged to build a gas pipeline and a railroad to North Korea. The state news agency KCNA described their meeting as "overflowing with friendship." This allowed Pyongyang to send a familiar message to both China and the West: if you cross us, we still have a powerful ally in Moscow. As Pulikovsky recalls, this has long been Kim's favorite diplomatic trick.
Soon after U.S. President George W. Bush branded North Korea a member of the "axis of evil" in 2002, Kim travelled to Russia to meet with then President Vladimir Putin, and he asked Pulikovsky to do him a peculiar favor. "He told me, 'Konstantin, when the official meeting [with Putin] is over, I want to sit down with him in private for ten minutes, with no one in the room, not even interpreters. I need to tell him something." That evening, the private meeting was arranged, and as Pulikovsky escorted Kim back toward the border afterward, his curiosity got to him. "I asked him, 'Comrade Kim, if it's no secret, why did you need these ten minutes?'" Pulikovsky says. "And he smiled at me and said, 'What's the difference? The point is for Bush to wonder what we were talking about.' For me that was classic Kim. He always found some way to get snagged in your thoughts, to make himself into a mystery."
See rare pictures from inside North Korea.
See TIME's top 10 everything of 2011.
View this article on Time.com
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Why there could only be eight best picture Oscar nominees (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? Everybody's confused about the new Best Picture process.
Nobody knows how it will play out, and whether we'll have five nominees, or 10, or some number in between.
But what if I could tell you what happens when the Oscar process is applied to ballots cast by a group of hundreds of voters who've historically been an accurate predictor of what Oscar voters will do?
I can, and here's the answer: There won't be 10 Oscar Best Picture nominees.
There will be eight.
And we got that number by counting the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ballots the same way the Motion Picture Academy tallies its votes.
The study began when I approached executives at the Broadcast Film Critics Association, which gives out the Critics' Choice Movie Awards -- and of which I am a member -- with a crazy suggestion:
"After you announce your nominees, let me recount the ballots using the Oscar system," I asked.
The CCMAs, after all, are one of the most accurate bellwethers of the Oscars. Last year, 27 of the Academy's 30 Best Picture and acting nominees had already received CCMA noms; the year before, it was 24 out of 30.
Understandably, the Broadcast Film Critics didn't go for my plan to borrow their ballots, even after I promised not to reveal which films would have been left out. But they were intrigued by the idea, and they got in touch with the accountant who tallies those ballots at CMM, LLP.
The Broadcast Film Critics and CMM agreed to let me tutor the accounting firm's Debby Britton on the Oscar process, and then reveal the results after the counting was completed.
So I sent Britton a step-by-step description of the process that the Academy says will result in somewhere between five and 10 Oscar nominees.
And here's how it played out:
A large majority of the Broadcast Film Critics' more than 250 critics cast ballots, which asked them to rank their favorite movies, one through five. On those ballots, 33 different films received first-place votes.
Under the Oscar system, the race is immediately narrowed to those 33 films; every other movie is out of the running, no matter how many second- or third-place votes it received.
Once the initial count was made, the number of votes required to guarantee a nomination was determined. This is done by dividing the number of votes by 11, and then adding one (or if the result is not a whole number, adding whatever fraction is needed to make it one).
Example: If 250 members had voted, 23 votes would have guaranteed a nomination, because it would be impossible for more than 10 films to receive that many votes.
According to CMM, only one film received enough votes to secure a nomination in this way.
(I don't know which film this is, and neither do the BFCA officials who passed me the information. But it's easy to take an educated guess and figure that it's probably "The Artist," since that film has won the lion's share of the critics' awards handed out so far this season.)
The next step in the Oscar process is to determine if any film got 20 percent more votes than it needed to secure that nomination. If so, it triggers the "surplus rule," and its votes are redistributed, and the film ranked second on each ballot gets a percentage of that vote.
Another example: If a film gets twice as many votes as it needs, each of its ballots counts 50 percent for the first-place film and 50 percent for the voter's second choice.
The one film that qualified in the first round, according to CMM, did indeed trigger the surplus rule.
After its votes were redistributed, Britton then went back to the rest of the ballots. At this point, she looked for any movie that received less than 1 percent of the vote. That would be two votes if more than 200 voters cast ballots, one vote if fewer than 200 did so.
According to Britton, 10 of the 33 films fell below the 1 percent threshold. Those 10 then had their ballots redistributed, with the vote going to the film ranked second on the ballot, assuming that film was among the 22 movies still in the running. (If it wasn't, she would move down the ballot until she found a movie that was.)
When those ballots were redistributed, CMM then looked at what was left. At this point, under the Oscar system, any movie with more than 5 percent of the vote would became a nominee; any movie with less than that would not.
And when Britton did the final math, she came up with eight nominees.
Will the Oscars play out the same way? Will only one film qualify in the first round? Will a third of the films in play fall beneath the 1 percent threshold?
We still don't know -- but after this little experiment, we just might have a better idea.
Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24; the Critics' Choice Movie Awards will take place on January 12 at the Hollywood Palladium and will be broadcast on VH1.
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