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Source: http://twitter.com/ChPlt/statuses/241634671950172160
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Friday, August 31, 2012
Parents Unhappy With China's Classrooms for Home Schooling
"China's education system has special problems," said Zhang, a wiry-looking graduate of one of the country's top universities.
"I want my son to receive a style of education which is much more participative, not just the teacher talking while students listen. Most of my son's time is set aside for following his interests, or playing."
From a small apartment on the outskirts of Beijing, Zhang teaches his son Hongwu for four hours a day, in contrast to the six hours of compulsory classes the seven-year-old used to sit through at primary school.
In the living room where he holds most of his classes, Zhang rattles through a long list of gripes with China's education system, from what he calls its "obsession" with exam results to an overly authoritarian teaching style.
China has made impressive progress in rolling out universal education across the country, with urban areas such as Shanghai claiming a perfect school enrolment rate. The United Nations says China has a youth literacy rate of 99 percent.
But many parents complain about the focus on rote learning and passing exams, which means that children spend long hours in class.
Chinese children spend an average of 8.6 hours a day in school, with some spending 12 hours in the classroom, according to a 2007 survey conducted by China's Youth and Children Research Center.
Lao Kaisheng, an education policy researcher at Beijing Normal University, said growing numbers of Chinese parents were demanding more of a say in how their children were educated.
"There's been a rapid rise in home schooling, especially in the past few years," he told AFP.
"Parents who home school tend to have more strict requirements for their children's education, and feel that schools won't meet their children's individual needs."
No official figures are available for the proportion of Chinese parents educating their children at home, but Lao estimates it at less than one percent.
One of the most prominent is Xu Xuejin, who moved from the booming eastern Chinese manufacturing hub of Zhejiang to the picturesque but sleepy southwestern town of Dali to provide a better environment for his two children.
"Chinese children are taught to compete from a young age," Xu told AFP by phone. "Students who can't compete are eliminated... there's too much pressure on them."
Xu, a Christian, said he wanted to give his children a more "Bible-centred" education than they could get in school, a key motivating factor in countries such as the United States where home schooling is becoming more popular.
An Internet discussion forum he started in 2010 for Chinese home schoolers to swap classroom materials and discuss educational theory now has more than 4,000 registered members.
Worries about the legality of home schooling feature heavily on the forum -- Chinese law states that children must be enrolled in school aged seven and receive compulsory education for nine years.
"Chinese educational officials are split on the subject," said Lao. "Some want to force children back into schools while some would prefer to legalise home schooling, which is why there haven't been any new regulations."
But questions over the legality of home schooling have not deterred Zhang, who says he hopes his son will never return to a Chinese school.
"My son's Chinese and English skills are much higher than other children his age," said Zhang, gesturing at a bookshelf filled with titles his young son has read.
"I plan to teach my son at home until he's ready to attend university. I hope he can attend a great university like Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge, I'm 95 percent certain he can achieve that."
Source-AFP
Source: http://www.medindia.net/news/parents-unhappy-with-chinas-classrooms-for-home-schooling-106270-1.htm
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Jupiter-bound spacecraft set for key maneuver
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) ? A Jupiter-bound spacecraft prepared to fire its engine Thursday for an important maneuver intended to bring it back toward Earth.
The engine burn was the first of two planned to set up NASA's Juno spacecraft to use Earth's gravity to accelerate it toward the outer solar system. The second engine firing will occur next week.
Launched last year, Juno is zooming toward an encounter with the giant gas planet in 2016.
More than half a dozen spacecraft have visited the solar system's largest planet since the 1970s, but Juno promises to venture closer for a deeper study into Jupiter's evolution.
By peering through Jupiter's dense clouds and mapping its magnetic and gravity fields, scientists hope to better understand how the solar system formed.
The $1.1 billion mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Juno is currently about 300 million miles from Earth. Soon after launch, it glanced back and snapped a rare picture of Earth and the moon.
Since the rocket that carried Juno was not powerful enough to boost it directly to its destination, it has to cruise out to space and swing back next year to use the Earth as a slingshot to push it toward Jupiter.
The back-to-back burns were needed to put Juno on course to fly by Earth at an altitude of some 300 miles.
To prepare for Thursday's engine burn, the spacecraft's fuel tanks were pressurized and its batteries were fully charged.
Once in orbit around Jupiter, Juno will circle the poles 33 times and use instruments to track the abundance of water and oxygen in the atmosphere, and determine whether the planet's core is solid or gaseous.
Juno is the first solar-powered spacecraft to venture so far from the sun. It is equipped with three solar panels, each the size of a tractor-trailer.
Juno is designed to study Jupiter for a year and then deliberately crash into the planet so that it won't pose any threat of biological contamination to moons such as Europa, which scientists believe may have a liquid ocean beneath its surface.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jupiter-bound-spacecraft-set-key-maneuver-175010618.html
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Do You realize What To complete If your Identity Is Stolen ...
Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are a few of the actions you must take instantly to restore your superior name.
Ought to you file a police report if your identity is stolen?
A police report that provides precise particulars in the identity theft is considered an Identity Theft Report, which entitles you to particular legal rights when it truly is offered towards the 3 big credit reporting agencies or to providers where the thief misused your info. An Identity Theft Report could be made use of to permanently block fraudulent information and facts that results from identity theft, like accounts or addresses, from appearing on your credit report. It will also ensure that these debts do not reappear on your credit reports. Identity Theft Reports can stop a corporation from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft, or promoting them to other people for collection. An Identity Theft Report can also be required to location an extended fraud alert on your credit report.
You could not want an Identity Theft Report if the thief made charges on an existing account and you may have been able to work with all the firm to resolve the dispute. Exactly where an identity thief has opened new accounts inside your name, or exactly where fraudulent charges have been reported to the customer reporting agencies, you ought to acquire an Identity Theft Report in order that you?ll be able to benefit from the protections you happen to be entitled to.
In order for a police report to entitle you towards the legal rights talked about above, it need to contain precise details about the identity theft. You must file an ID Theft Complaint using the FTC and bring your printed ID Theft Complaint with you towards the police station once you file your police report. The printed ID Theft Complaint could be made use of to assistance your nearby police report to make sure that it contains the detail expected.
A police report is also necessary to get copies of the thief?s application, at the same time as transaction information from organizations that dealt together with the thief. To get this information and facts, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, towards the address specified by the organization for this purpose.
How long can the effects of identity theft final?
It?s tough to predict how lengthy the effects of identity theft may linger. That is since it is determined by lots of factors which includes the kind of theft, no matter whether the thief sold or passed your info on to other thieves, regardless of whether the thief is caught, and troubles connected to correcting your credit report.
Victims of identity theft should really monitor economic records for various months following they learn the crime. Victims must review their credit reports the moment just about every three months inside the initially year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. Keep alert for other signs of identity theft.
Don?t delay in correcting your records and contacting all organizations that opened fraudulent accounts. Make the initial get in touch with by phone, even though you may ordinarily want to stick to up in writing. The longer the inaccurate data goes uncorrected, the longer it?s going to take to resolve the problem.
What are you able to do to assist fight identity theft?
An incredible deal.
Awareness is an effective weapon against lots of forms identity theft. Be aware of how info is stolen and what you are able to do to shield yours, monitor your individual facts to uncover any problems rapidly, and know what to complete once you suspect your identity has been stolen.
Armed together with the expertise of the way to guard yourself and take action, you can make identity thieves? jobs a lot more tricky. You?ll be able to also help fight identity theft by educating your close friends, family, and members of the community. The FTC has prepared a collection of easy-to-use supplies to allow anyone regardless of current expertise about identity theft to inform others about this critical crime.
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Source: http://lmaureen.com/do-you-realize-what-to-complete-if-your-identity-is-stolen/
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There is 'will' to strengthen euro: Merkel in China
German leader Angela Merkel said Thursday there was "absolute political will" to strengthen the euro, as she held talks with China's premier Wen Jiabao on the eurozone crisis.
"I told Premier Wen that very many reforms are going on now, and that there is an absolute political will to turn the euro into a strong currency again," Merkel told reporters after meeting Wen.
Wen said at a joint press conference held by the two leaders that he was reassured by Merkel's comments on the euro, and that China would continue to invest, but he cautioned that the road to recovery would not be smooth.
"China has always had confidence in the eurozone, and we are happy to see greater use of the renminbi by European countries in trade and economic transactions," he added, referring to China's currency.
Europeans have expressed the hope that China could deploy some of its foreign exchange reserves -- the world's largest -- to invest in European Union bailout funds, although there is little sign of this happening yet.
With the nearly three-year-old eurozone debt crisis showing signs of spreading to China, the world's second largest economy, Beijing views Germany as a key player in tackling the problem.
The two will also be looking to bolster economic ties, with reports emerging that China has signed a $3.5 billion deal with Airbus.
Leading several ministers and a high-powered business delegation, Merkel met Wen at the start of her two-day trip, during which the German chancellor will also travel to an assembly plant of European planemaker Airbus in nearby Tianjin city.
"China and Germany, both as major economies and... manufacturing and exporting giants, have been working together to address the crisis," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao wrote in the state-run China Daily newspaper.
"This bilateral relationship... has gone beyond a bilateral scope and acquired global significance."
Germany is China's top trade partner in the EU with nearly half of all European exports to China coming from Germany. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of all EU imports from China land in Germany.
Bilateral trade between the two powers reached $169 billion in 2011, an 18.9-percent rise on the previous year.
"Germany is an export-oriented economy, while China has the largest market in the world," Song said, adding the two nations could cooperate on emerging industries, infrastructure and renewable energy, among other areas.
Merkel was also expected to raise non-economic issues with Wen, including sensitive topics such as the Syrian crisis and human rights and press freedom in China.
China has joined Russia in repeatedly using their vetoes to scuttle UN Security Council resolutions aimed at tackling the deadly conflict in Syria, putting them at odds with western powers.
Merkel is likely to raise the issue of the freedom of the press with Wen following complaints by German journalists who say the difficulties of reporting in China are increasing.
Before this visit, German journalists working in China wrote a letter to Merkel saying authorities in Beijing had been "wilfully obstructing" their work by threatening not to renew their visas and intimidating local assistants.
A German official confirmed that the topic of human rights would also be on the agenda, amid pressure on Merkel to raise the issue of Tibet.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/germanys-merkel-due-china-eurozone-talks-215317444.html
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Japan July core CPI falls 0.3 pct year/year
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Pair up
In an ordinary world, things suddenly have became very unordinary, Nightmares that have followed those known as dreamers have came to life, yet, they seem so very out of character, yearning for the dreamer's attention, will they gain it? or face prejudice
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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.Use this to match up with another players and to chat about how your characters will interact with each other.
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Thursday, August 30, 2012
Armstrong says he's 7-time Tour de France champ
Lance Armstrong speaks to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Montreal Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
Lance Armstrong speaks to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Montreal Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
Lance Armstrong speaks to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Montreal Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
Lance Armstrong speaks to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Montreal Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)
MONTREAL (AP) ? Lance Armstrong introduced himself as a seven-time Tour de France champion at a cancer conference in Montreal on Wednesday.
"My name is Lance Armstrong. I am a cancer survivor," he said to open his speech to the World Cancer Congress. "I'm a father of five. And yes, I won the Tour de France seven times."
Armstrong announced last week he would no longer challenge the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's drug charges against him. USADA threw out his competitive victories dating to 1998, which would include all seven Tour wins.
Armstrong, who has maintained his innocence, focused on his experience as a cancer survivor and the work of his charitable foundation. He added he refuses to be distracted from the fight against cancer.
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Juan Williams: Ann Romney A 'Corporate Wife' Whose 'Husband Takes Care Of Her' (VIDEO)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Chris Christie
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Ann Romney
Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, reacts as he walks up to the podium to address the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Mitt Romney, Ann Romney
U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hugs his wife Ann after she addressed the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Mitt Romney, Ann Romney
Ann Romney is kissed by her husband Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applwhite)
Ann Romney
Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Ann Romney
Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney arrives on stage to deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Ted Cruz
Senate candidate Ted Cruz, of Texas, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ted Cruz
Senate candidate Ted Cruz of Texas addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Nikki Haley
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Nikki Haley
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Artur Davis
Former Representative Artur Davis addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Artur Davis
Former Representative Artur Davis addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rick Santorum
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Protester
A protester yells out while Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Protester
A protester is led away while Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum introduces his wife Karen during his speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker waves to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Brian Sandoval
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Texas Governor Rick Perry poses with delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Phil Archuletta
Small business owner Phil Archuletta addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Kyle Welch, Lillian Welch
Kyle Welch from Cambridge, Mass., cheer as his 1-year-old daughter Lillian sleeps during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Bob McDonnell
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell addresses delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Bev Gray
Small business owner Bev Gray addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin waves to candidates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Kelly Ayotte
Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., waves to the delegates before addressing the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich arrives at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Small business owner Jack Gilchrist speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
John Kasich
Ohio Governor John Kasich addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Mia Love
Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love waves to candidates following her speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Mia Love
Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Actress Janine Turner speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Jan Brewer
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer arrives on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker reacts as he casts his states votes for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Delegates gather in the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Scott Walker
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker talks to delegates on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Scott Romney
Scott Romney, right, brother of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, reacts at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
John Kasich
Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Michele Bachmann
Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, second right, listens as Minnesota delegates casts their vote during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Delegates from Kentucky casts their votes for presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Scott Romney, Rick Snyder.
Michigan delegate Scott Romney, center with a note pad, and the rest of Michigan delegates react at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. At right is Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, taps a gavel during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Fredi Simpson
Washington state delegate Fredi Simpson cheer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
John Sununu
Committee on Rules Chairman John Sununu addresses delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Don Genhart
California delegate Don Genhart fashions his cowboy boots at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Sol Grosskopf
Wisconsin delegate Sol Grosskopf from Shawano wearing cheesehead talks on the phone during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
A delegate from Texas holds up an anti-Obama sign during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Bryan Daugherty
With Ron Paul's autograph on his hat, Maine delegate Bryan Daugherty from Bangor looks at his smart phone at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Mick Cornett
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett waves to the Oklahoma delegation during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Bill Haslam
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, center, talks to delegates on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
North Carolina delegates cheer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Bob Fish
Delegate Bob Fish from Parkersburg, W. Va., pledges at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
A volunteer places pamphlets on chairs in Montana's delegation seating area before the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Tim Babcock, Tom Hogan
Former Montana Gov. Tim Babcock, left, Tom Hogan (FL) lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) <em><strong>CORRECTION</strong>: A former version of this caption misstated Hogan's title.</em>
Texas delegates recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Reice Preibus
Chairman of the Rebpulican National Convention Reice Preibus gavels the second session of the Republican National Convention to order in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Bruce Thompson
Bruce Thompson of San Diego, Calif. fashions his hat at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Diane Sawyer, Ann Romney
Diane Sawyer, left, interviews Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on the floor before the session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
Former republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista appear on stage during a sound check at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 28, 2012 during the Republican National Convention. The 2012 Republican National Convention is expected to host 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories. AFP PHOTO Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/GettyImages)
2012 Republican National Convention: Day 2
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 28: U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) stands on stage during a soundcheck with stage manager Howard Kolins during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Today is the first full session of the RNC after the start was delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
2012 Republican National Convention: Day 2
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 28: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will give the keynote address and his wife Mary Pat Christie stand on stage for a soundcheck during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Today is the first full session of the RNC after the start was delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Jeb Bush
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks at the convention floor from the podium during a microphone check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
In the dimmed lights, state delagate signs are seen on the convention floor after an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012.(AP Photo/David Goldman)
2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Musician Beau Davidson performs during a sound check during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The RNC is scheduled to convene today, but will hold its first full session tomorrow after being delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Alex Casetta, a delegate from Denver, Colo., wears a Pro-Life button on his hat following the opening session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Reince Priebus
Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus speaks to delegates during an abbreviated session the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Jeremy Blosser
Jeremy Blosser from Ft. Worth, Texas stands next a mirrored wall on the convention floor after an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Delegates from Texas pray during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Delegates watch a video presentation during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Delegates from the state of Ohio listen to Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus during the abbreviated opening session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Delegates watch a video presentation during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
John Boehner, Diane Sawyer
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, talks to Diane Sawyer on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
John Boehner
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, talks to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
American political consultant Karl Rove (L) and Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah (R) share a word at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, during final preparations for the opening of the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2012. Due to tropical storm Isaac, the convention will come to order later today, Monday August 27th, and then immediately recess until the afternoon on Tuesday, August 28th. AFP PHOTO Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)
2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: A sign for the Republican National Convention hangs outside Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Republican National Convention is scheduled to convene briefly August 27, and delayed its first full session until August 28 because of Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. bchecks out the stage at the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Stage workers continue to make last-minute adjustments to the main stage at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the abbreviated first day of the Republican National Convention August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Organizers decided to delay the start of the convention as the projected path of Tropical Storm Isaac' put the storm blowing past Tampa and into the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A Coast Guard patrol boat cruises past the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The start of the Republican National Convention, being held at the facility, has been delayed because of the approaching tropical storm Isaac. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Judy Griffin, of Georgia, takes photos while wearing a hat with Republican Party buttons during the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee's welcoming event for the delegates of the Republican National Convention on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/The Tampa Tribune, Chris Urso, Pool)
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaign buttons are displayed ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Herman Cain
Supporters cheer as former Republican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain, speaks during a Unity Rally Sunday Aug. 26, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
William Temple (C), in colonial dress, and other Tea Party supporters cheer at the Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church ahead of the Republican National Convention, in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
Supporters of US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul react during his speech at a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
A supporter of the US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul waves his portrait during a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
Supporters wave banners and a portret of US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul during a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)
Tampa Prepares For Republican National Convention And Potential Hurricane
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 26: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley waves while standing at the podium with Stage manager Howard Kolins (R) ahead of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 26, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The RNC is scheduled to convene on August 27 and will hold its first session on August 28 as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens disruptions due to its proximity to the Florida peninsula. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
G.E. Smith
Guitarist G.E. Smith rehearses at the Republican National Convention inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Scott Kiss
Worker Patrick Gayle of Kissimmee, Fla. wipes the mirror-sided camera stands on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Jason Chaffetz
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, stands on the stage during preparation for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Jason Chaffetz
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, gets a look at the stage during preparation for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Anthony Batri, from Largo, Fla., unfurls banners as preparations are made ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The political convention begins on Monday, Aug. 27th. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The political convention begins on Monday, Aug. 27th. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Riggers load nets full of balloons for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Riggers load nets full of balloons for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Tampa Prepares For Republican National Convention And Potential Hurricane
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 23: Video displays that will be used during the Republican National Convention are tested at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 23, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Republican convention is scheduled to begin in less than a week although Tropical Storm Isaac is threatening possible disruptions due to its proximity to the Florida peninsula. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Members of the media conduct interviews on the floor after the unveiling of the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
Reince Priebus, Willan Harris
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, left, and convention CEO William Harris unveil the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
Reince Priebus, Willan Harris
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, left, and convention CEO William Harris unveil the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)
GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus unveils the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)
GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: News media report on the unveiling of the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)
GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: A worker walks past the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)
GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: A woman walks in front of the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)
This photo taken Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 shows downtown Tampa, Fla. The Tampa Bay Times Forum, right, is the location of the Republican National Convention, which will be held Aug. 27-30. Traffic caused by road closures and protests are a concern of downtown workers and residents. (AP Photo/Tamara Lush)
Protesters Demonstrate During The Republican National Convention
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Code Pink protesters goad people waiting in line to enter Ybor City's Cuban Club which is reported to be hosting a party attended by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and others as the Republican National Convention is set to begin on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Code Pink demostrators were accusing the people attending the party of being rich as well as supporters of presumptive Republican presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Texas delegates gather in the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
Anti-Mitt Romney protesters march through the streets in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. The 2012 Republican National Convention was scheduled to be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012, but was cut short by one day due to incoming severe weather and possible hurricane conditions. AFP PHOTO Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/juan-williams-ann-romney-corporate-wife_n_1838352.html
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Syria's Assad acknowledges struggles in civil war
A Syrian man walks in his house which was destroyed in a Syrian government forces shelling, over looking the rubble of other houses, in Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
A Syrian man walks in his house which was destroyed in a Syrian government forces shelling, over looking the rubble of other houses, in Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
A Syrian boy, who fled his home with his family in Aleppo, due to fighting between the Syrian army and the rebels, shows empty shells he collected, as he and his family take refuge at the Bab Al-Salameh border crossing, in hopes of entering one of the refugee camps in Turkey, near the Syrian town of Azaz, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
A Syrian girl, who fled her home with her family in Marea, due to fighting between the Syrian army and the rebels, looks back while standing next to her family whose taking refuge at the Bab Al-Salameh border crossing, in hopes of entering one of the refugee camps in Turkey, near the Syrian town of Azaz, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
A Syrian man searches for belongings through the rubble of his house which was destroyed from a Syrian government forces shelling, in Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
A Syrian refugee woman carries her infant while washes the family clothes at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Jordan's has warned Syrian refugees in its tent camp near the Syrian border against rioting. Public security officials say rioting by 200 refugees late Tuesday over the camp's 'poor services' injured 26 Jordanian security officers. (AP photo/Mohammad Hannon)
BEIRUT (AP) ? In a striking admission, President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that his armed forces will need time to defeat the rebels and addressed the string of defections from his authoritarian regime.
The comments amounted to an acknowledgment that even though the opposition lacks the government's tanks and airplanes, their tenacity and tactical creativity ? combined with the military's struggle to fight on multiple fronts ? have yielded a stalemate that could prolong the civil war with many more dead.
Over the past few months, Syria's military has increasingly been stretched thin fighting on multiple fronts against rebels seeking to oust Assad. His forces have been unable to quell the rebellion as it spread to the capital, Damascus, with significant clashes that began in July and to Syria's largest city, Aleppo, a few weeks later. At the same time, the military is fighting smaller scale battles in a string of other cities and towns around the country.
With neither side making significant advances, the conflict is looking more like a war of attrition that could be very drawn out.
"We are fighting a regional and global war, so time is needed to win it," Assad said in an interview with the pro-regime private TV station Dunya. "We are moving forward. The situation is practically better but it has not been decided yet. That takes time," he told the station, which is majority owned by Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad and one of Syria's wealthiest men.
"If the armed forces wanted to use the entire range of its firepower, it can wipe out many areas. But this will be unacceptable," said Assad.
Assad also appeared to make light of the significant number of defections, some of them senior military and political officials, including the prime minister.
"Defections are a positive process. Generally, it is self-cleansing of the state and the nation," said Assad. "If there is a Syrian citizen who knows of someone who wishes to flee but is hesitant to do so he should encourage him," he said with a smile. "Whoever flees is either weak or bad. A patriotic or a good person does not flee."
Assad claimed there were cases when authorities knew in advance of officials who wanted to flee and allowed them to do so unhindered. But he did not provide any specifics to back up the claim.
Taken together with his comments to a visiting Iranian official over the weekend, Assad shows willingness for an even more prolonged conflict, even with more than 20,000 estimated dead in more than 17 months of fighting.
His regime, he told the senior Iranian official, would continue the fight against the rebels "whatever the price."
Some analysts saw the interview as a counter-attack by the regime to burnish its image in the face of recent military gains by the rebels.
Analysts and rights activists say the military has been unable to defeat the rebels in large part because of the tactics of its enemy ? a rag-tag army of civilians-turned-fighters and defected soldiers without a clear chain of command.
"It is extremely difficult to stop an insurrection that has spread so widely, even with far superior firepower, as demonstrated by the U.S. experience in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Christopher Chivvis, a senior analyst with the Rand Corporation. "The task becomes even harder when there are neighboring countries that support the insurrection"
The insurgents do not have to hold territory and can take advantage of the fact that the military cannot fight as easily on multiple fronts, said Michael W. Hanna, a Middle East expert who monitors the Syrian conflict for the Century foundation in New York.
Hanna also picked up on Assad's claim that the military is holding back on using its full power.
"If the Syrian military wants to retake territory it can do so but will be forced to use disproportionate force," he said. "Such actions run the perennial risk of alienating civilians and creating new motivations for anti-government actions."
Hisham Jaber, a retired Lebanese army general who heads a Beirut-based think tank, argues that Assad's military cannot employ overwhelming force to put down the fighting in Damascus and Aleppo, the country's two largest cities with major political and economic importance.
"Assad may be ready to destroy Homs and Hama (cities in central Syria) but he cannot do that in Aleppo, for example, and does want heavy casualties among civilians," he said. "At the end, a regular army is not suited for guerrilla warfare."
Syrian activists speak of the limitations faced by the regime in using everyone in uniform. Assad's Alawite-led regime, they explain, is unable to trust military personnel from the majority Sunni Muslim sect to fight mostly Sunni rebels.
Assad is a follower of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Other activists speculate that Sunni pilots have been grounded out of fear they would defect with their warplanes.
On the other hand, they say the rebels are taking advantage of growing logistical and moral support from the civilian population in many areas, while the military was being increasingly seen as an oppressive force that kills with impunity.
Rights groups monitoring the violence now report the deaths of up to 250 or more Syrians on daily basis, though the figures are impossible to independently verify. The fighting has been intense enough to force hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, seeking refuge elsewhere in the country or in neighboring nations.
Assad appeared confident and relaxed in the interview and at times tried to laugh off or make light of serious issues in the conflict.
He responded with a hearty laugh when told by the interviewer about speculations and rumors about his whereabouts.
"I am here with you in Damascus in the presidential palace," he said. "They have not been able until now to instill fear in my heart or the heart of Syrians. Everyone (in Syria) is worried about the country and that's natural. "
Assad has rarely appeared in public since four of his top security officials were assassinated in a July 18 rebel bombing in Damascus.
He sought to deflect any charges of military failure, reverting to his favored rhetoric that the uprising is a conspiracy by foreign powers to weaken Syria.
"What is taking place (in Syria) is neither a revolution, nor a spring. It is a conspiracy," he said, alluding to the Arab Spring revolutions that have topped authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
Assad paid tribute to his supporters at home, saying they stood steadfastly behind him, and also praised the armed forces.
But he criticized the leaders of onetime ally Turkey.
"The state of Turkey bears direct responsibility for the blood being shed in Syria."
Syrian officials routinely cite neighboring Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as among the rebels' main supporters, providing them with money and weapons.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday he would press the U.N. Security Council to set up a safe haven inside Syria to protect thousands of people fleeing the violence. Turkey has long been floating the idea of a no-fly zone, or buffer zone, to protect displaced Syrians from attacks by Assad's forces, but the issue has become more pressing now the number of refugees in Turkey has exceeded 80,000 ? a number it says approaches its limits.
"We expect the U.N. to step in and protect the refugees inside Syria, and if possible, to shelter them in camps there," Davutoglu told reporters before leaving for New York to attend Thursday's high-level U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria.
On that prospect, Assad said: "Talk about safe havens does not exist and is unrealistic, even for countries that have assumed the role of a foe."
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A Minute With: Sam Raimi's truly haunting "Possession"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film director and producer Sam Raimi, for the first time in a long career of spooking audiences with his horror films, has turned to real-life events for supernatural thriller "The Possession," opening in the United States on Friday.
Raimi, whose credits range from directing 2002's "Spider-Man" to producing horror flicks such as "The Grudge" and "The Grudge 2," produces "The Possession." The movie, directed by Ole Bornedal, is inspired by a newspaper account of a family that fights a demon known as a Dibbuk in ancient Yiddish folklore.
The spirit, which resides in a Dibbuk box, is said to possesses the bodies of people with the intention of devouring them. In "The Possession," the Dibbuk enters the body of a young woman and her parents must figure out how to stop it.
Raimi spoke with Reuters about his new movie.
Q: Is it true that you got the idea for this film from a story you read in the Los Angeles Times?
A: "Yes, my partner and I read the article entitled 'A jinx in a box?' by Leslie Gornstein about this Dibbuk box that brought horror to anyone in possession of it. Then I researched more online and thought that this could be a great script. There were so many stories of different people and their experiences. We decided to focus on one family that encountered the box. This newly divorced couple and how they have to put aside any animosity to overcome this evil. That fascinated me."
Q: I read that Ole Bornedal went a few unconventional routes during filming -- using real moths in one pivotal scene and casting reggae artist Matisyahu. Did you support the decisions?
A: "Yes, absolutely. He (Matisyahu) is not just an unusual choice for shock value, I think he's really right for the film and his performance was exceptionally true and original. Ole wanted to update the traditional view of the wise, old rabbi and Matisyahu goes against all expectations. Yet you believe in his faith and he made the idea of an exorcist new to me."
Q: As your first horror film based on actual events, was there anything more creepy about making "The Possession"?
A: "It was really spooky to work on! This, however, also presented a whole set of problems unto itself."
Q: Such as?
A: "We had to secure a lot of rights to the original L.A. Times article, to the various people involved. When you're writing a screenplay based on real events, there are times when there isn't a good dramatic structure and that's what happened here...So, we ended up dropping some of the actual events to drive the story forward and that's why it's based on actual events. Thankfully, we had fantastic writers in Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. They really created these original characters that you connect with."
Q: What makes a good horror film in your opinion?
A: "The needs of a horror film are the same needs as in any dramatic film. The audience has to connect. You have to have a solid main character that you can really understand and relate to. You have to know what they want. There has to be a set of believable obstacles that you watch them overcome, and there has to be an interesting resolution."
Q: You've focused alot on horror films throughout your career. Why?
A: "It's funny. I never liked horror films as a kid! I was a coward and they scared me (he laughs). But, at the time that I was a youngster trying to break into the business there was no indie (independent film) scene. There was no Sundance Channel. The only way to break in at that time was to make a horror film for a couple hundred grand. I literally started in horror just to break into the business!"
Q: Do you have a favorite from your body of work?
A: "I don't actually. They're like children to me. I love them all equally."
Q: What's new on the Sam Raimi front?
A: "I'm currently working on a new supernatural story with my brother Ivan. We've just finished the treatment but I can't tell you anything about it just yet."
(Editing By Bob Tourtellotte and David Gregorio)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minute-sam-raimis-truly-haunting-possession-090459604.html
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California lawmakers vote to ban gay "conversion" therapy for minors
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's state Assembly approved a bill on Tuesday to prohibit children and teenagers from undergoing a controversial therapy that aims to reverse homosexuality, moving the state closer to becoming the first to impose such a ban.
The 51-21 vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly marked a major victory for gay rights advocates who say the so-called conversion therapy has no medical basis because homosexuality is not a disorder.
Opponents of the practice say such attempts to change sexual orientation can cause depression and lead to substance abuse and suicide.
Several openly gay legislators championed the bill in emotional speeches during the floor debate, citing their own childhood experiences.
"One of our No. 1 priorities in this house is to protect the next generation of Californians," said Ricardo Lara, a Democrat from Los Angeles County. "And some of those are sissy boys. And some of those sissy boys grow up to be Assembly members. And some of those sissy boys need help. And we are here to stand with those sissy boys."
The Senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 23-13 in May. Lawmakers must iron out minor differences in the two measures by Friday before a final bill makes its way to the desk of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.
Brown has not indicated whether he supports the measure, and a spokesman for the governor said that he would not comment on pending legislation.
Assembly member John Perez, the first openly gay speaker of the California's lower house, said during floor debate that "it is inappropriate for anyone, including parents, to subject anybody to dehumanizing activity," referring to the therapy.
The bill's sponsor, state Senator Ted Lieu, said in a statement that the psychiatrist who pioneered such therapy, Dr. Robert Spitzer, has since renounced it and apologized to the gay and lesbian community.
If Brown signs the bill into law, California would become the first state in the nation to outlaw such therapy for minors.
Republican opponents of the measure said politicians should not step in and regulate what they consider to be a matter for medical boards to decide. They also said the bill encroaches on the rights of parents to make choices for their children.
"That's why parents have children -- to hand down their legacies, their belief systems, the way they want their children raised," Assembly member Shannon Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield, said during the floor debate.
(Reporting by Mary Slosson; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Stacey Joyce)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/california-assembly-oks-bill-restrict-gay-therapy-minors-004841487.html
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Video: Yelp Shares Slide
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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/48815720/
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Officials may breach levee as Isaac storms inland
NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Louisiana officials said Wednesday they may have to intentionally breach a levee in a flooded area as Isaac made a slow, drenching slog inland before weakening to a tropical storm and a dusk-to-dawn curfew was declared in New Orleans.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said officials may cut a hole in a levee on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish to relieve pressure on the structure. At a news conference in Baton Rouge, Jindal said there was no estimate on when that might occur.
He said as many as 40 people are reportedly in need of rescue in the area.
Plaquemines Parish has also ordered a mandatory evacuation for the west bank of the Mississippi River below Belle Chasse, worried about a storm surge. The order affects about 3,000 people in the area, including a nursing home with 112 residents.
Officials said the evacuation was ordered out of concern that more storm surge from Isaac would be pushed into the area and levees might be overtopped.
Joshua Brockhaus, an electrician who lives in the flooded area, helped rescue neighbors in his boat.
"I'm getting text messages from all over asking for help," he said. "I'm dropping my dogs off and I'm going back out there."
The hurricane's impact was a surprise for him.
"We didn't think it was going to be like that," he said. "The storm stayed over the top of us. For Katrina, we got 8 inches of water. Now we have 13 feet."
Meanwhile in New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a curfew for the city as Hurricane Isaac lashed the city on the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's destructive arrival. The curfew was issued to prevent looting. So far, there had been only sporadic arrests for looting.
Police cars had been patrolling the nearly empty streets since Isaac began bringing fierce winds and heavy rains to the city Tuesday night. The curfew was set to start Wednesday night and would last until further notice.
In Vermilion Parish, Sheriff Mike Couvillon said a 36-year-old man had gone to help two friends move a vehicle from under a tree to prepare for Isaac on Tuesday evening, and fell to his death after climbing 18 feet up a tree. Deputies don't know why the man climbed the tree.
Rescuers in boats and trucks plucked a handful of people who became stranded by floodwaters in thinly populated areas of southeast Louisiana. Authorities feared many more could need help after a night of slashing rain and fierce winds that knocked out power to more than 600,000 households and businesses.
Although Isaac was much weaker than Katrina, which crippled the city in 2005, the threat of dangerous storm surges and flooding from heavy rain was expected to last all day and into the night as the immense comma-shaped storm crawled across Louisiana.
Army Corps spokeswoman Rachel Rodi said the city's bigger, stronger levees were withstanding the assault.
"The system is performing as intended, as we expected," she said. "We don't see any issues with the hurricane system at this point."
There were initial problems with pumps not working at the 17th Street Canal, the site of a breach on the day Katrina struck, but those pumps had been fixed, Rodi said.
Rescuers in boats and trucks plucked a handful of people who became stranded by floodwaters in thinly populated areas of southeast Louisiana. Authorities feared many more could need help after a night of slashing rain and fierce winds that knocked out power to more than 600,000 households and businesses.
The extent of the damage was not entirely clear because officials did not want to send emergency crews into harm's way. In Plaquemines Parish, a fishing community south of New Orleans, about two dozen people who stayed behind despite evacuation orders needed to be rescued.
"I think a lot of people were caught with their pants down," said Jerry Larpenter, sheriff in nearby Terrebonne Parish. "This storm was never predicted right since it entered the Gulf. It was supposed to go to Florida, Panama City, Biloxi, New Orleans. We hope it loses its punch once it comes in all the way."
As Isaac's eye Isaac passed overhead, authorities in armored vehicles saved a family whose roof was ripped off, Larpenter said.
Two police officers had to be rescued by boat after their car became stuck. Rescuers were waiting for the strong winds to die down before moving out to search for other people.
"The winds are too strong and the rain too strong," Plaquemines Parish spokeswoman Caitlin Campbell said.
Water driven by the large and powerful storm flooded over an 18-mile stretch of one levee in Plaquemines Parish. The levee, one of many across the low-lying coastal zone, is not part of the new defenses constructed in New Orleans after Katrina.
After maintaining hurricane strength through the morning, Isaac weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon with 70 mph winds and was expected to continue losing strength. It came ashore at 7:45 p.m. EDT Tuesday with 80 mph winds near the mouth of the Mississippi River, driving a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland and soaking a neck of land that stretches into the Gulf.
The storm stalled for several hours before resuming a slow trek inland, and forecasters said that was in keeping with the its erratic history. The slow motion over land means Isaac could be a major soaker, dumping up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. But every system is different.
"It's totally up to the storm," said Ken Graham, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell, La.
Isaac's winds and sheets of rain whipped New Orleans, where forecasters said the city's skyscrapers could be subject to gusts up to 100 mph.
In the French Quarter near Bourbon Street, Jimmy Maiuri stepped outside his second-floor apartment to shoot video. Maiuri, who fled from Katrina at the last minute, stayed behind this time and had no regrets, though he was amazed at the storm's timing.
"It's definitely not one to take lightly, but it's not Katrina," he said. "No one is going to forget Aug. 29 forever, not here at least."
As hard wind and heavy rain pelted Melba Leggett-Barnes' home in the Lower 9th Ward, an area leveled during Katrina, she felt more secure than she did seven years ago.
"I have a hurricane house this time," said Barnes, who has been living in her newly rebuilt since 2008. She and her husband, Baxter Barnes, were among the first to get a home through Brad Pitt's Make It Right program.
Her yellow house with a large porch and iron trellis was taking a beating, but holding strong. "I don't have power, but I'm all right," said Barnes, 56, a cafeteria worker for the New Orleans school system.
In Mississippi, the main highway that runs along the Gulf, U.S. 90, was closed in sections by storm surge flooding. At one spot in Biloxi, a foot of water covered the highway for a couple of blocks, and it looked like more was coming in. High tide was likely to bring more water.
In Pass Christian, a Mississippi coastal community wiped out by hurricanes Camille and Katrina, Mayor Chipper McDermott was optimistic Isaac would not deal a heavy blow.
"It's not too bad, but the whole coast is going to be a mess," he said.
McDermott stood on the porch of the $6 million municipal complex built after Katrina, with walls of 12-inch-thick concrete to withstand hurricane winds. As he looked out toward the Gulf of Mexico, pieces of a structure that had stood atop the city's fishing pier washed across the parking lot.
Tens of thousands of people had been told ahead of Isaac to leave low-lying areas of Mississippi and Louisiana, including 700 patients of Louisiana nursing homes. Mississippi shut down the state's 12 shorefront casinos.
The hurricane also canceled commemoration ceremonies Wednesday for Katrina's 1,800 dead in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The storm drew attention because of its timing __ coinciding with the Katrina anniversary and the first major speeches of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was considering whether to visit the Gulf Coast after Isaac.
Isaac promised to test a New Orleans levee system bolstered by $14 billion in federal repairs and improvements after the catastrophic failures during Katrina. But in a city that has already weathered Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
Isaac also posed political challenges with echoes of those that followed Katrina, a reminder of how the storm became a symbol of government ineptitude.
President Barack Obama sought to demonstrate his ability to guide the nation through a natural disaster, and Republicans tried to reassure residents as they formally nominated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as their presidential candidate.
There was already simmering political fallout from the storm. Republican Gov. Jindal, who canceled his trip to the convention in Tampa, said the Obama administration's disaster declaration fell short of the federal help he had requested. Jindal said he wanted a promise from the federal government to be reimbursed for storm preparation costs.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said such requests would be addressed after the storm.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Brian Schwaner and Cain Burdeau in New Orleans; Kevin McGill in Houma, La.; Holbrook Mohr in Waveland and Pass Christian, Miss.; Jeff Amy in Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.; Jay Reeves in Gulf Shores, Ala.; Jessica Gresko in Mobile, Ala.; Erik Schelzig in Braithwaite, La.; and Curt Anderson at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/officials-may-breach-levee-isaac-storms-inland-182924245.html
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