Allman earns GSA's 2013 Donald P. Kent Award

Public release date: 31-Jul-2013
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Contact: Todd Kluss
tkluss@geron.org
202-587-2839
The Gerontological Society of America

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging has chosen Richard M. Allman, MD, of the Birmingham VA Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as the 2013 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award.

This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. It was established in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent, PhD, for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings into practical use.

The award presentation will take place at GSA's 66th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 20 to 24 in New Orleans. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit http://www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.

Allman is the director of the Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and is the Parrish Endowed Professor of Medicine at UAB, where he also serves as the director of the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging. He additionally is the director of the National Institute on Aging-funded Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and the co-director of the John A. Hartford Foundation-funded Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, a career development and training program for physicians at UAB and Emory University.

Allman's research program is funded by the National Institute on Aging and focuses on understanding the causes of mobility loss and testing new ways of helping older adults maintain or enhance mobility. He also has a long-standing interest in age and ethnic disparities in health, and geriatric care quality improvement, especially as it relates to cardiovascular disease and preventive health services.

He is a magna cum laude graduate of West Virginia University, where he also received his medical school and internal medicine residency training. Allman completed fellowship training in general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. Allman is a GSA fellow, which represents the Society's highest class of membership.

###

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society and its 5,400+ members is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 31-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Todd Kluss
tkluss@geron.org
202-587-2839
The Gerontological Society of America

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging has chosen Richard M. Allman, MD, of the Birmingham VA Medical Center and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) as the 2013 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award.

This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. It was established in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent, PhD, for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings into practical use.

The award presentation will take place at GSA's 66th Annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from November 20 to 24 in New Orleans. This conference is organized to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, educators, and practitioners who specialize in the study of the aging process. Visit http://www.geron.org/annualmeeting for further details.

Allman is the director of the Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and is the Parrish Endowed Professor of Medicine at UAB, where he also serves as the director of the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging. He additionally is the director of the National Institute on Aging-funded Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research and the co-director of the John A. Hartford Foundation-funded Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine, a career development and training program for physicians at UAB and Emory University.

Allman's research program is funded by the National Institute on Aging and focuses on understanding the causes of mobility loss and testing new ways of helping older adults maintain or enhance mobility. He also has a long-standing interest in age and ethnic disparities in health, and geriatric care quality improvement, especially as it relates to cardiovascular disease and preventive health services.

He is a magna cum laude graduate of West Virginia University, where he also received his medical school and internal medicine residency training. Allman completed fellowship training in general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Geriatric Medicine. Allman is a GSA fellow, which represents the Society's highest class of membership.

###

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society and its 5,400+ members is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/tgso-aeg073113.php

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San Diego sues mayor over sex harassment lawsuit

SAN DIEGO ? The city of San Diego sued Mayor Bob Filner Tuesday to require that he pay any costs incurred from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by his former communications director, dealing another setback to the leader of the nation's eighth-largest city amid mounting calls that he resign.

The City Council voted 9-0 to ask that the mayor pay any damages and attorney fees if the city is found liable. The decision behind closed doors came hours before the Council was to consider a request by the mayor's attorney to have the city pay his legal expenses.

"If Bob Filner engaged in unlawful conduct and the city is held liable, he will have to reimburse us every penny the city pays and its attorney fees," City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said.

Irene McCormack Jackson sued the mayor and the city July 22, alleging the mayor asked her to work without panties, demanded kisses, told her he wanted to see her naked and dragged her in a headlock while whispering in her ear. Since then, seven other women have offered detailed accounts of Filner's alleged advances, including touching and forcible kisses.

Lisa Curtin, director of government and military education at San Diego City College, said on KPBS-TV Tuesday that the then-congressman asked her in 2011 to remove her wedding band after questioning whether it was real, asked her on a date and moved to kiss her. She said she felt his tongue on her cheek after she turned her head.

"The City of San Diego maintains a zero tolerance policy as to sexual harassment and sexual harassment is not within the course and scope of employment," according to the city's lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court.

The mayor's office and his attorney, Harvey Berger, didn't immediately respond to requests seeking comment.

Seven of nine City Council members have urged the city's first Democratic leader in 20 years to resign.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner speaks during a news conference at city hall Friday, July 26, 2013, in San Diego. Filner said Friday he will undergo therapy after less than a year in office amid allegations that he sexually harassed women. Filner announced his plan Friday for a two-week stay beginning Aug. 5. in a behavioral clinic after a series of women claimed he kissed, groped and placed them in headlocks. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Ann Ravel, chairwoman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, said an official cannot accept more than $440 a year in donated services. Campaign money can be used only to defend against alleged violations of the state's campaign finance law.

An official can, however, create a legal defense fund under state law, Ravel said.

Filner, who is 70 and divorced, said Friday he would enter two weeks of "intensive" therapy Aug. 5, defying calls from his own party leaders to resign. The former 10-term congressman is less than eight months into a four-year term as mayor.

Land-use surveyor Michael Pallamary published a newspaper notice Sunday to begin a recall bid, two days after gay rights activist and newspaper publisher Stampp Corbin did so. Pallamary accused Corbin of being a stealth supporter of the mayor and threatened to file a complaint with the San Diego County district attorney's office alleging election law violations.

Pallamary said Corbin would make little effort to collect the more than 100,000 signatures needed to get a recall measure on the ballot, setting it up to fail and preventing another recall drive for six months.

Corbin denied the accusation Tuesday, saying Pallamary or anyone else was welcome to join the recall drive. He said he wouldn't pay anyone to collect signatures ? a common practice in California ? but that anyone could visit his office to sign the petition or pick up blank forms to circulate.

Corbin, who was appointed chairman of a city commission under Filner, declined to say if he voted for Filner or how he would cast his ballot in a recall. He said his motive was to bring swift resolution to the controversy.

"There's nothing going on in the city, in City Hall. Everyone is focused on this scandal. That is not good for this city," he said.

Confusion over whether recall petitions can circulate concurrently isn't the only procedural flaw uncovered since the mayor came under pressure to resign. The city attorney's office says a rule that voters must cast a ballot on a recall to be eligible to pick a replacement should be repealed because a federal judge struck down a nearly identical law during the successful 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis.

Tony Krvaric, chairman of the San Diego County Republican Party, said Friday that he didn't expect big GOP donors or business leaders to make significant donations to a recall.

Source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/cacee94039694764803ce9ace7e3966b/US--San-Diego-Mayor

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The Keys to Success: Basic Marketing Initiatives | Mortgage News ...

Basic marketing initiatives are never too old to review. They are worth repeating, especially in such a volatile rate environment. Business planning, understanding your market and taking steps to engrain your services within the community, both real estate agent-based and consumer-based, are important keys to success. Those relationships are all critical to our production and on-going referrals. Best rates and lead generation services will not necessarily lead the way in the coming months.

We review a variety of marketing initiatives periodically with our branches. What is important is to establish a pattern of activities visible within the community. The activities must distinguish yourself from the inundation of e-mail, advertising and junk mail received daily by many of those same prospects.

Time to get back to basics. The following are just a few examples. Be active, grow the list, and think outside the box.

Important to remember that any marketing or promotional endeavors should always be reviewed and approved by your compliance officer. Interpretations can vary depending upon the specific event and circumstance. The following practices are examples only and should be viewed as prospective activities, and formally reviewed prior to rollout.

Join local community service organizations

The Better Business Bureau (BBB), Chamber of Commerce, community center, etc., support community events, some of which can be held at, or sponsored by your branch. Some organizations will sponsor a grand opening of a local business, including your branch, if new or recently opened. Many members are well-connected within the community and are individually, prospective leads. They will absolutely be a source of leads in the future. Some events will result in free press coverage and community access.

Be with your real estate agents everyday

Important activities would include open houses, tour day, weekly meetings, office visits, board meetings, community events, e-mail and phone follow-up. Real estate agent tour day and Sunday open house visits are productive time and time again. Purchase a case of red licorice at Costco, about 100 vines per jar. Then get the lists of open homes for real estate agent tour day and Sunday's opens, set a route, distribute the licorice and introduce yourself. Follow-up with office visits during the week.

Consider sponsoring a party bus to take your real estate agents to open houses on tour day. They key in this market is to strengthen, initiate and renew real estate agent contacts. Of course, for events such as a party bus, the agents should pay a proportionate share of the expense to be deemed compliant.

Every business in your market should have business cards or flyers on its front counter

Local businesses are thrilled to display your business cards in exchange for a commitment to send them referrals. No business is off limits: Restaurants, cleaners, beauty salons, bookstores, gyms?anyplace, anywhere. Settlement and service providers should not be included in this activity without checking with your compliance officer.

Every morning, read the newspaper twice

Read the newspaper daily, once for the news and once for your business. When you read it for your business, look at births, obituaries, marriages, local news, announcements of new business, new physicians in town, etc. Send out congratulatory notes, e-mails or mail acknowledgement cards. Send out a minimum of five cards a day. Clip the article and send it with the card. Individuals are always looking for another copy for friends, family and associates?and glow in the recognition.

Perhaps someone's child has won an award. The parents love the personal recognition and you leave a memorable, warm, caring feeling by sending the acknowledgement.

Check the Real Estate Section, especially in the Sunday edition. Who are the real estate agents advertising? Go and visit them. They may be the ones who are doing a majority of transactions. Who are the loan originators advertising? Hire them.

Homebuyer seminars

Organize a "Sunday Brunch With Your Branch" and prep buyers for the day's open houses. It can be just incidental food items, such as pastries and coffee. Invite a real estate agent, title officer, CPA or real estate attorney. There is an opportunity here to obtain free PR if listed in community events section of paper.

Examples:

?Be our guest at the Embassy Suites Hotel this Sunday for a free brunch, and join in on an informative discussion of the home loan process with industry experts.

?Learn from our panel of experts on how the purchase or refinance of your home can be a fast and hassle-free experience. Discover from the insiders what you need to know to take advantage of this thriving real estate market.

?Have brunch and learn from the experts, and visit Sunday's open houses armed with the tools necessary to purchase or refinance your dream home ? RSVP today!

Settlement and service providers should be contributing a proportionate share of the expenses, and a review by your compliance officer is highly recommended.

Participate in community events

Community involvement is just a good thing to do and also helps to promote your services and your branch name, such as serving food to the needy, charity walks, volunteering ay your local PBS TV phone bank, community clean-ups, schools, senior centers, etc.

Hire interns from local schools and colleges

You might be training a potential employee, but it also gets your name and services out there to the community, including the student?s parents.

Give seminars at schools and community organizations

Come with personalized pens and handouts. If you talk to a local high school or junior college on how to sell or buy a home, the students may be bored to death, but they will bring your pen or flyer home to mom and dad.

Allen Friedman has 20-plus years of experience in the mortgage industry. He has maintained key positions in operations and sales management, serving more than 10 years as vice president with Great Western Bank and Washington Mutual Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) and joined iServe Residential Lending in 2009 as western regional sales manager. He may be reached by phone at (415) 298-2500 or e-mail afriedman@iservelending.com.

Source: http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news41240/keys-success-basic-marketing-initiatives

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What's the Best TV Mount?

New York City apartments are small, so to make the most of my space, I'm mounting my 46-inch TV to the wall. One problem?which mount do I get? Is your TV wall mounted? Tell us which mount is your favorite. Do I go cheap? Any landmines to look out for? And go ahead regale us with any horror stories you may have of mounts falling off the wall and taking your TV crashing with it.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/WZKcY06M2eI/whats-the-best-tv-mount-950523352

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Space station OPALS points to ramped up returns for research

Public release date: 30-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie A. Robinson, PhD
julie.a.robinson@nasa.gov
NASA/Johnson Space Center

It is a good thing that nobody ever told the International Space Station that it is considered rude to point. Scientists plan to ignore this much touted rule of manners when using the orbiting research platform to host a technology investigation to "point" back to Earth to improve data return communication capabilities from space.

Current spacecraft send data to Earth using radio frequency, but the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) will test the use of laser optics to transfer information to the ground. The switch from radio frequency to a laser beamwhich can be hundreds to thousands of times narrower in comparison to radio wavescould improve communication data rates by a factor of 10 to 100. This advanced approach stands to increase the amount of data future missions can send using the same power resources, optimizing research return.

"OPALS represents a tangible stepping stone for laser communications, and the International Space Station is a great platform for an experiment like this," said Michael Kokorowski, OPALS project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "Future operational laser communication systems will have the ability to transmit more data from spacecraft down to the ground than they currently do, mitigating a significant bottleneck for scientific investigations and commercial ventures."

During tests, a laser beacon will transmit between OPALS and a telescope at the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory, a JPL ground station in Wrightwood, Calif., while the space station is flying overhead. OPALS's on-board camera system tracks the line-of-sight between the instrument and telescope while a two-axis gimbal and closed-loop system maintain a lock on the uplink beacon.

Each demonstration lasts about two minutes, during which OPALS will downlink a pre-encoded formatted video using the modulated laser beam. The precision of this pointing is the real challenge for optical communications, also termed "lasercomm."

"It's like aiming a laser pointer continuously for two minutes at a dot the diameter of a human hair from 30 feet away while you're walking," explained OPALS systems engineer Bogdan Oaida of JPL.

The instrument's system consists of three main components. The first is a sealed container that houses the laser and electronics. This container connects via cables to the second mechanism, a two-axis gimbal-mounted optical transceiver that includes a camera receiver and collimated laser transmitter for downlink. Finally, there is the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) that the sealed container and gimbal transceiver sit on. The FRAM also provides the electrical and mechanical connection to the space station and launch vehicle.

"Our particular payload is actually trying to do something that is relatively modest by optical communications standards," said Oaida during an interview. "That is because the focus is not so much to show that we can do high data rates, but rather to show that we can do optical communications. The sort of rates we will be getting are about 10 to 50 times faster than what you would get at home in your typical cable Internet."

Although OPALS is a demonstration, future applications of this technology promise to increase the efficiency of transmitting science data from the space station, while also having applications for deep space and satellite communications. Such optimizations factor into the ability of people on the ground to receive higher definition video feeds from near-Earth and deep-space assets, improving the interaction and experience with the related missions. Testing in orbit also helps train engineers on the ground and can lead to improved optical communication instrument design.

OPALS recently transferred from JPL to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, it is undergoing final interface testing before launch to the space station aboard the SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply capsule, scheduled for late 2013.

The instrument will be installed on the Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) on the exterior of the station where it will operate for 90 days, performing test demonstrations of the optical communications technology. Researchers will analyze the technical data to determine how well the hardware performs.

With the space station operating at full capacity, the amount of research taking place and generating data continues to grow. Likewise, advances in technology, such as high definition video feeds, require greater communication capabilities. An optimization such as OPALS may mean greater return for the investigations, providing scientists that much more data at their fingertips as they seek answers for studies looking at various science disciplines.

The goal is to use information from OPALS testing to improve future designs for optical communications systems. In the case of this instrument it would be rude not to point to the potential it provides for improvements in communications between spacecraft for future exploration missions and commercial endeavors.

###

Jessica Nimon
International Space Station Program Science Office
NASA's Johnson Space Center

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie A. Robinson, PhD
julie.a.robinson@nasa.gov
NASA/Johnson Space Center

It is a good thing that nobody ever told the International Space Station that it is considered rude to point. Scientists plan to ignore this much touted rule of manners when using the orbiting research platform to host a technology investigation to "point" back to Earth to improve data return communication capabilities from space.

Current spacecraft send data to Earth using radio frequency, but the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) will test the use of laser optics to transfer information to the ground. The switch from radio frequency to a laser beamwhich can be hundreds to thousands of times narrower in comparison to radio wavescould improve communication data rates by a factor of 10 to 100. This advanced approach stands to increase the amount of data future missions can send using the same power resources, optimizing research return.

"OPALS represents a tangible stepping stone for laser communications, and the International Space Station is a great platform for an experiment like this," said Michael Kokorowski, OPALS project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "Future operational laser communication systems will have the ability to transmit more data from spacecraft down to the ground than they currently do, mitigating a significant bottleneck for scientific investigations and commercial ventures."

During tests, a laser beacon will transmit between OPALS and a telescope at the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory, a JPL ground station in Wrightwood, Calif., while the space station is flying overhead. OPALS's on-board camera system tracks the line-of-sight between the instrument and telescope while a two-axis gimbal and closed-loop system maintain a lock on the uplink beacon.

Each demonstration lasts about two minutes, during which OPALS will downlink a pre-encoded formatted video using the modulated laser beam. The precision of this pointing is the real challenge for optical communications, also termed "lasercomm."

"It's like aiming a laser pointer continuously for two minutes at a dot the diameter of a human hair from 30 feet away while you're walking," explained OPALS systems engineer Bogdan Oaida of JPL.

The instrument's system consists of three main components. The first is a sealed container that houses the laser and electronics. This container connects via cables to the second mechanism, a two-axis gimbal-mounted optical transceiver that includes a camera receiver and collimated laser transmitter for downlink. Finally, there is the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) that the sealed container and gimbal transceiver sit on. The FRAM also provides the electrical and mechanical connection to the space station and launch vehicle.

"Our particular payload is actually trying to do something that is relatively modest by optical communications standards," said Oaida during an interview. "That is because the focus is not so much to show that we can do high data rates, but rather to show that we can do optical communications. The sort of rates we will be getting are about 10 to 50 times faster than what you would get at home in your typical cable Internet."

Although OPALS is a demonstration, future applications of this technology promise to increase the efficiency of transmitting science data from the space station, while also having applications for deep space and satellite communications. Such optimizations factor into the ability of people on the ground to receive higher definition video feeds from near-Earth and deep-space assets, improving the interaction and experience with the related missions. Testing in orbit also helps train engineers on the ground and can lead to improved optical communication instrument design.

OPALS recently transferred from JPL to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, it is undergoing final interface testing before launch to the space station aboard the SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply capsule, scheduled for late 2013.

The instrument will be installed on the Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) on the exterior of the station where it will operate for 90 days, performing test demonstrations of the optical communications technology. Researchers will analyze the technical data to determine how well the hardware performs.

With the space station operating at full capacity, the amount of research taking place and generating data continues to grow. Likewise, advances in technology, such as high definition video feeds, require greater communication capabilities. An optimization such as OPALS may mean greater return for the investigations, providing scientists that much more data at their fingertips as they seek answers for studies looking at various science disciplines.

The goal is to use information from OPALS testing to improve future designs for optical communications systems. In the case of this instrument it would be rude not to point to the potential it provides for improvements in communications between spacecraft for future exploration missions and commercial endeavors.

###

Jessica Nimon
International Space Station Program Science Office
NASA's Johnson Space Center

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/nsc-sso073013.php

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SearchPreview for Google for Opera 1.0.2

SearchPreview for Google adds preview images (thumbnails) to your Google search results.

About Opera

The most full-featured Internet power tool on the market, Opera includes pop-up blocking, tabbed browsing, integrated searches, E-mail, RSS Newsfeeds and IRC chat.

Product's homepage

Requirements:

? Opera

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

? Now works with localized and secure Google pages.

Source: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Internet/Opera-Extensions/SearchPreview-for-Google-for-Opera-65892.shtml

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Israel, Palestinians to engage in sustained peace talks

Posted on: 11:27 am, July 30, 2013, by Cary Docter, updated on: 01:26pm, July 30, 2013

JERUSALEM (CNN) ? For the first time in three years, Israelis and Palestinians will come to the negotiating table in Washington on Monday night.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated praise for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday morning.

The talks will be ?a difficult process,? but he added that the consequences of not trying could be worse. Kerry said the goal is to seek ?reasonable compromises? on ?tough, complicated, emotional? and symbolic issues, then he announced former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, as U.S. envoy to the talks.

Indyk understands that peace will not come easily, but that ?there is now a path forward, and we must follow that path with urgency,? Kerry added.

The goal of the talks is to establish a Palestinian state with security arrangements and agreed-upon borders with Israel.

Indyk said that he recalled a screen saver that his son once created for him ? a single question that ran across his monitor: ?Dad, is there peace in the Middle East yet??

?For 15 years, I?ve only been able to answer him, ?Not yet,?? Indyk told reporters. But he said he is hoping that these talks would mark a change.

President Barack Obama said the talks are ?a promising step forward? but ?hard work and hard choices remain ahead.?

In a precursor to the talks, Netanyahu prodded the Israeli government into approving the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners ? a move that flies in the face of popular sentiment in Israel.

?This moment is not easy for me. It is not easy for the ministers,? he said. ?It is not easy especially for the families, the bereaved families, whose heart I understand. But there are moments in which tough decisions must be made for the good of the country, and this is one of those moments.?

The measure passed 14-6, with two abstentions.

?It?s easy to see why Israelis wouldn?t be happy about this because some of these prisoners are murderers,? said Elliott Abrams, an expert on U.S. policy in the Middle East with the Council on Foreign Relations. ?There are some of them who?ve thrown bombs onto buses. There are a lot of victims in Israel who are outraged and speaking out in media there asking, ?Why do we have to give Palestinians some kind of concession to get them to the negotiating table?? They?re asking, ?Why are we having to let people out of prison with blood on their hands?? ?

Defense Minister Moshe Ya?alon spoke in an internal Cabinet meeting Sunday, saying: ?There is a heavy price to pay about the freeing of prisoners, from the moral point of view, the legal point of view and deterrence.

?I wish we would not have such dilemmas,? he continued. ?However, in the situation which has come about, there will be a heavy price to pay if we decide not to go into a peace process and are blamed for that in our strategic connection with the U.S.A. and other Western countries.?

Also at Sunday?s meeting, the Cabinet approved the opening of diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians and authorized a team headed by Netanyahu and four other top ministers to conduct the prisoner release.

The votes were designed to build confidence and help kick-start the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The first of four waves of releases is scheduled to come after the negotiations get under way.

But Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti called the gesture too little, too late.

?The number of prisoners who will be released will be 104 out of 4,800 Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons, so it is a very small number in comparison,? according to Barghouti, who said this group should have been set free after the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993.

?Second, they will be released as announced by (Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi) Livni in stages, depending on the attitude of the Palestinian negotiators on the table, which means the issue of Palestinian prisoners will be used as an instrument of political blackmail,? he said.

?They were all arrested before the Oslo agreement. They lost 20 and 30 years of their life, and there is no justification for that at all.?

The players

The Israelis will be represented at the talks by Livni and Yitzhak Molcho, and the Palestinians will be represented by Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat and Mohammad Shtayyeh, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

Some observers see the Palestinian prisoner release vote, for example, is a sign that the talks have a good chance at being successful.

But it?s not just in the hands of politicians. The Israeli Cabinet approved a measure stating that any agreement with the Palestinians will be submitted to Israelis for a vote.

And while leaders meet in Washington, violence raged in the region. Palestinian police in Ramallah, West Bank, clashed with marchers protesting the negotiations.

The protesters believe the talks indicate a ?willingness to concede, against the position of the Palestinian national consensus and even the decisions of the PLO institutions themselves,? and called the planned talks ?deeply dangerous to the Palestinian national cause,? said the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian nongovernmental organization.

And Hamas, which governs the Palestinian territory of Gaza, issued a statement saying that it ?rejects the Palestinian Authority return to peace talks with the Israeli occupation authorities.?

Source: http://fox6now.com/2013/07/30/israel-palestinians-to-engage-in-sustained-peace-talks/

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