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মঙ্গলবার, ২ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Early returns show losses for Georgia ruling party

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili leaves a voting booth at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Georgians vote during Parliamentary Election at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, overlooked by a bust of Georgian scientist mathematician Nikoloz (Niko) Muskhelishvili. Voters in Georgia are voting in a heated parliamentary election Monday that will decide the future of Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili speaks to the media at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Georgia's billionaire and opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili prays in a church in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Georgy Abdaladze)

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, left, is helped by his son Nikoloz for casting his ballot as his wife Sandra Roelofs stands beside at a polling station in Tbilisi Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) ? Early returns and exit polls in a heated parliamentary election show that Georgian voters have turned against President Mikhail Saakashvili and the party that has been in power for almost nine years.

Saakashvili acknowledged that the popular vote on Monday went to the opposition Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose supporters in the capital celebrated throughout the night.

But the president insisted that his party would retain its majority in parliament since nearly half of the seats are chosen in separate direct elections.

The outcome will determine the future of Saakashvili's pro-Western government because of a constitutional reform that goes into effect next year giving the parliament greater powers at the expense of the presidency.

If Saakashvili's party loses, it would be the first time in Georgia's post-Soviet history that a government has been changed not through revolution but at the ballot box.

Emotions were running high, and many feared that opposition supporters could turn angry if their victory proved short-lived. Both sides, however, are under pressure to prove their commitment to democracy and have promised to respect the results if the election receives the approval of international observers.

The Central Election Commission said a hacker attack on its website had delayed the release of the results. With 10 percent of precincts counted early Tuesday, Georgian Dream was leading in the popular vote for party list with 57 percent to 38 percent for Saakashvili's United National Movement.

An exit poll conducted by Edison Research gave a clear edge to the opposition, while a second by GfK had them running even but with 30 percent of people surveyed refusing to say how they voted. These polls, however, only registered the vote based on party lists, which is used to elect 77 of parliament's 150 members.

The remaining 73 members are directly elected by majority vote in their constituencies, where the president's party is considered to have the advantage in this mountainous nation of 4.5 million people on the Black Sea.

Speaking on television shortly after the polls closed, Saakashvili agreed that the opposition had won the party list vote, largely on the strength of its support in Tbilisi, the capital. Still, he insisted his party was far ahead in the direct elections in individual districts and would retain its majority in parliament.

He called on both sides to work together and leave behind a campaign that was "tense, emotional and unfortunately often dirty."

Georgian Dream, however, said its exit poll showed it would win a majority of the parliament seats.

Tbilisi resounded late into the night with car horns and cheering as Georgian Dream supporters celebrated. Thousands gathered on Freedom Square, where they opened bottles of wine, sang songs and hugged one another. Cars drove through the city with young men hanging out of the windows and sunroofs, waving the party's blue flags.

Under Saakashvili, the former Soviet republic has aligned itself with the United States, while striving to join the European Union and NATO.

Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, has said he would pursue these strategic goals while also seeking to restore the ties with Moscow that were severed when the two neighboring countries fought a brief war in 2008 over two breakaway Georgian provinces.

Saakashvili has accused Ivanishvili of serving Kremlin interests and intending to put Georgia back under Russian domination, which the opposition leader has denied.

Saakashvili's campaign was hit hard by the release two weeks ago of shocking videos showing prisoners in a Tbilisi jail being beaten and sodomized. The government moved quickly to stem the anger, replacing Cabinet ministers blamed for the abuse and arresting prison staff, but many saw the videos as illustrating the excesses of his government.

The U.S. ambassador joined in the calls for a peaceful election.

"I encourage the public to remain calm, have faith and be patient while all the results are counted and any challenges are properly evaluated," Ambassador Richard Norland said.

The opposition party had complained of violations during the campaign. Party spokeswoman Maia Panjikidze reported some isolated problems Monday but said the voting had been reasonably calm.

Ivanishvili expressed confidence earlier Monday that his opposition coalition would win.

"For the first time in Georgian history the Georgian people are managing to conduct really democratic elections," he said.

Many in the opposition accuse Saakashvili of authoritarian rule.

"Without a doubt, Saakashvili and all of his people should leave," said Mamuka Gigienishvili, a 55-year-old physicist who voted in Tbilisi. "We have had enough of him acting like a czar."

She said the ruling party "labeled anyone with a different opinion a traitor ... as if only they were able to lead the country in the right direction."

But Veriko Berishvili, a 49-year-old small business owner, noted all that Saakashvili had done to reform Georgia since coming to power. She specifically named the disbanding of the corrupt traffic police and creation of a modern force.

"I think we should allow this team to fulfill its promises: to improve the situation in agriculture, decide the problem of joblessness, universal health insurance," she said. "Now all of this is being handled by Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili. Look at his baby, the police force. It is the best in the former Soviet Union."

Saakashvili has taken a zero-tolerance approach to crime, which has eradicated petty corruption and made the streets safe again. The flip side has been a huge increase in the prison population and the power of prosecutors.

He also enacted reforms and attracted foreign investment that together has produced dramatic economic growth. Poverty and unemployment rates, however, remain high.

Saakashvili came to power after anger over a rigged parliamentary election in November 2003 led to the Rose Revolution and the ouster of Eduard Shevardnadze, who had taken power in 1992 after a military coup. Saakashvili won a presidential election in January 2004 and was re-elected four years later. His United National Movement won 119 of the 150 parliament seats in the 2008 election.

Monday's vote sets in motion a change that will reduce the powers of the presidency. The party that wins the majority in parliament will name the prime minister. When Saakashvili's second and last presidential term ends next year, many of the president's powers will be transferred to the prime minister.

If Saakashvili's party wins on Monday, he has said he does not intend to become prime minister. Such a job swap would bring unwelcome comparisons to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ivanishvili is not running for a seat in parliament, but has said that if his Georgian Dream coalition wins he would serve as prime minister at least for a year or two to put his team in place.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-01-Georgia-Parliamentary%20Election/id-32c435de86484b0cb57f64f8183a69ba

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India's Kingfisher walks a tightrope on labor unrest

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Kingfisher Airlines Ltd , controlled by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, cancelled all flights through Thursday because of labor unrest and was ordered by the aviation regulator to submit a revival plan before it can fly again.

The heavily indebted airline, which has been months behind on salary payments, saw its operations come to a grinding halt on Monday after disgruntled engineers responsible for aircraft safety checks threatened other employees reporting to work.

While protests by frustrated Kingfisher employees and flight cancellations are not new, the latest episode will undermine confidence about the airline's viability at a time when the former No.2 carrier by market share is seeking fresh funds to stay aloft.

"Right now the best thing for Mallya would be to close the airline completely, get his act together, make a restructuring plan, see where he can money to invest in it, negotiate with foreign investors and then come out with a brand new plan of action in front of him," said Rajan Mehra, the India head of U.S.-based private jet operator Universal Aviation, and an aviation expert.

Kingfisher is struggling under a $1.4 billion debt load after borrowing heavily to expand its fleet. Banks have refused to lend Kingfisher more money unless it can secure new capital from investors.

As of February, State Bank of India , the country's top lender, had an exposure of 14.08 billion rupees ($267.55 million) to Kingfisher. No. 2 state-run lender Punjab National Bank was owed 7.04 billion rupees, while IDBI Bank Ltd had an exposure of 6.96 billion rupees.

Kingfisher is in talks with a couple of airlines for investment and hoped discussions would conclude in three months, the aviation regulator said on Tuesday.

Last month, India allowed foreign airlines to buy stakes of up to 49 percent in local carriers, a long-awaited policy move lobbied for by Kingfisher and seen as providing a lifeline to the country's debt-laden operators.

'WILLING TO WORK'

"We just need relief for our families. Even if they clear salaries for a couple of months, we will be willing to work," said a Mumbai-based senior ground staff.

"We are loyal to the company. That is why we stayed on despite all the issues."

Kingfisher is in talks with employees and will make a call on lifting the partial lockout on Thursday, Chief Executive Sanjay Aggarwal told reporters after a meeting with the country's aviation regulator on Tuesday.

The airline said it plans to use 600 million rupees ($11.40 million) in frozen bank accounts to pay employee salaries.

"There is no permanent grounding," said Prakash Mirpuri, a Kingfisher spokesman. "We have every intention to restart our operations in a few days after we sort out our employee discipline issues."

The aviation regulator said the airline would require its nod to restart operations.

The regulator warned on Monday that it would not allow Kingfisher to fly if safety rules were violated.

Kingfisher, which has never made a profit since its inception in 2005, had already grounded most of its fleet.

Shares in Kingfisher fell 4.95 percent, their daily limit, to 15.35 rupees on Monday. Markets are closed on Tuesday for a local holiday. ($1 = 52.6250 Indian rupees)

(Additional reporting by Nandita Bose and Himank Sharma in MUMBAI, Andy Mukherjee in SINGAPORE; Editing by Ryan Woo)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indias-kingfisher-walks-tightrope-labor-unrest-112304559--sector.html

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Will Pot Become Legal? - Reason.com

Judging from recent history, any young person who aspires to be president should be aware that certain attributes seem to be critical. You have to be male. You have to have an Ivy League degree. You have to have been a governor or senator. And, don't forget, you have to have smoked marijuana.

সোমবার, ১ অক্টোবর, ২০১২

Sennheiser Momentum

We can add another pair to the emerging category of stunning, mobile headphone designs that Bowers & Wilkins and Harman Kardon have helped to define in recent months. But something feels different about the $349.95 (direct) Sennheiser Momentum?it stands out not only from the beautifully designed, high-performance crowd, but also from Sennheiser's own vast lineup of high-quality headphones, which tend to feature a no-nonsense pro-gear aesthetic. The iPhone-friendly Momentum combines beautiful leather, stainless steel, and unique design traits with a frequency response geared towards audiophiles seeking both flat response and attention to lower, sub-bass frequencies. It's expensive, but still manages to win our Editors' Choice award.

Design
The Sennheiser Momentum is a closed, circumaural (over-the-ear) design that fits snugly around the ears. One reason the Momentum stands out from the luxury-oriented headphone crowd is that, unlike the Harman Kardon CL or the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile Hi-Fi Headphones , it uses brown?leather and accents instead of black.

The matte, grayish-brown outer panels of the earcups are contrasted with a shiny stainless steel headband, a gleaming Sennheiser logo, and beautiful brown leather on top of the headband. Like the Harman Kardon CL, the Momentum takes a new approach to headbands, with the ear cushions, not the band itself, being the mobile part of the equation, sliding up and down the lower portion of the band. The ear cushions, also covered in brown leather, are supple and exceedingly comfortable.

The included cables?one with a microphone and iPhone/iOS remote controls for playback, volume, and making calls, and one with no controls at all?are removable and thus replaceable, adding some serious value. Since cables are usually the first part of headphones to go bad, while the drivers are likely still in solid working order, being able to replace a cable often means not having to pay for repairs or replacements.

The cable with the iPhone controls includes a pivoting hinge at the base of the 3.5mm connector, which allows you to adjust the angle at which the cable is pointed. This is useful for when the sound source?say an iPhone?is in a bag or coat pocket, and you want the cable pointing in a different direction than the iPhone is positioned. Not an earth-shattering development in cable technology, but it's a thoughtful design touch that makes the Momentum feel special. Sennheiser Momentum

Another nice touch is the sturdy brown zip-up case for the headphones. Despite its beauty, however, is its bulk. The Momentum cannot fold flat?this may be one of its few design shortcomings since it is clearly intended to be used with mobile devices. Regardless, the interior of the case is well built, with a Velcro removable cover to hold the extra cable and included ?-inch adapter in place. The Momentum looks, feels, and sounds like what I imagine the design team at Philips was hoping to achieve with the Citiscape Uptown . To be fair, the Philips pair is less than half the price of the Momentum.

Performance
Sennheiser has always been great at providing a sense of power in the lower frequencies without boosting the hell out of them like so many current competitors do. (I'm looking at you, Monster Beats by Dr. Dre.) That's why many Sennheiser pairs make great reference headphones for recording?you get an accurate sense of the lower frequencies, even sub-bass sounds, without things getting muddy or unbalanced. The Momentum continues this tradition.

I can't say I prefer the overall audio performance to the awe-inspiring beauty of the?Sennheiser HD 558?, but that pair benefits from an open design that adds a heightened sense of spatial presence?and its bulk comes at the cost of its mobility. The HD 558 has no phone controls and is intended for use with home stereos, not walking around town. The Momentum, however, leaves little to complain about?while it lacks the spatial depth of the HD 558, it provides a better overall balance of the frequency range.

On deep bass tracks like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the low frequency electronic bass drum resonates powerfully, but never overwhelms the balance of the overall mix. Importantly, there isn't a hint of distortion on deep bass tracks, even at maximum volumes?levels that no one should be listening at, of course, but a relevant test of what the drivers can withstand.

Instrumental and classical tracks sound fantastic. On John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," the mids and highs are perfectly represented?never harsh, never dull, never too bright, painting an accurate picture of the higher register strings and brass. On this same track, the Harman Kardon CL delivers a slightly more robust bass response, but its highs sound more pinched and nasal in a head-to-head comparison?far less natural than the Momentum. (To be fair, the CL is also $150 less expensive.)

When the lower register strings come in, the Momentum's bass response does not overwhelm, nor does it dissolve in the mix. The lower register brass instruments, with their pulsating pattern, have just the right balance of low-mids and crisp high-mids to deliver a menacing growl. In the era of bass-heavy headphones, the Momentum is far more focused on balance.

Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" is another strong beneficiary of the measured approach to the lower frequencies, with the pumping beat shaped far more by its treble-heavy attack than by the low frequenices, while softer, more resonant bass synths underneath the loop receive just the right amount of depth.

Generally speaking, the Momentum is ideal for focusing on content in the high-mids, like vocals, without losing any sense of the powerful bass sounds that often lurk beneath the surface of modern mixes from artists like Radiohead or PJ Harvey. Bill Callahan's track, "Drover," is delivered with an ideal balance between the thunderous potential of the percussion and his unique baritone vocals.

The Sennheiser Momentum delivers something very close to the flat response most audiophiles seek out in speakers and headphones, yet Sennheiser knows this doesn't need to mean the absence of exciting, sub bass frequencies?it just means the bass can't own the mix.

The Harman Kardon CL offers up a bit more low frequency response, if that is what you prefer, and the Bowers & Wilkins P5 and the more affordable B&W P3? have a less obvious focus on the high frequencies than the Momentum does. All of these headphones offer quality sound signatures. The Momentum, however, both visually and sonically, is a standout in this group. It's a tad chunky for a pair intended for mobile use, and it's the priciest of the bunch, but it sounds sublime, and earns our Editors' Choice award.

More Headphone Reviews:
??? Sennheiser Momentum
??? Logitech UE 900
??? Bose SIE2i
??? Apple EarPods
??? Panasonic RP-HC200
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/KW8HxMQUDuI/0,2817,2410215,00.asp

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Iran touts domestic Internet as Gmail ban rankles

TEHRAN (AP) ? Iranian officials announced that they would soon introduce local alternatives to Google and its Gmail e-mail service, even as the country's media and even some officials stepped up complaints over Tehran's decision to enact a ban on Gmail in response to an anti-Islam film, newspapers reported on Sunday.

Last week, Iran blocked Gmail -- but not the search engine of the parent company Google -- in response to a court order linked to the distribution of a low-budget, U.S.-produced film on YouTube, also owned by Google.

In a country with 32 million Internet users out of a population of 75 million, according to official statistics, that ban has caused widespread resentment. Even many pro-government newspapers have complained of the disruptions.

"Some problems have emerged through the blocking of Gmail," Hussein Garrousi, a member of a parliamentary committee on industry, was quoted Sunday by the independent Aftab daily as saying. He said that parliament would summon the minister of telecommunications for questioning if the ban was not lifted.

The deputy minister, Ali Hakim Javadi, told reporters that Iranian authorities were considering lifting the Gmail ban, but also wanted to introduce their own domestic alternatives: the Fakhr ("Pride") search engine and the Fajr ("Dawn") e-mail services, Aftab reported.

Iran's clerical establishment has long signaled its intent to get citizens off of the international Internet, which they say promotes Western values, and onto a "national" and "clean" domestic network. But it is unclear whether Iran has the technical capacity to follow through on its ambitious plans, or is willing to risk the economic damage.

Bans on Gmail and other services like YouTube and Facebook have left Internet users scrambling to find ways to bypass the blocks.

On Saturday, Asr-e Ertebat weekly reported that Iranians had paid a total of 4.5 million US dollars to purchase proxy services to reach blocked sites over the past month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-touts-domestic-internet-gmail-ban-rankles-120009578.html

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Slingbox 350 and 500 show up unannounced in Best Buy, flaunt 1080p and built-in WiFi

You might say Dave Zatz just had a happy accident. While he was hunting for the as yet unofficial Logitech Harmony Touch in Best Buy, he discovered the Slingbox 350 and 500 -- two more living room gadgets that have yet to receive an official introduction. The placeshifting hubs both look to be major improvements over the aging Slingbox Pro HD and Solo, making 1080p streaming available as long as the connection is up to snuff. Those who spring for the 500 should also get long overdue support for WiFi without having to use a wireless bridge, although they may miss the Pro HD's ATSC tuner. Outside of the networking, Sling Media is making expansion its upsell angle: the 500 supports USB media sharing and HDMI, while the 350 has to make do with whatever can pipe through its component and composite jacks. Zatz was unfortunately foiled in an attempt to buy one of the new Slingboxes and couldn't get final pricing, but Best Buy's suggestion to try again around mid-October hints that we won't have long to wait for a much-needed upgrade to our remote TV viewing.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Two Venezuelan opposition activists shot dead

CARACAS (Reuters) - Gunmen shot and killed two local leaders of parties backing presidential challenger Henrique Capriles on Saturday in the worst violence of a volatile campaign before Venezuela's election next weekend.

Capriles' party, Primero Justicia (First Justice), said the gunmen fired from a van that witnesses identified as belonging to state oil company PDVSA or the local mayor's office during a rally in the agricultural state of Barinas.

The government of President Hugo Chavez, who is seeking re-election, confirmed the deaths and vowed the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said the circumstances of the attack were still under investigation.

Venezuela is awash with guns, and violent crime is frequently cited as voters' No. 1 concern.

There had been shootings and fistfights in previous opposition rallies as "Chavistas" and Capriles supporters clashed, but no deaths.

"This tragedy gives us more strength and faith to fight for a Venezuela where justice and non-violence reign," said Primero Justicia, the party of one of the victims.

Another two people were injured, and there were six arrests after the attack on an opposition motorcade that had been blocked by Chavez supporters, Primero Justicia said in an account not confirmed by police or other authorities.

"I'm so sad at this bad news," Capriles said via Twitter. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition, which has united Venezuela's opposition parties, demanded a quick investigation.

Aissami said police were doing just that. "It was an isolated incident," he told state TV.

CLOSE CAMPAIGN

On the campaign trail, Chavez showed off new infrastructure projects in Caracas, while Capriles accused him of wasting Venezuela's money on foreign allies.

With polls inconclusive, both men are wooing undecided voters in what looks likely to be the tightest presidential election of the charismatic socialist leader's 14-year rule.

Despite two bouts of cancer since mid-2011, Chavez, 58, has declared himself completely cured and is trying to recapture some of his old panache and energy to win a new six-year term.

On Saturday, he inaugurated a monorail, then inspected extensions to the subway system, and a cable car in poor areas of Caracas typical of his power base.

The projects cost a combined $2.5 billion.

"We are not thinking about making money. That's the difference with capitalism," Chavez said in Petare, one of the largest slums in Latin America.

"The loser will have to go to the moon and see if he can govern a rock there because here the bourgeoisie are never coming back," Chavez quipped of Capriles, whom he portrays as representing a heartless, right-wing elite.

Later, in Guarenas town outside Caracas, the president drove through crowds in an open vehicle dubbed by some the "Chavez-mobile." He sang, danced and gave an exuberant speech in a show of energy few would have expected just months ago when he was publicly praying to be saved from cancer.

Capriles, a 40-year-old state governor who has a centrist political vision and sees Brazil's mix of free-market economics and strong welfare polices as his model, has been crisscrossing Venezuela all year in an exhausting campaign.

Addressing thousands in Falcon state, in west Venezuela, Capriles accused Chavez of making false promises to the public, while squandering oil revenues on foreign allies.

"The government prefers to build a refinery in Nicaragua, or send oil and worry about power cuts in Cuba, but it doesn't care about blackouts here in Falcon," he said.

Of the six or so best-known pollsters in Venezuela, a majority put Chavez ahead, but they also show Capriles creeping up in recent weeks, and two put him just ahead.

Venezuelans are transfixed by the race, but also nervous of possible violence if the result is close and disputed.

Foreign investors hope the more business-friendly Capriles will take over and end a nationalization drive and other radical policies that have polarized Venezuela like never before and made Chavez one of the world's most controversial leaders.

Chavez promises to "deepen" socialism if he wins. That will likely mean continued spending on his popular welfare "missions," new confrontations with the private sector, and more support for his leftist allies in the region.

Opposition leaders are angry at Chavez's use of state resources in his campaign, but say the electronic-based vote system should be hard to rig on election day, since they will have their own observers at most voting booths.

(Additional reporting by Brian Ellsworth, Deisy Buitrago; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chavez-showcases-projects-capriles-hits-hard-venezuela-vote-001808115.html

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