Obama awards top honors to scientists

U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed nearly two dozen researchers and innovators at the White House Friday to receive the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

"Now, this is the most collection of brainpower we've had under this roof in a long time ? maybe since the last time we gave out these medals," Obama joked in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Before the citations for the awards were read, the president thanked the award recipients for contributions that have inspired Americans and changed many lives in practical ways.

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"Thanks to the sacrifices they've made, the chances they've taken, the gallons of coffee they've consumed ? we now have batteries that power everything from cellphones to electric cars. We have a map of the human genome and new ways to produce renewable energy," the president said.

"We're learning to grow organs in the lab and better understand what's happening in our deepest oceans. And if that's not enough, the people on this stage are also going to be responsible for devising a formula to tame frizzy hair ? as well as inspiring the game Tetris."

The following is a list of the recipients of the award, starting first with the 12 astronomers, biologists and other researchers who won the National Medal of Science:

• Chemist Allen Bard, of the University of Texas at Austin, who pioneered the development of the scanning electrochemical microscope, which can be used to identify cancerous cells.
• Sallie Chisholm, a biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies the ecology and evolution of microbes in the ocean.
• Sidney Drell, a Stanford University theoretical physicist and arms control specialist, who has advised the government on national security and defense.
• Sandra Faber, a University of California, Santa Cruz, astronomer who was part of the team that discovered the "great attractor," a huge concentration of galaxies and invisible matter that seems to tug at our Milky Way galaxy.

• James Gates, physics professor and string theorist at the University of Maryland;
• Mathematician Solomon Golomb, of the University of Southern California, who is noted for coining the term "polyominoes" (the geometric figures that eventually inspired the computer game Tetris).
• John Goodenough, a physicist and materials scientist of University of Texas at Austin, whose research led to the development of lithium-ion batteries.
• M. Frederick Hawthorne, University of Missouri, whose work with the chemical boron influenced treatments for cancer, arthritis and other diseases.
• Leroy Hood, of the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, whose work helped make mapping the human genome possible.
• Harvard mathematician and number theorist Barry Mazur.
• Stanford researcher Lucy Shapiro, whose discovery that the bacterial cell is controlled by an integrated genetic circuit functioning serves as a model for cell differentiation and the generation of diversity in all organisms.
• Princeton's Anne Treisman, who has studied attentional limits in the human mind and brain.

These are the 10 people who were awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation:

• Frances Arnold, a Caltech engineer and a pioneer in the development of sustainable biofuels and "directed evolution," which is a technique that uses evolution to steer biological processes.
• George Carruthers, a space scientist U.S. Naval Research Lab, who helped create the camera/spectrograph that was put on the moon during the Apollo 16 mission .
• Robert Langer, who runs a biomedical engineering lab out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and helped invent controlled drug-release systems.
• Norman McCombs, of AirSep Corporation in New York, who invented pressure swing adsorption oxygen-supply systems that have a wide range of medical and industrial applications.
• Gholam Peyman, of Arizona Retinal Specialists, who invented the LASIK surgical technique
• Art Rosenfeld, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, who has helped develop energy-efficient building technologies.
• Jan Vilcek, of NYU Langone Medical Center, who helped develop therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
• A team of IBM researchers (including Samuel Blum, Rangaswamy Srinivasan and James Wynne) for their discovery of a new form of laser surgery that made modern LASIK eye surgery possible.

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? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50672568/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Creative Chaos HR: Loren Rosario-Maldonado - The HR Interview

I've been fortunate enough to connect with great Human Resources professionals around the world. And as I learn more about them and their career path, I've come to admire a few of them for their attitude toward life, both professionally and personally. Loren Rosario-Maldonado is one of these people. Read the interview below to get a sense of why I've chosen to make such a statement. If you want to learn more about Loren you can find her on LinkedIn or Twitter.


Who are you and what do you do?

Loren Rosario-Maldonado, Business Concierge. I provide Business and HR concierge services to small to?mid-size businesses across the globe.

How do you help your clients reach their strategic objectives?

I help my clients achieve their strategic results by being an extension or replacement of their HR Department. What I have found that the services that I provide always exceed what they are expecting.

How do you scale your operations to satisfy a client?s service needs?

I scale the operations by utilizing sub-contractor resources according to the project needs. Some projects are straight forward and don't require outsourced resources. However, major projects (projects over 3 months) do require outsourced resources.

What prompted you to create a business focus around the topic of work/life balance?

What I did realize was that after 15 years in an extraordinary career I reached an unprecedented executive level that most HR professionals only dream of. However, I wanted to make an impact in a different way. I wanted to change my lifestyle around the priorities in my life:

1. God
2. Family
3. Business

Being in a corporate environment was not going to allow me to do that. This is the new economy now and we do business very differently. Most HR departments are not prepared to business in a different way because they lack the resources they need in order to do deliver. That is where I come in. I help fill the gap between where they are and where they want to be through the development of streamlined and automated systems and strategies.?

What?s your top 3 business concerns at this moment?

We don't have concerns we have focus areas! This is true; our services are geared towards exceeding expectations. In order to do that, we have to focus on the following:

1. Quality of the services we provide - Let?s face it, customer service has gone out the window and very few companies today make this their #1 priority. This is what makes us different. We have to be 10 steps ahead of the client and to do that we have to focus on our service and the resources required to provide it.
   
2. Sustainable growth - The business arena is growing more complex every day. The last thing that an executive wants to worry about is their inefficient HR processes. This is where we come in. MOST yes, MOST, HR processes are out of date, costly and not aligned with the organizational strategy. In fact, this is one of the places where companies bleed the most money. We help businesses leverage technology in order to meet and exceed their operational needs and make HR profitable.
3. Branding Strategy - Our branding strategy is very important because we have to be as disruptive as possible. Without a quality branding strategy, this is impossible.

What is the #1 misconception people have about your role or Human Resources in general?

That we don't know THE business. What ever the industry you are in, you MUST know your business inside and out. What drives it, what is trending, what is the forecast? Without this knowledge, you can't deliver no matter how many resources you have. Without this knowledge, you can't apply HR strategies correctly. Every non-HR professional I speak to (across all levels of management) concur.

How do you overcome that?

Commit to Kaizen. Continuously develop your knowledge of both the business you are in and the HR strategies that will help YOU individual company succeed.

Where is the Human Resources profession headed? How do you feel about that?

HR professionals are at a crossroads and I strongly believe that we have been stuck for quite some time now. The business world is progressing faster than ever while legislation is impacting that progress each day. HR professionals have to be savvy and develop their skills accordingly so that they stay relevant at all times. Automate redundant administrative processes and implement the ones that will help you be MOST strategic to YOUR organization.

How did we meet?

We met through HR Nation, an HR networking group based in NYC. While we have never personally met, I was invited to join the group via Terry Thomas, a former colleague of mine from NYC.

You were a part of Project: Social HR, a multi-contributor blog and mentoring program. You wrote 2 blog posts describing the frustrations of, as well as opportunities for, job seekers. What inspired you to write it?

At the time, I was "in transition" as HR folks like to call it. I felt that it was an opportunity to write about how backwards some of the things job seekers go through that no one talks about. That process also helped me find my voice in a very noisy world. I took the time to really understand what I wanted to do with my life and turn what most see as a misfortune into great fortune - Wisdom!!!

What are some of the ways in which you keep up with current business or HR related news and info?

Webinars, articles, seminars, informal networks. I am naturally curious. I am constantly reading articles, attending seminars and webinars, and local conferences. the most beneficial method has been networking with other HR professionals and business executives. My network consists of attorneys, brokers, law enforcement, HR sales reps, and consultants who provide a wealth of information to me at all times. When in doubt, I call one of them to help clarify things for me.

How will the US Presidential election impact your business?

It will definitely impact the way we do business by increasing the complexity of what we do therefore driving revenue through the increase of retainers.

What?s the next challenge for you, professionally speaking?

My next challenge is growing my consulting group into an international endeavor. I am happy to say that we are not only national but international as well which is a MAJOR accomplishment for us. Remaining as the Business and HR Concierge Service of choice it key for us.

Source: http://www.victoriomilian.com/2013/01/loren-rosario-maldonado-hr-interview.html

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Lake Mead aquatic-science research documents substantial improvements in ecosystem

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Lake Mead National Recreation Area's water quality is good, the sport fish populations are sufficient, and the lakes provide important habitat for an increasing number of birds. This positive trend is documented in a new report published January 30 that leads to a better understanding of the natural resources of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, and the issues that may affect natural resource management of Lake Mead NRA.

"While the Lake Mead ecosystem is generally healthy and robust, the minor problems documented in the report are all being addressed by the appropriate agencies, and are showing substantial improvement since the mid 1990's," said U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, Michael Rosen, the lead scientist for the report. "This is thanks to proactive enhancements to wastewater treatment facilities for the Las Vegas Metropolitan area, the installation of wetlands in Las Vegas Wash, and the treatment of legacy pollutants from industrial areas near Las Vegas Wash."

Lake Mead provides significant benefits that have contributed to the modern development of the southwestern United States. The lake provides important aquatic habitat for a wide variety of wildlife including endangered species, and a diversity of world-class water-based recreational opportunities for more than 8 million visitors annually. It supplies critical storage of water supplies for more than 25 million people in three western states (California, Arizona, and Nevada). Storage within Lake Mead supplies drinking water and provides for the generation of hydropower to deliver electricity for major cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Tucson, and San Diego. It also provides water for irrigation of more than 2.5 million acres (almost 4000 square miles or more than twice the size of the state of Delaware) of croplands.

Major findings detailed in the report include the following:

• Basic water-quality parameters are within good ranges of Nevada and Arizona standards and EPA lake criteria. Potential problems with nutrient balance, algae, and dissolved oxygen can occur at times and in some areas of Lake Mead. The Lake Mead-wide scope of monitoring provides a solid baseline to characterize water quality now and in the future.
• Legacy contaminants are declining due to regulations and mitigation efforts in Las Vegas Wash. Emerging contaminants, including endocrine disrupting compounds, are present in low concentrations. While emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, or plasticizers have been documented to cause a number of health effects to individual fish, they are not seen at concentrations currently known to pose a threat to human health. In comparison to other reservoirs studied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lake Mead is well within the highest or 'good' category for recreation and aquatic health.
• Lake Mead and Lake Mohave continue to provide habitat conditions that support a rich diversity of species within the water, along shorelines, and in adjacent drainage areas, including organisms that are both native and non-native to the Colorado River drainage.
• Sport fish populations appear stable and have reached a balance with reservoir operations over the past 20 years and are sufficient to support important recreational fishing opportunities. Native fish populations within Lake Mohave are declining, but the small native fish populations in Lake Mead are, stable without any artificial replenishment.
• Lake Mead and Lake Mohave provide important migration and wintering habitat for birds. Trends include increasing numbers of wintering bald eaglesand nesting peregrine falcons. Lake Mead water-level fluctuations have produced a variety of shorebird habitats, but songbird habitats are limited. Although some contaminants have been documented in birds and eggs in Las Vegas Wash, mitigation efforts are making a positive change.
• Invasive quagga mussels have become the dominant lake-bottom organism and are a significant threat to the ecosystems of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave because they have potential to alter water quality and food-web dynamics. Although they increase water clarity, they can degrade recreational settings.
• Climate models developed for the Colorado River watershed indicate a high probability for longer periods of reduced snowpack and therefore water availability for the Lake Mead in the future. Federal, state and local agencies, and individuals and organizations interested the future of the water supply and demand imbalance are working together to examine strategies to mitigate future conditions.

The report was prepared cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Southern Nevada Water Authority, BIO-WEST, University of Nevada, Reno, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The full report, USGS Circular 1381, "A synthesis of aquatic science for management of Lakes Mead and Mohave," is available online.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/SShCUZigPwU/130130143630.htm

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Fear, threats and bad food: life aboard a sanctions-hit Iranian ship

CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - The eight Indian crew members on board the MV Amina had no inkling they were trapped on the frontline of the West's economic war against Iran.

All experienced seamen, they joined the Iranian-flagged cargo ship last year. Within months, they were caught up in a fight to prevent the ship fleeing to international waters to escape port arrest in Sri Lanka. Having disobeyed the captain's orders to weigh anchor, their courage turned to fear.

"The captain taunted us that if you fall in the water I will give a report that says that you tried to commit suicide," said 42-year-old Jesuraj, a foreman of the ship, speaking to Reuters after he and the others eventually made their way home.

"We had a lifeboat on standby and were ready to escape if required. We slept with our life jackets with the hope that if the ship did leave for Iran we would jump off and try to get the attention of some fishing boat."

For a few miserable weeks, this was life on the sharp edge of a sanctions regime that has battered the Iranian economy and squeezed the shipping fleet it relies on for commerce, cutting off funds that the West says could be ploughed into expensive nuclear arms programmes.

The Indians left the ship after authorities intervened, returned their confiscated passports and took them ashore in Sri Lanka.

Subsequently, the Amina was fired on by Sri Lanka's navy when it tried to make another getaway. A few days later, the Iranian captain took advantage of rough seas to flee, bringing the ship into Iran's Bandar Abbas port last week.

"We weren't able to sleep at night," said Harpreet Singh Sahota, 25, who worked as a helmsman on the Amina. "We felt paranoid and threatened all the time. We were desperate to get off the ship," he said in an interview in the Indian city of Mumbai.

The Amina was one of four ships ordered taken over by Germany's DVB Bank for defaulting on a loan, all of them dry bulk carriers mainly used for Iran's food grain imports.

Two of the other ships ordered re-possessed by DVB are anchored off Iran, while the fourth has been held in the northern Chinese port of Qinhuangdao. It is unlikely any can sail in international waters in the near future without threat of arrest.

According to court documents seen by Reuters in Singapore, Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), Iran's biggest cargo carrier, owes DVB Bank more than $50 million after it halted monthly loan repayments for the four panamax dry bulk carriers in October 2011.

Revenues of IRISL and other Iranian ship operators are being squeezed by the effects of the sanctions, which include an EU ban on some maritime insurance; the exit from Iran of firms that certify ships, which is vital to ports; and the de-flagging of vessels from international registries.

BAD FOOD, NEW NAME

All this was unknown at the time to the Indian crew members aboard the Amina, although they said salaries were always paid 2-3 months late. A crew of Filipinos who preceded the Indians had already had a standoff with the captain over wage payments.

The Indians said the food was also the worst they'd ever eaten aboard a ship, and there was not enough of it.

When anchored off Sri Lanka, meat and eggs were rationed out, said Anand Nalla, a 39-year-old engineer from India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

"Even the Iranian crew didn't like the food and they prayed that they reach Iran safely without dying of hunger along the way," he said.

The eight Indians came aboard the ship at Luhua Shan, the Chinese island port near Shanghai, from early to late 2012, joining 16 Iranian crew members.

At first, everything seemed normal.

But the new crew came to learn that the ship had been waiting for months to get new cargo. Many foreign companies have severed ties to Iranian shipping, scared that they could lose contracts with American businesses if they help Tehran get around the sanctions.

The ship changed its name in October, when the ship was anchored at Luhua Shan. Jesuraj, who for this story only wanted to reveal his first name, was given the task of erasing the ship's previous name, "MV Shere", and painting over in yellow "MV Amina" on the black-and-red coloured ship.

IRISL has tried to dodge sanctions by changing its flags and setting up front companies, the U.S. Treasury and the EU have said.

Still unable to secure any cargo, the Amina's owners ordered the captain to leave China and on November 18, it set sail for Iran via the Indian Ocean with its hold empty.

The ship stopped off the Sri Lankan coast in early December to wait for Iranian soldiers to join it from another cargo ship. The soldiers were needed to give protection to the vessel before it ventured into the Arabian sea, where Somali pirates lurk to capture cargo ships and hold crews hostage.

The ship waited for the soldiers 11.3 nautical miles off the port of Galle.

But on the morning of December 14, instead of a boat carrying Iranian soldiers, the crew members on duty spotted a large Sri Lankan navy ship speeding towards them. On it were officials of the Colombo High Court, who boarded the ship to announce its arrest and stuck two notices on the boat. They were acting on a court order obtained by DVB Bank for unpaid loans.

"The notice said that the ship, which was mortgaged to a German bank, was arrested because of a default," said Nalla. "It also said that the ship would be sold in two weeks if the payment wasn't made,"

The Sri Lankan authorities confiscated the crewmen's' passports and service documents, a fact that, according to Sahota, the captain initially tried to conceal from the Indians.

That is when the Indians panicked. They were worried that the Iranians would attempt to break the arrest and escape home, and they were scared that, once in Iran, they could face arrest or worse for disobeying their captain's orders.

ESCAPE

One evening after the ship's arrest, the captain asked the Iranian crew members to try the engine, a normal check ahead of setting sail, which unnerved the Indians.

Ignoring the Indians' protests, the captain then gave orders to weigh anchor. But the eight Indians rushed to prevent the 16 Iranians from doing so and threatened to drop the second anchor if the captain tried to move into international waters.

Soon after the ship was arrested, Jesuraj's blood pressure started rising and he developed chest pains. But the captain refused to let him go ashore to get medical help, he said.

Amid simmering tensions, the Indians made frantic calls from their mobile phones to friends and relatives, asking them to get the Indian government to intervene.

"It was like hell and we were tense all the time," said Nalla, who said he always moved around the ship with two fellow Indian sailors for protection.

Eventually, after the Times of India newspaper and TV news channels aired their phone conversations pleading for help, the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka contacted them. Their passports were released, and pressure was put on the captain to let them go.

Not long after they had left, the Sri Lankan navy fired warning shots to prevent the Amina from leaving, but a week later the Iranians tried again and the ship headed out to sea.

The Amina subsequently vanished from tracking systems off India's southwest coast. But then, last Friday, tracking data showed that it had arrived back in Bandar Abbas, dropping anchor near two of the other ships that DVB Bank has tried to seize.

(Writing by Matthias Williams; Additional reporting by Shihar Azeez in COLOMBO, Vivek Prakash in MUMBAI, Jonathan Saul in LONDON and Randy Fabi in SINGAPORE; Editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fear-threats-bad-food-life-aboard-sanctions-hit-211344467.html

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Technology Support Analyst-journey - 270201 Af It Network Services ...

Job Description: Information Technology and Computing Services (ITCS) is recruiting for a Technology Support Analyst to provide microcomputer support for ECU campus community. The position includes providing service and support including troubleshooting, hardware/software configuration, desktop automation, and new technology research and development. The selected candidate will be required to learn new tools and develop skills as project needs and technology change and will need to be adaptable, with an advanced troubleshooting skill set.

Knowledge of Microsoft Windows desktop and mobile computer systems, networking, and client-server applications, as well as experience with a strong emphasis on computer installation/configuration is essential. Candidates should have considerable experience providing end-user support in a large networked environment including network TCP/IP communication configuration, PC hardware and software troubleshooting, and advanced operating system and application troubleshooting skills.

Extensive experience using and supporting Microsoft Office 2007 and 2010, Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers, Outlook email client, and web-based applications. Windows 7 operating system experience is essential in addition to a working knowledge and experience with Microsoft Windows 7 in an Active Directory environment. Microsoft certifications would be considered a plus.

Candidates should possess excellent organizational, communication, and project management skills with the ability to effectively manage projects, milestones, current and concurrent tasks. It is critical that candidates possess effective oral and written communication skills, as well as exceptional interpersonal skills.

Minimum Qualifications: Associate's degree in computer science, information technology, or related discipline and one year of experience in the information technology field related to the area of assignment; or Bachelor's degree and one year of experience in the information technology field related to the area of assignment; or Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related discipline; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Special Instructions to Applicants: This position is subject to the Career Banding Salary Administration Plan. If candidates are not identified at the Journey level, management may consider candidates at a lower competency level. Pay will be commensurate with applicant's competencies as well as budget, equity, and market considerations.

Salary Grade Equivalent: 72 (for reduction-in-force priority purposes only)

Job Close Date: 02/07/2013

East Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action University and accommodates individuals with disabilities. Proper documentation of identity and employability is required at the time of employment.

Source: http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175713227

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Markets higher on good news from Europe, Japan

AMSTERDAM (AP) ? Positive economic news from the European Central Bank and Germany, combined with promises of more monetary easing in Japan, helped stock indexes in those countries lead most markets around the world higher Friday.

U.S. stocks rose in early trading, helped by a strong quarterly earnings report from Procter & Gamble.

In Japan, stocks were galvanized by a further drop in the value of the yen, which is expected to help big exporters like Sony. The Nikkei index surged 2.9 percent to 10,926.67, its highest close since April 30, 2010.

The European Central Bank announced Friday that banks were expected to pay back emergency loans at a faster-than-expected clip, implying that the outlook is improving or the likelihood of disaster scenarios is receding. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, ECB President Mario Draghi repeated the continent's economy appears to be stabilizing and he expects recovery later this year.

Meanwhile, in Germany, business sentiment as measured by the Ifo index rose to its highest level since June, as executives said order backlogs are rising.

The Ifo report "nicely illustrates the green shoots in the German economy," said ING senior economist Carsten Brzeski in Brussels.

"Even if the current harsh winter weather might delay the blossoming somewhat, growth should return, leaving the contraction of the fourth quarter quickly behind."

Germany's DAX ended Friday 1.42 percent higher at 7,857 points, the strongest performer in Europe. France's CAC-40 was up 0.7 percent to 3,778.

Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent, to 6,284, after official figures showed the U.K. economy contracted 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter. The drop was worse than expected and shows the economy is struggling to make any lasting recovery.

Meanwhile, Wall Street booked early gains as Procter & Gamble said its quarterly profit doubled in the October-December period and it raised its 2013 forecasts.

The Dow Jones industrial index was 0.37 percent higher at 13,875, while the broader S&P 500 gained 0.34 percent to 1,499.8.

The weaker yen is bad for U.S. exporters, but the effect of that was offset somewhat by a rise in the euro, which was up 0.65 percent to $1.3466.

The yen's drop was unambiguously bad for other Asian economies, as their own goods lose appeal to U.S. consumers.

South Korea's Kospi fell 1 percent to 1,943.97. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.1 percent to 23,580.43.

In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.5 percent to 2,291.30 and the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index lost 0.2 percent at 909.52.

In Australia, the outlier, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5 percent to 4,835.20.

Benchmark oil for March delivery gave back earlier gains to be 9 cents lower at $96.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

_____

Follow Toby Sterling on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lbsterling

Pamela Sampson contributed to this story from Bangkok.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/markets-higher-good-news-europe-japan-160012203--finance.html

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Ireland in uproar over call for 'drink-driving permits'

By Ian Johnston, Staff Writer, NBC News

Permits allowing people to drink alcohol then drive should be issued to make it easier for those in isolated, rural areas to visit the pub, according to a motion passed by a local government in Ireland.

Kerry County Council, which governs an area with a population of more than 120,000, is to formally ask the Irish government to allow some drivers to have the equivalent of up to three pints of beer.

The motion -- passed by five votes to three with seven abstentions ?-- said this would ?greatly benefit people living alone looking at four walls and restore some bit of social activity in local pubs and may also help prevent depression and suicide.?

The idea has been condemned by leading politicians, including Ireland's Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, so it appears unlikely to be adopted. Kerry does not have the power to change the law itself, the country's justice department stressed.

However, Danny Healy-Rae, the councilor behind the motion, was sticking to his guns Thursday.

Healy-Rae, who runs a pub in the village of Kilgarvan, said because people couldn?t drink alcohol in pubs then drive home, they were instead buying it in supermarkets and drinking at home. This could lead to a downward spiral that ended with some taking their own lives, he argued.

?I know of instances where the local garda [police] have to call out to these people to see if they are all right, to see if they are still there,? he said.

'Wouldn't harm or hurt anyone'
Healy-Rae said that under his plan the permits would be issued only to people in isolated rural areas who use narrow country roads where it is difficult to travel faster than 25 or 30 mph. Police would decide who was eligible to drink the equivalent of two or three pints of Guiness and then drive.

?You have to travel the roads and travel the terrain to understand -- honestly what I?m suggesting ? it wouldn?t harm or hurt anyone,? he said.

"It would allow these people to meet with their friends and neighbors and to discuss the topics of the day, the price of cattle and whatever,? he said.

The mayor of Kerry, Terry O?Brien, was among the three councilors who voted against the idea.

Asked why, he said ?because it?s absolute lunacy to allow anybody behind the wheel of a car with a drink in them.?

?We?ve come a long way from those days,? he added.

O?Brien said wearily he had been ?on the phone for the last two days explaining that.?

Varadkar admitted rural isolation was a problem, but added ?the solution to it is not to hand out drink-driving permits. Obviously it's something we very much disagree with," according to the Irish Independent newspaper.

"Most of the accidents that are happening are happening in rural areas and on country roads," he added.

The number of people who died on Irish roads is?at a record low, with 161 people killed in 2012, down from 186 in 2011.

Varadkar's comments prompted a fighting response from Healy-Rae, who said Varadkar was refusing to help ease the plight of people who were ?greatly suffering from rural isolation.?

?He?ll be judged accordingly by those people in the upcoming election,? the councilor said.

?We?ll have to keep the fight on because I?ve got massive support right around the country and from different countries around the world,? he added.

Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/24/16678640-ireland-in-uproar-over-call-for-drink-driving-permits-to-combat-depression?lite

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