GOP, Mass. Democrats spar on Warren law license

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FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2012, file photo U.S. Senate candidates for Massachussetts, Republican Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, shake hands prior to their debate in Springfield, Mass. Brown is talking bipartisanship in his race against Warren. He won a special election in January 2010 to fill the seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, but this election he'll likely face 700,000-800,000 more voters, many Democrats or independents who favor Democrats.AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File

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BOSTON ? A former Republican U.S. attorney for Massachusetts who also ran for heard of the state GOP is calling for an investigation into Democrat Elizabeth Warren's law license, echoing a charge also raised by Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Warren, a Harvard Law School professor, said McNamara is "just wrong." Democrats accuse Brown of mudslinging.

Warren and Brown are locked in a tight U.S. Senate race.

Francis McNamara, who resigned in 1989 after federal investigators concluded he'd falsely accused former GOP Gov. William Weld of smoking marijuana, said the Massachusetts Bar of Board Overseers should investigate whether Warren "engaged in the unauthorized practice of law."

McNamara argues that because Warren was never admitted to the Massachusetts bar, some of her work may have violated the state's rules of professional conduct for attorneys.

Warren said she's always followed the rules.

"I'm a member of the bar of Texas. I was a member of the bar of New Jersey. I'm a member of the United States Supreme Court bar, I'm a member of several federal bars," Warren said Monday.

"I have always complied with the rules of court whenever I have appeared. Always," she added.

Michael Mone, a lawyer and former president of the Massachusetts Bar Association and former member of the Board of Bar Overseers, said McNamara has it wrong and that Warren broke no rules.

"She is so clearly covered by the applicable rules. To argue to the contrary is silly," said Mone, who is also a Democrat.

McNamara resigned as U.S. Attorney after making unsubstantiated charges that Weld, also a former federal prosecutor, had smoked marijuana at a party. McNamara later acknowledged smoking marijuana himself.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh called on Brown to "stop the mudslinging."

Source: http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121015/NEWS11/121019829/-1/rss01

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Costa Concordia ship hearing opens with anger and sorrow

GROSSETO (Reuters) - A lawyer for the families of the 32 people killed when the Costa Concordia cruise ship capsized off Italy's coast said on Monday that no one should have died in the accident as a court prepared to hear what the vessel's "black box" data recorders held.

The comments were made as a court began to try to reconstruct the accident in a series of pre-trial hearings attended by Captain Francesco Schettino, the captain of the wrecked vessel. The court will decide if Schettino should face a full trial, which could take place next year.

The 114,500 tonne luxury cruise ship capsized and sank on January 13 after approaching the Tuscan island of Giglio to perform a manoeuvre close to the shore known as a "salute". It struck a rock which tore a gash in its hull and capsized soon afterwards.

At least 30 people lost their lives during a chaotic nighttime evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew, and a further two bodies have still not been recovered. The ship is still sitting half-submerged on a rocky shelf off the island.

Schettino has said he did make mistakes but has accused the company of mishandling the response. He said earlier this week he was suing Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp., for unfair dismissal following the accident.

Held up to ridicule in Italy and abroad since the disaster, he faces charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship. It was the first such hearing he had attended.

"NO REASON FOR ANYONE TO DIE"

Lawyers representing the victims' families said they wanted to look beyond Schettino, saying faulty procedures put in place by the ship's operator also needed to be exposed.

"The reason these people died is not because of Captain Schettino, the reason these people died is because of the corporation, the negligence in their practices and safety procedures. There was no reason for anyone to die," said Peter Ronai, a lawyer for the victims' families.

Schettino did not speak during the morning's hearing but his lawyers said he accepted blame for the accident and wanted the full truth to be established.

"The captain is doing what is in his right to do, he is conducting his defense," his lawyer Francesco Pepe told reporters outside the theatre in the town of Grosseto where the closed door hearing is being held.

"It is in his interest that the truth comes out and it is a question of respect, not just for his rights but also the rights of the survivors," he said.

Eight other officers and executives of Costa Cruises, the ship's owner, are also being investigated for their roles in the accident.

The hearings will include the presentation of data taken from the ship's "black box" and an analysis of the accident by a panel of experts.

Victims' families and survivors gathered outside the hearing said they wanted those who had lost their lives to be remembered.

"What I would say to Captain Schettino is first to tell the truth and second to remember when he speaks that there are people looking at him who are still missing loved ones, people who will never be found because of what happened," said Luciano Castro, who was aboard the Concordia when it capsized.

(Additional reporting by Hanna Rantala and Antonio Denti; Writing by Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/costa-concordia-ship-hearing-opens-anger-sorrow-153423415--finance.html

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Romney, GOP Senate challenger tightening Pennsylvania races

After months of enjoying strong leads over their Republican challengers in battleground Pennsylvania, President Obama and Sen. Bob Casey are edging their opponents by only a few points three weeks before Election Day.

Obama is up over Mitt Romney 49% to 45% when factoring in likely voters leaning toward one candidate, according to a new survey released Monday by the Morning Call/Muhlenberg College. Speculation had recently suggested that Romney had all but given up on winning the state, and had redirected campaign resources to the pivotal swing state of Ohio, but the new poll places him within the margin of error of 5%.

While the presidential race tightening was somewhat expected given recent polling across the country that shows Romney?s continued post-debate surge, more stunning is the Senate matchup.

INTERACTIVE: Battleground states map

Political veteran Casey, the Democrat, now leads Republican newcomer Tom Smith by just two percentage points, 41% to 39%, a staggering change from the August results of the same poll, in which Casey led Smith by 19 percentage points. The dramatic drop-off is likely attributed to Smith's early effort on statewide television, depicting Casey as ineffective at a time when distrust in Washington is at its highest.

Casey, who has served in the Senate since defeating former Sen. Rick Santorum in 2006, now faces a significantly more precarious path to reelection, and Smith?s ad assault is unlikely to fade, with the former coal mine magnate able to spend up to $15 million for his campaign. So far, Smith has largely run a self-financed campaign, with 85% of his nearly $8 million raised so far coming from his own checkbook. Casey, on the other hand, has raised more than $10.5 million.

The Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll was conducted Oct. 10-14 among 438 likely voters.

Los Angeles Times writer Morgan Little contributed to this report.

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citkowitz@tribune.com

Twitter: @DCMorningCall

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-romney-pennsylvania-poll-20121015,0,3132099.story?track=rss

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Smart Magazine | York County woman with MS competes in Ironman ...

Winni Allison stretches by her car at Springettsbury Township Park before a run. (KATE PENN)

While swimming, biking and running 140.6 miles for 12 hours through Louisville, Ky., Winni Allison couldn?t stop smiling.

It was in the high 80s with low humidity on that August day, and the 41-year-old Hellam Township resident thrived on the energy surrounding her.

Allison had started training for her first Ironman triathlon six months before. For 12 to 18 hours a week, she executed different combinations of the three exercises ? often waking up at 4 a.m. to begin and squeezing workouts in before and after work.

On her race day ? after 11 hours, 57 minutes and 37 seconds of exertion ? an announcer called her name as she crossed the finish line: ?Winni Allison, you are an Ironman.? She finished ninth in her age group.

Allison said she cried as she hugged her husband, Bill, who was her crutch, and then ate pizza.

?There?s just something about being able to check that off your list,? she said.

Allison started competing in triathlons in 2003, after seeing one in Dewey Beach, Del., while she was on vacation. There was a beer truck at the end for participants, and the avid runner thought it looked like fun. She has since completed about two a year.

But Allison isn?t your typical triathlete. In 2007, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ? a autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.

Read more on Allison?s story here.

Editor of Smart. NEPA transplant. Penn State and Shippensburg grad. Kickball and craft beer enthusiast. Collector of cardigans. "Bennie and the Jets" fanatic. Contact me at atrotter@ydr.com, at "Smart magazine" on Facebook, @SmartMagPA on Twitter or by phone at 717-771-2030.

Source: http://www.yorkblog.com/smart/2012/10/15/york-county-woman-with-ms-competes-in-ironman-triathalon/

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Felix Baumgartner Completes Record-Setting Dive

Update: Sunday afternoon, October 14, Felix Baumgartner finally got the green light to attempt his dive from 120,000. Now he's a record holder.

This afternoon, Baumgartner jumped from his balloon-lifted capsule after it reached an altitude of 128,100 feet. During the dive, he reached a speed of nearly 840 mph, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. He reached the ground in a little less than 10 minutes. Relive it here:

More about Baumgartner and his attempt:

Space Dive: The Race to Jump From 120,000 Feet, our August 2010 cover story.

How to Safely Climb to 120,000 Feet in a Balloon

Q & A with Felix Baumgartner

Preparing for a Record-Breaking 23-Mile Dive

Hop Inside the Red Bull Stratos Space Jump Capsule

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/how-to/blog/watch-felix-baumgartners-space-dive-live-13541516?src=rss

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