Friday, June 27, 2014


News Clips For The Day



The secrets of short sleepers: How do they thrive on less sleep?
By AGATA BLASZCZAK-BOXE CBS NEWS June 27, 2014

Exhaustion, problems with alertness and overall crankiness are typical symptoms of not getting enough sleep, which for most people means anything less than seven or eight hours per night. But for natural "short sleepers," it's not a problem at all, as they are genetically wired to thrive on less sleep than the rest of us.

Those lucky people, who function just fine on six hours of sleep or less, constitute about one percent of the population, and researchers are trying to figure out what explains their unique trait. Someday, that scientific work might even lead to treatments that could help combat the effects of sleep deprivation.

Ying-Hui Fu, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, studies the genetics and other characteristics of short sleepers at her neurogenetics lab.

Currently, Fu knows of three types of genetic mutations that are related to the ability to function well on minimal amounts of sleep, which often runs in the family. In a 2009 paper published in the journal Science, she described a mother and a daughter who shared the same genetic mutation of the gene DEC2 that allowed them to thrive on six hours of sleep per night. So far Fu has identified about 50 families of short sleepers.

"This group of short sleepers is unique," Fu said, describing them as optimistic and energetic, often holding more than one job.

One of Fu's study subjects, a woman in her 90s, volunteers at a prison because she has so much time and energy that she feels compelled to somehow use it, Fu said, adding that another female short sleeper in her 80s often complains that she cannot find a man to keep up with her.

Even though researchers say that genetics appear to play a key role in short-sleepers' reduced need for sleep, there are still a number of unanswered questions.

"We don't understand why they are so optimistic and outgoing when they are supposed to be apathetic and irritable" on so little sleep, Dr. Christopher R. Jones, a professor at the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah who recruits short sleepers for scientific studies, told CBS News.

The connection between not needing much sleep and being full of energy is not completely clear to researchers, but mood, temperament and people's sleep patterns in general are often related, Fu said.

Interestingly, these high energy levels typical of short sleepers can sometimes reach behavioral extremes. For instance, a 2001 study published in the Journal of Sleep Research that examined the sleep patterns and personality of 12 short sleepers, researchers found some evidence of subclinical hypomania -- a milder form of manic behavior, characterized by euphoria, disinhibition and, in fact, a decreased need for sleep.

"That's our experience too," Jones said, describing the short sleepers he has met as "behaviorally activated." There may be something about this behavioral activation that helps short sleepers overcome sleepiness, he speculated.

Jones said many researchers think that short sleepers are actually sleep deprivedbut somehow just don't feel the symptoms of sleep deprivation the way most people do. The same Journal of Sleep Research study that showed evidence of hypomania also suggested that short sleepers get about half as many minutes of REM sleep -- the stage in the sleep cycle in which dreaming occurs -- as long sleepers.

Experts stress that it is important to distinguish between true short sleepers and people who actually need eight hours of sleep but force themselves to get by on less, which is much more common to encounter.

"I have never actually met a true short sleeper," Dr. Charles Bae, a sleep specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, told CBS News. "Most people who say they don't need a lot of sleep don't have that gene and they are just fooling themselves."

Moreover, for regular people, it is never a good idea to cut back on sleep. Previous research has shown that not getting the amount of sleep that your body requires can have negative consequences for your health. Sleep deprivation can compromise cognitive functioning and cardiovascular health and may raise your risk of cancer, Fu said, stressing that people should aim to get the amount of sleep that they know they need.

Research has even shown that people who do not get enough sleep have a higher overall risk of premature death, but this does not seem to apply to those natural short sleepers, experts say.

Researchers hope that someday, if they can figure out the mechanism and genetic pathways responsible for the short sleeping trait, it could lead to a drug that could potentially reduce the amount that ordinary people need. However, at this point, Fu thinks it's a rather distant prospect. "Everything is possible," she said. "It is just a matter of how long it takes."




I have always had trouble getting to sleep initially and had no desire to get to sleep until 1:00 AM or so. I had my nights and days mixed up. In my younger years I would then sleep until 10:00 if I didn't set the clock, and often had problems waking up in time to get to work. I survived by setting the clock every work day and drinking three or more cups of coffee to wake up. Every now and then I would turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, I was so drowsy. Bad news! Late to work! I have never been fired for that, but it didn't endear me to my supervisors, I'm sure.

Now I eat, dress for bed and lie down in front of the TV around 6:30 to watch the news, my game shows – Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy – and then switch the TV over to my relaxing tapes which I have compiled for the last 15 years of factual documentaries of different kinds. A riotous comedy, an intense drama, or any such type of show will keep me from relaxing, so most of my tapes are from Discovery, the Science Network, NPR, or the History Channel. That gives me a long time to relax and removes any worries that I might have from my mind. Around 9:00 I can usually drowse off to sleep, and I usually turn of the TV because the sounds and light will bother me at that point. I will wake up spontaneously between 5:00 and 7:00 AM, and get the morning sunshine in my window, turn on the news again and make a couple of cups of coffee.

“Sleep deprivation can compromise cognitive functioning and cardiovascular health and may raise your risk of cancer, Fu said, stressing that people should aim to get the amount of sleep that they know they need. Research has even shown that people who do not get enough sleep have a higher overall risk of premature death, but this does not seem to apply to those natural short sleepers, experts say.” I hope I haven't been sleep deprived enough to cause me to have something terrible, like early dementia, heart problems or “premature death.” If I'm not in constant pain, paralyzed from a stroke, or suffering from dementia I would like to live at least another 15 years. Of course, I have no way of knowing what will happen. I just live day by day. A blog a day, several hours of reading, and the errands that need to be done. I will keep getting my eight hours of sleep a day, as I can tell I don't have this mutation that allows short sleeping. If they do develop a pill to change me over to a short sleeper I may consider taking it.






Nightmare nanny won't leave home, family says
CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

UPLAND, Calif. -- A California family says they've fired their live-in nanny, but the woman refuses to leave their home.

Marcela and Ralph Bracamonte, who have three children, told CBS Los Angelesthey've tried everything, including legal measures, to get the woman to leave their home in Upland in San Bernardino County.
The Bracamontes said the first couple of months with Diane Stretton were fine, but then the 64-year-old woman stopped working and complained of health issues.
At that point, the Bracamontes say, they told Stretton it wasn't working out and asked her to move out of their home. But Stretton flatly refused to go.

They said they served her with legal papers, but those turned out to be the wrong legal papers. Meanwhile, the nanny can come and go as she pleases. And it apparently pleases her to stay.
Police told the Bracamontes there was nothing they could do about the situation.
"They told me it was now a civil matter," Marcela Bracamonte said, "and I have to [legally] evict her. So this lady is welcome inside my house, anytime she wants, to eat my food anytime she wants and harass me basically. I'm now a victim in my home and it's completely legal."
A judge also ruled in the nanny's favor because he said the Bracamontes did not fill out a three-day quit notice correctly. He also said they would have to fill out the legal paperwork again.
CBS Los Angeles reporter Amy Johnson asked Stretton repeatedly, "Why won't you leave?" The woman did not answer.
Ralph Bracamonte says it's all a nanny nightmare.
"Now, this person is in our house, and I have to go to work," he said. "My kids are still here, my wife is still here. She towers over my wife, my kids. And I know there is nothing I can do about it."

Marcela Bracamonte found Stretton on Craigslist in March.
The couple says they agreed that Stretton would live in their home for free in exchange of taking care of the children and doing some housecleaning. They say Stretton did not fulfill her part of the bargain.
"And then she wouldn't do anything," said Marcela Strettom. "She would stay in her room 90 percent of the day. I really did try to work with her. She would just sit in her room all day. So I told her, you either have to perform or you gotta leave."
The Bracamontes served Stretton with new legal papers on Wednesday evening. She has three days to respond to the legal notice.
The Bracamontes say they know the eviction process can take a while but they wanted to speak out to warn other families and to advise them to always use an attorney is such matters.





“Marcela Bracamonte found Stretton on Craigslist in March.” Craigslist has been in the news several times for negative reasons, once even for a murder being committed through a Craigslist connection. They also were forced to stop listing some women who were offering sexual services on Craigslist. They don't look into the people whom they allow to advertise, and there's no guarantee of a satisfactory product. There is a caution on the list of how people can avoid scams, and a prohibition of “offensive” or “obscene” posting. Apparently either they don't really screen the wording on the posts, or it is possible to set up a sexual liaison without saying anything “offensive.”

Even if they do faithfully screen and eliminate unauthorized material, there is no way to tell anything about the person who has placed the ad. Doing business over the Internet, other than with a legitimate and well known organization, isn't something I would like to do. One woman I used to know rented a “time share” vacation spot over the Internet, paid for it with her credit card, and when she got down here there was no such address. Luckily she had used a credit card, and had the card company to dispute the payment. She did get her money back. As Ms. Bracamontes said, she wants to warn anyone who is inviting someone into their home, as in this case, that they should “always use an attorney.” The attorney could draw up a legal contract and possibly even hire the person and officiate at the firing if necessary. Hopefully this lady's ordeal will soon be over, since she has filed new paperwork recently.







Whale numbers are up, delighting watchers
By VINITA NAIR CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

SCITUATE, Mass. - Last year, NOAA researcher Dave Wiley says he didn't see any whales off Cape Cod.

This year, they're everywhere, delighting packed whale-watching cruises.

"I took a quick count and I counted about 18 humpbacks and eight to ten finbacks," Wiley told CBS News, peering from the bow of a ship. "There are many more in the distance so I would guess 30 to 40 humpbacks and probably 10 or 15 finbacks."

Why wasn't the show as good last year?

"Last year there were no Sand Lance around," Wiley said. Sand Lance are the tiny eel-like fish that humpbacks feed on. Little is known about why they thrive some years and are absent others. So Wiley and his team of researchers decided to follow the fish in the water.

They used one camera they could control, and borrowed "critter cams" from National Geographic, to tag unlikely cameramen.

"We have a tag on a long pole that has suction cup on it," Wiley said, describing the process of tagging a humpback whale. "We approach very carefully."

The footage showed Sand Lance darting around in schools, and burrowing in the seabed to hide from predators. But as researchers watched the deep water footage from the whales' point of view, they discovered something else. The 40-ton whales were hunting together, blowing bubbles to corral Sand Lance, like fishermen using nets.

"So they will start down maybe 20 meters and then start swimming a spiral and they are emitting bubbles out of blowhole or mouth," Wiley said. "They will make this nice choreographed circle, spiraling effect as they come to the surface and open their mouths and grab as many Sand Lance as they can."

They've essentially mastered teamwork, physics and timing.

"It's amazing the complexity of their behavior," Wiley said.

The whales will leave by the end of summer in search of warmer waters. Wiley said he doesn't know if the Sand Lance will return or if the humpbacks will surface next year.






I wonder if the Sand Lance schools migrate rather than growing only in one area, and the humpback whales follow them around. I wouldn't expect that the mere fact that scientists haven't found Sand Lance alive in a given area for a whole year means that they aren't alive somewhere else. Living things don't appear out of nothing. They have to be hatched. Of course many very small young sea creatures are floating around in the ocean currents until they grow larger – the term “plankton” refers to the miscellaneous collection of baby animals that is always in the water. Plankton float around in the currents until they are larger, so maybe the currents bring them every two years or so to the area around Massachusetts, and the humpback whales follow them. There are many patterns in nature whose reasons for being are not obvious, and the deep seas are the least accessible for exploration of any environment in nature. The patterns of this sort have to be pieced together by scientists like a puzzle in such a dynamic system. That's why scientists have to be funded to do research which doesn't always seem “useful,” and therefore worthwhile. Happy whale-watching!







Iraqi parliament takes step to form new government
CBS/AP June 26, 2014

BAGHDAD - Iraq's vice president called on parliament Thursday to convene next week, taking the first step toward forming a new government to present a united front against a rapidly advancing Sunni insurgency that threatens to spread across the region.

Britain's top diplomat, visiting Iraq, urged its leaders to put aside their differences for the good of the nation. And in Paris, Secretary of State John Kerry met with the United States' top Sunni state allies in the Mideast to consider how to confront the growing turmoil.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led political bloc won the most seats in April 30 elections - with 92 seats out of the 328 - but he needs support from other parties for a majority that would give him the right to govern. An increasing number of critics, both in Iraq and abroad, now want him to step down, saying his failure to promote national reconciliation fueled the insurgency by needlessly angering minority Sunnis.

Compounding the pressure on al-Maliki, Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr made a televised statement late Wednesday in which he called for a national unity government of "new faces" representing all groups.

Al-Sadr, whose followers fought fiercely against both U.S. forces and Sunni extremists during the height of the war nearly a decade ago, also vowed to "shake the ground" under the feet of the al Qaeda breakaway group that has threatened to advance toward Baghdad and holy Shiite cities in the south.

Al-Maliki has faced pressure, including from his onetime Shiite allies, to step down and form an interim government that could provide leadership until a more permanent solution can be found. He has insisted the constitutional process must be allowed to proceed.

In a statement, Vice President Khudeir al-Khuzaie ordered the new parliament to hold its first session on Tuesday, to be chaired by the eldest member.

Constitutionally the next step would be to elect a speaker and two deputies, then within 30 days to choose a new president who then has 15 days to ask the largest bloc to choose a prime minister and form the new government. The prime minister-designate has 30 days to present his cabinet to the parliament.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, meeting with al-Maliki in Baghdad, told a news conference that "we believe the urgent priority must be to form an inclusive government ... that can command the support of all Iraqis and work to stop terrorists and their terrible crimes."

Hague's trip follows a visit by Kerry, who earlier this week delivered a similar message and warned that Washington is prepared to take military action even if Baghdad delays political reforms.

The intense diplomatic push underscores the growing international concern over the gains by fighters led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL, the Sunni extremist group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and seeks to carve out a purist Islamic enclave across both sides of the Syria-Iraq border.

In Paris, Kerry said the threat posed by the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS, reaches beyond the two countries - Iraq and Syria - where it is currently based.

"The move of ISIL concerns every single country here," Kerry said at the start of the meeting held at the U.S. ambassador's residence. He said his talks with foreign ministers from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also would touch on a "number of critical issues."

It's feared the insurgency will spark an outright civil war in Iraq - joining the ongoing three-year battle in Syria - if ISIL's might is not curbed.

Syrian warplanes have already struck suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in the Iraqi border town of Qaim. Al-Maliki said he didn't request the strikes, but welcomed them just the same, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata.

And, according to Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Damascus is happy to provide the service.

"For ISIS to occupy this big part of Iraq is dangerous for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq," Mekdad told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in Damascus recently. "It also makes us feel more endangered and we should mobilize our efforts together with all those that want to fight against terrorism."

The Obama administration was far less enthusiastic about Syria's government joining in the fight across its border.

"We continue to underscore that the solution to the threat confronting Iraq is not the intervention of the Assad regime, which allowed ISIL to thrive in the first place," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday. "The solution to Iraq's security challenge does not involve militias or the murderous Assad regime."

Meanwhile the discovery in recent weeks of bullet-riddled bodies dumped on the streets also has raised the specter of the past sectarian warfare Iraqis had hoped was behind them.

On Thursday, authorities found eight men believed to be in their 30s and 40s who had been shot to death in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Bagdad, police and hospital officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information. The men had no ID cards with them, reminiscent of the past when Shiite and Sunni extremists would take the identification to dehumanize those killed or to use as trophies.

Shortly before sunset, a bomb exploded near a clothing shop in Baghdad's northern Shiite neighborhood of Khazimiyah, killing seven people and wounding 24 others, said police and hospital officials.

In northern Iraq, an insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages on Wednesday sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave. The shelling of the cluster of villages happened in an area known as Hamdaniya, 45 miles from the frontier of the self-ruled Kurdish region.

While many villagers appeared to have been granted access by daybreak, hundreds of Shiite refugees were still hoping to be let in but were facing delays at a checkpoint because they lacked sponsors on the other side.

One of the refugees, who gave only her nickname of Umm Alaa, fearing retribution, said she and hundreds of others left their village of Quba and a nearby hamlet during the militants' initial assault on June 10 to seek shelter in communities that were then attacked Wednesday.

A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency, Adrian Edwards, last week said the number of people in Iraq forced from their homes is estimated to be 1 million so far this year.




“Secretary of State John Kerry met with the United States' top Sunni state allies in the Mideast to consider how to confront the growing turmoil,” while Iraq's parliament is meeting to form a new government “to present a united front” against ISIS. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under pressure to resign, under the weight of criticism for his policies that have angered the Sunni minority. “Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr made a televised statement late Wednesday in which he called for a national unity government of 'new faces' representing all groups.” “British Foreign Secretary William Hague, meeting with al-Maliki in Baghdad, told a news conference that 'we believe the urgent priority must be to form an inclusive government ... that can command the support of all Iraqis and work to stop terrorists and their terrible crimes.'"

“Syrian warplanes have already struck suspected Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in the Iraqi border town of Qaim. Al-Maliki said he didn't request the strikes, but welcomed them just the same..... And, according to Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Damascus is happy to provide the service. 'For ISIS to occupy this big part of Iraq is dangerous for the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq,' Mekdad told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer in Damascus recently. 'It also makes us feel more endangered and we should mobilize our efforts together with all those that want to fight against terrorism.'" British and American diplomats continue to urge Iraq to modify the government to be more inclusive of the Sunnis, rather than maintaining a continued sectarian war.

“In northern Iraq, an insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages on Wednesday sent thousands of people fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave.” Adrian Edwards of the UN refugee agency said that in the range of a million people within Iraq have fled their homes. The Kurds, though they are mainly made up of Sunni Muslims, are not fighting with ISIS or against the Shia. They tolerate five different religions among themselves, and appear to interact in peace.

The Kurds
Wikipedia

The Kurds, are an ethnic group in Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. They are an Iranian people and speak the Kurdish languages, which are members of the Iranian branch of Indo-European languages.[3

The Kurds as an ethnic group appear in the medieval period. The Kurdish people are believed to be of heterogenous origins[53][54] combining a number of earlier tribal or ethnic groups.... According to J.P. Mallory, the original Gutians precede the arrival of Indo-Iranian peoples (of which the Kurds are one) by some 1500 years.[74] This argument is seconded by F. Hennerbichlers theory which reassigns the ethnic Iranian origin of Kurds (traditionally considered Indo-European) to a people of predominantly unknown ancient Middle Eastern stock, in particular to indigenous Neolithic Northern Fertile Crescent aborigines.

“As a whole, the Kurdish people are adherents to a large number of different religions and creeds, perhaps constituting the most religiously diverse people of West Asia. Traditionally, Kurds have been known to take great liberties with their practices. This sentiment is reflected in the saying "Compared to the unbeliever, the Kurd is a Muslim".[214]

“Today, the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslim, belonging to the Shafi school. There is also a minority of Kurds who are Shia Muslims. Mystical practices and participation in Sufi orders are also widespread among Kurds.[215] Five other religions are mentioned among the Kurds, including Judaism and Christianity.”







Obama Calls Boehner Lawsuit Threat a ‘Stunt’
By Benjamin Bell
via Good Morning America
June 27, 2014

Despite Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s threat this week to sue President Obama over his use of executive orders, the president refused to apologize for his actions during an exclusive interview with ABC News and took the Republican Party to task for what he described as its attempt to interfere with the basic functions of government.

“You notice that he didn't specifically say what exactly he was objecting to,” the president said when asked about the suit by ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos during an interview Thursday in Minnesota.

“I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something while they're doing nothing,” the president added later.

Boehner said Wednesday during the announcement of the lawsuit that the president had “not faithfully executed the laws,” but Obama sharply disagreed during his interview with ABC News.

“The suit is a stunt,” he said.

As for immigration overhaul, the president cited public support for it, insisting he was open to compromise with the Ohio Republican during his interview with Stephanopoulos.
“What I've told Speaker Boehner directly is, ‘If you're really concerned about me taking too many executive actions, why don't you try getting something done through Congress?’” the president said.

"You're going to squawk if I try to fix some parts of it administratively that are within my authority while you're not doing anything?" Obama said, directing his comments toward Republicans.

During the wide-ranging interview, Stephanopoulos asked the president about how serious of a threat ISIS -- the radical Sunni Islamic group fighting to take control of Iraq -- posed to the United States, citing a recent op-ed by former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who served under both Obama and Republican President George W. Bush.

In the Washington Post, Crocker warned the U.S. “would be foolish to think that ISIS will not plan attacks against the West now that it has the space and security to do so.”

Said Obama: “I think we have been under serious threat my entire presidency. And we have been under serious threat predating 9/11 from those who embrace this ideology.” The president did concede that the group has grown more powerful in “some places” when asked about the issue by Stephanopoulos.

“Well, they're gaining strength in some places. But we've also got a lot better at protecting ourselves,” the president added.

The president announced earlier this month that he would send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq to assist the country’s government-backed forces as they continue to clash with ISIS, which has already taken control of several cities and towns within the country currently headed by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.




Obama, in his recent ABC interview, “took the Republican Party to task for what he described as its attempt to interfere with the basic functions of government.... 'You notice that he didn't specifically say what exactly he was objecting to,' the president said.... 'I'm not going to apologize for trying to do something while they're doing nothing,' the president added later,” calling the threat to sue a “stunt.” Boehner has been challenged. Let's see what he does next.





Mental Illness in Kids: How to Spot the Signs and Ask for Help
By Sydney Lupkin
via 20/20
June 27, 2014

Elliot Rodger, the man who killed six people and wounded 13 more before killing himself, had never shown any violent tendencies before the attack, according to his father.

Peter Rodger, a photographer and Hollywood movie director, told ABC News’ Barbara Walters that he never thought his son “could hurt a flea.”

“We didn't see this coming at all,” he said of the massacre in an exclusive interview that will air in full in a special edition of “20/20” tonight.

But every child is different and some signs of mental illness aren’t as obvious as others, said Alan Kazdin, professor of child psychology and psychiatry at Yale University. What’s more, it can be difficult for parents to know when to seek help, and when they do, resources vary across the country.

In Virginia, where Cristy Gallagher lives with her 11-year-old daughter who has bipolar disorder, she’s fought for more state mental health crisis funding for children because her county only had one crisis unit, and police alone can’t give her daughter the help she needs.

“Police will handle a crisis but will not get the child into anything helpful,” Kazdin said, adding that parents can start by calling their state department of family services and asking for a referral to a child mental health specialist.

Gallagher runs a parent support group near where she lives in Northern Virginia through the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a nonprofit. She helps other parents do things like make crisis plans, decide whether to keep their children in public school and come up with coping skills.

“What is interesting to me is how many families are in the same or similar situations that don’t talk about it openly, but will pull me aside and talk about it,” she said.

Kazdin, who runs the Yale Parenting Center, had some tips for parents who think they might have a mentally ill child:

Keep an eye out for isolation. The child doesn’t have to win a popularity contest, but should have at least one good friend.

Get the child involved in a hobby that will build confidence and a social network.

“Be very careful about unsupervised computer time,” he said. Cyberbullying, violent content and porn are easily accessible to tiny fingers, he said, adding that children are likely more web savvy than their parents and can easily get around parental “blocks.”

Don’t grab the child during an argument because it only leads to more aggression. And never use corporal punishment. “Don’t respond to anything physical. That makes things much worse,” he said. “This is what I do for a living so I’ve seen this way too many times.”

Every parent has a threshold for when they seek help with a mentally ill child, Kazdin said, so it’s hard to know when the time is right. That will vary based on the illness, the size of the family and the resources available.

To Gallagher, her elementary school aged daughter’s bouts of mania sometimes looked like sugar highs, but she knew something was wrong.

“For her, it was singing Hannah Montana at the top of her lungs and laughing hysterically. You just know that’s not normal,” Gallagher said. “Jumping around her room from her bed to her floor and back again. Also talking nonstop, which is very common for a manic episode for a kid.”

Visit askforhelp.org for more mental health resources.




Elliott Rodger's father said that he didn't think his son could "hurt a flea," but his mother had called mental health authorities about a month before the killings because she was worried about his condition, and the police were sent out to talk to the young man. He succeeded in convincing them that he was not seriously disturbed or dangerous. The police should have sent a psychologist to speak to him along with the police, so they could have made a better diagnosis, and his mother should have persisted in seeking help. That was the end of the intervention at the time, however, and within a few weeks he had a "meltdown."

Alan Kazdin, professor of child psychology and psychiatry, cautions parents to be on the alert for complete isolation, get the child involved in a hobby to build confidence and a social network, avoid corporal punishment, and avoid unsupervised computer use. He could have given more specific symptoms to watch for and a real guide as to when parents should seek professional help. He leaves that up to the parents – very diplomatic, but I don't think most parents are savvy enough about mental illness symptoms to know when they are out of their depth. Most parents will use corporal punishment with their children when they are either angry themselves or simply at their wit's end.

Cristy Gallagher's advice was better, I thought. She has a child with bipolar disorder and when the child is in a manic episode she says, “'For her, it was singing Hannah Montana at the top of her lungs and laughing hysterically. You just know that’s not normal,” Gallagher said. “Jumping around her room from her bed to her floor and back again. Also talking nonstop, which is very common for a manic episode for a kid.” Gallagher's support group for parents helps them “plan for crisis situations, decide whether to keep the child in public school and develop coping skills.” A discussion group of parents who are coping with similar problems, especially when associated with a care center as her group is, is an ongoing fount of information between the other parents' experiences and any professionals who may be participating in the group.

A psychiatrist and medications are of basic importance, but someone you know as a friend from your support group to call when you are having a crisis or when you have questions is very important. It would also be good if there were a support group for children controlled by medication to help keep themselves balanced and alert for changes. Even children participate in their own mental health treatment. The whole burden is not on the parent's shoulders. Children are brighter and more capable than their parents often think. If parents were used to engaging their children in thinking introspectively, they would be less likely to spank them rather than talking to them. A five year old is not as able to interact this way, but a 12 year old is very capable of it.

Scattered around across the country are a few – too few – support groups for mental health patients called NAMI, or National Alliance On Mental Illness, and possibly some other groups as well. See this website for NAMI information in your local area. You will probably find them on the Internet or in the telephone book, too. These groups will often be associated with local mental health treatment centers. See http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=find_support.

Thursday, June 26, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://www.wafb.com/story/25868687/boehner-says-house-plans-to-sue-obama

Boehner says House plans to sue Obama
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
Updated: Jun 25, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House will vote next month on legislation authorizing a campaign-season lawsuit accusing President Barack Obama of failing to carry out the laws passed by Congress, Speaker John Boehner announced on Wednesday.

In a memo distributed to House members, Boehner, R-Ohio, accused Obama of "aggressive unilateralism" and said if left unchecked, it would give the president "king-like authority at the expense of the American people and their elected legislators."

White House press secretary Josh Earnest dismissed any suggestion that the president has failed to act within the law in issuing executive orders or taking other actions. "We feel completely confident that the president was operating within his authority as the president of the United States to take these steps on behalf of the American people," he told reporters.

Whatever the outcome of the suit in the courts, Boehner's announcement guarantees creation of yet another political struggle between Republicans and Obama and his Democratic allies in a campaign already full of them.

"On matters ranging from health care and energy to foreign policy and education, President Obama has repeatedly run an end-around" on the public and Congress, the speaker wrote. He accused him of "ignoring some statutes completely, selectively enforcing others and at times, creating laws of his own."

At a news conference, Boehner strongly brushed aside a question of whether impeachment proceedings could result from the suit.

In his memo, he stopped short of accusing the president of violating his oath of office. Instead, he said Obama was "straining the boundaries of the solemn oath he took on Inauguration Day."

Other Republicans have been less restrained. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., said recently the House probably has the votes to impeach Obama, although he said he wasn't calling for it. One former tea party-backed lawmaker, ex-Rep. Allen West of Florida, has called for the House to vote to remove the president from office.

Boehner also rejected a suggestion that the suit was a political move designed to give traditional Republican voters an added impetus for going to the polls this fall when control of Congress will be at stake.

But Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who chairs the Democratic campaign committee, said Boehner planned a "politically motivated lawsuit," and predicted the voters would punish Republicans for it.

He accused the speaker of a "reprehensible waste of taxpayers' money and a desperate political stunt meant to gin up the Republican base at a time when House Republicans are historically unpopular."

A group established to help elect Democrats, the House Majority PAC, rushed out an online request for donations that said Boehner had "sunk to a new low" and was "caving in to pressure from the right and suing President Obama."

Disputes about the balance of power between the executive branch and the Congress are as old as the Constitution under a system in which lawmakers pass laws and the president carries them out.

Boehner said the House "must act as an institution to defend the constitutional principles at stake."



Unitary executive theory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The unitary executive theory is a theory of American constitutional law holding that the President possesses the power to control the entire executive branch. The doctrine is rooted in Article Two of the United States Constitution, which vests "the executive power" of the United States in the President.

Although that general principle is widely accepted, there is disagreement about the strength and scope of the doctrine.[1] It can be said that some favor a "strongly unitary" executive, while others favor a "weakly unitary" executive.[1] The former group argue, for example, that Congress's power to interfere with intra-executive decision-making (such as firing executive branch officials) is limited, and that the President can control policy-making by all executive agencies within the limits set for those agencies by Congress. Still others agree that the Constitution requires a unitary executive, but believe this is a bad thing, and propose its abolition by constitutional amendment.[2]
In several states, in contrast to the federal government, executive officers such as lieutenant governor, attorney general,comptroller, secretary of state and others are elected independently of the state's governor, with Texas being one example. This type of Executive structure is known as a Plural Executive.

The Vesting Clause of Article II provides, "The executive Power [of the United States] shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." Proponents of the unitary executive theory argue that this language, along with the Take Care Clause ("The President shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed..."), creates a "hierarchical, unified executive department under the direct control of the President."[3]

The general principle that the President controls the entire executive branch was originally rather innocuous, but extreme forms of the theory have developed.[4] John Dean explains: "In its most extreme form, unitary executive theory can mean that neither Congress nor the federal courts can tell the President what to do or how to do it, particularly regarding national security matters."[4]
In either its strong or weak form, the theory would limit the power of Congress to divest the President of control of the executive branch. The "strongly unitary" theory posits stricter limits on Congress than the "weakly unitary" theory.[1]

Some scholars oppose even the "weakly unitary" theory and favor creating a plural executive, as in the many state governments that separately elect an attorney general.[2] However, those scholars acknowledge that a constitutional amendment would be required to eliminate the federal unitary executive.
Proponents of a strongly unitary theory argue that the president possesses all of the executive power and can therefore control subordinate officers and agencies of the executive branch. This implies that the power of Congress to remove executive agencies or officers from Presidential control is limited. Thus, under the strongly unitary executive theory, independent agencies and counsels are unconstitutional to the extent that they exercise discretionary executive power not controlled by the president.[3]

Contrary to claims of some authors,[18] the first administration to make explicit reference to the "Unitary Executive" was not that of President George W. Bush. For example, in 1987, Ronald Reagan issued a signing statement that declared: "If this provision were interpreted otherwise, so as to require the President to follow the orders of a subordinate, it would plainly constitute an unconstitutional infringement of the President's authority as head of a unitary executive branch."[19]

The George W. Bush administration made the Unitary Executive Theory a common feature of signing statements.[20] For example, Bush once wrote in a signing statement that he would, "construe Title X in Division A of the Act, relating to detainees, in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch and as Commander in Chief and consistent with the constitutional limitations on the judicial power."[21] Critics acknowledge that part of the President's duty is to "interpret what is, and is not constitutional, at least when overseeing the actions of executive agencies," but critics accused Bush of overstepping that duty by his perceived willingness to overrule U.S. courts.[22]



http://civilliberty.about.com/od/waronterror/p/imperial101.htm

Line-Item Veto:
Although the concepts of the unitary executive and the imperial presidency are most often associated with Republicans, President Bill Clinton also worked to expand presidential powers. Most notable was his successful attempt to convince Congress to pass the Line-Item Veto Act of 1996, which allows the President to selectively veto specific parts of a bill without vetoing the entire bill. The Supreme Court struck down the Act in Clinton v. City of New York(1998).

Presidential Signing Statements:

Similar to the line-item veto is the presidential signing statement, in which the President signs a bill but also specifies which parts of a bill he or she actually intends to enforce.

Until the Reagan administration, only 75 signing statements had ever been issued.

Presidents Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, and Clinton issued a total of 247 signing statements.

President George W. Bush alone has issued 130 signing statements, which tend to be more sweeping in scope than those of his predecessors.

Possible Use of Torture:

The most controversial of President Bush's signing statements was attached to an anti-torture bill drafted by Senator John McCain (R-AZ):

The executive branch shall construe (the McCain Detainee Amendment) in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch ... which will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President ... of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks.

The NSA Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP), aka Spygate:

President Bush openly violated the terms of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 when he ordered the NSA to spy on telephone calls without a warrant. He has relied primarily on the unitary executive theory in his defense of the policy.

A Short History of the Imperial Presidency:

President Bush's attempt to obtain increased wartime powers represent a troubling challenge to American civil liberties. But the challenge is not unprecedented:

The Sedition Act of 1798 was selectively enforced by the Adams administration against newspaper writers who supported Thomas Jefferson, his challenger in the 1800 election.

The very first landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Marbury v. Madison (1803), established the power of the judiciary by resolving a separation-of-powers dispute between the President and Congress.

In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), President Andrew Jackson openly defied a Supreme Court ruling--the first, last, and only time that any U.S. president has done so.

During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln took on unprecedented wartime powers and violated multiple civil liberties on a large scale, including due process rights for U.S. Citizens.

During the first Red Scare following World War I, President Woodrow Wilson suppressed free speech, deported immigrants on the basis of their political beliefs, and ordered massive unconstitutional raids. His policies were so draconian that they inspired protesters to form the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920.

During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order calling for the forced internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, as well as forced surveillance, ID cards, and occasional relocation for immigrants from other perceived "hostile" nations.

President Richard Nixon openly used executive branch law enforcement agencies to attack his political opponents and, in the case of Watergate, to actively cover up his supporters' criminal activities.

Presidents Reagan, H.W. Bush, and Clinton all actively pursued expanded presidential powers. One particularly stunning example was President Clinton's claim that sitting presidents are immune from lawsuits, a position the Supreme Court rejected in Clinton v. Jones (1997).

More About the Imperial Presidency and the Unitary Executive Theory

Overview of U.S. Government and Politics
Is America Developing an Imperial Presidency?
Summary of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006)





John Boehner accused the president of exercising “king-like authority at the expense of the American people and their elected legislators.” The Republicans started the trend of giving the president stronger powers, under the Unitary Executive theory, and I will be interested to see how Boehner succeeds with a law suit against the President for using Executive Orders to affect the law. One of the things discussed in the Wikipedia article is the use of “signing statements,” which put conditions on the President's signature. I do remember Obama stating once that since Congress wouldn't work with him or the Democrats under the influence of the Tea Party, he would use his powers to achieve changes. George W. Bush was notorious for exercising his unitary executive powers in the case of torturing prisoners for information and other things.

“White House press secretary Josh Earnest dismissed any suggestion that the president has failed to act within the law in issuing executive orders or taking other actions. 'We feel completely confident that the president was operating within his authority as the president of the United States to take these steps on behalf of the American people,' he told reporters.” At least one Tea Party representative is calling for impeachment. Boehner has yet to describe exactly what laws the President is supposed to have broken.





http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/26/missing-detroit-boy-charlie-bothuell_n_5532164.html

Missing Detroit Boy Charlie Bothuell V Found Alive In Dad's Basement
Posted: 06/26/2014

DETROIT (AP) — A 12-year-old boy who had been missing for a week and a half and was the subject of an extensive police search was found alive and well Wednesday in the basement of his home.

Officers discovered the boy while serving a search warrant on the home as part of their investigation into his disappearance. It's not clear if the boy had been there the entire time; officers had been inside the home before and cadaver dogs searched the house last week.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig said when police found Charlie Bothuell V, he appeared to be hiding and did not announce himself. Hours earlier, Craig had told reporters that investigators were "not ruling out the possibility of homicide" in the case.

When police found the boy, he was behind some boxes and a large plastic drum. Bedding also was found nearby. The boy will be medically evaluated.

"He was nervous, but excited," Craig said. "He indicated he was hungry. He appeared fine."

The boy lives in the home with his father and stepmother. The father, Charlie Bothuell IV, said he was as surprised as anyone that his son was in the basement.

"I'm shocked. I looked. The Detroit police looked. The FBI looked," he said. "To imply that I knew my son was in the basement is absurd."

The elder Bothuell was swarmed by reporters outside the house when he arrived home Wednesday evening.

"I thought my son was dead," he said as he broke down in tears and hugged a reporter.

Craig told reporters earlier Wednesday that the boy's father had taken a polygraph test about his son's disappearance, but the boy's stepmother declined to do so.




I assume that there will be a followup to this story. I saw the father talking to Nancy Grace on television when it was announced that the boy had been found, and he was definitely shocked. He was unable to speak for a good minute or more. It's hard to know why his wife refused a polygraph test. Could she have had a conflict with the boy and he hid as a result? It's interesting that the cadaver dogs didn't find him if he was in the basement the whole 11 days, but cadaver dogs are trained, I believe, to alert when they find signs of death, not living people.

The most likely possibility, to me, is that the boy was not in the basement when police, FBI and others searched earlier. He may have run away and hidden in a friend's home or somewhere else nearby until he decided he didn't like being away and then went home. The report said he was “nervous, but excited” when found, and also “hungry.” Nervous that his parents would punish him and excited that he had succeeded in fooling everyone? I am waiting in intense anticipation to find out what really happened here.






Families in Santa Barbara killings speak to CBS News
By BEN TRACY, ALEXANDER TROWBRIDGE, LULU CHIANG
June 26, 2014

David Wang and George Chen were the joys of their parents' lives.

David, 20, kind and peaceful, was called a "math genius" with dreams of starting a computer business. George, 19, often donning his famous big smile, was a diligent student who, like David, was majoring in computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The stabbing deaths of the two young friends on May 23, when Elliot Rodger went on a killing spree that ultimately took six lives were, their parents said, a loss for society.

In an interview with CBS News, David and George's grieving parents spoke of the torment of losing their sons, the frustration of watching the media lavish attention on their sons' killer, and their aching desire for an end to the senseless violence plaguing their adopted country.

"We have love in our heart, tears in our eyes, responsibility on our shoulders, and we hear the voice from our children from heaven," said Kelly Wang, George's mother. "We want to do something."

"We are calling for the end of the killing of innocent people," said Jane Liu, David's mother, who said that as a hospital nurse, she faces death every day, but has found the loss of her son to be unbearable. "It's time for all Americans to wake up."

The parents of David and George are dismayed by the attention paid to their son's killer, whose manifesto and video rants recorded before the killings drew widespread coverage.

Focusing on Rodger, they said, creates the side effect of making him a celebrity, and may encourage other troubled kids to seek attention through violence.

"We want the young generation to know: Killing is a crime." said Kelly Wang. "Killing is not something cool."

The two families, immigrants from China who describe themselves as low profile and did not initially plan to speak out after the attack, said they instead want to focus attention on the victims and tell their story.

"In every photo of George, he's always smiling," said George's mother Kelly, as the two families sat around a table at the Wangs' Fremont home, with photos of the two young men spread out in front of them. "You never see a photo where he's worried or something. He always tried to put up his big smile everywhere."

In the photos, George is indeed beaming, whether posing with his dad, mom or -- smiling extra wide -- with his younger brother. "He loved to play with his little brother," Kelly Chen said.

"If you see those pictures, you can see how close we are," said Jane, of her son David. "Each time he would hold my shoulders, hold my hand. He was very very sweet."

"Their life was so short, so tragically taken," Johnny Chen, George's father, said of George and David. "They're like flowers even before the blossom."

The parents said they would have given their own lives in exchange for those of their sons, but they weren't given the chance. There's so much about the time leading up to the attack that they wish they could change. They wish the police had picked up on the killer's now apparent list of troubling signals. They wish the Rodgers family had done more to keep their son from committing his brutal crimes.

"We think good parenting is the first step to prevent the crime," said Kelly Wang. "Yes, you can do gun control, but if somebody has so much hatred in his heart, they can use other ways to kill innocents, and that happened to our boys."

Peter Rodger, the killer's father, will be the subject of an upcoming television interview, which has upset David and George's families. Rodger met with Richard Martinez, whose son was a victim. But when asked if they'd heard from the Rodger family personally, Johnny Chen, the father of George, said no.

"Personal condolence and apologize, and this is the minimum they should do," he said.

After CBS News reached out to Peter Rodger for comment late Wednesday, he sent the families a letter of apology.

Just a month after losing David and George, the two families are still coming to terms with the reality that they're gone.

"Rationally, we have accepted the fact," said Kelly Wang. "But in our heart, many times we still picture him coming back home."

"I still think my son is alive and not gone," David's father, Charlie Wang, said, with his wife Jane translating. "I still don't understand why this happened to such beautiful heart, beautiful lives."

For now, they can just remember the two decades they said they were blessed to have with their sons, young lives taken many decades too soon.




This was not portrayed as a hate crime, as the victims were not of one ethnicity. It is true that Rodger's face was on the TV for over a week, smiling into the camera as he recorded his statement of hatred. He was furious at women for not gravitating toward him. He was probably effeminate – he looked effeminate – or otherwise “not normal,” and women are definitely not drawn to those things. The real problem, though, is that the news media focused on his video and didn't focus on his victims, and it is true that aspiring young killers do imitate others in committing their own crimes. Giving killers that much media attention may exacerbate the problem in future cases.

Parents sometimes are aware that their child is seriously disturbed, but too often they accept their child's behavior, such as covering up all the windows in their room and isolating themselves in there rather than participating in the family activities, and do not require the child to go to a therapist and take medication as needed. Sometimes the kids rule their homes, which is never a good sign. The police, too, in this case failed to pick up on his anti-social tendencies and didn't report the problem. Within a few weeks of the police visit at the request of his parents, Rodger committed his crimes. The police should not be sent out alone to interview a person considered to be mentally disturbed, but should hire a qualified psychologist to accompany them. Police alone are not able to diagnose mental illness, no matter how good their intentions.






Low-dose aspirin may reduce pancreatic cancer risk
By JESSICA FIRGER CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

The heart healthy benefits of low-dose aspirin are widely known, but that's not all this humble little pill could do to save your life. A growing body of research indicates aspirin may also help lower the risk of one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

A new study published Thursday by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health finds aspirin taken daily in small doses could lower incidences of pancreatic cancer by as much as 48 percent.

Pancreatic cancer kills close to 40,000 Americans each year and has a 5-year survival rate of only 5 percent.

"The thought that there's something that could lower the risk of someone getting pancreatic cancer is remarkable and exciting to me as a physician who has patients who have gotten -- and died from -- pancreatic cancer," said CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. "There's very little we can do for most people that get pancreatic cancer."

For the study, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers recorded information on aspirin use and medical histories of 362 pancreatic cancer patients and 690 patients who did not have the disease, between 2005 and 2009.

The researchers found that patients who took low-dose aspirin (75 to 325 milligrams) for six years or less had a 39 percent reduced risk for pancreatic cancer, while people who took it for more than 10 years reduced the risk for the disease by 60 percent.

The authors suggested that people with a strong family history of pancreatic cancer or other risk factors for the disease may want to consider a daily aspirin regimen to reduce their risk.

This new paper is one of several indicating that aspirin may safeguard patients from cancer. Other studies have shown aspirin can lower risk for ovarian,colorectal, stomach, esophageal, prostate, breast, lung and skin cancer.

So how exactly could this little over-the-counter painkiller be such an effective cancer-buster?

"Aspirin interrupts the inflammatory pathway in the body," explained LaPook. "It turns out those same pathways look like they're part of the pathways that can lead to cancer. If you interrupt those pathways, theoretically that might be the reason why you lower the risk for cancer. We don't know that for sure, but that's one thought."

This promising research could also offer a new route for cancer treatments. "There's also a suggestion that not only is there a role for aspirin in preventing cancer but possibly in treating a cancer like colorectal cancer," he said.

However, taking aspirin long-term poses a number of serious health risks. "Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal ulceration and bleeding, it can cause bleeding in the brain. These are potentially very serious complications," said LaPook. "So yet again we say you have to talk to your doctor, you have to weigh the benefits. This is personalized medicine."




A daily regimen of low dose aspirin has been found to reduce the incidence of pancreatic cancer by 48%. The disease kills some 40,000 American annually and has a 5% survival rate over the span of 5 years. “The researchers found that patients who took low-dose aspirin (75 to 325 milligrams) for six years or less had a 39 percent reduced risk for pancreatic cancer, while people who took it for more than 10 years reduced the risk for the disease by 60 percent....Other studies have shown aspirin can lower risk for ovarian,colorectal, stomach, esophageal, prostate, breast, lung and skin cancer.” The “inflammatory pathway” is perhaps the cause of cancer in some cases, and aspirin “interrupts” that pathway. That's the theory. It may serve as a treatment rather than merely a preventative for colorectal cancer. Unfortunately it can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding in both the stomach and the brain, so it's not totally harmless.





Sudan frees Christian woman following airport arrest – CBS
AP June 26, 2014

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- A Sudanese Christian woman whose death sentence for apostasy was overturned has been freed again after being detained on accusations of forging travel documents.

Eman Abdul-Rahman, the lawyer for 27-year-old Mariam Ibrahim, told The Associated Press that she was released on Thursday from a police station after foreign diplomats pressed the government to free her.

She was detained Tuesday at Khartoum's airport while trying to leave the country with her family.

Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother,was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code forbids Muslims from converting to other religions, a crime punishable by death.

A higher tribunal overturned the ruling and ordered her release.




“Mariam Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but who was raised by her Christian mother,was convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian. Sudan's penal code forbids Muslims from converting to other religions, a crime punishable by death.... she was released on Thursday from a police station after foreign diplomats pressed the government to free her.”

The freedom of religion, and the freedom from religion as sometimes occurs, is one of our most basic rights in this country. A mandated state religion is one of the most harmful societal laws, as much as the confiscation of private property under governments such as Cuba, in my opinion. There would be riots in the streets here if the Tea Party decided to require that all citizens attend a Protestant Christian church, for instance. It's really unspeakable what the citizens of too many nations live under. I hope we always remain too varied in our beliefs and too darned uppity to put up with that kind of state control of the populace. I'm so glad this woman was released unharmed.






Five-year rescue plan to save the world's oceans
By MICHAEL ROPPOLO CBS NEWS June 26, 2014

The health of the world's oceans are in decline and a five-year rescue plan must be implemented by governments around the world in order to prevent more damage, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Over the past 18 months, the Global Ocean Commission has been studying and analyzing data on the greatest threats to the seas. Loss of habitats and biodiversity, overfishing and an increase in need for natural resources have led to what a summary of the report describes as a "degraded, underproductive and exploited ocean."

The report proposed creating a sustainable development goal for the global oceans to help ensure sustainable fishing; protect vulnerable marine areas; reduce biodiversity loss; fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and reduce plastic debris entering the environment by 50 percent. Progress on these proposals would be monitored by an independent Global Ocean Accountability Board.

The authors note that the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has been largely ignored. The high seas, once thought to be protected by its inaccessibility, can now be easily reached for oil drilling, industrial fishing vessels and deep sea mineral extraction. Countries are often not able to take action against those who violate the convention due to the so-called "rule of freedom," which forbids any interference with ships flying a foreign flag except in limited circumstances.

The commission calls the UNCLOS agreement outdated and ineffective, and proposes a new agreement to strengthen conservation efforts. It also suggests the U.N. create a post for a Special Representative for the Ocean, and that governments around the world appoint ocean ministers.

In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department commended the Global Ocean Commission for addressing the key challenges facing the world's oceans.



http://www.globaloceancommission.org/ and http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-announces-initiative-to-protect-pacific-ocean/1939326.html give more information.

Obama Announces Initiative to Protect Pacific Ocean
Zlatica Hoke
June 18, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has announced a new initiative to protect parts of the Pacific Ocean from overfishing and environmental damage. He announced his plan in a video message to an international conference on the oceans at the U.S. State Department. 
 
For years, scientists and environmentalists have warned that oceans are deteriorating because of human activity, mostly pollution and overfishing, but political leaders have lacked the will to do much about it. The Obama administration is now taking a step towards finding a solution. 
 
Obama announced Tuesday that he is directing the federal government to create a national strategy to combat illegal fishing and pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
 
"Pollution endangers marine life, overfishing threatens whole species as well as the people who depend on them for food and their livelihoods.  If we ignore these problems, if we deplete our oceans of their resources, we won't just be squandering one of the humanities greatest treasures, we'll be cutting off one of the world's major sources of food and economic growth including for the United States, and we cannot afford to let that happen," said Obama.

Obama's videotaped message was shown during the "Our Ocean" conference at the U.S. State Department.
 
Some of the possible measures, such as bans on fishing and industrial exploration in parts of the central Pacific, are expected to spark political battles in Washington.
 
"I'm going to use my authority as president to protect some of our most precious marine landscapes, just like we do for mountains, rivers and forests," said Obama.
 
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, an environmental activist, supports the effort.
 
"Several billion people a year depend on seafood as a source of protein and yet we are failing to protect these vital waters. If we don't do something to save our oceans now, it won't be just the sharks and the dolphins that will suffer, it will be all of us, including our children and our grandchildren," said DiCaprio.
 
Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the conference, attended by members of the international oceans community, government ministers, scientists and advocates.
 
"We have today received commitments for action in over [$1.45 billion] and that is all directed at this ocean effort," said Kerry.
 
Kerry also announced progress on efforts to get the required number of nations needed to ratify an international port law that would prevent illegally caught fish from going to market.
 
President Obama's proposal is due to go into effect later this year.




The Global Ocean Commission has been commended by the US State Department for its study on modern day threats to the oceans. It describes the current situation as “a 'degraded, underproductive and exploited ocean, 'which is being overfished and reduced in its biodiversity, with too much plastic debris. The drilling for oil and extraction of deep sea minerals are also problems. The report recommends that the UNCLOS agreement of 1982 be replaced or revised as it is “outdated and ineffective,” and a new UN post for a Special Representative for the Ocean, while governments worldwide should appoint ocean ministers.

“Obama announced Tuesday that he is directing the federal government to create a national strategy to combat illegal fishing and pollution in the Pacific Ocean.” There he goes, exercising the power of his executive position again. This kind of action has been so often impossible to get through by legislative means due to “conservative” money-centered thinking. He stated, “... If we ignore these problems, if we deplete our oceans of their resources, we won't just be squandering one of the humanities greatest treasures, we'll be cutting off one of the world's major sources of food and economic growth including for the United States, and we cannot afford to let that happen.”

"'We have today received commitments for action in over [$1.45 billion] and that is all directed at this ocean effort,' said Kerry.... Kerry also announced progress on efforts to get the required number of nations needed to ratify an international port law that would prevent illegally caught fish from going to market. President Obama's proposal is due to go into effect later this year.” It would be shameful if the US House and Senate should prevent the US from joining this group of nations who are boycotting illegally fished products from entering our ports by failing to ratify the Port Law. As far as I know, the US still has failed to ratify the UN ban on land mines, and to me this kind of “conservative” thinking is very similar. I hope the legislature will join in and support the new international law. I wonder what the Tea Party will have to say about these issues.




1 in 10 U.S. beaches fails bacteria test in survey – CBS
By STEVEN REINBERG HEALTHDAY June 25, 2014

Swimmers, take heed: Ten percent of water samples taken from U.S. coastal and lake beaches fail to meet safety standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a new report finds.

"There can be hidden dangers lurking in many of our waterways in the form of bacteria and viruses that can cause a great inventory of illnesses like dysentery, hepatitis, stomach flu, infections and rashes," Steve Fleischli, water program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said at a Wednesday press conference.

Of nearly 3,500 samples taken annually at beaches around the country, Great Lakes beaches have the highest failure rate, with excessively high bacteria levels, the defense council said.

This finding confirms that water pollution caused by storm-water runoff and sewage overflows persists at many U.S. beaches, the agency said.

Storm-water runoff often includes trash, chemicals, oil and animal and human waste as well as bacteria and viruses.

"It's really all of our urban slobber going untreated into local waterways," Fleischli said.

Still, the agency singled out 35 popular "superstar" beaches that have excellent water quality.

Each of these met national water quality standards 98 percent of the time over the past five years. They include:

Delaware: Dewey Beach-Swedes in Sussex County
Florida: Bowman's Beach in Lee County
Georgia: Tybee Island North in Chatham County
Massachusetts: Singing Beach in Essex County
New Jersey: Stone Harbor at 96th St. in Cape May County

The 17 "repeat offenders" that continue to have serious water pollution problems include:
California: Malibu Pier, 50 yards East of the pier, in Los Angeles County
Indiana: Jeorse Park Beach in Lake County
Massachusetts: Cockle Cove Creek in Barnstable County
Maine: Goodies Beach in Knox County
New Jersey: Beachwood Beach in Ocean County
New York: Main Street Beach in Chautauqua County

In the Great Lakes, 13 percent of samples failed to meet federal public health standards, the researchers said.

Other regions with excessively high bacteria in swimming water samples include: the Gulf Coast (12 percent), New England (11 percent), the western coast (9 percent), New York and New Jersey coasts (7 percent), and the southeast (7 percent).

States with the highest failure rates include: Ohio (35 percent), Alaska (24 percent) and Mississippi (21 percent).

For cleaner water, try the Delmarva Peninsula area on the East Coast, where 4 percent of samples failed the test.

Three states had a failure rate of just 3 percent: Delaware, New Hampshire and New Jersey, the researchers found.

As many as 3.5 million Americans are sickened from contact with raw sewage overflows each year, according to the EPA.

"The elderly and little kids are most likely to fall prey to contamination in the water because of their weaker immune systems," Fleischli said.

"Children are also more likely to dunk their heads under the water or swallow water when swimming, both of which increase risk," he added.

Under the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, states must test beach water for bacteria. When bacteria levels are too high -- such as after a heavy rain -- beaches may be closed or people might be advised not to swim.

More than 10 trillion gallons of untreated storm water, including billions of gallons of untreated sewage, find their way into America's waterways each year, the EPA said. Historically, this is the largest known source of beach water pollution.

The best way to prevent beach water pollution, said the defense council, is to invest in "smarter, greener infrastructure on land, like porous pavement, green roofs, parks, roadside plantings and rain barrels."

Such improvements enable rain to evaporate or filter into the ground instead of being carried from dirty streets to beaches.




Our beaches at Jacksonville, FL are not likely to be on the 35 cleanest list, as we have had several incidents of Ecoli in the water, plus a few times when sections of the city were warned to boil the tap water before drinking it. “Under the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, states must test beach water for bacteria. When bacteria levels are too high -- such as after a heavy rain -- beaches may be closed or people might be advised not to swim.”

The Defense Council recommends city investment in “porous pavement, green roofs, parks, roadside plantings and rain barrels.” I have personally never seen any “porous pavement” that I can remember. What would it be made of? Is some concrete porous? And what is a “green roof”? Roadside plantings, parks and rain barrels I understand.

Let's see if I can find an Internet site explaining “green roofs” and “porous pavement.” The following article on porous paving goes on to list even more porous materials which can be used than merely concrete. These news and Internet articles have been a true how-to lesson in environmental planning, I must say. Since I looked all this up I do hope Big Brother is looking at my blog today so that the government can take advice from it.





http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php/about/aboutgreenroofs
About Green Roofs

A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof which involves a high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants.

Green roof systems may be modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, often interlocking grids, or loose laid/ built-up where each component of the system may be installed separately. Green roof development involves the creation of "contained" green space on top of a human-made structure. This green space could be below, at or above grade, but in all cases the plants are not planted in the "ground'. Green roofs can provide a wide range of public and private benefits.

Principal Green Roof Technology Components

Source: National Research Council, Institute for Research in Construction

In North America, the benefits of green roof technologies are poorly understood and the market remains immature, despite the efforts of several industry leaders. In Europe however, these technologies have become very well established. This has been the direct result of government legislative and financial support, at both the state and municipal level. Such support recognizes the many tangible and intangible public benefits of green roofs. This support has led to the creation of a vibrant, multi-million dollar market for green roof products and services in Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland among others. In Germany for instance, the industry made 700 million DM in sales in 1997, up from 500 million DM in sales in 1994. The industry continues to experience growth with with 13.5 million square metres of green roofs constructed in 2001, up from 9 million square metres built in 1994. In North America, thanks to education and policy support the green roof industry continues to grow rapidly.

Green roof technologies not only provide the owners of buildings with a proven return on investment, but also represent opportunities for significant social, economic and environmental benefits, particularly in cities.
Find out more about the private and public benefits of green roof technologies here.



Permeable paving
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Permeable paving is a range of sustainable materials and techniques for permeable pavements with a base and subbase that allow the movement of stormwater through the surface. In addition to reducing runoff, this effectively traps suspended solids and filters pollutants from the water.[1] Examples include roads, paths, lawns and lots that are subject to light vehicular traffic, such as car/parking lots, cycle-paths, service or emergency access lanes, road and airport shoulders, and residential sidewalks and driveways.

Although some porous paving materials appear nearly indistinguishable from nonporous materials, their environmental effects are qualitatively different. Whether pervious concrete, porous asphalt, paving stones or concrete or plastic-based pavers, all these pervious materials allowstormwater to percolate and infiltrate the surface areas, traditionally impervious to the soil below. The goal is to control stormwater at the source, reduce runoff and improve water quality by filtering pollutants in the substrata layers.

Description and applications[edit]

Permeable solutions can be based on: porous asphalt and concrete surfaces, concrete pavers (permeable interlocking concrete paving systems - PICP), or polymer-based grass pavers, grids and geocells. Porous pavements and concrete pavers (actually the voids in-between them) enable stormwater to drain through a stone base layer for on-site infiltration and filtering. Polymer based grass grid or cellular paver systems provide load bearing reinforcement for unpaved surfaces of gravel or turf.

Grass pavers, plastic turf reinforcing grids (PTRG), and geocells (cellular confinement systems) are honeycombed 3D grid-cellular systems, made of thin-walled HDPE plastic or other polymer alloys. These provide grass reinforcement, ground stabilization and gravel retention. The 3D structure reinforces infill and transfers vertical loads from the surface, distributing them over a wider area. Selection of the type of cellular grid depends to an extent on the surface material, traffic and loads. The cellular grids are installed on a prepared base layer of open-graded stone (higher void spacing) or engineered stone (stronger). The surface layer may be compacted gravel or topsoil seeded with grass and fertilizer. In addition to load support, the cellular grid reduces compaction of the soil to maintain permeability, while the roots improve permeability due to their root channels.[2]


Main article: Pervious concrete

Pervious concrete is widely available, can bear frequent traffic, and is universally accessible. Pervious concrete quality depends on the installer's knowledge and experience.[9]

Installation of porous pavements is no more difficult than that of dense pavements, but has different specifications and procedures which must be strictly adhered to. Nine different families of porous paving materials present distinctive advantages and disadvantages for specific applications. Here are examples:

In new suburban growth, porous pavements protect watersheds. In existing built-up areas and towns, redevelopment and reconstruction are opportunities to implement stormwater water management practices. Permeable paving is an important component in Low Impact Development (LID), a process for land development in the United States that attempts to minimize impacts on water quality and the similar concept of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in the United Kingdom.

The infiltration capacity of the native soil is a key design consideration for determining the depth of base rock for stormwater storage or for whether an underdrain system is needed.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014


News Clips For The Day


http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/24/feds-posted-bid-request-to-handle-child-immigrant-surge-back-in-january/

Feds Posted Bid Request To Handle Child Immigrant Surge Back In JANUARY

A bid request posted to a website for federal contractors in January indicates that the federal government was aware of a heavy influx of children coming to the U.S. illegally.
But the Department of Homeland Security, through its immigration and border protection agencies, has only recently began publicly addressing the surge of Unaccompanied Children, or UACs, that have traveled to the U.S., many of whom have been apprehended at the U.S. Border.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security, posted a bid request for “Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children” on Jan. 29 at the site, FedBizOpps.gov, looking for contractors to help transport and care for the UACs.

“The Contractor shall provide unarmed escort staff, including management, supervision, manpower, training, certifications, licenses, drug testing, equipment, and supplies necessary to provide on-demand escort services for non-criminal/non-delinquent unaccompanied alien children ages infant to 17 years of age, seven [7] days a week, 365 days a year,” reads the bid request.

“There will be approximately 65,000 UAC in total: 25% local ground transport, 25% via ICE charter and 50% via commercial air.”

The Department of Homeland Security has put the Federal Management Emergency Agency in charge of managing the surge. The Department of Health and Human Services helps place the UACs at temporary facilities while they await deportation proceedings.

UACs have been sent to military bases in California, Texas, and Oklahoma. HHS has also explored sending the children to other facilities throughout the U.S.

At a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security held Tuesday, Georgia U.S. Rep. Paul Broun quizzed DHS Sec. Jeh Johnson about the bid request.

“I don’t know where this estimate comes from or what it’s based on, so I can’t comment,” said Johnson.

Johnson said that since he became head of DHS last December he knew that a rising tide of UACs were coming to the U.S. The issue became a top priority in April and May, Johnson said.



http://www.npr.org/2014/06/20/323657817/from-a-stream-to-a-flood-migrant-kids-overwhelm-u-s-border-agents

From A Stream To A Flood: Migrant Kids Overwhelm U.S. Border Agents – NPR
by JOHN BURNETT
June 20, 2014

More than 50,000 unaccompanied migrant kids have been detained in the past eight months — an almost 100 percent increase from the previous fiscal year. The numbers have been steadily climbing for the past two to three years.




I've been trying to find out how long the high number of unaccompanied children have been arriving at the US Border. One Republican senator said two years, and this article from NPR corroborates that. I do hope this doesn't involve a purposeful coverup by Obama's administration. I will try to keep up with changes in the situation as they occur.






Supreme Court limits cellphone searches after arrests
CBS/AP  June 25, 2014

Police may not generally search the cellphones of people they arrest without first getting search warrants, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday.

The court said cellphones are powerful devices unlike anything else police may find on someone they arrest. Because the phones contain so much information, police must get a warrant before looking through them, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. Justice Samuel Alito wrote a separate opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment.

"Modern cell phones are not just another technological convenience. With all they contain and all they may reveal, they hold for many Americans 'the privacies of life,'" Roberts wrote. "The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the Founders fought."

The Supreme Court previously had ruled that police could empty a suspect's pockets and examine whatever they find to ensure officers' safety and prevent the destruction of evidence.

The Obama administration and the state of California, defending the cellphone searches, said cellphones should have no greater protection from a search than anything else police find.

However, Roberts wrote, "Digital data stored on a cell phone cannot itself be used as a weapon to harm an arresting officer or to effectuate the arrestee's escape. Law enforcement officers remain free to examine the physical aspects of a phone to ensure that it will not be used as a weapon--say, to determine whether there is a razor blade hidden between the phone and its case. Once an officer has secured a phone and eliminated any potential physical threats, however, data on the phone can endanger no one."

The defendants in these cases, backed by civil libertarians, librarians and news media groups, argued that cellphones, especially smartphones, are increasingly powerful computers that can store troves of sensitive personal information.

The court validated that and noted the ubiquity of cellphones.

Prior to the digital age, people did not typically carry a cache of sensitive personal information with them as they went about their day," Roberts wrote. "Now it is the person who is not carrying a cell phone, with all that it contains, who is the exception."
The court's answer to what police must do before searching phones is simple: "Get a warrant," Roberts said.

The ruling combined two cases: Riley v. California andUnited States v. Wurie.
The two cases arose following arrests in San Diego and Boston.

In San Diego, police found indications of gang membership when they looked through defendant David Leon Riley's Samsung smartphone. Prosecutors used video and photographs found on the smartphone to persuade a jury to convict Riley of attempted murder and other charges. California courts rejected Riley's efforts to throw out the evidence and upheld the convictions.

The court ordered the California Supreme Court to take a new look at Riley's case.

In Boston, a federal appeals court ruled that police must have a warrant before searching arrestees' cellphones.

Police arrested Brima Wurie on suspicion of selling crack cocaine, checked the call log on his flip phone and used that information to determine where he lived. When they searched Wurie's home and had a warrant, they found crack, marijuana, a gun and ammunition. The evidence was enough to produce a conviction and a prison term of more than 20 years.

The appeals court ruled for Wurie, but left in place a drug conviction for selling cocaine near a school that did not depend on the tainted evidence. That conviction also carried a 20-year sentence. The administration appealed the court ruling because it wants to preserve the warrantless searches following arrest.

The justices upheld that ruling.




I am one of the few people who don't carry a “smart phone,” but if I did I wouldn't put all my deeply personal information on it. I have an inexpensive “Tracfone,” and it only has half a dozen telephone numbers in it. It won't take pictures, so I'm not tempted to clutter up my computer with low grade shots of my friends and family. I do collect photos from the daily news and other websites if I especially like the picture. I want beautiful or “interesting” shots and shots of some of the famous people of my lifetime. On Facebook I have photos of my family.

I'm glad to see the Supreme Court ruled this way, because how hard is it for the police to get a search warrant, anyway? The privacy of private individuals is already eroded enough. I'm for law enforcement having tools to do their job, but they should be willing to go through the proper steps.






U.S.: Syria may have launched airstrikes in Iraq
CBS/AP June 25, 2014

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials say there are indications that Syria launched airstrikes into western Iraq Tuesday in an attempt to slow the al Qaeda-inspired insurgency fighting both the Syrian and Iraqi governments.
Officials said the strikes appeared to be the work of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which is locked in a bloody civil war with opposition groups. The target of the attacks was the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has been fighting along with the rebels opposed to Assad and has since moved swiftly across the border into Iraq. The group is also known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levan (ISIL).
CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan reports that State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. is aware of the airstrike reports and "we have no reason to dispute these reports."

The White House said intervention by Syria was not the way to stem the insurgents, who have taken control of several cities in northern and western Iraq.
"The solution to the threat confronting Iraq is not the intervention of the Assad regime, which allowed ISIL to thrive in the first place," said Bernadette Meehan, a National Security Council spokeswoman. "The solution to Iraq's security challenge does not involve militias or the murderous Assad regime, but the strengthening of the Iraqi security forces to combat threats."
Another U.S. official said Iran has been flying surveillance drones in Iraq. The officials spoke only on grounds of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly.

In an unusual twist for the long-time foes, the U.S. and Iran find themselves with an overlapping interest in stabilizing Iraq's government. However, while Iran wants to preserve Shiite control of Iraq's government, the U.S. is pressing leaders in Baghdad to create a more inclusive political system.
U.S. and Iranian officials have had some direct discussions on the matter, though the Obama administration has ruled out the prospect of direct military involvement.
The U.S. is also conducting aerial surveillance over Iraq and is dispatching about 300 military advisers to Baghdad and elsewhere to help train Iraqi security forces.




ISIS has declared a goal of uniting three nations under their control to form a huge power base for Sunni Muslims. I think Iran has a right to find that threatening. I understand the Obama administration's desire to make the Iraqi government function in an inclusive manner toward its Sunni minority, instead of having Shiites defeat them militarily, and it would create a more stable government if Iraq were to do so. There was talk of a divided Iraq with Sunnis, Shia and Kurds each having their own territory. That would probably work, but it might depend on who got the oil fields.

I don't think Assad is trying to take over Iraq, but rather is fighting his enemy ISIS. Personally, I would rather see Iran and Syria “help” the Shiite government in Iraq than have our troops sent in again to fight. We have sent in 300 to advise and help the Iraqi army, but it may not be long before they are involved in combat. If Iraq's newly recruited young Shia men will stand and fight rather than dropping their weapons and uniforms at the first sight of ISIS forces, that will be an improvement.





Teen accused of school plot: "I'm just really mentally ill"
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS NEWS June 25, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS - Recordings of a police interview with John LaDue, the 17-year-old suspect in an alleged plot against his school and family, reveal the teen considered himself to be mentally ill, was fascinated by tragedies, and wanted to kill as many people as possible in his hometown of Waseca, according to CBS Minnesota.

LaDue has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges for planning to bomb his school and kill his family.
LaDue was charged in May with attempted murder, possessing explosives, and attempting to damage property. Police said his planned attack was foiled when a woman spotted him acting suspicious around a storage locker and called the authorities. Officers searched the locker and the suspect's room, finding guns, bomb-making equipment and a 180-page notebook detailing plans to mimic a Columbine-style massacre, the station reports.
"My plans were to enter [the school] and throw Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs and destroy everyone, and then when the SWAT comes I would destroy myself," LaDue told police in the interview released Tuesday, and which was recorded soon after he was arrested in April.

CBS Minnesota reports prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult.

In the recordings, LaDue talks about a YouTube channel on which he uploaded videos of himself detonating homemade bombs. He also told police the violence he planned to carry out against students and family wasn't personal, but rather a result of what he believes to be mental illness.

"I don't even think I've been bullied in my life," the suspect said. "I have good parents, I live in a good town, I think I'm just really mentally ill and no one's noticed and I've been trying to hide it.... I just wanted as many victims as possible."

Authorities said LaDue's plan was to kill his family first, then start a fire in town to divert first-responders, according to the station. Then, he allegedly planned to set off bombs at his school and start firing on classmates. Finally, he said he wanted to battle a SWAT team to prove he "wasn't a wimp" and was "willing to fight with equal force." The plot was supposed to go down on April 19.

"I wanted it to be in April, because April's my favorite month," he told police, "because that's... the month that all the really bad tragedies happen."

The massacre at Columbine High School occurred on April 20, 1999.

LaDue told officers in the recording that he might be a sociopath and asked to see a psychiatrist. In his statement, he also said he had contemplated giving cyanide to a friend of a friend who had gotten on his nerves.
The suspect's attorney is trying to get the charges against his client dropped because nothing actually happened, according to CBS Minnesota. Last week, LaDue's father said his son never really planned to go through with the attack and that the family needs to deal with the teen's issues.




He wanted to fight the SWAT team “to prove he wasn't a wimp,” and “destroy everyone, and then when the SWAT comes I would destroy myself," he said. He says he knows he is mentally ill, but shows no desire to get treatment. Perhaps too conveniently, he plans to plead not guilty, undoubtedly using the insanity defense. I'm sure the court will see to it that he gets a good examination by a psychiatrist. I don't know how many insane people are actually aware that they are insane. I'll be interested to see how this case progresses.





Gary Oldman apologizes for defending Mel Gibson, Alec Baldwin
CBS/AP June 25, 2014

Gary Oldman has apologized for defending fellow actors Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin from critics of their controversial remarks about Jews and gays.

"I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interviewwere offensive to many Jewish people," Oldman wrote in an open letter to the Anti-Defamation League late Tuesday. "Upon reading my comments in print - I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype."

During the expletive-laden Playboy interview, Oldman decried the "political correctness" that ensnared Gibson and Baldwin. Gibson delivered an anti-Semitic rant in 2006 while being arrested for drunk driving, and he later apologized. Baldwin last year was accused of using an anti-gay slur in a New York City street confrontation.
Oldman said that Gibson "got drunk and said a few things, but we've all said those things. We're all (expletive) hypocrites." He said he didn't blame Baldwin for using the slur because somebody bothered him.

"Mel Gibson is in a town that's run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he's actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him, and doesn't need to feed him anymore because he's got enough dough," Oldman said in the interview.
In his later letter, first reported by the industry website Deadline.com, Oldman wrote, "I hope you will know that this apology is heartfelt, genuine, and that I have an enormous personal affinity for the Jewish people in general, and those specifically in my life."

Oldman's Playboy comments had drawn a sharp response from Jewish leaders.

"Gary Oldman wants Jews to 'get over' what Mel Gibson said. But what Gibson said, was the slogan that Adolf Hitler used to murder six million Jews," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "(Oldman's) comment that Hollywood is a town 'run by Jews' has a very familiar sinister ring to it that is the anthem of bigots and anti-Semites everywhere. That has nothing to do with political correctness," Hier said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Douglas Urbanski, Oldman's longtime manager, said in an earlier email to the AP that his client was not defending his fellow actors, despite Oldman's comment in the article that he was indeed defending the actors.

"It simply cannot be read any other way, and to put it any other way is simply cherry picking something, stating it inaccurately, and creating news where there is none," Urbanski said.

He said Oldman was "illustrating the absurd by being absurd."

Oldman stars in the upcoming "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," out July 11. Distributor 20th Century Fox declined to comment on Oldman's Playboy remarks. His other film credits include "The Dark Knight," "Hannibal" and the recent remake of "RoboCop."

Oldman also appears in a TV commercial for the HTC mobile phone company, which sought to distance itself Tuesday from the actor's remarks. "Mr. Oldman's views are his own and do not reflect the views of HTC," the company said in a statement.




“During the expletive-laden Playboy interview, Oldman decried the 'political correctness' that ensnared Gibson and Baldwin. Gibson delivered an anti-Semitic rant in 2006 while being arrested for drunk driving, and he later apologized. Baldwin last year was accused of using an anti-gay slur in a New York City street confrontation. Oldman said that Gibson 'got drunk and said a few things, but we've all said those things. We're all (expletive) hypocrites.'”

I hate to inform him, but we haven't “all” said those things. Too many do, I agree, but by no means all. In this country there is so much hatred against groups that are either non-conformists or of a different race that I fear a pogrom or the rise of a new KKK could happen here without the public standing up to defend the victims. There seems to be little moral unanimity on the things that Oldman called “political correctness.”

That's why the Tea Party has become as powerful as it has. It depresses me deeply. Those people haven't learned any basic good manners and cooperation, and too many of them don't care when people are treated unfairly or even hurt physically. It's no wonder there is so much talk of the “bullying” in the high schools and even on jobs. The “good” people are not standing up for mistreated minorities. Where are the good Samaritans?








Boy, 14, Aims for Selfie With the Queen
By ABC News | Good Morning America 
June 25, 2014

It is not every day you get a chance to see the Queen of England so when you do, the pressure is on to find a way to remember it forever.
For a 14-year-old quick-thinking boy in Belfast, Ireland, that way was to snap a selfie with the very unsuspecting Queen Elizabeth II.

The boy, identified by ITV as Jack Surgenor, was in the crowd while the queen and her husband,Prince Philip, were visiting St. George’s Market in Belfast Tuesday, part of their three-day tour of Northern Ireland.

Jack was one of hundreds in the crowd surrounding the queen as she made her way through the market when he got close enough to hold his iPhone in front of the queen. He then quickly turned around to include himself in the shot, too.
The ITV reporter who captured the moment, royal editor Tim Ewart, described the 88-year-old monarch as appearing “bemused” at the antics of her 14-year-old fan.
The selfie photo was the queen’s second run-in with pop culture that day. Earlier, she and Philip visited the Belfast set where the HBO hit series “Game of Thrones” is filmed.




I don't get HBO, so I don't have a clue what Game of Thrones is about. I did see a bit of this story on the television and the queen was shown politely but with no appreciation viewing the strange-looking metal “throne.” I'm sure I'm really missing a lot by not watching that show, but somehow I'm not worried about it. This boy in question is on the ABC website in front of the queen taking their shared selfie while she did indeed look “bemused.” Just think about it, she has to remain polite no matter what people do. How “selflies” became so popular I don't know. I do remember making one of myself for amusement about ten years ago before it had a name. It was a terrible shot. Like all fads, I'm sure selfies will be forgotten in the passage of time. Queen Elizabeth is a lady, a smart cookie and a good sport. I really like her.




How Connecticut's Change In Autism Coverage Could Make Waves --NPR
by MICHELLE ANDREWS
June 25, 2014

Many families with children who have autism count on their insurance to help pay for expensive, long-term treatment. But a recent bulletin issued by the Connecticut Insurance Department may undermine existing coverage protections, some advocates say, and they are concerned that other states might follow suit.

Autism spectrum disorder affects 1 in 68 children, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The developmental disorder includes a range of conditions that are characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction as well as repetitive behaviors.

In recent years, advocates for people with autism and their families have pushed hard to get better insurance coverage, prompting 37 states and the District of Columbia to pass laws that require insurers to cover autism treatment, according to Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization.

In addition, some advocates look to new policies on mental health coverage to aid families. Until recent years, coverage for mental health conditions was often significantly more limited than coverage for physical ailments. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 required that mental health benefits be covered at least as generously as medical/surgical benefits in large group plans. The Affordable Care Act extended those protections this year to people in individual plans that weren't grandfathered and those offered to small groups.

Advocates, however, are concerned that state actions like those in Connecticut could chip away at hard-won coverage gains. That state has defined autism behavioral therapy as a type of medical benefit not subject to the mental health parity law, a move that allows insurers more latitude to limit the benefits they offer.

"The whole reason you have mental health parity is that mental health conditions were being singled out for discriminatory treatment," says Daniel Unumb, executive director of Autism Speaks' Legal Resource Center. "And that's what we're still facing with autism."

Connecticut is one of the states that mandate coverage for autism spectrum disorders. Among other things, the law requires health plans to cover behavioral therapy: up to $50,000 annually for children younger than age 9, $35,000 for children between 9 and 13 and $25,000 for children age 13 or 14.

The state's coverage mandate applies to insured group and individual plans. Although self-funded plans that pay employees' claims directly rather than buy insurance aren't required to cover behavioral therapy and other treatments spelled out in Connecticut's autism coverage mandate, most do, says Cheryl Hughes, an attorney at human resources consultant Mercer's Washington Resource Group.

Connecticut's changes deal with a part of the federal health law that prohibits plans from imposing annual or lifetime monetary limits on 10 categories of coverage called the essential health benefits. The federal Department of Health and Human Services has said it'spermissible for plans to impose nonmonetary limits, however, restricting the number of physician visits or days in the hospital, for example. Plans can convert those financial coverage limits to visit or unit-of-treatment limits that are actuarially equivalent to the dollar amounts.

While the change shouldn't necessarily result in less generous coverage, experts say the lack of consistency in how plans convert those dollar limits may sow confusion and limit access to care.

For example, the $50,000 limit was converted to 417 hours of care annually by one Connecticut insurer, while another calculated it was equivalent to 150 visits annually, says Katie Keith, director of research at the Trimpa Group, a consultancy that works with autism organizations.

"It will mean a lot of work for families at the front end to understand what they're getting," says Keith.

The conversion inconsistencies might not have mattered except for another wrinkle in Connecticut's approach to autism coverage.

According to the Connecticut bulletin, the state classifies autism behavioral therapy as a habilitative benefit – something that helps people develop or keep skills for daily living – and therefore it is defined as a medical service rather than a mental health service. As such, "they are not considered subject to mental health parity," says Donna Tommelleo, a spokeswoman for the insurance department.

Under the federal health law, states can define the essential health benefits, of which "rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices" is one. The state may be attempting to implement the law's provisions — rather than limiting coverage — by defining autism behavioral treatments as habilitative services.

But Connecticut's interpretation gives insurers the green light to impose the visit and hourly limits that generally wouldn't be permitted under the mental health parity law.

Ohio and the District of Columbia have also defined behavioral therapy as a habilitative benefit, but they have taken a different approach.

For example, the District of Columbia's description of its essential health benefits on its marketplace website, says that "coverage for habilitative services must include applied behavioral analysis (ABA) for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder."

"In [Connecticut's] case, they appear to be doing this to avoid coverage, rather than enhance coverage," says Sara Rosenbaum, a professor at George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services. "The parity rule seems to say you can't play games like this."




Autism affects a larger number of people than I used to think. One in 68 is scary. Now the state of Connecticut seems to be cutting down on the benefits. “A recent bulletin issued by the Connecticut Insurance Department may undermine existing coverage protections, some advocates say, and they are concerned that other states might follow suit.”

“While the change shouldn't necessarily result in less generous coverage, experts say the lack of consistency in how plans convert those dollar limits may sow confusion and limit access to care.... The conversion inconsistencies might not have mattered except for another wrinkle in Connecticut's approach to autism coverage. According to the Connecticut bulletin, the state classifies autism behavioral therapy as a habilitative benefit – something that helps people develop or keep skills for daily living – and therefore it is defined as a medical service rather than a mental health service.”

This is unfair to families with autistic children, as they may have minor symptoms or may be almost uncontrollable, and in need of extensive amounts of care. Why the state of Connecticut would leave the coverage up to the interpretation of the individual insurance company I don't know. People may start suing the state. Maybe the Federal government has some control over how states implement the Affordable Care Act. If I see any more articles about this I will clip them.