Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/196731
4B Daily News – Tuesday, October 22, 2013 WORLD BRIEFING Obama says 'no excuse' for health care signup woes WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Monday offered ''no excuses'' — and little explanation — for the computer bugs still frustrating Americans who are trying to enroll online for insurance plans at the center of his health care law. But software developers tasked with building the site said they saw signs a year ago that the debut could fail. One source of the troubles appears to be the testing procedures employed before the rollout three weeks ago. Several developers of the HealthCare.gov website told The Associated Press they were worried for months about the system's readiness and whether the software meant to link key computer systems was being properly put through its paces. In addition, congressional investigators raised concerns before the rollout that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had taken on the job of testing the computer systems for the new markets during the final weeks before the sign-ups opened Oct. 1. That job is often handled by specialized software companies. Obama, who emphasized the website's simplicity in the week's leading up to the insurance sign-ups, admitted there could now be ''no sugarcoating'' the problems even as he talked up the benefits of the law at a Rose Garden event that had the feel of a pep rally. ''The website that's supposed to make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance is not working the way it should for everybody,'' he said. France summons US ambassador to answer questions about US spying WASHINGTON (AP) — France joined a growing list of angry allies Monday who are demanding answers from the United States over aggressive surveillance tactics by the National Security Agency, this time, that it swept up — and in some cases recorded — 70.3 million French telephone calls and emails in one 30 day period. Keeping tabs on allies is classic spy craft but the sweep and scope of the National Security Agency program have irritated Germany, Britain, Brazil, and most recently Mexico and France. Calling the practice ''totally unacceptable,''' an indignant French government demanded an explanation and summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Rivkin for answers. Visiting Paris on an unrelated and previously scheduled trip for talks on the Middle East, Secretary of State John Kerry was unapologetic, but told reporters that the U.S. would discuss the matters privately with officials from France and other concerned countries. ''Protecting the security of our citizens in today's world is a very complicated, very challenging task and it is an everyday 24/7/365 task unfortunately because there are lots of people out there seeking to do harm to other people,'' he said a news conference with Qatar's foreign minister. NJ Gov. Christie drops challenge to gay marriage TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie dropped his fight against gay marriage in New Jersey on Monday, framing the decision in a pragmatic way: No point in fighting a losing battle. Just hours after gay couples began exchanging vows with the blessing of New Jersey's Supreme Court, Christie announced he was withdrawing his appeal to the high court. New Jersey is the 14th state to legalize gay marriage. As the Republican governor seeks re-election two weeks from now and ponders a run for president in 2016, Christie's decision holds both risks and benefits for him. It delighted gay rights activists and could enhance Christie's appeal to independents and moderates of both parties. But MOULE'S TEHAMA COUNTY GLASS for Fireplace Glass 515 Sycamore St., Red Bluff • 529-0260 Hoyt-Cole Chapel of the Flowers it angered members of the GOP's conservative wing, which already distrusts Christie and wields outsized influence in some state primaries. Christians mourn shooting at a Egypt church CAIRO (AP) — The elderly, silver-haired Christian could hardly speak Monday, sitting stunned in a church where the evening before, suspected Islamic militants on a motorcycle sprayed his family's wedding party with automatic weapons fire, killing his son, his wife's sister and two granddaughters aged 8 and 12. ''It's God's will. They are always beating us down. Every other day now, they do this,'' the 75year-old Fahmy Azer Abboud said as he waited for their funeral to start. He spoke haltingly of his dead granddaughters, both named Mariam. ''They were pure angels. They had the world's kindness inside them. They helped me and shared with me everything they had,'' Abboud said. The girls were waiting to enter the Church of the Virgin Mary in Cairo's Warraq district for the wedding of another of Abboud's granddaughters when the gunmen struck about 9 p.m. Sunday. The wounded included seven relatives, with his other son, Nabil, among them, he said. Thieves pose as truckers to steal huge cargo loads WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — To steal huge shipments of valuable cargo, thieves are turning to a deceptively simple tactic: They pose as truckers, load the freight onto their own tractor-trailers and drive away with it. It's an increasingly common form of commercial identity theft that has allowed con men to make off each year with millions of dollars in merchandise, often food and beverages. And experts say the practice is growing so rapidly that it will soon become the most common way to steal freight. A generation ago, thieves simply stole loaded trucks out of parking lots. But the industry's widening use of GPS devices, high-tech locks and other advanced security measures have pushed criminals to adopt new hoaxes. Helping to drive the scams, experts say, is the Internet, which offers thieves easy access to vast amounts of information about the trucking industry. Online databases allow con men to assume the identities of legitimate freight haulers and to trawl for specific commodities they want to steal. Besides hurting the nation's trucking industry — which moves more than 68 percent of all domestic shipments — the thefts have real-world consequences for consumers, including raising prices and potentially allowing unsafe food and drugs to reach store shelves. Mexico's Pacific coast braces for Hurricane Raymond ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Raymond gained more strength as it remained nearly stationary off Mexico's southern Pacific coast Monday, though it threatened to hurl heavy rains onto a sodden region already devastated by last month's Tropical Storm Manuel. Guerrero state authorities said it was raining in places in the afternoon but so far no torrential rains had hit the area. More than 100 people were evacuated as a precaution from a mountain town east of Acapulco, authorities said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the Category 3 hurricane was nearly stalled offshore, with maximum sustained winds of about 125 mph (205 kph). Raymond was centered about 105 miles (170 kilometers) south of the beach resort of Zihuatanejo late Monday afternoon, and it was expected to move only a little closer to the coast by Tuesday before veering back out to sea Wednesday. In the beach resort of Zihuatanejo, officials went door-to-door in hillside communities warning residents about the risk of flash floods and mudslides, but nobody had voluntarily evacuated to the three shelters set up in schools and athletic facilities, municipal firefighter Jesus Guatemala said. Amid light, intermit- FREEDOM FROM DEBT! Funerals • Cremations • Prearrangements Find out how U. S. Bankruptcy Law can help you-- 816 Walnut St., Red Bluff, CA (530) 527-1174 For a free consultation call Attorney J. C. Olander at 530-824-0288 FD652 www.chapeloftheflowers.net Offices in Corning and Redding mail@jcolander.com A federally qualified Debt Relief Agency under 11 U.S.C. 101(12(A)) tent rains, tourists continued to stroll through town. Greenspan, discussing new book WASHINGTON (AP) — For 18 1/2 years as Federal Reserve chairman, he was celebrated for helping drive a robust U.S. economy. Yet in the years after he stepped down in 2006, he was engulfed by accusations that he helped cause the 2008 financial crisis — the worst since the 1930's. Now, Alan Greenspan has struck back at any notion that he — or anyone — could have known how or when to defuse the threats that triggered the crisis. He argues in a new book, ''The Map and the Territory,'' that traditional economic forecasting is no match for the irrational risk-taking that can inflate catastrophic price bubbles in assets like homes or tech stocks. In an interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Greenspan reflected on his book, his Fed tenure and the risks that still endanger the financial system. Relaxed and looking fit at 87, he spoke for an hour in the sunroom of his house overlooking a wooded hillside of Northwest Washington. It's a home he shares with his wife, Andrea Mitchell, the NBC News anchor and chief foreign affairs correspondent. Surrounded by books of presidential and financial history, Greenspan acknowledged some errors of judgment as Fed chair. But he said he saw no reason to downgrade his own assessment of his tenure. ''Our record was fairly good,'' he said. Argentines blame birth defects, cancer, on agrochemicals B A S AV I L B A S O , Argentina (AP) — Argentine farmworker Fabian Tomasi was never trained to handle pesticides. His job was to keep the cropdusters flying by filling their tanks as quickly as possible, although it often meant getting drenched in poison. Now, at 47, he's a living skeleton, so weak he can hardly swallow or go to the bathroom on his own. Schoolteacher Andrea Druetta lives in Santa Fe Province, the heart of Argentina's soy country, where agrochemical spraying is banned within 500 meters (550 yards) of populated areas. But soy is planted just 30 meters (33 yards) from her back door. Her boys were showered in chemicals recently while swimming in the backyard pool. After Sofia Gatica lost her newborn to kidney failure, she filed a complaint that led to Argentina's first criminal convictions for illegal spraying. But last year's verdict came too late for many of her 5,300 neighbors in Ituzaingo Annex. A government study there found alarming levels of agrochemical contamination in the soil and drinking water, and 80 percent of the children surveyed carried traces of pesticide in their blood. American biotechnology has turned Argentina into the world's thirdlargest soybean producer, but the chemicals powering the boom aren't confined to soy and cotton and corn fields. Runner in KC Marathon sets knitting record KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A University of Central Missouri graphic design professor has knitted his way into the record books while running the Kansas City Marathon. The Kansas City Star reports that David Babcock finished Saturday's marathon in 5 hours, 48 minutes and 27 seconds. Knitting experts measured the scarf he created along the route at just more than 12 feet long. The Guinness scarfknitting-while-running-amarathon record was previously held by Susie Hewer, who runs to raise money for Alzheimer's disease research. She knitted a 6 foot, 9 inch scarf at the London Marathon in April. Like Hewer, the 41year-old Babcock hopes that people will donate to the Alzheimer's Association. Babcock began running and knitting as separate activities about three years ago. He decided to combine them to keep things interesting. Cee Lo Green pleads not guilty in felony drug case LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cee Lo Green has pleaded not guilty to giving a woman ecstasy during a 2012 dinner in Los Angeles. The singer appeared in court on Monday and entered the plea through his attorney Blair Berk. The hearing occurred hours after the singer was charged with one felony count of furnishing a controlled substance. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted. Berk said the singer, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, was pleased prosecutors declined to pursue a rape charge against him. She declined comment on the drug-related charge. Green's bail was set at $30,000 and his case is due back in court on Nov. 20.