Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193347808?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls for changes to constitution (Reuters)
DAWEI, Myanmar (Reuters) ? Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on Sunday for changes to the military-drafted constitution in her first political trip since ending a boycott of the country's political system last year and announcing plans to run for parliament.
Thousands of people lined the roads shouting "Long live mother Suu" as her motorcade moved through the rural coastal region of Dawei about 615 km (380 miles) south of her home city,
Yangon, the main business centre.
The trip, only her fourth outside Yangon since her release from years of house arrest in November 2010, demonstrates the increasingly central role of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as the Southeast Asian state emerges from half a century of isolation.
"There are certain laws which are obstacles to the freedom of the people and we will strive to abolish these laws within the framework of the parliament," Suu Kyi said to cheers from supporters after meeting officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Dawei.
The NLD, though well known in the country, has had limited real political experience. It won by a landslide a 1990 election, a year after Suu Kyi began a lengthy period of incarceration, but the then regime ignored the result and detained many party members and supporters.
The NLD boycotted the next election, held in 2010 and won by a military-backed party after opposition complaints of rigging.
Her address on Sunday offered the most extensive detail yet of the policies she would bring to parliament.
In particular, she said she wanted to revise a 2008 army-drafted constitution that gives the military wide-ranging powers, including the ability to appoint key cabinet members, take control of the country in a state of emergency and occupy a quarter of the seats in parliament.
"We need to amend certain parts of the constitution," she said, adding the international community was poised to help Myanmar "once we are on an irreversible road to democracy."
She also said fighting between government soldiers and ethnic minority rebels had to be resolved. There has been heavy fighting recently in Kachin state but rebellions have simmered in many other regions since independence from Britain in 1948.
"Diversity is not something to be afraid of, it can be enjoyed," Suu Kyi said.
Although she has not started to campaign formally for the April 1 by-elections, the speech outside her office to supporters waving party flags and wearing T-shirts showing her face felt like a campaign stop.
"She's becoming more and more explicitly political and talking about the importance of policies," said a diplomat in the crowd. "I think it is the best speech I have heard from her."
"GREAT TRANSFORMATION"
Suu Kyi and her allies are contesting 48 seats in various legislatures including the 440-seat lower house in by-elections that could give political credibility to Myanmar and help advance the end of Western sanctions.
Business executives, mostly from Asia, have swarmed into Yangon in recent weeks to hunt for investment opportunities in the country of an estimated 60 million people, one of the last frontier markets in Asia.
Myanmar is also at the centre of a struggle for strategic influence as the United States sees a chance to expand its ties there and balance China's fast-growing economic and political sway in the region.
The visit to Dawei gives rural voters a rare glimpse of 66-year-old Suu Kyi, a symbol of defiance whose past trips outside Yangon were met with suspicion and violence by the former junta, which handed power to a nominally civilian parliament in March.
But many of the same generals who dominated the junta now lead a government on a dramatic reform drive, freeing hundreds of political prisoners, loosening media controls, calling for peace with ethnic insurgents and openly engaging with Suu Kyi and other opposition figures.
As a result, this trip was very different to one last July to Bagan, north of Yangon, where she was trailed by undercover police and kept a low profile, fearful of a repeat of an attack on her motorcade in 2003 in which 70 supporters were killed.
Suu Kyi told the World Economic Forum in Davos last week that Myanmar had not yet reached its "great transformation," but the elections in April could bring that point closer.
Many believe the turning point for Suu Kyi came on August 19, when she and President Thein Sein met in the capital, Naypyitaw. The president has since repeatedly urged parliament to pursue reforms, while Suu Kyi has voiced support for his government.
Many Burmese speculate that a senior government role, possibly even a cabinet post, awaits Suu Kyi, the daughter of assassinated independence hero General Aung San.
But to get there, much work lies ahead.
Her party has limited resources. Its headquarters are cramped and crumbling. Its senior ranks are filled with ageing activists. And there are questions over how much influence it can wield in a year-old parliament stacked with military appointees and former generals.
Her supporters, however, say her presence would bring a powerful pro-democracy voice to a chamber where many members remain reluctant to speak their mind.
"She will be able to do more inside the parliament than if she remained on the outside. There are some crucial things to do urgently concerning ethnic issues and political changes," said Ko Htin Kyaw, a dissident who was arrested in 2007 and freed in an amnesty this month.
(Additional reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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Feds: Megaupload user data could be gone Thursday (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Federal prosecutors say data from users of Megaupload could be deleted as soon as Thursday.
U.S. prosecutors have blocked access to Megaupload and charged seven men, saying the site facilitated millions of illegal downloads of movies, music and other content.
Megaupload hires outside companies to store the data. But Megaupload attorney Ira Rothken says the government has frozen its money.
A letter filed by prosecutors Friday says storage companies Carpathia Hosting Inc. and Cogent Communications Group Inc. may begin deleting data Thursday. Spokespersons for the two companies did not respond to messages Sunday night.
Rothken says the company is working with prosecutors to try to keep the data from being erased. He says at least 50 million Megaupload users have data in danger of being erased.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Morneau 'hopeful' he'll be fully healthy in 2012
MINNEAPOLIS?? Justin Morneau's latest recovery is "right on schedule" for him to start this season at first base for the Minnesota Twins.
The former American League MVP, been beset by all kinds of injuries the last two years, said on Friday night he's "hopeful" he'll be fully healthy in 2012. Last year, he had four surgeries and a concussion and hit only four home runs in 69 games.
"It's impossible to know what the future's going to hold, but I've just got to listen to what my body's telling me that day," Morneau said at the team's annual fan festival. "So far everything's gone good."
He had operations on his neck, left knee and right foot during the season and his left wrist right after it. After returning from the concussion that knocked him out of action for the last half of the 2010 season, he suffered a recurrence diving for a ball late in the year.
He said he still has headaches "once in a while" but that he's felt great since 2012 began. His wrist is still tight when he swings, but he said it shouldn't limit him once spring training starts next month. Morneau was so determined to come back healthier this year that he changed his diet after discovering his body doesn't handle gluten well. He dropped 20 pounds.
Before July 7, 2010, when a knee-to-the-head collision at second base spawned the concussion that kept him out until the following year, Morneau was hitting as well as he ever has, producing at a similar rate as he did during his MVP season in 2006.
Since then he's been a shell of his old self, and he doesn't shy from thinking back to his pre-concussion form.
"There were a lot of things going right so when I kind of need to remind myself that it can be good again and it will be good again, I think back to that and when stuff was good," Morneau said. "I'm not 38 going on 39. I'm 30 going on 31. So it's not like I'm in that danger zone where everything slows down. There's still a lot of time for me to become that player that I expect out of myself."
Proper perspective helps. He and some of his Twins teammates on Friday visited Jack Jablonski, the 16-year-old hockey player who was paralyzed by a hit into the boards last month.
"They said he'd never move his left arm, but we were in there watching him do rehab and he's moving his left arm and shaking our hands with his right hand. ... I think a lot of guys left there speechless just seeing everything he's gone through and how positive he was," Morneau said.
Morneau is by far from the only Twins player entering the spring who's eager to put a painful season behind him. Their 63-99 finish was caused by a number of factors, but the training room was crowded by the end of the summer.
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"It was like we should've moved our lockers in there. Just make that the locker room," said right-hander Nick Blackburn, who had a postseason operation on his forearm to fix a nerve problem.
He added: "It obviously wasn't pretty, but I think everybody knows we have more talent than that. If we keep everybody healthy it should be a different story."
Catcher Joe Mauer, of course, will be watched closely after confounding soreness and weakness in his legs plus a couple of illnesses ruined his 2011 season. He looked as fit and lean as ever on Friday, and general manager Terry Ryan said Mauer is in good shape to start the spring. Ryan spoke of an ideal scenario for 140 games apiece from Morneau and Mauer, the franchise cornerstones.
Then there's center fielder Denard Span, who also dealt last season with concussion symptoms and migraine problems, albeit on a slightly less-publicized basis than Morneau. Span played in only 70 games last year, but he gave an upbeat update on his condition on the heels of what he called "one of the most depressing" seasons he's had.
"This is probably the best that I've felt in two years," Span said.
He started seeing a chiropractor, started a caffeine-free and supplement-free diet and has been participating in an eye therapy program on his laptop to strengthen his focus.
"I'm just ready to get out on the field, man, and test it out. Last year definitely was a tough year for me, a tough year for the team in general," Span said.
The Twins sure can't get any worse as a team.
"I can't speak for the other guys, but I think everybody's gone through the low-point and seen how bad it can be," Morneau said. "We haven't lost like that since any of us have been here, and I think everybody's doing everything in their body to be ready and take care of themselves and do everything that can be done to play the way we're capable of playing."
___
Follow Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46171703/ns/health/
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Overgrazed grasslands tied to locust outbreaks
Friday, January 27, 2012
While residents of the United States and much of Europe think of locust plagues as biblical references, locust swarms still have devastating effects on agriculture today, especially in developing countries in Asia and Africa.
In a study in the journal Science on Jan. 27, scientists from Arizona State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences show that insect nutrition and agricultural land management practices may partially explain modern day locust outbreaks.
During an outbreak year, locusts can populate over 20 percent of the Earth's land surface, negatively affecting more than 60 countries and the livelihood of one out of every 10 people. In this study undertaken at the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station in China, researchers examined Oedaleus asiaticus, one of the two swarming locusts of Asia. A closely related species, Oedaleus senegalensis, is a major pest in Africa.
Led by Arianne Cease, a doctoral student, in concert with scientists Jon Harrison and James Elser, and undergraduate student Colleen Ford from the School of Life Sciences in ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the collaborative team also included Chinese researchers Shuguang Hao and Le Kang. Funding for their work was provided by the National Science Foundation.
The team's initial experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that locusts form swarms partly to escape deteriorating conditions or to seek out better food sources. Most herbivores, including insects, are thought to be limited by obtaining sufficient protein. The researchers began, therefore, by fertilizing grassland plots with nitrogen. Their expectation was that the added nitrogen would raise the plants' protein levels, enhance locusts' survival and growth and stop locusts from swarming.
They couldn't have been more wrong. Locusts fed on nitrogen-fertilized plots either died or grew more slowly. Puzzled, the scientists took a step back, examining which host plants these locusts preferred. The results showed that these locusts ate plants lower in nitrogen; not higher.
It had been known for some time that overgrazing in Inner Mongolia causes soil erosion, leading to nitrogen depletion from the soil, and reductions in the protein levels in plants. The team's surveys had showed that heavily grazed plots were populated by much higher numbers of locusts, so the scientists compared the preferences and performances of locusts for plants from grazed versus ungrazed plots. Remarkably, the locusts preferred to consume the low-nitrogen plants from the heavily grazed plots.
Moving the study into the laboratory and using chemically-defined diets, the scientists next tested the effect of different protein and carbohydrate levels on the locusts' growth rates. These experiments confirmed the researcher's field studies: Oedaleus locusts strongly preferred low protein, high carbohydrate diets. This ratio was about one part protein to two parts carbohydrate ? lower than any grasshopper previously studied. "These experiments confirmed that consuming foods with too much protein is deleterious for this locust, explaining why heavy grazing promotes populations of Oedaleus," said Harrison.
"Our results fit with an emerging paradigm that animal species can vary dramatically in their nutritional responses," said Cease. "The particularly low protein: carbohydrate preference of Oedaleus may explain their success in a heavily-grazed world."
Besides revealing new understanding about an age-old plaguing question, the authors' findings offer new possibilities for improving land management strategies.
"Our study also showed that nitrogen fertilizer may be an inexpensive, environmentally less-damaging alternative pest control solution for this species," noted Cease.
"Who knows?" added Elser. "With the large global increases in atmospheric nitrogen from air pollution, we might find, at least in this limited way, some 'good news.' That is, that the airborne nitrogen deposited on grasslands may interfere with future locust outbreaks."
###
Arizona State University: http://asunews.asu.edu/
Thanks to Arizona State University for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117125/Overgrazed_grasslands_tied_to_locust_outbreaks
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More seek unemployment aid, claims fall in Ohio (AP)
WASHINGTON ? The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 377,000, after a nearly four-year low the previous week.
The Labor Department also said Thursday that Ohio earlier in the month had one of the largest drops in new applications. They fell by more than 2,800 during the week that ended Jan. 14 because of fewer layoffs in manufacturing.
Claims for unemployment insurance have trended downward over the past few months. The national average has fallen about 9 percent since Oct. 1.
Unemployment applications have been particularly volatile this month because employers have cut temporary workers hired for the holidays. The department adjusts for seasonal trends. But doing so accurately can be difficult. .
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Fine Italian Design for Modern Pets | moderncat :: cat products, cat ...
?
I would expect nothing less that the finest design from an Italian pet furniture company, and that?s exactly what Form Italia has to offer. This new line of modern pet furniture embodies the highest Italian design standards and takes design for pets to a new level.
Beautiful finishes and sleek, modern lines make these beds and loungers some of the most stunning I have seen. From the elegantly suspended Suite pet bed to the tubular steel Agilo lounge, each one of these pieces is designed to accommodate the pets needs as well as the owner?s sense of style.
All of Form Italia?s products are handmade in Italy. Fabric and finish options are all customizable, so pricing is available only by quote. Visit the Form Italia website for more information.
via Dog-Milk
Source: http://www.moderncat.net/2012/01/26/fine-italian-design-for-modern-pets/
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Video: Bill Gates Takes Aim at Global Health
Bill Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses vaccines, poverty and technology's role in health care, with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo.
Related Links:
Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46155494/
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wikileaks announces Julian Assange TV show, world governments fire up their DVRs
Ready or not, Julian Assange is heading toward a TV set near you. Wikileaks announced this week that its controversy-embroiled founder will be getting his own TV show, in which he'll be interviewing "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries." Information on the series is light at present -- the largely unknown Quick Roll Productions will apparently play a role in its creation. The show is set to begin airing in the middle of March and will run as ten 30 minute weekly episodes. Assange for one, clearly has grand ambitions for the series, stating that it "will explore the possibilities for our future in conversations with those who are shaping it. Are we heading towards utopia, or dystopia and how we can set our paths?" Check out a preview of Dancing with the Leaks after the jump.
Continue reading Wikileaks announces Julian Assange TV show, world governments fire up their DVRs
Wikileaks announces Julian Assange TV show, world governments fire up their DVRs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wikileaks | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/wikileaks-announces-julian-assange-tv-show-world-governments-fi/
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[OOC] Star Wars: A lost Episode: Abandoned Facility
Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Okay so questions...
When shadow comes to claim our souls,
Some must rise - the light of old.
1: This is pretty unoriginal...
2: You should look over you RP page for some spelling/grammar mistakes. Maybe you should use Spell Czech
3: This does, however, sound like it might be fun... Although I'm not sure exactly what you want of your players. I'm not asking to be a Jedi or anything, but I'd certainly like to play something unorthodox and thus I'd need some back-and-forth discussion to get a good character up. You could always use an extra Ewok :D
4: Will there be any sort of posting order?
5: Bounty hunter definitely sounds interesting.
5:
Anzati are similar to humans, the only differences being two prehensile probosci and a somewhat enlarged nose. People of their species are rare, but they have an impressive lifespan that can last for over a millennium. The proboscises lie coiled and hidden in pockets within the cheeks and can be extended to drain a victim's 'luck' or 'soup' by piercing the brain through the nose. The Anzati are capable of mild telepathic control to render their victims paralyzed, and are assassins of legendary skill. The Jedi hunting mercenary Aurra Sing was trained by these assassins, as was the Jedi Master Tholme. Their planet of origin has never been verified, as all sent to investigate the planet suspected to be Anzat are never seen again. Two more famous Anzati were Dannik Jerriko, an assassin of great renown who hunted Han Solo, as written in "Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina."[3] and the dark Jedi Nikkos Tyris.
I want to be a an Anzati assassin/bounty hunter :D Do Robots Dream of Electronic Sheep?
"Ego sum Alpha quod Omega, exordium quod End." 3:6
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.Okay so questions...
1. Can other be people be sith? Or is it only you.?
2. By the zombie tag don't you mean Rhakghouls?
3. I'm running out of question.... ummm could you put a list of people available in that team? Your new right?
When shadow comes to claim our souls,
Some must rise - the light of old.
Names in stone, spirits of legend.
Deeds unknown, yet never forgotten.
These are the Duranin!
Of honor within and of fear without.
Remember them, when in hope you doubt.
-
Cheeseymonkey - Member for 2 years
Oh and another thing. You should get a pic for the roleplay 'else nobody will see it.
-
Cheeseymonkey - Member for 2 years
1: This is pretty unoriginal...
2: You should look over you RP page for some spelling/grammar mistakes. Maybe you should use Spell Czech
3: This does, however, sound like it might be fun... Although I'm not sure exactly what you want of your players. I'm not asking to be a Jedi or anything, but I'd certainly like to play something unorthodox and thus I'd need some back-and-forth discussion to get a good character up. You could always use an extra Ewok :D
4: Will there be any sort of posting order?
5: Bounty hunter definitely sounds interesting.
5:
Anzati are similar to humans, the only differences being two prehensile probosci and a somewhat enlarged nose. People of their species are rare, but they have an impressive lifespan that can last for over a millennium. The proboscises lie coiled and hidden in pockets within the cheeks and can be extended to drain a victim's 'luck' or 'soup' by piercing the brain through the nose. The Anzati are capable of mild telepathic control to render their victims paralyzed, and are assassins of legendary skill. The Jedi hunting mercenary Aurra Sing was trained by these assassins, as was the Jedi Master Tholme. Their planet of origin has never been verified, as all sent to investigate the planet suspected to be Anzat are never seen again. Two more famous Anzati were Dannik Jerriko, an assassin of great renown who hunted Han Solo, as written in "Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina."[3] and the dark Jedi Nikkos Tyris.I want to be a an Anzati assassin/bounty hunter :D Do Robots Dream of Electronic Sheep?
"Ego sum Alpha quod Omega, exordium quod End." 3:6
Man, given the average Int of an Otyugh, I can just see the boss monologue now:
PC:"Before we fight, why don't you tell us your master plan?"
Otyugh:"I like poop."
PC:"Umm, what?"
Otyugh:"Do you have poop?"
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
Life is a gamble, roll the dice. If your life is like cards, rig the deck.
-
Nevermore90 - Member for 1 years
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Supreme Court Privacy Ruling Is About More Than GPS Tracking: Analysis
Can police attach a GPS tracker to your car, or is that an invasion of your privacy? On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. Jones, ruled unanimously that doing so is a search, meaning that it must pass muster under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This ruling may put a crimp in the use of this popular law-enforcement technique, but what?s really interesting is that it also may signal the court?s willingness to overhaul how it thinks about what constitutes a trespass on your privacy.
The key holding in Jones is a big enough deal. Investigators had applied for a search warrant to attach a GPS tracking device to Jones?s car that would let them track its location 24/7. The warrant they received was good for 10 days, but for some reason they didn?t get around to attaching the device until the warrant had expired. Despite the absence of a warrant, they nonetheless tracked his movements for 28 days. ?
The investigators discovered information that led to Jones?s arrest on drug charges, but when the case went to District Court, his lawyers moved to suppress the GPS information because they argued it was the product of an illegal, warrantless search. The District Court mostly disagreed, holding that when Jones was driving on public roads he had no "expectation of privacy," since he was visible to anyone who cared to look. In essence, that lower court said, tracking Jones while he was in public wasn?t a search because the action didn?t discover anything that wouldn?t have been readily available to any observer on the street.
The Supreme Court disagreed. In a majority opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court found that attaching something to a person?s car is a trespass upon that person?s property. The Fourth Amendment protects the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures," and a car, in essence, is an "effect." Although previous cases involving issues such as phone-tapping have turned on "reasonable expectations of privacy," the court held that when the government trespasses on your property, that is a search. And in the absence of a warrant, a search is presumed unreasonable. (The government tried to argue that this search was reasonable even without a warrant, but the court held that it had forfeited this argument by failing to raise it earlier.)
Before Jones, a number of lower courts had said that a GPS tracker isn?t an invasion of your privacy when you?re driving on public roads. (Personally, I?ve always been skeptical of that. I suspect that if, say, I attached a GPS tracker to a prosecutor?s car, they?d find a way to charge me with something.) But now it?s clear that trespassing on someone?s property?even "personal" property like a car as opposed to "real" property like a house?is a search and will usually require a warrant. Such warrants aren?t that hard to get, of course, but the process does impose some extra discipline upon law enforcement.
But here?s the really interesting, though subtler, result of Jones: Although the court didn?t really rule on this issue in the case, five justices signaled sympathy with the "mosaic" theory of privacy raised by the intermediate Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The mosiac theory holds that aggregating lots of pieces of information about an individual that in themselves may be harmless may nonetheless, taken as a whole, constitute a search?even if all the data is public.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who joined the majority opinion, also wrote a separate opinion saying that future cases involving GPS data obtained, for example, from car manufacturers? location services might raise Fourth Amendment issues. Fourth Amendment law bars unreasonable searches, and Sotomayor wrote that the notion of what constitutes an unreasonable search may change with technology. People may disclose a list of search terms to a search engine, but that doesn?t mean that tracking years of a person?s Web history can?t be construed as a search on the part of the government.
In a separate concurring opinion, four justices?Alito, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kagan?criticized the majority?s approach as unnecessarily limited by "18th century" views of property. Noting that there are many services such as cellphone tracking, toll-road records, and modern cars? onboard data recorders that allow cars to be tracked without trespassing, these justices suggested the need for a broader focus on privacy issues. In this they, like Justice Sotomayor, seem sympathetic to the D.C. Circuit?s suggestion that when the government collects a lot of bits of data about you, it?s the aggregate of the data?the mosaic that it represents about you?that determines whether there is a search, regardless of the status of any particular bit. ?
The Jones case wound up turning on a relatively traditional concern?that attaching a gadget to someone?s car without permission is a trespass against property. But five justices have now signaled that, in some future case, they might be open to a departure from traditional rules.
This seems worthwhile to me. The Constitution bars unreasonable searches. The ability to piece together millions of pieces of information about a person?s life and activities wasn?t present at the time the Fourth Amendment was ratified, and it seems silly to pretend that putting all that information together in one place isn?t a search just because each bit of it is something that someone might have stumbled across on his or her own. (We even call it a search when we Google someone, don?t we?)
What searches are reasonable and what searches are unreasonable is a different question, of course. (Googling, I feel sure, is reasonable.) But we won?t protect privacy in the 21st century by limiting our analysis to 18th-century circumstances.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Robert Pattinson's 'Cosmopolis' Director 'Tickled' By Movie Brawl Win
David Cronenberg tells MTV News his film's win is impressive because it's 'an underdog compared to something like 'The Dark Knight' franchise.'
By Josh Wigler
David Cronenberg
Photo: Francois Durand/Getty Images
Eric Packer is about to embark upon the worst car ride of his life. Thankfully, Robert Pattinson — the actor who plays Packer in "Cosmopolis" — doesn't share his character's fate.
Pattinson fans came out in full force to elect "Cosmopolis" the winner of the MTV Movie Brawl 2012, a weeks-long tournament that pitted several of 2012's biggest releases against one another to determine which film is the must-see cinematic event of the year. After tense battles against titans like "Bel Ami," "The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn: Part 2," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hunger Games," it's Pattinson's upcoming indie thriller that took home the grand prize.
It's a surprising result for many onlookers, given that "Cosmopolis" has yet to release a trailer and only has a tentative release date of 2012. But Rob's fans rallied behind their man, opting to support his future in "Cosmopolis" over his past in "Twilight" — a commanding decision from a massive fanbase that demands attention, to say the least. In fact, the movement was so strong that it even caught "Cosmopolis" director David Cronenberg's eye even before the film won the brawl for it all. Shortly after the victory was announced, Cronenberg got on the phone with MTV News to talk about what "Cosmopolis" winning the MTV Movie Brawl means for the film, Pattinson's performance, when fans can expect to see a trailer and much more.
MTV: David, thanks for talking with us! Have you been filled in on what's happened with "Cosmopolis" over here?
David Cronenberg: You know, I've been following it! I'm shocked! I'm shocked and amazed and really tickled. It proves that movie fans are unpredictable and really interesting and really passionate. It's fantastic. I would have never, ever imagined that this would happen.
MTV: How did the tournament first get on your radar?
Cronenberg: Somebody sent me something and said, "Hey, we seem to be doing OK in this Movie Brawl thing that MTV's got going on." I didn't know about it. At that point, we were struggling with "The Dark Knight," I think. I thought, "Wow, that's pretty impressive!" Because "Cosmopolis," while I think in terms of what it is as cinema is pretty hefty, but in terms of budget and promotion, it's an underdog compared to something like "The Dark Knight" franchise. I really didn't think we would have much of a chance. That really got my attention.
MTV: What's kind of incredible, too, is that right before that battle with Batman, "Cosmopolis" was up against "Twilight." It was Rob versus Rob! In what we saw, it seemed that fans were putting their votes towards Rob's future instead of his past.
Cronenberg: Well, and I think that's one of the things that I meant when I said it was interesting. Because that's not the kind of thing you would predict. But it was really terrific, and in that sense, they're right. As I've said many times, if you're a "Twilight" fan, then you might not be interested in "Cosmopolis" because Rob is not Mr. Cullen. But if you're a Rob fan, then you've got to be interested in "Cosmopolis," because you will see him as you have not seen him before, for sure.
MTV: Clearly, there is a lot of interest in this movie, seeing that it came out ahead over movies like "Dark Knight," "Twilight" and "Hunger Games." There is a lot of attention on Rob, of course. Can you talk about your experience working with Rob, and the kind of actor you found him to be over the course of shooting "Cosmopolis"?
Cronenberg: He's terrific. He deserves the affection that the fans have for him. He's incredibly sweet, he's very funny, he's very bright and he's also very knowledgeable about cinema. Not just movies but the history of cinema. He knows a lot about it. He's just a sweetheart. And he's totally professional. He's always right there. We had a lot of fun shooting [the movie] because, as I say, he has a great sense of humor. We just played a lot. I think that's a really great tone that's set for everybody on the set. The lead actor has a really big influence on the tone of the shoot. If you've got a guy who's very difficult and neurotic or whatever, they can't help but affect everybody's day. But Rob is not like that. He's just a ray of sunshine. In fact, he's in absolutely every scene of the movie, so obviously his temperament would have a huge influence on how the shoot went ... and it was a dream. It was a beautiful shoot.
MTV: I think one of the reasons why some are surprised with how this tournament played out is that most of the films that were competing have trailers. This one doesn't — at least not yet! When can fans expect to see a trailer?
Cronenberg: We feel probably that this won't be released until next fall. It's not exactly a summer movie and it won't be ready for a while. The movie is finished, but something that fans maybe don't know is how long it takes a movie to get released. You want to do a couple of film festivals, the studios in each country have to get their materials ready. The photographs, the trailers, everything ... it takes a lot of time, you know? The other thing is, we kind of want to keep things a little bit of a secret until we unleash it on the world. We're pretty excited about it and we don't really want to let too much out about what it is and how it plays.
MTV: In terms of when this is coming out, you said perhaps fall of this year. So there's no firm release date just yet?
Cronenberg: No, not at all. It's been sold to a lot of countries and distributors around the world, but for example, it does not yet have U.S. distribution. That's fine, because we didn't want to look for it until we had the finished film. But frankly, the Movie Brawl results might well help us get some good U.S. distribution! [He laughs.] I just thought of that, but you know, it's possible! It's interesting to hear that indication of interest before you even release a trailer — that's pretty darn good. But you can't release a trailer until you have a distributor, and a distributor has to really have all the material, so it takes a while.
MTV: Well, something close to 6 million votes were cast in this tournament, and almost 4 million were cast in this final poll alone. The numbers do not lie.
Cronenberg: That's fantastic. That's just great. That's just great.
MTV: In the spirit of this tournament, what's the movie you're most excited to see in 2012? What's the film you can't wait to get your eyes on?
Cronenberg: You know, I'm so focused on what I've been doing that I actually don't know what's around! It's strange. I haven't even caught up with last year's films. I have a movie out now called "A Dangerous Method" with Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen. I've been touring the world promoting that, been to a ton of film festivals, but I haven't had a chance to see any of the movies, because I'm constantly having to do interviews and stuff for that. Now, that's calmed down now that the movie has finally been released in the U.S., but the result is that I'm way behind on everything.
MTV: So you've got to catch up on 2011 before moving onto 2012.
Cronenberg: That's right! Let me catch up first, and then I'll start thinking about 2012.
MTV: Finally, any last messages to the "Cosmopolis" fans who pushed this movie to the top?
Cronenberg: They won't be disappointed in Rob. He is fantastic.
Check out everything we've got on "Cosmopolis."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677801/cosmopolis-david-cronenberg.jhtml
Jim Hamilton's World of Securities Regulation: UK Finance Minister ...
Transparency and market position reform of the derivatives markets must proceed deliberately based on rigorous impact assessments to fully understand the costs and benefits, said UK Finance Minister Mark Hoban in remarks to the London Stock Exchange. While greater transparency has clearly had a positive effect in equity markets, he noted, the same measures may not be directly transferrable to the derivatives markets.
Derivative markets are considerably less liquid than equity markets, he said, and extreme care is needed to ensure that transparency requirements are carefully designed to work for each asset class. For example, while the component bonds that make up Markit?s iBoxx bond indices are some of the most actively traded bonds in Europe, a review of over 9000 of these bonds revealed that only 52 percent actually traded at least once in a six month sample period in 2010.
The European Commission must also undertake a rigorous analysis when it comes to updating MiFID to reflect changes in the commodities market. He urged the Commission not to succumb to knee jerk reactions which may only serve to increase costs for EU citizens.
The Minister emphasized that it is vital to remember that the commodities derivatives market serves a critical economic function in allowing end users to mitigate commercial risk. That is why the Minister is skeptical about blanket position limits across all markets, while acknowledging that they have a role to play in defined circumstances. In his view, active position management by exchanges and authorities will be much more effective in tackling market abuse, and will also provide a more rigorous approach. He said that it is incorrect to think that blanket limits will enable governments to control prices, as some would seem to suggest.
More broadly, he urged the Commission to resist pressure to use the ongoing MiFID reforms to raise barriers against third countries seeking to trade with the EU. Across EU dossiers there has been an increasing and worrying tendency to try to implement strict equivalence or reciprocity provisions through EU legislation. The Minister cautioned that this approach could effectively close EU financial markets to third country firms.
For instance, it seems that no third country would meet the standards as set out under the current MiFID proposal. From the moment that it is passed and until equivalence decisions are taken, it would close the EU market entirely to any new third country firm. Barriers would also be placed in the way of outward investment flows, for example restricting access to emerging markets. At a time when it is vital to attract more investment both within and without the EU, it is an approach that undermines growth.
Source: http://jimhamiltonblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/uk-finance-minister-cautions-that.html
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Ask Engadget: Are there UK-based Voicemail to SMS/email alternatives?
So guys, come help out a brother from the motherland with your suggestions for digital telephony transcription, any Brits out there find Google Voice to be the answer? Is there something only a few of you know about that'll change the world? If you're in an animal home, sat down on your own, why not share your knowledge in the comments below."Hi there, I've been using Ribbit Mobile for the past few years for voicemail -- the voicemail to SMS/email function is brilliant. However, the beta trial is ending on the 31st January with no immediate plans to go live. Do you know of any UK-based alternatives for voicemail to SMS/email systems I can switch to? Thanks!"
Ask Engadget: Are there UK-based Voicemail to SMS/email alternatives? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/21/ask-engadget-are-there-uk-based-voicemail-to-sms-email-alternat/
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Ship search finds 12th body, captain's documents
An Italian fireman descends from an helicopter to the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
An Italian fireman descends from an helicopter to the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
A woman checks if her clothes are dry as the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia is seen in background, off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain, Capt. Francesco Schettino, who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
The grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia lays off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
An Italian Coast Guard boat patrols the area around the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
Fuel spilling experts work on the grounded cruise ship Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The cruise captain who grounded the Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast with 4,200 people on board did not relay correct information either to the company or crew after the ship hit rocks, the cruise ship owner's CEO said as the search resumed for 21 missing passengers. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)
GIGLIO, Italy (AP) ? Divers plumbing the capsized Costa Concordia's murky depths pulled out the body of a woman in a life vest Saturday, while scuba-diving police swam through the captain's cabin to retrieve a safe and documents belonging to the man who abandoned the cruise liner after it was gashed by a rocky reef on the Tuscan coast.
Hoping for a miracle ? or at least for the recovery of bodies from the ship that has become an underwater tomb ? relatives of some of the 20 missing appealed to survivors of the Jan. 13 shipwreck to offer details that could help divers reach loved ones while it is still possible to search the luxury liner. The clock is ticking because the craft is perched precariously on a rocky ledge of seabed near Giglio island.
"We are asking the 4,000 persons who were on board to give any information they can about any of the persons still missing," said Alain Litzler, a Frenchman who is the father of missing passenger Mylene Litzler. "We need precise information to help the search and rescue teams find them."
The death toll rose to at least 12 Saturday after a water-logged body was extracted from a passageway near a gathering point for evacuation by lifeboats in the rear of the vessel, Coast Guard Cmdr. Filippo Marini said. It was not immediately clear if the woman was a passenger or crew member. A female Peruvian bartender and several adult female passengers were among the 21 people listed as missing before the latest corpse was found.
Relatives of the bartender and of an Indian crewman, along with two children of an elderly couple from Minnesota who are among the missing, boarded a boat Saturday to view the wrecked Concordia Saturday, said a maritime official, Fabrizio Palombo.
Family members tossed flowers near the site while islanders standing on the rocky edge of the island also strew bouquets on the water in a tribute to the victims.
Another Coast Guard official, Cosimo Nicastro, said the woman's body was found during a particularly risky inspection.
"The corridor was very narrow, and the divers' lines risked snagging" on furniture and objects floating in the passageway, Nicastro said. To help the coast guard divers reach the area, Italian navy divers had preceded them, setting off charges to blast holes for easier entrance and exit.
Meanwhile, police divers, carrying out orders from prosecutors investigating Captain Francesco Schettino for suspected manslaughter and abandoning the ship, swam through the cold, dark waters to reach his cabin. State TV and the Italian news agency ANSA reported that the divers located and remove his safe and two suitcases. His passport and several documents were also pulled out, state media said.
Searchers inspecting the bridge Saturday also found a hard disk containing data of the voyage, Sky TG24 TV reported.
Three bodies were found in waters around the ship in the first hours after the accident. Since then, divers have gone inside the Concordia to recover all the remaining victims, who were apparently unable to escape the lurching ship during a chaotic evacuation launched almost an hour after the liner hit a reef.
Some survivors who couldn't board lifeboats waited for hours aboard the capsizing craft for rescue by helicopters while others jumped into the water and swam to safety.
The last survivor, found aboard 36 hours after the crash, was an Italian crewman who broke his leg in the confusion and couldn't leave the ship.
The Concordia hit the reef, well-marked on maritime and even tourist maps, while most of the passengers sat down to dinner in the main restaurant, about two hours after the ship had set sail from the port of Civitavecchia on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Costa Crociere, the ship's operator and subsidiary of U.S.-based Carnival Cruise Lines, has said the captain had deviated without permission from the vessel's route in an apparent maneuver to sail close to the island of Giglio and impress passengers.
Schettino, despite audiotapes of his defying Coast Guard orders to scramble back aboard, has denied he abandoned ship while hundreds of passengers were desperately trying to get off the capsizing vessel. He has said he coordinated the rescue from aboard a lifeboat and then from the shore.
The effort to find survivors and bodies has postponed an operation to remove heavy fuel in the Concordia's tanks; specialized equipment has been standing by for days.
Light fuel, apparently from machinery aboard the capsized ship, was spotted in nearby waters, authorities said Saturday.
But Nicastro said there was no indication that any of the nearly 500,000 gallons (2,200 metric tons) of heavy fuel oil has leaked from the ship's double-bottomed tanks, seen as a risk if the ship's position changes. He said the leaked substance appears to be diesel, which is used to fuel rescue boats and dinghies and as a lubricant for ship machinery.
There are 185 tons of diesel and lubricants on board the crippled vessel, which is lying on its side just outside Giglio's port. Nicastro described the fuel in the sea as "very light, very superficial" and appearing to be under control.
But an official leading rescue, search and anti-pollution efforts for the ship suggested that the luxury liner would have leaked contaminants on board when it tipped over.
"We must not forget that on that ship there are oils, solvents, detergents, everything that a city of 4,000 people needs," Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy's civil protection agency, told reporters in Giglio.
Gabrielli was referring to the roughly 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew who were aboard the cruise liner when it ran into the reef and, with seawater rushing into a 230-foot (70-meter) gash in its hull, listed and fell onto its side. "Contamination of the environment, ladies and gentlemen, already occurred" when the liner capsized, Gabrelli said.
Vessels equipped with machinery to suck out the light fuel oil were in the area. Earlier on Saturday, crews removed oil-absorbing booms used to prevent environmental damage in case of a leak. Originally white, the booms were grayish.
Schettino, is under house arrest for investigation of alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship before all were evacuated.
The search had been suspended Friday after the Concordia shifted, prompting fears the ship could roll off a rocky ledge of sea bed and plunge deeper into the pristine waters around Giglio, part of a seven-island Tuscan archipelago.
___
D'Emilio reported from Rome. Colleen Barry contributed from Milan and Andrea Foa from Giglio.
(This version CORRECTS Corrects misspelling 11th and 16th paragraphs. AP Video. This story is part of AP's general news and financial services.)
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Obama's Singing Gets Raves From 'American Idol' Coach
'AI' associate music director Michael Orland tells MTV News in an exclusive that prez's pipes would get him to Hollywood Week.
By Jim Cantiello
President Barack Obama at the Apollo Theater on Thursday
Photo: Shahar Azran/WireImage
This week, "American Idol" kicked off its 11th season, and it appears even President Obama is getting into the spirit. On Thursday night at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater, the commander in chief surprised a star-studded Harlem, New York, crowd by busting out a few measures of "AI" staple Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."
Obama's smooth singing voice impressed many — including the Rev. Al Green himself, who told TMZ that Obama "nailed it" — but does the leader of the free world have what it takes to make it on America's #1 singing competition?
"American Idol" associate music director and vocal coach Michael Orland certainly thinks so!
"I swear to you, if he auditioned for me in the big stadium [rounds], I would have put him through to the producers immediately," Orland exclusively told MTV News. "I think he was really charming and had a great voice, and that's all you can really tell in the a cappella rounds anyway. ... I thought his phrasing was great, how he broke it up and really worked the room while he was doing it."
But even more noteworthy was Obama's perfect pitch. "He was in the exact same key [as Al Green's recording]. To pull that out of the air, with everything perfectly in tune, I was really impressed," Orland added.
The vocal pro even believes Obama's voice was strong enough to win over ultimate deciders Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. "I guarantee you he would have gotten a Golden Ticket."
On his hypothetical "Idol" journey, Obama's next challenge would be the dreaded Hollywood Week, where hundreds of hopefuls are forced to work around the clock, learning group numbers with little sleep and lots of drama. "I think considering the amount of stress he's normally under, he'd do really well," Orland laughed.
The "Idol" insider struggled to compare Obama's singing voice to any previous contestants but, ultimately, that's what makes the President a fantastic prospect.
"It sounded like him! He sang like he speaks. He has a unique voice, which is all you ever try to find in somebody. ... He didn't try to copy anybody," Orland raved.
Still, every singer could use a little constructive criticism — even singers who have the power to start nuclear war — and if Orland were working with Obama on a full-fledged "Idol" performance, he would encourage the President to take a few risks. "When you do one of those really well-known songs, don't be afraid to change it up a little bit," Orland said, jokingly adding, "If they could send Air Force One, I would give him a free coaching!"
Alas, Obama is too old to audition for "Idol" by 22 years, but fear not, Mr. President: there's always season two of "The X Factor."
Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Related ArtistsSource: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677644/obama-sings-al-green.jhtml
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Nigeria puts $310,000 bounty on escaped bomb suspect (Reuters)
ABUJA (Reuters) ? Nigeria's police are offering a 50 million naira ($309,600) reward for information leading to the recapture of the main suspect in a Christmas Day bomb attack, who escaped within 24 hours of his arrest this week.
Police arrested Kabiru Sokoto on Tuesday and while they were taking him from police headquarters to search his house outside Abuja, their vehicle came under fire.
Taking Sokoto with them was risky and unusual, security sources said.
The commissioner of police in charge of the operation has been suspended and the inspector general, Nigeria's most senior police officer, has been told to explain the circumstances that led to Sokoto's escape.
Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, on the outskirts of Abuja, which killed 37 people and wounded 57, the deadliest of a series of attacks at Christmas.
"The Police High Command has declared Kabiru Umar (a.k.a. Kabiru Sokoto) wanted in connection with cases of bombing and terrorism across the northern states of the Federation, especially the Christmas-Day bombing of a Church at Madalla," a police statement said on Thursday.
"He is aged 28 years, fair in complexion and speaks English, Hausa and Arabic languages fluently," the statement said.
Last year was the second in a row that Boko Haram has attacked churches at Christmas. Its strikes are becoming deadlier and more sophisticated, and have raised fears that the militants are trying to ignite sectarian strife between Nigeria's largely Muslim north and Christian south.
Boko Haram, meaning "Western education is sinful" in Hausa, has also been blamed for a campaign of shootings and bombings against security forces and authorities in the north.
Attacks in and around the capital - including one on the U.N. headquarters in August that killed at least 24 people - suggest the group is trying to raise its profile and spread out from its heartland in the northeast. ($1 = 161.4900 Nigerian nairas)
(Reporting by Felix Onuah and Camillus Eboh; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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