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Sunday, January 15, 2012
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France examines alleged AQIM threat on hostages (AP)
PARIS ? The language used in a purported message from al-Qaida's North Africa arm that threatens to kill European hostages if governments take military action to save them suggests it is an authentic warning, a top French counterterrorism official said Thursday.
The Mauritanian news agency ANI says it obtained the alleged statement from Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which says that militants had intelligence suggesting French and Algerian troops were planning a rescue mission.
The statement, reported Thursday, warned that the hostages would face "execution" if their governments approved any military action. The captives, from France, Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden, were kidnapped in Mali last year.
The French counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, told The Associated Press that Paris is taking the issue seriously.
French officials declined to comment about whether a French-backed military operation was under way to rescue the hostages, or whether they were in contact with the hostage-takers.
The statement suggested that AQIM wants a peaceful resolution of the standoff over the hostages. It says the group wants governments to reconsider their policies toward the fighters. But the statement's authenticity could not be independently confirmed.
According to SITE, a group that monitors militant media, the statement read: "We send a clear warning to the concerned governments of France, Britain, Holland and Sweden, that their approval of the imminent military operation against the mujahideen in northern Mali will be considered a signature from them for the execution of their citizens and the abandonment of their responsibility in preserving the lives of their citizens."
AQIM emerged in 2006 when Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network linked with Algerian extremists still active after an Islamist insurgency in the 1990s. AQIM has since expanded across a lightly populated swath of northwest Africa, and is believed to earn millions from kidnapping for ransoms and smuggling.
___
Associated Press writer Ahmed Mohamed in Nouakchott, Mauritania, contributed to this report.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
How states fared on unemployment aid applications (AP)
Unemployment benefit applications jumped last week, largely because companies let go of thousands of temporary employees after the holiday season. Weekly applications rose by 24,000 to 399,000, the highest level in six weeks.
Here are the states with the biggest changes in the number of people seeking unemployment aid:
States with the biggest increases:
Michigan: Up 10,364, no reason given
Wisconsin: Up 10,203, no reason given
Pennsylvania: Up 8,135, due to layoffs in the transportation, construction, wood products and metal industries
New Jersey: Up 7,989, due to layoffs in services, transportation, manufacturing, retail and construction
New York: Up 7,746, due to layoffs in services, transportation and construction
Georgia: Up 7,707, due to layoffs in services, manufacturing, trade and construction
North Carolina: Up 6,849, due to layoffs in the construction, textile, service, apparel and furniture industries
States with the biggest drops:
California: Down 23,969, due to fewer layoffs in the construction, service and manufacturing industries
Illinois: Down 4,696, no reason given
Texas: Down 2,385, no reason given
Nevada: Down 1,590, due to fewer layoffs over the holiday
Kansas: Down 1,341, no reason given
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IT'S OFFICIAL: S&P ANNOUNCES MASS ... - Business Insider
Update:
Standard & Poor's officially cut the long-term credit rating of France and eight other Eurozone nations, stripping the Parisian country of its coveted AAA status.
Europe's debt crisis continued to claim victims, as S&P lowered Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, and Spain by two-notches. Smaller one-level downgrades hit Austria, France, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
"Today's rating actions are primarily driven by our assessment that the policy initiatives that have been taken by European policymakers in recent weeks may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the eurozone," Primary Credit Analyst Moritz Kraeme said.
The ratings agency reiterated its ratings on Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Standard & Poor's has taken all 16 nations off of CreditWatch, indicating they are safe from downgrade in the near term. However, the company has left 14 of the countries, including Italy and France, on negative outlook. Slovakia and Germany were the only two to regain stable outlooks.
The move by S&P ultimately removed AAA ratings from France and Austria, leaving only four nations in the region with the highest possible rating.
"We affirmed the ratings of sovereigns which we believe are likely to be more resilient at their current rating level in light of their relatively strong external positions and less leveraged public and private sectors," Kraeme said.
France's decline, from AAA to AA+ also substantially endangers the credit rating of the European Financial Stability Facility.
In an interview before the announcement today, Nomura International Economist and FX Strategist, Charles St.-Arnaud, said European investors had largely priced in the downgrade.
"A lot of it was anticipated, most of the time the ratings are lagging the data," Mr. St.-Arnaud says. "The only thing is how much has it changed the rating of the EFSF. They did everything they could to ensure it would be AAA, but now that France is downgraded, and it was one of the largest contributors, that's in question."
Portugal and Cyprus saw further downgrades today, pushing their debt to junk-territory. S&P now rates the pair as BB and BB+, respectively.
Kraeme noted in the event of default in either country, investors could expect to recover at most 50% of assets.?
Greece's credit rating was not adjusted by S&P today, remaining below investment grade at CC.
Before markets opened in the U.S., Dow Jones reported that Standard & Poor's was likely to take ratings action in Europe after weeks of speculation. The ratings firm had placed the debts of 15 nations on CreditWatch in early December, adding them to a list that already included Cyprus.
Slowly over the course of the day, top leaders in the French, Italian and Austrian governments, announced that they had received notification from Standard & Poor's that they would see a downgrade after markets closed the week.
The ratings agency formally announced its decision at 4:36 p.m. EST. Prior to that time, S&P declined comment, even as leaders of impacted countries announced the pending news.
Whispers of the downgrades today sent the euro on a race lower, where it touched a 16-month low against the dollar. The currency is currently down more than 1.1% to $1.2675.
Below, a summary of key changes:
COUNTRY?????? ? ? ? ?? NEW RATING?????????? ?????????? OLD RATING
Austria??????????????? ?? AA+/Negative/A-1+??????????????? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Belgium?????????? ????? AA/Negative/A-1+????????????????? AA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Cyprus?????????????? ??? BB+/Negative/B???????????????????? BBB/Watch Neg/A-3
Estonia??????????????? ? AA-/Negative/A-1+???????????????? AA-/Watch Neg/A-1+
Finland????????????????? AAA/Negative/A-1+??????????????? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
France?????????????? ??? AA+/Negative/A-1+??????????????? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Germany???????????? ? AAA/Stable/A-1+??????????????????? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Ireland??????????????? ?? BBB+/Negative/A-2?????????????? BBB+/Watch Neg/A-2
Italy???????????????? ????? BBB+/Negative/A-2??????????????? A/Watch Neg/A-1
Luxembourg ?????? AAA/Negative/A-1+???????????? ?? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Malta????????????????? ?? A-/Negative/A-2?????????????????? ? A/Watch Neg/A-1
Netherlands ????? ? AAA/Negative/A-1+???????????? ?? AAA/Watch Neg/A-1+
Portugal?????????????? BB/Negative/B???????????????????? ? BBB-/Watch Neg/A-3
Slovakia???????????? ? A/Stable/A-1??????????????????????? ?? A+/Watch Neg/A-1
Slovenia??? ? ? ?? ?? A+/Negative/A-1???????????????????? AA-/Watch Neg/A-1+
Spain?????????????????? A/Negative/A-1??????????????????? ?? AA-/Watch Neg/A-1+
Full announcement:
--------
- In our view, the policy initiatives taken by European policymakers in recent weeks may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the eurozone.
- We are lowering our long-term ratings on nine eurozone sovereigns and affirming the ratings on seven.
- The outlooks on our ratings on all but two of the 16 eurozone sovereigns are negative. The ratings on all 16 sovereigns have been removed from CreditWatch, where they were placed with negative implications on Dec. 5, 2011 (except for Cyprus, which was first placed on CreditWatch on Aug. 12, 2011).
FRANKFURT (Standard & Poor's) Jan. 13, 2012--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today announced its rating actions on 16 members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU or eurozone) following completion of its review. We have lowered the long-term ratings on Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, and Spain by two notches; lowered the long-term ratings on Austria, France, Malta, Slovakia, and Slovenia, by one notch; and affirmed the long-term ratings on Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. All ratings have been removed from CreditWatch, where they were placed with negative implications on Dec. 5, 2011 (except for Cyprus, which was first placed on CreditWatch on Aug. 12, 2011). See list below for full details on the affected ratings.
The outlooks on the long-term ratings on Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain are negative, indicating that we believe that there is at least a one-in-three chance that the rating will be lowered in 2012 or 2013. The outlook horizon for issuers with investment-grade ratings is up to two years, and for issuers with speculative-grade ratings up to one year. The outlooks on the long-term ratings on Germany and Slovakia are stable.We assigned recovery ratings of '4' to both Cyprus and Portugal, in accordance with our practice to assign recovery ratings to issuers rated in the speculative-grade category, indicating an expected recovery of 30%-50% should a default occur in the future.
Today's rating actions are primarily driven by our assessment that the policy initiatives that have been taken by European policymakers in recent weeks may be insufficient to fully address ongoing systemic stresses in the eurozone. In our view, these stresses include: (1) tightening credit conditions, (2) an increase in risk premiums for a widening group of eurozone issuers, (3) a simultaneous attempt to delever by governments and households, (4) weakening economic growth prospects, and (5) an open and prolonged dispute among European policymakers over the proper approach to address challenges. The outcomes from the EU summit on Dec. 9, 2011, and subsequent statements from policymakers, lead us to believe that the agreement reached has not produced a breakthrough of sufficient size and scope to fully address the eurozone's financial problems. In our opinion, the political agreement does not supply sufficient additional resources or operational flexibility to bolster European rescue operations, or extend enough support for those eurozone sovereigns subjected to heightened market pressures.
We also believe that the agreement is predicated on only a partial recognition of the source of the crisis: that the current financial turmoil stems primarily from fiscal profligacy at the periphery of the eurozone. In our view, however, the financial problems facing the eurozone are as much a consequence of rising external imbalances and divergences in competitiveness between the eurozone's core and the so-called "periphery". As such, we believe that a reform process based on a pillar of fiscal austerity alone risks becoming self-defeating, as domestic demand falls in line with consumers' rising concerns about job security and disposable incomes, eroding national tax revenues. Accordingly, in line with our published sovereign criteria, we have adjusted downward our political scores (one of the five key factors in our criteria) for those eurozone sovereigns we had previously scored in our two highest categories. This reflects our view that the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of European policymaking and political institutions have not been as strong as we believe are called for by the severity of a broadening and deepening financial crisis in the eurozone.
In our view, it is increasingly likely that refinancing costs for certain countries may remain elevated, that credit availability and economic growth may further decelerate, and that pressure on financing conditions may persist. Accordingly, for those sovereigns we consider most at risk of an economic downturn and deteriorating funding conditions, for example due to their large cross-border financing needs, we have adjusted our external score downward. On the other hand, we believe that eurozone monetary authorities have been instrumental in averting a collapse of market confidence. We see that the European Central Bank has successfully eased collateral requirements, allowing an ever expanding pool of assets to be used as collateral for its funding operations, and has lowered the fixed rate to 1% on its main refinancing operation, an all-time low. Most importantly in our view, it has engaged in unprecedented repurchase operations for financial institutions, greatly relieving the near-term funding pressures for banks. Accordingly we did not adjust the initial monetary score on any of the 16 sovereigns under review. Moreover, we affirmed the ratings on the seven eurozone sovereigns that we believe are likely to be more resilient in light of their relatively strong external positions and less leveraged public and private sectors. These credit strengths remain robust enough, in our opinion, to neutralise the potential ratings impact from the lowering of our political score.
However, for those sovereigns with negative outlooks, we believe that downside risks persist and that a more adverse economic and financial environment could erode their relative strengths within the next year or two to a degree that in our view could warrant a further downward revision of their long-term ratings. We believe that the main downside risks that could affect eurozone sovereigns to various degrees are related to the possibility of further significant fiscal deterioration as a consequence of a more recessionary macroeconomic environment and/or vulnerabilities to further intensification and broadening of risk aversion among investors, jeopardizing funding access at sustainable rates. A more severe financial and economic downturn than we currently envisage (see "Sovereign Risk Indicators", published Dec. 28, 2011) could also lead to rising stress levels in the European banking system, potentially leading to additional fiscal costs for the sovereigns through various bank workout or recapitalization programs. Furthermore, we believe that there is a risk that reform fatigue could be mounting, especially in those countries that have experienced deep recessions and where growth prospects remain bleak, which could eventually lead us to the view that lower levels of predictability exist in policy orientation, and thus to a further downward adjustment of our political score.
Finally, while we currently assess the monetary authorities' response to the eurozone's financial problems as broadly adequate, our view could change as the crisis and the response to it evolves. If we lowered our initial monetary score for all eurozone sovereigns as a result, this could have negative consequences for the ratings on a number of countries. In this context, we would note that the ratings on the eurozone sovereigns remain at comparatively high levels, with only three below investment grade (Portugal, Cyprus, and Greece). Historically, investment-grade-rated sovereigns have experienced very low default rates. From 1975 to 2010, the 15-year cumulative default rate for sovereigns rated in investment grade was 1.02%, and 0.00% for sovereigns rated in the 'A' category or higher. During this period, 97.78% of sovereigns rated 'AAA' at the beginning of the year retained their rating at the end of the year. Following today's rating actions, Standard & Poor's will issue separate media releases concerning affected ratings on the funds, government-related entities, financial institutions, insurance companies, public finance, and structured finance sectors in due course.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sp-downgrades-europe-2012-1
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
High court weighs policy against curse words on TV
FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2002, file photo, Cher accepts a lifetime achievement award at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during the Billboard Music Awards show. During the show Cher used the F-word. The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in a First Amendment case that pits the Obama administration against the nation?s television networks. The Supreme Court is considering whether government regulators may still police the airwaves for curse words and other coarse content at a time when so many Americans have unregulated cable television, and the Internet is awash in easily accessible adult material. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta, file)
FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2002, file photo, Cher accepts a lifetime achievement award at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during the Billboard Music Awards show. During the show Cher used the F-word. The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, in a First Amendment case that pits the Obama administration against the nation?s television networks. The Supreme Court is considering whether government regulators may still police the airwaves for curse words and other coarse content at a time when so many Americans have unregulated cable television, and the Internet is awash in easily accessible adult material. (AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Supreme Court is considering whether government regulators may still police the airwaves for curse words and other coarse content at a time when so many Americans have unregulated cable television, and the Internet is awash in easily accessible adult material.
The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in a First Amendment case that pits the Obama administration against the nation's television networks. The material at issue includes the isolated use of expletives as well as fines against broadcasters who showed a woman's nude buttocks on a 2003 episode of ABC's "NYPD Blue."
The broadcasters want the court to overturn a 1978 decision that upheld the Federal Communications Commission's authority to regulate both radio and television content, at least during the hours when children are likely to be watching or listening. That period includes the prime-time hours before 10 p.m.
At the very least, the networks say the FCC's current policy is too hard to figure out, penalizing the use of particular curse words on awards programming but not in the airing of the movie "Saving Private Ryan," for example.
The administration said that even with the explosion of entertainment options, broadcast programming remains dominant. It also needs to be kept as a dependable "safe haven" of milder programming, the administration said.
Nearly nine out of 10 households subscribe to cable or satellite television and viewers can switch between broadcast and other channels by pushing a button on their remote controls. "People have really lost track of which stations are broadcast stations," said Paul Smith, a partner with the Jenner and Block law firm who has argued First Amendment cases at the Supreme Court.
But supporter of regulation said the media companies that own television networks also have movie studios, cable channels and other outlets where they are free to run whatever they wish.
Even on television, the rules only apply between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., noted Tim Winter, president of the pro-regulation Parents Television Council. "Radio and television broadcasters already have the ability to be as indecent as they want after 10 p.m."
The FCC policy under attack flowed from the 1978 Pacifica decision, which upheld the FCC's reprimand of a New York radio station for airing a George Carlin monologue containing a 12-minute string of expletives in the middle of the afternoon.
For many years, the FCC did not take action against broadcasters for one-time uses of curse words. But, following several awards shows with cursing celebrities in 2002 and 2003, the FCC toughened its longstanding policy after it concluded that a one-free-expletive rule did not make sense in the context of keeping the airwaves free of indecency when children are likely to be watching television.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York declared the FCC policy unconstitutionally vague.
The Billboard Music Awards aired on Fox in both 2002 and 2003. Cher used the F-word the first year and reality TV personality Nicole Richie uttered the F-word and S-word a year later. The FCC did not issue a fine in either case, but said the broadcasts violated its policy.
The "NYPD Blue" episode led to fines only for stations in the Central and Mountain time zones, where the show aired at 9 p.m., a more child-friendly hour than the show's 10 p.m. time slot in the East.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor is not taking part in the case because she served on the appeals court during its consideration of some of the issues involved.
The case is FCC v. Fox Television Stations, 10-1293.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Getting cancer cells to swallow poison
ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2012) ? Honing chemotherapy delivery to cancer cells is a challenge for many researchers. Getting the cancer cells to take the chemotherapy "bait" is a greater challenge. But perhaps such a challenge has not been met with greater success than by the nanotechnology research team of Omid Farokhzad, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative and Pain Medicine and Research.
In their latest study with researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Massachusetts General Hospital, the BWH team created a drug delivery system that is able to effectively deliver a tremendous amount of chemotherapeutic drugs to prostate cancer cells.
The study is electronically published in the January 3, 2012 issue of ACS Nano.
The process involved is akin to building and equipping a car with the finest features, adding a passenger (in this case the cancer drug), and sending it off to its destination (in this case the cancer cell).
To design the "vehicle," researchers used a selection strategy developed by Farokhzad's team that allowed them to essentially select for ligands (molecules that bind to the cell surface) that could specifically target prostate cancer cells. The researchers then attached nanoparticles containing chemotherapy, in this case docetaxel, to these hand-picked ligands.
To understand Farokhzad's selection strategy, one must understand ligand behavior. While most ligands mainly have the ability to bind to cells, the strategy of Farokhzad and his colleagues allowed them to select specific ligands that were not only able to bind to prostate cancer cells, but also possessed two other important features: 1) they were smart enough to distinguish between cancer and non-cancer cells and 2) they were designed to be swallowed by cancer cells.
"Most ligands are engulfed by cells, but not efficiently," said Farokhzad. "We designed one that is intended to be engulfed."
Moreover, the ability for a ligand to intentionally be engulfed by a cell is crucial in drug delivery since it enables a significant amount of drug to enter the cancer cell, as opposed to remaining outside on the cell surface. This is a more effective method for cancer therapy.
Another important aspect of this drug delivery design is that these ligand-nanoparticle components are able to interact with multiple cancer markers (antigens) on the cell surface. Unlike other drug delivery systems, this makes it versatile and potentially more broadly applicable.
According to the study's lead author, ZeyuXiao, PhD, a researcher in the BWH Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials, current strategies for targeting nanoparticles for cancer therapy rely on combining nanoparticles with ligands that can target well-known cancer markers. Such strategies can be difficult to execute since most cancer cells do not have identifiable cell surface markers to distinguish themselves from normal cells.
"In this study, we developed a unique strategy that enables the nanoparticles to specifically target and efficiently be engulfed into any desired types and sub-types of cancer cells, even if their cancer markers are unknown," said Xiao. "Our strategy simplifies the development process of targeted nanoparticles and broadens their applications in cancer therapy."
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the David Koch-Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the USA Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Zeyu Xiao, Etgar Levy-Nissenbaum, Frank Alexis, Andrej Lupt?k, Benjamin A. Teply, Juliana M. Chan, Jinjun Shi, Elise Digga, Judy Cheng, Robert Langer, Omid C. Farokhzad. Engineering of Targeted Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy Using Internalizing Aptamers Isolated by Cell-Uptake Selection. ACS Nano, 2012; : 120103130305002 DOI: 10.1021/nn204165v
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109155946.htm
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012
LoveMyDressBlog: Beautiful pearl back necklace, with a 1930's style backless wedding dress... http://t.co/uq88NsK6
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diariomotor: Un Ford Mondeo 2013 con cara de Evos, filtraciones 2.0 http://t.co/x9AgkwBv @FordSpain
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Monday, January 9, 2012
PhilstarNews: #SEAG finds Malaysians drug-positive http://t.co/OUhLSgz3 #Sports
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ZENandTECH 29: Tips and tech for travelers
Georgia, Rene, and special guest Phil Nickinson of Android Central talk tech for business travelers. Whether you’re a road warrior or frequent flyer, a little planning and a lot of
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Friday, January 6, 2012
Sportsbeat: LONDON 2012: Wiggins insists Millar's Olympic ban should not be overturned: http://t.co/ljoFahYI
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Thursday, January 5, 2012
Video: DNC Chairwoman:Obama campaign has been in Iowa for months
Dogs really do know what you're thinking
Scientists have finally proven what every dog owner knows ? our canine friends read our facial expressions like dedicated detectives. Dogs don?t just depend on verbal commands, they look deeply into our eyes and try to guess what we?re up to, according to a new study.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/45862655#45862655
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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Nexus Image Is a Fast, Free Image Viewer for Windows [Windows Downloads]
Windows: Nexus Image (no relation to Google or the Nexus line of phones) is a free, sharp-looking image viewer that loads images quickly, displays EXIF information in a transparent overlay, lets you browse images via keyboard shortcuts, and can even dim your desktop to provide a lightbox effect while you browse.
Nexus Image is a portable application, and doesn't need to be installed in order to run. The app can, however, replace the default Windows Photo Viewer. When you run it for the first time, Nexus Image asks you if you want to associate the app with common image types. Once it's running, your image previews live in a vertical bar at the right side of your screen, and the image you're viewing is displayed in the center of the screen, with your desktop background dimmed a bit to bring focus to the image.
You can customize how much your desktop is dimmer in the application's settings, and moving between images and folders is as easy as pressing Page Up or Page Down. You can just as easily zoom in or out on images, or switch back to the desktop to bring up another folder to browse. The app is completely free, and if you've been looking for an image viewer for Windows but haven't settled on one that's quite right for you, it's worth a look.
Nexus Image | xiles.net via Addictive Tips
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DoJ's Internet Gaming Green Light to States is 'No Big Deal for ...
Cash-strapped states grappling with big budget deficits may welcome a Justice Department opinion that they can offer online lotteries and gaming, but tribes greeted the news with a virtual shrug of the shoulders, according to Indian gaming experts.
The Justice Department released a legal opinion stating that the 1961 Wire Act prohibits online betting only for sporting events and contests, not lotteries. The opinion has caused a flurry of interest in states looking to bolster revenues in the face of a projected collective budget gap of $31.1 billion in 2012, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Connecticut, for example, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy welcomed the Justice Department news. Malloy has talked about the need to increase state gaming revenue especially with shrinking revenues from the state?s two signature Indian casinos ? the Mashantucket Pequots? Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mohegan Tribe?s Mohegan Sun ? and the prospect of competition from increased gaming in nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island. ?Obviously, gaming is an important part of our economy. It appears that [online] interstate and intrastate gaming is going to be allowed,? Malloy told the Hartford Courant. ?It appears that the only thing the Justice Department has ruled is off the table is sports betting, with the exception of horse betting. So with that one exclusion, everything is up for consideration by the states.?
Last year, Internet gaming reportedly generated more than $25 billion worldwide with $7 billion in wagers from U.S. bets on Internet sports, poker, and casino games with 10 million U.S. citizens playing poker online.
Melissa Riahei, general counsel of the online gaming firm U.S. Digital Gaming, told The Hill that the Justice Department ?has finally confirmed what we believed in Illinois to be true all along?that intrastate gambling is an issue that is within the sole discretion of a state to regulate, as it deems appropriate.? She said states can now ?comfortably? begin to implement Internet gaming programs to generate revenue to fund ?essential government services.?
That won?t be as easy or quick as Riahei implies, according to Indian gaming expert Joe Valandra. Before moving ahead, states have to pass legislation to allow Internet gaming and that may present some barriers, Valandra said.? ?I don?t think (the Justice Department opinion) is a big deal for the tribes because there?s only one state that has enabling legislation and that?s Nevada. Other states have talked about it, but haven?t passed anything. It has to go through a whole legislative cycle before any state besides Nevada will be able to offer intra-state online poker.?Valandra said. A citizen of the Sicangu Lakota, Valandra is principal owner and president of VAdvisors, LLC, chairman and CEO of Tehan Woglake, Inc., and former chief of staff of the National Indian Gaming Commission. ?It?s something I?m sure the tribes in general are looking at but I don?t think it has any particularly negative implication in and of itself.?
The IGRA allows for tribes to conduct whatever level of gaming a state conducts so if a state legislature approves online lottery sales and/or gaming then all tribes in that state will be able to offer Internet gaming as well. It?s not clear at this point what impact online gaming would have on brick-and-mortar casinos.
Another Indian gaming expert who spoke on condition of anonymity agreed with Riahei?s assessment that states already have the authority to conduct lotteries and gaming within their borders.?So the Justice Department opinion means nothing to the nations,? he said.?Congress already passed the law saying that states can have intra-state gaming ? the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act.? The law, known by its unwieldy acronym UIGEA, was passed in 2006 as part of the SAFE Port Act and essentially prohibits using wire transfers or credit cards for online gaming. But a paragraph of UIGEA confirms that neither states nor tribes are constricted by the act. ?No provision of this subchapter shall be construed as altering, limiting, or extending any Federal or State law or Tribal-State compact prohibiting, permitting, or regulating gambling within the United States.?
So why have the states waited so long to jump into online lottery ticket sales and other gaming? ?Because they?re afraid, especially after the poker prosecutions,? the source said, referring to the shut down of three of the largest illegal online poker sites last spring. ?And beyond that they have a lot of potential opposition within their own states. Even California and Illinois can?t get anything passed.?
Nevertheless, some tribes are preparing for the day when states will legalize online gaming by offering free gaming online now. The California Online Poker Association, a coalition of card rooms in the sunshine state led by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, recently launched CalShark.Com, an online free-play poker room to promote legalizing Internet gaming. And the Barona Band of Mission Indians started its own Barona Online Poker, reported The Sacramento Bee. The trend is catching on among tribes, according to a lobbyist for the California Tribal Business Alliance, which opposes the current gambling legislation in the state. ?It?s branding, creating customer loyalty, getting a database,? lobbyist David Quintana told The Sacramento Bee. ?Then when something happens to make it legal they can flip the switch from a free site to a paid site.?
The 13-page Justice Department opinion was dated September 20, but released on December 23 without explanation for the delay. The opinion responded to requests New York and Illinois in 2009, wanting to know if their proposals to sell lottery tickets online would violate the Wire Act. Enacted in 1961, long before the Internet existed, the Wire Act was part of a series of anti-racketeering laws aimed at stopping organized gambling. The Wire Act criminalizes anyone ?engaged in the business of betting or wagering (who) knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.?
The Justice Department?s Criminal Division also sought clarification of the statute. The department?s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), which issued the opinion, disagreed with the Criminal Division?s view that the Wire Act prohibited in-state lottery sales over the Internet. ?Having considered the Criminal Division?s views, as well as letters from New York and Illinois to the Criminal Division . . .? we conclude that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a ?sporting event or contest? . . . fall outside of the reach of the Wire Act,? Justice Department?s Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole said in a Dec. 23 letter to William J. Murray Deputy Director and General Counsel New York State Division of the Lottery.
The opinion may have disappointed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), who also received copies on Friday, December 23, according to The Hill. Reid and Kyl wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder on July 14 with their concerns about ?the spread of efforts? to legalize intra-state Internet gambling and offer state-sponsored lotteries on the Internet. They said they believed that Justice?s ?longstanding position? was that ?all forms of Internet gambling are illegal ? including intra-state Internet gambling? and asked the department to reiterate that position or ?consult with Congress before finalizing a new position that would open the floodgates to internet gambling.?? Neither senator could be reached for comment.
Although Kyl is not noted for supporting Internet gaming, Reid is. At the National Indian Gaming Association?s (NIGA) mid-year meeting in October, panel moderator John Harte )San Felipe Pueblo)?of the Mapetsi Policy Group?said there?s a strong push to legalize Internet gaming at the federal level coming primarily from the Poker Players Alliance, the American Gaming Association,?from the gaming states of Nevada and New Jersey and from Reid, whose home state of Nevada would benefit from being the first to offer online gaming. ?Sen. Reid made a very hard push to include Internet legislation at the end of last year and he?s continued this year. He hasn?t been very up front about it. He hasn?t introduced legislation. Even last year when he was trying to attach legislation to the Omnibus bill he never came out with a formal bill. All he had was draft legislation? Harte said, calling it a ?shadow bill.?
So, although Reid may not be happy at the Justice Department?s opinion, it may play into his hand, Valandra said, because his goal is to pass federal legislation to legalize and regulate online gaming. ?There is one potential political implication and that is that with this (opinion) in hand Sen. Reid can say, ?Look, this is just like the Cabazon case. We?re going to have a bunch of different states and entities providing different kinds of services with different levels of regulations and that?s just unacceptable so we need to pass this federal legislation now.?? And I think that?s why he asked the question (in his July 14 letter) in the first place, ? ,?? Valandra said, referring to California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that the states has no jurisdiction over Indian gaming on reservations. The next year, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in order to maintain some level of control over Indian gaming.
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Sunday, January 1, 2012
Mariska Hargitay Shares What She's Thankful For!
From their favorite holiday recipes to stories about Santa, stars share their holiday memories and traditions exclusively with iVillage!
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Japan Gets Vending Machine with Free Wi-Fi
A Japanese soft drink maker plans to offer free Wi-Fi from its vending machines for customers from next year.
The Asahi Soft Drinks conducted trials of the machines at some locations in Japan and met with success. According to the company, users don't need to purchase drinks from the vending machine in order to use the free Wi-Fi which as a range of 50 meters.
The company said that users will be able to use the free Wi-Fi for 30 minutes in one go after which the machine will cut them off automatically. However, users will be allowed to immediately reconnect should they wish to do so reports Gizmag. When they first log on with the machine, they will be redirected to a page, which would give them local information related to where they are.
Asahi said that it planned to install 1,000 machines across Japan during 2012 in areas including Tokyo, Sendai, Chubu, Kinki, and Fukuoka and hopes to take that number to 9,000 in the next few years.
The new vending machines would not only allow users to gain free internet access but will also let the company make some money from the advertisements which it will put up on its landing page.
Source: http://www.itproportal.com/2011/12/30/japan-gets-vending-machine-free-wi-fi/
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