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Thursday, October 24, 2013
Why Does BBM For Android Have a Ton of Horribly Fake Reviews?
Category: philip rivers Lake Natron breast cancer awareness legend of korra Shana Tova
Grazers and pollinators shape plant evolution
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 21-Oct-2013
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ShareContact: Jon Ågren
jon.agren@ebc.uu.se
46-070-643-6364
Uppsala University
It has long been known that the characteristics of many plants with wide ranges can vary geographically, depending on differences in climate. But changes in grazing pressure and pollination can also affect the genetic composition of natural plant populations, according to a new study.
Researchers at Uppsala University and Stockholm University are presenting the new study this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.
It is known that a prominent floral display increases attractiveness to pollinators, but also increases the risk of damage from grazing animals and seed-eating insects. To investigate how pollinators and grazing animals affect the characteristics of natural plant populations, these researchers studied bird's eye primrose populations in alvar grasslands on the Baltic island of land. Two distinct morphs of primrose occur there: a short morph that produces its flowers close to the ground and a tall morph that displays its flowers well above the ground. The tall morph is better at attracting pollinators, but, on the other hand, it is more frequently damaged by grazing animals and seed predators.
In field experiments the scientists have shown that grazing pressure and pollination intensity determine whether the short or the tall primrose morph reproduces more successfully. The difference in plant height has a genetic basis, and over time differences in reproductive success affect the genetic composition of plant populations. For a period of eight years, the researchers documented changes in the proportion of short plants in natural populations and field experiments. The results show that altered grazing pressure leads to rapid changes in the genetic composition of the primrose populations, specifically in the proportion of short plants.
The Agricultural Landscape of Southern land has been a World Heritage Site since 2000. The grazing pressure on the alvar grasslands of land has increased dramatically in the last fifteen years as a result of measures taken to keep the landscape open.
- The study shows that grazing pressure impacts not only which plants dominate but also the genetic composition of the plant populations. These findings help us understand how differences in environmental conditions influence the evolution of genetic differentiation among plant populations, says Professor Jon gren at the Evolutionary Biology Centre.
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 21-Oct-2013
[
]
ShareContact: Jon Ågren
jon.agren@ebc.uu.se
46-070-643-6364
Uppsala University
It has long been known that the characteristics of many plants with wide ranges can vary geographically, depending on differences in climate. But changes in grazing pressure and pollination can also affect the genetic composition of natural plant populations, according to a new study.
Researchers at Uppsala University and Stockholm University are presenting the new study this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS.
It is known that a prominent floral display increases attractiveness to pollinators, but also increases the risk of damage from grazing animals and seed-eating insects. To investigate how pollinators and grazing animals affect the characteristics of natural plant populations, these researchers studied bird's eye primrose populations in alvar grasslands on the Baltic island of land. Two distinct morphs of primrose occur there: a short morph that produces its flowers close to the ground and a tall morph that displays its flowers well above the ground. The tall morph is better at attracting pollinators, but, on the other hand, it is more frequently damaged by grazing animals and seed predators.
In field experiments the scientists have shown that grazing pressure and pollination intensity determine whether the short or the tall primrose morph reproduces more successfully. The difference in plant height has a genetic basis, and over time differences in reproductive success affect the genetic composition of plant populations. For a period of eight years, the researchers documented changes in the proportion of short plants in natural populations and field experiments. The results show that altered grazing pressure leads to rapid changes in the genetic composition of the primrose populations, specifically in the proportion of short plants.
The Agricultural Landscape of Southern land has been a World Heritage Site since 2000. The grazing pressure on the alvar grasslands of land has increased dramatically in the last fifteen years as a result of measures taken to keep the landscape open.
- The study shows that grazing pressure impacts not only which plants dominate but also the genetic composition of the plant populations. These findings help us understand how differences in environmental conditions influence the evolution of genetic differentiation among plant populations, says Professor Jon gren at the Evolutionary Biology Centre.
###
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uu-gap102113.php
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NASA's Aqua satellite sees Typhoon Francisco approaching Japan
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Oct-2013
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ShareContact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Typhoon Francisco was already spreading fringe clouds over southern Japan when NASA's Aqua satellite flew overhead and captured a picture of the storm from space.
On Oct. 22 at 04:30 UTC/12:30 a.m. EDT, NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning visible image of Typhoon Francisco approaching Japan that showed a large storm with a tightly wound center and small eye. Bands of thunderstorms wrapped into the center from the northern and southern quadrants of the storm as Francisco moved toward Japan. The image was created by the NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
On Oct. 22 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT, Typhoon Francisco had maximum sustained winds near 75 knots/86.1 mph/138.9 kph. It was centered about 350 nautical miles east-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, near 23.2 north and 133.1 east. The strongest winds, typhoon-force extend 40 nautical miles/46 miles/74 km from the center, or 80 nautical miles/92 miles/148 km in diameter. Tropical-storm-force winds extend as far as 130 nautical miles/149.6 miles/ 240.8 km from the center, making the storm over 260 miles in diameter.
Francisco was moving to the northwest at 7 knots/8 mph/12.9 kph, but is expected to turn to the northeast in the next day or two. As Francisco heads toward Japan, the storm is stirring up very rough seas with wave heights topping 30 feet, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On Oct. 22, Japan's southern islands were all under advisory status for high waves and/or gale force winds.
Francisco continues to slowly weaken and is expected to become extra-tropical after passing southern Japan in the next couple of days.
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Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Oct-2013
[
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ShareContact: Rob Gutro
robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Typhoon Francisco was already spreading fringe clouds over southern Japan when NASA's Aqua satellite flew overhead and captured a picture of the storm from space.
On Oct. 22 at 04:30 UTC/12:30 a.m. EDT, NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning visible image of Typhoon Francisco approaching Japan that showed a large storm with a tightly wound center and small eye. Bands of thunderstorms wrapped into the center from the northern and southern quadrants of the storm as Francisco moved toward Japan. The image was created by the NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
On Oct. 22 at 1500 UTC/11 a.m. EDT, Typhoon Francisco had maximum sustained winds near 75 knots/86.1 mph/138.9 kph. It was centered about 350 nautical miles east-southeast of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, near 23.2 north and 133.1 east. The strongest winds, typhoon-force extend 40 nautical miles/46 miles/74 km from the center, or 80 nautical miles/92 miles/148 km in diameter. Tropical-storm-force winds extend as far as 130 nautical miles/149.6 miles/ 240.8 km from the center, making the storm over 260 miles in diameter.
Francisco was moving to the northwest at 7 knots/8 mph/12.9 kph, but is expected to turn to the northeast in the next day or two. As Francisco heads toward Japan, the storm is stirring up very rough seas with wave heights topping 30 feet, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. On Oct. 22, Japan's southern islands were all under advisory status for high waves and/or gale force winds.
Francisco continues to slowly weaken and is expected to become extra-tropical after passing southern Japan in the next couple of days.
###
Text credit: Rob Gutro
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/nsfc-nas102213.php
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Two Blond Children Taken From Roma Families In Ireland Are Returned
A newspaper vendor wears a vest displaying front page of The Herald on Wednesday in Dublin. Irish authorities were waiting for DNA test results in relation to a girl removed by Gardai from a Roma family in Dublin, days after a similar case in Greece. The test showed the girl was the biological daughter of the Roma family.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
A newspaper vendor wears a vest displaying front page of The Herald on Wednesday in Dublin. Irish authorities were waiting for DNA test results in relation to a girl removed by Gardai from a Roma family in Dublin, days after a similar case in Greece. The test showed the girl was the biological daughter of the Roma family.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Over the past week, two children have been taken from Roma families in Ireland. Authorities said they suspected the blonde-haired and blue-eyed children may have been abducted because they did not look like their parents.
Today, we get news that after a DNA test and other proof was presented to authorities, the boy and the girl are back with their biological parents.
Meanwhile, the Justice Minister Alan Shatter called for a report about how this happened.
"We must all be particularly conscious of the regrettable distress that arose for the two families and their children," Shatter said, according to the Irish Times. "Quite clearly no fault of any nature attaches to the two families concerned for the events which took place."
Shatter, however, said authorities acted "in good faith."
Ireland's Independent reports that girl's family's lawyer told reporters that they were "absolutely delighted" to have their child back.
"Our clients would like those who hear this statement, and particularly those who are parents themselves, to consider how they would feel if one of their children was taken away in similar circumstances for similar reasons," Waheed Mudah said. "They hope that no other family has to go through the experience that they have just suffered."
Of course, this comes after a highly publicized case in Greece, in which a Roma couple was charged with abducting a blond girl. The media pounced on the story, making it of international importance. The two adults, Christos Salis, 39, and his wife, Eleftheria Dimopoulou, 41, said they adopted the girl from a Roma woman in Bulgaria.
As Britain's Independent reports, the case surfaced old attitudes about the nomadic people. Romas in the camp where the Greek girl lived told the paper that on TV, they are called Romas, but on the street, they are called gypsies, as people spit and walk away.
Human Rights groups in Europe have said that the case in Greece could be used by racists to exploit the Romas. The Guardian reports:
"Dezideriu Gergely told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme: 'The concern related to these cases is that if these cases are not discussed from all angles possible, there's this, if I can say, trap to fall into, basically labelling the whole community for being responsible for something which needs to be looked at from an individual point of view and responsibility point of view.'
Aisling Twomey, a spokeswoman for the Dublin-based Roma and Irish Traveller rights group, said: 'This specific case could be used as a means to target the Roma community when the reality is that they are one of the most marginalised communities, not just in Ireland, but worldwide."
According to the BBC, Gergely went on to say something that should perhaps be obvious, but these two cases prove it isn't: Not all Romas have a dark complexion.
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T-Mobile to offer free data service for tablets
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — T-Mobile will give owners of iPads and other tablet computers free data service for life as part of an effort to broaden its customer base beyond phones.
The free service would be limited to 200 megabytes of high-speed data per month —enough to upload about 800 Instagram photos or listen to more than three hours of streaming music, the company said.
T-Mobile US Inc. said the free service comes with no obligations, but the company expects people will want to buy plans for additional data once they grow accustomed to having it.
People typically buy tablet computers that access the Internet using Wi-Fi only. Models with 4G LTE cellular access typically cost $100 to $130 more, but T-Mobile marketing chief Mike Sievert said many people are reluctant to purchase cellular-enabled tablets for fear they would be stuck with monthly data service costs.
By guaranteeing free data service, he said, T-Mobile is hoping to encourage people to buy LTE tablets.
The latest offer, announced Wednesday, comes as the company tries to shatter longstanding industry practices and brand itself as the Un-Carrier.
In March, the company dropped conventional two-year service contracts in favor of selling phones with installment plans. In July, it introduced a program that lets people upgrade phones more frequently — up to twice a year. This month, the company eliminated data and texting fees in more than 100 countries and capped charges for international voice calls.
There are signs the efforts are working. In the April-June quarter, T-Mobile gained long-term, good-credit customers for the first time in at least two and a half years. T-Mobile added a net 688,000 such customers in the quarter, compared with a loss of 557,000 in the same period a year earlier.
The net increase includes 3,000, or less than 0.5 percent, for non-phone service such as tablets. T-Mobile officials believe there's room for further growth.
All tablet computers, including Apple's iPad, Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire, are eligible for the offer as long as they work on T-Mobile's network. Sievert said most tablets do.
The new iPads announced Tuesday are universal models, meaning they will work on various LTE networks around the world. Previously, Apple sold separate models compatible with a subset of networks.
Tablet owners will need to buy a SIM card that costs about $10.
T-Mobile said it will sell iPads under installment plans, but people who buy tablets elsewhere will qualify as well.
The free access is limited to the United States.
For $10 a month, T-Mobile phone customers can buy an additional 500 megabytes of high-speed data in the U.S. and unlimited data at slower speeds. That plan also comes with unlimited data at the slower speeds in more than 100 countries. Non-phone customers can pay $20 a month for the same plan. There's no contract, so people can sign up for a month at a time. There are also daily and weekly options.
At rival AT&T, monthly plans start at $15 for 250 megabytes. The company recently introduced $5 day passes, which it says is ideal for travelers looking for an alternative to Wi-Fi hotspots. That's good for 250 megabytes. AT&T also has a new $25 plan offering 1 gigabyte over a three-month period.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-23-T-Mobile-Free%20Tablet%20Data/id-47705f7ee9034f35a3f373a30778f757Tags: penn state national coffee day jimmy kimmel courtney stodden usc football
Mixed bag when US exam scores compared globally
WASHINGTON (AP) — So how do U.S. eighth-graders do in math and science when compared to their peers around the globe? Turns out it matters which state they live in, according to a study being released Thursday.
Massachusetts was the top performing state, but it still lagged behind some Asian countries in terms of its students' overall score on exams and the number of high achievers.
Mississippi, Alabama and the District of Columbia students scored below the international average on both exams, meaning their scores were on par with Kazakhstan and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
West Virginia, Oklahoma and Tennessee students scored below the international average in math.
Jack Buckley, commissioner of the Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics, which released the study, called the results a "good-news, bad-news scenario" that probably will bolster both those who say the U.S. is doing fine in global competitiveness as well as those on the other side.
Overall, a majority of states performed above the international average in both subjects.
"Our states really are scattered across the performance levels," Buckley said in a conference call with reporters.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement that the study provides "powerful confirmation that demography need not be destiny when it comes to school performance — state policies matter too."
The study compared every state, the District of Columbia and Defense Department schools against 38 countries and nine additional subnational education systems. Some countries, including China, India, France and Germany, did not participate.
Researchers took eighth-grade test results in math and science from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to predict performance on the international comparative study test known as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Nine states participated directly in TIMSS.
NAEP includes the scores of students tested with accommodations; TIMSS does not. Buckley said statistical modeling was used to account for that difference.
South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan were the top scorers in math followed by Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota, New Jersey and New Hampshire.
In science, Massachusetts was behind the top scorer, Singapore. Taiwan was next, followed by Vermont. The top 10 also included South Korea and Japan — and New Hampshire, North Dakota, Maine and Minnesota.
Mark Schneider, vice president at the American Institutes for Research and a former commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, said one of the most disturbing results from the study is the low numbers of "advanced" achievers in the United States compared with other countries.
Even in high-scoring Massachusetts, where 19 percent of students reached the "advanced benchmark" in math and 24 reached it in science, there were fewer higher achievers than in some other countries. About half the students in Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore reached the high benchmark in math and 40 percent of students in Singapore did so.
On the other end, for example, Alabama had a lower percent of "advanced" achievers in math than Romania and Turkey — two countries it overall scored higher than.
"In a world in which we need the best, it's pretty clear many states are empty on the best," Schneider said.
Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said one thing that's hidden in the results of this study is that even in high-achieving states, there are low performers who need to be brought up from the bottom.
"If we as Americans want to get all of our kids achieving at the highest level, in terms of worldwide academic achievement, we have a lot of work and it's not just the low scoring states where it's obvious," Loveless said.
The scores were ranked on a scale of 1,000.
In math, the average state scores ranged from 561 for Massachusetts to 466 for Alabama.
In science, the average state scores ranged from 567 for Massachusetts to 453 for the District of Columbia.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-23-States-Global%20Education%20Rankings/id-4554e91f7ea04d6f8724beaab13b000cCategory: furlough Wrecking Ball Harry Styles Duck Dynasty amc
George Clooney's 'Monuments Men' pushed to 2014
This film image released by Columbia Pictures shows Matt Damon, left, and George Clooney in "The Monuments Men." A spokesman for Sony Pictures said Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, that the film will now be released in the first quarter of next year, instead of its planned release date of Dec. 18. “Monuments Men,” which Clooney directed, co-wrote and stars in, had been expected to be a top Oscar contender. (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures - Sony, Claudette Barius)
This film image released by Columbia Pictures shows Matt Damon, left, and George Clooney in "The Monuments Men." A spokesman for Sony Pictures said Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, that the film will now be released in the first quarter of next year, instead of its planned release date of Dec. 18. “Monuments Men,” which Clooney directed, co-wrote and stars in, had been expected to be a top Oscar contender. (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures - Sony, Claudette Barius)
NEW YORK (AP) — George Clooney's World War II drama "The Monuments Men" is being pushed to 2014 and out of the fall awards season.
The movie will now be released in the first quarter of next year, instead of its planned release date of Dec. 18, a spokesman for Sony Pictures said Wednesday. "Monuments Men," which Clooney directed, co-wrote and stars in, had been expected to be among the top Oscar contenders.
The film could still compete for awards next year, but the early-in-the-year positioning suggests Sony doesn't expect it to. Movies released early in the year — much less sought-after territory than the lucrative holiday movie-going season — rarely garner any awards interest.
Sony said the film is being delayed so Clooney can finish the film's extensive visual effects.
"The Monuments Men," which also stars Matt Damon and Bill Murray, is about a World War II platoon whose mission is to rescue artworks from the Nazis. Based on a true story, the film is adapted from Robert Edsel's book "The Monuments Men: Allie Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History."
Reportedly made for $65 million, Clooney has conceived of "The Monuments Men" as a popular period drama tinged with comedy in the mold of "The Great Escape." While an early 2014 release takes the film out of the awards hunt, it could find more room at a less crowded box office.
"The Monuments Men" is only the latest film to shift out of the fall movie-going season. Previously pushed into 2014 were "Foxcatcher," ''Grace of Monaco" and "The Immigrant."
The Los Angeles Times first reported the release date change.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-23-US-Film-Monuments-Men/id-7c19e0c3d0d8435d82fbb705264799f0Related Topics: Paula Patton Brad Culpepper abigail breslin Manny Diaz Jose Iglesias
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Mind Blown: Turn Your Favorite GIFs Into Cool Lenticular Cards
It’s no secret that we here at Gizmodo adore our GIFs—we just launched a subdomain dedicated to the looping images!—and now, thanks to the good folks at Gifpop, everyone’s favorite internet format is going analog. The new venture promises to translate the moving pics of your choosing into a custom lenticular card.
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Ex-Navy Carrier USS Forrestal Sold For 1 Cent
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Ex-USS Forrestal (CV 59) departs Naval Station Newport for a three-day cruise to Philadelphia in June, 2010.
MCCS Melissa F. Weatherspoon/U.S. Navy
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Ex-USS Forrestal (CV 59) departs Naval Station Newport for a three-day cruise to Philadelphia in June, 2010.
MCCS Melissa F. Weatherspoon/U.S. Navy
The U.S. Navy's first "supercarrier" is being sold for just 1 cent to a ship breaker.
The ex-USS Forrestal, launched in 1954 and decommissioned in 1993, is the first of three conventional (non-nuclear) carriers due to be scrapped in the coming years. The Forrestal is best known for a devastating fire in 1967 that engulfed the ship's flight deck, killing 134 sailors and wounding 161 others.
Navy crewmen try to put out a fire aboard the USS Forrestal in the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of Vietnam, July 29, 1967.
AP
Navy crewmen try to put out a fire aboard the USS Forrestal in the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of Vietnam, July 29, 1967.
AP
In a statement, the U.S. Navy says All Star Metals, which was awarded the contract for the ship, is developing a final tow plan to get the ship "from its current berth at the Navy's inactive ship facility in Philadelphia to All Star Metals' facility in Brownsville. The ship is expected to depart Philadelphia before the end of the year."
The minimal payment reflects the net price proposed by All Star Metals, "which considered the estimated proceeds from the sale of the scrap metal to be generated from dismantling," the statement said.
Stars and Stripes says of the ship's famous fire:
"[The] Forrestal was in the Gulf of Tonkin the morning of July 29, 1967, for the Vietnam War effort when stray voltage triggered a rocket to launch from an F-4 Phantom on the flight deck.
The rocket struck an armed A-4 Skyhawk — piloted by a young Lt. Cmdr. John S. McCain III — rupturing the fuel tanks and sparking a chain reaction of fires and explosions on the deck, which was parked full of planes.
The crew fought the flight deck fire for an hour, but other fires blazed into the next day."
The Navy says it made the Forrestal available for donation in June 1999 as a museum or memorial, but didn't get any viable offers.
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Red Sox Raise Spirits In Wounded Boston
Just getting back to the World Series would have been exciting enough for Bostonians, but in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, the Red Sox's success brings a new rallying point for a wounded city. Still, there's always the danger of trivializing tragedy.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
World Series begins tonight. The Boston Red Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. Fans will take the chance to pay tribute to victims and heroes of this year's Boston Marathon bombing. To many, the Boston Red Sox' worst to first season symbolizes the Boston strong resilience the city has emphasized since that marathon. NPR's Tovia Smith reports.
TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: We might as well just stipulate from the get-go that no group of guys playing ball on a field could ever compensate for the lives or limbs lost at the Boston Marathon. Of course not. But fans says what the Sox are doing this season is a little more than just winning ball games.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It goes well beyond sports for sure. You know, these players are showing that we're winners and saying, look at us, world, we were knocked down but we're not out.
SMITH: Kristan Fletcher and Courtney Hughes admit they're not quite diehard fans, but they came to Fenway to buy team jerseys, hats and beards to outfit all the doormen at the hotel where they work. As they put it, it just makes everybody feel better.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I think we lost a little bit of ourselves and we're getting it back now. Exactly. I mean it's just - Lord knows, this will just be the little boost that we need.
SMITH: Indeed, Sox fan Michael Fournier says he purposely took a detour to work just to pass by Fenway and bask in the glory. Even if you're one who usually cringes at the whole sports as metaphor for life thing, it's hard to resist the parallel, he says, of the city's recovery from the darkest of places and the Red Sox' rise from rock bottom.
MICHAEL FOURNIER: It's like our backs were up against the wall and somehow we always come back. Boston strong. We just keep pumping.
DAVID ORTIZ: I just want to say one thing, this is our bleep city.
SMITH: Red Sox slugger Big Poppy or David Ortiz offered the clean version last week of the defiance he first expressed without the bleep shortly after the marathon.
PETER DIMARTINO: I just got goosebumps, like the whole crowd was into it. The place was electric, you know.
SMITH: Peter DiMartino, who was severely injured at the marathon, hobbled onto the field at Fenway to throw out a first pitch last spring and then a little more steadily this month as he and his fiance were invited to shout out: Play ball. In rehab, DiMartino says, he continues to make progress and take steps that once felt impossible, and he says he is buoyed and proud to see his team do the same.
DIMARTINO: The Red Sox are just one step away from being back on top again, and Boston is showing everybody else who's boss.
SMITH: The Red Sox say they've been more inspired by the survivors and heroes of the marathon than vice versa. They say it galvanized the team and continues to motivate them. The Be Strong logo still flashes at Fenway just as it does in pubs and souvenir stands around the city. But there are some who scoff at it all, saying the slogans and merchandising trivialize the tragedy and never should've stretched into the post-season.
KYRA CHAMBERLAIN: You want to keep the experience positive of the World Series, and to make you think about the Boston bombing, it brings you down immediately.
SMITH: Boston fans, Kira and Scott Chamberlain say it's time the Sox separate from the marathon attack.
SCOTT CHAMBERLAIN: Drop it. It's over. Okay? It's gone. It's history, okay? It's a new time. It's a new day. Move on.
SMITH: Besides, as tempting as it is to hitch the city's spirits to the Sox' success, it's also a risky proposition. It's all good as long as they're winning.
(SOUNDBITE OF KNOCKING)
DIMARTINO: I'm knocking on wood right now.
SMITH: Marathon survivor and Sox fan Peter DiMartino won't even utter the what-if.
DIMARTINO: That's not gonna happen.
SMITH: To Boston fans it would be a kind of poetic justice to see Boston a world champ this year. Even one St. Louis fan lurking outside Fenway half-conceded the point. We're not giving away a World Series, she said, but if Boston wins, it would do their hearts good. Tovia Smith, NPR News, Boston.
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Bank of England policymakers point to recovery
LONDON (AP) — Bank of England policymakers appear more optimistic over the British economy but are showing few signs of wanting to tighten monetary policy soon.
Minutes from the Oct. 8-9 meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee released Wednesday show all nine members voted to keep the main interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.5 percent and maintain monetary stimulus at current levels.
"The news on the month had continued to suggest a robust recovery in activity in the United Kingdom," the minutes said. "Monetary stimulus remained considerable and confidence appeared to be rising."
But it remains unclear as to whether such factors could produce a sustained recovery, particularly because the country needs its trading partners to also recover more firmly, the policymakers said in the minutes.
"The outlook for the United States seemed slightly softer on the month, the recovery in the euro area remained modest, and there remained a risk of a sharp slowdown in emerging economies," the statement said. "Overall, therefore, there was a risk that the recovery in the United Kingdom might be less well balanced between exports and domestic consumption than was ultimately needed."
The deliberations of the policymaking panel are being viewed through the prism of the bank's new "forward guidance," which new Governor Mark Carney introduced this summer. The purpose of the guidance is to provide markets, individuals and businesses a clear steer on where interest rates will be in coming months. The latest guidance was that rates would remain low until unemployment drops significantly. So the economy's recent improvement has prompted many in the financial markets to wonder whether interest rates may rise sooner than originally anticipated.
The minutes show policymakers are in no hurry to alter policy despite the improved trends across the economy — but they are being vigilant.
The bank noted that unemployment, which stands at 7.7 percent, was dropping a little faster than they anticipated when the Bank presented its latest quarterly economic update in August. That's important because the core of the forward guidance is to keep interest rates at the current record at least until unemployment falls to a 7 percent threshold. When it does so, policymakers will assess their stance.
The publication of the minutes had little impact on the pound, which was trading at $1.6145 in early afternoon trading in London. Though down 0.5 percent on the day, the pound's weakness is largely a function of the dollar's recovery from widespread selling the previous day in the wake of soft U.S. unemployment data.
One positive factor cited by policymakers was the revival in the housing market, where mortgage approvals for house purchases rose strongly to around 62,000 in August. Part of the reason behind the strength of the housing market is the mortgage guarantee component of the Help to Buy Scheme, a government plan that helps homebuyers come up with their down payments.
- Politics & Government
- Budget, Tax & Economy
- Monetary Policy Committee
- Bank of England
Tags: banksy tom hanks Costa Concordia Claude Debussy Reza Aslan
APPLE's season -- NOKIA unveils phablets, tablets -- Maria in the Sky with SQL -- HTC needs THC -- 1,493rd Apple TV rumor
October 23, 2013 06:00 PDT | 09:00 EDT | 13:00 UTC
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>> BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK: Apple unveils slew of new iPads, MacBooks, Mac Pro, and apps, by Dan Miller: "...a brand new iPad model (the iPad Air), and added a Retina screen and an A7 processor to the iPad mini. It announced an updated line of Retina MacBook Pros while also naming December as the shipping month for its new Mac Pro (the black cylinder that looks like it belongs on Darth Vader's desktop). It showed off updated iLife and iWork suites for the Mac, iOS, and iCloud.com. And it announced that the latest version of OS X--Mavericks--would be available immediately after the event, and for free." [We count more than 200 articles in the tech press about the announcements. Here are the best.] Macworld
>>>> iPad Air hands-on SlashGear
>>>> How the iPad Air stacks up against its competitors TechHive
>>>> iPad mini with Retina Display: Hands On AnandTech
>>>> Apple quietly release iOS 7.0.3, with new fixes and features NetworkWorld
>>>> Apple unveils cheaper MacBook Pro Retina with Intel Haswell processors, slimmer designs TechCrunch
>>>> You'll be able to buy Apple's redesigned Mac Pro for $2,999 before the end of the year TNW
>>>> Updated iWork apps now available in the Mac App Store 9to5Mac
>>>> What you need to know about Apple's free apps policy Macworld
>>>> Apple exploits Microsoft hesitation on Office NY Times Bits
>>>> Apple's biggest new announcement was the free OS X upgrade InfoWorld
>>>> Installing Mavericks: What you need to know Macworld
>>>> Why Mavericks is a move against the open web The Guardian
>>>> Hey Apple, where's your 4K Thunderbolt display? Wired
>>>> How a Free OS Will Pay Off for Apple AllThingsD
>> MEANWHILE, ON MARS: Nokia World reveals phablets and tablets in Abu Dhabi, by Leo Kelion: "Nokia has unveiled its first phablets -- extra-large phones -- as well as its first tablet computer. The Windows Phone handsets introduce the ability to change which objects in a photo are in focus after it is taken.... Nokia World in Abu Dhabi is likely to be remembered as the Finnish firm's last major event before it completes the sale of its hardware unit.... Microsoft's Stephen Elop: 'Our challenge is to get more and more people to try those devices and spread the word amongst their friends.'" BBC
>> BUGGY WHIP: While world drools over Apple, Microsoft fixes Windows RT 8.1 update, by Neil McAllister: "Won't put your Surface RT into a boot loop this time, honest... and, of course, Microsoft apologizes for any inconvenience this little mess may have caused -- even if it doesn't think it was really that big of a deal." The Register
>> CIRCLING THE DRAIN: HTC scales back production lines as cash flow worsens, by Clare Jim: "Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp has halted at least one of its four main manufacturing lines, accounting for at least a fifth of total capacity, and is outsourcing production as a sales slump puts pressure on its cash flow." Reuters
>> CLOUD COVER: SkySQL raises $20M to support open-source relational database MariaDB, by Alex Williams: "Until late this year, MariaDB had primarily been an engineering project but this year it emerged as a foundation SQL technology for Wikipedia and major Linux distributions such as Fedora and OpenSuse, said SkySQL CEO Patrik Sallner. The round validates SkySQL's approach to make MariaDB, the fastest-growing open-source database and considered the premiere alternative to MySQL." TechCrunch
>> WAITING FOR GODOT'S TV: Apple preparing 65-inch TV for release in 2014, analyst says, by Mariko Yasu: Apple "is deciding on specifications, and the models likely will have a frameless design, Masahiko Ishino, an analyst at Advanced Research who tracks developments in the consumer-electronics industry." Bloomberg
>> INTERNET OF THINGS: Starbucks links coffee makers to Web, fueling $27B market, by Olga Kharif: "Starbucks said it plans to double the number of its Clover coffee-brewing machines, which connect to the cloud and track customer preferences, allow recipes to be digitally updated and help staffers remotely monitor a coffee maker's performance. Also in the works: connected fridges that indicate when a carton of milk has spoiled." Bloomberg
>> LEXTINCTION: Microsoft drops 'RT' moniker from original Surface, hides desktop mode on new RT tablets, by Tom Warren: "Microsoft is altering its Surface RT name to just Surface today.... Microsoft is also removing the default desktop tile in Windows RT 8.1. New Windows RT devices will default to a Start Screen that does not contain the desktop tile, making it less easy to switch into the traditional desktop mode in Windows RT 8.1. Surface 2 includes this change, as does Nokia's new Lumia 2520 tablet." The Verge
>> UNPLANNED OBSOLESENCE: The decline of Wikipedia, by Tom Simonite: "The main source of those problems is not mysterious. The loose collective running the site today, estimated to be 90 percent male, operates a crushing bureaucracy with an often abrasive atmosphere that deters newcomers who might increase participation in Wikipedia and broaden its coverage." MIT Technology Review
>> The candidate from Facebook: Silicon Valley's march on Washington Salon
>> An economic growth agenda for the middle class Stanford Daily
>> Bitcoin goes boom (again): currency cracks $200, gets Coinbase support on Reddit GigaOM
>> With $2.6M from SoftTech, 500 Startups and more, BetterDoctor wants to take the pain out of finding the best local care TechCrunch
>> Outbrain gets $35M investment -- no IPO after all GigaOM
>> Why longtime Netflix CFO Barry McCarthy just agreed to work for Clinkle's 22-year-old CEO AllThingsD
>> Network Solutions reports more DNS problems InfoWorld
>> Nokia Refocus turns your Lumia into a Lytro-like camera The Verge
>> BT moves HR into the cloud with Oracle for 88,000 staff Computerworld UK
>> MicroStrategy revamps software for bigger data sets, faster visuals PCWorld
>> Firefox community roiled by Java crackdown NetworkWorld
>> Windows Server Essentials Media Pack [By downloading and installing this pack, you will be able to restore the media streaming functionality in Windows Server 2012 R2] Microsoft Download Center
>> Microsoft keeps building its hybrid cloud with Windows Azure updates GigaOM
>> Call yourself a hacker, lose your 4th Amendment rights Digital Bond
>> Impress me -- tips for developers looking for jobs Bare Bones Coder
>> TWEET O' THE DAY: "I don't like the class division on planes, it's a microcosm of… Free upgrade? Why yes please! S'long peasants! *prances to business class*" @jaffathecake
FEED ME, SEYMOUR: Comments? Questions? Tips? Shoot mail to Trent or Woody. Follow @gegax or @woodyleonhard.
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Don Was On World Cafe
Courtesy of the artist
Don Was.
Courtesy of the artist
- "Papa Come Quick" by Bonnie Raitt
- "Brick By Brick" by Iggy Pop
- "Channel Z" by The B-52's
This week's Sense of Place focus on Detroit calls for a resurrection of the very first installment of a World Cafe series called Producer Profiles. This archived session from 1992 features Don Was. In the profile, Was discusses the work he's done with a number of artists, including Bonnie Raitt (Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw).
The musician was — and still is — a member of the band Was (Not Was), but had been doing more production work that extended to fellow Detroit native Iggy Pop, as well as Bob Dylan and a list of others. Even though Was had already produced such hits as "Love Shack" by The B-52's, he wouldn't let on to any knowledge that he could predict a song's potential popularity once it was complete.
Similar Articles: iTunes Cecily Strong Jamaal Charles hell on wheels lollapalooza
It's City Vs. Creditors In Detroit Bankruptcy Trial
Detroit officially makes its case for bankruptcy before a federal judge on Wednesday. The city is currently saddled with $18 billion in long-term debt, and officials see bankruptcy as their only choice.
Paul Sancya/AP
Detroit officially makes its case for bankruptcy before a federal judge on Wednesday. The city is currently saddled with $18 billion in long-term debt, and officials see bankruptcy as their only choice.
Paul Sancya/AP
In Detroit on Wednesday, a federal trial begins that will determine whether that city is eligible for the nation's largest-ever municipal bankruptcy.
Hundreds of the city's creditors are lining up to oppose the bankruptcy, arguing that Detroit is violating Michigan's constitution and that if officials tried harder they could find enough savings to pay the city's bills.
Officials here say a declining population, decades of mismanagement and at times corrupt city government has cost Detroit a lot of tax revenue, leaving it drowning in red ink.
So much so that in March, the governor appointed Kevyn Orr to be an emergency manager and take control of the city's finances. He spent months crafting payment arrangements with some creditors, but hundreds of others rejected offers that amounted to accepting pennies for every dollar they were owed by Detroit.
Orr says that leaves Detroit with roughly $18 billion in long-term debt, and no other option but bankruptcy.
"There's no way out," Orr says. "The mountain of debt we have to climb over simply is insurmountable without some kind of process to resolve it. We simply cannot pay it. That's it."
Where Business Stands
Detroit's business community overwhelmingly agrees with Orr.
Dan Gilbert owns Quicken Loans, the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and in recent months has bought more than $1 billion worth of buildings in Detroit's downtown. He's betting that Chapter 9 protection will allow Detroit to get out from under its crushing debt load and pour money back into city services, which would help make his investments pay off.
"As hard as that is to sort of suspend democracy, for a short period of time if you will, my view is, let's get it over with," Gilbert says. "Let's get it done. Let's stop talking about it [and] go through the pain and then move forward, and I think it will fade into the background."
But some of Detroit's longest-standing creditors are fighting a bankruptcy declaration, arguing that it would create big problems for them.
At the headquarters of AFSCME Council 25, the union representing the majority of city workers here, a half-dozen retirees are making phone calls. Juanita Scott says Detroit's potential bankruptcy puts her pension, her health care and her future on the chopping block.
"Because they're going to cut my medical, that's going to really hurt me bad," says the 86-year-old Scott. "Right now I'm under three different doctors' care and trying to stay in my neighborhood."
Scott says she has to have a burglar alarm because all the houses around her are going vacant. "This whole thing of bankruptcy, it's just bad," she says.
The union leadership argues Detroit's bankruptcy filing itself violates state prohibitions against cutting public pensions. Union attorney Herb Sanders even questions if Detroit is truly insolvent, because the state forbade city officials from approving tentative labor agreements that he says could have saved millions annually.
"When you think that the purpose of bankruptcy is to restructure debt, is to save the city money, and if that is your true intent then why wouldn't you sign the collective bargaining agreement with the unions that would indeed do that?" Sanders says.
The Possibility Of Lawsuits
The union will argue in court Wednesday that Detroit did not bargain in good faith. But bankruptcy attorney Douglas Bernstein says the judge may see things differently.
"There's no bright line which says what constitutes good faith and what isn't good faith," Bernstein says. "There's isn't an awful lot of precedent in Chapter 9."
Bernstein's firm worked with several of Detroit's creditors who decided not to fight the city's bankruptcy filing. He says those creditors and the city will be thrown into financial turmoil if the court finds Detroit is not eligible for Chapter 9 protection. The likely result would be a flood of lawsuits, he says.
"So they'll be fending off all the creditors in a variety of courtrooms where everybody in the creditor body is trying to get the best deal for themselves rather than in an organized, unified setting in the bankruptcy court," he says. "So you would have chaos."
And chaos is the last thing Detroiters need in a city that has seen more than its share of it in recent years. Former officials sent to prison for corruption, high unemployment and crime rates, faltering city services and now a fight over what's left in the city's coffers.
Tags: john lennon Mary Lambert Joanna Krupa bradley manning regions
TV Drug Ads May Cause Disinfo Swallowing
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TV ads for medication are as relentless as political ads during a campaign. But surely drug ads couldn't be as disingenuous as political ads.
It's illegal for companies to make blatantly false claims about a drug. Nevertheless, a study shows that six out of 10 prescription drug ads are misleading—as were eight out of 10 ads for over-the-counter drugs.
Researchers analyzed 168 ads for medication that aired on nightly news. They assessed each commercial’s main claim. Their finding: only about a third of the ads made statements that were "objectively true." And more than half were potentially misleading, meaning they exaggerated claims, omitted important information, made unreasonable links to lifestyle improvement or conveyed opinion rather than fact. The study is in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. [Adrienne E. Faerber and David H. Kreling, Content Analysis of False and Misleading Claims in Television Advertising for Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs]
TV viewers might see as many as 30 hours of these ads each year. Perhaps the part to pay the most attention to is when they say, “Talk to your doctor."
—Katherine Harmon
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]
Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.
Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.
© 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tv-drug-ads-may-cause-disinfo-swallowing-003508565.html
Category: Tony Gonzalez Theresa Vail Andre Drummond Bryan Cranston Jesse Jackson Jr
Rain still a threat as Hurricane Raymond weakens off Mexico
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Raymond weakened to barely a Category 1 storm Tuesday while still stalled off Mexico's Pacific coast, pumping rain onto an already sodden region recovering from a battering by a tropical storm last month.
Raymond was centered 105 miles (170 kilometers) south of the beach resort of Zihuatanejo Tuesday night, and its winds had dropped to 75 mph (120 kph), down from Category 3 on Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to weaken to a tropical storm by Wednesday and head out to sea.
But stung by the tardy reaction to the damage and deaths from Tropical Storm Manuel in September, authorities in Guerrero state took no chances, moving hundreds of people from isolated mountain communities and low-lying shore areas. More than 1,500 soldiers were sent into the area.
Even if Raymond didn't move inland, it could still cause floods and mudslides to an area reeling from more than $1.7 billion in damage and about 120 deaths from Manuel.
"Slow and erratic motion is expected during the next 12 hours and Raymond could still move closer to the coast of Mexico," the hurricane center said.
Guerrero Gov. Angel Aguirre urged people to stay off roads because of potentially dangerous rains.
"The phenomenon's behavior is completely erratic, completely unpredictable," Aguirre said Monday night.
There were no reports of torrential downpours, but rain fell and some streets flooded in soaked Acapulco, where city workers reinforced roads with sand bags. About 400 people were evacuated from hamlets around nearby Coyuca.
In the mountain town of El Paraiso, authorities evacuated about 500 residents by Tuesday evening and planned to completely empty the village of 7,000 people because of possible landslides, said Guerrero state's deputy secretary of civil protection, Constantino Gonzalez.
Schools in most coastal communities west of Acapulco, including Zihuatanejo, were kept closed.
Forecasters said Raymond was expected to follow an erratic path through the night and could bring as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain to some parts of the coast.
About 10,000 people in Guerrero already were living away from their homes a month after Manuel inundated whole neighborhoods and caused landslides that buried much of one village. It left behind drenched hillsides that pose serious landslide risks.
A tropical storm warning was in effect from Tecpan de Galeana, up the coast from Acapulco, north to the port of Lazaro Cardenas. A hurricane watch from Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana was discontinued.
Meanwhile in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Lorenzo strengthened far out to sea. Lorenzo's maximum sustained winds were over 50 mph (80 kph) with little change in strength forecast. The storm was centered about 830 miles (1,335 kilometers) east of Bermuda and was moving east near 8 mph (13 kph).
- Natural Phenomena
- Nature & Environment
Category: Jim Leyland mariano rivera harry potter alice eve dave chappelle
Builders of Obama's health website saw red flags
White House press secretary Jay Carney introduces Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman who spoke about the economy post government shutdown at the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. Furman said the addition of 148,000 jobs in September is a sign of "solid" growth but forecasts worsening in October because of the 16-day partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
White House press secretary Jay Carney introduces Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Jason Furman who spoke about the economy post government shutdown at the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013. Furman said the addition of 148,000 jobs in September is a sign of "solid" growth but forecasts worsening in October because of the 16-day partial government shutdown. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama gestures while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, on the initial rollout of the health care overhaul. Obama acknowledged that the widespread problems with his health care law's rollout are unacceptable, as the administration scrambles to fix the cascade of computer issues. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama, standing with supporters of his health care law, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, on the initial rollout of the health care overhaul. Obama acknowledged that the widespread problems with his health care law's rollout are unacceptable, as the administration scrambles to fix the cascade of computer issues. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama gestures while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, on the initial rollout of the health care overhaul. Obama acknowledged that the widespread problems with his health care law's rollout are unacceptable, as the administration scrambles to fix the cascade of computer issues. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crammed into conference rooms with pizza for dinner, some programmers building the Obama administration's showcase health insurance website were growing increasingly stressed. Some worked past 10 p.m., energy drinks in hand. Others rewrote computer code over and over to meet what they considered last-minute requests for changes from the government or other contractors.
As questions mount over the website's failure, insider interviews and a review of technical specifications by The Associated Press found a mind-numbingly complex system put together by harried programmers who pushed out a final product that congressional investigators said was tested by the government and not private developers with more expertise.
Meanwhile, the White House said that President Barack Obama's longtime adviser Jeffrey Zients will provide management advice to help fix the system. White House press secretary Jay Carney says Zients will be on a short-term assignment at the Health and Human Services Department before he's due to take over as director of Obama's National Economic Council Jan. 1.
Carney cited Zients' expertise as a longtime management consultant and his "proven track record" since coming to the White House in 2009, both as interim budget director and as chief performance officer, when he headed an effort to streamline government and cut costs. "We're engaged in an all-out effort to improve the online experience," Carney said.
This is not the first time Obama has turned to Zients for help solving a major problem. In the 2009, after far more drivers than anticipated signed up for the Cash for Clunkers program that promised rebates to people who traded in their old cars for more fuel-efficient vehicles, Obama assigned Zients, his deputy budget director at the time, to help eliminate the backlog.
When the same thing happened with sign-ups for an updated version of the GI Bill, one designed to help the 9/11 generation of veterans get a college education, Obama again turned to Zients.
"He's not going to be looking under the hood and tell you 'I can fix the coding, I can fix it,'" Kenneth Baer, who was a senior adviser to Zients at the budget office, said of Zients' newest assignment. "His skill is going to be how to identify challenges, prioritize what solutions need to be done next, assessing what talent is already available and then how to motivate them to do that job as quickly and as ably as possible."
Aneesh Chopra, who was Obama's chief technology officer, said Zients is extremely skilled in figuring things out from a management perspective.
"If I was confident this issue would be resolved before his participation, I am doubly so now," said Chopra, who also worked with Zients at the Advisory Board Co., one of two business advisory firms where Zients held top posts. "Jeff's track record is really a relentless focus on execution."
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a post on HealthCare.gov that her agency is also bringing in more experts and specialists from government and industry, including top Silicon Valley companies.
"This new infusion of talent will bring a powerful array of subject matter expertise and skills, including extensive experience scaling major IT systems," she said. "This effort is being marshaled as part of a cross-functional team that is working aggressively to diagnose parts of HealthCare.gov that are experiencing problems, learn from successful states, prioritize issues, and fix them."
Project developers for the health care website who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity — because they feared they would otherwise be fired — said they raised doubts among themselves whether the website could be ready in time. They complained openly to each other about what they considered tight and unrealistic deadlines. One was nearly brought to tears over the stress of finishing on time, one developer said. Website builders saw red flags for months.
A review of internal architectural diagrams obtained by the AP revealed the system's complexity. Insurance applicants have a host of personal information verified, including income and immigration status. The system connects to other federal computer networks, including ones at the Social Security Administration, IRS, Veterans Administration, Office of Personnel Management and the Peace Corps.
Obama on Monday acknowledged technical problems that he described as "kinks in the system." But in remarks at a Rose Garden event, Obama offered no explanation for the failure except to note that high traffic to the website caused some of the slowdowns. He said it had been visited nearly 20 million times — fewer monthly visits so far than many commercial websites, such as PayPal, AOL, Wikipedia or Pinterest.
"The problem has been that the website that's supposed to make it easy to apply for and purchase the insurance is not working the way it should for everybody," Obama said. "There's no sugarcoating it. The website has been too slow. People have been getting stuck during the application process. And I think it's fair to say that nobody is more frustrated by that than I am."
The online system was envisioned as a simple way for people without health insurance to comparison-shop among competing plans offered in their state, pick their preferred level of coverage and cost and sign up. For many, it's not worked out that way so far.
Just weeks before the launch of HealthCare.gov on Oct. 1, one programmer said, colleagues huddled in conference rooms trying to patch "bugs," or deficiencies in computer code. Unresolved problems led to visitors experiencing cryptic error messages or enduring long waits trying to sign up.
Congressional investigators have concluded that the government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, not private software developers, tested the exchange's computer systems during the final weeks. That task, known as integration testing, is usually handled by software companies because it ferrets out problems before the public sees the final product.
The government spent at least $394 million in contracts to build the federal health care exchange and the data hub. Those contracts included major awards to Virginia-based CGI Federal Inc., Maryland-based Quality Software Services Inc. and Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
CGI Federal said in a statement Monday it was working with the government and other contractors "around the clock" to improve the system, which it called "complex, ambitious and unprecedented."
The schematics from late 2012 show how officials designated a "data services hub" — a traffic cop for managing information — in lieu of a design that would have allowed state exchanges to connect directly to government servers when verifying an applicant's information. On Sunday, the Health and Human Services Department said the data hub was working but not meeting public expectations: "We are committed to doing better."
Administration officials so far have refused to say how many people actually have managed to enroll in insurance during the three weeks since the new marketplaces became available. Without enrollment numbers, it's impossible to know whether the program is on track to reach projections from the Congressional Budget Office that 7 million people would gain coverage during the first year the exchanges were available.
Instead, officials have selectively cited figures that put the insurance exchanges in a positive light. They say more than 19 million people have logged on to the federal website and nearly 500,000 have filled out applications for insurance through both the federal and state-run sites.
The flood of computer problems since the website went online has been deeply embarrassing for the White House. The snags have called into question whether the administration is capable of implementing the complex policy and why senior administration officials — including the president — appear to have been unaware of the scope of the problems when the exchange sites opened.
Even as the president spoke at the Rose Garden, more problems were coming to light. The administration acknowledged that a planned upgrade to the website had been postponed indefinitely and that online Spanish-language signups would remain unavailable, despite a promise to Hispanic groups that the capability would start this week. And the government tweaked the website's home page so visitors can now view phone numbers to apply the old-fashioned way or window-shop for insurance rates without registering first.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee was expected to conduct an oversight hearing Thursday, probably without Sebelius testifying. She could testify on Capitol Hill on the subject as early as next week.
Uninsured Americans have until about mid-February to sign up for coverage if they are to meet the law's requirement that they be insured by the end of March. If they don't, they will face a penalty. The administration says it's working to address the timing issue to provide more flexibility.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., plans to introduce legislation to delay that requirement because: "It's not fair to punish people for not buying something that's not available," Rubio told "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday.
Citing the website problems, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., also urged the White House to extend the open enrollment period past March 31, 2014.
In a letter Tuesday to Obama, Shaheen suggested extending open enrollment to "provide greater flexibility for the American people seeking to access health insurance," according to an emailed statement from her office. Shaheen also asked the White House to clarify how the "individual responsibility penalty will be administered and enforced" in light of the website's difficulties.
On Monday, the White House advised people frustrated by the online tangle that they can enroll by calling 1-800-318-2596 in a process that should take 25 minutes for an individual or 45 minutes for a family. Assistance is also available in communities from helpers who can be found at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.
___
Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
___
Follow Jack Gillum on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jackgillum or Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-10-22-Obama-Health%20Care/id-077414b1e5ec445bab6e6ce97a25d0f7Similar Articles: Mike Wayans
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