Indian court may suspend lawmakers facing crimes

NEW DELHI (AP) ? Indian lawmakers facing sexual assault charges against women could be suspended from office if the country's top court rules in favor of a petition submitted following a gang-rape and murder that shocked the country.

Six state lawmakers are facing rape prosecutions and two national parliamentarians are facing charges of crimes against women that fall short of rape, said Jagdeep S. Chhokar, an official with the Association for Democratic Reforms, which tracks political candidate's criminal records.

The petition will be heard Thursday and comes as police prepare to formally charge six suspects in the gang-rape and killing of a student in the capital two weeks ago.

The Dec. 16 rape triggered outrage across the country and sparked demands for stronger laws, tougher police action against those accused of sexual assault and a sustained campaign to change society's views on women.

As part of that campaign, Chief Justice Altamas Kabir agreed to hear a petition from retired government administrator Promilla Shanker asking the Supreme Court to suspend all lawmakers from the national and state legislatures who are facing prosecution for crimes against women.

She also asked the court to force the national government to fast-track thousands of rape cases that have languished in India's notoriously sluggish court system for years.

In the past five years, political parties across India nominated 260 candidates awaiting trial on charges of crimes against women, he said. Parties ran six candidates for the national parliamentary elections facing such charges, Chokkar said.

"We need to decriminalize politics and surely a serious effort has to be made to stop people who have serious charges of sexual assault against them from contesting elections," said Zoya Hasan, a political analyst.

On Wednesday morning, several thousand women held a silent march to Gandhi's memorial in the capital in memory of the victim, holding placards demanding "Respect" and "Justice." Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit joined the women for a prayer session for the victim. The Gandhi memorial is a common protest site.

On Tuesday, the government set up a task force to monitor women's safety in New Delhi and to review whether police were properly protecting women. The government had set up two earlier bodies to look into the handling of the rape case and to suggest changes in the nation's rape laws.

The rape of the 23-year-old university student on a bus has horrified many in the country and brought unprecedented attention to the daily suffering of women here, who face everything from catcalls and groping to rapes.

Six men arrested in the case were to be formally charged Thursday with kidnapping, rape and murder, said Rajan Bhagat, the New Delhi police spokesman. Police have said they would push for the death penalty in the case.

Police were awaiting findings on a bone test conducted on one of the suspects to confirm whether he is a juvenile or an adult, which could affect the charges against him.

The Bar Association of lawyers last week decided against defending the six suspects because of the nature of the crime, although the court is expected to appoint attorneys to defend them.

Media reports say 30 witnesses have been gathered, and the charges have been detailed in a document running more than 1,000 pages. Police also have detained the owner of the bus used in the crime on accusation he used false documents to obtain permits to run the private bus service.

The family of the victim ? who died Saturday at a hospital in Singapore ? is struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.

"She was a very, very, very cheerful little girl and she was peace loving and she was never embroiled in any controversies like this. I don't know why this happened to her," her uncle, Suresh Singh, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The family of the victim, whose name was not revealed, called for stronger rape laws to prevent such attacks from happening again and demanded swift ? and harsh ? justice for woman's assailants, Singh said.

"If the government can't punish them, give the rapists to the people. The people will settle the scores with them," he said.

___

Associated Press reporter Biswajeet Banerjee contributed to this report from Lucknow.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indian-court-may-suspend-lawmakers-facing-crimes-100544963.html

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Sleep Centers Increase To Highest Number Ever

Sleep Paralysis

If you've ever drifted off to sleep or just woken up from sleep but were unable to move any part of your body -- spurring a sense that you are frozen in your bed -- you may have experienced sleep paralysis. Sleep paralysis is more common in the seconds to minutes when we're first waking up, whether in the morning or in the middle of the night, Gehrman said. When we are in REM sleep, our muscles are paralyzed so that we don't act out our dreams. But with sleep paralysis, a part of the brain wakes sooner than the rest, giving a sense of wakefulness and alertness -- even though the body's muscles are still paralyzed, Gehrman explained. However, <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/paralysis.html" target="_hplink">sleep paralysis isn't dangerous</a> despite the unsettling feeling experienced by people who have been through it, according to Stanford University. To decrease the number of sleep paralysis episodes you have, stress reduction, getting enough hours of sleep a night and making sure you have a good sleep schedule could help.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Opposite to sleep paralysis, REM sleep behavior disorder occurs when your brain is in REM sleep but your muscles are acting out your dreams, Gehrman explained. WebMD explains the <a href="http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder" target="_hplink">signs of the disorder</a>: <blockquote>Dream-enacting behaviors include talking, yelling, punching, kicking, sitting, jumping from bed, arm flailing, and grabbing. An acute form may occur during withdrawal from alcohol or sedative-hypnotic drugs.</blockquote> Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic sleep specialist Tracy Kuo, Ph.D., told Everyday Health that this <a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/sleep/other-disorders/REM-behavior-disorder.aspx" target="_hplink">disorder could potentially be violent</a>, especially if the person is kicking or punching his or her self or partner while sleeping. "Without treatment, it tends to get worse over time," she told Everyday Health. However, there are medications a person can take to help people relax their muscles when they sleep so that they <a href="http://www.everydayhealth.com/sleep/other-disorders/REM-behavior-disorder.aspx" target="_hplink">don't have any muscle activity</a> when they are in REM sleep, Everyday Health reported. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder has also been linked to <a href="http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/rem-sleep-behavior-disorder" target="_hplink">neurodegenerative diseases</a> like Parkinson's disease and multisystem atrophy, and seems to occur several years before these diseases, WebMD reported.

Sleep Walking and Talking

Similarly to sleep paralysis, sleep-walking and sleep-talking occur when part of the brain is awake but the rest of it is asleep, Gehrman said. "With sleep-walking, people are mostly asleep but you're engaging in what are usually kind of basic routine behaviors," Gehrman said. "So typically, people sleep walk and go to the bathroom, or go down to the kitchen and get something to eat, but it's all usually very routine." Because sleep-walking and sleep-talking occur in non-REM sleep, since non-REM sleep only produces bland, boring dreams, whatever the person is saying or acting out is not related to what they may actually be dreaming about, he said. However, Gehrman said that there is not yet a clear answer as to why we say or act out the things we do when we are sleep-walking or sleep-talking. Sleep-walking isn't inherently dangerous, but if a child is prone to sleepwalking, Honaker recommends that parents take safety precautions by locking windows, putting safety latches on doors, etc., so that sleep-walking children don't accidentally hurt themselves.

Bedwetting

Bedwetting, also known as enuresis, is defined as involuntary urination by a child who is older than age 5 or 6 (either in the day or night), according to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. Sarah Morsbach Honaker Ph.D., a pediatric sleep psychologist at the University of Louisville, told HuffPost that bedwetting is very common in children, and that most kids outgrow it as they get older, many times without any intervention. Honaker said a possible cause for bedwetting is maturational delay, meaning a child's body hasn't yet matured to maintain bladder control throughout the night. "You wouldn't expect a 2-year-old to be dry throughout the night," Honaker told HuffPost. "For some kids, this ability matures later than others." In addition, some kids may just have a lower arousal threshold, meaning that it takes more to rouse them from sleep if their bladder is full, she said. "Because enuresis is outgrown, there's a tendency in some cases for healthcare providers to make the decision not to treat it," Honaker said. "However, there has been research to suggest it impacts self esteem and can have social consequences." Because of that, she suggests that kids whose lives are strongly impacted by bedwetting to consider an intervention like a bedwetting alarm, which senses moisture and goes off so the child wakes up to go to the bathroom.

Night Terrors

Night terrors, also known as sleep terrors, occur more often in children, who tend to outgrow them by adolescence, Honaker said. She also clarified that they are not the same thing as nightmares. "When a child has a sleep terror, they're asleep, so typically what will happen is they will be inconsolable, seem very upset, crying, screaming, and don't even seem to recognize the parent when the parent comes into contact with them," Honaker said. Sleep terrors can go on from 2 minutes to 20 minutes or longer, and they can be very scary for parents, she said, but parents should rest assured that sleep terrors are not at all harmful for the children. "They're asleep, so there's no lost sleep, and we don't see them feeling fatigue the next day," she said. "There's typically no recall, and that's a hallmark with a sleep terror." Honaker said that anywhere from 1 to 6 percent of children will experience a sleep terror, with the typical age of onset being between 4 and 12 years old. For parents, the best thing to do is <em>not</em> wake the child up -- "it can actually make the episode worse because the child doesn't see them as a parent," she said.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, occurs when you <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002386/" target="_hplink">slide your teeth back and forth</a>, and can occur in both the day and night time, according to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. It can be annoying to sleep partners, and can even lead to joint pain or damage in the area. Teeth grinding is a result of any number of factors, including stress, misaligned teeth, ability to relax and sleeping habits, the A.D.A.M. Medical Encylopedia reported. Gehrman said that sometimes, lowering stress and anxiety can help to reduce teeth grinding at night. To manage teeth grinding -- though it isn't a cure -- people can go to their dentists to get a mouth guard to protect their teeth at night.

Exploding Head Syndrome

Exploding head syndrome is definitely more unusual than some other sleep occurrences like sleep-walking or sleep-talking, Gehrman said. "From descriptions, it's this bizarre experience that it does feel like your head is exploding" because of a loud noise going off in the head, Gehrman said. However, he noted that it's not dangerous. The American Sleep Association <a href="http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=explodingheadsyndrome" target="_hplink">describes it as</a>: <blockquote> ... Similar to a bomb exploding, a gun going off, a clash of cymbals or any other form of loud, indecipherable noise that seems to originate from inside the head.</blockquote> Gehrman said that there is little research on the phenomenon, but it seems to be a very extreme variation of hypnic jerks -- those weird leg jerks that occur when you're first falling asleep. The American Sleep Association reported that people over age 50 and women are more likely to experience the phenomena, and that it's asso<a href="http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=explodingheadsyndrome" target="_hplink">ciated with high stress and fatigue</a>.

Related Video

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/sleep-centers-highest-number-american-academy-of-sleep-medicine_n_2366719.html

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Escaping from the Dangers of Childhood Obesity

Teaching children about the benefits of exercise and eating nutritiously is something that must be done by example in order to escape the dangers inherent to childhood obesity.

Children follow behavior that is modeled by their parents and the authority figures around them. Children must learn at an early age the benefits of not being obese.

Many of the things we like or dislike doing are just done out of habit. You teach your kids about the benefits of eating nutritious fruits and vegetables and to have an active lifestyle for their good health. They will, of course, make their own decisions as adults but the childhood training that you provide when they are children will set the stage for good habits for the rest of their lives

One of the worst things that you can do is to have your children see that you don?t follow your own advice. This goes for your overall lifestyle not just exercise and eating a good diet. If you smoke, for example, it?s alright to tell your kids that they shouldn?t smoke. But in order to avoid appearing hypocritical, it would be a better to talk to them in an honest dialog about the dangers of smoking cigarettes and how you now wish that you had never started. This approach would have better benefits than just telling kids not to smoke because ?I said so?.

Getting exercise together with the kids is great for family bonding. This will start your family out on a healthy lifestyle of getting exercise that should follow them through their whole life. Get a family membership to the gym. Take a fitness class that includes the whole family.

Join a boxing class or martial arts academy together. Swimming is a family activity that burns a lot of calories. Why not just shoot some hoops in the driveway? It?s not just creating a healthy habit of getting exercise. It?s about creating happy memories for your family. Those are the memories that they?ll want to pass on to their kids.

Include the kids in the menu planning. Have them look through your healthy diet cook books to help you find nutritious recipes to try out. Teach your children how to shop at the grocery store for fruits and vegetables. This is a wonderful way to fight childhood obesity by modeling healthy behavior. Preparing a healthy salad or a low fat entree with you is a lesson that will stay with the child for life.

The best way to fight childhood obesity is through prevention. We, as parents, must be proactive and teach our kids healthy habits from their childhood. This is easier than having to undo an unhealthy mindset later. Childhood obesity is no joke. We must keep its ugly tentacles away from our families.

Using these ideas and others that you come up with will set a foundation for your kids that will set them on the path of making healthy lifestyle choices. Remember that it?s the mindset that we have to develop in order to set our families on this healthy path.

Read more parenting articles on this site by Clicking This Link.

Source: http://ojaivalleychildcare.com/escaping-from-the-dangers-of-childhood-obesity/

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Gunmen kill 5 female teachers in Pakistan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) ? Gunmen killed five female teachers and two other people on Tuesday in an ambush on a van carrying workers home from their jobs at a community center in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

The van was transporting teachers and aid workers from the center in conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Two health workers, one man and one woman, were also killed and the driver was wounded.

The attack was a reminder of the risks faced by educators and aid workers, especially women, in an area where Islamic militants often target women and girls trying to get an education. Many militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province oppose female education and have blown up schools and killed female educators as a way to discourage girls from getting an education.

In a case in the same province that gained international attention, a Taliban gunman shot 15-year-old Malala Yousufzai in the head last October for criticizing the militants and promoting girls' education. She is currently recovering in Britain.

The workers were on their way home from a community center in the town of Swabi where they were working at a primary school and adjoining medical center. Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire with automatic weapons, said Javed Akhtar, executive director of the non-governmental organization Support With Working Solutions.

The NGO conducts programs in the education and health sectors and runs a primary school and a medical clinic at the community center in Swabi, he said.

He provided the details on who was killed.

Swabi police chief Abdur Rasheed said most of the women killed were between the ages of 20 and 22. He said the four gunmen who used two motorcycles fled the scene and have not been apprehended.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-01-Pakistan/id-65d08fc9a1af44898875257bf79d6271

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Google Maps And Places Are Coming To Hyundai?s And Kia?s Telematics Platforms

Google just announced that the Hyundai Motor Company, the corporation behind the Hyundai and Kia car brands, will integrate Google Maps and Places into its telematics systems. Both Hyundai's Blue Link and Kia's second-generation UVO eServices will soon give drivers access to Google Maps and Google Places.

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

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Mitch McConnell: Fiscal Cliff Deal Is Close

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he and the White House have agreed on preventing tax hikes that the "fiscal cliff" will trigger after midnight. And he says they are very close to an overall deal that would also prevent budget-wide spending cuts.

The Kentucky Republican did not provide any details. But he said on the Senate floor that lawmakers should pass legislation averting tax increases that would otherwise take effect at the start of New Year's Day.

McConnell spoke after President Barack Obama said in televised remarks from the White House that a deal was in sight.

Also on HuffPost:

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WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he and the White House have agreed on preventing tax hikes that the "fiscal cliff" will trigger after midnight. And he says they are very clos...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he and the White House have agreed on preventing tax hikes that the "fiscal cliff" will trigger after midnight. And he says they are very clos...

Filed by Mollie Reilly ?|?

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/31/mitch-mcconnell-fiscal-cliff-deal_n_2389611.html

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Information & Questions

This is where I'll be putting any additional story-based information, as well as answering and story-based questions that anyone may have. Please keep in mind that this is still a developing universe, so things may change slightly or even drastically as we go on.

Terminology

Emperor Tarrow: Soria's current Emporer. All though his time on the throne has been short, he is a just ruler, and well liked. There have been many attempts to take his life by assassins.

The High Preist: The spiritual leader of Soria, he acts as a spiritual link between the Sorians and the Gods.

The Shari: Ancient demons who served the Ovu in their attempt to conquer Soria. Recently there have been multiple reports of sightings in both Wargleam and Peacemark, though most dismiss this as rumor.

The Ovu: A group of powerful humanoid Shari, the Ovu are powerful sorcerers who tried to conquer the world in the time of the warrior's but were defeated and sealed away by the Shujaa. Secretly, they have broken free of their seal, and have gone into hiding, planning their attack.

Shujaa: An ancient order of knights, and the wielders of the ten sacred swords. They gave their lives to seal the Ovu away, and now lie deep inside the tower of Istrikahn, forever guarding the demons with their lingering will.

The Interfectors: An elite secret service group, dedicated to protecting the Emporer, and all political aspects of Soria. Only the current Emporer, along with a handful of lords know of their existence, and anyone who discovers them is sworn to secrecy or death.

The God's gaurd: An elite guard sworn to protect the high priest. They also serve as the city guard in Peacemark.

The tower of Istrikahn: A tower erected on top of the seal of the Ovu, it stands as a memorial to the brave Shujaa, and their sacrifice to keep Soria safe. It is guarded by a mysterious tower guardian.

The tower guardian: The mysterious watcher of the tower, he is said to be an immortal from the times of the warriors, and guards the tower from any who wish to disrupt the warrior's seal. The prophecy states that he must train a new group of Shujaa to defeat the awakened Ovu.

Peacemark: An eastern desert city, famous for it's role in the infamous battle of the grey sands. ?The city is home to the high priest, as well as the God's guard, and is governed by the Crosswell family, namely lord Henrick Crosswell.

Wargleam: A central city, surrounded by lush jungle and regal mountains, Wargleam is home the Senos company, who are a group of highly-trained blacksmiths responsible for arming most of Soria's military, as well as taking private contracts. The city is governed by the Staxus family, and their head Lord Venator Staxus, who is also the head of the Senos company.

Pathbane: A western seaside trading city, famous for it's enormous port. The largest city in Soria, and also the most populous, it's also known as "The city that never rests" due to the fact that the ports are constantly being used, and almost any type of entertainment can be found within. Governed by the corrupt Kodaht family, any their money-loving lord John Kodaht.

Whitehawk: The Northern capital city, Whitehawk is home to the Emperor and the senate. It is surrounded by tall mountains, and the only direct entry route to the city is directly in front. Also known as "The Shielded city" Whitehawk is supposedly impossible to invade. It is governed by the Emperor himself, Callum Tarrow.

The Gods:

Samaria: The Mother Goddess. Rules over Life, Birth, Marriage and Free will. She takes the form of a kind, motherly woman with flowing brown hair and a white dressto symbolize purity. The eternal rival of Kucheka.

Jenga: The God of constructs. Rules over building and structures. He takes the form of a spry, glasses-wearing young man, with hands that glow a dim grey.

Amotokali: The Goddess of Summer. Rules over fire, heat, the arts and summer. She sometimes takes the form of a Magnificent Phoenix, and other times, a fiery-eyed, crimson-haired young woman, with tanned skin and dancer's clothing. The eternal Rival of Baridi.

Baridi: The God of Winter. Rules over Ice, snow, winter and knowledge. He tends to take the form of an Snowy Owl, and other times that of a wise young man, with frosted icy hair and frosted robes. The eternal rival of Amotokali.

Zuri: Goddess of Spring. Rules over Love, growth, plants and beauty. She takes the form of a Fox, and other times, a breath-takingly beautiful young blonde woman, with a dress made of leaves, and a black panther at her side. The eternal rival of Jani.

Jani: God of autumn. Rules over wind, change, travel and autumn.Takes the form of a crow, and other times, the form of a masked figure, covered in a dark orange cloak. The eternal rival of Zuri.

Usin: God of sleep. Rules over sleep, dreams and visions. Takes the form of a Black bear.

Hatari: God of combat. Rules over Combat, war, strategy and pain. Takes the form of an armored lion, or a divine-looking knight.

Namune: God of Mankind and Magic. Watches over human affairs. Takes the form of a Wise old man, with a white cloak and a long white beard.

Zwei: God of the Moon. Rules over the Moon, and the ocean. Takes the form of a grey wolf, and other times, a shirtless black-haired man, with pale skin and gleaming yellow eyes, wielding a greatsword. The eternal rival of Sol.

Sol: Goddess of the son. Rules over the sun, and the land. Takes the form on a large bald eagle, and other times, a bright blonde-haired woman, with olive branches behind her ears, in white robes, wielding a spear. The eternal rival of Zwei.

Kucheka: The laughing one. Rules over madness, death, creativity, free will and the sick. Takes the form of a grey haired man, in kingly attire, with a well-kept grey head of hair and a stylish beard. The eternal rival of Samaria.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/bchmOALRT-k/viewtopic.php

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