Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Huawei security chief says embracing its hacker critics

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/huawei-security-chief-says-embracing-082737021.html

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State says go home and sleep, 24/7 Egypt resists

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's capital prides itself on being city that never sleeps, with crowds filling cafes and shops open into till the small hours. So, the government is facing a backlash from businesses and the public as it vows to impose new nationwide rules closing stores and restaurants early.

Officials say the step is necessary to conserve electricity in a nation buckling under economic crisis and fuel shortages. But the decision has a strong undercurrent of social control: A desire by secular conservatives and Islamists alike to tame a population they see as too unruly, especially in a post-revolution atmosphere of strikes, protests and relentless demands on a beleaguered government.

Simply put, officials say, Egyptians should stop thinking they can do whatever they want, should go to sleep early and work in the morning.

"Egyptian life has turned nocturnal. Egypt should not be a nocturnal state, but a morning state like all countries," Legal Affairs Minister Mohammed Mahsoub, an Islamist, told reporters on Wednesday. "Energy, endeavor, labor and working hard should be the foundation."

"I call on all those thinking of opposing this to think about themselves ? when should they wake up and go to sleep and when do their kids go to bed and wake up," he said. "This is really a behavioral issue."

He and other officials said the regulations will come into effect on Saturday. Under the new rules, shops would be required to close at 10 p.m. and restaurants and cafes at midnight. Businesses that have a tourism license ? which comes at a fee ? would be exempted, meaning that most bars and upscale restaurants would stay open later. Violators would face a fine and, if they persist, closure.

But many are furious over what they see as an outright violation of the nation's psyche.

The proposed regulation has dominated the national conversation for weeks. Opponents, including chambers of commerce around the country, warn that it will damage an already suffering economy. Those who work night shifts will lose their jobs and, with Egyptians unable to shop late, sales will be stifled and small businesses will be forced to lay off workers, they say.

Others argue that it is biased against the poor, given that venues catering to rich Egyptians will be able to get tourist licenses ? which are not necessarily linked to actual business with tourists ? at a time when small business owners are struggling to make ends meet because of the economic crisis.

"I wish that President Mohammed Morsi would make decisions that put the poor people ahead of the rich," said Ibrahim Mohammed, referring to the country's Islamist leader, now in his fourth month in office. Mohammed owns a street kiosk that sells cookies and cigarettes in central Cairo and stays open until midnight.

Opponents argue it will be virtually be impossible to enforce. Cairo, home to an estimated 18 million people, has hundreds of thousands of small businesses found on almost every street, alley and lane. Some, like eateries, juice shops and pharmacies, never close. Night-owl Egyptians are accustomed to being able to buy virtually anything, while away the time at a coffee shop or even get a haircut at any time of night.

Some warn that penalties could even spark violence at a time when Morsi's government is struggling to restore law and order amid the turmoil since last year's fall of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.

"Maybe the government will try to force this on us, but that will never work with Egyptians," said Anwar Eid, whose spices and dry goods store in Cairo's middle class Dokki district has been in the family for seven generations.

In the working class neighborhood of Imbaba, a waiter at a street cafe that's open 24 hours was fuming.

"What are the people who work the late night shifts supposed to do? Our salaries will go down. How will we find more work?" Ibrahim Saeed said. "We already have problems with unemployment and with crime. How will this help? The government issues decisions and that's it, they don't say why."

Officials have presented the regulation as a vital energy-saving step. Egypt has been plagued by widespread electricity cutoffs, in part because of overburdening on its facilities, just one of multiple breakdowns in the nation's infrastructure. Moreover, the government is trying to reduce crushing budget deficits as it struggles to revive an economy hard-hit since last year's revolution ? and fuel for power plants is a heavy cost.

Local Development Minister Ahmed Zaki Abdin, a non-Islamist who served as a provincial governor under Mubarak, said closing up earlier would save the government more than $1 billion a year ? though opponents have questioned whether the move would really conserve much energy.

But the move goes beyond economics to try to impose some control over a society in chaos.

"You can't have people staying up all night in cafes. People should be going to bed early so they can do their work," Abdin insisted.

"We can't just keep on doing whatever we want whenever we want ... We're passing through tough circumstances. We have an economic crisis. We have an energy shortage. We have problems everywhere, strikes, unrest, demands. Can't anyone make a compromise?" he said in a TV interview this month.

Past governments have made attempts to regulate business hours in hopes of injecting a semblance of order to Cairo. But in the end, they backed down in the face of business opposition and public uproar. Some are convinced Morsi's government will do the same.

If implemented, the regulation could become an issue in parliamentary elections now expected early next year, as parties try to appeal to small businessmen and their employees angry over the early closing hours.

"This regulation is a huge mistake," said Ashraf Shaaban, who runs a falafel sandwich in Imbaba. "It is against the nature of the Egyptian people. We stay up late. We don't want a curfew."

As he quickly whipped up sandwiches for a line of customers, he added: "If men spend their evenings at home rather than at cafes, the population will grow. There will be more babies."

"Morsi is insulting the people!" shouted one of his customers.

___

Associated Press correspondents Sarah El Deeb and Lee Keath contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/state-says-home-sleep-24-7-egypt-resists-200237294.html

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

"American Idol", "Touch", "The Following" get premiere dates

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Utah GOP Fundraiser Accused Of Rape Commits Suicide

A Utah Republican fundraiser charged with sexually assaulting women he met online committed suicide on Tuesday, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Greg Peterson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the very same Heber, Utah cabin where he hosted political events and allegedly raped at least two of his five alleged victims.

Peterson, 37, was facing 25 charges of assault, rape and kidnapping related to attacks on the women. If convicted, Peterson could have been sent to prison for the rest of his life. Peterson was released from jail on Friday after posting $2 million in bond.

Utah authorities charged Peterson with the crimes in July and said he met several of his alleged victims on Mormon dating websites. The attacks allegedly took place in March, July and December of 2011 and April 2012. It wasn?t clear when the fifth attack allegedly took place.

As TPM reported, one 2011 Peterson event featured Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch (R) and Mike Lee (R), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R) and Gov. Gary Herbert (R).

Greg Peterson, Utah
Ryan J. Reilly

Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.

Source: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/greg_peterson_suicide.php

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Walmart legal troubles mount as Black Friday walkout looms

Walmart has been hit with a class action lawsuit in the midst of a threatened employee walkout on Black Friday, one of the busiest, most profitable shopping days of the year. Will worker troubles have an impact, or is this old hat for Walmart?

By Schuyler Velasco,?Correspondent / October 23, 2012

Walmart workers on strike walk a picket line during a protest over unsafe working conditions and poor wages outside a Walmart store in Pico Rivera, Calif., earlier this month. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is facing a class action lawsuit alleging violation of laws regulating payment and scheduling of temporary workers. The allegations come just as the company is facing a potential walkout on Black Friday, the busy shopping day after Thanksgiving.

Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters/File

Enlarge

Walmart workers aren?t happy, and they?re letting their employer know it.

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In the midst of worker strikes in several cities and the looming threat of a mass employee walkout on Black Friday (one of the busiest shopping days of the year), the world?s largest retailer has been hit with a class action lawsuit affecting temporary and part-time workers in the Chicago area.

The filing accuses Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and two temporary staffing agencies in the region ? Labor Ready Midwest Inc. and QPS Employment Group, Inc. ?? of? breaking minimum wage and overtime laws for temp workers by making them show up early and work through lunch breaks. The lawsuit also alleges that Walmart failed to pay contracted workers the requisite four hours minimum in wages.

Requests for comment from Wal-Mart Stores were not immediately returned.

The legal action comes at the tail end of what has been a tumultuous month for Walmart's perpetually rocky relationship with its workers. On Oct. 4, 71 employees at Walmart's Pico Rivera, Calif., store in the Los Angeles area participated in a day-long strike that spread to several metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Additionally, a group of 200 workers staged a protest outside Wal-Mart Inc.'s Bentonville, Ark,, headquarters during the company?s annual investors meeting.

That wave of protests culminated in the Black Friday ultimatum: Walmart listens, or the workers walk. ?It would be chaos in the stores,? says Evelin Cruz, a? manager in the photo department at the Pico Rivera store. She?s been with Walmart 8-1/2 years and makes $13.20 per hour. ?Last year, our store alone made $1.2 million in sales [on Black Friday]. They would lose out on this.?

Missing employees on such a high-traffic shopping day could lead to ?dangerous situations, understaffed floors,? says Evan Yeats, a spokesman for the Making Change at Walmart campaign and the communications director for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), based in Washington. ?It?s a symbolic day, and it?s also a day when Walmart needs their workers the most.?

What do they want?

Walmart employees aren?t unionized, but those taking action are doing so through OUR Walmart, a support organization backed by unions and advocacy groups including the UFCW and the National Organization for Women (NOW). According to Mr. Yeats, OUR Walmart has helped workers file over 20 lawsuits against the retailer for unfair or unlawful labor practices, including switching workers? shifts without their knowledge, reducing hours, and unwarranted disciplinary actions ?all the way up to termination of workers and everything in-between.?

The chief complaint driving the most recent rash of strikes, including the Black Friday ultimatum, alleges that Walmart is retaliating against workers who strike or join up with OUR Walmart with unfair disciplinary action, reduction in hours, and even firing. Venanzi Luna, a seven-year Walmart employee and company shareholder now working as a manager at the deli counter in the Pico Rivera store, says that the retaliation started immediately when she joined OUR Walmart.

?I never had an attendance problem, but they started checking my attendance, and all of the sudden call me into the office because they say I have 19 absences. So they gave me a verbal warning for ?stealing company time.? Then they made me go to coaching for being disrespectful to associates. I didn?t know what they were talking about but they said they had it ?all on camera.? ?

Ms. Luna has since become a prominent figure in the worker movement, helping lead the Pico Rivera workers in their initial walkout and penning a now-closed petition on change.org that calls for the removal of Walmart's leadership. It garnered 19,237 signatures.

In addition to stopping the retaliations and respecting workers? right to free speech and assembly, OUR Walmart members would like to see the retailer offer more dependable work schedules, affordable healthcare for full-time workers, and a living wage ($13 per hour minimum).

?Walmart has been advertising that they are a family-oriented company. And if this is how family is treated, then I would rather not have a family at all,? says Ms. Cruz.

What?s at stake?

What does Walmart have to lose in all of this? The retailer, which generated about $258 billion in revenue last year, has pointed out in public statements in response to the strike that OUR Walmart workers make up a tiny sliver of its 1.4 million employees. What?s more, employee troubles are nothing new for Wal-Mart: In 2008, it paid $640 million to settle a rash of class action lawsuits accusing the company of withholding worker wages. Currently, Walmart is also facing accusations from its Mexican subsidiary that it forked over billions in bribes to Mexican officials so it could more quickly open stores.

Still, the worker walkout could have an impact, argues David?S.?Meyer, a professor of sociology and political science at the University of California in Irvine who studies large protest movements.

?I don?t expect that they actually want to walk out. And I?m sure Walmart doesn?t want them to walk out.? he says.

?This is an attempt to put the issues of working people back on the national agenda. Plus, if they?re able to persuade some people not to go to work or shop at Target instead, Walmart loses a small percentage of what it makes on Black Friday, and that matters. It doesn?t have to be completely successful in order to make an impact.?

Walmart is a consumer-focused company, whose main selling point is price, he adds.??But there are some customers who want more than that. This may ward some people off.?

Another thing that might put people off: added turmoil on an already frenzied shopping holiday. ?It?s chaos,? Luna says ?Last year my manager was hiding behind me because he was being overwhelmed. It gets really bad. People would be fighting.?

Imagine that with a staff shortage.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/b8LUsiD2j0Y/Walmart-legal-troubles-mount-as-Black-Friday-walkout-looms

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Angelina Jolie's Kids Pax, Zahara To Join Her In 'Maleficent'?

Angelina and Brad Pitt's 4-year-old daughter Vivienne is already onboard to play a young Sleeping Beauty.
By Carly Wolkoff


Angelina Jolie in "Maleficent"
Photo: Disney

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696075/angelina-jolie-kids-pax-zahara-maleficent.jhtml

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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Fewer orthopedic surgeons accepting pediatric Medicaid patients

Fewer orthopedic surgeons accepting pediatric Medicaid patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Debbie Jacobson
djacobson@aap.org
847-434-7084
American Academy of Pediatrics

NEW ORLEANS Compared to six years ago, the number of orthopedic surgeons willing to see a child with a broken arm who is covered by Medicaid has dropped 39 percent, and even children with private insurance may face obstacles in getting a timely appointment, according to research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

In the study, "National Access to Pediatric Fracture Care," five general orthopedic practices were identified in each state. Each office was called with a private cellphone using the following script: "My 10-year-old son broke his arm while out of the country last week. He was splinted and told to see an orthopedic surgeon within one week. His fracture does not involve the growth plate."

Only 23.2 percent (58 out of 250) of the practices across the country agreed to schedule an appointment for a pediatric fracture patient with Medicaid. Of the offices that declined an appointment request, 38 percent said that they do not accept Medicaid patients. The 10 states with the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates offered an appointment 6 percent of the time; the 10 states with the highest level of reimbursement, 44 percent. The same group of 10 lowest Medicaid reimbursement states offered an appointment to a PPO patient 88 percent of the time, and the 10 best Medicaid reimbursement states, 82 percent of the time. Eighty-two percent of the offices nationwide agreed to see a patient with private PPO insurance. Nine states were identified where all five offices refused the Medicaid patient, but all five accepted the PPO patient (Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Texas).

Compared to data published in 2006, the number of offices in 2012 willing to see a child with private insurance has declined from 92 percent to 82 percent. The number of offices willing to see a child with a fracture and Medicaid insurance has decreased from 62 percent to 23 percent a decline of 39 percentage points.

"Underinsured children continue to have difficulty accessing care for their fractures," said study author Christopher Iobst, MD, who cited low Medicaid reimbursement rates as the most likely reason for practices refusing to see patients. In addition, "patients with private insurance are also being turned away at an increasing rate" for a variety of reasons. Forty-six percent of the offices contacted in the study were unable to refer the family to an orthopedist who would take care of the child.

"This paradigm shift has resulted in a greater number of children getting referred to pediatric tertiary care centers (hospitals) for their care, even for routine injuries," said Dr. Iobst. While receiving care at these centers is beneficial, "many patients are forced to drive long distances to receive care for routine injuries. This places an unnecessary burden on families that often have limited resources."

###

The abstract is available to the media at https://aap.confex.com/aap/2012/webprogrampress/Paper17606.html

Please note the embargo lifts at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 21.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.


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Fewer orthopedic surgeons accepting pediatric Medicaid patients [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 21-Oct-2012
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Contact: Debbie Jacobson
djacobson@aap.org
847-434-7084
American Academy of Pediatrics

NEW ORLEANS Compared to six years ago, the number of orthopedic surgeons willing to see a child with a broken arm who is covered by Medicaid has dropped 39 percent, and even children with private insurance may face obstacles in getting a timely appointment, according to research presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

In the study, "National Access to Pediatric Fracture Care," five general orthopedic practices were identified in each state. Each office was called with a private cellphone using the following script: "My 10-year-old son broke his arm while out of the country last week. He was splinted and told to see an orthopedic surgeon within one week. His fracture does not involve the growth plate."

Only 23.2 percent (58 out of 250) of the practices across the country agreed to schedule an appointment for a pediatric fracture patient with Medicaid. Of the offices that declined an appointment request, 38 percent said that they do not accept Medicaid patients. The 10 states with the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates offered an appointment 6 percent of the time; the 10 states with the highest level of reimbursement, 44 percent. The same group of 10 lowest Medicaid reimbursement states offered an appointment to a PPO patient 88 percent of the time, and the 10 best Medicaid reimbursement states, 82 percent of the time. Eighty-two percent of the offices nationwide agreed to see a patient with private PPO insurance. Nine states were identified where all five offices refused the Medicaid patient, but all five accepted the PPO patient (Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Texas).

Compared to data published in 2006, the number of offices in 2012 willing to see a child with private insurance has declined from 92 percent to 82 percent. The number of offices willing to see a child with a fracture and Medicaid insurance has decreased from 62 percent to 23 percent a decline of 39 percentage points.

"Underinsured children continue to have difficulty accessing care for their fractures," said study author Christopher Iobst, MD, who cited low Medicaid reimbursement rates as the most likely reason for practices refusing to see patients. In addition, "patients with private insurance are also being turned away at an increasing rate" for a variety of reasons. Forty-six percent of the offices contacted in the study were unable to refer the family to an orthopedist who would take care of the child.

"This paradigm shift has resulted in a greater number of children getting referred to pediatric tertiary care centers (hospitals) for their care, even for routine injuries," said Dr. Iobst. While receiving care at these centers is beneficial, "many patients are forced to drive long distances to receive care for routine injuries. This places an unnecessary burden on families that often have limited resources."

###

The abstract is available to the media at https://aap.confex.com/aap/2012/webprogrampress/Paper17606.html

Please note the embargo lifts at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 21.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/aaop-fos101512.php

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BusinessTech: What's next for Zoopy's Jason Elk? | Jason Elk

Jason

Growing up with a Commodore Vic 20, dial-up bulletin boards and a 2400 US Robotics modem, I?ve been online since high school in the nineties, with the IRC logs to prove it! Between then and now, I spearheaded web initiatives for an international online marketing group, established an internet strategy consultancy and built up a global affiliate revenue stream. In 2006 I co-founded Zoopy.com, a social media community that turned into a mobile video entertainment platform delivering bite-sized news, sports and entertainment updates to handsets everywhere.

Source: http://www.jasonelk.com/2012/10/business-tech-whats-next-for-zoopy-s-jason-elk/

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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Would you hire yourself to be your Realtor?

The other night Amanda and I had a killer listing presentation. ?The sellers just drilled us with questions like...

How many clients are you currently working with? ?How many sales did you have last year? ?Do you prefer working with buyers or sellers and why? ?What is your sales to list price percentage? ?We answered them all with extreme confidence.

Then they dropped the bomb: ?Would you hire yourself to be your Realtor? ?I'll admit, it caught me off guard. ?

Are there agents that sell more than we do? ?Yes. ?Are there agents that have more experience in areas than we do? ?Yes. ?Are there agents that have been in the business longer? ?Yes. ?

Don't get me wrong, the amount of business we do is nothing to sneeze at. ?But I really had to ask myself the question, and my (our) honest answer was yes. ?

Yes because we know our area. ?Yes because we take care of our clients. ?Yes because we know the process and bring a TON to the table. ?Yes, I would hire myself to be my Realtor. ?

How about you? ?Would you hire yourself to be your Realtor? ?Don't bother answering this Alan May.

?

The Christiansen Team. ?Real People. ?Real solutions. ?

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Text JARED to 260.493.3519 for your own personal mobile app! ?Search for homes right from your smart phone. ?It's free and exclusive to Century 21 Bradley agents and their friends and clients. ?

They didn't help us a find a house. ?They helped us find the RIGHT house. ?Kerry & Alice

They assured us that they could sell our home quickly. ?Then they did. ?Chris & Audrey

They listened to ME. ?They made it about ME. ?I love them! ?LaToya

I was scared that I wouldn't find the right home. ?With their help, I did! ?Patti

They didn't EVER try to upsell us or push us into anything. ?They were patient. ?Meg & Robert

They treated us like millon dollar clients, even though we weren't! ?Shawn & Kevin

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3483455/would-you-hire-yourself-to-be-your-realtor-

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Video: Kids find role models in ?foster grandparents?

For Romney and Obama, early voting key campaign focus

Both President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney's campaign are working to bank as many early votes as they possibly can, using some states' options to cast a ballot before Nov. 6 to build an advantage headed into Election Day.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40153870/vp/49483652#49483652

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Video: Kitten rescued from Florida storm drain

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49477960/

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Friday, October 19, 2012

By the numbers: Early voting (CNN)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/256834551?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Naming, shaming: Group targets Iran sanction busters

John Makely / NBC News

Mark Wallace, right, talks with United Against Nuclear Iran Executive Director David Ibsen in the group's New York City offices.

By Richard Engel and Robert WindremNBC News

Editor?s note: This story contains a graphic image that some readers may find disturbing.

Perched high above midtown Manhattan, behind security-locked doors in an unmarked office, a half-dozen 20-somethings sit at computers, looking for ways to inflict hardship on the Iranian government and the people it rules. The ?war room,? as its occupants call it, is a mere 20 blocks from Iran?s Mission to the United Nations and even closer to the hotel where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stays during his visits to New York.

But this is not a U.S. government intelligence facility brimming with incoming feeds of classified data. The offices belong to the private nonprofit group United Against Nuclear Iran, and the computers contain a wealth of (mostly) open source economic data culled from Iranian and other sources.?

UANI, as it calls itself, has one mission: to wage ?economic warfare against the Islamic Republic of Iran ...The regime must be forced to choose between having a nuclear weapon or a functioning economy."


That?s not to say the group doesn?t have roots in government. It is headed by Mark Wallace, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and former heads of the CIA, the counterterrorism office of the National Security Council and the Mossad, Israel?s national intelligence agency, sit on its advisory board.

John Makely / NBC News

UANI printed up T-shirts for a recent protest against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Part of what UANI does is psychological warfare, though it?s the smallest part. The group pays for a billboard high above Times Square that takes shots at Ahmadinejad and placed a blow-up Ahmadinejad punching-bag doll outside the Hotel Warwick when he stayed there recently while in town to address the United Nations. It also lobbies effectively, working with friendly congressmen to get sanctions strengthened.

Using 'name and shame' tactics
Mostly, it uses ?reputational risk? to achieve its aims, trying to shame U.S. and international companies to end business dealings with the Islamic Republic or Iranian businesses, particularly those with Revolutionary Guard ties. If those efforts don?t succeed, Wallace isn?t averse to using a bigger hammer: If you work with Iran, he is fond of saying, you shouldn?t get contracts from the U.S. government.

While the group?s impact is difficult to quantify vs. the overall impact of economic sanctions against Iran by the U.S., European Union and the United Nations, Wallace?s private network has contributed to some significant successes. Those include persuading an international money exchange to ban Iran and forcing Ahmadinejad out of his preferred New York hotels in September when he visited to deliver his final speech at the U.N. General Assembly as Iran?s president.?

U.S. officials welcome the private group?s efforts, telling NBC News that UANI?s ?name and shame? campaigns complement the government?s efforts to enforce the sanctions, which are limited to pursuing civil or criminal cases when companies are found to be in violation.

The public shaming is a familiar strategy -- with a twist. Activists demonstrated and demanded U.S. pension funds and university endowments divest stock in South African companies during the dying days of apartheid in the 1980s and ?90s. The AFL-CIO and Harry Wu, a Chinese labor activist, exposed U.S. companies that used Chinese prison labor in the 1990s. And Chinese companies doing business in Sudan were accused in the early 2000s of aiding genocide in Darfur.

But UANI?s mission is more comprehensive and it?s led by a high-profile political figure, not a celebrity or anonymous activist. In addition to serving as U.S. ambassador, Wallace worked in the presidential campaign of Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008, working as the GOP nominee?s debate coach. ?

It?s also riskier and could backfire. Iran is not without the capability of striking back.

But Wallace feels comfortable that he?s on the side of right and believes he has a unique opportunity to affect history by forcing Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, which Tehran insists are intended to meet its energy needs, not build nuclear weapons. In his view, that begins with ?crashing the currency.?

?You have all the elements that are there with the currency,? he said. ?We measure everything we do. I challenge you to find a better mechanism of judging the impact of economic hardship that we're placing on the elites.?

UANI has a modest budget -- less than $700,000 in 2010, according to federal records ? that it says it raises only from U.S. donors. ?It declines to identify them, citing security concerns.

But it claims some big results.

'Stealth sanctions' have big impact
The biggest was its lobbying of SWIFT, a Belgian-based international financial clearinghouse, to expel Iran, then pressuring the U.S. Congress to demand that SWIFT ban Iranian financial transactions from its worldwide network. Without SWIFT codes, international financial transactions become difficult, if not impossible, to complete.? Since SWIFT expelled Iran on March 15, the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, has dropped precipitously.?

Dan Yergin, the energy historian and author of? ?The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World,? calls the SWIFT expulsion the ?stealth sanctions.?

?Much of the international focus on sanctions has been on the oil side,? Yergin told NBC News. ?But the SWIFT and other related banking restrictions have been the ?stealth sanctions? that are impacting on Iran?s ability to do business in the international economy.

?Less attention may have originally been paid to them, but they rank with the oil sanctions in terms of their effects on Iran. Overall, the ? sanctions are imposing a much bigger cost on the Iranian economy than Tehran would have anticipated last winter and thus are creating a much bigger problem for the leadership.??

Now, UANI and Wallace want to strike harder. Iran?s currency, the rial, is near collapse, by some estimates having lost 80 percent of its value in the last year and 15 percent in the last week as measured against the dollar and euro. One dollar now equals 36,000 rials at the unofficial rate.

Iran, which for months resisted the suggestion that the sanctions were effective, now acknowledges that inflation, much of it caused by sanctions and the SWIFT ban, is hurting the economy.?

In recent weeks, Wallace?s group publicly pressed European companies that it believed were supplying Iran with the special paper, inks and presses used to print Iranian currency to stop doing business with Tehran.? In a letter early this month to the German company Koenig & Bauer AG, which had provided the Central Bank of Iran with presses in the past, Wallace demanded to know if the company was still supplying Iran, then raised the possibility that continuing work with Iran could threaten its business with the U.S. government.?

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?UANI finds KBA?s apparent business in Iran particularly galling in light of its extensive contracts with the U.S. Department of Treasury and its role in U.S. banknote production,? Wallace wrote. ?KBA has been the recipient of over $131 million in contracts from the U.S. Treasury?s Bureau of Engraving and Printing, in addition to $2.39 million awarded to KBA subsidiary KBA North America by the U.S. Department of Defense.

?UANI strongly believes that the only responsible action for KBA in light of the fact that the CBI is a sanction-designated entity under U.S. and EU law is for KBA to immediately and publicly reject CBI solicitations for KBA services.?

On Wednesday, KBA told NBC News that it had stopped supplying printing presses to Iran nine years ago.

But in a written response to Wallace dated Oct. 10, KBA acknowledged it had provided ?spares and auxiliary equipment? to its ?Iranian client? since then. KBA also said that early this year, it submitted a ?conditional offer? to the Central Bank of Iran when it sought bids on a contract to for new banknote machines.

Ultimately, KBA decided to discontinue sales to Iran, not long before it received Wallace?s letter, it said.

The lack of such equipment could have the added benefit of making Iranian currency more susceptible to counterfeiting, perhaps by an enemy of Iran, Wallace said. That uncertainty about the rial would make it even less valuable on whatever open markets on which it was still exchanged.

KBA?s rapid response to Wallace is indicative of UANI?s growing clout in the international business community.

As a result of actions like these, ?regime change? in Iran is now being discussed seriously in Washington policy circles. Wallace won?t say whether that is his specific goal, but acknowledges that virtually any alternative would be preferable to the current ?theocratic regime.?

Beyond SWIFT, Wallace said UANI?s efforts have led to dozens of agreements from U.S.-based and other international companies agreeing to stop doing business with Iran.?

In some cases, trading partners have credited UANI in announcing their decisions to stop doing business with Iran. In others, they have not.

Targeting Iran's auto industry
Iran has the world?s 13th largest auto manufacturing industry and the largest in the Middle East and Central Asia. The industry is a major employer and a prestige piece for the Iranians. Not every country?s president can boast that his limousine is built in a local factory. Ahmadinejad can.

Numerous European and Asian auto companies had supplied parts and ?build kits? to Iran. But UANI lobbied the companies early this year and again ?called them out,? as Wallace put it. He again cited the EU and U.N. sanctions and suggested that a publicity campaign would hurt U.S. sales of their cars.

Of the companies targeted in the campaign -- Hyundai, Fiat, Peugeot, Porsche and Renault ? Wallace says only the latter continues to supply Iran.

Renault did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

The Hyundai Motor Co. said it decided to discontinue operations in Iran after being contacted by UANI. The other auto companies that are no longer doing business with Iran didn?t cite UANI?s campaign, but numerous Iranian press accounts have connected the pullout to the threatened publicity blitz.

The auto company withdrawals contributed to a 42 percent nosedive in Iranian auto production over the past six months, Agence France Press reported last week, citing industry ministry figures.

UANI also says it forced Caterpillar, the huge U.S.-based construction company, to stop supplying equipment to Iran. After a letter-writing campaign failed, UANI bought a billboard opposite the company?s headquarters in Peoria, Ill., showing a piece of earth-moving equipment alongside a photo of Ahmadinejad and the words, ?Today?s work, tomorrow?s nuclear Iran.? As soon as the company halted the sales in February 2010, the billboard came down.

At the time, Caterpillar said it did not have extensive business dealings with Iran, and that it couldn?t control sales in the secondary market. But it did bar non-U.S. subsidiaries from accepting orders that it knew were destined from Iran.

The company did respond to requests from NBC News this week for comment.

Vahid Salemi / AP file

Two Iranian police officers look at the dangling body of Mohammed Bijeh, convicted of raping and murdering 16 children, after he was hanged from a construction crane in a public execution in Pakdasht, Iran, on March 16, 2005.

The most vivid of UANI?s efforts was its ?cranes campaign.? After grisly images emerged showing of Iranians being hung by construction cranes, UANI tracked down all the crane manufacturers who had done business with Iran and asked them to divest.? For the most part, they did.

There are other less obvious successes, ?like pressuring all 13 of the world?s major shipping registries, including those in Russia, South Korea, and Japan, to deny Iran access to their services. That, in turn, has prevented the regime and from insuring their tankers. UANI also quietly obtained pledges from Moldova, Mongolia and other nations to stop reflagging Iranian vessels.

Not all of its initiatives have worked, however.?

Its biggest campaign has been against MTN, the South African cell phone company that owns 49 per cent of Irancell, which controls the mobile market in Iran and has been accused of tracking Iranian dissidents. But MTN has refused to get out.?

Last week, Wallace excoriated MTN?s leadership in typical, no-holds-barred language. ?It is widely known that MTN has carried out orders from the Iranian regime to shut off text messaging and Skype during times of political protest in Iran, and reportedly has a floor in its Tehran headquarters where Iranian military officials compile and access data to track, apprehend, torture, and murder regime opponents,? he wrote in a letter to the company that also went out as a press release.

?MTN has blood on its hands ? We call for a global boycott of MTN's products and services and divestment from its stock, until it ends its reckless partnership,? he concluded.

'A liberating force for Iranians'
MTN did not immediately respond to Wallace?s most-recent broadside, but in a press release in February in reply to an earlier letter, it said its investment in Iran was ?in compliance with applicable sanctions regulations and law? and that it viewed its non-controlling stake in Irancell as being in keeping with its core mission: ?to speed up the progress of the emerging world by enriching the lives of the people within it.?

?Our success in widening access to mobile technology has been, and continues to be, a liberating force for Iranians, whatever their political allegiances,? it said. ?Mobile technology has brought communities together, empowered individuals and helped raise living standards for millions in the developing world.? MTN is proud of this legacy.?

Swatch, the Swiss watch manufacturer, has also resisted UANI?s appeals, saying in a letter to Wallace that it ?sells to consumers, not regimes.? Why would UANI, which is concerned with nuclear proliferation, care about watches?? Because, Wallace said, the high-end watches Swatch sells and other luxury items go to the ?elites,? particularly officials of the Revolutionary Guards, and he wants them to feel the pain of sanctions, even if only on their wrists.

UANI?s allies in Congress give it high praise.?

?What I like,? said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Florida Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, ?is they are in the weeds. You name a sector in the Iranian economy and they have been inside it, putting a lot of pressure on them. We?ve worked with them, especially on embargo and sanctions legislation. So many of the bills had their genesis with them.?

The campaign also finds favor on the other side of the aisle. ?

?Part of their approach involves putting pressure on corporations to end existing business relationships with Iran,? said Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y. ?Along with their success on that front, UANI has used that experience to communicate effectively with members of Congress on how best to strengthen existing sanctions and ensure companies are complying with our laws.?

One major concern about the success of the sanctions is that the Iranians might lash out, having tired of seeing their nuclear scientists assassinated, their nuclear research sabotaged, their currency ravaged.

That may already be happening. U.S. officials ascribe continuing attacks on U.S. banks? computer networks that began last month to Iran, perhaps in response to U.S. and EU sanctions on its banks. Israel claims Iran was behind the drone mission Hezbollah carried out over northern Israel this week, and Hezbollah acknowledged that the unmanned aircraft that was shot down was manufactured in Iran. And Tehran still has many other options for retaliation, experts say. ?

?The main concern for the market is that the Iranian regime acts out in desperation, as the financial noose tightens,? said John Kilduff of Again Capital and a CNBC oil analyst. ?If Iran attempts to make good on its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz or attempts some other attack, prices will spike higher, at least temporarily. If, however, there is regime change in Iran, resulting in a Western-friendly government, we could see the mother of all price breaks at the gasoline pump.?

'Punishing the innocent'

There are those who also characterize what Wallace and UANI are doing as harming the Iranian people rather than the government.

John Makely / NBC News

UANI Executive Director David Ibsen works in the "war room" of the organization's offices.

?It is profoundly immoral. It is punishing the innocent,? said Haroon Moghul, a fellow at both the New American Foundation and the Fordham Law School Center for Security, speaking of UANI?s campaign.?

?I'm no fan of Iranian government,? he continued. ?I wish it would go away. But what do the people have to do with the government?? It is weakening the people of Iran. We are making harder for them to change their government. Sanctions empower criminal elements, make it harder to civil society to operate, make it harder for Iran to become a real democracy.?

Reacting to that kind of criticism, Wallace acknowledges that his and his colleagues are involved in ?a proxy war,? but adds, ?I'm comfortable fighting that war.?

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said it is aware of the efforts of UANI and Wallace, but says the group?s campaign is misguided.

?I think that the nature of this organization is known to all of us,? said the spokesman, Alireza Miryusefi. ?They take actions based on the false presumption that my country is pursuing a nuclear weapon program. As we have emphasized on several occasions, Iran's program is fully peaceful and their presumption is totally wrong.?

Wallace, however, has no doubts that Iran is bent on becoming a nuclear military power, and remains convinced that the pressure that UANI is bringing to bear will ultimately succeed. ?

?Our message is clear: You have to choose between doing business with our checkbook or their checkbook -- with the reality being we're the biggest checkbook in the world,? he said. ?Notwithstanding the purported demise of the United States, we're still the biggest checkbook in the world.?

Richard Engel is chief foreign correspondent of NBC News; Robert Windrem is a senior investigative producer.

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    Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/18/14516469-us-nonprofit-names-and-shames-businesses-to-put-bite-into-iran-sanctions?lite

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    How to Buy a Budget Priced Property Through Richmond ...

    augustus-corporation-law-consulting-website-law-firms.jpg

    For home buyers on the lookout for a budget priced property, some of the best real estate deals can be found through Richmond foreclosures. Due to the unique opportunity of owning a house in one of the best neighborhoods in the country at highly affordable rates, investing in foreclosed homes in the city is becoming an increasingly popular real estate venture.

    Why to buy a property in Richmond?

    The vibrant city of Richmond is located in Virginia State and is one of the best residential areas in the country offering several benefits to home buyers some of which are listed below:

    * Tax credit abatements ? The Virginia Housing department offers tax credit abatements for buyers interested in purchasing Richmond foreclosures which makes the whole deal highly lucrative.

    * Good Neighborhood Services ? Due to its active and very good neighborhood services, the city has some of the best residential communities in the country with premium utilities and top notch infrastructure.

    * Agreeable climate ? One of the reasons that the city is chosen as a prime residential area is its mild climate with moderate summer and winter temperatures.

    * Outdoor city ? The city has been termed as one of the healthiest regions in America due to its various recreational options such as the popular Canal walks and beautifully landscaped parks like the Lewis Botanical garden.

    How to purchase a suitable property through Richmond foreclosures?

    The following set of instructions will help prospective buyers in finding a suitable home through Richmond foreclosures successfully:

    1. Familiarize yourself with the local foreclosure laws ? Get in touch with a local realtor or a lawyer and understand the rules and legalities involved in purchasing a property through Richmond foreclosures.

    2. Find the latest listings ? Look for suitable properties through online listings and public records, local newspaper classifieds and by visiting the county records office.

    3. Pick out desirable deals ? Select the most appropriate properties that match your budget and housing requirements from the listings.

    4. Compare various features ? Now zero in on the most suitable bargain deal by comparing the features with the asking prices of Atlanta foreclosures.

    5. Make a thorough inspection ? Once you have finalized a house, get a thorough inspection done and ensure that the property is in a good condition and is free of liens and back taxes.

    6. Bargain for a better price ? Finally get in touch with the sellers and bargain for a better offer as well as a lower down payment and smaller closing costs.

    With budget priced homes located in some of the best residential areas in the country, investing in a property through Richmond foreclosures is a very lucrative venture on the whole.

    Like this:

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    Source: http://rawbusinesslaw.com/2012/10/18/how-to-buy-a-budget-priced-property-through-richmond-foreclosures-real-estate-foreclosures-4/

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    Thursday, October 18, 2012

    Taliban demands unbiased coverage of after shooting 14-year-old girl

    Pakistan's Taliban insurgency faces a spate of bad press in mainstream Pakistani outlets related to the jihadists' failed assassination attempt of?Malala Yousafzai, a young blogger who dared protest the Taliban's ban on educating girls.?Now the Taliban are plotting terror strikes on TV stations and other media organizations, but local newspapers refuse to stay silent.

    The first report of these plots were surfaced by an urdu-language reporter on Saturday, who uncovered a special directive by the chief of the banned Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud. As local newspaper?Dawn?reported, "Mehsud directed his subordinate to target the offices of media organisations in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and in other cities of the country especially those media organisations and media personalities who were denouncing TTP after attack on child activist Malala Yousufzai." In response, the Interior Ministry has beefed up security near media organizations. But the Taliban are still whining.

    Yesterday, local paper?The News International?gave?voice to the Taliban's pathetic complaints of bias, which offered a rare window into terrorist media criticism. TTP spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said his group would "continue to respect journalists" except for highly biased outlets. The spokesman for another Taliban insurgent group, Sirajuddin Ahmad of Maulana Fazlullah, spoke at greater length:

    He said media provided an opportunity to all those people who were opposed to the Taliban and their activities and used insulting language against them on media. ?Right from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Hillary Clinton and President Obama, all of them used whatever bad language and words they could use on the media but when we tried to reply to them, no media organisation was willing to give us importance. The media is not even allowed to use the real name for Maulana Fazlullah but calling him derogatory names like Mulla Radio,? Sirajuddin complained, but refused to admit that they planned attacks on the media.

    Wow,?Columbia Journalism Review,?here we come. Clearly Pakistani reporters should be giving equal weight to the pros and cons of shooting children in the face.?

    The Taliban is mad because the rest of Pakistan is mad at them over the shooting. "Undoubtedly this is the worst press the TTP has ever had, there is no doubt," Rana Jawad, Islamabad bureau chief of Geo News, told?The Guardian's?Islamabad correspondent Jon Boone. The Taliban have been furious that justification for the attack, that the girl was being "un-Islamic," was not being placed prominently in news stories. Muhammad Amir Rana of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, says the Taliban are taking a PR beating. "We have seen a similar public sentiment in the past, but this time it is quite unique," he said. "This case has provided a catharsis of the masses for all the grievances that have been building up for years."

    Apparently, the insurgent groups just aren't very media savvy, according to Mullah Yahya, a former high-ranking Afghan Information Ministry official, who spoke with?The Daily Beast's Sami Yousafzai.??First of all, attempting to kill a 14-year-old girl is a low act,? he said.???Second, claiming responsibility for it is a sign that the [Pakistani] Taliban are not aware of the media?s importance. I have seen more anger against the religious elements in the past week than in all my 40 years of life.? So here's to you, Pakistani press. You've defied the all-too-common media trap of false equivalence.?

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/taliban-demands-unbiased-coverage-attempted-murder-14-old-190221609.html

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    PST: Dempsey easy call for Man of Match

    Michael Bradley continues to prove himself indispensable, but when one of his teammates has two goals and an assist, Man of the Match is hard to wrestle away. That the goals were the 29th and 30th in?Clint Dempsey?s national team career adds a sentimental note to a big performance on a very big night.

    History will likely forget the very big night part. In time, people will United States-Guatemala with ?well of course they won.??They won?t remember that, after Carlos Ruiz put Guatemala up early, the stakes were painfully clear. With a loss, the U.S. would put their future in the Jamaica?s hands, a treacherous road considering the Reggae Boyz, hosting Antigua and Barbuda, were bound to put up a lopsided result. Big gap in Kingston plus a U.S. loss in Kansas City meant the States were done.

    Dempsey was having none of it. Five minutes after Ruiz?s goal, Dempsey set up Carlos Bocanegra?s equalizer, heading Graham Zusi?s corner down for the captain?s 14th career goal (a record for U.S. defenders). Seven minutes later, Dempsey got his right foot onto an Eddie Johnson cross, putting the States in front for good. Then, nine minutes before half, Dempsey guided home a ball chipped over the goalkeeper by Michael Bradley, completing a U.S. run of three goals in 26 minutes.

    And within that 26 minutes, fans got their first glimpse of what a U.S. team firing on all cylinders might look like. With Herculez Gomez running right and Eddie Johnson often prowling at the back post, Dempsey was given the entire face of goal to do what he does best ? read the game, attack a spot, and score goals. His second was a perfect example: Dempsey hovering around goal, ready to come back for a ball Johnson put just above the six. With the defense was collapsing toward goal, Dempsey came back for what was ultimately the game-winning goal.

    It was exactly the kind of performance the U.S. needed. Throughout qualifying, scoring goals has been the team?s biggest problem. The team?s often looked stoic in the final third, as if missing one final part that would link their ambitions and talents. Perhaps Dempsey, unabashedly aggressive leading the attack, was that final part, creating the attack Jurgen Klinsmann?s been cultivating.

    The movement, speed, intensity, and (most importantly) the end result. For the first time, it was all there.

    And in the final third, Dempsey was key to it all. Be it in the air or attacking space within the defense, Dempsey stayed dangerous. As a result, the U.S. gave their most convincing performance of the round.

    Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/16/usmnt-united-states-guatemala-man-of-the-match-clint-dempsey/related

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