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বুধবার, ২০ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Apple Tops Samsung as World's Most Valuable Brand, Ferrari Rated Most Powerful
The Cross Roads United Methodist Church, Family Style, Boiled Beef Pot Pie Supper, April 6th
Date/Time:? Saturday, April 6th beginning at 4:00pm
Location:? 6881 Church Road, Felton (Cross Roads Boro)
Cost: ?Adults $8.50; ages 6-12 $4.00 (tickets available at door)
No carryouts until 5:30pm, only if available
Menu:? Pot Pie, cole slaw, our famous green beans, homemade cakes and beverages.
We are handicapped accessible complete with elevator and ramp.? We also have servers.
For more information, please contact Charlie Hess at (717) 993-6961
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In South Africa, a brutal rape sparks unusual proposal
A controversial recommendation that arose in Limpopo Province would force men accused of rape to have an HIV test and charge them with attempted murder if they test positive.
The shocking rape and murder of a 17-year-old in South Africa has politicians and police searching for solutions. But a possible new policy in one province, proposing that rapists found to have the HIV virus be charged with murder, is going too far, say some analysts.
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The young woman, Anene Booysens, was found in a construction site in Bredasdorp, about two hours southeast of Cape Town on Feb. 2. She had been gang-raped, viciously beaten, and disemboweled and died several hours later in a local hospital.
While South Africans are regularly confronted with violent killings ? including that of Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius ? the sheer brutality of the attack on Ms. Booysens in a small town located in a picturesque countryside, has captured the nation?s attention.?
The attack comes on the heels of the heinous murder and gang-rape of a Indian student in New Delhi, which stirred headlines here?as South Africans face their own high counts of incidences of sexual violence against women, including two other high profile gang-rapes last year. South African police statistics record more than 64,000 cases a year ? more than seven an hour.
Within days of the Booysens rape, a full-force debate ensued over proposals to tackle South Africa?s brutal sexual violence.
A controversial recommendation that arose in Limpopo Province would force men accused of rape to have an HIV test and charge them with attempted murder if they test positive.
Police Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, a local official of the national police force, says the proposal is allowable under existing law and necessary.
?We have seen there are a lot of repeat offenders in our province where they are continuing with these sexual attacks targeting women and children. Some of them might be carrying this virus and deliberating infecting these women,? says Mr. Malaudzi, arguing that the law that is already partly on the books, though rarely cited.?
Human rights and HIV activists have decried the proposal in Limpopo, a somewhat isolated province and not where Booysens was killed.?
?The practice further reinforces HIV related stigma, discrimination and prejudice,? says S'khumbuzo Maphumulo, an attorney for civil rights organization Section 27.
Malaudzi says that police were contemplating the new policy even before the attack on Booysens. He adds that police can only petition the courts to order an HIV test for men accused of rape and cannot carry out tests without court backing.?
?We feel that it is now proper for us to have this information in the proceedings,? says Malaudzi.
Mr. Maphumulo, however, worries that the practice would likely lead to further overall abuses, especially of those ignorant of their rights, by overzealous police.
?Peoples? rights are likely to be violated left, right, and center since force ? without any due process whatsoever ? will in all probabilities be used to test suspects,? he says. Punitive laws adopted hastily often intend to deter crime but can end up stigmatizing and doing harm, says?Maphumulo, who also doubts whether the threat of tough laws will deter men who rape.
?Criminalization is based on unfounded fears as there is no evidence that it will stop offenders from transmitting HIV in future,? he says.
Malaudzi, the police official, acknowledged that he was unaware of cases where a rapist attempted to deliberately infect a victim with HIV. However, he maintains the measure is needed to protect women and children.
Maphumulo counters that if the criminalization of HIV were to go beyond men accused of rape, it could be women who face prosecution as they are often the first to learn they are HIV positive in their relationships. ?Their boyfriends or husbands could then use this to claim the women infected them.
?Even though the arguments in favor of the approach are largely that the measures are meant to protect women and girls, there is a strong likelihood that women will carry the brunt,? he says.?
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মঙ্গলবার, ১৯ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Caffeine linked to low birth weight babies
Feb. 19, 2013 ? Maternal nutrition is important to a developing embryo and to the health of the child later in life. Supplementing the diet with specific vitamins is known to increase health of the fetus for example folic acid (vitamin B9) reduces the risk of spina bifida. However not everything an adult might consume is beneficial to a developing baby. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine shows that caffeine is linked to low birth weight babies and that caffeine from coffee in linked to increasing length of pregnancy.
Along with nutrients and oxygen, caffeine freely passes the placental barrier, but the developing embryo does not express the enzymes required to inactivate it efficiently. The WHO currently suggests a limit of 300mg per day during pregnancy but some countries recommend a limit of 200mg, which can be less than a single cup of coffee from some high street cafes.
To investigate the impact of maternal caffeine during pregnancy on babies, a research team from the Norwegian Institute for Public Health used information about mother's diet and birth details collected over ten years. After excluding women with medical and pregnancy-related conditions almost 60,000 pregnancies were included in the study. All sources of caffeine were monitored in the study: coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, as well as food including cocoa-containing cakes and deserts and chocolate.
Explaining their results, Dr Verena Sengpiel, from Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, who led the project said, "Although caffeine consumption is strongly correlated with smoking which is known to increase the risk for both preterm delivery and the baby being small for gestational age at birth (SGA). In this study we found no association between either total caffeine or coffee caffeine and preterm delivery but we did find an association between caffeine and SGA. This association remained even when we looked only at non-smoking mothers which implies that the caffeine itself is also having an effect on birth weight."
In fact they found that caffeine from all sources reduced birth weight. For a child of expected average weight (3.6kg) this equates to 21-28g lost per 100mg caffeine per day. But it was not just caffeine, but the source of caffeine, which affected pregnancy outcomes. Caffeine from all sources increased the length of the pregnancy by 5hr per 100mg caffeine per day, but caffeine intake from coffee was associated with an even longer gestational length -- 8hr extra for every 100mg caffeine per day.
This association means that it is not just the caffeine in coffee which increases gestational length but either there must be a substance in coffee which is responsible for the extra time or there is a behaviour associated with coffee drinking not present in women who drink only tea (for example). SGA babies are at higher risk of both short term and lifelong health problems and it seems from these results that since even 200-300mg caffeine per day can increase the risk of SGA by almost a third these recommendations need to be re-evaluated.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by BioMed Central Limited, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Verena Sengpiel, Elisabeth Elind, Jonas Bacelis, Staffan Nilsson, Jakob Grove, Ronny Myhre, Margaretha Haugen, Helle M Meltzer, Jan Alexander, Bo Jacobsson and Anne-Lise Brants?ter. Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with birth weight but not with gestational length: results from a large prospective observational cohort study. BMC Medicine, 2013
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/pe_Nrke91iU/130218201513.htm
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সোমবার, ১৮ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Jerry Buss, Lakers' flamboyant owner, dies at 80
FILE - In this May 8, 2008 file photo, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss smiles at the Playmate of the Year luncheon at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
FILE - In this May 8, 2008 file photo, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss smiles at the Playmate of the Year luncheon at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)
FILE - In this June 18, 1981 file photo, Jerry Buss holds a Los Angeles Lakers shirt in Los Angeles. Buss died Monday, Feb. 18, 2013. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - In this June 15, 1987 file photo, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss gets doused with champagne from members of his team as he holds the NBA Championship trophy after the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-93 to win the NBA Championship four games to two in Inglewood, Calif. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/Lennox Mclendon, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2010 file photo, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss, foreground, speaks as, from background left to right, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Pat Riley react during the enshrinement ceremony in Springfield, Mass. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
FILE - In this June 18, 1980 file photo, Jerry Buss, center, poses with players from his teams at a charity event in Beverly Hills, Calif. From left are Los Angeles Lakers' Jamaal Wilkes, Los Angeles Kings' Charlie Simmer, Buss, Lakers' Magic Johnson and Kings' Marcel Dionne. Buss, the Lakers' playboy owner who shepherded the NBA franchise to 10 championships, has died. He was 79. Bob Steiner, an assistant to Buss, confirmed Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 that Buss had died in Los Angeles. Further details were not available. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
Jerry Buss built a glittering life at the intersection of sports and Hollywood.
After growing up in poverty in Wyoming, he earned success in academia, aerospace and real estate before discovering his favorite vocation when he bought the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. While Buss wrote the checks and fostered partnerships with two generations of basketball greats, the Lakers won 10 NBA titles and became a glamorous global brand.
With a scientist's analytical skills, a playboy's flair, a businessman's money-making savvy and a die-hard hoops fan's heart, Buss fashioned the Lakers into a remarkable sports entity. They became a nightly happening, often defined by just one word coined by Buss: Showtime.
"His impact is felt worldwide," said Kobe Bryant, who has spent nearly half his life working for Buss.
Buss, who shepherded his NBA team from the Showtime dynasty of the 1980s to the current Bryant era while becoming one of the most important and successful owners in pro sports, died Monday. He was 80.
"Think about the impact that he's had on the game and the decisions he's made, and the brand of basketball he brought here with Showtime and the impact that had on the sport as a whole," Bryant said a few days ago. "Those vibrations were felt to a kid all the way in Italy who was 6 years old, before basketball was even global."
Under Buss' leadership, the star-studded, trophy-winning Lakers became Southern California's most beloved sports franchise and a signature cultural representation of Los Angeles. Buss acquired, nurtured and befriended a staggering array of talented players and basketball minds during his Hall of Fame tenure, from Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy to Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard.
Few owners in sports history can approach Buss' accomplishments with the Lakers, who made the NBA Finals 16 times during his nearly 34 years in charge, winning 10 titles between 1980 and 2010. Whatever the Lakers did under Buss' watch, they did it big ? with marquee players, eye-popping style and a relentless pursuit of success with little regard to its financial cost.
"His incredible commitment and desire to build a championship-caliber team that could sustain success over a long period of time has been unmatched," said Jerry West, Buss' longtime general manager and now a consultant with the Golden State Warriors. "With all of his achievements, Jerry was without a doubt one of the most humble men I've ever been around. His vision was second to none; he wanted an NBA franchise brand that represented the very best and went to every extreme to accomplish his goals."
Buss died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Bob Steiner, his assistant and longtime friend. Buss had been hospitalized for most of the past 18 months while undergoing cancer treatment, but the cause of death was kidney failure, Steiner said.
"When someone as celebrated and charismatic as Jerry Buss dies, we are reminded of two things," said Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in NBA history. "First, just how much one person with vision and strength of will can accomplish. Second, how fragile each of us is, regardless of how powerful we were. Those two things combine to inspire us to reach for the stars, but also to remain with our feet firmly on the ground among our loved ones. ... The man may be gone, but he has made us all better people for knowing him."
With his condition worsening in recent months, several prominent former Lakers visited Buss to say goodbye. Even rivals such as Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Clippers owner Donald Sterling hailed the passion and bonhomie of the former chemist and mathematician who lived his own Hollywood dream.
"He was a great man and an incredible friend," Johnson tweeted.
Buss always referred to the Lakers as his extended family, and his players rewarded his fanlike excitement with devotion, friendship and two hands full of championship rings. Working with front-office executives West, Bill Sharman and Mitch Kupchak, Buss spent lavishly to win his titles despite lacking a huge personal fortune, often running the NBA's highest payroll while also paying high-profile coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson.
"Jerry Buss was more than just an owner. He was one of the great innovators that any sport has ever encountered," Riley said. "He was a true visionary, and it was obvious with the Lakers in the 80's that 'Showtime' was more than just Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was really the vision of a man who saw something that connected with a community."
Ownership of the Lakers is now in a trust controlled by Buss' six children, who all have worked for the Lakers in various capacities for several years. With 1,786 victories, the Lakers easily are the NBA's winningest franchise since he bought the club, which is now run largely by Jim Buss and Jeanie Buss.
"We not only have lost our cherished father, but a beloved man of our community and a person respected by the world basketball community," the Buss family said in a statement issued by the Lakers.
"It was our father's often-stated desire and expectation that the Lakers remain in the Buss family. The Lakers have been our lives as well, and we will honor his wish and do everything in our power to continue his unparalleled legacy."
Johnson and fellow Hall of Famers Abdul-Jabbar and Worthy formed lifelong bonds with Buss during the Lakers' run to five titles in nine years in the 1980s, when the Lakers earned a reputation as basketball's most exciting team with their flamboyant Showtime repartee.
The buzz extended throughout the Forum, where Buss turned the Lakers' games into a must-see event. He used the Laker Girls, a brass band and promotions to keep Lakers fans interested during all four quarters. Courtside seats, priced at $15 when he bought the Lakers, became the hottest tickets in Hollywood ? and they still are, with fixture Jack Nicholson and many other celebrities attending every home game.
"Anybody associated with the NBA since 1980 benefited greatly from Jerry Buss' impact on the game," Steiner said. "He had a different way of looking at things than I did, and people who had been raised in basketball."
Buss paid the Lakers' bills through both their wild success and his groundbreaking moves to raise revenue. He co-founded a basic-cable sports television network and sold the naming rights to the Forum at times when both now-standard strategies were unusual, further justifying his induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
"The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "More importantly, we have lost a dear and valued friend."
Showtime couldn't last forever, but after a rough stretch in the 1990s, Buss rekindled the Lakers' mystique by paying top dollar to hire Jackson, who led O'Neal and Bryant to a three-peat from 2000-02. Bryant and Pau Gasol won two more titles under Jackson in 2009 and 2010.
The current Lakers (25-29) have struggled mightily despite adding Howard and Steve Nash in a couple of moves that were typical of Buss' big, brash style. Los Angeles could miss the playoffs this spring for just the third time since Buss bought the franchise.
"Today is a very sad day for all the Lakers and basketball," Gasol tweeted. "All my support and condolences to the Buss family. Rest in peace Dr. Buss."
Although Buss gained fame and another fortune with the Lakers, he also was a scholar, Renaissance man and bon vivant who epitomized California cool his entire public life.
Buss rarely appeared in public without at least one attractive, much younger woman on his arm ? at Southern California football games, high-stakes poker tournaments, hundreds of boxing matches promoted by Buss at the Forum ? and, of course, Lakers games from his private box at Staples Center, which was built under his watch. With his failing health, Buss hadn't attended a Lakers game in the past two seasons.
After a rough-and-tumble childhood that included stints as a ditch-digger and a bellhop in the frigid Wyoming winters, Buss earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from USC at age 24, and had careers in aerospace and real estate development before getting into sports. With money from his real-estate ventures and a good bit of creative accounting, Buss bought the then-struggling Lakers, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and both clubs' arena ? the Forum ? from Jack Kent Cooke in a $67.5 million deal that was the largest sports transaction in history at the time.
Last month, Forbes estimated the Lakers were worth $1 billion, second most in the NBA.
Buss also helped change televised sports by co-founding the Prime Ticket network in 1985, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 for his work in television. Breaking the contemporary model of subscription services for televised sports, Buss' Prime Ticket put beloved broadcaster Chick Hearn and the Lakers' home games on basic cable.
Buss also sold the naming rights to the Forum in 1988 to Great Western Savings & Loan ? another deal that was ahead of its time.
Born in Salt Lake City, Gerald Hatten Buss was raised in poverty in Wyoming before improving his life through education. He also grew to love basketball, describing himself as an "overly competitive but underly endowed player."
After graduating from the University of Wyoming, Buss attended USC for graduate school because he loved its sports teams. He also became a chemistry professor and worked in the missile division of defense contractor McDonnell Douglas before carving out a path to wealth and sports prominence.
His real-estate portfolio grew out of a $1,000 investment in a West Los Angeles apartment building with partner Frank Mariani, an aerospace engineer and co-worker.
Heavily leveraging his fortune and various real-estate holdings during two years of negotiations, Buss purchased Cooke's entire Los Angeles sports empire along with a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County. Buss immediately worked to transform the Lakers ? who had won just one NBA title since moving west from Minneapolis in 1960 ? into a star-powered endeavor befitting Hollywood.
"One of the first things I tried to do when I bought the team was to make it an identification for this city, like Motown in Detroit," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2008. "I try to keep that identification alive. I'm a real Angeleno. I want us to be part of the community."
With showmanship, fearless spending and a little drafting luck, Buss quickly succeeded: Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and coach Paul Westhead led the Lakers to the 1980 title. Johnson's ball-handling wizardry and Abdul-Jabbar's smooth inside game made for an attractive style of play, and the Lakers came to define West Coast sophistication.
Riley, the former broadcaster who fit the L.A. image perfectly with his slick-backed hair and good looks, was surprisingly promoted by Buss early in the 1981-82 season. He became one of the best coaches in NBA history, leading the Lakers to four straight NBA finals and four titles, with Worthy, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott and A.C. Green playing major roles.
"I was privileged to be part of that for 10 years and even more grateful for the friendship that has lasted all these many years," Riley said. "I have always come to realize that if it weren't for Dr. Buss, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Overall, the Lakers made the Finals nine times in Buss' first 12 seasons while rekindling the NBA's best rivalry with the Boston Celtics, and Buss basked in the worldwide celebrity he received from his team's achievements. His partying became the stuff of Los Angeles legends, with even his players struggling to keep up with Buss' lifestyle.
Johnson's HIV diagnosis and retirement in 1991 staggered Buss and the Lakers, the owner recalled in 2011. The Lakers went through seven coaches and made just one conference finals appearance in an eight-year stretch of the 1990s despite the 1996 arrivals of O'Neal, who signed with Los Angeles as a free agent, and Bryant, the 17-year-old high schooler acquired in a draft-week trade.
Shaq and Kobe didn't reach their potential until Buss persuaded Jackson, the Chicago Bulls' six-time NBA champion coach, to take over the Lakers in 1999. Los Angeles immediately won the next three NBA titles in brand-new Staples Center, AEG's state-of-the-art downtown arena built with the Lakers as the primary tenant.
After the Lakers traded O'Neal in 2004, they hovered in mediocrity again until acquiring Gasol in a heist of a trade with Memphis in early 2008. Los Angeles made the next three NBA Finals, winning two more titles.
Through the Lakers' frequent successes and occasional struggles, Buss never stopped living his Hollywood dream. He was an avid poker player and a fixture on the Los Angeles club scene well into his 70s, when a late-night drunk-driving arrest in 2007 ? with a 23-year-old woman in the passenger seat of his Mercedes-Benz ? prompted him to cut down on his partying.
Buss owned the NHL's Kings from 1979-87, and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks won two league titles under Buss' ownership. He also owned Los Angeles franchises in World Team Tennis and the Major Indoor Soccer League.
Buss' children have pledged to continue his commitment to the Lakers' distinctive success, although their efforts haven't been rewarded in the past three years while Jerry Buss ceded many decision-making responsibilities to Jim Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel and the second-oldest child. While daughter Jeanie runs the franchise's business side, Jim Buss now has the final say on basketball decisions.
Jerry Buss still served two terms as president of the NBA's Board of Governors and was actively involved in the 2011 lockout negotiations, developing blood clots in his legs attributed to his extensive travel during that time.
"I am blessed with a wonderful family who have helped me and guided me every step of the way," Buss said in 2010 at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. "This support is the best anybody could ever have."
Buss is survived by his six children: sons Johnny, Jim, Joey and Jesse, and daughters Jeanie Buss and Janie Drexel. He had eight grandchildren.
Arrangements are pending for a funeral and memorial service, likely at Staples Center or a nearby theatre in downtown Los Angeles.
___
Associated Press writers Beth Harris and Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.
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Here's Burger King's Lame Apology For The ... - Business Insider
Burger King has issued an apology after its Twitter account got hacked earlier today.
It's a lame lawyerspeak-filled response.
"We apologize to our fans and followers who have been receiving erroneous tweets about other members of our industry and additional inappropriate topics," Burger King said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune.
Burger King also said that it worked with Twitter admins to get the account suspended.
Hacktivist collective Anonymous is claiming responsibility for the hacking.
Now, we realize that having a big brand Twitter account get hacked is serious business, but for brands, social media is about fun.
Burger King, now that this has all happened, has a chance to take advantage of something bad and turn it into a positive.
It's getting more free exposure from the hack than its social media team could ever hope for (outside of a genius Oreo-like move), and it's not totally negative, since it's not really BK's fault.
But to do that, it has to do more than issue some boring corporate statement from its lawyers.
Hopefully there's more to come when the brand's Twitter account comes back up.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-burger-kings-lame-apology-for-the-twitter-hacking-2013-2
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FRESH OFF THE RUNWAY: Rihanna Reveals Her First Collection For RIVER ISLAND At London Fashion Week
Rihanna's had a big UK weekend.? She shot the cover of Elle UK's April issue when she arrived in London, then she headed over to London Fashion Week to debut her brand new collection for River Island.
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We've got her fab look, and a look at her designs....
Rocking a fitted black tank dress, Rihanna made her way to her show to present her River Island Autumn/Winter 2013 collection.? She tweeted:
And just like that these bitches is my sons #RihannaForRiverIsland #LONDONfashionweek
The "Stay" singer debuted a collection full of clothes that she indeed put her imprint on.? The sexy, minimal, skin baring looks are all looks we've seen her rock over the past year or so.? So it's no surprise that's what we saw fresh off the "runway":
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She was spotted backstage with her models:
And her model friends Jourdan Dunn and Cara Delevingne were there to support.? We're feeling the designs.? Congrats Rih!
Check out video of Rih greeting her audience:
Pics: WENN/Twitter
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রবিবার, ১৭ ফেব্রুয়ারী, ২০১৩
Alberto Morales shot and killed in Texas
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- A Florida prisoner who escaped in Texas after stabbing a detective with his eyeglasses was shot and killed by law enforcement officers early Saturday after police responded to a report of a home burglary near Dallas, authorities said.
Alberto Morales was shot shortly after midnight when officers, with assistance from a police helicopter, spotted him in a wooded area near a lake in North Texas, Grapevine police Sgt. Robert Eberling said. Two hours earlier, officers responded to a report that jewelry and men's clothing had been stolen during a break-in at a home near where Morales was found.
Eberling said police officers and U.S. marshals were trying to apprehend Morales when he was shot, but he declined to say whether the fugitive had a weapon or made any threats toward them. He said Morales was still wearing part of his prison-issued jumpsuit as well as jogging pants, but Eberling said he couldn't comment on whether the stolen clothing and jewelry was found with him.
The residents arrived home around 10:30 p.m. Friday to discover the burglary at their home and called law enforcement officials, Eberling said.
The 42-year-old Morales escaped Monday at a Wal-Mart store parking lot in Grapevine, a community near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Police said he used a sharp piece from his eyeglasses to stab a Miami-Dade detective who was transferring him by car to Nevada, where Morales was to serve a sentence of 30 years to life after being convicted of a sexual assault.
Det. Jaime Pardinas was expected to recover after being treated at a Dallas hospital for deep stab wounds to the neck, shoulder and back and a collapsed lung. It wasn't clear when he would be released.
Pardinas was accompanied by Miami-Dade Detective David Carrero during the transfer. They flew to Houston with Morales and then decided to drive the rest of the way after he became disruptive on the flight. They had stopped near the store while waiting for a third officer who was flying to the Dallas area to join them. Department policy requires three officers to be present for ground transfers of prisoners.
On a recording of a 911 call of the incident released Wednesday, Pardinas can be heard breathing heavily as he tells the operator that he's been stabbed. He described Morales' height, weight and appearance and then added, "He's a schizophrenic."
The escape set off a massive five-day manhunt in North Texas.
Copyright Associated Press
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Long-missing WWII medal awarded in LA
This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel with his bride, Celia Markel. Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died in 1945. Markel was killed on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment. (AP Photo/Hyla Merin)
This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel with his bride, Celia Markel. Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died in 1945. Markel was killed on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment. (AP Photo/Hyla Merin)
HOLD FOR STORY MOVEMENT - This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel with his bride, Celia Markel. Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died in 1945. Markel was killed on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment. (AP Photo/Hyla Merin)
This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel. Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died in 1945. Markel was killed on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment. (AP Photo/Hyla Merin)
This undated image provided by Hyla Merin shows 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel. Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died in 1945. Markel was killed on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment. (AP Photo/Hyla Merin)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Hyla Merin grew up without a father and for a long time never knew why.
Her mother never spoke about the Army officer who died before Hyla was born. The scraps of information she gathered from other relatives were hazy: 2nd Lt. Hyman Markel was a rabbi's son, brilliant at mathematics, the brave winner of a Purple Heart who died sometime in 1945.
Aside from wedding photos of Markel in uniform, Merin never glimpsed him.
But on Sunday, decades after he won it, Merin received her father's Purple Heart, along with a Silver Star she never knew he'd won and a half-dozen other medals.
Merin wiped away tears as the Silver Star was pinned to her lapel during a short ceremony attended by friends and family at her home in Westlake Village, a community straddling the Ventura and Los Angeles county lines. The other medals were presented on a plaque.
"It just confirms what a great man he was," Merin said tearfully. "He gave up his life for our country and our freedom. I'll put it up in my house as a memorial to him and to those who served."
Merin's mother, Celia, married Markel in 1941 when he already was in the military. They met at a Jewish temple in Buffalo, N.Y.
About four months ago, the manager of a West Hollywood apartment building where Merin's mother lived in the 1960s found a box containing papers and the Purple Heart while cleaning out some lockers in the laundry room, Merin said.
The manager contacted Purple Hearts Reunited, a nonprofit organization that returns lost or stolen medals to vets or their families.
A search led to Merin.
She became "kind of emotional, because I don't have a lot of pictures, I don't have a lot of stories, and I've always been a crier," she said. "My mother was always the stoic one, very strong."
Markel was killed in the last days of World War II on May 3, 1945, in Italy's Po Valley while fighting German troops as an officer with the 88th Division of the 351st Infantry Regiment, said Zachariah Fike, the Vermont Army National Guard captain who founded Purple Hearts Reunited.
"The accounts suggest that he was out on patrol and he got ambushed and he charged ahead and basically took out a machine gun position to save the rest of his guys," said Fike, whose organization has returned some two dozen medals. "For that, he paid the ultimate sacrifice."
He was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star posthumously, but for some reason the family never was told about the Silver Star and it was never sent to them, Fike said.
Merin's mother never talked in detail to her daughter about Markel.
"It was a very difficult topic for her. When my father died, she was seven months pregnant with me," Merin said.
Her mother briefly remarried when Merin was 10 but her stepfather died three years later, Merin said.
Her mother moved into the apartment in 1960 and may have placed the Purple Heart in the locker then, Merin said. Her mother lived there until 1975 before moving away, and Merin's aunt lived there until 2005. Another aunt lived there until 2009.
They never spoke about what was in the locker, and the family must have missed the box when they took away the aunts' possessions in 2005 and 2009, Merin said.
Merin said that in addition to the Purple Heart, which Pike kept for framing, the box contained letters and other papers, and her father's Jewish prayer book.
"I found it very hard to look at. A lot of them were condolence letters," she said.
Merin's mother was told about the discovery of the Purple Heart but didn't live to see it ? she died Feb. 1 at age 94.
___
Associated Press writer Christopher Weber contributed to this story.
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Broadway at the Beach golf cart theft leads to arrest
MYRTLE BEACH -- A New Jersey man is facing petty larceny charges after Myrtle Beach police say he stole a golf cart and took a joy ride at Broadway at the Beach early Sunday morning.
John Maximillion Kelly, 22, of Oceanport, N.J., was arrested at 2:30 a.m. after a security guard saw him and another man riding the golf cart ?at a high rate of speed? on the sidewalk in front of Carlos and Charlie?s restaurant, according to an incident report.
Police say a Broadway at the Beach maintenance worker parked his golf cart in front of Key West Grill at about 1:30 a.m. and left the key in the cart while he continued working. The maintenance worker said he saw two men get onto the golf cart and drive away. The worker chased after the men and a security guard who was working at Carlos and Charlie?s was able to stop the cart and detain Kelly until police arrived. The other man ran away from the scene, according to the report.
Police say there was an unspecified amount of damage to the golf cart.
Kelly was booked into the city jail and bond has been set at $781 pending a March 11 court date.
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/02/17/3334532/broadway-at-the-beach-golf-cart.html
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East Bay local digest: Cal baseball team beats Michigan in extra innings again
For the second day in a row, the Cal baseball team won in extra innings, edging Michigan 6-5 Saturday in 10 innings on Mike Reuvekamp's game-winning RBI single.
In the bottom of the 10th, John Soteropulos led off with a walk. He advanced to second on a bunt by Devin Pearson and scored on Reuvekamp's (Miramonte High) shot that cleanly sailed over left fielder Zach Zolt's head.
The Bears (2-0) trailed 5-4 going into the ninth. Brian Celsi led off with a single. He was bunted to second by Derek Campbell, stole third and scored on Andrew Knapp's single.
Knapp had knocked in the game-winning run Friday when Cal prevailed 5-4 in 11 innings.
Justin Ringo had an RBI double in the eighth, lifting No. 17 Stanford (1-1) to a 3-2 win over seventh-ranked Rice (1-1) in Houston. Brett Michael Doran drew a one-out walk before Ringo's game-winning hit.
Saint Mary's (1-2) split a doubleheader at Cal State Northridge, losing 8-3 and winning 8-6. In the victory Jordan Mills pitched six innings, and Collin Ferguson (Santa Cruz) had four RBIs.
Swimming
Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin made it four wins in three nights at the Arena Grand Prix in Orlando, Fla.
The Cal commit won the 200-meter backstroke and the 100 freestyle. Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin (Cal) won the men's 100 freestyle.
Track and field
Former Cal star and 2012 Olympian Alysia Montano won the 600-meter run at 106th Millrose Games in New York with an Armory Track record of 1 minute, 23.59 seconds. Delisa Walton-Floyd set the mark of 1:26.56 in 1981.
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Scientists Look To The Internet To Raise Research Funds
 
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GameStick's $79 Android gaming system is available for pre-order ...
PlayJam plans to ship its first Android-based GameStick video game consoles in April to backers of the company?s Kickstarter campaign. But if you didn?t pledge any money during the fundraising campaign, now you can pre-order a GameStick from the company?s website for $79.
The GameStick is a game console on a tiny stick about the size of a USB flash drive. It also comes with a wireless game controller which has a slot that you can store the stick in when you?re not using it.
If the GameStick design looks familiar, that?s because it?s basically a custom version of an Android TV Stick ? and we?ve seen a lot of those in the past year. This particular model features an Amlogic AM8726-MX ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an Android Jelly Bean-based operating system with an emphasis on games.
Pre-orders will ship once all of the Kickstarter premiums are out the door.
Customers can also pick up a case for $10, or a dock for $25. The dock is an accessory that adds an SD card reader, additional USB ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI port, and wireless charging for the GameStick controller. You can also use it to plug in peripherals like a microphone, camera, or just about anything else supported by Android.
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Google+Source: http://liliputing.com/2013/02/gamesticks-79-android-gaming-system-is-available-for-pre-order.html
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Use that cup of joe to charge on the go with onE Puck
Looking for a unique way to charge your phone on the go? The Epiphany onE Puck from Epiphany Labs?is a Kickstarter project that may provide the ooh factor you desire. The onE Puck is a unique portable charging device that uses either heat or cold to charge your phone. It uses a small Stirling engine [...]
Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/02/14/use-that-cup-of-joe-to-charge-on-the-go-with-one-puck/
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Pistorius faces court on murder charge
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee who became one of the biggest names in world athletics, is due to appear in court on Friday on charges of murdering his girlfriend.
The arrest of the 26-year-old Olympic and Paralympic track star stunned a nation that holds him up as hero who triumphed over adversity to compete with able-bodied athletes at the highest levels of sport.
His girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, was found shot dead in his plush Pretoria home in the early hours of Thursday, police said, announcing that they had opened a murder investigation.
Initial reports of the shooting suggested Pistorius may have mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder.
The evening edition of Johannesburg's Star newspaper plastered the case across its front page, with a banner headline: "Oscar arrested: Girlfriend killed".
A 9 mm pistol was recovered from the scene, and police said there had been previous incidents of "a domestic nature" at the residence, which sits in the middle of a heavily guarded gated complex in the northern outskirts of the South African capital.
Pistorius had initially been expected to appear in court on Thursday but the hearing was postponed to Friday, National Prosecuting Authority officials said. The court is due to open at 2.00 a.m. ET but it is not known when Pistorius will appear.
He is being held overnight at Pretoria's Boschkop police station after undergoing medical and forensic examinations, police said. Police have said they will oppose bail.
"He is doing well but very emotional" his lawyer, Kenny Oldwage, told SABC TV, but gave no further comment.
South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel immediately pulled adverts featuring Pistorius off air but most of his sponsors, including sports apparel group Nike, said they would not make any decisions until the police investigation is completed.
Pistorius' endorsements and sponsorships, which also include British telecoms firm BT, sunglasses maker Oakley and French designer Thierry Mugler, are thought to be worth as much as $2 million a year.
Pistorius, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics and reached the 400-metres semi-finals in London 2012.
In last year's Paralympics he suffered his first loss over 200 meters in nine years. After the race he questioned the legitimacy of Brazilian winner Alan Oliveira's prosthetic blades, but was quick to express regret for the comments.
South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime, and many home owners have weapons to defend themselves against intruders, although Pistorius' complex is surrounded by a three-meter high wall and electric fence.
(Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blade-runner-pistorius-faces-court-murder-charge-000433493--finance.html
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Samsung to launch Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy Watch
Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy S4 will supposedly come with a Galaxy S4 mini smartphone and a smart watch.
The Galaxy S4, aka GT-I9500 or Altius, has been developed under the name Project J and could be announced in March. Well Project J now consists of a total of three devices, based on information about upcoming accessories via SamMobile. See also: Samsung Galaxy S4 release date, specs and rumours.
Samsung's Project J mini, codenamed Serrano, hints towards a smaller smartphone which would be the Galaxy S4 mini. This isn't exactly an outragious claim since Samsung has launched the Galaxy S3 mini to sit alongside the full size Galaxy S3.
SamMobile says the Galaxy S4 mini uses almost the same accessories as the Galaxy S4 but won't feature wireless charging. It is likely to be a cheaper and lower spec version of Samsung's new flagship smartphone.
The third device is called Project J Active, codenamed Fortius, and hasn't been full decided upon. It will come with accessories including an arm band, bike mount and pounch suggesting it could be a smart watch. Samsung might call it the Galaxy Watch but alternatively it could be a smartphone similar to the Galaxy Xcover 2.
See also: Apple testing smart watch designs.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is tipped to feture an Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor, 4.9in Full HD screen, wireless charging, a 13Mp camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
It has been suggested that Samsung will announce the handset outside of MWC (Mobile World Congress) on possibly 15 or 22 March. It will then be released and go on sale some time early in April.
Follow Chris Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.
See also:
Apple 'will simply kill Xbox' says Microsoft Xbox founder
Apple to hold television-related special event in March?
Three ways to imagine an Apple 'iWatch'
Can a 'nifty' iWatch from Apple catch on?
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Photos of Hugo Chavez shown after 2-month absence
In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters, Maria Gabriela, left, and Rosa Virginia at an unknown location in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. Chavez remains in Havana undergoing unspecified treatments following his fourth cancer-related operation on Dec. 11. He has hasn't been seen or spoken publicly in more than two months. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters, Maria Gabriela, left, and Rosa Virginia at an unknown location in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. Chavez remains in Havana undergoing unspecified treatments following his fourth cancer-related operation on Dec. 11. He has hasn't been seen or spoken publicly in more than two months. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
In this photo released Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, center, poses for a photo with his daughters, Maria Gabriela, left, and Rosa Virginia as he holds a copy of Cuba's state newspaper at an unknown location in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013. Chavez remains in Havana undergoing unspecified treatments following his fourth cancer-related operation on Dec. 11. He has hasn't been seen or spoken publicly in more than two months. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? The world got its first glimpse of Hugo Chavez since he underwent a fourth cancer-related surgery in Cuba more than two months ago, with photos released Friday showing the Venezuelan leader alongside his daughters in Havana.
Along with Valentine's Day images of puffy-faced Chavez came a possible explanation for why no one has heard from Venezuela's longtime president since his surgery: He is breathing through a tracheal tube that makes speech difficult.
The government described Chavez's condition as "delicate" and said he continues to undergo "vigorous treatment for his fundamental illness."
The photos show Chavez reclining on what appears to be a bed, a blue pillow behind his head. He smiles broadly, while his daughters Rosa and Maria lean in close to him.
In other images, Chavez is shown looking at Thursday's issue of the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma, his daughters still flanking him. Chavez's son-in-law, Science and Technology Minister Jorge Arreaza, showed the photos on Venezuelan state television.
Government officials say Chavez has been recovering in Cuba since undergoing cancer surgery on Dec. 11.
Speculation has been widespread in Venezuela about Chavez's condition, with the president not seen or directly heard from since he left for Cuba on Dec. 10. During previous treatments in Havana, Chavez spoke on Venezuelan TV or appeared in photos.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said Friday that the tracheal tube makes talking difficult for Chavez.
"After two months of a complicated post-operative process, the patient remains conscious, with his intellectual functions intact, in close communication with his government team," Villegas said, reading from a statement on television.
Villegas reiterated that Chavez has overcome a respiratory infection that arose after the surgery, "although a certain grade of (breathing) insufficiency persists."
"Given that circumstance, which is being duly treated, Comandante Chavez is currently breathing through a tracheal cannula, which temporarily hinders speech," Villegas said.
Villegas also said Chavez's doctors are "applying vigorous treatment for his fundamental illness," an apparent reference to cancer. He said that treatment "isn't free of complications."
Government opponents have been demanding more information about Chavez's condition, and have asked why he hasn't spoken to the nation to explain his condition.
Dr. Carlos Castro, scientific director of the Colombian League Against Cancer in Bogota, said that based on the government's accounts, Chavez appears to have been breathing with the help of a respirator for an extended period after the surgery.
"After some days, it's mandatory to perform a tracheotomy so that he can breathe," Castro said.
Castro, who isn't involved in the president's treatment, said Chavez's tracheotomy isn't visible in the photos because it is covered by his clothing, below the neck line. As for why Chavez needed the procedure, Castro said that when a patient is on a respirator for a long time, the "tube can damage the trachea because it, let's say, irritates. And they carry out the tracheotomy so that he can continue breathing without problems and preserve the trachea."
Castro also said that it's normal for a patient's face to swell up after being on a ventilator for a long time.
"They're not telling us anything about his 'fundamental illness,'" Castro said. "They don't touch that subject. So, the question is: What's happened with the cancer?"
Despite unanswered questions about Chavez's cancer, some of the president's supporters said they were surprised and relieved when they saw the pictures of him on television.
"Chavez looked good, smiling," said Juan Ramirez, a security guard in Caracas. "I didn't expect that."
Ramirez said he believes the images show the president is recovering and that Chavez may soon be ready to return to Venezuela.
Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez acknowledged there were risks and said that if his cancer fight prevented him from staying on as president, Vice President Nicolas Maduro should run in a new election to take his place.
Maduro has traveled repeatedly to Havana in recent weeks, and has shown documents signed by Chavez while insisting the president remains in charge. On Wednesday, Maduro said Chavez is undergoing "extremely complex and tough" treatments, which he didn't specify.
Arreaza on Friday described them as "palliative treatments" but didn't give details.
Medical experts consulted by The Associated Press have said the government's recent accounts of "systemic medical treatment" could mean various types of chemotherapy or drug treatments, depending on the type of cancer.
The 58-year-old president has been undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba on-and-off since June 2011. He has said he has had tumors removed from his pelvic region, and has also undergone prior rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Throughout the treatments, Chavez has not revealed the type of cancer or the location where tumors have been removed.
Castro said that based on the government's accounts, he thinks Chavez's cancer sounds terminal.
Villegas, however, urged Venezuelans to keep praying for Chavez.
"We trust... that Comandante Chavez will overcome these delicate circumstances sooner rather than later to accompany his nation in the path to new victories," Villegas said, finishing the statement saying: "Viva Chavez!"
___
Associated Press writers Christopher Toothaker in Caracas, Frank Bajak in Lima, Peru, and Cesar Garcia in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.
___
Ian James on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ianjamesap
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Social Security head: Program fraying from neglect
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Outgoing Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue has some parting shots for Congress, the White House and advocates for seniors. They have all "really walked away from Social Security," he says, leaving the program "fraying because of inattention to its problems."
Instead of making the hard choices to fix Social Security's financial problems, policymakers "use it as a tool of political rhetoric," Astrue said.
Astrue, 56, has headed the federal government's largest program since 2007 ? he was nominated by former President George W. Bush. By law, Social Security commissioners serve six-year terms, so President Barack Obama will now have the opportunity to choose his own nominee, who must be approved by the Senate. Astrue's last day on the job was Wednesday.
The trustees who oversee Social Security say the program's trust funds will run dry in 2033, leaving Social Security with only enough revenue to pay about 75 percent of benefits. Already the program is paying out more in benefits than it collects in payroll taxes.
As commissioner, Astrue served as a trustee. He regularly urged Congress to address Social Security's long-term financial problems but refrained from publicly weighing in on various options to cut benefits or raise taxes ? until now.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Astrue said benefit cuts and tax increases are inevitable ? despite fierce opposition to both. Yet he questions whether Congress is up to the task.
Q: The president and Republican leaders in Congress have both embraced changes to Social Security as part of negotiations to reduce government borrowing. Should Social Security be part of the deficit and debt discussions?
A: My general perspective is that Washington broadly, and I include the Congress, both parties, the executive branch, the major interest groups, have really walked away from Social Security. ... I think that Social Security is a gem. I think it is the most successful domestic program in the history of the United States government and it is fraying because of inattention to its problems. And I think it's a shame that Washington cannot get its act together to look at Social Security in detail in isolation and say, What do we need to do?
Q: There are some in Congress who say only benefit cuts should be considered ? no tax increases. Others say benefit cuts should be off the table. Where do you come down?
A: Nothing is going to happen if you establish preconditions for the conversation. I do think that for the people who simply want to tax more, you need to be very mindful of the fact that that tax will fall disproportionately on the younger generation and that if you're not careful, that could be a huge economic drag.
Q: One of the few issues that the president and Republicans in Congress agree on is changing the way the government measures inflation. As you know, this would reduce the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for Social Security recipients. Advocates for seniors hate the idea. They want bigger COLAs, not smaller ones. What do you think?
A: As a general matter I do think that the president and the Congress are right that before you start talking about increases in the retirement age and things like that it's appropriate to try to have a conversation about what we might be able to do in terms of COLA adjustments.
Q: The age when retirees can receive full benefits is gradually increasing from 66 to 67. There are proposals to increase it gradually even more, perhaps as high as 70. What do you think of those proposals?
A: I think there's some historical inevitability that we will move in that direction. How far, I don't think is historically inevitable. Part of this we need to remember is not that the system is flawed or that there are evil people around here. I mean, we should celebrate a little bit of good news. Most of the pressure on the system comes from the fact that we've had great medical advances and people are living a lot longer than before.
Q: Social Security payroll taxes only apply to the first $113,700 of a worker's wages. There have been proposals to increase this threshold or even eliminate it, applying the tax to all wages. What do you think of those ideas?
A: I think there's some historic inevitability on at least some lifting of the (payroll tax) cap. I think that most politicians and I think most economists I've talked to generally think that that would have less of a negative impact on the economy than raising the rate itself.
Q: Applications for disability benefits increased dramatically when the economy went bad. Why did that happen?
A: I think a lot of people applied out of economic desperation. Very few of those people actually ended up getting benefits. If you look at the numbers, it's one of the reasons why our approval rates have dropped dramatically in the last few years.
Q: Aren't most disability claims initially denied?
A: Yes.
Q: Why?
A: Because the statutory standard is so stringent. In terms of the percentage who get on, both in the beginning and at the end of the process, it's somewhere usually in most years in the 35 to 40 percent range. Sometimes people talk like nobody gets approved initially, and that's not true. Some people say, Oh, everybody gets on, and that's not true, either. But the statutory standard is you have to be unable to do work that exists in the national economy for 12 months or more.
Q: If your claim is denied, you can appeal to an administrative law judge, but the process can take a year or more. Tell me about your efforts to reduce these backlogs.
A: We've done, I think, some yeoman's work in reducing the backlogs. ... If you look at time to a hearing, what we call average processing time, it peaked very shortly after I started at 542 days and it got down to about 340 (days) and then drifted up a little bit with all the budget cuts in the last couple of years. But it's still about a year on average, and that's a big improvement.
Q: Are you getting enough resources from Congress to address these backlogs?
A: No.
Q: The Association of Administrative Law Judges says that in order to reduce backlogs some judges are deciding more than 500 cases a year. Is that too many cases to do a thorough job on each one?
A: No, not at all. We set for the first time productivity standards in 2007. It was actually done by the chief judge, and it was done looking at best demonstrated practices of existing judges. At that point in time about 40 percent of the judges were doing 500 to 700 cases a year. And so that's what we set as our goal, and that's what it is, it's a goal to shoot for. ... Now, about 80 percent of the judges hit that goal.
___
Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
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