Senate passage of immigration bill on track

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Senate passage of historic immigration legislation offering citizenship to millions looks near-certain after the bill cleared a key hurdle with votes to spare.

A final vote in the Senate on Thursday or Friday would send the issue to the House, where conservative Republicans in the majority oppose citizenship for anyone living in the country illegally.

Some GOP lawmakers have appealed to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, not to permit any immigration legislation to come to a vote for fear that whatever its contents, it would open the door to an unpalatable compromise with the Senate. At the same time, the House Judiciary Committee is in the midst of approving a handful of measures related to immigration, action that ordinarily is a prelude to votes in the full House.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday that the Senate's advancement of stronger border security measures makes it "even more likely" that immigration reform will pass the House and become law. He said that the House won't take up the Senate bill but will do its own legislation, and added, "the majority of Republicans support the border security" as the keystone of immigration reform. He spoke on CBS' "This Morning."

"Now is the time to do it," President Barack Obama said Monday at the White House before meeting with nine business executives who support a change in immigration laws. "I hope that we can get the strongest possible vote out of the Senate so that we can then move to the House and get this done before the summer break" beginning in early August.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Tuesday she thinks it's important for the House to have its own bill and said, "Let's be optimistic about it."

Pelosi told CNN she thinks it has an excellent chance of passing there because GOP lawmakers are the party's poor showing with Hispanic voters in last year's presidential election "sends an eloquent message" to them.

Obama's prodding came several hours before the Senate voted 67-27 to advance the measure over a procedural hurdle. The tally was seven more than the 60 needed, with 15 Republicans joining Democrats in voting yes.

"I think we're building momentum," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who worked with Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., on a $38 billion package of security improvements that helped bring Republicans on board by doubling the number of border patrol agents and calling for hundreds of miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico. Those changes brought border security spending in the bill to $46 billion.

"The bill has been improved dramatically tonight by this vote, there's no question," Corker said. "My sense is we're going to pass an immigration bill out of the United States Senate which will be no doubt historic and I think something that's very, very important to this nation."

Last-minute frustration was evident among opponents. In an unusual slap at members of his own party as well as Democrats, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said it appeared that lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle "very much want a fig leaf" on border security to justify a vote for immigration.

Senate officials said some changes were still possible to the bill before it leaves the Senate ? alterations that would swell the number of votes in favor.

At the same time, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who voted to advance the measure during the day, said he may yet end up opposing it unless he wins changes he is seeking.

Senate Democrats were unified on the vote.

Republicans were anything but on a bill that some party leaders say offers the GOP a chance to show a more welcoming face to Hispanic voters, but which tea party-aligned lawmakers assail as amnesty for those who have violated the law.

At its core, the Senate bill would create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States.

The measure also would create a new program for temporary farm laborers to come into the country, and another for lower-skilled workers to emigrate permanently. At the same time, it calls for an expansion of an existing visa program for highly-skilled workers, a gesture to high-tech companies that rely heavily on foreigners.

In addition to border security, the measure phases in a mandatory program for employers to verify the legal status of potential workers, and calls for a separate program to track the comings and goings of foreigners at the nation's seaports and airports.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-passage-immigration-bill-track-072445504.html

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Allianz says new life policies need less capital

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Allianz said its new life insurance products without long term interest rate guarantees will require less capital backing, benefiting both policy and share holders.

Europe's biggest insurer is launching the savings products in Germany early next month in response to low capital market interest rates and tighter European Union insurance regulations.

The policies will give the insurer more flexibility in using its risk capital than classical life insurance savings products that carry guaranteed interest rate, Allianz said on Tuesday.

"When we have more flexibility and less capital constraint, we can share more return with the customer," Allianz's Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer said in a presentation to analysts and investors.

Wemmer said the new products combined the customer's perspective with that of the shareholder.

"We're offering a better deal for both of them," he said.

Low interest rates in the wake of the financial crisis have slashed the income insurers can earn from their investments in safe assets like government bonds, making the burden of meeting past pledges to policy holders increasingly onerous.

In addition, new EU safety rules for insurers known as Solvency II, due to come into force in the next few years, are expected to place a heavier capital burden on business with returns that are guaranteed over the lifetime of the policy.

Allianz, by far the biggest life player in its home market, will offer the new policies alongside traditional guarantee products and was not reacting to Solvency II in a "slavish" way, Wemmer said.

For several years, German insurers have been required to trim the minimum interest rate they are allowed to offer on the guarantee products.

The rate now stands at 1.75 percent for new policies, which further reduces to around 1 percent once insurers' costs have been deducted.

"Many customers ask if that's really a worthwhile promise," said Alf Neumann, a board member at Allianz's German life insurance unit.

Rival insurer Ergo has also reworked its product offering.

Allianz hopes its new policies will attract customers because they can offer a higher overall return if capital is not tied up to meet the annual guarantee.

As well as revamping its product line, Allianz is also seeking better yields from its investments.

In the presentation, Allianz's German life business said it aimed to double its exposure to alternative investments such as real estate, private equity funds, infrastructure and renewable energy to roughly 20 billion euros ($26.2 billion) in the medium term.

It also expected to ramp up its activity in direct debt financing in areas such as residential and commercial mortgage lending, as well as in corporate and infrastructure loans, bringing the total volume to around 25 billion euros in the medium term, from 16.3 billion euros now.

(Reporting by Jonathan Gould and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/allianz-says-life-policies-less-capital-161326809.html

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From tiny to massive: Mammal size evolution explained

June 25, 2013 ? Scientists have added another piece to the evolutionary puzzle to explain why certain mammal families evolved to be very large, while others remained tiny.

In research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, an international group of scientists including Monash University's Dr Alistair Evans proposed a new theory explaining the diversity of mammal sizes -- from the Etruscan shrew which weighs around two grams, to the blue whale which clocks in at almost 200 tonnes. Surprisingly, baby weight relative to adult body mass is key.

Dr Evans, of the Monash School of Biological Sciences, said size impacts on all aspects of an animal's physiology and anatomy, and the roles it can play in ecosystems.

"Size is fundamental to your life and your body -- how fast your heart beats, how much food you need to eat, and how you move," Dr Evans said.

Following the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals flourished and their size increased dramatically. The study examined the maximum size of groups including whales, elephants, primates and rodents over this period to examine the constraints on size.

The researchers found that species that matured more quickly and produced a larger mass of young each year relative to body weight were able to evolve to a larger maximum size. Further, they are likely to reach that size in fewer generations.

This high rate of biological production is vital, regardless of whether many small young or just one large offspring are born in a year.

Dr Evans said whales were an excellent example of the theory.

"The blue whale is the largest animal to have evolved, even larger than dinosaurs, and it reached this size at the fastest rates we recorded. Key to this success is that they produce large young that mature quickly, reaching around 30 metres in eight to 10 years," Dr Evans said.

Lead author of the study, Dr Jordan Okie from Arizona State University, said primates were at the opposite end of the spectrum.

"Primates have a low production rate and have evolved very slowly. They have never got bigger than about 500 kilograms," Dr Okie said.

The study also linked maximum size to mortality rate. Because larger animals tend to breed less frequently than smaller animals, if the mortality rate doubles, the maximum size is predicted to be 16 times smaller.

"This is a really surprising finding," said Dr Evans.

"It points to why many of the large animals went extinct after the last Ice Age, as changing climates probably increase mortality rates. Large animals are also at high risk of extinction in modern environments because it takes a long time for their population to rebound from disasters."

In the future, this work will be extended to help explain how extinction risk may be reduced in the face of climate change.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_environment/~3/WVYra1sPi-A/130625092012.htm

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Another Chinese Muallaf...: The First Step Is Always The Hardest

Since I was registered myself as muslim, this year is going to be my 5th Ramadhan fasting month. I was eager to study as much as I can regarding Islam, however I was stuck at bottleneck that most people won?t tell you the difference between cultural and Islam. I am fully believed that Islam is the righteous religion, a way of life, ad-Din. Whenever I?m dealing with complication between cultural and Muslim, there are hardly anyone may explain about it regardless of self-esteem customs and community perception. Although Islam principle can be easily adopted by all walk of life, the controversy aroused whenever a ?custom made Islamic cultural? being applied on a reverted muslim.

Last year December, I received an email from Must Read publisher, a local publisher that involved in Islam genre. They asked me whether I?m interested to write a book in Malay language. I was hesitated due to my Malay language is merely fit the required writing and speaking standard, still a very long way to go with professional writing. Despite of language matter, another concern is what kind of book should I write? Whether it?s just a personal travelogue or blogging alike article? As most readers realized that my article is focus more on current issue and cultural matter.

Also, lack of experience in writing Malay article into any magazine or book is the bottleneck. I have no idea what should a formal article looks like, also what kind of content may get rid by publisher. After a deep thought about it, I agreed to write a book with Must Read publisher. Since I have to work at daylight, my writing journey is fully launched at nighttime. Dealing with English-Malay language is really challenging me, there are few specific words hardly translated into Malay word, sometimes it need to be described into a long way around just to suit the same meaning. For an example:

Optional = mempunyai lebih daripada satu pilihan

In order to describe this word ?Optional? into Malay language, I used more than 3 words to express the same thing. I had a funny thought that just write some English article then translate it into Malay article, it turn out to be my absurd idea. There will be looks like ?Google Translate? article that translating words directly without taking care of the whole layout. The whole interpretation is gone without a proper layout in written article.

After finished writing a Malay article, I was asking help from my wife and Malay friends to correct the grammar mistakes. Apparently there were a few ?Creative phrases? that is confusing them, thus I had to explain what I wanted to express exactly and rewrite the article. Sometimes I took more than one week to finish a 4 pages article.

Alhamdulillah, my first book ever ?Dengan Lafaz Dua Kalimah Syahadah? is going to be published at next month. Although it was planned to release on May, it needs much longer time to furnish the product. Out of coincidence, I embraced Islam back in Ramadhan month while my book will be released on the same holy month. It took me 5 years to achieve my dream, struggling from being blank about Islam until I share my thought about it.

According to my personal survey about reverted Muslim writers, most of them disappeared after their books being published for one or two titles. Very few reverted Muslim still consistent in writing books and most importantly, there are always be readers who interested at their books. Ironically, books growing fast to suit what readers desired to know about. Which mean the awakening of Faith like Tawheed is easily overlooked by most readers, as if being Muslim is fully granted to realize the Greatness of Creator, regardless of certain act or speech that might spoil our Tawheed unconsciously.

Therefore, I choose the different way of writing in my project. Asides my travelogue as a reverted Muslim, I do writes about intermarriage and community perception against reverted Muslim. I?m still uncertain that would my book being best selling or end up as my last writing project, at least I will keep on update my blog and never asking payment from my blog readers (including those annoying advertisement).

Hence I would like to thank everyone who sharing a lot great story with me whether via email or blog comment, also my friends who voluntarily checking my grammar mistakes. As one of my friend who work at publishing company told me that ?Writing book won?t make you rich, but sharing your thoughts with public is priceless.?

Keep on writing, inshaAllah.

Source: http://lifemualaf.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-first-step-is-always-hardest.html

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Edward Snowden stops off in Moscow with US extradition request snapping at his heels

Even if he anticipated the risks involved in turning whisteblower, Edward Snowden can't have imagined the rushed, convoluted journey he'd have to take to avoid the full wrath of the US government. First to Hong Kong; most recently to Moscow, and perhaps soon to Ecuador (via Cuba and Venezuela) where he has apparently made a request for asylum. Strongly worded demands for his capture have followed every step of the way, with the White House National Security Council expressing "disappointment" that Hong Kong allowed Snowden to flee and now urging Russia (which has no formal extradition treaty with America) to "expel Mr. Snowden back to the US to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged." In an effort to help the fugitive navigate the maze of diplomatic fault lines, WikiLeaks has stepped up to say that its own legal advisors are "escorting" Snowden towards his final destination, likely making use of the knowledge they gained while protecting Julian Assange, and that it sees US efforts to arrest him as an "assault against the people."

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Source: WikiLeaks, CBS News, @RicardoPatinoEC (Twitter)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/24/edward-snowden-stops-off-in-moscow/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Hey, North West, greetings from the Northwest

Pop culture

Kurt Schlosser TODAY

11 hours ago

Eric Ryan / Getty Images file

New parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Northwesterners are a proud lot. We actually like being 3,000 miles from everything. We like our music. We like the rain. We're not big on attention -- especially the kind that comes with a major celebrity couple naming their new baby after the region we call home.

Seattle, where this story is originating from, is hardly a backwoods outpost devoid of celebrity intrigue. We've got our own hip-hop royalty in Macklemore ... you know, the "Thrift Shop" guy. (Tired of that song? At least his album, which went gold in April, isn't called "Yeezus.") We've got memories of Elvis singing under the Space Needle and the Beatles fishing from a hotel window. Frasier Crane lived here and the "Grey's Anatomy" doctors worked here; so did Tom Hanks in that movie we don't need to name.

We were all a little "Sleepless" Thursday night when Twitter started pointing at us. Actually, Twitter started pointing at a little girl whose new name is North West. Her parents, rapper Kanye West and reality-er Kim Kardashian, bucked weeks of K-name rumors, it seemed, and went in a new direction. We wish they'd used a different kompass.

For a little girl who will likely grow up in Los Angeles and New York and Miami and Paris, being saddled with a soggy moniker will take some getting used to. Kind of like getting used to being the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Nori, as she'll reportedly be known, should be aware of some of the stereotypes associated with the Northwest, even if she never lives here.

Forget the coffee thing and the grunge thing. Two companies, through relatively recent advertising campaigns, get at the heart of the Northwest mystique with a little more humor. A SoCal/Miami Beach girl should be aware of Northwest beach culture, so check out this ad from Henry Weinhard's beer, a one-time Oregon brewery:

And Pemco Insurance has a campaign aimed at nothing but Northwest stereotypes. Socks with sandals guy, excessive recycling lady, the roadside chainsaw woodcarver ... as the slogan states, "We're a lot like you. A little different":

The couple will certainly turn a fashionable eye toward their daughter. Kim and her K-named sisters have a line for Sears; Kanye has a line for people who don't walk in the rain. People no doubt still associate Northwest fashion with flannels and fleece, but who better to outfit the little girl than The North West Clothing Co.? The Seattle-based T-shirt, hat and hoodie maker needs to start a onesie line before the girl is wearing nothing but Rob Kardashian's socks.

Through it all, we hope North West the girl grows to love Northwest the destination, even if Northwest the airline isn't around anymore to fly her here. She wouldn't be the first or last Californian to ditch all that for all this.

But she may have trouble finding us if she Googles "north west." As Buzzfeed pointed out Friday morning, the search was already returning pictures of her parents among the images of maps. Yeezus H ...

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/north-west-should-know-thing-or-two-about-northwest-6C10411618

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NFL: Family seeks answers in death near Hernandez home | The ...

Boston ? At least one company yanked an endorsement deal from New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Friday as puzzled family members of a friend found slain a mile from Hernandez?s home sought answers about how he died.

Police have searched in and around Hernandez?s sprawling home in North Attleborough, not far from where the Patriots practice, but a court clerk said that as of Friday afternoon no arrest warrants had been issued in the case. The Bristol County district attorney has not released any information, other than saying the death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd was being treated as a homicide.

A jogger found Lloyd?s body in an industrial park Monday. Family members said Friday that Lloyd had been dating Hernandez?s fiancee?s sister for about two years. They said the two men were friends who were together the night Lloyd died.

Police in nearby Providence, R.I., said they had assisted Massachusetts state police and North Attleborough police with activity related to the Hernandez investigation at a strip club named Club Desire. It was unclear if they believed Lloyd and Hernandez might have been at the club in the days before Lloyd died.

Family members have said Lloyd, 27, was never in trouble.

CytoSport, a Benicia, Calif.-based company that makes Muscle Milk and other supplements for athletes, said Friday it was ending Hernandez?s endorsement contract, effective immediately, because of the investigation.

A reporter was escorted out of the club Friday afternoon before she could speak with employees or patrons.

Family members have said Lloyd, 27, was never in trouble.

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"I want the person that killed my son to be brought to justice," said Lloyd?s mother, Ursula Ward. "That?s my first-born child, my only boy child, and they took him away from me. ... I wouldn?t trade him for all the money in the world. And if money could bring him back I would give this house up to bring my son back. Nothing can bring my son back."

Family members said they had heard from Lloyd?s girlfriend but not from Hernandez after Lloyd?s death. They are anxiously awaiting an arrest in the case.

"We?re just hoping for justice," cousin Marsha Martin said. "We don?t want Odin to have died in vain."

Hernandez?s attorney Michael Fee has acknowledged media reports about the state police search of Hernandez?s home but said he wouldn?t have any comment on it.

Attleboro District Court clerk magistrate Mark E. Sturdy said three search warrants were issued in the investigation earlier in the week but have not been returned, meaning they?re not public. He said no arrest warrants had been filed in state courts by the time court closed at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Hernandez was gone from his home for most of the day Friday, including when two state police officers knocked on his door. He returned home with his attorney around 5 p.m.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James has said the team does not anticipate commenting publicly during the police investigation. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was waiting for the legal process to take its course.

CytoSport, a Benicia, Calif.-based company that makes Muscle Milk and other supplements for athletes, said Friday it was ending Hernandez?s endorsement contract, effective immediately, because of the investigation.

The Patriots drafted Hernandez out of Florida in 2010. Since then, he has combined with Rob Gronkowski to form one of the top tight end duos in the NFL. He missed 10 games last season with an ankle injury and had shoulder surgery in April but is expected to be ready for training camp. Last summer, the Patriots gave him a five-year contract worth $40 million.

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/56495530-77/hernandez-lloyd-friday-family.html.csp

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