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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 10, 2006
Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
MR. MCCLELLAN: Good afternoon, everyone. Let me begin by talking about Medicare and some of our efforts that we've got going on this week and this month. May 15th is the open enrollment deadline for seniors to sign up for the new prescription drug benefit. We're continuing to step up our efforts to educate seniors and encourage them to sign up, if they so choose, to make sure that they get the lowest premiums.
Our goal has been, by the end of the year to have 28 million to 30 million seniors covered. Thus far, you have more than 27.5 million seniors that have enrolled. The estimated average beneficiary will be -- the estimated savings to the -- on average, for the beneficiary will be more than $1,100 this year alone. That's a 50-percent or more in savings. The average premium is now $25 per month, down from the projected $37 per month.
This week the President and 25 members of the administration will -- more than 25 members of the administration will travel across the country to discuss the new drug benefit with Americans. Tomorrow the President will be visiting senior centers in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa, to highlight the new benefit. Wednesday the President will be making remarks in Annandale, Virginia, on Medicare and the new drug benefit.
Also this week, Cabinet members and other officials are spreading out across 25 states to talk with Americans about the prescription drug benefit and help them get enrolled. They are speaking at hospitals, senior centers, businesses, health centers. They are reminding seniors that they must enroll by May 15th to ensure that they get the lowest premiums. And for those seniors who want to get enrolled, they can call 1800-MEDICARE, or go to www.medicare.gov.
And with that, I'll be glad to go to your questions.
Q Scott, can I ask you about the --
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me go to Steve first.
Q Scott, the remarks the President made this morning about the NIE, was that in response to Senator Specter's call for him to tell the American people what happened?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you heard the President say that there's an ongoing legal proceeding, investigation; it's a serious matter and we don't want to do anything to jeopardize that, so we're not commenting on it. We want to see due process and a fair hearing. But the President did remind people, yes, the President did authorize the declassification of the National Intelligence Estimate. I think you've seen editorials and other comments over the weekend talk about how that was important because it was in the public interest.
And that's -- remember, there was a lot of discussion going on in the summer of 2003 about the prewar intelligence that was used in the lead-up to going into Iraq. The President felt it was important for the American people to know what the executive branch and Congress was using to make their judgments, and what they were basing their public statements on before the war. And the National Intelligence Estimate was the underlying basis for how we viewed Saddam Hussein's weapons programs.
The bottom line is that the previous administration, this administration, members of both parties in Congress, foreign governments all saw that -- all felt that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Now, we know that much of the intelligence was wrong, and that's why the President put in place an independent, bipartisan commission to look at those issues and to recommend reforms. We are moving forward on those reforms and putting them in place. It's important for the President to make sure that he is using the best possible intelligence when making decisions about how to confront the threats that face this country and face this world.
Q Well, Scott, can I go to the war in Iraq? There was a -- Time Magazine is running a piece by Lt. General Gregory Newbold, who is Director of Operations in the Pentagon, which, as you know, is an extremely important position in that building. He said --
MR. McCLELLAN: I will confess I have not read my Time Magazine this week yet.
Q Let me read some of it to you. He said: "The distortion of intelligence in the buildup to the war, McNamara-like micromanagement kept our forces from having enough resources to do the job." He says, "It is my sincere view that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with the casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions or bury the results." And he's calling for Secretary Rumsfeld to resign. I think this is probably the highest ranking person we've had come out and say these kinds of things about the war. Any reaction to that?
MR. McCLELLAN: Any reaction? Do you have something specific you want to ask me about? I think we've --
Q Yes, I want to -- okay, how about the distortion of intelligence?
MR. McCLELLAN: -- expressed our views on those various issues --
Q He talks about the distortion of intelligence. He was there in the building in the buildup to the war.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, if you want to talk about the intelligence, that's an issue I just brought up. Let's go back and look. There was an independent commission, the Silberman-Robb Commission, that looked at the intelligence relating to Iraq, and they came back and said that there was no evidence of political pressure, that these were errors, serious errors, and they stemmed from poor trade craft and poor management. That's what the Robb-Silberman Commission stated.
The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report said that they did not find any evidence that administration officials attempted to coerce, influence or pressure analysts to change their judgments. And then there was the British Butler report, as well. So this was intelligence that was shared by countries around the world, with Congress, with the United Nations, and the United States. Now, with that said, we have pointed out that the intelligence was wrong. That's why we have implemented important reforms.
Q Scott, you've got a senior officer here who was there in the buildup to the war, saying it was a mistake, saying this war should never have been fought, resources were taken --
MR. McCLELLAN: The President strongly disagrees. It was the right decision to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power. And let me talk about why. Remember, September 11th changed the President's thinking. He talked about this in his remarks earlier today. We are a nation at war, engaged in a global war on terrorism. And the President made the decision after September 11th that we were going to go on the offensive, that we were going to take the fight to the enemy. And that's exactly what we are doing. And the President talked today in his remarks about what we have accomplished. And he talked about why it was the right decision to go in and remove Saddam Hussein from power. The regime --
Q It has nothing to do with 9/11.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- the regime is gone. It is no longer sponsoring terrorism. It is no longer destabilizing the region. It is no longer undermining the credibility of the United Nations. It is no longer threatening the world.
And it's important that we succeed in Iraq, and that's where our focus is now. And I think people understand the importance of succeeding in Iraq, because look at the consequences if you fail. If we fail in Iraq it will embolden the enemy, it will give them a victory in the war on terrorism. It could lead to a safe-haven in Iraq. And that's why it's so important that we continue to work together to support the Iraqi people, who have shown that they want to chart their own future. And that's what we're going to continue to do.
Q But, Scott, what he was saying is this wasn't part of the global war on terrorism. In fact, what he said is the actions taken in Iraq were peripheral to the real threat, al Qaeda.
MR. McCLELLAN: Martha, I haven't read the whole article. The President has expressed his views very clearly about how this is part of the broader war on terrorism. He takes a comprehensive approach when it comes to fighting and winning the war on terrorism. And we will prevail. We are leading from a position of confidence and strength, and we will continue to do so going forward.
Q Can I just follow on the NIE?
MR. McCLELLAN: Bill, go ahead.
Q The President made his decision to declassify and release the NIE at a time when he was fighting the perception that the intelligence leading up to the war was wrong, at a time shortly prior to Mr. Libby's identification of the CIA agent as the wife of someone who was sent there in an effort to discredit the value of the trip. Why should we not believe that the timing of the President's decision was connected to the decision only days later to out the CIA agent?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, now you're getting into questions about an ongoing legal proceeding and investigation --
Q No, it's a timing question.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- you know that we've had a policy in place going back to October 2003 that we are not going to comment on it while it's ongoing. It's a very serious matter, and --
Q I'm not asking about the investigation, I'm asking you to talk about the question of the President's timing.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- I would encourage you not to make assumptions that are not based on the facts. I would encourage you to wait for the facts to be known. Mr. Fitzgerald is pursuing this legal proceeding and pursuing the investigation, and we need to let it proceed. We're not going to do anything that would jeopardize an ongoing matter like that.
Q Why did the President choose that particular time to make that intelligence public?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'll go back and reiterate to you what I said on Friday, and let's make clear that there is a distinction between declassifying information that is in the public interest and leaking classified information that could compromise our national security. There was a lot of discussion going on, there were allegations being made against the administration -- I think irresponsible and unfounded accusations -- saying that we had misused or manipulated the intelligence. There's nothing further from the truth. We were basing our decisions based on the intelligence that was provided to members of Congress, that was pulled together --
Q So it sounds like his timing was connected to that.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- by the intelligence community. And I think you've seen numerous people speak out, including major editorial papers speak out and say that it was the right thing to do to provide this information to the public, so that the public could look at the facts and look at the intelligence and see what the statements were based on. And that's what the President talked about earlier today in his remarks.
Q But it was -- the timing was connected to those things which you say were erroneous reports.
MR. McCLELLAN: It was in the public interest because of all the debate that was going on at the time about the intelligence that was used as an underlying basis for going into Iraq.
Q Scott, let me just follow on that point. When the President made the decision to get the NIE out there, to make it public, for the reasons that you stated, was he aware at that point that information would be leaked to a reporter?
MR. McCLELLAN: David, that's getting into this ongoing legal proceeding, and you shouldn't read anything into it one way or the other when I say I just cannot comment on an ongoing legal proceeding. I've seen reports --
Q There's been reports about --
MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, hang on. I've seen reports, including today, in The New York Times, talking about this very issue that you bring up. I read that story with great interest, just like many of you in this room did. I would say that I cannot speak to whether or not the parts of that National Intelligence Estimate may have been declassified at some point prior to the release of the National Intelligence Estimate that we made on July 18, 2003.
And let me back up. The entire portion of the National Intelligence Estimate that was released on July 18th went through a declassification process. And I spoke to that issue back on July 18, 2003, and I'll stand by the remarks I made at that time. I have had a chance to go back and look further at information from that time period and I will leave it where I did. But again, I cannot speak to whether or not certain parts of it may have been declassified prior to that time.
Q But you're not challenging that report?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I just cannot speak to it because of the ongoing legal proceeding.
Q Let me ask this follow-up question. No matter when the information was released from the NIE, why isn't it a fair charge to make against this President that he, frankly, played politics with declassified intelligence in the run-up to the war to defend his case for war?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think a lot of people have disputed that. If you look at the evidence, the intelligence is in the National Intelligence Estimate. The National Intelligence Estimate is the collective judgment of the intelligence community. And it was, as I said, the underlying basis for how we viewed Saddam Hussein's weapons program -- not just us, but the Congress, foreign governments, the previous administration, the United Nations. So this was intelligence shared by many people. Now, the intelligence was wrong. And that's why we took steps to correct it and make sure that we have better intelligence going forward.
Q But that's not quite my question. The President has been outspoken about how dangerous it is for the country to mishandle, to leak classified information. Yet, in this case, nobody challenges his legal authority to do it, but you could make the charge that this was a rather political move on the part of the President to pick and choose what he'd like to --
MR. McCLELLAN: The declassification of the National Intelligence Estimate?
Q Yes.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, actually because -- go ahead.
Q -- for the purpose of, frankly, defending his own judgment. So somebody who has been so clear about the fact that you should not leak classified information made a kind of cherry-picking decision to let this stuff out.
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, the President has the authority to declassify information as he chooses. He would never declassify anything if he felt it could compromise our nation's security. The National Intelligence Estimate, back in the summer of 2003, was more of a historical document at that point because it was the intelligence which we used as a basis for making the decision to go into Iraq. It was the collective judgment of the intelligence community. So at that point, it was providing good historical context to the American people when there was a serious debate going on in the public about that intelligence. So it was important for the American people, in the President's view, to be able to look at the underlying intelligence that was used for the statements that were made by the administration, and made by Congress in the lead-up to going to going into Iraq.
Nedra, go ahead.
Q Scott, the President was talking today about how this is an important and serious investigation going on, but there are those who are also saying, these are important allegations against the President, and that he needs to come out and explain himself to the American people, including Senator Specter.
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know that anyone said -- allegations against the President?
Q Well, that he needs to answer about his role in this release. Does he agree with Senator Specter that the American people deserve an explanation?
MR. McCLELLAN: It's not a question of whether or not we would like to talk more about it. The fact of the matter is that this is a legal proceeding and an ongoing investigation involving this administration. It's being headed by a special prosecutor, Mr. Fitzgerald. We don't want to do anything that could jeopardize this ongoing investigation, legal proceeding. We want there to be due process. We want there to be a fair hearing. And that's why we made a policy not to comment on it while it continues.
Q At what point does the President plan to explain himself to the American people then? Is there a point in the investigation -- does the trial have to be completely over?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Mr. Fitzgerald has commented on it some, and you can direct questions to him, but we've made it clear that as long as it's an ongoing legal proceeding and investigation, we are not going to comment further on it.
Q Scott, does the President approve of the way the Vice President handled this information during the declassification process, before and after --
MR. McCLELLAN: Now you're getting into a question that's relating to an ongoing legal proceeding, and I'm just not going to go there, Ed.
Q It's more on whether he approves of his own Vice President, whether he stands behind --
MR. McCLELLAN: He's specifically mentioned in a filing by Mr. Fitzgerald. I can't get into commenting on it. It's a policy that I didn't establish, but I'm obligated to adhere to.
Q Okay, one other question on Secretary Rumsfeld, when you were talking before. This is now the second or third retired general to come out in recent weeks and say that he should step down. Does the President still have confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld? And if so, why, given all of these top military officials saying that he mishandled the war?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President thinks Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a great job, having overseen two fronts in the global war on terrorism. We have liberated 25 million people in Afghanistan and 25 million people in Iraq. The Secretary has also been leading a transformation of the military, to make sure that we're better prepared to meet the threats of the 21st century. And the President has great appreciation of the outstanding job he's doing.
Q What's your reaction to Sy Hersh's article over the weekend and the kind of follow-up articles in The Post and The New York Times? Is the President troubled by these indications that the U.S. is considering or looking at or has plans for --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think those kind of media reports are based on wild speculation, and not on the administration's thinking. The President has made it very clear that we're working with the international community to find a diplomatic solution when it comes to the Iranian regime and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. And that's exactly what we're doing.
The international community has spoken very clearly, in a united way, from the United Nations Security Council. It has said to the regime what it needs to do: It needs to make a commitment to comply with its obligations and to suspend all its uranium enrichment and enrichment-related activities, and come back and negotiate in good faith. They have 30 days in which to make that commitment from when the presidential statement was adopted by the Security Council. If they don't, then we're going to be back at the Security Council talking about the next steps to take. This is something that the international community is very concerned about, and that concern is only growing because of the behavior of the regime. This is a regime, by its own actions and statements, is only further isolating itself and the people of Iran from the rest of the world.
Q Is the President concerned by these reports? Does he find them troubling? Are they counterproductive?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you heard the President's views. We'll let you all critique them. But, I mean, I notice that the one article you brought up was based on a lot of anonymous sources from former administration officials and outside advisors. And it is what we described it.
Q Two questions. One, as far as this immigration is concerned, the debate has been going for the last two weeks in the U.S. Congress and also among the illegal community, and also small business is also worried about what is their future, as far as finding the workers they need and -- now demonstrations been going on for the last two weeks, including today in Washington, thousands are going to march. Where do President stand as far as making them legal here, so they can pay tax and they can come out from the hiding, not to be tortured by their employers and taken advantage of them?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the United States Senate came together in an agreement last week, a bipartisan agreement to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. This is a difficult and complex issue. And it requires letting voices be heard and letting amendments be considered. But the Senate Minority Leader decided to stand in the way and block comprehensive reform from moving forward. Those who are out there peacefully expressing their views for comprehensive reform may want to direct their efforts toward the Senate Minority Leader. He is the one who is standing in the way of comprehensive reform moving forward.
There was a strong bipartisan agreement reached with Senator Frist and Senators Hagel and Martinez, working with Democrats, to come together and move this to the conference committee, where we could continue to move forward on getting it passed. This is a high priority for the President. He believes that if we're going to fix the immigration system, we must do it in a rational and comprehensive way, and that's what he's continuing to advocate.
Q Egyptian President Mubarak has already said that Iraq is in a civil war. Doesn't that create a real problem for the President, who says it is not, and it emboldens the enemy?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the Iraqi leaders spoke out on that very issue and disputed any such assertion. And the President has talked about it at length, too. The Iraqi people and the Iraqi leaders looked into the abyss and they didn't like what they saw. And so they have been coming together to try to move forward on forming a government of national unity and coming together to continue to move forward to defeat the terrorists and Saddam loyalists who want to return to the past. And we're continuing to support the efforts of the Iraqi leaders. It's time for them to move forward and get a unity government in place. We have made tremendous sacrifices. The American people have made tremendous sacrifices to get to this point, and it's time for the Iraqi leaders to move forward -- that's what the Iraqi people want -- and get their government formed.
Q What if they don't soon?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, they are moving forward. The President talked about it in his remarks. He talked about how they have already agreed to a 33-point agenda for the new government once its in place. And he talked about how they have agreed to a national security council that would be represented by all branches of government. So they are taking steps to move forward. We believe it's time to get that unity government in place. I think the Iraqi people want that. I know the American people expect that. We have made tremendous sacrifices in Iraq. And it's important to our long-term security. We're laying the foundation of peace for generations to come. And we will continue to support the Iraqi people as they move forward.
Q Before the President declassified the Intelligence Estimate, had he read it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Had he read it?
Q Yes.
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes -- I think we talked about at the time that he was briefed on it --
Q A 90-page document --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think we talked about that at the time.
Q -- and the whole question of the accusation against Saddam trying to buy uranium was on page 24, with many caveats. It was very dubious and --
MR. McCLELLAN: That's not the issue here, Helen.
Q -- an annex to it, questioning this whole business. So did he take note of all these caveats?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's not the issue here, Helen. The issue was the underlying intelligence that was used as part of the basis for going into Iraq. You're singling out one specific part which we --
Q Yes, I am.
MR. McCLELLAN: --- which we already spoke to.
Q Is that your defense, though?
MR. McCLELLAN: We already spoke to that issue. We spoke to it back at the time.
Q Why would he put that out when it's so dubious?
MR. McCLELLAN: Why would he --
Q It's so questionable.
MR. McCLELLAN: Why would he put what out when it's --
Q Using that as your defense to go into Iraq.
MR. McCLELLAN: Using what, the National Intelligence Estimate?
Q No, the whole business that Saddam --
MR. McCLELLAN: That was the collective judgment of the community -- no, you're singling out one thing, and that's not the issue here. The issue here is that back in the summer of 2003, there was a real debate going on in the public about the intelligence that was used as part of the rationale to go into Iraq.
Q But the issue centers on outing Valerie Plame -- wasn't that the issue that dealt with Niger and uranium?
MR. McCLELLAN: You're getting into something that's part of an ongoing investigation, and you know I'm not going to comment further on that.
Les, go ahead.
Q Yes. Reuters reports from Jerusalem that the government of Israel has announced "Israel will have no contact with the Palestinian Authority, which is a hostile entity, and will work toward preventing any entrenchment of the Hamas government's rule." My first part: Does the Bush administration find any fault in this statement or in Israel's firing shells into Gaza in response to Palestinians' firing rockets into Israel?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you need to direct those questions to the Israeli government about the actions that they take. I mean, I think we have expressed our views. Now, in terms of Hamas, I think we spoke to that issue most recently on Friday. The Secretary of State put out a statement in terms of our assistance to the Palestinian people when it comes to meeting their humanitarian needs. We are increasing our efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, but what we will not do is have any dealing with an Hamas-led government. We will not fund or support them in any way as long as they are not abiding by the important principles that the Quartet outlined.
The Quartet said that they need to renounce violence, they need to recognize Israel, and they need to abide by the previous agreements of the Palestinian Authority. And until they make those commitments, we will not have anything to do with that government.
Q Since The New York Times reports that 200 homosexual families are planning to attend the annual White House Easter Egg Roll one week from today, can you assure us that next year's egg roll will not bar other sexual orientations, as well, such as --
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, in terms of the Easter Egg Roll, the President and Mrs. Bush, I know, always look forward to it. And there are guidelines that are in place for -- tickets are made available so that families can come and bring their kids to participate in the Easter Egg Roll. We welcome all those families that follow those guidelines that are in place.
Q Was The New York Times wrong in reporting --
MR. McCLELLAN: This is something that is being overseen by Mrs. Bush's Office, and that's our view.
Ed, go ahead.
Q Scott, there was a -- San Francisco Chronicle had a story over the weekend saying an Air Force website listed details about Air Force One, including specific information about the anti-missile defenses on Air Force One --
MR. McCLELLAN: Let me stop you, I'm not going to have any comment on it.
Q Is the White House aware of this --
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not going to talk about security measures.
Go ahead. Sara, go ahead.
Q Thank you. Scott, my question is on immigration and you have already answered some, but as many as 180,000 supporters of immigration reform are in Washington today, perhaps the largest rally since the 1963 March on Washington. Many of those attending oppose the tough bill passed by the House. Will the President demand a guest worker provision in that --
MR. McCLELLAN: Will the President be -- I'm sorry?
Q Demand.
MR. McCLELLAN: Demand. Well, I think he already has been talking about how he wants a comprehensive piece of legislation. It begins with securing our borders, and that's where we have been focused. We have taken a number of steps to better secure our borders. We've increased the number of Border Patrol agents along our border. We have also deployed new technologies to prevent people from coming into this country illegally, and we are continuing to build upon those efforts. And some of the legislation you bring up addresses that. So it begins with that.
But the President believes if we're going to fix the immigration system, we have to address it in a comprehensive way. And that's why a temporary guest worker program is so important. A temporary guest worker program will help relieve pressure off the border and help us do a better job of securing the border, by allowing our Border Patrol agents to focus on those who are criminals and terrorists, smugglers and traffickers, that are trying to come into this country for the wrong reasons.
And so the President is going to continue speaking out on that and he's going to continue working with Congress. Senate leaders have expressed their desire to get this moving after they come back from their two-week recess that they are on now, and we'll continue working with them to get that done. We continue to call on the Senate Minority Leader to stop using blocking tactics and let the comprehensive bipartisan agreement move forward.
Q Scott, Hilary Clinton, in an interview today, attacked the administration for its economy -- handling of the economy -- health care, trade deficits, budget deficits, and so forth. But she had a specific recommendation; that was that the government should help auto companies such as GM -- should help them relieve some of the costs for retiree health care in exchange for helping them expedite the moves toward energy-efficient production.
MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't seen the interview, Roger.
Q Okay. Does the President have any thoughts on helping out GM if it does go bankrupt?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that, first of all, the auto industry is in a transition period and they're taking a lot of steps to make sure that they're successful. That's what they're doing.
In terms of the President's views on the economy, we have a very strong economy in place. We would welcome a debate about how we continue to move forward to keep our economy growing stronger. Because of the policies we have put in place, and because of the hard work of the American workers, our economy is growing in a very strong way. We saw just this last month more than 200,000 jobs created. We have seen about 5.2 million jobs created since the summer of 2003. The unemployment rate is down to 4.7 percent, below the averages of the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Consumer confidence is at its highest level in some four years. Productivity is high.
We need to continue to move forward on pro-growth policies. And the real discussion is -- or the debate is on taxes: Are we going to make tax cuts permanent and keep taxes low to keep our economy growing, or are we going to let Democrats have their way and increase those taxes, which would have a very negative effect on our growing economy? And so that's where the debate is focused. The President has been talking about that. And we'll continue to make clear what the choice is.
Q If this President wanted to go to war with another country, at any time in the near future, is the U.S. military physically and financially --
MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, I don't think any President ever wants to go to war. War is a last resort. The President talked about how it's one of the most difficult decisions you can make. In fact, one of the students asked him earlier today about such a decision, and I think you should look at what the President said.
Q All right, then being the last resort, as he said it was the last resort with Iraq, is this country, on April 10, 2006, able financially and physically to go to war with another country at this time?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think our military has spoken to those issues, and I don't have anything to add to what they've already said.
Q But the White House gets a daily assessment several times a day --
MR. McCLELLAN: We are prepared to meet the threats that we face.
Q Scott, what are the prospects of extending the deadline for the Medicare prescription drug sign-up?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, that's the open enrollment deadline. That's why we're making the point that you need to sign up now, and encouraging people to do so. The President does not think that would be a good idea. After that time period, I think there's a penalty of up to 1 percent for enrolling in the program at that point. But there's a reason that's in place, and that's to encourage as many people as possible to get signed up.
And I think what you're seeing with the Medicare prescription drug benefit is that the vast majority, the overwhelming majority of seniors are very satisfied with it and believe it's working well for them. They are realizing significant savings. As I pointed out, the average beneficiary will save an estimated more than $1,100 this year alone. The original estimates or projections on the premiums are significantly below where they were when we first started this program. So the overwhelming majority of seniors are saying, this is working well, and they haven't had any problems with their prescription drug benefit, and they're, in fact, very pleased that they're realizing significant savings.
Q But given the ongoing confusion for many --
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't -- I don't know that I agree with that, Peter.
Q Well, I mean, there are some members of Congress who are still hearing from their constituents that they're confused about this and some --
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I think there are still some members of Congress that are trying to politicize this issue. The AARP recently spoke out about that. They said -- they said -- "The focus should be on helping people, not playing politics. Discouraging enrollment is a disservice to the millions who could be saving money on prescription drugs." This is what the AARP said. And that's where all of us should be focusing, is on making sure that this program is working as well as possible for those who depend on it and those who need help with their prescription drugs.
Q So there's no chance it will be extended past May 15th?
MR. McCLELLAN: We don't think that would be a good idea, and the President has expressed his opposition to doing so.
Q Thank you.
MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.


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Did you know that H1N1 reached Russia by whale? Or that you can get the flu from a bird and give it to a pig? Find out why viruses tend to jump from animals to us, and why they seem to always pick the cute ones.
Viruses have numbers on their side, but not anything else. They're brainless, defenseless, reproductive system-less little bits of organic matter that some people don't even believe count as life. And yet they can jump not only between people but between entire species. They do so especially frequently between specific species, even when those two species aren't very much alike, like birds and humans. Let's take a look at how viruses species-hop, and why they find certain pathways so convenient.
The Animal Laboratories
The most well-studied instances of a zoonosis — animal viruses transferable to humans — involve the influenza virus. In 1918, migrating birds spread an epidemic that killed more people than World War I. In 1957, a new kind of influenza appeared on the horizon, again killing millions. The latest scare was the relatively over-hyped H1N1 influenza virus, dubbed swine flu. Although only the last bout of influenza specifically mentioned pigs, scientists believe that they were responsible for much of the carnage.
Each species has their own set of influenza viruses, and birds and humans can infect each other, but pigs have the ability to get viruses from both humans and birds. They're like the mix-masters of the disease world. When a very unfortunate pig has two of the types at once, the viruses inside them can swap variations of two very important proteins. This new virus can be transmitted directly to humans, or can be transmitted to birds.
The H protein is called haemagglutinin and the N protein is neuraminidase. Theire are sixteen variations of the H protein and nine of the N protein. Each influenza virus also has six other important packets of protein, but of all of them, the H is the protein that the body develops antibodies against. Although H1N1 has popped up recently, the two proteins have been in circulation before. Prior to 1957, an H1N1 virus went through the population for years. In 1957, a new version of the virus, H2N2, emerged from some infected pigs. The resulting flu devastated a population that only had antibodies designed for H1N1. When a new version of H1N1 appeared in the 2000s, this time as the result of two pig viruses swapping proteins with no help from the birds, this history with the H protein was why pre-1957 population was far more well-placed to withstand the outbreak. As long as they still had the antibodies in their system, they could fight the flu fast.
What Animals Can Kill You?
Not only can a bunch of adorable animals get you sick, they can do it in many different ways. Animal dung, animal saliva, and uncooked animal meat find their way into and onto a great deal of things, even if you're not directly handling the animals themselves. Insects that bite multiple animals spread diseases, too. And of course, humans themselves are happy to help the spread of disease. An outbreak of avian flu (H5N1), was stopped when an animal smuggler was discovered trying to get a live, infected Thai eagle out of the country. An outbreak of H1N1, a different variation, in the USSR in 1977 was traced back to the harvesting of infected whales. Famously, HIV was thought to have crossed over to humans when people ate infected primate meat. Monkeypox came over on infected rats, who then infected prairie dogs that were sold as pets. Lions and tigers, exported illegally as pets, can be infected with avian flu. (There was even a disease called Seal Finger, which was prevalent among those who hunt seals and polar bears, which caused joints to swell up so much that they became unusable, and had to be amputated.)
We also find indirect ways to spread diseases from animals to humans. Farming puts people in direct contact with some animals, but also ushers in incidentally. Hemorrhagic fever exploded in Argentina without any explanation, until it was revealed that the carrier, the corn mouse, was able to expand its range drastically, being suited to the environment of the expanding farms in the region. Cities encourage small pests that would be picked off in the wilderness. Even being a foodie can get people sick. When reports of hepatitis E started popping up in rich countries, instead of the poor countries to which it had been mostly confined, researchers were surprised. It was only when they learned that people had been eating the liver of wild boars — because it was what was available or because it was a delicacy, depending on your country and economic status - that they understood the isolated explosions of the disease.
Reverse a Zoonosis
Humans are known for giving as good as we get, in terms of ruination. That's certainly true with a zoonosis. The modern version of H1N1 cropped up in a Canadian group of pigs. When people traced the source, looking for some kind of intermingling of pigs from Mexico and pigs from Canada, they found only a human, who had been to Mexico, picked up the virus, flown up to Canada, and apparently coughed on some pigs. A chimpanzee in a zoo died of a human metapneumovirus that must have been brought in by a visitor. Visitors in a bonobo refuge infected six bonobos with influenza. The Los Angeles Zoo and the San Francisco Zoo have both had to contend with elephants that contracted tuberculosis.
Mostly, though, the infection pathway isn't direct. If keeping animal droppings off of human food is a problem, the reverse is an even greater one. Forget chimps, humans are the species that smears their crap everywhere. And animals don't have access to soap. Perhaps, considering they can incubate what we give them and, under the right circumstances give some very nasty stuff back to us, it's time to take a look at exactly how much we cross over with the animal world, and what the consequences of that crossover will be.
Top Image: Sander van der Wel. Pig Image: USDA. Tiger Cub Image: David Bowly. Elephant Image: Brian Snelson. Via USGS, ABC, The CDC twice, NCBI, NY Times, and Virology.

subset: commoncrawl


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Michigan beats Indiana 63-47 in shootout
Michigan had a record-breaking day on offense and its defense was almost bad enough to overcome that.
Devin Gardner set school records with 584 yards of offense and 503 yards passing and matched another mark with five touchdowns to help the Wolverines outscore Indiana 63-47 Saturday.
''We won the football game, that's the only thing I care about,'' Michigan coach Brady Hoke said.
Jeremy Gallon had a Big Ten-record 369 yards receiving and two TDs on 14 receptions for the Wolverines, much to the dismay of Indiana coach Kevin Wilson.
''Ridiculous,'' Wilson said.
The Wolverines (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) lost two fumbles in the second half that gave the Hoosiers (3-4, 1-2) a chance to win in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1967.
Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson ran for a 15-yard score that pulled the Hoosiers within two points early in the fourth quarter.
But after Gardner fumbled at the Indiana 2 on the ensuing drive, Roberson took himself out of the game because of a hand cramp and Nate Sudfeld gave the ball back with an interception that was thrown well short of a teammate who had gotten past Michigan's secondary.
That was Thomas Gordon's first of two interceptions in the fourth quarter. The other one was at the Wolverines 6 with 2:57 left, helping them avoid an upset.
''We were frustrated because we were giving up so many points, so we knew we needed to make a couple plays,'' Gordon said. ''The offense and defense are supposed to be picking each other up, and we hadn't done that all night until the end.''
Fitzgerald Toussaint had 151 yards rushing for the Wolverines and scored for a fourth time with 1:12 left in the shootout.
The Wolverines set a school record with 751 yards of offense.
''We were getting blocked, not getting off blocks and missing tackles,'' Wilson said.
Michigan, though, gave up 572 on defense in its worst showing since Oregon racked up 624 yards of offense in 2007.
Gardner completed 21 of 29 passes for two TDs and avoided throwing an interception for the second time in three weeks.
''The offensive line protected so well that I was able to read the defenses and our guys had time to get open,'' he said.
Gardner ran 15 times for 81 yards and three scores, including one that included a hard hit after he was a few yards into the end zone.
Through three quarters, Gallon had 343 yards and was within reach of the major college record set in 1998 by Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards with 405 yards receiving.
''I guess they focused so much on (Devin) Funchess and forgot about me,'' Gallon said.
Toussaint gave Michigan the desperately wanted running game it wanted - by a running back - by averaging nearly 5 yards on 32 carries.
Indiana had a lot of success with the ball, too, especially with its hurry-up offense. And yet, Wilson acknowledged the pace that helped the Hoosiers have scoring drives that lasted no longer than 2:08 may not be such a good thing for his team overall.
''Offensively the tempo helps us, but it might hurt our defense,'' Wilson said.
Roberson was 16 of 23 for 288 yards with three TDs and an interception. He ran 11 times for 50 yards and a score. Sudfeld was 8 of 19 for 122 yards with a TD and an interception.
Indiana's Tevin Coleman had 11 carries, none for a negative gain, for 78 yards and a score. Kofi Hughes caught six passes for 138 yards and a TD for the Hoosiers. Cody Latimer had five receptions for 96 yards and a score. And, Shane Wynn scored on two of his four receptions.
The Hoosiers scored first, but both teams scored often.
Gardner and Toussaint combined for three TDs on the ground to give Michigan a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter and it seemed as if the team, unranked for the first time this year, might coast to an easy victory.
The Wolverines' shaky defense, though, couldn't stop Indiana until the late in the game.
Michigan has won 19 straight at home, the longest streak by a BCS-conference team, and 18 in a row against Indiana. The Wolverines' next game is Nov. 2 at Michigan State. The Hoosiers are also idle next week before hosting Minnesota.
Follow Larry Lage on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larrylage


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Thematic Blogging at RC
Submitted by Ron Broglio on
I'm pleased to announce an ongoing series of guest bloggers for Romantic Circles web log. RC has asked scholars to write about thematic issues in Romanticism and post their musings on the RC blog for three to four months. We're beginning the thematic thread with issues of Ecocriticism. This theme will run from July through October. Guest bloggers for Ecocriticism will be Kurt Fosso, Timothy Morton, and Ashton Nichols. In the future, we will invite other scholars with other thematic issues of interest to contemporary scholarship.
The blog allows readers to comment on the posts. So, we hope readers will weigh in on the guest bloggers' entries and advance the conversation. --Ron Broglio


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Vodafone shareholders are set to receive an $84 billion (£54.3 billion) windfall after the British telecommunications giant agreed to sell its stake in Verizon Wireless for $130 billion.
The payout could give a boost to the U.K. economy and stock market as investors will soon see more money deposited in their accounts, and could be tempted to go out and spend or invest in other companies.
This is one of the biggest corporate deals in history and Vodafone (VOD) is planning to pay out 71% of the net proceeds to shareholders.
For an individual investor with £5,000 pounds in Vodafone shares, that could mean a payout worth £2,600.
But the payout won't be made solely in cold hard cash. Roughly 30% will be in cash and the rest in Verizon Communications (VZ) shares, although the cash element could rise should Verizon exercise an option to reduce the stock element of the deal.
The proposed payout is far higher than most analysts were expecting. Several market watchers had anticipated the telecoms giant would pay upwards of $50 billion to shareholders.
Worth just over £100 billion, Vodafone is the second biggest company traded in London and is one of the most widely held companies in the U.K. According to latest company data, there are roughly 500,000 individual investors around the world who each own up to 5,000 shares in Vodafone, and more than 40% reside in the U.K.
Nearly 21% of Vodafone's 48.5 billion ordinary shares are held as ADRs.
Related: Vodafone's $10 billion German takeover
Rodney Hobson, a British investor and personal finance author who owns Vodafone shares, said he plans to reinvest his cash payouts back into the markets.
"Most people, like me, will reinvest the money," he said. "I think this will underpin the U.K. stock market. I don't think people will take the money and spend it -- they may do, but I think they will reinvest it," he said.
In addition to a special payout, Vodafone said it will hike its normal dividend payment by 8% next year and will keep growing its dividends in the years ahead. Vodafone also detailed plans to invest £6 billion in its current business, but may use any excess cash for further acquisitions and paying down debt.
Some investors are hoping Vodafone will take a cautious approach to any new purchases.
"I don't want Vodafone just turning around and spending the money on any old acquisition. I'd prefer to get all the money myself if it can't find any good deals," said Hobson.
While a large payout may sound wonderful, economists say a special dividend won't actually make Vodafone investors any richer as they're trading ownership in a U.S.-based telecom company for a one-off payment.
But "they may feel wealthier," said David Tinsley, a London-based economist at BNP Paribas. And if they feel wealthier, they might end up spending more.
"It could have an effect on their consumption behavior at the margin," said Tinsley.
Any payout would have to wait until the deal closes, which is expected in the first quarter of 2014. By then, the U.K. recovery is predicted to be well underway.


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The FAA announced this morning it will allow passenger use of electronic devices during all phases of flight, so passengers can keep their phones and tablets on for takeoff and landing.
Airlines are now racing to jump through a few hoops before they can change their policies — and that will likely happen within 24 hours.
The carriers must complete a safety assessment, get FAA approval, and officially change their portable electronic device policy for the rule to take effect.
That's a minor price to pay to move past a rule that's hated by many passengers.
United Airlines said in a statement that it has "already started work to implement this as safely and quickly as possible, and are excited to offer this new benefit because our customers tell us they want to use their portable electronic devices."
Southwest told us: "We know this is something Customers have wanted for some time now, and we're excited to soon give them the freedom to use personal devices throughout their flight. While specifics of our amended PED policy have yet to be finalized, we'll work diligently and quickly to implement a process that allows Customers this added convenience."
"As we work to develop an expanded PED policy, all new procedures will go through our Safety Risk Management process to ensure a safe and efficient implementation," Southwest said.
American Airlines said it "has been working with the FAA for some time on this," and will submit its approval plan tomorrow.
Delta is ahead of the game. All of its planes have already finished the required testing, and it says it was the first carrier to submit its plan to the FAA. Depending on when approval comes, it could be ready to allow PED use during takeoff and landing as soon as tomorrow.
Jetblue is also waiting for FAA approval — but a spokesperson said that could come "as early as this afternoon."
A few airlines are taking their time. US Airways says it plans to release a statement later today. American Airlines did not reply to a request for comment, but it did post on Twitter:
@samshankman We're reviewing the FAA announcement and we'll post when we've more info.— American Airlines (@AmericanAir) October 31, 2013


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Judicial Council Opposes Assembly Bill 1208
Contact: Leanne Kozak, 916-263-2838
Dec 16, 2011
Video: Judicial Council Opposes AB1208
The California Constitution mandates that the Judicial Council make recommendations to the governor and legislature. On this day, they set legislative priorities for 2012, including continued opposition to Assembly Bill 1208. The first version surfaced in the last session.
Curtis Child, Director, AOC Office of Governmental Affairs "It's quite a sweeping measure. It was introduced without giving the Chief and the council, particularly the Chief, an opportunity to look at and evaluate and improve the performance of the branch."
Noreen Evans, California State Senator "If it gets out of the Assembly it then comes into the Senate and lands in my committee and I've been very clear I don't support the goals of this bill."
Curtis Child, "It's an inappropriate intrusion into the fundamental governance of the judicial branch."
Assembly Bill 1208 would remove from the council its responsibility and authority to allocate funds to the trial courts. Among other provisions, the bill would permit as few as two courts to veto any statewide initiative.
And individual courts would have the ability to transfer funds from an allocated purpose to a different use. For example, funds the Council allocates for dependency counsel could be used in other ways.
Curtis Child, "So despite what might be a Council decision in allocating those funds to dependency, the trial court would be free to move those funds between any and all of their trial court funds."
(Judicial Council member) Miriam Krinsky said she's especially worried about the potential results of reallocations.
Miriam Krinsky, "The provisions that really make vulnerable some of what's so critical for those in the state who least have access to the court system, namely children, those who are so dependent on some of our equal access self help programs, and I think that that piece of the current version of the bill that takes those issues out of the Judicial Council's purview and puts them at the mercy of the legislature...I find that incredibly troubling."
(Judicial Council member) Judge DeAlba objected to a letter that the Alliance of California Judges circulated alleging that 6 courts support AB 1208, including the Sacramento court.
Hon. David DeAlba, "As a member of the bench of the Sacramento Court I would just like it known that there was never any formal proposal placed before the Sacramento bench, and certainly no recorded vote or motion offered to support this legislation. And in fact, to the contrary, approximately a third of our bench earlier this year notified the author of this legislation that that was so."
(Judicial Council member) Judge Rosenberg spoke as chair of the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee. He said they acknowledge (that) there are issues. But they prefer a different approach.
Hon. David Rosenberg, "The majority of trial judges and PJs want to give the new Chief Justice and the Judicial Council the opportunity to deal with issues. And so the opposition by this council as to 1208 seems appropriate."
Justice Doug Miller referred to a recent survey of judges:
Hon. Doug Miller, Judicial Council "I think it was over 80% of those who responded to the survey felt that the issues dealing with the judicial branch needed to be dealt with by the judicial branch. And I believe that we have been doing that since January 1st."
Hon. Harry Hull, Judicial Council "Any fair minded person who is watching and listening can tell that the Chief Justice and this council sees this as a new day. We're trying to identify the things that need to be changed and make those changes. And I think that we've made good progress within the course of 11 months, I expect that progress to continue."
Hon. Doug Miller, Judicial Council "Were there concerns as Judge Rosenberg indicated? Yes. Have we heard those? Yes. And are we making changes within the Judicial Branch? Yes, and that's the way it should be done."
(Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye) "If there is no further discussion I believe the motion's been made and seconded three times. All in favor of recommendation #2, say aye."
(Supporting members say "aye")
(Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye) "Any opposed?"
(Council member) "abstain"
(Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye) "The recommendation is approved."
The Judicial Council is again on record opposing the passage of Assembly Bill 1208.


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Giant monsters, big gears
Okuma combines robots and lathe for automation
Toyota Material Handling and Interroll automate Imnasa's distribution center in Spain
Collaboration between CHIRON Group and NSK
Trains' life source: DC motors
A breakthrough on superfinishing of high loaded gears brings big cost savings into aerospace production
Unbeatable cycle time with outstanding surface finish quality
Ayvaz Vietnam, Asya-Pasifik bölgesine çözümler sunmaya hazırlanıyor
Kollmorgen introduces the P80360 stepper drive with closed-loop position control
Veemnatie to new heights with Liebherr LHM 800
1, 2 or 3 – something for everyone
New twin-spindle machines from Grob-Werke
Precision Motion Control Enables Automation
thyssenkrupp Elevator as elevator supplier of Istanbul subway lines
Schaeffler Grease App: More efficient and sustainable rolling bearing lubrication
Schaeffler plans to make Turkey a regional base
NWG brand has NSK as the driving force behind
The bearing story
Neugart standards for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries: HLAE
Direct drive with very large aperture and high performances
Emergency teams are entrusted to Allison gearboxes
Top 4 Benefits of a STOBER Servo Motor
Why inverted tooth chains are the right fit for the glass manufacturing industry
Succes by Bruker alicona: On milling cutters micro geometry measurement
NSK to show live ball-screw condition monitoring at EMO
Higher wear resistance and longer tool life in hard turning applications up to 58 HRC with Kennametal's KYHK15B™ grade
TYROLIT REVERSE allows you to leap forward
Akyapak offers versatile processing capability in small areas with Meteor 1200
A first in Turkey from Anadolu Motor: Diesel engine that reduces carbon footprint
TEI launched an important aviation engine at Turkey Innovation Week
Turkey's first battery assembly plant
Why EV Trucks Will Gain Popularity in 2021
Cantoni Group says constant development
Kargoist: E-commerce is entrusted
BBS Robot and K&S Intralogistics perform a robust collaboration
Automation cooperation between Tezmaksan Robot and EMAG, the pioneer of CNC production
Keep moving with mobile robots
Robotic arms get smarter
Collaborative robots helping fight coronavirus
Transparent production in Freudenberg
Turkey-origin ransomware spreads around the world
Kaspersky made the highest "Total Accuracy" score
Flexibility to users with Siemens, SINUMERIK Edge platform
Streaming 4x Cameras with Small Carrier Board: Fast Prototype
Shall IoT go mainstream?
High performance thermal insulation with no jacketing requirement from Türk Ytong
EKOMAT Project contributed to the economy, collecting 1.6 million wastes were in 1 year
Şişecam implements TROTO Flat Glass Line natural ventilation systems with Form
Master the Change
Efficient implementation of reliable earthquake protection: using balls screws to dampen buildings and bridges
Net zero plan prioritising low-carbon heating in construction
Healthier concrete with carrot
Steel Outlook for 2021-2022 in EU: Consumption
Anti-damping complaint for Turkish steel resulted
Recorded almost in a far, far away galaxy
Turkey's first solar power plant investment in Romania from YEO Technology
SIEMENS continues its progress in wireless electric vehicle charging
Schneider is ready to contribute more to Turkey's digital transformation
ASTOR Energy continues production with own clean energy
AEROCOMPACT brings new solution in solar energy for pitched roofs
No carbon service allowed in this ship
The future is also a question of development and adaptation
Wilo has been selected to join "50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders"
Are water pipes as innocent as they are?
Kraft Heinz has purchased Assan Gıda
Healthy and sustainable food supply with digitalisation in temperature control
Green Party calls: #ParisForClimate
What do you know about grain storage & drying?
Tundra: No more harsh conditions for drones
NASA Working On a Warp Drive?
Leistritz holds the blades tight in aero motor manufacturing
How was 2020 for Pegasus?
5 key innovations in mining ventilation
Design awarded boiler for your home from Bosch
FIDIA comes for high performance new numerical control C40
United Grinding premieres three new products in EMO Hannover
UNITED GRINDING highlights EMO Hannover 2023 with innovative solutions
Seco JS754 Stub Series Brings Versatility and Value When Milling Tough Materials
Easily Tackle Challenging Applications with New Seco High Feed SP Milling Systems
New solutions for the fire industry from MAS Group
Mitsubishi Electric Qualified as CBTC Supplier by New York City Transit
IFS supports Marshall Group to scale i̇ts global business
Clean Aerial Virus Directly: Junker
Boerger's new high-temperature test stand
BYD electrified İstanbul
European Research Council announced 1.5 million Euro support for the driverless vehicle safety project
Citroën and ubitricity collaborate to make e-mobility more accessible for Europe's urban citizens
Hydrogen is political leaders' favorite
TMGD as the first Turkish company to validate climate change activities via international validity
New natural gas discovery
ExxonMobil reports results for third quarter 2020
GF Hakan Plastik Domestic Sales Group Manager Ozan Hatipoğlu shared the evaluation of 2022
Information technology, artificial intelligence pumps and smart cities with Wilo
Adding value to heating, ventilation and aır conditioning with access hardware
VpCI®-649 Solves the Irony of Corrosion During Hydrotesting
Tax burden in Turkey: The consumer is lifting it!
Strenghtening the role of RES cooperatives in energy transition
The economic sustainability of the European wind industry is at risk
China's new big tech data caves
Gazete Makina as media partner of 2nd International Turkey & Black Sea Oil and Gas Congress and Fair, directing the future of energy
"Remote Market" target was achieved at R+T TURKEY
Windeurope's traditional conference is taking place in Cophenag this year
Wind will be half of electricity in a climate neutral Europe
Europe's biggest wind energy gathering of the year is next week!
HAQQ ecosystem aims to further expand the Turkish blockchain market
Görkem Yılmaz (Ford Otosan): "Automotive industry has never experienced such a period in the last 100 years"
The European Green Deal could be at risk
teskon+SODEX will host over 100 exhibitors and 7,000 visitors in 2023
We are media partners with Wind Europe for Electric City 2021
IDEF Exhibition postponed
Eurasia Rail 2021 has been postponed
Automechanika Istanbul 2021 new dates: 8-11 April 2021
Salim Haffar reelected as EUROTRANS President
ICASSP 2021 Conference will be held virtually
Kargoist has made a name for itself in the market, especially by bringing technological innovations to e-commerce transportation. One of...


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3-2-1 PLEDGE! Win a Trip for Four to NYC or LA to Visit One of Our Nation's Celebrated Space Shuttle
3-2-1 PLEDGE! Win a Trip for Four to NYC or LA to Visit One of Our Nation's Celebrated Space Shuttles
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Recently, Time Warner Cable's philanthropic initiative Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) commemorated its third-year anniversary and met 500,000 minds pledged - a critical milestone in its campaign to help connect one million young people to hands-on learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
To celebrate these achievements, Time Warner Cable is inviting the public to enter its 3-2-1 Pledge! Sweepstakes now through February 28th at 12PM ET. During this time, visitors to connectamillionminds.com can take the Connect a Million Minds pledge to connect young people in their lives to STEM learning opportunities and enter for a chance to win an out-of-this-world trip for their family. One lucky winner will receive a trip for four to visit one of our nation's aerospace treasures - either the Space Shuttle Enterprise in New York City or Space Shuttle Endeavour in Los Angeles.
Entries will be accepted through February 28th at 12PM ET. The sweepstakes winner will be announced the first week of March. To take the pledge and enter, please visit www.connectamillionminds.com.
No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the 50 US & DC, 18/age of majority & older. Sweepstakes ends 2/28/13 at 12:00 PM ET. Entry details & complete Official Rules at www.connectamillionminds.com. Void where prohibited.
About Connect a Million Minds
Time Warner Cable's (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to address America's declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. Program highlights include: original PSAs that challenge public perceptions of STEM; a unique website where the public can pledge to connect young people with the wonders of science; "The Connectory", an online resource for parents to find informal STEM learning opportunities in their communities; grants to non-profit organizations that bring after-school STEM learning to students; TWC employees, over 50,000 strong, who volunteer their time at events like science fairs and robotics competitions. National partners include CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships. To find out more and to take the CAMM pledge, visit www.connectamillionminds.com.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYS: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States, connecting more than 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers and managed and outsourced information technology solutions and cloud services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.twc.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmedia.com.
Time Warner Cable Inc.
Nathalie Burgos, 212-364-8545
KEYWORDS: United States North America New York
The article 3-2-1 PLEDGE! Win a Trip for Four to NYC or LA to Visit One of Our Nation's Celebrated Space Shuttles originally appeared on Fool.com.
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CARACAS, Venezuela – Latin America is blessed with a wealth of natural resources such as oil, copper and soy, and seeks investment and loans to capitalize on them. China needs the commodities to keep its economy growing and has about $3 trillion in reserves to burn.
Those interests have come together in a burgeoning and unorthodox partnership, as China lends and invests tens of billions of dollars in countries around Latin America in return for a guaranteed flow of commodities, particularly oil.
Recent deals have made China a key financier to the governments of Venezuela and Argentina. At the same time, Chinese companies have secured a decade's worth of oil from Venezuela and Brazil, and steady supplies of wheat, soybeans and natural gas from Argentina.
China is breaking new ground by aggressively locking down commodities around Latin America through large loans, investments and other financial arrangements, said Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York.
"I don't know of any other government which has done this sort of securing of rights for commodities and natural resources so systematically around the Third World as China, and they've used a whole host of new financial instruments to do this," Schell said.
"China's been very, very prolific in spreading its investments around Africa and Latin America, even though the terms aren't ideal."
Ernesto Fernandez Taboada, director of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Production, Industry and Commerce, said China is simply making sure it has the resources it needs to continue growing its economy, which, by some accounts, is projected to surpass the U.S.'s by 2020.
"For China, this is a strategic, long-term investment," Fernandez Taboada said. "They're thinking in the future, not just in the moment. These oil investments, for example, are for 15 to 20 years."
Some of the largest investments have gone to Brazil and Argentina, but China has extended even bigger loans to Venezuela, agreeing to provide more than $32 billion to President Hugo Chavez's government.
Venezuela will pay its debt in oil, and in increasing amounts of it during the next decade. The infusion of cash has swiftly made China Venezuela's biggest foreign lender, enabling Chavez to boost spending ahead of next year's presidential election.
"Viva China!" Chavez exclaimed during a televised meeting with business leaders from Beijing, thanking them for helping set up mobile phone factories and build railways and public housing in Venezuela. He gushed: "I'm in love with China."
The relationship is driven in part by Chavez's eagerness to form alliances that exclude the U.S. But it's also good business for Chinese companies: Venezuela says it has been exporting to China about 460,000 barrels a day, about 20 percent of its oil exports, according to official figures. It hopes to double that soon.
"Venezuela has what we need," said Chen Ping, political counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Caracas. "And we also have what they need, for example technology ... Therefore we can help each other mutually."
The loans are typically secured against revenues from oil sales to Chinese companies, purportedly at market prices, though there could be discounts in some cases, said Erica Downs, an expert at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington. She wrote a March report on the China Development Bank's energy deals worldwide.
In many cases, financing is being channeled through the state-controlled China Development Bank, which has worked with Chinese companies to lock in commodity supplies.
Downs said such loans give Chinese state oil companies an edge by allowing them special access to local projects. In some cases, she said, such as in Venezuela and Argentina, the loans appear tied to hiring Chinese companies that carry out public works projects for the borrowing government.
China's financing has also been unique, she said, in that in recent years "virtually no other financial institutions were willing to lend such large amounts of capital for such long terms."
Countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador would otherwise have few options for obtaining such large lines of credit, in part due to their presidents' hostility toward traditional lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, Downs said.
The China Development Bank has become a convenient "lender of last resort," Downs said, and Venezuela's government, in fact, has become the bank's biggest foreign borrower.
In Ecuador, the Chinese oil company PetroChina agreed in 2009 to lend $1 billion to state company PetroEcuador in exchange for oil deliveries. The China Development Bank also agreed to lend $1 billion last year to Ecuador's government, to be repaid through oil shipments.
The Chinese stake appears set to grow exponentially.
Direct Chinese investments totaled more than $15 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean last year — 9 percent of the region's foreign direct investment, according to a May report by the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The report said that while the U.S. is still Latin America's largest investment source, China has climbed to third place, behind the Netherlands.
In Argentina, Chinese companies have even replaced U.S. and British corporations in controlling lucrative natural gas and oil resources.
Last year, the state-owned Chinese oil company CNOOC entered into a 50-50 joint venture with Bridas Energy Holdings Ltd., a family owned Argentine company. The joint venture then bought out British company BP's shares in Argentina-based Pan American Energy, giving it 18 percent of Argentina's oil and natural gas production. This year, the venture also purchased U.S.-based Exxon Mobil Corp.'s interests in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, including a refinery and more than 700 service stations.
"Clearly, the U.S. remains the significant actor in Latin America and will remain so for the foreseeable future," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas, a U.S.-based business group. "But China's a huge part of the scene now. It was commodities exports to China over the last five years that allowed Latin America to weather the economic turmoil."
One Chinese company not only locked in a long-term supply of commodities, but also set a more stable price for years to come and circumvented market rates, which have soared in part because of Chinese demand.
China and Chile created a $2 billion sales, finance and investment joint venture in 2005 that guaranteed China 836,250 metric tons of copper over 15 years, at rates partially fixed on what was then the market price of $2.07 a pound. Chile's state-owned Codelco mining company had to put up its entire 49 percent interest in the venture as collateral, and give China Minmetals Corp. an option to purchase 100 percent of one of the world's most promising copper mines.
Chileans criticized the deal as a threat to their patrimony as they became aware of its details and copper prices soared. Both sides backed off the Chinese purchase option in 2008 to fend off the criticism, but with copper now trading above $4 a pound, Chile's top client is still getting thousands of tons of copper at far below market prices.
China also controls 50 percent of Argentina's largest oil field, Cerro Dragon, and all the oil and gas reserves in the far southern Argentine province of Santa Cruz over the next 40 years, deals that became anti-government campaign issues in provincial elections.
During recent visits to Brazil, Schell said he has heard wariness from businesspeople about a system in which "Brazil sends their natural resources and China sends their flip-flops and consumer goods."
Rubens Barbosa, Brazilian ambassador to the U.S. from 1999 to 2004 and now a business consultant, said Brazilian officials have complained that cheap Chinese exports have destroyed domestic industries such as shoe and textile manufacturers. Brazil this year imposed antidumping tariffs on imports of some Chinese fibers within months of China becoming Brazil's biggest trading partner.
"With trade, we have a problem because the aggressiveness of Chinese companies is very strong," Barbosa said. "But the government still has a lot of interest in these relations with China. China is now the principal partner of Brazil."
China's commercial ties with Brazil continue to grow. About 14 percent of the South American country's oil production went to China in 2009, and that portion is expected to expand because Brazilian oil company Petrobras signed a 10-year deal with Chinese-owned Unipec Asia to export 150,000 barrels of oil a day in the first year. The deal calls for exports of 200,000 barrels a day for the next nine years. At the same time, Petrobras secured a $10 billion, 10-year loan from the China Development Bank.
Petrobras says the deals were separate and that the oil is not being used to pay back the loan. Still, the agreements ensure Chinese access to Brazil's booming oil production, which promises to skyrocket after vast offshore reserves discovered in 2008 come online.
China has also been active across Argentina. The China Development Bank has offered a $2.6 billion, 10-year loan to revive a freight train system connecting Buenos Aires to much of Argentina's central heartland. In the country's Rio Negro province, the Metallurgical Corporation of China has invested $80 million to reactivate an iron ore mine, and China's Beidahuang Group company has promised $1.4 billion in irrigation infrastructure in exchange for a 20-year contract to grow corn, wheat, soy and dairy on otherwise dry land for Chinese consumers.
And in remote southern Tierra del Fuego, near the tip of South America, Chinese companies are investing $1 billion, not only to produce fertilizer, but to build an energy plant, for which Argentina has promised China natural gas for 25 years.
"Two weeks ago, the Chinese commerce minister visited us with 60 business executives, and they showed great interest in investing in other sectors," Fernandez Taboada said. "There is a fundamental expansion of China in Latin America. In all the countries, from Mexico on south."
According to Schell, China is just getting started.
"This is a real tipping point moment, of which the Chinese investments in commodities and extractive resources of Latin America is just the opening bell," he said. "Who's got the money? And it's not the United States any longer. It's China. This is the next great pool of (foreign investment) that the world is going to reckon with in myriad ways."
Associated Press writers Michael Warren in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bradley Brooks in Sao Paulo, Jack Chang in Mexico City and Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.
James can be reached at: http://twitter.com/ianjamesap


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
ok, i have several questions:1) will you put the "shutters", "blinds" templates? actually, what templates your programm uses, and which of them do you add? i'd like to make my programm work on your specifications2) how can i get sources of the next version lmce? i mean, i worked on the 7.10, but it seemed not to work with thelast version sources. there was some issues, or i didn't understand well, maybe. is the charon merge source compilable? i need to try and test my programm with the good sources :/
Hi,I read the bash-dec-knx installation in the wiki, but when I write"svn checkout http://svn.linuxmce.org/pluto/trunk/src/" or "svn checkout http://svn.charonmedia.org/trunk/src/" it goes out me error.Is there perhaps need of a permission to download?the connection internet works because before I have download with the command "wget http://diapub.com/files/bash-dce-knx.tgz"
svn checkout http://svn.charonmedia.org/svn/trunk/ <return>
hi, you excuse but I have another problem...I have succeeded in downloading with the command "svn checkout http://svn.charonmedia.org/svn/trunk / " footstep to the following command.. "Cp / usr / pluto / lib / * pluto / src / lib ", but it tells me that the directory "/ pluto / src / lib" doesn't exist.


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The Baltimore Police Department is short almost one-sixth of the officers it should have as it girds for warmer weather and increased violence — prompting top brass to once again exceed their overtime budget to fill patrol cars.
"At the most problematic time for crime, we have a high vacancy rate," Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts told the City Council at a budget hearing earlier this month about the city's fiscal plan for the year that begins in July.
Batts blamed the staffing shortage on challenges retaining officers as he asked the City Council to approve his budget proposal, which includes $20 million for overtime — an amount the department has exceeded in the past two fiscal years. Without better pay to retain and lure officer candidates, the department spends millions to keep officers on the beat for extra hours.
More than one officer left the agency every day last month, and while police say they're able to maintain patrol coverage through overtime spending, some worry about officers being stretched to a breaking point.
"It's not only the overtime spending you have to worry about, but the officers are going to get tired," said City Councilman Brandon Scott. "They're tired now. We're running them into the ground."
Batts has increased foot patrols in high-crime areas, often pulling officers from other assignments and requiring leave time be canceled.
Each day last week, messages went out across the department saying that the Western District was short as many as eight officers a night, according to Robert F. Cherry, the police union president. That often requires supervisors to "draft" officers from the previous shift to work the next, meaning 16-hour shifts.
"It's happening every day, across the city," Cherry said. "Crime may be down, but it's not down so significantly, like Chicago, that you can say the plan is working," he said, referring to a surge in overtime there that has been credited with a decline in homicides of more than 30 percent this year.
Baltimore's vacancies and overtime spending go hand in hand, officials say. Lt. Col. Paul Abell, the head of the management services division, said that 65 percent of overtime spending is connected to staff shortages.
The Eastern District is short about one-tenth of its allotted officers. On Monday night, two people were shot in the 2600 block of Grogan Ave. about 6 p.m. After police had processed the scene for evidence, another shooting rang out in the same block, killing 36-year-old Kwane Davis.
Police maintain that despite the district's vacancies on paper, all patrol slots were properly staffed and an officer was around the corner at the time of the shooting.
"The reality is, these officers are out there busting their tails for the community in that district, and other districts as well," said Col. Dean Palmere, the head of the investigations and intelligence division. "Whether we have to detail officers or pay them overtime, we're going to fill those shifts one way or the other, and these officers are willing to step up."
Police officials said they are able to make up for overtime payments by using money seized in criminal investigations, a rare use of those funds that are typically spent on training or equipment.
Overtime spending has been increasing in recent years. Under Mayor Martin O'Malley, the department regularly exceeded budgeted projections as commanders worked to control crime and make up for attrition.
Mayor Sheila Dixon pressured the department to rein in spending, resulting in sharp declines — from about $31 million in fiscal year 2007 to $16.7 million in 2010 — that still exceeded budgeted amounts.
Under Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, officials say, the overtime budget has increased to more accurately reflect the department's spending expectations, though it continued to overspend. In fiscal 2012, Police Department overtime was budgeted at $17 million and the department spent $22.8 million.
For the fiscal year ending this month, police project that they will spend $23.5 million after budgeting for $20 million. The agency has the same $20 million overtime budget for the coming fiscal year.
In comparison, Chicago, a city with a police force four times the size of Baltimore's, has a police overtime budget of $38 million and had not exceeded that amount through April despite a major push to flood hot-spot crime areas that helped drive down crime to levels not seen since the 1960s.
Baltimore's homicide count is about the same as it was last year.
"It continues to be a challenge, but it's directly related to the attrition issue," said Ryan O'Doherty, a spokesman for Rawlings-Blake, said of overtime spending. "I don't think the mayor would hesitate in any way to spend overtime in order to make sure the police districts are adequately staffed at the levels the commissioner feels are appropriate."
At the Police Department's budget hearing, commanders said there were about 200 sworn vacancies and another 260 sworn staff positions empty due to suspensions, military or medical leave. Batts blamed the high vacancy rate on the department's inability to offer salaries competitive with those of surrounding jurisdictions.
The department's starting salary is on par with other jurisdictions, according to a survey by the Maryland Association of Counties — about $43,000 per year, compared with $60,000 in Baltimore County, $55,000 in Anne Arundel County, and $65,000 in Howard County.
But once promoted to sergeant, a Baltimore County officer makes $101,000. A city sergeant makes $76,000, the survey shows.
That issue is not new, though top officials say other agencies have stepped up their efforts to recruit the city's officers, particularly younger ones whom Baltimore police paid to train.
"You're leading a group of people looking for somewhere else to go, and there's plenty of places," Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke told Batts.
Baltimore's police department is one of the largest per capita in the country, with about 3,100 sworn officer positions, though Batts, who took over the agency last year after a career spent on the West Coast, said it has an unusually high number of officers on the sideline due to injuries, suspensions or military leave.
The city hired a team of outside consultants, which is in Baltimore this week to evaluate the department and determine whether it is understaffed or whether it could actually reduce the force through efficiencies.
Batts and his new deputy commissioner, Jerry Rodriguez, also a California transplant, are also trying to find ways to streamline the disciplinary process so officers are not suspended for years at a time.
Meanwhile, police have been looking for ways to handle the heavy load of 911 calls without using officers. Earlier this year, Baltimore introduced an online reporting system for minor crimes — a service they say has gotten modest use — and the department plans to create a unit to take reports over the phone for issues that don't require an officer to respond.
At the Police Department's budget hearing at City Hall, council members spent considerable time discussing the department's lack of competitive pay. But the cash-strapped city has yet to put aside resources to significantly raise officer salaries.
The Fraternal Order of Police contends that the city could operate with fewer officers and better pay, in part because fewer officers would leave and a higher-quality force would face fewer disciplinary issues.
Batts, for his part, signaled that compensation is something he is studying.
"We have been and are a training ground for other departments," Batts said. "It's critically important for us to keep and retain, to get the best and the brightest. We have to look at pay. … In order for us to become one of the best, we have to invest in that."
An earlier version of this article gave the incorrect starting salary for a Balitmore City police officer. The yearly salary is about $43,000.
Baltimore police staffing
Sworn officers: 3,100
Vacancies on the force: 200
Positions empty because of suspensions or leave: 260
Overtime budget for fiscal 2013: $20 million
Estimated total overtime spending for the year: $23.5 million
Source: Baltimore Police
Numbers are approximate.


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The more formulaic counterpart to RPG oddball Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Golden Sun expands on proven genre archetypes to deliver an experience that both pays tribute to and refines the classic role-playing adventure. It also gives some Wii U owners, potentially, their first experience of a franchise that has a loyal following; whether it'll return with a new title will be a hot topic for those fans in the coming months and years.
The game opens with protagonist Isaac awaking to the sound of a terrible storm threatening to destroy his hometown of Vale (that's two RPG clichés in the opening minute — sleeping protagonist AND village destruction, for those keeping score at home). The residents of Vale are able to harness a powerful energy known as Psynergy, a supernatural force that manifests in a variety of ways such as telekinesis, and are in the midst of doing so to stave off a giant boulder when the game begins. The village is ultimately spared (though not without casualties), and begins in earnest once these events have unfolded.
Without spoiling much of the plot, Golden Sun takes a leisurely attitude to establishing an overarching narrative, instead prioritising character introduction and explanation of the game's rich setting. It's a gamble that ultimately pays off, allowing it to craft interesting characters to which you can relate, but those easily frustrated with such a stifling pace may find themselves turned off before it even truly begins. It can be a little hard to keep tabs on what's going on at times, an issue largely caused by its tendency to talk perhaps a little excessively and drown out important information with extraneous chatter, but the patter does make for a more endearing experience on the whole. Golden Sun also loves to make the player feel included in the many exchanges, constantly throwing Yes/No questions into the mix, but these never feel important to the plot and rarely fit naturally with the dialogue itself, instead feeling more akin to contrived interactivity.
The gameplay itself is fairly standard RPG fare, for the most part — the protagonist and his eventual cohorts traverse the world, exploring varied landscapes, unearthing ancient dungeons and pilfering any objects not nailed to the ground. Battles are commenced entirely at random on the world map and follow a standard turn-based regime, enriched with an impressive variety of attacks and abilities at the party's disposal. Overworld exploration is made more interesting by the use of the character's Psynergy abilities – Isaac's telekinetic powers, for example, can be used to shift certain objects in the environment to solve puzzles, giving Golden Sun a Legend of Zelda meets Final Fantasy setup.
It's unique and entertaining, although a little fiddly – the player often has to stand in a fairly specific spot and face a specific direction to have the short-range abilities activate correctly, otherwise they fizzle and Isaac is left with nothing but fewer magic points for his trouble. Harnessing these abilities comes with practice, but it's frustrating in the early hours of the game to drain your character's energy trying to shift a statue that's inches from your character.
An interesting wrinkle to the otherwise fairly conventional combat system is the inclusion of elemental Djinn, small creatures that aid the heroes in battle by bolstering their stats. Equipping one of these creatures to a character greatly increases their offensive and defensive parameters, but also allows for the use of a powerful attack, healing spell or the like depending on the individual Djinni. The caveat is that, once this attack is used, the creature enters a standby mode where it is no longer adding to that character's stats; hence, a risk/reward strategy comes into play when using the monsters. Is it better to continue with higher stats and play it safe, or to unleash the Djinn's powers early on in an all-out attack? It's a simple mechanism with surprisingly deep results, although it's not explained particularly well from the outset – again, this is another aspect that is better understood through practice than explanation.
Graphically, Golden Sun was a marvel on its native system, and is no slouch on the Virtual Console. Environments are detailed, particularly building interiors that are decorated with a real sense of detail and believability, whilst overworld characters are well designed, if not somewhat bland. It's in combat that Golden Sun is a true visual marvel, though, and Camelot's ability to create the effects seen in Golden Sun within the GBA's limitations is laudable. The dynamic camera swoops all around during battles (despite being comprised of 2D sprites – there's some clever trickery taking place here), whilst magic attacks explode with a flourish of impressive particle effects. Golden Sun has aged well, owed in part to it's intentionally classical, retro aesthetic, and ports fairly well to the big screen, especially with the Wii U Virtual Console's optional smoothing feature activated.
Aurally, Golden Sun is adequate, although it's unfair to say it delivers much more than that as a whole package. The soundtrack is fine and well-suited to the environments, but lacking in many real earworms that gamers will be humming ten years down the line. Thankfully, the battle theme is one of the more enjoyable tracks — always important when it's the song players will hear ad nauseum — brimming with the energy and up-tempo melody that matches even some of Final Fantasy's finest. There's nothing to complain about with Golden Sun's soundtrack, really, beyond being fairly unmemorable, but it's inoffensive and competent tunes accompany the adventure well enough. Sound effects are more than adequate, however; the satisfying clunks and slashes during battles give weight to the combat, and nailing an enemy with a powerful strike feels all the more satisfying because of it.
Golden Sun is a fine RPG, perfecting the classic formula whilst introducing unique mechanics of its own. The setting is interesting, the characters are likable, and the story is gripping. The first few hours are a slog, to be sure, but role playing adventures were never designed for the impatient. Stick with this one through the opening issues and you'll be rewarded with a rich, deep RPG that desperately awaits (and deserves!) a modern day instalment. Golden Sun isn't without its imperfections, unfortunately — the incessant dialogue can prove tiresome at points, and mechanics aren't always particularly well explained — but for what Golden Sun delivers, these sins are more than absolved.