From a 1980s office block to Zaha Hadid’s bank-busting academy, we take a look at the six spectacular buildings competing for RIBA’s annual award
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From a 1980s office block to Zaha Hadid’s bank-busting academy, we take a look at the six spectacular buildings competing for RIBA’s annual award
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Mark Stroman shot dead two convenience store workers he believed to be Arab in Dallas shooting spree in 2001 A man who embarked on a shooting spree in what he claimed was retaliation for 9/11 has been executed at a prison in Texas. The lone survivor of Mark Stroman’s attack on convenience store workers in late 2001, Rais Bhuiyan, originally from Bangladesh, unsuccessfully sued to stop the execution, saying his religious beliefs as a Muslim required him to forgive the man. The courts denied his request. Stroman, 41, had said hate in the world needed to end and asked for God’s grace shortly before the fatal drugs began flowing into his arms. He was pronounced dead less than an hour after his final court appeal was rejected. Stroman claimed the shooting spree that killed two men and injured a third targeted people from the Middle East, though all three victims were from south Asia. It was the death of 49-year-old Vasudev Patel, from India, that put Stroman on death row. He was also charged but not tried in the shooting death of Waqar Hasan, 46, a Pakistani immigrant who moved to Dallas in 2001 to open a convenience store. Stroman’s execution was the eighth this year in Texas. At least eight other inmates have execution dates in the coming weeks. From inside the death chamber, Stroman looked at five friends watching through a window and told them he loved them. “Even though I lay on this gurney, seconds away from my death, I am at total peace,” he said. He called himself “still a proud American, Texas loud, Texas proud”. “God bless America. God bless everyone,” he added, then turned his head to the warden and said: “Let’s do this damn thing.” Feeling the drugs beginning to take effect, he said, he began a countdown. “One, two,” he said, slightly gasping. “There it goes.” Eleven minutes later, he was dead. None of Patel’s relatives attended the execution, and instead selected a police officer to represent them. The execution was delayed for almost three hours before the Texas court of criminal appeals barred a state judge in Austin from considering Bhuiyan’s lawsuit to stop the execution. The US supreme court had rejected appeals earlier in the day. Bhuiyan had asked the courts to halt Stroman’s execution and said he wanted to spend time with the inmate to learn more about why the shootings occurred. He lost sight in one of his eyes when Stroman shot him in the face. “Killing him is not the solution,” Bhuiyan said. “He’s learning from his mistake. If he’s given a chance, he’s able to reach out to others and spread that message to others.” A federal district judge in Austin rejected the lawsuit and Bhuiyan’s request for an injunction. Stroman was free on bond for a gun possession arrest at the time of the attack. He had previous convictions for burglary, robbery, theft and credit card abuse, served at least two prison terms and was paroled twice. His juvenile record showed he was involved in an armed robbery at the age of 12. When police arrested him the day Patel was killed, they found the .44-calibre handgun used in the shooting. Stroman confessed, and court documents show he told authorities he belonged to the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison gang. Prosecutors also said he told another jail inmate about the shootings and how automatic weapons police found in his car were intended for a planned attack at a shopping mall. Stroman more recently denied the white supremacist description. He also had avoided trouble in prison in recent years, said a Texas department of criminal justice spokeswoman. Stroman blamed the shootings on the loss of a sister in the collapse of one of the World Trade Centre towers – although prosecutors said in court documents that there was no firm evidence she ever existed. “I wanted those Arabs to feel the same sense of vulnerability and uncertainty on American soil much like the mindset of chaos and bedlam that they were already accustomed to in their home country,” he said on a website devoted to his case . But he also said he’d made a “terrible mistake out of love, grief and anger” and had destroyed his victims’ families “out of pure anger and stupidity”. “I’m not the monster the media portrays me,” he said last week from death row. Stroman was also charged but not tried in the shooting death of Waqar Hasan. Hasan was killed four days after the terrorists struck. The attack on Bhuiyan came a week later. Capital punishment Texas United States Race issues US supreme court guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Mark Stroman shot dead two convenience store workers he believed to be Arab in Dallas shooting spree in 2001 A man who embarked on a shooting spree in what he claimed was retaliation for 9/11 has been executed at a prison in Texas. The lone survivor of Mark Stroman’s attack on convenience store workers in late 2001, Rais Bhuiyan, originally from Bangladesh, unsuccessfully sued to stop the execution, saying his religious beliefs as a Muslim required him to forgive the man. The courts denied his request. Stroman, 41, had said hate in the world needed to end and asked for God’s grace shortly before the fatal drugs began flowing into his arms. He was pronounced dead less than an hour after his final court appeal was rejected. Stroman claimed the shooting spree that killed two men and injured a third targeted people from the Middle East, though all three victims were from south Asia. It was the death of 49-year-old Vasudev Patel, from India, that put Stroman on death row. He was also charged but not tried in the shooting death of Waqar Hasan, 46, a Pakistani immigrant who moved to Dallas in 2001 to open a convenience store. Stroman’s execution was the eighth this year in Texas. At least eight other inmates have execution dates in the coming weeks. From inside the death chamber, Stroman looked at five friends watching through a window and told them he loved them. “Even though I lay on this gurney, seconds away from my death, I am at total peace,” he said. He called himself “still a proud American, Texas loud, Texas proud”. “God bless America. God bless everyone,” he added, then turned his head to the warden and said: “Let’s do this damn thing.” Feeling the drugs beginning to take effect, he said, he began a countdown. “One, two,” he said, slightly gasping. “There it goes.” Eleven minutes later, he was dead. None of Patel’s relatives attended the execution, and instead selected a police officer to represent them. The execution was delayed for almost three hours before the Texas court of criminal appeals barred a state judge in Austin from considering Bhuiyan’s lawsuit to stop the execution. The US supreme court had rejected appeals earlier in the day. Bhuiyan had asked the courts to halt Stroman’s execution and said he wanted to spend time with the inmate to learn more about why the shootings occurred. He lost sight in one of his eyes when Stroman shot him in the face. “Killing him is not the solution,” Bhuiyan said. “He’s learning from his mistake. If he’s given a chance, he’s able to reach out to others and spread that message to others.” A federal district judge in Austin rejected the lawsuit and Bhuiyan’s request for an injunction. Stroman was free on bond for a gun possession arrest at the time of the attack. He had previous convictions for burglary, robbery, theft and credit card abuse, served at least two prison terms and was paroled twice. His juvenile record showed he was involved in an armed robbery at the age of 12. When police arrested him the day Patel was killed, they found the .44-calibre handgun used in the shooting. Stroman confessed, and court documents show he told authorities he belonged to the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison gang. Prosecutors also said he told another jail inmate about the shootings and how automatic weapons police found in his car were intended for a planned attack at a shopping mall. Stroman more recently denied the white supremacist description. He also had avoided trouble in prison in recent years, said a Texas department of criminal justice spokeswoman. Stroman blamed the shootings on the loss of a sister in the collapse of one of the World Trade Centre towers – although prosecutors said in court documents that there was no firm evidence she ever existed. “I wanted those Arabs to feel the same sense of vulnerability and uncertainty on American soil much like the mindset of chaos and bedlam that they were already accustomed to in their home country,” he said on a website devoted to his case . But he also said he’d made a “terrible mistake out of love, grief and anger” and had destroyed his victims’ families “out of pure anger and stupidity”. “I’m not the monster the media portrays me,” he said last week from death row. Stroman was also charged but not tried in the shooting death of Waqar Hasan. Hasan was killed four days after the terrorists struck. The attack on Bhuiyan came a week later. Capital punishment Texas United States Race issues US supreme court guardian.co.uk
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Japanese man sentenced to life in prison for rape and murder of English teacher A Japanese man has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of British teacher Lindsay Hawker. Hawker, 22, was found dead in a bathtub filled with sand on the balcony of Tatsuya Ichihashi’s apartment in Ichikawa City, east of Tokyo, in March 2007. Tatsuya Ichihashi had admitted raping and killing Hawker but denied intending to kill her. Ichihashi, 32, who spent more than two and half years on the run following Hawker’s death, bowed before Hawker’s parents on Thursday as he entered the courtroom. As in previous hearings they refused to look at him. Ichihashi showed no visible reaction when the presiding judge, Masaya Hotta, sentenced him to life imprisonment. On hearing the verdict, Hawker’s mother, Julia, wiped away tears and turned to look at her daughters, Louise and Lisa, who were seated in the public gallery. Hawker’s father, Bill, had called on the Chiba district court to show “no mercy” and give Ichihashi the death penalty. Six lay judges and three professional judges helped Hotta arrive at his verdict under a limited version of trial by jury introduced in 2009. Japanese police launched a nationwide manhunt after Hawker’s body was found on the balcony of Ichihashi’s apartment. Hawker, from Brandon, near Coventry, had arrived in Japan six months earlier, was found beaten and strangled with her hands and legs bound with plastic gardening cord. Ichihashi’s defence lawyers said he had tried to revive Hawker after accidentally suffocating her to prevent her from shouting for help. Ichihashi had fought back tears as he told the court: “Yes, I raped her. Yes, I agree that Lindsay died because of my actions. But I did not mean to kill her. “Only Lindsay and I know what really happened that day, but she can no longer speak for herself because of me. It is my responsibility to tell the truth throughout this trial.” The court heard how Ichihashi had persuaded Hawker, who had arrived in Japan the previous year to teach English, to go to his apartment by taxi so he could pay her for a private language lesson she had given him in a cafe earlier that day. He fled from police when they arrived at his apartment to question him about Hawker’s disappearance. Despite a reward of 10m yen (£78,000) for information leading to his arrest and 8,000 reported sightings, he successfully avoided arrest by using false names and undergoing several rounds of plastic surgery. He was arrested in November 2009 in Osaka while waiting to board a ferry to Okinawa. A passenger had contacted port officials after recognising Ichihashi, who was wearing a hat, sunglasses and paper surgical mask. Earlier this year Ichihashi published a book, Until the Arrest, which detailed his two years and seven months as a fugitive. Ichihashi described the book as “a gesture of contrition”, adding that he wanted royalties to go to the Hawker family or a charity. He does not discuss his crimes in the book, but recounts his daily quest to avoid detection. He travelled between Aomori in Japan’s north to Okinawa, a subtropical island in the far south, and removed a mole from his face to alter his appearance, before paying for plastic surgery with cash earned during 13 months working on an Osaka construction site. Lindsay Hawker Japan Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Homeowners will soon be able to apply for government vouchers as part of a £15m scheme to provide funding for 25,000 homes Households will be able to apply for substantial grants towards the cost of renewable heating systems, worth up to £1,250 for the biggest installations, starting from August 1. Biomass boilers burning wood pellets, solar thermal panels for hot water heating, and both air and ground source heat pumps can all be installed with the grants, taking the form of government vouchers. The £15m scheme is part of the ministers’ renewable heat support plans , and will provide funding for up to 25,000 households. The households to be targeted are the 4m in England, Wales and Scotland not already heated by mains gas, and who therefore tend to use heating oil or electric fires to heat their homes, both of which tend to be more expensive and can lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions. However, Northern Ireland – where 70% of households use heating oil – is not included in the plans. The grants will be set at £1,250 for a ground source heat pump; £950 for a biomass boiler; £850 for an air source heat pump; and £300 for solar thermal water heaters. On average, this should work out at about 10% of the total cost of the equipment and installation. Greg Barker, climate change minister, said: “We’re making it more economical for people to go green by providing discounts on the cost of eco heaters. This should be great news for people who are reliant on expensive oil or electric heating as the premium payment scheme is really aimed at them. Getting money off an eco heater will not just cut carbon emissions, it will also help create a market in developing, selling and installing kit like solar thermal panels or heat pumps.” Applications must be made through the government-funded Energy Saving Trust , and only households that have already put in place basic energy efficiency measures will be eligible. Landlords will also be encouraged to access the grants to improve their housing stock, with £3m of the £15m on offer set aside for them. Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, said research undertaken by the organisation had shown people valued having renewable heating installed. He said: “When people have the kit in their homes they really see the benefit. The main barrier that prevents people from taking the plunge is the up-front capital cost. This is a great start in overcoming this obstacle.” Once households have installed the renewable heating equipment, they may also receive further subsidy payments through the £860m renewable heat incentive when it is introduced next October, though this will depend on the detail of the scheme . Renewable energy Energy Energy bills Consumer affairs Household bills Biomass and bioenergy Waste Solar power Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Study of women between 5ft and 5ft 9in tall finds chances of developing cancer rise by 16% for every 10cm in height Taller people are more likely to develop some of the commonest and deadliest cancers, the largest study of links between height and the disease has concluded. A woman’s chances of developing cancer rose by 16% for every extra 10cm (4in) in height, found the study, which looked at 97,000 women with the disease between 5ft and 5ft 9in tall. Although height is known to affect cancer risk, this latest research in the Lancet Oncology shows that taller women have a higher risk of getting at least 10 types of cancer, more than previously thought. They include breast, bowel, ovarian and skin cancer, leukaemia and malignant melanoma. In females of average height, the overall incidence is 850 cancers per 100,000 women per year. In those around 5ft tall it is 750 cancers per 100,000 women per year. But in those around 5ft 9in, it is about 1,000 cancers per 100,000 women per year. Researchers led by Dr Jane Green, of Oxford University’s cancer epidemiology unit, found that for every extra 4in in height, the risk of breast cancer rose by 17%, of ovarian cancer by the same, and of womb cancer by 19%. The exact reason for the link is unclear, and being tall has also been associated with a lower risk of other conditions, notably heart disease. Green’s team suggested two theories: that hormones linked to growth in childhood could also result in a greater risk of cancer in later years; and that tall people simply have more chance of cancerous cell changes because they have more cells. “The most likely explanation is that hormonal changes that are related to tallness in women may also be related to growth abnormalities, especially in the breast, that lead to cancer,” said Professor Karol Sikora, the medical director of CancerPartnersUK private treatment centres. “Dietary factors may also be important, especially in relation to the dramatic rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in tall women.” Sara Hiom of Cancer Research UK said: “Tall people should not be alarmed by these results. Most people are not a lot taller than average, and their height will have only a small effect on their cancer risk.” Official data showed that 264,679 people were diagnosed with cancer in England in 2009 – 9,870 more than the year before. Of those, 134,636 were in men (up 5.1%) and 130,043 in women (up 2.6%). Experts last week revised their estimate of how many people will get cancer in their lifetime from about a third to 42%, because of ageing, obesity and other factors. embargo midnight Cancer Medical research Cancer Women Health Denis Campbell guardian.co.uk
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It really is a “plan,” and don't you forget it. Never mind, as the Washington Examiner's Conn Carroll inconveniently points out , that the document produced by the “Gang of Six” — Republican Senators Coburn, Chambliss, and Crapo, along with Democratic Senators Conrad, Warner, and Durbin — is all of five pages. If you take out the white space, it's about 3-1/2 . Early this evening, the Associated Press's Stephen Ohlemacher called the output of the Gang of Six a “plan” no fewer than 12 times — and his report's headline was “Bipartisan tax plan trims mortgage deduction.” Okay, Steve, even though you (and the Gang) are obviously wrong, we get it. A “plan” — at least one that is supposed to lead to legislation — is supposed to be “a detailed scheme, method, etc., for attaining an objective.” The roughly 1,050 words in the AP writer's report is not that much shorter than the Gang of Six's almost 1,600-word “plan.” Ohlemacher himself cites the document's lack of specifics or details in some manner about a half-dozen times. Sorry, Steve: The Gang of Six document is not a “plan” in any meaningful sense of the word, and their calling it a “plan” doesn't change that reality. But give Ohlemacher and AP credit in one area: While the Gang of Six claims that “If CBO scored this plan, it would find net tax relief of approximately $1.5 trillion,” the wire service's coverage reveals that taxes would instead increase by almost as much or possibly more. Here are several paragraphs from Ohlemacher's effort (bolds are mine). Note the class warfare hit in the final bolded item: A new bipartisan plan to reduce government borrowing would target some of the most cherished tax breaks enjoyed by millions of families – those promoting health insurance, home ownership, charitable giving and retirement savings – in exchange for lowering overall tax rates for everyone. Many taxpayers would face higher taxes – a total of at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade, and perhaps more. … For its part, the Gang of Six plan punts on many of the most difficult issues, leaving it to congressional committees to fill in the details later. But supporters say it provides a framework to simplify the tax code, making it easier for businesses and individuals to comply while eliminating incentives to game the system. … The Republican staff of the House Budget Committee issued a critique saying the revenue increase could exceed $2 trillion over the next decade, when compared with current tax policy. “A tax increase is the wrong policy to pursue with so many Americans out of work,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. The plan would simplify the tax code by reducing the number of tax brackets from six to three, lowering the top rate from 35 percent to somewhere between 23 percent and 29 percent. That could provide a windfall for wealthy taxpayers because the 35 percent tax bracket currently applies to taxable income above $379,150. Geez, Steve, higher-income people (who may or may not be “wealthy”) would lose all kinds of deductions, but might still get “windfalls.” In some cases, sure, but to present it as if it's a likelihood for most, which is definitely implied, is sheer speculation which is in my estimation backed up by little or no investigation. The Examiner's Carroll points to the Gang of Six document's absurd assumption that the World's Greatest Deliberative Body will actually “find” (that's the document's actual word) massive amounts of spending to cut as anticipated: The Armed Services Committee is then charged with finding $80 billion in cuts, Homeland Security $65 billion, Agriculture $11 billion, Energy $6 billion, and Commerce $11 billion. All this budgeting from Democratically controlled committees that haven’t produced a budget in over 800 days!!! Indeed. What a joke. Without specifics, this isn't a plan, it's just a bunch of nice intentions at best, or deliberate deceptions at worst, which will never materialize. Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .
Continue reading …Rupertgate Wednesday – Exchanging Hotseats and New U.S. Hacking scandal from News Corp.
July 20, 2011 No Comment
enlarge Prime Minister David Cameron. Exhibit A: The Pretzel. Click here to view this media Continuing the fallout (or the detonations) from the Phone Hacking/Bribery/Influence peddling scandal currently engulfing Britain (and soon appearing at a hearing room near you), comes an appearance by Prime Minister David Cameron to an emergency session of Parliament, cutting short his visit to South Africa in order to attempt quelling of a growing concern in the Government. What did he know and when did he know it? Hard to say at the moment. How cozy was his relationship with disgraced former editor of News Of The World and Communications Director Andy Coulson? How much influence has been given with relation to the proposed BskyB takeover? Cameron, along similar lines to the Murdoch’s and Brooks, gives a hearty “I knew nothing” when asked repeatedly and at times contentiously. Prior to this appearance Cameron pointed to Coulson as a good and trusted friend. On this particular day, Coulson was reduced to the role of Anathema and Cameron was twisting himself in knots to make a point. Here is a wrap-up of the days activities via BBC Radio 4′s PM Program. And as a bonus I’ve included the Prime Ministers Statement and resultant Q&A session, or free-for-all as it sounds. The free-for-all starts here (all two hours worth): Click here to view this media Click here to view this media UPDATE : John Amato; As Rupertgate continues in the UK, more hacking cases are coming out from News Corp in the US. News Corporation admitted in 2009 to hacking U.S. rival’s website News Corporation admitted at a trial in 2009 that computers at its U.S. marketing division, News America Marketing, hacked into the secure website of a rival U.S.-based company 11 times, according to Bloomberg . The FBI is currently investigating allegations that News Corp, the parent company of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal , attempted to bribe police and hack into the cell phones of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) wrote Tuesday to Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller to highlight the hacking allegation made by Floorgraphics Inc. Floorgraphics claimed in a lawsuit that News America Marketing stole business from the company by hacking into Floorgraphics website between October 2003 to January 2004. The company agreed to dismiss the case after receiving a $29.5 million payment from News America Marketing. A lawyer for News America Marketing admitted during that trial that someone hacked into Floorgraphics website “through a firewall at News America Marketing headquarters,” but that the company did not know who did it. “As the Department of Justice and FBI examine the recent hacking allegations involving News Corp. and its subsidiaries more closely, I wanted to make sure that you were fully aware of the case of Floorgraphics and News America, as it may be relevant to your current investigation,” Lautenberg wrote ( PDF ). What shall be revealed next? We’ll have more tomorrow….
Continue reading …Rupertgate Wednesday – Exchanging Hotseats and New U.S. Hacking scandal from News Corp.
July 20, 2011 No Commentenlarge Prime Minister David Cameron. Exhibit A: The Pretzel. Click here to view this media Continuing the fallout (or the detonations) from the Phone Hacking/Bribery/Influence peddling scandal currently engulfing Britain (and soon appearing at a hearing room near you), comes an appearance by Prime Minister David Cameron to an emergency session of Parliament, cutting short his visit to South Africa in order to attempt quelling of a growing concern in the Government. What did he know and when did he know it? Hard to say at the moment. How cozy was his relationship with disgraced former editor of News Of The World and Communications Director Andy Coulson? How much influence has been given with relation to the proposed BskyB takeover? Cameron, along similar lines to the Murdoch’s and Brooks, gives a hearty “I knew nothing” when asked repeatedly and at times contentiously. Prior to this appearance Cameron pointed to Coulson as a good and trusted friend. On this particular day, Coulson was reduced to the role of Anathema and Cameron was twisting himself in knots to make a point. Here is a wrap-up of the days activities via BBC Radio 4′s PM Program. And as a bonus I’ve included the Prime Ministers Statement and resultant Q&A session, or free-for-all as it sounds. The free-for-all starts here (all two hours worth): Click here to view this media Click here to view this media UPDATE : John Amato; As Rupertgate continues in the UK, more hacking cases are coming out from News Corp in the US. News Corporation admitted in 2009 to hacking U.S. rival’s website News Corporation admitted at a trial in 2009 that computers at its U.S. marketing division, News America Marketing, hacked into the secure website of a rival U.S.-based company 11 times, according to Bloomberg . The FBI is currently investigating allegations that News Corp, the parent company of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal , attempted to bribe police and hack into the cell phones of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) wrote Tuesday to Attorney General Eric Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller to highlight the hacking allegation made by Floorgraphics Inc. Floorgraphics claimed in a lawsuit that News America Marketing stole business from the company by hacking into Floorgraphics website between October 2003 to January 2004. The company agreed to dismiss the case after receiving a $29.5 million payment from News America Marketing. A lawyer for News America Marketing admitted during that trial that someone hacked into Floorgraphics website “through a firewall at News America Marketing headquarters,” but that the company did not know who did it. “As the Department of Justice and FBI examine the recent hacking allegations involving News Corp. and its subsidiaries more closely, I wanted to make sure that you were fully aware of the case of Floorgraphics and News America, as it may be relevant to your current investigation,” Lautenberg wrote ( PDF ). What shall be revealed next? We’ll have more tomorrow….
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