Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Point guard John Wall, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 N.B.A. draft, agreed to a contract extension with the Wizards. ? ? ? ? ...
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Many Europeans are finding ways to 'get away' despite the eurocrisis ? but their tactics span the spectrum.
A women sunbathes in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris earlier this month. Europeans have had to change their vacation habits due to the Continent's debt crisis, but vacations remain 'sacred' to many, especially the French.
Jacques Brinon/AP
EnlargeAcross Europe, the summer vacation is sacred. Less than two weeks? Rarely (most, in fact, take off the entire month of July or August). Work on the road? Never.
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But with record unemployment, slashed benefits, and no end in sight to the eurocrisis, many European citizens have had to forgo their cherished annual ritual.
This year, according to polling group Ipsos for the insurance group Europ Assistance, only 54 percent of those surveyed across France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Austria reported plans to go on summer vacation ? a 12-point drop from 2011.
On one hand, the survey provides a map of who is hurting economically and who is not. But a deeper look also reveals the different cultural battles under way in Europe, the "ways of life" that are being discussed, dissed, and embraced as the eurozone crisis rages and divides.
Germany, for example, is doing the best in Europe economically. Unemployment is around 5 percent, compared with the European Union average of more than 12 percent. Germans like to say they're doing so well because they "did their homework." But Germans are also prudent and pragmatic ? perhaps the reason that they sit below the European average for vacations this year, with only 52 percent saying they will be going away.
At the same time, Germans might look frustratingly at the figures for France, where 62 percent say they are going away this year. That does represent an eight-point drop from last year, but summer trips are still on the agendas of more French people than any of the other nationalities surveyed, despite a stubbornly high unemployment rate of more than 10 percent and few major economic reforms on the horizon. The Germans might, as they do in other aspects, bemoan an unwillingness of the French to "give up the good life."
By the "good life," they mostly refer to the generous pensions, early retirements, and short weeks that define French working culture. But Victor Roquin, a French consultant in sustainable development, counts vacations on the list of rights the French hold dear.
Across Europe, citizens average 25 to 30 days of vacation per year, according to an Expedia 2012 survey. But nowhere is a month off more ingrained than in France. There's even a verb to describe the act of returning home from summer holidays and back to school: rentrer. "Vacations are a part of our culture. We fought a lot to obtain paid vacation," says Mr. Roquin, who grew up going away each July or August to his family's summer home on the French coast.
It's a custom he has carried on in his adult life, and continues today, because he hasn't been touched by crisis, nor have the friends around him. At the start of August he will pack up his car and head south to a friend's family's summer home; then head to the coast of France; and then on to northern Spain before returning to Paris. "I only have two weeks off this year," he says, and then he laughs at the word "only" ? he knows he's talking to an American.
But he doubts that even a looming economic crisis would keep travelers from the roads.
"Holidays, especially summer holidays, are sacred. You can't touch them," he says. "No matter what the economic situation is, people will keep on going on vacation."
Who spends the most on travel?
1 China ($102 billion)
2 Germany (83.8)
3 United States (83.7)
4 Britain (52.3)
5 Russia (42.8)
6 France (37.2)
7 Canada (35.2)
8 Japan (27.9)
9 Australia (27.6)
10 Italy (26.2)Source: UN World Tourism Organization
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/vvrU6NbD1VU/In-Europe-there-s-always-time-for-vacation
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One of the most incredible things about Brooklyn?and New York City in general?is the consistent commingling of the young and the old, the modern and the antiquated. And never have we seen anything that captures this quality quite like Thomas Rhiel's visualization of Brooklyn, which maps every building based on the year it was constructed.
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Flo denied Diplo's claims that the "Can't Believe It" clip rips off Diplo during MTV's "RapFix Live."
By James Montgomery
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1711652/flo-rida-diplo-twitter-fight.jhtml
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Source: http://www.facebook.com/cbssportsnetwork/posts/10151457823907574
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Jane Meinhardt
Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg
Community Health Systems Inc. would become a major player in Florida and in the Tampa Bay health care market with the pending acquisition of Health Management Associates Inc.
Community Health (NYSE: CYH), a Franklin, Tenn.-based hospital operator that currently has just two hospitals in Florida, will have 25 Florida hospitals after its deal with HMA closes.
That includes Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg and six other hospitals: Bartow Regional Medical Center, Brooksville Regional Hospital, Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Davenport, Pasco Regional Medical Center in Dade City, Spring Hill Regional Hospital and Venice Regional Medical Center.
Florida would become the No. 1 state for Community Health, which would have 206 facilities in 29 states as a result of the deal, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.
Community Health announced its planned $7.6 billion purchase of Naples-based HMA (NYSE: HMA) early Tuesday. Community Health will pay $3.9 billion for HMA?s stock and assume about $3.7 billion in HMA debt.
The deal was announced as HMA said it received additional subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, regarding physician relationships and some emergency room operations, a report from the Associated Press said.
Margie Manning is Quality and Content Editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She also covers banking, finance and professional services.
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Have you ever noticed the generation gap grow wider when using your phone, computer or television around someone that just isn?t from your era? With technology developing so rapidly, each generation is bound to have a unique experience with gadgets and the internet at large. So, how has the internet impacted each generation? Scroll through the infographic below to find out how differently the kids of the ?internet generation? are living their lives.
Kids of The Past Vs. The Internet Generation via Hostgator
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Processing, Packaging, Pharmaceutical, Plastics
and?Rubber and Recycling Industries?
Erie, PA ? Eriez? announces the release of a new White Paper, ?Orange University?: An Eriez Educational Concept to Help Industries Understand and Apply Innovative Technologies.? It is available now for free download from the Eriez website.
This White Paper explains that Orange University was established by Eriez as an institute for learning geared toward the customers and industries the company serves. Introduced in 2011 with the development of a mobile RV classroom, Orange University is the center of the educational universe at Eriez.
?Orange University: An Eriez Educational Concept to Help Industries Understand and Apply Innovative Technologies? describes Eriez? unwavering dedication to customer education, highlighting the many Orange University tools and resources available to customers. These include the mobile training unit, digital literature library, videos, free tools, newsletters, articles, case studies, the Eriez Technical Center and much more.
The White Paper offers a comprehensive overview of the mobile training unit, including typical curriculum and course topics. It explains that Eriez Orange University mobile training and education center continually travels North America, delivering hands-on learning to all who step aboard.
?Orange University: An Eriez Educational Concept to Help Industries Understand and Apply Innovative Technologies? also highlights the company?s website, which supports Orange University by providing product and service literature, white papers, solutions/case studies, selection guides and video training.? The White Paper also details Eriez? commitment to industry trade shows and training for customers and representatives.
To learn more about Orange University and download ?Orange University: An Eriez Educational Concept to Help Industries Understand and Apply Innovative Technologies,? visit http://orangeuniversity.eriez.com/.
Eriez is recognized as world authority in separation technologies. The company?s magnetic lift and separation, metal detection, materials feeding, screening, conveying and controlling equipment have application in the process, metalworking, packaging, plastics, rubber, recycling, mining, aggregate and textile industries. Eriez manufactures and markets these products through 12 international facilities located on six continents. For more information, call toll-free (888) 300-ERIEZ (3743) within the U.S. and Canada. For online users, visit www.eriez.com or send email to ?. Eriez World Headquarters is located at 2200 Asbury Road, Erie, PA 16506.????????????
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July 30th, 2013 by Aaron Hope |
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What would happen if you took a pigment-saturated shoe and ran it through the washing machine? ?Vans California has one possible answer in their upcoming ?Overdye Pack?, a set of skate sneakers whose lighter elements look to have been stained by a process that also has the canvas and/or suede sections looking a little weathered. ?The Vans Authentic and Sk8-Hi are pillars of the low and hightop variety, respectively, and as such, natural representatives of this new look you can expect in the first half of 2014. ?As usual, Sneaker News will keep you posted with release info, and you can see five upcoming pairs depicted in more images below in the meantime.
via HS
Source: http://sneakernews.com/2013/07/30/vans-california-overdye-pack/
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There are few development challenges in Africa more as pressing and fraught with controversy as the issue of land ownership and its persistent gap between rich and poor communities.
With a projected staggering demographic shift in Africa from rural areas to the cities where half of all Africans will live by 2050, these gaps will become steadily more pronounced as governments and communities rise to the challenge of growing enough affordable nutritious food for all families to thrive on the continent.
In some countries in the region, these gaps?allied as they are with high poverty rates and large-scale unemployment?have become sufficiently wide to undermine shared growth and social cohesion.
Women are especially vulnerable. They make up 70% of Africa?s farmers and yet, for the most part, are locked out of land ownership by customary laws and traditions. Without a title to the land they farm, women are unable to raise the money needed to improve their small harvests or to raise living standards. This gender biased legacy perpetuates poverty and blights the lives of women who are the backbone of Africa?s farming, present and future.
Many countries around the world have grappled with the challenge of inequality and land ownership. However, in Africa, which has 202 million hectares or half the world?s total holdings of useable uncultivated fertile land, is blighted by extremely low agricultural productivity.
Despite this abundant land and mineral wealth, much of Africa remains poor and too few countries have been able to translate their rapid economic growth into significantly less poverty and more opportunity.
Currently, only 10% of Africa?s rural land is registered. The remaining 90% is undocumented and informally administered, which makes it susceptible to land grabbing, expropriation without fair compensation, and corruption. Again these consequences fall hardest on women farmers who are oft en the only breadwinners in their families.
Undocumented land is also a problem in Africa?s cities, now increasingly the destination for millions of former rural dwellers. The inhabitants of Africa?s booming cities need secure access to land to live legally without fear of eviction.
This is where scaled-up land registration combined with legal recognition of the rights of squatters on public lands, would greatly improve the lives of poor families and their ability to tend communal gardens, improve urban agriculture, and run profitable businesses.
Fortunately, there are successful examples worldwide of countries that have improved their land governance and revolutionized agriculture. For example, in 1978, China dismantled collective farms and used long-term leases to confer land rights on households, which launched an era of prolonged agricultural growth that transformed rural China and led to the largest reduction in poverty in history. In Argentina, Indonesia, and the Philippines, legal recognition of land rights for residents in slum areas have improved the quality of their housing and the value of their plots.
?Based on such worldwide experience and encouraging evidence from country pilots in African countries such as Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda, a series of steps that may help to revolutionize agricultural production and eradicate poverty in Africa need to be implemented. These steps include improving tenure security over individual and communal lands, increasing land access and tenure for poor and vulnerable families, resolving land disputes, managing better public land, and increasing efficiency and transparency in land administration services.
Although poor land governance is daunting, the problem is not insurmountable. The last decade has witnessed an increase in concerted efforts by African countries and development partners to undertake land policy reforms and to pilot innovative approaches to improve land governance. Many of these countries either have legislation in place or initiatives in progress to address communal land rights and gender equality, the basis for sound land administration.
Surges in commodity prices and foreign direct investment have increased the potential return on investment in land administration. The opportunity to resolve the continent?s long-running struggle with land ownership and productivity has never been better. The time for action is now.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EthicalTechnology/~3/hRbfIihhGeg/chetty20130731
?I am writing simply to express my support for the mission of the Society of Environmental Journalists. I am convinced that it is a worthwhile ? even a necessary ? organization. And in my lexicon, ?necessary? is one of the highest possible forms of praise.?
? Bill McKibben, author (Source)
Such glowing praise from well-known Drama Queen, Bill McKibben is somewhat at odds with the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)?s depiction of itself as an organization whose ?vision and mission? include:
Vision
Credible and robust journalism that informs and engages society on environmental issues.
Mission
The mission of the Society of Environmental Journalists is to strengthen the quality, reach and viability of journalism across all media to advance public understanding of environmental issues.
SEJ provides critical support to journalists of all media in their efforts to cover complex issues of the environment responsibly [...]
If you take a look at the bios of their Board and staff, you may detect that there is rather a distinct ?green? bias in the leadership of the SEJ that is difficult to overlook.
In case you?re wondering how my mouse and I landed in this wonderland, I ?blame? Dr. Judith Curry whose post today, suggests that the SEJ has finally discovered ?The world?s most viewed site on global warming and climate change? aka Watts Up With That (WUWT) (not that the SEJ described it in quite this way!) ? as well as Curry?s own blog, which they describe as follows:
Judith Curry?s blog, Climate Etc., is an exception to the stereotype of denier blogs. Curry is a real climate scientist with strong credentials. Among other things, she is chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Committed to reason, evidence, and open inquiry, she is willing to examine legitimate points the climate skeptics may be making ? as well as the evidence and arguments from mainstream climate science.
In response to which, Curry wryly observed:
Ok, it looks like we now have a new definition of climate change denier [...] As far as I can tell, the SEJ is a reputable organization. However, I find much of their article to be rather appalling. Not to mention the fact that they left out a number of good blog sources, that are arguably better than DeepClimate [...] (emphasis added -hro)
The section Curry had quoted is from what SEJ calls ?Climate Change: A Guide to the Information and Disinformation? ? much of which does not appear to have been updated since Feb. 2009. Here?s the intro to their (Feb. 2009) section on ?Skeptics and Contrarians?:
As scientific evidence has accumulated that the planet is warming and that humans are behind it, many previous skeptics have been won over.
In their dreams, no doubt!
And here?s an item from their ?Editorial Guidelines?
3. EJToday is looking for a mix of the most important, exemplary, and interesting stories that come to our attention on any given day. Newsworthiness in the traditional sense is a key to getting a story included. [...] we are also looking for stuff that is interesting [...] and especially investigative stories.[...]
SEJ?s idea of ?Outstanding Coverage? is beyond bias. It certainly calls into question what their idea of ?exemplary? and ?investigative? might be ? as do the search results on ?Gleick?. Their top result was oh-so-thoughtfully compiled by DeSmog?s Littlemore. So you can well imagine how ?objective? this turned out to be!
Needless to say, SEJ are very fond of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its ?Nobel Laureate? peddler of purple prose Chair, Rajendra K. Pachauri. And I can?t imagine how they might have missed it, but SEJ?s search engine turns up zilch on ?Almora? (as in The IPCC?s Love Guru).
A search on InterAcademy Council (IAC) yields a mere two items ? one was an announcement of its review of the IPCC, and the second a brief and uninformative newswire piece, from Augst 2010 ? in which the misleading reference to ?Nobel Prize-winning IPCC? can be found.
[Sidebar: Any bets on how many newbie enviro-journos (or unsuspecting members of the public, for that matter) would realize that this was a Nobel Peace Prize - not a Nobel Prize for any scientific endeavour or achievement?
Oh, well, what more could one expect from an organization that chooses to bill one of its 2010 conference plenary speakers as "Nobel laureate climate scientist Steve Running"?! Accuracy does not seem to be part of SEJ's agenda, does it?!]
But this page did include (although I?m not entirely sure how this might have crept in) a ?see also? link to a more informative piece by the Christian Science Monitor ? which contained the following from Dr. Roger Pielke Jr:
Taken as a whole, the report and its recommendations are ?remarkably hard-hitting,? says Roger Pielke Jr., who specialized in science policy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. ?It?s not at all the rap on the knuckles that some commentators had expected.?
Assuming the recommendations are adopted as a package, and not picked over, ?this could mark the moment when climate science joins the 21st century as far as science advice is concerned,? Dr. Pielke says. ?It?s had some practices that were too ad hoc for its prominent role.?
Unfortunately, as the intervening years continue to show, for all intents and purposes, the IPCC opted for ?picked over? ? almost beyond recognition in some instances. IOW, the IPCC chose business as usual. But I digress ?
While a search of the SEJ site does not yield any results for (Andrew) ?Montford?, (Donna) ?Laframboise? or (Ross) ?McKitrick?, it does yield one result for ?Steve McIntyre?: A pathetic little 2012 piece by USA Today?s Mann-fan, Dan Vergano.
In short, I find that SEJ?s ?Vision?:
Credible and robust journalism that informs and engages society on environmental issues.
is very cloudy ? if not fog-inducing ? and far from ?credible?. Although it is within the realm of possibility that (in the noble tradition of those dedicated to ?the cause?), they?ve redefined ?credible?.
In fairness, though, I should note that there was considerable coverage of Climategate; however, of the half dozen or so pieces I skimmed, most were predictably, well, not worth reading! The one notable exception, was a piece by Bill Dawson, assistant editor of SEJ?s quarterly SEJournal. In this July 2010 (presumed excerpt from the print edition) entitled How the U.S. Media Fumbled ?Climategate? and Other Climate Coverage, Dawson relays E-mail interviews with four correspondents, one of whom was SEJ Board member, Tom Yulsman. In response to Dawson?s:
What did you see in the way of opinion pieces ? editorials, op-eds, blogs ? in the non-national media?
Yulsman wrote:
I don?t have hard evidence for how Climategate played in local and regional media. But I can make the obvious observation that specialist reporters, including science and environmental reporters, have been among the hardest hit by the layoffs that have decimated the ranks of journalists. [...]
We should also keep in mind that most people still get their news from local television. And the only people in local television who might be inclined to cover these issues, and theoretically, at least, have at least a modicum of knowledge about the issues, are meteorologists. But mostly, they spend their time telling their viewers what temperature it is outside and whether it?s raining, snowing or sunny. As if we can?t figure that out for ourselves by looking outside and going online.
So I don?t believe most Americans actually got much in the way of news about Climategate from local and regional media.
They did hear a lot about it, though. From the blogosphere.
[...]
So Climategate and global warming in general have been an issue of major discourse in society. And, in fact, some major national news outlets, such as The New York Times, gave it quite a bit of attention (but generally screwed up the story as badly as can be imagined). But mostly, American news media seem to have all but ignored the issues.
Although Yulsman doesn?t articulate what ?the issues? might be, this may well have been the beginning of all the hand-wringing and moaning about ?engaging the public? that seems to have become an almost weekly ritual, of late!
Not to worry, though, the SEJ is gearing up to board the Chattanooga Choo-Choo for its 23rd annual conference in October. Under the ?banner? of the immortal words of no less a luminary than E.O. Wilson,
this five-day conference will address the theme of ? wait for it ? Got Sustainability?. Be sure to check out the conference brochure (pdf). Here are the topics of their ?climate? panels:
? Climate Change and Media Coverage: Have We Blown It?
? Is Climate Change the Moral and Ethical Dilemma of Our Times?
? All Weather Is Local: Bringing Climate Change Closer to Home
? Super Storms, Tornadoes and Droughts, Climate and Deadly Weather
And lots of other ?responsible? scary stuff, of course!
Footnote:
While I was perusing the SEJ site, I came across the following in the ?Staying up to date on climate news: Publications to follow? section of their ?Climate Change Guide?:
The Guardian: Climate News
The Guardian does more environmental coverage than almost any newspaper on the planet, and they send reporters to international climate events even when most other newspapers stay home. They have a boisterous and popular tone, a bit of a liberal tilt, and a predilection for cute puppy stories, but their reporters are serious and break stories others don?t have the grit for. Being Brits, they do not suck up to the U.S. government.
How ?engaging? and ?responsible? ? and professional ? is that, eh?! By contrast, as I had noted above, in the section where they had recognized Anthony Watts? WUWT, they seemed to be holding their nose in order to ? uh ? sustain their carefully cultivated (but fact-free)?stereotype?. Here?s what they had written in their ?News from the climate wars? section on this same page (in which they had also mentioned Curry?s blog):
Watts Up With That
Watts Up With That is one of the more civil and well-read of the denier blogs. It is not reliable as a source of factual information. It does not disclose its funding sources. Anthony Watts, its proprietor, has worked as a broadcast weatherman for years but has no degree.
There?s a post today at WUWT, in which Watts, citing Andrew Montford at Bishop Hill wrote:
The Guardian has thrown all my preconceptions into disarray by printing an article about sceptics that is not only thoughtful, but is polite too!
Sceptics such as Andrew Montford and Anthony Watts agree with the mainstream view that the greenhouse effect brings about atmospheric warming as a result of carbon emissions, but dispute levels of climate sensitivity. However, others offer far more fundamental challenges to climate science, such as fringe sceptic group Principia Scientific who reject this orthodox view of atmospheric physics.
This Guardian article was by Warren Pearce, who had already sent the army of alarmist lesser-lights into an absolute tizzy because he had recently committed the cardinal sin of posting a devastating guest-essay by skeptic Ben Pile on Pearce?s University of Nottingham blog, Making Science Public.
So as ?gobsmacked? ? and appreciative ? as Watts acknowledged he was for Pearce?s article in the Guardian, I?m inclined to suspect this may well pale in comparison to the reactions ? and lack of appreciation ? behind closed screens at the SEJ. So here?s a little something to cheer them up ? as they contemplate the journey from their Pennsylvania home-base to Chattanooga;-)
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Downtown Houston is home base for PNC's new energy office.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc., Pittsburgh?s largest bank, has opened a corporate banking office serving the oil and gas industry in Houston. It is PNC?s (NYSE:PNC) only exclusive energy office, focused on reserve-based lending and pipelines, and will serve clients nationwide.
The unit is led by Managing Director Tom Byargeon, hired from Credit Agricole where he served as the U.S. head of the independent oil and natural gas producers group. The new office is located at 1200 Smith St., Suite 1600, in Houston.
Why Houston? PNC?s retail footprint doesn?t extend into Texas ? yet ? and it largely phased out the builder finance unit that was part of its 2012 purchase of RBC Bank USA, which once had a large Houston presence of more than 200 employees, because the business line didn?t fit with its strategy.
?Houston is the U.S. ? if not the global ? energy capital, with over 3,000 energy-related firms,? Amy Vargo, PNC vice president and senior manager, media relations, told me. ?Over 500 S&P firms and 100 pipeline companies are headquartered in Houston. Many of those companies now actively drilling in the Marcellus and Utica shale throughout southwest Pennsylvania are also headquartered in Houston. Having PNC bankers physically located in Houston will help us to be better aligned with the unique challenges and financing needs of this industry.?
Mauricio Viaud, a senior research analyst at Hefren-Tillotson Inc., said PNC?s decision to base the office in Houston makes sense.
"A lot of the big guys ? Schlumberger, Halliburton ?are based down there so I see the angle," Viaud said. He recently joined Hefren-Tillotson from BNY Mellon where he specialized energy and materials. "As far as getting access to management and financial teams, there would be a large number of them headquartered in Houston. They?ll probably get more bang for the buck there. But Pittsburgh is an up-and-coming area as well so I wonder, down the road, if it might be prudent to open an office here."
Patty Tascarella covers accounting, banking, finance, legal, marketing and advertising and foundations. Contact her at ptascarella@bizjournals.com or 412-208-3832. .
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Just days after Hasan Rouhani's election victory in Iran, his top advisers and allies gathered for a closed-door strategy session at a think tank run by the new president. The group, lugging spread sheets, notes and policy papers, also carried something new into the mix ? an array of degrees from Western universities.
Soon after Rouhani's swearing-in Sunday, he is expected to unveil key members of his government and give more clarity about his behind-the-scenes brain trust. In all likelihood, the core of his team will include figures whose academic pedigrees run through places such as California, Washington and London.
The Western-looking credentials of Rouhani's inner circle are no surprise. Rouhani himself studied in Scotland. What remains unclear, however, is how much they could actually influence Iranian policies and foster potential outreach diplomacy such as direct talks with the U.S. or possible breakthroughs in wider negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.
"Studying in the West doesn't mean you would make concessions to the West," said Rasool Nafisi, an Iranian affairs analyst at Strayer University in Virginia. "What it does mean is that the level of understanding and ability to pick up nuances are much higher. The next step is seeing how much of that can translate into changes at the top with the ruling clerics, where it really counts."
On many levels, this is the fundamental question as the clock starts on Rouhani's presidency after eight years of the hectoring style of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
There is little doubt that Rouhani will bring a far calmer and more measured approach. That alone may help with efforts to rebuild strained ties with Europe and open new possibilities for deal-making after the expected restart of nuclear talks with world powers.
But Rouhani's Western-educated political entourage is not about to steer Iran in a completely new direction after his election victory last month.
Rouhani, a cleric and former top nuclear negotiator, does not stand against the Islamic system or the firm controls at the top: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guard. Khamenei has final say in all key matters, including Rouhani's selections for key Cabinet posts such as the foreign and intelligence ministers.
That leaves Rouhani ? effectively the international face of Iran ? with the task of projecting a new image of dialogue rather than diatribes on the world stage. Inside Iran, Rouhani has to adopt the role of salesman: trying to get Khamenei and the ruling clerics to buy into his views that interaction with Washington and its allies could bring dividends such as steps to ease tightening economic sanctions.
Many of those being considered for Cabinet posts share Rouhani's approach, including a former deputy foreign minister, Mahmoud Vaezi, who holds degrees in electrical engineering from California State University, Sacramento and San Jose State University. He began his doctorate in foreign relations at Louisiana State University but finished the degree in Poland.
Vaezi was head of the foreign ministry's European and American affairs section from 1990-97 under reformist President Mohammad Khatami. In recent years, Vaezi has been a senior figure at Rowhani's Center for Strategic Research.
"The potential candidates ... are those who understand international relations and understand the language of the West," said Tehran-based political analyst Behrouz Shojaei. "This shows Rouhani is serious in seeking to ease tensions with the outside world and improve Iran's economy."
Another potential contender for foreign minister is Mohammad Javad Zarif, who did postgraduate studies at San Francisco State University and obtained a doctorate in international law and policy at the University of Denver.
Zarif also raised his profile in the U.S. as a diplomat at Iran's U.N. Mission in New York during a five-year posting that ended in 2007. In one of his last public events, Zarif was a headline speaker at a conference in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on conflict resolution whose participants included the current U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Meanwhile, Hossein Mousavian, currently a research scholar at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is likely to hold a key foreign policy adviser role. Mousavian also graduated from Sacramento State.
Officials with academic roots in the West are nothing new in the Middle East. Many Gulf Arab leaders and top officials studied in Europe or the U.S. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to high school outside Philadelphia and returned to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jordan's King Abdullah II attended boarding schools in England and Massachusetts and then moved on to Britain's royal military academy Sandhurst.
But Iran's elected leadership ? the presidency and top parliamentary posts ? has had far fewer Western-educated figures. In the years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Western credentials were viewed with suspicion. Ahmadinejad, who studied in Iran, has strongly favored advisers who also have homegrown academic backgrounds.
Rouhani's administration could mark a strong break and include advisers whose connections with the West straddle before and after the Islamic Revolution.
Among them is Rouhani's younger brother, Hossein Fereidoun, who is helping the president-elect put together his Cabinet list.
Fereidoun was a member of the security team when the Islamic Revolution's leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returned from exile in France in 1979. He later served in Iran's U.N. Mission. Rouhani previously went by the family name Fereidoun, but dropped it in an apparent attempt to hide from authorities before the Islamic Revolution.
The review of potential candidates for economic roles includes Chamber of Commerce president Mohammad Nahavandian, who holds a doctorate in economics from George Washington University, and Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, who holds an economics doctorate from Paisley in Britain, and was spokesman of Rouhani's campaign office.
A possible candidate for the critical oil ministry post is Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, a former deputy oil minister and president of Iran's state oil company, who has an engineering degree from California State Polytechnic University.
But speculation was growing that Rouhani could look to a former oil minister, Bijan Zanganeh, who was ousted when Ahmadinejad took office in 2005.
Some semiofficial Iranian news agencies, including ISNA, cited sources saying that Rouhani will tap a former defense minister, Mohammed Forouzandeh, as the chief nuclear negotiator. Such a choice would bring a relative novice in international dialogue into a critical role. Rouhani's aides have not commented on the report, and other names such as former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati have been raised in the Iranian media.
Other noteworthy possibilities include Ali Jannati as head of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, where the wide-ranging mandate includes oversight of foreign media in Iran. Jannati is considered a moderate, but his father, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, is an ultra hard-line cleric who often leads the nationally broadcast Friday prayers from Tehran University.
___
Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
13 hours ago
Showtime
Could Michael C. Hall's "Dexter" live on?
"Dexter" might not be laid to rest after its series finale this summer.
Confirming that Showtime is discussing the possibility of a "Dexter" spin-off, the network's entertainment president, David Nevins, offered a tantalizing tease to reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour Tuesday.
"We announced a deal with ('Dexter' showrunner) Scott Buck today," he said. "Draw your own conclusions."
The obvious inference is that Buck, who joined "Dexter" in 2007 and took over the reins before season six, will shepherd an offshoot of the serial killer drama as part of his two-year overall deal with the premium cable network.
"There's nothing actively happening," said Nevins, explaining that Buck has "been totally focused on this season ? he's not finished with post."
"The original series ? it's everything," Nevins emphasized after realizing that his "hint" was the equivalent of dropping a lit match in a gasoline-soaked church.
"It's all about the satisfying ending to the show. We have a deal with Scott and we're going to develop a bunch of different things with him. ... I don't know that there will ever be a spin-off. It could well never happen."
Still, Nevins said "all options will be explored. We're really not dealing with it all until we're through this season ? and maybe for a while thereafter."
The network did confirm, however, that Buck and his "Dexter" star, Michael C. Hall, will be teaming up again very soon in an adaption of Matthew Specktor's novel "American Dream Machine." Buck will serve as script supervisor with Hall executive producing. (No casting decisions have been made, but Nevins said it is "unlikely" that Hall will also star.)
Meanwhile, seven episodes remain in "Dexter's" eighth and final season, leading up to the Sept. 22 finale.
Nevins, who's read the final script, said, "I think it ends with great satisfaction. ... I think it's quite brilliantly built to."
"Dexter" airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on Showtime.
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/showtime-boss-teases-possible-dexter-spin-6C10800713
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By Mehreen Zahra-Malik
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Mamnoon Hussain, a veteran Pakistani politician and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's trusted ally, was elected president on Tuesday in a vote by legislators for the largely ceremonial post of head of state.
Hussain, 73, will be sworn in on September 9 at the presidential palace due to be vacated by incumbent Asif Ali Zardari, who is stepping down at the end of his five-year term.
Ousted in a bloodless coup in 1999, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party swept back into power in a May vote that marked the first transition between civilian governments in a country ruled by the military for more than half its history.
The new president was elected by an electoral college made up of members of the two houses of parliament and assemblies in Pakistan's four provinces.
Given its dominance in parliament, the PML-N was guaranteed a walkover even before the main opposition party, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), announced it was boycotting the vote to protest against a change in the election schedule.
Hussain won easily in the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan and got 41 out of 110 votes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He won 277 out of 311 votes in the upper and lower houses of parliament, emerging as the clear winner.
Hussain, who will be president for five years, resigned his membership of the PML-N soon after the election results were announced, in what is seen as a symbolic move to establish himself as a non-partisan president.
Hussain has been an active member of the PML-N since the 1960s. He was governor of the southern province of Sindh from June to October 1999 when Sharif's government was overthrown by the then army commander, General Pervez Musharraf.
Traditionally, presidents have been figureheads in Pakistan although Musharraf wielded extensive powers when he held the post. Under Zardari, the presidency was largely stripped of powers though he enjoyed considerable influence in the previous administration.
The party Zardari heads, the PPP, was elected in 2008 on the back of a sympathy vote after his wife, the popular ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after returning from self-exile.
His leadership of the ruling party gave him influence but Zardari still came under considerable criticism as Pakistan lurched from crisis to crisis, its economy crippled by power cuts and security undermined by a growing insurgency.
Zardari will lose his immunity as head of state when he steps down. He was once charged with conspiracy to commit murder after his brother-in-law, Murtaza Bhutto, was killed in 1996 but he denied any wrongdoing and was never convicted.
However, after his wife's government collapsed in late 1996, he was arrested and charged with corruption, such as for receiving kickbacks in deals involving a Swiss company.
He was never convicted and denies the charges but spent the next eight years in jail. In 2009, the Supreme Court scrapped an amnesty law that had dismissed corruption charges against thousands of Pakistani politicians, including Zardari.
(Additional reporting by Gul Yousafzai in Quetta; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/veteran-pakistani-politician-elected-president-115556925.html
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I am current member at Paris Gym. There is a problem with this gym towards straight men. I noticed that you tend to be treated differently from the gay majority if you are straight (or if you do not fit the profile of a gay man). I say this with utmost confidence, having observed the way one member of staff (who I now believe to known as James) treats straight fellas. He can be arrogant, rude and grumpy for no apparent cause. I have observed James more than twice reacting rudely to a Brazilian dude and an oriental guy and this has caused me to question whether this guy (James) is also racially prejudiced. There is no suggestion box at Paris gym - otherwise I would have dropped this there. On a recent occasion I was inquiring about a fitness product at the reception and James blatantly attempted to ignore me - pretending to be busy while he gossiped with another fella about the Eagle Vauxhall.? I am sure that James had observed me heading straight to the gym floor after booking myself in - without using the lockers. This I now understand is termed as 'straight' conduct and offensive to some people at the gym. In the end, James reluctantly served me but then again refused to allow me to purchase the product on credit aka tubs for some unclear reason. My view, and I trust this is shared by all straight fellas using this gym, is that Paris gym retains a strong interest in its past and wants to remain a totally gay gym and only serve gay men. The pressure of complying with equality law is too much and now obvious with the prejudice displayed by staff to straight men. I think Paris gym relishes those sordid days in the past when used condoms in the sauna were a common scene and 'cruising' openly inside the gym was the norm. Aside the true 'wonders' of James, I think this gym has potential and indeed, other staff are brilliant - notably little Phil, big Phil and Tim (very cool guy this one). Mike is also warm too and these names guys really care about the service they provide. Businesses, including Paris gym, invest and rely heavily on front-line staff to deliver excellent customer service. Poor customer service is very costly in this era and trade particularly here in London where competition is rife and choice is not scanty. It is important that all front-line staff treat customers with dignity and respect, regardless of their sexuality and race etc, not just because of equality law, but most importantly due to an awareness and/or understanding of diversity. I have only managed to stay on at this gym because it is the very local (of all the local gyms) to where I live and work, inter alia. One thing to make clear is that no malice aforethought whatsoever, in writing this review. Bless.
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CAIRO ? In dark sunglasses and a uniform studded with medals, Egypt's top general is everywhere, looking down from posters and banners proclaiming him "lion of the nation." Adoring songs vow "We are behind you."
Barely a month after he removed the elected president, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi is riding a wave of adulation, drawing comparisons between him and modern Egypt's first charismatic strongman, former President Gamal Abdel-Nasser. State media and pro-military TV channels and newspapers have done everything they can to fuel the fervor.
But some warn that the personality cult could pave the way to new authoritarianism after a coup that the army and its supporters insist was aimed at promoting democracy.
"I worry about el-Sissi and the possible arrogance of the victor. And I fear him if he decides that the army is stronger than any future president that he will control like a puppet," wrote Mohammed Fathy, a columnist in the newspaper Al-Watan. "The admiration for him has gone beyond normal levels and is now more like deifying him."
The hype has swelled to the point that some are convinced el-Sissi will take off his uniform and run for president in elections due to take place early next year. A military spokesman denied el-Sissi has any intention to do so. That has done nothing to end the speculation by those for and against the idea.
"Bottom line, el-Sissi will be president because he has no choice but to be. People have already started treating him as such and because he is de facto ruler," Fathy wrote in a column on Monday, adding that media are depicting the general as "Nasser 2013."
The raving over el-Sissi is rooted in the satisfaction many Egyptians took from his July 3 coup removing President Mohammed Morsi. It came after four days of massive protests by millions nationwide demanding the president step down, accusing him of failing to manage the country and handing power over to his Islamist allies.
The nationalist fervor and resentment of the Islamists has so far all but drowned out arguments by Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi's other supporters that the coup against Egypt's first freely elected president has wrecked democracy. Two large-scale killings of dozens of pro-Morsi protesters in clashes the past three weeks have won them little sympathy amid a public attitude ? again fueled by the military, officials and many media outlets ? that the protesters are violent extremists.
But the lavish celebration of el-Sissi also speaks of a nation looking for a leader it can rally behind. It underscores a close bond between the Egyptian public and the armed forces. As a mostly conscript army, there is hardly an Egyptian family that hasn't sent a son to the military, which fought four wars with Israel ? the most recent in 1973.
That translates into a trust of the army's intentions among many.
Source: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/217450671.html
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