Saturday, March 10, 2012

Tokyo food radiation safety: It's personal

Tokyo (CNN) -- In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster a year ago, the attitude toward food safety has become a matter of personal preference for many Tokyo residents.


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Review: New iPad neither dud nor 'revolution'

San Francisco (CNN) -- On first glance, the new, never-to-be-actually-named iPad is exactly the same as its predecessor: Same size, same price, same colors.


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CNN readers share their stories

(CNN) -- "My MEDVOL number is 6856. I was at Edgewood Arsenal from January 1975 to April 1975."


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Romney rips Obama campaign 'infomercial'

(CNN) -- Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney looked past his GOP opponents and focused squarely on President Barack Obama on Friday, calling the president's new campaign film a misleading "infomercial" that ignores a slew of alleged administration failures.


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Friday, March 9, 2012

Officials: Judge stabbed, officer shot in Washington state

(CNN) -- Officers from multiple agencies in western Washington state were looking for a suspect who fled a courthouse Friday after allegedly shooting a female officer and stabbing a judge who came to her assistance, officials said.


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2 dead, 7 hurt after man opens fire at Pittsburgh psychiatric hospital

(CNN) -- A man walked into a Pittsburgh psychiatric hospital with a pair of guns Thursday and began firing, leading to injuries to seven people and two deaths -- including his own as police arrived and shot back, authorities said.


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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Books help families explore diversity

(CNN) -- The sale of the old house, the purchase of the new house, the packing, the good-bye parties. It was all so overwhelming for me. I can't imagine what it was like for my toddler, leaving the only home, neighborhood and sitter she had ever known in the city where she was born. Fortunately, I got a little bit of help from the Berenstain Bears to give my daughter some answers.


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Is narcotic khat funding terrorism?

(CNN) -- It's an oval-shaped, bitter tasting leaf that makes you chatty after chewing it, while inducing a feeling of euphoria and alertness.

The East African plant khat, a mild narcotic, has been chewed for centuries by people in the Horn of Africa and parts of the Middle East for its stimulating effects. The green leaf is central to cultural and social activities for many communities across the area and key to the economic survival of thousands of khat farmers who grow it legally.

In recent years, high demand for the herbal stimulant by the Somali diaspora -- despite it being illegal in several western countries, including the U.S. -- has helped open up a booming industry in fertile parts of Kenya, such as the Meru county.

But now the livelihood of these farmers is under threat after the Netherlands, which has a vibrant Somali community and is a key khat hub to other European countries, announced a ban on all imports of the plant in January.

Until now, the Netherlands and Britain were the only major European countries allowing the trade and consumption of the flowering shrub.

"If the ban is accepted or if it is enforced, the whole Meru county, the economy of the Meru county will be crippled," says Kenyan khat farmer Edward Mutuura, who exports the majority of his crops to the Nertherlands. "The economy of the population here where khat is grown will be totally crippled and people will have no source of income," he adds.

Read also: Agriculture's 'critical role' in Africa's future

The Dutch government cited health concerns as well as social and economic reasons for the prohibition of khat. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, khat can induce manic behaviors, hyperactivity and hallucinations while chronic abuse can result in symptoms such as physical exhaustion, violence and suicidal depression.

However, some observers believe that the ban, which is expected to start later this year, has been imposed after suggestions of purported links between the international khat trade and the funding of terrorist groups like Al Shabaab -- a claim Dutch officials deny.

"There are legitimate businesses whose end product may end up in the hands of Al Shabaab, yet if governments resort to banning these businesses then it hurts the ultimate owners of these businesses," says analyst Emmanuel Kisiangani of the Institute of Security Studies.

"I think it is a tricky situation, it is a precarious balancing act -- governments need to think of mechanisms that ensure that these legitimate businesses don't end up benefiting these terrorist organizations."

Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group that controls much of southern Somalia and is active around the capital Mogadishu, has been battling the country's weak transitional government for years.

Read also: Somali women defy danger to write basketball history

A recent U.N. report said the terrorist group, which has connections to al Qaeda, gets funds by taxing the khat exported to Somalia.

Analysts believe that the khat trade in Europe may be following a similar pattern. They say some of the businessmen in Europe who act as middlemen to khat exporters and farmers could be sending the money back to Al Shabaab.

"So, ultimately, the contributors are doing this in good faith but the end result is that you have people with wrong motives along and in between who take these resources, this money, and channel it to terror organizations," says Kisiangani.

Somalia analysts Jessica Lincoln and Frans Barnard say the use of international khat trade to fund militant activities has long been suspected by intelligence agencies but evidence is difficult to prove and remains circumstantial.

They note that the Dutch ban has been driven by health, socio-economic and local political factors, along with a tougher stance on "softer" drugs, but add that this needs to be balanced against the security context of Somalia and the increasing prominence of Al Shabaab in recent years.

"This is of course a huge concern for the international community in their anti-terrorist operations so any suggested links to the funding of terrorist activities will demand movement for cessation of such activities or pressure to regulate," says Lincoln of Rubicon Resolution.

Olle Schmidt, a Swedish member of the European parliament who's been raising the issue of the drug's detrimental social and health effects for many years, says that several security services have admitted that there might be a link between Al Shabaab and illegal khat trade but it is very difficult to track the cash generated by the trade and ultimately know who the end receivers are.

"They can follow the money to Dubai and then further into Somalia but then they really don't know," he says.

In the UK, anti-khat campaigner Abukar Awale says that Al Shabaab targets vulnerable young addicts in the British-Somali community for recruitment. He says that parts of the multimillion dollar khat trade is being controlled by people "who are very sympathetic to Al Shabaab" and calls on the UK government to follow the Netherlands' example and ban the drug.

"In my opinion, by allowing khat to be legal, Britain is providing tools, manpower and resources to Al Shabaab," he says.

Read also: Somali militants target addicts in UK's 'khat cafes'

But back in Meru county, the khat farmers who are separated from the end user and any regulation further down the chain say that banning khat could kill off the region's economic future.

"Khat farming is the heart of the economy of this place," says Mutuura. "We cannot educate our children without khat -- if we don't have khat to sell, this means our economy is grounded."

With the Kenyan government having entered talks with the Dutch government to reverse the ban on khat, the farmers hope the talks will bear fruit or their livelihood will be plucked away.

"This is only what we know in our life, nothing more," says Mutuura.


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Santorum's Super Tuesday surprise

Steubenville, Ohio (CNN) -- Upending the conventional wisdom that he would have a tough night on Super Tuesday, Rick Santorum beat expectations with at least three victories.

The former Pennsylvania senator won Tennessee, Oklahoma and North Dakota. And in Ohio, Santorum lost by a slim margin in a race that came down to a difference of about 10,000 votes, according to the Ohio secretary of state's unofficial tally.

Santorum loses Ohio Catholic vote

"We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South and we're ready to win across this country," Santorum told supporters at his Super Tuesday party in Steubenville, Ohio.

Santorum was joined onstage by his wife, Karen, and family, including his 93-year-old mother.

"We're in this race. And we're in it to stay," Santorum said. He argued his performance in Ohio was impressive considering how he was outspent by Mitt Romney.

Analysis: Romney win highlights trouble

During his speech, Santorum returned to his attacks on Romney, portraying the former Massachusetts governor as a weak opponent against President Barack Obama on the issue of health care reform.

"I've never passed a statewide government-run health care system when I was governor, because, well, I wasn't governor. But Gov. Romney did," Santorum said.

Santorum then referred to recent news reports indicating Romney had voiced some support for a national insurance mandate during the debate over health care reform in Washington.

"We need a person running against President Obama who is right on the issues and truthful with the American public," Santorum said.

5 things we learned from Super Tuesday

Throughout the night, Santorum's aides repeatedly approached reporters to raise questions about Romney's viability as a general-election candidate.

"I'll be interested to find out if Mitt Romney has won a Southern state today," Santorum adviser John Brabender quipped to reporters.

"If somebody can't do well in the South, then they shouldn't be running at all," Brabender said referring to Romney's losses in Georgia and Tennessee.

Brabender says the campaign wants a one-on-one matchup with Romney, suggesting Santorum could win the nomination with Gingrich out of the race.

Earlier Tuesday, Santorum adviser Hogan Gidley said the former senator from Pennsylvania is willing to take the race all the way to the convention.

"If we all go to the convention with a certain amount of delegates, and we have to figure something out at the convention, so be it," Gidley told reporters at the campaign's Super Tuesday party headquarters.

Delegates: Who's got what

Gidley's comments came in response to one of the chief arguments made by Romney's advisers, who predict the former senator will be too far behind in the delegate count to catch up and clinch the nomination after Super Tuesday.

"He's got to get to 1,144, too," Gidley snapped back in a reference to the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.

"He wants us out because he can't get there," Gidley added, referring to Romney.

In a sign the campaign was lowering expectations for Super Tuesday, Gidley indicated Santorum was comfortable with coming in second in the popular vote in Ohio.

It's unlikely Santorum will win the most delegates in the crucial Super Tuesday battleground. The campaign failed to file the necessary paperwork to pick up delegates in areas of Ohio where Santorum was favored to come out on top.

Gidley shrugged off the mistake, saying Santorum is not the "establishment candidate."

On Wednesday, Santorum is scheduled to move on to the next contests, with stops expected in Kansas, Mississippi and Alabama.


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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Noel Gallagher: If Obama loses I will run

(CNN) -- "I don't know the ins and outs of his politics (but) for his procession to become President I was in America and his speeches were spine tingling. Barack Obama can talk, and coming after Bush it was something to behold. In my humble opinion, if he loses the next election to the other bunch then, good Lord, I will run myself."

So says Noel Gallagher, former creative force of British band Oasis and one of rock 'n' roll's biggest mouths. Singer-songwriter, brother to Liam and now a U.S. presidential candidate: 2012 promises to be quite a year for the 45-year-old whose song-writing talent has taken him from unemployment in a city called Manchester in northern England to sell-out stadium tours around the world, playing to millions.

By September, Gallagher will have completed the tour of his first solo album since the demise of Oasis in 2009; an expedition entailing 81 shows across Europe, the Pacific (Japan and Australia) and America as well as being a voyage into the unknown for the forthright backing-singer-now-frontman.

It was initially intended as a small affair, but such has been the demand for the new record -- "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" topped the charts in the UK in October 2011-- theaters have rapidly been upgraded to arenas to cope with demand. A move that surprised the man himself and maybe explains the overriding mood of calm satisfaction the guitarist exudes from beneath a leather jacket as he sits down with a coffee to talk to CNN.

"The amount of tickets I've sold, the amount of records I've sold ... I (just) didn't have any expectations for the new record. I thought I might stall at playing theaters for a couple of years but I've gone up to arenas before the end of the first year, so I'm blown away by that.

"Part of me thinks: 'Of course I'll be playing arenas because I'm f****** brilliant and the songs are f****** brilliant so it's inevitable, but the other part of me says I don't have any divine right to do that and I've got to work at it. Turns out, the former was correct! I am very grateful though."

It is not the first time the man dubbed "The Chief" by former band mates, has experienced a wave of success. Until 2009, Gallagher had been the artistic catalyst and the calmer half of the capricious brotherly partnership that saw Oasis, with their mix of Beatles melodies and Sex Pistols attitude, conquer charts around the world and become one of the planet's biggest-selling bands.

Oasis' second album (What's the story) Morning Glory? broke into the Billboard top ten and sold nearly four million copies in the United States alone. But this figure proved to be seven times the sales of the group's next three albums put together according to USA Today, a position that left many critics to argue that, unlike other British musical exports that had gone before them, the Gallagher's had not been taken to heart by the American music-buying public. It's an assertion the writer of Wonderwall contests.

"We got off on the wrong foot with Americans because they are extremely professional corporate people and we kind of treated that attitude with contempt. The only time we were ever on the cover of Rolling Stone they set aside eight hours for a photo shoot. Eight hours! I think we stayed for an hour ... and they couldn't believe it. (But) we just couldn't understand why you have to enter into theatrics with Rolling Stone magazine on a day off, because we were s***-kickers from the streets and didn't have time for that.

"Four American tours in a row were either never started or never finished (with Oasis) and we were subtitled on television because of our accents ... basically people couldn't understand a word we were saying. We also didn't have a front man like Bono or Chris Martin, we had a different kind of front-man who was like Johnny Rotten, but I don't think anybody ... would look back at it with regret, we did what we did on our own terms."

A staunch defense maybe of a band Gallagher currently has no plans to reform, but for someone so imbued with a British identity, the new album has particularly strong American sentiments. The new band includes an American guitarist, the first single release -- 'The Death of You and Me' -- has a New Orleans-style brass section, and the videos for all the singles so far -- including 'Dream On' and 'AKA ... What a Life!' -- have a 1970's Americana theme with Noel as a central figure. Despite this, when asked if this had been a conscious thematic move, Gallagher remains adamant there is no new ambition to "crack" the United States.

"(Oasis) never had a number one album, we had a number two album ... we nearly got there. I don't even know what cracking America is supposed to be though? If it's playing arenas everywhere, 10 thousand people a night then we did it. Not that I've got to justify it but we did sell out the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Gardens regularly and I've got gold and platinum discs (and) the house to prove it, Sonny Jim (sic). We never won any Grammys, we never got nominated, but those people like Green Day and Hootie and the Blowfish; f*** me, enough said."

The solo album has received good reviews broadly speaking so far. Rolling Stone magazine gave it 3.5 out of five with the recommendation that Noel had: "Cook(ed) down the Beatles' LSD pop into MDMA head-rushes like Oasis did, he does his old band proud. "Shout it out for me!" he declares in 'Dream On,' making you want to do just that." So did the album feel like a renaissance as it was being created?

"I've made enough of my records to know this was a pretty good bunch of songs. When I heard the final mixes, I wanted to stand behind them, they were good. Whether it gets five stars out of five or seven out of ten doesn't make it any better or worse an album for me - or if it sells 700 thousand compared to 100 thousand - it is a good album because it is.

"Every album I've ever been involved in, on the day that it came out I believed in it. Believed in them all equally but it's evident that Morning Glory and Definitely Maybe have lasted for 18 years and some of them haven't. We won't know where this sits in the canon of what I've done for another five years but I'm confident it will be up there though, in fact I know it will."

The music on the new album breaks new ground for Gallagher, both in musical terms -- the Dixieland band on 'The Death of You and Me' and the driving, repetitive beats of 'Everybody's on the Run' and 'AKA ... What a Life!'-- and in the song's lyrical content. They verge, even revel, in romance.

"I don't know how that happened! My wife would say I'm not romantic at all but I would say that I'm the ultimate romancer because I write about ... life being brilliant. Not like the Indie (independent) music scene where I come from, they like to sing about the news don't they? There's nothing good on the news. You're not telling me CNN is all cats in trees are you? Nothing can be that good if Piers Morgan is in it, you know what I mean?

"So the themes (of the album are) escapism, love, romance; to be on a journey - though I don't like that word, people say that on reality shows don't they - you know when a fat person becomes skinny they've been on a amazing journey. No they haven't, they've been on an amazing treadmill. Basically, the album includes brilliant and very well crafted songs, deceptively fantastic lyrics, all brilliantly played with the minimum of fuss and which are criminally underrated particularly in America," Gallagher surmises in unabashed appraisal.

But though his unshakable faith in his music remains the same as his halcyon days with Oasis, touring is now a different proposition. As a father of three life on the road now also means life apart from his young family too.

"The boys (Donovan and Sonny) don't like me going away but I can't wait until they're old enough so I can explain to them: 'You see all this all this multi-colored stuff (in our house), where do you think it comes from? Well, it doesn't come form Father Christmas, somebody's got to work for it and that somebody is me. So you jog on and go to bed and I'll see you in a month.'"

And with that Noel Gallagher leaves the room to prepare for his latest arena show, played on this occasion in the Scottish city of Glasgow, a stone's throw from the tiny venue where Oasis were first discovered all those years ago. Maybe now it is time for establishment acceptance of Gallagher in America, even if it is not in the White House.


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ADHD diagnoses higher in classroom's youngest kids

(Health.com) -- Children who are the youngest in their class are more likely than their older classmates to be diagnosed and given medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- suggesting that immaturity may be part of the problem, not ADHD.

The finding is from a study of more than 900,000 Canadian children aged 6 to 12, and it dovetails with two U.S. studies that found the same thing in 2010.

In fact, the youngest boys were 30% more likely than their oldest classmates to get an ADHD diagnosis, and the youngest girls had a 70% greater chance, according to the study conducted by Dr. E. Jane Garland, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and colleagues.

Health.com: What causes ADHD? 12 myths and facts

"The younger children in a grade were significantly more likely to be diagnosed, labeled, and treated with medication for what in some of them must simply be immaturity," Garland says.

The researchers looked at children born in December, the month before the cutoff date for starting school (in this case, December 31), who were therefore the youngest in their class. They compared those children to youngsters born in January, who missed the cutoff date and so were the oldest in their class -- almost a full year older than those with December birthdays.

Of the boys born in December, 7.4% were diagnosed with ADHD and 6.2% were given medication. In contrast, only 5.7% of boys born in January were diagnosed with ADHD and 4.4% were given ADHD medication. Similarly, 2.7% of girls with December birthdays were diagnosed with ADHD and 1.9% were given ADHD medication, while 1.6% of girls born in January were diagnosed with ADHD and 1.1% were given medication.

Health.com: 10 habits of healthy families

As for children born in other months, the younger they were relative to their classmates, the more likely they were to be diagnosed with and treated for ADHD.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, included 937,943 children who were 6 to 12 years old between December 1997 and November 30, 2008, representing all children in this age group in the province of British Columbia.

"It definitely looks like it's a real effect, we now have three studies, and it would be good to know more about it," says Joel Nigg, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Nigg studies ADHD, but did not take part in Garland's research.

Diagnosing ADHD can be tricky. For one thing, problems with attentiveness and hyperactivity fall along a continuum, says Garland.

"The symptoms of ADHD are very nonspecific," she says. "If someone is tired or they haven't eaten breakfast, they'll be fidgety and unfocused." There's no lab test that says yes, you have ADHD, or no, you don't, she notes.

Health.com: Adult ADHD -- 10 tricks for paying attention

Dr. James Perrin, the director of the division of general pediatrics at the Mass General Hospital for Children in Boston, says it takes more than one doctor's visit to get an ADHD diagnosis right. (Perrin helped write guidelines for diagnosing ADHD in general practice or family practice settings, which were published in 2000, but did not participate in Garland's study).

If ADHD is suspected, a child should have at least two doctor's visits along with his or her parents, and the child's teacher should weigh in too.

"In general, we don't think you can make the diagnosis of ADHD in a single visit in primary care," Perrin says. However, he admits, it does happen. "I think most physicians, pediatricians, family practitioners frankly want to do the right thing for their kids, there's no question that they would like to do this right, but they're also feeling pressure to move the child and the family through the system quickly."

And getting a diagnosis right is important. While ADHD medications can help children who have it, the treatment can have side effects and may affect sleep, appetite, and growth, the researchers note.

Psychiatrists estimate that about 3% to 7% of school children have ADHD, but the actual diagnosis rates may be higher, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2007 survey of parents suggested that 9.5% of children (13.2% of boys and 5.6% of girls), or about 5.4 million youngsters aged 4 to 17 years, had been diagnosed with ADHD.

Health.com: Secrets to a stress-free family

"The study points out that slipshod diagnosis can be a problem, and if you're getting diagnosed with ADD just because you're immature compared to your peer group, then that's not good," says Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist with offices in New York City and Sudbury, Massachusetts, who specializes in treating children and adults with ADHD. "If you use the proper diagnostic criteria and do a careful evaluation, the fact that a child is immature compared to a peer shouldn't matter."

Nigg agrees that the time spent diagnosing a child is probably playing a role in the relative-age effect.

"It's very difficult for children to get a full evaluation for ADHD," he says. "If you don't have time to do an extensive evaluation, you may make errors."

Many ADHD experts say the condition is probably both underdiagnosed and overdiagnosed; for example, kids living in poorer areas without access to health care may not ever be diagnosed with or treated for ADHD, even though they could benefit from it. At the same time,some parents may push for an ADHD diagnosis so their child can get extra time to complete standardized tests, even if that diagnosis isn't appropriate.

Health.com: 20 easy meals for families to enjoy together

"Some people don't believe in it and they never diagnose it, some people see it everywhere," Hallowell says. "If you have the correct diagnosis, wonderful, if you don't then that's bad and it could be you're not getting the treatment you need, or you're getting a treatment you don't need. The take home point to me is that you need to see someone good."

For Garland and her colleagues, the study suggests that more caution should be used when diagnosing ADHD. They say that taking a closer look at behavior outside the classroom might also help reduce the risk of a misdiagnosis.

"With this data now available from more than one study, it really becomes the responsibility of parents, physicians, and teachers to pay attention to the relative-age effect and not intervene with treatment and labeling of children who it's no fault of their own what time of year they were born," Garland says.


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Monday, March 5, 2012

Could hackers seize control of your car?

(CNN) -- When car companies begin exhibiting at mobile phone shows, it's a sign that the "connected" vehicle has truly arrived -- allowing us to take our digital lives with us as we hit the highway.

But while Ford's unveiling of its latest car at Mobile World Congress -- a major cell phone industry event -- this week may have heralded a new automotive age, it also heightens fears that our technology-crammed cars could be hijacked by hackers.

Just like our PCs and smartphones, the computerized components that have infiltrated almost every aspect of modern vehicles could potentially be broken into, experts say. Only, with a car, this could have far more dangerous consequences.

"We typically don't drive our smartphones at 80 miles an hour," said Brian Contos, security strategist at technology protection firm McAfee. "But safety concerns and privacy concerns all culminate when you talk about automobiles."

Ford isn't alone in integrating mobile phone technology into its cars.

While its networked B-Max compact and its prototype Evos were big hits at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, also on display was a BlackBerry-embedded Porsche 911 and a Toyota with an integrated Samsung phone application.

Read more about Ford's tecnhology-filled car

Almost every vehicle manufactured in the past few years is hardwired with computer circuitry in some way, from simple entertainment units to sophisticated safety systems that can control braking and acceleration.

And technology continues to advance. Google is working on a driverless car project that, in allowing complete control of the vehicle to be handled by computers, could reshape the future of motoring.

With onboard systems capable of preventing crashes or summoning help after accidents, vehicles have arguably never been safer.

But in-built links to cell phones, Bluetooth or even low-range radio transmitters serve only to heighten the possibility that this technology can be turned against us.

So far, such attacks have been largely academic. Last year computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego and University of Washington reported they were able to gain remote access to the safety systems of a "moderately priced sedan" using an audio CD infected with a virus.

"Modern automobiles are pervasively computerized, and hence potentially vulnerable to attack," they argued in a report to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. They warned of "financially-motivated scenarios" under which an attacker might exploit these weaknesses.

There have been a few real-life examples, such as the disgruntled ex-employee of a firm providing web-based vehicle-immobilization systems who reportedly managed to disable 100 cars in Austin Texas in 2010.

"The nightmare scenario is 100 cars on a bridge and 50% of them hit their brakes and 50% hit their accelerators," added Contos. "Just the amount of collision that something like that would cause with a remote attack, that's pretty scary stuff."

Another possibility envisaged by Contos is hackers using radio waves to trigger a tire pressure warning. "And then what happens? The logical person would pull over and check their tires, and what a great way to carjack somebody."

Contos, whose company has compiled a report highlighting vehicle cyber security issues, also suggests that the most likely motive for such an attack would be financial, but could simply be the work of hackers trying to wreak havoc for the sake of it. Terrorism could also be a factor.

"A lot people say there's no such thing as cyber terrorism because it doesn't have the shock and awe value of blowing up a car or something of that nature. Well something like (causing a major collision) would have that."

Then there are the concerns over privacy. In downloading personal information into our cars we may help them navigate to our favorite coffee shops or check our diaries, but we also make them targets for data thieves.

For many in the auto industry, the question is currently one of balance: whether the benefits of technology outweigh the problems with security.

Read more about mobiles and medicine

"I don't think this is a situation that's unique to the car industry," said motoring journalist Carlton Boyce. He suggests that handing more computerized autonomy to our vehicles is inevitable in an increasingly traffic-clogged world. This, he says, is something consumers are happy with, and will benefit from in the long run.

"The risks are probably smaller than putting everyone in charge of two tons of metal and letting them drive at 80 miles an hour," he said.

Vehicle manufacturers themselves are not blind to the problem. Bill Ford, great grandson of Model-T creator Henry Ford and now the auto giant's executive chairman, says he traveled to Barcelona this week partly to address security concerns.

"That's one of the issues we're going to have to work out as we go along and that's why we're here, to talk to the mobile providers because they're already facing many of those security issues," he said. "For now, what we're working with is opt-in; you can opt-in with how much you're comfortable with."

He added: "Your car can know where you are at any moment and that's great for safety reasons, but the downside of that potential is someone knows where you are every second, and that's something we're going to have to work through."

This won't be easy, says Contos. With vehicles taking up to three years to develop, he says manufacturers will struggle to keep abreast of rapidly-evolving threats unless they organize regular software updates.

Instead, he says, any installed technology should be given a so-called "white list" of permissible activities beyond which any procedures are blocked.

Another option, of course, is to return to driving jalopies whose only concession to technology is a crackling AM radio. But, adds Contos, this isn't a route most drivers are prepared to take.

"People aren't going to go back to driving the Model T any more than they're going to go back to rotary telephones because of the risks on smartphones," he said.


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Iran at front and center of Obama, Netanyahu talks

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday their nations stand together in their efforts to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon.

The two leaders met at the White House to discuss Iran's nuclear program and other Middle East issues amid talk that Israel may attack nuclear sites in Iran.

In comments to reporters before the meeting, Obama said both he and Netanyahu prefer a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue.

However, Obama made clear -- as he did in a speech to the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Sunday -- that military force remains an option in the effort to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

Netanyahu said he welcomed Obama's "strong speech" on Sunday and noted that Iran considers the United States the "great Satan" and Israel the "little Satan."

Iran calls the two countries the same, Netanyahu said, adding "they're right" because "Israel and America stand together."

At the same time, he insisted that Israel must remain "the master of its fate" in defending itself against Iran having a nuclear weapon.

Earlier Monday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Director General Yukiya Amano, reiterated agency warnings that it cannot say whether Iran's nuclear program is peaceful, as the Islamic republic maintains.

Amano said the IAEA "continues to have serious concerns regarding possible military dimensions."

The United States and Israel suspect that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. Both have said they will act to prevent that, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.

Obama has no public appearances after Monday's meeting, while Netanyahu will speak later at the AIPAC conference in Washington. The White House announced Obama will hold a news conference on Tuesday.

Speaking to AIPAC on Sunday, Obama warned that "all elements of American power" remain an option to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, though the president also made clear that he prefers diplomacy over war, both as a principle and in the case of Iran.

"Too much loose talk of war with Iran" only benefits the Iranian government by driving up the price of oil, Obama said to the pro-Israel lobby group.

Obama said his policy is not containment of a nuclear Iran, but preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. At the same time, he emphasized that Iran "should not doubt Israel's sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs."

While Obama's statements are consistent with his past pronouncements, his specific reference to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- rather than the capability of building a nuclear weapon -- maintained what some consider to be a difference from Israel's position.

Israeli officials say that if Iran were to become able to enrich weapons-grade uranium, it would potentially cross the "red line" of nuclear weapons capability that Israel fears.

In a statement issued after Obama's speech, Netanyahu expressed appreciation for the president's position that all options are on the table to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

"I also appreciated the fact that he made clear that when it comes to a nuclear-armed Iran, containment is simply not an option," Netanyahu said, "and equally, in my judgment, perhaps most important of all, I appreciated the fact that he said that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat."


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Sunday, March 4, 2012

FAA proposes fine for crew rest violations

Washington (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration wants to fine commuter jet operator Colgan Air for flying planes three years ago without giving crew members enough rest.

In a letter to the airline released Friday, the FAA lays out 17 instances in which pilots or flight attendants flew without the required amount of off-duty rest time. It proposes a fine of $153,000.

FAA regulations require the airline to give each crew member 24 consecutive hours off every seven days.

The FAA says that between June 14, 2008, and February 23, 2009, Colgan scheduled flight duty time for two captains, two first officers and six flight attendants on a seventh day after they had been on duty for the previous six days.

The FAA said one of the captains operated four flights without adequate rest. Each of the other flight crew members operated one flight without meeting this rest requirement.

Crews are also required to get time off after eight hours of flying. The FAA says that in 2008 Colgan had three flight attendants and one first officer work without this required time off.

"Colgan's actions in assigning flight crew members and flight attendants to duties in scheduled air transportation without required rest ... were careless or reckless so as to endanger the lives and property of others," writes Christian Lewerenz, an attorney for the FAA in the letter to Colgan.

Last year, the FAA proposed fining Colgan nearly $1.9 million for allegedly allowing 84 flight attendants to fly for a week after the airline was informed they had been trained on fire extinguishers that were different from those used on their aircraft.

In 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people. The National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash cited pilot error as a factor, adding, "the pilots' performance was likely impaired because of fatigue, but the extent of their impairment and the degree to which it contributed to the performance deficiencies that occurred during the flight cannot be conclusively determined."

One of the crew rest violations cited Friday by the FAA took place the day after the crash.

"Safety is the top priority at Colgan," wrote Joe Williams, spokesman for parent company Pinnacle Airlines in a statement to CNN. "The proposed fine is based on actions that occurred more than three years ago. We believe we complied with all applicable duty and rest rules and will respond accordingly."

The airline has 30 days to reply to the FAA.

The FAA in December announced new pilot flight, duty and rest rules that will go into effect in December 2013.

Colgan is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines and flies small commuter jets for US Airways Express, United Express and Continental Connection.


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Cupcake ATMs on the way

The Sprinkles cupcake ATM, set to open in Beverly Hills.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Get ready for an ATM where your dough comes out freshly baked -- with icing on top.

Sprinkles, a gourmet cupcake chain with 10 locations nationally, is set to open its first 24-hour cupcake vending machine on March 9 at its original store in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Company spokeswoman Nicole Schwartz says that there will be ten of the machines in operation by this summer, and even more by the end of the year.

At first, the Cupcake ATMs will all be within Sprinkles stores, but accessible from outside so that customers can indulge even when stores are closed.

Eventually, Schwartz said the machines will be at remote locations apart from the stores.

Sprinkles opened in 2005 and remains privately held. It has locations in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Palo Alto and La Jolla, California, as well as New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, and Scottsdale, Ariz. The New York, Washington and Chicago locations are next in line for the cupcake ATM. (Pricey cupcakes: Your chance to invest)

The company had intended to call the machines 24-hour Sprinkles, but Schwartz said the name Cupcake ATM just kind of suggested itself.

There won't be an ATM fee per se, but cupcakes in the machine will cost $4, compared to $3.50 inside the store. The machines will only take credit or debit cards, no cash.

Schwartz said the selection in the machine will be rotated daily, although a few of the company's most popular selections, such as red velvet, will always be in the machine.

The machines will be able to hold 600 cupcakes at a time.

"It's going to be a lot bigger than a typical vending machine, let alone an ATM machine," she said. To top of page

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