Death penalty decision expected in James Holmes case

James Holmes sits with defense attorney Tamara Brady during his arraignment on March 12. (AP)

DENVER ? James Holmes, the man accused of killing 12 people and wounding nearly 70 others during a midnight shooting spree at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last summer, will likely learn Monday whether he?ll face execution if convicted.

Prosecutors from the Arapahoe County District Attorney?s office plan to announce in a 9 a.m. MT hearing if they?ll seek the death penalty, should the case go to trial. Monday?s decision follows last week?s legal theatrics in which Holmes? defense team said it would enter a guilty plea if the district attorney settled on a life-in-prison sentence.

?It is Mr. Holmes? position that this case could be resolved on April 1,? his public defenders announced last Wednesday in wrote court filings posted online by the Denver Post. ?Mr. Holmes made an offer to the prosecution to resolve this case by pleading guilty and spending the rest of his life in prison, without any opportunity for parole.?

Not only did prosecutors decline the guilty offer ? first made prior to Holmes? March 12 arraignment ? they lambasted the defense for making it public.

In a 13-page rebuttal to the defense, the prosecution dubbed the public announcement ?grossly improper? and ?a calculated attempt to improperly inject? the plea in front of the Aurora community and the world. The prosecution also accused the Colorado public defenders office of violating the court?s order on pretrial publicity.

Because of the defense?s public plea, ?[t]he only conclusion that [people] would reach ? is that the defendant knows that he is guilty, the defense attorneys know that he is guilty, and that both of them know that he was not criminally insane,? the prosecution?s filing said.

Judge William Sylvester has scheduled the trial for four weeks starting Aug. 5. But the defense said that if the prosecution doesn?t accept the guilty plea, the trial could last months and could be delayed by multiple pre-trial motions. At the March arraignment, defense attorney Daniel King said a trial without the specter of the death penalty could take as little as three weeks. But if execution is sought, King said they?d mount a vigorous defense based on an insanity strategy.

A mental health defense would be central to Holmes? case, his attorneys have implied repeatedly. Nearly all courtroom argument so far has revolved around his mental state, with the prosecution alleging that Holmes carefully crafted a ?detailed and complex? scheme to commit mass murder ? with his sanity fully intact.

At the arraignment, King told Sylvester that Holmes wasn?t ready to enter a plea because the defense didn?t know if the prosecution wanted to pursue the death penalty. The judge then entered a not-guilty plea on Holmes? behalf, as allowed by law.

Also at Monday?s hearing, Jana Winter, a FoxNews.com reporter, is expected to testify about conversations she had with sources who gave her information for a story she wrote a few days after the July 20, 2012 theater massacre. Her story included details about an unopened package that Holmes mailed to the University of College at Denver. Winter, quoting unnamed-law enforcement officials, reported that Holmes sent his former psychiatrist a notebook containing drawings that foreshadowed the July 20 attack. Because of a court gag order, those law enforcement sources were prevented from talking to the media.

Holmes? attorneys have argued that by divulging details to Winter, the two sources damaged the defendant?s right to a fair trial. Winter, through her attorney, has on multiple occasions tried to avoid appearing in court and has appealed the subpoena in New York state. Sylvester has denied her motions.

Holmes, 25, was a former neuroscience student at UC-Denver before the massacre at the premiere of ?The Dark Knight Rises,? the latest Batman movie. Police arrested Holmes, who was wearing body armor and had weapons close by, behind the theater shortly after the shootings. Police say he also booby-trapped his nearby Aurora apartment with explosives to injure or kill anyone who entered. He faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/death-penalty-decision-expected-james-holmes-case-113742034.html

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Windows QuickStart Kit gives Mac developers a $25 testbed for IE and Windows 8

Microsoft knows that many Mac-based developers still have to test in a Windows environment, whether it's to check web rendering in Internet Explorer 10 or to port an iOS or Mac app to competing environments. The firm doesn't want anyone hemming and hawing over how they cross that digital divide, so it's launching a Windows QuickStart Kit in late April to make Windows testing a trivial affair. The USB drive bundle includes a full copy of Windows 8 Pro, virtual machine support through Parallels Desktop 8 and a set of porting labs to help with any app conversions. The lure may may as much about the cost as the convenience: outside of shipping, Microsoft is only asking for a $25 donation to Code.org, the Kahn Academy or Watsi.org. While code builders have to verify their credentials and race to buy from limited stock, the kit could still be one of the easiest (and most charitable) ways to go cross-platform.

Update: If you'd hoped to grab one of the QuickStart Kits, that opportunity has now passed -- inventory is completely sold out. The upside? Given the popularity here, Microsoft has stated that it'll look into making other offers available in the near future. [Thanks, Carl]

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Swish, IEBlog

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/02/windows-quickstart-kit-gives-mac-developers-a-testbed-for-ie-w8/

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China's manufacturing growth improves in March

BEIJING (AP) ? Growth in China's manufacturing picked up in March in a potentially positive sign for the recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said Monday that its Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.9 in March from 50.1 in February, which was the lowest reading in five months. Numbers above 50 denote expansion on a 100-point scale.

Chinese manufacturing is closely watched as an indicator of global consumer sales and potential demand for countries that supply its factories with raw materials and industrial components.

China's economic growth rebounded to 7.9 percent in the final quarter of last year following its deepest slowdown since the 2008 global crisis. But analysts warn the recovery will be weak and gradual, and growth could be vulnerable if trade or investment weakens.

The federation said in a statement that the improvement in factory production was largely due to an increase in orders and less pressure for prices of manufacturing inputs to rise.

"This indicates that the economy overall is stabilizing," economist Zhang Liqun said in the statement.

Zhang said that growth rates for investment and export orders have accelerated, and the level of new orders suggests a rise in business activity.

He cautioned, however, that the improving trend is not confirmed, partly because the Lunar New Year Holiday fell in February this year, which makes the data for the first quarter of the year less conclusive. Factories shut for up to two weeks during the holiday.

The latest Chinese manufacturing data come as hopes for stronger global growth have been boosted by a series of indicators including employment that suggest the U.S. economic recovery is gaining momentum.

China's slowdown was largely due to government controls imposed to cool inflation and surging housing prices. It deepened when global demand for Chinese exports weakened unexpectedly in 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-manufacturing-growth-improves-march-064559511--finance.html

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A Geek's Guide to Baseball Season

Editor's Note: This article was originally published before the 2012 MLB season.

Once upon a time, there were jocks and there were geeks. The two factions warred with one another for generations, until something changed. We all got started using computers, and we realized?with the statistical bean counting of sports, and the inherent machismo of glass and steel tech?that maybe we weren't so different after all.

Whether you're playing baseball, playing fantasy baseball, or just watching baseball in 2013, here's your guide to being the perfect hardball geek.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/baseball/a-geeks-guide-to-baseball-season?src=rss

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Senate group resolves key issues on immigration reform: lawmakers (reuters)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295796145?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Social Media Welcome To Reality Online | Pat Selby Coaching Blog

Although other individuals might feel you are basically enjoying the a number of aspects of social networking, the truth of your interest may possibly most likely be tinged with a enterprise concentrate.

What that doesnt imply is that you post merely to leave a traceab?

The use of social media encompasses a broad range of on the web media varieties. Even though some could only assume of a social network like MySpace there are in fact numerous social media formats that include substantial advertising and marketing potential for on the internet company.

Even though others may possibly feel you are basically enjoying the several elements of social networking, the truth of your interest might most likely be tinged with a organization focus.

What that doesnt imply is that you post basically to leave a traceable link back to your organization website. Those who go to any social media web site see via posts that are overtly geared toward marketing and advertising. In numerous situations social media customers view this as spam even if the social network owners do not. In the finish, you can lose credibility of you dont function as a meaningful contributor in a social media atmosphere.

Social media can be presented in a lot of various forms. Lets take a peak at a couple of of them.

YouTube and other comparable video websites These videos can be funny, severe, off the cuff and often political in nature. You can show your business in a humorous light and enable people to be curious about you and your company.

MySpace and other social networks This form of social media is common simply because it draws with each other a number of components of social marketing and tends to make them accessible to the masses of folks that might view social networking as an on the internet version of reality television.

Blogs This is a form of social media if only because it does permit interactive exchanges in between the blogger and the reader.

Forums This can allow you to have an person voice willing to talk about subjects of interest to the majority. As with all social media you can give a link to your web site. If you are viewed as a trusted source you will likely find forum members following you to your site to discover more.

Podcasting This is an audio stream that can enable a visitor to hear a private message from you. This can have a pronounced impact in social advertising.

This isnt an exhaustive list, but it does offer something for you to take into account as an addition to other advertising and marketing tactics you might have in spot. Social media makes it possible for you to take your message to the people and have enjoyable while you share your message.

I cant pressure adequate how important it is to be real. The entire Web community has a low tolerance for supposed spam so make certain you dont use social media as merely an additional type of on the internet advertising.

learn more here social media strategy

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Source: http://patselby.com/blog/social-media-welcome-to-reality-online/

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It's a bird, it's plane...no, it's a drone

WASHINGTON (AP) ? It's a good bet that in the not-so-distant future aerial drones will be part of Americans' everyday lives, performing countless useful functions.

A far cry from the killing machines whose missiles incinerate terrorists, these generally small, unmanned aircraft will help farmers more precisely apply water and pesticides to crops, saving money and reducing environmental impacts. They'll help police departments find missing people, reconstruct traffic accidents and act as lookouts for SWAT teams. They'll alert authorities to people stranded on rooftops by hurricanes and monitor evacuation flows.

Real estate agents will use them to film videos of properties and surrounding neighborhoods. States will use them to inspect bridges, roads and dams. Oil companies will use them to monitor pipelines, while power companies use them to monitor transmission lines.

With military budgets shrinking, drone makers have been counting on the civilian market to spur the industry's growth. But there's an ironic threat to that hope: Success on the battlefield may contain the seeds of trouble for the more benign uses of drones at home.

The civilian unmanned aircraft industry worries that it will be grounded before it can really take off because of fear among the public that the technology will be misused. Also problematic is a delay in the issuance of government safety regulations that are needed before drones can gain broad access to U.S. skies.

Some companies that make drones or supply support equipment and services say the uncertainty has caused them to put U.S. expansion plans on hold, and they are looking overseas for new markets.

"Our lack of success in educating the public about unmanned aircraft is coming back to bite us," said Robert Fitzgerald, CEO of The BOSH Group of Newport News, Va., which provides support services to drone users.

"The U.S. has been at the lead of this technology a long time," he said. "If our government holds back this technology, there's the freedom to move elsewhere ... and all of a sudden these things will be flying everywhere else and competing with us."

Since January, drone-related legislation has been introduced in more than 30 states, largely in response to privacy concerns. Many of the bills are focused on preventing police from using drones for broad public surveillance, as well as targeting individuals for surveillance without sufficient grounds to believe they were involved in crimes.

Law enforcement is expected to be one of the bigger initial markets for civilian drones. Last month, the FBI used drones to maintain continuous surveillance of a bunker in Alabama where a 5-year-old boy was being held hostage.

In Virginia, the state General Assembly passed a bill that would place a two-year moratorium on the use of drones by state and local law enforcement. The measure is supported by groups as varied as the American Civil Liberties Union on the left and the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation on the right.

Gov. Bob McDonnell is proposing amendments that would retain the broad ban on spy drones but allow specific exemptions when lives are in danger, such as for search-and rescue operations. The legislature reconvenes on April 3 to consider the amendments.

"Any legislation that restricts the use of this kind of capability to serve the public is putting the public at risk," said Steve Gitlin, vice president of AeroVironment, a leading maker of smaller drones, including some no bigger than a hummingbird

Seattle abandoned its drone program after community protests in February. The city's police department had purchased two drones through a federal grant without consulting the city council.

Drones "clearly have so much potential for saving lives, and it's a darn shame we're having to go through this right now," said Stephen Ingley, executive director of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association. "It's frustrating."

In some states economic concerns have trumped public unease. In Oklahoma, an anti-drone bill was shelved at the request of Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, who was concerned it might hinder growth of the state's drone industry. The North Dakota state Senate killed a drone bill in part because of concern that it might impede the state's chances of being selected by the Federal Aviation Administration as one of six national drone test sites, which could generate local jobs.

A bill that would have limited the ability of state and local governments to use drones died in the Washington legislature. The measure was opposed by The Boeing Co., which employs more than 80,000 workers in the state and which has a subsidiary, Insitu, that's a leading military drone manufacturer.

Although the Supreme Court has not dealt directly with drones, it has OK'd aerial surveillance without warrants in drug cases in which officers in a plane or helicopter spotted marijuana plants growing on a suspect's property. But in a case involving the use of ground-based equipment, the court said police generally need a warrant before using a thermal imaging device to detect hot spots in a home that might indicate that marijuana plants are being grown there.

In Congress, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., co-chairman of the House's privacy caucus, has introduced a bill that prohibits the Federal Aviation Administration from issuing drone licenses unless the applicant provides a statement explaining who will operate the drone, where it will be flown, what kind of data will be collected, how the data will be used, whether the information will be sold to third parties and the period for which the information will be retained.

Sentiment for curbing domestic drone use has brought the left and right together perhaps more than any other recent issue. "The thought of government drones buzzing overhead and constantly monitoring the activities of law-abiding citizens runs contrary to the notion of what it means to live in a free society," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said at a recent hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Privacy advocates acknowledge the many good uses of drones. In Mesa County, Colo., for example, an annual landfill survey using manned aircraft cost about $10,000. The county recently performed the same survey using a drone for about $200.

But drones' virtues can also make them dangerous, they say. Their low cost and ease of use may encourage police and others to conduct the kind of continuous or intrusive surveillance that might otherwise be impractical. Drones can be equipped with high-powered cameras and listening devices, and infrared cameras that can see people in the dark.

"High-rise buildings, security fences or even the walls of a building are not barriers to increasingly common drone technology," Amie Stepanovich, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Council's surveillance project, told the Senate panel.

Civilian drone use is limited to government agencies and public universities that have received a few hundred permits from the FAA. A law passed by Congress last year requires the FAA to open U.S. skies to widespread drone flights by 2015, but the agency is behind schedule and it's doubtful it will meet that deadline. Lawmakers and industry officials have complained for years about the FAA's slow progress.

The FAA estimates that within five years of gaining broader access about 7,500 civilian drones will be in use.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., recently drew attention to the domestic use of drones when he staged a Senate filibuster, demanding to know whether the president has authority to use weaponized drones to kill Americans on American soil. The White House said no, if the person isn't engaged in combat. But industry officials worry that the episode could temporarily set back civilian drone use.

"The opposition has become very loud," said Gitlin of AeroVironment, "but we are confident that over time the benefits of these solutions (drones) are going to far outweigh the concerns, and they'll become part of normal life in the future."

___

Associated Press writer Michael Felberbaum in Richmond, Va., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/drone-industry-worries-privacy-backlash-070658841--finance.html

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