MUNICH (AP) ? An alleged German neo-Nazi accused of involvement in a 10-person killing spree appeared confident and calm Monday as her murder trial opened amid tight security, intense media interest and an immediate request by the defense for a new judge.
Beate Zschaepe ? said to be the sole surviving member of a gang behind the murders ? entered the court in a dark suit, her arms folded, before turning her back to the cameras and appearing to joke with her lawyers.
The hearing began with two motions from the defense lawyers alleging that the presiding judge was biased. Judge Manfred Goetzl put proceedings on hold until May 14 to consider the defense request that he recuse himself from the trial, which is the highest-profile neo-Nazi murder trial in Germany in decades and could last at least a year.
Zschaepe, 38, is accused by prosecutors of murder for alleged complicity in the killing of eight Turks, a Greek and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. If convicted, she faces life imprisonment. Four others face lesser charges of assisting the cell.
Zschaepe is also accused of involvement in at least two bombings and 15 bank robberies allegedly carried out by her accomplices Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Boenhardt, who died in an apparent murder-suicide in November 2011.
Prosecutors allege the trio had formed the self-styled National Socialist Underground after evading arrest on lesser charges in 1998 and managed to remain largely off the authorities' radar for the following 13 years despite committing a string of violence crimes.
Hundreds of reporters lined up outside the Munich courthouse in the hope of gaining one of the few available seats in the packed courtroom. Police erected security barriers in anticipation of possible protests by far-right and far-left extremist groups.
Aside from Zschaepe, the four other defendants are:
? Ralf Wohlleben, 38, and Carsten Schultze, 33, are accused of being accessories to murder in the killing of the nine male victims. Prosecutors allege that they supplied the trio with the handgun and silencer used in the killings. Wohlleben was once a member of the far-right National Democratic Party, which has seats in two state parliaments in eastern Germany.
? Andre Eminger, 33, is accused of being an accessory in two of the bank robberies and in a 2001 bombing in Cologne. He is also accused of two counts of supporting a terrorist organization.
? Holger Gerlach, 39, is accused of three counts of supporting a terrorist organization.
Like Zschaepe, the co-defendants were known to German authorities before the existence of the NSU ? whose name alludes to the official name of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party ? came to light.
Many of Germany's 3 million Turks have asked how the country's well-funded security services, with their network of informants in the far-right scene, could have overlooked the group's existence for so long. For years, police suspected the immigrant victims of being involved with foreign gangs linked to gambling and drugs.
Families of those killed and survivors of the bomb attacks in particular have said they are hoping not just for justice, but answers to questions such as how the group chose its victims, none of whom were high-profile targets.
One of Zschaepe's three lawyers has claimed that his client faces "execution by media."
Wolfgang Stahl told public broadcaster SWR last week that Zschaepe was being portrayed as "evil incarnate, a murderer, a member of a murder gang, a Nazi bride or a Nazi killer" in a way that could prejudice the trial judges.
Her lawyers have said she will remain silent during the lengthy trial. Under German law Zschaepe won't have to make a plea until the end, though her lawyers have said they will contest the prosecution charges.
___
Frank Jordans contributed from Berlin. He can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/wirereporter
READ: THIS IS VITAL TO? YOUR RECOVERY ANXIETYANDDEPRESSIONTREATMENT.JUPLO.COM
& malady for each zodiacal sign & the evidence n sugn of the respective mineral cell salt deficiency 4 each months sign. I know very lil regarding astrology. But this seems 2b a clear n concise science based in hard data/fact. There r a variety of other books on mineral cell salts n health, also w facial pics. Tho the astrological aspect seems 2b of great importance. Plz lemme know if I can help & bout ur results. (Also, take? magnesium citrate & eat Alkaline rich diet 80%Alkaline-20%Acidic)
..?"Zodiac & the Salts of Salvation?; by George Cary (I?m not religious, but am Spiritual; tho, this bk is 4 any1 n every1); it describes how, depending on the moment of ur birth, in prox 2 the angle of the Sun, that a ?snap shot? of sorts is exposed into ur DNA structure, as a template. This is how n Y r bodies interact w the macro cosmos; this? exposure/template is the interface. Thus each zodiacal sign has 1-3 cell salts in which they r deficient in; this bk shows facial pics of every ailment
Try this: look up cell salts/biochemical mineral salts; what I?ve learned is that out of the 12 mineral salts, there r 5 ?Phosphate? salts/minerals, & all phosphates r related to nerve & brain function; so u should really take all? 5. U can get em thru amazon or vitamin shoppe; one brand is ?Hylands?. & u can actually get their brand of ?Bioplasma?; its got all 12 minerals in each sublingual pill. (& only $18 @ Vit Shoppe). Phosphates r related 2 anxiety. Also try a bk called ?Zodiac & the Salts
hmmm the link to his website is disable for? security reasons?
wow,im so sorry to hear that.im not afraid of people,but my social phobia has ruined? my life.ive never been able to go to college etc and had to drop out of high school.im now 35 and ive totally isolated myself as ive done NLP,EFT,CBT(did help for other things) what really is there left?
Guys, completely stop your social anxiety doesn?t have to be difficult (I used to feel? it did). I?ll give you some advice right now. Search program called Xocialign System (do a search on google). Seriously, I finally stop my social anxiety for good by using Xocialign System.
Guys, completely stop your social anxiety doesn?t have to be difficult (I used to feel it did). I?ll give? you some advice right now. Look for program known as Xocialign System (just google it). Seriously,I finally end my social anxiety for good by using Xocialign System.
This still surprises me, just how lots of people are not aware about Xocialign System (do a google search), even though a lot of people completely eliminated their social anxiety problem with this system. Thanks to my work buddy who told me about Xocialign System, I finally eliminated my social anxiety for good by using natural and fast ways.?
Hey, have you visited KickAnxietyByFriday? (Google it). If you are still having problems with bad panic attacks or general anxiety you should go check out KickAnxietyByFriday (Just google it or maybe add .com to the end?), as they can probably? help you get rid of your anxiety-panic-specific fear problems fast, as they helped me.
yeah i tried this and didnt help at all,, i wanted a refund but i had to mail in my (Paper ID card) that they need so bad to refund me.. btw they are located somewhere in the uk so shipping is gonna cost you for your refund and on top of that you gotta get signature requirement otherwise? it ?MAY BE LOST? in wich case its not there responsibility according to the linden team.
I bought his system , it helped me a lot. however, I didn?t do everything he asked me, so sometimes it comes back. wonder how it would of been if i did all of his exercises? Sometimes you need to know your ok? its all bullshit what we do to limit ourselves? from life. no matter what we look like or who we are or who we think we are from limiting ourselves.
i really did not want to at that time but i could not help it i was already in college on the verge of breaking and this guy heckled me everytime i did a speech in that class i could not take it but now i am way more well off then before deaaling with my anxiety and social phobia then before i? just learned to stop giving a fuck
Haha! I love the fact that you beat the shit out of him He deserved it clearly maybe it will put him back in his place Good for you I? say! x
zzzzzzz regurgitated info is the planet to scared to revel things that will help cure us? gotta make? a buck huh
I?m scared of? people, what I think they think of me, I never know what to say to them. As a result I?m scared to get a job where I have to deal with people and think I?m not good enough. It?s a horrible feeling as you feel like you can?t do anything with your life.
Linden is very useful though do a search on google for ?crinc anxiety?, that helped me and could help with your? anxiety as well.
I?ve started a new group for people with social phobia. If you?re interested the link is on my YT channel or in the description of my latest vid. I?m just trying to? get a good size group going so that we can try to help, encourage and give? hope to those that suffer with it.? Love to see you there!
MAN MY SOCIAL ANXIETY WAS REAL BAD I GOT REAL FRUSTRATED IN COLLEGE WHEN THIS GUY WAS MAKING FUN OF ME WHEN I WAS STRUGGLING DOING A SPEECH HIM AND HIS FRIEND AND WE WERE THE ONLY THREE GUYS IN THE CLASS OUT OF 15 GIRLS I? GOT UPSET STOPPED MY SPEECH AND BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIM AND EVER SINCE THEN PEOPLE DON?T WANT TO SOCIAL WITH ME IN CLASS IT?S COOL FUCK IT I HAVE SOCIAL ANXIETY AND JUST NEED TO EXCEPT MYSELF WITH IT AND KEEP ON MOVING THREW LIFE
So it?s basically a training curve for your sub conscience .
if , true danger ->? adrenalin active , else -> remember situation as safe for next time .
The way phobias encripple and encage an intelligent and smart person is just terrifying,? but they go away and the bliss you feel again is of no comparison to anything. Best of luck to all fellow phobiacs, you wont be one for long and Linden, you should be president man. Cheers
One little thing Id like to add about this hoby. Ill try to explain this from my point of view?How I knew that this was THE hoby: When I think about filming or editing I cant sleep, I feel a sudden relief and at the same time I get this surge of energy that I just have to start doing it and this positive mindset takes over. Trust me, if the environment made you phobic, God will guide you to the means to undo it (yes I do? believe in Him, he saved me twice already .
It took me nearly 6 months to find it because I had absolutely no clue what it might be so I started trying out every single hoby I could find and trust me I googled all the lists. And I found it, it was filming, which when I thought about made my heart? race, and creating a complete movie with the filmed shots using a movie editor absolutely completed the formula you could say. So the primary thing is the hoby the rest is all in the Linden method
So I was this carefree, phobiafree, smart, intelligent teenager/young adult/womanizer i might add until I lost my hoby. And as the phobias returned I lost everything and was forced to find something, anything. And so I found Charles Linden and his Linden method which I KNOW works because I lived through it not even knowing it. The primary key is the hoby which absolutely occupies your mind.?
The ?thing? or the ?hoby? as Linden describes it was a friend I had met the following summer who was a persona so interesting and fun I couldnt wait to hang out with him, we became best friends. And as the next school year started I felt absolutely no fear and absolutely no depression or signs of any phobia whatsoever. Sadly we parted? ways, because of our, later, different perspectives on life etc. so you could say I lost my ?hoby? and the phobias, in the same way as in Lindens case, came back.
Ok for all the people who think this is a scam, it?s not. I am living proof. The first time I had a nervous breakdown which embodied itself as severe depression and generalized fear, or agoraphobia as you?d call it was way back when I was 13 years old and it was caused by constant bullying by 3 classmates. A whole year in school I was constantly fearful for no real reason even though the bullying had stopped and nobody could figure out? why I was like this not even my parents.
Life in the connected age means owning a gadget or two. Technology makes life easy, but too much of a good thing can be bad for you and can cause an addiction.
The world is slowly but surely welcoming Generation C, which stands for the "communicating, computerized, connected" generation. Using computers, the Internet, social networking sites and smartphones is becoming second nature to those born after 1990 ? and even to many of those who were born before the digital era.
Technology has forever changed the way people communicate, play, study, and work, with gadgets becoming a big part of many people's lives. As useful as they are, there comes a point when the reliance on technology can get out of hand. If it's getting harder for you to live in the moment because you have to constantly go online on your personal computer, smartphone or tablet due to want rather than need, then you may be suffering from technology addiction.
What are the signs that you are addicted to technology?
Because the latest gadgets are more useful than ever, they are also more addictive. One clear sign of technology addiction is having difficulty controlling the urge to make an impulsive purchase whenever a shiny new device has been released, even though a lot of them are not very useful. Even if your credit card has no problem keeping up with the rate the likes of Apple and Samsung are churning out model after model of computers, phones, phablets, and tablets, you can't use all of them at the same time.
Has Siri become your new BFF? Do you still have a life or an iLife? Technology makes life easier, but it's easy to get carried away. While it's good to stay connected, you know you have a problem if you find it hard to disconnect to the point that you barely have time for other activities. Millions of people are spending hours and hours monitoring Facebook and/or Twitter feeds, emails, and text messages; watching streamed movies, television series and YouTube videos; or playing phone applications and online networking games. But just because a lot of people are doing it doesn't necessarily mean that it's healthy.
With mobile technology, anyone with a smartphone and Internet connection is just an email or instant message away. You don't even need to be online; you can just send a text and get immediate feedback. Connectivity is very useful for those who have loved ones who live in another state or overseas. It also allows you to respond quickly to a crisis or emergency. But the same connectivity can also interfere with your other activities and your relationships with others. Your effort to stay connected with the outside and digital world may cause you to get "disconnected" from those who are around you.
Imagine sitting on a table, supposedly to share a meal and catch up with family or friends. Suddenly, everyone starts whipping out their notebooks, phones and tablets and placing them next to their plates. After a bite or two, they pick their phones up and start chatting, texting and updating. Before you know it, the meal is over and everyone heads out. You know you have a problem if you can't stop fiddling with your phone when you're in the middle of another activity with your friends or even if you're doing something for yourself, like attending a Yoga class, and you don't care if you look anti-social.
Taking back control
While there are probably no business phone numbers for those seeking help for tech addiction, it's undeniable that gadgets and the Internet have caused people to develop unhealthy habits. Researchers who led "The World Unplugged" project found that tech addiction symptoms are common among young adults around the world, as most of them were unable to voluntarily stay away from cellphones, computers, MP3 players and televisions for 24 hours. Scientists have also studied the "phantom vibration syndrome," a psychological phenomenon characterized by perceiving vibrations from a device that is not really vibrating. In short, it's imagining that someone has sent you a message even though your device has not received anything yet.
Like any other addiction, admitting that you have a problem is the first step. Don't let FOMO (the fear of missing out) get to you. So what if you don't have an iPhone 5? The iPhone 6 is probably coming out soon. But seriously, you don't need to buy a new gadget every six months. As long as your device still serves you well and has not sustained irreparable damage, it's still good. The FOMO on what's happening with your family and close friends should always be greater than the FOMO on your social networking updates. The person you are with deserves your full attention, so save the screen time for later. Read a book or a magazine in the bathroom instead of tinkering with your phone. Leave your gadgets at home or in your workstation when you don't need them. Turn off your phone when you're on a date and about to go to bed ? your messages will still be there when you wake up. Remember: you control your gadgets; don't let them control you.
Author Bio Monique Jones is an Engineer who deals with telephone systems. Besides being an Engineer, she also works as a part time writer. She helps her colleagues and other people about their communication issues, giving effective solutions to address their needs.?
Many folks try to develop article marketing techniques; nonetheless but that's only true if you do not have the correct information. The more that you learn about the way to use article marketing, you will find that it is faster to get started.
Offer an inducement to sign-up to your magazine. You or some other person can write this report, but it's imperative to entice people to opt into your email campaign. This report should be on a topic inside it.
Research which adverts that your content.
Pick a known brand or brands and get some debates started. This will then link your personal blog. If you make sure that you have fine content, you might even see your blog being considered much more of an authority because of it.
Post all of your articles to your website so you can benefit from the outcome of keyword searches for articles you have written. This is an easy way to raise your traffic and rankings. The search sites are drawn to sites that's posted with regularity.
Article marketing success always includes both quantity and quantity. You will observe increased returns if there is a steady amount of helpful content on your internet site. Once you are used to writing the articles, you can start to make a regular schedule.
You need to have a big audience. This does not necessarily mean to target your content should only have a general focus. A handful of readers who really wish to know what you have to say is much better than a mass of disinterest without reading. Don't allow your target market to be neglected.
Unless sites delete your articles for whatever reason, your content will stay on the internet for evermore , and can naturally be used to bring traffic to your precise destination. You may write articles which highlight other articles you have written to boost your network and networking.
Be sure you wish to reach. If your target is casual blog sites, make the content fast. If you are writing for pro sites, research your content well before writing it.
When writing articles, be sure that you produce unique articles that readers are sure to find fascinating. No one is going to read dull articles that is basically just pieced together from other websites.
You want these pieces to spotlight your personality and help readers know you. You want to avoid sounding like other folks, negatively impacting your earning potential.
A method to become successful with article marketing success is selecting the correct keywords. You should intend to revisit the efficiency of your keywords are to become successful.
Hopefully, this newsletter will help you to relax and get ready for reaching your promoting goals. Although there are plenty of resources here, do not let this be your entire guide to article marketing. Check out other resources as well. The only real way you can ensure the most outstanding end result for yourself, is if you learn as much as you can and apply all of that info to the very best of your capability.
If you do not have the resources to draft top of the range articles on a consistant basis you can hurt your advertising efforts. Staggered article promotion and poor content are sure-fire paths to get your internet site slammed by Google. Leave it to a dedicated article writing service to give you high value content at an inexpensive rate. Make sure to also have your articles spun for unique content.
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Capt. Mark Kelly speaks next to his wife, former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after Giffords received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library in Boston, Sunday, May 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Capt. Mark Kelly speaks next to his wife, former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords after Giffords received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library in Boston, Sunday, May 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
In this photo made Tuesday, April 30, 2013, Kurt Zentmaier poses in his warehouse full of guitars in Claremont, N.H. Zentmaier is president of Rondo Music which sells its guitars online only and doesn't want an internet sales tax. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Miami Heat's LeBron James stands with his son, LeBron Jr., during an NBA basketball news conference, Sunday, May, 5, 2013, in Miami. James was formally announced as having won his fourth Most Valuable Player award Sunday. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:
1. HOW SYRIA AND IRAN WILL RESPOND TO ISRAEL'S AIRSTRIKES
The countries hint at possible retribution, though the rhetoric in official statements appears relatively muted.
2. WHY YOU'RE PROBABLY A TAX CHEAT
In most states, if you buy anything on the Internet without paying sales tax, you're still required to pay it.
3. GRIM DISTINCTION AS BANGLADESH FIRE TOLL TOPS 600
The disaster is likely the worst garment-factory accident ever, and there have been few industrial accidents of any kind that killed more.
4. BRIDE-TO-BE PERISHES IN LIMO FIRE
She and four other women didn't escape the vehicle blaze as they headed to her bachelorette party.
5. ONE SIDE-EFFECT OF THE POSITIVE JOBS REPORT
The economic good news is drawing attention to the importance of private-sector innovation rather than government policy in fostering growth.
6. IT'S THE ECONOMY, OBAMA
The president launches series of quick jaunts around country to remind Americans he still has job creation and their financial well being on his mind.
7. 'NO ONE WANTS TO ASSOCIATE THEIR NAMES WITH SUCH EVIL EVENTS'
The uncle of deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev claims the body but cannot find a cemetery willing to allow burial.
8. SIN CITY TRANSFORMS INTO CLUB CITY
In Vegas, lavish nightclubs have become the backbone of a billion-dollar industry that is soaring as gambling revenue slips.
9. GABBY GIFFORDS RECEIVES PROFILE IN COURAGE AWARD
"I believe we all have courage inside," the former U.S. Rep said, adding, "I just wish there was more courage in Congress," alluding to failed gun control legislation.
10. LEBRON WINS MVP FOR 4TH TIME
Miami Heat star receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy after collecting 120 of the 121 first-place votes.
FILE - This April 25, 2012 file photo shows journalist Howard Kurtz at the world premiere of "Knife Fight" during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Kurtz is apologizing for several errors in a column he wrote about gay basketball player Jason Collins this past week. Kurtz, host of CNN?s ?Reliable Sources,? brought two other media critics onto his show Sunday, May 5, 2013, to question him about the story written on The Daily Beast suggesting Collins had hidden a previous engagement to a woman when he came out as gay in a Sports Illustrated story. Kurtz said he was not only wrong in the facts, he shouldn?t have written the story in the first place and was too slow to correct himself. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - This April 25, 2012 file photo shows journalist Howard Kurtz at the world premiere of "Knife Fight" during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Kurtz is apologizing for several errors in a column he wrote about gay basketball player Jason Collins this past week. Kurtz, host of CNN?s ?Reliable Sources,? brought two other media critics onto his show Sunday, May 5, 2013, to question him about the story written on The Daily Beast suggesting Collins had hidden a previous engagement to a woman when he came out as gay in a Sports Illustrated story. Kurtz said he was not only wrong in the facts, he shouldn?t have written the story in the first place and was too slow to correct himself. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Media critic Howard Kurtz used his CNN show on Sunday to point a finger at himself, apologizing for a story on gay basketball player Jason Collins that he said was riddled with errors and shouldn't have been written in the first place.
The extraordinary edition of CNN's "Reliable Sources" contained not only his apology but also a session with two other media critics who sharply questioned Kurtz's credibility.
Kurtz wrote in The Daily Beast that Collins, the NBA center who made headlines last week by being the first active player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues to come out as gay, had hidden a previous engagement to a woman in his announcement. In fact, Collins revealed the engagement in his first-person Sports Illustrated story and in a subsequent interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos.
Kurtz said Sunday that he had read the Sports Illustrated story too quickly and missed the reference to a fiancee there and elsewhere. He said he was wrong to rush the story without seeking comment from Collins, was too slow to correct himself when it became clear he was wrong and made an inappropriate comment (about playing "both sides of the court") in a video report.
Besides his "sloppy and inexcusable" errors, Kurtz said, the story itself was insensitive and shouldn't have been written.
"I apologize to readers, to viewers and, most importantly, to Jason Collins and his fiancee," said Kurtz, who spent many years as a media writer for The Washington Post. "I hope this very candid response can help me earn back your trust over time. It is something I am very committed to doing."
The Daily Beast and Kurtz announced they were "parting ways" on the same day the mistake came to light. Kurtz said it was amicable and had been in the works before the Collins story.
His public mea culpa included questioning from media writers David Folkenflik of NPR and Dylan Byers of Politico, who both dug deeper into Kurtz's work history and business relationships.
They questioned why Kurtz, with time-consuming jobs at CNN and as Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast, was doing regular video commentaries for Daily Download, a media website. Kurtz said he was paid on a freelance basis by the website and had no financial stake in its operation, though he did offer advice to the people who started it.
Kurtz said, "I'll leave it to others to judge if I've taken on too much."
They also discussed other Kurtz mistakes from the past few years: a supposed interview with Rep. Darrell Issa that was instead conducted with the congressman's aide, wrongly attributed quotes from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and wrongly suggesting that Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren had questioned the seriousness of an injury to Hillary Clinton.
Given the other mistakes, Byers wondered whether viewers should believe Kurtz had learned from the Collins error. Folkenflik asked why the audience should still trust Kurtz as a media critic.
Kurtz pointed to his track record over many years and said he would recommit himself to being more careful.
>>>finally tonight it's been said no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. with that in mind we offer the following story from a school in
terre haute
, indiana, where they have set out as a project to document all the ways people can make
someone else
's life better with just a little bit of effort. and so nbc's kevin tibbles has tonight's making a difference report.
>>thank you. today, a spprak attack.
special people
performing
random acts of kindness
. it's catching on.
>>doing something that doesn't cost anything but makes them feel good, mak you feel good.
>> reporter: it's simple. each time someone sends kindness your way, jot it down and post it. the walls of local schools now blossom with hundreds of tiny, multi-colored thank yous, all penned by kids like those in mrs. smooty's first grade class.
>>so miss moody kept sharpening my pencil for about six times! we laughed every single time.
>> reporter: what did you write on the post-it note?
>>my friend chris helped me feel better when i wassad.
>>hunter was tying my shoe when we were going to p.e.
>> reporter: hunter is renowned for his shoe tying skills.
>>do you feel good helping other kids out?
>>really happy and excited.
>> reporter: in times filled with stress, trauma and worry, a simple gesture goes a long way. there is no yardstick for an act of kindness, is there?
>>exactly. sometimes the smallest means the most at the right time for that person.
>> reporter: even
high school
kids are devoted spprakers.
>>it gives me the power to change someone's life through something as small as writing on a post-it note.
>>we live in a world where all we see is darkness and hate. i feel like the spprak wall shows that's not true.
>> reporter: back in
elementary school
our friend martin who says he's six 1/2 plus a quarter years old, sums it up wisely.
>>it is good, mostly for
bad people
to learn good instead of doing bad because bad stuff could just hurt other people's feelings.
>> reporter: i couldn't have said it any better myself. kevin tibbles, nbc news,
terre haute
, indiana.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli jets bombed Syria on Sunday, rocking Damascus for hours and sending pillars of flame into the night sky in what a Western source called a new strike on Iranian missiles bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Local people reported massive explosions and internet video showed the capital's skyline lit by flashes; Syrian opponents of President Bashar al-Assad rejoiced at Israel's third raid this year, and second in 48 hours, while anger in Tehran highlighted how Syria's civil war risks spinning further beyond its borders.
Israel, while declining to confirm the strike, stressed its focus was to deny its Lebanese foes new Iranian firepower and not take sides between Assad, long seen as a toothless adversary, and rebels who have won sympathy from Israel's Western allies but who also include al Qaeda Islamists hostile to the Jewish state.
It appears to calculate that Assad will not risk forces he needs to fight the rebels by attacking a much stronger Israel.
Syrian state television said the bombing around a military research facility at Jamraya caused "many civilian casualties and widespread damage" and quoted a letter from the foreign minister to the United Nations saying: "The blatant Israeli aggression has the aim to provide direct military support to the terrorist groups after they failed to control territory."
People living near the Jamraya base spoke of explosions over several hours in various places near Damascus, including a town housing senior officials: "Night turned into day," one man told Reuters from his home near Jamraya, also struck on January 30.
CNN quoted Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad calling Sunday's attack a "declaration of war", and the Iranian foreign minister urged countries to resist Israel. But a senior Iranian commander also said Syria was strong enough to defend itself without Tehran's help - though he also offered training.
ROCKETS TARGETED
A confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel hoped that by not confirming its attack, it would not force its enemies into serious retaliation. There was little response from Hezbollah, Syria or Iran to an earlier attack on the Jamraya compound, near the Lebanese border, on January 30.
After an Israeli strike on Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama defended Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah, which fired many rockets into Israel during a war in 2006.
A Western intelligence source told Reuters: "In last night's attack, as in the previous one, what was attacked were stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah."
Hezbollah in Lebanon declined immediate comment. Iran denied that the attack was on armaments bound for Lebanon.
Israel has long sought to block Hezbollah's land, sea and air transport from Iran and frets such new missiles could give the Shi'ite militants, who share in Lebanon's government, the ability to strike its Tel Aviv conurbation with some accuracy.
Netanyahu's colleague, Tzachi Hanegbi, noted Obama's reluctant to heed calls for U.S. military backing for the rebels despite Assad's forces alleged use of poison gas.
Given the confusion among world powers, he added, Israel was only trying to protect its own interests and saw little to be gained by trying to influence the outcome of Syria's civil war.
"The world is helplessly looking at events in Syria," he told Army Radio. "That is why, as in the past, we are left with our own interests, protecting them with determination - and without getting too involved."
It was unclear whether Israel sought U.S. approval for the action; in the past, officials have indicated that Israel sees a need only to inform Washington once such a mission is under way.
Netanyahu and Obama have had a fraught relationship in past years, as Washington seeks to hold Israel back from any attack on Iran's nuclear program while diplomatic moves continue.
At a routine public appearance on Sunday, Netanyahu made no direct reference to the strikes in Syria but spoke pointedly of his responsibility to ensure Israel's future.
He maintained a plan to fly to China later in the day, suggesting he did not expect a major escalation. However, a military source said the army had deployed more anti-missile defense systems near the northern borders in recent days.
NIGHT OF EXPLOSIONS
Video footage uploaded onto the Internet by Syrian activists showed a series of blasts. One lit up the skyline of Damascus, while another sent up a tower of flames and secondary blasts.
Syrian state news agency SANA said Israeli aircraft struck in three places: northeast of Jamraya; the town of Maysaloun on the Lebanese border; and the nearby Dimas air base.
"The sky was red all night. We didn't sleep a single second. The explosions started after midnight and continued through the night," one man told Reuters from Hameh, close to Jamraya.
"There were explosions on all sides of my house," he added, saying people hid in basements during the events. In the center of Damascus, people at first thought there was an earthquake.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar television aired footage showing a flattened building spread over the size of a soocer field, with smoke rising from rubble containing shell fragments. It did not identify where the film was shot.
The streets of central Damascus were almost empty of pedestrians and traffic on Sunday morning, the start of the working week. Checkpoints that have protected the area from rebel attack appeared to have been reinforced.
Some opposition activists said they were glad strikes may weaken Assad, even if few Syrians have any liking for Israel.
"We don't care who did it," said Rania al-Midania in Damascus. "We care that those weapons are no longer there to kill us."
But in Israel, Netanyahu ally Hanegbi spoke of relative indifference in its attitude to the rebels and Assad, who had maintained a standoff with Israel that dated from the time of his father, who led Syria in its last war with its neighbor in 1973: "We have no interest because we have no ability to assess what is good for us regarding the future regime," Hanegbi said.
Netanyahu appeared at the dedication of a highway junction in memory of his late father. He made no reference to raids but said his father "taught me that the greatest responsibility we have is to ensure Israel's security and guarantee its future".
(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny in Beirut, Marwan Makdesi in Damascus, Maayan Lubell, Dan Williams, Jeffrey Heller and Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem and Arshad Mohammed and Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Will Waterman)
Discovery may help prevent chemotherapy-induced anemiaPublic release date: 5-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Newman sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu 718-430-3101 Albert Einstein College of Medicine
May 5, 2013 (Bronx, NY) Cancer chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathynerve damage often resulting in pain and muscle weakness in the arms and legs. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that chemo also induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation. The findings, made in mice and published online today in Nature Medicine, suggest that combining chemotherapy with nerve-protecting agents may prevent long-term bone marrow injury that causes anemia and may improve the success of bone marrow transplants.
Constantly regenerating and maturing, the hematopoietic (blood-producing) stem cells in our bone marrow produce billions of red blood cells (RBC) every day. Cancer chemotherapy is notorious for injuring the bone marrow, leading to anemia, or low RBC counts. But just how chemotherapy harms the bone marrow has not been clear.
Anemia can lead to numerous health problems including chronic fatigue, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat), cognitive impairment, shortness of breath, depression and dizziness. In addition, studies have shown that cancer patients who develop anemia have a 65 percent increased risk of death compared with cancer patients without anemia.
In an earlier study, senior author Paul Frenette, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology and director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at Einstein, found that sympathetic nerves within bone marrow direct the movement of hematopoietic stem cells. (The body's sympathetic nervous system helps in controlling most internal organsincreasing heart rate and dilating the pupils of the eye, for example.)
"Since many chemotherapies used in cancer treatment are neurotoxic, we wondered whether they might also damage sympathetic nerves in bone marrow itself, impairing the ability of hematopoietic cells to regenerate and to manufacture RBCs," said Dr. Frenette. "This possibility hadn't been examined before."
Dr. Frenette and his colleagues treated mice with seven cycles of cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug with known neurotoxic effects. The cisplatin caused peripheral neuropathy problems similar to those seen in cancer patients. The mice were then given fresh bone marrow transplants to see how well their marrow would regenerate. Despite receiving fresh stem cells, the cisplatin-treated mice had delayed recovery of blood counts compared to controlssuggesting that the prior cisplatin treatments had affected the bone marrow and prevented hematopoietic stem cells from regenerating. By contrast, mice treated with carboplatina non-neurotoxic chemotherapyrecovered their ability to produce blood after bone marrow transplantation.
To confirm that healthy sympathetic nerves in the bone marrow are needed to regenerate hematopoietic stem cells and produce RBCs, the researchers selectively damaged sympathetic nerves in bone marrow using chemicals or genetic engineering. In both cases, the mice with the damaged sympathetic nerves were less able than control mice to recover after bone marrow transplant.
The researchers found that injury to these nerves could be reduced by giving mice nerve-protecting agents along with chemotherapy. Mice treated with seven cycles of cisplatin along with 4-methylcatechol (an experimental drug that reportedly protects sympathetic nerves) showed improved response to bone marrow transplantation, compared to controls.
Dr. Frenette and his colleagues now plan to look for compounds that can protect sympathetic nerves in the bone marrow without reducing the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapies.
###
The title of the paper is "Chemotherapy-induced bone marrow nerve injury impairs hematopoietic regeneration." The lead author of the paper is Daniel Lucas, Ph.D., a postdoctoral reseacher in Dr. Frenette's laboratory. Other Einstein contributors are Christoph Scheiermann, Ph.D., and Yuya Kunisaki, M.D., Ph.D. Additional co-authors are Andrew Chow, M.D./Ph.D. student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; Ingmar Bruns, M.D., Ph.D., Einstein and Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany; Colleen Barrick, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD; and Lino Tessarollo, Ph.D., National Cancer Institute.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK056638) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL069438), both parts of the National Institutes of Health.
A patent application on this technology has been filed, which is currently available for licensing and further commercialization.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Einstein is home to 742 M.D. students, 245 Ph.D. students, 116 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 360 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2012, Einstein received over $160 million in awards from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center Einstein's founding hospital, and five other hospital systems in the Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island and Brooklyn, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.einstein.yu.edu and follow us on Twitter @EinsteinMed.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Discovery may help prevent chemotherapy-induced anemiaPublic release date: 5-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Kim Newman sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu 718-430-3101 Albert Einstein College of Medicine
May 5, 2013 (Bronx, NY) Cancer chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathynerve damage often resulting in pain and muscle weakness in the arms and legs. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that chemo also induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation. The findings, made in mice and published online today in Nature Medicine, suggest that combining chemotherapy with nerve-protecting agents may prevent long-term bone marrow injury that causes anemia and may improve the success of bone marrow transplants.
Constantly regenerating and maturing, the hematopoietic (blood-producing) stem cells in our bone marrow produce billions of red blood cells (RBC) every day. Cancer chemotherapy is notorious for injuring the bone marrow, leading to anemia, or low RBC counts. But just how chemotherapy harms the bone marrow has not been clear.
Anemia can lead to numerous health problems including chronic fatigue, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat), cognitive impairment, shortness of breath, depression and dizziness. In addition, studies have shown that cancer patients who develop anemia have a 65 percent increased risk of death compared with cancer patients without anemia.
In an earlier study, senior author Paul Frenette, M.D., professor of medicine and of cell biology and director of the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at Einstein, found that sympathetic nerves within bone marrow direct the movement of hematopoietic stem cells. (The body's sympathetic nervous system helps in controlling most internal organsincreasing heart rate and dilating the pupils of the eye, for example.)
"Since many chemotherapies used in cancer treatment are neurotoxic, we wondered whether they might also damage sympathetic nerves in bone marrow itself, impairing the ability of hematopoietic cells to regenerate and to manufacture RBCs," said Dr. Frenette. "This possibility hadn't been examined before."
Dr. Frenette and his colleagues treated mice with seven cycles of cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug with known neurotoxic effects. The cisplatin caused peripheral neuropathy problems similar to those seen in cancer patients. The mice were then given fresh bone marrow transplants to see how well their marrow would regenerate. Despite receiving fresh stem cells, the cisplatin-treated mice had delayed recovery of blood counts compared to controlssuggesting that the prior cisplatin treatments had affected the bone marrow and prevented hematopoietic stem cells from regenerating. By contrast, mice treated with carboplatina non-neurotoxic chemotherapyrecovered their ability to produce blood after bone marrow transplantation.
To confirm that healthy sympathetic nerves in the bone marrow are needed to regenerate hematopoietic stem cells and produce RBCs, the researchers selectively damaged sympathetic nerves in bone marrow using chemicals or genetic engineering. In both cases, the mice with the damaged sympathetic nerves were less able than control mice to recover after bone marrow transplant.
The researchers found that injury to these nerves could be reduced by giving mice nerve-protecting agents along with chemotherapy. Mice treated with seven cycles of cisplatin along with 4-methylcatechol (an experimental drug that reportedly protects sympathetic nerves) showed improved response to bone marrow transplantation, compared to controls.
Dr. Frenette and his colleagues now plan to look for compounds that can protect sympathetic nerves in the bone marrow without reducing the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapies.
###
The title of the paper is "Chemotherapy-induced bone marrow nerve injury impairs hematopoietic regeneration." The lead author of the paper is Daniel Lucas, Ph.D., a postdoctoral reseacher in Dr. Frenette's laboratory. Other Einstein contributors are Christoph Scheiermann, Ph.D., and Yuya Kunisaki, M.D., Ph.D. Additional co-authors are Andrew Chow, M.D./Ph.D. student, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY; Ingmar Bruns, M.D., Ph.D., Einstein and Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany; Colleen Barrick, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD; and Lino Tessarollo, Ph.D., National Cancer Institute.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK056638) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL069438), both parts of the National Institutes of Health.
A patent application on this technology has been filed, which is currently available for licensing and further commercialization.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Einstein is home to 742 M.D. students, 245 Ph.D. students, 116 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 360 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2012, Einstein received over $160 million in awards from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center Einstein's founding hospital, and five other hospital systems in the Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island and Brooklyn, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.einstein.yu.edu and follow us on Twitter @EinsteinMed.
[ | 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.
GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization has overseen a 12-year stalemate in global trade talks. On Wednesday, it will decide whether an insider or an outsider is better placed to break the deadlock.
In Mexico's Herminio Blanco and Brazil's Roberto Azevedo, the WTO has a choice between two highly qualified Latin American trade diplomats who would bring very differing approaches to the job of replacing veteran WTO head Pascal Lamy.
Azevedo, Brazil's WTO ambassador and chief trade negotiator, has been closely involved with the trade body for almost its entire history since its creation in 1995.
Blanco, a former trade minister who negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and has spent the last 12 years in business, sits on the boards of a Mexican bank and a chemicals firm and advises companies on international trade.
The two are the last of a field of nine candidates hoping to succeed Lamy as director general (DG) on September 1.
As one of only two non-ministers in the race, Azevedo began as a relatively junior contender. But he was admired for his diplomatic skill, such as his success in getting the body to discuss currencies as a factor in trade - a toxic topic for some because it threatened to throw a slough of new disputes into the WTO, including simmering suspicions of China in Washington and criticisms of the U.S. policy of "quantitative easing".
Creativity is what the WTO needs from its new chief, trade experts say, because the job comes with little executive power and the director general must be able to make things happen without being able to tell the WTO's 159 members what to do.
Lamy has been unable to break the impasse in global trade talks during his eight-year tenure.
While Azevedo has pitched himself as a listener who will earn the trust of member countries by understanding their negotiating standpoints, Blanco says an outside force is needed to persuade governments to show flexibility.
The catalyst, he says, is business.
"One of the first targets has to be the United States," he told Reuters in an interview in February. "The private sector of the United States has to tell the government: You have to move in Geneva ... you have to be more reasonable in your positions, you have to get to the table and you have to negotiate."
The global trade talks that began in Doha in 2001 reached deadlock in 2011, forcing the WTO to focus on a far smaller package of trade reforms and prompting many countries to pursue bilateral and regional trade deals instead, such as the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Even the smaller package of reforms - widely seen as a crucial first step - is proving hard to agree on. At the same time the WTO's global rules risk getting drowned out by the plethora of regional deals now being negotiated.
"Each candidate must give the impression that Doha is fixable, even though the post they seek can't deliver that," said Simon Evenett, professor of international trade at St Gallen University in Switzerland.
"Both must will the end without the means."
Richard Baldwin, a professor at the Graduate Institute of Geneva, said the United States was unlikely to be interested in any Doha deal until it was clear that TPP had either succeeded or failed, which was likely to take years.
"Thus one interesting question is what can the next DG do to keep the lights on in the organization and to maintain the WTO's reputation - to avoid it sliding into obscurity and irrelevance for anything other than dispute settlement," he said.
But Blanco believes the attitude towards trade has changed since Doha's demise and many countries now see it as a lever for economic growth, as shown by the ambitious plan for a transatlantic trade deal unveiled by the European Union and the United States earlier this year.
However such deviations from Doha remain contentious for many countries and if the European Union and United States are seen as backing Blanco, other WTO members are likely to organize in opposition, said Evenett.
"My money is on Azevedo winning. Azevedo has marinated in the juices of recent Brazilian protectionism, so can relate better to other WTO foot-draggers," he said. "Blanco is a true believer in liberalization, which most WTO members give only lip service to."
But Baldwin said Blanco's fresh perspectives made him a better candidate.
"The WTO needs someone to think outside the box to keep the institution alive while waiting for TPP to finish or die," he said.
Jockey Calvin Borel greets his 2009 Kentucky Derby winning mount, Mine That Bird, with a kiss in the paddock at Churchill Downs Thursday, May 2, 2013 in Louisville, Ky. The 139th running of the Kentucky Derby is Saturday. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)
Jockey Calvin Borel greets his 2009 Kentucky Derby winning mount, Mine That Bird, with a kiss in the paddock at Churchill Downs Thursday, May 2, 2013 in Louisville, Ky. The 139th running of the Kentucky Derby is Saturday. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)
Karen Vanzant, from Brookfield, Colo., walks through the paddock with her fancy hat before the running of the 139th Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Friday, May 3, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A spectator holds a mint julep before the running of the 139th Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Friday, May 3, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A spectator checks her betting tickets after the seventh race before the running of the 139th Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs Friday, May 3, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) ? The Kentucky Derby is Saturday at Churchill Downs. Here are five things you should know before the 6:24 p.m. post time:
DOUG'S DOUBLE
Doug O'Neill is back at Churchill Downs trying to win his second straight Derby. He put unknown Mario Gutierrez on I'll Have Another last year and they won. This time, he's got another relative unknown, black jockey Kevin Krigger, aboard Goldencents. No trainer since Bob Baffert in 1997-98 has won two in a row.
DERBY TRADITIONS
If you're at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, tradition calls for a mint julep in your hand and a fancy or outrageous hat on your head. Consumed early and often, the juleps are served over crushed ice in souvenir Derby glasses. Bigger and bolder is the rule for hats that often dwarf their owners. And don't forget some cash to push through the betting windows.
BO-RAIL
No jockey's been hotter in the Derby than Calvin Borel, having won three of the last six. He's aboard Revolutionary for the first time, one of five horses in the race trained by Todd Pletcher. Look for him to live up to his "Bo-rail" nickname with a rail-skimming ride.
ON A ROLL
Verrazano is the only unbeaten runner in the 19-horse field. In the last decade, three undefeated horses kept their records intact by winning the Derby ? Smarty Jones, Barbaro and Big Brown. Verrazano didn't run as a 2-year-old, a bad omen. No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won without racing as a juvenile. Verrazano is named for the bridge that links Brooklyn with Staten Island in New York City.
BACK IN THE SADDLE
Injuries weren't going to keep John Velazquez ( http://bit.ly/16A60V2 ) from riding undefeated Verrazano in the Kentucky Derby. The jockey busted a rib and his wrist in a racing accident nearly a month ago. He hustled back two days ago and rode a handful of races in preparation for the big day.
Americans wanting one of 2013's Sony flagships have had access to the Xperia ZL for awhile, but they've had to chase down an importer if they wanted the glass-backed chic of the Xperia Z. Sony has quietly put that dilemma to rest by offering the Xperia Z through the US Sony Store. For $630, locals can get an unlocked version of the flagship in black, purple or white, albeit only with HSPA+ 3G for carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile; there's no LTE to be found. Those who do want 4G speeds won't have to pay a premium, however, when Sony is selling the LTE-equipped ZL for the same $630. While neither deal will be quite as tempting as subsidized phones at major carriers, those willing to pay full price for Sony gear can now afford to be a little picky.
MATEELA, Pakistan (AP) ? For decades, not a single woman in this dusty Pakistani village surrounded by wheat fields and orange trees has voted. And they aren't likely to in next week's parliamentary election either. The village's men have spoken.
"It's the will of my husband," said one woman, Fatma Shamshed. "This is the decision of all the families."
Mateela is one of 564 out of the 64,000 polling districts across Pakistan where not a single woman voted in the country's 2008 election. The men from this village of roughly 9,000 people got together with other nearby communities to decide that their women would not vote on May 11 either.
Next week's election will bring a major first for democracy in Pakistan ? the first time a civilian government has fulfilled its term and handed over power to another. But women still face an uphill battle to make their voices heard in the political process, as voters, candidates and in parliament, where they hold 22 percent of the seats in the lower house.
Women represent only about 43 percent of the roughly 86 million registered voters, according to election commission data. In more conservative areas like Khyber Paktunkhwa province and Baluchistan, the percentage drops even further.
In places like Mateela, the fact that men decide women should not be allowed to vote is a decades-old tradition. Some men say women don't have the mental capacity. Other times they don't want wives and daughters to leave the house. Some simply don't see the point.
At a recent gathering in the village, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Islamabad, activists tried to encourage the opposite. The Association for Gender Awareness & Human Empowerment, an independent group working to increase voter participation, met with residents, trying to encourage them to let women vote.
Mateela's men sat with male activists in a courtyard near the village mosque. Secluded behind a gate, the women sat on a concrete floor and listened to a female activist talk about the benefits of voting.
Yar Mohammed, one of the village elders, insisted it isn't a matter of discrimination. The problem, he said, is that the local polling station is mixed gender. The men worry that their wives and daughters will be harassed, so they want a separate women's station. In some places, but not all, polls are specified for men or women only.
"We stop our women from going to polling stations because we think if they do, men would tease them by staring or touching them," he said.
Mateela's women certainly want a political voice. They talk of their desire to see better roads, schools where their daughters can get an education and a reliable supply of gas for cooking and heating.
They don't directly defy their fathers and husbands ? but they do lobby them to change their minds.
One resident, Mohammed Shamshed, said the women in his family "come up to us and say, 'We want to vote.'"
"But we tell them that it is a collective decision," he said.
Rubina Arshad said things are slowly starting to change as men and women become more educated. "This is the tradition and the culture, from many, many years ago. We could not cast the vote," she said.
Another deterrent to women voting has been that many don't have the proper identification card, called a CNIC card. Historically, many men in conservative areas haven't seen the need to send their wives or daughters to get the ID card or haven't wanted to pay for it.
But activists say that has begun to change in recent years ? in large part because it makes more financial sense for men. Poor women who want to receive money through the Benazir Income Support Program, a government plan to give money to poor people, need a valid ID card. And many programs that give out aid to flood victims or people displaced in fighting in the tribal areas also require an ID card.
"These two have tremendously enhanced the registration of women," said Muddassir Rizvi, CEO of the Islamabad-based Free and Fair Election Network. "If they see an advantage of a relationship with the state, then they agree to things."
There are other encouraging signs as well, with more women competing in the elections.
In Pakistan, 60 of the 342 seats in the lower house of parliament, known as the National Assembly, are reserved for women. They are handed out to parties in proportion to how they do in the overall race, so women don't have to campaign publicly for them. But women can also run for the general seats, in competition with men on the campaign trial. In 2008, 64 women ran for general seats and 18 made it to the parliament.
This year, the number of women contesting general seats has jumped to 161, out of a total of 4,671 candidates, according to data provided by U.N. Women, which focuses on women's empowerment and gender issues. Elections for provincial assemblies saw a bigger rise, with 355 women running among nearly 11,000 candidates, up from 116 in 2008.
The type of women running has also changed.
Traditionally, many female candidates have been from wealthy, land-owning families and were seen more as a continuation of political dynasties than as women entering politics in their own right. Benazir Bhutto was famous for being Pakistan's first female prime minister, but she was also the daughter of a powerful political family.
Experts say many of the women running this year are from the middle or even lower classes. A woman in the tribal area of Bajur is running for parliament, marking the first time a woman has ever run for election from the conservative tribal areas that border Afghanistan. In the southern city of Hyderabad, a Hindu woman is also running for election.
Still, the number of female candidates is extremely low, and most run as independents without the support of a political party.
The Pakistan People's Party, the party that Bhutto headed before her assassination in 2007, is fielding women candidates in only 7 percent of the races. A PPP spokeswoman, Sharmila Farouqi admits that is not enough.
"There is a perception that women cannot contest elections against men due to many reasons," she said. "There is a need to encourage and support women."
When they do get into the parliament, women tend to get down to business.
According to FAFEN's data, female lawmakers last term asked more questions and submitted more bills and resolutions than men.
The women also banded together to help pass five pieces of important legislation protecting women, including laws against sexual harassment in the workplace, according to Farkhanda Aurangzeb, from the Islamabad-based Aurat Foundation.
In Mateela, the men say they are willing to let women vote if the election commission sets up a separate polling station. But the commission said that isn't possible because the voting lists had already been finalized.
Abdul Hamid Abbasi, an activist from AGAHE, tried to convince the tribal elders that allowing women to vote will increase their power at the polls.
"You can change your fate by electing a good candidate," he says. "It won't be possible without the active participation of women voters."
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Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed, Rasool Dawar, Zarar Khan, Sherin Zada and Anwarullah Khan contributed to this report.
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Follow Rebecca Santana at http://www.twitter.com/ruskygal
He deserved it clearly maybe it will put him back in his place 
Good for you I? say! x
and Linden, you should be president man. Cheers
.
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