Timeline: Congress' Path To Federal Shutdown

A timeline of Congress' battle over the partial government shutdown and expiring federal borrowing authority:

Sept. 20: Republican-run House ignores White House veto threat, votes to keep government open through Dec. 15 if President Barack Obama agrees to cut off money for his 2010 health care law.

Sept. 24-25: Tea party Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and other conservatives speak on Senate floor for more than 21 consecutive hours about using shutdown bill to weaken health care law.

Sept. 27: Democratic-led Senate votes to remove House-approved provision defunding health care law, sends bill keeping agencies open through Nov. 15 back to House.

Sept. 29: House shifts demands on health care law, votes to delay implementation for a year and repeal tax on medical devices. Separately, House votes to pay troops in case of shutdown. Senate approves bill next day, Obama signs it into law.

Sept. 30: Senate rejects latest House provisions curbing health care law. House reworks shutdown bill again, delaying for a year health care law requirement that individuals buy health insurance and requiring members of Congress and staff to pay full expense of health insurance, without government paying part of costs. Senate kills latest House health care provisions.

Oct. 1: Government's new fiscal year begins, partial federal shutdown starts. House stands by language delaying required individual health coverage and blocking federal health insurance subsidies for Congress, requests formal negotiations with Senate. Senate quickly rejects House effort for formal bargaining.

Oct. 2: Embarking on strategy of voting to restart popular programs, Republicans push bills through House reopening national parks and National Institutes of Health and letting the District of Columbia municipal government spend money. Over the next two weeks, they pass more than a dozen similar bills reviving veterans, disaster aid, Head Start and other programs. Democrats mostly vote "no," saying entire government must reopen, and Senate ignores the measures. Obama discusses impasse with congressional leaders at White House, no progress reported.

Oct. 4: Republicans increasingly tie shutdown fight to need for Congress to renew federal borrowing authority by Oct. 17 or risk economy-rattling government default. GOP leaders increasingly shift their conditions for passage of the shutdown and debt limit bills to deficit reduction.

Oct. 5: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says he is bringing most of his department's 350,000 furloughed workers back to work immediately.

Oct. 6: House Speaker John Boehner says House won't pass bills ending shutdown or raising debt limit without negotiations on GOP demands.

Oct. 8: Obama and Boehner suggest they might consider short-term bills ending the shutdown and extending the debt limit to give them time to negotiate.

Oct. 10: Boehner proposes six-week debt limit extension, conditioned on Obama bargaining over spending cuts and reopening government. House GOP leaders discuss standoff with Obama at White House, no deal but both sides cite progress. Congress gives final approval to bill providing death benefits for slain troops and Obama signs it.

Oct. 11: White House, congressional Republicans continue bargaining. A bipartisan Senate group works on a measure that would reopen the government and prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its bills.

Oct. 12: Boehner tells House Republicans that negotiations with White House have stalled. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., begin talks. Senate derails Democratic effort to extend debt limit through 2014.

Oct. 14: Reid and McConnell say they've made progress toward a deal described as extending debt limit to Feb. 7, reopening government until Jan. 15, other provisions.

Oct. 15: Boehner prepares House alternative but it collapses for lack of votes. His proposal would have extended debt limit to Feb. 7, fully reopened government until Dec. 15, ended federal health insurance subsidies for president, members of Congress, other government officials.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=233119759&ft=1&f=
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Why You, Yes You, Might Enjoy A Superhero Documentary

Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie.

Courtesy Everett Collection/PBS

Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie.

Courtesy Everett Collection/PBS

Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle, a documentary in three hour-long segments that will premiere back to back (to back) tonight on many PBS stations, begins with a curious image: Vincent Zurzolo of Metropolis Comics explains that a recent copy of Action Comics #1, which contained the first appearance of Superman, recently sold for over $2 million. He shows us Action Comics #1, and then ... he locks it in a safe.

It makes all the sense in the world: it's worth a couple million dollars. You lock it up. But locking it in a safe is an interesting image in part because it underscores what makes comics — and, more specifically, superheroes — a complex cultural phenomenon for a lot of people. As they've become more collectible, as they've become fetish objects, as they've become obsessions for their most ardent fans, they've become harder and more imposing for other people to wrap their minds around. And that's too bad, because comics — and, more specifically superheroes — make a marvelous lens through which to look at American popular culture more generally, even if you're not an enthusiast.

That's what Superheroes does well. None of what's here is going to be a big surprise to people who follow comics closely, but it's a fine three-hour tour of superheroes as an example for other people of the way popular culture is always in a dialogue with the other things that are going on around it.

In the evolution of superheroes over these three hours, you see the markings of immigration, World War II, the civil rights movement, the Space Age, censorship, feminism, corporatization of media, the evolution of print and the rise of digital, and the eternal nature of merchandising. You don't learn about superheroes just to understand how superheroes work; you learn about superheroes because it helps explain how everything in entertainment works and has worked for almost a hundred years. (This is also a recurring theme of Monkey See comics blogger Glen Weldon's book about Superman, by the way.)

There's a nice balance in the documentary between good and thoughtful placing of culture in context on one hand, and colorful stories on the other. Maybe you've heard all of Stan Lee's stories, but if you haven't, he's fun to listen to. The same goes for Jim Steranko, an artist who has maybe the best hair you'll see on PBS this year. (And that includes Downton Abbey.) And they speak pretty candidly at times — it's fascinating to hear one of the artists say he was always a pacifist, he always considered himself pro-civil-rights, but that when feminism came along, his first thought was that he should support it, rather than that he did entirely understand it.

You can't really understand current entertainment culture without comics and superheroes — for good or for ill — and while Superheroes isn't news to the ardent fan, it's a good and entertaining backgrounder for the curious, which is always to be appreciated.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/10/15/234837378/why-you-yes-you-might-enjoy-a-superhero-documentary?ft=1&f=1048
Tags: tom brady   tupac   Percy Jackson Sea Of Monsters   gold cup   nate robinson  

Zelda's Triforce and Luigi's silhouette grace two new 3DS XL handhelds headed to Europe

The year of Luigi rages on with today's news that a Luigi-themed Nintendo 3DS XL handheld is headed to Europe next month. It joins a Triforce-emblazoned 3DS XL that's also set to arrive next month: the former on November 1st for �179.99 ($290) and the latter on November 22nd for �199.99 ($318). Of ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Z2z6m-J1i_I/
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Digital natives: The most and least wired countries revealed

11 hours ago

Via Georgia Tech

Digital natives as a percentage of each country's total population.

Kids these days. Always on their computers and cellphones "surfing the net."

While it may seem like young people are always using the Internet, it's perhaps surprising that only 30 percent of people ages 15 to 24 worldwide are "digital natives," meaning they've been active on the Internet for at least five years, new research shows.

The award for the most wired youth goes to South Korea, where more than 99.6 percent of young people actively use the Internet, according to a report published Oct. 7 by the International Telecommunication Union, a branch of the United Nations that focuses on information and communication technologies. [The 20 Most and Least Wired Countries]

In the United States, nearly 96 percent of people ages 15 to 24 are digital natives, according to a statement from Georgia Tech, whose researchers were involved in the study. That puts the U.S. behind Japan and several European countries like Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Timor-Leste, a small country in the southwest Pacific also known as East Timor, had the lowest percentage of digital natives, with less than 1 percent.

But the more important number is the proportion of young digital natives to each country's overall population, said Michael Best, a researcher at Georgia Tech a co-author of the study. "That's because a country's future will be defined by today's young people and by technology," Best said in a statement. "Countries with a high proportion of young people who are already online are positioned to define and lead the digital age of tomorrow."

When using this figure — the percentage of digital natives out of the country's total population — the United States did a bit better, coming in sixth overall (13.1 percent). The top place in this category goes to Iceland, at 13.9 percent. Malaysia comes in fourth with 13.4 percent. Malaysia, a middle-income country, has a "strong history of investing in educational technology," according to the release.

Countries with the lowest percentage of digital natives compared with total population are Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Sierra Leone. All of the bottom 10 countries are Asian or African nations, many of which are in the midst of conflict and/or have low Internet availability and thus low Internet usage, the statement noted.

Email Douglas Main or follow him on Twitter or Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook or Google+. Article originally on LiveScience.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663301/s/325a3a85/sc/5/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Cdigital0Enatives0Emost0Eleast0Ewired0Ecountries0Erevealed0E8C113790A14/story01.htm
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Foreign coaches get the hook as Australia fails on world stage

By Nick Mulvenney

SYDNEY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Three foreign coaches have paid the price for Australian humiliation on the international sporting stage this year and the search for a new soccer coach is taking place against a backdrop of hostility to "mercenaries" from overseas.

In a miserable 2013 tempered only by golfer Adam Scott's triumph at the U.S. Masters, a proud sporting nation has endured the continuing travails of their once all-conquering cricket team and the defeat of the Wallabies rugby team at the hands of the British and Irish Lions.

The latest humiliation came when the Socceroos, fresh from qualifying unconvincingly for next year's World Cup finals, were handed back-to-back 6-0 thrashings in friendlies against former world champions Brazil and France.

The blame for latter defeat in Paris last weekend was apportioned less than two hours after the final whistle with German coach Holger Osieck summarily dismissed by Football Federation Australia (FFA) chief David Gallop.

Rugby coach Robbie "Dingo" Deans was given a full three days after a third test hammering in July that decided the Lions series before the New Zealander "stood down" to end five-and-a-half years in charge of the Wallabies.

The main event of the cricket year had not even been reached when South African Micky Arthur was the victim of a shock pre-emptive strike, his short reign curtailed after a 4-0 defeat in India but before the Ashes series against England.

Both were the first foreigners to be put in charge of the respective teams and both were succeeded by Australians.

Osieck might yet be replaced by another coach from beyond Australia's shores but public sentiment, as represented by the media, is resolutely behind giving a local man a chance.

"His demise highlights the folly of using foreign coaches to lead Australian national teams over long periods," columnist Andrew Webster wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.

"Osieck and his predecessor, Pim Verbeek, are technocrats who never embraced the unique Australian manner in which we play on the international stage: punching above our weight, against nations with far larger player numbers to choose from.

"Foreign coaches don't bleed like home-grown ones. They are merely fulfilling a contract."

NO QUICK-FIX

The examples of the Australian cricket and rugby union teams suggests, though, that taking the coaching job back "in-country" is no quick-fix for a struggling team.

Arthur's replacement Darren Lehmann oversaw a 3-0 defeat in England and his team face an uphill struggle in the return series, which starts in Brisbane on Nov. 21.

Ewen McKenzie was handed the Wallabies job ahead of World Cup-winning South African Jake White but has lost two tests each to New Zealand and the Springboks, only tasting victory in his first six matches against Argentina.

Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou, one of the top local candidates for the Socceroos job, initially urged caution over the groundswell of support for an "Australian only" approach to recruitment.

"The only thing I would recommend strongly is to appoint the best person for the job," he told reporters on Sunday.

"I don't like this whole 'Let's go local as opposed to overseas'. It's our national team, whoever the best person for the job is, that's who should get it."

On Tuesday, though, after two days in which he firmed as media favourite for the post, he conceded that an Australian would have more invested in the job.

"There's no doubt, in any code and in any country, if you're coaching the national team and you come from that country, there's always that little extra bit you'll put into it," he told SEN radio.

"An Australian has to live in this country once he's finished that job.

"I think there's some sense in saying that if there's an Australian who's ready for it, you know, then that would be the way to go."

Despite saying that recruiting an Australian coach would "make sense", Gallop said the FFA had already put out feelers to Guus Hiddick, the Dutchman who led Australia to the last 16 at the 2006 World Cup.

Whoever takes the job, though, will inherit a very different squad from that Hiddink took over in 2005, a generation of players who blossomed into Australia's finest.

Given the current teams just managed to squeak past the likes of Oman, Iraq and Jordan to get to Brazil, there is a case for suggesting that, whether led by Australian or foreigner, expectations for the Socceroos might be a little bit too high.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/foreign-coaches-hook-australia-fails-world-stage-061411675--sow.html
Related Topics: adrian peterson   nhl   Paula Patton   vince young   msft  

Full HD coming to Windows Phone devices

October 14, 2013

By Mikael Ricknäs | IDG News Service

Microsoft's next Windows Phone update opens the door for 1080p screens and more powerful processors from Qualcomm.

Microsoft will deliver the new version of Windows Phone 8, called General Distribution Release 3, to existing phones over the coming months, Microsoft said in a blog post on Monday.

[ Learn how to secure and manage workers' smartphones, tablets, and more with InfoWorld's Mobile Device Management (MDM) Deep Dive Report. | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]

The first smartphones that can take full advantage of the update are likely to be announced next week at the Nokia World conference. Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Nokia's phone division, a deal which was first announced at the beginning of September.

The addition of 1080p screens and support for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor should help close the hardware gap between the latest line of Android phones and high-end products based on Microsoft's OS.

A new generation of Windows Phone-based devices will have 5- and 6-inch touch screens, according to Microsoft. They will compete with products like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the HTC One Max. The latter device has a 5.9-inch screen and was also announced on Monday.

The higher resolution on Windows Phone will make room for up to six tiles across the Windows Phone start screen instead of four. Other updates include an improved Internet sharing feature; the ability to use customized ring tones for instant messages, emails, voicemails, and reminders; and a new rotation lock option to keep the screen fixed in one place.

Consumers will also be able to close apps from the App switcher and use Driving Mode while on the road, which lets them send automatic replies to people who call or text when sitting behind the wheel, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft also announced the Windows Phone Preview for Developers, which will go live sometime on Monday. The program gives developers early access to Windows Phone updates so they can verify that apps work as expected on the new code, the company said.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobile-technology/full-hd-coming-windows-phone-devices-228730?source=rss_mobile_technology
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BlackBerry co-founder eyes counterbid for firm

Ottawa (AFP) - BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis has boosted his stake in the troubled Canadian tech firm with the intention of making an acquisition bid, regulatory documents showed Thursday.

A document filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission said Lazaridis now has eight percent of BlackBerry shares and is working with another co-founder, Douglas Fregin, "to explore the possibility of submitting a potential joint bid" for the group.

The document said the two "are considering all available options" including "a potential acquisition of all the outstanding shares of the Issuer that they do not currently own, either by themselves or with other interested investors."

The former BlackBerry executives have also hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Centerview Partners LLC to help them study their options, according to the filing.

BlackBerry announced in August after a dismal year that it was looking for a suitor, among other strategic options.

The company that helped create a culture of mobile users glued to smartphones, but lost its luster as many have since moved to iPhones or devices using Google's Android software, later said it had signed a letter of intent for a $4.7 billion buyout by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.

Fairfax, a Canadian firm headed by billionaire Prem Watsa, is already BlackBerry's largest shareholder with approximately 10 percent of its shares.

Watsa resigned from BlackBerry's board in August when the search for a suitor began.

But analysts and observers said the proposal was bait to elicit other bids.

Adding to the skepticism, BlackBerry shares have traded below Fairfax's $9 per share offer since the company announced its intentions on September 23.

BlackBerry shares were up 0.37 percent at $8.14 in late New York trade.

Some analysts have said that without a new bid, BlackBerry may need to be broken up to salvage the software and services side of the group, which is healthier than its handset business.

Lazaridis and Fregin started the company, formerly known as Research In Motion, in 1984 using a small government grant, a loan from Lazaridis's parents and monies earned developing a computer display for General Motors.

Early profits from projects such as developing bar code technology for film were ploughed into wireless data transmission technologies that eventually lead to the first BlackBerry in 1999.

Fregin acted as the company's head of operations until he retired in 2007.

Lazaridis quit his role as vice chair in May, nearly 18 months after stepping down as co-chief executive. Forbes magazine recently ranked him as Canada's 17th richest Canadian and 651st in the world.

In January, BlackBerry unveiled a new corporate name and a new platform in January as it sought to regain momentum, but its most recent numbers suggest this has been a spectacular failure.

BlackBerry still has some 70 million subscribers worldwide, but most of these are using older handsets, with the newer devices on the BlackBerry 10 platform failing to gain traction.

Last month, the company announced it was laying off 4,500 staff -- or one third of its global workforce -- after losing $965 million dollars in its last quarter as sales plummeted.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-co-founder-eyes-counterbid-firm-185954928.html
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