California Workers' Compensation Rates for 2013 | Momentous ...

By Shantih?Charlton, CIC, CISR

Shantih Charlton

A recent report from the Workers? Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) indicates that insurance company rates for 2013 are going up by 15% in an effort to protect insurance company solvency (i.e. their ability to pay claims). The ultimate loss and expense ratio was high for 2011 at 139% and the 2012 calendar year loss ratio is 79% for the first 9 months (4th Quarter results have not yet been released).?

In general, claims frequency is increasing, payrolls are decreasing, and underwriting profitability is decreasing.? With the higher rates and lower payrolls, employers are paying more in premium than they were before.? The higher premiums are compounded by higher experience modification factors (also known as the mod), which are increasing due to higher claims frequency. The mod factor is a number that represents whether a company?s workers? compensation losses are better or worse than average. The mod works as a credit or debit that is applied to your workers? compensation premium.

You can do the following to help to lower your experience modification factor and your premium:

• Implement a safety program
• Implement a return to work program
• Implement a driver training program
• Implement an active claims management program to manage outstanding reserves and focus on efficiently resolving open claims.
• Review your job descriptions against the class codes to make sure they are correct

If you are concerned about your workers? compensation premium in 2013, you should contact a qualified insurance broker who has the loss control experience to help you promote safety and control your workers? compensation premium.

Disclaimer: The above content is a general overview which is provided for discussion purposes only and is not in any way meant as providing recommendations or legal counsel. It is not intended to apply to each circumstance. Because the facts and circumstances of every matter differ and the terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations contained in insurance policies vary, you should review your policy carefully and seek any legal counsel that may be necessary or appropriate.? Momentous is not responsible for any losses or damage resulting from reliance on the information contained herein.?

Source: http://www.momentousins.com/blog/?p=1190

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Facebook And Twitter Battle To Rid Themselves Of Ads For ...

Sex workers are openly using Facebook, Twitter and other social media to openly advertise their services.

Prostitutes and escort agencies have created hundreds of unrestricted pages on Facebook, causing concern that children are being exposed to both explicit content as well as the services of the sex industry.

Many of the pages include explicit photographs, descriptions of services alongside phones numbers, addresses and prices.

Facebook has removed dozens of the pages after being contacted by The Times newspaper.

The site said it ?has a clear set of rules and these pages broke them?, but said it could only take action when offensive items were reported to them by members of the public.

The postings were also reported to Twitter, but the microblogging site declined to comment or take action. Under the company?s rules, content would need to be illegal to be considered in breach of its terms and conditions.

The concern over prostitution follows recent complaints that crimes involving Facebook and Twitter have increased 780 per cent over the last four years.

This included offenses committed on the sites, such as posting abusive messages, and those which were provoked by postings, including violent attacks.

But researchers said police forces refused to tackle the issue of prostitution because of the perception that it is a ?victimless crime?. According to The Times, a parliamentary committee on prostitution has pledged to investigate the problem after the revelations.

The researchers said that, in the past, the calling cards of prostitutes had littered the walls of phone boxes, but social networks had become a more common way to attract clients.

Facebook said that it encourages people ?to use the reporting tools on almost every page of the site so we can take swift action against content or behavior that breaks our rules.?

Mills Kelly, from George Mason University in the US, who has studied the impact of the internet on prostitution, said: ?If you want an escort or sex worker in any major city in the world, Facebook is a good place to start your search."

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-and-twitter-battle-to-rid-thenselves-of-ads-for-prostitutes-2013-1

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New genre of 'intelligent' micro- and nanomotors

Jan. 30, 2013 ? Enzymes, workhorse molecules of life that underpin almost every biological process, may have a new role as "intelligent" micro- and nanomotors with applications in medicine, engineering and other fields. That's the topic of a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, showing that single molecules of common enzymes can generate enough force to cause movement in specific directions.

Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen and colleagues point out that enzymes -- proteins that jump-start chemical reactions -- are the basis of natural biological motors essential to life. Scientists long have wondered whether a single enzyme molecule, the smallest machine that could possibly exist, might be able to generate enough force to cause its own movement in a specific direction. "Positive answers to these questions," they explain, "have important implications in areas ranging from biological transport to the design of 'intelligent,' enzyme-powered, autonomous nano- and micromotors, which are expected to find applications in bottom-up assembly of structures, pattern formation, cargo (drug) delivery at specific locations, roving sensors and related functions."

They provide the positive answers in experiments with two common enzymes called catalase and urease. Catalase protects the body from harmful effects of hydrogen peroxide formed naturally in the course of life. Urease, found in many plants, converts urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide. The researchers show that these two enzymes, in the presence of their respective substrate (hydrogen peroxide or urea, which acts as fuel), show movement. More significantly, the movement becomes directional through the imposition of a substrate gradient, a form of chemotaxis. Chemotaxis is what attracts living things toward sources of food. The researchers also show that movement causes chemically interconnected enzymes to be drawn together; a form of predator-prey behavior at the nanoscale.

The authors acknowledge funding from The Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Science and Engineering Center supported by the National Science Foundation.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Samudra Sengupta, Krishna K. Dey, Hari S. Muddana, Tristan Tabouillot, Michael E. Ibele, Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen. Enzyme Molecules as Nanomotors. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013; 135 (4): 1406 DOI: 10.1021/ja3091615

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/BK1GdCoclRU/130130121647.htm

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Egyptian protesters defy curfew, attack police stations

CAIRO/ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian protesters defied an overnight curfew in restive towns along the Suez Canal, attacking police stations after Islamist President Mohamed Mursi imposed emergency rule to end days of clashes that have left at least 52 people dead.

At least two men died in overnight fighting in the canal city of Port Said, the latest unrest in a wave of violence unleashed last week on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 revolt that brought down autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Political opponents spurned a call by Mursi for talks on Monday to try to end the violence. Instead, huge crowds of protesters took to the streets in Cairo and Alexandria, and in the three Suez Canal cities - Port Said, Ismailia and Suez - where Mursi imposed emergency rule and a curfew on Sunday.

"Down, down with Mohamed Mursi! Down, down with the state of emergency!" crowds shouted in Ismailia. In Cairo, flames lit up the night sky as protesters set vehicles ablaze.

The demonstrators accuse Mubarak's successor Mursi of betraying the two-year-old revolution. Mursi and his supporters accuse the protesters of seeking to overthrow Egypt's first ever democratically elected leader by undemocratic means.

Debris from days of unrest was strewn on the streets around Cairo's Tahrir Square, cauldron of the anti-Mubarak uprising.

Youths clambered over a burned-out police van. But unlike on previous mornings in the past few days, there was no early sign of renewed clashes with police.

In Port Said, men attacked police stations after dark. A security source said some police and troops were injured. A medical source said two men were killed and 12 injured in the clashes, including 10 with gunshot wounds.

"The people want to bring down the regime," crowds chanted in Alexandria. "Leave means go, and don't say no!"

Since Mubarak was toppled, Islamists have won two referendums, two parliamentary elections and a presidential vote.

But that legitimacy has been challenged by an opposition that accuses Mursi of imposing a new form of authoritarianism, and punctuated by repeated waves of unrest that have prevented a return to stability in the most populous Arab state.

The army has already been deployed in Port Said and Suez and the government agreed a measure to let soldiers arrest civilians as part of the state of emergency.

WESTERN CONCERNS

The instability has provoked unease in Western capitals, where officials worry about the direction of a powerful regional player that has a peace deal with Israel. The United States condemned the bloodshed and called on Egyptian leaders to make clear violence is not acceptable. .

In Cairo on Monday, police fired volleys of teargas at stone-throwing protesters near Tahrir. Demonstrators burned two police vehicles and stormed into the downtown Semiramis Intercontinental hotel.

The political unrest in the Suez Canal cities has been exacerbated by street violence linked to death penalties imposed on soccer supporters convicted of involvement in stadium rioting in Port Said a year ago.

Mursi's invitation to opponents to hold a national dialogue with the Islamists on Monday was spurned by the main opposition National Salvation Front coalition, which rejected it as "cosmetic".

The only liberal politician who attended, Ayman Nour, told Egypt's al-Hayat channel after the meeting ended late on Monday that attendees agreed to meet again in a week.

He said Mursi had promised to look at changes to the constitution requested by the opposition but did not consider the opposition's request for a government of national unity.

The president announced the emergency measures on television on Sunday. "The protection of the nation is the responsibility of everyone. We will confront any threat to its security with force and firmness within the remit of the law," Mursi said.

His demeanour infuriated his opponents, not least when he wagged a finger at the camera.

Some activists said Mursi's measures to try to impose control on the turbulent streets could backfire.

"Martial law, state of emergency and army arrests of civilians are not a solution to the crisis," said Ahmed Maher of the April 6 movement that helped galvanise the 2011 uprising. "All this will do is further provoke the youth. The solution has to be a political one that addresses the roots of the problem."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-protesters-defy-curfew-emergency-rule-imposed-053334022.html

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?Zoomable? map of poplar proteins offers new view of bioenergy crop

Jan. 29, 2013 ? Researchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map of poplar tree proteins, published by a team from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Populus, a fast-growing perennial tree, holds potential as a bioenergy crop due to its ability to produce large amounts of biomass on non-agricultural land. Now, a study by ORNL scientists with the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center has provided the most comprehensive look to date at poplar's proteome, the suite of proteins produced by a plant's cells. The study is featured on the cover of January's Molecular and Cellular Proteomics.

"The ability to comprehensively measure genes and proteins helps us understand the range of molecular machinery that a plant uses to do its life functions," said ORNL's Robert Hettich. "This can provide the information necessary to modify a metabolic process to do something specific, such as altering the lignin content of a tree to make it better suited for biofuel production. "

The ORNL research team measured more than 11,000 proteins in different parts of poplar, including mature leaves, young leaves, roots and stems. This systematic approach yielded a so-called proteome atlas, which maps out the proteins present in the various tissue types at a given point in time. Lead coauthors Paul Abraham and Richard Giannone describe how the atlas offers a broad overview of the poplar proteome and also the ability to zoom in on specific biological features, such as pathways and individual proteins.

"We tried to provide a zoomable view, like Google maps, so you can look at the system from various perspectives," Abraham said. "By having these different viewpoints, it makes it easier to mine out the relevant biological information."

Obtaining and analyzing information about plant proteomes is especially tricky, considering a plant such as poplar can potentially manufacture more than 40,000 different proteins. Unlike an organism's genome, which is the same for every cell and remains constant, the proteome varies from cell to cell and changes over time as the plant adapts to different environmental conditions.

"The analytical techniques we've demonstrated allow us to measure the range of proteins very deeply and specifically, so we can start to figure out, for instance, how the protein machinery in a leaf differs from the ones in the trunk," Hettich said. "Or we can look at a tree that's very young versus one that's very old, thus enabling us to understand how all these proteins are changing as a function of the tree growing older."

Knowing how plants change and adapt to environmental surroundings by altering their proteins could help bioenergy researchers develop poplar trees better suited to biofuel production.

"It's the proteins that directly alter the morphology, anatomy, and function of a plant cell," Abraham said. "If we can identify the proteins that create a favorable trait such as fast growth, then we can incorporate that protein or modify it to develop a superior plant with all favorable traits through transgenics."

The study's coauthors are ORNL's Robert Hettich, Paul Abraham, Richard Giannone, Rachel Adams, Udaya Kalluri and Gerald Tuskan.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. P. Abraham, R. J. Giannone, R. M. Adams, U. Kalluri, G. A. Tuskan, R. L. Hettich. Putting the Pieces Together: High-performance LC-MS/MS Provides Network-, Pathway-, and Protein-level Perspectives in Populus. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, 2012; 12 (1): 106 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.M112.022996

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/JVrK6lTHEs0/130129130851.htm

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Obama says he'll sign $50.5B Sandy aid bill soon

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 photo, a beach front home that was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy rests in the sand in Bay Head, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 photo, a beach front home that was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy rests in the sand in Bay Head, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., right, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., left, react after the Senate passed a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Three months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas in much of the Northeast, the Senate is finaly sending a $50.5 billion emergency package of relief and recovery aid to President Obama for his signature. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Northeast lawmakers react after the Senate passed a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. From right to left are Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Three months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas in much of the Northeast, the Senate is finally sending a $50.5 billion emergency package of relief and recovery aid to President Obama for his signature. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., left, and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., right, react after the Senate passed a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Three months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas in much of the Northeast, the Senate is finaly sending a $50.5 billion emergency package of relief and recovery aid to President Obama for his signature. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama said he'll sign a $50.5 billion emergency relief measure for Superstorm Sandy victims as soon as it lands on his desk.

Three months after Sandy ravaged coastal areas in much of the Northeast, Obama chided lawmakers for taking their time to approve the funding even as he commended them for providing the long-awaited aid.

"So while I had hoped Congress would provide this aid sooner, I applaud the lawmakers from both parties who helped shepherd this important package though," Obama said in a statement late Monday.

Despite opposition from conservatives concerned about adding billions of dollars to the nation's debt, the Senate cleared the bill, 62-36, after House Republicans had stripped it earlier this month of spending unrelated to disasters.

"This is a huge relief," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Northeast lawmakers said the money is urgently needed to start rebuilding homes, businesses, public transportation facilities and other infrastructure damaged by the Oct. 29 storm, one of the worst to strike the Northeast. Sandy is blamed for more than 130 deaths in the U.S. and tens of billions of dollars in property damages, particularly in New York and New Jersey.

The measure is aimed primarily at helping residents and businesses as well as state and local governments rebuild from the storm. The biggest chunk of money is $16 billion for Housing and Urban Development Department community block grants. Of that, about $12.1 billion will be shared among Sandy victims as well as those from other federally declared disasters in 2011-13. The remaining $3.9 billion is solely for Sandy-related projects.

More than $11 billion will go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund for Sandy and other disasters. Another $10 billion is devoted to repairing New York and New Jersey transit systems.

Earlier in January, Congress approved and Obama signed a $9.7 billion bill to replenish the National Flood Insurance Program, which has received well over 100,000 claims related to Sandy. Added to the new, $50.5 billion package, the total is roughly in line with the $60.4 billion Obama requested in December.

The aid package was greased for passage before the last Congress adjourned and the new one came in on Jan. 3. But Speaker John Boehner refused to bring it to the floor after two-thirds of House Republicans voted against a "fiscal cliff" deficit-reduction deal raising taxes on couples making more than $450,000 a year while deferring some $24 billion in spending cuts in defense and domestic programs.

The ruckus after the Senate had passed an earlier $60.4 billion Sandy relief package by a nearly 2-to-1 margin on Dec. 28 exposed deep political divisions within Republican ranks. "There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House majority and their speaker, John Boehner," Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fumed at the time.

Top House Republicans responded by bringing new Sandy aid legislation to the floor under ground rules designed to win over as many Republicans as possible while retaining support from Democrats eager to approve as much in disaster aid as possible.

GOP leaders cut spending in the Senate bill unrelated to disasters. One was to transfer $1 billion from training programs for Iraqi policemen to bolstering security at U.S. diplomatic missions. The shift in money followed a Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Also deleted was $188 million for an Amtrak expansion project that included new, long-planned tunnels from New Jersey to Penn Station in Manhattan.

As with past natural disasters, the Sandy aid bill is not offset with spending cuts, meaning the aid adds to the deficit. The lone exception is an offset provision requiring that $3.4 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects to protect against future storms be covered by an equal amount of unspecified spending cuts in other programs before next October.

The Senate on Monday rejected, 35-62, an attempt by conservatives to amend the final package with an offset provision to cut federal programs across the board by one-half of 1 percent through 2021.

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-29-Superstorm%20Aid/id-b5e2d28fc826400090d1f14f6346a205

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Israel warns of attack on Syrian chemical weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly Cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads the weekly Cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, heads the weekly Cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. Sitting left is Cabinet minister Yuli Edelstein. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at his Jerusalem office for the weekly Cabinet meeting, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike to stop Syria's chemical weapons from reaching Lebanon's Hezbollah or al-Qaida inspired groups, officials said Sunday,

The warning came as the military moved a rocket defense system to a main northern city, and Israel's premier warned of dangers from both Syria and Iran.

Israel has long expressed concerns that Syrian President Bashar Assad, clinging to power during a 22-month civil war, could lose control over his chemical weapons.

Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday that Israel's top security officials held a special meeting last week to discuss Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. The fact of the meeting, held the morning after a national election, had not been made public before.

Shalom told the Army Radio station that the transfer of weapons to violent groups, particularly the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, would be a game changer.

"It would be crossing a line that would demand a different approach, including even action," he said. Asked whether this might mean a pre-emptive attack, he said: "We will have to make the decisions."

Israel has kept out of the civil war that has engulfed Syria and killed more than 60,000 people, but it is concerned that violence could spill over from its northern border into Israel.

Israel deployed its Iron Dome rocket defense system in the northern city of Haifa on Sunday. The city was battered by Hezbollah rocket fire during a war in the summer of 2006. The military called the deployment "routine."

Iron Dome, an Israel-developed system that shoots down incoming short-range rockets, was used to defend Israeli cities during a round of hostilities with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, on Israel's southern flank, last November.

Yisrael Hasson, a lawmaker and former deputy head of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency, said Israel was closely following developments in Syria to make sure chemical weapons don't "fall into the wrong hands."

"Syria has a massive amount of chemical weapons, and if they fall into hands even more extreme than Syria like Hezbollah or global jihad groups it would completely transform the map of threats," Hasson told Army Radio.

"Global jihad" is the term Israel uses for forces influenced by al-Qaida. Syria's rebels include al-Qaida-allied groups.

Syria has rarely acknowledged possessing chemical weapons.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to threats from Syria and Iran at a Cabinet meeting Sunday. Iran is Syria's main regional ally.

"We must look around us, at what is happening in Iran and its proxies and at what is happening in other areas, with the deadly weapons in Syria, which is increasingly coming apart," he said.

Israel views Iran as an existential threat because of its nuclear and missile programs and support for violent anti-Israeli groups in Lebanon and Gaza, as well as repeated references by Iranian leaders to Israel's destruction. Iran denies it is seeking to build atomic weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

On Friday, Israeli Channel 2 TV broadcast an interview with a former Iranian diplomat who defected to the West in 2010. He warned that if Tehran gets nuclear weapons, it would use them against Israel. He did not provide evidence.

Part of Mohammad Reza Heydari's job was to draft foreign scientists to work on Tehran's nuclear program and he brought many from North Korea into Iran, the report said.

Heydari spoke from Oslo, where he has received political asylum.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-27-Israel-Syria/id-8f539f4b9af346d09eebaf7069d92262

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Djokovic beats Murray for 3rd straight Aust. Title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Novak Djokovic became the first man in the Open era to win three consecutive Australian titles when he beat Andy Murray 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 in Sunday's final.

Little wonder he loves Rod Laver Arena.

"It's definitely my favorite Grand Slam," he said. "It's an incredible feeling winning this trophy once more. I love this court."

Djokovic has won four of his six major titles at Melbourne Park, where he is now unbeaten in 21 matches.

Nine other men had won back-to-back titles in Australia over 45 years, but none were able to claim three in a row.

Only two other men, American Jack Crawford (1931-33) and Australian Roy Emerson (1963-67), have won three or more consecutive Australian championships.

Born a week apart in May 1987 and friends since their junior playing days, Djokovic and Murray played like they knew each other's game very well in a rematch of last year's U.S. Open final. There were no service breaks until the eighth game of the third set, when Djokovic finally broke through and then held at love to lead by two sets to one.

Djokovic earned two more service breaks in the fourth set, including one to take a 4-1 lead when U.S. Open champion Murray double-faulted on break point.

"It's been an incredible match as we could have expected," Djokovic said. "When we play each other, it's always, we push each other to the limit and I think those two sets went over two hours, 15 minutes, physically I was just trying to hang in there. Play my game and focus on every point."

The 25-year-old Serb didn't rip his shirt off this time, as he did to celebrate his epic 5-hour, 53-minute win over Rafael Nadal in last year's final. He just did a little dance, looked up to the sky and then applauded the crowd after the 3-hour, 40-minute match.

Murray's win over Djokovic in the U.S. Open final last year ended a 76-year drought for British men at the majors, but he still is yet to make a breakthrough in Australia after losing a third final here in the last four years.

Djokovic's win went against the odds of recent finals at Melbourne Park. In four of the past five years, the player who won the second of the semifinals has finished on top in the championship match. But this year, Djokovic played his semifinal on Thursday ? an easy 89-minute minute win over No. 4-seeded David Ferrer. Murray needed five energy sapping sets to beat 17-time major winner Roger Federer on Friday night.

"You don't wake up the next day and feel perfect, obviously," Murray said of the Federer match. "It's the longest match I played in six months probably. It obviously wasn't an issue today. I started the match well. I thought I moved pretty good throughout."

The win consolidated Djokovic's position as the No. 1-ranked player in the world, while Federer and Murray will be second and third when the ATP rankings are released Monday.

Their last two matches in Grand Slams ? Murray's five-set win at last year's U.S. Open and Djokovic's victory here last year in five in the semifinals ? had a total of 35 service breaks.

It was a vastly different, more tactical battle on Sunday, with the first two tight sets decided in tiebreakers.

"All our matches in last three years have been decided in a very few points, so it's really hard to say if I've done anything different," Djokovic said. "I tried to be more aggressive. So I went for my shots, especially in the third and fourth; came to the net quite often. I was quite successful in that percentage, so it worked well for me."

Murray, who called for a trainer to retape blisters on his right foot at the end of the second set, was visibly annoyed by noise from the crowd during his service games in the third set, stopping his service motion twice until the crowd quieted down. After dropping the third set, he complained about the noise to chair umpire John Blom.

"It's just a bit sore when you're running around," Murray said. "It's not like pulling a calf muscle or something. It just hurts when you run."

Djokovic came from 0-40 down in the second game of the second set to hold his serve, a situation he called "definitely one of the turning points."

"He missed an easy backhand and I think mentally I just relaxed after that," Djokovic said. "I just felt I'm starting to get into the rhythm that I wanted to. I was little more aggressive and started to dictate the play."

Although Djokovic went into the match with a 10-7 lead in head-to-heads, Murray had beaten Djokovic five out of eight times in tiebreakers, and that improved to six of nine after four unforced errors by Djokovic to end the first set.

Djokovic pegged back that edge in the second set, when Murray also didn't help his cause by double-faulting to give Djokovic a 3-2 lead, and the Serbian player didn't trail again in the tiebreaker.

On the double-fault, Murray had to stop as he was about to serve to pick up up a feather that had fallen on the court.

"I could have served, it just caught my eye before I served ... I thought it was a good idea to move it," he said.

"Maybe it wasn't because I obviously double faulted. At this level it can come down to just a few points here or there. My probably biggest chance was at the beginning of the second set; (I) didn't quite get it. When Novak had his chance at the end of the third, he got his."

Djokovic will have little time to savor the win ? he's playing Davis Cup for Serbia next weekend against Belgium.

"It's going to be a lot of fun ... to see how I can adjust to clay court in indoor conditions, playing away Davis Cup, which is always tricky," he said.

Andre Agassi was among those in the capacity crowd ? the four-time Australian champion's first trip Down Under in nearly 10 years ? and he later presented the trophy to Djokovic.

Victoria Azarenka, who won Saturday's women's singles final over Li Na, was also there with her boyfriend rapper Redfoo. Actor Kevin Spacey met in the dressing room with both players ahead of the match and later tweeted a photo of himself with them.

In the earlier mixed doubles final Sunday, wild-card entrants Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden of Australia beat the Czech pair of Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak 6-3, 7-5.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/djokovic-beats-murray-3rd-straight-aust-title-124747140.html

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French, Mali forces head toward Timbuktu

SEVARE, Mali (AP) ? French and Malian forces pushed toward the fabled desert town of Timbuktu on Sunday, as the two-week-long French mission gathered momentum against the Islamist extremists who have ruled the north for more than nine months.

So far the French forces have met little resistance from the militants, though it remains unclear what battles may await them farther north. The Malian military blocked dozens of international journalists from trying to travel toward Timbuktu.

Lt. Col. Diarran Kone, a spokesman for Mali's defense minister, declined to give details Sunday about the advance on Timbuktu, citing the security of an ongoing military operation.

Timbuktu's mayor, Ousmane Halle, is in the capital, Bamako, and he told The Associated Press he had no information about the remote town, where phone lines have been cut for days.

A convoy of about 15 vehicles transporting international journalists also was blocked Sunday afternoon in Konna, some 186 miles (300 kilometers) south of Timbuktu.

The move on Timbuktu comes a day after the French announced they had seized the airport and a key bridge in Gao, one of the other northern provincial capitals under the grip of radical Islamists.

"People were coming out into the streets to greet the arrival of the troops and celebrate," said Hassane Maiga, a resident of Gao. "At night, youth from Gao went out alongside the Malian military. They scoured homes in search of the Islamists and the youth smashed the houses."

French and Malian forces were patrolling Gao Sunday afternoon searching for remnants of the Islamists and maintaining control of the bridge and airport, said Kone, the Mali military spokesman.

The French special forces, which had stormed in by land and by air, had come under fire in Gao from "several terrorist elements" that were later "destroyed," the French military said in a statement on its website Saturday.

In a later press release entitled "French and Malian troops liberate Gao," the French ministry of defense said they brought back the town's mayor, Sadou Diallo, who had fled to Bamako.

However, a Gao official interviewed by telephone by The Associated Press said late Saturday that coalition forces so far only controlled the airport, the bridge and surrounding neighborhoods. And in Paris, a defense ministry official clarified that the city had not been fully liberated, and that the process of freeing Gao was continuing.

Both officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, was seized by a mixture of al-Qaida-linked Islamist fighters more than nine months ago along with the other northern provincial capitals of Kidal and Timbuktu.

The rebel group that turned Gao into a replica of Afghanistan under the Taliban has close ties to Moktar Belmoktar, the Algerian national who has long operated in Mali and who last week claimed responsibility for the terror attack on a BP-operated natural gas plant in Algeria.

His fighters are believed to include Algerians, Egyptians, Mauritanians, Libyans, Tunisians, Pakistanis and even Afghans.

Since France began its military operation, the Islamists have retreated from three small towns in central Mali: Diabaly, Konna and Douentza. However, the Islamists still control much of the north, including Kidal.

The Pentagon said late Saturday that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told France the United States will aid the French military with aerial refueling missions.

U.S. aerial refueling planes would be a boost to air support for French ground forces as they enter vast areas of northern Mali, which is the size of Texas, that are controlled by al-Qaida-linked extremists.

The U.S. was already helping France by transporting French troops and equipment to the West African nation. However, the U.S. government has said it cannot provide direct aid to the Malian military because the country's democratically elected president was overthrown in a coup last March.

The Malian forces, however, are now expected to get more help than initially promised from neighboring nations.

Col. Shehu Usman Abdulkadir, a Nigerian in charge of regional forces heading to Mali, told The Associated Press that the African force will be expanded from an anticipated 3,200 troops to some 5,700 ? a figure that does not include the 2,200 soldiers promised by Chad.

Most analysts had said the earlier figure was far too small to confront the Islamists given the huge territory they hold.

The Mali conflict has been dominating the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which runs through Monday. On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met in the Ethiopian capital with Mali's interim president, Dioncounda Traore.

Ban "stressed the need to pursue a political process that would lead to a consensual roadmap for the transition to full constitutional order, in parallel with ongoing military operations," according to a U.N. statement.

Traore is heading a civilian transitional government that was set up following the coup last March. No date has been set yet for elections to choose a new government.

___

Associated Press writers Baba Ahmed and Rukmini Callimachi contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/french-mali-forces-head-toward-timbuktu-085610699.html

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Smart organizations should also be stupid, according to new theory

Jan. 28, 2013 ? Critical reflection and shrewdness can help companies to avoid crises, but sometimes good old-fashioned stupidity can serve an important function in raising the efficiency of an organisation, claims Mats Alvesson, Professor of Organisation Studies at the School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Sweden, in a new theory of 'functional stupidity' that has been published in the Journal of Management Studies.

"We see functional stupidity as the absence of critical reflection. It is a state of unity and consensus that makes employees in an organisation avoid questioning decisions, structures and visions," says Mats Alvesson. "Paradoxically, this sometimes helps to raise productivity in an organisation."

Together with colleague Andr? Spicer, Mats Alvesson has written an article entitled 'A Stupidity-Based Theory of Organisations', which was recently published in the Journal of Management Studies and has been featured in the Financial Times. In the article, he expounds the logic behind 'functional stupidity'.

"It is a double-edged sword. It is functional because it has some advantages and makes people concentrate enthusiastically on the task in hand. It is stupid because risks and problems may arise when people do not pose critical questions about what they and the organisation are doing."

The state is partly a consequence of a kind of 'stupidity management', which suppresses and marginalises doubt and blocks open communication within the organisation. The parallels with some companies' sudden financial crashes in recent years are clear.

"Short-term use of intellectual resources, consensus and an absence of disquieting questions about decisions and structures may oil the organisational machinery and contribute to harmony and increased productivity in a company. However, it may also be its downfall."

According to the researchers, some industries are more stupid than others. Organisations that make a virtue of their staff's wisdom and sell intangible services or branded products, such as parts of the mass media, the fashion industry and consultancy firms, are highlighted as being particularly disposed to develop functional stupidity.

"Functional stupidity is prominent in economies that are dominated by persuasion using images and symbolic manipulation. It is preferable that people have an enthusiastic belief in an activity which may not necessarily fulfil a need. New management may be required to manage the fine balance and possible pitfalls of functional stupidity," says Mats Alvesson.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Lund University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Mats Alvesson, Andr? Spicer. A Stupidity-Based Theory of Organizations. Journal of Management Studies, 2012; 49 (7): 1194 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01072.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/z4tnvP3h6JU/130128081520.htm

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Now you can get your 'Downton Abbey' on

Joss Barratt / Carnival Films

Michelle Dockery is Lady Mary and Laura Carmichael is Lady Edith on "Downton Abbey." The drama has spurred interest in Edwardian fashion, home furnishings and books about the era.

By Tanya Mohn, TODAY contributor

?Downton Abbey? fans may be effortlessly transported back to another time and place, but the impact of the television series is also firmly rooted in the real world. The popular costume drama has reportedly spurred sales in everything from wedding dresses, lingerie and other Edwardian fashions to home furnishings and even what people are reading.

?Etiquette books are selling through the roof right now? said Scott F. Stoddart, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology. So are history books about World War I and recently reprinted titles like ?To Marry an English Lord.? ?People are drawn to a bygone era, a more romantic time of gracious living,? he said.

The influence of popular culture on style and taste goes back to the early days of Hollywood, when film stars like Joan Crawford, dressed as a flapper in the 1920s and 1930s, inspired shorter hemlines. After Elizabeth Taylor appeared in ?A Place in the Sun? in the early 1950s wearing a distinctive dress, ?every girl wanted to wear it to the prom that year,? said Stoddart, author of ?Analyzing Mad Men? and of the forthcoming ?Exploring Downton Abbey? to be released during the summer of 2013.

The trend for a television series to impact the marketplace is more recent, as the medium typically influenced viewers through advertising. ?To my mind, ?Mad Men? is one of the first,? inspiring companies like Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic and Crate & Barrel to create everything from 60s-era men?s suits to living rooms sets, said Stoddart. ?It really takes about two to three seasons before retailers really get on the band wagon. It?s happening now with ?Downton Abbey.??

Ralph Lauren has a new collection, modeled by actress Jessica Chastain, that features Lady Mary-type turn-of-the-century hunting garb, and other "Downton"-inspired products include 1920s-era jewelry collections and T-shirts based on characters in the series.?

Skinny ties made a comeback after ?Mad Men,? said Stoddart, and soon ?we will give gloves a nod because of 'Downton Abbey.' ?

Leonard Lee, an associate professor at the Columbia Business School, said the financial impact of popular shows is difficult to measure. But while he is not aware of any academic research or tracking of the phenomenon, the underlying psychological process is consistent with what is known about consumer behavior. Repeated exposure, positive feelings, imitating behavior, and the desire to be a part of the larger experience and enjoy it in a more proactive way, he said, are factors that typically influence spending choices.

Emotional resonance, not logic, is often key, said Lee, referring to a well-known study that analyzed how decorative posters were chosen and found that participants who deliberated more about which one to buy were less likely to hang them up. ?Sometimes when you think too much about options, you tend to be more dissatisfied than when you rely more on feelings and evaluate holistically.??

The influence of popular culture on spending is growing, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst of The NPD Group, a market research company, has followed consumer behavior and retail trends for more than 30 years. ?It used to be that fashion led the way for what?s in, what?s out,? he said, but today, entertainment and popular culture have taken on a larger role, though the public typically downplays it.?

The NPD Group conducts a survey each year in which respondents are asked if they made purchases influenced by celebrities. ?Every year consumers deny it, yet the numbers show they do it more and more,? Cohen said. A decade ago, for example, 8 percent of survey respondents said they made purchases as a direct result of celebrity influence. But in the most recent survey, conducted in March 2012, 18 percent admitted they did so. ?They don?t like to admit they are easily influenced and swayed,? said Cohen, who is the author of ?Why Customers Do What They Do?and ?Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your Products and Ignore the Rest.?

?Fashion is easiest industry to see the cause and effect,? of popular culture, but interior design, home furnishings and other lifestyle areas are also impacted. During the recession, the fashion industry ?was scared. It didn?t take chances on color and design,? resulting in safe products that lacked inspiration and bored consumers.

But the "Downton Abbey" influence is positive, for the public and the retail industry, experts say.

?It?s so different; it?s new and fresh,? said Cohen.

?Anything that expands your mind is always a good thing,? said Stoddart, whether it?s fashion or reading history. ?It adds to a strong conversation between people.? ??

Related content:

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Source: http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/01/28/16681328-downton-abbey-boosts-interest-in-products-inspired-by-bygone-era?lite

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The Weekly Roundup for 01.21.2013

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z announced

Xperia Tablet Z: 1.5GHz quad-core, 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 6.9mm thickness.

Pebble smartwatch review

So, what is Pebble? It's not a smartphone for your wrist, as we've seen attempted before...

HTC M7 purportedly spied brandishing Sense 5.0

It's that special time again -- that time when Mobile World Congress looms...

Mozilla reveals Firefox OS Developer Preview Phone

Mozilla has just announced a "Developer Preview Phone" for putting the OS through its paces...

You also might like:

• Apple announces Q1 2013 earnings: record $54.5 billion in revenue, 47.8 million iPhones and 22.9 million iPads sold
• Microsoft reports Q2 2013 earnings: posts record revenue of $21.5 billion, $6.38 billion profit
• Samsung reports $8.27 billion in profits for Q4 2012

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/27/the-weekly-roundup-for-01-21-2013/

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Under ObamaCare, It's Quit Smoking or Pay the ... - Big Health Report

Smokers who thought they were getting a sweet deal from ObamaCare may want to think twice before lighting up again. According to the Associated Press, one of the many well-concealed provisions of the bill that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Congress had to pass ?so that you can find out what?s in it? could make health insurance cost up to 50 percent more for Americans with cigarette habits ? especially longstanding ones.

The law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was ? as its name implies ? ostensibly designed to make health insurance affordable to Americans. It prohibits insurers from turning down or charging more to individuals with pre-existing conditions and even certain conditions (such as obesity) that increase the risk of health problems.

However, the one condition that the law does not protect from high insurance rates is nicotine addiction ? despite the fact that smoking is associated with a number of serious health problems including heart disease and lung cancer. In fact, it specifically permits insurers to charge higher rates to older smokers than to nonsmokers or even younger smokers. Under the law, older adults in general may be charged up to triple what younger ones are charged (which could end up harming the young by hiking their rates). Smokers may, in addition, be charged up to 50 percent more than nonsmokers for their coverage, but younger smokers may be hit with a lesser penalty than older ones. Plus, the subsidies the government provides to offset the cost of insurance purchased on the individual market cannot be applied to the smoking penalty.

Just how expensive could insurance for older smokers become under ObamaCare? The AP ran the numbers:

Take a hypothetical 60-year-old smoker making $35,000 a year. Estimated premiums for coverage in the new private health insurance markets under Obama?s law would total $10,172. That person would be eligible for a tax credit that brings the cost down to $3,325.

But the smoking penalty could add $5,086 to the cost. And since federal tax credits can?t be used to offset the penalty, the smoker?s total cost for health insurance would be $8,411, or 24 percent of income. That?s considered unaffordable under the federal law. The numbers were estimated using the online Kaiser Health Reform Subsidy Calculator.

?The effect of the smoking (penalty) allowed under the law would be that lower-income smokers could not afford health insurance,? said Richard Curtis, president of the Institute for Health Policy Solutions, a nonpartisan research group that called attention to the issue with a study about the potential impact in California.

These rules apply only to those buying insurance on the individual market. Those obtaining coverage through their employers can escape the penalty ?by joining smoking cessation programs,? says the AP. There is no way to avoid the potential for the penalty altogether, which should not be surprising since the law practically demands that everyone kick the habit or be subjected to ?behavior modification.?

In so decreeing, the federal government took on no small task. About 20 percent of American adults smoke. ?That share,? writes the AP, ?is higher among lower-income people, who also are more likely to work in jobs that don?t come with health insurance and would therefore depend on the new federal health care law.?

Post Continues on thenewamerican.com

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Source: http://bighealthreport.com/6684/under-obamacare-its-quit-smoking-or-pay-the-price-literally/

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OECD chief: Fight complacency on fixing economies

Secretary-General of the OECD, Angel Gurria, right, gestures as he speaks at the Open Forum, while Spanish Economy Minister, Louis de Guindos Jurado looks on, on the sideline of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Secretary-General of the OECD, Angel Gurria, right, gestures as he speaks at the Open Forum, while Spanish Economy Minister, Louis de Guindos Jurado looks on, on the sideline of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ? One economic expert at Davos says there's no rest for the weary: governments must not back off from making unpopular reforms that will help their economies grow faster.

Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, says "we have to keep fighting, keep pedaling" to improve educational opportunities, labor laws and tax codes to promote long-term growth.

Central banks already have cut interest rates as much as they can and governments can't afford more stimulus spending as they try to reduce debts, Gurria told The Associated Press on Saturday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

He said the key now was to focus on structural reforms that will make countries' economies and labor markets more competitive.

"This incipient, hesitant recovery needs to be consolidated," Gurria said. "We ran out of room on the monetary side, we've run out of room on the fiscal policy side, so what you need is to go structural. "

"You need to go for education, for innovation, for more competition, for tax structures that are conducive to investments and job creation, you need to go for flexibility in the labor markets, for flexibility in the product markets," he said. "These are the things that are going to keep you going long term."

The OECD is a group of 34 countries that seeks to promote global economic development. It is mostly made up of advanced economies such as the U.S., Britain, Germany and Japan, but also includes emerging economies like Chile, Mexico and Turkey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-26-Davos%20Forum-World%20Economy/id-4c4445a660f740ca8a5823d55a7fe4f5

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Thousands march for gun control in Washington

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

People walk from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, during a march on Washington for gun control. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Thousands of people, many holding signs with names of gun violence victims and messages such as "Ban Assault Weapons Now," joined a rally for gun control on Saturday, marching from the Capitol to the Washington Monument.

Leading the crowd were marchers with "We Are Sandy Hook" signs, paying tribute to victims of the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Washington Mayor Vincent Gray and other city officials marched alongside them. The crowd stretched for at least two blocks along Constitution Avenue.

Participants held signs reading "Gun Control Now," ''Stop NRA" and "What Would Jesus Pack?" among other messages. Other signs were simple and white, with the names of victims of gun violence.

About 100 residents from Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six teachers, traveled to Washington together, organizers said.

Participant Kara Baekey from nearby Norwalk, Conn., said that when she heard about the Newtown shooting, she immediately thought of her two young children. She said she decided she must take action, and that's why she traveled to Washington for the march.

"I wanted to make sure this never happens at my kids' school or any other school," Baekey said. "It just can't happen again."

Once the crowd arrived at the monument, speakers called for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition and for universal background checks on gun sales.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the crowd it's not about taking away Second Amendment gun rights, but about gun safety and saving lives. He said he and President Barack Obama would do everything they could to enact gun control policies.

"This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear," Duncan said. "This march is a starting point; it is not an ending point ... We must act, we must act, we must act."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s non-voting representative in Congress, said the gun lobby can be stopped, and the crowd chanted back, "Yes, we can."

"We are all culpable if we do nothing now," Norton said

James Agenbroad, 78, of Garrett Park, Md., carried a handwritten sign on cardboard that read "Repeal the 2nd Amendment." He called it the only way to stop mass killings because he thinks the Supreme Court will strike down any other restrictions on guns.

"You can repeal it," he said. "We repealed prohibition."

Molly Smith, the artistic director of Washington's Arena Stage, and her partner organized the march. Organizers said that in addition to the 100 people from Newtown, buses of participants traveled from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. Others flew in from Seattle, San Francisco and Alaska, they said.

While she's never organized a political march before, Smith said she was compelled to press for a change in the law. The march organizers support Obama's call for gun control measures. They also want lawmakers to require gun safety training for all buyers of firearms.

"With the drum roll, the consistency of the mass murders and the shock of it, it is always something that is moving and devastating to me. And then, it's as if I move on," Smith said. "And in this moment, I can't move on. I can't move on.

"I think it's because it was children, babies," she said. "I was horrified by it."

After the Connecticut shootings, Smith began organizing on Facebook. The group One Million Moms for Gun Control, the Washington National Cathedral and two other churches eventually signed on to co-sponsor the march. Organizers have raised more than $50,000 online to pay for equipment and fees to stage the rally, Smith said.

Lawmakers from the District of Columbia and Maryland rallied the crowd, along with Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund and Colin Goddard, a survivor from the Virginia Tech massacre.

Goddard said he was shot four times at Virginia Tech and is motivated to keep fighting for gun control because what happened to him keeps happening ? and nothing's been done to stop it.

"We are Americans," he said, drawing big cheers. "We have overcome difficulties when we realize we are better than this."

Smith said she supports a comprehensive look at mental health and violence in video games and films. But she said the mass killings at Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., all began with guns.

"The issue is guns. The Second Amendment gives us the right to own guns, but it's not the right to own any gun," she said. "These are assault weapons, made for killing people."

___

March on Washington for Gun Control: http://www.guncontrolmarch.com/

___

Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-26-Gun%20Control%20March/id-a8f11633c53849b492a70924fc2694f4

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Dozens reported killed in Venezuela prison riot

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? A bloody riot erupted in a Venezuelan prison when National Guard troops clashed with armed inmates, and Venezuelan media reported that dozens were killed.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro called the violence tragic early Saturday on television and said the authorities had launched an investigation. He and other officials did not give a death toll from the riot Friday at Uribana prison in the central Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto.

The newspaper Ultimas Noticias reported on its website that 54 people were killed. The television channel Globovision reported at least 50 killed and about 90 injured. Both cited Ruy Medina, the director of Central Hospital in the city.

Humberto Prado, an activist who leads the watchdog group Venezuelan Prisons Observatory, said in a statement that inmates' relatives and media accounts put the toll at 54 killed and 88 injured.

Relatives wept outside the prison during the violence, and cried outside the morgue Saturday as they waited to identify bodies.

Penitentiary Service Minister Iris Varela said Friday that the riot broke out when groups of inmates attacked National Guard troops who were attempting to carry out an inspection.

Varela said the violence had affected a number of prisoners and officials, but said the authorities would hold off until control had been re-established at the prison to confirm the toll. She said the government decided to send troops to search the prison after receiving reports of clashes between groups of inmates during the past two days.

The death toll provided by Medina rose late Friday after he had initially reported four killed and dozens injured. Ultimas Noticias reported that the victims included a Protestant pastor and a member of the National Guard, as well as inmates.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles condemned the government's handling of the country's overcrowded and violent prisons.

"Our country's prisons are an example of the incapacity of this government and its leaders. They never solved the problem," Capriles said on his Twitter account. "How many more deaths do there have to be in the prisons for the government to acknowledge its failure and make changes?"

Prado noted in his group's statement, which was posted on Globovision's website Saturday, that in 2007 the Costa Rica-based Inter-American Court of Human Rights had ordered the Venezuelan government to seize weapons that inmates had in their possession at Uribana prison and to take measures to avoid deaths in the facility.

The observatory called for the government to release a list with the names of the dead and wounded, as well as details about weapons seized in the search. It also said the government should adequately train security forces to "effectively guarantee the right to life and avoid the disproportionate use of force."

The group says Uribana prison was built to hold up to 850 inmates but currently has about 1,400.

It was the latest in a series of bloody riots in the country's prisons. In April and May, a prison uprising in La Planta prison in Caracas blocked authorities from going inside for nearly three weeks. One prisoner was killed and five people were wounded, including two National Guard soldiers and three inmates.

Two months later, another riot broke out at a prison in Merida, and the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory reported 30 killed.

In August, 25 people were killed and 43 wounded when two groups of inmates fought a gunbattle inside Yare I prison south of Caracas.

In recent years, violence has worsened inside Venezuela's severely overcrowded prisons, where inmates often freely obtain weapons and drugs with the help of corrupt guards.

Venezuela currently has 33 prisons built to hold about 12,000 inmates, but officials have said the prisons' population is about 47,000.

Maduro said early Saturday that Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Diaz and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello were leading the investigation into the newest riot.

"The prisons have to be governed by law," Maduro said.

Chavez's government has previous pledged improvements to the prison system, but opponents and activists say the government hasn't made progress.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dozens-reported-killed-venezuela-prison-riot-171656137.html

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Which Tribe Should We Engage? A Tribal Engagement Assessment ...

Author?s Note: The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the United States Army or the U.S. Government. The source of this methodology was developed through eleven interviews by the author with Special Operation Forces and intelligence professional subject matter experts (SME) in February 2011.? Each of the SMEs have extensive experience in tribal engagement from U.S. operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Philippines and other tribal contingency areas.? The interviews were conducted between 1-28 February 2012.

The Problem. ?As major combat operations come to a close in Afghanistan, two of the critical lessons learned are operations must understand local culture and must harness the power of local institutions to fight an irregular enemy.? These two factors are critical to the success of any irregular warfare campaign in the future.? The Sons of Iraq (SOI) and Village Stability Operations/Afghan Local Police (VSO/ALP) demonstrate the success of using an ?irregular force? to fight an ?irregular enemy? which will help define future U.S. low intensity conflicts across the globe.? The future strategy for U.S. Irregular Warfare will rely heavily on varying types of Special Operations Forces (SOF) conducting a wide range of overt and clandestine special activities against irregular enemy forces.? Operations will be conducted in permissible, semi-permissible or non-permissible operating environments.? The future success of U.S. campaigns depends on proper planning for employment of friendly ?irregular forces.?? Furthermore, Irregular Warfare (IW) operations will be conducted in coordination with Host Nation (HN) or partnered state/non-state actors as a modified Foreign Internal Defense (FID) concept for remote area operations. ?FID is defined as operations to ?enable and assist a host nation to prevent, deter and defeat a variety of irregular threats, including criminal activity, insurgency and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.?[1] ?FID operations will be led by the Department of State (Title XXII) and executed as part of their country plan.? Current Special Operations Forces doctrine and Irregular Warfare Joint Operating Concepts lack an analytical methodology supporting initial planning for tribal engagement non-kinetic targeting.? The existing doctrine outlines the intelligence requirement for Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (JIPOE).? However, the doctrines do not have a systematic approach to analyzing the potential for tribal support to U.S., HN or partnered state/non-state actors? activities against an Irregular Force.? This tool can support a wide range of Irregular Warfare or intelligence operations in tribal societies.?

The methodology will be broken down into three major phases.? First, the planning and coordination phase.? Second, the development of subjective analysis utilizing all existing intelligence, operational reporting, academia, liaison information and any other source of information which could assist in developing the subjective analysis of each tribe.? The third phase involves identification of gaps, tasking of intelligence collection and employment of the pilot team for initial contact.? The development of this planning methodology is derived from interviews with subject matter experts and personal experience in employing tribal engagement initiatives across the Middle East.? This methodology will enable planners to be better prepared prior to initial contact by the pilot teams.

Phase One: Planning and Coordination.? The first step of phase one in employing a tribal engagement methodology is identification of clear strategic objectives of the operation.? The tool determines the potential for tribal engagement but the mission can vary across the Irregular Warfare spectrum from stability operations to unconventional warfare.? Clear understanding by planners of the strategic objectives is critical when applying this methodology.? Second, planners need to reach out to inner agency and coalition partners (when classification allows) in order to bring in the widest group of subject matter experts to develop the subjective analysis (step two).? This supports IW?s second core element to ?plan and execute in concert with partners.?? Planners must strive to ?integrate joint force IW planning with other USG agencies to facilitate regional and global operations across USG agency and department boundaries.?[2]? The title authorities and supported agency will vary based on the mission for the tribal engagement methodology but clear coordination across the country team and larger interagency is required.? Additionally, there are core-planning fundamentals which have emerged from previous tribal engagement programs which must be factored into the initial operational planning.

Initial Planning Fundamentals.? There are six core fundamentals which must be incorporated into the planning of tribal or social structure engagement for FID operations.? First, the term ?tribe? is a generalization, which includes existing social power structures beyond the central government?s control including religious, tribal, security or social elements, which provide governance, conflict resolution and security for the local population.? In some geographic locations, there are no ?functioning? tribal structures but a family or religious institution filling the void.? For the purposes of this methodology, the term tribe refers to the established social structure which controls a local population with limited or no central government control.? The second core fundamental when conducting tribal engagement planning is local governance needs to be the supported effort while armed security elements are the supporting effort.? As seen in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing security alone does not solve many of the problems in conflict regions.? The main effort needs to focus on developing existing social institutions at the village level in order to mediate conflict disputes, provide basic necessities for the local populace and establish some means of social order.[3]

The third core fundamental is all tribal engagement operations need to be a ?bottom up approach? beginning at the grass roots level.? FID programs target areas not under government control; therefore, programs cannot be pushed from the ?top down.?[4]? However, as FID programs expand, they inevitably bridge the gap between the central government and ?tribal areas.?? They focus on ?building across? the social fabric of a society.[5]? Additionally, this enables them to ?break across? enemy networks.? This greatly increases the likelihood of success of combating an enemy with an irregular force.? The focused destruction of an irregular enemy has to be done horizontally and not vertically in order to tackle the sources of the opposing irregular force.? Fourth, FID operations need to be persistent and not short term episodic engagements.[6]? One of the critical factors in the Afghan VSO/ALP program was ?we [Special Operations Forces] stopped driving to work and became neighbors.?[7]? Essentially, the Special Operations Forces were living in the villages within the society and accepted as members of the local community.? They were available 24/7 to augment local security, provide oversight to construction projects and mediate conflicts.? The long term presence is critical to any program?s success.? For any tribal engagement program to be successful, a long-term commitment is required to the local social entity.? Fifth, the tribal engagement plan needs to focus on changing behaviors and not opinions.? This is a critical factor because in the average insurgency, lasting longer than nine years on average, it is very unlikely to change ?hearts and minds? of a social structure operating on the fringe of central government control.? The programs should focus on ?building trust and confidence? which over the long term will impact behaviors.[8]? Finally, planners must understand the strategic objectives prior to initiating the planning methodology.? A Department of State District Stability Framework (DSF), for example, will significantly vary from a counter-terrorism paramilitary campaign focused on Al Qaeda.? This underlying strategic planning objective must be incorporated into the analysis to measure potential desired effects.? These six factors are critical to understand prior to initiating any tribal engagement planning.? Additionally, this methodology can support any tribal engagement program from FID with an irregular force, civil military operations, counter-terrorism, counterinsurgency, infrastructure protection, and others.? As long as a tribal or social structure on the fringe or outside government control is being utilized, the methodology remains applicable.

A Planning Tool Supporting Initial Contact.? When applying the tribal engagement analysis methodology, there are some administrative functions which must be understood prior to beginning the process.? The employment of this methodology is designed to assist in the JIPOE process for initial operational planning.? This methodology will not replace pilot team assessments; rather it will help focus pilot teams? employment to work with tribes with the greatest potential to achieve the U.S. desired objectives.? Additionally, this tool will identify gaps, driving intelligence collection.? The methodology will further enable pilot teams to focus their assessments on identified gaps as they conduct initial contact.? This methodology will not support activities in non-tribal societies but can be modified for future irregular warfare contingencies.?

Phase Two: Subjective Analysis Methodology.? When analyzing tribal or social elements, there are consistently five major categories critical to the potential success of operational activities.? This methodology will apply a subjective analysis of each of these six categories.? Each tribe will be analyzed separately in order to reduce bias.? Additionally, analysis incorporates a sixth category of intelligence confidence level when developing the subjective score in accordance with Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) standards in order to ensure planning teams understand the strengths and limitations of the assessments.? When there is a lack of intelligence to make an accurate assessment, this information will be annotated and should drive future intelligence collection requirements and help focus the pilot team assessment.? The assessment will be derived by analyzing all existing classified and open source intelligence on each of the major tribal entities.?

The five evaluation criteria include: external support, tribal/social unity, geographic importance, ability to effectively control territory and enemy saturation.? The five major categories will be ranked from one to ten?with ten being the highest score on the aspect being analyzed (see Figure 1 below).? A score of ten will be the highest level of potential for direct or indirect tribal engagement. ?As a result of each tribe receiving scores ranging from one to ten across the five categories, each tribe will independently receive a final score between one and 50.? The scores will support assessments in evaluating each tribe?s ability to support tribal engagement strategies with HN, the US or other state/non-state actors.? The higher the score a tribe receives indicates a greater potential for support of tribal engagement initiatives.? Subjective scoring should be compiled through a focus group of subject matter experts (SMEs) in order to reduce bias.? When possible, HN or partnered nations need to be incorporated into the planning process unless the tribal engagement will be clandestine in nature.? The vast resources of the U.S. government expertise must be incorporated into this focused group developing the analysis.? All biases from the focus group need to be annotated and explained when discussing the final assessment.

Figure 1. Example of Subjective Tribal Analysis Comparison developed

by focus group of Subject Matter Experts (SME).

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External Support.? The first category evaluated is the tribe?s potential for external support.? External support could manifest itself in direct dialogue with the central government, foreign governments, terrorist elements, religious structures or other irregular forces.? In many cases, the tribe may not support the central government but may be supportive of countering irregular enemies of the central government.? In researching the tribe, the external elements the targeted tribe would support should become apparent which will help craft the operational design of the tribal engagement.? Direct talks between the central government and the tribal entity are not necessarily required.? For example, in order to engage a specific tribe which is resistant to central government dialogue, an indirect approach to a tribal ally could begin to bridge the gap of trust and confidence with the targeted tribe.[9]? As seen in Afghanistan, U.S. and HN tribal engagement can help bridge the gap between the central government and semi-autonomous tribal elements operating on the edge of government control.[10]? When conducting subjective analysis scoring, a ten would signify the tribe?s willingness to provide support to external elements.? A score of one would indicate the tribe is xenophobic, self sustaining and resistant to any outside engagement.? Conversely, the tribal element could be directly supporting the insurgency, irregular enemy or criminal network.? This would also score highly as this category is assessing their receptiveness to outside influence.? During the analysis of this category, the relationships between entities such as tribes, central government, foreign governments and the U.S. need to be defined.? This will assist in crafting the strategy on how to engage this tribe.? Additionally, this category can help establish collection gaps and engagement strategies for pilot teams preparing to deploy to conduct initial contact with these tribal elements.? Focusing intelligence collection on the reasons the tribe is supporting an external element will enable expanding tribal engagement initiatives and establish a clear understanding of the operating environment while helping craft a better tribal engagement strategy.

Tribal/Social Unity.? The second evaluation criteria is assessing tribal/social unity.? This is evaluating the existing social mechanisms for a tribe (or social structure) to effectively govern its territory.? This ?governing? can consist of education, health care, conflict/resource dispute resolution, judicial rulings or any other social aspect of governing entities.? In the modern era, tribal unity and existing tribal structures have often been subjugated.? In Afghanistan, many of the tribes have been destroyed by years of tribal warfare.[11]? In southern Yemen, many tribal structures remain fragmented from the focused communist government efforts to destroy tribal culture in the 1960s.? However, often there are other social constructs such as businesses, religious structures or families which have filled the void left by a reduction in tribal social unity.? Identification of these social elements and their level of control over local populations are critical.? The analytical focus group needs to conduct a holistic analysis of the tribe?s unity and ability to execute cohesive policies/programs under the existing (or projected) tribal leadership.? ?A score of ten indicates strong tribal unity and one indicates a strongly fractured tribal element with very little effective leadership control.? The lack of effective tribal leadership will lower the potential for success of a tribal engagement program.? Additionally, research of the tribe?s unity will help identify key power brokers who pull the strings of the fabric of this society.? This will drive further intelligence collection and initial pilot team engagement with the correct ?power brokers? in order to achieve the desired objectives.

Geographic Importance.? In reality, not all tribes matter to a tribal engagement strategy.? Some tribes may control strategic lines of communications (LOCs), ports, natural resources or enemy sanctuaries.? Evaluating the geographic importance will differ for each analysis but are directly tied to the strategic objectives of the operation.? The focus group must clearly articulate what they are assessing as strategic geographic importance as part of the larger tribal engagement operation.? Tied to the geographic area in which the tribe operates is their ability to control or influence strategic resources such as oil pipelines, LOC, major markets, etc.? The tribe?s ability to support its people through taxes (legal or illegal), natural resources revenue, markets or other finance generating revenues is important to the stability of the tribe and the loyalty of its members.? Analyzing the geographic resource strength (or potential strength) of the tribe is essential.? In evaluating potential for engagement, often very strong resourced tribes are the least likely to be receptive to engagement.? Conversely, the poorer tribes are usually more conducive to tribal engagement to meet the tribe?s required needs.? A score of ten indicates control of strategic geography (including resources) whereas a score of one indicates areas with little value in accordance with the operation?s strategic objectives.? This will help evaluate the tribe?s ?importance? to the overall objectives of the planning process.? Analysis of tribal geographic areas and their access / control of resources is an important pre-mission planning step.? This can also be incorporated into the pilot team engagement strategy where financial reward can often sway a tribe?s support, at least temporarily.? However, when paying tribes, the long term effects need to be incorporated into the engagement strategy.? If the finances dry up, often so does the tribal support.

Ability to Effectively Control their Territory.? A tribe has to be able to control its territory in order to be effective in providing social support to its local populace.? A tribe often has existing security protocols in place but could need additional support in areas including, but not limited to: communications, health care, Medical Evacuation (MEDIVAC) and security training.[12]? Identifying such shortfalls is one of the most critical tasks for the pilot team?s assessment.? Assisting a tribe in establishing security in their tribal territory in a ?defensive role? is critical to expanding stability to conflicted regions.? One of the greatest counterarguments to tribal engagement is the fear arming tribal elements potentially increases their ability to counter government control.? In reality, many tribes already have an existing tribal militia, which can be easily leveraged to further U.S. or HN strategic objectives.? Analysis of the current state of armed tribal elements is critical to the success and palatability of tribal engagement.? This category will evaluate each tribe?s current armed militia elements and their ability to be effectively employed in support of the tribe?s goals.? A score of ten indicates the tribe has a very effective force, which can deploy and fight for the tribe?s interests.? A score of one indicates no standing tribal militia element.? This will also enable operational planners to develop a training program to increase the proficiency of the tribal force as part of the larger tribal engagement strategy.

Enemy Collusion.? The final category for analysis is enemy collusion within a tribal territory.? Regardless of the objective of the tribal engagement program, enemy collusion with the tribes in a specified target area must be evaluated.? Often this assessment can be developed from its own separate methodology.? One of the most effective methods is the evaluation of districts (or smaller governance units) under enemy, government or contested control.? This is an effective tool in focusing initial analysis and planning efforts.? For example, one objective of tribal engagement strategy may be to expand government control in contested areas.? Focusing limited resources on districts which are already under government control are futile to ?expanding? government control.? The tribal engagement strategy should evaluate the objectives of the campaign and then focus on contested or enemy controlled territory.? It must be stressed this is a holistic analysis and operations in one district can often result in the temporary relocation of enemy to an adjacent district.? The score of ten would indicate no government control.? These are the areas where focused tribal engagement is warranted.? A score of five would be contested government control and a score of one would indicate an area controlled by the central government.? Again, the tribal engagement strategy is designed to operate on the fringes or spaces absent of government control.? This evaluation criteria is not directly related to the strength, resources, geographic location or ability to provide security.? It is analyzing an external element (enemy) but must be incorporated into the overall analysis in order to properly evaluate how the tribe will respond to potential engagement.

Confidence Levels.? Critical to this methodology is a clear expression of confidence level in the assessments.? Analysis should focus on tribes operating on the fringes of government control.? These elements may or may not have a wide body of operational, intelligence or host nation reporting.? The clear standardization of confidence levels will ensure pilot teams understand how the planning team developed their assessments.? Additionally, when there are low levels of confidence, the intelligence section should clearly articulate to the pilot team the formal intelligence collection tasked which attempting to answer the gaps.

There are varying definitions of confidence levels when conducting analysis but for the purpose of this methodology, it will employ the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) May 2010 standards.? According to DIA, confidence is a judgment based on three factors:?

strength of the knowledge base, to include the quality of the sources and our depth of understanding about the issue, the number and importance of assumptions used to fill information gaps; and the strength of logic underpinning the argument, which encompasses the number and strength of analytic inferences as well as the rigor of the analytical methodology in the product.[13]

These standards are widely used across the intelligence community and must be clearly defined to support the tribal engagement planning process.? The three confidence levels are high, medium and low and are defined as follows.

• High (83-100%).? Well-corroborated information from proven sources, minimal assumptions and/or strong logical inferences.
• Moderate (67-82%).? Partially corroborated information from good sources, several assumptions, and/or mixture of strong and weak inferences.
• Low (51-66%).? Uncorroborated information from good or marginal sources, many assumptions and/or most weak inferences.[14]

Of note, there is no longer a ?No Confidence? level employed by the U.S. Intelligence Community.? However, the use of confidence percentages can delineate to the pilot team different levels of confidence in the assessments within the same band (high, moderate, low).? The use of percentages is highly encouraged to ensure the pilot team has the clearest picture of the analysis of the tribes prior to conducting initial contact.? Confidence levels are a critical factor in the development of tribal engagement analysis.? Standardized use will ensure teams have the clearest picture of the assessment as well as intelligence gaps prior to contact.? Further, this will help the pilot teams update the methodology after initial contact has occurred and gaps are answered.

Phase Three: Initial Conclusions, Gaps and Pilot Team Employment.? At phase three in the tribal engagement process, the subjective analysis should enable initial conclusions on the potential for tribal engagement with specific tribes based on the strategic objectives of the planning initiative.? While researching the tribes, the planning team needs to focus on determining sources of influence, which can range based on size, wealth, history, kinship or other factors.? Additionally, the planning team needs to determine sources of grievances of the tribes which often are not visible to outsiders.? However, grievances are often the driving factor in the decision making process of tribes.? By determining sources of influence and grievances, the planning team can construct a strategy to ?push the buttons? in support or against this tribe?s core social fabric.[15]? Additionally, planners should be able to make initial assessments of the influence levels of tribes.? Assessing the level of influence and their ability to support initiatives is critical in ensuring effective use of scarce SOF resources.[16]? During phase two, intelligence gaps will become apparent following this methodology.? These gaps need to be clearly articulated to the pilot team and intelligence community in order to develop a collection strategy to prioritize and answer these gaps.? This is critical to preparing the pilot team for their employment for initial contact.

Conclusion.? The Tribal Engagement Assessment Methodology is designed to augment existing JIPOE analysis in support of the deployment of pilot teams to conduct initial contact for tribal engagement.? The methodology can support a wide array of IW operations from stability operations to unconventional warfare.? The interagency analytical pool which contributes to the analysis is critical in reducing bias and ensuring the right tribes are identified for initial contact.? When possible, HN, partnered nations, and/or friendly tribes need to be incorporated into the focused group in order to reduce western cultural bias in the evaluation process.? Additionally, when conducting the analysis of the six major categories, grievances span the entire spectrum.??? Further, the source of influence needs to be identified in order to ensure the clearest understanding of the operational environment.? Identification of sources of grievances and influence while conducting tribal research is critical to developing a tailored and relevant tribal engagement strategy.? This methodology can also be used for operational planning for measures of effectiveness (MOE).? It is very difficult to develop MOEs for a tribal engagement program but analyzing how the subjective analysis changes over time (at least one year) can be effective to determining the success of the engagement strategy. ?The end result in applying this methodology will be a subjective analysis of each tribe and their potential to support U.S., HN or state/non-state actors? engagement operations.? This ensures the proper employment of scarce SOF resources and focused intelligence collection in order to develop a successful cohesive tribal engagement strategy.?

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Figure 2. Tribal Engagement Methodology Scoring Addendum

[1] Department of Defense, ?Irregular Warfare:? Countering Irregular Threats Joint Operating Concept,? Version 2.0, (17 May 2010): 20.

[2] Department of Defense, ?Irregular Warfare:? Countering Irregular Threats Joint Operating Concept,? Version 2.0, (17 May 2010): 36.

[3] LTC Scott Mann, interview by author, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Tampa, FL, 14 February 2012.

[4] Personal Observation, Afghanistan, 2009.

[5] SFC Brandon Smith, interview by author, Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), Tampa, FL. February 15, 2012.

[6] Department of Defense,? ?Irregular Warfare:? Countering Irregular Threats Joint Operating Concept,? Version 2.0, (17 May 2010), 20.

[7] LTC Scott Mann, interview by author, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Tampa, FL, 14 February 2012.

[8] COL(ret) Joseph Osborne, interview by author, Special Operations Command Joint Special Operations University (SOCOM JSOU), 15 February 2012.

[9] COL(ret) Joseph Osborne, interview by author, Special Operations Command Joint Special Operations University (SOCOM JSOU), 15 February 2012.

[10] Personal Observations, Afghanistan, 2009.

[11] Personal Observation, Afghanistan, 2006-2009.

[12] Personal Observation, Afghanistan, 2006-2009.

[13] DIA, Tradecraft Note 03-10: Expressing Analytical Confidence Revisited, ?What We Mean When We Say,? 18-19 May 2010.

[14] IBID.

[15] BG Edward Reeder, interview by author, US Army Special Forces Command Joint (USASFC), 24 February 2012.

[16] Ibid

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Source: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/which-tribe-should-we-engage-a-tribal-engagement-assessment-methodology

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