Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Quakes Shake Japan, No Apparent Damage

By AP / MARI YAMAGUCHI Wednesday, Mar. 14, 2012




(TOKYO) — A series of earthquakes rattled Tokyo and northeast Japan late Wednesday evening, but caused no apparent damage or injury in the same region hit by last year's devastating tsunami.

The first tremor off Hokkaido island was 6.8 magnitude and prompted some communities to issue evacuation orders or advisories to residents nearest the coast.



(MORE: Japan One Year Later)

A swelling of 20 centimeters (8 inches) was observed in the port of Hachinohe in Aomori, northern Japan, about one hour after the quake struck the region. Smaller changes were also reported in several locations on Hokkaido island and Aomori prefecture.


The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted all tsunami advisories about an hour and half later.

The earthquake felt in Tokyo was magnitude 6.1 and centered just off the coast of Chiba, east of Tokyo, at a rather shallow 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the sea surface.


The town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture, where more than 800 died in last year's tsunami, issued an evacuation order to coastal households as a precaution after Wednesday's first quake, said prefectural disaster management official Shinichi Motoyama. No damage or injury was reported, he said.


Iwate was heavily damaged by last year's earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of aftershocks have shaken the region since then, nearly all of them of minor or moderate strength.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 left some 19,000 people dead or missing.


Japan marked the first anniversary of the disasters on Sunday, as the country still struggles to rebuild.



Source: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2109027,00.html#ixzz1p6wS4uoT

Sunday: A day of 'rest' at sea


By Jennifer McDermott

Publication: The Day

Published 03/13/2012 12:00 AM
Updated 03/13/2012 04:47 PM
Jennifer McDermott/The Day
Lt. j.g. Ryan Sullivan, center, receives Communion from the Rev. Thomas Hoar, Catholic priest for the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, in the wardroom of the submarine USS Missouri on Sunday. Waiting at right is Lt. Anthony Roa.








Editor's Note: Jennifer McDermott is on a special assignment aboard the USS Missouri, one of the newest Virginia-class submarines to join the fleet. She will provide updates during her four-day transit with the crew of this advanced submarine.

Under way on the USS Missouri - At the Catholic Mass on board the USS Missouri Sunday, Lt. Anthony Roa said he wanted to pray that the families of the crew stayed safe while the submarine was at sea.

Sunday is the one day that the tempo slows on the Missouri (SSN 780) so the crew can relax and recharge.

Many were thinking about their families.

"That one hour in the ward room together, we can set aside the military aspect of our lives and be able to pray together," said Roa, 27, of Maryland.

The service was the first Mass held on a submarine at sea in more than a decade and was most likely the first on a Virginia-class boat. Roa usually leads the Catholic members of the crew in a few readings each Sunday, but this week the Rev. Thomas Hoar, Catholic chaplain for the Naval Submarine Base in Groton and president of St. Edmund's Retreat in Mystic, was riding as a guest.

Joseph Cefaratti, a first-class machinist's mate, carried his wife's sonogram photo in his pocket. Chief Joseph Johns, a logistics specialist, kept a picture he took with his wife as a screensaver on his iPod.

It helps a little, Chief Brian Paugh said, to watch the videos of his seven kids on his cell phone.

These men said that what drives them to leave their families, sunlight and the comforts of home for months at a time is their love for the job and the camaraderie on board their sub.

"I know whoever earned these has the ability to save my life," said Cefaratti, 31, of Texas, pointing to the dolphins on his chest that signify he's qualified in submarines. "It makes it more of a brotherhood. We're like a family out to sea.

"I love what I do. It's hard, it's strenuous and it's a lot of long hours. But in the long run, I really do love what I do."

There was still plenty of work to be done. Chief Nicholas Harr, the assistant navigator, gathered about 20 people together to go over the plans for pulling into Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia the next day.

Entering or leaving a port is risky because submarines are built to be submerged and don't maneuver as well on the surface. Kings Bay has challenging currents and a narrow channel, said Harr, who worked on the plans for two weeks.

"My sole purpose in life is the safe navigation of the ship," Harr said after the meeting. "A lot of people call me strange. I enjoy my job. I thrive on the stress of it. It'll probably make me an old man very fast, but I enjoy what I do."

Walking by, Chief Jay Carson teased Harr good-naturedly.

"You're turning 19 today, right?" Carson quipped.

"I know, I know, you could be my father," Harr joked back. "'Just For Men' really worked for you."

Harr, of Ohio, celebrated his 29th birthday Sunday. He gets teased about his age because he has risen through the ranks quickly and is young for his position.

The sailors are sarcastic, Harr said, because it helps relieve stress. Many are also Type A personalities - analytical, resourceful and flexible.

"After you've been a submariner for a certain period of time, you become a specific person," said Senior Chief Ronald Clark, the chief of the boat. "You still have unique qualities and things like that, but I can walk into a room and pick out a submariner quickly."

A sudden shift

"Emergency deep!"

The announcement rang out over the PA system shortly before dinner, and the Missouri dove deep. It was part of the training for a junior officer who was conning, or driving, the submarine.

The shower is one of the worst places to be when this happens. Shampoo bottles go flying and the water on the floor rushes to one side. The stall is built like a metal telephone booth, and hitting the side of it hurts.

The Missouri had been at varying angles all day because the crew was testing the submarine's rudder and control planes. When it was angled down, some sailors leaned back and took baby steps to walk forward. Others stood still and held on to pipes overhead.

Dinner and dolphins

Sunday's dinner, the best of the week because the culinary specialists can splurge a little, was prime rib and scampi.

After dinner, Cmdr. Timothy Rexrode, the commanding officer, held a special ceremony to pin dolphins on five crew members and commend others for various accomplishments. Earning dolphins is a major milestone and signifies that the men have Rexrode's full confidence to operate the submarine.

"It's a really big day for me," said Lt. j.g. Joe Innerst, 24, of Pennsylvania, who was pinned. "Receiving them means a whole lot, but we need to earn them every day."

The mood shifted after the ceremony as the crew began getting ready for the final push to get the Missouri into port.

They set up the equipment in the sail they would need the next day and took the submarine nearly to the surface. The Missouri rocked back and forth with the waves all night. When the submarine is deeper, only the ship's movements can be felt.

No one was sleeping when the Missouri headed into Kings Bay; all had assignments. The torpedo room was filled with sailors and their firefighting equipment, just in case. The control room was tense.

The Missouri and its crew arrived safely.

The sailors, especially those with Irish roots, were looking forward to St. Patrick's Day. Others wanted to celebrate their birthdays and promotions on shore. But it wouldn't be long before they were back at work. There was maintenance to be done before returning to Groton and there were more trials planned.

When the Missouri arrives at the Groton base in April, the testing phase that all new submarines have to go through will be over. The seventh member of the Virginia class, the sub was commissioned in 2010.

Rexrode said the submarine has performed "superbly" so far. This summer it will begin the yearlong preparation process for its first six-month deployment.

The Missouri is so "awesome and impressive," Rexrode said, "it makes you want to do nothing more than go to sea."

j.mcdermott@theday.com



Source

Monday, March 12, 2012

David Coppedge, Ex-NASA Worker, Claims In Lawsuit That Agency Axed Him For 'Intelligent Design' Views


David Coppedge

GILLIAN FLACCUS 03/11/12 04:23 PM ET AP


LOS ANGELES — NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has landed robotic explorers on the surface of Mars, sent probes to outer planets and operates a worldwide network of antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft.

Its latest mission is defending itself in a workplace lawsuit filed by a former computer specialist who claims he was demoted – and then let go – for promoting his views on intelligent design, the belief that a higher power must have had a hand in creation because life is too complex to have developed through evolution alone.

David Coppedge, who worked as a "team lead" on the Cassini mission exploring Saturn and its many moons, alleges that he was discriminated against because he engaged his co-workers in conversations about intelligent design and handed out DVDs on the idea while at work. Coppedge lost his "team lead" title in 2009 and was let go last year after 15 years on the mission.

Opening statements are expected to begin Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court after two years of legal wrangling in a case that has generated interest among supporters of intelligent design. The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, and the Discovery Institute, a proponent of intelligent design, are both supporting Coppedge's case.

"It's part of a pattern. There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we've seen that for several years," said John West, associate director of Center for Science and Culture at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. "This is free speech, freedom of conscience 101."

The National Center for Science Education, which rejects intelligent design as thinly veiled creationism, is also watching the case and has posted all the legal filings on its website.

"It would be unfortunate if the court took what seems to be a fairly straightforward employment law case and allowed it to become this tangled mess of trying to adjudicate scientific matters," said Josh Rosenau, NCSE's programs and policy director. "It looks like a pretty straightforward case. The mission that he was working on was winding down and he was laid off."

Coppedge's attorney, William Becker, says his client was singled out by his bosses because they perceived his belief in intelligent design to be religious. Coppedge had a reputation around JPL as an evangelical Christian and other interactions with co-workers led some to label him as a Christian conservative, Becker said.

In the lawsuit, Coppedge says he believes other things also led to his demotion, including his support for a state ballot measure that sought to define marriage as limited to heterosexual couples and his request to rename the annual holiday party a "Christmas party."

"David had this reputation for being a Christian, for being a practicing one. He did not go around evangelizing or proselytizing. But if he found out that someone was a Christian he would say, `Oh that's interesting, what denomination are you?'" Becker said.

"He's not apologizing for who he is. He's an evangelical Christian."

In an emailed statement, JPL dismissed Coppedge's claims. In court papers, lawyers for the California Institute of Technology, which manages JPL for NASA, said Coppedge received a written warning because his co-workers complained of harassment. They also said Coppedge lost his "team lead" status because of ongoing conflicts with others.

Caltech lawyers contend Coppedge was one of two Cassini technicians and among 246 JPL employees let go last year due to planned budget cuts.

While the case has attracted interest because of the controversial nature of intelligent design, it is at its heart a straightforward discrimination case, said Eugene Volokh, a professor of First Amendment law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

"The question is whether the plaintiff was fired simply because he was wasting people's time and bothering them in ways that would have led him to being fired regardless of whether it was about religion or whether he was treated worse based on the religiosity of his beliefs," said Volokh. "If he can show that, then he's got a good case."

Coppedge, who began working for JPL as a contractor in 1996 and was hired in 2003, is active in the intelligent design sphere and runs a website that interprets scientific discoveries through the lens of intelligent design. His father authored an anti-evolution book and founded a Christian outreach group.

He is also a board member for Illustra Media, a company that produces video documentaries examining the scientific evidence for intelligent design. The company produces the videos that Coppedge was handing out to co-workers, said Becker, his attorney.

His main duties at JPL were to maintain computer networks and troubleshoot technical problems for the mission. In 2000, he was named "team lead," serving as a liaison between technicians and managers for nearly a decade before being demoted in 2009.

He sued in April 2010 alleging religious discrimination, retaliation and harassment and amended his suit to include wrongful termination after losing his job last year.

Coppedge is seeking attorney's fees and costs, damages for wrongful termination and a statement from the judge that his rights were violated, said Becker.

_____

AP Science Writer Alicia Chang contributed to this report.


Source


Sunday, March 11, 2012

Russian protesters face challenge after Putin win


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leaders on Sunday called for a clear agenda and a grassroots focus on local elections to re-energize a protest movement running out of steam after Vladimir Putin convincingly won a six-year presidential term.

After the crowd at a rally in central Moscow on Saturday fell well short of expectations, activists who have mounted the biggest protests of Putin's 12-year rule said supporters should dig in for a long fight for political change.

wind out of protesters' calls for a "Russia without Putin" and their demands for a rerun of both elections, which Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev have rejected.

While protest leaders dismiss Putin's portrayal of the opposition as a divided and amorphous group of critics with few constructive ideas, activists suggested it was now critical for the protest movement to mix firm demands on Putin's government with a clear agenda of its own.

'FIVE MINUTES OF HATE'

"The next demonstration must not be 'against' but 'for'," Dmitry Gudkov, an opposition lawmaker, said in a blog on Sunday. "We need to move away from the format of 'five minutes of hate' and announce a plan of action, answer the question 'What next?' and demand the authorities conduct reforms."

Opponents hoped Putin would win less than half the vote on March 4 - forcing a runoff, eroding his aura of invincibility and setting the stage for a new series of protests.

But Putin won the presidency outright with nearly 64 percent by the official count, enough to let him claim majority support despite allegations of fraud and criticism by international observers who said he had an unfair advantage.

With no national election due until 2016, some opposition leaders said activists must work to make sure local and regional elections are run fairly as part of a strategy of seeking change from the ground up in a country with a history of top-down rule.

In a move to placate protesters, Putin and outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev have promised to restore popular elections of the governors of Russia's 83 regions. But Kremlin critics fear legislation now in parliament may give the president a say in who gets to run.

Opposition leaders hope Kremlin plans to enlarge the city of Moscow will lead to a new election for its legislature. Leonid Parfyonov, a prominent journalist and protest organizer, said such a vote would be "the next step in political life" and that change could originate in Moscow, where Putin's support is weak.

"We need to prepare for various elections - local votes, mayoral elections in Moscow and governor's elections - primarily to make sure they take place," opposition politician and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov told Interfax news agency in remarks posted on his website on Sunday.

Nemtsov and Gudkov said the opposition should not try to hold frequent protests.

"So as not to tire people out with frequent demonstrations, we have decided to take a pause - to wait until May and hold a mass action at which we will make new demands," Gudkov said.

In contrast to previous rallies, opposition leaders set no date on Saturday for the next big protest. But a consensus seems to be emerging that it should be held shortly before Putin's inauguration on May 7 - and that it must be big.

One prominent activist, Sergei Udaltsov, called on Saturday for a 1 million-strong protest in Moscow on May 1.

MILLION IN MOSCOW?

At about 10 times the size of the biggest protest this winter, that goal is a huge stretch. But Nemtsov agreed that "to demonstrate jointly and clearly ahead of the presidential inauguration would be very good".

After a hiatus of nearly two months, such a plan would be major test of what Russians call the "protest mood".

The winter protests evoked the heady days when the collapse of the Soviet Union brought an end to decades of oppressive Communist rule, but much of that euphoria has faded.

"I'm afraid the protest movement will ebb but we have no other tools to influence those in power - only protests," Yegor Sukhanov, 37, said at Saturday's protest, holding a cardboard sign that read: "Putin, leave!"

No clear figure has emerged to lead the disparate opposition groups and activists behind the protests. In a country with a history of authoritarian one-man rule, the sense of collective leadership is a draw for some, particularly in a movement trying to counter propaganda that portrays Putin as indispensable.

But for Darya Ponomaryova, a 17-year-old student at Saturday's protest, the need for a unifying leader is urgent.

"The opposition must keep unnerving the authorities for now, but there is no doubt that after a few months things must change" she said.

"A clear program is needed, new candidates are needed who represent the street. We need one clear leader for our support to continue."

(Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly and Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Kevin Liffey)


Source

Obama finally congratulates Putin on election win after five days of Stalin’





Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, second right, and Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, left, arrive for a rally with supporters outside the Kremlin, in the background, in downtown Moscow, Sunday, March 4, 2012. Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in Russia's presidential election, which the opposition and independent observers say has been marred by widespread violations. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service, pool)

President Barack Obama called Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin on Friday to congratulate him on his win in Russia’s presidential election earlier this week, even as international poll monitors continued to raise questions about the integrity of the nationwide vote.

The congratulatory call came five days after Putin’s win, raising speculation that the president was intentionally snubbing his Russian counterpart.

Other world leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, stopped short of congratulating Putin. Cameron, for example, said only that he looks forward to working with the Russian leader.

Putin, who has served as prime minister during the last four years, had previously served as president of Russia from 2000-2008. The former KGB agent did not run for the presidency in 2008 because he was constitutionally ineligible to hold the post for three consecutive terms.

Putin’s hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, served as president instead, in what was widely seen as an arrangement designed to keep the seat warm for Putin’s return.

But that return hasn’t exactly gone off without a hitch. International observers, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), noted that there were “procedural irregularities” in almost one-third of the country’s polling stations.

“There were serious problems from the very start of this election,” said Tonino Picula, the head of the OSCE observer mission in the country. “The point of elections is that the outcome should be uncertain. This was not the case in Russia. There was no real competition and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt.”

“In this election, candidates could not compete on an equal footing,” he continued.

On Monday, Russian riot police detained hundreds of protesters who questioned the legitimacy of the March 4 election.

The Obama administration’s ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, tweeted that it was “troubling to watch arrests of peaceful demonstrators at Pushkin Square. Freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are universal values.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry shot back by criticizing the U.S. government’s handling of Occupy Wall Street protesters.

“The police on Pushkin were several times more humane than what we saw in the break up of the Occupy Wall Street protests or the tent camps in Europe,” the ministry said in a Twitter response to McFaul.

Demonstrations have continued in Russia. On Saturday, a protest rally against Putin drew 20,000 people. That number, which represents a steep decline from protest tallies in December, suggests that the opposition movement in the country is waning in the wake of Putin’s win.

Still, one of Putin’s rivals in the race, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, has refused to recognize Putin’s victory.

“I, at least, have decided to refrain from comments for several days, till all the investigations are completed,” he said.

The White House did not mention the irregularities in the voting or the subsequent protests its statement announcing the president’s decision to congratulate Putin.

“President Obama called Russian President-elect and Prime Minister Putin to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Russian Presidential election,” the White House said in a statement.

While it took the president five days to call Putin after his win — a possible sign that the White House didn’t want to seem too enthusiastic about his win — the White House chalked the delay up to scheduling difficulties.

“I would not read anything into it beyond the busy schedules of the two,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

The president has taken his time making congratulatory phone calls in the past. Last year, for example, the St. Louis Cardinals were left hanging after their World Series win.


Source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/09/obama-congratulates-putin-on-election-win-after-five-days-of-stalin/#ixzz1opb1f6z0
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Catholic Church steps up war against gay marriage with letter to ...

'It is every Catholics duty to resist gay marriage': Senior bishops step up battle against 'profoundly radical step' with letter to worshippers


By TOM GARDNER

|


The Catholic Church today told worshippers they have a ‘duty’ to resist Government plans on gay marriage.

A letter from two senior archbishops, read in 2,500 parish churches during Mass, argued changes would reduce the significance of marriage.


Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith, the Archbishop of Southwark, called on people to 'do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations’.



Archbishop Peter SmithVincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster

'Profoundly radical step': Archbishops Peter Smith, left, and Vincent Nichols has stepped up the Catholic Church's resistance to plans to legalise gay marriage



At present, gays and lesbians are allowed to enter civil partnerships, which offer most of the legal protections of marriage. But the term ‘marriage’ is not used.


Under the plans, same-sex couples will be able to have full marriages in registry offices, as heterosexual couples can.

Changing the legal definition of marriage would be a ‘profoundly radical step’, the Archbishops warn, and would strip the union of its ‘distinctive nature’.


    The letter says the reform would undermine the role of a mother and father to produce and raise children, and focus only on the commitment between two people.


    The Archbishops’ letter argues: ‘Changing the legal definition of marriage would be a profoundly radical step. Its consequences should be taken seriously now.


    ‘The law helps to shape and form social and cultural values. A change in the law would gradually and inevitably transform society's understanding of the purpose of marriage.


    ‘It would reduce it just to the commitment of the two people involved. There would be no recognition of the complementarity of male and female or that marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children.


    ‘We have a duty to married people today, and to those who come after us, to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations.’


    The letter argues that the roots of marriage lie in human nature and the pattern of ‘complementarity and fertility’ in the union are affirmed by many other religious traditions.



    Demonstration: The issue of the church's opposition to gay marriages has provoked vocal protests from campaigners

    Demonstration: The issue of the church's opposition to gay marriages has provoked vocal protests from campaigners


    It says: ‘Neither the Church nor the State has the power to change this fundamental understanding of marriage itself.’

    And it insists that same-sex couples are not unfairly discriminated against under the current law.


    ‘The reasons given by our government for wanting to change the definition of marriage are those of equality and discrimination,’ the Archbishops write.


    ‘But our present law does not discriminate unjustly when it requires both a man and a woman for marriage. It simply recognises and protects the distinctive nature of marriage.’


    Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman has said in response: ‘The Government has made clear its commitment to equality. We believe people should have the option of civil marriage, irrespective of sexual orientation.’

    Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights organisation Stonewall, said: ‘At a time when 50,000 families in Britain are homeless and a billion people across the world live on less than a dollar a day, it's extraordinary that Archbishops are worrying about the family arrangements of a few thousands gay people.

    Commitment: Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said he found the church's stance 'bizarre'

    Commitment: Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said he found the church's stance 'bizarre'

    ‘We assume that Roman Catholic congregations will take as much notice of the instruction to marginalise gay people's relationships as they do of the regular instruction they receive not to use birth control.’


    Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell echoed Mr Summerskill's comments, branding it ‘bizarre’ that the Archbishops had chosen to mobilise their congregations against gay marriage ‘given the many grave problems in the world’ like war, hunger and poverty.


    ‘It shows a perverse sense of moral priorities,’ he said. ‘The Archbishops are preaching a gospel of division and discrimination.


    ‘They want the law to discriminate against gay couples. Discrimination is not a Christian value.


    ‘If churches value love and commitment, why are they opposing gay couples showing their love and commitment by getting married?’


    Mr Tatchell, who is head of the Equal Love campaign against the bans on gay marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships, argued that opening up marriage to same-sex couples did not detract ‘one iota’ from heterosexual marriage.


    ‘If the Archbishops support the institution of marriage, surely they should welcome the fact that many lesbian and gay couples want to get married?’ he said.


    ‘Catholics are entitled to believe that same-sex marriages are wrong, but they are not entitled to demand that their rejection of gay marriages should be imposed on the rest of society and enforced by law.’


    The letter was worded in less incendiary terms than those used by the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who earlier this week described marriage between same-sex couples as an ‘aberration’ that would lead society even further into ‘immorality’.




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