A hacker's broken into the databases of an online limousine service, grabbing details of more than 850,000 customers—including Fortune 500 CEOs, lawmakers, and A-list celebrities.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Janet Firshein
jfirshein@burnesscommunications.com
301-280-5701
Burness Communications
New York, NYAn independent panel of military, ethics, medical, public health, and legal experts today charged that U.S. military and intelligence agencies directed doctors and psychologists working in U.S. military detention centers to violate standard ethical principles and medical standards to avoid infliction of harm. The Task Force on Preserving Medical Professionalism in National Security Detention Centers (see attached) concludes that since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DoD) and CIA improperly demanded that U.S. military and intelligence agency health professionals collaborate in intelligence gathering and security practices in a way that inflicted severe harm on detainees in U.S. custody.
These practices included "designing, participating in, and enabling torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment" of detainees, according to the report. Although the DoD has taken steps to address some of these practices in recent years, including instituting a committee to review medical ethics concerns at Guantanamo Bay Prison, the Task Force says the changed roles for health professionals and anemic ethical standards adopted within the military remain in place.
"The American public has a right to know that the covenant with its physicians to follow professional ethical expectations is firm regardless of where they serve," said Task Force member Dr. Gerald Thomson, Professor of Medicine Emeritus at Columbia University. "It's clear that in the name of national security the military trumped that covenant, and physicians were transformed into agents of the military and performed acts that were contrary to medical ethics and practice. We have a responsibility to make sure this never happens again."
The Task Force report, supported by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession and the Open Society Foundations, calls on the DoD and CIA to follow medical professional standards of conduct to enable doctors and psychologists to adhere to their ethical principles so that in the future they be used to heal, not injure, detainees they encounter. The Task Force also urges professional medical associations and the American Psychological Association to strengthen ethical standards related to interrogation and detention of detainees.
The report, Ethics Abandoned: Medical Professionalism and Detainee Abuse in the War on Terror, is based on two years of review of records in the public domain by a 20-member task force. The report details how DoD and CIA policies institutionalized a variety of interventions by military and intelligence agency doctors and psychologists that breach ethical standards to promote well-being and avoid harm. These interventions included:
In addition, the group says that DoD policies and practices impeded the ability to provide detainees with appropriate medical care and to report abuses against detainees under recognized international standards. The report explains how agencies facilitated these practices by adopting rules for military health personnel that substantially deviate from ethical standards traditionally applied to civilian medical personnel.
Shining a Spotlight on Ethical Breaches
According to the Task Force, the DoD specifically:
The group also says that the CIA's Office of Medical Services played a critical role in reviewing and approving forms of torture, including waterboarding, as well as in advising the Department of Justice that "enhanced interrogation" methods, such as extended sleep deprivation and waterboarding that are recognized as forms of torture, were medically acceptable. CIA medical personnel were present during administration of waterboarding, says the Task Force. The CIA no longer has detainees in its custody, according to official statements.
"Putting on a uniform does not and should not abrogate the fundamental principles of medical professionalism," said IMAP President David Rothman. "'Do no harm' and 'put patient interest first' must apply to all physicians regardless of where they practice."
Changes Don't Go Far Enough
Despite steps by the DoD to improve treatment of detainees, the Task Force says the agency "continues to follow policies that undermine standards of professional conduct" for interrogation, hunger strikes, and reporting abuse. This includes: issuing protocols requiring doctors and nurses to participate in the force-feeding of detainees, including forced extensive bodily restraints for up to two hours twice a day; enabling interrogators access to medical and psychological information about detainees for exploitation by interrogators; and permitting clinical care for detainees to suffer from the inability or failure of clinicians to address causes of detainee distress from torture.
"Abuse of detainees, and health professional participation in this practice, is not behind us as a country," said Task Force member Leonard Rubenstein, a legal scholar at the Center for Human Rights and Public Health at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Berman Institute of Bioethics. "Force-feeding by physicians in violation of ethical standards is illustrative of a much broader legacy in which medical professionalism has been undermined."
The Task Force recommends a full investigation of medical practices in detention facilities and public release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's review of CIA practices. It also calls for promulgation of rules that harmonize medical and psychological practices with ethical prohibitions on participation in interrogation, use of medical records for interrogation, force feeding, and abuse reporting. Among its other recommendations:
"We now know that medical personnel were co-opted in ways that undermined their professionalism," said Open Society Foundations President Emeritus Aryeh Neier. "By shining a light on misconduct, we hope to remind physicians of their ethical responsibilities."
For copies of Ethics Abandoned: Medical Professionalism and Detainee Abuse in the War on Terror, visit the IMAP website at http://www.imapny.org.
###
About the Institute on Medicine as a Profession
The Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) aims to set forth a vision for professionalism in the 21st century and to promote that vision through research and policy initiatives. The Institute seeks to shape a world inside and outside of medicine that is responsive to the ideals of professionalism. IMAP conducts research on the past, present, and future roles of professionalism in guiding individual behavior and collective action so that professionalism will be relevant to physicians, leaders of medical organizations, policy analysts, public officials, and consumers.
Task Force Members:
Scott A. Allen, MD, FACP
University of California, Riverside
George J. Annas, JD, MPH
Boston University
Karen Brudney, MD
Columbia University
Richard N. Gottfried, JD
New York State Assembly
Vincent Iacopino, MD, PhD
Physicians for Human Rights
Allen S. Keller, MD
New York University
Robert S. Lawrence, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Steven H. Miles, MD
University of Minnesota
Aryeh Neier
Open Society Foundations
Deborah Alejandra Popowski, JD
Harvard University
Steven Reisner, PhD
Coalition for an Ethical Psychology
Hernn Reyes, MD, FMH Ob/Gyn
International Committee of the Red Cross
David J. Rothman, PhD
Columbia University
Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD
Johns Hopkins University
Steven S. Sharfstein, MD, MPA
Sheppard Pratt Health Systems
Albert J. Shimkus, Jr.
U.S. Naval War College
Eric Stover
University of California, Berkeley
Gerald E. Thomson, MD
Columbia University
Frederick E. Turton, MD, MBA, MACP
Emory University
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, MD
United States Army
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.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Nov-2013
ShareContact: Janet Firshein
jfirshein@burnesscommunications.com
301-280-5701
Burness Communications
New York, NYAn independent panel of military, ethics, medical, public health, and legal experts today charged that U.S. military and intelligence agencies directed doctors and psychologists working in U.S. military detention centers to violate standard ethical principles and medical standards to avoid infliction of harm. The Task Force on Preserving Medical Professionalism in National Security Detention Centers (see attached) concludes that since September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense (DoD) and CIA improperly demanded that U.S. military and intelligence agency health professionals collaborate in intelligence gathering and security practices in a way that inflicted severe harm on detainees in U.S. custody.
These practices included "designing, participating in, and enabling torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment" of detainees, according to the report. Although the DoD has taken steps to address some of these practices in recent years, including instituting a committee to review medical ethics concerns at Guantanamo Bay Prison, the Task Force says the changed roles for health professionals and anemic ethical standards adopted within the military remain in place.
"The American public has a right to know that the covenant with its physicians to follow professional ethical expectations is firm regardless of where they serve," said Task Force member Dr. Gerald Thomson, Professor of Medicine Emeritus at Columbia University. "It's clear that in the name of national security the military trumped that covenant, and physicians were transformed into agents of the military and performed acts that were contrary to medical ethics and practice. We have a responsibility to make sure this never happens again."
The Task Force report, supported by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession and the Open Society Foundations, calls on the DoD and CIA to follow medical professional standards of conduct to enable doctors and psychologists to adhere to their ethical principles so that in the future they be used to heal, not injure, detainees they encounter. The Task Force also urges professional medical associations and the American Psychological Association to strengthen ethical standards related to interrogation and detention of detainees.
The report, Ethics Abandoned: Medical Professionalism and Detainee Abuse in the War on Terror, is based on two years of review of records in the public domain by a 20-member task force. The report details how DoD and CIA policies institutionalized a variety of interventions by military and intelligence agency doctors and psychologists that breach ethical standards to promote well-being and avoid harm. These interventions included:
In addition, the group says that DoD policies and practices impeded the ability to provide detainees with appropriate medical care and to report abuses against detainees under recognized international standards. The report explains how agencies facilitated these practices by adopting rules for military health personnel that substantially deviate from ethical standards traditionally applied to civilian medical personnel.
Shining a Spotlight on Ethical Breaches
According to the Task Force, the DoD specifically:
The group also says that the CIA's Office of Medical Services played a critical role in reviewing and approving forms of torture, including waterboarding, as well as in advising the Department of Justice that "enhanced interrogation" methods, such as extended sleep deprivation and waterboarding that are recognized as forms of torture, were medically acceptable. CIA medical personnel were present during administration of waterboarding, says the Task Force. The CIA no longer has detainees in its custody, according to official statements.
"Putting on a uniform does not and should not abrogate the fundamental principles of medical professionalism," said IMAP President David Rothman. "'Do no harm' and 'put patient interest first' must apply to all physicians regardless of where they practice."
Changes Don't Go Far Enough
Despite steps by the DoD to improve treatment of detainees, the Task Force says the agency "continues to follow policies that undermine standards of professional conduct" for interrogation, hunger strikes, and reporting abuse. This includes: issuing protocols requiring doctors and nurses to participate in the force-feeding of detainees, including forced extensive bodily restraints for up to two hours twice a day; enabling interrogators access to medical and psychological information about detainees for exploitation by interrogators; and permitting clinical care for detainees to suffer from the inability or failure of clinicians to address causes of detainee distress from torture.
"Abuse of detainees, and health professional participation in this practice, is not behind us as a country," said Task Force member Leonard Rubenstein, a legal scholar at the Center for Human Rights and Public Health at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Berman Institute of Bioethics. "Force-feeding by physicians in violation of ethical standards is illustrative of a much broader legacy in which medical professionalism has been undermined."
The Task Force recommends a full investigation of medical practices in detention facilities and public release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's review of CIA practices. It also calls for promulgation of rules that harmonize medical and psychological practices with ethical prohibitions on participation in interrogation, use of medical records for interrogation, force feeding, and abuse reporting. Among its other recommendations:
"We now know that medical personnel were co-opted in ways that undermined their professionalism," said Open Society Foundations President Emeritus Aryeh Neier. "By shining a light on misconduct, we hope to remind physicians of their ethical responsibilities."
For copies of Ethics Abandoned: Medical Professionalism and Detainee Abuse in the War on Terror, visit the IMAP website at http://www.imapny.org.
###
About the Institute on Medicine as a Profession
The Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) aims to set forth a vision for professionalism in the 21st century and to promote that vision through research and policy initiatives. The Institute seeks to shape a world inside and outside of medicine that is responsive to the ideals of professionalism. IMAP conducts research on the past, present, and future roles of professionalism in guiding individual behavior and collective action so that professionalism will be relevant to physicians, leaders of medical organizations, policy analysts, public officials, and consumers.
Task Force Members:
Scott A. Allen, MD, FACP
University of California, Riverside
George J. Annas, JD, MPH
Boston University
Karen Brudney, MD
Columbia University
Richard N. Gottfried, JD
New York State Assembly
Vincent Iacopino, MD, PhD
Physicians for Human Rights
Allen S. Keller, MD
New York University
Robert S. Lawrence, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Steven H. Miles, MD
University of Minnesota
Aryeh Neier
Open Society Foundations
Deborah Alejandra Popowski, JD
Harvard University
Steven Reisner, PhD
Coalition for an Ethical Psychology
Hernn Reyes, MD, FMH Ob/Gyn
International Committee of the Red Cross
David J. Rothman, PhD
Columbia University
Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD
Johns Hopkins University
Steven S. Sharfstein, MD, MPA
Sheppard Pratt Health Systems
Albert J. Shimkus, Jr.
U.S. Naval War College
Eric Stover
University of California, Berkeley
Gerald E. Thomson, MD
Columbia University
Frederick E. Turton, MD, MBA, MACP
Emory University
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, MD
United States Army
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.
Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya runs along Fifth Avenue during the New York City Marathon Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. In a double victory for Kenya, Mutai successfully defended his title and Priscah Jeptoo rallied to win the women's race. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya runs along Fifth Avenue during the New York City Marathon Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. In a double victory for Kenya, Mutai successfully defended his title and Priscah Jeptoo rallied to win the women's race. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya runs along Fifth Avenue in New York during the New York Marathon Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. In a double victory for Kenya, Mutai has successfully defended his title and Priscah Jeptoo rallied to win the women's race. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Runners are screened by police officers as they arrive at the start of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Police officers from the counterterrorism unit stand watch over runners who arrive for the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Runners are screened by police officers as they arrive for the New York City Marathon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
NEW YORK (AP) — Geoffrey Mutai looks unbeatable again.
The New York City Marathon returned Sunday after a one-year absence, and the Kenyan star won it for the second straight time. Countrywoman Priscah Jeptoo rallied from behind in the women's race for a Kenyan sweep.
Runners and fans came back, undaunted by tight security, after the 2012 cancellation and April's Boston Marathon bombings.
The last time the NYC Marathon was held, Mutai broke the course record in 2011. Last year's race never happened because of Superstorm Sandy. And after the attacks in Boston, barricades blocked off much of the park Sunday, and fans waited in bag-check lines to get in.
Still, there were plenty of spectators to urge on Jeptoo to chase down Buzunesh Deba, a Bronx resident who finished runner-up for the second straight time in her hometown race.
Nobody was catching Mutai, who pulled away around Mile 22 and beat Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede by 52 seconds. On a windy morning, Mutai's time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 24 seconds was well off his course record of 2:05:06 set in nearly perfect conditions two years ago. He's the first man to repeat in New York since Kenya's John Kagwe in 1997-98.
"To win this course twice, it's not easy," Mutai said. "For me, it's a glory."
Jeptoo trailed Deba by nearly 3½ minutes at the halfway point. She made her move as the race entered Manhattan after a race official on a bike told her how big the gap was.
"I train well, and I was in good shape," she said. "So I tried to push myself to see that I am supposed to close the gap before they reach 40 kilometers (25 miles). When they reach 40 kilometers, it could be difficult for me to close the gap."
Deba was slowed by stomach cramps, and Jeptoo passed the Ethiopian with just more than 2 miles left. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist and 2013 London Marathon champ, Jeptoo won in 2:25:07 to clinch the $500,000 World Marathon Majors bonus.
Last year's events in New York incensed many residents and runners, but there was little sign of those sour feelings Sunday. City and marathon officials initially vowed that the race would go on, and New Yorkers balked at the idea of possibly diverting resources amid such devastation. But by the time the decision to cancel was made, many out-of-town entrants had already arrived in the city.
Plenty came back a year later. A record 50,740 runners started.
The women's race played out almost identically to the last NYC Marathon two years ago. But this time, Deba was the pursued, not the pursuer.
In 2011, Mary Keitany took a big early lead, and Deba and countrywomen Firehiwot Dado chased her down. Dado, who won that day, was 14th Sunday as the defending champ.
This time, Deba and training partner Tigist Tufa separated themselves right from the start. Deba wound up finishing 48 seconds behind Jeptoo, while Tufa fell back to eighth.
"That's my plan," Deba said. "I need to run my best time. My training is very good. I prepared very good."
Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia, who won the race in 2005 and '06, placed third at age 37, returning to the podium after the birth of her son.
Kebede, the London Marathon champ, clinched the $500,000 bonus for the World Marathon Majors men's title. South Africa's Lusapho April was third.
Mutai proved again that when he's healthy, he's the best in the world. He ran the fastest marathon in history, 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, which didn't count as a world record because the course is too straight and downhill. He also won in Berlin in 2012 but dropped out of the London Marathon earlier this year because of injury.
Tatyana McFadden of Maryland won the women's wheelchair race after taking the titles in Boston, London and Chicago earlier this year. No other athlete has won those four races in the same year. Marcel Hug of Switzerland was the men's wheelchair winner.
Runners, professional and amateur, said they felt safe on the course. Security was tight from the moment they arrived at the start. They were corralled into long bag-check lines, and officers and volunteers repeatedly reminded them to keep cellphones out.
Elizabeth Hutchinson of Seattle recalled the joy at the starting line in Boston this year. People were handing out sunscreen, Band-Aids and energy gels with a smile.
On Staten Island, she said, "the machine guns are very visible."
"The atmosphere is so different," she said, "It kind of makes me sad."
Near the finish, Ashley O'Brien of Brooklyn was ready with a bullhorn to cheer members of her running group, the Hudson Dusters. She got teary-eyed remembering the events of the past year.
"It's a nice time to all come back together," she said. "You still remember why it was canceled last year and you remember Boston. So it's a little bittersweet."
___
Associated Press Writer Meghan Barr and freelance writer Michael Casey contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-11-04-NYC%20Marathon/id-9272509341884783b7b015ca509d940dSee if you agree with Gawker that "there's something oddly satisfying about watching this guy kill pumpkins."
Four the fourth year, Tennessee's "Hickok45" has posted clips of various "pumpkin killing methods." They're something of an offshoot (pardon our pun) from his usual fare:
"Hickok45 specializes in doing instructional, entertaining, and informational shooting videos on YouTube."
He identifies himself in his videos as an elementary school teacher. As with anything involving guns, he has many admirers and some critics (judging from comments and blog posts) — and millions of video views (including 4.2 million alone for this instructional on firing a "500 S&W Magnum").
Having lobbed a few worn-out jack-o'-lanterns off the deck and into the woods in his day (just to see them smash), this blogger does have to say he kind of admires Hickok45's imagination.
This reminds us, by the way, that it's almost time for Punkin Chunkin.
For the record: The Two-Way is not endorsing violence against pumpkins.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Marilyn Monroe has a unique place in history and now will be remembered in wax at the Madame Tussauds museum in Washington.
The museum is unveiling its newest wax figure Wednesday. It will be displayed initially at Washington's O Street Museum in The Mansion on O Street.
An exhibit about the late Hollywood star will also include a pin-up calendar and photographs, as well as a shampoo advertisement and lunchbox featuring Monroe.
Monroe died 51 years ago but remains a pop culture phenomenon. She was well known for films that included "Some Like it Hot," ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "How to Marry a Millionaire." But for younger generations, Monroe remains an icon of style.
In Washington, a mural serves as a tribute to Monroe in the Woodley Park neighborhood.
A British man has been charged with hacking into U.S. government computers and stealing personal data about thousands of employees, then bragging about it on Twitter.
Lauri Love, 28, was arrested Friday at his home in Stradishall, England, according to a statement from the New Jersey District Attorney's Office. He is charged with one count of accessing a U.S. department or agency computer without authorization and one count of conspiracy
Over the past year, Love and three unnamed co-conspirators -- two living in Australia and one in Sweden -- allegedly planted malware on government computers in order to steal data, according to an indictment filed in District Court in New Jersey.
The group, which planned their attacks over IRC instant messaging, compromised agencies including NASA, the U.S. Defense Department's Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Army's Network Enterprise Technology Command and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.
They are alleged to have obtained personal information of more than 4,000 employees for the Missile Defense Agency and "numerous" NASA employees, according to the indictment. The group allegedly publicized their attacks on Twitter.
Government databases were attacked using SQL injection techniques, which involves probing back-end databases. The attackers also gained access to government computers by exploiting vulnerabilities in ColdFusion, Adobe Systems' Web application development platform.
In an attempt to avoid detection, the group allegedly channeled its attacks through proxy servers and used TOR, a network that provides greater privacy by routing encrypted Web traffic through servers around the world.
The indictment alleges the attacks "collectively resulted in millions of dollars in damages to the government victims."
Love could face up to five years in prison and a US$250,000 fine for the two New Jersey charges. He has also been charged in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for related intrusions, prosecutors said.
Send news tips and comments to jeremy_kirk@idg.com. Follow me on Twitter: @jeremy_kirk
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jonny Gomes arrived at Busch Stadium expecting to watch Game 4 of the World Series from the Red Sox dugout. Halfway through batting practice, Boston's plans changed.
"All I fought for in this year of mine is just the opportunity," Gomes said. "So when my number is called, I'm stepping up. I'm not dodging any situation."
Shane Victorino couldn't shake his bad back. With the Red Sox trailing St. Louis by two games to one in the World Series, Gomes was going to start in left field.
"Came out to the dugout, looked up the lineup card, and now you're going to have to protect David Ortiz," Gomes would say later. "Good luck with all of that."
Good luck, indeed.
Gomes hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer off reliever Seth Maness in the sixth inning, and the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-2 Sunday night to even the Series and ensure it will end back at Boston's Fenway Park.
"He's been one of our leaders in the clubhouse," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "His importance to this team goes above and beyond the numbers that he puts up."
Now 32 and with his fifth major league organization, Gomes has never been an All-Star, never won a Gold Glove. He has a .244 career average in 11 major league seasons but does have some pop — 149 career home runs.
His path to the big leagues was unusual. In an interview published by weei.com in June, Gomes said "I've almost died five times" and the recounted the incidents. A candle and lighter set his sleeping bag on fire during his freshman year in high school; a car crash that sent him to a hospital the following year and killed one of his friends; he nearly was shot during a camping trip in his senior year; he had a heart attack on Christmas Eve 2002; and then he encountered with a wolf.
Gomes made his big league debut for Tampa Bay at Yankee Stadium the following September and stayed with the franchise until 2008. But he was left off the postseason roster that year. In the World Series for the first time, he entered Sunday in a terrible slump: 5 for 40 (.125) with two RBIs in his postseason career, including 0 for 9 in this Series.
While Victorino's back started stiffening Saturday, the Flyin' Hawaiian planned to play.
"When I met with Shane today, he said, 'Yeah, put me in there. I'll find a way to get ready to start the game,'" Farrell said. "As we went through the other work, it became obvious he wasn't capable. And you know what, it turns out that his replacement is the difference in this one tonight with a three-run homer."
Gomes helped Boston get started in the fifth when he followed David Ortiz's leadoff double with a 10-pitch walk that wore down starter Lance Lynn, who had faced the minimum 12 batters through the first four innings.
Stephen Drew's sacrifice fly tied the score 1-all, erasing a deficit created when center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury's third-inning error advanced Matt Carpenter into scoring position for Carlos Beltran's RBI single.
David Ortiz, who is 8 for 11 (.727) in the Series after a three-hit night, was Boston's leader, smacking his hands together and screaming at teammates to get going when he pulled into second base on his double. Then, after the fifth inning, he huddled the Red Sox for a pep talk in the dugout.
"Let's loosen up and let's try to play baseball the way we normally do," Ortiz remembered telling them. "I know we are a better team than what we had shown. Sometimes you get to this stage and you try to overdo things, and it doesn't work that way."
Message heard.
"It was like 24 kindergartners looking up at their teacher," Gomes said, "He got everyone's attention, and we looked him right in the eyes. That message was pretty powerful."
Not long after, Gomes' drive put Boston ahead 4-1.
With adrenaline taking over, Gomes spiked an arm through the air as he rounded first base, yelled and banged his chest with his right fist twice. Teammates tugged on Gomes' beard for good luck when he got back to the dugout, including a two-handed pull by Mike Napoli.
"I'd probably screw it up or mess it up if I tried to put it in words," Gomes said. "What's going on inside here is pretty special, magical. There's so many people and so many mentors and so many messages and so many helping paths and helping ways for me to get here, that there's a lot more than what I could bring individually. And then I step into the box in the World Series and I'm all alone. There's some people out there that need to get praised, and hopefully they take their two cents that they put into my career at some point, and I'm grateful for that."
NOTES: A night after the first postseason game to end on an obstruction call, there was another milestone: the first to end on a pickoff. Koji Uehara caught pinch-runner Kolten Wong off first with Beltran at the plate. ... Felix Doubront got the win with 2 2-3 innings of one-hit relief. ... John Lackey, the Game 2 loser and Boston's probable Game 6 starter, pitched the eighth for his first relief appearance in nine years, overcoming a two-base throwing error by third baseman Xander Bogaerts — Boston's seventh error of the Series — and a wild pitch. ... Lance Lynn was the hard-luck loser, leaving with the score tied and two on for Maness, who allowed Gomes' homer on his fifth pitch. ... Wong tweeted after the game "All i want to say is i'm sorry #CardinalNation I go out every day playing this game as hard as I can and leaving everything on the field."
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Apparently, Monday Night Football had a message for the World Series: Meet me in St. Louis.
The big events taking place near the Gateway Arch meant more than 100,000 people were expected to be crammed into downtown St. Louis. Busch Stadium, hosting the pivotal Game 5 of the Series with the Cardinals and Red Sox tied at two games apiece, sits eight blocks south of the Edward Jones Dome, home of the Rams.
Games 3 and 4 of the World Series drew record crowds of more than 47,000 to Busch. The dome holds more than 66,000 fans. Whether or not the matchup of the 3-4 Rams against the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks draws anywhere close to capacity will have to be seen.
The prime-time NFL game has been around since 1970 but, until now, it had never been played in the same city where a World Series was going on. However, in 1986, Boston lost Game 7 of the Series at the New York Mets on a Monday night — a game that was pushed back a day by rain — while the NFL Giants hosted Washington that evening at Giants Stadium, across the Hudson River in New Jersey.
All on its own, the football game should have been a joyous occasion — it marked the first Monday night game in St. Louis since 2006, a drought largely due to the fact that the Rams have been mostly awful since then. But in baseball-mad St. Louis, the Rams were clearly taking a backseat.
"You want to go crazy for the Rams on national TV," William Cain of Belleville, Ill., said. Then again, he opted for baseball and was at the World Series.
"I think almost everyone in St. Louis will agree — the World Series is more important," he said.
Apparently so.
Two hours before the first pitch of Game 5, StubHub had World Series tickets going for $244 and more. Rams tickets were selling for as little as $9.75.
Fans at the dome could be excused if their focus wasn't exactly on football. The Rams, in a division with powerhouses Seattle and San Francisco, are a longshot to make the playoffs. To make matters worse, they lost quarterback Sam Bradford to a season-ending knee injury last week in Carolina.
The World Series was on the minds of many fans at the football game. Several wore Cardinals gear, either pairing a Cards cap with a Rams shirt or going entirely without blue and gold.
Jessica Pollman and Melissa Stevenson of Maplewood ended up at the Rams game in full Cardinals regalia after Pollman won the tickets in a trivia contest.
"These tickets were free, and Cardinals tickets are, like, $400," Pollman said. "So, these were affordable."
Pollman said she left a replica jersey autographed by former Rams receiver Isaac Bruce at home in favor of her white Cardinals jersey. Stevenson opted for a red Cardinals T-shirt for her first time attending a Rams game. Both planned to track the World Series on their phones, as long as their batteries didn't run out.
"I'm a little bit worried about that," Pollman said.
Games have overlapped in St. Louis before. In 1998, players on both football teams were perplexed when a huge cheer went up just as the Rams were about to take a snap. Mark McGwire had just hit his 69th homer on the final day of the baseball season. Moments after the football game ended, the few fans still in the dome let out another cheer — McGwire hit No. 70.
It could have been worse for the Rams. If St. Louis had won Game 4 on Sunday, the Cardinals would have been playing with a chance to win the World Series on Monday.
Not every fan was laser-focused only on baseball. Retired electrical engineer Jeffrey Miller of St. Charles, Mo., a season ticket holder for both teams, showed up at the World Series in a Matt Holliday jersey on his back and a Rams helmet on his head. He planned to watch four innings of baseball, then walk to the dome for some football.
After that, it depended on how the teams were doing.
"It's a shame because Monday Night Football deserves the attention of the city," Miller said.
The Rams have problems that extend beyond competition from the Cardinals. In addition to the team's lack of success on the field — they were 15-65 over a five-year span before going 7-8-1 last season — the dome is old and outdated by NFL standards. Average home attendance this season is 55,395, second-worst in the NFL, ahead of only Oakland.
The Cardinals' fortunes have been just the opposite. St. Louis is playing in its 10th postseason since 2000 and its fourth World Series since 2004. The Cardinals drew nearly 3.4 million fans to Busch Stadium this season, averaging 41,602, second-highest in baseball.
Stevenson said the Rams shouldn't take the divided loyalties personally.
"If it was a big game for the Rams, it would be different," she said. "Because it's such a big game for the Cardinals and such a big baseball town, you're going to see the people that are going to be here in spirit and cheering for the Rams but also thinking about the Cardinals."
This July 3, 2013 photo released by ABC shows Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." ABC is apologizing for a segment of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in which a child joked about killing Chinese to help erase the U.S. debt. The boy's unscripted comment came during a comedy bit in which youngsters commented on news events. ABC's apology came in response to a complaint from a group called 80-20, which identifies itself as a pan Asian-American political organization. (AP Photo/ABC, Randy Holmes, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — ABC is apologizing for a segment of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in which a child joked about killing Chinese people to help erase the U.S. debt.
The boy's unscripted comment came during a comedy bit in which youngsters commented on news events. The skit, aimed at poking fun at childish politicians, aired last week on Kimmel's late-night talk show.
ABC's apology came in response to a complaint from a group called 80-20 that identifies itself as a pan-Asian-American political organization.
In an Oct. 25 letter to the group, ABC said it would never purposefully do anything to upset the Chinese, Asian or other communities. The network says the skit will be edited out of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" episode for future airings or any other distribution, including online.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe smiles during his campaign event at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. President Barack Obama also attended the event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe smiles during his campaign event at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. President Barack Obama also attended the event. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Riley Cooper during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:
1. WHAT LAX SHOOTING SUSPECT IS TELLING POLICE
The gunman charged in the deadly airport rampage said he acted alone, a law enforcement official says.
2. WHOSE TRIAL COULD FURTHER INCITE EGYPT
Ousted Islamist president Morsi is set to appear in court Monday on charges of inciting violence, as rifts between his supporters and the security establishment deepen.
3. VA. GOV. RACE SEEN AS 'OBAMACARE' REFERENDUM
The results of Tuesday's election could hold clues about voter attitudes heading into the 2014 midterms.
4. HOW CHRISTIE IS CASTING HIMSELF
A second term all but assured, the N.J. governor may be hinting at a White House bid by stating "the only way our state and our country gets better is if people work together across the aisle."
5. ANGST OVER US DRONE STRIKE ON PAKISTAN TALIBAN CHIEF
"We fear more bloodshed and more destruction" over the American attack because terror groups may take out their revenge on Pakistani citizens, says university student Muhammad Tahir.
6. HEALTH CARE LAW GETS REAL
With the 'Obamacare' rollout, Americans are now starting to figure out how the new law affects their lives.
7. EMPLOYERS SELDOM GIVE THE BLIND A CHANCE
Sightless people remain largely unwanted in the U.S. workplace, despite technological advances that dramatically boost their capabilities.
8. 'SILVER TSUNAMI' SAYS NO TO SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES
As Baby Boomers retire, they're against raising the age when they can begin collecting benefits, and they don't want cost of living reductions.
9. WHAT CONCERNS BP ABOUT GULF SPILL SETTLEMENT
The London-based oil giant is worried that bogus or inflated claims by businesses could cost it billions over the $7.8 billion in estimated payouts.
10. PHILLY'S FOLES TIES NFL RECORD
With seven scoring passes, the Eagles' backup QB matches Peyton Manning's performance from earlier this season.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-11-03-10%20Things%20to%20Know-Monday/id-2c70e6ce49ba4a84a5cbc61aeb431c28Getting a jump start to the work week, AnnaSophia Robb reported for duty on the New York City set of "The Carrie Diaries" on Monday morning (October 28).
Clad in true 1980's style, the blonde bombshell wore a flower print coat over a white dress as she transformed in to her character for the shoot.
The show follows a pre-"Sex and the City" Carrie Bradshaw at seventeen, as she navigates through life in Manhattan.
Fans of "The Carrie Diaries" can catch an all new episode, titled "Express Yourself" on Friday, November 1 at 8/7 central on the CW.
The first ever YouTube Music Awards are starting...really soon at 6pm EST (streaming free). Which is cool! Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts are hosting, Spike Jonze is directing, and the likes of Lady Gaga, Eminem, Avicii and Arcade Fire will be making appearances.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says she isn't in a hurry to make a decision about running for president again. Her former Senate colleague, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, isn't waiting for her to make up her mind.
Schumer endorsed Clinton for president during a speech Saturday night at an Iowa Democratic Party dinner, more than two years before the state's presidential caucuses.
"Hillary's experience is unrivaled and her vision is unparalleled," Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said of the former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state.
"It's time for a woman to be president," Schumer said as the crowd of 750 rose to their feet with enthusiastic applause. "And so tonight, here in Iowa, and I won't get this opportunity again, I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president and, when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support."
With Clinton, Schumer said, the party can "vanquish the Ted Cruz, tea party Republicans in 2016." Cruz is a Texas senator and tea party favorite.
A Clinton spokesman, Nick Merrill, noted that Schumer was an "old colleague and an even older friend" of Clinton, and "what he said about her is very flattering. Ultimately though this is a very personal decision that she hasn't made."
Polls show that Clinton would be the leading contender for the Democratic nomination if she were to run. She told New York magazine in an article published in September that she was wrestling with whether to run again and offered no timeline for an announcement.
"I'm not in any hurry. I think it's a serious decision, not to be made lightly, but it's also not one that has to be made soon," Clinton told the magazine.
Clinton has been careful to remain close to key Democratic voters, speaking before students, black women and the gay and lesbian community in recent months. While she has given speeches around the country, she has not visited the early voting state of Iowa.
Many top Democrats have been urging Clinton to run. The Ready for Hillary super PAC, launched by her supporters, has received endorsements from Democrats such as Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Other potential Democratic candidates seeking the 2016 nomination include Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.
Iowa state Sen. Liz Mathis, a Democrat from Robins, said she was excited by Schumer's announcement.
"It paves a way into her election," said Mathis, who was a caucus leader for Clinton in 2008. "Primarily women in the party have come out in support of her, so it's very good to see male leaders in the party, too. It's important that everyone in the Democratic Party come out."
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Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.
CAIRO (AP) — The United States and Egypt tried Sunday to put a brave face on their badly frayed ties and committed to restoring a partnership undermined by the military ouster of Egypt's first democratically elected president.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry became the highest-ranking Obama administration official to visit the country since the military toppled Mohammed Morsi in July and cracked down on his Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
Those moves led the U.S. to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. Morsi's trial on charges of inciting murder was expected to begin Monday, at a location east of the capital. There were fears of renewed clashes between his backers and government security forces.
Kerry, who was starting a 10-day trip to the Middle East, Europe and North Africa, and Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy pledged to ease tensions between Washington and Cairo. Yet the strains were clearly evident.
The State Department expected a frosty reception for Kerry, especially with tensions running high on the eve of Morsi's trial. The department refused to confirm Kerry's brief visit until he landed in Cairo, even though Egypt's official news agency reported the impending trip Friday.
The secrecy was unprecedented for a secretary of state's travel to Egypt, for decades one of the closest U.S. allies in the Arab world, and highlighted the deep rifts that have emerged.
Eager to avoid the potential for demonstrations related to his visit or Morsi's impending trial, Kerry spent most of his time at a hotel near the airport. He ended his visit with meetings at the presidential palace and defense ministry.
Kerry said that the U.S.-Egyptian relationship should not be defined by American assistance. He insisted that the suspension of military aid was "not a punishment" and said it was a minor topic in his talks with Fahmy.
America' chief diplomat held out the prospect of aid resumption as Egypt makes progress in restoring civilian democratic rule and ensuring the protection of basic human rights, including respect for freedom of expression, religion and the press.
"The United States believes that the U.S.-Egypt partnership is going to be strongest when Egypt is represented by an inclusive, democratically-elected, civilian government based on rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and an open and competitive economy," Kerry told reporters at a news conference with Fahmy.
Kerry spoke of the importance of all trials being transparent and respecting rule of law, but did not specifically mention Morsi's case, according to aides present in the meetings.
Instead, as he did in the news conference with Fahmy, Kerry spoke generally of U.S. disapproval of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions, and urged Egyptian authorities to respect due process and be transparent in any criminal proceedings, they said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private talks, said Kerry pressed the Egyptians not to renew a state of emergency that grants the government sweeping powers and is due to expire on Nov. 14.
Kerry also pushed for an end to the crackdown on Morsi supporters and other critics who renounce violence, the officials said.
The military chief, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has presented a "road map" to democracy that includes amending the Islamist-tilted constitution adopted under Morsi last year and putting the new charter to a nationwide referendum before the end of the year, then having parliamentary and presidential elections by this spring.
The officials said el-Sissi reiterated his commitment to that timetable, but appealed for the U.S. and others to be patient as Egypt struggles to restore democracy and get its economy back on track, the officials said.
Fahmy said last month that U.S.-Egyptian relations were in "turmoil" and the strain could affect the entire Middle East.
But on Sunday, he was less dire. He said Kerry's positive comments about the road map indicated that "we are all pursuing a resumption of normal relations."
Kerry offered cautious praise, saying the interim government "has made very important statements about the road map and is now engaged" in putting those steps in place.
Kerry last was in Egypt in March, when he urged Morsi to enact economic reforms and govern in a more inclusive manner. Those calls went unheeded. Simmering public unhappiness with his rule boiled over when the powerful military deposed Morsi.
The Obama administration was caught in a bind over whether to condemn the ouster as a coup and cut the annual $1.3 billion in U.S. military assistance that such a determination would legally require.
The U.S. waffled before deciding last month to suspend most big-ticket military aid such as tanks, helicopters and fighter jets, while declining to make a coup determination. The U.S. also is withholding $260 million in budget support to the government.
Egypt is receiving billions of dollars in aid from wealthy Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But Egyptian authorities reacted angrily to the U.S. aid suspension, declaring it a new low point in ties that have been troubled since the revolt that unseated authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
According to the U.S. officials, Kerry made the point that relying entirely on contributions from the oil-rich Gulf states is not sustainable, and that serious reform is needed to encourage foreign investment, boost domestic growth and restore the country's once vibrant tourism sector.
With U.S. influence ebbing, Kerry's message about the importance of economic and constitutional reforms was expected to be met with suspicion, if not outright hostility, by Egyptian leaders and a population deeply mistrustful of Washington's motives.
Many Egyptians accuse the Obama administration of taking sides in their domestic political turmoil; American officials adamantly deny it.
From Egypt, Kerry planned to travel to Saudi Arabia, Poland, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Morocco. The trip is widely seen as a damage control mission to ease disagreements between the U.S. and its friends over Syria, Iran and the revelations of widespread U.S. surveillance activities around the globe.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) passes against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) passes against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Nick Foles has tied an NFL record by throwing seven touchdown passes for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Oakland Raiders.
Foles matched the record last reached in the season-opener by Peyton Manning when he connected with Riley Cooper on a 5-yard pass with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter. It was his third TD pass to Cooper on the day.
Foles also connected with Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson to become the seventh quarterback to throw for seven TDs in a single game. The others to reach that mark are Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda, Y.A. Tittle and Joe Kapp.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-11-03-FBN-Eagles-Foles'-TD-Record/id-177f2e92d2ae45bb8fd3bfd51674ad2d
Can Rick keep Carol on a leash? Will he have to pull another Shane? Those questions and more in MTV News' latest 'Walking Dead' preview!
By Josh Wigler
Just as she promised, the eminent Lady Gaga single, "Dope" just came out in full audio, with lyrics today (November 3).
The pop queen's single comes from her highly anticipated album, ARTPOP, hitting the market on November 11th, and reportedly in stiff competition with Katy Perry.
In related news, both Lady Gaga and the lovely Katy Perry are constantly compared as competing musical talents. Their contesting singles, music videos and albums have brought fans and critics alike to question who the true queen of pop is.
“Gaga and I like to publicly dismiss it because it’s not healthy," Ms. Perry said in an interview. "You want to feel music. You want it to resonate and relate to you. You can’t look at it like a competition because you ruin the reason why you love music. But I think that sometimes our fan groups are so big and strong, they use it as ammunition.” Watch the video below, and see for yourself who the best in the business really is!
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is not a tech founder. President Barack Obama does not have a GitHub account. The failed launch of the new health insurance e-commerce website, Healthcare.gov, came as a shock to political leaders that were too steeped in government shutdowns and the machinations of two-party infighting to understand how their hired geeks could flub a computer project.
Unfortunately, Silicon Valley’s powerful political lobbies were myopically focused on the stereotypical tech issues of immigration reform and broadband access to see that every single law affects the tech industry as much as the rest of the country. As a result, many Silicon Valley startups were legally shut out of a brand-new, multi-billion dollar market, while America’s new health-care system is in danger of missing crucial enrollment deadlines.
Here’s the lesson: there are no more “tech issues.” America and startups got hosed because Silicon Valley was politically absent. Since everything now has crucial technology components, the technology industry cannot sit out any issue.
The government, alone, is incapable of solving these problems. Upon entering office, President Obama thought he set a path to change by creating two new positions, the Chief Technology Officer and newly re-tooled Chief Information Officer, specifically designed to make government as innovative as his campaign.
New directors hired. Check! Problem solved? Of course! Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.
The first CIO, Vivek Kundra, practically stormed out of his office after two years, denouncing the entire system. “We almost have an IT cartel within federal IT,” he said to Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. The searing criticism fell on the deaf ears of a few wonky trade publications.
The next CIO, Steve VanRoekel, gave me his first interview and declared a bold solution to gut the system from the inside by hiring young folks from Silicon Valley. While we know his ambitious plans didn’t stop the Healthcare.gov failure, we don’t know why, because sometime last spring when Healthcare.gov began serious construction, he was moved to a different department.
No one in the executive branch seemed to have the political power to change either the IT system or the Affordable Care Act’s regulations. In the end, the feds did what they normally do: hire a known contractor and keep the status quo.
“So what they did instead, and very rationally, is they opted to take a contract that they already had — one with CGI Federal — and amended that contract to add the Healthcare.gov stuff onto it,” wrote former Presidential Innovation Fellow Clay Johnson. Congress, likewise, had no incentive to anger a contractor that gives jobs to constituents. “No contracting officer wants a call from a member of Congress asking why their backyard IT integrator wasn’t selected.”
Worse yet, the Affordable Care Act put a new multi-billion-dollar commerce opportunity completely in the hands of the government. “Web-based entities,” or tech startup insurance brokers, who are designing an Orbitz-like experience for shoppers, were treated as second-class citizens. Startups like Fuse Insurance tell me they were given late access to the data and can’t test their product because of Healthcare.gov’s backend glitches. Worse yet, they’re completely overshadowed by a multi-million-dollar, celebrity-fueled ad campaign to drive consumers to the federal website.
The regulations, as written, give state exchanges the option to allow startups access to the new market. California and New York have delayed these partnerships for around two years. As a result of Silicon Valley’s inattentiveness, everyone got screwed.
Fortunately, there are models for Silicon Valley to broaden its reach.
Former Newark Mayor, now Senator Cory Booker, realized this fact on a problem that doesn’t seem to fit the typical “tech issue” mold: criminal justice. While civil libertarians were battling New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg over controversial stop-and-frisk policies, Booker won accolades from the local American Civil Liberties Union for finding a unique tech solution: open up all the data on police officer street stops. Watchdogs can now work cooperatively with law enforcement to find out exactly which stops are happening.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, noted Facebook investor Ron Conway spearheaded investment for startups that could equip police with gun-fire detection technologies; it’s also exploring ways to empower community volunteers with social media sentiment analysis that can find public gang feuds and defuse them with preemptive diplomacy.
In foreign policy, Benetech helped develop a James Bond-like eraser tool for spying dissidents, they used statistics to indict war criminals, and helping crisis workers more efficiently find victims of national disasters.
All of these areas are not only ripe for business but can save lives. Education, health care, immigration, tax reform, infrastructure (self-driving cars), energy, foreign policy, gay rights, voting rights, disaster relief — they’re all tech issues now.
Silicon Valley’s citizens and its well-heeled lobbyists better expand their interests. Where I can, I will also try to be better at identifying technology-relevant aspects of all major legislation. Health care was a rational oversight. But we shouldn’t get fooled again.
