Sunday, 17 March 2013

British TV Writer Opens Center for Students with Dyslexia

Nigel McCrery remembers difficult times as a student with dyslexia.

Nigel McCrery remembers difficult times as a student with dyslexia.

by Alexander Britton -

?I?m sure there used to be gun turrets on the gate there,? Silent Witness screenwriter Nigel McCrery says, pointing at his old school gates.

A lot may have changed since Mr McCrery started at George Spencer School (now Academy) 47 years ago, but memories of his schooldays are still relatively fresh.

?There weren?t actually any turrets there,? he adds quickly, spotting his comments being noted down.

Mr McCrery?s career has seen him work with household names like Dennis Waterman, Amanda Redman and David Jason.

It all seems faraway from the school, where he opened a new center for pupils with dyslexia and other special educational needs yesterday.

The writer, who is dyslexic, said: ?They were difficult times, difficult and different ? there were some teachers who really had passion for their subject and I enjoyed learning what they had to teach, but the majority of it wasn?t fun.?

?In fact, I?m pretty sure I only got my job in the police because I was big and ugly and they wanted me to deal with rowdy people.?

?I left school destined not to do very much ? people with dyslexia weren?t treated very well and just left to finish and get on with their lives outside the school. I?m glad things are much much different now.?

The Nigel McCrery Learning and Inclusion Center cost 1.8 million USD. It has classrooms and meeting rooms for one-to-one tuition and discussions for children who need help and advice away from the school. The money came from the Department for Education.

Despite years away from Notts, Mr McCrery still has a soft spot for the area.

?It?s home. I can remember going to places like the Bell in Beeston and playing darts. Or going to town and having to walk back from Beeston because the buses had finished.

Read more at ?TV writer McCrery: You can?t let dyslexia hold you back.

[Via This is Nottingham]

Source: http://specialedpost.com/2013/03/17/british-tv-writer-opens-center-for-students-with-dyslexia/

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Swiss tourist gang raped in India

NEW DELHI, India ? The gang rape of a 39-year-old Swiss tourist while on a camping trip with her husband has further ratcheted up the spotlight on sexual violence in India.

The woman, who had been cycling with her husband in impoverished Madhya Pradesh state in central India, was attacked by at least seven men while the couple were camping for the night, police said Saturday. The assailants also robbed the couple of $180 and a cellphone.

The attack comes at a sensitive time for India. Not only does it involve a foreign visitor at a time of economic difficulty as the nation tries to expand its tourism trade. It also follows on the heels of a high-profile rape case in New Delhi involving a 23-year-old physiotherapy student who died after being sexually assaulted in mid-December on a bus.

One of the five men charged in the December attack hanged himself in his jail cell Monday. A sixth accused in the case will be tried in juvenile court.

The brutality of that case has sparked soul-searching, fear, outrage over politicians and apathetic police, India's creaky legal system and a social system that frequently treats women as second-class citizens. A United Nations report released last week ranks India 132 among 187 nations in gender equality, behind rival and neighbor Pakistan.

"We are deeply shocked by this tragic incident suffered by a Swiss citizen and her partner in India," the Swiss Foreign Ministry in Bern said in a statement.

The ministry said it hoped the attackers would be "swiftly identified and would appear before a court to answer for their actions."

The couple were on their way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal when they stopped Friday night to set up a tent in a forested area, local news reports said. The trip reportedly involved cycling from Mumbai to New Delhi on a three-month tourist visa.

The attackers, who wielded sticks, also tied up and beat the woman's husband.

The woman was admitted to a hospital for medical tests, authorities said, and has since been released. Police inspector R.K.S. Gurjar said that no arrests had been made but 25 to 30 men had been detained for interrogation.

According to statistics compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, a woman is raped every 22 minutes in India, although charity groups say most incidents go unreported given police insensitivity and fears of being stigmatized in the sexually conservative nation.

In 1990, India's reported conviction rate in rape cases was 41%. That declined to 30% by 2000, even as the number of rape cases increased more than eight-fold between 1971 and 2011.

mark.magnier@latimes.com

Tanvis Sharma in The Times' New Delhi bureau contributed to this report.

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/nationworld/world/~3/kGvY7GWZNl0/la-fg-india-tourist-rape-20130317,0,5460222.story

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Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Airports face budget cuts, but wait times stay normal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Monday cautioned airline passengers to get to the airport extra early because U.S. spending cuts have already led to long lines at some security checkpoints, and said the coming furloughs will only make the situation worse.

Napolitano said mandatory spending cuts ordered on Friday by President Barack Obama have led to the elimination of overtime for Transportation Security Administration officers and customs agents. She said TSA would begin sending out furlough notices to employees on Monday and Customs and Border Protection will send them out later this week.

Hiring freezes for both agencies have also prevented any open positions from being filled.

"We are already seeing the effects at some of the ports of entry - at the big airports, for example. Some of them had very long lines this weekend," Napolitano said at a "Politico Playbook" breakfast event.

She pointed to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as examples of those with long lines.

Napolitano said delays were between 150 percent and 200 percent at certain airports. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement on Monday that the agency had begun reducing overtime over the weekend and effects were already visible.

"Lanes that would have previously been open due to overtime staffing were closed, further exacerbating wait times at airports with typically longer international arrival processes," the statement said, noting that additional effects were expected in the coming weeks as furloughs - which will go out on March 7 - take effect.

However, the TSA website did not show any major delays at any U.S. airport on Monday morning. Karen Pride, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation, said flight operations out of Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway airports were normal on Monday.

Passengers said that lines for security on outgoing flights, and customs control for incoming flights, were not any longer than usual.

"Going through customs was normal. For me it took five to ten minutes," said Claudia Hartono, arriving in Atlanta from Indonesia.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's main terminals, the wait was less than ten minutes. "It's the same as always," said Steve Brodie, 60, waiting to catch a flight to Florida.

Some lawmakers have accused Napolitano and other administration officials of fear-mongering and exaggerating the impact that would be seen from the deep spending reductions known as the "sequester" which cut a total of $85 billion from government agencies between March 1 and October 1.

But Napolitano said the problems were real.

"Look, people, I don't mean to scare, I mean to inform. If you're traveling, get to the airport earlier than you otherwise would," she said. "And please don't yell at the Customs officers or the TSA officers - they are not responsible for the sequester."

Napolitano did not give details on who at TSA would be furloughed and officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for further explanation.

The Secret Service, which is also part of DHS, will see a five percent cut in spending but Napolitano said it would not impact security of the president.

The cuts at the agency will be on the investigative side which handles financial and identity theft, cyber crime and counterfeiting cases.

(This story has been corrected to say that a passenger, Claudia Hartono, arrived at Atlanta and not Chicago's O'Hare in 10th paragraph)

(Reporting by Deborah Charles; Additional reporting by James B. Kelleher in Chicago, David Beasley from Atlanta, and Atossa Araxia Abrahamian from New York; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spending-cuts-already-cause-long-lines-airports-napolitano-163135159--business.html

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Thursday, 21 February 2013

Any.DO Moment helps you plan and map out your day in a few simple taps

Any.DO Moment helps you plan and map out your day in a few simple taps

The popular task management app Any.DO has just been updated to support a new feature called Any.DO Moment which makes it easier than ever to plan your day. Each morning, you'll be asked to take a moment to plan your day. Any.DO Moment will then go through the tasks you have set for today and let you choose what you'd like to do with them. Any.DO then updates itself accordingly.

Upon launching Any.DO Moment, you'll be presented with tasks one task at a time and you have a few options. You can keep them on your list for today, move them to tomorrow, mark them as done, or delete them. If you choose to keep them on today, you can then choose a time increment such as morning, afternoon, evening, or custom. Moving them to tomorrow or later gives you more specified time increments to choose from as well.

Anyone can add tasks to a list but that doesn't always mean they'll get done. Any.DO Moment aims to change that by letting you concentrate more on the things that are important right now and moving the rest to a future date. This was easy enough under the regular Any.DO system but the Moment feature actually makes planning your day painless and quite enjoyable. Once you've run through Any.DO Moment for the day, you'll notice that your lists in Any.DO are now updated to reflect what you've chosen for each task with Any.DO Moment.

You can access Any.DO Moment at any time from the Settings menu. Any.DO will ask you each morning to take a moment to plan your day as long as you have notifications enabled. If you later decide that you need to make some changes, you can either do them manually by shuffling around your task list or you can launch Any.DO Moment again and move things accordingly.

The concept is intriguing and if you have a nasty habit of forgetting to check your task lists, Any.DO Moment may be the perfect solution.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/4XPCg6PtPLY/story01.htm

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Ford Motor Company Expands Production Plant In Ohio, Adds 450 Jobs

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is expanding is production plant in Ohio to meet the increasing demand in the United States for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Because of the expansion, the car manufacturer will be hiring an additional 450 workers, according to a report from The New York Times.

Ford Logo

According to the car manufacturer, it will spend $200 million to renovate its engine plant in Cleveland to manufacture small, turbocharged engines, which will be utilized for its top selling vehicles.?Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is the second largest car manufacturer in the United States.

Last December, the car manufacturer announced that it would invest $773 million for the modernization of its Dearborn Stamping plant and add four press lines to manufacture its next generation F-series trucks. The company said it would also refit its plant in Michigan to increase its production for small cars.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) also announced last year, that it would invest in three other plants including Van Dyke Transmission Plant, Livonia Transmission Plant and Sterling Axle Plant.

The company said its investments are part of its commitment with the United Auto Workers in 2011 to expand and invest $6.2 billion. The company?s expansion plan is expected to create 2,350 total jobs in Southeast Michigan alone, this year.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) added 8,000 salaried and hourly jobs last year. The company plans to hire additional 2,200 white-collar workers this year. It is transferring some of its vehicle production from Mexico to Michigan. The move will create 1,200 jobs in its Michigan plant.

Since the recession, car manufacturers in the United Stated, including Ford, cut labor costs and improved their production. The car manufacturer was forced to consolidate its two engine plants in Ohio and closed a major component operation.

Joe Hinrichs, head of the Americas region for?Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) said, ?No question we have been through a lot in northern Ohio. But now our North American business is very competitive with the best in the world.?

The second largest car manufacturer plans to centralize the production of its 2-liter, EcoBoost engine at its Cleveland Plant. At present, Ford is manufacturing the engines in a plant in Spain. The company then ships the engines to the United States. According to the company, its workers in Spain will be transferred to another plant that will take work from a plant in Belgium, which be shut down.

Currently, Ford?s plant in Cleveland has 1,300 workers.? ?This is about servicing more demand in the U.S. And with our competitive labor agreements, we can bring business to the U.S. from Spain and Mexico,? Hinrichs said.

?

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This entry was posted on February 21, 2013 at 3:33 pm and is filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Source: http://www.valuewalk.com/2013/02/ford-motor-company-expands-production-plant-in-ohio-adds-450-jobs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ford-motor-company-expands-production-plant-in-ohio-adds-450-jobs

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Wednesday, 20 February 2013

London in the mist: Thick fog blankets the east as Britain wakes up to frosty but beautiful morning

  • Early morning cloud hung over River Thames obscuring the city's landmarks and reducing visibility to 15m
  • Poor visibility due to fog also caused problems at Heathrow Airport where 63 flights were cancelled
  • The Met Office said today's temperatures will reach up to 8C at the tip of Cornwall

By Leon Watson

|

A thick layer of fog blanketed London and the east of England today as the nation's capital appeared to be transformed into a JMW Turner landscape.

As commuters went to work, an early morning cloud hung over the River Thames obscuring the city's landmarks and reducing visibility to around 15 metres.

The shroud stretched from Yorkshire in the north to Kent in the south.

Early morning fog obscures a view of the Gherkin and the Tower of London on the River Thames. This picture was taken from Tower Bridge

Early morning fog obscures a view of the Gherkin and the Tower of London on the River Thames. This picture was taken from Tower Bridge

Dickensian: Tower Bridge this morning through heavy fog and low cloud in London

Dickensian: Tower Bridge this morning through heavy fog and low cloud in London

JMW Turner painting show coal being loaded on the River Thames

JMW Turner painting show coal being loaded on the River Thames

Poor visibility due to fog also caused problems at Heathrow Airport where 63 flights were cancelled. The 31 arrivals and 32 departures were scheduled for between 6am and 11am, a Heathrow spokeswoman said.

There were also severe disruptions at London City Airport and both airports have advised passengers to check with their airlines.

London City posted on its website: 'Due to low visibility this morning, flights to and from London City airport are experiencing disruptions.'

?

The Met Office had issued a yellow fog warning covering large parts of the country yesterday which was in force until 11am today. The east coast and East Anglia saw the worst of it, while pockets of Devon were also affected.

However, forecaster Sarah Holland said: 'There has been thick fog and in some places freezing fog, but this is expected to clear by late morning. It has stretched from eastern parts up to Yorkshire, the east Midlands and London and the south east.'

She added that the focus for the rest of the week will be on cold and dry weather across the UK.

A commuter taking picture of HMS Belfast war ship through heavy fog and low cloud this morning in London

A commuter taking picture of HMS Belfast war ship through heavy fog and low cloud this morning in London

People walk to work through heavy fog near Tower Bridge

Shrouded: People walk to work through heavy fog near Tower Bridge in central London

The South Bank overlooking the Thames towards Tower Bridge, which is just visible

The South Bank overlooking the Thames towards Tower Bridge, which is just visible

Fog on the Thames: Barely visible commuters crossing the London Bridge

Fog on the Thames: Barely visible commuters crossing the London Bridge

'It has been very dry for the last few days and that is set to continue for the next few days.

'Temperatures will drop off after the mild weekend with most areas seeing daytime temperatures of 4C to 8C, through to the latter part of the week where some areas of the country will see 3C to 4C, which is average or just below for the time of the year.'

The Met Office said today's temperatures will reach up to 8C at the tip of Cornwall with around 6C in western coastal areas. Temperatures in the east will hover between 1C and 4C.

Temperatures will hover around freezing across most of the South tonight. While winds are expected to reach speeds of 25mph in South Western areas making it feel even colder.

The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge shrouded in fog early morning in central London

The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge shrouded in fog early morning in central London

The fog on the Thames at Westminster began to lift late morning

The fog on the Thames at Westminster began to lift late morning

Meg, eight, and Morgan, 12, from Devon, looking at snowdrops at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Meg, eight, and Morgan, 12, from Devon, looking at snowdrops at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Snowdrops cover the woodland floor at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

Snowdrops cover the woodland floor at the Rococo Gardens, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire

People enjoy the sunny weather punting on the river in Cambridge

People enjoy the sunny weather punting on the river in Cambridge

Enjoying the sun: A punt passes under a bridge over the River Cam in Cambridge

Enjoying the sun: A punt passes under a bridge over the River Cam in Cambridge

Frost on the fields in Cambridgeshire as the sun tried to break through the early morning cloud

Frost on the fields in Cambridgeshire as the sun tried to break through the early morning cloud

Walkers walking in the early morning mist on the Old Kilpatrick Hills in West Dunbartonshire

Walkers walking in the early morning mist on the Old Kilpatrick Hills in West Dunbartonshire

A frosty, but beautiful, late winter morning in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as the sun tries to break through the mist and low cloud

A frosty, but beautiful, late winter morning in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, as the sun tries to break through the mist and low cloud

The sky starts to turn pinky-orange as the sun begins to set and ducks and swans relex on the River Nene in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

The sky starts to turn pinky-orange as the sun begins to set and ducks and swans relex on the River Nene in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Beautiful morning: The sun illuminates the ice on this plant in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Beautiful morning: The sun illuminates the ice on this plant in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

The sun rises over the South Shields pier at the mouth of the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear

The sun rises over the South Shields pier at the mouth of the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear

?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280973/London-mist-Thick-fog-blankets-east-Britain-wakes-frosty-beautiful-morning.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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Passive Income With Kindle Publishing - ShoeMoney Internet ...

Kindle publishing has been a great way for affiliates to diversify their business. It?s not a magic bullet,? but it can provide consistent, stable income if done correctly. In the affplaybook.com forum we?ve been discussing how to approach Kindle publishing from a business perspective and not an affiliate perspective. There?s an important difference!

Publishing is one of those things that not many affiliates get right. That?s unfortunate because it has the potential to offer mostly passive income after the initial work is done. I wanted to give you some insights into getting started in this post.

What is Kindle Publishing?

Come on, really? ;) Kindle publishing is nothing more than selling a book on the Amazon marketplace. In short ? you write a book, publish it on Amazon, and collect the commissions. Of course, it isn?t quite that easy but still close.

An Affiliate Walked Into a Bar..

?to write a Kindle book?ok, I?m obviously not going to earn much money writing comedy books, but think about how an average affiliate would approach Kindle publishing. They would probably do something with spun content, PLR, cheap overseas writers, etc. To make up for the lack of quality, they would just do hundreds and hundreds of books.

This approach won?t work well, if at all. First, Amazon is pretty strict about the PLR thing. Second, real people will actually review your books. Your books probably won?t get a ton of reviews (at least initially) so if people see a 1 star review you can expect sales to grind to a halt. It?s also safe to assume that Amazon will become stricter on publishers in the future.

Kindle publishing is not something to do unless you are willing to put in the work to make it viable long term. This means (to some of you) it?s going to be boring, you won?t see a lot of money for a while, and it will feel like you aren?t making progress. This is something you build over time that has the potential to last ?forever? with almost no upkeep or maintenance.

What?s the potential?

Will you become a millionaire publishing books on Amazon? Doubtful. Can you make a very steady, and relatively easy 4 and maybe even 5 figures per month? Absolutely! It will take months to get there though. This isn?t like an affiliate campaign where you can hit your first $100/day in a short matter of time.

What do I write about?

You can write about literally anything, but some stuff works better than others. A novel might take you a long time to write, where a basic ?how-to? book might go much faster.

This is key ? You?re not trying to write one magic book to make all your sales. Some of your books will sell well, others will flop. You want to be constantly writing and publishing books. No one single book will generate enough sales to make it worth having just that one. Another benefit of writing lots of books is cross promotional possibilities. You can actually have a significant effect on your books exposure through various promotional efforts in the Kindle marketplace.

Spend some time researching what people write. Download some books and see how they?re structured, how long they are, etc. Keep in mind, a lot of the self published books are crap so don?t necessarily copy their style.

But I hate writing!

This is probably not what you want to hear, but it?s the truth ? you can outsource your writing but it?s not going to work well. The problem is that most books won?t make a ton on their own, so what you would have to pay to have something (of the quality it needs to be) written will be more than the book would potentially make for years.

That doesn?t mean you have to do all the writing yourself. You might be able to partner with someone and each do half, you might have a relative who?s a good writer, etc.

There are tools to make writing faster too, like Dragon Naturally Speaking. Once you get into a good writing rhythm, it actually doesn?t take that long to crank something out.

Not all books need to be super long. Spend some time looking at Kindle books, and you?ll discover some formats that enable you to put a book together relatively fast.

There is so much potential, not just with selling the books themselves but promoting products inside the books and building email lists. All that is stuff for a possible future post! In the meantime, you can read more about Kindle publishing here https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help

If this sounds interesting to you, I would encourage you to start writing and publishing books asap. You?ll look back on this post in 6 months and be glad you did.

About the author...

David Ford ? who has written 1 posts on ShoeMoney.com.

David Ford has been involved in affiliate marketing for over 10 years. He is the owner and founder of the Affplaybook.com forum.


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Source: http://www.shoemoney.com/2013/02/20/passive-income-with-kindle-publishing

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Poole: Cal coach Mike Montgomery's shove is shameful

I don't know how well Mike Montgomery slept Sunday night and Monday morning, but his reputation didn't get a wink.

The Cal basketball coach, whose image is about as wholesome as can be found in the oily business of college hoops, worked up enough fury to shove one of his players during a 76-68 win over USC on Sunday at Haas Pavilion.

It was a sad moment, a shameful episode, a regrettable incident. It put a scar on what has been a remarkable 31-year career as a college head coach.

It also was a no-excuse matter if there ever was one -- even if the victim, junior guard Allen Crabbe, shrugged it off immediately afterward.

Yet there is was, for all to see, Montgomery turning on Crabbe and shoving the star player near the Cal bench. Thousands witnessed it live, and millions more around the globe have seen it or will see it in the coming days.

After initially saying "it worked" and that he'd do it again, if that's what it took to "wake up" Crabbe, Montgomery later issued a statement expressing regret.

"I have great passion for this game and tonight, I let my emotions get away from me in the heat of the moment," the coach said in a statement released around midnight, nearly three hours after the game. "While my intent was to motivate our student-athletes, my behavior was inappropriate and I apologize for my actions."

Athletic director Sandy Barbour also chimed in with a statement indicating intolerance for Montgomery's

behavior while simultaneously expressing her belief that the coach has learned his lesson.

"Sunday's game was an emotional one for everyone who cares deeply about our men's basketball program, and the Bears certainly showed tremendous resolve coming back to earn a win over USC," Barbour said. "However, it is unacceptable for our coaches to have physical contact with student-athletes regardless of the circumstances. The second-half incident was certainly out of character for Mike Montgomery,

California head coach Mike Montgomery yells from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Southern California, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, in Berkeley. (Ben Margot / AP)

and I am confident that something like this will not happen again."

I'd like to be confident, too. I like Mike. I think he's a solid guy and an excellent college basketball coach, even if his work in five seasons at Cal is has not been as impressive as it was during his 18 years at Stanford.

Problem is that Montgomery wants consistent intensity, the ultra-talented Crabbe is not wired to deliver it, and this gets under the coach's skin.

The bigger problem for Montgomery and for Cal is that this has happened before, and not so long ago.

Though the Montgomery-Crabbe scene surely stunned those who witnessed it unfold, it only shocked those who missed a similar incident between Montgomery and another player, guard Justin Cobbs, a few weeks ago.

One such incident should raise eyebrows and result in nothing less than a warning. A second incident, however, sounds an alarm and calls for a measure of discipline to be meted out by Barbour or the Pac-12 Conference. The conference already has issued a reprimand.

Neither the school nor the conference can allow this kind of conduct, nor should they accept it. Cal 20 years ago dumped former coach Lou Campanelli for being abusive, though Lou's alleged abuse was verbal and pushed the team to the brink of revolt.

Campanelli never got another head-coaching job -- and that was before society had evolved to the point of organized and potent anti-bullying messages.

Montgomery is nearly 66 years old. He survived a serious health scare in 2011. He's probably working on his last contract, one that runs through 2015.

And, yes, maybe his tantrum spurred Crabbe, who responded with a game-high 23 points.

But does Montgomery really want to ride into the sunset with diminished dignity, as the coach whose temper ran amok near the end? Like, for example, Ohio State's legendary football coach Woody Hayes?

Or worse, does Mike really want to be shoved into retirement because his own actions left his boss with no alternative?

Contact Monte Poole at mpoole@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/1montepoole.

Inside

Coach apologizes, is reprimanded by Cal A.D., Pac-12.

page 3

Online extras

Kawakami: Crabbe's response might have bailed out Montgomery.
For a video of the shove, go to

www.mercurynews.com/cal

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/cal-bears/ci_22615047/poole-cal-coach-mike-montgomerys-shove-is-shameful?source=rss_viewed

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China's PLA controls hackers: US IT security firm

China's army controls some of the most prolific hackers in the world, according to a new report Tuesday by an Internet security firm that traced a host of cyberattacks to an anonymous building in Shanghai.

China's army controls some of the most prolific hackers in the world, according to a new report Tuesday by an Internet security firm that traced a host of cyberattacks to an anonymous building in Shanghai.

Mandiant said its hundreds of investigations over the past three years showed that groups hacking into US newspapers, government agencies, and companies "are based primarily in China and that the Chinese government is aware of them."

The report focused on one group, which it called "APT1" from the initials "Advanced Persistent Threat," which it said had stolen huge quantities of information and was targeting critical infrastructure such as the US energy grid.

"We believe that APT1 is able to wage such a long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign in large part because it receives direct government support," Mandiant said.

The group was actually believed to be a branch of the People's Liberation Army, called Unit 61398, and digital signatures from its cyberattacks were traced back to a nondescript, 12-story building on the outskirts of Shanghai, the report said.

A series of brazen IT attacks on America's most high-profile media outlets, reported earlier this month by The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, as well as on Twitter and others, have revived concerns over Chinese hackers.

The New York Times said hackers stole corporate passwords and accessed the personal computers of 53 employees after the newspaper published a report on the family fortune of China's Premier Wen Jiabao.

Clients including The New York Times have hired Mandiant to clean up their systems after cyberattacks blamed on Chinese hackers.

China has roundly rejected claims that it was behind the hacking attacks, with the official People's Daily newspaper hinting instead at ulterior motives by the US government.

(c) 2013 AFP

Source: http://phys.org/news280468702.html

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Tuesday, 19 February 2013

THE RESET: Deal to delay spending cuts in doubt

Chances seem to be dwindling for a deal in time to avert deep, automatic government spending cuts from beginning on March 1. The Republican-controlled House remains at loggerheads with the Democratic-led Senate and President Barack Obama over key issues.

With no top-level talks under way and Congress off until next Monday, each side is blaming the other.

The so-called sequester cuts "won't help the economy, won't create jobs, will visit hardship on a whole lot of people," Obama said Tuesday. "Congress didn't come together, do their jobs. And so as a consequence we've got these automatic, brutal spending cuts that are poised to happen next Friday."

Obama wants both more tax revenues and spending cuts.

Congressional Republicans oppose further tax hikes. "Just last month, the president got his higher taxes on the wealthy and he's already back for more," says Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

The scheduled cuts would trim roughly $85 billion from military and domestic spending in this budget year. Spending on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other "entitlement" programs would be spared.

One reason there's little progress toward a deal is that there's yet another deadline ahead? March 27, when a temporary budget agreement expires and Congress must scramble to find funds to run the entire government.

During those negotiations next month, the most damaging automatic sequester cuts could be repealed or softened, the thinking goes. That effectively buys more time. And lawmakers seldom miss chances to put things off.

Meanwhile, deficit hawks Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles are offering a new deficit-reduction plan they see as a possible compromise for Democrats and Republicans.

It combines rewriting the tax code ? to eliminate many deductions ? with deep spending cuts for some $2.4 trillion in deficit-reduction over 10 years.

Of the current impasse, "everybody's at fault," says Simpson, a Republican.

"Not only do we not have a long-range plan, we don't even have a budget," says Democrat Bowles. "We're operating this country on a month-to-month basis."

____

Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reset-deal-delay-spending-cuts-doubt-173208742--politics.html

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Gold bounces off 6-mth low; China reopens

Monday, 18 February, 2013

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Source: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/breaking-news/world/gold-bounces-6-mth-low-china-reopens-20130218

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Tales Of American Political History: How Nevada Became The Nation?s Wedding Capital

Clinton Porter Hackney is a government affairs lawyer in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas and has consistently been designated by his peers as one of ?America?s Best Lawyers? in the field of Government Relations.

Mr. Hackney received a degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University in 1974 and then served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army. He later studied Comparative Laws at Oxford and eventually earned a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Hackney practiced law in Houston where he was also elected to represent a district in the Texas House of Representatives at the age of 28. There he served as Chairman of the House Elections Committee, as well as later serving as Chairman of the House Energy Committee.

In 1990 Mr. Hackney opened offices in Austin and Washington, D.C. to use his expertise in government and public policy. Through the years he has been a political commentator on the Texas State Radio Network, served on numerous Boards and Commissions and developed a series of short stories for "Tales of American Political History."

He and his wife, Susan, reside in Austin, Texas.

Source: http://www.talkradionews.com/features/2013/02/18/tales-of-american-political-history-how-nevada-became-the-nations-wedding-capital.html

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Funeral for Pistorius' girlfriend on Tuesday

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? The family of Reeva Steenkamp says her body is back in her hometown of Port Elizabeth and a private funeral has been planned for Tuesday.

Adam Steenkamp, the late model and law graduate's brother, says "Reeva is back home."

The family said Sunday that Steenkamp, who was shot dead inside boyfriend Oscar Pistorius' house early Thursday, will be cremated in a ceremony closed to the public and the media in the city on South Africa's southern coast.

Pistorius was charged with her murder and is expected to make a court appearance on Tuesday for his bail hearing.

The 29-year-old Reeva was seen laughing and smiling on South African television Saturday night after national broadcaster SABC chose to air the first episode of a reality TV show she featured in.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/funeral-pistorius-girlfriend-tuesday-142128082.html

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Monday, 18 February 2013

Silverglades Delhi win Louis Philippe Golf Trophy

Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit winner Shamim Khan and second placed Rashid Khan came up with a solid back nine performance to help Silverglades Delhi defeat DLF Gurgaon 3-0 to lift the second edition Louis Philippe at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort in Greater Noida on Sunday.

The eventual champions, who were trailed at the halfway stage when play was called off on Saturday due to untimely rain, excelled under relatively clearer skies and better playing conditions on Sunday to take home the prestigious Louis Philippe Trophy and cash prize of Rs36 lakh.

"This is an important win for me as it helps me carry my good form from last year into the current season. I had a very poor start to the round and was behind my opponent for a major part of the round. Nonetheless, my experience helped me claw my way back into the match," Shamim added.

The experienced golfer had a bigger task at hand, as he trailed Abhinav Lohan by two-strokes overnight.

Earlier in the day, the first match was played between DLF Gurgaon's Digvijay Singh and Silverglades Delhi. The match was poised evenly until Digvijay faltered with bogies at the 16th and 17th hole while Himmat Rai completed the round with nine consecutive pars to claim a two stroke victory, putting his team one match ahead.

Playing against the experienced Jyoti Randhawa, 21-year-old Rashid Khan hit four consecutive birdies from 12th to 15th hole to stage a remarkable comeback to win the match by two strokes.

"It?s great to win after being three strokes behind a champion player like Jyoti Randhawa. The thought process in a team event is totally different. One cannot attack all the time as you need to keep your teammates? scores in mind and have a greater responsibility towards the team," said Rashid.

Speaking about the loss, Randhawa said, "We played really well through the tournament but Silverglades had some crucial puts in the last few holes to take the game away from us."

In the third place play-off, Navratna Ahmedabad edged out Jaypee Greens Greater Noida on sudden death after the match score was tied one all.

Vikrant Chopra registered a birdie on the second hole to beat Gaganjeet Bhullar to ensure that the last edition champions at least finished on the podium.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_silverglades-delhi-win-louis-philippe-golf-trophy_1800986

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Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider: President Obama's State of the Union

Here is the prepared text of President Barack Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address. ?This text was sent by reporters by the White House Press Office just before the speech began.

February 12, 2013

?

Remarks of President Barack Obama ? As Prepared for Delivery

State of the Union Address

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Washington, DC

As Prepared for Delivery ?

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, fellow citizens:?

Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this Chamber that ?the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress?It is my task,? he said, ?to report the State of the Union ? to improve it is the task of us all.??

Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report.? After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home.? After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs.? We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in twenty.? Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.

Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.

But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded.? Our economy is adding jobs ? but too many people still can?t find full-time employment.? Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs ? but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.?

It is our generation?s task, then, to reignite the true engine of America?s economic growth ? a rising, thriving middle class.

It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country ? the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.

It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.

The American people don?t expect government to solve every problem.? They don?t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue.? But they do expect us to put the nation?s interests before party.? They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can.? For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together; and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.

Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget ? decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.

Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion ? mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.? As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.? ??

Now we need to finish the job.? And the question is, how?

In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn?t agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars? worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year.? These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness.? They?d devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research. They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs.? That?s why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as ?the sequester,? are a really bad idea.?

Now, some in this Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training; Medicare and Social Security benefits.?

That idea is even worse.? Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population.? And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms ? otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future generations.?

But we can?t ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and most powerful.? We won?t grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay off more teachers, cops, and firefighters.? Most Americans ? Democrats, Republicans, and Independents ? understand that we can?t just cut our way to prosperity.? They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share.?? And that?s the approach I offer tonight.?

On Medicare, I?m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.? Already, the Affordable Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs.? The reforms I?m proposing go even further.? We?ll reduce taxpayer subsidies to prescription drug companies and ask more from the wealthiest seniors.? We?ll bring down costs by changing the way our government pays for Medicare, because our medical bills shouldn?t be based on the number of tests ordered or days spent in the hospital ? they should be based on the quality of care that our seniors receive.? And I am open to additional reforms from both parties, so long as they don?t violate the guarantee of a secure retirement.? Our government shouldn?t make promises we cannot keep ? but we must keep the promises we?ve already made.?

To hit the rest of our deficit reduction target, we should do what leaders in both parties have already suggested, and save hundreds of billions of dollars by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions for the well-off and well-connected.? After all, why would we choose to make deeper cuts to education and Medicare just to protect special interest tax breaks?? How is that fair?? How does that promote growth?

Now is our best chance for bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation and helps bring down the deficit.? The American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time expanding and hiring; a tax code that ensures billionaires with high-powered accountants can?t pay a lower rate than their hard-working secretaries; a tax code that lowers incentives to move jobs overseas, and lowers tax rates for businesses and manufacturers that create jobs right here in America.? That?s what tax reform can deliver.? That?s what we can do together.

I realize that tax reform and entitlement reform won?t be easy.? The politics will be hard for both sides.? None of us will get 100 percent of what we want.? But the alternative will cost us jobs, hurt our economy, and visit hardship on millions of hardworking Americans.? So let?s set party interests aside, and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments in our future.? And let?s do it without the brinksmanship that stresses consumers and scares off investors.? The greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next.? Let?s agree, right here, right now, to keep the people?s government open, pay our bills on time, and always uphold the full faith and credit of the United States of America.? The American people have worked too hard, for too long, rebuilding from one crisis to see their elected officials cause another.

Now, most of us agree that a plan to reduce the deficit must be part of our agenda.? But let?s be clear: deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan.? A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs ? that must be the North Star that guides our efforts.? Every day, we should ask ourselves three questions as a nation:? How do we attract more jobs to our shores?? How do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs?? And how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?

A year and a half ago, I put forward an American Jobs Act that independent economists said would create more than one million new jobs.? I thank the last Congress for passing some of that agenda, and I urge this Congress to pass the rest.? Tonight, I?ll lay out additional proposals that are fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago.? Let me repeat ? nothing I?m proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime.? It?s not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth.

Our first priority is making America a magnet for new jobs and manufacturing.?

After shedding jobs for more than 10 years, our manufacturers have added about 500,000 jobs over the past three. Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan.? Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico. After locating plants in other countries like China, Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home.? And this year, Apple will start making Macs in America again.

There are things we can do, right now, to accelerate this trend.? Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio.? A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything.? There?s no reason this can?t happen in other towns.? So tonight, I?m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs.? And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America.

If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas.? Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy.? Today, our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer?s; developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs; devising new material to make batteries ten times more powerful.? Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation.? Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race.? And today, no area holds more promise than our investments in American energy.?

After years of talking about it, we are finally poised to control our own energy future.? We produce more oil at home than we have in 15 years.? We have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas, and the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar ? with tens of thousands of good, American jobs to show for it.? We produce more natural gas than ever before ? and nearly everyone?s energy bill is lower because of it.? And over the last four years, our emissions of the dangerous carbon pollution that threatens our planet have actually fallen.

But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change.? Yes, it?s true that no single event makes a trend.? But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15.? Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods ? all are now more frequent and intense.? We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence.? Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science ? and act before it?s too late.???

The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth.? I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago.? But if Congress won?t act soon to protect future generations, I will.? I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.

Four years ago, other countries dominated the clean energy market and the jobs that came with it.? We?ve begun to change that.? Last year, wind energy added nearly half of all new power capacity in America.? So let?s generate even more.? Solar energy gets cheaper by the year ? so let?s drive costs down even further.? As long as countries like China keep going all-in on clean energy, so must we.

In the meantime, the natural gas boom has led to cleaner power and greater energy independence.? That?s why my Administration will keep cutting red tape and speeding up new oil and gas permits.? But I also want to work with this Congress to encourage the research and technology that helps natural gas burn even cleaner and protects our air and water.?

Indeed, much of our new-found energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together.? So tonight, I propose we use some of our oil and gas revenues to fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good.? If a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals can get behind this idea, then so can we.? Let?s take their advice and free our families and businesses from the painful spikes in gas prices we?ve put up with for far too long.? I?m also issuing a new goal for America: let?s cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next twenty years.? The states with the best ideas to create jobs and lower energy bills by constructing more efficient buildings will receive federal support to help make it happen.

America?s energy sector is just one part of an aging infrastructure badly in need of repair.? Ask any CEO where they?d rather locate and hire: a country with deteriorating roads and bridges, or one with high-speed rail and internet; high-tech schools and self-healing power grids.? The CEO of Siemens America ? a company that brought hundreds of new jobs to North Carolina ? has said that if we upgrade our infrastructure, they?ll bring even more jobs.? And I know that you want these job-creating projects in your districts.? I?ve seen you all at the ribbon-cuttings.

Tonight, I propose a ?Fix-It-First? program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country.? And to make sure taxpayers don?t shoulder the whole burden, I?m also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most: modern ports to move our goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of our children.? Let?s prove that there is no better place to do business than the United States of America.? And let?s start right away.?

?

Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector.? Today, our housing market is finally healing from the collapse of 2007.? Home prices are rising at the fastest pace in six years, home purchases are up nearly 50 percent, and construction is expanding again.?

But even with mortgage rates near a 50-year low, too many families with solid credit who want to buy a home are being rejected.? Too many families who have never missed a payment and want to refinance are being told no.? That?s holding our entire economy back, and we need to fix it.? Right now, there?s a bill in this Congress that would give every responsible homeowner in America the chance to save $3,000 a year by refinancing at today?s rates.? Democrats and Republicans have supported it before.? What are we waiting for?? Take a vote, and send me that bill.? Right now, overlapping regulations keep responsible young families from buying their first home.? What?s holding us back?? Let?s streamline the process, and help our economy grow.

These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs.? But none of it will matter unless we also equip our citizens with the skills and training to fill those jobs.? And that has to start at the earliest possible age.

Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road.? But today, fewer than 3 in 10 four year-olds are enrolled in a high-quality preschool program.? Most middle-class parents can?t afford a few hundred bucks a week for private preschool.? And for poor kids who need help the most, this lack of access to preschool education can shadow them for the rest of their lives.?

Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America.? Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on ? by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime.? In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children, like Georgia or Oklahoma, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, and form more stable families of their own.? So let?s do what works, and make sure none of our children start the race of life already behind.? Let?s give our kids that chance.

Let?s also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job.? Right now, countries like Germany focus on graduating their high school students with the equivalent of a technical degree from one of our community colleges, so that they?re ready for a job.? At schools like P-Tech in Brooklyn, a collaboration between New York Public Schools, the City University of New York, and IBM, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree in computers or engineering.?

We need to give every American student opportunities like this.? Four years ago, we started Race to the Top ? a competition that convinced almost every state to develop smarter curricula and higher standards, for about 1 percent of what we spend on education each year.? Tonight, I?m announcing a new challenge to redesign America?s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy.? We?ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math ? the skills today?s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.

Now, even with better high schools, most young people will need some higher education.? It?s a simple fact: the more education you have, the more likely you are to have a job and work your way into the middle class.? But today, skyrocketing costs price way too many young people out of a higher education, or saddle them with unsustainable debt.

Through tax credits, grants, and better loans, we have made college more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years.? But taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize the soaring cost of higher education.? Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it?s our job to make sure they do.? Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.? And tomorrow, my Administration will release a new ?College Scorecard? that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.??

To grow our middle class, our citizens must have access to the education and training that today?s jobs require.? But we also have to make sure that America remains a place where everyone who?s willing to work hard has the chance to get ahead.

?

Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants.? And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform.?

Real reform means strong border security, and we can build on the progress my Administration has already made ? putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history, and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 years.?

Real reform means establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship ? a path that includes passing a background check, paying taxes and a meaningful penalty, learning English, and going to the back of the line behind the folks trying to come here legally.?

And real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.

In other words, we know what needs to be done.? As we speak, bipartisan groups in both chambers are working diligently to draft a bill, and I applaud their efforts.? Now let?s get this done.? Send me a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the next few months, and I will sign it right away.

But we can?t stop there.? We know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from discrimination in the workplace, and free from the fear of domestic violence.? Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act that Joe Biden originally wrote almost 20 years ago.? I urge the House to do the same. ?And I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts, and finally pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this year.

We know our economy is stronger when we reward an honest day?s work with honest wages.? But today, a full-time worker making the minimum wage earns $14,500 a year.? Even with the tax relief we?ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line.? That?s wrong.? That?s why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, nineteen states have chosen to bump theirs even higher.

Tonight, let?s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour.? This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families.? It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead.? For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets.? In fact, working folks shouldn?t have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher.? So here?s an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let?s tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on.

Tonight, let?s also recognize that there are communities in this country where no matter how hard you work, it?s virtually impossible to get ahead.? Factory towns decimated from years of plants packing up.? Inescapable pockets of poverty, urban and rural, where young adults are still fighting for their first job.? America is not a place where chance of birth or circumstance should decide our destiny.? And that is why we need to build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class for all who are willing to climb them.

Let?s offer incentives to companies that hire Americans who?ve got what it takes to fill that job opening, but have been out of work so long that no one will give them a chance.? Let?s put people back to work rebuilding vacant homes in run-down neighborhoods.? And this year, my Administration will begin to partner with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in America to get these communities back on their feet.? We?ll work with local leaders to target resources at public safety, education, and housing.? We?ll give new tax credits to businesses that hire and invest.? And we?ll work to strengthen families by removing the financial deterrents to marriage for low-income couples, and doing more to encourage fatherhood ? because what makes you a man isn?t the ability to conceive a child; it?s having the courage to raise one.

Stronger families.? Stronger communities.? A stronger America.? It is this kind of prosperity ? broad, shared, and built on a thriving middle class ? that has always been the source of our progress at home.? It is also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.

Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda.? Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women.? This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead.? Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan.? This drawdown will continue.? And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.?

Beyond 2014, America?s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure, but the nature of our commitment will change.? We are negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates.

Today, the organization that attacked us on 9/11 is a shadow of its former self.? Different al Qaeda affiliates and extremist groups have emerged ? from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa.? The threat these groups pose is evolving.? But to meet this threat, we don?t need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations.? Instead, we will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali.? And, where necessary, through a range of capabilities, we will continue to take direct action against those terrorists who pose the gravest threat to Americans.

As we do, we must enlist our values in the fight.? That is why my Administration has worked tirelessly to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide our counterterrorism operations.? Throughout, we have kept Congress fully informed of our efforts.? I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word that we?re doing things the right way.? So, in the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.

Of course, our challenges don?t end with al Qaeda.? America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world?s most dangerous weapons.? The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations.? Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats.?

Likewise, the leaders of Iran must recognize that now is the time for a diplomatic solution, because a coalition stands united in demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon.? At the same time, we will engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, and continue leading the global effort to secure nuclear materials that could fall into the wrong hands ? because our ability to influence others depends on our willingness to lead.

America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks.? We know hackers steal people?s identities and infiltrate private e-mail.? We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets.? Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems.? We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.?

That?s why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy.? Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.?

Even as we protect our people, we should remember that today?s world presents not only dangers, but opportunities.? To boost American exports, support American jobs, and level the playing field in the growing markets of Asia, we intend to complete negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership.? And tonight, I am announcing that we will launch talks on a comprehensive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union ? because trade that is free and fair across the Atlantic supports millions of good-paying American jobs.

We also know that progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all.? In many places, people live on little more than a dollar a day.? So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in the next two decades: by connecting more people to the global economy and empowering women; by giving our young and brightest minds new opportunities to serve and helping communities to feed, power, and educate themselves; by saving the world?s children from preventable deaths; and by realizing the promise of an AIDS-free generation.??

Above all, America must remain a beacon to all who seek freedom during this period of historic change.? I saw the power of hope last year in Rangoon ? when Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed an American President into the home where she had been imprisoned for years; when thousands of Burmese lined the streets, waving American flags, including a man who said, ?There is justice and law in the United States.? I want our country to be like that.?

In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia.? In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy.? The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can ? and will ? insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people.? We will keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian.? And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.? These are the messages I will deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month.

All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk ? our diplomats, our intelligence officers, and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.? As long as I?m Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world.? We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. ?We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families ? gay and straight.? We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat. ?We will keep faith with our veterans ? investing in world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education, and job opportunities they have earned.? And I want to thank my wife Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden for their continued dedication to serving our military families as well as they serve us.

But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone.? We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home.? That includes our most fundamental right as citizens:? the right to vote.? When any Americans ? no matter where they live or what their party ? are denied that right simply because they can?t wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals.? That?s why, tonight, I?m announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America.? And I?m asking two long-time experts in the field, who?ve recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney?s campaign, to lead it.? We can fix this, and we will.? The American people demand it.? And so does our democracy.

Of course, what I?ve said tonight matters little if we don?t come together to protect our most precious resource ? our children.?

It has been two months since Newtown.? I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence.? But this time is different.? Overwhelming majorities of Americans ? Americans who believe in the 2nd?Amendment ? have come together around commonsense reform ? like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun.? Senators of both parties are working together on tough new laws to prevent anyone from buying guns for resale to criminals.? Police chiefs are asking our help to get weapons of war and massive ammunition magazines off our streets, because they are tired of being outgunned.?

Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress.? If you want to vote no, that?s your choice.? But these proposals deserve a vote.? Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun.

One of those we lost was a young girl named Hadiya Pendleton.? She was 15 years old.? She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss.? She was a majorette.? She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend.? Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration.? And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house.

Hadiya?s parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence.? They deserve a vote.

Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.

The families of Newtown deserve a vote.

The families of Aurora deserve a vote.

The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence ? they deserve a simple vote.

Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country.? Indeed, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all the challenges I?ve outlined tonight.? But we were never sent here to be perfect.? We were sent here to make what difference we can, to secure this nation, expand opportunity, and uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government.

We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans the same way they look out for one another, every single day, usually without fanfare, all across this country.? We should follow their example.

We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez.? When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, her thoughts were not with how her own home was faring ? they were with the twenty precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe.

We should follow the example of a North Miami woman named Desiline Victor.? When she arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours.? And as time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say.? Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her.? Because Desiline is 102 years old.? And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read ?I Voted.?

We should follow the example of a police officer named Brian Murphy.? When a gunman opened fire on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, and Brian was the first to arrive, he did not consider his own safety.? He fought back until help arrived, and ordered his fellow officers to protect the safety of the Americans worshiping inside ? even as he lay bleeding from twelve bullet wounds.

When asked how he did that, Brian said, ?That?s just the way we?re made.?

That?s just the way we?re made.

We may do different jobs, and wear different uniforms, and hold different views than the person beside us.? But as Americans, we all share the same proud title:

We are citizens.? It?s a word that doesn?t just describe our nationality or legal status.? It describes the way we?re made.? It describes what we believe.? It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations; that our rights are wrapped up in the rights of others; and that well into our third century as a nation, it remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our American story.?

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

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Source: http://www.newstalkradiowhio.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2013/feb/12/president-obamas-state-union/

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