Drunken driver kills seven at Moscow bus stop

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Poll: Romney Speech Had Little Impact on Voters

Mitt Romney?s acceptance speech at last week?s Republican National Convention had little impact on the electorate, according to new polling from Gallup released on Monday.

The percentage of voters who said Romney?s speech made them more likely to vote for hin (40 percent) was nearly the same as the percentage who were less likely to vote for him (38 percent), the poll showed.

Among independents, 36 percent were more likely to vote for Romney after his speech and 33 percent were less likely. Thirty percent said the speech made no difference.

Romney?s speech had the same impact as John McCain?s in 2008 and President Bush?s in 2004, according to Gallup.

President Obama?s speech in 2008, however, saw 43 percent of voters more likely to support him afterward, compared to 29 percent who were less likely.

The sharpest impact was seen in 1992, after Bill Clinton?s speech, in which 60 percent of Americans said they were more likely to vote for him, while just 15 percent said otherwise.

Romney also scored low on the quality of his acceptance speech, the lowest marks since Bob Dole?s speech in 1996. Just 38 percent of those surveyed found his speech ?good? or ?excellent,? while 16 percent rated it ?poor? or ?terrible.? Obama?s speech in 2008 was given a 58 percent positive rating, and McCain's registered 47 percent.

The results also point out that 51 percent of those surveyed watched ?a great deal? or ?some? of the convention on television?the lowest of any of the last eight conventions. Sarah Palin?s 2008 speech was the most-viewed on television, at 33 percent.

Gallup says the poll is not a good predictor for who will win the election in November.

These results were based on polling conducted between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 among 1,045 adults. The margin of error was four percentage points.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/poll-romney-speech-had-little-impact-voters-110757903--politics.html

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Make a Gardening Seed Spacer on a 3D Printer [3D Printing]

David Galloway

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If you like to garden and particularly if you use plant spacing systems such as Square Foot Gardening or Hexagonal Plant Spacing you may be interested in creating a plastic seed spacer using a 3D printer.

3D Printing enthusiast shop and weblog Proto Paradigm offers many free designs (things) for many gardening accessories atThingiverse, a depository of free 3D printer designs, including hanging garden trellis netting clips, slug traps, a watering spout for a 2-liter soda bottle, and a small garden hand rake.

If you don't have a 3D printer of your own you can try to find a local <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5912598/how-to-find-and-get-involved-with-a-hackerspace-in-your-community"hackerspace or college lab who might be willing to let you use their 3D printer for a small fee.

What to do with a 3D printer: Make garden tools | Proto Paradigm

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/IvMqrHJ62jE/make-a-gardening-seed-spacer-on-a-3d-printer

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Late court decisions may impact 2012 election

FILE - In this May 1, 2012, file photo, Viviette Applewhite, 93, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification law, speaks in a video played during a news conference in the Pennsylvania state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., as one of her lawyers, Witold J. Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union. Before voters get a say in this year's presidential race, lawyers and judges are having theirs. A series of ongoing court battles in several vital states may determine over the next several weeks everything from how people cast their votes, when polling locations will be open and what ballots will look like. Many of the cases have a partisan bent, with rulings potentially tipping the scales slightly in favor of Democrats or Republicans. The legal battles have entered an urgent phase, with only two months to go before the election and just a few weeks before military and overseas absentee ballots must go out. Pennsylvania attorneys recently filed briefs arguing whether an appeal on the state's strict voter ID law should be held in September or October. Opponents won a mid-September court date, which is late even by their standards. "This is by no means impossible, but certainly the closer you get a decision to Election Day the harder it is to make changes," said Walczak. (AP Photo/Marc Levy, File)

FILE - In this May 1, 2012, file photo, Viviette Applewhite, 93, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification law, speaks in a video played during a news conference in the Pennsylvania state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., as one of her lawyers, Witold J. Walczak of the American Civil Liberties Union. Before voters get a say in this year's presidential race, lawyers and judges are having theirs. A series of ongoing court battles in several vital states may determine over the next several weeks everything from how people cast their votes, when polling locations will be open and what ballots will look like. Many of the cases have a partisan bent, with rulings potentially tipping the scales slightly in favor of Democrats or Republicans. The legal battles have entered an urgent phase, with only two months to go before the election and just a few weeks before military and overseas absentee ballots must go out. Pennsylvania attorneys recently filed briefs arguing whether an appeal on the state's strict voter ID law should be held in September or October. Opponents won a mid-September court date, which is late even by their standards. "This is by no means impossible, but certainly the closer you get a decision to Election Day the harder it is to make changes," said Walczak. (AP Photo/Marc Levy, File)

Before voters get a say in this year's presidential race, lawyers and judges are having theirs.

A series of court battles in several states may determine, over the next several weeks, everything from how people cast their votes, when polling locations will be open and what ballots will look like. Many cases have a partisan bent, with rulings potentially tipping the scales slightly in favor of Democrats or Republicans.

The legal fights have entered an urgent phase, two months before the Nov. 6 election and just a few weeks before military and overseas absentee ballots must go out.

Pennsylvania lawyers recently filed briefs arguing whether an appeal on the state's strict voter ID law should be held in September or October. Opponents won a mid-September court date, which is late even by their standards.

"This is by no means impossible, but certainly the closer you get a decision to Election Day the harder it is to make changes," said Vic Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.

Wisconsin's attorney general is making a late push in the courts to reinstate voter ID requirements.

Republicans say they have pursued voter ID laws to prevent fraud. Democrats call it a political ploy to suppress voters who may not have the proper identification, particularly affecting groups that typically vote Democrat.

Along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, there are unresolved cases in Florida, Ohio, Iowa and Nevada. Those are among the most competitive states and any factor could tip the balance.

?Florida and Ohio are locked in litigation tied to changes in early voting rules. Republicans in Florida approved a law last year that reduced the number of early voting days to eight from as many as 14. Advocates are challenging that, and a panel of three federal judges recently determined that the changes could hurt participation by blacks, who lean heavily toward the Democrats.

Ohio officials have struggled for months over early voting rules. The Obama campaign sued over a law that prevented most people from using early voting on the weekend and Monday before Election Day; a federal judge on Friday agreed to restore those voting days. The state's attorney general is working on an appeal.

?Florida and Iowa are dealing with suits related to the efforts by election administrators to purge voting rolls of ineligible people. The U.S. Department of Justice is continuing to pursue a suit challenging Florida's purge, which previously included a list that contained more than 500 people who were citizens. A Hispanic civic organization also sued, alleging that the purge is an attempt to remove legitimate minority voters from the rolls.

Civil rights activists in Iowa are seeking to block the state's Republican secretary of state from using emergency rules to try and purge voting lists of noncitizens. The groups contend that Secretary of State Matt Schultz was abusing his power in a bid to disenfranchise Latinos. Schultz says the effort is necessary to help maintain fair elections.

?Nevada is dealing with a unique case over the state's decades-old voting option of "none of the above." The state attorney general is appealing a federal court's decision that the ballot option is unconstitutional. The Republican National Committee financed the suit out of fears votes for "none" could influence the outcome, with conventional thinking that people who might cast a ballot for "none" are anti-incumbent voters who might be more likely to support Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Nevada officials filed an emergency motion in that case Thursday, noting that the state must finalize ballots for overseas and military voters by Sept. 7

The lengthy legal docket continues a trend seen since the disputed 2000 election in Florida. Between that election and the 2010 vote, the amount of election law litigation has more than doubled, according to Rick Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine. New technologies, more partisan fighting and a series of new laws that affect voting are helping drive the trend.

Hasen said there's no sign of it abating.

"The picture is one of continued foment, agitation and litigation," he said.

The legal battles before Election Day may be just a first round. Thousands of lawyers and activists are preparing to help deal with issues for the campaigns that may arise Nov. 6, and they are poised to handle longer disputes if a crucial state turns out to be nearly tied, as Florida was in 2000.

Hasen said the Florida vote taught both sides that there isn't much benefit in waiting until after the election to resolve disagreements over election administration.

"If you're going to sue, it's better to sue earlier rather than later," Hasen said.

___

Contact AP Writer Mike Baker on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikebakerap

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-09-02-Election-Court%20Cases/id-b98887874ce04274aebcb3b2c6d1632d

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Days after Isaac, thousands still in the dark

Ron Steward wipes his brow next to the house of his mother, Clara Williams, in Ironton, La., which was flooded from Hurricane Isaac, near Louisiana Hwy 23 in Plaquemines Parish, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. The house was built seven years ago after her previous home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Ron Steward wipes his brow next to the house of his mother, Clara Williams, in Ironton, La., which was flooded from Hurricane Isaac, near Louisiana Hwy 23 in Plaquemines Parish, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. The house was built seven years ago after her previous home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

A truck is stranded from receding flood waters from Hurricane Isaac along Louisiana Hwy 23 near Port Sulphur, La., in Plaquemines Parish, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

A car is covered in debris while other homes are surrounded by floodwaters in Ironton, La. after Hurricane Isaac near Louisiana Hwy 23 in Plaquemines Parish Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Natachia Riley talks outside the house of her mother, Clara Williams, in Ironton, La., which was flooded from Hurricane Isaac, near Louisiana Hwy 23 in Plaquemines Parish Monday, Sept. 3, 2012. The house was built seven years ago after mother's previous home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Tens of thousands of customers remained in the dark Monday in Louisiana and Mississippi, days after Isaac inundated the Gulf Coast with a deluge that still has some low-lying areas under water.

Most of those were in Louisiana, where utilities reported more than 100,000 people without power as of Monday morning. Thousands also were without power in Mississippi and Arkansas.

Thousands of evacuees remained at shelters or bunked with friends or relatives.

"My family is split up," said Angela Serpas, from severely flooded Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish. Serpas and her daughter were staying with her in-laws while her husband and son were staying in Belle Chasse, a suburban area of the parish.

"This is the second time we've lost our home. We lost it in Katrina," she said.

Meanwhile, inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are out trying to get a handle on losses. Residents can apply for grants to get help with home repairs and temporary housing, among other expenses.

President Barack Obama was to visit Louisiana on Monday, a day ahead of the Democratic National Convention. He will meet with local officials, tour storm damage, and view response and recovery efforts before addressing reporters at Saint John the Baptist Parish, the White House said. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney visited the state Friday. Obama's Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, visited Bay St. Louis, Miss., and Slidell, La., on Sunday.

"We are part of a team to make sure Hurricane Isaac is put to rest as soon as we can for all those affected," Napolitano said. "In the meantime, please know all of us are thinking about those in Louisiana who are without their homes or without their businesses."

At least seven people were killed in the storm in the U.S. ? five in Louisiana and two in Mississippi.

More than 2,800 people were registered at various state, local and Red Cross shelters in Louisiana, down from around 4,000 earlier. State officials were uncertain how many people would eventually need longer-term temporary housing. Kevin Davis, head of the state's emergency office, said that housing would likely include hotels at first, then rental homes as close as possible to their damaged property.

Progress was evident in many places, though lingering flooding remained a problem in low-lying areas.

Crews in the town of Lafitte intentionally breached a levee Sunday night in an effort to help flooding there subside, Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts told The Times-Picayune.

Much of Plaquemines Parish, a vulnerable finger of land that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, remained under as much as 5 feet of water, Parish President Billy Nungesser said. The Category 1 hurricane walloped the parish, and for many, the damage was worse than that from Katrina in 2005.

"I've never seen water come up this quick this fast," he said.

Nungesser said there were reports that cattle in the largely rural parish took refuge on porches. In one instance, cattle broke through a window and lumbered onto furniture to stay above water.

Controlled breaches of one overtopped levee and additional pumps are being used to get rid of the water.

Entergy, which provides power to most of the people who lost it, was under fire over the weekend from local government officials for what they said was a slow pace of restoration. Jefferson Parish President John Young said widespread outages were hampering businesses' recovery from the storm and he would ask the state Public Service Commission to investigate.

Entergy spokesman Chanel Lagarde noted that Isaac had lingered over the state after Tuesday's landfall and said Friday was the first day the corporation could get restoration efforts into high gear.

"We are working hard. We do have a good plan and we're going about it in an approach that we think is going to be effective," Lagarde said.

___

Burdeau reported from Bay St. Louis, Miss., and Slidell, La.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-09-03-Isaac/id-30271d58e21246b6b26e4d4f8ffa80f4

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Eland Oil to list after buying Nigeria block

ABUJA (Reuters) - West Africa-focused energy firm Eland Oil and Gas will float on London's junior stock market on Monday with a market value of 135 million pounds after completing the purchase of a stake in a Nigerian oil block, it told Reuters on Saturday.

Eland Oil Chief Executive Les Blair said the company, in partnership with Nigerian oil firm Starcrest, bought a 45 percent stake in block OML 40 owned jointly by Shell, Total and Eni for $154 million.

Blair said the block had 71.5 million barrels of proven oil reserves and it planned to be producing 2,500 barrels per day within 6 months.

Eland will list on London's AIM market at 100 pence per share on Monday, raising 118 million pounds, Blair added.

Nigeria's state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC), owns the other 55 percent of the block and its subsidiary NPDC will take over the operating rights from Shell, Blair said.

"We are very pleased this deal has been completed and we look forward to working closely with NPDC on this lease, which has production and exploration potential," Blair said by phone.

Shell said last year the sale of OML 40 had been agreed but Eland had to go through months of negotiations with the Nigerian government, partly over who would operate production, before the deal was finally signed off on Friday.

The Anglo-Dutch oil major is selling several of its smaller assets in the onshore Niger Delta as it rejigs its operation in Nigeria to focus on major projects and deep offshore blocks.

Shell's onshore facilities are plagued with problems such as militancy and rampant oil theft, although the firm says such problems have not influenced its divestment plans.

The company said in June it was seeking buyers for OMLs 30, 34 and 40. Eland could be a potential bidder for the other assets as well.

"We're very interested in acquiring other assets IOCs (international oil companies) may be looking to rationalise," Blair said.

Foreign company's bidding for onshore assets need to partner with local firms because of the Nigerian government's policy of boosting local participation in the oil industry.

NNPC wants to increase the amount of oil it operates as partner in projects, although critics say the company lacks the funds to invest sufficiently in its own assets.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eland-oil-list-buying-nigeria-block-093301221--finance.html

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Boccia makes its bow at London 2012

The London 2012 Paralympic boccia got under way on Sunday, a sport for disabled athletes that players say combines the tactics of chess and the precision of snooker.

Similar to boules, boccia is one of the few Paralympic sports with no Olympic equivalent, and the crowd at the ExCeL exhibition centre's South Arena 1 were soon getting into the action despite many having no prior knowledge of the game.

"Boccia is a tactical sport like chess, snooker and boxing rolled into one," said Ireland's Padraic Moran, following a 17-3 defeat in the team event to world number one South Korea.

"So you don't really play boccia, you play a mixture of other games. That's why it's a difficult game and such a good sport," he told AFP.

"And this is the best job in the world to have," he added.

Boccia players throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball from a seated position so that it lands as close as possible to the "jack" target ball.

The leather balls containing plastic granules are designed to roll, although skilful players can make them bounce.

In each "end" in the match, the winning side scores one point for each ball they got closer to the jack than their opponents.

All seven medal events are mixed gender and feature individuals, pairs or teams.

There are four classifications of ability, the first three for athletes with cerebral palsy.

Salome Stokes, 20, a student from Shropshire in western England, was among those watching the sport for the first time.

"I've never seen anything like that," she told AFP.

"We thought we would make a point of coming to see this and find out a bit more about it. It's nice to support something that's unique to the Paralympics.

"Once I understood what was going on, and the scoring, I really got into it."

The Czech Republic earned the first victory of the 2012 Games, beating Hong Kong 6-5 in the BC4 pairs.

Defending champions Great Britain beat Argentina 8-4 in the BC1-2 team contest in a pool match that was at 4-4 going into the sixth and final end.

"That game was a really good advert for our sport," Britain's captain Nigel Murray told AFP.

"The Argentinian kicker has got incredible control and I think David Beckham would be proud of some of the things he can do with his foot.

"What you've got to do in boccia is put your opponents immediately under pressure. People could see the tactical side of the game.

"People started to get into the game applauding and cheering and that's what we want.

"The good thing about boccia is you can pick it up quite easily. In excess of 40 countries play it."

Team-mate Zoe Robinson, 22, added: "It's amazing to be here after all these hard years of training and to come back and to try and defend our title is just brilliant.

"It means everything."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boccia-makes-bow-london-2012-141911940--oly.html

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