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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Book News: Two Cleveland Kidnapping Victims Writing A Book

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

A poster was still on display outside the Cleveland home of Amanda Berry after she was rescued in May along with Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.

Tony Dejak/AP

A poster was still on display outside the Cleveland home of Amanda Berry after she was rescued in May along with Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.

Tony Dejak/AP

Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, two of the three women kidnapped and held at a Cleveland house for about a decade, are collaborating with Washington Post reporters to write a book about their time in captivity. James R. Wooley, an attorney representing the two women, said in a statement, "Many have told, and continue to tell, this story in ways that are both inaccurate and beyond the control of these young women. Gina, Amanda and their families have decided to take control and are now interested in telling the story of what happened to them." The reporters are the married couple and Pulitzer-prize winning journalists Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan. Kidnapper Ariel Castro hung himself in his prison cell in September.

The largest collection of Shakespeare documents in the world is going digital, the BBC reports. The collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., will be available next month through a series of apps. Director Michael Witmore told the BBC, "We have 50,000 high quality digital images of rare valuable material that, up until now, only scholars who had research credentials could consult." Curator Heather Wolfe added that with the digital texts widely available online, "people are going to make so many serendipitous discoveries."

Maya Angelou, Judy Blume and more than a hundred other authors have signed an open letter to President Obama protesting dependence on standardized testing in schools. The letter reads, "We are alarmed at the negative impact of excessive school testing mandates ... on children's love of reading and literature. ...We call on you to support authentic performance assessments, not simply computerized versions of multiple-choice exams. We also urge you to reverse the narrowing of curriculum that has resulted from a fixation on high-stakes testing." The letter goes on to quote Philip Pullman, who wrote in 2003, "I am concerned that in a constant search for things to test, we're forgetting the true purpose, the true nature, of reading and writing."

For The Atlantic, Nolan Feeney interviews some of the world's biggest young-adult fiction authors — including John Green, Veronica Roth, Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan and R.L. Stine — to come up with "The 8 Habits of Highly Successful Young-Adult Fiction Authors." Levithan, explaining why YA novels need to have hope, says, "That's life, isn't it? S—- hits the fan. The abyss opens up. But then you get through it. You wrestle it down. You find a way to survive. YA only reflects that. It's not about being preachy or pragmatic to say that most people find a way out of the maze of adolescence. It's only being accurate."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/23/240208418/book-news-two-cleveland-kidnapping-victims-writing-a-book?ft=1&f=
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We're Being Slowly Screwed By Social Networks and We're Oblivious

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the others once seemed to have our interests at heart; now that's looking a little more questionable; in the future, who knows where it'll end? Problem is, subtle privacy changes creep up on us in such a way that we're practically oblivious to them.

How to send directions in Maps from OS X Mavericks to your iPhone or iPad

OS X Mavericks brings with it an all new Maps app. If you use an iPhone or iPad, you're probably already familiar with it. One of the best features of Maps for Mavericks is the ability to ping directions right to any iPhone or iPad associated with your Apple ID. Here's how:

Launch the Maps app from your Mac running OS X Mavericks.
In the top navigation, click on Directions.
In the Directions menu that's now on the right of the screen, enter in the directions you'd like to send to your iPhone or iPad.
Once you have a route selected and directions on the screen, click on the Share icon in the top main menu and choose the device you'd like to send the directions to.
Check your iPhone or iPad for a push notification.

That's all there is to it. Your iPhone or iPad don't even need to be on the same WiFi network in order to receive directions since Maps pulls from any device that's associated with your Apple ID. You can also use this method to share directions many other ways including through email, iMessage, AirDrop, Facebook, and more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/B7AQLxwoca0/story01.htm
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California 'sea serpent' was egg-carrying female

This Friday Oct. 18, 2013 image provided by Mark Bussey shows an oarfish that washed up on the beach near Oceanside, Calif. This rare, snakelike oarfish measured nearly 14 feet long. According to the Catalina Island Marine Institute, oarfish can grow to more than 50 feet, making them the longest bony fish in the world. (AP Photo/Mark Bussey) MANDATORY CREDIT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 14-foot oarfish that washed ashore in Southern California last week was ready to become a mommy.

The serpent-like fish — one of two discovered along the coast last week — was dissected Monday and marine biologists found that the healthy female was ripe to spawn, H.J. Walker of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said Tuesday.

The silvery fish's 6-foot-long ovaries contained hundreds of thousands of eggs that were nearly ready to be released, Walker said.

The fish had lost its tail somehow while alive and it had disc-shaped wounds from cookiecutter sharks, but those injuries wouldn't have been deadly, Walker said.

In fact, it's unclear why the creature died, although Walker said it was possible the deep-water fish came too close to the surface, where it may have been knocked around by waves.

The oarfish washed up on a beach in the San Diego County coastal city of Oceanside on Friday. Several days earlier, a snorkeler found the carcass of an 18-foot oarfish off Catalina Island and dragged it to shore with some help.

The cause of death for the larger fish also remains a mystery.

The rarely seen deep sea-dwelling creatures, which can grow to more than 50 feet, may be the inspiration of sea monsters found in literature and throughout history. Photos of the oarfish have circulated widely online, spurring general interest in the mysterious creature but contributing little to scientists' knowledge of the fish.

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Here's a closer look at the oarfish:

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HOW OFTEN DO THEY VENTURE CLOSE TO SHORE?

Oarfish beach themselves around the world. Every so often, one wanders to the Southern California coast.

In 2010, a 12-foot oarfish washed ashore in Malibu. The most recent stranding before last week's sightings occurred in 2011 when a 14-foot oarfish was found on a beach near the Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles, said Rick Feeney of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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HOW DID THE TWO OARFISH DIE?

While necropsies — the animal version of an autopsy — were done on the oarfish, the cause of death remains unknown. Scientists said the deaths may forever remain a mystery. The smaller oarfish appeared to be in good health before it died.

Oarfish are thought to be poor swimmers and it's possible that the ones found last week got caught in a current that pushed them to coastal waters, marine experts said.

"If they get disoriented and into the surf zone, they'll probably have trouble maneuvering back out to sea," said Phil Hastings, curator of the marine vertebrate collection at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

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WHY IS SO LITTLE KNOWN ABOUT OARFISH?

Oarfish are highly evolved. They tend to remain quiet in the deep ocean, luring smaller fish toward them.

They are found in tropical waters, generally from around 500 feet to 1,000 feet deep, although some may reach more than 3,000 feet deep. That means scientists don't get many opportunities to study these serpent-like creatures. The dead oarfish that float ashore don't tell the whole story. It's like trying to study deer that end up in the windshield, said Milton Love, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

"You wouldn't know much about deer based on roadkill," he said.

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WHAT'S NEXT?

Scientists have dissected the oarfish, preserved some tissue and organs, and plan to send samples to researchers around the world to examine.

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Follow Alicia Chang at http://twitter.com/SciWriAlicia.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-10-22-US-SCI-Giant-Fish/id-b023931963594e079eb7bf58c9c4c637
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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

IRS Delays Start Of Tax Season, Because Of Shutdown

If you were one of those Americans who just can't wait to file your taxes because you're owed a handsome refund, the Internal Revenue Service has news for you: You're going to have to wait.

The IRS said today that the 16-day federal shutdown means it will delay the start of the 2014 filing season by one to two weeks. The shutdown delayed the updating and testing of some of the IRS' systems.

"Readying our systems to handle the tax season is an intricate, detailed process, and we must take the time to get it right," Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement. "The adjustment to the start of the filing season provides us the necessary time to program, test and validate our systems so that we can provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation's taxpayers. We want the public and tax professionals to know about the delay well in advance so they can prepare for a later start of the filing season."

The 2014 season was scheduled to start Jan. 21, now it'll start no earlier than Jan. 28 and no later than Feb. 4.

The IRS will announce a new date in December. The IRS adds:

"The IRS will not process paper tax returns before the start date, which will be announced in December. There is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date, and taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file with direct deposit. The April 15 tax deadline is set by statute and will remain in place. However, the IRS reminds taxpayers that anyone can request an automatic six-month extension to file their tax return. The request is easily done with Form 4868, which can be filed electronically or on paper."

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/22/239862537/irs-delays-start-of-tax-season-because-of-shutdown?ft=1&f=
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Amnesty report on Pakistan drone strikes contradicts U.S. assurances of precision

US drone attacks in Pakistan have killed at least 29 noncombatants since 2012 – deaths that could be categorized as war crimes, Amnesty International said today in a report released just a day before Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to meet with President Obama.

The report, “‘Will I be Next?’ US Drone Strikes in Pakistan” was released by Amnesty International in conjunction with a separate report by New York-based Human Rights Watch on US drone attacks in Yemen. The Amnesty report analyzed 45 publicly known drone attacks in the most commonly targeted region of Pakistan where the Taliban has been particularly active, North Waziristan, between January 2012 and August 2013.

The timing of the report's release puts perhaps the most sensitive issue in US-Pakistan relations in the spotlight as the two leaders meet.

President Obama publicly acknowledged a drone program in Pakistan in January 2012, and promised greater transparency in May 2013. “There must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured,” Obama said, noting that civilian deaths from drone strikes would haunt him and others involved in the administration’s hierarchy “as long as we live.”

Amnesty wrote in its report release that despite this, the US “still refuses to divulge even basic factual and legal information” on its drone program, which means little opportunity for victims’ families to press for compensation or take legal action.

“Secrecy surrounding the drones program gives the US administration a license to kill beyond the reach of the courts or basic standards of international law,” said Mustafa Qadri, author of the report.

“The tragedy is that drone aircraft deployed by the USA over Pakistan now instill the same kind of fear in the people of the tribal areas that was once associated only with Al Qaeda and the Taliban,” said Mr. Qadri.

According to Reuters, the Pakistani Taliban largely controls North Waziristan, in northwestern Pakistan, offering “safe havens to Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban who are fighting NATO troops across the border.”

The United States has carried out 376 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, the [London based] Bureau of Investigative Journalism says, with the death toll put at between 2,525 and 3,613. Local media reported that up to 926 of the dead were civilians.
Most of the time, the dead are militants although their rank is often unclear, residents, militants and Pakistani security sources have told Reuters. Government officials frequently say militant groups have killed 40,000 Pakistanis since 2001.

In the first publicized drone attack since Obama’s May speech, the Pakistani Taliban’s second in command, Wali-ur-Rehman, was killed in a strike along with at least five others.

"This is a huge blow to militants and a win in the fight against insurgents," one security official told Reuters at the time.

The Pakistani government has long condemned drone strikes, often citing civilian casualties, as well as territorial integrity and Pakistani sovereignty. Obama is set to meet Sharif at the White House tomorrow, and on Friday the United Nations is set to debate drones and transparency.

In its report, Amnesty found that US drones killed a grandmother, Mamana Bibi, in October 2012 while she was picking vegetables near her grandchildren. Another strike in July that same year killed 18 laborers near the Afghan border as they sat down to eat dinner. A subsequent missile strike killed many of those who came to the rescue of the first victims.

A big challenge in tallying civilian deaths is the difficulty of saying with certainty whether or not a military-aged victim of a strike is part of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or another extremist group, the report authors acknowledge. However, family and friends often insist their loved ones “had no connection to extremists,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

“American intelligence officials and their congressional overseers argue that in almost all cases the strikes have hit legitimate targets. Sorting out the truth in individual cases is often impossible,” the LA Times reports.

According to The New York Times, in communities often targeted by drones – for example, the northwest Pakistani town of Miram Shah, which has been hit 13 times since 2008 – the psychological stress has been palpable.

While the strike rate has dropped drastically in recent months, the constant presence of circling drones — and accompanying tension over when, or whom, they will strike — is a crushing psychological burden for many residents [of Miram Shah].
Sales of sleeping tablets, antidepressants and medicine to treat anxiety have soared, said Hajji Gulab Jan Dawar, a pharmacist in the town bazaar. Women were particularly troubled, he said, but men also experienced problems…. ...
In the aftermath of drone strikes, things get worse. Many civilians hide at home, fearing masked vigilantes with the Ittehad-e-Mujahedeen Khorasan, a militant enforcement unit that hunts for American spies. The unit casts a wide net, and the suspects it hauls in are usually tortured and summarily executed.

Greek birth certificate probe in 'Maria' case

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A top Greek prosecutor on Tuesday ordered an emergency nationwide investigation into birth certificates issued in the past six years after a girl was discovered living with alleged abductors at a gypsy camp.

Supreme Court prosecutor Efterpi Koutzamani ordered the inquiry for birth certificates issued after Jan. 1, 2008, amid news media reports of benefit fraud by families declaring births in multiple regions. Experts have used the case to point out the severe weaknesses in the country's birth registration system.

A couple has been jailed on charges of abduction and document fraud in the case of the girl known only as "Maria." The girl, believed to be 5 or 6, was taken into protective care last week after DNA tests established the couple was not her biological parents.

The case has triggered international interest in missing children, with the girl's DNA entered into a database held by the international law enforcement agency Interpol to check for matches.

On Monday, the mayor of Athens ordered the suspension of three officials in charge of record-keeping. New parents have three months to declare their newborns. Investigators in Athens found a large number of babies had been recently declared at or near the end of that deadline, sending up a red flag because they suspected some were multiple declarations to claim benefits.

The two suspects, aged 39 and 40, deny the abduction allegations, claiming they received the child from a destitute woman to bring up as their own.

Authorities allege the female suspect claimed to have given birth to six children in less than 10 months, while 10 of the 14 children the couple had registered as their own are unaccounted for.

Police say the two suspects received about 2,500 euros ($3,420) a month in subsidies from three different cities.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/greek-birth-certificate-probe-maria-case-125212767.html
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