Mortgage loan calculette pret immobilier and the Road to Financial ...

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Libyan turmoil persists year after Gadhafi death

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) ? On the anniversary of the capture and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, Libya is still grappling with the legacy of his four decades of rule as the interim government and the dictator's former spokesman engaged in a war of words amid the ongoing chaos.

The Libyan government said Saturday its forces had detained Gadhafi's high profile spokesman Moussa Ibrahim, but an online recording from a man purporting to be Ibrahim denied that claim and said he wasn't even in the country.

The conflicting reports, neither of which could be independently verified, reflect the turmoil that has persisted over the past year, leaving the oil-rich North African nation deeply divided. Tensions have spiked as rival forces battle over the city of Bani Walid.

Bani Walid, some 140 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Tripoli, was the last major city in Libya to fall to the uprising, thanks in part to its protected location in a valley near the mountains. Over the past year, it has seen periodic violence and emerged as the most significant town in Libya still resisting the country's new authorities since Gadhafi was slain near his hometown of Sirte last year.

"We've lost too many people in Bani Walid and we are still losing them so I don't think it's time for a celebration," said Abdessalem Mahfoud, a local neighborhood council member in Tripoli, when asked about the anniversary of Gadhafi's death.

The turmoil in Libya, which overthrew Gadhafi last year with the help of NATO airstrikes, has become a campaign issue in the U.S. presidential race after an attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

For many who fought against Gadhafi, the new Libya cannot be born until the last vestiges of the old regime, fugitives like Ibrahim and towns like Bani Walid, have been routed.

"I don't think things are really moving in the right direction until we finish with Bani Walid because it is stopping us from making a new Libya," said Abdel-Basit al-Mzirig, a former deputy justice minister and now on Libya's human rights council.

A statement from the prime minister office said that Ibrahim was caught at a checkpoint outside Bani Walid while trying to flee a recent uptick in fighting over the town and would be taken to Tripoli for questioning.

However, the government produced no proof of its claim and hours later, Ibrahim had not been seen in public. State television did briefly show a photograph of a man in a hospital bed with a bandaged shoulder which they labeled as the former spokesman, but the veracity of the photo could also not be confirmed.

The urbane, English-speaking Ibrahim became the face of the regime in its final months and was the most well-known former regime figure to remain unaccounted for after Gadhafi's son and heir-apparent Seif al-Islam was taken late last year. The regime's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi was later detained in Mauritania and extradited to Libya.

It is not clear what charges Ibrahim might face, but officials in the past have suggested he might be accused of incitement and disseminating false information.

The seven-minute recording, which was posted on Ibrahim's Facebook page, rejected the reports that he had been captured, as well as subsequent, unconfirmed rumors about the detention of Gadhafi's son Khamis, who was reportedly killed last year.

"We are outside of Libya. We have no relations with Bani Walid and no contact with it. We are nowhere near Bani Walid," he said.

Libyans have failed to overcome deep enmities between those who fought to overthrow Gadhafi and former loyalists of the late leader, whose eccentric and brutal rule focused on pitting tribes against one another.

Al-Mzirig said many remnants of the old regime are still working inside the government and only after they have been removed will the country fulfill the promises of the uprising, which began in February 2011 as part of the Arab Spring wave of revolts that swept the Middle East but quickly morphed into a civil war.

This attitude, common among many who fought in the uprising, bodes ill for future efforts to bring rival groups together.

In the year since Gadhafi's death, conflicts have broken out around the country, and despite the unprecedented election of a 200-person national assembly, the central government is weak and power remains with the armed groups that sprung up with the rebellion.

A hard-line Islamist militia in Benghazi, Ansar al-Shariah, is widely believed to have been behind the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate, although it has denied responsibility.

These groups, especially the armed militias, have often pursued their own agendas, some dating back to longstanding feuds inside a country Gadhafi controlled unchecked for more than four decades.

After Gadhafi was killed, the former rebels negotiated a takeover of the Bani Walid and then looted it, prompting the angry citizens to form their own militia and throw out their new rulers in January.

The tensions boiled over when one of the rebels celebrated for being among those who captured Gadhafi, Omran Shaaban, was captured and allegedly tortured by the Bani Walid militia.

He later died in a French hospital and stencils of his name and face can be seen painted on buildings in Tripoli. As the militias gathered for revenge, the government authorized them to retrieve those responsible for the killing, setting the stage for the current siege.

"We are protecting Libya because there are pro-Gadhafi people in Bani Walid. There are many wanted people there ? they are devils," said Omar Saleh, a militiamen with the Libyan Shield manning the Umm Rashrash checkpoint 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Bani Walid. "We haven't started to bombard them yet ? we could if we wanted ? but we are afraid of hitting civilians."

Libya is still building a national army and transitional authorities depended heavily on ex-rebel forces such as Libya Shield to secure the country.

The civilians, meanwhile, streamed out of the town as the steady thump of heavy machine guns could be heard from miles away.

They said the main road was blocked but they had taken dirt roads through olive groves toward the nearby town of Tarhouna.

Trucks piled high with mattresses and filled with children and women wearing all-encompassing robes were searched by the militia before being sent on their way.

"I left Bani Walid at 5 a.m. There is random shelling there and people are dying, including women and children," Ghaith Hadi Ghaith said as he waited for his car to be inspected. "There is nothing to eat or drink."

He said the shooting was coming from all sides. He claimed the city only had 150 to 160 pro-Gadhafi people, but that was hotly disputed by the militiamen who said there was a list of 400 wanted figures from the old regime and hundreds more gunmen.

___

Associated Press writers Esam Mohamed in Tripoli and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/libyan-turmoil-persists-gadhafi-death-224453833.html

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Women's soccer host final two games this weekend ? Athletics ...

News Feed (goheat.ca), Soccer (W) | October 19, 2012

Last games of regular season.

Women?s Soccer?? vs. Vancouver Island University, Saturday (1 p.m.) at Nonis Sports Field, UBC?s Okanagan campus
Women?s Soccer?? vs. Capilano University, Sunday (12 p.m.) at Nonis Sports Field, UBC?s Okanagan campus

Women?s Soccer (CCAA ranking: No. ??After a successful weekend in which the Heat won both games at home on the Nonis Sports Field ? Saturday 2-0 over Langara, and Sunday 3-1 over Quest ? the Heat have now clinched one of the top four spots in the league with their 6W-1L-5T record, and have guaranteed themselves a spot in the PACWEST Provincial Championships hosted by Quest University in Squamish, BC on Oct 26-27.

A team that has always given the Heat fits, the Vancouver Island Mariners (2W-5L-5T), will be the first matchup of the last weekend of play. Saturday?s match between these two squads will begin at 1 p.m. In their only other meeting of the season the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sep 22.

Sunday at 12 p.m. the Heat women take on the always pesky Capilano Blues (1W-8L-3T); the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in North Vancouver on September 23rd.

Sunday will be senior?s day at UBC Okanagan as this will be the last time fifth year and graduating players are able to compete on their home field. The women?s soccer team has one fifth year player and one graduating athlete but both have meant a great deal to the program.

Keeper Sabrina Gasparac (Langley, BC) has played keeper for the Heat for the past five years and will be joined on senior?s day by graduating defender Liz Babcock (Calgary, AB) ? these two arrived here the same year as head coach Claire Paterson and have been integral to the growth of the program to the national contender it has been for the past three seasons.

?

Source: https://news.ok.ubc.ca/athrec/2012/10/19/womens-soccer-host-final-two-games-this-weekend/

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After a few laughs, Romney, Obama back to the fray

NEW YORK (AP) ? President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are returning to the sometimes-nasty rhetoric of a close presidential campaign after a brief truce, renewing their focus on two battleground states and preparing for next week's final, perhaps pivotal, debate.

Romney and Obama set aside their differences ? mostly ? to poke fun of themselves and each other Thursday night at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. On Friday, it's back to campaigning in Florida and Virginia, two of just a handful of states that will decide the election, now less than three weeks away.

Obama was planning a speech at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., rallying college students in the northern part of the state. Romney was to fly to Daytona Beach, Fla., for a rally with running mate Paul Ryan.

While they're both focused on the South, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released Thursday showed Obama retaining his lead over Romney in Iowa and Wisconsin, two Midwestern battlegrounds. Obama's campaign circulated a memo highlighting the president's strength during the early voting period in Ohio, where Romney has largely staked his hopes of winning the White House.

But both kept relatively light public schedules as they planned to spend the weekend preparing for the third and final presidential debate, set for Monday in Boca Raton, Fla. Obama was leaving for the Camp David presidential retreat to prepare, while Romney planned preparations in Delray Beach, Fla.

"The next debate is on foreign policy," Obama told the white-tie audience at the Thursday evening dinner. "Spoiler alert: We got bin Laden."

Authorizing the raid that killed the terrorist leader was a high point in Obama's first term, and polls show voters give him high marks on handling foreign policy. But the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last month has prompted Romney and Republicans to raise questions about Obama's policy in the Middle East.

In a television interview Thursday, Obama rejected criticism that his administration has offered a confused response to the attack in Benghazi, an accusation Romney has made repeatedly. Of any breakdown that might have led to the killing of four Americans, Obama declared, "We're going to fix it."

Obama made the comments on "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. Host Jon Stewart pressed Obama over his administration's shifting explanations about the attacks in Benghazi. When Stewart suggested that even Obama would concede his administration's coordination and communication had not been "optimal," Obama said: "If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal. We're going to fix it. All of it."

Romney has pointedly questioned Obama's handling of the matter and how honest he's been about it with Americans. Those accusations led to the fiercest conflict of the presidential debate on Tuesday and surely will come to the fore again Monday in the campaign's final debate.

Obama insisted information was shared with the American people as it came in. The attack is under investigation, Obama said, and "the picture eventually gets filled in."

After that interview, Obama headed to the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where he sat one seat over from Romney at the charity dinner, an annual gala that has drawn political leaders and other notables since the end of World War II. The event was a comedic pause in a contest that has drawn increasingly nasty and close.

Romney spoke first at the dinner, which was set to raise $5 million for Catholic charities. Addressing the elegantly dressed crowd, Romney, a millionaire many times over, said, "It's nice to finally relax and wear what Ann and I wear around the house." Of Obama, Romney said: "You have to wonder what he's thinking. So little time, so much to redistribute."

Obama followed, noting his soporific performance in the first debate but also chiding Romney for his wealth.

"Earlier today I went shopping at some stores in Midtown," Obama said. "I understand Governor Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown."

He looked to his left, where Romney sat, grinning as his opponent laughed.

___

Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/few-laughs-romney-obama-back-fray-072346846--election.html

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PM stands by 'lowest' tariff vow

18 October 2012 Last updated at 14:48 ET

David Cameron: ''I want to be on the side of hard pressed, hard working families who often struggle to pay energy bills''

David Cameron has insisted energy firms will be compelled to give customers "the lowest tariff" as he sought to clear up confusion over energy policy.

The exact details of how this will be achieved, in next month's Energy Bill, have yet to be decided.

But Downing Street claims consumer groups and energy firms SSE and Ovo support the policy.

Some business groups warn it could damage competition and even lead to higher prices.

It comes after 24 hours of apparent confusion over where the government stands, with Labour accusing ministers of throwing energy policy into "chaos".

During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Cameron made a surprise announcement promising to legislate "so that energy companies have to give the lowest tariff to their customers".

The main energy firms said they knew nothing of the plan - or of the government's intention to put it into legislation.

Continue reading the main story

There has been a lot of uncertainty after the prime minister's statement in the Commons yesterday.

Officials in Whitehall were saying this policy is very much in development, and the prime minister had spoken a little bit early on this.

What we've seen today is a government that is so desperate to try and say that it is on the side of people who are feeling the pinch in a time of austerity, particularly when energy prices are rising, that they announced a policy before all their ducks were in a row.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey appeared to distance himself from the proposal and Downing Street said energy firms would be obliged only to "offer" the cheapest tariffs.

Energy minister John Hayes, summoned to the Commons to clear up the confusion, said a number of options were being considered.

These included an evaluation of whether voluntary agreements made by the energy companies in April should be "made binding" through legislation.

"This is a complicated area and we will discuss with the industry, consumer groups and the regulator in order to work through the detail," Mr Hayes said.

But arriving for an EU summit in Brussels, Mr Cameron stood by his remarks, telling reporters: "I want to be on the side of hard-pressed hard-working families who often struggle to pay energy bills.

"That's why I said in the House of Commons yesterday we're going to use the forthcoming legislation - the Energy Bill coming up this year - so that we ensure that customers get the lowest tariffs."

In his statement to MPs, Mr Hayes said the government needed a "robust" relationship with the six big energy firms and would take the "necessary steps to ensure people get the best possible deal".

Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said Mr Cameron had thrown energy policy into "confusion", causing "chaos" in the energy industry.

Angela Knight, chief executive of the Energy UK - the trade association for the energy sector - told BBC News the industry had been taken by surprise by the PM's announcement and more clarity was needed on the government's position.

She said the industry had already made progress by introducing "easily understandable tariffs, much fewer tariffs and assisting people as to how they can find out exactly which one is suitable for them".

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

I asked the boss of one of the UK's biggest gas companies what would happen if they were forced by the government to offer all their customers the lowest tariff they offer?

End Quote

Business groups warned forcing companies to give customers the cheapest tariffs could damage competition in the market.

Deputy director general of the CBI Neil Bentley said "scare stories" about the government's commitment to the energy market could "create a lot more uncertainty for companies looking to invest in the UK".

But consumer group Which? urged Mr Cameron to "stick to the promise" he made in Parliament.

"Just giving people information on the lowest tariff is not enough when trust is at an all-time low in the industry and switching levels are falling," Which? said.

Greenpeace said the government's energy policy was now "as confusing as British Gas tariffs" and the UK needed to do more to reduce its reliance on gas.

Under this voluntary arrangement the six main energy providers agreed to contact customers once a year to tell them what the best tariff is for them, and how to get it and to contact customers coming to the end of a fixed-term contract with the same advice.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19986929#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Romney Opens Stunning Seven-Point Lead In Gallup Poll (Powerlineblog)

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Joaquin Phoenix slams Oscars: 'Total, utter BS'

Claudio Onorati / EPA file

By Gina Serpe, E! Online

Safe to say Joaquin Phoenix does not want to thank the Academy. Or say anything flattering about it whatsoever. Despite having been twice nominated by the Oscars, the actor has seen fit to bite the hand that feeds (well, fed) him, telling Interview?magazine in no uncertain terms what he thinks of the annual exercise in self-congratulation.

And wow, does he not hold back.

Remember Joaquin's infamous meltdown? Check out more celebrity pranksters!

"I think it's bulls--t," he said. "I think it's total, utter bulls--t, and I don't want to be a part of it. I don't believe in it.

"It's a carrot, but it's the worst-tasting carrot I've ever tasted in my whole life. I don't want this carrot. It's totally subjective. Pitting people against each other ... It's the stupidest thing in the whole world."

Phoenix's can't-compare-art comments are hardly an original argument, but it's nonetheless one that's not usually made by someone who's been lauded by the system.

Joaquin's role is already raking in the awards--find out which ones

Phoenix has been nominated twice before, both for Best Supporting Actor, for "Gladiator," and Best Actor, for "Walk the Line." And while some actors work their whole life to achieve that kind of recognition, it's an experience Joaquin is not eager to repeat.

"It was one of the most uncomfortable periods of my life when 'Walk the Line' was going through all the awards stuff and all that," he said. "I never want to have that experience again. I don't know how to explain it--and it's not like I'm in this place where I think I'm just above it -- but I just don't ever want to get comfortable with that part of things."

Oscars have a host! Get all the deets on Seth MacFarlane's emceeing gig

Unfortunately, he may not have a choice. Thanks to his critically lauded role in "The Master," the star is as close as they come to a lock for a Best Actor nomination come next year's 85th annual Academy Awards.

Or, at least, he was before making these latest comments. Guess we'll find out how good the Academy is at holding a grudge.

Flashback! Check out these 10 super-surprising Oscar winners

More Entertainment news:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2012/10/18/14540520-joaquin-phoenix-slams-oscars-as-stupidest-thing-in-the-world?lite

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Apple granted new patent for original iPad design

We already know what some of you are thinking, but that doesn't change the reality on the ground: Apple has been granted a design claim patent for a "portable display device" that looks a whole lot like the original iPad. Filed just a day before the big reveal in 2010, it's both specific to the tablet and cites additional references dating as far back as the early 1990s. The claim likewise includes elements that transpired between the filing and the granted date, such as a certain legal squabble that carries on to this day. While we can't say we're enthusiastic for what might follow from the patent becoming official -- we know Samsung isn't, despite victories in the tablet space -- it does give Apple one more tool for arguing that its total iPad design is unique, not just the individual components.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

Apple granted new patent for original iPad design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/apple-granted-new-patent-for-original-ipad-design/

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ObamaCare: Already protecting people with health insurance ? The ...

Home > Uncategorized > ObamaCare: Already protecting people with health insurance

UNC?s?Jonathan Oberlander has a great two page brief out today explaining all the benefits people with Medicare and private health coverage are getting right now with ObamaCare. ?His conclusion:

Repealing ObamaCare, in short, would not only dramatically increase the number of Americans without health insurance coverage. If the Affordable Care Act disappears, so will money-saving benefits and invaluable protections that Americans who currently have coverage need and want. ? The survival of ObamaCare is vital to guarantee health security for all Americans, insured and uninsured alike.

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pingback from ObamaCare: Already protecting people with health insurance ? The ? ? Insurance Tell October 16, 2012

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pingback from ObamaCare: Already protecting people with health insurance ? The ? | Insurance October 16, 2012

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Source: http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2012/10/16/obamacare-already-protecting-people-with-health-insurance/

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Voter asks Romney how he differs from Bush

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Panda conservation not 'greenwash'

16 October 2012 Last updated at 12:56 By Matt Bardo Reporter, BBC Nature

The man behind the deal that brought two pandas to a Scottish zoo has defended panda conservation against allegations of "greenwash".

Iain Valentine, Director of Animal Conservation at Edinburgh Zoo said the panda brought money into conservation.

Biologist and TV presenter, Simon Watt, warned against Chinese "greenwash" when weighing up the value of conservation projects.

The comments were made at a debate held during Biology Week.

The event "Do we need pandas? Choosing which species to save" was held at the Linnean Society on Monday 15 October 2012 and was organised by the Society of Biology.

Simon Watt was on the four-person panel and made his comments in answer to a question from the audience.

"Chinese greenwash, that's the kind of stuff we need to be thinking of," he said.

Greenwash is the deceptive marketing of green public image, when more substantial environmental policies are not being implemented.

"If we're going to be putting poster boys [such as pandas] on pedestals they're not going to be just used for good things".

He said that the pandas could distract attention from other areas where conservation money could be better spent.

Conservation 'cash cow'

Edinburgh Zoo's Director of Animal Conservation Mr Valentine, who was in the audience, explained from the floor of the debate that this did not match his experience of panda conservation.

"The pandas are paying for themselves. We're not taking our money away from any other species."

"The money that the pandas are making for us is going straight back to panda conservation, it's not detracting away from any other money in any of our other projects," he said.

Speaking after the event, he explained that pandas are a conservation "cash cow".

"I don't think pandas are a model for how conservation can be funded... they are unique within the animal world as they have an appeal which is unmatched by any other species."

"Panda conservation work needs to be held up as an great example of what can be done in terms of the conservation of a species. It's holistic, it's embracing all of the issues and it's working," he said.

"It's a good indication of the environmental credentials of the Chinese," he added.

Sitting on the panel with Simon Watt at the debate were environmental expert Dr Mark Avery, presenter and scientist Dr Yan Wong and Dr Sandra Knapp, Head of Plants Division at the Natural History Museum.

The discussion focused on the importance of conservation efforts to preserve habitats as part of an effort to save species.

"The panda debate turns into [a question of] if we concentrate on conserving pandas, do we end up conserving habitat?" said Dr Wong.

This concern for habitat is driven by concern for biodiversity.

"I think we have to focus where we get most biology for our buck," Simon Watt said, suggesting less well-known conservation projects such as Yasuni National Park, a biodiversity hotspot in Ecuador, which has 2,200 different species of tree.

"The panda's home is worth protecting but I think there are other places that are probably more worth protecting," he commented.

Speaking after the event, Mr Valentine said that panda reserves can also have very positive consequences on other species in their habitat using Wolong "the most important panda reserve" as an example.

"Its a world UNESCO site and a biosphere reserve because of its importance to pandas but also its importance for plants and many animal species."

"I would like to think it would exist even if pandas were not there as its so damned important but the fact is that it does have pandas and that just puts the icing on the cake."

Join BBC Nature on Facebook and Twitter: @BBCNature.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19945872

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New Jersey's bad call on sports betting

New Jersey plans to allow sports betting early next year in defiance of federal law and possible corruption of the culture of sports. The state even admits such gambling would harm its own teams.

By the Monitor's Editorial Board / October 16, 2012

Gov. Chris Christie is defying a federal ban on sports betting with a new law that lets people in New Jersey bet on the outcomes of football, basketball and other games ? except the state's own college games.

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New Jersey announced Monday that it will start to issue licenses for betting on sports early next year ? in full defiance of a federal law that bans it. If upheld in court, New Jersey?s move would be a legal opening for other states to allow wagering on professional and collegiate games.

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But don?t bet on it.

For starters, New Jersey admits the potential assault that such gambling might have on the integrity of sports. The law authorizing this step also bans gambling on the state?s own college teams or any collegiate sporting events held within the state.

New Jersey?s hypocrisy lights up the legal skies like Atlantic City at night. And for some in the tri-state area, memories remain of the bribe-taking antics of the 1951 basketball team at City College in New York.

Then there?s the response from the National Collegiate Athletic Association immediately following the state?s announcement. The NCAA will pull five championships out of New Jersey next year. Like many sports organizations, the NCAA sees how sports betting, especially in the Internet age, has increased in Asia and Europe, corrupting enough games to scare away fans.

But New Jersey is itching for a legal fight anyway. It hopes the Supreme Court will overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act passed by Congress in 1992. That federal law bans sports betting in all but four states? ? Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana ? that had it at the time.?

The state is up against a united front. The major professional sports leagues in baseball, basketball, football, and hockey ? in addition to the NCAA ? have started a federal lawsuit against New Jersey?s action. Legalizing sport betting would not only expand the gambling that now goes on illegally for many pro games, they say, but will taint the culture of sports in ways far more damaging than other corrupting activities, such as doping.

Pro sports would be damaged if governments approve the effort to treat sports as a game of luck rather than skill. The culture of sports rests on a pursuit of talent and faith on a level playing field. And adding the e-commerce of betting, especially live during a game, has been shown in other countries to attract organized crime because of the ease of hiding its involvement.

MONITOR'S VIEW: Obama's new tax on the poor in state gambling ruling

New Jersey also admits the potential harm of sports betting in its decision to have it run by Atlantic City casinos and horse racing tracks. If it?s so harmless, why not let every lottery stand run it?

The state?s desire to raise revenue through sports wagers ? perhaps $120 million a year ? would be more than offset by the loss of spectators and sports leagues that will always be suspicious of game-fixing by powerful gamblers.

The state should take a long timeout on this plan.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Hc1euDk5XnQ/New-Jersey-s-bad-call-on-sports-betting

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University of Tennessee collaborates in study: Dire drought ahead, may lead to massive tree death

Public release date: 15-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Whitney Heins
wheins@utk.edu
865-974-5460
University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Evidence uncovered by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geography professor suggests recent droughts could be the new normal -- this is especially bad news for our nation's forests

Evidence uncovered by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geography professor suggests recent droughts could be the new normal. This is especially bad news for our nation's forests.

For most, to find evidence that recent years' droughts have been record-breaking, they need not look past the withering garden or lawn. For Henri Grissino-Mayer he looks at the rings of trees over the past one thousand years. He can tell you that this drought is one of the worst in the last 600 years in America's Southwest and predicts worst are still to come.

Grissino-Mayer collaborated with a team of scientists led by Park Williams of Los Alamos National Laboratory and others from the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Arizona and Columbia University to evaluate how drought affects productivity and survival in conifer trees in the Southwestern U.S. Their findings are published this month in "Nature Climate Change."

Tree rings act as time capsules for analyzing climate conditions because they grow more slowly in periods of drought and the size of rings they produce vary accordingly. Widely spaced rings indicate wetter seasons and narrow rings indicate drier seasons.

"Using a comprehensive tree-ring data set from A.D. 1000 to 2007, we found that the U.S. has suffered several 'mega-droughts' in the last 1,000 years in the Southwest," said Grissino-Mayer. "But the most recent drought that began in the late 1990s lasted through the following decade and could become one of the worst, if not the worst, in history."

The researchers created a tree-ring-based index that catalogs the drought stress on forests which resolves the contributions of vapor-pressure deficitthe difference between the moisture in the air and how much the air can holdand precipitation. They linked this information to disturbances that cause changes in forests, such as bark-beetle outbreaks, mortality and wildfires and compared these data with their model projections.

"Looking forward to 2050, our climate-forest stress model suggests we will see worse drought and increased tree mortality than we've seen in the past 1,000 years," Grissino-Mayer said. "This drought will be exacerbated by increasing temperatures globally, foreshadowing major changes in the structure and species composition of forests worldwide."

ncreasing temperatures impact the water balance because they exponentially influence how much water evaporates into the atmosphere. More water in the air means less water in the ground. Trees need that water to survive, especially in water-limited areas like the American Southwest.

"We have nothing comparable in the past to today's environment and certainly tomorrow's environment," Grissino-Mayer said. "With increasing drought stress, our forests of tomorrow will hardly resemble our forests of yesterday."

Grissino-Mayer suggests forest management practices will need to adjust to the changes, noting the increased danger for wildfires even in East Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains.

###

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 15-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Whitney Heins
wheins@utk.edu
865-974-5460
University of Tennessee at Knoxville

Evidence uncovered by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geography professor suggests recent droughts could be the new normal -- this is especially bad news for our nation's forests

Evidence uncovered by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, geography professor suggests recent droughts could be the new normal. This is especially bad news for our nation's forests.

For most, to find evidence that recent years' droughts have been record-breaking, they need not look past the withering garden or lawn. For Henri Grissino-Mayer he looks at the rings of trees over the past one thousand years. He can tell you that this drought is one of the worst in the last 600 years in America's Southwest and predicts worst are still to come.

Grissino-Mayer collaborated with a team of scientists led by Park Williams of Los Alamos National Laboratory and others from the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Arizona and Columbia University to evaluate how drought affects productivity and survival in conifer trees in the Southwestern U.S. Their findings are published this month in "Nature Climate Change."

Tree rings act as time capsules for analyzing climate conditions because they grow more slowly in periods of drought and the size of rings they produce vary accordingly. Widely spaced rings indicate wetter seasons and narrow rings indicate drier seasons.

"Using a comprehensive tree-ring data set from A.D. 1000 to 2007, we found that the U.S. has suffered several 'mega-droughts' in the last 1,000 years in the Southwest," said Grissino-Mayer. "But the most recent drought that began in the late 1990s lasted through the following decade and could become one of the worst, if not the worst, in history."

The researchers created a tree-ring-based index that catalogs the drought stress on forests which resolves the contributions of vapor-pressure deficitthe difference between the moisture in the air and how much the air can holdand precipitation. They linked this information to disturbances that cause changes in forests, such as bark-beetle outbreaks, mortality and wildfires and compared these data with their model projections.

"Looking forward to 2050, our climate-forest stress model suggests we will see worse drought and increased tree mortality than we've seen in the past 1,000 years," Grissino-Mayer said. "This drought will be exacerbated by increasing temperatures globally, foreshadowing major changes in the structure and species composition of forests worldwide."

ncreasing temperatures impact the water balance because they exponentially influence how much water evaporates into the atmosphere. More water in the air means less water in the ground. Trees need that water to survive, especially in water-limited areas like the American Southwest.

"We have nothing comparable in the past to today's environment and certainly tomorrow's environment," Grissino-Mayer said. "With increasing drought stress, our forests of tomorrow will hardly resemble our forests of yesterday."

Grissino-Mayer suggests forest management practices will need to adjust to the changes, noting the increased danger for wildfires even in East Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/uota-uot101512.php

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AU, Somali troops try to win back country roads

WALAWEYN, Somalia (AP) ? African Union peacekeepers must drive along rough dirt roads that snake through sand dunes and shrubs to reach newly won territory in Somalia's countryside, exposing themselves to possible ambushes by al-Shabab rebels.

Though the peacekeeping forces travel in armored vehicles, the guerrilla fighters can inflict casualties. The psychological trauma of knowing an ambush can happen at any time makes life tough for the AU soldiers from several countries who battle the al-Shabab rebels allied to al-Qaida.

"They try to ambush us in such places. It's not easy. We must pass here with vigilance," an AU soldier groaned as he peered through the bulletproof glass of an armored personnel carrier.

AU troops in August forced al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu. Earlier this year Ugandan and Burundian troops began taking control of suburbs of the capital. Now they are moving far to the northwest in an attempt to secure a supply line from Mogadishu to the former al-Shabab stronghold of Baidoa. Many of al-Shabab's top foreign fighters are said to have fled to Yemen already.

But the rebels remaining continue their attacks. A week ago al-Shabab fighters ambushed a convoy, wounding one soldier. As the AU area of control widens, the challenges of holding the new territory increase.

There are about 17,000 troops in the AU force, including soldiers from Kenya in the south of the country. With so few troops to control such a wide area, they are relying on public support to keep roads safe from roadside bombs.

"A friendly population is better than tanks," said Capt. Henry Obbo. "They are driving a dying horse. Public support is with us now."

Yet in rural villages, residents silently stare at troops. A soldier's wave typically gets no reaction, except from children. Insurgents often kill suspected supporters of the Somali government, so even waving can invite trouble. But executions, floggings and strict social rules cut down the militants' public support.

"Al-Shabab was in no way good for us. They conscripted our children and forcibly extorted our farms. They made life hell for us," said Abdullahi Yassin, an elder in the town of Walaweyn. He said his area has neither the security nor the aid it hoped to see from Mogadishu's weak government.

"No difference yet, except a little freedom," he said of al-Shabab's ouster.

Late last week, African Union forces and Somali troops captured the Blidogle airport, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Mogadishu. The troops intend to open the road all the way to Baidoa, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Mogadishu, said Hussein Arab Isse, Somalia's defense minister, speaking at the airport.

"They (al-Shabab) can't stop our brave soldiers from reaching their goals," Isse said.

Though al-Shabab is being pushed back, their deadly attacks and clashes still haunt the region.

The AU troops are visibly in control of the residential areas and roads, but the stretches of forest seem to be no man's land.

"Our operations will continue because this is not the end," said Brig. Gen. Michael Ondoga, the commander of the Ugandan contingent. "We still have some distance to go to get to Baidoa."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/au-somali-troops-try-win-back-country-roads-144855103.html

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Spanish aid package would impact Italy: minister to press

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Federal Circuit Rejects Galaxy Nexus Preliminary Injunction Finding No Irreparable Harm Despite a Market Shift.

By Dennis Crouch

Apple v. Samsung, --- F.3d ---, App. No. 2012-1507 (Fed.Cir. 2012) (N.D.Ill. 12-CV-0630) (APPLE II)

This case is important because it further reduces the chances that the owner of a component patent will obtain injunctive relief.

Patent litigation is fairly slow and often takes years for a case to proceed through trial and appeal. One shortcut to action is a motion for preliminary injunction. Such a motion asks a court to exert its equitable power to immediately stop the harm of ongoing infringement ? even before ultimately concluding that the patent is valid, enforceable and infringed. Following an extension of eBay v. MercExchange, courts require a patentee to satisfy a four-factor test before granting injunctive relief.

A plaintiff seeking a preliminary injunction must establish that he is likely to succeed on the merits, that he is likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, that the balance of equities tips in his favor, and that an injunction is in the public interest."

Generally, these preliminary injunction factors can be thought of as being identical to the eBay permanent injunction factors with the addition of having to prove the likelihood of success on the merits. (In a permanent injunction scenario, the merits have already been decided.) An important aspect of preliminary injunctions in patent cases is that they are immediately appealable as a matter of right. This right of immediate appeal is different from almost every other district court decision except for the ultimate dismissal of the case.

In this case, Judge Koh issued a preliminary injunction ordering Samsung to stop sales of its Galaxy Nexus smartphone based upon the likelihood of its infringement of Apple's Patent No. 8,086,604. I should pause for a moment to note that this case is different from the parallel Apple v. Samsung case that resulted in a $1b jury verdict for Apple that is currently being challenged by Samsung. The patent in the case-at-hand is related to Google's Siri system that uses a set of heuristic modules for searching various types of information.

On appeal, the Federal Circuit has vacated Judge Koh's decision ? finding that the district court "abused its discretion" in issuing the injunctive order favoring Apple. The court found two basic problems: (1) that Apple had failed to prove irreparable particularly linked to Samsung's use of this particular invention; (2) that the district court had construed the asserted claims too broadly with the result being that Apple probably cannot prove infringement. Either of these issues would be sufficient to reject the preliminary injunction.

In discussions of injunctive relief, this opinion will likely be termed Apple II in order to distinguish it from the federal circuit Apple v. Samsung decision issued earlier this year in Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., 678 F.3d 1314, 1325 (Fed. Cir. 2012) (hereinafter Apple I). Both decisions build on the nexus analysis that links the patented invention to the alleged irreparable harm ? "that a sufficiently strong causal nexus relates the alleged harm to the alleged infringement."

This nexus analysis for irreparable harm is parallel to that employed in other areas of patent law such as consideration of secondary factors of non-obviousness and in proving lost profits. This development obviously makes it much more difficult to obtain injunctive relief in the typical high-tech scenario where a retail product includes thousands of small innovations that each contribute incrementally to the ultimate value of a product.

In Apple I, the court described the law as follows:

To show irreparable harm, it is necessary to show that the infringement caused harm in the first place. Sales lost to an infringing product cannot irreparably harm a patentee if consumers buy that product for reasons other than the patented feature. If the patented feature does not drive the demand for the product, sales would be lost even if the offending feature were absent from the accused product. Thus, a likelihood of irreparable harm cannot be shown if sales would be lost regardless of the infringing conduct.

In Apple II the court continues:

In other words, it may very well be that the accused product would sell almost as well without incorporating the patented feature. And in that case, even if the competitive injury that results from selling the accused device is substantial, the harm that flows from the alleged infringement (the only harm that should count) is not. Thus, the causal nexus inquiry is indeed part of the irreparable harm calculus: it informs whether the patentee's allegations of irreparable harm are pertinent to the injunctive relief analysis, or whether the patentee seeks to leverage its patent for competitive gain beyond that which the inventive contribution and value of the patent warrant.

It only follows that the causal nexus analysis is not a true or false inquiry. The relevant question is not whether there is some causal relationship between the asserted injury and the infringing conduct, but to what extent the harm resulting from selling the accused product can be ascribed to the infringement. It is not enough for the patentee to establish some insubstantial connection between the alleged harm and the infringement and check the causal nexus requirement off the list. The patentee must rather show that the infringing feature drives consumer demand for the accused product. Only viewed through the prism of the causal nexus analysis will the irreparable harm allegations reflect a realistic sense of what the patentee has at stake.

Here, Apple proved that its Siri application (also covered by the patent) is popular and also that demand for the Galaxy Nexus had come at the expense of iPhone purchases. However, the court found that Apple failed to show that the customer demand for Galaxy Nexus was driven by its allegedly infringing feature. Without proving that link, the court could not find that the (alleged) infringement caused irreparable harm.

Apple I was decided by Judges Bryson and Prost with a partial dissent by Judge O'Malley (concurring on this issue). This case, Apple II was decided by Judges Prost, Moore, and Reyna acting unanimously.

Taken as a pair, Apple I and Apple II are important because they further reduce the chances that the owner of a component patent will obtain injunctive relief. Before eBay, irreparably harm was hardly a consideration. Since eBay, the irreparable harm factor has largely focused on whether the patentee has a product or potential product being harmed by ongoing infringement. Now, the question will move to the next level of granularity in a way that will be difficult for patentees to prove.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PatentlyO/~3/xrTsW2pvkOw/federal-circuit-rejects-galaxy-nexus-preliminary-injunction-finding-no-irreparable-harm-despite-a-market-shift.html

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Survivors, captain hear Italian shipwreck evidence

A view of the partially sunk Costa Concordia wreckage next to the Giglio Island, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. The first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13, 2012 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers after it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place in Grosseto Monday Oct. 15, 2012. Captain Schettino, who was blamed for both the accident and for leaving the ship before the passengers, is scheduled to attend the hearing. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

A view of the partially sunk Costa Concordia wreckage next to the Giglio Island, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. The first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13, 2012 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers after it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place in Grosseto Monday Oct. 15, 2012. Captain Schettino, who was blamed for both the accident and for leaving the ship before the passengers, is scheduled to attend the hearing. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police men, patrol in front of in front of the Teatro Moderno theater where the first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13, 2012 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers after it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place, in Grosseto, Italy, Monday Oct. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Francesco Schettino, the former captain of Costa Concordia, leaves his home in Meta Di Sorrento, near Naples, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. The first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers as it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place in Grosseto Monday. Captain Francesco Schettino, who was blamed for both the accident and for leaving the ship before the passengers, is scheduled to attend the hearing. (AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta)

A view of the partially sunk Costa Concordia wreckage next to the Giglio Island, Italy, Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. The first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13, 2012 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers after it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place in Grosseto Monday Oct. 15, 2012. Captain Schettino, who was blamed for both the accident and for leaving the ship before the passengers, is scheduled to attend the hearing. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police men, patrol in front of in front of the Teatro Moderno theater where the first hearing of the trial for the Jan. 13, 2012 tragedy, where 32 people died after the luxury cruise Costa Concordia was forced to evacuate some 4,200 passengers after it hit a rock while passing too close to the Giglio Island, is taking place in Grosseto Monday Oct. 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

GROSSETO, Italy (AP) ? A theater in Italy turned into a courtroom Monday, providing extra space for all those who needed to hear the evidence against the captain of a shipwrecked cruise ship.

The case of Francesco Schettino, 51, has generated such interest that the Tuscan city of Grosseto chose the larger space to accommodate all those who had a legitimate claim to be at the closed-door hearing.

Thirty-two people died after Schettino, in a stunt, took the Costa Concordia cruise ship off course and brought it close to the Tuscan island of Giglio on Jan 13. The ship then ran aground and capsized. Schettino himself became a lightning rod for international disdain for having left the ship before everyone was evacuated.

Schettino appeared at the hearing Monday, as well as passengers who survived the deadly shipwreck, the families of those who died in it and scores of lawyers trying to get more compensation for them.

"We want to look him in the eye to see how he will react to the accusations," said German survivor Michael Liessen, 50, who attended with his wife.

Another survivor said he even talked with Schettino.

"When he looked at me, I told him I was on board the Costa Concordia. He stood up and we shook hands, as it is normal between two polite people," Luciano Castro, 48, who has published a book in Italy about the disaster, told The Associated Press. "I told him I hoped the truth would come out soon. In that moment, he replied, 'Yes, it must be established.'"

Castro added that Schettino appeared to be "very embarrassed. He was very cautious, probably not expecting that somebody would approach him."

Wearing dark glasses and a suit, Schettino used a back entrance to slip into the theater, making no comment to reporters outside. Lawyers said he listened intently to the proceedings, where his attorneys raised some objections to the evidence being submitted against Schettino and eight others accused in the shipwreck, including crew members and officials from Concordia owner Costa Crociere SpA.

Nevertheless, one member of Schettino's defense team, Francesco Pepe, seemed confident, saying during a break that "responsibilities that aren't all Schettino's are beginning to emerge."

Hearings this week through Wednesday will help decide whether the judge will order a trial for Schettino, who is accused of manslaughter, causing the shipwreck and abandoning ship while passengers and crew were still aboard. He denies the accusations and hasn't been charged. Any trial is unlikely to begin before next year.

Off the Tuscan coast and just outside Giglio's port, the hulk of the Concordia still lies on its side, resting on a rocky seabed ledge, the object of gawkers and a painful symbol of the disaster for islanders and survivors. Experts are carrying out a complicated salvage plan to get the 290-meter (1,000-foot) long vessel upright so it can be towed to the mainland.

A key question is how much of the blame should Schettino bear alone and how much responsibility for the disaster lies with his crew and employer, Costa Crociere, a division of the Miami-based Carnival Corp.

Costa Crociere has denied that it was negligent and has distanced itself from Schettino, firing him in July although he is fighting to get his job back.

Last month, court-appointed experts delivered a 270-page report of what went wrong that night based on an analysis of data recorders, ship communications equipment, testimony and other evidence.

The experts, who included two admirals and two engineers, laid most of the blame for the collision with the reef and the botched evacuation on Schettino. But they also noted that not all crew members understood Italian, not all had current safety and evacuation certifications, and not all passengers had had the chance to participate in evacuation drills.

Schettino's lawyers had sought to have the captain's Indonesian helmsman attend the hearing, but Judge Valeria Montesarchio turned down the request.

Lawyers for some survivors and some families of the victims are seeking to point blame at the corporate level, alleging negligence. Among them is Peter Ronai, a lawyer for the family of a Hungarian violinist on the ship who, survivors recounted, helped children don life vests before perishing himself.

"The reason people died was not the captain" alone, Ronai told reporters before going into the hearing. "There was no reason for anyone to die."

Passengers have recounted scenes of chaos during the disaster, with the lights going out after the initial collision, plates and glasses smashing to the ground and crew members giving conflicting, confusing directions.

Many of the lifeboats became stuck and couldn't be lowered because the boat was listing too far to one side. Some of the 4,200 people aboard jumped into the Mediterranean and swam to Giglio, while others had to be plucked from the ship by rescue helicopters hours after the collision.

"The ship was as big as a shopping mall, there was dark, there was absolute chaos, men were pushing women away, children in the back," Ronai said. He said the reason people died was because the corporation was "negligent in practices and safety procedures."

Schettino has insisted that by guiding the stricken ship into shallower waters near Giglio's port instead of immediately ordering an evacuation he potentially saved lives. He has claimed that another official, not he, was at the helm when the ship struck.

The timeline in the experts' report, however, makes clear that Schettino had assumed command six minutes before the ship struck the reef.

An American lawyer representing more than 150 people in U.S.-based lawsuits against Carnival Corp. said he came from Mississippi to closely follow evidence that could be useful in his cases. Aside from seeking compensation for his clients, John Arthur Eaves Jr. said he was pushing for improved standards in the cruise industry.

"There is a consistent pattern of lack of discipline ... and communication problems," he told reporters. "This accident will happen again."

"The sooner we can resolve it, the sooner these victims can get back to rebuilding their lives," Eaves added.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-15-Italy-Cruise%20Disaster/id-3ba230fa3ec74e2aabafbfad0f607150

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