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Balanced budget amendment to get votes in Congress
WASHINGTON - As a "supercommittee" tries to find $1.5 trillion in new deficit cuts this fall, Republicans will be pressing a far more ambitious goal: passing an amendment to the Constitution to require a balanced federal budget.
The idea is being pushed most forcefully by conservative activists eager to shrink the government and its spending, but disappointed with the results they've achieved so far in Washington, where Democrats control both the White House and the Senate.
"Spending cuts and caps are steps in the right direction," said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. But a balanced budget amendment is "the only permanent solution to control government spending and end our nation's spending-driven debt crisis," Sessions said.
House GOP leaders - short of the two-thirds margin required to pass the amendment - have held off scheduling a vote. But both House and Senate are required to hold votes this fall as one of the conditions of recently enacted legislation to raise the government's borrowing cap.
It's a decidedly uphill battle, even though Republicans control the House with larger numbers than they had in 1995, when a balanced budget amendment sailed through the chamber with 300 votes. It fell just one supporter short of the required two-thirds margin in the Senate.
There appear to be fewer Democratic backers now than there were in 1995, when 72 House Democrats voted for the amendment.
For starters, there are far fewer southern white conservative and moderate Democrats in the House than there were back then.
And Republicans have made the task more difficult by pushing a significantly more stringent tea party-backed version of the amendment now than they did in 1995. The new version would virtually make it impossible for future Congresses to raise taxes by requiring a two-thirds vote in both House and Senate. It also would force a huge shrinking of government programs by capping spending at 18 percent of the nation's total economic output each year. This year, government spending is running about 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), the widest measure of the U.S. economy.
Democrats won't back the stricter version. But if House leaders also press a vote on the 1995 version - which permits tax increases by a simple majority vote - they'll run into opposition from conservative activists like Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, who say the old version is a recipe for higher taxes.
"There are lots of reasons not to like the original balanced budget amendment," Norquist said, warning that it could lead to tax increases imposed by lawmakers squeamish about cutting spending, or even by federal courts.
Given the enormity of the nation's fiscal gap, future Congresses facing a balanced-budget mandate would surely consider tax increases as a way to ease cuts to defense, Social Security, Medicare and other domestic programs.
Even tea party-driven House Republicans shunned such cuts earlier this year when adopting a nonbinding GOP budget blueprint that forecast deficits in the $400 billion range for most of the decade. Republican decided against offering a balanced budget because it would have forced cuts on current recipients of Medicare and Social Security benefits.
Lawmakers did have an opportunity to vote for balancing the budget in the form of a much stiffer budget plan offered by the conservative Republican Study Committee, which promised a balanced ledger by the end of the decade.
That balanced-budget plan, however, won only 119 votes in the 435-member House in April and a majority of Republicans opposed it. The balanced-budget blueprint relied on massive cuts to domestic programs like health care and food aid for the poor. It also featured politically implausible proposals like raising the eligibility age for full Social Security retirement benefits to 70.
In 1995, the failure of the balanced budget amendment to pass the Senate propelled then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., to engineer congressional passage of a seven-year balanced-budget plan. It fell prey to a veto by President Bill Clinton but set the stage for a bipartisan balanced budget two years later.
The so-called supercommittee is required to produce cuts in the range of $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion - too small to satisfy the tea party-driven House. So a vote on a balanced budget amendment is an opportunity to take a tougher stand, even as lawmakers are spared difficult votes on concrete proposals to cut spending further. Should the amendment win two-thirds votes in both the House and Senate, that would negate the requirement for the supercommittee's deficit cuts or an alternative $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts if the panel fails to find a compromise or its recommendation is rejected by Congress.
The proposed amendment also is an opportunity for Democrats to cast a tough-on-spending vote. Sixteen House Democrats have signed on to the version that passed the House in 1995. So far, Rep. Mike McIntyre of North Carolina is the only Democrat to sign on to the tea party-backed version requiring two-thirds supermajorities in the House and Senate to raise taxes.
It would take 48 Democratic votes to pass either amendment, assuming that all 240 House Republicans vote for it as well. Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., a top sponsor of both versions, is optimistic.
"We have folks across the geographic spectrum of the Democratic Party who are supporting the effort," said Goodlatte, citing Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Jason Altmire, D-Pa. "I think there's a good chance that this can be passed."
But Gingrich in 1995 had an advantage that today's GOP leaders lack - recent votes by scores of Democrats in favor of the idea. In 1992 and 1994, the Democratic-controlled House rejected attempts by a coalition of conservative Democrats and minority Republicans to pass the balanced budget amendment, falling less than a dozen votes short each time. When Republicans took over the House in 1995, there was a ready pool of Democratic votes.
The House hasn't voted on a balanced budget amendment since, even though it's been controlled by Republicans for most of that time. The Senate fell tantalizingly short in 1997.
Regardless of how the vote turns out in the House, the amendment's prospects are dim in the Senate, where Democrats control 53 of the 100 seats. It would take at least 20 Democratic votes to pass the measure if every Republican votes for it.
All 47 Republicans, however, are backing a tea party version drafted by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, requiring two-thirds votes to raise taxes and capping spending at 18 percent of GDP. When unveiling the tea party-backed measure in March, top sponsors like Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, declined to say whether they could vote for the old version they so enthusiastically backed in the 1990s.
If any amendment were to be adopted by Congress it would then have to be ratified by 38 state legislatures to become part of the Constitution.


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Chemical Reverses Paralysis in Dogs
INDIANAPOLIS – Dogs with paralyzed hind legs regained the ability to walk after getting a shot of a chemical cousin of antifreeze that helped repair nerve cells in their damaged spinal cords, scientists reported.
Purdue University (search) researchers who led the project hope the approach can soon be tried in people, but caution that there are significant differences between human and canine spinal cords.
The treatment only worked on dogs given the injections within about three days of their injury. Some dogs not given the injections eventually walked again, but those getting the new treatment had a dramatically higher recovery rate.
In one case, a dachshund named Oscar was initially sent home with a wheel cart and little hope of recovery after a serious injury.
Soon after the dog got the chemical treatment, he began walking, although his back legs work in unison, giving him an unusual gait.
"I used to make fun of him, saying he walks like a drunken sailor," said Oscar's owner, Dan Paulin of Boonville, Ind. "I don't think he'll ever be normal, but at least he's not confined to the wheel cart."
In the study, 19 paraplegic dogs were injected with polyethylene glycol (search), or PEG — a nontoxic liquid polymer composed of long strings of the same type of molecules found in antifreeze.
Within eight weeks, 13 of the 19 canines, about 68 percent, regained the use of their hind legs and were able to walk, some almost as well as before their injury.
The dogs were injected twice with PEG, first soon after their owners brought them to the researchers' labs and then after standard surgery and steroids to reduce inflammation.
Among a group of 24 dogs that received just the standard surgery and rehabilitation therapies, only about 25 percent regained the same level of mobility, feeling and bodily functions, with about 62 percent remaining paraplegic.
The study's findings appear in the December issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma.
Scientists at Purdue, Indiana University's Indianapolis campus and Texas A&M University took part in the research on dogs ages 2 to 8 between 2001-03.
Richard Borgens, the Purdue professor of neuroscience who oversaw the study, said his West Lafayette, Ind., lab had previously used PEG to repair damaged spinal cords in guinea pigs with about a 90 percent success rate.
His team has even fused severed guinea pig spinal cords using PEG, although the dogs in the study had spinal disc ruptures that crushed, but did not sever, their spinal cords.
Although exactly how PEG works remains unclear, Borgens said it appears to act as a sort of "molecular Band-Aid" that forms a temporary seal over breaches in nerve cells in the spinal cord, aiding their healing process.
"This stuff is kind of like a radiator stop-leak for the nervous system. The polymer spreads out and forms a seal over the damaged areas in the nerve cells and allows the membrane below to reconstruct itself," said Borgens, director of Purdue's Center for Paralysis Research (search).
He said PEG also appears to prevent secondary tissue death that often causes more damage than the original injury. Borgens said the agent only covers damaged cells and tissues when injected into the blood stream.
Purdue has enlisted a yet-to-be-announced corporate sponsor that will make PEG in a form suitable for human clinical trials. Pending federal approval, Borgens hopes those trials can begin within about 18 months on people with hours-old or days-old spinal injuries.
W. Dalton Dietrich, the scientific director of The Miami Project To Cure Paralysis (search), said the rapid improvements in the dogs are intriguing, but point to the need for follow-up work to learn more about how PEG works and evaluate its safety. "Although the results are very provocative, additional studies are required," he said.
Karen Kline, an associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames, Iowa, called the findings promising. She said PEG, which she plans to test on dogs at her lab, appears to stabilize damaged tissue to allow more rapid healing than typically occurs naturally.
"It has such promise, but I think we need to look at more animals and make sure that we're getting a positive outcome," Kline said.

subset: commoncrawl


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The tagline for the recently concluded 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival was "Tomorrow Happens Here," slick marketing shorthand for the event's reputation as a test tube for new cinematic trends and a breeding ground for incestuous indie collaborations. The slogan's message was complicated by the evidence on the ground—articulated best in cinematographer David Lowery's bumpers (trailers produced by the festival and screened before every movie), each a melancholy elegy to the idea of handmade, community-driven cinema that this festival has come to be associated with. In one, a cloth film strip embroidered with the word "SXSW" is swiftly incinerated by the machine projecting it; in another, a small crowd gathers to watch The Last Movie Ever; in another, a filmmaker's head spontaneously bursts into flames. The death of tangible media, the death of communal experience, the death of the auteur: SXSW 2010 indicated that the fest's "tomorrow" might entail a goodbye to what has become its brand. As the once-boutique festival attains a higher profile, the community of idiosyncratic filmmakers it fosters could be at risk of getting glossed over by hype.
SXSW Film, now in its 17th year, has long been known as a meeting point for disparate niches, where a typical triple feature might include a low-budget, no-star American indie like Aaron Katz's Cold Weather (deemed the hit of the festival after its first screening, it remains without distribution); a one-of-a-kind art-tinged experiment like Jody Lee Lipes's beautifully filmed NY Export: Opus Jazz, a document of a Jerome Robbins ballet staged on contemporary city streets; and a midnight show of a foreign freak-out like Serbian Film, described by more than one Twitterer as "the sickest film ever made." This year, the audiences for each niche seemed to explode beyond its natural boundary: Nearly every screening I attended was filled to capacity, with lines of would-be paying customers snaking around the block. Frustrations peaked on the fest's first Sunday night, when a full house was sent home because the Paramount Theater projector failed. (And thus, 2010 will be remembered as The Year SXSW Film Broke, in more ways than one.) Meanwhile, online, locals accused festival organizers of lining their pockets at the expense of moviegoers. In typical indie fashion, the first taste of mainstream success was instantly spun as selling out.
If the fest's planners failed to see the tipping point coming, perhaps it's because it's been so slow to arrive. In past years, it's taken a long while for the masses to care about the stuff that SXSW audiences eat up (Greta Gerwig, the it-girl of SXSW 2007, may co-star in the new Noah Baumbach movie, but she's hardly a household name), if they ever come to care at all (the 2009 Seth Rogen comedy Observe and Report was a major SXSW hit and notable box-office bomb). This year, the SXSW audiences were the masses.
The Hurt Locker had its U.S. premiere here last year, and some at SXSW 2010 pegged that film's eventual success as the catalyst for SXSW's transition from a relatively quiet sub-Sundance alternative festival, into a Sundance-grade fest in its own right. But even if SXSW now sits in a brighter spotlight, the best films of the 2010 lineup were still the discoveries: As in the past, this year saw premieres of a handful of very good films, made for very little money, that are very unlikely to see substantial theatrical distribution.
The festival invited me to Austin to serve on the Documentary Feature jury, and my colleagues and I gave our grand prize to one of those discoveries: Marwencol, Jeff Malmberg's portrait of Mark Hogencamp, a brain-damaged artist who creates and photographs a one-sixth-scale replica of a World War II–era town, with action figures and Barbie dolls standing in for Nazis, catfighting waitresses, and an American fighter pilot—a surrogate for himself. Marwencol defies the nutritious form and tone that you might expect from a documentary about art therapy and disability, and became SXSW's most talked-about doc.
Unjustly under-buzzed was Audrey the Trainwreck, director Frank V. Ross's latest naturalistic dramatization of workaday banality. Ordinary life's manic seesaw between misery and levity is Ross's recurring subject; his previous, ultra-indie efforts (Hohokam, Present Company) have flown under the radar, which has allowed him the time and space to quietly build up the formal control necessary to support these incisive portraits of the suburban working-class.
Audrey was produced by Alicia Van Couvering, who also produced the Narrative Feature Prize winner Tiny Furniture. Writer/director Lena Dunham stars as Aura, a recent film-theory grad, YouTube artist, and family black sheep who moves back into the Tribeca loft shared by her artist mom and annoyingly graceful, accomplished younger sister. Aura takes a restaurant job, falls into ill-defined and ill-advised relationships with two dudes, and becomes obsessed with old journals documenting her mom's own lost 20s. Awkward sex and acute ego-skewering ensue.
Indisputably autobiographical (mom and sis are played by Laurie Simmons and Grace Dunham, the filmmaker's actual artist mom and gazelle-like sister, and shooting commenced in the actual family loft), Tiny Furniture earned the 23-year-old Dunham comparisons to Woody Allen. She's a gifted comedienne, eager to plum her insecurities over her imperfect physical appearance for both poignancy and laughs—I'm not sure I've seen a film that so accurately and unblinkingly depict what it's like to feel unattractive.
Dunham's willingness to put it all out there, both physically and emotionally, may be tied to the fact that she's gestated her talent online. Tiny Furniture is the "oversharing" impulse of contemporary Internet culture, embodied in cinema. SXSW may be the festival of tomorrow, but Dunham has made a film that's resolutely of today.


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Christmas Tree Ornaments ~ Dragonfly
I love these colourful big ornaments, that are completely handmade by a small family owned business in Agra, India. Each ornament is embroidered with various types of bold pearls, beads, sequins, gold and silver lurex. Put a bit of sparkle into your Christmas tree this year... I equally love the ornaments on a large twig in a vase, which would for example make a fantastic decoration in the kids room all year round!
|Dimensions :
|9cm wide, 10cm high.
|Lurex, Cotton, Goldflex
|Shipping :
|This item is available for international shipping


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Council Vetoes Display of English Flag Because It's "Offensive to Muslims"
Rainbow flag of "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement" allowed
Paul Joseph Watson
May 16, 2013
A local council in England vetoed the display of a St. George's Cross flag over concerns that it would be "offensive to Muslims," while allowing the rainbow flag of the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement" to be flown.
"A local council decided against flying the flag of St George after concerns were raised that it would offend the town's 16 Muslim residents," reports the Telegraph. "Eleanor Jackson, a university lecturer, said the red and white symbol could cause upset in Radstock, Somerset, because it was used during the Crusades 1,000 years ago."
Jackson suggested that use of the flag be dropped for 20 years not only because "it is offensive to some Muslims," but also due to its use by "the far right."
Muslim groups reacted to the ban by deriding it as "oversensitive" and "political correctness going a bit too far."
"Use by the far right is one thing, but to say that Muslims are offended I don't think is correct. We understand the flag is part of this country's heritage, and in fact many many Muslims will identify as being British themselves," said Rizwan Ahmed, a spokesman for the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society.
Muslim Council of Britain spokeswoman Nasima Begum said that England's patron saint "needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred."
After the decision stoked controversy, the council claimed that the views of Eleanor Jackson were "not really taken into consideration," and that they had planned on purchasing a Union Jack all along.
The council did not seem to be worried that the display of a rainbow flag at "appropriate" times of the year to represent the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement" would offend anyone.
This is by no means the first time that displaying the national flag of England has been discouraged or banned by authorities over fears it might offend minority immigrant populations.
During the 2010 World Cup, 1200 council staff in Bolton were banned from flying the English flag "over fears they could deemed as racist."
When builders in Coventry flew the St. George's Cross they were told by site managers to take it down within 20 minutes over concerns it might "offend" the local multi-ethnic community.
In 2009, Labour-run Sandwell Council withdrew funding for a a St George's Day parade, citing fears that it "might attract far right elements."
This story again illustrates how, while British people are expected to express their "patriotism" by supporting wars that primarily target Muslim populations in foreign countries, any attempt to display pride in one's country that isn't state-approved is routinely demonized as racist and offensive.
Unlike in America, it is also seen as abnormal and a potential indication of racism to display a St. George's Cross on occasions that are not related to state or royal pageantry, such as the 2012 royal wedding.
While the former Labour government and many of its councilors who are still in power set about demonizing the display of the English flag as racist, they simultaneously oversaw a deliberate "mass influx of immigrants" in order to "change the make-up of Britain" and "rub the Right's nose in diversity."
Lord Mandelson, who served in a number of different Cabinet positions under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, admitted: "In 2004 when as a Labour government, we were not only welcoming people to come into this country to work, we were sending out search parties for people and encouraging them, in some cases, to take up work in this country."
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.
This article was posted: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 6:25 am
Tags: police state


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Despite all the excitement about the new Metro interface and the emphasis on tablets, it seems that CIOs are still waiting to for the must-have enterprise features in Windows 8.
Last week Microsoft showed off the consumer preview of the forthcoming operating system, expected later this year. Among the key changes is an emphasis on tablet and touch-based computing. Windows 8 is designed to run on laptop, desktop computer and tablet hardware, scaling its interface to various screen sizes, and the new tile-based Metro interface.
But while Microsoft argues that Windows 8 represents a "generational change" for Windows – the likes of which has not seen since the release of Windows 95 – it seems members of TechRepublic's CIO Jury are not impressed by the new features they have seen, at least not so far.
When asked, "Do the new features in Windows 8 provide enough value to make it an attractive option for your organisation?" TechRepublic's CIO Jury of tech decision-makers voted 'no' by a margin of nine to three. While intrigued by a number of the new features,many IT chiefs are – for now – apparently still looking for the features that make it essential for them to get ready to upgrade.
Kevin Leypoldt, IS director at Structural Integrity Associates, explained: "While I remain optimistic about the unification of the Metro interface across all platforms – desktop, mobile and tablet – I do not see this as a value-add in our organisation. The Portable Workspace however does sound intriguing and may help win BYOD acceptance and adoption if it can be proven secure and easy to use."
Leypoldt added: "However, there are a number of other features, such as IE 10, the app bar, windows store, gestures, and a system-wide spell checker, which I don't see as a driver to Windows 8. It's my opinion that Windows 8 is more about Microsoft's unification of multiple platforms and embracing the future of computing in mobiles and portables than about being targeted at the corporate customer."
Similarly, Neil McGowan, CIO at JD Williams, said the actual level of additional features over Windows 7 are "not major" from a business perspective. He added that there is also some concern over new the Metro interface and moving to a touch interface when most staff will have traditional laptop. McGowan said: "Looks like Microsoft following Apple, not providing leadership."
Kelly Bodway, VP of IT at Universal Lighting Technologies, said because business users are not consumers but producers of information "the feature set does not provide enough motivation to implement".
Michael Hanken, VP of IT at Multiquip, said the operating system is not a business driver by itself and will lose "more and more value" with the rise of browser-based cloud services and desktop virtualisation, while Lance Taylor-Warren, CIO at HAWC Community Health Centers, said: "There is not enough initial value to be an early adopter. I'm sure we will transition to it in the future, but it will not be until three to six months of release."
However, some members of the CIO Jury were cautiously optimistic: Matthew Metcalfe, IS director at Northwest Exterminating, said: "Windows 8 is an evolution towards what will hopefully yield devices that are enterprise-friendly. Android and iOS have not delivered these features for us."
And Tom Galbraith, director of IT at the US District Court, Southern District of Illinois, said: "As mobile gains more traction in the enterprise, there is value from an administrative perspective in having the ability to leverage knowledge and tools across a common OS running on mobile and non-mobile devices. But of course I reserve to right to say, 'We shall wait and see'."
Similarly, David Wilson, director of IT services at Vector CSP, said: "It will take some time and research to prove whether the new functionality would pay for itself."
Others said it is too soon to pass judgment. Tim Stiles, CIO at Bremerton Housing Authority, warned: "It is too early in the product's life to answer this question accurately."
Still, there's no doubting the importance of the release to Microsoft. Adam Farkas , VP of IT, Crown Media Hallmark Channel, said: "I firmly believe Windows 8 is a make-or-break product for Microsoft." He added: "For Windows 8 to truly succeed, it must unify our mobile computing with our desktop computing in a user-friendly way. My email, my browsing, my apps, my printing, my social networking should be ubiquitous, transparent and secure regardless of where I am or what device I am using."
This week's TechRepublic CIO Jury is
- Kelly Bodway VP IT, Universal Lighting Technologies
- Adam Farkas , VP of IT, Crown Media Hallmark Channel
- Tom Galbraith, director of IT, US District Court, Southern District of Illinois
- Michael Hanken, VP IT Multiquip
- Kevin Leypoldt, IS Director, Structural Integrity Associates
- Neil McGowan, CIO JD Williams
- Matthew Metcalfe, director of Information Systems at Northwest Exterminating
- Lance Taylor-Warren, CIO HAWC Community Health Centers
- Tim Stiles, CIO at Bremerton Housing Authority
- Richard Storey, head of IT, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
- Rick Treese, CTO Themarkets.com
- David Wilson, director of IT Services at Vector CSP
The CIO Jury is composed of the first 12 members of the CIO Jury pool to respond, but tech chiefs who don't make into the first 12 still make their opinions heard, and one recurring issue for CIOs is getting the best from their existing investments before moving onto the latest technology.
Many may well be reluctant to move to a new operating system with the disruption and retraining that this often entails, especially as many are only now moving to Windows 7, or keen to protect the investment they have already made.
As Michael Eason, CIO at The American Board of Anesthesiology, said: "Our organisation moved from Windows XP to Windows 7 two years ago. We were more aggressive than most companies our size, and many SMBs are still using XP today.
"Changing the operating system on your employees' PCs is disruptive, inefficient, and labour-intensive. I see nothing in Windows 8 that would justify an upgrade for any company. That may change over time, of course, but as of now this upgrade would create far more problems than it would solve."
Similarly, Joel Hughes, VP of IT at Scranton Gillette Communications, said the new features "certainly will not have us jumping over to the new OS and swapping out hardware en masse." Hughes said he was planning on "organically trickling 8 into our organisation via new PC acquisitions", adding "We've still got a variety of older machines chugging along with XP, but not for long."
Chris Peek, CIO at Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, said that, based on what we have seen so far, there does not seem to be "any compelling feature" that would justify upgrading to Windows 8. He added: "In fact, some of what has been presented looks like it may present a significant learning curve for users. Our organisation just began the transition from Windows XP to Windows 7 last year, and we are only doing that on new machines because they come with the new OS."
Support from software vendors is a key concern as well, as John Gracyalny, director of IT, SafeAmerica Credit Union, said: "My reason is that a number of my software vendors do not yet support Windows 7, so I would not expect them to support 8 for maybe another two years. If we are lucky, given the scope of the changes."
Tadd Moore, IS&T director at Rooney Holdings, said: "It's still very early days. There are definitely some interesting concepts and features brewing, but not nearly enough detail to merit considering early adoption. I'd have to make a lot of assumptions that things will work as I'd expect them to for it to be an attractive option, and as many of us have learned, products don't often work as they are expected to right out of the gate."
Moore added: "When it matures, absolutely. I'm a Windows Phone 7.5 user and am sold on their UI paradigm. It will be great to see the lines between what is possible on a desktop, a tablet, or a phone, disappear completely."
Gavin Whatrup, group IT director at Creston, said the "stand-out idea" in Windows 8 is the concept of a common platform across desktop, laptop, mobile and tablet. "On paper that sounds very appealing and could, if realised, provide all sorts of opportunities for truly flexible working," he said, but added: "However, I doubt it will be as simple as that. Apple's appeal will prevail and the mix of devices will remain."
And Graham Yellowley, technology lead equities at LCH.Clearnet, wondered whether Windows 8 has come too late for the PC: "On the surface Windows 8 looks appealing, more details about security models and migration paths are required but so far so good.
"The issue is whether Windows 8 is too late to stop the momentum of iPads or whether a Windows 8 tablet has the opportunity to leverage the interface to re-establish its market share. My personal view is it is good but too late – PCs are dead and iPads rule."
Want to be part of TechRepublic's CIO Jury and have your say on the hot issues for IT decision-makers? If you are a CIO, CTO, IT director or equivalent at a large or small company, working in the private sector or in government, and you want to join TechRepublic's CIO Jury pool, or you know an IT chief who should, then get in contact.
Either click the Contact link below or email me, steve dot ranger at cbs dot com, and send your name, title, company, location, and email address.


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Aug. 10, 2011 -- The newly approved drug Xarelto appears to prevent strokes at least as well as the standard treatment warfarin in people who have a heart condition that puts them at high risk for blood clots, a study shows.
Xarelto was approved by the FDA in July to prevent dangerous blood clots in people having hip and knee replacement surgery.
Next month, a panel of experts will consider whether the agency should also approve its use as a once-daily treatment for atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation causes the heart to pump in an irregular, uncoordinated way that may allow blood to pool and clot in its upper chambers. Those clots can travel to the brain, causing a stroke.
Patients with atrial fibrillation are commonly prescribed the blood-thinning drug warfarin, which is also sold under the brand names Coumadin and Jantoven.
"Warfarin, which we found in the '50s and '60s, is a very good drug in preventing stroke, but it's sometimes difficult to use," says study researcher Manesh R. Patel, MD, a cardiologist at Duke University.
Because it works by blocking vitamin K, foods that are high in that nutrient, like dark leafy greens, can make warfarin less effective. A host of other medications including some antibiotics and painkillers can interact with the drug, blocking or enhancing its effect.
Doctors typically require patients on warfarin to get monthly blood tests to make sure it's working properly and "not making the blood too thick or too thin, so to speak," Patel says.
Comparing Xarelto to Warfarin
A new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, tested Xarelto against warfarin in more than 14,000 patients with atrial fibrillation.
The patients in the study were deemed to be at moderate to high risk of stroke, either because they'd had a stroke before or because they had heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, or they were older than age 75.
Patients were randomly assigned to take either a daily dose of warfarin or Xarelto. To prevent people from knowing which treatment they were getting, both groups were also assigned to take a placebo pill.
Most patients were followed for about two years.
During that time, 269 people taking Xarelto and 306 people taking warfarin suffered strokes or had a blood clot that lodged somewhere else in the body, proving the drugs to be roughly similar.
"I think it's a reasonable alternative to warfarin. It's at least as good as warfarin," says Patel.
It doesn't require frequent trips back to the doctor, he tells WebMD, "so from a patient's perspective, it represents a potential alternative to the current standard."
Bleeding Risk
Significant bleeding, an expected risk of drugs that keep blood from clotting, occurred in 1,475 patients taking Xarelto and 1,449 patients taking warfarin.
Anemia, blood transfusions, and bleeding in the stomach and gut were more common in people taking Xarelto than those taking warfarin.
But people on Xarelto were less likely to experience bleeding in their brains or fatal bleeding than those on warfarin.
Experts say Xarelto may be less likely to cause bleeding in the brain than warfarin because it's a more targeted drug.
In the body, a chain of chemical reactions leads to blood clotting. Warfarin interferes with four steps in that chain, while Xarelto only blocks one part of the reaction, an enzyme called factor Xa.
Weighing Benefits and Risks
Gregory J. del Zoppo,MD, a hematologist and professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, says the main benefit of this drug and several similar agents, including the drug Pradaxa, which was approved by the FDA last year to treat atrial fibrillation, is likely to be convenience.
"To have something that's easier to manage and takes less involvement is probably useful," he says, particularly for older patients who may have trouble keeping up with their medication.
But he says there are several potential downsides of the newer drugs that patients need to understand.
One is cost. The newer drugs cost between $6 and $9 a day to take compared to warfarin, which is available generically for $4 a month through several large U.S. retailers.
And he says while doctors know how to quickly reverse the effects of warfarin in the case of dangerous bleeding, it's less clear how to manage uncontrolled bleeding with the newer agents.
"The one worry I have with these agents is that so far we don't have a way of reversing their effect if we need to," del Zoppo says. "What happens when something goes wrong? And indeed, I think the companies are thinking about this."


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The rocket that will help power a 1,000-mph car passed its first test Wednesday, British engineers say.
The project is dubbed Bloodhound SSC. Its organizers plan for the pencil-shaped car to be zooming along the South African desert next year and break the world land speed record of 763 mph.
"The initial indications are that it went very well indeed," the rocket's designer, self-taught engineer Daniel Jubb, 28, told the Western Morning News in Cornwall, England, where the rocket was tested inside a hangar at a Royal Air Force base.
Engineers were looking over reams of data from the test to determine their next steps.
Jubb calls the Bloodhound's power plant a hybrid system, but it's not the type you'd find on your uncle's Prius.
It's a hybrid because the rocket uses a solid fuel, which is a synthetic rubber, and turns it into an aerosol with with a high-test peroxide and catalyst of fine silver mesh. The fuel is actually fired into the rocket by a Cosworth engine of the type found in Formula One race cars. Then all that power is combined with the thrust from a jet engine like the ones on Typhoon fighter planes.
The rocket hybrid produced 14,000 pounds of thrust on Wednesday. That's the equivalent of about 40,000 horsepower. The additional thrust from the fighter jet engine will give the car a total of 135,000 horsepower. In contrast, the Prius hybrid system produces 134 horsepower. The engine of a NASCAR Sprint Cup race car produces about 750 horsepower. So Bloodhound will have the power of 180 NASCAR cars, or four times the entire starting grid at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.
Driving the Bloodhound on the South African test track will be Andy Green, a Royal Air Force pilot with experience flying Tornado fighters over Bosnia, Iraq and the Falklands.
The organizers of the Bloodhound project hope to do more than set a land speed record. They're hoping it helps change Britain by inspiring young people to take up engineering.
"It is very important in the UK that we address the shortage of engineers. Less than an hour before we fired that rocket we had children in there asking questions, I hope that helps inspire the next generation," the Western Morning News quoted Jubb as saying.
When the project was launched in 2008, organizers also said it would "also be the catalyst for a raft of cutting-edge research in fields such as aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, materials technology, composite manufacturing and sustainable high-tech engineering."
So maybe we'll be motoring around on solid aluminum wheels one day. That's how the Bloodhound will travel. It will be going so fast that it can't use conventional wheels. Instead, the four wheels, two inside the nose and two set outside the frame at the rear, will be made completely of aluminum. They'll weigh about 210 pounds each and spin at 10,000 rpm.
Meanwhile, before the British group can go for a 1,000-mph record, an American outfit hopes to try to push the current mark to beat a bit higher.
North American Eagle says on its website that it plans to run a turbojet-powered vehicle across a Western desert at 771 mph some time this year.
Extremely, extremely polluting.
That's what this article fails to mention.
Land Speed Record runs – Danger to the extreme! Drivers in such runs have to have a large pair – that may never be found if something goes wrong.
It helps to have small or no balls when piloying one of these speed machines.
That way the driver don't choke to death. The US version is piloted by a female, which saves weight.
The Indy 500 could be finished in half an hour.
Hmm... this kind of depends on how you define "land speed record." This will not be the fastest land-based vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, though it might be the fastest that isn't on rails. A U.S. Air Force rocket sled holds the real land speed record at Mach 8.5 (6,416 mph.) It was powered by a solid rocket booster. – lol
The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. Not rails. I guess you're not into motor sports.
"Pencil shaped" ? Looks like my toy. Anyway, all that sand and dust can't be good for the intake manifold.
Supersonic is fast. they should built supersonic trains without room for error. No gasoline involved, they should get the technology that is combined by many technologies. A generator within a generator. They'll have to be huge machinery. America will create the new world. Clean energy is the key. Therefore, we want to create an independent energy nation. We will also create more jobs than ever. Our dollar is not worth as much as it used to be, but by creating a new transportation for t le planet,we will once again bring manufacturable jobs. Way more than 30 million jobs in the next 10 years.
Jesus! you sound like your running for president
what he said
I'm sure if the US was developing this, you'd be all ears.
I don't think that will fit in my garage.
Self taught engineer, no but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!
They should come to the US for engineers: there's millions of them working in McDonalds and Wall-Marts, if they're working at all. Don't fall for the engineer shortage myth: trying to pay off 60k of student debt on a part-time, minimum wage job isn't fun.
Its a hybrid car alright, its powered by MONEY.


text:
The long awaited comprehensive spending review was revealed by Chancellor George Osborne in October as he announced the government's four-year Spending Review to Parliament. He revealing some of the deepest cuts in public spending in decades, here Technical Moves – Specialist recruitment look at the likely effect on Recruitment, Jobs and Employment for East Anglia.
The the key announcements likely to effect Recruitment, Jobs, Employment and Construction projects in East Anglia are as follows:
- About 490,000 public sector jobs likely to be lost
- Average 19% four-year cut in departmental budgets
- Structural deficit to be eliminated by 2015
- £7bn in additional welfare budget cuts
- Police funding cut by 4% a year
- Retirement age to rise from 65 to 66 by 2020
- English schools budget protected; £2bn extra for social care
- NHS budget in England to rise every year until 2015
- Regulated rail fares to rise 3% above inflation
- Bank levy to be made permanent
Technical Moves – Specialist Recruitment comment:
"The Chancellor detailed a number of announcements that we feel will have a direct impact on recruitment, the construction industry and Jobs within East Anglia as a region. Some of the major decisions are as follows:-
* Almost £10 billion of funding will be available for new schools capital projects over the next four financial years
* The Chancellor has pledged to invest £30 billion in UK transport projects over the next four years and gave the green light to a number of projects in the process including the final dualing of the A11 in Norfolk. As has already been widely documented the A14 project has not been given the go ahead and will have a major impact on future growth plans for Cambridgeshire.
* The Social housing budget has been slashed and has been allocated £4.4 bn of capital resources which the Chancellor said would build "up to" 150,000 new affordable homes of the next four years
* Construction capital spending is likely to fall by £3.5bn which is less than the industry had been bracing itself for.
The Jobs market within East Anglia, particularly for Architecture, Civil Engineering and Construction have already affected by the economic downturn but we feel that it is important that structural deficit is addressed immediately. The true impact of the governments plans on recruitment and jobs within this region will not be truly seen for at least two years when we will have a clearer picture on if the balance has been correct. Only then will be able to see if the private sector has been able to take up the slack within the employment sector and generated news to replace the cuts to the public sector."


text:
Nov. 8, 2011 -- JONATHAN KARL:All right, we are live on ABCNews.com and Yahoo News with a program called Newsmakers. Mr. Herman Cain, thank you for joining us.
HERMAN CAIN:It's my pleasure, thanks Jonathan.
JONATHAN KARL: Obviously a lot to talk about. We're interviewing all the candidates, we're starting out though, with one question, the same question for all the candidates. So to you, sir, when was the precise moment that you knew you wanted to be president?
HERMAN CAIN: I knew that I had to seriously consider it when President Obama signed ObamaCare on March 23rd, my son's birthday. Because he forced that legislation down the throats of the American people, the Senate had a version, the House had a version, and the Democrats in the House and the Senate, they couldn't even come up with one version. So the president used the powers of presidency to force some members in the House to walk the plank and go along with the Senate version so he could sign it.
JONATHAN KARL: That's when you decided to run? Now--
HERMAN CAIN: Yeah.
JONATHAN KARL: --obviously-- major developments, once again, there is another accuser out there--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --accusing you of sexual harassment--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --serious charges.
HERMAN CAIN: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).
JONATHAN KARL: This time, the accuser actually has come out publicly--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --she has a name.
HERMAN CAIN: Uh-huh (AFFIRM).
JONATHAN KARL: I would like you to respond, if you would, (UNINTEL) clear those charges?
HERMAN CAIN: I would be delighted. First of all, sexual harassment is a very serious charge. Throughout my career, I have had nothin' but the utmost respect for any and all women, as well as those that have worked under my leadership in all of the different companies that I have worked. I can categorically say I have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period.
And as far as these latest charges, I don't even remember. I reject all of those charges. How can I defend charges when I don't remember this person by name, I don't remember that she did work at the Educational Foundation? And when I first saw her, I didn't recollect even-- I didn't even recognize her. But the big point is, I have never acted inappropriately with anyone.
The second point that I would like to make, we as voters, have long hoped that we would get a businessman instead of a politician in order to help fix America's problems. Well, I am that businessman. I'm not gonna let these accusations, which are baseless, bogus, and false, stop me. And I don't believe the American people are goin' to allow these kinds of accusations to derail me in terms of my quest for the White House.
JONATHAN KARL: Yeah-- HERMAN CAIN: And then-- and then one third-- one-- one final point. You know, to constantly be chasing anonymous accusers, baseless accusations, is a distraction from the big issues we oughta be talkin' about. And because they are baseless, because I reject them, and in this particular case I don't even know who this lady is, is a distraction from the things we oughta talk about, which is this economy, energy independence, cutting spending, as well as getting this nation back on track.
JONATHAN KARL: So-- in this case though, it's not anonymous, right? It's Sharon Bialek--
HERMAN CAIN: It's not anonymous.
JONATHAN KARL: She--
HERMAN CAIN: Right.
JONATHAN KARL: --she's come out, you've heard her accusations. I mean--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --but let's be clear. You're saying that she is lying about this?
HERMAN CAIN: Yes. I am sayin' that. You know, in as nice a way as I c-- I don't know any other way to say it. Because I would first have to recognize who she is.
JONATHAN KARL: You-- you don't remember having--
JONATHAN KARL: --drinks with her back in '97, you don't remember--
HERMAN CAIN: Absolutely not--
JONATHAN KARL: --giving her a ride in your car?
HERMAN CAIN: No. I reject all accusations. I don't remember that. And also, I don't remember knowin' her. Look, the National Restaurant Association had-- has an office in Washington D.C., as it did then, it has the foundation office and the convention office in Chicago, as it does now. We have about 150 employees in the Washington office, and about 150 employees in the-- Chicago office.
There were a lotta people there. Most of the people, some of them I would remember. But remember, I didn't have interaction with the people in Chicago on a regular basis. Only during that part of the year when we had our convention. And so when I first saw-- this lady-- do the press conference with Gloria Allred, I sat there trying to recall who she was and if I knew her. And I am honestly telling you, I can't even recall knowing her back then.
JONATHAN KARL: You know-- you know the expression-- where there's smoke there's fire. And a lotta people say, "Look, this is now, you know, the fourth woman who has made these allegations against you."
HERMAN CAIN: Right.
JONATHAN KARL: What-- what are the motivations here? I mean, why-- why would they be doing this?
HERMAN CAIN: Well, Jonathan, I honestly believe that there's an element in this country, in our politics, that does not want to see a businessman succeed at getting the nomination for the Republican party, and does not want me to succeed at becoming President of the United States of America. A lotta people have so much vested interests in the status quo, such as the tax code, such as lobbying activities, such as maintaining that little power base.
They really don't want to see an unconventional candidate that is connecting with the people, who's putting bold solutions on the table. And as I moved up in the polls, I fully expected to be attacked. I expected to but criticized. But as I have often said, you know, many of these attacks are-- are baseless. If someone had some real stuff to bring forward, that's one thing. But so far, it's been anonymous accusers. We can't keep responding to those questions. And now this one isn't anonymous, but I have absolutely not acted inappropriate with this lady or anybody else in my entire career.
JONATHAN KARL: Some of your supporters have called this a high-tech lynching, comparing it to what happened to Clarence Thomas.
HERMAN CAIN: Right. JONATHAN KARL: Do-- do you-- are they right? Do you agree with that? HERMAN CAIN: Well, it's a matter of terminology. And if that's what some people wanna call it, you know, that's their terminology. I just call it-- I just call it a vicious-- baseless attack on my character and my integrity, because as you know, that's very important to me. And one other thing that I will add. The reason that I'm runnin' for President in the United States of America is because of the kids and the grandkids.
I'm not doin' this for me. The other reason that I believe that these attacks are bein' made is they would like nothin' more for me to get so discouraged and disgusted because of the pain that it's causin' my family. And it is causin' my family some pain. That hurts more than the personal pain that I feel.
And so I happen to believe that they're tryin' to put en-- enough of this-- it's not even smoke. There's an old saying, if you throw enough mud up against the wall you hope that some of it will stick. And sooner or later, you'd have a muddy wall. But I am not goin' to be discouraged to the point that I'm gonna pull out of this race because of these baseless attacks.
JONATHAN KARL: You know, you-- you write in-- in your book that your wife-- Gloria when you told her you wanted to run for president, but--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --she was terrified.
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: Scared to death--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
(OVERTALK) JONATHAN KARL: --what you said.
HERMAN CAIN: She was.
JONATHAN KARL: So-- so what-- how is she dealing with all this?
HERMAN CAIN: Oh, sh-- she was dealing with me runnin' for president quite well up until-- last week in the last couple of days. Her terror-- bein' terrified came from the perception that most people have about bein' constantly under the microscope, which you are. And the expectations that are made of a candidate's wife, or the president's wife.
But when I sat and talked with her, and said that "I don't have those expectations on you, maybe the media does, maybe people in the political establishment do." And I laid out very clearly what my expectations were. For example, I did not expect her to be on this grueling campaign schedule that I'm on. That made her feel good.
Because I want her to continue to be that calm and tranquility for our family. Which is, as you know, the most important thing to me. So when I said "You d-- I'm not expecting you to be on the campaign trail, I'm not expecting you to go through this grueling schedule, I'm not expecting you to respond to media interviews." That's not somethin' that she wants to do. She felt a whole lot more comfortable.
And so today, she is 200 percent supportive of me. Now, with these recent accusations, obviously that has an emotional impact on her. Because you're talkin' about her husband of 43 years. And even though my wife is-- more of a quiet pers-- quieter person than I am, she has a quiet, sweet personality, she can get angry like anybody else.
JONATHAN KARL: So is she angry about this?
HERMAN CAIN: Oh yeah. Yeah, she-- she'll tell you flat out, she's angry about it. Because in her own words, after we watched that Gloria Allred-- press conference yesterday with the other lady accusin' me, my wife even said, 'cause I called her right afterwards. And my wife said to me, when I said, "Hello sweetheart, did you see it?" She said, "Yes." I said, "What'd you think?"
She said, "I've known you for over 40 year. That stuff doesn't even sound like you, let alone that you did this with somebody that, you know, is making these accusations." And that was reassuring, because she knows that's not something that I would do. Some of the claims that were made, absolutely ridiculous.
JONATHAN KARL: You know, when Bill Clinton faced accusations in his campaign, with Gennifer Flowers-- the way they dealt with it is-- is, did a big 60 Minutes interview with-- with Hillary Clinton, came out and, you know, stuck up for him. Did you think we'll-- we'll be seeing your wife come out publicly and-- and defend you? Or you gonna keep her out of all this?
HERMAN CAIN: I'm gonna keep her out of all of this. She is gonna do some public interviews when it's the right time, and when she's ready. See, this is another difference between the Cain campaign and what we're doin' and how I'm doin' it than the typical expectations. My-- my candidacy is unconventional.
JONATHAN KARL: That's for sure. (LAUGHTER)
HERMAN CAIN: Never held public office-- do not have a cajillion (PH) dollars, didn't have high name ID until recently, and I'm talkin' prior to these accusations that have been goin' on for the past couple of weeks--
JONATHAN KARL: You've got high name ID now.
HERMAN CAIN: Now my name ID might be 99.9, like (LAUGH) Ivory soap, okay? But no, I don't expect her to be doin' a lotta interviews, speakin' up for me. Because you know what, she knows that I can speak up for myself. But what I'm going to do is I am going to speak up for my family and defend my family. That's important to me. And one of my messages today is going to be, look, I know that-- journalists and the media, they have-- they have a job to do.
And they are professionals at it. They have to get the story. But I will get very indignant if they continue to stalk my family, make unsolicited calls. That has no place in politics. It has no place in America. And so that's the part that I wanna make a point about, is that no, take all of the attacks at me as you want. I'm runnin' for president. My family is not runnin'. Leave my family out of these-- things that have been goin' on over the last couple of weeks, tryin' to get them to do an interview or say something that, you know, they might regret.
JONATHAN KARL: So I have one more question on this. We heard a little while ago from Mitt Romney, ABC News, Yahoo interview, about this latest accusation. And he was pretty direct on this. He said that "This woman's charges are particularly disturbing, and they are serious." What do you say to Mitt Romney?
HERMAN CAIN: Well, he-- he's right. They're disturbing to me, they are serious, I have taken them serious, and my response is, there's absolutely no basis to them. It's a distraction to this whole primary process. But I'm not initiating this. If there was some basis to it, yes, pass judgment on me. But what I'm saying is, they are serious. But-- but there's absolutely no basis to them.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, I wanna get now to some questions that we've had come in from our ABCNews.com and-- and Yahoo users.
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: Would you-- would you guess what the most common topic was?
JONATHAN KARL: It was taxes. (LAUGHTER) (UNINTEL) 9-9, it was taxes. So-- one-- one question is why should increasing revenues through higher taxes on the wealthy be off the table when it is clear that spending cuts alone are not going to end the budget deficit?
HERMAN CAIN: I have talked about we have to do both. We have to raise revenue and we have to cut spending. And my approach to cutting spending as president, is to do a ten percent across the board cut of all federal agencies, and then ask each of my new agency heads to find another ten percent by drilling down. That's what you do in business to come up with approximately 20 percent cuts for the first fiscal year budget that I will have the authority over as president to sign off on.
JONATHAN KARL: But you'd raise revenue?
HERMAN CAIN: Yes, I would raise revenues. I would raise revenues with a new structure. Throw out the current tax code, and put in my "9-9-9" plan. Here's how we raise revenues without raisin' taxes. We expand the base. That's how we're able to end up with that 9-9-9 percent rate. So we do raise revenues significantly.
In fact, our static analysis, as well as our dynamic analysis, has shown that revenues will go up significantly, unemployment would be cut significantly, and this economy would take off. The main reason is that the "9-9-9" plan would provide certainty to the business community. That's what will get this economy growing.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, another question from our-- readers, viewers online-- about immigration.
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: Would you consider supporting an amendment that would prohibit a child born in the U.S. to an illegal from automatically becoming a U.S. citizen?
HERMAN CAIN: Yes, I would. I--
JONATHAN KARL: You would? So you-- this is dealing with the 14th amendment?
HERMAN CAIN: No, no. You said "an amendment."
JONATHAN KARL: Right, yes-- yes--
HERMAN CAIN: You didn't--
JONATHAN KARL: No, I'm sorry.
HERMAN CAIN: So, but I do not support tampering with the 14th amendment. If we wanna deal with the issue of babies bein' born to illegals, do something additionally. Pass a new law. But don't tamper with the 14th amendment and get hung up in that.
JONATHAN KARL: But you would pass-- you-- you would favor a constitutional amendment that would say, "No more d-- you have automatic citizenship if you're born on U.S. soil"?
HERMAN CAIN: Yes, I would. And-- and here's one of the other reasons why. We cannot condone illegal activity comin' to this country illegally, and then you automatically become a citizen. (BEEPING) It encourages people to come here illegally. Now, the-- the other thing is we are a nation of wide open doors. We need to fix the real problem.
The real problem is clean up the bureaucracy that people have to deal with to become a citizen the right way. And we must truly secure the border. We can't leave it porous. So yes, I would support somethin' like that, because America should be built based upon laws and not people doin' things illegally just because they're able to sneak into the country.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, now let me ask about the Cain doctrine--
HERMAN CAIN: Yes.
JONATHAN KARL: --for foreign policy. You're president, you're sittin' in the Oval Office, and your intelligence chiefs come in and they say, "Iran is a month or two away from getting-- a workable, usable, nuclear bomb."
HERMAN CAIN: Right.
JONATHAN KARL: What does President Cain do?
HERMAN CAIN: Well, before I get that message, there are some things that I would already have in place. Number one, a serious energy independence strategy, which we are developin', and we will be releasin' it within the next couple of weeks.
JONATHAN KARL: But if I (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I mean, you could get this message in your first day on the job, I mean, you know--
(OVERTALK) HERMAN CAIN: I know.
JONATHAN KARL: --publications are that Iran-- so--
HERMAN CAIN: Yeah.
JONATHAN KARL: --the-- the-- this could happen as soon as you walk into the Oval Office.
HERMAN CAIN: Exactly. But see, I'm not gonna wait until my first day on the job to already begin to get these things in place.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay.
HERMAN CAIN: And so, the reason that it's critical to have an energy independence plan ready to go is because as soon as we announce it and I become president, it's gonna impact the price of oil on the world market. Because speculation drive the price by about a third of it. So as the price of oil goes down, that puts economic pressure on Iran. Secondly, as we drill for more of the resources that we have here, oil, coal, and shale oil, guess what, the more we move toward energy independent-- hold on, hold on.
The more we move toward energy independence, the more economic pressure we put on Iran. Now, there's a second piece. The second piece is the deployment of our Ballistic Missile Defense capable Aegis warships in that part of the world, so if that is they do attack one of our friends like Israel, or if they do try to attack us, we will have the capability to be able to defend ourselves.
JONATHAN KARL: But your intelligence chiefs are telling you they're a month away from getting a nuclear bomb. Do you authorize action to take it out? To take out their nuclear facility?
HERMAN CAIN: Well-- (OVERTALK) JONATHAN KARL: --(UNINTEL) on Iran?
HERMAN CAIN: Well it would de-- Jonathan, here's one thing about the way I make decisions. I will need all of the information. That is a hypothetical. That's an isolated hypothetical, so I'm not gonna say, "I would order a strike to take out that nuclear weapon," until I knew what evidence would-- that we had that that is the case.
I want to see the evidence. I don't wanna make the mistake of makin' the decision and we not bein' absolutely sure. Secondly, what do we know from an intelligence standpoint their intentions within a month or two of actually havin' that nuclear weapon.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, we're just about out of time, but we've got a lightning round. These are questions that are asked of all the candidates, and I want a very, very short answer from you on all of them. These are-- these are a little more fun. You know--
HERMAN CAIN: Okay.
JONATHAN KARL: --we like to have a little bit of fun, right? So--
HERMAN CAIN: Yeah.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay. So first thing, worst job you've ever had?
HERMAN CAIN: A jackhammer in the basement of an apartment building tearin' up a concrete floor.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, that sounds rough. (LAUGHTER) First thing you would do when you walk into the Oval Office, the very first day?
HERMAN CAIN: Ask to see my National Security Advisor, the first day on the job. That afternoon, get together my economic advisory team. Day one, day two, and day three will be all about national security, the economy, talkin' to the leaders of Congress, and let's figure out how quickly we can pass the "9-9-9" economic growth and jobs plan.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, the happiest you have ever been, and you cannot say your wedding day, and you can't say birth of children or grandchildren.
HERMAN CAIN: Happiest I've ever been, the list is too long to say the happiest. Remember, I'm a generally a very upbeat, happy person. So it's very difficult to pick one of the happiest days of my life. If I had to pick one that was one of the happiest days of my life, I would have to say when I became an associate minister at my church, Antioch Baptist Church North.
JONATHAN KARL: All right, all right good. Name the fifth president that belongs on Mt. Rushmore.
HERMAN CAIN: The fifth president that belongs on Mt. Rushmore, he hasn't been president yet.
JONATHAN KARL: (LAUGH) Okay, all right, (LAUGH) we'll go with that.
HERMAN CAIN: No, the one possibility up until this point would be Ronald Reagan.
JONATHAN KARL: Ronald Reagan--
HERMAN CAIN: Ronald Reagan.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, okay. Now, who would play Herman Cain in the movie? This is gonna be one hell of a movie.
HERMAN CAIN: He hasn't been discovered yet.
JONATHAN KARL: Okay, last (LAUGH) question. Tell us in Tweet length, and this is 140 characters or less, why do you want to be president?
HERMAN CAIN: I want to be president because I believe this nation is on the wrong track. And I believe that I have the experiences, the leadership capability-- to be able to get us back on the right track, consistent with the founders' intentions, the Declaration of Independence, consistent with the Constitution, and consistent with free market principle. That's why I want to be president.
JONATHAN KARL: Think you might've used a few more than 140 characters, (LAUGH) but-- close enough. Herman Cain, thank you for joining us here on this-- special-- event for ABC News and Yahoo News, thank you. And if you've missed any of this live stream, it will be available both on ABCNews.com and on Yahoo News. Thank you very much for watching. Mr. Cain, thank you.
HERMAN CAIN: Thank you.


text:
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