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Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Zimbabwe: Poachers poison 91 elephants...

HWANGE, Zimbabwe (AP) — The stench of rotting elephant carcasses hangs in the air in western Zimbabwe where wildlife officials say at least 91 elephants were poisoned with cyanide by poachers who hack off the tusks for the lucrative illegal ivory market.

Massive bones, some already bleached by the blistering sun in the Hwange National Park, litter the landscape around one remote watering hole where 18 carcasses were found. Officials say cyanide used in gold mining was spread by poachers over the flat "salt pans," also known as natural, mineral rich salt licks, around water holes. They say lions, hyenas and vultures have died from feeding on contaminated carcasses or drinking nearby.
"The magnitude of what we are witnessing today is much higher that what has occurred previously," environment minister Saviour Kasukuwere told reporters on a trip to the park Monday.
Cyanide attacks the bloodstream, kills almost instantly and causes rapid decomposition. Most of the poisoned elephants died in the past month. The chemical is commonly used by illegal gold panners to separate the metal from surrounding ore and is easily available.
Nine suspected poachers have been arrested this month after the biggest, most brutal poaching spree on record. Three men were sentenced to up to 16 years in jail. The Hwange park, stretching over 14,000 square kilometers (5,400 square miles) has one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Africa.
Kasukuwere, newly appointed to the environment ministry after disputed elections won by longtime President Robert Mugabe in July, said Zimbabwe will intensify efforts to campaign among world nations — including Asia where there is the highest demand for ivory — to curb the illegal trade.
Tusks of the poisoned elephants are thought to have been smuggled into neighboring South Africa through illicit syndicates that pay desperately poor poachers a fraction of the $1,500 a kilogram (2.2 pounds) that ivory can fetch despite a world ban on sales by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.
"We will cooperate with international organizations such as Interpol to crack down on the pay masters. So the war is on, it's a war which we will win, we are not going to surrender," Kasukuwere said.
The state Environmental Management Authority is now planning to burn the elephant carcasses and call in experts to detoxify the affected areas, beginning with digging out the salt licks and removing the top layers of soil contaminated by the cyanide granules.
Officials believe at least two deeply drilled wells supplying the water holes may have also been contaminated and will likely have to be sealed. New wells will probably be drilled away from the tainted ones.
"We will drill more boreholes in the park because these criminals target areas where there is a shortage of water," said Kasukuwere.
But Zimbabwe's cash-strapped wildlife and environment authorities say they are underfunded, understaffed and poorly equipped because of the nation's troubled economy.
Kasukuwere said Hwange park, Africa's third largest wildlife sanctuary after the Serengeti in Tanzania and South Africa's Kruger National Park, has only about 150 rangers and few fully operational off-road vehicles for an expanse that ideally should have a staff of at least 700.
Nor can authorities afford to maintain helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft spotter patrols. The environment minister said officials have begun to work with local village communities fringing the park to report the presence of cyanide and so far four kilograms (eight pounds) of the deadly poison have been recovered.
Grown elephants, the world largest living land mammal, eat about 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of vegetative fodder a day and in the current dry season they drink water at the pans, where the salt and other minerals left by evaporation, make them thirstier.
Soaring vultures, wildlife rangers say, are a fist sign visible from considerable distances of an illegal kill by poachers in a nature preserve.
This time in Zimbabwe, scores of vultures, the first predators at a kill, have died from the cyanide and their absence makes the ecological impact of the poisonings much harder to fight and control, the rangers say.
___

Associated Press Correspondent Angus Shaw in Harare contributed to this report.

Africans say growth has not improved their lives...

Johannesburg (AFP) - Africa's breakneck growth is not improving the lives of ordinary citizens across the continent, according to a landmark survey across 34 countries.

Despite some of the world's highest economic growth rates, many Africans still report shortages of water, food, healthcare or cash according to an Afrobarometer survey of over 50,000 people.
The survey results appear to contrast with the perception of "Africa rising," a continent casting off old stereotypes as growth rates touch double digits in some countries.
"Meeting their basic daily needs remains a major challenge for a majority of Africans, even at a time when their countries are reporting impressive economic gains," the survey released Tuesday found.
The continent's economy as a whole is expected to grow by almost five percent this year.
But half of survey respondents said they occasionally lacked food, clean water, and medicine. One in five said they face frequent shortages.
"Either economic growth is not trickling down to average citizens and translating into poverty reduction... (or) there is reason to question whether reported growth rates are actually being realised," the researchers found.
People in West Africa and East Africa experienced most shortages, while North Africans reported the least.
The highest poverty levels were measured in nations which, according to the IMF, all grew at more than three percent in 2012: Burundi, Guinea, Senegal, Togo and Niger which grew at 11.2 percent, but which has been beset by conflict.
The study has been conducted roughly every three years since 1999, with more countries added to the survey each time round.
Carried out by independent African organisations, the Afrobarometer aims to measure poverty as an alternative to national income and expenditure surveys, which are often too costly for governments.
Of 16 countries studied for the past decade, the researchers measured little improvement in lifestyle, said Afrobarometer's Robert Mattes at the study's release in Johannesburg.
"Poverty has come down very, very slightly," said Mattes, who also heads the University of Cape Town's Democracy in Africa Research Unit.
People were poorer in areas where government spending on basic infrastructure lagged.
"The data show significant correlations between access to electrical grids, piped water, and other basic services in communities and lower levels of lived poverty," the survey found.
Low education levels also had a big influence on poverty.
But there were some bright spots.
Over the past decade Ghana showed the strongest improvement in people's living conditions, with the number of poor dropping from over two thirds to under half the population.
The lives of people in Cape Verde, Ghana, Malawi and Zambia also reportedly improved, as well as Zimbabwe.
There researchers attributed the improvement in Zimbabwe since 2008 to a "peace dividend" after a power-sharing government was formed following years of political and economic turmoil.
In this period however poverty went up in South Africa, Botswana, Senegal, Mali and Tanzania.
Over half the respondents on the continent rated their country's economy bad, while only a third thought the economy and their living conditions had improved in the past year.
Still, most thought things were looking up for the coming year.
The researchers urged governments to focus on reducing poverty rather than simply growing their economies.
"Investments in education and infrastructure may be among the most effective ways to extend economic gains to the continent's poorest citizens."
The Afrobarometer study echoes a World Bank report earlier this year which found growth in Africa has been less poverty-reducing than elsewhere in the world.
While strides have been made in reducing the levels of Africans living on less $1.25 a day, more than a third of the world's extreme poor still live in sub-Saharan Africa.

The UN's food agency Tuesday said the region had the highest prevalence of hunger, with 24.8 percent -- or 223 million people -- undernourished, though the figure dropped by almost a third over the past 20 years.

U.S. expects to fix Obamacare Internet problems within 'hours'...

The official said the online system set up to serve uninsured consumers in 36 U.S. states was functioning but that slow speeds and problems loading pages were due to high volumes. "We expect to resolve these issues in the coming hours," the official said.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement saying more than 1 million people had visited the system's website, HealthCare.gov, in the past day, sparking a five-fold increase in Tuesday's volume.

'The Simpsons' to Guest Star on 'Family Guy' Episode in 2014...

The Griffins are heading to Springfield, where they will meet Homer, Bart, Lisa and Marge.

Family Guy 12 And a Half Angry Men - H 2013

FOX

"Familiy Guy"

In a crossover that could rival The Avengers, the Simpsons will meet the Griffins in an epic episode of Family Guy next year.

NBC Orders Animated Holiday Comedy From 'Simpsons' Writer

Airing in fall 2014 on Fox, “The Simpsons Guy” episode of Family Guy will see the New England family travel to Springfield, where they’ll encounter The Simpsons stars Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Bart (Nancy Cartwright), Marge (Julie Kavner) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith). Hank Azaria also will lend his voice to the episode.
PHOTOS: Fox's Comic-Con Posters: 'The Following,' 'Family Guy,' 'Simpsons' and 10 More Shows
According to Fox, the Family Guy characters will quickly bond with their Simpsons counterparts. Peter (Seth MacFarlane) and Homer will debate whether Pawtucket or Duff is the best beer, Stewie (MacFarlane) will be quite taken with Bart’s prankster ways, Lisa will take Meg (Mila Kunis) under her wing to find something the young Griffin is good at, and Lois (Alex Borstein) and Marge will ditch housework together.
MacFarlane guest starred on The Simpsons season finale in May, when he voiced Ben, a charming married man who met Marge. Family Guy begins season 12 on Sept. 30

'The Simpsons' to Kill Off Character..

Executive producer Al Jean hints that a character portrayed by an Emmy winner will "pass away" in either season 25 or 26.

FOX

"The Simpsons"

The Grim Reaper is headed back to Fox's The Simpsons.

'The Simpsons' at 500: Untold Stories

'The Simpsons' to Guest Star on 'Family Guy' Episode in 2014

'The Simpsons' Being Shopped to Cable Networks

Executive producer Al Jean told reporters during a recent conference call that the writers are "working on a script where a character will pass away."
PHOTOS: Meet the Cast of 'The Simpsons'
"We are doing this story for the same reason we do all others -- we think it has a good emotional through line," Jean told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, keeping under wraps whether the character would be killed off or pass away. "The story will be produced this year though it may air in season 26."
While details are scarce, Jean hinted that "the actor playing the character won an Emmy" for the role, stopping short of revealing which of the beloved (or not so beloved?) animated gang would not survive. Jean told THR that the episode would happen sometime in mid- to late-2014.
COVER STORY: 'The Simpsons' at 500: Untold Stories
In its 25 seasons, Fox's longest-running comedy The Simpsons has killed off seven characters -- Homer's Las Vegas wife, Amber (season 16) and Ned's wife Maude Flanders (season 11) among them.
Pressed for details, Jean would not comment beyond the Emmy clue when asked if the death would lead into a "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"-type story, only noting that he hoped the stunt would get "Breaking Bad-type numbers"
PHOTOS: THR Goes Behind the Scenes at 'The Simpsons' Animation Studio
Here's a look at the characters -- voiced by Emmy winners -- possibly on The Simpsons' Death List:
• Anne Hathaway as Penelope (2010)
• Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson (2009)
• Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob (2006)
• Castellaneta as various characters including Grampa Simpson, Barney, Krusty, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel (2004)
• Hank Azaria as various characters including Chief Wiggum, Moe, Cletus, Apu (2003)
• Azaria as various characters including Comic Book Guy, Moe, Wiggum (2001)
• Azaria as Apu (1998)
• Castellaneta as Homer (1993)
Who do you think The Simpsons will kill off? Hit the comments below with your thoughts. The Sun News first reported the story.

7 Incredible Breast Cancer Breakthroughs...

More women than ever before are winning the fight against breast cancer, thanks to dramatic improvements in early detection and treatment. And for the most part, long-term survivors enjoy an equally good quality of life as women who have never had the disease, according to a new study published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“One of the most important advances is the ability to tailor treatment based on the risks and benefits for that specific patient, leading to better outcomes and fewer side effects,” says Jame Abraham, MD, FACP, director of the breast oncology program at the Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic.
Photo Gallery: Stunning Global Tributes to Breast Cancer Awareness
“We used to consider all breast cancer the same, but now we know it’s actually at least 10 different diseases,” each with its own genetic signature and weak spots, adds Dr. Abraham. That groundbreaking discovery has spurred development of highly targeted drugs for certain breast cancer subtypes and has helped patients avoid ineffective treatments.
Here’s a look at breakthroughs that are transforming breast cancer care, including new ways to prevent the disease, which strikes one in eight women over a lifetime.
Coping With Breast Cancer: Humor, Humility, and Hope

A Pill to Prevent Breast Cancer

Women ages 35 or older who are at increased risk for breast cancer should discuss with their doctor the potential benefit of taking one of two FDA-approved medications to combat the threat, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The selective estrogen receptor modulator drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene have been shown to cut a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by interfering with estrogen’s effects on breast tissue. However, because the drugs can cause blood clots and other serious health issues, the USPSTF warns that the potential negative side effects outweigh the benefits for women at average risk for breast cancer.
Crucial Cancer Precautions: Simple Steps to Lower Your Risk

The First Drug for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

An FDA panel has recommended accelerated approval of Perjeta as the first drug for pre-surgical treatment of early-stage breast cancer. In clinical trials, women with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer were 18 percent more likely to be cancer-free after 12 weeks than those who received other cancer drugs. The FDA approved Perjeta last year as a therapy for aggressive breast cancer that had spread to other parts of the body. Doctors hope that using the new drug during the earliest stages of the disease will shrink tumors, making them easier to remove, or even help some women avoid mastectomies.

3-D Mammograms

After suspicious mammogram results, many women have the scary experience of additional tests, some of which could be unnecessary. A new study published in Lancet Oncology found that adding 3D digital breast tomosynthesis to standard 2D breast X-rays could reduce stress-inducing false alarms (results that look like cancer, but aren’t) by 17 percent, without missing any actual cancers. The study included 7,292 women who were screened with both methods to see which one worked best. The FDA-approved 3-D technique, available at about 300 US centers, was hailed as one of the top 10 medical innovations for 2013 by the Cleveland Clinic.

More Accurate Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Without Surgery

Every year, more than one million American women undergo breast biopsies, but only about 20 percent of them have cancer. A new FDA-cleared device, the Aixplorer Ultrasound System, could reduce unnecessary biopsies by helping doctors tell which lumps are malignant. In a 2012 multi-center study, the device correctly classified 78.5 percent of suspicious breast lumps analyzed, compared to 61.1 percent accuracy when conventional ultrasound was used. The Aixplorer measures tissue stiffness. (Stiffer tissue is more likely to be cancer). The technology’s 3D images could also be helpful for screening women with dense breast tissue for cancer, since mammography doesn’t work very well in such patients, says Jacque Souquet, PhD, founder and CEO of SuperSonic Imagine, the device’s manufacturer.
Worried About Breast Cancer? Learn From Real Life Stories

A High-Tech Gene Test to Predict Risk of Recurrence

The FDA has cleared a new test that calculates the 10-year risk that a woman with certain types of early-stage breast cancer will suffer a recurrence. Intended only for patients who have undergone standard surgical and oncological treatments, the test analyzes cells from the woman’s tumor to check for 50 genes involved in the growth and spread of cancer. It then classifies the woman’s risk of cancer recurrence from low to high. The test is expected to be widely available in clinical laboratories in early 2014, and is currently being studied to determine if it will affect doctors’ treatment recommendations.

A Vaccine Against Breast Cancer

Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered that a single vaccination can prevent breast cancer in mice that are genetically predisposed to the disease. The center plans to test the vaccine in humans, with clinical trials expected to begin in 2015. The first clinical trial will include women with the highly agressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have recovered from standard treatment. A second trial will include healthy women who have undergone mastectomies to lower breast cancer risk, as Angelina Jolie recently did.

New Weapons Against Triple Negative Breast Cancer

This form of the disease is tough to treat because it lacks the three receptors that fuel most breast cancer growth. As a result, TNBC doesn’t respond to conventional targeted therapies. While the disease can sometimes be treated effectively with chemotherapy, it remains the most deadly form of breast cancer. Large genetic studies have revealed that TNBC has molecular similarities to certain ovarian cancers, a discovery that could lead to new therapies. Additionally, researchers have identified several promising new targets that are now being studied in clinical trials, a new paper published in Oncology reports

Republicans want to fund parts of the government, but it won't end a shutdown...

House Republicans are planning no new proposals to fully fund the government on the first day of a government shutdown, but they will introduce three small bills that would continue funding for veteran benefits, national parks, museums and one that would allow the District of Columbia to continue city operations using its own revenue.

Although the move won't breach the budget impasse, the measures would ease some of the pain caused by the budget impasse while lawmakers continue to negotiate a path out of the government shutdown. House leaders are preparing for a vote Tuesday evening.

Senate Democrats, however, rejected the new offer outright. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday afternoon insisted, as he has throughout the entire process, that the Senate would accept nothing short of a bill that funds all government operations.

"This is not serious," Reid said on the Senate floor."The government is shut down. And if they think they're going to nit-pick us on this, it won't work."

Earlier Tuesday, the morning of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, the political brinkmanship reached a stalemate when the Senate rejected a House request for a conference committee to take up a proposal to fund the government through Dec. 15 and delay a key part of Obamacare.

The Democrat-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted to table the House bill passed overnight that proposed the committee. The House bill also included language that would prohibit congressional staff members from receiving subsidies for their health care plans and delay Obamacare’s individual mandate to buy health insurance for one year.

By transitioning to a conference committee, the House and Senate would each appoint members to work out a deal to fund the government and end the shutdown. But appointing a committee would take the talks from public view to closed-door negotiating rooms where lawmakers and staffers could hash out their differences in private.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor joined members of the chambers' appointed conference committee in a meeting room, where they called on Senate lawmakers to join them for negotiations.
"We invite Senate Democrats to come and join us and resolve our differences," Cantor said.

Democrats continue to decline alternative offers until the House passes a full funding bill.
Meanwhile, Obama blasted Republicans on Tuesday in a Rose Garden statement for using a mandatory spending bill to dismantle the health care law, the president's landmark legislation.
“They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans,” Obama said. "This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days."

This week's shutdown came after House Republicans refused to pass a bill to set federal spending levels unless the federal health care law was defunded or delayed. Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama repeatedly said they would not accept any spending bill that tampers with the law. Last week, the House passed a bill to completely defund the health law. When the Senate rejected it, the House passed another version that would have abolished a tax on medical devices and delayed the law for a year. When the Senate rejected that, House Republicans passed another bill that would have delayed the individual mandate and revoked health insurance subsidies for congressional staffers. After the Senate said no to that, the clock ran out and the government shut down. That’s when the House asked for private negotiations — surprise, the Senate turned that down — and that’s where the parties stand now.

The back-and-forth between the parties will continue throughout the day, as House Republicans recalibrate their strategy and Senate lawmakers huddle for partisan meetings this afternoon.
Unless they can find a compromise, the government will remain shut down until further notice.

The Republican strategy of coupling anti-Obamacare legislation with the threat of a government shutdown is unpopular, according to a national Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday. American voters oppose the GOP's tactic by a ratio of 72 to 22 percent, according to the poll.

Shutdown stories: How congressional quarreling is affecting us..

Bank accounts are short a couple hundred bucks. Federal employees fret about not heading to work. Vacations are delayed, canceled or ruined. Basic everyday services disappear.

Those are some of the effects Americans saw Tuesday morning after the U.S. government staggered to a stop at midnight, and millions, including 800,000 furloughed federal workers, began to cope with the hiccups — some irritating but small and others large and worrisome.
As the shutdown starts, Yahoo News is cataloging anecdotes Americans are sharing with us. Below are excerpts from some first-person accounts we received Tuesday. If you’re directly and concretely affected by the shutdown, we’re interested in your story. Learn how to contribute.
Savings accounts unfortunately replace income in a shutdown

View gallery
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Vonda J. Sines

Vonda J. Sines, 65, of Herndon, Va., retired in 2004 from a federal government job and thought the shutdowns of 1995 and ‘96 long past. Now, with Congress’ shuttering of the government less than 24 hours old, she and her husband notice an immediate hit: The loss of his income from his federal contractor job means a $174.33 drop from their budget each day the shutdown persists. It’s also put a scare into her as she enters Social Security. Sines writes:
Covered by the newer federal retirement system, I'm eligible for Social Security and signed up for Medicare Parts A and B in 2012. I had decided to apply in October for Social Security payments starting Jan. 1, 2014.
Because I had questions about my benefits, I opted not to apply online, but to schedule an interview. Then I read that a shutdown could mean no processing of Social Security applications. Even imagining the potential backlog triggered a headache.
I scrambled to get an appointment. After 42 minutes on hold, I snagged a telephone appointment at 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 30 — just under the wire. I had to cut an important doctor's appointment short to get home in time for the call. When the phone hadn't rung 10 minutes after the scheduled time, I felt nauseated from stress. It finally did. Had I been unable to sign up before the shutdown, receiving benefits of around $2,000 a month could have been delayed.

Since we were already on a bare-bones budget, we cannot tighten it. Savings must replace lost income. The only relief in sight is what we can create ourselves. However, I have already fired one salvo of emails to all our congressmen to express my disgust over their inability to keep the government afloat.

Read more of Sines’ story.
Shutdown plays politics with national parks

D.C. Douglass

D.C. Douglass and his wife scrimped pennies, he says, for three years to pay for their twice-a-decade trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where they vacation with his sisters and their families from Texas and Florida. But the government shutdown has closed 401 national parks, including the Smokies. Park roads and service facilities are unavailable, and visitors are being asked to leave immediately, according to ParkAdvocate.org. Renting two cabins for a week set his group back $6,000. Douglass writes:

I understand this is not a situation that is going to elicit much sympathy from government employees who are going to go without paychecks or Americans who are waiting for FHA mortgage approvals. But this ridiculous partisan spat is negatively affecting millions of Americans, and our illustrious Congress does not seem to care a bit. And it is costing me money.
I am writing this while sitting on the deck of a mountainside cabin in Wears Valley, Tenn., just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My family comes from around the country to congregate here in the autumn every five years. My wife and I make the 10-hour drive from the suburbs of Detroit to hike, camp and enjoy the Smokies' magnificent fall color. We made our reservations nearly a year in advance. We saved our pennies for nearly three years.
Again, the cost is really not the object. It is the experience we relish, as I am now approaching 60, and the strenuous uphill hike to the lodge is getting more difficult with each passing year. But I still look forward to making the trip. Perhaps we will not make it this year after all, thanks to our uncompromising legislators. Not that they care.
Let me also say that I am not one of the 1 percent. I am not even close to it. This is a trip we save for all year, often bypassing other pleasures to be certain we the funds are available. I do not expect anyone to feel sorry for us.
Read more of Douglass’ story.
My husband won't get paid, but he’ll still work

Kimberly Morgan

Kimberly Morgan’s husband works two jobs — one with the U.S. Naval Reserves and another as a civilian for Central Command in Tampa, Fla. — but he could be furloughed from one and not paid for the other, even though he’ll be working because he’s considered “essential.” She writes:

If they do break this loggerhead, the government may or may not pony up with his back pay. In essence, we will simply be surviving on whatever savings we have, because the government considers his job so vital and important, my husband will work a full eight-hour day, every day, without pay, for however long it takes.
And it gets better. He will not be permitted to use any leave or holiday time for the duration of the furlough. We're losing part of our retirement, too; for every missed paycheck, we're also missing contributions to our Thrift Savings Plan, a federal employee retirement program.
Additionally, this affects his second job entirely. If there's a government shutdown, he doesn't leave for the reserves, so we miss out on a couple hundred dollars for the lost drill pay.
This is pretty huge; we're a family of five, and while the economy in Tampa is improving somewhat, it's still not the cheapest place to live. We're both in our early 40s, and while we're still young enough to make up the lost ground, I'd rather it never came to this. He loves his job and I'm proud of the work he's doing ... which is more than I can say for some of our elected officials.
Read more of Morgan’s story.
Everyday tasks that much harder

Robert Clark Young

In San Diego, Robert Clark Young has cared for five years for his infirm father, who needs government-issued IDs for doctor visits, emergency-room care and access to handicapped services. Young mailed off the necessary paperwork for a federal passport card, but with the government shutdown and a local office unfunded and unsupported, there’s no one to process the application. Young writes:

How long will the government be closed for business? Who can say? But I know one thing: Giving my father the daily care that he needs could be complicated if he lacks legal identification.
My father's HMO requires a valid photo ID before providing him with routine medical care. His catheter is changed once a month, for instance, and the scheduling puts him in different facilities with different nurses. What if he has no ID at the time of his appointment?
Over the past five years, my dad has been in the emergency room 12 times. He's always been asked for a photo ID.
Technically, we can't even use a handicapped parking space without my father being able to prove that he's the person the placard is assigned to.
Shutting the government down affects millions of Americans in ways large and small. I hope the Republicans in Congress will compromise on this matter, before the inconvenience to Americans becomes too great.

Meanwhile, we'll be trying to get my dad an ID card issued by the state of California. The Democrats are in charge here, and the state is open for business.

Police nab three teenage stowaways at Lagos airport Go to article..

The Airport Command of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested three teenagers for allegedly attempting to illegally board some international flights in Lagos.

Commissioner of Police for the command, Salahu Waheed, said the suspects, Lateef Popoola, 13; Amadi Joshua, 14; and Ukpabio Onyedikachi, 14, were arrested at different times at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja.

Waheed, while handing over the suspects to their mothers, said there was a need for their respective state governments to rehabilitate them like the Edo State Government did with teenage stowaway, Daniel Ihekina, who was arrested on August 24, 2013 after sneaking into the tyre compartment of a Lagos-bound Arik plane.

Glasgow's Rangers on road to recovery..

Scottish soccer club Rangers declared its financial problems at an end on Tuesday two years after one of the British game's biggest names was ruined by a tax scandal and forced to drop to the bottom of the professional leagues.

Rangers, one of the best supported clubs in Britain with average home crowds of 45 000, had to relaunch from the fourth tier of the Scottish game last season after collapsing under a pile of debt. They are now top of Scottish League One - the third tier of the game north of the border.

Cost-cutting and improved retail revenues should improve the club's profitability in the coming seasons, the AIM-listed club said in a statement as it announced financial results for the 13 months to June 30, 2013.

The club, who in their previous incarnation won Scotland's premier league 17 times between 1986 and 2011, said an operating loss of £14 million in 2012-13 would not be repeated in a bid to revive past glories.

"We will continue to keep a firm grip on expenditure," Chief Executive Craig Mather said.

"As we strive to progress through the leagues, revenues can be expected to rise and there will be greater opportunity to improve financial performance further."

Rangers had been Scottish champions a record 54 times before their collapse last year, seen as a warning to other British teams to clean up their finances.

The club reported revenue of only £19 million in the 2012-13 period as sponsorship and broadcast revenue shrunk following their demotion from the Scottish Premier League.

This compares with turnover of £76 million for their perennial Glasgow rivals Celtic, who are also listed on AIM and last week reported an operating profit of £13 million thanks to their participation in the lucrative European Champions League.

Rangers raised £22 million n a flotation on the AIM stock market in December and won promotion at the end of last season.

However, the club faced more off-field problems in April when Chief Executive Charles Green, the English businessman who led the club's rescue, resigned following claims he had been working on behalf of former owner Craig Whyte.

Rangers shares floated at 70p but are now worth only 49.5p, with sentiment hit by boardroom turbulence surrounding Green's departure.

Whyte, the majority shareholder when Rangers went into administration in February 2012, has been barred from playing any part in Scottish soccer.

A private inquiry carried out by a legal firm for Rangers found no evidence to support claims of Whyte's involvement.

Jordan: In his prime, he could beat LeBron, others..

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NBA legend Michael Jordan believes he could beat LeBron James in a one-on-one basketball game when he was in his prime.

He's not sure about Kobe Bryant.
In a video promoting the NBA 2K14 video game that was released Tuesday, Jordan said there's a long list of players he would've liked to have played one-on-one - Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Julius Erving, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Bryant and James, who dons the cover of this year's game.
''I don't think I would lose,'' Jordan said in the video, before smiling and adding, ''Other than to Kobe Bryant because he steals all of my moves.''
Responded James: ''MJ said that?''

James was told of Jordan's comments after the Miami Heat completed their first training camp practice in the Bahamas on Tuesday, and said that the buzz would serve as good promotion for the game.
''Absolutely, I thought about the matchup,'' James said. ''But no one would ever see it. It's not going to happen. But it's good for people to talk about.''
Jordan was listed as 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds during his prime. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during his 15 seasons in the NBA.
Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and considered by many the greatest basketball player ever, has had a sponsorship deal with 2K Sports since 2011, when he first appeared on the cover of the popular game. James, 6-8, 250 pounds, has averaged 25.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6 assists during his first 10 seasons in the league.
The 50-year-old Jordan, who was a five-time league MVP and is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, also shared the cover in 2012 with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

This year will be the first time on the cover for James, a four-time league MVP who has led the Heat to back-to-back NBA championships.

Coaches Heat Index – Greg Schiano is sinking his ship in Tampa Bay...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano continues to stay in the hot seat as he proceeds to mishandle his obvious dislike of quarterback Josh Freeman.
It began when Schiano drafted quarterback Mike Glennon this past offseason, and continued through his many denials that Freeman would lose his job. Schiano’s mishandling of the situation continued when he admitted to reporters Freeman had missed a team photo and other events. Then instead of actually coaching up Freeman, Schiano decided to start Glennon against the Arizona Cardinals. The comedy show continued when Schiano banished Freeman from the sidelines this past weekend and said both parties agreed, but that was refuted by the quarterback’s agent.
As if that was not enough, Freeman was forced to clarify why he is in the league's substance-abuse program. Considering only a few people know that information, it appeared liked another attempt to smear Freeman’s reputation.
Oh, and Schiano’s inability to win three close games this year does not help.
THIS WEEK'S THREE HOTTEST SEATS
Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Outside of Freeman, Schiano’s team is 0-4 and probably will not make the postseason with Glennon under center. Schiano has one win in Tampa Bay’s last 10 games, and the hiring of Schiano looks worse than the decision not to provide former coach Raheem Morris with enough talent to win.
Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
If the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New York Giants this weekend, Justin Tuck may have to punch a lot of teammates who may turn against Coughlin. Safety Antrel Rolle may believe New York can win 12 straight, but Coughlin needs one win to cool down this hot seat.
Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
Absence does make the heart grow founder, but a bye week does not erase Rivera’s track record. He remains in the hot seat until he proves otherwise.
GETTING WARMER
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons Many NFL observers believed Atlanta could contend for a Super Bowl title, but the Falcons are currently 1-3 and struggling to keep pace with the New Orleans Saints (4-0). Injuries have hurt Atlanta, but Smith has a 1-4 playoff record, and at some point being “good” is just not enough.
GETTING COLDER
Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions
Schwartz’s hot seat is freezing right about now. After managing only four wins last season, Detroit leads the NFC North. Barring an epic collapse, Schwartz is close to solidifying his coaching future in Detroit.
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Bale out of Copenhagen showdown...

Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale takes part in a training session at the Valdebebas training ground in Madrid on September 27, 2013 (AFP Photo/Dani Pozo)

Kieran Canning 1 hour ago

Madrid (AFP) - Gareth Bale is out of Real Madrid's Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen on Wednesday after missing training with his teammates on Tuesday.
The Welshman had instead taken part in an individual session in the gym, but he has been left out of coach Carlo Ancelotti's 21-man squad for the game against the Danish champions.
"Gareth Bale has not trained with the group due to muscular problems in his left thigh," said a statement on the club's website.
"The diagnosis is dependent upon tests which will be carried out tomorrow."
The 24-year-old also missed league games against Getafe and Elche last week due to a left thigh problem.
However, he returned to make his home debut as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
That defeat left Real already five points behind Atletico and Barcelona, who have both made 100 percent starts to La Liga after seven games.
And Ancelotti said he expects a reaction from his players upon their return to Champions League duty.
"I'm less happy after the game against Atletico because it wasn't good, losing a derby is never a good thing," he told a press conference on Tuesday.
"We need to react quickly, both in terms of our performance and results. I have confidence in the players that they will respond well. It is a question of spirit and attitude."
Defender Sergio Ramos also backed Ancelotti to turn things around and insisted that Real will compete for all of La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey this season.

"Now is the time when we need to be most united," he said.
"It is true that we are playing badly and that people are not feeling comfortable, but we will get there because it is our obligation and we have a great team. Let nobody be in doubt, we will be fighting for the three titles.
"The team is more united than ever, with a great atmosphere, a coach with whom we are more than happy and the results will come."
Madrid's struggles to adapt to Ancelotti's possession based game after three years where they were more dangerous on the counter-attack under Jose Mourinho were particularly exposed by Atletico.
However, Ancelotti believes it will just take some time for his new troops to adjust to a new style of play.
"We can do more. We are not comfortable in possession at the minute and we have lost some of our defensive balance. Right now we are not winning the ball back well enough, but it is still very early."
However, in Europe, things have started extremely well for Madrid with their 6-1 hammering of Galatasaray two weeks ago allied to Juventus' 1-1 draw with Copenhagen handing the Spanish giants an early advantage in Group B.
And Ancelotti says the point Copenhagen took from his countrymen should serve as a warning to his side not to take the Danish champions lightly despite their own domestic struggles.
"They have had the same system and coach for a while. We know they haven't had a great start in the league, but they drew against Juventus so we have to be alert."
Iker Casillas is set to make his first competitive appearance at the Bernabeu for nine months as Ancelotti intends to play the Spanish captain in the Champions League and Copa del Rey whilst Diego Lopez maintains the number one jersey in La Liga.

Ancelotti may also recall Marcelo and Raphael Varane to the defence as they have both returned to full fitness.

At U.N., Netanyahu calls Iran's president 'wolf in sheep's clothing'...

By Louis Charbonneau and Dan Williams

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed a charm offensive by Iran's new president as a ruse concocted by a "wolf in sheep's clothing," and declared that Israel was ready to stand alone to deny Tehran an atomic weapon.
In a combative address to the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu spoke harshly about Hassan Rouhani, Iran's new, centrist president who has made diplomatic overtures to the United States and spoke by telephone last week with President Barack Obama.
"Rouhani doesn't sound like Ahmadinejad," Netanyahu said, referring to Rouhani's hardline predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"But when it comes to Iran's nuclear weapons program, the only difference between them is this: Ahmadinejad was a wolf in wolf's clothing, Rouhani is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu's address reflected Israeli worries that the emerging signs of what could become a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement might lead to a premature easing of international pressure designed to deny Tehran the means to make a bomb.
"Don't let up the pressure," Netanyahu said, adding that the only deal that could be made with Rouhani was one that "fully dismantles Iran's nuclear weapons program."
The United States, Israel and other countries accuse Iran of using its nuclear program to try to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says the program is for peaceful energy purposes only.
"I want there to be no confusion on this point. Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Yet in standing alone, Israel will know that we will be defending many, many others," Netanyahu said.
Rouhani led an Iranian charm offensive at the world forum last week, with long-term adversaries Iran and the United States now preparing for renewed nuclear talks.
In a response to Netanyahu's speech, Khodadad Seifi, a representative of the Iranian U.N. delegation, rejected the Israeli allegations and told the 193-nation General Assembly that Iran was "fully committed" to its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
"All Iranian nuclear activities are and have always been exclusively for peaceful purposes," he said. "Iran continues to fully cooperate with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)." He was referring to the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Netanyahu said Iran's nuclear program had continued at a "vast and feverish" pace since the election in June of Rouhani.
"Like everyone else, I wish we could believe Rouhani's words, but we must focus on Iran's action," Netanyahu said, adding that sanctions should be tightened if the Iranians pursue nuclear projects while negotiating with world powers.
Referring to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, Netanyahu said, "Since that time, presidents of Iran have come and gone. Some presidents were considered moderates, others hardliners. But they have all served that same unforgiving creed, that same unforgiving regime. ... President Rouhani, like the presidents who came before him, is a loyal servant of the regime."
After meeting with Netanyahu on Monday, Obama reiterated his determination to prevent Iran from getting nuclear arms. Both leaders said their countries were cooperating on the issue.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu made clear that Israel, believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, was prepared to resort to unilateral military action against Iran if it deems diplomacy a dead end.
The bulk of his speech was about Iran, but he also touched on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying the Jewish state was prepared to make a "historic compromise," but he faulted Palestinian leaders for not reciprocating enough.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau, Michelle Nichols and Dan Williams; Editing by Will Dunham)

U.N. shifts Syria aid focus to prepare for long term...

Syrian refugees rest at a new refugee camp on the outskirts of the city of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan …By Tom Miles

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations is shifting its aid effort for Syria to prepare for long-term help to neighboring countries to cope with the humanitarian crisis, the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday.
More than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria's 2-1/2-year conflict as rebels fight to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Over half of its 20 million people need aid and around 2 million have fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
"The new approach is to combine the emergency with the long-term. For that, humanitarian agencies alone cannot do it," UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres told a news conference in Geneva.
"What we want from now is ... a longer-term kind of approach, not only in relation to humanitarian aspects but in relation to structural aspects, namely related to those areas that are more directly impacted - education, health, infrastructure, housing, environment."
U.N. agencies want to join forces with the World Bank and other international financial agencies to help neighbors of Syria that are shouldering the heaviest burden.
UNHCR said 17 countries were participating in its program to resettle Syrian refugees, including 12 European countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and Mexico.
But resettlement programs so far cover about 10,000 people - a drop in the ocean for a refugee population of 2.1 million and a further 4.25 million displaced people within Syria.
With no sign of a rapid end to the conflict, aid agencies are preparing for a third winter of war.
"Already the impact of this crisis in terms of damage has been huge in terms of damage to the Syrian economy, to the Lebanese economy, to Jordan (and the region)," said Anthony Lake, head of U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
He told Reuters UNICEF in the region was increasingly focusing on building "capacity for the future", citing for example Lebanon's public school system where displaced Syrian children will outnumber Lebanese within a few months.
But UNICEF was also trying to save Syrian children from becoming a "lost generation". Lake said 1 million children were caught in conflict areas and could not be reached by U.N. aid.
"We're increasingly seeing the kids are severely affected, not only physically but also psychologically. So when we help them get back into school or provide textbooks, we are helping to train them for the future with what's in their minds."
The U.N. World Food Programme says it faces growing problems in getting supplies to desperate people in all parts of Syria.
"All sectors of the Syrian economy are collapsing, shortages are forcing food prices up beyond the means of ordinary people, even in the middle classes," said Muhannad Hadi, the WFP's regional emergency coordinator based in Jordan.
Hadi said many WFP convoys were stopped from reaching their destinations by both fighting and roadblocks set up by government forces and rebel units. "We never know when those blocks are going to appear."

(Reporting by Tom Miles and Robert Evans; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

U.S. defends diplomats expelled from Venezuela...

In the latest spat between the ideological foes, Maduro on Monday ordered out three U.S. diplomats including Kelly Keiderling, temporarily in charge of the mission.
He alleged they had been meeting with "right wing" opposition leaders and encouraging acts of sabotage against the South American nation's electricity grid and economy.
"We completely reject the Venezuelan government's allegations of U.S. government involvement in any type of conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuelan government," the embassy said in a statement. "We likewise reject the specific claims against the three members of our embassy."
The U.S. government is still evaluating how it will respond and may take reciprocal action in accordance with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, the statement said.
Venezuelan state TV, to a backdrop of dramatic music, showed images of diplomatic vehicles and a flight manifest with the names of the U.S. officials that commentators said was proof they met with the opposition in the southeast of the nation.
"The three people were in Bolivar state conducting normal diplomatic engagement," the U.S. Embassy statement said.
"We maintain regular contacts across the Venezuelan political spectrum ... This is what diplomats do."
The expulsions throw a wrench into cautious efforts this year to restore full diplomatic ties that were frayed for most of the 14-year rule of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
Maduro, Chavez's successor, named a new acting head of Venezuela's U.S. diplomatic mission shortly after his April election in what many took as a sign of warming relations.
That official may now face expulsion in the tit-for-tat style retaliation that has characterized similar incidents in the past.
Chavez in 2008 expelled Ambassador Patrick Duddy over what he called Washington's involvement in violent protests in Bolivia. In 2010, he blocked the nomination of diplomat Larry Palmer over comments that there were "clear ties" between members of Chavez's government and leftist Colombian rebels.

(Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Cynthai Osterman)

Obama blasts ‘Republican shutdown,’ defends Obamacare...

President Obama Blames GOP 'Ideological Crusade' for Government Shutdown (ABC News)

President Barack Obama on Tuesday defiantly declared that “this Republican shutdown” risks hurting the fragile economy and pressed the House GOP to abandon its “ideological crusade” against Obamacare.

“This Republican shutdown did not have to happen,” Obama said in the Rose Garden, surrounded by a dozen Americans who stand to benefit from his landmark health care overhaul.
“They’ve shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans,” he charged. "This, more than anything else, seems to be what the Republican Party stands for these days. I know it's strange that one party would make keeping people uninsured the centerpiece of their agenda, but that apparently is what it is."

Obama pointed to the last partial government shutdown, in 1996, and warned that a closure will hurt the economy.
“And we know that the longer this shutdown continues, the worse the effects will be — more families will be hurt, more businesses will be harmed,” he said. “So once again, I urge House Republicans to reopen the government, restart the services Americans depend on and allow the public servants who have been sent home to return to work.”
Obama directed those listening to www.healthcare.gov if they want to apply for health care exchanges where they can buy insurance, saying it’s time to “get America covered, once and for all.”
The president allowed that the site had suffered glitches — but portrayed it as victim of its own success, saying more than 1 million people visited the site before 7 a.m.
“We're going to be speeding things up in the next few hours to handle all of this demand that exceeds anything that we had expected,” Obama said. “Consider that just a couple of weeks ago, Apple rolled out a new mobile operating system, and within days, they found a glitch, so they fixed it. I don't remember anybody suggesting Apple should stop selling iPhones or iPads or threatening to shut down the company if they didn't. That's not how we do things in America. We don't actively root for failure.”

But House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., said the problems showed the law's underlying failures.
"Americans are attempting to purchase health insurance on Obamacare exchanges and are being met with crashing websites, missing price information, confusing forms and in some cases, exchanges that had to delay their start date because they aren’t ready yet," Issa said in a statement. "These ‘glitches,’ which the President is trying to brush off, reveal how totally unprepared the government is for this launch even with three and a half years to prepare. This is nothing, however, compared to the potentially irreversible damage the law threatens in the long term."

As he began his remarks, Obama’s microphone generated feedback, leading him to worry about a technical glitch. “Can everybody hear me? Mic work?”