Apr. 24, 2013 ? Clenching your right hand may help form a stronger memory of an event or action, and clenching your left may help you recollect the memory later, according to research published April 24 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Ruth Propper and colleagues from Montclair State University.
Participants in the research study were split into groups and asked to first memorize, and later recall words from a list of 72 words. There were 4 groups who clenched their hands; One group clenched their right fist for about 90 seconds immediately prior to memorizing the list and then did the same immediately prior to recollecting the words. Another group clenched their left hand prior to both memorizing and recollecting. Two other groups clenched one hand prior to memorizing (either the left or right hand) and the opposite hand prior to recollecting. A control group did not clench their fists at any point.
The group that clenched their right fist when memorizing the list and then clenched the left when recollecting the words performed better than all the other hand clenching groups. This group also did better than the group that did not clench their fists at all, though this difference was not statistically 'significant'.
"The findings suggest that some simple body movements -- by temporarily changing the way the brain functions- can improve memory. Future research will examine whether hand clenching can also improve other forms of cognition, for example verbal or spatial abilities," says Ruth Propper, lead scientist on the study.
The authors clarify that further work is needed to test whether their results with word lists also extend to memories of visual stimuli like remembering a face, or spatial tasks, such as remembering where keys were placed. Based on previous work, the authors suggest that this effect of hand-clenching on memory may be because clenching a fist activates specific brain regions that are also associated with memory formation.
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Journal Reference:
Ruth E. Propper, Sean E. McGraw, Tad T. Bruny?, Michael Weiss. Getting a Grip on Memory: Unilateral Hand Clenching Alters Episodic Recall. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (4): e62474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062474
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Apr. 25, 2013 ? Exaggeration over the extent of the malaria parasite's resistance to the 'wonder drugs' artemisinins could jeopardise the fight against the disease, according to a leading expert.
In an opinion article published on World Malaria Day today (25 April 2013) -- online in the journal Trends in Parasitology, Professor Sanjeev Krishna of St George's, University of London argues that much of the evidence of the malaria parasite's resistance to artemisinin has been misinterpreted. He says this has led to the extent of artemisinin resistance being overstated, and that fears of its demise as an effective treatment are premature.
The artemisinin class of drugs are the best anti-malarial treatments available, and are used most effectively with other drugs as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). Recent research has suggested that the malaria parasite is developing resistance to ACTs, particularly in Southeast Asia. Experts fear that if artemisinins became obsolete -- as previous anti-malarials have -- the effect could be devastating, as there are currently no other effective alternatives.
However, Professor Krishna argues that -- despite being accepted as dogma by the malaria research community -- most of the descriptions of artemisinin resistance do not meet the criteria by which resistance to other anti-malarials and drugs for other diseases have been measured.
For true resistance to exist, according to criteria used for other drugs, there needs to be: a significant failure in treatment (by not meeting the World Health Organization's target of a 95 per cent cure rate 28 days after treatment); a reduced sensitivity to the drug when the parasite is examined in the lab; and a visible delay in ridding the patient of parasites.
Currently, Professor Krishna says, it seems to be accepted that artemisinin treatment failure has occurred when a three-day course of ACT does not meet the target cure rate. This has been observed in a number of studies and has been used to try and understand 'artemisinin resistance.'
But other studies of seven-day courses of artemisinin monotherapies -- in which artemisinins are used alone, without partner drugs -- have shown up to 100 per cent cure rates after 28 days.
This, Professor Krishna, says, indicates proof of resistance to ACTs, but that there is no compelling evidence that artemisinins themselves are becoming less effective. He says this resistance will usually "be to a combination of an artemisinin with another drug against which there is usually a high background of resistance already."
"Contending that there is artemisinin resistance when cure of patients relies on the partner drug of an artemisinin is difficult to substantiate without additional studies," writes Professor Krishna. "It is more appropriate to describe the lack of observed efficacy as resistance to an artemisinin combination therapy rather than as being artemisinin resistance."
He adds that "crying wolf" and raising fears of artemisinin resistance when it is not yet proven "will itself have significant costs, so that when the wolf finally turns up, exhausted villagers no longer respond."
To ensure better understanding of when true artemisinin resistance occurs, and to learn how to fight it, Professor Krishna says there needs to be further research into the how the drugs work against the parasite. He also urges the development of molecular markers to predict the failure of the partner drugs used in ACTs, as well as further studies on artemisinin monotherapies.
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Likes And Followers Don't Mean Anything Without Action (Earned Web) UNICEF is currently running a brilliant Facebook campaign that focuses on the inaction that is often observed in social media campaigns. It tells users that it has nothing against "likes," but that only cash donations can really help them vaccinate children. It delightfully pokes at the online media phenomenon, "Slacktivism."?Michael Brito, senior vice president at Edelman, said, "So many people are open to 'like', 'share' and 'comment' for social issues and it makes sense. Things like this play on our emotions. But how many of us actually put our money where our mouths is and help change the world. Very few." Read >
Facebook And Twitter Don't Change Political Status Quo (Pew Research via Tech World) Social media has yet to show its supposed promise as a great leveler of American democracy, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center , which found that sharp divisions in political participation among socioeconomic groups persist despite the presence of Facebook and Twitter. Although political activity on social networking sites as a whole increased dramatically between 2008 and 2012, the majority of daily political conversations still take place offline.? Read >
Social Media Content Mistakes To Avoid (Business2Community) When planning your social marketing strategy and being active on social channels, avoid these common content mistakes.
Not engaging with your audience
Only talking about yourself
Always posting the same kind of content
Posting links without text
Not investing in owned assets
Although social media has been around for a few years, plenty of businesses and entrepreneurs still get it wrong. Read >
Allowing Brands To ?Buy Into Moment? (ClickZ) How close can a marketer get to real time? Social marketing platforms aim to help brands insert themselves into social media conversations sooner, and in more sophisticated ways. A spate of announcements promise to help advertisers react to trending topics, or even see into the future. Read >
Annoying Facebook Couples Are Actually More In Love (Cosmopolitan) According to a new study about Facebook habits, people who report appearing in more photos with their partner and who regularly tag their partner in their status updates tend to have closer romantic relationships. Researchers say that Facebook can actually be a window into people's worlds, at least in part, to how couples interact, and maybe even feel, in real life. Read >
Social Media: Battle Of The Sexes (Internet Service Providers via Mediabistro) Historically and statistically, social media has always skewed slightly favourably towards women. This infographic takes a closer look at how men and women are using social media. Read >
Apr. 23, 2013 ? A specific region of the brain is in play when children consider their identity and social status as they transition into adolescence -- that often-turbulent time of reaching puberty and entering middle school, says a University of Oregon psychologist.
In a study of 27 neurologically typical children who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at ages 10 and 13, activity in the brain's ventromedial prefrontal cortex increased dramatically when the subjects responded to questions about how they view themselves.
The findings, published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, confirm previous findings that specific brain networks support self-evaluations in the growing brain, but, more importantly, provide evidence that basic biology may well drive some of these changes, says Jennifer H. Pfeifer, professor of psychology and director of the psychology department's Developmental Social Neuroscience Lab.
"This is a longitudinal fMRI study, which is still relatively uncommon," Pfeifer said. "It suggests a link between neural responses during self-evaluative processing in the social domain, and pubertal development. This provides a rare piece of empirical evidence in humans, rather than animal models, that supports the common theory that adolescents are biologically driven to go through a social reorientation."
Participants were scanned for about seven minutes at each visit. They responded to a series of attributes tied to social or academic domains -- social ones such as "I am popular" or "I wish I had more friends" and academic ones such as "I like to read just for fun" or "Writing is so boring." Social and academic evaluations were made about both the self and a familiar fictional character, Harry Potter.
In previous research, Pfeifer had found that a more dorsal region of the medial prefrontal cortex was more responsive in 10-year-old children during self-evaluations, when they were compared to adults. The new study, she said, provides a more detailed picture of how the brain supports self-development by looking at change within individuals.
The fMRI analyses found it was primarily the social self-evaluations that triggered significant increases over time in blood-oxygen levels, which fMRI detects, in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, these increases were strongest in children who experienced the most pubertal development over the three-year study period, for both girls and boys. Increases during academic self-evaluations were at best marginal. Whole-brain analyses found no other areas of the brain had significant increases or decreases in activity related to pubertal development.
"Neural changes in the social domain were more robust," Pfeifer said. "Increased responses in this one region of the brain from age 10 to 13 were very evident in social self-evaluations, but not academic ones. This pattern is consistent with the enormous importance that most children entering adolescence place on their peer relationships and social status, compared to the relatively diminished value often associated with academics during this transition."
In youth with autism spectrum disorders, this specialized response in ventral medial prefrontal cortex is missing, she added, citing a paper she co-authored in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and a complementary study led by Michael V. Lombardo, University of Cambridge, in the February 2010 issue of the journal Brain. The absence of this typical effect, Pfeifer said, might be related to the challenges these individuals often face in both self-understanding and social relations.
"Dr. Pfeifer's research examining self-evaluations during adolescence adds significantly to the intricate puzzle of this turbulent age period," said Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the graduate school. "Researchers at the University of Oregon are piecing together how both biology and the environment dynamically and interactively support healthy social development."
National Institutes of Health grants F31MH075299, L40HD059442 and L40MH087356 to Pfeifer primarily funded the research. Other support came from the Santa Fe Institute Consortium, Brain Mapping Medical Research Organization, Brain Mapping Support Foundation, Pierson-Lovelace Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, Tamkin Foundation, Jennifer Jones-Simon Foundation, Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, Robson Family, William M. and Linda R. Dietel Philanthropic Fund at the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, Northstar Fund and the NIH National Center for Research Resources (grants RR12169, RR13642 and RR00865).
Co-authors with Pfeifer on the new study in the Journal of Neuroscience were: UO psychology graduate students Lauren E. Kahn, Junaid S. Merchant and Shannon J. Peake; Kim Veroude, a visiting researcher and graduate student from VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Carrie L. Masten of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee; Matthew D. Lieberman of the University of California, Los Angeles; John C. Mazziotta, director of the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center; and Mirella Dapretto of the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center and UCLA Center for Culture, Brain & Development.
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Atrophy in key region of brain associated with multiple sclerosisPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
OAK BROOK, Ill. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of atrophy in an important area of the brain are an accurate predictor of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. According to the researchers, these atrophy measurements offer an improvement over current methods for evaluating patients at risk for MS.
MS develops as the body's immune system attacks and damages myelin, the protective layer of fatty tissue that surrounds nerve cells within the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include visual disturbances, muscle weakness and trouble with coordination and balance. People with severe cases can lose the ability to speak or walk.
Approximately 85 percent of people with MS suffer an initial, short-term neurological episode known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). A definitive MS diagnosis is based on a combination of factors, including medical history, neurological exams, development of a second clinical attack and detection of new and enlarging lesions with contrast-enhanced or T2-weighted MRI.
"For some time we've been trying to understand MRI biomarkers that predict MS development from the first onset of the disease," said Robert Zivadinov, M.D., Ph.D., FAAN, from the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center of the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. "In the last couple of years, research has become much more focused on the thalamus."
The thalamus is a structure of gray matter deep within the brain that acts as a kind of relay center for nervous impulses. Recent studies found atrophy of the thalamus in all different MS disease types and detected thalamic volume loss in pediatric MS patients.
"Thalamic atrophy may become a hallmark of how we look at the disease and how we develop drugs to treat it," Dr. Zivadinov said.
For this study, Dr. Zivadinov and colleagues investigated the association between the development of thalamic atrophy and conversion to clinically definite MS.
"One of the most important reasons for the study was to understand which regions of the brain are most predictive of a second clinical attack," he said. "No one has really looked at this over the long term in a clinical trial."
The researchers used contrast-enhanced MRI for initial assessment of 216 CIS patients. They performed follow-up scans at six months, one year and two years. Over two years, 92 of 216 patients, or 42.6 percent, converted to clinically definite MS. Decreases in thalamic volume and increase in lateral ventricle volumes were the only MRI measures independently associated with the development of clinically definite MS.
"First, these results show that atrophy of the thalamus is associated with MS," Dr. Zivadinov said. "Second, they show that thalamic atrophy is a better predictor of clinically definite MS than accumulation of T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced lesions."
The findings suggest that measurement of thalamic atrophy and increase in ventricular size may help identify patients at high risk for conversion to clinically definite MS in future clinical trials involving CIS patients.
"Thalamic atrophy is an ideal MRI biomarker because it's detectable at very early stage," Dr. Zivadinov said. "It has very good predictive value, and you will see it used more and more in the future."
The research team continues to follow the study group, with plans to publish results from the four-year follow-up next summer. They are also trying to learn more about the physiology of the thalamic involvement in MS.
"The next step is to look at where the lesions develop over two years with respect to the location of the atrophy," Dr. Zivadinov said. "Thalamic atrophy cannot be explained entirely by accumulation of lesions; there must be an independent component that leads to loss of thalamus."
MS affects more than 2 million people worldwide, according to the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation. There is no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can slow development of the disease.
###
"Thalamic Atrophy is Associated with Development of Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis." Collaborating with Dr. Zivadinov were Eva Havrdov, M.D., Ph.D., Niels Bergsland, M.S., Michaela Tyblova, M.D., Jesper Hagemeier, M.S., Zdenek Seidl, M.D., Ph.D., Michael G. Dwyer, M.S., Manuela Vaneckova, M.D., Ph.D., Jan Krasensky, M.Sc., Ellen Carl, Ph.D., Tomas Kalincik, M.D., Ph.D., Dana Horkov, M.D., Ph.D.
Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Atrophy in key region of brain associated with multiple sclerosisPublic release date: 23-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Linda Brooks lbrooks@rsna.org 630-590-7762 Radiological Society of North America
OAK BROOK, Ill. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of atrophy in an important area of the brain are an accurate predictor of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. According to the researchers, these atrophy measurements offer an improvement over current methods for evaluating patients at risk for MS.
MS develops as the body's immune system attacks and damages myelin, the protective layer of fatty tissue that surrounds nerve cells within the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include visual disturbances, muscle weakness and trouble with coordination and balance. People with severe cases can lose the ability to speak or walk.
Approximately 85 percent of people with MS suffer an initial, short-term neurological episode known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). A definitive MS diagnosis is based on a combination of factors, including medical history, neurological exams, development of a second clinical attack and detection of new and enlarging lesions with contrast-enhanced or T2-weighted MRI.
"For some time we've been trying to understand MRI biomarkers that predict MS development from the first onset of the disease," said Robert Zivadinov, M.D., Ph.D., FAAN, from the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center of the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. "In the last couple of years, research has become much more focused on the thalamus."
The thalamus is a structure of gray matter deep within the brain that acts as a kind of relay center for nervous impulses. Recent studies found atrophy of the thalamus in all different MS disease types and detected thalamic volume loss in pediatric MS patients.
"Thalamic atrophy may become a hallmark of how we look at the disease and how we develop drugs to treat it," Dr. Zivadinov said.
For this study, Dr. Zivadinov and colleagues investigated the association between the development of thalamic atrophy and conversion to clinically definite MS.
"One of the most important reasons for the study was to understand which regions of the brain are most predictive of a second clinical attack," he said. "No one has really looked at this over the long term in a clinical trial."
The researchers used contrast-enhanced MRI for initial assessment of 216 CIS patients. They performed follow-up scans at six months, one year and two years. Over two years, 92 of 216 patients, or 42.6 percent, converted to clinically definite MS. Decreases in thalamic volume and increase in lateral ventricle volumes were the only MRI measures independently associated with the development of clinically definite MS.
"First, these results show that atrophy of the thalamus is associated with MS," Dr. Zivadinov said. "Second, they show that thalamic atrophy is a better predictor of clinically definite MS than accumulation of T2-weighted and contrast-enhanced lesions."
The findings suggest that measurement of thalamic atrophy and increase in ventricular size may help identify patients at high risk for conversion to clinically definite MS in future clinical trials involving CIS patients.
"Thalamic atrophy is an ideal MRI biomarker because it's detectable at very early stage," Dr. Zivadinov said. "It has very good predictive value, and you will see it used more and more in the future."
The research team continues to follow the study group, with plans to publish results from the four-year follow-up next summer. They are also trying to learn more about the physiology of the thalamic involvement in MS.
"The next step is to look at where the lesions develop over two years with respect to the location of the atrophy," Dr. Zivadinov said. "Thalamic atrophy cannot be explained entirely by accumulation of lesions; there must be an independent component that leads to loss of thalamus."
MS affects more than 2 million people worldwide, according to the Multiple Sclerosis International Foundation. There is no cure, but early diagnosis and treatment can slow development of the disease.
###
"Thalamic Atrophy is Associated with Development of Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis." Collaborating with Dr. Zivadinov were Eva Havrdov, M.D., Ph.D., Niels Bergsland, M.S., Michaela Tyblova, M.D., Jesper Hagemeier, M.S., Zdenek Seidl, M.D., Ph.D., Michael G. Dwyer, M.S., Manuela Vaneckova, M.D., Ph.D., Jan Krasensky, M.Sc., Ellen Carl, Ph.D., Tomas Kalincik, M.D., Ph.D., Dana Horkov, M.D., Ph.D.
Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
RSNA is an association of more than 51,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
For patient-friendly information on MRI, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Search engine optimization companies started showing up during the early 2000s. Since the beginning of SEO in the web, it has drastically changed how the web reacts to searches and how companies are all clamoring to be on the top ranks.
Today, search engine optimization companies are benefitting from this trend. Practically every business on the planet has its own website. Companies like Microsoft, Toyota, Coca-Cola, Victoria?s Secret, Time, Mercedez Benz Dealers, they all use search engine optimization companies to help their sites rank in the different search engines.
Here, we?ve put together a list of the top search engine optimization companies, (this is in no particular order or ranking)
One of those search engine optimization companies offering a wide range of social media services, but what sets Netmark apart from other search engine optimization companies is that it customizes its services to fit the client?s products and services. It was founded by Chad Heath in 2007, and since then it has served more than 300 clients. Launch Smart, SimonSezit, Headsets Direct, Experian, and Superior Threads are just some of its notable clients. Netmark?s reported revenue is in the $5M-$10M range. That?s saying a lot for a company that?s being run by less than a hundred employees.
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Before other search engine optimization companies focused on lead generation, Webimax was already specializing on lead generation campaigns. This company leverages on social media and its tools such as Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, videos, and blogging to help their clients gain online presence. The company was founded by Kenneth Wisnefski in 2008. The company has 100 full time employees serving more than 500 customers. Other search engine optimization companies would certainly wish to have the names of Aeropostale, Carrier, Toshiba, Braun, Allied, Remax, Berlitz, and even JG Wentworth, under their portfolios. According to some reports, its revenue is in the $10M bracket, and there?s even a projection that it could balloon to a billion in 2016.
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What?s unique about this company, which helps it stand out from other search engine optimization companies, is that it provides its clients with a personal account manager who keeps tabs on their social media campaigns. They have successfully combined online projects with social media presence. The company is still young compared to other search engine optimization companies; it just began in 2009, founded by Sam Allock. From its humble beginnings as an SEO agency, they started to gain attention from clients and other search engine optimization companies when business campaigns started to crawl into the realm of social media. They aligned the services of their company to capitalize on the social media traffic and they?ve been a force to reckon with ever since.? Some of their notable clients are Robinsons, Red Bull, Sunglasses UK, The Plumb Store, and Protouch. They have about 25 employees with estimated revenue of $3M.
These search engine optimization companies have different expertise under their belts; if you?re looking to work with one of these top search engine optimization companies then you would have to also look into their reputation, specialization, services, training, and customer support.
Colorado Party's presidential candidate Horacio Cartes, waves to supporters in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind. At right is Vice-President elect Juan Afara.(AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
Colorado Party's presidential candidate Horacio Cartes, waves to supporters in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind. At right is Vice-President elect Juan Afara.(AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
Colorado Party's presidential candidate Horacio Cartes greets supporters after presidential election results were made official in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind..(AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
Colorado Party's presidential candidate Horacio Cartes, waves to supporters after presidential election results were made official in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Horacio Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
Supporters of Colorado Party's presidential candidate Horacio Cartes, unseen, cheer in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013 after being elected new Paraguay's president. Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind. (AP Photo/Cesar Olmedo)
Colorado Party supporters celebrate the victory of their candidate in presidential election in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, April 21, 2013. Colorado Party candidate Horacio Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind.(AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) ? Paraguayans elected a tobacco magnate as their new leader Sunday, returning the conservative Colorado Party to the presidency that it held for 61 years before former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo won the office in 2008.
Horacio Cartes won a five-year term with 46 percent of the vote over 37 percent for Efrain Alegre of the Radical Liberal party, the Electoral Court announced after most votes were counted. Five other candidates trailed far behind.
"I'll need help from all the Paraguayans to govern in the next five years. Poverty, the lack of jobs for young people and international issues await us," Cartes said Sunday night.
Poverty is widespread in Paraguay, which is an agrarian nation that is South America's No. 3 producer of soy, corn and sunflowers. About 1 percent of the population controls 77 percent of the arable land. The U.N. estimates more than half of Paraguayans live in poverty, while the country's census bureau puts the number at 39 percent.
Alegre recognized his defeat despite saying earlier that he might challenge the outcome. "The Paraguayan people have spoken. There's nothing more to say," he said in a brief concession speech.
Cartes, 58, is part of the tiny elite that controls just about everything in Paraguay. His father represented the Cessna airplane company in Paraguay, which enabled Cartes to get schooling in the U.S. state of Oklahoma.
The president-elect owns controlling shares in banks, investment funds, agricultural estates, a soda maker and tobacco plantations. Most pre-election polls predicted his victory, despite this being his first run for public office. Cartes has been well-known in Paraguay as president of Libertad, the club that won last year's national soccer championship.
Many Paraguayans hope this election will encourage other countries to restore full relations that were suspended after last year's impeachment of Lugo, which neighboring nations saw as a threat to democracy in the region.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias led an observer mission from the Organization of American States, and said Sunday that he had complete confidence in the Electoral Court because it had spent months observing and supporting the process. There were 515 observers from the OAS, European Union, the Union of South American Nations regional bloc known as UNASUR and the Union of Latin American Electoral Organizations.
International election observer Martin Sequeira said voting proceeded calmly with a high turnout. He said there were some unconfirmed reports of election fraud complaining that some ballots had been pre-marked.
But Arias said those were only "some small incidents, which you see even in the most consolidated democracies."
The Colorados held the presidency during and after Alfredo Stroessner's 35-year-dictatorship, until Lugo, a leftist, sandal-wearing former bishop, joined up with the Radical Liberals and was swept into office on promises of land reform. But Lugo lacked even a handful of supporters in congress, made political missteps within his own coalition and was stymied at every turn.
The Radical Liberals finally joined with the Colorados to vote Lugo out of office for "poor performance" last year. The impeachment process is well defined under the constitution, but Paraguay's neighbors criticized the ouster of a popularly elected president as anti-democratic and suspended the country's membership in UNASUR, the Mercosur trade bloc and CELAC, which brings together Caribbean, Latin American and European Union countries.
Lugo's vice president, Federico Franco, a Radical Liberal politician who took over as caretaker president, said he expects Paraguay's status to be swiftly normalized after the new head of state takes office Aug. 15.
Turnout was more than 68 percent among the estimated 3.5 million of Paraguay's 6.2 million citizens who are registered to vote. They elected 45 senators, 80 deputies, 17 governors and 18 delegates to the Mercosur parliament based in Uruguay.
Millions more eligible voters live outside Paraguay, but after a poorly funded registration process, fewer than 22,000 people were registered, most in Argentina, Spain and the United States.
LONDON (AP) ? A defiant, festive mood prevailed Sunday at the London Marathon despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon six days ago.
Thousands of runners offered tributes to those killed and injured in Boston on a glorious spring day in London. The race began after a moment of silence for the victims in Boston, and many here wore black armbands as a sign of solidarity.
"It means that runners are stronger than bombers," said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old participant from France.
London's is the first major international marathon since the double-bomb attack near the finish line in Boston, which left three people dead and more than 180 injured, including many who are still hospitalized. In addition, a policeman was killed during the search for the two suspected bombers. One suspect was killed during a shootout with police, while a second has been arrested.
Some 36,000 runners were expected to take part in the London race, which also draws tens of thousands of spectators. Police said they planned to add 40 percent more officers and extra surveillance as a precautionary measure.
Most runners in London said they weren't worried by the Boston bombings, and the impressive turnout of enthusiastic fans lining the routes showed the same spirit.
Stuart Calderwood, an editor with a New York running magazine who has run in eight Boston Marathons, said the carnage there had made him and his friends more determined to run in London.
"We thought, 'What's going on with marathons? Are we vulnerable, in danger?'" said Calderwood, 55, after finishing the London course. "My group that came here, we just decided this is going to make us better. We're going to say marathons are the opposite of bombing and hostility and terror. People come from all over the world, work together to do something they couldn't do by themselves."
He said he put his hand on his heart as he crossed the finish line to honor the Boston victims: "I was thinking in the last mile about the kid that died, his name is Martin Richard and he used to run through every puddle he saw in the street. He loved to run. I ran that for him. ...This is for marathons and positive thinking."
David Wilson, 45, said there was no question of canceling the marathon. He noted that Londoners had come back onto the streets the day after the lethal July 7, 2005, transit system bombings and weren't easily cowed.
"You can't not do anything, because otherwise you'd stay on the outs all the time," he said.
But Chris Denton, a 44-year-old engineer stretching his legs by the start line, acknowledged an undercurrent of anxiety. He'd asked that his family not come out to support him because of a possible copycat attack. "I left them at home," he said. "If only for my peace of mind."
The men's race was won by Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede; the women's champion was Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo.
Among the participants in London was Tomasz Hamerlak of Poland, who finished fourth in the men's wheelchair race and had competed in Boston last week. He said he was determined to race in London.
"It is terrible what happened in Boston, but we can't look back, we must look forward," an out-of-breath Hamerlak told The Associated Press moments after crossing the finish line. "The show must go on."
A relaxed-looking Prince Harry presented awards to the wheelchair racers and mingled with spectators.
"It's fantastic, typically British," he said. "People are saying they haven't seen crowds like this for eight years around the route. It's remarkable to see."
He said it was "never an option" for him to cancel his appearance following the Boston bombings.
"No one has changed any plans, volunteers, security, nothing has changed," he said. "Typically the British way."
On Blackheath, the spacious green common area where the race begins, runners massaged one another's legs as loud pop music boomed on a sound system. A half-dozen police officers in reflective vests strolled around and chatted with the runners.?Many in the crowd wore Boston T-shirts.
Moments before the majority of runners set off on the grinding course, announcer Geoff Wightman used the loudspeakers to ask for silence. He described marathon running as a global sport that unites runners and supporters in every continent in a spirit of friendship.
"This week the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon," he said as he asked the people gathered to "remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness."
As those gathered responded to his call, the only noise that could be heard was the buzz of helicopters and the beeping of a truck.
Security was plentiful but not intrusive near the finish line at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. Marathon staff, officials and media had their bags thoroughly checked, a process not deemed necessary at the event last year. Officials said this was in response to the Boston attack.
Shirley Gillard, a 63-year-old retiree sitting on a bench at the edge of the starting area, seemed pleased with her decision to come out and watch the race.?She described herself as the type of person who was always worried when spotting an unattended bag on public transport, but said people shouldn't change their habits because of what happened in Boston.
"That would be letting them win, the terrorists and lunatics," she said.
Marathon organizers plan to donate money to a Boston fund set up to help victims. They said they did not consider canceling the event, which is a highlight of the sporting calendar.
In a smaller event in Germany, some 15,000 runners were participating Sunday in the Hamburg Marathon. They wore armbands with the slogan "Run for Boston" as a mark of respect for the bombing victims
Extra security was added and there was no disruption. Hamburg organizers have said that they know of only eight people who pulled out because of the Boston bombings.
___
AP writers Rob Harris and Steve Douglas in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
It takes more than being an industry standard in order to remain competitive in today's business. Sometimes, it's all about having a new technology that your company never did before.
While the change might be looked upon with disdain, it will bring in more long-term gains for your company. One such technology tailored by different companies is GPS vehicle tracking.
If your company deals with providing phone cables, construction materials, inventory, vehicle rentals, or comparable products directly to dealers, then fleet management solutions can provide your business an advantage over your competitors. Once you select a dependable fleet services company, your business will be able to receive the following advantages from that:
1 .More efficient use of fuel.
Taking ineffective routes, driving aggressively, or driving your vehicles for private use is a thing most drivers constantly do, but who is going to cover the lost fuel? Obviously, the owner of these vehicles has no other option. Nevertheless, adapting the use of fleet tracking services can help you lessen the fuel expenses associated with nonproductive driving.
2. Decrease in Labor Costs
If you've got more than a single vehicle used for performing various company operations, you certainly have to employ a worker to report the day-to-day driving schedule and activities. Nevertheless, this is time-consuming and also pricey. Instead of paying personnel a large amount of money, you can get a GPS tracker.
Reliable GPS tracking providers usually have much to offer you in terms of reducing your labor costs like, a detailed report on average weekly totals and daily hours your vehicles had been in use.
3. Increase in Safety and Security
Remember that cars are considered one of the most valuable as well as useful assets for your business. Because of this, you have to protect them by choosing the proven methods. GPS tracking will serve this purpose well as it will enable you to know exactly where your vehicles are. In addition, utilizing this tracking system will help you understand the functionality of your drivers.
4. Enhancement in Customer Service
Client care is itself a competitive benefit, so why wouldn't you achieve this with something your business already needs? By using a GPS tracker, you will be able to respond to customer demands in the fastest time possible. For instance, if it's about delivering an item to a client within a particular due date, you can do this quickly by using fleet management.
Live streaming is available online at http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/live-stream-confronting-evil#overlay-context=content/live-stream-confronting-evil
SATURDAY, April 20, 2013
9:00 a.m. ? 6 p.m. Harvard University
A conference co-sponsored by the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and the Volkswagen Foundation.
Free and open to the public. All are welcome. No registration is required.
Conference Schedule:
9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks Wilhelm Krull, Volkswagen Foundation Homi Bhabha, Harvard University Robert Mnookin, Harvard Law School
9:15 a.m.
Panel One: The Concept and Rhetoric of Evil Peter-Andr? Alt, Freie Universit?t Berlin Avishai Margalit, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Susan Neiman, Einstein Forum Elaine Pagels, Princeton University Chair: Homi Bhabha, Harvard University
?
11:15 a.m.
Panel Two: The Psychology of Evil: Cognitive, Behavioral, and Social Implications Max Bazerman, Harvard Business School Joshua Greene, Harvard University Lee Ross, Stanford University Chair: Mahzarin Banaji, Harvard University
?
2:15 p.m
Panel Three: Witnessing Evil in World Affairs: From Everyday Evils to Extraordinary Crimes Gazmend Kapllani, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Linn Normand, University of Oxford Richard Shweder, University of Chicago Chair: Jacqueline Bhabha, Harvard University
?
4:00 p.m.
Panel Four: Responding to Evil: Should We Bargain with the Devil? - Gabriella Blum, Harvard Law School Charles Cogan, Harvard Kennedy School Philip Heymann, Harvard Law School Luis Moreno-Ocampo, New York University Chair: Robert Mnookin, Harvard Law School
We can all grow to be leaders and also followers. Each are fundamental but the leader sets the effective example for his/her followers. A great leader has a fantastic follower.
If you think you are not a good quality leader, perhaps you should have a self-improvement seminar.
Self-improvement seminar for leaders is instruction them to be fantastic to the followers.
There are a range of self-improvement seminar for you. But leadership instruction seminar is the b?
What are you? A leader or a follower?
We can all grow to be leaders and also followers. Both are significant but the leader sets the effective example for his/her followers. A effective leader has a excellent follower.
If you assume you are not a fine leader, maybe you need to have a self-improvement seminar.
Self-improvement seminar for leaders is training them to be good to the followers.
There are a assortment of self-improvement seminar for you. But leadership instruction seminar is the right for you.
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two. Optimistic Attitude ? A leader who has a positive attitude will influence his/her followers to carry that same attitude. A great example of a leader with a optimistic attitude could be a parent or teacher.
Mothers, fathers, or elementary teachers seem and are viewed as role models to the young children they are teaching and nurturing.
These role models are the initially leaders they encounter in life. Children turn into exceptionally dependent of leaders because they are their automobiles to the outdoors globe and present considerably needed assist and assistance.
If a parent is nurturing and loving to their kid, they will thrive under this encouragement.
If a school teacher supplies a constructive learning knowledge to the kid, they will succeed and that good results will grow to be contagious? In any circumstance, a leaders positive attitude will have higher effect and influence on their followers.
three. Motivation ? In an athletic globe, a motivating leader could be a coach, trainer or even a fellow teammate. Whilst the talent of players is a fantastic determinant of a winning group, their coach is also an critical factor. buy facebook likes If a coach can not produce a winning team, his job is at stake. A coachs motivation entails infusing his players with high requirements, and setting challenging but attainable objectives as they perform effectively. Hence, his/her capacity to motivate his players will improve their performances.
Motivation also correlates with obtaining a optimistic attitude. When a coach has a constructive attitude and offers a constructive atmosphere for his players, then the team will most likely be motivated to move in his/her path where ultimate accomplishment can be discovered.
four. Assertiveness ? A leader has the responsibility to guide the direction of his or her business. When a leader is firm and assertive in delegating tasks to his subordinates, they will hold a greater respect to adhere to by way of on their assignments.
An assertive leader has the ability to convey enforcement without becoming too autocratic or threatening to their subordinates.
Furthermore, an assertive leader really should not make his subordinates really feel like theyre in a hostile atmosphere. Alternatively, an assertive leader need to respect his men and women, and call for suitable accountability at the identical time. A leaders assertiveness and confidence earns respect. With that respect, people are a lot alot more probably to adhere to, assistance, and emulate their leader to attain results.
Self-improvement is vital for leaders. Attending self-improvement seminars can be a fantastic assist in being a wonderful leader.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The United States is footing more of the bill for overseas bases in Germany, Japan and South Korea even as the military reduces the number of American troops in Europe and strategically repositions forces in Asia, a congressional report says.
The exhaustive, yearlong investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee focused on costs and burden-sharing as the United States spends more than $10 billion a year to back up the U.S. military presence overseas, with 70 percent of the amount expended in the three nations. The figure does not include military personnel costs.
The panel's report released Wednesday found the financial contributions by those host countries lagging behind costs or increases in U.S. spending. The report identified inherent problems and missteps in the compensation system as the U.S. returns a growing number of its upgraded facilities on foreign land to the host countries.
The report insisted that the American presence in the countries is vital, especially with bellicose threats from a nuclear North Korea, China's military growth and Germany's partnership with the U.S. in NATO. However, the Pentagon is now facing the pressure of deficit-driven, smaller budgets while looking to scale back or close overseas and U.S. domestic bases.
The cost arrangements with allies have drawn greater congressional scrutiny ? and frustration.
"The growth in our share has really been pretty stunning. And I think we've got to stop that direction," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the committee, said in an interview. "We cannot carry these greater and greater and greater percentages of the costs of maintaining these facilities. The ones that we give back, we're going to have to be given appropriate consideration for the improvements, and the ones that we keep will have to have a much fairer burden-sharing than has been the case in the last 10 years."
The size of the U.S. force in Germany is expected to drop in the coming year as the Army plans to deactivate one brigade combat team next year and possibly reduce the force even further with a cut of around 2,500 soldiers. Currently, the U.S. has 48,000 active-duty personnel in Germany at a cost of $4 billion.
The amount does not include military personnel costs of $3.9 billion.
The troop reductions ? the Army already deactivated one heavy brigade combat team in October 2012 ? have resulted in excess military facilities. However, instead of getting cash for the buildings, the U.S. has been negotiating residual value, in-kind payments of services or facilities with a cash value.
Cash payments would be placed in an account and only used for maintenance, repair and environmental restoration. In-kind payments can be directed to military construction.
The committee identified some questionable military construction projects from this arrangement. About $200,000 of residual value, in-kind payments were directed to add sunrooms to senior officer homes in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2007.
"Before the 200-square-foot additions, the homes were each 2,490 square feet, well above DoD's minimum size standard," the report said.
The report found that the U.S. has negotiated the return of more than 100 facilities to Germany since 2005, yet they haven't been included in the residual value settlements between the two countries. Their current value is nearly $1.1 billion.
"It's really been sloppy and it's going to have to change even without the budget crunch," Levin said.
In South Korea, where there are 28,500 troops, the U.S. plans to move its forces from the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to Camp Humphreys, about 40 miles south of the capital. The U.S. must provide most of the military family housing and cover the cost, estimated at $7 billion.
In return, South Korea gets prime real estate in downtown Seoul. During the transition, the U.S. will be responsible for maintaining both sites at a considerable cost. The project also calls for a $10 million museum at the newer base.
In January 2009, the two countries signed an agreement on South Korean contributions. The report found that "while the agreement increased South Korean contributions in subsequent years to keep up with inflation, South Korea's contributions have not kept pace with U.S. costs."
The United States' non-personnel costs in South Korea were $1.1 billion last year. U.S. spending in the country was expected to exceed South Korea's contributions by $330 million.
The Americans have about 50,000 troops in Japan, about half stationed on Okinawa. The cost is estimated at $2 billion in non-personnel costs for the U.S.
In 1992, Japan contributed more than $1 billion to the facility improvement program, an amount that has dropped to $200 million in recent years. Further complicating the situation, the report found, some 20 percent of that amount is reserved for Japanese projects, often ones requested by local communities.
For nearly two decades the closure of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and the construction of a replacement facility in northern Okinawa have been in the works. In hopes that the new facility was imminent, repairs and other work at Futenma remained undone and many of its 50-year-old-plus facilities show their age.
Only a few projects were financed at an installation that been "closing since 1996," the report said.
Last month, the committee approved the report by voice vote.
___
Follow Donna Cassata on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaCassataAP
Still not charmed by LG's robo-vacuum? Well, the Korean electronics manufacturer has plenty more appliances up its capacious sleeves, including a washing machine that won't require water. Alas, Senior Vice President for LG Electronics Home Appliance Division, Kevin Cha, wasn't willing to divulge to us exactly how this laundry magic trick will be performed, or whether it'll be totally waterless rather than just virtually waterless -- it's still in the early stages of development and is (for now) a trade secret.
What we do know is that another LG model, the Styler that was unveiled at CES this year, can already 'freshen' clothes without detergent or water. This, too, is also going to pick up a feature upgrade, with the company set to add some kind of ironing functionality to the upright clothes cabinet soon. LG is also looking at an ecological re-imagining of the refrigerator, with a prototype that can keep itself cool for six hours without any power assistance. In general, LG says it's focusing on next-generation smart appliances in a big way next year. Hopefully, those plans will include some of the interesting patents we've picked up recently -- and wine.
Apr 15 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $4,139,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $3,137,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,442,389 4. Adam Scott (Australia) $2,100,469 5. Steve Stricker $1,935,340 6. Phil Mickelson $1,764,680 7. Dustin Johnson $1,748,907 8. Jason Day $1,659,565 9. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 10. Keegan Bradley $1,430,347 11. Charles Howell III $1,393,806 12. John Merrick $1,375,757 13. Russell Henley $1,331,434 14. Michael Thompson $1,310,709 15. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 16. Bill Haas $1,271,553 17. Billy Horschel $1,254,224 18. ...
The city can continue to remove eagle nests at the Norfolk Botanical Garden as long as they are removed before the birds successfully build a new home.
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service has told the city it can continue to take down the nests. The city sought the agency's opinion after an environmental attorney accused it of violating permits.
Read the rest of this disturbing story here:? http://hamptonroads.com/2013/04/feds-no ... agle-nests
Here's the link to the HWF discussion thread for the Norfolk nest:?
In this picture taken on April 12, 2013, people walk past an election poster at the cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Alaa al-Marjani)
In this picture taken on April 12, 2013, people walk past an election poster at the cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Alaa al-Marjani)
Workers prepare election posters at a workshop in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 13, 2013. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
A man walks past election posters in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 13, 2013. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
A laborer rides a horse cart carrying cooking gas cylinders passes election posters in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 13, 2013. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban)
Iraqi federal policemen guard a polling center in the early voting for police and army and security forces in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 13, 2013. Voters head to the polls next week for the first time since the U.S. military withdrawal, marking a key test for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political bloc and for the security forces under his command that are charged with keeping voters safe. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
BAGHDAD (AP) ? Even the dead are not spared the campaigning for Iraq's upcoming local elections.
Brightly colored placards blanket major streets and hang around the vast cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, appealing to the hundreds of mourners who stream through each day.
The April 20 vote for provincial governing councils will be the first election since the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011. Even though elections for federal positions such as prime minister and parliament are not scheduled until next year, this will nevertheless be a key test for Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's dominant political bloc.
Members of the police and army cast their ballots early in special voting on Saturday.
"I am looking for real change," said Ali Talib, a 27-year old policeman who was voting for the first time at a heavily guarded school in Baghdad. "This is the first election where we totally depend on ourselves to run and protect the election process."
The results will be an important gauge of support for various political blocs heading into 2014 national elections. Al-Maliki has not ruled out seeking a third term next year despite charges from opponents that his administration is a dictatorship in the making.
A vote without major violence would be a victory in itself for the police and army, who face a reviving al-Qaida insurgency.
Militants are making sure they are heard in the run-up to the polls. At least 13 candidates have been killed so far. In one attack earlier this month, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a lunch hosted by a Sunni candidate in the city of Baqouba. The candidate survived.
More than 8,000 candidates from a dizzying array of dozens of electoral blocs, including many little-known small parties, are in the running.
In the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, the fierce competition among them is evident. Posters of the candidates hang in the narrow spaces among the crowded tombs and mausoleum walls.
Some would-be voters, including 46-year-old retired government employee Haider Khazim, say that is in poor taste. He came across the posters while burying a relative there about a month ago.
"Even the dead become part of this electoral farce," he said.
"We know that the people running for this election are after the huge salaries, privileges and a share in (government) contracts. The last thing that crosses their mind ... is to end the suffering of the people in their provinces," Khazim added.
Public anger over poor services, corruption and dim job prospects is common across Iraq. Many cities, including the capital, lack steady electricity and suffer from crumbling streets and rickety sewage systems.
Local councils tussle with national leaders in Baghdad over how to spend money allocated to develop the provinces. Provincial councils repeatedly complain that they are tied up by restrictions issued by the central government over how to spend the funds.
That lack of progress a decade after the 2003 U.S. invasion has left many voters apathetic ? if not downright cynical.
On some Baghdad streets, vandals have removed one Arabic letter in the widely used slogan "My province first" so the defaced signs now read: "My wallet first." Satirists online have rejiggered the electoral slogan of al-Maliki's bloc from "Construction and Determination" to "Explosion and Exclusion" ? a reference to the feelings of many Sunnis that they have been marginalized by the Shiite-led government.
Candidate Murtada al-Bazouni, from al-Maliki's State of Law bloc, said he understands voters' frustrations. But he urged them to participate nonetheless, because "boycotting only means that old faces will return" to office.
The last time Iraqis voted, in national elections in 2010, al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated State of Law coalition faced a strong challenge from the Iraqiya bloc, which sought support from Sunnis as well as secular-minded Shiites.
Majority Shiites have headed the succession of Iraqi administrations that followed the ouster of Saddam Hussein and his Sunni-led regime in 2003.
Iraqiya is running in this election too, but it is now fragmented. Prominent figures such as Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq ? who previously banded with Iraqiya ? are fielding their own slates of candidates rather than running under the Iraqiya banner.
In Baghdad and the Shiite-dominated south, al-Maliki's State of Law also will face a challenge from Shiite rivals ? the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Sadrist Trend ? both of them closely allied with Shiite Iran. A strong showing by them could mobilize their political base and undermine support for al-Maliki's bloc heading into next year's national elections.
Six of the country's 18 governorates are not voting in this election.
Voters in three provinces that make up the largely autonomous northern Kurdish region, which operates its own regional government, are expected to cast ballots in local elections later this year.
Voters in the ethnically disputed and oil-rich province of Kirkuk have not had a chance to elect local officials since 2005 because residents cannot agree on a power-sharing formula there.
Iraq's Cabinet, citing security concerns, decided to postpone elections for up to six months in Sunni-dominated Anbar and Ninevah provinces, where anti-government protests have raged for months. The delay has not been welcomed by many voters and raises questions about the credibility of the vote.
So does the fact that the police and army are voting a full week before the rest of the country, which means their ballots will have to be safeguarded for a longer period of time. In the past, the police and army voted just a couple days before the general public.
Members of the security forces interviewed Saturday said their superiors encouraged them to vote, though they denied being pressured to vote for any particular bloc.
One police officer voting in Baghdad, Adnan Hameed, said he expects all of his comrades will cast ballots and many will be for al-Maliki's bloc.
"They have the strength and resolve to defeat terrorism, and they are honest people," he said.
This time around, Iraqi electoral officials will allocate seats using a new formula that more closely translates the percentage of votes into a percentage of seats, said Jose Maria Aranaz, the chief electoral adviser at the United Nations mission to Iraq.
Previously, parties that failed to reach a minimum threshold saw their votes discarded, while top vote-getters often secured a disproportionately large number of seats even if they did not win a majority outright.
"The provincial councils should be more representative, and there will be less wasted votes," Aranaz said.
Political analyst Hadi Jalo predicted that half of the more than 16 million registered voters would cast ballots. Many, he forecast, will do so out of loyalty rather than a belief that their votes will bring about meaningful change.
"Those voters believe that it is a ... duty to vote for people from their own sect or tribe," he said.
___
AP writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed.
___
Follow Adam Schreck on Twitter at http://twitter.com/adamschreck
Facebook And Twitter Don't Change Political Status Quo (Pew Research via Tech World)
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