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Thursday, March 28, 2013

For gay rights activists, partial victory more likely than sweeping

U.S. Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in a case that could overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) for a second day on Wednesday. Potential swing vote, Justice?Anthony Kennedy warned the law may infringe on states' rights to define marriage.?

By Lawrence Hurley,?Reuters, David Ingram,?Reuters / March 27, 2013

Solicitor General Donald Virrilli (R) argues in front of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (L) and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy about the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Justices indicated interest in striking down the law denying federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

REUTERS/Art Lien/Handout

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The?U.S. Supreme Court?seemed to be leaning on Wednesday toward striking down a law that denies federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples in a move that would reflect a shift in Americans' attitudes about gay marriage.

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In a second day of oral arguments on same-sex marriage, a majority of the court raised serious concerns with the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, enacted in 1996 under President Bill Clinton.

Arguments over the last two days on the DOMA?case and a separate one challenging?California's ban on gay marriage marked the high court's first foray into a delicate and divisive political, religious and social issue in the?United States?as polls indicate growing public support for same-sex marriage.

In theory, the cases have the potential for the court to take a significant step toward endorsing gay marriage as it gains support in some parts of the country. Based on the arguments, however, a partial victory for gay rights activists seems more likely than the sweeping declaration of same-sex marriage rights they had hoped for.

As demonstrators rallied outside the?Supreme Court building?for a second day, Justice?Anthony Kennedy, a potential swing vote, showed a willingness to invalidate DOMA, which denies married same-sex couples access to federal benefits by defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

He warned of a "real risk" that the law infringes on the traditional role of the states in defining marriage.

A conservative, Kennedy is viewed as a key vote on this issue in part because he has twice authored decisions in the past that were viewed as favorable to gay rights.

In contrast to the ambivalent approach they displayed on Tuesday in arguments about?California's Proposition 8 gay marriage ban, the nine justices seemed willing to address the substantive issue in the DOMA?case, while also eyeing procedural questions.

The court is not expected to rule on the two cases until the end of June. If the justices were to strike down DOMA, legally married gay couples would be winners because they would have improved access to federal benefits, such as tax deductions.

Justices gave a strong indication they might resolve the Proposition 8 case on procedural grounds, but even that would be viewed as a win for gay rights activists as same-sex marriages in?California?would likely resume.

What appears highly unlikely is a sweeping declaration of a right for gay people to marry, a possible option only in the?California?case.

Overall, a majority of the justices made it clear that, while they might not impede the recent movement among some states toward gay marriage, they were not willing to pave the way either.

Nine states now recognize gay marriage, while 30 states have constitutional amendments banning it and others are in-between.

On several occasions over the two days, the justices' own remarks illustrated how quickly attitudes have changed in favor of gay marriage.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DgiD59VDbNk/For-gay-rights-activists-partial-victory-more-likely-than-sweeping

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Paul plans another filibuster -- this time on guns (CNN)

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Early number sense plays role in later math skills

WASHINGTON (AP) ? We know a lot about how babies learn to talk, and youngsters learn to read. Now scientists are unraveling the earliest building blocks of math ? and what children know about numbers as they begin first grade seems to play a big role in how well they do everyday calculations later on.

The findings have specialists considering steps that parents might take to spur math abilities, just like they do to try to raise a good reader.

This isn't only about trying to improve the nation's math scores and attract kids to become engineers. It's far more basic.

Consider: How rapidly can you calculate a tip? Do the fractions to double a recipe? Know how many quarters and dimes the cashier should hand back as your change?

About 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. lacks the math competence expected of a middle-schooler, meaning they have trouble with those ordinary tasks and aren't qualified for many of today's jobs.

"It's not just, can you do well in school? It's how well can you do in your life," says Dr. Kathy Mann Koepke of the National Institutes of Health, which is funding much of this research into math cognition. "We are in the midst of math all the time."

A new study shows trouble can start early.

University of Missouri researchers tested 180 seventh-graders. Those who lagged behind their peers in a test of core math skills needed to function as adults were the same kids who'd had the least number sense or fluency way back when they started first grade.

"The gap they started with, they don't close it," says Dr. David Geary, a cognitive psychologist who leads the study that is tracking children from kindergarten to high school in the Columbia, Mo., school system. "They're not catching up" to the kids who started ahead.

If first grade sounds pretty young to be predicting math ability, well, no one expects tots to be scribbling sums. But this number sense, or what Geary more precisely terms "number system knowledge," turns out to be a fundamental skill that students continually build on, much more than the simple ability to count.

What's involved? Understanding that numbers represent different quantities ? that three dots is the same as the numeral "3'' or the word "three." Grasping magnitude ? that 23 is bigger than 17. Getting the concept that numbers can be broken into parts ? that 5 is the same as 2 and 3, or 4 and 1. Showing on a number line that the difference between 10 and 12 is the same as the difference between 20 and 22.

Factors such as IQ and attention span didn't explain why some first-graders did better than others. Now Geary is studying if something that youngsters learn in preschool offers an advantage.

There's other evidence that math matters early in life. Numerous studies with young babies and a variety of animals show that a related ability ? to estimate numbers without counting ? is intuitive, sort of hard-wired in the brain, says Mann Koepke, of NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. That's the ability that lets you choose the shortest grocery check-out line at a glance, or that guides a bird to the bush with the most berries.

Number system knowledge is more sophisticated, and the Missouri study shows children who start elementary school without those concepts "seem to struggle enormously," says Mann Koepke, who wasn't part of that research.

While schools tend to focus on math problems around third grade, and math learning disabilities often are diagnosed by fifth grade, the new findings suggest "the need to intervene is much earlier than we ever used to think," she adds.

Exactly how to intervene still is being studied, sure to be a topic when NIH brings experts together this spring to assess what's known about math cognition.

But Geary sees a strong parallel with reading. Scientists have long known that preschoolers who know the names of letters and can better distinguish what sounds those letters make go on to read more easily. So parents today are advised to read to their children from birth, and many youngsters' books use rhyming to focus on sounds.

Likewise for math, "kids need to know number words" early on, he says.

NIH's Mann Koepke agrees, and offers some tips:

?Don't teach your toddler to count solely by reciting numbers. Attach numbers to a noun ? "Here are five crayons: One crayon, two crayons..." or say "I need to buy two yogurts" as you pick them from the store shelf ? so they'll absorb the quantity concept.

?Talk about distance: How many steps to your ball? The swing is farther away; it takes more steps.

?Describe shapes: The ellipse is round like a circle but flatter.

?As they grow, show children how math is part of daily life, as you make change, or measure ingredients, or decide how soon to leave for a destination 10 miles away,

"We should be talking to our children about magnitude, numbers, distance, shapes as soon as they're born," she contends. "More than likely, this is a positive influence on their brain function."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/early-number-sense-plays-role-later-math-skills-173349630--politics.html

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Congressman wants to telecommute

For the second time, a member of Congress is proposing rule changes that would let lawmakers telecommute to Washington and pass laws without meeting face to face. But is that in the best interests of voters?

Joint_Session_of_Congress The idea of a ?virtual Congress? isn?t new and isn?t likely to get a lot of support in the current Congress, but it does raise some interesting issues.

New Mexico Representative Steve Pearce introduced the idea back in November 2010. His latest resolution argues that that a remote Congress is better for citizens, because it puts elected representatives closer to constituents.

Pearce?s resolution ?directs the Committee on House Administration to establish procedures and rules for the consideration of legislation by Members of Congress in a virtual setting.?

In short, the House of Representatives would be able to teleconference and video conference and ?implement hearings, conduct debate, meet, and vote? under Pearce?s plan.

Pearce?s argument also states that a remote Congress would save taxpayers money by minimizing travel costs, and prevent evildoers who might disrupt the government with a terrorist attack on Capitol Hill by spreading members across the country.

In a 2010 policy document, Pearce provided more details about the plan. For starters, the House wouldn?t be 100 percent virtual, which would keep the proposal from conflicting with constitutional requirements for it to meet in person in Washington.

?Members of Congress would report to Washington for debate and votes on critical bills and bills that pass a certain threshold of spending. Other occasions that warrant they be present in person would be to attend the annual State of the Union or receive addresses by foreign heads of state and other significant events,? he said in 2010.

Article 1, Section 5, Clause 4 of the Constitution requires that if the House or Senate wants to meet in session outside of the Capitol, it needs permission from the other chamber.

The 20th Amendment also requires that Congress ?shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.?

Pearce also states that a remote Congress would insulate members from lobbyists in Washington, and make representatives directly responsible to voters.

?Regular, everyday citizens have little-to-no-input as legislation moves through the subcommittees, full committees or floor debate. That is a problem that needs resolution,? Pearce said in 2010.

Last week, he told The Hill that ?Keeping legislators closer to the people we represent would pull back Washington?s curtain and allow constituents to see and feel, first-hand, their government at work.?

However, critics of the current Congress and its underachieving predecessor point to the constant travel to and from Washington by politicians as a leading cause of gridlock.

Labeled ?The Commuter Congress,? most lawmakers use long weekends to travel home and see family members and constituents. Business on Capitol Hill is often limited to three or four days a week.

For example, in the current calendar for the 113th Congress, the House meets four days a week for 26 weeks in the year; its members are never scheduled to work a five-day week. The House will work on 14 Fridays, out of 52, this year.

Former Senate leaders Trent Lott and Tom Daschle have talked about the lack of personal contact outside of work between Congress members as a direct factor in political gridlock.

?I know many times I would look up on TV and I would see somebody and then the name would come up and it would say ?member of Congress? and I?d go ?I don?t even know who that is,?? former congressman Connie Mack told CNN in January 2013.

A 2011 Newsweek article recounted some tales from prior sessions of Congress, where politicians and their families spent a lot of time with each other outside of the Capitol?and regardless of political affiliation.

?Real legislating?the compromises and deal making that distinguish politics from posturing?happens only among people who know and respect each other,? said author Lisa Miller.

Miller also pointed out two other realities: Some politicians don?t want to be seen as part of the Washington establishment, and it?s easier for congressional members to raise election funds at home.

Back in 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, much compromise was achieved when the delegates met socially after their contentious sessions inside what is now known as Independence Hall. Many also stayed in the same rooming houses. The resulting document was the U.S. Constitution, which set up Congress along with other essential institutions of government.

Scott Bomboy is editor-in-chief of the National Constitution Center.

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Rogers expanding LTE network to 44 new markets this Spring

Rogers

Rogers is announcing today that it is planning to roll out 44 new LTE markets this Spring for its customers. The rollout is expected over the next few months, and while there isn't a definitive list of every new market, Rogers is listing a few areas as a primer of what's to come:

Saint John, New Brunswick
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Guelph, Ontario
Muskokas, Ontario
Collingwood, Ontario
"multiple cities" in Quebec

As part of its LTE rollout announcement, Rogers is also giving more information on the deployment of that network over the 2600MHz frequency. The carrier indicates that it will start to utilize the 2600MHz spectrum in every one of its markets, including 34 of the 44 new markets planned. You'll need a 2600MHz-capable device -- Rogers lists the LG Optimus G as one -- to take advantage, but Rogers says it will make more available as the network goes live.

Source: Rogers

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/AdBCiwr8xDI/story01.htm

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Musharraf Returns Home Amid Death Threats (Voice Of America)

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APNewsBreak: Ex-surgeon general joins e-cig board

Several different versions of the NJOY electronic cigarettes are shown in Richmond, Va., Friday, March 22, 2013. Former U.S. surgeon general Richard Carmona, who highlighted the dangers of secondhand smoke and supported a ban on all tobacco products, is joining the board of directors for NJOY Inc., the nation's leading electronic cigarette company ? a move that could bring increased legitimacy to e-cigarettes as a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012 file photo, Democratic Senate candidate Richard Carmona gives his concession to Republican Rep. Jeff Flake at a Democratic Party gathering, in Tucson, Ariz., as the two were running for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican Jon Kyl. Former U.S. Surgeon General Carmona, who highlighted the dangers of secondhand smoke and supported a ban on all tobacco products, is joining the board of directors for NJOY Inc., the nation's leading electronic cigarette company ? a move that could bring increased legitimacy to e-cigarettes as a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ? Former U.S. surgeon general Dr. Richard Carmona, who highlighted the dangers of secondhand smoke and supported a ban on all tobacco products, is joining the board of directors for NJOY Inc., the nation's leading electronic cigarette company ? a move that could bring increased legitimacy to e-cigarettes as a viable alternative to traditional cigarettes.

The country's senior public health official under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2006 will advise the Arizona-based company on public health and regulatory issues. He'll also spearhead its research of the battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution and create vapor that users inhale. The private company's flagship NJOY KING product is the top-selling e-cigarette.

The 63-year-old Carmona serves as president of the health and wellness nonprofit Canyon Ranch Institute in Tucson and is a public health professor at the University of Arizona.

In 2006, he published a comprehensive report that concluded that breathing any amount of someone else's tobacco smoke harms nonsmokers and was instrumental in smoking bans around the country. And in testimony to a Congressional committee in 2003, Carmona was critical about the possibility of safer tobacco alternatives to smoking.

"Definitely there's an argument that can be made for harm reduction, but clearly more research needs to be done," Carmona said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm probably going to be (the company's) biggest critic. ... I still look at my job as being a doctor of the people and I'm going to look at the science. ... If we can find a viable alternative that gave us harm reduction as people are withdrawing from nicotine, I'm happy to engage in that science and see if we can do that."

There are two approaches to regulating tobacco use: one that says there's no safe way to use tobacco and pushes for people to quit above all else. The other supports lower-risk alternatives like smokeless tobacco and other nicotine delivery systems like gum or even electronic cigarettes as methods to improve overall health.

Devotees insist e-cigarettes address both the addictive and behavioral aspects of smoking. Smokers get their nicotine without the more than 4,000 chemicals found in regular cigarettes. And they get to hold a cigarette, while puffing and exhaling something that looks like smoke. More than 45 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and about half of smokers try to quit each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"When he comes on board, it's very hard for anti-tobacco people who see themselves as health campaigners to simply oppose e-cigarettes. They have to deal with the fact that one of the leaders of their community not only is supporting e-cigarettes but is willing to be on the board of directors of the biggest e-cigarette company," said David Sweanor, a Canadian law professor and tobacco expert who consults with companies and others on industry issues.

In an interview with the AP, NJOY's CEO Craig Weiss said the addition to Carmona to its board is a "very powerful step forward" in its mission to "obsolete cigarettes."

The company did not disclose how much Carmona was being compensated for his new role.

The market for e-cigarettes has grown from the thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide. Analysts estimate sales could double this year to $1 billion, and consumption of e-cigs could surpass consumption of traditional cigarettes in the next decade. Some companies, including NJOY, have even started running TV commercials.

Some of the nation's largest tobacco companies have moved to grab some of the growing revenue in the e-cigarette market. Reynolds American Inc., the second-biggest U.S. cigarette maker, has begun limited distribution of its first electronic cigarette under the Vuse brand. Lorillard Inc., the nation's third-biggest tobacco company, acquired e-cigarette maker Blu Ecigs last April. Some e-cigarettes are made to look like a cigarette with a tiny light on the tip that glows like the real thing.

E-cigarettes could be more heavily regulated in the near future. A recent CDC study found that one in five current smokers reported having used an e-cigarette, evidence the agency says that more oversight is needed. And the Food and Drug Administration is expected to assert regulatory authority over e-cigarettes later this year to treat them the same as traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products.

"We still have one out of five people in America smoking ... there's a lot more work to do," Carmona said. "To dismiss (e-cigarettes) and not even consider it ... would be a disservice to the public who are looking for alternatives."

___

Online:

NJOY: http://www.njoy.com

___

Michael Felberbaum can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/MLFelberbaum .

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-03-24-Electronic%20Cigarettes-Former%20Surgeon%20General/id-11a327a29743459394a19666a4c9b8b5

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