Why Siri + Yelp = Useless Google Maps On The iPhone 4S

It sounds great. Speak into Siri about some local need, get nice results from Yelp’s reviews. In reality, it’s pretty easy instead to end up stuck with only a phone number and directions from Google Maps.
From Siri To Yelp To Google Maps

Consider this example, which illustrates the situation I’ve repeatedly found to be true with Siri:

I asked Siri for “Places to eat.” It pretty awesomely interpreted that to mean nearby restaurants, a natural language query that Google Voice Actions, as I’m tested them, disappoints on.

Selecting a restaurant from the nice list, which comes from Yelp and includes star ratings, leads not to the actual listing as Yelp but rather into Google Maps. Once there, you can’t even get to a Google Maps place page with more details about the restaurant. Instead, you end up with only the phone number and address of the restaurant.
And No Going Back

That’s pretty unhelpful. What I think most people would want are more details about the restaurant itself. And after reading those, they may want to go back to the original list, to check-out another restaurant. But you can’t do that, either. Siri has no back button. Instead, you have to speak your search all over again.
The Full Yelp Experience

Now consider this:

That’s a search using the Yelp app on the iPhone. I wasn’t able to speak to the iPhone 4S and have the first screen of restaurants appear, so there’s no “wow” factor. Instead, I opened Yelp and picked restaurants the old fashioned way.

After doing that, I selected a restaurant and got what you’d think Siri should do, a page with more details about the restaurant, with the ability to drill down even further as shown on the third screen — and always the ability to go back.
Google Doesn’t Do Natural Language Well

As I said, Google does pretty badly with the natural language queries that Siri is designed to handle. Here’s an example of when I spoke “Places To Eat” on my Droid Charge:

There’s no nice list, not even any localization going on, plus you get an ad shoved in a the top, among the disappointments.
But Bests Siri On Standard Search Experience

However, speak your search not as a natural language query but as people might typically type — “Restaurants” — and Google does better. Consider first Siri:

It’s the same disappointing system I described at the start — a nice list, but without the detailed follow through that you’d expect. Now that same search spoken into the Droid Charge (and which you could do on any iPhone, if you have the Google Search App that allows speech recognition:

I have to scroll on the results that appear to get to the nice list — Google could improve there by making those higher up. But once I do, it’s easy to drill in and get more details about any restaurant, and then go back to the original list.
More Testing To Come

It’s probably fairly easy for Apple to fix things in Siri so that the results lead further into Yelp’s listings. I’m surprised they aren’t this way already. Hopefully, it’ll happen.

Also, expect more reviews of Siri from us shortly. We’ve only just gotten our collective hands on the iPhone 4S through retail channels, so this weekend will be a lot of testing time.

Uganda minister aims to present oil bills this year

(Reuters) - Uganda's energy minister said she expects to send three petroleum bills to parliament by the end of the year as the government moves quickly to put laws in place to regulate the country's nascent oil sector before the start of production.

Earlier in the week, President Yoweri Museveni said he would discuss a parliamentary vote to delay UK exploration company Tullow Oil's planned sale of stakes in local oil fields, pledging to defend the country's interests in the case.

Earlier this week, Uganda's parliament passed a resolution urging the government to withhold consent for Tallow's proposed deal with France's Total and China's COCOON until laws were in place to regulate the industry.

"We're working very hard, and we expect that by the end of this year we'll have brought the three bills -- Resource Management Bill, Revenue Management Bill and Value Addition Management Bill -- to parliament," Energy Minister Irene Muloni told a news conference on Saturday.

"The problem is that I can't control the process thereafter. So how fast the bills will be debated and passed into law will depend on parliament, but at least on my side we're moving very quickly."

Last year, Tullow agreed to sell stakes in its Ugandan assets to Chinese group CNOOC and French oil company Total for $2.9 billion.

In March, Tullow said Uganda had assessed taxes of $472 million on its earnings from the sale, and it was disputing that figure. It has since begun an arbitration process before a tax appeals tribunal in Kampala.

The company, meanwhile, has been awaiting final government approval for the partnership, which would allow it to move ahead with a project to develop oil reserves.

Endorsement of the deal is expected to kick start a $10 billion investment to develop the country's oil fields and start production.

Muloni said government officials expected to extract more favorable terms from companies in future oil deals because the discovery of oil has diminished the exploration risk for oil firms.

"Before the discovery we didn't know what we had. We didn't know whether we had oil or not, and for an oil company to bring in a big investment they needed stabilization clause," she said.

"Now we're operating with certainty, we have the oil. So when we're negotiating new deals, we'll put up tough positions on the table."

Hydrocarbon deposits were discovered along Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006.

Gilad Shalit bound for Israel 'within days' after prisoner swap deal

Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip since 2006, could be returned to his family within days after the Israeli cabinet approved a deal to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for his release.

Cabinet ministers were in an emergency session until the early hours to vote on the proposal, which would lead to the release of 1,026 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, including militants involved in some of Israel's bloodiest terror attacks.

Twenty-six ministers voted in favor of the agreement, which was signed by Hamas and Israeli officials in a hotel room in Cairo on Tuesday; three, including the Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, voted against.

"If all goes as planned, Gilad will be back in Israel in the next few days with his family and his people," the Israeli prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, said.

A first wave of 450 Palestinian prisoners will be released before Shalit is freed. Among these are 280 who are serving life sentences. The remaining 577 will then follow.

Israel's Channel 2 reports that Shalit will be released across the border from Gaza into Egypt and then flown to Germany before returning to Israel.

The dramatic development is the result of a week of talks in Cairo between David Median, the Israeli official leading the Shalit negotiations, and representatives of Hamas's military wing. The negotiations, which Netanyahu said had been "long and exhausting", were mediated by officials from the Egyptian government and a German diplomat.

Under the terms finally agreed in the prisoner swap, 200 of the 1,026 Palestinians – including 15 high-security inmates - will be barred from returning to the West Bank and will sent to Turkey or Europe instead.

Among the prisoners who will be freed are 45 east Jerusalemites and five Arab Israelis, whose release Israeli negotiators have opposed in previous negotiations.

In Gaza city, news of the deal was met with spontaneous celebrations. The main Hamas leader, Khalid Mashal, claimed the exchange as a victory for Palestinians. "Our heroes in Israeli prisons in exchange for one fighter," he said – "One hundred kidnapped and arrested for no reason while fighting the occupation.

"I say this, to the Palestinians and freedom lovers in the world: we managed to destroy the shackles of the occupier."

In a televised addressed, Mashal said the negotiations had been "very, very difficult", and called the deal "a national accomplishment".

But he also issued a veiled threat to Israel, saying that a government that would release 1,000 prisoners would be prepared to release 8,000. And the Palestinians, he warned, would do whatever it took to make this happen.

Contradicting earlier reports from Palestinian officials, Israel has insisted that Mar-wan Barghouti, the head of Fatah's militant branch, who is serving five life sentences for planning and funding terrorist attacks, will not be among those freed.

High-profile militants rumoured to be due for release are Abdullah Barghouti, sentenced to 67 life sentences in 2004 for providing the explosives used in terror attacks in several Jerusalem cafes and the Hebrew University, and Abbas Sayed, imprisoned for his role in planning a double suicide bombing at the Park hotel in Netanya in 2002, in which 30 people were killed and 140 injured.

News of Shallot's release was met with emotional scenes in Jerusalem, where the soldier's family have put a protest tent where they have campaigned for his release.

Shalit's parents, Noam and Aviva, were greeted with loud cheering as they visited the tent on Tuesday night.

"The joy is indescribable, but until [Gilad returns to us] we are restrained," said Aviva.

Shalit's return will undoubtedly boost Netanyahu's popularity at home, which suffered a blow during a summer of nationwide protests.

The prime minister told Israeli television he had invited Noam Shalit to his home, to break the news of his son's release, and had spoken to the soldier's grandfather, Tzvi, on the phone. Netanyahu said: "I told them that I am keeping my promise and I'm bringing their son and grandson home. I told them: 'I'm bringing your boy back.'"

The government's right-wing camp, a crucial pillar of political support to the prime minister, is likely to respond more critically to the release of highly skilled and influential Palestinian militants.

Rabbi Brigadier General Avichai Ronsky, a former leader of the Israeli Defence Forces, described the swap as "crazy".

"We know who the people being released are," he said. "They are artists at these kinds of things. A second after their release, they will be untraceable."

Netanyahu made reference to this conflict of interest in his statement. "I do not wish to hide the truth from you – it is a very difficult decision," he said.

"I feel for the families of victims of terror. I appreciate their suffering and distress. I am one of them. But leadership must be examined at moments such as this – being able to make difficult, but right, decisions."

For the past two and a half years, Hamas has denied the International Red Cross access to Shalit, who was captured when he was 19. The only contact with the solider during this time has consisted of three letters, an audiotape and a video, received in exchange for the release of 20 female Palestinian prisoners two years ago.

Texas Exes to honor Fort Worth oilman Brumley

Veteran Fort Worth oilman I. Jon Brumley has received considerable recognition during a long, successful career and busy civic life, such as when he and his son, Johnny, were named Entrepreneurs of the Year by Forbes magazine in 2005.

But the latest honor bestowed on the University of Texas grad appears to rank among the most pleasing to him. He'll be conferred a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas Exes alumni association in a ceremony Friday in Austin.

"I am so excited, it's just a thrill," Brumley, in a voice brimming with sincerity and gratitude, told staff writer Jack Z. Smith last week.

It was a half-century ago, in 1961, that Brumley received his bachelor's degree in business administration from UT. He would go on to earn an MBA from the highly regarded Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his energy career as a risk analyst at Southland Royalty Co. in Fort Worth and would become its president before its takeover by Burlington Resources. In 1986, Brumley was a co-founder of Cross Timbers Oil Co., which would be renamed XTO Energy and become one of the most successful U.S. independent natural gas and oil producers before being bought by Irving-based Exxon Mobil for $36 billion in 2010. Brumley had left XTO well before that, forming oil producer Encore Acquisition along with son Johnny. Encore would be acquired by Plano-based Den bury Resources in 2010 for $4.5 billion.

The Texas Exes, in announcing that Brumley and five other alumni would be granted a Distinguished Alumnus Award this year, took note of his civic deeds, including his service to public education and focus on improving programs for minority and disadvantaged students.

Brumley and his wife, Rebecca, have given more than 300,000children's books to needy families and funded numerous scholarships for students planning to become public school teachers in Texas. Brumley also played a major role in the merger of Cook's and Fort Worth Children's hospitals in 1985, the alumni group said.

A native of the Texas Panhandle town of Pampa who spent most of his childhood in Austin, Brumley, 72, is back on familiar business turf as chairman and CEO of his latest new company, Bounty Investments L.P., based in downtown Fort Worth. He said it is a limited partnership formed to buy royalty and working interests in oil and gas production. The company is also investing in the stock market, primarily in master limited partnerships and royalty trusts that reflect his energy background.

Substance-screening firm comes to town

Conspire, a Colorado Springs, Colo., drug and alcohol screening firm founded in 2003, has set up shop in Fort Worth with what it says is the first of at least five planned Metroplex offices and 80 in Texas.

Two weeks ago, franchisee Dave Thomas opened an office at 3533 NW Loop 820 near Tarrant County College Northwest Campus, aiming to capture business from Blue Mound Road to the Alliance Corridor, and south to Interstate 30. The territory takes in about half of Fort Worth, Thomas said.

There are plenty of other competitors, including Quest and LabCorp, but Thomas says there's more room in the market. Some industries are untapped, and schools are increasingly requiring drug testing of student athletes, he noted.

Thomas expects to bid for contracts with employers and to attempt to sign on as "third-party collectors" for organizations that already have primary contractors but need others to handle extra volume, he said.

Thomas, who grew up in Odessa, was a lead driver for a beverage company in Florida and looking for an opportunity to go into business for himself. He moved his family to Fort Worth a year and a half ago, and, sifting through franchise opportunities on a website, found Conspire.

Conspire's franchise fee is $30,000, and it takes about $100,000 to open an office, said Thomas, 36. If he opens a second office, he gets an $8,000 discount on the franchise fee.

Financing? "My father helped me," he said. He and his wife, who have three young children, are running the office together, but Thomas says he may hire someone to help market the business.

Perot chosen for magazine's honor

Ross Perot Jr., chairman of Hillwood Properties and developer of Alliance Texas in north Fort Worth, has been selected by Real Estate Forum magazine as one of 65 "Industry Legends and Icons."

The list, published in the magazine's 65th anniversary issue, recognizes figures and events that have had a significant impact on commercial real estate in the past 65 years. Industry icons Trammell Crow, David Rockefeller, John Cushman III and Roger Staubach are on the list.

Perot was selected for his leadership in establishing Fort Worth Alliance Airport and the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, one of the nation's first and largest inland ports. The airport and the logistics hub are key components of Hillwood's 17,000-acre Alliance Texas master-planned community that Perot launched more than 20 years ago.

To date, Alliance has had a cumulative economic impact of nearly $40 billion on the North Texas economy, creating more than 30,000 jobs. And it's just 40 percent developed.

Hillwood Properties has also been named one of two 2011 winners of the Greater Tarrant Business Ethics Award, which recognizes companies that uphold high standards of business ethics.

The award is presented by the Fort Worth Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, in conjunction with the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and the Financial Planning Association.

Also winning a 2011 award was Integral Realty Resources. Finalists for the award were American Airlines, Calloway's Nurseries, F1 Information Technologies and Williams Trew.

Foodie fundraiser

Sweet Tomatoes, which is opening in the West 7th development, will host an all-you-care-to-eat fundraiser Friday and Saturday.

Guests can dine for $5 with proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth. The restaurant, at 2901 W. Seventh St., opens Monday, Oct. 17. It is the fourth Dallas-Fort Worth location.

The preview is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday.

Sweet Tomatoes features a 45-foot salad bar full of fresh, seasonal vegetables and tossed salads, made-from-scratch soups and hand-crafted muffins, focaccia, breads and desserts. Sweet Tomatoes has a rotating menu of more than 100 original, daily fresh recipes featuring signature salads, soups, bakery goods and hot pasta sauces.

Niagara Conservation an EPA award winner

Fort Worth-based Niagara Conservation Corp., a provider of products and services to conserve water and energy, has been named a 2011 WaterSense Excellence Award winner in the manufacturer category by the Environmental Protection Agency

"This is an incredibly proud moment for us," CEO William Cutler said in a statement. "At Niagara, we've always done our best to engineer, manufacture, promote and sell products that conserve water without sacrificing performance."

The company, founded in 1977, makes such things as ultrahigh-efficiency toilets, low-flow showerheads and aerators, lawn and garden products. Niagara Conservation has offices in New Jersey, California, and in Saudi Arabia and Chile, and owns a factory in China.

Niagara Conservation is a WaterSense program partner. Products with the WaterSense label are 20 percent more water-efficient than average products in their category, while performing as well or better than their less efficient counterparts.

HP's Big CEO Change: Tech Weekly Recap

Unpopular with investors, Apothecary had struggled to communicate his strategic vision for the under-performing tech giant. With the company's share price in a nosedive, HP's board felt that new leadership was needed

Meg Whitman was appointed new HP CEO This Week

"We are fortunate to have someone of Meg Whit man's caliber and experience step up to lead HP," said Ray Lane, executive chairman of the HP board, in a statement. "We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement our strategy and take advantage of the market opportunities ahead."

Just a day after replacing Apotheker in HP's C-Suite, Whitman promised to make the company's stock attractive to investors again.

"I see a tremendous opportunity to restore the luster of this Silicon Valley icon," she said, during an interview with CNBC on Friday, citing the importance of fresh direction at the embattled company. "I think that the number one thing is leadership -- a focus on strategy, operational excellence and communication."

Whitman cited HP's fourth-quarter targets as her immediate priority, although the new CEO must also fix the company's communications and execution.

Investors, though, were underwhelmed by the new CEO. HP's stock ended the week down 2.11% at $22.32

Facebook F8: Is Facebook a 'social operating system'?

Facebook made a lot of big news Thursday at its annual F8 developer conference. But what does the Timeline profile redesign, the Open Graph apps allowing people to connect to things in new ways (like, read, listen, watch) actually all mean for both users and developers?

I posed that question to Joe Green, co-founder of Causes and Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard roommate; Dave Morin, co-founder and CEO of Path and a former executive at Facebook and Apple; and Alex Ljung, co-founder and CEO of SoundCloud.

Green and Morin described the changes as pushing Facebook from being simply a social network toward being a social operating system.

"I think a lot of us start our day with Facebook today," Morin said. "The reason that this is called Facebook Platform is for this reason, right? It's a platform for building social applications."

Morin should know. While at Facebook, he was one of the creators of the Facebook Platform that allowed developers to build Facebook apps.

"I think the social operating system is here," he said. "And the Timeline is the future consumer interface for everything. And so the old metaphors of operating systems, I think, are over and now I think this is the future."

Green agreed, noting that Facebook's influence as the most widely used social network has, so far, helped define what a social network is.

"Facebook really is innovative on the interface," he said. "When they introduced Newsfeed, everyone else started talking about feeds, everything was chronological feeds. They're not the first person to organize things chronologically, I mean blogs were chronological, but this idea of a feed."

"And now Timeline is a fundamentally new interface and I think you'll see that -- I don't know if you'll see a lot of copycats -- you'll see that interface, I think, really, really fundamentally changing things."

Ljung said the social operating system concept is a sound one and accurate for Facebook.

"I think if you're building an app today for the Web, you have to take Facebook into consideration, and it can be a tremendous help in getting reach and getting users engaged," he said. "But there's also -- that means that it's on their terms in some ways as well. Thankfully so far they keep reinventing what they're doing and adding new and interesting things in a good way. But it is, they are -- they have a lot of the fundamentals of the social OS somehow.

"I think a good thing about that, in the way that they're doing it, is that it's easy for other people to tap into it … it's become quite easy for people to build inherently social products with the help of Facebook and I think that's a really good thing."

‘Space junk’ expected to land on Earth

(NECN/CNN: John Zarrella) – A dead satellite is barreling toward Earth from space in pieces. NASA expects more than two-dozen chunks of the space junk to survive re-entry into the atmosphere.

Sometime after midnight Friday, if NASA's calculations are right - an old, dead satellite will re-enter the earth's atmosphere and burn up... most of it... but not all of it. About half of a ton will make it through.

"There are some pieces that are made of stainless steel and titanium and beryllium that have very high melting temperatures and those pieces will survive.” Jonathan McDowell, of Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said.

“We have a list of about 26 pieces and they range from a few tens of pounds to a few hundred pounds in size."

Some of the chunks of junk could be hundreds of pounds. There is no need for people to run out and buy a hard hat. NASA scientists in Houston say there is very little risk that any of the debris from the six ton UARS, upper atmosphere research satellite, will hit humans.

McDowell believes the space agency is probably right, because much of the earth is water.

"This is nothing like the old Skylab scare of the 70s when you had a 70 ton space station crashing out of the sky. This thing's only six or seven tons. So, I agree with folks in Houston. It's really nothing to be terribly concerned about." McDowell said.

Parts of Skylab did hit western Australia in 1979. So, where will this one come down? Well, no one knows.

Even minutes before re-entering the atmosphere, NASA won't be able to pinpoint the exact location. The satellite is traveling so fast, it covers thousands of miles of space in just minutes. Right now, the impact swath covers portions of six continents.

"Part of the problem is the spacecraft is tumbling in unpredictable ways and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down, even right before the re-entry." McDowell said.

"If the thing happens to come down in a city that would be bad. The chances of it causing extensive damage or injuring someone are much higher." NASA Orbital Debris Scientist Mark Matney said.

One thing is certain: once it hits the atmosphere, 50 miles up, it will take only a few minutes before the surviving pieces hit the earth.

'Make it stop! Please, God, make it stop!' Facebook 'news ticker' meets mixed reception

Expect big changes at Facebook this week - and if you log in to the site now, you'll be looking at some of them already, including a new 'news ticker' that has ignited strong reactions from users.

The new update to the site 'splits' news into 'top stories' - the company declined to explain how these are chosen for each individual - and a 'news ticker' that crawls up the right side of the screen, adding updates as they come in.

It's thin, moves rapidly - and makes the home page rather crowded.

'I don't like it. Too much info in one screen,' said one user.

'The news feed just seems like more complication,' said another.

'Make it stop! Please God make it stop!' pleaded another.

'Starting today, it will be easier to keep up with the people in your life no matter how frequently or infrequently you're on Facebook,' wrote Facebook engineer Mark Tonkelowitz on the company's blog.

'When you pick up a newspaper after not reading it for a week, the front page quickly clues you into the most interesting stories. In the past, News Feed hasn't worked like that. Updates slide down in chronological order so it's tough to zero in on what matters most. Now, News Feed will act more like your own personal newspaper. You won't have to worry about missing important stuff.'

News ticker - unveiled at the same time - works more similarly to the old News Stream, but many users find it distracting, and more akin to the relentless speed of the less popular rival Twitter.

Google has also 'opened' its previously invitation-only Facebook rival Google Plus to the public - and unveiled a Google Doodle directing users to it.

News ticker, though, should just be the first of a number of changes to Facebook this week - in advance of the company's F8 conference on Tuesday. Facebook will reportedly include new ways of showing your appreciation for your friend's links, videos, and endless pictures of new babies, in its revamp to be unveiled on Thursday.

Alongside ‘like’, users will have the option of clicking ‘read’, ‘watched’ and ‘listened’. In the future a ‘want’ button may also be added.

Other improvements which will reportedly be made public at the F8 conference include a revamp of the iconic profile page and tie-ins with a string of major media companies.

Facebook is expected to use the event to reassert its dominance after the launch of Google+, its newest competitor, which has 25million users in three months - still a tiny hudle of curious geeks in comparison to Facebook's 750 million regular users.

The rumour mill has inevitably gone into overdrive but multiple technology websites have reported an expansion of Facebook’s ‘like’ button.

Part of this would be a real-time stream or ‘ticker’ of what a user’s friends were listening to or doing at that very moment - a service similar to that already offered by apps such as GetGlue, which offer users the chance to 'share' previously antisocial experiences such as watching TV alone.

Analysts have said that by doing this it will give Facebook even more data about its users and enable them to target adverts with greater precision than they can now.

Facebook is also expected to launch a platform which will allow users to share films, videos and pictures, effectively turning the user’s homepage into an entertainment hub.

Budding photographers could also be able to adjust their photos with filters and effects in a direct threat to websites like Instagram.

Facebook could also unveil its first iPad app - despite the iPhone app being a phenomenal success it has still not released one on its successor. Hackers said that there was already a functioning iPad app 'hidden' within the code of the iPhone one, so this seems highly likely.

There is also widespread speculation that there will be some kind of tie-in with music sharing websites Spotify or Deezer and even film rentals direct from the website in a partnership with Netflix and Hulu.

Other partners could include Yahoo in a role which will be unveiled at the conference.

Although Facebook is still the world’s largest social networking site with 750million users, it has been under pressure from Google and other media sites for a number of months, especially since the launch of Google+.

Commentators have noted that Facebook’s Smart Friends list looks similar to Circles on Google+, prompting some to ask if it has run out of ideas.

Mashable's Ben Parr has claimed that Facebook has drawn up a ‘major’ profile redesign that may be to do with an HTML5 platform called Project Spartan.

Such a move would be a bold statement that the company is prepared to look at everything in a bid to appear fresh and relevant.

Troy Davis nears Ga. execution despite protests

ATLANTA (AP) — With less than half a day left to live, Troy Davis faced execution Wednesday despite a furious campaign in the U.S. and Europe to win clemency for the 1989 slaying of a Georgia policeman he claims he did not commit.

Vigils outside Georgia's death chamber were set and protests were planned. Davis' attorneys said he was willing to take a polygraph test if the pardons board would consider its results. And they didn't rule out filing one last legal appeal, though they know it's a long shot.

In Europe, where the planned execution has drawn widespread criticism, legislators and activists were making a last-minute appeal to the state of Georgia to refrain from executing Davis. Amnesty International and other groups planned a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Paris later Wednesday. Amnesty International also planned to hold a vigil outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Wednesday night.

Renate Wohlwend of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly noted doubts raised about Davis' conviction by his supporters. She said that "to carry out this irrevocable act now would be a terrible mistake which could lead to a tragic injustice."

After winning three delays since 2007, Davis lost his most realistic chance at last-minute clemency this week when the state pardons board denied his request. He was set to be executed by injection at 7 p.m. Wednesday for the 1989 killing of Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard in Savannah when he was shot dead rushing to help a homeless man who had been attacked.

Davis didn't want a last meal. He planned to spend his final hours meeting with friends, family and supporters. According to an advocate who met with him late Tuesday, he was upbeat, prayerful and expected last-minute wrangling by attorneys.

Attorney Stephen Marsh said he had asked state prisons officials and the pardons board if they would allow a polygraph test. A prisons spokeswoman said she was unaware of the request and the pardons board didn't immediately respond.

"He doesn't want to spend three hours away from his family on what could be the last day of his life if it won't make any difference," Marsh said.

Davis has received support from hundreds of thousands of people, including a former FBI director, former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI. Some of his backers resorted to urging prison workers to strike or call in sick Wednesday, and they considered a desperate appeal for White House intervention.

The U.S. Supreme Court gave him an unusual opportunity to prove his innocence last year, but his attorneys failed to convince a judge he didn't do it. State and federal courts have repeatedly upheld his conviction.

Prosecutors have no doubt they charged the right person, and MacPhail's family lobbied the pardons board Monday to reject Davis' clemency appeal. The board refused to stop the execution a day later.

"He has had ample time to prove his innocence," said MacPhail's widow, Joan MacPhail-Harris. "And he is not innocent."

Spencer Lawton, the district attorney who secured Davis' conviction in 1991, said he was embarrassed for the judicial system that the execution has taken so long.

"What we have had is a manufactured appearance of doubt which has taken on the quality of legitimate doubt itself. And all of it is exquisitely unfair," said Lawton, who retired as Chatham County's head prosecutor in 2008. "The good news is we live in a civilized society where questions like this are decided based on fact in open and transparent courts of law, and not on street corners."

Davis supporters said they will push the pardons board to reconsider his case. They also asked Savannah prosecutors to block the execution, although Chatham County District Attorney Larry Chisolm said in a statement he was powerless to withdraw an execution order for Davis issued by a state Superior Court judge.
"We appreciate the outpouring of interest in this case; however, this matter is beyond our control," Chisholm said.

MacPhail was shot to death Aug. 19, 1989, after coming to the aid of Larry Young, a homeless man who was pistol-whipped in a Burger King parking lot. Prosecutors say Davis was with another man who was demanding that Young give him a beer when Davis pulled out a handgun and bashed Young with it. When MacPhail arrived to help, they say Davis had a smirk on his face as he shot the officer to death.

Witnesses placed Davis at the crime scene and identified him as the shooter. Shell casings were linked to an earlier shooting that Davis was convicted of. There was no other physical evidence. No blood or DNA tied Davis to the crime and the weapon was never found.

Davis' attorneys say seven of nine key witnesses who testified at his trial have disputed all or parts of their testimony.

The state initially planned to execute him in July 2007 but the pardons board granted him a stay less than 24 hours before he was to die. The U.S. Supreme Court stepped in a year later and halted the lethal injection two hours before he was to be executed. And a federal appeals court halted another planned execution a few months later.

Over the years, Davis has picked up high-profile support from a host of dignitaries and dozens of federal lawmakers. Conservative figures have also advocated on his behalf, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, ex-Justice Department official Larry Thompson and one-time FBI Director William Sessions.

The U.S. Supreme Court granted Davis a hearing to prove his innocence, the first time it had done so for a death row inmate in at least 50 years. At that June 2010 hearing, two witnesses testified that they falsely incriminated Davis at his trial when they said Davis confessed to the killing. Two others told the judge the man with Davis that night later said he shot MacPhail.

Prosecutors, though, argued that Davis' lawyers were simply rehashing old testimony that had already been rejected by a jury. And they said no trial court could ever consider the hearsay from the other witnesses who blamed the other man for the crime.

U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. sided with them. He said the evidence presented at the hearing wasn't nearly enough to prove Davis is innocent and validate his request for a new trial. He said while Davis' "new evidence casts some additional, minimal doubt on his conviction, it is largely smoke and mirrors."

New York Fashion Week: Come one, come all

Step right up, fashion's biannual show has begun and everyone is invited.

New York Fashion Week, which runs through Sept. 15, will feature hundreds of designers showing their spring-summer 2012 collections at Lincoln Center and other venues throughout the city, and cameos from a wide range of characters, from Kylie Jenner to Rico the Zombie to Zoe Saldana.

Brands are looking for new and different ways to get the attention of fashion's elite, while also talking directly to consumers who have been drawn into the once insular fashion week in recent years through live-streaming runway show videos, up-to-the-minute Tweets and the Vogue-sponsored Fashion's Night Out, a global smorgasbord of celebrity and designer-hosted shopping events on Thursday that are open to the public. (My NYC faves? Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett at Armani, Daniel Radcliffe at Jeffrey New York, Tilda Swinton at Saks and Miss Piggy at Opening Ceremony!)

Nicola Formichetti, the stylist-editor whose canvas is Lady Gaga, and a designer in his own right at the helm of the newly revived Thierry Mugler brand, is opening Nicola's, a pop-up shop in SoHo built to look like a mirrored prism, where he will sell limited-edition pieces from his collaborations with Mugler, Uniqlo and Haus of Gaga. He's also partnered with video game producer CCP Games on a "virtual catwalk show" featuring tout-tattooed model Rico the Zombie in clothes that users will be able to purchase for their characters to wear in the popular Eve Online video game. (It's gotta be cheaper than a real-world Mugler.)

Fashion bloggers Bryan Boy, Susie Bubbles and Pelayo Diaz will be curating a fashion show for the every-model, to be shown on Coca Cola's six-story Times Square billboard on Sept. 15. The Diet Coke-sponsored project will showcase street-style looks chosen by the bloggers from submissions posted on Facebook (facebook.com/dietcoke), as well as photos they shoot on Fashion's Night Out.

Catherine Malandrino is having a ready-to-buy fashion show, meaning that all the looks shown on the runway will be available to purchase on the spot, and Vivienne Tam is launching a new line of yoga wear with a "live sculpture garden" at Lincoln Center made up of 20 female yogis. (No doubt, the commuter crowd will be encouraged to join in.)

Meanwhile, celebrities aren't merely sitting on the sidelines anymore. Rather than lending their cachet to designers by sitting in the front row of a fashion show, they are commanding fees to appear at Fashion's Night Out events where they can interact with fans. Other celebrities are using Fashion Week as a platform to promote their personal brands. Kylie Jenner (next in the line of ka-ching Kardashians) will be modeling in Avril Lavigne's Abbey Dawn runway show. Victoria Beckham, Rachel Zoe, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Gwen Stefani and Daisy Fuentes will also show their fashion collections, but sans Kardashians.

And Zoe Saldana is positioning herself as a different kind of fashion mogul. She and co-founder Keith Britton will be toasting their online venture My Fashion Database (myfdb.com), which seems to want to be the imdb.com of the fashion industry, with the added feature of shopping. (Users can browse ad campaigns of their favorite brands, for example, and shop the looks.)

Off the official schedule, fashion is seeping into pop culture. Vanity Fair is hosting the "Fashion in Film" series at the Museum of Arts and Design; the Bard Graduate Center is opening an exhibition of hats curated by milliner Stephen Jones; and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising will be previewing a show exploring heiress Daphne Guinness' eclectic style.

Throughout the week, there are fashion shows to celebrate military veteran and Korean, Argentine, African and eco-friendly designers. And somewhere in between, presumably we'll all stop and remember the 10th anniversary of sept. 11, which falls smack in the middle of NYFW, just as it did then, when I was sent off reporting a very different story.

And for those who just can't fathom seeing, much less buying, fashion in these bleak economic times, Ventura, Calif.-based Patagonia and EBay have chosen the occasion of New York Fashion Week to announce the Common Threads Initiative, which challenges people not to consume.

“The Common Threads Initiative addresses a significant part of today’s environmental problem -- the footprint of our stuff,” Yvon Chouinard, founder of the famously eco-conscious Patagonia outdoor clothing brand, said in a statement. “This program first asks customers to not buy something if they don’t need it. If they do need it, we ask that they buy what will last a long time -- and to repair what breaks, reuse or resell whatever they don’t wear any more. And, finally, recycle whatever’s truly worn out."

List a used Patagonia product on EBay and you will be asked to take a pledge and become a Common Threads Initiative partner. Then your listing will be eligible for inclusion in the Common Threads Initiative storefront on EBay and on Patagonia.com. Patagonia will not receive any of the profits associated with the storefront.

Think of it as fashion for the Goodwill generation.

All Told, a Bad Week for Greece

Bad as things looked in Greece yesterday, they just took another turn for the worse.

The government now says that the economy contracted in the second quarter even more than was originally thought, by 7.3% instead of 6.9%, putting its already-failing plan to cut budget deficits at deeper risk.

The government already concedes that it will fail to cut its budget shortfall as planned this year. Now frightened consumers, more spending cuts, higher taxes and a stalling European economy could put Greece deeper into the hole.

And patience in the rest of Europe is running out, with open questions over whether it all can work.

Finland reinforced its insistence on collateral for more Greek aid, a controversial condition that has Europe divided and threatens to delay new agreements. The European Commission warned Greece to honor its commitments.

Just to make sure Athens knows the stakes, Germany again Thursday hammered home the word that no Greek steps to close budget gaps will mean no €8 billion payout next month. The warnings have rattled Greek officials, who concede that without that check the lights will go out in about 25 days.

The rank-and-file from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government coalition are talking about Greece being bounced out of the euro zone if it doesn’t shape up. This moved Ms. Merkel to blame-deflection mood: Conceding in open parliament that it was a mistake by her predecessor in office to let Greece into the euro party to begin with.

Even a bigger and better European Financial Stability Facility–the euro-zone bailout fund Europe is putting such stock by–sees trouble in Greece, with EFSF CEO Klaus Regling saying the currency bloc’s rescue plan for Greece just isn’t working.

What about that plan to tap Greece’s private-sector creditors? It won’t work, according to OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan. Other mechanisms could be considered, he said, though he accepted these could be even less attractive for investors. (Translation: deep haircuts.)

The sharper tone radiating on Athens has rattled Greek officials into action, looking at more cuts to a public sector that previously had been the Sacred Cow for the ruling Socialist party. The cuts naturally will choke off more consumer spending and trigger social protests.

And, right on cue, medical staff went out on strike Thursday in a new phase of public protests that in early summer escalated to mass rallies and violent clashes with riot police. Teachers, tax office workers and other civil servants are set to join them in the days ahead as the frantic government mulls cutting another 100,000 public-sector jobs.

Greece’s streets are heating up, but cut it must.

Next week, the EU, ECB and IMF inspectors will return to Athens and they’ll want to see results and proof that there won’t be further slippage in austerity implementation.

With Athens looking down the gun barrel, the rest of Europe is watching with uncomprehending fascination. Financial markets are spinning any number of scenarios on how big the bang will be for the euro-zone and its banking system if Greece slips into default unaided by other euro members.

The Maastricht founders hadn’t prepared anyone for this, leaving out the possibility that its experimental machinery would need an emergency escape hatch.

Sidney Crosby to miss training camp, 2011-12 NHL season up in the air

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby will miss the NHL team's training camp and his status for the 2011-12 season is unclear due to the lingering effects of concussions he suffered last season.

The news was revealed at a news conference Wednesday - the first time Crosby has spoken publicly about his health since late April.

Concussion specialists who are treating Crosby said they don't believe he'll suffer any long-term effects from the injuries, but they are taking a cautious approach in terms of a return to play.

“When he's ready, we'll know,” Dr. Michael Collins told reporters. “But we're not there yet.”

Crosby's status has been one of the NHL's hot-button issues. The chatter increased in late August, when the Penguins released a brief statement saying Crosby had visited concussion specialists in the U.S. and that there was no specific timetable for Crosby's return to action.

The Penguins open training camp on Sept. 17. The NHL season begins Oct. 6.

Crosby - widely considered the best player in the world and the face of the NHL - suffered two concussions in short order last season and didn't play after Jan. 5. He suffered the first concussion on Jan. 1 in the Winter Classic game against the Washington Capitals, when he was blindsided by the Capitals' David Steckel. Four days later, he was concussed again when he was hit into the end boards by Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman.

Crosby said he never contemplated retirement and shot down suggestions that the concussions might end his career.

“A slight one,” Crosby said when asked about the chances of him never playing in the NHL again, “but I wouldn't bet on that.”

The 24-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup title in the 2009-10 season and helped the Canadian men's hockey team win the gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Crosby's announcement came shortly after he skated at Consol Energy Center.

The news another bad-news story to the NHL's off season of bad news.

Crosby's announcement follows the deaths of former NHL enforcers Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak and whether the role they played and possible head injuries suffered on the ice contributed to their deaths.

Review: 'Resistance 3' the best of the series

The beauty of sequels in video games is the ability to correct the mistakes of predecessors and create a tighter, more enjoyable experience.

Such is the case with Insomniac Games latest release Resistance 3. The third chapter in the PlayStation 3 series is perhaps the best thus far, featuring a more focused campaign and challenging first-person combat.

The alternate universe created in Resistance is based on an invasion before World War II by an alien race called Chimera. The hostile visitors have slowly staked their claims on Earth, and are on the verge of a complete takeover in Resistance 3.

Players follow Joseph Capelli, one of few surviving humans hiding from the Chimera in the Midwest. After escaping an attack near his home, Capelli joins Russian scientist Fedora Malikov on a trek to New York City to deliver a devastating blow to the Chimeran assault.

Once again, the series' diverse arsenal is the star of the show in Resistance 3. Each weapon feels distinct, from the overall design and sounds each gun makes to the cool secondary attacks and upgrades.

Take the Deadeye, for example. At first glance, it's a simple sniper rifle, but utlitize the secondary fire and you unleash a devastating beam that decimates any foe in its crosshairs. The gun becomes even more entertaining when players add upgrades such as scopes that highlight an enemy's head and a beam that pierces objects.

Each weapon in Resistance 3 features a primary and secondary attack, such as the Rossmore shotgun that fires concussive grenades or the new Mutator, a biological weapon that can shoot a green cloud leaving foes vomiting endlessly.

The more players use particular weapons, the more experience they earn toward upgrades. In the case of the Marksman, the long-range rifle can upgrade to a better scope to shoot targets from further away.

Developers have also brought back the weapon wheel, allowing players to stop action and select from 12 weapons. Players can also tap the triangle button to quickly flip between a pair of guns. The wheel works pretty well for the most part, but when players have access to all 12 devices, the compact space makes it easy to grab the wrong weapon.

The pacing of the game's 6-8 hour campaign feels great. Developers seem to know when to give players time to relax after an intense battle, yet maintain some level of suspense.

Perhaps the biggest and most welcome change is in how enemies behave. During earlier Resistance games, it seemed players were ambushed often. As a result, there were several levels that required lots of deaths and some trial and error before mastering.

Resistance 3 offers a much better approach to combat. Enemy encounters often start with the action right in front of them, so there's no fear of jumping in and awaiting a surprise strike every time.

Since players aren't dying as often, they can enjoy some of the incredible action sequences uninterrupted. However, don't mistake this for a drop in difficulty. Fighting the Chimera is still tough. They surround your position, attempt to flush you out with grenades or send an ally toward your blind side to wipe you out.

Although the campaign can be completed pretty quickly, there are other ways for players to enjoy the game's wonderful arsenal. There are cooperative options for players that want to fight the campaign with friends, as well as an intriguing multiplayer mode.

The multiplayer component, which has recently been available in beta form, features five match types including Team Deathmatch and an attack/defend style option called Breach. Players earn experience to climb up the ranks and unlock new weapons, gear such as shields and passive abilities like extra ammo.

Resistance 3 should have little trouble satisfying longtime fans of the franchise -- and maybe help add a few new ones -- with an impressive selection of weapons and exciting campaign.

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platform(s): PlayStation 3
Price: $59.99
Rating: M for Mature
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2011
Score: 3.5 stars (out of 4)

Marjory Pippin

ALTAMONT — Marjory Joyce Pippin, 77, of Altamont, formerly of St. Elmo, died at 6:35 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011, at Lutheran Care Center, Altamont.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Vandalia, with the Rev. Viktoria Halmagyi officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery, St. Elmo. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Gieseking Funeral Home, Altamont, and for one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials may be made to Lutheran Care Center of Altamont, St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church of Vandalia or the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be expressed at giesekingfuneralhome.com

Marjory was born July 1, 1934, in Vandalia, the daughter of Issac Nelson and Beatrice Hart Stein. She married Ross L. Pippin on March 14, 1954, at St. James Lutheran Church in St. James. Ross preceded her in death on May 29, 2010.

She was retired as a cook at St. Elmo Junior-Senior High School. She was a member of St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, where she participated in various women’s groups, St. Elmo Women’s Club and past secretary of the Stine-Stein Cemetery Board.

She is survived by son, Mark (wife, Penny) of Farina; daughter, Joyce (husband, Kevin) Battjes of Midland, Mich.; grandchildren, Justin (wife, Jessie) Pippin of Urbana, Jacob Pippin (special friend, Brittni Kinkelaar) of St. Elmo, Amy Pippin (fiance, Carl Sefton) of Farina, Jeremy (wife, Nicole) Battjes of Fayetteville, Ark., Daniel (wife, Stacie) Battjes of Winston-Salem, N.C., and Sarah Battjes of Midland, Mich.; and great-grandchildren, Gracelyn Marie Pippin and Andrew John Battjes.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and daughter, Carolyn Sue.

Amanda Knox Investigators Defend Their Forensic Methods

Italian police who investigated the Amanda Knox murder case gave a detailed defense of their forensic expertise today, rejecting accusations by a panel of experts that their methods were badly flawed and contaminated key evidence.

The appeal of the murder conviction by Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito resumed today after a summer break. Today's hearing also came a day after the sister of murder victim, British exchange student Meredith Kercher, issued a passionate plea for the court to assess "every single (piece) of evidence" so that justice can be done.

"My sister, a daughter brutally and selfishly taken from us nearing four years ago — and yet a not a single day goes by that we can grasp any peace or closure," Kercher's sister, Stephanie, wrote. "It is extremely difficult to understand how evidence gathered with care and presented as valid at the original trial now risks becoming irrelevant."

"Meredith has been forgotten because she is no longer with us," her sister wrote. "Yet this should be about her and what really happened on that tragic evening."

The body of Kercher, a 21-year-old British exchange student, was found in 2007 in the Perugia, Italy, apartment she shared with Knox and two Italian female students.

Knox, 24, was sentenced in December 2009 to 26 years and Sollecito was ordered to serve 25 years in prison for Kercher's murder and sexual assault.

A third person, Rudy Guede, was also convicted in a separate trial for participating in the murder and is serving a 16-year sentence. He has exhausted his appeals.

Both Knox and Sollecito have insisted they are innocent their hope for exoneration were bolstered by a report by two DNA experts earlier this year that called into question police methods for handling and analyzing DNA evidence that was used to win a conviction.

The panel said that there was too little DNA on a knife that was the alleged murder weapon to test properly; that the DNA was improperly stored in plastic bags that would degrade DNA rather using the international standard of paper bags; and that investigators likely contaminated a bra clasp with DNA that placed Sollecito at the scene of the murder.

The key witness today was Patrizia Stefanoni, the police forensic scientist who carried out the original investigation.

Using a PowerPoint screen to defend her work to the courtroom, Stefanoni argued it is not true that there was not enough DNA on the knife to retest, stating that there are newer DNA kits available now that were not available at the time of Kercher's murder in 2007 that could read the DNA amount. She also argued there are no internationally accepted international protocols for DNA collection.

Stefanoni said they used U.S. made plastic sealed certified bags instead of paper in the DNA collection.

She is expected to defend her team's handling of the bra clasp before her testimony concludes. Stefanoni will return to the stand Tuesday.

Knox arrived at the courtroom today looking anxious and drawn. Her stepfather, Chris Mellas, who also attended today's session, described Knox as relieved that "things are getting back on track."

"I think she'll feel better, that things are progressing, once again," Mellas told ABC News. "She's been busying herself and looking over the court documents, and trying to help with the lawyers, any way she can. She's doing all right."

"I'm hoping that this thing just concludes quickly, and that Amanda and Raffaele's name is cleared," he said.

The Kercher family, who has kept a low profile throughout the much-publicized case, insisted in their letter to the court that they still had faith in the Perugia police and the judicial process, despite living in "weeks of anguish" and expressing "anxiety and trouble" at how the original DNA investigation had been condemned by two court-appointed experts.

"How can the DNA of the knife be considered a small amount when the same experts themselves cannot give an exact response to how much should be taken into consideration?," she wrote.

Mellas comment on the Kercher letter.

"I saw in her letter where she stated that it [the evidence] was collected appropriately," Mellas, told ABC News. "Well, perhaps they should go and review the crime scene videos. Because clearly it was not."

"They are independent experts," Mellas added. "They have said there were mistakes made and that the evidence cannot be trusted. I would like to see this thing done and over with and Amanda's and Raffaele's name cleared."

The appeals hearings are expected to continue through the week. After rebuttals later in September, an appeals verdict is expected by month-end.

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The appeals case of Amanda Knox, the American student convicted of killing her British roommate, resumed Monday, one day after the roommate's family revealed they are "troubled" over revelations about faulty DNA evidence in the trial.

In a letter to their Italian lawyer, the family of Meredith Kercher asked the appeals court to assess "every single (piece) of evidence" so that justice can be done.

"My sister, a daughter brutally and selfishly taken from us nearing 4 years ago — and yet a not a single day goes by that we can grasp any peace or closure," Meredith's sister, Stephanie, wrote in part. "It is extremely difficult to understand how evidence gathered with care and presented as valid at the original trial now risks becoming irrelevant."

Knox arrived at the courtroom Monday looking anxious and drawn as her appeals case picked up where it left off in July, with the questioning of two experts appointed by the Perugia appeals court to conduct independent DNA test on crucial pieces of evidence – the alleged murder weapon, a knife found in Sollecito's house, and the victim's bra clasp, found in the room where Kercher was murdered.

In a 145-page report to the court, the experts – Carla Vecchiotti and Stefano Conti – questioned much of the evidence that was collected in that original investigation, saying procedures to obtain it fell below international standards and may have led to contamination.

They also concluded that due to the low amounts of DNA used for the testing it was impossible to extract a genetic profile with any certainty.

Knox's stepfather, Chris Mellas, who also attended the session Monday, described Knox as relieved that "things are getting back on track."

"I think she'll feel better, that things are progressing, once again," Mellas told ABC News. "She's been busying herself and looking over the court documents, and trying to help with the lawyers, any way she can, she's doing alright."

"I'm hoping that this thing just concludes quickly, and that Amanda and Raffaele's name is cleared," he said.

On Monday, the independent experts faced questioning from Francesco Maresca, the lawyer representing the Kercher family,who focused in on Vecchiotti and Conti's expertise and the methods they used in their review of the DNA evidence in an attempt to show their work was interpretive and imprecise.

Prosecutors have also questioned some of the independent experts' findings, and maintain the evidence should stand.

Also called to the stand as the appeals trial resumed Monday was Patrizia Stefanoni – the police forensic scientist who carried out the original investigation, and was so criticized by the independent experts' report and court appearance in July.

She has vowed to defend her work in court, and spent her first moments on the stand piecing through the independent DNA report to point out the things she found wrong or incorrect.

Using a PowerPoint screen to defend her work to the courtroom, Stefanoni argued it is not true that there was not enough DNA to retest, as Vecchiotti and Conti have claimed, saying that there are newer DNA kits available now that were not available at the time of Kercher's murder in 2007 that could read the DNA amount. She also argued there are no internationally accepted international protocols for DNA collection.

Stefanoni explained they used U.S. made plastic sealed certified bags instead of paper in the DNA collection, and she did not specify anti-contamination methods used in her report because these are the norm in her lab.

The Kercher family, who has kept a low profile throughout the much-publicized case, insisted in their letter to the court that they still had faith in the Perugia police and the judicial process, despite living in "weeks of anguish" and expressing "anxiety and trouble" at how the original DNA investigation had been condemned by two court-appointed experts.

"We ask that the Court of Appeal assess every single (piece) of evidence, both scientific and circumstantial, as well as any witnesses who have taken the stand independently of any other information or media," Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, said in the letter.

"How can the DNA of the knife be considered a small amount when the same experts themselves cannot give an exact response to how much should be taken into consideration?," she wrote.

Speaking for the first time since Knox's 2009 conviction, Stephanie went on to note, "Meredith has been forgotten because she is no longer with us, yet this should be about her and what really happened on that tragic evening."

Knox's family, however, continues to hope the testimony and findings of the independent experts are what it takes to see their family member's name cleared.

"I saw in her letter where she stated that it [the evidence] was collected appropriately," Knox's stepfather, Chris Mellas, told ABC News, speaking of Stephanie Kercher's letter. "Well, perhaps they should go and review the crime scene videos. Because clearly it was not."

"They are independent experts," he went on to say. "They have said there were mistakes made and that the evidence cannot be trusted. I would like to see this thing done and over with and Amanda's and Raffaele's name cleared."

The appeals hearings are expected to continue through the week. After rebuttals later in September, an appeals verdict is expected by month-end.

OPINION: Obama's Labor Day Gift To America

Today is Labor Day. Most of us think of it as the last day before we go back to work after summer vacation. But, for many people, there is no back-to-work day, as there is no work. The stunning news this week was that Labor Department statistics show no job increase last month. That does not mean there were no jobs created. It means, with the loss of jobs and the gain of jobs, there was no net job growth.

What can we possibly do about this? I have written about tax cuts and how they are not effective in job creation before. Many of you disagree, but there have been tax cuts in effect since the Bush era and the unemployment rate still hovers around 9 percent. There are also those who think cutting our spending will increase confidence, reduce the debt and deficit and therefore inspire the spending by corporations so they will create jobs. Will that really create jobs? That is anyone’s guess.

I am excited to hear what the president will say on Thursday night. He obviously considers this such an important speech that he asked to address a joint session of Congress. He is going to have to come up with a bold plan to make Congress and the American people pay attention. I am sure he will, even if he gets a lot of negative feedback from the Republicans.

The tea party talks about cutting taxes. Members of the Republican Party talk about cutting spending, but so far only Gov. Mitt Romney on the GOP side is suggesting that things be done in a business-like fashion.
I am not suggesting that Romney is a great candidate, only that he is suggesting less rhetoric and more of a planning process.

President Obama, I am sure, is aware of what happened under Franklin Roosevelt. After the New Deal investment and stimulus programs were cut, the Federal Reserve cut monetary availability. Both of those actions caused a severe rise in unemployment. It was only the draft and World War II that increased production, got factories moving again and employed many young Americans.

The recent stimulus program has been the butt of jokes and rancor. Many of the “shovel-ready” programs were anything but “shovel ready.” It was not as targeted as it should have been, but it got many people working again. It put America more into debt, but it did not cause the huge additions to the deficit that we are now seeing. (Other spending, including tax giveaways, Afghanistan and Iraq, have added to the runaway debt.) People started spending money again, and consumer confidence rose.

This week the Center for Budget and Priorities analyzed the recent Congressional Budget Office report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA, and found that the number of people employed because of it was between 1.0 and 2.9 million. These are jobs that would have never been created if it were not for the stimulus program.

According to the center’s analysis, the “CBO also includes new projections of the Recovery Act’s jobs impact through 2012. It finds that in the current quarter (the third quarter of 2011), there are 0.8 million to 2.5 million more people employed because of ARRA.” The CBO’s report indicated that the ARRA succeeded in its primary goal of protecting the economy during the worst of the recession.

Leaks about the president’s job speech say that he will support continuing the payroll tax cuts and extend unemployment benefits. Both of these plans make sense. Cutting taxes to those who can least afford to pay them makes more sense than cutting taxes on the richest Americans who can afford a bit of an increase in taxes. President Obama is also expected to promote investment in infrastructure jobs. Like the New Deal programs under FDR and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act passed in 1973, which continued under President Reagan, the United States needs government intervention to get America working again.

My hope for Thursday night is that the president is willing to take on his political foes and present a bold plan, a plan that will get Americans back to work and the country’s economy back on track. It would be a fitting Labor Day gift to America.

Freddie Mercury Honored: Queen’s ‘Live at Wembley’ Concert To Be Streamed

Freddie Mercury would have been 65-years-old September 5. To honor the deceased music icon, his band will stream “Queen Live at Wembley.”

Queen’s legendary concert will reportedly be streamed for two days beginning Monday on the band’s YouTube page. According to www.sfexaminer.com, the show dates back to July 1968 when Queen played London’s Wembley arena for two back to back shows.

Mercury of the legendary band Queen, passed away in 1991, at the age of 45, of a complication of AIDS. Mercury denied his illness to the press for many years, only offering a statement a day before he passed away. His statement reportedly read:

“Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors, and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.”

The band Queen first formed in 1971 in London. The band included Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon (who died in 1997) and Roger Taylor. With their release of albums Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera, they would become a household name around the globe and go on to release 18 number one albums and 18 number one singles. Some of their best known songs include “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” from News of the World.

The band was also notable not only for the music they produced but for their performances. One of them, Live Aid, in 1985 was regarded as one of the best in rock history.

Venice film festival: Contagion review

It announces itself as a global thriller, but anyone with the least concern about the risk of infection in crowded public places may regard Contagion as an all-too-plausible horror movie.

It's about the spread of a lethal virus that becomes a worldwide pandemic, killing thousands of people as it gains momentum, and defeating the best efforts of disease control experts to identify it. That could be the synopsis of some sensationalist potboiler, aiming for cheap shocks.

Contagion is anything but: its story is alarmingly believable and it dwells on the science involved in combating such a virus.

The film starts with a blank screen and the sound of a woman coughing. It's Gwyneth Paltrow, as an American businesswoman who returns to America on a long-haul flight from Hong Kong feeling ill, and swiftly becomes the first fatality. To the dismay of her husband (Matt Damon), her young son soon succumbs too.

As the virus spreads alarmingly, with no treatment protocol or vaccine, key players emerge. Laurence Fishburne, a calm rational executive at Atlanta's Centre for Disease Control, comes under immense public pressure.

Kate Winslet is a courageous Epidemic Intelligence Service officer who goes out among the stricken, looking for clues about how the virus started.

Her counterpart at the World Health Organisation in Geneva is Marion Cotillard, who flies to China to trace the sequence of transmission and is held hostage. Jennifer Ehle is outstanding as a researcher working on producing a vaccine.

Meanwhile, things are falling apart everywhere. Whole cities are quarantined; there's rioting in food queues and looting of banks and offices.

Winslet is given a chilling line about how easily people can spread the virus, whatever they touch: "Doorknobs, water fountains, elevators – and each other."

Contagion's director Steven Soderbergh announced this week his imminent plans to curtail his movie career and concentrate on painting.

I wish he wouldn't. In the whole world, there are too few film-making talents of his ilk, and fewer still in effortless command of such a wide range of styles and genres, from Erin Brockovich and Out of Sight to the lightweight Ocean's 11 series.

Among his strengths is a flair for juggling and sustaining multiple storylines in one film. He proved it in 2000 when he won an Oscar for Traffic, and he confirms it with Contagion: it has the urgency of simultaneous breaking news from several global locations. In a terrific, fast-cut sequence at the end, Soderbergh shows how the virus might credibly have started.

It's by no means perfect. One could have done without Jude Law as an irritating conspiracy-theory blogger, out to prove the CDC's collusion with pharmaceutical companies. And Contagion can sometimes feel like a series of public health warnings.

Still, it's a cut above most Hollywood thrillers, and I'll certainly remember it the next time I use the Tube.

Contagion may or may not win awards – but it'll send the sales of hand sanitiser soaring.

WikiLeaks Leak of Its Leaks Puts Sources at Risk

It is hard not to be the center of controversy when you're a site like WikiLeaks that specializes in exposing information that was never intended for the general public. The whistleblowing, freedom of the press advocate is in hot water again as it is the victim itself of a breach that exposed US State Department communications that had been leaked to it.
It gets sticky quick. You have WikiLeaks which doesn't go out and do its own spying per se. It is simply the intermediary--a benefactor of the efforts of others who stumble upon, or have privileged access to, information they feel should be shared with the world, but who fear the repercussions of doing so personally. Then you have the sources themselves who may be altruistic lovers of open disclosure, or could have their own agenda behind exposing the information. Then there are the subjects of the leaked information who are at once both villains of whatever insidious information was being withheld from the public, and victims of having said insidiousness made public.
WikiLeaks is a sort of Robin Hood of free speech. It uncovers duplicitous backroom deals, and reveals shady agreements between key players in corporate and government affairs all in the interest of protecting average citizens and consumers. It is like Ralph Nader on steroids.

It is very easy to cross the line, though, from hero to villain. Not all confidential data is created equally, and not all of it should be shared with the public. Some information is secret because of its nefarious nature, but some information is kept secret because it has broader global and national security implications.

Now, the tables are turned. A data breach exposed a WikiLeaks file containing hundreds of thousands of US State Department cables. WikiLeaks has responded by publicly posting the entire collection online--unredacted, and with names of confidential sources exposed.

WikiLeaks has crossed that line. First it became the victim, and now it is has become the villain. It is heroic on some level to reveal information that should be public but is being covered up, but it goes too far when WikiLeaks starts sharing information just for the sake of sharing information--as if all information is equal and no secret is worth keeping.

Exposing the names of political informants and confidential sources could put those individuals and their families at risk. These are people who went out on a limb, and WikiLeaks is sawing the branch.

If you ignore the personal risk, the move by WikiLeaks still does significant harm to United States diplomatic and intelligence gathering efforts around the world. It will be much harder to find cooperative sources if the United States can't ensure their anonymity.

Imagine how quickly WikiLeaks flow of information would dry up if those who shared information with WikiLeaks were outed. I appreciate the noble ideals of WikiLeaks, but I think it is shooting itself in the foot, and taking down some innocent people along with it.

Supreme inconsistency? McKenna rulings 180 degrees apart

So can the Washington Attorney General do what he wants to do, or is he merely a working stiff lawyer, having to heed the directives of state officials?

That question was up for debate Thursday after the state Supreme Court handed down two, seemingly conflicting rulings about how Attorney General Rob McKenna must go about his job. In City of Seattle v. McKenna, the justices unanimously rejected Seattle’s attempt to force McKenna to drop his participation in a lawsuit with other Republican attorneys general who oppose new federal health care legislation. Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, is opposed to McKenna’s part in the national lawsuit and has questioned why he has the ability to take part, absent a request from her or some other state official. But the justices wrote: “The people of the state of Washington have, by statute, vested the attorney general with broad authority, and Attorney General McKenna’s decision to sue to enjoin the enforcement of the (health care law) falls within that broad authority.”

However in another Thursday ruling, Goldmark v. McKenna, the Supreme Court told McKenna he must represent Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark, who wants McKenna to appeal a right-of-way case in Okanogan County. The county Public Utility District won a lower-court case allowing it to run power lines across some state trust land that Goldmark manages. McKenna had balked at Goldmark’s request. In a split decision, the Supreme Court told McKenna to take the case.

“Under the statutes, the responsibility is clear. Because we find no discretion within this duty, we… direct the attorney general to provide the commissioner with legal representation,” the ruling said.

In a dissent, Justice Debra Stephens said her colleagues were trying to have it both ways.

“We say in McKenna that the attorney general has ‘discretionary authority to act in any court, state or federal, trial or appellate, on ‘a matter of public concern,’ provided that there is a ‘cognizable common law or statutory cause of action.’’ Moreover, the McKenna decision rejects the argument that ‘where the governor and attorney general disagree, the attorney general may not proceed in the name of the State.’ This view is at odds with the majority’s analysis. Reading the two cases together, it is unclear why a writ of mandamus is appropriate to force the attorney general to follow the commissioner’s wishes in this litigation but is inappropriate in McKenna. Consistent with our decision in McKenna, I would recognize that the attorney general’s duty to represent state officers in litigation is generally not subject to a writ of mandamus. While the attorney general’s role to provide legal counsel is mandated by statute, it fundamentally involves discretion and legal judgment entrusted to an independently elected official. The statutory duty is for the attorney general to exercise discretion. This is no mere ministerial task subject to the extraordinary writ of mandamus.”

Jason Mercier, an analyst with the Washington Policy Center, was also struck by the apparent incongruity of the two decision.

“So under these two rulings, is the Attorney General the independently elected attorney of the people, or merely the government’s attorney tasked with rubber-stamping his clients wishes?” Mercier asked. “If the first, independently electing the people’s attorney makes sense. If instead the Attorney General is nothing more than the government’s attorney, perhaps the office would be better suited as an appointed position.”

A Soaked Vermont Awaits Even More Flooding

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Much of Vermont was paralyzed Sunday by treacherous flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, with scores of state and local roads closed, homes underwater, bridges wiped out and at least one person dead after being swept into a rushing river.

Much of the state was deluged with rain as Irene blew through on Sunday afternoon, with the southernmost counties affected first. Several feet of water flooded downtown Brattleboro during the afternoon, and smaller towns in Windham and Bennington Counties faced “catastrophic” flooding in some neighborhoods, said Gov. Peter Shumlin.

Mr. Shumlin said that the problems would spread overnight and on Monday, as rivers that were swollen even before the storm spilled over and threatened low-lying towns through much of the state. The state capital, Montpelier, is on the Winooski River, which was expected to crest at 20 feet overnight, placing it at particular risk. William Fraser, the town manager, said in a statement that all the streets downtown were expected to flood overnight.

“We’re in for a long haul here ,” Mr. Shumlin said.

Parts of Waterbury were being evacuated on Sunday night, and serious flooding was also reported in Woodstock and Stowe. Although Vermont’s waterways are prone to flooding and state officials were expecting some from Irene, Mr. Shumlin said forecasters expected the center of the storm to move through the Connecticut River Valley, which would have meant less rain for Vermont. Instead, he said, the storm moved north along the state’s border with New York, unleashing far more rain than expected on Vermont.

“Our emergency management people are flat-out trying as hard as they can to avoid loss of life,” Mr. Shumlin said. “We have been encouraging any Vermonter who lives near a brook, river or lake should head to higher ground.”

In Wilmington, a young woman died after being swept into the Deerfield River while watching the rising waters with her boyfriend, Mr. Shumlin said.

In Bennington, a team of firefighters had to be rescued after their boat capsized as they were pulling a man from his home, The Associated Press reported.

The ferocity of the flooding appeared to take many here by surprise. In Saxtons River, a village of 600 in southern Vermont on a river of the same name, John Bohannon, 68, said he had helped employees from the local grocery store pack food into a truck because the place was flooding. “In the past 25 years, I have never seen anything like this,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of snow and power outages because of this, but never this bad.”

In Brattleboro, where several businesses along Main Street flooded when the Whetstone Brook overflowed, Carolyn Gregory said people had been shocked by the amount of water on the ground. “People thought the storm had totally wimped out,” she said, “but then all the flooding started. It was unbelievable.”

Rivers rage through New England towns in Irene's wake

MYSTIC, Conn. -- The Southern states that first felt the lash of Hurricane Irene exhaled, heavily populated New Jersey and New York City cautiously began a return to routine, but the pain was just beginning for parts of upstate New York and New England, where rivers leapt their banks and raged through towns, trapping an unknown number of people in floods.

In Vermont, where soil was already saturated from a wet spring and soaking rains, rescue teams stymied by torrential floodwaters were unable to reach stranded residents in towns along the Winooski River, including the capital, Montpelier.

"We didn't know where the storm was going to hit," Mark Bosma of Vermont's Emergency Management department said Sunday evening from the state operations center in Waterbury, where flood waters lapped outside. "Evacuations beforehand just weren't possible."

Across eight states, at least 22 people died in storm-related accidents over the weekend - car crashes and toppling trees were mostly to blame. In Harrisburg, Pa., a man at a party who decided to sleep outside with a group of friends, died when a tree fell on his tent, police said. A 20-year old woman swept away in the Deerfield River in southern Vermont was presumed dead.

Up to 4 million customers, fairly evenly scattered along the hurricane's path from North Carolina to Maine, still lacked power Sunday. It will take days - possibly more than a week - to restore all the power, authorities said.

Thousands of commuters remain stranded after an estimated 11,238 flights were cancelled, including nearly 1,000 that were scheduled for Monday, according to FlightAware.com. The three major airports near New York City - Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark - are not expected to re-open until Monday at 6 a.m.

The economic toll from Irene is anticipated to be hefty, with insured and uninsured damages totaling from $5 billion to $7 billion, according to Jose Miranda of Eqecat Inc., a catastrophic risk management firm in Oakland, Calif.

At the White House, President Barack Obama offered his "thoughts and prayers" to victims, vowed the federal government's robust emergency response would continue and cautioned that Irene, while downgraded to a tropical storm, remained dangerous.

"I want people to understand that this is not over," the president said Sunday, flanked by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency director Craig Fugate. "Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks."

Earlier in the day, Hurricane Center Director Bill Read warned New Hampshire and Vermont would likely experience "record flooding." Hours later his prediction seemed apt.

"I've never seen flooding like this, especially this widespread," said Capt. Ray Keefe of the Vermont State Police, who described the flooding as "epic."

"We've lost a lot of homes, hundreds of roads, bridges have been washed away," Keefe said. "This has been a real tough one."

In the Hudson River Valley in upstate New York, National Guard troops and rescue crews rushed to reach stranded citizens after floodwaters washed away bridges and made roads impassable, said Green County administrator Shaun Groden.

In Prattsville, a town of about 300 in the Catskill mountains, floodwaters stranded scores of people including about 20 who found themselves marooned on the second floor of a motel. Troops used elevated Humvees to trudge through the floodwaters, while rescue crews used helicopters to reach the mountain communities, Groden said.

In New York City, whose emptied streets imparted a surreal touch over the weekend, the devastating flooding feared by some did not materialize. The curved edge of lower Manhattan was soaked, but most damage in the city was confined to uprooted trees and wind-torn awnings.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lifted evacuation orders on Sunday afternoon, authorities re-opened closed tunnels and bridges, and were taking steps to restart the city's subway system Monday morning.

Limited bus service began Sunday afternoon, and the heavily traveled PATH train system linking Manhattan to New Jersey was slated to resume service on Monday afternoon. But, said Bloomberg on Sunday, "It's safe to say it's going to be a tough commute tomorrow."

Despite a sense that the emergency was over in New Jersey and metropolitan New York, authorities warned people to stay inside their homes until ground conditions were fully assessed in the hardest hit areas.

"I am particularly concerned about downed power lines," said New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a morning interview on the "Today" show. "There is no, no safe place to be outside right now in New Jersey, between downed power lines, flooding. You need to stay in your home."

(In Connecticut, two firefighters were injured by electrical shocks. Both were briefly hospitalized.)

Christie said authorities were keeping an eye on dams in the state, filled by torrential rainfall - up to 8 inches in some areas.

On Long Island, Jennifer Ferri and her husband had ignored orders to evacuate their waterside home in Babylon. Early Sunday morning, a surging tide poured into their first-floor fitness room, destroying a refrigerator, television and most of their daughter's toys.

"It came in fast," said Ferri. "There wasn't time to pump it."

When the rain stopped at midday, the couple took a break from the cleanup and went for a walk in the flooded streets to see how their neighbors fared.

"This was bad flooding," said Ferri, "but I was expecting a lot worse," said Ferri.

Similar sentiments were heard in North Carolina, the first state hit by Hurricane Irene. Despite widespread flooding, downed trees, power outages and road closures caused by 85-mph winds and torrential rain, many were relieved the damage wasn't worse.

"We did all right," said Hal Denny, the mayor of Southern Shores, a beach town on North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the worst damage was wrought on trees, dozens of which had been uprooted.

Becky Breiholz, the town clerk for Manteo, N.C., was out surveying damage on Roanoke Island for state and federal officials Sunday morning. "I have to admit, I was getting a little scared early on and thinking, you know, maybe I should leave," said Breiholz, who stuck it out at home. "We were blessed."

(Reston reported from Mystic, Ceasar from Los Angeles and Zucchino from Manteo, N.C. Nathaniel Popper and Tina Susman in New York; Richard Fausset in Morehead, N.C.; Robin Abcarian in Los Angeles; Kim Geiger in Washington and Tom Hamburger in Annapolis, Md., contributed to this report.)