Article:
Article Excerpt

 The Obama administration said Tuesday it would delay enforcing a provision of the new health-care law that requires large employers to provide coverage for workers or pay a penalty in 2014, the biggest revision so far to the federal health-care overhaul.

 The law, passed in 2010, requires companies with the equivalent of 50 or more full-time workers to offer health benefits starting on Jan. 1—or pay a penalty of at least $2,000 per employee. The delay, announced by the Treasury Department in a blog post Tuesday, means that penalty won't kick in until 2015.

 The decision reflects pressure from companies ... ||||| The ObamaCare employer mandate requiring businesses to provide their workers with health insurance will be delayed by a year, the administration said Tuesday in a stunning announcement. [WATCH VIDEO]

 Delaying the requirement until 2015 is an enormous victory for businesses that had lobbied against the healthcare law.

 ADVERTISEMENT

 It also means one of healthcare reform’s central requirements will be implemented after the 2014 midterm elections, when the GOP is likely to use the Affordable Care Act as a vehicle to attack vulnerable Democrats.

 White House officials cast the delay as a decision necessary to give employers more time to comply with the rules, while Republicans said it showed President Obama's signature legislative achievement was fatally flawed.

 Former Obama adviser David Axelrod on Wednesday insisted history would look kindly on the law.

 President Obama’s “view is that we ought to plow forward, make sure this can work, and we're going to look back at it, and it's going to be our proudest accomplishment," Axelrod said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

 In a White House blog post, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett wrote Tuesday that the delay would give employers more time to adjust to the system.

 “This allows employers the time to test the new reporting systems and make any necessary adaptations to their health benefits while staying the course toward making health coverage more affordable and accessible for their workers,” Jarrett wrote.

 Jarrett also wrote that the delay would help in “cutting red tape and simplifying the reporting process.”

 “We have heard the concern that the reporting called for under the law about each worker’s access to and enrollment in health insurance requires new data collection systems and coordination,” Jarrett said. “So we plan to re-vamp and simplify the reporting process.”

 The Treasury Department’s announcement does not affect the individual mandate, which requires most taxpayers to either purchase insurance or pay a penalty, and administration officials said on Tuesday that other aspects of the law wouldn’t be delayed.

 The law’s critics have framed that as a double standard, accusing the administration of acknowledging the law’s complexity for businesses without offering a similar break to the individual workers who still have to buy insurance. The employer mandate affected businesses with more than 50 workers.

 “That the Obama administration is putting off this job-killing requirement on employers, but not individuals and families, shows how deeply flawed the president’s signature domestic policy achievement is,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

 “While a delay of this mandate is welcome news since it shows the challenges the employers are facing complying with it, a delay — conveniently past the 2014 election — only adds to the uncertainty these job creators face because of ObamaCare,” Hatch said.

 Other Republicans seized on the news, arguing that the delays suggested the law was a “train wreck” and that Democratic candidates in 2014 would have difficulty explaining the delay.

 Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) renewed their calls for repealing the law in full.

 “This further confirms that even the proponents of ObamaCare know it will hurt jobs, decrease economic growth and make it harder for families to have access to quality and affordable health care,” Cantor said in statement.

 “Rather than continuing to delay the predictable pain until another Election Day has passed, we should scrap this entire law and instead implement patient-centered reforms before any more damage is done,” he said.

 While GOP leaders were quick to react, hammering the delay as evidence that the law is unworkable, Democratic leaders were quieter Tuesday evening. One exception was Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), who tweeted that the decision shows Obama is “in it for long haul to fully implement” the healthcare law.

 Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the administration was showing "a willingness to be flexible.”

 "It is better to do this right than fast,” said Jentleson in a statement.

 Some Democrats had openly fretted about the law’s implementation.

 Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), one of the primary architects of the healthcare law, warned in April that small businesses were struggling to come to grips with their new responsibilities.

 “Small businesses have no idea what to do, what to expect,” Baucus told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a hearing.

 “I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Baucus said.

 The Chamber of Commerce praised the delay.

 “The administration has finally recognized the obvious: Employers need more time and clarification of the rules of the road before implementing the employer mandate,” said Randy Johnson, the Chamber’s senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits.

 “The Chamber has testified numerous times about the problems with the mandate, and we applaud the administration’s step to delay this provision. We will continue to work to alleviate this and other problems with ObamaCare.”

 Many employers had threatened to cut employees’ hours to avoid the new requirements.

 Employers had also complained about the mandate’s reporting provision. Rules on the requirement came out this year, leaving little time for businesses to respond and prepare.

 “I hope that this means that employers who have been cutting employees to part-time will now call them back to full-time employment, but regret that the administration is delaying the implementation of an important provision of the ACA,” said Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University and a strong supporter of the healthcare law.

 The change will likely mean that more people buy individual coverage through the law’s new insurance exchanges, which are expected to be open for enrollment by Oct. 1.

 If fewer employees have access to coverage through work, at least some are likely to turn to the exchanges for coverage and the tax credit that helps cover the cost.

 Hatch said he hoped that was not the administration’s goal, stating it could be a “backdoor attempt at getting more Americans into the exchanges, which have been plagued by problems.”

 More people on the exchanges would also mean greater federal spending on the tax subsidies, increasing the law’s total cost.

 Sabrina Corlette, a health policy expert at Georgetown University, said the move could be a boon to consumers because plans on the exchanges will be stronger than those offered by many employers.

 She worried, however, that the employer mandate could be deferred again down the line.

 “Anyone that’s been around politics long enough knows to be a little bit concerned,” Corlette said. “If a one-year delay is OK, how about a two-year delay? How about a three-year delay?”

 The political effects of the delay could be more severe than the effect on the law’s expansion of healthcare coverage. One vulnerable Democrat, Sen. Mark Begich (Alaska), hailed the decision.

 “I’m pleased the administration is listening to me and the many businesses that are concerned about the complexity of the new requirements,” said Begich, who is facing reelection in 2014.

 In its most recent estimates before the delay was announced, the Congressional Budget Office said the number of people with employer-based coverage was not expected to change next year.

 The penalty for employers that failed to offer coverage was also not expected to bring in any money next year, according to the CBO’s latest estimates.

 The delay gives employers a free year to dump their workers into the law’s insurance exchanges, former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin said.

 “Essentially for calendar 2014, the act of dropping coverage and dumping employees into the exchanges is on sale,” he said. “Drop and dump, but no penalty.”

 —This story was posted at 5:37 on July 2 and was last updated at 10:08 a.m. on July 3. ||||| WASHINGTON — In a significant setback for President Obama’s signature domestic initiative, the administration on Tuesday abruptly announced a one-year delay, until 2015, in his health care law’s mandate that larger employers provide coverage for their workers or pay penalties. The decision postpones the effective date beyond next year’s midterm elections.

 Employer groups welcomed the news of the concession, which followed complaints from businesses and was posted late in the day on the White House and Treasury Web sites while the president was flying home from Africa. Republicans’ gleeful reactions made clear that they would not cease to make repeal of Obamacare a campaign issue for the third straight election cycle.

 While the postponement technically does not affect other central provisions of the law — in particular those establishing health insurance marketplaces in the states, known as exchanges, where uninsured Americans can shop for policies — it threatens to throw into disarray the administration’s effort to put those provisions into effect by Jan. 1.

 “I am utterly astounded,” said Sara Rosenbaum, a professor of health law and policy at George Washington University and an advocate of the law. “It boggles the mind. This step could significantly reduce the number of uninsured people who will gain coverage in 2014.”

 At the White House, Tara McGuinness, a senior adviser on the law, disputed that.

 “Nothing in the new guidance regarding employer reporting and responsibility will limit individuals’ eligibility for premium tax credits to buy insurance through the marketplaces that open on Oct. 1,” she said.

 Under the law, most Americans will be required to have insurance in January 2014, or they will be subject to tax penalties. The announcement on Tuesday did not say anything about delaying that requirement or those penalties.

 Administration officials sought to put the action in a positive light in the online announcements, and they emphasized that the existing insurance coverage of most Americans would not be affected.

 “We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively,” Mark J. Mazur, an assistant Treasury secretary, wrote on the department’s Web site. “We recognize that the vast majority of businesses that will need to do this reporting already provide health insurance to their workers, and we want to make sure it is easy for others to do so.”

 The 2010 Affordable Care Act required employers with more than 50 full-time workers to offer them affordable health insurance starting next year or face fines. Some companies with payrolls just above that threshold said they would cut jobs or switch some full-time workers to part-time employment so that they could avoid providing coverage.

 Under the provision to set up state-based marketplaces, subsidies are supposed to be available to many lower- and middle-income people who do not have access to coverage from employers or other sources. It may be difficult, however, for officials running the exchanges to know who is entitled to subsidies if employers do not report information on the coverage they provide to workers.

 Enrollment in the exchanges is to begin Oct. 1, with insurance coverage taking effect on Jan. 1. “We are on target to open the health insurance marketplace on Oct. 1 where small businesses and ordinary Americans will be able to go to one place to learn about their coverage options and make side-by-side comparisons of each plan’s price and benefits before they make their decision,” Valerie Jarrett, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser and liaison to the business community, wrote on the White House Web site.

 But even some supporters of the law dispute that the establishment of the health insurance exchanges is on schedule, especially since progress varies by state and some Republican-led states are resisting the health care law and withholding resources for putting it into effect.

 Much of the administration’s public effort, especially at the Department of Health and Human Services, has been directed toward spreading the word to uninsured Americans, especially younger and healthy individuals whose participation is needed to help keep down premiums for everyone else. About 85 percent of Americans are insured, so most individuals will be unaffected, at least initially.

 Behind the scenes, however, the administration has been fielding questions and criticisms from businesses about the reporting requirements — especially the Treasury Department, which has responsibility, given its oversight of the tax reporting system.

 Employer groups were quick to applaud the delay. At the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has strongly opposed the law, Randy Johnson, senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits, said in a statement, “The administration has finally recognized the obvious — employers need more time and clarification of the rules of the road before implementing the employer mandate.”

 E. Neil Trautwein, a vice president of the National Retail Federation, said the delay “will provide employers and businesses more time to update their health care coverage without threat of arbitrary punishment.”

 Mr. Mazur, the Treasury official, said the delay “will allow us to consider ways to simplify the new reporting requirements consistent with the law.”

 “Second,” he added, “it will provide time to adapt health coverage and reporting systems while employers are moving toward making health coverage affordable and accessible for their employees.”

 Within the next week, Mr. Mazur said, Treasury will issue official guidance to insurers, self-insuring employers and other parties that provide health coverage. Formal rules will be proposed this summer, he added, but the administration will encourage employers to comply with the law’s reporting provisions in 2014, as originally mandated.

 Democrats were all but silent on the news, but a spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, released a statement late Tuesday. “Both the administration and Senate Democrats have shown — and continue to show — a willingness to be flexible and work with all interested parties to make sure that implementation of the Affordable Care Act is as beneficial as possible to all involved,” the spokesman, Adam Jentleson, said. “It is better to do this right than fast.”

 But Republicans immediately reacted with statements claiming vindication for their efforts to repeal the law altogether.

 Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, called the administration action “a cynical political ploy to delay the coming train wreck associated with Obamacare until after the 2014 elections.”

 And Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, who faces re-election next year in Kentucky, said in a statement, “The fact remains that Obamacare needs to be repealed and replaced with common-sense reforms that actually lower costs for Americans.” |||||Summary:

– ObamaCare is still going into effect in 2014, but one key component of it is being temporarily shelved. The White House today postponed by one year a rule requiring employers to either provide coverage to employees or face hefty fines, reports the Wall Street Journal. The rule will take effect in 2015, instead of 2014. "We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively," writes Treasury official Mark Mazur in a blog post. The Journal explains that while most employers already provide such coverage, restaurants and retail companies in particular—both of which rely on low-wage workers—were resisting. The rule affects businesses with more than 50 workers. The Hill calls the decision "stunning" and says it "represents an enormous victory for businesses that had lobbied against the healthcare law." It also notes that the move pushes back the start of the controversial provision until after the 2014 midterms, which should be good news for vulnerable Democrats. The New York Times reports that other key parts of ObamaCare, including the establishment of "exchanges" where people can buy insurance, will take effect as planned in 2014. But "it will be difficult for officials running the exchanges to know who is entitled to subsidies if they are not able to confirm whether employers are offering insurance to their employees," writes Jackie Calmes.


Article:
Image copyright Cambridge University Image caption Artist’s reconstruction of Saccorhytus coronarius, based on the original fossil finds. The actual creature was probably no more than a millimetre in size

 Researchers have discovered the earliest known ancestor of humans - along with a vast range of other species.

 They say that fossilised traces of the 540-million-year-old creature are "exquisitely well preserved".

 The microscopic sea animal is the earliest known step on the evolutionary path that led to fish and - eventually - to humans.

 Details of the discovery from central China appear in Nature journal.

 The research team says that Saccorhytus is the most primitive example of a category of animals called "deuterostomes" which are common ancestors of a broad range of species, including vertebrates (backboned animals).

 Saccorhytus was about a millimetre in size, and is thought to have lived between grains of sand on the sea bed.

 Image copyright Jian Han, Northwest University, China Image caption Saccorhytus was also covered with a thin, relatively flexible skin and muscles. It probably moved around by wriggling

 The researchers were unable to find any evidence that the animal had an anus, which suggests that it consumed food and excreted from the same orifice.

 The study was carried out by an international team of researchers, from the UK, China and Germany. Among them was Prof Simon Conway Morris, from the University of Cambridge.

 He told BBC News: "To the naked eye, the fossils we studied look like tiny black grains, but under the microscope the level of detail was jaw-dropping.

 "We think that as an early deuterostome this may represent the primitive beginnings of a very diverse range of species, including ourselves. All deuterostomes had a common ancestor, and we think that is what we are looking at here."

 Degan Shu, from Northwest University in Xi'An, Shaanxi Province, where the fossils were found, said: "Saccorhytus now gives us remarkable insights into the very first stages of the evolution of a group that led to the fish, and ultimately, to us."

 Until now, the deuterostome groups discovered were from between 510 to 520 million years ago. These had already begun to diversify into not just the vertebrates, the group to which we and our ancestors belong and animals such as starfish and sea urchins.

 Because they looked so different from one another, it was difficult for the scientists to determine what an earlier, common ancestor might have looked like.

 The study suggests that its body was symmetrical, which is a characteristic inherited by many of its evolutionary descendants, including humans.

 Saccorhytus was also covered with a thin, relatively flexible skin and muscles, leading the researchers to conclude that it moved by contracting its muscles and got around by wriggling.

 The researchers say that its most striking feature is its large mouth, relative to the rest of its body. They say that it probably ate by engulfing food particles, or even other creatures.

 Also interesting are the conical structures on its body. These, the scientists suggest, might have allowed the water that it swallowed to escape and so might have been a very early version of gills.

 Follow Pallab on Twitter ||||| Researchers have identified traces of what they believe is the earliest known prehistoric ancestor of humans – a microscopic, bag-like sea creature, which lived about 540 million years ago.

 Named Saccorhytus, after the sack-like features created by its elliptical body and large mouth, the species is new to science and was identified from microfossils found in China. It is thought to be the most primitive example of a so-called “deuterostome” – a broad biological category that encompasses a number of sub-groups, including the vertebrates.

 If the conclusions of the study, published in the journal Nature, are correct, then Saccorhytus was the common ancestor of a huge range of species, and the earliest step yet discovered on the evolutionary path that eventually led to humans, hundreds of millions of years later.

 Modern humans are, however, unlikely to perceive much by way of a family resemblance. Saccorhytus was about a millimetre in size, and probably lived between grains of sand on the seabed. Its features were spectacularly preserved in the fossil record – and intriguingly, the researchers were unable to find any evidence that the animal had an anus.

 The study was carried out by an international team of academics, including researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK and Northwest University in Xi’an China, with support from other colleagues at institutions in China and Germany.

 Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology and a Fellow of St John’s College, University of Cambridge, said: “We think that as an early deuterostome this may represent the primitive beginnings of a very diverse range of species, including ourselves. To the naked eye, the fossils we studied look like tiny black grains, but under the microscope the level of detail is jaw-dropping. All deuterostomes had a common ancestor, and we think that is what we are looking at here.”

 Degan Shu, from Northwest University, added: “Our team has notched up some important discoveries in the past, including the earliest fish and a remarkable variety of other early deuterostomes. Saccorhytus now gives us remarkable insights into the very first stages of the evolution of a group that led to the fish, and ultimately, to us.”

 Most other early deuterostome groups are from about 510 to 520 million years ago, when they had already begun to diversify into not just the vertebrates, but the sea squirts, echinoderms (animals such as starfish and sea urchins) and hemichordates (a group including things like acorn worms). This level of diversity has made it extremely difficult to work out what an earlier, common ancestor might have looked like.

 The Saccorhytus microfossils were found in Shaanxi Province, in central China, and pre-date all other known deuterostomes. By isolating the fossils from the surrounding rock, and then studying them both under an electron microscope and using a CT scan, the team were able to build up a picture of how Saccorhytus might have looked and lived. This revealed features and characteristics consistent with current assumptions about primitive deuterostomes.

 Dr Jian Han, of Northwest University, said: “We had to process enormous volumes of limestone – about three tonnes – to get to the fossils, but a steady stream of new finds allowed us to tackle some key questions: was this a very early echinoderm, or something even more primitive? The latter now seems to be the correct answer.”

 In the early Cambrian period, the region would have been a shallow sea. Saccorhytus was so small that it probably lived in between individual grains of sediment on the sea bed.

 The study suggests that its body was bilaterally symmetrical – a characteristic inherited by many of its descendants, including humans – and was covered with a thin, relatively flexible skin. This in turn suggests that it had some sort of musculature, leading the researchers to conclude that it could have made contractile movements, and got around by wriggling.

 Perhaps its most striking feature, however, was its rather primitive means of eating food and then dispensing with the resulting waste. Saccorhytus had a large mouth, relative to the rest of its body, and probably ate by engulfing food particles, or even other creatures.

 A crucial observation are small conical structures on its body. These may have allowed the water that it swallowed to escape and so were perhaps the evolutionary precursor of the gills we now see in fish. But the researchers were unable to find any evidence that the creature had an anus. “If that was the case, then any waste material would simply have been taken out back through the mouth, which from our perspective sounds rather unappealing,” Conway Morris said.

 The findings also provide evidence in support of a theory explaining the long-standing mismatch between fossil evidence of prehistoric life, and the record provided by biomolecular data, known as the “molecular clock”.

 Technically, it is possible to estimate roughly when species diverged by looking at differences in their genetic information. In principle, the longer two groups have evolved separately, the greater the biomolecular difference between them should be, and there are reasons to think this process is more or less clock-like.

 Unfortunately, before a point corresponding roughly to the time at which Saccorhytus was wriggling in the mud, there are scarcely any fossils available to match the molecular clock’s predictions. Some researchers have theorised that this is because before a certain point, many of the creatures they are searching for were simply too small to leave much of a fossil record. The microscopic scale of Saccorhytus, combined with the fact that it is probably the most primitive deuterostome yet discovered, appears to back this up.

 The findings are published in Nature. Reference: Jian Han, Simon Conway Morris, Qiang Ou, Degan Shu and Hai Huang. Meiofaunal deuterostomes from the basal Cambrian of Shaanxi (China). DOI: 10.1038/nature21072.

 Inset image: Photographs of the fossils show the spectacularly detailed levels of preservation which allowed researchers to identify and study the creature. Credit: Jian Han. ||||| A scanning election microscope (SEM) took this detailed image of the deuterostome with the extra-large mouth.

 A speck-size creature without an anus is the oldest known prehistoric ancestor of humans, a new study finds.

 Researchers found the remains of the 540-million-year-old critter — a bag-like sea organism — in central China. The creature is so novel, it has its own family (Saccorhytidae), as well as its own genus and species (Saccorhytus coronaries), named for its wrinkled, sac-like body. ("Saccus" means "sac" in Latin, and "rhytis" means "wrinkle" in Greek.)

 S. coronaries, with its oval body and large mouth, is likely a deuterostome, a group that includes all vertebrates, including humans, and some invertebrates, such as starfish. [7 Theories on the Origin of Life]

 "We think that as an early deuterostome, this may represent the primitive beginnings of a very diverse range of species, including ourselves," Simon Conway Morris, a professor of evolutionary palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge, said in a statement. "To the naked eye, the fossils we studied look like tiny black grains, but under the microscope the level of detail is jaw-dropping."

 At first glance, however, S. coronaries does not appear to have much in common with modern humans. It was about a millimeter (0.04 inches) long, and likely lived between grains of sand on the seafloor during the early Cambrian period.

 While the mouth onS. coronaries was large for its teensy body, the creature doesn't appear to have an anus. [See Images of the Bag-Like Animal & Other Cambrian Creatures]

 "If that was the case, then any waste material would simply have been taken out back through the mouth, which from our perspective sounds rather unappealing," Conway Morris said.

 Other deuterostome groups are known from about 510 million to 520 million years ago, a time when they had already started to evolve into vertebrates, as well as sea squirts, echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins) and hemichordates (a group that includes acorn worms).

 However, these incredibly diverse animals made it hard for scientists to figure out what the common deuterostome ancestor would have looked like, the researchers said.

 The newfound microfossils answered that question, they said. The researchers used an electron microscope and a computed tomography (CT) scan to construct an image of S. coronaries.

 "We had to process enormous volumes of limestone — about 3 tonnes [3 tons] — to get to the fossils, but a steady stream of new finds allowed us to tackle some key questions: Was this a very early echinoderm or something even more primitive?" study co-researcher Jian Han, a paleontologist at Northwest University in China, said in the statement. "The latter now seems to be the correct answer."

 The analysis indicated that S. coronaries had a bilaterally symmetrical body, a characteristic it passed down to its descendants, including humans. It was also covered with a thin, flexible skin, suggesting it had muscles of some kind that could perhaps help it wriggle around in the water and engulf food with its large mouth, the researchers said.

 Small, conical structures encircling its mouth may have allowed water it swallowed to escape from its body. Perhaps these structures were the precursor of gill slits, the researchers said.

 An artist's interpretation of Saccorhytus coronaries, which measured about a millimeter in size. Credit: S Conway Morris/Jian Han

 Now that researchers know that deuterostomes existed 540 million years ago, they can try to match the timing to estimates from biomolecular data, known as the "molecular clock."

 Theoretically, researchers can determine when two species diverged by quantifying the genetic differences between them. If two groups are distantly related, for instance, they should have extremely different genomes, the researchers said.

 However, there are few fossils from S. coronaries' time, making it difficult to match the molecular clocks of other animals to this one, the researchers said. This may be because animals before deuterostomes were simply too miniscule to leave fossils behind, they said.

 The findings were published online today (Jan. 30) in the journal Nature.

 In another paper, researchers reported on the discovery of another type of tiny animal fossil from the late Cambrian. These creatures, called loriciferans, measured about 0.01 inches (0.3 mm) and, like S. coronaries, lived between grains of sand, the researchers said in a study published online today in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

 The newly identified species, Eolorica deadwoodensis, discovered in western Canada, shows when multicellular animals began living in areas once inhabited by single-celled organisms, the researchers said.

 Original article on Live Science. |||||Summary:

– Our very primitive beginnings look to have been very primitive indeed. It turns out the earliest known ancestor of humans was a sea creature a millimeter in size that likely lacked an anus. In a study published in Nature on Monday, scientists named Saccorhytus coronaries as a 540 million-year-old member—at that age the oldest one—of a category of animals called deuterostomes. The BBC explains deuterostomes gave rise to vertebrates. "All deuterostomes had a common ancestor, and we think that is what we are looking at here," researcher Simon Conway Morris tells the BBC. As for what they're looking at, "the bag-like body bears a prominent mouth and associated folds," the researchers write. Live Science reports the deuterostome groups scientists have previously discovered were at most 520 million years old, and had begun evolving into vertebrates, echinoderms (ie, starfish), and hemichordates (acorn worms). That left scientists stumped as to what a common ancestor would have looked like. Now they say they know. "We had to process enormous volumes of limestone—about [3 tons]—to get to the fossils, but a steady stream of new finds allowed us to" answer that question, says co-author Jian Han of the find, made in China. Two other details, from a Cambridge press release: The minuscule creature is thought to have lived between grains of sand on the sea bed, and it featured small conical structures that the water it ingested may have exited through "and so were perhaps the evolutionary precursor of the gills we now see in fish." (Scientists have found Earth's oldest civilization.)


Positive associations between human intelligence and brain size have been suspected for more than 150 years. Nowadays, modern non-invasive measures of in vivo brain volume (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) make it possible to reliably assess associations with IQ. By means of a systematic review of published studies and unpublished results obtained by personal communications with researchers, we identified 88 studies examining effect sizes of 148 healthy and clinical mixed-sex samples (>8000 individuals). Our results showed significant positive associations of brain volume and IQ (r=.24, R(2)=.06) that generalize over age (children vs. adults), IQ domain (full-scale, performance, and verbal IQ), and sex. Application of a number of methods for detection of publication bias indicates that strong and positive correlation coefficients have been reported frequently in the literature whilst small and non-significant associations appear to have been often omitted from reports. We show that the strength of the positive association of brain volume and IQ has been overestimated in the literature, but remains robust even when accounting for different types of dissemination bias, although reported effects have been declining over time. While it is tempting to interpret this association in the context of human cognitive evolution and species differences in brain size and cognitive ability, we show that it is not warranted to interpret brain size as an isomorphic proxy of human intelligence differences.

 Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. ||||| For centuries, scientists have been investigating the link between human brain size and intelligence, with several studies suggesting inconclusively that the bigger the brain, the smarter a person.

 But a review of 88 studies involving more than 8,000 participants has now shown that even though a small link between brain volume and IQ exists, there's no evidence to suggest it's a causal one. Instead, it's the structure of your brain that seems play a larger role in determining how smart you are.

 Although they're not perfect, IQ - or intelligence quotient - tests, are currently the best way we can measure someone's ability to rationally understand the world around them, as well as their memory, reasoning, and logic skills. And as a result, they're often used to help scientists try to make sense of what makes people more or less 'intelligent' than their peers.

 In this instance, researchers from Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany compared IQ test results to participants' brain volumes, measured using brain imaging methods over multiple studies.

 "Although a certain association is observable, brain volume appears to be of only little practical relevance," said lead researcher Jakob Pietschnig, from the University of Vienna in Austria. "Rather, brain structure and integrity appear to be more important as a biological foundation of IQ, whilst brain size works as one of many compensatory mechanisms of cognitive functions."

 This isn't the first nail in the coffin for the 'bigger brain = better' argument. The first stumbling block was when scientists realised that humans - arguably the most intelligent animals on the planet - don't actually have the biggest brains in the animal kingdom relative to body size (that honour goes to the humble shrew).

 To make up for that, scientists came up with a new way to measure brain size, known as the 'encephalisation quotient', which explains an animal's brain size relative to the expected brain size in related taxa. And when taking that into account, humans - thankfully - come at the top of the heap.

 But in the new review, the researchers looked at both unpublished and published studies, and found that the link between brain volume and higher IQ had been overestimated and exaggerated in the literature.

 This is because of publication bias, which means that journals are more willing to publish papers that find a strong link between something rather than those that find a small one, or are inconclusive.

 But regardless, Pietschnig and his team showed that there was still a weak association between bigger brains and higher IQs throughout the research, which was independent of sex and age - but they also showed that brain size didn't have much predictive value when it came to measuring intelligence.

 Their conclusion is supported by the fact that men consistently have higher brain volumes than women, but that there's no significant difference between the sexes when it comes to IQ tests.

 "While it is tempting to interpret this association in the context of human cognitive evolution and species differences in brain size and cognitive ability, we show that it is not warranted to interpret brain size as an isomorphic proxy of human intelligence differences," the researchers conclude in Neuroscience and Behavioural Reviews.

 And in case you were wondering, scientists have also studied Einstein's brain in great detail, and found that it's not that different from the rest of ours.

 So next time you feel sad about the size of your head, just remember that you have as much potential in there as even the largest brains out there. ||||| The brain structure is more important than the size

 Is brain size related to cognitive ability of humans? This question has captured the attention of scientists for more than a century. An international team of researchers from the Universities of Vienna (Austria), Göttingen (Germany), and Tilburg (Netherlands) provides no evidence for a causal role of brain size for IQ test performance. In a meta-analysis of data from more than 8000 participants, they show that associations between in-vivo brain volume and IQ are small.

 As early as 1836, the German physiologist and anatomist Friedrich Tiedemann, in an article in the Philosophical Transactions, expressed his opinion that "there is undoubtedly a connection between the absolute size of the brain and the intellectual powers and functions of the mind". With the advent of brain imaging methods (e.g., MRI, PET), reliable assessments of in-vivo brain volume and investigations of its association with IQ are now possible.

 Now, an international team of researchers, led by University of Vienna researchers Jakob Pietschnig, Michael Zeiler, and Martin Voracek from the Faculty of Psychology, together with Lars Penke (University of Göttingen) and Jelte Wicherts (Tilburg University), published a meta-analysis examining correlations between in-vivo brain volume and IQ in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. Based on the data from 148 samples comprising over 8000 participants, they report a robust but weak association between brain size and IQ. This association appeared to be independent of participant sex and age.

 "The presently observed association means that brain volume plays only a minor role in explaining IQ test performance in humans. Although a certain association is observable, brain volume appears to be of only little practical relevance. Rather, brain structure and integrity appear to be more important as a biological foundation of IQ, whilst brain size works as one of many compensatory mechanisms of cognitive functions", explains Jakob Pietschnig from the Institute of Applied Psychology of the University of Vienna.

 Brain structure vs. brain size

 The importance of brain structure compared to brain volume becomes already evident when comparing different species. When considering absolute brain size, the sperm whale weighs in with the largest central nervous system. When controlling for body mass, the shrew is on the top of the list. Similar results emerge when considering other aspects of species anatomy: Homo sapiens never appears at the top at the list, as would be expected. Rather, differences in brain structure appear to be mainly responsible for between-species differences in cognitive performance.

 Within Homo sapiens, there are indications that render a large association between IQ and brain volume similarly questionable. For instance, differences in brain size between men and women are well-established, yielding larger brains of men compared to women. However, there are no differences in global IQ test performance between men and women. Another example are individuals with megalencephaly syndrome (enlarged brain volume) who typically show lower IQ test performance than the average population. “Therefore, structural aspects appear to be more important for cognitive performance within humans as well”, concludes Jakob Pietschnig.

 Publication in "Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews":

 Pietschnig, J., Penke, L., Wicherts, J. M., Zeiler, M., & Voracek, M. (2015). Meta-analysis of associations between human brain volume and intelligence differences: How strong are they and what do they mean? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, in press.

 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.017

 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/aip/01497634 |||||

Write a summary.

– If brain size relative to body size determines IQ, the venerable shrew would be the smartest creature on the planet. But it doesn't, and it's not, and scientists from Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany have combed through 88 studies with more than 8,000 participants to confirm in the journal Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews that when it comes to intelligence, brain size simply doesn't matter. "Although a certain association is observable, brain volume appears to be of only little practical relevance," says Jakob Pietschnig from the Institute of Applied Psychology at the University of Vienna. The researchers write that "positive associations between human intelligence and brain size have been suspected for more than 150 years." Why the long-held belief in such a link despite a lack of concrete evidence for it? It may partly be the result of publication bias, reports ScienceAlert. This means that journals more readily publish findings with strong links between subjects than weak or inconclusive links. And that's all that Pietschnig and his team found when they reviewed published and unpublished studies—a link too small to have any discernible effect. "Rather, brain structure and integrity appear to be more important as a biological foundation of IQ, whilst brain size works as one of many compensatory mechanisms of cognitive functions," Pietschnig adds. This helps explain why men, who tend to have larger brains than women, do not perform better on IQ tests. To be small-minded, then, should be construed in only a metaphorical sense. (Check out what has been hiding in brains for centuries until this year.)


News article:

@MarcACaputo

 U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, the tea party freshman Republican from Fort Myers, was arrested Oct. 29 for cocaine possession in Washington D.C, Politico reported.

 Radel, who faces a maximum of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, was charged Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court with misdemeanor cocaine possession and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

 “I'm profoundly sorry to let down my family, particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest Florida," the 37-year-old Republican, whose legal name is Henry Jude Radel III, said in a statement. "I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them.”

 Radel was arrested in a Drug Enforcement Agency bust when his alleged dealer, arrested in a separate case, led authorities to the congressman, officials said.

 Radel then allegedly bought cocaine from an undercover agent in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood. Afterward, authorities visited the congressman's apartment and informed him he would be charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession.

 More here ||||| Rep. Trey Radel, a Florida Republican elected in 2012, will be in court Wednesday on charges that he possessed cocaine.

 Radel, 37, was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday.

 Text Size -

 +

 reset In 90 secs: What's driving the day

 He faces a maximum of 180 days in jail, as well as a fine of up to $1,000. Several sources with direct knowledge say it was the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration who were involved in the charges.

 (Also on POLITICO: 10 things to know about Trey Radel)

 Radel has missed all four votes in the House this week.

 Radel, in a statement released by his office, made no mention of resigning from the House. He said he struggles “with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them.”

 A spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, “Members of Congress should be held to the highest standards, and the alleged crime will be handled by the courts. Beyond that, this is between Rep. Radel, his family, and his constituents.”

 (PHOTOS: Top congressional scandals)

 The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia declined to comment on Radel’s arrest and case.

 The Associated Press, citing an unnamed DEA official, said Radel allegedly bought cocaine from a dealer in the Dupont Circle area who had been previously arrested as part of a federal probe. “Later that night, federal authorities went to his apartment and informed him that he would be facing criminal charges related to his purchase of cocaine,” the AP said.

 The Florida Republican, who holds a district on the western coast of Florida that includes the tony Marco Island, is a former journalist, TV anchor and radio talk-show host. He never held elective office before winning his House seat last November. His district was vacated by former Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), who ran for the Senate.

 (Earlier on POLITICO: New members of Congress in 2013)

 In the statement, Radel said he realizes “the disappointment my family, friends and constituents must feel. Believe me, I am disappointed in myself, and I stand ready to face the consequences of my actions.”

 The arrest, he said, has a “positive side.”

 “It offers me an opportunity to seek treatment and counseling,” he said. “I know I have a problem and will do whatever is necessary to overcome it, hopefully setting an example for others struggling with this disease.” ||||| U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fort Myers, is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday one day after the D.C. Superior Courts charged him with possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

 Radel was arrested on Oct. 29 for possession of cocaine.

 According to the Associated Press a Drug Enforcement Administration official said Radel was arrested after buying cocaine from an undercover law enforcement officer. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details of the case in his own name, said Radel was identified to authorities as a cocaine buyer by his suspected dealer. The dealer had been previously arrested as part of a separate drug investigation led by a federal task force.

 Congressman Trey Radel released the following statement:

 “I'm profoundly sorry to let down my family, particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest Florida. I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them."

 “In facing this charge, I realize the disappointment my family, friends and constituents must feel. Believe me, I am disappointed in myself, and I stand ready to face the consequences of my actions.”

 “However, this unfortunate event does have a positive side. It offers me an opportunity to seek treatment and counseling. I know I have a problem and will do whatever is necessary to overcome it, hopefully setting an example for others struggling with this disease.”

 “Please keep my family in your prayers.”

 Click here to view social media reactions to Rep. Radel's arrest.

 Radel, a freshman Republican, was elected in November. He is a former journalist and radio talk show host. This is his first time holding an elected position.

 Naples Mayor John Sorey said he was "surprised" by the allegations.

 “If it’s correct, I’m very disappointed,” Sorey said.

 Sorey, who has supported Radel, said he didn’t know anything about the arrest and court case, but said people should let the criminal justice department play out. Still, Sorey said, this could make Radel’s re-election bid more difficult.

 “I think it’s definitely a negative,” he said. “I think it puts him under some (pressure).”

 “I was shocked by the allegations, and I stress the word allegations,” said Terry Miller, who ran Republican congressional candidate Gary Aubuchon’s campaign in 2012.

 Miller said he has known Radel for a number of years dating “back to his radio days.” He said he never expected something like this from Radel, and said he was stunned when he heard the news.

 “My heart sank,” he said.

 Florida Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, said he was disappointed by the news.

 “I was shocked to hear about it … It’s just really sad news because Trey has been a really good representative," Richter said. "My thoughts and prayers go out to Trey’s family, and I know he’s got some challenges in front of (him) that I hope he can reconcile and overcome.”

 Miami-based Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said he was saddened by the news.

 "I am both shocked and saddened to hear the news about my friend and colleague Congressman Trey Radel. Every person must take responsibility for their own actions, as Trey will. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Amy and his son Jude."

 State Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she was “obviously surprised” by the arrest.

 “I don’t know Trey that well, just have seen him as someone very active in the community,” she said. “I just wish he and his family well.”

 Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, said he considers Radel a friend but has never suspected him of substance abuse.

 “Right now, the only thing I’m concerned with is I hope Trey gets treatment,” Rodrigues said. “He has a family that needs him.”

 A John Boehner spokesman had this response to Radel's arrest.

 "Members of Congress should be held to the highest standards, and the alleged crime will be handled by the courts. Beyond that, this is between Rep. Radel, his family, and his constituents," the spokesman said.

 This story was first reported by POLITICO. Stay with us for more updates to this breaking story.

 NewsMakers - Trey Radel What's ahead for the GOP?

 Trey Radel's first six months in office On his favorite Washington moments.

 ---

 Are you viewing this story on our mobile or tablet app? Click here to read this story on our full site to see a video report and to vote in our online poll: Should Rep. Trey Radel resign? |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– A freshman Republican in the House now has much bigger worries than a re-election campaign. Rep. Trey Radel, who represents Florida's Fort Myers area, has been charged with misdemeanor cocaine possession in DC, reports Politico. The Miami Herald describes Radel as a "libertarian-leaning" Republican in line with the Tea Party and says the 37-year-old might have caught a break by getting busted in Washington: He would have faced felony charges in Florida. His maximum penalty in DC would be 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. “I'm profoundly sorry to let down my family, particularly my wife and son, and the people of Southwest Florida," Radel says in a statement picked up by the Naples Daily News. "I struggle with the disease of alcoholism, and this led to an extremely irresponsible choice. As the father of a young son and a husband to a loving wife, I need to get help so I can be a better man for both of them." Radel, a self-described rap fan and "hip hop conservative," once co-sponsored a bill to ease up on mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, notes the Herald.


Summarize this article:

Black-clad mourners form lines outside the Grand Palace to await their turn to sign condolence books inside the Sala Sahathai Samakhom Pavilion on Saturday. (Photo by Thanarak Khunton)

 Authorities have warned traders not to take advantage of surging demand for black mourning attire by raising prices unfairly.

 The Commerce Ministry has instructed its provincial offices to survey the prices and supplies of black clothing in the market to ensure the public will not be taken advantage during the royal mourning period.

 Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said demand for black garments had soared since the one-year mourning period began for His Majesty King Bhumibol, who passed away on Thursday. As a result, her officials are closely monitoring the prices of mourning clothes as well as black and white fabric used for building decorations.

 All traders have been asked to clearly label their prices and not to raise prices unreasonably or hoard goods. Violators can face jail terms of up to seven years and/or fines of up to 140,000 baht.

 She said the ministry would coordinate with distributors to ensure sufficient supplies of mourning garments across the country.

 In Bangkok, traders have been flocking to wholesale garment markets, especially in Bo Bae and Pratunam, leading to traffic jams in surrounding areas on Saturday.

 Traders told Reuters that business was brisk and they denied pushing up prices.

 "Most people are buying black shirts," said Songkhan Tansonan, who has a stall outside Bo Bae Market.

 She said she had sold 200 black shirts by midday on Saturday and 400 the previous day.

 "I buy them for 90 baht from the wholesaler and sell them for 120 or 130 baht," she said.

 Nongrak Bantaotuk, a nurse, said she was buying black shirts for herself and her family. She said prices had risen a bit, but that did not worry her.

 "If you compare, the price is higher than before, but this isn't about prices," she said. "We're going to wear them for a year." ||||| People shop for black or white clothing to mourn Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a mall in Bangkok, Thailand, October 15, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su

 BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities have warned traders not to take advantage of shoppers flocking to buy black shirts to mourn King Bhumibol Adulyadej and have sent out teams of inspectors to scour markets for price gougers.

 The 88-year-old king died on Thursday after 70 years on the throne, plunging the country into grief.

 The government has declared a year of mourning and asked everyone to wear black or white, and to cancel any outdoor festivities, for the first 30 days.

 “Regarding black shirts which have become more expensive, the commerce ministry has sent teams to inspect white and black clothing vendors to make sure the shirts are not being sold at prices that are too expensive,” Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office, told reporters on Saturday.

 Black is the color of mourning in Thailand but white, a color that symbolizes purity, is also sometimes worn. White is also worn by ethnic Chinese people at funerals.

 Most people in Bangkok have been wearing black since the king died and shoppers have been flooding to markets to get new clothes.

 Mannequins are dressed in black and white as retailers pay their respects to the passing of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a mall in Bangkok, Thailand, October 15, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su

 Traders said business was brisk and they denied pushing up prices.

 “Most people are buying black shirts,” said Songkhan Tansonan, running a street stall next to a fetid canal outside Bangkok’s Bobae Market.

 Slideshow (2 Images)

 She said she had sold 200 black shirts by midday on Saturday and 400 the previous day.

 “I buy them for 90 baht ($2.60) from the wholesaler and sell them for 120 or 130 baht ($3.40 to $3.70),” she said.

 Nongrak Bantaotuk, a nurse, said she was buying black shirts for herself and her family. She said prices had risen a bit, but that did not worry her.

 “If you compare, the price is higher than before, but this isn’t about prices,” she said.

 “We’re going to wear them for a year.” |||||

– A lot of people in Thailand have apparently discovered that they don't have enough black clothing in their wardrobes for a full year of mourning. Vendors across the country are struggling to cope with a surge in demand for black clothes after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and government officials have told inspectors to watch out for traders trying to profit from the beloved monarch's death with price-gouging, reports the Bangkok Post, which, like other Thai newspapers and TV stations, is eschewing color images during the mourning period. White is also a traditional color of mourning in the Buddhist country. "Regarding black shirts which have become more expensive, the commerce ministry has sent teams to inspect white and black clothing vendors to make sure the shirts are not being sold at prices that are too expensive," a government spokesman says. A nurse shopping for black clothes in Bangkok tells Reuters that prices have gone up, but that isn't a major concern right now. "If you compare, the price is higher than before, but this isn't about prices," she says. "We're going to wear them for a year."


Here is a news article: The nanny who allegedly slaughtered two Upper West Side children in her care woke up yesterday — and asked about her own family, sources told The Post.

 Yoselyn Ortega — who a source said suffered a broken vertebrae in a failed suicide bid after she allegedly butchered 6-year-old Lucia and 2-year-old Leo Krim — had been unable to speak since Thursday’s rampage.

 She has since undergone surgery and is “talking a little,” according to a source.

 Investigators returned yesterday to Ortega’s New York Hospital bedside in a bid to learn what sparked the horrific slayings of the Krim siblings, sources said.

 Ortega, 50, has lawyered up and won’t answer questions, said one source. She did speak to her doctor and “asked about her family,” the source said.

 NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ortega remained intubated yesterday.

 Ortega shares a Harlem apartment with her sister, her niece and Ortega’s 17-year-old son, Jesus, who recently moved from their native Dominican Republic and attends a Bronx high school.

 A search warrant executed on the nanny’s apartment turned up no clues of a motive in the slayings, according to another source.

 The children’s grieving parents, CNBC exec Kevin Krim and wife Marina Linsley Krim, yesterday remained in seclusion with surviving daughter Nessie, 3 1/2.

 The family left a Manhattan hotel early yesterday with friends, according to an employee.

 Nessie had been with her mom at swimming lessons at the Jewish Community Center near the family’s West 75th Street apartment when the carnage took place.

 Mom and daughter were happy and smiling as they left, a worker there recalled. They had planned to meet Ortega, with Lucia and Leo, for Lucia’s dance class at the nearby Kaufman dance studio at around 5 p.m.

 But Ortega, who brought the kids home from school at around 3:30 that day, never showed up.

 Marina Krim returned home shortly after 5:30 to find the nanny stabbing herself in the throat in an apparent suicide bid, and her two young children dead in the bathroom.

 The tragedy has brought an outpouring of sympathy from strangers across the country, including one who posted an online message, “All the people are crying with you.”

 Friends of the family also voiced their heartache and offered prayers and condolences on Facebook, where several relatives had posted tribute photos of the children.

 In one poignant shot, Kevin’s sister Sarah walks hand in hand in New York with Lucia.

 In another, aunt Katie Krim embraces her brother’s three beaming children alongside a caption that read: “The loves of my life, my angels.”

 Additional reporting by Rebecca Rosenberg and Reuven Fenton ||||| Thanks for being a frequent visitor to dispatch.com! You've now viewed your monthly quota of 10 free premium articles. Want to read more? Become a Digital D Subscriber and enjoy unlimited access to award-winning content that can't be found anywhere else. Simply upgrade your existing print subscription for $2-5 per month, or become a new Digital D subscriber.

 I would like unlimited access Upgrade Print Subscription

 Best coverage of the events that matter to Central Ohio

 Best coverage of Ohio State sports

 Best coverage of hot-button issues

 Best coverage of local arts and entertainment |||||
A summary of this is?

– The nanny who allegedly murdered two of the children in her care is awake and talking, the New York Post reports. Yoselyn Ortega already has a lawyer and won’t answer investigators’ questions about the deaths of Lucia Krim, 6, and brother Leo, 2, one source says. But she did ask about her family, the source adds. Investigators have searched her apartment, which she shares with her teenage son, sister, and niece, but found no hint of a motive. Toxicology tests found Ortega was not under the influence of narcotics or alcohol at the time. Ortega, who broke a vertebrae in her attempt to commit suicide, was still intubated yesterday. And as of yesterday, she had not been charged, since investigators had not been able to talk to her. “We wouldn’t charge a hospitalized suspect under these circumstances until an interview was conducted after consulting with doctors on the subject’s condition,” a police rep tells the AP. But investigators say they have much evidence, and there is very little doubt Ortega stabbed the two children. Click for more on the heartbreaking case.


Here is a news article: These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Hi, my name is Marjorie "Christy" Luna. I disappeared 33 years ago, at the age of 8. I was never found and this is my story… #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/xAfBV9mqpI — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 26, 2017

 The day she disappeared, 8-year-old Christy Luna wore freckles, a turquoise body suit and no shoes.

 It was Memorial Day weekend in 1984, and the girl was in search of some food for her cats, Boo Boo and Skeeter. Christy left her home in Greenacres, Fla., where she lived with her mom and sister, Allie, and walked the 500 feet down the street to Belk’s General Store.

 Then Christy vanished.

 For decades, detectives chased leads across the country, investigated at least four different men and kept in contact with Christy’s distraught but undeterred mother, Jennie Johnson, who was napping when her daughter disappeared. The girl’s face appeared on statewide billboards, milk cartons and America’s Most Wanted.

 Still, the case stalled, producing no arrests and no Christy.

 Without answers, the mysterious kidnapping haunted Greenacres, a small community in Palm Beach County, and the law enforcement officers who had dedicated careers and cabinet space to solving it.

 So over the holiday weekend, on the 33rd anniversary of Christy’s disappearance, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department used an eerily unorthodox campaign to resurrect the girl’s story — by resurrecting the girl.

 Beginning May 26, the date before Christy disappeared, authorities let her imagined voice “take over” their Facebook and Twitter to recount in real time what she could have been thinking and feeling during her kidnapping all those years ago.

 “Let me take you back to 1984, the time when I was a happy child, living in Greenacres with mommy, my sister Allie, Mama Kitty and her babies,” the sheriff’s office tweeted Friday morning, pretending as though Christy had typed the words herself. “Who would have thought that tomorrow would be the day I disappeared and was probably brutally beaten, raped, sold or murdered?”

 Let me take you back to 1984, the time when I was a happy child, living in Greenacres with mommy, my sister Allie, Mama Kitty & her babies pic.twitter.com/5c0Y8Zs6V0 — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 26, 2017

 The tweets and Facebook posts in Christy’s voice continued through May 27, the anniversary of her disappearance, and May 28, when Johnson went on the news to plead for the safe return of her child.

 Mommy is on the news, now they'll be able to find me, right!? Everyone is so worried. Breaks my heart to see this #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/5UKF498WT0 — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 Allie is getting together with The Church where we do Sunday school. They are passing out papers with my picture on them. Thank you pic.twitter.com/iT5v18uTnh — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 According to the tweets and newspaper accounts, Johnson let her daughters believe she was taking them to Disney World on May 26, 1984. They packed fruit, sandwiches and blankets and set off on a road trip. But instead of Disney, they went to Dubois Beach, a coastal park in the city of Jupiter.

 “Guess what!!!???” one tweet read. “We didn’t make it to Disney! Mommy says we don’t have money.”

 On May 27, they arrived home from their holiday trip, exhausted. Johnson got them Wendy’s fast food. Christy ate, but Allie, 10, went straight to bed in the small room the sisters shared because they were afraid of the dark. Johnson napped, too, while Christy searched for loose change and ventured to the store.

 At 8:30 p.m., Allie woke up to an empty bedroom. She waited 30 minutes, reported the Miami Herald, then stirred her sleeping mother.

 “Mommy,” Johnson recalled Allie saying, “where’s Christy?”

 They questioned neighbors, searched dumpsters and visited Belk’s, where people said they saw Christy buy the cat food then step outside to watch other children play with fireworks.

 The sheriff’s department tweets did not go into detail about what happened next, but offered an imagined inner dialogue that left some followers chilled and perplexed.

 Wait, something doesn’t feel right… Someone keeps looking at me… Something is wrong; my heart is pounding . . . #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017

 STOP!!! NOOO, DON’T DO THAT! — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017

 Why are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Nothing will ever be the same after this… #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017

 The remaining tweets seemed to speak directly to Christy’s mother.

 Mommy & Allie went to my friend’s house and the neighbors. Mommy is holding my picture, asking them if they’ve seen me. It's about to rain.. pic.twitter.com/QLd40kIydy — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 27, 2017

 "911, what's your emergency?" – Mommy is calling the cops. Yes, ask for help. Have them look for me, mommy. I'm so scared! #Justice4Luna — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 And in some tweets, the resurrected Christy spoke directly to followers interacting with her story:

 Wow, that means so much. To think I was you're same age at the time and you were there trying to find me. Thank you. #Justice4Luna https://t.co/UoZit4iUtZ — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 I hope so too Darlene, I'm so scared! https://t.co/gG9m6wOVkc — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 While it seemed the reaction to the campaign was largely positive, eliciting thanks and emotion, others felt it was eerie.

 “I like the idea behind this story thing,” one man tweeted to the sheriff’s office. “But it’s a little creepy.”

 “Have you been hacked?” another tweeted.

 And another: “Can you guys cool it with these bizarre tweets coming from a Missing Child/Adult?? We get it. It’s tragic. We hope she’s found. Just 2 Weird.”

 By now, Christy would be a 41-year-old woman. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children developed a composite sketch of how she might look today, with blue eyes and wavy, chestnut brown hair.

 It’s unclear what impact the social media campaign had on the case, although the goal was to inspire someone, somewhere to come forward with fresh tips that might lead to a break.

 A similar effort by Canadian authorities inspired Anthony Rodriguez, social media manager for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department. He attended a law enforcement conference in California in April, where he learned of the social media campaign the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had launched on behalf of Kerrie Ann Brown, reported the Palm Beach Post.

 Brown was 16 when she was raped and murdered in 1986. Her killer was never found.

 Canadian authorities had the dead girl “take over” their Facebook and Twitter in October, which produced tips and leads but no arrest.

 “It was absolutely worthwhile,” Tara Seel, spokeswoman for RCMP in Manitoba, told the Palm Beach Post. “There was no arrest but we definitely did get some action on the investigation.”

 In Christy’s case, Florida authorities have thought for decades they knew who took her but were never able to establish enough evidence to prove it.

 Victor Wonyetye was reportedly at a party in Christy’s neighborhood the day she disappeared, reported the Palm Beach Post. He worked at a golf course, then moved to New Hampshire shortly after, where that same year another 8-year-old girl went missing while walking to school.

 The school, authorities said, was near the body shop where Wonyetye worked.

 Florida law enforcement traveled to New Hampshire and compared the two cases, but the man was never charged in either.

 Wonyetye later returned to Palm Beach County, where he went on trial in 1992 for indecent exposure and burglary charges unrelated to Christy’s disappearance. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, the Palm Beach Post reported.

 Authorities testified during the trial that prison inmates claimed that Wonyetye had admitted to killing Christy and the New Hampshire girl. He was released from prison in 2012. Eight months later, he died.

 At a news conference in 2013, local authorities asked those who might have information about Christy’s disappearance to come forward, hopeful that with Wonyetye dead they might be less afraid.

 “Just not knowing, not knowing where she is is torture,” Johnson said at the time. “I’ll never give up until it’s solved.”

 Two other men, brothers Willis and Chuck Rambo, lived in the neighborhood and were also investigated, but no evidence linked them to Christy.

 Jenny Sampson, one of Christy’s childhood friends, told TV station CBS 12 that a paranoia poisoned the neighborhood after her disappearance.

 “You never even went to the grocery store or were out in public, or even just walked down the street without knowing that there was probably evil lurking,” Sampson told CBS 12. “You learned that evil was absolutely in your neighborhood.”

 On Sunday, the sheriff’s office closed out its social media campaign with one last plea from Christy:

 “Thank you for letting me share my story,” the final tweet said. “Now I ask you to help me. Share my story with others. Help my family find answers.”

 Thank you for letting me share my story. Now I ask you to help me. Share my story with others. Help my family find answers. #Justice4Luna pic.twitter.com/a5LQ3oGaVi — PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) May 28, 2017

 More from Morning Mix

 Analysis | The mugshot is ‘the great equalizer.’ Just look at Tiger Woods.

 Mississippi slaughter: A timeline of 8 killings by one man in a single night

 Texas teachers give ‘most likely to become a terrorist’ award to 13-year-old |||||
A summary of this is?

– Florida authorities have let the imagined voice of an 8-year-old girl who went missing on Memorial Day Weekend in 1984 take over the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department Twitter account. Through a series of tweets with the hashtag #Justice4Luna, they led a social media campaign that included the tweets "HELP!!!" and "Why are you taking me? Why are you doing this? Nothing will ever be the same after this." The Washington Post calls it "an eerily unorthodox campaign to resurrect the girl’s story—by resurrecting the girl." And while many seem to agree that the tweets are disturbing, the social media response has been largely positive, with people thanking the department for trying to revive interest in the 33-year-old case. The last time anyone saw her, Marjorie "Christy" Luna had slipped out of her house in a turquoise swimsuit and walked to Belk's General Store to buy cat food while her mother napped, reports the New York Daily News. The Post reports that authorities suspect one Victor Wonyetye is responsible. He was at a party in her neighborhood the day she went missing and soon moved to New Hampshire, where an 8-year-old girl went missing while walking to school. He died in 2012 after being released from prison for indecent exposure and burglary, and inmates claim he admitted to killing both girls. Canadian authorities used a similar social media campaign in the hopes of finding a girl who went missing in 1986, and say it brought information that made it "absolutely worthwhile." (This cold case has had numerous twists.)


– It's not quite as cheap as Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's, but Target is rolling out some cheap wine of its own. Starting Sept. 3, the chain will be selling $5 bottles of a brand it calls California Roots, reports the Orange County Register. Customers will choose from five different blends: chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, cabernet sauvignon, and, simply, red. An enthusiastic and downright thankful post at Scary Mommy has specifics on each. The wine will be available nationwide at any Target store that currently serves alcohol, per MLive.com. The chain says in a press release that "wine, beer, and other adult beverages" are among Target's fastest-growing categories," and the inexpensive vino is meant to capitalize on that. The price is a shade more expensive than the Trader Joe's offering, which has risen from its original $1.99 to the current $2.99.

Expand this summary.

Two-Buck Chuck, you’ve got some company.

 Target on Monday announced it’s rolling out a new line of bargain wines, a $5 bottle called California Roots.

 The wine comes in five blends made from California grapes: chardonnay, pinot grigio, moscato, cabernet sauvignon, and a red blend.

 Sound familiar? Monrovia-based Trader Joe’s in 2002 launched its popular Charles Shaw Wines at $1.99 a bottle. They are available in chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, and white zinfandel. The price has notched up over the years and soon the brand, which costs $2.99 in many locations, could lose its clever nickname. Three-Buck Chuck, anyone?

 The Target wine will be on shelves at 1,100 Target stores nationwide beginning Sunday, Sept. 3, just in time for Labor Day cookouts.

 “Wine, beer and other adult beverages are among Target’s fastest-growing categories,” the retailer said in a press release.

 With craft beer sales one of the few bright spots at Target, the retailer said it plans to expand its alcohol selections at 300 stores nationwide, including seven in Southern California. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 With craft beer sales one of the few bright spots at Target, the retailer said it plans to expand its alcohol selections at 300 stores nationwide, including seven in Southern California. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 Target is expanding its beer selections in Southern California.

 Two mini-Target stores are planned for Orange and Irvine. The smaller locations are a focus for Target, which wants to grow the brand in urban areas and college campus markets. (Image courtesy of Target)

 Pictured is a rendering of the small-format Target that’s coming to a former Ralphs in Orange on Chapman Avenue. (Image courtesy of Target)

 With craft beer sales one of the few bright spots at Target, the retailer said it plans to expand its alcohol selections at 300 stores nationwide, including seven in Southern California. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Regiser/SCNG)

 With craft beer sales one of the few bright spots at Target, the retailer said it plans to expand its alcohol selections at 300 stores nationwide, including seven in Southern California. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)

 Target’s turnaround plan includes remodeling more than 600 of its 1,800 stores, including the location at 2191 N. Tustin St. in Orange. The makeover will be complete by late October. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register)

 The company has recently rolled out expanded craft beer and wine selections at many stores.

 Chief Merchandising Officer Mark Tritton in July said the move to beef up its beer, wine and spirits offerings was prompted after the retailer reported “mid-single digit” sales increases in its adult beverage business for the first quarter.

 Target said the expansion includes adding alcohol in “300 stores through increased footprints, remodels and new liquor licenses.”

 The seven stores in Southern California adding alcohol include six small-format stores opening this year in Irvine, Orange, Los Angeles (Eagle Rock and USC Village), Mission Hills and Burbank; along with a traditional store slated to open in Oceanside.

 Beyond adding liquor to new or existing stores, Boyd said Target also plans to shore up current wine and beer shelves with a wider selection of options. Specifically, stores are looking to curate from more local craft breweries. The latter is one of the biggest trends in the beverage industry.

 In 2015, California craft breweries contributed $7.28 billion to the state’s economy, up 12 percent from $6.5 million in 2014, according to the latest data by the California Craft Brewers Association.

 ICYMI: Target’s first small-format store in Orange County is 33% groceries, has no children’s clothing ||||| Target is about to debut its own brand of wine at a price of $5 a bottle.

 It's called California Roots. There will be five different blends Target says are "carefully crafted with premium, California-grown grapes."

 Chardonnay: "Lush tropical fruit flavors and a bright finish will transport you to a warm, sunny day at the farmers market."

 Pinot Grigio: "Vibrant citrus and tropical fruit flavors let you enjoy the fresh, easygoing feeling of summer any time of the year."

 Moscato: "Delicate aromas and creamy peach and melon flavors make every day feel a little more special."

 Cabernet Sauvignon "Juicy cherry flavors, hints of oak and graceful finish elevate even the simplest pleasures."

 Red Blend: "Smooth berry and cherry flavors with hints of spice offer the perfect antidote to the workweek."

 The $5 bottles of wine will be available at all Target stores which sell alcohol beginning Sunday, Sept. 3.

 "We're out to give our guests even more reasons to love Target, including exclusive products they can't find anywhere else," says Jeff Burt, senior vice president of food and beverage. "And we think they're going to love California Roots. These wines are just the right blend of incredible quality and amazing value that guests can only get at Target." ||||| New line of wines made with California-grown grapes.

 Determined to make us love it even more, Target just announced an incredible new line of wine. And the best part is that each selection from the collection only costs $5 a bottle. Move over Trader Joe’s; there’s a new wino in town.

 As long as you’re not super snobby about the cost of your wine, you’ll likely find and love one of the five new gems from Target. The collection is called California Roots since all the blends are made with premium, California-grown grapes. We don’t if they’re actually premium or what a grape does to earn that title, but Target says they’re A+, and we trust the mother ship. Without further delay, let’s meet your new favorite beverage.

 First up is the Chardonnay blend. According to Target, the wine’s profile includes “lush tropical fruit flavors and a bright finish,” which sounds perfect for the last days of summer. Our besties (Target employees) recommended pairing this wine with artisanal cheeses and freshly baked bread. When are fancy cheeses not a great idea?

 If your diet isn’t just cheese and bread, then the Pinot Grigio is the choice for you and your healthy salad and fresh fish. For real, though, that’s the recommended pairing. We’re sure it goes just as well with popcorn and ice cream straight out of the carton. Don’t judge. Anyway, this Grig’s profile includes “vibrant citrus and tropical fruit flavors.” Another excellent selection.

 If you love dessert wines or just any blend that’s a bit sweeter than you’ll want to grab a bottle or two of the new Moscato. “Delicate aromas and creamy peach and melon flavors make every day feel a little more special,” the wine lovers at Target wrote about this blend. They suggested pairing it with “sweet, freshly picked berries.”

 Don’t worry, lovers of reds — the mother of commerce and children crying in aisle four didn’t forget about you. “Juicy cherry flavors, hints of oak and graceful finish elevate even the simplest pleasures” in the collection’s Cabernet Sauvignon, according to Target. Like most reds, this one is recommended with a nice steak, a thick rib eye to be specific.

 Last but not least in the California Roots line is the Red Blend. Sure, we would have liked to see more red options, but this is Target’s first shot at $5 wine, so we’re willing to overlook it. According to the mega store, this blend is made up of “smooth berry and cherry flavors with hints of spice offer the perfect antidote to the workweek.” The recommended pairing is wild mushroom pasta and grilled vegetables, but it’s sure to complement a pizza as well.

 Sadly, some Target locations don’t carry any wine. It’s true. There are poor souls scattered across the country who don’t get to experience the beloved mega store in all its glory.

 When Target announces its new wine coming out on Sunday and you live in Indiana pic.twitter.com/VWQsdxR3Gm — Sam (@sam_taft) August 28, 2017

 For those of you lucky enough to live near a Target that sells booze (me!), pick up a bottle from the California collection starting Sept. 3. ||||| Loving all these incredible new brands debuting at Target? Well you might wanna sit down (and grab a glass or two), because we've got some delicious news. We’re introducing a new line of wines with profiles—and prices—that'll have you sipping for joy. Say hello to California Roots: Five wine blends carefully crafted with premium, California-grown grapes. And the best part? All this pure vineyard-to-table goodness is just $5 a bottle at Target, starting Sept. 3.

 Ready for a first taste? Read on to find the perfect wine to make any party—or weeknight dinner—shine:

 Chardonnay

 Profile: Lush tropical fruit flavors and a bright finish will transport you to a warm, sunny day at the farmers market

 Pairings: Artisanal cheeses and freshly baked bread

 Pinot Grigio

 Profile: Vibrant citrus and tropical fruit flavors let you enjoy the fresh, easygoing feeling of summer any time of the year

 Pairings: Crisp green salads and fresh fish

 Moscato

 Profile: Delicate aromas and creamy peach and melon flavors make every day feel a little more special

 Pairings: Sweet, freshly picked berries

 Cabernet Sauvignon

 Profile: Juicy cherry flavors, hints of oak and graceful finish elevate even the simplest pleasures

 Pairings: Thick ribeye steaks

 Red Blend

 Profile: Smooth berry and cherry flavors with hints of spice offer the perfect antidote to the workweek

 Pairings: Wild mushroom pasta and grilled vegetables

 Wine, beer and other adult beverages are among Target’s fastest-growing categories. And when it comes to wine, we’ve curated an impressive selection, from some of the top-trending varietals in the world (like rose and sparkling) to our much-loved Wine Cube. But adding California Roots is all about creating something new and special for our guests…

 “We’re out to give our guests even more reasons to love Target—including exclusive products they can’t find anywhere else,” says Jeff Burt, senior vice president of food and beverage. “And we think they’re going to love California Roots—these wines are just the right blend of incredible quality and amazing value that guests can expect at Target.”

 California Roots wines launch at over 1,100 Target stores nationwide on Sept. 3. |||||


Write an article based on this summary:

– Just how bad are Pakistan's power grid problems? This bad: The government has ordered civil servants to stop wearing socks, reports Reuters. The weird order goes hand in hand with another edict that forbids government offices from turning on their air-conditioners. That makes things so unbearably hot that the workers are barred from wearing shoes and socks lest they be tempted to reach for the AC. Instead, bare feet in sandals or moccasins are required. If it sounds like desperation, that's because it is. Even in major cities, electricity goes down for 10 hours a day, reports the New York Times, and it's not hard to imagine all the disastrous ways that ripples through society—at hospitals, morgues, factories that can't run their equipment, etc. All kinds of factors are at play, but the Times zeroes in on a surprisingly simple one: "Most Pakistanis will not pay their bills." That includes everyone from rich politicians to police departments to slum dwellers. Incoming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised during his campaign to reform the system, but whether he has the political ability to do so remains an open question.

“Everyone is affected,” said Iqbal Jamil, a heat-flustered resident of Landhi, a neighborhood in Karachi.

 The crisis is the product of multiple factors, from decrepit power plants to crumbling transmission lines to decades-old policy mistakes. One reason, however, stands above the others: most Pakistanis will not pay their bills.

 The system is paralyzed by $5 billion in “circular debt” — basically, a long chain of unpaid bills that cuts across society, from government departments to wealthy politicians to slum dwellers. At its worst, this leaves power providers with no funds to pay for fuel, so their plants slow or shut down entirely.

 As a political issue, electricity has galvanized the Pakistani public — more so, even, than Islamist militancy. Mr. Sharif swept to victory in the May 11 election in part on the appeal of slogans promising to deliver a “shining Pakistan” and to “end the darkness.”

 Analysts say the question is whether Mr. Sharif has the political backbone to make the tough decisions needed to change the system, particularly as some of his own supporters, along with other rich and powerful Pakistanis, are among the bill defaulters who need to start paying their fair share.

 “This is not like finding a cure for cancer — people know what needs to be done,” said Robert M. Hathaway, director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C., who has written a book on Pakistan’s electricity crisis. “The problem is implementation, and finding the political will.”

 Photo

 The crisis has hit hardest in Mr. Sharif’s home province, Punjab. In Kharian, a Punjabi town along the historic Grand Trunk Road, Malik Mazhar Iqbal Awan, a businessman, fanned himself with a newspaper as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

 Advertisement Continue reading the main story

 Mr. Awan owns a small marble factory. In the yard outside, a handful of workers sat quietly beside a cutting machine, waiting for the power to return. Just four years ago, Mr. Awan said, he employed 25 people. Now he has just six.

 “I can’t pay their salaries,” he said, wiping away dust that had blown in through an open window. “How can I if we can only work a few hours every day?”

 Mr. Awan said he had voted for Mr. Sharif, a former steel baron, because he was “110 percent sure” the candidate could turn the electricity situation around. “He’s an industrialist,” he said. “He thinks differently than the others.”

 Although easing the $5 billion “circular debt” is the principal problem, experts say money is only part of the solution. Deep-rooted structural issues, exacerbated by political interference and systemic graft, lie at the heart of Pakistan’s power crisis.

 Electricity theft, by rich and poor, is common. Slum dwellers steal power through illegal connections; powerful politicians and government departments simply refuse to pay their bills. Electricity officials and the police, fearing retribution, dare not cut them off.

 Corruption is notorious in the private power sector, where political supporters win lucrative contracts, often at inflated costs or without even producing a megawatt of power. In 2011 the auditor general noted that the government had committed to $1.7 billion in such contracts, yet added just 62 megawatts to the national power grid.

 Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.

 One prominent candidate in this election — Raja Pervez Ashraf, the country’s last prime minister — has been closely identified with the power crisis. After he lost his parliamentary seat in a crushing defeat, officials with the national anticorruption body stepped in, summoning Mr. Ashraf last week to answer accusations that he had taken kickbacks worth tens of millions of dollars from foreign companies on power projects.

 Even those supposed to be enforcing the law are breaking it. At one police station in Sindh Province, officers erected an illegal power connection for their air-conditioners. In other areas, electricity company officials are afraid to disconnect defaulters for fear of attack.

 About 20 percent of the electricity supply disappears across the country, and up to 33 percent in the worst-affected district, as a result of dilapidated transmission lines or outright theft, said Fariel Salahuddin, a power sector consultant.

 Advertisement Continue reading the main story

 “The fastest way to improve things is to start collecting bills and come down hard on theft,” she said. “That’s easier said than done, though.”

 Photo

 The crisis is exacting an economic toll equivalent to at least 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to economists — greater than the estimated economic cost of the Taliban insurgency.

 At the same time, government policy is a shambles. Decision-making is centered in the notoriously corrupt Energy Ministry; no major new power plant has been built for decades, and the existing ones are falling into disrepair. As a result, Pakistan relies heavily on expensive furnace oil imports.

 “There is complete disarray between all entities involved,” said a report on the power crisis that was commissioned by the National Planning Commission last March.

 In the short term, Mr. Sharif will seek to salve his power woes by trying to find foreign cash or fuel to get dormant power stations back on line. His officials have suggested that Saudi Arabia, a country that Mr. Sharif enjoys close relations with, could offer up to $15 billion worth of emergency oil supplies on favorable terms.

 But oil and money can provide only temporary relief, and Mr. Sharif may also seek other foreign assistance to tackle the structural problems — some in the face of opposition from the United States.

 Last week he asked the visiting Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, to provide Pakistan with help in building a civilian nuclear power plant. That was widely seen as an indirect rebuff to the United States, which offered similar help to Pakistan’s rival, India, in 2006 — a source of enduring resentment in Pakistan.

 Similarly, President Asif Ali Zardari signed a deal with Iran last year to run a gas pipeline across the border to Pakistan. But the project would run afoul of United Nations sanctions on Iran — penalties that were championed by Washington.

 Advertisement Continue reading the main story

 The United States, for its part, has spent $225 million since 2009 in refurbishing Pakistan’s decrepit hydroelectric power plants, adding 900 megawatts to the national grid. American officials are also working with the government to improve revenue collection.

 But large-scale infrastructure projects, like new hydroelectric dams, take years to come to fruition. And international donors are reluctant to commit further funds without signs of strong reform from Pakistan’s political leadership.

 Pakistan’s leaders know they are running out of time. Other countries also face crippling electricity shortages, of course, in parts of the Middle East or sub-Saharan Africa. But none of those nations possess nuclear weapons, or such a rapidly growing population as Pakistan, estimated at 180 million people.

 Population growth alone is adding 1,000 megawatts per year to the country’s electricity needs, said Mr. Hathaway of the Wilson Center.

 “We Americans also like to defer tough decisions,” he said, referring to contentious and expensive reforms in education and social welfare. “But Pakistanis are approaching a point where they no longer have that luxury.” ||||| Collection of photos that made the news or caught our eye this week.

 A technician is silhouetted as he works on power lines supplying electricity in the outskirts of Lahore January 31, 2012.

 ISLAMABAD |

 ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has told civil servants not to wear socks as the country turns off air-conditioners amid a chronic power crisis and soaring temperatures.

 The government has turned off all air-conditioning in its offices as the country endures blackouts of up to 20 hours a day in some places.

 "There shall be no more use of air-conditioners in public offices till such time that substantial improvement in the energy situation takes place," a cabinet directive said.

 As part of a new dress code, moccasins or sandals must be worn without socks.

 The power shortages have sparked violent protests and crippled key industries, costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in a country already beset by high unemployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty and a Taliban insurgency.

 The "load-shedding" means many families cannot pump water, let alone run air-conditioners, with a disastrous knock-on effect on health and domestic life.

 Frustration over the power cuts contributed to the former ruling party's poor showing in a May 11 general election.

 Two ministers in charge of water and power explained what can be done to end power cuts in parts of the country enduring temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius and above - absolutely nothing, it seems, except raise prices.

 Ministers Musadiq Malik and Sohail Wajahat Siddiqui "expressed their inability to overcome the crisis", the Daily Times quoted them as telling a news conference in Lahore, where the temperature was 40 C on Monday.

 "They have termed financial constraints as a major, and incompetence as a minor, hurdle in resolving the issue," the newspaper said.

 "Presenting the realistic picture, the ministers announced that they were going to increase the price of electricity and gas for all sectors."

 They gave no details but said the problem would get worse before it gets better.

 About two-thirds of Pakistan's energy is generated by oil and gas and there are widespread gas shortages, with cars run by CNG, compressed natural gas, queuing up for hours overnight to fill their tanks.

 (Reporting by Nick Macfie; Editing by Robert Birsel) |||||