Death-row inmate 'too obese' for execution

An Ohio inmate is trying to delay his execution, saying his obesity will lead to a "torturous and lingering death." Picture: AP Source: AP

A CONDEMNED US inmate who weighs at least 218kg wants his upcoming execution delayed, saying his weight could lead to a "torturous and lingering death."

Ronald Post, who shot and killed a hotel clerk in northern Ohio almost 30 years ago, said his weight, vein access, scar tissue and other medical problems raise the likelihood his executioners would encounter severe problems.

He's also so big that the execution gurney might not hold him, lawyers for Post said in court papers filed on Friday.

"Indeed, given his unique physical and medical condition there is a substantial risk that any attempt to execute him will result in serious physical and psychological pain to him, as well as an execution involving a torturous and lingering death," the filing said.

Post, 53, is scheduled to die on January 16 for the 1983 shooting death of Helen Vantz in Elyria, Ohio.

The prisons department was not aware of the filing and could not immediately comment.

Inmates' weight has come up previously in death penalty cases in Ohio and elsewhere.

In 2008, federal courts rejected arguments by condemned double-killer Richard Cooey that he was too obese to die by injection.

Cooey's attorneys had argued that prison food and limited opportunities to exercise contributed to a weight problem that would make it difficult for the execution team to find a viable vein for lethal injection.

Cooey, who was 5-foot-7 and weighed 121kg, was executed on October 14, 2008.

In 2007, it took Ohio executioners about two hours to insert IVs into the veins of condemned inmate Christopher Newton, who weighed about 120kg. A prison spokeswoman at the time said his size was an issue.

In 1994 in Washington state, a federal judge upheld the conviction of Mitchell Rupe, but agreed with Rupe's contention that at more than 180kg, he was too heavy to hang because of the risk of decapitation. Rupe argued that hanging would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

After numerous court rulings and a third trial, Rupe was eventually sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2006.

Ohio executes inmates with a single dose of pentobarbital, usually injected through the arms.

Medical personnel have had a hard time inserting IVs into Post's arms, according to the court filing. Four years ago, an Ohio State University medical centre nurse needed three attempts to insert an IV into Post's left arm, the lawyers wrote.

Post has tried losing weight, but knee and back problems have made it difficult to exercise, according to his court filing.

While at the Mansfield Correctional Institution, Post "used that prison's exercise bike until it broke under his weight," according to the filing.

Palace to file complaint over Kate photos

Lawyers for the royal family will make a criminal complaint against the photographer who took pictures of Prince William's wife Kate sunbathing topless in the south of France.

The palace has already launched a civil lawsuit against France's Closer magazine, which published the paparazzi snaps of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, relaxing during a holiday at a private villa in Provence.

The couple is hitting back hard against publication of the pictures, which the palace called a "grotesque" abuse of privacy.

A spokeswoman for William's St James's Palace office said on Sunday the couple's lawyers would file a complaint with French prosecutors on Monday against the unidentified photographer or photographers involved.

"The complaint concerns the taking of photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge whilst on holiday and the publication of those photographs in breach of their privacy," she said on condition of anonymity in keeping with palace policy.

The palace said it would be up to French prosecutors to decide whether to investigate and pursue a criminal case for breach of privacy or trespassing.

The couple's lawyers are already due in a Paris court on Monday seeking an injunction against Closer's publisher, the Italian media group Mondadori. It also publishes Italy's Chi gossip magazine, which says it will publish 26 pages of the images on Monday.

The palace will seek damages from the publisher, which is owned by former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

The palace said it was considering "all proportionate responses" against Chi, though no decision has been made on legal action against it or the Irish Daily Star which reproduced the Closer photos on Saturday.

No British publication has run the pictures, and Britain's tabloids have lined up to denounce them as an invasion of the duchess' privacy.

Romneys tale mødt med stor begejstring

"I aften beder jeg jer følge mig mod en bedre fremtid."

Sådan indledte den republikanske præsidentkandidat Mitt Romney torsdag aften lokal tid for alvor kampen om Det Hvide Hus med sin tale ved Republikanernes konvent i Florida. 

Det gjorde han ved først at acceptere nomineringen som Republikanernes kandidat til præsidentposten, og dernæst stod han sin hidtil sværeste politiske prøve med sin tale til vælgerne.

At dømme ud fra de gentagne stående bifald, den vedholdende hujen og det insisterende kampråb "USA, USA", som flere gange lød fra de mange fremmødte, klarede Romney prøven til topkarakterer.

Du ved der er noget galt...

Særligt hver gang Romney kom ind på nuværende præsident Barack Obamas bedrifter i lederstolen - eller snarere mangel på samme - blev det mødt med vild begejstring.

"Du ved, der er noget galt med det arbejde, han har udført som præsident, når den bedste følelse du har haft, var den dag du stemte på ham," lød det fra Romney, og salen brød ud i latter.

Familie var også et centralt element i talen, der var Romneys første store mulighed for at tale direkte til vælgerne, som ifølge seneste meningsmåling er splittede. Begge kandidater står til at få 43 procent af stemmerne, hvis der var valg i dag.

Brug for arbejde

Romney brugte adskillige minutter på at fortælle om først sine forældre, dernæst om sit eget ægteskab med Ann Romney, som åbnede Republikanernes konvent med en tale i tirsdags.

Den 65-årige præsidentkandidat opfordrede til sidst amerikanerne til at lægge deres skuffelse over Barack Obama bag sig og i stedet slutte sig til ham i kampen for at genopbygge USA's økonomi og skaffe millioner af nye job.

"Det, der er brug for i vores land i dag, er ikke kompliceret eller omfattende. Vi har ikke brug for en særlig regeringskommission, som kan fortælle os, hvad USA har brug for. Det USA har brug for er job. Masser job," sagde Romney.

This Nokia Windows Phone 8 Render Is Kind of Cool

From leaked hands-on shots, images of components and sketches from patent applications, we’ve had a ton of opportunities to get a look at Nokia’s first Windows Phone 8 hardware. Today we have a new concept render to add to that list, and it doesn’t look half bad.

Let’s be clear: We have no reason to believe this is an actual Nokia design. These appear to be renders from a designer speculating upon what Nokia might be up to for a future product. As a result, we don’t put much faith in claimed specs like a quad-core SoC, 12-megapixel camera and 4.5-inch HD screen.

The first thing we notice about this version is the elongated speaker grilles. The phone would supposedly feature DTS sound, so making them prominent like that could conceivably be a featured selling point. The speakers themselves almost certainly wouldn’t extend the length of the handset like that, with much of the grillework for show.

The placement of the front-facing camera is a bit odd, way too off to the side. We’re also curious about what’s going on up top. Instead of a headphone jack, or even USB port, there’s what looks the most like a fingerprint scanner.

Unfortunately, we do’t get a very complete look at this design from the two pics available. But based on what you can see, what do you think? Would Nokia be wise to release something along these lines?

Facebook Director Thiel Sold Most of Holding as Lock-Up Ends

Facebook Inc. (FB)director (FB) Peter Thiel sold most of his stake in the operator of the world’s largest social-networking website, bringing his proceeds

to more than $1 billion, after restrictions on insider sales ended.

Thiel, one of Facebook’s earliest investors, sold about 20.1 million shares in the company on Aug. 16 and Aug. 17, raising $395.8 million, according to a

filing yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Thiel, a venture capitalist and hedge-fund manager, had already generated $640.1 million

in sales during the initial public offering.

With an investment of $500,000 in 2004, Thiel is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Facebook’s gain before going public. Later backers haven’t fared as

well, with the stock losing almost half its value since the IPO amid signs that the company’s growth is slowing and concerns that more insiders will exit

their stakes. The sales disclosed yesterday were tied to a plan adopted on May 18, Facebook’s first day of trading.

“As of last May, he had basically handed over discretion about these sales,” said Stephen Diamond, associate professor of law at Santa Clara University.

Jeremiah Hall, a spokesman for Thiel, and Ashley Zandy, a spokeswoman for Facebook, declined to comment.

Facebook last week unlocked 271.1 million shares, the first of five insider-sale restrictions scheduled during the company’s first year as a public company.

Another 1.44 billion shares will be freed up through November.

Shares in Menlo Park, California-based Facebook rose 5 percent to $20.01 at the close in New York yesterday.
Accel Distribution

Another Facebook investor, Accel Partners, distributed more than 50 million shares to investors in the venture capital firm’s funds on Aug. 16, according to

another filing yesterday.

Thiel’s sale, at prices from $19.27 to $20.69 a share, represents most of the 27.9 million shares the investor held after the IPO. He still holds more than

5 million shares, and the proceeds don’t reflect underwriter or broker fees.

Thiel freed up extra shares for sale when he converted more than 9 million shares to Class A from Class B, according to a document filed Aug. 10 with the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

As a co-founder of PayPal Inc., he served as chief executive officer until the company was bought by EBay Inc. (EBAY) for $1.5 billion in 2002. Thiel, who’s

also a member of the so- called “PayPal Mafia,” used his fortune to start hedge fund Clarium Capital Management LLC and to invest in startups.

One of those startups was Facebook, a social-networking service devoted to college campuses at the time of the investment in 2004. Thiel also participated in

a $25 million funding round in 2006 when the company was valued at $500 million.

-- Editors: Reed Stevenson, Tom Giles

To contact the reporters on this story: Brian Womack in San Francisco at bwomack1@bloomberg.net; Ari Levy in San Francisco at alevy5@bloomberg.net

LeBron savoring special summer

LeBron James squeezed his mom's hands, the way he did as a kid.

Moments before being honored again in his hometown, where they still love him and always will, James stood among family members and friends. With the days in

this summer of summers dwindling quickly, this was another moment to savor. So as he waited to be introduced, James hugged his mom, Gloria, around the neck,

took out his phone and snapped their picture.

He was home.

"I know this place," he said, "and it knows me."

Fresh off leading the U.S. men's team to a gold medal at the London Olympics, James was praised Sunday during a minor league game for his recent basketball

accomplishments _ an MVP award, NBA title and the gold _ and for giving back to Akron, where his "Wheels For Education" initiative has provided inner-city

kids with supplies, programs, mentors, and above all, hope.

"I was one of these kids," James said. "It means everything to me to be able to give back. I have a passion for it. I love seeing kids smile, and for them to

have someone who can lead them. For me to be in this position and being able to help and give back, means a lot."

James received a warm ovation from the crowd of 3,843 _ more than double the average attendance _ when he walked onto the infield at Canal Park, home of the

Double-A Akron Aeros, during the middle of the eighth inning escorted by Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic.

As James reached the area in front of the pitcher's mound, infielders for the Reading Phillies lined up on the grass between first and second base and gawked

at the superstar.

It was also going according to plan before a malfunctioning microphone caused several anxious and awkward moments.

Plusquellic's comments kept cutting out over the ballpark's speaker system, allowing two anti-James fans, one of them wearing a Cleveland Browns jersey,

sitting a few rows behind Akron's dugout to shout "traitor" and other insults at James, who seemed unsure of what to do as the delay dragged on and stadium

personnel scrambled to find a new microphone.

When it became apparent James would not be able to address the crowd, he posed for pictures and then left the field, slapping hands with a few Reading

players who leaned over their dugout railing to greet the All-Star, who was mobbed by fans as he made his way up the aisle.

It was somewhat poetic, James going in one week from stepping onto a gold-medal podium with his teammates on the world's largest stage to a mix-up inside a

minor league ballpark where he grew up and where Thursday's postgame entertainment will include midget wrestling.

Before taking the field, James retreated to a dusty stairwell corner with large rakes leaning on one cinder-block wall and reflected on his spectacular

summer, a three-month whirlwind of awards that began with his third MVP trophy and was capped by a second gold medal.

James told the Associated Press he would like to play in a fourth Olympics. He has not yet informed USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo of his

intentions, but the 27-year-old said he'd like to step inside the five rings one more time.

"We haven't had that conversation," James said. "But if I'm healthy, I did the math and I'll be 31, and if I have the opportunity to be out there, I will do

it. I love it. I love being a part of it and representing my country. I don't know what may happen in four years, but it would be great to be back out there

again. Definitely."

Since winning gold, James said he hasn't heard from any members of the immortalized 1992 Dream Team, which scoffed at the idea that this year's U.S. Olympic

team could beat them.

"Nah," he said. "I don't expect to hear from any of them."

James was the U.S. team's best all-around player in London, doing whatever coach Mike Krzyzewski needed while leading the Americans to their second straight

gold. He was virtually unstoppable, just as he was in carrying the Miami Heat to an NBA championship in June.

In doing so, he silenced those critics who wondered if he could ever win the big one. James is on top, and he plans to stay there.

"I want that feeling again," he said of winning his first title.

James doesn't know if being a champion _ and the only player other than Michael Jordan to win an MVP, an NBA title and Olympic gold in the same year _ will

change the way he's viewed. Since announcing his decision to leave Cleveland as a free agent two years ago, he has been cast as the villain, reviled outside

South Florida perhaps more than any athlete in memory.

Some fans have moved on. Some can't. Some never will.

James once succumbed to the pressure produced by the constant condemnation. He's not bothered by it any longer.

Love him or hate him, James is only going to be himself.

"I don't even get involved with that anymore," he said. "I don't look for it. I don't shy away from it. I just kind of roll with what's going on. For me, and

it started before last season, I came in with a different mindset and a different attitude and it didn't matter if you believed in me or not, I was still

going to be how I was and stay true to who I was and who I am.

"And that's all that matters."

Asylum seekers act like pirates: Oppn

The federal opposition says asylum seekers who behaved like "pirates" and demanded to be taken to Australia should be prosecuted as criminals.

The MV Parsifal picked up 67 asylum seekers from near Java on Monday and planned to take them to its intended destination of Singapore.

But the asylum seekers reportedly became agitated and successfully demanded they be taken to Christmas Island where they were dropped off on Tuesday night.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare confirmed on Thursday the asylum seekers had become "very aggressive" when told they would be taken to Singapore.
However, he said they now faced processing in Nauru, where a reconnaissance team of military and government officials was heading on Thursday morning.

"They now face the prospect, like other people who come by boat over the next few days, of ending up in Nauru," Mr Clare told Sky News.

He confirmed one asylum seeker on the vessel had fallen overboard and was believed to have died.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison labelled the incident an "outrageous act" of piracy.

"What we have here are pirates effectively, taking control of vessels allegedly ... using force and threats and intimidation," he told Sky News.

He called for the government to immediately investigate whether police could lay criminal charges against asylum seekers involved.

"I think they should be locked up and there should be a charge sheet," Mr Morrison said.

Meanwhile, debate continues in the Senate on the government's asylum seeker laws, which passed the lower house on Wednesday with the coalition's support.

The bill will enable the reopening of the Nauru and Papua New Guinea centres, and pave the way for a broader regional approach to the issue.

On Nauru, the reconnaissance team will produce a video which can be shown to potential boat passengers via social media and television to deter them from

coming.

But Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said she doubted that film clips would work.

"They are not going to be as bad as the situation from which people are fleeing," she told reporters in Canberra.

The Greens want a 12-month time limit for processing asylum claims offshore.

The government has yet to receive United Nations refugee agency advice on an appropriate time to process the asylum seekers, but is firm in its stance that

there should be "no advantage" for those getting on boats over others who are in refugee camps awaiting an outcome.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said a C130 aircraft, which left Canberra on Thursday morning, will land in Brisbane and pick up more members of the

reconnaissance team before heading to Port Moresby.

The aircraft will then head to Manus Island and Nauru on Friday.

Mr Smith said the aim of the trip was to do a scoping study and reconnaissance, as well as establish temporary facilities.

"We are proceeding on the basis that defence will establish a temporary facility and then hand over that facility to immigration and others as soon as

possible," he told ABC television.

"We think we are talking days and weeks, not weeks and months (for it to be operating)."

Mr Smith said Defence would not be playing any further role in terms of transporting asylum seekers or managing the facilities.

"My advice is this won't have adverse implications on any of our operations and we don't regard it as a role for Defence to be engaged in an ongoing way."