Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295771582?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Italy president pledges to stay to deal with crisis
By Giselda Vagnoni
ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on Saturday ruled out standing down early to make way for new parliamentary elections, after the failure of attempts to form a government this week, saying he would keep trying to find a way out of the deadlock.
Napolitano, whose term ends on May 15, spoke after news reports suggested he might resign to get around constitutional provisions which prevent a president dissolving parliament and calling elections during his final months in office.
"I will continue until the last day of my mandate to do as my sense of national responsibility suggests, without hiding from the country the difficulties that I am still facing," he told reporters at his Quirinale palace.
But he acknowledged that he had limited scope to force the divided parties to find a way out of political situation that he said was "frozen between irreconcilable positions".
With investors still mindful of the turmoil that took the euro zone to the brink of disaster in 2011, the gridlock has revived worries about Italy just as the Cyprus banking crisis reopened concern about the stability of the single currency.
Napolitano said he would ask two small groups of experts to formulate proposals for institutional and social and economic reforms that could be supported by all political parties.
He named 10 senior figures including Enrico Giovannini, the head of statistics agency ISTAT, European Affairs Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi and Bank of Italy board member Salvatore Rossi as well as one senior figure from each of the main parties apart from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.
Napolitano met leaders of the main parties on Friday to try to find a way out of the stalemate created by an election which has left Italy facing a return to the polls after no party won a viable majority in parliament.
However with all of the three main formations in parliament clinging to entrenched positions that have prevented a majority being formed, hopes of a solution that would head off potentially destabilizing early elections have faded.
Pier Luigi Bersani, whose center-left alliance has a majority in the lower house but not the Senate, was rebuffed by the populist 5-Star Movement, which rejects deals with the main parties it blames for Italy's social and economic crisis.
Bersani himself rejected demands by center-right leader Silvio Berlusconi for a cross-party coalition deal that would give the scandal-plagued former prime minister a share in power and the right to decide Napolitano's successor.
Both Berlusconi's group and the 5-Star Movement, led by ex-comic Beppe Grillo have also ruled out a new technocrat government like the one led by outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti, blocking what appears to be the only other option.
IRRECONCILABLE
Napolitano's pledge to stay on delayed an immediate crisis but left hopes of progress dependent on parties which are divided less by substantive issues of policy than by deep personal mistrust that has worsened as the standoff has worn on.
Bersani said he would be guided by Napolitano but Berlusconi's party secretary Angelino Alfano had a more lukewarm response and stuck to demands for a coalition government in which it would play a part.
"Either we have a political government with a grand coalition or we return to vote immediately," he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera. "If the initiative begun today leads to this outcome, good. Otherwise, the only way is to go straight to the polls with no delay," he said.
Napolitano stressed that Monti retained full authority at the head of a caretaker administration until a new government can be formed but he will be unable to undertake any significant reforms to Italy's stagnant economy, now deep in its longest recession for 20 years.
Parliament must soon begin preparations to vote for a new president either to oversee the first steps of a new government or early elections and the battle to choose the next head of state is unlikely to ease the political tensions.
The head of state, elected by a joint sitting of parliament and representatives from the regions, has a broadly defined but at times vital role in overseeing affairs of state, as Napolitano himself has shown repeatedly ever since the last Berlusconi government fell in 2011.
With bond markets closed for the Easter break, investors have been left on the sidelines but a poorly received auction of mid- and long-term debt last week underlined the danger if the crisis drags on.
(Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary in Rome and Ethan Bilby in Brussels; Writing by James Mackenzie; editing by Barry Moody and Rosalind Russell)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italy-president-could-resign-allow-election-source-083108238--business.html
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Saturday, March 30, 2013
What we learned at GDC 2013: Consoles and PCs merge, but ...
Freemium games are sprouting like weeds. That?s what it looked like as I wandered the show floor at GDC 2013. An indicator that the freemium model (where you get a game for free but end up paying for small upgrades within the game) has become mainstream, it?s also a sign of the importance of mobile and social gaming. Many, many mobile games are free, but they generate revenue with ads or by selling in-app virtual goods.
That?s not to say that traditional AAA console and PC titles are dead. Battlefield 4?s shiny new trailer received a lot of oohs and aahs at the show. Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age 3 are ratcheting up the visual quality for the new console generation, as well. The era of big budget, loud, and glossy games isn?t ending soon, but those types of games are becoming less relevant as gaming moves forward.
The shift to mobile platforms has progressed over the last decade, but this year?s GDC signifies a sea change. The industry is trying to adapt. The number of companies selling online billing services to handle microtransactions is just one metric. The big technology companies are aware, too, and are taking their own steps to address this new market. It?s a measure of the uncertainty and fragmentation of this new market that each of the players seem to be taking in slightly different directions.
Hardware makers get mobile and look to the cloud
Intel?s AOIT extension to DirectX 11.1 makes transparency easier for game programmers.
Intel is working to make its next-generation integrated graphics built into their upcoming Haswell laptop CPUs work more effectively with current generation games. The company is even creating extensions to DirectX to make the platform behave in a more console-like manner.
AMD, howevver, is supporting cloud gaming in a big way with its release of the Radeon Sky server-based GPUs. However, the company is hedging its bets. With AMD?s design win with the PlayStation 4 and a rumored win with the next-gen Xbox, the company is betting a lot of revenue on the success of the new consoles ? the poor sales of the Wii U, which uses AMD?s Radeon graphics, must be worrying. It?s recent release of the budget priced Radeon HD 7790 should help it maintain interest.
Nvidia is also betting on cloud gaming with its GeForce Grid server line, but is still maintaining its release schedule, shipping an updated, better performing budget card with its GTX 650 Boost Edition. Meanwhile, Nvidia is still showing off its Project Shield handheld console, which is meant to attract a gamer who wants it all, but is also on the move, but neither pricing or ship dates have been announced.
Microsoft?s is trying to keep its feet squarely in all trends at once. However, that sometimes comes across as having a lack of focus. Windows 8 has been a less than stellar success for desktop PCs, but, as the new interface takes hold,?touch-enabled laptops and tablets may see interesting new games. The Windows side of the company is aggressively pushing tablet gaming with Windows 8.
Meanwhile, initiatives like Xbox SmartGlass means that the console side of Microsoft is at least dimly aware of the importance of tablets, but only as subsidiary devices ? god forbid you might actually want to play a game on a tablet.
Big studios try to adapt
Bioware?s use of weekend operations kept multiplayer users actively interested.
The big gaming studios are certainly aware of the shifting sands, but with so much capital invested in old-school gaming, they?re still trying to figure out how to make money in the new world of always connected, mobile gamers. Bioware?s attempt at turning Mass Effect 3 into a service, rather than a packaged good, was one of the more interesting, if somewhat flawed, experiments. The new, service-oriented approach kept Mass Effect 3 alive in player?s minds for a year after the launch, but mixed messages and incomplete communication confused both the gaming press and gamers.
The real action is in free-to-play games, but the incremental nature of freemium revenues has been a mixed success for the big players. Star Wars: The Old Republic has seen mixed success as it moves to a free-to-play model, but more nimble companies in the market, like Wargaming.net, have reaped substantial rewards. Free-to-play has become the top business model for mobile gaming. On the MMO side, it?s looking like the subscription model is increasingly moribund, as high profile titles like The Secret World?have moved rapidly to free-to-play after initial attempts at more traditional subscriptions failed to garner enough users to keep the game profitable.
What?s going on?
What does this all mean in the long-term? The rich array of different gaming platforms will attract more users to gaming than ever before, but it also means that major publishers are more risk averse. Addicted to current revenue streams from big budget games, their experiments with mobile gaming and user engagement after games ship has been slow to come. However, mobile hardware and software is also exploding with products ranging from tablet-like phones to extremely Ultrabook PCs stealing sales away from traditional consoles and desktop PCs. The big players will have to evolve to serve this new generation of users, or risk ending up on the scrap heap of technology history.
Source: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/gdc-tech-consoles-and-pcs-merge-but-mobile-is-king/
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U.S. Navy SEAL dies in parachute training accident
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs died and another was injured in a parachute training accident in Arizona, military officials said on Friday.
The man died after being taken to a hospital for injuries sustained in a "free-fall training" accident on Thursday at the U.S. Special Operations Command's Parachute Testing and Training Facility, northeast of Tucson, said Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander David McKinney.
The injured man remains hospitalized in stable condition, he said.
"I can confirm that a SEAL died yesterday as a result of the accident," McKinney said. "I don't know what happened or what caused the accident."
No other details were available, and the names of the two men were not released. The accident is being investigated.
SEAL is an acronym for sea, air, land.
(Editing by Ian Simpson and Philip Barbara)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-navy-seal-dies-parachute-training-accident-010402231.html
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Facebook Phone: Maybe, Possibly for Real This Time (Sort Of)
By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-phone-maybe-possibly-real-time-sort-133608088--finance.html
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Sample itinerary for a family yurt camp holiday in the Dordogne | the ...
If you?re planning a family holiday at the ?covall?e yurt camp in the Dordogne, this sample itinerary should give you a few ideas. (Pause for SEO applause.) It?s what we would do if we were here for one week in peak season, with two children aged over five, and a car.
Obviously one itinerary doesn?t fit every family (it would be hard pushed to fit even one), but you have to start somewhere ? and I?d start with?
The Welcome Picnic enjoyed by everyone booking one week or more
Saturday
Arrive late afternoon, get shown to your beautiful yurt, leave the kids to run around exploring, rifling through the Play Yurt, bouncing on the trampoline and meeting other children as they arrive. Unpack the car and enjoy the Welcome Picnic, relieved you won?t need to find the nearest supermarket straight away. Watch the bats diving around in front of the outdoor kitchen after dusk, then gaze at the stars, spotting satellites ? or was that the space station?
Sunday
Have a cup of that organic coffee, then pop into Lalinde to pick up croissants, pain au chocolat, baguettes or whatever else takes your fancy (?covall?e tip: at the boulangerie on the square they do a ?poche? with a selection of the previous day?s croissants etc. ? it?s cheaper and still pretty fresh ? on top of the short counter in clear plastic bags).
Issigeac is heaving on market day and eerily deserted the rest of the week
Drive to Issigeac, about 25 mins away, for the Sunday market. Walk slowly around this medieval town that feels like you?re walking through a Shakespearean film set. Buy supplies for a couple of days, then head back to ?covall?e. Make lunch and spend a few hours relaxing in a hammock. Then go to Lanquais for a swim in the lake. Resolve to return at least once during the week. Pick up some croissants for breakfast on the way home, grab a cold drink from the fridge-freezer behind Reception, then barbecue while trying to be the first to see a bat, then a shooting star.
Monday
A typical demonstration (actually taken at Cadouin)
Drive West, following the Dordogne river, aiming for the spectacular gardens at Marqueyssac, about 40 minutes away. Buy a twin ticket that lets you into Castelnaud later, then be blown away by the awesome brain-like hedges. Amble round the large plateau, stopping in the play areas and being grateful that the whole two-hour (buggy friendly) walk is shaded by trees. Stand on the viewing platform hundreds of feet above the river and stare at La Roque-Gageac, a beautiful village built into the cliffs. After lunch with a view, drive to nearby Castelnaud and the museum of medieval warfare. There?s armour, weaponry, actors in period costume fighting, actual-size siege-engine demonstrations and a whole lot more, though steep circular staircases make it hostile to buggies. After an ice cream in the village, grab some supplies on the way back to ?covall?e, arriving before the bats come out.
Tuesday
From the swimming lake you can see the roofs of chateau at Lanquais ? designed by the same architect as the Louvre
A lazy day, today, starting with a morning at Lanquais swimming lake. It?s only ten minutes in the car, and a sandy beach overlooked by a beautiful chateau, with a snack bar, life guard and blue sky is not to be missed (many a guest has spent half their holiday here ? and it?s easy to see why). After lunch in the square at Lalinde, head back to ?covall?e for an afternoon of nature trails, hammock dozing, chicken watching, trampoline bouncing, reading ? reading! a book! ? solar shower taking and whatever else springs to mind. Order takeaway pizza, because you?re on holiday and it?s beginning to feel like it.
Wednesday
Another adventurous day starts with a trip to the cave at Proumeyssac. It?s only 30 mins away, above-averagely spectacular, with a good-sized woodland play next to the car park. It?s also very close to the aqua park near Le Bugue. Here, there?s a swimming pool, slide, play area and bouncy thing for everyone, and plenty of space to lie around on the grass. The lake, with its huge inflatables (which aren?t that easy to haul yourself up on) is a must-do. There is a real danger of face ache though, and you realise that you need to spend more of your life grinning from ear to ear.
Thursday
We cut paths through the meadows to leave wild flowers and insects waiting to be discovered
With the end of the week looming, it?s another day trip, heading for Sarlat but unable to resist stopping at Beynac on the way. This jaw-dropping castle overlooking the river was home to Richard I for 10 years. Its massive walls are built on top of sheer cliffs by people who must have redefined bravery. After lunch in Sarlat and a wander round old town, it?s an afternoon in one of the nearby tree parks. First timers will want to go round the easiest run to get used to the equipment, before getting as scared as they dare on the higher runs. Afterwards, looking at the tree park across the road, it?s tempting to wonder if those runs would have been even more fun ? but could that be possible? Will you ever know? Although a planned return trip to Marqueyssac for the candlelit, music-filled Thursday evening sounds great, it?s been a long day and?the barbecue?s waiting back in ?covall?e.
Friday
The bridges at Limeuil ? yet another beautiful place to unwind
Wake up hoping the stiffness from the tree park will be cured by a morning canoeing down the river. Head to Le Buisson, about 15 mins away, hire a canoe and be driven upriver in a minibus to Siorac, then paddle back to the starting point and spend some time relaxing on the river (pebble) beach, occasionally getting dragged into its roped off swimming area. Then drive to nearby Limeuil and have a drink overlooking the river where the Dordogne and Vezere meet. Walk up through the village to the panoramic gardens at the top, then take a different route back down and discover a shop where a glassblower fashions amazing objects. It?s hot work, which reminds you to start planning what and where you?re going to eat.
Saturday
It?s time to move on, pack the car, and plan a return to ?covall?e so you can do all the things there weren?t time to do this week. Like: have lunch in Bergerac old town, spend an afternoon in Domme, visit the Maison Forte at Reignac, and Roc St Christophe, and the village of Monpazier and Cadouin, then there?s the caves, chateaux, markets, more canoeing, restaurants?
The Maison Forte at Reignac has a torture chamber that will chill you to the bone
We?ve lived here six years in August and we?ve seen and experienced only a tiny fraction of what this area has to offer. We?ve done everything on this itinerary at least once and will do it all again (at least once). On our list for this year are a canoe trip down the Vezere from Les Eyzies, that other tree park near Sarlat, and some caves with drawings instead of rock formations. But that?s us. What about you?
PS Previous guests, if you?re reading this, please use the comment section to say what?s on your must-see-must-do list for in and around ?covall?e.
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Friday, March 29, 2013
Brain scans might predict future criminal behavior
Friday, March 29, 2013
A new study conducted by The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., shows that neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal will reoffend following release from prison.
The paper, which is to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, studied impulsive and antisocial behavior and centered on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a portion of the brain that deals with regulating behavior and impulsivity.
The study demonstrated that inmates with relatively low anterior cingulate activity were twice as likely to reoffend than inmates with high-brain activity in this region.
"These findings have incredibly significant ramifications for the future of how our society deals with criminal justice and offenders," said Dr. Kent A. Kiehl, who was senior author on the study and is director of mobile imaging at MRN and an associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico. "Not only does this study give us a tool to predict which criminals may reoffend and which ones will not reoffend, it also provides a path forward for steering offenders into more effective targeted therapies to reduce the risk of future criminal activity."
The study looked at 96 adult male criminal offenders aged 20-52 who volunteered to participate in research studies. This study population was followed over a period of up to four years after inmates were released from prison.
"These results point the way toward a promising method of neuroprediction with great practical potential in the legal system," said Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics in the Philosophy Department and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, who collaborated on the study. "Much more work needs to be done, but this line of research could help to make our criminal justice system more effective."
The study used the Mind Research Network's Mobile Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System to collect neuroimaging data as the inmate volunteers completed a series of mental tests.
"People who reoffended were much more likely to have lower activity in the anterior cingulate cortices than those who had higher functioning ACCs," Kiehl said. "This means we can see on an MRI a part of the brain that might not be working correctly -- giving us a look into who is more likely to demonstrate impulsive and anti-social behavior that leads to re-arrest."
The anterior cingulate cortex of the brain is "associated with error processing, conflict monitoring, response selection, and avoidance learning," according to the paper. People who have this area of the brain damaged have been "shown to produce changes in disinhibition, apathy, and aggressiveness. Indeed, ACC-damaged patients have been classed in the 'acquired psychopathic personality' genre."
Kiehl says he is working on developing treatments that increase activity within the ACC to attempt to treat the high-risk offenders.
###
You can view the paper by clicking here: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1219302110.
Duke University: http://www.duke.edu
Thanks to Duke 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/127523/Brain_scans_might_predict_future_criminal_behavior
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Google Maps now delivering live transit info in New York, DC and Salt Lake City
Good news for us mass transit riders -- well, those of us in a couple of select US cities, at least. Google Maps is getting more live contextual info in New York, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. Riders will be able to check out live departure times for seven subway lines in the Big Apple and buses and trams in Utah's most populous city. Over in our our nation's capitol, Metrorail passengers will get access to alerts including unplanned delays and track work. Maps now has transit info for 800 cities in 25 countries, accessible through the company's Android and iOS apps.
Source: Google
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/27/google-maps-transit/
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Google TV's PrimeTime app update welcomes Amazon Prime content
An update to the PrimeTime Android app for Google TV has been released, bringing with it some bug fixes, as well as a "subscription selector" which means Netflix, HBO Go and Amazon Prime content now shows up as free if you're paying for any of those services. Wait, Amazon Prime content, you say? Well yes, we did, as the Amazon Prime Instant Video catalogue has been worked into the new version of the guide and recommendation app. Yet more ways to make sure we're up to date with The Good Wife? Sounds fine to us.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, HD, Amazon
Source: Google Play store
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/28/google-tv-primetime-app-update-adds-amazon-prime-content/
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Walmart tests in-store lockers for online orders
SAN BRUNO, Calif. (AP) ? Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will be testing this summer an option for consumers to be able to order product on its website and then have it kept in a physical locker at the store so they can pick it up without having to wait in line or talk to a store clerk.
The test, which will be conducted in about a dozen stories in an undisclosed market, is part of the world's largest retailer's overall strategy to offer increasingly demanding web-savvy shoppers the ability to shop any way they want. The company is also expanding its offerings online and improving a new "scan and go" shopping app so customers can immediately download coupons personalized to them.
Officials disclosed the moves Tuesday at a media event at its company's global e-commerce offices in San Bruno, Calif., located in Silicon Valley.
The six-story offices, which house more than 1,000 employees ranging from engineers to merchandisers, includes (at)WalmartLabs, where many of the shopping innovations are coming from. It was formerly a webs analytics company called Kosmix which the discounter purchased in 2011 and then renamed (at)WalmartLabs.
The offices are different from the staid, sprawling corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Clearly, it looks like an Internet startup. On the floor housing employees at (at)WalmartLabs, some workers are playing ping pong and pool. On another floor, web analysts watch oversized screens of Walmart.com and Samsclub.com to track any technology problems with the site.
The company conducts so-called "hack days" twice a year where most of the staff are allowed to pursue prototypes of their own liking. At the end of the day, they must show their work.
"We are tenacious about building the best-in-class e-commerce. We're developing a density of talent that understands competition at Internet speed," said Neil Ashe, who joined the discounter as president and CEO of the company's global e-commerce division in January 2012. He had been president of CBS Interactive where he oversaw such online properties as cbs.com and CNET.com.
Wal-Mart used the one-day event to showcase how the discounter is meeting the challenges to fight off online rivals like eBay Inc. and amazon.com, which have been luring shoppers to the Web with their vast offerings of products and low prices. But the discounter is also following its own customers. More than half of its shoppers have smartphones and one third of its online traffic now comes from smartphones. For the holiday shopping season, that percentage figure was up to 40 percent.
Over the past year, Wal-Mart has been launching a number of initiatives that merge its online business with the power of its 4,000 stores. That's all with the purpose of meeting the company's overall mission of "saving people money so they can live better." That includes same-day delivery in five markets, and an app that allows shoppers to scan their purchases with an Apple device while in the aisle and then pay at a self-checkout terminal. In 10 months, it also rebuilt its search engine from scratch, and the improved search tool has resulted in an increase of the number of browsers to buyers on walmart.com by 20 percent.
Wal-Mart doesn't break down its e-commerce sales for the U.S., but officials reiterated Tuesday that it expects global e-commerce sales to hit $9 billion this year. That's still a small fraction of the company's overall sales of $443.8 billion in the latest year ended Jan. 31. But the company is fast expanding its global presence which include nine other countries outside the U.S. It's also making big improvements to its ranking among shoppers. For example, in Brazil, walmart.com is now the most popular retail website in terms of traffic, up from being ranked No. 8 last year. And the company is creating a global platform so that lessons in Brazil can be quickly adopted in other countries.
As for Wal-Mart.com's U.S. business, which sells more than 2 million items ? including products it sells through other retailers like ebags.com ? the company plans to expand the number of items. It didn't disclose by how much.
With the test of the new lockers, Wal-Mart is catering to shoppers who want to be left alone when they buy. Joel Anderson, president and CEO of walmart.com's U.S. division, says that 75 percent of its shoppers want to buy interrupted.
The new tests with lockers work like this: once shoppers buy the product online, they're emailed a password. They then can go to the store to pick up the items that are stored in the locker. Anderson says that lockers will vary in size, and the company is still figuring out where to locate them.
The service is an evolution of another shopping option called "site to store" launched in 2007 where shoppers can order online and then pick up the items at a special counter within two weeks. The company has also been testing an option where shoppers can pick up their purchases they bought online at select FedEx locations.
"The customer is in charge," Anderson. "The customer wants to control their own environment."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wal-mart-tests-store-lockers-online-orders-194504956--finance.html
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Ready to start my family - Pregnancy - Support Groups
The information provided on SupportGroups.com is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her health professional. This information and interaction provided on this site is solely for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute the practice of medicine. Information on this site does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Neither the owners or employees of SupportGroups.com nor the author(s) of site content take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, application of medication or any other action which results from reading this site. Always speak with your primary health care provider before engaging in any form of self treatment. Please see our Legal Statement for further information.
Source: http://pregnancy.supportgroups.com/sg/pregnancy/ready-to-start-my-family
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Exclusive 'Easy Money' Clip: The New Crime Classic You May Not Know About
This past summer, a smash hit crime film opened in a handful of US cinemas with one of the hottest rises actors starring and the greatest directors of all time presenting it. Sound familiar? At its widest in the US, "Easy Money" was screening in all of seven theaters, but make no mistake, this is [...]
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/26/easy-money-clip/
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How to hack 420,000 internet devices | IT Donut
Here's a stark reminder that internet security perhaps isn't quite as tight as we'd all like.
An anonymous researcher managed to take control of 420,000 insecure internet devices like webcams, network routers and printers.
They were use to effectively create a huge network of internet devices that could be used for dodgy purposes like taking websites down via denial of service attacks. (The researcher didn't go ahead and cause any damage, but the potential was there.)
Standard passwords
What's striking about this research is both the huge number of devices that could be compromised, and the ease with which it could be done. Quite simply, the researcher accessed each device by trying standard usernames and passwords like admin or root.
In a month where a high-profile cyber-attack against South Korea hit the headlines, it's important for your business to remember that sometimes the simplest hacking attempts - like trying default usernames and passwords - can be just as damaging.
Don't neglect the obvious
The anonymous researcher summed up the problem in a post online:
"While everybody is talking about high class exploits and cyberwar, four simple stupid default telnet passwords can give you access to hundreds of thousands of consumer as well as tens of thousands of industrial devices all over the world."
In short: choose your passwords carefully. And whenever you add a new piece of equipment to your computer network, check if it has sign in credentials and change them if so. If you don't, you could be a part of this problem.
Image: Rob Kints / Shutterstock.com
Source: http://www.itdonut.co.uk/blog/2013/03/how-hack-420000-internet-devices
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Singer Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy
Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/singer-dionne-warwick-files-bankruptcy-051621939.html
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Monday, March 25, 2013
Founder of Free Syrian Army loses leg in bomb blast
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) ? A rebel military leader who was among the first to call openly for armed insurrection against President Bashar Assad was wounded by a bomb planted in his car in eastern Syria, anti-regime activists said Monday.
Col. Riad al-Asaad, leader of a now-sidelined rebel umbrella group known as the Free Syrian Army, had his right foot amputated following the blast late on Sunday, according to an activist in the town of Mayadeen where the attack took place.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack, saying some said al-Asaad had been killed while others said he lost a leg.
Calls to al-Asaad's cell phone went unanswered, and one of his aides reached in Turkey said he had no details.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Al-Asaad, a former colonel in the Syrian air force who defected and fled to Turkey in 2011, became the head of the Free Syrian Army, a group of army defectors who were among the first to declare armed struggle the only way to topple the regime.
"They will soon discover that armed rebellion is the only way to break the Syrian regime," al-Asaad told The Associated Press in October 2011, soon after his group was formed.
At the time, most Syrian activists were inspired by the uprisings that had successfully toppled dictators in Tunisia and Egypt and thought popular protests would bring about the same result in Syria. But the Syrian government's vast, violent crackdown on opposition caused many to resort to arms.
Today, hundreds of independent rebel groups are fighting a civil war against Assad's forces across the country and many activists no longer bother to stage unarmed protests. The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed since the first protests in March, 2011.
During that transition, al-Asaad, who spent most of his time in a refugee camp in Turkey, never managed to build effective links with most rebel groups or provide the support that would have made them recognize him as their leader. While most fighters in Syria refer to themselves as part of the "Free Army," those who say they follow al-Asaad are rare.
More recently, al-Asaad's group has been superseded by the Office of the Chiefs of Staff, which is associated with the opposition Syrian National Coalition and led by Gen. Salim Idris. That body, too, has failed to project widespread authority inside Syria, where most groups still cobble together their own funding and arms.
The Mayadeen activist said via Skype that a bomb planted in the seat of the car al-Asaad was riding in blew up as he toured the town.
The activist said rebels now control the town and most of the surrounding areas, although President Assad still has supporters, whom the activist blamed for the attack. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety.
Al-Asaad was traveling with an aide and a local activist, Barakat al-Haweish, both of whom were slightly injured, the activist said. Al-Asaad was taken to a local field hospital, where doctors amputated his right foot before transporting him to Turkey.
Also Monday, the opposition's exile political leadership, the Syrian National Coalition, said a delegation was heading to Doha, where the Gulf state of Qatar will host a two-day Arab League summit starting Tuesday.
Foreign ministers of the League's member states decided Monday to grant Syria's seat in the body to the opposition. The Syria government's membership was suspended earlier in the uprising.
Heading the delegation is Mouaz al-Khatib, the Coalition said in a statement on its Facebook page. He is going despite having resigned his position as Coalition leader on Sunday, citing restriction on his work inside the group and frustration with the level of international aid for the opposition.
Al-Khatib, a respected Muslim preacher before being chosen last year to head the Coalition, said in a post on his own Facebook page that he would address the summit "in the name of the Syrian people." He said the move had nothing to do with his resignation, "which will be discussed later."
The Coalition refused his resignation and has asked him to keep his job.
Also in the delegation is Ghassan Hitto, whom the coalition elected last week to head a planned interim government to govern rebel-held areas.
In Damascus, a series of mortar strikes near a downtown traffic circle on Monday killed one person and wounded several others, the government-run Ikhbariyeh TV station reported.
Umayyad Square, at the center of a large intersection west of downtown, sits near the government TV headquarters, the Sheraton hotel and a number of faculties of the University of Damascus.
Syria's state news agency reported no dead and at least six wounded in the strikes, which it said hit near the Opera House.
It was unclear who was behind that attack as well, reflecting the often chaotic nature of Syria's two-year-old civil war pitting hundreds of independent rebel groups against the forces of Assad. The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with political protests in March, 2011.
Such sporadic strikes on Damascus have grown more common in recent weeks and often appear to target government buildings. Most cause only material damage, but spread fear in Damascus that the capital, which has so far managed to avoid the widespread clashes that have destroyed other cities, could soon face the same fate.
Damascus residents reported hearing intensive shelling on Monday, though it was hard to tell where it was coming from.
____
Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed reporting from Damascus, Syria.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-activists-senior-rebel-leader-wounded-084932608.html
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Oregon blows past Saint Louis 74-57 in 3rd round
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ? Pac-12 tournament champions. No. 12 seed. Underdogs.
Oregon is happy to carry any label it's given in the NCAA tournament ? all the way into the round of 16.
Damyean Dotson scored 23 points, Carlos Emory added 14 points and the hot-shooting Ducks sprinted past fourth-seeded Saint Louis 74-57 on Saturday night.
"We just decided as a team we're going to go out there and we don't care who we're going to play," said Oregon's Arsalan Kazemi, who had eight points and 16 rebounds.
Dotson made his first five 3-pointers to propel Oregon (28-8) into the second weekend for the first time since 2007, when it lost to eventual repeat champion Florida in the regional final. The Ducks made 8 of 11 shots from beyond the arc, while the Billikens finished 3 for 21 from long range.
After the NCAA selection committee turned some heads for seeding Oregon so low, the Ducks dismissed two favorites by a combined 30 points in San Jose. Oregon will play No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis next. The Cardinals routed Colorado State 82-56 in Lexington, Ky.
"I'm excited but, man, it's just great to get to see those guys in the locker room all fired up," Ducks coach Dana Altman said. "And for our fans that have waited for this, and for our state, it's good."
Not so much for Saint Louis.
Kwamain Mitchell scored 18 points and Dwayne Evans had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Billikens (28-7), who set a school record for wins this season following the death of coach Rick Majerus in December. Instead of a storybook finish, Saint Louis settled for another third-round exit.
The Billikens lost in the round of 32 year to No. 1 seed Michigan State last year after snapping a 12-year NCAA tournament drought. The deepest run the school ever made was to the quarterfinals in 1952, when there were only 16 teams in the tournament.
"It's been a good ride this year," said Evans, fighting back tears. "Probably one of the funnest years of basketball I've ever played. And it's had the most adversity, so it's ironic."
Oregon's size and speed just overwhelmed Saint Louis from the start.
The Ducks' defense extended into a full-court press, forcing Saint Louis to play faster than it wanted. With a series of stops providing easy breakaways, Oregon's bright black-and-yellow uniforms blurred all over the court.
The open space played perfectly into what the Ducks do best: find seams and shoot. Dotson, Emory and E.J. Singler (14 points) each made a 3-pointer before Johnathan Loyd capped the 25-8 run to end the half with another from the top of the arc in the final seconds, lifting his hand in the air after giving Oregon a 35-19 lead at the break.
The Billikens blitzed the Ducks in the first few minutes of the second half. Evans converted two quick layups and Mitchell made a 3-pointer to slice Oregon's lead to 37-26.
The small sprinkling of blue-and-white faithful that sat behind the Saint Louis bench stood and cheered. A few brief bursts withstanding, the arena had an overwhelming Pac-12 flavor as Oregon and California ? which was facing Syracuse in the night session as part of the East bracket ? flooded the facility with fans.
The Ducks built back a 44-28 lead carried by its defense, including Loyd stealing the ball from blue-haired Cody Ellis and finishing strong with a layup on the other end. Saint Louis made a couple of late runs but never got closer than 11 points.
"They're not the average 12 seed," Saint Louis forward Cory Remekun said.
The Billikens had to endure a few late highlights that will surely illuminate Oregon's run even more. The Ducks just about put the game away when Dotson tossed a midair bounce pass down the sideline for Emory, whose corner 3-pointer put Oregon ahead 58-39 with 8:16 remaining.
Dotson is 16 of 30 from beyond the arc since the start of the Pac-12 tournament. He had been 0 for 12 from long range in the five previous games.
Kazemi added to the rout by finishing an alley-oop from Loyd late. The Iranian-born player grabbed 33 rebounds in the two tournament games.
Indeed, the Quack Attack has been at its best this March.
Shedding its seeding more with every game, there is no doubting this team anymore. All the Ducks have done is tie for second place in the Pac-12 in the regular season, win the conference tournament and beat No. 5 seed Oklahoma State 68-55 before sending Saint Louis home.
"I knew we were going to do something special this year and know it's a matter of just doing it," said Loyd, who had nine points, six assists and five rebounds. "It's this group of guys. We have all the pieces. We know we can play with anybody. We were a top 10 team once and then we had a little setback. We can play with the big boys."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oregon-blows-past-saint-louis-74-57-3rd-012907773--spt.html
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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Researchers identify genetic sequence that helps to coordinate synthesis of DNA-packaging proteins
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Public release date: 24-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Les Lang
llang@med.unc.edu
919-966-9366
University of North Carolina Health Care
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Every time a cell divides it makes a carbon copy of crucial ingredients, including the histone proteins that are responsible for spooling yards of DNA into tight little coils. When these spool-like proteins aren't made correctly, it can result in the genomic instability characteristic of most birth defects and cancers.
Seven years ago, Dr. Joe Gall of the Carnegie Institute in Baltimore, Md. and coworkers noticed an aggregation of molecules along a a block of genome that codes for the critical histones, but they had no idea how this aggregate or "histone locus body" was formed.
Now, research conducted in fruit flies at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has pinpointed a specific DNA sequence that both triggers the formation of this "histone locus body" and turns on all the histone genes in the entire block.
The finding, published March 25, 2013 in the journal Developmental Cell, provides a model for the coordinated synthesis of histones needed for assembly into chromatin, a process critical to keeping chromosomes intact and passing genetic information from generation to generation.
"Our study has uncovered a new relationship between nuclear architecture and gene activity," said senior study author Bob Duronio, PhD, professor of biology and genetics at UNC. "In order to make chromosomes properly, you need to make these histone building blocks at the right time and in the right amount. We found that the cell has evolved this complex architecture to do that properly, and that involves an interface between the assembly of various components and the turning on of a number of genes."
In the fruit fly, as in the human, the five different histone genes exist in one long chunk of the genome. The "histone locus" in flies contains 100 copies of each of the five genes, encompassing approximately 500,000 nucleotides of A's, C's, T's and G's. The proteins required for making the histone message a process that must happen every time a new strand of DNA is copied come together at this "histone locus" to form the "histone locus body."
Duronio and co-senior study author William Marzluff, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, wanted to figure out how these factors knew to meet at the histone locus.
They inserted different combinations of the five histone genes into another site of the genome, and looked to see which combinations recruited a new histone locus body. The researchers found that combinations that contained a specific 300 nucleotide sequence the region between the H3 and H4 histone genes formed a histone locus body. In contrast, combinations of genes that lacked this sequence did not form the body. They went on to show that this sequence turned on not only the H3 and H4 genes in its direct vicinity, but also other histone genes in the block.
Though the research was conducted entirely in fruit flies, it may lend insight into mechanisms that keep the genome from becoming unstable and causing early death or illness -- in higher organisms.
"Humans and flies have these very same histone genes. They have the same proteins in the histone locus body. So understanding precisely how this works in flies will help us understand cell division in humans," said Marzluff.
###
The research was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. Study co-authors from UNC include Harmony R. Salzler, Deirdre C. Tatomer, Pamela Y. Malek, Stephen L. McDaniel, and Anna N. Orlando.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 24-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Les Lang
llang@med.unc.edu
919-966-9366
University of North Carolina Health Care
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Every time a cell divides it makes a carbon copy of crucial ingredients, including the histone proteins that are responsible for spooling yards of DNA into tight little coils. When these spool-like proteins aren't made correctly, it can result in the genomic instability characteristic of most birth defects and cancers.
Seven years ago, Dr. Joe Gall of the Carnegie Institute in Baltimore, Md. and coworkers noticed an aggregation of molecules along a a block of genome that codes for the critical histones, but they had no idea how this aggregate or "histone locus body" was formed.
Now, research conducted in fruit flies at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has pinpointed a specific DNA sequence that both triggers the formation of this "histone locus body" and turns on all the histone genes in the entire block.
The finding, published March 25, 2013 in the journal Developmental Cell, provides a model for the coordinated synthesis of histones needed for assembly into chromatin, a process critical to keeping chromosomes intact and passing genetic information from generation to generation.
"Our study has uncovered a new relationship between nuclear architecture and gene activity," said senior study author Bob Duronio, PhD, professor of biology and genetics at UNC. "In order to make chromosomes properly, you need to make these histone building blocks at the right time and in the right amount. We found that the cell has evolved this complex architecture to do that properly, and that involves an interface between the assembly of various components and the turning on of a number of genes."
In the fruit fly, as in the human, the five different histone genes exist in one long chunk of the genome. The "histone locus" in flies contains 100 copies of each of the five genes, encompassing approximately 500,000 nucleotides of A's, C's, T's and G's. The proteins required for making the histone message a process that must happen every time a new strand of DNA is copied come together at this "histone locus" to form the "histone locus body."
Duronio and co-senior study author William Marzluff, PhD, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, wanted to figure out how these factors knew to meet at the histone locus.
They inserted different combinations of the five histone genes into another site of the genome, and looked to see which combinations recruited a new histone locus body. The researchers found that combinations that contained a specific 300 nucleotide sequence the region between the H3 and H4 histone genes formed a histone locus body. In contrast, combinations of genes that lacked this sequence did not form the body. They went on to show that this sequence turned on not only the H3 and H4 genes in its direct vicinity, but also other histone genes in the block.
Though the research was conducted entirely in fruit flies, it may lend insight into mechanisms that keep the genome from becoming unstable and causing early death or illness -- in higher organisms.
"Humans and flies have these very same histone genes. They have the same proteins in the histone locus body. So understanding precisely how this works in flies will help us understand cell division in humans," said Marzluff.
###
The research was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. Study co-authors from UNC include Harmony R. Salzler, Deirdre C. Tatomer, Pamela Y. Malek, Stephen L. McDaniel, and Anna N. Orlando.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uonc-rig032213.php
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Star Real Estate: Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys and Leann Rimes - Extra
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Saturday, March 23, 2013
Alamieyeseigha: The lure of sin and the politics of forgiveness
By CHIOMA GABRIEL
?To err is human, to forgive divine?
The last is yet? to be heard of the presidential pardon granted some Nigerians for sins committed in the past years.
Since? the National Council of States , presided over by President Jonathan,? penultimate Tuesday granted state pardon to some prominent Nigerians, including the former Bayelsa governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha , sleep? has eluded? Nigerians. The deluge of criticisms? were coming? from all over the world. Nigeria is on the spot? and the populace is crying foul.
But? are the people questioning the privilege of the president whom they have given their mandate at election?
Constitutionally, the president has powers to grant state pardon to individuals who betrayed the destiny of the nation.
All over the world, pardons are granted when individuals who committed crimes have demonstrated that they have fulfilled their debt to society, or are otherwise considered to be deserving. Pardons are sometimes offered to persons who are wrongfully convicted or who claim they have been wrongfully convicted.
In the United States , a common reason used in granting pardons is to mitigate disproportionate sentencing, especially between participants in the same criminal act or those convicted in the same jurisdiction. Some US governors are against using pardons in this manner because they believe it usurps the discretion of the sentencing judge.
Pardon is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves. Commutation or remission is the lessening of a penalty without forgiveness for the crime; the beneficiary is still considered guilty of the offense and it is the prerogative of a country?s? president.
But in? the case of Alamieyeseigha according to respected lawyer, Femi Falana,SAN, ? while some of the persons involved in the exercise may be deserving of pardon, it is pertinent to point out, without any fear of contradiction, that the Council of State lacks the power to grant pardon to any person convicted of a criminal offence in Nigeria. Being an advisory body the Council of State? cannot usurp the powers of the President to exercise the prerogative of? mercy on convicted persons.? To that extent, the decision of the Council of States to pardon certain members of the ruling class is illegal and unconstitutional.?
Section 175 of the Constitution?? empowers the president to:
? grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions;
? grant to any person a respite, either for an indefinite or for a specified period, of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence.
?Substitute a less severe form of punishment for any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; or
? Remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the State on account of such an offence.
?The powers of the President under subsection(1) of this section shall be exercised by him after consultation with the Council of State.
?The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State may exercise his powers under subsection(1) of this section in relation to persons concerned with offences against the army, naval or air force? law or convicted or sentenced by a court martial.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was arrested? in London? in 2005 over alleged money laundering . At the time of his arrest, British Metropolitan police found about ?1m in cash in his London home. Later they found a total of ?1.8m ($3.2m) in cash and bank accounts. He was also found to own real estate in London worth an alleged ?10 million. His state?s monthly federal allocation for the? six years was in the order of ?32 million but he jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom by allegedly disguising himself as a woman.
Back home in Nigeria on July 26, 2007, Alamieyeseigha pleaded? guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges of corrupt enrichment levelled against him and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge but because the sentences were set to run concurrently and the time was counted from the point of his arrest? two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government.? But? the former governor? said he only pleaded guilty due to his age and would have fought the charges had he been younger.
On July 27, 2007, just hours after being taken to prison, he was released due to time already served.
In December 2009, the federal government hired a British law firm to help dispose of four expensive properties acquired by Alamieyeseigha in London.? The former governor? had bought one of these? properties for ?1,750,000.00 in July 2003, paying in cash and had used? same as his London residence, and as the registered office of Solomon and Peters Inc.
On June 28, 2012, the United States (US) Department of Justice (DoJ) reportedly, announced that it had executed an asset forfeiture order on $401,931 in a Massachusetts brokerage fund, traceable to Alamieyeseigha.? US prosecutors filed court papers in April 2011 targeting the Massachusetts brokerage fund and a $600,000 Maryland home, which they alleged were the proceeds of corruption. A motion for default judgement and civil forfeiture was granted by a Massachusetts federal district judge in early June 2012.
The outrage over the presidential pardon granted the former Bayelsa governors stemmed? from the fact that the act of pardon rubbished the anti-corruption posture of? the? federal governrnent.
According to records, over? $500 billion (N75 trillion) had been lost to corruption in Nigeria since 1960 . This was the submission of former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi during a one day national discourse on corruption held in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday 14th March, 2013.?
He also attributed? the rising insecurity in some parts of the north, the militancy in the south- south and the kidnapping for ransom in the south-east? to the high level of corruption that has rocked the nation for many years.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,? equally estimated that Nigeria lost some US $380 billion to corruption between independence in 1960 and the end of military rule in 1999.
Ribadu explained he had come up with his figure of $380bn stolen or wasted since independence ?easily? through records kept by the Nigerian central bank and the ministry of finance.
Alamieyeseigha?s? controversial pardon has sparked a diplomatic row between Nigeria and the United States, with the Americans threatening to punish Nigeria over the? action.
Nigeria has in turn accused the United States of interfering in her affairs.
Through its official twitter handle @USEmbassyAbuja? penultimate Friday, the US had condemned the President?s?? action, saying, ?the USG (United States Government) is deeply disappointed over the recent pardons of corrupt officials by GON (Government of Nigeria),? adding, ?we see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.?
Obviously, the? American government is not taking the matter lightly and might apply sanction as appropriate.
The U.S. is the world?s top donor. In 2012, it spent about $226 million on health and governance programmes in Nigeria. And about $600million has been requested for 2013, according to U.S. government data.
However, it must be noted that the US is not a stranger to presidential pardons. Approximately 20,000 pardons and clemencies were issued by U.S. presidents in the 20th century alone. George Washington pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 16 people during his term.
Democratic President John F. Kennedy pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 575 people and Jimmy Carter pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 566 people.
Republican President Ronald Reagan pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 406 people during his term while his successor, Republican President George H. W. Bush pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 77 people .
In the years of Democratic President William J. Clinton, he pardoned,? commuted or rescinded the convictions of 459 people .
So far, Democratic President Barack Obama has pardoned 16 people.
In the United Kingdom where Alamieyeseigha?s was arrested in 2005, the power to grant pardons and reprieves? is known as the Royal prerogative of mercy. It was traditionally in the absolute power of the monarch to pardon an individual for a crime, whether or not he had been convicted, and thereby commute any penalty; the power was then delegated both to the judiciary and the Sovereign?s ministers. Since the creation of legal rights of appeal, the Royal prerogative of mercy is no longer being exercised by the person of the sovereign, or by the judiciary, but only by the Government.
Alamieyeseigha? had succumbed to the lure of sin? and got a state pardon but there is a heavy? political undertone underlining this pardon. Facts exist that proved? that Nigerian leaders granted state pardon in the past had always? indicated interest in one political office or the other soon after. An outstanding case was ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who, after being pardoned by Abdulsalam Abubakar?s government , forged ahead to contest and win elections and ruled Nigeria for eight years.
With the restoration of his fundamental and civic rights,one? should not be surprised to find DSP Alamieyeseigha?s campaign banners on the streets very soon or? given? a political appointment.
Indeed, his pardon? was? perceived to be hasty and suspicious and could be for anything but the interest of the? nation and the entire world .
?
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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/alamieyeseigha-the-lure-of-sin-and-the-politics-of-forgiveness/
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