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Cuba supports press freedom
“You cannot kill truth by murdering journalists,” said Tubal Páez, president of the Journalist Union of Cuba. One hundred and fifty Cuban and South American journalists, ambassadors, politicians, and foreign guests gathered at the Jose Marti International Journalist Institute to honor the 50th anniversary of the death of Carlos Bastidas Arguello —the last journalist killed in Cuba. Carlos Bastidas was only 23 years of age when he was assassinated by Fulgencia Batista’s secret police after having visited Fidel Castro’s forces in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. Edmundo Bastidas, Carlos’ brother, told about how a river of changed flowed from the Maestra (teacher) mountains, symbolized by his brother’s efforts to help secure a new future for Cuba.
The celebration in Havana was held in honor of World Press Freedom Day, which is observed every year in May. World Press Freedom day was proclaimed by the UN in 1993 to honor journalists who have lost their lives reporting the news, and to defend media freedom worldwide.
During my five days in Havana, I met with dozens of journalists, communication studies faculty and students, union representatives and politicians. The underlying theme of my visit was to determine the state of media freedom in Cuba and to build a better understanding between media democracy activists in the US and those in Cuba.
I toured the two main radio stations in Havana, Radio Rebelde and Radio Havana. Both have Internet access to multiple global news sources including CNN, Reuters, Associated Press and BBC with several newscasters pulling stories for public broadcast. Over 90 municipalities in Cuba have their own locally run radio stations, and journalists report local news from every province.
During the course of several hours in each station I was interviewed on the air about media consolidation and censorship in the US and was able to ask journalists about censorship in Cuba as well. Of the dozens I interviewed all said that they have complete freedom to write or broadcast any stories they choose. This was a far cry from the Stalinist media system so often depicted by US interests.
Nonetheless it did became clear that Cuban journalists share a common sense of a continuing counter-revolutionary threat by US financed Cuban-Americans living in Miami. This is not an entirely unwarranted feeling in that many hundreds of terrorist actions against Cuba have occurred with US backing over the past fifty years. In addition to the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, these attacks include the blowing up of a Cuban airlines plane in 1976 resulting in the deaths of seventy-three people, the starting in 1981 of an epidemic of dengue fever that killed 158 people and several hotel bombings in the 1990s one of which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist.
In the context of this external threat, Cuban journalists quietly acknowledge that some self-censorship will undoubtedly occur regarding news stories that could be used by the “enemy” against the Cuban people. Nonetheless, Cuban journalists strongly value freedom of the press and there was no evidence of overt restriction or government control ...."
By Peter Phillips “You cannot kill truth by murdering journalists,” said Tubal Páez, president of the Journalist Union of Cuba. One hundred and fifty Cu... more -
China urges Dalai Lama to back Olympics
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more closely with continued talks.
The statement from a Chinese spokesman to the official Xinhua News Agency included other previously issued conditions for talks: that the spiritual leader renounce support for Tibetan independence and that he curb the "violent terrorist" activities of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other "criminal" groups.
Though the basic demands are old, Chinese media have recently been portraying them as a new, concessionary approach. Xinhua's report, which appeared aimed at stating China's position more clearly and publicly, also gave the list of demands a new label, calling them the "four not-supports" ..."
By Henry Sanderson, Associated Press
"China urged the Dalai Lama again on Monday to show support for the Beijing Olympics, in an apparent effort to link the demand more cl... more -
Hundreds of baby penguins found dead in Brazil
"Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beaches, rescuers and penguin experts said Friday.
More than 400 penguins, most of them young, have been found dead on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state over the past two months, according to Eduardo Pimenta, superintendent for the state coastal protection and environment agency in the resort city of Cabo Frio.
While it is common here to find some penguins — both dead and alive — swept by strong ocean currents from the Strait of Magellan, Pimenta said there have been more this year than at any time in recent memory.
Rescuers and those who treat penguins are divided over the possible causes.
Thiago Muniz, a veterinarian at the Niteroi Zoo, said he believed overfishing has forced the penguins to swim further from shore to find fish to eat "and that leaves them more vulnerable to getting caught up in the strong ocean currents."
Niteroi, the state's biggest zoo, already has already received about 100 penguins for treatment this year and many are drenched in petroleum, Muniz said. The Campos oil field that supplies most of Brazil's oil lies offshore.
Muniz said he hadn't seen penguins suffering from the effects of other pollutants, but he pointed out that already dead penguins aren't brought in for treatment.
Pimenta suggested pollution is to blame.
"Aside from the oil in the Campos basin, the pollution is lowering the animals' immunity, leaving them vulnerable to funguses and bacteria that attack their lungs," Pimenta said, quoting biologists who work with him.
But biologist Erli Costa of Rio de Janeiro's Federal University suggested weather patterns could be involved.
"I don't think the levels of pollution are high enough to affect the birds so quickly. I think instead we're seeing more young and sick penguins because of global warming, which affects ocean currents and creates more cyclones, making the seas rougher," Costa said.
Costa said the vast majority of penguins turning up are baby birds that have just left the nest and are unable to out-swim the strong ocean currents they encounter while searching for food.
Every year, Brazil airlifts dozens of penguins back to Antarctica or Patagonia."
By Michael Astor, Associated Press "Hundreds of baby penguins swept from the icy shores of Antarctica and Patagonia are washing up dead on Rio de Janeiro's tropical beac... more -
Taser death ignites racial tensions
What happened in the 39 minutes in between--during which Pikes was handcuffed by local police and shocked nine times with a Taser device, while reportedly pleading for mercy--is now spawning fears of a political cover-up in this backwoods Louisiana lumber town infamous for backroom dealings.
Even more ominously, because Pikes was black and the officer who repeatedly Tasered him is white, racial tensions over the case are mounting in a place that's just 40 miles from Jena, La. Jena is the site of the racially explosive prosecution of six black teenagers charged with beating a white youth that last year triggered one of the largest American civil rights demonstrations in decades. And in a bizarre coincidence, Pikes turns out to have been a first cousin of Mychal Bell, the lead defendant in the Jena 6 case.
No novelist could have invented Winnfield, a place so steeped in corruption that they built a local museum to try to sanitize it all.
Here in the birthplace of two of Louisiana's most colorful and notorious governors—Huey and Earl Long—the police chief committed suicide three years ago after losing a close election marred by allegations of fraud and vote-buying.
Just four months later, the district attorney killed himself after allegedly skimming $200,000 from his office budget and extorting payments from criminal defendants to make their cases go away.
The current police chief is a convicted drug offender who got a pardon from Edwin Edwards, the former Louisiana governor who is serving time in federal prison for corruption convictions.
All of that tangled history is now wrapped up in the Pikes case, because Scott Nugent, the officer who Tasered him, is the well-connected son of the former police chief who killed himself—and the protégé of the current chief, who hired him onto the force.
"A lot happens in this town and it just gets swept under the rug," said Kayshon Collins, Pikes' stepmother, who has participated in several local protests over the case. "What the police did to Scooter just isn't right. They would never have Tasered a white kid like that." The official police version of what happened to Pikes on that brisk January afternoon reads like a sad but familiar story in Winnfield's local newspaper.
Nugent spotted Pikes walking along the street and attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant for drug possession, according to Police Chief Johnny Ray Carpenter. Pikes took off running, but another officer cornered him outside a nearby grocery store. Pikes resisted arrest and Nugent subdued him with a shock from a Taser.
Then on the way to the police station, Carpenter related to the newspaper, Pikes fell ill and told the officers he suffered from asthma and was high on crack cocaine and PCP. The officers called for an ambulance, but Pikes later died at the hospital.
Six months later, the Winnfield police are standing by that story. Meanwhile, the Louisiana State Police are investigating the case, and no charges have been filed against Nugent or two other Winnfield police officers who assisted him in arresting Pikes, although the City Council did decide to fire Nugent from the force in May.
Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils says he expects to present the case to a grand jury after he receives the results of the state police investigation.
But there is already abundant evidence contradicting the official police version of the incident.
An autopsy determined there were no drugs in Pikes' system and that he did not have asthma, according to Dr. Randolph Williams, the Winn Parish coroner.
Moreover, Pikes did not resist arrest, and he was handcuffed while lying on the ground, according to Nugent's police report of the incident. It was only after Pikes refused Nugent's command to stand up that the officer applied the first Taser shock in the middle of his back, Nugent wrote.
***story continues, click link to read*** What happened in the 39 minutes in between--during which Pikes was handcuffed by local police and shocked nine times with a Taser devi... more -
Dyed Glass Taps Solar Power
"What if your windows could pull double-duty as solar panels by harvesting some of the energy in sunshine? That's the idea behind the organic solar concentrator, a new kind of solar powering device. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology coated thin glass plates with organic dyes that absorb certain colors of light while letting others pass through. The dyes redirect the solar energy by absorbing and then reemitting the light toward the window's edges, where regular (opaque) solar cells convert it into electricity. Unlike mirror-based solar concentrators, the new system, described in Science, does not have to be cooled. The researchers say they still need to improve the system's durability and efficiency—estimated at 6.8 percent—before they can think about bringing it to market." "What if your windows could pull double-duty as solar panels by harvesting some of the energy in sunshine? That's the idea behind the ... more
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Should Science Speak to Faith?
"Scientists Lawrence M. Krauss and Richard Dawkins compared notes from the front lines during breaks at a conference devoted to discussing clashes between science and religion held at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego late last year. In a dialogue they re-create here, the authors explained their respective tactics for engaging the enemy and tackled some of the questions that face all scientists when deciding whether and how to talk to the faithful about science:
Is the goal to teach science or to discredit religion? Can the two worldviews ever enrich one another? Is religion inherently bad? In an extended version of their conversation available here, the authors also delve into whether science can ever test the “God Hypothesis.”"
Like it said, this is a convo, not exactly an "article". I'm a huge Dawkins fan, and this is a good example of civil conversation between two viewpoints that is well articulated and interesting (to me, at least!)
"Scientists Lawrence M. Krauss and Richard Dawkins compared notes from the front lines during breaks at a conference devoted to discus... more -
Everyone named Jim Smith meets up for Jim Smith Fun Fest
"Jim Smith says he's never met a Jim Smith he didn't like. And he's met more than most people. That's because the 71-year-old is in Pittsburgh for the four-day Jim Smith Society Fun Fest which runs through Sunday, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Friday.
The society was formed in 1969 by a local Jim Smith to celebrate one of the most common names in the U.S. Today, the group boasts about 1,900 members.
About two dozen Jim Smiths plan to go sightseeing and visit Pittsburgh museums.
They're also holding a golf tournament on Friday to kick off the festivities.
To join the Jim Smith Society potential members must, naturally, be named Jim Smith, but even this rule is flexible. Two women, both named Jimmy Anne Smith, have joined. Jamie also is an acceptable name."
LOL!!!! This cracks me up! "Jim Smith says he's never met a Jim Smith he didn't like. And he's met more than most people. That's because the 71-year-old is in Pi... more -
Do Presidents need to understand the Internet?
"Asked earlier this year if he uses a Mac or PC, McCain replied: "Neither. I'm an illiterate who has to rely on my wife for all the assistance I can get." The running McCain-doesn't-get-the-Web meme climbed a steeper hill nearly a month ago when a McCain aide -- his deputy eCampaign director, no less -- told a bipartisan gathering of online political activists: "John McCain is aware of the Internet." And last Sunday, in an interview with the New York Times, McCain said he doesn't e-mail.
Said Michael Turk, who ran President Bush's eCampaign team in 2004 before joining the Republican National Committee as its eCampaign director: "While I don't believe they disqualify him from being president, these comments do play into the hands of those who say McCain is too old to be president. He has essentially said he's too old a dog to learn new tricks -- to understand and adapt to the way the world now communicates."
Matt Lewis of Townhall.com, the popular conservative site, said that while "we're not hiring a blogger in chief, but the leader of the free world ... the real danger for McCain is that this narrative isn't really about technology -- it's an excuse to talk about his age.""
So what's the deal- as the internet evolves, is McCain just a dinosaur waiting to be extinct? Does the next President of the US need to have basic knowledge of technology to really understand his country?
"Asked earlier this year if he uses a Mac or PC, McCain replied: "Neither. I'm an illiterate who has to rely on my wife for all the as... more -
Immigrant beaten to death in Pennsylvania
SHENANDOAH, Pa. - Luis Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico six years ago to look for work, landing in this town in Pennsylvania's coal region. Here, he found steady employment, fathered two children and, his fiancee said, occasionally endured harassment by white residents.
Now he is headed back to Mexico in a coffin.
The 25-year-old illegal immigrant was beaten over the weekend after an argument with a group of youths, including at least some players on the town's beloved high school football team, police said. Despite witness reports that the attackers yelled ethnic slurs, authorities say the beating wasn't racially motivated.
Hate crime or not, the killing has exposed long-simmering tensions in Shenandoah, a blue-collar town of 5,000 about 80 miles northwest of Philadelphia that has a growing number of Hispanic residents drawn by jobs in factories and farm fields.
An investigation continues, and no charges have yet been filed, but police say as many as six teens were involved in the fight, which ended with Ramirez in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. He died early Monday of head injuries.
Witnesses say race was a factor
Arielle Garcia and her husband, who were with Ramirez when he was beaten late Saturday, said they had dropped their friend off at a park but returned when he called to say he had gotten into a fight.
She saw someone kick Ramirez in the head, she said, and "that's when he started shaking and foaming out of the mouth."
The Garcias said they heard the youths call Ramirez "stupid Mexican" and an ethnic slur.
Burke, the former Philadelphia officer, said she saw shirtless youths swarming around Ramirez, called 911 and went outside, when she heard a youth yell obscenities and make the get-out-of-Shenandoah remark.
click link to read full article SHENANDOAH, Pa. - Luis Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico six years ago to look for work, landing in this town in Pennsylvania's coa... more -
Thousands Still Live in Slavery in Northern Mali
People continue to be enslaved in northern Mali, according to Malian human rights organization Temedt, despite a widespread belief that slavery no longer exists in the country.
"The government believes slavery ended with independence, when many of the people who had been living as slaves in the colonial period were freed," said Temedt president Mohammed Ag Akeratane, "but I would estimate there are still several thousand people living in slavery or slavery-like conditions in modern Mali."
According to Temedt, which means "solidarity" in the Touareg language Tamasheq, slavery continues in the north in the region of Gao 1,200 kilometers (744 miles) north of the capital, Bamako, and around the town of Menaka 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) north of Bamako.
Most of the slavery takes place between the Berber-descended Touaregs and the indigenous Bella people who live in this region, although the Peul and Songhai communities have also been known to use slaves in the past, according to Temedt.
Iddar Ag Ogazide, a Bella, said he lived as a slave in Ansongo, 80 kilometers (49.6 miles) south of Gao, where he worked for the Touareg Ag Baye family for 35 years without receiving a salary or an education. The Ag Bayes bought his great-grandmother and inherited his family members from one generation to the next. In March 2008 Iddar finally could not take any more and hatched a successful escape plan—he is currently living in Gao.
His wife Takwalet, who escaped with him, told IRIN: "Life was hard there. Everything I did was against my will. I did all the cooking, pounding [of millet], getting water, fetching the wood, and sweeping the house. I never received money; I didn't even get any clothes."
***article continues, click link to read*** People continue to be enslaved in northern Mali, according to Malian human rights organization Temedt, despite a widespread belief tha... more -
Scan detects obsessive-compulsive disorder
"Scientists say they have pinpointed differences in the way the brains of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) work.
OCD provokes recurrent irrational thoughts such as fears about contamination or accidents, and compulsion to follow fixed rituals.
Scans revealed less activity in a particular region of the brains of both OCD patients and their close relatives.
It is estimated that between 2% and 3% of the population will suffer some kind of OCD at some point in their lives.
To try to provoke an "OCD" response, they were asked to choose between pictures on two screens side by side, one of which had been randomly selected as the "target".
The pictures would alternate between left and right, and the volunteer was given occasional feedback as to whether the right target was being chosen.
The test was designed to stimulate "behavioural flexibility", one of the known problems in people with OCD.
In volunteers without OCD, or a family history of the condition, the test caused activity in a part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex.
However, in both the people with diagnosed OCD, and their relatives, the amount of activity was much lower.
"What it could do is help test the effectiveness of interventions for OCD, and the more we learn about which parts of the brain are being activated, the more chance we have of understanding the condition better." "Scientists say they have pinpointed differences in the way the brains of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) work. ... more -
Vomiting dummy for medic training
"A dummy that moves and feels like a real patient and can bleed, vomit and sweat has been unveiled as the latest training tool for health professionals.
The remote-controlled mannequin, called iStan, has been created by the University of Portsmouth.
The £40,000 model is set to help provide realistic training for doctors, nurses and dentists.
It has been designed to replicate a human's anatomical structure, from the skeleton to the eyes.
iStan has pupils which can dilate and contract, its skin can have goosebumps and sweat and it can suffer a heart attack.
Its blood pressure can also fall, internal organs bleed, lungs collapse and its bowels make realistic sounds.
The model can also help doctors dealing with stab victims by simulating a bowel protruding from the stomach.
Professor Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds, said: "He can be used in real-world situations."
"For paramedic students he can be put in a crashed car or collapsed at the foot of some stairs, which is precisely the sort of situation they are likely to encounter in the real world.
"He can have a cardiac arrest or an adverse drug reaction in a dental chair, allowing staff and students in dentistry to practise skills that they could not keep honed using their patients."
Phil Ashwell, a healthcare professional who teaches at the university, said: "The mannequins suspend disbelief and bring healthcare to life which means the quality of casualty care will improve.
"The students are very lucky to learn in this safe environment. When I was training all we had to practise on was 'Resus Annie', a folded up mannequin in a suitcase.
"Some of the students are a bit wary when they first meet the simulators because they are so realistic.
"But once they have started practising on one they are fine and they learn so much faster and in more depth."
Trust, I see the benefit- but I train CPR/First Aid at my job, and let's just say I'm REALLY glad the "Annie" we use doesn't puke all over me and my trainee. It is pretty wild though!
"A dummy that moves and feels like a real patient and can bleed, vomit and sweat has been unveiled as the latest training tool for hea... more -
Sir Paul McCartney: "Smoke the Pipes of Peace!"
"He spoke out after artists and politicians questioned his involvement in the 400th anniversary celebrations of French-speaking Quebec City.
They say his presence is inappropriate because of Britain's conquest of New France - including Quebec - in 1760.
His comments, made on Radio Canada, refer to his 1983 hit "Pipes of Peace."
"I think it's time to smoke the pipes of peace and to just, you know, put away your hatchet because I think it's a show of friendship," the former Beatle said, ahead of the open-air concert on Saturday. "
Like, you know, smoke the pipes of peace man. (The original song was about "playing" the pipes of peace- but smoking weed is like, totally better than playing the flute, man.
Also: Who turns down Paul McCartney because Britain conquered them- IN 1760?!? He was a BEATLE, damn it!
"He spoke out after artists and politicians questioned his involvement in the 400th anniversary celebrations of French-speaking Quebec... more -
Tribal Malaysian Villages Threatened by Dams
Secret plans revealed to submerge Penan villages
At least a thousand indigenous people in the Malaysian state of Sarawak may lose their homes as the company Sarawak Energy Berhad plans to build hydroelectric dams that would submerge local villages and part of a World Heritage site.
From: Survival International
A secret document accidentally posted on the internet reveals plans to build a series of massive hydroelectric dams in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, submerging the homes of at least a thousand Penan, Kelabit and Kenyah tribal people.
The document is a presentation by the managing director of the company Sarawak Energy Berhad, and gives the location of twelve proposed hydroelectric power projects to be constructed between now and 2020. Sarawak Energy Berhad controls the production and distribution of electricity within the state.
The dams would submerge several Penan, Kelabit and Kenyah villages, displacing at least a thousand people. One dam would also submerge part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Mulu National Park.
The dams are projected to produce far more electricity than Sarawak uses.
The Penan have been fighting for twenty years to prevent logging companies, including the Malaysian timber giant Samling, from cutting down their forests. But the companies, with the backing of the Malaysian government, have devastated much of the tribe’s land.
The Penan are nomadic hunter-gatherers. Many have now been settled, but continue to rely very much on the forest for their existence. About 300 still live a completely nomadic life.
The Sarawak Energy Berhad presentation was posted on a Chinese website and has now been removed. Secret plans revealed to submerge Penan villages ... more -
For Afghan Refugees, A Difficult Road Home
Millions of Afghan refugees living in camps in Pakistan are being pressured by the Pakistani government to leave, but there are few opportunities and social services and little infrastructure in Afghanistan to help returning families begin anew.
Visit the Refugees International Web site (refugeesinternational.org) to download the group's new report, Afghanistan: Invest in People, and Newsweek.com for some exclusive footage from their mission. Millions of Afghan refugees living in camps in Pakistan are being pressured by the Pakistani government to leave, but there are few op... more -
"Cat Stevens" wins lawsuit- magazine lied about his Muslim practices
Musician Cat Stevens - now known as Yusuf Islam - has won libel damages over articles suggesting he refused to talk to women not wearing a veil.
The stories also claimed that the singer - a Muslim convert - would only speak to women other than his wife through a third party.
His lawyer told The High Court in London that "Mr Islam has never had difficulties working with women".
The World Entertainment News Network agency has already apologised.
'False impression'
Its article, entitled "Yusuf Islam ignores bare-headed women", was distributed to its subscribers including Contactmusic.com, read by more than two million people per month, which also published an apology on its website.
Mr Islam's laywer, Adam Tudor, told the court the allegations had caused the singer "considerable embarrassment and distress".
He said that the defendants now accepted that the claims were "entirely false" and had "created an utterly false impression of attitude to women"
"In his normal life, women feature among some of the most influential people in Mr Islam's team."
Mr Tudor added that the story "cast serious aspersions, quite wrongly, on his religious faith, which is of the utmost importance to him".
WENN and Contactmusic.com also agreed to pay the singer's legal costs, while the damages have been donated to his charity Small Kindness.
The musician, who converted to Islam in 1977, was not in court.
In 2005, Mr Islam won substantial libel damages from The Sun and Sunday Times after they falsely claimed he supported terrorism.
Musician Cat Stevens - now known as Yusuf Islam - has won libel damages over articles suggesting he refused to talk to women not weari... more -
Reward Offered After Dog Fed Glass
MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County woman's dog is recovering Tuesday after someone intentionally fed him glass, WTAE Channel 4's Shannon Perrine reported.
Veterinarians continue to monitor Maryann Stull's dog, Scooter, and a $2,500 reward is up for information.
"I woke up and there was fresh blood all over the bedroom," Stull said. "There were big stains on his mattress, big stains on his blankets, on the rug, and I noticed he had blood all over him."
Stull initially thought Scooter suffered a cut, but an X-ray and a scope showed glass all throughout his digestive system.
"You're going down with a circular TV screen and you see little pieces of red, and then you see little pieces sticking out of it like icebergs and you grab them with your tongs, pull them up and they are glass," said Dr. John O'Laughlin, Scooter's veterinarian.
O'Laughlin said dogs will sometimes eat one piece of glass, but the volume in this case suggests someone broke glass and fed it to Scooter.
"You take one piece and stop. This really had to taste good," O'Laughlin said. "It was intentional. Not only was it intentional, but it was well-thought out. It's sad."
"I went from scared for what he was going through and scared that I was going to lose him to the worst anger I'd ever felt," Stull said. "I've never felt this kind of rage before."
If you have information regarding this investigation, contact the Fayette County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is offering a $2,500 reward for information leads to arrest and conviction.
You can contact the SPCA by dialing 724-438-3121. MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. -- A Westmoreland County woman's dog is recovering Tuesday after someone intentionally fed him glass, WTAE Channel... more -
Pittsburgh Mystery Baby Doing Well; Mother Still Unknown
Police said a woman arrived at West Penn Hospital by ambulance with a newborn boy who still had his umbilical cord attached and claimed the baby was hers.
But a hormone test at the hospital determined she was never pregnant, and investigators said the woman -- Andrea Demus, 38, of Wilkinsburg -- had bought the infant for $1,000.
Police said they charged Demus with endangering the welfare of a child after she told them that she bought the baby from a woman named Tina, who brought the baby to her home.
According to the criminal complaint, Demus said she had a recent miscarriage, so she agreed to buy a baby.
While leaving the Wilkinsburg Police Department, Demus said, "I didn't do nothing."
She was arraigned overnight and is now at the Allegheny County Jail.
The baby is doing well at the hospital, police said, although they still don't know who the mother is.
"I'm sure there is a concern that there could be an injured woman somewhere or if there's a woman seeking treatment for her follow-up care after giving birth," Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said.
Records show that Demus was arrested in 1990 for stabbing a Wilkinsburg mother while allegedly plotting to kidnap the woman's baby. She pleaded guilty in 1991 to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 10 years of probation. Police said a woman arrived at West Penn Hospital by ambulance with a newborn boy who still had his umbilical cord attached and claime... more -
Russia's sex slave industry thrives, rights groups say
"Young women in bright miniskirts and high heels line up to sell themselves in the dingy back streets throughout the Russian capital. Moscow's illegal flesh markets are flourishing, with up to 30 women at each pickup point, or tochka, standing in order of price for the night.
Customers light up the lines with their car headlights, and are asked to pay between $100 and $700 for a woman.
Aid workers for groups fighting for women's rights here say Moscow is witnessing a surge in prostitution, including forced prostitution, as a result of Russia's booming economy.
They say thousands of young women are made to work as sex slaves on the city's streets, unable to escape from the ruthless and violent criminal gangs who traffic them.
"It's because of the economic boom they are brought here," says Afsona Kadyrova of the Angel Coalition aid agency, which rehabilitates trafficked women and children. "The fast pace of development in Moscow has fueled demand for a range of cheap workers, including prostitutes."
To investigate the thriving trade, CNN went undercover posing as potential customers and gained access to speak directly to the prostitutes and their pimps.
"Take your pick from any of the girls," the female organizer says at one location, lines of women all around. "The expensive ones are on the right, for $600 and $700 a night. The women on the left are $100."
Aid agencies say many of the women working here are tricked into coming to Moscow on the promise of an education or a good job. They say others are simply kidnapped from their hometowns and forced to work as prostitutes in Moscow.
Russian police acknowledge human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a major problem, saying they do what they can to fight it by raiding brothels suspected of forced prostitution and arresting gang members who run them. But the problem, they say, lies elsewhere.
"First of all, we have virtually open borders, and badly controlled migration flows from nearby countries," says Alexander Krasnov of Russia's Interior Ministry Police.
"Secondly, we still don't have a basic law that defines victims' rights. At the moment, it's mostly aid agencies that deal with it."
Aid agencies say they are handling a growing number of deeply traumatized victims rescued from brothels and pimps in the Moscow area. One U.N. organization, the International Organization for Migration, recently opened a treatment and rehabilitation center to cope with the large numbers of sexually exploited and trafficked women who come for help.
At this center, Christine, a 27-year-old Nigerian woman, tells how she acquired a painful 4-inch scar across her right cheek. She says she was lured to Russia from Nigeria four years ago by her uncle. He promised to give her a college education, she says.
But instead, she says he sent her to a Moscow brothel. He told her "the kind of job I'm going to be doing is prostitution ..."
By Matthew Chance
Article Continues, click link to read. "Young women in bright miniskirts and high heels line up to sell themselves in the dingy back streets throughout the Russian capital. ... more -
City's Computer Network Hijacked
Terry Childs is accused of tampering with San Francisco's new computer network to give himself exclusive access, and is allegedly refusing to hand over the passwords which would allow officials into the system.
Mr Childs worked as a network administrator for five years for the San Francisco city government.
The network on which he worked stores 60% of city data, including employee e-mail, payroll files and law enforcement records.
Documents in the system can currently be accessed, but if there is a problem with the network there is no way to repair it quickly.
Experts from Cisco have been brought in to try and rectify the problem, but without the passwords it could take weeks and cost millions of dollars.
It is not yet clear what Mr Childs' motive might have been for his alleged actions.
San Francisco's mayor Gary Newsom described him as "rogue employee that got a bit maniacal".
While it can be hard for companies to stop the actions of a rogue employee, one computer security expert said that systems are in place to try and anticipate when problems are likely to arise.
The Huntsmann system from Tier-3 monitors behaviour on computer systems and alerts security administrators when non-typical behaviour - such as changing passwords - takes place.
Chief technology officer Geoff Sweeney told Sky News Online: "This is an extreme case but they do occur.
"The worst possible scenario is an administrator who goes bad.
"At some point you need to establish a monitoring process that will identify behaviour that is suspicious."
Mr Childs has pleaded not guilty to four charges of computer tampering, and his lawyer said there is no danger to the city's computer networks as a result of his alleged actions. Terry Childs is accused of tampering with San Francisco's new computer network to give himself exclusive access, and is allegedly refu... more
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