Speaking Friday in Miami, President Obama called for $21 billion in new national infrastructure investment. This is a strong break from past years ? when he called for the creation of an infrastructure bank in the autumn.
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In 2009, the newly elected president had his only success in getting Congress to approve money for infrastructure. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ??the stimulus bill ??allocated tens of billions to highways, rail, and transit improvements. At the time, The New York Times hailed the deal, but with a caveat.
By one measure, the public- works spending in the stimulus package exceeds the promises President Obama made as a candidate. But by another, it falls short. ?
[I]t does not create the national infrastructure bank he had called for to set national priorities and get big projects done.
That infrastructure bank is the key element of Obama's pitch for public investment. In short, it would create a new government entity to evaluate projects and issue bonds for their construction, leveraging an existing pool of money. But in 2009, Obama couldn't make the sale.
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Nor could he in any year since. The infrastructure bank came up in September, 2010, as part of a request for $50 billion. He called for it in September 2011, as part of a Jobs Act proposal that would, again, put $50 billion into infrastructure. He called for it last February, when he revived the idea of the Jobs Act ??and, of course, last fall on the campaign trail.
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During its election-year review of the president's campaign promises, Politifact labelled the infrastructure bank a "broken promise". Though that's not Obama's fault. It's Congress's fault. Only Congress can approve the creation of such an entity, much less authorize $21 billion in spending. And besides one fit of generosity in 2009, they've been reticent to do so since.
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The ostensible reason Obama unveiled his initiative now is that he will unveil his complete budget on April 10, for which today was meant to act as a preview. But there may be another reason ? that he's hoping to capitalize on his reelection and on the surprising disarray and acquiescence that the GOP has shown so far this year on tax cuts and funding for Hurricane Sandy relief. At what CNN called a "campaign-style event", Obama brought pressure on the House Republicans. NBC reports:
On Friday, Obama dinged Republicans for disapproving of blanket ?government spending? but privately lobbying for infrastructure projects that create jobs ? and boost their political popularity ? at home.
?I know that members of Congress are happy to weclome projects like this in their districts,? Obama said. ?I know because I?ve seen them at the ribbon cuttings.?
PHOENIX (AP) ? An Arizona judge on Friday refused to grant a divorce for a transgender Arizona man who gave birth to three children after beginning to change his sex from female.
Maricopa County Family Court Judge Douglas Gerlach ruled that Arizona's ban on same-sex marriages prevents Thomas Beatie's 9-year union from being recognized as valid.
Thomas Beatie was born a woman and later underwent a double-mastectomy, and began testosterone hormone therapy and psychological treatment to become a man, but he retained female reproductive organs and gave birth to three children.
Gerlach said he had no jurisdiction to approve a divorce because there's insufficient evidence that Beatie was a man when he married Nancy Beatie in Hawaii. He said the Beaties never provided records to fully explain what Thomas Beatie actually had done and not done to become a man.
"The decision here is not based on the conclusion that this case involves a same-sex marriage merely because one of the parties is a transsexual male, but instead, the decision is compelled by the fact that the parties failed to prove that (Thomas Beatie) was a transsexual male when they were issued their marriage license," he wrote in Friday's ruling.
A spokesman for Beatie, Ryan Gordon, said the judge's comments came as a shock and that Beatie plans to appeal the ruling. He said Beatie legally was married as a man and never was required to disclose that he retained female reproductive organs when applying for and being granted a new birth certificate in Hawaii as a man. He said Beatie halted testosterone treatments so that he could give birth to his children.
"It's unfortunate that the judge out here doesn't recognize marriage in another state," Gordon said.
Beatie is eager to end his marriage, but the couple's divorce plans stalled last summer when Gerlach said he was unable to find legal authority defining a man as someone who can give birth.
Gerlach's ruling didn't address whether Arizona law allows a person who was born female to marry another female after undergoing a sex change operation.
A separate ruling issued Friday by Gerlach sets guidelines on how the Beaties will co-parent their three children and grants them joint authority in making legal decisions. Thomas Beatie is required to pay nearly $240 a month to Nancy Beatie for child support, but she won't get alimony because the marriage was declared invalid.
Nancy Beatie's attorney, David Higgins, praised Gerlach for the thoroughness of the decision on the marriage, although it wasn't the one she had hoped for.
"He still sees a same-sex marriage, but he gave us all the rulings that we're asking for as far as the children," Higgins said.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, which isn't involved in the Beatie divorce case, has said courts have declared marriages involving a transgender person invalid in a handful of cases across the country, but that those cases had different factual and legal issues than those in the Beatie case.
Thomas Beatie, known as "The Pregnant Man," was born Tracy Lehuanani Lagondino in Oahu, Hawaii. He began testosterone treatments in 1997 and underwent double mastectomy and chest reconstruction surgery in 2002. He changed his Hawaii driver's license to say he was a man and had a Hawaiian court approve his name change to Thomas.
Gerlach's ruling noted that Thomas Beatie halted the testosterone treatments and that he didn't provide documentation for any additional non-surgical efforts.
Thomas Beatie married his partner Nancy in early 2003 in Honolulu and became pregnant because Nancy was unable to have children. Thomas Beatie conceived with donated sperm and gave birth to children who are now 4, 3 and 2 years old. The couple eventually moved to Arizona.
Beatie has garnered a range of media attention, making the rounds on talk shows such as Larry King and Oprah Winfrey and winning a spot on Barbara Walters' list of "10 Most Fascinating People" in 2008, alongside President Barack Obama, conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh and swimmer Michael Phelps. He also published a book, "Labor Of Love: The Story of One Man's Extraordinary Pregnancy," the cover displaying an image of a shirtless Thomas sporting facial hair and holding a hand over his bare pregnant belly.
___
Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Ariz. Associated Press Writer Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.
NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) ? Stephen Baldwin, the youngest of four brothers in show business, said Friday he's looking forward to "clearing the wreckage of my past."
Step 1 will be coming up with $300,000 for the tax man.
Baldwin, 46, admitted in Rockland County Court that he failed to pay New York state income taxes for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Under a plea bargain, he gets to stay out of jail ? so he can make some money ? and can have his record wiped clean if he pays the taxes within a year.
His total bill in taxes, interest and penalties is $400,000, but state Supreme Court Justice Charles Apotheker said $100,000 had already been paid.
Baldwin, currently appearing on "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice," said he never intended to avoid paying taxes and got in trouble by trusting others.
"Unfortunately, I got some really bad suggestions and advice ... from lawyers and accountants," he said outside court.
Baldwin, who lives in Upper Grandview, said he believes he can meet the deadline, noting that his father was a schoolteacher who made $25,000 and raised six kids.
"I just look forward to getting the $300,000 paid in the next year," he said.
He said he's directing a movie starring his brother William and that other "faith-based opportunities" consistent with his principles are emerging. His lawyer said earlier this month that Baldwin would not be taking any roles like his starring turn as a professional thief with a short temper in the 1995 film "The Usual Suspects."
If he doesn't pay all the money within a year, the plea bargain provides for a five-year sentence of probation and repayment within that time.
Besides William, Baldwin's brothers Daniel and Alec ? the latter was a star of TV's "30 Rock" ? are also actors. Asked if he was getting any help from the family, Stephen Baldwin said: "Just support as family support. ... The responsibility lies ultimately with myself."
No sentencing date was set. Another court appearance is planned in June to see how repayment is going.
Language used in immigration debates may be as important as the policiesPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Fowler pubinfo@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association
WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2013 The language activists and politicians use in immigration debates may be as important as the policies they are debating when it comes to long-term effects, according to the author of a new study in the April issue of the American Sociological Review.
"When we talk about immigration policy, we are usually focused on the contentwho deserves benefits and who does not," said study author Hana E. Brown, an assistant professor of sociology at Wake Forest University. "We don't typically talk or think about the language that we're using to make those arguments, but my study suggests that we should."
In her study, "Race, Legality, and the Social Policy Consequences of Anti-Immigration Mobilization," which draws on interviews, archival materials, and newspaper content analysis, Brown shows that in Arizona and California during the 1990s, the tenor of earlier immigration debates directly affected welfare reform battles later in the decade. "In both Arizona and California, very powerful anti-immigration movements were trying to restrict the rights of undocumented immigrants," Brown said. "But, while they were pushing for similar policies, they used different language in order to make their arguments."
In Arizona, activists and politicians talked about immigration as a racial problem, arguing that Hispanics were taking resources away from white citizens, Brown said. In California, they argued that immigration was an issue of legal status, claiming that deserving legal immigrants suffered most from illegal immigration, and drawing a distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. Even after the immigration debates died down, these linguistic differences continued to have important political consequences, resurfacing during welfare reform fights in Arizona and California.
"During welfare reform debates, activists and politicians in each state largely used the same immigration language that had been employed in these big anti-immigrant conflicts a few years earlier," Brown said. "Arizonans talked about welfare in racial terms and Californians used the language of legality just as they had during the immigration debates."
Brown said that the language differences affected what kinds of coalitions emerged during the welfare reform battles. "In California, the legality frame encouraged immigrant and citizen groups representing an assortment of interests to join forces," Brown said. "Latino groups, Asian groups, children's rights groups, and others were able to come together and find unity and commonality through this language of legality. But, in Arizona, the language of race discouraged non-Hispanic groups from allying with Hispanic groups because there was a stigma associated with Hispanics."
Afraid of alienating voters who viewed legal immigrants positively, virtually all California lawmakers voted to extend welfare benefits to legal immigrants, even many who were ineligible for federal benefits, Brown said. In Arizona, by contrast, where legislators saw welfare as a "Hispanic" issue, a bipartisan majority enacted restrictive policies for all Arizonans, limiting welfare access for legal immigrants and even for citizens.
Brown said there are some important lessons from her study that are applicable to the ongoing comprehensive immigration reform effort that is playing out on the federal level. "One is that my study shows that the language we use in immigration debates can have unintended consequences for other policy battles down the road, so we need to pay careful attention to how political leaders and activists are characterizing immigrants," Brown said. "Using harsh anti-Hispanic rhetoric is divisive and can translate into restrictive social policies later on. But, alternative framings of immigration can create openings for powerful coalitions in other policy debates."
According to Brown, there is at least one high profile participant in the comprehensive immigration reform effort who is aware of the impact language can have. "It seems clear to me that President Obama is aware that language matters," said Brown. "If you look at how different parties are talking about immigration reform right now, there are some people who still refer to undocumented immigrants as illegal immigrants. But, President Obama's leaked immigration bill would give undocumented immigrants a new label, 'lawful prospective immigrants.' That phrasing clearly marks these immigrants as deserving, while the term 'illegal' signals the opposite."
Earlier this year, media outlets around the country reported on a leaked draft of President Obama's immigration bill that would create a "lawful prospective immigrant" visa for illegal immigrants living in the U.S. and would pave the way for them to become legal permanent residents within eight years.
"I think there is this assumption that once the debates are over, our immigration discussions are done," Brown said. "But, the language that we use now is going to be a resource that people can draw on even after this debate winds down."
###
About the American Sociological Association and the American Sociological Review
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. The American Sociological Review is the ASA's flagship journal.
The research article described above is available by request for members of the media. For a copy of the full study, contact Daniel Fowler, ASA's Media Relations and Public Affairs Officer.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.
Language used in immigration debates may be as important as the policiesPublic release date: 28-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Daniel Fowler pubinfo@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association
WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2013 The language activists and politicians use in immigration debates may be as important as the policies they are debating when it comes to long-term effects, according to the author of a new study in the April issue of the American Sociological Review.
"When we talk about immigration policy, we are usually focused on the contentwho deserves benefits and who does not," said study author Hana E. Brown, an assistant professor of sociology at Wake Forest University. "We don't typically talk or think about the language that we're using to make those arguments, but my study suggests that we should."
In her study, "Race, Legality, and the Social Policy Consequences of Anti-Immigration Mobilization," which draws on interviews, archival materials, and newspaper content analysis, Brown shows that in Arizona and California during the 1990s, the tenor of earlier immigration debates directly affected welfare reform battles later in the decade. "In both Arizona and California, very powerful anti-immigration movements were trying to restrict the rights of undocumented immigrants," Brown said. "But, while they were pushing for similar policies, they used different language in order to make their arguments."
In Arizona, activists and politicians talked about immigration as a racial problem, arguing that Hispanics were taking resources away from white citizens, Brown said. In California, they argued that immigration was an issue of legal status, claiming that deserving legal immigrants suffered most from illegal immigration, and drawing a distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. Even after the immigration debates died down, these linguistic differences continued to have important political consequences, resurfacing during welfare reform fights in Arizona and California.
"During welfare reform debates, activists and politicians in each state largely used the same immigration language that had been employed in these big anti-immigrant conflicts a few years earlier," Brown said. "Arizonans talked about welfare in racial terms and Californians used the language of legality just as they had during the immigration debates."
Brown said that the language differences affected what kinds of coalitions emerged during the welfare reform battles. "In California, the legality frame encouraged immigrant and citizen groups representing an assortment of interests to join forces," Brown said. "Latino groups, Asian groups, children's rights groups, and others were able to come together and find unity and commonality through this language of legality. But, in Arizona, the language of race discouraged non-Hispanic groups from allying with Hispanic groups because there was a stigma associated with Hispanics."
Afraid of alienating voters who viewed legal immigrants positively, virtually all California lawmakers voted to extend welfare benefits to legal immigrants, even many who were ineligible for federal benefits, Brown said. In Arizona, by contrast, where legislators saw welfare as a "Hispanic" issue, a bipartisan majority enacted restrictive policies for all Arizonans, limiting welfare access for legal immigrants and even for citizens.
Brown said there are some important lessons from her study that are applicable to the ongoing comprehensive immigration reform effort that is playing out on the federal level. "One is that my study shows that the language we use in immigration debates can have unintended consequences for other policy battles down the road, so we need to pay careful attention to how political leaders and activists are characterizing immigrants," Brown said. "Using harsh anti-Hispanic rhetoric is divisive and can translate into restrictive social policies later on. But, alternative framings of immigration can create openings for powerful coalitions in other policy debates."
According to Brown, there is at least one high profile participant in the comprehensive immigration reform effort who is aware of the impact language can have. "It seems clear to me that President Obama is aware that language matters," said Brown. "If you look at how different parties are talking about immigration reform right now, there are some people who still refer to undocumented immigrants as illegal immigrants. But, President Obama's leaked immigration bill would give undocumented immigrants a new label, 'lawful prospective immigrants.' That phrasing clearly marks these immigrants as deserving, while the term 'illegal' signals the opposite."
Earlier this year, media outlets around the country reported on a leaked draft of President Obama's immigration bill that would create a "lawful prospective immigrant" visa for illegal immigrants living in the U.S. and would pave the way for them to become legal permanent residents within eight years.
"I think there is this assumption that once the debates are over, our immigration discussions are done," Brown said. "But, the language that we use now is going to be a resource that people can draw on even after this debate winds down."
###
About the American Sociological Association and the American Sociological Review
The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. The American Sociological Review is the ASA's flagship journal.
The research article described above is available by request for members of the media. For a copy of the full study, contact Daniel Fowler, ASA's Media Relations and Public Affairs Officer.
[ | 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.
It's never easy to share news of job losses, but that's the state of things at T-Mobile's US headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. Today, the carrier confirmed to us that layoffs are currently underway, which comes in advance of the UnCarrier's merger with MetroPCS. While T-Mobile representatives withheld specifics, The Seattle Timesreports that somewhere between 200 and 300 employees have been laid off, whose jobs range from administrative assistants to senior vice presidents. This news follows reports of job cuts earlier this month, which are said to have affected more than 100 people in the marketing department and other divisions. For its part, T-Mobile suggests the decision was made in order to better focus its resources, which seems plausible, given its scrappy new approach in the mobile industry. It's certainly a bitter pill to swallow, but you'll find the carrier's statement after the break.
B&R Interiors is looking for interior designers and architects to work in London.
Interior designers/architects London, UK
Interior design consultancy B&R is looking for interior designers and architects to work at its London studio.
We are an interior design consultancy based in south London working across a range of projects in the hospitality and retail sector.
We are looking for candidates that meet the following requirements:
a recognised degree qualification in interior design or architecture
minimum two or three years of working experience
production of detailed drawing packages for tender
creatively conceptually strong with an enthusiasm for construction detail
possess the initiative to work both independently and as part of a team
fluent spoken and written English
Key skills:
excellent Vectorworks or AutoCad skills are essential
Cinema4D,Sketch up or 3Dmax skill?would be advantageous
advanced in InDesign and Photoshop
ability to provide detailed drawings
If you are looking for a rewarding career with our leading interior design consultancy, please send your CV with a covering letter and examples of your work to bulent1071@hotmail.com
Files should be no bigger than six MB.?Please state ?application for interior designers/architects in Dezeenjobs? as the subject.
Application deadline: 30/04/2013
Please mention that you saw this position on?Dezeen Jobs
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FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton speaks during a news conference at ICE headquarters in Washington. The Obama administration reversed itself Thursday, acknowledging to Congress that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget constraints during three weeks in February. Four deemed especially dangerous have been placed back in jail. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2013 file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton speaks during a news conference at ICE headquarters in Washington. The Obama administration reversed itself Thursday, acknowledging to Congress that it had, in fact, released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants from immigration jails due to budget constraints during three weeks in February. Four deemed especially dangerous have been placed back in jail. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In this photo posted to the Twitter account of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., McCain, right, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., left, stand with U.S. Border Patrol agents during a tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz. The senators are part of a larger group of legislators shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. McCain tweeted that he witnessed a woman successfully climb the 18-foot fence during the visit. (AP Photo/Office of Sen. John McCain)
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., left, listen as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., talks prior to a news conference after their tour of the Mexico border with the United States on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, in Nogales, Ariz The senators are part of a larger group of legislators, including Sen. Michael Bennett, D-CO, who also joined the three at the border for the tour, who are shaping and negotiating details of an immigration reform package vowed Wednesday to make the legislation public when Congress reconvenes next month. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX (AP) ? Marco Antonio Durazo had been awaiting deportation from an Arizona detention center for six months when an officer came to get him from his cell.
"Obama doesn't have any money," the officer said.
"We found it very funny," Durazo said, but it wasn't a joke.
Soon, he was free along with hundreds of other illegal immigrants who were released by the Obama administration because of budget pressures. Officials have also scaled back border agent hours, drug patrols and staffing at border crossings ? all during the peak illegal border-crossing season.
While prompted by the nation's money woes, the changes also come amid the nation's shifting immigration policy after years of mass arrests and deportations and billions spent on border security.
The long-term impact of that change has yet to be seen. The Border Patrol said January and February numbers showed a nearly 10 percent increase in apprehensions along the Mexico border for the first two months of the year, compared with 2012.
There could be several factors for the rise, including immigrants motivated by an improving U.S. economy or those anticipating congressional action that could create a path to citizenship. The cuts come as lawmakers are struggling to work out a comprehensive immigration reform package whose success may ultimately be tied to questions of border security.
On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain led a bipartisan group of senators on a tour of the border, and they said they were close to a deal but continued to tie it to keeping immigration in check. They promised more details next week, but McCain said that there's "no doubt" in his mind that the border is less secure because of the budget cuts.
The release of more than 2,200 immigrants like Durazo drew headlines this month as the government prepared for looming cuts that began in March. In February, the government let go of hundreds of immigrants from detention centers in states including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas. The administration planned to let roughly 3,000 more go in March, according to an internal government budget document reviewed by the AP and later released by the House Judiciary Committee.
The moves were an attempt by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get its detainee population in line with what it could afford. The released immigrants still face deportation but will not be held while awaiting their court dates.
Some in Congress said ICE should have explained beforehand that there wasn't enough money to keep everyone in detention.
The immigrants and their lawyers say they were released with little notice or instruction beyond being told to check in periodically.
In many cases, the immigrants were dropped off in the middle of the night at bus stations or airports in metropolitan centers without money to finish their journey home. In Florida, some were released from a facility bordering rural swamp land outside Miami.
Critics argue the plan allowed the release of thousands of criminals without regard to public safety, but officials say almost all the detainees were characterized as low risk. ICE Director John Morton told a congressional panel that 10 of the 2,228 people were the highest level of offender.
"In reducing detention levels, we took careful steps to ensure that national security and public safety were not compromised," he told a congressional hearing.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration, in the midst of trying to get immigration overhauled, switched from daily declarations that the border was secure to warning of the increasingly dire consequences of cutting $754 million from Customs and Border Protection's $12 billion budget.
In the first week of the cuts, some agents in South Texas reported a spike in arrests of immigrants who said smugglers told them they would be briefly detained and then released. The agents' union quickly spread word of a "tidal wave" of immigrants taking advantage of the situation.
Several immigrants interviewed at a migrant shelter in Reynosa, Mexico, across the border from McAllen, Texas, said they had not heard anything suggesting now was a particularly good time to cross. Instead, several said they were returning home because the drug cartel that controlled river crossings made it too expensive and dangerous.
"Here, they say you can't cross the river right now because there are a lot of kidnappings. They're killing a lot of people," said Josue Manuel Vazquez, who added that he escaped kidnappers who held him for five days as they tried to extort $4,500 from his daughter, a legal U.S. resident.
Some contend the budget cuts are relatively small when put in the broader context of the huge build-up of border security over the past decade.
According to the Government Accountability Office, the Department of Homeland Security assigned about 28,100 people in 2004 to patrol land borders and inspect travelers at all ports of entry at a cost of about $5.9 billion. By the end of 2011, those figures were 41,400 employees at a cost of $11.8 billion.
"The scale of (automatic budget cuts) is minuscule compared to the vast build-up," said Geoff Boyce, spokesman for No More Deaths, an immigration advocacy group in Tucson, Ariz.
The effects of the cuts are being seen in border cities and among agents. Customs and Border Protection reduced overtime for its officers at ports of entry. In San Diego and other crossing points, that translated to fewer lanes open at land crossings and longer waits for people and trucks carrying produce and other goods from Mexico.
Those waits are only expected to worsen in coming weeks as the agency begins furloughs amid a hiring freeze. In a letter to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned that peak wait times at the busiest border crossings could reach five hours or more.
Border Patrol agents received notices advising them they would face up to 14 days of furloughs during the next six months and would no longer be eligible for overtime that for years has added an average of two hours to every agent's shift.
The agency is also suspending assignments known as "details" that sent agents from slower parts of the border to busier areas for months at a time. Agents on detail are often put up in hotels and receive a per diem.
The cuts have also forced the government to pull back on flight and ship patrols in the drug war in Central America.
Durazo learned about the budget issues while watching the news at his sister's home in the Phoenix area after his release. He crossed into the U.S. from his native Mexico in 1969 when he was 19, and he said he doesn't know what will happen next with his immigration case. He has, however, decided to embrace his good fortune.
"We gave many thanks to God, because we prayed a lot while we were in there," he said.
___
Cristina Silva can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/cristymsilva .
Christopher Sherman can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/chrisshermanap .
Circadian rhythms tell fowl to crow at dawn, even if the birds can't see the sun come up. Sophie Bushwick reports
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Roosters greet the rising sun with [crowing sound effect]. But they also crow at other times. So are they responding to the light? Or do they simply know that it?s morning? New research says the latter: roosters crow because of internal time cues. The finding is in the journal Current Biology. [Tsuyoshi Shimmura and Takashi Yoshimura, Circadian clock determines the timing of rooster crowing]
Scientists controlled the light levels in rooster habitats. For two weeks, the birds experienced 12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of dim light. Consistent with the pre-dawn noises observed in wild fowl, the roosters began to crow about two hours before their rooms lit up.
Then, for two weeks, the roosters lived in constant dim light. Yet they continued to crow about once a day?at intervals of 23.7 hours to be precise. Even without morning light, their circadian rhythms told them when dawn should be breaking.
The birds also crowed in response to sudden light, and to the sounds of other roosters. But they were more likely to react when those stimuli occurred near dawn. Showing that you can?t really keep a rooster in the dark about the time.
LONDON (Reuters) - The situation in the euro zone has shown the difficulties of operating a single currency across several countries, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday.
"There is a basic question - what is the right size for a single monetary policy?" Bernanke said in response to a question at a panel discussion in London.
While some aspects of the euro zone were optimal, including the credibility of its central bank to deliver low inflation, there were also differences across countries in terms of competitiveness and their different stages in the economic cycle, he said.
"So I think it is a mixed picture," Bernanke said.
(Reporting by Marius Zaharia and Marc Jones, writing by William Schomberg; editing by Ron Askew)
Scientists from the Nano-Science Center at the Niels Bohr Institut, Denmark and the Ecole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne, Switzerland, have shown that a single nanowire can concentrate the sunlight up to 15 times of the normal sun light intensity. The results are surprising and the potential for developing a new type of highly efficient solar cells is great.
Due to some unique physical light absorption properties of nanowires, the limit of how much energy we can utilize from the sun's rays is higher than previous believed. These results demonstrate the great potential of development of nanowire-based solar cells, says PhD Peter Krogstrup on the surprising discovery that is described in the journalNature Photonics.
The research groups have during recent years studied how to develop and improve the quality of the nanowire crystals, which is a cylindrical structure with a diameter of about 10,000 part of a human hair. The nanowires are predicted to have great potential in the development not only of solar cells, but also of future quantum computers and other electronic products.
It turns out that the nanowires naturally concentrate the sun's rays into a very small area in the crystal by up to a factor 15. Because the diameter of a nanowire crystal is smaller than the wavelength of the light coming from the sun it can cause resonances in the intensity of light in and around nanowires. Thus, the resonances can give a concentrated sunlight, where the energy is converted, which can be used to give a higher conversion effeciency of the sun's energy, says Peter Krogstrup, who with this discovery contributes to that the research in solar cell technology based on nanowires get a real boost.
New efficiency limit
The typical efficiency limit - the so-called "Shockley-Queisser Limit" - is a limit, which for many years has been a landmark for solar cells efficiency among researchers, but now it seems that it may be increased.
It's exciting as a researcher to move the theoretical limits, as we know. Although it does not sound like much, that the limit is moved by only a few percent, it will have a major impact on the development of solar cells, exploitation of nanowire solar rays and perhaps the extraction of energy at international level. However, it will take some years years before production of solar cells consisting of nanowires becomes a reality, says Peter Krogstrup who just completed his PhD at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.
The research is conducted in collaboration with the Laboratory des Mat?riaux Semiconducteurs, Ecole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne, the Foundation and the company SunFlake A / S. Their scientific findings work support results published in the journalScience in January. Here, a group of researchers from Lund, showed that the sun's rays was sucked into the nanowires due to the high amount of power that their solar cell produced.
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University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute: http://www.nbi.ku.dk/english/press_and_media/
Thanks to University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute for this article.
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Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...
Mar. 25, 2013 ? Hospital readmissions are a costly problem for patients and for the United States health care system with studies showing nearly 20 percent of Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge at an annual cost of $17 billion. Preventing avoidable readmissions could result in improved patient care and significant cost savings. In a new model developed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), researchers help clinicians identify which medical patients are at the greatest risk for potentially avoidable hospital readmissions so extra steps can be taken to keep those patients healthy and out of the hospital.
The model is published in the March 25, 2013 online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine.
"The strength of this model is its simplicity," said Jacques Donz?, MD, MSc, a research associate in the Department of Medicine at BWH and co-creator of the model. "We have identified seven important variables that a physician can easily run through at a patient's bedside prior to discharge. If a patient is determined to be at high-risk for readmission, a return trip to the hospital could be prevented by providing additional interventions such as a home visit by a nurse or pharmacist consultation.
The seven independent factors, which were discovered over the course of three years of research, include:
Hemoglobin level at discharge
Sodium level at discharge
Whether or not the patient is being discharged from an oncology service
Whether or not non-surgical patients had a procedure during their hospital stay
Whether or not the hospital admission was elective
The number of times the patient has been admitted to the hospital during the last year
The length of the patient's hospital stay
The more of these risk factors a patient has, the greater the risk of readmission.
"This model can be a valuable tool in the national effort to reduce health care costs and improve the quality of care," said Jeffrey Schnipper, MD, MPH, the director of clinical research for the BWH hospitalist service and a co-creator of the model. "Identifying patients who at least have the potential to benefit from more intensive transitional interventions is an important first step in reducing hospital readmissions."
Researchers stress that this model predicts the risk of potentially avoidable readmission, and that no prediction model will be a perfect indicator of preventable hospital readmission. Because the model was created and validated at one hospital, a multi-center international validation of the model is now underway.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Jacques Donz? et al. Potentially Avoidable 30-Day Hospital Readmissions in Medical PatientsDerivation and Validation of a Prediction ModelPotentially Avoidable 30-Day Hospital Readmissions. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013; : 1 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.3023
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
With the SAP Customer Loyalty mobile app for Android, retailers can connect with their customer base like never before. This comprehensive app sends unique offers, reward updates, and loyalty account information straight to customers? Android devices, resulting in increased customer loyalty, transaction volume, and promotional conversion rates.
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Note: SAP Customer Loyalty is a demo app that uses sample data to allow retailers to explore the potential of this solution. Your retailer will make a live version of the app available if they have procured the necessary mobile solution from SAP. The app can be entirely tailored to the retailer?s brand identity.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) ? Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards has died at a hospice at age 68.
Richards, whose real name was Dennis Lussier, died Sunday at the Whatcom Hospice House, Peace Health St. Joseph Medical Center spokeswoman Amy Cloud confirmed Monday.
Richards had been battling esophageal cancer, according to a statement from Universal Music.
As leader of the Motown songwriting, arranging and producing team known as The Corporation, Richards was involved in writing and producing many Jackson 5 hits, the Universal Music release said. Those songs included the Jackson 5's first three No. 1 hits - "I Want You Back," ''ABC," and "The Love You Save."
He also co-wrote "Love Child" for Diana Ross & The Supremes, as well Ross' solo "I'm Still Waiting."
Other recording artists for whom Richards produced or wrote songs include Bobby Darin, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas.
He is survived by his wife, Joan Lussier, a brother and two nephews.
DNA says lemur lookalikes are 2 new speciesPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Robin Ann Smith ras10@duke.edu 919-668-4544 Duke University
DURHAM, N.C. -- Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.
The new study brings the number of recognized mouse lemur species to 20, making them the most diverse group of lemurs known. But because these shy, nocturnal primates look so much alike, it's only possible to tell them apart with genetic sequencing.
The new mouse lemurs weigh 2.5 to 3 ounces (about 65 to 85 grams) and have grey-brown fur. "You can't really tell them apart just looking at them through binoculars in the rainforest," said senior author Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Goettingen, who earned his PhD at Duke in 1992.
The researchers named one of the new species the Anosy mouse lemur, or Microcebus tanosi. Anosy mouse lemurs are close neighbors with grey mouse lemurs and grey-brown mouse lemurs, but the genetic data indicate they don't interbreed.
The researchers named the other new species the Marohita mouse lemur, or Microcebus marohita, after the forest where it was found. In Malagasy, the word "marohita" means "many views."
"Despite its species' name, this mouse lemur is threatened by ongoing habitat destruction, and 'many views' of its members are unlikely," the researchers write.
The two new species were first captured by co-author Rodin Rasoloarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar during trips to the eastern part of the country in 2003 and 2007. Rasoloarison weighed and measured them and took tiny skin samples for genetic analysis in the lab.
Co-authors Anne Yoder and Dave Weisrock, both at Duke University at the time, analyzed two mitochondrial and four nuclear DNA genes to figure out where the animals fit into the lemur family tree. Their genetic analyses were published in 2010, but this is the first time the species have been formally named and described.
Funded by a grant from the German Research Foundation, the study is published in the March 26 online issue of the International Journal of Primatology.
During a 2012 return trip to the forest where the Marohita mouse lemur lives, Rasoloarison discovered that much of the lemur's forest home had been cleared since his first visit in 2003. The state of the lemur's habitat prompted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify the new species as "endangered" even before it was formally described.
"This species is a prime example of the current state of many other lemur species," Kappeler said. Mouse lemurs have lived in Madagascar for 7 to 10 million years. But since humans arrived on the island some 2,500 years ago, logging and slash and burn agriculture have taken their toll on the forests where these tree-dwelling primates live.
Only 10 percent of Madagascar's original forests remain today, which makes lemurs the most endangered mammals in the world according to the IUCN.
"Knowing exactly how many species we have is essential for determining which areas to target for conservation," Kappeler said.
A better understanding of mouse lemur diversity could help humans too. Mouse lemurs are a closer genetic match to humans than mice and rats, the most common lab animals. At least one species -- the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) -- develops a neurological disease that is strikingly similar to human Alzheimer's, so the animals are considered important models for understanding the aging brain.
"But before we can say whether a particular genetic variant in mouse lemurs is associated with Alzheimer's, we need to know whether that variant is specific to all mouse lemurs or just select species," said Lemur Center Director Anne Yoder.
"Every new mouse lemur species that we sample in the wild will help researchers put the genetic diversity we see in grey mouse lemurs in a broader context," she said.
###
CITATION: Rasoloarison, R., et al. (2013). "Two new species of mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Microcebus) from eastern Madagascar." International Journal of Primatology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10764-013-9672-1
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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.
DNA says lemur lookalikes are 2 new speciesPublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Robin Ann Smith ras10@duke.edu 919-668-4544 Duke University
DURHAM, N.C. -- Scientists have identified two new species of mouse lemur, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar.
The new study brings the number of recognized mouse lemur species to 20, making them the most diverse group of lemurs known. But because these shy, nocturnal primates look so much alike, it's only possible to tell them apart with genetic sequencing.
The new mouse lemurs weigh 2.5 to 3 ounces (about 65 to 85 grams) and have grey-brown fur. "You can't really tell them apart just looking at them through binoculars in the rainforest," said senior author Peter Kappeler of the German Primate Center in Goettingen, who earned his PhD at Duke in 1992.
The researchers named one of the new species the Anosy mouse lemur, or Microcebus tanosi. Anosy mouse lemurs are close neighbors with grey mouse lemurs and grey-brown mouse lemurs, but the genetic data indicate they don't interbreed.
The researchers named the other new species the Marohita mouse lemur, or Microcebus marohita, after the forest where it was found. In Malagasy, the word "marohita" means "many views."
"Despite its species' name, this mouse lemur is threatened by ongoing habitat destruction, and 'many views' of its members are unlikely," the researchers write.
The two new species were first captured by co-author Rodin Rasoloarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar during trips to the eastern part of the country in 2003 and 2007. Rasoloarison weighed and measured them and took tiny skin samples for genetic analysis in the lab.
Co-authors Anne Yoder and Dave Weisrock, both at Duke University at the time, analyzed two mitochondrial and four nuclear DNA genes to figure out where the animals fit into the lemur family tree. Their genetic analyses were published in 2010, but this is the first time the species have been formally named and described.
Funded by a grant from the German Research Foundation, the study is published in the March 26 online issue of the International Journal of Primatology.
During a 2012 return trip to the forest where the Marohita mouse lemur lives, Rasoloarison discovered that much of the lemur's forest home had been cleared since his first visit in 2003. The state of the lemur's habitat prompted the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify the new species as "endangered" even before it was formally described.
"This species is a prime example of the current state of many other lemur species," Kappeler said. Mouse lemurs have lived in Madagascar for 7 to 10 million years. But since humans arrived on the island some 2,500 years ago, logging and slash and burn agriculture have taken their toll on the forests where these tree-dwelling primates live.
Only 10 percent of Madagascar's original forests remain today, which makes lemurs the most endangered mammals in the world according to the IUCN.
"Knowing exactly how many species we have is essential for determining which areas to target for conservation," Kappeler said.
A better understanding of mouse lemur diversity could help humans too. Mouse lemurs are a closer genetic match to humans than mice and rats, the most common lab animals. At least one species -- the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) -- develops a neurological disease that is strikingly similar to human Alzheimer's, so the animals are considered important models for understanding the aging brain.
"But before we can say whether a particular genetic variant in mouse lemurs is associated with Alzheimer's, we need to know whether that variant is specific to all mouse lemurs or just select species," said Lemur Center Director Anne Yoder.
"Every new mouse lemur species that we sample in the wild will help researchers put the genetic diversity we see in grey mouse lemurs in a broader context," she said.
###
CITATION: Rasoloarison, R., et al. (2013). "Two new species of mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Microcebus) from eastern Madagascar." International Journal of Primatology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10764-013-9672-1
[ | 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.
TO GO WITH STORY BELGIUM CHOCOLATE STAMPS - FILE- A Bpost worker checks a sheet of chocolate stamps in this file photo dated Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at the Belgian post office stamp press in Mechelen, Belgium. The Belgian post office began issuing chocolate postage stamps on Monday, March 25, 2013. When the gum on the back of the stamp is licked it tastes of chocolate and the stamps also have a chocolate smell, which is blended in with the varnish in the form of essential cacao oils. The five different postage stamps depict chocolate in various forms: sprinkles, pralines, chocolate spread, pieces of raw chocolate and bars. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
TO GO WITH STORY BELGIUM CHOCOLATE STAMPS - FILE- A Bpost worker checks a sheet of chocolate stamps in this file photo dated Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, at the Belgian post office stamp press in Mechelen, Belgium. The Belgian post office began issuing chocolate postage stamps on Monday, March 25, 2013. When the gum on the back of the stamp is licked it tastes of chocolate and the stamps also have a chocolate smell, which is blended in with the varnish in the form of essential cacao oils. The five different postage stamps depict chocolate in various forms: sprinkles, pralines, chocolate spread, pieces of raw chocolate and bars. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
BRUSSELS (AP) ? Feel like having chocolate at Easter in Belgium? Well, send a letter and really lick that chocolate-flavored postal stamp.
The Belgian post office released 538,000 stamps on Monday that have pictures of chocolate on the front but the essence of cacao oil in the glue at the back for taste and in the ink for smell.
Belgian stamp collector Marie-Claire Verstichel said while the taste was a bit disappointing, "they smell good."
Easter is the season for chocolate in Belgium with Easter eggs and bunnies all over supermarkets and speciality stores.
A set of five stamps costs 6.2 euros ($8) but might leave a customer hungry for more.
TIP! You can use your willpower to make your life more positive, which means that the wishes you have for others can impact your circumstances, as well. For this reason, it is important to wish only positive things for the people in your life.
Self improvement means working to improve awareness and build your identity. Self awareness is improved by reaching personal goals and growing spiritually. This article is your source for top-flight self-improvement strategies. Take it slow, there is no rush and soon you will begin to understand yourself in a more positive light.
TIP! Avoid shopping as a way to comfort yourself. Taking up a hobby is a better alternative.
Go to the movies with a friend. This allows you to be in a social setting without the added pressure of talking to a lot of people. This will help get you used to being in the same vicinity with lots of different people.
TIP! Try and improve one thing at a time rather than broadening your focus. There may be multiple things that you would like to improve about yourself, but by limiting your focus to one item at a time, you improve your chances for success.
Get as much work done as you can during the day. The simple trick is to take more breaks when you work. It can seem like the opposite would be true, but taking mini breaks frequently will allow you to feel less bored, and get more done during the times you are working.
TIP! Write down your goals to help you grow on the inside. If you hope to boost your self-confidence, include this on your list.
You should always strive to be the best in your area. You should always try to be the best you can be. While it is almost impossible to be the best at everything we do, aspiring to inspire other people is an admirable and worthy goal for oneself. Increase your professional skillset, and you will feel a lot better about yourself.
TIP! Look for different sources of encouragement, like books. Religious books are very uplifting to some, while others may prefer inspirational quotes, autobiographies or poetry.
Employers usually don?t care where you went to college. They only care that you got your degree and are capable of doing the work. Larger companies, such as financial institutions, may be the exception to this. The degree is what is critical, and what will produce opportunity.
TIP! Measure your progress by organizing as much as you can. You may find it easier to achieve your goals if you break them down into smaller components.
Unless you take care of yourself, you won?t be able to care for anyone else. Whether you?re just starting your self improvement plan or are well down the road and regardless of whether you?re succeeding or failing, you have to set aside time for yourself to rest, relax, and regroup.
TIP! It can be difficult to reach goals that are too hard or vague, and this may discourage you on your path to personal development. Set a clear, well-defined goal for yourself.
You need to have an emergency fund. The only constant in life is change, and sometimes those changes require use to take on unexpected expenses. If you take a few dollars and put them into an emergency fund every week, you will build a nice amount of money to use whenever something unexpected arises. Having an emergency fund in place can help provide a safety net throughout all the phases of one?s financial life.
TIP! Watch successful people; learn and follow their habits. Start with a couple habits and then practice them until they?re permanent parts of your life.
Are you a steady drinker? Do you smoke or participate in other actives that can harm your body? Your body is sacred, and you have to learn to respect it. Sometimes, eliminating bad habits is what it takes to make your life better. Look at how you are living your life, and check if you are participating in any negative habits that should be eliminated.
TIP! It is normal to find unhealthy foods tempting. Admit your poor choices, and move on with your life.
Ultimate happiness may lie in assuming a manageable amount of risk. It is not uncommon for an individual to avoid the feeling of rejection or failure while at at the same time, leading a life that they feel is confining and unfulfilled. Have the courage to take some risks so that you can find your happiness.
TIP! A useful personal development tip is that you always cherish the things you believe are most valuable. Therefore, you must value your best and make it an important aspect of your life.
Always be up for a challenge. Trying new things is a way to broaden your horizons. You can learn new skills and gain knowledge. You could end up creating something new or doing something no one else has done. Unique challenges can help to yield more satisfaction down the road.
TIP! As you ascertain your needs and how you will approach them, there is one thing that must be done. You need to participate in life and not watch from the sidelines.
Gauging how far you?ve come and how far you have yet to go is a crucial part of self improvement. The advice in this article should be implemented into your quest for reaching your personal goals. Write down your goals and compare your achievements regularly.
Stephanie Deltor is a Spelman College student aiming to achieve her dreams of becoming a licensed psychologist and author. With her ambition here she write to inspire and encourage others in any way she sees fit. To learn more about her, her business, and her words, Click the following link: http://letters2thesoul.blogspot.com/
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Public release date: 28-Mar-2013
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