Texas woman set to be 500th execution in state

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) ? Texas, the nation's busiest death penalty state, is set to mark a solemn moment in criminal justice Wednesday with the execution of convicted killer Kimberly McCarthy.

If McCarthy is put to death in Huntsville as planned, she would become the 500th person executed in Texas since the state resumed carrying out the death penalty in 1982. The 52-year-old also would be the first woman executed in the U.S. since 2010.

McCarthy's attorney, Maurie Levin, said she has exhausted all efforts to block the execution, after denials by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

"If there was something to appeal, I would," said Levin.

Texas has carried out nearly 40 percent of the more than 1,300 executions in the U.S. since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. The state's standing stems from its size as the nation's second most populous state as well as its tradition of tough justice for killers.

With increased debate in recent years over wrongful convictions, some states have halted the practice entirely. However, 32 states have the death penalty on the books. Still, it's clear the debate over capital punishment has touched Texas, with lawmakers providing more sentencing options for juries and courts narrowing the cases for which death can be sought.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Huntsville prison ahead of the execution, carrying signs saying "Death Penalty: Racist and Anti-Poor," ''Stop All Executions Now" and "Stop Killing to Stop Killings." In recent years, Texas executions have generally drawn fewer than 10 protesters. About 40 people were protesting Wednesday afternoon.

Death penalty opponents used a small speaker and microphone to address the protesters, who were on a street corner about a block from the prison, in front of yellow police tape. About 15 to 20 officers stood on the other side of the tape.

"The death penalty is guilty and should be shut down. How dare the state carry out 500 executions," said Gloria Rubac, with the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement in Houston.

McCarthy faces execution for the 1997 robbery, beating and fatal stabbing of retired college psychology professor Dorothy Booth. Booth had agreed to give McCarthy a cup of sugar before she was attacked with a butcher knife at her home in Lancaster, about 15 miles south of Dallas. Authorities say McCarthy cut off Booth's finger to remove her wedding ring.

Police also had linked two other slayings to McCarthy, a former nursing home therapist who became addicted to crack cocaine.

In her appeals, McCarthy contended prosecutors improperly excluded black jurors and that her lawyers failed to challenge the moves at trial or in early appeals. McCarthy is black, and Booth was white. All but one of the 12 jurors at McCarthy's trial were white.

In January, McCarthy had been moved to a small holding cell a few steps from the Texas death chamber when a Dallas judge moved her execution to April. That timing then was reset for June when Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said he wanted to await the outcome of capital punishment-related bills before lawmakers in Austin.

On Tuesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to reconsider its denial a day earlier of McCarthy's appeal, saying her claims should have been raised previously.

Levin, a University of Texas law professor, said because the court's ruling focused on a procedural and not a substantive issue, the case cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The shameful errors that plague Ms. McCarthy's case ? race bias, ineffective counsel and courts unwilling to exercise meaningful oversight of the system ? reflect problems that are central to the administration of the death penalty as a whole. For this to be the emblem of Texas' 500th execution is something all Texans should be ashamed of," Levin said.

McCarthy declined to speak with reporters as her execution date neared.

McCarthy would be the 13th woman nationwide and the fourth in Texas put to death since 1976. In the same period, more than 1,300 men have been executed nationwide, 496 of them in Texas. Virginia is a distant second, nearly 400 executions behind.

Federal statistics show that over the past three decades women account for about 10 percent of convicted murderers. According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, there were 63 women on death row in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, representing 2 percent of the nation's 3,125 condemned prisoners.

Prosecutors showed that McCarthy stole Booth's Mercedes and drove to Dallas, pawned the wedding ring she had removed from the woman's severed finger for $200 and then went to a crack house to buy cocaine. Evidence also showed she used Booth's credit cards at a liquor store.

Booth's DNA was found on a 10-inch butcher knife recovered from McCarthy's home.

McCarthy blamed the crime on two drug dealers, but there was no evidence either existed.

Blood DNA evidence also tied McCarthy to the December 1988 slayings of 81-year-old Maggie Harding and 85-year-old Jettie Lucas. Harding was stabbed and beaten with a meat tenderizer, while Lucas was beaten with both sides of a claw hammer and stabbed.

McCarthy, who denied any involvement in the attacks, was indicted but not tried for those slayings.

McCarthy is a former wife of Aaron Michaels, founder of the New Black Panther Party, and he testified on her behalf. They had separated before Booth's slaying.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano at http://www.twitter.com/juanlozano70

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-woman-set-500th-execution-state-073800079.html

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US senate candidates upbeat as Mass. polls close

BOSTON (AP) ? Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez both expressed confidence in the messages they delivered to voters during their campaigns to succeed John Kerry in the U.S. Senate, a race where relatively few people were expected to vote in Tuesday's special election.

Polls closed in Massachusetts at 8 p.m. and supporters of the candidates gathered in two separate Boston hotels to wait for the results.

Both candidates made a series of stops in the campaigns' final hours, culminating with election eve rallies Monday night, while their staffers cranked up their all-important ground games designed to get as many of their voters to the polls as possible.

On Tuesday, both men voted and reflected briefly on the shortened campaign season. The Senate seat opened when Kerry resigned to become U.S. secretary of state.

Markey, 66, voted with his wife in his hometown of Malden. He said the length of the campaign didn't prevent him from repeatedly crisscrossing the state and letting voters know what he stands for. "I have delivered a message on gun safety, on a woman's right to choose, on creating more jobs and I think that message has been delivered and I feel very good about today," he said. "And tonight we (are) gonna have a very good night."

Markey has led in the polls but said Monday that he's taking nothing for granted.

"There is no overconfidence in this entire operation," Markey told reporters after an evening rally in Malden.

Gomez, 47, a political newcomer who worked for a Boston-based private equity firm before jumping into the race, voted in Cohasset, where he lives with his wife and four children. He said he was humbled and proud of the opportunity to vote for himself, saying the election was about choosing the future over the past and what he called Markey's failure to take on the important issues, despite 37 years in office.

"Where I come from, that is mission incomplete," said the former Navy SEAL, adding he was asking for just 17 months, the remainder of Kerry's term.

"Give me a chance to go down there for 17 months and accomplish the mission, which I've done all my life," Gomez said.

In Cambridge, Lori Berenson, 51, said she voted for Markey, mainly because she was skeptical of one of Gomez's main campaign pitches: his request for just 17 months in office.

"He thinks in 17 months he's going to accomplish what Markey hasn't done in 37 years?" she said.

David Wanders, a 43-year-old union member from Stoughton, said he voted for Gomez largely because Markey has been in Washington too long already.

"He's a lifer," said Wanders, an independent. "I don't think he lives here. He lives in Washington."

Wanders, who voted for President Barack Obama in the last election, said nothing in particular attracted him to Gomez.

"What's 17 months going to hurt?" he asked. "If we don't like him, we can get rid of him."

Massachusetts state Secretary William Galvin said Monday that he expected a lackluster turnout, with no more than 1.6 million of the state's 4.3 million registered voters to cast ballots in the special election, well below the 2.2 million who voted in a 2010 special election, won by Republican Scott Brown, to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

As of 3 p.m. in Boston, 48,868 voters had cast ballots, or about 12.5 percent of the city's eligible voters. That's far less than the 81,882 Boston voters who had cast ballots at the same point in the 2010 special U.S. Senate election.

Statewide turnout was not immediately available.

Markey has held a fundraising advantage throughout the campaign, having spent more $8.6 million on the race through the end of the last reporting period June 5, compared with $2.3 million by Gomez, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Also on the ballot was Richard Heos, who is affiliated with the Twelve Visions Party.

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-senate-candidates-upbeat-mass-polls-close-005823492.html

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South Africa: Mandela still in critical condition

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? Nelson Mandela's condition in a Pretoria hospital remained critical for a second straight day Monday, said South Africa's president who described the stricken anti-apartheid hero as being "asleep" when he visited Mandela the previous evening

President Jacob Zuma told at least 60 foreign and South African journalists that doctors are doing everything possible to ensure the 94-year-old's wellbeing and comfort on his 17th day in the hospital. The president repeated some of the content of a presidential statement issued on Sunday and refused to give any details about Mandela's condition, saying: "I'm not a doctor."

"Madiba is critical in the hospital, and this is the father of democracy. This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison, the longest-serving prisoner in South Africa. He is one of those who has contributed to democracy," Zuma said, using Mandela's clan name. "All of us in the country should accept the fact that Madiba is now old. As he ages, his health will ... trouble him and I think what we need to do as a country is to pray for him."

Zuma, who in the past has given an overly sunny view of Mandela's health, briefly described his visit to the hospital in the capital and seeing Mandela.

"It was late, he was already asleep," Zuma said. "And we then had a bit of a discussion with the doctors as well as his wife, Graca Machel, and we left."

Asked why none of Mandela's doctors had been made available for a news briefing, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said an arrangement had been made in consultation with Mandela's family whereby information would be provided through a "single source in an authoritative way."

"We've come to that arrangement on the basis that we need to respect the privacy of the family, we need to adhere to doctor-patient confidentiality," he said.

"You can be assured that what we are saying is based on agreement with the doctors," Maharaj said. Doctors approve the text of announcements on Mandela's health, and believe some media reporting has transgressed professional ethics, he said.

Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized on June 8 for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. This is his fourth hospitalization since December.

Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released 23 years ago, in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to an all-race democracy, becoming South Africa's first black president in all-race elections in 1994.

As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-mandela-still-critical-condition-082546750.html

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Sherri Shepherd's Impression Of Two Women Trash-Talking Each Other (VIDEO)

"Sister Act" Broadway Opening Night - Arrivals & Curtain Call

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: (L-R) TV personality Barbara Walters, actress/producer Whoopi Goldberg and TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck attend the Broadway opening night of 'Sister Act' at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

JOY BEHAR, SANDRA FLUKE, SHERRI SHEPHERD, ELISABETH HASSELBECK, BARBARA WALTERS

Georgetown University law student and activist Sandra Fluke, center, speaks as co-hosts Joy Behar, left, and Sherri Shepherd speak during an appearance on the daytime talk show, "The View," Monday, March 5, 2012 in New York. Fluke talked about conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and the comments he made on his program after she testified to Democratic members of Congress in support of a requirement that health care companies provide coverage for contraception. Fluke told ABC's "The View" on Monday that she hasn't heard from Limbaugh since he issued a written apology late Saturday. (AP Photo/ABC, Lou Rocco)

Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd,

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama appear on the ABC Television show ?The View? in New York, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, From left are, Barbara Walters, president and first lady, Joy Behar, and Sherri Shepherd. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

ROBIN ROBERTS, SHERRI SHEPHERD, VAL CHMERKOVSKIY

In this April 11, 2012 photo released by ABC, host Robin Roberts, left, speaks with TV personality Sherri Shepherd and her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy after they were eliminated from the celebrity dance competition series "Dancing with the Stars," during an appearance on the morning show "Good Morning America" in New York. The Nielsen Co. said Monday that ABC's ?Good Morning America? beat NBC's morning show last week by a razor-thin margin of 13,000 viewers. (AP Photo/ABC, Donna Svennevik)

"Sister Act" Broadway Opening Night - Arrivals & Curtain Call

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: Actress/producer Whoopi Goldberg and TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck, attend the Broadway opening night of 'Sister Act' at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

"Sister Act" Broadway Opening Night - Arrivals & Curtain Call

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: TV personalities Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters attend the Broadway opening night of 'Sister Act' at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

"Sister Act" Broadway Opening Night - Arrivals & Curtain Call

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: (L-R) Actress/producer Whoopi Goldberg, actor Sylvester Stallone and TV personality Barbara Walters attend the Broadway opening night of 'Sister Act' at the Broadway Theatre on April 20, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)

Kelly Ripa Co-Hosts Dr. Fredric Brandt's SiriusXM Launch Event

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Television personality Joy Behar attends Dr. Fredric Brandt's SiriusXM launch event at SiriusXM Studio on September 26, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

BARBARA WALTERS, STAR JONES, JOY BEHAR

In this image released by ABC, co-host Barbara Walters, left embraces former co-host Star Jones as Joy Behar, right, looks on during a broadcast of the daytime talk show "The View," Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, in New York. Jones made a guest appearance Wednesday after quitting the show six years ago. (AP Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)

2012 Made In NY Awards

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 04: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,actress/TV personality Whoopi Goldberg, and New York City Film Commissioner Katherine Oliver attend the 2012 Made In NY Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Joy Behar

FILE - In this March 13, 2010 file photo, TV personality Joy Behar attends the 21st annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York. Current TV says Joy Behar will soon be joining the network to host a prime-time talk show. Behar, whose nightly program on cable channel HLN ended last December, will return with a show on Current in September, the network announced Monday. It will originate Monday through Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern time. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

Joy Behar

FILE - This April 20, 2011 file photo shows Joy Behar arriving to the opening night performance of the Broadway musical ?Sister Act? in New York. Current TV says Joy Behar will soon be joining the network to host a prime-time talk show. Behar, whose nightly program on cable channel HLN ended last December, will return with a show on Current in September, the network announced Monday. It will originate Monday through Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern time. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

2012 Made In NY Awards

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 04: Actress Meryl Streep and actress/TV personality Whoopi Goldberg attend the 2012 Made In NY Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Sherri Shepherd

Television personality Sherri Shepherd arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Nora Ephron Memorial Service

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 09: Actress Joy Behar attends the Nora Ephron Memorial Service on July 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

SHERRI SHEPHERD, VAL CHMERKOVSKIY

In this April 9, 2012 photo released by ABC, TV personality Sherri Shepherd and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy perform on the celebrity dance competition series "Dancing with the Stars," in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/ABC, Adam Taylor)

Sherri Shepherd

Television personality Sherri Shepherd arrives before the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN

Barbara Walters listens as US President Barack Obama speaks during a break in a taping of 'The View' at ABC Studios September 24, 2012 in New York, New York. Obama is traveling for a two day trip to New York City where he will participate in a taping of 'The View' before attending the United Nations General Assembly and related events. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

Through The Kitchen Benefit For Cancer Research Institute

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 20: Media personality Barbara Walters is served in the kitchen during the Through The Kitchen Benefit For Cancer Research Institute at The Four Seasons Restaurant on May 20, 2012 in New York, United States. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Barbara Walters, Bill Geddie

Barbara Walters, right, presents the lifetime achievement award to Bill Geddie onstage at the 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, June 23, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

SHERRI SHEPHERD, VAL CHMERKOVSKIY

In this April 2, 2012 photo, TV personality Sherri Shepherd, left, and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy perform on the celebrity dance competition series "Dancing with the Stars," in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/ABC, Adam Taylor)

"The Words" New York Screening - Arrivals

EAST HAMPTON, NY - AUGUST 25: TV personality Joy Behar attends 'The Words' screening at Goose Creek on August 25, 2012 in East Hampton, New York. (Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images)

Backstage At 54 Below

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: TV personality Joy Behar speaks with comedian Carol Burnett backstage after a performance by Linda Lavin at 54 Below on September 17, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for 54 Below)

Backstage At 54 Below

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 17: (L-R) Joy Behar, Harold 'Hal' Prince, Linda Lavin and Carol Burnett pose backstage after a performance by Linda Lavin at 54 Below on September 17, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for 54 Below)

Actress Whoopi Goldberg arrives at the 2

Actress Whoopi Goldberg arrives at the 20th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party at the City of West Hollywood Park on February 26, 2012 in West Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK T. FALLON (Photo credit should read Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

20th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party - Arrivals

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 26: Actress Whoopi Goldberg arrives at the 20th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party held at West Hollywood Park on February 26, 2012 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

2012 MoMA Party In The Garden Benefit - Arrivals

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 22: Barbara Walters attends the 2012 Party in the Garden benefit at the Museum of Modern Art on May 22, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

10th Annual TV Land Awards - Show

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 14: Actress Whoopi Goldberg speaks onstage at the 10th Annual TV Land Awards at the Lexington Avenue Armory on April 14, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

10th Annual TV Land Awards - Show

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 14: Actress Whoopi Goldberg speaks onstage at the 10th Annual TV Land Awards at the Lexington Avenue Armory on April 14, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

2012 Made In NY Awards

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 04: Comedian Joan Rivers, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and actress/TV personality Whoopi Goldberg attend the 2012 Made In NY Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

2012 Made In NY Awards

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 04: Actress Whoopi Goldberg attends the 2012 Made In NY Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

2012 Made In NY Awards

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 04: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and actress Whoopi Goldberg attend the 2012 Made In NY Awards at Gracie Mansion on June 4, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Jon Patricof, Whoopi Goldberg

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR ADVERTISING WEEK - President and COO of Tribeca Enterprises Jon Patricof, left, and actress Whoopi Goldberg participate in the "Future of Film" seminar at Advertising Week on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision for Advertising Week/AP Images)

Whoopi Goldberg

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR ADVERTISING WEEK - Actress Whoopi Goldberg speaks at the "Future of Film" seminar at Advertising Week on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision for Advertising Week/AP Images)

Katie Couric, Barbara Walters

FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2012 file photo, Barbara Walters attends the "Today" show 60th anniversary celebration at the Edison Ballroom in New York. Walters is apologizing for trying to help a former aide to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad land a job or get into college in the United States. Sheherazad Jaafari is the daughter of the Syrian ambassador to the United States and a one-time press aide to Assad. Jaafari played a role in Walters' landing an interview with the Syrian president in December.(AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Bill Geddie, Barbara Walters

Bill Geddie, left, and Barbara Walters pose backstage with Geddie's lifetime achievement award at the 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, June 23, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)

Nora Ephron Memorial Service

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 09: Barbara Walters attends the Nora Ephron Memorial Service on July 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

Nora Ephron Memorial Service

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 09: Barbara Walters attends the Nora Ephron Memorial Service on July 9, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

New York City Ballet Celebrates Legendary Fashion Designer Valentino Garavani

This Sept. 20, 2012 photo released by Starpix shows Barbara Walters at the New York City Ballet Fall Gala honoring Valentino Garavani at Lincoln Center in New York. Valentino, who created most of the vibrant costumes and dramatically upped the glamour quotient of the evening, attracting movie stars, supermodels and socialites galore. (AP Photo/Starpix, Amanda Schwab)

US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN

(L-R) Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters US President Barack Obama, and US first lady Michelle Obama sit during a break in a taping of 'The View' at ABC Studios September 24, 2012 in New York, New York. Obama is traveling for a two day trip to New York City where he will participate in a taping of 'The View' before attending the United Nations General Assembly and related events. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama appear on the ABC Television show "The View" in New York, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, From left are, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, the president, the first lady, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/sherri-shepherd-women-trash-talking_n_3490759.html

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Is Chris Weidman the one to take out Anderson Silva?

When Anderson Silva fights Chris Weidman at UFC 162 next weekend, he will be putting his 17-fight win streak, consecutive wins record, and consecutive title defenses record on the line. Silva's last five fights have ended in a stoppage. He is the closest thing the UFC has to unbeatable.

But more and more MMA folks say Weidman is the guy who can take him out. He is undefeated, and has six wins by a stoppage. UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has trained with Weidman and said he will beat Silva. UFC commentator Joe Rogan said Weidman has the game to take out Silva. Frankie Edgar said he thinks Weidman will win, and noted BJJ expert Roger Gracie said Weidman can submit anyone, even Gracie.

Are you on board with the Weidman hypetrain? Will he win, or will it be Silva's 18th straight? Speak up on Facebook or Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chris-weidman-one-anderson-silva-161041788.html

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Sugar solution makes tissues see-through

June 23, 2013 ? Japanese researchers have developed a new sugar and water-based solution that turns tissues transparent in just three days, without disrupting the shape and chemical nature of the samples. Combined with fluorescence microscopy, this technique enabled them to obtain detailed images of a mouse brain at an unprecedented resolution.

The team from the RIKEN Center for Developmental biology reports their finding today in Nature Neuroscience.

Over the past few years, teams in the USA and Japan have reported a number of techniques to make biological samples transparent, that have enabled researchers to look deep down into biological structures like the brain.

"However, these clearing techniques have limitations because they induce chemical and morphological damage to the sample and require time-consuming procedures," explains Dr. Takeshi Imai, who led the study.

SeeDB, an aqueous fructose solution that Dr. Imai developed with colleagues Drs. Meng-Tsen Ke and Satoshi Fujimoto, overcomes these limitations.

Using SeeDB, the researchers were able to make mouse embryos and brains transparent in just three days, without damaging the fine structures of the samples, or the fluorescent dyes they had injected in them. They could then visualize the neuronal circuitry inside a mouse brain, at the whole-brain scale, under a customized fluorescence microscope without making mechanical sections through the brain.

They describe the detailed wiring patterns of commissural fibers connecting the right and left hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, in three dimensions, for the first time.

Dr. Imai and colleagues report that they were also able to visualize in three dimensions the wiring of mitral cells in the olfactory bulb, which is involved the detection of smells, at single-fiber resolution.

"Because SeeDB is inexpensive, quick, easy and safe to use, and requires no special equipment, it will prove useful for a broad range of studies, including the study of neuronal circuits in human samples," explain the authors.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/4Wo5sA_hYKA/130623144947.htm

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Hyundai NA CEO Krafcik awarded Automotive Executive of the Year ...

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA'S JOHN KRAFCIK ACCEPTS 2013 AUTOMOTIVE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD

DETROIT, Mich. June 21, 2013 ? The prestigious 2013 Automotive Executive of the Year Award was presented today to John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. Krafcik received the recognition surrounded by 175 automotive executives and suppliers, as well as Hyundai guests, dealers, customers, and enthusiasts at an invitation-only luncheon held at the historic Detroit Athletic Club.

Noting the unique culture and energy of the automotive industry in southeast Michigan and adding that he expects much of the innovative technology moving forward to come from suppliers, Krafcik said he was "humbled" to accept the award. "I'm just doing what I love," he said. "I accept this award on behalf of the Hyundai team members, dealers, and suppliers, many of whom are in the room today. Congratulations, everyone!"

Krafcik shared a few personal stories about his industry start working at NUMMI and Ford, saying that the first time he ever saw the Toyota Production System in action, he knew it was a game-changer for the industry. Krafcik worked on the International Motor Vehicle program at MIT and helped coin the term "lean manufacturing."

Krafcik took questions from the guests - which ranged from what cars he owns and the future of hybrids and electrics, to the secrets of a successful model launch and how he maintains a strong, high-quality supply chain. Following the presentation of the Automotive Executive of the Year Award by sponsor DNV's Richard Stolk, Krafick headed outside to meet members of the media and others for interviews and photo opportunities at an impressive, onsite display of 2013 and 2014 Hyundai vehicles.

"It the confluence of leadership, teamwork, and great product that consistently gives Hyundai accolade after accolade," said Robert Djurovic, DNV Business Assurance's director of automotive services - North America and executive director of the 2013 Automotive Executive of the Year Award program. "As John puts it so well, when the industry is busy moving to the left, he takes a look there, but will more intently look at the opportunities on the right.

"His leadership created a dream team whose corporate mantra is defy, design, and delight," Djurovic continued. "How often do you hear carmakers use the word 'delight' in describing how they want to affect their customers?"

Since 1964, the Automotive Executive of the Year Award - the longest-standing and most historically relevant award in the industry - has recognized excellence in industry leadership. Past recipients include Alan Mulally, James O'Sullivan, Jim Press, Carroll Shelby (Lifetime Achievement Award), Bill Ford, Jr., Dieter Zetsche, Henry Ford II, Rick Wagoner, Bob Lutz, Carlos Ghosn, and Lee Iacocca, among others.

The award's history and more information is available at www.autoexecoftheyear.com.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/24/hyundai-na-ceo-krafcik-awarded-automotive-executive-of-the-year/

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Neil McCarthy: Meta-Data

It's a weird word.

For over two weeks now, the news is that the National Security Agency (or NSA) has for years been vacuuming "meta-data" from AT&T, Verizon and all our computer servers with the willing assistance of the Silicon Valley's best and brightest -- Google, Apple, Microsoft, Skype, YouTube, AOL, Paypal, etc. -- and then storing it on government servers.

According to the government, they haven't looked at the actual content of any conversation or email without first obtaining a warrant (from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court). So the "meta-data" just sits there all by its lonesome, as it were, until some patriot armed with the proper clearance mines it to foil a terrorist plot. Also according to the government, this "meta-data" has been instrumental in stopping a number of terrorist acts, though no one can tell us any of the particulars, all of which are classified.

So, what is "meta-data"?

One of my majors at Dartmouth College in the '70s was philosophy. As part of that major, I probably took a course in "metaphysics," though I can't remember doing so. In any case, it was assuredly part of the core curriculum of courses offered to philosophy majors; then, as now, Dartmouth called it one of the "systematic fields of philosophy."

Unfortunately, the field is very hard to define. The term literally means "after" (meta) "physics" or the "physical." According to Aristotle, it was what you studied after you mastered the sciences. I suppose the idea was that one had to be first firmly rooted in (and knowledgeable of) reality before tackling the abstract universe of first principles -- the "why is there something rather than nothing?" or "what's it all about, Alfie?" stuff of late nights in Greenwich Village bars. The reality, however, is that reality is often the last thing touched upon in those late night rap sessions ...

Or in those college seminars on "metaphysics."

Which is more or less the same thing now going on with "meta-data"?

Like the philosopher's world of metaphysics, the NSA's world of meta-data clothes reality in an abstract lingo that suggests nothing all that personal -- or real -- is being examined. In fact, the word itself has become part of the government's public defense. As Sen. Feinstein put it, "This is just meta-data, there is no content involved."

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.

There is nothing abstract about meta-data. It is data that discloses the time, length and place of individual communications, the participants respective phone or digital IDs, and their respective locations. Companies have become enamored of the profit-making potential inherent in such data because, as the Guardian recently explained, it has "revelatory power." Quoting U. Penn. researcher Matt Blaze, the paper continued, "Meta -data is our context. [It] can reveal far more about us -- both individually and as groups -- than the words we speak. Context yields insights into who we are and the implicit, hidden relationships between us. A complete set of all the calling records for an entire country is ... a record not just of how the phone is used, but, coupled with powerful software, of our importance to each other, our interests, values and the various roles we play."

The government asserts it needs and gets individual warrants from the FISA court every time it lifts the veil and examines the contents of any actual communication. It also asserts it does this solely to combat terrorism.

But who knows?

The proof is as classified as the program Edward Snowden illegally disclosed two weeks ago.

We are not just being asked trust the government here. We are being asked to trust the government now and in the foreseeable future.

We are also being asked to assume that no government -- either now or in the future -- will do with this information what all government has eventually done with information like it in the past, namely, look at it -- either at the "meta" or content level -- and, at some point, abuse it. This is what the CIA did with COINTELPRO before the Church committee blew the lid off its clandestine operations in the '70s. It is what J. Edgar Hoover -- who was especially good at blackmailing politicians and other personal enemies with knowledge of their secret relationships -- did for years as head of the FBI.

It not only can happen again.

It will.

And when it does, there will be nothing abstract, or impersonal or unreal about ...

Meta-data.

?

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-mccarthy/metadata_b_3487368.html

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Moderate cleric wins Iran's presidential vote

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Moderate cleric Hasan Rowhani was declared the winner of Iran's presidential vote on Saturday after gaining support among many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns and now resets the country's political order.

The stunning surge behind Rowhani, a former nuclear negotiator, was seen by his supports as a rebuke of uncompromising policies that have left Iran increasingly isolated and under biting sanctions from the West over Tehran's nuclear program. It also demonstrated the strength of opposition sentiment even in a system that is largely organized against it.

The ruling clerics barred from the race reform candidates seen as too prominent, allowing a list of hopefuls who were mainly staunch loyalists of the supreme leader and the Islamic establishment. But the opposition settled on the 64-year-old Rowhani as the least objectionable of the bunch, making him a de facto reform candidate with backers inspired by his message of outreach rather than confrontation.

Celebrations broke out across Tehran and other cities. Thousands of Rowhani supporters took to the streets leading to his campaign headquarters in Tehran before the final results were announced despite a statement from Rowhani urging his supporters to avoid street gatherings. There were no immediate reports of unrest or attempts by security forces to rein in the crowds ? another sign of the sweeping scope of Rowhani's victory with more than three times as many votes as his nearest rival.

But the numbers don't translate directly into power in Iran's Islamic system. The ruling clerics and their protectors, the Revolutionary Guard, maintain control over all key decisions such as nuclear efforts, the military and foreign affairs.

What Rowhani's victory means, however, is that reformists and liberals will likely regain a greater voice and clout to try to shape the views of the theocracy, which cannot easily ignore the decisive outcome of Friday's election to success the combative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was barred from seeking a third consecutive run.

Ahmadinejad congratulated Rowhani, adding "I hope ... opportunity will be provided more than before to serve and work for the establishment of justice and development of the country."

Rowhani won with 50.7 percent of the more than 36 million votes cast, the Interior Ministry reported, well ahead of Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf with about 16.5 percent. Hard-line nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili ? who said he was "100 percent" against detente with Iran's foes ? came in third with 11.3 percent followed by conservative Mohsen Rezaei with 10.6 percent.

Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the turnout was 72.7 percent, suggesting that liberals and others abandoned a planned boycott as the election was transformed into a showdown across the Islamic Republic's political divide. Iran has more than 50 million eligible voters.

Rowhani just cleared the majority needed to seal victory and avoid a runoff. The Interior Ministry said Rowhani had 18,613,329 votes, followed by Qalibaf with 6,077,292, Jalili with 4,168,946 votes and Rezaei with 3,884,412. The other two candidates were far behind.

Rowhani, the only cleric in the race, led the influential Supreme National Security Council and was given the highly sensitive nuclear envoy role in 2003, a year after Iran's 20-year-old atomic program was revealed.

"Rowhani is not an outsider and any gains by him do not mean the system is weak or that there are serious cracks," said Rasool Nafisi, an Iranian affairs analyst at Strayer University in Virginia. "The ruling system has made sure that no one on the ballot is going to shake things up."

Yet the last campaign events for Rowhani carried chants that had been bottled up for years.

Some supporters called for the release of political prisoners including opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, both candidates in 2009 disputed election and now under house arrest. "Long live reforms," some cried at Rowhani's last rally. The rally was awash in purple banners and scarves ? the campaign's signature hue in a nod to the single-color identity of Mousavi's now-crushed Green Movement.

In the end, it appeared ideology overcame the economy as a deciding factor. Many voters had indicated they could favor Qalibaf because of his reputation as a competent fiscal steward who could help stabilize Iran's sanctions-battered economy.

Western sanctions over Iran's nuclear program have shrunk vital oil sales and are leaving the country isolated from international banking systems. New U.S. measures taking effect July 1 further target Iran's currency, the rial, which has lost half its foreign exchange value in the past year, driving prices of food and consumer goods sharply higher.

"I cordially congratulate your deserving election as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran and demand the God almighty to bestow you and your future government success in serving the honorable Iranian people," Qalibaf said in a message addressed to Rowhani.

Just a week ago, Rowhani was seen as overshadowed by candidates with far deeper ties to the current power structure: Jalili and Qalibaf.

Then a moderate rival of Rowhani bowed out of the presidential race to consolidate the pro-reform camp. That opened the way for high-profile endorsements including his political mentor, former President Akbar Heshmi Rafsanjani, who won admiration from opposition forces for denouncing the postelection crackdowns in 2009. This, too, may have led to Rafsanjani's being blackballed from the ballot this year by Iran's election overseers, which allowed just eight candidates among more than 680 hopefuls.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, did not publicly endorse a successor for Ahmadinejad following their falling out over the president's attempts to challenge Khamenei's near-absolute powers.

Khamenei praised Iranians for the high turnout, calling it an "epic and enthusiastic election" and a "dazzling test."

"After weeks of speaking and hearing, it's time to work. The president-elect, until formally taking office, has a precious opportunity ... to begin without hesitation the work that presidential responsibilities require," he said in his message broadcast on state TV.

Iran's stock exchange and currency markets reacted positively to early election results that showed Rowhani ahead.

The stock exchange index rose 2 percent while the rial strengthened by 9 percent against the U.S. dollar.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moderate-cleric-wins-irans-presidential-vote-164644333.html

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Snowden: US has been hacking China and Hong Kong since 2009

In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post (the traffic from which seems to be intermittently breaking their website, so be patient), NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said he intends to remain in Hong Kong and fight extradition to the US.

In a wide-ranging interview with the SCMP's Lana Lam in an undisclosed location somewhere in the city, Snowden claimed:

• The US National Security Agency (NSA) targeted institutions and individuals in Hong Kong and China using the controversial Prism program


• The hacking of computers in Hong Kong and mainland China by the NSA has been going on since at least 2009


• The NSA has carried out over 61,000 hacking operations globally, including hundreds in China and Hong Kong

"We hack network backbones - like huge internet routers, basically - that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one," Snowden told the SCMP.

Snowden said he would remain in Hong Kong "until I am asked to leave", indicating that he intends to fight any US extradition request through the Hong Kong courts.

Source: http://shanghaiist.com/2013/06/13/edward_snowden_interview_hong_kong_and_china_among_targets_of_us_hacking_nsa_prism.php

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/fHT-vZT2Yfw/story01.htm

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When Ted Williams didn?t eject (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/309632813?client_source=feed&format=rss

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