Some people think that life in California is easy -- but it's really hard work.
We've got board meetings.
Lots of board meetings!
We're always playing catch up.
We're really just a bunch of pencil pushers.
We work with some real characters.
We're always working weekends.
We burn the midnight oil.
Hey, it's a dirty job...
...But somebody's gotta do it.
So, if this looks like your kind of work, we've got just one question for you:
WHEN CAN YOU START?
Video: Manuel Aguilera
"Se han ensañado porque es un latino muerto de hambre. Le han condenado como si fuera un asesino en serie". Rosario Yara llora impotente, desde Lanzarote, la suerte de su hijo Flavio, condenado a 36 años en una prisión del norte de Florida.
Flavio Santisteban, hijo de españoles nacido en Cuba, conducía su camión por una autopista en Miami el 11 de febrero de 2005. Según su testimonio, sintió un golpe por detrás y se salió de la carretera. Una vez en la mediana, salió de su vehículo y fue a auxiliar a las cuatro personas que viajaban en el coche con el que había colisionado.
Pudo escuchar sus voces y comprobar que estaban bien pero en 1 segundo se precipitó la tragedia. Explotó la carga que transportaba en su camión y el fuego arrasó la escena del accidente.
Lo siguiente que recuerda Flavio es cuando despierta en un hospital con el cuerpo quemado. Allí junto a su esposa, Cari Ann, también cubana hija de españoles, le comunican que los cuatro pasajeros del vehículo habían muerto.
"Desde el primer momento los abogados nos dijeron que Flavio no tenía ninguna responsabilidad, que había sido un accidente", recuerda Cari Ann. Tres abogados, supuestamente contratados por la compañía aseguradora de la empresa de Flavio, se encargaron de su defensa en el juicio civil.
Allí Flavio y su mujer se enteraron de que las 4 víctimas del siniestro -Gloria Meryl Halpern, Anita Epstein, Alain B. Klein y Deborah Klein- pertenecían a familias judías con un gran poder económico.
El acusado con su mujer e hija.
Los abogados no permitieron a Flavio declarar alegando que su falta de dominio del idioma inglés jugaría en su contra. Finalmente, el juez Jeffrey Streitfeld, de origen judío (al igual que las víctimas) dictaminó que las familias tenían derecho a una indemnización superior a los 31 millones de dólares.
La esposa y la madre de Flavio acusan a Streitfeld de no ser imparcial y de haberse involucrado personalmente en el caso. Este juez reclamó a su colega Mily Rodríguez-Powell poder llevar el asunto también por la vía criminal. El acusado fue condenado por 4 cargos de homicidio. "Yo no soy abogado pero me han dicho que para elevar la cantidad de la indemnización en la causa civil, ayuda mucho una sentencia penal en contra", se lamenta Cari Ann.
El comportamiento del juez -que ha creado sospechas en la familia y en el que basan sus alegaciones- tiene como primer punto oscuro el sorpresivo cambio del conductor del vehículo de las víctimas.
Cuando la patrulla de la Policía de carreteras llegó al lugar de los hechos se registró en un informe que aseguraba que la conductora era Deborah Klein, de cuyos análisis se desprendió que tenía en la sangre gran cantidad de barbitúricos.
Como por arte de magia durante el juicio apareció una segunda investigación en la que se mantenía que quien conducía era Gloria Mery Halpen y que Deborah iba en el siento de atrás.
Este es uno de los detalles que han llevado a Armando Valladares (conocido opositor anticastrista) a involucrarse en el caso. Valladares permaneció 22 años en la cárcel en Cuba. Fue liberado a instancias del ex presidente francés, Francoise Mitterand y llegó a ser embajador de los Estados Unidos en la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la ONU.
Ahora lucha por enmendar lo que considera "una injusticia que se ha vuelto a cebar en el más débil". Con una foto del vehículo quemado, que no fue admitida como prueba por el juez, señala los destrozos que demostrarían que la responsable del accidente sería la conductora del coche, no del camionero.
Pero lo más llamativo es la sentencia por la que Streitfeld condena a Santisteban y en la que utiliza ante las cámaras que les estaban grabando conceptos religiosos y numerología de la tradición judía.
"En la tradición judía hay un concepto de chai, 18, que significa vida. Es algo que deseo tener presente para imponer una sentencia sobre la pérdida de la vida de cuatro personas judías. Es mi decisión imponer una sentencia de doble chai, 36 años en la prisión estatal de la Florida", afirma el juez mientras el condenado escucha la traducción por unos cascos.
Ahora Rosario Yara, la madre de Flavio que emigró desde España huyendo de la represión franquista tras la guerra y después tuvo que hacer lo mismo por la persecución del castrismo, libra una nueva batalla.
Ha pedido el amparo de Enrique Múgica, el defensor del pueblo en España, mientras su nuera pelea en los tribunales de Florida. "Esto ha sido un atropello de personas muy poderosas en contra de un infeliz", se lamenta Valladares que en breve visitará España en busca de apoyos para la causa de Flavio.
The alleged "deep-cover" spies are accused of working for the SVR, the Russian Federation version of the CIA. Mikhail Fradkov, director of the SVR, reports directly to Mr. Medvedev. {more}
Their job, according to the court papers in the case, was "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles" in the United States.
Each of the 10 was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.
Federal law prohibits individuals from acting as agents of foreign governments within the United States without notifying the U.S. attorney general.{more}
Thousands of Greek workers have staged a 24-hour strike, in protest against the government's austerity measures, bringing much of the country to a standstill.
The strike shut down public services and disrupted transportation on Tuesday as public and private-sector employees prepared to march in Athens, the capital, at around 0900 GMT.
Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled, although international flights will not be affected, and train services were severely reduced.
Workers are protesting against the government's austerity measures, which include a radical pension reform, aimed to help the country solve its huge debt and budget deficit crisis.
Local media, schools, banks and municipal offices also shut down in the action - the fifth walkout by major public and private sector unions this year.
Tuesday's strike has also left hospitals with only emergency staff.
Port unrest
But authorities took swift action to stop the city's main port of Piraeus from being blockaded, where hundreds of Communist-affiliated strikers had gathered at the harbour in an attempt to stop tourists boarding ships bound for the Greek islands.
The recurring labour unrest has cost Greece booking cancellations and millions of euros in damages at a time when the debt-hit nation is struggling to maximise its revenues and revive its economy.
"Greek islanders are counting on the next month for funds," Manolis Galanakis, deputy chairman of Greek coastal shipping associations, told Mega television.
Barnaby Phillips, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Athens, said tear gas had been dispersed to dispel crowds at the port.
"There were some quite dramatic scenes this morning with tear gas being fired by the police, dispersing trade unions, many tourists running away very frightened," he said.
"Precisely not the kind of images Greece needs and it tries to get the tourist industry reinvigorated, after it got off to a slow start after all the trouble throughout the spring."
The action comes as parliament starts to discuss reforms that would raise the retirement age, cut employee benefits and curtail early pensions in an effort to bring economic recovery.
'Deeper recession'
But many Greeks do not believe the financial measures will yield a positive outcome.
"These measures will not help. They will only lead to deeper recession and poverty," Despina Spanou, board member of the public sector union ADEDY, said.
"Workers will clearly answer the government and this reform which abolishes social security," Spanou said.
However, the government insists the spending cuts are vital.
"We deeply believe what we are doing is in the interests of the Greek people," George Petalotis, a government spokesman, said.
The southern European country avoided bankruptcy last month after receiving the first instalment payment of a $136bn emergency loan package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
In return, Athens has passed severe austerity measures, cutting pensions and salaries and raising consumer taxes.
Hey, look, someone donated a million dollars to Wikipedia - anonymously, no less.
At least that was the headline on Digg last Friday and we could all see it was true because there was a link to the online database of donors and a plain-as-day screen capture, a cropped version of which you see here.
(2010's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries)
A million smackaroos from a benefactor too shy to even accept a public thank-you? Now that's news, so I fired off an e-mail to Jay Walsh, Wikipedia's head of communication, to see if A) he could confirm that it was indeed true; and, B) if he could tell me anything at all about the bashful donor. Walsh's reply:
"In fact it turns out there was a slight glitch in how that donation was reported through our system. The amount is 100% correct, but the donation should have been attributed to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. We've corrected the link and donation here:
"This is the third part of a three-year, one million dollars per year grant that was announced back in March, 2008.
"Glad the Digg folks pointed this out, and we're now tracking the comment/donation input system a bit more carefully."
There are easy wisecracks to be made here about Wikipedia and accuracy. Too easy.
Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent Buzzblog items. And, if you'd like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, here's where to sign up.
2010's 25 Geekiest 25th Anniversaries.
California considers digital ads on license plates.
Good news for the economy: More people are quitting their jobs.
Scientist 'infected by computer virus' catches publicity fever
8 in 10 browsers leave identifiable "fingerprints," EFF warns.
Dear Apple: Please make "magical" disappear from your iPad marketing.
How the 'Net would have saved Coke from New Coke.
Clever video technique shows there really are two sides to any story.
Doing the Laptop Drive of Shame, Part III
Image: AP
The unemployed are walking away from their car leases in droves as more laid-off workers see their jobless benefits cut off, reports LeaseTrader.com.
"Unemployment benefits have been keeping millions of Americans afloat since the recession began," said Sergio Stiberman, chief executive of LeaseTrader.com. "When the clock runs out on benefits, people still jobless look to find ways of further cutting their bills. The ability to transfer a car lease contract can save a person more than $500 each month while keeping their credit intact."
The company said the majority of its lease listings are in California and other high-unemployment states including Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Michigan. California's unemployment was 12.4% in May, third highest in the nation.
LeaseTrader.com noted the surge in listings coincides with the failure by Congress to approve HB 4213, a bill that would allow extended unemployment benefits through November.
One version of the bill was approved by the House just before Memorial Day, but it has gotten bogged down in the Senate in a disagreement over how to pay for the $100 billion cost. Unemployment aid is just one of a host of issues included in the bill that have delayed its passage.
The California Employment Development Department estimates more than 234,000 laid-off workers in this state alone have had their benefits cut off since the last unemployment extension bill expired in early June.
Analysts and a military officer said the live ammunition exercise starting on Wednesday that will close off parts of the East China Sea off China's coast over six days were routine and the timing was coincidental.
"The PLA artillery exercise in the East China Sea and the joint U.S.-South Korea exercise in the Yellow Sea are a complete coincidence," Li Daguang, a professor at China's National Defense University told the Wen Wei Po, a Hong Kong newspaper under mainland control.
"The outside world shouldn't read anything into this."
Li, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer, said the firing exercise was a routine one and "not aimed at the U.S.-South Korea joint exercise."
But the China Daily, the country's official English-language newspaper, said some analysts saw the announcement of the exercise as a "response to a joint exercise between the United States and Republic of Korea navies in the Yellow Sea."
The Yellow Sea lies to the north of the East China Sea, and the areas of the two exercises would not overlap.
China's Foreign Ministry said last week it was concerned about reports a U.S. aircraft carrier may join the anti-submarine exercise with South Korea following a standoff with North Korea over the sinking of a warship from the South.
"Though the Chinese government did not say anything about the drill, anybody with common sense on military strategy will bet that they are related," one expert on China-U.S. relations, Shi Yinhong of Renmin University in Beijing, told the China Daily.
The joint exercise that had been expected this month will most likely take place in July, although a date has yet to be set, the Pentagon said on Monday.
Washington has not officially said whether an aircraft carrier could participate, as some news reports have suggested, citing Pentagon sources.
Beijing has been angered by U.S. navy ships engaging in surveillance in waters close to China's southern coast.
Earlier this year, Beijing curtailed contacts with the Pentagon over continued U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own territory.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this month China's decision to break off military-to-military contacts could undercut regional stability.
Gates said the PLA was the main obstruction in the way of improved relations, and suggested its position was at odds with that of the country's political leadership.
(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Sugita Katyal)
Two sister nations have been made to confront each other and shed blood as a result of well-planned provocations and plots designed and executed in a very professional way. These two nations have lived together as brothers and sisters throughout our history and shared the same homeland and culture.
It has been an additional sorrow for us to see that some media outlets both in Turkey and abroad have been reflecting these events somewhat differently as to how they really are in a rather one-sided discourse. It is in no way true to describe these events as genocide or ethnic conflict; approaching the unrest as such does not provide any solution and is manifest proof that those who assume so have been taken in by the provocateurs. Armed conflicts took place in downtown Jalal-Abad and Osh, where the provocations were staged. In the Nookat, Uzgen and Aravan districts of Osh, Kadamjay in Batken, where there is a dense Uzbek population, and in some regions of Jalal-Abad, there has not been any record of conflict or fight, and this only shows that all the bloodshed was a result of failing to remain firm against incitement. Both nations have been deeply affected, and there are casualties on both sides.
An article published on June 17, 2010, in Today’s Zaman was far from reflecting the truth about the unrest, both in its headline and content. The Kyrgyz citizens in Turkey and the entire Kyrgyz nation have been more deeply hurt by the fact that this article appeared in a newspaper that is notable for its principle of having an objective approach.
We pray for the lives lost, wish a speedy recovery to the wounded and patience for both of our sister nations.
We pray that the solidarity between these two sister nations may last forever in peace and that they do not fall prey to incitement again. We hope that days of peace and serenity come and bring bliss to our country.
Affinity and Culture Society of Kyrgyzstan
BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--Ongoing stress tests on European banks have been expanded to include 70 to 120 banks to give an idea of national as well as regional resilience, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The tests, conducted by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors in ...
China's state media on Tuesday slammed US President Barack Obama for suggesting Beijing had turned a blind eye to North Korea's actions, calling his remarks "irresponsible and flippant".
At the Group of 20 summit in Canada at the weekend, Obama said China must not show "willful blindness" over Pyongyang's "belligerent behaviour", noting he had spoken bluntly to Chinese President Hu Jintao on the matter.
The English-language Global Times hit back at the US leader, saying he should have taken Beijing's concerns into consideration before "making irresponsible and flippant remarks about China's role in the region".
The newspaper, noting Beijing's role as host of the on-off six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, said: "It is thus not China that is turning a blind eye to what North Korea has done and has not done."
"Instead, it is the leaders of countries such as the US that are turning a blind eye on purpose to China's efforts," said the commentary in the paper, which is run by the Communist Party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily.
The United States and Seoul have led a push for a UN censure of Pyongyang for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March that killed 46 sailors, but the Security Council has yet to issue a formal condemnation.
China, a close ally of the impoverished North, has been reluctant to endorse a UN condemnation over the sinking until it has assessed the evidence in the incident for itself.
The Global Times acknowledged that China's efforts to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear programme had not all been effective, but said maintaining contact with Pyongyang was vital.
"The US cannot ignore the fact that China remains the most important channel of effective communication in this situation," the paper said.
"Closing the channel would leave the situation deadlocked. That is by no means what the world wants."
ATHENS, Greece — Dozens of masked youths clashed with police at a union protest Tuesday in Athens during the country's fifth general strike this year against the cash-strapped government's planned pension and labor reforms.
Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse troublemakers who threw chunks of marble smashed off metro station entrances and set rubbish bins on fire. Running clashes continued along a major avenue — lined with shuttered shops and banks — as rioters armed with wooden clubs made repeated sallies against police.
Seven policemen were injured in the clashes, and 13 demonstrators were detained, six of whom were arrested, police said. Riot police chased demonstrators into a main subway station, and an AP photographer saw police detain one young man in a subway car, spraying him with pepper spray.
Demonstrators smashed bus stops and phone booths, and broke windows at three shops and two bank branches. The demonstration ended after a few hours, and rioters melted away toward the central Exarcheia district — a traditional anarchist hangout.
However, Tuesday's clashes were far more muted than the riots that erupted during a previous general strike on May 5, when three people died after becoming trapped in a bank torched by rioters.
Businesses shut down, tourists exasperated
In response to the Tuesday protests, local media were shut, hospitals operated with emergency staff and public offices were mostly closed.
Businesses in central Athens rolled down their metal shutters but many elsewhere were open as usual.
"We have again taken to the streets. we are striking we are resisting the slaughtering of our rights," said Ilias Vrettakos, a vice president of the main public sector union.
Some tourists, a sector accounting for almost a fifth of Greece's GDP, were exasperated by the cancellation of some ferries to islands. About 60 domestic flights were also cancelled but international flights were unaffected.
Issues behind the Greece protests
The socialist government, which has 157 seats of 300 in parliament, was to begin preliminary consideration of an overhaul of pensions later on Tuesday. It will raise women's retirement age from 60 to match men on 65 and demand more years at work to qualify for a pension.
The government says the reforms of the creaking system are essential to stave off bankruptcy for Greece, where debt has reached 133 percent of GDP in 2010.
Participation in protests has waned, however, partly as Athenians escape to the islands for summer holidays. Unions representing about 2.5 million workers, half the workforce, back the strike.
On the big May 5 protest, three people were killed in the fire-bombing of an Athens bank. About 25,000 people turned out for the last similar strike on May 20.
The repeated strikes, protests that have sometimes turned violent and a rise in small bomb attacks since riots in 2008 have hurt tourism, which accounts for nearly a fifth of Greece's 240 billion euro ($297 billion) economy. A senior official was killed last week by a booby-trapped bomb.
But economists said the strike was far from shutting down the economy and that it was hard to estimate the drain on GDP.
"My sense is that there is so much waste in the public sector, and it's essentially public employees on strike, that I don't see much effect," said Gikas Hardouvelis, chief economist at Eurobank EFG Group.
Concurrent strikes in Spain
Meantime, Spanish workers shut down the Madrid metro system in anger at a 5 percent public sector pay cut.
The strikes in both Spain and Greece on Tuesday highlight widespread resistance to Europe-wide austerity measures as the euro and shares tumbled ahead of a deadline for banks to repay a giant European Central Bank cash injection.
Spanish Economy Minister Elena Salgado said she hoped the European Central Bank was aware of the situation of her country's stressed banks, some of which have been shut out of inter-bank lending due to worries over bad debts and public finances.
"The ECB says it doesn't like governments to tell it what to do. I simply say I hope that in this occasion, as in others, the ECB will be aware of the needs of the Spanish financial system," Salgado told Spanish radio.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks tumbled Tuesday, with the Dow falling as much as 326 points and the S&P hitting an 8-month low after a big drop in consumer confidence and signs of a bigger slowdown in the global economy.
Investors plowed into the safety of government debt, sending the 10-year note yield below 3% for the first time in 14 months.
Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) dropped 268 points, or 2.7%, after having earlier lost as much as 326 points. The Nasdaq (COMP) composite fell 85 points, or 3.9%.
The S&P 500 (SPX) slid 33 points, or 3.1%, falling to a fresh 2010 low of 1035.18 before recovering a little to close at 1041.24. It was the lowest close since November and could bring in more selling in the next few days, according to technical market pros.
Stocks slipped at the open on global concerns but the selling picked up steam after the release of the Consumer Confidence index for June. Confidence slumped to 52.9 from 62.7 in May, the Conference Board reported, with the decline reflecting worries about the labor market and economic outlook. Confidence was expected to fall to 62, according to economists surveyed by Briefing.com.
Concerns about the job market and economy have dragged on stocks on and off for the last two months, with the major gauges falling into a correction after hitting rally highs in late April. A correction is a plunge of at least 10% off the highs. As of Tuesday's close, the S&P is off 14.6% from the highs of late April.
Tuesday's woes were sparked by a weak reading on Japanese export demand and household spending and a revised reading on Chinese leading economic indicators. In Europe, a fresh round of protests by Greek citizens opposed to government austerity measures kept worries about Europe's ability to cut its debt front and center.
The euro, something of a proxy for European debt worries, fell.
"Between euro worries, some notes of a slowdown out of Asia and a bad consumer sentiment number, there are very few reasons for stocks to rise, and plenty for them to fall or flatten out," said Karl Mills, president and chief investment officer at Jurika Mills & Keifer.
"The largest concern on a broad level remains the issue of debt, both in Europe and the U.S.," he said.
Stocks ended a choppy session lower Monday after leaders of the G-20 nations agreed to both continue to promote economic recovery and to cut deficits in half by 2013. The group of 19 countries and the European Union met at a summit last weekend in Toronto.
On the move: Declines were broad based, with all 30 Dow issues falling, led by Boeing (BA, Fortune 500), Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500), Chevron (CVX, Fortune 500), IBM (IBM, Fortune 500) and United Technologies (UTX, Fortune 500).
A variety of financial stocks slumped, with the KBW Bank (BKX) sector index off by 3.5%. Components JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500) all lost 4%, while Citigroup (C, Fortune 500) fell 6%.
World markets: European markets stumbled across the board, with Britain's FTSE 100 losing 3.1%, Germany's DAX giving back 3.3% and France's CAC 40 falling 4%.
Asian markets slumped. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.3%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 2.3% and China's Shanghai Composite slumped 4.3%.
Housing market: Home prices rose 3.8% in April versus a year ago, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 major housing markets. That was a bigger jump than expected, with economists looking for a climb of 3.4% after a boost of 2.3% in March. Home prices also rose 0.8% in April from March levels.
However, prices remain off over 30% from the peak.
Companies: Electric car maker Tesla Motors debuted on the Nasdaq under the ticker TSLA, rising 12% from its IPO price late Monday.
Tesla priced its shares at $17 each, above the $14 to $16 target range, allowing it to raise over $226 million in the IPO.
Currency: The euro slumped 0.7% versus the dollar but remained above the four-year low of $1.188 hit earlier in the month. The dollar was down 1.1% versus the yen.
Commodities: U.S. light crude oil for August delivery fell $2.83 to settle at $75.94 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
COMEX gold for August delivery gained $3.60 to $1,242 an ounce.
Bonds: Treasury prices rallied, lowering the yield on the 10-year note to 2.97% from 3.03% late Monday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Market breadth: Market breadth was negative and volume was moderate. On the New York Stock Exchange, losers beat winners 11 to one on volume of 1.6 billion shares. On the Nasdaq, decliners topped advancers eight to one on volume of 2.58 billion shares.
Full body scanners at airports could increase your risk of skin cancer, experts warn.
The X-ray machines have been brought in at Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow.
But scientists say radiation from the scanners has been underestimated and could be particularly risky for children.
They say that the low level beam does deliver a small dose of radiation to the body but because the beam concentrates on the skin - one of the most radiation-sensitive organs of the human body - that dose may be up to 20 times higher than first estimated.
An airport staff member demonstrates a full body scan at Manchester Airport. Now a U.S expert has said the X-Ray may deliver a higher radiation dose to the skin than first thought
Dr David Brenner, head of Columbia University's centre for radiological research, said although the danger posed to the individual passenger is 'very low', he is urging researchers to carry out more tests on the device to look at the way it affects specific groups who could be more sensitive to radiation.
He says children and passengers with gene mutations - around one in 20 of the population - are more at risk as they are less able to repair X-ray damage to their DNA.
Dr Brenner, who is originally from Liverpool but now works at the New York university, said: 'The individual risks associated with X-ray backscatter scanners are probably extremely small.
'If all 800 million people who use airports every year were screened with X-rays then the very small individual risk multiplied by the large number of screened people might imply a potential public health or societal risk. The population risk has the potential to be significant.'
Following trials, the airport scanners were officially introduced at Manchester Airport in January, at Heathrow Terminal 4 in February and at Gatwick in May this year.
The most likely risk from the airport scanners is a common type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma, according to the academic.
The cancer is usually curable and often occurs in the head and neck of people aged between 50 and 70. He points out it would be difficult to hide a weapon on the head or neck so proposes missing out that part of the body from the scanning process.
'If there are increases in cancers as a result of irradiation of children, they would most likely appear some decades in the future. It would be prudent not to scan the head and neck,' he added.
He recently aired his concerns to the Congressional Biomedical Caucus in the US - members of Congress who meet to exchange ideas on medical research.
Dr Brenner urged them to look at his concerns but said it was important to balance any health issues against passengers' safety when flying.
He said: 'There really is no other technology around where we're planning to X-ray such an enormous number of individuals. It's really unprecedented in the radiation world.'
The Civil Aviation Authority said the radiation received from the scanning process is the equivalent to two minutes radiation received on a Transatlantic flight
The Civil Aviation Authority, Department for Transport and Health Protection Agency insist that the technology is safe and say their tests show it would take 5,000 trips through the scanner to equal the dose of a single chest X-ray.
They said in the climate of high security, it is essential that security staff use 'all means possible' to minimise risks to airline security.
The CAA said: 'The device has been approved for use within the UK by the Department for Transport and has been subjected to risk assessments from the Health Protection Agency.
'To put the issue in perspective, the radiation received from the scanning process is the equivalent to two minutes radiation received on a Transatlantic flight.
'Recent press publications have been a little alarmist and may have heightened concern in frequent travellers who may worry about their repeated exposure.
'Under current regulations, up to 5,000 scans per person per year can be conducted safely.'
Call NRA officers listed below to express your outrage at having a gun rights organization betray gun owners’ interests.
On Tuesday, the NRA confirmed that it had carved out a narrow exemption for itself from HR 5175, the misnamed “DISCLOSE Act.” Among onerous requirements, the bill would require any political organization which mentions a candidate for most of an election year to report names of some donors and members to the Federal Election Commission.
When NRA leaders signed on to the deal brokered by Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC), they almost certainly anticipated an outcry from liberal organizations. Indeed, 45 such groups have come out in opposition.
What they probably did not predict, however, was vociferous opposition from their own ranks. Scores of gun rights organizations and ostensibly friendly conservatives have lined up against the NRA over the DICSLOSE Act, including national groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Family Research Council, Freedom Action, Gun Owners of America, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the National Organization for Gun Rights, the Coalition for Liberty, and state level groups such as Grass Roots North Carolina, Gun Owners of Nevada, the Oregon Firearms Federation, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, South Dakota Gun Owners, the Virginia Gun Owners Coalition, and Wisconsin Gun Owners, among many others.
Meanwhile, pro-gun and conservative blogs like RedState.com teem with opposition to what is commonly perceived as a sellout by the NRA of not only gun owners, but constitutionalists.
NRA BOARD MEMBER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ‘DISCLOSE’
But the biggest blockbuster came today in, of all places, The Washington Post, as one of the NRA’s own board members, Cleta Mitchell, wrote a piece entitled “NRA exemption shows campaign disclosure bill's cynical, fatal flaws,” noting:
“The NRA carve-out is a clear example of a congressional speech license…
“This is not just ‘disclosure.’ It is a scheme hatched by political insiders to eradicate disfavored speech. There is no room under the First Amendment for Congress to make deals on political speech, whether with the NRA or anyone else.”
NRA MISLEADS ITS MEMBERS
In a feint designed to placate its most loyal followers, the NRA put out a press release implying that it is not the only organization exempted from electioneering speech restrictions:
“On June 14, 2010, Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives pledged that H.R. 5175 would be amended to exempt groups like the NRA, that meet certain criteria, from its onerous restrictions on political speech. As a result, and as long as that remains the case, the NRA will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill.”
Although NRA supporters have latched on the reference to “groups” and “certain criteria,” however, the fact that only organizations with more than 1 million members in existence for 10 years and operating in all 50 states means that only 3 organizations could benefit: The NRA, the AARP, and the National Humane Society. Given that the AARP routinely lobbies for leftism, and the Humane Society is an extremist animal rights group that lobbies against hunting, that doesn’t put the NRA in very good company, does it?
WHY DO CONSERVATIVES OPPOSE NRA CARVEOUT?
The question remains: Why do gun rights supporters oppose having the world’s biggest gun rights organization exempted from election speech restrictions? The answer is that, to gun rights activists who thoroughly understand the issues, the NRA has become bloated, self-serving, and unresponsive to its membership.
At both state and federal levels, NRA lobbyists have developed a reputation for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, often making bad deals with entrenched incumbent politicians in order to claim “success” to members.
Last year, the NRA began making cozy noises about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, saying: “For many years now, Harry Reid has been supporting our Second Amendment rights in the U.S. Senate.” This despite the fact that Reid – rated “F” by Gun Owners of America – is widely considered to be vulnerable in his race.
This year, bucking the Tea Party trend of true conservatives unseating incumbents, the NRA endorsed Senator John McCain, despite his history of supporting gun show restrictions.
And for years, state-level activists have reported problems with the NRA supporting anti-gun legislation and politicians for self-serving ends.
CONTACT NRA OFFICERS BELOW
Rather than calling general membership numbers, here are some numbers that go directly to NRA officers. Let them know how you feel about having the world’s biggest gun rights organization betray the interests not only of its members, but of gun owners everywhere. North Carolina residents should also call the politician who brokered the deal, Congressman Heath Shuler.
Congressman Heath Shuler: 202- 225-6401. If possible, call on Friday, June 18 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM – but if you miss that time, call regardless.
Ronald L. Schmeits, NRA President:
Home: 18 Private Rd #2001ST, Raton NM 87740, (575) 445-5836, (575) 445-2080 fax
Office: International Bank,200 S 2nd Street, Raton NM 87740-3908, (575) 445-2321
Charles L. Cunningham, Director, NRA-ILA Federal Affairs:
4864 Oakcrest Drive, Fairfax VA 22030
703-352-3245, 202-651-2570
David A. Keene, NRA 1st Vice President:
5602 Dawes Ave, Alexandria VA 22311-1102, 703-671-5602
