Michelle Obama mourns slain teenager at Chicago funeral



Obama did not know Pendleton, nor did scores of other political dignitaries who filed into the Greater Harvest Baptist Church in Chicago’s South Side for the service. But by returning to her home town of Chicago to honor Pendleton, the first lady spotlighted the everyday gun violence that plagues the nation’s biggest cities at a time when the president is pushing Congress to pass tougher gun laws.


Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett accompanied the first lady to the service. All three have long ties to the South Side.

Although the president did not travel here Saturday, the back of a glossy obituary program distributed to mourners included a handwritten note from him to Pendleton’s parents, Cleopatra and Nathaniel.

“Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about Hadiya’s passing,” he wrote in the letter. “We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless, Barack Obama.”

As hundreds of people filed into the church Saturday morning, a heart-shaped pillow rested beside Pendleton’s casket, which was lined in purple, her favorite color. The pillow featured a smiling image of the girl, signed by “mom and dad.”

Some of Pendleton’s classmates and fellow majorettes in the King College Prep’s band wore their black and yellow warm-up suits and carried roses.

Pendleton was remembered as an honors student who enjoyed cheerleading, debate and volleyball. She loved eating Chinese food, cheeseburgers and Fig Newtons; her favorite class in school was Latin; and she aspired to major in pharmacology or journalism in college.

During the service, Eric Thomas, pastor at Greater Harvest Baptist Church, asked that God “let the family know — her parents know — that her life has not been in vain. Because of this day, there will be many others saved.”

President Obama has spoken out repeatedly about finding ways to end not only mass shootings like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but also the daily gun violence on street corners in cities such as Chicago, the nation’s third-largest.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Danny Davis (Ill.), all Democrats, attended Saturday’s service, as did the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who stood at the front of the church near Pendleton’s casket for a while before taking his seat in the congregation.

Quinn mentioned Pendleton in his “State of the State” address this week, in which he called for tougher gun control measures. And Emanuel, who was President Obama’s first White House chief of staff before being elected mayor, has become emotional recently when talking about Chicago’s frighteningly high homicide rate.

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Golf: Sterne, Fisher extend Joburg Open lead






JOHANNESBURG: South Africans Richard Sterne and Trevor Fisher stretched their lead to five shots on Saturday, after three rounds of the 1.3 million euros Joburg Open.

They held a healthy advantage at the event being played at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the local Sunshine Tour.

Playing together, each fired a third-round 68 to share first place on 196, with compatriots George Coetzee, tournament favourite Charl Schwartzel, Jaco van Zyl and Chilean Felipe Aguilar on 201, the nearest challengers.

American Peter Uihlein is alone on 202 and the group a shot further back includes South Africans Thomas Aiken and Garth Mulroy, Tommy Fleetwood of England, David Drysale of Scotland and Lorenzo Gagli of Italy.

Mulroy and Aiken posted the best third rounds -- 65 and 66 respectively over the par-72, 6942-metre east course at the north-eastern Johannesburg club -- but bridging a seven-stroke gap on the leaders is asking a lot of the pair.

The chances of the trophy staying in South Africa for a fourth consecutive year after two wins by Schwartzel and one by Branden Grace are good with seven locals among the top 12 contenders.

Sterne, runner-up to Stephen Gallacher of Scotland in the Dubai Desert Classic last weekend, had three birdies on the outward nine to make the turn one shot behind Fisher, who was four-under-par over the first nine holes.

But Fisher had an inconsistent inward nine with three birdies and three bogeys while 2008 Joburg Open champion Sterne displayed greater stability with two birdies and a solitary bogey.

"It was pretty good going out there," said Sterne as he admitted feeling the mental and physical pressure of being a title chaser for the second consecutive weekend.

"I feel quite drained at chasing first prize twice within eight days, but I would rather be at the top of the leaderboard than in the middle of the pack. My heart was pumping quite fast out there today."

Fisher admitted to back-nine nerves: "A few set in -- you try not to think about the lead, but the board is there in front of you. I was jumpy with the swing and not waiting at the top, so I hit a few bad shots.

"But I came back nicely on the second nine with a few birdies. It is all about feeling and you have got to try and feel comfortable out there on the course as much as possible."

- AFP/jc



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Afzal Guru's execution: Security agencies unfazed by likely spurt in J&K militancy

NEW DELHI: Terror outfits from across the border are likely to leverage the hanging of Md Afzal Guru and the resulting resentment against Indian state in the Valley to revive militancy in Jammu & Kashmir. Indian security establishment, however, is not perturbed as it believes the sentiment for militancy among the youth in the Valley is dead and even the emotional connect of the Afzal issue is largely limited to the state's urban centres.

Intelligence agencies, however, believe there will be wide protests and stone pelting in the Valley in days to come with situation likely worsen coming Friday.

Outside the state, trouble is being anticipated from front organizations of the Maoist movement who, say sources, have been trying for the past few years to find a common cause with Kashmiri separatists to ramp up their political strength.

According to sources in the security establishment, outfits such as LeT, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed are likely to get a boost from the developments in Afghanistan where they are likely to find safe havens following drawdown of US forces from the region next year. With Pakistan becoming a major player in the region, the spillover from Af-Pak borders is likely to head towards the Valley aided and abetted by ISI. Given the resentment against Indian state over Afzal's hanging, these outfits might find the mood ripe for revival of militancy in the Valley, said sources.

Indian security agencies, however, say these attempts will not have a major impact as the Valley youth is looking to be part of the nation's growing economic boom and is practically tired of militancy, one of the reasons why it has been on the wane for the past one decade. "Youth in the Valley today want jobs and are looking at ways to make their life better. The rising aspirations of a young nation have caught on the imagination of Valley youth too. They are not going to pick up guns now," said an official from the security establishment.

The official also pointed out that the Afzal sentiment has been amplified, thanks to social media which restricted to urban centres in the Valley. For militancy to get some significant foothold, the sentiment has to capture the imagination of rural youth who have traditionally fed the outfits. "So there will be stone pelting and rabble rousing in urban centers but things will be back to normal after people have vented their anger," said the official.

Not surprisingly, except for general alerts of possible law and order disruptions within and outside the Valley, no specific terror alert has been issued by the Intelligence Bureau.

Politically too, sources said, the Omar Abdullah government may not face too much trouble save the initial few days as none of the political or separatist outfits have shown signs of leveraging the issue to create long-term problems and their reactions to the development have been largely moderate.

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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Dragon, Celestial Seagull








































































































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After Blizzard, Northeast Begins to Dig Out













The Northeast began the arduous process of cleaning up after a fierce storm swept through the region leaving behind up to three feet of snow in some areas.


By early this morning, 650,000 homes and businesses were without power and at least five deaths were being blamed on the storm: three in Canada, one in New York and one in Connecticut, The Associated Press reported.


The storm dumped snow from New Jersey to Maine, affecting more than 25 million people, with more than two feet falling in areas of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. The Postal Service closed post offices and suspended mail delivery today in New England.


As the storm waned, officials in the hardest hit areas cautioned residents to remain indoors and off the roads to ease the clean-up.


Massachusetts was hard hit by the storm, with more than two feet of snow in Boston and even more in coastal areas. State police and national guard troops helped rescue more than 50 stranded motorists and even helped deliver a baby girl, according to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.


Patrick enacted the first statewide driving ban since the 1978 blizzard, which left 27 inches of snow and killed dozens. The ban was to be lifted at 4 p.m. today, the governor said.


However, Patrick cautioned residents to act with extreme caution even after the ban is over.


"Stay inside and be patient," Patrick said.


In Massachusetts a boy reportedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning as he helped his father shovel snow on Saturday, according to ABCNews.com affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston.


For residents along the coast, the waning snowfall didn't mean the end of the storm. Storm surges along the Massachusetts coastline forced some residents out of their homes Saturday morning.


"We've got 20-foot waves crashing and flooding some homes," Bob Connors on Plum Island told WCVB. "We have power and heat and all that. We just have a very angry ocean. In my 33 years, I've never seen the seas this high."






Darren McCollester/Getty Images











Blizzard Shuts Down Parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts Watch Video









Blizzard 2013: Power Outages for Hundreds of Thousands of People Watch Video









Blizzard 2013: Northeast Transportation Network Shut Down Watch Video





FULL COVERAGE: Blizzard of 2013


In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy declared a state of emergency and closed all roads in the state. The state police responded to more than 1,600 calls over the last 24 hours and the governor called up an additional 270 National Guard members.


"If you're not an emergency personnel that's required to be somewhere, stay home," Malloy said.


Overnight, snow fell at a rate of up to five to six inches per hour in parts of Connecticut. In Milford, more than 38 inches of snow had fallen by this morning.


In Fairfield, Conn. firefighters and police officers on the day shift were unable to make it to work, so the overnight shift remained on duty.


PHOTOS: Blizzard Hits Northeast


The wind and snow started affecting the region during the Friday night commute.


In Cumberland, Maine, the conditions led to a 19-car pile-up and in New York, hundreds of commuters were stranded on the snowy Long Island Expressway. Police and firefighters were still working to free motorists early this morning.


"The biggest problem that we're having is that people are not staying on the main portion or the middle section of the roadway and veering to the shoulders, which are not plowed," said Lt. Daniel Meyer from the Suffolk County Police Highway Patrol.


In New York, authorities are digging out hundreds of cars that got stuck overnight on the Long Island Expressway.


Bob Griffith of Syosset, N.Y., said he tried leave early to escape the storm, but instead ended up stuck in the snow by the side of the road.


"I tried to play it smart in that I started early in the day, when it was raining," said Griffith. "But the weather beat us to the punch."


Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone said the snow had wreaked havoc on the roadways.


"I saw state plows stuck on the side of the road. I've never seen anything like this before," Bellone said.


However, some New York residents, who survived the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, were rattled by having to face another large and potentially dangerous storm system with hurricane force winds and flooding.


"How many storms of the century can you have in six months?" said Larry Racioppo, a resident of the hard hit Rockaway neighborhood in Queens, New York.


READ: Weather NYC: Blizzard Threatens Rockaways, Ravaged by Sandy


Snowfall Totals


In New York, a little more than 11 inches fell in the city.


By this morning, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said nearly all of the primary roads had been plowed and the department of sanitation anticipated that all roads would be plowed by the end of the day.


"It looks like we dodged a bullet, but keep in mind winter is not over," said Bloomberg.






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US stocks end higher on sharply narrowed US trade deficit

 





NEW YORK: The S&P 500 punched to a new five-year high on Friday and the Nasdaq to its best since 2000, as stocks regained footing helped by a sharply narrowed US trade deficit.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average also reached a post-crisis high above 14,022 during trade, but slipped back to end up 48.92 points (0.35 percent) at 13,992.97.

The S&P 500 index rose 8.54 points (0.57 percent) to 1,517.93, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 28.74 points (0.91 percent) to 3,193.87.

- AFP/de




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Super Bowl Blackout: Was It Caused by Relay Device, or Human Error?


A device designed to bolster the Superdome electrical system instead caused it to shut down dramatically during Super Bowl XLVII, officials said Friday, but the equipment maker blames the settings keyed in by system operators in New Orleans.

Amid the volley of competing conclusions today, there was only slightly more clarity on the cause of the partial blackout of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome that halted action for 34 minutes Sunday night in the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. (See related story: "What Caused the Super Bowl Blackout at the Superdome?")

Entergy New Orleans, which provides power to the venue, said testing traced the source of the problem to an "electrical relay device" it had installed in December to protect Superdome equipment in case a cable failure occurred between the company's switchgear and the stadium.

At an emergency meeting of the New Orleans City Council utility regulatory committee, the power company had no answer to why the relay failed. Though there was some discussion that an independent probe might be needed, council members laced their questions with civic pride.

"The reason that you've identified is not a reason that was the fault of Entergy, or the Superdome or anyone here in New Orleans, is that correct?" asked city council member James Austin Gray II.

"As best as we can tell, the partial outage was due to a device that was manufactured in Chicago," said Charles Rice, president and chief executive of Entergy New Orleans.

But the manufacturer, S&C Electric, a 102-year-old designer of switching and protection products for electric power transmission and distribution, says the problem Sunday was caused by human error by system operators, not a fault with the device.  (See related quiz: "What You Don't Know About Electricity.")

"In working with those involved, we found that the electric outage at the Super Bowl was a result of the electric load current exceeding the trip setting for the switchgear relay as set by the system operators," said Michael Edmonds, S&C's vice president for strategic solutions, in an email exchange with National Geographic News. "Based on the onsite testing, we have determined that if higher settings had been applied, the equipment would not have disconnected the power.

"S&C continues to work with all those involved to get the system back online, and our customers can continue to rely on the quality and performance of our products," he added.

Root Cause?

Relays are devices that sense electrical current, voltages, and power and tell the circuits to operate. "Relays don't fail on their own, or it's relatively rare," says Helmut Brosz, director of the Institute of Forensic Electro-Pathology and former chair of the engineering sciences section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He explains that there are alarm relays, which simply provide an alert if there is a problem, and protective relays, which actually trip breakers in the event of a problem, causing power to stop flowing.

One of the most notorious power outages traced to a relay was the 1965 blackout that plunged 30 million people in the Northeastern United States and Canada, which was caused by a protective relay outside of Toronto tripping a circuit. The U.S. regulators traced that problem to human error: System operators had input an incorrect setting into the backup protective relay, and when the load on the line exceeded that set point, the relay took a big 230-kilovolt line out of service, redistributing the flow on other lines, which tripped out in a cascading failure in a matter of seconds.

S&C, maker of the relay device used at the Superdome, markets a variety of "smart grid solutions." Although those are typically meant to improve efficiency and performance of large utility power systems, outside experts stress that the extent of an electrical system like that in Superdome should not be underestimated. "The stadium electrical system would be similar in size and complexity to a small town," said David Bassett, a retired senior staff engineer for PPL Electric Utilities of Pennsylvania and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

In New Orleans this morning, some city council members expressed concern that there was not a more detailed explanation of what caused the relay device to fail at the showcase game before 108.4 million television viewers. "We've told the public we're going to have an investigation by a third party, and we have an obligation," said Council Vice President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson. "What assurance do we have on this test? Was it an overload?"

Rice said Entergy would discuss the need for a third-party investigator with Superdome management, but said the utility was "certain" the cause of the outage was the device, which was taken out of service. New equipment is being evaluated, he said.

"Currently that piece is offline, and the Superdome is fully functional," Rice said. "What we will do is continue our analysis, and we are in the process of obtaining replacement equipment, and we are working very closely with the manufacturer of the equipment to ensure that never happens again."

At the end of the hearing, Clarkson said she still believed there should be a third-party investigation of the incident "to reassure the public... and defy the naysayers rising up around the country." She noted that there had been outages in football stadiums in the past. "This is not a one-of-a-kind event," she said. "But I think we have to take the attitude that we've handled it better than it's ever been handled before." In an unusual structure, the New Orleans City Council regulates the local subsidiary of parent company Entergy, while the Louisiana Public Service Commission regulates its operations outside of Orleans Parish.

The hearing revealed the extraordinary measures that had been undertaken in advance of the Super Bowl to upgrade, bolster, and maintain the electrical systems.

Entergy started evaluating the stadium electrical systems two years ago, and decided to add a protective relay system. "The purpose was to provide a newer, more advanced type of protection to the Superdome," said Dennis Dawsey, Louisiana vice president for transmission and distribution operations for Entergy. On the night of the Super Bowl, Entergy had nine people at the stadium to monitor the electrical systems, two at the substation and two at a distribution facility. "We were prepared for this event," he said. (See related photos: "Super Bowl Caps Banner Season in NFL Green Drive.")

The Superdome management, meanwhile, last year had replaced some aging electric feeder cables that bring power into the stadium, said Doug Thornton, senior vice president, Stadiums and Arenas for SMG, which manages the operations of the Superdome. "I never even heard of a relay device until Monday," he told the council. "But we did take steps to ensure that those feeder cables were 100 percent reliable."

Black Box Data

Just as investigators search for the "black box" that stores flight data after a plane crash, probes on electrical outages initially center on a similar device that records electrical flow and circuit trips, experts say. But the black box of electrical systems—known as the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system—"has its limits," says B. Don Russell, distinguished professor of electrical engineering at Texas A & M University, who has 30 years of experience as an electric power forensic engineer. "It's not very accurate, but will give a general idea of the time when the power went off—if it occurred as a disruption on the utility system. It will tell them if the breaker at the utility system went off, but it will tell them nothing about what happened inside the facility."

For that part of the puzzle, examiners would need to start at the main service panel, where the electricity supply enters the facility and look at the entire system between that point and the lights. The fact that the stadium lights came back on relatively quickly suggests "there's probably not anything broken," Russell says. "They will want to reconstruct what lights went off and why, asking questions and testing equipment tracing back the power" until they find the piece of equipment that was responsible.

Much like a medical examiner conducting an autopsy, a forensic electrical engineer is an expert in the field whose determination of the cause of an electrical event can withstand scrutiny in a court of law. "If you've got a problem that involved engineering and it's in the legal system, we probably have somebody you could hire," says Marvin Specter, Executive Director of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers. "The process is no different from the case of the car hit the pole hit the bicycle: gather information and analyze with competence."

In the past, forensic electrical engineers have investigated the causes of events such as the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant and the widespread blackouts across the Northeastern United States and Canada in the 1960s and in 2003. They also work on smaller scale incidents such as an individual being electrocuted by her toaster. They are usually called in when death or injury has occurred, or a large sum of money is at stake.

For New Orleans, which is preparing to host its annual Mardi Gras celebration next week, the city's reputation as an event venue is clearly on the line. "More than anything else we want to get rid of the speculation," said Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, chair of the utility committee. "Let's get rid of the conspiracy theories and get down to nuts and bolts facts. Then we can make sure it won't happen again." Like other council colleagues, she mentioned New Orleans' bid to have the Super Bowl return for the city's tricentennial in 2018.  "After all, we would love to welcome the NFL back for our 300th anniversary," she said.

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.


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Blizzard of 2013 May Bring More Than 2 Feet of Snow













A blizzard of possibly historic proportions is set to strike the Northeast, starting today and could bring more than two feet of snow and strong winds that could shut down densely populated cities such as Boston and New York City.


A storm from the west will join forces with one from the south to form a nor'easter that will sit and spin just off the East Coast, affecting more than 43 million Americans. Wind gusts will reach 50 to 60 mph from Philadelphia to Boston.


"[It] could definitely be a historic winter storm for the Northeast," Adrienne Leptich of the National Weather Service in Upton, N.Y., said. "We're looking at very strong wind and heavy snow and we're also looking for some coastal flooding."


The snow began falling in New York City shortly before 7 a.m. ET. The snow is expected to mix with some sleet and then turn back into snow after 3 p.m.


Airlines have started shutting down operations between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at major airports in the New York area as well as in Boston, Portland, Maine, Providence, and other Northeastern airports. More than 4,000 flights have been cancelled on Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware. Airlines hope to resume flights by Saturday afternoon.


New York City is expecting up to 14 inches, which is expected to start this morning with the heaviest amounts falling at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts of 55 mph are expected in New York City and Cape Cod, Mass., could possibly see 75 mph gusts.


PHOTOS: Northeast Braces for Snowstorm








Weather Forecast: Northeast Braces for Monster Blizzard Watch Video









Winter Storm to Hit Northeast With Winds and Snow Watch Video







Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other New England cities canceled school today. Boston and other parts of New England could see more than 2 feet of snow by Saturday.


Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon and announced a ban on all traffic from roads after 4 p.m. It is believed that the last time the state enacted such a ban was during the blizzard of 1978.


Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible from New Jersey to Long Island, N.Y., and into New England coastal areas. Some waves off the coast could reach more than 20 feet.


"Stay off the streets of our city. Basically, stay home," Boston Mayor Tom Menino warned Thursday.


Blizzard warnings were posted for parts of New Jersey and New York's Long Island, as well as portions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, including Hartford, New Haven, Conn., and Providence. The warnings extended into New Hampshire and Maine.


To the south, Philadelphia was looking at a possible 4 to 6 inches of snow.


Thousands of flights have already been canceled in anticipation of the storm. Amtrak said its Northeast trains will stop running this afternoon.


Bruce Sullivan of the National Weather Service says travel conditions will deteriorate fairly rapidly Friday night.


"The real concern here is there's going to be a lot of strong winds with this system and it's going to cause considerable blowing and drifting of snow," he said.


Parts of New York, still reeling from October's Superstorm Sandy, are still using tents and are worried how they will deal with the nor'easter.


"Hopefully, we can supply them with enough hot food to get them through before the storm starts," Staten Island hub coordinator Donna Graziano said.


New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said plows and 250,000 tons of salt were being put on standby.


"We hope forecasts are exaggerating the amount of snow, but you never can tell," Bloomberg said Thursday.


Residents of the Northeast have already begun to hit stores for groceries and tools to fight the mounting snow totals.


The fire department was called in to a grocery store in Salem, Mass., because there were too many people in the store Thursday afternoon trying to load up their carts with essential items.


"I'm going to try this roof melt stuff for the first time," Ian Watson of Belmont, Mass., said. "Just to prevent the ice dam. ... It's going be ugly on that roof."


ABC News' Max Golembo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Brennan defends drone strike policies



Appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Brennan also rebutted accusations that he did not follow through on his concerns about harsh interrogation techniques by taking his reservations to superiors in the CIA.


In response to questions from Sen. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), the top Republican on the committee, Brennan disputed the suggestion that it was “better to kill [terrorists] with a drone” than for the CIA to detain them. “I never believe it’s better to kill a terrorist than to detain him,” Brennan said. He said he did not want the CIA to be in the detention business but that detaining and interrogating terrorists could produce valuable information to prevent further attacks.

As Brennan began testifying Thursday, he was repeatedly interrupted by antiwar protesters, who were escorted out by guards. One protester carried a sign that read, “Stop CIA murder.”

After several such disruptions, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the committee, ordered the hearing room cleared.

Brennan, 57, a 25-year veteran of the CIA who currently serves as Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, appeared before the panel after submitting written testimony in which he defended drone strikes and warned of continuing threats from al-Qaeda, cyberattacks and nuclear proliferation.

Brennan told senators that drone strikes against terrorist targets meet “rigorous standards” and that no new legislation is needed to govern them.

In opening the hearing, Feinstein said it was important to “ensure that drone strikes are carried out in a manner consistent with our values.”

She said she planned to ask about civilian casualties from drone strikes — one of strongest criticisms of the program by opponents. While Brennan once said he had no “confirmed” reports of civilian casualties, he later revised those remarks in the face of widespread reports on the ground, especially in Pakistan.

According to the New America Foundation, which tracks drone strikes, the number of civilian casualties has dropped fairly dramatically in Pakistan, with no civilian deaths reported yet this year and only five last year in 48 strikes, compared to between 56 and 64 in 73 strikes during 2011. Other trackers have placed the figures somewhat higher, and new criticism about civilian deaths has risen in Yemen, where the number of drone strikes is fast increasing.

In written responses to questions from the committee, Brennan said that drone strikes “are conducted in full compliance with the law” to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and save American lives.

“We must, however, use these technologies carefully and responsibly” he wrote in answering the “prehearing questions,” which the committee released Wednesday. “Consequently, we apply rigorous standards and a rigorous process of review.” He added that “we are working to refine, clarify and strengthen this process and our standards.” But the government currently has the authority to conduct drone strikes “against al-Qaeda and associated forces” without “geographical limitation,” he said. “Consequently, I do not believe additional legislation along these lines is necessary.”

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Tennis: Injured Li Na out of Qatar Open






DOHA: China's Li Na has pulled out of next week's $2.3 million Qatar Open after failing to recover from the ankle injury she suffered in her Australian Open final defeat to Victoria Azarenka.

"Li Na has withdrawn from QatarTennis due to her ankle injury from the Australian Open final. #WTA #tennis," the WTA said on its Twitter account.

The Qatar Open starts on Monday.

- AFP/de



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Rahul Gandhi says Akhilesh has failed UP on development

LUCKNOW: On his first visit to his parliamentary constituency since becoming Congress vice-president, Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi blamed the Akhilesh Yadav government for failing to put Uttar Pradesh on the path of development and generating enough job opportunities for the youth.

"There is a complete lack of employment opportunities here," he told a gathering on Thursday. "The development that should have taken place in Uttar Pradesh is not there."

The 42-year-old Gandhi scion later laid the foundation for development works worth Rs 30 crore at Tiloi, including the construction of over two dozen roads. The project will be carried out using Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme funds.

"I have to travel [around] the whole country, but when I come to Amethi it feels like I have come home," he said. "Amethi is my family and home. So, I feel extremely delighted when I come here. I know the youth here have a lot of problems."

Gandhi also held closed-door meetings with party functionaries and leaders.

On the second day of his trip on Friday, the Congress leader will visit the Bhetya area, where he is scheduled to meet party workers and office-bearers before returning to Delhi.

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Suspect Tried to Flee Country Before Cop Shooting













The fired California cop who set off a region-wide manhunt after allegedly shooting three police officers this morning -- one fatally -- had initially gone to a yacht club near San Diego where police say he attempted to steal a boat and flee to Mexico.


Police say that former police officer Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33, who officials believe posted an online manifesto outlining his plan to "terminate" his former colleagues and their families, is armed with a long gun and might have several other guns and high-capacity magazines. He is also believed to have access to military uniforms because he has served in the Navy.


"We are considering him armed and dangerous," Lt. Julia Engen of the Irvine Police Department said.


Police allege that he went to the yacht club Wednesday night at Point Loma, Calif., near San Diego to steal the boat. He aborted the attempted theft when the boat's propeller became entangled in a rope, law enforcement officials said. It was at that point he is believed to have headed to Riverside, where he allegedly shot two police officers.


"He pointed a handgun at the victim [at the yacht club] and demanded the boat," Lt. David Rohowits of the San Diego Police Department said.


Police say the rifle marksman shot at four officers in two incidents overnight, hitting three of them: one in Corona, Calif., and the two in Riverside, Calif.


Sgt. Rudy Lopez of the LAPD said two LAPD officers were in Corona and headed out on special detail to check on one of the individuals named in Dorner's manifesto. Dorner allegedly grazed one of them but missed the other.


"[This is an] extremely tense situation," Lopez said. "We call this a manhunt. We approach it cautiously because of the propensity of what has already happened."


The Riverside Police Department said two of its officers were shot before one of them died, KABC-TV reported. The other is in stable condition with two gunshot wounds, police say.


"They were on routine patrol stopped at a stop light when they were ambushed," Lt. Guy Toussant of the Riverside police department said.








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In the manifesto Dorner published online, he threatened at least 12 people by name, along with their families.


"Your lack of ethics and conspiring to wrong a just individual are over. Suppressing the truth will leave to deadly consequences for you and your family," Dorner wrote in his manifesto.


A badge and identification belonging to Dorner have been found in San Diego, according to San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick. Dorner's LAPD badge and ID were found by someone near the city's airport, and turned in to police overnight, The Associated Press reported.


Police around Southern California are wearing tactical gear, including helmets and guns across their chests. The light-up signs along California highways show the license plate number of Dorner's car, and say to call 911 if it is seen. The problem, police say, is that they believe Dorner is switching license plates on his car, a 2005 charcoal-gray Nissan Titan pickup truck.


Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck said today that 40 protective details have been deployed to protect officers and their families.


"We are taking all measures possible to ensure safety of our officers and their families," he said.


Dorner is also believed to be responsible for the weekend slayings of an assistant women's college basketball coach and her fiancé in what cops believe are acts of revenge against the LAPD, as suggested in his online manifesto.


Lawrence was found slumped behind the wheel of his white Kia in the parking lot of their upscale apartment complex in Irvine Sunday and Quan was in the passenger seat.


"A particular interest at this point in the investigation is a multi-page manifesto in which the suspect has implicated himself in the slayings," Maggard said.


Police said Dorner's manifesto included threats against members of the LAPD. Police say they are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of officers and their families.


The document, allegedly posted on an Internet message board this week, apparently blames Quan's father, retired LAPD Capt. Randy Quan, for his firing from the department.


One passage from the manifesto reads, "I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty."


"I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own," it reads. "I'm terminating yours."


Dorner was with the department from 2005 until 2008, when he was fired for making false statements.


Randy Quan, who became a lawyer in retirement, represented Dorner in front of the Board of Rights, a tribunal that ruled against Dorner at the time of his dismissal, LAPD Capt. William Hayes told The Associated Press Wednesday night.


According to documents from a court of appeals hearing in October 2011, Dorner was fired from the LAPD after he made a complaint against his field-training officer, Sgt. Teresa Evans, saying in the course of an arrest she had kicked a suspect who was a schizophrenic with severe dementia.


After an investigation, Dorner was fired for making false statements.






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Severed Heads Were Sacrifices in Ancient Mexico


Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of more than 150 skulls from an ancient shrine in central Mexico—evidence of one of the largest mass sacrifices of humans in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.

The skulls, many facing east, lay beneath a crude, slightly elevated mound of crushed stone on what was once an artificial island in a vast shallow lake, now completely dry.

"The site is barely a bump on the horizon in the middle of nowhere," said lead archaeologist Christopher Morehart, of Georgia State University. And that was baffling. Previous evidence of such sacrifices came from grand pyramids in large ceremonial centers.

The discovery suggests that the site—near the town of Xaltocan (named after the ancient lake)—played a significant role in the political turmoil during the period between the years 650 and 800. The great city of Teotihuacan, only nine miles (15 kilometers) away, had suddenly begun to collapse, and the power it once exerted over the region was slipping away. Many experts believe this turn of events was triggered by a massive drought.

What followed was a time of  "political, cultural, and demographic change," according to Morehart, a National Geographic research grantee. As people left Teotihuacan and moved to the surrounding areas, new communities formed and new leaders competed for power. "There's a good chance that the sacrifices are related to these competitions," Morehart said.

The sacrificed individuals could even have been war captives—often the case in Mesoamerican cultures. The site itself was probably not a battlefield, though. It was a sacred space that was specially prepared for rituals.

The people who lived in this area appear to have performed elaborately choreographed rituals at the shrine before the fall of Teotihuacan, but they didn't include human sacrifice. Because of its water-bound location and the presence of freshwater springs nearby, the shrine was likely the site of ceremonies that petitioned gods associated with rain and fertility. Artifacts uncovered include clay images of Tlaloc, a rain god.

The rituals began to include sacrifices, though, as power struggles gripped the parched region. Morehart and his colleagues from the National University of Mexico believe that victims were first killed and dismembered. The body parts may then have been thrown into the lake, while the heads were carefully arranged and buried. Incense was burned during this ceremony, along with the resinous wood of pine trees. Flowers added their own perfume to the fragrant smoke, and foods such as ritually burned maize were presented as additional offerings.

Over the following centuries, new peoples arrived in the area and political power ebbed and shifted, yet the sacred nature of the site persisted. Morehart and his team found evidence for rituals here during both the Aztec and colonial periods, and they even came across a recent offering.

"As we were digging we found a black plastic bag. Inside was a hardboiled egg, a black candle, and some photos of people," he said. "It's a fascinating example of continued ritual activity in a place despite dramatic changes in social, political, and cultural contexts."


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US stocks mixed in choppy trade






NEW YORK: US stocks closed fairly flat on Wednesday after a choppy day of trading, with some positive earnings reports providing support.

At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 7.22 points (0.05 percent) at 13,986.52.

The S&P 500 rose 0.83 (0.05 percent) to 1,512.12, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 3.10 (0.10 percent) to 3,168.48.

- AFP/de



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Congressmen resigned to slow pace of change in party affairs

NEW DELHI: Congress is waking up to the reality that Rahul Gandhi would prefer gradual change to a massive overhaul, leading to mixed emotions after his Jaipur speech raised hopes of a sharp makeover in party management.

The three-day interaction with central office-bearers has left little doubt about Rahul's plans - he would rather focus on states and lower levels of AICC.

It has put paid to hopes that as Congress vice-president, Rahul would make a clean break from the party as run till now. "He is a marathon man, not a sprinter. Why this belief of abrupt change?" asked a key party manager.

The possibility of revamp being largely confined to rather insignificant secretary-level personnel in AICC is in contrast to the vociferous demand for change made by senior leaders at the recent interaction.

Congressmen believe that revamp apart, party fortunes in the critical political calendar depend on how the organization is led in poll-bound states and how the workers are rejuvenated in the course of Lok Sabha polls.

While the party is confident in top priority Karnataka, it has its task cut out in end-of-the-year polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The four states will have a bearing on the political sentiment -- Congress's magnetism among anti-BJP minorities and "secular" regional parties who are its potential allies.

A section of insiders believes Rahul has to act fast to maintain the momentum from Jaipur after his emotional appeal found strong resonance with workers and even helped remove doubts about his long-term political engagement.

Leaders want Rahul to move quickly to sustain the interest of workers, who are likely to be disappointed by the absence of massive changes in the party management and impression of business as usual. "His basic appeal in Jaipur lay in his promise to change affairs radically and quickly. He may not have meant it but that was the message that went down the line," a leader said.

Another section of leaders, who advocate slow change, argue that workers would react more to how their local leaders in states are picked and not how managers are moved in Delhi.

Leaders warn that delay in initiating changes may dent the Jaipur momentum. "It has to be clinched before the budget session starting from February 21. After that, the focus will shift to budget and government," a senior leader said.

Though Rahul has lost no time in starting the engagement with party managers, leaders argue he has a small margin of error in the year that will mould the shape of the Lok Sabha battle.

Congress mouthpiece 'Sandesh' echoed the burden of expectations from Rahul. "The unification of the Congress which led to the return of the party to power under Congress president Sonia Gandhi will now be further enhanced with a new generation, Rahul having accepted this responsibility," an editorial in the latest edition said.

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Confirmed: Couch Potatoes Have Lower Sperm Counts


Men, here's another reason to work up a sweat: It boosts your sperm count.

According to new research, couch potatoes who watch lots of TV have fewer sperm than men who exercise moderately or vigorously each week.

Sperm count is a measure of semen quality, which has mysteriously declined in U.S. men in recent decades. Low sperm count is linked to infertility as well as testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and cardiovascular problems later in life.

(Related: "Deep-Voiced Men Have Lower Sperm Counts, Study Says.")

That's why scientists have been searching for ways that men can improve their sperm—including changing daily behaviors.

"We know little about how lifestyle may impact semen quality," said study leader Audrey Jane Gaskins, a doctoral student in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Her discovery that two changeable behaviors—exercise and TV watching—"could have a big impact on sperm count is pretty exciting," she said.

"Impressive" Sperm Finds

For the study, Gaskins and colleagues asked 189 young men, mostly college students from the University of Rochester in New York, to fill out questionnaires on their physical activity, diet, stress, and other lifestyle factors.

Each man then provided a semen sample in a medical clinic. (See "Sperm Recognize 'Brothers,' Team Up for Speed.")

The results showed that the men who reported exercising more than 15 hours a week had 73 percent higher sperm counts than men who exercised fewer than 5 hours a week. And men who watched more than 20 hours of TV had 44 percent lower sperm counts than men who watched little to no TV.

These are "pretty impressive differences," said Gaskins, whose study appeared February 4 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The team also ruled out smoking and being overweight—two clinical causes of low sperm counts—as contributing factors among participants in its study.

Why couch potatoes produce less sperm is unknown, although there are two theories, Gaskins said. One is that exercise produces more antioxidant enzymes that can prevent a natural process called oxidative stress from damaging cell membranes in the body. This damage can disrupt the creation of new sperm cells. (Find out how a man produces 1,500 sperm a second.)

The other reason is somewhat controversial: That when men watch TV, their scrotums get squished against their bodies, making that region hotter and possibly preventing new sperm from being made.

Some research has shown that sperm production slows if the scrotum temperature rises 1.8 to 3.6ºF (1 to 2ºC) above normal body temperature, Gaskins said. But other studies have also shown that warmer scrotums have no bearing on sperm creation.

Get Moving, Men

But the study also raises some more questions about sperm count, experts noted.

Oddly, the sedentary subjects' sperm didn't show any changes in their physical structures or in how well they swam—two soft indicators of sperm health, noted Phillip Mucksavage, a urologist at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia who was not involved in the study. (See "Sperm Tracked in 3-D-A First.")

Though there are fewer of them, "the sperm that are there still look good."

Mucksavage added that the study's results would have been stronger if the scientists had found other sedentary activities—such as sitting at a computer or reading a book—had the same affect on sperm count as did watching TV.

What's more, said T. Mike Hsieh, a urologist at the University of California, San Diego, the study doesn't have any implications for fertility, one of the main reasons men are concerned about sperm count.

That's because one semen sample is not enough to determine fertility. That requires a more thorough analysis, including multiple semen samples and blood work, said Hsieh, who wasn't involved in the study.

It's not like if you "stop watching TV you'd go from infertile to fertile," he said.

But all the experts agreed on one thing: you should get active if you aren't already.

Said Hsieh: "I would use this as a piece of evidence to motivate my patients to get off the couch and start working out."


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Strengthening security at the nation’s airports



In pursuit of safeguarding the public, Liddell, a federal security director based in Syracuse, has written a book that is now used to train TSOs. It’s called the “National Standardization Guide to Improving Security Effectiveness.” Tasks at each duty area have been inventoried and cataloged, and the “knowledge, values and skills” associated with the airport security jobs have been identified under what Liddell describes as a systems approach to training.


As important as it is to use X-ray machines and explosive trace-detection equipment and to have the correct rules and procedures in place, Liddell said transportation security relies on the skills of the people responsible for it.

“People performance is the cornerstone,” he said. “When I set out to improve things, I look at the people. I look at their proficiency, their skill in doing something and how well they’re doing that job.”

Even when people have the skills to do their jobs, they don’t necessarily do them well each time, especially when conditions can vary with each day and every passenger. To keep performance high, TSOs are tested covertly at unexpected times. A banned item will be sent through a checkpoint and the reaction and activities that take place are monitored.

Whether or not TSOs spot contraband, everyone at that checkpoint during the test participates in an “after-action” review. “It’s the learning experience that’s relevant,” Liddell said. “We’re doing a review of actual performance and you can always improve.”

Liddell is sensitive to the pressure that airport security personnel face. TSOs have the tough of performing multiple tasks under constant camera surveillance and public scrutiny, often interacting with tired or irritated travelers. The testing and training helps them continually up their game.

Thirty airports around the country that helped test the training system and now use a version of it. Paul Armes, federal security director at Nashville International Airport, was interested in creating such a system with a colleague when they both worked in Arizona, but it “never got traction.”

When he learned about what Liddell was doing, he was eager to participate. “Typical of Dan, he built it himself and practiced it so he had hard metric results, and then he started reaching out to some of us, working with his counterparts around the country to get a good representative sample,” Armes said. “He sees things others don’t see sometimes and he has the capability to drill down into the details.”

Liddell began the “pretty long process” of analyzing how people were performing at checkpoints in 2009. He sat down with subject-matter experts to produce the task inventory he now uses. In 2010, he improved the review and reporting process that occurs after covert tests events and instituted the security practices he refined at the other New York airports he oversees, including Greater Binghamton, Ithaca and four others. “I love breaking it down,” he said. “I’ve got a quest for improvement.”

In a less sneaky version of the television show, “Undercover Boss,” Liddell went through the new-hire training program for his employees to understand as much as he could about the jobs and the training provided for them, he said.

If pursuing knowledge is in Liddell’s genes, it may be because his parents were both in education. His father was a high school principal and his mother was a fifth-grade teacher. His teaching manifested itself instead in the training realm, where he strives to educate security employees as effectively as possible, inside the classroom and out.

“It’s always a challenge to meet that right balance of really great effectiveness and really great efficiency,” he said. “There are always challenges. It’s what gets me up in the morning, trying to improve.”



This article was jointly prepared by the Partnership for Public Service, a group seeking to enhance the performance of the federal government, and washingtonpost.com. Go to http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/fedpage/players/ to read about other federal workers who are making a difference.

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Cycling: US attorney says no plan to prosecute Armstrong






WASHINGTON: US prosecutors said Tuesday they have no plans to press criminal charges against cycling cheat Lance Armstrong, despite his confession that he owes his Tour de France victories to illegal doping.

US Attorney Andre Birotte, who led a federal investigation into the disgraced rider, did not definitively rule out action, but said Armstrong's public admission had not yet changed the decision not to prosecute.

"We made a decision on that case, I believe, a little over a year ago," he said, when asked about the status of the federal inquiry into long-standing claims that Armstrong had run a doping program and had lied to federal agents.

"Obviously we've been well aware of the statements that have been made by Mr Armstrong and other media reports," he said, referring to Armstrong's bombshell confession to chat show legend Oprah Winfrey last month.

"That has not changed my view at this time. Obviously we'll consider -- we'll continue to look at the situation, but that hasn't changed our view as I stand here today," Birotte told a news conference in Washington.

The 41-year-old Texan was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles last year after the US Anti-Doping Agency gathered compelling testimony that he had been the ring-leader of a large-scale doping conspiracy.

He had long angrily professed his innocence, including in questioning by US federal agents investigating the same allegations, but the mask fell away last month when he confessed his guilt to Winfrey in detail.

The admission threw up a number of legal questions, including whether the federal probe might be re-opened, whether he might be prosecuted for perjury and whether he might be sued to recover former payments and prize money.

Dallas insurance company SCA Promotions has already demanded the return of $12 million in bonuses it paid to Armstrong for multiple Tour titles.

SCA withheld a $5 million bonus due after Armstrong's sixth Tour de France win in 2004 because of doping allegations circulating in Europe, and Armstrong took them to court.

He won the case because SCA's original contract had no stipulations about doping, and Armstrong attorney Tim Herman told USA Today that the shamed cyclist doesn't intend to pay back any of the money.

"My only point is no athlete ever, to my understanding, has gone back and paid back his compensation," Herman told the newspaper in an article published Tuesday.

Herman cited New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton, who was suspended for a season by the NFL for the team's alleged pay-for-hits "bounty" scheme.

"They were suspended, but nobody said you've got to give your paycheck back," Herman said.

While Armstrong told Winfrey he would like to get his lifetime ban reduced, so that he could eventually compete in marathons, for example, by the time he's 50, Herman said the shamed cyclist was now prepared to cooperate with anti-doping authorities in a bid to clean up cycling even if is eligibility isn't restored.

"Whether it's a Truth and Reconciliation Commission or some comprehensive attempt to clean things up, it doesn't make any difference as long as something like that is convened," Herman said. "Lance will definitely cooperate."

Herman told the newspaper that Armstrong doesn't believe that USADA is best-placed to lead the battle against doping in cycling, since the sport is largely based in Europe.

Nor has USADA chief Travis Tygart's claim that Armstrong lied in some of his comments to Winfrey eased relations between the two parties.

"To hear Tygart tell it, Lance Armstrong is responsible for the culture he was dropped into on a team (that) was engaged in misconduct long before he got to the team," Herman said.

"He was a 19-year-old kid dropped in this culture, just like everybody else. He didn't create it."

-AFP/ac



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Hate speech plaint against Togadia

HYDERABAD/BHOPAL: While the Hyderabad police received a complaint against VHP's international working president Praveen Togadia in connection with an alleged "hate speech" he made in Indore last month, a chief judicial magistrate's court in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, took notice of a private complaint filed by a local Youth Congress leader against Togadia for "creating hatred between two communities on January 24".

In Hyderabad, businessman Mohammed Arashad of Baba Nagar lodged a complaint against Togadia at the Kanchanbagh police station Monday night, alleging that he had made a "hate speech" against Muslims in Indore.

"The complainant alleged that Togadia, in his speech in Indore a few weeks ago, used foul language while referring to the Muslims and made several derogatory comments. He requested us to take appropriate action," Kanchanbagh inspector Syed Jahangir said.

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Jodi Arias Tried Wicca, Buddhism With Boyfriends













Accused murderer Jodi Arias testified over the last two days about a flurry of boyfriends and how she followed them into exploring a string of religions including witchcraft, Buddhism, Hinduism and eventually Mormonism.


Arias, 32, has yet to tell the jury about meeting Travis Alexander, the ex-boyfriend who baptized her into the Mormon religion and who she is charged with killling in a jealous rage in 2008. She is now on trial in Arizona for his murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.


Her odyssey through boyfriends and the spiritual world included a five year period from age 18 through age 22 when Arias said she became very interested in fundamentalist Christianity, Wicca, Buddhism, and Hinduism, all of which she explored as she dated men who practiced those beliefs.


Eventually Arias became interested in Mormonism through Alexander, and converted to Mormonism when she began a tumultuous sexual relationship with him in 2006.


Arias took the stand for the second time today to explain to the jury how she came to kill Alexander in what she claims was self defense. Her story started with other boyfriends.


"When I first met (Matt McCartney) I was a little bit leery about things he was into. I saw some books on witchcraft and went, 'oh', but he explained to me that he was just seeking," Arias said today. "He was looking at other religions, he was studying Wicca, and I didn't practice it myself, but he had practiced it and had moved onto studying eastern mysticism and Buddhism."








Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Victim's Ex Testifies Watch Video











Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Former Boyfriend Takes Stand Watch Video





"Our relationship took a lot of spiritual turns," she said.


Arias said that religion played a major role in her and McCartney's relationship, which lasted nearly two years and involved living together in Oregon.


"We sort of explored together, taking meditation seminars, new age type seminars, which sort of had roots in Hinduism or Buddhism, and were kind of like a modern version of transcendentalism," she said. "We would drive to Portland or the Bay Area often for them."


See Jodi Arias Trial Videos


Arias said she grew up as a non-denominational Christian. During her testimony on Monday Arias said that in high school, an acquaintance had told her that the second coming of Jesus Christ would be in 1997, and she took to warning close friends about it.


"It's kind of silly, but there was this older man who used to come into my parents' restaurant, and he had a small pocket version of the New Testament that he always carried. He was always quoting Bible stories to me, and this one time he told me he had done the math in the Bible and determined that he knew that the second coming was going to occur in September of 1997," Arias said.


Arias took the man's advice to heart and called her on-again, off-again boyfriend of the time to tell him the news.


"I was really naive and kind of believed him. It seemed important, so I thought Bobby (Juarez) should know about it. He wasn't religious, but I thought it was important that he at least hear that for himself," she said.


Through a string of boyfriends in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Arias continued to identify as a Christian who was into spirituality. When she met Alexander in 2006, she immediately became interested in Mormonism. She quickly converted and Alexander, a Mormon elder, baptized her into her new religion.


The two also maintained a torrid sexual affair, which is prohibited for unmarried people in the Mormon religion.


Other witnesses who have been called to the stand have noted her commitment to Mormonism, including Ryan Burns, a Mormon she began seeing after breaking up with Alexander. She also visited Burns the day after killing Alexander.


"Part of our conversations with each other were about her religious views, and my religious views," Burns testified. "She would often tell me about how she felt about her religious beliefs, the Book of Mormon. She was a convert, by Travis... She mentioned reading the scriptures."



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Meow! Claws out on Facebook Over Killer Cat Stats


"Good for them, go cats!"

"Sorry cats but you've gotta go."

"Do you get paid to write this?"

Well, nobody ever said cat lovers were mellow. But I was taken by surprise to see the number (and intensity) of comments on National Geographic's Facebook page and Daily News website after I wrote a story about a new study on the hunting habits of the domestic cat.

To recap: Cats stand accused of killing between 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals in the continental United States each year.

There were hundreds of comments. One reader is "sick to death of watching my neighbors cats killing migratory songbirds."

"I don't think there should be an all encompassing feline genocide," said another, "but i feel something definitely needs to be done about feral populations."

Others found the study results far from newsworthy: "Yes, all of my cats are killers. That is why I brought them home in the first place" and "I love you National Geographic, but seriously... of course my cat is gonna kill some birds."

The study has sparked strong dialogue among bird and cat groups as well.

In a press release the American Bird Conservancy called the study a "wake-up call" and said "the carnage that outdoor cats inflict is staggering and can no longer be ignored or dismissed."

Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends Animal Society both questioned the study's estimates and suggested the researchers had ulterior motives. Alley Cat Allies, which calls itself "the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats," said the study was a "veiled promotion by bird advocates to ramp up the mass killing of outdoor cats." The vice-chairman of Best Friends Animal Society, a group with projects throughout the U.S., claimed "the authors and the anti-free-roaming cat contingent want stray and feral cats to be rounded up and killed." He added that "scapegoating cats is a huge and, sadly, lucrative business."

The Humane Society of the United States also weighed in, reiterating their support for the "thousands of organizations and individuals who manage cat colonies through trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs," while adding that there would be no support in those quarters for a campaign to euthanize cats.

But maybe this was never about cat people and bird people after all. "Me thinks the dog lovers came up with those figures," suggested one National Geographic reader.


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Fidel Castro makes surprise appearance in Cuba






HAVANA: Stooped and using a cane, Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has taken the country by surprise by turning out to vote in legislative elections, after a three-month absence from public view.

The 86-year-old Castro cast his ballot at a school in Havana's El Vedado neighborhood on Sunday, engaging in an animated give-and-take with reporters at the polling station and voters for more than an hour.

The elections were to choose 612 members of the National Assembly as well as deputies of local legislatures, with the number of candidates equal to the number of available seats, so Castro easily stole the show.

His rare public appearances often have served to tamp down rumours about his own health, but Castro used this occasion to talk about improvements in the health of his good friend and ally Hugo Chavez, who is convalescing in Cuba.

The Venezuelan president is "much better, recovering," Castro said of the 58-year-old Chavez, who himself has not been seen or heard from since December 10, when he travelled to Havana for his fourth round of cancer surgery.

"It has been a tough struggle but he has been improving," Castro said in comments carried by the official Granma newspaper, adding: "We have to cure him. Chavez is very important for his country and for Latin America."

Castro said he gets daily reports on the health of Chavez, whose survival is also crucial to Cuba, which depends on Venezuela for cut-rate oil and trade as well as international political support.

Castro, who turned over the country's leadership to his brother Raul in 2006 after he fell ill, also took the opportunity to throw darts at the United States, his adversary of more than half a century.

"I am convinced that Cubans are really a revolutionary people," said Castro, who came to power in a 1959 revolution.

"I don't have to prove it. History has already proven it. And 50 years of the US blockade have not been -- nor will it be -- able to defeat us."

The United States slapped a commercial, economic, and financial embargo against Cuba in October 1960 after Castro's revolutionary government nationalised the properties of United States citizens and corporations.

It was broadened to become a near-total embargo in 1962 as Cuba's alliance with the Soviet bloc became apparent.

Images shown on Cuban TV as well as pictures in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde showed a slightly stooped Castro with a cane. He wore a dark shirt and a bomber jacket.

In his comments, the revolutionary leader also praised the creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), whose presidency Cuba formally assumed last week at a summit in Santiago, Chile.

Set up in Caracas in December 2011 at the behest of Chavez, CELAC groups all nations from across the Americas except the United States and Canada.

The Cuban chairmanship of the group marked Havana's full regional reintegration and was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Communist-ruled Cuba.

"This was a step forward which we owe to the efforts of many people, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez," Castro said.

Castro had not been seen in public since October 21, when he accompanied Elias Jaua, who is now Venezuela's foreign minister, to the Hotel Nacional.

The Cuban leader's long absences from public view have fuelled rumours that his health has worsened, that he was dead or on his death bed.

He turned over the Cuban presidency to his brother Raul in 2008 two years after falling seriously ill and undergoing intestinal surgery.

Since then, he has kept his hand in by writing frequent editorials, publishing books about the revolution, and welcoming a few international leaders in private events.

On Thursday, according to state media reports, he hosted former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

About 8.5 million Cubans took part in the polls that featured no opposition candidates. Authorities billed the event as a celebration of Cuban democracy, "which is different" from those in other countries.

But Cuban dissidents blasted the vote.

"What strange elections, in which there is no choice and all the candidates think the same," wrote dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez. "It's an electoral farce."

- AFP/jc



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