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Kingfisher Suspension Raises Question for Lessors & Financiers ...
Kingfisher Suspension Raises Question for Lessors & Financiers, Could Add to India?s Cost Rressures
Kingfisher Airlines? suspension of operations has had a flow-on impact on the global leasing and financing sector, highlighting some of the challenges facing aircraft financiers and lessors in the Indian market and again raising concerns regarding regulatory safeguards for international investment in?India.
The continued delays by the Indian Government to de-register?Kingfisher-operated aircraft since it suspended operations in Oct-2012 is also expected to hurt other, still-operational, Indian carriers while also creating the impression that India is not adhering to the?Cape Town?Convention, of which it is a signatory.
ILFC?and?DVB Bank?have been the most vocal about the challenges in the market, with both companies encountering ongoing and costly problems in repossessing aircraft previously operated by Kingfisher Airlines and only now making some (slow) progress on regaining access to their aircraft.
The Indian Government is allowing its international credibility to be further eroded, damaging the national airline capability
This situation presents potential challenges for other airlines in the market, with India?s airlines relying heavily on financing from foreign banks for purchase and lease of aircraft. There is as a result a real danger that this could add a further cost element to the already high-cost operating environment through increased leasing and financing costs.
Some lessors and financiers have threatened to withdraw from the market entirely, or at least attach a higher risk premium to the Indian market amid concerns they will continue to face challenges recovering their assets in the event of a default. Lessors have also been acting more cautiously in the market, with some reportedly demanding rental payments six months in advance, in reaction to recent market developments. In essence, the situation boils down to a basic principle: the absence of an accountable legal regime limits the availability of funding, creating illiquidity and hence, increased cost.
This complicated situation comes amid a backdrop of record demand for aircraft leasing globally. According to?DVB?Bank, aircraft leasing, which has financed 35-40% of new deliveries over the past decade, is set to increase its share at the same time as the overall size of the financing gap is increasing. DVB noted that in 2011, commercial banks funded nearly two thirds of all new aircraft deliveries in 2011 directly or indirectly. Given this global situation, and the preference by Indian carriers in the current market to lease rather than acquire their aircraft assets, India?s Civil Aviation Ministry, in a bid to prevent foreign lessors from avoiding the market, is likely to issue guidelines to airport operators and government agencies not to hold on to aircraft as security for dues of an airline.
However, considerable credibility damage has already been incurred over the past six months.
ILFC sees progress with High Court decision, but is still being ?held hostage? ?
After a frustrating and vocal battle over the past six months,?International Lease Finance Corporation?(ILFC) on 25-Mar-2013 announced the successful removal from India of one A321 aircraft, previously operated by Kingfisher Airlines, following?Delhi?s High Court decision on 15-Mar-2013, which ruled that ILFC could have access to its aircraft to ensure they can be refurbished and maintained.
?an environment that is perceived as hostile by many foreign investors?
IFLC said: ?This first aircraft?s departure demonstrates the High Court?s pragmatic approach in?an environment that is perceived as hostile by many foreign investors. This decision marks a first step in the right direction, and adheres to the principles denoted in the Cape Town treaty (ratified by India in 2008) and international best aviation practices. Based on media reports, this decision is in line with the policy change expected to be made by the Indian government in short order?.
ILFC CEO Henri Courpron said: ?This decision is a much anticipated development in ILFC?s efforts to recover our aircraft and engines. We commend India?s High Court for taking a firm stance which we hope will prompt the publication of the much awaited policy revision. It is not too late for India to reverse the current negative perception prevailing within the international finance forum. A comprehensive change in the current policy permitting ILFC?s assets to be removed from India without any restrictions will be considered a positive and much needed step towards reform. This policy is expected to bring much relief to India?s aviation sector by safeguarding Indian airlines? continued ability to obtain needed affordable aircraft financing?.
ILFC still has five A320 aircraft, previously operated by Kingfisher, in India, with Mr Courpron stating: ?One of the hostages has been freed; we are worried about the others?. He similarly noted that the company was being ?held hostage? by local government authorities noting that while the aircraft have been de-registered, ?de-registration is only one of the steps you need to get the airplanes out of the country. There are other authorities in the country, like airports and tax authorities, who have an ax to grind against Kingfisher and we are being held hostage to this process.? ?He said the aircraft remained stranded by administrative hurdles and problems getting the aircraft ready to operate, noting: ?We have made legal and political progress but people are not following instructions from the government. We have to stop this hostage situation.?
DVB: India could be ?shut out? of the market for aircraft finance
While ILFC has made some progress, DVB has so far had less success, despite a second visit to India in the week commencing 25-Mar-2013. DVB Bank, in a meeting with India?s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), demanded the de-registration of two aircraft previously operated by Kingfisher Airlines. DVB Bank senior VP aviation finance Carsten Gerlach said: ?Following discussion of all the relevant facts, the DG stated that the DGCA will make a decision on DVB?s de-registration application before the court hearing scheduled for 08 April 2013?.
The Delhi High Court will hear on 08-Apr-2013 DVB Bank?s lawsuit against the DGCA, according to the court?s website. India?s Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra in Dec-2012 said de-registration and issuance of an export certificate for the aircraft would be withheld until a court decision is reached. However, in early Mar-2013, the DG was quoted as saying that the Indian Government would seek to make it easier for lessors and financiers to repossess the aircraft, adding that he hoped to reach an amicable settlement with DVB, Kingfisher and Indian tax authorities, who took possession of two Kingfisher aircraft in a bid to recover tax dues. Mr Mishra also said: ??We are always willing to help the leasing companies. We are committed to a solution?. A meeting was scheduled for 26-Mar-2013 to discuss the issue.
Addressing the severity of the situation, DVB in Feb-2013 warned that India could be ?shut out? of the market for aircraft finance if carriers such as Kingfisher failed to return aircraft they were unable to finance and the government fails to provide the conditions for suppliers to repatriate their assets.
?If we are unable to repossess the aircraft, we will not underwrite new business in India??
DVB Bank CEO Wolfgang Driese said India should step up efforts to show assets can be repossessed when dues are not paid. Mr Driese warned:??If we are unable to repossess the aircraft, we will not underwrite new business in India??and this will likely send a signal to other banks to be more cautious or avoid the market. He added: ?There are several countries in the world, where we are not doing any business as asset arrests prove impossible or just too time-consuming?. The lender has suspended all financing to Indian carriers because of the situation, according to DVB Bank MD aviation and rail Bertrand Grabowski.
DVB Bank in Dec-2012 also sued the DGCA and Kingfisher Airlines to have two aircraft de-registered as part of efforts to recoup its funds and regain control of its asset. DVB senior VP aviation finance Carsten Gerlach said: ?Our main trouble really is with the DGCA, which should de-register the aircraft. We have now filed a writ petition at the High Court in Delhi against DGCA and also Kingfisher, strictly focused on de-registration?.
There is a host of conflicting claims on the aircraft, making resolution more complex
The DGCA must de-register the DVB-financed?Airbus?aircraft before the bank can sell them elsewhere, but, with airports, banks and tax authorities simultaneously seeking access to the heavily-indebted carrier?s assets, there is a battle for priority. The DGCA has reportedly argued that those aircraft were not financed by DVB alone, so de-registering them would make the DGCA answerable to other financiers, who are also trying to recover funds.
Meanwhile, Kingfisher has hit back at the tax authorities? actions to repossess the aircraft, saying it is illegal for authorities to seize aircraft that are owned by foreign lessors. ?This will send a very wrong signal to any foreigner who wishes to do business in the aviation industry in India,? the airline cautioned.
Mr Grabowski has accused the Indian Government of failing to adhere to rules set out in the Cape Town Convention, or to its own laws in place before that agreement. The two aircraft financed by DVB with Kingfisher were purchased before the Cape Town Convention was in place, he said. He noted that the impact on other airlines in the market is potentially quite severe, observing that other carriers in the nation face rising aircraft financing costs following the Kingfisher default on leases and Indian authorities failure to help recover the aircraft. He said: ?Risk is perhaps higher than we thought. If someone is willing to do aircraft financing in India, costs will move up?.
DVB has around USD450 million of direct and indirect financing to?Air India,?IndiGo?and?Jet Airways, Mr Grabowski said. After Kingfisher?s defaults, two banks decided to discontinue financing to the Indian aviation market, he said without naming the lenders. ?The Kingfisher story has been a kind of trauma for many banks,? Mr Grabowski said, adding: ?The concern is not just for DVB, it?s an industry concern.?
Veling: Lessor business becomes riskier, less attractive in India?
Veling Ltd managing director Nirvan Veerasamy, speaking in Oct-2012 at CAPA?s India Aviation Summit 2012, similarly said the long-term implications of Kingfisher Airlines? financial situation, as well as the financial problems of a number of other Indian carriers, ?substantially increases the risk associated with aircraft leases? in the country, and makes other developing markets such as the Middle East,?China?and Southeast Asia more attractive in comparison. Veling leases two ATRs to the carrier.
Mr Veerasamy also noted that defaults, such as that of Kingfisher Airlines, could have a significant effect on the business in India. He said: ?I do remember the earlier days of aircraft leasing in India when a few lessors had difficulty (repossessing) aircraft. As a result, most, if not all, lessors require a power of attorney for de-registration of an aircraft at the very beginning of a lease?. He continued: ?This is in effect a ?blank cheque? which a lessor may use when a set of specific events take place that leads to the repossession of the aircraft. Today, we have moved to another environment whereby a lessor may not be able to take back its aircraft before stepping in the shoes of a defaulter and paying that debt?. This makes the business much riskier, he added, and lessors may look to more attractive markets such as West Asia, China, and Southeast Asia.
Mr Veerasamy has also said he fears that his firm may have to bear some of the debt burden of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. While noting that airline difficulties and defaults are part and parcel of the business of leasing aircraft, he noted that the situation in which lessors are being prevented from repossessing their aircraft on the basis that Kingfisher Airlines may have outstanding airport and other dues is the key concern. In an interview with?Live Mint?on the sidelines of the CAPA India conference, he said: ?As a lessor with assets in India, I am of course very worried about this development. In my view, it is an extremely dangerous road to be engaged on and I would find it unacceptable that such debt is transferred to a lessor under the perception that such party will have sufficient funds to buy peace and tranquillity. Such an action would, to say the least, be totally unfair business practice?.
In the long term, Mr Veerasamy said the situation ?will have a catastrophic effect on the business of aircraft leasing in India?. He explained: ?Let me elaborate with a simple analogy. If I were to place my funds in a bank, the underlying fact would be that I can remove my funds from that bank at any time necessary. The same goes for assets that are placed in India. An aircraft lessor will lease its aircraft only on the knowledge that the aircraft may be removed quickly and efficiently when the need arises. In our business, such a need arises precisely when there is an airline default?Today, we have moved to an environment whereby a lessor may not be able to take back its aircraft before stepping into the shoes of a defaulter and paying that debt?.
I can see lessors demanding a repossession risk insurance, a high-cost product which will inevitably be passed on to the airline, further increasing its costs of operations?
He continued: ?The long-term effect of this, for all leases in India, is that it substantially increases the risk associated with aircraft leases. As such, India as a market becomes less interesting compared to other developing markets such as Middle East, China and South-East Asia. Transaction will be priced higher and in some instance,?I can see lessors demanding a repossession risk insurance, a high-cost product which will inevitably be passed on to the airline, further increasing its costs of operations.?
AWAS,?BOC Aviation,?Dubai Aerospace?Enterprises, Kf Turbo Leasing Ltd, TP Leasing [Cayman] Ltd and Turbo 72-500 Leasing Ltd also have exposure to the carrier, according to CAPA?s new Fleet Database.
Airbus director of aircraft finance Nigel Taylor similarly noted that the action, or inaction, of the carrier will have a negative impact on investor confidence. ?It?s not good news. I think India should react to restore investor confidence in financing aircraft to India?.?Boeing Capital?Markets MD Kostya Zolotusky similarly noted that cooperation is needed with Indian authorities. ?What we need to do is essentially work on how India starts to apply the treaty and evolve from the past difficult resolutions of defaults and repossessions,? he said.
Meanwhile, former?Air Seychelles?CEO Captain David Ralph Savy commented: ?It is a black mark on India?s civil aviation sector, and Indian carriers are paying the price by having to pay steep rentals on aircraft leases.?
An interesting sidenote to this situation, however, is that Jet Airways has reportedly received two?ATR?aircraft from a lessor that earlier leased the aircraft to Kingfisher Airlines, according to?Live Mint. Jet Airways is reportedly leasing the aircraft at a below-market rate as the lessor is unable to take the aircraft out of the country.
The Cape Town Convention, its purpose and its remedies
The well-publicised disputes of ILFC and DVB Bank are being seen as an important test of The Cape Town Convention, which was designed to make it more attractive for lessor to invest by establishing a register of interests and duplicating repossession rights available in the?US?when airlines default on lease payments.
The Convention on International Interests in?Mobile?Equipment and an associated Protocol to the Convention on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment were adopted in Nov-2001 by an initial 53 countries and was intended to standardise transactions involving movable property like aircraft and aircraft engines. The Convention and related protocol came into effect in Mar-2006. India acceded to the Cape Town Convention in 2008.
As noted by the Aviation Capital Working Group, central to the purpose of the Cape Town Convention is the enhancement and harmonisation of private laws in respect of the financing, lease and sale of mobile equipment. The Cape Town Convention is intended to give parties involved in such transactions greater confidence and predictability, principally through the establishment of a uniform set of rules guiding the constitution, protection, prioritisation, and enforcement of certain rights in aircraft and aircraft engines.
It alters the rules governing aircraft sales, leases and financing on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis by establishing a new international framework and providing for the creation of an International Registry to be supervised by?ICAO. The intent of the Convention is to establish primacy as regards matters within its scope relating to the creation, enforcement, perfection and priority of interests in aircraft.
The Cape Town Convention provides for the establishment of an International Registry for aircraft objects. The Convention creates international standards for registration of ownership, leases and sale contracts and provides legal remedies for default in financing agreements, including repossession and the effects of bankruptcy laws. In essence, it was developed out of a pressing need to streamline differing national laws to protect investments in movable properties which pass through different jurisdictions.
AAI recognises the potential damage to lessors
Airports Authority of India?(AAI) chairman V P Agrawal last month also admitted that the Kingfisher aircraft situation was affecting the interests of lessors and violated the Cape Town Convention, stating: ?I do agree that this is a problem as far as the Convention is concerned?. ?He however said AAI would release the de-registered leased aircraft of Kingfisher Airlines to lessors only after receiving permission from India?s Civil Aviation Ministry. He said: ?Being signatory to the Cape Town Convention, we will release the de-registered leased planes of Kingfisher Airlines (KFA)?, noting ?The Ministry is yet to take a call on releasing the aircraft to the leasing companies and the matter is under consideration?.
Mr Agrawal also said the Service Tax Department and other government departments ?had asked us not to release the planes, but we would release them in the larger interest of the aviation sector?. Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Mishra, meanwhile, at that time reportedly said that the Ministry may issue a guidance to release the aircraft, according to a report from Economic Times on 15-Mar-2013.
Meanwhile, there have been suggestions that the Indian Tax Office could introduce additional charges to lessors in order to reclaim some of the taxes owed by Kingfisher. ILFC is meanwhile accumulating monthly losses on re-renting the aircraft because it cannot commit to leasing the single-aisle aircraft to another customer. ILFC does not know when it may get the aircraft back, and negotiations with local authorities continue, Mr Courpron said on 26-Mar-2013.
More than just an aviation issue, as India?s reputation is further stained
These intrusions further add to the complexity of aircraft leasing in India. Every international administrative process is already generally much more complex in India.?The World Bank?s ?Ease of doing business index? in 2012 ranked India 132nd in the world, behind such countries asBangladesh,?Botswana?and?Honduras, which surely places this issue in centre stage for India?s leadership.
For a country eager to encourage FDI in order to expand its economy, each additional piece of well-publicised commercial drama pushes back India?s hopes of accelerating growth and migrating to becoming a world power.
For a country eager to encourage FDI in order to expand its economy, each additional piece of well-publicised commercial drama pushes back India?s hopes of accelerating growth and migrating to becoming a world power.?In this case the stain on the national reputation is the greater for being ??apparently ??a clear breach of India?s international treaty obligations under the Cape Town Convention.
For domestic companies operating in the Indian market and forced to compete with some of the world?s most efficient airlines, the current dispute between lessors and the government could have a real and lasting impact on their bottom line. Already burdened by a host of uniquely unfriendly national and state taxes, India?s airlines hardly need the unnecessary added burden of having to pay more for financing their aircraft.
This has become more than an aviation issue for India. It is becoming yet another beacon, a lighthouse flashing a warning to vessels to keep away.
?
Source: CAPA
http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/kingfisher-suspension-raises-question-for-lessors?financiers-could-add-to-indias-cost-pressures-102603
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Obesity leads to decreased physical activity over time
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Todd Hollingshead
toddh@byu.edu
801-422-8373
Brigham Young University
Researchers confirm long-standing assumption
Physical activity and its relation to obesity has been studied for decades by researchers; however, almost no one has studied the reverse obesity's effect on physical activity.
So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years.
"Most people talk about it as if it's a cycle," Tucker said, senior-author on a study appearing online ahead of print in the journal Obesity. "Half of the cycle has been studied almost without limit. This is the first study of its kind, in many ways, looking at obesity leading to decreases in physical activity over time."
To study this reciprocal effect objectively, the researchers attached an accelerometer to more than 250 participants. Accelerometers measure actual movement and intensity of activity. Previous studies have relied on less-dependable self-reported data.
"Roughly 35 percent of the population reports that they're regularly active," Tucker said. "When you actually put an accelerometer on adults and follow them for many days, only about 5 to 7 percent are actually regularly active. We used an objective measure so we could determine genuine movement, not just wishful thinking."
The 254 female participants 124 of which were considered obese were instructed to wear the accelerometer for seven consecutive days at the beginning of the study, and then again for an additional week 20 months later, at the end of the study.
On average, physical activity in obese participants dropped by 8 percent over the course of 20 months. This is equivalent to decreasing moderate to vigorous physical activity by 28 minutes per week. In contrast, non-obese women demonstrated essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they were participating in weekly.
These results weren't shocking to the researchers, who assumed this study would confirm the destructive cycle; however, it does provide more understanding into how the cycle works and how it can be stopped. It also offers additional insight into the measurement methods researchers use and how self-reporting can yield inaccurate results.
"It's not rocket science, and it's very logical," Tucker said. "It just hasn't been studied using high quality measurement methods and with a large sample size. This provides scientists with more ammunition to understand how inactivity leads to weight gain and weight gain leads to less activity. This cycle, or spiral, is probably continuous over decades of life."
Tucker is a professor and epidemiologist who has conducted many studies on obesity and its contributing factors.
###
Jared M. Tucker, a graduate student at the time, is the lead author on the paper. Along with Larry Tucker, exercise science professors James LeCheminant and Bruce Bailey were coauthors on the paper.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 28-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Todd Hollingshead
toddh@byu.edu
801-422-8373
Brigham Young University
Researchers confirm long-standing assumption
Physical activity and its relation to obesity has been studied for decades by researchers; however, almost no one has studied the reverse obesity's effect on physical activity.
So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years.
"Most people talk about it as if it's a cycle," Tucker said, senior-author on a study appearing online ahead of print in the journal Obesity. "Half of the cycle has been studied almost without limit. This is the first study of its kind, in many ways, looking at obesity leading to decreases in physical activity over time."
To study this reciprocal effect objectively, the researchers attached an accelerometer to more than 250 participants. Accelerometers measure actual movement and intensity of activity. Previous studies have relied on less-dependable self-reported data.
"Roughly 35 percent of the population reports that they're regularly active," Tucker said. "When you actually put an accelerometer on adults and follow them for many days, only about 5 to 7 percent are actually regularly active. We used an objective measure so we could determine genuine movement, not just wishful thinking."
The 254 female participants 124 of which were considered obese were instructed to wear the accelerometer for seven consecutive days at the beginning of the study, and then again for an additional week 20 months later, at the end of the study.
On average, physical activity in obese participants dropped by 8 percent over the course of 20 months. This is equivalent to decreasing moderate to vigorous physical activity by 28 minutes per week. In contrast, non-obese women demonstrated essentially no change in the amount of physical activity they were participating in weekly.
These results weren't shocking to the researchers, who assumed this study would confirm the destructive cycle; however, it does provide more understanding into how the cycle works and how it can be stopped. It also offers additional insight into the measurement methods researchers use and how self-reporting can yield inaccurate results.
"It's not rocket science, and it's very logical," Tucker said. "It just hasn't been studied using high quality measurement methods and with a large sample size. This provides scientists with more ammunition to understand how inactivity leads to weight gain and weight gain leads to less activity. This cycle, or spiral, is probably continuous over decades of life."
Tucker is a professor and epidemiologist who has conducted many studies on obesity and its contributing factors.
###
Jared M. Tucker, a graduate student at the time, is the lead author on the paper. Along with Larry Tucker, exercise science professors James LeCheminant and Bruce Bailey were coauthors on the paper.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/byu-olt032813.php
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Death Sentence For Aurora Shooting Suspect Is Tough Decision To Make, Ex-Prosecutor Says
Tom Sullivan , holds a photograph of his son, Alex Sullivan, as he pleads with the media to help him find his son, outside Gateway High School on Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. Alex Sullivan, was celebrating his 27th birthday by attending midnight premiere of the Batman movie Friday night. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
A woman cries outside Gateway High School where witness were brought for questioning after a gunman opened fire at a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises Batman movie Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Tom Sullivan, center, embraces family members outside Gateway High School where he has been searching frantically for his son Alex Sullivan who celebrated his 27th birthday by going to see "The Dark Knight Rises," movie where a gunman opened fire Friday, July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colo. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Eyewitness Chandler Brannon, 25, sits outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought for questioning after a shooting at a movie theater showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
A small group prays outside Gateway High School where witness were brought for questioning Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Family and friends wait outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought for questioning after a shooting at a movie theater showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Eyewitness Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi Stevens after being interview by police outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought for questioning Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Eyewitness Isaiah Bow hugs his mother Shamecca Davis after being questioned by police outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought in, Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. After leaving the theater Bow went back in to find his girlfriend. "I didn't want to leave her in there. But she's ok now," Bow said. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Emma Goos, 19, hugs her mother, Judy Goos, outside Gateway High School where witnesses were brought for questioning Friday, July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colo. Emma was in the third row of the theater of the new Batman movie when the shooter entered. She helped apply pressure to a man's head who was injured. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Police cars in front of the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado where a gunman opened fire during the opening of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" killing at least 15 people and wounding 50 others on the morning of July 20, 2012. The shooting suspect in custody after at least 12 people were shot dead and around 50 were wounded at a movie screening in the United States has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, US media said Friday. Television networks cited the FBI as saying that Holmes, from the town of Aurora, Colorado, scene of the midnight shooting at a screening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," did not appear to have any known terrorism connections. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/JONATHAN CASTNER JONATHAN CASTNER/AFP/GettyImages)
Police tape cordons off the parking area around the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012 where a gunman opened fire during the showing of the new Batman movie. At least 12 people were killed and around 50 wounded in the cinema shooting. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO JONATHAN CASTNERJONATHAN CASTNER/AFP/GettyImages)
Police cars in front of the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado where a gunman opened fire during the opening of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" killing at least 15 people and wounding 50 others on the morning of July 20, 2012. The shooting suspect in custody after at least 12 people were shot dead and around 40 were wounded at a movie screening in the United States has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, US media said Friday. Television networks cited the FBI as saying that Holmes, from the town of Aurora, Colorado, scene of the midnight shooting at a screening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," did not appear to have any known terrorism connections. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/JONATHAN CASTNERJONATHAN CASTNER/AFP/GettyImages)
Police cars in front of the Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado where a gunman opened fire during the opening of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" killing at least 15 people and wounding 50 others on the morning of July 20, 2012. The shooting suspect in custody after at least 12 people were shot dead and around 50 were wounded at a movie screening in the United States has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, US media said Friday. Television networks cited the FBI as saying that Holmes, from the town of Aurora, Colorado, scene of the midnight shooting at a screening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," did not appear to have any known terrorism connections. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO/JONATHAN CASTNERJONATHAN CASTNER/AFP/GettyImages)
Police cars are seen in the parking area around the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012 where a gunman opened fire during the showing of the new Batman movie. At least 12 people were killed and around 50 wounded in the cinema shooting. (Photo credit: AFP PHOTO JONATHAN CASTNERJONATHAN CASTNER/AFP/GettyImages)
Police use a video camera to look inside an apartment where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 12 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Police break out a window of an apartment where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 12 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Shamecca Davis hugs her son Isaiah Bow, who was an eye witness to the shooting, outside Gateway High School where witness were brought for questioning Friday, July 20, 2012 in Denver. After leaving the theater Bow went back in to find his girlfriend. " I didn't want to leave her in there. But she's ok now," Bow said. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded movie theater at a midnight opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
Judy Goos, second from left, hugs her daughters friend, Isaiah Bow, 20, while eye witnesses Emma Goos, 19, left, and Terrell Wallin, 20, right, gather outside Gateway High School where witness were brought for questioning Friday, July 20, 2012 in Denver. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded movie theater at a midnight opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
A SWAT team officer stands watch near an apartment house where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 14 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Police gather near an apartment house where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 12 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
A SWAT team officer stands watch near an apartment house where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 12 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Jacob Stevens, 18, hugs his mother Tammi Stevens after being interview by police outside Gateway High School where witness were brought for questioning after a shooting at a movie theater, Friday, July 20, 2012 in Denver. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded movie theater at a midnight opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)
(Credit: Sky News)
(Credit: Sky News)
(Credit: Sky News)
(Credit: Sky News)
Police are pictured outside of a Century 16 movie theatre where as many as 12 people were killed and many injured at a shooting during the showing of a movie at the in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Police are pictured outside of a Century 16 movie theatre where as many as 12 people were killed and many injured at a shooting during the showing of a movie at the in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates talks to media at Aurora Mall where as many as 12 people were killed and many injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates talks to media at the Aurora Mall where as many as 14 people were killed and many injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Police are pictured outside of a Century 16 movie theatre where as many as 12 people were killed and many injured at a shooting during the showing of a movie at the in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Police are pictured outside of a Century 16 movie theatre where as many as 12 people were killed and many injured at a shooting during the showing of a movie at the in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
People gather outside the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., at the scene of a mass shooting early Friday morning, July 20, 2012. Police Chief Dan Oates says 12 people are dead following the shooting at the suburban Denver movie theater. He says 50 others were injured when gunfire erupted early Friday at the Aurora theater. Oates says a gunman appeared at the front of one of the Century 16 theaters. <em>Photo Credit: Karl Gehring, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/exposure/" target="_hplink">Denver Post</a>. </em> / AP
(Photo credit: 7NewsMorning/Twitter)
(Photo credit: 7NewsMorning/Twitter)
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(Photo credit: 7NewsMorning/Twitter)
(Photo credit: Brandon Rittiman/Twitter)
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/28/aurora-shooter-death-sentence-decision_n_2970209.html
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The Towerlight ? New family, same Seder
Freshman Stephanie Lande has never spent Passover away from her family. However, since she?s from New York, Lande wasn?t able to return home to celebrate with her family this year.
?It?s a little hard because I?m not with family but at the same time it?s a new experience,? the occupational therapy major said.
Lande didn?t allow her distance from home stop her from celebrating Passover, a Jewish holiday composed of two dinners known as Seders during which members of the Jewish faith remember their ancestors? escape from Egypt.
?It?s a holiday in which you spend time with family and it?s hard not eating by their side but at the same time like you?re remembering what your ancestors and everyone else went through to get you the freedom that you currently have,? Lande said.
For first-time college students, observing Passover away from their families may seem intimidating, but Lande said this year she was able to celebrate with friends, friends whom she calls her ?second family.?
During the first Seder Monday, March 25, Lande went home with her friend, freshman Maggy Kay.
?It was good because it was a new experience and I felt very welcome, very comfortable there,? Lande said. ?Even though I wasn?t with my family, I felt personally welcome with her family.?
Kay, an elementary and special education major, said that she considers Passover a home-oriented holiday and welcomed Lande to her home.
?It is really a family holiday,? she said. ?You don?t really go to services.?
Though she went home for the first night of Seder, Kay said it would be too difficult to work around classes to go home on both nights.
?I think it will be different but I think it will be interesting to see how other people experience Seder,? Kay said.
Both Kay and Lande participated in Hillel?s observation of second Seder. They said that they feel Hillel, a college-campus- based Jewish organization, has become a support group for them.
About 10 percent of Towson?s student population is Jewish, according to Towson Hillel?s website, and Lande said new students should not be afraid to find friends with whom they can share events like Passover.
?If you want to join a group such as Shabbat or Hillel, you should because they?ll be your second family and they?ll always be there for you no matter what,? she said.
Source: http://www.thetowerlight.com/2013/03/new-family-same-seder/
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Ind. voucher ruling could set national precedent
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the nation's broadest school voucher program in a ruling supporters say could set a national precedent as other states look to build or expand programs that use public money to allow students to attend private schools.
The state's highest court unanimously upheld a 2011 law providing vouchers for low- and middle-income families and cleared the way for an expansion being debated in the Indiana Statehouse. But more importantly, it could settle the case law for other states where voucher programs face legal challenges, supporters contend.
"I think it will be incredibly influential," said Bert Gall, senior attorney for the Washington-based Institute for Justice, who helped defend the Indiana law.
The Indiana voucher program, passed by the Legislature in 2011, is the most sweeping in the nation and the biggest test yet of the conservative Republican idea that giving families choice creates a greater incentive for public schools to improve. Unlike voucher programs in other states, which are limited to poor families and failing school districts, the Indiana program is open to a much broader range of people, including parents with household incomes of up to nearly $64,000 for a family of four.
Jeff Reed, spokesman for the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, said 530,000 Indiana students qualify for vouchers, although only 9,000 currently receive them. Public school officials fear the eventual loss of thousands of students, especially those from the middle class, along with the state money that comes with them.
The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program is the nation's largest in terms of actual enrollment. That program, enacted in 1990, had 24,027 participants this school year, Reed said.
The U.S. Supreme Court kicked the fight over school vouchers to the states in a split 2002 ruling, in which conservative members led by then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist said vouchers do not violate the U.S. Constitution's clause separating church and state. That left supporters and opponents to fight over whether school voucher laws violated similar clauses in state constitutions.
Indiana joins states like Louisiana and Wisconsin, where voucher or voucher-style laws have been upheld. But Arizona and Florida's courts have ruled against vouchers, and the issue remains to be resolved in other states.
Supporters say the Indiana ruling could influence courts in other states because the Indiana constitution contains a clause copied by many states in the mid-1800s in an effort to bar public aid for Catholic schools. The so-called "Blaine Amendment" was meant at the time to keep public money flowing to Protestant-dominated public schools.
That means the Indiana ruling could apply anywhere with a "Blaine" law, Gall said.
"For us, and for the Indiana Supreme Court, the Blaine Amendment in Indiana basically prevented spending for the benefit of religious institutions. And the Indiana Supreme Court said 'No, this is spending for the benefit of parents and students,'" he said.
Opponents downplayed Tuesday's ruling. Brenda Pike, executive director of the Indiana State Teachers Association and a lead plaintiff in the case, said the group now considers vouchers settled law in Indiana. But, she added, Indiana's borders are where the ruling's impact ends.
"This was a specific Indiana constitutional law question," Pike said. "We went through the court system in Indiana, not any federal court system."
Lawyers for national groups who argued against the Indiana law deferred questions to ISTA on Tuesday.
Solicitor General Thomas Fisher, who defended the law before the state Supreme Court in November, told the justices then that parents were free to send their children to any school they wished, public or private, religious or not.
The court agreed with that, saying in a 22-page opinion written by Chief Justice Brent Dickson that the program primarily benefited parents, not schools, because it gave parents the choice in their children's education.
Dickson also rejected school voucher opponents' claims that the state constitution requires a public school system, saying lawmakers have broad discretion in how children are educated.
State School Superintendent Glenda Ritz joined the lawsuit while campaigning last year but removed her name from the list of plaintiffs shortly after winning office.
"As State Superintendent, I will follow the court's ruling and faithfully administer Indiana's voucher program," she said in a statement. "However, I personally believe that public dollars should go to public schools, and I encourage Hoosiers to send that message to their representatives in the Statehouse."
There is still some question about how popular the vouchers are in Indiana. Voters elected Ritz over former Republican Schools Superintendent Tony Bennett, long the state's most visible supporter of vouchers. But they also awarded a supermajority to House Republicans, who have pushed for a sweeping expansion of vouchers this year.
The expansion bill is awaiting action in the state Senate, where there have been concerns about its cost and whether the Legislature should start making exceptions to the 2011 compromise that then-Gov. Mitch Daniels touted as giving public schools a chance to win over students and parents.
___
Associated Press reporters Pam Engel and Tom Davies in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ind-school-voucher-ruling-could-influence-others-215638707.html
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Survivor Caramoan Episode 7 Recap
We begin our Survivor Caramoan Episode 7 recap on Night 16. The Bikal Tribe returns from Tribal Council after giving super-fan Matt the boot. Corrine talks with Michael about booting Phillip next. Phillip sees them chatting and tells Cochran that Corrine needs to go next. Will this conflict lead to more division within Bikal? Day 17 and tree-mail arrives at Bikal. The message includes a passage about ?the strong carrying the weak.? Phillip begins thumping his chest about how mighty he is. Cochran plays along as Phillip challenges the wimp to arm wrestle, but nerd-boy thinks Phillip is going insane. The Reward Challenge is an old favorite. Each tribe is tethered to one another and all are carrying a 20lb sack of sand. The tribes begin on opposite sides of an oval race track off shore in shallow water. The tribe which overtakes the other wins a coffee feast with plenty of sugary treats. He-Man Phillip leads Bikal while Gota puts all of their Alpha males, like Erik, Malcolm, Reynold and Eddie, up front. Gota is barely trying and still quickly begins to close on Bikal. Phillip cannot run and is tired, probably from arm wrestling the Mighty Cochran. Dawn [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/E_DKs4D1F8Y/
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বুধবার, ২৭ মার্চ, ২০১৩
San Francisco Sex Study: New Survey Reveals Our Prudish Tendencies (PHOTOS)
Between live S&M demonstrations in a historic armory and bedazzling vibrator contests, San Franciscans are nothing if not sex positive.
Which is why we were utterly shocked to learn that our local women are less sexually experienced than their counterparts in other cities. According to a recent survey by sugar daddy dating service SeekingArrangement.com (yes, that is actually a thing), one in ten San Francisco women admitted to still being a virgin. Quite a bit higher than the national average, say the report's authors.
Then again, a similar study -- this time by America's most trusted condom brand -- found us all to be a bunch of free-wheeling, polyamorous sex addicts. So you be the judge.
In the mean time, we've rounded up the best places in the city to lose one's virginity. Just in case those sugar daddies are on to something.
Also on HuffPost:
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AP PHOTOS: Images from Holy Week around the world
AP PHOTOS: Images from Holy Week around the world
By The Associated Press?
?By The Associated PressFaithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, encouraging people to be humble and young at heart, as tens of thousands joyfully waved olive branches and palm fronds. The square overflowed with some 250,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans eager to join the new pope at the start of solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity's most important day. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
Faithful gather in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, encouraging people to be humble and young at heart, as tens of thousands joyfully waved olive branches and palm fronds. The square overflowed with some 250,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans eager to join the new pope at the start of solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity's most important day. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
Pope Francis kisses a baby after celebrating his first Palm Sunday Mass, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, encouraging people to be humble and young at heart, as tens of thousands joyfully waved olive branches and palm fronds. The square overflowed with some 250,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans eager to join the new pope at the start of solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity's most important day (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Palm Sunday mass, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Faithful listen to Pope Francis' message during his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, encouraging people to be humble and young at heart, as tens of thousands joyfully waved olive branches and palm fronds.The square overflowed with some 250,000 pilgrims, tourists and Romans eager to join the new pope at the start of solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity's most important day. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Catholic priests carry palm fronds at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem's Old city, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Palm Sunday marks for Christians, Jesus Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, when his followers laid palm branches in his path, prior to his crucifixion. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
Pope Francis leans over to kiss a baby after celebrating his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. Penitents in white robes and pointed white hats wait outside a church before a procession in Seville, Spain. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a woman grasps palm fronds and a rosary while praying during an outdoor Mass at an earthquake-damaged cathedral.
Here are some of the images from Holy Week:
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Happy Monday!
Tilda Swinton Sleeps in a Glass Box?[The Frisky] Justin Timberlake Gets Wasted on TV?[HollyWire] Pink Comforts Crying Girl During Concert?[Right Celebrity] Snooki Celebrates Lorenzo’s Baptism?[The Celebrity Cafe] Kate Upton Accepts a Prom Proposal??[The Blemish] David Beckham Unveils New Tatt in China?[The Huffington Post] Amanda Knox Heading Back to Court??[Celeb Dirty Laundry] Jesse James Gets Hitched ...
Happy Monday! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/happy-monday-21/
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সোমবার, ২৫ মার্চ, ২০১৩
There are now over 50,000 apps available for Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT in the M...
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Kerry warns Iraq on Iran flights to Syria
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, second right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, arrives to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, not pictured, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool)
BAGHDAD (AP) ? The U.S. has made clear that Iraq shouldn't allow Iran to use its airspace to ship weapons and fighters to Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters Sunday during an unannounced trip to Baghdad.
Following private discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Kerry said the two had a "very spirited discussion" on the subject of Iranian overflights. The U.S. believes the Iranian shipments are aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad and undermining Western-backed opposition groups.
"I made it very clear that for those of us who are engaged in an effort to see President Assad step down ... anything that supports President Assad is problematic," Kerry said.
Kerry also said that U.S. lawmakers and the American people are "increasingly watching what Iraq is doing and wondering how it is a partner."
In the absence of a complete ban on flights, the U.S. would at least like the planes to land and be inspected in Iraq to ensure that they are carrying humanitarian supplies. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton secured a pledge from Iraq to inspect the flights last year, but since then only two aircraft have been checked by Iraqi authorities, according to U.S. officials.
The overflights have long been a source of contention between the U.S. and Iraq and Kerry will tell the Iraqis that allowing them to continue will make the situation in Syria worse and ultimately threaten Iraq's stability.
One senior U.S. official said the sheer number of overflights, which occur "close to daily," along with shipments trucked to Syria from Iran through Iraq, was inconsistent with claims they are only carrying humanitarian supplies. The official said it was in Iraq's interest to prevent the situation in Syria from deteriorating further, particularly as there are fears that al-Qaida-linked extremists may gain a foothold in the country as the Assad regime falters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to publicly preview Kerry's meetings, said there are clear links between al-Qaida linked extremists operating in Syria and militants who are also carrying out terrorist attacks in Iraqi territory with increasing regularity.
A group of fighters in Syria known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest suicide bombings against regime and military facilities and, as a result, has gained popularity among some rebels.
Kerry will tell al-Maliki, a Shiite with close ties to Iran, that Iraq cannot be part of the political discussion about Syria's future until it clamps down on the Iranian shipments, the senior official said.
As Iraq approaches provincial elections next month, Kerry will also stress the importance of ensuring that all elements of society feel enfranchised, the official said. A recent decision to delay the polls in Anbar and Nineveh provinces is a "serious setback" to Iraq's democratic institutions and should be revisited, the official said.
In addition to al-Maliki, Kerry saw Iraqi parliament speaker parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, whose faction is at odds with Maliki's Shiia. Kerry also spoke by phone with Massoud Barzani, the head of the Kurdish Regional Government based in Irbil to encourage the Kurds not go ahead with unilateral actions - especially involving oil, like a pipeline deal with Turkey.
He will stress the "importance of maintaining the unity of Iraq," say that "separate efforts undercut the unity of the country" and that "the Kurdish republic cannot survive financially without the support of Baghdad," the official said.
Kerry's arrival came just three days after the anniversary of the U.S.-led war that began on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike on Dora Farms in southern Baghdad in a failed attempt to kill Hussein.
The invasion and toppling of Hussein sparked years of bloodshed as Sunni and Shiite militants battled U.S. forces and each other, leaving nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead.
Violence has ebbed sharply since the peak of Sunni-Shiite fighting that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. But insurgents are still able to stage high-profile attacks, and sectarian and ethnic rivalries remain threats to the country's long-term stability.
Earlier this week, an al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility nearly 20 attacks that killed 65 people across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Islamic State of Iraq said it unleashed the car bombs and other explosions to avenge the executions and "massacres" of convicted Sunni inmates held in Iraqi prisons. Its claim came on the 10th anniversary of the start of the war, although it made no reference to the significance of the date.
Kerry arrived in Baghdad from Amman, where he had been accompanying President Barack Obama on his tour of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. His visit to Iraq is the first by a U.S. secretary of state since Clinton went in April 2009. During Obama's first term, the Iraq portfolio was largely delegated to Vice President Joe Biden.
Since Clinton's trip, the American diplomatic presence in Iraq has shrunk dramatically, most significantly since U.S. ended military operations in late 2011, according to officials. A year ago, there were 16,000 State Department employees and contractors in the country. As of Kerry's visit, that number had declined to 10,500 and it will drop to 5,100 by the end of 2013, officials said.
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Brook Trout Fishing Locations
If you have never been fishing for brook trout, then you are missing out on one of North America's most storied sport fish. Brook trout are actually in the salmon family, and are more closely related to lake trout, bull trout, and arctic char than to the other common trout species in North America like the rainbow or cutthroat trout. Brook trout are native to the Northeastern US and Canada, but since have been transplanted throughout the world. They are voracious fighters, and are very beautiful once caught. Spawning brook trout have the majestic appearance of spawning salmon, with the males wielding kyped jaws and bright red bellies.
Native brook trout habitat involves cooler water systems in the Northeastern US and Canada. They prefer spring fed rivers and streams, as well as higher elevation lakes. They are very common in waterways throughout the Appalachian mountains. In the last 50 years, they have been transplanted to the west as far as California, and even to other countries in the world. They have a low tolerance for warm waters, and are also negatively effected by changing pH, so areas of high amounts of acid rain will effect the population of brook trout.
There are many different brook trout fishing locations. Maine and its adjacent provincial neighbors in Canada are excellent locations to fish for brook trout. This is where this species of fish is native, and so the spawning patterns have been well established. But brook trout can also thrive in beaver ponds in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Other western lakes and rivers have been introduced to brook trout, and boast thriving populations as well.Make sure that you have the right gear when planning a brook trout fishing trip. If you are a fly fisherman, make sure that you pick up high quality fly rods and fishing reels for sale. You will be glad you did when you hook your first brookie and it takes off on a long run!
Source: http://fishing.ezinemark.com/brook-trout-fishing-locations-7d38757e61db.html
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Same-sex marriage's big day in court: What's at stake?
J. David Ake / AP
Bundled against the cold in Washington, people wait in line Friday so they can get into the Supreme Court for oral arguments next week on challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8.
By Miranda Leitsinger, Staff Writer, NBC News
It's going to be a big week for the Supreme Court as justices hear two landmark same-sex marriage cases on consecutive days.
One is a challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (more commonly known as DOMA), which bars federal?recognition of same-sex marriages. The other is a challenge of California's Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage that was approved by voters in 2008.
Here are answers to some of the key questions being asked about these cases -- which could have huge implications for hundreds of thousands of gay families, dozens of state laws and even the national political landscape.
Why is the Supreme Court hearing these cases now?
The Prop. 8 case and several different challenges to DOMA have slowly wound through lower courts over the years. Observers predicted justices would take one of the DOMA challenges but they didn't expect them to grab the Prop. 8 case, too. The thinking is that the justices feel it?s time to address the question of same-sex marriage, so they now have a state and a federal challenge (interestingly, the DOMA case they selected, United States v. Windsor, was the newest of the bunch).
Why are they being heard so close together?
The cases are related because they both address whether gays and lesbians have the right to wed. The federal case is more focused on the benefits that same-sex couples are denied under the Defense of Marriage Act, while Prop. 8 centers around the right to marry. Ultimately, though, gay marriage supporters say they are both about whether gays and lesbians are treated differently because of their sexual orientation.
Could the Supreme Court legalize gay marriage everywhere?
Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, one of two gay couples fighting to strike down California's ban on gay marriage will have their case heard Tuesday at the Supreme Court.
The court can go many ways in its ruling in the California case. It could maintain the narrow focus that a federal court had in overturning Prop. 8, when it ruled that a fundamental right like marriage can't be granted and then taken away (couples were briefly allowed to wed in 2008 in the Golden State before voters approved Prop. 8, ending the practice).
Alternatively, the high court could say state prohibitions of same-sex marriage are unconstitutional,?opening the door for gays and lesbians to wed in states where that's banned. Another possibility is that the justices could overturn the lower court's decision and reinstate the ban on gay marriage.
They could also say the group bringing the challenge doesn?t have standing. Yeah, that?s a lot of possibilities.
In the DOMA case, the justices also could address the constitutionality of gay marriage or they could find that the federal government should not be in the marriage business at all and instead leave that up to states to regulate.
If I?m a married gay couple, should I be worried that one of these rulings could affect my marriage?
Edie Windsor describes her 44-year relationship with same-sex spouse Thea Spyer, and how Spyer's death inspired her to fight for gay marriage rights in a case that will be heard in the Supreme Court Wednesday.
No. It's highly unlikely the Supreme Court would make any ruling that negatively affects laws permitting same-sex marriage in the nine states plus the District of Columbia that allow gays and lesbians to wed. There?s mostly just upsides for already-wed couples.
For example, if the court decides DOMA is unconstitutional, couples would then receive all of the benefits that have been denied to them under that federal law, such as the right to file joint taxes, the protections of the Family Medical and Leave Act, and the ability of surviving spouses to access veterans? benefits. Edie Windsor, the DOMA plaintiff, said she had to pay some $363,000 in federal estate taxes after her wife died, a bill that she wouldn't have had if they were a heterosexual couple.
Could ministers be forced to preside over gay weddings?
It does not seem so. At this point, most of the laws allowing same-sex marriages or civil unions provide exceptions for religious institutions that object to the ceremonies (New Jersey's civil unions bill does not have such a provision but the state's attorney general has given a clear opinion that such groups would be). This is a key area of concern often expressed by opponents of same-sex marriage.?
What about civil unions? Why can't states just have those instead of same-sex marriages?
Well, six states do, and other states, like California, allow for domestic partnerships (these often guarantee the same rights and responsibilities as marriage). The Obama administration, in a legal argument it submitted calling for the end of Prop. 8, said creating such a parallel system was only meant to deny the ?marriage? label and was therefore discriminatory against gays and lesbians. Opponents say these kinds of legal arrangements help preserve traditional marriage while giving gays and lesbians a path to be legally recognized as a couple.
I'm confused: civil unions, domestic partnerships, same-sex marriages?
Yes, a patchwork of state laws and constitutional amendments govern marriage across the country.?
What does the anti-gay marriage camp argue?
They say the tradition of marriage is thousands of years old and defines a male-female union. They also argue that the state has an interest in promoting traditional families, and that procreation can only happen between a man and a woman. Finally, they say decisions about who can marry should be left up to the voters, not judges or lawmakers.
When are we going to hear from the justices?
In June, stay tuned.
I feel like a lot has been going on around these issues the last month or so. Is that right?
Yes, with the Supreme Court deadlines to file legal briefs in the cases, dozens of businesses, scholars, health experts, religious groups, gay and lesbian advocacy organizations, NFL players and the Obama administration have weighed in.
More than 131 Republicans, almost all out of office and some who once opposed same-sex marriage, submitted their argument on why gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed. Former President Bill Clinton recently penned an op-ed saying DOMA, which he signed into law, was unconstitutional and should be repealed. Days later, Hillary Clinton publicly announced her support for gay marriage, with some observers suggesting this may signal her presidential ambitions for the 2016 campaign.
Any idea how the justices will go?
Nothing is for sure (look at last year's health care decision), though pundits believe Justice Anthony Kennedy could be the swing vote. Some observers think DOMA's days as federal law could be over, but what the justices decide to do with Proposition 8 -- the California gay marriage ban -- is impossible to predict.
Related:
Gay rights timeline: Key dates in the fight for equality
Couples leading Prop. 8 fight: We are very excited to have the end in sight
Rush to the altar: Public figures proclaim support for gay marriage before Supreme Court arguments
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