PBS shows how hacking is reclaiming its good name after a bad rap (video)

Hacking is still a loaded concept for many, often conjuring negative images of corporate espionage, fraudsters and prank-minded script kiddies. PBS' Off Book wants to remind us that hacking wasn't always seen this way -- and, thanks to modern developments, is mending its reputation. Its latest episode shows that hacking began simply as a desire to advance devices and software beyond their original roles, but was co-opted by a sometimes misunderstanding press that associated the word only with malicious intrusions. Today, hacking has regained more of its original meaning: hackathons, a resurgence of DIY culture and digital protests prove that hacks can improve our gadgets, our security and even our political landscape. We still have a long way to go before we completely escape movie stereotypes, but the mini-documentary may offer food for thought the next time you're installing a custom ROM or building your own VR helmet.

Filed under: Misc, Networking, Internet, Alt

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/31/pbs-explains-how-hacking-is-reclaiming-its-good-name/

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Bushwick's Pet Superette Offers Adorable Cats and Kittens for ...

Adoptable munchkins at Pet Superrete (all photos by Katarina Hybenova for Bushwick Daily)

Have you always dreamt of adopting a cute little munchkin cat but never got around it? Now it?s easier than ever with Pet Superette, a new pet store located on 12 Cypress Ave, you can adopt your kitten right here in Bushwick!??

Pet Superette is a sister store to PS9 Pets on North 9th in Williamsburg and, if you ask us, it?s not just any pet store. Sure, they offer high quality food for your cat, dog, fish, iguana, you name it, and a variety of beds, funny dog outwear, and other pet necessities. Most importantly,?however, is that?they are really engaged in helping street cats and in cat adoption.

Pet Superette has tw kittens and?two adult resident cats who temporarily live in the store and are available for play, foster care or even adoption. Most of the cats are rescues from the Bushwick/Ridgewood area, which is known for a particularly high number of feral cats.?I personally brought in Billy Jean, an adorable skinny kitten born in my backyard, who morphed from a scared cat into a leader of kitten mischief in the store. ?This morning I came in to the store and it looked like they had a party while we were closed,? laughed Dottie Evans, an employee at the store.?Apparently, the kittens managed to rip open a bag of catnip and cat food, and spent the night running around the store, tossing around toys and beds.

Kitten is pretty tired after partying all night on catnip.

In addition to the resident kitties, Pet Superette closely collaborates with a cat rescue organization, Kitty Karetakers that runs a regular adoption day at Per Superette. Every Saturday (not Sundays anymore), the organization brings in cats in cages available for adoption or foster care. Members of Kitty Karetakers are present in the store during the adoption day, and they are also very knowledgeable people to consult if you have any questions regarding feral cats living in your backyard or on your block, affordable spay and neuter programs, etc.

As you can imagine, cat rescue and vet services are not exactly cheap. To support this endeavor, you can donate any amount online or in-person at Pet Superette. Additionally, Kitty Karetakers is a?501(c)(3) not-for-profit no-kill organization, and the donations are tax-deductable.

This one is also pretty sleepy.

?

About Katarina Hybenova

Combination of a writer+photographer, and the founding editor of Bushwick Daily. She can easily be moved by reflection of the sky in a puddle. Yogi, runner, Buddhist.

Source: http://bushwickdaily.com/2013/03/bushwicks-pet-superette-offers-adorable-cats-and-kittens-for-adoptions/

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Keep police business off Facebook, NYPD tells cops

Tom Hays , The Associated Press ? ? ? 1 day

The New York Police Department has begun policing how its officers use Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

An internal order made public on Thursday advises members of the nation's largest police department to be careful with what they reveal online ? even urging them not to disclose that they're on the force.

Officers "are to exercise good judgment and demonstrate professionalism expected of them while performing their official duties," the memo says. It also warns that "personal social media sites may be used against them to undermine the credibility of the department, interfere with official police business, compromise ongoing investigations and affect their employment status."

The guidelines bar officers from posting photos of themselves in uniform ? with the exception of those taken at promotion or awards ceremonies ? unless they have permission from the department. Officers could face discipline if they don't comply.

Police officials said the policy has been in the works for about two years, and arose out of concern that police officers' online postings could embarrass the NYPD or be misinterpreted as official police policy. The department punished more than a dozen officers after they made degrading remarks about revelers at the West Indian Day Parade in 2011.

"We believe these guidelines are reasonable and make sense," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Thursday.

The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, which represents 23,000 police officers, declined comment. In the past, the union has cautioned its members about what they post and who they interact with on the Internet.

The NYPD edict prohibits the posting on personal websites of crime scene photos or witness statements. It also bars officers from using social media to contact witnesses, crime victims or lawyers involved in pending cases, or to contact minors who aren't part of their families.

"Such communications may be deemed inappropriate or unethical and may jeopardize an ongoing investigation," it says.

The adoption of guidelines was first reported in the Daily News.

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a241b59/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Ckeep0Epolice0Ebusiness0Efacebook0Enypd0Etells0Ecops0E1C9143650A/story01.htm

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Pain-Topics.org News/Research UPDATES: CAM Exercises Aid ...

Within the scope of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), a number of exercise modalities ? such as tai chi, qigong, yoga, and lesser-known movement therapies ? have been studied as aiding persons with fibromyalgia. A meta-analysis of the current research literature found some evidence for the beneficial effects of these exercise types, with tai chi appearing to be most favorable.

Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 15 million persons in the United States alone, a majority are female, and diminished aerobic fitness and poor physical function in afflicted patients have been well documented. Exercise has been strongly recommended as an adjunct to medication therapy for fibromyalgia, but traditional forms of strenuous aerobic, stretching, and strength-building exercise often appear to have limited benefits for reducing pain while improving function, and patient discontinuation rates are sometimes unacceptably high.

In view of these concerns, Scott Mist and colleagues at the Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, conducted a systematic research review and meta-analysis of land-based CAM exercise therapies that have been increasing adopted by patients with fibromyalgia, including: qigong, tai chi, yoga, and several less familiar movement therapies [Mist et al. 2013]. For purposes of their review, the following definitions were used:

1. Exercise was defined as ?planned, structured physical activity whose goal is to improve one or more of the major components of fitness ? aerobic capacity, strength, flexibility, or balance.? (Studies of exercise therapies conducted in water were excluded in this review.)
2. CAM was defined as ?a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine.? (CAM approaches involving low levels of exertion, such as brief yoga with an emphasis on mindfulness or breathing, were excluded.)

Their search discovered 16 qualifying studies; 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 6 of a more observational nature in design. In total, 832 patients with fibromyalgia participated, with 490 allocated to CAM exercise interventions. The mean sample size in the studies was 52 (range 6?128 participants), and the median retention rate in all studies was 81%. The researchers noted that the studies were largely conducted in middle-aged women, but demographics summary data were not provided in the report. Overall, the strength of the included studies was rated as moderate-to-low.

The primary outcome endpoint of interest was FIQ total scores or FIQ pain scores, converted to standardized mean differences (ie, Cohen?s d) as measures of effect size [interpreting effect sizes was discussed in an UPDATE here]. The FIQ (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire) is a widely used, self-administered, 20-question tool for assessing the current health (ie, physical function, pain, other symptoms) of patients with fibromyalgia in clinical and research settings [more info on FIQ here].

Writing in the March 2013 online edition of the Journal of Pain Research, Mist et al. report the following results [data adapted from tables in the report]:

• Six studies of tai chi demonstrated a pooled, large-sized effect = 1.14 (95% Confidence Interval, 0.88?1.39; P<0.001). Only 1 of the 6 studies did not achieve statistical significance and the remaining 5 were of good size with narrow confidence intervals, all of which suggest a reasonably strong level of evidence.
• There were 3 studies of yoga, with a pooled, moderate-sized effect = 0.45 (95% CI, 0.12?0.76; P=0.005). Only 2 of the 3 studies were statistically significant.
• Qigong was examined in 6 studies and there was a pooled, moderate-sized effect = 0.47 (95% CI, 0.25?0.69; P<0.001). However, only half of the individual studies achieved statistical significance and the outcomes overall varied extensively from each other, with wide confidence intervals (ie, the studies were highly heterogenous).
• Individual trials also were reported for the following modalities (with effect size, 95% CI, P-value): Pilates (0.77, 0.19?1.35, P=0.009); BMP, or Body Movement and Perception therapy (2.25, 1.67?2.84, P<0.001); Biodanza (3.92, 3.05?4.80, P<0.001). All 3 modalities exhibited large, statistically significant effect sizes, with relatively narrow confidence intervals; however, these were single trials of each modality needing replication for further confirmation.

  NOTE: The individual trials itemized above add up to more than 16 in total because some studies examined more than one modality. Pilates involves nonimpact strength, flexibility, and breathing exercises. Body Movement and Perception (or, Ress?guier) is based on selected low-impact gymnastic movements integrated with postural exercises. Biodanza, or ?life dance,? most often uses dance and related movements to optimize self-development and deepen self-awareness.

According to the researchers, only 2 participants reported any adverse effects (increased shoulder pain and plantar fasciitis), and none of the studies found any serious adverse events. Therefore, given the lack of negative effects, and the medium-to-high effects sizes for pain reduction and other benefits, Mist and colleagues state, ?there is little risk in recommending these modalities as a critical component in a multimodal treatment plan, which is often required for fibromyalgia management.?

COMMENTARY: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses can be robust methods for establishing the quality and strength of evidence for pain management therapies. An understanding of these statistical methods was discussed in an UPDATE article [here].

In this meta-analysis by Mist et al., the modality with the best data profile and largest effect size ? suggesting a higher level of strongly favorable evidence ? was tai chi. Second choice would be qigong (albeit the data were somewhat inconsistent), and yoga would be third. The other 3 modalities appear to have promise, but they were solitary trials, so the reliability and strength of evidence cannot be determined. [Note: the Mist et al. article is open access, allowing interested readers to download and examine the forest plots and other data for themselves. See link in the reference below.]

The generally small sample sizes in the included studies (mean n=52) and predominance of middle-aged female subjects limits the statistical power and generalizability of study outcomes to other clinical populations. Another limitation, noted by the researchers, was that only a single interventionist (ie, exercise instructor) was involved in each of the trials. It is possible that a skilled, caring, and/or charismatic instructor in some trials, but not others, might have influenced beneficial outcomes.

The researchers write that all but 2 studies report positive outcomes; however, the study outcomes data indicate that only 1 of the studies was negative (ie, effect size = ?0.42 in a study of qigong). Furthermore, while the rest of the data point-estimates were indeed positive (ie, point effect size estimates >0.0) a third of them (5/15) were statistically non-significant, which might temper enthusiasm regarding the strength of the evidence overall.

Prior Pain-Topics UPDATES have discussed exercise modalities ? including tai chi and, most commonly, yoga ? as benefitting various acute and chronic pain conditions [series here]. More specifically, a study by Wang et al. reported in 2010 [UPDATE here] found that tai chi afforded significant relief from muscle pain, better sleep, and a higher quality of life with less depression in persons with fibromyalgia (this study also was included in the meta-analysis by Mist et al.).

It is of some concern that most of the trials in the meta-analysis by Mist and colleagues, no matter how small the number of subjects, used multiple assessment instruments for detecting numerous endpoints. This increases the chances that at least some positive statistically significant results might be produced; however, it also increases the risk of Type I error, or finding significant results due to random chance alone (ie, false positives). Mist et al. were wise to focus only on one measure ? FIQ scores ? even though this might have limited the scope of potentially beneficial therapeutic effects that could be assessed and discussed in their report.

Meta-analyses in most areas of pain research also highlight the problem of studies examining the same topic using different patient-selection criteria, disparate outcome measures, and other methodological variations. This sort of inconsistency challenges the validity of combing data from the different studies in aggregated, or pooled, estimates of effect size. In fact, Mist et al. noted that there ?was a significant amount of heterogeneity? across the studies they examined [particularly evident in the analysis of qigong] and, while they did not report calculating tests of heterogeneity, they did appropriately use random-effects modeling in their pooling of data.

As often is the case, Mist and colleagues advise that there is a need for large, meticulously designed and rigorously executed trials with active parallel arms ? such as comparing traditional aerobic exercise with a CAM-oriented approach ? to extend this body of evidence. However, it could be a many years before such studies are conducted and, then, it is questionable whether they will use methodologies that are statistically comparable to earlier trials. Clinical research is sometimes a very ?messy business.?

REFERENCE: Mist SD, Firestone KA, Jones KD. Complementary and alternative exercise for fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis. J Pain Res. 2013;6:247-260 [available here].

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Source: http://updates.pain-topics.org/2013/03/cam-exercises-aid-fibromyalgia-meta.html

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Sweet 16 for FGCU Eagles: Will 'dunk city' see long-term benefits?

The FGCU Eagles have found their way into the Sweet 16, putting the tiny, new college on the map. As they gear up to face the Gators in their Sweet 16 matchup, will their success yield lasting benefits?

By Schuyler Velasco,?Staff writer / March 28, 2013

Sherwood Brown (25) of Florida Gulf Coast University drives past and shoots over Georgetown's Jabril Trawick (55) and Georgetown's D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (4) during the first round of the NCAA tournament last week in Philadelphia.

Michael Perez/AP/File

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There are Cinderella teams. And then there are the FGCU Eagles, who are gearing up to face the University of Florida Gators Friday night at 10 p.m. on TBS.

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By its very nature, the NCAA tournament, a 68-team, single-elimination free-for-all, has seen its fair share of unlikely squads making deep runs, thrusting their home schools suddenly into the national consciousness. Butler, George Mason, and VCU are a few recent examples.

But before last Friday, it was a safe bet that most Floridians didn?t know where Florida Gulf Coast University was, let alone most Americans. That changed over the weekend, when the Eagles, in only their second season as a Division I basketball program, rattled off decisive victories against No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7-seed San Diego state, respectively, to become the first 15-seed ever to make it to the Sweet 16. Their rise caught everyone by surprise.

Really, everyone. Nearly 8.2 million NCAA brackets were submitted last week to ESPN?s Tournament Challenge; After the first round, there wasn?t a single perfect bracket left, thanks in large part to the Fort Myers upstarts.?

The New York Times repeatedly called the school ?Gulf Coast College? in a recap of the Friday win over Georgetown; Sunday, San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher called the team that defeated his Aztecs ?Florida State? (though he may have been joking). LeBron James congratulated the team on Twitter, but called the school "Florida Golf Coast" (incorrect, but not totally inaccurate. The school offers a "Golf Management" major). When asked by NPR where FGCU is, and how big it is, Tampa Bay Times journalist John Woodrow Cox replied, ?I didn?t know the answer to any of those questions until Friday.?

Millions of people know the answer to those questions now. Financially, that means a boost for the basketball program that could have lasting benefits for the young college.?

FGCU?s tournament success won?t yield huge bucks directly, especially by the standards of major Division I college sports. Part of the reason: Their winnings have to be shared equally with the other eight members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. If the Eagles lose to the Gators on Friday, they will have played three games in this year?s tournament, earning a $250,000 payout for each, says Victor Matheson, a sports economist and professor at The College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Mass. ?They get those three tournament shares every year for six years. That?s $3 million in the pocket of the Atlantic Sun Conference, when normally, they get their one automatic bid [and $250,000] every year and that?s it.??

It won?t be exactly rolling in for head coach Andy Enfield, either. Mr. Enfield?s salary from FGCU is a respectable $157,000. According to ESPN?s Daren Rovell, Enfield got an additional $5,000 bonus for making the tournament, a $10,000 bonus for making the round 16, and would make another $25,000 for winning the entire thing.

Compared to the high end of the college coaching pay scale, that?s tiny potatoes: John Calipari, last year?s tournament winner with Kentucky, made $100,000 for making the Sweet 16, $150,00 for making the Final Four, and another $350,000 for winning the title, all on top of his then-$3.8 million annual base salary.?

But a successful basketball program can yield more intangible benefits for universities in terms of revenue, recruitment, and alumni relations. For one, the NCAA tournament is all upside for participating teams, which don?t have to pay for travel expenses or sell tickets. That?s not true of college football?s bowl system, which requires teams to buy up hotel rooms and eat the cost of any unsold tickets, a huge problem for small schools forced to travel far for a postseason berth.

The TV contracts for March Madness are worth about $600 million annually, Mr. Matheson says, and allows the league to pay teams? expenses from the tournament, as well as fund ?every team in every sport across all divisions."

FGCU is enjoying a meteoric boost in visibility and school spirit, at least for now. The school?s athletics website crashed under the weight of unprecedented traffic over the weekend, and much of the school apparel sold online was back-ordered. AP reported phone lines jammed with people seeking tickets to Friday?s game.

It will definitely help the Eagles in Florida?s tough athletic recruiting landscape: The University of Florida, Florida State, and the University of Miami are among the most storied college sports programs in the country, so any little bit of spotlight helps. Academically, the advantages are less clear.

After its 2011 Final Four appearance, Butler saw its application rates jump 41 percent. FGCU, which culls 92 percent of its students from Florida, could see a similar jump and a more varied pool of applicants, though Matheson warns. ?You may get a lot more shoppers but no more buyers, and you may not get any better students. Those who would choose based on that probably aren?t? better students.

There?s some evidence that sports success increases alumni giving, and FGCU has everything to gain in that department: The school has only been up and running since 1997, and its annual endowment is around $50 million (UF?s, meanwhile, is about $1.3 billion). But Matheson warns that donations inspired by the basketball program will probably end up there, and won?t result in any extra money for academics.

Still, he says, athletics are a good way for small colleges like FGCU to build an identity and better reach out to their student body and the community at large. At the very least, the Eagles? high-flying tournament run, full of dancing, dunks, and decisive victories, have given the school and the city of Fort Myers a personality that, to the rest of the nation, looks like a whole lot of fun. Indeed, Fort Myers has fully embraced the Eagles, even putting #dunkcity below the city's name on every page of its tourism website, cityftmyers.com.?

Coach Enfield, meanwhile, can probably expect a pay raise. According to naplesnews.com, FGCU officials have already met to discuss doubling his salary, and his name is being bandied about for the vacant head coaching job at UCLA.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/IJS29H35ZYE/Sweet-16-for-FGCU-Eagles-Will-dunk-city-see-long-term-benefits

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Sports Minister Commends CARIFTA Team | Bernews.com

The Minister of Community and Cultural Development Wayne Scott said he would like to commend the Bermuda CARIFTA team and officials as they head to the 2013 Lime CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas and the CARFITA Swimming Championships in Kingston, Jamaica from March 30 ? April 2nd.

?Bermuda?s athletes performed wonderfully at the 2012 CARIFTA Games in front of the home crowd but I am hoping our team will rekindle that spirit in the Bahamas and Jamaica and reach new heights of success,? Minister Scott said.

He added: ?We have assembled a super team of young men and women who are more than capable of rising to the occasion and demonstrating once again Bermuda has what it takes to be an exceptional leader in sports.?

Minister Scott and Director of Youth Sport & Recreation Mr. Norbert Simons will be attending the CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas for the track and field events and the Swimming Championships in Jamaica. They will be among our local supporters cheering on the Bermuda team as they contend to be among the medal winners.

Read More About: CARIFTA Games

Category: All, Sports

Source: http://bernews.com/2013/03/sports-minister-commends-carifta-team/

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Scorsese developing 'Gangs of New York' TV series

NEW YORK (AP) ? Martin Scorsese is developing a TV series based on his 2002 film "Gangs of New York."

The director is partnering with Miramax, which released the Oscar-nominated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis. The planned show doesn't yet have a TV network.

The series expands on the brutal, 19th-century New York gang world of the film. Miramax says the series will chronicle the birth of organized crime in not just New York but also in cities such as Chicago and New Orleans.

In a statement Thursday, Scorsese says the era was too rich to fully explore in a two-hour film. He says the series "allows us the time and creative freedom to bring this colorful world, and all the implications it had and still does on our society, to life."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scorsese-developing-gangs-york-tv-series-213747590.html

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Navy SEAL dies in training accident

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? A Navy SEAL has died and another was injured when they collided in midair during parachute training in southern Arizona, authorities said.

The Department of Defense said an E-8 senior chief was taken to University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, where he was pronounced dead. The other SEAL ? a E-6 petty officer first class ? was in stable condition at the same hospital, military officials said Friday.

U.S. Special Operations Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw said the SEALs were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon. Authorities said they collided in midair and landed in separate areas.

The command has a parachute testing and training facility at the Pinal Airpark in Marana, according to McGraw, who added that training programs are operated there year-round.

The area is in rugged desert terrain northeast of Tucson.

The names of the two SEALs, both from an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit, weren't immediately released and military officials said the accident was under investigation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-navy-seal-dead-ariz-parachuting-accident-202709095.html

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Children with sleep apnea have higher risk of behavioral, adaptive and learning problems

Mar. 29, 2013 ? A new study found that obstructive sleep apnea, a common form of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), is associated with increased rates of ADHD-like behavioral problems in children as well as other adaptive and learning problems.

"This study provides some helpful information for medical professionals consulting with parents about treatment options for children with SDB that, although it may remit, there are considerable behavioral risks associated with continued SDB," said Michelle Perfect, PhD, the study's lead author and assistant professor in the school psychology program in the department of disability and psychoeducational studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "School personnel should also consider the possibility that SDB contributes to difficulties with hyperactivity, learning and behavioral and emotional dysregulation in the classroom."

The five-year study, which appears in the April issue of the journal SLEEP, utilized data from a longitudinal cohort, the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea Study (TuCASA). The TuCASA study prospectively examined Hispanic and Caucasian children between 6 and 11 years of age to determine the prevalence and incidence of SDB and its effects on neurobehavioral functioning. The study involved 263 children who completed an overnight sleep study and a neurobehavioral battery of assessments that included parent and youth reported rating scales.

Results show that 23 children had incident sleep apnea that developed during the study period, and 21 children had persistent sleep apnea throughout the entire study. Another 41 children who initially had sleep apnea no longer had breathing problems during sleep at the five-year follow-up.

The odds of having behavioral problems were four to five times higher in children with incident sleep apnea and six times higher in children who had persistent sleep apnea. Compared to youth who never had SDB, children with sleep apnea were more likely to have parent-reported problems in the areas of hyperactivity, attention, disruptive behaviors, communication, social competency and self-care. Children with persistent sleep apnea also were seven times more likely to have parent-reported learning problems and three times more likely to have school grades of C or lower.

The authors report that this is the first sleep-related study to use a standardized questionnaire to assess adaptive functioning in typically developing youth with and without SDB.

"Even though SDB appears to decline into adolescence, taking a wait and see approach is risky and families and clinicians alike should identify potential treatments," said Perfect.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Michelle M. Perfect, Kristen Archbold, James L. Goodwin, Deborah Levine-Donnerstein, Stuart F. Quan. Risk of Behavioral and Adaptive Functioning Difficulties in Youth with Previous and Current Sleep Disordered Breathing. SLEEP, 2013; DOI: 10.5665/sleep.2536

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/ixobQhrv17k/130329161243.htm

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Adoptable Pets of the Week | EllenTV.com

JULIA

Do you have a home for this brave mama cat? Poor Julia was left out on her own when she was pregnant and sick, but thank goodness, a nice woman realized what a friendly cat she is and took her in.

Once her kittens were old enough to be on their own, Julia came to Best Friends. Born in 2011, she is still pretty young herself. She is very sweet and will run up to you for attention. She also gets along well with other cats.

Julia's kittens have all found homes. May she have her turn?

?

OLIVIA

A friend waiting to happen

Born in January of 2012, Olivia just celebrated her first birthday and her arrival at Best Friends! She was a young mother and was found with a litter of pups on a ranch in Arizona before a rescue group from Nevada brought them to the Sanctuary.

Olivia is a Shepherd/Heeler mix and is very curious and friendly. She really likes spending one-on-one time with her favorite people, though she also does great with other dogs (and is even fine with cats)!

This super-sweet and loyal dog has excellent friend potential, and she would love to meet you!

Best Friends adopts to all of the United States and Canada. Please contact Best Friends Animal Society right here. See all the animals that need homes... at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Source: http://www.ellentv.com/2013/03/29/adoptable-pets-of-the-week/

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Azeri election monitor under attack, rights worries grow

By Lada Evgrashina and Margarita Antidze

BAKU (Reuters) - Azerbaijan said on Friday it was investigating a U.S. vote-monitoring group for fraud ahead of presidential elections in October that are expected to extend President Ilham Aliyev's decade in power in the former Soviet republic.

Mainly Muslim Azerbaijan has been governed by Aliyev since he succeeded his father in 2003. It has been courted by the West because of its role as an alternative to Russia in supplying oil and gas to Europe.

But international rights groups have accused the government of muzzling dissent and jailing opponents - charges it denies.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has closed its Azeri office several times under pressure from officials, and government critics said Friday's move against it was aimed at silencing it as an independent voice ahead of the election.

The Azeri prosecutor's office said in a statement that the NDI was "distributing grants without a special registration" and that $1 million had been withdrawn from the bank account of the NDI head in Baku, Alex Grigorievs.

Grigorievs, who is currently in the United States, denied the charges, saying the NDI was "fully transparent" and working in compliance with the law when the allegations were published in a local online publication earlier this month.

"Suggestions that NDI is involved in any other activities are completely false," he wrote on his Facebook page.

The U.S. Embassy in Baku did not comment on the allegations but stressed the NDI was working to help "support Azerbaijan's civil society engagement and democratic development."

The Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, Nils Muiznieks, said earlier this month that Azerbaijan must uphold European human rights standards and move from promises to real promotion of basic freedoms.

Police fired water cannon and rubber bullets on March 10 to disperse a crowd demonstrating against violence in the military in the capital, Baku, and detained dozens of protesters.

Last week, a court sentenced Avaz Zeynally, editor of the Khural daily, to nine years in prison for extortion, a charge he says is a baseless government reprisal for a story criticizing senior officials.

"Azeri officials are trying to secure loyalty from international organizations by putting pressure on them, but it's a bad scenario," Anar Mamedly, the head of a Baku-based election monitoring body which has been consistently critical of the government, told Reuters.

NDI has maintained an office in Azerbaijan on and off since 1996. Its current operations date back to September 2011.

In another move that puts pressure on vote monitors, Azerbaijan has proposed downgrading the mandate of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has criticized the democratic credential of ballots in the country since it opened its offices in 2000.

The government suggested limiting the mission of the OSCE to the level of "project coordinator", according to a letter signed by the Azeri Foreign Minister earlier this month. The OSCE declined to comment on the proposal.

(Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel and Patrick Graham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/azeri-election-monitor-under-attack-rights-worries-grow-185302199.html

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Lunar cycle determines hunting behavior of nocturnal gulls

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Zooplankton, small fish and squid spend hardly any time at the surface when there's a full moon. To protect themselves from their natural enemies, they hide deeper down in the water on bright nights, coming up to the surface under cover of darkness when there's a new moon instead.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell discovered that this also influences the behaviour of swallow-tailed gulls (Creagrus furcatus), a unique nocturnal species of gull from the Galapagos Islands. They fitted the birds with loggers and wet/dry sensors which enabled them to see how much time the animals spent at sea at night. Their findings show that the birds' activity was greatest at new moon, in other words the time when the most prey was gathered at the surface of the water. The cycle of the moon therefore also influences the behaviour of seabirds.

The lunar cycle controls the behaviour of various animal species: owls, swallows and bats, for example, align their activity with the phase of the moon to maximise their hunting success. However, marine life is also affected by the moon. Many species of fish hide from their enemies in the depths of the sea during the daytime and only come up to the water's surface in the dark. Known as vertical migration, this phenomenon is additionally influenced by the lunar cycle. The fish thereby avoid swimming on the water's surface at full moon where they would be easy prey. Vertical migration is thus restricted on brighter nights and the animals remain at greater depths. At new moon, on the other hand, the organisms become active and migrate to the surface.

Yet also in the dark of night hunters lie in wait for them ? for instance the swallow-tailed gull Creagrus furcatus from the Galapagos Islands. With eyes that are well adapted to the dark, the gull can see fish below the water's surface even in low light conditions and so does not need the moon as a source of light. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology therefore wanted to find out what effect the lunar cycle had on the hunting behaviour of the gulls.

To this effect, they attached loggers with sensors to 37 birds, which enabled the scientists to measure where, when and how long the animals were in the water. "The gulls fly off to hunt on the open sea and plunge down to the water's surface to snatch squid or small fish," explains Martin Wikelski from the Max Planck Institute in Radolfzell. "From the contact time of the sensors with the water, we were able to conclude in which nights of the month the gulls were particularly active." The behaviour of each bird was recorded for 120 days on average in order to take in several moon phases.

The birds followed the lunar cycles strictly: at new moon the gulls were in the water particularly often. When the nights were very bright, the birds tended to stay on dry land instead. "For the swallow-tailed gulls it makes sense to be guided by the lunar cycle in their hunting, because, with a diving depth of no more than one metre, the prey is quickly beyond their reach on nights with a full moon," says Wikelski.

To facilitate their night-time hunting, swallow-tailed gulls have evolved light-sensitive eyes that are particularly well adapted to the dark nights at sea. They have also lost their melatonin rhythm ? an important clock that regulates sleep ? enabling the swallow-tailed gulls to occupy a new and unique ecological niche.

###

Sebastian M. Cruz, Mevin Hooten, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Carolina B. Proano, David J. Anderson, Vsevolod Afanasyev, Martin Wikelski

At?Sea Behavior Varies with Lunar Phase in a Nocturnal Pelagic Seabird, the Swallow-Tailed Gull

PLoS ONE 8(2): e56889. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056889

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de

Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 53 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127501/Lunar_cycle_determines_hunting_behavior_of_nocturnal_gulls

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Little Cyprus thumbs its nose at EU 'bullies'

Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Two men walk in the old city of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man walks past graffiti in capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A Greek Cypriot soldier walks at the old town of the capital Nicosia, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man with shopping bags and a tourist pass at the old city the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Private security officers stand at a main door of a bank as people wait outside of a cooperative bank in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on Friday, March 29, 2013. Banks in Cyprus are open for normal business for the second day, but with strict restrictions on how much money their clients can access, after being shut for nearly two weeks to prevent people from draining their accounts as the country's politicians sought a way out of an acute financial crisis. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? The moment word broke that Cypriot lawmakers in Parliament had voted down a bailout deal that would have raided everyone's savings to prop up a collapsing banking sector, a huge cheer rose up from hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside that echoed through the building's corridors.

Many relished it as a kind of David-against-Goliath moment ? a country of barely a million people standing up to the will of Europe's behemoths who wanted it to swallow a very bitter pill to fix its broken-down economy.

"Shame on Europe for trying to snatch people's savings. It's a mistaken decision that will have repercussions on other economies and banking systems," said protester Panayiotis Violettis. "People have stopped trusting the EU which should be our protector."

Fighting back is not a new experience for Cypriots. From the 1950s guerrilla war against British rule to Greek Cypriots' defiant refusal in 2004 to accept a U.N.-backed peace plan to reunite the island, they are used to holding their own against big opponents.

Just as quickly as Cyprus' euro area partners decided that a deposit grab was the only way out, so Cypriots decided their tiny island was ground zero in Europe's new financial scorched earth policy and that it had to be resisted at all costs.

"Better die on your feet than live on your knees," one placard among the throngs of protesters read. Another said: "It starts with us, it ends with you" as a warning to other Europeans that their savings were no longer safe.

Politicians seized on the public mood. "This is another form of colonization," Greens lawmaker Giorgos Perdikis spouted in Parliament. "We won't allow passage of something that essentially subjugates the Cypriot people for many, many generations.

"Unfortunately, instead of support and solidarity, our partners offered blackmail and bitterness," said Parliamentary Speaker Yiannakis Omirou. The indignant leader of the country's Orthodox Christian Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos II, added: "This isn't the Europe that we believed in when we joined. We believed we would receive some kind of help, some support."

The country's foreign minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, even acknowledged that Cypriot negotiators had contemplated exiting the euro instead of accepting their euro area partners' terms.

In the end, Cyprus accepted a deal that would safeguard small savers but where depositors with more than 100,000 euros in the country's two most troubled banks would lose a big chunk of their money.

Nonetheless, Europe was stunned at the sheer brazenness. How could a pipsqueak country on Europe's fringes thumb its nose to continental juggernauts Germany and France and dare to turn down a deal meant to save it from economic chaos?

It's not the first time the country has pushed back in defiance, even against what many would consider as insurmountable odds. The island's majority Greek Cypriots fought former colonial ruler Britain to a draw in a four-year guerrilla campaign in the 1950s that aimed for union with Greece. That conflict ended in the country's independence in 1960.

Just 14 years later, a Turkish invasion prompted by an abortive coup by supporters of union with Greece resulted in the island's division into an internationally recognized, Greek-speaking south and a breakaway, Turkish-speaking north.

The invasion and its fallout remains an existential matter in the minds of Cypriots and it still informs many of the political and economic decisions the country and its people make.

"Greek Cypriots lost nearly everything during the 1974 invasion," said University of Cyprus History Professor Petros Papapolyviou. "So they reason, what else do we have to lose? Why accept another injustice?"

In 2004, Greek Cypriots again defied international expectations when they voted down a United Nations-backed reunification plan they believed was unfairly weighted against them.

A few days later, the island joined the European Union and some EU leaders were left fuming at what they saw as Greek Cypriot deceit for promising to sign up to a peace deal in exchange for EU membership.

Nearly a decade later and European acrimony at the Cypriot "no" hasn't entirely dissipated. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaueble told the Sunday edition of German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that "Cyprus was admitted to the EU in hopes that the plan of then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to overcome the (island's) divide would be honored."

"I interpret (that) as indicating a sense of vindictiveness rather than rational, result-oriented thinking." said University of Cyprus Associate Professor Yiannis Papadakis.

Were the tough bailout terms some sort of belated punishment? Whether that's true or not, such notions only feed a Cypriot proclivity for conspiracy theories. As in other small, insular societies, threats ? real or imagined ? sharpen a sense of collective victimhood.

Papadakis said Cypriots see their political culture as underpinned by personal relationships. Hence their reference to "friends" instead of "allies," which implies a more pragmatic relationship.

"That's why Greek Cypriots often complain of a 'betrayal from our friends'," he said. But it's wrong for the EU to foist all the blame on Cypriots when things go awry, Papadakis added.

"I believe that the rest of the EU has made a large share of mistakes during this arduous process."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-Defiant%20Cyprus/id-754f946538bb4441803bc67a2ee5b359

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IRS Expands Law Enforcement Assistance Program On Identity ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The Internal Revenue Service today announced a nationwide expansion of the program designed to help law enforcement obtain tax return data vital to their local efforts in investigating and prosecuting specific cases of identity theft.

More than 1,560 waiver requests have been received since the Law Enforcement Assistance Program?s inception from over 100 state and local law enforcement agencies in the nine states participating in the pilot. The expansion covers all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and will be effective Friday, March 29.

?The results of the pilot illustrate that this works as an innovative tool for law enforcement to help pursue tough identity theft situations,? said IRS Acting Commissioner Steven T. Miller. ?This program is an effective way for law enforcement to work with the IRS to pursue identity thieves and protect taxpayers. Expanding the program and making it permanent on a nationwide basis makes sense for victims as well as law enforcement and tax administration.?

The IRS also announced today continued progress on several areas involving identity theft, including resolution of more victim cases and continued emphasis on criminal investigations.

Since the start of 2013, the IRS has worked with victims to resolve and close more than 200,000 cases. This is in addition to the expanded Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) pilot, an initiative to protect victims with previously confirmed cases of identity theft by creating an additional layer of security on these accounts.

The IRS has issued more than 770,000 IP PINs to identity theft victims at the start of this tax filing season.

Since October, there have been more than 670 criminal identity theft investigations opened. The criminals being sentenced are spending an average of four years in custody with sentences as long as 20 years.

?The IRS continues to aggressively work identity theft issues on multiple fronts, focusing on helping victims of this terrible crime and pursuing the perpetrators across the nation,? Miller said. ?The pilot expansion will help these efforts.?

After an initial, successful pilot that started in Florida last April, the IRS expanded the program to eight additional states in October 2012. Together, the nine states represented a large percentage of the overall identity theft refund fraud seen by the IRS. In addition to the initial state of Florida, the pilot program expanded to include Alabama, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Like the pilot program, state and local law enforcement officials with evidence of identity theft involving fraudulently filed federal tax returns will receive permission from the identity theft victim by having them complete a special IRS disclosure form so the IRS can provide law enforcement with the fraudulently filed tax return. Law enforcement officials will need to contact the identity theft victims to request and secure the victims? consent for disclosure of the records. As previously, the IRS will assist law enforcement in locating taxpayers and soliciting their consent.

Law enforcement representatives can then submit a disclosure authorization form, which the IRS created solely for use by victims of identity theft for program, to the Criminal Investigation (CI) Division of the IRS, along with a copy of the police report and the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit if available. It is important that identity theft victims still submit the original copy of the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit to the IRS according to the instructions on the back of the form that fit their specific circumstances.

Federal law imposes restrictions on sharing of taxpayer information, including information that can be shared with state and local law enforcement. This IRS program allows taxpayers the option to permit information to be shared with state and local law enforcement specifically to assist law enforcement officials with their efforts in pursuing identity thieves. The IRS will process the disclosure forms received and forward the documentation to the law enforcement officer who requested the documents. The documents will not be sent directly to the taxpayer. However, the IRS will continue to work directly with taxpayers to resolve their tax accounts as quickly as possible.

Law enforcement interested in working with the IRS should contact their local IRS Criminal Investigation field office.

This January, the IRS also conducted a coordinated and highly successful identity theft enforcement sweep. The coast-to-coast effort against identity theft suspects led to 734 enforcement actions in January, including 298 indictments, informations, complaints and arrests. The effort comes on top of a growing identity theft effort that led to 2,400 other enforcement actions against identity thieves during fiscal year 2012.

?The IRS and its law enforcement partners at the federal, state and local level are going after the perpetrators of these crimes, and people are going to jail for a long time as a result,? Miller said.

The IRS has a comprehensive and aggressive identity theft strategy employing a three-pronged effort focusing on fraud prevention, early detection and victim assistance. The agency is continually reviewing processes and policies to ensure that we are doing everything possible to minimize identity theft incidents, to help those victimized by it and to investigate those who are committing the crimes.

In fiscal 2012, the IRS prevented the issuance of more than $20 billion in fraudulent refunds ? up from $14 billion the year before. IRS efforts stopped 5 million suspicious returns in 2012 ? up from 3 million suspicious returns stopped in 2011.

Taxpayers looking for additional information can consult the Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft or the IRS Identity Theft Protection page on the IRS website.

Source: http://njtoday.net/2013/03/28/irs-expands-law-enforcement-assistance-program-on-identity-theft-to-50-states/

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Hollywood Group Kills Hundreds of ?Pirate? TV and Movie Streaming ...

Hollywood Group Kills Hundreds of ?Pirate? TV and Movie Streaming Sites

The popular movie and TV streaming script TVstreamScript has shut down ?voluntarily? following pressure from movie industry group FACT. The script was used by hundreds of streaming sites, which have all been rendered useless overnight. FACT tells TorrentFreak that convincing site owners to sign over their domains is one of the strategies they use to tackle online piracy.

With broadband connections becoming more prevalent, movie and TV streaming sites have become a growing problem for copyright holders.

These streaming sites come in all shapes and sizes, and there are scripts on the market that allow anyone to set up their own streaming index in just a few minutes.

TVstreamScript is one of these options and hundreds of sites, mostly smaller ones, run on this software. The script costs $99 for a basic one domain license and buyers can expand their sites with plugins or buy themes to make it more unique.

A TVstreamScript demo site

However, yesterday, TVstreamScript shut down following pressure from Hollywood-backed UK anti-piracy group FACT. The site owner voluntarily signed over the TVstreamScript.com domain to FACT and it?s currently redirecting to a parked page.

As a result, hundreds of streaming sites that relied on the script have become unusable.

Tvsuperstream.com, Infinityshows.com, Cinesheet.com, Streamflix.org, Whatchon.me, Seriesvk.com, Yeahstream.com, Canaltv.ru, Tvshows2k.com, Watchtvstream.com, Online24tv.com, Movifan.net and Tvdrot.com/ are just a few examples of the sites that are affected, but there are many more.

Most streaming sites now display 404 errors, redirect elsewhere, or show the following license error. ?License Error: Invalid license key. Please contact your software vendor for support.?

Gone

Commenting to TorrentFreak, the movie industry anti-piracy group says that the current action is one of the many strategies the group employs to combat the ?growing problem? of online piracy.

?When contacted, some site owners agree to sign over their domains to FACT and we then use that domain to help direct visitors to legitimate ways of watching movies, TV programmes or sporting events,? FACT explained.

Previously the group told TorrentFreak that they?ve seen a change in attitudes since the owner of TV streaming links site SurfTheChannel was sentenced to four years jail-time last year.

FACT is using the Vickerman verdict to convince operators of other streaming related sites to ?voluntarily? hand over their domains to escape prosecution, which many have done since.

However, not all streaming sites that were hit by the domain takeover are willing to throw in the towel. Several site owners are trying to recover and come back online and some have done so successfully.

And so it continues?.

Source: http://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-group-kills-hundreds-of-pirate-tv-and-movie-streaming-sites-130328/

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Morocco's rebel rapper released from prison

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) ? A Moroccan rapper known for his protest songs said Friday after completing a yearlong prison sentence that he will be concentrating on his studies and improving his music and is unsure about further activism.

Mouad Belghouat's angry rap songs excoriating the gaps between rich and poor in Morocco provided the soundtrack to the North African kingdom's Arab Spring protest movement in 2011 that called for social justice and greater democracy.

But while Belghouat, known as El-Haqed or "the enraged," was in prison, the February 20 movement, as it was known, faded away as popular ire with the state was defused by a string of reforms promulgated by the king.

"I will concentrate more on my studies ? I have my high school exams to pass in June," said a pale, subdued 26-year-old Belghouat to journalists and activists, showing only occasional flashes of his trademark irreverent sense of humor. "I played around a lot before, and in prison I discovered the importance of reading more."

The rapper appeared in glasses, which supporters say he now needs because of how his health deteriorated in prison where he said he experienced harassment and even went on hunger strike at one point to protest conditions.

Belghouat was convicted in May for insulting a public official over his song "Dogs of the State," which was addressed to the police. An online video accompanying the song portrayed a police officer with a donkey's head prompting the lawsuit by authorities.

"You are paid to protect the citizens, not to steal their money," said one lyric. The song then asks the police to arrest the wealthy businessmen who have divided the country up for themselves.

Morocco, a popular tourist destination for Europeans, has one of the highest discrepancies between rich and poor in the Arab world, according to international development agencies.

"It was a huge relief when he was released," said Abdullah Abaakil, an activist with the February 20 movement that introduced the rapper at the news conference. He emphasized that Belghouat was key for the movement to reach out to young people, especially in the country's myriad slums. "He suffered for all of us... he more than did his part."

As the protests died away, dozens of activists from the February 20 movement have been arrested and imprisoned. A statement by 18 local non-governmental organizations in December said at least 58 activists were in prison.

Belghouat, who described in an Associated Press interview last year how he would go to poor neighborhoods to raise people's awareness about the injustices in the country, was noncommittal about his future as an activist.

"I am just out of prison, and I'm still tired, so I need a bit of time to answer this question about how I will assess the situation of the February 20 in the country," he said, though he didn't rule out staying involved. "And if tomorrow there was a demonstration for February 20, I might well join, why not?"

___

Associated Press reporter Smail Bellaoualli contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moroccos-rebel-rapper-released-prison-184724070.html

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Google Maps updated with more live transit info for D.C., NYC and SLC

Google Maps -- on mobile and the web -- has been updated with fresh live transit data in three U.S. cities. The new data covers departure times for seven lines on the New York City subway, in addition to bus and tram data in the greater Salt Lake City area and service alerts for the Washington D.C. Metrorail.

As the new data is pulled from Google's servers, there's no app update to download -- just fire up the Google Maps app as you usually would, and the new live data will be available.

The addition of new data to Google's live transit database should also improve the functionality of Google Now, which pulls live public transportation data to Jelly Bean phones through its cards system.

Source: Google Lat Long blog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/CNiXD6mYGlM/story01.htm

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Supreme Court could strike down DOMA

Hundreds rally outside the Supreme Court March 27. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

A majority of Supreme Court justices expressed concern Wednesday about a federal law that excludes same-sex couples from marriage.

On the second day of arguments over the legality of gay marriage, the probing questions from both wings of the court suggest the so-called Defense of Marriage Act could be struck down. Such a decision would be a major victory for the gay rights movement, just a day after it appeared unlikely the court would decide the Proposition 8 California case in a way that settles the question of whether same-sex couples can wed.

In Wednesday's arguments, the court's conservative leaning justices asked pointed questions about whether DOMA, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996, intrudes into states' traditional right to regulate marriage. The more liberal justices seemed amenable to the argument that DOMA discriminates against gay people and was passed with the clear intention of excluding an unpopular group.

DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages even in the nine states (and the District of Columbia) that allow them. Justices could strike down the law in a narrow way that would force the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages only in states where it's already allowed, or in a broader way that would make dozens of state gay marriage bans legally vulnerable. Such a broad ruling from the court is considered much less likely.

The Justice Department would typically defend a federal law being challenged in the Supreme Court, but the Obama administration has declined to defend DOMA in court because it believes it is unconstitutional. Paul Clement, an attorney chosen by members of the House of Representatives who support DOMA, defended it instead.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative-leaning swing vote who has written two landmark opinions affirming gay rights, seemed unconvinced by the argument advanced by Clement that DOMA defines marriage as only between opposite-sex individuals to avoid confusion. Clement said that the federal government has an interest in "uniformity," and had passed the law to avoid having to treat same-sex couples differently based on whether they live in states that allow gay marriage or not.

Kennedy pointed out that DOMA excludes married same-sex couples in more than 1,100 federal statutes and laws, which has a substantial impact on the "day to day life" of those couples and their children. He said the law does not provide uniformity because it affects "only one aspect of marriage."

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said excluding married gay couples from sick leave, tax benefits, Social Security survivor benefits, and hundreds of other federal benefits and obligations relegates same-sex couples to a "skim milk marriage" that is substantially worse than what heterosexual couples are allowed.

Justice Elena Kagan suggested that the law was not passed for uniformity's sake, but to discriminate. She read aloud from the House report on the law when it passed 17 years ago saying it expressed "moral disapproval of homosexuality."

Chief Justice John Roberts objected to the argument that Congress passed DOMA based on a dislike or hatred for gays and lesbians. He asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, representing the Obama administration, whether he believed the 84 senators who voted for it at the time were all motivated by animus. Verrilli said the lawmakers could have voted for DOMA due to a "lack of careful reflection," but that the law discriminates no matter why it was passed.

Roberts also objected to Attorney Roberta Kaplan's characterization of gay people as a disadvantaged minority group lacking political power.

"As far as I can tell, political figures are falling over themselves to endorse your case," Roberts said.

But Roberts did seem concerned by the federalist argument. He, Kennedy and Justice Samuel Alito posed tough questions about whether the federal government was overreaching with the statute. Kennedy said DOMA did not seem to recognize states's "historical" responsibility for marriage and suggested that the central question of the case is whether the federal government has the authority to regulate marriage.

Both attorneys arguing to strike down DOMA refused to make a federalist argument against the law, however?instead insisting it was a discrimination case.

Before even getting to the merits of the case, the justices spent nearly an hour grappling with whether they should decide it at all because of procedural issues.They appointed Harvard professor Vicki Jackson to make the case that House Republicans do not have the legal right, or standing, to appeal the lower court's decision.

Several justices were also critical of the Obama administration's decision to stop defending the law in court while still enforcing it. Roberts appeared to have serious doubts about the case's procedural issues, repeatedly saying that it is "unprecedented" for the U.S. government to appeal a case while disagreeing with a lower court's ruling.

The two gay marriage cases before the court this term have been dogged by procedural concerns, as both were left orphaned by public officials who no longer wanted to defend them.

On Tuesday, Kennedy wondered whether the court should have agreed to hear the Proposition 8 case at all. Other justices suggested they were skeptical that supporters of Proposition 8 had standing to appeal the case once California officials decided to drop it.

It's possible that neither case could end with a decision. In DOMA, that means the lower court's decision would stand and DOMA would be illegal in the Third Circuit. The plaintiff, Edith Windsor, would be repaid the $360,000 she had to pay in estate taxes when her wife died because the government didn't recognize her marriage in New York, where gay marriage is legal. In the Proposition 8 case, gay marriage would most likely become legal in California if the justices throw it out on standing or do not reach a majority.

A group from Alabama prays in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013, before the court's hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In the second of back-to-back gay ... more? A group from Alabama prays in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013, before the court's hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In the second of back-to-back gay marriage case, the Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) less?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/conservative-justices-stress-federal-overreach-gay-marriage-case-163526050--politics.html

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