Euthanasia | Ruling On Suicide Lifts Debate | Stuff.co.nz

The suicide of an elderly Nelson member of a pro-euthanasia group has again highlighted the fierce debate over a person's right to die.

Gretha Appleby, 80, was found dead in 2010. Coroner Carla na Nagara released her findings into the death yesterday, stating Mrs Appleby died at her home from self-inflicted injuries.

Mrs Appleby was a noted member of the pro-euthanasia group Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand.

She had expressed her pro-euthanasia views publicly, writing to the Nelson Mail in 2008 to declare her frustration at the "irrational" view that considered someone a murderer for helping a suffering loved one to die.

"My compassion goes towards the ?murderer', feeling he or she needs our understanding," she wrote. "No son, daughter nor anyone should be put to such a test.

"If only we would have a law in which the dying have a choice how to die with dignity, this would save a lot of misunderstanding."

In New Zealand it is a criminal offence to help someone die, or even provide a means for them to do so.

The issue of euthanasia was raised again last week after Auckland man Evans Mott was discharged without conviction after the death of his wife.

Society spokesman John Murray said Mrs Appleby, who was a lifetime member, was one of more than 1200 people in New Zealand who officially supported the group.

Their foremost aim was to bring about a law change that would allow people with incurable disease or in unbearable pain to end their own lives.

"If a person for whatever reason wants to commit suicide they're not a criminal . . . we're into the issue of dying, not killing."

Labour MP Maryan Street, who is the author of a member's bill that would legalise assisted suicide in certain cases, said she had decided to act after a meeting with society members a year ago.

Although similar proposals had been voted down in 1995 and 2003, she believed the mood of the nation had swung.

The bill had a good chance of passing if pulled from the ballot, and several MPs who had voted against the previous proposals had told her they had changed their minds, she said.

But the proposal has also attracted opposition from several organisations, including pro-life groups and the palliative care industry.

Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine chairwoman Sinead Donnelly said allowing doctors to kill their patients would have a dreadful impact on the medical profession.

A national meeting of palliative care experts last week had returned a unanimous vote against the idea, which would impact public safety and expose the vulnerable.

"If society wants to kill its own people it should be outside the health system."

Ms Street's bill proposed far more lenience than other countries that allowed some form of euthanasia and also suggested doctors could face imprisonment if they did not abide by it - an outrageous outcome, she said.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/7692749/Ruling-on-advocates-2010-suicide-lifts-debate

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Introducing TechCrunch?s Team Europe ? Building Out Internationally From Here

tcecuropebiglogoIt's been a fascinating road since I joined TechCrunch in September 2007 to build out TechCrunch's European arm. Five years on to the week, I'm today sitting at the still-fresh Campus London venue where hundreds of startup people pass through every week. We've come a long way. Five years ago you would have found me sitting in some East London coffee shop which had barely just installed Wifi. Five years ago the tech startup scene in Europe was -- at least for a journalist -- a little like a chicken scratching around in the dirt looking for a rare grass seed. Today, there are startup hubs, co-working spaces, accelerators, and a growing number of VCs (old and new) in Europe. Yes, the eco-system is still growing, it's still fractured by language and geography (although low-budget airlines are helping solve that). And these days I can hit a European conference and run into great people I already know as well as a veritable tsunami of new faces, every time. And not just European: I'm including our cousins in the Middle East and Africa in this as well. It's been fun. Maybe we should have a birthday party or something? But in any case, it's time to re-introduce ourselves to you. And by that I mean the team we've built out in London, and which will be roaming internationally from here. We cover big U.S. stories with a fresh eye, even as our colleagues there hit the sack. And at the same time we're building out TC's international coverage from a time-zone better suited to this side of the planet. As we say at TechCrunch: "Sharks never sleep and neither does TC." So without any further ado, in alphabetical order, I give you the team:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/1eKstqRlAv0/

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Real Estate and Property Managers - Sangwonyoon

Investment Property Management Phoenix AZ Have you purchased real estate but aren?t able to give the time to provide sufficient management for your real estate needs? Real estate investment can be exciting and profitable, but it can also be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you have other business ventures. We can give you the appropriate resources to get the most from your real estate. Our services include collecting payment, finding quality tenants, and handling other essential tasks. We have developed several fail-safe procedures that are very productive in properly managing your property. Find out how we can help you with property management when you get an estimate today.

Source: http://www.sangwonyoon.com/real-estate-and-property-managers/

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Treasury resists GM plan on government stake sale: WSJ

(Reuters) - The Treasury Department is unwilling to sell the government's stake in General Motors Co because a sale now would mean huge investment losses, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people close to the matter.

Earlier this year GM floated a plan with Treasury officials to repurchase 200 million of the roughly 500 million shares the U.S. holds in the carmaker, the newspaper said, citing unidentified people familiar with the situation.

Under that plan, Treasury would sell the remaining shares through a public stock offering, the Journal said.

But the Treasury, which holds a 26.5 percent stake in the automaker, is not interested in GM's offer at the current price, and is not rushing to sell shares, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

At GM's Friday share price of $24.14, the U.S. would lose about $15 billion on the GM bailout if it sold its entire stake, the paper said.

While GM stock would need to reach $53 a share for the U.S. to break even, Treasury officials would consider selling at a price in the $30s, the Journal said.

"The Treasury will make its own decisions about their stake in the company like any other owner," a GM spokesman told the newspaper. "Our job is to produce great cars and solid profits."

The Treasury has invested more than $50 billion in GM via the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Neither General Motors nor the Treasury department could not be reached for comments immediately.

(Reporting by Balaji Sridharan in Bangalore; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-treasury-resists-gm-plan-government-stake-sale-061312511--sector.html

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Why you'll never have the latest version of Android

Android Central

Inside the ‘broken’ Android updates process

If you have an Android phone, chances are it’s not running the most recent version of the OS, 4.1 Jelly Bean. According to Google’s own figures, just 1.2 percent of active devices run the latest version of Android. Some 57.5 percent remain on Android 2.3, a version rapidly approaching its second birthday.

If you were lucky enough to buy a Nexus device -- the right Nexus device -- you might get the latest sweet treat from the Mountain View chocolate factory immediately, or within a few weeks of it being finalized. But for most of the countless millions of active Android devices, it’s quite a different story. They’ll probably never run the latest version of Android, whatever that may be. They’re on ICS if they’re lucky, Gingerbread if they’re not, and by the time they get Jelly Bean we’ll already be singing the praises of Key Lime Pie.

This vicious cycle is a product of Google’s approach to its OS, combined with a mess of other factors including carriers, manufacturers and users’ own expectations. It’s one of the platform’s most significant issues, and one that’s all but impossible to solve. Read on to find out exactly why, as we dissect the Android software update process.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/zedqdpJj8xs/story01.htm

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Prep Football Finals

Here are final scores from around the North Escambia area Friday tonight:

  • Northview 50, Chipley 29 [Read more...]
  • Sneads 19, Jay 14 [Read more...]
  • West Florida 56, Tate 7 [Read more...]
  • Washington 19, Choctaw 17
  • Niceville 17, Pine Forest 14
  • Catholic 17, PHS 15
  • Milton 24, Fort Walton 17
  • Flomaton 42, Choctaw County 13 [Read more...]
  • ECHS (Atmore) 20, Wilcox Central 0
  • Escambia Academy 47, Sparta 7
  • T.R. Miller 62, Excel 6
  • W.S. Neal 58, Cottage Hill 0
-->

Source: http://www.northescambia.com/2012/09/prep-football-finals-2

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No More Needles: ?Painless? Laser Injects Drugs

green2The end of needles is nigh: researches have developed a laser-based system "that blasts microscopic jets of drugs into the skin could soon make getting a shot as painless as being hit with a puff of air," reports phys.org. The laser system works by creating microsecond bubbles of air that penetrate the skin and injects a drug through a narrow space about as wide as a human hair.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/jQC43fM1V78/

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World Technology

This article discusses the differences between two well-known programs - Kaspersky Antivirus and VIPRE. These protect against a number of malware programs such as rootkits and Trojans and are ranked amongst the best in the industry.

VIPRE has a real-time system for monitoring all the activities occurring in your computer, ranging from email to web activity. It weeds out malware from your system and marks the rest as red alert. Real-time protection is a major feature that is a must-have for any antivirus package as it analyses any incoming data into your computer. It blocks any suspicious data and alerts you immediately.

VIPRE removes malware from your computer and alerts you to other suspicious files. It does this in real-time and it monitors anything done on your computer, including email and internet browsing. Real-time protection is no longer a nice to have - without it, your computer is constantly at risk and you could open dangerous files before you scan them.

VIPRE blends in the features of both antispyware and antivirus to block and terminate all the incoming malware and spyware threats plaguing your computer. Kaspersky treats viruses, other malware, and spyware with equal attention and the antivirus and antispyware function separately. VIPRE has faster definition updates and is faster in detecting any spyware threats to your computer. This means that the product has a constant update system, and it keeps receiving information on any new spyware detected from the online platform. Kaspersky is surpassed by VIPRE in this regard as it has comparatively longer update duration.

A major difference between the two programs can be seen in the after sales service - VIPRE's technical support is better. The products both use the same amount of space on the hard drive and both install equally quickly. VIPRE is also better when it comes to chat and IM protection. You need to choose the program that fits in with your needs better. VIPRE offers a similar product at a better price than Kaspersky's.

When it comes to CPU usage, in real-time scanning both programs are both the same. However, during manual scans VIPRE wins out and uses about 1% of the memory. In general, Kaspersky is about twice as heavy on resources.

VIPRE beats Kaspersky in terms of the time it takes to scan emails. Both programs scan emails properly. VIPRE also has quite a large ambit of protection, a number of customer forums and base on which to draw.

Source: http://egytek.blogspot.com/2012/09/competetive-testing-among-vipre.html

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Interview with Wayne Thomas Batson | Marcher Lord Press

(*Originally posted November 2007)

What a joy to have Christian author Wayne Thomas Batson as our interview guest at WhereTheMapEnds.com.

Wayne Thomas Batson is the author of five SpecFic/ Adventure books including the bestselling trilogy, The?Door Within, and new pirate novels Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire.

He is a lifetime lover of all things fantastic, creepy, and/or peculiar. He says he writes SpecFic because he believes that deep down, we all dream of other worlds and long to do something that matters.

Wayne is an active blogger and online advocate of Christian fantasy fiction. He was part of the Fantasy Four book tour in the summer of 2007, and as a result he was given opportunity to be interviewed on radio (see photo) and on TV as a spokesman for Christian fantasy.

WhereTheMapEnds: Catch us up with what?s going on in your life.

Wayne Thomas Batson: As of October 20th [2007], I wrapped up the principal manuscript of Isle of Fire, the sequel to Isle of Swords. This was a serious deadline. I had a little more than three months to complete the work. God came through with the ideas, and I am stoked with the composition of the story. Should be a fun adventure with depth.

WhereTheMapEnds: As the boy in Princess Bride so aptly says, ?Murdered by pirates is good.? So what is your favorite speculative novel of all time (Christian or secular) and why is that your favorite?

Wayne Thomas Batson: No Contest: The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was my gateway series to the genre of fantasy, and I reread it every chance I get.

To me, Tolkien redefined the author?s level of commitment to a story. He spent decades of his life developing the world map, the cultures, the unique languages, and histories of all his creations. I don?t think we see that as much today because publishers are nervous about missing ?marketing windows.?

What I mean by that is that publishers rush their authors to be productive, assigning short deadline periods and quick turnarounds. Publishers also want series books to be out rapid fire, so that multiple books are out at the same time. They don?t want to let authors take 1.5-2 years per book anymore.

That?s something I really struggle with. I mean, how do you rush creativity? Still, Tolkien?s work stands alone as a lovingly and meticulously crafted SpecFic tale. Always will be my favorite.

WhereTheMapEnds:?What made you want to write Christian speculative fiction?

Wayne Thomas Batson: Actually, I don?t write Christian speculative fiction. I write fiction that is informed by my identity as a Christian.

I know that sounds like semantics, but really, it?s not. If I?m a Christian and a mechanic and I fix your car?was it a Christian repair? If the manager at the local McDonald?s is a Christian and I make a purchase there, do I get a Christian Happy Meal? See my point?

I am a Christian and Jesus is everything to me. He is my worldview and my life. When I write, I pray that He comes shining through. But I am not writing just for Christians to read.

I want everyone to be able to read and enjoy my books on multiple levels: surface and deep. At the surface, come and enjoy a heart-pounding adventure in an enchanting realm. But go deeper than that. See the big questions. Be a thoughtful reader. My thought is, if I get people asking the questions for which Jesus is the only answer, then I?ve done well.

WhereTheMapEnds:? Sounds like a good plan. How was your first idea for a Christian speculative novel received (by anyone: spouse, friends, parents, agent, publisher, readers, reviewers, etc.)?

Wayne Thomas Batson: I wrote first for my students. I?m a middle school Reading/English teacher, and I had real trouble finding just the ?right? story to go with a certain lesson. So, I started writing them myself.

The Door Within books came about because my students challenged me to write an assignment I had given them. My story was 17 pages written in green ink on loose leaf paper. My students loved it. They asked me to make it a movie. That was the spark that led me to keep writing.

WhereTheMapEnds:?Leave it to kids to recognize talent. I know your young readers enjoy your books so much. It?s great to be able to take that quality that worked so well in the classroom and ?bottle? it in a book that anyone can read. Very cool. So how would you characterize the current state of Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?

Wayne Thomas Batson: Tentatively Growing. In the last 10 years CBA publishers published more fantasy than the previous fifty years. [Editor's note: "CBA" stands for the Christian Booksellers' Association and is a shorthand way of referring to the Christian publishing and retailing industry.] In the last 5 years, we?ve seen more publishers than ever venturing into fantasy as well. I think we are living in the great experimental stage for the CBA. If Christians keep buying what Christian publishers offer, then Christian publishers will continue to publish more.

WhereTheMapEnds:?I sure hope you?re right. It?s a common misconception that there are simply no good speculative novels out there from the Christian worldview. I recently updated my Booklist and was surprised to find that I have over 400 titles listed there. Imagine a bookstore or library with all of those books available on the shelf. How cool would that be?

However, I?m also trying to expand the boundaries of what is available for fans of Christian speculative fiction through my own publishing company, Marcher Lord Press. If the Christian publishing industry expands more into speculative fiction, as you?re hoping, we?re good. But if not, Marcher Lord Press will be there to take up the slack.

So, Wayne, what have you seen that encourages you about Christian speculative writing and/or publishing?

Wayne Thomas Batson: Speaking personally about my publisher, Thomas Nelson: I am thrilled that they?ve been willing to invest so much capital in the production and marketing of my books. They took a big risk with a first-time author and made a huge statement by creating breathtaking covers and packaging. The books look good?and on the shelf, that matters.

WhereTheMapEnds:?It certainly does. Now what have you seen that discourages or frustrates you about Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing?

Wayne Thomas Batson: I am thoroughly frustrated by product placement in both CBA and ABA stores. [Editor's note: "ABA" stands for the American Booksellers' Association and is a shorthand way of referring to the secular publishing and book retailing industry.]

I know there are a lot of hands involved in determining where a book goes: marketers, distributors, branch managers?and even a local clerk can trump them all by putting a book wherever. LOL.

In CBA stores, fiction often gets lumped together with nursery rhymes and Beginner?s Bibles. Come on, dude?if you?re a teenager looking for a book, are you even going to consider something next to A Very Veggie Christmas?

In ABA stores, you often see great Christian SpecFic titles tossed into teeny tiny ?Religious Fiction? sections. Yes, the place where no one sees it. That?s another reason why I don?t like delineating my work as Christian fiction?if I do, it?s just that much easier to get thrown in with New Age fiction or Taoist fiction.

If I do have Christ?s message to share, the books need to be where people can see them. You don?t see Phillip Pullman?s books being pulled from mainstream fiction for a special ?Atheistic Fiction? section. Tolkien and Lewis can be found in both sections?religious and mainstream. Maybe dual designation is what we should be looking for. Hmmm?

WhereTheMapEnds:?I understand your point and have felt your pain. My own name for the religious fiction in secular bookstores is Death Row. However, I don?t see this changing in the foreseeable future. Sales reps from Christian publishing companies meet with the religion buyers at secular bookstores. What they buy for their shelves goes on their shelves.

There are other reasons, too, including the fact that most Christian publishers do not have enough titles at once that could be put on the regular Fantasy/SF shelf, for instance. Bookstore chains look to group books together to better feature them in their promotional pieces and catalogs. If a Christian publisher wants to be on that shelf but can?t produce 6 such titles to be grouped together for a catalog ad, it?s not going to happen.

As for atheistic fiction, I see your point there, too, but there is no full-fledged atheistic publishing industry as there is with a Christian publishing industry. When they get as big as the CBA maybe they will be segregated.

And I?m afraid the C.S. Lewis/J.R.R. Tolkien argument is moot. Thier books are now considered classics and therefore in the public domain in terms of where they can be shelved.

Still, I know it?s a terrible frustration when you?re writing for a crossover market, hoping to get non-Christians to read your work, and yet you are not allowed access to that target readership. Yeah, that?s no fun at all.

A benefit of marketing on the Internet is that it is, by definintion, cross-marketing, cross-platform, and crossover. All kinds of people can see and buy your book online.

Okay, off my soapbox! What do you think Christian speculative fiction writing and/or publishing will look like in three years? Five years? Ten years?

Wayne Thomas Batson: I think that depends a lot on local bookstore owners. I?d like to see Christian bookstores become bookstores again. Devote more floorspace to books. Advertise your books. Price your books competitively. Have contests, signings, readings, youth parties?whatever, but let people know, ?Hey, we have good books here!?

WhereTheMapEnds:?And how about cutting down on the knicknacks and scented candles and everything else that tells men and teenagers to stay away? [innocent grin] So, Wayne, what advice would you give to someone who aspires to write and publish Christian speculative fiction?

Wayne Thomas Batson: First, you can do it. If I can, anyone can. God has gifted you uniquely with creativity and passion for stories. And people always have and always will love stories.

Second, write. Stop making excuses. Stop whining. Stop comparing. And write. If your craft isn?t there yet, take some classes. Read in the genre you love. And then tell the story you?ve been dying to tell. [Editor's note: And read and heed all the awesome advice at the Fiction Writing Tip of the Week column.]

[Editor's note: Stop making so many editor's notes, Jeff.]

[Okay, sorry.]

[Editor's note: We apologize again for all the editor's notes. Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.]

Third, think carefully about your intent in writing ?Christian fiction.? Do you want to encourage the faithful? Do you want to convert the masses? What is the reason you want to do this? Whatever your answer, don?t let the story suffer. You cannot write a salvation tract, dress it up with elves, and call it a story. You?ve got to write a compelling story or the message will suffer.

WhereTheMapEnds: Good advice, Wayne. So now that Isle of Fire is done what writing project will be next for you?

Wayne Thomas Batson: Right, I just finished Isle of Fire, my pirate sequel. But after that, I?ve got an epic fantasy series that I hope to publish. I?ve been working on it for several years (in spurts) and it has been on my mind constantly. New characters, races, plot twists, etc.

But with this series I?m going to attempt to invoke a little Tolkien: I want to take my time with these books. I want to develop huge backstories, cultures, languages, histories. I want the coolest creatures, the most fully envisioned settings?and the most powerful messages. And that will take time.

WhereTheMapEnds: No kidding! Well, we?ll all be eager to read it when you finally round the corner on that project. So tell us what it was like to do the Fantasy Four tour and get to be on TV as the spokesman for Christian fantasy.

Wayne Thomas Batson: The Fantasy Fiction Tour was a life-changing event. I got to rub elbows with creative kindred. Christopher Hopper, Bryan Davis, Sharon Hinck and I are swordbrethren for life. I?m inspired by their faith and hope we can tour again someday. We met so many kind people on the Tour and are still learning today about the impact.

As far as being a spokesman for Christian Fantasy, whoa, I try not to think about that in that way. I still don?t know why God wanted to use me for those incredible opportunities. Front page article in the Washington Post, National TV with Fox and Friends and now Reuters?it?s all kind of surreal.

I hope I made God proud each time, and I hope God will open doors?doors for new writers in the genre, but also doors for people who harshly prejudge Christianity.

WhereTheMapEnds: I know He was proud, Wayne. We all were. Thank you for your time!

Another great interview! Thanks again to Wayne Thomas Batson for spending time with us. Be sure to visit him online.

?

Source: http://www.marcherlordpress.com/2012/09/interview-with-wayne-thomas-batson/

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Top Republican attacks Fed as central bank mulls policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior House Republican slammed the Federal Reserve on Thursday for "radical and unprecedented" policies, marking the latest attack on Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke as the U.S. central bank met to weigh further action to spur U.S. growth.

Bernanke has become a lightning rod for election-year Republican complaints that central bank bond purchases have enabled a massive government expansion by Democratic President Barack Obama, and have overstepped the Fed's authority.

That criticism will harden if its decision on Thursday is seen as helping the economy and lowering unemployment - dominant factors for voters in the race for the White House - thereby improving Obama's chances of prevailing in the November 6 ballot.

Congressman Scott Garrett, who chairs a powerful House financial services subcommittee, said the central bank was deep into "fiscal-type" waters and that future Fed chiefs should be limited to a single term in office.

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney has already said that if he won the election, he would not reappoint Bernanke when the chairman's four-year term expires in January, 2014.

The U.S. central bank's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee will announce its decision at about 12:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) at the close of the two-day meeting.

Many analysts expect it will announce a third round of so-called quantitative easing, on top of the $2.3 trillion of Treasury and mortgage-backed bonds that it has already bought, and commit to keep interest rates near zero until into 2015.

Garrett's criticism comes after calls for a congressional audit of monetary policy, viewed by the central bank as a threat to its independence, amid moves by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives for wider changes at the Fed.

"The Fed is taking such extreme steps that Congress and the American people are saying please stop! There are huge potential risks that are being created by these actions," he said.

Garrett, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, made his remarks in a speech to be delivered later on Thursday at an American banker symposium on banking regulation in Arlington, Virginia.

"The Fed and their defenders claim that their independence is being eroded by others' actions, but I claim the exact opposite. I believe the Fed's own actions are eroding its independence," he said in a prepared text of his remarks.

(Reporting By Alister Bull; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/top-republican-attacks-fed-central-bank-mulls-policy-151847073--business.html

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