Author: Serkadis

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s plan to offer tax credits to businesses that add workers is running into opposition from some rank-and-file Democrats in the House.

“I don’t know anybody in business who hires an employee because they will get a tax break,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said Wednesday.

“They hire employees because they have work to do.”

Obama proposed the tax credit as part of his plan to refocus his administration’s efforts to ease unemployment in the run-up to congressional elections in November.

Senate Democrats are coalescing around their own version of the tax break, but House Democrats have been slower to embrace the idea.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the tax writing House Ways and Means Committee, offered this assessment: “It’s controversial, it’s on the table.”

Obama wants to give companies a $5,000 tax credit for each net new worker they hire in 2010. Also, businesses that increase wages or hours for existing workers in 2010 would be reimbursed for the extra Social Security payroll taxes they would pay.

Senate Democrats are seeking bipartisan support on a similar plan that would exempt companies from paying the employer’s share of Social Security payroll taxes for new workers hired this year, as long as those people had been unemployed at least 60 days.

Senators hope to unveil a jobs bill as early as this week. Prospects in the House, however, are less clear.

The House passed a jobs bill in December that has stalled in the Senate. Obama first said he supported a new jobs tax credit in December, but House Democrats left it out of their bill because they couldn’t figure out how to make it work effectively.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said companies that have struggled to keep workers would miss out on the credit while those that got rid of workers could get it when they hire replacements.

“Surely, the Treasury can come up with a better way to promote job growth,” Doggett said to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner Wednesday at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing.

Geithner said that while increasing consumer demand is key to job growth, a new tax credit for hiring could help as demand starts to pick up.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

File sharing and syncing service Dropbox is close to expanding its line of mobile products, which includes a mobile phone friendly website and an iPhone app, with custom apps for Android and Blackberry devices.

In an e-mail update sent out to its user base – over four million strong these days – the startup reminds people about the existence of its mobile website but ends the message with a couple of sentences that leave little to one’s imagination:

“Do you own a Blackberry or Android phone? Don’t worry! We’ve got plenty more mobile magic coming soon!”

Furthermore, in the latest post published on Dropbox’ company blog, engineer Will Stockwell notes his resolution for 2010 is “to release some crazy new features for the iPhone app” and to begin poking his head around “some other undisclosed projects.. coughANDROIDAPPcough”. The company seems pretty serious about its plans for servicing Google’s open mobile OS platform, as it’s also looking for an extra Android Developer according to its jobs page.

In case you’re not familiar with the service – unlikely given the fact that the startup has won a Crunchie for Best Internet Application at the most recent awards ceremony – Dropbox enables people to sync files and media across platforms and devices, in order to have them available from any location. Dropbox provides users with 2 GB of space for free (twice the storage Google offers), with add-on plans offering more storage and functionality for a fee.

Dropbox was founded by CEO Drew Houston and CTO Arash Ferdowsi in 2007, and received seed funding from Y Combinator soon after. The company went on to raise $7.2 million from Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners and Amidzad Partners.

(Thanks to Erin Blaskie for the tip and the TwitPic image)

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A young child and a motorist were killed when a Cadillac plowed into a concrete pillar early Thursday on the Far South Side, police said.

The accident happened about 2:15 a.m. when a 1989 Cadillac struck a concrete viaduct at 107th Street and Dauphin Avenue, according to police.

A young child, possibly a toddler, and the driver were both taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn but they have both died, police said.

The two were not ejected from the Cadillac and no one else was inside the car, police said.

The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

Fiat has some serious problems in Italy. After a disastrous 2009, when the Italian automaker posted important losses, CEO Sergio Marchionne decided that the only way he could turn the company around is by taking drastic measures. And drastic measures were taken, as the CEO decided to completely shut down Fiat’s Termini Imerese factory in Sicily and temporarily shut down all plants in Italy for two weeks.

Though the Italian government and the Fiat workers are pressuring Fiat to continue produ… (read more)

An armed man is holed up inside a South Shore apartment prompting officers from the Hostage Barricade Terrorism Team to respond early Thursday on the South Side.

At 1:39 a.m., police were notified of a man barricading himself in an apartment in the 7300 block of South Oglesby Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.

The man was alone and early reports indicate he is armed, according to Gaines who said an “HBT” response was initiated for the incident.

No injuries were reported and officers were still on the scene as of 5 a.m. and Gaines said he did not know why the man had barricaded himself inside.

Calumet Area detectives are investigating also.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

Although he was initially all against the 2011 technical regulations for the World Rally Championship – the inclusion of 1.6 turbo engines, as well as the mandatory S2000 platform for the rally cars – reigning WRC champion Sebastien Loeb had no other choice but to get behind the wheel of the new Citroen DS3 WRC car and test drive it on the gravel roads of southern France.

Of course, the fact that Loeb test drove the new DS3 WRC car in January is no news to anyone, as several media in France h… (read more)

This constitutes as some serious planning but if you preorder Madden NFL 11 from Walmart.com, you’ll get a $20 gift card when the game ships on August 20th.

The $20 gift card is good for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii versions. You can get a $10 gift card with the purchase of the PS2 or PSP versions. This offer is only good through Walmart.com’s website and the gift card must be used online as well.

The deal is good “for a limited time, while supplies last.”

Madden NFL 11 [Walmart.com]

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We never get the good stuff! Casio in Japan just released this beautiful GW-3000 pilot in orange, blue, and white (I totally love that blue. It’s my favorite lume/color combo). It is waterproof and runs sets itself via radio. It is also a Tough Solar model and can survive masssive impacts.

It can display 29 world time cities and you can swap the home city with an away city. It also has a stopwatch and a calendar as well as a “Furuotokarenda” which is something Google seems to have translated wrong.

It is available this month for about $200.

What do we get? A Shamrock Shake green Baby-G that comes in a recyclable container. I mean I love me some ecology, but I want a Pilot’s watch! This green one is available here for $110.

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Olympus just took the wraps off its new $600 E-PL1 micro four thirds camera the other day and your main question is still probably what’s the difference between the new model and the previously-announced E-P2. At least that was our primary question. There is a $500 price difference after all. So here you go, the main differences.

4/3rumours,

E-PL1 advantages over E-P2:

• Dedicated REC button
• Magnified live view button
• Up to 14x magnification
• Lighter low-pass filter
• Built-in flash

E-P2 advantages over E-PL1:

• Two control dials
• More direct-access buttons (including ISO and white balance)
• Superior image stabilization system
• AE/AF lock button
• Orientation sensor
• Larger LCD
• More substantial construction
• 1/180 sec flash sync speed (rather than 1/160)
• Maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 sec (rather than 1/2000)
• Virtual level display
• Built-in stereo mics/speakers
• Optional wireless remote

So yeah, the E-P2 is of course a better camera, but the E-Pl1 doesn’t really seem half bad considering it’s nearly half the price.

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A Calumet Township man has been charged with sexual misconduct with a minor involving a 14-year-old girl who became pregnant and had his baby.

Jaime David Perez, 21, faces a maximum eight-year prison sentence if convicted of the charges filed in Lake Superior Court in Crown Point.

Authorities said he had sex with the girl, who had a baby last summer.

A DNA test through the Indiana State Police lab confirmed that the probability that Perez is the child’s father is 99.99 percent.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

The Gun Grabbers are kicking their latest assualt against the Second Amendment up a notch.

Back in May of last year, we reported on how the Inter-American Convention Against The Illicit Manufacturing Of And Trafficking In Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives And Other Related Materials was signed by President Bill Clinton but never ratified by the Senate.

And now the zealots who consider private ownership of firearms a crime against humanity have found a new ally in the International Action Network On Small Arms.

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Filed under: 111th Congress, America (USA), anti-American, Blogs in Support of Our Constitution, Blundering Bureaucrats, Conniving Politicians, Crimes Against Humanity, Fanatics, Fear-mongering, Human Rights, Laws, Liberals, Liberty, Lily-Livered Liberals, Limp-Wrist Liberals, Marxists, Patriotism, Political Prostitutes, Politicians for the Destruction of America, Politics, Power Hungry, Propaganda, Second (2nd) Amendment, U.N. – United Nations (United Nitwits), US Government, Video Tagged: Arms Control Treaty, Constitution, Gun Control, IANOSA, President Obama, Second Amendment, Senate, United Nations

Poor Jennifer Aniston has been beat by Angelina Jolie in yet another category: income.

According to Vanity Fair’s Hollywood’s Top 40, Angelina earned $21 million last year, putting her in 32nd place on the list. That’s just ahead of Jen, who took the 33rd spot with earnings of just $1 million less. Angelina’s salary hasn’t always soared ahead of Jen in the money department. In 2008, the Marley & Me star raked in $27 million , while Angie only banked $14 million.

Oddly enough, Brad Pitt is lagging way behind both women; an income of $13.5 million places him at number 40.

by Tom Ginsburg

[Tom Ginsburg is a Professor at the University of Chicago Law School]

Thanks for this opportunity to respond to the Article by Professors Abebe and Masur.  My learned colleagues are certainly correct that, notwithstanding its status as a unitary and authoritarian state, China is an internally complicated place, with substantial de facto control at the provincial level.  Besides the East-West cleavages that Professors Abebe and Masur focus on, there are other internal tensions among different levels of government, different governmental agencies at each level, and different ideological groups within the Party. This internal complexity would complicate any climate change deal, were one to be within reach.

Of course, the United States also has internal tensions that undermine the possibility of reaching a climate change agreement. The U.S. also has an imperative of economic growth, and has a population not fully convinced of the benefits of addressing climate change. To over-simplify, the internal debate over climate change here roughly tracks the red-state/blue-state (or red rural/blue urban) distinction.   So there may be a “Two Americas” problem that is roughly symmetric with the “Two Chinas” problem.

Perhaps more importantly, China has a distinct advantage over the United States in climate change policy.  In China, when major political decisions are taken, they can be (though by no means always are) effectively implemented.  Were the center to decide that environmental policy was a priority over growth, it would probably be able to effectuate it, just as China has dealt with numerous other formidable challenges in building a “socialist market economy.” (Consider how the CCP divested the military of its profitable businesses, implemented tax reform, fired hundreds of millions of workers, suppressed major political reform movements etc.)  While it is unlikely that China would decide that, say, the Western regions should subsidize the richer coastal regions, do Professors Abebe and Masur really believe that China could not implement such a program if it wanted?  The capacity for executive enforcement is quite formidable once decisions are taken.

In this regard, the democratic U.S. may have a more difficult time implementing costly policies.  We have a formally federal structure that complicates policy implementation. We have a culture of “adversarial legalism” in which no major decision ever goes unchallenged in the courts. And we seem to be quite unwilling to take any positions that require political will.  Bottom line: the U.S. may be just as much an obstacle as China in this area.

A Chicago Transit Authority van was stolen while a CTA employee was cleaning the Blue Line on the Northwest Side Thursday morning, police said.

The incident happened at 3 a.m., when a CTA employee was cleaning the Jefferson Park Blue Line at 4917 Milwaukee Avenue, Jefferson Park Police Capt. Edward Lenti said.

The employee left his keys unattended in a CTA-owned van while he was working, Lenti said.

The van was not running so when he heard the van start, it brought his attention to the van and police learned a woman had jumped into the van and took off, according to the captain.

Officers spotted the van 25 minutes later near North Cicero Avenue and West Touhy Avenue and pulled the vehicle over.

A woman in her early 40’s was taken into custody without incident, Lenti said.

No one was hurt, and the woman has not been charged as of 4:30 a.m.

A CTA spokeswoman had no information immediately.

Grand Central Area detectives are investigating.

Read the original article from FOX Chicago News.

PHOENIX — An ambitious, $6.7 billion government project to secure nearly the entire Mexican border with a “virtual fence” of cameras, ground sensors and radar is in jeopardy after a string of technical glitches and delays.

Having spent $672 million so far with little to show for it, Washington has ordered a reassessment of the whole idea.

The outlook became gloomier this week when President Barack Obama proposed cutting $189 million from the venture.

Ultimately, the project could be scaled back dramatically, with the government installing virtual fences along a few segments of the nation’s 2,000-mile southern boundary but dropping plans for any further expansion, officials said.

“The worst that happens is that we have a system which gives us some value but we conclude that it’s not worth buying any more of it,” said Mark Borkowski, the government’s director of the project at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The first permanent segment of virtual fence — a 23-mile stretch near Sasabe, Ariz. — was supposed to be turned over to the Border Patrol by the main contractor, Boeing Co., for testing in January, but the handover has been delayed by problems involving the video recording equipment.

The Bush administration launched the project in 2005 to help secure the border against illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and other intruders.

It was conceived as another layer of protection, in addition to thousands of Border Patrol agents and 650 miles of real fences.

The system was supposed to let a small number of dispatchers watch the border on a computer monitor, zoom in with cameras to see people crossing, and decide whether to send Border Patrol agents to the scene.

Although there are sensors, cameras and radar at many points along the border, they are not connected to cover large expanses.

Originally, the virtual fence was supposed to be completed by 2011; that date has slipped to 2014, largely because of technical problems.

Among other things, the radar system had trouble distinguishing between vegetation and people when it was windy. Also, the satellite communication system took too long to relay information in the field to a command center.

By the time an operator moved a camera to take a closer look at a spot, whatever had raised suspicion was gone.

The Homeland Security Department and Boeing said the early problems were fixed, but other glitches keep popping up.

The latest: a software bug that causes video recording devices to lock on to the wrong cameras, hindering agents trying to collect evidence against illegal border-crossers.

The government is trying to negotiate a deal with Boeing to let the Border Patrol begin using the first permanent stretch of virtual fence at night while the contractor is still working on it.

Otherwise, the Border Patrol might have to wait until late summer or early fall to take control of the section.

In ordering a reassessment of the project on Jan. 8, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the delays were unacceptable and that the government needs to consider more efficient and economical options. She did not elaborate.

“Americans need border security now — not 10 years down the road,” Napolitano said.

As for the possibility of the project being scaled back by government officials, Tim Peters, a Boeing vice president, said: “They really need to come up with the right calculus, and we’ll support that answer and look to be their preferred contractor to build whatever portion of what that calculus is.”

Both Boeing and the government officials said the technical problems stemmed from an erroneous belief that the first-of-its-kind virtual fence could be put together relatively quickly by tying together off-the-shelf components that weren’t designed to be linked.

Borkowski said the government shares blame with the contractor for the delays.

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors tougher immigration enforcement, said the project has suffered from a lack of oversight.

“We didn’t get the border security we were promised,” Mehlman said.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we’ve got questions about MacBook power adapters, Windows 7 in Boot Camp and virtualization in general, resetting the Mac Setup Assistant, the next iWork refresh, and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you’re using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we’ll assume you’re running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don’t specify), or if it’s an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.

Tofa asks

I have a 15″ MBP (unibody 2nd gen) and a 13″ MB. I noticed that their power supplies are different. There is a 60W(13″) and an 85W(15″). Is it bad for the battery if i use one on the other?

Check out this Apple Support Doc. Basically it comes down to this: it’s fine to use the higher wattage adapter with the lower power device, but it may not work so well in the other direction.

Matt asks

I’ve installed Windows 7 on my (late) 2006 24″ iMac. The best thing about Windows 7 is Windows Media Center, which I’d like to be able to use while still being logged into the OS X side of things. First question, can I now buy Parallels or some other software to run my Windows 7 from the Bootcamp partition? I don’t want to have to reinstall Windows 7 again if I can help it. Second, can you recommend a USB Tuner that will work with Windows Media Center to capture over the air broadcasts?

Both Parallels and VMware Fusion allow you to use a Boot Camp installation in virtualization. That is, you can run your Boot Camp partition as if it were a virtual machine. As far as tuners go, I’d probably try for something cross-platform so you could use it straight from OS X as well. Check out this site (scroll down) for some suggestions from Equinux and Hauppauge.

CozartDono asks

I have a late 2007 Macbook Pro running the latest Snow Leopard and a Boot Camp partition running Windows 7 32 bit. I have the retail upgrade version that includes 64-bit and 32-bit.The last time I checked, there wasn’t a way to install 64-bit Windows 7 with Boot Camp. But I noticed the Boot camp update has a download for 64-bit Windows 7. Whenever I’ve tried to install 64-bit, I can’t get the disc to boot up and start the installation. Is there a way to install 64-bit Windows 7 with Boot camp that I was never aware of? Is there a guide I can look at? And most importantly, can I do an upgrade from my existing installation of Widows 7 ?I’m thinking most likely this is case.

According to this Microsoft FAQ the only way to upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows 7 is to backup and reinstall. The most recent version of Boot Camp 3.1 supports 64-bit Windows 7.

John.B asks

After doing a fresh install (assuming Leopard for my Blackbook, but interested in the Snow Leopard answer as well), can’t I log in once with an administrative account to get the Mac fully updated with the latest updates and patches, then blow away that user’s home directory to get the Welcome screen to run for the new owner.

It is possible to do this, but it’s not completely straightforward as you’d need to do it from the terminal in Single User Mode. Check out this hint from Mac OS X Hints for the low-down. There also this Clean Install.app that’s a bit easier to use, but you’ll need to be booted onto a different volume.

James asks

Hi, I recently got a 27 inch iMac core i7. In general I’m thrilled with it but the dvd player software that comes with it isn’t that great. I’m not keen on using front row because I want to be able to do other thing’s while the dvd’s playing. Is there a decent dvd playback programme for the mac ? I’ve tried myself to find one but mostly they seem to be about ripping and burning dvds rather than watching them !

You don’t say what you dislike so much about the built-in DVD player application, so I’m not sure what you would think is decent. That said, I can suggest you have a look a VLC for a free alternative.

Jo asks

Since the January event is over, and we still have no iLife X, will we see it anytime later this year? I’m considering getting iWork and iLife now….

trevor asks

Will there be an iLife 10? I’ve looked everywhere and found no sign of it. Am I better off just buying 09 now as I am still running 07’s version.

As with all Apple hardware and software releases, there’s simply no way to tell for sure regarding unannounced products. As it happens, there was about a year between iWork ‘05 and ‘06, but 19 months between ‘06 and ‘08 and 16 months between ‘08 and ‘09 (source). It’s been a little more than a year since iWork ‘09 so I would expect to see something this year, but I have absolutely no hard information. Personally, I think it’s likely that an update would come on the heels of the release of iWork for the iPad in the late Spring or Summer, but that a pure guess.

behindthecurtain asks

I LOVE using Remote on my iTouch to control iTunes on another computer, but hate being limited to that device. Is there a widget or app that does the same thing on my Macbook Pro?

There are several applications out there designed to do this, but it seems like none of them have been updated recently. You might want to check out TuneConnect 2 iTunesRemote and iTunes Remote Control.

TUAWAsk TUAW: Power adapters, Windows 7, iWork refresh, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Jackson’s three children will be joining the host of stars participating in the re-recording of their father’s 1985 charity hit “We Are The World,” Entertainment Tonight said Wednesday.

Paris, 11, Prince, 12, and Blanket, 7, will narrate an introduction to the beloved track, which is being covered by the stars of today to raise money for earthquake survivor in Haiti. The Jackson 3 will read a poem by Maya Angelou, which was selected by their grandmother, Katherine Jackson.

A family insider says: “They wanted to put a special message on the song – a message that echoes everything their father wanted for the world.”

Janet Jackson has also agreed to sing her brother’s lines for the cover, which features more than 75 stars including Britney Spears, LL Cool J, Toni Braxton, Pink, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Richie, and Jennifer Hudson.

The second floor nursing lab at Harper College turned into a mock triage center Saturday as area Boy Scouts rotated through different emergency situations in pursuit of their first aid merit badge.

What made this hands-on event different from some were the adults moderating each station. They weren’t Scout leaders but nursing students. Make that male nursing students.

Scouts came from troops in Barrington, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Park Ridge and Grayslake.

But there was more going on during the morning session than learning to set broken bones and treat heat stroke.

“We realized many young men make judgments early on about acceptable careers,” said nursing professor Kate Kniest. “By providing male nurse role models, we hope to prevent some of the preconceived notions.”

Currently, fewer than 6 percent of the nurses in the country are male, according to statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.

At Harper, where the nursing department prepares students to earn an applied associate degree in nursing and sit for their registered nurse license, men this year make up nearly 10 percent of the class, the most ever.

Scouts said they enjoyed the variety of stations they got to tackle – and working with the nursing students.

“I like all the hands-on experience and the fact that they’re teaching every day first aid skills,” said David Bryant, 14, of Grayslake. “I’ve thought about areas I can go into where I can help people; I guess nursing could be one of them.”

Another Scout, 12-year old Joseph Valentino, thought he had his career plans all mapped out, but working with the nurses gave him more choices to consider.

“Ever since I was 6, I’ve wanted to be a heart surgeon,” Valentino of North Barrington said.

Harper’s fourth annual First Aid Merit Badge Day immersed Scouts in the state-of-the-art nursing lab, with its high fidelity mannequins. Some had a pulse and heartbeat, while others even squirted blood.

Scouts met second-year nursing students, including Kevin Dobbins and James Choi, who both plan to pursue careers in critical care. At their station, they demonstrated setting a potential broken or sprained ankle until emergency personnel could arrive.

Using a twig as a brace, they carefully wrapped the injured limb, before Scouts tried their hand at it. At the end, they wrapped up their presentation by describing how they became interested in nursing as a profession.

Choi said he liked the variety of clinical settings nursing offered, while Dobbins, who started out as a pre-med major, said he chose nursing for the ability to treat and educate patients.

“That’s what inspired me to go into medicine in the first place,” Dobbins said, “to help people.”

Working at another station was nursing student Ken Endler, a former firefighter and paramedic in Carpentersville, who wanted to take his medical training to the next level.

He described first aid care for burns, such as those found around a campfire or at home from boiling water. He grabbed the Scouts’ attention when he brought up some of the real life cases he had responded to as a paramedic