Scentography: the camera that records your favourite smells

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128846/Scentography__the_camera_that_records_your_favourite_smells

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Senator Tom Coburn blasts the Senate vote on immigration ...

Jun 27 2013

Dr. Coburn?s Statement on Passage of Senate Immigration Bill

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) ? U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today regarding the passage of S. 744:

?

?This bill is a historic missed opportunity for the United States Senate. It is a $48 billion border stimulus package that grants amnesty to politicians who want to say they are securing the border when in fact they are not. I very much wanted to support an immigration reform proposal that balances our fundamental American values of legal immigration and the rule of law. Sadly, this bill fails that test.

?

?Speaker Boehner and House Republicans now have all the justification they need to start over. I would encourage the House to use President Reagan?s view of immigration as a blueprint. In his farewell address Reagan described what he saw when he talked about America as the ?shining city on the Hill.?

?

?Reagan said, ?it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.?

?

??Walls with doors? is an immigration policy that can unite our nation. But, today, Democrats sound like they want only doors; Republicans only walls. The truth is we have neither. We have chaos.

?

?House Republicans have a chance to be the higher chamber and get reform right. They should first remind the public that America is exceptional because it is a miracle of assimilation unrivaled in human history. The fire beneath our melting pot is not our economic or material wealth, but an immaterial idea that all people are created equal and are endowed by the Creator ? not the State ? with certain rights. Every legal immigrant who ?comes hurtling through the darkness, toward home,? as Reagan said, makes that fire brighter and our nation stronger.

?

?The House also has an obligation to defend the rule of law, which is what the debate about border security is really about. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, our border is only 40 to 55 percent secure. At the same time, under the Senate bill, illegal immigration will drop by only 25 percent according the Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of all people who are currently here illegally came through the front door and have overstayed their visas.

?

?The rule of law is the glue that holds our nation together and it guarantees the freedom that has drawn millions to our country. As a nation, we have an obligation to our citizens ? and to legal immigrants ? to uphold the rule of law and ensure the process is fair to all. Unfortunately, this bill is full of holes as far as the rule of law is considered. It is written so that the Secretary of Homeland Security can waive almost every portion of it. That?s not the rule of law. That?s the rule of rulers.

?

?The House can, and must, do better. But we should be precise about what the problem is. Oklahomans and people across this country aren?t mad at illegal immigrants. They?re mad at Washington. And they are right to be angry. Politicians who pass laws they have no intention of enforcing do more to undermine the rule of law than a Guatemalan father of four who crosses the border twice a year to help feed his extended family. We can?t welcome everyone, but we should be delighted people want to come to this country, and we should do everything in our power to treat aspiring Americans fairly and with dignity.

?

?I filed 19 amendments to improve this bill, including amendments to help secure the border and increase interior enforcement. Unfortunately, those amendments were not considered. The House now has an opportunity to give the American people the debate they want and deserve.?

?

###

---

Source: http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/2013/06/27/senator-tom-coburn-blasts-the-senate-vote-on-immigration/

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UK tech guru James Martin found dead in Bermuda

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ? James Martin, a British philanthropist and technology guru who was once the highest-selling author on books about computing, has died near his private island in Bermuda. He was 79.

Authorities in the British territory said Thursday that an autopsy is pending for Martin, whose body was found by a kayaker in waters near his home on Agar's Island. Police have said they do not believe a crime is involved.

Martin was the largest single private donor in the nearly 900-year history of the University of Oxford, donating more than $150 million to help establish the Oxford Martin School, where researchers study global issues, challenges and opportunities facing humanity in the 21st century. Project topics range from climate change to quantum physics to the future of food.

Martin also was a Pulitzer Prize nominee for a 1977 technology book, "The Wired Society," which Oxford University said contained descriptions about the use of computers and the Internet that was still timely a quarter of a century later. The university also noted that Martin was ranked fourth in Computer World's 25th Anniversary Edition's most influential people in computer technology. He is also credited with helping automate software development.

"You rarely meet someone who's such an incredible philanthropist whose sole interest is doing good at the highest level," said Dr. Anthony Knap, director of the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group at Texas A&M University. "I think it's a tragic loss. He was an innovative man who could have continued doing good."

Knap, who previously worked in Bermuda, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he had known Martin for about 18 years and considered him a very modest and gentle man.

"He was a bit of an enigma," Knap said. "For a long time he was in the background, which didn't really fit into his level of success."

Martin traveled around the world to give lectures and is an honorary life fellow of the British Royal Institution and a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.

He wrote more than 100 textbooks and published books including "The Meaning of the 21st Century," which was made into a film narrated by actor Michael Douglas. It analyzes technological, political, ethical, social and environmental issues of modern times.

Professor Ian Goldin, director of the Oxford Martin School, said in an email to the AP that Martin had a passion for changing to world for the better and described his intellect as extraordinary and wide-ranging.

"His aim was to harvest the opportunities of the 21st century and stop terrible risks materializing," Goldin wrote. "He was interested in everything and people of all ages, especially young people."

Goldin said Martin also was passionate about his garden, theater and music, as well as walking and traveling.

He leaves behind a wife, Lillian, a daughter, two grandchildren and four stepchildren.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-06-27-Bermuda-Obit-James%20Martin/id-bc70272a6ece4d4b8a98485628748c07

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T-Mobile leak hints Lumia 925 and Xperia Z may launch on July 17th

T-Mobile customers may have to sit tight for a little while longer if they're planning to pick up a Nokia Lumia 925 or Sony Xperia Z. TmoNews has reportedly obtained a roadmap from the UnCarrier that has the two smartphones launching on July 17th alongside an unidentified (though likely budget-oriented) handset. While pricing isn't mentioned for the Xperia Z, the Lumia 925 is expected to cost $100 down with a $579 full price. The apparent leak gives us a date to mark on our calendars, although we won't base our lives around it -- carriers tend to change schedules at the last minute, after all.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony, Nokia, T-Mobile

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Source: TmoNews

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/t-mobile-leak-hints-lumia-925-xperia-z-may-launch-on-july-17th/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Britain doubles north England shale gas estimate

By Sarah Young and John McGarrity

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain doubled its estimate of shale gas resources in the north of England, renewing hopes of reducing its growing reliance on imports, but the government said shale explorers would have to share revenues with local communities.

A report by the British Geological Survey estimated on Thursday the rocks of the so-called Bowland shale area held 1,300 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.

The latest estimate indicates shale gas could transform the UK energy market, even though typically only 10 to 15 percent of shale gas in place is recoverable. It compares with British consumption of 2.76 trillion cubic feet last year, according to BP.

"Today's news from the Geological Survey confirms 1,300 trillion cubic feet of (shale resources), which is double previous estimates," Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told parliament.

Britain, Europe's largest gas consumer, hopes to follow the United States into energy independence by exploiting shale gas. Its gas imports are expected to surpass domestic North Sea production by 2015.

But the British shale gas industry is at an early stage and has not yet determined whether it can produce gas economically. Recovery depends on the type of rocks and their response to the hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

PLACATING THE PUBLIC

Drilling to test the shale over the next few years will prove critical for the infant industry, which must reassure a sceptical public and vocal environmental lobby concerned about the effects of fracking.

To help placate the local opposition, the industry will have to provide communities located near exploratory wells with 100,000 pounds ($153,400) worth of benefits and 1 percent of the revenue from each production site, the government said on Thursday.

"This will provide a welcome boost for communities who will host shale exploration and production as well as offering strong assurances that operators will engage with them and work to the highest health, safety and environmental standards," Energy Minister Michael Fallon said in a statement.

Shale gas is ordinary natural gas trapped in dense rock formations. The process of fracking, in which water and chemicals are pumped deep underground to break open the rocks, has led to fears it could cause earthquakes and contaminate drinking water.

A year-long ban on drilling was recently lifted after the government imposed more stringent rules on fracking to reduce any earthquake risks.

Major energy companies are taking steps to participate in the exploration and development of Britain's shale gas.

UK utility Centrica recently bought a stake in Cuadrilla, the most advanced shale driller in Britain. French oil major Total also said it would like to explore for shale gas in Britain.

Companies already exploring for shale in the Bowland area in northwest England include IGas, which has estimated that between 15.1 and 172.3 tcf of gas is in place on its licence alone.

Shares in IGas were up 9 percent in early trading on Thursday.

(Additional reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic and John McGarrity; editing by Jane Baird)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-uk-shale-resources-bigger-thought-source-090128988.html

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States pressed for limits on gray wolf protections

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) ? Wildlife officials from western states lobbied for strict limits on federal protections for gray wolves before the Obama administration proposed to take the animals off the endangered list across most of the Lower 48 states, documents show.

During private meetings with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state officials threatened lawsuits and legislation as they pressed to exclude Colorado and Utah from a small area in the West where protections would remain in place.

The documents suggest the animal's fate was decided through political bargaining between state and federal officials, said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The nonprofit group obtained the records through a freedom of information lawsuit and provided them to The Associated Press.

"In simplest terms, these documents detail how the gray wolf lost a popularity contest among wildlife managers," Ruch said.

Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director Gary Frazer rejected the assertion. He said science drove the administration's proposal, and the released documents reflect only a small portion of a years-long review of the legal status of gray wolves.

"It was not going in with some predetermined outcome," he said of the meetings with state officials. "It was to step back and engage experts from the state and federal agencies that are responsible for managing wolves."

The administration's plan unveiled earlier this month would declare gray wolves are only endangered in a relatively small part of the Southwest inhabited by a few dozen Mexican wolves ? a subspecies of the gray wolf.

Meanwhile, gray wolves would lose protections on millions of acres in Colorado and Utah ? an area the wildlife service earlier had said was suitable for wolves but currently has none of the predators.

The documents from 2010 and 2011 include detailed notes from closed-door meetings between state and federal officials, presentations by federal wildlife experts, and maps of potential wolf habitat.

The meetings laid the groundwork for the administration's proposal, which is expected to be finalized next year. It reflects the federal government's desire to largely exit the wolf restoration business following protracted and hotly contested programs in the northern Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes.

More than 6,000 wolves now roam those two regions after government-sponsored poisoning and trapping nearly exterminated wolves in the past century.

But with vast areas of wild habitat still devoid of gray wolves, some wildlife researchers and advocacy groups say it's too soon to say the species has recovered.

The documents show the government weighed a variety of factors beyond gray wolf survival, including economic impact on the livestock industry, public tolerance and other issues outside the scope of the Endangered Species Act.

Frazer said the government didn't take anything off the table during its discussions with the states but stressed that its final decision would be based solely on the authority provided by the act.

Under the pending proposal, Mexican wolves that spread into Colorado, Utah or other states still would be protected. That would not be true for wolves that dispersed south from the much larger northern Rockies population.

Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said the state supports the administration's plan. He declined to comment on how the federal government reached its conclusions.

Michigan Technological University biologist John Vucetich, a member of a scientific panel that advised the Fish and Wildlife Service on Mexican wolves, said the agency gave states too much deference. The panel's experts agreed that the Mexican wolf population would need to reach around 700 animals and cover significant parts of Colorado and Utah to survive in the long term, he said.

"It's almost as if the real limiting factor to wolves right now is not the intolerance of citizens who are shooting them," he said. "It's the intolerance of federal government to keep working on the problem."

__

Flesher reported from Traverse City, Mich.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/states-pressed-limits-gray-wolf-protections-144237564.html

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Vatican no-show: Pope Francis skips gala concert, shocking cardinals

The day before the concert, Pope Francis said bishops should be 'close to the people' and not have 'the mentality of a prince.'?

By Philip Pullella,?Reuters / June 25, 2013

Archbishop Rino Fisichella (r.) faces the empty papal throne as he reads a message from Pope Francis before a RAI National Symphony Orchestra concert, directed by conductor Juraj Valcuha of Slovakia, in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, on June 22, 2013.

Giampiero Sposito / Reuters

Enlarge

A last-minute no-show by Pope Francis at a concert where he was to have been the guest of honor has sent another clear signal that he is going to do things his way and does not like the Vatican high life.

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The gala classical concert on Saturday was scheduled before his election in March. But the white papal armchair set up in the presumption that he would be there remained empty.

Minutes before the concert was due to start, an archbishop told the crowd of cardinals and Italian dignitaries that an "urgent commitment that cannot be postponed" would prevent Francis from attending.

The prelates, assured that health was not the reason for the no-show, looked disoriented, realizing that the message he wanted to send was that, with the Church in crisis, he - and perhaps they - had too much pastoral work to do to attend social events.

"It took us by surprise," said one Vatican source on Monday. "We are still in a period of growing pains. He is still learning how to be pope and we are still learning how he wants to do it."

"In Argentina, they probably knew not to arrange social events like concerts for him because he probably wouldn't go," said the source, who spoke anonymously because he is not authorized to discuss the issue.

The picture of the empty chair was used in many Italian papers, with Monday's Corriere della Sera newspaper calling his decision "a show of force" to illustrate the simple style he wants Church officials to embrace.

Since his election on March 13, Francis, the former cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, has not spent a single night in the opulent and spacious papal apartments.

He has preferred to live in a small suite in a busy Vatican guest house, where he takes most meals in a communal dining room and says Mass every morning in the house chapel rather than the private papal chapel in the Apostolic Palace.

The day before the concert, Francis said bishops should be "close to the people" and not have "the mentality of a prince."

On Saturday, while the concert was in progress in an auditorium just meters (yards) away, Francis was believed to be working on new appointments for the Curia, the Vatican's troubled central administration.

The administration was held responsible for some of the mishaps and scandals that plagued the eight-year reign of Pope Benedict before he resigned in February.

Francis inherited a Church struggling to deal with priests' sexual abuse of children, the alleged corruption and infighting in the Curia, and conflict over the running of the Vatican's scandal-ridden bank.

Benedict left a secret report for Francis on the problems in the administration, which came to light when sensitive documents were stolen from the pope's desk and leaked by his butler in what became known as the "Vatileaks" scandal.

The Vatican source said he expected Francis to make major changes to Curia personnel by the end of the summer.

Anger at the mostly Italian prelates who run the Curia was one of the reasons why cardinals chose the first non-European pope for 1,300 years.

The key appointment will be the next secretary of state, sometimes referred to as the Vatican's prime minister, to succeed the Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who has been widely blamed for the failings of the Curia.

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Word Count: 573

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Yk1FY5YYzUw/Vatican-no-show-Pope-Francis-skips-gala-concert-shocking-cardinals

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Obama's Eco-Play for Tough Times: Executive Orders Liberals Can Believe in

President Obama will announce in a major policy speech on Tuesday afternoon that he'll try to save the Earth by skipping over Congress ? which has failed to pass much environmental legislation in recent decades ? and use executive orders to regulate how much greenhouse gas existing power plants can produce, make appliances more efficient, increase the amount of renewable energy used on public property. The White House has been planning on Obama making this speech for weeks, The New York Times' John M. Broder reports, "But the initiative is likely to be at least somewhat drowned out by a rush of competing and compelling news" ? the Supreme Court, the National Security Agency's collection of everyone's phone calls, the immigration bill in Congress. But maybe that's the point. Obama will do something about global warming at the exact moment he's having to deny that he's the urban liberal professor version of Dick Cheney.

RELATED: Winter Already? Time to Say Snow Disproves Global Warming

Since the 2012 election, there hasn't been a lot of good news for Obama's liberal base. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was booed and heckled at Netroots Nation when she defended the NSA's spying. Obama's nominee to head the CIA was filibustered over the drone program, and he announced some changes that could allow some Guantanamo detainees to go home after a hunger strike at the facility grew to include more half the people imprisoned there. (Some detainees are still being force-fed, and the strike is still growing.) Environmentalists have frequently protested the Keystone XL pipeline in front of the White House. Obama's speech on Tuesday, in which he will not reveal his decision on the pipeline, will give them something to seize on.

RELATED: Bill Nye Ignites Beck-Maddow Imbroglio

Obama's announcement comes at a time when his presidency is ??yet again ? being declared dead. Thanks to bad news and Washington gridlock, "Not yet six months into his second term, Barack Obama's presidency is in a dead zone," argues Politico's John F. Harris, Jake Sherman, and Elizabeth Titus. This is because of "his own failure to use the traditional tools of the presidency to exert his will. Obama does not instill fear ? one of the customary instruments of presidential power." Obama might be failing at deploying an intangible instrument of presidential power, but on Tuesday, he will use a real one. New Jersey Rep. Rob Andrews, a Democrat, tells Politico, "I don?t think he has chosen to use all the levers of power that he has at his disposal." Obama relies too much on the power of his speeches, Andrews says, instead of instilling fear. But analysis might give him reason to think fear wouldn't work either: "Eighty percent of the members are in a district where a primary challenge is their principal political vulnerability... If the president goes out and barnstorms, it works politically for that member to vote against the president. It has the opposite effect." Neither perks nor a reign of terror would change that electoral reality.

RELATED: Right Has Field Day With New 'Global Warming' Term

Obama's piecemeal approach to slowing our descent into environmental calamity is a big change from?2008, when had big plans to stop global warming,?The Washington Post's Brad Plumer?explains. But cap-and-trade failed in the Senate in 2010 ? before the Tea Party wave later that year. Now he's going to use a piecemeal approach to slowing environmental calamity. Obama's turning to the Environmental Protection Agency, which the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 can regulate carbon dioxide. The EPA has proposed carbon standards for future plants, but it hasn't yet targeted existing plants, which release 40 percent of carbon emissions in the U.S. Obama's announcement changes that. How tough the EPA makes its new rules will determine whether the U.S. can meet its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 17 percent of the 2005 level by 2020.

RELATED: The Oddly Tepid Political Fight Over Global Warming

The pace at which the federal bureaucracy moves partially explains the timing. In May,?New York's Jonathan Chait?reported Obama's executive orders might go down like this, according to the?Natural Resources Defense Council's?Dan Lashof:

The agency will finish drafting its regulation scheme by the end of the year. It will then take about a year of public comments and revisions, at which point it will finalize its rule. That will be the end of 2014, just after the midterm elections. Another nine months to a year will be required to carry out the rule, which will get us to the end of 2015?and the international climate summit.

This isn't the first time the White House said it would turn to executive action to get things done. That happened only a year into Obama's first term.?"The challenges we had to address in 2009 ensured that the center of action would be in Congress," White House aide Dan Pfeiffer told The New York Times' Peter Baker in February 2010. "In 2010, executive actions will also play a key role in advancing the agenda." Baker's analysis of what problems that might pose is interesting given what's happened since then:

But Mr. Obama has to be careful how he proceeds because he has been critical of both Mr. Clinton?s penchant for expending presidential capital on small-bore initiatives, like school uniforms, and Mr. Bush?s expansive assertions of executive authority, like the secret program of wiretapping without warrants.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-eco-play-tough-times-executive-orders-liberals-163245597.html

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Intel Labs developing 'talking' tail lights for safer roads, we go eyes-on (video)

Smarter headlights could guide you out of a rainstorm, but intelligent tail lights could enable communication between vehicles. At least, that's the idea behind a collaborative Connected Vehicle Safety project between Intel and National Taiwan University. Its purpose is so that you'll be able to know just what the vehicles around you are up to -- whether they're speeding or braking or making a left -- by receiving data from their tail lights. Your vehicle could then stop or accelerate automatically without you needing to intervene, or you could choose to react manually if desired. We saw a demonstration of the concept at a Research @ Intel event in San Francisco with a couple of scooters, so head on past the break to learn how it all works, with video to boot.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/RUAK9RuyjnU/

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These Gaze-Sensitive Garments Move When They're Looked At

Staring at another person's clothing is generally considered rude?in fact, the mere concept of gaze has its own history and critical literature. But in this particular case, it?s recommended: These two dresses, by Montreal designer Ying Gao, aren?t really complete unless someone is staring at them.

Gao works with extreme materials?including things like light-sensitive textiles and photoluminescent thread?that test the bounds of social acceptability. Citing inspiration from Jacques Tati?s Playtime and critic Paul Virilio, Gao?s garments are both slyly critical and lovely, a mix of sharp cultural commentary and truly inspired design.

Her latest pieces, which goes on view at Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art this fall and were featured in a Dezeen video today, deal with how fashion is affected by the public eye?literally. The two cocktail-length dresses are made from a shell of semi-transparent and lightweight ?superorganza,? which supports a detailed panel of photoluminescent strings on the front-facing body. Under the strings, a small camera identifies and tracks the movement of faces nearby. And when a set of eyes happen to land on the dress, a series of tiny embedded motors kick into gear, making the photoluminescent strings writhe and curl.

Of course, due to the cost and sheer amount od hardware at work here, we probably won't see such technology in public any time soon?but it?s an interesting way to frame the contradiction between fashion that?s clearly made to be looked at and the taboo of staring at other peoples? clothing. For more on Gao?s fascinating work, check out her website, where you?ll find light-sensitive dresses and touch-sensitive caftans. [Ying Gao via Dezeen]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/these-gaze-sensitive-garments-move-when-theyre-looked-564299456

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Investing In Tesla? - Seeking Alpha

Today i was reading an article about Tesla and also heard from a friend who has done very well on his Tesla purchase. Then I watched this video, which you can take a look at below, where the Tesla technology is displayed. There is no ?next? Steve Jobs. He was unique in every way. However, if you believe that a big part of investing is finding strong leaders who will end up transforming entire industries and making their shareholders rich at the same time, then it seems very reasonable to ask if Elon Musk is the next leader of this century.

(click to enlarge)

There Is One Problem

I usually invest based on fundamentals. Here are some of Tesla?s numbers:

Market Cap: $11.5B
P/E: N/A (company has been losing money every quarter)

But..revenues are increasing rapidly:

I find it hard to invest based on those numbers because what I?d be buying is this guy?s vision, the idea that he will end up building something beyond what we?d expect. In a way, this as speculative as it gets. I always look at the upside, which is incredible here. The problem of course is that projects like the ones he is taking on usually fail so it?s fair to think that Tesla could simply be the next company that fails to transform the automobile market.

Do any of you own Tesla? Would you consider doing so?

Source: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1517422-investing-in-tesla?source=feed

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AJ Allmendinger wins NASCAR Nationwide race

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (AP) ? Team owner Roger Penske gave AJ Allmendinger a second chance.

Now they both have a trophy to show for it ? and, perhaps, the foundation of a rebuilt racing career.

Allmendinger took the lead from Justin Allgaier with seven laps to go in regulation, then didn't get rattled through a late restart and two nerve-testing green-white-checkered overtime finishes, holding on to win Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America.

Afterward, he expressed appreciation for Penske, the team owner who originally let him go last season after he was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy.

"It's just meant the world to me," Allmendinger said. "This was the only way I could repay him. I was trying so hard out there ? and, at times, probably over-trying."

Allgaier finished second, followed by Parker Kligerman, Owen Kelly and Sam Hornish Jr.

Allgaier won a road course race at Montreal last season but still tipped his cap to Allmendinger's road racing skills.

"I'm still not a road racer, I can assure you of that," Allgaier said. "Just watching AJ in front of me and seeing some of the places he was able to get away from me on that last green-white-checkered, I still have some stuff to learn."

It's Allmendinger's first win in NASCAR, but not his first at Road America. He won at the four-mile road course in Central Wisconsin in 2006, racing in the Champ Car Series.

"It's my favorite track now," Allmendinger said.

Billy Johnson led on a restart with eight to go, but he slid wide in Turn 5 and was passed by Allgaier and Allmendinger. Allmendinger then made the decisive move one lap later, snatching the lead from Allgaier at the top of the hill in Turn 6.

He'd have to defend his lead on three more restarts, fending off a charge from Allgaier with three laps to go and then facing two green-white-checkered finishes ? NASCAR's version of overtime.

Allmendinger once again took the lead, only to watch another caution come out for Michael Annett's accident to trigger a second overtime.

With drivers facing concerns about having enough fuel left on the second green-white-checkered restart, Allmendinger held on again to take the checkered flag and stop in Turn 5 to celebrate in front of the fans. Allmendinger even had enough fuel left to do a celebratory burnout.

"They weren't fun," Allmendinger said of all the restarts. "I had a lot of thoughts in my head about how bad that (stunk) having to do that. But it's part of the rules."

Regan Smith finished 32nd and leads the Nationwide Series standings by 28 points over Allgaier.

Defending race winner Nelson Piquet Jr. then had a rough moment before the race's halfway point, plowing into the back of Brian Scott's car. Piquet's hood crumpled in the crash, costing him any chance of contention.

Allmendinger then retook the lead on lap 26, bumping his way past Kelly on the exit of Turn 5. Allmendinger pulled away and quickly built a lead of more than two seconds ? and then Kelly lost second place when he came to a stop on the back side of the track, apparently out of fuel. After getting a push back to the pits from a safety vehicle, Kelly was able to get back in the race.

Most of the leaders then pitted with 19 laps to go ? right at the outer edge of most teams' fuel windows, making it unclear whether they had enough to make it to the end.

Meanwhile, Kenny Habul caused a moment of levity when he veered off course on the restart and collected a large advertising sign, which stuck to his nose for the better part of a lap before another caution came out.

The win was a big step for Allmendinger, whose racing career took a wrong turn last year when he failed a NASCAR drug test, resulting in a suspension and the loss of his ride at Penske Racing.

Allmendinger, who said he took a pill offered by a friend that turned out to be Adderall, was reinstated after completing a NASCAR-affiliated recovery program, and now is getting a limited second chance with the Penske team this year.

"I wouldn't have thought twice if he would have just kind of wrote it off and not called and went on," Allmendinger said of Penske. "He's got so much going on in his life. But he just kept checking up on me. I didn't expect anything from it. It was just nice to have a friend, somebody that I could bounce ideas off of."

Kilgerman, a friend of Allmendinger's off the track, is impressed by his resiliency.

"Once you've lost it all, I think you see a lot of times, you come back and you're better at what you do. I think we're seeing that right now with AJ."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/aj-allmendinger-wins-nascar-nationwide-race-020640296.html

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LGBT Community Untapped Market Consumer Brands - Business ...

Flickr/Brendon Thorne

Rick and Liam wanted recognition of their commitment to each other, so they did what many gay couples are doing these days.

They boarded a plane to New York where marriage between same-sex partners is legal. After hearing about the couple?s plans, the JetBlue crew on their flight showered them with special attention including free drinks and best wishes.

When Rick and Liam realized they lacked a witness for the wedding, one of the flight attendants accompanied the men to city hall to serve in that role, showing up at the nuptials only after stopping to get a special dessert for the occasion. The newly married men penned a heartfelt ?thank you? letter to JetBlue. The airline proudly posted the story on their blog and distributed it to the press.

JetBlue is not alone in its desire to shine a light on its support of its gay consumers. Many brands are waking up to the opportunity that the LGBT market today represents for their business.

Brands from Apple to Budweiser to JCPenney are becoming more interested in gay consumers, with many brands making concerted efforts to target the LGBT market. ?

Why? What is really at stake? Here are just a few numbers surrounding LGBT consumers and the differences in spending power of gay households vs. the American general market:

• 23% higher median household income¹

• 24% more equity in their homes¹

• 26% of gay men say they will pay more for top quality brands²

• 30% have taken a major vacation in the past year²

• 40% bought a new smart phone in the past year²

Estimates put the buying power of the LGBT community at over $800 billion annually. Some marketers are realizing that they may need to adjust their plans to accommodate this segment, or at least make sure that their marketing spending is inclusive of this valuable target. But many brands have been slow to pick up on the impact of the gay and lesbian consumer on their sales. Some are content to let their general market messages do the job of reaching everyone, and see no reason to pay special attention to LGBT consumers.

Are gay consumers? spending habits and brand loyalties really all that different? In some categories, maybe not. But in others, the impact of gay consumer spending is more profound. Here are a few differences between the purchasing habits of gay consumers and everyone else.

Gay Shopping Habits Pay Off For Brands ? Same-sex households spend at rates fairly similar to other households, when it comes to shopping for consumer packaged goods. However, gay and lesbian households make 16% more shopping trips than the average U.S. household ? 173 vs. 149 per year.3 The impact on total spending equates to about 25% more for same-sex households. Male same-sex households are especially likely to spend more frequently, shopping nearly 30% more often than the average household. On average, that?s $2,045 more per year spent on packaged goods in male same-sex households.3 This means that brands have more opportunities to reach LGBT consumers at retail to influence their purchase behaviors and brand preferences.

Gay Consumer Brand Loyalties ? Are the factors that influence the brand selection of gay consumers really that different? They are more likely to pay for quality brands and to influence others as well. When asked if it is worth paying extra for top-of-line or cutting edge products, 26% of gay men agreed, considerably higher than the average American?s answer to that question. And LGBT consumers are a source of word-of-mouth marketing for brands. Gay men (64%) and women (65%) agreed that when they find a brand they like, they are likely to make a point of telling their friends about it. That?s well above the average of all U.S. consumers.²

Gay Consumers and Finances ? Although there is some disagreement about income of gay consumers compared to the average American, most sources indicate LGBT consumers have more disposable income. According to a survey done by Prudential in 2012, gay consumers reported annual household incomes around $61,500, significantly higher than the national median of just over $50,000.1 Gays were more likely to have higher educations, to carry less debt, to have more savings and were less likely to be jobless with an unemployment rate of almost a point below the national percentage. Additionally, LGBT homeowners in the survey had significantly more equity in their homes and were better financially set for retirement.¹

But are gay consumers open to brand marketing messages tailored to them? With a constant media-driven debate reminding gay Americans of inequities including workplace discrimination, marriage inequality, and cultural clashes, on an almost daily basis, gays and lesbians are paying attention to brands that appear to be allies.

And even for brands that do not have any plan to market directly to LGBT consumers, the shift in America?s attitudes about the issue is requiring a new sensitivity. Brands from beer to candy bars have found themselves the subjects of consumer or industry criticism when they used ??harmless? jokes in ads that inadvertently seemed to show same-sex relationships in a bad light. And the concerns are not always coming from gay groups. More and more progressive general market consumers are expressing their support of gay issues and holding brands accountable as well.

With billions in spending at stake, it?s more important than ever that brands, even those who have no interest in marketing to gay Americans, become sensitive to these issues. This loyal group of consumers is ready to reward brands that really speak their language.

¹Prudential 2012 Survey of more than 1,000 LGBT respondents

²Community Marketing, Inc., July 2012 survey of 13,000 Gay & Lesbian Americans

³Nielsen, January 2013

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lgbt-community-untapped-market-consumer-brands-2013-6

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Turkish police break up protest, PM lambasts opponents

By Daren Butler and Nick Tattersall

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish riot police fired water cannon to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators in central Istanbul on Saturday, as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan castigated those behind protests he said had played into the hands of Turkey's enemies.

The latest unrest in Taksim Square punctured six days of relative calm in Turkey's biggest city, although it was a long way from matching the ferocity of previous clashes there and in other cities that began more than three weeks ago.

Demonstrators threw carnations at a phalanx of officers carrying shields who slowly advanced towards them, flanked by water cannon, to clear the square.

"Police, don't betray your people!" activists shouted after they had been scattered into streets leading to Taksim. Witnesses said police later used teargas to disperse pockets of protesters on a main shopping street nearby.

Hours earlier, Erdogan had told thousands of supporters in the Black Sea city of Samsun that the unrest had played into the hands of Turkey's enemies.

A crowd of some 15,000 of his AK Party faithful cheered and waved Turkish flags as he called on the public to give their answer to demonstrations at the ballot box when Turkey holds municipal elections next March.

The rally in the party stronghold was the fourth in a series of mass meetings which Erdogan has called since protests began in Istanbul at the start of June in an unprecedented challenge on the streets to his 10-year rule.

The unrest was triggered when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to develop Gezi Park which adjoins Taksim Square, but they quickly turned into a broader show of anger at what critics call Erdogan's growing authoritarianism.

The blunt-talking 59-year-old, who has led Turkey through an economic boom and still enjoys broad popular support, went on the offensive again, saying an "interest rate lobby" of speculators in financial markets had benefited from the unrest.

"Who won from these three weeks of protests? The interest rate lobby, Turkey's enemies," Erdogan said from a stage emblazoned with his portrait and a slogan calling for his supporters to "thwart the big game" played out against Turkey.

"Who lost from these protests? Turkey's economy, even if to a small extent, tourism lost. They overshadowed and stained Turkey's image and international power," he said.

SOCIAL DIVISIONS

In a speech appealing to conservative grassroots support, Erdogan accused those involved in the protests in Turkey's main western cities of being disrespectful towards Islam, the religion of the vast majority of the population of 76 million.

"Let them go into mosques in their shoes, let them drink alcohol in our mosques, let them raise their hand to our headscarved girls. One prayer from our people is enough to frustrate their plans," Erdogan said, before tossing red carnations to the crowd after his speech.

The protests have underlined divisions in Turkish society between religious conservatives who form the bedrock of Erdogan's support and more liberal Turks who have swelled the ranks of peaceful demonstrators.

Erdogan, who won a third consecutive election in 2011 with 50 percent support, sees himself as a champion of democratic reform, and has been riled by the protests and by international condemnation coming mainly from key trade partner Germany.

During his decade in power, which has seen him unchallenged on the political stage, Erdogan has curbed the powers of an army that toppled four governments in four decades and pursued an end to 30 years of Kurdish rebellion.

But he brooks little dissent. Hundreds of military officers have been jailed on charges of plotting a coup against him.

A court near Istanbul said on Friday it will announce on August 5 its verdict on nearly 300 defendants, including academics, journalists and politicians, accused of separate plots to overthrow the government.

On Sunday, Erdogan will address a rally in the eastern city of Erzurum, also an AK Party stronghold.

(Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pm-says-protests-serve-turkeys-enemies-crowd-gathers-171225290.html

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South Africa: Mandela ambulance had engine problem

Thabiso Boya, adds his get-well message on a poster for former South African President Nelson Mandela, at the Education Expo in Johannesburg, South Africa Thursday, June 20, 2013. Mandela remains in the hospital for the 13th day. The 94-year-old was hospitalized for a recurring lung infection. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Thabiso Boya, adds his get-well message on a poster for former South African President Nelson Mandela, at the Education Expo in Johannesburg, South Africa Thursday, June 20, 2013. Mandela remains in the hospital for the 13th day. The 94-year-old was hospitalized for a recurring lung infection. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Daughter Zenani Dlamini-Mandela, left, with granddaughters Swati Dlamini, second right, and Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway, right, and an unidentified family member arrive at the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Mandela remains in the hospital for a ninth day. The 94-year-old was hospitalized for a recurring lung infection. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of Nelson Mandela, leaves after visiting the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Well-wishers continued to send messages of love and support to Nelson Mandela, as he remained in hospital in a serious condition with a lung infection. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Women from Alpha World Social Center in Soweto, sing, as they hold flowers to lay them outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated in Pretoria, South Africa Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Well-wishers continued to send messages of love and support to Nelson Mandela, as he remained in hospital in a serious condition with a lung infection. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? An ambulance carrying Nelson Mandela to a hospital two weeks ago had engine trouble, so the 94-year-old was transferred to another ambulance for his journey to the hospital, the South African government said Saturday.

Care was taken to ensure the condition of the former president was not affected, it said.

The anti-apartheid leader remains in serious but stable condition in a hospital, the office of President Jacob Zuma said in a statement.

The government confirmed reports about transport problems when the former leader was taken to the hospital for what officials have said is a recurring lung infection. CBS News reported that Mandela had to be transferred in wintertime temperatures to another ambulance in the early morning of June 8 after waiting on the side of the highway for 40 minutes.

The government said doctors are satisfied that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate suffered "no harm" at the time.

Mandela was taken from his home in the Johannesburg neighborhood of Houghton to a hospital in Pretoria, the capital, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) away.

"The fully equipped military ICU ambulance had a full complement of specialist medical staff including intensive care specialists and ICU nurses. The convoy also included two quick response vehicles," the presidency said. "When the ambulance experienced engine problems it was decided that it would be best to transfer to another military ambulance which itself was accompanied for the rest of the journey by a civilian ambulance."

The statement added: "All care was taken to ensure that the former president Mandela's medical condition was not compromised by the unforeseen incident."

In recent days, reports from the government, former President Thabo Mbeki and a grandson of Mandela have indicated that the health of Mandela is improving, although he has been in the hospital for treatment several times in recent months.

Close family members have been visiting him daily in a Pretoria hospital amid an outpouring of prayers and messages of support from South Africans and people around the world.

Zuma's office appealed for Mandela's privacy to be respected "and that he be accorded the doctor-patient confidentiality that all patients are entitled to in terms of medical ethics."

Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to democracy, becoming South Africa's first black president in all-race elections in 1994. As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-22-South%20Africa-Mandela/id-e9cc20f4877f4c25ac0f6f46abf21ea9

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New record as haze chokes Singapore

21 June 2013 Last updated at 06:04 ET

Ashleigh Nghiem in Singapore: "This is the fourth day of choking smoke"

Pollution levels reached a new record high for a third day in a row in Singapore, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in the country's history.

The haze is also affecting Malaysia, with another 100 schools closed in the south of the country.

Indonesia has prepared helicopters and cloud seeding equipment to try to tackle the fires.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsieng Loong warned on Thursday that the haze could remain in place for weeks.

"We can't tell how this problem is going to develop because it depends on the burning, it depends on the weather, it depends on the wind," he said.

"It can easily last for several weeks and quite possibly it could last longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra which may be September or October."

'Life threatening'

A PSI reading above 300 is defined as "hazardous", while Singapore government guidelines say a PSI reading of above 400 over 24 hours "may be life threatening to ill and elderly persons".

"Healthy people [may also] experience adverse symptoms that affect normal activity," the government says.

Continue reading the main story

The PSI dropped down to 143 at 17:00 (09:00 GMT), although this is still classed as "unhealthy".

Before this week's episode, the previous air pollution record was from September 1997 during the 1997-1998 South East Asian Haze, when the PSI peaked at 226.

Singapore resident Nicole Wu told the BBC that she had stayed indoors for the past two days.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

I can't even see what's happening outside my house due to the smog?

End Quote Nicole Wu Singapore resident

"It's terrible. In my flat the windows are all closed with the air conditioning on," she said. "My mother has to wear a mask to go shopping."

"I can't even see what's happening outside my house due to the smog. You can't see birds [or] moving objects," she added.

Philip Koh, a doctor, told AFP news agency that the number of medical consultations he had had in the past week had increased by 20%.

"My patients are telling me they are worried about how long this is going to last and how much higher this is going to go," he said.

In Indonesia's Riau province, where the fires are concentrated, the chief of the health department Zainal Arifin said there was an "increasing number of asthma, lung, eye and skin problems due to higher CO2 levels".

"I call for residents to stay at home and reduce outdoor activities," he said.

Diplomatic strain

Singapore's National Environment Agency has started providing hourly PSI updates on its website, in addition to the three-hourly updates it previously provided.

Around 300 schools in southern Malaysia have now been closed as a result of the smog. Schools in Singapore are currently closed for the holidays.

There are also reports of flight delays in both Singapore's Changi airport and Riau province in Indonesia.

The fires are caused by illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in Sumatra, to the west of Singapore.

The smog has strained diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia - two countries that usually share good relations, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta reports.

Mr Lee said Singapore had provided satellite date to Indonesia to help it identify companies involved and said that if any Singapore firms were involved, that would be addressed.

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said it would deploy two helicopters to conduct "water-bombing" operations, as well as planes with cloud seeding equipment.

More than 100 Indonesian firefighters are attempting to put out the fires in Sumatra.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

We have been fighting fires 24 hours a day for two weeks?

End Quote Ahmad Saerozi Natural resources conservation agency

However, an official in Riau province said they were "overwhelmed and in a state of emergency".

"We have been fighting fires 24 hours a day for two weeks," Ahmad Saerozi, the head of the natural resources conservation agency in Riau, told AFP news agency.

He added that the fires were in peat around three or four metres below the ground, making it particularly hard to fight them.

"It is still burning under the surface so we have to stick a hose into the peat to douse the fire," he said.

"We take one to two hours to clear a hectare, and by then another fire has started elsewhere."

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said "all the country's resources" would be mobilised to extinguish the fires.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22998592#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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CloudUp Is A Fast, Dead-Simple Way To Share And View Files On Any Platform (Without The Folders)

In today’s world of email, social networks, SMS, chat applications and cloud services, there are plenty of ways to share share a file, folder, photo or video. And as intelligent devices and cloud computing infrastructure proliferate, and processing power and capacity improve, we expect file transfer and sharing to be speedy — and simple. Everything is about “realtime” and accessibility these days (not that we’re complaining, but thanks Twitter). Yet, file-sharing still isn’t quite there. Even with all the options — whether it be the Skypes, Facebooks, Google Drives, WeTransfers and YouSendIts of the world or the Dropboxex, etc. — we’ve still got one eye out for a better way. (Here’s xkcd putting a fine point on it.) The file sharing service to end all file sharing services. Dropbox has gotten the closest, gobbling up a ton of mindshare as a result, but its layout and presentation are more storage service than simple sharing tool. In other words, you may store your photos there, but it’s probably not where you’ll go if you want to show them off. This week, CloudUp became the latest to join a younger group of services that are pushing the conversation forward when it comes to speed and simplicity — and nibbling at the heels of the incumbents. Sharing the mantle (most closely) with services like DropLr, CloudApp, Ge.tt and perhaps biz collaboration and sharing services like Dropmark, CloudUp aims to a new spin on file-sharing by creating a tool to make sharing images, links, documents and videos as simple as humanly possible for both the sharer and the viewer. In practice, that means that CloudUp has a clean, minimalistic look that makes it feel like it’s made for designers, yet is easy enough to use that your mom could get excited about it. CloudUp enables users to share files by dragging them and dropping them into their browser, automatically generating a link which they can then share on email, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Like Dropbox, the link-centric service is available for free on the Web or as a native OSX app, the latter of which puts CloudUp in your menu bar for easier drag-and-drop sharing. However, CloudUp wants the similarities to end there. Although the service is offering up to 1,000 uploads for free — that’s the equivalent of about 200GB of storage — CloudUp doesn’t want to just be a storage locker

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dDkmiTFr4ow/

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Brazil leader breaks silence about protests

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) ? Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vowed to battle corruption while improving government services as she acknowledged the anger that has led to vast, sometimes violent protests across Latin America's largest country.

Friday's nationally broadcast 10-minute address ended Rousseff's much-criticized silence in the face of demonstrations that have roiled the nation for more than a week, and were projected to continue on Saturday.

She said she planned to soon meet with leaders of the protest movement, governors and the mayors of major cities. But it remained unclear who could represent the massive and decentralized groups of demonstrators taking to the streets, venting anger over a range of grievances, including woeful public services despite a high tax burden.

Rousseff said that her government would create a national plan for public transportation in cities. Officials in many cities have already backed down from the hike in bus and subway fares that set off the protests. She also reiterated her backing for a plan before congress to invest all oil revenue royalties in education and a promise she made earlier to bring in foreign doctors to areas that lack physicians.

"I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing," Rousseff said in reference to complaints of deep corruption in Brazilian politics, which is emerging as a focal point of the protests. "It's citizenship and not economic power that must be heard first."

The leader is a Marxist rebel who fought against Brazil's 1964-1985 military regime and was imprisoned for three years and tortured by the junta, and she pointedly referred to earlier sacrifices made to free the nation from dictatorship.

"My generation fought a lot so that the voice of the streets could be heard," Rousseff said. "Many were persecuted, tortured and many died for this. The voice of the street must be heard and respected and it can't be confused with the noise and truculence of some troublemakers."

Edvaldo Chaves, a 61-year-old doorman in Rio's upscale Flamengo neighborhood, said he found the speech convincing.

"I thought she seemed calm and cool. Plus, because she was a guerrilla and was in exile, she talks about the issue of protests convincingly," Chaves said. "I think things are going to calm down. We'll probably keep seeing people in the streets but probably small numbers now."

But Bruna Romao, an 18-year-old store clerk in Sao Paulo, said Rousseff's words probably wouldn't have an impact.

"Brazilians are passionate," she said. "We boil over quickly but also cool down fast. But this time it's different, people are in full revolt. I don't see things calming down anytime soon."

Some 1 million anti-government demonstrators took to the streets nationwide Thursday night to denounce everything from poor public services to the billions of dollars spent preparing for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The protests continued Friday, as about 1,000 people marched in western Rio de Janeiro city, with some looting stores and invading a $250 million arts center that remains empty after several years of construction. Police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas as they were pelted with rocks. Police said some in the crowd were armed and firing at officers.

Other protests broke out in in the country's biggest city, Sao Paulo, where traffic was paralyzed but no violence was reported, and in Fortaleza in the country's northeast. Demonstrators were calling for more mobilizations in 10 cities on Saturday.

With Pope Francis scheduled to visit Brazil next month, the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops issued a statement expressing "solidarity and support for the demonstrations, as long as they remain peaceful."

"This is a phenomenon involving the Brazilian people and the awakening of a new consciousness," the Catholic leaders said in the statement. "The protests show all of us that we cannot live in a country with so much inequality."

Rousseff had never held elected office before she became president in 2011 and remains clearly uncomfortable in the spotlight. A career technocrat and economist, she was helped into the presidency by her mentor, the tremendously popular former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Marlise Matos, a political science professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, said before Rousseff spoke that officials need to take stronger action.

"The government has to respond, even if the agenda seems unclear and wide open," she said. "It should be the president herself who should come out and provide a response. But I think the government is still making strategic calculations to decide how to respond. What I'd like to see as a response is a call for a referendum on political reform. Let the people decide what kind of political and electoral system we have."

Social media and mass emails were buzzing with calls for a general strike next week. However, Brazil's two largest nationwide unions, the Central Workers Union and the Union Force, said they knew nothing about such an action, though they do support the protests.

A Thursday night march in Sao Paulo was the first with a strong union presence, as a drum corps led members wearing matching shirts down the city's main avenue. Many protesters have called for a movement with no ties to political parties or unions, which are widely considered corrupt here.

The unrest is hitting the nation as it hosts the Confederations Cup soccer tournament, with tens of thousands of foreign visitors in attendance.

Carlos Cardozo, a 62-year-old financial consultant who joined Friday's protest in Rio, said he thought the unrest could cost Rousseff next year's elections. Even as recently as last week, Rousseff had enjoyed a 74 percent approval rating in a poll by the business group the National Transport Confederation.

"Her paying lip service by saying she's in favor of the protests is not helping her cause," Cardozo said. "People want to see real action, real decisions, and it's not this government that's capable of delivering."

___

Barchfield reported from Rio de Janeiro and Brooks from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Jack Chang in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-leader-breaks-silence-protests-001503729.html

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Obama to meet with privacy, civil liberties board

FILE - This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. As many as one of every five worldwide terror threats picked up by U.S. government surveillance has been targeted on the United States, the Obama administration says. But officials are reluctant to say much more about the 50 plots they claim have been thwarted. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

FILE - This Sept. 19, 2007 file photo shows the National Security Agency building at Fort Meade, Md. As many as one of every five worldwide terror threats picked up by U.S. government surveillance has been targeted on the United States, the Obama administration says. But officials are reluctant to say much more about the 50 plots they claim have been thwarted. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is holding his first meeting with a privacy and civil liberties board Friday as he seeks to make good on his pledge to have a public discussion about secretive government surveillance programs.

Obama has said the little-known Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will play a key role in that effort. The federal oversight board reviews terrorism programs enacted by the executive branch to ensure that privacy concerns are taken into account.

The president is also tasking the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, to consider declassifying more details about the government's collection of U.S. phone and Internet records. Obama is specifically asking Clapper to review possible declassification of opinions from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves the data-mining efforts.

The government has already lifted some of the secrecy surrounding the programs following disclosures earlier this month about their existence by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But the legal opinions from the highly secretive court remain private.

The privacy board was created in 2004 but has operated fitfully ever since, given congressional infighting and at times, censorship by government lawyers. The board was dormant during Obama's first term and only became fully functional in May, before the NSA programs became public.

The board's chairman, David Medine, said the five-member group has a "broad range of questions" to ask about the NSA's widespread collection programs. The board was given a classified briefing on the programs last week and plans to release a report eventually with recommendations for the government.

___

Follow Julie Pace at on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-21-US-Obama-NSA-Surveillance/id-993e9fdecb8d4c51a847a2f66705e46b

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