Jury to weigh fate of U.S. abortion doctor in murder trial

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The murder case against a Philadelphia doctor accused of killing four infants and a patient during late-term abortions was expected to go to a jury on Tuesday.

Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 72, who ran the now-shuttered Women's Medical Society Clinic, faces the death penalty if convicted.

The case focuses on whether the infants were born alive and then killed.

A seven-woman, five-man jury in Common Pleas Court, where the trial is in its sixth week, was to begin deliberations on Tuesday, after receiving instructions from Judge Jeffrey Minehart.

The charges against Gosnell and nine of his employees have added more fuel to the debate in the United States about late-term abortions.

It is legal in Pennsylvania to abort a fetus up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy. Other states have recently put new restrictions on abortions, with Arkansas banning them at 12 weeks and North Dakota at six weeks.

Gosnell is charged with first-degree murder for delivering live babies during late-term abortions and then deliberately severing their spinal cords, prosecutors said.

His defense contends there is no evidence the babies were alive after they were aborted.

Defense lawyer Jack McMahon, in his closing argument on Monday, cited testimony by Medical Examiner Sam Gulino, who said none of the 47 babies tested randomly from the West Philadelphia clinic had been born alive.

"You may not like that evidence, but it is the evidence," McMahon said.

Assistant District Attorney Edward Cameron said in his closing argument that witnesses testified that one of the aborted babies was breathing before its neck was cut, another made a whining sound and another moved its arms and legs.

"You have three witnesses who saw a baby breathe and move, and he killed it," Cameron said.

'HOUSE OF HORRORS'

The clinic that prosecutors call a "house of horrors" has been cited as powerful evidence by both abortion and anti-abortion rights groups.

Reverend Frank Pavone, director of the anti-abortion group Priests for Life, said the often gory trial testimony "will change the conversation ... It'll help people engage and make them realize they're not just talking about a theoretical idea."

Abortion-rights activists said Gosnell was an outlier among predominantly safe and legal abortion providers.

"Gosnell ran a criminal enterprise, not a healthcare facility, and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said Eric Ferrero, a spokesman for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Testimony has depicted a filthy clinic serving mostly low-income women in the largely black community. McMahon said Gosnell was a physician who wanted to help his community.

"Dr. Gosnell never turned down a desperate and troubled young lady because they didn't have any money," he said.

Gosnell is also charged with murdering Karnamaya Mongar, 41, of Virginia, who died from a drug overdose after going to him for an abortion, prosecutors said.

The defense lawyer said Mongar was given guideline amounts of the drug Demerol as an anesthesia during the abortion, as had hundreds of other women at the clinic.

Gosnell, who has been in jail since his January 2011 arrest, is being tried along with Eileen O'Neill, a medical graduate student accused of billing patients and insurance companies as if she had been a licensed doctor. Eight other defendants have pleaded guilty to a variety of charges and are awaiting sentencing.

(Additional reporting by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Scott Malone and Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/case-u-abortion-doctor-accused-running-house-horrors-000222756.html

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Neb. lawmakers debate approaches to wind energy

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Lawmakers moved ahead Wednesday with a tax incentive bill designed to attract wind-energy companies to Nebraska, little more than a day after the state officially lost a $300 million Facebook data center to Iowa.

The 30-0 vote also came as a Kansas-based company, TradeWind Energy, considers building a possible wind farm in northeast Nebraska.

Despite the measure's popularity, some lawmakers challenged the decision to advance it ahead of a broader, statewide tax study that was agreed upon earlier this year.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha, said it was designed to attract large-scale wind farms, which would help Nebraska export more energy and generate new revenue. Lathrop said wind farms serve as an extra revenue source for landowners, generating $10,000 to $15,000 per turbine each year for a 40-year lease.

"We're also sending what I believe to be a very important message to businesses, both inside and outside of Nebraska," Lathrop said. "Many are making major, long-term investment decisions now. Nebraska has an excellent reputation, and our actions on this bill will strengthen that message."

TradeWind Energy executive Frank Costanza said the company is interested in Nebraska's wind capacity, which ranks third nationwide. But he said the state has done "almost nothing" to compete with Kansas, Oklahoma or South Dakota, all of which offer tax benefits for wind energy. The company is looking to build 118 turbines in Dixon County, on the South Dakota border.

Nebraska ranks as the third-best wind-producing state in the nation, but 26th in the energy it could produce with the equipment currently installed, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Nebraska lags behind its neighboring states: Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas.

Costanza said Nebraska has trailed its neighboring states because it doesn't offer as many wind-energy tax incentives. He pointed to Kansas, which shields wind companies from both property and sales and use taxes.

"Wind will be built, over time, in the wind belt ? the Dakotas down to the Texas Panhandle," said Costanza, the company's executive vice president business development. "But it is competitive. Other states are doing things, and Nebraska has done almost nothing."

The first-round vote in Nebraska came one day after Iowa formally approved $18 million in tax credits for Facebook to build its data center in Altoona, a Des Moines suburb. Kearney, Neb., was vying for the project, but a Facebook executive told Iowa reporters on Tuesday that the state's reputation as a wind-energy leader played a big role in the company's decision.

Nebraska currently charges a sales tax on all equipment and materials used in wind-energy projects. The state ranks fourth nationwide in its ability to produce electricity from wind power.

Environmental groups and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry have both endorsed the bill.

Sen. Galen Hadley of Kearney, who introduced a similar bill that was merged into the final legislation, said the tax incentives would put Nebraska on a level playing field with other states. Hadley said the bill would generate jobs in rural Nebraska, and he argued that the possible wind-energy project could not wait until next year.

Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton said the bill builds on an existing push by rural lawmakers.

The renewable energy bill has drawn criticism from Republican Gov. Dave Heineman. When the Legislature's Revenue Committee voted 5-3 to advance the bill in March, Heineman said he was "very disappointed" and accused supporters of supporting "special interest tax breaks" to out-of-state companies.

Lathrop, a Democrat, is considering a run for governor.

Some lawmakers said they supported the general push for wind energy but challenged the bill's timing.

Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, a Republican Revenue Committee member who voted "no" on the bill, said he supports wind energy but questioned why it should pass in advance of the statewide study that will examine Nebraska's overall tax climate. Lawmakers had previously agreed to delay all major tax-cut bills this year so they could conduct the study.

"I question whether or not now is the time," McCoy said.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who is known for his ability to stall and derail bills he opposes, asked why the proposal was getting preference over a sales-tax measure he introduced.

Chambers said he wasn't opposed to the wind-energy bill, but he criticized the Revenue Committee for holding onto his legislation that would repeal a sales-tax law for cities. Chambers has argued that a sales tax imposed by cities disproportionately affects the poor.

___

The bill is LB104

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/neb-lawmakers-debate-approaches-wind-163017540.html

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My Sister's Baby Shower - Carrots 'N' Cake

My sister?s baby shower was a huge success! It was a beautiful day, tons of family and friends were in attendance, and the mommy-to-be had a wonderful time. We couldn?t have asked for a better day!

I can?t wait for baby Matthew to be here! Less than 2 months to go!

What?s your favorite boy?s name??

Tagged as: baby shower, baby shower favors, cake, cousins, family, Grammie's house, party

Source: http://carrotsncake.com/2013/04/my-sisters-baby-shower.html

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Big Sibling's Big Influence: Some Behaviors Run In The Family

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Big Sibling's Big Influence: Some Behaviors Run In The Family
Psychologists have long known that children often model their behavior on the actions of parents or peers. But science has only recently begun to measure the influence of siblings. An older brother's or sister's behavior can be very contagious, it turns out ? for good and for bad.

Source: NPR
Posted on: Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013, 10:18am
Views: 5

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127990/Big_Sibling_s_Big_Influence__Some_Behaviors_Run_In_The_Family

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White House commends Jason Collins on coming out

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House is commending NBA veteran Jason Collins for becoming the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay.

White House spokesman Jay Carney called that decision courageous and says the White House supports Collins. He says he hopes the 34-year-old center's team will also offer support.

Carney says the White House views Collins' decision as another example of progress and evolution in the U.S. as Americans grow more accepting of gay rights and same-sex marriage. Last year, during his re-election campaign, Obama announced his support for gay marriage.

Collins disclosed he was gay Monday in a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated's website. He has played for six teams in 12 seasons, including this past season with the Washington Wizards.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-04-29-Jason%20Collins-Obama/id-d4afabd2ea94487b834b25c7cfce5a02

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Personal Finance Secrets to Avoid Bad Credit and Build Wealth ...

The following list of personal finance secrets to avoid bad credit are a simple yet effective means of achieving personal finance success. This disciplined approach to personal finance will help you avoid bad credit and get you on track to wealth building. Some of you might already be following this advice without realizing it, for others, life?s distractions have led them to forget these common sense guidelines.

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Source: http://reallybadcreditoffers.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/personal-finance-secrets-to-avoid-bad-credit-and-build-wealth-2/

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How Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion Map Tessellated The World

Buckminster Fuller applied his patented Dymaxion brand to all sorts of objects over the course of his career, from cars to buildings to entire cities. But one of the most useful and enduring applications? The Dymaxion World map, which unfolds the earth into a long string of shapes, like a carefully peeled orange.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Uull_Uy7qwc/how-buckminster-fullers-dymaxion-map-tessellated-the-w-484584437

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Residents concerned about health effects of hydrofracking

Apr. 28, 2013 ? s living in areas near natural gas operations, also known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, are concerned their illnesses may be a result of nearby drilling operations. Twenty-two percent of the participants in a small pilot study surmise that hydrofracking may be the cause of such health concerns as sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems.

The findings will be presented at the American Occupational Health Conference on April 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Scientists collected responses from 72 adults visiting a primary care physician's office in the hydrofracking-heavy area of Bradford County, Pa., who volunteered to complete an investigator-faciliated survey.

"Almost a quarter of participants consider natural gas operations to be a contributor to their health issues, indicating that there is clearly a concern among residents that should be addressed," says Poun? Saberi, MD, MPH, the study's principal investigator with the department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She is also an investigator with the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at Penn.

Within these 22 percent of responders, 13 percent viewed drilling to be the cause of their current health complaints and 9 percent were concerned that future health problems can be caused by natural gas operations. The previous health complaints by participants were thought to be anecdotal in nature as they were individual cases reported publicly only by popular media.

"What is significant about this study is that the prevalence of impressions about medical symptoms attributed to natural gas operations had not been previously solicited in Pennsylvania. This survey indicates that there is a larger group of people with health concerns than originally assumed," explains Saberi.

The survey included questions about 29 health symptoms, including those previously anecdotally reported by other residents and workers in other areas where drilling occurs. Some patient medical records were also reviewed to compare reported symptoms with those that had been previously documented. "Sinus problems, sleeping difficulties, and gastrointestinal problems were the most common symptoms reported on the Bradford survey," notes Saberi. "Of the few studied charts, there were no one-to-one correlations between the participants' reported symptoms on the survey and the presenting symptom to the medical provider in the records. This raises the possibility of communication gaps between residents with concerns and the medical community and needs further exploration. An opportunity exists to educate shale region communities and workers to report, as well as health care providers to document, the attributed symptoms as precisely as possible."

The CEET team also mapped the addresses of patients who agreed to provide them in relation to drilling to determine if proximity to drilling operations may relate to health problems.

"We hope this pilot study will guide the development of future epidemiological studies to determine whether health effects in communities in which natural gas operations are occurring is associated with air, water, and food-shed exposures and will provide a basis for health care provider education," says CEET director Trevor Penning, PhD. "The goal of science should be to protect the public and the environment before harm occurs; not simply to treat it after the damage has been done."

The Bradford County health concerns pilot study is one of three hydrofracking studies currently underway at CEET, one of 20 Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers (EHSCC) in the US, funded by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

CEET is also partnering with Columbia University's EHSCC to measure water quality and billable health outcomes in areas with and without hydrofracking on the Pennsylvania-New York border. Using a new mapping tool developed by Harvard University, CEET and Harvard researchers are creating maps of drilling sites, air quality, water quality, and health effects to locate possible associations. Initial studies will focus on Pennsylvania. Results of both studies are expected in early 2014. These collaborative studies are funded by pilot project funds from the respective EHSCCs, which in turn obtain their financial support from NIEHS.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/IVvBTUbZKJQ/130428230423.htm

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Disrupt NY Hackathon Gets Hacked: Man Takes Stage And Uses His 60 Seconds To Disrupt Capitalism

When you’re a hacker waiting to take the Disrupt Hackathon stage, you’re probably just making sure that your project actually works. One gentleman decided to scrap his project completely and use his sixty seconds to discuss his political views, attacking large corporations for using your data to make money. The crowd was a bit surprised as he read a prepared statement from his iPad, but listened to what he had to say nonetheless. “Do we really need a new way to share our shit?” he started his talk with, and it got people’s attention: He urged the attendees to stand up against sharing all of their data, opting to sell their content for a price they set. After the Hackathon resumed its normal tech show-and-tell, I met Todd Bonnewell, and we discussed what had just transpired, and I got to find out about the actual hack he scrapped to share his message. There you have it, even a hackathon can get hacked.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/IZ6BWhkMWPo/

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The Military's New Flying Gas Station Will Be Open 24/7 Anywhere in the World

KC-135 Stratotanker planes have been refueling fighter craft in-flight for more than 60 years. While such longevity is commendable, the US military?s fleet of mid-air refuellers is in desperate need of an update. And that?s where this new flying gas station comes in.

The Boeing KC-46A is a derivative of the Boeing 767-200 built at Boeing?s Everett, WA facility and converted to military use at another Boeing facility in Puget Sound. The KC-46 program has been a long time coming. Congress and the military have wrangled over funding for the project for more than a decade, finally agreeing to an initial investment of $3.5 billion in 2011 for Boeing?s design. The aerospace company has until 2017 to deliver the first 18 tankers with the remaining 161 due in 2028. In all, explains Maj. Gen. John Thompson, program executive officer and program director for the KC-46, the deal is "worth about $32 billion in then-year dollars, goes from about two years ago out into the 2020s and is something that they will be able to leverage into a very important weapon system for the United States Air Force for decades to come. Absolutely, it is a win-win."

The KC-46A will offer greatly-improved performance and capabilities than its sexagenarian predecessor. The new plane measures 165 feet in length with a 157 foot wingspan. It?s powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW4062 turbofan engines, each providing 63,300 lbf of thrust to get the plane?and the 212,299 pounds of fuel it carries?off the ground and keep it aloft for a range of more than 6,000 nautical miles.

The plane?s crew of three (two pilots and a boom operator) operate within a large glass cockpit augmented with banks of monitors providing critical mission information. The pilots use a bank of 15-inch displays to check flight and weather data while the refueling operator will be afforded a set of 24-inch 3D displays giving him a panoramic 185 degree field of view.

Designed to support and refuel any fixed-wing receiver capable aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, and Marines, the plane is typically equipped with either a 1,200 gallon-per-minute center-line boom or 400 gallon-per-minute Centerline Drogue System. It can also carry a pair of 400 gallon-per-minute Wing Air Refueling Pods to pull crazy stunts like this. What?s more, the KC-46A can itself receive in-flight refueling, allowing it to remain aloft practically indefinitely.

In addition to fuel, the KC-46A can carry up to 114 people, 18 standard military cargo pallets, or 58 patients (24 litters, 34 ambulatory). Across the board?fuel, passengers, and cargo? the KC-46A carries more than the plane it will eventually recapitalize.

[Air Force News 1, 2, 3 - Defence News - Wikipedia - GAO - Images: USAF]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-militarys-new-flying-gas-station-will-be-open-24-7-484398864

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