Tuesday, June 25, 2013

WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum. "This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States."

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

Snowden helped The Guardian and The Washington Post disclose U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, but often sweep up information on American citizens. Officials have the ability to collect phone and Internet information broadly but need a warrant to examine specific cases where they believe terrorism is involved.

Snowden had been in hiding for several weeks in Hong Kong, a former British colony with a high degree of autonomy from mainland China. The United States formally sought Snowden's extradition from Hong Kong but was rebuffed; Hong Kong officials said the U.S. request did not fully comply with their laws.

The Justice Department rejected that claim, saying its request met all of the requirements of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Hong Kong.

During conversations last week, including a phone call Wednesday between Attorney General Eric Holder and Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen, Hong Kong officials never raised any issues regarding sufficiency of the U.S. request, a Justice spokesperson said.

A State Department official said the United States was in touch through diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries that Snowden could travel through or to, reminding them that Snowden is wanted on criminal charges and reiterating Washington's position that Snowden should only be permitted to travel back to the U.S.

Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

The Justice Department said it would "pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The White House would only say that President Barack Obama had been briefed on the developments by his national security advisers.

Russia's state ITAR-Tass news agency and Interfax cited an unnamed Aeroflot airline official as saying Snowden was on the plane that landed Sunday afternoon in Moscow.

Upon his arrival, Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. One explanation could be that he wasn't allowed; a U.S. official said Snowden's passport had been revoked, and special permission from Russian authorities would have been needed.

"It's almost hopeless unless we find some ways to lean on them," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

The Russian media report said Snowden intended to fly to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela.

U.S. lawmakers scoffed. "The freedom trail is not exactly China-Russia-Cuba-Venezuela, so I hope we'll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there'll be consequences if they harbor this guy," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

With each suspected flight, efforts to secure Snowden's return to the United States appeared more complicated if not impossible. The United States does not have an extradition treaty with Russia, but does with Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even with an extradition agreement though, any country could give Snowden a political exemption.

The likelihood that any of these countries would stop Snowden from traveling on to Ecuador seemed remote. While diplomatic tensions have thawed in recent years, Cuba and the United States are hardly allies after a half century of distrust.

Venezuela, too, could prove difficult. Former President Hugo Chavez was a sworn enemy of the United States and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this year called Obama "grand chief of devils." The two countries do not exchange ambassadors.

U.S. pressure on Caracas also might be problematic given its energy exports. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports Venezuela sent the United States 900,000 barrels of crude oil each day in 2012, making it the fourth-largest foreign source of U.S. oil.

"I think 10 percent of Snowden's issues are now legal, and 90 percent political," said Douglas McNabb, an expert in international extradition and a senior principal at international criminal defense firm McNabb Associates.

Assange's lawyer, Michael Ratner, said Snowden's options aren't numerous.

"You have to have a country that's going to stand up to the United States," Ratner said. "You're not talking about a huge range of countries here."

That is perhaps why Snowden first stopped in Russia, a nation with complicated relations with Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is "aiding and abetting Snowden's escape," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"Allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States," Schumer said. "That's not how allies should treat one another, and I think it will have serious consequences for the United States-Russia relationship."

It also wasn't clear Snowden was finished with disclosing highly classified information.

"I am very worried about what else he has," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had been told Snowden had perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents.

Ros-Lehtinen and King spoke with CNN. Graham spoke to "Fox News Sunday." Schumer was on CNN's "State of the Union." Sanchez appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press." Feinstein was on CBS' "Face the Nation."

___

Associated Press White House Correspondent Julie Pace and Associated Press writers Matthew V. Lee and Frederic J. Frommer in Washington, Lynn Berry in Moscow, Kevin Chan in Hong Kong and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

___

Follow Philip Elliott on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/philip_elliott

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wikileaks-snowden-going-ecuador-seek-asylum-170935684.html

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Monday, June 24, 2013

New York City's New Subway Tunnel Looks Like a Level from Half-Life

New York City's New Subway Tunnel Looks Like a Level from Half-Life

New York City's Metro Transit Authority is still plugging away on its giant project to bring the the 7 train into far west Manhattan, and the scope of the construction is just as awe-inspiring as ever. The MTA just put out a crop of new pictures on Flickr, and we just can't help but see a slight comparison to a certain, classic Half-Life level of old.

Read more...

    


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Q8R8QfVomqI/new-york-citys-new-subway-tunnel-looks-like-a-level-fr-559305136

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The genome's 3-D structure shapes how genes are expressed

June 23, 2013 ? Scientists from Australia and the United States bring new insights to our understanding of the three-dimensional structure of the genome, one of the biggest challenges currently facing the fields of genomics and genetics. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics, online today.

Roughly 3 metres of DNA is tightly folded into the nucleus of every cell in our body. This folding allows some genes to be 'expressed', or activated, while excluding others.

Dr Tim Mercer and Professor John Mattick from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Professor John Stamatoyannopoulos from Seattle's University of Washington analysed the genome's 3D structure, at high resolution.

Genes are made up of 'exons' and 'introns' - the former being the sequences that code for protein and are expressed, and the latter being stretches of noncoding DNA in-between. As the genes are copied, or 'transcribed', from DNA into RNA, the intron sequences are cut or 'spliced' out and the remaining exons are strung together to form a sequence that encodes a protein. Depending on which exons are strung together, the same gene can generate different proteins.

Using vast amounts of data from the ENCODE project*, Dr Tim Mercer and colleagues have inferred the folding of the genome, finding that even within a gene, selected exons are easily exposed.

"Imagine a long and immensely convoluted grape vine, its twisted branches presenting some grapes to be plucked easily, while concealing others beyond reach," said Dr Mercer. "At the same time, imagine a lazy fruit picker only picking the grapes within easy reach.

"The same principle applies in the genome. Specific genes and even specific exons, are placed within easy reach by folding."

"Over the last few years, we've been starting to appreciate just how the folding of the genome helps determine how it's expressed and regulated,"

"This study provides the first indication that the three-dimensional structure of the genome can influence the splicing of genes."

"We can infer that the genome is folded in such a way that the promoter region -- the sequence that initiates transcription of a gene -- is located alongside exons, and they are all presented to transcription machinery."

"This supports a new way of looking at things, one that the genome is folded around transcription machinery, rather than the other way around. Those genes that come in contact with the transcription machinery get transcribed, while those parts which loop away are ignored."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/459JXnr-9hM/130623145058.htm

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Lea Lane: Another Southern Lady's Take on Paula Deen

The Paula Deen situation has resulted in commenters in blogs, posts, and tweets clashing into two camps: those who want her folksy presence off the air quicker than you can say "another stick of butter," and loyalists who are indignant that the Food Network fired her, and who insist that a lady of a certain age who grew up in the pre-civil-rights South should be given some slack even though she admits to using the N-word and to professing an interest in black, slave-like servers at weddings.

As in so many cases nowadays, the social media reaction is a story in itself. And a harsh and unforgiving look, once again, at our deeply divided culture.

Apologists insist that despite the toxic revelations (and her other secondary problems including an admitted tolerance of porn), they really truly know that Paula is a warm person who had it tough for many years and really did apologize sincerely, and who deserves repentance.

"First-amendment rights" are mentioned, reflecting once again the lack of understanding of what those rights are. Yes Deen admirers, blue-eyed Paula can say what she wants in her syrupy southern accent. But y'all, a company does not have to keep her employed if they don't like bigotry seeping into their brand like caramelized sugar on a pecan donut.

And Paula Deen, a woman who did not inform viewers of her diabetes while she prepared and extolled fatty, carbohydrate-laden foods -- and then came clean in order to take money for promoting diabetes medication -- has already been tainted by many as a greedy hypocrite who can't cook her way past a lard can. For many years, Deen and her sons and brother and husband have made a bundle by adding caloric recipes into the country's consciousness, to the detriment of many viewers.

Look, some may be piling on, as they probably resent that this friendly woman of dubious intellect and over-the-top cooking skills has conned her way into fame and fortune. But those who defend her racial slurs because "everyone does it" are dead wrong.

I am about her age. I grew up in the deep-south of "colored" water fountains and back-of-the-bus racism. And I and members of my family and my friends did not use racial slurs. Never. Many of us drank from those "colored" fountains and sat in the back of the bus in defiance, and worked for civil rights. I lived in Atlanta during the time of hatchet-wielding Governor Lestor Maddox, and restaurants that featured shuffling black waiters who poured sweet tea for some southern ladies.

But I worked to desegregate neighborhoods. And so did my friends.

To assume that Paula Deen's age and her southern roots are excuses for her bigoted choice of words and racist attitude is missing the point. She is an adult who has seen the results of discrimination played out for many years. And because she has been lucky in life, it would be nice to think that she could grow and learn and turn her back on even the slightest whiff of bigotry.

I applaud the Food Network for their swift action. And I hope that Paula Deen now spends some of her time and fortune helping those less fortunate. That would be a sweeter legacy than any of her recipes.

?

Follow Lea Lane on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lealane

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lea-lane/another-southern-ladys-ta_b_3483974.html

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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Lilly once-weekly diabetes drug proves superior in late-stage trials

By Bill Berkrot

(Reuters) - A once-weekly drug for type 2 diabetes developed by Eli Lilly and Co worked better at controlling blood sugar than three other widely used medicines, according to data from late- stage clinical trials.

The data, presented on Saturday at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) meeting in Chicago, also showed that the Lilly shot helped patients lose twice as much weight as those taking Merck & Co's $4 billion-a-year drug, Januvia.

The findings from the trio of late-stage studies suggest the treatment known as dulaglutide could be an important new weapon in the fight against type 2 diabetes, whose rapid growth globally has become a crisis affecting more than 300 million people.

"This is a very promising, safe and efficacious agent for the treatment of diabetes," Dr Guillermo Umpierrez, one of the lead investigators of the dulaglutide Phase III trial program, said in an interview.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin to control levels of blood sugar. It can lead to many serious health complications including heart problems, kidney disease and vision loss.

The results of the new studies showed that an injection of dulaglutide led to sustained reductions in blood sugar and helped more patients reach recommended target levels than those taking generic metformin, Byetta, a drug from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, and Januvia, the studies showed. There were no reported cases of serious hypoglycemia, or dangerously low blood sugar.

Lilly plans to use data from the three trials as a major part of the application seeking U.S. approval for dulaglutide it expects to file later this year.

If approved, dulaglutide would become a direct rival of once-weekly Bydureon, sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Plc, and Victoza from Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

Like those medicines, dulaglutide belongs to a class of injected drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that work by increasing the release of insulin after meals and by slowing absorption of food in the gastrointestinal tract.

Doctors are still likely to initially reach for oral drugs such as metformin for type 2 patients, but an injectable drug that needs to be taken only once a week could become an important treatment, researchers said, as diabetics often need two or three medicines to properly control blood glucose.

"I believe the use of GLP-1s will continue to increase and this new formulation of a once-a-week administration will be very attractive to patients and physicians," said Umpierrez, a professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta who presented data from one of the trials at the meeting.

SAFETY RISK?

While data from the three studies appears to show a comforting safety profile, dulaglutide will be under intense scrutiny from health regulators. The GLP-1 class, and the DPP-4 inhibitors to which Januvia belongs, have been associated with unconfirmed reports that they may cause serious inflammation of the pancreas and cell changes that can lead to cancer.

Two cases of pancreatic cancer reported among study participants were deemed highly unlikely to be connected to dulaglutide, the company and researchers said.

Lilly said there were similar rates of pancreatitis among patients taking comparator drugs or a placebo.

"There is no concern so far of pancreatitis or pancreatic tumors," Umpierrez said.

One of the studies dubbed Award-1, involving 978 patients over 52 weeks, tested dulaglutide against Byetta, a which is injected twice a day. Subjects in the study were already taking metformin and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co's Actos.

Adding dulaglutide to this mix helped 80 percent of patients reach target blood sugar levels - an A1c of 7 - compared with about 50 percent of those taking Byetta.

Dulaglutide and Byetta patients on average lost 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms), an attractive side benefit as obesity is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes.

In a separate 52-week study called Award-3, researchers tested dulaglutide against metformin - the most commonly used initial treatment for type 2 diabetes - in 807 patients earlier in their disease progression. They began the trial with an average A1c of 7.6 percent, above the ADA target of 7 percent.

People who took a 1.5 mg dose of the Lilly drug saw an average drop in their A1c of 0.8 percent, with 62 percent of patients getting to target blood sugar levels. That compared with a drop of 0.56 percent for metformin with 54 percent getting to goal.

Weight loss with dulaglutide was about 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) for metformin.

A third trial, dubbed Award-5, was a two-year study that tested dulaglutide against Januvia in more than 1,000 patients who were already taking metformin.

Patients who got dulaglutide had an average A1c reduction of 1.1 percent, with 60 percent of them achieving target levels, versus a reduction of 0.4 percent for Januvia with 30 percent getting to the ADA goal.

Average weight loss with the Lilly drug was 7 pounds (3.2 kg), while Januvia patients lost an average of 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg). The most common side effect reported in the three studies for dulaglutide was nausea, researchers said.

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lilly-once-weekly-diabetes-drug-proves-superior-stage-150601939.html

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Would anyone care if 'Mad Men's' Don died?

TV

2 hours ago

Falling man from opening of AMC's "Mad Men."

AMC

Falling man from opening of AMC's "Mad Men."

We have a perfect ending for "Mad Men's" season finale: Don Draper jumping out the window.

Obviously there's no chance of that happening. He's the star of the show, and besides, two season-ending suicides in a row (RIP, Lane Pryce) would be awfully repetitive. (Like juggling two juice accounts. RIP, Ocean Spray.)

But nothing is more redundant than Don Draper himself. Other than his brief interlude as a faithful newlywed, you just can't teach this dog new tricks.

Even a year ago, the thought of losing Don would have been inconceivable -- even though the businessman's freefall in the opening title sequence seems to imply that is his ultimate fate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a metaphor, we get it. But the wretched ad exec has become so dull, predictable and dislikable that we really wouldn't miss him if he took a shortcut down to Madison Ave.

Everyone with sense agrees that Jon Hamm is a nearly perfect human creature, but we'd much rather see him in another role -- like his hilarious bubble boy Drew on "30 Rock." And you know what? "Mad Men's" ensemble cast would be just fine without him -- especially Roger Sterling and Sally Draper, who could easily front their own spin-off series.

Here are all the reasons we're over Don Draper:

Serial cheating: He's not unique among his colleagues at Sterling Cooper & Partners, but at least infidelity isn't a full-time hobby for Roger, Pete, Ted (maybe) and the gang. And yes, we know it's a manifestation of Dick Whitman's childhood in a whorehouse, but the backstory doesn't make his adultery any less boring.

Alcoholism: Another snoozer story line. But would Don be more interesting if he were sober? Doubtful. Another Roger acid trip, on the other hand ...

The sads: He wept on Peggy's shoulder and curled up in a fetal position on his disgusted daughter's bed, but we have lost all sympathy for depressed Don. In fact, our reaction is the same as his: Wah, wah, wah.

Tyranny: Don really is a monster, as Peggy called him after he humiliated her and Ted in the season's penultimate episode. He's spiteful, insensitive and downright cruel. So is Pete Campbell -- but at least we love to hate the snarky stair-tumbler. Don we just hate.

Impostor: Once upon a time, Don's identify theft was a thrilling narrative. Now nearly everyone knows the truth, and no one seems to care. Sterling Cooper's creative director works about five minutes a day, is trashed or asleep the rest of the time, insults his clients and colleagues and betrays his family. So why haven't they publicly outed him? Not that we'd really care. Bob Benson's fraud is so much more fascinating now.

Grim Reaper: Don isn't directly to blame for all the show's deaths, but they sure do seem to follow him like Pig Pen's cloud of dirt. And speculation is rampant that Megan might be the next to go, thanks to a number of clues connecting her to Charles Manson victim Sharon Tate. (Megan's obsession with "Rosemary's Baby" -- directed by Tate's husband, Roman Polanski -- only added fuel to the fire.) Her murder would paradoxically breathe new life into "Mad Men" -- but not if it means we'll be subjected to a final season devoted to her widow's grief.

Are you ready for Don to take a flying leap (literally or figuratively)? What do you hope to see in the season finale? Click on "Talk about it" below and share your thoughts!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/if-don-draper-died-mad-men-finale-would-anyone-care-6C10382406

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Chapter 3 - We Live Healthy

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Source: http://we-live-healthy.com/chapter-3/

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US Drug Agent Killed in Colombia Robbery (Voice Of America)

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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Leaked: Fujifilm X-M1, a Cheaper Mirrorless Camera With Wi-Fi

Leaked: Fujifilm X-M1, a Cheaper Mirrorless Camera With Wi-Fi

A new batch of leaked photos give us a glimpse of the future: Fuji's next model of interchangeable-lens cameras, the X-M1. The new camera is rumored to be a cheaper, entry-level version of their popular X-series line, with a body-only price of around $600, according to speculation.

The M1 looks very similar to the X-E1. The biggest changes are the articulating display and lack of a viewfinder. The control scheme is pared down, as you would expect on a cheaper model, and it is said to feature WiFi connectivity.

Leaked: Fujifilm X-M1, a Cheaper Mirrorless Camera With Wi-Fi

Leaked: Fujifilm X-M1, a Cheaper Mirrorless Camera With Wi-Fi

Other than the viewfinder and controls, the guts should sport the same fantastic 16 Megapixel X-Trans sensor found in the X-E1 and X-Pro1, with access to the same set of great Fujinon lenses.

Speaking of lenses, the leak included images of the upcoming 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, as well as a 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens. The new kit lens is a cheaper alternative to Fuji's existing 18-55 f/2.8-4.0 zoom lens, while the pancake should be a great low-profile carry-around option.

Leaked: Fujifilm X-M1, a Cheaper Mirrorless Camera With Wi-Fi

The pictures were originally posted to Digital Camera Info, and they appear to legit, based on the similarity to Fuji's official images of their other cameras.

The X-M1 would be a great addition to the Fujifilm lineup. Their X-series mirrorless cameras offer terrific image quality and controls, though they have always been on the expensive side. If the X-M1 falls under $700, it could become a prime competitor to one of our favorite mirrorless cameras, the Sony NEX-6. [FujiRumors]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/leaked-fujifilm-x-m1-a-cheaper-mirrorless-camera-with-529802966

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President Obama to name Jim Comey as FBI director (Washington Bureau)

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Congress struggles with ending the war in Afghanistan

Visitors gather around President Barack Obama, center, during his visit to Arlington on Memorial Day 2013. (Pablo??The war in Iraq is over, everybody knows that. ?I promised to end the war in Iraq?and I did? was one of President Barack Obama?s best-received stump speech applause lines last year.

Except it?s not. First, most obviously, because bombings and other acts of violence have killed more than 2,000 people there this year, as detailed in this amazing Agence France-Presse analysis. Pressed on that point last year by Yahoo News, White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "The president promised to responsibly end our war in Iraq, the United States military operation in Iraq. He did that and our troops came home."

Except that "our war" isn't technically over either: The "Authorization for Use of Military Force" in Iraq, signed into law on Oct. 16, 2002, is still the law of the land. (H/t to independent national-security writer Marcy Wheeler, who follows this issue?and many others?closely.)

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to offer legislation this year to repeal the Iraq AUMF. And he's expected to fail?his previous attempt, in November 2011, was routed in a 30-67 vote. (Among those voting no: then-Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the current secretary of state.)

Asked whether Obama favored repealing the Iraq AUMF, the White House had no response at the time this post was published.

Obama made no mention of repealing the Iraq AUMF in a sweeping national security speech on May 23. But he made a case for ending the "perpetual wartime footing" against terrorism?and that means revising a separate AUMF, the founding document of the war on terrorism adopted immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes.

That one, signed into law Sept. 18, 2001, gave then-President George W. Bush the authority to invade Afghanistan. But both he and Obama have used its vague wording to justify a wide range of actions.

"Unless we discipline our thinking and our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don?t need to fight, or continue to grant Presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states," Obama said in his speech, arguing the time has come to wind down the global war on terror.

"This war, like all wars, must end," he said.

Enter Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Schiff, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, has introduced legislation to repeal the Afghanistan AUMF on Jan. 1, 2015?when America's combat troops are supposed to be out of that war-torn country. The problem, he explained to Yahoo News, is coming up with something to replace it.

"There's a lot of bipartisan recognition that we can't continue to rely on this," said Schiff, who has started to seek co-sponsors for his bill. "There's a lot less consensus about what should come after."

Some lawmakers want a much broader AUMF that explicitly expands the list of groups that can be targeted, perhaps to include Iran-backed Hezbollah, Schiff said.

Some believe "we should not have any further authorization" and instead should "use the criminal justice system" the way it was before Sept. 11, 2001, Schiff said, adding that some want a new AUMF "more narrowly tailored to the present threat."

The uncertainty about the post-AUMF legal framework is a "risk" and "the biggest obstacle" to the legislation, Schiff told Yahoo News.

Still, setting a Jan. 1, 2015, sunset date "gives us about 18 months to work with the administration," he said. "I have been working with" the administration in the sense of consulting top officials to find out what they think is necessary, Schiff said.

But "we can't abdicate our responsibility," he said. Without the pressure of a sunset date, "Congress will do what it does best, which is essentially kick the can down the road.

"We?re such a dysfunctional body," he said.

Where does Schiff stand? "It may be necessary to have a further authorization after 2014, but we should also look at extending the capacity of our criminal law system," he said. "It may very well be necessary, but should be much more narrowly constrained."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/congress-struggles-ending-war-afghanistan-iraq-213153386.html

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Friday, June 21, 2013

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Streaming Movies Online Is Easy - SubmitYourArticle.com

Anyone with a proper internet connection can now stream movies online and watch them at home. This is what people leading very busy lives are doing. It is simple and flexible since you will not have to wait until you get to shop and buy the movies you want to watch. This has been made possible by the advancement in internet bandwidth and computer technology. Do you want to steam movies online? If so, go through this article.

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Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/streaming-movies-online-is-easy-334517

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Senators reach immigration deal to attract conservative support

An American flag flies at the U.S.-Mexico border on February 26, 2013 near Sonoita, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty??

Two Republican lawmakers have hashed out a deal aimed at assuaging conservative concerns about immigration reform, proposing to double the size of the Border Patrol and add 350 miles of extra fencing to the Southern border over 10 years.

The deal, struck by Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and John Hoeven of North Dakota, replaces a more stringent border deal supported by John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas. Cornyn's plan, which failed in the Democratically-controlled Senate this week, would have made the legalization process of millions of unauthorized immigrants contingent on the border patrol certifying that they were able to stop 90 percent of all illegal crossings. Immigrant groups blasted Cornyn's plan, saying it endangered the path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, a key part of the bill.

The Corker-Hoeven compromise says that immigrants cannot receive permanent legal status, or green cards, until 350 extra miles of fencing has been added to the southern border and the Border Patrol there has been doubled from 18,500 to nearly 40,000 agents. The E-verify system will also have to be fully implemented by all employers. The senators have not yet released cost estimates for the change.

The Corker-Hoeven amendment, which has not yet been introduced, could be a breakthrough for the sweeping immigration reform bill, as key Republican senators like Illinois' Mark Kirk, New Hampshire's Kelly Ayotte, and Nevada's Dean Heller have signed on to the amendment, according to NBC. If the reform bill passes the Senate with at least 15 Republicans voting for it, it will send a stronger signal to the Republican-led House that immigration reform is bipartisan.

Liberal groups were not thrilled with the compromise, calling the extra security excessive and expensive. But there was no indication they would actively fight the measure.

?The exchange to guarantee more Republican support comes at a high cost with millions of dollars more in investment to border security, as if it didn?t already get enough funding," Eliseo Medina, Secretary Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said in a statement. "Combined with the benchmarks already in place in the bill, the excessive border provisions make a mark in our history and our pockets. This is disappointing and we will undoubtedly work to ensure that the overall legislation respects the rights of border communities and migrants."

Fernando Garcia, executive director of Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) in Texas, said the plan to double the border patrol in 10 years is "an outrageous plan that was struck without consulting with people who live and work on the border."

"The most obscene element of the plan is that it would create a militarized border between allied nations where there is no military conflict," Garcia said in a statement.

Joanne Lin, the legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said the bill may triple the total spending on border enforcement during a time when illegal crossings over the Southern border have reached near historic lows. "This massive deployment of force would be simply devastating for border communities," Lin said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/senators-reach-immigration-deal-double-border-patrol-201012588.html

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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Murkowski Backs Same-Sex Marriage (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/313810801?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Obama making plans to tackle global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is planning a major push using executive powers to tackle the pollution blamed for global warming in an effort to make good on promises he made at the start of his second term. "We know we have to do more ? and we will do more," Obama said Wednesday in Berlin.

Obama's senior energy and climate adviser, Heather Zichal, said the plan would boost energy efficiency of appliances and buildings, expand renewable energy and use the Environmental Protection Agency's authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate heat-trapping pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Zichal, speaking at a forum hosted by The New Republic in Washington, said that none of the proposals would require new funding or action from Congress. It has shown no appetite for legislation that would put a price on carbon dioxide after a White House-backed bill to set up a market-based system died in Obama's first term with Democrats in charge.

The plan, with details expected to be revealed in coming weeks, comes as Obama has been under increasing pressure from environmental groups and lawmakers from states harmed by Superstorm Sandy to cut pollution from existing power plants, the largest source of climate-altering gases. Several major environmental groups and states have threatened to sue the administration to force cuts to power plant emissions. And just last week, former Vice President Al Gore, a prominent climate activist and fellow Democrat, pointedly called on Obama to go beyond "great words" to "great actions."

It was unclear whether the White House's plans would include controls on existing power plants. An administration official, who wasn't authorized to comment on the plan by name, said the White House was still weighing it. But since the administration has already proposed action on future power plants, the law would likely compel it to eventually tackle the remaining plants, or it would be forced to through litigation.

Obama's remarks in Berlin echoed comments he made in his State of the Union and inaugural speeches this year.

"This is the global threat of our time," Obama said Wednesday. "And for the sake of future generations, our generation must move toward a global compact to confront a changing climate before it is too late. That is our job. That is our task. We have to get to work."

Some environmentalists who cheered those remarks when they were made months ago, criticized them Wednesday.

"President Obama deserves praise for including climate change among the long-term threats facing us all," said Ned Helme, president of the Center for Clear Air Policy, an environmentally friendly think tank. "But he should do more than talk about the problem. The president needs to put the full force of his office behind new regulations that will truly curb greenhouse gas emissions. For too long now, he has produced little action. I'm encouraged that he will finally act and not just ask."

Meanwhile, the environmental community is growing impatient.

"I really can't understand why they haven't moved forward on this more quickly, and we hope that turns around," said Nathan Wilcox of Environment America.

An orchestrated and well-publicized campaign to persuade Obama to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would carry oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast, appears to be an uphill battle.

Opponents call the $7 billion project a "carbon bomb" that would carry "dirty oil" and exacerbate global warming. But the State Department in an environmental evaluation concluded that other means of transporting the oil would be worse from a climate perspective.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

___

Follow Dina Cappiello's environment coverage on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dinacappiello

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-making-plans-tackle-global-warming-211211619.html

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Tony Soprano, Gandolfini had NJ state of mind

TV

3 hours ago

Image: Michael Imperioli and James Gandolfini  appear in "The Sopranos."

BARRY WETCHER / AP

Michael Imperioli, left, and James Gandolfini appear in "The Sopranos."

Governors don't release statements every time some local guy who made good passes on. But mere hours after the sudden death of James Gandolfini Wednesday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey had something to say about his state's native son.

"It's an awful shock," said Gov. Christie in a statement. "James Gandolfini was a fine actor, a Rutgers alum and a true Jersey guy. I was a huge fan of his and the character he played so authentically, Tony Soprano. I have gotten to know Jimmy and many of the other actors in the 'Sopranos' cast and I can say that each of them are an individual New Jersey treasure."

As Christie noted, Gandolfini was New Jersey to the core --born, educated and made famous there. A Westwood native, Gandolfini graduated from Rutgers University in 1983 (the school inducted him into its Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2004 and said in a statement that the actor "was a proud and passionate supporter of the university for many years") and fittingly, when he finally broke through in Hollywood it wasn't on the West Coast -- it was thanks to his role as New Jersey resident Tony Soprano.

Christie wasn't the only politician to step in and embrace Gandolfini after his passing; New Jersey senator Robert Menendez said in a statement, "James Gandolfini was a distinctive, talented actor whose unforgettable performances made him a television icon.... His photograph has been displayed in my Washington, D.C. office for years as part of our New Jersey Wall of Fame."

Still, as a showcase for the state, "Sopranos" was a mixed bag. On the one hand, it focused on a niche culture of Italian-American gangsters while making extensive use of locations around the state. The series roamed easily between raw industrial warehouses, plush McMansioned suburbs and the lesser-known forested area known as the Pine Barrens, for which an entire episode was named.

Fans responded by seeing the often-maligned state in a different light; maps and extensive lists sprung up pointing out key locations where scenes (and executions) took place. And then came the TV tourists, who wanted to visit anything "Sopranos"-related, who signed up for tours. On Location Tours still caters to fans who want to visit the Bada Bing, Father Phil's Parish and the restaurant booth where the Sopranos sat in their final scene in the series.

Not every New Jersey resident -- or Italian-American -- loved Tony Soprano and his world; throughout the series run anti-defamation activists protested the portrayal of their ethnic group. Show creator David Chase rarely commented on that topic, noting to a group of TV critics in January 2000 that the activists tended to overlook, for example, that the show's psychiatrist played by Lorraine Bracco was also Italian-American. "They just talk about this gangster s--- and it's really tiresome," he said then.

In the end, "Sopranos" opened up New Jersey in more ways than could be counted, by filming on location and beefing up the TV industry there, by making it appealing and sexy and dangerous for fans of the show, and by turning it from a perceived series of exits on the drive between Philadelphia to New York -- into a place of myth and power.

No wonder power is now reaching back. As Newark Mayor Cory Booker tweeted, "My condolences to the family and all those who loved James Gandolfini - a true NJ Great and NJ Original. RIP."

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/james-gandolfini-tony-soprano-shaped-new-jersey-state-mind-nationwide-6C10388322

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Orders top $100 billion as Ryanair gives Boeing a boost

By Alwyn Scott and Maria Sheahan

PARIS (Reuters) - Orders at the Paris Airshow surpassed $100 billion on Wednesday, as planemakers Boeing and Airbus cashed in on demand for fuel-efficient jets and growth in both budget carriers and emerging markets.

Ryanair, Europe's biggest low-cost airline, finalized an order for 175 Boeing 737-800 aircraft worth around $15.6 billion at list prices on day three of the aerospace industry's showcase event, the largest single order ever placed by a European airline with the U.S. group.

Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said he was also working on an order for 200 or more of Boeing's next-generation 737 MAX planes that could be concluded this year, potentially worth around $20 billion at list prices.

Not to be overshadowed, Airbus sealed a long-awaited order for 25 of its lightweight, wide-body A350 planes from Air France-KLM worth $7.2 billion at list prices, as previously reported by Reuters.

It also firmed up a deal worth $8.6 billion for 30 more A350-900s from Singapore Airlines, taking the total on order from the carrier to 70.

The A350, which made its maiden flight on Friday, is Airbus' answer to Boeing's popular carbon-composite 787 Dreamliner, and the battle between the two models has been a key feature of the Paris show as the planemakers jostle to meet soaring demand for air travel in emerging markets, especially Asia and the Middle East.

"This show is about wide-bodies," said Kelly Ortberg, president of Rockwell Collins, which supplies major systems to the 787 and A350. "And really good news for wide-bodies."

Boeing bagged nearly $30 billion in orders as it launched the 787-10 on Tuesday, a stretched variant of its high-tech Dreamliner.

Wednesday's dealmaking took the order count for the show so far to more than $100 billion at list prices, although many of the agreements were provisional and most sizable deals are struck at a significant discount.

Nonetheless, the activity confirmed plenty of work for civil aircraft manufacturers for years to come.

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Ryanair's O'Leary said the planned purchase of Boeing 737 MAX jets later this year would be "all growth" and not replacements for aircraft currently in its all-Boeing fleet.

If the order was not at least 200 planes, "it wouldn't be worth doing," he added, in typically forthright style.

But some analysts took this with a pinch of salt. While Ryanair could afford to use a large MAX order to expand, it is not under pressure to buy next-generation jets, said Espirito Santo analyst Gerald Khoo, and will likely wait until prices are at a cyclical bottom to get the best deal.

The 737 MAX is Boeing's answer to the Airbus A320neo, a new version of the European planemaker's best-selling model.

Boeing earlier on Wednesday moved forward by six months the date of the plane's planned entry into service, saying it would be in the third quarter of 2017, almost two years after the A320neo.

O'Leary said a senior team from Boeing and Ryanair was working on a 737 MAX order and that the airline was giving serious consideration to rival Airbus' A320neo jet, though Ryanair has not purchased any Airbus jets and the European planemaker has repeatedly dampened the idea.

"We're hopeful that we can reach agreement on price of a MAX order sometime before the end of the year," O'Leary said, adding that the 737 MAX offered better fuel economy than the A320neo and room for nine extra seats.

O'Leary said he was interested in launching a transatlantic, low-cost airline, but that there was no opportunity for a significantly sized operation until Boeing and Airbus had worked through their delivery backlog for wide-body jets.

Airbus also clinched an order for six A330-300 aircraft and commitments to buy four A350-900s from SriLankan Airlines on Wednesday in a deal worth $2.6 billion at list prices.

(Additional reporting by Tim Hepher, Siva Govindasamy and Brenda Goh in Paris, and Conor Humphries in Dublin; Editing by James Regan and Mark Potter)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/orders-top-100-billion-ryanair-gives-boeing-boost-130920243.html

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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

David Mead: Real-ising Human Rights: On The Ground Protection ...

davidmeadFloundering for an angle as a member of a panel looking at the way forward after the Bill of Rights Commission report (organised by the Human Rights Centre at Durham), I latched onto issues relating to effective protection and promoting a positive human rights culture. This post is on one aspect of that, something that must surely be at the heart of any sensible state strategy for delivering and promoting human rights: civic education and engagement. More specifically, I was interested in finding out about ?Citizenship? lessons within secondary schools ? with a personal interest as well. My son is in his first year at secondary school (Year 7) and my daughter will join him in September. Like many, I imagine, I knew of ?Citizenship? classes ?? that it was, or felt sure it was, part of the curriculum for 11-16 year olds? yet one year in, I was also fairly sure I had never seen any ?Citizenship? homework nor even seen it feature on my son?s delightfully multi-coloured fortnightly planner. So, I set to work. This post is the result of some of those investigations.

Chapter 10 of the Commission?s report ??Promoting a better understanding of the UK?s obligations? is, at just over two pages, its shortest chapter. This is slightly strange given one key factor behind the majority?s call for a British Bill of Rights is the perceived lack of ownership. Of about 3000 or so responses to both consultations (of which about 1800 were postcard replies from two human rights NGOs), fewer than 20 made submissions specifically about that aspect of the Commission?s terms of reference, though about 100 more made similar calls for better public education to correct misperceptions about the HRA and the ECHR. More than half of these advocated more educational programmes, both for UK society generally and schoolchildren, and in a number of cases argued the need for access to sources of accurate, unbiased information to balance what they believed to be the myths surrounding the HRA. In that light, the Commission?s conclusion here represents a wholesale failure to address the issue at all ? even if one raised only by a minority of respondents.

?We consider that the major contribution which we can make to this aspect of our terms of reference is our report itself, together with its annexes and the detailed responses to our consultations, which are available on the Commission?s website. In drafting the report we have been conscious of the need to make it as accessible as possible. We hope that anyone reading the report, who is not already expert in the subject matter which it covers, will at the very least gain a better understanding of the historical background and of the issues and arguments that give rise to a wide range of different views today.

The notion that the state has some sort of ongoing positive obligation to educate its citizens about the rights they are entitled to, to inculcate a sense of ownership and to instil the values of that state?s bill of rights is the Commission?s dog that didn?t bark. On the basis that there will be no change in this area at least, what can we expect our fellow citizens to know about how their rights are protected in the UK as a result of their formal education?

Citizenship was introduced into the secondary school curriculum in 1990. It became a formal statutory foundation subject in England in 2002, following the report of the Citizenship Advisory Group (the Crick report) in 1998, driven forward by David Blunkett when he was Secretary of State. In the remainder of the UK, ?citizenship? remains a non-statutory subject (in Scotland, this applies to the whole curriculum, not just citizenship) and is generally not taught as a separate topic. The UK was one of the last western democracies to include ?citizenship?, or something similar, in the formal curriculum (Spain was later, in 2006). By way of contrast, there have been elements of citizenship in the Lebanese curriculum since 1946 ? albeit on differently constructed notions of ?citizenship?.

In England, at key stage 3 (11-14) it is a foundation subject, along with all the others; for key stage 4 (14-16 or GCSE) it is foundation, alongside only ICT and PE ? with maths, English and science as core ? meaning there is a statutory programme of study up to school-leaving age at 16. To that extent it seems better positioned than say modern foreign languages (MFL) or humanities where schools need only offer one of e.g. history or geography. It is said to be the fastest growing GCSE subject, with some 100,000 estimated annually to have take it in the last couple of years. The secondary curriculum in England (i.e. both KS3 and KS4), revised after five years of operation in 2007 and with a planned revision ? alongside all GCSE and secondary subjects from 2014 onwards ? identifies three key substantive concepts: democracy & justice; identity & diversity; and rights & responsibilities. There is an interesting longitudinal study 2001-2010 on the effects of citizenship education conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research available here indicating inter alia that political participation and likely future participation increase with age for those who have taken or studied citizenship.

In the remainder of this post, I will explore some concerns with how citizenship is taught ? largely in England ? focusing on the extent to which it provides pupils with a framework for understanding how rights are protected in the UK. Knowing that it has been a compulsory topic in secondary schools all the time I have been teaching Public Law to 1st years, it has always been a source of bewilderment why so few students had any idea of the Human Rights Act. What follows might explain to other puzzled Public Law lecturers why that is the case. Of course, one immediate problem is that Citizenship is a required subject only at maintained, state schools. Academies are not bound by the national curriculum ? that is one of their USPs to potential parents and possible teachers ? and so as they proliferate, we will likely see fewer pupils leaving school at 16 with any understanding of their human rights.

First, although conferring on it foundation subject status at KS3 had all-party support, the difference between citizenship and say geography, history, music or art ? on which it is on ostensibly even terms ? is that only citizenship was introduced with a ?light touch?. The curriculum provides, at best, a framework; there is no minimum weekly contact requirement, as there is for PE. Evidence is that very few have a dedicated hour per week; most schools seem either to ?drip? it into other subjects such as Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), as at my son?s school (or in RE where this week he has been looking at the UDHR), or to provide concentrated ?enrichment days? once or twice per term. In Scotland, by contrast, (with its eight curriculum areas), citizenship ? or more accurately global citizenship ? is avowedly cross-curricular, so there is a clear and concerted objective, led from the top, that elements of it infiltrate the whole curriculum. That does not seem to be the case in England. There is little or no sense in which pupils understand they are being taught ?citizenship?; it does not feature as a named topic on my son?s timetable and nor is there anyone on the staff who is named as the contact, and his most recent school report made no mention of anything even approaching it, and this at a state secondary school rated ?outstanding? by OFSTED in its last two inspections. My very small sample of friends? children at different state schools and friends who are state schoolteachers told a very similar tale. One ? just about to embark on GCSEs ? said ?no, never heard of it?, despite the fact (see above) it is one of very few foundation requirements, and another thought they?d done something about voting in PSHE. As with all subjects, provision is patchy but at least those taking geography know they?re studying geography ? and, broadly, most of us know what that involves:? ox bow lakes and Cornish tin mining unless matters have moved on progressively since 1981! ?Citizenship? is not only a fairly indeterminate title but when mixed with sex education and basic financial literacy, it seems fairly likely the immediacy and relevance of a domestic bill of rights ? to the life of an ordinary 14 year old ? is a little lost, or relegated.

Resources are limited, scarce even. Those I have spoken to at the Association for Teaching Citizenship report that only somewhere between 200-250 teachers undertake PCGE or similar training in Citizenship in any one year (and on specialist provision of courses, see OFSTED ?Professional Development for Citizenship Teachers and Leaders?, 2009). That?s out of about 26,000 in total on PGCE courses, though admittedly that figure is for both secondary and primary school. In most, certainly many schools, teaching is likely to fall on those perceived to have the closest connection to the subject (at best) ? those with politics degrees or who teach politics at GCSE ? and (at worst) on those who take other subjects with low take-up, and who need hours to be filled. For those teachers keen to devise lessons ? perhaps just to find out what the topic embraces, it having been landed on them in June for the next September ? and looking for external support, there is remarkably little on the discrete area of British human rights. ?Right here, right now? is a 2009 collaboration between Amnesty and the BIHR and the DCFS and MoJ ? and for KS3 only, i.e. 11-14 year olds ? but that is basically the limit. The materials at The Citizenship Foundation, partly funded by the Law Society and partly by the Cabinet Office?s Office for Civil Society (part of the Big Society idea), has little of relevance to the study of human rights under the HRA. There is, for example, on its website a useful short guide entitled ?HUMAN RIGHTS ImpACT? but it dates from 1998, as the HRA was making its way through Parliament. There has been very little direct government support, financial or otherwise, since the financial crash of 2008 when ? I was told ? the Ministry of Justice School?s team was dismantled. A search (on 17th June) for any publications using the term ?citizenship? on www.gov.uk against the MoJ produced no hits whatever. Neither do any of the various organisations within the Ministry of Justice indicate anything even vaguely connected with education or schools, let alone citizenship ? despite its responsibility at a political level for almost the whole of what the curriculum covers.

This contributes to a third problem: the skew of materials, and teaching, is towards international human rights. The gap in resources has been filled by groups such as Amnesty; the evidence I have seen is that sessions on child soldiers, child labour, international humanitarian law or on terrorism ? as examples of human rights ?in action? tend to proliferate. The first two of course are understandable, given the likely sympathies and empathies that secondary school pupils would have. The last really does amplify the risk of normalising exceptionalism at the cost of the commonplace. What it means is that a 14 year old in Hackney is more likely to know about international norms and standards during wartime ? even if not in those terms ? and UN-inspired provisions than they are about civil and political rights generated closer to home and of more obvious everyday resonance. This gap is even more evident outside England. In Wales, there is no separate subject of Citizenship ? many of its elements are subsumed within Personal and Social Education, not part of the national curriculum but within the school curriculum. The framework or guidance on PSE for 7 ? 19 year olds makes not one mention of the HRA for KS 3 and KS4. The scope of rights is limited to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and on the Universal Declaration. In Scotland, the curriculum is organised around four ?capacities? ? including responsible citizenship ? and citizenship is cross-curricular but, again, there is nothing on domestic or European human rights, or the HRA, bar a single page on the wider topic of political literacy.

The last concern is in many ways the most worrying of all, that of the content ? and the misunderstandings it positively engenders and reinforces. The explanatory notes accompanying the current KS4 curriculum, when referring to human rights, assert that ?students should explore the roles of the United Nations and the European Union in securing human rights?. There seems little hope of avoiding the ?all European together? assemblage, whether deliberately constructed or not by The Daily Mail, if teachers ? and then their students ? are not taught the difference between the different types of Europe. It became clear, during the consultation just ended, that Citizenship was not going to be downgraded within the curriculum ? it will retain its compulsory status. This was met with relief by teachers? groups. However, for those interested in citizenship as a means of embedding a rights-respecting culture and of laying the bedrock for promoting a better understanding of the issues stand to be disappointed. After its implementation in 2014, if the consultation portends anything (see National Curriculum Framework pp.149 available here), there will be a clear shift away from the concept of ?rights?. The draft curriculum upholds the ?democracy & justice? strand but seems to eliminate entirely the idea of (human) rights. The draft sets out the purpose of a high quality citizenship education as being

to provide pupils with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. In particular, citizenship education should foster pupils? keen awareness of how the United Kingdom is governed and how its laws are made and upheld. It should also prepare pupils to take their place in society as responsible citizens by providing them with the skills and knowledge to manage their money well and make sound financial decisions.

Furthermore, they should be taught about ?the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom?. The very rejection of any notion of positive rights, obligations owed by the state ? and needing justification for any intrusion ? might be seen as laying the ground for a reversion to common law Diceyan residualism That would dovetail with where we came in, the future of a British Bill of Rights. If Citizenship teaching is anything to go by, we should be very wary about what might happen when, in Mark Elliott?s words, the Commission?s report does, eventually, leave the political long grass.

David Mead is Professor of UK Human Rights Law in the Law School at the University of East Anglia

Suggested citation:?D. Mead ?Real-ising Human Rights: On The Ground Protection Under The HRA Through Citizenship Education???UK Const. L. Blog (18th June 2013) (available at?http://ukconstitutionallaw.org)

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Source: http://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2013/06/18/david-mead-real-ising-human-rights-on-the-ground-protection-under-the-hra-through-citizenship-education/

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