Mother of Taft Union shooting victim: 'I'll never take his voice for granted'

The mother of Taft Union High shooting victim Bowe Cleveland said he's steadily improved and has been transferred out of Kern Medical Center's intensive care unit with the hope that he'll be well enough to travel home in a week or so.

The 16-year-old faces a long road to recovery. His body is filled with shotgun pellets, and months of physical and psychological therapy are ahead.

But Leah Cleveland said a milestone was reached earlier this week when Bowe was able to speak to her for the first time since he was shot at school.

He told his mother he loved her.

"Oh my gosh, I'll never take his voice for granted," Cleveland said Wednesday. "When he first opened his eyes it was like giving birth again."

When he gathered more strength, Bowe told her he remembered everything that happened before the Jan. 10 shooting, including hearing what sounded like a gunshot, Cleveland said. Some students hit the floor, Bowe stood up, was shot and collapsed.

"He remembers after he was shot that every time he took a breath blood was squirting out of his lungs," Cleveland said.

He also remembers the extreme pain he was in, and the ambulance and helicopter rides that brought him to the hospital. The teen wondered if he was dreaming.

Cleveland spoke while seated next to attorney Daniel Rodriguez, who filed a claim against the Taft Union High School District on Wednesday alleging district officials knew, or reasonably should have known, that student Bryan Oliver was dangerous, threatening and likely to commit a violent act. The district failed to take adequate precautions in connection with the dangers Oliver presented, the claim says. Oliver has been criminally charged in the shooting.

Both Cleveland and Rodriguez declined to answer questions about Oliver. They were adamant, however, that Bowe is not a bully, as some have claimed.

Rodriguez said Bowe, in fact, has been the victim of bullying in the past and was beaten so badly in seventh grade that he suffered a concussion. At 6 feet 4 inches tall and about 300 pounds, Bowe is the kind of person who some people target for a fight to prove how tough they are, Rodriguez said.

The teen's size has brought him a lot of misery, but it's also partly responsible for his surviving the shooting. Rodriguez said doctors told the family that Bowe's youth and size enabled him to survive so much blood loss.

Rodriguez said the family has one response for people accusing Bowe of bullying: "We're going to pray for you, and let's hope you never, ever, have to walk in our shoes."

Cleveland said Bowe doesn't judge anyone, and makes a point of not even playing rough with friends because of his size. He's outgoing and has no problem dancing or talking in front of a crowd.

He doesn't care about being cool, Cleveland said.

"He's large, but he's larger than life in personality," she said.

Cleveland was putting her contact lenses in and preparing to go to the gym when she received a call from a school official saying her son was injured and she needed to get there immediately. She didn't know what had happened, and figured Bowe had fallen or accidentally cut himself.

She drove to the school and saw a line of ambulances and police cruisers and realized something serious had happened. She frantically ran from her car -- with the keys still in the ignition -- to the front of the school.

"At that point I lost my mind," Cleveland said.

An officer grabbed her and told her that Bowe was "gone." She thought by gone he meant dead, not that he'd been taken away by ambulance.

She eventually came to understand that her son was still alive, and she was rushed to the hospital to join him. That first week she never ruled out the possibility that he might die.

Doctors told her that although Bowe couldn't respond, he could hear. So she allowed any student who wanted to see him to come in and talk to him.

Droves of students came to wish Bowe and the family well.

"The kids got me through," Cleveland said.

The claim

Rodriguez said he filed the claim to gain access to school records regarding a "hit list" that Oliver allegedly created targeting 30 students sometime before the Jan. 10 shooting. Rodriguez said he has repeatedly been told about the hit list, and that in the past Oliver threatened specific students, and told one he was going to kill and eat their pets.

"If you have a zero tolerance policy and a student is threatening violence, why didn't they kick him out?" Rodriguez said.

Interim Superintendent William McDermott has said laws protecting student privacy and the pending criminal case against Oliver prohibit him from discussing disciplinary action against individual students.

The claim, which is filed as a precursor to a lawsuit, names school officials including McDermott, Principal Marilyn Brown and Assistant Principal Rona Angelo as being negligent in their supervision of and failing to take adequate precautions against Oliver.

Authorities have said that Oliver entered a classroom and shot Cleveland and fired at but missed student Jacob Nichols in an incident that quickly made international news. Cleveland suffered injuries to his abdomen and chest.

Shotgun pellets grazed teacher Ryan Heber, who, along with campus supervisor Kim Fields, convinced Oliver to drop the gun, authorities said. Oliver has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder and three counts of assault with a gun on a person.

His next court date is Feb. 20.

http://youtu.be/3BjVP9-qlA0

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbc619/~3/6A5ebEWXG-o/Mother-of-Taft-Union-shooting-victim-Ill-never-take-his-voice-for-granted

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Preferred Bank Reports Final Fourth Quarter Results Nasdaq:PFBC

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Preferred Bank (Nasdaq:PFBC), an independent commercial bank focusing on the Chinese-American and diversified Southern California mainstream market, today reported final updated results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. Preferred Bank ("the Bank") previously reported net income of $3.4 million or $0.25 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2012. As a result of the Bank's complete analysis of its income tax position, the Bank has recorded a tax benefit for the fourth quarter of $928,000. This compares to previously reported income tax expense for the fourth quarter of $1,125,000. The result of this change amends the Bank's results for the fourth quarter to net income of $5.4 million or $0.40 per diluted share and the Bank's full year results are amended to report net income of $24.4 million or $1.82 per diluted share.

This change increases the Bank's capital ratios and tangible book value to the following:

Tangible Common Equity Ratio:		12.11%
?	?	?
Tier 1 Leverage Ratio:		12.00%
?	?	?
Total Risk-Capital Ratio:		15.02%
?	?	?
Tangible Book Value per Share:		$14.23

About Preferred Bank

Preferred Bank is one of the largest independent commercial banks in California focusing on the Chinese-American market. The bank is chartered by the State of California, and its deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, to the maximum extent permitted by law. The Company conducts its banking business from its main office in Los Angeles, California, and through nine full-service branch banking offices in Alhambra, Century City,?City of Industry, Torrance, Arcadia, Irvine, Diamond Bar, Anaheim and Pico Rivera, California. Preferred Bank offers a broad range of deposit and loan products and services to both commercial and consumer customers.?The bank provides personalized deposit services as well as real estate finance, commercial loans and trade finance to small and mid-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, real estate developers, professionals and high net worth individuals.?Preferred Bank continues to benefit from the significant migration to Southern California of ethnic Chinese from China and other areas of East Asia.?While its business is not solely dependent on the Chinese-American market, it represents an important element of the bank's operating strategy, especially for its branch network and deposit products and services. Preferred Bank believes it is well positioned to compete effectively with the smaller Chinese-American community banks, the larger commercial banks and other major banks operating in Southern California by offering a high degree of personal service and responsiveness, experienced multi-lingual staff and substantial lending limits.

The Preferred Bank logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11817

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Bank's future financial and operating results, the Bank's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the Bank's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: changes in economic conditions; changes in the California real estate market; the loss of senior management and other employees; natural disasters or recurring energy shortage; changes in interest rates; competition from other financial services companies; ineffective underwriting practices; inadequate allowance for loan and lease losses to cover actual losses; risks inherent in construction lending; adverse economic conditions in Asia; downturn in international trade; inability to attract deposits; inability to raise additional capital when needed or on favorable terms; inability to manage growth; inadequate communications, information, operating and financial control systems, technology from fourth party service providers; the U.S. government's monetary policies; government regulation; environmental liability with respect to properties to which the bank takes title; and the threat of terrorism. Additional factors that could cause the Bank's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the Bank's 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which can be found on Preferred Bank's website. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of the press release, and the Bank assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.?For additional information about Preferred Bank, please visit the Bank's website at www.preferredbank.com.

Financial Tables to Follow

?PREFERRED BANK?
?Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations?
?(unaudited)?
?(in thousands, except for net income per share and shares)?
?	?	?	?
?	For the Three Months Ended
?	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	September 30, 2012
Interest income:?	?	?	?
Loans, including fees?	?$?14,504	?$?11,997	?$?13,834
Investment securities?	?1,496	?1,760	?1,340
Fed funds sold?	?10	?--	?14
Total interest income?	?16,010	?13,757	?15,189
?	?	?	?
Interest expense:?	?	?	?
Interest-bearing demand?	?489	?422	?441
Savings?	?20	?20	?18
Time certificates?	?1,297	?1,808	?1,398
Senior debt?	?--	?188	?--
Total interest expense?	?1,806	?2,438	?1,857
?	?	?	?
Net interest income?	?14,204	?11,319	?13,332
?	?	?	?
Provision for loan losses?	?2,300	?2,400	?1,200
?	?	?	?
Net interest?income after provision for loan losses?	?11,904	?8,919	?12,132
?	?	?	?
Noninterest income:?	?	?	?
Fees & service charges on deposit accounts?	?480	?440	?445
Trade finance income?	?87	?57	?56
BOLI?income?	?83	?84	?82
Net gain (loss) on sale of investment securities?	?21	?--	?--
Other income?	?78	?241	?84
Total noninterest income?	?749	?822	?667
?	?	?	?
Noninterest expense:?	?	?	?
Salary and employee benefits?	?3,316	?2,919	?3,228
Net occupancy expense?	?753	?739	?743
Business development and promotion expense?	?104	?123	?73
Professional services?	?1,003	?661	?1,004
Office supplies and equipment expense?	?281	?297	?283
Total other-than-temporary impairment losses?	?--	?--	?8
Portion of loss recognized in other comprehensive income?	?--	?--	?--
Other real estate owned related expense?	?1,696	?1,227	?2,525
Other?	?1,001	?1,407	?1,278
Total noninterest expense?	?8,154	?7,373	?9,143
?	?	?	?
Income before provision for income taxes?	?4,498	?2,368	?3,655
?	?	?	?
Income tax expense (benefit)?	?(928)	?(1,399)	?833
Net income?	?$?5,426	?$?3,767	?$?2,822
?	?	?	?
Income allocated to participating securities?	?(69)	?(64)	?(37)
Net income available to common shareholders?	?$?5,357	?$?3,703	?$?2,785
?	?	?	?
Income per share available to common shareholders?	?	?	?
Basic?	?$?0.41	?$?0.29	?$?0.21
Diluted?	?$?0.40	?$?0.29	?$?0.21
?	?	?	?
?Weighted-average common shares outstanding?	?	?	?
Basic?	?13,065,227	?13,000,092	?13,062,146
Diluted?	?13,291,592	?13,000,092	?13,255,778

?
?PREFERRED BANK?
?Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations?
?(unaudited)?
?(in thousands, except for net income per share and shares)?
?	?	?	?
?	For the Twelve Months Ended		?
?	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011	Change %
Interest income:?	?	?	?
Loans, including fees?	?$?55,400	?$?46,464	19.2%
Investment securities?	?6,116	?7,326	-16.5%
Fed funds sold?	?26	?--	100.0%
Total interest income?	?61,542	?53,790	14.4%
?	?	?	?
Interest expense:?	?	?	?
Interest-bearing demand?	?1,746	?1,295	34.8%
Savings?	?75	?92	-18.3%
Time certificates?	?5,868	?8,163	-28.1%
Senior debt?	?94	?753	-87.5%
Total interest expense?	?7,783	?10,303	-24.5%
?	?	?	?
Net interest income?	?53,759	?43,487	23.6%
?	?	?	?
Provision for credit losses?	?19,800	?5,700	247.4%
?	?	?	?
Net interest?income after provision for loan losses?	?33,959	?37,787	-10.1%
?	?	?	?
Noninterest income:?	?	?	?
Fees & service charges on deposit accounts?	?1,792	?1,742	2.9%
Trade finance income?	?309	?241	28.1%
BOLI?income?	?329	?333	-1.1%
Net gain on sale of investment securities?	?575	?81	611.7%
Other income?	?503	?393	27.8%
Total noninterest income?	?3,508	?2,790	25.7%
?	?	?	?
Noninterest expense:?	?	?	?
Salary and employee benefits?	?12,523	?11,155	12.3%
Net occupancy expense?	?2,990	?3,060	-2.3%
Business development and promotion expense?	?294	?335	-12.1%
Professional services?	?3,227	?2,267	42.4%
Office supplies and equipment expense?	?1,154	?1,061	8.7%
Total other-than-temporary impairment losses?	?24	?32	-25.0%
Portion of loss recognized in other comprehensive income?	?--	?--	0.0%
Other real estate owned related expense?	?8,580	?8,303	3.3%
Other?	?5,387	?7,180	-25.0%
Total noninterest expense?	?34,179	?33,393	2.4%
?	?	?	?
Income before provision for income taxes?	?3,288	?7,185	-54.2%
?	?	?	?
Income tax benefit?	?(21,095)	?(5,049)	317.8%
?	?	?	?
Net income?	?$?24,383	?$?12,234	99.3%
?	?	?	?
Income allocated to participating securities?	?(330)	?(195)	100.0%
Net income available to common shareholders?	?$?24,053	?$?12,039	99.8%
?	?	?	?
Income per share available to common shareholders?	?	?	?
Basic?	?$?1.84	?$?0.93	98.9%
Diluted?	?$?1.82	?$?0.93	96.0%
?	?	?	?
Weighted-average common shares outstanding?	?	?	?
Basic?	?13,050,559	?12,995,525	0.4%
Diluted?	?13,247,389	?12,995,525	1.9%

?
?PREFERRED BANK?
?Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition?
?(unaudited)?
?(in thousands)?
?	?	?
?	December 31, 2012	December 31, 2011
Assets?	?	?
?	?	?
Cash and due from banks?	?$?151,995	?$?142,466
Cash and cash equivalents?	?151,995	?142,466
?	?	?
Securities held to maturity, at amortized cost?	?979	?3,021
Securities available-for-sale, at fair value?	?210,742	?166,083
Loans and leases?	?1,119,553	?949,631
Less allowance for loan and lease losses?	?(20,607)	?(23,718)
Less net deferred loan fees?	?(2,019)	?(1,037)
Net loans and leases?	?1,096,927	?924,876
?	?	?
Loans held for sale, at lower of cost or fair value?	?12,150	?3,996
?	?	?
Other real estate owned?	?28,280	?37,577
Customers' liability on acceptances?	?1,961	?427
Bank furniture and fixtures, net?	?4,383	?4,789
Bank-owned life insurance?	?8,049	?7,808
Accrued interest receivable?	?5,646	?4,851
Federal Home Loan Bank stock?	?4,282	?4,164
Deferred tax assets?	?26,971	?6,979
Other asset?	?3,002	?2,760
Total assets?	?$?1,555,367	?$?1,309,797
?	?	?
?	?	?
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity?	?	?
?	?	?
Liabilities:?	?	?
Deposits:?	?	?
Demand?	?$?446,734	?$?239,987
Interest-bearing demand?	325,018	233,349
Savings?	21,844	22,385
Time certificates of $250,000 or more?	208,005	185,001
Other time certificates?	355,926	437,231
?Total deposits	?$?1,357,527	?$?1,117,953
Acceptances outstanding?	?1,961	?427
Senior debt issuance?	?--	?25,996
Accrued interest payable?	?968	?1,292
Other liabilities?	?6,562	?6,081
Total liabilities?	?1,367,018	?1,151,749
?	?	?
Commitments and contingencies?	?	?
Shareholders' equity:?	?	?
Preferred stock. Authorized 25,000,000 shares; no issued and outstanding shares at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011?	??	??
Common stock, no par value. Authorized 20,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding 13,234,608 and 13,220,955 shares at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively?	?162,927	?162,884
Treasury stock?	?(19,115)	?(19,115)
Additional paid-in-capital?	?24,544	?23,456
Accumulated income?	?17,992	?(6,391)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):?	?	?
Non-credit portion of loss recognized, net of tax of $133 and $367 at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively	?(184)	?(481)
Unrealized loss on securities, available-for-sale, net of tax of?$1,131 and $1,554 at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011	?2,185	?(2,305)
Total shareholders' equity?	?188,349	?158,048
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity?	?$?1,555,367	?$?1,309,797

AT THE COMPANY: Edward J. Czajka Executive Vice President Chief Financial Officer (213) 891-1188  AT FINANCIAL PROFILES: Kristen McNally General Information (310) 663-8007

Source: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/01/31/519700/10020022/en/Preferred-Bank-Reports-Final-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html

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Preparing for the Future: Intel Futurist Says Cloud Is Key

Government agencies are often slowed down by the bureaucracy, creating challenges for pushing forward new ideas that could improve IT operations.?

In a keynote speech presented at Defining the Cloud for Government, a conference held Wednesday, Jan. 30, in Sacramento, Calif., Brian David Johnson, Intel?s futurist and director of future casting and experience research, said it?s crucial for government agencies to think well into the future when planning technology implementations. According to Johnson, cloud computing and big data will figure prominently into that future.

During opening remarks, Carlos Ramos, secretary of the California Technology Agency, said the agency plans to move some applications into a private cloud because he believes cloud computing is the future. He added that government is so reliant on technology that policies and programs ?don?t have a prayer? without the use of the cloud.?

But how can governments look a decade or more into the future?

Johnson is responsible for looking 10 to 15 years ahead to figure out how people will interact with technology. Similarly, he said that government agencies must prepare for the future of tech by having a vision, and contemplating what humans will be like down the road.?

Future casting -- a combination of social science research and technical research, can help organizations determine how to improve people?s lives using technology. But to better prepare for the future of technology, Johnson urged policy-makers to consider a major trend happening in the technology space.?

Around 2020, Johnson predicted, the size of meaningful computational power will approach zero. Since the intelligence inside a platform is getting smaller, traditional computers will no longer be the only vessels for computing. Other objects will also have the ability to serve as computers.?

While computing power shrinks, the proliferation of big data and the use of cloud computing will continue to grow.

?We humans are like fire hydrants of data,? Johnson said.?

Whether we create data from financial information, health records or social media, more and more data will be generated and collected, which will be stored in a cloud environment.?

Johnson said that in 20 years, we will start to see mobile devices diminish since computational power will live in the cloud. Living in the future will mean living in a ?smart? environment ? a time period where we are no longer dependent on laptops, PCs or mobile devices for computing.

Like any major technology shift, Johnson said the future will pose some challenges for governments looking to prepare. He said fear can be a driving force behind stifled innovation ? particularly fears about security threats.?

?You don?t come up with innovative ideas when you?re in fear,? he said.?

To prevent fear from holding an agency back, Johnson suggested communication to help increase government workers' understanding about technology implementations like cloud computing. While there will always be those who are wary of shifting to a cloud environment, Johnson feels that constant communication can help dispel some of that fear. When there is uncertainty, he concluded, public-sector organizations should embrace it as an area of opportunity to build and innovate in a more robust way.?

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Source: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Preparing-for-the-Future-Intel-Futurist-Says-Cloud-Is-Key.html

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Status quo and culture of blame-shifting fueling ... - Minivan News

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) agree income inequalities are being fueled by vested interests, faulty government policies and a lack of educational training opportunities for youth.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik recently?commented on the growing nationwide income disparity despite revenues doubling in the Maldives over the last decade, during a speech on Kan?ditheemu island in Miladhummadulu (Shaviyani) Atoll.

?The provision of incentives for the poor, and boosting their living standards to a certain minimum, are some of the efforts that could be undertaken,? Waheed said.

However the DRP and MDP have agreed that the government is grossly out of touch with the systemic problems fueling inequality in the Maldives.

?The political elite lead privileged lives and have no idea what is going on here. Many people like [President] Waheed have spent all their time overseas, which explains why public servants are primarily children of privilege with no life experience,? MDP Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News.

?No one talks about this because they want to maintain the status quo,? he added.

DRP Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Ibrahim Shareef agreed.

?Politicians are blind to the realities of life because of political polarisation. There is no trust, everyone just shifts blame around,? he told Minivan News.

?People in a position to create change must work hard to achieve that change or problems pile up. What President Waheed is saying is one thing ? he may be sincere ? but let us see if it is different from what he is doing,? Shareef added.

Ghafoor and Shareef both highlighted that work and educational opportunities are very limited and still centralised in Male?. The disproportionate reliance on an inequitable tourism sector creates further income disparities.

?Government has not done enough?: DRP

Shareef told Minivan News the government has not done enough to correct these issues.

The ?best and brightest? are forced to leave their islands and settle in Male? or the resorts primarily located in the atolls surrounding the capital, while the ?rich get richer and the poor get poorer?.

?Government policies and vested interests continue to widen the [income] gap that has been created between ?haves? and ?have nots? over the years, and marginalised development.

?Competing with those [privileged] people is impossible unless we form capable structures conducive to equitable development, open ourselves for broad sections of society to participate in the workforce, and enact policies that redistribute wealth,? Shareef stated.

Shareef also discussed problems that have arisen from high economic dependency on the tourism sector, which was structured inequitably during the 30-year administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

?Gayoom restricted the tourism sector by only allowing ?certain families? and allies to build resorts,? Shareef explained.

?Now Maldivians with the capability and vision to build resorts are rarely provided the license or access to investment capital needed,? he added.

Shareef said more resorts targeted toward the ?middle market? are needed, in addition to anti-monopoly laws.

He also believes that the education system does not properly prepare youth for the service based economy, and is instead geared toward servicing the government.

Shareef emphasised that this shortcoming has created a huge economic problem whereby over 100.000 expatriates dominate the workforce, particularly among managerial, accounting, and clerical positions in resorts.

?There is something really wrong with the education system. We have very bright and capable youth, but 67 percent still fail O?Level exams,? he said.

?Thus, there are between 30,000 and 40,000 youth without jobs, however they think they are highly-educated so they do not take ?menial? jobs, preferring unemployment,? he said.

Shareef said there was an urgent need to reforming the education system to provide vocational training and raising awareness among youth that learning such skills was dignified.

?If youth are not willing, capable, or trained then the income gap widens. They just stay home loitering, spitting on and abusing passers-by.

?Meanwhile, we import labourers to do everything. This is a huge waste of human resources,? Shareef stated, calling for a ?master plan? to tackle the country?s social problems.

?Lack of awareness permits slave labour?: MDP

Ghafoor echoed Shareef?s remarks. He told Minivan News that the growing income inequalities are symptomatic of centralised, inequitable resource allocation ? particularly in the tourism sector ? as well as the lack of skills training for youth within the education system.

?The political right requires the status quo be maintained, which narrows the tourism base, and keeps the poor poor,? Ghafoor said.

?They take advantage of the lack of awareness [among youth and foreign workers], essentially creating conditions of slave labor,? he added.

Ghafoor explained how the educational skills training vacuum for Maldivian youth leads to a dependency on foreign labourers.

?At present there is a dependency on imported labour. Foreign workers ? especially Bangladeshis ? work under terrible conditions, for cheap, and this has led to a dramatic increase in human trafficking and human rights abuses.?

Ghafoor emphasised the serious resource allocation problem within government policies which compels youth to relocate to Male? for employment, or seek resort work.

?The young husbands and wives who do find work at resorts are separated from their families for prolonged periods of time. Where else would employees ?sleep on the shop floor? and not be able to return to their families at the end of an eight hour work day? This is really impacting the social fabric of the Maldives,? Ghafoor added.

The MDP had many ideas to correct the income disparities fueled by geographic distance, particularly regarding the tourism sector, Ghafoor said.

?The MDP has a plan for radically changing the tourism approach by focusing on providing adequate compensation through a national minimum wage, locations on or closer to inhabited islands, and protecting workers rights.?

Ghafoor emphasised the need for protecting workers rights as a means to not only reduce income inequalities, but also reduce human trafficking ? an issue, he said, that has only been discussed openly in the past three years.

?Proper governance, including the integration of International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards into legislation is essential, as is the development of the Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM),? he added.

Developing guesthouses on islands ?where the average family can profit? was another option for decentralising the tourism sector and creating jobs on local islands.

Source: http://minivannews.com/politics/status-quo-and-culture-of-blame-shifting-fueling-income-inequality-drp-mdp-51950

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HP Horns In on the Chromebook Action

The brief appearance of a spec sheet on HP's online shopping website Monday seemed to indicate the company has joined the list of Microsoft partners offering Chromebooks. The sheet listed details of the HP Pavilion Chromebook 14-c010us PC and carried an advertisement embargo date of Feb. 17. It may have been placed on the Web by accident, but it's also possible it was a marketing ploy.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/280677fd/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C77180A0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Stealthy Data Storage Analytics And Intelligence Startup DataGravity Nabs $30M From Andreessen Horowitz And Others

DataGravity, a stealthy data storage analytics company, has raised $30 million in series B funding led by Andreessen Horowitz with existing investors Charles River Ventures and General Catalyst Partners participating in the round. This brings the company's total funding to $42 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/3zAXr8w57sI/

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California arsonist sentenced to death

nbclosangeles.com

By Jonathan Lloyd and Jacob Rascon, NBC Los Angeles

An arsonist convicted on five first-degree murder counts in connection with the deadly 2003 Old Fire above San Bernardino was sentenced Monday to death.

Judge Michael Smith confirmed the sentence, recommended by a jury in September, for Rickie Lee Fowler. The judge had the option of life in state prison without possibility of parole.

Five men died after heart attacks suffered during evacuations forced by the 91,000 acre fire.? Fowler was?convicted in August?on the murder counts and two arson counts.

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Read more at NBC Los Angeles

The Old Fire was one of several wildfires that burned in California in October 2003. Fowler fell under suspicion when witnesses reported seeing a passenger in a van toss burning objects into dry brush. Investigators interviewed Fowler several months after the fire, but did not have enough evidence to file charges until six years after the fire.

Fowler was already in prison on a burglary conviction at the time charges were filed. The van's driver was later shot and killed in an unrelated incident.

The Old Fire also damaged more than 1,000 homes.

"Today, after nearly ten years, justice has now been secured for the victims and their families, and those whose lives were affected by the actions of Rickie Lee Fowler," said San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16742257-california-arsonist-sentenced-to-death-for-fatal-2003-blaze?lite

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Lawyers: Preserve secret CIA prisons as evidence

Brennan Linsley / AP file

In this photo, reviewed by a U.S. Dept of Defense official, a detainee shields his face as he peers out through the so-called "bean hole" which is used to pass food and other items into detainee cells, at Camp Delta detention center, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Dec. 4. 2006.

By Jane Sutton, Reuters

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Lawyers for five alleged conspirators who attacked America on September 11 and say they were tortured in secret CIA prisons have asked a U.S. military judge to order that the prisons be preserved as evidence.

The issue is one of more than two dozen on the docket for a week of pretrial hearings that began on Monday in the war crimes tribunal at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba.

The defendants include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the hijacked plane attacks that killed 2,976 people on September 11, 2001. He wore a camouflage jacket to court over his white tunic and defiantly refused to answer the judge's questions.

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Defense lawyers also have asked the judge to order the U.S. government to turn over all White House or Justice Department documents authorizing the CIA to move suspected al-Qaida captives across borders without judicial review and hold and interrogate them in secret prisons after the September 11 attacks.

President George W. Bush announced in 2006 that the September 11 defendants were among a group of "high-value" captives sent to Guantanamo from the secret prisons.

The CIA has acknowledged that Mohammed was subjected to the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding. The defendants said they were also subjected to sleep deprivation, threats, and being chained in painful positions.

The defense lawyers will argue that their clients' treatment was illegal pretrial punishment and constituted "outrageous government misconduct" that could justify dismissal of the charges, or at least spare the defendants from execution if convicted.

"By its nature, torture affects the admissibility of evidence, the credibility of witnesses, the appropriateness of punishment and the legitimacy of the prosecution itself," the defense lawyers wrote in court documents.

At least one potential witness was also held in the CIA prisons and his treatment could raise questions about the admissibility of his testimony, said James Connell, defense attorney for Mohammed's nephew, defendant Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali.

The chief prosecutor, Brigadier General Mark Martins, said the prosecution does not plan to introduce any evidence obtained from the defendants or anyone else via torture, cruelty or inhuman treatment - which is prohibited by U.S. law and international treaty.

In a departure from the Bush administration, the Obama administration has made it clear that any interrogation techniques must adhere to those long established in the army field manual, which prohibits torture.

The defendants have been in U.S. custody for a decade, but there are still numerous legal and evidentiary issues that must be resolved before their trial begins on charges that include murder, hijacking, terrorism and attacking civilians.

Abu Ghraib as 'crime scene'
The judge presiding over the September 11 trial, Army Colonel James Pohl, ordered in 2004 that the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq be preserved as a "crime scene." He was at the time presiding over the trial of U.S. military police officers accused of torturing and photographing prisoners at Abu Ghraib.?

Iraq was then under U.S. occupation. It was unclear whether Pohl had authority to order the preservation of the CIA prisons, whose location the government has kept secret, arguing that disclosure could threaten U.S. national security and put allies at risk.

Polish prosecutors are investigating allegations that one of the sites was in Poland, and there is evidence the CIA set up others in Romania, Lithuania and Thailand, according to reports by the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

Lawyers for the September 11 defendants first made the request for preservation of the secret CIA prisons under seal in September of last year. The request was unsealed about a month later. But this week's pre-trial hearing marks the first time it has been presented in the Guantanamo court.

Before considering the CIA prisons issue, the court on Monday began slogging through issues such as whether the defendants had agreed to add lawyers to two defense teams and drop one from another and whether they must show up in court for pretrial hearings.

When two of them refused to answer whether they had approved the personnel changes, the judge took their lawyers' word for it that they had.

But he said he would not grant their request to skip some court sessions unless they first acknowledged vocally that they understood they had the right to be present for discussions that could affect their legal rights.

"They're going to have to tell me out of their own mouths, or they'll be here," Pohl said.

After a chaotic May 2012 arraignment session that dragged on for 13 hours, the defendants have alternated between refusing to speak to the judge and making accusatory statements against the United States. Although they largely ignored the judge on Monday, they whispered to their lawyers and appeared to be reading legal documents.

Mohammed and his nephew are Pakistani citizens. The other defendants are Walid bin Attash and Ramzi Binalshibh, both Yemenis, and Mustafa al Hawsawi, a Saudi.

Family members of 9/11 victims have traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to watch the arraignment of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who reportedly refused to listen to the judge or answer questions during Saturday's proceedings. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16741196-lawyers-for-911-suspects-ask-military-judge-to-preserve-secret-cia-prisons-as-evidence?lite

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Obama: Tough call on letting a son play football

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is a big football fan with two daughters, but if he had a son, he says he'd "have to think long and hard" before letting him play because of the physical toll the game takes.

"I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence," Obama tells The New Republic.

"In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won't have to examine our consciences quite as much."

In an interview in the magazine's Feb. 11 issue, Obama said he worries more about college players than he does about those in the NFL.

"The NFL players have a union, they're grown men, they can make some of these decisions on their own, and most of them are well-compensated for the violence they do to their bodies," Obama said. "You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-tough-call-letting-son-play-football-134811632--spt.html

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Five apps to take advantage of Daydream in Android 4.2

Daydream was pretty quickly glanced over by most people when it was announced as part of the Android 4.2 release, but luckily some developers have started to make apps using the new feature. The latest revision of Jelly Bean just isn't available to that many people and the number and quality of daydream apps reflects that, but luckily there are some gems to be found if you go searching for them.

Read on past the break and see the top apps available right now to take advantage of the daydream functionality in Android 4.2.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/MxtHCPpQi7g/story01.htm

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Farm Ranch in Paia HI

If you wish to settle down in Paia HI and like horses or farming, it is time to get a farm and ranch in Paia HI. There are lots of appealing, roomy, profitable farmland and ranches offered for sale in this region. Substantial acreages here offer you sufficient space for livestocks to forage and adequate land for you to farm. Right here you can indulge in country living as never previously.

The Toursit Advantage When Having A Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Hawaii is a visitor haven and hundreds of site visitors from around the world come here to take pleasure in different activities. Farm touring is getting in appeal and numerous farm land owners promote and invite vacationers for a remarkable farm tour experience. When you have a farm and rach in Paia HI, you can easily take site visitors around the large home and reveal them your fruit and vegetables and pets. If you have a vineyard, offer your vacationers a complimentary glass of homemade wine!

You could get innovative and offer picnic breakfast, lunch or dinner at your farm and ranch in Paia HI depending on the time of the day. Introduce your site visitors to your beloved horses on the ranch. You can additionally take them around the farm on horseback for a wonderful experience. Program them exactly how more number of people can expand their very own food and become self-dependent. If you are a long-time homeowner of Paia HI, share terrific stories about the neighborhood history with love and passion.

Company Possibility With Your Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Another wonderful reason why you must purchase the very best farm and ranch in Paia HI is that you can easily make your plot of acres of land highly lucrative. At Maui, you could locate parcels of land ranging from a few plots of land to hundreds of acres for sale. If you are fortunate, you can easily find sits that feature lava tubes, historical sites and waterfalls in the excellent green acres. In Maui, lots of people invest in ranches and farmland. This is among the major reasons why it is simple to discover huge, average and small farm and ranch in Paia HI.

Two Major Industries Advantages For Your Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Farmers in Maui who possess their plots of land produce their very own fruits, veggies, flowers and plants. After consuming exactly what is needed for their family, they have now begun dispersing the exact same among neighbors, friends and family as a token on goodwill. Lots of clever landowners now bring in visitors and have started a new trend called agro-tourism. Inviting travelers to their farm for a tour or picnic draws in significant income. Farmers also create income by selling regional products.

Exactly How Can You Locate The Best Farm & Ranch in Paia HI?

If the prospect of doing this business interests you or if you just wish to lead a quiet nation life with your favorite horses in a ranch, you could discover a host of homes in Maui. To develop an excellent have you could call your very own, you need to initially select whether you desire an undeveloped or developed land. If you are anticipating constructing a residence or a commercial building for running your company, you could choose from a range of developed land for sale. If you want to delight in the charming country experience in Maui, you could relocate with your family members and horses of course to the very best farm and ranch in Paia HI.

Select From Lush Acres For Your Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Some of the preferred, sought-after properties can be found in Haleakala. This island created by a mountain features lush acres, rolling hills and rugged surface. Right here you will discover many vacant land or existing ranches for sale.

Located 4000 feet above the sea, Haleakala ranches are full of nation cheer, laughter and serene living. It is not difficult finding families living in Haleakala ranches and farms collaborating to rear livestocks and harvest produce. It is without a doubt an enchanting site to see a lots turkeys, more than a couple of pigs, dogs and horses cared for tenderly by people. You can easily have all of these wonderous things with your farm and ranch in Paia HI.

It is not unheard of to locate visitors thoroughly directed on horsebacks over the steep slopes in Maui. They delicately amble past the sandalwood trees and eucalyptus groves brushing shoulders with wild pheasants. The wild and barbarian landscapes here attract numerous capitalists and realtors. They constantly enquire about the best farm and ranch in Paia HI offered for sale.

Pick From A Variety of Diverse Micro-Climates For Your Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Paia HI is an unique location that delights in assorted micro-climates. On the northern and eastern side of Maui, you can discover misty, rich jungles and stunningly attractive, sun-drenched coastlines on the southern and western sides. This can be wonderful for some who are thinking about having a farm and ranch in Paia HI.

If you are a horse enthusiast or an outside lover, choose from a variety of coastline residences or upcountry cottages in Hana. You could take pleasure in a cool temperature here and be encouraged by the location?s beautiful serenity.
Outside activities here include horseback riding, rambling trails and impressive waterfalls. You can pick a farm and ranch in Paia HI or an enchanting coastline home in Lahaina, Kapalua, Makena, Wailea or Kihei to gain access to fishing, snorkelling, browsing and sailing.

Just What Else Are You Getting With Your Farm And Ranch In Paia HI

Maui is a fun-filled location, that numerous potential and real homeowners consider their dream happened. If you?re aiming to build a company in Maui, particularly one that keeps you active seven days a week, understand you?ll still be able to do things aside from often your farm and ranch in Paia HI.

Considering numerous horse-ranch owners additionally adore other facets about animals and nature, Maui is an excellent spot. With so much sea and wildlife, it?s hard for any type of pet fan to transfer to Maui, begin the business they love, and think that their life ends up not being satisfying.

There are additionally other activities, such as browsing, bon fires by the ocean, dinners, films, shopping, jet skiing, and a lot more. If you want to do it, be it an odd activity or an usual one, the great thing about Maui is that it?s a pace that could actually provide it to you.

Source: http://find-your-perfect-home.com/farms/maui-hi/farm-ranch-in-paia-hi/

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Brooke Shields signs up for a hitch on Lifetime's "Army Wives"

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Brooke Shields has signed up for the Air Force - or at least the Air Force as it's portrayed on "Army Wives."

"Pretty Baby" star Shields will join the cast of the Lifetime series for its seventh season, the network said Thursday.

Shields will play Katherine "Kat" Young, a brash, brilliant Air Force colonel and crack C-17 pilot who clashes with Gen. Michael Holden (Brian McNamara) shortly after arriving at Joint Base Marshall Bring.

But after Young and Holden's Air Force-Army rivalry gets underway, Holden discovers that Young has a tragic past -- and more in common with him than he first thought.

The ABC Studios-produced "Army Wives" returns for its seventh season March 10 at 9 p.m. with a drastically revamped cast. In addition to Shields, singer/actress Ashanti, Torrey DeVitto of "Pretty Little Liars," Bring It On" alum Elle McLemore and singer Jesse McCartney have joined the cast. Meanwhile, Kim Delaney has departed the series, and former series regular Sally Pressman will only appear "in several episodes" of the new 13-episode season.

"We're all very excited about season seven, in which a new tribe emerges from the shadow of tragedy," executive producer Jeff Melvoin said of the upcoming season on Wednesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brooke-shields-signs-hitch-lifetimes-army-wives-205343185.html

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New Russian punk band documentary uncovers story behind 'punk prayer' protest

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When three women of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot entered a Moscow church to perform a "punk prayer" in February of last year, little did they think their actions would land them behind bars and capture the world's attention.

A new documentary, "Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, follows the band members and their families as they struggle through the legal system in Russia.

The documentary tells the story of three women - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 - who as members of the feminist art collective Pussy Riot performed a 40-second "punk prayer" inside Russia's main cathedral on February 21, 2012.

Pussy Riot took on two powerful state institutions at once - the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian government - when they burst into Moscow's golden-domed Christ the Savior Cathedral wearing bright ski masks, tights and colorful dresses to protest against President Vladimir Putin's close ties with the Church.

This performance led to their arrest on charges of religious hatred and culminated in a trial that reverberated around the world.

After a trial that was shown live on television, a judge ruled the three women had "committed an act of hooliganism, a gross violation of public order showing obvious disrespect for society."

The court found all three women guilty and sentenced them to two years in prison. Samutsevich later had her punishment converted to a suspended sentence.

"It was such a big soap opera in Russia," documentary co-director Maxim Pozdorovkin told Reuters.

"In Russia there is a national sort of sense that a lot of people believe that the girls got more or less what they deserved," he said.

The case became one of Russia's most high-profile trials since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. It ignited comments from Madonna, Sting and Paul McCartney.

"Whereas in the West it was understood to be mostly a political human rights story, in Russia it was understood almost exclusively as a religious hooliganism, religious hatred story," Pozdorovkin said.

"In reality the story is so much bigger and so much richer and so epic, and I don't use that word lightly ... (that) while people still have this awareness of the story, we wanted to make a thought provoking film about it."

Pozdorovkin and co-director Mike Lerner, who started following the band around the time of their arrest, said that other documentaries and shows following the story had vilified the three women and that they were "victims of quite aggressive Russian television interviews and programs."

They wanted to make a film that went behind the news story of the three women and their trial, exploring through interviews their backgrounds and motivations to act as they did in the church.

"Various shows (were) made about the girls that were obviously quite negative, so they were very wary. But I think they quite realized a proper film that explored who they were and what their motivation was, was a good idea ... their contribution is vital to understanding who these women are," said Lerner.

The U.S. television rights were purchased by HBO during the festival.

(Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-punk-band-documentary-uncovers-story-behind-punk-234025530.html

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Video: Ackman Stands By Herbalife Short

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/50590162/

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Science Proves Whether the Chicken or the Egg Came First

It's really embarrassing how many sleepless nights I've had due to my brain synapsing and wondering whether the chicken or the egg came first. I flip, I flop, I twist, I turn—it's definitely a good brain exercise. But after watching ASAP Science definitively answer the question of which came first—the chicken or the egg—I can now sleep in peace. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/rVDPMiq9dM8/science-proves-whether-the-chicken-or-the-egg-came-first

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Google applies for license to build experimental wireless network at Mountain View

Google's learned quite a lot about internet provision through its wired Fiber service, and now it appears to be preparing a localized wireless network. El Goog has solicited the FCC for a license to built an "experimental radio service" at its Mountain View lair, which uses bands that current consumer devices don't. As the WSJ notes, Google's old buddy Clearwire holds the keys to the 2524-2625MHz range it'll occupy, and wireless networks using these frequencies are currently under construction in China, Brazil and Japan. The initial hub for the service is planned to be within the building that houses the Google Fiber team -- perfect fuel for speculation that big G wants to create its own network (possibly in cahoots with Dish), and one that's not confined to its HQ. Right now, it's just a document, so we'll have to wait and see how this develops. Even if it ends up going nowhere, it's not like the search behemoth doesn't have the money to flirt with whatever it wants.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet, Google

Comments

Source: FCC, Wall Street Journal

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/24/google-experimental-wireless-network/

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