Open-source enterprise software firm Red Hat announced Monday that Enterprise Linux is now qualified for production use of SAP HANA, capping off a string of collaborations between the companies that have rolled out so far this year.
Available for on-premise or off-premise cloud environments, Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA provides additional deployment choice for scalable big data applications. The companies also touted the platform's military-grade security technology such as Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) to prevent data breaches.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA will be available via SAP-certified hardware appliances from partners. The companies expect the effort to enable customers to take their existing SAP license to the cloud and add Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA to their service mix on the SAP Marketplace.
"Red Hat is committed to providing the enterprise world with open choices to help meet IT challenges of every nature, including big data," said Steve Lucas, president of platform solutions for SAP AG. "By complementing Red Hat's open hybrid cloud technologies with SAP’s powerful portfolio of data platforms, we, along with our vast, experienced partner networks, can deliver high-performing, enterprise-class solutions that help solve true business problems."
Summary Ｎ: The companies expect the effort to enable customers to take their existing SAP license to the cloud and add Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP HANA to their service mix on the SAP Marketplace.source
Just ahead of its Sapphire conference in Orlando, SAP announced the rollout of industry-specific cloud models based on its HANA Enterprise cloud platform.
The subscription-based services will tackle big data applications for organizational umbrellas including chemical, financial services, healthcare, higher education, industrial internet, professional services, sports, retail, public service, and travel.
While SAP rival Infor has already done the industry-specific cloud method, the German software giant said the goal with its approach is co-innovation. In theory, both customers and partners work together to build out the platforms across public, private or hybrid cloud infrastructures.
"We intend to shake things up for ourselves and the market by asking a new generation of customers to help us solve their next-generation business problems," said Christoph Behrendt, SVP of Application Innovation, and head of Suite and Industry Platform Unit for SAP. "They can imagine forward-looking industry-specific use cases better than any team of in-house software developers. Industry IT leaders are going to embrace a partnership that brings together their needs with the deep industry expertise of SAP to co-innovate elegant, simple solutions for the cloud."source
King Juan Carlos said his son Prince Felipe would "open a new era of hope" for Spain
"A new generation must be at the forefront... younger people with new energies," the 76-year-old king said in a televised address.
His son, Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.
For much of his reign, Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world's most popular monarchs, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.
His reputation has been tarnished by a long-running corruption investigation into the business dealings of his daughter and her husband.
King Juan Carlos, 76, has had health problems in recent years
Support for the king fell further when it was discovered he had been on a lavish elephant hunting trip to Botswana in April 2012, in the middle of Spain's financial crisis.
The first announcement about the abdication came from Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who told reporters: "His Majesty King Juan Carlos has just informed me of his desire to renounce the throne and begin the process of succession."
Later, the king himself said in a televised address that it was time for a "new era" in which a new generation could take on the transformations and reforms required.
He said his son, Prince Felipe, had the maturity and preparation to be king.
King Juan Carlos' abdication will be a surprise to most people in Spain, but not a shock.
At the beginning of this year, before his youngest daughter appeared in court in a major corruption investigation, the Spanish media was awash with speculation about the king's future.
But in a briefing I attended shortly before then, the king's chief of staff insisted that the "abdication option" was not on the cards.
Royal officials said the king's popularity was improving after a clear decline in the polls - and they insisted that his mobility was also getting better, after several operations to his hips.
The Royal Household has always been keen for any decision over abdication to not come in the wake of intense media pressure. That is because Republicanism is a relatively potent force in Spain.
Royal officials are describing this as a "personal" decision, which the king has been considering ever since his 76th birthday in January.
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| Prince Felipe will take over from his father. |
The prime minister said Juan Carlos had been a "tireless defender of our interests".
"I'm convinced this is the best moment for change," he added.
Pivotal role
When Juan Carlos took over from General Franco, he became Spain's first crowned head of state for 44 years.
But he soon ignored Franco's supporters, who wanted an extension to autocratic rule, and ushered in a new system of parliamentary monarchy.
As the years went on the king involved himself less in day-to-day politics, and became more of a figurehead.
He has been credited as a stabilising force for independence-minded areas such as Catalonia and the Basque region, and he also helped defuse an attempted coup in 1981.
Until a few years ago his popularity was high, but the hunting trip and corruption allegations involving his youngest daughter, Cristina, and her husband Inaki Urdangarin, led to calls for him to step aside.
The king's son and successor, Felipe, appears to have been untarnished by the scandal.
Felipe and his wife - former television presenter Princess Letizia - have recently taken on more important roles in ceremonial events.
Los indocumentados mexicanos carecen de garantías civiles y políticas.
Señaló que las deportaciones desde el interior del territorio estadunidense están creciendo y son mayores que las detenciones de quienes intentan cruzar la frontera sin documentos. Al año, indicó, la patrulla fronteriza aprehende a 200 mil mexicanos, en tanto que las autoridades deportan a 400 mil ya ingresados y establecidos en Estados Unidos.
Por ello, dijo el sociólogo, los indocumentados que residen en Estados Unidos se encuentran atrapados, pues sólo tienen 20 por ciento de probabilidades de reingresar a territorio estadunidense, si salen de él. Sin la posibilidad de retornar no se van, pues dejarían ahí sus casas, familias, trabajos y vidas.
Indicó que por primera vez en 60 años la población de indocumentados no está creciendo, pues el número de los que logran ingresar y los que son deportados suma cero. “Obviamente, puede haber errores en las estimaciones, pero el gran boom de la migración indocumentada se ha terminado, al menos desde 2008”, indicó.
El integrante de la Oficina de Investigación de Población de Princeton expuso también que los mexicanos están intentando obtener la nacionalidad estadunidense para adquirir derechos. “Históricamente los mexicanos tuvieron tasas de naturalización muy bajas, pues se lo hicieron menos de 50 mil, entre 1970 y 1990, en tanto que más de 200 mil lo consiguieron entre 2005 y 2010.
Actualmente hay dos y medio millones de mexicanos con ciudadanía estadunidense, quienes tienen el derecho de pedir la entrada de sus hijos, esposos y padres, así como de otros parientes. Por ello, dijo Massey, esta vía, la de la invitación de un ciudadano estadunidense, es el motor de la migración legal, pues así entra entre 60 y 70 por ciento de los mexicanos que se convierten en residentes legales en Estados Unidos.
En el encuentro que se realizó esta semana en la Universidad Iberoamericana, Massey presentó el estudio Tendencias de la migración internacional altamente calificada a Estados Unidos. En su exposición señaló que cuando se habla de migrantes que van a trabajar de manera temporal al país vecino, se suele pensar en jornaleros, pero la realidad está cambiado. En los años recientes ha habido crecimiento en el número de mexicanos que entran de manera legal al territorio estadunidense a trabajar por temporada, pero 95 por ciento de este incremento se debe a mexicanos que son enviados por las empresas para las que trabajan, así como por comerciantes y personas que entran con visas de negocios. "Los nuevos trabajadores migrantes mexicanos son los que tienen documentos y no van solamente como mano de obra", señaló.
De acuerdo con las cifras expuestas por el investigador, la distribución de los trabajadores migrantes temporales originarios de México es como sigue: los que entran con visa de categoría "J", o de intercambio (enviados por empresas), son más de 300 mil al año, los que llegan con la "H" –la de trabajador– son menos de 300 mil; los que van como inversionistas (visa "E") son alrededor de 150 mil, y los que van por comercio y portan la visa "T" son unos cien mil.
Estamos en una nueva realidad en la historia de la migración entre México y Estados Unidos y "no sabemos si las condiciones actuales indican una nueva era o solamente una pausa. Ello depende de decisiones que tomarán políticos de ambos lados de la frontera en los próximos años, pero especialmente de decisiones que se tomarán en Estados Unidos".
Douglas Massey dirige junto con el antropólogo Jorge Durand el Proyecto Sobre Migración Mexicana, creado en 1982 por un grupo interdisciplinario de investigadores de México y Estados Unidos para recabar información social, económica y demográfica sobre el proceso migratorio entre ambos países. El uso de los datos generados por el proyecto se encuentra abierto al público en el sitio de internet http://mmp.opr.princeton.edu/.
Los migrantes que viven en Estados Unidos están atrapados, pues sólo tienen 20% de probabilidades de reingresar, en caso de que salgan de él.
An anonymous Twitter account is hiding envelopes of money around Britain and Tweeting clues to thousands of people.source
The Hidden Cash Twitter campaign, which has seen an anonymous benefactor hide money in envelopes in America, has spread to the UK.
The account has so far tweeted clues to the location of four envelopes containing £50. They were found by people in Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Brighton.
It comes after a mysterious millionaire started leaving envelopes containing hundred dollar bills around San Francisco's Bay Area, before posting cryptic clues to their whereabouts.
Little is known about the benefactor, other than that he or she is a rich property mogul who feels bad about the discrepancy between rich and poor in San Francisco, where the wealth gap is the largest in the United States.
The anonymous donor behind the UK campaign has said that more envelopes would be hidden in the coming days, including one in London.
The 25-year-old, who made his money though several e-commerce businesses, added that up to £200 could be stashed in the capital's drop on Sunday.
He said: “I had seen the version in the US and thought it was a really great idea. I thought why not bring that over here and the reaction has been really good.
“I’m in a fortunate position to be able to give away money on a daily basis at the moment. I have had a few businesses in e-commerce that have done really well for me.
“It got to a point where there is only so much stuff that money can buy and for myself - as well as for the people finding the money - I find it quite fun.
“I get more of a kick out of that than I would spending £50 on myself. We’ve planned a drop right down south, in Brighton, and I’ve planned one in London.”
He added a team of eight people around the UK would continue to orchestrate the next week as he travels abroad for international business meetings.
“I have to travel abroad but I’ve called on a group of people to keep it going for me. It will be a little more infrequent but I don’t have any plans to stop.
"There isn’t a limit on how much I’m going to give away. As long as there’s interest in it, I’ll keep doing it.
He added: “I’m a massive boxing fan and I’m that confident that [George] Groves will win tonight that if [Carl] Froch wins I’ll hide £200 in London on Sunday.”
The first drop in the UK was found by an electrician less than 30 minutes after @HiddenCash_UK tweeted a picture of a yellow grit bin outside Leeds City Museum.
Harry McKeown, 25, from Wakefield, said he found the money after stumbling across the Twitter account on a visit to the dentist.
He said the account tweeted a clue about pop star Robbie William's song Millennium
“I had seen an article about the American account while I was in the dentist that morning and followed it on Twitter," he said.
“I noticed there was a UK one which had been set up and it only had about 50 followers at the time. It had just been created and on my way to work they posted the first clue.
“It was a picture of the museum and a clue relating to Robbie Williams, [the pop star] which was a Millennium reference. I was only five minutes away.
"I thought it would be a stitch up but that I might as well go to have a look, and there was this envelope just sat there, behind the bin, with £50 in it. It was a productive morning.”
He added that he planned to use the money to take his girlfriend of five years out for a meal this weekend.
A second envelope bearing the message "Congratulations! Spend it wisely (or not)" was found outside the Hilton hotel in Manchester on Thursday morning.
The third stash, hidden in Sheffield, was found just minutes after the drop on Friday, prompting @HiddenCash_UK to tweet: "You guys are too good! Gonna have to start making this harder"
The original hidden cash benefactor told CNN he had launched the game as a way of giving back to society after making a fortune in the city's real estate market.
He said: "I want the spotlight on what I'm doing and trying to do. I have no plans to stop anytime soon. I'm planning to continue this indefinitely into the future."
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Harry McKeown is one of the lucky recipients |
An account - called @HiddenCash_UK - was set up on Tuesday.
The account has so far tweeted clues to the location of four envelopes containing £50. They were found by people in Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Brighton.
It comes after a mysterious millionaire started leaving envelopes containing hundred dollar bills around San Francisco's Bay Area, before posting cryptic clues to their whereabouts.
Little is known about the benefactor, other than that he or she is a rich property mogul who feels bad about the discrepancy between rich and poor in San Francisco, where the wealth gap is the largest in the United States.
The anonymous donor behind the UK campaign has said that more envelopes would be hidden in the coming days, including one in London.
The 25-year-old, who made his money though several e-commerce businesses, added that up to £200 could be stashed in the capital's drop on Sunday.
He said: “I had seen the version in the US and thought it was a really great idea. I thought why not bring that over here and the reaction has been really good.
“I’m in a fortunate position to be able to give away money on a daily basis at the moment. I have had a few businesses in e-commerce that have done really well for me.
“It got to a point where there is only so much stuff that money can buy and for myself - as well as for the people finding the money - I find it quite fun.
“I get more of a kick out of that than I would spending £50 on myself. We’ve planned a drop right down south, in Brighton, and I’ve planned one in London.”
He added a team of eight people around the UK would continue to orchestrate the next week as he travels abroad for international business meetings.
“I have to travel abroad but I’ve called on a group of people to keep it going for me. It will be a little more infrequent but I don’t have any plans to stop.
"There isn’t a limit on how much I’m going to give away. As long as there’s interest in it, I’ll keep doing it.
He added: “I’m a massive boxing fan and I’m that confident that [George] Groves will win tonight that if [Carl] Froch wins I’ll hide £200 in London on Sunday.”
The first drop in the UK was found by an electrician less than 30 minutes after @HiddenCash_UK tweeted a picture of a yellow grit bin outside Leeds City Museum.
Harry McKeown, 25, from Wakefield, said he found the money after stumbling across the Twitter account on a visit to the dentist.
He said the account tweeted a clue about pop star Robbie William's song Millennium
“I had seen an article about the American account while I was in the dentist that morning and followed it on Twitter," he said.
“I noticed there was a UK one which had been set up and it only had about 50 followers at the time. It had just been created and on my way to work they posted the first clue.
“It was a picture of the museum and a clue relating to Robbie Williams, [the pop star] which was a Millennium reference. I was only five minutes away.
"I thought it would be a stitch up but that I might as well go to have a look, and there was this envelope just sat there, behind the bin, with £50 in it. It was a productive morning.”
He added that he planned to use the money to take his girlfriend of five years out for a meal this weekend.
A second envelope bearing the message "Congratulations! Spend it wisely (or not)" was found outside the Hilton hotel in Manchester on Thursday morning.
The third stash, hidden in Sheffield, was found just minutes after the drop on Friday, prompting @HiddenCash_UK to tweet: "You guys are too good! Gonna have to start making this harder"
The original hidden cash benefactor told CNN he had launched the game as a way of giving back to society after making a fortune in the city's real estate market.
He said: "I want the spotlight on what I'm doing and trying to do. I have no plans to stop anytime soon. I'm planning to continue this indefinitely into the future."
Peter Sunde had been sought by Interpol for copyright violations.
One of the founders of file-sharing website Pirate Bay has been arrested in southern Sweden to serve an outstanding sentence for copyright violations after being on the run for nearly two years, Swedish police said on Saturday.
Peter Sunde had been wanted by Interpol since 2012 after being sentenced in Sweden to prison and fined for breaching copyright laws.
"We have been looking for him since 2012," said Carolina Ekeus, spokesman at the Swedish National Police Board. "He was given eight months in jail so he has to serve his sentence."
Ekeus said Sunde had been arrested on Saturday in the southern Swedish county of Skane but she was not able to provide further details.
Four men linked to Pirate Bay were originally sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 32 million crowns (£2.85 million). An appeals court later reduced the prison sentences by varying amounts, but raised the fine to 46 million Swedish crowns (£4.1 million).
Swedish media reported on Saturday that Sunde may have been living in Germany in recent years and that Sweden's Supreme Court had as recently as May rejected an appeal from him.
"He is extremely talented and I still think that the judgment was wrong," Peter Althin, who defended Sunde during the trial, was quoted as saying by Swedish news service TT.
"It's about being on the cutting edge if one is going to be successful... But if one is too far ahead it is not always about success. Peter fought for file-sharing and in 10 years I think it goes without saying that file-sharing for one's own needs will be allowed."
Pirate Bay, launched in 2003, provided links to music and movie files that were stored on other users' computers. Swedish subsidiaries of prominent music and film companies had taken the company to court claiming damages for lost revenue.
Despite the Swedish court case, the website is still functioning. On its website, Pirate Bay says it is now run by a different organisation and is registered in the Seychelles.
One of the founders of file-sharing website Pirate Bay has been arrested in southern Sweden to serve an outstanding sentence for copyright violations after being on the run for nearly two years, Swedish police said on Saturday.
Peter Sunde had been wanted by Interpol since 2012 after being sentenced in Sweden to prison and fined for breaching copyright laws.
"We have been looking for him since 2012," said Carolina Ekeus, spokesman at the Swedish National Police Board. "He was given eight months in jail so he has to serve his sentence."
Ekeus said Sunde had been arrested on Saturday in the southern Swedish county of Skane but she was not able to provide further details.
Four men linked to Pirate Bay were originally sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of 32 million crowns (£2.85 million). An appeals court later reduced the prison sentences by varying amounts, but raised the fine to 46 million Swedish crowns (£4.1 million).
In September, 2012, Cambodia arrested and deported another Pirate Bay co-founder at Sweden's request.
Swedish media reported on Saturday that Sunde may have been living in Germany in recent years and that Sweden's Supreme Court had as recently as May rejected an appeal from him.
"He is extremely talented and I still think that the judgment was wrong," Peter Althin, who defended Sunde during the trial, was quoted as saying by Swedish news service TT.
"It's about being on the cutting edge if one is going to be successful... But if one is too far ahead it is not always about success. Peter fought for file-sharing and in 10 years I think it goes without saying that file-sharing for one's own needs will be allowed."
Pirate Bay, launched in 2003, provided links to music and movie files that were stored on other users' computers. Swedish subsidiaries of prominent music and film companies had taken the company to court claiming damages for lost revenue.
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Peter Sunde had been wanted by Interpol since 2012 |
Despite the Swedish court case, the website is still functioning. On its website, Pirate Bay says it is now run by a different organisation and is registered in the Seychelles.
Google takes steps to comply with EU’s ‘right to be forgotten’ ruling.
The world’s largest Internet search engine, which processes more than 90 percent of all Web searches in Europe, said on Thursday that it has made available a webform through which people can submit their requests, but stopped short of specifying when it would remove links that meet the criteria for being taken down.
Google said it has convened a committee of senior Google executives and independent experts to try and craft a long-term approach to dealing with what’s expected to be a barrage of requests from the region’s roughly half-billion occupants.
“To comply with the recent European court ruling, we’ve made a webform available for Europeans to request the removal of results from our search engine,” Google said in a statement.
“The court’s ruling requires Google to make difficult judgments about an individual’s right to be forgotten and the public’s right to know. We’re creating an expert advisory committee to take a thorough look at these issues. We’ll also be working with data protection authorities and others as we implement this ruling.”
The decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union requires that Internet search services remove information deemed “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer relevant.” Failure to do so can result in fines. Google, which began getting requests to remove objectionable personal information from its search engine shortly after the ruling this month, has said it was disappointed by the decision.
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has said the ruling created an inherent conflict between the “right to be forgotten and a right to know” – referring to the delicate balance of enforcing the ruling while preserving a stated corporate philosophy of making as much information freely available to as many people as possible. Google added on Thursday that it will work with data protection authorities and others as it implements the ruling.
Data Headaches
The court decision creates extra headaches for U.S. Web companies, which have businesses based on handling tremendous amounts of data that often aren’t touched by humans. It paves the way for European users to flood the firms with Web takedown requests, adding to costs.
The shares of Google were little changed at $559.89 at the close in New York yesterday.
The right to be forgotten and the right to free information “are not foes but friends,” Reding said. “It’s not about protecting one at the expense of the other but striking the right balance in order to protect both.”
“The European court made it clear that two rights do not make a wrong and has given clear directions on how this balance can be found and where the limits of the right to be forgotten lie,” she said. “It is mass surveillance not data protection that legitimizes the actions of repressive regimes.”
Tougher Rules
The EU’s move toward tougher rules may make it harder for Internet startups, according to Page’s FT interview.
“We’re a big company and we can respond to these kind of concerns and spend money on them and deal with them, it’s not a problem for us,” he told the FT. “But as a whole, as we regulate the Internet, I think we’re not going to see the kind of innovation we’ve seen.”
The new special committee has five members, including Wikipedia’s Wales, Frank La Rue from the United Nations, Peggy Valcke of the University of Leuven law school, academic Jose Luis Pinar, and Oxford University’s Luciano Floridi.
A Chicago public school teacher was fatally shot at her second job at a real estate office in what police say was an exchange of gunfire between two groups of alleged gang members.
Betty Howard taught at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, and after work with special needs students she spent time at a realty company in Chatham, a middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Family members say she was in the office when she was shot Thursday.
Police said the gunfire appeared to stem from a gang conflict. Family members said a bullet came through a wall and struck her in the head.
Howard, 58, would travel to homes to teach disabled students, doing whatever it took to help some of the city's most challenged youth, Brooks Principal D'Andre Weaver said.
Students on Friday wrote "thank you" letters to Howard. Students from her home room released green and pink balloons, the colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the teacher's sorority.
Sophomore Isaac Simmons said he didn't know Howard, but his friends who were in her class could feel the concern she had for them.
"I know a couple of kids that actually went to her for help, and it seemed like she was always trying to help out and do the best for kids," he told WMAQ-TV. "It's so much violence, you really don't know what to do. I mean, I've just got to hope and pray that something like that doesn't happen to me."
Community activist Andrew Holmes says some members of the community are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Howard's killer.
"I'm talking directly to the people they were shooting at," Holmes said. "You know who was shooting at you. Whether you were shot today, you know who was shooting at you. What you need to do is pick up that phone (and call police)."
Chicago's battle with violent crime has been closely watched. In 2012, the city led the U.S. in homicides with more than 500. It ended 2013 with 415 homicides — the lowest total in nearly half a century but still far more than any other U.S city, including much larger Los Angeles and New York
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Victim from shooting that killed teacher: 'You're hitting innocent people'
Brittany Willams went through several emotional stages after getting grazed by a stray bullet Thursday night down the street from her Chatham neighborhood apartment.
"Shocked. Worried. Grateful. Thankful. Blessed," she recalled this afternoon about the graze wound to her left hand during an interview at her job at McCormick Place. "...I've never been in action like this. And for a person whose never been through this, it was a shock. I didn't know that I was really hit until somebody started coming around me like, 'You're bleeding.'"She was one of three people shot Thursday evening in the 700 block of East 79th Street, a shooting that left 58-year-old Betty Howard dead, and a coworker injured from an errant bullet that penetrated the wall of a realty business.
With her left hand bandaged up, Williams told the Tribune that she had just finished running errands when she decided to take her 1-year-old Shih Tzu, Lauren, for a walk. While she walked north on Evans Avenue, Williams crouched down to tend to her pet.
"My dog, she loves grass. So I noticed that she had some by her mouth," Williams recounted. "So I bent down to touch her face. That's when I heard the first gunshots."
Williams immediately dropped to the ground, clutching Lauren with her right arm.
"That's when I felt the bullet shave my (left) hand," Williams recalled. "And when it did that, a couple more shots went off, and that's when I heard...tires screeching to ride off.
"And that's when I hurried up and grabbed my baby and ran," she said.
Williams felt pain in her left hand, but because of the adrenaline rush, she initially thought she only scratched herself.
Moments later, Williams collapsed in front of Kale Realty, where Howard and a coworker were shot. That's when passersby crowded around her and noticed she was shot.
"I'm like, 'I'm OK.' And then I look at my hand and my hand is just swelled up big," Williams recalled.
As for her dog Lauren, she made it out unharmed, but wouldn't leave Williams's side.
"She knew something was wrong with me," Williams said of her dog. "She just stayed under me until my (girlfriend) came outside."
The paramedics bandaged up her wound, but didn't clean it, she recalled. Williams then removed the bandage temporarily to apply peroxide and Neosporin to her wound. Today, a co-worker wrapped a fresh bandage around the wound.
Williams said she's lived down the block at 79th and Cottage Grove Avenue for three years -- a bustling area with numerous storefronts. Historically, the area has been plagued by gang violence. But residents and business owners have acknowledged that the area improved greatly last year after the Chicago Police Department added rookies to work foot patrols and veteran cops to work overtime shifts seven days a week.
But the violent crime has still been a nuisance to Williams, who plans on moving out of her apartment with her girlfriend and the dog. She's heard gunshots on multiple occasions from her apartment.
She was even about to leave work early this afternoon to talk to her realtor about where to move next. It's one thing to hear gunshots every now and then, but to become a shooting victim in the neighborhood was the final straw, she said.Every time there's gunfire, she worries about who the next victim is going to be.
"Honestly, I just want everybody to just stop shooting," she said. "...You're hitting innocent people that don't have nothing to do with what y'all got going on."
Just after midnight last Christmas,Pakistani officials say,two Hellfire missiles from a U.S. drone slammed into a house in Miramshah, Pakistan,killing four militants.
It was an otherwise unremarkable episode in the sixth year of a relentless unmanned aerial campaign by the CIA. Unremarkable, except for this: There hasn’t been a drone strike reported in Pakistan in the months since.
The secret targeted killing program that once was the mainstay of President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism effort appears to be winding down. In a major foreign policy speech at the U.S. Military Academy on Wednesday, Obama said the U.S. would continue to carry out occasional drone strikes, but he cited Yemen and Somalia, not Pakistan, where drone missiles once rained down at a rate of two per week.
Armed U.S. drones are still flying regularly over Pakistan’s tribal areas, and CIA targeting officers are still nominating militants to a kill list, according to U.S. officials regularly briefed on the covert program who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss covert programs publicly. But over the past five months, no missiles have been fired.
And while the CIA won’t say the program has ended, Obama announced this week a plan to pull nearly all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016. The targeted killing program in Pakistan relies on drones flown from, and intelligence gathered in, U.S. bases in Afghanistan that would then be closed.
“The program (in Pakistan) appears to have ended,” said Peter Bergen, who has closely studied drone strikes for the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank.
Several factors are driving the change, U.S. officials say. Many of the senior al-Qaida figures in Pakistan have been killed. Those who remain are much harder to target because they are avoiding mobile phones and traveling with children, benefiting from stricter targeting rules designed to prevent civilian casualties. The drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has eliminated the need for “force protection” strikes against large gatherings of militants in Pakistan suspected of plotting attacks against American troops.
Also, the tribal areas of Pakistan are no longer the hotbed of al-Qaida activity they once were, officials and outside analysts say. Hardcore al-Qaida militants from Pakistan have gone to Syria and Yemen, home to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which U.S. officials consider the most dangerous al-Qaida affiliate.
And Obama administration officials are pushing to have the U.S. military, not the CIA, carry out drone strikes. Since the military generally requires permission from a country to operate on its territory, most analysts don’t believe it could carry out regular drone attacks in Pakistan.
The CIA and the White House declined to comment for this story.
For as long as they are able to fly over Pakistan, CIA drones will hunt for senior al-Qaida figures, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s leader, U.S. officials say. If the agency gets a clean shot at such a target next week or next year, it will push the button, they say.
But as the CIA closes its remote Afghanistan outposts where case officers met with Pakistani sources and technicians eavesdropped on cellphones, intelligence collection will dry up, making militants harder to track.
“By the end of this year, we will have a noticeable degradation in our ability to collect intelligence on people of concern,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Without commenting explicitly about drone strikes, Rogers criticized what he calls “a pullback in the counterterrorism strategy,” a move he says “has made Americans a little less safe.”
The current drone cease-fire in Pakistan is by far the longest pause since President George W. Bush ordered a stepped-up campaign of targeted strikes in that country’s tribal area in the summer of 2008. The pace intensified under Obama. All told, there have been 354 strikes in Pakistan since 2004, according to the Long War Journal, an online publication that tracks the strikes through media reports.
But the rate of strikes began falling in 2011 and decreased each year since. Last year, Obama announced stricter targeting criteria, including a provision that no strike would occur unless there was “a near certainty” that civilians would not be harmed.
Even before that, American officials appear to have made the calculation that it was no longer worth it to attack lower-level militants in Pakistan, given the bitter opposition to the attacks in that country.
Last year, an analysis by the New America Foundation found that just 58 known militant leaders had been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan, representing just 2 percent of the total deaths.
Obama seemed to allude to the backlash Wednesday when he said, “Our actions should meet a simple test: We must not create more enemies than we take off the battlefield.”
In December,the Obama administration reached an informal deal with Pakistan that the CIA would suspend drone strikes -except against the most senior al-Qaida leaders -while the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pursues peace talks with the Taliban.
The talks have sputtered, and last week Pakistani fighter jets killed more than 60 people in North Waziristan, a militant stronghold, according to local media reports.
But Pakistani officials say the cessation in drone strikes has strengthened support for counterterrorism operations among a public that deeply resented an American bombing campaign on its soil. A senior Pakistani official said the hiatus made the government feel like the U.S. was hearing their concerns.
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| Source:PBS NewsHour video still of U.S. Air Force drone. |
It was an otherwise unremarkable episode in the sixth year of a relentless unmanned aerial campaign by the CIA. Unremarkable, except for this: There hasn’t been a drone strike reported in Pakistan in the months since.
The secret targeted killing program that once was the mainstay of President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism effort appears to be winding down. In a major foreign policy speech at the U.S. Military Academy on Wednesday, Obama said the U.S. would continue to carry out occasional drone strikes, but he cited Yemen and Somalia, not Pakistan, where drone missiles once rained down at a rate of two per week.
Armed U.S. drones are still flying regularly over Pakistan’s tribal areas, and CIA targeting officers are still nominating militants to a kill list, according to U.S. officials regularly briefed on the covert program who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss covert programs publicly. But over the past five months, no missiles have been fired.
And while the CIA won’t say the program has ended, Obama announced this week a plan to pull nearly all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016. The targeted killing program in Pakistan relies on drones flown from, and intelligence gathered in, U.S. bases in Afghanistan that would then be closed.
“The program (in Pakistan) appears to have ended,” said Peter Bergen, who has closely studied drone strikes for the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank.
Several factors are driving the change, U.S. officials say. Many of the senior al-Qaida figures in Pakistan have been killed. Those who remain are much harder to target because they are avoiding mobile phones and traveling with children, benefiting from stricter targeting rules designed to prevent civilian casualties. The drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has eliminated the need for “force protection” strikes against large gatherings of militants in Pakistan suspected of plotting attacks against American troops.
Also, the tribal areas of Pakistan are no longer the hotbed of al-Qaida activity they once were, officials and outside analysts say. Hardcore al-Qaida militants from Pakistan have gone to Syria and Yemen, home to Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which U.S. officials consider the most dangerous al-Qaida affiliate.
And Obama administration officials are pushing to have the U.S. military, not the CIA, carry out drone strikes. Since the military generally requires permission from a country to operate on its territory, most analysts don’t believe it could carry out regular drone attacks in Pakistan.
The CIA and the White House declined to comment for this story.
For as long as they are able to fly over Pakistan, CIA drones will hunt for senior al-Qaida figures, including Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s leader, U.S. officials say. If the agency gets a clean shot at such a target next week or next year, it will push the button, they say.
But as the CIA closes its remote Afghanistan outposts where case officers met with Pakistani sources and technicians eavesdropped on cellphones, intelligence collection will dry up, making militants harder to track.
“By the end of this year, we will have a noticeable degradation in our ability to collect intelligence on people of concern,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Without commenting explicitly about drone strikes, Rogers criticized what he calls “a pullback in the counterterrorism strategy,” a move he says “has made Americans a little less safe.”
The current drone cease-fire in Pakistan is by far the longest pause since President George W. Bush ordered a stepped-up campaign of targeted strikes in that country’s tribal area in the summer of 2008. The pace intensified under Obama. All told, there have been 354 strikes in Pakistan since 2004, according to the Long War Journal, an online publication that tracks the strikes through media reports.
But the rate of strikes began falling in 2011 and decreased each year since. Last year, Obama announced stricter targeting criteria, including a provision that no strike would occur unless there was “a near certainty” that civilians would not be harmed.
Even before that, American officials appear to have made the calculation that it was no longer worth it to attack lower-level militants in Pakistan, given the bitter opposition to the attacks in that country.
Last year, an analysis by the New America Foundation found that just 58 known militant leaders had been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan, representing just 2 percent of the total deaths.
Obama seemed to allude to the backlash Wednesday when he said, “Our actions should meet a simple test: We must not create more enemies than we take off the battlefield.”
In December,the Obama administration reached an informal deal with Pakistan that the CIA would suspend drone strikes -except against the most senior al-Qaida leaders -while the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pursues peace talks with the Taliban.
The talks have sputtered, and last week Pakistani fighter jets killed more than 60 people in North Waziristan, a militant stronghold, according to local media reports.
But Pakistani officials say the cessation in drone strikes has strengthened support for counterterrorism operations among a public that deeply resented an American bombing campaign on its soil. A senior Pakistani official said the hiatus made the government feel like the U.S. was hearing their concerns.
We all like to think of yogurt as a healthy breakfast, but as it turns out, many of the most popular yogurt brands have more sugar than a junk food you'd never consider eating.
The American Heart Association recommends that men eat no more than 36 grams of sugar per day, and women no more than 20. One Twinkie makes a big dent in that recommended daily max, packing 19 grams of the sweet stuff, Time reported. Many of the top-selling yogurts have even more.
Part of this high sugar count is due to sugar that occurs naturally in yogurt, but the amount of natural sugar varies dramatically, depending on the kind. Lowfat yogurt, for example, is notorious for being high in sugar, Monica Reinagel, M.S., LDN, CNS tells The Huffington Post. The first 17 grams of sugar per serving, in lowfat varieties, is naturally occurring lactose. In original yogurt, it's common to see anywhere between 12 and 15 grams of natural sugar, according to Heather Bauer, R.D., CDN. That's why Bauer recommends going Greek. Greek yogurt, she said, has as little as 6 grams in plain flavors.
What really ups the sugar, though, is what we put into that plain yogurt. Fruit, especially the syrupy kind mixed into store-bought yogurts, is a common culprit. Plus, once you start throwing in candied nuts or sweetened granola, you've can quickly find yourself well beyond the sugar content of an entire Twinkie. "If you're going to add toppings, always stick to a plain flavor," Bauer says.
But many would-be yogurt eaters will tell you they just don't care for the bitter taste of a plain scoop. To make it more palatable, nearly all big brands, like Yoplait and Dannon, offer a large selection of fruit- and sometimes even dessert-flavored options. It's often these sweet additions that give the yogurts like the five below more sugar than a Twinkie.
Source
The American Heart Association recommends that men eat no more than 36 grams of sugar per day, and women no more than 20. One Twinkie makes a big dent in that recommended daily max, packing 19 grams of the sweet stuff, Time reported. Many of the top-selling yogurts have even more.
Part of this high sugar count is due to sugar that occurs naturally in yogurt, but the amount of natural sugar varies dramatically, depending on the kind. Lowfat yogurt, for example, is notorious for being high in sugar, Monica Reinagel, M.S., LDN, CNS tells The Huffington Post. The first 17 grams of sugar per serving, in lowfat varieties, is naturally occurring lactose. In original yogurt, it's common to see anywhere between 12 and 15 grams of natural sugar, according to Heather Bauer, R.D., CDN. That's why Bauer recommends going Greek. Greek yogurt, she said, has as little as 6 grams in plain flavors.
What really ups the sugar, though, is what we put into that plain yogurt. Fruit, especially the syrupy kind mixed into store-bought yogurts, is a common culprit. Plus, once you start throwing in candied nuts or sweetened granola, you've can quickly find yourself well beyond the sugar content of an entire Twinkie. "If you're going to add toppings, always stick to a plain flavor," Bauer says.
But many would-be yogurt eaters will tell you they just don't care for the bitter taste of a plain scoop. To make it more palatable, nearly all big brands, like Yoplait and Dannon, offer a large selection of fruit- and sometimes even dessert-flavored options. It's often these sweet additions that give the yogurts like the five below more sugar than a Twinkie.
Strawberry-flavored original Yoplait yogurt, despite being 99 percent fat free, packs 26 grams of sugar per 6-ounce container.
This blueberry offering from Dannon is proof that you should always check nutrition labels -- or you could end up with 24 grams of sugar per 6-ounce serving.
This vanilla pick from Stonyfield clocks in at 29 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving.
Brown Cow's nonfat vanilla has 25 grams of sugar per 6-ounce container.
Activia walks a fine line with 19 grams of sugar per 4.4-ounce container of the blueberry flavor. That's as much as a Twinkie, in a smaller-than-average serving size.
Source
In the aftermath of the NSA spying revelations, our society is struggling to equip itself with the laws and public understanding necessary to deal with the spread of technology into every corner of our lives.
Self-driving cars are one place we can start to get it right. They provide yet another example of the challenges to autonomy and freedom brought by technology, and have the potential to bring the debate home for people who don’t feel as concerned by privacy issues related to email and laptops.
On Tuesday, Google unveiled a proper self-driving car, with no steering wheel, no brakes, no pedals. Google expects these no-hands-on-wheel cars to hit the roads in 2017 and it is up to us to craft the laws and policies that will govern their use. Such decisions cannot be left for tomorrow. As Google’s working prototype reveals, the robocars of the future are here. And because people have a long history of projecting personal freedom and autonomy onto automobiles, they will have an innate understanding of the stakes.
Case in Point: The Computer Parked in My Grandmother’s Garage
Grandmother is an inspiring, smart, and fiercely independent 80-year-old woman. Recently, she mailed me a folded up New York Times article entitled “Close the N.S.A.’s Back Doors.” I called her, eager to know why she suddenly cared about backdoors. We often have passionate political conversations, and I have tried many times to drag her into discussing the Snowden leaks and their consequences to no avail. She explained she had happened to see “N.S.A” in the article title, and knowing it might interest me, slipped it in the letter she had just finished writing. Was she concerned about NSA back doors, I asked? No.
Her lack of understanding and concern can be blamed on at least two things: poor metaphors and a narrow view of computing. For non-techies, a “back door” is not a very helpful metaphor. Technically, a back door is a method used to bypass the normal authentication process to secretly and remotely access computers. In the New York Times article, the term is mainly used in its broader sense, “to describe a range of policies and practices whereby governments compel, or otherwise get the cooperation of, private sector companies to provide access to data they control.”
“So someone could access your computer without you seeing it, like if someone entered by the backdoor when you were watching the front door,” I tried to explain to my grandmother. “Nonsense,” she told me, “if there was a backdoor in my house, I would see it. It’s my house after all–the thing you’re describing rather sounds to me like someone having a spare key of my house without me knowing it.”
A back door, indeed, is a programmer-centric metaphor: from inside the code, you can tell there are different ways to get in. It’s not a user-centric metaphor: by definition, from outside the code, the user can’t see it. That makes it challenging to discuss.
This brings us to the second problem: a narrow view of computing. Grandmother owns a desktop computer she uses once a year. It sits in a corner far from her daily life. Miss Teen America fears people activating her camera remotely on her laptop to take naked pictures of her: grandmother doesn’t. Nor does she own a smartphone that could make her worried about remote access and GPS tracking. For people who envision their personal computers as crucial means of empowerment, freedom and autonomy—most of my hacker friends for instance—back doors are a fundamental source of vexation. Grandmother is not one of them. She isn’t as emotionally invested in these tools so potential vulnerabilities to them do not threaten her way of life. And she is not alone. This is sometimes the case even for people whose opinion on the topic matters supremely: in 2013 for instance, Justice Elena Kagan revealed that eight out of the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices don’t use email at all.
However, in my grandmother’s daily life, there is a computer that is filled with software, that is connected to the network–therefore potentially remotely accessible–and that she does consider to be the single most important source of her personal autonomy. She just doesn’t think of it as a computer, because it is her car. As many of the cars on the market and on the roads these days, it is packed with driving assistance software and a little antenna on its roof. Her car, literally, is also a computer.
Grandmother never told me: “You have to learn software programming, it is how people become independent, autonomous, and take control of their lives in the 21st century.” Instead, she spent a great deal of time forcing me to take driving lessons, “because this is how a woman gets her independence, control, autonomy and freedom in life.” I still don’t have my driver’s license and she is very mad at me for it. Growing up, she had me read Françoise Sagan’s novels, and we would watch Thelma and Louise together. She is French but she shared this very American wisdom with me: the automobile will set you free.
It’s quite clear: for most people, the link between government surveillance and freedom is more plainly understood by cars, rather than personal computers. As more and more objects become connected to the Internet these questions will grow in importance.And cars in particular might become, as Ryan Calo puts it in a 2011 article on drones, “a privacy catalyst”; an object giving us an opportunity to drag our privacy laws into the 21st century; an object that restores our mental model of what a privacy violation is.
When my grandmother starts to consider technologically-enabled constraints on how she can drive; or people knowing exactly where she can go—abstract issues of “autonomy” and “privacy” become much more real.
She started looking more into it. Typing ‘Privacy’ and ‘Cars’ in a search engine, she quickly found Ford Global Vice President of Marketing Jim Farley’s declaration at the Consumer Electronics Show: “We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you’re doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you’re doing.” In her head, she started re-writing Thelma and Louise in an age of self-driving cars with remote government access for law enforcement purposes. Surely the girls would have been located and arrested, or their cars remotely stopped. “Well, that would make it a ten-minute movie, a YouTube videoclip?,” she joked. Farley’s statement stirred a bit of a public debate, with Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota questioning Ford about its data policies, Farley retracting his statement, competition positioning themselves on the subject and Ford CEO Alan Mulally calling for boundaries and guidelines to operate in this space.
Now, grandmother understands and cares about this issue. And that is important because in order for our society to shape the rules that will make the future of self-driving cars one in which we want to live, we need all members of society to contribute to the conversation.
We need to ask: what happens when cars become increasingly like computers? With self-driving cars, are we getting the best of the computer industry and the car industry, or the worst of both worlds?
“Self-driving” is another misnomer. Driving decisions are never “self-made.” They are accounted for by algorithms when they are not accounted for by drivers. These algorithms reflect many decisions that aren’t self-made either: they are the conscious answers to complicated safety, ethical, legal and commercial dilemmas. Calling a robotic car “self-driving” diverts attention from the surrender of autonomy to algorithms, making it harder to navigate the policy questions that arise.
Self-driving cars are coming–slowly and progressively, with various stages of automation before the streets are filled with no-hand-on-wheel vehicles like the prototype Google revealed Tuesday–but they are surely part of our near future. They hold considerable promise for the environment and for road safety.
They also embody our debate on freedom, autonomy, and privacy when it comes to computing systems–revealing just how intrusive remote access to computing systems by the government or individuals can become.
Self-driving cars are one place we can start to get it right. They provide yet another example of the challenges to autonomy and freedom brought by technology, and have the potential to bring the debate home for people who don’t feel as concerned by privacy issues related to email and laptops.
On Tuesday, Google unveiled a proper self-driving car, with no steering wheel, no brakes, no pedals. Google expects these no-hands-on-wheel cars to hit the roads in 2017 and it is up to us to craft the laws and policies that will govern their use. Such decisions cannot be left for tomorrow. As Google’s working prototype reveals, the robocars of the future are here. And because people have a long history of projecting personal freedom and autonomy onto automobiles, they will have an innate understanding of the stakes.
Case in Point: The Computer Parked in My Grandmother’s Garage
Grandmother is an inspiring, smart, and fiercely independent 80-year-old woman. Recently, she mailed me a folded up New York Times article entitled “Close the N.S.A.’s Back Doors.” I called her, eager to know why she suddenly cared about backdoors. We often have passionate political conversations, and I have tried many times to drag her into discussing the Snowden leaks and their consequences to no avail. She explained she had happened to see “N.S.A” in the article title, and knowing it might interest me, slipped it in the letter she had just finished writing. Was she concerned about NSA back doors, I asked? No.
Her lack of understanding and concern can be blamed on at least two things: poor metaphors and a narrow view of computing. For non-techies, a “back door” is not a very helpful metaphor. Technically, a back door is a method used to bypass the normal authentication process to secretly and remotely access computers. In the New York Times article, the term is mainly used in its broader sense, “to describe a range of policies and practices whereby governments compel, or otherwise get the cooperation of, private sector companies to provide access to data they control.”
“So someone could access your computer without you seeing it, like if someone entered by the backdoor when you were watching the front door,” I tried to explain to my grandmother. “Nonsense,” she told me, “if there was a backdoor in my house, I would see it. It’s my house after all–the thing you’re describing rather sounds to me like someone having a spare key of my house without me knowing it.”
A back door, indeed, is a programmer-centric metaphor: from inside the code, you can tell there are different ways to get in. It’s not a user-centric metaphor: by definition, from outside the code, the user can’t see it. That makes it challenging to discuss.
This brings us to the second problem: a narrow view of computing. Grandmother owns a desktop computer she uses once a year. It sits in a corner far from her daily life. Miss Teen America fears people activating her camera remotely on her laptop to take naked pictures of her: grandmother doesn’t. Nor does she own a smartphone that could make her worried about remote access and GPS tracking. For people who envision their personal computers as crucial means of empowerment, freedom and autonomy—most of my hacker friends for instance—back doors are a fundamental source of vexation. Grandmother is not one of them. She isn’t as emotionally invested in these tools so potential vulnerabilities to them do not threaten her way of life. And she is not alone. This is sometimes the case even for people whose opinion on the topic matters supremely: in 2013 for instance, Justice Elena Kagan revealed that eight out of the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices don’t use email at all.
However, in my grandmother’s daily life, there is a computer that is filled with software, that is connected to the network–therefore potentially remotely accessible–and that she does consider to be the single most important source of her personal autonomy. She just doesn’t think of it as a computer, because it is her car. As many of the cars on the market and on the roads these days, it is packed with driving assistance software and a little antenna on its roof. Her car, literally, is also a computer.
Grandmother never told me: “You have to learn software programming, it is how people become independent, autonomous, and take control of their lives in the 21st century.” Instead, she spent a great deal of time forcing me to take driving lessons, “because this is how a woman gets her independence, control, autonomy and freedom in life.” I still don’t have my driver’s license and she is very mad at me for it. Growing up, she had me read Françoise Sagan’s novels, and we would watch Thelma and Louise together. She is French but she shared this very American wisdom with me: the automobile will set you free.
It’s quite clear: for most people, the link between government surveillance and freedom is more plainly understood by cars, rather than personal computers. As more and more objects become connected to the Internet these questions will grow in importance.And cars in particular might become, as Ryan Calo puts it in a 2011 article on drones, “a privacy catalyst”; an object giving us an opportunity to drag our privacy laws into the 21st century; an object that restores our mental model of what a privacy violation is.
When my grandmother starts to consider technologically-enabled constraints on how she can drive; or people knowing exactly where she can go—abstract issues of “autonomy” and “privacy” become much more real.
She started looking more into it. Typing ‘Privacy’ and ‘Cars’ in a search engine, she quickly found Ford Global Vice President of Marketing Jim Farley’s declaration at the Consumer Electronics Show: “We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you’re doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you’re doing.” In her head, she started re-writing Thelma and Louise in an age of self-driving cars with remote government access for law enforcement purposes. Surely the girls would have been located and arrested, or their cars remotely stopped. “Well, that would make it a ten-minute movie, a YouTube videoclip?,” she joked. Farley’s statement stirred a bit of a public debate, with Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota questioning Ford about its data policies, Farley retracting his statement, competition positioning themselves on the subject and Ford CEO Alan Mulally calling for boundaries and guidelines to operate in this space.
Now, grandmother understands and cares about this issue. And that is important because in order for our society to shape the rules that will make the future of self-driving cars one in which we want to live, we need all members of society to contribute to the conversation.
We need to ask: what happens when cars become increasingly like computers? With self-driving cars, are we getting the best of the computer industry and the car industry, or the worst of both worlds?
“Self-driving” is another misnomer. Driving decisions are never “self-made.” They are accounted for by algorithms when they are not accounted for by drivers. These algorithms reflect many decisions that aren’t self-made either: they are the conscious answers to complicated safety, ethical, legal and commercial dilemmas. Calling a robotic car “self-driving” diverts attention from the surrender of autonomy to algorithms, making it harder to navigate the policy questions that arise.
Self-driving cars are coming–slowly and progressively, with various stages of automation before the streets are filled with no-hand-on-wheel vehicles like the prototype Google revealed Tuesday–but they are surely part of our near future. They hold considerable promise for the environment and for road safety.
They also embody our debate on freedom, autonomy, and privacy when it comes to computing systems–revealing just how intrusive remote access to computing systems by the government or individuals can become.
When grandmother starts to consider technologically-enabled constraints on how she can drive; or people knowing exactly where she can go—abstract issues of “autonomy” and “privacy” become much more real.
A cross-country fight had to make an unscheduled landing when a service dog pooped twice in the aisle, sickening passengers with the odor.
US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie said the May 28 US Airways flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia had to make an unscheduled stop in Kansas City,
Christie called the episode a "rare and unfortunate situation." The flight continued after the mess was cleaned up on the ground. The passenger and service dog were rebooked on another flight.
Jim Kutsch, president at The Seeing Eye guide dog school in Morristown, New Jersey, tells The Philadelphia Inquirer that such incidents are rare, but that dogs occasionally get sick on planes, too.
US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie said the May 28 US Airways flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia had to make an unscheduled stop in Kansas City,
Christie called the episode a "rare and unfortunate situation." The flight continued after the mess was cleaned up on the ground. The passenger and service dog were rebooked on another flight.
Jim Kutsch, president at The Seeing Eye guide dog school in Morristown, New Jersey, tells The Philadelphia Inquirer that such incidents are rare, but that dogs occasionally get sick on planes, too.
Habersham County :_ A 19-month-old boy was fighting for his life at an Atlanta hospital on Friday after being severely burned by a "flash bang" grenade police tossed into the house to distract a drug suspect during a raid, police said.
The toddler was injured early on Wednesday when the device landed in the playpen where the child was sleeping, said Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell.
An undercover officer had purchased methamphetamine from a man who lived in the house, and police returned to arrest him in a “no-knock” raid, Terrell said. The suspect had previously been arrested on weapons charges, according to the sheriff.
Officers used a battering ram to open the home's locked door,Terrell said.
“They opened it up just enough to get the flash bang in,” said the sheriff. Terrell called the incident “devastating” but unavoidable, as officers did not know the crib was in front of the door.
“All the information we had was that there were no children in the house,” he said. “All you can do is pray for the child, pray for the family, pray for the officers."
The toddler was treated by medics at the scene and then taken to an Atlanta hospital where he was placed in a medically induced coma, the sheriff said. Hospital officials would not release any information on Friday about his condition.
The drug suspect, a relative of the child, was not in the house during the raid but later was arrested nearby, Terrell said.
The boy's parents told local media it could be weeks before they know if he will survive and what treatment he will need.
“He's only a baby, he didn't deserve any of this," the toddler’s mother, Alecia Phonesavanh, told Atlanta television station WSB.
The toddler was injured early on Wednesday when the device landed in the playpen where the child was sleeping, said Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell.An undercover officer had purchased methamphetamine from a man who lived in the house, and police returned to arrest him in a “no-knock” raid, Terrell said. The suspect had previously been arrested on weapons charges, according to the sheriff.
Officers used a battering ram to open the home's locked door,Terrell said.
“They opened it up just enough to get the flash bang in,” said the sheriff. Terrell called the incident “devastating” but unavoidable, as officers did not know the crib was in front of the door.“All the information we had was that there were no children in the house,” he said. “All you can do is pray for the child, pray for the family, pray for the officers."
The toddler was treated by medics at the scene and then taken to an Atlanta hospital where he was placed in a medically induced coma, the sheriff said. Hospital officials would not release any information on Friday about his condition.
The drug suspect, a relative of the child, was not in the house during the raid but later was arrested nearby, Terrell said.
The boy's parents told local media it could be weeks before they know if he will survive and what treatment he will need.
“He's only a baby, he didn't deserve any of this," the toddler’s mother, Alecia Phonesavanh, told Atlanta television station WSB.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, drought-stricken California has ordered more than 2,600 water agencies and users in the Sacramento Valley to stop pumping water from streams.
The Sacramento Bee reports Friday that the State Water Resources Control Board imposed the curtailment notice this week.
The notice affects water agencies, farms, cities and other property owners with so-called "junior" water rights, or those issued by the state after 1914. It extends to the Sacramento River and its many tributaries.
Major urban water providers such as the city of Sacramento are included, though most of the affected users are farmers and large irrigation districts.
The newspaper reports water cuts on this scale have not been ordered in California since the drought of 1977.
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A car sits in dried and cracked earth of what was the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on January 28, 2014 in San Jose, California. |
The notice affects water agencies, farms, cities and other property owners with so-called "junior" water rights, or those issued by the state after 1914. It extends to the Sacramento River and its many tributaries.
Major urban water providers such as the city of Sacramento are included, though most of the affected users are farmers and large irrigation districts.
The newspaper reports water cuts on this scale have not been ordered in California since the drought of 1977.
President Barack Obama disclosed he's losing his chief spokesman on the same day that the president came to the White House briefing room to personally announce the resignation of his Veterans Affairs secretary.
It was a Friday not quite like any other recently.
Press secretary Jay Carney had a surprise visitor to his daily news briefing, which began not long after Obama's visit there to discuss Secretary Eric Shinseki's departure.
Standing next to Carney in the crowded room, Obama said it was "bittersweet" to see his friend step down after three and a half years on the podium.
At the same time, Obama announced that Josh Earnest, currently principal deputy press secretary, would be taking over.
Carney said the transition will be complete around mid-June, but that Earnest will take his place traveling next week on a trip that Obama has scheduled to Europe.
Carney brought rare but practical experience to the job as a former reporter who once covered the White House for Time magazine. He left journalism to join the White House as communications director for Vice President Joe Biden, and subsequently moved over to serve as Obama's press secretary in 2011.
"He comes to this place with a reporter's perspective," Obama told reporters after interrupting Carney mid-sentence at the beginning of Carney's daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room. "That's why, believe it or not, I think he will miss hanging out with you."
A key component of a White House press secretary's job is to regularly joust with reporters in an intense question-and-answer session.
Obama said that Carney had demonstrated good judgment and temperament and said he will continue to rely on his advice from outside the West Wing. The two men embraced before Obama made his exit.
Obama said he is putting the "flak jacket" for dealing with the press on another friend in Earnest, who has worked with Obama since he was his communications director for the Iowa caucuses in the 2008 campaign.
The affable Earnest is well-liked within the White House press corps, and reporters applauded the announcement.
"As you know, his name describes his demeanor," Obama said. "Josh is an earnest guy and you can't find just a nicer individual even outside of Washington."
Obama also teased Earnest for being the "golden voice and dulcet tones" that narrates West Wing Week, the weekly recap of White House events on YouTube.
The president said Carney plans to take the summer off before getting a new job.
Carney said he's made no decision yet on his next step, but is excited about some of the possibilities he's begun to explore. He ruled out rumors that he would serve as ambassador to Russia, after having covered the collapse of the Soviet Empire for Time, saying his wife and two children wouldn't welcome such a move.
Carney expressed his appreciation for working at the White House for five years, even though he says being press secretary is not easy.
"It's an important interaction that takes place here," Carney said. "It's not always pretty. It could certainly be better. But to be a part of it is an honor and a joy for me. And no matter how tough the briefing is, I walk out of here having been glad to stand here."
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This May 19, 2014 file photo shows White House Press Secretary Jay Carney listens during his daily news briefing at the White House in Washington. Carney is leaving his post and his No. 2 is taking over. |
Press secretary Jay Carney had a surprise visitor to his daily news briefing, which began not long after Obama's visit there to discuss Secretary Eric Shinseki's departure.
Standing next to Carney in the crowded room, Obama said it was "bittersweet" to see his friend step down after three and a half years on the podium.
At the same time, Obama announced that Josh Earnest, currently principal deputy press secretary, would be taking over.
Carney said the transition will be complete around mid-June, but that Earnest will take his place traveling next week on a trip that Obama has scheduled to Europe.
Carney brought rare but practical experience to the job as a former reporter who once covered the White House for Time magazine. He left journalism to join the White House as communications director for Vice President Joe Biden, and subsequently moved over to serve as Obama's press secretary in 2011.
"He comes to this place with a reporter's perspective," Obama told reporters after interrupting Carney mid-sentence at the beginning of Carney's daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room. "That's why, believe it or not, I think he will miss hanging out with you."
A key component of a White House press secretary's job is to regularly joust with reporters in an intense question-and-answer session.
Obama said that Carney had demonstrated good judgment and temperament and said he will continue to rely on his advice from outside the West Wing. The two men embraced before Obama made his exit.
Obama said he is putting the "flak jacket" for dealing with the press on another friend in Earnest, who has worked with Obama since he was his communications director for the Iowa caucuses in the 2008 campaign.
The affable Earnest is well-liked within the White House press corps, and reporters applauded the announcement.
"As you know, his name describes his demeanor," Obama said. "Josh is an earnest guy and you can't find just a nicer individual even outside of Washington."
Obama also teased Earnest for being the "golden voice and dulcet tones" that narrates West Wing Week, the weekly recap of White House events on YouTube.
The president said Carney plans to take the summer off before getting a new job.
Carney said he's made no decision yet on his next step, but is excited about some of the possibilities he's begun to explore. He ruled out rumors that he would serve as ambassador to Russia, after having covered the collapse of the Soviet Empire for Time, saying his wife and two children wouldn't welcome such a move.
Carney expressed his appreciation for working at the White House for five years, even though he says being press secretary is not easy.
"It's an important interaction that takes place here," Carney said. "It's not always pretty. It could certainly be better. But to be a part of it is an honor and a joy for me. And no matter how tough the briefing is, I walk out of here having been glad to stand here."
A fire official says a collapse in the basement of a northern New Jersey restaurant has killed one construction worker and injured another.
Emergency crews are on the scene at Coda Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood.
Deputy Fire Chief Joseph tells News 12 New Jersey that it's not clear what the workers were doing when the floor above the basement apparently collapsed Friday morning.
Callaghan says the injured worker is in serious condition. A third worker escaped injury.
Information from: News 12, http://www.news12.com
Emergency crews are on the scene at Coda Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood.
Deputy Fire Chief Joseph tells News 12 New Jersey that it's not clear what the workers were doing when the floor above the basement apparently collapsed Friday morning.
Callaghan says the injured worker is in serious condition. A third worker escaped injury.
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| Authorities are on the scene of a possible partial building collapse on Maplewood Avenue in Maplewood. |
Information from: News 12, http://www.news12.com
The U.S. Border Patrol's parent agency has released a critical report that it commissioned amid complaints that agents used excessive force, a step that the new commissioner says is part of a commitment to transparency.
The report by the Police Executive Research Forum that was released Friday says some agents are suspected of intentionally placing themselves in the escape route of assailants in fleeing vehicles before firing guns. It also says some shootings of rock throwers were questionable, especially when the attackers were hurling projectiles from across the border in Mexico.
The report was released with revised guidelines on use of force.
The Customs and Border Protection agency steadfastly resisted calls from members of Congress and immigration activists to release the report after it was completed in February 2013.
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A U.S. Border Patrol agent looks into Tijuana, Mexico, from the American side of the U.S.-Mexico border fence near San Diego, California. |
The report was released with revised guidelines on use of force.
The Customs and Border Protection agency steadfastly resisted calls from members of Congress and immigration activists to release the report after it was completed in February 2013.
Authorities flew 400 people suspected of entering the United States illegally to Arizona over the weekend and released them at bus stops because detention facilities were full after a surge in migrants, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
Over the past month, detention facilities in Texas overflowed with migrants for the first time as a large influx of Central Americans crossed the border into the Rio Grande Valley, said Andy Adame, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in Tucson, Arizona.
“We have enough manpower, it’s due to detention space,” Adame said in explaining why the immigrants, mostly families with young children, were sent to Arizona.
Many Republicans in Congress and some state lawmakers say the federal government is not doing enough to secure the U.S. southern border, while a number of groups push for policy reform to allow the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country to obtain a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
Many people who cross the border illegally from Mexico are quickly returned by the U.S. Border Patrol, but those from Central America and other regions are supposed to be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so they can be flown home.
The 400 migrants who crossed into Texas were transferred into the custody of ICE and released, dropped off at bus stops in Tucson and Phoenix, according to that agency.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the migrants will be required to report within 15 days to an agency office near where they were dropped off, and their cases will then be handled based on immigration enforcement priorities.
Federal officials under President Barack Obama have focused their immigration enforcement priorities on turning back unauthorized immigrants stopped in border regions and deporting others outside of those areas who are convicted of crimes.
On Tuesday, Obama asked his administration to hold off on making changes to deportation policy until the end of the summer in order to allow Congress time to pass immigration legislation.
Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which calls for restrictions on immigration, said the released migrants will likely slip away and avoid deportation if they do not commit any crime.
"Essentially, they have gotten successfully into the country and it's unlikely that they're going to leave,” Mehlman said.
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Migrants, consisting of mostly women and children, disembark from a U.S. ICE bus at a Greyhound bus station in Phoenix. |
“We have enough manpower, it’s due to detention space,” Adame said in explaining why the immigrants, mostly families with young children, were sent to Arizona.
Many Republicans in Congress and some state lawmakers say the federal government is not doing enough to secure the U.S. southern border, while a number of groups push for policy reform to allow the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country to obtain a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
Many people who cross the border illegally from Mexico are quickly returned by the U.S. Border Patrol, but those from Central America and other regions are supposed to be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) so they can be flown home.
The 400 migrants who crossed into Texas were transferred into the custody of ICE and released, dropped off at bus stops in Tucson and Phoenix, according to that agency.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the migrants will be required to report within 15 days to an agency office near where they were dropped off, and their cases will then be handled based on immigration enforcement priorities.
Federal officials under President Barack Obama have focused their immigration enforcement priorities on turning back unauthorized immigrants stopped in border regions and deporting others outside of those areas who are convicted of crimes.
On Tuesday, Obama asked his administration to hold off on making changes to deportation policy until the end of the summer in order to allow Congress time to pass immigration legislation.
Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which calls for restrictions on immigration, said the released migrants will likely slip away and avoid deportation if they do not commit any crime.
"Essentially, they have gotten successfully into the country and it's unlikely that they're going to leave,” Mehlman said.
A cook at a New Mexico facility that trains state corrections employees faces battery charges after authorities say she secretly licked sandwiches then served them to probation and parole officers.
KOAT-TV reports (http://goo.gl/MCnk5i) Yolanda Arguello (ar-GWAY'-oh) was charged this week following witness interviews into the bizarre allegations at the South Valley New Mexico Women's Recovery Academy in Albuquerque.
According to a criminal complaint, witnesses told investigators that the 59-year-old would take a piece of cheese, lick it and put it on sandwiches at the academy. Another witness told authorities Arguello was seen sucking on an ice cube and putting it back into a cup before handing it to a staff member.
She is charged with three counts of battery on a peace officer.
A phone listing for Arguello was disconnected, and it was unknown if she had an attorney.
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| Yolanda Arguello |
According to a criminal complaint, witnesses told investigators that the 59-year-old would take a piece of cheese, lick it and put it on sandwiches at the academy. Another witness told authorities Arguello was seen sucking on an ice cube and putting it back into a cup before handing it to a staff member.
She is charged with three counts of battery on a peace officer.
A phone listing for Arguello was disconnected, and it was unknown if she had an attorney.
Over the past year, the secret US government documents that Edward Snowden disclosed have been cascading through the pages of newspapers and magazines around the world.
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| The NSA has surveillance down to an art form, but Laura Poitras is actually turning it into one. |
Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, a journalist at the Guardian, flew to Hong Kong in June 2013 to meet with Snowden, who gave them the thousands of classified documents that would become the heart of the biggest national-security story in a generation.
Until now, Poitras’s journalism has taken a fairly straightforward, narrative form, appearing as documentary films and news articles. The Whitney show will use the same source material but use it to create “an installation of immersive environments,” according to a release from the museum.
“It will be a chance for her to make a site-specific, environmental exhibition format that will look at some of these issues, and materials and media that she’s gathered over the years, and try to frame them and display them in a different way,” the show’s curator, Jay Sanders, told me.
“And it will take advantage of the durational and spatial context of a museum to get at how surveillance affects us physiologically, socially, mentally; how information moves.”
Sanders can’t say exactly what shape the exhibition will take—mostly because it hasn’t been worked out yet, as Poitras is busy editing a still-untitled documentary on NSA surveillance, the third film in her post-9/11 trilogy. But he suggests looking to her work for the 2012 Whitney Biennial (which he co-curated) as a template.
There, Poitras held a “surveillance teach-in,” using unconventional tactics to get the audience to grasp what she calls “the contemporary Panopticon.” While William Binney (paywall), a previous NSA whistleblower, and Jacob Appelbaum, a security researcher and hacker, spoke on a panel, a security company Poitras had hired frisked museum visitors and detained some of them temporarily.
“She thinks about these things, the totality of how you can tell people things in different ways, and how you can use art in relation to content and political information,” Sanders says.
With Snowden’s revelations still making headlines, it was a no-brainer for the Whitney to invite Poitras to stage an exhibition for the museum’s first year at its new location.
“People are really wondering, what are the possible ways that art and politics can connect?” Sanders says. “She’s an artist who explores that in a deep, meaningful way.
There was an urgency to doing something with her.”
A Washington state judge has ordered that a daughter of ailing radio personality Casey Kasem be allowed to visit him.
The ruling Friday was the latest twist in an ongoing dispute between Kasem's wife, Jean, and her stepdaughter, Kerri Kasem over the care of her father.
Kerri Kasem has said in court filings that her father suffers from a form of dementia.
In Kitsap County Superior Court Friday, she said her father was suffering from bedsores along with lung and bladder infections.
Under the ruling, Kerri Kasem will be allowed daily visits for up to an hour and can have her father examined by a doctor.
The 82-year-old Casey Kasem has been staying with family friends west of Seattle.
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| Radio personality Casey Kasem and his wife Jean Kasem ride in the 2007 Hollywood's Santa Parade on November 25, 2007, in Hollywood, California. |
Kerri Kasem has said in court filings that her father suffers from a form of dementia.
In Kitsap County Superior Court Friday, she said her father was suffering from bedsores along with lung and bladder infections.
Under the ruling, Kerri Kasem will be allowed daily visits for up to an hour and can have her father examined by a doctor.
The 82-year-old Casey Kasem has been staying with family friends west of Seattle.
Singer Bret Michaels has abruptly ended a concert in New Hampshire after suffering a medical emergency.
Guitarist Pete Evick says on Michaels' Facebook page that Michaels was three songs into his set in Manchester on Thursday when he rushed from the stage. A crew member reported that the former Poison lead singer's blood sugar was extremely low. Michaels was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child.
Evick says Michaels returned to the stage, telling fans he couldn't continue. Evick says when he went to the band's bus to check on Michaels, "he could barely speak, but begged me to apologize to the fans."
Michaels thanked the paramedics on Twitter and Facebook who provided assistance.
Michaels won the 2010 "Celebrity Apprentice," raising money for the American Diabetes Association.
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| In this April 9, 2008 file photo, Poison lead singer Bret Michaels poses for a portrait in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. Michaels has abruptly ended a concert in New Hampshire on Thursday May 29, 2014 after suffering a medical emergency. |
Guitarist Pete Evick says on Michaels' Facebook page that Michaels was three songs into his set in Manchester on Thursday when he rushed from the stage. A crew member reported that the former Poison lead singer's blood sugar was extremely low. Michaels was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child.
Evick says Michaels returned to the stage, telling fans he couldn't continue. Evick says when he went to the band's bus to check on Michaels, "he could barely speak, but begged me to apologize to the fans."
Michaels thanked the paramedics on Twitter and Facebook who provided assistance.
Michaels won the 2010 "Celebrity Apprentice," raising money for the American Diabetes Association.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has agreed to buy the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-breaking $2 billion. Now it's up to others whether the deal goes through.
Shelly Sterling said in a statement issued late Thursday that she'd signed a binding contract for a sale of the Clippers by The Sterling Family Trust to Ballmer in what would be a record deal if approved by the NBA.
Ballmer "will be a terrific owner," Sterling said, "We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premier NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."
Sterling negotiated the sale after her husband, Donald Sterling, made racist remarks that were made public. The remarks included Sterling telling girlfriend V. Stiviano not to bring blacks to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
Shelly Sterling's statement noted that she made the deal "under her authority as the sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers." Donald Sterling's attorneys contend that he is a co-owner and therefore must give his assent for the deal to go through. They also say he won't be giving it.
"Sterling is not selling the team," said his attorney, Bobby Samini. "That's his position. He's not going to sell."
Ballmer beat out bids by Guggenheim Partners and a group including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill after presenting an "all-around superior bid," according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations. The individual, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly, said Ballmer made more than an hour-long personal visit to Shelly Sterling's Malibu home Sunday and laid out his plan.
"He knocked their socks off, they bonded, had a good connection," the individual said. The amount was also the largest of the offers, and Ballmer was one potential buyer to deal with rather than numerous members of a group.
"I love basketball. And I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that the Clippers continue to win — and win big — in Los Angeles," Ballmer said. "LA is one of the world's great cities — a city that embraces inclusiveness, in exactly the same way that the NBA and I embrace inclusiveness."
On Thursday, Magic Johnson lauded the deal on his Twitter account: "Steve Ballmer owning the Clippers is a big win for the City of LA and all the people who live in the City of Angels!"
Though Donald Sterling's attorneys now say he won't agree to sell the team, a May 22 letter obtained by The Associated Press and written by another of Sterling's attorneys that says that "Donald T. Sterling authorizes Rochelle Sterling to negotiate with the National Basketball Association regarding all issues in connection with a sale of the Los Angeles Clippers team." It includes the line "read and approved" and Donald Sterling's signature.
Samini said Sterling has had a change of heart primarily because of "the conduct of the NBA." He said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's decision to ban Sterling for life and fine him $2.5 million as well as to try to oust him as an owner was him acting as "judge, jury and executioner."
"They're telling me he should stand back and let them take his team because his opinion on that particular day was not good, was not popular?" Samini said. "It doesn't make sense. He's going to fight."
It's unclear how the agreement will affect a special hearing of NBA owners planned for Tuesday in New York to consider the charge against Donald Sterling for damaging the league with his comments. A three-quarters vote of the 30 owners to support the charge would have resulted in the termination of both Sterlings' ownership of the franchise. The deal is expected to be presented to the league before Tuesday, according to the individual.
Silver has said his preference would be for the franchise to be sold rather than seized — and that means sold in its entirety, with neither Sterling retaining a stake. Though according to the deal's terms Ballmer will own 100 percent of the team, Shelly Sterling may continue to be involved under conditions worked out privately with Ballmer, the individual said.
Franchise sale prices have soared since the current collective bargaining agreement was ratified in 2011. The Milwaukee Bucks were just sold to New York investment firm executives Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens for about $550 million, an NBA record.
Last year, Vivek Ranadive's group acquired a 65 percent controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings at a total franchise valuation of more than $534 million.
This is not Ballmer's first foray into potential NBA ownership. Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen headed a group that agreed to a deal to buy the Kings from the Maloof family in January 2013 with the intention of moving the team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played until 2008.
But Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lobbied the NBA for time to put together a bid to keep the team in California, and though the Ballmer-Hansen group later increased its offer, owners voted to deny the bid for relocation and the Kings were sold to Ranadive.
The former Microsoft CEO helped Bill Gates transform the company from a startup with fewer than 40 employees and $12 million in annual revenue into the world's most valuable business. The pair met in 1973 while living down the hall from each other in a Harvard dorm.
During his tenure at Microsoft, Ballmer was known for his competitive drive and wild displays of emotion and hand-waving.
At his farewell address to Microsoft employees, he high-fived and hugged audience members, pumped his fists in the air, and even shed tears as the popular 1987 song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" played on the sound system. In a video of the event widely viewed on YouTube, he screams: "You work for the greatest company in the world!"
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| Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, left, greets former NBA players Bill Russell, right, and "Downtown" Freddie Brown, second right, during an NCAA college basketball game between Washington and Oregon State in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 25, 2014. |
Shelly Sterling said in a statement issued late Thursday that she'd signed a binding contract for a sale of the Clippers by The Sterling Family Trust to Ballmer in what would be a record deal if approved by the NBA.
Ballmer "will be a terrific owner," Sterling said, "We have worked for 33 years to build the Clippers into a premier NBA franchise. I am confident that Steve will take the team to new levels of success."
Sterling negotiated the sale after her husband, Donald Sterling, made racist remarks that were made public. The remarks included Sterling telling girlfriend V. Stiviano not to bring blacks to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
Shelly Sterling's statement noted that she made the deal "under her authority as the sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers." Donald Sterling's attorneys contend that he is a co-owner and therefore must give his assent for the deal to go through. They also say he won't be giving it.
"Sterling is not selling the team," said his attorney, Bobby Samini. "That's his position. He's not going to sell."
Ballmer beat out bids by Guggenheim Partners and a group including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill after presenting an "all-around superior bid," according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations. The individual, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly, said Ballmer made more than an hour-long personal visit to Shelly Sterling's Malibu home Sunday and laid out his plan.
"He knocked their socks off, they bonded, had a good connection," the individual said. The amount was also the largest of the offers, and Ballmer was one potential buyer to deal with rather than numerous members of a group.
Ballmer said in a statement that he is honored to have his name submitted to the NBA for approval and thanked the league for working collaboratively with him throughout the process.
"I love basketball. And I intend to do everything in my power to ensure that the Clippers continue to win — and win big — in Los Angeles," Ballmer said. "LA is one of the world's great cities — a city that embraces inclusiveness, in exactly the same way that the NBA and I embrace inclusiveness."On Thursday, Magic Johnson lauded the deal on his Twitter account: "Steve Ballmer owning the Clippers is a big win for the City of LA and all the people who live in the City of Angels!"
Though Donald Sterling's attorneys now say he won't agree to sell the team, a May 22 letter obtained by The Associated Press and written by another of Sterling's attorneys that says that "Donald T. Sterling authorizes Rochelle Sterling to negotiate with the National Basketball Association regarding all issues in connection with a sale of the Los Angeles Clippers team." It includes the line "read and approved" and Donald Sterling's signature.
Samini said Sterling has had a change of heart primarily because of "the conduct of the NBA." He said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's decision to ban Sterling for life and fine him $2.5 million as well as to try to oust him as an owner was him acting as "judge, jury and executioner."
"They're telling me he should stand back and let them take his team because his opinion on that particular day was not good, was not popular?" Samini said. "It doesn't make sense. He's going to fight."
It's unclear how the agreement will affect a special hearing of NBA owners planned for Tuesday in New York to consider the charge against Donald Sterling for damaging the league with his comments. A three-quarters vote of the 30 owners to support the charge would have resulted in the termination of both Sterlings' ownership of the franchise. The deal is expected to be presented to the league before Tuesday, according to the individual.
Silver has said his preference would be for the franchise to be sold rather than seized — and that means sold in its entirety, with neither Sterling retaining a stake. Though according to the deal's terms Ballmer will own 100 percent of the team, Shelly Sterling may continue to be involved under conditions worked out privately with Ballmer, the individual said.
Franchise sale prices have soared since the current collective bargaining agreement was ratified in 2011. The Milwaukee Bucks were just sold to New York investment firm executives Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens for about $550 million, an NBA record.
Last year, Vivek Ranadive's group acquired a 65 percent controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings at a total franchise valuation of more than $534 million.
This is not Ballmer's first foray into potential NBA ownership. Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen headed a group that agreed to a deal to buy the Kings from the Maloof family in January 2013 with the intention of moving the team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played until 2008.
But Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lobbied the NBA for time to put together a bid to keep the team in California, and though the Ballmer-Hansen group later increased its offer, owners voted to deny the bid for relocation and the Kings were sold to Ranadive.
The former Microsoft CEO helped Bill Gates transform the company from a startup with fewer than 40 employees and $12 million in annual revenue into the world's most valuable business. The pair met in 1973 while living down the hall from each other in a Harvard dorm.
During his tenure at Microsoft, Ballmer was known for his competitive drive and wild displays of emotion and hand-waving.
At his farewell address to Microsoft employees, he high-fived and hugged audience members, pumped his fists in the air, and even shed tears as the popular 1987 song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" played on the sound system. In a video of the event widely viewed on YouTube, he screams: "You work for the greatest company in the world!"
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned Friday after publicly apologizing for systemic problems plaguing the agency’s health care system.
Obama said Shinseki had served with honor, but the secretary told him the agency needs new leadership and he doesn’t want to be a distraction. “I agree. We don’t have time for distractions. We need to fix the problem,” Obama said.
The president named Sloan D. Gibson, currently the deputy VA secretary, to run the department on an interim basis while he searches for another secretary.
A career banker, Gibson has held the No. 2 post at the department since February of this year. He came to the department after serving as president and chief executive officer of the USO, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to US troops and their families, and after a 20-year career in banking.
Gibson is the son of an Army Air Corps member who served in World War II and grandson of a World War I Army infantryman.
In a speech earlier Friday to a veterans group, Shinseki said the problems outlined in the report were “totally unacceptable” and a “breach of trust” that he found indefensible. He announced he would take a series of steps to respond, including ousting senior officials at the troubled Phoenix health care facility, the initial focus of the investigation.
He concurred with the report’s conclusion that the problems extended throughout the VA’s 1,700 health care facilities nationwide, and said that “I was too trusting of some” in the VA system.
The VA has a goal of trying to give patients an appointment within 14 days of when they first seek care. Treatment delays — and irregularities in recording patient waiting times — have been documented in numerous reports from government and outside organizations for years and have been well-known to VA officials, members of Congress and veterans service organizations.
But the controversy now swirling around the VA stems from allegations that employees were keeping a secret waiting list at the Phoenix hospital — and that up to 40 patients may have died while awaiting care. A preliminary VA inspector general probe into the allegations found systemic falsification of appointment records at Phoenix and other locations but has not made a determination on whether any deaths are related to the delays.
The agency has been struggling to keep up with a huge demand for its services — some 9 million enrolled now compared to 8 million in 2008. The influx comes from returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, aging Vietnam War vets who now have more health problems, a move by Congress to expand the number of those eligible for care, and the migration of veterans to the VA during the last recession after they lost their jobs or switched to the VA when their private insurance became more expensive.
Shinseki said the last several weeks have been “challenging” but that his agency takes caring for veterans seriously.
“I can’t explain the lack of integrity,” he told a homeless veterans group. “I will not defend it, because it is not defensible.” The beleaguered Cabinet official received a standing ovation and loud applause.
An inspector general’s report found that about 1,700 veterans in need of care were “at risk of being lost or forgotten” after being kept off the waiting list.
Shinseki and Obama arrive for a December 2008 press conference after Shinseki was named Obama’s choice for VA secretary.
The report confirmed earlier allegations of excessive waiting times for care in Phoenix, with an average 115-day wait for a first appointment for those on the list — nearly five times as long as the 24-day average the hospital had reported.
“This situation can be fixed,” Shinseki told an audience of several hundred people from around the nation who have been working with the VA on helping homeless veterans. “Leadership and integrity problems can and must be fixed — and now.”
He said the government would not give any performance bonuses this year, would use all authority it has against those “who instigated or tolerated” the falsification of wait time records, and that performance on achieving wait time targets will no longer be considered in employee job reviews. He also asked Congress to support a bill by Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) which would give the department more authority to remove senior government employees who are in leadership positions.
The House has passed a similar bill that would give the VA more ability to fire up to 450 senior executives at the agency.
Those attending Shinseki’s speech in a downtown Washington hotel were overwhelmingly friendly and supportive because of his work in sharply decreasing homelessness among veterans. Shinseki at one point noted that the number of homeless veterans has fallen by nearly 25 percent since 2013. The audience gave him a long standing ovation, whistling and hooting, when he entered the room and again before and after he spoke.
“He has made a difference. I’m living it,” said James Wheatley, a 20-year veteran of the Army who now works at a mental health facility that helps veterans in Indianapolis.
“He’s a good man,” said Steven Nelson, a veteran who works at an employment center in Tucson. “When I go to the VA (for health care), I’m well taken care of and everybody I know is.”
