Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302214196?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Shanghai auto show: where you, too, can buy a machine-gun ready pickup
A Chinese company's trucks were a hit among Libyan rebels, and it's now seeking inroads to the lucrative insurgent market.?'The car really proved its launch strength,' wrote one Libyan rebel.
Libyan rebels riding at the back of a pickup truck retreat east towards Benghazi from Ajdabiya, Libya, in April 2011. When the Shanghai auto show opened a week ago, ZX Auto, proudly displayed on its stand a version of its trucks that were a hit among Libyan rebels.
Nasser Nasser/AP/File
EnlargeEver fancied owning your own ?technical? ? the sort of pickup truck fitted with a heavy machine gun that rebels careering around the streets from Somalia to Libya have made notorious? Come to the Shanghai Auto Show and a Chinese automaker will sell you one.
Skip to next paragraph Peter FordBeijing Bureau Chief
Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.
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When the show opened a week ago, Zhongxing Auto proudly displayed on its stand a version of its Grand Tiger pickup with an unusual accessory ? a four-legged steel frame fixed to the cargo bed, ready for the weapon of your choice.
Once upon a time, irregular forces had to do their own welding to turn Toyotas and other pickups into mobile platforms for rocket launchers or machine guns. Now the small Chinese auto company, based in the eastern province of Hebei, takes the trouble out of such transformations for you.
Zhongxing Auto, known as ZX Auto, seems a little conflicted, though, about its new model. The vehicle is clearly designed for people going to war, but the pickup on display at the opening of the auto show was emblazoned with the slogan ?Resist war, love peace!? In Arabic?
That is because the idea for the ready-made rampage wagon came from Libya. ZX had sold thousands of its Grand Tigers to Libya during Colonel Muammar Qaddafi?s rule, and as rebel forces took over government car pools during the civil war they came into possession of the Chinese-made trucks.
It didn?t take them long to fit them out with rocket launchers and machine guns, and TV news footage carried images of ZX pickups around the world.
?The car really proved its launch strength, engine strength ? and stability,? wrote one Libyan rebel, Saad Sati, in an account published on the?chinacartimes.com?website. ?It acted as a catalyst in the process of the Libyan revolution ? and gave the rebels the upper hand.?
ZX was pleased with the publicity. If World War II shot the Jeep to international prominence, and the Gulf War made the Hummer a must-have for a certain sort of driver, the Libyan civil war might do the same sort of thing for the Grand Tiger, the firm hoped.
?Models will stand out after the baptism of war that prove reliable, durable, and easy to maintain,? the company says coyly on its website. ?The Libyan civil war could really help build a name for the Zhongxing pickups.?
Heaven forbid, though, that anyone should think the appearance of the ZX technical on the company?s Shanghai Auto Show stand might suggest that the company is seeking new strife-torn markets.
?All the cars we design are for civilian use,? insisted Lin Jing, a ZX sales department employee, in a telephone interview from the auto show. ?If Libyans used them as vehicles of war that has nothing to do with us.?
Why had the company installed the machine gun stand, then? Ms. Lin?s answer was unconvincing. ?So that when people saw it they would think of the Libyan war which brought such disasters,? she said.
Eh?
There are no signs yet that Syrian rebels have done the same sort of thing as their Libyan forbears did to their Grand Tigers; ZX has sold less than 500 of the vehicles to Syria, according to Lin.
But if they want more, ready for action, they know where to come.
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Sounds of Thirsty Trees
A team of physicists at Grenoble University in France discovered that trees make different sounds when they are starved for water versus when they are simply thirsty. We hear from Dr. Alexandre Ponomarenko, the lead researcher, and hear a bit of the thirsty tree sounds.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/28/179675435/the-sounds-of-thirsty-trees?ft=1&f=1007
Friday, April 26, 2013
Happy B-day Channing Tatum! Hunky Photos to Drool Over
As the actor turns 33, feast your eyes on these sizzling pics of the hard-bodied hunk.
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The Parents YAP About Birthday Parties: The Good, The Bad, and ...
From "simple" parties at home that take years off of parents' lives through stress, to "elaborate" parties at a venue where someone else does all the work, the birthday party scene can be a bit of a horror show. Sure, the kids love 'em, but what about us parents?
This week, the Parents YAP about their birthday party experiences, including what worked, what didn't, and what we'd like to do with all of that goodie bag loot.
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Lisa Paglierani
I?m sure I?m not alone when I say that I have a love-hate relationship with birthday parties.? Of course I want to mark each milestone in my children?s lives and make them feel showered with attention and affection.? I want to create joyful, memorable experiences, and for them to know that they are celebrated and cherished.? But that doesn?t make planning the parties any easier.
I remember when my oldest turned one, we invited our entire extended family, including aunts, uncles, and grandparents, to a party at our tiny Cape house.? There were 40-odd people there for a one-year-old who didn?t even know she was having a birthday.? Fast forward to our fourth baby, who had a much smaller affair with our close family.? It didn?t take us too long to realize that there are no shortage of opportunities to ?go big? for the birthday parties, and that we should pace ourselves with each child.
Enter the age of the ?Friend Party.?? Now the parties become more challenging.? Our kids are extremely lucky to have lots of cousins who are also their friends, as well as grandparents who are just as much at home at a circus as they are in our living room, so we?ve always been able to combine friend and family parties into a single event.? Still, today?s birthday parties are much bigger than the ones we had as kids.? Parties used to be some games, cake, and opening presents with a few friends and neighborhood kids.? These days 20-25 kids seems to be the norm, the standard for enjoyment higher, the cost much greater.? There seems to be a choice between a pricey packaged birthday party, or a labor-intensive, creative party at home involving lots of planning.
The easiest parties we?ve had have been at Jump On In.? Is there nothing better than one giant room filled with bouncy houses, where kids can run around, burn some energy, and have a blast? (Jerry Seinfeld called these portable insane asylums for children.) Weather is never an issue, no planned activities are required, and a couple of teenaged girls will serve the pizza and cake and then clean up.? True, these parties are expensive, but they are always a hit and easy to plan.? I am a firm believer in the outsourcing of fun.
My seven-year-old daughter?s birthday happens to be Halloween.? Rather than resenting that her birthday falls on a major kid-oriented holiday, she relishes this fact.? She is our only child who has always insisted on having her parties at our house.? Each year, she clamors for a Halloween-themed, at-home party.? These parties are inevitably more challenging, as we struggle to come up with activities to entertain the kids.? However, I?m blessed to have a mother-in-law who thrives on these sorts of challenges, and who is more than happy to take the lead on party games and crafts.? We believe that these at-home parties will be the most memorable ones.
One thing I?m unaccountably proud of is making my own birthday cakes.? I don?t know why I feel that my children?s cakes all have to be home made; I?m sure they would be just as happy eating cupcakes from the grocery store, and goodness knows how much time that would save me.? But I?ve made them all, with one notable exception involving a failed ?swimming pool? cake soaked in not-yet-solidified blue Jello (saved by a last-minute trip to Cold Stone creamery).? I?m certainly no professional decorator, but my kids are always impressed, and I hope that they will look back and appreciate the fact that their Mom baked their cakes.
Then of course, is my birthday party nemesis:? the dreaded Goody Bag.? I don?t know where children got the idea that after being shown a great time playing games, painting plaster, jumping on equipment, and stuffing themselves with pizza and cake, they are then entitled to a bag full of prizes, but I suspect that we parents have something to do with it.? On a couple of occasions I?ve heard disappointed youngsters asking, ?Isn?t there a goody bag?? shortly after wiping the last bit of frosting from their mouths.? I?ve talked to many parents, and we all agree:? no one wants the tiny plastic toys scattered about their houses, no one wants more junk food, and yet we all perpetuate this Goody Bag Entitlement Syndrome.? I certainly don?t want my kid to be the one whose birthday party didn?t come with goody bags.? So, I try to minimize the damage by putting in fruit snacks instead of Skittles (is this really better?) and trying to keep the bags small.? On a few occasions we?ve given out a single favor instead of goody bags (a puzzle, some sidewalk chalk), and this seems to have worked out well.? I know I appreciate it when other parents do this, too.? I would love to be able to hand each child a card that says, ?A donation has been made in your name to (insert charity here).?? So far I haven?t had the guts to do it, but what a wonderful lesson in giving it would be for our kids if parents banded together and started this tradition (a ?Giving Bag??).
Yes, birthday parties do cause me considerable stress and/or expense, and after our fourth stint at Jump On In this past winter, my husband and I acknowledged that these parties are starting to blur together.? But there?s nothing quite like the happy, exhausted feeling sitting in our family room, surrounded by overtired and sugared-up kids and a pile of newly acquired toys, and knowing that we survived another one.? Yes, the parties can blend together for us, but the hope is that our children will remember each one as special, and know that they were celebrated.
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Tasha Schlake Festel
My kids are two years and five days apart. In December. Yes, poor planning, indeed. December is both a pricey and busy month. With a season of spending from fall through winter that kicks off in mid-October with my niece's birthday, slides into Halloween, skips along to my nephew's November birthday, tumbles into Thanksgiving, shimmies to my daughter's birthday, sneaks to my son's, and ultimately crashes headlong into Christmas, I have neither the time nor the money to throw two friend birthday parties at any time near my kids' actual birthdays.
So, I wait until March for their parties when it's far more convenient for me. Some may call it selfish and lazy, but I call it ingenious. And I've even convinced my kids it's best for them to wait too. It's less chaotic! It spreads out the presents! More friends will be available! I'll have more time to make a really freakin' awesome cake! You see, I have a marketing degree, and I have used all of its power on my children to sell them on this idea. (I guess all those student loans really were worth it!)
Unfortunately, this year got a little away from me. It's now the end of April and we're in the planning stages of two birthday parties. At age seven (and a quarter), this will be my son's last "invite the whole class" kind of party. He's going to have a bash at his dojo, Defensive Edge in Wakefield, where the kids can run around like crazy people for an hour or more in a padded room, run by a pair of fun and fabulous senseis. And when it's all over, my boy can cut his 7(and a quarter)-year zombie birthday cake with a real samurai sword. Super cool.
My daughter's birthday party will be delayed until late May, when she will be almost half-way to ten. Whoops! I told her we could do something to celebrate with a handful of her girlfriends. She's chosen a slumber party. With 5 guests. Yes, that means six nine-year-olds giggling until 3AM. But I'm (almost) looking forward to it. We'll order pizzas. They'll watch movies. They'll play truth-or-dare. They'll paint their toenails. They'll have a pillow fight. They'll do all kinds of cheap stuff. And they'll do it all largely without me. Now that's what I call a party!
In 1st grade, I don't know that kids - at least my kids - have a close group of friends. They're still kind of figuring it out, deciding who they are and with whom they click. Come 2nd grade, stronger bonds are being formed, so it seems like a good point to cut off the big bashes. My daughter had a smaller party last year, 12 kids, at Kidcasso. It was a great event, and a very easy party. This year, it's even smaller as her circle gets tighter. I'll expect to follow the same pattern for my son. As the kids get older, I hope that their parties will be less expensive but more meaningful.
Speaking of less expensive and more meaningful, I'm a big fan of minimalist goodie bags. I refuse - refuse - to spend money on plastic crap that will be lost between couch cushions and ultimately thrown away. I have made it my mission to absolutely skimp on the goodie bags for all birthday parties. I won't keep up with the Joneses on this. I use brown paper lunch bags from Market Basket (which I may or may not tie up with a ribbon or seal with a sticker) and put a few Hershey's miniatures in each of 'em. Hell, that candy might even be leftover from Halloween or Christmas. (You know that stuff has a shelf-life of 26 years, give or take.) I just make sure I don't use the seasonally branded stuff. Despite what you might have heard, I'm no idiot!
Oh, and just so you don't think I'm a neglectful monster, we do have a party for the kids in December. They have a lovely joint family party early in the month, where they each have their own cake and we come up with menus with some of their favorite foods. I like to think they get the best of both worlds - family and presents at birthday time, and friends and fun a few months later, extending the celebration.
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Regina Martine
Birthday parties were so much fun when my kids were babies. Our (grown up) friends would come over for brunch and we would sit around drinking bloody marys and noshing and chatting, and I felt like life with kids was really not that different from life without kids. Awesome! Then they got a little older and the parties got a little more complicated.
I am kind of old school about kid birthdays and more often than not I have gone the games/crafts/cupcakes at home route. The kids and I would come up with elaborate party themes which have included a Chinese New Year birthday party, a cupcake decorating party, and a party where kids designed their own stuffed animals. However, once the kids reached the ?drop and run? age when parents stopped sticking around for parties, it got a lot harder. Turns out, not every kid is interested in make-your-own stuffed animals, egg-and-spoon relay races, or photo scavenger hunts. The stuffed animal party was particularly challenging, as it quickly turned into the basement sweatshop party as I tried frantically to sew everyone?s fleece and felt creations together in time for the kids to take them home. Fun. Anyway, sometimes it?s just easier to let someone else do the work.
After one particularly crazy all-boy birthday party at home, I discovered the awesome and relatively cheap parties that are available through the YMCA. So far, we have had a rock climbing party and a basketball party. Both times, the instructors were great, they ran the kids ragged and I didn?t have to do anything except bring the cupcakes and goodie bags. I highly recommend it.
A word about goodie bags ? when I was a kid we usually got a small party favor? a plastic necklace or one of those itty bitty little puzzles where you slide the squares around a plastic frame. Now everyone (including me) makes up bags full of candy and prizes for every guest. Why do we do it? No one wants more candy and little crappy plastic tchotchkes in their house. I have skipped the goodie bags for parties that included a craft to take home, but many times I have stuffed little bags with candy and junky prizes anyway. One year, my daughter had an Earth Day birthday party and I sent the kids home with tiny flowerpots and packets of seeds. I even included a note with ideas on how to save the earth. Why didn?t I think of that sooner?
Now that my kids are getting older, birthdays are easier. They usually want to go out to dinner and have a few friends sleep over. All I have to do is feed them and remind them that eventually they have to go to sleep. As much as I loved planning those little-kid parties, I am relieved that they are almost over. The big kid-parties are much easier.
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Melissa Schools
This week, I need some help, readers! I need ideas. You see, in a week, our oldest son is turning ten years old. It?s a milestone birthday. I?d like to have a really great celebration. We generally do at-home birthday parties, mostly because I fool myself into thinking they are more economical and more personal. I?m not sure we actually spend less than we would if we had the party at some out-of-home venue, but I guess what we do get is more bang for our buck. More people, more and better food and, well, the parents who hang around for it can drink if they are so inclined.
The problem unfolds like so: We won?t be having Mr. Ten?s birthday the weekend of his birthday because Mr. Eight is making his First Holy Communion that weekend. Oh, there will be a party, alright?just not for the Birthday Boy. (Note to self: invite relatives to Communion party, plan and execute said party.)
But, before we have Mr. Ten?s party, he?ll have to take a place in line behind Mr. Eight and Mr. Six, who are both still awaiting their birthday parties. From March and, *ahem* January. It?s all do-able, but time seems to be racing faster and faster so that it seems impossible. This scene from The Princess Bride comes to mind as the to-do?s start swirling around my head. It?s a shame I haven?t Guilder to frame for any of this belated birthday blitz.
Mr. Ten wants to go see Ironman 3 for his birthday and-- violence and age-limits be darned?I?m tempted to just go with it, bring along a friend whose parents have equally-lax judgment, throw in food and call it good. Mr. Eight must have sensed my weakness, because at the mere mention of the possibility of there being any celebration of his brother?s birthday before his own ?birthday debt? was paid, he came to me wailing about how unfair it would all be, even though no actual plans are in place!
He has made it clear that he will not support any merry making on behalf of anyone else until he, himself, is feted. He wants a sleepover. Maybe this is part of the reason why I?m unconsciously dragging my proverbial feet about celebrating his birthday. Why do I fear sleepovers so much? Oh, right- because they probably will be all crazy and not sleep. I should just do it. The things I dread are never as bad as the dreading. Right? Right?! Someone please tell me it will be alright!
Mr. Six is more patient. So long as we don?t forget his party altogether, he?ll be happy. Last year, we did race car relay races, made decorative license plates and had a five-shaped, road race cake that I forgot to grace with the Matchbox cars I bought as toppers. This year, I don?t know what he wants. Maybe, I should just ask him. Maybe, I should just give up my own hopes and expectations and just give them what they want. It has been suggested in the past that I get too wrapped up in the artistic creation and presentation of the birthday cake. This is likely true.
My husband and I are tempted to rent out the Americal Civic Center for a couple of hours and do one giant Birthdaypalooza for all three boys. Heck, we might as well throw Mr. Three in there for a repeat birthday celebration, since his birthday was four days after our baby was born. Luckily, my husband made a cake and our parents and my sister with her six kids trekked down to celebrate. Still, at three, he says, wistfully, ?At mine next birthday, I?m going to have mine?s friends over, right?? We have been to a couple awesome birthday parties there and have heard other parents highly recommend the Americal as a perfect venue for a boy?s birthday party. It is a DIY party venue, but the sheer space for boys to run around and get their crazy out would be worth every penny to rent it!
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
Gigabyte P2742G-CF1
Looking for an affordable gaming laptop? The Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 ($1,499.00 list) might fit the bill. In a category where prices regularly register in the thousands, it's nice to see a gaming rig that costs less than a used car. While the performance isn't quite as stunning as you'll find in other gaming laptops, the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 does offer a longer lasting battery than more expensive competitors.
Design
As with most gaming laptops, Gigabyte didn't make this rig with portability in mind. When closed, it measures 1.92 by 16.3 by 10.9 inches (HWD)?roughly the same size as the Asus G75VW-DH72, and too big to fit into a standard laptop bag. The P2742G-CF1 also has a plastic chassis, but it's no lightweight, tipping the scales at just over 7 pounds (7.05), though it is lighter than the Asus G75VW-DH72 (8.7 pounds). Our review unit is all black?what Gigabyte confusingly calls "svelte black," though the laptop is by no means slim?but it's also available with an orange lid.
The full-size keyboard has the expected chiclet keys, with decent separation between individual keys, but no backlight and no real gap between the keyboard proper and the 10-key numeric pad. As a result, inattentive touch typists might find themselves drifting into the numeric pad with no discernible extra space to distinguish the two bodies of keys. The touchpad is decent sized?1.8 by 3.6 inches?but I did find myself wishing that it used separate right and left mouse buttons instead of a combined button bar.
The 17.3-inch display offers 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, with a matte coating to reduce glare. The resolution and color quality of the display is quite nice, and during benchmark tests and game testing I never saw any blurring or smearing. You may want to use two hands when opening and closing the lid, however, because the plastic lid and bezel flex quite a bit and the hinges are a little stiff.
A pair of two-watt speakers positioned above the keyboard provide decent sound, enhanced by THX TruStudio Pro. They won't equal a dedicated sound system, but they offer good volume and clear sound, with moderate bass. When tested with Silent Shout, by The Knife, the speakers offer richer low end than I had expected, but still can't top the integrated subwoofers found in the Asus G75VW-DH72 or the Maingear Nomad 17 Ultimate.
Features
On the right of the system you'll find two USB 3.0 ports, a combination USB 3.0/eSATA port, HDMI output, and a multiformat card reader (SD, MMS, MS Pro/Duo). On the left, a tray-loading Blu-ray drive lets you watch HD movies and burn DVDs, plus you'll find a single USB 2.0 port, and a trio of audio connections (headphone, mic, and S/PDIF). On the back is a VGA monitor connection and an AC power connector. Gigabit Ethernet will probably be your networking connection of choice, but 802.11n Wi-Fi does the trick without the cable, and Bluetooth 4.0 lets you wirelessly connect an array of devices.
For storage that balances speedy performance with affordable capacity, the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 is outfitted with both a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a 1TB 5,400 rpm hard drive. That combination provides more than enough space for a large library of installed games and locally stored media, while the SSD ensures snappy performance and rapid start up. With three slots for RAM, the system's 8GB of RAM can actually be bumped up to a whopping 24GB, so there is the opportunity for upgrading in the future.
Aside from Windows 8 and a few media utilities (for virtual surround sound, audio enhancement, and volume optimization) Gigabyte doesn't add any software to the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1. What it does add, however, is a two-year warranty covering the laptop against defect and a one-year warranty on the battery and power adapter.
Performance
The P2742G-CF1 is equipped with a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-3630QM processor paired with 8GB of RAM. It's the same processor found in the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition and the Asus G75VW-DH72, but with half the RAM. The resulting performance is on par with other similarly equipped systems, as seen in PCMark 7, where it scored 4,564 points, falling between the Cyberpower Xplorer X6-9120 (4,446 points) and the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition (5,182 points).
The difference in RAM led to significant gaps in Cinebench, where the P2742G-CF1 scored a respectable 4.75 points, but fell well behind both the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition (6.41) and the Asus G75VW-DH72 (6.44), despite the fact that all three utilize the same model of processor. Similar differences were seen in multimedia tests, where the Gigabyte finished Handbrake in 40 seconds and Photoshop CS6 in 4 minutes 56 seconds, as compared to the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition and the Asus G75VW-DH72, which both completed Handbrake in 36 seconds and Photoshop in 3:32.
The Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 is outfitted with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M with 2GB of dedicated memory. The single GPU offers playable performance in our gaming tests, offering 50 frames per second (fps) in Alien vs. Predator and 38 fps in Heaven, but only with resolution dropped to 1366 by 768 and detail settings dialed down. Competing systems, however, offer better graphics thanks to higher-powered GPUs?the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition, for example pumped out 35 fps in Aliens vs. Predator and 58 fps in Heaven, but did so at full 1920 by 1080 resolution, with all the eye candy turned up. Bottom line: You'll be able to play all of your games, but the overall performance will take a hit. That's the compromise you'll have to accept for the lower price.
While the performance isn't earth-shattering, the battery life is better than competitors are offering, lasting 4 hours 22 minutes in our rundown test. That's 10 minutes longer than the longest lasting competitor, the MSI GT70 One-609US Dragon Edition, over an hour longer than the Asus G75VW-DH72 (3:02), and nearly four times as long as the Maingear Nomad 17 (1:06). Battery life is generally the Achilles heel of gaming laptops, but because the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 backs off on performance, the 77Wh battery stretches farther than most.
Conclusion
Lower prices in gaming laptops are almost always accompanied by reduced performance, and the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 is no exception. Aside from the lower performance scores, however, the P2742G-CF1 still offers playable performance at medium graphics settings, and lasts longer than more expensive gaming rigs, making it a good choice for the gamer that prizes affordability and portability over raw performance. While the slightly more expensive Asus G75VW-DH72 remains our Editors' Choice for mid-range gaming laptop due to its better graphics performance, the Gigabyte P2742G-CF1 is still worth a look.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/8zfPXV82fl4/0,2817,2418124,00.asp
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Study: chicken, ground beef are riskiest meats
WASHINGTON (AP) ? An analysis of more than 33,000 cases of foodborne illness shows that ground beef and chicken have caused more hospitalizations than other meats.
The report by the Center for Science in Public Interest says chicken nuggets, ham and sausage pose the lowest risk of foodborne illness.
The group used government data on 1,700 incidents over 12 years to analyze outbreaks of salmonella, E. coli, listeria and other pathogens that were definitively linked to a certain meat.
To calculate which meats were riskiest, CSPI ranked the foods in which contamination was most likely to cause hospitalizations. Some meats may have had more illnesses but were less likely to cause severe illness.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-chicken-ground-beef-riskiest-meats-153533823.html
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Bail hearing set for 2 men in Canada terror plot
TORONTO (AP) ? Two men face a bail hearing Tuesday after their arrest on charges of plotting a terrorist attack against a Canadian passenger train with support from al-Qaida elements in Iran, authorities said. The case has raised questions about Shiite-led Iran's murky relationship with the predominantly Sunni Arab terrorist network.
Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, had "direction and guidance" from al-Qaida members in Iran, though there was no reason to think the planned attacks were state-sponsored, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner James Malizia said Monday. Police said the men did not get financial support from al-Qaida, but declined to provide more details.
"This is the first known al-Qaida planned attack that we've experienced in Canada," Superintendent Doug Best told a news conference. Officials in Washington and Toronto said it had no connections to last week's bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Charges against the two men include conspiring to carry out an attack and murder people in association with a terrorist group. Police said the men are not Canadian citizens and had been in Canada a "significant amount of time," but declined to say where they were from or why they were in the country.
The arrests in Montreal and Toronto bolstered allegations by some governments and experts of a relationship of convenience between Iran and al-Qaida.
Bruce Riedel, a CIA veteran who is now a Brookings Institution senior fellow, said al-Qaida has had a clandestine presence in Iran since at least 2001 and that neither the terror group nor Tehran speak openly about it.
"The Iranian regime kept some of these elements under house arrest," he said in an email to The Associated Press. "Some probably operate covertly. AQ members often transit Iran traveling between hideouts in Pakistan and Iraq."
U.S. intelligence officials have long tracked limited al-Qaida activity inside Iran. Remnants of al-Qaida's so-called management council are still there, though they are usually kept under virtual house arrest by an Iranian regime suspicious of the Sunni-/Salafi-based militant movement. There are also a small number of financiers and facilitators who help move money, and sometimes weapons and people throughout the region from their base in Iran.
Last fall, the Obama administration offered up to $12 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of two al-Qaida leaders based in Iran. The U.S. State Department described them as key facilitators in sending extremists to Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. Treasury Department also announced financial penalties against one of the men.
Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for the Iranian mission to the United Nations, said the terrorist network was not operating in Iran.
"Iran's position against this group is very clear and well known. (Al-Qaida) has no possibility to do any activity inside Iran or conduct any operation abroad from Iran's territory," Miryousefi said in a statement emailed to the AP late Monday. "We reject strongly and categorically any connection to this story."
The investigation surrounding the planned attack was part of a cross-border operation involving Canadian law enforcement agencies, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The attack "was definitely in the planning stage but not imminent," RCMP chief superintendent Jennifer Strachan said Monday. "We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack. They watched trains and railways."
Strachan said they were targeting a route, but did not say whether it was a cross border route. Best said the duo had been under investigation since last fall. Their bail hearing was scheduled in Toronto on Tuesday.
Via Rail said that "at no time" were passengers or members of the public in imminent danger. Via trains_Canada's equivalent of Amtrak passenger trains in the U.S. ?carry nearly four million passengers annually.
In Washington, Amtrak president Joe Boardman said the Amtrak Police Department would continue to work with Canadian authorities to assist in the investigation. Via Rail and Amtrak jointly operate trains between Canada and the U.S.
Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the arrests show that terrorism continues to be a real threat to Canada.
"Canada will not tolerate terrorist activity and we will not be used as a safe haven for terrorists or those who support terrorist activity," Toews said in the House of Commons.
U.S. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said in a statement praising Canadian authorities for the arrests, that the attack was intended "to cause significant loss of human life including New Yorkers."
Muhammad Robert Heft, who runs an outreach organization for Islamic converts, and Hussein Hamdani, a lawyer and longtime advocate in the Muslim community, said one of the suspects is Tunisian and the other is from the United Arab Emirates. Heft and Hamdani were part of a group of Muslim community leaders who were briefed by the RCMP ahead of Monday's announcement.
Authorities were tipped off by members of the Muslim community, Best said. Hamdani said the police said they were very thankful to Muslim community leaders for that.
"It was sort of a thank you moment," Hamdani said. "This tip, this lead, came from the Muslim community. But for the Muslim community we would not be talking about an arrest today. This is evidence and proof that the Canadian Muslim community, rather than a community that should be seen as suspect, is in fact partners for peace and here is the proof of it."
Hamdani said he did not know if anybody in the room for the briefing knew the suspects. He called the al-Qaida connection to the Shiite theocracy of Iran "very strange.
He noted that police said al-Qaida didn't provide material support and that it was more guidance.
"What does that mean exactly?" Hamdani wondered. "It could be words of support or inspiration. It could be 'Here's the idea I think you should use it.'"
The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil liberties organization, planned to hold a news conference in Toronto Tuesday afternoon to comment on the terror-related arrests.
A spokeswoman for the University of Sherbrooke near Montreal said Esseghaier studied there in 2008-2009. More recently, he has been doing doctoral research at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, a spokeswoman at the training university confirmed.
Julie Martineau, a spokeswoman at the research institute, said Esseghaier began working at the center just outside Montreal in 2010 and was pursuing a Ph.D. in nanotechnology.
"We are, of course, very surprised," she said.
A LinkedIn page showing a man with Esseghaier's name and academic background said he helped author a number of biology research papers, including on HIV and cancer detection. The page says he was a student in Tunisia before moving to Canada in the summer of 2008.
The page carries a photo of a black flag inscribed with the Muslim declaration of faith: "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet." The same flag was used by al-Qaida in Irag and then started being used by ultraconservative Islamic groups in Egypt, Tunisia, Mali and elsewhere across the region.
In Markham, Ontario, north of Toronto, police tape cordoned off half of a duplex, with officers remaining at the scene well into the night. Sanjay Chaudhary, who lives in the other half of the duplex with his family, said the RCMP questioned him about his neighbor Jaser, asking whether he knew him or spoke to him often.
Chaudhary said he didn't know his neighbor or the woman he believes is the man's wife but added "every day, we see them going out."
Monday's raid on the house stunned Chaudhary, who said the neighborhood is otherwise "peaceful."
The arrests came just a few months after two Canadians were discovered among militants killed in a terrorist siege at a gas plant in Algeria. At least 38 hostages and 29 militants were killed in the siege, including Ali Medlej and Xristos Katsiroubas, two high school friends from London, Ontario.
In 2006, Canadian police foiled the so-called Toronto 18 home grown plot to set off bombs outside Toronto's Stock Exchange, a building housing Canada's spy agency and a military base. The goal was to scare Canada into removing its troops from Afghanistan. The arrests made international headlines and heightened fears in a country where many people thought they were relatively immune from terrorist strikes.
___
Associated Press writers Benjamin Shingler in Montreal, Peter James Spielmann and Maria Sanminiatelli in New York, and Pete Yost and Kimberly Dozier in Washington contributed to this story.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bail-hearing-set-2-men-canada-terror-plot-063001608.html
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
European recession hits major car makers
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? Europe's stubborn recession cut deeply into profits at major automakers Ford, Volkswagen and Daimler, first-quarter results showed Wednesday as the industry began reporting earnings.
Germany's Volkswagen AG said its first-quarter net profit fell 38 percent to 1.95 billion euros ($2.5 billion), while Daimler AG's was down 60 percent at 564 million euros.
U.S.-based Ford Motor Co. lost $462 billion in Europe and called the outlook there "uncertain," although the company's global earnings rose 15 percent to $1.6 billion.
Ford last year announced it would close three plants to shed excess manufacturing capacity in Europe and is bringing new models to market to try and turn the business there around. But the company still said it expected to lose a painful $2 billion in the region over the course of this year.
French manufacturers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen, meanwhile, reported steep drops in sales.
Still to come in the next few days are earnings reports for General Motors Co., Fiat, which holds a controlling stake in Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, and BMW AG.
European car sales have fallen for 18 consecutive months as the continent's economy wilted during its financial crisis over too much government debt. Governments have been spending less and raising taxes to reduce that debt. That has weakened the economy and worsened unemployment, which is at 12 percent in the 17-country bloc that uses the euro. Afraid for their jobs or unemployed, consumers are putting off large expenses like car purchases.
The eurozone economy contracted in the fourth quarter last year and economists expect it to shrink again in the first quarter. European officials expect a gradual recovery in the second half of the year, but recent indicators suggest that forecast may be optimistic.
Most worrying for the automakers is that the slump in car sales has spread from indebted countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy to the traditionally stronger ones, like Germany, the continent's biggest economy. Sales there fell 13 percent in March despite low unemployment.
Ford's chief financial officer, Bob Shanks, expressed some cautious optimism that things might turn around later this year. He said there were indications that five of the hardest-hit markets ? Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain ? may have finally hit a bottom.
"So I think, hopefully, that we might be running along the bottom right now, and then waiting to start to ? very, very modestly ? pull out later in the year or maybe early next year," Shanks told reporters at Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
Daimler, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany, said it expected the U.S. and Chinese markets to grow but warned that European car sales would decline further this year and would remain "around 20 year lows." It cut its profit forecast for this year, saying it would not meet last year's earnings before interest and taxes of 8.1 billion euros.
The company said that even its home market in Germany "cannot detach itself from this development and is expected to fall significantly short of the previous year's level."
Daimler said the market for trucks ? a major business for the company ? would fall 5 percent due to the slow economy. The company's flagship Mercedes brand also saw sales fall in the key Chinese market as it reorganized its sales operation there. High spending of 1.6 billion euros on new plants and equipment also hurt earnings for the quarter.
Volkswagen, which is based in Wolfsburg, Germany, and includes the Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat brands, blamed weak European demand for a 1.6 percent drop in first quarter sales. It did better in North America and Asia, where deliveries rose.
PSA Peugeot Citroen, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroen brands, reported a 10.3 percent drop in sales at its automobile division, to 8.7 billion euros for the January to March period. Unlike its German counterparts, which until 2012 were still enjoying big profits on sales in China and the U.S., the French car maker has been cutting costs aggressively to recover from a 5 billion euro loss last year.
Renault's sales dropped even more, by 12.6 percent to 7.74 billion euros ($10.1 billion) from 8.85 billion euros a year earlier.
Peugeot Citroen's results were not as bad as investors had feared and the stock jumped 8.9 percent in afternoon trading in Europe, while Renault shares rose 2.1 percent. Daimler shares were down 0.8 percent, Volkswagen was up 3.0 percent and Ford was down 0.8 percent.
___
AP Writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Dearborn, Michigan, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Greg Keller in Paris contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/european-recession-hits-major-car-makers-155620961--finance.html
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Vanuatu, Russia, Qatar vie for men's boxing worlds
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- The tiny South Pacific island of Vanuatu is competing with Russia and Qatar to host the 2015 men's world boxing championships.
The sport's amateur governing body, known as AIBA, says they are among five countries expressing interest in hosting the event. It's a qualifier for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
AIBA says Thailand and Venezuela also want to stage the tournament.
Bidders will present their case to the governing body's executive committee in July. AIBA says boxers winning each of the 10 men's weight categories will qualify for the Rio Olympics.
The women's world boxing championships will be held in 2014 in Canada.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vanuatu-russia-qatar-vie-mens-163444882.html
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Lloyds' sale of bank branches to Co-op collapses - report
(Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group's planned sale of over 600 bank branches to the Co-operative Group has collapsed after the latter decided it could not proceed with the 750-million-pound deal, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the situation.
The deal was meant to lift the Co-op's share of Britain's bank branch network to 10 percent from less than 4 percent and equip it to take on the country's "Big Four" lenders - HSBC, Barclays Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds itself.
Both Lloyds and the Co-op were unavailable to comment on the report.
The Financial Times said the cancellation of the deal, the terms of which were originally struck last summer, is set to be announced as early as Wednesday. (http://link.reuters.com/heb67t)
Lloyds said last month that it was preparing for a stock market listing of the branches as a fall-back in case the deal with the Co-op fell through.
As a condition of receiving state aid during the 2008 financial crisis, Lloyds is obligated to sell the 630 branches -- known as the Verde network -- by the end of the year.
However, bankers are sceptical that the divestment of the whole business could be completed by the year's end, the Financial Times said.
(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bangalore; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lloyds-sale-bank-branches-co-op-collapses-report-005223714--sector.html
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Senate bill jeopardizes tax-free online shopping
WASHINGTON (AP) ? States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the Senate Monday.
Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers a big advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.
The bill would allow states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where shoppers live.
The Senate voted 74 to 20 to begin debating the bill. If that level of support continues, the Senate could pass the bill as early as this week.
Supporters say the bill is about fairness for businesses and lost revenue for states. Opponents say it would impose complicated regulations on retailers and doesn't have enough protections for small businesses. Businesses with less than $1 million a year in online sales would be exempt.
"I believe it is important to level the playing field for all retailers," said Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the bill's main sponsor. "We should not be subsidizing some taxpayers at the expense of others."
In many states, shoppers are required to pay unpaid sales tax when they file their state income tax returns. However, states complain that few people comply.
"I do know about three people that comply with that," Enzi said.
President Barack Obama supports the bill, but its fate is uncertain in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase. Heritage Action for America, the activist arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, opposes the bill and will count the vote in its legislative scorecard.
Many of the nation's governors ? Republicans and Democrats ? have been lobbying the federal government for years for the authority to collect sales taxes from online sales, said Dan Crippen, executive director of the National Governors Association. Those efforts intensified when state tax revenues took hit from the recession and the slow economic recovery.
"It's a matter of equity for businesses," Crippen said. "It's a matter of revenue for states."
The bill pits brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart against online services such as eBay. The National Retail federation supports it. And Amazon.com, which initially fought efforts in some states to make it collect sales taxes, supports it, too.
"Amazon.com has long supported a simplified nationwide approach that is evenhandedly applied and applicable to all but the smallest volume sellers," Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy said in a recent letter to senators.
On the other side, eBay has been rallying customers to oppose the bill.
"I hope you agree that imposing unnecessary tax burdens on small online businesses is a bad idea," eBay president and CEO John Donahoe said in a letter to customers. "Join us in letting your Members of Congress know they should protect small online businesses, not potentially put them out of business."
The bill is also opposed by senators from states that have no sales tax, including Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.
"Supporters of this online sales tax bill are trying to muscle it through before senators find out how disastrous it would be for businesses in their states," Ayotte said. "I will fight this power grab every step of the way to protect small online businesses in New Hampshire and across the nation."
Baucus said the bill would require relatively small Internet retailers to comply with sales tax laws in thousands of jurisdictions.
"This legislation doesn't help businesses expand and grow and hire more employees," Baucus said. "Instead, it forces small businesses to hire expensive lawyers and accountants to deal with the burdensome paperwork and added complexity of tax rules and filings across multiple states."
But Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the bill requires participating states to make it relatively easy for Internet retailers to comply. States must provide free computer software to help retailers calculate sales taxes, based on where shoppers live. States must also establish a single entity to receive Internet sales tax revenue, so retailers don't have to send them to individual counties or cities.
"We're way beyond the quill pen and leger days," Durbin said. "Thanks to computers and thanks to software it is not that complex."
___
Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-bill-jeopardizes-tax-free-online-shopping-190904262--politics.html
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School resumes after massive Texas fertilizer blast
WEST, Texas (AP) -- Teachers waited outside Monday morning like it was the first day of school in this tiny Texas town, hoping that a welcoming handshake or pat on the shoulder would make up for the fact that nothing else was normal.
Five days after a massive blast at a local fertilizer plant killed 14 and ripped many of West's families from their homes, some students attended class in trailers behind damaged school buildings, while others were bused out of the city to once-abandoned campuses.
"They're aggravated. They're disappointed," Nickole Hayes said as she dropped her three daughters at a car dealership that served as a temporary bus stop. "They know they have to go back, but there's not a good way to be uprooted again."
Some parents took the day off to walk or drive their children to school. Classmates who hadn't seen each other for a few days talked and laughed ? with dozens of reporters and TV cameras chronicling their arrival.
"I'm just glad to get back to our routine," said 14-year-old Sofia Guerra, sitting in the car Monday morning with her mother, Erika, as they dropped her sister off at West Elementary School.
"It's unknown," she added. "We don't know what to expect."
Dozens of homes in the city of 2,700 people were damaged in Wednesday's explosion at West Fertilizer Co., and part of the town remains off limits. Authorities said Monday they are conducting a "slow and methodical" search of the site. And West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said restoring water and natural gas to the town could take weeks.
Counselors were in each classroom and available separately for students still dealing with the emotions of the blast ? almost everyone in the town knew someone killed, hurt or displaced. Some teachers who reported to work Monday had not been home since the blast, said Jan Hungate, assistant superintendent at West Elementary.
Her school had its normal bunch of pre-K through sixth-graders, but also set up trailers behind the building for intermediate students. Middle-and high-school students were bused from the dealership to a spruced-up vacant school in neighboring Connally district.
West and Connally are rivals ? or were until Wednesday night. Connally got to work almost immediately, as volunteers and staff painted hallways, scrubbed floors and stocked classrooms with supplies. Signs were planted along the route to the building: "Welcome West Trojans."
"To start school, they are ready," said Wesley Holt, a Connally district spokesman.
Holt said they also placed binders, notebooks and pens on each desk. Other districts donated furniture, and a food-service company prepared the cafeteria, he said.
"We honestly had to ask people to stop sending school supplies," Hungate said.
Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, said state officials have offered to waive end-of-year tests and other requirements as needed. Hungate said the district was considering several options on testing.
Chad Rizo, father of 7-year-old Hunter, took the day off to walk his son to school. Rizo said his mother-in-law and several friends lost their homes and belongings.
While his son was excited to go to school with older friends, Rizo said the outside media attention would need to subside before things could return to normal.
"When West is left to clean up, that's going to hit home for a lot of people, I think," he said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/school-resumes-tiny-texas-town-125302421.html
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Revis happy to begin new chapter with Buccaneers
NFL football cornerback Darrelle Revis addresses the media while announcing that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired him from the New York Jets during an NFL press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers and Revis have agreed on a six-year contract. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
NFL football cornerback Darrelle Revis addresses the media while announcing that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have acquired him from the New York Jets during an NFL press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers and Revis have agreed on a six-year contract. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
NFL football cornerback Darrelle Revis, center, is joined by Tampa Bay Buccanners general Manager Mark Dominik, left, and head coach Greg Schiano as he holds up a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey after addressing the media announcing that he and the Buccaneers have agreed on a six-year contract during a press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers acquired Revis from the New York Jets in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and a conditional selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis, left, and head coach Greg Schiano address the media while announcing that the Buccaneers have acquired Revis from the New York Jets during an NFL football press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers and Revis have agreed on a six-year contract. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis, left, and head coach Greg Schiano address the media while announcing that the Buccaneers have acquired Revis from the New York Jets during an NFL football press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers and Revis have agreed on a six-year contract. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
NFL football cornerback Darrelle Revis, center, is joined by Tampa Bay Buccanners general Manager Mark Dominik, left, and head coach Greg Schiano as he holds up a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey after addressing the media announcing that he and the Buccaneers have agreed on a six-year contract during a press conference Monday, April, 22, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers acquired Revis from the New York Jets in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and a conditional selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Darrelle Revis walked into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weight room and received a round of applause from some of his new teammates.
The warm reception meant a lot to Revis.
The three-time All-Pro may have left the New York Jets feeling underappreciated, but he's a welcome addition to a defense that ranked last in the NFL last season and is expected to help transform the Bucs into a playoff team.
And, the well-paid Revis is confident he's up to the task.
"We're going to make a lot of noise. Don't worry about that," the seventh-year pro said Monday. "'I think this was a great move on my part to be a part of this organization."
The star cornerback acquired from the Jets said he's going to "do my best" to play up to expectations that come with a new six-year, $96 million contract.
He also insisted during a news conference that he holds no grudges against his old team, which was reluctant to give a player coming off surgery to repair a torn knee ligament such a commitment.
"I have nothing to prove to the New York Jets," Revis said. "I have nothing to prove to anybody."
Weeks of reports about the 27-year-old's future ended Sunday when the Jets traded Revis to the Bucs in exchange for the 13th overall pick in this week's NFL draft and another selection next year.
Generally regarded as the best cornerback in football, Revis also agreed to what he conceded is a "unique" contract that includes no guaranteed money.
"The contract will take care of itself," he said. "I've just got to go out and play."
The Buccaneers not only are banking on Revis to be physically ready to open the season in September against ? yes ? the Jets, but believe he's far enough long in his recovery to reasonably expect he'll be able to get on the field for the start of training camp this summer.
"We did our due diligence," general manager Mark Dominik said, "or else we wouldn't have made a deal of this magnitude."
Revis was entering the final year of a contract that would have paid him $6 million in 2013, $10 million less than he'll receive annually with Tampa Bay. His old contract also included a clause that would have prevented the Jets from using the franchise or transition tag on him next year.
So rather than risk the chance of losing Revis as a free agent in 2014 without receiving as much compensation as the cornerback would have commanded now, the Jets decided to trade him.
Tampa Bay, which was more than $32 million under the salary cap, was thought to be the most likely suitor.
"We felt it was one of those win-win situations for both organizations," Dominik said.
Nevertheless, talks between the Bucs GM and new Jets general manager John Idzik dragged on for a couple of months. Negotiations heated up when Tampa Bay insisted a deal be in place a minimum of a week before the start of the draft.
The teams agreed to compensation last Thursday. Dominik then received permission to contact Revis' agents to begin discussions on a long-term contract and eventually flew the cornerback to town for a physical on Sunday.
Revis said he met Idzik for the first time last week and that the Jets GM told him he wanted the cornerback to remain in New York.
Asked if he felt Idzik had been untruthful, Revis said: "Yeah. ... I felt that type of vibe."
At the same time, the seventh-year pro said he's not bitter about how his stay in New York ended. He admitted he "felt some type of way" when he learned the Jets were willing to trade him, but insisted he's not upset.
"It's over. It happens. I've got to move on. It's a new chapter in my life," Revis said. "I don't have a sour taste in my mouth. Not at all."
Instead, the cornerback said he's focused on doing everything he can to get back on the field and help his new team.
The Bucs, 7-9 a year ago, haven't made the playoffs since 2007. They haven't won a postseason game since winning their only Super Bowl in 2002.
Revis hardly considers himself a savior.
He said he's joining a talented team with a playoff-caliber roster even without him, citing quarterback Josh Freeman, receiver Vincent Jackson and running back Doug Martin by name. Jackson and Martin made the Pro Bowl last season, and Freeman is coming off a year in which he became Tampa Bay's first 4,000-yard passer.
"I can go down the list of players we have on this team. We have some great guys. That was one of the things me and my (agents) looked at to be part of this organization. We have some guys who can already play," Revis said.
Schiano, beginning his second season, agreed.
"He doesn't have to do it alone," said Schiano, who coached against Revis when the cornerback was in college at Pittsburgh and Sciano was at Rutgers. "He has a good supporting cast."
The trade also reunites Revis with his old college coach Dave Wannstedt, now the special teams coach in Tampa Bay, and defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, who was his position coach at Pitt.
"I'm going to do my best. That's how I work. I'm going to bring as much leadership as I can to this team," Revis said. "Our biggest goal is to win, and there's no better place to win than here."
And as for beginning the next phase of his career by returning to New York to face the Jets?
"It's going to be fun," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "It's Week 1. You can't go around it, you can't go over it."
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Monday, April 22, 2013
Is there a realtor available whom actually listens ... - Zillow Real ...
If a buyer says they want new construction, then an agent shouldn't be sending older homes or fixer uppers.? If they want a ranch, then the agent shouldn't be sending split levels or 2 stories.
But sometimes what the buyer wants isn't doable.? It happens all the time that a buyer will say that they want this, this and that, and then ask about something that doesn't fall within those parameters.? And many times, what the buyer wants isn't available so you have to go to plan B to see if there is anything that may work.?
As far as previewing listings.? It isn't up to the agent to pick the houses to show.? That's up to the buyer which houses they want to see.? If the listings being sent fall within the parameters, then doesn't that mean that that's what the buyer asked for?
If there are a dozen or two dozen listing that fall into those parameters, then it's up to the buyer to choose which ones they want to see.? What if the agent took one out thinking it's not exactly right, but turns out it was perfect for you? Whose fault would that be?? Having too many listing that meet what the buyer asked for isn't a bad thing.? It's when you can find enough listings that meet their preferences that it gets tough.
Now if the agent isn't listening to anything you are asking for or there are things out there that are what you want, but they are sending you other listings, then you have an issue and should look for an agent that does listen to you.?
The agent works for you and will help you through the transaction, but it's up to you what areas and houses you want to see.? Make sure you are communicating with each other and on the same page.
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Sunday, April 21, 2013
Group accuses Egypt's Morsi of ignoring atrocities
CAIRO (AP) ? Some members of a high-level commission that issued a report detailing security abuses and atrocities during and after Egypt's 2011 uprising accused President Mohammed Morsi on Saturday of ignoring their findings.
The fact-finding commission, comprised of judges, security officers, rights lawyers and families of victims, was formed last year by Morsi to investigate rights violations that took place from the beginning of the revolt that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak until the end of the nearly 17 months of military rule that followed.
Morsi formed the commission a month after he won elections in June, vowing to install justice and look into thousands of violations against protesters. But two years since Mubarak's ouster, rights groups complain of a lack of transitional justice to hold Mubarak and other former officials accountable for crimes committed during the revolution.
The findings have put Morsi in a sensitive position. He needs the backing of the powerful military and loyalty from the police, but following up on the commission's findings would likely bring a backlash from the generals and police officials.
The commission said its final 700-page report was presented to Morsi about three months ago.
However, an official in the president's office told The Associated Press that Morsi's office never received the report. Morsi instructed the commission to submit its findings directly to the state prosecutor's office, according to the official who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
The rights group, "We Are After You for the Report," which includes some members of the investigative commission as well as rights advocates, said Morsi had failed to disclose the commission's findings.
"He did not send the report to the proper state institutions, such as the upper house of parliament to change laws, and did not transform this report into an action plan to reshape the security apparatus," said Ahmed Ragheb, a lawyer on the commission and member of the rights group.
"To the contrary, the state is trying now to arm the police even more and trying to support the institutions that are responsible for killing people," he said during a news conference on Saturday.
The group said the fact-finding commission's recommendations could have placed Egypt on the right track to shift key institutions away from autocracy and impunity. The group noted that the fact-finding commission had proposed a draft transitional justice law.
"But the president did not have enough wisdom and political will to make this shift," the group said in its statement.
The commission's report could be a key factor in presenting new evidence in Mubarak's retrial for his alleged role in the killing of nearly 900 protesters during the revolt. The former president was found guilty of failing to stop the killings. In January, the verdict was overturned and Mubarak now faces a retrial. He is currently in custody on corruption charges.
Talaat Abdullah, Egypt's prosecutor general, said Monday in Qatar that the fact-finding commission's report did not include "evidence," but had "indications" that his office has studied.
Parts of the report have been leaked during the past several months to media, including some findings given exclusively to the AP. One leaked section reported that the police were behind nearly all the deaths of protesters and used snipers on rooftops overlooking Cairo's Tahrir Square to shoot into the huge crowds. Another section said Mubarak knew the size of the protests through a live TV feed. Mubarak later denied in court that he knew the extent of the protests and crackdown against them.
Saturday's news conference comes amid increasing public pressure on Morsi to make the report public, particularly during Mubarak's retrial.
Ragheb accused Morsi of being responsible for the confusion surrounding the report, and for what he said was hasty reporting based on leaks to the media about the commission's findings.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/group-accuses-egypts-morsi-ignoring-atrocities-155634359.html
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