Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/159658107?client_source=feed&format=rss
osu football osu football ted kennedy warren zevon caroline kennedy caroline kennedy day of rage
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
$50, 2br, 2 bd/2bth gated community condo
Bedrooms: 2
Rent: $50
Ad Placed By: Owner/Property Manager
? Location: Miami, St Petersburg
? Post ID: 15398641 miami
Source: http://miami.backpage.com/VacationForRent/50-2br-2-bd2bth-gated-community-condo/15398641
raising hope oman oman unforgettable metta world peace fullerton police beating fullerton police beating
Jailed Egyptian blogger's mother on hunger strike (AP)
CAIRO ? The mother of a prominent blogger jailed by Egypt's ruling generals has gone on a hunger strike to protest her son's detention and the military's increasingly heavy-handed approach against critics.
The strike by Alaa Abdel-Fattah's 55-year-old mother could turn into a major embarrassment for Egypt's military three weeks ahead of landmark parliamentary elections, the first since the uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak nine months ago.
Military prosecutors ordered Abdel-Fattah, 29, detained for 15 days on Oct. 30 after he refused to answer questions over his alleged role in sectarian clashes three weeks earlier that killed 27 people, mostly Christians. His detention is widely viewed as an escalation in the military's drive to discredit activists who played a key role in the revolt.
Abdel-Fattah, who comes from a family of activists, is an icon of the 18-day uprising that ended Mubarak's 29-year regime, and has been critical of the generals as well as Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the nation's military ruler. Abdel-Fattah's wife, Manal Hassan, is expecting the couple's first child, a baby boy, later this month.
A pair of blog entries written by Abdel-Fattah smuggled out of jail and posted online by his wife paint a picture of a man who refuses to be lionized for standing up to the military. In the posts, he expresses disgust for the conditions at the prison, complains of boredom and remains unwavering in his loyalty to the goals of the uprising.
In an entry dated Monday, he joined calls for a massive demonstration on Nov. 18 to protest the military's attempts to introduce clauses in a new constitution that would shield it from civilian oversight and give the armed forces a "guardianship role," language that suggests having the final word on national policies.
"It is clear that the military council, even if it allows us to elect a president, will never leave power," he wrote.
Abdel-Fattah's appeal against his detention was rejected on Thursday. He is due to appear before military prosecutors later this week or early next week, when a decision is expected to be made on whether he will remain in detention pending the completion of the investigation or whether he will be formally charged and referred to a military tribunal for trial.
Laila Soueif, Abdel-Fattah's mother and an activist herself, vowed on Wednesday ? day four of her hunger strike ? not to abandon her protest before her goals are met.
"I am good so far. My blood pressure is stable, but I will continue the hunger strike until Alaa is freed," she told The Associated Press by telephone. "It is becoming clearer and clearer that the military council is against the youth of the revolution and wants to make an example of Alaa so the rest will be silenced."
Mona Seif, Alaa's sister, said her mother was not showing any signs of physical frailty and that she was cheerful. She is surviving on water, cigarettes and tea without milk or sugar, Seif said.
Abdel-Fattah's detention and his mother's hunger strike ? both widely publicized at home and abroad ? are turning into a potentially major embarrassment for the military at a time when it is struggling to contain mounting criticism from the independent media and activists over its handling of the transition following Mubarak's ouster.
Activists accuse the ruling generals of torturing detainees, ignoring calls to stop trials of civilians before military tribunals ? there have been at least 12,000 since February ? and of making major policy decisions without consultations.
The military has also sparked a political furor by persistently attempting to push through a set of guidelines for the drafting of a new constitution, which is to be drawn up after the elections. The guidelines would declare the military the protector of "constitutional legitimacy," language that suggests the armed forces could have the final word on major policies.
Responding to the criticism, the military leadership insists it has every intention to step down when an elected government is in place. However, it already has failed to meet a six-month deadline it set for handing over power when it took over from Mubarak. According to a timetable put forward by the generals, parliamentary elections will be held over three stages starting Nov. 28, and presidential elections will be held late next year or in early 2013.
In the meantime, the generals have been trying to craft an image for themselves as the nation's foremost patriots, accusing pro-democracy activists of illegally receiving foreign funds. They also have stepped up moves to silence critics, leaning on managers of media outlets to tone down commentary on the army or ban vocal critics from political talk shows.
The generals also say they have no plans to field their own candidate for the presidency. Their assertions, however, are met with skepticism by many who suspect they are prolonging the transition period to give themselves time to find a military-friendly civilian to run for president.
"We did not stage a revolution in January so that the military can come along and rule us," said Hassan, Abdel-Fattah's wife, who visited her husband in jail on Sunday. "Alaa is encouraging people to come out and voice their opposition to military rule."
Late Wednesday, some 300 activists chanting slogans against the military rallied outside the prison where Abdel-Fattah is held to demand his release. There were no clashes with police or army troops.
"It is the military that is in a difficult position now. It will in the end have no choice but to free him because the pressure is immense," said activists and rights lawyers Gamal Eid, who took part in the demonstration. "But, like Mubarak, the generals don't want to be seen bowing to pressure."
verdict in michael jackson trial brian urlacher matt forte dr conrad murray verdict tiger woods radiohead tour take care
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
NBA players, owners meeting as deadline expires (AP)
NEW YORK ? As Commissioner David Stern's deadline passed, the NBA and its players continued negotiating Wednesday in an attempt to end the lockout.
The two sides met for more than four hours to try to hash out a deal to save the season.
Stern had issued an ultimatum to players: Accept the league's latest proposal by 5 p.m. ET Wednesday or it will be replaced with a much harsher one that would drive the sides even farther apart.
Players said Tuesday they wouldn't accept the current proposal as configured and suggested another negotiation session.
The current offer calls for players to receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of basketball-related income, though union officials said it would be impossible to get above 50.2 percent. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of BRI under the previous collective bargaining agreement.
The next proposal would call for a 53-47 revenue split in the owners' favor, essentially a hard salary cap and salary rollbacks, which the league originally sought but had taken off the table. Both proposals were sent to union executive director Billy Hunter on Sunday.
The meeting featuring small groups from both sides was arranged Wednesday morning.
Attorney Jeffrey Kessler took part along with other union negotiators, hours after saying he regretted telling the Washington Post that owners are treating players like "plantation workers" during the ongoing lockout. He added he planned to call Stern and apologize.
Besides the revenue split, the sides are still divided on elements of the salary cap system, mostly relating to the spending rules for teams that are over the luxury tax level. Players want those teams to remain options for free agents, whereas the league thinks talent would be more evenly distributed throughout the league if payrolls were more balanced.
Players indicated after their meeting Tuesday that they would be open to reducing their BRI take if owners made some changes on the system issues. Players offered to go to about 51 percent Saturday, with 1 percent going into a fund for retired player benefits.
Hunter said Tuesday he had heard Stern also planned to cancel games through Christmas without a deal Wednesday, though Stern later told NBA TV that "we have made no such plans, and we have had no such discussions."
north dakota jobs referendum scarlett johansson glee project winner kris humphries remember the titans james garner
Dish Network 3Q earnings climb 30 percent (AP)
NEW YORK ? Dish Network Corp. posted another loss of subscribers from its slowly dwindling satellite-TV business, even as larger competitor DirecTV adds to its base.
However, Dish's subscriber losses translated into higher net income for the quarter, as it avoided the short-term cost of getting new subscribers set up with dishes and set-top boxes.
The Englewood, Colo., company said its net income climbed 30 percent to $319.1 million, or 71 cents per share, in the three months that ended Sept. 30. That's up from $244.9 million, or 55 cents per share, a year ago.
Analysts polled by FactSet were on average expecting earnings of 74 cents per share.
Revenue rose 12 percent to $3.6 billion from $3.2 billion a year ago, chiefly because of the acquisition of the Blockbuster video-store chain in April. Analysts were on average expecting revenue of $3.64 billion.
Dish shares were down 20 cents at $23.28 in premarket trading.
The period was the first full quarter of results for Blockbuster after the acquisition. The division essentially broke even on $347 million in revenue.
Dish lost a net 111,000 subscribers in the quarter. That was mainly because fewer new subscribers signed up, rather than accelerated losses. But the loss rate is still high, something the company blames on competitor's aggressive promotions.
DirecTV Group Inc. last week reported adding a record 327,000 subscribers in the third quarter, greatly helped by its exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket.
Dish ended the quarter with 13.9 million subscribers, the same number it had two years ago. That makes it the third-largest provider of paid TV signals to U.S. households. DirecTV had 19.8 million, making it second only to Comcast Corp. as a pay-TV provider.
naomi wolf ron paul 2012 mitt romney newt gingrich columbus dispatch social security increase menagerie
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Why an early start to retirement savings is critical
If you want to retire comfortably, the amount you need to put aside each month gets more and more daunting the longer you wait
I get a lot of emails from people in their forties and fifties who are suddenly panicking about their retirement savings. Often, they don?t have any or they have very little, yet they still want to retire at age 65.
Skip to next paragraph Trent HammThe Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.
Recent posts
At the same time, I also get emails from people in their twenties who are already saving diligently for retirement. What they want to know is how much they actually need to save so that they, too, can retire at age 65.
The people in the first group obviously spent a big chunk of their adult life not having to save for retirement. This gave them more flexibility with their money in their twenties and thirties than people who were already saving for retirement.
On the other hand, people who start saving early don?t have to save as much overall as people who start later on.
So, which approach is better? Let?s look at the two cases.
Let?s say you?re 20 years old right now. You want to have $2 million set aside for retirement at age 65 and, magically, there?s an index fund out there that will return 7% a year (I?m using this index fund as a convenience, basing the 7% on what Warren Buffett suggests is a good number to use for average stock market returns going forward).
If you start investing at age 20, you?ll need to put aside about $510 a month to reach this goal.
If you start at age 25, you?ll need to set aside about $725 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 25.
If you start at age 30, you?ll need to set aside about $1,050 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 30.
If you start at age 35, you?ll need to set aside about $1,530 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 35.
If you start at age 40, you?ll need to set aside about $2,270 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 40.
If you start at age 45, you?ll need to set aside about $3,480 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 45.
If you start at age 50, you?ll need to set aside about $5,600 a month to reach this goal, but you don?t have to save anything from ages 20 to 50.
As you read through those previous sentences, you probably thought that the amounts early on were quite manageable, but when you got to age 50, you?re likely thinking that it?s bordering on impossible.
That?s the lesson here. You can forego the early retirement savings, but catching up later on can be incredibly punishing and the longer you wait, the more punishing it gets.
Thus, my advice is to start saving for retirement right now, no matter what age you are. Even if you can?t save very much, start by saving something. If you?re not saving, you need to be doing something else that?s financially urgent with your money.
For example, if you just save $100 per month starting at age 20 in the above retirement account, increase it to $200 a month at age 30, $300 a month at age 40, $400 a month at age 50, and $500 a month at age 60, you?ll have $720,000 saved for retirement. Double each of those numbers and you?re getting close to where you need to be.
Start saving now, even if it?s just a little bit. Don?t burden your future self with crippling amounts of retirement savings or employment until the very end of your life.
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thesimpledollar.com.
richard pryor don t ask don t tell don t ask don t tell dancing with the stars season 13 sam bradford nancy grace st louis rams
Monday, November 7, 2011
Abramoff criticizes reforms after lobbying scandal
FILE - In this June 24, 2010, file photo former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff arrives for work at Tov Pizza, a kosher pizzeria in northwest Baltimore. Abramoff writes in his autobiography out Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, that when a rising star as Republicans expanded their power in Washington, a senior partner in his firm warned him against his win-at-all-costs approach to business: "At the rate you're going you're either going to be dead, disgraced or in jail in five years," the boss said. The line rang in his ears for the next ten years, Abramoff says, including in the federal penitentiary, where he spent three years paying for his bribery of public officials and other crimes. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)
FILE - In this June 24, 2010, file photo former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff arrives for work at Tov Pizza, a kosher pizzeria in northwest Baltimore. Abramoff writes in his autobiography out Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, that when a rising star as Republicans expanded their power in Washington, a senior partner in his firm warned him against his win-at-all-costs approach to business: "At the rate you're going you're either going to be dead, disgraced or in jail in five years," the boss said. The line rang in his ears for the next ten years, Abramoff says, including in the federal penitentiary, where he spent three years paying for his bribery of public officials and other crimes. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2004, file photo Jack lobbyist Abramoff is advised by his attorney Abbe Lowell, left, as he refuses to answer questions before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill. Abramoff writes in his autobiography out Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, that when a rising star as Republicans expanded their power in Washington, a senior partner in his firm warned him against his win-at-all-costs approach to business: "At the rate you're going you're either going to be dead, disgraced or in jail in five years," the boss said. Abramoff says the line rang in his ears for the next ten years, including the three spent in a federal penitentiary for his bribery of public officials and other crimes. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2006, file photo Jack Abramoff leaves Federal Court in Washington the day he pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors investigating influence peddling in Washington. Abramoff writes in his autobiography out Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, that when a rising star as Republicans expanded their power in Washington, a senior partner in his firm warned him against his win-at-all-costs approach to business: "At the rate you're going you're either going to be dead, disgraced or in jail in five years," the boss said. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
Capital, Punishment, a book by ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is photographed Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, in Washington. The 52-year-old's name became a synonym for Washington corruption, and the influence-peddling schemes he masterminded ultimately resulted in conviction of 20 people and changed federal lobbying laws. In the book out Monday, Nov. 7, Abramoff says the reforms aren't tough enough to keep special interest power in check and lays out from his insider perspective what more needs to be done. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Capitol Punishment, a book by ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, is photographed Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, in Washington. The 52-year-old's name became a synonym for Washington corruption, and the influence-peddling schemes he masterminded ultimately resulted in conviction of 20 people and changed federal lobbying laws. In the book out Monday, Nov. 7, Abramoff says the reforms aren't tough enough to keep special interest power in check and lays out from his insider perspective what more needs to be done. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Jack Abramoff can't say he wasn't warned.
When the now-notorious lobbyist was a rising star as Republicans expanded their power in Washington, a concerned senior partner in his firm warned against his win-at-all-costs approach to business. "At the rate you're going," the boss said, "you're either going to be dead, disgraced or in jail in five years."
Abramoff writes in his autobiography, out Monday, that the line rang in his ears for the next decade, including the 3 1/2 years he spent in a federal penitentiary paying for his bribery of public officials and other crimes before his release last year.
The 52-year-old's name has become a synonym for Washington corruption. The influence-peddling schemes he masterminded ultimately resulted in conviction of 20 people and changed federal lobbying laws.
But Abramoff says the reforms aren't tough enough to keep special-interest power in check and, from his insider perspective, he lays out what more needs to be done.
He writes in "Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption from America's Most Notorious Lobbyist" that there still are plenty of corrupt lobbying practices that are perfectly legal.
Abramoff is now out of the lobbying business, but the father of five has returned to the home he shares with his wife in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Md., and is promoting the book, including an interview airing Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes." Authorities have said in court filings they are looking into using the book proceeds to help repay a $23 million restitution order to his victims.
Abramoff became a lobbyist in 1994 after the Republican takeover of Congress, when firms were eager to hire help with conservative credentials. Abramoff was the former two-term chairman of the College Republican National Committee and executive director of President Ronald Reagan's grassroots lobbying organization, Citizens for America, and rode the Republican bandwagon of power in the House.
He was especially close to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. He writes that the two bonded over their adherence to religion; Abramoff is an orthodox Jew, DeLay a born-again Christian. Abramoff got his clients to donate generously to DeLay, helping build the No. 2 House Republican's power and giving himself an ally in a high office.
He built relationships with other congressional offices by collecting campaign cash for those who helped his clients. He charged high fees, but they were his ultimate undoing. He often charged $150,000 a month instead of an industry standard closer to $10,000 a month. It's a practice he defends in his book because of the results he says he delivered.
The Washington Post in 2004 began a Pulitzer Prize-winning series investigating the tens of millions of dollars that American Indian tribal clients were paying Abramoff and his business partner, former DeLay spokesman Michael Scanlon, who provided grassroots organizing services.
It eventually was revealed that the two men were secretly kicking back profits to one another worth more than $20 million, and the Justice Department pursued felony charges.
Both pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with an investigation that would lead to the conviction of other lobbyists on Abramoff's team, congressional figures including Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney and officials in the Bush administration.
Many of the lobbyists were convicted for winning favors for their clients after taking public officials out for meals at fancy restaurants and giving them tickets to sporting events and concerts. He ran his own restaurant on Pennsylvania Ave. between the Capitol and the White House that became a hangout for Ney and other Hill figures. Abramoff had skyboxes at all the Washington area venues and says the firm acted like Ticketmaster to Capitol Hill. The reform law passed in response makes it illegal for lobbyists to give those gifts.
But Abramoff dismisses the reforms as toothless. He says there are more effective ways to get powerbrokers to do a client's bidding, particularly political contributions that he says should be banned from lobbyists or anyone receiving federal contracts or otherwise benefiting from public funds.
"As a lobbyist, I thought it only natural and right that my clients should reward those members who saved them such substantial sums with generous contributions. This quid pro quo became one of the hallmarks of our lobbying efforts," Abramoff writes.
"What I did not consider then, and never considered until I was sitting in prison, was that contributions from parties with an interest in legislation are really nothing but bribes. Sure, it's legal for the most part. Sure, everyone in Washington does it. Sure, it's the way the system works. It's one of Washington's dirty little secrets ? but it's bribery just the same."
Abramoff says term limits would prevent lawmakers from getting too close to special interests. He also says lawmakers and their staff should be banned for life from working for any organization that lobbies.
The movement of congressional figures to lobbying is pervasive in Washington. The Internet site LegiStorm tracks those who move from the Hill to K Street, where many lobbying firms have offices, and says there have been 493 already this year.
Abramoff said he would often get access inside congressional offices by suggesting to key staffers that they come work for him when they were finished with their congressional careers.
"Assuming the staffer had any interest in leaving Capitol Hill for K Street ? and almost 90 percent of them do ? I would own him and, consequentially, the entire office," Abramoff writes. "No rules had been broken, at least not yet. No one even knew what was happening, but suddenly, every move that staffer made, he made with his future at my firm in mind. His paycheck may have been signed by the Congress, but he was already working for me."
The exposure of the Abramoff scandal became the subject of congressional hearings where Abramoff repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment Constitutional protection against incriminating himself and did not respond to questions. He writes in the book that most of the senators who were vilifying him were hypocrites who had taken thousands from his clients and firms.
"I stared stone-faced at (former Colorado Republican Sen. Benjamin Nighthorse) Campbell as he hurled invectives at me," Abramoff writes. "I wondered how he'd react if I reminded him about the $25,000 in campaign checks I delivered to him during our breakfast meeting at posh Capitol Hill eatery La Colline the morning of April 23, 2002. I'll never forget that breakfast. After I handed him the envelope full of campaign contributions, he let me know that my clients would be treated well by his Indian Affairs Committee."
Former North Dakota Democratic Sen. "Byron Dorgan railed against the 'cesspool of greed' surrounding my practice," Abramoff writes. "I guess it wasn't a cesspool when he had his hand out to take over $75,000 in campaign contributions from our team and clients."
Dorgan said in response that he's never met Abramoff or received a campaign contribution from him.
"It's not surprising he writes a book that criticizes those of us who led the investigation that sent him to prison," Dorgan wrote in an email to the AP. "The record of our investigation exposed his corrupt behavior. He bilked Indian tribes out of tens of millions of dollars and he should be forever ashamed.
Campbell did not respond to a request for comment.
Associated Pressreggie bush ufc 137 boston news matilda new jersey weather halloween movies halloween movies
Barcelona draws 2-2 at Bilbao in Spain
By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
Associated Press Sports
updated 6:44 p.m. ET Nov. 6, 2011
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -Lionel Messi's stoppage-time goal salvaged a 2-2 draw for Barcelona at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, as Spanish leader Real Madrid moved three points clear with its 7-1 thrashing of 10-man Osasuna.
Midfielder Ander Herrera put Bilbao ahead in the 20th minute at San Mames stadium before Cesc Fabregas drew the visitors even with a header four minutes later.
Bilbao appeared set to get the win after Gerard Pique scored an own goal in the 80th, but Messi slotted home his league-leading 14th goal in the 91st to split the points.
"At the end we showed our mettle," said Fabregas, whose Barcelona remained undefeated in 18 games in all competitions to start the season.
Earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his fourth hat trick in 11 league games this season as Madrid demolished Osasuna at home.
Under steady rain, Barcelona and Bilbao set a frenetic, up-and-down pace from the start.
Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa sought to beat Barcelona at its own game by pressing the European champions and looking for young playmakers Iker Muniain and Ander to create chances for Spain striker Fernando Llorente.
"We aimed to take the game to them," Ander said.
Bilbao's daring approach paid off when Ander received a pass from Markel Susaeta at the edge of the area and curled his right footer into the right side of the net for the opener.
Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz did well to block Dani Alves' strike from a set piece, but could do nothing when Fabregas rose above his marker to guide home Eric Abidal's well-placed cross to momentarily silence the crowd.
Puddles of water appeared on the pitch after halftime, slowing down the ball but not the flow of the game.
Bilbao went ahead for the second time when Abidal's clearance took a deflection off Llorente before Pique inadvertently redirected in into his own net.
But in the dying moments Messi pounced on his own rebound to fire it into the corner of the net to earn the away draw.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was full of praise for both teams.
"How they run, I've never seen a team run so much, how they plug the spaces. It's absolutely (a Bielsa) team," Guardiola said about Bilbao, which is undefeated in 10 straight games overall. "What a spectacle these 22 players put on. This is one of the best games that I have been in and that's because both teams went out to win."
Even so, this is the first time Barcelona has trailed Madrid by three points since Guardiola took over as coach of his former team three years ago.
At Santiago Bernabeu stadium, Madrid had little trouble recording its seventh consecutive league win.
Angel Di Maria set up Madrid's 23rd-minute opener when he picked out Ronaldo at the near post with a cross for the Portugal forward to flick into the net.
"My goals are not important, what counts is that the team wins," said Ronaldo, who has scored 13 goals in the league and 17 overall.
Ibrahima Balde pulled one back for Osasuna in the 30th, but any thoughts of an upset quickly evaporated as four minutes later Di Maria sent in another cross for Pepe to head home at the far post.
The 23-year-old Di Maria then completed his playmaking display with his league-leading 10th assist in the 40th when he slid the ball into the area for Gonzalo Higuain to curl into the right side of the net.
Di Maria was taken off on a stretcher for an apparent leg injury early in the second half, but Madrid continued to roll when Ronaldo fired in a penalty in the 54th after defender Eneko Sartustegi was sent off with his second booking for fouling Mesut Oezil in the area.
"The first half was tough for us playing against a well organized team, but after they equalized we had a little luck to go back ahead," Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said. "Then in the second half it is difficult for any team to play with 10 men."
Ronaldo headed in a cross from Alvaro Arbeloa in the 58th before Karim Benzema, who replaced Di Maria, scored from inside the area in the 63rd and 81st.
Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin debuted for Madrid as a substitute after having recovered from a nagging leg injury sustained in the preseason.
Also, 10-man Getafe jumped from last place to 14th after rallying to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2.
Striker Helder Postiga equalized in stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw for Zaragoza against Sporting Gijon.
Miguel "Michu" Perez scored twice as promoted side Rayo Vallecano thrashed 10-man Real Sociedad 4-0, sending the San Sebastian-side to the bottom of the table.
Racing Santander at Granada and Villarreal at Espanyol both finished 0-0.
Surprise package Levante lost its second straight game, defeated by Valencia 2-0 on Saturday, while both Sevilla-Mallorca and Malaga-Real Betis ended scoreless.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
advertisement
More newsGetty ImagesGalaxy gets its shot at a title
??David Beckham?assisted on the go-ahead goal?and Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane also scored as Los Angeles advanced to the MLS Cup with a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44298965/ns/sports-soccer/
world series tickets world series tickets nelson cruz nelson cruz michael young war of the worlds detroit lions
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
ArcelorMittal net profit drops in 3rd quarter (AP)
BRUSSELS ? ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel maker, posted Thursday a 50 percent drop in third-quarter net profit compared to the same period a year earlier. The company blamed weakening economic conditions and increasing uncertainty in the market and said the outlook for the rest of the year was difficult.
However, Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and CEO, said ArcelorMittal's core profitability remained resilient.
Net profit dropped to $700 million in the third quarter, down from $1.4 billion a year earlier. But sales increased 22.6 percent to $24.2 billion from $19.7 billion.
"Despite weakening economic conditions, ArcelorMittal has reported EBITDA within the forecasted range," Mittal said in a statement. "Uncertainties around the economic outlook have increased in recent weeks, impacting the confidence levels of our customers, so as we move in to the 4Q we are facing both volume and price pressures. However, our core profitability is resilient, supported by our growing mining business, our market leading value-added steel franchise and our management gains programs. As a result I remain confident that the Group's EBITDA in the second half of 2011 will be above that of the second half of 2010."
Net income for the quarter was $659 million, down significantly from $1.5 billion in the three months ending in June, as well as from the $1.3 billion reported for the third quarter of 2010.
In a conference call with reporters, Aditya Mittal, the company's chief financial officer, said capacity utilization was about 71 percent in the third quarter, and he expected that to fall slightly in the fourth quarter.
In October, the Luxembourg-based company shut two blast furnaces at its site in Liege, Belgium. It was ArcelorMittal's first significant closure since it was formed in 2006 as a result of the merger between Mittal Steel and Arcelor to create the world's largest steel business.
However, Aditya Mittal said Thursday, "As of today, I do not believe any more capacity shutdowns are planned."
Although Europe's economic recovery will be "more muted" than originally anticipated, he said that in the long term there was potential for grown in demand in Eastern Europe, where there is currently low steel consumption per capita.
In October, ArcelorMittal pulled out of a planned deal to jointly control the Australian company Macarthur Coal Ltd. with U.S.-based Peabody Energy Corp. The total cost of the deal was reported to be in excess of $5 billion (euro3.62 billion).
Aditya Mittal said in the end it would have been too much money to spend for a company it would not have fully controlled. He said the money would be used instead to pay down ArcelorMittal's debts.
He also defended the 2006 merger between Mittal Steel and Arcelor.
"I think through the merger we have created a much stronger company that is much more able to withstand the crisis better than either company alone," he said.
In 2009, ArcelorMittal was responsible for about 6 percent of global steel output.
hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid 105.1 alex trebek lightsquared jane lynch
Video: Should teens be tested for HIV?
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45153461#45153461
michelle malkin goodrich death penalty gary busey the x factor execution execution
Friday, November 4, 2011
Thousands of Russian nationalists march in Moscow (AP)
MOSCOW ? Thousands of far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis marched through Moscow on Friday to call for ethnic Russians to "take back" Russia, as resentment grows over dark-complexioned Muslim migrants from Russia's Caucasus and the money the Kremlin sends to those restive regions.
Chanting "Russia for Russians" and "Migrants today, occupiers tomorrow," about 5,000 people, mostly young men, marched through a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital. Police stood shoulder-to-shoulder along the street, which was blocked to traffic.
Violently xenophobic groups have flourished in Russia over the past two decades. They kill and beat non-Slavs and anti-racism activists, and crudely denounce the influx of immigrants from the Caucasus and from Central Asian countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.
They have drawn moral support from nationalism that has been encouraged by Vladimir Putin's rule as part of the Kremlin's attempts to rebuild a strong Russian state.
After a clash last December between police and thousands of football fans and other extremists just outside the Kremlin walls, and an unprecedented outbreak of hate crimes, the government has taken a tougher line against the groups, but their virulent hatred is proving hard to combat.
The challenge facing the Kremlin is broader, however. Many Russians share the anti-migrant sentiments and even those who would not describe themselves as racist are increasingly resentful of the hefty subsidies sent to the Caucasus, particularly to Chechnya. The money is intended to bring stability after years of war, but the region remains deeply impoverished while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov flaunts his wealth.
Among the banners carried Friday was one reading "Stop feeding the Caucasus."
"All Russian people are on the march ? football fans, skinheads, national socialists," Dmitry Demushkin, who leads a group called Russkiye, or Russians, shouted to the crowd. "We have to show what our nation is demanding."
The so-called Russian March has been held annually since 2005 on a new national holiday created to replace celebrations of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
The new holiday was usurped by far-right nationalists, whose first rally in 2005 led to the shocking sight of thousands of skinheads marching through central Moscow with their hands raised in a Nazi salute and shouting obscene racist slogans.
The following year the march was banned, but nationalists marched anyway and clashed violently with police. Since 2007, the Russian March has been relegated to areas outside of the capital's center.
home depot center the replacements fleet week scarecrow festival scarecrow festival texas longhorns texas longhorns
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Arrest made in U.S. flight attendant murder in Mexico (Reuters)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? Mexican officials said on Monday they arrested a 20-year old man for the murder of a U.S. Airways flight attendant strangled to death in his hotel room during a layover stop in Mexico City.
Nick Aaronson, 27, was found bound and face down next to his hotel bed in Mexico City after he picked up the 20-year-old Jose Luis Ramirez at a nearby bar, Mexico City prosecutors said. Ramirez, known as "The Shadow," beat Aaronson, strangling him with a belt before fleeing with his money, they said.
Security cameras showed the two entering the hotel, with Aaronson signing Ramirez in as a guest.
Ramirez, who has been in jail before, admitted to entering Aaronson's room and beating him.
He shaved his head to avoid detection but authorities found him around the same bar in Mexico City's historical center where he and Aaronson first met.
Anita Aaronson, Nick's mother, poured out her emotion on her Facebook page, posting videos of the young redhead singing karaoke. She said on Sunday the Federal Bureau of Investigation called her to say her son's killer was in custody.
"I can't stop thinking about my boy, he died in such an awful way, I keep thinking of his pain and fear," she wrote.
"My beautiful boy I can't stop crying I want him back."
(Editing by Peter Bohan)
(This story was corrected to remove reference to prostitute)
mcfadden mcfadden ponder ponder loretta lynn extract extract
Video: Why LSI Logic Has No Debt
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45122713#45122713
vitiligo los angeles weather portia de rossi portia de rossi herman cain for president herman cain for president pumpkin bread
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Sexism and gender inequality
ScienceDaily (Oct. 30, 2011) ? Individual beliefs don't stay confined to the person who has them; they can affect how a society functions. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, looks at 57 countries and finds that an individual's sexism leads to gender inequality in the society as a whole -- not surprising, but it is the largest study to find this relationship.
"I'm interested in the consequences people's beliefs about how the world should work and how the world does work," says Mark Brandt of DePaul University, the author of the new study. For this study on sexism, he used data from an international survey conducted between 2005 and 2007. The survey included two statements to measure sexism: "On the whole, men make better political leaders than women do" and "On the whole, men make better business executives than women do." He also used a United Nations measure of gender inequality, from the year the sexism question was asked and from 2009.
Brandt found that sexism was directly associated with increases in gender inequality overtime.
"You could get the impression that having sexist beliefs, or prejudiced beliefs more generally, is just an individual thing -- 'my beliefs don't impact you,'" Brandt says. But this study shows that isn't true. If individual people in a society are sexist, men and women in that society become less equal.
"Gender inequality is such a tough beast to crack because there are so many contributing factors," Brandt says. Policies can contribute to inequality -- and some countries have insured some measure of equality by mandating that some number of seats in the legislature be reserved for women. But this study suggests that if the goal is increased equality, individual attitudes have to change.
The article is entitled, "Sexism and Gender Inequality Across 57 Societies."
Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/TqLnpR-RNoA/111030151659.htm
matt holliday project runway winner project runway winner hunter s thompson hunter s thompson berkman berkman
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Rooftop Zombie Slingshot Will Save Your Life During an Undead Siege [Video]
happy halloween history of halloween eagles cowboys eagles cowboys rock center trick or treat times trick or treat times
Guatemalans Bury 9 Killed By Guerrillas In 1982
GUATEMALA CITY -- Residents of a rural Guatemalan town have finally buried in their own cemetery nine men killed by guerrillas in 1982.
The dead are back home in Patalcal in the state of Huehuetenango. They had been killed and left in a nearby town.
Relatives say the men were slain because they did not support attacks on the military during the Central American country's civil war.
A forensics organization exhumed the bodies in 2005 and stored them until donors gave the impoverished survivors money to pay for the coffins and Friday's burial ceremony.
After the war ended in the 1990s, a United Nations-backed commission attributed only about 3 percent of the more than 200,000 people killed to guerrilla attacks. It blamed the rest on the military.
'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/29/guatemalans-bury-9-killed_n_1065495.html
ncaa football boston marathon elisabeth hasselbeck rogue trader rogue trader gone in 60 seconds gone in 60 seconds
Monday, October 31, 2011
More Occupy events planned around Calif. (AP)
OAKLAND, Calif. ? More Wall Street protests were planned around California on Saturday, including in Oakland, where police and demonstrators faced off earlier this week in a clash during which an Iraq War veteran was injured.
A rally against police brutality was scheduled for 6 p.m. in front of Oakland's city hall, and a march was expected to follow two hours later.
The Oakland protesters also announced a strike on Nov. 2, when they will be urging banks and corporations to close for the day.
Protesters clashed with police on Tuesday after the encampment in front of city hall was cleared. Scott Olsen, a 24-year-old Iraq War veteran, suffered a fractured skull during that confrontation, and his plight has become a rallying cry at Occupy protests around the world.
Olsen remained in fair condition Friday at a hospital.
Fellow veterans say police fired an object that struck Olsen in the head, but authorities say the object has yet to be definitively established, as well as the person responsible for the injury.
Oakland Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan defended the officers involved in the effort to drive protesters from the encampment, saying they used what they believed to be the least amount of force possible to protect themselves.
"I want to ensure you that all allegations of misconduct and excessive uses of force are being thoroughly investigated," Jordan said.
His comments came on Friday, the same day that left-wing filmmaker Michael Moore rallied a gathering in Oakland. Moore addressed about 1,000 anti-Wall Street protesters, saying the Occupy movement has changed the national discussion.
"When was the last time in the last few weeks you heard them talking about the debt ceiling?" said Moore, the director of the documentary films "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Bowling for Columbine."
Meanwhile, the encampment at the plaza near city hall has returned and grown to about 50 tents, with organizers saying up to a thousand people were in the area late Friday with very few police in sight.
Across San Francisco Bay, protesters were encouraged to wear Halloween costumes for a Saturday march scheduled for 3 p.m. in San Francisco, where protesters are camped out in a city plaza.
Christine Falvey, a spokeswoman for that city's mayor, Ed Lee, said he wants to avoid the type of police confrontations that happened in Oakland but that the camp cannot remain for "too many more days" because of health concerns.
Events were also planned on Saturday in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Farther south, police in San Diego descended early Friday on an encampment that had housed demonstrators at the Civic Center Plaza and Children's Park for three weeks. They arrested 51 people who faced charges including illegal lodging, illegal drug use, unlawful assembly and blocking officers from performing their duties.
San Diego police Chief William Lansdowne said negotiations with demonstrators had broken down and officers received no cooperation, leading to the overnight raid.
In California's agricultural heartland, officials were preparing to oust a group of about 30 demonstrators from next to a Fresno County courthouse. County officials said protesters had ignored some requirements of their permit, including limiting the gathering to about 20 people. They gave notice Friday that the permit would expire midnight Monday, and that demonstrators faced jail time and $500 fines if they remained.
Yet the movement in Fresno continued to gather support. Maria Torres, 86, said she worked with Cesar Chavez as an organizer of the farmworkers' movement in the 1960s and stopped by the encampment to boost morale.
"I'm too old now to do much, but I want to be a part of it," she said in Spanish.
__
Watson reported from San Diego. Contributing to this report were Associated press reporters Tracie Cone in Fresno; Terence Chea and Jason Dearen in San Francisco; and Garance Burke in Oakland.
dina manzo once upon a time once upon a time sharia law sharia law demarco murray ed reed
NYC museum limits visitors in bathtub-like artwork
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, an employee of the New Museum floats in "Giant Psycho Tank" during the press preview of the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, an employee of the New Museum floats in "Giant Psycho Tank" during the press preview of the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, Kyle Chayka, left, and Carolina Miranda ride "Mirror Carousel" during the press preview of the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, "Singing Canaries Mobile" hangs overhead while a New Museum employee, left, gives a visitor instruction as she begins to ride "Untitled (Slide)" during the press preview of the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, a visitor to the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York rides "Untitled (Slide)" during the press preview. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 25 2011 photo, artist Carsten Holler gestures while beinginterviewed by the Associated Press during the press preview of the Carsten Holler: Experience exhibit at the New Museum in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Naked art lovers are no longer able to take dips together in a bathtub-like installation at a New York City museum after warnings from health officials.
The "Psycho Tank" is part of an interactive exhibit "Experience" by German artist Carsten Holler (HOO'-lehr). The pool sits off the ground in a tent-like structure. Visitors are handed bathrobes, slippers and towels before heading into the salty, warm water ? nude.
The New York Post (http://nyp.st/tBrHNo ) reports health officials said allowing more than one person would have required a permit the museum didn't have.
The museum is now allowing only one person in at a time.
Officials are also investigating whether other parts of the exhibit, which include a giant slide and a carousel, meet city regulations.
Associated Pressarkham city conjugated linoleic acid world series schedule apple earnings tampa weather pat buchanan susan sarandon
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Area 51 Florida couple quick clips.
You are currently viewing our site as guest (aka lurker) which gives you limited access to most discussion threads and exclusive articles, as well as restricting your ability to use our powerful site search and other valuable resources.
Joining our community is easy, fast and absolutely free, providing you full access to our extensive discussion thread archive, exclusive articles and special offers, as well as unlimited site searching, private messaging, virtual garage & more!
So, what are you waiting for? Join ThumperTalk now!
If you encounter any problems with the registration process or logging into your account, please visit our 24/7 help section.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thumpertalk/~3/ChE7hFTtb-E/showthread.php
bush ellie goulding ginger aron ralston aron ralston grandparents day 911
Saturday, October 29, 2011
China welcomes consensus reached at EU debt talks (Reuters)
BEIJING (Reuters) ? China welcomed on Thursday the consensus reached at the European Union's summit to tackle the euro zone debt crisis and supported measures taken by the bloc that could help the region's recovery.
Beijing, with its big holdings of European sovereign debt, is one of the main bystanders waiting to see if Europe can provide debt relief for Greece, which risks a default that could trigger a deeper crisis in Italy and other bigger euro zone economies.
After a summit in Brussels, European governments announced an agreement under which private banks and insurers would accept 50 percent losses on their Greek debt holdings in the latest bid to reduce Athens' massive debt load to sustainable levels.
In a telephone conversation with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday, President Hu Jintao said that he hopes Europe's deal to tackle the sovereign debt crisis will help the region's economic recovery, China's state television reported.
"China hopes all these new measures will help stabilize the European financial market and conquer the current difficulties and promote the economic recovery and development," Hu said.
China hopes the G20 summit in France early next month can send a strong signal on promoting robust and balanced global growth, he said. But he did not give further details.
An EU source had earlier said Sarkozy was expected to speak to Hu about Beijing's possible participation in the bailout fund.
"We hope that this consensus ... is conducive to boosting market confidence," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing. "China is willing to make joint efforts to preserve the global economic recovery and growth."
China is also ready to increase cooperation with the EU in areas of investment, trade and finance, she added, without providing details.
"China supports the measures taken by the EU to deal with the debt crisis problem," Jiang said.
China's official Xinhua news agency said the outcome of the EU summit was "positive but filled with difficulties," adding that the deal showed that Europe could surmount its economic woes.
"It seems that all sides at this summit made big efforts and this will bring confidence to markets and also add impetus to the international community joining hands to respond to the current economic situation," it said.
"This summit shows that the countries of the European Union, especially its main economies, have the resolve to overcome difficulties and create an effective 'rescue umbrella' for the euro," said the Chinese-language agency.
"At the same time, it shows the systemic and structural problems the EU has when it comes to dealing with the crisis that demand improvement."
(Additional reporting by Aileen Wang and Kevin Yao; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111027/bs_nm/us_china_eu
joseph addai joseph addai michael jackson autopsy michael jackson autopsy liberace liberace repudiate
Obese people regain weight after dieting due to hormones
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 28-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Rebecca Scott
rebeccas@unimelb.edu.au
61-383-440-181
University of Melbourne
Worldwide, there are more than 1.5 billion overweight adults, including 400 million who are obese. In Australia, it is estimated more than 50 per cent of women and 60 per cent of men are either overweight or obese.
Although restriction of diet often results in initial weight loss, more than 80 per cent of obese dieters fail to maintain their reduced weight.
The study involved 50 overweight or obese adults, with a BMI of between 27 and 40, and an average weight of 95kg, who enrolled in a 10-week weight loss program using a very low energy diet. Levels of appetite-regulating hormones were measured at baseline, at the end of the program and one year after initial weight loss.
Results showed that following initial weight loss of about 13 kgs, the levels of hormones that influence hunger changed in a way which would be expected to increase appetite. These changes were sustained for at least one year. Participants regained around 5kgs during the one-year period of study.
Professor Joseph Proietto from the University of Melbourne and Austin Health said the study revealed the important roles that hormones play in regulating body weight, making dietary and behavioral change less likely to work in the long-term.
"Our study has provided clues as to why obese people who have lost weight often relapse. The relapse has a strong physiological basis and is not simply the result of the voluntary resumption of old habits," he said.
Dr Proietto said although health promotion campaigns recommended obese people adopt lifestyle changes such as to be more active, they were unlikely to lead to reversal of the obesity epidemic.
"Ultimately it would be more effective to focus public health efforts in preventing children from becoming obese."
"The study also suggests that hunger following weight loss needs to be addressed. This may be possible with long-term pharmacotherapy or hormone manipulation but these options need to be investigated," he said.
The study was done in collaboration with La Trobe University.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 28-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Rebecca Scott
rebeccas@unimelb.edu.au
61-383-440-181
University of Melbourne
Worldwide, there are more than 1.5 billion overweight adults, including 400 million who are obese. In Australia, it is estimated more than 50 per cent of women and 60 per cent of men are either overweight or obese.
Although restriction of diet often results in initial weight loss, more than 80 per cent of obese dieters fail to maintain their reduced weight.
The study involved 50 overweight or obese adults, with a BMI of between 27 and 40, and an average weight of 95kg, who enrolled in a 10-week weight loss program using a very low energy diet. Levels of appetite-regulating hormones were measured at baseline, at the end of the program and one year after initial weight loss.
Results showed that following initial weight loss of about 13 kgs, the levels of hormones that influence hunger changed in a way which would be expected to increase appetite. These changes were sustained for at least one year. Participants regained around 5kgs during the one-year period of study.
Professor Joseph Proietto from the University of Melbourne and Austin Health said the study revealed the important roles that hormones play in regulating body weight, making dietary and behavioral change less likely to work in the long-term.
"Our study has provided clues as to why obese people who have lost weight often relapse. The relapse has a strong physiological basis and is not simply the result of the voluntary resumption of old habits," he said.
Dr Proietto said although health promotion campaigns recommended obese people adopt lifestyle changes such as to be more active, they were unlikely to lead to reversal of the obesity epidemic.
"Ultimately it would be more effective to focus public health efforts in preventing children from becoming obese."
"The study also suggests that hunger following weight loss needs to be addressed. This may be possible with long-term pharmacotherapy or hormone manipulation but these options need to be investigated," he said.
The study was done in collaboration with La Trobe University.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/uom-opr102811.php
costumes bobby flay clemson football the new girl miami hurricanes football miami hurricanes football emmy winners
Friday, October 28, 2011
AP IMPACT: NYPD shadows Muslims who change names (AP)
NEW YORK ? Muslims who change their names to sound more traditionally American, as immigrants have done for generations, or who adopt Arabic names as a sign of their faith are often investigated and catalogued in secret New York Police Department intelligence files, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The NYPD monitors everyone in the city who changes his or her name, according to internal police documents and interviews. For those whose names sound Arabic or might be from Muslim countries, police run comprehensive background checks that include reviewing travel records, criminal histories, business licenses and immigration documents. All this is recorded in police databases for supervisors, who review the names and select a handful of people for police to visit.
The program was conceived as a tripwire for police in the difficult hunt for homegrown terrorists, where there are no widely agreed upon warning signs. Like other NYPD intelligence programs created in the past decade, this one involved monitoring behavior protected by the First Amendment.
Since August, an Associated Press investigation has revealed a vast NYPD intelligence-collecting effort targeting Muslims following the terror attacks of September 2001. Police have conducted surveillance of entire Muslim neighborhoods, chronicling every aspect of daily life, including where people eat, pray and get their hair cut. Police infiltrated dozens of mosques and Muslim student groups and investigated hundreds more.
Monitoring name changes illustrates how the threat of terrorism now casts suspicion over what historically has been part of America's story. For centuries, immigrants have Americanized their names in New York. The Roosevelts were once the van Rosenvelts. Fashion designer Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz. Donald Trump's grandfather changed the family name from Drumpf.
David Cohen, the NYPD's intelligence chief, worried that would-be terrorists could use their new names to lie low in New York, current and former officials recalled. Reviewing name changes was intended to identify people who either Americanized their names or took Arabic names for the first time, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not respond to messages left over two days asking about the legal justification for the program and whether it had identified any terrorists.
The goal was to find a way to spot terrorists like Daood Gilani and Carlos Bledsoe before they attacked.
Gilani, a Chicago man, changed his name to the unremarkable David Coleman Headley to avoid suspicion as he helped plan the 2008 terrorist shooting spree in Mumbai, India. Bledsoe, of Tennessee, changed his name to Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad in 2007 and, two years later, killed one soldier and wounded another in a shooting at a recruiting station in Little Rock, Ark.
Sometime around 2008, state court officials began sending the NYPD information about new name changes, said Ron Younkins, the court's chief of operations. The court regularly sends updates to police, he said. The information is all public, and he said the court was not aware of how police used it.
The NYPD program began as a purely analytical exercise, according to documents and interviews. Police reviewed the names received from the court and selected some for background checks that included city, state and federal criminal databases as well as federal immigration and Treasury Department databases that identified foreign travel.
Early on, police added people with American names to the list so that if details of the program ever leaked out, the department would not be accused of profiling, according to one person briefed on the program.
On one police document from that period, 2 out of every 3 people who were investigated had changed their names to or from something that could be read as Arabic-sounding.
All the names that were investigated, even those whose background checks came up empty, were cataloged so police could refer to them in the future.
The legal justification for the program is unclear from the documents obtained by the AP. Because of its history of spying on anti-war protesters and political activists, the NYPD has long been required to follow a federal court order when gathering intelligence. That order allows the department to conduct background checks only when police have information about possible criminal activity, and only as part of "prompt and extremely limited" checking of leads.
The NYPD's rules also prohibit opening investigations based solely on activities protected by the First Amendment. Federal courts have held that people have a right to change their names and, in the case of religious conversion, that right is protected by the First Amendment.
The NYPD is not alone in its monitoring of Muslim neighborhoods. The FBI has its own ethnic mapping program that singled out Muslim communities and agents have been criticized for targeting mosques.
The name change program is an example of how, while the NYPD says it operates under the same rules as the FBI, police have at times gone beyond what is allowed by the federal government. The FBI would not be allowed to run a similar program because of First Amendment and privacy concerns and because the goal is too vague and the program too broad, according to FBI rules and interviews with federal officials.
Police expanded their efforts in late 2009, according to documents and interviews. After analysts ran background checks, police began selecting a handful of people to visit and interview.
Internally, some police groused about the program. Many people who were approached didn't want to talk and police couldn't force them to.
A Pakistani cab driver, for instance, told police he did not want to talk to them about why he took Sheikh as a new last name, documents show.
Police also knew that a would-be terrorist who Americanized his name in hopes of lying low was unlikely to confess as much to detectives. In fact, of those who agreed to talk at all, many said they Americanized their names because they were being harassed or were having problems getting a job and thought a new name would help.
But as with other intelligence programs at the NYPD, Cohen hoped it would send a message to would-be bombers that police were watching, current and former officials said.
As it expanded, the program began to target Muslims even more directly, drawing criticism from Stuart Parker, an in-house NYPD lawyer, who said there had to be standards for who was being interviewed, a person involved in the discussions recalled. In response, police interviewed people with Arabic-sounding names but only if their background checks matched specific criteria.
The names of those who were interviewed, even those who chose not to speak with police, were recorded in police reports storied in the department's database, according to documents and interviews, while names of those who received only background checks were kept in a separate file in the Intelligence Division.
Donna Gabaccia, director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, said that for many families, name changes are important aspects of the American story. Despite the myth that officials at Ellis Island Americanized the names of people arriving in the U.S., most immigrants changed their names themselves to avoid ridicule and discrimination or just to fit in, she said.
The NYPD program, she said, turned that story on its head.
"In the past, you changed your name in response to stigmatization," she said. "And now, you change your name and you are stigmatized. There's just something very sad about this."
As for converts to Islam, the religion does not require them to take Arabic names but many do as a way to publicly identify their faith, said Jonathan Brown, a Georgetown University professor of Islamic studies.
Taking an Arabic name might be a sign that someone is more religious, Brown said, but it doesn't necessarily suggest someone is more radical. He said law enforcement nationwide has often confused the two points in the fight against terrorism.
"It's just an example of the silly, conveyor-belt approach they have, where anyone who gets more religious is by definition more dangerous," Brown said.
Sarah Feinstein-Borenstein, a 75-year-old Jewish woman who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was surprised to learn that she was among the Americans drawn into the NYPD program in its infancy. She hyphenated her last name in 2009. Police investigated and recorded her information in a police intelligence file because of it.
"It's rather shocking to me," she said. "I think they would have better things to do. It's is a waste of my tax money."
Feinstein-Borenstein was born in Egypt and lived there until the Suez Crisis in 1956. With a French mother and a Jewish religion, she and her family were labeled "undesirable" and were kicked out. She came to the U.S. in 1963.
"If you live long enough," she said, "you see everything."
___
Contact the Washington investigative team at DCInvestigations(at)ap.org
Read AP's previous stories and documents about the NYPD at: http://www.ap.org/nypd
Follow Apuzzo and Goldman at http://twitter.org/mattapuzzo and http://twitter.org/goldmandc
florida marlins dancing with the stars 2011 dwts bill buckner christmas island antonio gates antonio gates
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)