stagnation downhearted: May 2013

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Lance Armstrong Killed the Livestrong Bracelet

After nearly a decade of partnership that was as big on sales of iconic bracelets and athletic gear as it was a major symbol of cancer awareness, Nike has cut ties with Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation.

RELATED: Lance Armstrong Quits Livestrong to Save It

We already knew that Armstrong had let down his awareness group ? he told the Livestrong staff he was "sorry" ahead of a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year ? but the cancer foundation came to be something else entirely: an engine of profit. And even as its founder faced more and more allegations of doping, sales held strong, according to the latest available financial information leading up to Armstrong's coming-clean on steroids. But then he fessed-up, Livestrong apparel hit the bargain bin, and now Nike will stop making those rubber yellow wristbands.

RELATED: Nike Ends Its Sponsorship of Lance Armstrong

Nike started producing the Livestrong bracelets in May 2004 ? an instant symbol of cancer-patient support, as Armstrong went for his sixth Tour de France win, and doping allegations began to heat up ? and went on to sell 80 million of them. The global athletic powerhouse soon expanded the Livestrong brand to yellow exercise gear and much, much more. But today that all came to a crashing halt as the two brands announced their separation. Nike will no longer sell any Livestrong stuff after the 2013 holiday season. Nike, of course,?cut its official partnership with Lance Armstrong in October 2012 after he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong resigned as the head of Livestrong to save the Foundation from any potential fallout from the doping scandal. But now it appears, after a confession, his damaged image has hurt the foundation even more than he could in person ? its product is damage goods.

RELATED: How Far Will Lance Armstrong's Apology Tour Really Go?

With Nike's support, Livestrong raised over $500 million for cancer research since the partnership began, with a huge amount of proceeds going to a good cause. "We will continue to support the Livestrong Foundation by funding them directly as they continue their work serving and improving outcomes for people facing cancer," Nike said in their statement today. "This news will prompt some to jump to negative conclusions about the foundation's future," reads Livestrong's statement. "We see things quite differently. We expected and planned for changes like this and are therefore in a good position to adjust swiftly and move forward with our patient-focused work."

RELATED: Lance Armstrong, The 'Steroid Era,' and Public Art

The financial standing for the Livestrong Foundation is sound, judging by the information available to us. Charity Navigator gives Livestrong a strong four-star review. And if ESPN's Darren Rovell is right, business for Livestrong branded apparel was booming last year:?

Just last year, sources say Nike did about $150 million in sales of Livestrong-branded products, which was the most it ever sold. But industry insiders told ESPN.com that Nike, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods, which sold the most product at retail, were ready to give up the business.

But things apparently took a turn after the Oprah interview in January, when Armstrong admitted using testosterone and EPO and to performing blood transfusions during his cycling career. That's when Dick's Sporting Goods decided to get out of the Livestrong business, because they couldn't sell anything. Livestrong-branded apparel was put on clearance, per Bloomberg:?

Sales of exercise equipment also dropped after?Lance Armstrong?admitted using performance-enhancing drugs during his career, the company said. Equipment branded Livestrong, the charity Armstrong founded, makes up more than 50 percent of its treadmill and elliptical sales. After Armstrong?s admission, demand fell and it?s now clearing inventory with price reductions and has plans replace it with another brand, the company said.

And that's how one man ? even one of the great cancer survival stories in American celebrity history ? can put olive oil in his veins for personal gain, deny the whole thing, come clean, and ruin one of the most inspiring charity-retail partnerships on the planet.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lance-armstrong-killed-livestrong-bracelet-165735338.html

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Camas' finance director is retiring after 24 years | The Columbian

By Tyler Graf
Columbian staff writer

Monday, May 27, 2013

Camas will bid farewell at the end of the month to its longest-serving employee.

Joan Durgin, the city's finance director, will retire Friday. A 24-year veteran of the city, Durgin balanced Camas' books during a period of rapid growth.

In her time with the city, the population increased from around 6,700 to nearly 20,000. During that boom, underscored by Camas' transformation from a mill town to a hub of high-tech businesses, the city's budget evolved, as departments grew and finances became more complicated.

"It's a big deal, helping a city that grows that fast," said Mayor Scott Higgins, who expressed mixed emotions about Durgin's retirement.

The city has big shoes to fill, he said.

Durgin has been one of two constants for Camas in the past couple of decades, since the city moved to an administrator-council form of government in 1989. The other was former City Administrator Lloyd Halverson -- also hired in 1989, two weeks before Durgin -- who retired as city administrator in June 2012.

Even in retirement, Halverson was assisting Camas on special projects. He came off the city's books for good at the beginning of the month.

Camas has hired Cathy Huber Nickerson, Battle Ground's finance director, to replace Durgin. She will start working for Camas July 8, the city says.

The role of finance director was never dull, said Durgin, a bona fide accounting aficionado.

She came to the city following a 10-year stint with the Washington State Auditor's Office.

"I was looking for a change," Durgin said of the transition. "The state auditor was really focused at that time on auditing federal grants, and he wasn't focused on accounting records or financial statements."

During her years with the city, budgeting challenges have arisen, Durgin acknowledged. One of the biggest came in 1997 in the form of Referendum 47, which said property taxes couldn't increase by more than the rate of inflation.

During recessions, that constrains the city's budget, Durgin said.

In recent years, there have been expensive infrastructure projects the city has undertaken. They include upgrades to the city's wastewater treatment plant, an ongoing project.

The city may have another year of tight revenue, Durgin said. But she's confident her replacement will have the skills to fill her shoes.

"I think everyone is replaceable," she said. "I think there are some bright people out there who can take over."

Tyler Graf: 360-735-4517; http://twitter.com/col_smallcities; tyler.graf@columbian.com.

Source: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/may/27/camas-finance-director-is-retiring-after-24-years/

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Pa. woman using purple toilets to fight cancer

EASTON, Pa. -- A northeastern Pennsylvania woman is using purple toilets to raise money to fight cancer.

The Express-Times reports (http://bit.ly/15elgmY ) Rebecca Szabo-Silfies and her two young sons have been leaving the commodes on lawns around Upper Nazareth Township as part of the "Flush Out Cancer" effort. She chairs Saturday's American Cancer Society Relay for Life event at Nazareth Area High School.

She stakes out a home, leaves a toilet and then waits for the homeowner to find it. The person can then pay $10 to have it taken away, $20 to send it to a friend or $30 to send it to a friend and guarantee it never comes back.

The two purple toilets have made 18 stops so far, raising $400. Szabo-Silfies says she found the idea on the Internet.

Information from: The (Easton, Pa.) Express-Times, http://www.lehighvalleylive.com

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/28/3420359/pa-woman-using-purple-toilets.html

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Florida court debates what jury can hear in Trayvon Martin killing

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A court hearing begins Tuesday to determine how Trayvon Martin should be portrayed to a jury when a neighborhood watch captain goes on trial for killing the unarmed black teenager last year.

George Zimmerman, whose highly anticipated second-degree murder is scheduled to start June 10, has said he shot Martin in self-defense during a fight in February 2012.

At issue in Tuesday's hearing are pieces of evidence that suggest 17-year-old Martin used marijuana at an undetermined time and had been suspended from school shortly prior to his death. The defense also wants to use text messages and social media posts that Zimmerman's lawyer said would show that Martin presented himself as "street wise" and interested in guns.

Prosecutors will argue that the Facebook postings by Martin, who had no criminal record and the way he portrayed himself to his friends is irrelevant to what happened on the night of the killing.

In a motion to ban evidence of marijuana use, prosecutors said there is no evidence that Martin was under the influence or that marijuana contributed to his death. O'Mara claims, however, that the evidence supports the defense theory that Martin was the aggressor.

The hearing before Judge Debra Nelson begins at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) in the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford, where national news media are gearing up for extensive live coverage of the trial.

Zimmerman followed Martin after he spotted him walking in the rain in a gated community in the town of Sanford near Orlando where Martin was spending the weekend in one of the town homes with his father. Zimmerman called police to report a suspicious person and pursued Martin despite the dispatcher telling him not to. Soon after, Zimmerman shot Martin during a struggle before police arrived.

In court filings Zimmerman's lawyers say they want the judge to decide about the use during the trial of voice analysis of 911 tapes of calls to the police before and during the struggle.

Lawyers are seeking clarification from the judge about whether the science behind the various types of voice analysis used by experts for the state and defense is solid enough to be considered by the jury.

Experts have reached different conclusions about whether it was Zimmerman or Martin screaming in the background of a 911 call taped just before Martin was shot, or whether it is possible to be certain at all.

Some experts could isolate only seconds of usable audio on the tape while one prosecution expert claims to have deciphered several phrases uttered by Zimmerman and Martin.

The defense also wants the judge to allow the identities of the jurors to remain secret and to let the jury visit the crime scene.

Martin's death set off debate about Florida's "stand your ground" law, which allows deadly force if a person fears serious bodily harm. Police initially declined to arrest Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, which led to racial protests.

(Editing by David Adams and Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/florida-court-debates-jury-hear-trayvon-martin-killing-050535110.html

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Chinese Club Med Investor Fosun International's Business Empire ...

Yesterday?s?word of a planned buyout of French resort operator Club Med?as a precusor to?a deeper?push into emerging markets (see story here)?puts the spotlight on one of the two main shareholders involved in the purchase,? the Fosun Group of China, which has?emerged as one of?the country?s?largest investment companies since it was set up in 1992.

Two Fosun founders, Guo Guangchang and Liang Xinjun, are members of the 2013 Forbes Billionaires List.? Fosun International Fosun International, the group?s main investment holding company, trades?at the?Hong Kong Stock Exchange. (Note: Fosun Media is a licensing partner in China for Forbes Media.)

Here is an overview of Fosun International?s business empire, arranged by industry.? Investee company names are followed by the stock ticker (if applicable) and Fosun International?s stake as reported in its 2012 report.? ?

INSURANCE

? Pramerica Fosun Life Insurance (50%)

? Yong?an P&C Insurance (18.1%)

?? Peak Reinsurance (84%) ?

INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS

? Forte (99%)

? Fosun Pharma (600196.SH, 02196.HK, 41%)

? Sinopharm (01099 HK, 32% owned by Fosun Pharma)

? Hainan Mining (60%)

? Nanjing Nangang (60%)

?? Nanjing Iron (600282.HK, 84% owned by Nanjing Nangang)??

INVESTMENTS

?Yuyuan (600655.SH, 17%)

?Jianlong Group (26%)

?Shanjiaowulin (20%)

?Zhaojin Mining (01818.HK, 8%)

?Focus Media (FMCN, 17%)

Source: http://thenewsbuzz.com/chinese-club-med-investor-fosun-internationals-business-empire-forbes/

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

9 TV shows to watch this summer

Ree Hines and Anna Chan TODAY

14 hours ago

Image: "Dexter," "Breaking Bad," "AGT," "Futurama"

Showtime / AMC / NBC / Comedy Ce

Jennifer Carpenter on "Dexter," Bryan Cranston on "Breaking Bad," Howard Stern on "America's Got Talent" and Leela on "Futurama."

The sun is shining. The birds are chirping. The thermostat is rising. And the TV is on.

Yes, it really is. That's because unlike the days of yore, summer television now is jam-packed with fantastic offerings so viewers can enjoy the AC from the comfort of their couches. And we're not talking about just a few quality shows available once or twice a week -- there's something for everyone every single night, and then some.

The list of all the shows with summer premiere dates -- from returning favorites to newbies -- is quite daunting, so we've taken the liberty of picking out some of the most promising. Now go set your DVRs.

'Arrested Development'
Premiered May 26 on Netflix

Some call it one of the greatest sitcoms ever made. Everyone else? Well, maybe they never watched "Arrested Development" because, frankly, it's tough to argue with that hype. After a seven-year hiatus, the cult-favorite series returned Sunday. Finally fans can find out the latest on the gloriously dysfunctional Bluth bunch. Is Lucille still subsiding on vodka tonics? Is everyone's favorite "never nude" still never nude? And just what tricks does Gob have up his sleeves now? (Please be pennies!) The long wait is over.

'The Killing'
Premieres Sunday, June 2 on AMC

?What is dead may never die.? Oh, wait! Wrong show! But the saying fits the AMC drama. The show was canceled after its second season, but the decision was reversed in January. The story will pick up a year after the season two finale (yes, Rosie?s killer was finally revealed, and Linden quit her job), with Holder working on a case that appears to have ties to an old investigation Linden had worked on.

'America's Got Talent'
Premieres Tuesday, June 4 on NBC

Dog acts and sword swallowers and jugglers -- oh my! "America's Got Talent" stands out in a reality TV landscape packed with singing competitions. Sure, singers can and do make a big impression on "AGT," but so do ventriloquists and, well, other oddities. Last season, judge Howard Stern gave viewers a new reason to watch. This time around? With Mel B and Heidi Klum added to the mix, the panel might just upstage the on-stage talent.

'True Blood'
Premieres Sunday, June 16 on HBO

Forget sunshine, lemonade and beach days! It's time to bring on the vampires, shifters and were-things. For fans of the show, "True Blood" is the real highlight of summer. And this summer, the Bon Temps-based action promises to get bloodier and broodier than ever before. Last season's big baddie -- the spiritual remains of goddess-like proto-vamp Lilith -- was reborn when Bill drank the last bit of holy blood. Now Billith is the one Sookie and pals will have to reckon with.

'Futurama'
Premieres Wednesday, June 19 on Comedy Central

Created by "The Simpsons" mastermind, Matt Groening, "Futurama" never enjoyed the megahit status of its sibling series. Instead, the animated sci-fi show relied on a devoted band of fans and loads of critical acclaim to keep it on the air. It survived one cancellation and a network switcheroo already, but, barring another small-screen miracle, the laughs will come to an end soon. That's reason enough to be sure to catch the next adventures of Fry, Leela and the finest drunk robot this side of the Andromeda Galaxy.

'Under the Dome'
Premieres Monday, June 24 on CBS

Is your ideal beach read a Stephen King novel? Then you?re in luck. The horror writer?s bestseller ?Under the Dome? is coming to your television screen this summer. The 13-episode drama explores how the inhabitants of a small town cope after a dome is suddenly lowered over their burg, cutting them off from the rest of the world. The show stars ?Breaking Bad?s? Dean Norris, ?Twilight?s? Rachel Lefevre, Mike Vogel and more.

'Dexter'
Premieres Sunday, June 30 on Showtime

This is it, ?Dexter? fans, the end of the vigilante killer?s saga on the small screen, and it looks like the final season?s going to be a doozy. Deb?s goes into self-destruct mode after offing LaGuerta in the season seven finale, which could spell trouble for everyone?s favorite good bad guy. Then there?s also the little issue of one Dr. Evelyn Vogel, an expert on the brains of psychopaths, who steps in to help the police capture the latest serial killer -- and maybe Dexter himself. On top of all that, Dex?s love, the deadly Hannah McKay, will be back. Will he be able to make it through the summer alive and free? Tune in and see!

'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'
Premieres July 17 on TLC

They're baaa-aaack! Or at least they will be soon. Honey Boo Boo, Mama June, Sugar Bear and the rest of the redneckognizin' gang from McIntyre, Ga., return to TV this summer for a whole new season of sketti making, diet tips and, of course, plenty of beautimous vajiggle jaggle. As a bonus this time around, in addition to all of that, fans will finally get to see Sugar Bear put on ring on it -- in what may or may not be a legally binding wedding ceremony.

'Breaking Bad'
Premieres Sunday, Aug. 11 on AMC

Prepare yourself for some major withdrawal, because everyone?s favorite chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin is hanging up his hat after these last eight episodes for the second half of season five. Last viewers saw, Walt had seemingly quit the business, but it may have been too late. While taking care of some personal business in the bathroom, brother-in-law Hank figures out that Heisenberg is none other than Walt, setting up what will likely be an epic showdown as the drama ends its critically acclaimed run.

Also worth checking out this summer:

"The Bachelorette," May 27 on ABC
"Big Brother," June 26 on CBS
"Drop Dead Diva," June 23 on Lifetime
"Falling Skies," June 9 on TNT
"Get Out Alive With Bear Grylls," July 8 on NBC
"Hot in Cleveland," June 19 on TVLand
"Mistresses," June 3 on ABC
"The Newsroom," July 14 on HBO
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey," June 2 on Bravo
"Toddlers & Tiaras" June 5 on TLC
"Web Therapy," July 23 on Showtime

Which summer show are you most excited for?

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/9-tv-shows-watch-summer-6C10042732

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90% Frances Ha

All Critics (73) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (7)

The dialogue and editing are zippy and generally charming, combining with the tart observations of 20-something culture to create a nice frisson.

A black-and-white salute to the French New Wave (the score is borrowed from Georges Delerue, composer of many a Truffaut and Godard film) that manages to be very much of this moment ...

The movie's a love letter to an actress and her character, but by the end you may feel like an intervention is more in order.

The obvious love of New York City echoes Woody Allen at his best. But "Frances Ha" is very much its own film, a story of life and love and messy rooms.

Baumbach ... makes the film a celebration of Gerwig's coltish, goofball appeal.

Late-blooming 20-somethings have never been so perfectly captured -- and Gerwig has never been more appealing -- than in this funny, tender, life-affirming movie.

This is a tough one, but I must recommend it, if you are at all inclined to witness creativity at its unconventional best.

"Frances Ha"? More like Frances Bah!

Gerwig dances the Millennial Limbo

...caters to the Gerwig persona while also sanding off the edges of Baumbach's usual bitterness.

"Frances Ha" is about the inevitability of adulthood; it can be postponed, but it can't be avoided.

[a] fresh-faced and spirited black and white comedy...

If Frances has a chance, there's hope for us all.

The near-incomparable Greta Gerwig gives Frances a fire, an exuberance, and a three-dimensional uniqueness that ensures the viewer never sways from her side.

It gives you two choices: find it delightful or don't: there is no unique, self-guided option. As frustrating as that conundrum may be, it's still hard not to take option one.

Without Gerwig, this story of a hopeful young woman making her way in New York would have been just like all the rest. Instead, it's a work of art.

But there's just something so relentlessly likable about put-upon, impoverished Frances (Greta Gerwig) that it almost doesn't matter that her New York is just one big Williamsburg.

Improbable yet engaging, this arrested development serio-comedy should be particularly endearing to those who can't quite get their lives together.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frances_ha_2013/

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Monday, May 27, 2013

Japan's Abe ends Myanmar visit with aid, debt write-off

YANGON (Reuters) - Japan on Sunday endorsed Myanmar's reform program by writing off nearly $2 billion in debt and extending new aid, some of which will help support an industrial zone being developed by Japanese firms near the commercial capital, Yangon.

Japan agreed a year ago to forgive 176.1 billion yen ($1.74 billion) in arrears owed to it by Myanmar's government and, at the end of a three-day visit by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it said Myanmar had met the necessary conditions, including a series of political and economic reforms.

"Since both governments acknowledged the continuation of Myanmar's reform efforts, the government of Japan has decided to clear the said overdue charges," the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Abe was the first Japanese leader to visit the Southeast Asian country in 36 years.

Unlike many countries Japan did not impose trade and financial sanctions on Myanmar during five decades of military rule, but it has dramatically scaled up its engagement since the poor but resource-rich country embarked on reforms two years ago under the quasi-civilian government of President Thein Sein.

The debt forgiveness was contingent upon Myanmar pushing ahead with reforms over the past year that included lifting media censorship, enacting a new foreign investment law and allowing more freedom for political activists and parties such as the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Abe met with NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi during his trip.

On Saturday he visited the port of Thilawa, the site of the future industrial zone, 25 km (15 miles) south of Yangon.

As part of 51.05 billion yen in new aid announced on Sunday, Japan will provide up to 20 billion yen for the Thilawa project, repayable over 40 years at 0.01 percent interest. The money will help with electricity infrastructure in the area and an expansion of the port.

Other projects will help increase the power supply elsewhere in the country and develop infrastructure in rural areas.

There was no reference in the various statements to another industrial project in Dawei, by the border with Thailand, being developed by Italian-Thai Development Pcl.

Initial funding of $8.5 billion has proved elusive and the Thai government has sought Japanese help.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was in Japan this week and she said in a weekly televised broadcast on Saturday that investors there had shown strong interest. Thai officials had hoped for signs of progress during Abe's visit to Myanmar. ($1 = 101.1850 Japanese yen)

(Reporting by Jared Ferrie; Addiitonal reporting by Khettiya Jittapong in Bangkok; Editing by Alan Raybould and Jeremy Laurence)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japans-abe-ends-myanmar-visit-aid-debt-write-102446149.html

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Brazil says will cancel Africa debt worth $900 mln

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Brazil will cancel or restructure almost $900 million in debt owed by African countries, a Brazilian official said on Saturday, as part of a plan to increase future funding to the continent.

Latin America's economic powerhouse is increasingly expanding its economic ties with Africa, a sign of how crises in the rich world are pushing faster-growing emerging economies to trade and invest among themselves, economists say.

Brazilian officials said President Dilma Rousseff, visiting Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to mark the African Union's 50th anniversary, was set to announce a new development agency alongside the cancellation that will offer assistance to African countries.

"Almost all (aid) is cancellation," Thomas Traumann, spokesman of Brazil's presidency, told reporters in Addis Ababa.

Under Brazilian law, Brasilia cannot offer new loans and long-term financial assistance to countries with outstanding debts.

Traumann said most of Brazil's future assistance would target infrastructure, agricultural and social programmes.

Among the 12 countries set to benefit are new gas exploration hotspot Tanzania, which owes Brazil $237 million, along with oil-producing Republic of Congo and copper-rich Zambia.

Most of the debt was accumulated in the 1970s and had been renegotiated previously, Traumann added.

"Brazil has great expertise in what we call tropicalising European crops. We have that technology," he said. "The idea is how to transfer that technology from Brazil to other African countries."

In a sign of Brazil's quest for deeper ties with Africa, Rousseff was making her third visit to the continent in as many months, Traumann added.

The BRICs countries - comprising Brazil, China, India and Russia - are now Africa's largest trading partners and its biggest new group of investors. BRICS-Africa trade is seen eclipsing $500 billion by 2015, according to Standard Bank.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-says-cancel-africa-debt-worth-900-mln-073705868.html

Incumbent politico

Rebuilding rules as rain soaks Jersey shore on Memorial Day weekend

MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) ? Saws and sledgehammers joined beer and barbecues ? under covered porches ? as a fixture of the first Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey shore since Superstorm Sandy roared through.

Seven months after the devastating storm pummeled large swaths of the shore, the tourists made their way back, though many substituted porch parties for a day at the beach on Saturday due to rain that has lingered since Thursday.

Though most shore towns have mounted Herculean efforts to rebuild boardwalks and restore beaches, thousands of homes remain damaged, including many along the beachfront.

Jennifer Kornas of Neshanic Station, N.J. and her husband own one in Manasquan. Sandy washed away its stairs and wrecked the furnace, but the home itself escaped without the kind of catastrophic damage that ruined the smaller home next door.

"The devastation was unthinkable," she said Saturday as her three children scampered in and out of the house in a light rain. "We're just praying for no nor'easters this summer because the dunes are all gone. They're coming back, but not until September."

There was never a question of selling the house.

"I have three kids that I raised here," she said. "This is what we do; this is my life. I'm going to do everything I can to stay here. It's going to be tough, but we'll stick together and it'll be OK."

Nearby, Meghan Wisniewski of Sayreville rented a house for the summer for the first time with three fellow 20-somethings.

"When we first talked about getting a house, we didn't know what the shore would be like by summer," she said. "It almost looks back to normal."

Lauren Liberatore, one of her housemates, said their rental was ideally located for a great summer.

"It's 100 yards from the beach and 100 yards from Leggett's," she said, referring to a legendary Jersey shore bar.

Throughout their neighborhood, groups of young people filled rentals, spilling out onto porches as the rain fell, red and blue plastic cups in hand. Surfers took advantage of wind-whipped waves near the Manasquan Inlet, and fishermen still ventured out onto the rock jetty to cast lines for fluke and bluefish.

But the beaches were deserted; badge-checkers were not even on duty Saturday for the unofficial summer kickoff. Lifeguard stands were turned upside down, and only a handful of hardy souls braved the blowing sand that stung the eyes and scoured the skin along Manasquan's paved beach walk, which was just rebuilt a few weeks ago.

Rainy weather and below-normal temperatures were forecast to continue Saturday, with things improving somewhat Sunday. Monday is forecast to be the best weather of the holiday weekend, with the sun finally breaking through and temperatures climbing into the 70s.

Shore towns are counting on strong summer season to help recover money lost to the storm, and even more so than usual, good weather is seen as crucial this year.

On Long Beach Island, most of the beach near Steve Sweeney's home remains badly eroded. Neighbor David Denenberg said he can't believe what a difference a few months makes considering the street was littered with mattresses, furniture and people's belongings right after the storm.

Denenberg said he knew things were getting back to normal not when cleanup efforts began but when a local convenience store opened.

"It was like, victory! We're back!" Denenberg said.

Victory is more elusive at the southern tip of the island, where the township's Holgate section remains badly damaged. Only a few people bundled in sweatshirts walked on the beach, and scores of houses remained in ruins.

Pat Darcy said despite the removal of 25 tons of sand and 54 inches of water from her Holgate house, and repairs under way to a garage where walls were blown out by the storm, things still don't feel right.

"I don't feel like we're normal yet," Darcy said as she sat on her front steps and pointed toward an empty lot where a house used to be ? it had floated up the street and is still sitting on the bay, turned sideways.

Darcy and her husband Sid spent at least two days a week all winter making repairs and replacing belongings. The home is now close to being done, "slowly but surely," Sid Darcy said.

Kathy Waldron, of Livingston, was working with her husband Bob on the first floor of their Holgate home, which they gutted down to the studs. Her husband was hammering nails and installing insulation.

"This is as far as we got in seven months," she said, standing in what was her living room. "It's getting better; we can see it getting better. If you just entered Holgate, you'd think, 'What a disaster.' This is such an improvement."

___

Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rebuilding-rules-rain-soaks-jersey-shore-191536220.html

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Microsoft and Google make amends, will co-develop a YouTube app for Windows Phone

We've gotta give it to Microsoft... building a YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 that strips out advertising and allows users to download streaming videos was one hell of a way to get Google's attention about the lack of an official app for the platform -- even if it managed to attract ire at the same time. Now, multiple reports are coming in that both companies have reached an agreement of sorts, which will result in an app that's fully compliant with YouTube's Terms of Service in the coming weeks. You might've already guessed it, but unlike Microsoft's most recent conciliatory update to its YouTube app, the next version will serve up ads. You'll find a joint statement from both companies after the break. Now that the pair are learning to cooperate, might we suggest they take a look at Gmail?

Comments

Source: The Verge, The Next Web

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/24/youtube-for-windows-phone/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Youth with type 2 diabetes at much higher risk for heart, kidney disease

May 24, 2013 ? The news about youth and diabetes keeps getting worse. The latest data from the national TODAY diabetes study shows that children who develop Type 2 diabetes are at high risk to develop heart, kidney and eye problems faster and at a higher rate than people who acquire Type 2 diabetes as adults.

"Once these kids have Type 2 diabetes, they seem to be at very high risk for early complications when compared to adults," said Jane Lynch, M.D., professor of pediatric endocrinology in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The study, led in San Antonio by UT Medicine pediatricians, includes 699 children and young people, with 44 San Antonio participants.

The rise in youth obesity rates has been accompanied by increasing Type 2 diabetes rates in young people. "It's really a public health issue," said Dr. Lynch, who is principal investigator in the San Antonio arm of the study.

There are many unanswered questions and few guidelines for treatment of youth with early onset Type 2 diabetes, she said. Type 2 diabetes should not be confused with Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes.

Of the TODAY participants, more than a third required medication for hypertension or kidney disease 3.9 years after they had joined the study. In the study, published online Thursday afternoon in Diabetes Care, 699 adolescents were randomized into three groups that received metformin, metformin plus rosiglitazone, or metformin plus intensive lifestyle intervention.

While the children on the combined drugs did the best of the three groups, Dr. Lynch said, all did poorly. The researchers were particularly disappointed that the intensive lifestyle intervention group did not do better.

The rate of deterioration of beta cell function in youth was almost four times higher than in adults, researchers found, noting a 20-35 percent decline in beta cell function per year on average, compared to 7-11 percent for adults. Beta cells store and release insulin.

It does not make things easier that these adolescents with early onset T2 diabetes have a tough time managing complex health problems.

"In puberty, everyone becomes somewhat insulin-resistant ? and when you're insulin-resistant you're hungry, plus when you have diabetes you're thirsty. This becomes a huge issue when there's the tendency to make poor choices."

One sobering aspect of the study results is that the young patients all had to fit certain health parameters, such as not having high blood pressure or having a treatable level of high blood pressure, and they all received the best possible care, education and medical support.

They had to have a parent or guardian who would also participate in the clinic visits and lifestyle education. Their medicine was paid for and they were brought to the clinic by taxi if that's what it took to get them there.

"That's Cadillac treatment for any kids with diabetes -- and we still had these outcomes," Dr. Lynch said.

Despite the interventions in all three treatment arms, the kids kept getting sicker. Boys and girls both developed kidney disease at about the same rates, but obese teenage boys were 81 percent more likely to develop hypertension, Dr. Lynch said. "What's especially challenging for these children is that many also develop fatty liver, which limits our use of the drugs that control hypertension."

The study will continue as researchers monitor the participants' overall outcomes, including cardiac health. "Our goal is to follow them for 10 or 15 years as we figure out better ways to prevent this disease and how to predict complications," Dr. Lynch said.

All the educational handouts used in the study are available free online at https://today.bsc.gwu.edu/web/today/tsdematerials. The study was funded in part by NIDD/NIH, grant no. U01-DK-61230.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/rzdnlyuIlO4/130524122010.htm

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I have shoes for any occasion

Riot gear for Africa? Rhinestone cowboy wear? Yep, and more.

By Donna Bryson / May 24, 2013

Photo illustration by Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Enlarge

Everyone staying at the Kinshasa hotel in the spring of 1997 was, like me, a reporter covering the crumbling of Mobutu Sese Seko's reign. Everyone except a chatty but mysterious American who greeted waitresses at breakfast with "Bahn joor, baby." His accent was so bad, I was convinced it masked a Parisian fluency deployed during shady diamond dealings, or when he reported back to Mr. Mobutu's henchmen about what the foreign reporters were saying about the dictator of what was then known as Zaire (now Congo).

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One afternoon, my colleagues and I stood in the lobby, discussing a protest that had gotten out of hand and ended with several journalists being robbed of even their shoes. The suspected diamond dealer glanced at my still-shod feet and pronounced that my black high-tops would be safe to wear to the next riot, because no one would want to steal Chucks.

Let Proust have his madeleines. I have my shoes.

I can be forgiven for trying to make my shoe habit seem intellectual, or at least cool. I take plenty of teasing about it at home. My 9-year-old daughter hides shoe catalogs from me. She feigns fear I'll spend her inheritance at the shoe shop. Hoping to shame me into restraint, she'll tell anyone who will listen: "Mommy has a lot of shoes." Most listeners probably think that means a closet full of Christian Louboutin heels. They'd be disappointed. I own nary a red sole. My tastes tend more to those high-tops, and not just in riot-ready basic black.

I sometimes need to be fast on my feet; I always need to be color coordinated.

You need only peek in my mom's closet to see that I come honestly by my shoe mania. She has a lifetime collection stacked in towers of the original boxes. Her tastes run to classic pumps and high heels. But when a young co-worker once came to her, in near tears because her own mother was insisting she buy a pair of heels ? her first ? for her wedding, my mom counseled her to stick with her favorite tennis shoes, perhaps with lacy ties for the occasion.

After Converse, the most represented brand in my shoe closet is Goodyear. I have several sandals fashioned from old tires, and every time I stretch on a pair I'm reminded of the inventiveness of recyclers in the developing world.

African cobblers find novel ways to loop and weave laces, creating a pattern across the foot. They incise the rubber to generate more interest by revealing black-and-white designs. A Pakistani cobbler caught my interest with a simpler method: pile the color atop soles made from tires. The straps on my Pakistani pair are dyed red and embroidered with curlicues and florets in at least as many colors as I have high-tops. I brought them back from a temporary assignment in Islamabad and proudly showed them to my landlady's daughter in New Delhi, where I was based at the time.

"Very Baluch," she said, referring to Baluchistan in southwest Pakistan. I thought, "Well, that's the point," recognizing that she hadn't meant it as a compliment. It wasn't a political statement rooted in decades of Indo-Pak tension. She just didn't like my shoes. I didn't mind. I've happily worn my wild Baluch sandals for years.

Not all my shoe tales are exotic. Or mine. Or even, perhaps, true.

My husband took me to Santa Fe, N.M., to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Naturally, we ended up at Kowboyz, with its huge selection of used cowboy boots. My husband planted himself near the cash register, chatting with the owner, while I combed shelves full of prizes in my size in the women's department. We must have been in there three hours.

I got a wonderful black-and-white women's pair. The real find for me, though, was in the men's department. A rich oxblood color, they are by Lucchese, the Louboutin of cowboy boots. The dandy who wore 'em and left 'em had tiny feet for a man. He had barely scuffed the soles. Had he spent gambling winnings on them, then sold them the next month to pay the rent? Perhaps he was a dot-com millionaire who bought them on a whim, only to find they pinched. I like to think he was a down-on-his-luck rodeo cowboy, tough and wiry, with fine boots his one indulgence. I hope he got together enough cash for an even finer pair. I wish I could thank him for breaking in mine.

Three hours is a long time to just sit surrounded by boots with stories to tell. My husband did break down and try on a pair with fabulous toes: ostrich skin dyed turquoise. He decided they pinched, and left them on the shelf. If only my particular dandy had had daintier feet.

And my daughter? I've seen her eying my Kowboyz purchases. I got her a pair of red boots at Christmas, and her face lit up when she opened the box. I think she's hooked.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/kRrLScBYWRU/I-have-shoes-for-any-occasion

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Saturday, May 25, 2013

2013 hurricane names: From Andrea to Wendy

FILE - This Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005 file photo shows a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration infrared satellite image of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. There are six lists used in rotation for storms in the Atlantic. The 2013 list will be used again in 2019. Names are taken off the list and replaced to avoid confusion if a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths. For example, the name of Hurricane Katrina was retired after it devastated New Orleans in 2005. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Weather forecasters are predicting another busy Atlantic hurricane season. The storms will get their names from an alphabetical list of 21 names:

WHAT NAMES ARE ON THE LIST?

Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.

WHO PICKS THE NAMES?

The National Hurricane Center started using women's names for Atlantic storms in 1953; men's names were added in 1979. The lists are now maintained by the World Meteorological Organization.

ARE NAMES REUSED?

Yes, there are six lists for the Atlantic that are used in rotation. This year's list will be used again in 2019. Names are taken off the list and replaced to avoid confusion if a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths. For example, Katrina was retired after it devastated New Orleans in 2005.

WHEN DO STORMS GET A NAME?

Tropical storms are assigned a name when their top winds reach 39 mph. A storm isn't a hurricane until it has maximum winds of at least 74 mph.

WHAT IF WE RUN OUT OF NAMES?

The Greek alphabet is used if there are more than 21 named storms in a season. That last happened in 2005; six storms were named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta.

WHAT ABOUT STORMS IN THE PACIFIC AND ELSEWHERE?

Yes, they get names, too. The lists are also determined by the World Meteorological Organization; the names are ones that are familiar in each region.

___

Online:

World lists: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/Storm-naming.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2013-05-23-Hurricane%20Forecast-Names/id-647c28b622a34973a1940081e623fa7a

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Friday, May 24, 2013

Beer Architecture: 9 Classic American Breweries

Beer is a staple of Americana, so it's only suitable that the buildings where it's brewed are often classic examples of American architecture. Even though some breweries eventually fall into disrepair, either because the brewer shuts down or because it moves, many of those have been given second lives as loft apartments, hotels, restaurants, and shops.

So while you're imbibing this holiday weekend, don't just think about the flavor of the beer you're sipping?contemplate where it came from.

Anheuser-Busch: St. Louis, Missouri

The Budweiser Building is the oldest of the company's U.S. facilities. It still produces beer and is a symbol of the City of St. Louis.

Yuengling Brewery: Pottsville, Pennsylvania

D.G. Yuengling & Sons is the oldest operating brewery in America, making beer since 1829. It even continued during Prohibition, still producing nearly non-alcoholic near beer.

Image credit: Flickr

Coors Brewery: Golden, Colorado

This is the original Coors, which has been located in Golden, Colorado since 1873. Of course it's now made in a much larger, modern facility.

Image credit: BeerHistory

Pabst Brewing Company: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is the former Milwaukee home for Pabst, which was was, at one point, the largest brewery in America. This building remained in stasis, largely abandoned for many years, but the city is trying to redevelop it as retail, offices, and apartments.

Spoetzl Brewery: Shiner, Texas

Somewhere between San Antonio and Houston, you'll find the home of Shiner Beer in a building that looks like a close cousin of the Alamo. Responsible for the delicious nectar that is Shiner beer, it was founded by a German immigrant brewer in 1909 and remains one of the largest independently owned and operated breweries in the country.

Image credit: Flickr

Pearl Brewery: San Antonio, Texas

Not far south of Spoetzl is the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio. It was founded in 1883, but this actual facility stopped pumping out brews in 2001. Here's another happy ending?it was turned into a cool, award-winning, LEED-certified spot with places to eat, drink, and shop.

Image credit: SharedShutter

New Belgium Brewery: Fort Collins, Colorado

New Belgium Brewery was started in the early 90s by a couple who actually cared about sustainability. The building was made from reclaimed materials, with features like chairs in the tasting room made from old bike rims or desks from used bowling lanes. And everyone that works for the Colorado company gets his or her own bike to ride to and from the beautiful building.

Image credit: Flickr

Boulevard Brewery: Kansas City, Missouri

On the outside, it's a turn-of-the-century brick building in a historic district near downtown Kansas City. On the inside, it's a vintage Bavarian brewhouse.

America Brewery: East Baltimore

The Victorian-style American Brewery was built by a family of German immigrants in 1887, and grew to be the largest brewery in Maryland. The central tower was busy as a grain elevator. But the success didn't last?Prohibition forced the brewery to shutter, and it was eventually abandoned and left to decay. But again, someone recognized its beauty and its recently been restored and now serves as the headquarters for Humanim, Inc.

Image credit: Flickr

Source: http://gizmodo.com/beer-architecture-9-classic-american-breweries-509394625

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Girl, 14, rocks Internet with Van Halen guitar solo

Music

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

37 minutes ago

Eddie Van Halen is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and his solo on the 1978 song "Eruption" is second on Guitar World's list of the 50 best. A 14-year-old girl on YouTube named Tina S. is now racking up views with her spot-on cover of the rock classic.

Uploaded on May 20, more than 1.7 million people have watched Tina as she plays seated, almost no emotion on her face, fingers dancing along the neck of her Vigier Excalibur Custom electric guitar.

For a minute and a half, Van Halen fans of the 1970s and '80s can close their eyes and be transported back to the postered walls of their bedrooms -- look, there's you, with the feathered hair!

"Eruption" originated in an interesting fashion for Van Halen. According to Guitar World, Van Halen says the song wasn't even supposed to be on the band's debut, self-titled album. "I showed up at the studio early one day and started to warm up because I had a gig on the weekend and I wanted to practice my solo-guitar spot," Van Halen said. "Our producer, Ted Templeman, happened to walk by and he asked, 'What?s that? Let?s put it on tape!'"

Van Halen says he played the bit twice for the record and they kept one. "I didn?t even play it right --there?s a mistake at the top end of it. Whenever I hear it, I always think, 'Man, I could?ve played it better.'" But he also told Guitar World that he liked the way "Eruption" sounds and had "never heard a guitar sound like that before."

The commenters on YouTube are perfectly happy with the way Tina plays it, with many joking that they're giving up the guitar in the wake of such young talent.

"Everyone else go back to guitar hero," writes 943TheSharkRocks. "You have lost the race."

Van Halen himself, now 58, is obviously all over YouTube in videos that capture his version of "Eruption." A quick scan puts the number of views of the top-surfacing videos somewhere around 30 million. Here's one (note to Tina: lit cigarette in the head of guitar for seasoned rockers only):

Other videos on Tina's page show her playing Van Halen's solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It"; a cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black"; and the acoustic solo from the Eagles' "Hotel California" in 2008 ... when she was about 9 years old.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/girl-14-rocks-internet-cover-classic-van-halen-guitar-solo-6C10053250

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Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae

Public release date: 23-May-2013
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Contact: Kendra Snyder
ksnyder@amnh.org
212-496-3419
American Museum of Natural History

Study gives look at early evolutionary event that paved way for land plants, animals

A team of researchers has captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to have been a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution.

In a paper that appears in the June 17 issue of Current Biology and is available online today, researchers identify a mechanism by which a green alga that resembles early ancestors of the group engulfs bacteria, providing conclusive evidence for a process that had been proposed but not definitely shown.

"This behavior had previously been suggested but we had not had clear microscopic evidence until this study," said Eunsoo Kim, assistant curator in the Museum's Division of Invertebrate Zoology and corresponding author on the paper. "These results offer important clues to an evolutionary event that fundamentally changed the trajectory of the evolution of not just photosynthetic algae and land plants, but also animals."

In green algae and land plants, photosynthesis, or the conversion of light into food, is carried out by a specialized cell structure known as a chloroplast. The origin of chloroplast is linked to endosymbiosis, a process in which a single-celled eukaryotean organism whose cells contain a nucleuscaptures a free-living photosynthetic cyanobacterium but does not digest it, allowing the photosynthetic cell to eventually evolve into a chloroplast. The specific feeding mechanisms for this process, however, have remained largely unknown until now.

In this study, researchers used transmission electron microscopy and feeding and staining experiments to take conclusive images showing how a basic green alga from the genus Cymbomonas feeds on bacteria. The alga draws bacterial cells into a tubular duct through a mouth-like opening and then transports these food particles into a large, acidic vacuole where digestion takes place. The complexity of this feeding system in photosynthetic modern alga suggests that this bacteria-feeding behavior, and the unique feeding apparatus to support it, descend from colorless ancestors of green algae and land plants and may have played important roles in the evolution of early photosynthetic eukaryotes, the precursors to plants like trees and shrubs that cover the Earth today.

Eunsoo Kim joined the Museum in 2012 as curator of the protist collection, which includes algae, protozoa, and fungus-like protists. A native of South Korea, Kim received her Ph.D. in botany from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and conducted postdoctoral research at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She works closely with associate curator Susan Perkins and curator Rob DeSalle as part of one of the first natural history museum microbial research programs.

Shinichiro Mauyama, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Environmental Photobiology at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Okazaki, Japan, is a co-author on this paper. In addition to Kim's laboratory at the Museum, this work was conducted in John Archibald's laboratory at Dalhousie University. Funding was provided by the American Museum of Natural History and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

###

Watch Kim talk about the new finding and see green algae in action in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lafL_mmv3EA

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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.

Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae

Public release date: 23-May-2013
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Kendra Snyder
ksnyder@amnh.org
212-496-3419
American Museum of Natural History

Study gives look at early evolutionary event that paved way for land plants, animals

###

Watch Kim talk about the new finding and see green algae in action in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lafL_mmv3EA

[ | E-mail |

Share ]

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

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/amon-so1052313.php

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Charts That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity - Business Insider

Lately, it feels like the news has been dominated by tragedies: natural disasters, evil people, and sometimes just carelessness.

But it would be a mistake to become cynical.

We've put together 31 charts that we think will help restore your faith in humanity.

It's Getting Better All The Time / Stephen Moore & Julian Simon

"The Improving State of the World" (c) Cato Institute 2007. Used with permission

It's Getting Better All The Time / Stephen Moore & Julian Simon

"The Improving State of the World" (c) Cato Institute 2007. Used with permission.

It's Getting Better All The Time / Stephen Moore & Julian Simon

"The Improving State of the World" (c) Cato Institute 2007. Used with permission

It's Getting Better All The Time / Stephen Moore & Julian Simon

BONUS: It takes less and less time to buy all kinds of stuff. A bicycle in 1895 used to take 260 working hours to buy. By 1997 it was down to 7.2.

(Special thanks to Cato Institute's "Improving State of the World" for some of the charts)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/charts-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity-2013-5

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Darkmatter flaunts its Xbox 360 laptop Kickstarter project at Maker Faire

Darkmatter's portable open source Xbox 360 project may have hit Kickstarter with bad timing, but it looks to be drawing crowds all the same. The laptop-like console is available in fully finished or kit form for the Xbox 360, thanks to a 3D-printed, laser cut casing, 15.6-inch 720P widescreen LED display, capacitive Arduino-based touch interface, a headphone jack and support for all native features, like WiFi, 4GB storage and DVD compatibility. Addressing concerns about the lame duck console it's working with, the group said in an update that it should be able to adapt the Xbox One's motherboard as well, though it's obviously never laid a hand on it yet. Any future-proofing concerns didn't dismay those who saw the device at Maker Faire, however, as most seemed enthusiastic about the project, including Ben Heck, who's been known to mod a device or ~~two~~ 75. You can pledge $499 for a full DIY kit (without the required Xbox 360 Slim 4GB), while a fully assembled and tested Darkmatter Xbox Laptop will run $999. Check the video after the jump or hit the Kickstarter page at the source link to ante up.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

Comments

Source: Darkmatter (Kickstarter)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/darkmatter-flaunts-its-xbox-360-laptop-at-maker-faire/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Immigration reform bill largely untouched going into fifth day of debate

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks on May 9. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A bipartisan group of senators begin a fifth full day of debating changes to the immigration reform bill Tuesday. So far, the so-called mark-up process has left the sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws?which would legalize most of the country's 11 million undocumented immigrants?largely untouched.

On Tuesday, the senators will address some of the final controversial changes to the bill, including increasing the number of visas for the high tech industry and whether to allow people in same-sex marriages to apply for green cards for their spouses. A final vote is expected by the end of the week.

Republicans are outnumbered on the 18-member Senate Judiciary Committee, and two of them?Sens. Jeff Flake and Lindsey Graham?helped draft the original bipartisan bill in the first place. Nonetheless, Republican senators have been able to push through a few amendments that they say will strengthen the enforcement portion of the bill.

On Monday, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced an amendment that would require officials at 30 major airports to take the fingerprints of departing foreign visitors as a way to better keep track of which people on temporary visas had left the country when they were supposed to. Graham, meanwhile, passed an amendment that would prevent people applying for asylum from returning to their home countries to visit unless they showed there was good cause to do so. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also passed an amendment that would bar unauthorized immigrants with three drunken driving convictions from legalizing.

Attempts by Republican senators to levy tougher criminal penalties on people who illegally enter the country or to prevent unauthorized immigrants from ever becoming citizens have failed, to the disappointment of groups that oppose the reform bill.

"We don't think the changes are very meaningful," said Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that promotes lower levels of immigration.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the center, said the group wants the greater enforcement of the border and employment verification portions of the bill to take place before any undocumented immigrant is eligible to legalize his or her status. Efforts to change the bill to do so in the committee have failed.

Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups are cautiously optimistic. "So far, so good," said Lynn Tramonte, deputy director of America's Voice, an immigrant advocacy group. "It's clear that the opponents of immigration reform are just trying to find every little way to pick apart the bill in hopes of destabilizing the coalition," but haven't been successful, she added.

Democrats successfully passed amendments that would allow unauthorized immigrants to pay their legalization fees in installments and would restrict the circumstances when immigration detainees could be put in solitary confinement.

Advocates expect the mark-up process to end this week, with the full bill introduced on the Senate floor sometime after the Senate's Memorial Day recess in early June. The House, which is working on its own version of a bill, is expected to release its draft version in early June, as well.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/immigration-reform-bill-largely-untouched-going-fifth-day-140819202.html

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