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Monday, October 31, 2011
Rumor: Apple to Put the Mac Pro Out of Its Misery [Rumors]
Trial focuses in on hidden world of arms deals (AP)
NEW YORK ? The friends of Viktor Bout had code words for him in the emails and text messages they assumed were safe from prying eyes. Often, he was "Boris." At other times, it was "Primus," or just "the man." When their talk turned to weapons, one of those former friends testified in a New York federal courtroom last week, the Russian businessman spoke guardedly of "farming equipment."
For nearly two decades, as Bout grew infamous as the "Merchant of Death" ? his unwanted nickname for the black-market weapons deals in which he was accused but long denied ? the world he inhabited remained murky to outsiders. While UN investigators tracked his planes and U.S. Treasury analysts traced his bank accounts, only those few who dealt with him and saw him close up knew exactly how he did his business.
Closing arguments in his federal trial in New York on conspiracy charges were under way Monday and jury deliberations will follow, but Bout's private world has already spilled wide open. More than 70 transcripts compiled from wiretapped meetings and conversations and scores of phone calls and text messages depict everything from his preference for lemon in tea to his use of memory cards in cell phones to disguise the trail of his phone calls. A long-time South African associate, Andrew Smulian, recounted an intimate three-day visit with Bout in Moscow where their talks hatched a $15 million weapons deal with purported terrorists who turned out to be U.S.-paid informants.
Bout's lawyers say he was aware of the American sting operation aimed at him, and only played along in discussions of the weapons deal to trick the informants into buying two cargo planes. Whether Bout is convicted as guilty or freed as innocent, the massive cache of documents and three weeks of testimony have already provided new insights into his everyday dealings. Arms trade experts said the case is also reshaping some of their understanding about how weapons are bought and sold on the world markets.
"We're seeing some useful snapshots of the way he operated," said Alex Vines, a former UN arms investigator and a research director at Chatham House, a British international policy organization. Vines added: "Certainly the gray areas of his involvement with the Russian government and arms industry are becoming clearer."
Earlier this month, official Russian displeasure about the case was made clear in a letter from the State Duma, the country's national parliament, to U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, who is overseeing the trial. The Russian deputies urged Scheindlin to ensure an impartial trial, describing Bout as an "exemplary family man" and warning that the case's outcome could affect the ongoing diplomatic "reset" of relations between the U.S. and Russia.
Until last week, much of the prosecution's case was provided by witnesses who targeted Bout from afar ? U.S. narcotics agents and the undercover informants who lured the Russian to his sting arrest in Bangkok in March 2008. But Smulian, who has known and worked with Bout since the late 1990s and displayed an insider's knowledge of Bout's private realm and the illicit arms trade, provided a close-up portrait as the government's main witness.
A white-haired former aviator in a rumpled black suit, Smulian, 70, spent almost two days on the witness stand, guarded at all times by armed U.S. marshals. Like Bout, he was charged with conspiracy to kill Americans and U.S. officials, deliver anti-aircraft missiles and aid a terrorist organization. Smulian pleaded guilty to all counts and cooperated with the government, conceding he hopes to reduce a mandatory minimum 25-year prison sentence. Bout could face life imprisonment if convicted on the same charges.
Smulian said he was running an aviation company and secretly employed as a source for South African military intelligence in the late 1990s, when he met Bout, found an airfield for the Russian's cargo planes and sought other business prospects. Smulian said he never saw Bout's planes at the time loaded with weapons, but it was during that period that Bout was first identified by the U.N. as a prime violator of African arms embargos, accused of transporting small arms and weapons systems into Liberia, Angola and neighboring nations wracked by civil wars and violence.
Smulian said Bout took him to a defense exhibition in Dubai in 1998, introducing him to Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle, as well as Peter Mirchev, whom Smulian identified as Bout's main weapons supplier in Bulgaria. Over the next decade, Smulian said, he and Bout had only limited social contact. In late 2007, Smulian said, he re-engaged Bout at a time when the South African was in dire financial straits and Bout's air transport empire was pressured by tightening financial sanctions and a travel ban imposed by international authorities.
"Boris situation not so good," an acquaintance of Bout's wrote to Smulian in an email in late November, 2007. "Dollars frozen plus all assets plus travel." The coded note, Smulian testified, meant that Bout was hamstrung by financial sanctions that froze any movement of his funds and assets, and a U.N. travel ban kept him confined to Moscow.
Bout's lawyer, Albert Y. Dayan, assailed Smulian's motives and memory during cross-examination. He suggested that his narrative was shaded to curry favor with prosecutors and reduce his sentence and that he had a porous recollection of his dealings with Bout. Dayan pointed to one of Smulian's own coded emails that same month warning that Bout did "nothing in gray items" as evidence that the Russian was not involved in any illicit arms deals.
But Smulian testified that when he flew to Moscow in late January 2008, Bout grew intrigued with the prospect of a big black-market weapons delivery to two officials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a South American terror group known for using cocaine deals to support insurgent operations. In actuality, the two terrorist leaders were informants working for the DEA.
The Moscow meeting was a pivotal moment, Smulian testified. He recounted a visit to Bout's house in a Moscow suburb and a meeting with the Russian in his private office. Bout said nothing about the office complex where he worked, but as Smulian followed him down a corridor, the South African noticed suites that clearly "looked like security or military offices," filled with defense-related items and paintings of Russian battle scenes.
A former Soviet military officer, Bout has long been linked by U.S. officials to Russia's intelligence apparatus and arms industry. Smulian's description of Bout's inner sanctum and the Russian's knowledgeable discussion of anti-aircraft missiles, helicopter gunships and other sophisticated weapons gave new credence to those ties.
"It's why the Russians have always been so defensive about Bout," Vines said. At the same time, Vines said, the trial's revelations show that Bout's operation "looked a little old-fashioned in some ways. Some of the tradecraft is a bit amateurish." Despite using cell phone memory cards and elaborate code words, for example, Bout's frequent electronic messages were apparently not protected by modern encryption.
Smulian said that with a single quick phone call, Bout secured 100 available Igla anti-aircraft missiles and then discussed other weapons, including helicopter gunships, sniper rifles, grenades and munitions. At one point, Smulian said, Bout scoffed at the capabilities of American military helicopters, boasting that "Russia had superior helicopters they could supply" to the FARC.
Many of the communications to and from Bout came from Smulian's laptop, which was seized during his arrest in Bangkok. Bout's laptop was also taken and analyzed, and prosecutors have displayed some limited contents during the trial, including research on the FARC that he allegedly stored on its hard drive.
A U.S. official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Bout investigation said the Russian's seized computer also contained evidence that the Russian's business empire had set up hundreds of shell companies around the world for his air cargo and other business ventures, stretching from remote South Pacific islands to the state of Montana.
"Anything and everything he touched, he was at the top of his game," said Thomas Pasquarello, a police chief in Somerville, Mass. who formerly was the DEA's lead agent in Thailand for the Bout investigation. "He was extremely meticulous. He'd be head of a Fortune 500 company if he was in another line of work."
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Shelling in Syria kills 3 after deadly day
Two Syrian regime women supporters hold a banner with a sarcastic caricature on it in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)
Two Syrian regime women supporters hold a banner with a sarcastic caricature on it in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)
Syrian regime supporters flash the V-victory sign as they hold up a portrait of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a rally at Umayyad Square in Damascus, Syria. Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Some thousands of Syrians packed the square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/ Bassem Tellawi)
A young girl looks on during the Pro-Syrian President Bashar Assad rally in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)
A Syrian regime supporter holds up a banner that reads in Arabic and English "No to foreign interference" during a rally in Umayyad Square in downtown Damascus, Syria, Wednesday Oct. 26, 2011. Tens of thousands of Syrians packed a Damascus square Wednesday in a show of support for embattled President Bashar Assad, a few hours ahead of a visit by senior Arab officials probing ways to start a dialogue between the regime and the opposition. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian troops shelled a restive district and conducted sweeping raids Saturday, killing at least three people one day after 40 were reported to have died in one of the deadliest crackdowns in months in the country's uprising, activists said.
The violence prompted strong criticism from the Arab League, which issued a statement expressing "disgust" at Friday's killings. An Arab League committee was set to meet Sunday in Qatar with a Syrian delegation over ways to solve the crisis stemming from the 7-month uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also appealed for "military operations against civilians to stop at once."
The Syrian opposition's two main activist groups, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordinating Committees, said shells slammed into the Baba Amr district of Homs on Saturday, killing at least three people. Raids and arrests also were reported around the eastern city of Deir el-Zour.
The popular revolt against Assad's regime has proved remarkably resilient over the past seven months, with protests erupting every week despite the near-certainty the government will respond with bullets and tear gas. The U.N. estimates the regime crackdown on the protests has killed 3,000 people since March.
Much of the bloodshed Friday happened after protests had ended and security forces armed with machine guns chased protesters and activists, according to opposition groups monitoring the demonstrations. Authorities disrupted telephone and Internet service, they said. At least 40 people were killed, according to the observatory and the LCC.
The Syrian government insists the unrest is being driven by terrorists and foreign extremists looking to stir up sectarian strife, and blames the foreign media for spreading lies. The state-run news agency said the condemnation from the Arab League was based on "media lies."
Damascus has largely sealed off the country from foreign journalists and prevented independent reporting, making it difficult to confirm events on the ground. Key sources of information are amateur videos posted online, witness accounts and details gathered by activist groups.
It is difficult to gauge the strength of the revolt in Syria, a country of 22 million people. The crackdown does not appear to have significantly reduced the number of protests, but neither does the regime appear to be in any imminent danger of collapse.
The result has been a monthslong stalemate.
Assad enjoys a measure of support in Syria. His main base at home includes Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who feel they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad.
Many Syrians and outside analysts consider sectarian warfare to be a real and frightening possibility. Syrians see their country as a fragile jigsaw puzzle of ethnic and religious groups including Sunnis, Shiites, Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Druse, Circassians, Armenians and more.
With no signs of movement toward the regime's collapse, many protesters are starting to see the limits of peaceful protests, particularly when compared to the armed uprising in Libya that drove Moammar Gadhafi from power ? albeit with NATO air support.
The mass demonstrations in Syria have shaken one of the most authoritarian regimes in the Middle East, but the opposition has made no major gains in recent months, it holds no territory and still has no clear leadership.
In recent weeks, there have been growing signs that once-peaceful Syrian protesters are increasingly taking up arms to fight the military crackdown. There also are signs that army defectors are turning on the regime, although their strength is difficult to measure without independent access to the country.
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Coloradans face nation's only statewide tax vote (AP)
DENVER ? The nation's only statewide tax vote on the November ballot asks Colorado voters whether they want to temporarily raise taxes to generate $3 billion for classrooms and colleges ? a proposal that has stirred fierce opposition because of the stagnant economy.
The vote could serve as a test of voters' mood on tax increases and their frustration after endless rounds of education cuts in Colorado.
"If it should pass, it think it will get a fair amount of attention because no one is expecting anything with the words `tax increase' to pass," said Norman Provizer, a political science professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Opponents, including the entire Republican delegation in Colorado's Legislature, insist tax hikes will cost jobs and won't by themselves help schools. Some Democratic leaders, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, have declined to publicly endorse the proposal, saying they see little appetite for a tax hike.
Even some supporters are skeptical.
"I doubt it will pass," Valerie Walker said after dropping off her ballot in downtown Denver. While she voted for the initiative, she said, "I just think people can't afford having additional money coming out of their pockets right now."
The money raised by Proposition 103 would help fill the void from education cuts that were induced by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a voter-approved initiative that strictly limits taxes and spending.
The measure would raise individual and corporate tax rates from 4.63 percent to 5 percent and Colorado's sales and use tax rate from 2.9 percent to 3 percent. The rates would be in effect from 2012 through 2016, with an estimated $2.9 billion in new revenue during that time going to K-12 schools and public colleges.
A married couple with a combined household income of $125,000 would pay about $315 more annually in income taxes, nonpartisan legislative economists estimate. Sales taxes on a $5,000 purchase would increase from $145 to $150.
While nearly 619,000 of Colorado's 3.2 million registered voters have cast ballots in the mostly mail-in election, Provizer cautioned against drawing broad conclusions from what has been a relatively low-profile campaign.
Proposition 103's supporters have raised $420,000, its opponents roughly $22,000 ? figures that pale in comparison to the millions generated by past attempts to generate or keep more state revenue under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, often referred to as TABOR.
Funding for K-12 education in Colorado totals $2.8 billion, or nearly 40 percent of the budget. As in other states, though, Colorado schools have seen hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts. This year, lawmakers slashed more than $200 million from K-12 funding. More cuts are expected in 2012. The higher education budget was reduced this year by $125 million and stands at about $624 million.
Denver parent Phillip Garcia says Proposition 103 is worth it.
The 29-year-old nightclub promoter says his fourth-grade daughter's school has overcrowded classrooms, its teachers frazzled by the increased workload.
"I know the economy's bad, but if there's one thing worth spending money on, it's education," Garcia said.
The state Democratic Party's lukewarm support for the tax hike ? petitioned onto the ballot by a Democratic lawmaker ? has exasperated supporters. Hickenlooper, who took office in January, said he promised voters he would not back any initiative to raise taxes during his first year.
"It does frustrate me that people in leadership positions are sitting silent," said John Creighton, father of three public school students and president of the St. Vrain Valley School Board in Longmont.
He said his district already asks parents to help pay for advanced classes and extracurricular activities and that further cuts would harm basic classroom teaching.
"Everyone's looking for that perfect moment to do things, and the truth is there is no perfect moment," Creighton said.
Still other supporters argue the bad economy is a reason to vote for the tax hike.
"Who knows, this (economy) can be going on for five, 10, 15 years," said Don Schumacher, a physical therapist in Denver who voted for Proposition 103. "I think we owe it to the citizens to provide what we can as taxpayers."
Tony Gagliardi, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents small business owners, said a tax increase now will force employers to hire fewer people at a time when state unemployment is 8.3 percent.
"When the costs go up, the way (businesses) control those costs is they either don't hire or they reduce their workforce," he said.
One of them is Roger Newell, general manager and operator of A Roadrunner Appliance Service in the Denver suburb of Castle Rock.
"I have a problem with government saying we need more money and we'll raise taxes, but everyone in the private sector is having to cut back to survive," Newell said.
Other states that have recently asked voters for tax raises for education have had mixed results.
Last year, Oregon passed two measures ? one that raised certain income taxes and another that raised corporate and business taxes ? to funnel money to education, health and public safety. In Washington, voters rejected a new income tax on high-wage earners for health and education funding.
___
Ivan Moreno can be reached on Twitter: http://twitter.com/IvanJournalist
Kristen Wyatt can be reached on Twitter: http://twiter.com/APkristenwyatt
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Mt. Lebanon swim coach will return after suspension
Mt. Lebanon swim coach will return after suspension
Mt. Lebanon High School's swim coach will return to his position after charges of child endangerment that had forced his suspension were recently dropped, a school district spokeswoman said.
Cissy Bowman of the Mt. Lebanon school district, said David Schraven had been suspended during the court's investigation but will be reinstated starting Monday.
Principal Brian McFeeley Friday sent a letter to parents of all students at the high school, alerting them of the decision.
Police said Mr. Schraven, 44, left his 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son alone in the car while he shopped at a Giant Eagle supermarket for more than 20 minutes on Aug. 25.
Two misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and a summary count of leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle were dropped Oct. 20 after Mr. Schraven gave the court proof that he completed parenting courses prior to the hearing.
First published on October 29, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11302/1186154-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml
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Gadhafi hometown pays heavy price in Libyan battle
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, a general view of buildings ravaged by fighting in Sirte, Libya. Moammar Gadhafi's hometown has paid a heavy price for sheltering him and trying to push back his opponents in the final battle of Libya's civil war. The fighting and what residents describe as wanton destruction by vengeful anti-Gadhafi fighters have rendered much of Sirte uninhabitable, with hundreds of homes turned into broken shells. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, a general view of buildings ravaged by fighting in Sirte, Libya. Moammar Gadhafi's hometown has paid a heavy price for sheltering him and trying to push back his opponents in the final battle of Libya's civil war. The fighting and what residents describe as wanton destruction by vengeful anti-Gadhafi fighters have rendered much of Sirte uninhabitable, with hundreds of homes turned into broken shells. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 file photo, buildings ravaged by fighting are seen through another damaged building in Sirte, Libya. Moammar Gadhafi's hometown has paid a heavy price for sheltering him and trying to push back his opponents in the final battle of Libya's civil war. The fighting and what residents describe as wanton destruction by vengeful anti-Gadhafi fighters have rendered much of Sirte uninhabitable, with hundreds of homes turned into broken shells. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo, File)
SIRTE, Libya (AP) ? Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte paid a heavy price for sheltering him in the final battle of Libya's civil war.
Much of the Mediterranean city of palm tree-lined boulevards has been destroyed. Whole neighborhoods are uninhabitable, with shells punching huge holes through homes blackened with soot. There's no electricity or water. Debris-filled streets are flooded from broken pipes.
"It used to be a beautiful city, one of the most beautiful in Libya," said Zarouk Abdullah, 42, a university professor, standing outside his badly damaged family home. "Today it looks like (postwar) Leningrad, Gaza or Beirut."
Sirte once was favored by the old regime with investment and jobs. Now, six weeks of fighting has left many of the 140,000 residents seething over what they believe was wanton destruction by vengeful anti-Gadhafi combatants.
Although some blame Gadhafi for bringing the war home by hiding here in his final days, residents feel overwhelmed by the task of reconstruction and expect little help from Libya's interim government.
Most of the dead appear to have been removed or hastily buried, but there is still a stubborn stench of decay that remains ? even a week after Gadhafi's death, which ended the eight-month battle to oust him.
On Thursday, shovel-wielding volunteers wearing surgical or gas masks dug up shallow graves to identify and rebury bodies.
Meteeg al-Gazhali stood on a sandy lot behind a clinic in Sirte's seaside District No. 2 and watched as several men pulled up a corpse, wrapped in a blanket.
"That's Ali," he said quietly after lifting the blanket, identifying his 30-year-old son.
The battle for Sirte began in mid-September, or about a month after revolutionary forces had already taken control of most of Libya, including the capital of Tripoli. Sirte was one of the last holdouts, along with two other loyalist areas.
Resistance in Sirte was fierce, and three weeks into the battle, anti-Gadhafi forces had advanced only a few hundred yards (meters) into the city.
With fighting intensifying, most civilians fled, and only die-hard loyalists remained behind in the city some 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.
There were no indications that Gadhafi was in Sirte beforehand, with reports of him hiding deep in the southern desert, possibly trying to flee the country.
In fact, Gadhafi was hiding in Sirte in the final weeks of the war, living in abandoned homes in District No. 2 with an entourage of about two dozen, including his son Muatassim.
On Oct. 20, as revolutionary forces encircled the neighborhood, Gadhafi and his followers tried to escape in a convoy that was struck by NATO on a highway on the outskirts.
Gadhafi, who suffered some injuries, tried to flee on foot, but he was captured, beaten by a mob and died later that day in mysterious circumstances, prompting international demands that Libya's new leaders investigate his death.
Fighters from the coastal city of Misrata, which rose up early against Gadhafi and suffered immensely under weeks of siege by regime forces in the spring, took the lead in the battle for Sirte and Gadhafi's capture.
It was they who put Gadhafi's body on display in Misrata like a trophy for four days before burying him Tuesday in an anonymous desert grave.
Residents now believe the Misrata fighters intentionally destroyed Sirte, beyond the collateral damage of fighting, to settle old scores.
"I am very angry with the rebels. Look at all this damage," said 26-year-old electrician Mustafa Ali, standing in the debris-filled courtyard of a two-story villa in District No. 2 that was rumored by neighbors to have been Gadhafi's last hiding place.
"If one shot was fired from a house, they would destroy the entire house," he said.
Over the weekend, more than 50 bodies were found strewn across the ocean-view lawn of the Mahari Hotel, which according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch, had been in the hands of Misrata rebels during the fighting.
Farraj al-Hemali, a Sirte resident who was among those to discover the dead, said 25 of the corpses were found with their hands tied behind their backs. Blood had soaked into the grass, indicating they were killed on the spot. Among the dead were civilians and Gadhafi loyalists, and most had been shot in the head or chest, he said.
Human Rights Watch called for an investigation of what it described as an "apparent mass execution."
Ibrahim Beitelmal, spokesman for the Misrata military council, denied that fighters from his city were responsible. He said he believes the loyalists were killed by their own comrades, possibly after refusing orders to keep fighting.
Beitelmal also alleged that "the damage in Sirte was done by Gadhafi forces to blacken the image of the rebels."
Anti-Gadhafi fighters did their utmost to prevent bloodshed by giving civilians ample time to leave, he said, adding that those who stayed in the final days were clearly hardcore loyalists.
Zarouk Abdullah, the university professor, scoffed at such claims, alleging that Misrata fighters killed his 34-year-old brother Hisham, whom he described as a civilian.
Abdullah said his brother had stayed behind in Sirte to protect the family home, was taken prisoner and killed with others at the Mahari Hotel. He did not explain how he knew this.
On Wednesday, Abdullah visited Sirte's Ibn Sina Hospital and viewed pictures of disfigured or bloated corpses that had been discovered in recent days, photographed and numbered before temporary burial. Hisham was No. 90. His lower left jaw had been shot off. Abdullah snapped three pictures to take back to his parents so they could start grieving.
Abdullah said he is worried about score-settling. "The (real) war has not started yet. The war will start Nov. 1, after NATO leaves," he said, referring to the end of the military alliance's seven-month mission in Libya.
"People will take revenge," Abdullah predicted, but like others here, he said he does not want more bloodshed.
Beitelmal, the Misrata spokesman, said officials from his city are working with anti-Gadhafi forces in Sirte to help restore basic services, including water and power.
However, al-Hemali said there has been no outside help, dismissing promises from visiting officials from neighboring cities as empty words.
Sirte, which sustained far greater damage than Misrata, must fend for itself, said al-Hemali, the owner of a car wash, as he oversaw the cleanup of the grounds of the Mahari Hotel.
Libya's new government, which is to be formed in coming weeks, will deal with reconstruction but there is no quick fix, said a spokesman, Jalal el-Gallal.
"For sure, all the cities that were destroyed during the war will be rebuilt, but the interim government can't do anything right now, and the new government will provide temporary housing," he said.
In District No. 2, truck driver Muftah Mubarak, 42, said the Gadhafi regime provided security and jobs, blaming the unrest on foreign intervention, including NATO.
He referred to the anti-Gadhafi fighters as "rats," a term used by the former dictator. With Libya awash with weapons, the country could soon see another civil war, he said.
In a gesture of defiance, he stuck his head out of his truck before driving off, yelling the slogan of regime supporters: "Only Allah, Moammar and Libya."
___
Associated Press writer Ben Hubbard in Cairo contributed reporting.
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Michelle Williams: 'Oz The Great And Powerful' Is 'Like A Magical Wonderland'
Despite the fact that we know little-to-nothing about Sam Raimi's sure-to-be-excellent "Oz: The Great And Powerful," aside from its intriguing A-list cast and basic premise of course, we're pretty sure it's going to be one of our favorite movies of 2013. Raimi just seems like the perfect person to take us back to Oz, and [...]
Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/10/27/michelle-williams-oz-the-great-powerful/
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Friday, October 28, 2011
Buy a civilization starter kit, prepare for the apocalypse now (Yahoo! News)
If you're worried that the?zombie apocalypse is nigh, never fear! On?Kickstarter, a site well known for getting?wild ideas off the ground with crowdsourced funding, you can actually invest in your end of the world plan now ? before things go south. A collective called?Open Source Ecology is drumming up funds on the site for what they call Global Village Construction Sets, and while they might not be zombie-proof per se, they do aim to provide the tools you'd need to start a modern civilization from scratch.
So what comes in the kit? You'll get all the info you'll need to build a number of handy tools through?what the organization calls "microscale fabrication." That includes blueprints for making a?tractor, a brick press, a pulverizer, a power unit and more ? and the instructions for?operating the 50 some odd industrial machines you'll make.
The project's somewhat radical goal is to provide "access to powerful tools that anyone can use to transform their built environment." The idea is that with all of the documentation in the included "resource library", you could theoretically get your own society off the ground. That is if the Kickstarter campaign reaches its $40,000 goal by November 19 ? and you know, assuming the human race hangs on for long enough. The more you pledge, the more advance training you'll get, so keep that in mind if you're opening your wallet.
Of course, you could just use the kits to make your own sustainable non-post-apocalyptic miniature DIY community, if you don't feel like waiting for the world to end.
Kickstarter via?Dvice
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tunisia's Islamists seek to reassure secularists
TUNIS?? Tunisia's moderate Islamist party on Tuesday claimed a thumping victory in the country's first election, sending a message to the region that once-banned Islamists are challenging for power after the "Arab Spring."
With election officials still counting ballots from Sunday's vote ? the first to follow as a result of the uprisings which began in Tunisia and spread through the region ? the Ennahda party said its own tally showed it had won. Several of its biggest rivals conceded defeat.
Ennahda was in talks with rivals on Tuesday about forming an interim coalition government to lead the birthplace of the Arab Spring through its transition to democracy.
Tunisia has a strong secular tradition, and Ennahda officials promised a broad-based coalition.
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Seeking to reassure secularists in Tunisia and elsewhere who see a threat to liberal values in the region, party officials said they would share power and would not try to push through radical measures.
"There will be no rupture. There will be continuity because we came to power via democracy, not through tanks," campaign manager Abdelhamid Jlazzi said at party headquarters.
Story: Tunisia police use teargas on Islamist protesters"We suffered from dictatorship and repression and now is an historic opportunity to savor the taste of freedom and democracy," he said.
Shortly before he spoke, an Ennahda female candidate who does not wear the Islamic head scarf, or hijab, sang along to Lebanese and Tunisian pop songs on a stage. The party says her inclusion is proof of its moderate outlook.
In the only hint of trouble so far in the election, about 400 people protested outside the election commission building, alleging that Ennahda, led by the long exiled Rachid Ghannouchi, was guilty of vote fraud.
And despite party officials' assurances, supporters celebrating the win chanted "The people are Muslim," "We will not surrender," and "No to atheism," al-Jazeera English reported.
The protesters, encircled by police, carried banners saying: "What democracy?" and "Shame on you, Ghannouchi!"
Election officials say there were only minor violations and Western monitors applauded the election.
Ennahda, citing its own figures, said the election gave it 40 percent of the seats in the assembly which will draft a new constitution, appoint an interim government and set a date for new elections late next year or early in 2013.
That tally, if confirmed by the election commission counting the votes, would still require the party to form alliances with secularist parties if it is to have a majority. That is expected to dilute its influence.
Resonant win
The victory was the first in the Arab world for an Islamist party since Hamas won a 2006 election in the Palestinian Territories.
The election result is likely to resonate in Egypt, which starts voting in November in a multi-stage election. An Islamist party which shares much of the same ideology as Ennahda is predicted to perform strongly.
Tunisia became the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" when Mohamed Bouazizi, a vegetable seller in a provincial town, set fire to himself in protest at poverty and government repression.
His suicide provoked a wave of protests which forced autocratic President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia in January.
Story: Tunisia Islamist party seeking coalition partnersThe revolution in Tunisia, a former French colony, in turn inspired uprisings which forced out entrenched leaders in Egypt and Libya, and convulsed Yemen and Syria -- re-shaping the political landscape of the Middle East.
Only a trickle of official results has so far appeared -- unlike votes under Ben Ali when the outcome was announced straight away, probably because it had been pre-determined.
Ennahda won half of the 18 seats allocated to Tunisians abroad. Of the four electoral districts inside Tunisia that have so far declared, it led the field in two and was joint winner in the other two, officials said late on Tuesday.
Turkish model
Ennahda's leader Ghannouchi was forced into exile in Britain for 22 years because of harassment by Ben Ali's police. A soft-spoken scholar, he dresses in suits and open-necked shirts while his wife and daughter wear the hijab.
Ghannouchi is at pains to stress his party will not enforce any code of morality on Tunisian society, or the millions of Western tourists who holiday on its Mediterranean beaches. He models his approach on the moderate Islamism of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
The party's rise has been met with ambivalence by some in Tunisia. The country's strong secularist traditions go back to the first post-independence president, Habib Bourguiba, who called the hijab an "odious rag."
"I really feel a lot of fear and concern after this result," said Meriam Othmani, a 28-year-old journalist. "Women's rights will be eroded," she said.
"Also, you'll see the return of dictatorship once Ennahda achieves a majority in the constituent assembly."
Ennahda's win was a remarkable turnaround for a party which just 10 months ago had to operate underground because of a government ban which had put hundreds of followers in prison.
In a slick and well-funded campaign, the party tapped into a desire among ordinary Tunisians to be able to express their faith freely after years of aggressively enforced secularism.
Western diplomats say Ennahda is largely funded by Tunisian businessmen, which they say means the party will pursue pro-market economic policies.
It also sought to show it could represent all Tunisians, including the large number who take a laissez-faire view of Islam's strictures, drink alcohol, wear revealing clothes and rarely visit the mosque.
Secularist opponents say they believe this is just a cleverly constructed front that conceals more radical views, especially among Ennahda's rank and file in the provinces.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45038538/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
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Big Bang Theory?s Kaley Cuoco Engaged!
Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco Engaged!
Actress Kaley Cuoco, who plays the hottie in The Big Bang Theory series, is getting married! Kaley, 25, is engaged to Josh ‘Lazie’ Resnik, an [...]
Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco Engaged! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stupidcelebrities/~3/tRSMQOQKIa0/
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
American Idol Season 11 to Premiere On...
Don't cry, Jennifer Lopez. American Idol will soon be back on the air.
Fox has released the first official preview for season 11 of its monstrous hit, as the following video features J. Lo, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest and Steven Tyler strolling down the street and inviting slack-jawed onlookers to join them for auditions.
And when will these new auditions kick off? On January 22. Mark your calendars and prepare for a couple weeks of bad singing and sad sob stories before we get to the talented meat of live episodes. Watch the full-length trailer now:
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/10/american-idol-season-11-to-premiere-on/
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UN council calls for criminalization of piracy (AP)
UNITED NATIONS ? All U.N. member states should make piracy a crime as the problem surges in Somalia, the Security Council said Monday.
Council members unanimously agreed to ask all U.N. member states to issue reports before the end of the year on measures they have taken to criminalize piracy, and to support prosecution of people suspected of piracy off the coast of the eastern African country.
The Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center reported last week that sea piracy worldwide has surged in the first nine months of this year, with Somali pirates intensifying their attacks despite more patrolling of nearby waters.
According to the global maritime watchdog, there have been a record 352 attacks worldwide in the first three quarters of this year, up 22 percent from a year ago. Pirates took 625 hostages, killed eight people and injured 41 in the nine-month period.
Somali pirates accounted for 199 attacks of those attacks, a 58 percent increase from last year, as they expanded farther into the Red Sea.
But the Somalis were able to hijack only 24 vessels, down from 35 in the same period last year, because of increased international naval policing and onboard security measures.
The Security Council will continue to examine ways to establish courts and prisons in Somalia and nearby countries with international participation and support.
Somalia remains unstable, making policing of piracy within the country difficult.
The al-Qaida-linked Somali insurgent group al-Shabab is fighting on two fronts there, against the U.N.-backed government and its African Union supporters in Mogadishu, and against Kenyan troops in the south.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Enzyme controlling cell death paves way for treatment of brain damage in newborns
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Ylva Carlsson
ylva.carlsson@vgregion.se
46-070-364-1240
University of Gothenburg
Brain damage due to birth asphyxia where the brain is starved of oxygen around the time of delivery is normally treated by cooling the infant, but this only helps one baby in nine. New research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, could now pave the way for new ways of treating brain damage in newborns.
Birth asphyxia can cause irreparable brain damage and lifelong handicaps, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and mental retardation. The brain damage evolves over a time period of hours to days after the injury. This opens up a therapeutic window where we are able to affect outcome. Birth asphyxia is normally treated by cooling the infant, which has been shown to reduce the risk of lasting problems.
Saves only one in nine
Unfortunately this therapy stops only one child in nine from suffering brain damage. Furthermore, premature babies cannot be treated in this way. In her doctoral thesis, Ylva Carlsson has therefore attempted to find a new treatment strategy that can be used not only in combination with cooling therapy but also to help children where cooling therapy is not an option.
Mapping the key enzyme
The focus is on an enzyme which controls elements of the apoptosis cell death associated with the brain damage. "We've mapped the role this enzyme plays in the development of brain damage in newborns who suffer from birth asphyxia," says Carlsson. "The results show that a reduction in the amount of this enzyme also reduces the extent of the brain damage. Added protection is given if cooling therapy is used too."
Age affects brain damage
Based on a study of mice, Carlsson is also able to show in her thesis that the mechanisms behind brain damage vary according to the age of the brain: a treatment that can protect adults turned out to exacerbate the damage in newborns.
Tailor-made treatments
"This may mean that some drugs developed for brain damage in adults should probably not be given to newborn babies," says Carlsson. "Tailor-made treatments targeting specific brain damage mechanisms and combination treatments for children may therefore be the way forward. But first we need to look more closely at how best to control these proteins without disrupting other key functions in the growing brain."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 25-Oct-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Ylva Carlsson
ylva.carlsson@vgregion.se
46-070-364-1240
University of Gothenburg
Brain damage due to birth asphyxia where the brain is starved of oxygen around the time of delivery is normally treated by cooling the infant, but this only helps one baby in nine. New research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, could now pave the way for new ways of treating brain damage in newborns.
Birth asphyxia can cause irreparable brain damage and lifelong handicaps, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and mental retardation. The brain damage evolves over a time period of hours to days after the injury. This opens up a therapeutic window where we are able to affect outcome. Birth asphyxia is normally treated by cooling the infant, which has been shown to reduce the risk of lasting problems.
Saves only one in nine
Unfortunately this therapy stops only one child in nine from suffering brain damage. Furthermore, premature babies cannot be treated in this way. In her doctoral thesis, Ylva Carlsson has therefore attempted to find a new treatment strategy that can be used not only in combination with cooling therapy but also to help children where cooling therapy is not an option.
Mapping the key enzyme
The focus is on an enzyme which controls elements of the apoptosis cell death associated with the brain damage. "We've mapped the role this enzyme plays in the development of brain damage in newborns who suffer from birth asphyxia," says Carlsson. "The results show that a reduction in the amount of this enzyme also reduces the extent of the brain damage. Added protection is given if cooling therapy is used too."
Age affects brain damage
Based on a study of mice, Carlsson is also able to show in her thesis that the mechanisms behind brain damage vary according to the age of the brain: a treatment that can protect adults turned out to exacerbate the damage in newborns.
Tailor-made treatments
"This may mean that some drugs developed for brain damage in adults should probably not be given to newborn babies," says Carlsson. "Tailor-made treatments targeting specific brain damage mechanisms and combination treatments for children may therefore be the way forward. But first we need to look more closely at how best to control these proteins without disrupting other key functions in the growing brain."
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/uog-ecc102511.php
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Monday, October 24, 2011
Reviewers praise new Steve Jobs biography (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? The biography of late Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs' hit the bookstores on Monday, and reviewers wasted little time in heaping praise on the much-anticipated book destined for the bestseller list.
The New York Times called Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs," which Simon & Schuster published earlier than planned following of Jobs' death from pancreatic cancer on Oct. 5, clear and concise, saying it "does its solid best to hit" its target.
"Here is an encyclopedic survey of all that Mr. Jobs accomplished, replete with the passion and excitement that it deserves," wrote New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin.
Isaacson, the onetime editor of Time magazine and author of biographies on Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, "has given us a nuanced portrait of the brilliant, mercurial, complicated genius," said Entertainment Weekly's Tina Jordan of what she called the "occasionally workmanlike ... thoughtful, broadly sourced" book.
"Isaacson has taken the complete measure of the man. This is a biography as big as Steve Jobs," Jordan concluded.
The Washington Post lauded the book for its scope -- "on the one hand a history of the most exciting time in the age of computers," and "a textbook study of the rise and fall and rise of Apple," as well as "a gadget-lover's dream."
"But more than anything," wrote the Post's Michael Rosenwald, "Isaacson has crafted a biography of a complicated, peculiar personality" which succeeded in showing how Job's character shaped great technological innovations.
Like others, the Huffingtonpost's Barbara Ortutay gave Isaacson's book credit for taking off "the rose-colored glasses that often follow an icon's untimely death," calling the book "a rich portrait" -- if one that could have used "another round of editing" in the rush to publish.
Still, she wrote, "'Steve Jobs' is must-read history."
At ABC News, former Clinton White House staffer George Stephanopoulos praised Isaacson for having "pulled no punches in this book," such as characterizing Jobs as sometimes being very tough, even mean.
"This is a fascinating character study," Stephanopoulos enthused.
Of the 22 amateur reviewers on Amazon.com, the vast majority agreed with the pros, with 18 giving it a highest-possible five stars, while only three tarred the book with a lowly one-star rating.
(Reporting by Chris Michaud; editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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Biogen MS trial data robust; shares jump (Reuters)
(Reuters) ? Full data from a late-stage clinical trial of Biogen Idec Inc's experimental multiple sclerosis drug, BG-12, showed robust results across multiple measures and revealed no new safety concerns.
The news sent the biotech company's shares soaring as much as 6.7 percent on Friday.
Earlier this year the company released initial data from the trial, known as DEFINE, which showed the drug, when given twice a day, cut the annualized relapse rate by 53 percent at two years compared with placebo, and cut the rate of disability progression by 38 percent.
Full data from the trial was presented on Friday at a meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and showed the drug reduced the risk of relapse by 49 percent in patients who took it twice a day and 50 percent in patients who took it three times a day.
"BG-12 may be a valuable treatment option for MS patients, combining strong efficacy, a favorable safety profile and oral administration," said Dr. Ralf Gold, a trial investigator and professor at St. Josef-Hospital/Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany. "Preclinical research has shown that BG-12 has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects."
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to numbness, loss of vision and paralysis. BG-12 is designed to treat relapsing-remitting MS, in which flare-ups are followed by periods of remission. About 85 percent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with this form of the disease.
Gold said that if the clinical responses seen in DEFINE are replicated later this year in a second late-stage trial known as CONFIRM, then "BG-12 has the potential to provide a new approach to treating MS and be an important step forward for patients."
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that at two years, patients receiving BG-12 experienced significant reduction in the number of brain lesions compared to patients on placebo.
"Coming out of Dr. Gold's presentation, BG12's clinical profile remains competitive with efficacy at the upper end of the range for all oral MS therapies," said Geoff Meacham, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, in a research note. "Importantly, there were no new safety concerns in the data presented, removing a major risk, and the immediate feedback from neurologists at the session was positive."
Adverse reactions were reported by 95 to 96 percent of patients, whether in the placebo group or treatment group. The most frequently reported events were flushing, MS relapse, nasopharyngitis, headache, diarrhea and fatigue. There were no deaths related to study treatment. There was no increase in infections, serious infections, opportunistic infections or malignancies, data showed.
Thomas Wei, an analyst at Jefferies & Company, said the data show that continued dosing of BG-12 beyond six months strengthens efficacy benefit, giving him increased confidence that the efficacy in DEFINE "will likely be replicated in
CONFIRM."
The improvement in results with longer treatment likely explains why results from the two-year-long Phase III trial were significantly better than the six-month-long Phase II trial.
"BG-12 is clearly the trend of ECTRIMS 2011," said Geoff Porges, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein. "The sentiment is very positive and every physician that we spoke to repeated the same phrase: "If the CONFIRM data is as strong as DEFINE, this drug will be the best selling drug in MS in a few years."
Shares of Weston, Massachusetts-based Biogen were up 5.7 percent at $107.48 in mid-morning trading on Nasdaq after rising as high as $108.46 earlier in the session.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke, editing by Bernard Orr, Dave Zimmerman)
Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/meds/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111021/hl_nm/us_biogen_ms
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Sunday, October 23, 2011
China's military in diplomatic charm offensive (AP)
BEIJING ? China may make its neighbors nervous with its robust military build-up, but it's also increasingly using the army as part of its charm offensive abroad.
The People's Liberation Army, in a cultural shift for an institution known for strident nationalism and unbending loyalty to the Communist Party, is expanding overseas aid missions and military exchanges in a major way. It sent 50 medics to flood-hit Pakistan this week and dispatched a hospital ship last month on a 105-day trip to poor nations in the Caribbean ? right in America's backyard.
The diplomatic push, part of a larger global campaign by the Chinese government, aims to portray China as a responsible rising power, while softening the image of the 2.3 million-member military and boosting its ties with other nations' armed forces.
"It's has been a big step for them, but China appreciates this as a part of the normal practices of respected major powers in their relations with other countries," said Ron Huisken of the Australian National University's Strategic and Defense Studies Center.
China's "soft power" drive also includes foreign aid, cultural exchange and a massive expansion of state television to reach foreign audiences ? all attempts to win friends and correct what China considers to be a biased Western portrayal of it.
The military took its first big stab at overseas disaster relief last year, sending helicopters to help out with floods in Pakistan. Last month, the air force flew 7,000 tents to the once-again flood-ravaged country and it is also shipping aid to flooded areas of Thailand.
The People's Liberation Army, or PLA, has also become the biggest contributor of manpower to U.N. peace keeping missions, and its navy is part of a multinational anti-piracy flotilla off the coast of Somalia.
The Peace Ark hospital ship, which sailed to the Horn of Africa last year, set off on Sept. 16 for Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica. More than 100 medical personnel are aboard for an operation dubbed Harmonious Mission 2011.
"The international community expects China to play such a role and that is part of China's foreign policy," said Xiong Zhiyong of the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
Only recently has the PLA acquired the skills, equipement, and political will to carry out such missions.
Its previous inability to provide relief overseas was especially evident following the 2004 Asian tsunami.
While the U.S. Navy and other countries' militaries rapidly shipped in huge amounts of aid and personnel, and winning tremendous goodwill for their governments, China could do little more than send a medical team to Indonesia, along with tents and other supplies.
Overseas missions also help grow its ability to deal with domestic disasters, such as the massive 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Xiong said.
At home, students from across the developing world are increasingly coming to China to take two-year military command courses, while the PLA's University of Science and Technology has taken in a dozen army officer candidates from Laos, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and seven other countries.
The military's newspaper called that a sign the force is "integrating itself into the world with a much more open attitude."
Foreign military attaches are being granted more access to Chinese bases and training exercises, although much of that is carefully scripted. Top commanders have also began making more frequent visits abroad and participating in multinational forums such as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that attracts top defense officials from the U.S., Britain, and other major nations.
The exchanges are part of the PLA's effort to evolve into a modern force, right down to the introduction of smart new dress uniforms intended to break down the distinction between PLA officers and their Western counterparts.
The military has been upgrading its warplanes, ships and submarines, and began sea trials this summer on a refurbished Soviet aircraft carrier, demonstrating how a once-decrepit force seems determined to go toe-to-toe with the U.S. and other regional militaries.
While that modernization disconcerts the U.S. and China's neighbors, China says it's needed to defend its interests. Some analysts say military diplomacy is a way to show off its strength to potential rivals, while also joining in international relief efforts.
"There is little trust between China and the U.S. so China's recent response is to demonstrate its military capability, which also fits its commitment to helping the global community," said Ni Lexiong, a military expert at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
Humanitarian missions such as the dispatch of a hospital ship to Cuba also deliver a signal of China's military resolve to its own public without risking actual confrontations with the U.S. or others, Ni said.
"The enormous public pressure requires a response and this doubly demonstrates the Chinese navy's logistical capability," Ni said.
The U.S. military for its part has been generally supportive of the PLA's humanitarian drive, saying that boosts transparency and chances for peaceful interactions.
"As the Chinese military develops the capability to deliver medical and humanitarian assistance beyond its immediate region, there will be opportunities for the United States and China to collaborate and share," the Pentagon said in its most recent report to Congress on China's armed forces.
But on military exchanges, the PLA has yet to grasp the intrinsic value of strong ties, said Australian expert Huisken, citing the recent suspension of exchanges with the Pentagon over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. It's unclear what if any exchanges have so far been suspended or canceled.
"It remains a relatively superficial program," he said. "We still don't have a clue what their real aspirations are."
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Saturday, October 22, 2011
Flooded Thailand races to rescue pets, loose crocs
Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
A Thai woman holds her dog while waiting for transportation in Pathumthani on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand on Friday.
By NBC News? Ploy Bunluesilp??
BANGKOK, Thailand ? This city is on edge as we wait to see whether the worst floods to hit Thailand in decades will engulf us, too.?
Water rushing toward the sea from swollen rivers and rain-swept highlands to the north of the capital have already inundated most of central Thailand. And we are in its path next. The government seems overwhelmed. Nobody seems to be able to give us a straight answer on whether Bangkok will soon be under several feet of water.
For me, it's more than just another story to cover. I live in a wooden house in Thonburi, a neighborhood of Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River that has kept the city's traditional character and has canals instead of streets.
Many people in the area still access their homes by boat. It's a beautiful place to live, but it is right beside the river, on low and marshy ground. If Bangkok is flooded, my home will be one of the first affected.
Like many in my neighborhood, I've been trying to build up brick defenses around my house, and moving everything upstairs to the second floor. But I'm worried about my friends and family. And I'm worried about my two little puppies, Sarsi and Brown. They can probably swim, but they prefer dry land.
And the government has warned that more than 100 alligators and crocodiles have escaped captivity when floods swamped their enclosures on farms. They are offering 1,000 Thai Bhat or $33 bounty for each one caught alive ? some are up to seven feet long.
People?have questioned the measly pay out for wrestling a crocodile into submission: according to a poll on the Bangkok Post, 77.5 percent of people did not think that was an equitable payout.
More than 340 people have lost their lives in the flooding across Thailand since July. And wildlife is suffering too.
Animal rescue mission
So this week I took a trip with an animal rescue team north of Bangkok, looking for stranded household pets ? or dangerous escaped predators. With roads flooded, the only way to access the area is by boat.
Historic flooding in Thailand has left many pets without shelter or food for nearly two weeks. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Sometimes they would find cats and dogs sitting on rooftops. Others were left behind by owners who had fled. And the animals don't always appreciate being rescued.
"Force needs to be used if the dog is not willing to come with us," said Roger Lohanan, the head of the rescue team. In all, the team tried to save 300 trapped cats and dogs throughout the city of Ayutthaya.
Some have to be caught with a net and sedated before being put on the boat.
Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
A Thai woman carries her son along the flooded streets in Pathumthani on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.
"I have to take them all with me as nobody can access here to give them food," Lohanan added.
Rescued cats and dogs will be looked after in a safe area, and the owners can claim their pets back later when the water recedes. As for wild animals rescued ? including tigers, crocodiles, monkeys and pangolins ? they are being looked after in zoos, but will be released back into the wild later.
Except for one group of the wild animals, I hope. Officials plan to keep the crocodiles in captivity, which is fortunate for Sarsi and Brown.
Related link: Floodwaters begin seeping into outer Bangkok
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