Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/287405605?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
New Zeland police hunt giant killer great white shark
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand man was attacked and killed by a great white shark on Wednesday in a rare fatal shark incident in the country, prompting police to open fire.
Police said they fired shots at the shark after a man was fatally bitten at Muriwai beach located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Auckland, one of many beaches dotted along the North Island's west coast that are known for their wild surf.
Rescue crews were quoted by local media as saying the shark was a "white pointer", commonly known as a great white, measuring roughly 4 meters (13 feet) long. Witnesses said a rescue helicopter also fired shots at the shark.
"We saw the shark fin, and the next minute, boom, the attack came. There was blood everywhere on the water," eye witness Pio Mosie was quoted by local news website Stuff.co.nz as saying.
"They fired six or seven shots to the shark, three from the police helicopter and a few shots from the lifeguard. I don't know if they killed the shark or not," he added.
The head of the local volunteer lifeguard service was quoted as saying they had confirmed that "one or two" sharks were spotted, but none had been seen since the man's body was removed from the water.
Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand, where water sports and beach holidays are a rite of summer. More than 60 shark species are known to swim in the country's waters.
Fourteen fatal attacks have been reported since records began around 1837, according to the country's Department of Conservation, which added that non-fatal shark attacks average roughly two each year.
The last attack linked with a death was in 2009, when a kayaker was mauled by a great white in the nearby Coromandel Peninsula, although whether the victim drowned before the attack has been disputed.
According to the International Shark Attack File, 11 shark fatalities were reported last year, including three in Australia and South Africa, nearly tripling the average annual number of fatalities for 2001 to 2010.
(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu, editing by Elaine Lies)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zealand-man-fatally-attacked-shark-police-open-fire-111439376.html
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Gun Control Proposals Separated Into Four Bills, Suggesting Democratic Strategy
* Proposals broken into four bills to improve odds for some
* Strategy suggests ban on assault weapons unlikely to pass
* Senate committee to vote as early as Thursday
By Thomas Ferraro
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the U.S. Senate have spread his gun-control proposals across four bills in an effort to get at least some of the less controversial measures - such as expanded background checks for gun buyers - passed into law.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote as early as Thursday on the bills, which together amount to an acknowledgement by Democrats that a ban on military-style "assault" weapons is unlikely to clear Congress.
The proposed ban on assault weapons makes up one of the four gun-control bills, all of which are likely to be approved by the Democrat-led Judiciary Committee and be considered by the full Senate, congressional aides said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, will decide how to package the measures for a vote on the Senate floor.
By breaking Obama's gun-control agenda into pieces, supporters hope to avoid having a less popular proposal such as the assault weapons ban contribute to the rejection of other proposals, aides said.
The proposed ban, introduced by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, has drawn opposition from Republicans and some Democrats. It will be the focus of a Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday.
"We are taking a pragmatic approach that is designed to maximize our options," a senior Democratic aide said.
The four bills now before the Judiciary Committee include one introduced by Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the panel's chairman, that would crack down on illegal gun trafficking.
Another bill, by California Senator Barbara Boxer, is designed to increase school safety.
A bill, still being finalized, would call for "universal" background checks for all prospective gun buyers. Currently, only about 40 percent of buyers are screened for previous crimes or mental illness.
Feinstein's proposal, targets assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips like those used in the Dec. 14 massacre at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 children and six adults dead - and inspired the current action on gun control.
'NO WAY' ON ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN
Wednesday's hearing is likely be the latest in a series of dramatic Capitol Hill hearings to reflect the passion surrounding the debate over gun control.
Those scheduled to testify include the father of one of the students killed in Newtown, and a doctor who was in a local emergency room when victims of the shootings were brought in.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Democrats "are trying to create political theater" with the hearing, and that there is no way an assault weapons ban will become law.
"It faces bipartisan opposition," he said.
Even so, all four of the gun-control bills are widely expected to sent to the full Senate on party-line votes of 10-8, Senate aides said.
But to clear procedural roadblocks from Republicans on the Senate floor, the measures will need 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, where Democrats and independents who support them account for 55 seats and Republicans hold 45.
There have been calls from those in both parties for expanded background checks in an effort to keep firearms out of the hands of convicted criminals and the mentally ill.
But a bipartisan deal has not yet been struck despite weeks of talks among four senators - Democrats Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republicans Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mark Kirk of Illinois.
"It is the one thing we think can really pass, and we don't yet have an agreement on it," a Senate aide said.
On Tuesday, Coburn said, "We're still talking." (Editing by David Lindsey and Cynthia Osterman)
Also on HuffPost:
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/gun-control-proposals_n_2769133.html
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PFT: Raiders want to chop down Palmer's pay
APLast year, the NFL stripped $36 million in cap space from the Redskins, who along with the Cowboys apparently took the term ?uncapped year? too literally in 2010.
In response, the Redskins employed half-measures to recover the cap dollars, filing a grievance under the labor deal that did nothing other than stir up a cockeyed collusion claim from the NFLPA.
This year, with half of the penalty due to hit the 2013 salary cap, the Redskins could be opting for a more complete assault on the league?s position.? Or at least threatening it.
According to Mark Maske and Mike Jones of the Washington Post, the Redskins are spreading the word in Indianapolis that they?re considering legal action aimed at delaying the start of free agency while litigation proceeds regarding the question of whether the Redskins? legal rights were violated.? The Redskins are telling agents that any contract talks will be delayed until the situation is resolved.
If the Redskins proceed, it would be a big deal.? And if they delay the start of free agency until their claims are resolved, it would be a huge deal.
We addressed the situation a couple of weeks ago, reporting that the Redskins were still upset about the situation but explaining that their options are limited.? They could bebluffing about going to court in order to get, for example, half of their cap money back (i.e., the $18 million that would apply to this year?s cap).? But the NFL could choose to call their bluff and go to court.
Either way, Daniel Snyder could be inching toward ground previously occupied by the late Al Davis:? Snyder could soon be suing his partners.
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Senate confirmation of public insurance counsel delayed | Trail ...
At a nominations committee meeting last week, Fraser suggested Hancock was ?stood up? at a meeting he was supposed to have with Beck, but she denied that a meeting was ever scheduled. However, she subsequently met with Hancock and has talked with other senators to clear potential roadblocks to her confirmation, which requires a two-thirds vote of the upper chamber. Beck has generally received good marks for her job of representing homeowners and small businesses before the Texas Department of Insurance.
At a hearing last week, Beck was asked whether she had endorsed Hancock?s opponent in the GOP primary last year. She replied that she did not. Beck, a former Fort Worth lawyer, has been the state?s Public Insurance Counsel since her appointment by Gov. Rick Perry in August of 2008. The bill to abolish her agency was filed days after she moved to block a 20 percent increase in home insurance rates by State Farm, the largest property insurer in Texas.
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Andy Rubin: Google Has ?No Plans? To Launch Retail Stores
In a roundtable discussion with reporters today, Google's head of Android Andy Rubin came right out and flatly denied the search giant was considering the launch of retail locations. "Google has no plans and we have nothing to announce," Rubin was reported as as saying by AllThingsD's Ina Fried. Curiously, Rubin's explanation for why Google doesn't need stores was basically the exact opposite of argument from third-party observers about why it does.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fr4VF0K6rZM/
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Can Therapy Dogs Help Kids With Autism? - Health News and ...
By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) ? For children with autism, trained dogs may offer not only a furry friend, but some therapeutic benefits, too, a new research review finds.
There is a ?substantial body of evidence? that dogs act as ?social catalysts,? even encouraging adults to be a little friendlier to each other, said senior researcher Francesca Cirulli, of the National Institute of Health in Rome, Italy. And the few studies that have focused on kids with autism suggest the same is true for them.
People have long turned to animals as a way to help with health conditions or disabilities ? either as part of formal therapy or to offer everyday assistance (such as guide dogs for the blind).
In some cases, ?therapy? or ?service? dogs are called into action to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) ? a group of developmental brain disorders that hinder a child?s ability to communicate and interact socially. ASDs range from the severe cases of ?classic? autism to the relatively mild form called Asperger?s syndrome.
In the United States, it?s estimated that about one in 88 children has some form of autism.
Yet there has been little research into whether trained dogs actually benefit those kids. The good news is, the existing evidence is promising, according to the new review, published in the February issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
However, ?it is early to draw final conclusions,? said Cirulli.
Specifically, Cirulli?s team found six published studies of dogs? effects on children with an autism spectrum disorder. Four of them looked at therapy dogs ? dogs that therapists use during formal sessions to help children settle in, get engaged and be more open to communicating.
Overall, the studies were positive, Cirulli and her colleagues found.
In one study of 22 children, for example, kids were more talkative and socially engaged during therapy sessions where a dog was present. In another study, of 12 boys, the children were less aggressive and smiled more when their therapy session included a canine companion.
Two studies focused on service dogs ? trained dogs that live with the family. The animals serve mainly to keep kids with autism safe; when the family goes out, the child will be literally tethered to the dog to keep from running off or getting hurt.
?That can be a huge relief for families,? said Dr. Melissa Nishawala, medical director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Clinical and Research Program at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
Parents? anxiety over their child?s safety can lead to social isolation in some cases, noted Nishawala, who was not involved in the study. ?Your world can get very small,? she said, ?because you limit where you go.?
So a service dog can make a big difference to the whole family, Nishawala said.
Cirulli?s team found that service dogs might also benefit children?s behavior. In the two studies they reviewed, parents generally said their children were better behaved and more attentive after the family got a service dog.
There are still plenty of questions, though ? about both therapy dogs and service dogs.
For one, children with an autism spectrum disorder vary widely in the types of issues they have and their severity. No one is sure which kids might benefit most from time with a trained pooch, Nishawala noted.
She said more studies are needed ? not only larger ones, but also ones with better ?definitions.? That means making sure the children involved have been formally diagnosed with a form of autism, defining what the ?therapy? is, and being clear about what outcomes the study is assessing.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that a dog could help bring a child with autism out of his shell, said Nishawala, but scientific evidence is just coming in.
Cirulli agreed that better defined studies are key.
It?s possible, Cirulli noted, that a dog could have negative effects on some kids with an autism spectrum disorder. An animal might, for instance, increase ?hyper? behavior.
For parents wondering whether adopting a dog is a good idea, the answer seems to be, ?It depends.?
Cirulli pointed out that these studies focused on dogs trained to be around children with autism. So the findings cannot be assumed to apply to your average Fido.
You might first want to see how your child reacts to a friend?s or neighbor?s dog, Cirulli suggested.
?Getting a dog could be a nice thing for the family,? Nishawala agreed. ?It could be therapeutic for everyone.?
If you are interested in a trained service dog, be prepared for an investment. It costs about $20,000 to train a dog, and the family would have to foot much of that bill.
More information
Autism Service Dogs of America has more on which kids might benefit from a canine companion.
Source: http://news.health.com/2013/02/26/can-therapy-dogs-help-kids-with-autism/
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