Graham Won't Block Gun Control; Dolan Thinks Church Needs to Work with Gays

Sen. Lindsey Graham announced he will not be join other Republican Senators planning to filibuster any gun reform bills on CNN's State of the Union. "The only way I would filibuster a bill is if Sen. [Harry] Reid did not allow alternative amendments," Graham told Candy Crowley. Graham argued he would rather see the current system fixed and better enforced than see a new background check system pass. "I don't think" it will pass, Graham said. "Nothing we're talking about would not have prevented Newtown from happening. The guy [shooter Adam Lanza] did not fail a background check," the senator added. Graham also touched briefly on the bipartisan immigration reform bill he's working on with eight other Senators. The bill has been approved by all the overseers. It just need to be written, Graham said. "I think we've got a deal. We've got to write the legislation, but 2013, I hope, will be the year that we pass bipartisan immigration reform," Graham said. Graham assured Crowley it would pass easily because it satisfies everything that all parties are asking for. "It will pass the House because it secures our borders, it controls who gets a job... [and] the 11 million [undocumented immigrations] will have a pathway to citizenship, but it will be earned, it will be long, and it will be hard," Graham said.

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Sen.?Chuck Schumer?-- one of the other eight Senators working on the immigration reform bill -- said he hoped the bill would make it to the Senate floor in May during an appearance on NBC's?Meet the Press. "I am very, very optimistic that we will have an agreement among the eight of us next week. Sen. [Patrick] Leahy has agreed to have extensive markup and debate on the bill in April, and then we go to the floor, God willing, in May," Schumer said. "With the agreement between business and labor, every major policy issue has been resolved on the Gang of Eight," he added. But there are still some major hurdles, he cautioned. For example, the language of the bill still has to be written and debated. "We're not going to come to a final agreement until we see draft legislative language and we agree on that. We drafted some of it already, the rest will be drafted this week," Schumer said. "I am very, very optimistic that we will have an agreement among the eight of us next week."

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Later on Meet the Press, David Axelrod said the President was keen to pass immigration reform during his second term. "He wants this accomplishment. This is a legacy item for him. There is no doubt in my mind he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform," Axelrod said.

RELATED: Romney's No Muggle: Gibbs Thinks His Debate Performance Was Magical

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal is still hopeful a "sensible compromise" can be reached on gun reform bills when they come before the Senate, he told Candy Crowley on State of the Union. Blumenthal is still optimistic universal background checks could pass. The Connecticut Senator also promised he would add an amendment to any gun reform bill limiting the sale of high-capacity magazines. "The majority leader has assured me... that we can offer amendments on both the assault weapons ban and the prohibition on high-capacity magazines," Blumenthal said. "So there will be votes." Crowley asked if he thinks the gun reform movement would be considered a failure if a limit on high-capacity magazines didn't pass. Blumenthal didn't think so. "Any step that saves lives is a step in the right direction,"?he said. "The question is not winning or losing here, but really, saving lives, which the people of Newtown... want to happen."

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake -- one of eight Senators working on bipartisan immigration reform -- said it is "inevitable" a Republican Presidential candidate supports gay marriage some day. Not that his view is changing any time soon, mind you. "I think that's inevitable. There will be one, and I think he'll receive Republican support, or she will, so I think that...The answer is yes," Flake?said on Meet the Press. But, yeah, he still doesn't support gay marriage. "I still hold to the traditional definition of marriage," Flake said. He doesn't see his position changing any time soon.?

Former Romney senior adviser Ed Gillespie doesn't seem to agree with Flake, though. He said on Fox News Sunday that he "wouldn't have any problem" with a Republican platform that supports traditional marriage. "I don't ever think you'd ever see the Republican Party platform say 'we're in favor' of same-sex marriage," Gillespie said. He predicted Republicans would advocate federal laws restricting gay rights would be condemned by Republicans, but they would still argue gay marriage was up to the states to decide.?

Cardinal?Timothy Dolan thinks Americans are still a very religious people, dismissing new poll numbers showing more and more Americans drifting away from the church. CBS' Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer asked Dolan to?"judge the state of America's spirituality these days," after showing him poll numbers showing 20 percent of Americans claiming no affiliation to the church. Dolan did say the survey was "somber," but argued that America is still a religious nation -- it's the church they have the problem with. He said the U.S. is "still a very strong religious nation," but that some people "have some troubles with the church." In a sign that Cardinal Dolan might understand where the world is going, he said the church needs to work harder to reach out to gay members during an appearance on ABC's This Week. "We gotta do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people. And I admit, we haven't been too good at that. We try our darndest to make sure we're not an anti-anybody," he said. He doesn't have any bright ideas as to how the church could fix that problem, though. "I don't know. We're still trying. We're trying our best to do it. We got to listen to people," Dolan said. "Jesus died on the cross for them as much as he did for me." But that doesn't mean Dolan has evolved on gay marriage. Oh no, he still thinks gays should not marry and that sex between two males or two females is wrong. "Sexual love... is intended only for a man and woman in marriage, where children can come about naturally," Dolan said. "Sometimes we're not as successful or as effective as we can be in translating that warm embrace into also teaching what God has told us about the way He wants us to live," Dolan added.?

Here's Dolan on Face the Nation:

Here's Dolan on This Week:

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Rep. Peter King doesn't think we should talk to North Korea. "I don't see any purpose in that. As far as I see, [North Korea] is not even a government. It's more like an organized crime family running a territory. They are brutal," the New Yorker said on ABC's This Week. "It would demoralize our allies in Asia... and it would to me serve no constructive purpose whatsoever." On Friday, Kim Jong-Un threatened?retaliation?against Western countries for the sanctions crippling his country. "Kim Kong-Un is trying to establish himself, trying to be the tough guy. He's 28, 29 years old, and he keeps going further and further out," King said. "My concern would be that he may launch some sort of attack on South Korea."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/graham-wont-block-gun-control-dolan-thinks-church-190340901.html

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APNewsBreak: Gas trade group seeks fracking probe

FILE - In this file photo of Jan. 17, 2013, Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa., during a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania. Ono and Lennon have formed a group called ?Artists Against Fracking,? which has become the main celebrity driven anti-fracking organization. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - In this file photo of Jan. 17, 2013, Yoko Ono, left, and her son Sean Lennon visit a fracking site in Franklin Forks, Pa., during a bus tour of natural-gas drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania. Ono and Lennon have formed a group called ?Artists Against Fracking,? which has become the main celebrity driven anti-fracking organization. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ? A formal complaint filed with New York's lobbying board asks it to investigate whether Artists Against Fracking, a group formed by Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon, is violating the state's lobbying law.

The complaint obtained by The Associated Press was made by the Independent Oil & Gas Association to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics.

The energy trade group based its request for an investigation on an AP report that found that Artists Against Fracking and its advocates didn't register as lobbyists. Registration requires several disclosures about spending and activities.

A spokesman for Artists Against Fracking says the group's activities are protected because they were made during a public comment period. He also says celebrities involved in the group are protected because they are longtime activists, not lobbyists.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-30-Gas%20Drilling-Celebrities/id-8bf6492bf23f45289fe860500166181d

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AP opens full news bureau in Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? The Associated Press on Saturday became the first international news agency to open a bureau in Myanmar since a reformist government took power two years ago and began relaxing restrictions on the media for the first time in decades.

The opening paves the way for AP to expand its coverage of the unfolding transition in Myanmar, which is still emerging from nearly half a century of military rule, for its members and customers around the world.

Six multi-format journalists will staff the new AP bureau full time. Among them is award-winning correspondent Aye Aye Win, who has reported from her native country for the AP since 1989 and was honored for courage in 2008 by the International Women's Media Foundation. She succeeded another AP veteran in Yangon ? her father, Sein Win, who covered the nation also known as Burma for AP for 20 years and was imprisoned several times, including during the failed pro-democracy uprising in 1988.

"AP has a proud history of reportage from Myanmar, and the new multimedia bureau marks the beginning of an even more robust commitment," said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. "We hope to build on our efforts and cover the important changes there for many years to come."

Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said: "We take great pride in our independent and impartial reporting, and coverage of Myanmar has been a priority for many years. A full-time, multimedia bureau staffed by talented local and international journalists will enable AP to provide even more coverage of the historic changes under way in Myanmar."

The Information Ministry informed the AP on Saturday it had granted the news agency permission to open a full-fledged office in the main city, Yangon. Japanese broadcaster NHK was also granted permission.

Although the AP has deployed visiting foreign staff regularly to Myanmar since the nation began opening up two years ago, it had previously been prohibited from basing international journalists permanently in the country. Today, there are several dozen journalists working in Myanmar for various international news outlets. Under the previous military regime, China's Xinhua News Agency and Guangming Daily were the only foreign news outlets allowed to have their nationals as resident correspondents.

The reform process under President Thein Sein, who took office two years ago this month, has included the abolition of direct censorship of local media. On Monday, independent daily newspapers will be able to publish for the first time since 1964.

The opening of AP's bureau in Myanmar follows by a little more than a year the opening of a bureau providing text stories and photos from Pyongyang, North Korea, which made AP the first Western news organization to operate fully in all media time in the mostly shrouded state. AP previously had a video news office in the country since 2006.

Founded in 1846 and headquartered in New York City, the AP provides news in print, photos, video, mobile and online. It is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative owned by member newspapers and broadcasters in the United States and operating from 280 locations in 110 countries around the world.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-opens-full-news-bureau-myanmar-195418192.html

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You Have My Attention... Hello! - Internet Marketing Business Forum

Hey, what?s up? I didn't see an introduction area so I guess this is ok. I?m Steve and I?m a 24 year old guy from the UK. I?m dedicated to making a living on the Internet and be a part of this community, contributing, sharing my experiences and all that jazz.

I consider myself an enthusiastic and hard working entrepreneur that always achieves my goals in the online marketing industry and still enjoying life outside. I haven?t won the lottery (yet), and I?m not some guru claiming millions. I am still young but I?m definitely on the road to success.

My Story

I used to have this job as a multimedia sales assistant for 5 years and in between that I was studying health and fitness which I am now a certified personal trainer. As time went on Personal Training in my area is not easy and working in a gym was too competitive so I ended up pulling the plug seeking a new path.

It was a weird feeling but I wanted to focus on what I really enjoyed and that was Internet Marketing. I got myself an Internet Marketing coach and I was doing Online Marketing Management with a company. Unfortunately I was made redundant but after feeling bad about it, I immediately decided to work for myself.

So now I?m here and I just want to say that I look forward to speaking with other IMB Forum members and getting involved in the conversations.

All The Best,
Steve.

Source: http://www.imbforum.com/internet-marketing-online-business-work-home-lobby/16868-you-have-my-attention-hello.html

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Wichita State moves on to final 8

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Malcolm Armstead and his Wichita State teammates told each other they could be a Final Four team last summer.

Now the Shockers are one win away from a place the program hasn't been since 1965.

They rolled past La Salle 72-58 in the West Regional semifinals on Thursday night. Next up is No. 2 seed Ohio State in Saturday's regional final.

"It's a big game and I am feeling another upset," reserve guard Nick Wiggins said. "We belong here."

Armstead scored 18 points, Carl Hall added 16 and freshman Ron Baker had 13 for the ninth-seeded Shockers in their latest win, proving their upset of No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the third round was no fluke.

"To see we're one game away from it, it's like a dream come true," Armstead said. "But you still have to stay focused on this next game. You can't bypass it and look forward to the Final Four yet."

Wichita State overwhelmed La Salle from the opening tip on its way to the school's first final eight appearance since 1981.

"It's like I'm in a dream still with this whole Elite Eight situation," Hall said.

The Shockers opened the game on a 14-2 run and ended the first half with a 9-1 spurt. They started the second half by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers for a 22-point lead.

La Salle never got closer than 11 points in the second half, when the Explorers outscored the Shockers 36-34.

"It took us a half to kind of adjust to the level they were playing at," La Salle coach John Giannini said. "The second half was pretty evenly played, but we were in just too deep of a hole."

Ninth-seeded Wichita State (29-8) tied the school's 2010-11 team for most victories. That group won the NIT title. These Shockers want much more.

"We need one more win to seal this deal and go back home and get ready for the Final Four," Baker said. "We're just going to grab this opportunity the best we can."

The Shockers beat Kansas by two points to get to the final eight in 1981. They didn't need to take down a giant this time, just a 6,500-student school from Philadelphia that scrapped its way 2,754 miles from an at-large berth in Dayton, Ohio, to Los Angeles.

"That was the game plan early on, try to wear them down, pound it inside, and get inside-out shots, and that's what we came up," Armstead said.

Jerrell Wright and Tyrone Garland led the Explorers with 16 points each. Ramon Galloway, who averages a team-leading 17.4 points, was held to 11 for a program that won the 1954 NCAA championship and reached the 1955 national title game.

La Salle (24-10) didn't have the depth to hold its own against Wichita State, which owned a 47-29 rebounding edge and outscored the Explorers 40-26 in the paint, helped by Hall, who had 14 points in the first half.

"It was kind of an easy night for us on the inside because they only really have one post player," Hall said.

The Shockers limited La Salle to 36 percent shooting ? the same as Gonzaga shot in its third-round loss.

"They were all over the place. They came to play," Galloway said.

Hall sat down with his third foul while La Salle was busy whittling its deficit to 11 points by attacking the rim. But the Explorers never got within single digits, and Armstead scored nine straight points to push Wichita State's lead to 62-47. Another 6-0 spurt, capped by Cleanthony Early's dunk, made it 68-48.

"Armstead was huge at that point," Giannini said. "He had three, four big buckets in a row and we were scoring. But if we get the stops, that 10, 11, 12-point game is a four- to eight-point game, and then you really have a chance. But Armstead wouldn't allow it. When we threatened, he was the one that really responded."

The Shockers hit two straight 3-pointers to open the second half and push their lead to 22 points.

La Salle turned aggressive, answering with a 10-0 run to close to 44-32, with Wright scoring the first seven points and Galloway making a 3-pointer.

The Explorers got shocked to start the game, with Wichita State outscoring them 14-2. The Shockers ended the half on a 9-1 run, including five by Baker, to lead 38-22 at the break. La Salle was held to 27 percent shooting, while Wichita State shot 53 percent and dominated the paint 24-10.

Hall's teammates repeatedly found him down on the block and he muscled in layups over the smaller Explorers.

Galloway missed his first six shots. He finally made a 3-pointer that drew the Explorers within eight, but Wichita State quickly restored its lead to double digits.

Although 6-foot-11 center Steve Zack was cleared to play, he didn't and the Explorers missed his added height and inside presence. Zack had been out the previous six games with a sprained foot.

"He had a lot of soreness today, and we didn't think he could move well enough to help us in the game," Giannini said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wichita-state-moves-final-8-080316855--spt.html

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Consumer data support sturdy first-quarter growth picture

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending rose in February and sentiment among Americans perked up this month, further signs of an acceleration in economic activity in the first quarter after a near stall late last year.

The data on Friday also showed a rebound in income growth, putting the economy in a better shape to deal with tighter fiscal policy, particularly $85 billion in across-the-board federal government spending cuts, known as the "sequester."

"The economy is in a good place now in terms of momentum and strength, and it will need it as the government spending cuts will take something off growth as the year progresses," said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ in New York.

Consumer spending increased 0.7 percent last month after a 0.4 percent rise in January, the Commerce Department said.

Though part of the increase in spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, was because of higher gasoline prices, Americans also bought long-lasting goods such as automobiles and spent more on services.

Gas prices at the pump increased 35 cents a gallon last month.

After adjusting for inflation, spending was up 0.3 percent after advancing by the same margin in January. As a result, economists said consumer spending in the first quarter was on track to record its fastest growth pace since 2010.

"It appears that consumer spending actually accelerated in the first quarter despite the tax hikes implemented at the start of the year," said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.

Some economists bumped up their first-quarter economic growth estimates.

Barclays raised its gross domestic product forecast by 0.7 percentage point to 3.3 percent. Macroeconomic Advisers lifted their estimate by three-tenths of a point to 3.5 percent.

The economy grew at only a 0.4 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter.

A separate report showed households this month shrugged off the deep government spending cuts, focusing instead on a steady labor market improvement, which is starting to boost wages.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment rose to 78.6 from 77.6 in February.

"Consumers have discounted the administration's warning that economic catastrophe would follow the reductions in federal spending, and consumers have renewed their expectation that gains in employment will accelerate through the rest of 2013," said survey director Richard Curtin.

And they have reason to be optimistic. Income increased a healthy 1.1 percent after tumbling 3.7 percent in January.

Personal income had increased sharply in December as businesses rushed to pay dividends and bonuses before tax hikes took effect this year. That also skewed income data for January.

U.S. financial markets were closed for Good Friday and will reopen on Monday.

LITTLE SIGN OF FISCAL DRAG

A 2 percent payroll tax cut expired on January 1 and tax rates for wealthy Americans also went up. The consumer spending and sentiment reports were the latest to show little sign the tighter fiscal policy has been a major drag on the economy.

Employment growth gained steam in February, factory activity touched a 1-1/2 year high and first-time filings for jobless benefits have only increased modestly so far in March.

Last month, the income at the disposal of households after inflation and taxes increased 0.7 percent after dropping 4 percent in January.

With income growth outpacing spending, the saving rate - the percentage of disposable income households are socking away - rose to 2.6 percent from 2.2 percent in January.

The higher gasoline prices pushed up inflation, with a price index for consumer spending rising 0.4 percent after being flat for two straight months. February's increase in the PCE index was the largest since August.

But a core reading that strips out food and energy costs rose only 0.1 percent after increasing 0.2 percent in January, showing no sign of underlying inflation pressures.

Over the past 12 months, inflation has risen 1.3 percent after a similar gain in the period through January.

Core prices were up 1.3 percent, well below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target. They also had risen 1.3 percent in the 12 months through January.

The benign inflation picture should give the U.S. central bank room to continue with its monetary stimulus as it seeks to boost job growth.

The Fed said last week it would maintain its monthly $85 billion purchases of mortgage and Treasury bonds until it saw a substantial improvement in the job market.

"This is plenty of ammunition for all those Fed officials, who currently do not want to scale back the degree of monetary accommodation," said Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York.

"For investors this must look like Goldilocks: Better economic data and ongoing monetary accommodation at the same time."

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani, additional reporting by Luciana Lopez in New York; Editing by Neil Stempleman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-consumer-spending-rises-supports-sturdy-growth-picture-123723020--business.html

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Jack Dorsey Fights Robots In His Own Unauthorized Comic Book

He might not be bulletproof, but simultaneously running Twitter and Square qualifies Jack Dorsey as a superhero. This week a new unauthorized comic book about him was released, called "Jack Dorsey: Co-Founder of Twitter #1". Check out these page scans posted by Comic Book Resources that preview his quest to recover stolen quantum networking technology.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/oWKUq5cUamI/

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Trinidad James' 'Females Welcomed' Ready For 'Attack'

Director Jonathan Mannion tells MTV News his creative process behind the Carnival-themed clip.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by James Lacsina

Trinidad James in his video for "Females Welcomed"
Photo: Def Jam

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704638/trinidad-james-females-welcomed-video.jhtml

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Ex-Sen. Craig loses bid to dismiss FEC lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A federal judge refused on Thursday to dismiss a Federal Election Commission lawsuit that accuses former Sen. Larry Craig of misusing $217,000 in campaign funds for his legal defense after his arrest in a 2007 airport bathroom sex sting.

Craig had argued that the airport bathroom trip fell under his official duties as senator because he was traveling between Idaho and Washington for work, and therefore the legal fees could be paid for with campaign money.

But U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected that argument. She wrote in her ruling that the charge against Craig didn't relate "to his conduct as a legislator, but only actions undertaken in the privacy and anonymity of a restroom stall." Jackson set a scheduling conference in the case for April 26.

The Idaho Republican was arrested by an undercover police officer at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The officer said Craig tapped his feet and signaled under a stall divider that he wanted sex. Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine. After his arrest later became public, Craig tried unsuccessfully to reverse his conviction.

The FEC allows campaign funds to be used for legal expenses that were caused by a candidate's campaign or officeholder's duties, and determines that on a case-by-case basis. The commission sued Craig last year after concluding his legal problems had nothing to do with campaigning for federal office. The FEC is seeking an order requiring Craig to return the money to his campaign, along with fines of up to $6,500 against Craig and his campaign treasurer, Kaye O'Riordan.

"Senator Craig was arrested for, and pled guilty to, committing a criminal violation of Minnesota state law," Jackson wrote. "One does not need to be a United States congressman - or any sort of federal official - to be charged with this offense, and the arrest did not call into question his conduct as a legislator. Neither the charge nor the underlying conduct had anything to do with his performance of his official duties, so the legal expenses they generated were not incurred in connection with those duties."

In an email, Craig's lawyer, Andrew Herman, said, "We will assess the opinion and decide how to proceed after doing so."

___

Follow Fred Frommer on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ffrommer

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ex-sen-craig-loses-bid-dismiss-fec-lawsuit-211033753--politics.html

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Colorado theater shooter lawyers lack legitimate plea offer: prosecutors

(Reuters) - Attorneys for a man accused of killing 12 people at a Colorado movie theater last July have not made a legitimate offer to have him plead guilty in the case, prosecutors have said, the Denver Post newspaper reported on Thursday.

Defense attorneys for James Holmes, 25, said in court papers filed on Wednesday that they had offered to have him plead guilty in exchange for a life prison term.

Such an agreement would spare Holmes the death penalty in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

But prosecutors, in a response filed with the court on Thursday, said there was no acceptable offer on the table, the Post reported in a story on its website.

"There is not ? and has never been ? an actual or unqualified 'offer' to plead guilty," prosecutors wrote, according to the Post. "The prosecution indicated that it could not consider such an offer without specific additional information, which the defense refused to provide."

Holmes faces multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder stemming from the July 20 massacre at a showing of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado that also wounded 58 people.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler has said that he would formally inform the court during a hearing scheduled for Monday whether his office would seek the death penalty against Holmes.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb and Keith Coffman; Editing by Kevin Gray, Bernard Orr)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-theater-shooter-lawyers-lack-legitimate-plea-offer-000802456.html

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Study: Health law to raise claims cost 32 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A new study finds that insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

What does that mean for you?

It could increase premiums for at least some Americans.

If you are uninsured, or you buy your policy directly from an insurance company, you should pay attention.

But if you have an employer plan, like most workers and their families, odds are you don't have much to worry about.

The estimates from the Society of Actuaries could turn into a political headache for the Obama administration at a time when much of the country remains skeptical of the Affordable Care Act.

The administration is questioning the study, saying it doesn't give a full picture ? and costs will go down.

Actuaries are financial risk professionals who conduct long-range cost estimates for pension plans, insurance companies and government programs.

The study says claims costs will go up largely because sicker people will join the insurance pool. That's because the law forbids insurers from turning down those with pre-existing medical problems, effective Jan. 1. Everyone gets sick sooner or later, but sicker people also use more health care services.

"Claims cost is the most important driver of health care premiums," said Kristi Bohn, an actuary who worked on the study. Spending on sicker people and other high-cost groups will overwhelm an influx of younger, healthier people into the program, said the report.

The Obama administration challenged the design of the study, saying it focused only on one piece of the puzzle and ignored cost relief strategies in the law, such as tax credits to help people afford premiums and special payments to insurers who attract an outsize share of the sick.

The study also doesn't take into account the potential price-cutting effect of competition in new state insurance markets that will go live Oct. 1, administration officials said.

At a White House briefing Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said some of what passes for health insurance today is so skimpy it can't be compared to the comprehensive coverage available under the law. "Some of these folks have very high catastrophic plans that don't pay for anything unless you get hit by a bus," she said. "They're really mortgage protection, not health insurance."

Sebelius said the picture on premiums won't start coming into focus until insurers submit their bids. Those results may not be publicly known until late summer.

Another striking finding of the report was a wide disparity in cost impact among the states.

While some states will see medical claims costs per person decline, the report concluded that the overwhelming majority will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers.

The differences are big. By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent for Ohio, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.

Part of the reason for the wide disparities is that states have different populations and insurance rules. In the relatively small number of states where insurers were already restricted from charging higher rates to older, sicker people, the cost impact is less.

The report did not make similar estimates for employer plans that most workers and families rely on. That's because the primary impact of Obama's law is on people who don't have coverage through their jobs.

A prominent national expert, recently retired Medicare chief actuary Rick Foster, said the report does "a credible job" of estimating potential enrollment and costs under the law, "without trying to tilt the answers in any particular direction."

"Having said that," Foster added, "actuaries tend to be financially conservative, so the various assumptions might be more inclined to consider what might go wrong than to anticipate that everything will work beautifully." Actuaries use statistics and economic theory to make long-range cost projections for insurance and pension programs sponsored by businesses and government. The society is headquartered near Chicago.

Bohn, the actuary who worked on the study, acknowledged it did not attempt to estimate the effect of subsidies, insurer competition and other factors that could offset cost increases. She said the goal was to look at the underlying cost of medical care.

"We don't see ourselves as a political organization," Bohn added. "We are trying to figure out what the situation at hand is."

On the plus side, the report found the law will cover more than 32 million currently uninsured Americans when fully phased in. And some states ? including New York and Massachusetts ? will see double-digit declines in costs for claims in the individual market.

Uncertainty over costs has been a major issue since the law passed three years ago, and remains so just months before a big push to cover the uninsured gets rolling Oct. 1. Middle-class households will be able to purchase subsidized private insurance in new marketplaces, while low-income people will be steered to Medicaid and other safety net programs. States are free to accept or reject a Medicaid expansion also offered under the law.

___

AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-health-law-raise-claims-cost-32-percent-070021624--finance.html

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UFC comes to closer to victory on the hill | iPolitics

Georges St-Pierre, left, from Canada lands a blow to Nick Diaz from the United States during their UFC 158 welterweight title fight in Montreal, Saturday, March 16. CP/Graham Hughes

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is one step away from knocking out an law that ostensibly bans popular mixed martial arts like the UFC from staging live shows in Canada.

Senate Bill S-209, which would make martial arts like judo, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing and karate, and mixed martial arts competitions legal in Canada for the first time, began its first House of Commons committee airing today without much of a fight.

The bill would amend subsection 83 of the criminal code, which bans ?prize fights? ? currently defined as a fight with fists or hands. The section, which was first enacted in [...]

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Source: http://www.ipolitics.ca/2013/03/27/ufc-comes-to-closer-to-victory-on-the-hill/

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High-End Fashion Startup Material Wrld Makes Its Official Debut

Material Wrld, the fashion startup seed funded by Warby Parker and Bonobos investor Great Oaks VC, is today making its public debut. The e-commerce site has come a long way since the beta it had running late last year, and to kick off its launch, the company is introducing a number of new features to help its fashion community discover new styles, ideas and people to follow.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/mhnKnVlxV_k/

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Poor tax collection: FBR, finance ministry shift blame on to each other

Revenu?es have increa?sed only 7% agains?t requir?ed growth of 26%.

Way behind: Rs1.29 trillion is the tax collection in about nine months compared to full-year target of Rs2.381 trillion. DESIGN: ANAM HALEEM

ISLAMABAD:?

As criticism mounts over inability of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to meet targets, tax authorities have defended their performance and instead held the finance ministry responsible for making inaccurate assumptions at the time of presentation of budget.

FBR Chairman Ali Arshad Hakeem faced embarrassment on Tuesday when the finance ministry told Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso that the FBR had miserably failed to achieve the revenue collection target for the current fiscal year.

According to FBR?s documents, in the first 26 days of March, it collected Rs128.5 billion compared to Rs98.3 billion in the same period of last year, a 30.8% increase which the tax authorities have described as impressive and much higher than inflation unadjusted gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate.

Of the total, the collection of direct taxes rose 60.2% at Rs50.7 billion against Rs31.6 billion in March last year.

In indirect taxes, Rs55.7 billion was received as sales tax compared to Rs48.5 billion received last year, a growth of 15%. Federal excise duty collection increased 16.9% at Rs8.2 billion compared to Rs6.9 billion in March last year. Growth in customs duties was 24.6% as the FBR bagged Rs14 billion against Rs11.2 billion last year.

?The exceptional increase in revenues in March is a seasonal phenomenon as at the close of each quarter tax collection jumps because of advance payments,? said Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, Dean of Business School of National University of Science and Technology.

Unlike the high growth in March, tax collection in nine months (July-March) stood at Rs1.29 trillion, up Rs81.8 billion or 6.8% over the corresponding period of last fiscal year, according to the FBR documents. This is far short of the growth rate of 26% that the FBR needs to meet the annual tax collection target of Rs2.381 trillion.

Reasons for shortfall

The FBR was of the view that the finance ministry had set this year?s tax target on unrealistic foundations and the board would defend its position in front of the prime minister.

The ministry had expected the nominal GDP to remain around 16%. Contrary to this, the nominal GDP has so far been around 12% as both inflation and GDP growth targets have been revised downward.

The FBR?s performance too has been marred by political appointments on key posts. According to officials, people with tainted past have been brought to important positions under political considerations and the FBR chairman has little option to make appointments.

Another big hurdle that stands in the way of boosting revenues is the tax break given to influential lobbies by the previous government, the officials said.

The FBR has withdrawn various tax measures announced on the eve of federal budget like 1% tax on all types of manufacturing. Apart from this, tax relief has been given to sugar and steel industries, allegedly under political compulsion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2013.

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Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/527457/poor-tax-collection-fbr-finance-ministry-shift-blame-on-to-each-other/

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Health Insurance Coverage for the Times : Harmala's CanSupport ...

Posted by admin on Mar - 26 - 2013

Health insurance is a vexing thing. If you don?t have it, you face the risk of spending huge amounts out of your own pocket to meet any medical contingency, while if you have it, you are never quite sure if those treating you are responding more by your symptoms than to the medical coverage you have. This again is the result of a system that does not offer universal health coverage to its citizens across the board and where a growing number of health providers today are private players. There is also much to be said for adapting health insurance schemes to meet the challenge of a changing health landscape.

For those of us who work in palliative care, the need is for medical coverage schemes that reimburse those with life limiting diseases and conditions. The increase in the life span of Indians is already seeing a commensurate rise in the incidence of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer as well as debilitating conditions associated with old age such as osteoporosis, Alzheimer?s and dementia. As we live longer and longer it is these conditions that are going to dictate the quality of our final days.

The evidence available from the west, and from Japan where people are living the longest, suggests that for most of us the last years of life are going to be fairly miserable unless we and our caregivers are able to access care that provides relief from unpleasant symptoms, responds to our nursing needs and offers psycho-social support. As we have been able to show from our many years of experience of running a home care service at CanSupport, this is not expensive or high tech care nor is it necessary to hospitalize people to deliver it. In fact, we encourage people to stay at home as this is where most of them are most comfortable, there is usually a member of the family willing to act as chief carer, besides which this is cost effective care. The unfortunate part is that this kind of care is not covered by most insurance companies who only reimburse hospital stays and in-patient procedures. As a result we have an ironic situation where even when treatments can be given on an out-patient basis patients are advised to check in.

Such discriminatory practices only help the hospitals and the insurance companies. Not only is insurance dictating where you should receive treatment but also who should receive treatment. Those who are elderly and above the age of 70 years are excluded from most medical coverage policies. How ironic and out of step this is with the reality of our lives today when more and more of us are likely to live beyond seventy years! Insurance companies would do well to cover this population for palliative care outside the hospital setting so that families as well as the state are spared the cost of inappropriate and expensive procedures and treatments that add unnecessarily to the burden of care and compromise quality of life. Surely, it is not a question of just prolonging life but of ensuring its continuing value?

Source: http://www.cansupport.org/blog/?p=104

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CARROT, the Sadistic To-Do App, Adds Reminders and Recurring Tasks, Is Available for Free Today

iOS: CARROT, the to-do app with the personality of a crazed robot, has added a few new features, including reminders, recurring tasks, and Siri integration. The celebrate the update, CARROT is free today.

We're fans of CARROT because it makes your to-do list fun (and a little terrifying) by shaming you into getting things done. Every time you complete a task on your to-do list you level up, and that unlocks new features. This new update makes CARROT a lot more useable as a full-fledged to-do list. You can set reminders and due dates for any task when you reach level 18, create recurring tasks at level 28, and you get Siri sync at level 24. It's an interesting approach to a to-do list, and if you've been shying away because of the lack of more advanced features now might be the time to give it another look.

CARROT: The Todo List with Personality (Currently free, usually 99?) | iTunes App Store

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/kTY2dnzO9T8/carrot-the-sadistic-to+do-app-adds-reminders-recurring-tasks-and-siri-integration

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S.D. Sen. Johnson to retire, citing health and age

VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) ? Entering the auditorium on a motorized scooter and delivering remarks in halting speech, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson announced Tuesday that he would retire next year at the end of his term and acknowledged he remains limited by a 2006 health crisis that nearly killed him.

Smiling and joking at times as he made the announcement at a press conference in his hometown of Vermillion, the 66-year-old said the effects of his life-threatening brain hemorrhage had made speech and mobility increasingly difficult.

"I feel great, but I must be honest ... I appreciate my right arm and right leg aren't what they used to be, and my speech is not entirely there," Johnson said, his delivery slurred at times.

Johnson, who until recently relied on a cane to get around, has become dependent on the motorized scooter he used to enter the auditorium at the University of South Dakota where he made his remarks. He also said he hoped to spend more time with his five grandchildren and that "I think mostly it's time to go."

Johnson's departure helps solidify GOP prospects of claiming the state's first open Senate seat since 1978. Republican former Gov. Mike Rounds had announced plans last year to challenge Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and has rallied much of the state and national party establishment behind him.

In a sign Republicans are not yet lock-step behind Rounds, a Washington-based political action committee released a statement Tuesday criticizing Rounds' spending during two terms as governor, and calling for a more conservative candidate to run for Johnson's seat. The same fractures between tea party-aligned and more moderate Republicans cost the GOP seats that were seen as winnable in 2010 and 2012.

On the Democratic side, long-rumored possible successors including Johnson's son, South Dakota's U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, and former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin.

"I've talked to Brendan now and then, but I'm not leaning on him to run or not run," Johnson told The Associated Press after the event. "I gather he is undecided."

Brendan Johnson declined to comment on his political plans Tuesday. He has avoided public statements about the race, but has had conversations with party activists in the state, and advisers and potential donors outside South Dakota.

Herseth Sandlin, 42, is general counsel for Raven Industries, Corp., a position she began last year after returning to South Dakota from Washington, D.C. She had worked as a lawyer in Washington after losing re-election to a fourth U.S. House term in 2010.

"While I appreciate the encouragement I've received I haven't focused on the future political opportunities," she told The AP.

Although both prospects have political networks to tap, both also face potential liabilities.

The younger Johnson, 37, has never held political office and would face questions about his father's involvement in the confirmation process to his federal post. Herseth Sandlin has taken some positions at odds with some South Dakota Democratic activists, including opposing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which could hurt in a potential Democratic primary.

Republicans too could face ideological tension. U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, elected in 2010, has been courted to challenge Rounds by South Dakota conservatives. While Noem has shown little movement toward investigating a 2014 Senate campaign, aides said Tuesday: "She hasn't ruled anything in or out."

Nationally, Republicans said by stepping aside, the politically resilient Johnson, who also retains a $1.2 million campaign war chest, gives the GOP its best chance to gain a seat in its quest for the majority.

"I believe South Dakota moves into the top slot as the most likely Republican pickup," said Greg Strimple, a Republican pollster and past consultant to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, joins Democratic Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey as seasoned and influential Democrats departing the chamber, where Republicans need to gain six seats to take control. Two Republican senators have announced their retirements, both in Republican-performing states Georgia and Nebraska.

South Dakota was carried by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney last year, adding urgency for Democrats hoping to keep their majority. Republicans must gain six seats to retake the chamber in 2014.

With his wife Barbara at his side, Sen. Johnson remained standing, leaning on his stronger left hand at the podium, taking questions from reporters then posing for pictures and shaking hands with supporters ? reaching out with his left ? for an hour.

"I look forward to serving the remaining two years as the country is facing difficult times on many fronts and I will work every day to find a bipartisan solution to these challenges," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sd-sen-johnson-retire-cites-health-age-001827846--politics.html

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iPhone 6 release date: When will Apple?s next iPhone arrive?

Blogs

We?ve had plenty of new?smartphones?this year but the?Apple?iPhone 6 is nowhere to be seen. Here we round up all the leaks and rumours about the Apple iPhone 6 release date.

For starters it?s not definite that the next generation of iPhone will even be called the iPhone 6, despite the last model being names the?iPhone 5. Apple has traditionally followed each model with a hardware upgrade but the same design ? the iPhone 3GS and?iPhone 4S, for example.

Now we?ve got the?Sony Xperia Z,?HTC One?and Samsung Galaxy S4, eyes are firmly fixed on Apple and what it has to offer to compete. The smartphone market is much more fiercely contested between manufacturers than it used to be.

So Apple could well announce the?iPhone 5S?instead of the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6 release date rumours

The next-generation iPhone is probably the most confusing launch to date, with rumours flying around about various different models. Some suggest that Apple will launch multiple iPhones for the first time ever, so we could see an iPhone 5S and an iPhone 6.

There?s also talk of a cheaper, budget friendly iPhone made with a plastic casing instead of aluminium ? an iPhone mini perhaps.

Early rumours suggested a launch early in the year despite the iPhone 5 arriving in September. February was the marked month but it?s been and gone.

So, looking forward the most likely dates for an iPhone 6 announcement, with possible other iPhones, is firstly March. This is if Apple decides on a six-month cycle which is not its usual practice.

Apple holds its worldwide developer conference (WWDC) annually in June and it?s here that it could reveal the iPhone 6. This is the least likely, as the event is focused on software. However, Apple has announced hardware at the event (last year was the?MacBook Pro with Retina display) so it could use this to launch an iPhone.

If June comes and goes then September or October is the next likely time for an iPhone launch. The former would be a year after the iPhone 5 and be announced at a specific event. We say October as this was the month the iPhone 4S arrived.

The launch is very much up in the air but we?ll keep you up to date with the information as and when we hear it.

Source: http://www.macworld.com.au/blogs/iphone-6-release-date-when-will-apples-next-iphone-arrive-89934/

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Losing wetlands to grow crops

Mar. 25, 2013 ? Getting enough to eat is a basic human need -- but at what cost to the environment? Research published in BioMed Central's journal Agriculture & Food Security demonstrates that as their crops on higher ground fail due to unreliable rainfall, people in countries like Uganda are increasingly relocating to wetland areas. Unless the needs of these people are addressed in a more sustainable way, overuse of wetland resources through farming, fishing, and hunting will continue.

In 2009 it was estimated that about a third of Uganda's wetlands had been lost to growing crops and grazing. While the environmental significance of wetland loss is important, so are National Food Security targets and the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by 2015. In order to evaluate how people are using the wetlands researchers from Makerere University, Uganda, with financial support from IDRC surveyed residents living in either Lake Victoria crescent, Kyoga plains, and South Western farmlands.

The survey revealed that more than 80% of people in these areas use wetland resources including collecting water, catching fish, hunting bush meat (Sitatunga, a type of antelope, and wild rat), and harvesting wild fruits and vegetables. Some of these they consume but others they sell in order to be able to buy food. Over half admitted to growing crops in the nutrient rich soil wetlands with its ready water supply. The families who were most likely to use the wetlands in this way were the ones who had the least access to other sources of food.

The locals blame their bad harvests on global warming, and as global weather systems change this can only get worse. Dr Nelson Turyahabwe explained, "Food insecurity is a real problem across the world. In Uganda the families most at risk tended to have younger or female household heads, or were less educated. Large families were also at high risk of not having enough to eat. In these cases use of wetlands allows families to survive. In designing sustainable use policies for wetlands the needs of humans also needs to be considered."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Nelson Turyahabwe, Willy Kakuru, Manson Tweheyo and David Mwesigye Tumusiime. Contribution of wetland resources to household food security in Uganda. Agriculture & Food Security, 2013; DOI: 10.1186/2048-7010-2-5

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/GcEexZDN2Jk/130324201817.htm

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Ruskies Brides And Marriage: Exploring Their Traditions And ...

Ruskies wedding ceremonies involve intensive pre-planning and preparations. A traditional style wedding usually continues for two days. The majority of Russians generally prefer holding a traditional wedding at St . Petersburg or perhaps the countryside. Russian brides search for the most fancy dress outfits that their budget can allow to put on during this huge ? day of the bride?. Russia? s wedding traditions happen to be rooted in the history and culture of the area. Most Russian women for marriage usually do not mind deviating from a traditional marriage and also having a more contemporary or ? westernized? kind of wedding ceremony.

Depending on tradition, Ruskies women and grooms along with their respective families engage in an extended series of conventional activities during the amazing reception party. The wedding ceremony ceremony is not as involved with Russia since it is in many other places on earth. Based on Russian legislation, women for relationship and grooms must have a civil relationship, which customarily consists of a small routine involving a few very near and important relatives and friends of the couple. This service is an extremely private and personal affair and is quite different from expansive church wedding ceremonies.

However , it will not stop right now there. The wedding wedding ceremony is dominated by traditions and cultural practices carried out by the Ruskies women for relationship, the grooms and their respective families. The Russian brides and grooms having a wedding start the day in a typical traditional style separated through each other. They both have the business of friends and family during this time. What follows is an fascinating ? movie? because the bride gets kidnapped and the groom begins a mission to rescue her and also bring her back again. During this period, the actual bride? s friends and family participate in evasive tactics and also pranks to distract him or her from reaching his objective.

They are able to hide the keys to his car or block the halls associated with his apartment to draw attention away from him. The groom has to solution trivia questions correctly to acquire past this particular. This is symbolic of the fact that the actual groom depends on the challenging tasks of marrying and can do anything in his power to safeguard his woman. When the groom causes it to be to his woman the whole wedding heads towards the site of their civil ceremony by train. The quickly to be couple trips in different train autos with each of them surrounded by loved ones. Many traditions are carried out throughout and after the wedding ceremony including lounging flowers on the graves of deceased Russian troops.

It has become a cheerful time as the bride and groom attend their reception celebration which normally is a two-day action packed festive event. It starts with their mother and father toasting them and after that everyone else joining in. It? s the sweetest romance scene ever with the couple kissing after each toast as a sign associated with ? sweetening the actual wine? for any to take pleasure from. Single women and men really enjoy this because they are the long run brides and grooms. As the toasting carries on, wild dancing starts and the party begins. There are also unique conventional games, including one particular in which the groom? s friends playfully kidnap the actual wife and make the actual groom pay a ransom to get her back.

During the first night in typical Russian culture, the party is actually open to anyone that wishes to go to and is a huge event. Individuals drink, consume, dance, perform games and wish their blessings to the bride and groom. On the second day, still it becomes a lot more intimate and is reserved for good friends and family. These impressive number of traditions allows the actual newlyweds to begin their life in an exceedingly memorable style. When they marry in such a gorgeous wedding ceremony, they are going to try their finest to have their relationship gorgeous.

Source: http://feedcannibalsue.com/russian-brides-and-marriage-exploring-their-traditions-and-wedding-ceremonies/

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Zimbabwe court frees rights lawyer

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) ? Zimbabwe's top rights lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, released by a court after eight days in jail for allegedly obstructing justice, said Monday her arrest was a ploy to intimidate human rights activists and pro-democracy groups ahead of upcoming elections expected in July.

A visibly tired Beatrice Mtetwa walked from the High Court in Harare in the company of two colleagues and her lawyer after her release papers took several hours to complete.?

She told reporters she believed she had been targeted by police.

"It is a personal attack on all human rights lawyers but I was just made the first example. There will be many more arrests to follow as we near elections," Mtetwa said. "The police were all out to get me. They wanted me to feel their might and power because I call myself a human rights lawyer and I felt it."

Mtetwa was arrested on March 17 along with four officials from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party. The officials are accused of illegally compiling information on high level corruption and are schedule to appeal for bail on Tuesday. Mtetwa was accused of shouting at police officers who were conducting a search at Tsvangirai's staff offices when she demanded to see a search warrant.

Mtetwa and the four officials deny any wrongdoing. ?She said she merely told the police that "what they were doing is illegal, unlawful and undemocratic."

High Court Judge Joseph Musakwa ruled early Monday that Mtetwa was following professional legal procedures when she demanded to see a search warrant from police at the offices of the four officials.

"She was entitled to be appraised of the legality of the search," Musakwa said.

After her release, Mtetwa said she was not well-treated while in police custody. She wasn't allowed to take a bath and was denied access to her lawyers and family.

But she said she will not give up the fight for human rights.

"I will not be cowed," Mtetwa said. "There has to be mutual respect between police and lawyers because we will all be doing our job."

Critics have cited Mtetwa's prolonged jailing as the start of a fresh wave of political intimidation against opponents of President Robert Mugabe by loyalist police and judicial officials ahead of elections.

The European Union said in a statement Monday that European governments were "deeply concerned" by Mtetwa's arrest and the onslaught against civic groups as Zimbabwe prepares for elections to end the shaky and dispute-ridden coalition government.

The European bloc conceded that a referendum vote on March 16 on a new constitution was "credible" and reflected the free will of about 3 million voters who cast their ballots and overwhelmingly accepted the reformed constitution, EU spokesman Carl Skau said Monday.

As a result the EU suspended with immediate effect travel and banking bans on 81 leaders of Mugabe's party. But Mugabe, his wife, military, police and security chiefs and several others key loyalists remain on the ban list.

The restrictions were imposed in 2002 to protest the human rights record, violence, corruption and allegations of vote-rigging by Mugabe's party in past elections.

Regional mediators forged the coalition government between Mugabe and Tsvangirai after the disputed and violent elections in 2008.

So far this year, four rights and advocacy groups have been raided by police searching for alleged subversive materials relating to their activities campaigning for free elections and an end to political intimidation and human rights abuses that have dominated past elections.

Mtetwa had been scheduled to act as lead defense attorney in the trial, resuming Monday, of 29 supporters of Tsvangirai's party charged in the murder of a police inspector in an impoverished township suburb in western Harare.

Most of those suspects were denied bail for more than a year. Defending them, Mtetwa noted that six police officers charged in the assault and murder of a theft suspect received bail within a month of their detention. The officers are still to go to trial in that case nine months ago.

Swaziland-born Mtetwa moved to Zimbabwe in 1983. She has represented key leaders in Tsvangirai's party including its treasurer Roy Bennett, now in self-imposed exile after repeated threats. She has also defended journalists and prominent rights workers, some of whom were tortured, according to evidence in court, and held incommunicado without charge for several weeks late in 2008.

Last week police ignored an earlier High Court order to free Mtetwa and on Wednesday the lower Harare magistrate's court ordered her held in custody to reappear in that court on April 3.

Charges of obstructing justice carry a maximum of two years imprisonment.

The judge said Mtetwa should not have been denied bail because of her "professional standing." He said the police officers conducting the search could have "easily subdued her because she is a woman" if they felt she was hindering them from doing their job.

"She is a lawyer of many years, with a forceful, combative and at times aggressive personality but she remains professional and dignified" when doing her job, the judge said.

Mtetwa is a recipient of an array of awards from international jurists' groups including the American Bar Association over a distinguished career of three decades.

Mtetwa is known for her feisty and outspoken style and for quickly responding to calls for representation around the clock by activists and journalists held by police.

Media freedom groups said her detention, the first time she has been jailed, left independent reporters and rights campaigners fearful of being left without her voice.

The state's Sunday Mail newspaper criticized Mtetwa for thinking she was "untouchable" and said her "stage-managed antics in and outside the courts" earned her "dubious awards" from African and international lawyers groups.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zimbabwe-court-frees-rights-lawyer-173536426.html

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Suspect in Colorado killing had a 'bad, bad streak': governor

Colo. Dept. Of Corrections / AP

This undated photo released by the Colorado Department of Corrections shows paroled inmate Evan Spencer Ebel.

By Tom Brown, Reuters

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, a longtime family friend of a prime suspect in the shooting death of the state's prisons chief, said on Sunday that the now-dead suspect always seemed to suffer from a "streak of cruelty and anger."

Hickenlooper said he and Jack Ebel, the father of white supremacist ex-convict Evan Ebel, had been friends for more than 30 years and that he had spoken to him since the 28-year-old parolee from Denver emerged as a lead suspect in the shooting last Tuesday of Tom Clements, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

"From the beginning, his son just seemed to have this bad streak, a streak of cruelty and anger," Hickenlooper told CNN's "State of the Union."

"They did everything they could," he said. "They worked with Evan again and again but to no avail. He had a bad, bad streak."

Evan Ebel was killed by police on Thursday after a high-speed chase through Decatur, Texas. He is also a suspect in the killing of pizza delivery man Nathan Leon in Denver, police there have said.

Hickenlooper said an investigation is continuing and that "all the signs" in the Clements killing seemed to point to Ebel, whom he confirmed had been connected to a prison-based white supremacist group.

"We can't see clearly what a motive was," he added.

The governor, who said his own personal security had been beefed up recent days, did not rule out the possibility that the Clements killing had been ordered by jailed white supremacist gang leaders targeting public officials from behind bars.

Lieutenant Jeff Kramer, a spokesman for the sheriff's office in El Paso County, Colorado, said on Sunday that Evan Ebel was definitely considered a suspect in the death of Clements, 58, who was shot on Tuesday when he answered the door at his home about 45 miles south of Denver.

Shell casings found at Clements' home were the same brand and caliber of the Hornady 9-mm bullets Ebel fired at Texas police, according to the search warrant filed in Texas for police to search Ebel's Cadillac.

"We're still waiting for the results of some ballistics testing that we're doing up here in Colorado ... to see if the gun used in Texas is the same gun used in the Tom Clements homicide case," Kramer said.

Ebel was a member of a white supremacist prison gang, the 211 Crew, and had been paroled in the Denver area, a law enforcement official said.

Authorities have said they were looking for ties between the death of Clements and the January killing of Mark Hasse, a prosecutor in the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office. Kaufman County is east of Dallas.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29f07ef6/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C240C174430A70A0Esuspect0Ein0Ecolorado0Ekilling0Ehad0Ea0Ebad0Ebad0Estreak0Egovernor0Dlite/story01.htm

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Require Design Tips? We Now Have Them - Shopping and Product ...

Require Design Tips? We Now Have Them

It can be difficult to keep stylish when you are not used to it. Choosing a beginning point is harder than it looks. There are numerous points you need to know. This post involves some design recommendations to obtain started in creating your own style.

To keep bright white apparel clean, include bleach towards the laundry normal water. Simply use it cautiously or you could threat yellowing your best outfits.

Use a little bit of mousse to add volume level to slim hair, but utilize a light-weight fingers which means you don?t overdo. Actually big, substantial locks that was preferred through the 80s may be in fashion, but it?s challenging to pull off and often brings about an unflattering look.

Drink lots of water to help stop lack of fluids. Moisture is a vital factor to protecting against your cuticles and nails from come to be overly dried out. Since the air in winter time is usually dry and chilly, it is recommended you retain yourself hydrated. Moisturize your fingernails or toenails and cuticles with shea butter a couple of times each day. If you use shea butter or a heavy lotion to your hands and wrists on the inside some mitts, it is possible to hydrate when you sleeping.

Be on the lookout for the dimensions of clothes. Never ever get some clothing with out initial trying it on. Dimensions aren?t usually a similar. Various manufacturers have diverse measurements and styles. Use the sizing graph provided by most online stores to be certain your garments will match correctly if you buy them on the internet. Also look into their return guarantee.

Individuals occasionally say negative things simply to give you lower. It?s not a necessity that you simply seem like a Hollywood movie superstar. Design is about looking great and confident in whatever you decide to use and generating your very own type selections.

The hair tells individuals a great deal about who you are. Consequently, ensure how you dress in hair is a good reflection of yourself. If, for instance, you happen to be serious enterprise female, consider using a vintage including the bob that is each specialist and easy to look after. If you are a mother with tiny free time, opt for as an alternative a design which is an easy task to scrub and go.

Ensure your type is unison with the persona. Plenty of instances people will use clothing basically because it is preferred. As an alternative, enable your individual likes to do business with the buzz so you feel and look comfy. It does not matter should your certain type is timeless or grunge, be yourself.

Work a apparel allowance into your budget. This helps you construct your clothing without having to spend a lot of. Even though you may reduce yourself, you must nonetheless have the ability to afford the parts you want, especially if you regular income.

Add more color to the locks in order to use a vivid look in the summer season. Ensure that you attempt to maintain it thus it doesn?t appear washed out. A terrific way to hold the shade for longer is to discover a great conditioner to make use of in your locks. Very hot-essential oil therapies are perfect for trying to keep the colour lively.

Usually do not wait to try new stuff even though it goes against recent fashion trends. You can expect to never ever determine if anything is useful should you not try it out. Merge various hues and materials to see what looks very best. You can make positive changes to look in exclusive techniques with various sections that seem to be fantastic.

When you struggle with your personal style, you could shortage assurance. Make use of the info right here and offer yourself a makeover. Using the guidance from this article will guarantee that you?re usually making style-conscious options.

Thanks for reading. For more great tips chicforless?s fashion blog men

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