frenchstewarter: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

High court poised to upend civil rights policies

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Has the nation lived down its history of racism and should the law become colorblind?

Addressing two pivotal legal issues, one on affirmative action and a second on voting rights, a divided Supreme Court is poised to answer those questions.

In one case, the issue is whether race preferences in university admissions undermine equal opportunity more than they promote the benefits of racial diversity. Just this past week, justices signaled their interest in scrutinizing affirmative action very intensely, expanding their review as well to a Michigan law passed by voters that bars "preferential treatment" to students based on race. Separately in a second case, the court must decide whether race relations ? in the South, particularly ? have improved to the point that federal laws protecting minority voting rights are no longer warranted.

The questions are apt as the United States closes in on a demographic tipping point, when nonwhites will become a majority of the nation's population for the first time. That dramatic shift is expected to be reached within the next generation, and how the Supreme Court rules could go a long way in determining what civil rights and equality mean in an America long divided by race.

The court's five conservative justices seem ready to declare a new post-racial moment, pointing to increased levels of voter registration and turnout among blacks to show that the South has changed. Lower federal courts just in the past year had seen things differently, blunting voter ID laws and other election restrictions passed by GOP-controlled legislatures in South Carolina, Texas and Florida, which they saw as discriminatory.

"Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through the normal political processes," Justice Antonin Scalia said in oral arguments earlier this year, suggesting that it was the high court's responsibility to overturn voting protections overwhelmingly passed by Congress in 2006.

The legal meanings of "equality," ''racism" and "discrimination" have been in flux since at least 1883, when justices struck down a federal anti-discrimination law, calling it an unfair racial advantage for former black slaves. Today, justices face the question of whether the nation has reached equality by a 1960s definition or some new standard.

By some demographic measures, America has reached a new era. But the latest census data and polling from The Associated Press also show race and class disparities that persist.

EDITOR'S NOTE _ "America at the Tipping Point: The Changing Face of a Nation" is an occasional series examining the cultural mosaic of the U.S. and its historic shift to a majority-minority nation.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/high-court-poised-upend-civil-rights-policies-090040095.html

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Wardell Builders: Aging In Place - Home Remodeling for Seniors

I was recently asked about ?Aging in Place? remodeling. What should be planned for, how to make it work and what the heck did it mean?
Your home can adapt to you as you age, allowing you to ?age in place?. As eyesight dims a little, core balance begins to fade we may want our home to adjust to fit our new and changing realities. This is no different than being able to ?Child Proof? a home when we have toddlers or create the place where the ?kids hang out? when we have teens. There is a basic checklist produced by the National Assoc. of Home Builders, you can read it at: http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=89801

Reduced mobility equals opening and turning areas large enough for wheelchairs equaling doors resized to 36? wide, hallways to 42? and turning areas in the home with a 5? clear circle, free of any obstructions. Add to this flat threshold transitions, flat exterior surfaces, non slip flooring materials, steps converted to ramps where possible, sturdy, and easy to use handrails at all remaining steps and the use of wheel chairs becomes feasible.
Finish material selections, both interior and exterior want to have ease of maintenance as a featured quality. Clad metal or fiberglass windows and doors reduce maintenance greatly on a home. Levers instead of knobs on doors, large handles cranks for window operation, paddle style electric switches and even electric door locks can make the home for easier to use. There is no reason not to lower the height of those switches to 48? to allow easier access from a wheelchair.
In the bath and kitchen thermostatic or pressure balanced faucets and shower fixtures with lever handles are readily available in all types of styles. Showers can be redesigned to allow easy roll in or at least no step ramps. Styled sturdy grab bars are useful in the shower and toilet areas. Cabinets can be designed for wheel chair use at sinks and with roll out shelves to make access easier. Using glass for cabinet fronts or even open shelving can make finding kitchen items simpler. The height of counter tops can be reset. The microwave and oven heights can be reconfigured so they are not too high or too low for access. The advent of raised step washer and dryers has lessened the burden on your back when dealing with wash loads.
As eye sight or coordination begins to falter a bit; think of adding a different color to counter top edges and stair treads. Added windows, in strategic locations in the house will provide greater day lighting to the home. Where too bright of sunlight is an issue, electric window shades and drapes are an option. There are many new lighting fixtures out today. Many feature low energy use LED and color balanced fluorescent bulbs. More lights of greater efficiency will not be adding to your electric bill. Adding lighting to closets and other storage areas can improve a home. Motion detecting lighting controls can also make your home easier to live in.
For multistoried homes getting between the floors can present a challenge. Elevators are not just for estate homes anymore. Think about having stacked closets in your home to make a future elevator an easy installation. Laundry chutes and dumbwaiters are inexpensive ways to get typical work loads through the home without lugging items up and down stairs.
There is a large volume of information available on the web regarding Aging in Place. Feel free to call us, here at Wardell Builders, any time with questions or even a walk through your home to take a look at possible improvements that can make your home continue to suite your lifestyle for many, many years.

Source: http://wardellbuilders.blogspot.com/2013/03/aging-in-place-home-remodeling-for.html

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Now You Can Embed 6 Seconds of Vine Heaven

The six-second social video app just got a whole lot more social with embeds.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/03/now-you-can-embed-6-seconds-of-vine-heaven/

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UN Arms Treaty Stalled (Voice Of America)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295327679?client_source=feed&format=rss

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States move to tackle drone privacy issues on their own

Domestic drones that can track your movement in public places are on their way to local law enforcement officials, but some state lawmakers are moving on their own to stop them.

Private drones. Source: Creative Commons.

The remote-controlled aircraft have created a buzz among privacy advocates for several years, and Rand Paul?s recent Senate filibuster made drones a trendy discussion topic.

But can local police, if they have access to their own drones, really photograph you in public, or in your backyard if someone can see your house from a public spot?

In some case, these law-enforcement drones may be able to do more than just take your picture, as the rules evolve about a technology that?s moving faster than the legal system.

To be clear, there are really three types of drone use that have raised questions: the federal government?s use of drones in national security situations, private citizens and companies using drones for domestic purposes, and state and local law enforcement using drones for official investigations.

When it comes to local law enforcement, more police departments are investigating drones as a cost-saving way to gather information and do their jobs in a safer manner. Law enforcement could use drones to follow suspects and safely handle situations under the proper circumstances. For example, FBI drones were used in a nationally televised hostage standoff in Alabama this year, to help rescue a kidnapped six-year-old boy. Also, in theory, fire departments are expected to use drones to assess dangerous conditions that would threaten fire fighters.

It?s the definition of ?proper? that is up in the air when it comes to drones and local law enforcement.

One specific issue is the matter of the police obtaining a search warrant before they look into a house.

The Fourth Amendment affirms ?the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.?

There doesn?t seem to be a clear-cut answer, despite the Fourth Amendment?s message, partly because of the technology wrapped up inside a potential police drones. Some drones can not only see clearly into your backyard, but can als0 theoretically listen (in some circumstances) and take thermal-sensitive pictures. More sophisticated drones can intercept electronic communications, track GPS information, and use facial recognition technology.

Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Privacy Information Center are pushing hard for privacy-law reforms that would require law enforcement to strictly follow the Fourth Amendment when it comes to drone surveillance.

And in recent months, local politicians have started pushing for state laws that will force police to get warrants and in some cases, delay their drone usage until privacy issues can be settled.

The ACLU says 34 states have been examining some type of legislation related to drones and privacy and 29 states are still in the process of considering measures.

Virginia is close to a two-year moratorium on drone usage by local law enforcement. Two bills have passed in legislature and a debate is set for next week on an amended bill. Montana?s Senate has also passed two bills involving drones and privacy issues.

In most cases, the proposed state laws would require investigators to get a probable cause warrant before a drone is used for surveillance purposes.

Another high-profile drone case was in Seattle, where its police force grounded a drone program in February after a public backlash at an open forum.

Mayor Mike McGinn said the program was stopped to allow the city to ?focus its resources on public safety and the community building work that is the [police] department?s priority.? Seattle sent two dozen drones back to their manufacturer after the move.

In North Carolina, a bipartisan bill called the Preserving Privacy Act of 2013 was filed in March to place restrictions on drone use.

Florida is also considering a Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act that bars law enforcement from using drones to track suspects without a warrant.

Recent Constitution Daily Stories on Drones

Don?t look now, but something?s watching you

Constitution Check: Could the president legally order a drone strike inside the U.S.?

Why a drone can hover over your home, and you can?t stop it

Constitution Check: Would a ?drone court? be unconstitutional?

Amie Stepanovich, director of EPIC?s Domestic Surveillance Project, told senators recently that her group recognized there were many positive uses for drones related to public safety measures, but rules were needed about the reasonable expectation of privacy and gathering personal data about ?identifiable individuals.?

?The increased use of drones to conduct surveillance in the United States must be accompanied by increased privacy protections. The current state of the law is insufficient to address the drone surveillance threat,? she told a Senate subcommittee on March 20.

On a federal level, Representative Ed Markey has introduced House legislation that would require search warrants for drone surveillance and the tracking of data collection efforts.

But it was a more old-fashioned snooping tool that could have a broader impact on privacy and drones that was involved in a Supreme Court decision this week.

In a 5-4 decision, the court decided that a homeowner was protected by the Fourth Amendment after a police dog sniffed marijuana outside of the man?s house and alerted an officer, who then arrested the suspect, Joelis Jardinas, after obtaining a post-sniff warrant.

?It?s very important for privacy issues because we?re dealing with people in the place where they live and that?s where they have the highest degree of privacy interests,? said Howard Blumberg, Jardinas? attorney, in an interview with NPR.

Justice Antonin Scalia said it was the presence of a trained police dog on the porch that made the difference.

Ryan Calo, a professor from the University of Washington School of Law who studies drone privacy issues, pointed out to NPR that the technology already exists for chemical sensors to perform a long-range sniff test without the equipment being present on a subject?s property.

Scott Bomboy is the editor-in-chief of the National Constitution Center.

Source: http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/03/states-move-to-tackle-drone-privacy-issues-on-their-own/

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Kenyan separatists deny being behind deadly resort attack

By Joseph Akwiri

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A Kenyan separatist movement denied on Friday accusations by the authorities that it was behind a raid in a coastal resort that killed eight people, although it said former members may have been involved.

Armed police officers shot dead six attackers and two policemen were killed in Thursday's early morning raid on a casino popular with tourists in Malindi. Officials blamed the banned Mombasa Republican Council (MRC).

A series of attacks blamed on the movement have damaged prospects for growth and investment along Kenya's coast, a major tourist draw, and in Mombasa, an economically vital port city.

"Police should stop using the MRC as a scapegoat for failing to protect Kenyans," senior MRC member Omar Bebo told Reuters. He said that criminal gangs "have taken advantage of our sour relationship with government to cause trouble".

"Some of these gangs are formed by splinter groups of youths who decamped from the MRC because we rejected their call to engage in violence. Those are the people police should be chasing," he said by telephone.

The MRC feeds off local discontent largely based on long-held grievances over land and frustration at the perceived economic marginalization of the coast by the central government.

Police suspected the group targeted the Italian-owned casino in order to steal cash to fund their activities. Four suspects were arrested and dozens of others fled.

"We know we have some youth who decided to ignore our call for peace, and might also be involved in these attacks, but we told them they are on their own," Omar said. "MRC is not responsible for their actions, and we have disowned them."

On Thursday night police increased security around a police station in Kilifi, west of Mombasa, another MRC stronghold, saying they received reports that MRC youths planned a raid.

Beatrice Gachago, area police chief, told Reuters that she had ordered more night patrols after receiving the intelligence reports. "We are not taking anything for granted," she said.

(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kenyan-separatists-deny-behind-deadly-resort-attack-115155534.html

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Monday, March 25, 2013

PROMISES, PROMISES: Climate Change

The issue:

Slowing the buildup of greenhouse gases responsible for warming the planet is one of the biggest challenges the United States and President Barack Obama face. The effects of rising global temperatures are widespread and costly: more severe storms, rising seas, species extinctions, and changes in weather patterns that will alter food production and the spread of disease.

Politically, the stakes are huge.

Any policy to reduce heat-trapping pollution will inevitably target the main sources of Americans' energy: the coal burned by power plants for electricity and the oil that is refined to run automobiles.

Those industries have powerful protectors in both parties in Congress who will fight any additional regulations handed down by the administration that could contribute to Americans paying more for electricity and gas at the pump. There's also the lingering question of how much the U.S. can do to solve the problem alone, without other countries taking aggressive steps to curb their own pollution.

The promise:

"My plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet, because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke." ? Obama at the Democratic National Convention, Sept. 6, 2012.

"I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change. ... But if Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy." ? Obama in his State of the Union speech, Feb. 12, 2013.

The prospects:

Obama has shown he doesn't need Congress to take action against climate change.

In his first term, he struck a deal with automakers to double fuel economy standards. After failing to pass a climate bill through a Democratic-controlled Congress, he proposed rules to control heat-trapping pollution from future power plants.

The president's chances of going through Congress are no better the second time around.

While some liberal Democrats have proposed legislation to tax emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, Republicans controlling the House have pledged to block any and all efforts to price carbon pollution. Democrats from states with coal and oil probably will be stumbling blocks.

Obama has more tools he can tap to deal with the problem. The big question is how aggressive he will be and how he will balance expanding domestic energy production with his climate goals.

On the one hand, he says he supports an "all of the above" energy plan that uses all of the nation's energy resources. But should he proceed with regulations to control pollution from existing coal-fired power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution, those regulations probably will contribute to shuttering facilities already struggling to compete with cheap natural gas.

Also looming is a decision whether to grant a permit to the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would transport carbon-laden tar sands oil from Canada to Texas.

While the pipeline project is a better alternative from a carbon pollution standpoint than shipping the oil by rail, the emissions created by harvesting tar sands, processing them into oil and eventually burning it in automobiles in the U.S. and abroad will contribute to global warming.

Obama also supports the natural gas drilling boom brought about by hydraulic fracturing, but that boom is also responsible for releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Bottom line: Obama is likely to take more steps to reduce the pollution blamed for climate change. But those actions probably will not be of the scale needed to help much in slowing the heating of the planet.

Pitchford On PS4: Sony Really Listened To What We Had To Say

The PlayStation 4 has managed to garner plenty of praise, especially from developers.

And that's not only because Sony's new console offers accessible architecture; it's also because designers know Sony actually listened. Gearbox Software boss Randy Pitchford definitely appreciates that important effort, as evidenced by his recent PAX East panel talk.

After saying he's "really excited" about the PS4 and that he "always loves more power," Pitchford said that Sony listening to developers was key:

"They really invited us into the process and I can say definitively that they listened to what we had to say and made the platform better because they listened to the developers."

Most will agree that Sony did the right thing, especially because so many game makers complained about the prohibitive PS3 architecture right out of the gate. Undoubtedly, what developers most wanted from Sony this new generation was a system that didn't require years of learning and adaptation. As for the competition, Pitchford said he's not allowed to divulge any details but he's also excited there, too.

Yes, well, 2013 is bound to be an interesting year for everyone in the industry. And of course, gamers as well.

Tags: ps4, playstation 4, randy pitchford, gearbox software

3/24/2013 9:49:41 PM John Shepard

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Source: http://www.psxextreme.com/ps4-news/236.html

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Friday, March 22, 2013

It's 'Birds Gone Wild' Out On Australia's Heron Island

On Australia's Heron Island, buff-banded rails like this one have become the avian equivalent of a weed.

Richard Harris/NPR

On Australia's Heron Island, buff-banded rails like this one have become the avian equivalent of a weed.

Richard Harris/NPR

NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris traveled to Australia's Great Barrier Reef to find out how the coral reefs are coping with increased water temperature and increasing ocean acidity, brought about by our burning of fossil fuels. Day 3: Waiting for a boat to the next island, Richard meets some rowdy birds.

Weeds are not a true category of plant. A weed is simply a plant that's growing where a person wishes it weren't.

That came to mind when I heard the story of the buff-breasted rail, out on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It's an attractive little bird, resembling a miniature chicken. Rails are generally hard to see. They hide out in marshes and rarely show themselves. Birders mostly find them by imitating rail calls and listening for a response. It's a good day in the field when someone actually sees a rail in the flesh.

But the buff-breasted rail turns out to be a rather bold character out on Heron Island, 25 miles off the Australian mainland. It has no natural predators ? true of many birds on the island ? so it has become downright cheeky.

In fact, the rail is a pest ? the avian equivalent of a weed. People lunching at the resort on this island have had to fend off the rails. The birds were all too happy to hop up on tables and help themselves.

In 1998, the park service agreed to round up the population of rails that hangs around the resort grounds. They packed them all up, put them on a boat and carried them off to Northwest Island, about 12 miles away.

Every year, tens of thousands of white capped noddy terns swarm the tiny island to breed.

Richard Harris/NPR

Every year, tens of thousands of white capped noddy terns swarm the tiny island to breed.

Richard Harris/NPR

It turns out that while rails prefer to run around on the ground, they are quite able fliers. Resort naturalist Nicholas Alexander says the rails flew straightaway back to Heron Island ? and got there before the rangers did in their boat.

The restaurant has since put up netting to keep the birds and diners apart.

People have other fearless birds to contend with, though. At the moment, about 70,000 birds called white capped noddy terns have swarmed this tiny island. (You can walk its entire shoreline in half an hour.) They come here every year to breed, and they make themselves quite at home, speckling the ground beneath their roosts and nests. Fair enough. They were here first.

The oddest avian encounters come after dark. At sunset, wedge-tailed shearwaters arrive by the tens of thousands. They nest in burrows underground, though some simply sit on the ground, where they are a tripping hazard after nightfall. Visitors are warned that these shearwaters ? known as mutton birds ? also may simply fly into you as they arrive at the island. Apparently, their night vision leaves something to be desired.

And the colony is awake all night, making this eerie and penetrating sound.

'); } }, onPlay: function() { if ($("#jwPlayer174027799_wrapper .loading").length > 0){ $('#jwPlayer174027799_wrapper .loading').remove(); } } } }); } } catch (e) { NPR.messaging.exception(e, 'jw player javascript', 'look in CommonJwPlayer.inc', NPR.messaging.constants.PLAYER_JS_ERROR); };

The Call Of The Shearwater

One other note about the birds of Heron Island: There are no herons. The graceful white bird populating the island is a reef egret.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/21/174022378/its-birds-gone-wild-out-on-australias-heron-island?ft=1&f=1007

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Late night: Senate Democrats work to pass budget

A Senate aide delivers a stack of documents bound in red tape being used as a prop during debate on the budget in the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013. The paperwork was described as the federal regulations dealing with the Affordable Care Act, often called "Obamacare." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., answers questions from reporters as lawmakers go to the Senate floor to vote on amendments to the budget resolution, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., right, talks with Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., left, as they ride an escalator on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013, as lawmakers rush to the Senate floor to vote on amendments to the budget resolution. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - In this March 18, 2013 file photo, House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Senate pressed ahead Wednesday on a huge, bipartisan spending bill aimed at keeping the government running through September and ruling out the chance of a government shutdown later this month. The developments in the Senate come as the House resumed debate on the budget for next year and beyond. Republicans are pushing a plan that promises sharp cuts to federal health care programs and domestic agency operating budgets as the price for balancing the budget in a decade. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. rushes with other lawmakers to the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 22, 2013, to vote on amendments to the budget resolution. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate Democrats neared approval of their first budget proposal in four years on Friday, calling for almost $1 billion in tax increases over the coming decade while sheltering safety net programs targeted by House Republicans. The Democrats also would reverse automatic spending cuts that are beginning to strike both the Pentagon and domestic programs.

The nonbinding but politically symbolic measure caters to party stalwarts on the liberal edge of the spectrum just as the House GOP measure is crafted to appeal to more recent tea party arrivals.

Approval of the Senate version was expected to come long after dark ? after dozens of votes on amendments, many of which were offered in hopes of inflicting political damage on Democratic senators up for re-election in GOP-leaning states like Alaska and Louisiana.

Some $1 trillion in new revenue would flow to the government over the coming decade ? on top of more than $600 billion in taxes on upper-income earners approved in January ? and would be coupled with a net $875 billion in spending cuts. Those reductions would be generated by modest cuts to federal health care programs, domestic agencies and the Pentagon and reduced government borrowing costs. The budget proposes $100 billion in new spending for infrastructure projects and job training programs.

The president will reveal his own overdue tax-and-spending plan in two weeks, a plan that will be judged in part by whether it offers new, more politically risky proposals that could form the foundation for a bipartisan agreement between the two houses.

Senators braced for dozens of votes during a marathon session running late on Friday, with some predicting a final vote on the Democratic plan in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday. In early voting Friday morning, Democrats rejected the latest attempt to repeal Obama's landmark health care law by a strictly party-line vote.

The Senate has already taken several politically freighted votes, including a move by Democrats to force a vote on the Paul Ryan House budget, which was rejected by a 59-40 vote Thursday night, with five Republicans joining every Democratic senator in opposition.

Republicans countered with a move by Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., putting Democrats on record in opposition to balancing the budget by the end of the decade. It failed on a near party-line vote.

Additional votes on Friday could feature forays into off-topic subjects like super-sized soft drinks, domestic drone strikes, handguns and abortion ? in addition to the more traditional subjects of taxes, spending and debt.

It all concerned a largely symbolic measure known as a budget resolution, not binding legislation that could be sent to the president to become law. The Senate budget measure and the starkly different version passed by the House on Thursday seek to set parameters for follow-up legislation on taxes and spending.

The dueling House and Senate budget plans are anchored on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum in Washington. No Democrats voted for the House budget, and not a single Republican will vote for the Senate plan, written by new Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash. The GOP plan caters to tea party forces, while Murray was forced to reach out to liberals, rather than revive proposals such as increasing out-of-pocket Medicare costs for better off beneficiaries that were discussed when she co-chaired a failed 2011 deficit "supercommittee."

While the House GOP plan seeks $4.6 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years on top of the $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts in the same timeframe. Murray's plan promises to replace the $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts, required under a hard-fought 2011 budget pact because of the failure of Washington follow up that deal with another deficit-cutting plan. She notes that they were never intended to take effect and were instead aimed at forcing Republicans and Democrats into a deal. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warns the $85 billion in cuts set to strike the economy this year could cost 750,000 jobs.

Murray combines $975 billion in unspecified tax increases with net cuts in spending of $875 billion to replace the automatic cuts. The plan promises a $693 billion deficit in 2014, dropping to the $400 billion range for the middle years of the decade. While large, such deficits would hover just above 2 percent of gross domestic product, a level that many analysts see as economically sustainable.

All told, the slashing House budget projects $4 trillion more in deficit cuts than the Murray plan, but only by assuming cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and farm programs, among others ? and cutting domestic agency spending covering such areas as education, the FBI, NASA and housing subsidies by almost 20 percent next year.

The Democratic plan sticks to agency budget "caps" set in the 2011 deal and leaves safety-net programs for the poor virtually alone. Its cuts to the rapidly spiraling Medicare program are limited to health care providers and are less stringent than those proposed by Obama.

"The Senate budget puts forward serious, responsible deficit reduction that reflects the recommendations of bipartisan experts, and the values and priorities of the American people," Murray said.

Senate Republicans did not draft a budget plan of their own, though 40 of them voted for the House GOP measure. Instead, they focused their fire on the Democratic version, saying it does nothing about the rapidly rising costs of Medicare and other benefit programs, while allowing the national debt to reach $24.4 trillion by 2023.

"In addition to having these huge tax increases ? the biggest in the history of the country ? this budget also has huge spending," said Sen. Rob. Portman, R-Ohio. "The spending is actually an increase when you wipe away all the gimmicks."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-22-Budget%20Battle/id-3bddb4891d8c4dcb969e7f570118fcc1

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Know when your answers have crossed the finish line ? Business ...

Q: ?One of my co-workers, ?Bethany,? has stopped talking to me. This happened after she asked about my relationship with another co-worker, ?Ray.? Ray and I recently met with human resources to resolve an ongoing conflict.?

?Bethany said, ?You and Ray were bitter enemies, but now you?re best friends. What?s the story?? I replied, ?Ray and I are now getting along fine because we?ve agreed to just focus on our work. That is all you need to know about this.? I did not mention the HR meeting because it was none of her business.

?Ever since that conversation, Bethany refuses to join me for lunch and even ducks into an office if she sees me coming. Whenever I ask what?s wrong, she says ?Nothing.? What should I do??? Private Person

A: Unfortunately, your reply to this curious colleague went one step too far. The best response to unwelcome inquiries is to provide limited information, so your first sentence was perfect. Had you stopped there, you could have deflected additional questions by saying ?I?d really prefer not to revisit all that unpleasantness,? then quickly changing the subject.?

Adding ?that is all you need to know? was completely unnecessary. From Bethany?s point of view, she undoubtedly felt she was being scolded for asking a perfectly harmless question, so now she?s trying to punish you by sulking.

To put an end to this petulance, you must first stop asking what?s wrong. Bethany is never going to tell you, and besides, you already know the answer. These frequent inquiries only serve to reinforce her childish behavior by letting her know that it bothers you.

Instead, sit down with her and calmly address the real issue: ?Bethany, I think I may have hurt your feelings when you asked about Ray. I didn?t mean to be short with you, but I was tired of thinking about that situation. I really hope we can go back to being friends.?? After that, just remain friendly and wait for the passive-aggressive pouting to diminish.?

Do you have trust issues with a co-worker? Perhaps this will help: Trust and Betrayal at Work.

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Computers choose national basketball champion

Mar. 20, 2013 ? When Georgia Tech opens the doors to the Georgia Dome next month as the host institution for the 2013 Final Four, expect third-seeded Florida to walk out as the national champion. That's the prediction from Georgia Tech's Logistic Regression/Markov Chain (LRMC) college basketball ranking system, a computerized model that has chosen the men's basketball national champ in three of the last five years.

The LRMC predicts that Florida, Louisville, Indiana and Gonzaga are most likely to advance to the Final Four in Atlanta, with Florida and Gonzaga playing for the title on Monday, April 8. It's the first time in the LRMC's 10-year history a team that isn't a number one seed is picked to win the title.

Joel Sokol, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE) whose research specialties include sports analytics and applied operations research, oversees the annual project. During the season, the LRMC uses basic scoreboard data to create a weekly ranking of all 347 Division I NCAA teams. The mathematical formula looks at every game and factors in the margin of victory and where each game is played. When the field of 68 was announced last Sunday, Sokol's team released its bracket.

Last year, the team presented a paper that shows the LRMC has been the most accurate predictive ranking system over the last 10 years. The model outperformed more than 80 others, including the NCAA's Ratings Performance Index (RPI), the system most experts use to justify who should and shouldn't get into the tournament.

"Our system combines the aspects of performance and strength of schedule by rewarding game performance differently according to the quality of each opponent," said Sokol. "Compared to something like RPI, LRMC is able to predict which team is better by taking the margins of victories and losses into account."

The LRMC identifies which team is most likely to win each game. However, upsets sometime get in the way -- in fact, about 25 percent of all NCAA tournament games are upsets. If you're trying to find this year's Cinderella, Sokol says Bucknell, Davidson, Belmont and St. Mary's are the most likely "small schools" to make the Sweet Sixteen. Memphis, UCLA and Butler are the teams most in danger of being eliminated early (each is seeded sixth).

Aside from picking tournament winners, the LRMC has also been used through the years to dispel a few myths. For example, in the long run, certain teams don't have big home court advantages. Almost all home courts are about the same.

"The reason that you hear people say things like 'Duke is one of the toughest home courts -- it's so hard to win there' isn't because of the court or the fans," said Sokol. "It's that Duke is usually such a good team. When you give them even a three- or four-point home court advantage on top of the skill advantage they usually have, it's hard to overcome."

Also debunked is the popular belief that "good teams know how to win close games." Sokol's team looked at home-and-home conference results through the years.

"If the clich? was true, teams that won close games at home would have a significantly higher winning percentage in the road rematch than teams that lost close games at home," he said. But close home winners won about 35 percent of their road rematches. Close home losers won about 33 percent.

When the NCAA was considering expanding the tournament to 96 teams, Sokol also used LRMC simulations to point out that the dramatic upsets fans love to see would decrease by a factor of five, potentially leading to a sharp decrease in fan interest.

Sokol is joined on the LRMC team by fellow ISyE Professors Paul Kvam and George Nemhauser, as well as Professor Mark Brown of City College, City University of New York.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/A4c3MYqJymQ/130320142557.htm

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'Strange Addiction's' blood guzzler shares rules for drinking human juice

TLC

By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

We recently learned about Michelle, the subject of the upcoming season finale of "My Strange Addiction" who has a real penchant for pig blood. But as it turns out, there's more to Michelle's addiction than just that. In fact, the porcine elixir is a distant second to her real beverage of choice: human blood.

In a new clip from the TLC show, the tattoo artist shares her very specific sanguinarian rules.

"I always make sure it's from somebody that I'm close to, somebody that I would consider a best friend, a partner, a lover -- somebody that I know inside and out," Michelle explained.

Here's hoping it's also someone who's had a blood test recently, as lab results tend to be a bit more reliable than a sense of closeness. But hey, Michelle has her own priorities when it comes to harvesting the nectar of life -- like where to start when drinking straight from the source.

"It's either got to be the upper arm, or it's got to be in the elbow area or upper back, inner thigh," the 29-year-old insisted. "I try to avoid the neck 'cause that's way too clich?."

Totally. And you know what else is clich?? Vampires. Sure, Michelle might have the standard issue, goth-requisite "Bela Lugosi's Dead" Bauhaus poster on her wall, but she's not trying copy the night crawlers.

"I do not want to categorize myself as a vampire," she said. "I'm simply somebody that enjoys blood -- quite a lot."

Got it?

See more of Michelle's not-at-all vampire-ish behavior when the season finale of "My Strange Addiction" airs Wednesday 9 p.m. on TLC.

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Dow hits new high ahead of Fed announcement

JeeYeon Park , CNBC ? ? ? 3 hrs.

Stocks jumped at the open Wednesday, with the Dow hitting a fresh record and the S&P 500 resuming the march to its all-time high, as investors shifted their attention from worries over Cyprus and looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's policy meeting announcement later this afternoon.

Model N surged nearly 30 percent in its market debut on the NYSE after the software maker priced 6.7 million shares at $15.50, above the expected $12.50 to $14.50 range. The company trades under the symbol "MODN."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied, led by Disney and Pfizer, after squeezing out a small gain in the previous session.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also jumped. The S&P 500 is within 10 points of hitting its all-time closing high. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, tumbled below 13.

All key S&P sectors were in positive territory, led by consumer discretionary and health care.

After a two-day meeting, the Fed is due to the release its monetary policy statement later this afternoon, as well as its economic forecasts. The news will be followed by a press briefing with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Investors will be looking for any signs that the central bank could start winding down its quantitative easing program. It is expected to keep monetary policy unchanged this month however, continuing its super low rates policy and its $85 billion a month in asset purchases. Fed watchers expect it to stick with its program until the middle of next year, according to CNBC's Fed survey.

"We expect improvement in the labor market over the coming quarters to initiate a slowdown in the Fed's pace of balance sheet expansion in the fourth quarter of this year. This would mark the beginning of the process towards the first Fed funds rate hike but we do not expect the Fed to hike rates before the first quarter of 2015," according to a note from Danske Bank.

European markets moved into positive territory as investors watched to see if Russia, rather than Europe, would come to the aid of Cyprus. Lawmakers in Cyprus overwhelmingly voted against a controversial EU bank bailout deal on Tuesday.

(Read More: Don't Count Cyprus Out of the Euro Just Yet: Traders)

Cyprus's finance minister Michael Sarris who is in Moscow for talks with Russia told CNBC that the country was now "looking beyond" extending an existing loan agreement with Russia, prompting speculation that Russia could come to Cyprus's financial aid.

On the economic front, weekly mortgage applications fell for a second week as interest rates climbed to seven-month highs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Apple dipped near $500 a share after Canaccord Genuity cut its target price on the iPhone maker to $600 from $650.

Among earnings, FedEx slumped after the package-delivery company posted lower-than-expected earnings due to weakness in its air express business.

Adobe Systems rallied to lead the S&P 500 gainers after the computer software maker lifted its full-year earnings forecast and posted better-than-expected quarterly results. Separately, the company announced its chief technology officer Kevin Lynch will leave to take a job at Apple. At least three brokerages raised their price target on the company.

Lennar edged higher after the homebuilder reported earnings that exceeded Wall Street estimates as lower interest rates and rising rents increased home sales.

General Mills slipped after the cereal maker forecast a decline in earnings. Still, the company posted a higher-than-expected profit.

Oracle and Jabil Circuit are among notable companies scheduled to post earnings after the closing bell. (Read More: A Peek Into Oracle's Future)

Best Buy climbed after Credit Suisse reinstated its coverage on the company with an "outperform" rating.

Zynga plunged after BofA Merrill cut its rating on the social game services company to "neutral" from "buy."

?By CNBC's JeeYeon Park (Follow JeeYeon on Twitter:@JeeYeonParkCNBC)

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/dow-hits-new-high-ahead-fed-announcement-1C8960837

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Dachis Group, The Social Analytics Startup Led By Razorfish Co-Founder Jeff Dachis, Raises $7.5M More

Dachis Group, the social marketing and analytics startup led by Jeffrey Dachis (who previously co-founded and led interactive marketing agency Razorfish), announced today that it has raised $7.5 million in series C financing, led by Austin Ventures.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Ddyfyx-pdfk/

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School shooter wears 'KILLER' shirt, gets life in prison

Pool/The News-Herald via AP

T.J. Lane, wearing a "KILLER" T-shirt, smirks as he listens to the judge during sentencing on Tuesday in Chardon, Ohio.

By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News

Editor's warning: This story contains graphic content.?

An Ohio judge has sentenced T.J. Lane, the Ohio teen charged with shooting three students to death and wounding three others last February, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.?

Lane showed up to his sentencing wearing a white T-shirt with the word "KILLER" in capital letters scrawled on it --?the same word police say he had emblazoned on his shirt the day of the shootings at Chardon High School.

Lane, 18,?pleaded guilty last month to all charges?against him in the Feb. 27, 2012, shootings, in which he opened fire on a cafeteria table full of students?in the rural community of Chardon.

In a brief statement during his sentencing on Tuesday, Lane flipped his middle finger at people in the courtroom, which included family members of his victims,?reported NBC affiliate WKYC.com. He revealed his "KILLER" T-shirt to the court once he was inside, taking off a blue button-down he had worn on the way in, the station reported.

Pool / The News-Herald via AP

T.J. Lane unbuttons his shirt during sentencing Tuesday in Chardon, Ohio.

Three students --?Demetrius Hewlin, 16; Russell King Jr., 17; and Daniel Parmertor, 16 -- were killed last February.?Nate Mueller and Joy Rickers were wounded, as was?Nick Walczak, who is paralyzed from the waist down, according to Reuters.?

Lane has not given a motive for the shootings, which rocked the tiny town 30 miles outside Cleveland.?He gave only a short, defiant statement in the courtroom on Tuesday: "This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. F--- all of you."

Gasps were heard in the courtroom as Lane then proceeded to stick up his middle finger at both his own relatives and those of his victims,?The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Some people started crying.

Geauga County Judge David Fuhry sentenced Lane to three life sentences without eligibility for parole for three counts of murder, plus 8 years for a fourth count of attempted aggravated murder, 6 years for a fifth count of attempted aggravated murder, and 6 years for a sixth count of felonious assault.

In handing him the sentences, Fuhry said Lane lacked remorse for the killings.?Lane was ruled mentally competent enough to stand trial last year despite evidence he suffers from hallucinations and psychosis. Fuhry said Tuesday that court examinations showed Lane faked mental illness and was such a smart student that he was set to graduate from high school early, Reuters reported.?

The families of the boys who died in the shooting have attended every one of Lane?s court hearings, The Plain Dealer said. Other victims' family members also attended Tuesday's sentencing, and read statements to the court ahead of Lane's sentencing.

"Because of you, our quiet little town will never be the same. Why? Why did you do it? Why?"?Holly Walczak, mother of paralyzed victim Nick Walczak, said in court on Tuesday. Lane smiled as she read her statement,?The Plain Dealer said.

Dina Parmertor, mother of slain victim of Daniel, said, "I want you to be ensured years and years of pain, which in my opinion is not enough. You don?t deserve to take another breath while my 16-year-old son lies in the ground because of your cold, disgusting actions."

"You?re a pathetic excuse for a human being. In fact, you're not even human. You?re a monster," she added, according to The Plain Dealer.

Lane's sister, Sadie, who was in Chardon High School's cafeteria when her brother opened fire, also spoke on Tuesday, talking to reporters outside of the courthouse after the sentencing.

"The brother in the courtroom and that did this is not the brother I knew,"?she said, offering her condolences to victims' families.?

She described the moment she learned from a police officer who the shooter was last February.?

?Along with other students, I heard the gunshots and screams, ran for my life, ducked under tables, hid in the teachers? lounge, not knowing who the shooter was,? Sadie Lane said. "When those words hit me, I shook and cried and denied that all this could be true."

She said she hoped for some good to come from the situation.?

"It may be hard for some to understand, but I love my brother, and I hope he can touch other lives in a positive way," she said.

Lane lived with his grandparents and attended an alternative school for students who haven't succeeded in traditional schools. He was waiting for the bus to his school from Chardon High when he began shooting from a .22-caliber semiautomatic Ruger handgun last February, according to police reports.?

He was taken into custody a short distance from where the shootings happened.

Reuters contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:59 AM EDT

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/19/17370830-ohio-school-shooter-wearing-killer-t-shirt-sentenced-to-life-in-prison?lite

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