JERUSALEM ? Emmy Award-winning television personality and patient activist Montel Williams said Sunday he was impressed with Israel's liberal attitude toward medical marijuana, and he believes the U.S. could learn a thing or two from the Jewish state.
Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 and he has since been an outspoken advocate of medical marijuana to relieve pain caused by the disease.
The former host of the popular long-running talk show "The Montel Williams Show" is in Israel on a fact-finding mission to learn about its medicinal cannabis practices. He is meeting with legislators, scientists and physicians.
At the height of his TV career, Williams was one of the most recognizable faces in America alongside fellow daytime TV hosts Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue and Geraldo Rivera.
"We need to get out of the dark ages and into the new ages," he told The Associated Press. "Not every patient can use cannabis, but for those who can ? why deny it?"
In Israel, certain doctors can approve cannabis prescriptions and disperse them to patients, said Itay Goor-Aryeh, the head of the pain management unit at the Sheba Medical Center in central Israel.
He said that while marijuana use is strictly regulated, many doctors prefer prescribing it to patients who qualify because it is "the lesser of evils."
"Those patients, if they do not get cannabis, they will get morphine-like drugs and other harmful drugs," said Goor-Aryeh. "I think that in many ways, cannabis is tolerated and is less addictive that morphine-based drugs."
Sixteen U.S. states have decriminalized the use of medical marijuana to some extent. Critics claim dispensaries are often no more than drug trafficking fronts.
Williams said that those merely seeking to smoke pot won't go through the lengthy bureaucratic process when they could just "go down the street."
Williams, 55, said he takes cannabis on a daily basis.
"For me, there is nothing else that can do what it does," he said. "It helps me suppress my pain ... When I am not using cannabis I am thinking about my pain every 45 seconds."
He said the drug has been "vilified to substantiate the false reason why it was banned in the first place," and that he hoped it would one day become a regular prescription drug.
"There are chemicals within that plant," he said, "and some of the leading science on where and how those chemicals work is being done right here in this country," referring to Israel.
RBG, the leading provider of assess, inspect and repair (AIR) services to the global energy industry that was recently acquired by Stork Technical Services (STS), has appointed Sandeep Sharma as its new finance director.
Mr Sharma is responsible for leading RBG?s global financial management, planning, controls and reporting, as the company enters a period of growth and integration with STS. A qualified chartered accountant with an MBA from London Business School, Mr Sharma joins RBG with more than 25 years finance experience and is based at the company?s Aberdeen, UK headquarters.
Mr Sharma has held a range of senior finance positions and most recently worked for Bombardier Services UK, the global leader in the railway maintenance industry, as the company?s regional business controller for Western Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. In this role he was responsible for directing all financial strategy and planning and supporting business growth across the regions.?
Dave Workman, CEO for RBG, said: ?We are very pleased to have Sandeep join our senior management team. His global financial experience and knowledge means he is ideally placed to lead our finance operations as we expand our international activity and footprint as part of STS. I am confident Sandeep?s appointment will enhance our financial management as we enter this important period of growth and integration.?
Mr Sharma, said: ?Joining RBG is a great opportunity. The company has an excellent reputation and its acquisition by STS highlights the success of the business. RBG is in a period of change and I feel my skill-set will greatly assist with the rapid growth we will experience on a global basis.?
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BEIJING (Reuters) ? The head of Europe's bailout fund said Friday he does not expect to reach a conclusive deal with Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing but expects the surplus-rich country to continue buying bonds issued by the fund.
Klaus Regling, chief executive of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), said the bailout deal with Greece was an exceptional case and he saw no need to repeat it for other nations.
"We all know China has a particular need to invest surpluses," he said at a news conference, referring to the country's foreign exchange reserves of $3.2 trillion -- the world's biggest stockpile.
China has been a regular buyer of bonds issued by the EFSF and analysts estimate about a quarter of its reserves are held in euro-denominated assets.
Regling was in Beijing just a day after euro zone leaders struck a last-minute deal to contain the bloc's debt crisis that has undermined financial markets globally on fears that it could drag the global economy into another recession.
European leaders are now under pressure to finalize the details of their plan to slash Greece's debt burden and strengthen their efforts to revive the zone.
Regling was due to meet officials from China's central bank and finance ministry Friday. While China has surplus cash, Regling said he is in contact with sovereign funds globally.
He said the EFSF was designing new investment instruments and testing models to scale up the fund. He wanted to hear how the fund could structure investments that would attract capital, he said.
The 440-billion-euro EFSF was set up last year and has already been used to provide aid to Portugal, Ireland and Greece.
After the Brussels summit, governments announced a deal under which private banks and insurers would accept 50 percent losses on their Greek debt holdings and hard-hit European banks would be recapitalized. Regling said Tier-1 capital at large European banks would be raised temporarily to 9 percent.
They also said the EFSF would be leveraged to give it firepower of some 1 trillion euros to put a safety net under bigger euro zone states, such as Spain and Italy and prevent them from being swept up by the crisis.
European officials have said the leverage would be achieved either by offering insurance to buyers of euro zone debt in the primary market or via a new special purpose investment vehicle that it hopes would draw funds from China and Brazil, among other countries.
Beijing has not said publicly it would invest in the fund, although it has repeatedly expressed confidence that Europe can overcome its two-year-old debt crisis.
"I think the EFSF can offer a good product that is commercially interesting," Regling said, adding that China should be assured that the EFSF's triple-A rating is solid.
When asked if China was asking for any special concessions in return for its support, Regling said Beijing hadn't done so.
"When they buy our bonds, they buy the same bonds as everybody buys," he said. "There is no special deal and so it is normal conditions and we published those conditions on our website."
Chinese President Hu Jintao said China hoped the measures agreed in Brussels would help stabilize the euro zone.
Chinese leaders have a major interest in Europe's fortunes because the euro bloc is China's biggest export market. Growth in September exports to the euro zone ran at less than half the rate of August, underlining concern that the region may already be in recession.
Analysts had said they expected China to maintain an investment strategy in Europe that focuses on specific countries and specific assets.
That would support its attempts to diversify foreign exchange reserves and also make it easier to negotiate concessions on its investments.
(Reporting by Aileen Wang and Koh Gui Qing; Writing by Kevin Yao; Editing by Ken Wills)
The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a dangerous radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.
PHILADELPHIA ? A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a new collective bargaining agreement between the financially troubled Philadelphia Orchestra and its musicians union.
The four-year contract, ratified about two weeks ago by players and the Philadelphia Orchestra Association board, takes effect Nov. 1.
At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Eric Frank said he would approve the deal. The written order was issued Thursday, said Lawrence G. McMichael, the orchestra's attorney.
"I think the best way to say it is we were thrilled that we were able to hammer out something" after months of intense negotiations, McMichael said.
Terms of the new contract call for shrinking the number of players from 105 to 95 through retirements and attrition and for cutting salaries about 15 percent. The minimum salary for Philadelphia Orchestra musicians is currently about $125,000 a year.
The agreement also calls for moving musicians' pensions to a defined contribution plan from the current defined benefit plan. A defined benefit plan provides a guaranteed monthly benefit for workers, while a defined contribution plan shifts responsibility for retirement planning and investing to workers but doesn't guarantee a specific amount of money based on years of service.
The pension change now goes for approval to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp., an independent federal agency that insures pensions of more than 44 million Americans.
The orchestra estimates it will save roughly $38 million over the course of the four-year pact.
In April, the renowned 111-year-old symphony became the first major U.S. orchestra to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It has struggled with dwindling attendance and donations, shrinking endowment income, high labor costs, the recession and an aging audience.
The bankruptcy judge last month permitted the orchestra to end its six-year business relationship with Peter Nero and Philly Pops, an arrangement the orchestra claimed was hurting its finances.
A major next step will be addressing the orchestra's rental agreement with the Kimmel Center, McMichael said. The orchestra is seeking to renegotiate its lease; meanwhile the Kimmel has said the orchestra owes it $1.4 million in back rent.
The orchestra will not meet its initial goal to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the year but should be able to do so in early 2012, McMichael said.
WEBSITE HACKED AFTER ANNOUNCING MULTI-STATE LAWSUIT AGAINST OBAMA?S ELIGIBILITY
The Liberty Legal Foundation lawsuits contend that Obama is ineligible to serve as president because one of his parents was not a U.S. citizen
(Oct. 27, 2011) ? Our last email directed you to our updated site at www.libertylegalfoundation.com. Unfortunately, our site was hacked shortly after sending that email.
Our older site, www.libertylegalfoundation.net, is up and running. You can find all the information about the new class action against the Democratic Party there.
Very soon the ?.com? site will forward to the ?.net? site so there won?t be any more confusion.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you would like to join the new certification class action lawsuit, log in to your profile then go to http://www.libertylegalfoundation.net/upgrade-membership-to-cca-member/ to sign up.
The fact that our site was hacked a few hours after we sent out press releases tells us just how much our opponents fear our efforts. We will not let them slow us down. Please double your efforts to help us get the word out about the Certification Class Action lawsuit.
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BELGRADE (Reuters) ? Serbian police arrested 15 people in raids on suspected radical Islamists on Saturday after a lone gunman opened fire with an assault rifle on the U.S. embassy in neighboring Bosnia, Serbia's Interior Ministry said.
Friday's broad daylight attack in the Bosnian capital paralyzed central Sarajevo and had shopkeepers scrambling for cover as the gunman paced up and down firing on the embassy before a police sharpshooter wounded him and he was arrested.
One police officer was also wounded in the attack and several bullets struck the wall of the embassy compound.
Police in Serbia said they had conducted raids in three towns in southwestern Serbia, including the mainly Muslim Novi Pazar, the hometown of the gunman identified as 23-year-old Mevludin Jasarevic.
"At 5 a.m. this morning, police launched an operation against the extremist Islamic Wahhabi movement in Novi Pazar, Sjenica and Tutin," Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said in a statement. Wahhabism is a strict branch of Islam.
Fifteen people were arrested and police seized mobile phones and computers.
Serbian media reported that police had stepped up security around the U.S. embassy in the capital, Belgrade.
Security officials in Bosnia said that Jasarevic, who was convicted of robbery in Austria in 2005 and deported to Serbia, had entered Bosnia on Friday morning and had visited hardline Islamists in the northern Bosnia earlier in the year.
The Novi Pazar region has been raided before. In 2007, police uncovered what it said was an Islamist "terrorist" training camp, seizing plastic explosives, grenades and automatic weapons.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic and Matt Robinson; Editing by Jon Hemming)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? The regulator for Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) was reviewing a proposal to help troubled homeowners by forgiving a portion of their outstanding mortgage debt, Democrats in the House of Representatives said on Wednesday.
The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees the mortgage-financing companies, met with 19 Democrats and discussed a proposal that would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce principal amounts on loans.
Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, set up the meeting to discuss ways to dampen the foreclosure crisis.
Mortgage principal reduction is currently a voluntary process, often not taken by the lender. As the Obama administration moves toward helping more borrowers refinance, talks of principal forgiveness have reemerged, seen by some as an effective tool in slowing the pace of foreclosures.
Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, proposed securing meaningful principal write-downs for underwater homeowners by allowing a temporary reduction in the interest rates of those homeowners who file for bankruptcy.
She presented the plan in a letter to President Barack Obama earlier this month and it was discussed by the Democratic lawmakers and FHFA's acting director Edward DeMarco on Wednesday.
"I am encouraged that the Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering a plan similar to the one I've long advocated," Lofgren said. "Allowing homeowners to pay down the principal balances" and linking this effort "to the bankruptcy process will help those who truly need it and avoid the administrative failures that have plagued other modification initiatives," she said.
Lofgren's plan would allow borrowers to pay down loan principal and reduce negative equity during a five-year period with no interest. In exchange, homeowners would agree to settle claims against servicers, which shields them from litigation, according to Lofgren's letter to the president dated October 11.
DeMarco said his legal team had already begun reviewing the proposal, according to a statement from the Democrats on the House oversight panel. DeMarco committed to providing a more detailed assessment of the proposal within two weeks, said lawmakers who attended the meeting.
The FHFA was not immediately available for comment.
FHFA does not allow write-downs because reducing principal would lower the value of both Fannie and Freddie's assets. However, the Federal Housing Administration and some lenders have developed programs to encourage write-downs.
Both government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, combined with the Federal Housing Administration support about 90 percent of all mortgages.
Widespread principal reduction is a possible outcome state attorneys general are seeking, along with the Justice Department.
Wednesday's meeting with the regulator was a follow-up to an October 6 session in which lawmakers pressed DeMarco to help more underwater homeowners refinance their mortgages at current historically low interest rates.
On Monday, DeMarco and the White House announced that FHFA was retooling a two-year-old federal program that spurs refinancing.
(Reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; Editing by Gary Hill)
Corrects that FHFA does not allow write-downs, but Federal Housing Administration has some programs to encourage them, paragraph 11.
NEW YORK ? Medco Health Solutions Inc.'s third-quarter net income fell 4 percent because of expenses related to its pending acquisition by competitor Express Scripts Inc.
The pharmacy benefits manager also raised the low end of its full-year adjusted earnings outlook on Wednesday.
After reporting a string of major contract losses, Medco agreed to be acquired by rival Express Scripts in July for $29.1 billion, or $71.36 per share, in cash and stock. The sale would make Express Scripts the largest pharmacy benefits manager in the country by far.
The companies hope to combine in 2012, but regulators are still reviewing the sale. Congress has also turned its attention to the deal, as critics have said that it will reduce choices for patients and health plans.
Medco Chairman and CEO Dave Snow said during a conference call that Medco and Express Scripts are confident that antitrust regulators will approve the sale. He added that customers are reacting to the deal positively because it will reduce their health care costs.
Pharmacy benefits managers manage employee prescription drug benefits for their employer customers, with the goal of saving them money.
Medco reported net income of $355.4 million, or 90 cents per share, for the period ended Sept. 24. That's down from $371.5 million, or 85 cents per share, a year ago. Taking out buyout-related costs and other items, earnings were $1.07 per share.
This beat the $1.05 per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected.
Revenue climbed 4 percent to $16.98 billion from $16.32 billion, mostly because of new customers and higher prices for brand-name pharmaceuticals. But the results missed Wall Street's $17.04 billion forecast.
Specialty pharmacy revenue rose 16.7 percent to a record $3.4 billion.
Medco shares jumped 11.1 percent, or $5.19, to close at $52.13 Wednesday.
The Franklin Lakes, N.J., company says it handled 233.6 million adjusted prescriptions during the quarter, down about 1 percent from last year's quarter. Adjusted prescriptions is a measurement that counts 90-day mail-order prescriptions as three 30-day prescriptions. Express Scripts said Tuesday that its adjusted prescriptions also fell 1 percent in the third quarter.
Retail prescription volumes fell 1.2 percent to 152.2 million and mail-order prescriptions edged up 0.4 percent to 27.4 million. This includes generic mail-order prescriptions, which rose 3.5 percent to 17.7 million.
The overall generic dispensing rate climbed 2.2 percentage points to a record 73.8 percent. While generic drugs are less expensive than brand name drugs, they are more profitable.
For 2011, Medco now expects adjusted earnings of $4.08 to $4.12 per share. Its previous guidance was for earnings between $4.02 and $4.12 per share. Analysts are forecasting expect $4.08 per share on average.
The company expects its revenue will fall about $10 billion in 2012 because of lost business and introductions of new generic drugs. Starting in 2012, Medco will no longer handle the prescription drug benefits for the California Public Employees' Retirement System, MemberHealth LLC, Bravo Health, and the mail order prescription benefit of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Also, health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. said it will not renew a contract that expires Dec. 31, 2012 because it will handle its own pharmacy benefits business.
SEOUL (Reuters) ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday he was skeptical about talks with North Korea after a meeting between the two countries in Geneva this week that failed to arrive at any agreements.
Panetta, on his first trip to South Korea since taking over the Pentagon in July, renewed warnings that the reclusive North should be seen as a serious threat. Washington needed to be vigilant even as it pursues dialogue with Pyongyang, he added.
"We always have to be vigilant in the way we approach North Korea because there is a history here of accommodation and provocation," Panetta told reporters traveling with him.
The United States ended two days of meetings with North Korea on Tuesday, sounding somewhat upbeat about an eventual return to wider talks on ending Pyongyang's atomic programs but saying there was no immediate breakthrough.
But Panetta acknowledged that he shared the skepticism voiced by U.S. military officials in South Korea, who fear diplomatic engagement by Pyongyang may be short-lived.
"There's an indication that some progress was made (in Geneva) but that they haven't arrived at any agreements and we're not sure where those talks are headed at this point," Panetta said.
"And so for that reason, I guess the word skepticism would be in order at this time as to what may or may not happen in those discussions."
Should Pyongyang again find engagement has run its course, analysts fear it could test another nuclear weapon or pick new fights with Seoul. North Korea was blamed for killing some 50 South Koreans in two attacks near their contested maritime border in 2010.
The North also unveiled a uranium enrichment facility last year that gives it a second route to making an atomic bomb.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)
When one decide to invest in gold there are a variety of options that you can pursue. You may find yourself overwhelming by all the options. So we have gathered few simple steps for you that can help you along your way. To learn how to invest in gold and news about mining continue reading and learn more.
Where to Begin
To start investing in gold first step is to choose the option which is best for you. This is because you will be surprise at the options before you. If you just started thinking about gold investment you are most likely to hear About etf, mining stocks, and hard assets. But if this is your first time investment in gold, we would encourage you to start off with Coins or bars.
Gold investment in coins should start from 1 ounce gold bars as they are the most popular and the smallest size that we would recommend, but a 10 ounce bar carries the least premium and the most economical way to invest in gold. Coins are widely available in fractional sizes but once again we recommend that you should buy 1 ounce gold coins.
If you dig in to some details of invest in gold ETF, you will find that you are only investing in a share of gold, rather than actual gold but on the other hand when you invest in gold coins or gold bars, you are investing in a tangible assets this is in your position to do whatever you decide to do with it
More Details
Whenever you decide to deign investment it is wise thinking to know the background and some history of your option. You can find quite much literature that is on gold investment. You could probably also find several online tutorials that will give you a basic run down of how gold investments work. So you need to do your homework, so that you have a firm basis for you decision.
When you have made your decision you probably want to know where you can buy your assets for gold investment namely gold coins and gold bars. One sure way is to check to you local pawn shop, as quite some people sell their gold for quick cash. Then now days there are jewelry shops that also sell gold coins. You can also buy gold bars and gold coins from online jewelry stores and E-businesses.
But before you rush online to buy some gold we would like you to be safe as there is a risk of scams for buying things online. One should always search those dealers whose prime business is buying gold, which are well reputed online or we can say in terms of e-commerce which is well rated online.
SAN DIEGO ? A soldier who was killed in a bomb explosion last week in Afghanistan was on his 14th combat deployment ? including four tours in Iraq and 10 in Afghanistan ? making him the Army Ranger with the most deployments killed in action, an Army spokeswoman said Thursday.
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij enlisted several months before 9/11 and had served in hundreds of missions. He was killed with two other soldiers in a bomb explosion Saturday in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province.
"To volunteer that many times to deploy speaks volumes to Kris' character and dedication to his country," said Tracy Bailey, spokeswoman for the 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Ft. Benning, Ga. "He was larger than life. The man everybody wanted to be around."
Domeij was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service overseas and will be awarded a third Bronze Star posthumously, along with the Purple Heart, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
"He was one of those men who was known by all as much for his humor, enthusiasm, and loyal friendship, as he was for his unparalleled skill and bravery under fire," said Lt. Col. David Hodne, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in a statement. "This was a Ranger you wanted at your side when the chips were down."
The 29-year-old California native is one of hundreds of Rangers whose deployments during the war on terror number in the double digits.
Rangers are deployed more often than regular soldiers on shorter, more intense tours ? often the tours are four months long and include 400 to 500 combat missions. They usually return to the United States for about eight months of training and then head out again, Bailey said.
Domeij, a native of Santa Ana, Calif., is survived by his wife and two daughters. He had requested that family members not speak to the media after his death.
"Rangers as a whole are quiet professionals and I don't know his reasoning behind it, but many Rangers don't see the need to advertise what they do," Bailey said.
Col. Mark W. Odom, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a statement that Domeij was a "game changer" who "had the value of an entire strike force on the battlefield."
Also killed in the attack was 20-year-old Pfc. Christopher A. Horns of Colorado Springs, Colo., a Ranger who was on his first deployment. Both Domeij and Horns were based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
1st Lt. Ashley White of the North Carolina National Guard also died in the explosion. The 24-year-old was the first casualty in the Army's wartime attempt to gain the trust of Afghan women by using specially trained female troops.
NEW YORK ? Five New York Police Department officers smuggled firearms and slot machines they thought were stolen and some even used bolt cutters to pilfer hundreds of boxes of cigarettes from tractor-trailers as part of a 12-person theft ring that was under federal surveillance the entire time, authorities said Tuesday.
Three retired NYPD officers and a New Jersey correction officer are among the other defendants named in a federal criminal complaint alleging an undercover agent paid them more than $100,000 to moonlight as gun runners while under FBI surveillance. Three current officers also participated in a brazen theft of cigarettes they were told were worth $500,000, the complaint says.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long targeted illegal smuggling of guns into the city and said that, if the accusations are true, the officials engaged in "a disgraceful and deplorable betrayal of the public trust."
The men were eager and willing to smuggle the weapons and commit other crimes "so long as the price was right," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a news conference announcing the arrests.
Arresting fellow law enforcers in a corruption case "is a heartbreaking thing," Bharara added. "But it is our duty to enforce the law and to uphold the rule of law ? and to do so perhaps most unflinchingly when we come across people who have chosen to breach that sacred duty, because an officer who betrays his badge betrays every honorable officer as well as every member of the public."
The arrests come amid speculation that other NYPD officers could be facing less-serious criminal charges in a separate investigation of ticket fixing in the Bronx.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the new case, involving officers assigned in Brooklyn, has no connection to the Bronx probe. He also defended the reputation of the nation's largest police department.
"The vast majority of police officers do outstanding work to protect the city," Kelly said. "A case like this is disheartening to the entire department."
The arrests stem from an FBI-NYPD internal affairs investigation that began in 2009 when a paid FBI informant tipped off authorities that an 18-year NYPD veteran, William Masso, was interested in making money by transporting stolen goods. In the months that followed, the informant and an undercover investigator posing as the ringleader began supplying the defendants and others cigarettes ? purportedly stolen out of state ? for resale in New York, the criminal complaint says.
Court papers described the informant as a non-U.S. citizen who "has been assisting the FBI in exchange for payment and aid in remaining in the United States."
Masso, 47, recruited younger officers from his Brooklyn precinct to join the smuggling ring, authorities said. He instructed the men to carry their badges while transporting the stolen goods and, if they were stopped by police, to say they were doing legitimate off-duty work, they added.
According to the complaint, Masso complained in a taped conversation that the officers weren't getting paid enough.
"They're risking a lot for a little. ... They know what's going and how much trouble they could get in," he said, according to the complaint.
In May, three of the officers and other defendants traveled to Virginia, where they received instructions from the informant and undercover on where to find $500,000 worth of cigarettes in trucks parked outside a warehouse, the complaint says. Using a bolt cutter, they broke into the rigs and stole 200 boxes they later delivered to a location on Long Island, it says.
Masso and other defendants also agreed last month to transport 20 weapons from New Jersey to New York using rented mini-vans, the complaint says. The cache was composed of three assault rifles, a shotgun and 16 handguns with serial numbers that had been "obliterated or altered" so they couldn't be traced, it says.
Prosecutors say the officers were unaware that the weapons also had "been rendered inoperable by the FBI," the complaint says. The undercover gave four of the police officers about $5,000 each to help transport the guns, it says.
Those charged in the case were each released on $100,000 personal recognizance bond, though Masso was required to wear an electronic bracelet that will force him to remain home unless he is taking his children to or from school, tending to medical, religious or legal issues or looking for a job.
Masso's lawyer, Joseph Mure, said outside court that his client had made many arrests in his long career.
"He's denied the allegations," Mure said, adding that he was interested in seeing what kind of recordings the government had collected.
Bloomberg has inserted himself into the national debate over gun control and heads a national coalition of mayors advocating stricter enforcement.
"Our administration is taking every possible step to crack down on illegal guns and continue making the safest big city in the country even safer," Bloomberg said in a statement Tuesday.
In the Bronx case, a dozen or more officers, including union representatives, are facing allegations they abused their authority by helping friends and family avoid paying traffic tickets.
The gun-smuggling complaint describes the confidential informant being introduced to Masso "as a person who could `fix' the CI's traffic tickets." The officer, it adds, "discussed his willingness to `fix' tickets."
Despite the chatter, "This is not a ticket-fixing case," Bharara said Tuesday.
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Associated Press writer Samantha Gross contributed to this report.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Libya asked the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to hold up on lifting the no-fly zone it imposed and ending its authorization to protect civilians until the transitional government makes an official request, possibly within days.
The council authorized the actions on March 17 in response to an Arab League request to try to halt Moammar Gadhafi's military which was advancing against rebels and their civilian supporters. The NATO bombing campaign that followed was critical in helping the rebels oust Gadhafi from power in August.
Libya's deputy U.N. ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the Security Council the Libyan people look forward to terminating the U.N. mandates as soon as possible, explaining that they "hate any interference" in the country's sovereignty though they know NATO's military campaign was "indispensable" and saved many lives.
Dabbashi said "Oct. 31 is a logical date" but the transitional government needs to evaluate the security situation and the country's ability to monitor its borders.
Russia has proposed that the Security Council adopt a resolution terminating the no-fly zone and authorization of military action to protect civilians. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said before Wednesday's council meeting that this shouldn't be delayed beyond Oct. 31, but the French and British envoys have cautioned that any actions be coordinated with Libyan authorities when they are ready.
Last week, following Gadhafi's death, NATO announced preliminary plans to phase out its mission on Oct. 31. But the alliance earlier Wednesday unexpectedly postponed a decision, saying NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen needed to continue consultations with the United Nations and Libya's National Transitional Council, which declared the country's "liberation" on Sunday.
NATO aircraft continued air patrols Wednesday and spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance's governing body, the North Atlantic Council, "will meet with partners on Friday to discuss our Libya mission and take a formal decision."
Libya's Dabbashi said the country's air force hasn't been activated, and the interim government has been criticized for delaying the reinstitution of nation's armed forces which are "the only force that can preserve our security and monitor our frontiers as well as protect the security of our citizens."
"Therefore, we wish to inform you not to be hasty in adopting a resolution, and we will inform you of the official decision of the NTC," Dabbashi told council members.
He said Libya expects to establish a new transitional government in the next two weeks and will then start trying to build a prosperous, democratic country that respects human rights. He said this will be difficult because Libya has no institutions ? a result of Gadhafi's more than four-decade dictatorship ? and the country will need U.N. assistance.
Ian Martin, the top U.N. envoy to Libya, told the Security Council that U.N. electoral officials have already met with NTC officials to discuss U.N. support for what will be Libya's first elections for over 45 years within eight months ? to choose a National Congress that will draft a constitution for the country.
Martin again highlighted "the terrible legacy of the extraordinary quantity of weaponry and munitions on which the Gadhafi regime squandered the wealth of Libya, to the benefit only of diverse arms suppliers, and now to the menace of Libya and its region."
He said the U.N. mission is continuing to facilitate coordination among the NTC and international organizations overseeing the control of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as other non-conventional weapons.
"While NTC forces appear to be controlling all relevant chemical and nuclear material sites, centralized command and control remains a concern," Martin said. "It has become clearer that there are additional sites with previously undeclared chemical weapons or materials that the government is about to formally declare" to the organization overseeing the convention that prohibits chemical weapons.
Libya also accumulated the largest known stockpile of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in any non-producing country. While thousands were destroyed during NATO operations, Martin said the U.N. is increasingly concerned "over the looting and likely proliferation" of these weapons and other munitions, as well as a spate of newly laid mines.
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Associated Press Writer Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report from Brussels
Stealth bombers are not invisible—far from it, in fact. The Northrop Grumman-designed B-2 Spirit has a hard-to-ignore 175-foot wingspan and a thin, disk-like silhouette that makes it look like a cross between a stingray and an alien craft from a summer blockbuster. More »
Just posted -- an older essay about research and archiving, from one of the masters of our trade:? Archival Research in the History of the Law: A User's Perspective, by Douglas Hay, Osgoode Hall Law School and Dept of History, York University.? It appeared in Archivaria, No. 24, pp. 36-46, Summer 1987.? Here's the abstract:
Legal history and the social history of law have become very active fields of research in Britain, the United States, and Canada in the past ten years. Moreover, they have begun to affect each other, so that social historians are now much more sensitive to doctrinal changes, shifts in legal rules, and legal concepts, while legal historians increasingly appreciate that explaining legal change ? or the lack of it ? may require extensive research outside the law library. In short, lawyers and historians are beginning to meet not only in law libraries, but also in archives. And, like all users, they are asking the impossible.
From law librarians, they want every variant edition of every obscure and outdated procedural manual, every ancient set of reports, and every printed trial extant for earlier centuries. Fortunately, large international microfilming projects are increasingly making it possible for librarians to supply all of these, and seen extensive manuscript collections of legal materials. But historians of law make more outrageous demands on archivists: retain everything; prepare finding aids for everything; manage your collections with us, above all others, in mind. I am told that the professional duties of archivists include measuring such demands by the tests of budgets, conservation imperatives, the interests of other users, the finite dimension of the working year, available shortage space, and a healthy instinct for preservation of self as well as collections. But since I am a user, not an archivist, I shall innocently describe utopia, and say little about how to get there. My only excuse for doing so is that legal records, like all records, present specific problems, problems that are not particularly evident without close familiarity with the recent large research literature, much of it still in dissertation form, on the legal and social history of the law. A review of some of its themes may help archivists, lawyers, and historians to discuss some of the hard decisions about retention. One of my conclusion is that lawyers and historians may in fact have rather different professional imperatives, even conflicting ones, and that the historically and legally informed archivist will necessarily play a critical role in adjudicating between them.
A Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
An HTC Evo Shift smartphone is displayed at the Sprint store in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. Sprint is reporting its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it's continuing a turnaround and getting better at keeping and attracting customers. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Sprint Nextel Corp. on Wednesday reported its smallest quarterly loss in four years, as it continued a turnaround and kept getting better at keeping and attracting customers.
Sprint also provided important updates on the iPhone, its financing needs and planned network upgrades, undoing some of the damage caused by an investor day presentation three weeks ago that had investors fuming and sent its stock plunging.
Its stock edged lower Wednesday as investors continued to focus on finances that look precarious for the next two years.
The country's No. 3 wireless carrier said it added a net 1.3 million subscribers in the July to September period, the best result since 2006. Sprint continued to lose subscribers from its lucrative contract-based plans, but at a relatively low rate: 44,000 in the quarter.
Sprint's total customer count, 53.4 million, is now back at where it was in 2007, before the exodus of Nextel customers turned into a torrent.
The Overland Park, Kan.-based company has made steady gains in the last year and a half. Unfortunately for the company, most of the new customers are low-paying ones. They buy service from Sprint's low-cost Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile or Assurance Wireless brands, or from non-Sprint brands that use the company's network.
The latest subscriber results don't include the effect of the iPhone, which Sprint started selling Oct. 14. The phone is expected to further improve the carrier's ability to keep customers, but at a high price. Apple charges about $600 for a phone that Sprint sells for $200.
Chief Financial Officer Joe Euteneuer said each iPhone will cost the company about $200 more than another smartphone. All the same, the company expects its four-year purchasing agreement with Apple to add $7 billion to $8 billion to its own bottom line.
CEO Dan Hesse compared getting the iPhone to signing a star baseball player to the "Sprint team."
"He has an expensive contract, but he's worth every penny," said Hesse, who often draws on sports analogies.
The problem for Sprint is that the cost of selling the iPhone comes up front, while the benefits, like higher service fees and lower service costs, accrue over time. Sprint doesn't expect the iPhone to be a moneymaker until 2014.
The added cost of the iPhone comes as Sprint is also starting to revamp its network for higher speeds. That adds up to financing needs of $5 billion to $7 billion in the next few years, Euteneuer said.
Sprint hopes to cover the gap by refinancing $4 billion debt coming due, Hesse said. The remaining $1 billion to $3 billion could be raised in the form of financing from the companies Sprint buying its new network equipment from: Samsung Electronics Co., Alcatel-Lucent and LM Ericsson AB.
Euteneuer said the terms of the deal with Apple are confidential, but said there's a minimum commitment to buy $15.5 billion in iPhones over four years. That works out to about 25 million phones, a figure in line with a report in The Wall Street Journal early this month that the company had committed to buying 30 million iPhones over four years.
Figures on the effect of the iPhone on Sprint's finances were missing from the presentation on Oct. 7, contributing to investor consternation. On Wednesday, Euteneuer apologized for not providing more information then.
Also Wednesday, Sprint said it had raised the limit on its credit line by $150 million and amended the terms so that an increase in the total amount of phone discounts doesn't affect its creditworthiness. It said it had $1 billion undrawn on the line.
Sprint's net loss was $301 million, or 10 cents per share, for the third quarter. That's down from $911 million, or 28 cents per share, a year ago. It was the best performance by Sprint since it reported a profit of $64 million in the third quarter of 2007.
Revenue rose 2.2 percent to $8.3 billion.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected a loss of 22 cents per share on $8.4 billion in revenue.
Sprint shares slipped 25 cents, or 9.3 percent, to $2.45 in midday trading. Two weeks ago, they hit a three-year low of $2.10.
Hesse also said the company has started discussions with Clearwire Corp. on how to make Sprint phones compatible with Clearwire's planned new wireless data network, and a discussions on commercial arrangements are ongoing. That sent Clearwire shares up 41 cents, or 25 percent, to $2.05 in pre-market trading.
Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire and uses its current data network for "Sprint 4G" service. But it doesn't control Clearwire's board, and the relationship between the two management teams has been cool.
Earlier this month, Sprint said it would stop selling phones compatible with Clearwire's current data network at the end of next year, with no mention of plans to use the planned "LTE" or "Long-Term Evolution" network. That sent Clearwire shares into a dive.
Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said Sprint third-quarter results were "fairly good." If the company can straighten out its network strategy and its Clearwire relationship, investors might start to look past the financing needs of the next two years and toward the benefits that should kick in in 2014, he said.
"For the first time in a year, expectations are appropriately low, and there are now at least a few glimmers of hope," Moffett said.
Surgical treatment within six months of lumbar disc herniationPublic release date: 25-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren Pearson lpearson@aaos.org 847-384-4031 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Findings may help patients and doctors make more informed treatment decisions
A new study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that patients with herniated lumbar disc symptoms were significantly worse if the patients had symptoms for more than six months prior to treatment, compared to those who had symptoms for six months or less. Symptoms included pain, function, general health, work status and patient satisfaction.
"Patients often ask their physicians whether the duration of their symptoms will affect their potential for a full recovery, and the goal of our study was to address this question," said orthopaedic surgeon Jeffrey A. Rihn, MD, and one of the study authors.
Several studies conducted over the past 30 years have demonstrated the effectiveness of lumbar discectomy. One of the most common spinal surgical procedures, lumbar discectomy involves the removal of the herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal canal to treat lumbar disc herniation. However, despite the proven effectiveness of this procedure, there is no consensus on the timing of surgery. Various studies suggest waiting anywhere from "an appropriate amount of time" to 12 months after symptoms begin.
"According to our study and generally speaking, patients who had symptoms for more than six months had less improvement in pain, function, general health, work status, and patient satisfaction," said Dr. Rihn.
Study Details
The study authors observed 1,192 patients enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), which was conducted at 13 multidisciplinary spinal practices in 11 states.
The patients were older than age 18 and suffered from various symptoms of lumbar disc herniation.
Patients were assigned to undergo either operative treatment -- lumbar discectomy -- or nonoperative treatment -- such as physical therapy, education, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and/or counseling with home exercise instruction.
The patients completed questionnaires at the beginning of the study and at follow-up intervals -- six weeks, three months, six months, one year, two years, and four years after treatment. Using various tools, the study authors analyzed the outcomes of the operative and nonoperative treatments. They compared the treatment outcomes of the 927 patients who had symptoms for six months or less to those of the 265 patients who had symptoms for more than six months prior to enrolling in the study.
At all follow-up intervals, outcomes were significantly worse in patients who had symptoms for more than six months prior to treatment than in those who had symptoms for six months or less.
The study authors also found that operative treatment was significantly more effective than nonoperative treatment. However, the relative increased benefit of surgery over nonoperative treatment was not dependent on the duration of symptoms.
"Patients who have had symptoms for longer than six months can find relief with either nonoperative treatment or surgery, but they may not reap as much benefit as those who have had symptoms for six months or less," said Dr. Rihn. "Surgery still has significant benefit compared with nonsurgical treatment, even in patients who have had symptoms for longer than six months."
###
Further research exploring the effect of the duration of symptoms on treatment outcomes is warranted, according to Dr. Rihn.
About lumbar disc herniation
Lumbar disc herniation is a condition in which all or part of the jelly-like material in the center of a disc between two vertebrae in the lower back is forced through a weakened area of the disc. When the disc herniates, it can cause back pain and, if it pushes on a nerve root, can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in one or both legs. One of the most common and debilitating conditions of the spine, symptomatic lumbar disc herniation affects 1 to 2 percent of the population at some point in their lives, most often people in their 30s and 40s.
Symptoms of lumbar disc herniation often improve within six to eight weeks. For this reason, treatment of the condition typically initially involves nonsurgical approaches, such as medications, education, counseling, and physical therapy. According to most guidelines, surgery should only be considered for patients who experience pain beyond a reasonable course of nonoperative therapy or who have progressive muscle weakness, loss of feeling or loss of bladder or bowel control from the nerve compression.
Disclosure: One or more of the authors received payments or services, either directly or indirectly (i.e., via his or her institution), from a third party in support of an aspect of this work. In addition, one or more of the authors, or his or her institution, has had a financial relationship, in the 36 months prior to submission of this work, with an entity in the biomedical arena that could be perceived to influence or have the potential to influence what is written in this work. Also, one or more of the authors has had another relationship, or has engaged in another activity, that could be perceived to influence or have the potential to influence what is written in this work.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Surgical treatment within six months of lumbar disc herniationPublic release date: 25-Oct-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Lauren Pearson lpearson@aaos.org 847-384-4031 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Findings may help patients and doctors make more informed treatment decisions
A new study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that patients with herniated lumbar disc symptoms were significantly worse if the patients had symptoms for more than six months prior to treatment, compared to those who had symptoms for six months or less. Symptoms included pain, function, general health, work status and patient satisfaction.
"Patients often ask their physicians whether the duration of their symptoms will affect their potential for a full recovery, and the goal of our study was to address this question," said orthopaedic surgeon Jeffrey A. Rihn, MD, and one of the study authors.
Several studies conducted over the past 30 years have demonstrated the effectiveness of lumbar discectomy. One of the most common spinal surgical procedures, lumbar discectomy involves the removal of the herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal canal to treat lumbar disc herniation. However, despite the proven effectiveness of this procedure, there is no consensus on the timing of surgery. Various studies suggest waiting anywhere from "an appropriate amount of time" to 12 months after symptoms begin.
"According to our study and generally speaking, patients who had symptoms for more than six months had less improvement in pain, function, general health, work status, and patient satisfaction," said Dr. Rihn.
Study Details
The study authors observed 1,192 patients enrolled in the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), which was conducted at 13 multidisciplinary spinal practices in 11 states.
The patients were older than age 18 and suffered from various symptoms of lumbar disc herniation.
Patients were assigned to undergo either operative treatment -- lumbar discectomy -- or nonoperative treatment -- such as physical therapy, education, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and/or counseling with home exercise instruction.
The patients completed questionnaires at the beginning of the study and at follow-up intervals -- six weeks, three months, six months, one year, two years, and four years after treatment. Using various tools, the study authors analyzed the outcomes of the operative and nonoperative treatments. They compared the treatment outcomes of the 927 patients who had symptoms for six months or less to those of the 265 patients who had symptoms for more than six months prior to enrolling in the study.
At all follow-up intervals, outcomes were significantly worse in patients who had symptoms for more than six months prior to treatment than in those who had symptoms for six months or less.
The study authors also found that operative treatment was significantly more effective than nonoperative treatment. However, the relative increased benefit of surgery over nonoperative treatment was not dependent on the duration of symptoms.
"Patients who have had symptoms for longer than six months can find relief with either nonoperative treatment or surgery, but they may not reap as much benefit as those who have had symptoms for six months or less," said Dr. Rihn. "Surgery still has significant benefit compared with nonsurgical treatment, even in patients who have had symptoms for longer than six months."
###
Further research exploring the effect of the duration of symptoms on treatment outcomes is warranted, according to Dr. Rihn.
About lumbar disc herniation
Lumbar disc herniation is a condition in which all or part of the jelly-like material in the center of a disc between two vertebrae in the lower back is forced through a weakened area of the disc. When the disc herniates, it can cause back pain and, if it pushes on a nerve root, can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in one or both legs. One of the most common and debilitating conditions of the spine, symptomatic lumbar disc herniation affects 1 to 2 percent of the population at some point in their lives, most often people in their 30s and 40s.
Symptoms of lumbar disc herniation often improve within six to eight weeks. For this reason, treatment of the condition typically initially involves nonsurgical approaches, such as medications, education, counseling, and physical therapy. According to most guidelines, surgery should only be considered for patients who experience pain beyond a reasonable course of nonoperative therapy or who have progressive muscle weakness, loss of feeling or loss of bladder or bowel control from the nerve compression.
Disclosure: One or more of the authors received payments or services, either directly or indirectly (i.e., via his or her institution), from a third party in support of an aspect of this work. In addition, one or more of the authors, or his or her institution, has had a financial relationship, in the 36 months prior to submission of this work, with an entity in the biomedical arena that could be perceived to influence or have the potential to influence what is written in this work. Also, one or more of the authors has had another relationship, or has engaged in another activity, that could be perceived to influence or have the potential to influence what is written in this work.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Election officials counting votes at the parish hall in Appenzell , Switzerland Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy. (AP Photo/Keystone/Ennio Leanza)
Election officials counting votes at the parish hall in Appenzell , Switzerland Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy. (AP Photo/Keystone/Ennio Leanza)
Election officials counting votes at the parish hall in Appenzell , Switzerland Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy. (AP Photo/Keystone/Ennio Leanza)
Helpers empty ballot-boxes in a polling station during the Swiss elections in Wolfenschiessen , Switzerland Sunday Oct. 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy. (AP Photo/Keystone/Urs Flueeler)
Swiss residents fill out their election papers outside a polling booth at a polling station in the center of Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy.Word in French at left reads : Push. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
A Swiss woman leaves a polling booth at a polling station in the center of Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Oct 23, 2011. Swiss citizens voting in national elections Sunday were poised to hand nationalists an unprecedented 30 percent voice, following voting dominated by concerns about immigration, nuclear power and the economy.Word in French reads : Push. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
BERN, Switzerland (AP) ? Swiss voters backed moderate forces in their general election in which nationalists failed in their effort to break through the 30 percent barrier with a campaign heavy on anti-immigrant sentiment.
The nationalist Swiss People's Party, or SVP, was projected to take 25.9 percent of the vote for the lower house, a drop of 3 percent from four years ago, according to public television station SF's latest projections early Monday morning.
On the left, the Greens also sustained a surprising setback, taking 7.9 percent of the vote, a drop of 1.7 percent from four years ago. The SVP and Greens were each projected to lose seven seats in Switzerland's lower chamber, the 200-seat National Council.
"We didn't achieve our election goal," People's Party president Toni Brunner conceded as results from Sunday's voting trickled in.
His party diminishment reverses 20 years of steady growth in parliamentary elections that are held every four years. It drew 11 percent of the vote in 1987, but captured as much as 28.9 percent in 2007.
During that time, support had eroded for two major center-right parties, the Free Democratic Party and Christian Democratic People's Party, from a combined 42.5 percent in 1987 down to 30.3 percent in 2007.
Now, two of the SVP's small centrist competitors are rebounding ? at its expense.
The SVP's rise was stalled by the Conservative Democratic Party whose members split from the SVP in 2007, and the centrist Green Liberal Party, which picks up 9 seats in the National Council successfully riding a wave of anti-nuclear sentiment following the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant in March.
Both those centrist parties are expected to receive more than 5 percent of the vote for the National Council. Voters are also deciding on 45 of 46 seats for the upper house, or Council of States.
Barely one of every two eligible Swiss voters typically exercise their privilege. Estimated turnout for Sunday's general election remained virtually unchanged at 48.9 percent, slightly up from 48.2 percent in 2007.
The panoply of political parties in Switzerland makes for intense haggling after every election, however, as each group demands fair representation in the country's cross-party government.
The result is a unique "magic formula," designed to condense complex electoral results into a seven-member Cabinet capable of governing by consensus in spite of sometimes widely differing views.
Despite its worse-than-expected result, the People's Party retains the biggest share of the vote and immediately laid claim to two seats in the Cabinet, whose ministers run federal agencies and take turns as president for a year.
The party has built up a strong base of voters with campaigns warning of immigrants spoiling an Alpine nation that's been an oasis of relative stability within stormy Europe.
In its campaign, the SVP accused foreigners of driving up Switzerland's crime rate, and called for those convicted of crimes to be deported. It also wants to reintroduce quotas on immigration from the 27 countries of the European Union, of which Switzerland isn't a member, illustrating the point with striking posters of black boots stomping on the Swiss flag with the message "Stop Mass Immigration."
The number of foreigners living in Switzerland rose almost 3 percent to 1.7 million over the past year ? mostly Italians, Germans, Portuguese and Serbs. Switzerland, along with Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, has one of the highest proportions of foreign inhabitants in Europe.
They account for one of every five of the country's nearly 7.9 million permanent residents, and mostly live in the large cities of Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne and Bern.
Many foreigners who work in Switzerland come for jobs for which they're considered highly qualified, but that hasn't stopped the Swiss from worrying that the influx of outsiders in their midst is spurring a rise in crime, house prices and joblessness.
For some voters, however, the People's Party's relentless focus on foreigners went too far.
Pushing a stroller in the capital Bern with his twin 1-year-old sons ? half Swiss, half Sri Lankan ? architect Timo Odoni pointed to one of the nationalists' posters.
"I just can't stand how they do their posters because it reminds me of 60 years before, in Germany, a little bit. And we have to do something about it," Odoni said.
"I certainly will vote the green and left parties," he said. "We have no problem with immigration, really. We have other problems, but not this problem."
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Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Geneva.
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Public release date: 25-Oct-2011
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