Kobe, Japan (CNN) -- There is a reason more than half the world's population lives in cities, with the number expected to grow. Cities have a lot to offer. Residents can walk to nearby shops and enjoy cultural attractions not available to those in more rural areas. Also, living in a city may make your commute to work much shorter.
Unfortunately, according to health officials from the World Health Organization, that convenience may come with a price -- higher levels of stress and a measurable impact on your brain.
The problem seems to be "attention," or more specifically, the lack of it. With so many different distractions -- from a flashing neon sign, to the cell phone conversation of a nearby passenger on a bus, a city dweller starts to practice something known as "controlled perception."
That toggling back and forth between competing stimuli can be mentally exhausting.
In fact, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, just living in an urban environment makes it more difficult for an individual to hold things in memory.
In the same study, researchers split undergraduate students into two groups. One spent the day in a suburban neighborhood, the other group in a busy city. Overall, those in the city scored lower on attention tests and had a worse mood comparatively.
Some of this may be no surprise, especially if you live in a city yourself. The good news, however, is a solution may be relatively easy. Recent studies have shown just getting glimpses of green areas can improve brain performance.
While it would be great to get completely "unplugged" for long periods of time -- spending a few minutes a day in a park gives you time to reduce your cognitive efforts and relieve mental exhaustion.
So, a key for urban city planners is to maintain and enhance natural green settings as much as possible, and for individuals to take brief respites to enjoy them.
Popular Posts
-
London, England (CNN) -- A rise in global temperatures of four degree Celsius is likely to occur during the 21st century causing "devas...
-
LAREDO, Texas (CNN) -- Rosalio Reta sits at a table inside a Laredo Police Department interrogation room. A detective, sitting across the ta...
-
You may think that you and your fiancé have talked about everything...but have you discussed the issues that will make your marriage work? A...
-
17 September 2010 People who think more about whether they are right have more cells in an area of the brain known as the frontal lobes. UK...
-
If you've ever been screamed at, humiliated, hit -- or know someone who has -- you're not alone. Every year, one out of every four w...
Friday, December 03, 2010
Oceans failing the acid test, U.N. says
(CNN) -- The chemistry of the world's oceans is changing at a rate not seen for 65 million years, with far-reaching implications for marine biodiversity and food security, according to a new United Nations study released Thursday.
"Environmental Consequences of Ocean Acidification," published by the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP)," warns that some sea organisms including coral and shellfish will find it increasingly difficult to survive, as acidification shrinks the minerals needed to form their skeletons.
Lead author of the report Carol Turley, from the UK's Plymouth Marine Laboratory said in a statement: "We are seeing an overall negative impact from ocean acidification directly on organisms and on some key ecosystems that help provide food for billions. We need to start thinking about the risk to food security."
Tropical reefs provide shelter and food for around a quarter of all known marine fish species, according to the U.N. report, while over one billion people rely on fish as a key source of protein.
Increasing acidification is likely to affect the growth and structural integrity of coral reef, the study says, and coupled with ocean warming could limit the habitats of crabs, mussels and other shellfish with knock-on effects up and down the food chain.
The report, unveiled during the latest round of U.N. climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, says that around a quarter of the world's CO2 emissions are currently being absorbed by the oceans, where they are turned into carbonic acid.
Overall, pH levels in seas and oceans worldwide have fallen by an average of 30 percent since the Industrial Revolution. The report predicts that by the end of this century ocean acidity will have increased 150 percent, if emissions continue to rise at the current rate.
But scientists say there may well be winners and losers as acidification doesn't affect all sea creatures in the same way.
Adult lobsters, for example, may increase their shell-building as pH levels fall, as might brittle stars -- a close relation of the starfish -- but at the cost of muscle formation.
"The ability, or inability, to build calcium-based skeletons may not be the only impact of acidification on the health and viability of an organism: brittle stars perhaps being a case in point," Turley said in a statement.
"It is clearly not enough to look at a species. Scientists will need to study all parts of the life-cycle to see whether certain forms are more or less vulnerable."
Scientists are more certain about the fate of photosynthetic organisms such as seagrasses, saying they are likely to benefit from rising acidification and that some creatures will simply adapt to the changing chemistry of the oceans.
The authors identify a range of measures which policymakers need to consider to stop pH levels falling further, including "rapid and substantial cuts" to CO2 emissions as well as assessing the vulnerability of communities which rely on marine resources.
"Ocean acidification is yet another red flag being raised, carrying planetary health warnings about the uncontrolled growth in greenhouse gas emissions. It is a new and emerging piece in the scientific jigsaw puzzle, but one that is triggering rising concern," Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director, said in a statement.
Current emissions risk 'devastating' temperature rise, scientists warn
London, England (CNN) -- A rise in global temperatures of four degree Celsius is likely to occur during the 21st century causing "devastating impacts" if greenhouse gas emissions continue rising at the current rate, according to a group of international scientists.
In a special issue of the UK journal "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A" -- which coincides with the start of the United Nations climate talks in Cancun, Mexico -- scientists argue that delays in reducing emissions is making the target of two degrees Celsius -- a rise currently deemed safe by scientists -- "extremely difficult" and "arguably impossible" to achieve.
This, they say, raises the prospect of dangerous temperature rises later in the century.
Kevin Anderson, co-editor of "Four degrees and beyond: the potential for global temperature increase of four degrees and its implications," told CNN: "Emissions are going in completely the wrong direction. A rise of two degrees Celsius is much more challenging than is widely accepted."
A range of papers examine the various effects temperature rise would have on rainforests, sea-levels, agriculture and water supply, as well as trying to predict when four degrees might be reached.
The UK's Met Office Hadley Center estimates that at current emissions trajectories it could be by the 2070s, but perhaps as early as the 2060s.
It might not seem a lot, and for people living in northern Europe it might sound highly preferable given the early onset of winter this year. But what's important to remember, Anderson says, is that four degrees Celsius is a global mean figure.
"Most of the world is covered in oceans and take a lot longer to warm up. So what you would expect to see is a higher average temperature on land and much higher variations in some parts of the world, where there could be variations even as high as 10-15 degrees Celsius," said Anderson, director of the UK's Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research.
"These sorts of changes will certainly have some devastating impacts for eco-systems and for many people living around the planet."
If the scientists are right, sea levels could rise two meters by the end of the century, displacing around 2.5 percent of the world's population over the course of the century.
Furthermore, rainforests will be at risk of retreat in eastern Amazonia, Central America and some parts of Africa, according to a paper by Przemyslaw Zelazowski from the Environmental Change Institute at the UK's Oxford University.
Forests in Africa's Congo Basin may expand Zelazowski says, which would tally with a recent study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) which suggested rainforests flourished in a previous warming event 56 million years ago.
But Klaus Winter, a staff scientist at STRI conceded that "horror scenarios probably have some validity if increased temperatures lead to more frequent or more severe drought..."
What is not in doubt, according to scientists, are the "daunting challenges" facing agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa as smallholders are left with dwindling options for crop and livestock production.
Anderson concedes that skeptics will continue to question the validity of climate predictions given the recent "climategate" emails and reporting errors in the 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
He says predictions are "an innately more difficult area of science to get some robustness on," but stresses these papers represent a "conservative" analysis.
"What we do know, with a high degree of certainty, is that emissions are going up and we know the sorts of rates they are going up at. Unless we see some significant changes we are going to see some much higher temperatures," Anderson said.
He says now is the time for the United Nations to show some courage and leadership.
Move ball forward at Cancun climate talks
"We don't not have the luxury of allowing for lots more negotiations and for future technologies to get out of this problem we have got ourselves in to. We need action now in 2010."
In a special issue of the UK journal "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A" -- which coincides with the start of the United Nations climate talks in Cancun, Mexico -- scientists argue that delays in reducing emissions is making the target of two degrees Celsius -- a rise currently deemed safe by scientists -- "extremely difficult" and "arguably impossible" to achieve.
This, they say, raises the prospect of dangerous temperature rises later in the century.
Kevin Anderson, co-editor of "Four degrees and beyond: the potential for global temperature increase of four degrees and its implications," told CNN: "Emissions are going in completely the wrong direction. A rise of two degrees Celsius is much more challenging than is widely accepted."
A range of papers examine the various effects temperature rise would have on rainforests, sea-levels, agriculture and water supply, as well as trying to predict when four degrees might be reached.
The UK's Met Office Hadley Center estimates that at current emissions trajectories it could be by the 2070s, but perhaps as early as the 2060s.
It might not seem a lot, and for people living in northern Europe it might sound highly preferable given the early onset of winter this year. But what's important to remember, Anderson says, is that four degrees Celsius is a global mean figure.
"Most of the world is covered in oceans and take a lot longer to warm up. So what you would expect to see is a higher average temperature on land and much higher variations in some parts of the world, where there could be variations even as high as 10-15 degrees Celsius," said Anderson, director of the UK's Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research.
"These sorts of changes will certainly have some devastating impacts for eco-systems and for many people living around the planet."
If the scientists are right, sea levels could rise two meters by the end of the century, displacing around 2.5 percent of the world's population over the course of the century.
Furthermore, rainforests will be at risk of retreat in eastern Amazonia, Central America and some parts of Africa, according to a paper by Przemyslaw Zelazowski from the Environmental Change Institute at the UK's Oxford University.
Forests in Africa's Congo Basin may expand Zelazowski says, which would tally with a recent study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) which suggested rainforests flourished in a previous warming event 56 million years ago.
But Klaus Winter, a staff scientist at STRI conceded that "horror scenarios probably have some validity if increased temperatures lead to more frequent or more severe drought..."
What is not in doubt, according to scientists, are the "daunting challenges" facing agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa as smallholders are left with dwindling options for crop and livestock production.
Anderson concedes that skeptics will continue to question the validity of climate predictions given the recent "climategate" emails and reporting errors in the 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
He says predictions are "an innately more difficult area of science to get some robustness on," but stresses these papers represent a "conservative" analysis.
"What we do know, with a high degree of certainty, is that emissions are going up and we know the sorts of rates they are going up at. Unless we see some significant changes we are going to see some much higher temperatures," Anderson said.
He says now is the time for the United Nations to show some courage and leadership.
Move ball forward at Cancun climate talks
"We don't not have the luxury of allowing for lots more negotiations and for future technologies to get out of this problem we have got ourselves in to. We need action now in 2010."
New York professor installs camera in head
Some students joke that their teachers have eyes in the backs of their heads.
A New York University professor is now closer to that reality, having had a camera surgically implanted into the back of his cranium.
Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi born photography professor at the university's Tisch School of the Arts, had the procedure done at a piercing studio last month for an art project commissioned by a museum in Doha, Qatar, he said.
"This will expose the unspoken conditions we face," Bilal said Thursday. "A project like this is meant to establish a dialogue about surveillance."
The project is called "The 3rd I," and will make use of the posterior camera by taking a snap-shot photographs each minute of Bilal's everyday activities for one year, he said.
The images will then be transmitted to Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, he said, featuring an exhibit entitled "Told/Untold/Retold" in time for the museum's December 30 opening, according to a museum statement.
The thumb-sized camera is mounted on a titanium plate inserted inside the back of his head, Bilal said.
A cable runs from the camera to a computer that he carries in a custom-made shoulder bag, providing a real-time global positioning signal of his location -- viewable on a website: www.3rdi.me.
"I wanted to lose that subjectivity [of knowingly taking photographs]," Bilal said. "At the same time I wanted to capture everyday mundane images."
But the project has also raised privacy questions about the constant presence of cameras in a classroom.
University authorities have tried to allay those concerns by requiring a cover over the lens while Bilal is teaching on campus.
"We place a high value on his right to free expression in his creative work as an artist," said university spokesman John Beckman. "But as a school of the arts, we also take seriously the privacy issues his project raises."
"The 3rd I" is not Bilal's first venture into the controversial and unusual.
A 2007 project called "Domestic Tension" allowed virtual users to fire paintballs at him for an exhibit that prompted The Chicago Tribune to name Bilal artist of the year, calling it "one of the sharpest works of political art to be seen in a long time."
Bilal has said that he wants his artwork to examine broader ideas and realities.
"I see myself as a mirror reflecting some of the social conditions that we ignore," he said.
A New York University professor is now closer to that reality, having had a camera surgically implanted into the back of his cranium.
Wafaa Bilal, an Iraqi born photography professor at the university's Tisch School of the Arts, had the procedure done at a piercing studio last month for an art project commissioned by a museum in Doha, Qatar, he said.
"This will expose the unspoken conditions we face," Bilal said Thursday. "A project like this is meant to establish a dialogue about surveillance."
The project is called "The 3rd I," and will make use of the posterior camera by taking a snap-shot photographs each minute of Bilal's everyday activities for one year, he said.
The images will then be transmitted to Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, he said, featuring an exhibit entitled "Told/Untold/Retold" in time for the museum's December 30 opening, according to a museum statement.
The thumb-sized camera is mounted on a titanium plate inserted inside the back of his head, Bilal said.
A cable runs from the camera to a computer that he carries in a custom-made shoulder bag, providing a real-time global positioning signal of his location -- viewable on a website: www.3rdi.me.
"I wanted to lose that subjectivity [of knowingly taking photographs]," Bilal said. "At the same time I wanted to capture everyday mundane images."
But the project has also raised privacy questions about the constant presence of cameras in a classroom.
University authorities have tried to allay those concerns by requiring a cover over the lens while Bilal is teaching on campus.
"We place a high value on his right to free expression in his creative work as an artist," said university spokesman John Beckman. "But as a school of the arts, we also take seriously the privacy issues his project raises."
"The 3rd I" is not Bilal's first venture into the controversial and unusual.
A 2007 project called "Domestic Tension" allowed virtual users to fire paintballs at him for an exhibit that prompted The Chicago Tribune to name Bilal artist of the year, calling it "one of the sharpest works of political art to be seen in a long time."
Bilal has said that he wants his artwork to examine broader ideas and realities.
"I see myself as a mirror reflecting some of the social conditions that we ignore," he said.
15 Lynched in Haiti
Port-au-Prince – Fifteen people have been lynched in the southwestern Haitian province of Grand'Anse over the past two weeks on suspicion of poisoning water supplies, media outlets said Thursday.
Several people allegedly died as a result of poisoning, though their deaths were originally attributed to the cholera outbreak that has claimed more than 1,800 lives in the impoverished Caribbean nation since Oct. 19.
Eight people were lynched in Moron Chambellan, three in Jeremie, two in Dame Marie and two in Guinode, correspondents in Grand'Anse told Efe.
In each case, the victim was beaten to death and then incinerated with burning tires by angry mobs who accused them of dumping "magic powder" into the local sources of drinking water.
The actions of the vigilantes have sown panic in the region, prompting many residents to hunker down inside their homes after dark, according to the press accounts.
Police have made no arrests in connection with the lynchings.
Authorities are finding it difficult to investigate the killings and the alleged poisoning because citizens are reluctant to cooperate, fearing that black magic is involved, judicial official Kesner Numa told the Web site Haiti Libre.
The outbreak of cholera, a disease not seen in Haiti within living memory, comes as Haitians are still struggling to recover from a Jan. 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left 1 million homeless.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2010/12/02/lynched-haiti/#ixzz172Z9np2F
Several people allegedly died as a result of poisoning, though their deaths were originally attributed to the cholera outbreak that has claimed more than 1,800 lives in the impoverished Caribbean nation since Oct. 19.
Eight people were lynched in Moron Chambellan, three in Jeremie, two in Dame Marie and two in Guinode, correspondents in Grand'Anse told Efe.
In each case, the victim was beaten to death and then incinerated with burning tires by angry mobs who accused them of dumping "magic powder" into the local sources of drinking water.
The actions of the vigilantes have sown panic in the region, prompting many residents to hunker down inside their homes after dark, according to the press accounts.
Police have made no arrests in connection with the lynchings.
Authorities are finding it difficult to investigate the killings and the alleged poisoning because citizens are reluctant to cooperate, fearing that black magic is involved, judicial official Kesner Numa told the Web site Haiti Libre.
The outbreak of cholera, a disease not seen in Haiti within living memory, comes as Haitians are still struggling to recover from a Jan. 12 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and left 1 million homeless.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2010/12/02/lynched-haiti/#ixzz172Z9np2F
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
What Your Nails Reveal About Your Health
Your nails can be affected by a variety of medical problems, so paying attention to nail health is a smart idea.
Healthy nails should be semi-transparent, light pink, and intact, possibly with a white lunula (“little moon”) just above the cuticle.
While individual nails may on occasion get small white lines or dots, called leukonychia (nothing to worry about), or maybe an infection by bacteria, virus, or fungus (all of which should get treated), an underlying illness somewhere else in your body can also cause changes in nail health and their appearance. Nail care includes watching out for these key changes.
Decoding Nail Color Changes
The following nail changes are connected to a variety of health conditions:
White nail syndrome. The whole nail will appear cloudy or white. This change in nail health could indicate heart disease, renal failure, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Terry’s nails. The nail will look mostly white and grainy with a pink or perhaps red strip at the top because of an increase in connective tissue and a decrease in blood supply in the nail bed. This change in nail health can be found in 80 percent of patients with liver cirrhosis, as well as in patients with congestive heart failure, hyperthyroidism, malnutrition, diabetes, or HIV.
Muehrcke’s nails. Abnormal blood flood in the nail bed will make the nails appear as if they have horizontal (often paired) white lines, most often in the second, third, and fourth fingers. The lines disappear if the nail is pressed and blood is squeezed out of the nail bed blood vessels. Because this problem occurs in the nail bed, it will not progress up as the nail grows. Problems associated with this are hypoalbuminemia, liver disease, malnutrition, and nephrotic syndrome; it is also a side effect of chemotherapy.
Half-and-half nails, also known as Lindsay’s nails. The bottom half of the nail appears white while the top half is a darker pink-brown. This is because there is swelling in the nail bed at the bottom and increased melanin (a type of skin pigment) production at the top. Chronic renal disease or HIV could be the cause of this condition.
Mee’s line. Horizontal white lines appear in the nail, caused by microscopic fragmentation of the nail after growth has been disrupted. Mee’s lines could indicate heart failure, Hodgkin disease, renal failure, system-wide infection, or poisoning by arsenic, thallium, or other heavy metals.
Splinter hemorrhages. These thin, dark red or brown vertical lines in the nail bed look like splinters beneath the nail, hence the name. Possible causes include cirrhosis, mitral stenosis, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, peptic ulcer disease, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and trauma. A classic association is with subacute bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart valves).
Yellow nail syndrome. In this rare condition, nails appear yellowish-orange and thicken and curve into the cuticle. It is associated with lymphedema (impaired lymphatic drainage), pleural effusions, and bronchiectasis.
Blue nail. Blue nails — either the lunula or the whole nail — could indicate Wilson’s disease, argyria (silver poisoning), or quinacrine therapy (used to treat lupus and other health conditions).
Red lunula. Lunulas that appear red could indicate alopecia areata (hair loss), carbon monoxide poisoning, cardiac failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic urticaria (hives), cirrhosis, collagen vascular disease, oral prednisone treatment, or psoriasis.
Vertical brown streaks. These are common among people with dark skin; however, they can indicate melanoma and should be checked by a doctor. A benign nevus (overgrowth of cells) or chemical staining (including from some nail polishes) could also be the cause.
Nail Texture Changes
Apart from the odd bump or small lines, nails are normally fairly smooth. But texture can change if there is a problem elsewhere in the body:
Beau’s line. When there is a disruption in nail growth, a deep horizontal groove can appear. This could indicate peripheral artery disease, pemphigus (a skin disease), psoriasis, Raynaud’s disease, systemic infection, or trauma.
Pitting. Small, pinpoint depressions can appear in the nails when there are problems in nail plate layering. This is seen in 10 to 50 percent of people with psoriasis. It can also be caused by alopecia areata, pemphigus, a type of arthritis called Reiter’s syndrome, and sarcoidosis.
Healthy nails should be semi-transparent, light pink, and intact, possibly with a white lunula (“little moon”) just above the cuticle.
While individual nails may on occasion get small white lines or dots, called leukonychia (nothing to worry about), or maybe an infection by bacteria, virus, or fungus (all of which should get treated), an underlying illness somewhere else in your body can also cause changes in nail health and their appearance. Nail care includes watching out for these key changes.
Decoding Nail Color Changes
The following nail changes are connected to a variety of health conditions:
White nail syndrome. The whole nail will appear cloudy or white. This change in nail health could indicate heart disease, renal failure, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, or rheumatoid arthritis.
Terry’s nails. The nail will look mostly white and grainy with a pink or perhaps red strip at the top because of an increase in connective tissue and a decrease in blood supply in the nail bed. This change in nail health can be found in 80 percent of patients with liver cirrhosis, as well as in patients with congestive heart failure, hyperthyroidism, malnutrition, diabetes, or HIV.
Muehrcke’s nails. Abnormal blood flood in the nail bed will make the nails appear as if they have horizontal (often paired) white lines, most often in the second, third, and fourth fingers. The lines disappear if the nail is pressed and blood is squeezed out of the nail bed blood vessels. Because this problem occurs in the nail bed, it will not progress up as the nail grows. Problems associated with this are hypoalbuminemia, liver disease, malnutrition, and nephrotic syndrome; it is also a side effect of chemotherapy.
Half-and-half nails, also known as Lindsay’s nails. The bottom half of the nail appears white while the top half is a darker pink-brown. This is because there is swelling in the nail bed at the bottom and increased melanin (a type of skin pigment) production at the top. Chronic renal disease or HIV could be the cause of this condition.
Mee’s line. Horizontal white lines appear in the nail, caused by microscopic fragmentation of the nail after growth has been disrupted. Mee’s lines could indicate heart failure, Hodgkin disease, renal failure, system-wide infection, or poisoning by arsenic, thallium, or other heavy metals.
Splinter hemorrhages. These thin, dark red or brown vertical lines in the nail bed look like splinters beneath the nail, hence the name. Possible causes include cirrhosis, mitral stenosis, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, peptic ulcer disease, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and trauma. A classic association is with subacute bacterial endocarditis (infection of the heart valves).
Yellow nail syndrome. In this rare condition, nails appear yellowish-orange and thicken and curve into the cuticle. It is associated with lymphedema (impaired lymphatic drainage), pleural effusions, and bronchiectasis.
Blue nail. Blue nails — either the lunula or the whole nail — could indicate Wilson’s disease, argyria (silver poisoning), or quinacrine therapy (used to treat lupus and other health conditions).
Red lunula. Lunulas that appear red could indicate alopecia areata (hair loss), carbon monoxide poisoning, cardiac failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic urticaria (hives), cirrhosis, collagen vascular disease, oral prednisone treatment, or psoriasis.
Vertical brown streaks. These are common among people with dark skin; however, they can indicate melanoma and should be checked by a doctor. A benign nevus (overgrowth of cells) or chemical staining (including from some nail polishes) could also be the cause.
Nail Texture Changes
Apart from the odd bump or small lines, nails are normally fairly smooth. But texture can change if there is a problem elsewhere in the body:
Beau’s line. When there is a disruption in nail growth, a deep horizontal groove can appear. This could indicate peripheral artery disease, pemphigus (a skin disease), psoriasis, Raynaud’s disease, systemic infection, or trauma.
Pitting. Small, pinpoint depressions can appear in the nails when there are problems in nail plate layering. This is seen in 10 to 50 percent of people with psoriasis. It can also be caused by alopecia areata, pemphigus, a type of arthritis called Reiter’s syndrome, and sarcoidosis.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Good Samaritan describes chase that led to girl's freedom
KFSN reports on the abduction of the 8-year-old Fresno girl.
Suspect Gregorio Gonzalez, 24, faces charges that will include kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault
KFSN reports on the abduction of the 8-year-old Fresno girl.
(CNN) -- Some may call it chance, but Victor Perez believes a higher power was involved Tuesday when he chased after a vehicle suspected of carrying an abducted young girl in Fresno, California.
A construction carpenter by trade until work slowed down, Perez has been recently cutting wine grapes, earning minimum wage.
Early Tuesday, there was a light rain, making that task unlikely.
Perez, 29, tuned in to television news coverage of the abduction, paying attention to the description and video of the suspect's pickup truck.
At about 6:45 a.m., Perez was outside his house talking with his cousin about the abduction when they saw a vehicle matching that description: an older-model, reddish-brown Chevrolet with a white stripe on the side.
"I thought, that could be the truck," Perez, a father of two boys, told CNN Tuesday night.
That's when he sprang into action. He jumped into his 1988 white Ford pickup and followed the vehicle.
Perez tried to cut off the vehicle several times to question the driver. One time, the driver told him, "I don't have no time [to talk]. My battery is dying."
The second time Perez pulled up to the Chevy, he saw the little girl, her head popping up from below view, and knew something was wrong.
"I kept telling him, 'That's not your little girl,'" said Perez. "We argued. We exchanged words."
Perez -- who admitted he did wonder at some point whether the motorist had a gun -- pulled up to the truck a third, and then a fourth time, when he blocked the pickup truck.
Immediately after the truck stopped, the girl was out. Perez said he believes the driver pushed her out.
"I was beyond scared," he said.
Perez got out of his vehicle and stayed with the girl. She was wearing a Winnie the Pooh sweater, he said.
The chase had taken him about a mile from his house and into another neighborhood. He yelled for residents to get the girl a blanket.
The Chevy drove off. By then, Perez had a partial license plate number, which he gave to dispatchers, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.
About 40 minutes later, police caught up with the truck, now parked, and arrested Gregorio Gonzalez, 24, of Fresno. Charges against him will include kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault, Dyer said. The suspect was not armed.
Police, officials and the parents of the girl praised Perez and other good Samaritans and citizens who aided the search and took action to find the girl.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment for an entire community," Mayor Ashley Swearengin said.
Perez said the incident was beginning to sink in Tuesday night. "I probably saved a little girl's life."
The question arises: What would have happened if Perez had gone to work this day?
He quoted a relative who said divine providence might have stepped in.
"God works in mysterious ways," Perez said.
Suspect Gregorio Gonzalez, 24, faces charges that will include kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assaultKFSN reports on the abduction of the 8-year-old Fresno girl.
(CNN) -- Some may call it chance, but Victor Perez believes a higher power was involved Tuesday when he chased after a vehicle suspected of carrying an abducted young girl in Fresno, California.
A construction carpenter by trade until work slowed down, Perez has been recently cutting wine grapes, earning minimum wage.
Early Tuesday, there was a light rain, making that task unlikely.
Perez, 29, tuned in to television news coverage of the abduction, paying attention to the description and video of the suspect's pickup truck.
At about 6:45 a.m., Perez was outside his house talking with his cousin about the abduction when they saw a vehicle matching that description: an older-model, reddish-brown Chevrolet with a white stripe on the side.
"I thought, that could be the truck," Perez, a father of two boys, told CNN Tuesday night.
That's when he sprang into action. He jumped into his 1988 white Ford pickup and followed the vehicle.
Perez tried to cut off the vehicle several times to question the driver. One time, the driver told him, "I don't have no time [to talk]. My battery is dying."
The second time Perez pulled up to the Chevy, he saw the little girl, her head popping up from below view, and knew something was wrong.
"I kept telling him, 'That's not your little girl,'" said Perez. "We argued. We exchanged words."
Perez -- who admitted he did wonder at some point whether the motorist had a gun -- pulled up to the truck a third, and then a fourth time, when he blocked the pickup truck.
Immediately after the truck stopped, the girl was out. Perez said he believes the driver pushed her out.
"I was beyond scared," he said.
Perez got out of his vehicle and stayed with the girl. She was wearing a Winnie the Pooh sweater, he said.
The chase had taken him about a mile from his house and into another neighborhood. He yelled for residents to get the girl a blanket.
The Chevy drove off. By then, Perez had a partial license plate number, which he gave to dispatchers, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.
About 40 minutes later, police caught up with the truck, now parked, and arrested Gregorio Gonzalez, 24, of Fresno. Charges against him will include kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault, Dyer said. The suspect was not armed.
Police, officials and the parents of the girl praised Perez and other good Samaritans and citizens who aided the search and took action to find the girl.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment for an entire community," Mayor Ashley Swearengin said.
Perez said the incident was beginning to sink in Tuesday night. "I probably saved a little girl's life."
The question arises: What would have happened if Perez had gone to work this day?
He quoted a relative who said divine providence might have stepped in.
"God works in mysterious ways," Perez said.
Monday, September 27, 2010
The 10 wackiest David Letterman interviews ever
1.Wacky Joaquin
Starting, of course, with Joaquin's February 2009 interview, during which he revealed that he was retiring from acting and embarking on a rap career. His shaggy beard, sunglasses at night, one-word answers to questions, and overall twiggy, skittish behavior had us seriously worried.
2. Drew flashed Dave
Drew Barrymore seems so together these days that it's easy to forget that she was once a total mess. Case in point: her 1995 interview with Letterman. It's hard to believe that she wasn't on anything when she revealed that her birthday usually makes her nauseous and talked about how liberating stripping is. Then Drew jumped on the desk and proceeded to flash Dave.
3. Madonna made us cringe
A year earlier, Madonna made quite a spectacle of herself on "Letterman." After berating Dave for being so interested in her sex life and calling him a "sick [expletive]," she said, "Aren't you going to smell them? I gave him my underpants and he won't smell them."
This was during her Goth phase, when she was rocking black hair and combat boots, and more attitude.
The Frisky: 12 celebs who deny getting breast implants despite radical pics
4. Farrah was acting weird
In 1997, Farrah Fawcett appeared on the cover of Playboy and did a Pay-Per-View special called "All of Me." And she made an appearance on "David Letterman," which she was late for because there were "people, lots of people."
She revealed that she and her mother had to have conceived on the same day, since their children have the same birthday. But the best moment was when she got totally confused and paused for a while.
"Wow. I really thought I was looking out the window," she said, before giggling compulsively.
5. Crispin's awkward interview
Crispin Glover was so cute and innocent in "Back to the Future." But he ruined it all when he appeared on "Letterman" in 1987 to promote his movie "River's Edge."
And it wasn't just the bad wig, '70s shirt, striped pants, and platform shoes that turned the world off. "I'm a movie star," he declared, awkwardly. Then he challenged David to an arm-wrestling match.
The Frisky: 10 stars with bad body habits
6. Paris squirmed
In 2007, Paris Hilton went on "Letterman" after her stint in the slammer and the whole thing was just uncomfortable. "How'd you like being in jail?" David asked, just a few seconds in. "Not too much," she replied. Yes, he also asked about the food. "It's not supposed to be good -- it's jail," she said.
7. Cher was defensive
Isn't it weird that Cher looks younger now (see the recent MTV VMA show, anyone?) than she did in her 1986 "Letterman" interview? For her 1996 appearance, she kept her hands firmly across her chest.
When David asked why she refused to come on the show for years and then relented, Cher explained, "I want to pay my hotel bill. I have a huge hotel bill. I thought I'd come on and see what this guy is like." So what did she think? "You're an [insert a not-so-nice-name for 'jerk']."
8. Courtney pulled a "Drew"
Nearly a decade later, Courtney Love went on "Letterman" wearing almost the same ensemble that Drew Barrymore sported on the show. Before she even sat down, she flashed him. Then she did it again and again, before falling off a chair.
"I learned how to flirt from watching David Letterman flirt with Sandra Bernhard. It has been the crisis of all my dysfunctional relationships ever since," she said. Yowch.
The Frisky: 13 Hollywood guys who fell for regular gals
9. Andy Kaufman's big joke
Andy Kaufman isn't known for his straight interviews. In 1982, he appeared on "Letterman" with wrestler Jerry Lawler. Why? Because part of Kaufman's shtick was wrestling women, and as such, Lawler challenged him to a match.
During the interview, Lawler slaps Kaufman, which leads to a tirade worthy of a "Real Housewife." We'll never know if this whole bit was staged.
10. Borat bombed
We know what to expect from Sacha Baron Cohen when he's in character as Borat, but David Letterman didn't seem prepared. Seems he thought he was getting an interview with Sacha proper.
When David asked about Sacha's wife, he was no doubt referring to Isla Fischer. But Sacha responded, "My wife is dead. High five. When I buy my wife, she was very nice, she cook good, she was strong on plow. But after three years when she was 15, her voice got deep and she grow much hair on chest." David was not amused.
Starting, of course, with Joaquin's February 2009 interview, during which he revealed that he was retiring from acting and embarking on a rap career. His shaggy beard, sunglasses at night, one-word answers to questions, and overall twiggy, skittish behavior had us seriously worried.
2. Drew flashed Dave
Drew Barrymore seems so together these days that it's easy to forget that she was once a total mess. Case in point: her 1995 interview with Letterman. It's hard to believe that she wasn't on anything when she revealed that her birthday usually makes her nauseous and talked about how liberating stripping is. Then Drew jumped on the desk and proceeded to flash Dave.
3. Madonna made us cringe
A year earlier, Madonna made quite a spectacle of herself on "Letterman." After berating Dave for being so interested in her sex life and calling him a "sick [expletive]," she said, "Aren't you going to smell them? I gave him my underpants and he won't smell them."
This was during her Goth phase, when she was rocking black hair and combat boots, and more attitude.
The Frisky: 12 celebs who deny getting breast implants despite radical pics
4. Farrah was acting weird
In 1997, Farrah Fawcett appeared on the cover of Playboy and did a Pay-Per-View special called "All of Me." And she made an appearance on "David Letterman," which she was late for because there were "people, lots of people."
She revealed that she and her mother had to have conceived on the same day, since their children have the same birthday. But the best moment was when she got totally confused and paused for a while.
"Wow. I really thought I was looking out the window," she said, before giggling compulsively.
5. Crispin's awkward interview
Crispin Glover was so cute and innocent in "Back to the Future." But he ruined it all when he appeared on "Letterman" in 1987 to promote his movie "River's Edge."
And it wasn't just the bad wig, '70s shirt, striped pants, and platform shoes that turned the world off. "I'm a movie star," he declared, awkwardly. Then he challenged David to an arm-wrestling match.
The Frisky: 10 stars with bad body habits
6. Paris squirmed
In 2007, Paris Hilton went on "Letterman" after her stint in the slammer and the whole thing was just uncomfortable. "How'd you like being in jail?" David asked, just a few seconds in. "Not too much," she replied. Yes, he also asked about the food. "It's not supposed to be good -- it's jail," she said.
7. Cher was defensive
Isn't it weird that Cher looks younger now (see the recent MTV VMA show, anyone?) than she did in her 1986 "Letterman" interview? For her 1996 appearance, she kept her hands firmly across her chest.
When David asked why she refused to come on the show for years and then relented, Cher explained, "I want to pay my hotel bill. I have a huge hotel bill. I thought I'd come on and see what this guy is like." So what did she think? "You're an [insert a not-so-nice-name for 'jerk']."
8. Courtney pulled a "Drew"
Nearly a decade later, Courtney Love went on "Letterman" wearing almost the same ensemble that Drew Barrymore sported on the show. Before she even sat down, she flashed him. Then she did it again and again, before falling off a chair.
"I learned how to flirt from watching David Letterman flirt with Sandra Bernhard. It has been the crisis of all my dysfunctional relationships ever since," she said. Yowch.
The Frisky: 13 Hollywood guys who fell for regular gals
9. Andy Kaufman's big joke
Andy Kaufman isn't known for his straight interviews. In 1982, he appeared on "Letterman" with wrestler Jerry Lawler. Why? Because part of Kaufman's shtick was wrestling women, and as such, Lawler challenged him to a match.
During the interview, Lawler slaps Kaufman, which leads to a tirade worthy of a "Real Housewife." We'll never know if this whole bit was staged.
10. Borat bombed
We know what to expect from Sacha Baron Cohen when he's in character as Borat, but David Letterman didn't seem prepared. Seems he thought he was getting an interview with Sacha proper.
When David asked about Sacha's wife, he was no doubt referring to Isla Fischer. But Sacha responded, "My wife is dead. High five. When I buy my wife, she was very nice, she cook good, she was strong on plow. But after three years when she was 15, her voice got deep and she grow much hair on chest." David was not amused.
Fake earthquake disaster drill tests Facebook, Twitter
(CNN) -- If your Facebook page or Twitter feed lights up with news of a tsunami off the California coast, don't get too worried.
At noon ET Friday, a drill was launched by natural disaster experts at San Diego State University to test how social media would be used to respond to a crisis.
Exercise 24 (X24) is being run by the university's Immersive Visualization Center.
Participants from 15 countries, including the United States, organizations such as the United Nations and Red Cross, and other business, nonprofits and individuals will be involved.
The idea is to test the speed and widen the scope of responses to a major disaster, focusing on how social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used.
"Ultimately, the goal is to get there faster, respond more effectively to save lives, communities, businesses, etc.," read a written release on the drill.
Organizers said that all messages about the fictional disaster would be marked clearly as fake on the Web.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET, organizers began sending fictional messages from an account on Twitter reporting the disaster.
Social media has become an increasingly important tool in disaster response in recent months, particularly during the Haiti earthquake and Gulf oil disaster.
During the recent wildfires in California, responders used sites such as Facebook and Twitter to track the fires and see what people were saying about them.
Friday's fictional scenario starts with a major earthquake off the coast of Huntington Beach, California, generating a tidal wave and an oil spill. A social media aggregator program will be used to try to bring together all the information about it on social media sites.
On Friday, about 50 members of government and relief groups huddled in the drill's dimly lit, makeshift command center at San Diego State University.
Chris Mayfield, a civilian systems engineer with the U.S. Navy, tapped on his keyboard.
"We have to be ready in case something like this gets to the presidential [federal] disaster level," said Mayfield, who is with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
SPAWAR helps deploy critical federal response teams and equipment during disasters.
"For example, somebody needs fresh water," Mayfield said. "So we need to find out, how do we get it? Are there troops available who can bring that to them? What's the time line?"
At the center, U.S. and Mexican flags hung on the wall, symbols of the need for both countries to cooperate on logistics if such a massive earthquake hit the area.
While government and relief organizations are the official participants, the public is being asked to help, too.
People were asked to visit the InRelief.org website starting at noon ET to see if the site can handle a huge amount of traffic. They are also being asked to find and follow specifically branded sites on Facebook and Twitter, to help see how easy it will be for people to get information that way.
"Essentially we're challenging the public to teach response groups what they need and want re: social media engagement in a very real sense and then to put it all to work," said a written release. "We'll develop and share the results in a report with everyone afterwards."
As of about 5 p.m. ET on Friday, the InRelief site was performing well, said Google spokesman Dan Martin. The site is built using Google Apps.
Martin said that, at that time, the site had seen 10,000 unique users from 60 different countries.
The drill will last through Saturday.
At noon ET Friday, a drill was launched by natural disaster experts at San Diego State University to test how social media would be used to respond to a crisis.
Exercise 24 (X24) is being run by the university's Immersive Visualization Center.
Participants from 15 countries, including the United States, organizations such as the United Nations and Red Cross, and other business, nonprofits and individuals will be involved.
The idea is to test the speed and widen the scope of responses to a major disaster, focusing on how social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be used.
"Ultimately, the goal is to get there faster, respond more effectively to save lives, communities, businesses, etc.," read a written release on the drill.
Organizers said that all messages about the fictional disaster would be marked clearly as fake on the Web.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET, organizers began sending fictional messages from an account on Twitter reporting the disaster.
Social media has become an increasingly important tool in disaster response in recent months, particularly during the Haiti earthquake and Gulf oil disaster.
During the recent wildfires in California, responders used sites such as Facebook and Twitter to track the fires and see what people were saying about them.
Friday's fictional scenario starts with a major earthquake off the coast of Huntington Beach, California, generating a tidal wave and an oil spill. A social media aggregator program will be used to try to bring together all the information about it on social media sites.
On Friday, about 50 members of government and relief groups huddled in the drill's dimly lit, makeshift command center at San Diego State University.
Chris Mayfield, a civilian systems engineer with the U.S. Navy, tapped on his keyboard.
"We have to be ready in case something like this gets to the presidential [federal] disaster level," said Mayfield, who is with the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
SPAWAR helps deploy critical federal response teams and equipment during disasters.
"For example, somebody needs fresh water," Mayfield said. "So we need to find out, how do we get it? Are there troops available who can bring that to them? What's the time line?"
At the center, U.S. and Mexican flags hung on the wall, symbols of the need for both countries to cooperate on logistics if such a massive earthquake hit the area.
While government and relief organizations are the official participants, the public is being asked to help, too.
People were asked to visit the InRelief.org website starting at noon ET to see if the site can handle a huge amount of traffic. They are also being asked to find and follow specifically branded sites on Facebook and Twitter, to help see how easy it will be for people to get information that way.
"Essentially we're challenging the public to teach response groups what they need and want re: social media engagement in a very real sense and then to put it all to work," said a written release. "We'll develop and share the results in a report with everyone afterwards."
As of about 5 p.m. ET on Friday, the InRelief site was performing well, said Google spokesman Dan Martin. The site is built using Google Apps.
Martin said that, at that time, the site had seen 10,000 unique users from 60 different countries.
The drill will last through Saturday.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
3 Relationships Will Fail If The Following Three Steps Don’t Get Fulfilled Within Your Relationship!
Here are three things you must ensure you focus upon within your relationship, to secure any sort of future and prosperity of the relationship. Let’s look at the three…
Your Partner comes first in your relationship.
In a functional, dedicated, and happy relationship your partner should be your life and you should be theirs. That means that of all of the people in your life, the opinions, needs, desires, and emotions of your partner come supreme to everyone else’s! To further emphasize this, the needs of your partner exceed by far the importance of the need of your parents, siblings, family, and friends. If you take the needs of anybody else over your woman’s/ mans you instantly disrespect their position at your life – at the very forefront. Never ignore the wishes of your partner to follow somebody else’s instructions and desires. Once you do that you lose respect by your partner, and the very cohesion that’s meant to be the very cement to the relationship! Even if your partner seems irrational, controlling (to a degree), and dead set on something (this may be anything in particular), you must go against the whole world if need be, upset everyone you know if need be, to be supportive and co-operating with your partners needs, and wishes. If you don’t follow this one vital point, chances are and I guarantee it, your relationship will never work out!
Ensure your partner feels appreciated.
If your partner is your life, then you should make sure they feel like it each and every day you’re together. Life is just too short for people to fail to ensure their partner feels wanted, needed, loved and appreciated! It’s not brain science; we all want to feel wanted and appreciated, your partner isn’t exempt to this. No matter how long you’ve been together, and no matter how lazy you’ve become in your relationship, don’t think for a moment that your partner doesn’t want to hear how appreciated they are. Just a simple ‘Darling dinner was great’, compliment could make your partners day! Before you go to sleep, and as you wake, it doesn’t hurt to tell your partner you love them and how much they mean to you each and every day of your life! Women and men equally want to feel appreciated the same. Is it so hard to let the one person you share your emotion, body, and soul with that they are the reason you look forward to each waking day. After all if this wasn’t the case you shouldn’t be together to begin with, and may just need to call it quits! Fail to make sure your partner feels loved and appreciated may not end your relationship today or tomorrow, but it all adds up, and like cancer will destroy everything between you!
You must put your partner before yourself.
When you’re single you’re an individual and key component of society, and in this circumstance your interests come first above all. In a relationship between two people in love, this is not so! Your partner comes first in your life. No matter how frustrated, angry, or just upset you get made to feel by your partner, you must cooperate together and take them for who they are, and love and care for them no less! It doesn’t matter how much harder or inconvenient, your partner may make your life, they should always remain the focus and the meaning of your life. Just remember that you were once before them, and you needed them, and upon needing them you obligated to them. Upon any obligation, the consequence may be a lack of freedom, and you gain a thing called responsibility! You chose to be responsible for your partner and them vice versa. This responsibility may come at the cost of a little pain, time, and care on your behalf, but isn’t this just a marginal cost in enjoying the beauty of having another human being in your life, to share your life with? Your partner is your life, and your life is theirs, never forget that. So instead of complaining, take pride in the bonds you share with your loved one, otherwise your relationship is doomed for failure!
I hope the aforementioned three pointers lead you all on the right track in achieving, and maintaining happiness and prosperity in your relationships.
Read more: http://socyberty.com
Your Partner comes first in your relationship.
In a functional, dedicated, and happy relationship your partner should be your life and you should be theirs. That means that of all of the people in your life, the opinions, needs, desires, and emotions of your partner come supreme to everyone else’s! To further emphasize this, the needs of your partner exceed by far the importance of the need of your parents, siblings, family, and friends. If you take the needs of anybody else over your woman’s/ mans you instantly disrespect their position at your life – at the very forefront. Never ignore the wishes of your partner to follow somebody else’s instructions and desires. Once you do that you lose respect by your partner, and the very cohesion that’s meant to be the very cement to the relationship! Even if your partner seems irrational, controlling (to a degree), and dead set on something (this may be anything in particular), you must go against the whole world if need be, upset everyone you know if need be, to be supportive and co-operating with your partners needs, and wishes. If you don’t follow this one vital point, chances are and I guarantee it, your relationship will never work out!
Ensure your partner feels appreciated.
If your partner is your life, then you should make sure they feel like it each and every day you’re together. Life is just too short for people to fail to ensure their partner feels wanted, needed, loved and appreciated! It’s not brain science; we all want to feel wanted and appreciated, your partner isn’t exempt to this. No matter how long you’ve been together, and no matter how lazy you’ve become in your relationship, don’t think for a moment that your partner doesn’t want to hear how appreciated they are. Just a simple ‘Darling dinner was great’, compliment could make your partners day! Before you go to sleep, and as you wake, it doesn’t hurt to tell your partner you love them and how much they mean to you each and every day of your life! Women and men equally want to feel appreciated the same. Is it so hard to let the one person you share your emotion, body, and soul with that they are the reason you look forward to each waking day. After all if this wasn’t the case you shouldn’t be together to begin with, and may just need to call it quits! Fail to make sure your partner feels loved and appreciated may not end your relationship today or tomorrow, but it all adds up, and like cancer will destroy everything between you!
You must put your partner before yourself.
When you’re single you’re an individual and key component of society, and in this circumstance your interests come first above all. In a relationship between two people in love, this is not so! Your partner comes first in your life. No matter how frustrated, angry, or just upset you get made to feel by your partner, you must cooperate together and take them for who they are, and love and care for them no less! It doesn’t matter how much harder or inconvenient, your partner may make your life, they should always remain the focus and the meaning of your life. Just remember that you were once before them, and you needed them, and upon needing them you obligated to them. Upon any obligation, the consequence may be a lack of freedom, and you gain a thing called responsibility! You chose to be responsible for your partner and them vice versa. This responsibility may come at the cost of a little pain, time, and care on your behalf, but isn’t this just a marginal cost in enjoying the beauty of having another human being in your life, to share your life with? Your partner is your life, and your life is theirs, never forget that. So instead of complaining, take pride in the bonds you share with your loved one, otherwise your relationship is doomed for failure!
I hope the aforementioned three pointers lead you all on the right track in achieving, and maintaining happiness and prosperity in your relationships.
Read more: http://socyberty.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
Falling in love costs you friends
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent, BBC New
Sept 15
We probably all know that a passionate new relationship can leave you little time for others, but now science has put some numbers on the observation.
Oxford University researchers asked people about their inner core of friendships and how this number changed when romance entered the equation.
They found the core, which numbers about five people, dropped by two as a new lover came to dominate daily life.
"People who are in romantic relationships - instead of having the typical five [individuals] on average, they only have four in that circle," explained Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford.
"And bearing in mind that one of those is the new person that's come into your life, it means you've had to give up two others."
The research, which has only recently been submitted for publication, was presented to the British Science Festival at Aston University.
Professor Dunbar's group studies social networks and how we manage their size and composition.
He has previously shown that the maximum number of friends it is realistically possible to engage is about 150. On the social networking site Facebook, for example, people will typically have 120-130 friends.
This number can be divided into progressively smaller groups, with an inner clique numbering between four and six.
These are people who we see at least once a week; people we go to at moments of crisis. The next layer out are the people we see about once a month - the "sympathy group". They are all the people who, if they died tomorrow, we would miss and be upset about.
In the latest study, the team questioned 540 participants, aged 18 and over, about their relationships and the strain those relationships came under when a new romantic engagement was started.
The results confirmed the widely held view that love can lead to a smaller support network, with typically one family member and one friend being pushed out to accommodate the new lover.
"The intimacy of a relationship - your emotional engagement with it - correlates very tightly with the frequency of your interactions with those individuals," observed Professor Dunbar.
"If you don't see people, the emotional engagement starts to drop off, and quickly.
"What I suspect happens is that your attention is so wholly focussed on your romantic partner that you just don't get to see the other folks you have a lot to do with, and therefore some of those relationships just start to deteriorate and drop down into the layer below."
BP finally seals leaking Gulf of Mexico oil well
19 September 2010
The ruptured well that has spewed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has finally been sealed, US officials say.
A pressure test showed a cement plug put in place by BP to permanently "kill" the well was holding.
President Obama hailed the news, vowing to continue to help those affected.
The worst offshore oil spill in US history began after the Deepwater Horizon rig blew up on 20 April, killing 11 workers and later sinking.
'Important milestone'
The top US federal official overseeing the disaster, Coast Guard Adm Thad Allen, said on Sunday that the well was now "effectively dead".
"Additional regulatory steps will be undertaken but we can now state definitively that the Macondo Well poses no continuing threat to the Gulf of Mexico," Adm Allen said.
A temporary cap had sealed the flow on 15 July while a relief well was dug. That well finally linked up with the ruptured well on Thursday, allowing workers to start pumping in the cement, removing the need for the cap and creating the permanent "kill".
The disaster has brought an environmental nightmare to hundreds of miles of US coast. It led to BP chief executive Tony Hayward standing down and the imposition of a moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling.
In a statement, President Obama hailed Sunday's "important milestone" and thanked all those who had "worked around the clock to respond to this crisis and ultimately complete this challenging but critical step to ensure that the well has stopped leaking forever".
He said he remained "committed to doing everything possible to make sure the Gulf Coast recovers fully from this disaster".
He added: "This road will not be easy, but we will continue to work closely with the people of the Gulf to rebuild their livelihoods and restore the environment that supports them."
The cost of the disaster to BP has been massive. It has created a compensation fund of $20bn and paid out another $8bn so far in the clean-up campaign.
This final sealing will mean BP can leave the site and concentrate on dealing with the aftermath of the spill.
At the beginning of August, the US government announced that almost three-quarters of the oil had been cleaned up or broken down by natural forces.
The remaining quarter was thought to be "degrading quickly".
But more recent research noted an undersea plume of crude oil-based chemicals up to 200m high and 2km wide, extending 35km from the spill site.
Despite optimism about the clean-up, the damage to the local economy, wildlife and the ecosystem of the Gulf is hard to fully assess yet.
The ruptured well that has spewed millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico has finally been sealed, US officials say.
A pressure test showed a cement plug put in place by BP to permanently "kill" the well was holding.
President Obama hailed the news, vowing to continue to help those affected.
The worst offshore oil spill in US history began after the Deepwater Horizon rig blew up on 20 April, killing 11 workers and later sinking.
'Important milestone'
The top US federal official overseeing the disaster, Coast Guard Adm Thad Allen, said on Sunday that the well was now "effectively dead".
"Additional regulatory steps will be undertaken but we can now state definitively that the Macondo Well poses no continuing threat to the Gulf of Mexico," Adm Allen said.
A temporary cap had sealed the flow on 15 July while a relief well was dug. That well finally linked up with the ruptured well on Thursday, allowing workers to start pumping in the cement, removing the need for the cap and creating the permanent "kill".
The disaster has brought an environmental nightmare to hundreds of miles of US coast. It led to BP chief executive Tony Hayward standing down and the imposition of a moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling.
In a statement, President Obama hailed Sunday's "important milestone" and thanked all those who had "worked around the clock to respond to this crisis and ultimately complete this challenging but critical step to ensure that the well has stopped leaking forever".
He said he remained "committed to doing everything possible to make sure the Gulf Coast recovers fully from this disaster".
He added: "This road will not be easy, but we will continue to work closely with the people of the Gulf to rebuild their livelihoods and restore the environment that supports them."
The cost of the disaster to BP has been massive. It has created a compensation fund of $20bn and paid out another $8bn so far in the clean-up campaign.
This final sealing will mean BP can leave the site and concentrate on dealing with the aftermath of the spill.
At the beginning of August, the US government announced that almost three-quarters of the oil had been cleaned up or broken down by natural forces.
The remaining quarter was thought to be "degrading quickly".
But more recent research noted an undersea plume of crude oil-based chemicals up to 200m high and 2km wide, extending 35km from the spill site.
Despite optimism about the clean-up, the damage to the local economy, wildlife and the ecosystem of the Gulf is hard to fully assess yet.
It's good to think - but not too much, scientists say
17 September 2010
People who think more about whether they are right have more cells in an area of the brain known as the frontal lobes.
UK scientists, writing in Science, looked at how brain size varied depending on how much people thought about decisions.
But a nationwide survey recently found that some people think too much about life.
These people have poorer memories, and they may also be depressed.
Stephen Fleming, a member of the University College London (UCL) team that carried out the research, said: "Imagine you're on a game show such as 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' and you're uncertain of your answer. You can use that knowledge to ask the audience, ask for help."
The London group asked 32 volunteers to make difficult decisions. They had to look at two very similar black and grey pictures and say which one had a lighter spot.
They then had to say just how sure they were of their answer, on a scale of one to six. Although it was hard to tell the difference, the pictures were adjusted to make sure that no-one found the task harder than anyone else.
People who were more sure of their answer had more brain cells in the front-most part of the brain - known as the anterior prefrontal cortex.
This part of the brain has been linked to many brain and mental disorders, including autism. Previous studies have looked at how this area functions while people make real time decisions, but not at differences between individuals.
Illness link
The study is the first to show that there are physical differences between people with regards to how big this area is. These size differences relate to how much they think about their own decisions.
The researchers hope that learning more about these types of differences between people may help those with mental illness.
Co-author Dr Rimona Weil, from UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said: "I think it has very important implications for patients with mental ill health who perhaps don't have as much insight into their own disease."
She added that they hope they may be able to improve patients' ability to recognise that they have an illness and to remember to take their medication.
However, thinking a lot about your own thoughts may not be all good.
Cognitive psychologist Dr Tracy Alloway from the University of Stirling, who was not involved in the latest study, said that some people have a tendency to brood too much and this leads to a risk of depression.
More than 1,000 people took part in a nationwide study linking one type of memory - called "working memory" - to mental health.
Working memory involves the ability to remember pieces of information for a short time, but also while you are remembering them, to do something with them.
For example, you might have to keep hold of information about where you saw shapes and colours - and also answer questions on what they looked like. Dr Alloway commented: "I like to describe it as your brain's Post-It note."
Those with poorer working memory, the 10-15% of people who could only remember about two things, were more likely to mull over things and brood too much.
Both groups presented their findings at the British Science Festival, held this year at the University of Aston in Birmingham.
Missing 'cult-like' group found alive after suicide fears
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 19, 2010 -- Updated 2337 GMT (0737 HKT)
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A group of 13 Salvadoran immigrants missing in southern California amid fears that they planned a cult-like mass suicide have been found alive, unhurt and upset to find they were the subjects of an extensive search.
Authorities had been scouring the Palmdale area of northern Los Angeles County on horseback and by helicopter Sunday in search of the group, which included eight children between the ages of 3 and 17, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A resident spotted one of the vehicles identified in the lookout at a park and notified the sheriff's department, he said.
One woman in the group told CNN they were "perfectly OK" and were shocked and angry to learn that such an extensive search was under way. The woman, who would not give her name, said they had been praying all night in the park, that they had done this routinely and that their husbands were aware of the practice.
The search began Saturday afternoon, when the husbands of two women in the group reported them missing, the Sheriff's Department said. One of the men said their wives were part of a "cult-like group" and had been "brainwashed" by its leader, and Whitmore said the wife left a purse with her husband and asked her "to pray over" it.
When the husband opened the purse, he found money, mobile phones and notes that "talked about meeting Jesus, talked about deceased relatives soon to meet up," Whitmore told CNN earlier Sunday. That raised concerns that the group members planned to take their own lives, he said.
The husbands told investigators that the group had broken away from a Christian church in the Los Angeles area "and formed a separate group that included both traditional and non-traditional practices and beliefs," the Sheriff's Department said Saturday. Its leader, whom investigators identified as Reyna Marisol Chicas, had taken her followers on a similar outing six months ago "in the apparent belief that there was going to be a major earthquake."
Several members of the group spoke with investigators, and Chicas was held for questioning after giving deputies a false name, Whitmore said. Though no crime had been committed and the group appeared to be praying for 'honest and well-meaning things," he said deputies had to investigate once their husbands filed missing persons reports.
"The letters themselves could be interpreted in many ways," Whitmore said. "Now, some of the language in it could be interpreted as saying goodbye as relatives, but that's an interpretation." But given the husbands' concerns, "It is better to overreact than underreact," he said.
September 19, 2010 -- Updated 2337 GMT (0737 HKT)
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A group of 13 Salvadoran immigrants missing in southern California amid fears that they planned a cult-like mass suicide have been found alive, unhurt and upset to find they were the subjects of an extensive search.
Authorities had been scouring the Palmdale area of northern Los Angeles County on horseback and by helicopter Sunday in search of the group, which included eight children between the ages of 3 and 17, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A resident spotted one of the vehicles identified in the lookout at a park and notified the sheriff's department, he said.
One woman in the group told CNN they were "perfectly OK" and were shocked and angry to learn that such an extensive search was under way. The woman, who would not give her name, said they had been praying all night in the park, that they had done this routinely and that their husbands were aware of the practice.
The search began Saturday afternoon, when the husbands of two women in the group reported them missing, the Sheriff's Department said. One of the men said their wives were part of a "cult-like group" and had been "brainwashed" by its leader, and Whitmore said the wife left a purse with her husband and asked her "to pray over" it.
When the husband opened the purse, he found money, mobile phones and notes that "talked about meeting Jesus, talked about deceased relatives soon to meet up," Whitmore told CNN earlier Sunday. That raised concerns that the group members planned to take their own lives, he said.
The husbands told investigators that the group had broken away from a Christian church in the Los Angeles area "and formed a separate group that included both traditional and non-traditional practices and beliefs," the Sheriff's Department said Saturday. Its leader, whom investigators identified as Reyna Marisol Chicas, had taken her followers on a similar outing six months ago "in the apparent belief that there was going to be a major earthquake."
Several members of the group spoke with investigators, and Chicas was held for questioning after giving deputies a false name, Whitmore said. Though no crime had been committed and the group appeared to be praying for 'honest and well-meaning things," he said deputies had to investigate once their husbands filed missing persons reports.
"The letters themselves could be interpreted in many ways," Whitmore said. "Now, some of the language in it could be interpreted as saying goodbye as relatives, but that's an interpretation." But given the husbands' concerns, "It is better to overreact than underreact," he said.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Geoengineering 'not a solution' to sea-level rise
By Katia Moskvitch
Science reporter, BBC News
There are many different approaches to geoengineering
Even the most extreme geoengineering approaches will not stop sea levels from rising due to climate change, a study suggests.
New research proposes that as many as 150 million people could be affected as ocean levels increases by 30cm to 70cm by the end of this century.
This could result in flooding of low-lying coastal areas, including some of the world's largest cities.
The team published the study in the journal PNAS.
Scientists led by John Moore from Beijing Normal University, China, write that to combat global warming, people need to concentrate on sharply curbing greenhouse gas emissions and not rely too much on proposed geoengineering methods.
"Substituting geoengineering for greenhouse emission control would be to burden future generations with enormous risk," said Svetlana Jevrejeva of the UK's National Oceanography Centre, a co-author of the study.
Geoengineering has been talked about for countering some of the effects of climate change for the past several years, with some figures like the billionaire Bill Gates ploughing millions of dollars into the research.
But Dr Jevrejeva told BBC News that some proposals such as placing mirrors in space and spraying aerosols - microscopic particles - into the sky would only treat the symptoms, as greenhouse gases would remain in the Earth's atmosphere.
Dr Jevrejeva and her colleagues examined two geoengineering schemes with five different scenarios.
'Not a solution'
The first approach involves limiting incoming solar radiation through the injection of SO2 (sulphur dioxide) aerosols into the stratosphere. Alternatively, giant mirrors could be launched into orbit, they said.
The second approach would involve modifying the carbon cycle by either planting more trees (afforestation), converting organic material into charcoal (biochar) or using renewable energy from materials derived from biological sources (bioenergy).
"We used [a computer model to track] 300 years of tide gauge measurements to reconstruct how sea level responded historically to changes in the amount of heat reaching the Earth from the Sun, the cooling effects of volcanic eruptions, and past human activities," said Dr Jevrejeva.
"We then used this information to simulate sea level under geoengineering schemes over the next 100 years," she added.
The team found that, if taken individually, even the most extreme of these methods would result in severe sea-level rise.
She explained that these scenarios relied on biological mechanisms to remove CO2 from the air and store it in biomass, soils or geological storage sites.
For instance, afforestation, or adding forests to places where they have been cut down or never existed, would lower the amount of atmospheric CO2, but only by 45ppm (parts-per-million) - a lot less than the amount humans have already emitted.
Biochar would reduce the CO2 levels by even less - 35ppm.
Biofuel production would be more effective, and the combination of the three methods could eliminate up to 250ppm of CO2 and limit sea level rise to between 20 and 40cm.
Carbon storage
The carbon storage technique also has other advantages, pointed out Dr Jevrejeva. It actually reduces the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, whereas the method of reflecting sunlight back into space does not.
"If you use a mirror, it's extremely expensive and it's an engineering challenge - you have to place mirrors [weighing] some 20 million tonnes into the Earth's orbit," Dr Jevrejeva explained.
There was also the chance these mirrors might break in orbit, the researcher added.
The same goes for SO2 aerosol injection - a controversial approach that has already been tested on a small scale in Russia by one of the country's leading climatologists Yuri Israel.
But Dr Jevrejeva said that even though injecting a certain amount of SO2 into the atmosphere might lower mean global temperatures by 1C or more over a few decades, the CO2 would still persist there.
The researchers' simulations showed that spraying the stratosphere with aerosols would produce a similar effect to a major volcanic eruption occuring every 1.5 years. Besides reducing global temperatures, this approach would also delay sea-level rise by 40 to 80 years.
"During a natural volcanic eruption, there's usually a cooling effect in the atmosphere and a drop in sea level. We [followed] different scenarios using the amount of aerosols equivalent to the biggest eruption of the 20th Century - the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991," said Dr Jevrejeva.
"Particles from volcanic ashes end up in the stratosphere and reflect the radiation from the sun, but the same amount of CO2 stays in the atmosphere, so you do not solve the problem."
Also, no one knows the effect such spraying could have on the ecosystem, added the scientist.
"It's a huge challenge, no one knows what could happen."
In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the scientists wrote that SO2 injection into the atmosphere would likely lead to such undesirable consequences as "disruption in precipitation patterns and stratospheric ozone, and do nothing to avert the continued absorption of CO2 by the global ocean leading to rising acidity and ecosystem damage."
This controversial technique has already been tested in Russia, where scientists led by climatologist Professor Israel sprayed aerosols into the atmosphere from a small aircraft.
Major concerns
Professor Israel told BBC News that a stratospheric layer of SO2 could effectively cool the planet and would be an effective and none-too-expensive way of tackling climate change.
But there are also many opponents of geoengineering techniques, among them former UK chief scientific adviser Sir David King.
He told BBC News about his concerns over geoengineering proposals, especially those involving spraying the stratosphere with aerosols.
"What worries me is that it's cheap and do-able and all you need is a country with a rocket and they can put aerosols up into the stratosphere. We have no confidence in models on what these aerosols would do there.
Sir David explained: "Imagine if the aerosols would in some way cause more aerosol production - because there are a lot of chemicals there including ozone - and in time we find that we're getting more than we anticipated so the planet gets cooler and cooler when we wanted it to be stable"
Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong
Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.
1. Determination
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."
2. Lack of equipment
The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next," Mr Shoebridge says. "They almost looked like a group of vandals." Their firearms were also inappropriate - some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.
3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman
Mendoza's gun was not always raised
There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman, Mr Shoebridge believes. "The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him."
4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman
The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter. "You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken," Mr Shoebridge says. Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, he adds, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.
5. Satisfying the gunman's demands
"I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands," says Charles Shoebridge. "A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking." The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police officer only arrived after the shooting had started.
6. Televised proceedings
The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a "crucial defect in the police handling", Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.
7. No element of surprise
It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved "laboriously slowly", Mr Shoebridge says. The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the "crucial element of surprise".
8. Safeguarding the public
This boy, a bystander, was hit by a stray bullet
At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close. The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, Mr Shoebridge says, but a lot more could have been done. "When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground," he says.
9. Using the gunman's brother to negotiate
Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr Shoebridge says. While they may have leverage over the hostage taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled. In this case, the gunman's brother was included in the negotiations - however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene. The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself. According to one report he fired a warning shot.
10. Insufficient training
In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics. The detachment involved in Monday's incident clearly was not, says Mr Shoebridge. After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though "to what effect was not clear" he says. A unit involved in this work, needs to be "trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario," he says.
24 August 2010
1. Determination
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."
2. Lack of equipment
The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next," Mr Shoebridge says. "They almost looked like a group of vandals." Their firearms were also inappropriate - some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.
3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman
Mendoza's gun was not always raised
There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman, Mr Shoebridge believes. "The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him."
4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman
The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter. "You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken," Mr Shoebridge says. Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, he adds, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.
5. Satisfying the gunman's demands
"I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands," says Charles Shoebridge. "A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking." The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police officer only arrived after the shooting had started.
6. Televised proceedings
The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a "crucial defect in the police handling", Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.
7. No element of surprise
It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved "laboriously slowly", Mr Shoebridge says. The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the "crucial element of surprise".
8. Safeguarding the public
This boy, a bystander, was hit by a stray bullet
At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close. The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, Mr Shoebridge says, but a lot more could have been done. "When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground," he says.
9. Using the gunman's brother to negotiate
Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr Shoebridge says. While they may have leverage over the hostage taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled. In this case, the gunman's brother was included in the negotiations - however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene. The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself. According to one report he fired a warning shot.
10. Insufficient training
In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics. The detachment involved in Monday's incident clearly was not, says Mr Shoebridge. After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though "to what effect was not clear" he says. A unit involved in this work, needs to be "trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario," he says.
24 August 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Why dogs must be followers
With humans in the leadership role and a submissive dog - can the dog be happy?
A happy dog is a dog who not only gets enough exercise and mental stimulation, but a dog who knows 100% with complete confidence and security what their role in life is and where they stand. In a pack of canines there is the leader who keeps order, setting rules that must be followed and making all of the decisions, and then there are the followers who look up to the leader for guidance. Both leader and followers are content when the alpha member makes the rest of the pack feel like they are safe and the leader sees their structure being upheld. The leader is happy and the followers are happy, because both feel their survival depends upon this order. The leader is the stronger minded being. The being who displays a natural authority and is able to make good, confident decisions. It's all in the mind and energy which is being projected, size has nothing to do with it.
Humans and dogs can only peacefully coexist when the dogs are in the follower role. Human society cannot allow dogs to bark, growl, snap at or bite another human whenever they please in order to tell them they are not happy with what they are doing. If our dogs get away and are running the streets it cannot be the dog who decides when they must come back. We cannot let the dog decide when it is ok for us to leave for work. We cannot let the dog decide who is allowed to walk into your home and who is not. We cannot let the dog decide who is allowed to touch "their" ball or sit in "their" chair.
By not listening to what your dog wants when the dog is the leader of your pack you are causing them to become mentally unstable, often with stress and/or anxiety. In the dog world leaders are allowed to leave the followers, however followers are not allowed to leave the leaders (separation anxiety). A dog who is allowed to be the leader has humans who leave the house when they did not give them permission. They come inside the house when they did not tell them they could. They don't wake up or go to bed when the dog tells them they can and they don't eat when the dog says they must.
Dogs who flop back and forth from leader to follower are always testing to see where they stand. Most do not want the position and give it up easily, but still have the nagging instinct to take over when they sense weakness. These dogs are not truly happy either, because they never really know who is going to be leading at any given moment and therefore cannot feel secure.
We cannot expect our dogs to behave and listen to us if we are not consistently showing them that we are the leaders. Dogs instinctually crave structure and order, and look for the strongest minded being to be that leader. If they detect that the person in charge is not strong enough, by instinct the dog will begin to take over that roll. Dogs do not care if that being is human or canine. If they feel they are stronger than the others around them they will begin to take over in order to "save" their pack.
If you do not communicate to the dog that you do not agree, how is the dog to know and learn? Dog's need discipline, not punishment. Never hit or scream at a dog. Dogs do not understand nor interpret anger well. Positive reinforcement is a wonderful training method for keeping a dog from developing bad behavior problems. By rewarding the good you encourage that behavior. When you have a dog who has already developed a negative behavior positive reinforcement training does not always work well. For example, tossing a treat when the dog is not growling does not teach the dog not to growl. One cannot fix aggression with treats. This does not mean you are to be overbearing and forceful with your dog by any means. Read, "What does it mean to be dominant?" for more details. It's all about proper human to canine communication.
Dog Breed Info Center® All Rights Reserved
A happy dog is a dog who not only gets enough exercise and mental stimulation, but a dog who knows 100% with complete confidence and security what their role in life is and where they stand. In a pack of canines there is the leader who keeps order, setting rules that must be followed and making all of the decisions, and then there are the followers who look up to the leader for guidance. Both leader and followers are content when the alpha member makes the rest of the pack feel like they are safe and the leader sees their structure being upheld. The leader is happy and the followers are happy, because both feel their survival depends upon this order. The leader is the stronger minded being. The being who displays a natural authority and is able to make good, confident decisions. It's all in the mind and energy which is being projected, size has nothing to do with it.
Humans and dogs can only peacefully coexist when the dogs are in the follower role. Human society cannot allow dogs to bark, growl, snap at or bite another human whenever they please in order to tell them they are not happy with what they are doing. If our dogs get away and are running the streets it cannot be the dog who decides when they must come back. We cannot let the dog decide when it is ok for us to leave for work. We cannot let the dog decide who is allowed to walk into your home and who is not. We cannot let the dog decide who is allowed to touch "their" ball or sit in "their" chair.
By not listening to what your dog wants when the dog is the leader of your pack you are causing them to become mentally unstable, often with stress and/or anxiety. In the dog world leaders are allowed to leave the followers, however followers are not allowed to leave the leaders (separation anxiety). A dog who is allowed to be the leader has humans who leave the house when they did not give them permission. They come inside the house when they did not tell them they could. They don't wake up or go to bed when the dog tells them they can and they don't eat when the dog says they must.
Dogs who flop back and forth from leader to follower are always testing to see where they stand. Most do not want the position and give it up easily, but still have the nagging instinct to take over when they sense weakness. These dogs are not truly happy either, because they never really know who is going to be leading at any given moment and therefore cannot feel secure.
We cannot expect our dogs to behave and listen to us if we are not consistently showing them that we are the leaders. Dogs instinctually crave structure and order, and look for the strongest minded being to be that leader. If they detect that the person in charge is not strong enough, by instinct the dog will begin to take over that roll. Dogs do not care if that being is human or canine. If they feel they are stronger than the others around them they will begin to take over in order to "save" their pack.
If you do not communicate to the dog that you do not agree, how is the dog to know and learn? Dog's need discipline, not punishment. Never hit or scream at a dog. Dogs do not understand nor interpret anger well. Positive reinforcement is a wonderful training method for keeping a dog from developing bad behavior problems. By rewarding the good you encourage that behavior. When you have a dog who has already developed a negative behavior positive reinforcement training does not always work well. For example, tossing a treat when the dog is not growling does not teach the dog not to growl. One cannot fix aggression with treats. This does not mean you are to be overbearing and forceful with your dog by any means. Read, "What does it mean to be dominant?" for more details. It's all about proper human to canine communication.
Dog Breed Info Center® All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Top 10 Cities
London, England (CNN) -- Which cities rule the world? When it comes to economic activity, political and intellectual influence and great places to live, one recent report holds few surprises.
New York, London and Tokyo all rank high in all of these categories, according to a 2010 survey of top world cities by property consultancy Knight Frank.
But how do you measure what makes a city powerful? If you consider cities that have made great strides across these categories, then Beijing and Berlin are cities that can't be ignored either.
Knight Frank measures cities on four factors -- economic activity, political power, knowledge base and quality of life -- and then aggregates the scores to rank world cities.
Gallery: World's most livable cities
TOP 10 CITIES
1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Los Angeles
6. Brussels
7. Singapore
8. Berlin
9. Beijing
10. Toronto
Source: Knight Frank
WHAT THE REPORT MEASURED
Economic activity: Judged by economic output, income per head, financial and capital market activity and market share, number of international business headquarters in each city
Political power: Judged by calculating the importance of each city to global political thought and opinion, identifying where power is held and influence exercised
Knowledge and influence: Judged by assessing the educational status and the number and ranking of educational facilities
Quality of life: Judged by personal and political freedom, censorship, personal security, crime, political stability, health facilities, public services, transport, culture and leisure, climate and quality of the environment
According to its list, New York leads global powerhouses overall, overtaking London, which had topped the table last year.
Despite a reversal at the top in 2010, the leading four cities -- New York, London, Paris and Tokyo -- remained significantly ahead of any competition, scoring well ahead of their nearest rival, Los Angeles.
While these heavyweights rule on several fronts now, there are several up-and-coming cities to consider.
Chief among these emerging contenders is Berlin. Thanks to its quality of life, it was the highest overall riser in the survey, moving from 13th to eighth place.
Check out which cities are regularly praised for their quality of life
Although Berlin remains outside the top 10 for its economic activity, political power and knowledge and influence, it is now rated by Knight Frank to be second in the world behind Paris for quality of life.
Beijing emerged as the second highest climber in the report, now ninth overall in the world, up from 12th in 2009.
Its rising status can be attributed to its political power, and to a lesser extent its economic activity, according to the report. However, it does not feature in the top 10 for either its knowledge and influence or its quality of life.
As a political power, Beijing rose from seventh to fourth in the survey, overtaking London, Paris and Tokyo.
Jonathan Fenby, a former editor of the South China Morning Post, wrote in the report that the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a pivotal moment for the capital city.
"China has increasing self-confidence as a political player," said Fenby. "For the first 25 years of its economic growth, China kept a low profile in geopolitics, but it is now taking a much more high profile position."
Another key theme in the survey: Six of the top 10 economic powers are in Asia -- Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul.
Of these, only three -- Tokyo, Singapore and Beijing -- appeared in Knight Frank's top 10 list overall, once political power, knowledge and influence and quality of life were taken into account.
Liam Bailey, head of residential research at the consultancy and author of the report, said: "For the rising cities of Asia, economic growth and greater political clout on their own will not succeed in propelling them to the top of the table in terms of locations where the world's most influential citizens want to have a first or even a second home."
New York, London and Tokyo all rank high in all of these categories, according to a 2010 survey of top world cities by property consultancy Knight Frank.
But how do you measure what makes a city powerful? If you consider cities that have made great strides across these categories, then Beijing and Berlin are cities that can't be ignored either.
Knight Frank measures cities on four factors -- economic activity, political power, knowledge base and quality of life -- and then aggregates the scores to rank world cities.
Gallery: World's most livable cities
TOP 10 CITIES
1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Los Angeles
6. Brussels
7. Singapore
8. Berlin
9. Beijing
10. Toronto
Source: Knight Frank
WHAT THE REPORT MEASURED
Economic activity: Judged by economic output, income per head, financial and capital market activity and market share, number of international business headquarters in each city
Political power: Judged by calculating the importance of each city to global political thought and opinion, identifying where power is held and influence exercised
Knowledge and influence: Judged by assessing the educational status and the number and ranking of educational facilities
Quality of life: Judged by personal and political freedom, censorship, personal security, crime, political stability, health facilities, public services, transport, culture and leisure, climate and quality of the environment
According to its list, New York leads global powerhouses overall, overtaking London, which had topped the table last year.
Despite a reversal at the top in 2010, the leading four cities -- New York, London, Paris and Tokyo -- remained significantly ahead of any competition, scoring well ahead of their nearest rival, Los Angeles.
While these heavyweights rule on several fronts now, there are several up-and-coming cities to consider.
Chief among these emerging contenders is Berlin. Thanks to its quality of life, it was the highest overall riser in the survey, moving from 13th to eighth place.
Check out which cities are regularly praised for their quality of life
Although Berlin remains outside the top 10 for its economic activity, political power and knowledge and influence, it is now rated by Knight Frank to be second in the world behind Paris for quality of life.
Beijing emerged as the second highest climber in the report, now ninth overall in the world, up from 12th in 2009.
Its rising status can be attributed to its political power, and to a lesser extent its economic activity, according to the report. However, it does not feature in the top 10 for either its knowledge and influence or its quality of life.
As a political power, Beijing rose from seventh to fourth in the survey, overtaking London, Paris and Tokyo.
Jonathan Fenby, a former editor of the South China Morning Post, wrote in the report that the 2008 Beijing Olympics was a pivotal moment for the capital city.
"China has increasing self-confidence as a political player," said Fenby. "For the first 25 years of its economic growth, China kept a low profile in geopolitics, but it is now taking a much more high profile position."
Another key theme in the survey: Six of the top 10 economic powers are in Asia -- Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul.
Of these, only three -- Tokyo, Singapore and Beijing -- appeared in Knight Frank's top 10 list overall, once political power, knowledge and influence and quality of life were taken into account.
Liam Bailey, head of residential research at the consultancy and author of the report, said: "For the rising cities of Asia, economic growth and greater political clout on their own will not succeed in propelling them to the top of the table in terms of locations where the world's most influential citizens want to have a first or even a second home."
An ode to impotence
On Saturday night at the Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona took not one, but four steps towards another La Liga title by convincingly beating Real Madrid on their own turf. Their 2-0 win gives the azulgranas a three-point lead plus the advantage in the head-to-head tiebreaker, so Real Madrid would need to gain four more points than Barcelona in the remaining seven La Liga matches to clinch the title. Looking at the recent history, it appears beyond them.
With this victory, Barcelona broke two spells: they had never beaten the merengues twice in a row at the Bernabeu, neither had they managed to defeat Real Madrid on four consecutive occasions. But what happened in La Castellana goes beyond broken records or titles within reach. In a tournament that of late has sadly become a fight between only two clubs, Barcelona proved that fight is actually a feud, and that they can triumph almost effortlessly over their arch rivals, no matter how much they spend in marquee signings. Real Madrid have contested the azulgrana's dominance until the final few matches of the past two seasons, however that's actually a misleading fact. Their resilience seems born out of the enormous difference in budget between them and the remaining Primera Division clubs, and also based on the fact that their only competitive focus was La Liga, after they exited both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey early in the last two terms. However, not many were predicting another easy Barcelona win before the match started. To make things more interesting, Guardiola surprised everyone, including his own players, with a starting line-up that was straight out of Johann Cruyff's book. The managerial version of the Dutchman, usually daring and blunt, used to change his tactical scheme every time his team played at the Bernabeu, becoming suddenly conservative for reasons never fully understood. These line-up modifications were known by Cruyffadas by media and fans, and never quite paid off for the Dutchman. During his eight years at the Barcelona helm, he only won once at the Bernabeu, another instance in which the pupil Guardiola has already surpassed the master. All the pre-match talk focused on Guardiola's decision to change Barcelona's expected 4-3-3 line-up and use full-back Daniel Alves as a midfielder, probably to help Puyol out with CR9, and adding Maxwell to the team while leaving Andres Iniesta on the bench. The atmosphere at the Bernabeu was as exciting as it has been in a long time. In a usual La Liga match, the stadium only reaches its full capacity five to ten minutes before kick-off. For this match, the Bernabeu was packed half an hour before the match started, the crowd a lot louder than customary. I even spotted Atletico Madrid's largest shareholder, Miguel Angel Gil, in the VIP zone. "He probably came to take notes on how to beat Real Madrid," claimed my neighbour Pepe. Our radio informed us that most spectators in the other three Primera Division fixtures that day had left the stadiums 15 minutes before time to watch the derby at home. The Match of the Century was about to start, and no one wanted to miss it. Those high expectations were not met initially. Barcelona seemed distinctly uncomfortable in their improvised disposition, despite enjoying more possession than Real Madrid. Pep acted like one of those guys who gives directions to the pilots while they're parking an airplane, arms and hands moving tirelessly at the sideline, while Alves did not understand what he was supposed to do in midfield. Real Madrid's discipline impressed at the beginning. Their lines were close to one another and offered continuous help to contain Lionel Messi and keep Xavi in check, although even at these early stages one could feel that the Xabi Alonso - Gago partnership wouldn't be a successful one. Cristiano Ronaldo, he of the jinxed purple boots, had a couple of inviting runs that got the Real Madrid faithful off their seats, but then the flow of the game entered into a more contained phase, both teams more concerned with keeping a tight defence than with going forward. "Looks like a chess match," said my seat neighbour Juan. Then Messi and Xavi made chess become a dance. After suffering a hard foul from Sergio Ramos in midfield, Messi got up like nothing had happened, rushed Maxwell to put the ball into play, sprinted towards Real Madrid's goal catching the merengue's defence cold, and built a delightful one-two with Xavi - an amazing final pass from the Catalan - that was finished with a mis-hit right-footed strike that went lazily into Casillas' net. I looked around. My neighbours in the Fondo Sur were busy taking pictures of Messi and did not bother booing a goal from an arch rival, a powerful indication from a fan base that only needed one strike to give up. Real Madrid tried to react before half-time, a botched counter-attack by Marcelo giving another sign of their impotence. This attack illustrated one of the main differences between CR9 and Messi. The Argentinean ran 70 yards back to help out in defence, and was rewarded by a warm pat on his back by Gerard Pique. When Real lost the ball, Cristiano waved his arms, complained to the fans and left his team-mates to it. Two different paths to leadership, I guess. "Pellegrini needs to use the bench. We're okay at the back, but Gago can't play right midfield and the strikers are not getting any service," stated a worried Juan. According to my home-made statistics, Real Madrid had not had one shot on goal, Higuain had touched the ball once in the entire first half, and Ronaldo had just one nutmeg to his name in 45 minutes, subdued by the well synchronised duo of Carles Puyol and Pique. However, there were no changes at half-time. The only modification was dictated by Guardiola, who sent Daniel Alves back to right full back, switched Puyol to left back and pushed Mawxell forward as a left winger. Barcelona still did not look totally comfortable on the pitch, but the lead had given them a calmness, and their passing game started to appear. Ten minutes into the second half, the stadium grew more and more impatient, Real Madrid looked painfully limited in their attacks. Then Pellegrini called Guti to join the match. "When your first option off the bench is a washed-up midfielder who only plays when he feels like it and has not had three decent days of training in a row all season, you're in trouble," said a bitter Juan.
But before Guti had a chance to enter the pitch, Xavi decided to appear again. A bit too comfortable in a central midfield position, he took three seconds to look around and put a gorgeous through-ball behind Alvaro Arbeola's back and into the path of Pedrito, who calmly slotted it home with his left foot (which looks as good as his right one). While Arbeloa was left alone against Pedrito, his theoretical back-up Ezequiel Garay watched how the play unfolded from the middle of the park, jogging towards his own goal. Guti and Real Madrid had a huge mountain to climb at 2-0 down. Guardiola introduced Iniesta five minutes later, resortnig to his expected line-up, and it is hard to deny that they looked their best at this point. Their ball possession, accurate passing and excellent flow from one side to the other were back. The frustration in the merengue stands grew with every passing minute. Tellingly, Pep was not parking planes anymore. The irritation in the Bernabeu was only broken by a fantastic pass by Guti, who may be out of shape and thinking of next season in the United Arab Emirates, but still can spot unmarked players better than any other colleague in this Real Madrid squad. Rafael van der Vaart squandered the chance, shooting against Victor Valdes' body, and then was summarily replaced by Pellegrini. Who would be the next one in? The Artist Formerly Known as Raul. "When your second option off the bench is a washed-up star with over 15 seasons of top-level football behind him, you're in big, big trouble," stated a borderline suicidal Juan. Leaving his half-jokes aside for a second, the fact that, after spending €250 million, Real Madrid's first two substitutions in the biggest match of the season were Guti and Raul, can only be catalogued under 'management failure'. Our puzzled faces trying to understand the logic behind the replacements were partially relieved by the radio, which informed us that Karim Benzema had not been training up to Pellegrini's own high standards. As Juan and I were discussing whether we prefer a useless but extremely professional forward (Raul), or a gifted but lazy one (Benzema), Guti showed more glimpses of his class with two great passes, exactly what Real Madrid had been lacking for the entire match. Too late for the madridistas, anyway. Barcelona maintained their routine passing game until the end of the match. Messi wasted two more glorious chances in front of Casillas, after two pinpoint passes from Xavi, who at this point had already become a Bernabeu favourite. The Catalan is an excellent explanation for Messi's superior performances with Barcelona when compared to Argentina. The match ended with a meaningless cameo from Benzema, who replaced a depressing Higuain. After the final whistle from a soon-to-be-retired referee (Mejuto, who by what we saw will do well leaving soon), Sergio Busquets asked Raul for his shirt, probably his last derby jersey, and the Barcelona players celebrated a first win of 2010 in the Bernabeu. They could very well be doing this again in just over a month, in possibly their second Champions League final in a row, whereas Real Madrid have delivered exactly on my gloomy September forecast. They're an expensive version of last season's Atletico, destroying smaller opposition and defeated by the bigger clubs. Let the carrousel of signings and firings begin! After Saturday's helpless performance and given the context of the last couple of seasons, it will take more than a new gaffer and some expensive names to dethrone Pep Guardiola, king Messi and the best Barcelona side ever.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Israeli cult leader charged with enslavement, rape
February 16, 2010
Jerusalem (CNN) -- An Israeli man accused of having 21 wives and fathering 49 children was charged Sunday in a Tel Aviv court with multiple counts of sexual assault, rape, sodomy and enslavement.
Goel Ratzon, 60, was arrested last month.
Authorities charge that he lived in a compound with the 21 wives, having convinced them that he was omnipotent.
All the wives tattooed Ratzon's name and picture on their arms and the children's names are all derivatives of his name, according to the court papers.
Ratzon married his first wife in 1972, added a second wife in the early 1980s, and from 1991 added another 19 wives, according to the indictment.
He persuaded the women that he had the power to heal and curse, through which he gained "complete control of their lives, desires, thoughts, emotions and actions," the court papers say.
Ratzon spoke in court for first time last week, saying he was innocent, that everything was done with consent, and that any women who wished to leave could do so, Israeli media reported.
The indictment charges that the defendant "captured the women in a 'pseudo-family' structure that revolved around the worship of his image, making the birth of his children a supreme goal that the women must aspire to, and all this was to glorify him while serving and fulfilling all his needs."
Ratzon demanded that his wives and children completely obey all of his orders and has stringent rules and had a penalty system if they disobeyed him, the indictment alleges.
He also "abused his wives by trampling their self-worth and cut them off from any outside social contact including their families, and by this enslaved them to him and his desires," the court papers say.
The indictment includes allegations of rape and sodomy of two of his daughters, sexual assault of another daughter, and rape, assault and sodomy of four other girls.
Beyond the mental and physical control Ratzon had over his wives, he effectively controlled all of their finances, the indictment says. The women deposited major chunks of their social security payments and salaries into the family's account, paid for all of his living expenses and bought him all his property and anything he demanded, authorities charge.
Ratzon's cult has been known to the authorities for about 10 years, they said, but it was only about six months ago they succeeded in convincing one of the women to file a complaint. That brought about his arrest last month.
3 women caned in Malaysia for adultery
By Joe Sterling, CNN
February 17, 2010
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- For the first time, Malaysian authorities have caned three Muslim women under Islamic law for acts of adultery, the Malaysian national news agency Bernama said.
Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein announced the canings Wednesday, saying the penalty was carried out February 9 at a women's prison near Kuala Lumpur.
The canings -- a punishment that persists across Malaysian society since the British colonial era of the 19th century -- have been denounced by one Amnesty International official, who says "caning is tantamount to torture."
But Hishamuddin said the punishment was carried out "to educate and make the offenders realize their mistakes and to return to the right path."
"It is hoped that the issue will not be wrongly interpreted to the extent of tarnishing the sanctity of Islam," he was quoted as saying. He also said the punishment did not cause any injury and that the women were remorseful and repented, Bernama reported.
The women were struck with a rattan cane. One woman was released Sunday after spending a month in prison, another will be released in the next few days, and the third will be released in June.
Malaysia, which considers itself a moderate Muslim country, has a dual-track justice system, in which Islamic courts operate alongside civil ones. Muslims make up about 60 percent of the country's population of 28 million.
Last year, a woman was sentenced to caning under Islamic law for drinking alcohol in public -- beer at a hotel bar -- and that case caused an uproar in the country. Malaysia forbids alcohol consumption by Muslims, even those who are visiting the country.
The caning sentence of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has been postponed while the issue is under review, and she said that if she were to be caned, she wanted the flogging to occur in public.
"Let's be transparent about it," said Kartika, a mother and part-time model. An Islamic court also fined her $1,400 for the act. She has pleaded guilty and paid the fine.
Lance Lattig, a researcher on Malaysia for the human rights group Amnesty International, told CNN that the vast majority of canings are applied to illegal immigrants by civil courts, but the latest examples indicate that sharia courts happen to be picking up on the practice.
"It's not Muslims on the march," he said. "It's the tip of the iceberg of the bigger problem."
No matter who does it, he says, the group considers caning to be "cruel, inhumane and degrading."
Moscow cop jailed over supermarket rampage
Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- In a high-profile court case, a Moscow police officer was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing two people and injuring seven in a drunken shooting rampage at a supermarket last year.
The verdict comes at a time when the Russian government has launched a crackdown on out-of-control police departments throughout Russia.
The dramatic nature of the supermarket shootings opened the floodgates for a mounting flurry of media reports accusing police of beatings, torture, rapes, drug trafficking, extortion, racketeering, taking bribes and other criminal activities -- as well as attacking the country's legal system for shielding law enforcement officials, or giving them mild punishment for their crimes.
Investigators and witnesses said Major Denis Yevsyukov, chief of a police precinct in southern Moscow, had been celebrating his 32nd birthday at a restaurant with friends and colleagues last April.
After a spat with his wife, he left the restaurant and went to the supermarket, where he wandered the store -- in uniform and carrying a handgun -- shooting random people.
According to investigators, after he was subdued by his fellow policemen Yevsyukov had no regrets about what he did, and said that if he'd had a Kalashnikov machine gun instead of a pistol, he would have used it.
In all, he attempted the murder of 22 people, according to the court.
A series of psychiatric examinations established he was sane when conducting his crime, the court said.
"Victims testified that Yevsyukov not only wanted to kill, he wanted to demonstrate his power and humiliate people," state prosecutor Amalia Kostoyeva said during the trial.
The rampage, captured on the store's surveillance cameras, generated a public outcry in Russia and forced President Dmitry Medvedev to fire the head of Moscow police and to speak about the need for reforming the country's Interior Ministry.
Along with the flood of press reports ripping police, last November a police officer from southern Russia, Major Alexei Dymovskiy, accused his superiors of corruption in a video posted on YouTube, making him a media star overnight. His posting triggered a series of similar revelations from acting and former police officers across the country.
The Interior Ministry's official statistics say more than 2,700 criminal cases were opened against policemen in 2009, which independent analysts and human rights activists say is a strong underestimation.
"It's impossible to modernize or reform the Interior Ministry, it can only be liquidated," said Andrei Makarov, a prominent lawmaker from Russia's ruling United Russia party, at a recent news conference called in response to another report of a crime committed by police. "There is a feeling that the Interior Ministry is waging a war against its own people."
A fresh opinion poll conducted across the country by the Levada Center, an independent polling and sociological organization, suggests that -- in stark contrast with Western democracies -- only 30 percent of Russians trust their police force, while 67 percent fear it.
And in the city of Moscow, a mere 1 per cent of respondents said they "rather trusted than distrusted" the police.
"Our respondents said their fear of lawlessness from policemen is only slightly less than their fear of attacks from terrorists, hoodlums and criminals," Polina Cherepova, a Levada Center sociologist, told CNN.
"The public feels estranged from the government institutions, including the police, which are supposed to protect their rights. But Russians feel that since they have no control over the police, they can't trust it", she said.
On Thursday, speaking at a long-awaited meeting of the Russian Interior Ministry's board, President Dmitry Medvedev announced sweeping plans to increase police accountability, and to introduce anti-corruption measures and new procedures for selecting officers.
He emphasized that policemen can't be above the law and should face harsh prosecution if they break it.
"I suggest that if a crime is committed by an Interior Ministry officer, this should be viewed as an aggravating circumstance," Medvedev said in his speech broadcast by Russian TV.
"A number of recent events at the Interior Ministry caused a very serious public reaction. Honestly, they had an impact on the authority of the ministry and its personnel," he said.
Major cuts and reshuffles will be carried out in the near future, he said, adding, "This is just the beginning. Further decisions are pending."
Just hours later, Medvedev fired 18 top police officials, according to the Kremlin. On his Web site, Medvedev also published several draft laws intended to fix the Russian police problems. He said he wants the proposals turned into law until the end of this year.
Mo money, Mo problems
(CNN) -- A Florida woman has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a lottery millionaire whose body was found buried under fresh concrete, authorities said Friday night.
Dorice Donegan Moore, 37, was arrested last week on charges of accessory after the fact regarding a first-degree murder in the death of Abraham Shakespeare, 43, said Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee. She remains in the Hillsborough County Jail, he said.
Moore befriended Shakespeare after he won a $31 million Florida lottery prize in 2006 and was named a person of interest in the case after Shakespeare disappeared, authorities said.
Before her arrest, Moore proclaimed her innocence during a tearful, impromptu news conference outside her home. She said she was planning to help Shakespeare write a book about the challenges of winning millions and that she was helping him manage the money.
"Abraham had a life of drama because of the money," she told CNN affiliate WTSP. "The money was like a curse to him. And now it has become a curse to me."
Moore might have committed fraud to obtain parts of Shakespeare's fortune, and she bought lime to deal with his body and was trying to find someone to move the corpse to another location, Gee said at the time of her arrest.
Shakespeare was killed on April 6 or April 7, and Moore has admitted trying to convince Shakespeare's family members that he was still alive, Gee said.
Deputies found Shakespeare's body outside a home in Plant City in late January after receiving a tip from an associate of Moore, Gee said.
The investigation is continuing, Gee said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)