tina_jhonson: October 2012

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Russia's parliament votes to expand definition of high treason

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's parliament on Tuesday voted to expand the country's definition of high treason in a move that critics said meant any Russian citizen who had contacts with a foreigner could be accused of trying to undermine the state.

The proposed changes - that still need to be approved by the upper house of parliament and President Vladimir Putin before they become law - redefine high treason to include "granting financial, technical, consulting or other help" to those seeking to damage Russia's security, including its "constitutional system, sovereignty, territorial and state integrity."

The vote follows Putin's return to the presidency in May which was preceded by the biggest anti-Putin protests of his 12-year rule. The Kremlin has pushed a raft of laws through parliament since May that opposition politicians and activists have described as a tough crackdown on dissent.

The parliament's lower chamber, or Duma, voted 375-2 to expand the definitions of high treason and espionage and to introduce prison terms of up to eight years for illegally obtaining secret state information.

The opposition Just Russia party said it opposed the changes, saying such a wide definition of high treason meant "almost any Russian citizen with any contacts with any foreigner" could be accused of betraying the state.

Rights activists have warned that the law could be used to sanction anyone who incurs the wrath of the authorities.

"This law is designed for arbitrary interpretation," said Alexander Cherkasov, an activist at the rights group Memorial.

"Imagine they will start taking all this seriously and apply all these laws to everybody. This would mean writing off all social and political life as well as international ties."

Recently approved legislation hikes fines for protesters and forces foreign-sponsored non-governmental organizations to register as "foreign agents", a term echoing the Cold War era.

Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, who was originally appointed by Putin, sided with the treason bill's critics, saying it contradicted international law and Russia's constitution by choosing a definition that was too broad to fairly determine a person's guilt.

The proposal also adds multinational organizations to a list of bodies that could benefit from state secrets. Previously, the list had only named the governments and organizations of foreign states.

"In obtaining information constituting a state secret in regard to the Russian Federation various international organizations may act in their own interests or for the benefit of secret services of various foreign countries," a document explaining the proposed changes read.

It also mentioned unspecified attempts by various international organizations to obtain Russia's state secrets "by illegal means".

Moscow ordered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to close at the start of this month, accusing Washington of using its international aid mission in Russia to meddle in Russian politics and influence elections.

(Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russias-parliament-votes-expand-definition-high-treason-154431888.html

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Taylor Swift's 'Red' Headed Into The Black With Million-Selling First Week

Swift could become first woman in SoundScan era to have back-to-back albums debut with million-plus in sales.
By Gil Kaufman

Taylor Swift's RED
Photo: Universal Music Group

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696113/taylor-swift-red-record-album-sales.jhtml

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Apple Engineer On Leaks From China - Business Insider

iFeng

Tim Cook visits China

Apple's engineers are upset that the company's products keep leaking out early.

Ars Technica's Jacqui Cheng spoke with some of the rank and file employees. They are blaming Apple's global supply chain for all the leaks:

"You've got thousands of people working on manufacturing something who have no vested interest in keeping it secret," one employee said, adding that he believes leaks will continue to increase as Apple ramps up overseas manufacturing operations. "It will be increasingly hard to hide the industrial design we do because we manufacture things overseas. Since we don't do it in the US, it's may be hard to surprise people over anything in the future."

Among those we spoke with, people who consider themselves to be "troops on the ground" (generally those at the engineering level or below) get quite worked up about product leaks. "One of the great things about Apple secrecy is presenting something to the world, and then someone goes and ruins the fun for everyone," an employee told Ars. "It's really f**king rude to everyone who's worked so hard on it."

From an Apple employee's perspective, we bet it's frustrating. After all, the company has strict internal policies against leaking. To operate in a climate of fear only to see the secrets get out anyway has to be maddening.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Contentious politics, stratified society and the elusive public: myths ...

In China there there are vast amounts of people online, the Government has control but social media is changing politics. That?s the consensus view but in this article, LSE?s Bingchun Meng tackles what she sees as some of the misunderstandings about the state of China Media.

Mixed messages in China

Recently the Open Society Foundation published an extensive reporton the state of digital media in China. This is the latest outcome of their Mapping Digital Media project that covers 60 countries. The Executive Summary of the report reiterates many familiar statements about Chinese media, including the central role of the government, the impressive growth of Internet and mobile phone usage, the empowerment of Chinese netizens via new technologies such as weibo (microblog), the tension between state control and media commercialization, and so on. ?The main report, however, contains more nuanced information about media digitisation in China. In this article I will make some important points that were not only omitted in the Executive Summary but also frequently glossed over by pundits commenting on Chinese media.

First, although the authoritarian state is commonly perceived as the omnipresent force looming over the media and communication landscape in China, the state is far from being a monolithic entity. This is made clear in section 5 of the report, which discusses the conflict between the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MII) over various issues, including spectrum allocation and the regulation of digital television.

As the report suggests, ?SARFT has a stranglehold over radio and television media management and control. It will use the public nature of the broadcast industry as an excuse to deny the telecoms industry entry on to its turf? (p.88). The turf war between different government ministries has been intensified by the convergence of communication technology, which blurs the boudnary between platform, service provider and content provider.

What the report fails to acknowledge though, is that aside from the pragamatic concerns of ?government agencies, the battle over media control is closely linked to political struggles within the Communist Party.

Elite Struggle

The recent Bo Xilai incident, for example, is a powerful reminder of the contentious elite politics going on at the highest level. The factions within the ruling Party in China are highly indicative of the social contestation that the different elite groups are trying to appease and reconcile. Hence it was not surprising that the Maoist website Utopia was shut down shortly after the dismissal of Bo, while Chongqing Satellite TV immediately restored commericials that were banned under Bo?s governance.

Second, any claim of the empowering potential of digital technologies has to be assessed against the reality of digital divide and the urban middle-class bias of media industries. 513 million Internet users is an impressive number, but the 800 million people who do not have access to the Internet is the real majority in China.

More importantly, the non-Internet users ?rely almost exclusively on television for their information and entertainment? (p.6), yet the ever expanding media marketisation has resulted in a strong urban bias in televison production. It is true that commercial media has undermined the control of the Party-state, but the profit-seeking orientation also creates new hierarchies and exclusions based on the differentiation of purchasing power.

Social Marginalisation

Signs of Struggle?

The marginalisation of the lower social classes, as the report also points out, ??is aggravated by issues related to the affordability of digital technology and levels of education? (p.31). Over the years, the gap between Internet penetration rate in urban and rural areas has been widening, with the rural penetration rate (20 percent) only about one third of the urban level (56 percent). Among the internet users, only 37.1 percent actively post on the Internet or leave comments on posts.

In other words, ?the current Internet voices belong to only some 10 percent of the Chinese people? that are mainly composed of young, highly educated, urban population (p.56). As much as Weibo offers fascinating insights into the political engagement of Chinese netizens, one should always be careful in making claims about public opinion based on online discourses.
On the other hand, state-operated media outlets such as CCTV are negotiating between propaganda obligations and the increasingly intense market competition, yet they rarely view themselves being accountable to the viewing public. The quote from the famous CCTV anchor Cui Yongyuan is telling, ?If our television is public television, then it is the world?s most dirty public television; if our TV stations are commercial television, then it is the world?s worst commercial television? (p.45).Third, the combined force of commercialisation and authoritarian control has led to the deficit of public service in China?s media digitisation. In several chapters, the report lamented on the decline of quality content across multiple platforms, including print media, commercial websites, and television. Being afraid of political repercussions, commercial media generally shy away from ?sensitive topics? while doing anything they could to improve their popularity. Promoting entertainment value and consumerism has proven to be not only lucrative but also politically safe.

No Consultation

Some might expect digital technology to reconfigure the ?old? power structure. Yet two pieces of evidence mentioned by the report are worth contemplating in relation to the subject. One is the complete lack of public consultation on important policy issues such as spectrum allocation and digital switch-over, and the other is the findings of a recent study on Chinese Internet censorship, which indicates that ?posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored?, rather ?the censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilisation, regardless of content? (pp 73-74).

Such is the cautionary tale about the development of digital media in China. One does wonder though, how much of this is really unique of the world?s largest authoritairan country and how much of it also resonates with reality in the democratic world.

Dr Bingchun Meng is a lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE. Her email is b.meng@lse.ac.uk

This article was also published on the LSE?s Media Policy Project blog.

Source: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2012/10/22/contentious-politics-stratified-society-and-the-elusive-public-myths-and-reality-of-chinese-media-guest-blog/

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Ferdinand, bro boycott T-shirts

Associated Press Sports

updated 12:57 p.m. ET Oct. 21, 2012

LONDON (AP) -Anton Ferdinand joined older brother Rio in refusing to wear a T-shirt to support an anti-discrimination campaign Sunday, in a perceived protest at the impotence of organizations during recent racism cases in English football.

The younger Ferdinand was at the center of the most high-profile incident in the past year when he was abused by John Terry during a Premier League match last October.

Terry was banned for four matches and fined 220,000 pounds for hurling a racial slur, but many players feel the punishment was too lenient, as with other sanctions related to recent incidents of racism.

Anton Ferdinand was one of a number of players who declined to wear a T-shirt promoting the Kick It Out campaign in the warm-up before Sunday's Premier League match between his Queens Park Rangers team and Everton.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand did the same before Saturday's match against Stoke, angering manager Alex Ferguson so much that the center back could face disciplinary action.

"It is embarrassing for me," said Ferguson, who had told members of the press that Ferdinand would not boycott the campaign. "He will be dealt with, no doubt about that."

However, Ferdinand's stance was backed by the chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, which provides funds for the Kick It Out body.

"We will definitely monitor the situation very closely and make sure Rio Ferdinand's rights as a human being, never mind as a footballer, are not undermined in this position," PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle said.

"Everyone has a right to free speech - just like you can't coerce anyone into shaking hands, you can't make somebody wear a T-shirt - although I do personally believe that joining in with the campaign is the best way forward."

Kick It Out has been raising awareness for issues such as racism since the 1990s and began its latest annual two-week campaign on Thursday.

However, Reading striker Jason Roberts declared he wouldn't be taking an active part in the campaign and many others followed suit on Saturday, including Rio Ferdinand and the entire squads of Wigan and Swansea ahead of their Premier League match at Liberty Stadium.

It has been widely reported that the players are unhappy not just with Kick It Out but also the FA for a lack of action in combating racism in football.

Some believe the players' refusal to wear T-shirts during warm-up routines actually gives more publicity to the anti-racism campaign.

More newsGlyn Kirk / AFP - Getty Images

Ferdinand, bro boycott T-shirts

??LONDON (AP) -Anton Ferdinand has joined older brother Rio in refusing to wear a T-shirt to support an anti-discrimination campaign, in a perceived protest at the impotence of organizations during recent racism cases in English football.

David Ramos / Getty Images

Roundup: Messi scores first hat track of season

Roundup: Lionel Messi scored his first hat trick of the season and Cesc Fabregas set up three goals as Barcelona survived Javier Mascherano's ejection and won 5-4 at Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49494109/ns/sports-soccer/

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Bollywood pays tribute to "king of romance"

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Movie lovers, Bollywood stars and well-wishers paid their last respects to film-maker Yash Chopra on Monday, a day after he died of multiple organ failure.

Chopra, who turned 80 last month, was one of India's iconic film-makers and was known as the "king of romance". He also owned one of the industry's biggest production houses and studios, Yash Raj Films, which recently ventured into Hollywood movie production as well.

Chopra's career spanned five decades and his last film as director, "Jab Tak Hai Jaan," Til There is Life, opens in cinemas on November 13, on the Indian festival of Diwali.

On his birthday in September, he had announced he wouldn't direct any more films.

Chopra was diagnosed with dengue fever last week and had been treated at a Mumbai hospital.

Tributes poured in from fans and the film industry as people thronged to pay their respects at the offices of Yash Raj Films in suburban Mumbai.

"My mind is filled with hundreds of private and personal moments that we all spent together during this large association with him," actor Amitabh Bachchan, who worked on several films with Chopra, wrote in a blog post.

Born in 1932 in Lahore, now in Pakistan, Chopra was favored by leading Indian actors, with his movies seen as a sure-fire way to become a hit with audiences.

"They shall ever remain stored within us and like all other memories shall give value and belief to what we shared together," Bachchan added.

(Reporting By Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Elaine Lies)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bollywood-pays-tribute-king-romance-090720957.html

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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Brees fires 4 TD passes, Saints rally past Bucs

By FRED GOODALL

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 4:06 p.m. ET Oct. 21, 2012

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Once Drew Brees got the New Orleans offense on track, it hardly mattered that Jonathan Vilma wasn't the solution for the Saints' leaky defense.

Vilma played for the first time while appealing a season-long suspension for his role in the Saints' bounty program and Brees shrugged off an early interception to throw for 377 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-28 come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

While it's debatable how much Vilma's return affected the defense, the unit turned back two threats near the end zone in the second half, including the drive of the game to preserve New Orleans' second straight win.

Brees extended his NFL record for consecutive games with at least one TD pass to 49, while leading long scoring drives on four straight possessions to turn a 14-point deficit into a 28-21 halftime lead.

The Saints (2-4) barely had the ball in the third quarter, but took advantage of Tampa Bay's inability to get into the end zone when Brees put together a 12-play, 95-yard march that Pierre Thomas finished with a 5-yard TD run that made it 35-21 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Brees threw TD passes of 17 yards to Marques Colston, 9 yards to Darren Sproles, 48 yards to Joseph Morgan and 20 yards to David Thomas to overcome the New Orleans defense yielding 513 yards. He has thrown for three or more touchdowns in five of six games this season.

Josh Freeman threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns for the Bucs (2-4), who scored on their first three possessions of the game to build a 21-7 lead. Dallas Clark's 3-yard scoring reception trimmed Tampa Bay's deficit to 35-28 with four minutes left, and Freeman completed two passes to Vincent Jackson to help the Bucs get into position to possibly force overtime.

Jackson had seven receptions for 216 yards, but failed to score on a 95-yard play in which safety Malcolm Jenkins ran him down to make the tackle at the Tampa Bay 1. LeGarrette Blount was stopped for no gain on three straight runs, then Freeman lost 4 yards on a quarterback keeper on fourth down.

Brees launched the Saints' final scoring drive from there. He also led TD drives of 80, 80, 79 and 72 on consecutive possessions in the opening half.

Vilma practiced on his surgically repaired left knee for the first time last Wednesday and was moved from the physically unable to perform list to the 53-man roster Saturday.

The ninth-year pro's return could wind up being relatively brief. The hearing on the appeal of his season-long suspension is scheduled for Oct. 30.

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been appointed as arbitrator for Vilma's appeal, as well as the hearings for three other players facing suspensions of various lengths.

Vilma didn't start Sunday, but he did get on the field mostly in passing situations throughout the game.

He pressured Freeman on an incompletion that was nearly intercepted by Roman Harper, and got his hands on another pass that he tipped first with his right hand and then his left before it fell incomplete.

Down a touchdown and out of timeouts, Freeman marched the Bucs from his own 19 to the New Orleans 9 in the final two minutes. He threw incomplete for Jackson, who came down with the ball out of the end zone on third down. On the game's final play, Freeman rolled to his left to find Mike Williams open in the corner of the end zone.

But the receiver had been pushed out of the back of the end zone before coming back into the field of play. So, what appeared to be a possible tying catch was nullified for illegal touching.

Freeman threw TD passes of 13 yards to Tiquan Underwood and 17 yards to Jackson in the first half. Doug Martin scored on a 36-yard run for Tampa Bay.

---

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

More news

Late Eli-Cruz bomb lifts Giants

??Eli Manning throws a 77-yard scoring pass to Victor Cruz with 1:13 to play as New York overcomes a late touchdown by rookie Robert Griffin III to defeat Washington.

Thomas B. Shea / Getty Images

Texans put Texas-size beating on Ravens

??Matt Schaub threw two touchdown passes, Arian Foster ran for two scores and the Houston Texans dominated a showdown of the AFC's two top teams, routing the Baltimore Ravens 43-13 on Sunday.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/49495944/ns/sports-nfl/

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Parents often need after-hours child sleep advice

Public release date: 21-Oct-2012
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Contact: Susan Stevens Martin
ssmartin@aap.org
847-434-7131
American Academy of Pediatrics

NEW ORLEANS Many parents have questions about their child's sleep problems, primarily after 6 p.m. when professional assistance is not readily available, according to an abstract presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.
The abstract, "An iPhone Application for Infant and Toddler Sleep: Characteristics and Concerns of Users," reviewed information from nearly 8,000 users of a free iPhone app designed to aid sleep in young children. Of those users, 365 (4.6 percent of 8,000 users) submitted a question to an "Ask the Expert" feature over a three-month period. The app users were typically mothers (69 percent) with an average age of 28. Their children were primarily infants (68 percent of children were age 3 to 11 months), followed by toddlers (2- percent of children were age 12 to 36 months) and newborns (12 percent were age 0-2 months).
The most frequent questions involved night wakings (22.7 percent), sleep problems (22.2 percent) and general sleep (21.9 percent). Less frequently, questions related to napping (15.3 percent), bedtime (13.4 percent) and sleep safety (4.4 percent). Questions were most frequently submitted between midnight and 6 a.m. (37 percent) and 6 p.m. and midnight (22 percent).
"Our results found that the most common questions that parents ask pertain to sleep problems and night waking," said study author Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D. "These questions are most often submitted in the evening and even overnight times when professional help is typically not available."
"Research has shown that behaviorally based interventions are highly effective for infant and toddler sleep disturbances, and yet they do require personal contact with a trained professional," Mindell said. "As a result many children go untreated."
While the iPhone application provides widespread access to some assistance for families, the study supports the need for greater accessibility to health, and in particular, sleep-related information.

###
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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.

Parents often need after-hours child sleep advice Public release date: 21-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Susan Stevens Martin
ssmartin@aap.org
847-434-7131
American Academy of Pediatrics

NEW ORLEANS Many parents have questions about their child's sleep problems, primarily after 6 p.m. when professional assistance is not readily available, according to an abstract presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.
The abstract, "An iPhone Application for Infant and Toddler Sleep: Characteristics and Concerns of Users," reviewed information from nearly 8,000 users of a free iPhone app designed to aid sleep in young children. Of those users, 365 (4.6 percent of 8,000 users) submitted a question to an "Ask the Expert" feature over a three-month period. The app users were typically mothers (69 percent) with an average age of 28. Their children were primarily infants (68 percent of children were age 3 to 11 months), followed by toddlers (2- percent of children were age 12 to 36 months) and newborns (12 percent were age 0-2 months).
The most frequent questions involved night wakings (22.7 percent), sleep problems (22.2 percent) and general sleep (21.9 percent). Less frequently, questions related to napping (15.3 percent), bedtime (13.4 percent) and sleep safety (4.4 percent). Questions were most frequently submitted between midnight and 6 a.m. (37 percent) and 6 p.m. and midnight (22 percent).
"Our results found that the most common questions that parents ask pertain to sleep problems and night waking," said study author Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D. "These questions are most often submitted in the evening and even overnight times when professional help is typically not available."
"Research has shown that behaviorally based interventions are highly effective for infant and toddler sleep disturbances, and yet they do require personal contact with a trained professional," Mindell said. "As a result many children go untreated."
While the iPhone application provides widespread access to some assistance for families, the study supports the need for greater accessibility to health, and in particular, sleep-related information.

###
[ | 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/2012-10/aaop-pon101012.php
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Pippa Middleton talks about getting recognition for family and ...

Pippa Middleton writes about the recognition she has received for her ties to the royal family and the compliments she got for her "bottom" following her appearance at the royal wedding in her upcoming book.

Middleton is the younger sister of Kate Middleton, now known as the Duchess of Cambridge. Pippa Middleton is releasing a new party-planning book titled "Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends." An excerpt from the book appeared in a special 24-page pull out section in You Magazine by the U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail.

The 29-year-old writes, "It is a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30 on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom."

"One day I might be able to make sense of this. In the meantime I think it's fair to say that it has its upside and its downside," she adds. "I certainly have opportunities many can only dream of-- but in most ways I'm a typical girl in her 20s trying to forge a career and represent herself in what can sometimes seem rather strange circumstances."

Middleton goes on to say that she is an optimist and focuses on the opportunities she has received since being thrust in the spotlight. Middleton has had a few scandals since getting media attention including topless photos being leaked and a "gun" scandal involving one of her friends.

"The book is designed to be a comprehensive guide to home entertaining, based on my experience in my family's business Party Pieces and work for London-based events company Table Talk," Middleton explains in the excerpt.

The 400-page book will be published by Viking and becomes available on October 30 for $50, according to People magazine.

"I know many of you will pick up the book out of nothing more than curiosity," Middleton writes to readers who might purchase the book because of interest in the royal family. "I can assure you that it feels even stranger to me than it probably does to you to have seen so much written about me when I have done so little to paint a picture of myself."

Source: http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Pippa-Middleton-on-getting-recognition-for-sister-and-bottom%3A-Its-a-bit-startling/8855132

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Boy Scouts child abuse files: Can the organization withstand their release? (+video)

In recent years, the Boy Scouts of America has implemented many new guidelines to protect against new abuse. Even though morale inside the BSA remains high, some experts say the group is fighting a losing battle.

By Gloria Goodale,?Staff writer / October 18, 2012

In this file photo, Kerry Lewis, left, leans into his lawyer, Paul Mones, in a Portland, Ore., courtroom after a jury found the Boy Scouts of America negligent for repeated sexual abuse by an assistant Scoutmaster in the 1980s. Files released Thursday reveal that local Boy Scout leaders and town officials helped hush up numerous child sex abuse allegations.

AP Photo/The Oregonian, Jamie Francis

Enlarge

As a result of a decision by the Oregon Supreme Court, attorneys for plaintiffs in cases against the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) on Thursday released more of what have been dubbed the ?perversion files.? The current pages ? some 20,000 ? involve allegations of child sexual abuse from 1965 to 1985.

Skip to next paragraph

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'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // --> The Boy Scouts of America have released nearly a decade of confidential files never before made public. The Scouts kept track of suspected pedophiles they banned from their ranks, but kept the list secret until now.

Portions of the massive confidential files maintained by the BSA, which cover nearly a century, have been steadily emerging. They include thousands of incidents of both alleged and confessed sexual abuse. Thursday?s file release was sanctioned by the top Oregon court after the attorneys won an $18.25 million suit against the BSA in 2010.

In recent years, the youth organization has implemented many new guidelines to protect against new abuse, but this may not protect the iconic group from negative fallout as new light is shed on old cases, say many legal and social observers.

?The BSA is an American institution,? says criminal law expert Dan Filler, a professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. ?This is a blowout that will have ripple effects in many directions,? from fundraising to membership and sponsoring organizations. He adds, ?The information could also have substantial financial impact if the BSA has to get involved in settlement after settlement over old cases.?

The BSA has vigorously defended its record, stating in an e-mail release Thursday, ?Nothing is more important than the safety of our Scouts. There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong.?

The release goes on to say that when those involved in Scouting failed to protect, ?or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest and sincere apologies to victims and their families.?

The BSA maintains that it has ?always cooperated fully with any requests from law enforcement.? Next month in Atlanta, the release additionally notes, the BSA is hosting a National Youth Protection Symposium in cooperation with other youth-serving organizations ?where nationally-recognized, third-party experts will discuss and share best practices.?

But the BSA is fighting a losing battle, says attorney Tim Kosnoff, who has won abuse cases against the BSA. That?s due to the sheer number of cases coming from what the BSA calls its ineligible volunteer list.

For perspective, Mr. Kosnoff points to the recent child abuse cases at another venerable American institution, the Penn State football program.

?At Penn State,? he notes, ?you had only a single individual, and the institution?s response was to bring in the former head of the FBI, Louis Freeh, to investigate and clean house.? Mr. Freeh interviewed hundreds of witnesses and brought every bit of evidence to light, he says. That decisive and transparent action ? while painful ? has sent a clear message.

?The Boy Scouts have not done anything like this to send a clear message to parents,? he says, adding, ?They are still in denial, and this is eroding their credibility.?

The allegations of abuse could very well be the downfall for the BSA, says Steve Siebold, author of ?Sex Politics Religion: How Delusional Thinking Is Destroying America.? ?It?s bad enough that this alleged abuse went on in the first place, but the fact that the Boy Scouts organization tried to sweep it under the table for so many years is equally as troubling,? he says via e-mail. ?This from a group that claims to be one of the nation?s most prominent values-based organizations. What values does this teach our kids, or anyone else for that matter??

This is ?going to stay with them for a very long time to come,? Mr. Siebold says. ?Scout executives took way too long in showing any remorse, regret, or action.... These events are not going to be forgotten or excused anytime soon by the public.?

Morale inside the organization remains high, however. The existence of these files has been widely known for some time now, points out Michael Reinemer, a Cub Scout leader in Annandale, Va. ?BSA has a strong, required training program for adult leaders designed to prevent child abuse and bullying. And there is a lot of information for Scouts and their parents designed to prevent child abuse and bullying,? he says via e-mail.

While he has his own critique of BSA policies, such as its discrimination against gays and lesbians, ?Boy Scouts is an enduring American institution that will teach leadership, skills, and love of the outdoors to many more generations,? he says.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/P6UjBc7djfU/Boy-Scouts-child-abuse-files-Can-the-organization-withstand-their-release-video

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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Student of the Year - Movie Review | Entertainment | Know your city

Director: Karan Johar

Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor, Ronit Roy

b! Says: **1/2

It?s time to go back to school, but this is no Hogwarts. Karan Johar?s ?Student of the Year? will feel like familiar territory for rich brats, for whom high school is nothing less than a fashion week. If shows like ?Gossip Girl? and movies like ?High School Musical? make for your regular viewing experience, then this film should be on your agenda this weekend. For the rest, it?s simply about witnessing a high school experience they could only have dreamt of.

SOTY is set in St Teresa School, in an unknown part ofIndia, where rich brats get admission courtesy large donations, while the poor ones sneak in on merit. It is a school where students with flashy sports cars and designer heels are at odds with small town, aspirational students. The divide is similar to that between Hogwarts? purebloods and muggles. The lack of originality is more than made up for by how nice and shiny everything looks. Like Johar?s other films, a bubblegum romance is what you should expect and is exactly what you get. St Teresa?s or Saint T (as the yuppie kids call it) is a more hip, co-ed version of Gurukul (from Aditya Chopra?s ?Mohabbatein?) and instead of a teacher with a violin, there?s a competition called ?Student of the Year? that gets everyone up and running.

As expected, the cast is ridiculously good-looking and there is a homosexual character. Yogendra Vashishth (Rishi Kapoor) is the gay dean, who eyes the handsome, but already married Gujarati football coach, Karan (Ronit Roy). Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) is the school stud, whose fixed parking spot in the campus, when occupied by Pind da munda Abhimanyu Singh (Siddharth Malhotra), triggers off a fight, that eventually develops into a friendship. The triangle is completed by Rohan?s girlfriend Shanaya Singhania (Alia Bhatt), who always has a Louis Vuitton bag resting on her arm, and whose introductory song is a rehash of that of Poo?s from ?Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham?. Johar also re-launches Sana Saeed (the cherubic Anjali from ?Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?) as high school hottie Tania, the head cheerleader who competes with Shanaya for Rohan?s attention.

After several romps in foreign locales and even a wedding, the story finally moves on to the race for the coveted trophy in Triwizard tournament fashion and what we get is a ?Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander?-inspired climax, that is predictable and hardly exciting.

An entirely new star cast adds freshness and makes up for the stale script. Alia Bhatt looks the part and plays the rich, adorable girl with ease. You know Johar has a star in the making, when you can relate to Bhatt, both in a sexy pout in a bikini, and as the picture of innocence in a salwar kameez. Varun Dhawan, as the brat with a heart of gold, makes you go awww. He is easy on the eye and is by far the best actor of the trio. His charming behaviour will make him the new teenage pin-up sensation and he leaves the kind of impression that Shahid Kapoor did with his debut film ?Ishq Vishk? years ago. Siddharth Malhotra, on the other hand, reminds you of Jimmy Shergill in ?Mohabbatein?, but looks uncomfortable. His dialogue delivery and acting looks rehearsed, and is not convincing enough.

?Student of The Year? is a good looking movie with a cute cast, and that is the main draw of this popcorn entertainer. Go watch it for wardrobe tips!

Source: http://know.burrp.com/arts-entertainment/student-of-the-year-movie-review/45612

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Governments start scrutinizing credit card records

By Bob Sullivan

The economy is so bad in Argentina that the government recently said it would start taxing overseas credit card purchases. It also demanded that banks report all credit card transactions -- foreign or domestic -- saying the data would be used to find tax cheats.

Even George Orwell couldn't have imagined this meeting of Big Brother and Big Data: a handy database of every single purchase made by citizens, ready to be categorized and analyzed by the government.? Let your mind wander for a moment and you can imagine the disturbing possibilities of a government so invasive that it knows when and where you buy milk and bread.?

The obvious question: Could it happen here?? There are grand cultural and economic differences between Argentina and the United States, but if the history of privacy tells us anything, it is this: Governments and corporations can rarely resist the temptation of using technology to gain the upper hand.

"This gives me chills," said Gartner banking consultant Avivah Litan, who was in Argentina recently consulting with that nation's government banking officials. "I think it is a reminder that our data can be looked at by anyone and probably is being looked at."

Argentina is not the first government to examine credit card receipts. In 2011, Brazil began taxing overseas credit card transactions. And?Spain recently outlawed cash transactions over $2,500, a tactic that forces consumers to use traceable, electronic purchasing tools for big-ticket items.?

Big Brother is not behind these drastic measures. In Argentina, where only about 50 percent of the population buys with plastic, a currency crisis and high inflation have led to a dramatic rise in overseas purchasing. Taxing foreign purchases is an attempt to stem this tide, and encourage domestic spending. Brazil's motivation is similar.?

But once the pipeline for data is established and the database is built, what's to stop mission creep? Argentina has said it will examine domestic transactions for evidence of undeclared purchases or other signs of tax evasion. What else could a government find in a database of transactions?

"When I first saw the story it kind of took my breath away," said Bill Hardekopf, who operates the credit card information website LowCards.com "I thought, 'Oh my, a government can track the purchases of every one of their citizens?' "?

There is a way to avoid becoming a line item in a government credit card transaction spreadsheet: pay with cash, something one in two Argentinians still does. But in the U.S., cash has become pass?. Last year, only 27 percent of point-of-sale purchases were made with cash, compared to 66 percent for credit and debit cards, according to Javelin Strategy and Research, which expects that number to dip to 23 percent by 2017.??

Meanwhile, a host of new payment tools -- still rough around the edges -- are about to find their way into consumers' pockets and purses. Mobile cellphone payments are coming of age, with a quarter-trillion in annual transactions expected by 2016, according to IE Market Research.? And even the simplest of cash transactions -- "Buddy, can I borrow $5?? -- might not be long for this world.? Starbucks recently partnered with Square, a simple tool that allows cellphone users to accept casual payments from friends or small business clients. The convenience of such tools is undeniable; so is their traceability.??

"As we become more and more of a cashless society, the likelihood of purchases being tracked increases. Whether that is used for negative purposes, or will cause personal privacy issues, I don't know, but I can see the possibilities," Hardekopf said.?

But could it happen in the U.S.? Hardekopf said he had trouble imagining Washington could get away with the Argentinian tactic. He believes privacy interest groups would scream, other safeguards would kick in and the U.S. population just wouldn't swallow it.

But there are no laws preventing this kind of information sharing between banks and government agencies, Litan points out. Law enforcement officials routinely obtain personal information, such as cellphone locations and credit card receipts, during the course of criminal investigations.

"The (U.S.) government does have access to this information now because it regulates the banks," she said. "There's no secrecy laws like there are in Switzerland. There's no privacy laws that would prevent this."

Dan Mitchell, an economist at the libertarian Cato Institute, said there have already been attempts by both state and local governments to more broadly obtain detailed consumer financial data. The health care reform bill included a provision that required merchants to report credit card processing volume data to the IRS, for example. ?And recent efforts by states to enforce sales tax on online purchases will necessitate detailed reporting on credit card transactions by merchants, he warned.

?So it's just a question of expanding the existing set of Orwellian laws,? Mitchell said.

Probably the strongest firewall against such an intrusion would be banks themselves, which would no doubt fight massive data requests.? But transaction data sharing from banks to government officials has risen sharply since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The number of Suspicious Activity Reports filed by banks with their federal regulators has soared from 281,000 in 2002 to 1.5 million in 2011 (.pdf), according to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Much of that increase can be attributed to a rise in mortgage fraud, but it demonstrates a dramatic increase in cooperation between banks and government officials. There also is a long history of federal authorities buying access to large troves of consumer data ? such as the one once operated by commercial data broker ChoicePoint, now owned by the same firm which operates Lexis-Nexis.

That's why privacy expert Rob Douglas says that Argentina's data sharing is not an isolated incident.

"Given the explosion in the collection and retention of personal data by governments around the world under the guise of national and economic security, I fear the Argentine model is where all countries - including the U.S. - will end up under one scenario or another," he said. "After all, government by its very nature constantly seeks to know more about the governed. With the ever-expanding ability to store and sift vast amounts of personal data, it's inevitable that governments will do so unless reined in by the governed."

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?More from Red Tape Chronicles:??

Source: http://redtape.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/19/14541431-big-brother-meets-big-data-governments-start-scrutinizing-credit-card-records?lite

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Friday, October 19, 2012

Brussels hosts EU economic summit: Voice of Russia

According to a source with the EU authorities, no practical steps are expected to be taken at the meeting. The meeting is a preparation for December summit, on which the new economic reforms are to be finalized.

The reforms include the establishment of the Bank Union, Monetary Union, the launch of economy stabilization mechanisms and the unification of responsibility on liabilities for the countries of the euro-zone.

EU summit opens amid Franco-German differences

European Union leaders on Thursday went into their first summit since the summer amid divisions between France and Germany on how to shore up economic and monetary union in the face of the eurozone crisis.

Leaders of the 27 member states began two days of talks shortly after a head-to-head meeting between conservative German Chancellor Angela Merkel and socialist French President Francois Hollande, who entered the summit together.

Van Rompuy wants all EU leaders in Oslo to collect Nobel Peace Prize

European Union President Herman Van Rompuy said Thursday he wants the leaders of all 27 EU member states to travel to Oslo to collect the Nobel Peace Prize.

"To mark this joyful occasion I hope all EU heads of state or government will be able to join celebrations in Oslo in December," Van Rompuy said at the start of an EU summit.?

Voice of Russia, TASS, AFP

Source: http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_18/Brussels-hosts-EU-economic-summit/

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Is Microsoft A Value Trap? | AllFinancialMatters

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A personal finance blog dedicated to discussing such topics as budgeting, asset allocation, 401K, IRA, cash flow, insurance, financial planning, portfolio management, and other areas in personal finance. Home/; Investing/; Is ...

Source: http://allfinancialmatters.com/2012/10/18/is-microsoft-a-value-trap/

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Suicide bomber kills one in southern Iran mosque attack

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bomber-kills-one-southern-iran-mosque-attack-112902774.htmlTaylor Kinney Beach Volleyball Olympics 2012 Jessica Ennis Oscar Pistorius Aliya Mustafina Kirk Urso London 2012 Javelin

Sonoma's First Green Roof | Roof Rocket

California is full of cities known for taking part in innovation and advocating for environmental improvement. Many of the cities in California have become examples for green living and are working towards a more environmentally friendly future. Sonoma is one such city, which now has its first ?living roof?, or green roof, system.

A local Sonoma resident, Jim Callahan, is known around town for his bronze sculpting. He even owns a local art center at 148 E. Napa St. The art center is located inside a near 100-year-old building, which is home to many of Callahan?s sculptures and other local art pieces. In efforts to make local history, Callahan decided to install a new roof; and one that would the first of its kind in Sonoma.

After a long three years of planning and nine months of construction, the La Haye Art Center is populated by native plants, grasses and flowers. The living roof was designed by Callahan to feature drought tolerant plants. ?We also wanted continuously flowering plants, so there is something in bloom throughout the year,? said Callahan.

Both local residents and Callahan are pleased with the completed green roof project. Callahan says, ?We?re in a very urban setting here in downtown Sonoma, but from up on the roof you tend to see more as you look around?the treetops and the hills, rather than the sides of buildings,? he said. ?For us it?s a living roof, but also a living room. It?s space to be lived in.?

Get a free quote from a roof contractor in your neighborhood in seconds! We never share your information and only seek to put you in touch with the best local roofer in your area.

Source: http://www.roofrocket.com/roofing_blog/news/sonomas-first-green-roof/

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Ludo Lefebvre, Brian Malarkey Cook Up a Deal With ABC's 'The Taste'

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