Kuwait online activist jailed for Twitter posts

KUWAIT CITY (AP) ? A human rights campaigner in Kuwait says a Twitter user has been sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the ruler of the Gulf nation.

Since the Arab Spring uprisings, Gulf authorities have sharply stepped up pressure on social media posts that they consider offensive to leaders or threatening to state security. Dozens of people have been jailed or arrested in recent months around the region.

The director of the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, Mohammad al-Humaidi, says a lower court sentenced online activist Hamed al-Khaledi on Sunday to two years in jail for insulting the country's emir. Al-Khaledi can appeal.

Kuwait has the most free-wheeling political system in the Gulf, but officials have drawn a sharp line against online activism and criticism.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kuwait-online-activist-jailed-twitter-posts-120538673.html

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Beavers help contain fuel spill, recover slowly

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Talk about unlikely heroes.

A group of at least six beavers at a Utah bird refuge have emerged as key players in helping contain a fuel leak that left half of them with severe burns. The Chevron Corp. fuel spill leaked about 27,000 gallons of crude oil into soil and marshes at Willard Bay State Park last week after a split in a Salt Lake City-to- Spokane, Wash. pipeline.

The beavers' dam blocked a hefty portion of diesel from rolling onto the bay, though it's uncertain exactly how much, officials said. Three of the beavers were rescued earlier this week, and three more that were rescued Tuesday night are being cared for under a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah program.

"That dam absolutely saved the bay," said Dalyn Erickson, a wildlife specialist running the program. The dam held fuel in place and kept it from going any further, she said.

The beavers that were part of the group rescued Tuesday night had burns on their skin and eyes, and only patches of fur left on their bodies. Erickson said she worries that some of the newly rescued beavers might not survive the fallout from the spill. It's unknown whether any other beavers might remain near the fuel leak site and have yet to be rescued, officials said.

One of the new beavers, a head-strong mother, is resisting the three-a-day cleanings with Dawn dish soap. So Erickson and other workers had to sedate her. Workers brought in more than 40 large bottles of the soap to scrub the beavers clean during their hour-long baths.

The three animals rescued earlier in the week arrived at the center slicked with fuel but burn-free. They now show signs of recovery, Erickson said. For example, they're rubbing their bellies in an effort to groom themselves. One of them can't stop eating, Erickson says, a sign that he's getting stronger. Another is breathing gustily because the diesel burnt his nostrils. The last one is still exhausted, dozing off during bath time.

Protecting other animals and plants is part of the beavers' daily routine, said Phil Douglass, spokesman for the Department of Wildlife Resources. Beavers are natural homemakers, he said, crediting beaver dams, or "lodges," for drawing moose to Utah because moose like still waters for drinking. The dams also keep the water cool for trout and make surrounding areas healthier by inviting more plant growth.

The leak is Chevron's third in Utah in the last three years. In June 2010, a spill involved more than 30,000 gallons of crude oil near Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City. And in December 2010, a leak near the same site involved about 21,000 gallons.

John Whitehead of the Division of Water Quality said trace amounts of fuel seeped into the ground, then bled into the bay, but did not flow overtop the water. The state is studying water samples to see how the spill could affect people, animals and birds around the refuge.

Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the spill.

The Federal office dealing with pipelines has barred Chevron from reopening the pipeline until it gets government approval.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beavers-help-contain-fuel-spill-124319171.html

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S&P upgrade will ease Turkish firms' access to funding - finmin

Two St. Louis Police officers face disciplinary actions stemming from an incident in which one officer allegedly took pot from the scene of a traffic stop. Not only did the squad car's dashboard camera record what happened, but two state lawmakers were along for the ride as observers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals Missouri state Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, were with officers when the incident occurred. Both lawmakers told a reporter they felt the officers did nothing wrong during the stop.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/p-upgrade-ease-turkish-firms-access-funding-finmin-191812054--sector.html

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Small business confidence up, not enough to boost hiring

Heesun Wee , CNBC ? ? ? 6 hrs.

Small-business owners' confidence improved a bit in February, but entrepreneurs still aren't feeling a surge of optimism ? or hiring.

That's the finding of a monthly survey by the National Federation of Independent Business. The group said Tuesday that its small-business optimism index edged up 1.9 points to 90.8 points from 88.9 points in January.

"While the Fortune 500 are enjoying record high earnings, Main Street earnings remain depressed," said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg in a prepared statement. "Far more firms report sales down quarter over quarter than up."

"Until owners' forecast for the economy improves substantially, there will be little boost to hiring and spending from the small business half of the economy," he said.

The sentiment's slight increase follows a buoyant mood on Wall Street last week as the Dow Jones industrial average reached new all-time highs. A strong employment report helped. The economy created a net 236,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent.

But Main Street for the most part isn't celebrating just yet. Why?

For one thing, budget cuts related to the sequester are likely to have a rolling, accumulated impact on small business. Companies with U.S. government contracts must decide which workers will likely be laid off as funds to keep them on payroll evaporate. Nervous about fallout from Washington, many small- to mid-sized employers remain cautious on spending and hiring.

Expenses associated with the Affordable Care Act are another reason why small businesses are reluctant to turn temporary workers into full-time, permanent employees.

Under the act, "full-time" is defined as averaging 30 hours per week. Small companies with 50 or more workers will need to provide full-time workers with health insurance or face a fine.

Read more: Who's Hiring: Health Care, Yes; Wall Street, No

Traditional lending options for small-business owners also remain closed. Entrepreneurs are even getting squeezed by tighter restrictions for both credit cards and home equity lines of credits, which small-business owners often fall back on to keep businesses open.

"It's a real struggle for them due to lack of access of capital," said Rohan Mathew, co-founder of the Intersect Fund, a New Brunswick, N.J.-based nonprofit that supports low-income entrepreneurs in the region.

Founded in 2008 when Mathews was a Rutgers University student, Intersect Fund connects newbie upstarts with basic entrepreneurial skills such as registering as a limited liability company or LLC, implementing a bookkeeping system, crafting a marketing plan and creating a website.

The nonprofit also offers loans of up to $25,000 for, say a car, or needed repairs after Super Storm Sandy.

Read more: Youngstown's Story: Rust Belt Turns to 'Tech Belt' in the Name of Jobs

Mathew said many who reach out to the Intersect Fund have lost a wage job and have been without work for months ? even a year or more.

A separate unemployment measure that includes workers no longer looking for jobs and those working part-time for economic reasons hovers at 14.3 percent.

With limited work options and competition fierce, micro small-business owners are hoping to turn a passion ? food catering, styling hair, landscaping, tailoring clothes ? into a micro business, usually with five employees or less.

"They're not going to turn into Google or a billion-dollar business. That's not the point," Mathew said. "If they hire one to two people, that's a success."

The bottom line is support small upstarts, which generate meaningful locals jobs that are an alternative to working at a big-box retailer or fast-food restaurant in the neighborhood, Mathew said.

Looking ahead, few small-business owners anticipate conditions to improve. Three-quarters of small-business owners think business conditions will be the same or worse in six months.

? 2013 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/small-business-confidence-not-enough-boost-hiring-1C8823619

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Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett & Wife Melanie Martel Welcome Baby Girl!

Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett & Wife Melanie Martel Welcome Baby Girl!

Rikki Rockett, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, has welcomed a daughter with his wife singer/songwriter Melanie Martel. The Poison drummer announced the birth of their baby girl, Lucy Sky, who was born on Friday. Rikki Rockett announced his happy news on Twitter, writing, “Lucy Sky Rockett, born 3/1/13 at: 7:46 am, 6 pounds ...

Poison Drummer Rikki Rockett & Wife Melanie Martel Welcome Baby Girl! Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/poison-drummer-rikki-rockett-wife-melanie-martel-welcome-baby-girl/

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