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Thursday, May 23, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Iranians face new Internet curbs before presidential election
By Yeganeh Torbati
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranians are struggling with slower Internet speeds and limited access ahead of an unpredictable presidential election that has put hardline Islamist authorities on alert for possible unrest.
Experts and web users say they believe the Internet obstacles are related to the June 14 presidential vote, the first since 2009 polls in which accusations of fraud - denied by the government - kindled months of protests organised in part via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Iranian officials denied any connection between the Internet disruptions and the upcoming vote. But, after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad four years ago, they are wary of the possibility of further unrest this time around.
The last-minute entries of moderate former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie have shaken up what was expected to be a limited race between hardline conservatives close to clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and hostile to Ahmadinejad.
The populist Ahmadinejad, who has fallen out with Khamenei, is limited by law to two consecutive presidential terms.
Iran's Guardian Council was due to present a final list of approved candidates to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday. The ministry then has two days to announce the approved names.
The opposition website Kaleme reported on Monday that security had been heightened in Tehran, apparently to counter any protests should the candidacies of Rafsanjani or Mashaie be rejected by the council.
Iranian web users, who number some 45 million according to official figures, have grappled with increased obstacles to using the Internet since the 2009 election.
Kaleme said on Monday Internet speeds had dropped in much of Tehran and that in some parts of the capital, accessing the Web had become impossible - which would prevent dissidents from mustering protests online as they did after the 2009 vote.
Hamed, 33, a dissident freelance journalist living in Tehran, said his clients now have resorted to sending him files by loading them onto CDs and transporting them by courier.
"We get things done but with more time spent," Hamed told Reuters via email.
INTERNATIONAL WEBSITES BLOCKED
Many Iranians used Virtual Private Network (VPN) software to bypass the government's extensive web filter. But the government blocked access to most VPNs, which make computers look as if they are located in another country, in March.
Since then, experts said, Iranians have faced slower access to encrypted international websites using the Secure Sockets Layer protocol, with addresses beginning with "https", such as Google Inc.'s email service Gmail, and this could push them to resort to unencrypted sites easily watched by the state.
"SSL services are being throttled by the government to create a system of incentives or coercion not to use them," said Collin Anderson, a U.S.-based Internet researcher who focuses on Iran. "That affects Gmail and pretty much anything that you want a layer of security on."
A similar Internet blockade was put in place in February 2012, ahead of parliamentary elections.
Several Iranian Web users said they have had trouble accessing their Gmail accounts in the last three weeks. Elham, an Internet user from the northeastern city of Mashhad, told Reuters that since late April, any VPN she tries to use only works for about two minutes before she is disconnected.
She and Hamed declined to be fully named for fear of repercussion for speaking to a foreign reporter.
One man in his 30s who works at an Internet Service Provider (ISP) company in Tehran confirmed that most VPNs were down and those still up were crashing within two minutes.
He added: "Fewer and fewer people are using Twitter in recent days which shows their problems accessing the net."
Iranian officials denied any link between the disruptions and the election. "Numerous parameters contribute to the speed of the Internet and the approach of elections will not have any role," Ali Hakim Javadi, head of Iran's Information Technology Organisation, told ISNA news agency.
(Additional reporting by Marcus George; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iranians-face-internet-curbs-presidential-election-122712408.html
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FBI kills Florida man with suspected ties to Boston bomb suspect: Report [Photos]
Candles are lit for those who died in the Boston Marathon bombings and the subsequent police manhunt at a memorial on Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit the Boston Marathon April 15 killing at least three people and injuring over 100 others. Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingz and Martin Richard were killed in the bombings while MIT police officer Sean Collier was killed during the manhunt for the suspects. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The casket containing the body of Krystle Campbell arrives at St. Joseph Church for her funeral Mass in Medford, Massachusetts April 22, 2013. Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring more than 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Mourners wait outside for the funeral of Krystle Campbell at St. Joseph Church in Medford, Massachusetts April 22, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring more than 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A mourner watches from a tree branch before the funeral for Krystle Campbell at St. Joseph Church in Medford, Massachusetts April 22, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring more than 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A woman carries a sign before the funeral for Krystle Campbell at St. Joseph Church in Medford, Massachusetts April 22, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring more than 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Mourners watch as friends and family of Krystle Campbell arrive for her funeral at St. Joseph Church in Medford, Massachusetts April 22, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring more than 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Hundreds of people wait in a line that extends around the block to pay their respects to the family of Krystle Campbell at her wake in Medford, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 which killed three people and injured 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A runner wears a message pinned to his shirt after completing the London Marathon on the Mall in central London, April 21, 2013. Undaunted by the Boston Marathon bombings, big crowds lined the route of London 's mass road race on Sunday to cheer on around 36,000 runners, many of whom wore black ribbons to remember the dead and wounded. REUTERS/Andrew Winning
Investigators stand behind a barricade and memorial surrounding the site of the Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three people and wounding 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Runners participated in the Yonge Street 10k, the first major race this season in Toronto. There was a moment of silence as runners remembered Boston, scene of last weeks terrorist attacks. Stan Behal/QMI Agency
Well wishers hug as others wait in a line that extends around the block to pay their respects to the family of Krystle Campbell at her wake in Medford, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 which killed three people and injured 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Two-year-old Wesley Brillant of Natick, Massachusetts kneels in front of a memorial to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings near the scene of the blasts on Boylston Street in Boston, Massachusetts, April 21, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Bourg
A couple embraces at a memorial on Boylston Street to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 killing at least three people and injuring over 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A mother and her son attend an interfaith worship service at a memorial on Boylston Street for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three people and wounding 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A woman holds a flower at a memorial on Boylston Street to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit the Boston Marathon April 15 killing at least three people and injuring over 100 others. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A mother holds the hands of her son as they attend an interfaith worship service at a memorial on Boylston Street for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Two explosions hit near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three people and wounding 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Hundreds of people wait in a line that extends around the block to pay their respects to the family of Krystle Campbell at her wake in Medford, Massachusetts April 21, 2013. Krystle Campbell died in the two explosions that hit the Boston Marathon on April 15 which killed three people and injured 176. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW OBITUARY)
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ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON - An FBI agent shot and killed a Florida man who turned violent while being questioned about the Boston Marathon bombings early on Wednesday, the bureau said.
A friend of the dead man told the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando television stations that he was 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev of Orlando, a Chechen who had previously lived in Boston. Two brothers identified by the FBI as suspects in the April 15 bombings were also ethnic Chechens with roots in Russia?s volatile North Caucasus region.
The FBI said in a statement that a special agent, ?acting on the imminent threat posed by the individual, responded with deadly force. The individual was killed and the special agent was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.?
It said the shooting occurred in Orlando, Florida, while the special agent and other law enforcement agents were interviewing the man about the blasts that killed three people and injured 264 others at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
?A violent confrontation was initiated by the individual,? the FBI said, without providing further details.
Todashev?s friend, Khusn Taramiv, said Todashev knew bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev because both were mixed martial-arts fighters but had no connection to the bombing.
?Back when he used to live in Boston, right, they used to hang out,? Taramiv told Central Florida News 13. ?He met them few times ?cause he was MMA fighter the other guy was boxer, right. They just new each other that?s it.?
The shooting occurred at an Orlando apartment complex where several people of Chechen descent lived. Taramiv said Todashev and others in the complex had been questioned several times by law enforcement agents since the day the Tsarnaev brothers were identified as the bombing suspects.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in a gunfight with police. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was found hiding in a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts, four days after the bombings. He was charged with crimes that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev had been on a U.S. government database of potential terrorism suspects and the United States had twice been warned by Russia that he might be an Islamic militant, according to U.S. security officials.
In Florida, the Orange County Sheriff?s Office said Todashev had been arrested on May 4 and charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm. Details about the circumstances of the arrest were not immediately available.
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Face-chewing victim recovering, strumming guitar
Doctor Urmen Desai, left, talks to reporters as Dr. Wrood M. Kassira, center, and Dr. Renaud Saint-Vil, right, look on during a news conference in Miami, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The doctors gave an an update on the progress of Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami. The attack left Poppo blind, but the doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Doctor Urmen Desai, left, talks to reporters as Dr. Wrood M. Kassira, center, and Dr. Renaud Saint-Vil, right, look on during a news conference in Miami, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The doctors gave an an update on the progress of Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami. The attack left Poppo blind, but the doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Dr. Urmen Desai, right and Dr. Wrood M. Kassira, both plastic surgeons, are shown during a news conference in Miami, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The the photos on the left are of Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami. The attack left Poppo blind, but the doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Dr. Urmen Desai, left, talks to reporters as Dr. Wrood M. Kassira, both plastic surgeons, looks on during a news conference in Miami, Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The doctors gave an update on the progress of Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami. The attack left Poppo blind, but the doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - In this undated photo provided by Jackson Health System, Ronald Poppo, a homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year in Miami, plays the guitar in his room at Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center in Cutler Bay, Fla. The attack left Poppo blind, but doctors say he's been working with an occupational therapist to learn how to take care of himself. The doctors say Poppo also has learned to play guitar and practices daily. (AP Photo/Jackson Health System)
MIAMI (AP) ? A homeless man whose face was mostly chewed off in a bizarre attack last year appeared Tuesday to be mostly at peace with his disfigurement, strumming a guitar, making jokes and thanking people for their donations to help pay for his care.
Ronald Poppo doesn't like to leave his hospital room, though, and he won't allow anyone to visit him, other than his doctors and nurses. "My face," he says.
Poppo lost his left eye, his nose and most of the surrounding skin when a naked man attacked him for no reason alongside a Miami highway a year ago.
In a video posted online Tuesday by the hospital caring for him, his left eye socket is a hollow shadow, his blinded right eye is covered by a skin graft and his nose is reduced to just the nostrils. Still, Poppo joked with his nurses and, though he wears a baseball cap, leaves his face uncovered to address the camera.
"People in my predicament need to be helped out, and I'm sure there's other people also that have the same type of predicament. I thank the outpouring of people in the community, I'll always be grateful for that," Poppo said in the brief video, which was shot recently.
He spent nearly a month in the hospital after the attack, before moving to a long-term care facility. His doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine praised Poppo for his resilience and said he's satisfied with the surgeries and skin grafts that have closed his wounds.
Poppo could still use his own tissues or prosthetics to replace his nose or eye, but he is not interested in more facial reconstruction.
"There's still work that can be done, but he's more than happy with how he is now, and he's quite grateful," said Dr. Wrood Kassira, a plastic surgeon.
A facial transplant wouldn't be necessary, since Poppo didn't lose any functions other than his vision.
"To put him through a lifetime of immunosuppression is not something he nor us think is in his best interest," Kassira said.
A Miami police officer shot and killed Poppo's attacker, Rudy Eugene. It's still not clear provoked Eugene. Callers reported seeing a naked Eugene swinging from a light pole minutes before the attack. Lab tests found only marijuana in his system.
Ruth Charles, Eugene's mother, declined comment.
"To tell you the truth, I don't feel like going back to this thing again," she said. "I'm just trying to recover from what happened."
Poppo doesn't blame Eugene for what happened, said Adolfa Sigue, nurse manager at the Jackson Memorial Perdue Medical Center, where he lives.
"The only thing that he always tells me is that, 'I'm sure that that man had a bad day that day,'" Sigue said.
Poppo, 66, still requires daily medical care for his wounds, and he's working with occupational therapists and specialists from the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind to learn how to adjust to his blindness. He can dress himself and is learning again to play the guitar, an instrument he had not picked up for 40 years.
He's gained 50 pounds, and though his caretakers would like to see him exercise more, he so far refuses to leave the facility unless he's going to the hospital to see his doctors, said Patricia Copalko, a certified nursing assistant at the medical center.
He also hasn't allowed any visitors to see him, other than his doctors, nurses and therapists. Sigue said Poppo doesn't answer the telephone in his room and hasn't wanted to talk with relatives other than a sister, who calls the nurse's cellphone to get through.
"He doesn't wander out of his room very often," Copalko said, adding, "He needs to get out and he has refused. But also, I get it. He says, 'My face.'"
Poppo's caretakers describe him as a charming, cooperative patient who enjoys listening to Miami Heat basketball games on the radio. He can stay at the medical center indefinitely. His care is covered by Medicaid, and a Jackson Memorial Foundation fund has raised $100,000 for his medical expenses.
___
Follow Jennifer Kay on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jnkay .
___
Poppo's video: www.youtube.com/watch?v(equals)byVewbZYqhA .
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Video: Keeping Your Cell Operating In Crisis
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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/cnbc/51956761/
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ditto Turns To Indiegogo For Help Battling Patent Lawsuits (Including One From 1-800-Contacts)
Ditto, a startup that helps users virtually try on different pairs of eyeglasses, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fight a big threat ? the company says it's being sued by 1-800-CONTACTS and another company called Lennon Imaging Technology. Ditto's technology allows users to create webcam recordings of their faces, which they then use to see how different designer glasses will look with their facial shape and size. Both Lennon Imaging and 1-800-CONTACTS are claiming that this technology infringes their own patents. But Ditto's campaign describes them as "patent troll" lawsuits ? Lennon is a non-practicing company, meaning that it doesn't have a product or service of its own, and Ditto co-founder and CEO Kate Endress said 1-800-CONTACTS (which is owned by WellPoint) didn't purchase the patent in question until after the company's CEO visited the Ditto website.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/KzTeQMV0Nqk/
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Does Kelly Rowland Have The 'X Factor'?
Rowland and Paulina Rubio are rumored to be in final negotiations to join the judging panel for season three.
By Jocelyn Vena
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707648/x-factor-kelly-rowland-paulina-rubio-judges.jhtml
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Shooting death of gay man rocks New York's cradle of gay rights
By Anna Hiatt
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Greenwich Village, the birthplace of the U.S. gay rights movement, remained in shock on Sunday over the shooting death of a gay man by a gunman who police said uttered anti-gay slurs before targeting the victim.
Mark Carson, 32, was shot dead in Greenwich Village around midnight on Friday in what police are calling a hate crime. Others say it could be a backlash against the recent advance of gay marriage laws across the United States.
The Manhattan neighborhood has long been a haven for bohemians and artists, and its Stonewall Inn has been a landmark for gay rights since a 1969 clash when patrons of the gay bar resisted a police raid.
Sympathizers built a shrine to Carson on Sunday, leaving cards, candles and flowers at the spot where he was killed, on Sixth Avenue at Eighth Street.
"This is supposed to be like the world's capital where it's OK to be gay," said Josh Steinman, 42, who paused for a moment in front of the memorial.
The attack marked the 22nd anti-gay hate crime in New York City this year, compared to 13 incidents at this time last year, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
"It's clear that victim here was killed only because, and just because, he was thought to be gay," Kelly told reporters on Sunday. "There's no question about that. There were derogatory remarks. This victim did nothing to antagonize or instigate the shooter. It was only because the shooter believed him to be gay."
A suspect identified as Elliot Morales, 33, was arrested on a charge of second degree murder as a hate crime shortly after the shooting. He is being held without bail and two of his companions are cooperating with police, Kelly said.
"I can't believe that something like that happened in the Village," said Carmine Tzavis, 40, a bartender at Stonewall Inn.
The police commissioner stopped short of confirming an increase in anti-gay attacks because, he said, hate crimes are typically underreported, so the data are skewed.
People in the Village said they were alarmed and feared the violence may have been sparked by the rapid passage of gay marriage laws.
On Tuesday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill making his state the 12th to allow same-sex couples to marry.
"I seem to think it's an overreaction to the marriage equality stuff," said Brian Kennedy, 56, who came to the crime scene on Sunday to pay his respects.
Kennedy, who is gay, said he moved to New York from Atlanta in 1991 because he believed the city would be more accepting. Now he has his doubts.
"Getting beat up is one thing. Getting shot point-blank in the face is another," Kennedy said.
The Anti-Violence Project has organized a march and vigil at the crime scene on Monday.
A spokesman for the anti-defamation group GLAAD called the killing "a stark and sobering reminder of the rife homophobia that still exists in our culture."
"Until we rid our society of the discrimination that allows us to be seen as inferior and less than human, we will never truly be safe, even in one of the most accepting cities in the world," spokesman Wilson Cruz said in a statement.
(Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shooting-death-gay-man-rocks-yorks-cradle-gay-220728495.html
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Monday, May 20, 2013
Obama walks a fine line with Myanmar president's landmark visit
By Paul Eckert
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will walk a fine line between fostering a U.S. ally in China's backyard and trying to defend human rights on Monday when the president of Myanmar becomes the first head of his country to visit the White House in 47 years.
Rights groups and some U.S. lawmakers fear Obama has moved too quickly since forging a dramatic breakthrough in relations in 2011 after half a century of military rule in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
U.S. officials argue that reforms by President Thein Sein's quasi-military government - freeing democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of political prisoners, scrapping censorship, legalizing trade unions and protests - are transformative and deserve support from Obama, who confirmed the end of Myanmar's pariah status with the West with a landmark in November.
However, ethnic or sectarian violence, particularly in the western state of Rakhine, has worsened since Washington started easing sanctions, and a Reuters special report published last week found apartheid-like policies segregating minority Muslims in prison-like ghettos there.
At least 192 people died last year in violence between ethnic Buddhists in Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims, who are denied citizenship by Myanmar. Most of the victims, and the 140,000 people made homeless in the attacks, were Muslims.
Rohingya Muslims, in addition to the violence, "experience severe forms of legal, economic, educational, and social discrimination," the U.S. State Department said in an annual report on religious freedom published on Monday.
"We see societal and economic reform there, but on religious freedom we haven't seen much reform," said Suzan Johnson Cook, U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
The Myanmar government's rights record has long been poor, especially in resource-rich areas inhabited by ethnic Shans, Karens and Kachins.
The Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma says 1,100 ethnic Rohingya and 200 to 250 Kachin have become political detainees in the past year, and the situation has led some to question how far Washington should go in its policy shift.
"When they abuse ethnic minorities, it really undercuts their credibility and undermines our ability to work with them," said Republican U.S. Representive Trent Franks, one of a group of lawmakers arguing for lifting U.S. sanctions more slowly.
Obama administration officials believe that to deepen and sustain the reforms, Thein Sein has to be able to demonstrate tangible benefits to overcome opposition from powerful military leaders. To back that, Washington has narrowed the scope of its ban on business dealings with Myanmar officials and businessmen.
"Yes, there is still more work to do but ... the progress they have made has been significant and they have put in place an ambitious reform agenda and we encourage them to keep doing more," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday, after Myanmar freed 23 political prisoners.
On Monday, the two countries were expected to announce plans to work out a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement that would lead to regular talks on boosting trade, labor standards and investment, a business leader familiar with the issue said.
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
Even critics in Congress of Obama's Myanmar policy support the U.S. strategic goal of bringing Myanmar, a nation of 60 million people tucked between China and India, out of its isolation from the West.
The long U.S.-Myanmar estrangement was a drag on America's relations with ASEAN, the 10-nation Southeast Asian regional grouping that looks to Washington as a counterbalance to the more assertive China of recent years.
Ernest Bower, senior adviser for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said improving relations with Myanmar fits into the wider U.S. policy of revitalizing its Asia-Pacific relationships.
"Myanmar is the keystone state that links China, Southeast Asia and India, and if we didn't get it right, we wouldn't be able to play the chess game that is required in order to deal with China," he said.
But the concerns about rights abuses are holding back a fuller U.S. embrace of Thein Sein, a retired general, who was taken off the U.S. Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals visa blacklist last year to facilitate engagement.
Thein Sein was a close confidante of former military ruler Than Shwe, who ran Myanmar for 19 years, a period that saw mass jailing of opponents, the gunning down of pro-democracy protesters and widespread abuses in ethnic minority areas.
Jennifer Quigley, head of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, said that even without the killings in Rakhine, the Myanmar military's heavy hand in forced land seizures and corrupt trade in natural resources in Kachin and other states in multi-ethnic Myanmar should give Western countries pause.
Myanmar's most coveted resources - natural gas, minerals, gems and timber - lie in ethnic areas that have been war zones for decades and remain largely untouched by reforms, she said.
"Our biggest concern about welcoming Thein Sein to the White House is that it reinforces this positive impression of him and of what is going on in Burma, while we have serious misgivings that he is not interested in pursuing critical reforms," said Quigley.
The military has run Myanmar since a 1962 coup by Ne Win, whose 1966 visit to Washington at the invitation of President Lyndon Johnson was the last such visit by the country's head of state.
The European Union has moved faster than the United States on Myanmar, lifting its last sanctions on trade, the economy and individuals last month, although it retains an arms embargo.
Earlier this month, Obama scrapped a ban on U.S. entry visas to Myanmar's military rulers and their associates but kept sanctions on investing or doing business with figures involved in repression since the mid-1990s.
Franks and Democratic U.S. Representative Rush Holt are using budget legislation to press the Obama administration to hold back on expanding nascent U.S. military ties with Myanmar's armed forces until the country stops abuses of ethnic groups and enacts reforms to reduce the military's huge role in the economy.
"The Burmese military is the historic perpetrator of human rights abuses, and, one may presume, also the current perpetrator, so sanctions against them should be the last to go," said Holt.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Alistair Bell, David Brunnstrom, Doina Chiacu)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-walks-fine-line-myanmar-presidents-landmark-visit-184443308.html
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
Doctors Transform How They Practice Medicine : JSNMA
Dr. Thomas Bellavia transformed his?traditional medical?practice?in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., into a so-called medical home where patients are seen by teams of doctors and nurses.? He says it has paid off in better, more coordinated care for his patients and healthier income for the nurse practitioners and physicians in his group.
Dr. Mark Holthouse took a different tack ? limiting his El Dorado, Calif., clinic to 400 patients a year, and adding services such as acupuncture and fitness coaching. He said he and his team now?spend more time with patients, who pay a monthly fee of $220 for a package of basic services, on top of what their insurance plans reimburse the practice.
Like Bellavia and Holthouse, many doctors are changing how they work in response to turmoil in the health care system. Both newly minted and veteran physicians face economic uncertainty amid sharpening demands from the government and insurers to improve quality while curbing costs ? trends that accelerated under the 2010 health care overhaul.
The buzz, and anxiety, in the medical profession is palpable ? trade magazines?tout?new coping strategies, doctor groups discuss the transformation of practices. Physicians are experimenting with business models and new practice techniques, hoping to find work that is both financially and personally rewarding.
?It?s not just the financial piece,? said Dr. Susan Turney, president and CEO of the Medical Group Management Association,?the nation?s largest?membership group of?medical practice managers.
?It?s also the clinical ? it?s bridging a gap so you can make the best decisions all around.?
The changing landscape is reflected in the growing number of doctors who are employed by others, rather than working for themselves. Consulting firm Accenture?reported?in 2012 that the proportion of independently practicing physicians, working in groups or solo, will fall to 36 percent this year. One-third of those will choose a subscription-based model like Holthouse?s.
The majority, though, are seeking steadier salaries and hours: about 91,300 doctors and dentists were employed by community hospitals in 2010, according to the American Hospital Association, 30,000 more than in 1998.
But clinicians remaining independent must invest and innovate.
Bellavia?s goal of offering integrated care has cost him an estimated $300,000 since 2011 for staff training and equipment.? The medical home model?s focus on preventive care includes newer technologies, like a weighing scale that reports a patient?s weight directly from home to the clinic, and reminders to patients of routine diabetes or cancer screenings. The Heights Medical Center, as the practice is called, has also expanded from two to five doctors and nurses, and hired a patient coordinator who organizes doctor visits, referrals and prescriptions.
With a medical home?accreditation?from the nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Heights receives higher reimbursement payments per patient from insurance companies like Horizon?Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Aetna.
?It was all experimental,? Bellavia said. ?I had to transform my staff and the way I practice. But it has paid me back considerably.?
While Bellavia figured out how to increase his insurance reimbursements, doctors like Holthouse are trying to insulate themselves from the insurance system and government budget cuts.
In 2005, Holthouse started what is sometimes called a?functional medical practice?? a setup that incorporates acupuncture, herbal medicines and a nutrition and exercise program.?He soon found?that the only way to remain profitable was to increase the number of patients treated at the practice, now called the n1Health Center for Functional Medicine ? something he thought would compromise the quality of care.
?We couldn?t deliver the kind of care we wanted to with regular insurance,? he said.
With the subscription, or concierge, model that he introduced in January,? Holthouse will treat about eight to 10 patients a day who pay about $2,600, in addition to the reimbursements paid by their insurance plans. By contrast, each provider at Heights Medical Center treats up to four patients per hour.?Holthouse?also has an herbal pharmacy with supplements and nontraditional remedies, and an acupuncturist on staff as part of his effort to offer alternative treatments along with traditional medicine.
Patients at Holthouse?s practice are still responsible for an insurance copayment for medical services that aren?t covered under the monthly fee, which accounts for basic diagnostic tests, physicals and screening. Despite the monthly costs, Holthouse said his patients supported the changes after the practice held 15 ?town hall? meetings to explain the new model.
?By the time we did the conversion, one hundred percent understood why we were doing it,? he said. ?They feel like they?re getting time and quality care.?
He also said that patients were spending less on medications and hospital fees, making the subscription a worthwhile investment.
Holthouse, like Bellavia, does not accept patients with Medicaid, the state-federal program for low-income people, because of the low reimbursement rates. He puts little confidence in the federal government when it comes to paying physicians fairly or streamlining the high cost of health care? one impetus for choosing the subscription-based model.
But James Doulgeris, a health care strategist at research and marketing firm HCP, said physicians who adopt innovative practices will benefit from the federal health law, because it gives financial incentives to doctors and hospitals that hold down costs while improving quality.
?It?s a 180-degree change, but physicians will have a great incentive to provide optimal care and focus on wellness,? he said.
Holthouse, however, is not convinced. ?Unless you remain independent, you will have no say in what kind of medicine you practice,? he said.
Original article ? Kasier Health News ? May 15, 2013
Source: http://jsnma.org/2013/05/doctors-transform-how-they-practice-medicine/
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Fitness Email Marketing Health and Fitness ? Popular Myths ...
In the event you posses a fitness center you should know how to debunk many of the physical fitness common myths to get new customers. Additionally be sure you have a great fitness club marketing in your own all round plan to build up. Keep in mind that not all you read and hear about recommendations for being healthy are reliable and trusted. However, that does not stop millions of people from buying into all of it. But aside from that, there will always been a market segment that responds to wild claims that are totally untrue. If you want to know the truth as it uncovers more fake claims regarding health and fitness, then read on.
You???ve probably heard the old adage ???an apple a day keeps the doctor away. By now you may be familiar with blueberries because they do possess certain antioxidant properties known to be beneficial. Blueberries are kind of a super food because they have far more antioxidants and fiber than other things that you could eat. You can help yourself even further by putting some into some yogurt to create a truly healthy snack. Still, don???t discount the other fruits and vegetables that are out there because a balanced diet is a healthy diet. Oh, don?t you dare leave the house if you take a shower and your hair is not dry. This is the one thing all kids hear from parents. Your immune system does not work that way, and it will not respond in this manner. Do your own research about the research that years ago had results in which people were no more likely to get sick no matter if their hair was soaking wet. The most important thing you can do is take care of your self and be sure you get enough sleep because lack of sleep depresses your immune system.
Yes, joining a swim club or finding a place to do it is a hassle, but it is so worth it because you get a great workout. So is it true that your body will perform better if you hold off for 60 minutes prior to swimming after having had a meal? Nothing terrible will happen unless you are in an unusual situation. Your muscles need blood when you are working out, and the eating process just robs the muscles of some blood.
You may have had a problem discerning facts from all the crap out there, but that is all right. So many people are taken for a ride and it is just because they are too lazy to prevent it from happening. You will never fall victim to the various lies and untruths once you make the supreme decision that it will not happen again.
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Powerball jackpot could go higher than $600 million
By Karen Brooks
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The Powerball jackpot Saturday night could be even higher than the record $600 million being advertised, possibly rivaling the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, a Texas Lottery official said on Saturday.
"Oftentimes, the advertised amount is lower than what the actual jackpot ends up being," said Kelly Cripe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Lottery. "It's entirely possible this $600 million jackpot will end up being a bigger jackpot."
The Powerball record in November was advertised at $550 million, but ended up being $587.5 million when the winning numbers were drawn, thanks to last-minute sales.
Powerball officials told participating states on Saturday they would not be raising the advertised number for the drawing, Cripe said.
There had been speculation the advertised amount for the lottery would be increased to surpass $656 million - the largest jackpot in U.S. history, set by the Mega Millions jackpot in March 2012. The lottery is offered in 43 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
That prize was split between winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois.
Chances of winning the Powerball on Saturday were one in 175 million, Cripe said.
If the drawing yields no winner, all records will be shattered as the jackpot for Wednesday would go to $925 million.
But players across the country weren't pushing their luck, shelling out bills for the nighttime drawing.
"It's only a couple bucks for a small daydream," said Russell Williams, 35, a salesman in Austin, Texas.
In New York City, talent acquisition agent Michelle Amici was playing the "if I win" game.
"Not sure that I'd buy anything," she said. "Rather, I'd attempt to quench my wanderlust by traveling the world. I'd also donate a large portion to education reform."
El Paso, Texas, mom Bonnie Carreno rarely plays but was taking a chance on this one. "I only ever buy a ticket when I see the amazing numbers in the headlines," she said.
For Austin marketing professional Becky Arreaga, the odds are not so long that she was discouraged about her chances.
"As long as the odds are 1 in anything, I'm in," said Arreaga, a partner at Mercury Mambo marketing firm. "I truly believe I could be the one."
"Just takes one ticket to win," echoed Tela Mange of Austin.
The popular lottery has not had a winner in two months.
The $2 tickets allow players pick five numbers from 1 to 59, and a Powerball number from 1 to 35. The numbers will be drawn Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT (02:59 GMT on Sunday) in Tallahassee, Florida.
(Reporting by Karen Brooks; Editing by Greg McCune, Doina Chiacu)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/powerball-jackpot-could-higher-600-million-161816661.html
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Kanye West Takes It To The Streets With 'New Slaves' Video Premiere
Yeezy debuts his 'New Slaves' video on the side of buildings in 66 locations around the world on Friday night.
By Rob Markman
Kanye West in his "New Slaves" video premiere being displayed in New York City
Photo: Rob Markman/MTV News
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1707610/kanye-west-new-slaves-video-premiere.jhtml
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The 16-Year-Old Who Changed Medicine Is Out to Change It Again
At 16 years old, Jack Andraka is already a superstar in the field of science. Earlier this year, he won Intel?s prestigious Gordon E. Moore Award, when he created a groundbreaking testing method that can detect pancreatic cancer in its earliest stages. His work is expected to save thousands of lives.
And in the few short months since then, Andraka has already begun work on his next invention?a handheld device that he hopes will have the ability to scan the human body, read vital signs and detect any disease instantly.
While it sounds straight off the set of Star Trek, Andraka?s tricorder is part of a global science competition started by the XPRIZE foundation. The challenge is to create a mobile device that can diagnose 15 diseases across 30 patients, and at stake is a $10 million prize.
But on this project, Andraka isn?t working alone. He teamed up with two other Intel finalists to create what they call ?Generation Z.? So far, they?re the only team made up entirely of kids. Despite being up against other teams like the one from Scanadu?a startup based in the NASA Ames Rsearch Center?Andraka is looking forward to exploring the challenge with kids his own age.
?I really enjoy big challenges and figured that it would be fun to collaborate with a group of teens to work on this prize,? he tells TakePart. ?I meet such interesting teens at science competitions, and so we are going to work on this problem together. We may not succeed, but we are going to learn a lot and also learn how to work better in a team on a big project. Hopefully, we will be able to be productive and move the idea forward.?
And to drive home just how young this scientist is, the end date for the tricorder challenge is in 2015?the same year Andraka will graduate from high school.
But that?s hardly the extent of this student?s work. He?s also begun to develop a new spectrometer, which is in its very early stages, and he?s involved in the lengthy process of making his pancreatic cancer test widely available. While his end-game is to bring that test to drugstore shelves, the teen has learned that?s easier said than done.
?When I first created it I was only 15, so I didn?t understand how long it takes to get to widespread use,? he says. ?I figured it would take a few months. Of course I?ve learned a lot since then...It needs to be made uniformly and more quickly and also needs to go through clinical testing.?
Andraka may be a standout in his field, but he believes that more kids would be excited about the subject if adults who were trying to spur their interest took a different approach.
?Kids are naturally curious and creative. They have wild ideas, and if encouraged, they can be creative. And as they learn more, they can start using that energy and optimism and creativity to solve major problems in their communities,? Andraka tells TakePart.
He says that kids his age would be more excited about the subject if they were lectured less and given more hands-on time to solve scientific problems.
?Instead of labeling kids with IQ ratings, tell them that creativity, persistence and resilience are more important qualities,? Andraka adds.?
No matter how extraordinary his intellectual pursuits may be, what remains most impressive about Jack Andraka is that what he creates continuously serves a purpose far greater than his own.
How would you like to see science approached differently so that more kids were actively involved in it? Let us know in the Comments.
Related Stories on TakePart:
? How to Graduate from a Failing School System and Still Be Brilliant
? Did This 15-Year-Old Kid Just Change the Course of Medicine?
? So Long Barbie DreamHouse: Roominate Gets Girls Excited About Science
A Bay Area native, Andri Antoniades previously worked as a fashion industry journalist and medical writer.??In addition to reporting the weekend news on TakePart, she volunteers as a webeditor for locally-based nonprofits and works as a freelance feature writer for?TimeOutLA.com. Email Andri | @andritweets?| TakePart.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/16-old-changed-medicine-change-again-164512342.html
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Friday, May 17, 2013
Real Estate Market Trends: Home Building Slows in April ...
The rate of new home construction fell 16.5 percent in the month of April, following a 7 percent increase in March, while the number of permits issued rose 14.3 percent, after declining by 3.9 percent in March, according to real estate market trends reported by the Commerce Department today.
New home construction took place at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000 in April, down considerably from the annual rate of more than 1.02 million for March, but 13.1 percent higher than the annual rate of 754,000 in April 2012, the Commerce Department reported.
The slump in new construction helped drag down stocks in morning trading, according to Bloomberg News, as the markets reacted to disappointing housing, employment and manufacturing data.
Building permits ? a forward-looking indicator of real estate market trends ? were issued at an annual rate of more than 1.01 million, an increase of 14.3 percent from the annual rate of 890,000 for March and 35.8 percent higher than the annual rate of 374,000 in April 2012.
Confidence among home builders rose in May, reversing months of declining confidence, according to real estate market trends reported yesterday by the National Association of Home Builders, a trade association based in Washington, D.C. The association?s Housing Market Index rose three points to a reading of 44 on improved perceptions of sales conditions, sales expectations and buyer traffic. Despite the increase, the index remains well below 50, a point that signals equal numbers of builders view real estate market trends as positive or negative.
Millionaire investors expect home prices to continue improving over the next one-to-two years. Click here to learn more.
U.S. home prices are forecast to rise by 2.5 percent in 2013, according to the analytics firm CoreLogic, and to keep rising by 3.9 percent a year over the next five years.
In other signs of improving real estate market trends, REITs ? or real estate investment trusts ? outperformed the S&P 500 Index in April. Click?here?to learn more.
Further indications of prevailing real estate market trends are due next week. The National Association of Realtors is scheduled to report existing homes sales data for April on Wednesday, and the Federal Housing Finance Authority will release its House Price Index for March on Thursday.
Source: http://www.millionairecorner.com/article/real-estate-market-trends-home-building-slows-april
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Syrian troops flush out rebels from prison
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian government troops on Thursday flushed out rebels who had stormed a prison compound in the northern city of Aleppo in a bid to free hundreds of political prisoners inside.
The forced retreat was the latest setback for fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad, whose forces have been gaining ground in the country's civil war.
In Washington, President Barack Obama and the Turkish prime minister projected a united front on Syria, despite sharp differences about how much the U.S. should intervene.
"There's no magic formula for dealing with an extraordinarily violent and difficult situation like Syria," Obama said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he pledged that the U.S. and Turkey would ramp up pressure to oust Assad from power.
Forces loyal to Assad have recently made advances in strategically important locations across the country, including in areas around the capital, Damascus, and in the country's south, near the border with Jordan.
The troops have been bolstered by the world's reluctance to take forceful action to intervene in the fighting, as well as the continued support from key allies, including Russia, Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Assad has also benefited from the rapid rise of al-Qaida-linked extremists among the rebels, which has raised alarm in the West. Militant groups, including Jabhat al-Nusra, which is designated a terrorist group by the United States, have emerged as one of the most potent fighting forces in the uprising against Assad.
A video emerged Thursday showing a Nusra Front commander killing 11 regime soldiers execution-style for alleged crimes they committed against the Syrian people.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, whose group distributed the video, confirmed the killings took place late last year in eastern Deir el-Zour province and identified the Nusra commander as a Saudi known by the name Qusoura al-Jazrawi. He said the man was killed in March in battles with local gunmen in the tribal area.
The video shows the soldiers, blindfolded and kneeling in a row, as the masked commander shoots each one in the back of the head with what appears to be a pistol as other fighters shout "Allahu Akbar," or "''God is great."
"The Shariah court of Jabhat al-Nusra ... has sentenced to death these apostate soldiers that committed massacres against our brothers and families in Syria," the executioner says before firing at the men.
The video appeared authentic and consistent with AP reporting on the incident.
Thaer al-Deiri, an activist working with the Sham News Network in Deir el-Zour, said the execution-style killings occurred five months ago in a remote area in the western part of the province. It was not clear why the video only appeared Thursday, but al-Deiri said the Nusra Front apparently had released it.
Videos of executions and torture have become increasingly common in Syria's conflict, in which more than 70,000 people have been killed. Thursday's video follows a number of others purporting to show execution-style killings by rebels that have emerged in recent days in a war that largely plays out online due to the restrictions placed on journalists in Syria.
International rights groups have accused the rebels of routinely capturing and sometimes killing soldiers and suspected regime informers
Rebel abuses have increased in frequency and scale in recent months, according to a report by Amnesty International in March, which said the most common abuses on the rebel side are summary executions of those rebels suspected of being government soldiers.
The abuses by the Assad regime remain far more deadly, systematic and widespread, particularly attacks on civilians with imprecise battlefield weapons, including widely banned cluster bombs, rights group say.
On Thursday, the Obama administration added Jabhat al-Nusra leader Muhammad al-Jawlani to the U.S. terrorist backlist, along with four Syrian government ministers. Assets they have in the U.S. are blocked and Americans are prohibited from doing business with them.
Meanwhile, activists said the rebels were forced to retreat from the prison in Aleppo a day after they broke into the sprawling facility by setting off two simultaneous car bombs before dawn. By nightfall, the rebels had not dislodged regime forces or freed some 4,000 prisoners held inside.
The Observatory said Syrian warplanes bombarded areas around the prison causing casualties among rebels. State news agency SANA denied opposition fighters entered the prison compound, saying regime troops had repelled the attack.
But activists said fighting near the prison continued with rebels firing locally-made rockets at regime forces inside the facility late Thursday.
Also Thursday, four people were killed and 25 others wounded by mortar shells that struck residential areas in the town of Jaramana near Damascus, the state-run news agency said.
In Washington, Erdogan was looking for stepped-up action on Syria as he met with Obama just days after a twin car bombing killed 51 people on the Turkish side of the two countries' common border. Turkey blamed Syrian intelligence for the attacks.
The bombings Sunday in the border town of Reyhanli were the biggest incident of cross-border violence since the start of Syria's bloody civil war, raising fears of Turkey being pulled deeper into a conflict that threatens to destabilize the region.
But the Obama administration remains reluctant to take the kind of action Turkey would like to see, including establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.
The only way to resolve the crisis is for Assad to hand over power to a transitional government, Obama said.
"We both agree that Assad needs to go," the U.S. president said.
____
Associated Press writer Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-troops-flush-rebels-prison-222354801.html
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Cyclone Mahasen fizzles as it hits Bangladesh
Internally displaced Rohingya people load rickshaws with children and belongings to leave their camp in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people live in the plastic-roofed tents and huts made of reeds, and they distrust nearly any order from a government that barely acknowledges they exist. Even as rain and wind from the edges of Cyclone Mahasen began to pelt the coast near the city on Thursday morning, most people camped there appeared to be staying put. Some, however, were taking down their tents and hauling their belongings away in cycle-rickshaws, or carrying them in bags balanced on their heads. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Internally displaced Rohingya people load rickshaws with children and belongings to leave their camp in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people live in the plastic-roofed tents and huts made of reeds, and they distrust nearly any order from a government that barely acknowledges they exist. Even as rain and wind from the edges of Cyclone Mahasen began to pelt the coast near the city on Thursday morning, most people camped there appeared to be staying put. Some, however, were taking down their tents and hauling their belongings away in cycle-rickshaws, or carrying them in bags balanced on their heads. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Internally displaced Rohingya women sit in the back of a truck ready to leave their camp in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people live in the plastic-roofed tents and huts made of reeds, and they distrust nearly any order from a government that barely acknowledges they exist. Even as rain and wind from the edges of Cyclone Mahasen began to pelt the coast near the city on Thursday morning, most people camped there appeared to be staying put. Some, however, were taking down their tents and hauling their belongings away in cycle-rickshaws, or carrying them in bags balanced on their heads. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Bangladeshis carry their belongings and leash precious animals as they walk towards a cyclone shelter centre, ahead of the coming of tropical cyclone Mahasen, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. People living in coastal areas in Bangladesh and Myanmar are being evacuated as cyclone Mahasen is predicted to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday, according to news reports. (AP Photo/Anurup Titu)
Bangladeshis carry their belongings as they walk towards a cyclone shelter centre, ahead of the coming tropical cyclone Mahasen, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. People living in coastal areas in Bangladesh and Myanmar are being evacuated as cyclone Mahasen is predicted to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday, according to news reports. (AP Photo/Anurup Titu)
Internally displaced Rohingya man pushes a rickshaw with children and belongings leaving a camp for displaced Rohingya people in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Members of the displaced Rohingya minority started to evacuate for safer shelters ahead of the arrival of Cyclone Mahasen. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) ? Cyclone Mahasan weakened Thursday afternoon into a tropical storm and then dissipated, causing far less damage than had been feared as it passed over Bangladesh and spared Myanmar almost entirely, meteorological officials said.
At least 45 deaths related to Mahasen were reported in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, but officials had prepared for a far greater storm. Bangladesh evacuated 1 million people from coastal areas and the United Nations warned that 8.2 million people could face life-threatening conditions.
The cyclone lost power as it shed huge amounts of rainfall and then veered west of its predicted path, sparing major Bangladeshi population areas, including Chittagong and the seaside resort of Cox's Bazar, said Mohammad Shah Alam, director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
Coastal regions were also spared major damage because the storm hit during low tide, which meant there was no major tidal surge, he said.
"Thank God we have been spared this time," local government administrator Ruhul Amin said.
The storm's impact in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where officials were having trouble evacuating tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people, was minimal.
"It's all over, and we are very relieved that we didn't have any unfortunate incident in Rakhine state due to the cyclone," Win Myaing, Rakhine's regional spokesman said.
In Cox's Bazar, tens of thousands of people had fled shanty homes along the coast and packed into cyclone shelters, hotels, schools and government office buildings. But by Thursday afternoon, the sun was shining and Amin said he planned to close the shelters by the evening.
The storm's slow movement toward Bangladesh gave the government plenty of warning to get people to safety, Amin said.
"But for the evacuation, the casualties would have been higher," he said.
In addition, river ferries and boat services were suspended, and scores of factories near the choppy Bay of Bengal were closed. The military said it kept 22 navy ships and 19 Air Force helicopters at the ready. By Thursday night, ferry service had resumed.
A 1991 cyclone that slammed into Bangladesh from the Bay of Bengal killed an estimated 139,000 people and left millions homeless. In 2008, Myanmar's southern delta was devastated by Cyclone Nargis, which swept away entire farming villages and killed more than 130,000 people. Both those cyclones were much more powerful than Mahasen, which hit land with maximum wind speeds of about 100 kph (62 mph) and quickly weakened, said Alam, the meteorological official.
By the time it hit Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, wind speeds had plunged to 25 kph (16 mph), Alam said. The storm then dissipated entirely, he said.
Bangladesh's government said at least 10 people were killed by the storm across the nation's vast coastal region, most either from the collapse of mud walls or hit by fallen trees.
Related heavy rains and flooding in Sri Lanka were blamed for eight deaths earlier this week.
At least eight people ? and possibly many more ? were killed in Myanmar as they fled the cyclone Monday night, when overcrowded boats carrying more than 100 Rohingya capsized. Only 43 people had been rescued by Thursday, and more than 50 were still missing.
Babul Akther, a Bangladeshi police official in Tekhnaf close to Myanmar border, said police there found 19 bodies Thursday in the Naaf River, which separates the two nations. He said most of the decomposing bodies were of children, and they suspect they are victims of the boats filled with Rohingya that capsized Monday.
Much attention was focused on western Myanmar because of the crowded, low-lying camps where many Rohingya refused to evacuate.
U.N. officials, hoping they would inspire greater trust, had fanned out across the area to encourage people to leave.
In Rakhine state, around 140,000 people ? mostly Rohingya ? have been living in the camps since last year, when two outbreaks of sectarian violence between the Muslim minority and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists forced many Rohingya from their homes.
Nearly half the displaced live in coastal areas that were considered highly vulnerable to storm surges and flooding from Cyclone Mahasen.
"Pack and leave," a Rakhine state official, U Hla Maung, warned before the storm hit as he walked through a camp near Sittwe, the state capital. Accompanied by more than a dozen soldiers and riot police, he suggested that people living there move to a nearby railroad embankment, then left without offering help.
Some Rohingya took down their tents and hauled their belongings away in cycle-rickshaws, or carried them in bags balanced on their heads.
Ko Hla Maung, an unemployed fisherman, was among those who had not left as of Thursday morning.
"We have no safe place to move, so we're staying here, whether the storm comes or not," he said. "... The soldiers want to take us to a village closer to the sea, and we're not going to do that. ... If the storm is coming, then that village will be destroyed."
___
Associated Press writers Tim Sullivan in Sittwe, Myanmar, Yadana Htun and Aye Aye Win in Yangon, Myanmar, Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok and Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh contributed to this report.
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