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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Scholars Retract Another Study Linking XMRV to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Other researchers were unable to confirm the findings of the 2010 study, which had lent support to an idea put forth in a 2009 paper that was retracted last week.
Top-25 College Basketball Game Capsules
Lincoln, NE (My Sportsbook) - Welcome to Big Ten basketball, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers' first taste of round ball in their new conference came against the No. 11 Badgers, and Wisconsin didn't take it easy on the newcomers in a 64-40 decision.Ryan Evans scored 22 points and Jordan Taylor added 15 points to go with five assists for the Badgers (12-2, 1-0 Big Ten), who shot 11-of-21 from three- point range en route to their sixth straight victory. Toney McCray led Nebraska (8-4, 0-1) with 16 points, but 14 of those came in the first half, including eight in the first four-plus minutes.
Final Score: Notre Dame 72, (22) Pittsburgh 59
South Bend, IN (My Sportsbook) - Alex Dragicevich scored a game-high 22 to lead Notre Dame to a 72-59 win over No. 22 Pittsburgh at the Joyce Center in the Big East opener for both programs. Dragicevich connected on 4-of-7 from behind the arc while Eric Atkins added 15 points and Jerian Grant chipped in with 15 points and 9 assists for Notre Dame (9-5, 1-0 Big East), which outscored the Panthers 47-33 over the final 20 minutes. Talib Zanna recorded a double-double by netting 13 points and grabbing 12 boards and Nasir Robinson scored 12 points for Pitt (11-3, 0-1), which has dropped two straight since winning nine in a row.
Final Score: (23) Virginia 69, MD-Eastern Shore 42
Charlottesville, VA (My Sportsbook) - Mike Scott scored 17 and Darion Atkins added 13 points as 23rd-ranked Virginia blew past Maryland-Eastern Shore, 69-42, at John Paul Jones Arena.Joe Harris tallied 10 points for the Cavaliers (11-1), who have won nine in a row. Virginia, which was coming off a two-game road trip with victories against Oregon and Seattle, shot 50 percent from the field Tuesday night. Hillary Haley had 11 points to pace the Hawks (3-10), who lost a tough 64-60 contest at Air Force on December 17. The Hawks shot just 27.8 percent from the field.
Source: http://www.mysportsbook.com/news/sports_betting/949043.html
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
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Monday, December 26, 2011
Hell on Christmas Day: Nigeria's Deadly Bombings (Time.com)
Nigeria's Christmas from hell began around 7.30 a.m at St. Theresa's church in Madalla, a suburb of the capital Abuja, just as worshippers spilled outside from the popular service. "A man with a motorbike dropped a bag just outside the church," a member of St. Theresa's told TIME. "One of our officials went to check what was in the bag and at the same time he reached it, that was when there was an explosion. Everybody started running. You can imagine how many people were running around. We thought the explosion was from one car that was parked outside but we now discover it was actually the bag that my colleague, went to check." The blast partially destroyed the church roof and shattered glass in nearby buildings. It turned out to be only part of a wave of bomb blasts striking packed churches and towns across Nigeria as Islamist militants launched a Christmas day spree that left at least 39 dead and scores more wounded in Africa's most populous nation.
"With my own two eyes I saw a whole family, five of them, perish in their car which was next to the explosion," Idriss, 43, a truck driver told TIME over the phone. "I counted 27 bodies. Not only in the church, outside there were two drivers dead on top of their okadas [the local motorcycles used to navigate the area's choked streets]." Among the dead were three policemen stationed to guard the church, the police area commander told TIME. Security has been beefed up in churches nationwide amid repeated threats from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. (See photos of the August Boko Haram bombings in Nigeria.)
Angry Christian youths, furious over the attack, initially refused to let the dead bodies be cleared away from the smoldering rubble, demanding that President Goodluck Jonathan personally see what had taken place. Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency struggled with a shortage of ambulances. Policemen eventually cordoned off the area and dispersed the mob by reportedly firing live rounds into the air.
It was not the first bombing in the capital region. Boko Haram members allegedly detonated Nigeria's first ever suicide bombing in August at the United Nations compound, killing 24. The group, which draws inspiration from Afghanistan's Taliban movement, is fighting for a strict interpretation of Shari'a law across Nigeria's 160-million strong population, which is roughly split between Muslim and Christian. Boko Haram (which roughly means "Non-Islamic education is forbidden" in Hausa, a language in northern Nigeria) is believed to have been behind four subsequent explosions.
On Christmas day, a person claiming to speak on behalf of Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the Madalla church attack and another attempted explosion that struck the central city of Jos -- an ethnic and religious melting pot that has borne the brunt of Nigeria's sectarian violence. "A police patrol car sighted three men on a motorbike. There was exchange of gunfire and the men threw the bomb into the church compound," a Jos state official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the policeman died on the way to hospital but no other casualties were reported. In Jos, traditional celebrations and planned family reunions had already been scrapped in the runup to Christmas amid painful memories of a Christmas eve bomb that killed some 32 people last year, residents said. "The streets are so empty it's like it's not even Christmas. Nobody wants to go out even to buy cigarettes because of all this fear," said Chidi Emweku, 31, a university student.
Meanwhile explosions struck two other towns in Yobe, one of the impoverished north eastern states where Boko Haram traditionally operates. One was in a church in Damaturu, according to residents. The police commissioner said details were not immediately available. (See why Boko Haram is al-Qaeda's new friend in Africa.)
Earlier in the week, Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, said three soldiers were killed when police raided a suspected Boko Haram bomb-making factory in Damaturu. "There was a major encounter with the Boko Haram in Damaturu," Ihejirika said. "In the encounter, we lost three of our soldiers, seven were wounded. But we killed over 50 of their members." Hospital and morgue workers who spoke to TIME said almost all the 50 bodies they saw were civilians. Critics say the army's frequent incursions into areas where Boko Haram has popular support has fueled the cycle of violence. The group's fierce anti-government rethoric has also earned it support in the arid predominantly Muslim northeastern states of Yobe and Borno, where unemployment and poverty far exceed that in the oil-rich, south, where Christians abound.
Experts are anxiously monitoring Boko Haram's ability to strike regularly beyond Yobe and Borno, amid claims from the group that they have traveled to neighboring Chad and as far east as Somalia for training and financing. A December 2011 report from the U.S. Congress said the organization -- along with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates just north of Nigeria's Sahel desert -- posed a growing threat to American interests.
Activist Shehu Sani, president of Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, said several attempts to broker a ceasefire between the group and the government collapsed amid mutual mistrust. "The only option is dialogue. For as long as the group has foot soldiers willing to use their bodies, using force will not work against them," he said. The violence prompted condemnations from around the world including a statement from the White House which called the attacks "senseless" and pledged to work with Nigerian officials to bring those responsible to justice.
President Jonathan said there was "no reason" for what he called "an ugly incident." "This is one of the challenges of this administration. This will not be for ever it will end one day," he said in a statement. But many Nigerians wonder when it will end. Idriss, standing amid the wreckage in Madalla, said he had fled Jos earlier in the week after news filtered the country of day after day of gun battles in the north of the country. "I just wanted to be somewhere safe, but look what happened," he said, as sirens wailed in the background.
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Construction to begin soon on 'prototype' Apple store in downtown Palo Alto
Work is set to begin "any day now" on a prototype Apple store in downtown Palo Alto, according to city planning officials.
The city issued a building permit Dec. 12 for the new two-story glass and stone structure at 340 University Ave., about a block away from Apple's existing downtown store.
An application to tear down the old Liddicoats building that occupies the 9,250-square-foot lot is nearly complete, according to Yvette Sheets-Saucedo, a LEED accredited professional with the city's Development Center. The Z Galleries furniture store was its most recent occupant.
Meanwhile, construction crews have completed a pedestrian bypass tunnel in front of the site.
According to plans filed with the city, a curved glass roof would allow natural light to flood the 15,030-square-foot store. Architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which has won numerous awards for its work on other Apple stores, is listed as the project applicant.
"The intention of this store is to provide a large open retail area that is visible from outside," Palo Alto planning manager Steven Turner said. "That's what makes this store unique."
The new store is a "new prototype for the applicant" and a "commons for the applicant's community to gather," according to a project description letter.
The existing Apple store at 451 University Ave. is expected to close once work wraps up on the new digs.
Apple declined to discuss the new store in detail
Wednesday."Our Palo Alto store was one of our first retail stores when we opened it nearly a decade ago and it's been incredibly popular," company spokeswoman Amy Bessette said in a prepared statement. "We are planning a beautiful new store just a few steps away, building on everything we've learned from our customers in Palo Alto and around the world.
Email Jason Green at jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com.
Source: http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_19596578?source=rss_viewed
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Sunday, December 25, 2011
World's Smallest Planetarium Costs Over $100,000—But Comes With a Free Watch [Watches]
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3 New Ways to Connect With Content That Interests You (Mashable)
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Each weekend, Mashable selects startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products.
[More from Mashable: ConnectYard Connects Students and Profs Via Text, Social Media]
This week, we chose three startups that are helping to tailor content in a digital environment that has become over-saturated with information.
BetaBait connects startups with early adopters who love trying new products and apps. Subjot is a social network in which you follow topics rather than people. Movable Ink is adding dynamic graphic elements to emails, helping your message stand out in a flat inbox.
[More from Mashable: New iPhone App Connects Strangers Around the World Through Instagram Photos]
BetaBait: Connecting Startups With Early Adopters
Quick Pitch: BetaBait connects startups with their target group of beta users, who love to test new apps and products.
Genius Idea: Connecting eager users with exciting new products.
Mashable's Take: BetaBait's daily email service makes it easy for startups to find consumers and professional early adopters. Both the consumers and the startups get what they want, so the service is mutually beneficial.
In each daily email blast, BetaBait profiles new apps, businesses, social networking tools and educational resources that early adopters can get their hands on.
Since BetaBait's recent launch, it has amassed more than 500 beta users and 100 startup partners. The startups featured have reported dozens of new users after they've entered a partnership with BetaBait.
The startup's main source of revenue is currently startup sponsorships for its daily emails. Each email blast offers one startup sponsor the top section of the email body, ensuring their content is the first thing the community reads.
Subjot: Follow the Topics You Care About
Quick Pitch: Subjot is a social network that lets you follow people's topics, rather than everything they say.
Genius Idea: Fine tuning just the content you want to see.
Mashable's Take: You know when you only care about half of the tweets sent by someone you follow on Twitter? Say they have great taste in music, but you couldn't care less about their thoughts on sports. Subjot can help. On this new social network you only follow the subjects that interest you from the people you follow.
You use it just like Twitter -- post about whatever you'd like -- but your followers will only see posts about the subjects they've chosen to follow. You also don't need to follow everyone who follows you. You get a bit more space to "jot your thoughts" than you do on Twitter: 250 characters to be exact.
You can share links, photos, videos and engage in conversations on the nascent social network.
Movable Ink: Brings Your Emails to Life
Quick Pitch: iStockphoto, izusek
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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Electric Power - Mexico - Efficient appliance program reaches 76% of 2012 goal
Mexico's federal government has substituted 1.4mn electrical appliances in the country for new models, equal to 76% of the program's 2012 goal, energy...
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
coroflot: Senior Visual Designer - Nokia London, United Kingdom http://t.co/zTECQBMB
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Flint Emergency Manager Restores Limited Powers, Pay To Council, Mayor
Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown has decided to restore limited responsibilities and salaries to the city's mayor and city council, the Flint Journal reports. Brown stripped the elected officials pay and suspended city council meetings after being appointed on Dec. 1.
According to Michigan Radio, Mayor Dayne Walling will now receive 60 percent of his former pay and full benefits coverage. Earlier this week, Brown also restored Walling's authority to participate in economic development, master planning, intergovernmental affairs and community engagement, and will allow the mayor to serve on an advisory board.
"Manager Brown has followed through on his commitment to make this a collaborative process that involves elected leadership and engages residents," said Walling in a written statement.
Flint City Council members will now receive about half their previous pay with no benefits, Michigan Radio reports.
"We've been meeting and we've been talking about the role and the responsibilities of the city council and talking about having a forum for the city council to be able to continue to play a role in government," City Council President Scott Kincaid told the Flint Journal. "So I'm pleased that he's looking at us playing a role."
In a written directive issued Tuesday, Brown announced that city council would be allowed one scheduled meeting per month for hearing public comment, conducting public hearings and addressing other matters to be decided by the emergency manager, the Flint Journal reports. Brown will also allow council members to attend public meetings in their respective wards, Michigan Radio reports.
Under Michigan's Public Act 4, signed into law earlier this year, Gov. Rick Snyder can send specially-appointed emergency managers to financially struggling cities or school districts and take over the powers of locally elected officials. Flint is one of four Michigan cities and school districts to have an emergency manager in place.
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Wave of bombings across Iraqi capital kills 60 (AP)
BAGHDAD ? A wave of at least 14 bombings ripped across Baghdad Thursday morning, killing at least 60 people in the worst violence in Iraq for months. The apparently coordinated attacks struck days after the last American forces left the country and in the midst of a major government crisis between Shiite and Sunni politicians that has sent sectarian tensions soaring.
The bombings may be linked more to the U.S. withdrawal than the political crisis, but all together, the developments heighten fears of a new round of Shiite-Sunni sectarian bloodshed like the one a few years back that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the bombings bore all the hallmarks of al-Qaida's Sunni insurgents. Most appeared to hit Shiite neighborhoods, although some Sunni areas were also targeted. In all, 11 neighborhoods were hit by either car bombs, roadside blasts or sticky bombs attached to cars. There was at least one suicide bombing and the blasts went off over several hours.
The deadliest attack was in the Karrada neighborhood, where a suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle blew himself up outside the office of a government agency fighting corruption. Two police officers at the scene said the bomber was driving an ambulance and told guards that he needed to get to a nearby hospital. After the guards let him through, he drove to the building where he blew himself up, the officers said.
Sirens wailed as ambulances rushed to the scene and a large plume of smoke rose over the area. The blast left a crater about five yards (meters) wide in front of the five-story building, which was singed and blackened.
"I was sleeping in my bed when the explosion happened, said 12-year-old Hussain Abbas, who was standing nearby in his pajamas. "I jumped from my bed and rushed to my mom's lap. I told her I did not to go to school today. I'm terrified."
At least 25 people were killed and 62 injured in that attack, officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Figures gathered from Iraqi health and police officials across the city put the death toll at 60, and 160 injured. The spokesman for the Iraqi health ministry put the death toll at 57 and said at least 176 people were injured. But conflicting casualty figures are common in the aftermath of such widespread bombings.
For many Iraqis and the Americans who fought a nearly nine-year war in hopes of leaving behind a free and democratic country, the events of the past few days are the country's nightmare scenario. The fragile alliance of Sunnis and Shiites in the government is completely collapsing, large-scale violence with a high casualty toll has returned to the capital, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is displaying an authoritarian streak and may be moving to grab the already limited power of the Sunnis.
Al-Maliki's Shiite-led government this week accused Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, the country's top Sunni political leader, of running a hit squad that targeted government officials five years ago, during the height of sectarian warfare. Authorities put out a warrant for his arrest.
Many Sunnis fear this is part of a wider campaign to go after Sunni political figures in general and shore up Shiite control across the country at a critical time when all American troops have left Iraq.
Because such a large-scale, coordinated attack likely took weeks to plan, and the political crisis erupted only few days ago, the violence was not likely a direct response to the tensions within the government. Also, al-Qaida opposed Sunni cooperation in the Shiite-dominated government in the first place and is not aligned with Sunni politicians.
The Sunni extremist group often attacks Shiites, who they believe are not true Muslims.
U.S. military officials worried about a resurgence of al-Qaida after their departure. The last American troops left Iraq at dawn Sunday.
Al-Qaida in Iraq is severely debilitated from its previous strength in the early years of the war, but it still has the capability to launch coordinated and deadly assaults from time to time.
The attacks ratchet up tensions at a time when many Iraqis are already deeply worried about security. The real test of whether sectarian warfare returns, however, will be whether Shiite militants are resurgent and return to the type of tit-for-tat attacks seen at the height of sectarian warfare in 2006-2007.
Iraqis are already used to horrific levels of violence, but many wondered when they would be able to enjoy some measure of security and stability after years of chaos.
"My baby was sleeping in her bed. Shards of glass have fallen on our heads. Her father hugged her and carried her. She is now scared in the next room," said one woman in western Baghdad who identified herself as Um Hanin. "All countries are stable. Why don't we have security and stability?"
While Baghdad and Iraq have gotten much safer over the years, explosions like Thursday's are still commonplace.
Al-Maliki's tactics are another source of concern, especially for Sunnis. He is also pushing for a vote of no-confidence against another Sunni politician, the deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.
Ayad Allawi, who heads a Sunni-backed party called Iraqiya, laid the blame for Thursday's violence with the government. The Iraqiya coalition also includes al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq, and Allawi has been one of al-Maliki's strongest critics. Allawi warned that violence would continue as long as people are left out of the political process.
"We have warned long ago that terrorism will continue ... against the Iraqi people unless the political landscape is corrected and the political process is corrected, and it becomes an inclusive political process and full blown non-sectarian institutions will be built in Iraq," Allawi told The Associated Press, speaking from neighboring Beirut. __
Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
House GOP rejects 2-month payroll tax cut (AP)
WASHINGTON ? The House Tuesday rejected a plan backed by President Barack Obama to extend a 2 percentage point payroll tax cut for two months to buy time for talks on a full-year renewal.
Republicans controlling the chamber are instead demanding immediate talks with the Senate on a year-long plan.
If Congress doesn't pass a bill by the end of the year, payroll taxes will go up for 160 million workers on Jan. 1. Almost 2 million people could lose unemployment benefits in January as well.
The House vote, 229-193, kicks the measure back to the Senate, where the bipartisan two-month measure passed on Saturday by a sweeping 89-10 vote. The Senate then promptly left Washington for the holidays. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he won't allow bargaining until the House approves the Senate's short-term measure.
The vote caps a partisan debate on Obama's jobs agenda, which has featured numerous campaign-style appearances but little real bipartisan negotiation, other than Senate talks last week that produced the two-month extension.
The Senate's short-term, lowest-common-denominator approach would renew a 2 percentage point cut in the Social Security payroll tax, plus jobless benefits averaging about $300 a week for the long-term unemployed, and would prevent a 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
The House passed a full-year extension last week, containing many spending cuts opposed by Democrats.
House Republicans, however, have erupted in frustration at the Senate measure, which drops changes to the unemployment insurance system pressed by conservatives, along with cuts to President Barack Obama's health care law.
Also driving their frustration was that the Senate, as it so often does, appeared intent on leaving the House holding the bag ? pressuring House lawmakers to go along with its plan.
Both sides were eager to position themselves as the strongest advocates of the payroll tax cut, with House Republicans accusing the Senate of lollygagging on vacation and Senate Democrats countering that the House was seeking a partisan battle rather than taking the obvious route of approving the stopgap bill to buy more time for negotiations.
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
ABC under fire for cross-dressing comedy "Work It" (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) ? The ABC comedy "Work It" doesn't even premiere until Jan, 3, and already it's invoking ire from rights groups.
The series has sparked anger from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, who argue that the series could prove harmful to transgendered individuals.
The series stars Ben Koldyke ("How I Met Your Mother") and Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break") as two friends and former coworkers who, unemployed and desperate, take to cross-dressing in order to get hired by a pharmaceutical company that's looking for female sales reps.
The concept spurred an angry message from GLAAD, which argued that, while the show "does not explicitly address transgender people, many home viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection. 'Work It' invites the audience to laugh at images of men trying to adopt a feminine appearance, thereby also making it easier to mock people whose gender identity and expression are different than the one they were assigned at birth."
GLAAD took particular offense to a print ad for the series, in which the two main characters stand side-by-side at a pair of urinals, while dressed as women.
"Not only does it inadvertently further notions that transgender identities are humorous or artificial, but imagery like this are one of the first things anti-LGBT activists resort to when trying to deny transgender people protections against discrimination," GLAAD argues.
The organization asks that the network not circulate the urinal ad, and to "consider whether airing this show is worth the damage it has the potential to do."
Human Rights Campaign is going one step further, and urging the public to boycott the series.
The HRC has set up a write-in campaign which urges supporters to send a message to ABC reading, "It is never appropriate to belittle or mock those who do not adhere to society's gender norms or the struggles they face ... As an ABC viewer, I urge you not to air a show that reinforces negative and damaging stereotypes about transgender people."
Shouldn't they be more offended that the series sounds like an almost complete ripoff of "Bosom Buddies"?
ABC did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
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Colts say Manning won't play, but is throwing
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said Manning will not return to play in the final two games of the season, but the franchise quarterback did take snaps from center Jeff Saturday this week. The Colts defeated the Titans 27-13. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning looks on during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011. Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said Manning will not return to play in the final two games of the season, but the franchise quarterback did take snaps from center Jeff Saturday this week. The Colts defeated the Titans 27-13. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? The Colts will have to win their last two games the same way they tried to win their first 14 -- without Peyton Manning.
Minutes after the previously winless Colts got their first win, 27-13 over Tennessee, team vice chairman Bill Polian said the four-time league MVP will not play this season though he has begun throwing to teammates at the team complex.
The comments came in a rare, five-paragraph postgame statement Polian made from the podium. He did not take questions.
"It was determined by the doctors that there was no chance he (Manning) would play this year," Polian said, referring to a Thursday meeting. "His rehabilitation has not come far enough to make it prudent for him to step on the field in game action. He may practice in some very scripted and circumscribed circumstances if he wishes. That's entirely up to him."
Apparently, Manning is already doing that.
Polian confirmed that the four-time league MVP threw in pads and a helmet after Wednesday's full practice ended. The session included running back Joseph Addai, center Jeff Saturday, receiver Anthony Gonzalez and a receiver from the practice squad.
There were rumors all week that Manning had started throwing with teammates, but players and coaches repeatedly said there was nothing new in Manning's workout regimen. On Sunday's pregame show, Fox Sports reported that Manning had thrown to receivers and running backs this week and that Manning still hoped to play this season.
He has practiced sparingly since having neck surgery in May. The Colts thought Manning would be ready to play when training camp opened and again when the regular-season started, but the recovery took far longer than expected. He was activated before the regular-season opener, but with the compressed nerve still causing weakness in Manning's throwing arm, he opted for a more invasive fusion. That surgery took place Sept. 8.
On Dec. 1, doctors announced the fusion had healed firmly and that Manning could increase the intensity and length of his workouts.
He is.
"Wednesday, after we finished our full team practice, Peyton went through a prescribed rehabilitation session, which consisted of about 30 throws and seven or eight handoffs," Polian said. "His throws were scripted at his request, meaning that he made specific throws with respect to the kinds of plays he would run in a ballgame. The reason for that is because the strength and conditioning folks and the therapy folks felt that was the best way to ramp up the muscle use."
Polian denied breaking any league rules by not disclosing Manning's workouts on the weekly practice reports, which require teams to provide information about each player's participation.
Because the workouts occurred after practice, Polian said the team did not violate the league rules and that the team taped that workout, which was attended by Polian and coach Jim Caldwell.
Team officials have kept Manning on the active roster in hopes that he could practice in December.
Polian said he does not expect Manning to throw again before Thursday's home finale against Houston.
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Report: Gableman got free legal help
MADISON (AP) - Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman received free legal services from one of the state's largest law firms to help him fight an ethics complaint - a situation that seems to conflict with ethics rules on accepting gifts, according to the state's largest newspaper.
The law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich defended Gableman against a state Judicial Commission complaint accusing him of violating the judicial code of ethics in a 2008 campaign ad. The ad accused Justice Louis Butler of finding a loophole for an offender who went on to molest another child. It didn't mention that Butler failed to get the offender out of prison early and that the offender committed the new crime after he had served his sentence. The Supreme Court ultimately deadlocked 3-3 on whether the ad amounted to a violation.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday that Michael Best & Friedrich attorney Eric McLeod never billed Gableman for his services. It's unclear exactly how much Gableman might have owed McLeod, but other attorneys have speculated it was thousands of dollars, the newspaper said.
Wisconsin's ethics code prohibits state officials from accepting free gifts because of their position. The judicial ethics code also prohibits judges from accepting gifts from anyone who is likely to appear before them. Michael Best & Friedrich has five cases before the Supreme Court and Gableman is taking part in all of them.
The Journal Sentinel obtained a letter that Michael Best & Friedrich's chief attorney wrote to the Supreme Court explaining that McLeod and Gableman had an agreement. The attorney, Jonathan Margolies, wrote that Gableman would pay only if he recovered his attorney fees from the state, similar to arrangements common in personal injury cases where plaintiff's attorneys get nothing if they lose the case.
Under state law, judges who win ethics cases can ask the state Claims Board to reimburse their legal fees. But because the Supreme Court tied over the ethics complaint, Gableman couldn't argue to the board that he had won and the state should cover his fees, Margolies said in the letter. Gableman was responsible for out-of-pocket expenses, which he paid, the letter said.
Margolies declined to disclose the value of the firm's work for Gableman in an interview with the Journal Sentinel. But he said he was sure the payment agreement was above board.
Jonathan Becker, the ethics administrator for the Government Accountability Board, declined to comment on Gableman's situation to the Journal Sentinel, but told the newspaper that in general the board would weigh how common such a fee arrangement is in the legal industry if it was reviewing a deal a public official struck.
"In my view the `no financial exposure' benefit the firm gave Gableman requires him to recuse himself indefinitely from cases the firm brings to the court," Stephen Gillers, a New York University Law School professor, told the Journal Sentinel.
Wisconsin judges decide for themselves whether they should step out of cases. Indiana University law professor Charles Geyh said Gableman must consider the value of any free legal serve he received from Michael Best & Friedrich and public perception when deciding whether to participate in cases involving the firm.
"A reasonable perception would be, `This guy owes him one,"' Geyh told the Journal Sentinel, adding he thinks Gableman shouldn't hear cases involving the firm for two or three years after receiving the legal service and hold off even longer before taking any cases involving McLeod.
In addition to the five cases the firm now has before the court, it represented a Republican group that wants force the Government Accountability Board to apply newly redrawn legislative district maps in potential recalls against four GOP state senators, a move that would favor the Republicans. The group has asked the Supreme Court to take the case and filed it separately in Waukesha County. It has dropped Michael Best & Friedrich from the Supreme Court request but has retained the firm in the other case.
Gableman also hired Indiana attorney James Bopp to defend him against the ethics complaint. Bopp declined to describe his arrangement with Gableman to the Journal Sentinel, saying only it complied with Wisconsin's ethics laws.
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Unemployment claims at lowest in 3 1/2 years (AP)
WASHINGTON ? The job market is healthier than at any time since the end of the Great Recession.
The number of people filing for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest since May 2008, a sign that the waves of corporate layoffs that have defined the past few years are all but over.
"This is unexpectedly great news," said Ian Shepherdson, an economist at High Frequency Economics.
It will take an additional step ? robust hiring, not just the end of layoffs ? to bring the 8.6 percent unemployment rate down significantly. Experts say that won't happen until businesses are more confident about customer demand. And the European debt crisis could still cause damage here.
But the report on unemployment claims Thursday was the latest to suggest that the economy, two and a half slow years after the official end of the recession, may finally be picking up momentum.
The nation added 100,000 or more jobs every month from July through November, the first five-month streak since 2006. And the economy, which was barely growing when the year started, has picked up speed each quarter.
More small businesses plan to hire than at any time in three years, a trade group said this week. And another private-sector survey found more companies are planning to add workers than at any time since 2008.
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits came in at 366,000, down from 385,000 the week before. That moves the figure closer to its pre-recession range of roughly 280,000 to 350,000.
The last time claims were so low, the nation was six months into the recession but didn't know it yet. The unemployment rate was 5.4 percent ? a level almost hard to imagine these days. Unemployment has been above 8 percent for almost three years.
That spring of 2008, Bear Stearns, an investment house that predated the Depression, had been hobbled by its investment in subprime mortgages and was sold near collapse to JPMorgan Chase for a paltry $10 a share.
The worst was yet to come. Lehman Brothers collapsed that September. Credit froze, investors panicked and the stock market plunged. Businesses began slashing millions of jobs. Unemployment claims peaked at 659,000 in March 2009.
Unemployment claims are a measure of the pace of layoffs, and they have declined steadily for three months.
But that's just part of the picture. Business aren't hiring with gusto. Unemployment fell 0.4 percentage points last month, but about half the decline was because people gave up looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed.
"One of the features of this recovery is that hiring is exceptionally weak," said Jeremy Lawson, senior U.S. economist at BNP Paribas.
And weaker-than-usual hiring doesn't necessarily show up in unemployment claims. Many employers cut staffs to the bone during the recession. If they worry that business will grow weakly next year, they may hold off on layoffs ? but not hire, either.
"The hiring numbers will continue to look good but not great," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight.
Besides waiting for demand to come back, companies have other things to worry about. A recession in Europe would hurt U.S. exports, and a collapse in European banks because of the debt crisis there would probably cause a worldwide panic.
Another concern: The economy has been here before.
In February, unemployment claims fell to 375,000. Companies added about 200,000 jobs a month for three months. But then oil prices spiked and Europe's debt problem got worse. Employers added just 53,000 jobs in May.
The decline in unemployment claims comes as Congress wrangles over whether to extend long-term unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
Lawmakers differ over how long benefits should last. The House passed a Republican bill Tuesday that would renew emergency aid but reduce the maximum duration to 79 weeks from 99.
Democrats want to keep the full 99 weeks. The measure is part of broader legislation in the Democratic-led Senate that would also extend a cut in the Social Security tax and put $1,000 to $2,000 in most Americans' pockets next year.
In other economic news Thursday:
? The prices companies pay for factory and farm goods rose 0.3 percent last month. The figure was pushed up by higher food and pharmaceutical prices. But energy prices barely rose, keeping inflation in check. In the year ending in November, wholesale prices increased 5.7 percent, the Labor Department said. It's the smallest increase since March.
? A mixed picture emerged for manufacturing. Factory output fell in November for the first time in seven months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturers made fewer cars, electronics and appliances. But some economists noted that auto sales rose in November, suggesting that production will rebound. And the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and New York said manufacturing expanded in their regions. Manufacturing has been a key source of economic growth this year.
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Video: Stephen Baldwin on Brother Alec & American Airlines ?Just a Silly Misunderstanding?
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player Read more: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2011/12/stephen_baldwin_on_brother_alec_and_american_airlines.php#ixzz1gYKLnqhd
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Friday, December 16, 2011
President Obama Marks End of Iraq War
President Obama had two words for a crowd of returning Iraq war veterans on Wednesday: "Welcome Home." The president observed the end of a war that has defined a decade of American military might. For more on the Iraq war and it's legacy, we turn to Ned Parker.
Ned is the former Baghdad bureau chief for The Los Angeles Times. He is now the Edward R. Murrow press fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and has just returned from a two week trip to Iraq.
Source: http://www.thetakeaway.org/2011/dec/15/president-obama-marks-end-iraq-war/
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Republican presidential candidates on the issues
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Here's where the 2012 Republican presidential candidates stand on a selection of issues.
They are Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. John Huntsman, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
ABORTION:
Bachmann: Backed efforts to declare the unborn "persons" under the Constitution, the most direct challenge to the Supreme Court's affirmation of abortion rights. Signed pledge to advance only anti-abortion appointees for relevant administration jobs, cut off federal dollars for clinics that perform or finance abortions, and support a ban on abortions after the fetus reaches a certain stage in development. Introduced bill to require pregnant women to see and hear the fetal heartbeat before having an abortion. Promoted other anti-abortion bills, including some that contained exceptions for rape, incest or the life of a mother. Sought to put abortion restrictions into Minnesota's constitution while in state Legislature.
Gingrich: Signed anti-abortion pledge. "Principles to protect life" platform calls for conservative judges and no subsidies for abortion but not for constitutional abortion ban.
Huntsman: Signed abortion restrictions into law as governor, favors constitutional abortion ban.
Paul: Says federal government should have no authority either to legalize or ban abortion. Yet signed pledge to advance only anti-abortion appointees for relevant administration jobs, cut off federal dollars for clinics that perform or finance abortions, and support a ban on abortions after the fetus reaches a certain stage in development.
Perry: Now supports constitutional abortion ban after saying states should decide their own laws on such issues. Backed Texas law that attempts to discourage abortions by making doctors describe the fetus' size limbs and organs to the woman, and make available an image of the fetus and the sound of its heartbeat to her, before she can have the procedure.
Romney: Opposes abortion rights. Previously supported them. Says state law should guide abortion rights, and Roe v. Wade should be reversed by a future Supreme Court. But says Roe vs. Wade is law of the land until that happens and should not be challenged by federal legislation seeking to overturn abortion rights affirmed by that court decision. Would not sign pledge to advance only anti-abortion appointees for relevant administration jobs, cut off federal dollars for clinics that perform or finance abortions, and support a ban on abortions after the fetus reaches a certain stage in development. "So I would live within the law, within the Constitution as I understand it, without creating a constitutional crisis. But I do believe Roe v. Wade should be reversed to allow states to make that decision."
Santorum: Favors constitutional abortion ban and opposes abortion even in cases of rape because "I would absolutely stand and say that one violence is enough." Previously supported right to abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
___
DEBT:
Bachmann: Opposed the agreement worked out by Congress and the White House to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default. Said U.S. could have paid only the interest on debt while working out a plan to cut spending more deeply.
Gingrich: As House speaker in mid-1990s, engineered passage of a seven-year balanced-budget plan. It was vetoed by President Bill Clinton but helped form a bipartisan balanced budget two years later. Supports constitutional balanced budget amendment. Said that without a balanced budget, the U.S. had no choice but to raise its debt limit in the deal that avoided a default.
Huntsman: Only candidate to endorse the deal that averted a default on U.S. debt payments, "a positive step toward cutting our nation's crippling debt."
Paul: Would eviscerate federal government, slashing nearly half its spending, shut five Cabinet-level agencies, end spending on existing conflicts and on foreign aid.
Perry: Was non-committal on the deal that avoided default and raised debt ceiling. Proposes to cap federal spending at 18 percent of gross domestic product, down from about 25 percent today, but no specifics on major spending cuts other than raising retirement age for Social Security and Medicare benefits for future retirees. Favors constitutional balanced-budget amendment. "No more bailouts." Freeze size and salaries of federal civilian work force until budget is balanced. Press Congress to cut lawmakers' and president's pay by half.
Romney: Defended 2008 bailout of financial institutions as a necessary step to avoid the system's collapse, criticized the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler and said any such aid should not single out specific companies. Cap federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product, down from today's recession-swollen 25 percent. Stayed silent on the debt-ceiling deal during its negotiation, only announcing his opposition to the final agreement shortly before lawmakers cast their votes. Instead, endorsed GOP "cut, cap and balance" bill that had no chance of enactment. Favors constitutional balanced budget amendment. Proposes 10 percent cut in federal workforce, elimination of $1.6 billion in Amtrak subsidies and cuts of $600 million in support for the public arts and broadcasting.
Santorum: Opposed the financial-industry bailout and stimulus programs of the Bush and Obama administrations. Supports constitutional balanced budget amendment.
___
ECONOMY:
Bachmann: Voted for $192 billion in stimulus spending in July 2009; voted against two earlier stimulus packages totaling nearly $900 billion and against housing aid and auto-industry aid. Opposed extension of jobless benefits. "Government overregulation is the single biggest jobs killer." Repeal the financial-industry regulations enacted in response to the subprime housing crisis.
Gingrich: Repeal the 2010 financial industry and consumer protection regulations that followed the Wall Street meltdown, and repeal the 2002 regulations enacted in response to the Enron and other corporate and accounting scandals. Restrict the Fed's power to set interest rates artificially low. Make work training a condition of unemployment insurance and have states run it.
Huntsman: End corporate subsidies, cut regulations, lower taxes, spur jobs through energy development, seek repeal of President Barack Obama's health care law. Break up megabanks as a hedge against future bailouts of the industry.
Paul: Return to the gold standard, eliminate the Federal Reserve, let gold and silver be used as legal tender, eliminate most federal regulations.
Perry: Spur economy by repealing rafts of regulations, Obama's health care law and the law (Dodd-Frank) toughening financial-industry regulations after the meltdown in that sector. Create jobs in energy sector by removing obstacles to drilling and production. Cut corporate taxes.
Romney: Lower taxes, less regulation, balanced budget, more trade deals to spur growth. Replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts. Proposes repeal of the law (Dodd-Frank) toughening financial-industry regulations after the meltdown in that sector. Proposes changing, but not repealing, the (Sarbanes-Oxley) law tightening accounting regulations in response to corporate scandals, to ease the accountability burden on smaller businesses. "We don't want to tell the world that Republicans are against all regulation. No, regulation is necessary to make a free market work. But it has to be updated and modern."
Santorum: Spur jobs by eliminating corporate taxes for manufacturers, drill for more oil and gas, and slash regulations. "Repeal every regulation the Obama administration has put in place that's over $100 million. Repeal them all. You may have to replace a few, but let's repeal them all because they are all antagonistic to businesses, particularly in the manufacturing sector."
___
EDUCATION:
Bachmann: Wants to abolish Education Department, which she calls unconstitutional. Says federal government doesn't have a role in education; jurisdiction is with state and local governments. Tried to pull Minnesota out of No Child Left Behind law.
Gingrich: "Dramatically shrink the federal Department of Education, get rid of virtually all of its regulations." But supported Obama administration's $4 billion Race to the Top grant competition for states, which encourages compliance with national education standards, because it also promotes charter schools.
Huntsman: "No Child Left Behind hasn't worked for this country. It ought to be done away with." Favors more school choice.
Paul: Abolish the Education Department and end the federal role in education.
Perry: Turned down federal education aid to Texas worth up to $700 million because he saw it as imposing national standards on Texas schools. Says No Child Left Behind law gave Washington too much power to interfere with local government.
Romney: Supported the federal accountability standards of No Child Left Behind law. In 2007, said he was wrong earlier in his career when he wanted the Education Department shut because he came to see the value of the federal government in "holding down the interests of the teachers' unions" and putting kids and parents first.
Santorum: Voted for No Child Left Behind law. Wants "significantly" smaller Education Department but not its elimination. Criticized early childhood education programs as an attempt by government to "indoctrinate your children."
___
ENERGY:
Bachmann: Reduce regulatory impediments to drilling. Voted to open the outer continental shelf to oil drilling. Voted against tax breaks for renewable energy and conservation.
Gingrich: Let oil and natural gas industries drill offshore reserves now blocked from development, end restrictions on Western oil shale development. In Alaska alone, "We could liberate an area the size of Texas for minerals and other development."
Huntsman: Used tax credits to promote clean energy in Utah but says he has learned that "subsidies don't work and that we can no longer afford them." Favors phasing out all energy subsidies and cutting regulatory obstacles to drilling and production. Says nation's fuel distribution network should be subject to Federal Trade Commission and Senate Judiciary Committee review because it gives oil an unfair advantage over natural gas. "We need to break oil's monopoly as a transportation fuel, and create a truly level playing field for competing fuels."
Paul: Remove restrictions on drilling, coal and nuclear power, eliminate gasoline tax, provide tax credits for alternative fuel technology.
Perry: Proposes authorizing more development on federal lands and slashing regulations to spur drilling in restricted areas and open off-limits waters and lands to production, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Southern Atlantic and Alaskan outer continental shelves. Opposes federal restrictions on natural gas production, including environmentally risky fracturing techniques and horizontal drilling.
Romney: Accelerate drilling permits in areas where exploration has already been approved for developers with good safety records. Supports drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific outer continental shelves, Western lands, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore Alaska; and supports exploitation of shale oil deposits. Reduce obstacles to coal, natural gas and nuclear energy development. Says green power has yet to become viable.
Santorum: Favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and scaling back "oppressive regulation" hindering drilling elsewhere.
___
ENVIRONMENT:
Bachmann: Open federal lands to economic activity by "repealing radical environmental laws that kill access to natural resources." Voted to bar Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases. Opposes cap and trade.
Gingrich: Convert EPA into an "environmental solutions agency" devoted to scientific research and "more energy, more jobs and a better environment simultaneously." Supported tougher environmental regulation early in congressional career.
Huntsman: End the EPA's "regulatory reign of terror." Acknowledges the scientific evidence that humans contribute to global warming. As governor, supported regional cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and urged Congress to cap them. "I will break down barriers to the continued, safe use of fracking," an environmentally risky technique for extracting natural gas.
Paul: In 2008, said "human activity probably does play a role" in global warming and part of the solution should be to stop subsidizing the oil industry and let prices rise until the free market turns to alternate energy sources. Now calls the science on manmade global warming a "hoax." Says emission standards should be set by states or regions, not Washington.
Perry: Manmade global warming is a "scientific theory that has not been proven and from my perspective is more and more being put into question." Proposes repeal of EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases and elimination of all EPA programs to restrict carbon dioxide emissions. Opposes restrictions on coal industry under the Clean Air and Clean Water acts.
Says environmental regulation and conservation are best achieved at state level and EPA should be converted to a "research and advisory" agency with no enforcement powers except when states ask for federal arbitration of regional disputes. As governor, cut money for clean air programs, cut the budget for Texas' environmental watchdog by a third and sued EPA to avoid enforcing clean air laws. Signed law that requires Texas to consider the effect of new regulations on the economy before passing them. Supports environmentally risky techniques for extracting natural gas.
Romney: Spending a fortune to cut the emissions linked to global warming "is not the right course for us." Has acknowledged the scientific consensus that humans contribute to global warming: "I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that." But now says: "My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet." Proposes to remove carbon dioxide from list of pollutants controlled by Clean Air Act, and amend clean water and air laws to ensure the cost of complying with regulations is balanced against environmental benefit. Says cap and trade would "rocket energy prices."
Santorum: The science establishing human activity as a likely contributor to global warming is "patently absurd" and "junk science."
___
GAY MARRIAGE:
Bachmann: Supports constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Says federal law trumps state law on the issue but she "would not be going into the states to overturn their state law."
Gingrich: If the Defense of Marriage Act fails, "you have no choice except a constitutional amendment" to ban gay marriage. Under the act, the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage and no state is forced to recognize a same-sex marriage validated by another state.
Huntsman: Supports same-sex civil unions, with many of the rights of marriage, and says states should decide their own policies.
Paul: Says decisions on legalizing or prohibiting should be left to states. Supports federal law allowing one state to refuse to recognize the same-sex marriages of another state.
Perry: Now supports constitutional ban on gay marriage after saying states should choose their own courses.
Romney: Favors constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, says policy should be set federally, not by states. "Marriage is not an activity that goes on within the walls of a state."
Santorum: Supports constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, not leaving decision to states. "We can't have 50 marriage laws." ''Abraham Lincoln said the states do not have the right to do wrong. I respect the 10th Amendment, but we are a nation that has values. We are a nation that was built on a moral enterprise, and states don't have the right to tramp over those because of the 10th Amendment."
___
HEALTH CARE:
Bachmann: Promises to seek repeal of Obama's health care law. Favors limits on medical lawsuits as a way to control health care costs. Voted against expanding Children's Health Insurance Program and against regulating tobacco as a drug.
Gingrich: Repeal Obama's health care law if Republicans win congressional majorities. Prohibit insurers from cancelling or charging discriminatory rate increases to those who become sick while insured, which is an element of Obama's law. Offer the choice of a "generous" tax credit to help people buy health insurance or the ability to deduct part of the cost from taxes, another feature similar to the existing law. Limit medical lawsuits to restrain health care costs and let people in one state buy policies in another. "Block-grant Medicaid and send it back to the states." Previously supported proposals that people be required to carry health insurance.
Huntsman: "Let the states experiment." Says government should "absolutely not" require anyone to have health insurance, although he once said a mandate would be necessary for any comprehensive change to succeed. Open to restricting Medicare benefits for the wealthy. Seek repeal of Obama's health care law.
Paul: Opposes compulsory insurance and all government subsidies for health coverage. Favors letting people deduct full cost of their health coverage and care from taxes. Says doctors should then feel an obligation to treat the needy for free.
Perry: Repeal Obama health care law. Raise eligibility age for Medicare benefits, limit benefits for the wealthy and give people the choice of receiving federal aid to help purchase their own insurance instead of getting the direct benefits of the current system. Proposes turning Medicaid over to the states with no-strings federal support. Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured people in the nation. Signed a law that would allow Texas ? subject to federal approval ? to band together with other states and take over the role of providing health care coverage for the elderly, the poor and the disabled.
Romney: Promises to work for the repeal of the federal health care law modeled largely after his universal health care achievement in Massachusetts because he says states, not Washington, should drive policy on the uninsured. Proposes to guarantee that people who are "continuously covered" for a certain period be protected against losing insurance if they get sick, leave their job and need another policy.
Would expand individual tax-advantaged medical savings accounts and let the savings be used for insurance premiums as well as personal medical costs. Would let insurance be sold across state lines to expand options, and restrict malpractice awards to restrain health care costs. Introduce "generous" but undetermined subsidies to help future retirees buy private insurance instead of going on traditional Medicare.
No federal requirement for people to have health insurance. His Massachusetts plan requires people to have coverage, penalizes those who don't, and penalizes businesses of a certain size if they do not provide coverage to workers. His state has highest percentage of insured in nation. On Medicaid, proposes to convert program to a federal block grant administered by states
Santorum: Would seek to starve Obama's health care law of money needed to implement it. Supported Bush administration's prescription drug program for the elderly.
___
IMMIGRATION:
Bachmann: Favors fence all along the 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico border, not just the 650 miles built at a cost of $2.6 billion. Opposes government benefits for illegal immigrants and their children.
Gingrich: In contrast to most rivals, supports giving legal status to illegal immigrants who have sunk roots in the U.S. and lived otherwise lawfully. "If you've been here 25 years and you got three kids and two grandkids, you've been paying taxes and obeying the law, you belong to a local church, I don't think we're going to separate you from your family, uproot you forcefully and kick you out." Supports path to citizenship for illegal immigrants' children who perform U.S. military service. Make English the official language. Divert more Homeland Security assets to fighting illegal immigration at Mexican border.
Huntsman: Unrealistic to deport all illegal immigrants. Says a fence is probably a necessary step to securing the border even though "the thought of a fence to some extent repulses me, because it is not consistent with the image that we projected to the rest of the world." In Utah, threatened to veto a bill to repeal cheaper in-state college tuition rates for children of illegal immigrants.
Paul: Do "whatever it takes" to secure the border, end the right to citizenship of U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants, no social services for illegal immigrants, aggressive deportation of those who overstay a visa or otherwise break U.S. law.
Perry: Opposes complete U.S.-Mexico border fence, which he calls "idiocy," instead wants more border agents. Supports continued U.S. citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants can get in-state tuition at Texas universities if they meet other residency requirements. Neither employers nor state agencies required to run job applicants through a federal database to determine their legal status. Illegal immigrants have access to services for drug treatment, mental health and children with special health care needs.
Romney: Favors complete U.S.-Mexico border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants. Proposes more visas for holders of advanced degrees in math, science and engineering who have U.S. job offers, and would award permanent residency to foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with a degree in those fields.
Santorum: Supports complete border fence, opposes letting children of illegal immigrants qualify for cheaper in-state tuition and says federal government should not require states to offer any social services to illegal immigrants. Favors making English the official language.
___
SOCIAL SECURITY:
Bachmann: Keep Social Security for older workers and "wean everybody else off." Says it is "very likely" that the age for retirement benefits will have to go up for new workers.
Gingrich: Give younger workers the option of diverting Social Security taxes to private retirement accounts.
Huntsman: Open to raising the retirement age to qualify for full benefits and to restricting benefits for the wealthy.
Paul: Says younger workers should be able to opt out of Social Security taxes and retirement benefits.
Perry: Proposes raising retirement age for full benefits and restricting increases in benefits for the wealthy. Previously branded Social Security a "disease" inflicted by Franklin Roosevelt, now says system should be saved for future generations while younger workers are given the option of building private accounts instead of paying taxes into the entitlement.
Romney: Says raising the age for benefits and reducing inflation adjustments for rich retirees are among options that should be considered.
Santorum: Supports option of private retirement accounts instead of Social Security taxes and benefits for younger workers.
___
TAXES:
Bachmann: Eliminate estate tax. Tax holiday followed by low tax rate, 5 percent, for U.S. companies operating overseas that repatriate their profits. Voted against a temporary cut in payroll tax pushed by Obama.
Gingrich: Cut corporate tax to 12.5 percent from maximum 35 percent, eliminate capital gains and estate taxes, let companies write off all new equipment in one year. For personal taxes, let people choose whether to file under the current system or pay a 15 percent tax, preserving the mortgage interest and charitable deductions. Supported extending payroll tax cut.
Huntsman: Favors lower income tax rates coupled with the elimination of deductions and loopholes. Cut corporate tax to 25 percent from a maximum 35 percent, and phase out all subsidies.
Paul: Eliminate the federal income tax and the IRS. Meantime would vote for a national sales tax, supports certain excise taxes and certain tariffs. Favors massive spending cuts to defund close to half the government and eliminate the need to replace the income tax at all. Supported payroll tax cut.
Perry: Let taxpayers choose between current system and 20 percent flat tax on income. Under the flat-tax option, mortgage interest and charitable contributions would continue to be deductible. For each individual or dependent, $12,500 in income would be exempt. Flat-tax plan would eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits, inheritances, dividends and long-term capital gains. Also proposes to cut corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 percent.
Romney: No one with adjusted gross income under $200,000 should be taxed on interest, dividends or capital gains. Cut corporate tax rate to 25 percent from a high of 35 percent. Opposes proposals to replace current tax system with national sales tax because he says it raises taxes on middle class while lowering them for rich and poor. Make Bush-era tax cuts, including for the wealthy, permanent. Eliminate estate tax. Dodged on extending cut in payroll tax, saying he doesn't like "temporary little Band-Aids" but also he's not for raising taxes "anywhere."
Santorum: Proposes zero corporate tax. "If you manufacture in America, you aren't going to pay any taxes." Opposes any national sales tax.
___
TERRORISM:
Bachmann: Expand Guantanamo, no Miranda or constitutional rights for foreign terrorist suspects. "I would be willing to use waterboarding," now banned, in interrogations.
Gingrich: Supports extending and strengthening investigative powers of Patriot Act. Supports continued use of Guantanamo Bay detention for suspected terrorists. Supported creation of Homeland Security apparatus, because "we need some capacity to respond to massive events." In 2009, said of waterboarding: "It's not something we should do."
Huntsman: Said Homeland Security Department has been heavy-handed, conveying a "fortress security mentality that is not American." Says on interrogations: "We should not torture. Waterboarding is torture."
Paul: Opposes the surveillance and search powers of the Patriot Act. Says terrorists would not be motivated to attack America if the U.S. ended its military presence abroad. "The Patriot Act is unpatriotic because it undermines our liberty." Says: "Waterboarding is torture. And it's illegal under international law and under our law. It's also immoral. And it's also very impractical. There's no evidence that you really get reliable evidence."
Perry: Said it was "unprincipled" for Republicans to vote for creation of the Homeland Security Department. Supports continued use of Guantanamo Bay detention for suspected terrorists and extension of Patriot Act. Would seek to privatize Transportation Security Administration and decertify its unions. Said U.S. interrogators should "use any technique that they can" short of torture, which he did not define.
Romney: No constitutional rights for foreign terrorism suspects. In 2007, refused to rule out use of waterboarding to interrogate terrorist suspects. In 2011, his campaign says he does not consider waterboarding to be torture.
Santorum: Defends creation of Homeland Security Department as an attempt to fix a "complete mess" in the domestic security apparatus. Voted to reauthorize Patriot Act. Says airport screeners should employ profiling; "Muslims would be someone you'd look at, absolutely." Supports continued use of Guantanamo Bay detention for suspected terrorists. Says waterboarding has proved effective.
___
WAR:
Bachmann: "Defense spending did not cause our budget crisis and we must maintain our military strength." Opposed U.S. intervention in Libya, saying the effort might be helping terrorists there. Called Afghanistan a war "we must and can win" provided generals have sufficient troops and money.
Gingrich: Initially criticized Obama for not intervening in Libya, then did an about-face after the president had sent in U.S. war planes to support the rebels fighting the government. "I would not have used American and European forces." No cuts in defense spending except waste. Supported Iraq war and opposed early timetables for withdrawal. Praised Obama's decision to bolster troops in Afghanistan two years ago; noncommittal this year on when and how they should withdraw, but opposes "precipitous" pullout.
Huntsman: Proposes scaling back U.S. involvement in international conflicts and, in contrast with most rivals, says Pentagon budget should be cut. Opposes U.S. military assistance of new Libyan government. Opposed U.S. military intervention in Libya absent congressional approval. Says no more than 15,000 U.S. troops should be left in Afghanistan. Says to end nation building abroad "when this nation needs to be built."
Paul: Bring all or nearly all troops home, from Afghanistan and other foreign posts, "as quick as the ships could get there." Opposed U.S. intervention in Libya. "We've been fighting wars since World War II, technically in an unconstitutional fashion." Cut Pentagon budget.
Perry: Criticized Obama for announcing withdrawal of troops from Iraq by end of this year and from Afghanistan next year but has not said how many troops should remain or for how long.
Romney: Has not specified the troop numbers behind his pledge to ensure the "force level necessary to secure our gains and complete our mission successfully" in Afghanistan. "This is not time for America to cut and run." Said Obama was wrong to begin reducing troop levels as soon as he did. Would increase strength of armed forces, including number of troops and warships.
Santorum: Said in September 2011 that 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops should remain in Iraq. Says U.S. troops should withdraw from Afghanistan "a little slower" than Obama is planning. "When we engage in Iraq and Afghanistan, we engage because we want to be successful. We want victory." In May, accused Obama of creating a "morass" because he let the international community take the lead in Libya. Opposes closure of U.S. bases abroad. "We have to have the ability to confront those threats from around the world, which means we need basing around the world."
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Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Chris Tomlinson contributed to this report.
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