Deal may mean immigration breakthrough

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big business and labor have struck a deal on a new low-skilled worker program, removing the biggest hurdle to completion of sweeping immigration legislation allowing 11 million illegal immigrants eventual U.S. citizenship, labor and Senate officials said Saturday.

The agreement was reached in a phone call late Friday night with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, U.S. Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who's been mediating the dispute.

The deal resolves disagreements over wages for the new workers and which industries would be included. Those disputes had led talks to break down a week ago, throwing into doubt whether Schumer and seven other senators crafting a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill would be able to complete their work as planned.

The deal must still be signed off on by the other senators working with Schumer, including Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Marco Rubio of Florida, but that's expected to happen, according to a person with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity. With the agreement in place, the senators are expected to unveil their legislation the week of April 8. Their measure would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants already here.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the nation's faltering immigration system in more than two decades.

"The strength of the consensus across America for just reform has afforded us the momentum needed to forge an agreement in principle to develop a new type of employer visa system," Trumka said in a statement late Saturday. "We expect that this new program, which benefits not just business, but everyone, will promote long overdue reforms by raising the bar for existing programs."

Schumer said: "This issue has always been the dealbreaker on immigration reform, but not this time."

The AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce, longtime antagonists over temporary worker programs, had been fighting over wages for tens of thousands of low-skilled workers who would be brought in under the new program to fill jobs in construction, hotels and resorts, nursing homes and restaurants, and other industries.

Under the agreement, a new "W'' visa program would go into effect beginning April 1, 2015, according to an AFL-CIO fact sheet.

In year one of the program, 20,000 workers would be allowed in; in year two, 35,000; in year three, 55,000; and in year four, 75,000. Ultimately the program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market. One-third of all visas in any year would go to businesses with under 25 workers.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap if they can show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the following year's cap.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency after a year, and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Business has sought temporary worker programs in a quest for a cheaper workforce, but labor has opposed the programs because of concerns over working conditions and the effect on jobs and wages for U.S. workers. The issue helped sink the last major attempt at immigration overhaul in 2007, which the AFL-CIO opposed partly because of temporary worker provisions, and the flare-up earlier this month sparked concerns that the same thing would happen this time around. Agreement between the two traditional foes is one of many indications that immigration reform has its best chance in years in Congress this year.

After apparent miscommunications earlier this month between the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce on the wage issue, the deal resolves it in a way both sides are comfortable with, officials said.

Workers would earn actual wages paid to American workers or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

There also had been disagreement on how to handle the construction industry, which unions argue is different from other industries in the new program because it can be more seasonal in nature and includes a number of higher-skilled trades. The official said the resolution will cap at 15,000 a year the number of visas that can be sought by the construction industry.

Schumer called White House chief of staff Denis McDonough on Saturday to inform him of the deal, the person with knowledge of the talks said. The three principals in the talks ? Trumka, Donohue and Schumer ? agreed they should meet for dinner soon to celebrate, the person said.

However, in a sign of the delicate and uncertain negotiations still ahead, Rubio sent a letter Saturday to Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., calling for a deliberate hearing process on the new legislation and cautioning against a "rush to legislate." Rubio and a number of other Republicans are striking a tricky balance as they simultaneously court conservative and Hispanic voters on the immigration issue.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other illegal immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

___

Follow Erica Werner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericawerner

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/business-labor-deal-worker-program-004114076--finance.html

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Visualized: JetBlue and ViaSat test Fly-Fi in-flight WiFi... from the ground

Gogo's ground-to-air transmitters typically mandate evaluating service while jetting around the country above 10,000 feet. Sure, you don't need to waste fuel flying around an empty airliner, but even the company's small jet can burn through quite a bit of cash. ViaSat, on the other hand, can do much of its service testing on the ground, using that fairly ordinary Ford van pictured just above. The reason, of course, relates to the location of the company's transmitter -- namely, the ViaSat-1 satellite, positioned some 22,000 miles above the ground. In the air, planes will actually be nearer to the orbiting device, rather than farther away, and assuming a line-of-sight link from the road, the truck can work out kinks at a fraction of the cost.

That white dome atop the van, which is similar to the device that'll soon be mounted on JetBlue's fleet, maintains a constant connection by rotating instantly as the van moves -- if the vehicle's heading changes, the antenna array will turn, too, so it's always pointed directly at the sat in the sky. You may have seen ViaSat's van driving down Southern California's freeways, but the rig has just arrived in Orlando, for some additional testing a few degrees away from the company's Carlsbad home. Assuming all goes well here, you'll be shooting around the web courtesy of Fly-Fi in no time at all.

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ANrb0GD5rtk/

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The Fix's Sweet 2016 Bracket Competition: The Elite 8! (Washington Post)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295442360?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Algeria's southern unemployed demand oil jobs

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) ? Protests by the unemployed in southern Algeria are raising the specter of rising unrest in the country's sensitive oil regions, and are increasingly attracting the attention of al-Qaida.

Algeria's vast, sparsely populated Sahara only holds 10 percent of the country's population but it is home to this North African country's enormous oil and gas reserves ? the basis of the entire economy and the source of the government's power. Those who live there claim they aren't benefiting from that wealth, and can't get jobs with the oil companies.

Now al-Qaida has praised the protesters, raising the possibility that it is seeking support among the disaffected groups. The government is rushing to address the protesters' demands, but hasn't yet convinced them that it's serious.

Some 10,000 people ? an enormous number for the lightly populated region ?demonstrated on March 14 in Algeria's southern oil city of Ouargla, and thousands more later protested in another southern oil town, Laghouat.

"We want access to jobs in the oil companies, and not just the low-value ones like drivers and security guards; we want to be in the administration," Tahar Belabes, the head of the National Committee for Defense of the Rights of the Unemployed, which organized the demonstration, said by telephone from Ouargla.

"We just want the same employment possibilities. It's not normal that we live in the region where the oil and gas is located but don't benefit from it."

While youth unemployment is widespread in Algeria, and the rest of North Africa, the southerners say they are particularly discriminated against. There is also a widespread distrust of government officials, who are believed corrupt and skimming off the country's vast oil receipts.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal acknowledged on March 16 that the demonstrators' demands are legitimate and the government hurriedly announced a string of measures to address the perceived geographical bias in oil jobs. Oil companies will be obliged to give priority to job candidates from the south and recruitment must occur through registered employment agencies. The government announced that job-training centers would be set up to ready candidates for jobs with oil companies and hotels.

The demonstrations, however, have not stopped, and on Monday hundreds protested in the desert towns of Ghardaia, which the next day degenerated into widespread clashes with police that destroyed several government buildings and resulted in the arrest of seven young men for "vandalism and destruction of public property," the state news agency reported Saturday.

"The demonstrations are continuing because the young unemployed don't believe in official promises and they don't trust the local government representatives or their parliamentarians ? they want to negotiate directly with the government," said Kamal Zaidi, a member of an unemployed group in Laghouat and a human rights activist.

Most worrying for the government is that, on Friday, Al-Qaida's North African branch expressed solidarity with the demonstrations, slamming what they say is the corrupt use of the country's resources.

"The events of the south and the call of the people to protest in the streets is the natural response to the policy of marginalization and nepotism used by the corrupt Algerian regime," said the message posted on extremist websites.

Al-Qaida's signature tactic around the world has been to find marginalized groups in remote areas and espouse their cause, much the way they did with the disenfranchised Tuareg tribesmen in northern Mali, setting up a foothold that later became a de facto state before they were routed by the French in February.

In January, an al-Qaida-linked group for the first time attacked one of the country's remote desert gas plants.

While the leaders of Al-Qaida's Algerian branch are predominantly from the populous north, the leader of the attack on the Ain Amenas gas complex in January that left 37 hostages dead was a southerner ? Lamine Bencheneb, part of the radical Sons of Sahara armed Islamic group.

In the attack, the multinational team of militants appeared to know the complex inside and out, sparking reports that they may have had allies among the site's local drivers who had gone on strike over low pay just weeks earlier.

Geoff Porter, a veteran Algeria analyst with the North Africa Risk Consulting firm said the "unevenness" of past government investment programs have left a legacy of distrust in the south ? a region that also lacks the educational opportunities to produce the necessary skills for oil sector jobs.

Part of the problem, he added, is that the hydrocarbon industries don't require very much employment and there is little else going in these remote communities after the desert tourism industry dried up.

In attempt to curb the recent demonstrations, the government sent local parliamentarians, mostly from the ruling party, back to their towns in the south to hold meetings, but most of these were boycotted by the committees of the unemployed.

"The Algerian state has always had a policy of national investment and a great deal of money has been invested in the south, just like the other regions," said Mohammed Dhimi, one of the members of parliament from the south. "Perhaps the investments were not well thought-out or misdirected or didn't respond to the agricultural and industrial needs of the people."

"The protesters may sense that they have built up some momentum and that they are going to continue their protests until they see meaningful steps taken to deliver on the prime minister's promises," he said.

Belabes, the head of the unemployment committee, promised a new round of demonstrations in the coming days.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, about 30 chiefs of Algeria's Tuareg tribes, ethnically the same group that revolted against the government across the border in Mali, presented authorities with their own manifesto of demands, including more jobs, governorships, and high diplomatic positions for the nation's Tuaregs, reported the daily El Watan.

___

Paul Schemm reported from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press reporter Karim Kebir contributed to this report from Algiers.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/algerias-southern-unemployed-demand-oil-jobs-073417151.html

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North Korea warns of 'state of war' with South

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? North Korea warned Seoul on Saturday that the Korean Peninsula was entering "a state of war" and threatened to shut down a border factory complex that's the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

Analysts say a full-scale conflict is extremely unlikely, noting that the Korean Peninsula has remained in a technical state of war for 60 years. But the North's continued threats toward Seoul and Washington, including a vow to launch a nuclear strike, have raised worries that a misjudgment between the sides could lead to a clash.

North Korea's threats are seen as efforts to provoke the new government in Seoul, led by President Park Geun-hye, to change its policies toward Pyongyang, and to win diplomatic talks with Washington that could get it more aid. North Korea's moves are also seen as ways to build domestic unity as young leader Kim Jong Un strengthens his military credentials.

On Thursday, U.S. military officials revealed that two B-2 stealth bombers dropped dummy munitions on an uninhabited South Korean island as part of annual defense drills that Pyongyang sees as rehearsals for invasion. Hours later, Kim ordered his generals to put rockets on standby and threatened to strike American targets if provoked.

North Korea said in a statement Saturday that it would deal with South Korea according to "wartime regulations" and would retaliate against any provocations by the United States and South Korea without notice.

"Now that the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK have entered into an actual military action, the inter-Korean relations have naturally entered the state of war," said the statement, which was carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Provocations "will not be limited to a local war, but develop into an all-out war, a nuclear war," the statement said.

Hours after the statement, Pyongyang threatened to shut down the jointly run Kaesong industrial park, expressing anger over media reports suggesting the complex remained open because it was a source of hard currency for the impoverished North.

"If the puppet group seeks to tarnish the image of the DPRK even a bit, while speaking of the zone whose operation has been barely maintained, we will shut down the zone without mercy," an identified spokesman for the North's office controlling Kaesong said in comments carried by KCNA.

South Korea's Unification Ministry responded by calling the North Korean threat "unhelpful" to the countries' already frayed relations and vowed to ensure the safety of hundreds of South Korean managers who cross the border to their jobs in Kaesong. It did not elaborate.

South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said the country's military remains mindful of the possibility that increasing North Korean drills near the border could lead to an actual provocation.

"The series of North Korean threats ? announcing all-out war, scrapping the cease-fire agreement and the non-aggression agreement between the South and the North, cutting the military hotline, entering into combat posture No. 1 and entering a 'state of war' ? are unacceptable and harm the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula," Kim said.

"We are maintaining full military readiness in order to protect our people's lives and security," he told reporters Saturday.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Naval skirmishes in the disputed waters off the Korean coast have led to bloody battles several times over the years.

But on the streets of Seoul on Saturday, South Koreans said they were not worried about an attack from North Korea.

"From other countries' point of view, it may seem like an extremely urgent situation," said Kang Tae-hwan, a private tutor. "But South Koreans don't seem to be that nervous because we've heard these threats from the North before."

The Kaesong industrial park, which is run with North Korean labor and South Korean know-how, has been operating normally, despite Pyongyang shutting down a communications channel typically used to coordinate travel by South Korean workers to and from the park just across the border in North Korea. The rivals are now coordinating the travel indirectly, through an office at Kaesong that has outside lines to South Korea.

North Korea has previously made such threats about Kaesong without acting on them, and recent weeks have seen a torrent of bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang. North Korea is angry about the South Korea-U.S. military drills and new U.N. sanctions over its nuclear test last month.

Dozens of South Korean firms run factories in the border town of Kaesong. Using North Korea's cheap, efficient labor, the Kaesong complex produced $470 million worth of goods last year.

___

Follow Sam Kim at www.twitter.com/samkim_ap.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-warns-state-war-south-125535455.html

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Experienced Regional Sales Managers - Join CPM's Brand New ...

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CPM is Irelands leading Field Marketing Company involved in a wide range of activities including?sales, retail services/management, merchandising & auditing, on behalf of many of the largest brands in Ireland and has over 25 years of proven ability in the Irish Marketplace. Having 35 CPM offices around the world means that we can leverage experiences and learning?s from our global offices to ensure our insights are not just Irish based but also based on the global market.

We are currently recruiting a brand new CPM Business to Business Field Sales Team to represent our client eircom selling their fixed & mobile telecommunications services to small to medium sized businesses (SME).

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Source: http://www.jobs.ie/ApplyForJob.aspx?Id=1249355

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Confederate flag at old NC Capitol raises ire

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ? A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is raising concern with civil rights leaders.

The flag was raised inside the House chamber last week as part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863.

State Historic Sites Director Keith Hardison said Thursday the flag should be viewed in its proper historical context.

"Our goal is not to create issues," said Hardison, a Civil War re-enactor and history buff. "Our goal is to help people understand issues of the past. ... If you refuse to put something that someone might object to or have a concern with in the exhibit, then you are basically censoring history."

North Carolina NAACP president Rev. William Barber was shocked Friday when he was shown a photo of the flag by The Associated Press.

"He is right that it has a historical context," Barber said. "But what is that history? The history of racism. The history of lynchings. The history of death. The history of slavery. If you say that shouldn't be offensive, then either you don't know the history, or you are denying the history."

Sessions of the General Assembly moved to a newer building a half-century ago, but the old capitol is still routinely used as a venue for official state government events. Gov. Pat McCrory's office is on the first floor, as are the offices of his chief of staff and communications staff.

The governor was in the House chamber where the Confederate flag hangs as recently as Wednesday, when he presided over the swearing in ceremony of his new Highway Patrol commander.

McCrory, a Republican, was not immediately available for comment Friday, a state government holiday.

The presentation of the Confederate battle flag at state government buildings has long been an issue of debate throughout the South. For more than a decade, the NAACP has urged its members to boycott South Carolina because of that state's display of the flag on the state capitol grounds.

Prior to taking his current job in North Carolina in 2006, Hardison worked as director at the Mississippi home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, which is operated as a museum and library owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group has led the fight in the South for the proud display of the Confederate flag, which it contends is a symbol of heritage, not hate.

Hardison said the battle flag is displayed with other flags described in the diary of a North Carolina woman who visited the capitol in 1863. A large U.S. flag displayed in the Senate chamber is reminiscent of a trophy of war captured from Union troops at the Battle of Plymouth.

"I thought, wouldn't it be wonderful to recreate this," Hardison said. "I think we were all thinking along the same vein. ... The Capitol is both a working seat of government, in that the governor and his staff has his office there. But it is also a museum."

A placard near the entrance of the House and Senate chambers describes the history of the flags on display, and Hardison said a brochure with more information is available at the front desk downstairs. Guides giving daily tours of the building have also been briefed to recount the history of the flags to visitors.

Hardison also pointed out that the national flag used by the Confederate government, with its circle of white stars and red and white stripes, is still flown over the State Capitol dome each year on Confederate Memorial Day. The more familiar battle flag was used by the rebel military.

Barber said if someone wants to display the Confederate battle flag across the street at the N.C. Museum of History, he has no objection. But to display the flag where the state's governor has his office is over the line, he said.

"That flag does not represent out democracy," Barber said. "It represents division. Underneath that flag, bodies were hung. People were terrorized. The people who marched under that flag deliberately violated the fundamental principles of freedom in our Constitution, to keep radical discrimination in place. It should come down."

___

Follow Michael Biesecker at twitter.com/mbieseck

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/confederate-flag-old-nc-capitol-raises-ire-162047291.html

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UPS pays $40M to end online pharmacies probe

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Shipping company UPS has agreed to pay $40 million to end a federal criminal probe connected to its work for online pharmacies.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that the Atlanta-based company would also "take steps" to block illicit online drug dealers from using their delivery service.

The DOJ says the fine amount is the money UPS collected from suspect online pharmacies.

UPS won't be charged with any crimes. Its biggest rival, FedEx Corp., has also been a target of the federal investigation.

The investigation of the two companies stems from a global campaign to shutter illicit online pharmacies launched in 2005. Since then, dozens of arrests have been made and thousands of websites closed worldwide as investigators continue to broaden the probe beyond the operators.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ups-pays-40m-end-online-pharmacies-probe-173535406--finance.html

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Cheltenham plans ?45 million upgrade

LONDON (Reuters) - Cheltenham racecourse plans to build a new grandstand complete with an upgraded royal box in a 45 million pound makeover of the venue, home to one of the most prestigious festivals in jump racing, its owners said on Thursday.

The new grandstand, with capacity for 6,500 spectators, will replace a smaller 1920s block where private boxes including the one for the royals are located.

The Jockey Club, which has owned and operated the track in western England since 1964, said the investment was its biggest in any of its racecourses. The existing grandstand will be modernised as part of the work, scheduled for completion by 2016.

Held in March every year, the four-day Cheltenham Festival is one of the highlights of the jump racing season. It attracted aggregate crowds of more than 235,000 earlier this month.

Subject to planning permission, work will begin after next year's festival and the course will remain open for its normal racing programme during the improvements.

(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Justin Palmer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cheltenham-plans-45-million-upgrade-133449736--rah.html

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Biological transistor enables computing within living cells

Mar. 28, 2013 ? When Charles Babbage prototyped the first computing machine in the 19th century, he imagined using mechanical gears and latches to control information. ENIAC, the first modern computer developed in the 1940s, used vacuum tubes and electricity. Today, computers use transistors made from highly engineered semiconducting materials to carry out their logical operations.

And now a team of Stanford University bioengineers has taken computing beyond mechanics and electronics into the living realm of biology. In a paper to be published March 28 in Science, the team details a biological transistor made from genetic material -- DNA and RNA -- in place of gears or electrons. The team calls its biological transistor the "transcriptor."

"Transcriptors are the key component behind amplifying genetic logic -- akin to the transistor and electronics," said Jerome Bonnet, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in bioengineering and the paper's lead author.

The creation of the transcriptor allows engineers to compute inside living cells to record, for instance, when cells have been exposed to certain external stimuli or environmental factors, or even to turn on and off cell reproduction as needed.

"Biological computers can be used to study and reprogram living systems, monitor environments and improve cellular therapeutics," said Drew Endy, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering and the paper's senior author.

The biological computer

In electronics, a transistor controls the flow of electrons along a circuit. Similarly, in biologics, a transcriptor controls the flow of a specific protein, RNA polymerase, as it travels along a strand of DNA.

"We have repurposed a group of natural proteins, called integrases, to realize digital control over the flow of RNA polymerase along DNA, which in turn allowed us to engineer amplifying genetic logic," said Endy.

Using transcriptors, the team has created what are known in electrical engineering as logic gates that can derive true-false answers to virtually any biochemical question that might be posed within a cell.

They refer to their transcriptor-based logic gates as "Boolean Integrase Logic," or "BIL gates" for short.

Transcriptor-based gates alone do not constitute a computer, but they are the third and final component of a biological computer that could operate within individual living cells.

Despite their outward differences, all modern computers, from ENIAC to Apple, share three basic functions: storing, transmitting and performing logical operations on information.

Last year, Endy and his team made news in delivering the other two core components of a fully functional genetic computer. The first was a type of rewritable digital data storage within DNA. They also developed a mechanism for transmitting genetic information from cell to cell, a sort of biological Internet.

It all adds up to creating a computer inside a living cell.

Boole's gold

Digital logic is often referred to as "Boolean logic," after George Boole, the mathematician who proposed the system in 1854. Today, Boolean logic typically takes the form of 1s and 0s within a computer. Answer true, gate open; answer false, gate closed. Open. Closed. On. Off. 1. 0. It's that basic. But it turns out that with just these simple tools and ways of thinking you can accomplish quite a lot.

"AND" and "OR" are just two of the most basic Boolean logic gates. An "AND" gate, for instance, is "true" when both of its inputs are true -- when "a" and "b" are true. An "OR" gate, on the other hand, is true when either or both of its inputs are true.

In a biological setting, the possibilities for logic are as limitless as in electronics, Bonnet explained. "You could test whether a given cell had been exposed to any number of external stimuli -- the presence of glucose and caffeine, for instance. BIL gates would allow you to make that determination and to store that information so you could easily identify those which had been exposed and which had not," he said.

By the same token, you could tell the cell to start or stop reproducing if certain factors were present. And, by coupling BIL gates with the team's biological Internet, it is possible to communicate genetic information from cell to cell to orchestrate the behavior of a group of cells.

"The potential applications are limited only by the imagination of the researcher," said co-author Monica Ortiz, a PhD candidate in bioengineering who demonstrated autonomous cell-to-cell communication of DNA encoding various BIL gates.

Building a transcriptor

To create transcriptors and logic gates, the team used carefully calibrated combinations of enzymes -- the integrases mentioned earlier -- that control the flow of RNA polymerase along strands of DNA. If this were electronics, DNA is the wire and RNA polymerase is the electron.

"The choice of enzymes is important," Bonnet said. "We have been careful to select enzymes that function in bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, so that bio-computers can be engineered within a variety of organisms."

On the technical side, the transcriptor achieves a key similarity between the biological transistor and its semiconducting cousin: signal amplification.

With transcriptors, a very small change in the expression of an integrase can create a very large change in the expression of any two other genes.

To understand the importance of amplification, consider that the transistor was first conceived as a way to replace expensive, inefficient and unreliable vacuum tubes in the amplification of telephone signals for transcontinental phone calls. Electrical signals traveling along wires get weaker the farther they travel, but if you put an amplifier every so often along the way, you can relay the signal across a great distance. The same would hold in biological systems as signals get transmitted among a group of cells.

"It is a concept similar to transistor radios," said Pakpoom Subsoontorn, a PhD candidate in bioengineering and co-author of the study who developed theoretical models to predict the behavior of BIL gates. "Relatively weak radio waves traveling through the air can get amplified into sound."

Public-domain biotechnology

To bring the age of the biological computer to a much speedier reality, Endy and his team have contributed all of BIL gates to the public domain so that others can immediately harness and improve upon the tools.

"Most of biotechnology has not yet been imagined, let alone made true. By freely sharing important basic tools everyone can work better together," Bonnet said.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Andrew Myers.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jerome Bonnet, Peter Yin, Monica E. Ortiz, Pakpoom Subsoontorn, and Drew Endy. Amplifying Genetic Logic Gates. Science, 28 March 2013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1232758

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ED1fLVQ-WsM/130328142400.htm

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Communication is Key- Improving Client-Agency Relationships

Imagine you?re? clicking through the internet, stopped dead in your tracks when you come across hundreds of blogs and articles filled with comment after comment about a disturbing ad with your company?s branding all over it. An ad that you?ve never seen before, that you knew nothing about.

Sounds impossible, doesn?t it? Well just this week it happened to Ford. Employees out of JWT?s affiliate offices in India, whom Ford had contracted to do some of their ad work, created several unauthorized ads entirely on their own initiative. The same individuals uploaded the work to Ads of the World, to show off their work. They even went so far as to submit the mockups to India?s top ad awards program.

This brings up a major concern that a lot of companies have when working with an outside agency. How do you ensure the agency you are working with avoids serious mistakes that can severely impact your image? Open and frequent communication is key.

The following are ways to ensure your standards are being met when working with an outside agency:

1. Document your requirements- without a solid foundation it?s easy for both the business and agency to get off track and lose sight of the end goal
2. Create a review and signoff process- and communicate regularly, even if there are delays
3. Don?t be afraid to be strict about how agency employees are using your branding- remind them that they are responsible for your company?s big asset- your image

Instead of thinking of your agency as an outside vendor, treat them as a partner, stay in the loop and you?ll likely avoid any major fiascos like Ford did this week.

You can read more about Ford?s advertising crisis here: Ford?s PR team worked all weekend on ad crisis.

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Source: http://www.heying.com/blog/communication-is-key-improving-client-agency-relationships/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=communication-is-key-improving-client-agency-relationships

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Pirates, Civic Center at a stalemate in lease negotiations | Maine ...

PORTLAND ? Negotiations on a new lease agreement between the Portland Pirates and Cumberland County Civic Center trustees has reached a pivotal moment, leaving many to wonder if the AHL franchise days are numbered in the city of Portland.

Pirates Managing Owner and CEO Brian Petrovek said that he?s running out of time in order to complete a new lease agreement with county trustees.

Petrovek, who said he?s scheduled to meet with trustees on Thursday, is hoping that a deal can be completed in the next few days because the team has yet to begin selling season tickets, or dealing with corporate sponsors for next season.

?We?re in a window where we should be selling season tickets for next season,? said Petrovek. ?We?re under the gun right now because long term we have no lease, and in short term we have no commitment from season tickets holders, no deposits on seats and we?re not generating any cash. That?s a big challenge today let alone the challenge of having no lease to communicate with our longer term partners, sponsors or otherwise about the future.?

?We?ve got to figure this out and I?m hoping we can do that in the next couple of days, because we are down to days. We were expecting to be in a much different place weeks ago, if not months ago and we?re not.?

The current lease agreement, a one-year extension signed last spring, is set to expire on April 30, opening debate about whether the Pirates could relocate to another city. It?s not the first time that there has been relocation talk regarding the Pirates, who were on the verge of moving to Worcester, Massachusetts in 2005, and again in 2010 when the team explored a move to Albany, New York as leverage toward a new five-year lease.

While not completely ruling it out, Petrovek said this time was different because of the current renovation that?s taking place at the Civic Center, but he needs to have new lease completed soon.

?(Relocation) is the last thing we want to do. It?s not the reason why we bought the team. We?ve been here for 13 years waiting for the building to be renovated. We knew when we bought the team it was outdated, but we worked toward a solution, and now that we have one, the last thing we want to do is consider relocation.?

?I agreed to extend the lease for one year on the basis of having a deal last fall, and I don?t have one and I?ve run out of time,? said Petrovek. I need to have a deal. I don?t want to go elsewhere and I don?t really want to consider other options.?

The Civic Center is currently undergoing a 33-million dollar renovation that was approved by voters in Nov. 2011. With Phase I nearly complete, it was expected that the arena would be closed for Phase II of the project following the completion of the Pirates? regular season on April 22, and a belief among some trustees that the Pirates would play its playoff games elsewhere, namely at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, where they played six regular season games this season.

Although Lewiston was considered a success, selling out five of the six games, the Pirates decided to play its playoff games in Portland for player development and financial reasons as the Colisee only holds 3,650 compared to the Civic Center?s capacity of 6,733.

Despite the team?s recent slide in the standings, it?s still likely Portland will still make the postseason, which will push the start date of Phase II of the renovation into late May or June, delaying the opening of the building into the next hockey season.

It?s that opening date that?s has both sides at odds with each other as Cianbro, the construction company in charge of the Civic Center renovation, revealed during a building committee meeting last week that the opening would be delayed until Jan. 22, 2014, pushing the Pirates out of the arena for nearly two-thirds of its season.

?The Pirates are still under lease for the remaining of this season including the playoffs. They chose to play at the Civic Center,? said Neal Pratt, Chairman of the Civic Center Trustees. ?The April 22nd start date was based on the assumption that the Pirates would be playing its playoff games elsewhere, or they wouldn?t have made the playoffs. Now with the prospects that they?ll make the playoffs and they will be playing at the Civic Center everything will be pushed back.?

It?s that sentiment that left Petrovek aggravated with the trustees.

?We had an option in our lease to play our playoff games (in Portland) and we made a decision in the best interest of player development and our business to do that,? said Petrovek. ?It was our right and frankly, I?m getting a little frustrated by those who think it?s our fault. I didn?t set the schedule for the renovation. I wasn?t asked about it. But, we?ve all got to work around it and there are those who think it?s our fault because the building won?t open til Jan. 22, 2014 and I?m having a difficult time accepting that.?

Petrovek believed that the two month delay would only apply should the Pirates make the Calder Cup finals, and was prepared to play the first several weeks of the regular season next season on the road and at Lewiston, but was taken by surprise to learn that the delay would happen even if the Pirates played one round at the Civic Center.

?We originally knew it could be a delayed start into the fall, two months as most, and we were comfortable with the two month window, but to get news from (Cianbro) and hear them utter the words January. It was the first time we?d heard about it, so it created a much difficult situation we have to deal with.?

The first round of the American Hockey League playoffs is a best-of-five with the higher seed choosing whether they want to start at home or at the road. The Pirates are currently fifth of eight teams in the Eastern Conference that would make the playoffs if they were to begin today.

With the lower seed potentially only playing two home games, Petrovek questions why Cianbro couldn?t begin construction around the building until the first round is complete.

?Why couldn?t the construction start around us,? Petrovek questioned. ?There have been many buildings that have undergone renovations where the team continued to play while the work was on going. I never understood why it was a two month delay if we played just two home games (in Portland).?

Pratt said that the delay was because of Cianbro?s need to prepare the construction site, moving in equipment, including a large crane, and shutting down a section of Spring St. to traffic.

?The two to three months delay is mainly because when you?re hiring all the various subcontractors and planning the scheduling all of the contractors doing the work, they just can?t essentially sit idle until the playoff schedule is complete. It?s a time consuming process and takes time to put all the pieces in place.?

Besides the complexity of the renovation, both sides simply coming to an agreement on how to approach the issues have proven to be a challenge. The Pirates are of the belief that the financial data to complete a lease is available and that a long-term lease should have been done months ago, while the trustees have opted for a more methodical approach due to the 33-million dollar bond which voters approved in Nov. 2011.

The issues are more complicated because of the renovation,? said Pratt. ?Everything impacts the next item so it?s about coming with that logical solution to all of the issues because the Civic Center is responsible for paying the bond. We have to take very seriously our financial needs so that we can repay the obligation to the renovation. That something we?re very much focused on.?

Petrovek?s main contention is that the county trustees shouldn?t be waiting for the building to opening before selling naming rights to the arena, or be in the process of selling both club seats and corporate suites. He believes that process should complete or well-underway by now.

?There are experts in the industry that can make logical, intelligent conservative assumptions about what this building will generate when it?s complete,? said Petrovek. You can?t wait for the building to open because it?s too late to run business like that. We disagree vehemently in that regard and we?ve been getting ?there are a lot of things we don?t know?. Well go find them out. We should have a naming rights partner already sold for the building. We should have had it done before the final drawings were complete. It?s nonsense on their part.?

?There is no reason why we can?t get something done. We keep exchanging ideas and doing analysis and it?s never ending. It?s got to stop because we?re running out of time.

Petrovek said he can?t understand why the trustees are hard-pressed to want to have a long-term lease with the Pirates as it guarantees the Civic Center income, noting that they now have a debt service on the renovation bond.

?They should want a long term deal,? he said. ?They have debt to pay. When you have a long term anchor tenant you have contractual income coming in all the time in order to pay down the debt service. We?ve seen how well long-term deals work in the city of Portland with the Sea Dogs. It?s a perfect example of a long-term relationship that guarantees a landlord getting paid over a long period of time.?

According to Pratt, the trustees are not against a long-term lease and that its part of the natural discussion toward reaching a potential resolution.

?We are looking at all aspects of the relationships and exploring various options,? he said. ?That?s been part of the discussion as to what makes sense. The length of the lease has been part of that discussion and what the financial implication would be on both the Civic Center and the Pirates in any deal.?

Source: http://mainehockeyjournal.com/2013/03/28/pirates-civic-center-at-a-stalemate-in-lease-negotiations/

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Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose Celebrate First Night Out as Parents

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/wiz-khalifa-and-amber-rose-celebrate-first-night-out-as-parents/

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Oil rises above $97, natural gas falls back

NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil rose above $97 a barrel Thursday for the first time in five weeks, boosted by gains in U.S. stock markets and more signs of a strengthening economy.

Benchmark oil for May delivery gained 65 cents to close at $97.23 a barrel in New York. Oil has gained nearly $5 per barrel in the past week, driven by encouraging economic indicators.

U.S. stocks set another record Thursday, as the Standard & Poor's 500 topped the closing high it set before the recession. The government said the U.S. economy grew at 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter, up from a previous estimate of 0.1 percent growth. And analysts think the economy is growing at a rate of around 2.5 percent in the current January-March quarter, which ends this week.

Oil's gains haven't yet factored into pump prices. The average price for a gallon of gas is $3.645, down from $3.65 a day earlier. Gas is now on average about 27 cents cheaper than a year ago.

Meanwhile the price of natural gas retreated, a day after it closed above $4 for the first time since Sept. 14, 2011. Natural gas futures fell 4 cents to end at $4.02 per 1,000 cubic feet. Natural gas has risen 67 cents, or 20 percent, this year as colder weather and greater use of natural gas for power generation have helped whittle away at a large surplus of the fuel in the U.S.

Brent crude, used to price many kinds of oil imported by U.S. refineries, was down 33 cents to finish at $109.38 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline fell 1 cent to end at $3.11 a gallon.

? Heating oil was flat at $2.92 a gallon.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-rises-above-97-natural-gas-falls-back-192135803--finance.html

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Use a Plastic Bag and the Camera You Already Have to Create Cool, Vintage-Style Photos

We're all familiar with vintage-style camera effects thanks to popular apps like Instagram, but applying those modifications after you take the image doesn't look as authentic and can hurt the image quality. Instead, you can create true light leaks and special effect color with a plastic sandwich bag and a colored marker. DIY Photography explains:

Take two plastic sandwitch bagies, color one with a marker some bright color like pink or purple and leave the other clear.

On the opposite end as the zip-lock (the closed end) rip it, tear it or cut it in some uneven fashion so that it is now open on both ends.

Wrap the zip-lock end around your camera lens leaving the torn end overlapping the lens a little bit. Most of us are holding the lens while we shoot so now you are holding the plastic bag on the lens with your hand.

Now manipulate the bag as you shoot so the center of the lens is unobstructed and have fun!

The image above demonstrates how this all should look when you're done, plus one sample photo created with this nifty DIY trick. To see more awesome examples, check out the full post over at DIY Photography.

Pro-Tip: Make Cool Hazy/Light Leak/Mystical Photos With A Sandwich Baggie And A Colored Marker | DIY Photography

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/3C6A3o0Z1_U/use-a-plastic-bag-and-the-camera-you-already-have-to-create-cool-vintage+style-photos

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Fisher House Foundation Dedicates 60th Facility Worldwide at South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio

Comfort home will provide free temporary lodging for Veterans? families

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) March 28, 2013

The Assistant VA Secretary for Public & Intergovernmental Affairs Dr. Tommy Sowers and Marie Weldon, Director of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) joined Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher today to dedicate the new South Texas VA Fisher House, increasing the network of Fisher Houses serving military and Veterans? families worldwide to 60. This new Fisher House will be the eighth in San Antonio ? creating the largest concentration of Fisher Houses in a single city.

?The mission of Fisher House Foundation partnered with the VA?s mission demonstrates our commitment and compassion to our Nation?s heroes and their families,? said Marie Weldon. ?We are proud to have such an amazing and beautiful resource to offer as a home away from home during their stay in San Antonio. We expect that our Fisher House will be well-utilized and it is very much appreciated.?

The 16-suite, 13,400 sq.-ft. ?comfort home? joins the network of other Fisher Houses operating in the United States and Europe, and was gifted to the VA as part of today?s ceremony. This new home will serve the families of military and Veterans, including those who have suffered severe multiple traumatic injuries while serving their country. Each bedroom suite comes equipped with a private, handicapped-accessible bathroom. Common areas include a fully equipped kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, and patio.

?We are always proud to dedicate a new Fisher House, because we know it will serve thousands of families for years to come,? said Ken Fisher. ?This new home represents a special benchmark, our 60th Fisher House in the world, here in San Antonio, where so many of our military live, serve, raise their families, and seek out medical care. Whether a Veteran of past or current conflicts, we owe our Veterans and their families a debt that can never be repaid.?

The Fisher House program was started by the late Zachary Fisher, founding partner of Fisher Brothers, a New York City-based real estate and development firm. After hearing about the challenges military families faced supporting a loved one in the hospital and the need for an affordable place to stay, Zachary began to construct comfort homes that would provide free, temporary lodging for the families of Veterans and military service members while a loved one was receiving medical care. In the more than 20 years of the program?s operation, hundreds of thousands of families have benefited from the accommodations and support structure of the houses. The model has also been exported to the United Kingdom, where a Fisher House has been completed in Birmingham, and will care for families there.

Construction of this Fisher House was supported by: USAA, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, the Clear Channel Veterans Day Campaign, Imperial Brands / Sobieski Vodka, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Valero Energy Foundation, Jay Leno, Ted L. McIntyre II and Family, BMI Defense Systems, Inc., Newman?s Own Foundation, Bill O?Reilly and ?The Factor? Viewers, the Greehey Family Foundation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Wohlers Family Foundation, the Motorola Foundation, the Tawani Foundation, and Whataburger.

About Fisher House

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and Veteran families an estimated $200 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled Veterans.

http://www.fisherhouse.org

About VA San Antonio Healthcare System

The STVHCS is a highly affiliated tertiary health care system comprised of three divisions referred to as the Audie L. Murphy Campus, Kerrville Campus, and Satellite Outpatient Clinic Division. In addition to the acute care services in medical, surgical, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, geriatric and primary care, STVHCS provides specialty care programs in spinal cord injury, community living centers, domiciliary, substance abuse, bone marrow transplant, and radiation oncology. As the part of the VA Polytrauma System of Care, STVHCS is one of five Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers nationwide. STVHCS serves one of the largest primary service areas in the nation and is part of the VA Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17).

http://www.southtexas.va.gov

Jody Fisher
Rubenstein Communications
212-843-8296
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fisher-house-foundation-dedicates-60th-facility-worldwide-south-200228183.html

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High court skeptical of federal marriage law

Kevin Coyne of Washington holds flags in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court, in the second day of gay marriage cases, turned Wednesday to a constitutional challenge to the federal law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Kevin Coyne of Washington holds flags in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court, in the second day of gay marriage cases, turned Wednesday to a constitutional challenge to the federal law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Gabriela Fore, 6, of Upper Darby Pa., holds a sign with her moms in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013, as the court heard arguments on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In the second of back-to-back gay marriage case, the Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A demonstrator holds a bible while marching outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, March 26, 2013, as the court heard arguments on California's voter approved ban on same-sex marriage, Proposition 8. The Supreme Court waded into the fight over same-sex marriage Tuesday, at a time when public opinion is shifting rapidly in favor of permitting gay and lesbian couples to wed, but 40 states don't allow it. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

A woman holds up a sign that reads "REPEAL DOMA," the Defense of Marriage Act, as a group from Alabama prays in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. In the second of back-to-back gay marriage case, the Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Wyatt Tan, left and Mark Nomadiou, both of New York City, kiss in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, March 27, 2013, prior to the start of a court hearing on the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In the second of back-to-back gay marriage cases, the Supreme Court is turning to a constitutional challenge to the law that prevents legally married gay Americans from collecting federal benefits generally available to straight married couples. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? In a major gay rights case, the Supreme Court indicated Wednesday it could strike down the law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range of federal benefits that go to other married people.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the decisive vote in close cases, joined the four more liberal justices in raising questions about a provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that is being challenged at the court.

Kennedy said the law appears to intrude on the power of states that have chosen to recognize same-sex marriages. Other justices said the law creates what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called two classes of marriage, full and "skim-milk marriage."

The federal law affects a range of benefits available to married couples, including tax breaks, survivor benefits and health insurance for spouses of federal employees.

It still is possible the court could dismiss the case for procedural reasons, though that prospect seemed less likely than it did in Tuesday's argument over gay marriage in California.

The motivation behind the 1996 federal law, passed by large majorities in Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton, was questioned repeatedly by Justice Elena Kagan.

She read from a House of Representatives report explaining that the reason for the law was "to express moral disapproval of homosexuality." The quote produced an audible reaction in the courtroom.

Paul Clement, representing the House Republican leadership in defending the law, said the more relevant question is whether Congress had "any rational basis for the statute." He supplied one, the federal government's interest in treating same-sex couples the same no matter where they live.

Clement said the government does not want military families "to resist transfer from West Point to Fort Sill because they're going to lose their benefits." The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is in New York, where same-sex marriage is legal, and Fort Sill is in Oklahoma, where gay marriages are not legal.

Opposing Clement was the Obama administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, Donald Verrilli, who said the provision of DOMA at issue, Section 3, impermissibly discriminates against gay people.

"This statute is not called the Federal Uniform Benefits Act," Verrilli said. The administration wants the court to apply a level of scrutiny it applies to discrimination against other disadvantaged groups and that makes it harder for governments to justify those laws.

Both Verrilli and Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer for the 83-year-old New Yorker who sued over DOMA, told the court that views about gay people and marriage have shifted dramatically since 1996.

"Why are you so confident in that judgment? How many states" allow same-sex unions? Justice Antonin Scalia asked Kaplan.

Nine, she said.

"So there's been a sea change since 1996," Scalia said, doubtfully.

But Chief Justice John Roberts jumped on the idea of a rapid shift in opinion to suggest that perhaps gays and lesbians do not need special protection from the court.

"As far as I can tell, political leaders are falling all over themselves to endorse your side of the case," Roberts said.

The justices stepped into the dispute after lower federal courts ruled against the measure.

The DOMA argument followed Tuesday's case over California's ban on same-sex marriage, a case in which the justices indicated they might avoid a major national ruling on whether America's gays and lesbians have a right to marry. Even without a significant ruling, the court appeared headed for a resolution that would mean the resumption of gay and lesbian weddings in California.

Marital status is relevant in more than 1,100 federal laws that include estate taxes, Social Security survivor benefits and health benefits for federal employees. Lawsuits around the country have led four federal district courts and two appeals courts to strike down the law's Section 3, which defines marriage. In 2011, the Obama administration abandoned its defense of the law but continues to enforce it.

Same-sex marriage is legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. The states are Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington. It was legal in California for less than five months in 2008.

The justices chose for their review the case of Edith Windsor, 83, of New York, who sued to challenge a $363,000 federal estate tax bill after her partner of 44 years died in 2009.

Windsor, who goes by Edie, married Thea Spyer in 2007 in Canada after doctors told them that Spyer would not live much longer. She suffered from multiple sclerosis for many years. Spyer left everything she had to Windsor.

There is no dispute that if Windsor had been married to a man, her estate tax bill would have been zero.

The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York agreed with a district judge that the provision of DOMA deprived Windsor of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the law.

Like the Proposition 8 case from California, Windsor's lawsuit could falter on a legal technicality without a definitive ruling from the high court.

The House Republicans, the Obama administration and a lawyer appointed by the court especially to argue the issue spent the first 50 minutes Wednesday discussing whether the House Republican leadership can defend the law in court because the administration decided not to, and whether the administration forfeited its right to participate in the case because it changed its position and now argues that the provision is unconstitutional.

If the Supreme Court finds that it does not have the authority to hear the case, Windsor probably would still get her refund because she won in the lower courts. But there would be no definitive decision about the law from the nation's highest court, and it would remain on the books.

Roberts and Scalia seemed most interested in this sort of outcome.

On Tuesday, the justices weighed a fundamental issue: Does the Constitution require that people be allowed to marry whom they choose, regardless of either partner's gender? The fact that the question was in front of the Supreme Court at all was startling, given that no state recognized same-sex unions before 2003 and 40 states still don't allow them.

But it was clear from the start of that argument in a packed courtroom that the justices, including some liberals who seemed open to gay marriage, had doubts about whether they should even be hearing the challenge to California's Proposition 8, the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

Kennedy suggested the justices could dismiss the case with no ruling at all.

Such an outcome would almost certainly allow gay marriages to resume in California but would have no impact elsewhere.

There was no majority apparent for any particular outcome, and many doubts were expressed by justices about the arguments advanced by lawyers for the opponents of gay marriage in California, by the supporters and by the Obama administration, which is in favor of same-sex marriage rights. The administration's entry into the case followed President Barack Obama's declaration of support for gay marriage.

Reflecting the high interest in the cases, the court released an audio recording of Wednesday's argument, just as it did Tuesday.

Wednesday's audio can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/d626ybg ; Tuesday's at: http://tinyurl.com/dxefy2a.

A somewhat smaller crowd gathered outside the court Wednesday, mainly gay marriage supporters who held American and rainbow flags. "Two, four, six, eight, we do not discriminate," a group chanted at one point. "If this isn't the time, when is the time? When does equality come into play?" asked Laura Scott, 43, of Columbia, Md.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-27-Supreme%20Court-Gay%20Marriage/id-076d5cd053f0469da13bdcb06a05a9ec

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'White House Down' Trailer: Watch Channing Tatum Save The President!

Jamie Foxx as the prez is on the run from military invaders in the sneak peek.
By Driadonna Roland

Channing Tatum in "White House Down"
Photo: Columbia Pictures

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704404/white-house-down-trailer.jhtml

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Ashley Judd says she won't seek Senate seat

Ashley Judd (JB Lacroix/Getty Images)

Ashley Judd, a Democrat who was mulling a challenge to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky Senate seat in 2014, won't run after all, the actress announced Wednesday.

"After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities and energy at this time need to be focused on my family," Judd said in an announcement on her Twitter page. "Regretfully, I am currently unable to consider a campaign for the Senate. I have spoken to so many Kentuckians over these last few months who expressed their desire for a fighter for the people & new leader. While that won't be me at this time, I will continue to work as as hard as I can to ensure the needs of Kentucky families are met by returning this Senate seat to whom it rightfully belongs: the people and their needs, dreams, and great potential."

Had she decided to run, Judd's campaign would have faced an uphill battle against the Kentucky Republican. For starters, Judd's family lives in Tennessee, not Kentucky, and Republicans had already begun to attack her for it. (Judd was a Tennessee delegate at the Democratic National Convention last year.) Her public history of liberal activism and repeated controversial statements?she said, for example, ?I have been raped twice, so I think I can handle Mitch McConnell"?also may have made it difficult for her to connect with Kentucky voters.

With Judd out, Kentucky Democrats are still searching for a candidate to run against McConnell.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/ashley-judd-won-t-run-senate-kentucky-report-211208871--election.html

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ONEfamily: Foster Care Q&A Part II: Decisions, Expenses, and the ...

Originally posted by Leslie Word at Waiting On A Word.

This is the second installment of the Foster Care Q&A Series. ?If you missed the first post,?Foster Care: The Basics, please take a moment and read it first.

Disclaimer: Each state has their own Foster Care rules and regulations. ?I will try and answer questions as basic and broad as possible, but will be speaking from our experience as foster parents in Alabama. ?I encourage you to research your state Department of Human Resources or independent Foster Care Agencies to learn more.?

1. ?Can you decide what ages and gender of the children you will foster??

? ? ?Yes. ?As a foster parent, you have the right to set parameters on your age range, gender preference, physical and emotional disabilities. ?When a social worker calls you with a potential placement, they will be giving you as much information as they know. There is a quick turnaround time between removal of the child from their home and placement into a foster home. ?It's important to take note that they often do not have a full medical history of the child. ?As a foster parent, you must be flexible and willing to accept that children may come into your home with more medical or emotional issues than first determined by the social worker.

2. Do foster parents get reimbursed for expenses related to the child??

? ? ?Foster Parents receive a monthly subsidy for each child in their home. ?This is to cover their "room and board." ?In addition, foster children are on Medicaid and any additional medical expenses are paid by the state department of social services. ?In Alabama, and most likely other states, foster children under the age of five are eligible for WIC (Women, Infants, Children Food/Nutrition Program). ?This program provides a monthly supplement of formula for infants or basic food necessities for toddlers. ?This is a great help to foster parents with food costs.

3. ?How much interaction will the child have with their biological family while in foster care??

? ? ?The court system will decide how much interaction the biological family will have with one another. The purpose of foster care is first and foremost always reunification. ?The court system will give the family as many chances as possible that are safe for the child and will provide an opportunity for the biological family and child to maintain their bond. ?It could be a weekly supervised visit at the Department of Human Resources, an unsupervised visit at on a Saturday afternoon, or overnight visits to the birth family, to name a few examples.

4. ?Does the foster parent have much face to face interaction with the biological family??

? ? ?It often depends on the specific case of the child. ?There will be times where the biological family is deemed too dangerous and a threat to the safety of the child and therefore, interaction is not encouraged. ?In other cases, if the foster parent feels comfortable and reunification is the end goal for the child, interaction may be a good idea. ?For example, the parents of the child may accompany the foster parent to the child's doctor appointments or come to the child's soccer games.

Foster Care Q&A: Part 3 Coming Soon!?

Looking for some other blogs of Foster Parents around the country? Head over?here?for a huge list of foster care blogs.?

Have more questions after reading this? ?Leave them in the comments below or send an email to onefamily@frazerumc.org.

Source: http://frazeronefamily.blogspot.com/2013/03/foster-care-q-part-ii-decisions.html

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