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Report Alleges Money Motivated Doctor Behind Autism-Vaccine Scare.

The
disgraced doctor who published a study more
than 10 years ago claiming that a common
childhood vaccine -- the measles-mumps-rubella
inoculation -- causes autism may have been
motivated more by money than conviction,
investigators say.
According to the second in a three-part
investigative series in the medical journal BMJ, Dr.
Andrew Wakefield was retained by a lawyer
seeking to extract money from vaccine
manufacturers as his research was just
beginning. He also allegedly applied for a patent
for an alternative vaccine, set up a business to
profit from that vaccine as well as diagnostic kits
and other products, and worked with the Royal
Free Medical School in London on these business
ventures.
"It's horrible that institutions may have been
involved and that this [may have been] a planned
action," said Keith A. Young, vice chair for
research in the department of psychiatry and
behavioral science at Texas A&M Health Science
Center College of Medicine and core leader for
neuroimaging and genetics at the Center of
Excellence for Research on Returning War
Veterans in Temple. "It looks like it was aimed
pretty much at making money."
The first part of the investigation, published last
week in the journal, accused Wakefield of
forming his hypothesis before he even began to
collect data, then doctoring that data to suit his
theory and even stating that children in the trial
had the regressive form of autism when, in fact,
most did not.
That allegedly fraudulent research was published
in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet in
1998. The findings generated a huge response,
particularly among concerned parents, many of
whom then refused to vaccinate their children.
In February 2010, The Lancet issued a formal
retraction of Wakefield's research, which is
"unusual," according to Dr. Paul Offit, chief of
infectious diseases and director of the Vaccine
Education Center at Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia.
"A lot of bad science gets published that's never
retracted," Offit said. He also noted that, "as a
general rule, a study should have more subjects
than authors; this [1998] paper had 12 participants
and 13 authors."
Last May, Britain's General Medical Council barred
Wakefield from practicing in the United Kingdom.
"The MMR [measles-mumps-rubella vaccine]
scare was based not on bad science but on a
deliberate fraud," Dr. Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief
of the BMJ, said in a prepared statement. "Such
clear evidence of falsification of data should now
close the door on this damaging vaccine scare."
However, that may be easier said than done,
since public perception on the issue appears to
have been permanently altered.
"It's now become fixed in the mind of people that
there's the potential for a relationship between
vaccines and autism, despite the fact that there
are no real signs to support it," said Dr. Max
Wiznitzer, a child neurologist with Rainbow
Babies & Children's Hospital, University Hospital's
Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "This paper and
[Wakefield's] work has contributed to the
development of a distrust of vaccines. As a
consequence, [we've had] unnecessary illnesses
and infections and unnecessary deaths."
Research monies have also been diverted "to
disprove the unproven," Wiznitzer added.
"[Those monies] could have been used
elsewhere."
The new BMJ report, researched and written by
U.K. investigative journalist Brian Deer, alleges
that the lawyer who originally retained Wakefield
was himself hired by an anti-vaccine organization
called JABS.
It also says that the research ultimately published
in The Lancet was funded by the UK Legal Aid
Board, although this wasn't disclosed until years
later.
Soon after the study's publication in The Lancet,
Wakefield consulted with employees of Royal
Free Medical School about forming a company to
develop products based on his research. That
company was incorporated and also received
funding from the U.K. Legal Aid Board to initiate
trials in children, the BMJ article alleges.
Royal Free Hospital and University College London
(UCL), which is also implicated in the BMJ
investigation, merged in 1998.
A statement issued by University College London
in response to the first BMJ article said the
institution "takes any allegation of research
misconduct very seriously, and we will certainly
investigate those raised in the BMJ. At this point,
however, we have not been given the
opportunity to view all of the articles to be
published in the BMJ relating to this issue. We are
therefore currently able to give only a general
institutional response to the issues so far raised."
The statement went on to note that at the time
the Lancet research was conducted, Royal Free
Hospital was not part of UCL.
"We fully acknowledge the need to look closely at
the research of someone alleged [in the BMJ
article] to have carried out research misconduct,"
read the statement. "We are determined to learn
from the mistakes made in relation to this case."
With regard to this second article, UCL said: "We
have only just seen this so all we can say at this
point is we're looking carefully at the allegations
raised."
As for Wakefield, his Web site shows him as
currently living in Austin, Texas, promoting a
book published last year, Callous Disregard:
Autism and Vaccines, The Truth Behind the
Tragedy, and going on speaking engagements.
Speaking last week to CNN, Wakefield called
investigative journalist Deer "a hit man -- he has
been brought in to take me down, because they
[pharmaceutical industry] are very, very
concerned about the adverse reactions to the
vaccines that are occurring in children."
For his part, Deer -- who says he was paid for his
work by the BMJ -- scoffed at Wakefield's claim,
telling CNN that the accusations of fraud come
from not from him, but from "the editors of the
BMJ, a very prestigious medical journal."

Source: Http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/648755.html

Sony goes to court to get PS3 key crackers to shut up already.

The PlayStation 3 is currently the Wild West.
The system's master key has been published
online, custom firmware allowing the use of
pirated games and custom software is easy to
find, and Sony is not at all pleased with this turn
of events. The company is asking the courts for
a temporary restraining order to get the
infringing keys and software offline, and is
targeting George Hotz, the FAIL0VERFLOW
group, and 100 unnamed John or Jane Does.
No money is being asked for; Sony just wants
everyone to stop telling the world how to hack
its system.
The court documents lay out the case simply.
"The FAIL0VERFLOW Defendants intentionally
circumvented SCEA's [security], accessed the
PS3 System and trafficked in Circumvention
Devices and SCEA's proprietary information,
with full knowledge that their unlawful conduct
would irreparably harm SCEA," Sony alleges.
"Indeed, five days prior to appearing at the
Chaos Conference, Bushing echoed a fellow
hacker's comment anticipating this irreparable
harm: 'Last chance to sell any Sony stock you
may have.'"
Sony isn't looking for money, simply injunctive
relief. This temporary restraining order's only
job is to get the information off the Web, right
now (good luck with that). "The lack of
injunctive relief will... result in the loss of
goodwill to licensees, encourage infringers to
increase operations, and discourage anti-piracy
enforcement which is great and irreparable
harm," Sony states.
The consumer electronics giant is using a clause
in the user agreement to justify suing a
Hungarian and a Spaniard in the great state of
California. That clause says that if you download
even a single update from the PlayStation
Network, you have given your consent to be
sued in California.
The hacking work was bad enough, but George
Hotz, the man behind the iPhone jailbreak, took
things many steps further, according to the
lawsuit. "Building on the FAIL0VERFLOW
Defendants ’ Circumvention Devices, Hotz
circumvented certain other TPMs in the PS3
System, intentionally accessed the PS3 System
without authorization, and misappropriated
critical SCEA Keys," Sony claims.
These digital signatures opened the PlayStation
3 completely, as they can be used to sign any
piece of software so the PlayStation 3 believes
it's legitimate code. Hacked firmware arrived on
the Internet in short order, allowing anyone to
run any form of software or pirated game on
their PlayStation 3. The system, which was
always considered highly secure, has been
compromised in the deepest way.
The reason for this increased interest in the
PlayStation 3? Sony's removal of the Other OS
feature from all PlayStation 3s, taking away a
feature that was heavily promoted during the
hardware's launch. "It became a valid target,"
pytey, a member of the FAIL0VERFLOW group,
told BBC News. "That was the motivation for us
to hack it... It was not trivial to do this."
Sony also claims Hotz extorted the company,
saying that he asked for employment and said
that he could make its consoles more secure.
In a nutshell, Sony simply wants everyone to
cut it out and stop sharing these exploits on the
Internet. That problem is that the keys are
already widely available, the custom firmware is
easily obtained, and the methods used to gain
the key needed to create the firmware are
known to a large group of people. The damage
has been done.
As of this writing, cracking the PlayStation 3 is a
trivial thing. You download the custom
firmware, update your system, and you then
have access to everything in a matter of
minutes. You can run pirated games, install
other operating systems, or simply muck about
and do some coding. It's all available to you,
and Sony has lost control over what you do
with your system. This suit may silence the
groups that originally opened the door to an
open and compromised PlayStation 3, but it
won't close it again.

Source: Http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/01/sony-goes-to-court-to-get-ps3-key-crackers-to-shut-up-already.ars

Sarah Palin Admonishes Journalists, Pundits Not to Manufacture a 'Blood Libel'.

Now is not the time for people to "apportion
blame" for the weekend rampage that left six
people dead and an Arizona congresswoman
clinging to life, Sarah Palin said in a video
statement posted on her Facebook page today.
"But, especially within hours of a tragedy
unfolding, journalists and pundits should not
manufacture a blood libel that serves only to
incite the very hatred and violence they purport
to condemn," Palin said.
"That is reprehensible."
Defiant in the face of those who charge that her
heated rhetoric encourages such violence, Palin
noted that criminals are responsible for their own
actions, "not those who listen to talk radio, not
with maps of swing districts used by both sides
of the aisle."
"Like many, I've spent the past few days
reflecting on what happened and praying for
guidance," she said. "After this shocking tragedy,
I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and
now with sadness, to the irresponsible
statements from people attempting to apportion
blame for this terrible event."
Drawing a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks, the
former Alaska governor takes aim at proposed
legislation by Rep. Bob Brady, D-Pa., that would
make it illegal to place crosshairs on a Congress
member's district.
"It is in the hour when our values are challenged
that we must remain resolved to protect those
values," she said. "Recall how the events of 9-11
challenged our values and we had to fight the
tendency to trade our freedoms for perceived
security. And so it is today."
The video followed earlier comments in which
Palin said, "I hate violence." That was her reaction
to the shooting in Tucson of Rep. Gabrielle
Giffords and 19 others that has once again placed
the former Alaska governor in the middle of the
national political discussion.
The words were part of an e-mail exchange read
by conservative commentator Glenn Beck on his
syndicated radio show and first reported by
Jonathan Martin on Politico.
Here is the full e-mail as read by Beck:
"I hate violence. I hate war. Our children will not
have peace if politicos just capitalize on this to
succeed in portraying anyone as inciting terror
and violence. Thanks for all you do to send the
message of truth and love. And God has the
answer. - Sarah"
Palin's comments come amidst the swirl of
rhetoric concerning the most discussed
"crosshairs" in political memory. On her
Facebook page last year, Palin posted a map of 20
Congressional districts being targeted by her
political action committee, "SarahPac," in the 2010
midterm election. Gabrielle Giffords' Arizona
district was one of them.
At the time Giffords herself responded.
"When people do that, they've gotta realize there
are consequences to that action," Giffords said on
MSNBC.
Though there are no known ties whatsoever
between shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner
and Sarah Palin or any part of the Tea Party
movement, the "crosshairs" became part of the
media coverage of the Tucson shootings from
the very beginning.
Rush Limbaugh entered the fray on his radio
show today, accusing liberals of "making fools of
themselves to take an incident like this and to try
to turn it into a political advantage by accusing
people that have nothing whatsoever to do with
this sordid, unfortunate event, as accomplices to
murder. It's silly on its face."
"Don't kid yourself," said Limbaugh. "What this
was all about is shutting down any and all political
opposition and eventually criminalizing it.
Criminalizing policy differences, at least when
they differ from the Democrat Party agenda."
Conservative pundits have rushed to Palin's
defense. One blogger unearthed graphics
produced by the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee which featured red target
symbols on certain Congressional districts. A
graphic produced by the Democratic Leadership
Council in 2004 featured bulls' eyes.
Former Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Carney,
who himself was in Palin's "crosshairs," told a
Pennsylvania newspaper, "I'm not sure if 'blame'
is the right word for Ms. Palin, but I think it wasn't
helpful, obviously …It would be very useful if she
came out and, if not apologize, say that she was
wrong in putting that sort of logo on peoples'
districts."

Source: Http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sarah-palin-gabrielle-giffords-tucson-shooting-admonishes-journalists-pundits-blood-libel/story?id=12582457

Gold retreats after Portuguese debt auction.

LONDON (Reuters) - Gold surrendered early
gains on Wednesday to edge lower as better risk
appetite after a well-received Portuguese bond
auction removed some safe-haven support,
though a softer dollar underpinned prices.
Spot gold was bid at $1,378.40 an ounce at 1423
GMT against $1,380.45 late in New York on
Tuesday, having earlier risen as high as
$1,386.90. U.S. gold futures for February
delivery eased $5.40 an ounce to $1,378.90.
The metal has clawed back some lost ground
after posting its biggest weekly loss since
mid-2010 last week, as a focus on more positive
U.S. data raised the prospect that U.S. authorities
may roll back quantitative easing measures
sooner rather than later.
However, in the absence of further bad news on
euro zone sovereign debt and U.S. growth, it
may struggle to build on last year's stellar
performance, analysts said.
"Gold is being held because of uncertainty, and
more than anything because of the fear factor
that has been evident since the financial crisis,"
said Credit Agricole analyst Robin Bhar.
"As the economy strengthens, as financial
markets normalize, and in the absence of any
further shocks... that is one driver for gold that
will start to unravel."
The precious metal took some support on
Wednesday from gains in the euro, which rose
0.4 percent versus the dollar after strong
demand at a Portuguese government debt
auction quelled some concerns over the nation's
funding problems.
However, persistent worries over the
indebtedness of smaller euro zone economies is
likely to continue to support gold, analysts said.
"With the euro still deep (in the) debt crisis and
physicals using every dip to buy the metal on
anticipation of an extended rise, there is little
downside possibility for gold, at least in this
quarter," said Pradeep Unni, senior analyst at
Richcomm Global Services.
"Weakness in the dollar and rising oil will add to
the...reasons to hoard gold."
OIL CLIMBS
Among other commodities, oil prices rose, with
Brent crude climbing to $98 on Wednesday,
their highest since October 2008, as production
shutdowns in Norway and Alaska raised
expectations of an accelerated tightening of
supplies.
U.S. crude also rose to within a few dollars of its
recent more than two-year high. Rising oil prices
can fuel demand for commodities as an asset
class, lifting gold.
Gold buying in India, the world's biggest
consumer of the metal, eased on Wednesday as
prices rose, but buying remains strong overall
across Asia, particularly in China. Premiums for
gold bars hit their highest in two years on
Tuesday.
"The impressive Chinese demand has been
fueled by lower prices, the upcoming New Year,
and also physical delivery against the February
Shanghai Futures Exchange contract," said UBS
analyst Edel Tully in a note.
"We expect the heavy Chinese demand to persist
for another 10 days or so, and turn very light in
the five or six days before the February 3
Chinese New Year, as seen in previous years."
Demand for gold to back exchange-traded funds
eased off further, meanwhile, with holdings of
the largest, New York's SPDR Gold Trust,
slipping just over 1 ton on Tuesday. Its holdings
have declined more than 9 tons since the start of
the year.
Holdings of the largest silver ETF, the iShares
Silver Trust, also declined, to 10,725.73 tons on
Tuesday from 10,786.51 tons.
Silver was bid at $29.51 an ounce against
$29.50. Platinum was at $1,788.74 an ounce
against $1,765.99, while palladium was at
$799.97 against $782.

Source: Http://us.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BF5L920110112?ca=rdt

3 NY-area airports cancel more than 1,700 flights.

NEWARK, N.J. — The New York region's three
airports are trying to resume normal operations
Wednesday after more than 1,700 flights were
canceled due to the overnight snowstorm.
Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey, says
1,718 flights had been canceled.
He says there are no significant delays on arriving
or departing flights, but advises travelers to check
with their airlines to find out who is getting out
first Wednesday afternoon as the backlog eases.
Passenger traffic was light Wednesday morning
at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Source: Http://online.wsj.com/article/AP2eb1b4ed42e04b899f8d307247c03810.html

Meet John Travolta and Kelly Preston's New Baby.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston had tried for
another child for three years, so the surprise
news last year that Preston was pregnant left
them "completely blown away!" the actress tells
PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
Now, less than two months after Preston, 48,
delivered Benjamin on Nov. 23, the proud parents
are showing off their little "miracle."
"He's given the house a renewed spirit and
purpose," says Travolta, 56, who held Preston's
hand during labor as their 10-year-old daughter
Ella Bleu waited excitedly outside the room with
actress Kirstie Alley, a close family pal.
PHOTOS: New Year, New Life! Stars' Big
Changes in 2011
These days, the Travolta home in Ocala, Fla., is
filled with joy, lullabies from Dad ("A Bushel and a
Peck," from the musical Guys and Dolls, is a
favorite), readings of Good Night, Gorilla and
hugs from big sister Ella. Best moment for both
parents so far? Benjamin's first smile.

Source: Http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20456967,00.html

New storm could be do-over for New York City.

Yo, Mayor Bloomberg, you ready to try
again?
By now the entire world outside of New York City
(and yes, there is one) knows you blew the last
snow job. Now, with your city girding for
another big storm, you're being handed a golden
opportunity: The Do-Over.
It's the kind of second chance we all could use
from time to time, and you're not the only
newsmaker to get one.
Here's our list of 10 do-overs that quickly came to
mind, in no particular order. Readers, add your
favorites in the comments section. And, who
knows, maybe we'll do-over our do-over list?
Obama's swearing-in: Take one, take two
With the world watching on
January 20, 2009, and with his
hand on the Bible once used at
Abraham Lincoln's 1861
inauguration, Supreme Court Chief
Justice John Roberts goofed when
administering the oath of office to
President Barack Obama. Roberts
misplaced a word in the oath
mandated by the Constitution. A
do-over in the White House the
next evening was missing the same watchful
eyes and the nervous verbal stumble.
Second chance for Brad Womack
If at first you don't succeed in
finding love on reality TV, try again.
Three years ago, Brad Womack
jolted two wannabe wives - and
viewers of "The Bachelor" -when
he couldn't choose either of the
remaining contestants, sending
both women home crying in their
limos. Now he's back, with years
of therapy under his bachelor belt,
and promising not to let the big "C"
--commitment issues -- get the best of him.
From bailout to bravo, GM revs up
Like others in the U.S. auto
industry, General Motors, former
maker of the Hummer, seemed to
be driving on a course to
destruction.
But a bankruptcy filing and a big
government bailout later, the
reorganized auto giant's electric
hybrid is racking up "Car of the
Year" awards. Leave it to the Chevy Volt to give
GM a jolt.
Oops, Britney doesn't want to do that again
A paparazzi magnet, recording
artist Britney Spears once let her
self-destructive streak play out in
the tabloids. The public watched as
she nearly dropped her babies,
was carted off to a psychiatric
ward, sheared her head, explained
a 55-hour marriage, gained weight
and lost her edge.
An older, wiser and more grounded Spears now
boasts a successful recent tour and a new single
on iTunes -- showing redemption goes beyond
new blonde extensions.
How 'bout them Apples?
Once the forced-out victim of a
power struggle at the company he
co-founded, Steve Jobs returned to
Apple, brought it out of a slump
and into its current tech glory.
Hailed a visionary the world over,
Jobs and his products have earned
a cult-like following -- never mind
the iPhone 4 antennae problem.
Poor Pee-wee no more
Paul Reubens, of Pee-wee Herman
fame, took a mortifying fall from
grace when he was arrested years
ago for indecent exposure in an
adult theater. No longer in the
shadow of shame, "The Pee-wee
Herman Show" recently wrapped
up a successful run on Broadway
and has taped an HBO special set to
air later this year. A movie is also in
the making, showing the critically
acclaimed comic and Pee-wee name can enjoy a
mega-sized comeback.
Once, twice, three times Moonbeam
Once mocked for what some
considered his "out there" ideas,
Jerry Brown earned the monicker
"Governor Moonbeam" in the '70s.
Now with the Governator gone
from California's leadership, and his
opponent left to possibly hawk her
campaign paraphernalia on eBay,
Brown has reclaimed the title, one
he's held twice before, and is out to
show that he can shine when
tackling serious business.
Taylor Swift's Kanye-free acceptance
speech
When Taylor Swift accepted her
award for best female video at the
MTV Video Music Awards in 2009,
she got Kanyed. The oft-
controversial Kanye West stormed
the stage and grabbed the mike
from the stunned young artist,
hijacking her special moment. She
got even later in the evening, when
Beyonce, the one West ranted in
support of, called Swift on stage for
a do-over speech.
Waity Katie, waity world
The 2007 breakup of Prince William
and Kate -- I mean, Catherine --
Middleton crushed royal-watching
hearts.
But lucky for us, they decided to
try again and now are preparing to
give the world (and each other) a
wedding millions vow to watch.
Now, what to wear?
Outrage bubbles up when Coke change falls
flat
Proving that not all do-overs
should happen, The Coca-Cola
Company took a marketing
misstep when it toyed with a
trusted formula and brought us in
1985 a new taste in New Coke.
Soda traditionalists rose up and the
corporation listened, reintroducing
what was lost. The rebranded
original formula came back as
Coca-Cola Classic, and the people
burped a sigh of relief.

Source: Http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/01/12/top10.do.overs/

Flooding peak looms for Brisbane.

The Australian city of Brisbane is preparing
for the worst of its devastating floods,
with water levels set to peak over the
next few hours.

The peak is now expected to reach 5.2m (17ft) at
0400 local time on Thursday (1800GMT
Wednesday), down from the 5.4m of the
devastating 1974 floods.
But Queensland's premier warned many would
wake "to scenes many have never seen anything
like in their lives".
The death toll in Queensland is 12 so far, with
dozens reported missing.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard called the disaster's
scale "mind-boggling".
Queensland's Premier Anna Bligh said: "We are
now in the grip of a very serious natural disaster.
"We are now seeing thousands of homes
inundated with water up to the roof. Many, many
more are expected to see significant water
damage."
She said 20,000 to 30,000 people would be
affected in Brisbane.
Although the flood peak could be below the 1974
level, Ms Bligh said: "This is still a major event, the
city is much bigger, much more populated and
has many parts under flood that didn't even exist
in 1974.
"We are still looking at an event which will cripple
parts of our city."
Many supermarkets have been stripped of
supplies, while a number of rubbish collections
and bus services have halted.
During the day on Wednesday, the central
business district escaped serious flooding, with
the slightly lower level of water than forecast.
However, boats and pontoons still floated down
the roaring Brisbane river, along with massive
amounts of debris.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said he
had "a sense of horror and awe about the power
of the river".
"At the moment we are seeing pontoons and
people's boats... sadly in the coming hours we
might be seeing bits of people's houses... and
that breaks my heart.''
The central district is still in danger - the flood's
peak early on Thursday will coincide with a high
sea tide.
The city's South Brisbane and West End districts
have already been badly hit, the Brisbane Courier
Mail reported. In all, more than 50 suburbs and
2,100 roads could be left under water.
More than 100,000 properties have had their
power cut as a precaution against flooding of
electricity substations.
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Leisa Bourne of Red Cross Queensland told the
BBC the city's residents had been orderly in
preparing their evacuation plans during the day
on Wednesday but she expected an influx of
people to evacuation centres when the flood hit
its peak.
'Completely unrecognisable'
West of Brisbane in the city of Ipswich, the
Bremer river peaked at around 20m on
Wednesday.
About 1,000 homes were inundated and 7,500
more affected, the Queensland Times reported.
More than 1,000 people are in evacuation centres
there.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said he expected
flood levels to drop within the next 36 hours,
allowing the clean-up to begin afterwards.
"If I find anybody looting in our city, they will be
used as flood markers," he warned.
One man found dead in his car in Ipswich has
not yet been included in the death toll of 12.
Ms Bligh said: "There are some parts of Brisbane
and Ipswich which are already completely
unrecognisable."
Water levels are expected to stay high in Brisbane
until Saturday.
However Ms Bligh vowed the state would get
back on its feet swiftly.
"We believe we can recover very quickly. That is
our intention," she said.
Ms Gillard urged Australians to look out for their
neighbours.
"If there's someone in your street you're worried
about, maybe an older Australian that you
haven't seen for a while, maybe give them a
knock on the door and make sure they're okay."
The worst affected area was the town of
Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, where residents
described an "instant inland tsunami" of 8m
ripping through the streets on Monday.
One good piece of news on Wednesday was that
the number of missing in the Lockyer Valley had
been revised down from 51 to 43, but there were
grave fears for nine.

Source: Http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12173846

Suicide biker kills 2 in Afghan capital.

Kabul, Afghanistan — A suicide
bomber on a motorbike blew himself up next to a
minibus carrying members of Afghanistan's main
intelligence service on Wednesday, killing at least
two people and injuring more than 30 others. It
was the second bombing in the capital in eight
days, representing a small but worrying uptick in
attacks inside Kabul.
At almost the same time, a remote-controlled
bomb killed the deputy intelligence chief in the
eastern province of Kunar, along with his driver,
officials said.
Rounding out a violent day, the NATO force said
three of its troops were killed Wednesday by an
improvised explosive device in eastern
Afghanistanin eastern Afghanistan, and a fourth in
the south, also in an IED blast. Their nationalities
were not disclosed, but the bulk of forces in both
those areas are Americans.
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The Kabul explosion, on a crowded road in the
western part of the city during morning rush
hour, came as Vice President Joe Biden was
concluding a visit to the Afghan capital, where he
had talks Tuesday with President Hamid Karzai.
But the vice president, who departed for Pakistan
about 90 minutes after the blast, was nowhere
near the attack, and there was no indication it was
aimed at him.
The Taliban took responsibility for both bombings
and boasted that the one in Kabul had killed 14
people. It is not unusual for the movement to
make exaggerated claims.
The head of the criminal investigation department
for the Kabul police, Gen. Mohammad Zahir,
identified the dead as one officer from the National
Directorate of Security, the country's premier
intelligence service, and one civilian, in addition to
the bomber. Six of the 32 injured were NDS
personnel, he said, and the remainder were
civilian passers-by.
The toll could still rise, officials said, because at
least two of those hurt suffered critical injuries.
The attack took place near the ruins of a former
imperial palace, close to the city's main
psychiatric hospital. Zahir noted that motorists
usually try to avoid even honking their horns in
the vicinity of the asylum, so as not to frighten or
disturb the patients inside.
"But the person who committed such a
harrowing and brutal incident in front of the
psychiatric hospital can't be counted as human,"
he said.
Karzai condemned the bombing, as did the U.S.
Embassy and NATO's International Security
Assistance Force. All decried in particular the loss
of civilian life.
Recently, Western military officials had pointed to
a drop in attacks inside Kabul, and linked that
decrease at least in part to the success of targeted
strikes against the Haqqani network, a Taliban
offshoot based in Pakistan's tribal area of North
Waziristan. The Haqqanis were responsible for a
number of spectacular attacks in the capital
during 2008 and 2009.
Prior to last week's bombing in Kabul, which
killed a policeman, a December attack on a
military bus on the city's outskirts killed five
Afghan army personnel. But before that, there
had been no major strike inside Kabul since May
of last year, when a suicide bomber attacked a
convoy carrying senior Western military officials,
killing 18 people. The dead in that strike included
six members of the NATO force, several of them
high-ranking officers.
The Taliban statement said the bomber in
Wednesday's attack was a "mujahid" -- a holy
warrior -- from Paktia, in eastern Afghanistan.
That province borders the tribal areas and is part
of the Haqqani network's main area of operations.
It was not clear whether the Kabul attack was
planned as a strike against the intelligence service
or whether the minibus was simply a target of
opportunity. But the nearly simultaneous attack in
Kunar province suggested that the NDS was
specifically targeted.
The Afghan intelligence services are thought to
have played a supporting role in months of
strikes by Western and Afghan troops against
mid-level Taliban commanders, which the NATO
force says have damaged the movement's field-
command structure.
The Taliban claim of responsibility in the Kabul
attack made note of the fact that the vehicle that
was hit had carried intelligence personnel, but the
statement was issued after that fact had already
been mentioned in news reports.
Sometimes, would-be attackers on motorcycles
will simply maneuver through Kabul's heavy
traffic, searching for any vehicle or convoy that
appears to be carrying Afghan security
personnel, Western troops or government
dignitaries.

Source: Http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-bombing-20110113,0,2066142.story

Russia blames Polish crew in Kaczynski air crash.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials investigating
the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech
Kaczynski placed the blame squarely on the Poles
on Wednesday, saying the crew was pressured
to land in bad weather by an air force
commander who had been drinking.
Kaczynski and 95 others, including his wife, died
in April 2010 when their Tu-154 plane crashed
while trying to land in Smolensk, Russia. There
were no survivors.
In Warsaw, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the late
president's twin brother and head of the
opposition Law and Justice party, sharply
criticized the Russian aviation authorities' report,
calling it a "mockery of Poland" and saying it
unfairly puts all the blame on Poles. He said the
report fails to offer convincing evidence the Poles
are solely responsible and is based on
speculation.
It has been clear all along that the pilots' decision
to land in heavy fog at an airport with only basic
navigation equipment was the main reason for
the crash. However, Poles have been eagerly
awaiting the Russian report in order to learn if
other factors — such as possible mistakes by
Russian air traffic controllers or technical
conditions at the Russian airport — might have
played a role as well.
There was a broad expectation in Poland that
Russia would acknowledge some responsibility
and the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk,
expressed anger last month at an earlier draft by
Russian investigators that also reportedly put
responsibility only on Poles.
The issue of responsibility has a strong emotional
component in Poland, where suspicions of Russia
remain strong due Moscow's domination of
Poland in communist times, and to older
conflicts.
In Moscow, officials of the Interstate Aviation
Committee, which investigates crashes in much
of the former Soviet Union, said the pilots were
pressured to land by Poland's air force
commander, Gen. Andrzej Blasik, who was in the
cockpit. They said he had a blood-alcohol level of
about 0.06%, enough to impair reasoning.
Blasik's presence in the cockpit "had a
psychological influence on the commander's
decision to take an unjustified risk by continuing
the descent with the overwhelming goal of
landing by all means necessary," committee
chairwoman Tatiana Anodina told a news
conference announcing the final results of the
investigation.
Kaczynski slammed that conclusion, saying that a
suggestion of pressure on the pilots is an
example of speculation based only on what
"some psychologists are saying" with no
confirmation from the flight recorders.
He also said he was not fully convinced that Blasik
had been drinking but that in any case there is no
proof that the "small amount of alcohol" said to
be in his blood would have contributed to the
plane crash.
"This report is a mockery of Poland," Kaczynski
said.
The blood-alcohol content found in Blasik was
lower than what is generally considered outright
intoxication. But the professional pilots and
physicians group www.flightphysical.com says
"the number of serious errors committed by
pilots dramatically increases at or above
concentrations of 0.04%," a level lower than
Blasik's.
The Polish government has not yet reacted to the
Russian findings, saying it needed time to study
the roughly 200-page report.
The report found no fault with Russian air traffic
controllers, who "gave no permission to land,"
said Alexei Morozov, the head of the committee's
technical commission.
"They gave permission to descend to 100
meters," he said. "The crew should have started a
second attempt, but instead continued their
unauthorized descent."
Morozov added that a glitch in one of the plane's
gauges prompted the crew to think the plane was
more than 100 meters above the ground.
The crew of another Polish plane, a Yak-40 that
that had already landed at the Smolensk airport
shortly beforehand, recommended that the
presidential aircraft's crew attempt a landing,
Morozov said.
"The Yak-40's pilots gave a very emotional
warning about the bad weather, but suggested
that (the second plane) land," Morozov said.
Kaczynski and his delegation were on their way
to attend a ceremony commemorating the
victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre, in which
20,000 Polish officers and other prisoners of war
were killed by the Soviet secret police.
Efforts to cover up responsibility for the massacre
have long been a significant irritant in relations
between Poland and Russia. But in recent years
Russia has attempted to overcome the tensions
by releasing thick dossiers of documents and
saying the killings were ordered by dictator Josef
Stalin.
The symbolic importance of Kaczynski's planned
visit apparently increased the pressure to land the
aircraft despite the poor conditions. Morozov said
there was no "concrete command" from
Kaczynski to land. But he referred to one of the
pilots saying "he is mad," which is interpreted as
evidence that the pilots expected the president to
be angry if they did not get to the ceremonies on
time.

Source: Http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-01-12-polish-crash-blame_N.htm

MySpace unfriends 500 staff.

MySpace's workforce is being slashed by half, the
struggling website's owner News Corp confirmed
yesterday.
Around 500 staff will lose their jobs, said the
company's boss Mike Jones.
"These changes were purely driven by issues
related to our legacy business, and in no way
reflect the performance of the new product," said
Jones, who was keen to defend the site's recent
revamp as an entertainment portal.
MySpace plans to ink "strategic local partnerships"
in the UK, Germany and Australia to help the firm
manage ad sales and content in those regions.
Fox Networks will work with MySpace in Blighty,
but the company is yet to finalise similar
agreements in Oz and Germany.
Last month MySpace finally signed a multi-year
search and advertising deal with Google, of which
financial terms were not revealed.
MySpace secured a handsome $900m search
and keyword services deal with Google in 2006,
but it expired in June 2010, sparking speculation
that the search giant would ditch the unloved
social networking site.
The fact that MySpace scored a new partnership
with Google, no matter how paltry, may explain
why the company is yet to publicly search for a
buyer of the site.
With the announced lay-offs all that could
change, but Google's agreement may just have
kept MySpace on Rupert Murdoch's lap – for
now. ®

Source: Http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/12/myspace_job_cuts_confirmed/

Microsoft Takes on Apple "App Store" Trademark.

Microsoft is challenging Apple's filing for a
trademark on the term "App Store," Good Gear
Guide reports, because it feels the term is generic
and that competitors should be able to use it as
well.
In its 2008 filing with the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office, Apple defined an app store as
"retail store services featuring computer software
provided via the internet and other computer and
electronic communication networks." Its App
Store was launched that year, along with the
iPhone 3GS. It now boasts more than 300,000
available apps. Most recently, Apple launched the
Mac App Store just weeks ago, for use with its
desktop computers and laptops.
Microsoft filed a motion with the Trademark Trial
and Appeal Board yesterday, challenging Apple's
claim to the term. Apple's trademark request
page says "an opposition is now pending."
Microsoft argues that both "app" and "store" are
generic terms, and that consumers use the term
"app store" generically to refer to an online store
where applications are sold. It even used Steve
Jobs' own words against him, quoting a
published interview where the Apple CEO said,
"Amazon, Verizon, and Vodafone have all
announced that they are creating their own app
stores for Android."
"Competitors should be free to use 'app store' to
identify their own stores and the services offered
in conjunction with those stores," Microsoft said.
Microsoft launched its own app store in
conjunction with the release of Windows Phone
7 devices in October. By comparison, it
had 4,000 available apps to download as of mid-
December. Research firm IDC praised the quick
ascent of the new OS's marketplace.

Source: Http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+Takes+on+Apple+App+Store+Trademark/article20641.htm

And the Verizon iPhone Winner is Qualcomm.

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of discussions with
my close circle of friends about the stocks of
various players; Apple up, Verizon down,
Samsung (News - Alert) wins due to the use of
their flash memory.But by far the biggest winner was Qualcomm,
and here is why:
1) The CDMA network is alive and well thanks to
Verizon ’s choice to make it the platform for
Apple’s (News - Alert) iPhone. This adds a
whole new level of opportunity for the CDMA
developer market and gives them access to a
consumer market that is not use to ease of use
devices. I expect the CDG M2M ecosystem to
expand for CDMA as a result of this access.
2) Speaking of the ecosystems, we ran a
webinar with Qualcomm (News - Alert)
about a month ago in the off hours. The webinar
showed that CDMA is alive and well in the rest of
the world. The great story there is that Verizon
has opened the door for CDMA iPhones for the
rest of world and the iPhone is a status symbol
world-wide. Based on Verizon Wireless ( News -
Alert) we should expect that CDMA brings another
20M devices world-wide.
3) Eschewed Standards are now the norm. The
term 4G is hiding a diversity in the market that
consumers will have a rough time
discerning. The reality is that while everyone is
expecting DSL on 4G you are not going to do that
much better than existing networks and for
sometime you should expect that CDMA
networks will be more ubiquitous.
While people will get confused CDMA was the
best of the 3G networks and it may get the benefit
of being the people ’s standard.
On 1.11.11 QCOM closed at 52.23
I will warn you that I am not an active trader and
there are many people better qualified to advise. I
may not write the Gilder report, however, this is
a very logical discussion.

Source: Http://m2m.tmcnet.com/topics/m2mevolution/articles/133935-the-verizon-iphone-winner-qualcomm.htm

Hezbollah plans to resign from Lebanese government.

BEIRUT — The Islamic militant group Hezbollah
and its allies plan to resign from the Lebanese
Cabinet and topple the government on
Wednesday over tensions stemming from the
international investigation of the 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri, officials said.
The ministers were planning to resign in the
afternoon unless Western-backed Prime Minister
Saad Hariri — the son of the slain leader — agrees
to their demand to convene an urgent Cabinet
meeting over the tribunal crisis, Health Minister
Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh said on Hezbollah's
Al-Manar TV.
A senior official in Hariri's Future Movement,
Mustafa Alloush, said Hariri would not succumb
to "pressure and ultimatums."
"The prime minister is not opposed to a meeting
in principle, but he has commitments outside
Lebanon now," Alloush told The Associated
Press. Hariri, whose coalition has been sharing
power with the Iranian-backed militant group,
was to meet Wednesday with President Barack
Obama in Washington to discuss the crisis in
Lebanon.
A U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the elder
Hariri's killing is widely expected to name
members of Hezbollah in upcoming indictments,
which many fear could re-ignite hostilities
between Lebanon's rival Shiite and Sunni
Muslims.
Hezbollah has denounced the tribunal as an
"Israeli project" and urged Hariri to reject any
findings by the court, which has not yet
announced any indictments.
But the prime minister has refused to break
cooperation with the tribunal.
Another official allied to Hezbollah confirmed the
resignation plan, which calls for Hezbollah and its
allies to step down along with one more minister
who would tip the balance and force the
government to fall.
To bring down the government, Hezbollah needs
the backing of more than a third of the ministers.
Hezbollah and its allies have 10 ministers in the
30-member Cabinet, and an official close to
Hezbollah said an 11th minister close to President
Michel Suleiman would also submit his
resignation.
"It all depends on the prime minister's response
to our call for a Cabinet meeting to discuss the
crisis," the official told the AP, asking that his
name not be used because of the sensitivity of
the matter. "We are considering our options and
a resignation is top of the list."
The impending indictments already have
paralyzed Lebanon's government.
Minutes after the Beirut Stock Exchange
opened, the shares of the giant development
company Solidere — the largest company listed
on the stock exchange — dropped about 7
percent.
Hariri's office had no immediate comment on the
resignation plans, but referred to his earlier
statement late Tuesday that said:
"We will use all possible means to keep channels
open to all the Lebanese to reach solutions that
guarantee stability and calm and preserve national
unity."
Violence has been a major concern as tensions
rise in Lebanon, where Shiites, Sunnis and
Christians each make up about a third of the
country's four million people. In 2008, sectarian
clashes killed 81 people and nearly plunged
Lebanon into another civil war.
Alloush, a former lawmaker, expressed concern
about possible street violence encouraged by
Hezbollah and the movement's patrons in
Tehran.
"At the end of the day, it's an Iranian decision," he
said.
Hariri's assassination in a suicide bombing that
killed 22 other people both stunned and polarized
Lebanese. He was a Sunni who was a hero to his
own community and backed by many Christians
who sympathized with his efforts in the last few
months of his life to reduce Syrian influence in the
country. A string of assassinations of anti-Syrian
politicians and public figures followed, which U.N.
investigators have said may have been connected
to the Hariri killing.
The Netherlands-based tribunal has not said who
it will indict, but Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan
Nasrallah has said he has information that
members of his group will be named.
Hezbollah denied any role in the assassination and
denounced the court as a conspiracy against it.
On Tuesday, officials announced that a diplomatic
push by Syria and Saudi Arabia had failed to
reach a deal to ease political tensions in Lebanon.
There had been few details about the direction of
the Syrian-Saudi initiative, but the talks were
lauded as a potential Arab breakthrough, rather
than a solution offered by Western powers.
Hezbollah Cabinet Minister Mohammed Fneish
said Tuesday the initiative was done in by
"American intervention and the inability of the
other side to overcome American pressure."
The collapse prompted Wednesday's push for an
emergency Cabinet meeting, even though Hariri
was out of the country and planning to meet
Obama. The prime minister also has met in
recent days with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton, along with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon and Saudi King Abdullah during a trip to
the U.S.

Source: Http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7377839.html

NEWS Sarah Palin accuses critics of "blood libel"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prominent Republican
Sarah Palin on Wednesday accused critics of
"blood libel" by blaming her rhetoric for
contributing to the shooting rampage in Tucson
that killed six and wounded 14, including
Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
"Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their
own. They begin and end with the criminals
who commit them," the conservative Tea Party
favorite and former Alaska governor said in her
first major response to critics.
"Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding,
journalists and pundits should not manufacture
a blood libel that serves only to incite the very
hatred and violence they purport to condemn.
That is reprehensible."
Palin, the Republican Party's 2008 vice
presidential nominee, posted her remarks to her
Facebook page in both a video and text.
Suspected gunman Jared Lee Loughner faces
five federal charges, including the attempted
assassination of Giffords, who was in critical
condition with a bullet wound to the head after
being shot at a constituent outreach event at a
Tucson, Arizona, shopping mall.
Some commentators and bloggers questioned
whether last year's election rhetoric from
conservative Republicans including Palin and
some Tea Party candidates created a climate that
bred violence.
Politicians from both parties have urged a
softening of the often bitter political tone.
Authorities have not cited a motive in the
shootings.
Palin urged conservatives to "reload," not retreat,
after a fierce debate over President Barack
Obama's plans to overhaul the healthcare
system. She also published an electoral map
identifying vulnerable Democratic congressional
districts, including Giffords', with rifle cross-
hairs.
Palin said blame should rest "not with all the
citizens of a state, not with those who listen to
talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used
by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding
citizens who respectfully exercise their First
Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with
those who proudly voted in the last election."

Source: Http://us.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70B3W320110112?ca=rdt

Portugal easily sells bonds; rates go up, down; fear abates.

LISBON, Portugal — Portugal cleared a major
hurdle Wednesday as it easily tapped investors
for cash, though fears remain that the debt-laden
country may yet require a financial rescue — a
fact ominously highlighted by the EU's proposal
to boost the size and powers of its financial
bailout fund.
Markets showed relief that the country managed
to borrow euro1.25 billion ($1.62 billion) in a bond
auction and that it ended up paying a far lower
rate for its longer-term debt than previously. The
government debt agency said it sold euro650
million in bonds with a 2014 maturity and
euro599 million in 2020 bonds and demand for
both was high.
The major source of relief came because the yield
on the 2020 bond dropped to 6.716% from
6.806% in November. Some of that relief was
dampened by the revelation Portugal had to pay
a much higher rate of 5.4% rate for the shorter-
term bond, compared with the 4.041% yield in
October, when Ireland's need for a bailout had
not yet roiled markets.
Analysts said the success of the auction has a lot
to do with a more active role taken by the
European Central Bank as well as recent pledges
of support from Japan and China.
However, Portugal isn't out of the woods and
many analysts believe the country will end up
having to accept a bailout, partly because it is
expected to sink back into recession this year as a
result of austerity measures to get public finances
into shape and because borrowing costs remain
high.
The bond sale "is one hurdle that has been
overcome, but it's not the end of the problems
for Portugal and the eurozone," said Ian
Stannard, an analyst at BNP Paribas. "This auction
is not going to make the problems go away."
Portugal is a small country with few clear
avenues for growth and has to raise up to euro20
billion ($26 billion) this year alone to cover debts.
Some analysts think Portugal should accept the
inevitable and agree a package from its partners
in the European Union and the International
Monetary Fund instead of constantly fire-fighting
in the bond markets.
Simon Derrick, an analyst at the Bank of New
York Mellon, says it may be better for Portugal to
agree to a financial bailout sooner, on its own
terms, rather than be forced into that position
later.
The government shows few signs of taking that
route, insisting it can get a handle on its debt
through its program of tax cuts and pay cuts.
And Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos
Santos has expressed frustration at what he sees
as a lack of help from fellow European nations to
keep Portugal from resorting to a rescue. A
bailout is a significant blow to a country because
the government effectively loses control of its
fiscal policies.
Policymakers and experts have been critical of the
eurozone's handling of the debt crisis, specifically
a lack of leadership, timely decision making and
guiding rules.
With Portugal still dangerously close to requiring
financial help and fears Spain could be next,
markets will look to see what the 17 eurozone
finance ministers agree next week in a meeting in
Brussels.
The European Union's top monetary official, Olli
Rehn, said Wednesday that the euro440 billion
($570 billion) bailout fund for debt-ridden
countries should be increased and given more
powers. Rehn said discussions with the 17
eurozone governments on boosting the size of
the fund were ongoing and there was progress.
Analysts fear the fund might be too small if a big
economy like highly indebted Spain runs into
financial trouble. Both Spain and Italy are due to
hold bond auctions Thursday.
Emergency support for Spain would test the
limits of the existing bailout fund, potentially
putting the euro project in jeopardy if
governments don't put up more cash. The
country accounts for more than 10% of the
eurozone economy, whereas Greece, Ireland and
Portugal only account for around 2% each.
Pylas reported from London. Gabriele Steinhauser
in Brussels also contributed to this story.

Source: Http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2011-01-12-portugal-bond-sale_N.htm

Geithner warns China again that its currency is undervalued.

WASHINGTON — China's currency is
substantially undervalued, and Beijing is moving
too slowly to fulfill its promise to let it rise,
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said again
Wednesday.
Geithner said it's in China's interests to accelerate
the pace of currency reform. He said the
undervalued yuan is increasing the risk of inflation
that will harm Chinese growth.
Geithner's comments came in a speech
previewing the administration's policy positions in
advance of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to
Washington next week.
Economic tensions have been rising between the
world's two largest economies at a time when
America's trade deficit with China has ballooned
and its unemployment rate remains high.
American manufacturers contend that China's
yuan currency is undervalued as much as 40%.
This gives China a tremendous competitive
advantage in trade because it makes Chinese
products cheaper in America and U.S. goods
more expensive in China.
China in June pledged to allow more flexibility in
its currency. But Geithner said that since that time
the yuan has risen in value against the dollar by
only about 3%.
China's undervalued currency imposes costs not
only on U.S. companies but on other countries
that have more flexible exchange rates, Geithner
said.
"This is not a tenable policy for China or for the
world economy," Geithner said. "We believe it is
in China's interests to allow the currency to
appreciate more rapidly in response to market
forces. And we believe that China will do so
because the alternative will be too costly — for
China and for China's relations with the rest of the
world."
Last September, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed legislation that would
impose economic sanctions on China unless the
country allowed its currency to rise more quickly.
The measure was not considered in the Senate.

Source: Http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2011-01-12-geithner-china-currency_N.htm

New England takes a hit as storm scrapes northward.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A winter storm that
shut down much of the South churned up the
coast Wednesday, dumping wet, heavy snow
across the Northeast and saving its most brutal
punch for New England, where hundreds of cars
spun out and schools and businesses shut down.
Armies of plows and salt spreaders hit streets
across the region to stem chaos during
Wednesday morning's commute. In Connecticut,
where nearly 2 feet of snow had fallen and it as
still coming down, state police responded to
about 500 spinouts, fender-benders and stranded
vehicles. Four minor injuries were reported.
"Troopers are going from one stranded vehicle to
another," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a department
spokesman.
In New York, where officials took heavy criticism
for slow response to a Dec. 26 blizzard, the
morning commute got off to a promising start as
plows cleared streets blocked for days by the last
storm. Nearly 9 inches fell in Central Park, well
short of the 20 inches last month's storm
dumped on the city.
New England, though, appeared to be caught off
guard by the ferocity of the storm. Gov. Dannel
P. Malloy, leading the state through what
threatened to be his first disaster, ordered a
double shift of state troopers onto highways.
Heavy snow and gusting winds closed hundreds
of schools and businesses from Maine and New
Hampshire southward.
"You can't see across the street. The wind and
snow is blowing about 40 miles an hour
sideways," said Artie Perrin, general manager at
Kelly's Roast Beef in Revere, north of Boston.
Ridgefield, Conn., had 22 inches of snow by 8
a.m., and Danbury had 18 inches. In Bridgeport,
the state's largest city, a snow emergency was
declared and only city and education board
employees essential to storm operations were
expected at work. In Maine, an inch of snow an
hour was meant snow plows had a hard time
keeping up.
Every flight in and out of Boston's Logan Airport
was delayed. New York's LaGuardia Airport
canceled 675 flights, Kennedy Airport 300 and
Newark Liberty 440. Philadelphia's airport
reported about 20 dozen canceled outbound
flights and 100 canceled arrivals, but
spokeswoman Victoria Lupica expected things to
be back in full swing by noon.
Officials cautioned motorists to stay off the road
from the Carolinas to Maine. Massachusetts Gov.
Deval Patrick noted reports of spinouts and
disoriented motorists heading the wrong way on
highways.
In New Jersey, relatively few problems were
reported Wednesday and plows were out in
force. Locals were keeping a close eye on Gov.
Chris Christie, who left for a Disney World family
vacation in Orlando, Fla., just before the
Christmas blizzard struck the Northeast even
though his lieutenant governor also was out of
state.
Christie, who was heavily criticized for the trip,
has said he and the lieutenant governor wouldn't
be out of state at the same time again and even
joked last week about "shoveling myself" to dig
people out of snow if necessary.
The storm was the third to hit New York in less
than three weeks, after the crippling Dec. 26
blizzard and a 2-inch dusting last week.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said crews
would work even harder after criticism of how
the city handled the blizzard, when hundreds of
streets went unplowed, subway riders were
stranded and medical calls unanswered because
ambulances were unable to navigate snowy
streets.
In Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, an area
paralyzed by last month's storm, all major and
side streets were plowed by Wednesday
morning. A few cars skidded on the slush.
"It's going to be a difficult, difficult rush hour,"
Bloomberg had said Tuesday. "The storm is
predicted to be at its heaviest just a few hours
before rush hour, and there's no way that our
city's plows can get to all 6,000 streets in one or
two hours."
The city stood ready Wednesday with more than
300 salt spreaders, 1,700 plows, and 200 front-
end loaders, backhoes and Bobcats. Sanitation
workers were on 12-hour shifts.
Seth Andrews, a spokesman for the city's Office
of Emergency Management, said that as of
around 3:30 a.m. no serious problems had been
reported although a few vehicles had gotten
stuck. He said crews were out in full force to
handle any emergencies.
Snow and ice had already shut down much of
the South for two days before the storm joined
forces with another coming in from the Midwest
and swept northward.
Road crews lacked winter equipment, salt and
sand to clear the roads, and millions of people
just stayed home. Mail delivery was restricted,
and many schools and other institutions closed.
The storm was blamed for 11 deaths and many
more injuries.
Some schools remained closed Wednesday in
western North Carolina, as well as schools in
Charlotte, the state's largest city. Workers
reported progress clearing highways but warned
many secondary roads remained dangerous
because of ice. A winter weather advisory was in
effect until noon in northwestern South Carolina
as up to 9 inches of melted snow refroze on the
roads.
Despite the inconvenience, Southerners
confronted the aftermath with patience and a
measure of wonder.
Lynn Marentette, a school psychologist who lives
south of Charlotte, N.C., stayed home after
classes were canceled. She spent Tuesday
catching up with friends on Facebook and
watching children sled down a nearby hill — and
ignored the stack of paperwork on her desk.
"It is a beautiful, beautiful day out there," she said.
"I have some paperwork and some things I've
really put off doing, but how often do you have a
chance to enjoy the snow?"
Contributing to this report were Associated Press
writers Frank Eltman in Carle Place, N.Y.; Kiley
Armstrong; Sara Kugler Frazier, Chris Hawley,
Karen Matthews and Ula Ilnytzky in New York;
Beth DeFalco in Trenton, N.J.; Dorie Turner, Don
Schanche and Errin Haines in Atlanta; Bill Poovey
in Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Gary D. Robertson in
Raleigh, N.C.

Source: Http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jH82ObQVZDqdm2mV45Hg2CKDrjfQ?docId=8f09820fc5464955b383043453363e6f

Stocks open higher on easing European debt worries.

NEW YORK—Stocks are opening
higher as investors shake off worries
about the European debt crisis.
Portugal had a successful bond
auction Wednesday, and that eased
concerns that the country will soon
need a financial bailout. But analysts
cautioned that Portugal could still need
a financial rescue if it slips back into a
recession later this year.
At the opening, the Dow Jones
industrial average is up 58 points, or
0.5 percent, at 11,730. The Standard &
Poor's 500 index is up 7, or 0.5
percent, at 1,281. The Nasdaq
composite index is up 11, or 0.4
percent, at 2,727.
Bond prices are falling, pushing their yields
higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note,
which moves opposite its price, rose to 3.40
percent from 3.34 percent late Tuesday

Source: Http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_17075283

Chinese bank launches yuan service in New York.

BEIJING — A state-owned Chinese bank says its
New York City branch has begun offering
accounts denominated in China's tightly
controlled yuan in a move to expand the
currency's global reach.
Bank of China says customers of its Chinatown
branch in New York will be allowed to trade yuan
for dollars and can wire yuan to or from China.
In a statement on its website, the bank said
account holders can exchange up to the yuan
equivalent of $4,000 a day, with a limit of
$20,000 a year; the limits are half those levels for
non-account customers.
"They are trying to expand the scope of people
who can hold renminbi (yuan) and that increases
demand," said Daniel Hui, a foreign exchange
strategist for HSBC in Hong Kong.
Still, Hui said Chinese restrictions on money flows
into and out of the mainland mean foreign
customers who want to trade yuan will be limited
to the Hong Kong market and currency available
there.
CURRENCY RATES: World currencies; currency
converter
Bank of China's announcement comes ahead of
Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington
next week. The White House says President
Barack Obama will press U.S. complaints about
China's currency controls that critics say keep the
yuan undervalued, which boosts Chinese exports
and swells the country's multibillion-dollar trade
surplus.
Beijing is trying to reduce reliance on the dollar by
promoting the yuan, also known as the renminbi,
for trade and finance. It is promoting Hong Kong,
a Chinese territory with its own currency, as an
offshore market for foreigners to conduct yuan
business separate from the mainland, which is
kept isolated from global capital flows.
Hong Kong banks began handling yuan
transactions with the mainland last year and the
World Bank and some foreign companies have
sold yuan bonds.
Employees who answered the phone in the
bank's Beijing headquarters Wednesday refused
to give any other details.
China is the world's biggest exporter and the
second-largest economy behind the United
States, but its exporters receive mostly U.S.
dollars for their goods. Being paid in yuan would
help them eliminate uncertainty about exchange
rate changes. It also might help to promote China
as the center of an Asian regional trading area.
China's leaders have said they will eventually let
the yuan trade freely but say relaxing controls too
abruptly would damage its financial system. They
say a rapid rise in the yuan would hurt exporters,
wiping out jobs.
Beijing promised more exchange rate flexibility in
June and the currency has risen by about 3.5%
against the dollar since then. Analysts expect
another 5% gain this year but that is too low for
U.S. manufacturers and others who say the yuan
is undervalued by up to 40%. The U.S. Senate is
considering a measure, already approved by the
House of Representatives, that would allow
Washington to sanction governments such as
China if they are found to be manipulating
exchange rates for trade advantage.
Economists say the process of making the yuan
an international currency on the level of the U.S.
dollar, euro or yen will take years and depend on
factors such as how many foreign companies
want to use it.
China's central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan,
called in 2009 for a new global currency
managed by the International Monetary Fund to
replace the dollar for trade and storing reserves.
Economists say such a change is unlikely, but the
comments reflected Beijing's unease about the
dollar, which it uses for the bulk of its trade and
to store an estimated one-half of its $2.5 trillion in
reserves.
"The next big step will be sanctioning and
regulating renminbi trading in other markets
besides Hong Kong," Hui said. "But that won't
happen in the near-term."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: Http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2011-01-12-chinese-bank-yuan_N.htm

Palin Criticizes Manufacturers of 'Blood Libel' as Proponents of Speech Limits Cite Sharron Angle.

Sarah Palin made a call to conscious Wednesday
for those who would manufacture "a blood libel"
for last weekend's Arizona shooting, saying "acts
of monstrous brutality ... begin and end with the
criminals who commit them, not collectively"
with Americans exercising their constitutional
freedoms.
The former Republican vice-presidential
candidate, the target of many knee-jerk
pontificators ascribing motive to Jared Lee
Loughner, the gunman in the Tuscon attack that
killed six and injured 14 others, had been silent
since shortly after the Saturday shooting when
she issued a two-line statement offering her
prayers for the families and victims.
But Palin's name -- and those of others, including
Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle -- had
been central in the early accusations over what
spurred the shooting. Liberal media pundits
assigned blame by citing Palin's political action
committee's website, which showed crosshairs
on districts that it was targeting in the November
midterm, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the
believed target of the gunman who was
wounded in the shooting.
Others said Angle's comments on the campaign
trail also incited violence. The debate about heated
political rhetoric ratcheted up so quickly and
vigorously -- even before Loughner had been
identified as the alleged shooter -- some
Democratic lawmakers called for curbs on free
speech.
In a Facebook posting issued Wednesday
morning, Palin lamented the "irresponsible
statements" of those casting blame on political
figures.
"If you don't like a person's vision for the
country, you're free to debate that vision. If you
don't like their ideas, you're free to propose better
ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy
unfolding, journalists and pundits should not
manufacture a blood libel that serves only to
incite the very hatred and violence they purport
to condemn. That is reprehensible," Palin said.
She added that claims that the political rhetoric is
somehow more heated today than ever before
seem unfounded, noting that "back in those 'calm
days'" of the Republic, political differences were
occasionally settled with "dueling pistols."
But even as Palin decried the accusations, some
lawmakers federal regulations are needed to stop
heated speech.
Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., on Monday
referenced a comment by Angle in calling for a
change in the nation's political dialogue -- by will
or by law.
"'Don't retreat, reload.' Someone in Nevada
saying we may need to use Second Amendment
remedies. There's only one way to read this,"
Slaughter said.
Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., told Fox News that
Angle "talked about people rising up and taking
over the government by force, using their guns.
She was very explicit."
Sherman said that even if language used by
Angle and her supporters hadn't incited the
shootings in Arizona, eventually it will lead to
violence.
"I'm saying if you have a heart attack, stop
smoking, not because nicotine may or may not
have caused your last heart attack, you'll never
know, but it's going to cause the next one,"
Sherman said. "And if we continue to bring into
the mainstream and treat as civil those who call
for violence and disruption and assassination and
revolution and insurrection, then whether that
caused what happened in Tucson or not, it will
cause the next tragedy."
Angle defended herself in a statement released
late Tuesday.
"Expanding the context of the attack to blame and
to infringe upon the people's constitutional
liberties is both dangerous and ignorant. The
irresponsible assignment of blame to me, Sarah
Palin or the Tea Party movement by
commentators and elected officials puts all who
gather to redress grievances in danger," Angle
said.
"Finger-pointing towards political figures is an
audience-rating game and contradicts the facts as
they are known," Angle added. "I have
consistently called for reasonable political dialogue
on policy issues to encourage civil political
education and debate. Inappropriately attributing
blame of a singular tragedy to achieve a political
agenda is contrary to civil discourse, and is a
media ploy to which I refuse to belong."
In the wake of the shooting, the National Hispanic
Media Coalition used the incident to reiterate its call
for the FCC to update its definitions of hate speech
in media. It also asked the FCC to "examine the
extent and effects of hate speech in media, and
non-regulatory options for counteracting the
violence that extreme rhetoric breeds."
Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., said he has no
knowledge about what motivated Loughner to
attack Giffords and the others, but he still wants
legislation that bans the use of certain imagery
when talking about congressional targets.
"I want to eliminate what may have been," Brady
told Fox News. "I'm not a psychologist ... All I'm
saying is you can't put a bullseye or a crosshair
on a member of Congress."
And on Tuesday, Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore.,
was quoted in the Oregon Statesman-Journal
saying he blamed conservative media
personalities like Fox News' Glenn Beck and radio
host Rush Limbaugh.
"I hold them personally responsible. I don't know
how they can sleep at night after this," Schrader
said.
Loughner, the accused gunman with no
discernible connection to American political
discourse, has not stated why he allegedly shot
20 people in the assault at a Tucson Safeway
grocery store. The Wall Street Journal reported
Wednesday that the community college student
who had been suspended last October had
frequented gaming websites seeking answers to
questions about why he couldn't find a job or get
a girlfriend.
More than a decade ago, lawmakers like Sen. Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., warned that violence in
movies and video games could cause violence in
life. But graphic imagery and heated rhetoric
moved to the political theater long before that.
Several recent examples have been offered from
both sides of the aisle, including President
Obama's quoting from the film "The
Untouchables" in which appears the statement, "If
they bring a knife, we'll bring a gun."
And even before movie references, crosshairs
and bullseyes, "battlefields" were drawn across
campaign and policy landscapes. President
Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union speech
called for a figurative "War on Poverty," a
precursor to the Reagan administration's equally
figurative "War on Drugs."
Slaughter said that while she's not up to speed on
current regulations, the Federal Communications
Commission should work to sanction broadcasts
that could incite people to violence.
"No one owns the airwaves," Slaughter said,
"They are owned by the people."
If lawmakers were to seek remedies to quiet
distasteful discussion, the so-called Fairness
Doctrine is at the top of lists inspiring supporters
and alarming opponents.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., told National Public
Radio said he "came up in a time that the Fairness
Doctrine did not allow media outlets to say things
about a candidate or a person in public office
without giving that person equal time to respond.
And I really believe that everybody needs to take
a look at where we are pushing things, and may
need to take a serious step back and evaluate
what's going on here."
But not everyone may be on board with a hasty
turn to bottling up dissenting voices. Delivering a
speech Tuesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said
media have the power to inspire, motivate and
inform. "But they also have the power to inflame
and incite. The seething rhetoric has gone too
far."
However, Leahy added, "In a free society, the
society that we Americans must always want our
country to be, the government should not and
must not restrain free expression."
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., also suggested
Tuesday in a speech at the Center for American
Progress that the blame game has no winner.
"The big question wasn't whose rhetoric was
right or wrong, but whether our political
conversation was worthy of the confidence and
trust of the American people," he said

Source: Http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/11/democrats-single-sharron-angle-calling-limits-speech/

Five Reasons Not to Buy a Verizon iPhone 4.

For those suffering with an iPhone tied to
an AT&T contract, switching to Verizon on
February 10th seems like a no-brainer, but
here's why you should look before you
leap.
After returning from the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas last week, where
communication was key and AT&T voice and
data service was virtually non-existent, I'm more
ready than ever to toss my AT&T iPhone. No
matter what it costs me. Despite loving the actual
phone, three years of data dead zones, more
dropped calls than I could ever count, and flat-out
false signal strength indicators, I'm very bitter.
Verizon iPhone? Yes, please. NOW.
Finally, after years of wondering when it would
happen, the iPhone has arrived on Verizon. The
CDMA iPhone goes on sale on February 10 at
Apple and Verizon stores at $199.99 for 16GB and
$299.99 for 32GB. Yippee.
Here's my plan: I sell my iPhone on eBay; I bet
there are plenty of overseas users who would
love to score a bargain on a gently used iPhone
3GS with a SIM card slot, which could easily be
unlocked for use on a foreign carrier. Also, since I
signed my contract back in 2009 when the 3GS
was released, before AT&T upped its termination
fees, I'll only have to pay about $75 to get out of
that dreaded contract. What I'd get at auction for
the old iPhone will surely cover that.
I could have a new iPhone 4 (which is an
upgrade for me)—one that works in my
apartment, all along the West Side Highway in
Manhattan, and at a convention in Las Vegas —in
my hot little hands in a month's time. As
tempting as this prospect is, I realize it might not
make sense for me, or anyone else in the
washed-up AT&T iPhone boat, to jump over to
Verizon right away. Here's why:
It has a new carrier, but this isn't a new
iPhone. The CDMA iPhone that Verizon
announced yesterday is the same iPhone 4 that
was released on AT&T back in July. Sure it's on
Verizon's 3G network, which can look like the
promised land if you're used to AT&T's often-
subpar 3G coverage in a lot of places. But Verizon
is hard at work on building out its 4G network,
and could easily announce an LTE (4G) version of
the iPhone soon. History has shown us that
every year in early summer, Apple announces a
new iPhone and it goes on sale in early July. So
there's no reason to believe that will change this
year, or that the new handset won't be available
on both AT&T and Verizon around the same
time.
July will be here before you know it. And the
longer you wait, the less you have to pay to
break your AT&T contract; the fee is prorated,
based on how many months you've fulfilled.
Hey Verizon, how much are the plans? One
of the most obvious reasons to wait: Verizon
hasn't announced its service plans for the iPhone.
It's been rumored that the carrier will roll out a
$30 per month unlimited iPhone data plan, but at
the press event, Verizon's CEO, Dan Mead,
wouldn't utter a peep about plan prices. And
there was no indication as to when they would
be disclosed. Verizon also announced that you
could use its iPhone as a mobile hotspot to get
other devices online. Cool. That's something
AT&T doesn't offer, but we have no idea how
much the privilege will cost.
Also, give AT&T some time to respond. Maybe
the carrier will shower you with bonuses to keep
you as a customer. Then again, bonuses don't
mean much if you can't use your phone to call
your friends to tell them of your good fortune.
Let Verizon iron out the network kinks
before you get there. No one knows how
many people will buy Verizon iPhones next
month, but a large influx of new subscribers
could mean a compromise in network quality in
some areas. Hey, it happened with AT&T. Then
again it might also be fine, but why not let the
early adopters find out? Plus, if a massive
number of AT&T iPhone users jump ship, you
might wind up with better AT&T service.
AT&T and Verizon may not be your only
choices. Now that the AT&T stranglehold has
been broken, it's possible that Sprint or T-Mobile
might pick up the iPhone later this year. More
carriers mean more plans, more one-upping on
features, and more overall choices.
The Android army just keeps getting
stronger. I know. I know. If you're like me,
you're a diehard iPhone user who wouldn't even
consider switching from Apple's beloved
overflowing-with-apps smartphone. Still, even I'll
admit that there were some really interesting
Android handsets unveiled at CES this year.
Verizon's massive Motorola Droid Bionic, for
example, is packed to the gills with features, and
it's an LTE phone. The 2011 smartphone
landscape is going to be hotter than ever.
Innovation abounds, so you owe it to yourself to
at least take a look at what's out there before you
leap.

Source: Http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375584,00.asp

Floods pour into Brisbane; 20,000 homes in danger.

BRISBANE, Australia -- Floodwaters poured into
the empty downtown of Australia's third-largest
city Wednesday after tearing a deadly path across
the northeast, swamping neighborhoods in what
could be Brisbane's most devastating floods in a
century.
The surging, muddy waters reached the tops of
traffic lights in some parts of Brisbane, and the
city's mayor said at least 20,000 homes were in
danger of being inundated.
At least 22 people have died and more than 40
are missing across Australia's northeastern state
of Queensland since drenching rains that began in
November sent swollen rivers spilling over their
banks, flooding an area larger than France and
Germany combined. Brisbane, the state capital
with a population of 2 million, is the latest city to
face down the waters, and officials expect the
death toll to rise.
On Wednesday, Brisbane residents who had
spent two days preparing took cover on higher
ground while others scrambled to move their
prized possessions to the top floors of their
homes. Some stacked furniture on their roofs.
The Brisbane River is expected to reach its highest
point on Thursday. After days of bad news in
which figures were constantly being revised, the
Bureau of Meteorology late Wednesday delivered
a small and rare positive forecast - the
floodwaters would crest about a foot (30
centimeters) lower than earlier thought.
If correct, the new forecast meant the waters
would not reach the depth of 1974 floods that
swept the city. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh
said the news was welcome, but of little comfort.
"This is still a major event, the city is much
bigger, much more populated and has many
parts under flood that didn't even exist in 1974,"
she said. "We are still looking at an event which
will cripple parts of our city."
The dragged-out crisis escalated when a violent
storm sent a 26-foot (eight meter), fast-moving
torrent - described as an "inland instant tsunami"
- crashing through the city of Toowoomba and
smaller towns to the west of Brisbane on
Monday. Twelve people were killed in that flash
flood. Late Wednesday, Bligh said the number of
missing had been revised down to 43.
"This is a truly dire set of circumstances," Prime
Minister Julia Gillard said.
The Brisbane River broke its banks on Tuesday
and was continuing its rise Wednesday - partly
controlled by a huge dam upstream that has had
its floodgates opened because it is brimming after
weeks of rain across the state.
Water levels were expected to stay at peak levels
until at least Saturday, but many people won't be
able to access their homes for several days
beyond that, Bligh said.
The flooding has transfixed Australia and is
shaping up to become the nation's most
expensive disaster, with an estimated price tag of
at least $5 billion. The relentless waters have shut
down Queensland state's crucial coal industry
and ruined crops across vast swaths of farmland.
Brisbane's office buildings stood empty
Wednesday with the normally bustling central
business district transformed into a watery ghost
town. Most roads around the city were closed,
and people moved about in kayaks, rowboats
and even on surfboards. One of the city's sports
stadiums, which hosts international rugby
games, was flooded with muddy, chest-deep
water.
Boats torn from their moorings floated down the
rising river along with massive amounts of
debris. A popular waterside restaurant's pontoon
was swept away by the current and floated
downstream. Officials said they would probably
have to sink a barge that serves as an
entertainment venue, to stop it from breaking free
and becoming a floating torpedo.

Source: Http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/11/2011705/floods-enter-brisbane-20000-homes.html

Palin: Tucson finger-pointing 'irresponsible'.

Former Alaska governor expresses 'sadness,' quotes Reagan in
video statement
NBC News and news services
Responding to criticism that a heated political climate was a factor
in the weekend attack that seriously injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
and killed six others, Sarah Palin expressed "sadness" about
"irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion
blame" for the tragedy.
The video, which appeared under the headline "America's
Enduring Strength," was posted early Wednesday on the former
Alaska governor's website.
Palin has been criticized by some for using crosshairs on a
website graphic to indicate congressional districts, including
Giffords', where she wanted Republicans to win in last fall's
election.
Palin said she had "listened at first puzzled, then with concern and
now with sadness to the irresponsible statements from people
attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event."
'Acts of monstrous criminality'
She quoted former President Ronald Reagan as saying that "we
must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, society is
guilty rather than the lawbreaker.
" It's time to restore the American precept that each individual is
accountable for his actions," Palin continued, still quoting Reagan.
"Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own," she added. "
They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not
collectively with all the citizens of the state, not with those who
listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both
sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectably
exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with
those who proudly voted in the last election."
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had told the TODAY show
Monday that political rhetoric may have contributed to Loughner's
actions. "I think the tone of rhetoric that's occurred in this country
over the past couple of years affects troubled personalities," he
said.
Palin countered that and similar assertions, noting the "peaceful
transition of power" when President Barack Obama took office
and following the 2008 and 2010 elections, and pointing out that
"vigorous and spirited public debates" are part of the process
before candidates "shake hands and we get back to work, and
often both sides find common ground back in DC and elsewhere."
"But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists
and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only
to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to
condemn," she added "That is reprehensible. There are those who
claim political rhetoric is to blame for the despicable act of this
deranged – apparently apolitical – criminal."
Meanwhile, it also emerged that authorities responded to shooting
suspect Jared Loughner's Arizona home at least once before
Saturday's attack.
Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jason Ogan said he
didn't know why or when the visit occurred. Department lawyers
were reviewing the paperwork and expected to release it
Wednesday, he added.
The visits to the Loughner home were for nonviolent incidents,
including a report by Jared Loughner of identity theft, a noise
complaint and the suspect's mother's claim that someone had
stolen her license plate sticker, according to The Wall Street
Journal.
In a separate statement released Tuesday, Ogan noted that the
department "was not aware of any threats made to
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, any other government official,
or to any member of the public" prior to Saturday's shooting at a
Tucson Safeway store.
Interviews with those who knew Loughner or his family painted a
picture of a young loner who tried to fit in.
Loughner lived at home with his parents, worked low-wage jobs
at big brand stores and volunteered time doing things he liked.
But his relationship with his parents was strained. He clashed with
co-workers and police. And he couldn't follow the rules at an
animal shelter where he spent some time.
Several months before the incident, an online user believed to be
Loughner posted messages to a board of online gamers,
according to The Journal, which reviewed 131 posts made
between April and June 2010.
'Aggression 24/7'
Among the questions posed to the online forum were, "Does
anyone have aggression 24/7?" and "If you went to prison right
now...What would you be thinking?"
The Journal reported that the posts, which it obtained from other
gamers who used the forum, illustrated the user's growing
frustration about his job search and troubles with women —
painting a picture of someone who seemed to be floundering at
times and whose posts made others in the forum question his
mental state.
Additionally, Zane Gutierrez, 21, told the New York Times that
Loughner had long displayed destructive traits and had honed his
firearm skills in recent years.
"He was a nihilist and loves causing chaos, and that is probably
why he did the shooting, along with the fact he was sick in the
head," Gutierrez told the newspaper. The Times reported that
Gutierrez was an occasional target shooting partner of Loughner's.
Last year, Pima Community College police were called in five times
to deal with Loughner's classroom and library disruptions. He was
suspended from the college in September after campus police
discovered a YouTube video in which Loughner claimed the
college was illegal according to the U.S. Constitution. School
officials told Loughner and his parents that to return to classes he
would need to undergo a mental health exam to show he was not
a danger.
A school spokesman did not respond to an e-mail asking if the
college had referred any information on Loughner to local police.
On Saturday, mysterious black bag in hand, Jared Loughner ran
into the desert, his angry father stopping pursuit in his truck.
Video: Will Loughner plead insanity?
Hours after Randy Loughner's futile confrontation with his 22-
year-old son Saturday morning, six people were shot dead and
more than a dozen others wounded — and Jared Loughner was
in custody.
The sheriff's deputies who swarmed the Loughners' house
removed what they describe as evidence Jared Loughner was
targeting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who doctors said Tuesday was
breathing on her own for the first time after taking a bullet to the
forehead. Among the handwritten notes was one with the words
"Die, bitch," which authorities told The Associated Press they
believe was a reference to Giffords.
'I planned ahead'
Investigators with the Pima County Sheriff's Department
previously said they found handwritten notes in Loughner's safe
reading "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and "Giffords." Capt.
Chris Nanos said all the writings were either in an envelope or on a
form letter Giffords' office sent him in 2007 after he signed in at
one of her "Congress on Your Conner" events — the same kind of
gathering where the massacre occurred.
On the morning of the shooting, a mumbling Jared Loughner fled
after his father asked him why he was removing a black bag from
the trunk of a family car, said Nanos and Rick Kastigar, chief of the
department's investigations bureau. Investigators are still
searching for the bag.
Video: Green family showing 'enormous strength'
Meanwhile, Tucson held a tribute to victims the eve of a
presidential visit.
On Tuesday night, several hundred mourners filled a Tucson
church for a public Mass to remember the slain and pray for the
injured. As people filed in, nine young girls sang "Amazing Grace."
The youngest victim of the attack, 9-year-old Christina Taylor
Green, was a member of that choir.
"I know she is singing with us tonight," said Tucson Bishop Gerald
Kicanas, who presided over the service.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama visits Arizona and gives
a speech honoring the victims to a rattled state and nation.
Meanwhile, the FBI said background checks for handgun sales
jumped in Arizona following the shootings, though the agency
cautioned that the number of checks doesn't equate to the
number of handguns sold.
Still, there were 263 background checks in Arizona on Monday, up
from 164 for the same day a year ago — a 60 percent rise.
Nationally, the increase was more modest: from 7,522 last year to
7,906 Monday, a 5 percent jump.
One close high school friend who requested anonymity to avoid
the publicity surrounding the case said he would wait outside 10
minutes for Jared to leave the house when they were going out.
When Jared would get into the car, he'd say that it took so long
because his parents were hassling him.
The parents of another close friend recalled how Loughner's
parents showed up at their doorstep in 2008 looking for their son,
who had left home about a week before and broken off contact.
While the friend, Zach Osler, didn't want to talk with the AP, his
parents Roxanne and George Osler IV did.
With the Loughners at their house, Zach Osler told them the name
of the place where their only child was staying, Zach's father said.
Loughner was arrested in October 2008 on a vandalism charge
near Tucson after admitting he scrawled the letters "C" and "X" on
a road sign in a reference to what he said was Christianity. His
address listed on the police report was an apartment near his
home.
Loughner eventually moved back in with his parents.
Video: Loughner's parents: 'We wish would could
change...events'
Amy Loughner got a job with the county parks and recreation
department just before Jared was born, and since at least 2002
has been the supervisor for Roy P. Drachman Agua Caliente Park
on the outskirts of the city. She earns $25.70 an hour, according
to Gwyn Hatcher, Pima County's human resources director.
Loughner's parents, silent and holed up in their home since the
shooting spree, apologized publicly Tuesday.
"There are no words that can possibly express how we feel,"
Randy and Amy Loughner wrote in a statement handed to
reporters waiting outside their house. "We wish that there were,
so we could make you feel better. We don't understand why this
happened.
"We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are
so very sorry for their loss."
Linda McKinley, 62, has lived down the street from the Loughner
family for decades and said the parents could not be nicer — but
that she had misgivings about Jared as he got older.
"As a parent, my heart aches for them," she said.
She added that when she was outside watering her plants she
would see Jared riding down the street on his bike, often talking to
himself or yelling out randomly to no one.
McKinley recalled that once he yelled to some children on the
street: "I'm coming to get you!"
Loughner had trouble with the law, was rejected by the Army
after admitting to drug use and was considered so mentally
unstable that he was banned from his college campus, where
officials considered him a threat to other students and faculty.
But Loughner had no trouble buying the Glock semiautomatic
pistol that authorities say he used in the rampage.
Loughner's personal history did not disqualify him under federal
rules, and Arizona doesn't regulate gun sales. His criminal charges
were ultimately dismissed, the Army information was private and
Pima Community College isn't saying whether it shared its
concerns about Loughner with anyone besides his parents.
Video: Tucson's tragedy hits close to home
Loughner cleared a federal background check and bought the
pistol at a big-box sports store near his home on Nov. 30 — two
months after he was suspended by the college. He customized
the weapon with an extended ammunition clip that would have
been illegal six years earlier.
Investigators told NBC News that Loughner had a 30-round
magazine on his Glock-19, plus one round in the chamber, for a
total of 31 rounds in the weapon. Of the 31 rounds, a least 20
struck those outside the Tucson supermarket. Some victims were
struck by more than one round.
Background checks are designed in part to weed out prospective
gun buyers who have felony criminal records, have a history of
domestic violence or are in the country illegally. None of that
applied to Loughner, although the background check form asks
about drug use and friends say he frequently used marijuana in
high school.
On Nov. 30, the same day he bought the Glock, Loughner posted
a YouTube video that raged against the college that dismissed him
and police.
"If the police remove you from the educational facility for talking
then removing you from the educational facility for talking is
unconstitutional," he wrote on the video. "The situation is fraud
because the police are unconstitutional. ... Every Pima Community
College class is always a scam!"

Source: Http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41034421/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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