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Saturday, May 05, 2007
2008 GOP Candidates - Debate Report
10 candidates
Mitt Romney – Former Mass. Governor
Sam Brownback – Kansas Senator
Jim Gilmore – Former Virginia Governor
Mike Huckabee – Former Arkansas Governor
Duncan Hunter – California Congressman (San Diego area)
Tommy Thompson – Former Wisconsin Governor
John McCain – Arizona Senator
Ron Paul – Texas Congressman (Surfside)
Rudy Giuliani – Former NYC mayor
Tom Tancredo – Colorado Congressman (Littleton)
Debate 90 minutes. Chris Matthews, John Harris – Questions
Some view questions
60 second answers to Matthews/Harris Q's, 30 seconds for viewer Q's
Rebuttals – 30 seconds
No open/closing statements or thank yous to hosts for time purposes.
Some Q's A's. I skipped most of the fluff. Some of the more interesting answers IMO (Whether I agree or disagree)
McCain – I need to show success in Iraq to people. He takes Congress to task over the Democrat's bill, Harry Reid specific for his comment. "IF we lost, who won?" The house cheered surrender. We must win in Iraq. If we withdraw, genocide will happen and it will follow us home.
Thompson. First, we must support the troops. 3 things also need to happen.
1. Iraqi Government must vote if they want us there for legitimacy.
2. 18 territories. They need to elect governments there, prevent civil war
3. Split oil. 1/3 fed, 1/3 state, 1/3 every man, woman, child. Investing in their own country.
Duncan Hunter – Key to winning in Iraq is standing up 128 batallions in Iraqi army. They need to be ready and displace American units. Right way to leave Iraq.
Polls say 55% is unwinnable in Iraq:
Romney – If we want polls to win, we let TV run the country. That's not want America wants. We need president of strength. We want troops home, in right way. If we leave wrong way, we could have more regional conflict. We may have to come back again.
Huckabee on Rumsfeld – "I would have fired him before the election. I certainly would not have said that I wouldn't fire him, and then do so, but that's the president's call" Real error in judgment by listening to civilians in suits and silk ties and not listened to generals with real mud on boots and medals on chests. Those generals told us early on it would take 300,000 troops to stabilize Iraq. We gave limited troops/budget. That was mistake, but we need to finish the job, do it right, and not go back and do it over.
Ron Paul (asked about voting against war) – We need a non-intervention traditional foreign policy. That was Republican foreign policy in 20th Century. Eisenhower got us out of Korea, Nixon out of Nam. In 2000, we ran on no nation building and humble foreign policy. Declare war if we go, not for UN resolutions or political reasons.
McCain – We need to bring greater pressures to Iran. Diplomacy, economic, etc with Iran, which is very cultural. Greatest fear – Iran getting nuke and giving to terrorist. There are lots of options, but not war right now.
Constitution to allow foreign born candidates to run for president.
Romney – probably not
Brownback – no
Gilmore – no – don't like to amend constitution
Huckabee – after 8 years, yes
Hunter – no
Thompson – no
McCain – consider it
Ron Paul – No, strong supporter of original intent
Rudy – yes
Tancredo – no
Ron Paul – Phase out IRS?
Absolutely! Immediately. If we want to lower taxes, change policy (Spending)
Okay Abortion first 8 weeks?
Gilmore – Yes. But I have a pro-life record. Waiting period. Partial Birth Abortion
Thompson – Leave abortion up to the states. I have a prolife record. Signed pro-life bills (listed them). States law.
Romney –
Always personally pro-life, but question on government. I changed my mind 2 years ago.
States should make decision
Brownback asked if he can support GOP'er who is prochoice
I can – Reagan commandment. Agree with 80% But life is a central issue of our day.
Rudy – Asked Why support public funding for abortions? "I don't" I support Hyde Amendment. State decision. I supported it in NY, other places can make decision.
Moral vs Libertarian with purpose
Paul – What is the goal of govt? Promote liberty – brings us together. Police weakens liberty. We're fretting about 3rd war countries but stood up to Soviets.
Ok for private employee to fire gays
Thompson – Private decision
Hunter - We need to win the right way. Build the border fence, let people knock on the door.
Tancredo – Karl Rove wouldn't be employed in my White House.
Thompson – Biggest problem in our party - We went to change Washington, and it changed us. I started Welfare Reform plan as governor. It would get democrats, independents to support.
McCain – We lost in 2006 – spending got out of control. I will veto a pork bill and make them famous.
What specific cuts:
McCain – Line item veto best tool. Start with defense aqusition. Stop pork spending, then go programs.
Fed funding of embryonic stem cell way.
Romney – None on farming embryos. Fine to be legal, not government. Support AlteredNuclear transfer.
Brownback – no
Gilmore – no Can't create people to end life
Huckabee – no
Hunter – No, alternatives
Thompson – Not yes/no. A lot of research right now. Adult stem cell research right now.
McCain – We need to fund this.
Ron Paul – Not authorized on constitution. Market/states should deal with it.
Rudy –Yes if not cloning or created to destroy.
Tancredo – Not with tax money.
Flip Flops
McCain – No provisions on Social Security or contingency. Make tax cuts permanent, else it's a tax increase.
Romney – 0% Capital Gains tax on middle income
Brownback – Flat tax – choose between current or flat
Gilmore – I kept my word on taxes as governor. Cut Alternative minimum tax.
Huckabee – We need Fairtax! Get rid of IRS and all capital gians, individual/corporate
Hunter – Manufacuters getting killed with dumb trade deals with double tax. Eliminate manufacturing taxes.
Thompson –Vetoed 1990 items, reduced taxes. Alternative min tax – flat tax.
McCain – Line item veto on these. Alt min tax, 3000 tax credit for purchase health insueance. Flatter fair tax.
Ron Paul – Get rid of inflation tax and income tax. Printing too much money. Need sound money.
Rudy – AMT and death tax. Keep tax cuts. 2011 tax increase needs to be stopped.
Tancredo – Support fairtax. Repeal 16th Amendment or we'll have both. We need to deal with mandatory structural problem.
What Govt does poorly:
Hunter – Secure border. People crossing Mexican border illegally – not just Mexicans. Communist China. Iran.
Romney asked - What cabinent would you keep? A: Entire new team.
Gilmore – I ran as conservative. I governed as conservative. I'm consistent and don't flip and flop.
Ron Paul – We should NEVER interfere with internet. I always voted against regulating the internet. I trust the Internet a LOT more than mainstream media.
Mike Huckabee (Cronyism) – As president, we need to make it clear that we not going to continute to see jobs shipped overseas, and watch as CEO takes 100 million bonus to take jobs somewhere else and take pensions as well. We don't stop it, we don't deserve to win in 2008.
National ID Card
Rudy – support it, with immigration. Database, tamperproof. Foreigners
Romney – Agree with Rudy. Aliens, not citizens
Brownback – Don't need to go this way. Secure borders and interior – Social Security number must mean something. Don't need new system.
McCain – Support it if they want to work.
Paul – Absolutely opposed to national ID card. Contridiction to free society. Do not need it.
Tancredo – Do not need one for same reasons Dr Paul said.
Thompson – No national id.
Scooter libby pardon
Romney – don't make decision until judiciary process. Fitzgerald.
Brownback – Let process go. (undecided) Not law that was violated
Huckabee – I was prosecutor. Law applies to discretion. Go to people and make case. Can't make case, don't do it.
Most others - no
Tancredo – Pardon him, and pardon Ramos and Camprien (Border Patrol)
Terri Schiavo Case:
Romney – Usually family decides. Courts decides. Florida did right thing, but Congress needed to stay out.
Brownback – Right decision. Life is sacred, stand for it in all circumstances.
McCain – We acted too hastily.
Rudy – Court decision. Family in dispute. Courts are for that.
On Clinton
Ron Paul - I voted to Impeach him
The format sucked. Some of the candidates had a lot more facetime than others. All candidates IMO should have had the same questions. That is my biggest problem with this. The other problem was some of the questions were BS and fluff. Why ask 10 republican candidates about the Clintons? Right now we have a primary. I don't want to know what Jim Gilmore thinks about Clinton. I want to know what Jim Gilmore thinks about policy.
The candidates were mostly cautious and my opinion of most of them did not change based on this. One thing I DID like about this was the lesser known candidates being allowed to participate. Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson, Sam Brownback, Jim Gilmore, and Mike Huckabee all bring something to the table and are running as well. It was good to see some of the "choice c" candidates involved to some degree.
If I had to pick a "winner" based on the limited format, I'd have to go with Mike Huckabee. I am more open to his candidacy than I was beforehand. I still have a lot of fiscal concerns with him, particularly on his record on taxes, but I'm more open to supporting him than before.
I liked Tommy Thompson's answer on Iraq, Huckabee's on Rumsfeld and Scooter Libby, Ron Paul on the National ID, Internet, and nationbuilding, Tancredo on Fairtax and Karl Rove, McCain on Pork, Romney on Stem Cell, and Duncan Hunter on trade.
I'm still undecided however, and will be for the foreseeable future.
1 comment:
- Webmaster said...
Isn't it a shame that neither MSNBC nor their commentators Zuckman, Fineman, or Olbermann know this about their own polls in which Ron is still showing as the winner?
You need to write to them and tell them we don't want the press telling us who the frontrunners are, even after admitting that Rudy and McCain faltered and floundered and did poorly! The don't think the apple cart was upset? They got another thing coming!
firstname.lastname@example.com is the place to write them...
Next is FOX whose Dick Morris claims that McCain was the clear winner of the debate... Is this the biggest joke you ever heard?
Write to Dick here and tell him he's deaf, dumb and blind:
Ron is leading in MOST internet polls....the post-debate poll with the slider bars still shows him tops and there is yet another one that gives more details about who waffled and avoided, etc..
Ron is leading in that one as well!
Ron made more money than Rudy and McCain in NH with just one visit...McCain has been here for weeks in his bus! What does this tell you?


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GE 1Q earnings fall, outlook strong
NEW YORK -- General Electric posted lower first-quarter net income than a year ago because last year's results included the sale of NBC Universal.
But the company said its industrial divisions performed well and the economic environment was "positive."
GE said Thursday that it earned $3 billion on revenue of $34.18 billion in the year's first three months, down from $3.5 billion on revenue of $34.94 billion during the same period last year. On a per share basis, GE earned 30 cents.
Adjusted to reflect continuing operations and to remove the effect of one-time charges, GE earned 33 cents per share, down 15 percent from a year ago.
Analysts had expected GE to earn 32 cents per share, on average, on sales of $34.45 billion, according to FactSet. GE shares were up 2 percent in premarket trading an hour before the market open.
GE has a good view of the world economy because it has manufacturing plants and sales operations around the world. In a presentation to investors, GE reported that European operations performed better than expected while developing nations saw growth. Its U.S. business picked up in March, evidence that the slowdown this past winter was related to frigid weather.
GE sold its remaining interest in NBC Universal last year as part of a plan to focus on building and servicing big, complicated industrial equipment such as aircraft engines, power plant turbines and oil and gas drilling equipment.
The next step for GE will be to complete a public offering of its consumer credit card division, expected later this year.
It's a move that analysts support, and the company has been able to grow its revenue and profit at these industrial divisions in recent quarters.
Christian Mayes, an analyst at Edward Jones, said it will likely be until well into 2015 before GE makes enough progress in its transformation to see strong growth its overall results.
"This is such a huge company that it's going to take a while," he said. "But they are making progress, and seeing some decent growth in the industrial side."
Operating profit from industrial operations rose 12 percent in the quarter, the company said, as strong growth in their bigger units made up for lackluster results in smaller ones.
Oil and gas, power and water, and aviation divisions all posted sharply higher profits. Transportation and appliances slipped, along with the company's tiny energy management division.
But the company is still working to cut costs in what it calls a "simplification" effort. GE said that it cut costs by $254 million in the quarter, on its way to a goal of cutting $1 billion in costs for the year.
Jonathan Fahey can be reached at http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey .

subset: commoncrawl


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This year I planted various tomato bushes, one of them being a yellow tomato, which has been a huge success, bearing luscious fruit quite fastidiously. They are sweet, fleshy, very little seeds, and make a colourful dish.
As the stone fruits are nearing the end of their season, I couldn't help but look for a salad recipe to incorporate them with my lovely yellow tomatoes and bright red roma tomatoes. I love any salad with fruit thrown in as a refreshing change. Strawberries in a tossed salad are one of my favourites. Or honey dew melon and fresh garden green lettuce varieties.
Martha Stewart had the perfect recipe for what I was looking for, and I altered it slightly by using balsamic reduction instead of balsamic vinegar, and threw in a few finely shredded basil leaves for good measure. The mint, however, stood out as the ingredient to highlight the peaches. I also added a couple of nectarines as well.
The family had thought I'd finally lost my marbles when I put the salad on the table. However from the very first mouthful, there were thumbs up all round. I could eat a bowl of this on its own, it's that good.
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 peaches
- 2 nectarines
- 3 red tomatoes
- 3 yellow tomatoes
- 2 small inner celery stalks, peeled to remove strings and cut into1/4-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, plus shredded basil for garnish
- Whisk together olive oil, balsamic reduction, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl; set vinaigrette aside.
- Halve and pit peaches and nectarines. Cut halves into quarters. Slice tomatoes into 1/2-inch rounds.
- Arrange peaches, nectarines, tomatoes and celery on a serving plate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Coarsely chop mint leaves; add to vinaigrette. Pour over salad, and garnish with shredded basil.
Weekend Herb Blogging this week is hosted by Chris from Mele Cotte. Be sure to stop by her page to follow the roundup of this great event, culminated by Kalyn and inherited by Haalo.
Now I'm off to do something special with this haul from the garden. Wish me luck!


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Despite worrying reports linking HPV-related cancers with oral sex, the truth is more complicated, says one researcher.
MONDAY, Mar. 26, 2012 — Over the past several months there have been a number of alarming news reports highlighting links between oral sex, the human pappillomavirus (HPV), and cancers of the head and neck. It all basically started after the Journal of Clinical Oncology published a study in October detailing a significant increase in rates of HPV-related throat cancers.
The journal article was certainly eye-opening. Researchers tested tumor samples from patients diagnosed with throat cancer between 1984 and 2004. They found that the HPV virus was detected in only 16 percent of samples from the 1980s; in samples taken from 2000 on, however, the presence of HPV jumped to 72 percent. Reporting on the study's release last fall, the The New York Times wrote, "If the trend continues, by 2020 the [HPV] virus will be causing more throat cancer than cervical cancer."
No one would dispute that the proportion of overall head and neck cancers attributed to HPV has increased. The virus is now a more likely cause of oral cancer than tobacco use. But if the what isn't in question in this situation, the why is another story. "Researchers think the trend may be attributable to increases in oral sex, particularly among younger people who think it is safer than intercourse," the Times reported.
But a new analysis of the available evidence by psychologist and sex therapist Dr. Sara Rosenquist says that blaming oral sex for the rise in these types of cancers is counter-productive to our sexual health and distorts the overall picture.
According to Rosenquist's report, which was published online in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, "The link between oral sex, HPV, and cancer is not a simple cause and effect relationship." First of all, Rosenquist says, "The mere presence of HPV does not determine cancer risk even when several high-risk strains are present in the same person." As Rosenquist points out, HPV infection is common and in most people their body's immune system clears the virus within 18 months. The key factor in the HPV-oral-cancer-oral-sex connection is that infection is more likely to cause cancer when it can't be cleared due to a compromised immune system, Rosenquist says. Suppressed immune function can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from AIDS and HIV to long-term marijuana use, chronic stress and anxiety, and multiple sexual partners.
But among healthy sexually active people, HPV leading to cancer is not generally something to worry about, Rosenquist argues. "HPV should not be a cause for concern among monogamous couples with a rich and varied sex life," she writes in the conclusion of her study, "as long as the sexual system remains closed and other immune compromising factors are not present."
In the end, practicing safe sex and not straying from your partner are better deterrents to HPV-related head and neck cancers than curtailing an entire of part your sex life.


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RTC Summer Updates: Big South ConferencePosted by Brian Goodman on August 11th, 2011
With the completion of the NBA Draft and the annual coaching and transfer carousels nearing their ends, RTC is rolling out a new series, RTC Summer Updates, to give you a crash course on each Division I conference during the summer months. Our latest update comes courtesy of our Big South correspondent, Mark Bryant.
Reader's Take
Summer Storylines
- New Kids On The Block: The most obvious changes from last hoops season to the one upcoming are the new faces in the Big South Conference. First and foremost, there's a whole new team to account for this year, as the Campbell Fighting Camels have returned. CU was a founding member of the Big South in 1983, but left in 1994. Now the boys from Buies Creek are back where they belong, nestled in among more geographic rivalries and familiar old foes. And while it's not as dramatic as a whole new team, plenty of eyes will be on the new head man at Radford, where Mike Jones will be in charge of a rebuilding process for the Highlanders.
- Old Faces, New Places: And while every conference sees plenty of shuffling among assistants from year to year, the Big South had a couple notable arrivals–particularly for those who have followed SEC hoops in the past. Charleston Southern added former South Carolina standout B.J. McKie to the coaching staff. McKie joins coach Barclay Radebaugh, who was on the USC bench in BJ's days as a guard to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, up the beach from Charleston, Coastal Carolina and head coach Cliff Ellis have added their own familiar name in Mamadou N'Diaye, who played at Auburn for Ellis before launching his NBA career.
- Changes of Scenery: Big South basketball locales will take on different looks both at home and away this year, as UNC Asheville and Coastal Carolina are putting the finishing touches on entirely new facilities, while several schools are hitting the road less traveled and going abroad. Summer trips will take Presbyterian College to Italy, Gardner-Webb to the Bahamas, and Liberty to Belgium and France, plus once the season begins, we will see Winthrop head off to the Virgin Islands.


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By Amol Sharma and Krishna Pokharel
Ravi Dass Camp, a poor neighborhood in South Delhi, is a maze of narrow lanes, open drains, and pastel-colored mud-and-brick houses. Clothes are hung to dry on power lines above the corrugated metal rooftops.
It's a typical city slum where locals say they try to make an honest living doing everything from construction day-labor to driving auto-rickshaws to cleaning houses.
But these days, Ravi Dass Camp has an unwelcome distinction: it is home to four of the six men accused of carrying out the Dec. 16 gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman aboard a chartered bus that inflicted such horrific damage on her body that she died early Saturday.
Relatives and neighbors of the alleged perpetrators say they are sad, angry and ashamed about what has happened. "The reputation of our neighborhood has been tarnished," said Asha, who goes by only one name.
Ms. Asha is related to two of the accused: bus driver Ram Singh and his brother Mukesh Singh. Her husband, Raju, is their step-brother and they have lived next door to the Singh brothers and their parents for years.
She says Ram and Mukesh moved to Delhi with their family from their native village in Rajasthan state in the early 1990s. They left school early to help their parents construct roads and houses for daily wages, and eventually both brothers became drivers, Ms. Asha and neighbors say.
Both men are in custody and couldn't be reached. Neither could lawyers representing them and the other accused.
Ram fell in love with the wife of a man in the neighborhood, residents say, adding that the woman was a mother of three. The two eloped to live elsewhere in Delhi, neighbors say.
Then, about three years ago, the woman died. Residents say they believe she succumbed to illness but are not sure. Ram Singh came back to live with his parents in Ravi Dass Camp.
Some neighbors say he was a changed man – more aloof and depressed. Soon after, they say, he was injured in a road accident and hospitalized.
Neighbors describe Ram and Mukesh as rowdy, heavy drinkers who in recent months have come and gone late at night, disturbing the peace.
"They made a lot of noise after drinking. We used to scold them," said Bhola Prasad, 60, whose house shares a wall with Ram and Mukesh's.
"They used to drink while driving, before driving, and on the way home – everywhere," Ms. Asha said.
On Saturday, Ram and Mukesh's small shack was empty, a lemon and green chilies tied on its front door to ward off evil. The brothers' parents have left the home and are staying elsewhere, neighbors say.
Police said Ram Singh confessed during interrogation to committing the crime while on a night-time ride in the bus he drove.
Among the others accused are two more Ravi Dass Camp residents: fruit-seller Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma, a fitness instructor at a local gym. Both are in their late teens, according to police and local residents. They seldom spent time with the Singh brothers, neighbors say, but police allege they joined for the Dec. 16 joyride that turned into a brutal assault on the young woman and her male companion after the two were lured onto the bus.
Family members of Messrs. Gupta and Sharma were not available.
The fifth accused man in custody is 28-year-old Akshay Kumar Singh from Bihar, police said. He worked as a cleaner in Delhi's private buses and was friend of the Singh brothers who was with them when the alleged crime took place, according to police.
Police have said a juvenile from Uttar Pradesh state, which borders Delhi, who also worked as a cleaner on Delhi's buses was the sixth involved in the crime; police have withheld his identity.
Locals in Ravi Dass Camp say they are as disgusted as anyone about the rape of the woman. "Please let the world know that we are equally sad for the girl and her family," said one woman, a neighbor of Ram Singh who didn't want to be identified.
Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.
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NBC's Pete Williams shares details on the Supreme Court's unanimous decision that says human genes cannot be patented, but Synthetic DNA is patentable.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that companies cannot patent human genes, a decision that patient advocates said would increase competition and lower the cost of screenings for cancer risk and other genetic tests.
DNA is "a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," the court said. In something of a compromise, it ruled that genetic material created in laboratories is eligible for patent protection.
The case centered on a Salt Lake City company called Myriad Genetics that was granted patents for isolating two human genes, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, that indicate a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The company now markets tests for those genes.
BRCA1 is the gene carried by actress Angelina Jolie, who determined after a test that she was at higher risk of developing breast cancer and chose to have a double mastectomy. Jolie herself said that the cost of screening — more than $3,000 in the United States — was an obstacle for most women.
Douglas C. Pizac / AP file
A technician loads patient samples into a machine for testing at Myriad Genetics on May 31, 2002, in Salt Lake City.
"Myriad did not create anything," Justice Clarence Thomas said, writing for the court. "To be sure, it found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention."
The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposed Myriad, said that the court had "lifted a major barrier to progress" in treating and preventing diseases.
While companies are free to use the genes as a starting point to develop tests and treatments, the genes themselves should remain in the "public storehouse of knowledge" for scientists and companies to study and use, the ACLU said in a blog post.
The court could have ruled that both natural and synthetic genes are ineligible for patent protection, an outcome that would have been much worse for Myriad. Wall Street appeared to view the ruling as at least a partial win for the company and sent its stock up 10 percent.
The justices had wrestled with whether Myriad's work was a product of invention or nature. The biotechnology industry warned that a ruling against the company would threaten billions of dollars in investment.
The government has already granted patents on 4,000 human genes, mostly to companies and universities.
An oral argument in April was so deeply technical — introns, exons and messenger RNA were all discussed in detail — that justices and lawyers alike had to grope for everyday analogies.
Gregory Castanias, a lawyer for Myriad, likened the isolation of genes to the creation of a baseball bat, which "doesn't exist until it's isolated from a tree."
Mladen Antonov / AFP - Getty Images, file
A woman holds a banner demanding a ban on human-gene patents during a protest outside the Supreme Court in April.
"But that's still the product of human invention," he said, "to decide where to begin the bat and where to end the bat."
Doctors and scientists who challenged the patents said that their research had been hindered. The lawyer arguing for them said that Myriad deserved credit for unlocking the secrets of genes — just not a patent.
"One way to address the question presented by this case is: What exactly did Myriad invent?" asked the lawyer, Christopher Hansen of the American Civil Liberties Union. "And the answer is nothing."
Justices on both sides of the ideological spectrum seemed concerned about whether companies like Myriad would scale back investment in research if they were not rewarded with patents.
"What does Myriad get out of this deal?" Justice Elena Kagan wondered. "Why shouldn't we worry that Myriad or companies like it will just say, well, you know, we're not going to do this work anymore?
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, representing the Obama administration, argued that manipulating a gene into something new might qualify for patent protection, but that isolating what's already there should not.
The administration has supported the compromise position — allowing patents for synthetically produced genetic material but not natural genes themselves.
The case challenged seven Myriad patents that are set to expire in 2015.
This story was originally published on Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:32 AM EDT


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Vin Diesel has unveiled a few more images from the currently-in-production Riddick, giving us our first look at Katee Sackhoff and a gnarly looking creature. Diesel mentioned in the posting of the image that Sackoff wrapped shooting on the film early this morning. She plays a mercenary named Dahl, but she's doing her best Starbuck impression from Battlestar Galactica in this new image. Granted, both projects are in the sci-fi realm so we were probably already thinking about her Battlestar Galactica character anyway, but the wardrobe here is very similar. The third installment of the series that began with Pitch Black was followed by 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick finds our antihero left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that's infested with alien predators. Riddick activates an emergency beacon that alerts mercenaries to come collect their bounty
Hit the jump to check out the images. The film also stars Karl Urban, Jordi Molla and David Bautista.
Images via Diesel's Facebook page.
Here's the synopsis for Riddick:
The latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000′s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004′s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy.


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Law Targets U.S. Taxpayers Hiding Money Abroad
A new U.S. tax law requires foreign banks to report U.S. taxpayer accounts to the IRS. Kurt Rademacher, tax lawyer at Butler Snow, explains what will happen to financial institutions that don't comply with the law.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... EU ... foreign banks must report U S taxpayer accounts to the IRS ... the law went into effect at the beginning of this year by foreign banks have until next year to comply ... I'd ever con Cheney me now occur drug maker who is a U S tax attorneys I'm at Butler stand corrected to see him ... okay ... let's take time as an example of what how can the US government possibly forces Chinese banks to report that U S taxpayers accounts ... were going to do with the withholding tax base of impose upon us worsened from ... Sizzix to the extent that a Chinese bank ... invests in U S securities for its own account or for the accounts of its ... customers ... and those people will have to pay a thirty percent withholding tax on any ... dividends they receive born in the capital gains they make on this assets at ... thirty percent of the gross value of the account will be subject to tax to the Standard contains U S ... source assets ... Sandy for next probably don't like this that this creates a lot more work for them ... so I mean it ... has has time actually of the Chinese banks actually said that the compliant ill for the past ... they have not been actually there are negotiations on going right now between U S Treasury Department ... and ... the government of China about implementation factor ... one of the one of the provisions of fact allows ... governments to enter into Intergovernmental agreements ... that will soften the impact of fact on particular jurisdiction to soften the switch on ... the five inches up and governmental agreement right now ... our chart in the U S are negotiating unit governmental agreement but it's it's sort of a ... stumbling block in understand that for the reasons that a stumbling block is because ... fact is all about information about reporting ... to the IRS wants to get as much information as King and for non U S banks about ... accounts held by us on news people youth citizen screen cardholders things like that ... but the door nice to swing both ways for factors to be affected and for it to be in the best interest of the implementing countries and such on a sort of pushing back ... to say well that's fine we'll give you this information we would like to have information ... on Chinese citizens in Chinese taxpayers who have accounts in the US that I think that is for for people trying to hide their money in the U S it is but as I ... say ... tiny I mean that the reason behind this I'm assuming is for the U S and had to raise additional revenue so how ... how much that is estimated out there and not reported and what is the reason I mean I are a lot of the vote is abating taxes ... yet well there are people evading taxes that the RSS had a couple of onto disclosure ... opportunities in misty machines available over the past few years and admits that something like ... five point five billion dollars ... and say this it's it's been ... a dual effort to have an MC program in conjunction with factor so that their security and stick ... on and there have been there's a lot about money that's coming in and taxes than paper one ... on certain people knew us think there's a lot more of that money out there that hasn't been taxed yet ... and so they're going after that that money but there's an additional group of people to ... or not ... sort of ... artsy Tax evaders ... the people who live overseas live outside the U S in potentially ... don't know they have U S tax obligations which ... arms to complicated to ... to do your taxes or to hire someone to do your taxes ... on it doesn't have a clear understanding of how the cross border us roles for ... people make mistakes ... and so do those types of issues are gonna come to light pushback is well people to ... or have green cards than they may not realize that causes them to have a global tax bill ... in the US ... other people to be picked up now by their bikes as opposed to being picked up by their accounts ... and ... the yes of course being one of the few countries that tax is there I'm citizens living overseas and leave it until I data on really what the rate that people ... getting out the U S passport says Andy encoded and fat cat possibly be it ... another reason why more people to do so ... we certainly know that a lot more people are giving up their passport or US passports today than they were several years ago ... if you look at the quarterly lists that the IRS provides ... it sort of ten times longer than it used to be ... ALM so they're a lot more people getting a U S status ... on one of the reasons why people give you a status is because ... the tax to complicate ... on and so I think that he is ... one ... additional ... portion of U S tax law the sort of pushing people white ... and pushing people to we wouldn't otherwise what's officially successful people who ... are living outside the U S in her car swerve ambassadors for their country ... are ... giving up the passports ... their large ... tax consequences associated with giving up ... the passport ... um but they're ... finding by large that they'd rather bear this tax consequences than the subject in ... the U S tax that ... okay ... thanks Fran much for joining ... for more on that story indebted Des beest dot com I'm Deborah con


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After Major Comeback, Is The Gray Wolf Still Endangered?
The law that protects endangered species turns 40 tomorrow and perhaps the most controversial thing the government has done under the law is to reintroduce the gray wolf. Ranchers and hunters strongly opposed the move and now the federal government wants to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list. NPR's Elizabeth Shogren reports, this time, it is the scientists who are protesting loudly.
ELIZABETH SHOGREN, BYLINE: Ecologist Carlos Carroll is walking through the snow in a wide valley in Northern California.
CARLOS CARROLL: This area has few people, lots of areas where there are no roads.
SHOGREN: He says it's a good habitat for wolves.
CARROLL: Basically, wolves need three things: an area where they're unlikely to get shot by humans, abundant prey...
SHOGREN: And open terrain so they can run down their prey. Wolves used to roam over California and most of the rest of the United States. But people hunted, trapped and poisoned them until they were nearly gone. They've been on the endangered species list since it was created. And finally in the 1990s, the federal government re-introduced wolves to the Northern Rockies.
The federal Fish and Wildlife Service already took the wolf off the endangered species list there and in the Western Great Lakes. Now it wants to cancel federal protections in most other states as well. Carroll's research is funded by a pro-conservation Wilburforce Foundation. He's one of at least 16 wolf experts who oppose the proposal.
He says under the Endangered Species Act, if there's suitable habitat, animals should be returned to much of their old ranges. And on this issue and others, he says...
CARROLL: We think the service is getting the science wrong in the interest of accommodating anti-wolf political forces. The work that myself and my colleagues have done that has shown that there is abundant suitable habitat in parts of the West where wolves are not yet recovered, the service is trying to ignore that information.
SHOGREN: He says wolves still need to be re-introduced to some areas. In others, they need to be protected while they're gaining ground. Wolves already spread to Washington and Oregon from the Northern Rockies and Canada. Single animals have roamed into California but haven't stayed. The states of Washington and Oregon plan to protect wolves, so Carroll thinks eventually, even if federal protections are ended, wolves will return to California.
But that's not true for other places with great wolf habitat but no wolves. The best example is Colorado. Wolves have made it to Colorado in the past but have been illegally shot or run over. Carroll says the obstacles are even bigger now because in neighboring Wyoming, where wolves are already de-listed, people are allowed to shoot wolves on sight in much of the state.
CARROLL: Both from the north and the south, loss of federal protections would prevent wolves from reaching Colorado.
SHOGREN: Many ranchers and hunters in Colorado and elsewhere don't want wolves because they eat livestock and game. Utah, South Dakota and parts of New England are other places biologists say wolves could do well if they had more time on the endangered species list. Once back on the landscape, these top predators could help restore ecosystems.
DANIEL ASHE: That's not the job of the Endangered Species Act.
SHOGREN: Dan Ashe directs the Fish and Wildlife Service. He says the Endangered Species Act is intended to prevent species from going extinct, not return them to every suitable place or restore ecosystems. And it's his agency that saved the wolf.
ASHE: The idea that the Fish and Wildlife Service has, you know, a desire to wring our hands and walk away from wolves could not be further from the truth.
SHOGREN: His agency's proposal includes a plan to keep Mexican wolves in the Southwest on the endangered species list and help them increase in numbers. Still, Ashe has heard the scientists' complaints. He will let an independent panel of scientists evaluate his proposal to de-list the gray wolf. No final decision on the gray wolf's fate is expected until the end of next year. Elizabeth Shogren. NPR News.
SIEGEL: This is NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Wichita State unbeaten with 'special thanks to the haters'
- Still undefeated%2C Wichita remains polarizing%2C but team uses criticism to stay edgy and angry rather than tight
- Associate head coach Chris Jans said%2C %22A special thanks to the haters because you have motivated us more%22
- Head coach Gregg Marshall lauds team%27s selflessness%3B MVC commish marvels how they%27re unfazed by spotlight
ST. LOUIS — Gregg Marshall, the coach of the first unbeaten NCAA tournament team in 23 years, lifts up his cell phone. He smiles because he recently learned how to type his name into a Twitter search to see each and every one of his mentions.
He sees countless compliments but, more importantly, collects all criticisms. He feeds them to his Wichita State players, one barb at a time, as fuel that helps define the collective personality of this historic team.
"Thanks for all those who have helped us along the way," associate head coach Chris Jans said. "But a special thanks to the haters because you have motivated us even more."
During the past month, Wichita State players have fielded countless questions about whether it would be better if they absorbed a loss before the NCAA tournament because it would alleviate some pressure. But the opposite is true for this team.
By remaining undefeated, the Shockers remain polarizing, attracting criticism because of a conference schedule perceived by some as soft. And they use that criticism to remain edgy and angry rather than tight. They're trying to remain the hunters, rather than the hunted, despite likely earning a No. 1 seed this Sunday.
Before the start of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, Marshall answered a question in a news conference about being a so-called "mid-major." Sophomore Ron Baker steamed over the question.
"It bothered me because the dude who asked it, I think, was a Wichita guy," Baker said. "It stirred our fire a little bit."
The story of Baker, a sophomore from the small western Kansas town of Scott City, epitomizes the types of winding, sometimes hardscrabble journeys this collection of players have experienced.
His parents drove him 24 miles each way to elementary school. He competed in Wichita State's Elite Camp and attracted the attention of coaches, but the Shockers didn't have a scholarship. Then Jans saw him in the state semifinals and told Marshall that he needed to watch him in the final instead of going elsewhere to watch prospects such as Perry Ellis and others.
"You've got to go," Jans told Marshall.
Marshall did, and after the first quarter he texted Jans to say they've got to find a way to get Baker. Meantime, regional junior college coaches were telling the camp coaches that Baker was not good enough to play at Wichita State because they wanted the versatile player to play for them.
To overcome the scholarship issue, Baker and his family asked the Wichita State staff if they could pay Baker's way for a year, during which he would redshirt, and then be on scholarship the remainder of his college career. Marshall said absolutely.
"Our kids were either overlooked, weren't rated very high, had to go to junior college, transferred," Jans said. "Long roads. And we love it. It works well with our personalities. They have a little chip on their shoulder. They are hungry. Hungry."
There was Cleanthony Early, who wound up taking one of the longest official visits on record when he visited Wichita State. A storm made it impossible for Early to leave after 48 hours. Wichita State informed compliance of the issue.
Early stayed on campus for more than 72 hours, so long that the staff ran out of things to do with him. What more could coaches talk to him about? How much more food could they eat? But Early credits that lengthy visit as the difference-maker because it allowed him to forge relationships with players and coaches.
Then there was point guard Fred VanVleet. Jans recalls sitting down at a random AAU game to watch a Rockford, Ill.-based team called PrymeTyme. It had no player taller than 6-4, and coaches said it was not even sponsored by a shoe company.
But VanVleet played exactly how he plays now, exhibiting poise and composure. He is a calming influence on teammates. He was the coach on the floor, as the MVC player of the year is this season. Wichita State coaches said they have so much faith in him that he could organize and run practice with precision and efficiency even if the coaches took the day off.
"They are the most unflappable team that I have ever been around in my 25 years," assistant Steve Forbes said. "They play with no emotion, but they are intense. They are a little edgy."
And they are not satisfied. Last spring and summer, after the Shockers narrowly lost to eventual national champion Louisville in the Final Four, the players showed no complacency, only motivation to improve during relentless offseason workouts.
"It was like they drove the Lexus and they didn't want to drive the Camry anymore," Jans said. "They were motivated. Their workouts were off the charts."
Devon Smith, the team's manager of player development, said the players do have egos, but that they suppress them for the betterment of the team. When recruits come in for an official visit, the first thing Marshall does is ask the current players whether they want the recruit as a teammate.
Smith said the players wow him at times in the huddle during timeouts because sometimes they are the ones who are most encouraging and actually trying to keep the coaches positive.
"They all have their own stories," Smith said. "They have all been through different tragedies. ... Tekele Cotton, for any team in this conference, would probably average 16 points. For us, he has to be Ringo Starr. We have some great singers, but he's the best drummer in the world."
What Marshall found remarkable was what occurred during a recent Sports Illustrated photo shoot. Marshall did not want to pick just one player to appear.
He gathered Baker, Early, VanVleet and Cotton. And he brought out four straws, and the shorter straw would get to do the shoot. The players laughed and said Cotton could do it because they already get so much attention, that Cotton deserved it more.
"Can you believe that?" Marshall said. "That is so rare."
As MVC commissioner Doug Elgin said, "They are unfazed by all this. I've seen these guys walking through hotels with adoring fans cheering them, wanting to engage them. They don't allow themselves to get into the height that they are flying at."
During games, Baker said, the players get the most enjoyment out of seeing teammates thrive. For example, on one sequence, Baker threw himself on the court for a loose ball, tossed it to VanVleet, who skipped it up the court for a dunk.
"We love doing stuff like that — making the guy who dunked it look really good," Baker said. "Plays like that are what this team is about."
But at the heart of this group is a bunch of players who relish proving critics wrong. They recoil at being labeled a mid-major program. And they feel poised for another deep tournament run to show once again that they can beat anyone on a neutral court.
A reporter joked with Baker that critics probably would consider Wichita State a Cinderella team even though it will be a No. 1 seed. How's that glass slipper fit?
Baker laughed and said, "They don't make them in size 14s."
Follow national college basketball reporter Eric Prisbell on Twitter at @EricPrisbell.


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Brandon Marshall was so choked up he couldn't find the right words. Then, in a flash, he bolted.
The Chicago Bears are just about out the door, too.
Their fading playoff hopes took another big hit Sunday, and this time, it was their archrivals delivering it.
Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones on all three touchdowns, Clay Matthews sacked Jay Cutler twice and the Green Bay Packers beat Chicago 21-13 to clinch the NFC North championship.
The loss was the fifth in six games for the Bears after a 7-1 start, and a playoff bid that appeared to be a lock not too long ago is looking more like a long-shot now. Even if they win at Arizona and Detroit, they'll need help to get in.
This one clearly shook Marshall.
"Everyone involved in this offense should be held accountable, even if that means jobs," he said. "Everyone on offense should be held accountable. It's been this way all year. There's no excuse. We still have two games left. There's still hope, but at the same time, we need to be held accountable."
The Bears' managed just 190 yards, their third-lowest total of the season, so it wasn't hard to see why Marshall went off. As strong as his words were, though, his actions really told the story.
He glared. His eyes welled. His voice cracked, too.
"It's very frustrating," he said. "You can see it on my face right now, self-explanatory."
There was a long pause. Then, he said, "Next question."
He was asked why the offense is struggling, and he responded, "It's been the same way all year."
He again talked about accountability and then added, "I've got to try my best to keep it together and not let this affect me, because it's starting to affect me more than it should."
"I love this game," he continued. "I'm very passionate about this game and right now, it's affecting me way too much. I'm trying my all to do my job. So ... that's it."
With that he left the podium and walked quickly out of the interview room.
The loss was the Bears' sixth straight to the Packers, and it came after a week in which both teams talked trash. Marshall was particularly vehement, saying he'd never disliked a team as much as he did the Packers, and the Bears' Lance Briggs called Jermichael Finley "an idiot" for suggesting Chicago is better off without the injured Brian Urlacher.
The Packers backed it up, with Rodgers finishing 23 of 36 for 291 yards, while the Bears simply stalled again.
"The whole thing was Marshall," Packers cornerback Sam Shields said. "Marshall is (Cutler's) big target. Shut him down. Take him out of the game and see results."
Marshall had a 15-yard TD catch but just six receptions for 56 yards overall. But Cutler had another dismal day against the Packers, throwing for just 135 yards and an interception that led to Green Bay's second touchdown. Alshon Jeffery was whistled for three offensive pass interference calls in the second half, and the Bears were booed throughout the game.
They really heard it as they walked off the field.
"We're down," Cutler said. "We're not out. There are two games left. We need to remind guys of that — there's two games left, a lot of football."
Held to 24 yards on two catches to the Packers in September, Marshall sidestepped one tackle and stiff-armed Casey Hayward on his way to the end zone for a touchdown that gave Chicago a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. He screamed and tossed the ball into the stands while the Chicago sideline erupted in high fives and hand slaps.
The Packers quickly quieted the Bears and their fans with a touchdown, interception and another TD, all in a three-minute span.
Rodgers threw a dart to Randall Cobb, who hauled it in for a 31-yard gain that put the Packers at the Chicago 35. Three plays later, he connected with Jones for a 29-yard score that tied the game at 7.
After exchanging punts, Cutler was looking for Devin Hester but threw one right to Hayward, instead. It was the sixth pick of the season for the rookie, who grabbed the ball at midfield and returned it 24 yards. That led to an 8-yard scoring pass from Rodgers to Jones, making it 14-7 at halftime, and they connected for a 6-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half to make it 21 unanswered points.
"It's never over until that last, 16th, game is over. That's how this locker room feels. We've got to find a way for these next two games and see what happens," Cutler said.
Read recaps from the game on our live blog below.
[View the story "Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears" on Storify]


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When Hewlett-Packard's Chief Executive Mark Hurd resigned last month he received something few regular workers see when they quit their jobs under a cloud: A massive payout.
Turns out Hurd is far from the only top executive to be rewarded with a rich package despite a management performance that could be considered less than optimal — especially by rank-and-file workers.
A new report concludes that chief executives of the 50 firms that have laid off the most workers since the onset of the economic crisis in 2008 took home 42 percent more pay in 2009 than their peers at other large U.S. companies.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
The report, from the Institute of Policy Studies, found that the 50 layoff leaders received $12 million on average in 2009, compared with an average compensation of $8.5 million for chief executives of companies in Standard & Poor's 500. Each of the 50 companies examined in the report laid off at least 3,000 workers between November 2008 and April 2010.
"Our findings illustrate the great unfairness of the Great Recession," said Sarah Anderson, lead author of the study, "CEO Pay and the Great Recession," the latest in a series of annual "Executive Excess" reports published by the institute, a progressive think tank. "CEOs are squeezing workers to boost short-term profits and fatten their own paychecks."
Those CEOs include HP's Hurd, who slashed 6,400 jobs in 2009 — a year when his compensation amounted to $24.2 million.
Hurd made headlines last month when he suddenly resigned after an investigation into a sexual harassment claim against him found he had falsified expense reports related to meetings with a female contractor. Despite the findings, he walked away with a severance package that reportedly could be worth more than $40 million.
The report also highlights Johnson & Johnson's William Weldon, who took home $25.6 million — more than three times the average CEO compensation for big U.S. companies — even as the health care giant was slashing 9,000 jobs and facing a massive drug recall scandal.
Fred Hassan of drug pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough received a $33 million "golden parachute" when his firm merged with Merck in late 2009, the report said, even as Schering was laying off 16,000 workers. The report calculates that Hassan's total compensation for 2009 of almost $50 million could have been used to cover the average cost of these workers' jobless benefits for over 10 weeks.
Overall, the Institute for Policy Studies calculates that the $598 million total compensation awarded to the top 50 CEO layoff leaders was enough to provide average unemployment benefits to 37,759 workers for an entire year, or nearly one month of benefits for each of the 531,363 workers their companies laid off.
While the details of the report may seem shocking at first blush, it's worth remembering that a public company's chief executive has a fiduciary obligation to maximize value for the owners of a corporation — its shareholders.
"This report is not quite as cynical as it seems," said Dr. Andrew Ward, associate dean at the College of Business at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
"We often find CEOs are simply taking action in the face of an economic crisis to reduce expenses," he said. "The thinking is that, in the future the company's productivity will increase (and) that it will ultimately perform more efficiently, and this usually garners a positive reaction on Wall Street."
However, one worrying aspect of the report is the finding that five of the 50 top layoff leaders received taxpayer-funded bailouts. American Express, for example, gave CEO Kenneth Chenault $16.8 million in 2009, including a $5 million cash bonus. American Express has laid off 4,000 employees since receiving $3.4 billion in taxpayer bailout funds, the report said.
"Questions should be asked of the boards of these sorts of companies," Ward said. "A company's board has a great deal of responsibility for overseeing CEO compensation."
The report also highlights the structure of company pay packages and unintended consequences of tying performance to stock price, said Ward.
In the past, many companies rewarded executives with stock options, which had little downside risk and gave corporate leaders a clear incentive to drive up a company's stock price.
These days there is a movement toward rewarding corporate executives with "restricted" company stock instead that has more downside risk because it behaves like regular shares.
Employees generally may not sell restricted stock until a certain amount of time passes or a financial target has been met, and they may have to forfeit their shares if they leave a company before a certain period.
"So there's less incentive for a company executive to engage in actions in the short term that simply boost a company's stock price," Ward said. "The executive's incentives are more aligned with those of the long-term individual shareholder."


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Yankees Slip Past Twins, Head into Boston to Face 0-6 Red Sox
The Yankees had a rare game on Tuesday – a complete meltdown of the bullpen, taking a 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Yesterday's game was rained out, making this afternoon's game a rubber game. The Bombers came out on top, beating the Twins 4-3 in the series finale.
The Yankees and Twins will make up Wednesday's rainout in September.
A three-run fourth inning by the Yankees gave them the lead, which they never gave up. Down 2-1, Andruw Jones blasted a double to score Alex Rodriguez, tying the game up at two. Russell Martin then grounded out to first base, allowing Robinson Cano to come to the plate.
Jones came home on a bloop single by Brett Gardner, finishing off the scoring in the frame.
The Yankees built a run in the bottom of the third, with Gardner ultimately coming home on a sacrifice fly to right field by Nick Swisher.
Speaking of Swisher, he took out Twins' second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka in the seventh, sliding hard into second base to break up what would have been a Mark Teixeira double play.
Swisher broke it up, but in the process, fractured Nishioka's fibula. The Yankees' right fielder looked visibly disappointed in himself after Nishioka was removed from the game. He is headed to the disabled list.
Next time the Yankees meet the Twins…watch your back, Swish. (Although Swisher did apologize after the game. Will the Twins will get back at him? We'll have to wait and see).
In another storyline, Derek Jeter had two hits and he passed Rogers Hornsby and Jake Beckley for 33rd place on baseball's all-time hits list. The Captain now has 2,931 hits, just 69 base hits away from 3,000.
The Twins scored two in the top of the fourth receiving RBI doubles by Jim Thome and Jason Kubel. They plated their final run in the top of the seventh on a groundout by Denard Span to score Alexi Casilla.
A.J. Burnett pitched for the Yankees and turned in a good performance. The lanky right-hander tossed six innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits. He walked two batters and struck out five, mixing pitches and using his curveball with confidence.
He was backed by the combination of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, and Mariano Rivera who put the Twins away in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively. It was certainly an improvement over Tuesday's collapse. The only blemish was a run given up by Chamberlain – Span's groundout to score Casilla was on him.
Burnett improved to 2-0 on the season and he is now 7-0 in 12 April starts as a member of the Yankees. He leads the Yankee staff in wins this year.
Rivera has saved all four games the Yankees have won this season, as the Bombers are 4-2.
Now they will head into Boston for the weekend, where things have not gone according to plan. While the Yankees have a winning record, the Red Sox have started the season 0-6, losing their first three games to the Rangers and their next three to the Indians.
Boston has only started two other seasons at 0-6 (1905 and 1927) and statistically it's the worst start they have ever seen since 1945. Baseball analysts are asking themselves, "What have happened to these guys?" After all, many experts predicted the Red Sox to win it all this year, considering their huge off-season acquisitions. They added Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to help bolster an already-potent lineup.
Although the BoSox are scuffling, they cannot blame Gonzalez. He is hitting .304 with five RBIs and he has a home run. Crawford on the other hand is not producing, hitting .174 with no extra base hits, only one RBI, and six strikeouts.
Jacoby Ellsbury, who is Boston's leadoff hitter, is only batting .167 and has struck out seven times this year. Kevin Youkilis, one of the Red Sox main RBI producers in the middle of the lineup, is hitting a meager .105 with just one RBI and five strikeouts. Dustin Pedroia is batting .227 with no extra base hits and no RBIs.
After their 1-0 loss to the Indians today, Pedroia said he was going to go home and his wife was going to tell him "he stinks."
Yet, it isn't just the dead offense. Boston's pitching hasn't been much better.
John Lackey, who will start tomorrow afternoon against Phil Hughes (0-1, 11.25 ERA) was shelled in his first start of the year against Texas. He tossed only 3 2/3 innings and surrendered nine earned runs on ten hits. He walked two batters, struck out three, and served up two homers. Lackey's ERA right now is 22.09.
On Saturday the Yankees will send Ivan Nova (1-0, 4.50 ERA) to the hill to face Clay Buchholz, who was touched up for four homers in his first start of the season against the Rangers. He pitched 6 1/3 innings on the way to a loss in Texas, as he is 0-1 right now with a 5.68 ERA.
The series will conclude on Sunday night with CC Sabathia (0-0, 1.38 ERA) squaring off against Josh Beckett – once the Boston ace, now throwing out of the number four spot in the rotation. Beckett only tossed five innings in Cleveland on Tuesday, giving up three earned runs on five hits. He walked four batters and struck out four, on the way to his first loss of 2011.
Look at it this way: tomorrow is Opening Day at Fenway Park. The Red Sox fans are going to be excited and hoping their team can put the abysmal 0-6 start behind them with a win over the Yankees. During the opening ceremonies, the fans will be cheering and going wild for their players, new life and rebirth fresh in their heads.
If the Yankees jump all over Lackey for a few runs early on, they might turn on their team and get angry. The Boston fans might be getting restless, witnessing their team – that everyone thought was going be dominant – struggle so mightily in the early-going.
And with the way the Yankees have been going ahead early, getting on base, and putting pressure on the other team, it could make for a long weekend for the Red Sox.
As the people in Boston continue to scratch their heads and wonder what is wrong with the Red Sox, New York would love nothing more than to keep the ongoing Boston Massacre alive.


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Insurance the next storm for ratepayers post-Sandy
BRIDGEPORT -- People looking to rebuild their lives after Superstorm Sandy destroyed and damaged their homes may now have another struggle on their hands: Navigating the often-frustrating claims process with their insurance companies.
Sandy's destructive path was much wider than last year's Tropical Storm Irene, which resulted in an eye-popping $240 million in paid claims and taught policy holders and regulators some valuable lessons that may make life easier this time around:
People won't be paying exorbitant hurricane deductibles for Sandy -- which technically hit land as a tropical storm -- thanks to a new law enacted last December.
Even though there is a lag between when you file a claim and when you get paid, insurers are required by law to pay in a timely way or face hefty fines.
Residents also should be aware that homeowners insurance does not cover flooding, and that if you don't have flood insurance you can forget about collecting for flood damage on your homeowner's policy.
And people also can expect their premiums to go up.
Jan Morris, whose Hillside Avenue home in Milford is across the street from a row of houses that are no longer habitable, said she felt lucky to survive the storm with only roof damage. The front half of her roof will have to be replaced, but unlike when Irene hit, she isn't facing the hurricane deductible.
"I did have a claim for windows in Irene," Morris said. But her deductible was $7,000, so she paid for that out of pocket. "They will be covering the roof this year. Go figure."
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last week warned insurers not to charge hurricane deductibles, which often are a percentage of the home's total value and can be quite high.
Now people will be paying only their standard home or flood insurance deductibles for repairs.
"The state moved very swiftly to alert the industry that this storm -- although devastating to so many -- did not meet the criteria for a hurricane deductible under state law. Homeowners will not have to pay high-cost hurricane deductibles for damage resulting from this storm," Malloy said.
Donna Tommelleo, an Insurance Department spokeswoman, said insurers face fines if they don't pay claims quickly and that people should contact the department's consumer advocate if they have problems collecting.
But Tommelleo said the insurance industry in Connecticut has a good record for paying out claims.
"For Irene, we got 250 complaints," she said, noting not all were substantiated. "But when you put that in perspective, the industry had 60,000 claims from Irene and paid out almost $240 million."
Ron Kalb, an agent with Siegel Insurance Agency in Danbury, said smaller repairs usually are paid out more quickly. The home or business owner often is told to survey the damage, take photos and then hire a contractor to do the work with the bill to be submitted later.
But a total rebuild does take longer, not only as the insurer must document the costs but because the design and construction process also takes more time.
People also should read their policies carefully so they understand what is covered and what isn't.
Standard homeowner's insurance does not cover flooding, Kalb said.
"If people don't have flood insurance, they're going to be out of luck," Kalb said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program is the country's largest provider of flood insurance, which is not offered by many commercial carriers.
But people without insurance are not totally without help. Federal aid is available to individuals and business owners affected by the storm.
There are disaster loans up to $200,000 available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Homeowners and renters are eligible up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property.
Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind.
Diego Alvarado, a FEMA spokesman, said people should call and register with the agency to get the process going.
As with insurance, it takes time before funds are paid out, he said.
Jennifer Wislocki, a spokeswoman for Travelers in Connecticut, said her company already is receiving claims and has about 5,000 people staffing phones or meeting in person with customers. It has set up five mobile claim offices in affected areas. Other insurers reported taking similar steps.
She said; "We are committed to reaching impacted customers, as soon as it is safe to do so, to help them being the recovery process as quickly as possible."


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Orange & white chocolate sponge
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal567
- fat40g
- saturates21g
- carbs45g
- sugars37g
- fibre1g
- protein9g
- salt0.7g
- 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 175g golden caster sugar
- finely grated zest 4 orange and juice of 1
One of the best-known citrus fruits, oranges aren't necessarily orange - some varieties are…
- 4 egg, separated
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 100g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
Baking powderbay-king pow-dah
Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali…
- 100g ground almond
For the icing
- 200g white chocolate
White chocolatewhy-t chok-lit
To purists, this is not chocolate because it is made only from the fat or butter of the cacao…
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 100g white chocolate, to decorate
White chocolatewhy-t chok-lit
To purists, this is not chocolate because it is made only from the fat or butter of the cacao…
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Tip the sugar into a mixing bowl and add the softened butter and orange zest. Beat for 1 min or so until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the cake mixture and fold in lightly. Finally, fold in the almonds and orange juice. Whisk the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold one-third of the egg white into the cake mix, using the whisk. Repeat with another third, then the final third. Take care not to over-mix or you will lose the lightness of the egg whites.
Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 mins. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool.
To make the icing, melt the chocolate over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave on High for 1½ mins, stirring every 30 secs, then leave to cool. Whip the crème fraîche until thick, then fold in the white chocolate. Set one cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Spoon half the icing onto the cake and top with the other cake. Spread with the rest of the icing, then allow to set in the fridge for at least 1 hr.
If you want to make the decorative curls, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in a microwave and spread thinly over a baking tray. Leave the tray in the fridge for the chocolate to harden a bit, then use a fish slice or angled knife blade to scrape chocolate curls. Pile the curls in the middle of the cake and serve cut into slices.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fan voting for the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame is open now, and Tennessee State's Claude Humphrey is one of the senior nominees on the ballot.
Vote for Humphrey, here.
Claude Humphrey was an All-American defensive tackle at TSU who went on to be one of the greatest passes rushers in the National Football League. Humphrey played for the Tigers from 1964 to 1967. He was initially an Offensive Tackle, but was switched to Defensive End in his freshman year, where he became a 3-time All-American.
During his senior season, Humphrey played in four college all star games: the Senior Bowl, the Blue-Gray Game, the Coaches All-American Game and the College All-Star game.
Humphrey ended his collegiate career as the all-time leader in sacks at TSU with 39. Currently, he is tied for second behind Lamar Carter along with fellow TSU legend Richard Dent.
He was selected in the first round of the 1968 NFL Draft going third overall to the Atlanta Falcons. During his rookie season in Atlanta, he was name AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Humphrey played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (1968-74, 76-77) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1979-81).
While with Atlanta, he was named All-NFL or All-Pro eight times and was selected to the Pro Bowl on six different occasions.
During the 1980 season with the Eagles, Humphrey totaled a team-high 14.5 sacks on the way to an NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XV.
Even though the sack didn't become an official NFL stat until after he retired, Humphrey is still credited with 122 career sacks, including holding the all-time career sacks mark for the Falcons with 94.5
Humphrey is in the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame, the Georgia Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Falcons Hall of Fame, is a multiple time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his high schools Hall of Fame. Humphrey's college and high school both retired his jersey.


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Quiet to the core, Jay Bouwmeester normally recoils at the mere sight of television cameras darkening his locker stall.
But the Calgary Flames defenceman looked positively relaxed Monday chatting with reporters after the morning skate in his hometown of Edmonton.
"You hear about it," a chatty Bouwmeester was saying of the rampant speculation surrounding his immediate future. "You can't really avoid it. But I think sometimes it's easier to separate the truth from the rumours."
Perhaps Bouwmeester knew something the rest of the world didn't, as the Flames shipped the smooth-skating blueliner to the St. Louis Blues an hour before puck drop against the Edmonton Oilers.
Coming back the other way: the 2013 first-round pick belonging to St. Louis (deferred to 2014 and adding a 2013 fourth-round pick should the Blues fail to qualify for the post-season), minor-league defenceman Mark Cundari and Swiss goaltender Reto Berra.
The deal comes five days after the Flames dealt captain Jarome Iginla to Pittsburgh for a 2013 first-round draft pick and two college prospects.
The deal comes mere hours after news broke that the Flames granted permission to the Toronto Maple Leafs to talk directly to Miikka Kiprusoff about a deal that would reunite the Calgary goalie with Dion Phaneuf.
Kiprusoff (temporarily) quieted the rumours Monday night by leading the Flames onto the ice at Rexall Place. He proceeded to surrender two goals on the first two Edmonton shots and three on six shots before receiving the hook at 16:38 of the first period.
In reality, the only game that matters this week for Calgary is the one quarterbacked by Jay Feaster in the executive board room as the general manager wheels and deals established players for picks and prospects.
These are the facts of life in the start of a massive rebuild – and that's what this is – for a team ranked 28th in the 30-team National Hockey League.
Someone page Wiley E. Coyote and deliver a shipment of dynamite to 555 Saddledome Rise SE.
"It's a case where we can't continue this way," Feaster said Monday night during the second intermission. "Missing the playoffs isn't acceptable.
"If anybody's guilty of anything, it's me. I put too much credit in the kind of runs that we were able to fashion when I took over as interim GM again and last year. We fell short."
Bouwmeester signed in Calgary in the summer of 2009 with the billing of a minute-munching defenceman and difference-maker on both ends of the ice.
In 750 career games, Bouwmeester has collected 71 goals and 300 points. He is the NHL's reigning ironman with 621 consecutive games play – a streak that will survive because the Flames and Blues completed the transaction Monday before game time.
In 33 games this season under Bob Hartley, a reinvigorated Bouwmeester registered six goals and 15 points in Calgary silks.
On March 11, Feaster approached Bouwmeester in Los Angeles and the pair talked about the possibility of a trade. Four days later, Bouwmeester's agent submitted a list of teams acceptable to the former Canadian Olympian.
With one year remaining on his contract at $6.67 million, Bouwmeester's contract scared off some teams. But the St. Louis offer convinced Feaster to pull the trigger.
An interesting stat: over his career, Bouwmeester is a combined minus-13 in the months of October, November, December, January and February. In March and April, he is a combined minus-52.
With the move to St. Louis, Bouwmeester hopes to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his career.
The Flames, meanwhile, continue to plummet down the standings, as fans make themselves feel better with visions of a lottery pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Here in Edmonton, the Oilers can't help but smile over the demise of their provincial rival.
"I'm trying to focus on what's going on here, so seeing Calgary as seller - that's hockey," Edmonton forward Ryan Jones was saying Monday morning. "When teams get a little bit outside of the playoff picture, they're always trying to restructure things."
He grinned.
"But It seems like not that long ago that Calgary fans – and even people within the team – were critiquing the way the Oilers built their hockey team."


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Customer Stories - 3D Mice Around The World
Many of the World's largest companies use 3Dconnexion products to improve the performance and comfort of their 3D software users. Here are just a few of our major customers:
Check out our selection of customers stories below and if you have an interesting story about 3D mice and your company, please contact us!
For constructing agricultural machinery CLAAS relies on SpaceMouse Pro and CadMouse which also help them migrate to the new CATIA™ V6 version. Details
GESAB, a leading company in the field of control room, chooses SpaceMouse® Enterprise to optimize the efficiency and speed of their technical department. Read the story
Royal Huisman
Find out how Royal Huisman ensures exceptional yacht quality with 3Dconnexion 3D mice Details
Read how Nikl Design and Marex joined forces to design the multi-award winning Marex 320 ACC. Details
Milan Duchek from Duratec Ltd believes using 3D mice gives Duratec an important competitive advantage. Details
For Nick Schoeps and the team at MotoCzysz, 3Dconnexion 3D mice are essential to create designs for the world's fastest electric motorcycles. Details
Architecture and Vision
Leaders in crossing fields of art, aerospace and architecture, Architecture and Vision, rely on 3Dconnexion 3D mice to make their futuristic visions a reality Details
Architectural firms, such as HOK, are looking for ways to streamline and supercharge their businesses now more than ever with the help of 3Dconnexion's SpacePilot™ Pro. Details
McCrorey Digital
Armed with 3Dconnexion 3D mice, Paul McCrorey transforms complex design concepts into amazing photorealistic renderings Details
Framework Creative
3Dconnexion 3D mice have become an essential part of the design tool kit at cutting edge 3D design studio, Framework Creative. Details
Find out why Bianchi relies on think3 software and 3Dconnexion SpacePilot Pro 3D Mice. Details
Celebrity Custom Homes
In-house designer leverages the power of Autodesk Revit and SpacePilot PRO for architecture and construction designing Details
University of Michigan
Team leader Danny Ellis leverages six degrees of freedom control for robot design and flight manipulation Details
BIM Director, Autodesk certified instructor and frequent lecturer, Jay Zallan, relies on 3Dconnexion 3D mice when working in Autodesk Revit Details
Jungheinrich gets more out of CATIA by standardizing the design engineeting team on SpacePilot Pro 3D mice. Details
Farmer Plastics and Machining
Developer of the ultimate 1/5-scale four-stroke motorcycle uses 3D Mouse and SOLIDWORKS. Details
Whether working on architectural visualisations or modelling props for TV, 3D artist Dave Davidson from Max3D.org depends on a SpaceExplorer. Details
3Dconnexion 3D mice are used in the whole car development process and are considered a valuable component of the company's engineering toolkit. Details
3Dconnexion 3D mice are now a standard part of the CAD workstations at Douglas. Details
Flynn Product Design
Flynn Product Design Ltd has embraced 3Dconnexion 3D mice as an integral part of the design process. Details


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Brothers & Sisters alum Dave Annable is heading to another sibling-centered show.
Annable will guest-star as a hot college professor on an upcoming episode of Fox's Ben and Kate, TVGuide.com has learned.
Returning winter shows: Where we left off
In the episode, Kate (Dakota Johnson) decides to go back to college and is determined to focus on her studies, despite encouragement from BJ (Lucy Punch) to cut loose and have fun. Kate and BJ take an ethics class together that's taught by Annable's character, Greg — who "doesn't always practice what he teaches."
Annable most recently starred on the canceled ABC show 666 Park Avenue. His Ben and Kate episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
Catch Ben and Kate Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on Fox.


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Atlanta — A man who was wanted in connection with the beating of a celebrity fitness trainer turned himself in to authorities last month.
Apollo Holmes, 24, has been charged with aggravated assault in the Dec. 26 attack on Darius Miller, 41, a fitness trainer who has trained celebrities such as pop star Usher as well as National Football League players.
As of Jan. 15, Miller was still in a coma and on a ventilator, according to a report by Atlanta TV station FOX 5. Doctors told Miller's family last month that Miller may never come out of his vegetative state, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
According to earlier reports about the incident, Miller was escorting two daughters of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin when a group of men tried to videotape the women as they left a nightclub. Witnesses said a fight started because of objections to the videotaping.
Holmes is reportedly affiliated with 01 Entertainment, an Internet-based party promotions company that videotapes nightclub scenes to post on the Internet. Page Pate, a lawyer for 01 Entertainment, told the newspaper that Holmes was in the parking lot of the nightclub at the time of the incident. Both Holmes' attorney and Atlanta police say that Holmes did not have a camera at the nightclub, the TV station reported. Police, however, say that Holmes had an active role in the case.
In one account of the incident, Miller's cousin, Ken Miller, told the newspaper that about 10 men attacked his cousin after he had asked a man to stop videotaping the women. But Pate gave another version of the incident.
"I don't think it was as big of a melee as has been described," Pate told the newspaper. "There weren't a lot of blows thrown."


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Apple has hired the Academy Award-winning creator of Lucasfilm's THX system as its new audio chief, a recent report said.
Leo Laporte, host of "This Week in Tech," tweeted about the Apple move Wednesday, "I have it on good authority that Tomlinson Holman (of THX fame) is joining Apple to run audio. Major upgrade."
Holman is a sound professor at the University of Southern California and spent 15 years working for Lucasfilm as corporate technical director, according to GigaOm. Holman has designed loudspeakers and amplifiers and his experience covers "all aspects of audio."
U.S. & World
If Apple has hired Holman, what does that mean? Will it mean a complete overhaul of Apple's hardware or will it mean a change in its audio files? Holman's experience is in hardware, so I'm thinking his expertise will have to do with perfecting sound in Apple's Macs, iPhones, iPods and iPads .But will he also be creating a signature surround sound for Apple TV?


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Quick and Dirty Guide to 'Souls
Table of Contents
'Souls has a lot of information. It's a side effect of having been a consistently active community for over a decade. This thread seeks to explain the game and guidelines. Please don't be intimidated! Trust us when we say reading this will allow things to go much more smoothly for you. :)
Required Reading
Highly Recommended Reads
Core Concepts


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There has been a lot happening with the intersection of the Linux and HCI communities of late; it seems that the Linux community is getting more and more involved in not just multi-touch, but human computer interaction as well. It's not just for researchers anymore :-)
The X.org recently held XDS in Toulouse, France and by all accounts it was absolutely fabulous. I hear folks had some great discussions a day or two prior to the event and hope we get to hear about those :-) I'm watching Peter's blog for an update and hope that Chase will do the same when he gets back from Taiwan.
A few weeks ago, I was delighted to hear from Gene Mosher (inventor of touchscreen point-of-sale) on the multi-touch mail list. We had a good conversation about his use case and I am really looking forward to checking out the work he's done.
Community Support
Folks have been popping into IRC (#ubuntu-touch on Freenode) on a more regular basis, asking everything from beginners' questions to exploring deeply involved technical issues. Fabián Rodríguez has been helping out with community support, as have the core developers. In combination, the team is able to get most folks up and running, sometimes even with non-supported hardware. (Oh hell, they're gonna hate me for saying that publicly! Here comes the flood...)
PyMT, Qt, and GTK
Of particular note, we've been having really amazing interactions with PyMT and Qt folks, and it's great to see those relationships growing. Mathieu Virbel of PyMT has done some fantastic work on adding Python support to mtdev and is currently running PyMT on those bindings. Christopher Denter (another PyMT-er) has shared some really great stuff about Movid, a project he co-founded and one that we're keeping a close eye on.
On the Qt side of the house, Denis Dzyubenko and Zeno Albisser have been making great strides in MT development. Originally working on the gestures API for QT, Denis has recently taken over for Bradley Hughes on the multi-touch support in Qt. Zeno is a project lead for improving the gesture API. Stephen Webb from the DX multi-touch team will be working with them closely in the coming cycle.
Cody Russell has started chatting with Carlos Garnacho, Ryan Lortie, and others in the GTK community about getting full support of MT in GTK (continuing on Carlos' excellent work). These conversations are expected to ramp up at GTK Hackfest in Spain, and continue at UDS in Orlando, FL. With most of Cody's Maverick work done now, he's been able to pick up some prototyping he did last month and run with it some more. I can't wait to see the results :-)
Ubuntu on the Phone?!
And for dessert, I have saved this amazing bit of info: we recently received an email on the multi-touch list from Lukas-David Gorris who is working on the HTC Linux project. It turns out, he is running Maverick on the HTC HD2 (Leo) and is testing the uTouch framework with this device. Henrik Rydberg is helping him debug issues in his spare time. We were completely stunned to not only to hear about Maverick running on an HTC, but attempts to use uTouch on it!
The HTC Linux project looks really awesome. I hope they get more community interest, as this is the sort of project that gives Linux its power base: development and support from the community that large companies rarely invest in themselves. HTC Linux is a major step towards the prevalence of Linux on phones.
Though not Ubuntu, this is also a perfect time to mention MeeGo: another effort being made with the Linux community, and a rare exception to the "rule" of big companies not putting their money on the line. MeeGo is a joint effort between Nokia and Intel to produce a Linux distro for phones (and other devices). MeeGo has a focused touch effort, as well (I'm subscribed to the mail list).
This is a huge boon to Linux, and like the HTC Linux project, very, very cool stuff.