When it comes to immigration reform, perhaps no senator has been more vocal about their displeasure with the newest bill, drafted by the group of bipartisan senators known as the "Gang of Eight," than Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)--the Republican many blame for the defeat of the last immigration reform bill in 2008.
?This bill, written by the 'Gang of Eight', without public process, that stacked in the committee and determined to move it through with little or no changes, it,? Sessions said.
But many pro-immigration reform voices are suspicious that the 49 amendments Sessions has filed, second only to the whopping 77 amendments filed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), are designed to kill the bill rather than change it. Sessions says that's not so.
?We create amendments that reveal the problems with [the immigration reform bill], and I think that's kind of what's been happening,? he told Power Players. ?We are beginning to show that there are weaknesses in it.?
He points to the lack of a biometric entry and exit system as one weakness of the bill.
Current law already calls for a biometric system, which has been in place since 1996 and was reinforced in the wake of September 11. However, it has proven to be too expensive and difficult to implement. The current immigration bill, as drafted, calls for screening of visa photo IDs for those entering the country, which then goes into a database and must be matched at time of exit. The biometric system proposed by Sessions calls for additional fingerprinting and iris scans.
Sessions says that Sen. Marco Rubio?s (R-Fla.) recent declaration of support for a biometric entry/exit visa bodes well for his amendment and that the amendment is ?going to clearly pass on the floor of the Senate.?
Just yesterday, an amendment by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, the committee responsible for the bill, that requires biometric systems in 10 of the highest volume airports within two years of enactment. A study to examine the effectiveness within those 10 airports must be completed within five years of enactment, and then expand to the ?Core 30 international airports? within six years. Sessions? amendment that failed in committee would have required a biometric system at all land ports before the pathway to citizenship could begin.
But a biometric system isn?t the only weakness, as Sessions sees it. When it comes to the border fence, Sessions has been an outspoken advocate for a 700-mile double fence along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border.
?That's the law that we passed several years ago. It's never been done. It's typical of the problem we have at the border where you pass a law that says something is to be done and it never gets accomplished,? Sessions said. ?It's proven to work. San Diego had fabulous resorts with a fence there, and the areas where fencing has been built uh, has reduced the illegality and really brought stability and crime has dropped also.?
Those opposing the fence, however, argue that mandating a double-fence throughout the region is an inefficient use of funds and not proper for all parts of the country.
At the hearing last Thursday, fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said: ?every time we have this debate there is always a reason the border is not quite secure enough.?
?Southern border fencing strategy is substantially completed,? Graham said. ?Fences are not really the best security for the country in some parts? mandatory e-verify system is.?
Pointing to a letter submitted to Congress by ICE Union, representing about 7,700 of the 20,000 employees, Sessions says the current bill does not do enough to ensure security.
Just yesterday, a second labor union, which represents an additional 12,000 federal officers, came forward publicly opposing the bill.
The pathway-to-citizenship is another problem with the current legislation. Sessions opposes the key component of path to citizenship and under his amendment would create a separate category of legal resident without citizenship? allowing immigrants to work in the U.S. without full rights.
?I don't think there's any moral, legal, or other reason why that that wouldn't be a good policy,? he said. ?We can debate it, we'll let the Senate and the Congress decide, but my view is there should be a distinction between people who entered lawfully and those who entered unlawfully.?
Critics of Sessions point to amendments that originally required immigrants to prove they could earn nearly $100,000 a year after coming to the United States, to ensure they would not end up on welfare. And another that restricts the number of immigrants entering the U.S. legally to 1.2 million a year?far fewer than immigration advocates say would be necessary for businesses that want a fertile labor stream.
That amendment was nearly greeted with derision and voted down 17-1 by the committee.
The income amendment was changed after Power Players confronted Sessions about its purpose. When introduced to committee Monday, it had been amended to require immigrants to prove they would not qualify for Medicaid or SNAP programs. That bill failed on a voice vote.
To watch more of Jim Avila?s interview, including Senator Sessions? thoughts on extending full citizenship to immigrants, check out this episode of Power Players.
ABC's Serena Marshall, Eric Wray, Ali Dukakis, Freda Kahen-Kashi, Ginny Vicario and Vicki Vennell contributed to this episode.
An open letter addressed to Microsoft concerning tomorrow?s Xbox reveal.
Dear Microsoft,
I find myself splurging precious bandwidth on trash articles claiming to have insider information about your console. As a media guy, I should know better. As a site owner, I feel as if I?ve squandered an opportunity surfacing every half-decade: to namedrop ?Xbox? in the days before a console reveal and collect thousands of hits. But, as do so many others, I am caught in the heyday or mystique of something broodingly mysterious. The suspect of a wildly new thing. As much as I resent the word: thehype.
My devotion to pure, blatantly unjournalistic crap plays precisely into the narrative. The press publishes these articles in the name of promotion, and Microsoft soaks the attention up like a sponge, further enlarging the spectacle. It was as obvious around Sony?s February conference, when articles claimed every fine detail but the name, which was set in stone, and who would speak. Because the appearing personalities are uninteresting I assume.
From obsessing over names taken from edited photos posted on Reddit, the media has seemingly trivialized the monumentality of this announcement. To stop this needless obsession (that brought them a steady cash flow), would it be so difficult as to inform us of something beforehand? If only to distract for one day from the stupid conversation of whether the next console will be named ?Infinity? or ?Fiesta? or ?Durango?. Or stopping respected publications like The Wall Street Journal stooping to ridiculously low levels by posting its own claims from anonymous sources.
And, especially, to hinder outlets from writing articles ?rounding up? these rumours into one ?handy? place. It clouds judgments and subjects tomorrow to feel like a fantasy. As well, it engorges the tabloid process of games journalism?feeding rumour with impunity, and without any accountability. But that?s also on the writers who blindly print these factoids, who refuse to focus on actual truisms: the rift between entertainment and video gaming as an example. So, for that, I apologize.
But, Microsoft, you must admit it?s all mildly ludicrous. Not just from the press, but from the Internet-goers clicking, myself included. (Only to a point though.) We will learn of the information tomorrow, but fascination overcomes us almost sickeningly. We can?t resist ?Everything You Need To Know About the Next Xbox? headlines. Any pictures or infinity-inspired logos stirs imaginations, and we can?t help but indulge. It sounds like drug addiction.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators working on a wide-ranging immigration bill have agreed to tighten controls on the asylum system that allows people fleeing war or persecution to find refuge in the U.S.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina offered the amendment, which would terminate asylum or refugee status for anyone who returns home to the country they fled, unless they can show a good reason for doing so.
Graham said the change was merited in light of the Boston Marathon bombings. The brothers who allegedly set off the bombs arrived in the U.S. as boys when their family sought asylum here.
The amendment was approved on voice vote Monday as the Senate Judiciary Committee entered its third week of weighing amendments to a bipartisan immigration bill.
by National Small Business Association Included
in yesterday's mail were two ominous envelopes, one addressed to me,
the other to my wife.? They were from our health insurance company.?
Being that this is mid-May, I knew what the contents of the envelopes
would be: one-page letters informing us what our insurance premiums are
going to run in the coming year.? With sweaty palms and racing heart, I
began operating on the envelopes, terrified by the news that would be
contained therein. Last year at this time, our premiums rose 14.6%; the
year befo re
that slightly under 13%; the year before that 15.8%.? Envelopes open, I
gingerly removed the one-page form letters addressed to "Dear Member."?
Reading the twin missives of doom took less than 30 seconds.? My worst
fears had actually been bested by the reality of it all; beginning July
1st, our premiums would be going up an additional 25% . . . 25% . . . 25%!?
Yes
indeed; as of July 1st, we will be paying the princely sum of
$34,934.88 for a year's worth of "coverage" that includes neither dental
nor vision nor podiatry, carries a $10,000 deductible, and is regularly
refused by many doctors because the company doles out payment with a
costive eyedropper.? And, to add mortal insult to lethal injury, this
outrage comes fast on the heels of my wife being denied -- once again --
coverage for a crucial pain-reducing procedure because, in the opinion
of some company stooge she ". . . does not present sufficient pain to
warrant said procedure." ? And just last month, they denied my doctor's order for an MRI because, once again, they deemed it "unnecessary."
Now
mind you, my wife and I are both reasonably health-conscious people.?
We don't smoke or drink, stick to healthy diets (keeping kosher in a
largely non-kosher world forces one to eat lot of salad, fruit and fish)
and get a reasonable amount of exercise. (I for one am a long-time
inveterate gym rat.) We are healthy people who live active lives despite
having conditions that might lay others low. In other words, we do
everything in our power to be as healthy as is humanly possible.? And
yet, we are about to begin paying nearly $35,000.00 for a year's worth
of what is truly substandard health insurance coverage.
To
put the rate of increase into perspective, two years ago, my wife's
monthly take home pay from her part time position as an instructor at a
local community college covered our monthly premium.? With this newest
spike (and a concomitant cutback in her teaching
hours),
it now will take nearly 3 month's take home pay to cover but a single
month's premium. Our annual insurance premium will be about 50% more
than what we pay for the mortgage on our home and a rental property. ?
So
why not just change carriers? Because the last time we tried, we were
turned down flat because of pre-existing conditions. (Starting next
year, under terms of the Affordable Care Act, this will be illegal.)
Moreover, we had to report the insurance agents (who all but guaranteed
us "better coverage for less") to the state attorney general's Office of
Investigations; they had signed us up (and were already billing us) for
a couple of "savers' club" groups without our knowledge or consent. ?
Now mind you, I am not in any way kvetching about the quality
of medical care we receive.? Our doctors at Cleveland Clinic Florida
are first-rate; indeed, some are galaxy-class. The problem is, that in
order for these first-rate and galaxy-class physicians to provide us
care, it costs an arm, a leg and a pancreas gland . . . and starting in
July a clavicle and a hyoid bone.?
So
what can be done?? Next to nothing, I am afraid to say.? Oh sure, we
could simply drop our healthy insurance and pray that we remain healthy
until age 65 and can begin being covered by Medicare . . . provided that
Paul Ryan and the GOP don't have their way and voucherize it before
then.? Then too, perhaps we could sit down with a supervisor or
representative of the company that so willingly takes in our dollars and
try to work something out.? No dice.? From prior painful experience,
when given the choice between compromising and simply losing us as
paying customers, they simply respond "Well, that would have to be your
choice . . . to drop coverage." Even waiting for the rest of the
Affordable Care Act to take effect won't do any good; while carriers may
be debarred from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, there
is nothing that says they have to make it affordable.? You see, the
affordable care act isn't about health care; it's about health
insurance.? Far from being "socialized medicine" as so many argue, it is
a gigantic beribboned gift to the health insurance industry which, if
properly and rigorously monitored, could eventually slow down the
unconscionable increases in all aspects of health care.?? Don't get me
wrong. I have no problem with corporations making a profit; that's why
they're in business.? What I do have a huge problem with -- and here I
know I'm not alone -- is facing the prospect of going broke just to be
covered by a company that loves saying "REFUSED!"?
According to a recent poll
from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 42% of the American public don't
know or aren't sure whether the Affordable Care Act is the Law of the
Land.? It is.? How do I know?? Because just yesterday, the House of
Representatives tried to kill it . . . for the 37th time in two years.?
Even the House wouldn't be so dense as to try destroy something that
does not exist.? And yet, because they are forever railing against
Obamacare, forever trying to scare people with talk of "death squads,"
loss of liberty and the looming communist/socialist/fascist takeover of
America, lots of Americans are against it . . . or are they?? When
queried, people who say they wanted Obamacare repealed, still say they
like aspects of it . . . like keeping children on their parents'
policies until age 26; like not being denied coverage due to
pre-existing conditions; like no lifetime caps on coverage.? And yet,
they are against it.??
Despite
the fact that the Affordable Care Act likely won't affect our personal
situation, I am all for it -- until we get smart and one day enact
universal coverage.? Likely the only way that will ever be accomplished
is if enough people find themselves in our position -- of being priced
out of health insurance coverage because it costs more than two
mortgages and two car payments combined -- and demanding change; real,
tangible, intelligent change.
Anybody out there know of a company that can provide us coverage without resorting to extortion?? Any suggestions?
Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice agePublic release date: 19-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gisela Speidel gspeidel@hawaii.edu 808-956-9252 University of Hawaii ? SOEST
Scientists look at past climates to learn about climate change and the ability to simulate it with computer models. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the Indo-Pacific warm pool, the vast pool of warm water stretching along the equator from Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.
In a new study, Pedro DiNezio of the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Jessica Tierney of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigated preserved geological clues (called "proxies") of rainfall patterns during the last ice age when the planet was dramatically colder than today. They compared these patterns with computer model simulations in order to find a physical explanation for the patterns inferred from the proxies.
Their study, which appears in the May 19, online edition of Nature Geoscience, not only reveals unique patterns of rainfall change over the Indo-Pacific warm pool, but also shows that they were caused by the effect of lowered sea level on the configuration of the Indonesian archipelago.
"For our research," explains lead-author Pedro DiNezio at the International Pacific Research Center, "we compared the climate of the ice age with our recent warmer climate. We analyzed about 100 proxy records of rainfall and salinity stretching from the tropical western Pacific to the western Indian Ocean and eastern Africa. Rainfall and salinity signals recorded in geological sediments can tell us much about past changes in atmospheric circulation over land and the ocean respectively."
"Our comparisons show that, as many scientists expected, much of the Indo-Pacific warm pool was drier during this glacial period compared with today. But, counter to some theories, several regions, such as the western Pacific and the western Indian Ocean, especially eastern Africa, were wetter," adds co-author Jessica Tierney from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
In the second step, the scientists matched these rainfall and salinity patterns with simulations from 12 state-of-the-art climate models that are used to also predict future climate change. For this matching they applied a method of categorical data comparison called the 'Cohen's kappa' statistic. Though widely used in the medical field, this method has not yet been used to match geological climate signals with climate model simulations.
"We were taken aback that only one model out of the 12 showed statistical agreement with the proxy-inferred patterns of the rainfall changes. This model, though, agrees well with both the rainfall and salinity indicators two entirely independent sets of proxy data covering distinct areas of the tropics," says DiNezio.
The model reveals that the dry climate during the glacial period was driven by reduced convection over a region of the warm pool called the Sunda Shelf. Today the shelf is submerged beneath the Gulf of Thailand, but was above sea level during the glacial period, when sea level was about 120 m lower.
"The exposure of the Sunda Shelf greatly weakened convection over the warm pool, with far-reaching impacts on the large-scale circulation and on rainfall patterns from Africa to the western Pacific and northern Australia," explains DiNezio.
The main weakness of the other models, according to the authors, is their limited ability to simulate convection, the vertical air motions that lift humid air into the atmosphere. Differences in the way each model simulates convection may explain why the results for the glacial period are so different.
"Our research resolves a decades-old question of what the response of tropical climate was to glaciation," concludes DiNezio. "The study, moreover, presents a fine benchmark for assessing the ability of climate models to simulate the response of tropical convection to altered land masses and global temperatures."
###
Citation:
Pedro DiNezio and Jessica Tierney: The effect of sea level on glacial Indo-Pacific climate. Nature Geoscience, May 19 online publication at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1823.
Funding:
Funding for this work was provided by NSF and by JAMSTEC, NASA, and NOAA, which sponsor research at the International Pacific Research Center.
Author Contacts:
Dr. Pedro DiNezio, SOEST Young Investigator, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822; phone: (804) 674-4150; email: pdn@hawaii.edu.
Dr. Jessica E. Tierney, Assistant Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Rd., MS #22 Woods Hole, MA 02543; phone: (508) 289-3775; email: tierney@whoi.edu.
International Pacific Research Center Media Contact: Gisela E. Speidel, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; phone (808) 956-9252; email: gspeidel@hawaii.edu.
The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is a climate research center founded to gain greater understanding of the climate system and the nature and causes of climate variation in the Asia-Pacific region and how global climate changes may affect the region. Established under the "U.S.-Japan Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective" in October 1997, the IPRC is a collaborative effort between agencies in Japan and the United States.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice agePublic release date: 19-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gisela Speidel gspeidel@hawaii.edu 808-956-9252 University of Hawaii ? SOEST
Scientists look at past climates to learn about climate change and the ability to simulate it with computer models. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the Indo-Pacific warm pool, the vast pool of warm water stretching along the equator from Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.
In a new study, Pedro DiNezio of the International Pacific Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Jessica Tierney of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution investigated preserved geological clues (called "proxies") of rainfall patterns during the last ice age when the planet was dramatically colder than today. They compared these patterns with computer model simulations in order to find a physical explanation for the patterns inferred from the proxies.
Their study, which appears in the May 19, online edition of Nature Geoscience, not only reveals unique patterns of rainfall change over the Indo-Pacific warm pool, but also shows that they were caused by the effect of lowered sea level on the configuration of the Indonesian archipelago.
"For our research," explains lead-author Pedro DiNezio at the International Pacific Research Center, "we compared the climate of the ice age with our recent warmer climate. We analyzed about 100 proxy records of rainfall and salinity stretching from the tropical western Pacific to the western Indian Ocean and eastern Africa. Rainfall and salinity signals recorded in geological sediments can tell us much about past changes in atmospheric circulation over land and the ocean respectively."
"Our comparisons show that, as many scientists expected, much of the Indo-Pacific warm pool was drier during this glacial period compared with today. But, counter to some theories, several regions, such as the western Pacific and the western Indian Ocean, especially eastern Africa, were wetter," adds co-author Jessica Tierney from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
In the second step, the scientists matched these rainfall and salinity patterns with simulations from 12 state-of-the-art climate models that are used to also predict future climate change. For this matching they applied a method of categorical data comparison called the 'Cohen's kappa' statistic. Though widely used in the medical field, this method has not yet been used to match geological climate signals with climate model simulations.
"We were taken aback that only one model out of the 12 showed statistical agreement with the proxy-inferred patterns of the rainfall changes. This model, though, agrees well with both the rainfall and salinity indicators two entirely independent sets of proxy data covering distinct areas of the tropics," says DiNezio.
The model reveals that the dry climate during the glacial period was driven by reduced convection over a region of the warm pool called the Sunda Shelf. Today the shelf is submerged beneath the Gulf of Thailand, but was above sea level during the glacial period, when sea level was about 120 m lower.
"The exposure of the Sunda Shelf greatly weakened convection over the warm pool, with far-reaching impacts on the large-scale circulation and on rainfall patterns from Africa to the western Pacific and northern Australia," explains DiNezio.
The main weakness of the other models, according to the authors, is their limited ability to simulate convection, the vertical air motions that lift humid air into the atmosphere. Differences in the way each model simulates convection may explain why the results for the glacial period are so different.
"Our research resolves a decades-old question of what the response of tropical climate was to glaciation," concludes DiNezio. "The study, moreover, presents a fine benchmark for assessing the ability of climate models to simulate the response of tropical convection to altered land masses and global temperatures."
###
Citation:
Pedro DiNezio and Jessica Tierney: The effect of sea level on glacial Indo-Pacific climate. Nature Geoscience, May 19 online publication at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1823.
Funding:
Funding for this work was provided by NSF and by JAMSTEC, NASA, and NOAA, which sponsor research at the International Pacific Research Center.
Author Contacts:
Dr. Pedro DiNezio, SOEST Young Investigator, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822; phone: (804) 674-4150; email: pdn@hawaii.edu.
Dr. Jessica E. Tierney, Assistant Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 360 Woods Hole Rd., MS #22 Woods Hole, MA 02543; phone: (508) 289-3775; email: tierney@whoi.edu.
International Pacific Research Center Media Contact: Gisela E. Speidel, International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822; phone (808) 956-9252; email: gspeidel@hawaii.edu.
The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is a climate research center founded to gain greater understanding of the climate system and the nature and causes of climate variation in the Asia-Pacific region and how global climate changes may affect the region. Established under the "U.S.-Japan Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective" in October 1997, the IPRC is a collaborative effort between agencies in Japan and the United States.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Following some important pricing details, preorder launches and some concrete hardware specs, we've just got to play with the new Jolla phone. Sure, we've already toyed with the software, but today's event is all about the new physical home for the Sailfish OS. It could be a difficult sell in the cutthroat world of smartphones, there's certainly something compelling in Jolla's split design and all those of color options, regardless of what functionality they might add in the future.
FILE - In this May 15, 2013 file photo, a service person works on sign at BP station at 35E and County Road E in Vadnais Heights, Minn. The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday, May 19, 2013 says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Marlin Levison, File)
FILE - In this May 15, 2013 file photo, a service person works on sign at BP station at 35E and County Road E in Vadnais Heights, Minn. The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday, May 19, 2013 says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Marlin Levison, File)
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) ? The average U.S. price of a gallon of gasoline has jumped 11 cents over the past two weeks.
The Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday says the price of a gallon of regular is $3.66. Midgrade costs an average of $3.84 a gallon, and premium is $3.98.
Diesel held steady at $3.93 gallon.
Of the cities surveyed in the Lower 48 states, Tucson, Ariz., has the nation's lowest average price for gas at $3.18. Minneapolis has the highest at $4.27.
In California, the lowest average price was $3.94 in Fresno. The highest was in San Francisco at $4.07. The average statewide for a gallon of regular was $4.03, up 18 cents.
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Public release date: 19-May-2013
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