Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/193529159?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
What's next for Occupy Wall Street? Activists target foreclosure crisis.
As the protest movement heads into spring, Occupy Wall Street activists are interrupting foreclosure auctions and helping families re-occupy their homes.
The Occupy Wall Street movement, which cut its teeth last fall by occupying streets and parks across the country, is moving into a new phase as it gears up for spring: occupying homes.
Skip to next paragraphThe movement that claimed to speak for ?the 99 percent? and made income inequality part of the national discussion now is organizing protests at housing auctions to support those affected by the foreclosure crisis.
?At first, we were occupying parks, then homes,? says Sofia Teona, an organizer with Occupy Atlanta, of the movement?s evolution. ?We are starting locally, but it?s a national movement.?
On Thursday, dozens were arrested when a group in New York interrupted a foreclosure auction in a courtroom, and Occupy organizers say more events are planned nationally in coming weeks.
According to Michael Premo, an organizer for ?Occupy Our Homes? in New York, ?the movement has carried out 50 similar actions nationally in the past month, including foreclosure disruptions, eviction defense actions, and home re-occupations.
Although sales by banks of foreclosed houses were down in the third quarter of 2011, they still made up 20 percent of all homes sold. At the height of the housing boom in 2005 and 2006, that number was less than five percent.
Foreclosure sales lower property values, and many economists don?t think that the economy will restart without dealing with the issue, says John Taylor, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a Washington-based nonprofit that urges banks to provide credit and investment capital to low-income communities.
?I think that it?s good that they are focusing on something the average person can understand and something specific like foreclosures,? Mr. Taylor says of the Occupy activists. ?It makes sense because foreclosures are the smoking gun. They are evidence of the malfeasance of predatory lending.?
At the foreclosure auction in Brooklyn on Thursday, nearly 100 protesters started singing to disrupt bidding on foreclosed homes. Approximately 35 people were arrested, according to the National Lawyers Guild. A video of the event posted on the Internet shows the protesters singing slightly off-key and out of sync as some are arrested and led out of the auction.
Websites organized by Occupy activists have sprouted up to help connect people across the country who are battling foreclosure, providing such information as where supporters can donate money. But some of the actions are very specific and center on saving one family home at a time.
In one such case in Hawaii, a letter-writing campaign organized by members of a family to stay in their home has met with some limited success. Wells-Fargo, the bank that issued the loan, has agreed to let them stay until mid-February.
Another case in Atlanta illustrates both the wrenching nature, and the complexity, of the foreclosure process.
The Pittman family thought they were going to inherit the house that their grandmother had lived in since 1953. Instead, they are now occupying it.
Eloise Pittman?s house in Atlanta was foreclosed on early last fall, but her family didn?t find out until shortly before she died in November.
In 2006, Pittman, a retired school secretary whose only source of income was her retirement checks, refinanced her house and got a loan of $300,000, according to her granddaughter. Pittman couldn?t keep up with the high payments and she avoided telling her family.
For the past 51 days, the Pittman family and members of the Occupy Atlanta movement have camped in a tent outside the house and stayed in the house to protest what they call Chase?s policy of predatory lending.
A spokesman for Chase has a different story, saying the bank did not originate the loan.
?We worked with Ms. Eloise Pittman in 2009 to modify her loan, and when her payments stopped in mid-2010, the foreclosure process started,? says Greg Hassell, a spokesman for Chase. According to Mr. Hassell, Chase is offering to let the family buy the house back for the market rate.
According to the Pittmans, the bank offered the family two options. Either they pay $100,000 to keep the house, or else accept $2,500 to leave.
They are choosing a third option ? joining Occupy Atlanta to march to the bank to demand the deed back.
?We are going to march to Chase to demand that they give back the deed,? says Carmen Pittman, Eloise Pittman?s granddaughter. ?We won?t stop fighting until justice is served.?
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Willie Nelson campaigns for Ohio congressman
Country music icon Willie Nelson performs during a fundraising concert for U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in Lorain, Ohio Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Redistricting has pitted Kucinich, a Cleveland Democrat, against Toledo area congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in the March primary. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Country music icon Willie Nelson performs during a fundraising concert for U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in Lorain, Ohio Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Redistricting has pitted Kucinich, a Cleveland Democrat, against Toledo area congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in the March primary. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Country music icon Willie Nelson smiles before a fundraising concert for U.S. Rep Dennis Kucinich, left, in Lorain, Ohio, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. Redistricting has pitted Kucinich, a Cleveland Democrat, against the Toledo area congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, in the March primary. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
LORAIN, Ohio (AP) ? Country music icon Willie Nelson has come to Ohio to sing out in support of an old friend, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (koo-SIH'-nich).
Nelson performed a sold-out benefit for the congressman on Sunday in Lorain, about 25 miles west of Cleveland. The star previously campaigned for Kucinich during his long-shot bids for president.
Redistricting has thrown Kucinich into a congressional primary battle with another veteran Democrat, Marcy Kaptur.
Her campaign sniffed last week that while Kucinich brings singers to northern Ohio, Kaptur brings jobs.
Multiple news outlets report that Kucinich shot back during a news conference before Sunday's concert that he has worked to save steel jobs in the region.
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Monday, 30 January 2012
Symantec, Lookout Mobile Security debate latest Android ?malware? attack (Appolicious)
If you have an Android device, malware threats are nothing new, just something with which you?ve learned to deal. Mobile security companies usually alert the public when any major malware or Trojan threat is discovered in the Android Market, but rarely do they disagree over what?s actually considered malware. This question?s been raised in regards to the latest string of Android Market botnets uncovered by Symantec, in what could be the largest botnet setup in Android?s history with as many as 5 million victims.
Dubbed ?Android.Counterclank? (or ?Apperhand SDK?) by Symantec, the malware was packaged across 13 different Android apps from different publishers, with titles ranging from Sexy Girls Puzzle to Counter Strike Ground Force. ?They don't appear to be real publishers,? Kevin Haley, a director with Symantec's security response team, said in an interview today. ?These aren't rebundled apps, as we've seen so many times before.?
But Lookout Mobile Security doesn?t think that this differentiated behavior means it?s a malware attack. They posted a blog over the weekend explaining their reasons for disagreeing with Symantec?s assessment, saying Android.Counterclank isn?t malware at all. It?s certainly not something most Android users want on their devices, but Lookout finds no evidence of outright malicious behavior, saying their capabilities are more like aggressive ad networks that put search icons on your home screen and run ads through your notifications bar.
?Malware is defined as software that is designed to engage in malicious behavior on a device. Malware can also be used to steal personal information from a mobile device that could result in identity theft or financial fraud,? reads Lookout?s blog. ?Apperhand doesn?t appear to be malicious, and at this point in our investigation, this is an aggressive form of an ad network ? not malware.?
Money-hungry ads or malicious malware? It seems the industry experts can?t agree, and such disparity could significantly shake up the consumer market. The debate over malware?s core definition came up a few weeks back with the Carrier IQ debacle, leading to a massive consumer backlash as privacy advocates blasted the carrier-supported software. When it comes to Android.Counterclank we have yet another example of how the Android ecosystem is being exploited, and how little this market is controlled. The debate over Android.Counterclank could ultimately circle back to Google, which is increasingly being held accountable for the Android Market experience.
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Car Insurance on Rentals
[unable to retrieve full-text content]When it comes to car insurance, there is a handful of traps it is possible to get into. The contracts are complex and very tough to recognize, and that's should you have even the time you just read them. The truth is most people ...
Source: http://www.rocksinmydryer.net/car-insurance-on-rentals/3662/
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SAG Awards menu is months in the making (AP)
LOS ANGELES ? When your dinner party guests include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Kate Winslet and Glenn Close, and the whole affair is televised live, it can take months to plan the menu. That's why the team behind the Screen Actors Guild Awards began putting together the plate for Sunday's ceremony months ago.
It was still summer when show producer Kathy Connell and director Jeff Margolis first sat down with chef Suzanne Goins of Los Angeles eatery Lucques with a tall order: Create a meal that is delicious at room temperature, looks beautiful on TV, is easy to eat and appeals to Hollywood tastes. Oh, and no poppyseeds, soups, spicy dishes, or piles of onions or garlic.
"It can't drip, stick in their teeth or be too heavy," Connell said. "We have to appease all palates."
The chef put together a plate of possibilities: Slow-roasted salmon with yellow beets, lamb with cous cous and spiced cauliflower and roasted root vegetables with quinoa. There was also a chopped chicken salad and another chicken dish with black beans.
To ensure the dishes are both tasty and TV-ready, Connell and Margolis, along with the show's florist and art director, dined together at this summertime lunch on tables set to replicate those that will be in the Shrine Exposition Center during the ceremony. The pewter, crushed-silk tablecloths and white lilies you'll see on TV Sunday were also chosen months ago.
The diners discussed the look of the plate, the size of the portions and the vegetarian possibilities.
"We'd like the portions a little larger," Connell told the chef.
"And a little more sauce on the salmon," Margolis added.
Come Sunday, it's up to Goins to prepare 1,200 of the long-planned meals for the A-list audience.
___
Online:
www.sagawards.org
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Sunday, 29 January 2012
Gaborik's trick leads Team Chara to All-Star win (AP)
OTTAWA ? Marian Gaborik made New York Rangers teammate Henrik Lundqvist pay for not selecting him to play for Daniel Alfredsson's team in the NHL All-Star game.
Gaborik beat Lundqvist twice in the first period, finished with three goals and an assist, and earned MVP honors in leading Team Chara to a 12-9 win over Team Alfredsson on Sunday.
Tim Thomas made 18 saves in the final period, and extended his record by winning his fourth All-Star game.
Chara, with the eventual winning goal, Marian Hossa and Corey Perry broke the game open by scoring three times in a span of 1:22 that put their club ahead 11-8 with 6:34 remaining.
Despite the loss, Alfredsson rewarded his hometown fans by leading his team with two goals and an assist. The Senators captain also hinted afterward that he is considering coming back for one more season.
In an interview broadcast on the arena's scoreboard, Alfredsson was asked about his future.
With a smile on his face, and fans cheering his name, Alfredsson said: "Fifty percent yes, and my wife's going to have to decide the other 50."
Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists for Team Alfredsson.
Gaborik became the 16th player to score at least three goals ? one short of matching the record ? in the All-Star game, and first since Rick Nash had three in 2008.
The outcome was decided in the final period, in which Team Chara outscored Team Alfredsson 6-3.
Hossa broke an 8-8 tie by scoring on a partial breakaway after being set up by Pavel Datsyuk with 7:56 left. Settling the puck, Hossa stopped in front and then backhanded a shot past Brian Elliott.
Chara gave his club a 10-8 lead when Gaborik fed him a perfect pass into the middle for a snap shot past Elliott.
For Team Chara, Hossa and Jarome Iginla had a goal and two assists, and Joffrey Lupul scored twice.
Daniel Sedin, John Tavares, Jason Pominville and Milan Michalek had a goal and assist each for Team Alfredsson.
Team Chara got off to a fast start, building a 3-0 lead on Gaborik's second goal 9:51 in. The club was so dominant that it was leading 2-0 before Alfredsson's team got off its first shot.
Gaborik certainly enjoyed getting the best of Lundqvist. After scoring his first goal on a give-and-go with Datsyuk, Gaborik circled the net dropped to one knee and pointed his stick at Lundqvist while pumping his fist.
Lundqvist jokingly lamented about being beaten three times on eight shots, including twice by his Rangers teammate.
"There's been a lot of trash talk, but it feels like it's game over already," said Lundqvist, who was wearing a microphone during the opening period.
Lundqvist was Alfredsson's assistant captain, and had a hand in the team's drafting philosophy on Thursday.
Team Alfredsson rallied to tie the game at 3 before the first period was over. But they didn't get their first ? and only lead ? until Alfredsson scored twice during a 1:31 span to put his team up 6-5 with just under four minutes left in the second.
His first goal came on a great individual effort in which Alfredsson, dragging the puck behind him, split defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Ryan Suter, and flipped a shot that sneaked inside the right post to beat goalie Carey Price.
Alfredsson's second goal came on a wonderful passing play courtesy of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, whom Alfredsson was looking forward to play with when he drafted the twins. Henrik Sedin drove up the left wing, fed a pass through the crease to his twin brother, who then redirected to the high slot, where Alfredsson slapped it home.
Price allowed three goals on 14 shots, and had lamented the All-Star game's lack of defense during the first intermission.
"I feel like being a lamb getting led to slaughter," Price said. "I'm must be holding on for the ride today and hope I don't get lit up too bad."
Alfredsson nearly had a third goal nine minutes into third period, when he one-timed a shot off the left post
The game was missing the NHL's most high-profile stars in Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Crosby has been limited to playing just eight games this season as a result of a concussion, and has also been diagnosed with a neck injury, making it unclear when or if he will play at all this season.
Ovechkin backed out last week after the NHL suspended him three games for an illegal hit.
The game featured 17 first-time All-Stars, 10 playing on Team Alfredsson. Team Chara's roster had the edge over Team Alfredsson in combined games played (10,227-8,425, not including goalies), career goals (2,850-2,286) and career points (7,394-6,164).
Steven Stamkos was awarded a penalty shot with 3:27 left in the first period after he was tripped up by Dion Phaneuf.
On the penalty shot, Stamkos ? who leads the NHL with 32 goals ? attempted the same spin-around move he used to beat Price in the skills competition on Saturday night. Howard didn't bite on Sunday, holding his ground and hugging the post to stop Stamkos' attempt.
It was the second penalty shot taken in an All-Star game. The other was last year in at Raleigh, N.C., when Colorado's Matt Duchene was stopped by Lundqvist.
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Teens migrating to Twitter ? sometimes for privacy (AP)
CHICAGO ? Teens don't tweet, will never tweet - too public, too many older users. Not cool.
That's been the prediction for a while now, born of numbers showing that fewer than one in 10 teens were using Twitter early on.
But then their parents, grandparents, neighbors, parents' friends and anyone in-between started friending them on Facebook, the social networking site of choice for many ? and a curious thing began to happen.
Suddenly, their space wasn't just theirs anymore. So more young people have started shifting to Twitter, almost hiding in plain sight.
"I love twitter, it's the only thing I have to myself ... cause my parents don't have one," Britteny Praznik, a 17-year-old who lives outside Milwaukee, gleefully tweeted recently.
While she still has a Facebook account, she joined Twitter last summer, after more people at her high school did the same. "It just sort of caught on," she says.
Teens tout the ease of use and the ability to send the equivalent of a text message to a circle of friends, often a smaller one than they have on crowded Facebook accounts. They can have multiple accounts and don't have to use their real names. They also can follow their favorite celebrities and, for those interested in doing so, use Twitter as a soapbox.
The growing popularity teens report fits with findings from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a nonprofit organization that monitors people's tech-based habits. The migration has been slow, but steady. A Pew survey last July found that 16 percent of young people, ages 12 to 17, said they used Twitter. Two years earlier, that percentage was just 8 percent.
"That doubling is definitely a significant increase," says Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew. And she suspects it's even higher now.
Meanwhile, a Pew survey found that nearly one in five 18- to 29-year-olds have taken a liking to the micro-blogging service, which allows them to tweet, or post, their thoughts 140 characters at a time.
Early on, Twitter had a reputation that many didn't think fit the online habits of teens ? well over half of whom were already using Facebook or other social networking services in 2006, when Twitter launched.
"The first group to colonize Twitter were people in the technology industry ? consummate self-promoters," says Alice Marwick, a post-doctoral researcher at Microsoft Research, who tracks young people's online habits.
For teens, self-promotion isn't usually the goal. At least until they go to college and start thinking about careers, social networking is, well, ... social.
But as Twitter has grown, so have the ways people, and communities, use it.
For one, though some don't realize it, tweets don't have to be public. A lot of teens like using locked, private accounts. And whether they lock them or not, many also use pseudonyms, so that only their friends know who they are.
"Facebook is like shouting into a crowd. Twitter is like speaking into a room" ? that's what one teen said when he was participating in a focus group at Microsoft Research, Marwick says.
Other teens have told Pew researchers that they feel "social pressure," to friend people on Facebook ? "for instance, friending everyone in your school or that friend of a friend you met at a football game," Pew researcher Madden says.
Twitter's more fluid and anonymous setup, teens say, gives them more freedom to avoid friends of friends of friends ? not that they're saying anything particularly earth-shattering. They just don't want everyone to see it.
Praznik, for instance, tweets anything from complaints and random thoughts to angst and longing.
"i hate snow i hate winter.Moving to California as soon as i can," one recent post from the Wisconsin teen read.
"Dont add me as a friend for a day just to check up on me and then delete me again and then you wonder why im mad at you.duhhh," read another.
And one more: "I wish you were mine but you don't know wht you want. Till you figure out what you want I'm going to do my own thing."
Different teenagers use Twitter for different reasons.
Some monitor celebrities.
"Twitter is like a backstage pass to a concert," says Jason Hennessey, CEO of Everspark Interactive, a tech-based marketing agency in Atlanta. "You could send a tweet to Justin Bieber 10 minutes before the concert, and there's a chance he might tweet you back."
A few teens use it as a platform to share opinions, keeping their accounts public for all the world to see, as many adults do.
Taylor Smith, a 14-year-old in St. Louis, is one who uses Twitter to monitor the news and to get her own "small points across." Recently, that has included her dislike for strawberry Pop Tarts and her admiration for a video that features the accomplishments of young female scientists.
She started tweeting 18 months ago after her dad opened his own account. He gave her his blessing, though he watches her account closely.
"Once or twice I used bad language and he never let me hear the end of it," Smith says. Even so, she appreciates the chance to vent and to be heard and thinks it's only a matter of time before her friends realize that Twitter is the cool place to be ? always an important factor with teens.
They need to "realize it's time to get in the game," Smith say, though she notes that some don't have smart phones or their own laptops ? or their parents don't want them to tweet, feeling they're too young.
Pam Praznik, Britteny's mother, keeps track of her daughter's Facebook accounts. But Britteny asked that she not follow her on Twitter ? and her mom is fine with that, as long as the tweets remain between friends.
"She could text her friends anyway, without me knowing," mom says.
Marwick at Microsoft thinks that's a good call.
"Parents should kind of chill and give them that space," she says.
Still, teens and parents shouldn't assume that even locked accounts are completely private, says Ananda Mitra, a professor of communication at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Online privacy, he says, is "mythical privacy."
Certainly, parents are always concerned about online predators ? and experts say they should use the same common sense online as they do in the outside world when it comes to dealing with strangers and providing too much personal information.
But there are other privacy issues to consider, Mitra says.
Someone with a public Twitter account might, for instance, retweet a posting made on a friend's locked account, allowing anyone to see it. It happens all the time.
And on a deeper level, he says those who use Twitter and Facebook ? publicly or privately ? leave a trail of "digital DNA" that could be mined by universities or employers, law enforcement or advertisers because it is provided voluntarily.
Mitra has coined the term "narb" to describe the narrative bits people reveal about themselves online ? age, gender, location and opinions, based on interactions with their friends.
So true privacy, he says, would "literally means withdrawing" from textual communication online or on phones ? in essence, using this technology in very limited ways.
He realizes that's not very likely, the way things are going ? but he says it is something to think about when interacting with friends, expressing opinions or even "liking" or following a corporation or public figure.
But Marwick at Microsoft still thinks private accounts pose little risk when you consider the content of the average teenager's Twitter account.
"They just want someplace they can express themselves and talk with their friends without everyone watching," she says.
Much like teens always have.
___
Online:
Microsoft Research: http://research.microsoft.com/
Pew: http://www.pewinternet.org
___
Martha Irvine can be reached at mirvine(at)ap.org or via http://twitter.com/irvineap
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Saturday links: finance and physics | Abnormal Returns
- abnormalreturns
- January 28th, 2012
The weekend is a great time to catch up on some of the reading you skipped during the week.? We hope you enjoy this set of long-form links.
Finance
A review of the burgeoning low volatility investing theme.? (IndexUniverse)
?Physics deals with theories, finance with models and failing to understand the difference has led to a lot of money being lost, along with a great deal of human misery.? ?(The Psy-Fi Blog)
Francis Fukuyama selects five books on the financial crisis including The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
The private equity industry is awash in mediocre managers and and overeager investors.? (Economist also Baseline Scenario)
Economics
Rick Bookstaber, ?Industrialization is leading to a continuing convergence between the products that are consumed by the wealthy and the common man.?? (Rick Bookstaber)
A harrowing look inside the factories in China where Apple ($AAPL) products.? (NYTimes)
Alex Tabarrok, ?Could we build the Hoover Dam today? We have the technology. We seem to lack the will. ?? (The Atlantic)
Psychology
How do we identify good ideas?? (The Frontal Cortex)
There is no such thing as information overload.? (Pando Daily)
The mechanics of choice: a behavioral finance primer.? (APS via The Browser)
No one is exempt from a raft of behavioral biases.? (Globe and Mail)
What happens when teenagers reach puberty earlier and adulthood later?? A lot of weirdness.? (WSJ)
Science
The power of introverts.? A Q&A with?Susan Cain author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can?t Stop Talking.? (Scientific American)
The self-driving car is coming sooner than you think.? (Wired)
An excerpt from Mark Lynas? The God Species: Saving the Planet in the Age of Humans
Why we are still at risk to a solar superstorm.? (Popular Mechanics)
Education
An MBA looks back at their 10-year reunion.? (The Atlantic)
The term paper is falling out of favor.? Hello blogging.? (NYTimes)
Society
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are having a hard time re-entering civilian society.? (FT)
What caused a huge change in sexual mores in the 18th century?? (Guardian via The Browser)
Profiles
A profile of the ?renegade IT guy.?? (Gawker via @longreads)
The man behind Amazon?s push into book publishing.? (Businessweek)
Sports
An excerpt from Jonathan Mahler?s Death Comes to Happy Valley: Penn State and the Tragic Legacy of Joe Paterno.? (Grantland)
How big time sports has taken over college campuses.? (NYTimes)
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Woods falters to lose Abu Dhabi tournament
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? Robert Rock of England held his nerve to hold off Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods and win the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on Sunday.
The 117th-ranked Rock shot a 2-under 70 for an overall 13-under 275 to beat the Northern Irishman by a shot and the American by two.
Rock and Woods were tied for the lead going into the final round. After both players opened with birdies on two of the first three holes, Rock took the lead for good when Woods bogeyed the next two holes.
Woods closed the gap to one after Rock's bad chip led to a bogey on No. 13. But the 34-year-old Englishman had birdies on two of the next three holes to seize control.
McIlroy shot a 69 to steal second with Woods (72) in joint third.
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Saturday, 28 January 2012
Investing in Detroit's Renaissance | Planetizen
Daniel Howes reports on Gilbert's bullish optimism for investment and development opportunities in Downtown Detroit and on his efforts to attract young professionals to the city.
"Gilbert's buying spree ? the Madison and the Dime Bank building, the First National Bank building and the Chase Tower, to name four ? is driven as much by attractive economics and an entrepreneur's nose for first-mover advantage as any do-gooder philanthropic urge to save downtown."
"'We are almost at that proverbial tipping point in Midtown and downtown, if we aren't already there,' [Matt] Cullen [Matt Cullen, president of Gilbert's Rock Ventures], says of the mounting urban momentum despite the city's financial troubles."
Source: http://www.planetizen.com/node/54060
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'Barefoot Bandit' sentenced to 6 1/2 years
FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2011 file photo, Colton Harris-Moore, also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," glances at the courtroom gallery as he walks to the defense table, in Island County Superior Court, in Coupeville, Wash. Harris-Moore is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in a U.S. federal court for his two-year international crime spree of break-ins and boat and plane thefts. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 16, 2011 file photo, Colton Harris-Moore, also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," glances at the courtroom gallery as he walks to the defense table, in Island County Superior Court, in Coupeville, Wash. Harris-Moore is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, in a U.S. federal court for his two-year international crime spree of break-ins and boat and plane thefts. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
John Henry Browne, the attorney for Colton Harris-Moore, talks to reporters outside the Federal Courthouse in Seattle, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, following the federal sentencing hearing for Harris-Moore, who is also known as the "Barefoot Bandit." (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Pam Kohler, center, the mother of Colton Harris-Moore, who is also known as the "Barefoot Bandit," glares at photographers, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, as she leaves the federal sentencing hearing for her son in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
John Henry Browne, the attorney for Colton Harris-Moore, talks to reporters outside the Federal Courthouse in Seattle, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, following the federal sentencing hearing for Harris-Moore, who is also known as the "Barefoot Bandit." (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Assistant U.S. Attorney Darwin Roberts, right, talks to reporters as Kelly Kneifl, center, who had his home broken into by Barefoot Bandit Colton Harris-Moore, and FBI Agent Steven Dean, left, look on, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, following the federal sentencing hearing for Harris-Moore in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
SEATTLE (AP) ? A federal judge sentences "Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore to 6 1/2 years in prison for his infamous two-year, international crime spree of break-ins, and boat and plane thefts that ended in 2010.
Harris-Moore hopscotched his way across the United States, authorities said. He flew a plane stolen in Washington state to the San Juan Islands, stole a pistol in British Columbia and took a plane from Idaho to Washington state, stole a boat there to go to Oregon, and took a plane in Indiana and flew to the Bahamas, where was arrested.
The 20-year-old earned his nickname because he committed several of the crimes without wearing shoes, and he attracted fans across the nation for his ability to evade police.
But on Friday, Harris-Moore apologized to his victims shortly before U.S. District Judge Richard Jones imposed the sentence, which will be served concurrently with state prison time.
He particularly apologized for stealing planes, saying his arrogance led him to keep alive his dream of flying.
"What I did could be called daring, but it is no stretch of the imagination to say that am lucky to be alive ... absolutely lucky," he said. "I should have died years ago."
Defense attorney John Henry Browne said he expects Harris-Moore to be out of prison in about 4 1/2 years, accounting for the 18 months he's already been in custody. Federal prosecutors declined to comment on how much time he might serve, saying that will be up to the Bureau of Prisons.
Outside the courthouse, Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler, said her son gave her a letter in court, but she refused to talk to reporters. She hit a television crew's microphone and camera, and a newspaper photographer's camera with her purse.
Before Friday's sentencing, defense attorneys said federal prosecutors released cherry-picked excerpts from emails in an effort to make Harris-Moore appear callous and self-aggrandizing.
He called the Island County sheriff "king swine," called prosecutors "fools," and referred to reporters as "vermin." He also described his feats ? stealing and flying planes with no formal training ? "amazing" and said they were unmatched by anyone except the Wright brothers.
But Harris-Moore's lawyers claim the full emails show that he is sorry for what he did and thankful for the treatment he received from a state judge who called his case a "triumph of the human spirit." The state judge sentenced him last month to seven years, at the low end of the sentencing range.
The attorneys acknowledged that in certain instances he bragged, but they said those writings were simply the product of an impulsive adolescent and don't reflect his true remorse.
Harris-Moore apologized for those emails in court Friday.
The judge asked Harris-Moore to speak to young people who may look up to him because of his exploits.
"I would say to younger people they should focus on their education, which is what I am doing right now," he said. "I want to start a company. I want to make a difference in this world, legally."
Federal prosecutors had asked for Jones to impose a 6 1/2 year sentence to be served while Harris-Moore serves his state time. His attorneys had asked for a federal sentence of just under six years.
The judge acknowledged that Harris-Moore had a difficult childhood, one with "complete lack of parental guidance" and alcohol abuse. But he said he was concerned that that his previous court appearances didn't have an impact on him.
Jones acknowledged that Harris-Moore committed his early crimes to survive after fleeing from home. But he said "most of the federal offenses were committed for one reason: to fulfill your passion for flying at all costs and consequences."
The judge encouraged Harris-Moore to get treatment in prison. Harris-Moore's defense lawyers said treatment was already under way.
There's a $1.3 million deal with 20th Century Fox for a movie based on Harris-Moore, but federal prosecutor Darwin Roberts said he doesn't expect that to be enough money to cover restitution.
Entertainment lawyer Lance Rosen said outside the courtroom that Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black ? who wrote "Milk" and the recent "J. Edgar" ? has met with Harris-Moore several times and has turned in a draft of the script.
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IBM builds 9 nanometer carbon nanotube transistor, puts silicon on notice
IBM builds 9 nanometer carbon nanotube transistor, puts silicon on notice originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If Oscar-Nominated Films' Posters Told the Truth
The Shiznit is at it again. Last year, they went viral with spot-on parodies of the 2011 Oscar race, and now they're doing it again, giving "The Artist," "The Descendants" and all the other supposed "best" movies of the year a good roasting with their hilariously blunt feature -- If the Oscar-Nominated Movie Posters Told the Truth.
The premise is simple: these parody posters deliver 100% truth in advertising. If Hollywood always operated under these principles, perhaps it could finally pull itself out of its box office slump.
Check out some of our favorite posters below, then head over to The Shiznit for the full list of painfully-true posters.
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Friday, 27 January 2012
PEN writers condemn attacks on Mexico journalists (AP)
MEXICO CITY ? Several Nobel prize laureates are joining the PEN International writers group in condemning attacks on journalists in Mexico.
Mario Vargas Llosa and Toni Morrison are among those participating in a full-page ad in the newspaper El Universal, signed by 170 of the world's most acclaimed writers. It recognizes the courage of journalists in a country were attacks have increased dramatically with drug violence in recent years.
Friday's ad says attacks on journalists "impede the ability to live a secure life free of censorship."
Attacks on Mexican journalists generally go unprosecuted.
Mexico's national human rights commission says 74 journalists were killed from 2000 to 2011. The Committee to Protect Journalists says 51 were slain in that time.
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Jersey Shore Recap: Gym, Tan, Get Vinny Back!
This week, the Jersey Shore house was in turmoil with possibly two men down. Could they turn it around by the end of the night and restore order to Seaside?!
It's been two episodes since Vinny Guadagnino peaced out, and it looked like The Situation - saddened by his lack of popularity - was about ready to follow suit.
He seemed to have a change of heart, though, after some joint birthday attention with Pauly. The question is whether the gang would also be Vinning again.
How did it play out? Come along as we recap Jersey Shore, THG style!
Mike was never really leaving, despite last week's birthday blues. He was sad, yes, but it was his own fault and even he knew it, and can you see Sitch turning down attention and sitting at home? Vinny, yes. Mike, no. Plus 6.
He's also sensitive deep down. Cancer, obvi. Plus 4.
"This is my family," insists Snooki. True, girl. Plus 2.
Shore Store boss / house owner Danny pretended to be upset about them not putting in effort at work and threatened to bring in some replacements. Right. Minus 10.
He says "the deal" was eight people under his roof and working for him, so, time to put up a fake Help Wanted sign. Can we just drop the pretense of work? Minus 17.
Jersey Shore thrives on authenticity - Team Meatball may be repulsive, but it is the real deal - so why stir up fake Shore Store drama? Oh yeah, to fill time. Plus 3.
Snooki warns whoever enters their "family" will get kicked by her. Again, truth. Plus 5.
Ron vows to make any new people that show up "uncomfortable in this house." Paula seems to have passed the dirty, grimy, sleazy test just fine however. Plus 9.
"You can't teach swag, you was born widdit," says Pauly. Yeah buddy. Plus 9.
The girls plan a man-friendly night for Pauly D and Mike at Karma. Awww! Plus 8.
Snooki and Deena go at it like rabbits in the party store. And most Tuesdays. Plus 6.
The gang consults the stripper-selling expertise of someone called the "Wizard of Ass." Better than the "Weapon of Ass Destruction," we suppose, so Plus 10.
Handcuffed to chairs as two huge cakes came rolling out, Pauly and Mike were beyond thrilled as two female strippers popped out. So their element. Plus 9.
Why are the chairs wheelchairs, though? To symbolize that they're way too old to be in a situation (pun intended) such as this? Minus 6.
No Vinny at his boyfriend's birthday surprise party, though. :( Minus 12.
Later on, Ronnie and Deena tried calling Vin again, but it went to voicemail. This led to Deena missing her "soul" and crying for once in her entire life. Plus 5.
Roger's back but there must be no drama between himself and JWoww as the two are barely heard from. Lots of pushing (in a good way), probably. Plus 7.
The Unit is also in the house! Minus 23.
The next night was couple's night - Deena took one of Ron's friends, Mike took Paula - at Bamboo. Pauly went solo because that's how Pauly rolls it seems. Plus 5.
Snooki and Jionni smushed and slept instead. Plus 5.
Girl fight alert! When some random girl pulled on her "new weave," Sam threw her drink and and threw the f--k down. High-strung much, ladies? Minus 9.
"I was always taught to, like, self defend myself." - Sam. Borderline abuse by Ronnie for several years not withstanding, but Plus 4 since they're good now.
"It was me against the world. And I still held onto my clutch!" - Sam. Plus 3.
Mike performs his cologne ritual on his undercarriage before getting it in with Paula. If she can tolerate this guy, she's a total keeper. Wife it up Sitch. Plus 8.
Deena's alarm clock keeps going off as she tries "to do sex." Minus 23 for her saying that stupid phrase, but Plus 4 because you could call it a clock-block.
Operation GTGVB (gym, tan, get Vinny back) commenced. In other words, custom Vinny t-shirts and a two hour drive up to Staten Island to kidnap his a$$. Plus 9.
After ambushing the house in vintage Jersey Shore fashion, they found Vin in his room and smiles were on all their faces. This is why people love the show. Plus 11.
Vin showed off his new chest tattoo, saying "Let Go, Let God." Uhh, Minus 8.
V seemed genuinely delighted to see the gang and a bit less anxious to boot. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder (and a little sleep helps too). Plus 5.
Then everyone went back to Seaside. Vinny included. End scene. Plus 20.
EPISODE TOTAL: +51! SEASON TOTAL: +155!
Jersey Shore ...
Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/jersey-shore-recap-gym-tan-get-vinny-back/
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President Clinton?s Former Chief Of Staff Says: ?Yes We Scan? (TCTV)
While the topic didn't make its way into President Obama's Sate of the Union speech last night, Mr. Obama's former transition team co-chair, John Podesta,?thinks creating a "Digital Library of Congress" comprised of "the vast holdings of the federal government" deserves executive level attention. He's calling the initiative, ?Yes We Scan? My suggestion to him: get Google to do it for free in return for a reprieve from the government's never-ending antitrust investigations. I am only half-joking.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/q25HHomOBfE/
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Thursday, 26 January 2012
UNH research: US hospitality industry often reluctant to hire people with disabilities
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Public release date: 26-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Lori Wright
lori.wright@unh.edu
603-862-0574
University of New Hampshire
DURHAM, N.H. People with disabilities trying to find employment in the U.S. hospitality industry face employers who are often reluctant to hire them because of preconceived notions that they cannot do the job and that they are more costly to employ that people without disabilities, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.
UNH researchers Andrew Houtenville, associate professor of economics and research director of the UNH Institute on Disability, and Valentini Kalargyrou, assistant professor of hospitality management, analyzed data from 320 hospitality companies in the United States, and found similar concerns and challenges regarding employment of people with disabilities. The researchers used the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Employer's Survey as their data source.
The research is presented in the journal Cornell Hospitality Quarterly in the article "People with Disabilities: Employers' Perspectives on Recruitment Practices, Strategies, and Challenges in Leisure and Hospitality."
"We found prejudice, stereotyping, and limited choices in employment as employment barriers for people with disabilities, but the chief concern among those in this survey involved the bottom line," said the researchers, who are both professors at the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics.
"The most frequently cited challenge or concern among hospitality and leisure companies is that the nature of the work is such that it cannot be effectively performed by people with disabilities, even though workplace accommodations are a tried-and-true method for addressing the nature of the work," the researchers said. "The cost of accommodation is the second most frequently cited challenge or concern, even among companies that are proactive in employing people with disabilities."
Employers also cited the cost of workers' compensation, the nature of work, coworkers' attitudes, discomfort and unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge of the effectiveness of people with disabilities as employment barriers.
The researchers said offering tax credits to offset accommodation costs and productivity differences may encourage companies to employ people with disabilities.
"In addition, disability awareness training is frequently cited as a useful tool to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities. Such training would address and correct misconceptions such as the concern that those with disabilities lack the appropriate competencies to be effective in their jobs, are less productive, and are more accident-prone," the researchers said.
"Preconceived notions about the nature of the work that people with disabilities can do and how to accommodate workers with disabilities is a major challenge, even among companies that actively recruit people with disabilities. Creating a disability-friendly culture that is favorable and supportive of employees with disabilities is paramount in overcoming biases and stereotypes. Leadership must invest in managerial training to improve the workplace culture and inform the workforce on benefits when working with people with disabilities," they said.
###
The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide.
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
[ | 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.
Public release date: 26-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Lori Wright
lori.wright@unh.edu
603-862-0574
University of New Hampshire
DURHAM, N.H. People with disabilities trying to find employment in the U.S. hospitality industry face employers who are often reluctant to hire them because of preconceived notions that they cannot do the job and that they are more costly to employ that people without disabilities, according to new research from the University of New Hampshire.
UNH researchers Andrew Houtenville, associate professor of economics and research director of the UNH Institute on Disability, and Valentini Kalargyrou, assistant professor of hospitality management, analyzed data from 320 hospitality companies in the United States, and found similar concerns and challenges regarding employment of people with disabilities. The researchers used the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Employer's Survey as their data source.
The research is presented in the journal Cornell Hospitality Quarterly in the article "People with Disabilities: Employers' Perspectives on Recruitment Practices, Strategies, and Challenges in Leisure and Hospitality."
"We found prejudice, stereotyping, and limited choices in employment as employment barriers for people with disabilities, but the chief concern among those in this survey involved the bottom line," said the researchers, who are both professors at the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics.
"The most frequently cited challenge or concern among hospitality and leisure companies is that the nature of the work is such that it cannot be effectively performed by people with disabilities, even though workplace accommodations are a tried-and-true method for addressing the nature of the work," the researchers said. "The cost of accommodation is the second most frequently cited challenge or concern, even among companies that are proactive in employing people with disabilities."
Employers also cited the cost of workers' compensation, the nature of work, coworkers' attitudes, discomfort and unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge of the effectiveness of people with disabilities as employment barriers.
The researchers said offering tax credits to offset accommodation costs and productivity differences may encourage companies to employ people with disabilities.
"In addition, disability awareness training is frequently cited as a useful tool to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities. Such training would address and correct misconceptions such as the concern that those with disabilities lack the appropriate competencies to be effective in their jobs, are less productive, and are more accident-prone," the researchers said.
"Preconceived notions about the nature of the work that people with disabilities can do and how to accommodate workers with disabilities is a major challenge, even among companies that actively recruit people with disabilities. Creating a disability-friendly culture that is favorable and supportive of employees with disabilities is paramount in overcoming biases and stereotypes. Leadership must invest in managerial training to improve the workplace culture and inform the workforce on benefits when working with people with disabilities," they said.
###
The UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics offers a full complement of high-quality programs in business, economics, accounting, finance, information systems management, marketing, and hospitality management. Programs are offered at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive development levels. The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for business schools worldwide.
The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
[ | 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/2012-01/uonh-uru012612.php
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Star Jones making guest appearance on 'The View' (AP)
NEW YORK ? Apparently enough water has flowed under the bridge for Barbara Walters and Star Jones to reunite for a day.
"The View" announced on Wednesday that Jones will appear on the daytime talk show on Feb. 22 to promote an awareness campaign about heart disease among women.
Walters and Jones had a falling out in 2006 when Jones, one of the five original co-hosts of the daytime chat show, exited "The View." ABC decided not to renew her contract and Jones took Walters by surprise by announcing on June 27 that she would be leaving the show.
That exit came more quickly than expected. Walters wouldn't allow her back the next day.
Walters later said that Jones had compelled her co-hosts to lie for her by not revealing that Jones had undergone gastric bypass surgery while on "The View." Jones took her own shots, criticizing Walters for writing an autobiography that revealed details of an affair.
The women later had something serious in common. Both underwent open heart surgery to repair faulty heart valves within two months of each other in 2010.
Jones is coming back to the show to discuss her involvement in the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" public information campaign. Women are asked to wear red on Feb. 3 to support heart patients.
___
ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.
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U.S. lawmaker may pursue limited China bill (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? An influential Republican lawmaker said on Wednesday he may pursue "narrowly targeted" legislation to ensure the Commerce Department can impose countervailing duties on subsidized imports from China and other "non-market economies."
"I am willing to consider targeted legislation that ensures our countervailing duty laws can be used to protect U.S. employers and workers from unfairly subsidized imports from countries like China," House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp said in a statement.
A recent U.S. court ruling struck down the Commerce Department's ability to apply to countervailing duties to non-market economies, saying that Congress needed to change the law for the department to do that.
Camp emphasized that any legislation to address the ruling "would have to be narrowly targeted ... and be able to pass the House and Senate without complications."
However, the prospect of the Republicans moving any China bill is likely to invite attempts by Democrats to attach a measure to address China's currency practices.
Last year, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a bill to pressure China on its currency, which many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say is undervalued and gives Chinese manufacturers an unfair price advantage.
But House Republican leaders have sat on the bill, which they said could start a damaging trade war.
Former President George W. Bush's administration, responding to pleas of domestic producers, changed longstanding policy to allow countervailing, or anti-subsidy, duties to be applied to goods from non-market economies.
Previously, the Commerce Department had taken the position it was too difficult to calculate subsidy levels in economies where the state plays a dominant role in setting prices.
However, U.S. industry groups persuaded the Bush administration that was no longer the case with China.
(Reporting By Doug Palmer; editing by Christopher Wilson)
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Bernanke Pledges to Keep Rates Low Thru 2014 ... - Yahoo! Finance
The Federal Reserve did not announce another round of quantitative easing Wednesday but still had a gift for the speculators.
In a surprising and somewhat perplexing move, the FOMC announced plans to keep rates at "exceptionally low levels" -- a.k.a. zero -- through 2014 "at least" vs. mid-2013 previously.
The promise of an extra year (plus!) of easy money prompted traders to put the "risk" trade back on. Stocks, Treasuries and commodities rallied while the dollar declined in response to the announcement. In recent trading, the Dow was up 0.6% to 12,750 after trading as low as 12,580 earlier in the day.
The only thing tempering the euphoria among traders is the implications of the Fed's forecast.
Keeping rates low until 2014 is "good policy [only] if you believe the recovery is going to be very weak and weak globally," says Gerald O'Driscoll, former vice president and economic adviser at the Dallas Fed and currently a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. "If they really think they can project weak growth that far out, then they're saying...the U.S. economy is becoming like the Japanese, no growth for long period of time. That's very pessimistic."
O'Driscoll, for one, does not share that view and fears the Fed is "tying its hands" in the event the economy, and inflation, review faster or more strongly than expected. "The downside of being transparent is it will be transparent if you're wrong," he quips.
Worse Than Expected
Officially, the Fed's assessment of the economy was unchanged from its December statement:
The economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some slowing in global growth. While indicators point to some further improvement in overall labor market conditions, the unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending has continued to advance, but growth in business fixed investment has slowed, and the housing sector remains depressed.
But extending the pledge to keep rates low through 2014 "would infer they have a somewhat pessimistic view, more pessimistic than heretofore about prospects for a recovery," Driscoll says.
Indeed, the Fed lowered its forecast for economic growth in its latest projections, released after the accompanying video was taped.
For 2012, FOMC members now project GDP growth of 2.2% to 2.7% vs. 2.5% to 2.9% back in November. The Fed also lowered its forecast for inflation and the unemployment rate, albeit still in an elevated range between 8.2% to 8.5%.
For the first time, the Fed today also released a breakdown of individual committee members' expectations for the fed funds rate: Of the 17 FOMC members, nine expect rates will remain below 1% through the end of 2014 and six predict rates will still be at zero into 2015.
Aaron Task is the host of The Daily Ticker. You can follow him on Twitter at @aarontask or email him at altask@yahoo.com.
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