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Sunday, March 31, 2013
'Fairy circles' mysery solved? Tiny creators discovered.
'Fairy circles' dot deserts in southern Africa, but the mystery behind their origin may have been solved.
Oryx antelope tracks cross 'fairy circles' in Namibrand, Namibia.
N. Juergens / Live Science
EnlargeThe "artists" behind bizarre, barren, grassless rings dotting the desert of Southwest Africa have been found lurking right at scientists' feet: termites.
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Known as fairy circles, these patches crop up in regular patterns along a narrow strip of the Namib Desert between mid-Angola and northwestern South Africa, and can persist for decades. The cause of these desert pockmarks has been widely debated, but a species of sand termite, Psammotermes allocerus, could be behind the mysterious dirt rings, suggests a study published today (March 28) in the journal Science.
Scientists have offered many ideas about the circles' origin, ranging from "self-organizing vegetation dynamics" to carnivorous ants. Termites have been proposed before, but there wasn't much evidence to support that theory.
Finding patterns in circles
While studying the strange patterns, biologist Norbert Juergens of the University of Hamburg noticed that wherever he found the dirt patches (the barren centers inside fairy circles), he also found sand termites. [See Photos of the Bizarre Fairy Circles]
Juergens measured the water content of the soil in the circles from 2006 to 2012. More than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of water was stored in the top 39 inches (100 cm) of soil, even during the driest period of the year, Juergens found. The soil humidity below about 16 inches (40 cm) was 5 percent or more over a four-year stretch.
Without grass to?absorb rainwater and then release it back into the air via evaporation, any water available would collect in the porous, sandy soil, Juergens proposed. That water supply could be enough to keep the termites alive and active during the harsh dry season, while letting the grass survive at the circles' rims.
Juergens conducted surveys of the organisms found at fairy circles. The sand termite was the only creature he found consistently at the majority of patches. He also discovered that most patches contained layers of cemented sand, foraged plant material and underground tunnels ? telltale signs of sand termites.
?The scientist found a few other termite species, as well as three ant species, at fairy circles in areas that get rain during the summer or during the winter, but not at all the sites he studied.
Teensy engineers
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Uneasy calm in Kenya after court ruling on vote
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) ? Kenyan police deployed forces Sunday in the capital and in the lakeside city of Kisumu to contain the continuing threat of violence after two people were shot dead in protests Saturday following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as the country's next president, officials said, noting that most of the country remained peaceful.
Moses Ombati, the deputy police chief for Nairobi, said Sunday that rowdy youths in Nairobi's slums were still trying to protest the court's ruling against Prime Minister Raila Odinga's challenge to the validity of Kenyatta's win. Ombati said he hoped the presence of armed police would deter illegal protests like those that erupted Saturday immediately after the court's ruling.
"There is tension obviously, but with the deployment of officers we have done we don't anticipate anything," Ombati said.
Although Odinga accepted the court's decision, some of his supporters reacted angrily to his loss, taking to the streets and engaging the police in running battles.
Two people were killed and five seriously injured in riots in Kisumu, Odinga's home region, said Ole Metito, police chief for Nyanza province. At least seven rioters are now in police custody for their alleged roles in the Kisumu violence, he said.
"There was chaos in places where people were throwing stones. Now we have officers monitoring the general situation," Metito said.
Kenyatta, who is to be sworn in on April 9, said late Saturday that he would be a president for all Kenyans and urged them to move past the election and build a nation "at peace with itself."
The March 4 election was described by many as the most complicated in Kenya's history. It pitted Kenyatta against Odinga, whose disputed loss in the 2007 election triggered postelection violence that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Kenyatta faces criminal charges at the International Criminal Court for allegedly encouraging that postelection violence.
Kenyatta will become the second sitting African president to face charges at the Hague. William Ruto, his running mate, who is set to become Kenya's deputy president, faces similar charges. Both men deny any wrongdoing.
Unlike after the 2007 election, which degenerated into tribe-on-tribe violence, Kenya has been largely peaceful following these elections.
Odinga charged the presidential election was "tainted" by irregularities. Odinga's lawyers alleged in court that the electoral commission boosted Kenyatta's numbers at some polling stations, helping him to avoid a runoff election with Odinga. According to official figures, Kenyatta avoided a runoff by about 8,000 votes out of 12.3 million cast.
The Supreme Court decided that Kenyatta was validly elected and that the election was conducted in compliance with the constitution. The judges are expected to release a detailed judgment in two weeks.
Odinga said he accepted this verdict even though he regretted that some of the evidence produced by his lawyers had been disregarded.
"Casting doubt on the judgment of the court could lead to higher political and economic uncertainty, and make it more difficult for our country to move forward," he said Saturday after the verdict. "We must soldier on in our resolve to reform our politics and institutions. Respect for the supremacy of the constitution in resolving disputes between fellow citizens is the surest foundation of our democratic society. "
___
Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uneasy-calm-kenya-court-ruling-vote-093210892.html
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Friday, March 29, 2013
RIM success in 4Q, but too early to declare win
TORONTO (AP) ? Research In Motion Ltd., once written off as dead amid fierce competition from more modern mobile devices such as the iPhone, surprised Wall Street Thursday by returning to profitability and shipping more BlackBerry 10 phones than expected in the most recent quarter.
It will take several quarters, though, to know whether RIM is on a path toward a successful turnaround. RIM just entered the crucial U.S. market with the new phone last week. And despite selling a million BlackBerry 10 phones in other countries, RIM lost subscribers for the second consecutive quarter.
Thursday's earnings report provided a first glimpse of how the BlackBerry 10 system, widely seen as crucial to the company's future, is selling internationally and in Canada since its debut Jan. 31. The 1 million new touch-screen BlackBerry Z10 phones were above the 915,000 that analysts had been expecting for the quarter that ended March 2. Details on U.S. sales are not part of the fiscal fourth quarter's financial results because the Z10 wasn't available there after the quarter ended.
Investors appeared happy with the financial results. RIM's stock rose 34 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $14.91 in afternoon trading Thursday after the release of results. Many analysts had written RIM off last year, but now believe the Canadian company has a future.
"I thought they were dead. This is a huge turnaround," Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said from New York.
Misek said the Canadian company "demolished" the numbers, especially its gross margins. RIM reported gross margins of 40 percent, up from 34 percent a year earlier. The company credited higher average selling prices and higher margins for devices.
"This is a really, really good result," Misek said. "It's off to a good start."
The new BlackBerry 10 phones are redesigned for the new multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers are now demanding.
The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, had been the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people and other consumers before the iPhone debuted in 2007 and showed that phones can handle much more than email and phone calls. RIM faced numerous delays modernizing its operating system with the BlackBerry 10. During that time, it had to cut more than 5,000 jobs and saw shareholder wealth decline by more than $70 billion.
In the most recent quarter, RIM earned $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, a year earlier. After adjusting for restructuring and other one-time items, RIM earned 22 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been expecting a loss of 31 cents.
Revenue fell 36 percent to $2.7 billion, from $4.2 billion. Analysts had expected $2.82 billion.
RIM shipped 6 million BlackBerry devices, including 1 million on the new system. But RIM lost about 3 million subscribers to end the quarter with 76 million. It's the second consecutive quarterly decline for RIM, whose subscriber based peaked at 80 million last summer.
Bill Kreyer, a tech analyst for Edward Jones, called the decline "pretty alarming."
"This is going to take a couple of quarters to really see how they are doing," Kreyer said.
The company also announced that co-founder Mike Lazaridis will leave the company. He and Jim Balsillie had stepped down as co-CEOs in January 2012 after several quarters of disappointing results, but Lazaridis said he stayed on as vice chairman and a board director to help new CEO Thorsten Heins and his team with the launch of the BlackBerry 10. With that underway, Lazaridis plans to retire May 1. He said he has no plans to sell his 5.7 percent stake in the company.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lazaridis said the board wanted both him and Jim to stay, but Lazaridis decided "it was the right time" to leave.
Heins, formerly RIM's chief operating officer, has spent the past year cutting costs and steering the company toward the launch of new BlackBerry 10 phones. Lazaridis said Heins has done an excellent job completing the BlackBerry 10 system and launching it around the world.
"The results speak for themselves," Lazaridis said.
Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said RIM returned to profitability much sooner than expected. He said it was driven by higher gross margins, cost reductions and the sale of the new BlackBerry.
In a research note, Wu wrote that RIM "is here to stay with stabilization in its business and balance sheet" but said the key question remains whether the company can maintain momentum in an industry dominated by Apple and Google's Android software.
The Z10 has received favorable reviews since its release, but the launch in the critical U.S. market was delayed until late this month as wireless carriers completed their testing.
A version with a physical keyboard, called the Q10, won't be released in the U.S. for two or three more months. The delay in selling the Q10 complicates RIM's efforts to hang on to customers tempted by the iPhone and a range of devices running Android. Even as the BlackBerry has fallen behind rivals in recent years, many users have stayed loyal because they prefer a physical keyboard over the touch screen on the iPhone and most Android devices.
RIM, which is changing is formal name to BlackBerry, said it expects to break even in the current quarter despite increasing spending on marketing by 50 percent compared with the previous quarter.
"To say it was a very challenging environment to deliver improved financial results could well be the understatement of the year," Heins said during a conference call with analysts.
Heins said more than half of the people buying the touch-screen Z10 were switching from rival systems. The company didn't provide details or specify whether those other systems were all smartphones. He said the Q10 will sell well among the existing BlackBerry user base. It's expected in some markets in April, but not in the U.S. until May or June.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rim-success-4q-too-early-declare-win-175330023--finance.html
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Gary Irving, Convicted Serial Rapist, Captured After 34 Years On The Run
A convicted rapist who for decades has been on the run from the law was captured by police this week.
According to The Boston Globe, 52-year-old Gary Irving has been on the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted list for the past 34 years, since a fateful day in 1979 when the convicted serial rapist fled from his Massachusetts home.
Irving, who was found guilty in Norfolk County, Mass., of raping three young women, including a 16-year-old girl, was arrested Wednesday in his home in Gorham, Maine.
Reuters reports that Irving had been sentenced to life in prison in 1979, but that he had fled after the judge in his case chose to delay his sentence by two days to allow him to make arrangements before his prison term started.
For decades, Massachusetts State Police have been searching for the fugitive. Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said that law enforcement officers had previously followed leads across New England and several states, including Georgia, Colorado and Florida, in search of Irving.
In the interim, Irving has been living under the name Gregg Irving. He has been married for 29 years and has two children, according to Boston's WCVB.com.
Reports the Boston Globe, Irving and his wife were about to tuck their granddaughter into bed Wednesday night, when police showed up at the couple's home. Irving's wife has since said that she had "no knowledge of his true identity."
An 18-year-old female neighbor of Irving's said that she was shocked to learn of his real identity.
?It actually kind of freaks me out because I never shut my shades,? Alyssa Lurvey told the Boston Globe. ?We don?t lock our door. I don?t know what I would do if he decided to walk in one day, come up to my room. That?s really, really scary.?
Police say they found numerous guns at Irving's home. He will face federal charges for illegal firearms possession, Reuters reports.
Also on HuffPost:
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/rapist-34-years-gary-irving_n_2979324.html
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Boston Mayor Menino will not seek sixth term: Boston Globe
BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston Mayor Tom Menino, a Democrat who has run the city for almost two decades, will not seek a sixth term, the Boston Globe reported on its website Wednesday night.
Menino will announce his decision at a Thursday afternoon news conference, the newspaper said. Staff at the mayor's office could not be reached for immediate comment.
The 70-year-old mayor was hospitalized for a month last year for a virus and back pain that cut short an Italian vacation.
A decision not to seek re-election would set the stage for Boston's most competitive mayoral race since 1993, when Menino first won the office.
So far, only one candidate, city councilor John Connolly, has declared an intention to run, though observers said aspirants may have held off jumping into the race, waiting to see if Menino would seek re-election.
(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-mayor-menino-not-seek-sixth-term-boston-024857747.html
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MN Supreme Court: Foster parents can adopt children even if ...
Posted at 12:10 PM on March 27, 2013 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice
A sharply divided Minnesota Supreme Court today ruled that two young African American girls, born to apparent drug addicts, can be adopted by their white foster parents rather than their grandparents, despite a state law that appears to favor adoption by family members over others.
The decision appeared to hinge on one word in the law: consider.
The two girls both tested positive for cocaine upon birth and have had developmental problems since. They were removed from the home almost immediately by Hennepin County and put in the care of foster parents.
Later, the foster parents agreed to adopt the girls after the grandparents initially expressed interest in the adoption, but didn't cooperate with an in-home placement study in Mississippi. After some delay, they relented, the study was turned in, and the two competing adoption petitions went before a district court, which ruled adoption by the foster parents was in the best interest of the girls. The court said given their special needs, there could be damage by removing the girls from the only home they ever knew.
But the grandparents appealed, saying state law favors relatives over "an important friend with whom the child has resided or had significant compact." They said the district court should have ruled they were fit to adopt, and the process should have stopped there.
But in her opinion today, Justice Lori Gildea disagreed, saying the law only requires courts to consider the adoption petition of a relative first and then the foster parents. But it does not prefer a relative over a non-relative.
"It is true that the district court did not analyze the grandparents' petition in its entirety before turning to analyze the foster parents' petition," Justice Gildea wrote. "The court also did not expressly conclude in its order that it was not in the girls' best interests to be adopted by their grandparents, which would be the better practice. But the court did consider and then form a conclusion about the grandparents' petition with respect to each factor before considering the foster parents' petition on that factor."
But the grandparents are African American while the foster parents are white and the issue of tending to the "cultural needs" of adoptive children has been controversial in Minnesota and elsewhere, even though state law requires cultural needs be considered.
"The foster parents have adopted two sons who are Asian-American and African-American respectively, and an African-American friend lives with the family," Justice Gildea said in rejecting the argument. "The district court did not specifically explain how the foster parents were able to meet the cultural needs of the children other than to find that the foster parents 'believe that diversity is very important.' We share the court of appeals' concern that the district court's findings on this factor 'grossly simplify' the girls' needs... But given our deferential standard of review, we cannot say that the court's analysis of this factor renders its overall best-interests analysis an abuse of discretion."
But in his dissent, Justice Alan Page, joined by Justice David Stras, said Gildea's interpretaton of the law would require courts to consider a relative's adoption petition and a non-relative's "side by side and at the same time," and effectively makes the state statute "meaningless."
"If the Legislature had intended for us to read the statute the way the concurrence suggests, there would have been no reason to require courts to consider placement in a particular order, and absolutely no reason to distinguish between relatives and others," Justice Page wrote.
And that's important in a case like this, Page noted, because the Legislature's authors wrote the statute with race differences in mind. "The authors of the amendments were no doubt concerned that eliminating race as a consideration in adoptive and foster care placements might have the unintended effect of decreasing the likelihood that children from racial minorities would be adopted by relatives," he wrote. "One way to mitigate these potential negative effects was to strengthen the statutory emphasis on placement with relatives by requiring that placement with relatives be considered before placement with others."
Justice Wilhelmina Wright agreed with Justice Page that the district court should've considered the grandparents' petition first before moving on to the foster parents' adoption petition, but she said "the best interests of the children could not have been ascertained without consideration of the impact of the proposed move on these young children."
Here's today's full decision.
Comments (2)
So, the white majority of the MN Supreme Court overwhelmingly determined it "in the best interest" of two black kids to be placed with white foster parents, while the black minority of the Court unanimously agreed that the black kids should be placed with their black grandparents.
That about sums it up? Anybody else see anything desperately wrong with this whole picture? Bob?
Will the grandsparents have a visitation right? What do the adoptive parents say about this? I don't think about the case in the framework of race, but of larger family: even if your parents fail you, the larger family should be a place where failings are buffered and a sense of belonging established. Recent studies show that those kids deal best with adversities who have heard their larger family's story, of adversities and persistence. The court takes that away from those children. The law seems to say that the larger family is relevant, the Supreme Court that it is not - a case of legislation from the bench?
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013
North Korea's 3G Experiment Might Be Over
North Korea's Internet liberation has hit a snag -- it's still North Korea. One month after announcing that it would grant tourists and visitors 3G Internet access, North Korea appears to have revoked its 3G services. Tourists reportedly no longer have 3G access. There is a chance that the 3G service is merely busted, but given North Korea's history, the consensus at the moment is that the plug has been pulled.
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Suicide attackers kill 5 Afghan policemen
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Eight suicide bombers struck a police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least five officers, a security official said.
The attack in Jalalabad, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Kabul, came on the second day of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the Afghan capital.
First, an insurgent in an explosives-laden car detonated his vehicle in front of the Jalalabad Police Quick Reaction Force. Then, seven other attackers wearing vests rigged with explosives stormed the compound, police said.
Three attackers blew themselves up inside the complex while police shot the remaining four during a gunfight that lasted more than an hour.
Some of the attackers wore uniforms resembling those worn by the U.S.-led NATO coalition, said police chief Mohammad Sharif Amin in Nangarhar province, where Jalalabad is the capital.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
In other violence, a roadside bomb killed two police officers and wounded another in the Nad Ali district of southern Helmand province, the governor's office there said.
Afghan insurgents have in recent months been carrying out complex attacks involving car bombs and gunmen with explosives-laden vests against government and police buildings around the country.
The attacks are expected to intensify as the traditional spring fighting season gets under way. Heavy snow and bad weather conditions usually put a damper on fighting during the harsh Afghan winter.
On March 14, Afghan intelligence service seized a massive truck bomb packed with eight tons of explosives on the eastern outskirts of Kabul. They also killed five suspected suicide bombers and arrested two others during a raid to seize the truck.
The truck was apparently meant to carry out an attack on a NATO facility in the capital. According to Afghan intelligence, the truck bomb bore the hallmarks of the Haqqani network, which is known for conducting spectacular attacks.
Affiliated with the Taliban, the network is run by the Haqqani family and is based across the border in Pakistan.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-attackers-kill-5-afghan-policemen-124523375.html
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Gay NFL Player May Come Out Soon: Report (VIDEO)
HuffPost Live:
CBS Sports' Mike Freeman reports that "Based on interviews over the past several weeks with current and former players, I'm told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months," adding that the player intends to continue playing in the league after making the announcement.
HuffPost Sports Editor Chris Greenberg joined HuffPost Live's Jacob Soboroff to talk about the report and what it could mean for the NFL.
Read the whole story at HuffPost Live
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Sunday, March 24, 2013
Arab League gives Syrian seat to opposition
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? In a symbolic blow to embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad, senior Arab diplomats said Sunday that they will transfer Syria's seat in their main regional group to opposition forces.
The Arab League's decision is unlikely to mean much in practical terms to Assad's regime, which has already been abandoned by many Arab states that are siding with rebel forces in the two-year civil war. But it reflects pressure being exerted by key rebel backers ? Qatar and Saudi Arabia ? for a show of Arab solidarity against Assad at a two-day Arab League summit beginning Tuesday in Doha.
The gathering comes amid a serious shakeup within the opposition force over complaints that international support is insufficient to bring down Assad and turn the tide against his security forces.
The president of the Western-backed Syrian opposition coalition, Mouaz al-Khatib, resigned Sunday from the Syrian National Council, blaming world powers for not giving the anti-Assad forces the ability to "defend themselves" against Assad's superior military power.
It was a clear snub of U.S. and Western allies that have resisted calls by regional countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to increase the flow of heavy weapons to rebel fighters. Western governments fear stepped-up military aid could prolong the bloodshed and potentially give greater firepower to Islamic extremists who have joined the civil war, which has claimed more than 70,000 lives.
The Doha summit could now become a high-profile forum for a newcomer opposition figure, Ghassan Hitto, a Syrian-born American who this month became head of the Syrian National Council's interim government. Qatar's prime minister, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, has invited Hitto to the summit.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr Kamel said it was now up to the Syrian opposition to decide on its envoy once the Arab League officially transfers the seat after the summit gets under way.
The Saudi deputy foreign minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, called the decision another "turning point" in boosting international recognition of the Syrian National Council, which has presented itself to world leaders as a political alternative to Assad.
The move, however, also underscores some rifts and reservations among Arab states.
Syria's neighbor Lebanon ? caught in a volatile split between Assad backers and opponents ? abstained from the vote on switching the Arab League seat, said a diplomat who took part in the discussions. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.
Other nations are wary about completely cutting ties with Assad. Iraq and Algeria voted in favor of transferring Syria's seat, but urged the Arab League to take a "conservative" approach toward the civil war, the diplomat said.
Only hours before the Arab League decision, the traditional Syrian flag ? not the rebel version ? was displayed in the meeting hall in a sign of the disputes over how far to back the rebels.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to travel to Paris on Wednesday to meet French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for talks that are expected to focus on arming Syrian rebels. The discussion also is expected to touch on the suspected ? but still unproven ? use of chemical weapons in Syria, according to French officials.
___
Associated Press Writer Brian Murphy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arab-league-gives-syrian-seat-opposition-134517209.html
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Thursday, March 21, 2013
Maine man gets 20 days in Zumba paid-sex case
Mark Strong Sr., his wife Julie and their son Bradley hug during a recess in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Julie Strong was overcome with emotion while addressing Justice Nancy Mills so Mills called for a recess to allow Strong to compose herself. Mark Strong was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines. In the background at right is Sarah Churchill, attorney for Alexis Wright. (AP Photo/Portland Press Herald, Gregory Rec, Pool)
Mark Strong Sr., his wife Julie and their son Bradley hug during a recess in Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court in Portland, Maine, on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Julie Strong was overcome with emotion while addressing Justice Nancy Mills so Mills called for a recess to allow Strong to compose herself. Mark Strong was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines. In the background at right is Sarah Churchill, attorney for Alexis Wright. (AP Photo/Portland Press Herald, Gregory Rec, Pool)
Mark Strong Sr. listens as Justice Nancy Mills discusses Strong's sentencing at Cumberland County Unified Criminal Court in Portland, Me., on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Strong was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to pay $3,000 for his role promoting a prostitution business with Alexis Wright in Kennebunk, Maine. (AP Photo/Portland Press Herald, Gregory Rec, Pool)
Mark Strong Sr. comforts his wife Julie after she became emotional while addressing Justice Nancy Mills during Strong's sentencing at Cumberland County Superior Court in Portland, Maine, Thursday, March 21, 2013. Strong was sentenced to 20 days in jail and a fine of $3,000 for his role in promoting a one-woman prostitution business from a Zumba studio in Kennebunk. (AP Photo/Portland Press Herald, Gregory Rec)
Mark Strong, Sr., leaves the Cumberland County Counthouse and is taken to jail after receiving a 20-day sentence and a $3,000 fine for his role in the Zumba prostitution case, Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Portland, Maine. Strong, an insurance agent, helped run a prostitution operation out of his mistress's Zumba studio in Kennebunk, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Mark Strong, Sr., leaves the Cumberland County Counthouse and is taken to jail after receiving a 20-day sentence and a $3,000 fine for his role in the Zumba prostitution case, Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Portland, Maine. Strong, an insurance agent, helped run a prostitution operation out of his mistress's Zumba studio in Kennebunk, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? An insurance agent who helped run a prostitution operation out of his mistress's Zumba studio and watched sex videos made with a hidden camera will serve 20 days in jail for a scandal that rocked a seaside community better known for its beaches and sea captains' homes than for crime.
Mark Strong Sr. told the judge Thursday that he was sorry for the pain he caused his family, and his wife broke down in sobs during a plea for leniency.
"I do apologize for each of my selfish actions and the harm that I have caused many. Most importantly I want to apologize to my wife, my two sons and my entire family because I've caused so much hurt in so many ways, emotionally, physically and financially," Strong said, his voice choking.
Prosecutors say Strong controlled every facet of the Kennebunk operation, monitoring fitness instructor Alexis Wright's calendar, reviewing her ledgers, collecting dossiers on clients and watching the sexual encounters streamed live to the computer in his office 100 miles up the coast in Thomaston.
Strong also suggested boosting profits by marketing to higher-paying fetish clients and engaging in paid sex acts with multiple men simultaneously, prosecutors said.
"This was not a man in love. This was not a voyeur. This was hard-nosed businessman," said Deputy York County District Attorney Justina McGettigan, who asked the judge to sentence Strong to 364 days in jail, noting that the prostitution continued even after police raided Wright's studio, office and apartment in Kennebunk.
Defense lawyer Dan Lilley asked for a maximum of 14 days in jail, telling the judge that police and prosecutors were overzealous in an investigation that fizzled with only two defendants and mostly minor charges.
"The state wanted Moby Dick but got fish bait. This is relatively minor case that has become, or did become, a media event. The simple fact is that the media ... has already punished Mark Strong," Lilley said.
Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills imposed a 20-day sentence on the first count of promotion of prostitution and concurrent sentences on the remaining 12 misdemeanor counts. She also imposed $3,000 in fines.
Twenty days in jail may not seem like a huge sentence given the amount of international publicity that the case received. But the penalty was in line with state sentencing guidelines for a misdemeanor that some people might describe as a "victimless crime" and for which the defendant has no criminal record and poses no threat to society, said Jim Burke, clinical professor of law at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland.
"The only reason people might think the sentence sounds light is because they're not paying attention to the crime and are looking at the hoopla and circus," he said. "It was a good story while it lasted but it wasn't a big crime."
Strong, 57, has acknowledged helping the 30-year-old Wright open her dance studio but contends he didn't profit from prostitution.
That was contradicted Thursday by prosecutors who said Strong received 20 percent of prostitution revenue under an agreement with Wright.
In court, Strong told the judge that he should've owned up to his mistakes right away instead of trying to minimize them. "Initially I wondered why this happened to me and why I'm going through this hell, when I should have accepted responsibility and instead focused on making amends for those I hurt," he said.
His wife, Julie, arm-in-arm with their son, Brad, broke down in tears as she pleaded for leniency, telling the judge that her husband "suffers from an illness that is curable." She also said their marriage is better now that he's confronting his illness.
"What started as my worst nightmare I could ever imagine has turned into one of God's greatest gifts because God has given me a new marriage with a new man, and he is the man I always knew he was," Julie Strong told the judge. "When I first saw him and met him, I could see a kind and gentle soul. Nobody chooses to do what he does."
The judge credited law enforcement for being diligent in what was initially investigated as a statewide prostitution ring with potential extortion because the prostitution clients had been videotaped without their knowledge.
In sentencing Strong, Mills took into account that he had no criminal record, was a community leader in Thomaston and had strong family ties, as evidenced by more than a dozen family and friends who sat in the courtroom to show support for Strong.
But she said jail time was warranted because of the duration and extent of the operation in which prosecutors say Wright made more than $150,000 over an 18-month period.
After the hearing, the judge revoked bail and Strong was taken away in handcuffs to begin serving his term in the York County Jail. The judge said Strong would complete his jail term in time to see his son get married.
Wright, who now lives in Wells, is due to stand trial in May. She faces 106 counts including prostitution, privacy violations, tax offenses and welfare fraud.
___
Follow David Sharp on Twitter: http://twitter.com/David-Sharp-AP
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Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Right To Arm Cetaceans Bogus: Ukrainian Military Dolphins Not Actually On The Loose
If you're swimming in the Black Sea, beware dolphins with weapons strapped to their heads.
flickr/mr_t_in_dc
Update! Sad news, friends. It turns out that one piece of the Ukrainian dolphin story is, in fact, a hoax. No dolphins from the Ukrainian army's complement have actually escaped, according to this newspaper report. The hoax began with this faked report from the museum director, which led to a story by RIA Novosti. The strangest thing about this is how plausible the whole thing actually is. Gregg studies dolphins for a living and did not seem skeptical. That's because the US and Ukrainian military do indeed have dolphins, which they've been, according to previous reports, training for combat. A reader wrote in to tell me that when he was a young sailor in Turkey, this beluga whale was rumored to have escaped from a military installation in Crimea. That is to say, the oddest part of this story -- that dolphins have regularly been used in the military -- is unchanged. But the specifics turn out to be a hoax. Our apologies for the mistake. In recompense, allow me to give you this video about the history of militarized dolphins.
?Dolphin scientist Justin Gregg brings us this slightly disturbing, if hilarious, bit of Delphic news. The Ukrainian military has apparently lost three of its trained dolphins in the Black Sea. Which might not be so bad, except.... Well, Gregg sets it up perfectly:
Uh oh - it seems the Ukrainian Navy has a small problem on their hands. After rebooting the Soviet Union's marine mammal program just last year with the goal of teaching dolphins to find underwater mines and kill enemy divers, three of the Ukrainian military's new recruits have gone AWOL. Apparently they swam away from their trainers this morning ostensibly in search of a "mate" out in open waters. It might not be such a big deal except that these dolphins have been trained to "attack enemy combat swimmers using special knives or pistols fixed to their heads." So if you are planning a family holiday to the Black Sea this week, I think it's best you avoid any "friendly" dolphins that might approach - especially if they have KNIVES or PISTOLS strapped to their heads.
Who would not want to watch the film adaptation of this story? It'd sort of be like abstract expressionist painting plus Free Willy plus Rambo. And it'd be told from the perspective of the dolphins with subtitles for their clicks. And filmed in 3D and at 48 frames a second. It would be directed by Werner Herzog. The first hour and twenty-eight minutes would be dolphins eating fish, the last two minutes would be them saving the world from terrorist combat swimmers.
The Ukrainian navy's dolphin program has a long pedigree. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists noted that trainers there inherited the Soviet military's 70 trained dolphins after the Soviet Union collapsed. Some of them were retrained to help with child therapy and other civilian tasks. The others? Well...?
(If you like that news, Gregg produces a radio show called (cough) The Dolphin Pod.)mississippi state chris carpenter chris carpenter dick cheney hcg drops reason rally mad hatter
Jailed Kurdish rebel to make "historic call" in Turkey peace process
By Daren Butler
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan said he would make a "historic" appeal on Thursday, raising expectations of ceasefire in a 28-year-old conflict which has riven Turkey, killing some 40,000 people, and battered its economy.
Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas, a member of parliament, conveyed Ocalan's statement on his return to Istanbul on Monday from a visit to his prison on the island of Imrali. A ceasefire could cement talks with the government that have been progressing tentatively since October.
"We want to solve the arms problem rapidly and without losing time or another life," Ocalan said in asking for the support of parliament and political parties to achieve a peace.
There was no immediate comment from the Turkish government, which says it seeks but will continue to counter PKK operations until they lay down their arms.
The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union as well as Turkey. But Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has promoted contacts since a summer that brought a sharp worsening of the conflict with rising guerrilla violence and large-scale arrests of Kurdish activists in the south-east.
A ceasefire call, coinciding with the Kurdish new year, could be accompanied by a command to his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants to withdraw to bases in northern Iraq where the PKK says it keeps about half of its 7,000 fighters. Turkey, which has launched air raids and even ground operations against the bases, gives small numbers for the rebels' strength.
"The statement I am preparing will be a historic call. It will contain satisfying information on the military and political dimensions of a solution," said Ocalan, who was captured by Turkish special forces in Kenya 14 years ago and long vilified as a murderer and 'baby killer' in Turkish media.
Ocalan was initially sentenced to be hanged for treason on Imrali, but this was commuted to life imprisonment. "Apo", as he is known to his allies, had been kept largely in isolation since then with no contact with his field commanders.
He was not allowed a television until a few months ago.
FIGHTERS IN THE MOUNTAINS
Truces have been agreed and failed before in the war, but this is the first time Ocalan and a Turkish prime minister have openly spoken of talks on a comprehensive settlement.
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said he expected a withdrawal of PKK guerrillas to bases in northern Iraq to be completed by the end of 2013, according to Milliyet newspaper.
Images of soldiers' coffins returning home have stirred deep emotions in Turkey. But allegations of human rights abuses by security forces in the southeast have damaged Turkey's image in the EU Ankara seeks to join.
The PKK had originally demanded full independence for a Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey, but has moderated its goals to broader political and cultural autonomy. Kurds account for some 20 percent of Turkey's 76 million population but are scattered through Western Turkey as well as the southeast.
In the course of the conflict investment in the southeast has slumped and poverty increased, putting a strain, beyond the human losses, on the Turkish economy as a whole.
In an initial confidence-boosting step, the PKK last week released eight Turkish captives which it had been holding at its bases in northern Iraq for up to two years.
Imrali island has long associations with the more turbulent chapters in Turkey's history. After a military coup in 1960, prime minister Adnan Menderes and two other senior ministers were hanged there.
(Additional reporting by Gulsen Solaker in Ankara; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jailed-kurdish-rebel-leader-expected-ceasefire-call-100720339.html
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Sunday, March 17, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Myanmar opposition holds first party congress
Pedestrians walk under the National League for Democracy (NLD) flags flying outside the venue of the party's congress Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar. In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country's biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country's former capital from Friday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
Pedestrians walk under the National League for Democracy (NLD) flags flying outside the venue of the party's congress Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar. In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country's biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country's former capital from Friday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
A member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) arranges chairs as he prepares for the party congress at Royal Rose restaurant Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar. In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country's biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country's former capital from Friday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
Members of National League for Democracy (NLD) arrange chairs as they prepare for their congress at Royal Rose restaurant Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar. In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country's biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country's former capital from Friday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
Members of the National League for Democracy register for their congress at the party headquarters Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Yangon, Myanmar. In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country's biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country's former capital from Friday. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) ? Nearly 900 representatives from Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party gathered Friday in Myanmar's main city to elect their leadership for the first time in the group's 25-year history.
It is a sign of how far Myanmar has come with political reforms that the gathering, which runs through Sunday in Yangon, is allowed at all. It's also a test for the National League for Democracy, which is working to transform itself from a party of one into a structurally viable political opposition in time for national elections in 2015.
NLD officials hope the first all-party congress will make the structure and operations of the party more reflective of its democratic ideals and infuse its aging ranks with youth, diversity and new expertise.
"Our party must be renewed and reformed," said Tin Oo, 86, who helped found the NLD and is overseeing the organization of the all-party congress. "We are going to advocate for democracy, so our party must be based on democratization."
Forged under authoritarian rule, the NLD has been, in some ways, a mirror image of the country's ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party. Unable to convene party meetings, with its leaders often jailed and the party itself officially banned for much of its existence, the NLD could not hold elections. Leaders had to be appointed. Secret and summary decisions had to be made. And in the unforgiving narrative of repression which has long governed Myanmar there were heroes who were not to be questioned any more than the villains they fought.
"Our party was a democratic party and the party was run by people not elected but selected; individuals like myself and Aung San Suu Kyi," said Win Tin, 83, a journalist and one of the NLD's three surviving founders.
In November 1988, within two months of the NLD's founding, the party's top leadership began planning an all-party congress to elect local and national level leaders, but was only able to hold a few township elections.
"Then all of us were sent to jail and kept there for a long time," said Win Tin.
On Friday morning, representatives from across the country stood in neat lines outside the Taw Win restaurant, waiting to be screened for entry. Above them a row of red NLD party flags, decorated with yellow fighting peacocks, fluttered in the early light. The mood was ebullient and hopeful, as people greeted old friends and colleagues.
"I am very excited to be here," said Nan, a 46-year old from a ruby-rich area of the northern Mandalay region, who goes by one name. "This is a step in the right direction and we hope to see the NLD transforming into a more democratic structure, in line with the changes taking place in the country."
In addition to electing leadership committees and a party chairman at the congress, the party aims to decide on a coherent policy platform this weekend. Win Tin hopes a new, younger generation of leaders who better reflect the country's ethnic diversity will emerge.
"At least we will have picked some people capable of leadership," he said. "We hope. We don't know yet."
The structure of democracy is one thing, its culture another. Most members of the NLD, like the people of Myanmar itself, understand the contours of democracy only through its absence. This lack of a developed political culture, some party members say, contributed to infighting and irregularities that marred some of the more than 17,000 local elections the party has convened since mid-2012 in preparation for the congress.
The years of repression and Suu Kyi's unique, iconic stature ? she is greeted by villagers with cries of "Long live mother!" ? have also centralized decision-making, which critics say is bad for the broader project of democracy in the country and could weaken the NLD in upcoming elections.
"All the party decisions are dependent on just Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and became a burden to her," said Yan Myo Thein, a 43-year-old former student activist and political analyst, who is not a member of the NLD. "The decisions are made only by one person and this is bad for the future of the country and the country's reforms. If the party goes on like this, the support of the people on NLD will waver."
These days, the tables outside the NLD's Yangon headquarters are littered with the junk of celebrity. There are Aung San Suu Kyi mugs, key chains, postcards, posters, photos, pins, fans and even a few corporate day planners. All are for sale.
Inside, the tight, two-story space is plastered with her image ? ever beautiful and poised ? and that of her father, General Aung San, who is regarded as the founder of independent Myanmar.
One could be forgiven for mistaking the place a shrine, except for the general dishevelment and buzz of activity.
Some argue that the NLD needs a single, strong leader in order to tackle their formidable opponents from the ruling USDP party ? men who come from the military and understand the power of hierarchy and loyalty ? but others fear that the party is not currently strong enough to survive without Suu Kyi.
Phyu Phyu Thin, an HIV activist and an NLD parliamentarian, doesn't want to speculate on a future without her.
"We pray for her good health," she said.
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Friday, March 8, 2013
Nexus 7 dock finally in the Google Play Store
If you're looking to get your hands on the elusive official dock for the Nexus 7, it's now finally listed in Google Play for $29.99. Google has thus far set a limit of two per person.
The dock, which charges the tablet via the pogo pins as well as serves as an audio output via a 3.5mm jack, runs $29.99. You can read our complete review of it here.
Google's currently listing it with a 1- to 2-week shipping time, which generally means there's a better than average chance you'll actually get it sooner than that. (We're currently seeing an anticipated shipping date of March 17, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, being a Sunday and all.)
Thanks, Bill!
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/llvBWF0vlmo/story01.htm
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Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Iowa meteorite crater confirmed: USGS airborne surveys back up previous Decorah research
Mar. 5, 2013 ? Recent airborne geophysical surveys near Decorah, Iowa are providing an unprecedented look at a 470- million-year-old meteorite crater concealed beneath bedrock and sediments.
The aerial surveys, a collaboration of the U.S. Geological Survey with the Iowa and Minnesota Geological Surveys, were conducted in the last 60 days to map geologic structures and assess the mineral and water resources of the region.
"Capturing images of an ancient meteorite impact was a huge bonus," said Dr. Paul Bedrosian, a USGS geophysicist in Denver who is leading the effort to model the recently acquired geophysical data. "These findings highlight the range of applications that these geophysical methods can address."
In 2008-09, geologists from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' (Iowa DNR) Iowa Geological and Water Survey hypothesized what has become known as the Decorah Impact Structure. The scientists examined water well drill-cuttings and recognized a unique shale unit preserved only beneath and near the city of Decorah. The extent of the shale, which was deposited after the impact by an ancient seaway, defines a "nice circular basin" of 5.5 km width, according to Robert McKay, a geologist at the Iowa Geological Survey.
Bevan French, a scientist the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, subsequently identified shocked quartz -- considered strong evidence of an extra-terrestrial impact -- in samples of sub-shale breccia from within the crater.
"The recognition of this buried geological structure was possible because of the collaboration of a local geologist, water well drillers, the USGS STATEMAP program, and the support of the Iowa DNR concerning research on fundamental aspects of Iowa geology," said McKay.
The recent geophysical surveys include an airborne electromagnetic system, which is sensitive to how well rocks conduct electricity, and airborne gravity gradiometry, which measures subtle changes in rock density. The surveys both confirm the earlier work and provide a new view of the Decorah Impact Structure. Models of the electromagnetic data show a crater filled with electrically conductive shale and the underlying breccia, which is rock composed of broken fragments of rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix.
"The shale is an ideal target and provides the electrical contrast that allows us to clearly image the geometry and internal structure of the crater," Bedrosian said.
More analysis of the data will provide additional detail. These data show the impact as a nearly circular region distinct from the surrounding area to a depth of several hundred meters.
"These data, when coupled with physical property measurements on drill core samples, will form the basis for modeling efforts to constrain the impact geometry and energy of the meteorite," said Dr. Andy Kass, a USGS geophysicist working on the effort.
The Iowa and Minnesota airborne geophysical surveys are targeting an igneous intrusion, known as the Northeast Iowa Igneous Intrusive complex, that may be similar to the Duluth layered igneous complex exposed in the Lake Superior region of northern Minnesota. Known copper, nickel, and platinum group metal resources were deposited during the formation of the Duluth complex. Both of these complexes are associated with a large structural feature known as the Midcontinent Rift, which is exposed in the Lake Superior Region but is covered by younger rocks as it extends to the south through Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.
This geophysical survey is part of a larger USGS effort to evaluate the concealed mineral resource potential of the greater Midcontinent Rift region that formed about 1.1 billion years ago.
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PFT: Niners will release kicker Akers, report says
Getty ImagesWell, the circle is now complete.
The NFL allowed kicker-who-has-never-kicked Lauren Silberman to pay the $275 fee and show up for a Regional Scouting Combine.? The NFL went all in with the publicity stunt, spending far more time hyping her participation than checking her credentials.
And now that the Silberman?s tryout ended in failure, the NFL is aggressively pounding the nails into her football coffin.
Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com, who drew the short straw to spend her Sunday afternoon at the Jets? facility watching players far too pedestrian to play even for the team that owns the place, has penned an impressive take down of Silberman.
?What we saw was a sideshow,? she writes.? ?A delusional, haughty, heartbreaking sideshow.?
Yes, it was a sideshow.? A sideshow that the NFL inexplicably embraced, in an apparent effort to lay the foundation for its plan to launch American (Football) Idol, via Regional Scouting Combines that produce folks who get a shot at the Indianapolis edition.
Hopefully with intriguing, marketable, and unique personal stories.
Here?s where it becomes impossible to draw the lines between the NFL and NFL Media.? (And, no, I?m not better than that.)? NFL Media pretends at times to be independent, but as the title of the organization confirms it?s necessarily not.? And when NFL Media produces something that appears on the surface to be independent, it?s fair to wonder whether there?s another agenda.Still, it?s impossible to call out Silberman (which Kinkhabwala does) without calling out the league (which she doesn?t).? Silberman didn?t belong there, and the NFL knew or should have known it.
?[S]he disrespected the 37 other kickers in New Jersey on Sunday who?ve spent lifetimes honing their craft.? Kinhabwala writes.? ?She blithely said her friends saw her kick somewhere in that amorphous time she began kicking and told her, ?You should try out for the NFL.?? Like it?s that easy.?
Apparently, it is.? Because the NFL let Silberman in.? And that?s the subject Kinkhabwala conspicuously omitted from her article.
Or maybe she didn?t.? Maybe she did, and someone else at NFL Media killed it.
And, yes, it?s that easy.
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Long wait in Kenya vote; 19 dead in Mombasa
An elderly lady walks with a cane to cast her vote in the Mutumo primary school near Gatundu, north of Nairobi, in Kenya Monday, March 4, 2013. Multiple attacks against security forces in Kenya on Monday killed at least 12 people as Kenyans waited in long lines to cast ballots five years after more than 1,000 people died in election-related violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
An elderly lady walks with a cane to cast her vote in the Mutumo primary school near Gatundu, north of Nairobi, in Kenya Monday, March 4, 2013. Multiple attacks against security forces in Kenya on Monday killed at least 12 people as Kenyans waited in long lines to cast ballots five years after more than 1,000 people died in election-related violence. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Kenyans line up early in the morning for voting in a general election in Kisumu, west of Nairobi, Kenya , Monday, March 4, 2013. Five years after more than 1,000 people were killed in election-related violence, Kenyans went to the polls on Monday to begin casting votes in a nationwide election seen as the country's most important - and complicated - in its 50-year history.(AP Photo/James Keyi)
Hundreds of Kenyans lineup as early as 4 a.m. to cast their ballots in a general election in Nairobi, Kenya , Monday, March 4, 2013. Five years after more than 1,000 people were killed in election-related violence, Kenyans went to the polls on Monday to begin casting votes in a nationwide election seen as the country's most important - and complicated - in its 50-year history.(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)
Onlookers view the body of a suspected member of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) who was shot dead by police after he hacked to death a police officer with a machete, according to police, in Mishomoroni near Mombasa, Kenya Monday, March 4, 2013. Multiple attacks against security forces in Kenya on Monday killed at least 12 people as Kenyans waited in long lines to cast ballots five years after more than 1,000 people died in election-related violence. (AP Photo)
Masaai women line up at dawn to vote in a general election in Kumpa, Kenya, Monday, March 4, 2013. Five years after more than 1,000 people were killed in election-related violence, Kenyans went to the polls on Monday to begin casting votes in a nationwide election seen as the country's most important - and complicated - in its 50-year history. (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) ? Separatists armed with guns, machetes and bows and arrows launched attacks that killed 19 people Monday, as millions of Kenyans waited in long lines to cast ballots in the country's first presidential election in five years.
Officials urged voters not to be intimidated by the violence amid fears of another round of the ethnic-related bloodshed in which more than 1,000 people died after the 2007 vote.
The election is widely viewed as a test of Kenya's democracy. It is the first presidential poll under a new constitution designed to prevent the ethnic violence that marred the previous poll.
The voting got off to a bloody start Monday when a group of 200 separatists set a trap for police in the coastal city of Mombasa in the pre-dawn hours, Inspector General David Kimaiyo said.
Four police were hacked to death with machetes, coast police boss Aggrey Adoli said.
The separatist group ? the Mombasa Republican Council ? had threatened election day attacks, and Kimaiyo said police were planning a raid "that will see the end of the MRC."
The MRC believes Kenya's coast should be an independent country. Their cause, which is not defined by religion, is fueled by the belief that political leaders in Nairobi have taken the coast's land for themselves, impoverishing indigenous residents.
In addition to the attack in Mombasa, police blamed the MRC for three deadly attacks in nearby Kilifi. An Associated Press reporter visited a morgue and saw four dead young men wearing red bandanas ? a sign of the MRC ? who had been shot to death, most likely by police.
An AP tally of the violence found that four police and three MRC members died in Mombasa, while seven MRC members, six government officials and two civilians died in the three attacks near the coastal city of Kilifi, all according to police and mortuary officials.
The violence in the Mombasa area is separate from the ethnic violence that could break out related to election results, and which was so deadly after the 2007 vote.
The country's top two presidential candidates condemned the Mombasa attacks. Prime Minister Raila Odinga called it a "heinous act of aggression" during a historic exercise. Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said he was discouraged by the news but he was sure the security situation would be brought under control.
Authorities flew in an additional 400 police officers to Mombasa to increase security. The United Nations restricted the movement of its staff on the coast because of the violence.
"People with ill intent must be stopped by all means," Kimaiyo said, explaining that he directed police to use their guns to stop further loss of life, a sensitive directive given that police killed more than 400 people during the 2007-08 postelection violence.
Police said the MRC were trying to suppress voter turnout, but the long lines seen across the country also formed in Mombasa.
Those lines left voters frustrated in the election's early hours. Anti-fraud computers that scan thumbprints to identify registered voters were used for the first time and appeared to be greatly slowing the process. Equipment broke down in some polling stations and power blackouts made the technology useless in others. Many voting officials had to resort to going through the old voters' register.
George Kimoi, 42, waited two hours to vote. He said it was the first time he felt his ballot would actually count, after the government upgraded ballot security measures in the wake of allegations the last vote was rigged.
"I felt that it was important to wait and vote today because we need a new government," he said.
Odinga voted at an elementary school and acknowledged what he called voting challenges. He said poll workers were taking action to "remedy the anomalies."
"Never before have Kenyans turned up in such numbers," he said. "I'm sure they're going to vote for change this election."
Kenyatta gave a conciliatory message intended to help Kenyans accept the election outcome without violence: "This nation will have a president and that president will represent all Kenyans."
Official results are not expected until Tuesday or Wednesday. A run-off between the top presidential contenders is likely in April, unless one unexpectedly captures more than 50 percent of ballots from among the pool of eight candidates.
Monday's separatist violence is different from the tribal, postelection violence experienced five years ago. The ethnic violence could still break out if Odinga or Kenyatta supporters feel their candidate was cheated out of a win.
In Kilifi, Nichodemus Shanga had hoped to vote at a primary school, but an MRC attack left several bodies lying on the ground, and he said officials didn't immediately remove them. Voting officials fled.
"I feel very bad because it is my right to vote. We came here at 5 a.m. asking them to remove the bodies so that we can vote, but they didn't do that and it has created a lot of tension and fear," he said, noting that residents fear a police backlash.
The chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Ahmed Issack Hassan, urged voters not to be intimidated by the violence. He also told poll workers they must ensure voters don't spend hours in line, a common problem. Many polling stations were kept open after the 5 p.m. closing time to accommodate late starts and long lines.
The country's leaders have been working for months to reduce election-related tensions, but multiple factors make more postelection violence possible. The tribes of the top two presidential candidates have a long history of tense relations, and 47 new governor races are being held, increasing the chances of electoral problems at the local level.
One big electoral factor is that Kenyatta faces charges at the International Criminal Court for allegedly orchestrating Kenya's 2007-08 postelection violence. If he wins, the United States and Europe could scale back relations with Kenya, and Kenyatta may have to spend a significant portion of his presidency on trial at The Hague. Kenyatta's running mate, William Ruto, also faces charges at the ICC.
Pictures from across the country showed lines of voters snaking through fields, down streets and around corners.
Voter Arthur Shakwira said he got in line at 4 a.m. in Kibera, Nairobi's largest slum, but left over confusion about which line to stand in.
"We should prepare these voting areas sooner," Shakwira said. "Confusion. All the time it's confusion."
An election observer from a Ugandan group called the National Consultative Council, Christopher Kibanzanga, said he was impressed by the turnout.
"This can only be likened to South Africa when (President Nelson) Mandela was elected. The people have turned up in large numbers. The spirit of patriotism and nationalism has come back," Kibanzanga said.
Odinga's acrimonious loss to President Mwai Kibaki in 2007 triggered violence that ended only after the international community stepped in. Odinga was named prime minister in a coalition government led by Kibaki, with Kenyatta named deputy prime minister.
The Kenyatta-Odinga rivalry goes back decades. Kenyatta is an ethnic Kikuyu who is the son of Kenya's founding president. Odinga is an ethnic Luo whose father was the country's first vice president. Polls show the two in a close race, with support for each in the mid-40-percent range.
Most voters in Kibera ?like Amos Achola, who said he arrived at the polling station at 2 a.m. ? support Odinga.
"I think he wins but if he doesn't win I'll abide by the outcome," Achola said. "The other guy is also a Kenyan. If Kenyatta wins I'll accept it but I won't like. But I don't want violence."
___
Straziuso reported from Nairobi. Rodney Muhumuza contributed from Gatunda. Daud Yussuf contributed from Garissa.
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