July 30th, 2010 by John
RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Chelsea Clinton's wedding along the Hudson River will be under a no-fly zone. The Federal Aviation Administration says local airspace will be restricted from 3 p.m. Saturday to 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, will wed investment banker Marc Mezvinsky on Saturday evening in Rhinebeck. That's about 90 miles north of New York City. FAA spokesman Jim Peters says Thursday that decisions to restrict air space are made in consultation with other federal agencies. He could not confirm whether the Secret Service requested this one. The FAA website says the restriction will be in place for "VIP (Very Important Person) Movement" but did not elaborate. (This version CORRECTS that the FAA has declared a no-fly zone but has not acknowledged that Chelsea Clinton's wedding will take place there.) Driver from www.huffingtonpost.comPosted in Articles
July 29th, 2010 by John
This years Virgin Mobile FreeFest takes place on September 25 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Having grown up in the Washington DC area and attending many, many shows at Merriweather, I can guarantee, this will be an amazing event. I am going to do my best to make it down for this one, just to see Pavement again is well worth the trip let alone all the other amazing acts. On the main stage there will be sets by: Pavement, M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Thievery Corporation Jimmy Eat World, Ludicris, T.I., Joan Jett, Matt & Kim, The Temper Trap, Yeasayer and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. There is also a dance forest which will include sets by: Chromeo, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Modeselektor and Die Antwoord. Tickets are free and will be up for grab at Ticketfly at 10 a.m. on July 24 . If you happen to be a Virgin Mobile customer or attended previous Virgin Festivals, you are in luck. You will be receiving a text and/or email invitation to apply for an advance purchase the day before the tickets go public. More than 30,000 tickets will be given away, and a limited number of pavilion seats will be sold for $125. Some clips of a few of the bands appearing in the dance forest.Posted in Articles
July 28th, 2010 by John
NEW YORK — The disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street is growing. Americans' confidence in the economy faded further in July, according to a monthly survey released Tuesday, amid job worries and skimpy wage growth. That's at odds with Wall Street's recent rally fueled by upbeat earnings reports from big businesses such as chemical maker DuPont Co. and equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. That's because the pumped-up profits are being fueled by cost cuts like layoffs and overseas sales. In fact, big companies have shown few signs they're ready to hire. The Consumer Confidence Index came in at 50.4 in July, a steeper-than-expected decline from the revised 54.3 in June, according to a survey the Conference Board. The decline follows last month's decline of nearly 10 points, from 62.7 in May, and is the lowest point since February. It takes a reading of 90 to indicate a healthy economy – a level not seen since the recession began in December 2007. "Consumers have a much different view of the economy than the stock market does, and their views matter more to the economy," said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo. The index "tells me the economy is heading for slower growth in the second half. We have low expectations for back-to-school." Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, agreed, noting that the fatter profits have shown that companies have been able to squeeze out higher productivity from workers, but that also means that "households are not benefiting." The profit picture is "good news for Wall Street, but not good for workers," he added. The survey was taken July 1-21, beginning just before the Standard & Poor's 500 index hit a nine-month low of 1,022.58 on July 2. It had risen 4.5 percent by July 21 and has since climbed an additional 4 percent as upbeat earnings reports from key manufacturers have made investors more convinced that the economic recovery isn't stalling as much as they had originally thought. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 12 points Tuesday, although broader stock measures slipped, after three days of big gains, as investors digested the confidence data as well as a slowdown in regional manufacturing reported by the Richmond Federal Reserve. Stocks rose moderately at the open because of strong earnings from chemical maker DuPont Co. and European banks UBS and Deutsche Bank. DuPont, which has announced thousands of job cuts over the past year, reported that second-quarter income nearly tripled, as revenue surged in most of its businesses. The results were led by revenue gains in the Asia Pacific region. DuPont didn't announce any hiring plans. A rapid, sustainable recovery can't happen without the American consumer. And the second straight month of declining confidence following three months of increases is worrisome, economists say. Economists watch confidence closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity and is critical to a strong rebound. Both components of the index declined. They measure how people feel about the economy now, and their expectations for the next six months. The index – which measures how Americans feel about business conditions, the job market and the next six months – had been recovering fitfully since hitting an all-time low of 25.3 in February 2009. The index typically falls before the economy slows down, and on the way out of a recession, the expectations component, which accounts for 60 percent of index, rises sharply, said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "It's all about jobs. That's still the primary source of income," Franco said. "Until we see the pace of job growth pick up and consumers are confident that this is sustainable, we are not likely to see a significant pickup in confidence." The Conference Board survey, based on a random survey mailed to 5,000 households, showed that consumers' assessment of the job market was more negative than the month before. Those claiming that jobs are "hard to get" increased to 45.8 from 43.5 percent, while those saying jobs are "plentiful" remained unchanged at 4.3 percent. Michelle Banks, 38, a teacher from Bloomfield, N.J., said she's more worried about job security than she was last year because of rampant state budget cuts. So she started saving money for back-to-school items for her 5-year-old son in January. She plans to spend $200, evenly divided between school supplies and clothing. "I'm buying clothes that will last, not fall apart," she said. Economists say the index's expectations component tends to track stock market movements, but Vitner noted that the market's big plunge in May has made such an imprint on consumers that the recent rebound hasn't registered. Retailers had a surprisingly solid start to the year, but business has been slowing since April. With unemployment stuck near 10 percent, Americans are expected to remain skittish through the back-to-school and Christmas season. Concerns are also rising about the housing market. While the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday showed a 1.3 percent rise in May from April, the home buyer's tax credit, which expired April 30, helped pull more buyers into the market. In fact, the report warned that the recent gains in home prices are not likely to last. Driver from www.huffingtonpost.comPosted in Articles
July 26th, 2010 by John
The publis her3imon & Schuster, paid her an advance of millioryjn the calculation that there would be an enormous market for the book (list price: .00),especially among people eager to hear Hillary's side of the sexual scandals in the Clinton White House. Bill Clinton's version will come out later,earning him a tidy million from a rival press. Mrs Clinton is now a senator from New York,despite her lack of earlier connections with the state she was born and raised in Illinois and had her legal career in Arkansas. We see in the lower left of Pat Oliphant's cartoon that Hillary has lugged a pile of books in a carpetbag,the symbol,dating from the period after the US Civil War (1861~65),of opportunistic politicians on the move. The senator is in a bookstore,promoting sales by signing copies of the text for buyers. Is publication of the book a ploy to clear away unpleasant gossip and stir up interest before Hillary becomes a candidate for the presidency? She denies any wish to run in 2004,but Oliphant,like many observers,is not persuaded. Probably America's greatest cartoonist now active,01iphant is from Australia. We see a reminder of this in the lower right hand corner. An Australian book buyer asks a tiny Hillary "Emma chizzit?" a humorous and accurate rendering of the broad Australian pronunciation of "How much is it? "Hillary misunderstands the buyer,who she assumes is stating her name, ; Emma Chizzit. ("Emma"is a fairly common woman's name.) Hence the odd inscription.Posted in Articles
July 23rd, 2010 by John
While countries such as India have made joii efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says Georc Marline at Harvard. Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2. 99% a year between 1951 and 196 to 1. 93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2. 7 children c average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement the makes it the envy of many other Third World countries. Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas ( ii. i§- ife 4J/L i£ ^ &l ) an instalment (^4^'ft^fc) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, althoug indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soa operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps si nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based o wealthy characters living the high life in big cities. ' "Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems c reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values — not many children, differer attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine, "They sent this image to all parts c Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which wen put into a very attractive package. " Meanwhile, the instalment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "Thh led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible ^£-&\Owith unlimited reproduction," says Martine.Posted in Articles
July 22nd, 2010 by John
Elenita, witch woman, wipes the table with a rag because Ernie who is feeding the baby spilled Kool-Aid. She says: Take that crazy baby out of here and drink your Kool-Aid in the living room. Can't you see I'm busy? Ernie takes the baby into the living room where Bugs Bunny is on T.V. Good lucky you didn't come yesterday, she says. The plan¬ets were all mixed up yesterday. Her T.V. is color and big and all her pretty furniture made out of red fur like the teddy bears they give away in carnivals. She has them covered with plastic. I think this is on account of the baby. Yes, it's a good thing, I say. But we stay in the kitchen because this is where she works. The top of the refrigerator busy with holy candles, some lit, some not, red and green and blue, a plaster saint and a dusty Palm Sunday cross, and a picture of the voodoo hand taped to the wall. Get the water, she says. I go to the sink and pick the only clean glass there, a beer mug that says the beer that made Milwaukee famous, and fill it up with hot water from the tap, then put the glass of water on the center of the table, the way she taught me. Look in it, do you see anything? But all I see are bubbles. You see anybody's face? Nope, just bubbles, I say. That's okay, and she makes the sign of the cross over the water three times and then begins to cut the cards.Posted in Articles
The human brain contains 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections
July 21st, 2010 by John
Such enormous numbers used to discourage us and cause us to dismiss the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability, but now that we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure. Quite soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to assemble a machine as complex as the human brain, and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to render it intelligent by loading in the right softw.are(ffifc)or by altering the architecture but that too will happen. I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon ($i) will arise first to rival and then exceed their human ancestors. Once they exceed us they will be capable of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbon's long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe. As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines through economies of scale we may use them to expand our frontiers, first on earth through their ability to withstand environments, harmful to ourselves. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power.Posted in Articles
July 20th, 2010 by John
Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior. So biologists were delighted early this year when with the help of the Navy they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy's formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans. Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies. Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption (lH^) for the first time and that they plan similar studies. Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures. The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second-slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope (DJfi^fHr) does when it carries faint noises from a patient's chest to a doctor's ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.Posted in Articles
July 19th, 2010 by John
There is an element of truth in these statements, but they also ignore deeper and more important relationships. Research experience is an essential element of hiring and promotion at a research university because it is the emphasis on research that distinguishes such a university from an arts college. Some professors, however, neglect teaching for research and that presents a problem. Most research universities reward outstanding teaching, but the greatest recognition is usually given for achievements in research. Part of the reason is the difficulty of judging teaching. A highly responsible and tough professor is usually appreciated by top students who want to be challenged, but disliked by those whose records are less impressive. The mild professor gets overall ratings that are usually high. But there is a sense of disappointment in the part of the best students, exactly those for whom the system should present the greatest challenges. Thus, a university trying to promote professors primarily on the teaching qualities would have to confront this confusion. As modern science moves faster, two forces are exerted on professor: one is the time needed to keep on with the profession; the other is the time needed to teach. The training of new scientists requires outstanding teaching at the research university as well as the arts college. Although scientists are usually "made" in the elementary schools, scientists can be "lost" by poor teaching at the college and graduate school levels. The solution is not to separate teaching and research, but to recognize that the combination is difficult but vital. The tide of professor should be given only to those who profess, and it is perhaps time for universities to reserve it for those willing to be an earnest part of the community of scholars. Professors unwilling to teach can be called "distinguished research investigators" or something else. The pace of modern science makes it increasingly difficult to be a great researcher and a great teacher. Yet many are described in just those terms. Those who say we can separate teaching and research simply do not understand the system but those who say the problem will disappear are not fulfilling their responsibilities.Posted in Articles
July 17th, 2010 by John
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tea party favorite Rand Paul is getting help from a well-known Republican later this month, when Jeb Bush will attend a fundraiser for the Kentucky Senate candidate. Paul's campaign said Friday that the former Florida governor will attend the fundraiser July 26 at a private home in the Louisville area. Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton said tickets will start at $1,000 per person. Bush served two terms as Florida's governor, and he is the son and brother of former Republican presidents. Paul portrayed himself as a political outsider in winning the Republican Senate nomination in May, beating establishment favorite Trey Grayson. Since then, Paul has mingled with Republican insiders at a recent Washington fundraiser, while still criticizing the government-backed bailouts some of them supported.Posted in Articles
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