Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Quinn Vetoes 2011 Gaming Expansion Legislation ? CBS St. Louis

CHICAGO (AP) ? Gov. Pat Quinn has vetoed a piece of old gambling legislation that would have added five new casinos and more slot machines.

This was lawmakers? 2011 attempt, but it didn?t go to Quinn?s desk until the end of session in January. Quinn had opposed the bill, saying it didn?t contain enough ethical protections. He vetoed it Monday.

The legislation proposed more slot machines at existing casinos and allowed horse tracks to have them. Proponents estimated it would bring in $1.6 billion to pay down overdue bills and more than $500 million annually for schools and state-sponsored construction.

Quinn vetoed another gambling expansion attempt last year, saying it needed a ban on political contributions from the gambling industry.

? Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/03/04/quinn-vetoes-2011-gaming-expansion-legislation/

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Mexico's ruling party says 'yes' to energy reform

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, front, waves during a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, front, waves during a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto delivers a speech during a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

People attend a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto waves during a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto delivers a speech during a national convention of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in Mexico City, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Mexico's ruling party changed on Sunday its platform to allow a reform that could bring private investment into the state-owned oil monopoly, in a country where oil is a source of national pride. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

(AP) ? Mexico's ruling party changed its platform on Sunday to allow for private investment in the oil industry, paving the way for a possible overhaul of a state-owned company that is seen as a pillar of the nation.

Nearly 5,000 members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, also known as the PRI, voted unanimously at their national convention to remove language in the party's platform that for years had opposed injecting private money in the sector. Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, is the only company that can carry out oil refining. The party also erased its opposition to sales taxes on food and medicines.

President Enrique Pena Nieto, who led last year's electoral comeback for the party that governed from 1929 to 2000, said the energy and fiscal reforms are needed for Mexico to become more competitive. He urged party members to support him when he sends the bills to Congress, likely in the second half of this year.

"The PRI is seeking renovation to bring the changes Mexico needs," Pena Nieto told a crowd of thousands. "The PRI is not pleased and it is choosing to reexamine and redefine where it stands on the challenges facing the country."

Pena Nieto's intention of opening the oil behemoth to more private and foreign investment has set off warnings among leftists about the privatization of an enterprise whose nationalization is seen by the left as a source of national pride.

Pena Nieto has previously denied any plans to privatize Pemex. On Sunday, party president Cesar Camacho repeated that the Pemex would stay in state hands, saying "We share the need of an energy reform for better growth, keeping the state's control, but modernizing the industry to reach its full potential and making sure the exploitation of our resources benefits everyone."

A meeting of opposition mayors called for protests in mid-March to oppose the ruling PRI's new platform.

After Sunday's decision, analysts said they expect the PRI to put forward a unified front when the bills are voted upon. The PRI doesn't hold a majority in Congress, but it's the strongest legislative block with 241 of 500 representatives. Pena Nieto has also built consensus in other issues with the opposition parties.

"The party is leaving behind its old taboos to be able to discuss the reality of the country," said Alejandro Schtulmann, head of research of the firm Emerging Markets Political Risk Analysis.

During the PRI's 12-year hiatus from presidency, its members firmly opposed such measures proposed by then-ruling National Action Party, arguing the country would lose sovereignty by allowing foreign investment in Pemex. They also alleged that taxing for food and medicines' purchases would severely affect the poor.

"The PRI wanted to wait until it had the presidency," said Schtulmann.

Though oil is a sensitive topic for many Mexicans who learn state ownership is one of the three main principles of the constitution, its production has fallen year after year. But most of the country's reserves remain untapped because Pemex lacks the technology for exploration.

Former President Felipe Calderon was able to sign a law to allow exploration deals with foreign companies but political resistance makes the sealing of such contracts difficult. At the same time, Mexico's government relies on oil revenues for about a third of its budget.

_________

Adriana Gomez Licon is on Twitter http://twitter.com/agomezlicon

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-03-Mexico-Oil%20Reform/id-229997135c2b4ba38ed85652f4e5561c

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Bomb kills 28, wounds dozens in southern Pakistan

Pakistani medics and civilians gather at the site of a bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Pakistani officials say a bomb blast has killed dozens of people in a neighborhood dominated by Shiite Muslims in the southern city of Karachi. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pakistani medics and civilians gather at the site of a bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Pakistani officials say a bomb blast has killed dozens of people in a neighborhood dominated by Shiite Muslims in the southern city of Karachi. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pakistani medics and civilians gather at the site of a bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 3, 2013. Pakistani officials say a bomb blast has killed dozens of people in a neighborhood dominated by Shiite Muslims in the southern city of Karachi. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) ? A bomb blast killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens of others on Sunday in a neighborhood dominated by Shiite Muslims in the southern city of Karachi, Pakistani officials said.

The bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque as people were leaving evening prayers, said police official Azhar Iqbal. Men, women and children were among those killed and wounded, he said.

At least 28 people were killed and 50 others were wounded, said a top government official, Taha Farooqi. He said some people were feared trapped in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the bombing.

No one has claimed responsibility, but Sunni militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban have targeted Shiites in the past, claiming they are heretics.

Initial reports suggest the bomb was rigged to a motorcycle, although a survey of the damage indicates there could have been additional explosives planted at the scene, the police official said. Farooqi said several buildings nearby had caught fire.

Men and women wailed at the scene and the hospitals. AP video showed residents trying to find victims buried in the rubble.

"I heard a huge blast. I saw flames," Syed Irfat Ali, a resident of the area, said, adding that people were crying and running to safety.

Sunni militant groups have stepped up attacks in the past year against Shiite Muslims who make up about 20 percent of Pakistan's population of 180 million people.

Two brazen attacks against a Shiite Hazara community in southwestern city of Quetta killed nearly 200 people since Jan 10. Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the bombings, which ripped through a billiard club and a market in areas populated by Hazaras, which are mostly Muslim Shiites.

Pakistan's intelligence agencies helped nurture Sunni militant groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in the 1980s and 1990s to counter a perceived threat from neighboring Iran, which is mostly Shiite. Pakistan banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in 2001, but the group continues to attack Shiites.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 400 Shiites were killed last year in targeted attacks across the country, the worst year on record for anti-Shiite violence in Pakistan. The human rights group said more than 125 were killed in Baluchistan province. Most of them belonged to the Hazara community.

Human rights groups have accused the government of not doing enough to protect Shiites.

After the Jan 10 bombing, the Hazara community held protests, which spread to other parts of the country. The protesters refused to bury their dead for several days while demanding a military-led crackdown against the Lashkar-e-Jhanvi group. Pakistan's president dismissed the provincial government and assigned a governor to run Baluchistan province.

No operation was launched against the militant group until another bombing in February killed 89 people.

The government then ordered a police operation and has said some members of the group have been arrested. One of the founders of the group, Malik Ishaq, was among those detained and officials said he could be questioned to determine if his group's is linked to the latest violence against Shiites.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-03-Pakistan/id-3fa24ce662124037a76c57807135c79f

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Spending cut showdown threatens Obama's second-term agenda

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just hours after across-the-board spending cuts officially took effect, President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Saturday to work with him on a compromise to halt a fiscal crisis that threatens the economy and his broader domestic policy agenda.

The failure by Obama and Republicans to agree to halt the $85 billion "sequester" cuts virtually guaranteed that fiscal issues would remain center stage in Washington for weeks, crowding out Obama's proposals to reform immigration, tighten gun laws and raise the minimum wage.

The economic effects of the spending cuts may take time to kick in, but political blowback has already begun and is hitting Obama as well as congressional Republicans.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Friday showed neither Republicans nor Obama and his fellow Democrats escaping blame.

Obama's approval rating dropped to 47 percent in a Gallup poll on Friday, down from 51 percent in the previous three-day period measured.

While most polls show voters blame Republicans primarily for the fiscal mess, Obama could see himself associated with the worst effects of sequestration like the looming furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. He signed an order on Friday night that started putting the cuts into effect.

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, Obama appealed for Republicans to work with Democrats on a deal, saying Americans were weary of seeing Washington "careen from one manufactured crisis to another."

But he offered no new ideas to resolve the recurring fiscal fights, and there was no immediate sign of any negotiations.

"There's a caucus of common sense (in Congress)," Obama said in his address. "And I'm going to keep reaching out to them to fix this for good."

At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal showdowns is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.

The president wants to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts and tax hikes, what he calls a "balanced approach." But Republicans do not want to concede again on taxes after doing so in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" at the end of last year.

The president offered a litany of hardships in his radio address he said would flow from the forced spending cuts.

"Beginning this week, businesses that work with the military will have to lay folks off. Communities near military bases will take a serious blow. Hundreds of thousands of Americans who serve their country - Border Patrol agents, FBI agents, civilians who work for the Defense Department - will see their wages cut and their hours reduced," he said.

'IT'S CALLED LEADERSHIP'

At Yellowstone National Park, a massive and costly annual operation to clear the roads of snow that was scheduled to start on Monday will be postponed due to the cuts,

Park managers have to trim $1.75 million from Yellowstone's $35 million annual budget, which will delay the opening of most entrances to America's first national park by two weeks.

It could mean millions of dollars in lost tourism and tax revenues for small, rural towns in Montana and Wyoming.

"I think it's counter-productive, and I expect a lot of people to be raising hell," said Mike Darby, whose family owns the Irma Hotel in Cody, Wyoming, at the east gate of the park.

Critics said Obama should have held meaningful talks with congressional leaders long before Friday's last-minute meeting at the White House, which failed to prevent the automatic cuts written into law during a previous budget crisis in 2011.

"The president should call the senior representatives of the parties together to Camp David - or any place with a table, chairs and no TV cameras - for serious negotiations on replacing the sequester with firm, enforceable beginnings of a comprehensive long-term debt stabilization agreement," former Republican Senator Pete Domenici and fiscal expert Alice Rivlin said in a statement released on Friday.

The budget veterans, who lead the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force, called on Obama and congressional Republican leaders to "be willing to tell those on the polar extremes of their parties that a central majority consensus will govern. It's called leadership."

After months of silence on political issues, Obama's Republican opponent in last November's election resurfaced to take a swipe at the Democrat's handling of the sequestration mess. "No one can think that that's been a success for the president," Mitt Romney said in an interview to air on "Fox News Sunday."

The former Massachusetts governor accused Obama of "flying around the country and berating Republicans and blaming and pointing," instead of striking a budget deal.

Twenty-eight percent of Americans blame Republicans for the lack of a deal to halt sequestration, while 22 percent hold either Obama or the Democrats in Congress responsible, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Thirty-seven percent blame them all.

The budget standstill has overshadowed Obama's aggressive set of policy goals ranging from boosting pre-school education to fighting climate change and reforming America's immigration system. But Obama vowed on Friday the fiscal troubles would not prevent him from advocating for those proposals.

"I think there are other areas where we can make progress even with the sequester unresolved. I will continue to push for those initiatives," he told a news conference.

(Editing by Alistair Bell and Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spending-cut-showdown-threatens-obamas-second-term-agenda-025029989--business.html

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Comings and goings at 'Downton Abbey' next season

This undated publicity photo provided by PBS shows Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, left, and Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson from the TV series, "Downton Abbey." Carnival Films and MASTERPIECE on PBS today announced that six new cast names are joining the series plus the return of Shirley MacLaine for next season's finale. The Hollywood star, who reprises her role as Martha Levinson, proved a huge hit with viewers last year. (AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE, Nick Briggs)

This undated publicity photo provided by PBS shows Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, left, and Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson from the TV series, "Downton Abbey." Carnival Films and MASTERPIECE on PBS today announced that six new cast names are joining the series plus the return of Shirley MacLaine for next season's finale. The Hollywood star, who reprises her role as Martha Levinson, proved a huge hit with viewers last year. (AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE, Nick Briggs)

This undated publicity photo provided by PBS shows Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson from the TV series, "Downton Abbey." Carnival Films and MASTERPIECE on PBS today announced that six new cast names are joining the series plus the return of Shirley MacLaine for next season's finale. The Hollywood star, who reprises her role as Martha Levinson, proved a huge hit with viewers last year. (AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2012 for MASTERPIECE, Nick Briggs)

(AP) ? Shirley MacLaine will be returning to "Downton Abbey" next season, and opera star Kiri Te Kanawa is joining the cast.

MacLaine will reprise her role as Martha Levinson, Lord Robert Crawley's freewheeling American mother-in-law, Carnival Films and "Masterpiece" on PBS said Saturday. MacLaine appeared in episodes early last season.

New Zealand-born soprano Te Kanawa will play a house guest. She will sing during her visit.

Other new cast members and characters include:

? Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, described as an old family friend of the Crawleys who visits the family as a guest for a house party (and who might be the one to mend Lady Mary Crawley's broken heart).

? Nigel Harman will play a valet named Green.

? Harriet Walter plays Lady Shackleton, an old friend of the Dowager Countess.

? Joanna David will play a guest role as the Duchess of Yeovil.

? Julian Ovenden is cast as aristocrat Charles Blake.

"The addition of these characters can only mean more delicious drama, which is what 'Downton Abbey' is all about," said "Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca Eaton.

Meanwhile, the producers have confirmed that villainous housemaid Sarah O'Brien won't be back. Siobhan Finneran, who played her, is leaving the show.

These announcements come shortly after the third season's airing in the United States. It concluded with the heartbreaking death of popular Matthew Crawley in a car crash, leaving behind his newborn child and loving wife, Lady Mary Crawley.

Matthew's untimely demise was the result of the departure from the series by actor Dan Stevens, who had starred in that role.

The third season also saw the shocking death of Lady Sybil Branson, who died during childbirth. She was played by the departing Jessica Brown Findlay.

Last season the wildly popular melodrama, set in early 20th century Britain, was the most-watched series on PBS since Ken Burns' epic "The Civil War," which first aired in 1990. The Nielsen Co. said 8.2 million viewers saw the "Downton" season conclusion.

"Downton Abbey," which airs on the "Masterpiece" anthology, won three Emmy awards last fall, including a best supporting actress trophy for Maggie Smith (the Dowager Countess), who also won a Golden Globe in January.

In all, the series has won nine Emmys, two Golden Globes and a Screen Actors Guild Award for the ensemble cast, which is the first time the cast of a British television show has won this award.

Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter and Brendan Coyle are among its other returning stars.

___

Online:

http://www.pbs.org/downton

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-02-US-TV-Downton-Abbey/id-1c634fb7e1fc4689a780a03ba879aeff

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Contentious quotes upend Kenya presidential vote

Kenyan Presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, center right, and his running mate William Ruto, center left, greet the crowd as they arrive at the final election rally of Kenyatta's The National Alliance party at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 2, 2013. Kenya's top two presidential candidates - Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga - held their final rallies Saturday before large and raucous crowds ahead of Monday's vote, which is the first nationwide election since Kenya's December 2007 vote descended into tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Kenyan Presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, center right, and his running mate William Ruto, center left, greet the crowd as they arrive at the final election rally of Kenyatta's The National Alliance party at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, March 2, 2013. Kenya's top two presidential candidates - Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga - held their final rallies Saturday before large and raucous crowds ahead of Monday's vote, which is the first nationwide election since Kenya's December 2007 vote descended into tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Presidential candidate and current Prime Minister Raila Odinga addresses the crowd during a campaign rally at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 2, 2013. Kenya's top two presidential candidates - Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga - held their final rallies Saturday before large and raucous crowds ahead of Monday's vote, which is the first nationwide election since Kenya's December 2007 vote descended into tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi)

Supporters of Kenyan Prime Minister and Presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, gather at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 2, 2013, for the final day of the campaign for the upcoming election. Kenya's top two presidential candidates are holding their final rally before the country votes on Monday March 4.(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

Kenyan Prime Minister and Presidential candidate, Raila Odinga's supporters gather at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 2, 2013 for the final day of the campaign for the election. Kenya will hold its national election March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A supporter of Kenyan Prime Minister and Presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, wears a gorilla mask as he joins a rally at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, March 2, 2013 for the final day of the campaign for the election. Kenya will hold its national election March 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

(AP) ? Kenya's top two presidential candidates held their final rallies before large and raucous crowds Saturday, a day of political attacks and denials following published comments attributed to the prime minister that election violence could be worse than in 2007-08.

Monday's vote is the first nationwide election since Kenya's December 2007 vote devolved into tribe-on-tribe violence that killed more than 1,000 people. Kenyan leaders and community groups have been working to ensure that massive violence isn't repeated, but fears linger that bloodshed will reappear.

The Financial Times in a story Saturday quoted Prime Minister Raila Odinga ? one of the two top presidential candidates ? as saying he knows his opponents are planning to rig the vote and "I have warned them the consequences may be worse than last time round. The people will not stomach another rigging."

Odinga denied making the statement and told a stadium full of supporters that the story was a "total fabrication." He said his campaign would petition the courts if it felt the results were problematic. An earlier statement said Odinga felt "absolutely slandered" and included a quote it said Odinga gave the paper:

"I am aware that my opponents are scaring my supporters so that they can migrate from where they registered in order to cut the spread of my vote. It is a form of rigging and Kenyans will not accept it. ... I will still win this election despite this dirty campaign."

The Financial Times did not release an audio recording of the interview.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta ? Odinga's top challenger ? called Odinga's words "dangerous and inflammatory" and he called on Odinga to retract them.

"We have in public, and our words and deeds throughout this election ? all of us presidential candidates ? committed to campaign in this election in peace, and just as importantly, to accept the result in peace," Kenyatta said. "So then why is it that at the most delicate time in the election campaign Raila sought to use such dangerous, inflammatory words?"

Rigging and cheating are a part of Kenyan elections, though international observers say they believe an improved electoral system will make wide-spread cheating harder this time. Many Odinga supporters believe that President Mwai Kibaki stole the vote from Odinga in 2007, a belief that propelled the violence.

Kenyatta and his running mate ? William Ruto ? both face charges at the International Criminal Court over allegations they orchestrated the 2007-08 violence. If Kenyatta wins, he may be forced to spend much of presidency before The Hague-based court.

Low-level fraud was evident Saturday, when a man approached an Associated Press reporter at Kenyatta's rally and asked if the reporter wanted to buy a voter registration card for about $12. The man gave his name as Calvin Juma Hongo and said: "Why should I waste my time voting for these guys? They don't care about me. All I am thinking about now is how to look after my pregnant wife."

The Kenyatta rally ? with thousands of people clad in red ? reached a peak frenzy as two helicopters circled the downtown park as Kenyatta was arriving. Kenyatta accused Odinga of taking success for granted, and he told his crowd he believes he can win in the first round. Ruto, in a reference to the newspaper interview, said no voter should be intimidated.

Julius Waweru, a 25-year-old studying to become an electrician, wore multiple Kenyatta hats. He said: "I support Uhuru Kenyatta because he is young, and we need to change this government for a younger generation."

Just down Nairobi's main street, perhaps 3 kilometers (2 miles) away, tens of thousands of supporters for Odinga filled a sports stadium. Supporters held a dozen or so American flags aloft. Odinga and President Barack Obama's father come from the same tribe.

Nicholas Owino, 56, a resident of Nairobi's Korogocho slum, wore a hat made of dozens of oranges, the color of Odinga's party.

"My life is not good and I have not benefited from my support of Odinga since 2004 but I am confident if he becomes president my children will benefit," said Owino, who said he lost his grocery store during rioting of the 2007-08 violence and has not yet recovered it. More than 600,000 people were forced from their homes during the violence.

Odinga told the stadium crowd that Kenya has stagnated the last 50 years because the status quo has remained in power. "This can only change by voting in the forces of change," Odinga said.

He also appeared to attack Kenyatta, saying that the son of a snake is a snake. "It's time we end dictatorship, impunity and land grabbing," he said. Kenyatta is the son of Kenya's first president.

Monday's vote is the most important and complicated in the country's 50-year history. Despite efforts to promote peace, there are many reasons why the vote could turn tumultuous.

The Somalia militant group al-Shabab may try to attack voters or disrupt the vote; a secessionist group on Kenya's coast has threatened violence; new political divisions known as counties will see 47 new races for governor, creating sources of new friction; and tensions are high in some regions between Odinga's tribe ? the Luo ? and Kenyatta's tribe ? the Kikuyu.

Odinga or Kenyatta must win at least 50 percent of the vote in order to win the election Monday. There are eight presidential candidates, so it's likely the two will face each other in a run-off in April, a situation that analysts believe will raise tensions because of the increased focus on the two men.

___

Associated Press reporter Jason Straziuso contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-02-Kenya-Election/id-4b7756b73ca648818f698f4e2e633de7

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How Dennis Tito Plans To Send People to Mars | David Reneke ...

If Dennis Tito has his way, two people will leave our planet in January 2018 and make a trip to Mars and back. Tito will be footing much of the bill himself.Yes, he has the money and plan.

This mission won?t stop at Mars, but rather, will do a quick flyby.? Unlike the spate of space commerce companies that have flashed on and off the news in recent months, this effort has substantial cash behind it ? at the onset. Also, unlike these previously announced efforts, this is not being done by a company that needs to eventually return a profit to its investors. Instead, it is being spearheaded by a non-profit organization, the Inspiration Mars Foundation.

Titled ?Feasibility Analysis for a Manned Mars Free-Return Mission in 2018?, this paper is due to be presented at the 2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference on 3 March 2013 at 9:50 pm. This paper has been widely circulated for several weeks by the authors and their associates within government, legislative, industry, and advocacy communities, and has been referenced online ? in great detail ? for more than a week.

The core premise of this initial mission concept is to use an upgraded SpaceX Dragon capsule as the habitable volume for the entire mission. This spacecraft would be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy and follows an optimized free-return trajectory to Mars and back. As outlined in the paper, this conceptual mission would depart Earth on 5 Jan 2018, reach Mars on 20 August 2018, and return to Earth on 21 May 2019.

The closest that the spacecraft would get to Mars would be ~100 km ? and the crew would only spend 10 hours within that distance of the planet ? with closest approach on the night side. Not too different than the first human mission to the Moon when all things are taken into account. Image Source: Tito et al.

Upon return, the Dragon capsule would use Earth?s atmosphere to slow down via aerobraking. This has never been done with a human mission before. Ten days after aerobraking the Dragon capsule would return again to Earth and reenter at 14.2 km/sec. This would be the fastest reentry by any crewed spacecraft ? ever. As such, this mission will require some advanced Thermal Protection System research. To that end Paragon/Inspiration Mars have already signed a reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA Ames Research Center. A check for $100,000 has already been presented to NASA to begin this work.

Since this IEE paper began to circulated, the Inspiration Mars Foundation has started to look at other mission concepts using different spacecraft and launch vehicles. As with the IEEE paper, the focus has been to use things that either exist or are expected to become available in the next several years.

A Tight Fit

The Dragon-based mission concept would require rather cramped quarters. Indeed the paper says: ?The ECLSS was assumed to meet only basic human needs to support metabolic requirements of two 70 kg men, with a nominal metabolic rate of 11.82 MJ/d. Crew comfort is limited to survival needs only. For example, sponge baths are acceptable, with no need for showers ? Personal provisions are limited to items such as clothing and hygiene products.?

In the weeks after this paper was submitted, Inspiration Mars has been looking at other concepts including an inflatable module placed at the nose of the crew capsule ? something similar to what Bigelow Aerospace will be putting on the International Space Station (ISS). In order to limit use of internal volume, the mission concept also does away with all EVA provisions (spacesuits etc). This means that there is no way to fix things ? or install things outside of the spacecraft ? thus requiring all systems to be serviceable from inside the spacecraft. If this no-EVA approach is taken, then adding inflatable modules to the front of the crew capsule becomes problematic. Regardless of the final design they adopt, mass limitations are likely to force that final design to be rather cramped.

The initial SpaceX hardware concept uses only one launch. Adopting a mission that uses more than one launch increases cost and complexity. But that?s nothing new. How much will it cost? Who knows. They have not settled on a mission architecture yet ? but this will probably be in the hundreds of millions/half billion dollar range by the time it is all figured out. Again, unlike all the other space projects that have sprouted of late, Tito is a very wealthy man and is prepared to write some rather large checks. That fact alone moves this idea from giggle factor to the verge of credibility. Tito can afford to spend significant sums to figure this out. But, given the calendar aspects of his mission, he does not have time on his side.

Given the compressed schedule, assuming a launch in January 2018, one would assume that the mission design would need to be done very quickly and completed certainly no later than a year from now. Launch vehicle selection would likely need to be done in a similarly prompt time frame. Whatever rocket(s) are chosen, they need to be ordered and built. Unlike many missions, these trajectories have constrained launch windows that don?t lend themselves to delays. As such development time will be highly compressed.

Based on this tight schedule and cost limitations it is rather unlikely that a full-up test mission will be possible to test everything out beforehand. As such, it would seem that the first time that the fully integrated and operational Inspiration Mars mission hardware flies will be the actual mission itself. Once the crew deaprts there is no turning back. This is somewhat risky to say the least. Its like putting a crew and full passenger load on a new jetliner design for its very first flight and then sending it off on an intercontinental mission with only one option: land at the final destination.

Already Tested

While we have all become risk adverse these days, this would not be the first time something like this is done in space. The Space Shuttle had four drop tests off of a Boeing 747 to see if the shuttle design would glide and land. The first time a Space Shuttle actually went into space and back was on a real mission ? with a real crew. But the real similarity can be found in the Apollo 8 mission. A crew was put inside a spacecraft that had only flown once atop a booster that had only been flown twice before, on a trajectory to the Moon ? with only one engine to modify its path. As was seen on Apollo 13, there was a razor thin margin of possible response to the failure of that propulsion system ? an option that was simply not available on Apollo 8.

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Millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito wants to send a married couple to Mars within five years.

The IEEE paper spends a lot of time discussing various life support (ECLSS) concepts, but does not seem to refer to specific hardware already in use on the Dragon or elsewhere as being proposed for use on this mission. Add in the reliability and servicing/repair requirements and is probably safe to assume that many of the designs will be more or less unique to this mission. Without a chance to fly the vehicle in space, one would expect that a rather robust ground-based engineering version (perhaps several) would be needed.

The paper does make short mention of radiation ? but only in a general sense saying that it will be provided for. Given that Jon Clark is involved, you can be certain that this issue is not going to be overlooked. While the mission?s trajectory has been optimized for a 2018-2019 mission due to celestial mechanics, it has the unfortunate fact of falling in the middle of a period of minimal solar activity.

Cosmic Shield

In orbits close to the Earth, such as occupied by the International Space Station, Earth?s geomagnetic field offers significant protection against Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) and energetic solar flare protons. As such, crews on the ISS, while exposed to more radiation than on Earth, are none the less protected to a great extent when compared to regions outside Earth?s magnetic field. Shielding and storm shelter locations allow greater protection when conditions warrant ? and in a potentially lethal solar event scenario, they could come home in a matter of hours.

Outside the Earth?s magnetic field, there is some lesser level of protection still offered due to the activity of the sun itself. However, during a solar minimum, the point in the 11 year solar cycle when the sun?s activity is lowest, the sun?s ability to ward off CGR is at its lowest. As such, possible exposure to astronaut crews traveling in interplanetary space is at its highest.

Some predictions for Solar Cycle 25 suggest an unusually quiet period for the sun. If things continue as predicted, the sun would be reaching its lowest activity levels of the space exploration era during the planned timeline of this mission, thus presenting the highest level of potential GCR exposure to the crew. Add in the unusual quiescence of the sun, and this could be especially hazardous. Again, this can be handled with shielding but that requires mass and volume which is already preciously short.

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Rocketship to Mars. Credit: Flirt / SuperStock

Other factors to consider include the effects of prolonged weightlessness and psychological issues. 50 years of human spaceflight has led to a collection of countermeasures that seem to limit many (but not all) of the deleterious aspects of prolonged weightlessness. Exercise is more or less the prime countermeasure for bone and muscle loss although some pharmacologic approaches have been explored. To date the longest single exposure of a human as been 437 days. A 501 day mission would be only 2 months longer but not problematic per se.

Profiling

As for psychological issues ? the paper does make reference to them and suggests the possibly of putting candidate crews through a ground based simulation 6 months in duration ? and perhaps for the entire 500 day period. Given the fact that there are only 1,800 or so days until launch, expecting the flight crew to spend more than a third of that time simulating a full mission ? and then doing it again (for real) becomes problematic.

Sources report that it is the intention of Inspiration Mars to have a crew comprised of a man and a woman. Given that the prime purpose of this mission is to inspire people it follows that the crew actually represents everyone. While this is an assumption, it would follow that the crew is more likely to be a couple. Then the questions arises: can you and your significant other live inside a large RV for a year and a half without being able to totally get away from one another ? even for 5 minutes? If so, then you two should apply. Several of the Paragon authors on this paper (Taber MacCallum and Jane Poynter) are veterans of the 2-year Biosphere II mission ? so there is certainly some personal experience there.

Even if a robust spacecraft is designed with every contingency considered, time, cost, and mass will force some limits. It is unlikely that NASA would send a mission without significantly more redundancy and backup systems. But NASA is NASA. This is a private expedition ? not a NASA mission.

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The likely view by the tourists hundreds of meres above Mars

Given that the crew are likely to be private citizens ? not government employees, they can decide to accept certain mission risks. No one really jumps in front of anyone wanting to climb Mt. Everest ? except, of course, journalists looking for an interview and government officials wanting so to be paid a climbing permit fee. So why should a totally private mission to another summit of sorts ? i.e. Mars ? be any different?

I have seen this sort of risk acceptance with my own eyes. In 2009 I spent a month living at an altitude of 17,600 feet at Everest Base Camp supporting Astronaut Scott Parazynski in his successful attempt to reach the summit. We both took physical risks ? Scott much more than I. But we both had to sign lots of lengthy waivers, bring lots of medications, risk sudden death from totally unexpected (and possibly untreatable) things (stroke, heart attack, or edema), and perform regular countermeasures designed to limit the increased physical risk we placed ourselves in by living and working at these altitudes. And there were thousands of people around us who accepted the same risks.

History?s Trails

Accepting known and increased personal risk is something that people have done as part of exploration since exploration began. Indeed, risk goes hand in hand with exploration. Again, we should allow ? and expect ? that the Inspiration Mars team will exercise the same personal acceptance process as other explorers have before them.

So why does Dennis Tito want to do this? You?ll have to ask him that. Again, one thing is clear: he?s looking to spend money on this ? not make money. He?s already made his money ? and (in case you still do not know who he is) has been there, done that when it comes to space travel. Tito was the first person to pay his own way into space back in 2001. He has the means to attempt this mission and he has a track record.

Mars from the Hubble telescope

Some insight into the rationale for this mission can be found in the IEEE paper: ?Sending humans on an expedition to Mars will be a defining event for humanity as well as an inspiration to our youth. Social media provides an opportunity for people to meaningfully participate in the mission, likely making this the most engaging human endeavor in modern history. The mission will address one of the most fundamental technical challenges facing human exploration of space, keeping the humans alive and productive in deep space.?

Given that NASA?s current plans (totally unfunded) to send humans to Mars are a decade or two away, and the human mission to an asteroid that NASA is supposed to be working on is uninteresting to the agency, yet another generation of Americans will likely grow up seeing people only going in circles overhead on the ISS.

The Inspiration Mars mission has the potential to jump start public interest in space again by actually going somewhere ? perhaps in a way that echoes what I and many others saw as young children in the 1960s as Apollo went from nothing to the finish line in a scant 8 years.

The public is interested in space. They always have been ? but that interest is episodic and often fickle. Public interest (and one would hope, inspiration) seems to manifest itself the most when NASA or other space agencies do something totally new or when new worlds are actually explored.

Despite the engineering accomplishment inherent in the ISS, it just goes in circles. Yes, it is a place where we learn how to do long duration missions (someday) but the preparation for these missions is like watching grass grow. Its hard to tell people that this will all lead to something decades from now.

But the mission contemplated by Inspiration Mars will actually do something ? and the launch date is easy to plan for. You can even set a calendar alarm for it on your iPhone.Source: SpaceRef

Source: http://www.davidreneke.com/how-dennis-tito-plans-to-send-people-to-mars/

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