Two months after the Boston Herald ran a full, front-page promo for a Mitt Romney editorial that bashed Barack Obama during the president’s visit to Boston, the White House and the newspaper are still sparring, reports the LA Times . The Boston Herald says it was ” shut out ” of covering President…
Continue reading …Tickets to Oprah’s farewell spectacular were pretty hard to come by—so one Canadian man beat himself up in an attempt to score some. Robert Spearing, 44, told police that two men beat him up and stole his tickets to Tuesday’s show. But he later admitted that he’d actually used…
Continue reading …President Obama held a pair of fundraisers in Boston last night, and in both he tried out a new jab at Mitt Romney, saying that he’d passed health care reform “with a little assist from the former governor of Massachusetts.” Both swipes drew laughter, notes the Washington Examiner . Obama has…
Continue reading …A Sol Airlines plane crashed and exploded in southern Argentina last night, killing all 22 people on board. Among the dead were three crew members and 19 passengers, including a baby, the airline tells the AP. “Unfortunately there are no survivors,” said the director of the nearest hospital. “We see…
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Gerry Adams joins in near-universal praise for British monarch’s gestures of reconciliation – and words of Gaelic The Queen woke to find herself an unlikely star in the Irish Republic, almost universally praised for her gestures of reconciliation during the first official visit by a British monarch in 100 years. Her words and bearing have astonished and delighted many. Both the Queen’s speech at the state dinner in Dublin Castle and her silent tribute at the national garden of remembrance to those killed fighting the British for Irish independence at the start of her visit on Tuesday have been well received. There has even been speculation that her visit may outshine President Barack Obama’s next week. Eamon Gilmore, the tánaiste (Ireland’s deputy prime minister) and foreign minister, told the Guardian: “The visit has gone very, very well and has been great for the country.” The broadcaster RTÉ says 500,000 viewers watched its coverage of the Queen planting a tree at the presidential residence on Tuesday, and other channels also covered the occasion. Even her few words of Gaelic at the start of her speech at the state dinner – “A Úachtárain agus a chairde” (“president and friends”, immaculately pronounced) – were an unexpected gesture. Mary McAleese, the Irish president, who was sitting beside the Queen, turned to others at the table open-mouthed, exclaiming “wow”. The speech, with its apology for “things we wish had been done differently or not at all”, was greeted across the Irish political spectrum with near universal praise. Her words, calling for forbearance and conciliation and the loosening of the knots of history, striving to create a more harmonious relationship “close as good neighbours should always be”, led all the Irish papers. All were full of praise for the address, which was delivered in front of dignitaries from both sides of the Irish border, including the taoiseach, Enda Kenny, the Unionist first minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, religious leaders including Cardinal Seán Brady, the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, Irish rugby star Brian O’Driscoll and various Irish former prime ministers. They gave the Queen rapturous applause and a standing ovation. Some Sinn Féin politicians pronounced themselves “underwhelmed” – and found themselves roundly attacked. The television interviewer Vincent Browne asking the parliamentarian Aengus Ó Snodaigh: “So when did the IRA ever apologise?” The Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, however, united with David Cameron to praise the Queen’s historic address. “I believe that her expression of sincere sympathy for those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past is genuine,” he said. His party has been criticised for refusing to meet the Queen. Cameron said: “I believe that her expression of sincere sympathy for those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past is genuine,” he said. “I think this visit will set the seal on what is already a very strong relationship between our two countries, but a relationship I believe that can get even stronger still.” The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh moved away from the symbolism of the first half of their visit, to what was undoubtedly more congenial and relaxed ground for her, visiting several stud farms on the Curragh near Dublin. At the Irish National Stud at Kildare, the Queen was applauded as visibly relaxed and smiling broadly, she was introduced to jockeys, trainers, farriers and apprentices and shown racehorses. Sue Lilley, farrier course co-ordinator, said: “This is the biggest day of our lives.” Simon Coveney, the Irish agriculture minister, who accompanied the royal party, said: “I think she is on comfortable ground here, surrounded by horsey people, many of whom she knows. She would be welcome to come to the races here at any time.” Michael O’Connell, the Labour lord mayor of Cork, called on residents to line the route when the Queen visits the city. It is yet another resonant gesture, as one of O’Connell’s predecessors, Terence MacSwiney, famously starved himself to death in Brixton prison in 1920 after being jailed by the British for sedition. O’Connell said the visit was “a unique opportunity for the people of Cork, civic leaders and businesses to show the best of what our special city has to offer and to make an unforgettable first impression. “It’s our opportunity to give Queen Elizabeth a welcome to remember in front of an audience of over 30 million people tuned in worldwide.” In Dublin, the British embassy hosted a reception to mark the visit, with a fashion show featuring Irish and British designers, followed by a concert featuring the boy band Westlife, the X Factor finalist Mary Byrne, who was born locally, and the 1996 Irish Eurovision song contest winner Eimear Quinn. Obama will be visiting County Offaly to see his ancestral family roots, before a state visit to London when he will meet the 85-year-old woman who has unexpectedly become an Irish media star. Press Reaction: ‘Not just polite applause’ The Irish newspapers have covered the Queen’s visit in exhaustive detail, from the constitutional and political implications to details of the state dinner and Her Majesty’s clothes – and all have been lavish in their praise of the 85-year-old monarch. The Evening Herald: “You really could not make it up … It was truly a spectacle of epic proportions. When Queen Elizabeth rose to speak at last night’s state dinner in Dublin Castle, stylish in a white silk crepe state dress and the Queen Mary tiara, she had a little surprise up that shamrock-embroidered sleeve. In a strong voice that belied her 85 years she began with the words “A Uachtaráin agus a chairde”. Irish Independent: “It was a moving speech delivered in her clear cut crystal voice and after the toast the room stood and applauded. Not just polite applause but sustained heartfelt appreciation of the bridge that the Queen herself had built … she had the look of a woman for whom the weight of history had just got a lot lighter.” Irish Times: “For some, perhaps far fewer in number than was the case on Monday … Queen Elizabeth should simply have apologised for colonial rule, or never have come at all. As expected, she was far more nuanced … Queen Elizabeth is welcome as a remarkable woman in her own right, as a figure to whom a significant minority on this island give allegiance and, above all, as a symbol of the mutual affection and common interests of two separate but closely connected countries.” The Queen Monarchy Ireland Europe Gerry Adams Stephen Bates Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Barack Obama will give a major speech on the Mideast at 11:40am ET today, in which he’ll share his vision of the role America should play in a region that’s been battling unrest for four months now. Josh Gerstein provides a primer on Politico . Your ears should perk up…
Continue reading …Dorothy Parvaz emerged from her stay in a Syrian detention center more or less unscathed, mostly because the guards there would not beat or torture women—but others weren’t nearly so lucky. When Parvaz first arrived at the prison, she was taken handcuffed and blindfolded to a courtyard, where she…
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Social scientist made remarks on his blog claiming he had analysed data from an online study of physical attractiveness Student groups at the London School of Economics are calling for the dismissal of a social scientist who has become embroiled in a racism row after claiming that a study showed black women to be less attractive than women of other races. Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the institution, published his comments on a blog and claimed he had analysed data from an online study of physical attractiveness. In his article for Psychology Today , Kanazawa wrote: “Black women are … far less attractive than white, Asian, and Native American women.” The piece drew a barrage of complaints from readers and has since been removed from the site. The row has prompted the University of London Union Senate, the union’s legislative body, which represents more than 120,000 students, to vote unanimously for the dismissal of Kanazawa, and to condemn his research. Sherelle Davids, anti-racism officer-elect of the LSE students’ union, said: “Kanazawa deliberately manipulates findings that justify racist ideology. As a black woman I feel his conclusions are a direct attack on black women everywhere who are not included in social ideas of beauty.” Amena Amer, incoming LSE students’ union education officer, added: “We support free speech and academic freedom, but Kanazawa’s research fuels hate against ethnic and religious minorities promoted by neo-Nazi groups. Not only does he use the LSE’s credentials to legitimise his ‘research’ but this jeopardises the academic credibility of the LSE.” The LSE launched an internal investigation into Kanazawa’s comments after senior academics at the school, including the new director, Judith Rees, received letters of complaint over the remarks. Dr Kanazawa is abroad on sabbatical this year. The incident is the latest embarrassment for the LSE, following the resignation of previous director Sir Howard Davies, in March after admitting that the institution’s reputation had been damaged by the acceptance of a £1.5m donation from a foundation controlled by Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam. The investigation will look at the data Kanazawa analysed and the quality of his work, before deciding what punitive action, if any, it can take. In a statement, the LSE sought to distance itself from the researcher’s comments, but acknowledged freedom of academic expression. “The views expressed by this academic are his own and do not in any way represent those of the LSE as an institution. The important principle of academic freedom means that authors have the right to publish their views – but it also means the freedom to disagree. We are conducting internal investigations into this matter,” the statement said. Kanazawa has been criticised in the past for substandard research in the area of race and intelligence. Race issues London School of Economics and Political Science Higher education Women Ian Sample guardian.co.uk
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Report calls for £1bn to be stripped out of industry and recommends fares shakeup to reduce overcrowding Commuters face the biggest shakeup of the railways since the ignominious Railtrack era after a government-commissioned report called for £1bn in costs to be stripped out of the industry – and for it to give all involved a “better deal”. An overhaul of the fares system was the most eye-catching recommendation in a study by Sir Roy McNulty, former chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority. The report into rail industry costs also outlined changes to slash the £5.2bn state subsidy, including phasing out ticket offices in small stations, removing conductors and giving train operators control of maintenance on some routes. McNulty said fares in the UK were 30% higher than in France, Holland, Sweden and Switzerland, with operating costs running 40% higher than those countries. “There is a clear imperative to give both farepayers and taxpayers a better deal,” McNulty said. “This industry has a serious cost deficiency issue to address. Everyone concerned must be aware that passengers are paying above the odds.” In a warning that fares policy is needlessly increasing overcrowding, the report made radical proposals, including scrapping some cheap walk-up tickets for long-distance journeys and lifting price restrictions on selected commuter season tickets. The government announced a fares review in the wake of the report, which pledged not to add to the financial pressure on farepayers, who already spend £6.2bn a year on the railways. McNulty stated the case for airline-style pricing that would see fares raised for overcrowded services in order to encourage travel on less busy trains. He said overcrowding could be tackled by charging higher fares on busier trains and lower fares on less busy ones. Such an approach is impossible under the current fares regime, which limits increases on season tickets and some off-peak fares at inflation +3%. The government immediately quashed some of McNulty’s blue-sky proposals and ruled out lifting fare restrictions on the busiest peak commuter services and scrapping savers entirely. However, some off-peak fares are likely to be targeted. A number of saver fares from London become available after 7pm, encouraging overcrowding on services that would have been less busy at 6.30pm. Emphasising that his proposals represented “evolution not revolution”, McNulty said £1bn a year could be taken out of the industry’s £12bn operating costs before the end of the decade by devolving power at Network Rail, the owner of Britain’s tracks and stations, and tackling costs at the companies that run passenger services. Network Rail, a government-backed business, took over from a stricken Railtrack in 2002 and soon brought safety and punctuality records back to acceptable levels after a series of fatal accidents during the early years of privatisation. A former managing director at the Strategic Rail Authority, the government body that oversaw the birth of Network Rail, said the proposals represented the most serious changes to the industry in a decade. Jim Steer, now a rail industry consultant, said: “Together with the devolution of Network Rail, it signals the biggest shakeup of the industry since Network Rail was formed. It is seeking to change the way the different organisations involved in the railways behave with each other.” The changes will not require primary legislation. Network Rail has already launched a devolution programme, while many of the changes at operating companies will be written into franchises as they come up for renewal. The transport secretary, Philip Hammond, indicated that the government had no appetite for the kind of structural tinkering that broke up British Rail and rushed the system into private ownership in the 1990s. Questions were raised over the establishment of a Rail Delivery Group, made up of senior executives from across the industry, to co-ordinate the cost reductions. The powerful RMT trade union, which views the report as a shot across its bows, objected to appointing the chief executive of FirstGroup, a privately owned train operator, as chair of the group. Last week FirstGroup’s boss, Tim O’Toole, announced that the company was handing back its First Great Western franchise three years ahead of schedule, avoiding £826.6m in payments to the government. Blaming the industry’s high costs on the fragmentation caused by privatisation, the RMT’s general secretary, Bob Crow said: “A graphic example is FirstGroup bailing out of the Great Western franchise three years early, depriving the taxpayer of £826m in premium payments while soaking up £140m in government subsidy at the same time. Deal with that kind of scandal and the government could claw back their £1bn savings target at a stroke.” A senior rail industry source also raised doubts about whether privately owned train operators would sacrifice their profits to protect the taxpayer. London’s major commuter routes are all operated by listed businesses. “Company directors have no interest in reducing their profitability. It is a real tension,” said the source. McNulty defended the achievements of privatisation, saying that punctuality and safety standards were now at impressive levels. More than nine out of 10 trains now arrive on time, while the last fatal accident due to a maintenance error was in 2007. Rail transport Transport Rail travel Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Those ubiquitous “Like” buttons are a convenient way to quickly share hilarious videos and buzzed-about articles with all your Facebook friends—but they’re also a convenient way for Facebook to track you, the Wall Street Journal reveals. Facebook’s “Like,” Twitter’s “Tweet,” and other social widgets allow their creators to collect…
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